Author: @admin
INTERNATIONAL: KARNATAKA: Bengaluru-based Drone Startup ‘Squadrone Infra & Mining’ Deployed in Indonesia’s Islands to Explore Critical Minerals
Its advanced system enables the mapping of shallow and deep-seated virgin mineral deposits, reaching depths of up to 1,500 metres below the ground.
City-based drone startup Squadrone Infra and Mining Pvt. Ltd. has deployed drone-based geophysical surveys for prospecting and exploration of nickel, gold, bauxite, coal and other critical minerals at Indonesia’s Kalimantan and Sulawesi Islands.
The startup has deployed MagArrow and Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) technologies, a UAV-enabled drone-based solution equipped with a non-radioactive laser-pumped cesium vapor total field scalar magnetometer.
This advanced system enables the mapping of shallow and deep-seated virgin mineral deposits, reaching depths of up to 1,000 to 1,500 m below ground level.
Geologists, geophysicists, and researchers can now conduct comprehensive studies of the earth’s strata for new and greenfield mineral discoveries in previously inaccessible areas, significantly enhancing efficiency and accuracy. The GPR adds great value to nickel, gold, bauxite and coal prospecting, with high precision.
Kalimantan Island, known for its unique and diverse ecosystems, poses significant challenges to traditional mining surveys due to its remote and difficult-to-access terrain.
With the introduction of MagArrow and GPR, Squadrone offers a revolutionary solution that allows for geophysical surveying without adversely affecting the ecology of the region and minimising the need for human intervention. This technology marks a significant milestone in the field of mineral exploration in such environmentally sensitive areas.
Squadrone Infra and Mining with its expansion into Indonesia and plans to enter other regions of Southeast Asia and Africa, is set to contribute significantly to Net Zero operations and the sustainable development of the global mining industry.
source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)
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NATIONAL & KARNATAKA: HEALTH & MEDICAL SERVICES /INNOVATION: Patent Won for Medicinal Patch by Scientists of BLDE University
A team of scientists from BLDE Deemed University has won a patent for an innovative method of administering drugs to patients.
The Patent Office, Union government, has granted patent for 20 years, under the Patents Act.
The patent has been granted for the development of “pharmaceutical formulations of electro-responsive smart hydrogel for transdermal drug delivery”.
The patent applicant is Raghavendra V. Kulkarni, Registrar of the university and pharmaceutical scientist.
His team from the Sri Sanganabasava Mahaswami College of Pharmacy includes Sudha B. Patil, Krishnacharya Akkamanchi and Kushal K. Das.
The patented method involves reaching medicine to targeted organs through the skin, at regulated timings, through a patch applied on the skin. The method is expected to ensure painless drug delivery at affordable prices. It is scalable, said a release.
source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)
KARNATAKA: ARTS & CULTURE: Series of Programmes to mark Karnatak Vidyavardhaka Sangha Foundation Day from tomorrow
A series of programmes will be held for five days to mark the 134th Foundaton Day of Karnatak Vidyavardhaka Sangha (KVS) in Dharwad from Thursday.
Addressing a press conference in Dharwad on Tuesday, president of Karnatak Vidyavardhaka Sangha and former MLA Chandrakanth Bellad and secretary Shankar Halgatthi said that there will be a series of programmes, including an exhibition of paintings, book release, felicitation, award presentation and music events.
Responding to a query, Mr. Halagatti termed the development of parents writing letters to private school management not to teach Kannada to their students in Bengaluru is a matter of concern.
“The parents want employment and all other facilities and benefits from the land of Kannada but they shy away from learning Kannada. The government should consider it seriously and take the private schools to task,” he said.
He said that the whole development is indicative of the apathy of private schools towards Kannada. “The schools take benefits from government but don’t want to teach Kannada. It is a matter of shame and this attitude should go,” he said and added that KVS will write to the Chief Minister asking him to direct the Education Department to conduct an inspection and act against those not teaching Kannada.
Funds crunch
Mr. Halagatti said that the more-than-a-century old sangha is facing severe shortage of funds. Despite it being the parent institute of Kannada Sahitya Parishat, successive governments have failed to provide adequate funds to KVS. The sangha has already submitted a proposal to the government seeking a budgetary allocation of ₹3 crore for KVS to enable it to organise more meaningful and creative programmes throughout the year.
Programmes
The former Director-General and Inspector-General of Police Shankar Bidari will inaugurate the programmes on Thursday at 5.30 pm. Nijagunaprabhu Swamy of Mundargi and scholar Krishna Kolhar Kulkarni will attend.
On Friday, the former director of Akashvani Dharwad unit C.U. Bellakki will inaugurate the Sirigannada Pustaka Mane. On Saturday, Member of Legislative Council Jagadish Shettar will present the Sirigannadam Gelge Raa Ha Deshpande Award to Basavalinga Pattadevaru of Bhalki.
Member of Legislative Council S.V. Sankanur will felicitate Hindustani vocalist Pandit M. Venkateshkumar on Sunday.
On Monday, Chairman of Legislative Council Basavaraj Horatti will present the Kannada Prapancha Pa Pu Award to writer G. Ramakrishna.
source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)
INTERNATIONAL: INDIA & KARNATAKA: MATHS OLYMPIAD: Bengaluru boy Atul Shatvart Nadig Bags Gold Medal at 64th International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO), Chiba, Japan
Atul Shatavart Nadig, student of Shri Ram Global School, Whitefield, bagged the gold medal at the 64th International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO), held in Chiba, Japan, from July 2 to 13.
Six-member Indian team has done the country proud by securing two gold, two silver and two bronze medals and finished 9th out of 112 countries. Along with Atul, Arjun Gupta of Delhi secured gold at the event.
“In terms of Olympiad Math, I am mostly self-taught. Ever since grade 10, I have been doing Olympiad Math, through the Art of Problem Solving website, classes on the Online Math Club and handouts by Evan Chen, a past Olympiad medallist. I won a gold medal and placed 12th overall in this year’s event,” said Atul.
He got a perfect score of 1600 on the SAT last year and he will be continuing my future studies, doing Mathematics and Computer Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA. “I am also the director of the Sophie Fellowship, an initiative to prepare Indian students for Math Olympiads by showing them its beauty. With this, I also hope to reach out to more students in India, most of who are unaware of the prospects mathematics holds as a career,” he added.
This is the fourth time India secured a position in the Top 10. The team was accompanied by Prithwijit De, Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education, Mumbai, Sahil Mhaskar, Chennai Mathematical Institute, Chennai, Anant Mudgal, University of California, USA and Pranjal Srivastava, MIT, USA.
source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)
KARNATAKA: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY: LOW-COST TELESCOPE BUILDER: 29-year-old Astronomy Enthusiast Bharat BR Builds low-cost Telescope in Chamarajanagar
A 29-year-old astronomy enthusiast in Chamarajanagar has built a low-cost telescope using books, the internet, and advice from others.
The telescope, which would cost ?70,000-80,000 in the market, was constructed for an estimated cost of ?20,000 using locally available materials. The inventor, Bharath BR, has used the telescope to observe planets, lunar eclipses, and has shown it to others.
He also obtained a ham radio licence for non-commercial purposes.
Bharath BR, a diploma graduate from Chamarajanagar city, said he made the telescope since he didn’t have the finances to buy an expensive telescope.
Since he was interested in observing astronomy, Bharath said he read the book ‘How to Build a Telescope’ by scientist PN Shankar and took advice from many people through phone calls, and succeeded in making the telescope on the first attempt.
The telescope he manufactured has an 8-inch diameter mirror with an 8.1 focal ratio of 1,660 mm. The same kind of telescope would cost at least ₹70,000-80,000 in the market.
However, with the help of a telescope kit, Bharath used locally available materials to construct it at an estimated cost of ₹20,000.
Bharat said he observes all the planets, sub-planets and lunar eclipses of the solar system through his telescope. In addition, he has shown the planets to the children in the neighbourhood, family members and friends.
‘’I read the book ‘How to Build a Telescope’ and got the advice of some experts on the Facebook page called ‘Amateur Telescope Makers’ and got guidance over the phone and built this telescope,” Bharath told HT.
He said he was happy that the telescope worked properly on the first attempt.
His mother, Nirmala, is happy about Bharat’s work and said in marriage halls, it is a custom to show Arundhathi star to newlywed couples.
“But my son showed me that Nakshatra. If all the children played other games, my son Bharat played games through science activities, and he was blessed that he would achieve more,” she said.
According to the mother, Bharath’s house is a laboratory for astronomical observation of Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system, Saturn’s ring, stars, and moon, among others.
“When Bharath was studying in class 8, he made a small telescope and made a demonstration during the visit of the former President of India Dr A P J Abdul Kalam to Suttur,” Nirmala said.
“Bharat has made good use of his time during the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic and made this telescope through patience and perseverance. The primary mirror glass, an important part of the television, has to be polished and prepared, and Bharat himself has diligently done the work like an expert,” she added.
In addition, Bharat gained attention by obtaining a ham radio licence for non-commercial purposes, wireless experiments, and to transmit messages in case of emergency.
source/content: hindustantimes.com (headline edited)
SOUTH INDIA: KARNATAKA: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI): Meet Soundarya, South India’s First AI News Presenter by Kannada News Channel ‘Power TV’
The channel will also experiment with various news shows, featuring the new AI presenter, Soundarya.
As Artificial Intelligence (AI) news presenters started entering into the Indian TV news industry, Kannada channel Power TV launched south India’s first AI news presenter. The management named the AI presenter Soundarya and on Tuesday, the first news show was rolled out, featuring her.
In the first show, Soundarya introduced self by saying, “Hello everyone. AI is leaving its footprint in every industry, and it has entered the TV news industry as well. A few of me colleagues (AI news presenters) started presenting news in some of the channels in north India. I am Soundarya, south India’s first robotic anchor by Power TV.” The channel will also experiment with various news shows, featuring the new AI presenter, Soundarya.
A few other channels in the country too have come up with their own AI powered news presenters.
Recently, an Odia channel called OTV launched state’s first AI news presenter Lisa. Lisa took the internet by storm after the flawless news presentation in both English and Odia impressed many people.
In March, India Today group launched country’s first AI news presenter Sana for their Hindi channel Aaj Tak.
Though there is a long way to go for the seamless AI news presenters to take over the human news presenters, the AI enthusiasts are calling it an interesting development in Indian TV journalism.
source/content: hindustantimes.com (headlines edited)
INDIA & KARNATAKA: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY / RESEARCH: IISc. Scientists Develop Composite Semiconductor for Next-Gen Foldable Phones and Wearable Devices
Traditional semiconductor devices – such as transistors – are either made of amorphous silicon or amorphous oxides, both of which are not flexible and strain tolerant.
Scientists in the Department of Materials Engineering at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc.) have developed a super flexible, composite semiconductor material that can have possible applications in next-generation flexible or curved display and foldable phones, and in wearable electronics.
Traditional semiconductor devices – such as transistors, the building blocks of most electronic circuits – used in display units are either made of amorphous silicon or amorphous oxides, both of which are not flexible and strain tolerant.
According to IISc, adding polymers to the oxide semiconductors may increase their flexibility, but there is a limit to how much can be added without compromising the semiconductor’s performance.
In the current study, published in Advanced Materials Technologies, researchers have found a way to fabricate a composite containing a significant amount of polymer – up to 40% of the material weight – using a solution-process technique, specifically inkjet printing.
In contrast, previous studies have reported only up to 1-2% polymer addition. Interestingly, the approach enabled the semiconducting properties of the oxide semiconductor to remain unaltered with the polymer addition. The large quantity of polymer made the composite semiconductor highly flexible and foldable without deteriorating its performance.
The composite semiconductor is made up of two materials – a water-insoluble polymer, such as ethyl cellulose that provides flexibility, and indium oxide, a semiconductor which brings in excellent electronic transport properties.
How researchers came up with the new material
To design the material, researchers mixed the polymer with the oxide precursor in such a way that interconnected oxide nanoparticle channels are formed (around phase-separated polymer islands) through which electrons can move from one end of a transistor (source) to the other (drain), ensuring a steady flow of current. The key to form these connected pathways, the researchers found, was the choice of the right kind of water-insoluble polymer that does not mix with the oxide lattice when the oxide semiconductor is being fabricated.
“This phase separation and the formation of polymer-rich islands helps in crack arrest, making it super flexible,” said Subho Dasgupta, Associate Professor in the Department of Materials Engineering, and corresponding author of the study.
Semiconductor materials are usually fabricated using deposition techniques, such as sputtering. Instead, Prof. Dasgupta’s team uses inkjet printing to deposit their material onto various flexible substrates ranging from plastic to paper. In the present study, a polymer called Kapton was used.
Potential use scenarios
Prof. Dasgupta adds that, in the future, such printed semiconductors can be used to fabricate fully printed and flexible television screens, wearables, and large electronic billboards alongside printed organic light emitting diode (OLED) display front-ends. These printed semiconductors will be low cost and easy to manufacture, which could potentially revolutionise the display industry.
The team has obtained a patent for their material, and plans to test its shelf life and quality control from device to device before it can be scaled up for mass production.
source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)