Category: Amazing Feats

NATIONAL: HEALTH & MEDICAL SCIENCES: NIMHANS signs MoU with Mpower for implementation of Tele-MANAS across India

Tele-MANAS is a 24/7 mental healthcare facility which was launched under National Mental Health Programme (NMHP).

Taking a step forward towards the implementation of Tele Mental Health Assistance and Networking Across States (Tele-MANAS) services on the ground level across the country, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) on Friday, February 24, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Mpower, a mental health initiative of the Aditya Birla Education Trust.

Tele-MANAS is a 24/7 mental healthcare facility (14416) which was launched under National Mental Health Programme (NMHP). 

To support the implementation of the programme, Mpower has taken up the responsibility of setting up, operating and managing all day-to-day affairs at the Tele-MANAS centres. Mpower will be provided with the necessary access to the platform, operating guidelines, training and mentoring, monitoring and framework needed to operate the centres. 

The collaboration is expected to integrate Tele-MANAS services locally and make qualified professionals and expert mental health counselling services available to individuals who need them.  

“There is no health without mental health and the pandemic has exacerbated mental health issues among people of all ages. Now, we are looking forward to see how we can expand Tele-MANAS to the length and breadth of India,” said Pratima Murthy, Director and Senior Professor of Psychiatry at NIMHANS.  

She added, “Our goal is to make sure that the Tele-MANAS services are accessible to all and in this journey, we are happy to look at Public Private Partnerships with strong knowledge of the space. At Tele-MANAS, we offer counselling services in 20 regional languages. We have a framework and we look forward to Mpower expanding this programme in various States.” 

The two-tiered structure of Tele-MANAS includes State Tele-MANAS cells (Tier 1), which are staffed with qualified counsellors and mental health professionals. Specialists in Tier 2 are accessible at District Mental Health Programme (DMHP)/Medical College resources for in-person consultations and through e-Sanjeevani for audio-visual consultation. 

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: SPORTS / BOATING: ’11th National Dragon Boat Championship’ begins in Swarna River, Heroor,Udupi, February 23 to 26th

700 participants from 15 States are likely to participate in the races till February 26. The event will be held at Swarna river in Heroor.

The 11th national dragon boat championship will begin in Udupi for four days from Thursday, with about 700 participants from 15 States expected to participate.

Organised by the Udupi district administration, in association with the Indian Kayaking and Canoeing Association, the competitions will be held on the Swarna near Heroor in Udupi.

Those selected in this championship will be eligible to participate in Asian Games to be held in September/October, 2023.

Arrangements like two access roads, space for viewers have been organised in Heroor.

According to Udupi MLA K. Raghupathi Bhat, dragon boat race has evolved into a competitive global sport.

‘‘Udupi got an opportunity to host this championship. The prospects of Udupi in organising water sports championships can be explored further. The championship will have 200 metres, 500 metres, and 2 km race,” he told presspersons.

In each category, 25 participants will get selected to participate in the Asian Games, Mr. Bhat said, adding that the dragon boats have already arrived at the venue.

The boats have been designed to look like a dragon’s head, while the rear is carved to look like a tail.

In this event, 22 persons sit on the narrow boat, while the rest of the team works the oars and one person sitting in the front will beat a drum to egg them on and a coxswain steers the boat. There will be three more persons on reserve.

The 10th national dragon boat championship was held in Bhopal last year.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

KARNATAKA: HEALTHCARE / NEUROSCIENCE RESEARCH: Pratiksha Trust signs MoU with Indian Institute of Science (IISc) & Centre for Brain Research (CBR)

CBR is uniquely positioned to take on the challenge of tackling this impending healthcare and socioeconomic crisis.”

The Pratiksha Trust signed an MoU with the Indian Institute of Science (IISC) and Centre for Brain Research (CBR), an autonomous centre of IISC, to accelerate breakthrough discoveries and translational research on neurodegenerative diseases.

Under this MoU, the charitable trust, founded by Infosys co-founder Kris Gopalkrishnan, has agreed to provide support to CBR in perpetuity with an initial outlay to the tune of Rs 450.27 crore over the next 10 years, for research, innovation and translation.

IISC Director Prof G Rangarajan said, “India’s elderly population is expected to grow rapidly to a staggering 32 crore by 2050, leading to a corresponding increase in the burden of dementia and other age-related neurodegenerative diseases. CBR is uniquely positioned to take on the challenge of tackling this impending healthcare and socioeconomic crisis.”

Gopalakrishnan said, “The human brain is one of the world’s biggest mysteries, which is yet to be fully understood. By funding this centre, we are working towards creating and sustaining a globally recognised, state-of-the-art research and innovation hub that will be at the cutting edge of research on the human brain.”

CBR has already been pursuing research in this area and this MoU will help scale up the research and activities at the centre.

It is also a part of nation-wide initiative involving 20 institutions called “Genome-India” (supported by the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India), which aims to discover India-specific genetic basis for diseases through whole genome sequencing of 10,000 samples collected from across the country.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

KARNATAKA: ARTS & CULTURE / MUSEUM: Museum of Art and Photography (MAP) Opens Physical Museum in Bengaluru

The museum includes virtual exhibits, artists lectures, virtual reality encounters and a number of keynote discussions that foucs on the collections.

The Museum of Art and Photography (MAP), the first major private museum in Bengaluru, opened its doors at Kasturba Road with the inaugural series, ‘Art is Life: New Beginnings’. In view of the launch, the museum is holding week-long events from February 18-24.

Supported by cutting-edge technology, the museum has been constructed on the pillars of an innovative digital format that was introduced in 2020. This entails virtual exhibits, artist lectures, virtual reality encounters and a number of keynote discussions with leading museum directors from across the world that focus on the collections.

igital interventions, such as the Sasken Multimedia Gallery, enhance the museum experience for MAP’s visitors and make the whole collection accessible even when individual pieces aren’t on show.

Four exhibitions

The brand-new series feature four exhibitions and a series of new commissions. Curated by the director of MAP, Kamini Sawhney, ‘Visible/Invisible’ includes works by leading Indian artists such as Jamini Roy, Bhupen Khakhar, Mrinalini Mukherjee, Ravinder Reddy, Arpita Singh, M.F. Hussain and examines the role of women in art.

With more than 160 images, renowned Indian artist Jyoti Bhatt’s collection “Time and Time Again” traces his path as a photographer in the second half of the 20th century. The installation highlights his experimentation with multiple exposures and fragmented mirror imagery, as well as his depiction of rural villages, portraits of other artists, and self-portraits.

The MAP also feature LN Tallur’s series of sculptures and movies called “Chirag-e-Al,” which explore the link between artificial intelligence and ritualistic belief systems while forcing viewers to consider humanity’s increasing reliance on technology. The themes of darkness, conversations between celestial entities, and white spaces are established via the use of imagined chatbots, neural networks, composite figures, and white spaces.

Three years of research-backed work

Speaking about what makes MAP so distinct, Ms. Sawhney said, “MAPs collections are spread over six categories — premodern, modern and contemporary, textiles, photography, indigenous art, and popular culture such as Bollywood posters and film scripts. It tells the stories of all communities that make up India. We tell much wider stories as compared to other museums. Visible/Invisible showcases the permanent collection of MAP but we also commissioned various artists to create work which became part of the works. We worked for three years on this exhibition and it is accompanied by a catalogue.”

MAPs collections are spread over six categories — premodern, modern and contemporary, textiles, photography, indigenous art, and popular culture such as Bollywood posters and film scripts. 

The MAP started first as a digital museum. “We developed the concept of MAP Labs which looks at the intersection of the science and the arts and how we can use technology to find art solutions. In our first collaboration with Accenture, we came up with the idea of creating a 3D persona or a hologram of M.F. Hussain, an iconic artist with whom a lot of young people have not interacted. It enabled them to have a chat with M.F. Hussain and understand his work,” Ms. Sawhney said.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

KARNATAKA: ROBOTICS – PETROLEUM INDUSTRY/ TECHNOLOGY: Start-up ‘Beta Tank Robotics’ Specialised in Hydraulic Robots for the Petroleum Industry Wins the ‘Best Startup Award’ at India Energy Week 2023

The start-up is developing specialised hydraulic robots for the petroleum industry.

City-based start-up Beta Tank Robotics Pvt. Ltd., which is developing specialised hydraulic robots for the petroleum industry, has won the best start-up award at the India Energy Week 2023, which was held in Bengaluru last week.

The robot can operate in oil tanks in petroleum refineries, and thereby eliminate risks to human beings.

It was incubated at IIT Guwahati, and the project was funded by State-owned Oil India Ltd.

The specialised robot can go from one taker to another, and it does the job similar to a vacuum cleaner. The robot at present is undergoing safety assessment as there are very stringent standards set by the oil industry.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL : NATIONAL: KARNATAKA Showcases Ecotourism Hotspots to G20 summit Delegates from 30 countries

G20 summit delegates from 30 countries visited the Bannerghatta Biological Park, Kalkere Arboretum, and the Jungle Lodges and Resorts as part of the series of events organised by the Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group (ECSWG).

During this excursion, curated by the Department of Tourism, Government of Karnataka, the state showcased its models for the restoration of forest ecosystems and the different types of forests curated at the arboretum, stated in its official release.

At Bannerghatta, the delegates visited the famous butterfly park and a short animal safari curated for them, where they were able to learn about the state’s sustainable ecotourism model. The Globally acclaimed “Wild Karnataka” movie was screened for the delegates at Jungle Lodges and Resorts.

The visit is part of India’s efforts to shift focus to the climate-change challenges and towards sustainable models of development such as eco-tourism, which can play a vital role, and will balance the needs of the growing economy with necessary measures for protecting the environment.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. V. Ram Prasath Manohar, IAS, Director, Karnataka Tourism said, “Karnataka has an abundance of natural beauty, including the Western Ghats, a site listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

This mountain range is renowned for its great diversity of flora and fauna. The state has 35 wildlife sanctuaries and five national parks. It is also home to over 100 species of animals, and 600 species of birds, including 524 tigers and over 6000 elephants, making Karnataka, truly India’s wildlife capital.

On Thursday, the G20 delegates were given a short insight into the state’s rich biodiversity and stunning wildlife during the excursion”.

source/content: daijiworld.com (headline edited)

KARNATAKA: ARTS & CULTURE: Writer Irene Pinto Awarded the ‘Konkani Lekhak Sangh Annual Award 2023’

Irene Pinto has authored several Konkani books, published over 25 short stories, and broadcast several stories over All India Radio, Mangaluru.

Eminent Konkani writer Irene Pinto has been chosen for the Konkani Lekhak Sangh annual award 2023 in recognition of her immense contribution to the language and literature.

The award, carrying a purse of ₹25,000, would be presented to Ms. Pinto on February 25 at 6.30 p.m. at Sandesha Foundation, Bajjodi, said Sangh convener Richard Moras. Former editor of ‘Raknno’ weekly Rev. Fr. Francis Rodrigues and Radhakrishna Bellur, Kannada professor with Government College, Kasargod, would attend the programme.

Established in 2018 to promote Konkani language and literature, the Sangh decided to honour a Konkani writer for her/his contribution to the language and literature from 2022, Mr. Moras told reporters in Mangaluru on February 7 in the presence of Sangh members Dolphy F. Lobo, J.F. D’Souza, Gerald Pinto and Titus Noronha.

Born on November 11, 1945 to Francis Pinto and Piad Mary Pinto in Bejai, Mangaluru, Ms. Pinto is married to Vincent Castelino and has three children. She did her BA at St. Agnes College and B.Ed at St. Ann’s College of Education, both in Mangaluru. She has authored several Konkani books, published over 25 short stories, and broadcast several stories over All India Radio, Mangaluru.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

KARNATAKA: ACHIEVERS: 9 Personalities Presented State-level ‘Sandesha Awards 2023’

Nine achievers, including an institution, were presented with the State-level ‘Sandesha Awards 2023’, in recognition of their achievements in different fields here on Tuesday.

The awards were presented in a programme attended by, among others, Sandesha Institute chairman and Ballari Bishop Henry D’Souza, Alva’s Education Foundation Chairman M. Mohan Alva, Bishops of Mangaluru and Udupi Diocese Peter Paul Saldanha and Gerald Isaac Lobo respectively, Sandesha Director Sudeep Paul, and others.

The literature awards, Kannada, Konkani and Tulu were presented to Raghavendra Patil, Andrew L. D’Cunha, and Chinnappa Gowda respectively; the media award to Shivaji Ganeshan, the Konkani music award to Joyce Ozario; the art award to M.S. Murthy; the education award to Kotiganahalli Ramaiah; the special award to Prerana Resource Centre, and the best teacher award was presented to Sabiha Bhoomigowda.

Mr. Alva in his address said: “Our cultural, religious and social life and values are compromised amid the growing worldly life and technological advancement. It is unfortunate that we miss many of those persons who nurture the socio-cultural values through their life. The real joy of living a virtuous life is when we work tirelessly and selflessly for society.”

“Human being is a spirit in the world who constantly strives to explore and grow the inner spiritual powers for the betterment of the society. Sandesha awards has displayed and honoured those who have selflessly contributed their resources and inner powers,” said Bishop Rev. Saldanha.

Bishop D’Souza said: “Today we are living in a world where environment, harmony, health, unity, sensitivity, relationship and cooperation are great matters of concern. Let us aspire to build a society without hatred, division and violence.”

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY: 4 IISc Researchers get INSA Young Scientist Awards

The award by INSA is given every three years to scientists for the best research paper published in a reputed journal.

Four faculty members of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have been selected for the Indian National Science Academy (INSA) Medal for Young Scientists. Dr Srimonta Gayen, Dr Subhojoy Gupta, Dr Mohit Kumar Jolly and Dr Venkatesh Rajendran are among the 42 scientists selected from across India for the medal. The INSA Medal for Young Scientists is awarded annually by INSA to scientists under the age of 40 for their contributions towards Science and Technology. Dr Gayen is an assistant professor at the Molecular Reproduction, Development and Genetics (MRDG) Department.

INSA stated that his work could help in enhancing the success rates of in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) as well as provide a clinical strategy to help prevent the prevalence of gender bias against IVF-born babies. Dr Gupta, an assistant professor at the Department of Mathematics, was awarded for his work on Riemann surfaces.

Dr Jolly, assistant professor at the Centre for BioSystems Science and Engineering (BSSE), is working on minimising cancer metastasis and preventing drug and therapy resistance on cancer cells. Dr Rajendran of the Department of Mathematics specialises in Kac-Moody algebras and their representations. Meanwhile, IISc also announced that Dr Karthik Sunagar, assistant professor at the Centre for Ecological Sciences (CES), was one of two recipients of the Professor Har Swarup Memorial Award.

The award by INSA is given every three years to scientists for the best research paper published in a reputed journal. Dr Sunagar published a paper on the geographical variations of venom in snakes that could render antivenom ineffective depending on the location. The paper, titled ‘Biogeographical venom variation in the Indian spectacled cobra (Naja naja) underscores the pressing need for pan-India efficacious snakebite therapy’ was published in the PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases scientific journal.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY: JNCASR Scientists Develop Brain-like Computing with Industry Compatible Nitride Semiconductors

They used scandium nitride (ScN) to develop a device mimicking a synapse that controls the signal transmission as well as remembers the signal.

A team of scientists from the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) have used scandium nitride (ScN) and Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS) compatibility to develop brain-like computing.

This invention can provide a new material for stable, CMOS-compatible optoelectronic synaptic functionalities at a relatively lower energy cost and also potential to be translated into an industrial product.

According to the Department of Science and Technology, the JNCASR team led by Dheemahi Rao who were working on nitride-based materials used their background for developing hardware for neuromorphic computing. They used ScN to develop a device mimicking a synapse that controls the signal transmission as well as remembers the signal.

“The JNCASR team demonstrates an artificial optoelectronic synapse with ScN thin films that can mimic synaptic functionalities like short-term memory, long-term memory, the transition from short-term to long-term memory, learning–forgetting, frequency selective optical filtering, frequency-dependent potentiation and depression, Hebbian learning, and logic-gate operations,” states the department.

Compared to the existing materials used to demonstrate optoelectronic synapse, ScN is more stable, CMOS compatible, and can be seamlessly integrated with existing Si technology. It can act as a platform for both excitatory and inhibitory functions. The industrial processing techniques of ScN are similar to the existing semiconductor fabrication infrastructure. Response to the optical stimuli also has the advantage of possible integration with photonic circuits known for higher speed and broader bandwidth than electronic circuits.

“Our work enables neuromorphic computing research with a stable, scalable, and CMOS-compatible III-nitride semiconductor that exhibits both excitatory and inhibitory synaptic functionalities. Unlike the previous works on all-electronic synapse, our work shows an optoelectronic synapse with a large bandwidth, reduced RC delays, and low power consumption,”said Dr. Bivas Saha, Assistant Professor, JNCASR.

Apart from JNCASR, researchers from the University of Sydney (Dr. Magnus Garbrecht and Dr. Asha I. K. Pillai) also participated in this study published recently in the scientific journal Advanced Electronic Materials.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)