OnePlus Nord

The Chinese manufacturer (Oneplus) has launched OnePlus Nord (previously rumored to be called the OnePlus 8 Lite and OnePlus Z). Hype train on the tracks for a while, drip feeding us a number of specs, and even shots of the handset, ahead of its July 21, 2020 launch.

The Nord isn't here to replace the firm's flagship offerings; rather, it's the first in a whole new product line aimed at bringing a broader range of devices to a wider audience.

There's more to come, then, from the Nord brand, but the new OnePlus smartphone is the first – and for now, only – device bearing the name. 

Variants:

Color

• Blue Marble
• Gray Onyx

Capacity

• 8 GB RAM + 128 GB Storage

  ₹27,999M.R.P ₹27,999 (incl. of all taxes)

• 12 GB RAM + 256 GB Storage

  ₹29,999M.R.P ₹29,999 (incl. of all taxes)

Detailed Specifications:

Dimensions

Height: 158.3 mm
Width: 73.3 mm
Thickness: 8.2 mm
Weight: 184g

Display

Parameters

Size: 16.36 centimeters (6.44 inches)

Resolution: 2400x1080 pixels 408ppi

Aspect Ratio: 20:9

Refresh Rate: 90 Hz

Type: Fluid AMOLED

Support sRGB, Display P3

Cover Glass: Corning® Gorilla® Glass 5

Features

Video enhancer

Reading mode

Night mode

Performance

Operating System: OxygenOS based on Android™ 10
CPU: Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 765G 5G mobile platform
GPU: Adreno 620
RAM: 6GB/8GB/12GB LPDDR4X
Storage: 64GB/128GB/256GB UFS2.1
Battery: 4115 mAh (non-removable)
Warp Charge 30T fast charging (5V/6A)

Camera

Rear camera - Main

Sensor: Sony IMX586

Megapixels: 48

Pixel Size: 0.8 µm/48M; 1.6 µm (4 in 1)/12M

Lens Quantity: 6P

OIS: Yes

EIS: Yes

Aperture: f/1.75

Ultra wide angle lens - Rear

Megapixels: 8

Aperture: f/2.25

Field of View: 119°

Depth lens

Megapixels: 5

Aperture: f/2.4

Macro lens

Megapixels: 2

Aperture: f/2.4

Flash

Dual LED Flash

Zoom

No (Support in sensor zoom 2x)

Autofocus

Multi Autofocus (PDAF+CAF)

Video

1080P video at 30/60 fps, 4k 30 fps

Super slow motion: 1080P video at 240 fps

Time-Lapse: 1080P 30 fps, 4k 30 fps

Video editor

Features

CINE aspect ratio video recording, UltraShot HDR, Nightscape, Super macro, Portrait, Pro mode, Panorama, AI scene detection, RAW image, Filters, Quick share

Front Camera

Sensor: Sony IMX616

Megapixels: 32

Pixel Size: 0.8 µm/32M; 1.6 µm (4 in 1)/8M

EIS: Yes

Autofocus: Fixed Focus

Aperture: f/2.45

Ultra Wide Angle Lens - Front

Megapixels: 8

Aperture: f/2.45

Field of View: 105°

Video

4K video at 30/60 fps

1080P video at 30/60 fps

Time-Lapse

Features

Face unlock, HDR, Screen flash, Face retouching, Filters, Ultra wide selfie

Connectivity

LTE/LTE-A

4×4 MIMO, support up to DL Cat 18/UL Cat 13 (1.2Gbps /150Mbps), depending on carrier support

Band

GSM: GSM850, GSM900, GSM1800, GSM1900

WCDMA: B1, B2, B4, B5, B8, B9, B19

LTE-FDD: B1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 26

LTE-TDD: B38, 39, 40, 41, 46

5G: N78

MIMO: LTE: B1, 3, 40 NR: N78

*Network connectivity may vary depending on carrier’s network and related service deployment.

Wi-Fi

2x2 MIMO, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, 2.4G/5G

Bluetooth

Bluetooth 5.1, support aptX & aptX HD & LDAC & AAC

NFC

NFC enabled

Positioning

GPS (L1+L5 Dual Band), GLONASS, Galileo (E1+E5a Dual Band), Beidou, A-GPS, NavIC
Check carrier compatibility

Sensors

In-display fingerprint sensor
Accelerometer
Electronic compass
Gyroscope
Ambient light sensor
Proximity sensor
Sensor Core

Ports

USB 2.0, Type-C, support standard Type-C earphone
Dual nano-SIM slot

Buttons

Gestures and on-screen navigation support
Left: Volume key
Right: Power key, Alert slider

Audio

Super linear speaker
Noise cancellation support

Multimedia

Audio supported formats

Playback: MP3, AAC, AAC+, WMA, AMR-NB, AMR-WB, WAV, FLAC, APE, OGG, MID, M4A, IMY

Recording: WAV, AAC

Video supported formats

Playback: MKV, MOV, MP4, H.265(HEVC), AVI, TS, 3GP, FLV, WEBM

Recording: MP4

Image supported formats

Playback: Playback: JPEG, PNG, BMP, GIF, WEB, HEIF, HEIC, RAW

Output: JPEG, DNG

In The Box

OnePlus Nord
Screen protector (pre-applied)
Warp Charge 30 power adapter
Warp Type-C cable (Support USB 2.0)
Quick start guide
Welcome letter
Safety information and warranty card
Brand sticker
Phone case
SIM tray ejector
Highest SAR value & Plastic recycling card
Red Cable Club Membership card

Additional information

Manufacturer: OPPO Mobiles India Private Limited
Manufacturer Contact: PLOT-NO.1, SECTOR ECOTECH-VII, GREATER, NOIDA, UTTAR PRADESH, India-201306
Country of origin: India
Date First Available: 4 August, 2020

Aurora Borealis OR Northern Lights

The bright dancing lights of the aurora are actually collisions between electrically charged particles from the sun that enter the earth's atmosphere. The lights are seen above the magnetic poles of the northern and southern hemispheres. They are known as 'Aurora borealis' in the north and 'Aurora australis' in the south.. 
Auroral displays appear in many colours although pale green and pink are the most common. Shades of red, yellow, green, blue, and violet have been reported. The lights appear in many forms from patches or scattered clouds of light to streamers, arcs, rippling curtains or shooting rays that light up the sky with an eerie glow.

Cause :

The Northern Lights are actually the result of collisions between gaseous particles in the Earth's atmosphere with charged particles released from the sun's atmosphere. Variations in colour are due to the type of gas particles that are colliding. The most common auroral color, a pale yellowish-green, is produced by oxygen molecules located about 60 miles above the earth. Rare, all-red auroras are produced by high-altitude oxygen, at heights of up to 200 miles. Nitrogen produces blue or purplish-red aurora.

The connection between the Northern Lights and sunspot activity has been suspected since about 1880. Thanks to research conducted since the 1950's, we now know that electrons and protons from the sun are blown towards the earth on the 'solar wind'. (Note: 1957-58 was International Geophysical Year and the atmosphere was studied extensively with balloons, radar, rockets and satellites.

The temperature above the surface of the sun is millions of degrees Celsius. At this temperature, collisions between gas molecules are frequent and explosive. Free electrons and protons are thrown from the sun's atmosphere by the rotation of the sun and escape through holes in the magnetic field. Blown towards the earth by the solar wind, the charged particles are largely deflected by the earth's magnetic field. However, the earth's magnetic field is weaker at either pole and therefore some particles enter the earth's atmosphere and collide with gas particles. These collisions emit light that we perceive as the dancing lights of the north (and the south).

The lights of the Aurora generally extend from 80 kilometres (50 miles) to as high as 640 kilometres (400 miles) above the earth's surface.

Ebola virus

Key facts

• Ebola virus disease (EVD), formerly known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever, is a severe, often fatal illness in humans.
• The virus is transmitted to people from wild animals and spreads in the human population through human-to-human transmission.
• The average EVD case fatality rate is around 50%. Case fatality rates have varied from 25% to 90% in past outbreaks.
• The first EVD outbreaks occurred in remote villages in Central Africa, near tropical rainforests, but the most recent outbreak in west Africa has involved major urban as well as rural areas.
• Community engagement is key to successfully controlling outbreaks. Good outbreak control relies on applying a package of interventions, namely case management, surveillance and contact tracing, a good laboratory service, safe burials and social mobilisation.
• Early supportive care with rehydration, symptomatic treatment improves survival. There is as yet no licensed treatment proven to neutralise the virus but a range of blood, immunological and drug therapies are under development.
• There are currently no licensed Ebola vaccines but 2 potential candidates are undergoing evaluation.

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Background

The Ebola virus causes an acute, serious illness which is often fatal if untreated. Ebola virus disease (EVD) first appeared in 1976 in 2 simultaneous outbreaks, one in Nzara, Sudan, and the other in Yambuku, Democratic Republic of Congo. The latter occurred in a village near the Ebola River, from which the disease takes its name.

The current outbreak in west Africa, (first cases notified in March 2014), is the largest and most complex Ebola outbreak since the Ebola virus was first discovered in 1976. There have been more cases and deaths in this outbreak than all others combined. It has also spread between countries starting in Guinea then spreading across land borders to Sierra Leone and Liberia, by air (1 traveller only) to Nigeria, and by land (1 traveller) to Senegal.

The most severely affected countries, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia have very weak health systems, lacking human and infrastructural resources, having only recently emerged from long periods of conflict and instability. On August 8, the WHO Director-General declared this outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.

A separate, unrelated Ebola outbreak began in Boende, Equateur, an isolated part of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The virus family Filoviridae includes 3 genera: Cuevavirus, Marburgvirus, and Ebolavirus. There are 5 species that have been identified: Zaire, Bundibugyo, Sudan, Reston and Taï Forest. The first 3, Bundibugyo ebolavirus, Zaire ebolavirus, and Sudan ebolavirus have been associated with large outbreaks in Africa. The virus causing the 2014 west African outbreak belongs to the Zaire species.

Transmission

It is thought that fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family are natural Ebola virus hosts. Ebola is introduced into the human population through close contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected animals such as chimpanzees, gorillas, fruit bats, monkeys, forest antelope and porcupines found ill or dead or in the rainforest.

Ebola then spreads through human-to-human transmission via direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes) with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected people, and with surfaces and materials (e.g. bedding, clothing) contaminated with these fluids.

Health-care workers have frequently been infected while treating patients with suspected or confirmed EVD. This has occurred through close contact with patients when infection control precautions are not strictly practiced.

Burial ceremonies in which mourners have direct contact with the body of the deceased person can also play a role in the transmission of Ebola.

People remain infectious as long as their blood and body fluids, including semen and breast milk, contain the virus. Men who have recovered from the disease can still transmit the virus through their semen for up to 7 weeks after recovery from illness.

Symptoms of Ebola virus disease

The incubation period, that is, the time interval from infection with the virus to onset of symptoms is 2 to 21 days. Humans are not infectious until they develop symptoms. First symptoms are the sudden onset of fever fatigue, muscle pain, headache and sore throat. This is followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash, symptoms of impaired kidney and liver function, and in some cases, both internal and external bleeding (e.g. oozing from the gums, blood in the stools). Laboratory findings include low white blood cell and platelet counts and elevated liver enzymes.

Diagnosis

It can be difficult to distinguish EVD from other infectious diseases such as malaria, typhoid fever and meningitis. Confirmation that symptoms are caused by Ebola virus infection are made using the following investigations:

• antibody-capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)
• antigen-capture detection tests
• serum neutralization test
• reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay
• electron microscopy
• virus isolation by cell culture.

Samples from patients are an extreme biohazard risk; laboratory testing on non-inactivated samples should be conducted under maximum biological containment conditions.

Treatment and vaccines

Supportive care-rehydration with oral or intravenous fluids- and treatment of specific symptoms, improves survival. There is as yet no proven treatment available for EVD. However, a range of potential treatments including blood products, immune therapies and drug therapies are currently being evaluated. No licensed vaccines are available yet, but 2 potential vaccines are undergoing human safety testing.

Prevention and control

Good outbreak control relies on applying a package of interventions, namely case management, surveillance and contact tracing, a good laboratory service, safe burials and social mobilisation. Community engagement is key to successfully controlling outbreaks. Raising awareness of risk factors for Ebola infection and protective measures that individuals can take is an effective way to reduce human transmission. Risk reduction messaging should focus on several factors:

• Reducing the risk of wildlife-to-human transmission from contact with infected fruit bats or monkeys/apes and the consumption of their raw meat. Animals should be handled with gloves and other appropriate protective clothing. Animal products (blood and meat) should be thoroughly cooked before consumption.
• Reducing the risk of human-to-human transmission from direct or close contact with people with Ebola symptoms, particularly with their bodily fluids. Gloves and appropriate personal protective equipment should be worn when taking care of ill patients at home. Regular hand washing is required after visiting patients in hospital, as well as after taking care of patients at home.
• Outbreak containment measures including prompt and safe burial of the dead, identifying people who may have been in contact with someone infected with Ebola, monitoring the health of contacts for 21 days, the importance of separating the healthy from the sick to prevent further spread, the importance of good hygiene and maintaining a clean environment.

IP Address

A complete tutorial about IP Address

Let us begin with IP Addresses.

What is an IP Address?
► An Internet Protocol address is a numerical label assigned to each device (e.g., computer, mobile phone) that is connected to a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication.

► An IP address is used for two purposes:
1) To identify whether the interface is host or network.
2) To determine the location of the device.

► IP Versions: IPv4 and IPv6.
Although IPv4 is the earlier version, it is the most commonly used version.

► IPv4 is a 32-bit decimal number while IPv6 is 128-bit number.

► IPv4 is normally written as four numbers between 1 and 255, each separated from the other by a decimal point.
This standard is called as DOTTED-DECIMAL NOTATION.

► Ex: 115.241.40.93

► There are countless IP addresses in today's world!

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What is the purpose of IP Address Classes?

Each IP Address Class provides the following information:

► Class A: First 8 bits → NETWORK ID & remaining 24 bits → HOST ID

► Class B: First 16 bits → NETWORK ID & remaining 16 bits → HOST ID

► Class C: First 24 bits → NETWORK ID & remaining 8 bits → HOST ID

► Class D: It represents a 32-bit multicast group ID.

► Class E: It is currently not being used. (NO need)

► For example,
Let us consider the IP Address 203.43.21.12
We know that it belongs to Class C.
Therefore, the NETWORK ID is 203.43.21 and the HOST ID is 12.

TITAN (Largest Moon Of Saturn)

Scientists have pieced together the first-ever global topographic map of Titan, Saturn's largest moon, using radar observations from veteran NASA spacecraft.

The new map of Titan was stitched together from radar observations of the moon by NASA's Cassini spacecraft. It reveals an unprecedented look at Titan's surface and should help scientists learn more about one of the most Earth-like bodies in the solar system, members of the mapping team said.

"Titan has so much interesting activity — like flowing liquids and moving sand dunes — but to understand these processes it's useful to know how the terrain slopes," Ralph Lorenz, a member of the Cassini spacecraft's radar team at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., who led the map design effort, said in a statement. "It's especially helpful to those studying hydrology and modeling Titan's climate and weather, who need to know whether there is high ground or low ground driving their models." 

Titan is the second largest moon in the solar system, and the only one known to have clouds and a dense atmosphere. Scientists have been keen to study the cloud-covered world because of its Earth-like qualities. Titan's atmosphere, like Earth, is primarily composed of nitrogen, but instead of water, Titan's rain, clouds and lakes are made of methane.Titan's nitrogen-rich atmosphere also contains organic chemicals that are derived from methane, which may hold clues to the building blocks of life as we know it, the researchers said.

Typically, NASA maps the topography of planetary bodies using remote cameras to observe the shapes and shadows of the landscape. Titan's thick atmosphere, however, makes this difficult, the researchers explained.

NASA's Cassini probe has flown by Titan nearly 100 times since it arrived at Saturn in 2004. As the spacecraft swings past the hazy moon, it uses a radar imager to pierce through the clouds. These radar measurements can then be used to estimate the heights of topographical features on the moon.

But, since Cassini is only able to observe Titan on flybys, putting together a complete map of its surface is challenging.

"We have only imaged about half of Titan's surface, and multiple 'looks' or special observations are needed to estimate the surface heights," Lorenz said. "If you divided Titan into 1-degree by 1-degree [latitude and longitude] squares, only 11 percent of those squares have topography data in them."

To create a global map, Lorenz and his colleagues used a mathematical process called "splining," which uses smooth, curved surfaces to stitch together grids of existing data.

What is E=mc2

E=MC² is probably one of the best-known physics equations in the world, but few people really know what it means. The basic explanation of the equation is simple: E equals energy, M equals mass and C² is the speed of light in a vacuum [source:Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy]. The equation explains that energy and mass are intimately connected. In fact, they're so connected that mass can turn into energy given the right conditions. Even more surprising, though, is that the opposite also is true: If you compress energy enough, you can actually transform it into solid mass. For example, if you could shine two very strong sources of energy onto each other, the intense energy produced would actually cause small particles of matter to form.

The equation -- which Albert Einstein first demonstrated in 1905 -- might sound like it's straight out of a science fiction movie, but it has more practical applications than non-Einsteins might think. E=MC² is at the core of a number of scientific explanations. For example, the sun's existence can be explained using E=MC². Hydrogen and helium, the basic components of the sun, are elements of matter. As they fuse together, they cause a response similar to that of a fusion reactor that generates energy. A single kilogram of matter can produce 25 billion kilowatts of energy, which would explain why the sun is an intense ball of fire that keeps on burning [source: Science in Public].

E=MC² can't explain the big bang theory (the universe forming from nothing) completely, but it can explain how the universe expanded rapidly seconds after the initial explosion. At the time, mass and energy kept colliding and transforming back and forth, generating tremendous amounts of energy and creating more mass and expansion [source: PBS]. Breaking down Einstein's formula can help students trying to get through science, physics or astronomy classes see these concepts more clearly.

Many new technologies, such as carbon dating and positron emission tomography scans, make use of E=MC². And the formula explains how just a few ounces of uranium are enough to build a hydrogen bomb strong enough to destroy an entire city. Radium, another radioactive material, actually produces a luminous energy glow -- something that Marie Curie first realized at the end of the 19th century. The energy produced by radium is used today in radiology examinations as well as in everyday items such as luminous paints.