Physics and Mathematics at the Frontier

January 1990 No. 20 Newsletter of the Indian Academy of Sciences simple general principle that can predict 55th Annual morphological instability. The third talk in the morning was by Meeting VVSSarma of the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore on "Intelligent engineering systems". Evolving new generation engineering systems At the invitation of the Madhya Pradesh with embedded computer sub-systems, have Council of Science and Technology, the their performance enhanced by incorporating Barkatullah University and the Regional several levels of human experience, Research laboratory, Bhopal, the 55th Annual intelligence, expertise and knowledge. Meeting of the Academy was held at the Tagore Bhawan, Bhopal from 10 to 13 The second series of the lecture November 1989. presentations, under the chairmanship of One of the best organized Annual Prof. K l Chopra, was also held on the Meetings in recent years, it began with the forenoon of 11 November. The first talk was inaugural function on Friday 10 November at by Anand Mohan of the Banaras Hindu the Tagore Bhawan. After a brief welcome University, Varanasi on "Pressure-temperature speech by Dr 0 N Misra, Director-General of time trajectory of granulites from the Madhya Pradesh Council of Science and Ganguvarpatti, South India and its implications Technology, Prof. C N R Rao, President of the on crustal evolution". The next talk was by Academy, introduced the Fellows and G Sankar, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore Associates present to the audience. Prof. on "X-ray spectroscopic studies of complex C N R Rao in his Presidential address on "Some oxides". X-ray absorption spectroscopy recent results on superconductors" spoke of provides structural information of complex certain recent developments in high oxides, amorphous systems and catalytiC temperature superconductors, synthesized and materials, not otherwise available. The last talk characterized at the Indian Institute of Science, in the forenoon was by S Yashonath of the Bangalore. Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore on "Siting, energetics and mobility of adsorbates There were eleven lecture presentations in zeolites". The well-known catalytic by new Fellows and Associates. The first series properties of zeolites are due to organic of lectures under the chairmanship of molecules adsorbed within their complicated Dr SVaradarajan was held on the morning of structure and the speaker spoke of recent Saturday 11 November. The first talk was by attempts at understanding these systems S Bhaduri of the Alchemie Research Centre, theoretically. Thane, on "Organometallic chemistry and catalysis". The second talk was by K T Jacob of In the third series of lecture presentations the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore on in the forenoon of Monday 13 November, the "Instabilities at reacting interfaces in ceramic first talk was by G Baskaran of the Institute of systems". He spoke of non-equilibrium Mathematical Sciences, Madras on "Novel heterogeneous systems frequently aspects of quantum theory of magnetism". The encountered in modern ceramics, of next talk was by 5 Ramaswamy of the Indian experimental observations of instability at Institute of SCience, Bangalore on 'The physics reacting interfaces and of the search for a of fluctuating membranes". He spoke of three types of idealized membranes and showed of the following causes: (a) regional that they have unusual dynamical properties differentiation within the unfertilized egg, both near and far from equilibrium and .that in (b) inductive (short-range) interactions between the layered phases, the application of a regions of the developing embryo, (c) long sufficiently large velocity gradient should range interactions via gradients, or (d) co destabilize the phase. The third lecture was by operative signalling amongst groups of cells. R Jayaraman of the Madurai Kamaraj University, R Nayak, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, Madurai on "An unconventional mode of raised the problem of immunological memory repair of DNA damage". The next talk was by and discussed the implications of a hypothesis A Sridharan of the Indian Institute of Science, proposed by him and N V Joshi, to explain its Bangalore on "Physico-chemical mechanisms longterm persistence. I A Niazi of the controlling the engineering behaviour of clays". University of Rajasthan, Jaipur, spoke about his It is now well established that both attractive work which subsequently led to the and repulsive forces of an electrical nature identification of retinoic acid (a vitamin A exist between clay particles and they strongly analogue) as the chemical responsible for influence the behaviour of the particles and determining the transverse patterning of digits their aggregations. Strength and volume in the developing limb of the chick, and very change behaviour, the two most important possibly also in the limbs of amphibians, engineering properties have been shown to be lizards and mammals. Lalji Singh of the Centre strongly influenced by the electrical forces at for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, particle level with experimental results using spoke about sex determination as a fluids of different dielectric constant. The last developmental problem, specially, his talk talk was by V Srinivas of the Tata Institute of focussed on possible chromosomal Fundamental Research, Bombay on "Algebraic mechanisms for the determination of sex. K-theory of singular varieties". The first evening lecture on Saturday There were two specialized symposia, 11 November was by J Ramachandran, one on the Narmada River Valley Project in the Director, ASTRA Research Centre, Bangalore, afternoon on Saturday, 11 November under on "Molecular mechanisms of transmembrane the chairmanship of Prof. C N R Rao. P Rama signalling". Rao of the Defence Metallurgical Research The second beautifully illustrated evening Laboratory, Hyderabad spoke on "Minerals and lecture on Sunday 12 November was by materials development including aspects of K K Chakravarty, Commissioner, Archaeology relevance to Madhya Pradesh". The next talk and Museums, Bhopal on "Unique was by Shekhar Singh, Indian Institute of Public masterpieces of Central Indian Art". Administration, New Delhi, on "The Narmada Project: Some environmental and social The Annual Meeting came to a close, with issues". He was followed by V Paranjpye, Pune concluding remarks by Prof. S Ramaseshan, on on "Scientific and economic aspects of the Monday 13 November. Narmada Valley Project", and P J Nayak of the The Business Meeting of Fellows was held Department of Rural Development and at Sanchi on Sunday 12 November, at 11.00 Panchayati Raj, Bangalore on "Problems in a.m. after visits to the Sanchi Stupa and human resettlement and rehabilitation". Udayagiri Caves. An excursion to Bhimbetka and Bhojpur was arranged on the afternoon of The second symposium was on the Issues Monday, 13 November. in Developmental Biology in the afternoon of Sunday 12 November. The symposium started There was a delightful evening of dance off with an introduction by V Nanjundiah of and song by the Darpan Troupe and organized the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, who by Mallika Sarabhai on 10 November_ The pOinted out that, after many year~, one had cultural programme on the evening of today a conceptual framework, within which 11 November consisted of Saila Reena and the central problem of development could be other folk dances by the Gonds, a major tribe posed and tested. In brief, the problem is thai of Madhya Pradesh. A visit to Bharat Bhawan the cells of the developing embryo are was arranged on Sunday 12 November. identical in terms of their genetic potentialities The Bhopal Meeting was one of the most but express different subsets of genes. Both on successful Annual Meetings of the Academy in logical grounds as well as on the basis of the recent past The organisation was superb experiments, the origin of this differential and the arrangements both for the scientific genetic activity can be traced to one or more sessions, cultural events and excursions were without blemish. Ninety Fellows and thirtytwo • Associates attended the meeting. The group Fellows elected In photograph taken on the occasion is reproduced on pages 8 and 9. 1989 If Bhopal was a place difficult to reach, it was even more difficult to leave, as most Fellows found to their cost, due to the vagaries PC Agrawal, Tata Institute of Fundamental of the Indian Airlines. But the stay in Bhopal Research, Bombay, for his contributions to itself and the meeting and the gracious and observational X-ray astronomy. generous hospitality extended by the hosts will C R Babu, University of Delhi, Delhi, for his stay fresh in the memory of all those who studies in the taxonomy of herbaceous plants. attended the meeting. The lovely miniature statue of Shalbhanjika presented by the S Banerjee, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, organizers to each Fellow and Associate, will Bombay, for his work on phase always remind us of the wonderful four days transformations, in particular to the ordering we spent in the beautiful lake City of Bhopal. reactions in alloys. N G Bhandari, Physical Research laboratory, The Academy is grateful to the Madhya Ahmedabad, for his studies on the Pradesh Council of Science and Technology, evolutionary history of solar particulate the Barkatullah University and the Regional emissions, meteorites and lunar surface Research Laboratory, Bhopal, particularly, Dr regions. D N Misra and Dr R Dasgupta who made the meeting the splendid success

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