Records, Karnataka – Page 24

KARNATAKA: INNOVATION – MEDICAL SERVICES / RESEARCH: Detect Diabetes with a Simple Antigen Test, says IISc study

Currently, researchers rely on Radioimmunoassay (RIA) to detect somatostatin levels which use radioactive materials and need to be carried out in labs only.

Detecting diabetes can become as simple as taking a rapid antigen test for Covid-19. Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have discovered that fluctuations in levels of other hormones such as somatostatin, secreted by the pancreas, can have a major impact on developing diabetes.

Scientists argue that usually one gets diagnosed with diabetes when they have high blood glucose levels either because their pancreas does not produce sufficient insulin, or their body cells do not respond to signals from insulin that tell them to use up glucose. This can be avoided by keeping levels of somatostatin in check and potentially detecting diabetes sooner. “Changes in somatostatin secretion can be one of the first signs of diabetes,” said Nikhil Gandasi, Assistant Professor, IISc.

Somatostatin is secreted by specific cells of the pancreas, called delta cells. “It regulates insulin and glucagon which is another hormone that works hand-in-hand with insulin to maintain blood sugar levels,” said the study.

Researchers found that when a person is diabetic, their body will secrete less delta cells which means less Somatostatin hormone. The experiment was conducted in pancreatic cells extracted from both mice and humans. The study was published in International Journal of Molecular Sciences called ‘Somatostatin Containing delta-Cell Number Is Reduced in Type-2 Diabetes.’

The team used artificially synthesised somatostatin to test its binding against several commercially available antibodies, in order to identify the one that bound to it most efficiently, which was used to develop the assay. Similar to the Covid-19 rapid antigen test, the kit works like the standard Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay that uses antibody-coated plates to identify the presence of antigens in a sample.

Currently, researchers rely on Radioimmunoassay (RIA) to detect somatostatin levels which use radioactive materials and need to be carried out in labs only. “The procedure also takes three days to complete,” said Caroline Miranda, another first author and post-doctoral fellow at the University of Gothenburg.” The new kit will use less blood plasma compared to the RIA method. Researchers are developing the kit into a simple hand-held device that can be mass-produced.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

KARNATAKA: AGRICULTURE: ‘Cotton Growers’ Convention’ at Agriculture College, Yadgir District

Channappa Anegundi, district president of Karnataka Pranta Raitha Sangha, has said that the cotton growers’ convention at Agriculture College in Bheemarayanagudi, Shahapur taluk of Yadgir district, will be held on Monday.

He was addressing a press conference in Yadgir on Saturday. He said that cotton growers are facing many difficulties majorly the menace of sub-standard sowing seeds. The Centre had failed to take action to prevent such illegal acts. Moreover, the cotton growers have been demand hike in support price. However, the government fixed ₹6,500 per quintal and as a result, many farmers had not sold cotton, waiting for a good price.

Mr. Anegundi said that at the convention, the farmers’ issues will be discussed and a resolution will be passed to take them to the government for immediate solution. Akhila Bharat Kisan Sabha leader Viju Krishnan will take part in the convention and interact with the participants. Around 500 farmers from Kalaburagi, Vijayapur, Raichur, and Yadgir districts are expected to participate.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

KARNATAKA: HEALTH SERVICES / CARDIOLOGY : Initiative offering ‘Cardiologists At Doorsteps’ of Patients launched in Dakshina Kannada

The Dakshina Kannada Zilla Pachayat, Health and Family Welfare Department, and Cardiology At Door Steps (CAD) Foundation jointly launched ‘Hrudaya Vaishalaya’, an initiative offering free consultation services of cardiologists at the doorsteps of people in the district.

As part of the initiative, cardiologists from the CAD Foundation will visit a primary health centre or a community health centre every Wednesday and conduct heart check-up of people from morning till noon. Apart from the check-up, people will be enlightened on lifestyle management.

District Health and Family Welfare officer M. Kishore Kumar said that ‘Hrudaya Vaishalya’ scheme is the extension of CAD Foundation’s initiative under which it has provided ECG machines and other ancillary machines to primary health centres for early diagnosis of cardiac problems. The latter was launched two years ago and CAD has so far provided ECG and other machines to 70% of 73 primary and community health centres in Dakshina Kannaada, Dr. Kumar said.

The first camp under the ‘Hrudaya Vaishalya’ scheme was held in the government health centre in Moodbidri on Wednesday. Inaugurating the camp, Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer Kumara said Dakshina Kannada is the first district in the State to launch this unique health service. The new programme is a part of the initiative of the government to take health services closer to people, he said.

Founder of the CAD Foundation and senior cardiologist M. Padmanabha Kamath said that he wants to spread ‘Hrudaya Vaishalya’ initiative across the State. Health officers and people should be actively involved to take this initiative to all needy persons.

The next ‘Hrudaya Vaishalya’ camp will be held in a primary health centre in Puttur taluk, Dr. Kishore Kumar said.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

KARNATAKA: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) : Bengaluru start-up EMBIBE launches AI-powered lab experiments app

The app offers an interactive platform where students can engage with a virtual science lab.

Bengaluru-based start-up EMBIBE, an AI-powered education platform, has launched an app that will help students do science experiments virtually. Called the ‘EMBIBE Lab experiments,’ the app offers an interactive platform where students can engage with a virtual science lab and conduct more than 350 experiments in Physics, Chemistry, and Biology.

The platform is NEP-aligned and the list of experiments includes all 243 prescribed by CBSE. The app is available free of charge to students across India.

“EMBIBE Lab Experiments has the potential to overcome all limitations of physical laboratories such as cost, accessibility, and availability of equipment,” said Aditi Avasthi, founder and CEO, EMBIBE. “It can truly democratise science education by reaching students across different regions and socio-economic backgrounds. By seamlessly integrating technology with education, we envision a future where students can explore and conduct virtual experiments from the comfort of their homes or classrooms,” she added.

According to a 2014 survey carried out under Unified District Information System on Education (UDISE), more than 75% of Indian schools lacked well-equipped science labs. The start-up believes its latest app would help bridge this gap.

Real-life scenario

EMBIBE Lab Experiments app links every experiment to real-life scenarios through 3D animated videos. The app also offers a DIY experiment feature which allows students to select materials and perform experiments in a 3D virtual lab and a gamified, data-generating laboratory simulation.

On top of it, the app claims to break down 113 complex experiments into two parts facilitating easier understanding. The platform is tailored to CBSE, NCERT, and State board curriculums. It has found takers among schools like Krishna Public School International (Atal Nagar-Nava Raipur), Holy Angel CBSE School (Rettenai, Tamil Nadu), and Solace International High School (Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir), among others.

In regional languages too

The app will also be made available in Hindi and 10 regional languages. It can be downloaded from Play Store and App Store. Founded in 2012, the ed-tech start-up EMBIBE is backed by Reliance Industries, which has invested ₹1,175 crore in it, so far.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: KARNATAKA: Nilam Kaushik, First Woman Strategy Professor of Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB) Named among ’40 Best under-40 MBA Professors Worldwide’

She is also the first woman strategy professor at IIMB.

Nilam Kaushik, a strategy professor at Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB), has become the first faculty member from an Indian business/management school to be named among this year’s ‘Poets and Quants Best 40 under 40 MBA Professors’ worldwide. She is also the first woman strategy professor at IIMB.

The award, which has been presented for 11 years now, aims to identify and highlight the achievements of the most promising young professors who teach MBA programmes worldwide. Faculty members from 36 different business schools were featured in this year’s list while 16 exceptional women faculty members were honoured.

“Altogether 1,500 nominations were received this year from students, colleagues, administrators, and faculty themselves. Teaching (both quality and quantity as well as teaching-related awards considered) was assigned a 70% weight and research (volume and impact of the faculty’s scholarly work taken into account, including citations and major media attention as well as research awards and grants) 30% weight,” said a press release from IIMB.

Sharing that it was an honour to get the recognition, Ms. Kaushik said: “It is a pleasure teaching in a business school where the best of students from across India gain admission through a very rigorous and competitive process.”

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

KARNATAKA: SPACE TECHNOLOGY: Government’s Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum (VTU) in Bengaluru Exhibits full-scale replica of Mars Rover Opportunity

The Mars Rover Opportunity model, which was kept as an exhibit at the Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum, was inaugurated on Thursday.

If you are curious to know how the Mars Rover Opportunity of US space agency NASA, which traversed through the barren land of the red planet and revealed many secrets about it, then head straight to the Space Technology gallery of the Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum (VITM) here.

The Mars Rover Opportunity model, which was built by the students of Cornell University and kept as exhibit at the VITM, was inaugurated by M Sankaran, Director, UR Rao Satellite Centre of Indian Space Research Organisation on Thursday.

The model was initially on display at the Smithsonian’s Air and Space Museum in Dulles, Virginia, in US, and later exhibited in the US Pavelion during the 2020 World Expo in Dubai.

The replica was then received by the American Centre in the US Consulate in Chennai where it was on display from November 2022 to March 2023 before landing at the VITM.

US Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Marisa Lago said, “As the United States and India forge even closer cooperation across critical sectors, space provides yet another example of our partnership, with today’s dedication ceremony serving as a symbol of our mutual commitment.”

US Consul General in Chennai Judith Ravin said the arrival of the full-scale replica of Mars Rover Opportunity in India symbolised the longstanding space technology cooperation between India and the United States.

India is an important partner to the United States in space exploration. Initiated in 2005, the United States and India Civil Space Joint Working Group is the venue for a productive exchange of views and discussion on new and expanded areas for civil space cooperation, she pointed out.

According to Ravin, the civil space dialogue between United States and India is framed around four working groups: Earth sciences, space science and exploration, heliophysics, and human space flight.

“The cooperation between our two countries shows that the technologies developed in support of space exploration have real-world applications that affect all of us, from advancements in telecommunications and satellite navigation to agricultural monitoring and weather forecasting,” she said.

The Mars Rover Opportunity was operated on the red planet from 2004 to 2018. It sent thousands of pictures to its control station.

source/content: hindustantimes.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: SPORTS / SURFING: ‘4th Indian Open of Surfing Championship’ begins at Sasihithlu Beach,Mangaluru

The 4th edition of the Indian Open of Surfing, the official national championship of the Surfing Federation of India, began at the Sasihithlu beach, off Mangaluru, on Thursday.

On the first day, Chennai’s Groms surfer Kishore Kumar scored 12.67, the highest points of the day with his stunning performance to enter the semi-finals. Other surfers who got high scores are Tayin Arun (10.83), Dinesh Selvamani (9.53), Sekar Pachai (9.0), Harish P. (8.63), and Selvam M. (8.53).

Winds and rain played spoilsport at the end with the judges calling it a day before the women’s open semi-finals could begin. It will be played on Friday.

The first day saw Karnataka and Tamil Nādu surfers dominating the proceedings in both Men’s open and Groms (U16) categories. Twenty-eight surfers, including 12 who qualified on Thursday and 16 who have already qualified on their last edition’s ranking, will compete in the semi-finals on Friday for entry into quarter-finals in men’s open category.

Dinesh Selvamani, who scored the highest 9.53 points on Thursday in the category, said: “The conditions and competitions were equally challenging. The field for tomorrow’s round is very strong and anyone can make way into the quarter-finals. I am looking forward to surf in my natural style and seal a quarter-final spot.”

The Groms (U16) category also saw a stiff competition from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka surfers with four each from the States qualified for semi-finals on Friday. Mr. Kishore Kumar said: “This wasn’t my best performance as the waves were different to what I am used to back in Chennai. The conditions were also challenging today. I hope the conditions will be favourable tomorrow.”

The official opening of the Indian Open of Surfing competition in the morning was attended among others by Surfing Swamy Foundation director Dhananjaya Shetty, Tourism Deputy Director Manikya and Federation Vice-President and Mantra Surf Club partner Ram Mohan Pranjape.

The Indian Open of Surfing, hosted by Mantra Surf Club, is supported by Karnataka Tourism for the fourth time. Cycle Pure Agarbathies and Jai Hind Group are the principal partners. Other corporate houses, Rohan Corporation, Jain Tubes, Northern Sky by Novigo Solutions, Code Craft, Semnox, and TT Group have extended their support.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL / KARNATAKA: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY: IISc Researchers Develop Novel Thermal Desalination System

These systems work by heating saltwater, then condensing the resulting vapour to obtain freshwater and can be a possible solution to increase the availability of clean, potable water.

As a possible solution to increase the availability of clean, potable water, Indian Institute of Science (IISc) researchers have developed a novel thermal desalination system which can work using solar energy.

The most common methods for desalination are membrane-based reverse osmosis and thermal desalination. However, both consume a lot of energy.

According to IISc, thermal desalination systems work by heating saltwater and then condensing the resulting vapour to obtain freshwater.

Environment-friendly

“But the energy required for evaporation is usually obtained from either electricity or combustion of fossil fuels. An environmental-friendly alternative is using solar stills in which solar energy is employed to evaporate saltwater in large reservoirs and the vapour that condenses on a transparent roof is collected. However, during condensation, a thin layer of water forms on the roof, reducing the amount of solar energy that can penetrate the reservoir and therefore, the system’s efficiency,” said IISc.

“As an alternative to such solar stills, the IISc team has developed a novel design for a solar-powered desalination unit that is more energy-efficient, cost-effective and portable, making it convenient to set up in areas with limited access to continuous electricity,” said Susmita Dash, Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and corresponding author of the study which has been published in Desalination.

The setup, designed by Dash and her PhD student Nabajit Deka, comprises a reservoir of saline water, an evaporator, and a condenser enclosed within an insulating chamber to avoid heat losses to the ambient air. Their system works by using solar thermal energy to evaporate a small volume of water imbibed or “wicked” into the evaporator, which has a textured surface. The wicking of liquid into the evaporator takes advantage of the capillary effect of microscale textures.

“This effect allows liquids to be drawn into narrow spaces of a porous material, much like water being absorbed by a sponge. Utilising this approach, instead of heating the entire liquid volume in the reservoir, results in a significant improvement in the system’s energy efficiency,” says Dash.

Works for groundwater too

Apart from seawater, the system can also work with groundwater containing dissolved salts as well as brackish water. It can be adjusted to align with the shifting positions of the sun during the day.

IISc said that the researchers are currently working on scaling up the system and improving its durability, and increasing the volume of drinking water produced, so that it can be deployed for domestic and commercial use.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

KARNATAKA: COMMUNITY SERVICE & SOCIAL WORK: Social Work Achiever Ganesh Kulal Conferred with International Aryabhata award

Ganesh Manila, who did yeoman service in social work was conferred with Aryabhata award at Ravindra Kalakshetra of the city in the presence of Justice P S Dinesh Kumar of high court, Nadoja Dr Mahesh Joshi, president of Kannada Sahitya Parishad and renowned film director T S Nagabharana and other eminent personalities.

Ganesh Kulal Manila has provided employment to many youth who came in search of employment to Bahrain and other gulf countries. In addition, he has lend helping hand to many Indians who were in trouble in gulf nations. He has created awareness among public during corona pandemic by holding programmes like Corona Gellona. He has coordinated many Kannada and Tulu programmes in gulf nations.

As president of Kulala Sangha of Bahrain, Ganesh has served the society. He is the international editor of Tulunadu newspaper.

Recognizing the contribution of Ganesh Kulal Manila, the International Arya Bhat organizations conferred Aryabhata award of 2023 on him. This is the prestigious award of Karnataka. The organizations has conferred this award from the past 48 years on various achievers.

source/content: daijiworld.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: KARNATAKA: PERSONALITIES / LEADERS: Indian Origin Dr Austin Prabhu in race for Lions International Director

Lion Dr Ausltin Prabhu from Illinois, Chicagoland, won the candidacy being endorsed during the Lions of Illinois, Multiple District 1 State Convention which was held at the Abraham Lincoln Double Tree Hotel Hilton in Springfield on Sunday May 21. Festivities were started on May 18, with the international guest for the weekend, the past international president of Lions International, from Calgary, Canada.

There were Lions and guests from the 10 districts of Multiple District 1. (Mother District of Lionism). A total of 189 delegates from 10 districts of MD1 took part in the election. Dr Austin from District 1A received 109 votes and his opponent Darren Vanduyn from District 1D received 72 votes. Eight votes were destroyed.

The next step will be an endorsement from Lions International at the International Convention in Melbourne, Australia in July 2024.

In his acceptance speech, Lion Dr Austin Prabhu thanked all the delegates and also his club The Forest Kala Sampath Lions Club members for their unconditional support in preparing his hospitality room and arranging food and beverages. If elected, Dr Austin will be the first India-born International Director from the State of Illinois and from the Mother District of Lionism.

source/content: daijiworld.com (headline edited)