Category Archives: Science & Technology

Centre gives nod for Rs 338 cr bio-medical research centre in city

Records, All, Science & Technology

Hyderabad :

A National Resource Facility for Bio-medical Research (NARF) will be set up here by the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR).

The Union cabinet on Wednesday approved the proposal of the department of health research in the ministry of health and family welfare for setting up of the facility at a cost of Rs 338.58 crores. The resource center is expected to be functional by 2018-19.

The institution will be the first of its kind for quality laboratory for basic and applied biomedical research in the country.

It will be developed as a world-class facility for breeding and housing of animals such as primates, cabines and other specialized models such as transgenic and knockout rodents required for testing of various R&D products.

The facility will create, develop and provide access to a range of laboratory animals and related technological resources for advancement of biomedical research in the country, mainly to facilitate research in medical colleges, research and academic institutions, universities and biotech/bio-pharma companies.

The facility will also provide training facilities for personnel in the specialized areas in the field of biomedical research.

The state government has allotted 102.69 acres of land at Genome Valley, Hyderabad, free of cost, to the ICMR for establishment of National Animal Resource Facility (NARF) for Biomedical Research.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Hyderabad / TNN / November 19th, 2015

Life-changing innovations

Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Science & Technology

A quick look and one can easily dismiss them off as regular youngsters until they start showcasing their inventions. If giving life to an idea can be a challenge, then a bunch of ‘social innovators’ from the city have gone a step ahead and created products specifically aimed at helping society.

At the TedxYouth@Hyderabad event held on Sunday, enthusiastic students between 10 and 20 years celebrated spirit of entrepreneurship and design.

Nikhil Malladi and Shahebaz Khan of Glendale School showcasing their invention, Arm of God, at TedxYouth@Hyderabad event held on Sunday.
Nikhil Malladi and Shahebaz Khan of Glendale School showcasing their invention, Arm of God, at TedxYouth@Hyderabad event held on Sunday.

All of 15 years, Shahebaz Khan and M. Nikhil, were inspired by the superhero character, ‘Ironman’ and two months later, they have a promising product that can help the physically-challenged.

Named ‘Arm of God’, the prototype model is made of aluminium and is shaped like an arm. The model, aided by a piston, works on the pressure created by vacuum helping the to and fro movement of the device.

“We created it for a science exhibition and the total cost of building it is not more than Rs 2,000,” said Nikhil, a class X student of Glendale School. “We want to further improve the model by attaching a motor or using light weight carbon fibre material instead of aluminium.”

“It can be used by those whose hands are paralysed or those who are handicapped,” said Shahebaz Khan. “It can also reduce the risk and hard labour of the construction site workers. We want our product to be useful to people.” The youngsters are searching for investors and plan to build even other body parts in a similar way.

An IIIT-H student and software professional explaining his innovation, 3D YA3C.–Photos: Nagara Gopal
An IIIT-H student and software professional explaining his innovation, 3D YA3C.–Photos: Nagara Gopal

A postgraduate from IIIT, Hyderabad, S.P. Mohanty, wants his tech innovation to revolutionise the education field in the country. Developed in August this year, ‘Yet Another 3D Controller’ has been presented at various international fests. With just a phone, Wi-Fi connection and a laptop, different 3D images and models can be explained effectively in classrooms.

A simple demonstration of a 3D image of heart being tilted and turned just by the movement of an iPhone was enough for the participants to watch in surprise.

“It is all about simplifying teaching through interactive media,” said Mr. Mohanty, “There is no cost involved in buying or using this product. Subjects like geometry, biology and structural engineering can be taught better with 3D images. By December, I plan to develop various images and upload it to a website. This will be an open source model and anyone can use it.”

How to tackle the mosquito menace in a cost effective and environment friendly way?

G. Navya, a class X student of Oakridge School and co-organiser of the event, demonstrated the ‘Solar-powered multipurpose mosquito swatter’ to the crowd.

According to her, the product is not only more durable but also more economical.

One of the models on display is Arm of God, the model made of aluminium and shaped like an arm, that can help physically-challenged persons

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Telangana / by Staff Reporter / November 16th, 2015

T-Hub promises to assist start-ups

Records, All, Science & Technology

The vibrant and innovative interiors of the T-Hub reflecting the working ambiance that will greet young entrepreneurs on November 5 when the largest incubator in the country will inaugurated.— Photo: Mohammed Yousuf
The vibrant and innovative interiors of the T-Hub reflecting the working ambiance that will greet young entrepreneurs on November 5 when the largest incubator in the country will inaugurated.— Photo: Mohammed Yousuf

It was an incomplete structure, abandoned due to fund crunch. In six months, it has been transformed into a futuristic incubation centre for start-ups, and could pave the way for many such structures, including some on other continents.

‘Catalyst’, the first building in the city to house Telangana Hub or T-Hub on IIIT-Hyderabad campus, is a sprawling 70,000 square-foot structure. It promises to provide assistance to 400 entities at various stages of incubation.

Those start-ups screened by the T-Hub committee will be allowed to use the space and amenities like high-speed internet, at a nominal cost, IT Minister K.T. Rama Rao said on Friday, a week before industrialist Ratan Tata inaugurates it.

Mr. Rao held an interaction with the media at Catalyst to provide a glimpse into the building that will serve as the first phase of T-Hub.

The second phase of T-Hub in the city is set to come up at Raidurgam, Mr. Rao announced, adding that an initial fund of Rs. 10 crore has been set aside to help start-ups. He also said that T-Hub’s branches would be opened in other countries.

Mr. Gokul Krishna of W Design Studios, which designed the building, pointed out some unique features, including the use of shipping containers as mezzanine floors (a floor between two floors).

Seating in the building is categorised according to the stage at which a start-up is. Mr. Rao informed that 200 start-ups have already been screened and will be moved in shortly.

The start-ups screened by the T-Hub committee will be allowed to use the space and amenities like high-speed Internet, at a nominal cost IT Minister K.T. Rama Rao

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Telangana / by Staff Reporter / November 01st, 2015

Osmania surgeons pull off a miracle

Amazing Feats, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Conduct auto-transplantation of liver successfully to save life of a 24-year-old security guard

It was a desperate last ditch attempt by surgeons of State-run Osmania General Hosptial (OGH) here in Hyderabad that saved the life of a 24-year-old security guard, Naga Raju from Khammam. The surgeons extracted his liver, preserved it for hours, removed his blocked and underdeveloped hepatic blood vessels and then reconstructed them with artificial grafts and transplanted the same liver back into his body.

Post surgery, the doctors and parents of Naga Raju kept fingers crossed! As fate would have it, after a fortnight, Naga Raju made a near perfect recovery.

“We lost all hope because private hospitals here had given up on my son. In fact, the doctors at OGH also made it clear that the surgery was risky because such a procedure was unheard of and never attempted before,” recalls Alivellu, the mother of Naga Raju.

On their part, the Government doctors at OGH have maintained that other than one instance in Canada, they have not come across many instances of this procedure, which is technically known as Auto-Transplantation of Liver.

“The youngster had Budd-Chiari Syndrome (BCS), which is blockage of veins that carry blood from the liver. He had to undergo liver transplantation and was in the waiting list. But it was taking time to get a donor liver and his condition was worsening by the day. Removing his liver, reconstructing the blood vessels was the last option,” says Head, Surgical Gastroenterology, Dr. Ch. Madhusudhan.

According to doctors, the prevalence of BCS is one among one million individuals. In addition to blocked blood vessels of the liver, the Inferior Vena Cava (IVC), the large vein that carries blood from lower part of the body to the heart, was also blocked. This caused complete occlusion of hepatic veins that drain the liver.

“The very fact that he has survived for 23 years itself is a miracle. His body had adjusted and over a period of time,” says Superintendent, OGH, Dr. C. G. Rahuram.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Andhra Pradesh / by M. Sai Gopal / Hyderabad – October 30th, 2015

Asian Bariatrics opens centre in Hyderabad

Records, All, Science & Technology

Hyderabad :

Ahmedabad-based Asian Bariatrics (AB), which specializes in bariatric surgery, on Saturday, announced the launch of its first centre in Hyderabad. This is AB’s third dedicated centre in India after Ahmedabad and Rajkot, where it has a total capacity of 100 and 20 beds, respectively.

“In Gujarat, we get around 25% patients from south India, a majority of which hail from Hyderabad. Given the high demand, we felt it was important to have a dedicated centre for the city, where treatment for people suffering from morbid obesity could be provided treatment and weight loss surgeries can be performed by experts,” AB chairman Dr Mahendra Narwaria said, adding that the Hyderabad centre, with an initial capacity of 15 beds, has been set up at an investment of Rs 8-10 crore.

He said the number of bariatric surgeries has been increasing in the country rapidly as in 2007 only 400 such surgeries were performed as compared to 18,000 in 2014. AB’s Hyderabad will be the first centre in India, where the EMI option will be extended to patients, he said, adding that the cost of the surgery ranges Rs 2.5-Rs 8 lakh.

On expansion plans, he said they plan to open one centre each in Mumbai and New Delhi by the end of this fiscal with investments of around Rs 15-20 crore and a bed capacity of around 30-35 per centre.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Hyderabad / by Swati Rathor, TNN / October 17th, 2015

LVPEI Gets Equipment for Pre-sculpting Cornea

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All, Science & Technology

Hyderabad :

Inspite of rapid advances in healthcare technology in treating eye problems, many people are still falling prey to eye disorders, eye specialists at LV Prasad Eye Institute observed.

‘’There have been rapid advances in healthcare technology in India and today we have the best facilities when compared to any other advanced nation in the world. As a result of these advances and skilled doctors, we are able to treat many eye disorders. But it is always better to prevent a problem than treating the person after being affected,’’ Dr Pravin Krishna Vaddavalli, Consultant, Cornea, Anterior Segments Service and Head of Refractive Surgery and Cataract Service, has said.

He was speaking about the importance of advanced healthcare technology in treating eye disorders, at a programme held for technology transfer from Germany to India for Cornea and Laser Refractive Surgery at LVPEI here on Saturday.

Two high precision automated corneal tissue processing systems to enable preparation of pre-sculpted tissue for corneal transplants in the eye bank and two high precision microkeratomes to assist in flap creating during LASIK surgery, have been donated by Germany-based medical equipment company Gebauer Medizintechnik GmbH to LVPEI. These high precision systems will help in optimising the utilisation of corneas and improving the precision in LASIK surgery.

‘’There are five layers in cornea and we used to implant all the five layers to the receiver to restore eye sight. But eye sight can be restored by even implanting part of layers also. With pre-sculpting technology different layers of cornea can be separated and one cornea can be used for restoring the eyesight of more than one person, thus increasing the utilisation of corneas,’’ Pravin said.

Sometimes corneas get wasted if they have some scars or other minor disturbances, after being donated by the donors in the process of implanting in the receiver. But with this new technology only that part of cornea which is affected by the scar can be removed and the remaining cornea can be implanted thus successfully restoring eye sight.

The availability of these high precision ‘pre-cutting’ donor corneal tissues at LVPEI, makes it the first centre in Asia pacific region to have such a facility. Inspite of these technological strides, rising eye disorders is seen as a disturbing trend. LVPEI is the only institute which has done 20,000 corneal transplants and catered to about 2 crore people in the past two decades.

‘Children Should be Taught about Good and Bad Touch’

Senior consultant psychologist Dr Pragya Rashmi speaks about the importance of teaching kids about ‘good touch’ and ‘bad touch’ in the early years itself to protect them from child sexual abuse. In an interview She urges parents to take note of the issue to protect child’s health.

How rampant is child sexual abuse in India?

According to a recently released World Health Organisation (WHO) report, child sexual abuse is on rise in India. Even in states like Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, which are considered conservative, the problem is rising. Child sex abuse is a serious problem from not just societal point of view but even from health point

How does child sexual abuse affect the health of a child?

A child who faces sexual abuse goes through severe mental trauma and faces many issues related to mental health. It may even affect her mental health and development leading to serious consequences.

How a child affected by sexual abuse is treated?

Depending upon the severity of abuse the treatment is planned. Week long or month long psychotherapy sessions are conducted and if needed series of sessions are conducted in severe cases. Even parents are made part of counseling psychotherapy sessions. In some case even medication may also be needed, if child has is hurt physically.

But can a child be completely relieved from the scars of sexual abuse?

Yes, a child can be completely relieved of the scars of abuse, if proper care and counselling is given to him by therapists and parents. It is not just counselor but even parents have to play a crucial role in making a child normal. But rather than focusing on treatment we should focus on preventing the child abuse in the first place.

Can we prevent child sex abuse?

The first thing to be done is to teach children about how to protect themselves from those who abuse them sexually. Children should be taught to distinguish between ‘good touch’ and ‘bad touch’.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by J. Deepthi Nandan Reddy / October 18th, 2015

Solar power lights up Banjerpally village

Science & Technology

Solar panels erected on houses in Banjerpally village in Medak district.-PHOTO: Mohd Arif
Solar panels erected on houses in Banjerpally village in Medak district.-PHOTO: Mohd Arif

In Banjerpally village, located in Siddipet mandal, around 150 km from the district headquarters and close to Kaimnagar, R. Shankar is a happy resident and like him other villagers also.

Reason being, for the past three months, they have been paying between Rs. 100 and Rs. 120 towards the power bills in spite of using all electrical gadgets such as TV, fridge, lights and fans. Some of them also use single phase motors to pump water.

Thanks to the solar initiative taken by Irrigation Minister T. Harish Rao.

The village has 121 houses and as many as 95 households got the solar power connections.

Meanwhile, for the rest who lost the chance to set up solar power connections in their houses on the Central government’s subsidy, the district administrators have been trying to provide with alternatives.

The total cost of the solar power system for each house was Rs. 85,000 whereas each beneficiary had paid an amount Rs. 8,500 (ten per cent of the total project cost) as their contribution, while the remaining amount was subsidy from the government.

This is part of bigger plan that was in store for the village to transform it as complete solar village, if possible seeing that without poles.

Once all the house were connected with solar power, the second phase of work for solar street lights would commence for which while the State government will provide a fund of Rs. 5 lakh as its contribution followed Rs. 5 lakh from NABARD.

In the final phase, solar power would be supplied to run bore wells in the village if farmers come forward.

“The second phase work will be commenced in next month. We are trying to exhibit a picture to the world on how we can depend on nature for our energy requirements,” G. Ramesh Kumar, AGM, NABARD, told The Hindu .

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Telangana / by R. Avadhani / Banjerpally (Medak District) / October 13th, 2015

Distinction for TU faculty

Education, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Praveen Mamidala, head, Department of Biotechnology in the Telangana University got international recognition for his research on the evolution and characteristics of soyabean seed.

On his research done along with scientists Bansal, Priyanka and Brian J. Kassone of Agriculture and Research Development Centre of Ohio State articles were published in the internationally famous science magazine-Public Library Open Source. The magazine has four impact factors being given acknowledging the research in science.

Dr. Praveen said that the research was the first of its kind on the particular subject. He thanked the university Vice-Chancellor C. Parthasarathi and the Registrar Prof. R. Limbadri for their encouragement for his research.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Telangana / by Special Correspondent / Nizamabad – September 29th, 2015

Dr. Reddy’s inks deal for Hatchtech’s lice lotion

Business & Economy, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories announced on Monday the signing of a commercialisation deal for Australian pharma firm Hatchtech’s prescription head lice product Xeglyze Lotion.

Exclusive rights

“The exclusive rights for this product are applicable for the territories of the US, Canada, India, Russia and the CIS, Australia, New Zealand and Venezuela,” a release from the Hyderabad-based Dr. Reddy’s said.

Promius Pharma, a wholly-owned specialty firm of Dr. Reddy’s, will market the product in the US if the new drug application of Hatchtech gets the approval of the US Food and Drug Administration.

Under the agreement, Dr. Reddy’s will pay Hatchtech US $10 million upfront, up to $ 50 million based on pre commercialisation milestones and an undisclosed amount based on post commercialisation milestones, the release said.

Active drug substance

The active drug substance for Xeglyze lotion was developed in collaboration with Dr. Reddy’s Custom Pharmaceutical Services (CPS) business unit. In September last year, the Australian firm had announced positive results from its two pivotal Phase 3 clinical studies evaluating the lotion as a potential treatment for head lice infestation.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by N. Ravi Kumar / Hyderabad – September 15th, 2015

J. Manjula Appointed as DRDO’s First Woman Director General

Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Leaders, Records, All, Science & Technology

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) today said it has got its first woman Director General with the appointment of J Manjula as Director General, Electronics & Communication Systems cluster.

She has assumed charge from distinguished scientist and Director General Dr K D Nayak, who was holding Additional charge as Director General Electronic & Communication Systems, DRDO said in a release.

Manjula has the honour of being the first woman Director General of DRDO cluster. She has been leading Defence Avionics Research Establishment (DARE), an establishment of DRDO, as a Director since July 2014, it said.

Manjula is an alumna of Osmania University and a practising electronics and communications engineer.

DRDO said she has served in Defence Electronics Research Laboratory, Hyderabad, for more than 26 years in the area of Integrated Electronic Warfare.

She has designed and realised fast signal acquisition receivers, high power RF systems, responsive jammers, controller software etc for various systems inducted in Army, Navy, Air Force and Paramilitary, it added.

Manjula is a recipient of DRDO award for ‘Performance Excellence’ and ‘Scientist of the Year 2011’.

source: http://www.outlookindia.com / Outlook / Home> Magazine / Bengaluru – September 09th, 2015