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Geography Terms

Difference Between Bhangar and Khadar

Tamil Nadu National parks

IFS Question Set 1.

IFS Question Set 1.

Q.What are the following:
(Answer in one world or one sentence each)

•  Lacustrine Plains : Lacustrine Plains  are lakes that get filled by incoming sediment. Overtime, the water may drain from the lake, leaving the deposited sediments behind. This can be caused by natural drainage, evaporation or other geophysical processes.

•  Extensive property. A measurable property of a thermodynamic system is extensive if, when two identical systems are combined into one, the value of that property of the combined system is double its original value in each system. Examples: mass, volume, number of moles.

•  Activated carbon is a processed form of carbon treated to be more porous.

• .Parthenogenesis is type of asexual reproduction in which a female gamete or egg cell develops into an individual without fertilization. Animals including most kinds of wasps, bees, and ants that have no sex chromosomes reproduce by this process. Some reptiles and fish are also capable of reproducing in this manner.

•  Drip torch - Firefighters use these torches, that drip a flaming liquid mixture of diesel fuel and gasoline, to ignite fires in burnout operations.

•  Gerontology  studying physical, mental, and social changes in people as they age.

•  Isohyet: A line on a map connecting points that receive equal precipitation.

•  Palisades: A line of bold cliffs.

•  Rainshadow: An area of diminished precipitation on the lee (downwind) side of a mountain or mountain range.

•  Stratovolcano: A steep-sided volcano built by lava flows and tephra deposits.

How Are Crops Genetically Modified?

How Are Crops Genetically Modified?

• To modify crop plants, the gene must be able to gain access to the plant cell,which means it must be able to move through the plant’s rigid, outer cell wall.
• The “ferry” for moving genes into flowering plants is a naturally occurring plasmid of the bacterium Agrobacterium tumefaciens. In nature, this bacterium infects plants and causes tumors called galls
• The tumors are induced
• by a plasmid, called Ti plasmid. 
• Genes from different organisms can be inserted into the Ti plasmid by using 
• the same restriction enzyme to cut the Ti plasmid and the gene, and then connecting 
• the plasmid and the gene together and reinserting it into the bacterium.
• A. tumefaciens, with the recombinant Ti plasmid, is then used to infect plant 
• cells. During infection the recombinant plasmid is transferred into the host 
• plant cell.
• For genetic engineering purposes, scientists use only  the portion of a plasmid that does not cause tumor formation.
• Moving genes into other agricultural crops such as corn, barley, and rice can also be accomplished by using a device called a gene gun.
• A gene gun shoots tungsten-coated pellets covered with foreign DNA into plant cells.
• A small percentage of these DNA genes may be incorporated into the plant’s genome. The gene gun is often used by companies that do not want to pay licensing fees to Monsanto, holder of the A. tumefaciens patent.
• When a gene from one organism is incorporated into the genome of another organism, a transgenic organism is produced. Atransgenic organism is commonly referred to as a genetically modified organism or GMO.
• Many people have raised concerns about genetically modified (GM) crop plants. One concern is that large corporations that own many farms, called agribusiness corporations, profiting from GM crop production will put owners of family farms out of business. Other concerns focus on the impact of GMOs on human health and the environment.

Madhyapradesh National Parks map

Gujrat National Parks

Fictional Character

Acromegaly

Acromegaly

• Acromegaly is a syndrome that results when the anterior pituitary gland produces excess growth hormone (GH) after epiphyseal plate closure at puberty.
• A number of disorders may increase the pituitary's GH output, although most commonly it involves a GH-producing tumor called pituitary adenoma, derived from a distinct type of cell.
• Acromegaly most commonly affects adults in middle age, and can result in severe disfigurement, serious complicating conditions, and premature death if unchecked.
• Because of its pathogenesis and slow progression, the disease is hard to diagnose in the early stages and is frequently missed for many years, until changes in external features, especially of the face, become noticeable.

Acromegaly is often also associated with gigantism.

Features that result from high level of GH or expanding tumor include:

1. Soft tissue swelling visibly resulting in enlargement of the hands, feet, nose, lips and ears, and a general thickening of the skin.
2. Soft tissue swelling of internal organs, notably the heart with attendant weakening of its muscularity, and the kidneys, also the vocal cords resulting in a characteristic thick, deep voice and slowing of speech.
3. Generalized expansion of the skull at the fontanelle.
4. Pronounced brow protrusion, often with ocular distension.
5. Pronounced lower jaw protrusion with attendant macroglossia (enlargement of the tongue) and teeth gapping.
6. Hypertrichosis, hyperpigmentation, and hyperhidrosis may occur in these patients.
7. Acrochordon (skin tags).
8. Carpal tunnel syndrome.Carpal tunnel syndrome.

• Treatment:

The goals of treatment are to reduce GH production to normal levels, to relieve the pressure that the growing pituitary tumor exerts on the surrounding brain areas, to preserve normal pituitary function, and to reverse or ameliorate the symptoms of acromegaly. Currently, treatment options include surgical removal of the tumor, drug therapy, and radiation therapy of the pituitary.

characteristics of desert plants

What are the characteristics of desert plants?

1. Smaller Leaves and Stems. This allows the plant to concentrate its water instead of spreading it out over a wider surface area. Desert trees and shrubs tend to be short, with fewer leaves and branches. 

2. Storing Water. Desert plants with thick leaves and stems are able to absorb water when it rains and continue growing even when rainfall is absent.

3. Dormant Periods. Desert plants with dormant phases include lichen, moss, algae and ferns.

4. Nocturnal Activity, Some desert plants survive by only becoming fully active at night. During the night time, evaporation is least likely to occur because it is no longer so hot. Some plants, such as the yucca, turpentine bush, and brittlebush, only open their stomas at this time.

National Parks In Maharashtra

ARCHIPELAGO

ARCHIPELAGO

           An archipelago sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain or cluster of islands.
Many of them are volcanic and some others are formed along ocean ridges. The group of islands can be volatile in nature or they can be seen on the ridges of land where it connects to the sea. Many of the Archipelagos are made through volcanic activity and others are forged along major land masses. Sometimes erosion and deposition can be the reason of archipelago landforms. Deposition and erosion can also cause the organization of these landforms. Erosion and tectonic plates shifting sometimes lead to archipelago landforms as some parts of the lands trend away. The movement of tectonic plates and changing of plates can cause archipelago landforms as the land just travels away from a body of land. When some archipelago landforms are made they can cast away from the physical structure of land through erosion or earth quakes. This action is a very slow action. This can take thousands of years.
The fastest archipelagos are made are through volcanic action. A famous archipelago is the Hawaiian Islands, which was created in less than ten thousand years as the plate movement was quick. Volcanic archipelagoes landforms are shaped by underwater volcanoes when they burst under the sea and build a bundle of islands. Galapagos Islands are another best-known volcanic archipelago. For the volcanic activity the archipelago landforms can be concentrated or multiplied in size. Sustained volcanic action can deposit the volcanic matters which can elaborate the island. When water continues hitting the islands, erosion can take place. A larger than average eruption can also wipe out an archipelago, even making it seem it was never there in the first place. Weather can also have a great shock on archipelago landforms, when they are in the tropical areas that can be reached by hurricanes.

Archipelagos are all over the world. The meaning of an archipelago is a grouping of many islands that are in the sea or it can also mean a sea with a grouping of islands. One good example of an ocean archipelago is the Aegean Sea. The Aegean Sea has a lot of small islands. The British Isles is a great example of an archipelago that is great and not minuscule that most people remember they are.

The world of archipelago landforms is mostly volatile but some great and stable archipelago can be seen around the world. The Florida Keys is another example of great and healthy archipelago which is a group of about seventeen hundred miniature islands. The Keys protract from the southern point of Florida. Some countries are also archipelago land masses like New Zealand and New Guinea.