Category: Science & Technology

KARNATAKA: SOUTH INDIA – ZONAL: BUSINESS & ECONOMY, CSR : Mangalore Refinery & Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL) Wins the PRCI Zonal Award for ‘Best PSU implementing CSR for Social Cause’

The Public Relations Council of India (PRCI), South Zone conferred the award for ‘Best PSU implementing CSR for Social Cause’ on MRPL on World PR Day organised by PRCI, South Zone at Hotel Ocean Pearl here on July 16.

Rudolph Noronha, GM-CC received the award on behalf of team MRPL from Dr M Vijaya Kumar, vice chancellor, Yenepoya University and M B Jayaram, chief mentor and chairman, Emeritus – PRCI in the presence of other dignitaries and eminent personalities in different fields. Jagadish Holla and Canute Pinto, office bearers of PRCI – Mangalore Chapter were present and coordinated the entire event.

Delegates from different parts of South India including corporates, PR heads, HR heads, journalists and students of reputed institutes were part of this enthralling programme.

source/content: daijiworld.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL : KARNATAKA: HEALTH & MEDICAL SCIENCES: New Book Released – The ‘Operative Manual of Neurosurgery’ Authored by Dr. Balaji Pai, HOD, Dept. of Neurosurgery, Bangalore Medical College & Research Institute (BMCRI)

The atlas of neurological procedures titled ‘Operative Manual of Neurosurgery’ is a technical guide for junior neurosurgeons and neurosurgical residents.

The atlas is a guide for junior neurosurgeons before they enter the operation theatre

Junior neurosurgeons and neurosurgical residents can now delve into the technical nuances of operative neurosurgery through a new atlas of neurological procedures performed in neuro departments across the country. 

The atlas – an illustrative operating manual of neurological procedures – has been brought out by Balaji Pai S., Head of the Department of Neurosurgery at the State-run Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute (BMCRI). The atlas is set to be released on Saturday.

Complimentary to teaching

Speaking to The Hindu on Friday, he said many neurosurgeons are not exposed to the wide variety of neurosurgical procedures and may not have performed these procedures individually or even observed them. “The atlas is a guide for the junior neurosurgeons before they enter the operation theatre. It cannot substitute hands-on training and knowledge gained by assisting seniors and operating under supervision. This atlas is a compliment to these teaching methods,” he said.

Aimed at assisting and educating neurosurgical residents and junior neurosurgeons, the atlas will help these surgeons and also boost their confidence, the doctor said.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: NATIONAL, AVIATION & AEROSPACE: Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Safran Helicopter Engines to Create JV to make Chopper Engines

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Safran Helicopter Engines have signed an agreement to create a new joint venture to develop helicopter engines. Through an MoU signed by R Madhavan, Chairman & Managing Director, HAL, and Franck Saudo, Chief Executive Officer, Safran Helicopter Engines, in presence of Olivier Andries, CEO, Safran.

Both the partners will extend their partnership by establishing a new aero-engine company in India. It will be dedicated to the development, production, sales and support of helicopter engines and one of its main objectives will be to meet the requirements of HAL and Ministry of Defence’s future heli­copters, including the 13-ton­ne Indian Multi-Role Helicopter.

Madhavan said: “We now look forward to utilize this opportunity to leverage HAL’s experience in manufacturing of more than 15 types of aircraft and helicopter engines to co-develop and manufacture engine with immediate focus on IMRH and its naval variant the Deck Based Multi Role Helicopter. This partnership will involve and utilize the Indian Defence manufacturing ecosystem within India”.

Saudo said the partnership with HAL recently illustrated the development and production of the Shakti engine, “and the inauguration of our joint venture Helicopter Engines MRO Pvt Limited (HE-MRO). With a fleet of over 1,000 engines, India’s Armed Forces are one of the largest operators of Safran-designed helicopter engines.”

HAL and Safran Helicopter Engines already have multiple partnerships, including the Shakti engine, which powers HAL-produced helicopters, including the Dhruv, Rudra and the Light Combat Helicopter. The Ardiden 1U variant also powers the new Light Utility Helicopter. Through HE-MRO joint venture in Goa, HAL and Safran Helicopter Engines will also provide Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul services for TM333 and Shakti engines in se­rvice with Armed Forces, and will be operational by 2023-

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL, IN INDIA: KARNATAKA: HEALTH & MEDICAL SERVICES / SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY: GE Healthcare launches its first ‘5G Innovation Lab’ in India and the First for GE across the Globe.

GE Healthcare on Thursday announced the launch of its 5G Innovation Lab in India, the first for the company across the globe.

With the advantage of massive bandwidth, high data speeds, low latency and highly reliable connectivity, 5G has the potential to disrupt the patient care continuum, transforming diagnosis, therapy, and prognosis, the company noted.

“The 5G Innovation Lab is designed to position GE Healthcare at the forefront of these groundbreaking advances in patient care, including potentially bringing cutting-edge technology to rural and suburban regions,” a company statement said.

Situated at the John F.Welch Technology Centre (JFWTC) Bengaluru, GE Healthcare’s largest R&D centre outside of the USA, the lab will serve as a testbed to develop future-ready products and solutions, turning a new corner in innovation, it said.

5G in Healthcare was valued at an estimated USD 215 million in 2021 and is projected to reach USD 3,667 million by 2026.

“India is an important market for us globally and it is indeed the right time to venture into 5G, which will open a realm of exciting opportunities, driving the next wave of growth in Healthcare,” said Jan Makela, President & CEO, Imaging at GE Healthcare.

The GE Healthcare 5G Innovation Lab will serve as a conduit for the interplay of exponential technologies like AI/ML, IoT, Big Data, Edge Computing and Cybersecurity, the statement added.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

INDIAN RECORDS: KARNATAKA: HEALTH & MEDICAL SCIENCES / SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY: Researchers at Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Develop Algorithm called (ReAl – LiFE) to Study Connectivity in Brain

Researchers at Indian Institute of Science (IISc.) have developed a new graphic processing unit (GPU) based machine learning algorithm called Regularised, Accelerated, Linear Fascicle Evaluation (ReAl – LiFE), which will help to obtain a better understanding and in the prediction of connectivity between different regions of human brain.

This algorithm can help analyse extensive data generated from diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging (dMRI) scans which helps scientists study the connectivity in the brain at a speed, which is 150 times higher than a regular desktop computer or existing state-of-the-art algorithms. The study has been published in the journal Nature Computational Science.

“Even though it is difficult to pinpoint the connectomes, we are trying to infer information highway network by looking at traffic flow patterns (if molecules are like cars). We look at the movement of water molecules in the brain and we try to infer where the wires are. The water molecules have to travel along the length of the cables (axons), which have connected various parts of the brain. By measuring these lengths of water molecules, we are able to infer which areas are connected,” explained Devarajan Sridharan, Associate Professor at the Centre for Neuroscience (CNS), IISc., and corresponding author of the study. 

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

INDIA RECORDS: KARNATAKA: PATENT – SCIENCE & BUILDING TECHNOLOGY: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY (NIT-K) Surathkal, Faculty Member T. Palaniswamy gets Patent for Producing Cement Mortar Brick having Self-Healing Property upon Cracking

A faculty member at the National Institute of Technology – Karnataka (NIT-K), Surathkal, has received an Indian patent for producing cement mortar brick with inclusion of bacteria in combination.

The brick thus made claims to be superior than the conventional ones in terms of strength and life of the structure and possess a self-healing property.

T. Palanisamy, an assistant professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at the institute, had applied for the patent in 2014 and it was granted in June 2022.

According to Mr. Palanisamy, microbialcreat composite is a new-age material with the property of self-healing upon cracking. This action is by the precipitation of lime (calcium carbonate) by the non-pathogenic bacteria used in the composite, upon coming into contact with air and water through the crack. The precipitated lime will cover the crack, thereby improving the stability of the surface.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

KARNATAKA RECORDS: HEALTH & MEDICAL SCIENCES: Free Life-Saving Heart Surgeries for 125 children with Heart Issues at Narayana Health City

In India, over 2.4 lakh children are born with a hole in the heart and Congenital Heart Disease is one of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality among children, said Devi Shetty.

Dr Devi Prasad Shetty, Founder and Chairman, Narayana Health City, said, “In India, over 2.4 lakh children are born with a hole in the heart and Congenital Heart Disease is one of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality among children. Though these ailments are treatable, 20% of the children die before celebrating their first birthday owing to economic constraints.”

He thanked Centum Electronic Limited whose donation of Rs 50 lakh made the surgeries possible. “We are confident initiatives like this will encourage greater participation and will help in addressing the situation better,” Dr Shetty said.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

WORLD RECORDS: INDIA – KARNATAKA RECORDS: Bengaluru Ranks 5th on the Global Stage for Tech Venture Capital Investment

Tech firms have attracted VC funds worth $7.5 billion in the first half of 2022.

Bengaluru has emerged as the top fifth city on the global stage for venture capital investment in tech startups in 2022, behind Bay Area (San Francisco), New York, London and Greater Boston, as per Global Startup Genome Report.

Tech firms in Bengaluru have attracted VC funds worth $7.5 billion in the first half of 2022, considerably higher than the previous record of$5.2 billion in the corresponding period last year, the report said.

C.N. Ashwath Narayan, Minister for IT/BT, told The Hindu that “Our city is a hub of the world’s top talent and our startups are very promising and growth-centric. This gives global investors confidence to invest in our companies in Bengaluru. Therefore VC and PE investment to city ventures are on the rise.’’

“Silicon Valley of India now attracts more investment than other global hubs like Singapore, Paris and Berlin and is trailing closer behind Greater Boston and New York,’‘ the report further said.

The Bay Area attracted $44.5 billion, New York $15.4 billion, London $ 11.3 billion and Greater Boston $8.9 billion.

The report highlighted Bengaluru’s formidable status with an ecosystem value of $105 billion, higher than Singapore ($89 billion) and Tokyo ($62 billion). Bengaluru’s massive growth in 2022 was largely attributed to greater access to funding with major funding rounds in 2022 forscale-up tech companies, including $55.7 million Series D for Ather Energy and Swiggy’s $700 million round in January.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

GLOBAL RECORDS: MEDICAL & HEALTH SCIENCES: Dr. Bopanna Ballachanda Becomes First Indian-American President-Elect to Head the USA’s American Academy Of Audiology (AAA)

Having studied at AIISH Mysuru, Dr. Bopanna Ballachanda becomes the first Indian-American to occupy the top post.

Dr. Bopanna Ballachanda is a Professor (Adjunct) at Texas Tech Health Sciences and Chief Audiology Officer at National Hearing and Balance centres in Albuquerque, New Mexico. With more than 30 years of experience, he is now the President-Elect of the American Academy of Audiology (AAA) and he will have a three-year term from October 1, 2022.

Hailing from Kodagu and coming from a humble background, he did his B.Sc. in Speech and Hearing from the All India Institute of Speech and Hearing (AIISH – 1970 batch), then under the University of Mysore. By becoming the first person of colour to head AAA, Dr. Bopanna has become a role model for many.

source/content: starofmysore.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL RECORD: KARNATAKA: Kasturba Hospital Blood Center of Kasturba Medical College Manipal Bags the Netherlands based ‘International Society of Blood Transfusion Award (ISBT) for Developing Country’

Kasturba Hospital Blood Center has been conferred with ISBT Award for Developing Country at the opening ceremony of the 37th International Congress of the International Society of Blood Transfusion.

This international award is another feather on the cap for our Institution stated Dr Sharath Kumar Rao, the Dean of Kasturba Medical College, Manipal.

Dr Avinash Shetty, the Medical Superintendent of Kasturba Hospital Manipal appreciated the team behind this and said that the award is given in recognition of the significant contribution of Kasturba Hospital Blood Center in strengthening the Blood Transfusion Practices within the Country.

Accepting the prestigious international award, Dr Shamee Shastry, director of the blood centre conveyed that the blood collection, processing, testing practices and the quality system of the centre were considered for assessment.

She added that the education, training activities, publications, presentations, regional and global collaborations and research activities of the department were also taken into account.

source/contents: daijiworld.com (headline edited)