Category Archives: Science & Technology

Gamer Connect 2017 inaugurated in Hyderabad

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Fast forward:Information Technology Minister K.T. Rama Rao trying out one of the consoles on display at the Gaming Connect 2017 in Hyderabad on Saturday.BY ARRANGEMENT

NVIDIA and Dell invited to partner with TS Government

A two-day event for gaming enthusiasts by graphics chipmaker NVIDIA that features scores of demo stations, latest games and premium devices opened in the city on Saturday.

Information Technology Minister K.T. Rama Rao, a gaming enthusiast himself, inaugurated Gamer Connect 2017, admitting he was there to check out a few games. The ‘Mt.Everest thing was pretty cool,’ he said about the experience a VR headset provides of the world’s highest peak.

The Minister, who later tweeted ‘pretty good way to start a Saturday,’ told the gathering, at the event in Gachibowli Indoor Stadium, that the State Government had launched IMAGE (innovation in multimedia, animation, gaming and entertainment technology) policy.

It is also developing a 1.6 million sq. ft. IMAGE Tower, which will focus on gaming industry.

“New opportunities will come in gaming, multimedia, visual effects, VR, AR, cyber security, analytics and deep learning,” he said. Gaming as an industry is more than $100 billion globally. Gaming and animation combined is over $243 billion across the world, with India accounting for hardly $1.5 billion,” he said, pointing to the growth potential.

He invited NVIDIA and Dell to partner with the State Government to create an annual event like the Gamer Connect in Hyderabad.

“I am told you already had 12,000 registrations for Gamer Connect today. I hope that number will grow manifold and we will make Hyderabad, with your support, an annual fixture for this event,” he said.

A release from NVIDIA said Gamer Connect was conducted earlier this year in Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Kochi and Lucknow. It is a platform for the Indian gaming community to bond, interact and explore new avenues in gaming. Gamer Connect also gives audiences an opportunity to experience the latest in PC gaming technology.

Some of the latest games showcased include Call of Duty WW II, Destiny 2, Middle Earth: Shadow of War, NFS Payback, and Assassin’s Creed Origins.

On display are some premium range gaming monitors. The NVIDIA also showcased GeForce GTX graphic cards featuring the latest Pascal architecture.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Telangana / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – December 10th, 2017

GE’s FirstBuild India hub to come up at T-Works

Business & Economy, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

City selected after evaluating multiple cities, says company

GE Appliances-backed co-creation community FirstBuild has decided to set up its India hub at T-Works, the makerspace coming up in Hyderabad.

On Saturday, an agreement to this effect was signed by Director-Electronics in the IT, Electronics and Communications Department Sujai Karampuri and chief information officer of GE Appliances India Chandramouli Vijjhala, in the presence of IT Minister K.T.Rama Rao.

FirstBuild India (1B India) intends to focus on IoT and business processes in appliances and manufacturing. It seeks to engage with T-Works and the maker community in knowledge sharing, skills development and community driven open-platform innovation, a release from the Minister’s office said.

Synergy in vision

Stating that FirstBuild has decided to set up its India operations in Hyderabad after evaluating multiple cities, the release said GE Appliances COO Melanie Cook had in September led a high-level delegation to the city and discussed the collaboration. She had highlighted the importance of the maker culture and synergy in the visions and values of FirstBuild and T-Works.

Based out of Louisville, Kentucky, FirstBuild is a global co-creation community that harnesses the brainpower of the maker movement to change the way major home appliances are conceived, designed and manufactured. It speeds products from mind to market and enables customisation through small batch production, without the costs and risks of traditional mass manufacturing.

Game-changer

An invitation was extended to Mr. Taraka Rama Rao and his team to experience first-hand the capabilities and maker culture at GE Appliance’s FirstBuild facility in the US, the release said.

Earlier this week the Minister, addressing a CII Summit, said at 250,000 sq ft T-Works will be India’s largest makerspace. Work has begun and facility would be ready by December 2018.

“I believe it is going to change the way we do business with respect to design in hardware space in India,” he had said, pointing out that it has been conceived on a collaborative platform comprising the State government and private sector partner institutions. The tools, software and equipment are to be provided by the latter. The facility will house $20 million worth equipment.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – December 09th, 2017

Kacheguda becomes India’s first energy-efficient railway station

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Records, All, Science & Technology, Travel

File photo of the Kacheguda railway station in Hyderabad. | Photo Credit: P.V.SIVAKUMAR

Kacheguda Railway Station under the South Central Railway (SCR) has earned the unique distinction of being the first Energy Efficient ‘A1 Category’ Railway Station on Indian Railways.

The station has achieved 100% energy efficiency by replacing 1,312 conventional lights with light-emitting diode (LED) lighting, among other steps. About 370 ceiling fans, too, were replaced with energy efficient Brushless DC Electrical (BLDC) motors fans, and 12 air conditioners with energy efficient inverter-type air conditioners. All these measures would save about 1.76 lakh units and ₹14.08 lakh per annum with reduction of the connected load by 46.18 kW for Railways, said General Manager Vinod Kumar Yadav.

Complimenting Divisional Railway Manager Arun Kumar Jain and his colleagues V. Venkata Ramana and P. Prem Kumar for the feat, Mr. Yadav said they had put in extensive efforts to achieve this distinction.

Kacheguda Railway station is a historic building and had completed 100 years. Situated in the heart of Hyderabad, it was built in 1916 by the Nizam’s Guaranteed State Railway during the reign of Mir Osman Ali Khan, the seventh Nizam.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by V. Geetanath / Hyderabad – December 08th, 2017

World congress of paediatric ophthalmology from today

Business & Economy, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

The fourth World Congress of Paediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (WCPOS) will be held for the first time in India at Hyderabad from December 1 to 3. The three-day World Congress features scientific programmes including scientific symposia, live surgery, free paper sessions, numerous workshops, debates and a mock trial. It will also have exciting new features like the first ever ‘Yoga with the gurus’ session and an adult-paediatric interface day.

Several delegates from over 60 countries are expected to attend the 500-plus speciality lectures and 350 plus posters/papers/videos that are to be presented. Keynote lectures will be delivered by noted doctors Dr Richard Hertle, USA; Dr Harminder Dua, UK; Dr Lea Hyvarinen, Finland; announced local host president Dr Ramesh Kekunnaya, Head of Services, Paediatric Ophthalmology, Adult Strabismus & Neuro-Ophthalmology, Child Sight Institute, Jasti V Ramanamma Children’s Eye Care Centre, L V Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI).

As a prequel to the event, LVPEI is organising ‘Eye on the future’, a day-long academic session featuring a host of international speakers on November 30. Close to 75 international faculty and delegates from India and abroad will participate in this symposium, a press release said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – November 30th, 2017

Tech-savvy docs strike it rich

Business & Economy, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Patients from towns, rural areas opt for online consultation

Lured by an assured 20% to 30% increase in their annual income, a band of tech-savvy doctors from the city now offer online medical consultation. And those opting for their services are patients from towns and rural areas in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, who have registered online for family healthcare services.

In the last two months, an Internet-based medical platform — DocOnline — which operates out of Hyderabad, registered 30 doctors from here who are willing to consult via chat, phone call or video call with patients. The platform has also registered doctors from Mumbai and Pune. A similar platform e-Vaidya has been registering physicians who have been practising here for the past one year. Doctors told The Hindu that the pay they got for online consultation was higher than that from hospitals. “The salary structure in most hospitals, be it State or corporate-owned, is not updated regularly,” said Sindhura Rao Akkala, who left a private hospital two years ago to work for e-Vaidya first and now for DocOnline.

Uma Yadagiri, who has been practising for 17 years, 15 of which was in the U.S., said online consultation contributes to 50% of her annual income. “Online medicine here is similar to on-call practice in the U.S. With online medicine, a comprehensive health check-up can be done.After the video calls with patients, if I am not satisfied, I ask them to come and consult me or consult a nearby physician,” she said.

Among the doctors who offer the services are orthopaedics, obstetricians and gynaecologists.

‘Time-effective’

Patients said they found it cost and time-effective. “I paid ₹700 for a monthly package for myself and four family members. The consultations are unlimited and doctors are always available. It worked for me because I get constant migraine attacks for which I used to pay consultancy of ₹500 each time,” said Y. Roopa, 25, who lives in Tirupati.

As the services offered are diverse, the patients get consultation for more than one family member.

Most patients find home delivery of medicine very effective as it helps the elderly. A 62-year-old resident of Mahabubnagar town, C. Tayamma, had taken help online after she suffered hot oil burns on her hand in an accident. “When I video-called, the doctor prescribed an ointment and pills. I live with my daughter and the service proved to be effective. Now I want a bed-ridden relative to opt for online service,” said Ms. Tayamma, whose daughter had listed her as a dependent for the online service.

Speaking to The Hindu, Rahul Paith, COO of DocOnline, said online medicine would grow in the coming years. “India’s telemedicine market is expected to grow from $15 million (₹100 crore) to $32 million (₹210 crore) by 2020. There is much scope here,” he pointed out.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Nikhila Henry / Hyderabad – November 25th, 2017

Mylan launches FDC drug for HIV

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

Mylan Pharmaceuticals has launched a fixed dose combination drug in India for treatment-experienced adults and adolescents weighing more than 40 kg with HIV-1.

The product, DURART R 450, comprises Darunavir/Ritonavir 400/50mg. Alternative treatments require patients to take two drugs separately. This is the first FDC drug available to patients in India, the company said in a release on Thursday.

President (India and Emerging Markets) Rakesh Bamzai said patients with HIV-1 will now have access to the fixed-dose combination therapy which may improve the overall patient treatment outcomes. Darunavir and Ritonavir are HIV protease inhibitors and can be used in combination for patients failing first and second-line regimens during the management of HIV-1 infection. Darunavir is currently available in India in 600 mg and 800 mg dose forms and Ritonavir is available in the 100 mg and 50 mg dose forms.

The company’s ARV portfolio includes 14 APIs and 50 finished dosage forms in first-line, second-line and paediatric formulations, the release said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – November 16th, 2017

Hyderabad: 1,000 kgs of waste recycled to make cube-glass stools, rubber planters

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Science & Technology

After the summit, the street furniture will be shifted to parks or the Necklace Road.
Trash piled up at a collection centre in Hyderabad on Monday. (Photo: DC)

Hyderabad:

A tonne of trash, 85 used rubber tyres and four drums disposed of by residents in the west zone have been used to make street furniture for the Global Entrepreneur’s Summit to be held in Hyderabad from November 28.

Two tetra-pack toilets, a cube glass stool, furniture made from rubber tyres and tiles made of plastic will be displayed near HICC, the venue of the summit, from November 26. The trash was collected from the dry waste centre at Serilingampally. After the summit, the street furniture will be shifted to parks or the Necklace Road.

A sculpture made of multicoloured chips packets, polythene covers, plastic bottles, metal wires and old shoes will be placed at the entrance of HICC. The cube-glass stools, currently displayed on Madhapur street, are made of both metal angles and 8 mm toughened glass filled with scrap such as chips packets and soft drink cans.

Some 85 discarded rubber tyres were made into an all-weather sofa set that can be used both indoors and outdoors. The metal drums have been fashioned into chairs and tables.

Prashanth Lingam of Bamboo India, who has worked on these items in coordination with the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, said that the scrap was provided free of cost by the GHMC which also paid for the labour.

He said 1,000 kgs of trash was recycled to make the cube-glass stools, rubber planters, rubber based sofa, and tiles made of plastic.

“We are working on a tetra pack toilet and trash man. The idea is to showcase recycling using daily used scrap and put it to functional use in public spaces as a street art form or public utility,” he said.

West Zone Municipal Commissioner Hari Chandana Dasari said, “GHMC is making efforts to promote recycling and reuse waste. The street furniture is all made from waste that people have generated. The wrappers were collected by GHMC teams and the tyres were mostly from heavy duty GHMC vehicles which will be used as planters.”

source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation> Current Affairs / by Coreena Suares, Deccan Chronicle / November 14th, 2017

IIT Hyderabad develops novel skin patch for constant drug release

Amazing Feats, Education, Records, All, Science & Technology

Optimum “The drug gets released quickly when the pore size of the nanofabric is 100 microns,” says Mudrika Khandelwal (second from right).

The amount of drug in the patch can be modified so that it is released at desired rate

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Hyderabad have developed a novel drug-delivery system that releases a commonly used pain killer (diclofenac sodium) at the target site in a controlled fashion such that there is constant release of the drug for as long as 12 hours. The drug has low half-life of one–two hours and so constant release for up to 12 hours becomes particularly significant.

In normal circumstances, the drug gets metabolised very quickly, thereby requiring frequent dosing to maintain the desired therapeutic levels. The fluctuation of the drug plasma level is one reason why the medicine cases adverse effects.

To prevent burst or quick release of the drug, a team led by Mudrika Khandelwal from the Department of Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineering at IIT Hyderabad fabricated a transdermal patch containing the drug and made the patch highly hydrophobic (water repelling). The high hydrophobicity of the patch ensures that the highly water-soluble drug is released in a slow and sustained fashion. The results were published in the journal Applied Surface Science.

Tuning the patch

What makes the transdermal patch particularly significant is the freedom to increase the amount of drug present in the patch so that the drug is constantly released at a therapeutically desirable dosage for a longer duration.

The patch was prepared by mixing the drug with cellulose acetate bio-polymer and electrospun in the form of a nanofabric. Ordinary nylon mesh with different pore sizes (50, 100 and 200 microns) was used at the site of the collector and this allowed the nanofibres to get deposited with micron-sized gaps in between.

“The non-wetting capillary action of the air pockets pushes the water away and this changes the water contact angle from about 30 degrees to 138 degrees and makes the nanofabric hydrophobic.

There is higher non- wetting capillary action of the air pockets when the air gaps are smaller in size,” says Prof. Chandra Shekhar Sharma from the Department of Chemical Engineering at IIT Hyderabad and one of the authors of the paper. “Since the drug is released through a diffusion process, the increased water repelling nature (hydrophobicity) of the fabric reduces the effective area in contact resulting in reduced diffusion rate, which also reduces the drug release.”

Constant release

“The drug, which is embedded in the transdermal patch, is released at a constant rate for up to 12 hours, when the pore size of the nanofabric is 50 microns. We achieved constant release for only three hours when the pore size was 100 microns. The drug without any micropatterning was released in just one hour,” says Dr. Khandelwal who is the corresponding author of the paper.

“We tested transdermal release using a membrane that mimics the skin. The membrane separates the drug-loaded nanofabric from a solution that in turn mimics the body fluids,” says Dr. Khandelwal. “Different drugs can be loaded in the nanofibres to achieve constant release for a long time.”

“We embedded ciprofloxacin antibiotic in the patch and achieved similar results. The transdermal patch loaded with the pain killer [diclofenac sodium] can be used for treating local muscular pain. It may not be possible to treat deep-seated pain using this patch,” says Shivakalyani Adepu from the Department of Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineering at IIT Hyderabad and the first author of the paper.

The researchers plan to develop transdermal patch prototypes and test them on animals.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sci-Tech> Science / by R. Prasad / November 11th, 2017

University of Hyderabad research scholar presents paper at US conference

Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

ICOTOM is a global scientific exchange focusing on real-world scientific solutions
UoH research scholar Sabavath Janakiram. Photo from university newsletter

Hyderabad:

A research scholar from University of Hyderabad presented a paper on ‘texture evolution during partial recrystallisation annealing in high strength automotive steels’, at a global conference held in the US, a newsletter published by the university said.

Sabavath Janakiram is pursuing his PhD in Materials Engineering in the School of Engineering Science and Technology, UoH. He was invited to participate in the International Conference on Textures of Materials (ICOTOM-18), which was held from November 5 to November 10, at St George, Utah.

ICOTOM is a global scientific exchange focusing on real-world scientific solutions.

Janakiram specialises in ‘nucleation texture and microstructure control during early recrystallisation annealing of high strength automotive steels’ under the supervision of Dr Jai Prakash Gautam at the university, the newsletter said.

His visit was funded by Prof Leo Kestens from University of Ghent and the National Science Foundation.

Janakiram’s research paper will be published in the Journal of Physics: Conference Series Materials Science and Engineering.

source: http://www.telanganatoday.com / Telangana Today / Home> Hyderabad / November 10th, 2017

CII award for Cyient

Records, All, Science & Technology

IT firm Cyient has bagged the CII Industrial Innovation Award 2017.

The award recognises the company as one of the ‘Top 26 Innovative Organisations’ in the country, a release from Cyient said.

Instituted by CII in 2014, the award recognises and celebrates innovative Indian enterprises and budding start-ups across industry segments on an annual basis. For the 4th edition of the awards, the grand jury, comprising leaders in technology, business and the innovation space, evaluated the applications and declared the winners.

The winning organisations were honoured at an awards ceremony held during the CII Industrial Innovation Summit 2017. Cyient was felicitated by Naushad Forbes, past chairman of CII. According to the release, CII praised Cyient for its initiatives, especially the Eye Anatomy Visualization through AR/VR for L V Prasad Eye Institute. The project helped enhance medical learning through visualization and experiential interaction related to the anatomy of the eye by using emerging Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality technologies.

Another initiative of the company was Precision Agriculture Technologies, a project involving use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV/drones) to optimise consumption of fertilisers and pesticides in farming.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – November 07th, 2017