Knowing whether to stay in or leave a romantic relationship is often an agonizing experience and that ambivalence can have negative consequences for health and well-being.
Now a new study offers insights into what people are deliberating about and what makes the decision so difficult, which could help therapists working with couples and stimulate further research into the decision-making process.
The study, led by U psychology professor Samantha Joel, was published in Social Psychology and Personality Science. Co-authors were Geoff MacDonald and Elizabeth Page-Gould of the University of Toronto.
“Most of the research on breakups has been predictive, trying to predict whether a couple stays together or not, but we don’t know much about the decision process — what are the specific relationship pros and cons that people are weighing out,” Joel said.
In the first phase of the study, the researchers recruited three samples of people — including people who were in the midst of trying to decide whether to break up or not — to participate in an anonymous survey.
Participants were asked open-ended questions about their specific reasons for both wanting to stay and leave a relationship.
That yielded a list of 27 different reasons for wanting to stay in a relationship and 23 reasons for wanting to leave.
The stay/leave factors were then converted into a questionnaire that was given to another group of people who were trying to decide whether to end a dating relationship or marriage. Those dating had been together for two years on average, while married participants reported relationships that averaged nine years.
In both studies, general factors considered as the individuals deliberated what to do were similar.
At the top of the stay list: emotional intimacy, investment and a sense of obligation. At the top of the leave list: issues with a partner’s personality, breach of trust and partner withdrawal.
Individuals in both dating and married situations gave similar reasons for wanting to leave a relationship.
But the researchers found significant differences in stay reasoning between the two groups.
Participants who were in a dating relationship said they were considering staying based on more positive reasons such as aspects of their partner’s personality that they like, emotional intimacy and enjoyment of the relationship. Those who were married gave more constraint reasons for staying such as investment into the relationship, family responsibilities, fear of uncertainty and logistical barriers.
And about half of the participants said they had reasons to both stay and leave, indicating ambivalence about their relationships.
“What was most interesting to me was how ambivalent people felt about their relationships. They felt really torn,” Joel said. “Breaking up can be a really difficult decision. You can look at a relationship from outside and say ‘you have some really unsolvable problems, you should break up’ but from the inside that is a really difficult thing to do and the longer you’ve been in a relationship, the harder it seems to be.”
Most people, Joel said, have standards and deal breakers about the kind of person they want to date or marry but those often go out the window when they meet someone.
“Humans fall in love for a reason,” Joel said. “From an evolutionary perspective, for our ancestors finding a partner may have been more important than finding the right partner. It might be easier to get into relationships than to get back out of them.”
Older adults are drawn to Facebook so they can check out pictures and updates from family and friends, but may resist using the site because they are worried about who will see their own content, according to a team of researchers.
In a study of older people’s perception of Facebook, participants listed keeping in touch, monitoring other’s updates and sharing photos as main reasons for using Facebook. However, other seniors listed privacy, as well as the triviality of some posts, as reasons they stay away from the site.
“The biggest concern is privacy and it’s not about revealing too much, it’s that they assume that too many random people out there can get their hands on their information,” said S. Shyam Sundar, distinguished professor of communications and co-director of the Media Effects Research Laboratory, Penn State. “Control is really what privacy is all about. It’s about the degree to which you feel that you have control over how your information is shared or circulated.”
The researchers, who report their findings in a forthcoming issue of Telematics and Informatics, available online now, said that Facebook developers should focus on privacy settings to tap into the senior market.
“Clear privacy control tools are needed to promote older adults’ Facebook use,” said Eun Hwa Jung, assistant professor of communications and new media, National University of Singapore. “In particular, we think that privacy settings and alerts need to be highly visible, especially when they [older adults] are sharing information.”
While older adults are leery about who is viewing their posts, they enjoy using the site to look at pictures and read posts from friends and family, according to the researchers.
“I am more of a Facebook voyeur, I just look to see what my friends are putting out there,” one participant told the researchers. “I haven’t put anything on there in years. I don’t need to say, ‘I’m having a great lunch!’ and things like that, I don’t understand that kind of communication.”
Sundar said that, in fact, many participants mentioned the triviality of the conversation that kept them from using Facebook.
“They believe that people reporting on the mundane and unremarkable things that they did — brushing their teeth, or what they had for lunch — is not worth talking about,” said Sundar. “That’s an issue, especially for this generation.”
Older users could be a significant resource to help drive the growth of Facebook and other social media sites, Sundar said.
“The 55-plus folks were slow initially in adopting social media, but now they are one of the largest growing sectors for social media adoption,” he said.
The researchers suggest that Facebook is helping to serve as a communications bridge between the generations and that young people are prompting their older family members to join the site.
“In particular, unlike younger people, most older adults were encouraged by younger family members to join Facebook so that they could communicate,” said Jung. “This implies that older adults’ interaction via social networking sites can contribute to effective intergenerational communication.”
The researchers recruited 46 participants who were between 65 and 95 years old to take part in in-depth interviews. The group included 17 male participants and 29 female participants, all of whom had a college degree. The participants also said they used a computer in their daily lives.
A total of 20 Facebook users and 26 non-users participated in the study. If participants had a Facebook account, researchers asked them about their experience and their motivations for joining. Participants who did not use Facebook were asked why they did not join.
Because all of the participants in this study lived in a retirement home, the researchers said that future research should look at the perception and use of Facebook by seniors who live alone.
Cedars-Sinai neuroscience investigators have found that Alzheimer’s disease affects the retina — the back of the eye — similarly to the way it affects the brain. The study also revealed that an investigational, noninvasive eye scan could detect the key signs of Alzheimer’s disease years before patients experience symptoms.
Using a high-definition eye scan developed especially for the study, researchers detected the crucial warning signs of Alzheimer’s disease: amyloid-beta deposits, a buildup of toxic proteins. The findings represent a major advancement toward identifying people at high risk for the debilitating condition years sooner.
The study, published today in JCI Insight, comes amid a sharp rise in the number of people affected by the disease. Today, more than 5 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease. That number is expected to triple by 2050, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.
“The findings suggest that the retina may serve as a reliable source for Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis,” said the study’s senior lead author, Maya Koronyo-Hamaoui, PhD, a principal investigator and associate professor in the departments of Neurosurgery and Biomedical Sciences at Cedars-Sinai. “One of the major advantages of analyzing the retina is the repeatability, which allows us to monitor patients and potentially the progression of their disease.”
Yosef Koronyo, MSc, a research associate in the Department of Neurosurgery and first author on the study, said another key finding from the new study was the discovery of amyloid plaques in previously overlooked peripheral regions of the retina. He noted that the plaque amount in the retina correlated with plaque amount in specific areas of the brain.
“Now we know exactly where to look to find the signs of Alzheimer’s disease as early as possible,” said Koronyo.
Keith L. Black, MD, chair of Cedars-Sinai’s Department of Neurosurgery and director of the Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute, who co-led the study, said the findings offer hope for early detection when intervention could be most effective.
“Our hope is that eventually the investigational eye scan will be used as a screening device to detect the disease early enough to intervene and change the course of the disorder with medications and lifestyle changes,” said Black.
For decades, the only way to officially diagnose the debilitating condition was to survey and analyze a patient’s brain after the patient died. In recent years, physicians have relied on positron emission tomography (PET) scans of the brains of living people to provide evidence of the disease but the technology is expensive and invasive, requiring the patient to be injected with radioactive tracers.
In an effort to find a more cost-effective and less invasive technique, the Cedars-Sinai research team collaborated with investigators at NeuroVision Imaging, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, University of Southern California, and UCLA to translate their noninvasive eye screening approach to humans.
The published results are based on a clinical trial conducted on 16 Alzheimer’s disease patients who drank a solution that includes curcumin, a natural component of the spice turmeric. The curcumin causes amyloid plaque in the retina to “light up” and be detected by the scan. The patients were then compared to a group of younger, cognitively normal individuals.
In what could be a small step for science potentially leading to a breakthrough, an engineer at Washington University in St. Louis has taken steps toward using nanocrystal networks for artificial intelligence applications.
Elijah Thimsen, assistant professor of energy, environmental & chemical engineering in the School of Engineering & Applied Science, and his collaborators have developed a model in which to test existing theories about how electrons move through nanomaterials. This model may lay the foundation for using nanomaterials in a machine learning device.
“When one builds devices out of nanomaterials, they don’t always behave like they would for a bulk material,” Thimsen said. “One of the things that changes dramatically is the way in which these electrons move through material, called the electron transport mechanism, but it’s not well understood how that happens.”
Thimsen and his team based the model on an unusual theory that every nanoparticle in a network is a node that is connected to every other node, not only its immediate neighbors. Equally unusual is that the current flowing through the nodes doesn’t necessarily occupy the spaces between the nodes — it needs only to pass through the nodes themselves. This behavior, which is predicted by the model, produces experimentally observable current hotspots at the nanoscale, the researcher said.
In addition, the team looked at another model called a neural network, based on the human brain and nervous system. Scientists have been working to build new computer chips to emulate these networks, but these chips are far short of the human brain, which contains up to 100 billion nodes and 10,000 connections per node.
“If we have a huge number of nodes — much larger than anything that exists — and a huge number of connections, how do we train it?” Thimsen asks. “We want to get this large network to perform something useful, such as a pattern-recognition task.”
Based on those network theories, Thimsen has proposed an initial project to design a simple chip, give it particular inputs and study the outputs.
“If we treat it as a neural network, we want to see if the output from the device will depend on the input,” Thimsen said. “Once we can prove that, we’ll take the next step and propose a new device that allows us to train this system to perform a simple pattern-recognition task.”
The Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu has condemned the terrorist attack in Barcelona, Spain. In a message, he said that there can be no justification for such barbaric and reprehensible acts and terrorism is the biggest menace humanity is facing today. International terrorism can only be defeated by coordinated global efforts, he added.
Following is the text of Vice President’s message:
“I am deeply shocked by the terrorist attack in Barcelona, Spain. My thoughts and prayers are with the families of those killed and injured.
There can be no justification for such barbaric and reprehensible acts. Terrorism is the biggest menace humanity is facing today with all pluralist and open societies increasingly encountering new levels of threat.
International terrorism can only be defeated by coordinated global efforts. We stand with the people and Government of Spain and commend their swift action in dealing with the attackers. I join the nation in praying for the bereaved families and early recovery of the injured.”
In exercise of the powers conferred by Section 14 of the Customs Act, 1962 (52 of 1962), and in supersession of the notification of the Central Board of Excise and Customs(CBEC) No.75/2017-CUSTOMS (N.T.), dated 3rd August, 2017, except as respects things done or omitted to be done before such supersession, the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) hereby determines that the rate of exchange of conversion of each of the foreign currencies specified in column (2) of each of Schedule I and Schedule II annexed hereto, into Indian currency or vice versa, shall, with effect from 18th August, 2017, be the rate mentioned against it in the corresponding entry in column (3) thereof, for the purpose of the said Section, relating to imported and export goods.
SCHEDULE-I
Sl.No.
Foreign Currency
Rate of exchange of one unit of foreign currency equivalent to Indian rupees
(1)
(2)
(3)
(a)
(b)
(For Imported Goods)
(For Export Goods)
1.
Australian Dollar
51.30
49.50
2.
Bahrain Dinar
176.45
164.80
3.
Canadian Dollar
51.20
49.55
4.
Chinese Yuan
9.80
9.45
5.
Danish Kroner
10.35
9.95
6.
EURO
76.70
74.10
7.
Hong Kong Dollar
8.35
8.10
8.
Kuwait Dinar
220.35
205.80
9.
New Zealand Dollar
47.40
45.70
10.
Norwegian Kroner
8.25
7.95
11.
Pound Sterling
84.20
81.35
12.
Qatari Riyal
18.10
17.10
13.
Saudi Arabian Riyal
17.70
16.60
14.
Singapore Dollar
47.80
46.25
15.
South African Rand
5.00
4.65
16.
Swedish Kroner
8.10
7.80
17.
Swiss Franc
67.30
64.90
18.
UAE Dirham
18.10
16.95
19.
US Dollar
65.15
63.45
SCHEDULE–II
Sl.No.
Foreign Currency
Rate of exchange of 100 units of foreign currency equivalent to Indian rupees
Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Dr. Harsh Vardhan, launched the “Harit Diwali, Swasth Diwali” campaign, here today. Addressing a gathering of about 800 children from schools of Delhi and NCR, the Minister impressed upon the children the importance of their contribution towards reducing pollution by not bursting harmful fire crackers during Diwali.
Congratulating the teachers and students, Dr. Harsh Vardhan said that it is heartening to see that children have taken on the leadership role in combating air and noise pollution caused by burning of fire crackers during Diwali celebrations. The Minister added that whenever children take up any task, they do not spare any effort in ensuring its success. He urged the children to also learn about the chemicals present in the fire crackers and the impact of these chemicals on various parts of the human body. Dr. Harsh Vardhan impressed upon the children to celebrate this year’s Diwali by not buying fire crackers and instead buy a gift, food items, or sweets for the poor and underprivileged children living in their locality.
Later, Dr. Harsh Vardhan also administered a Pledge for a Green and Healthy Diwali to the gathering of students. The Pledge will be widely circulated to the schools/colleges and other educational institutions and the school administration will be requested to administer the said Pledge during their school assembly up to Diwali. Students presented ‘Nukkad Nataks’ (street plays) and also sang “Prakriti Vandana” on the occasion.
As a part of the campaign, the Environment Ministry will undertake various activities to create awareness among various stakeholders and encourage people to participate in combating air pollution.
Diwali is an integral part of our rich tradition and a festival that embodies joy and happiness. In recent times, the pattern of celebration has changed somewhat and has got associated with excessive bursting of crackers, which contributes significantly to air and noise pollution. As a result, there has been a significant impact on the environment and health of the people.
As has been the experience in the past few years, airborne pollution has been rising above safe limits during winter in many cities. The excessive burning of crackers during Diwali aggravates the problem. The pollution levels in Delhi last year, especially post Diwali, reached such levels that the government had to declare an emergency situation, which had socio-economic consequences like closing down of schools, construction sites and power stations.
In October this year, India will be hosting FIFA U-17 World Cup. It is an important occasion and a matter for pride for India. It is important for us to ensure that there is no inconvenience caused in the conduct of the event and our national image is protected and enhanced.
Some of the activities to promote Green Diwali among school children include stickers/logo distribution, poster competition, advertisement on public transport systems, public appeal using Radio/FM, involving industry associations and other stakeholders. As a part of the social media campaign, an online competition will be conducted, where any individual/organisation can make a video/audio clip on the theme ‘Pollution Free Diwali’. The best of these clips will be used officially to promote the theme across the country.
The Prime Minister today interacted with Young Entrepreneurs at the “Champions of Change” initiative organised by NITI Aayog at Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra.
Six groups of Young Entrepreneurs made presentations before the PM on themes such as – Soft Power: Incredible India 2.0; Education and Skill Development; Health and Nutrition; Energizing a sustainable tomorrow; and Digital India; New India by 2022.
Appreciating the new ideas and innovations envisaged in the presentations made by the entrepreneurs, the Prime Minister said, that in times past, social initiatives had catered to the requirements of people at large, and these movements were spearheaded by eminent people in society.
The Prime Minister described the “Champions of Change” initiative as one effort to bring together diverse strengths for the benefit of the nation and society.
The Prime Minister said this initiative would be taken forward and institutionalised in the best possible way. One possibility could be to associate the groups that made presentations today, with the respective departments and Ministries in the Union Government.
He gave the example of Padma Awards to say how processes can be transformed to recognise hitherto unknown heroes of society.
The Prime Minister said the team of senior officers in Union Government are keen to explore new avenues and ways for the betterment of people. He encouraged the entrepreneurs to continue their ideation in their respective groups. He said that if they did so, they could go a long way in furthering the cause of governance.
The Prime Minister said a lot of small changes have been brought in by the Union Government, which have brought significant results. He said trusting the common man, through self attestation of documents is one such initiative. He also mentioned the abolition of interviews for Group C and D positions in the Union Government.
Shri Narendra Modi said that today there is an “app” for filling every gap. He said technology and innovation should be harnessed to transform governance. He said decentralised structures are important to nurture the rural economy. In this context, he mentioned the role of startups in catalysing transformation.
The Prime Minister emphasized the importance of good teachers in society. He said technology can provide a big boost to the quality of education.
The Prime Minister encouraged the entrepreneurs to work towards promoting the social welfare schemes of the Government among their employees.
He emphasized that New India could only be built through the efforts of crores of ordinary citizens. He invited the entrepreneurs to join in this effort.
Several Union Ministers, Vice Chairman NITI Aayog Shri Arvind Panagariya, and senior Union Government officers were present on the occasion. The event was coordinated by CEO NITI Aayog, Shri Amitabh Kant.
As per the rules, the Goods and Services Tax (GST) for the month of July 2017 has to be paid by 20th August, 2017. Only after the payment of full GST, return in summary Form 3B can be filed.
Concerns have been raised about the form for claiming transitional input tax credit not being available on the GSTN website. This form will be available on the GSTN website from 21st August, 2017. In view of this, a small window of opportunity is being given to all the taxpayers. For those taxpayers who do not want to claim any transitional input tax credit have to necessarily pay the tax and file return in Form 3Bbefore the due date of 20th August, 2017. The taxpayers who want to avail the transitional input tax credit should also calculate their tax liability after estimating the amount of transitional credit as per Form TRANS I. They have to make full settlement of the liability after adjusting the transitional input tax credit before 20th August, 2017. However, in such cases, they will get time upto 28th August, 2017 to submit Form TRANS I and Form 3B. In case of shortfall in the amount already paid vis-à-vis the amount payable on submission of Form 3B, the same will have to be paid with interest @ 18% for the period between 21stAugust,2017 till the payment of such differential amount.
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval to the creation of one post of Director with basic pay of Rs. 75,000/- + a special allowance of Rs,5000/- and three non-teaching posts (Registrar, Librarian and Principal Students Activity & Sports (SAS) Officer) with Grade Pay of Rs.10,000/- for National institute of Technology (NIT), Andhra Pradesh.
Background:
NITs are Institutions of National Importance known to be among the best teaching Institutions in the field of engineering and technology which have made a remarkable presence with their high quality technical education. The job opportunities will be for the post of Director and three Non Faculty posts i.e. Registrar, Librarian and Principal Students Activity & Sports (SAS) Officer. They will be responsible for running of NIT Andhra Pradesh which will produce high quality, technical manpower which will fuel entrepreneurship and generation of job opportunities throughout the country.
Consequent upon the assent of the President of India on 1st March, 2014 to the bifurcation of the State of Andhra Pradesh, the Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) has established NIT at the successor State of Andhra Pradesh as per Schedule 13 (Education) of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act, 2014.
The next major volcanic eruption could kick-start chemical reactions that would seriously damage the planet’s already besieged ozone layer.
The extent of damage to the ozone layer that results from a large, explosive eruption depends on complex atmospheric chemistry, including the levels of human-made emissions in the atmosphere. Using sophisticated chemical modeling, researchers from Harvard University and the University of Maryland explored what would happen to the ozone layer in response to large-scale volcanic eruptions over the remainder of this century and in several different greenhouse gas emission scenarios. The research was published recently in Geophysical Research Letters.
The Earth’s stratosphere is still recovering from the historic release of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and other ozone-depleting chemicals. Even though CFCs were phased out by the Montreal Protocol 30 years ago, levels of chlorine-containing molecules in the atmosphere are still elevated. Explosive volcanic eruptions that inject large quantities of sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere facilitate the chemical conversion of chlorine into more reactive forms that destroy ozone.
Researchers have long known that when concentrations of chlorine from human-produced CFCs are high, ozone depletion will result following a volcanic eruption. When levels of chlorine from CFCs are low, volcanic eruptions can actually increase the thickness of the ozone layer. But exactly when this transition happens — from eruptions that deplete ozone to eruptions that increase ozone layer thickness — has long been uncertain. Previous research has put the window of the transition anywhere between 2015 to 2040.
The Harvard researchers found that volcanic eruptions could result in ozone depletion until 2070 or beyond, despite declining concentrations of human-made CFCs.
“Our model results show that the vulnerability of the ozone column to large volcanic eruptions will likely continue late in to the 21st century, significantly later than previous estimates,” said David Wilmouth, who directed the research and is a project scientist at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology.
So, why is this shift happening so much later than previously thought?
“Previous estimates did not take into account certain natural sources of halogen gases, such as very-short lived bromocarbons originating from marine plankton and microalgae,” said Eric Klobas, lead author and Harvard chemical physics PhD candidate.
Accounting for these emissions fine-tunes the timing of the shift from eruptions that cause ozone depletion to eruptions that increase the thickness of the ozone layer. These natural sources of bromine become especially important in the lower stratosphere after concentrations of human-emitted CFCs have declined.
“We found that the concentration of bromine from natural, very short-lived organic compounds is critically important,” said Klobas. “Even small, part-per-trillion changes in the amount of bromine from these sources can mean the difference between a late 21st century volcanic eruption resulting in ozone column depletion or ozone column enhancement.”
The researchers then explored how a volcanic event the size of the Mount Pinatubo eruption, which shot about 20 million metric tons of sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere in 1991, would impact the ozone layer in 2100. The team modeled four different greenhouse gas emission scenarios, ranging from very optimistic to what is commonly considered the worst-case scenario.
The team found that the most optimistic projection of future greenhouse gas concentrations resulted in the most ozone depletion from a volcanic eruption. Conversely, in the pessimistic scenario in which greenhouse gas emissions continue to increase rapidly throughout the 21st century, a Mount Pinatubo-size eruption would actually lead to a slight increase in ozone. The researchers found that the colder stratospheric temperatures and higher methane levels in this scenario would curb important ozone-depleting chemical reactions.
But, here’s the kicker: all of the above scenarios assumed that the volcanic eruption would only inject sulfur into the stratosphere, like the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines. If the eruption were to also inject halogen-containing chemicals such as hydrogen chloride (HCl) into the stratosphere, the results could be dire.
“If volcanic halogens, which are commonly present in large quantities in volcanic eruptions, were to partition substantially into the stratosphere — in any greenhouse gas emission scenario, at any point in the future — it would potentially cause severe losses of stratospheric ozone,” said Klobas.
In such a case, the United States could see a prolonged and significant decrease in ozone layer thickness – upwards of 15 to 25 percent in the highest halogen scenario modeled. Even small reductions in the thickness of the ozone layer, which shields the surface of the Earth from DNA-destroying ultraviolet radiation, can adversely impact human health and other life on this planet.
“These eruptions are highly unusual events but the possibility does exist, as evidenced in the historical record,” said Wilmouth.
Six women officers of the Indian Navy, who are due to circumnavigate the globe on the sailing vessel, INSV Tarini, called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi today.
This is the first-ever Indian circumnavigation of the globe by an all-women crew. They will begin their voyage later this month from Goa, and expect to return to Goa in March 2018, after completing the circumnavigation. The expedition has been titled Navika Sagar Parikrama. The Parikrama will be covered in five legs, with stop-overs at 4 ports: Fremantle (Australia), Lyttleton (New Zealand), Port Stanley (Falklands), and Cape Town (South Africa).
INSV Tarini is a 55-foot sailing vessel, which has been built indigenously, and was inducted in the Indian Navy earlier this year.
During the interaction, the crew explained details of their upcoming voyage to the Prime Minister. Prime Minister wished the women crew well, and said he would keep track of their progress around the world. He exhorted them to project India’s capabilities and strengths across the world. He also encouraged them to write and share their experiences, after the successful completion of the voyage.
The vessel will be skippered by Lt. Commander Vartika Joshi, and the crew comprises Lt. Commanders Pratibha Jamwal, P Swathi, and Lieutenants S Vijaya Devi, B Aishwarya and Payal Gupta.
A large long-term study found that breast cancer risk may be higher for women who live in areas with high levels of outdoor light at night.
The link between outdoor light at night and breast cancer was found only among women who were premenopausal and were current or past smokers, and was stronger among those who worked night shifts.
Women who live in areas with higher levels of outdoor light at night may be at higher risk for breast cancer than those living in areas with lower levels, according to a large long-term study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The link was stronger among women who worked night shifts.
The study will be published online August 17, 2017 in Environmental Health Perspectives.
“In our modern industrialized society, artificial lighting is nearly ubiquitous. Our results suggest that this widespread exposure to outdoor lights during nighttime hours could represent a novel risk factor for breast cancer,” said lead author Peter James, assistant professor at Harvard Medical School’s Department of Population Medicine at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, who did the work while a research fellow in the Departments of Epidemiology and Environmental Health at Harvard Chan School.
Previous studies have suggested that exposure to light at night may lead to decreased levels of the hormone melatonin, which can disrupt circadian rhythms–our internal “clocks” that govern sleepiness and alertness–and, in turn, lead to increased breast cancer risk.
The new study, the most comprehensive to date to examine possible links between outdoor light at night and breast cancer, looked at data from nearly 110,000 women enrolled in the Nurses’ Health Study II from 1989-2013. The researchers linked data from satellite images of Earth taken at nighttime to residential addresses for each study participant, and also considered the influence of night shift work. The study also factored in detailed information on a variety of health and socioeconomic factors among participants.
Women exposed to the highest levels of outdoor light at night–those in the top fifth–had an estimated 14% increased risk of breast cancer during the study period, as compared with women in the bottom fifth of exposure, the researchers found. As levels of outdoor light at night increased, so did breast cancer rates.
The association between outdoor light at night and breast cancer was found only among women who were premenopausal and those who were current or past smokers. In addition, the link was stronger among women who worked night shifts, suggesting that exposure to light at night and night shift work contribute jointly to breast cancer risk, possibly through mechanisms involving circadian disruption. The authors acknowledged that further work is required to confirm the study findings and clarify potential mechanisms.
Women of color have higher levels of beauty-product-related chemicals in their bodies compared to white women, according to a commentary published today in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. The authors say even small exposures to such toxic chemicals can lead to health problems. They go on to say that reproductive health professionals must be prepared to counsel patients who have questions about such exposures. And health professionals can also promote policies that will protect women, especially women of color, from harmful chemicals in cosmetics and other personal care products.
“Pressure to meet Western standards of beauty means Black, Latina and Asian American women are using more beauty products and thus are exposed to higher levels of chemicals known to be harmful to health,” says Ami Zota, ScD, MS, an assistant professor of environmental and occupational health at Milken Institute School of Public Health (Milken Institute SPH) at the George Washington University. “Beauty product use is a critical but underappreciated source of reproductive harm and environmental injustice.”
Zota and Bhavna Shamasunder at the Occidental College in Los Angeles co-authored the commentary.
The authors point out that the beauty product industry is estimated to bring in more than $400 billion globally. They also say that previous studies have documented that Black, Latina and Asian-American women spend more on beauty products than the national average, often because of marketing practices that emphasize a European standard of beauty.
For example, women of color buy products like skin lightening face cream which often contain hidden ingredients such as topical steroids or the toxic metal mercury, Zota says.
Black women are known to suffer more anxiety about having “bad hair” and are twice as likely to experience social pressure to straighten their hair. Hair products like straighteners or relaxers are likely to contain estrogen and can trigger premature reproductive development in young girls and possibly uterine tumors, the commentary says.
Other studies show that beauty and personal care products contain multiple, hidden chemicals that are linked to endocrine, reproductive or development toxicity. They can be especially dangerous for women age 18 to 34, the authors say. Women in this age group are known to be heavy buyers, purchasing more than 10 types of beauty products per year. Such women and their offspring may experience heightened vulnerability to such chemicals, especially if exposure occurs during sensitive periods such as pregnancy.
Marketing efforts have also encouraged Black women to use douching products with messages about uncleanliness and odors. A study done by Zota and colleagues in 2016 found that in a national sample of reproductive age women, those who reported douching frequently, had 150 percent higher exposures to a harmful chemical known as DEP. This chemical, often found in fragranced beauty products, may cause birth defects in babies and has also been linked to health problems in women, Zota says.
At the same time, research suggests that low-income women of color are more likely to live in an environment with high levels of pollutants contaminating the air, soil and water. Thus women of color are not only heavy users of beauty products but may also be exposed to toxic chemicals simply by living in a more polluted home or neighborhood.
“For women who live in already polluted neighborhoods, beauty product chemicals may add to their overall burden of exposures to toxic chemicals, says Bhavna Shamasunder, as assistant professor in the Urban and Environmental Policy Department at Occidental College. “Certain racial/ethnic groups may be systematically and disproportionately exposed to chemicals in beauty products since factors such as institutionalized racism can influence product use.” In the commentary, the co-authors warn that multiple exposures to chemicals in beauty products and in the environment add up and can interfere with healthy reproduction and development.
Health professionals can advance environmental justice by being prepared to counsel their patients about the risks of exposures to hidden chemicals in beauty products. And the authors say that health care providers and researchers should call for health protective policies such as improved testing and disclosure.
With cyberattacks on 3D printers likely to threaten health and safety, researchers at Rutgers University-New Brunswick and Georgia Institute of Technology have developed novel methods to combat them, according to a groundbreaking study.
“They will be attractive targets because 3D-printed objects and parts are used in critical infrastructures around the world, and cyberattacks may cause failures in health care, transportation, robotics, aviation and space,” said Saman Aliari Zonouz, an associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Rutgers University-New Brunswick.
He co-authored a peer-reviewed study – “See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Feel No Evil, Print No Evil? Malicious Fill Pattern Detection in Additive Manufacturing” – that was published today at the 26th USENIX Security Symposium in Vancouver, Canada. It’s the security community’s flagship event, highlighting the latest advances in protecting computer systems and networks. Among several unique techniques, the Rutgers and Georgia Tech researchers are using cancer imaging techniques to detect intrusions and hacking of 3D printer controllers.
“Imagine outsourcing the manufacturing of an object to a 3D printing facility and you have no access to their printers and no way of verifying whether small defects, invisible to the naked eye, have been inserted into your object,” said Mehdi Javanmard, study co-author and assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Rutgers University-New Brunswick. “The results could be devastating and you would have no way of tracing where the problem came from.”
3D printing, also called additive manufacturing, plays an increasingly important role in industrial manufacturing. But health- and safety-related products such as medical prostheses and aerospace and auto parts are being printed with no standard way to verify them for accuracy, the study says. Even houses and buildings are being manufactured by 3D printers, noted Javanmard.
Instead of spending up to $100,000 or more to buy a 3D printer, many companies and organizations send software-designed products to outside facilities for printing, Zonouz said. But the firmware in printers may be hacked.
For their study, the researchers bought several 3D printers and showed that it’s possible to hack into a computer’s firmware and print defective objects. The defects were undetectable on the outside but the objects had holes or fractures inside them.
Other researchers have shown in a YouTube video how hacking can lead to a defective propeller in a drone, causing it to crash, Zonouz noted.
While anti-hacking software is essential, it’s never 100 percent safe against cyberattacks. So the Rutgers and Georgia Tech researchers looked at the physical aspects of 3D printers.
In 3D printing, the software controls the printer, which fulfills the virtual design of an object. The physical part includes an extruder or “arm” through which filament (plastic, metal wire or other material) is pushed to form an object.
The researchers observed the motion of the extruder, using sensors, and monitored sounds made by the printer via microphones.
“Just looking at the noise and the extruder’s motion, we can figure out if the print process is following the design or a malicious defect is being introduced,” Zonouz said.
A third method they developed is examining an object to see if it was printed correctly. Tiny gold nanoparticles, acting as contrast agents, are injected into the filament and sent with the 3D print design to the printing facility. Once the object is printed and shipped back, high-tech scanning reveals whether the nanoparticles – a few microns in diameter – have shifted in the object or have holes or other defects.
“This idea is kind of similar to the way contrast agents or dyes are used for more accurate imaging of tumors as we see in MRIs or CT scans,” Javanmard said.
The next steps in their research include investigating other possible ways to attack 3D printers, proposing defenses and transferring methods to industry, Zonouz said.
“You’ll see more types of attacks as well as proposed defenses in the 3D printing industry within about five years,” he said.
Most of the lithium used to make the lithium-ion batteries that power modern electronics comes from Australia and Chile. But Stanford scientists say there are large deposits in sources right here in America: supervolcanoes.
In a study published today in Nature Communications, scientists detail a new method for locating lithium in supervolcanic lake deposits. The findings represent an important step toward diversifying the supply of this valuable silvery-white metal, since lithium is an energy-critical strategic resource, said study co-author Gail Mahood, a professor of geological sciences at Stanford’s School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences.
“We’re going to have to use electric vehicles and large storage batteries to decrease our carbon footprint,” Mahood said. “It’s important to identify lithium resources in the U.S. so that our supply does not rely on single companies or countries in a way that makes us subject to economic or political manipulation.”
Supervolcanoes can produce massive eruptions of hundreds to thousands of cubic kilometers of magma — up to 10,000 times more than a typical eruption from a Hawaiian volcano. They also produce vast quantities of pumice and volcanic ash that are spread over wide areas. They appear as huge holes in the ground, known as calderas, rather than the cone-like shape typically associated with volcanoes because the enormous loss of magma causes the roof of the chamber to collapse following eruption.
The resulting hole often fills with water to form a lake — Oregon’s Crater Lake is a prime example. Over tens of thousands of years, rainfall and hot springs leach out lithium from the volcanic deposits. The lithium accumulates, along with sediments, in the caldera lake, where it becomes concentrated in a clay called hectorite.
Exploring supervolcanoes for lithium would diversify its global supply. Major lithium deposits are currently mined from brine deposits in high-altitude salt flats in Chile and pegmatite deposits in Australia. The supervolcanoes pose little risk of eruption because they are ancient.
“The caldera is the ideal depositional basin for all this lithium,” said lead author Thomas Benson, a recent PhD graduate at Stanford Earth, who began working on the study in 2012.
Since its discovery in the 1800s, lithium has largely been used in psychiatric treatments and nuclear weapons. Beginning in the 2000s, lithium became the major component of lithium-ion batteries, which today provide portable power for everything from cellphones and laptops to electric cars. Volvo Cars recently announced its commitment to only produce new models of its vehicles as hybrids or battery-powered options beginning in 2019, a sign that demand for lithium-ion batteries will continue to increase.
“We’ve had a gold rush, so we know how, why and where gold occurs, but we never had a lithium rush,” Benson said. “The demand for lithium has outpaced the scientific understanding of the resource, so it’s essential for the fundamental science behind these resources to catch up.”
Working backward
To identify which supervolcanoes offer the best sources of lithium, researchers measured the original concentration of lithium in the magma. Because lithium is a volatile element that easily shifts from solid to liquid to vapor, it is very difficult to measure directly and original concentrations are poorly known.
So, the researchers analyzed tiny bits of magma trapped in crystals during growth within the magma chamber. These “melt inclusions,” completely encapsulated within the crystals, survive the supereruption and remain intact throughout the weathering process. As such, melt inclusions record the original concentrations of lithium and other elements in the magma. Researchers sliced through the host crystals to expose these preserved magma blebs, which are 10 to 100 microns in diameter, then analyzed them with the Sensitive High Resolution Ion Microprobe in the SHRIMP-RG Laboratory at Stanford Earth.
“Understanding how lithium is transported in magmas and what causes a volcanic center to become enriched in lithium has never really systematically been done before,” Benson said.
The team analyzed samples from a range of tectonic settings, including the Kings Valley deposit in the McDermitt volcanic field located on the Nevada-Oregon border, which erupted 16.5 to 15.5 million years ago and is known to be rich in lithium. They compared results from this volcanic center with samples from the High Rock caldera complex in Nevada, Sierra la Primavera in Mexico, Pantelleria in the Strait of Sicily, Yellowstone in Wyoming and Hideaway Park in Colorado, and determined that lithium concentrations varied widely as a function of the tectonic setting of the supervolcano.
“If you have a lot of magma erupting, it doesn’t have to have as much lithium in it to produce something that is worthy of economic interest as we previously thought,” Mahood said. “You don’t need extraordinarily high concentrations of lithium in the magma to form lithium deposits and reserves.”
Improving identification
In addition to exploring for lithium, the researchers analyzed other trace elements to determine their correlations with lithium concentrations. As a result, they discovered a previously unknown correlation that will now enable geologists to identify candidate supervolcanoes for lithium deposits in a much easier way than measuring lithium directly in melt inclusions. The trace elements can be used as a proxy for original lithium concentration. For example, greater abundance of easily analyzed rubidium in the bulk deposits indicates more lithium, whereas high concentrations of zirconium indicate less lithium.
“We can essentially use the zirconium content to determine the lithium content within about 100 parts per million,” Benson said. “Now that we have a way to easily find more of these lithium deposits, it shows that this fundamental geological work can help solve societal problems — that’s really exciting.”
Depressed people have a peculiar view of the past – rather than glorifying the ‘good old days’, they project their generally bleak outlook on to past events, according to new research.
It is known depression makes sufferers see the present and the future as sad, but this is the first time research has shown it also casts a long shadow over people’s memories of the past.
Psychologists at Germany’s Heinrich Heine Universität Düsseldorf and at the UK’s University of Portsmouth published their research in Clinical Psychological Science.
It establishes the first clear link between depression and hindsight bias, or a distorted view of the past.
Dr Hartmut Blank, in the University of Portsmouth’s Department of Psychology, is one of the authors.
He said: “Depression is not only associated with a negative view of the world, the self and the future, but we now know with a negative view of the past.”
Hindsight bias includes three core elements: exaggerated perceptions of foreseeability – we think we knew all along how events would turn out; inevitability – something ‘had’ to happen; and memory bias – misremembering what we once thought when we know the outcome of something.
Hindsight bias has been studied in various settings, including sports events, political elections, medical diagnoses or bankers’ investment strategies. Until now, it hasn’t been used to study depression.
Dr Blank said: “Everyone is susceptible to hindsight bias, but it takes on a very specific form in depression. While non-depressed people tend to show hindsight bias for positive events but not negative events, people with depression show the reverse pattern.
“Making things worse, depressed people also see negative event outcomes as both foreseeable and inevitable – a toxic combination, reinforcing feelings of helplessness and lack of control that already characterise the experience of people with depression.
“Everyone experiences disappointment and regret from time to time and doing so helps us adapt and grow and to make better decisions. But people with depression struggle to control negative feelings and hindsight bias appears to set up a cycle of misery.
“We have shown hindsight bias in people who are depressed is a further burden on their shoulders, ‘helping’ to sustain the condition in terms of learning the wrong lessons from the past.”
The researchers tested over 100 university students, about half of whom suffered from mild to severe depression. They were asked to imagine themselves in a variety of everyday scenarios with positive or negative outcomes (from different domains of everyday life, e.g. work, performance, family, leisure, social, romantic). For each scenario, the researchers then collected measures of hindsight bias (foreseeability, inevitability and distorted memory for initial expectations).
The results showed that with increasing severity of depression, a specific hindsight bias pattern emerged – exaggerated foreseeability and inevitability of negative (but not positive) event outcomes, as well as a tendency to misremember initial expectations in line with negative outcomes. Characteristically, this ‘depressive hindsight bias’ was strongly related to clinical measures of depressive thinking, suggesting that it is part of a general negative worldview in depression.
Dr Blank said: “This is only a first study to explore the crucial role of hindsight bias in depression; more work needs to be done in different experimental and real-life settings, and also using clinical samples, to further examine and establish the link between hindsight bias and depression.”
The Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu has greeted the people on the auspicious occasion of ‘Navroz’ the Parsi New Year. In a message, he said that Navroz symbolizes the spirit of fraternity, compassion and respect for all. The Parsi community has made an invaluable contribution to nation-building in various fields, he added.
Following is the text of Vice President’s message:
“My warm greetings to the people of our country on the auspicious occasion of ‘Navroz’ which marks the beginning of the Parsi New Year.
Celebrated with traditional fervor and gaiety, Navroz symbolizes the spirit of fraternity, compassion and respect for all. The Parsi community has made an invaluable contribution to nation-building in various fields, Dadabhai Naroji (freedom fighter), JRD Tata (industry), H.J. Bhabha (nuclear scientist) and Zubin Mehta (music maestro) to name a few are among the several stalwarts who contributed to India’s growth and glory.
May this auspicious occasion bring peace, prosperity and happiness in our lives.”
A team of archaeological scientists have found the earliest copper smelting event at the Late Neolithic site of Çatalhöyük in central Turkey, confirming the claim of the site’s archaeological importance.
Whether metallurgy was such an exceptional skill to have only been invented once or repeatedly at different locations is therefore still contentious. The proponents of the latter have just provided conclusive evidence of the incidental nature of what was held to be the key find for the single origin of metallurgy claim.
Published in the Journal of Archaeological Science, the re-examination of a c. 8,500-year-old by-product from metal smelting, or ‘slag’, from the site of Çatalhöyük presents the conclusive reconstruction of events that led to the firing of a small handful of green copper minerals.
“From the beginning of our study it was clear that the small handful of ‘slag’ samples were only semi-baked. This indicated a non-intentional, or accidental copper firing event, but the ‘eureka’ moment of how and why that happened arrived quite late”, says Dr Miljana Radivojevic, lead author and researcher at the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research of the University of Cambridge.
“The co-authors had a lengthy debate about why the semi-baked copper minerals were deposited in a burial, but then when our pigment specialist (Camurcuo?lu) mentioned earlier examples of green and blue copper pigments in graves and our excavation specialist (Farid) reported firing events that charred bones and materials in the shallow graves, the penny started to drop”, she explains.
“The native copper artefacts from the site of Çatalhöyük were not chemically related to this non-intentionally produced metallurgical slag sample”, adds Professor Ernst Pernicka, of the University of Heidelberg, further strengthening the claim these authors elaborated in the article.
Professor Thilo Rehren, of the UCL Institute of Archaeology, explains the significance of these results: “The invention of metallurgy is foundational for all modern cultures, and clearly happened repeatedly in different places across the globe. As we have seen, not every piece of semi-molten black and green stuff from an excavation is necessarily metallurgical slag. Only materials science methods, in combination with good archaeological records, can distinguish between debris from intentional metal smelting and accidental waste from a destructive fire”.
“It has been a long journey for the materials now identified as vitrified copper minerals to be recognised as once important solely for their colour properties, and we can finally put this debate to rest”, comments Professor Ian Hodder, from Stanford University, who has been directing the excavations of Çatalhöyük for the past 25 years.
Earlier, remains of a majestic female statue was uncovered at the archaeological site of Tayinat in Turkey. Excavations led by University of Toronto archaeologists in southeast Turkey near the Syrian border have unearthed a beautifully carved head and upper torso of a female figure. The remnants are largely intact, although the face and chest appear to have been intentionally – possibly ritually – defaced in antiquity.
The preserved remnants are made of basalt and measure 1.1 metres long and .7 metres wide, suggesting the full figure of the statue would have been four to five metres high. The lower body is missing. The statue was found within a monumental gate complex that would have provided access to the upper citadel of Kunulua – later Tayinat – the capital of the Iron Age Neo-Hittite Kingdom of Patina (ca. 1000-738 BCE). The site is approximately 75 kilometres west of the Syrian city of Aleppo.
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi unfurled the National Flag from the ramparts of the Red Fort, to celebrate the 71st Independence Day, followed by his address to the nation, here are some sidelights to the national event:
On arrival at Lahori Gate of Red Fort, the Prime Minister was received by the Defence Minister Mr Arun Jaitley, Minister of State for Defence Dr. Subhash Bhamre and Defence Secretary Mr Sanjay Mitra.
The Defence Secretary later introduced the General Officer Commanding, Delhi Area, Lt. General Manoj Mukund Naravane to the Prime Minister. The GoC Delhi Area then conducted the Prime Minister to the Saluting Base where a combined Inter-Services and Police Guard presented the general salute to the Prime Minister. Thereafter, Narendra Modi inspected the Guard of Honour.
The Guard of Honour contingent for the Prime Minister consisted of one officer and 24 men each from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Delhi Police. The Guard of Honour was positioned directly in front of the National Flag across the moat below the ramparts.
This year, the Army being the Coordinating Service, the Guard of Honour was commanded by Lt Col Dheeraj Singh of the Indian Army. The Army Contingent in the Prime Minister’s Guard was commanded by Major Sourav Goswami, the Navy contingent by Lt Cdr VV Krishnan, while Sqn Ldr Salil Sharma led the Air Force contingent and the Delhi Police contingent by ACP Ankit Chauhan.
The Army contingent for the Prime Minister’s Guard was drawn from the 8th Jammu & Kashmir Light Infantry (Siachen). The battalion was raised as the First Battalion Border Scouts by volunteers who took up arms in the aftermath of communal passion and the smouldering embers of Partition to check the multitude of Kabailies intruding into Poonch on 18 December 1947. ‘Born in Battle and Purified in Blood’, the battalion was re-designated as 8th Jammu & Kashmir Militia on 15 April 1948.
In the 1971 War, the battalion was outnumbered but never outclassed in valour and fought the defensive battle successfully despite the enemy’s passion for Chhamb. For this the battalion was awarded the Battle Honour – Laleali and Picquet 707. The Regiment was rechristened Jammu & Kashmir Light Infantry on 27 April 1976.
During the Siachen tenure in June 1987, the battalion created history by capturing ‘Quaid Post’ at an altitude of 21,153 feet, the highest battlefield in the world. The post was renamed as ‘Bana Top’ in honour of Naib Subedar Bana Singh, Param Vir Chakra. The battalion was awarded the Chief of the Army Staff Unit Citation in 2001 for its sterling performance in Jammu & Kashmir, Poonch Sector. The Battalion established the United Nations Mission in Sudan 2006 and was conferred with the United Nations Unit Citation in the year 2007 for handling the bloodiest of clashes ever in the history of Sudan.
The battalion yet again proved its mettle during its 2008 tenure at Kupwara in Jammu & Kashmir when Naib Subedar Chuni Lal, Vir Chakra, Sena Medal, who laid down his life following the highest traditions of the Indian Army while fighting terrorists, was bestowed with the highest peacetime gallantry award, the Ashok Chakra (Posthumous). With this, the battalion joined the elite group of ‘Bravest of the Brave’ battalions. Apart from this, the battalion was once again conferred with the Chief of the Army Staff Unit Citation in 2009 for its splendid performance on the Line of Control in Jammu & Kashmir.
The Battalion is presently one of the most decorated battalions of the Indian Army with Naib Subedar Chuni Lal, Ashok Chakra (Posthumous), Vir Chakra, Sena Medal as one of the most decorated soldiers. Presently, the Battalion is performing the prestigious duty of Ceremonial Army Guard to the President of India.
After inspecting the Guard of Honour, the Prime Minister proceeded to the ramparts of the Red Fort where he was greeted by Defence Minister Arun Jaitley, the Minister of State for Defence Dr. Subhash Bhamre, the Chief of the Army Staff General Bipin Rawat, the Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal B S Dhanoa and the Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Sunil Lanba. The GoC Delhi area conducted the Prime Minister to the dais to unfurl the National Flag.
The unfurling of the tri-colour synchronized with the 21 Gun Salute fired by the valiant gunners of the elite 2281 Field Regiment (Ceremonial). The ceremonial battery was commanded by Lt. Col Aditya Kumar Devrani, Shaurya Chakra, Sena Medal and the Gun Position Officer was Regimental Havildar Major (Assistant Inspector Gunnary) Kolate Rajesh Shripati.
The National Flag Guard comprising 32 men and one officer each from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Delhi Police presented the Rashtriya Salute at the time of unfurling of the National Flag by the Prime Minister. Lt Col Saket Bharadwaj from the Indian Army was in command of this Inter-Services Guard and Police Guard. The Naval Contingent for the National Flag Guard was commanded by Lt Cdr MYV Tejas, the Army contingent by Major Gerry Mathew, the Air Force contingent by Sqn Ldr Ravi Tomar and the Delhi Police contingent by Additional DCP Shri Rajiv Ranjan.
The Army Band then played the National Anthem when the National Guard presented the ‘Rashtriya Salute’ while unfurling the National Flag by the Prime Minister. All Service personnel in uniform standing in attention, saluted the national flag. The Band was commanded by Sub Maj Bhaskar Singh Rawat of the Military Band of the Garhwal Rifles Regimental Centre.
Two Army Officers, Capt Md Hasseb Khan and Lt Vinay Budhwar were positioned on either side of the saluting dais for the Prime Minister for ADC duties. Lt Col Kanchan Kulhari assisted the Prime Minister in unfurling the National Flag.
The Army Contingent for the National Flag Guard is drawn from the 25th Battalion of the Rajput Regiment.
The 25th Battalion of the Rajput Regiment was raised by IC-15798K Late Lieutenant Colonel JV Abraham on 01 January 1981 at Fatehgarh (Uttar Pradesh). The Rajput tricolor flew for the first time in the unit’s Quarter Guard on 06 April 1981 and the unit was presented with Colours on 1 November 1987. On completion of its raising on 30 June 1981; the battalion joined the 20 Infantry Brigade (18 Infantry Division) at Alwar on 24 July 1981.
Since raising, the Battalion has participated in all operations of the Indian Army viz OPERATION FAULAD, OPERATION TRIDENT, OPERATION PAWAN, OPERATION RHINO, OPERATION RAKSHAK, OPERATION VIJAY, OPERATION PARAKARAM, OPERATION AMAN, OPERATION NORTHERN BORDERS & OPERATION MEGHDOOT with elan, strong determination and earned the following awards in consecutive tenures for performing exceedingly well; these were Param Vishisht Seva Medal-01, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal-03, Vishisht Seva Medal-01, Yudh Seva Medal-02, Sena Medal-07, Mention-in Despatches-01, Chief of Army Staff Commendation Card-47 , Vice Chief of Army Staff Commendation Card-07 and General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Commendation Card-41.
The Battalion was awarded the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Southern Command and Northern Command Citations in 2015 and 2017 for its sterling performance in Alwar and Siachen Glacier respectively.
The Battalion came on the orbat of the “CHARGING RAM” Division on 15 July 2016 and since then, as part of offensive formations-always ready to RAM on REGARDLESS. The War Cry of the unit is “Bol Bajrang Bali Ki Jai, Hanuman Ke Hun Pyare.”
After unfurling the National Flag and the Prime Minister’s address, school children and NCC Cadets sang the National Anthem.
Seven hundred cadets of the National Cadet Corps drawn from various schools of the Delhi Directorate comprising the Army, Navy and Air Force wings participated in the flag hoisting ceremony this year. The cadets also took part in the singing of patriotic songs and the National Anthem along with the school children.
In total, 3,500 girl students and 5,000 boy students from 37 schools of Directorate of Education, Government of Delhi had sung the National Anthem, patriotic songs in different regional languages during the occasion and also displayed the formation of ‘Bharat’.
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi interacting with the children dressed as Krishna after addressing the Nation, on the occasion of 71st Independence Day from the ramparts of Red Fort, in Delhi on August 15, 2017.
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi interacting with the children dressed as Krishna after addressing the Nation, on the occasion of 71st Independence Day from the ramparts of Red Fort, in Delhi on August 15, 2017.
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi interacting with the children dressed as Krishna after addressing the Nation, on the occasion of 71st Independence Day from the ramparts of Red Fort, in Delhi on August 15, 2017.
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi interacting with the children dressed as Krishna after addressing the Nation, on the occasion of 71st Independence Day from the ramparts of Red Fort, in Delhi on August 15, 2017.
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi interacting with the school children after addressing the Nation, on the occasion of 71st Independence Day from the ramparts of Red Fort, in Delhi on August 15, 2017.
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi interacting with the school children after addressing the Nation, on the occasion of 71st Independence Day from the ramparts of Red Fort, in Delhi on August 15, 2017.
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi inspecting the Guard of Honour at Red Fort, on the occasion of 71st Independence Day, in Delhi on August 15, 2017.
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi paying floral tributes at the Samadhi of Mahatma Gandhi, at Rajghat, on the occasion of 71st Independence Day, in Delhi on August 15, 2017.
