Chlorophyll Volume-1 Issue-4

...for the planet that breathes

Foldscope Origami-based Microscope Meet Arvind Sanjeev - A DIY enthusiast

Vol 01 | Issue 04

Regular Columns, Departments & more...

D I Y

Conservation Special !!

Own A Bird-nest or A Bird-feeder

Who doesn’t remember house sparrows around? They have been part of everyone’s life, especially childhood memories? You see them nesting behind that photoframe of your grand(or grand-grand)father. You see them laying eggs and you see the babies coming out, learning to fly. Sadly, all these seem like a distant past.

Neo-urban India doesn’t witness many sparrowvisitors in their houses. Is that house-designs that have changed? Is that influence of cell-phone towers? We may not be sure. But all we know is if wish to, we can provide them a space to nurture babies in safety. Safe from Cats and Kites. Safe from extremes of weather.

And why only sparrows, all birds chirp amazing alike!

In India, you can join for ‘Free Distribution of Sparrownests’. Check design (right and at https://flic.kr/s/aHsjFMPyS7) to make your own! For other birds, you can benefit from this amazing guide (http:// nestwatch.org/learn/all-about-birdhouses/) by The Cornell Lab of Ornithology!

To make a bird-feeder (above) check: http:// thediydreamer.com/inspiration/20-uniquebird-feeders/

chlorophyll Editorial Team Managing Editor : Nimit Kumar Co-editor: Dr. Gipson Edappazham Reviewer-cum-mentors Dr. Kausik Banerjee Dr. Chintan Pathak Mr. Vandan Jhaveri Dr. Vivek Vegda Designer Team Concept Design: Rohit Valecha (www.rohitvalecha.com) Layout & Compilation: Sophie Cover Design: Bhumi Mehta (www.facebook.com/24ten) Chlorophyll is a non-commercial, open access (CC-BY-SA), science eZine (e-magazine) quarterly published by Mahiru Foundation. However, all the rights for images and any other content stay with the authors/creators, except mentioned otherwise.

The opinions expressed in this publication are of the authors and may not necessarily be same of Mahiru Foundation and/or Chlorophyll team. None of these are liable for any unintentional errors.

Regd. office: Mahiru Foundation 702/B, Chanakya Apt. Junagadh-362001 (Gujarat) INDIA.

Email: mahirufoundation.india@gmail.com Web: www.mahirufoundation.weebly.com

To subscribe, visit: http://goo.gl/KIKLWi or use this QR-code

editors’ take While we reached towards last issue of the maiden volume of this e-magazine, we relive the memories we treasured while preparing the first issue last December.

It is no surprise that journey to reach fourth issue seemed to be so swift and dream-like. We can never thank enough to volunteers who helped in writing for us, sharing their photographs, helping us compile the stuff, presenting in best ways of designing or even sharing this eZine on their social networking profiles and otherwise - all of these being uniquely important.

Pondering on theme of this issue, we always felt it has to be Do-It-Yourself aka DIY, because when chlorophyll strives to become a magazine that walks the path less visited there has to be a take away message from each of the issues. In this way, DIY provides an opportunity to the readers not ‘to read articles’ related to each of the themes, but also ‘to live those articles’ by being involved in a project related to the same. And of course, it has to be fun! (the motto of Chlorophyll). That is how we can talk about conservation on one cover and on the other (last) we can feature how to make your own boombox!

However, everything in this world has its own merits and demerits. Having a theme of the issue may sound a great idea, but at the same time it left many of enthusiastic volunteers to wait endlessly for suitable theme to come, when they can contribute. We certainly did not wish for that, and that is the reason why we are thinking of abandoning theme concept per se from 2015 onwards.

Certainly there will be featured articles in each of the issue, but rest may be more of a spectrum of articles that readers with all types of taste can savour.

That and much more to come in 2015. See you on the other side of the calendar!

October, 2014 Last Cover (& DIY) Courtesy: CNET. Watch video/Read more at http://www.cnet.com/how-to/make-a-mini-boombox/

in this issue covers DIY: Bird-nest and Bird-feeder ‘Conservation’ Special

DIY: Boom-box

II IV

featured Interview

Meet Arvind Sanjeev - a DIY enthusiast!

‘Technology’ Special

Foldscope

An Origami based Paper-Microscope ‘Science-With-Society’ Special

01 05

columns The Green Snapshot: Nagarhole National Park –

Virtual tour to Most Popular National Park of South India!

by Arun Raghuraman

09

17

Women’s Corner:

19

Sustainable Living

by Sophie

DIY: Solar Lantern

by Nitin Kumar

departments

21

Creepy Crawly of the Issue

23

Popping the Myth Bubble

25

Insect Galls

Is watching TV close-up really bad for your eyes

Eye, On the Skies

DIY: 3D-Glasses to watch Celestial Objects

INTERVIEW

An Interview of a D-I-Y enthusiast Arvind is an electronic enginner and inventor from Kochin. He received attention of media when he made his own version of Google Glass.

Here, he shares us about how he ended up being one.

Technology Special !!

Arvind, tell us something about yourself.

As a child, I often got rebuked a few hours after my parents bought me a new battery operated toy. They used to get agitated when they saw that I was more interested in hacking open the toy, be it a RF controlled car or anything having electronics inside it, rather than playing with it. However, a few moments later, to their awe, they used to get mesmerized when they saw me build something new using the components of the toys: hovercrafts, motor boats, they’ve seen it all. I am proud to say that I am a tinkerer. Electronics and robotics have always been a part of my life and and my passion for the same is not likely to wane anytime soon.

So how come you got to know about DIY and felt it is calling you?

I have always been a DIY’er. As a kid, I used to do it by hacking apart my toys, and now I am doing the same using embedded systems.

01

I was always intrigued by technology, which kept me going.

INTERVIEW

Usually it is believed that DIY and such hobbies can be fulfilled in western countries with all resources available, did you face this to be truth or myth?

Today, the resources available to us are almost the same as that available abroad. The major factor which corroborates this, is the internet.

Internet exposes us to the same resources which are available to the rest of the world. We can take advantage of this to keep ourselves updated on the latest technological trends. I have used the internet to do self learning and to build my skills, and I encourage everyone else to do the same.

What kind of difficulties you faced while pursuing DIY and how you managed to overcome them?

Most of the projects I have worked on, was created using the knowledge I procured using the internet. The difficulties associated with DIY is very less. This is because of the open source phenomenon. Due to this, whenever we arrive at an obstacle, we can always seek the help of others through online forums and communities. Moreover, since the technologies I build are based on open source tools, it becomes easier for troubleshooting.

You run a DIY blog/website, do tell us something about it.

Please go through this, it has the entire story: https://docs.google.com/ my platform too: http://diyhacking.com Which is your most favorite project and why?

My favorite project currently is SmartCap: http://diyhacking.. This is because, I was able

Cover of Arvind’s recently launched e-book, read on to know how you can get a free copy! to motivate several students in our country through this project. Some of them are even building their own versions now.

What do you believe about crowdsourcing?

Something which our readers can join hands with you for something interesting?

I greatly believe in the Maker movement and the Open Source culture. Truly robust technologies can only be built collectively in a community.

We heard you have written/published a DIY beginner’s guide recently. Tell our readers something out it.

I recently authored a free Ebook titled – “How To Be a Maker”, which is intended to be a beginner’s guide to getting started with working on projects using Arduino and 02

INTERVIEW

PROJECTS •RideSmart- Remote Vehicle Activation System using SmartPhones (Had partnered with Blackberry for showcasing this project at various platforms) – Patent Pending.

•Smart Cap (As seen on Techcrunch) - A cap outfitted with a head mounted display, a clone to the Google Glass, mimicking its functionalities •Fin POC (As seen on Indiegogo) - The Wearable Smart Finger Ring controller for SmartTVs, Smartphones, etc.

•Internet of Things based home automation system.

•Android SmartPhone Application Controlled Robot.

•Android SmartPhone Application Controlled Honda Scooter.

•Auto stabilization and Remote Control of quad-rotor helicopter.

•Wearable Hand Glove controlled Hovercraft with GPS (Honored with a best project award from IEEE, Calicut).

•Smart and Interactive Offline Voice Response Systems for Home Automation.

•Gspeed - Anti Theft and navigation system for two wheelers.

•Portable GPS navigation module .

•Home Power and Internet Logger (Earned recognition from Kerala Power Minister and Electricity Board).

•Autonomous Path Following Robot.

•Electric ignition based Rocket using self made solid fuel mixture.

•Electromagnetic Projectile Accelerators.

03

INTERVIEW

Raspberry Pi, which will help you to build really awesome stuff easily and quickly, using it.

Its main intention is to promote awareness about easy open source tools for rapid prototyping (Arduino and Raspberry Pi), as many of the students in our country are still not exposed to such easy tools. This initiative also tries to promulgate a more pragmatic approach to technical education, rather than just confining to the books and promotes the Maker culture.

If you would like to get your free copy, please go to: http://maker.diyhacking.com/ Before signing off, something that you need to tell our readers.

Development of hardware technologies has become real easy now, you can now build cool robots yourself at home. All you need is a little hardware and a good Internet connection, you will be amazed by the things you can build!

For tutorials and help, DIY Hacking is always online!

Useful Links: http://diyhacking.com https://www.facebook.com/diyhacking http://www.raspberrypi.org/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raspberry_Pi http://www.arduino.cc/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arduino https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6G4RDruQIPufKH-NLbXwAA http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2014-08-20/news/53029259_1_hardware-google-glass-arduino

04

FOLDSCOPE

- An Origami Based Paper-Microscope

Science With Society Special !!

A team at Stanford University has come up with an excellent idea of making a microscope in an estonishingly frugal but which is utmost efficient. Amazingly, it costs less than a soft-drink! Let’s find out more...

Ever imagined what are the biggest challanges of 20th centuary that we are still struggling to overcome in 2014? Nuclear Physics, nope. Supercomputers, checked!

Cyclone prediction, very well. Going to space, getting there. What is left then?

Well, the answer lies in simpler requirements of a healthy life. It doesn’t need special knowledge to recall that influenza took more lives than world-war. Sadly, we are still in need of quicker and reliable detection of diseases, especially in countries with poor or average economies while exactly same been thickly populated!

Manu Prakash and team at Stanfod University also felt how poorly we are equipped in this fight against the diseases. Being a medical fact that most of the infections and epidemics can be avoided or at lease controlled, if proper diagnostic techniques are made available not only with minimum technical complexity but also, at an affordable price - the next big step has to be in this direction. As an answer to the same, there came Foldscope in the existance.

Foldscope is combination of efficiently designed paper-cuts (origami) and finescale electronics (LED etc) supporting to the equally fine-scaled optics (lens) together enabling a user to witness the microscopic world around us at a mere cost of around 50-cents to a dollar!

Facing Page: (A) Layout of components on A4-paper (B) Schematic of an assembled Foldscope’s top-view and (C) cross-sectional view (D) Materials and tools used (E) Need-based different types of Foldscope (F) Novice users demonstrating the technique for using the Foldscope (G)

05

Demo of the field-rugged design by stomping under foot

FOLDSCOPE Image Courtesy: Prakash Lab & team at Stanford University, check description about sub-sections on facing page (as seen on http://arxiv.org/abs/1403.1211 & PLOS One)

06

FOLDSCOPE 07

Above: Examples of different type of microscopy with foldscope (A) Brightfield (B) Fluorescent (C) Brightfield Lens-Array and (D) Darkfield (E-H shows respective arrangement of lens; Middle: Demonstration of how to hold & operate; Below: Examples of brightfield foldscope observations. A-G are various disease causing parasites where A-C are Protozoans while D-E are Bacteria. H-J are leg parts of an insect whose images taken by volunteers who made foldscope themselves & used) Facing Page: A kid’s “journal-record” of ant-observation through Foldscope.

What Can I Do?

As per its design, a foldscope can serve as a

Prakash Lab and team had a window for

different (brightfield, dark field, fluorescent

signing up a giveaway for 10,000 foldscopes.

etc) kind of microscope. The kit comes as a

Even though it has been officially closed for

single sheet of paper with colorful, attractive

now in case you have innovative ideas, you can

and easy to understand drawings

get in touch with them. Mahiru

explaining from where to cut-

Foundation has also signed up

out the parts that ultimately

for the same and we are looking

forms this paper microscope.

foward to get some of these.

Instruction continue to guide

You can track the status of the

on how to put them together

same on Mahiru Foundation’s

correctly. Based on what kind

website/newsletters or here.

of foldscope it is, it may have an

Once got a foldscope, it is very

LED and a watch-battery.

important to benefit from it

Once all parts are put together,

maximally. For example, as a

the foldscope is ready to use. One can take

starter, we have thought to use it for raising

sample of an insect or tap-water. Put the

social awareness towards hygiene. If you have

subject on slide and start getting mesmerize

ideas on how such technology can be used for

how amazing microcosmos is around us. Side

say, you can contact us. We would like to hear

strips are pulled or relaxed to focus aptly.

what else we can do!

FOLDSCOPE

How it works?

Useful Links: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foldscope http://www.foldscope.com/ http://arxiv.org/abs/1403.1211 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parasitism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microscopy Cybulski JS, Clements J, Prakash M (2014) Foldscope: Origami-Based Paper Microscope. PLoS ONE 9(6): e98781. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0098781 http://www.ted.com/talks/manu_prakash_a_50_cent_microscope_that_folds_like_origami

08

PROTECTED AREA

[

Nagarhole National Park

Nagarhole (also called Rajiv Gandhi National park) is one of the most popular forest reserves in southern India primarily due to large density of larger mammals as well as easy accessibility from major towns.The park covers 643 square kilometers and is located to the north-west of Bandipur National Park with the Kabini reservoir seperating the two parks. The Kabini Forest reserve comprises of the south-eastern portion of the Nagarhole national park and is situated on the banks of the river Kabini spread over 55 acres of forestland, steep valleys, and water bodies. Along with the

Elephant and Tiger

09

THE GREEN SNAPSHOT

]

adjacent Bandipur National Park, Mudumalai National Park and Wayanad wildlife sanctuary, the entire stretch of protected area is the largest in India at about 843 square kilometers.

Nagarhole was set up as a wildlife sanctuary in 1955. It became a national park in 1988 and later, in 1999, it was declared a Project Tiger reserve.The vegetation here is mostly North Western Ghats moist deciduous forests with Central Deccan Plateau dry deciduous forests towards the east. The carnivores in the park are the star attractions with this being one of the few places where leopard sightings

Spider - a macro shot

PrOTECTED AREA

are common. Other larger carnivores consist of tigers, sloth bears and large packs of wild dogs. The larger herbivores arespotted deer, sambar, barking deer, four-horned antelope, gaur, wild boar and elephants. With over 250 species of birds, the park is home to multiple local woodland and water fowls with quite a few migrants. Amongst reptiles, crocodiles, common vine snakes, bamboo pit viper, Russell’s viper, common krait, Indian rock python and Indian monitor lizards are found here in abundance.

Nagarhole National Park is located 94kms away from Mysore,between the Kodagu and Mysore districts to the northwest of Bandipur National Park. While there are options to take the buses to Nagarhole and Kabini, public transport is quite infrequent with the nearest town, HD Kote having very few buses. Pickups can be arranged by the lodges themselves but a drive down from Mysore or Bangalore is the most common way to reach the national park. The drive itself goes through the forest.

There are plenty of options to stay in both the Nagarhole Park as well as the Kabini

forest reserve with a few lodges ranging from the forest department guest houses to the luxury resorts to suit all pockets. The forest department also runs mini buses for an hour of safari from near the RFO office. These maybe cheaper but the jeep safaris, are certainly by far much better to get a better glimpse of the wildlife.The parks are a popular destination for many of the local photographers in Mysore and Bangalore and it is highly recommended to book well in advance to avoid the weekend rush.

Unlike most other national parks in the north, the jeep safaris here last for about two hours.

This may seem a bit short considering the diversity of the wildlife that can be seen. The Park is most famous for the huge herds of elephants and the tuskers within the park. The Kabini area is also well known for the frequency of leopard and wild dogs sightings along with the large herds of herbivores. Kabini also offers the opportunity of boat rides to watch the wildlife and sighting crocodiles along the river banks. The biggest draw there are of course the huge herds of elephants.

10

Nagarhole National Park- A Virtual Tour Collage by Arun

PROTECTED AREA

White bellied woodpeckers courting

Gaur Feeding

Leopard Crossing

13

Spot-bellied eagle owl

Streak-throated woodpecker

Among the mammals, we were lucky to spot a pair of tigers on the river banks, a leopard that crossed our paths and a pack of wild dogs. The elephants on the river banks ensure that our cameras were always out and clicking. In between the safaris, we spent time clicking frogs in the river and macros of spiders. The evenings were spent watching the herds of elephants on the backdrop of the Kabiniriver with the young playing and getting into mock fights.

The more recent trip had more of the same although since we got there before the summer, the mammal sighting were fewer. The birds were still out in numbers and we managed to even spot a few forest wagtails around the lodge. The routes have been split up in order to reduce the traffic and the Kabini area of the park has been split into two zones as well. Jeeps are not allowed to move from one zone to another and as a result the trip feels shorter however this has not discouraged tourists as the resorts run at full capacity most times.

PrOTECTED AREA

Having hit a couple of trips to Kabini and one to Nagarhole, time always seems to fly on these trips. The safaris although short, never have a dull moment. On the first trip, we managed to see a spot bellied eagle owl along with multiple pairs of courting white bellied. On information from other jeeps we tried to spot a tiger but kept missing it by a few minutes.

Other birds included a pair of mating rollers, a Malabar Trogon, a blue face malkohaand a few other woodpeckers.

Tusker on the bank

14

PROTECTED AREA

Getting There: • • • • • • • • •

By Air: Mysore (98 km), Bangalore (240 km)

By Rail: Mysore (95 km) Nearby cities: Nainital (50kilometres) and Delhi (295kilometres) Best Time: Nov to June

DCF: Hunsur, Tel: 0822-2652041 Nearby attractions: Kabini dam Accommodation: Jungle Lodges at Kabini, +91-8228264402 (info@junglelodge.com, fax: +91-8228264405)

Do’s

•Do try the coracal ride at Kabini •Do carry a pair of binoculars or a telephoto lens if you have one •Do make your bookings before you reach, it can get very crowded on peak season weekends •Do take necessary permits before you enter

Do not litter Smoking is not allowed within the park and please refrain from it Do not disturb the wildlife Alcohol is strictly prohibited Do not delay the exit beyond 6 pm if traveling out

Don’ts

Author Biosketch Arun Raghuraman is a software engineer who is passionate about natural heritage of India and grabs every opportunity to quench his wanderlust. Often his partner will be his trusted camera with which he will treasure magnificent moments among wildlife. Upon finding him an interesting personality you may know more of him via his blogger profile - at http://arun-raghuraman.blogspot.in/

15

Call for Submissions !

Few glimpses of the magazine: Chlorophyll is an open access, non-commercial quarterly electronic-magazine.

• The geographic extent of contributors and readership is global.

• Contributions can be of regular columns, cartoons, cover stories, infographics, featured articles and guest columns.

We have stopped having theme for every issue.

So that contributors can write without bothering about adhering to the same. Photographers are more than welcome.

ANNOUNCEMENT

Submissions Open!

• With the release of latest Chlorophyll; submissions are now open for Issue-1 of Volume-2, marked to be published on 1st January, 2015.

• The deadline for submission is 15th December, 2014. However, it is advisable that we hear from you sooner as possible, so that we can put you in touch with reviewer-cum-mentor, who will guide you through an elegant writeup.

• Send them to: mahirufoundation.india@gmail.com.

Guideline for Authors: • Send writeup as .doc/.docx files and hi-resolution images in popular formats such .jpg/.jpeg/.png/.bmp etc • Document formatting: A4 page size with 1” margins all sides; 12 pt. size Times New Roman fonts, 1.5 line spacing and justified text.

• Photograph/figure captions and tables are to be placed at the end of the text writeup and must not be embedded within the text part. Good resolution images are to be sent separately. a) A submission requires these mandatorily: • Your Full Name, Email & introduction in few lines • Affiliation (Professional &/or Honorary - also specify which features in your article) • Your Close-up Photograph (as email attachment).

• Summary of article (Abstract) in 4-5 lines • Important Keywords (can be used in Google/Wiki search) • Your article • Web/blog links related to your article b) Optional Information: • Your Pen Name / Featured Name, if any other than first name in above • Your social networking links / internet addresses (website/Facebook/Google+/Twitter/Pinterest/Flickr/ LinkedIn/Instagram/anything we missed here) • 1 or 2 imp quotes (lines) from/related to your write up.

HELP US passing this to as many people as you can, who might interest in this. or If you know someone with popular achievements in topics that this magazine covers and will be willing to be our featured article contributor, you may bring them to our notice by email.

Want to stay updated about when Chlorophyll releases? Put us an email with text (copy-paste) as subject and in mail body : Notify me next Chlorophyll or subscribe to Mahiru Foundation updates here: http://www.mahirufoundation.weebly.com

16

hygiene

Women’s corner

Menstrupedia where the topic is rarely discussed, and

their periods. With a team of dynamic and

menstruating women are considered as

passionate

impure, Aditi Gupta has started breaking the

skills,

taboo by taking an intiative, a website called

informative and entertaining content through

“Menstrupedia” .

different media. Menstrupedia is a small

people

Menstrupedia

with

complementary

aims

at

delivering

but definitive step to shatter the myths and As the website says itself “Menstrupedia is

misunderstandings surrounding menstruation

a friendly guide to periods which helps girls

for ages.”

and women to stay healthy and active during Menstrupedia

has

various

articles

on

emotional and physiological changes during puberty, Physiology of menstruation, How to stay healthy during menstruation and myth bursting..

The 90 page menstrupedia comic book contains beautifull illustraions.

The comic

book is available at cost of 500 rs now. in English, alsow they are planning to translate into other indian languages soon.

Aditi Gupta has been featured in Forbes India 30 under 30 for her work with Menstrupedia.

Website : http://menstrupedia.com/ 17

Women’s corner

“Menstrual man is a documentary film which tells the story of Arunachalam Muruganantham. He realized that his wife has to choose

HYGIENE

Menstrual Man between family meals and sanitary supply. He decided to solve the problem by creating a simple production system fot cheap sanitary napkins. It took 18 months to build 250 machine. He wore sanitay pads by himself. His wife called him pervert and left him.

They registered his invention for the National Innovation Foundation’s Grassroots Technological Innovations Award. His idea won the award that year, and he received it from President Pratibha Patil. In 2014, TIME placed him in its list of “100 Most Influential People in the World”.

Useful links : http://www.ted.com/talks/arunachalam_muruganantham_how_i_started_a_sanitary_napkin_ revolution http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-26260978 http://www.menstrualman.com/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menstrual_Man https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arunachalam_Muruganantham

28 18

SOLAR pOWER

Sustainable

19

The theme of this issue is Do-It-Yourself, so I decided to write a small and easy DIY project of solar lighting. The same idea, I am using at my home. I have an old solar lantern, which stopped working after 11 years of use.

It was CFL based and I purchased it in 2001.

At that time LED lighting was very costly and was not affordable. Many people bought these lantern in rural area under government aided scheme. Majority of these were not working after 4-5 years of use, mainly due to non availability of local repair service. In my village, only my lantern was working even after 10 years long use, only because of my personal technical knowhow. But my lantern was failed in 2011. Charger electronics was not working. I tried to repair, but I could not got success. New Charge controller circuit was not available in the local market and solar lantern became useless without the same.

When I faced problem, I asked some users at my village and they replied that they have

Living stopped using this after very short period use and their money wasted. Many people spent money for repairing at nearby town.

But repair technicians were not compatible to repair lantern circuits and they charged big amount. People paid because they were totally blind about this technology. Now they were not ready to spend more.

I realized that this is the big problem with this environment friendly technology. I decided to find simple solution using LEDs. I studied many circuit ideas, but majority of them have complicated electronics and not repairable with minimum knowledge. I wanted to use circuit with minimum requirements and can be repaired with minimum technical knowhow. So rural people can use it for long time without spending much money.

Then I decided to convert my CFL based solar lantern to LED based simple solar lantern.

Also, New one can be made by anyone using 5” or 6” diameter PVC pipe and 8 inch in lengths. 2 nos end cap fitting for same PVC pipe and Hardwire are necessary to make complete lantern. You can put battery and all circuit inside of PVC pipe and both end can closed with endcaps and sheet matel screw.

12V SMD white LED strip can be wrapped outer side of PVC pipe and handle can be made from hard steel wire.

Resistance R1 and Diode D1 are used to control charging current and its value are calculated as below. Maximum Charging current produced by 10watt, 12V solar panel is 0.71 ampere. Peak voltage of 12 volt SPV is 17 Volt and we require maximum 14 volt to charge 12v, 7Ah battery. So we have to drop approx 3 volt across R1 and D1. D1 forward voltage is 0.7 volt. We have to select R1 for 2.3

voltage drop.

R = V/I = 2.3/0.71 = 3.28 ohm ≈ 3.3 ohm.

D1 is used to prevent reverse current to SPV. You need below parts.

PV panel - 12V, 10 watt solar panel.

Battery - 12v, 7 Ah SMF lead acid battery R1 - 3.3 ohm ( 2 watt) Resistor , 1 no.

D1 - 1N4007 Diode ( rectifier), 1 no.

On/Off switch , 1 no SMD LED strip ( White) 12 Volt, maximum 1 meter long.

SOLAR pOWER

After some experiment, I could succeed with below circuit. I am using this since last two years without any problem. After this, I have converted three old and non working lantern of my friends to LED based simple lantern and all are working fine.

I have fitted all this thing in Old solar lantern box and all old electronics and CFL lamp are removed. It is working successfully.

Photographs of my modified lantern are given below.

You can charge lantern alternate day with 12 volt,10 watt SPV panel, if your use is moderate(2-3 hours). If you are using 5-6 hours daily, then recharge everyday.

Solar panels and LED strips are easily available from online stores. Resister and diodes are very cheap and available at any local electronic store. 12v,7 Ah battery is available at any local battery shop.

Author Biosketch Nitin Kumar is proud to be a rurbanite (urbanite who is still connected to village). His professional career keeps him in close touch to the captive power plant of chlore-alkali industry, while his spectrum of passion spreads from bird-watching to reviving forgotten tribal recipes to riverbank cleanups – and everything in between.

20

GALLS

Creepy Crawly of the Issue

by Vandan Jhaveri

Key words: insect galls Whenever on a nature walk and exploring the forests with a group of nature enthusiast, this swellings on the plants (see the images) always catches attention of people, and immediate question arises “what are those things on the plant !!!”

This “swellings” in-fact makes people more curious about, otherwise ignored and considered drab, plant world.

Well, simply they are known as galls which is nothing but abnormal growth of plant tissues, and they comes in various shapes, sizes and Colours.

Mainly they function as interim shelter for the developing larvae of certain group of insects that varies from Vasp to mite to midgets to plant lice. Seldom galls are formed as a result of fungus, bacteria or virus activities as well.

Galls are very apparent, when on leaves, but other part of the plants are not an exception, it can be seen on leaves, twigs, branches, stem and fruits as well After this brief intro, it will be interesting to know more about galls and how they are formed, particularly by feeding or egg laying

Wasp entering eggs into a gall

21

Pic Courtesy : thomas Bresson

same time, being out of the sight of predators such as lizards or birds.

activities of insects Organisme that causes galls to form are called gall-makers. galls grows in response to either feeding by gall-makers, their larvae, or as a result of eggs laying on or within the plant tissue.

In most cases galls do not harm the host plant, however they too are a growing part of the plant and demands for nutrition just like other plant parts, as a result, if the galls are present in large number, growth of plant might be stunted, sometimes galls that occur on twig small branches and roots which are less prominent, can over a time, weakens the plant, which eventually result in death of the host plant.

GaLLs

Larvae continues to grow inside that gall, and gall also grows in size as the larva within, feeds and matures. finally after reaching certain size larvae emerges from the galls as an adult organism and read to infest other plants.

When larvae of insect starts feeding on newly developing plant parts, such as leaves, twigs, flower buds, mechanical damage alongwith the salivary secretion from larvae causes increase in production of plant growth hormone in that particular region, resulting in growth of abnormal plant structure called gall Formation of a gall generally occurs during plant growth period when new leaves, shoots, flowers etc. are developing, mature plant tissue are usually not affected by gall inducing organisms.

Galls grow to surround the tiny larvae, galls formed this way acts as a hollow shelter, wall of the gall are structurally strong and rich in protein and carbohydrate. This provides both the food and protection to larvae inside as they feed on the inner wall of a gall and at the Useful Links https://store.extension.iastate.edu/Product/ic417-pdf https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oE7sGyCBWr8 http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/help-for-the-homegardener/advice-tips-resources/pests-and-problems/other/galls/galls-on-trees.aspx 22

MYTH-BUSTING 23

with Gipson Edappazham

Is watching TV close-up really bad for your eyes?

Many of us might have grown up hearing “Don’t sit too close to the TV; you’ll ruin your eyesight!”. Probably all concerned parents around the world must have uttered these words at least once if not more. At one point in time, it actually may have been true. The myth got its start in the late 1960’s, when General Electric sold faulty television (TV) sets in the US that emitted levels of radiation as much as 10 to 100,000 times the rate considered safe and normal. These faulty TV’s were what started the myth that TV would ruin our eyes because GE sent out several warnings to not sit too close to their TV’s. To its credit, GE quickly recalled and repaired those hazardous TVs.

Televisions developed before the 1950’s emitted levels of radiation (x-rays) that could enhance a person’s risk of eye problems on repeated and extended exposure. These issues are now a thing of past. Today, technology for TVs and computer monitors with CRTs has changed so drastically that the level of risk of x-ray exposure is almost non-existent.

Moreover, most modern televisions and computers monitors today use Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), Light-Emitting Diodes (LED), or plasma technology. None of these monitors are capable of emitting x-rays besides producing small amount of heat, and, obviously, light.

But there was a danger even before GE’s faulty TVs. The radiation fears regarding televisions and computer monitors are actually from the early days of CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) monitors which were big bulky boxes.

Most experts are of the opinion that staring at the television or computer monitors will not cause permanent damage to a person’s eyes.

However, focusing your eyes too long on any one thing can cause eyestrain, a temporary but irritating problem. However, eyestrain and

the-counter artificial tears to re-moisten them.

Also, ensure your glasses or contact lenses are appropriate and up-to-date for your needs.

According to the Canadian Association of Optometrists (CAO), sitting too close to the TV doesn’t cause any permanent damage to your eyes. But it causes eyestrain and fatigue and watching TV in the wrong lighting can cause even more unnecessary eyestrain. It is recommended to watch TV at a suitable distance in a well-lit room in order to prevent this unnecessary fatigue on your eyes. The CAO recommends that a person watch TV from a distance of five times the width of the TV screen.

Some common symptoms of eyestrain include sore, burning or itchy eyes, tired eyes, watery eyes, dry eyes, headache, temporary blurred or double vision, light sensitivity, “afterimages” when you look away from the monitor etc. To prevent dry eyes, blink often to keep your eyes moist. If your eyes are still dry, try some over-

It is important to give your eyes and body regular breaks from staring at the screen. If you are watching TV and your eyes start to feel fatigued then move your eyes away from the TV. Try to focus them on something far away for a short time. The CAO recommends the 20-20-20 rule i.e.; “every 20 minutes take a 20 second break and focus your eyes on something at least 20 feet away.”

MYTH-BUSTING

fatigue can be cured very easily. One just has to turn off the TV and get some rest and your eyes and vision will get better relatively quickly.

To make TV viewing easier on the eyes, the room should be softly lit, the television should be placed in such a way to avoid glare. Watching TV from too close distance is more of a serious issue in the case of small children. A preschooler’s eyes are not ready for prolonged or intense concentration at short distances. So children should sit further away than five times the screen’s width, taking periodic breaks from staring at the screen.

Now, one can say with certainty that the ageold belief that watching TV can ruin your eyes is outdated. Watching television for extended duration, even at a distance might make your eyes tired, but certainly will not damage your eyesight. However, extended TV watching does have some negative effects like it could potentially cause health risks such as obesity, depression and overall deterioration of your physical and mental health.

Useful Links: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/earth-talk-tv-eyesight/ http://www.fda.gov/radiation-emittingproducts/resourcesforyouradiationemittingproducts/ ucm252764.htm http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/07/health/07really.html?_r=0 http://www.personal.psu.edu/afr3/blogs/SIOW/2011/10/does-watching-tv-ruin-our-eyesight. htm 24

SKYGAZING

6 25

Eye, On The Skies As we know guys at ISRO are no more typical oldie scientists who talk only jargons. With the launch of missions such as MOM (Mars Orbitor Mission), ISRO has gone uber-cool by joining on Facebook and Twitter. And if one believes it might have ended with few technical posts, here is a bummer! Recently ISRO shared an interesting post on its Twitter account (https://twitter.com/isro/status/516980398752940032). We found it so cool that we thought nothing gets better than this as central theme for EOTS on DIY special issue.

The Twitter post featured an image (below) of Mars that MOM has just taken. Why it looks bit different is the reason that it was recorded in a popular red-blue (rather, magenta-cyan) combination for making a 3D-image. Not only that, they provided alongside a handy infographic (shown on next page) that will allow one to see Mars in 3D - now isn’t that something super awesome!

Basic principal behind such effect is that respective filters (red and blue, here) will allow to pass only similar light from the same color. In a 3D image, there are actually two images of both colors embedded (that’s why it looks different with naked eyes) -both are phased out from center of the image. This means eyes of the viewer will see them from an angle and that will create an illusion (or vision) of a real-life 3-Dimensional image.

Don’t think that your use of DIY 3D-glasses will end with a single (ISRO) image given here. Internet is always fullof-stuff and that covers not only 3D images but videos too. Jet, Set and Check the links below!

About Anaglyph: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaglyph_3D Anaglyph Images: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2458541/Mars-3D-Images-reveal-red-planets-Grand-Canyon-detail.html

http://www.universetoday.com/115020/glorious-global-3-d-mars-from-isros-mom-and-esas-rosetta/ https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/multimedia/gallery.cfm?Category=Planets http://phys.org/news/2014-10-global-d-mars-image-isro.html http://www.lpi.usra.edu/resources/stereo_atlas/START.HTM Anaglyph Videos: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=anaglyph http://www.metacafe.com/videos_about/anaglyph/ http://vimeo.com/tag:anaglyph http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjP59WYnryKUZjbSz6LS6qw More Anaglyph Images from Google Search: https://www.google.com/search?q=anaglyph&tbm=isch https://www.google.com/search?q=red-blue+3d+images&tbm=isch

SKYGAZING

DIY ‘3D glasses’ seen on ISRO’s twitter handle

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