Science & Technology – Page 4

Comprehensive Urban Primary Health Centre established in Bengaluru, opening to coincide with PM Narendra Modi’s birthday

Karnataka Government says that the comprehensive Urban Primary Health Centre (CUPHC) is the first of its kind in India, and is located at Palace Guttahalli, near Malleswaram

A comprehensive Urban Primary Health Centre (CUPHC), which the government says is the first of its kind in India, located at Palace Guttahalli near Malleswaram, will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on September 17.

Along with services like testing, diagnosis and treatment, medicines will also be provided at CUPHC at either zero cost or an affordable price. The CUPHC has been set up by Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) in collaboration with Manipal Health Enterprises and with philanthropic contributions by several citizens.

C.N. Ashwath Narayan, Minister and MLA of Malleswaram, said that the hospital will be dedicated to the public on the occasion of the 72nd birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 17. “This healthcare centre is the very first completely digitalised healthcare centre to be established in India. Our solemn aim is to provide quality healthcare services, without turning down anyone, at affordable price.”

”The PHC is established with a two-bed facility, emergency medical equipment like ECG, nebuliser, defibrillator, oxygen facility and high-end monitors for monitoring patients. There will also be services like eye-testing, dental testing, ICU, physiotherapy and Prime Minister’s Jan Aushadhi Kendra. The centre has an in-patient department and EMR system. There will also be a command centre to provide appropriate consultation and assistance for treatment for ailments like heart disease,” he said.

The Minister informed that similar CUPHCs are being set up at Nagappa Block, Gandhi Grama, Yeshwantpur and Mathikere in his Assembly constituency, and that they will be operational within a month.

Shell enters EV charging business, starting with Bengaluru

The energy company has plans to install over 10,000 charging points across India by 2030

Shell, an integrated energy firm, has chosen Bengaluru to set up its first sets of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations for four-wheeler and two-wheeler segments in India.

To start with, the company on Thursday opened five Shell recharge stations at Yeshwanthpur, Marathahalli, Old Madras Road, Brookefield, and on Kanakpura Road.

Shell will provide customised charging solutions at on-the-go locations such as Shell fuel stations, standalone EV hubs, home charging, and destination locations.

For on-the-go and standalone EV hubs, the company will deploy 100 kilowatts (KW) and above direct-current (DC) fast chargers to enable fast charging and the lowest possible dwell time, as per company officials.

The company has plans to expand its EV charging infrastructure beyond its existing retail markets of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Telangana, Assam, and Andhra Pradesh.

Shell Energy said it has plans to set up over 10,000 such stations across the country by 2030. Shell recharge chargers would be 100% powered by green energy, it said.

Customers will be able to operate these chargers through the ‘Shell Recharge India app’, available on both Android and iOS operating systems.

Why home delivery partners prefer electric bikes

Mangaluru: 25th annual national homoeopathic conference ‘Impetus’ inaugurated at FMHMC

The inaugural programme of the 25th Annual national homoeopathic conference ‘IMPETUS 2022 – Kindle The Process To Success’ of Father Muller Homoeopathic Medical College (FMHMC) was held on September 16 at the Father Muller Auditorium, Deralakatte.

The chief guest of the programme was Prof Dr Satheesh Kumar Bhandary, MS (ENT), FRCS (England), vice chancellor NITTE (Deemed to be University) and the president of the function was Fr Richard Aloysius Coelho, the director of Father Muller Charitable Institutions.

The chief guest of the programme, Prof Dr Satheesh Kumar Bhandary gave his inaugural address in which he highlighted the immense contribution of Father Muller Institution to the field of health and Education. He expressed his wishes and hopes in forming collaborative joint ventures in the field of Scientific Research and Education in the form of Memorandum of Understanding. The chief guest, then proceeded with the release of the souvenir and was accompanied by the other dignitaries on the stage. Dr Raisa Cherian the Chairperson of the Souvenir Committee joined the release of the Souvenir Magazine.

Father Muller Homoeopathic Pharmaceutical division is famous all over the world for its quality products and medicines and is always in the process of modernizing, renovating and creating better products. Fr Roshan Crasta, administrator, FMHMC&H and FMHPD, launched a series of new products, along with the director Fr Richard A Coelho. In his message on the occasion, the administrator explained about the new products and also conveyed his wishes for the day.

Research and innovations are the life blood of any educational institution and the research unit of FMHMC have brought out a research bulletin, aggregating and spotlighting the achievements of the staff and students in this arena. The first introductory volume of the research bulletin was released by the director, Fr Richard A Coelho. The Research and Scientific Committee coordinator Dr Kurian P J also joined the dignitaries for the release.

Krishi Mela in Dharwad from Saturday

University of Agricultural Sciences will host the four-day event

University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS) Dharwad will host a four-day Krishi Mela to showcase various developments in the farm sector and farm technologies in Dharwad from Saturday.

Acting Vice-Chancellor of UAS Dharwad R. Basavarajappa told presspersons in Dharwad on Wednesday that the Krishi Mela being organised with the theme, Agriculture Technologies for Doubling Farmers Income, will be formally inaugurated by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Sunday, at 11.30 a.m.

The Krishi Mela is being held after a gap of two years because of COVID-19 and related restrictions. Exhibition of agricultural inputs, farm machinery, organic farming, hi-tech horticulture, integrated farming system, Home Science, cottage industries, bakery products, medicinal and aromatic plants and animal husbandry will be organised, apart from consultation to farmers by farm scientists.

Prof. Basavarajappa said that to educate farmers on value-addition to crops for better returns, the university has invited resource persons from across the country. This apart, food processing units too have been invited to participate in the farm fair and the effort is to create a link between them and farmers, he said.

The Krishi Mela attracts lakhs of people from across North Karnataka and neighbouring States. This time, it will have 184 hi-tech stalls, 364 general stalls, 21 machinery stalls, 27 food stalls, 54 livestock display stalls and nine field stalls.

The Krishi Mela will have sessions and stalls on nutri cereals – production, value addition and marketing, bio-fertilizers and bio-pesticides, integrated crop, nutrient, pest and disease management, rabi crop technologies, rainwater harvesting and groundwater recharge, hi-tech horticulture, fruits and flowers show, nutri-garden, terrace garden and vertical garden, improved water management practice for higher yield and water conservation, conservation of resources through integrated watershed development, soil fertility and conservation of soil health, use of improved farm equipment and drone in agriculture, farmers innovations, dialogue with progressive farmers and farm women, farm advisory services by experts, animal husbandry, exhibition of breeds and fodder crops technologies, community science technologies for empowerment of women.

Prof. Basavarajappa said that seven progressive farmers and farm women each chosen from seven districts under the jurisdiction of UAS Dharwad will be honoured with the Shreshta Krishika and the Shreshta Krishika Mahile awards during the event.

This apart, the university has instituted an award in the name of poet Channaveera Kanavi and it will be conferred on those who have penned poems on farming, he said.

Director of Extension P.S. Hugar, Director of Research P.L. Patil and others were present.

IISc scientists develop gold-coated vesicles to fight tuberculosis

The spherical vesicles, which can be delivered to immune cells, are expected to potentially trigger an immune response

To combat tuberculosis, researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have designed a new method under which a vaccine candidate for the disease can be delivered by making use of Outer Membrane Vesicles (OMVs). These spherical vesicles, which can be delivered to immune cells, are secreted by bacteria coated on gold nanoparticles. The deliverance is expected to potentially trigger an immune response to offer protection against TB.

Across the world, TB, which is caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis, claims the lives of over a million people every year. Currently, BCG is the only effective vaccine against TB. It contains a weakened form of the disease-causing bacterium, which when injected into the bloodstream, produces antibodies which can help fight the disease.

However, the scientists have said that the BCG vaccine does not protect adolescents and adults as effectively as it does children. Prompted by this, Rachit Agarwal, Assistant Professor at the Centre for BioSystems Science and Engineering (BSSE), IISc, and his group worked on developing a potential subunit vaccine candidate that contains only parts of the infectious bacterium to stimulate an immune response.

Although other scientists had developed subunit vaccines based on a handful of proteins from the disease-causing bacteria earlier, they had not been effective in the treatment. Agarwal’s group decided to take a slightly varied approach and made use of OMVs — which are spherical membrane-bound particles released by some bacteria, and contain an assortment of proteins and lipids which could induce an immune response against the pathogen.

“They’re safer compared to a live bacterium, and since they are membrane-derived, they contain all kinds of antigens,” explained Agarwal, the senior author of the paper published in Biomaterials Advances. The researchers further explained that while subunit vaccines typically only contain a limited number of antigens — bacterial proteins that can elicit an immune response in the host, the OMVs contain a variety of antigens, which can induce a better immune response.

“Mycobacterium-derived OMVs are usually unstable and come in different sizes, making them unsuitable for vaccine applications. But the OMVs coated on gold nanoparticles (OMV-AuNPs) by the IISc team were found to be uniform in size and stable. The researchers also found that human immune cells showed a higher uptake of OMV-AuNPs (gold nanoparticles) than of OMVs or gold nanoparticles alone”, said an IISc press release.

According to Avijit Goswami, a former postdoctoral fellow at BSSE and one of the first authors of the study, the most challenging part was the production and scaling up of OMVs as it was a complex process. “To synthesise OMV-AuNPs, the OMVs and the gold nanoparticles are forced together through a 100 nm filter. The OMVs break up in the process and encapsulate the gold nanoparticles,” explained Edna George, a former postdoctoral fellow at BSSE, and co-first author of the study.

During this study, the immune cells, which were cultured in the lab, were treated with OMVs derived from a related bacterial species which does not cause disease in humans, called as Mycobacterium smegmatis. Furthering their research, the team plans to develop gold-coated OMVs derived directly from Mycobacterium tuberculosis. They will then test the same on animal models and carry the results forward for clinical applications.

“Such efforts could open up new avenues for the development of vaccines for other bacterial diseases as well”, the release said.

CSIR-CFTRI reaches out to micro entrepreneurs, start-ups

Plans skill initiatives on spice processing and post-harvest technologies for horticultural crops this month under CSIR Integrated Skill program

CSIR-Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) is organising two Skill Development initiatives in Spice Processing on September 20 and Post-Harvest Technologies for Horticultural Crops on September 30 under CSIR Integrated Skill Initiative for the benefit of the budding entrepreneurs, micro-entrepreneurs, startups, SHGs and entrepreneurial aspirants. The registration fee for the programs is nominal, it said.

Founded in 1950, CSIR-CFTRI, Mysuru, a constituent laboratory of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) under the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, is a well-regarded research and development institution in the field of food science and technology which is actively engaged in the creation of novel and sustainable solutions for national development. The institute has expert faculties who have considerable years of experience in the area of food science and technology, a release said.

India is the world’s largest producer, consumer and exporter of spices — the country produces about 75 of the 109 varieties listed by the International Organisation for Standardization (ISO) and accounts for half of the global trading in spices. Indian spices are the most sought-after globally, given their exquisite aroma, texture, taste and medicinal value. India has the largest domestic market for spices in the world.

According to the CFTRI, the workshop on Spice Processing will be conducted in a hybrid mode — both offline and online mode. As many as 30 participants can visit the Institute for offline participation on a first-come-first-serve basis. The workshop will cover in detail about the current status and opportunities in spice processing, spice nutraceuticals and trends towards their value addition, analytical methods in spice processing, encapsulation of flavours and colorants, fumigation and infestation control for safe storage of spices, food safety standards and regulation in spice processing etc., the release said.

According to APEDA records, India is the world’s top producer of vegetables like ginger, okra and the leading producer of fruits including bananas, papayas, and mangoes. Utilising India’s capacity for processing fruits and vegetables into frozen (IQF), canned, pulp, puree, paste, sauces, dressings, flakes, dices, dehydration, pickles, juices, slices, chips, jams, and jellies etc. presents a significant opportunity.

The key topics in the one-day workshop on “Post-Harvest Technologies for Horticultural Crops” covers role of pack house in post-harvest handling of horticultural products, technologies for estimation of shelf life and pack house operations of fruits and vegetables, packaging requirements for fresh fruits and vegetables, equipment for fruits and vegetables processing, dehydration and canning of fruits and vegetables, fruit juices and beverage manufacture, cold storage for fruit and vegetable products.

The last date to apply for the workshops is September 18 (for spice processing) and September 26 (post-harvest technologies).

Those interested to attend these workshops may go through the details available online at https://www.cftri.res.in/sdp

In a first, BBMP to distribute ‘smart cane’ for visually challenged

Officials said that the smart cane is capable of conveying information about an obstacle with at least three different patterns of vibrations that vary with distance. The detection range of the sensor is up to 3 metres

Bengaluru

For the first time, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) will distribute ‘Smart Cane’, a handle-like device that can be attached to the white cane normally used by the visually challenged under a welfare scheme.

The welfare department of the civic body will provide smart cane to 943 visually impaired beneficiaries in the city.

Speaking to The Hindu, a senior BBMP official said, “This is the first time such an initiative has been taken up by the welfare department to provide a smart cane to visually impaired persons in the city free of cost. This unique scheme will help blind people who are from poor backgrounds who cannot afford such smart canes.”

According to officials, the smart cane will be foldable and is capable of detecting obstacles in front. “The detection range of the sensor is up to 3 metres and users have the option to reduce the detection range with help of a switch. Users also can adjust the angle sensor according to the height of the user,” officials explained.

The smart canes will be provided to beneficiaries who have registered for this scheme at the welfare department. The officials said that the smart cane is capable of conveying information about the obstacle distance with at least three different patterns of vibrations that vary with distance. “The smart cane is built in a rechargeable battery with 8 hours of use on a single charge. The sensor is detachable and it can be removed from the cane. The manufacturer of the product will give a 36 months warranty,” the official added.

Schemes to restart

After the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, most welfare schemes were on hold and the funds were all diverted for COVID-19 management. Now, the BBMP is clearing such welfare schemes by approving files, officials informed. “No welfare scheme has been implemented since 2020. The schemes were all put on the backburner on account of the pandemic. Available funds were all diverted for COVID-19 management,” BBMP’s senior officials said.

Barring a few schemes, such as reimbursement of school fees of children of pourakarmikas and ‘Onti Maney’, others such as wheelchairs for the disabled, distribution of sewing machines, laptops and tabs, and self-help programmes for women and transgender persons have not been implemented. The officials added that such welfare schemes will be implemented soon.

Apart from the smart cane, the BBMP will also provide laptops to blind people under welfare schemes.

Kundapur: 32nd annual conference of Indian Psychiatric Society Karnataka branch held

“Mental health is very important in the modern days of pressurized world. No one should hesitate to get treatement for psychological health. We will not get solutions to our mental health issues if we do not go to the psychiatrists. This conference, which is intended to extend to community is very meaningful,” said Jayaprakash Hegde, president of state backward communities’ commission.

Hegde was speaking after inaugurating the 32nd annual conference of Indian Psychiatric society, Karnataka branch that was held at Yuva Meridian auditorium at Koteshwara on Saturday.

Hegde further said, “In order to protect the mental health I am doing the work of providing cooperation from our trust with the active cooperation of renowned psychiatrists of the district. Many people ask money for treatment but do not take medical help.”

Speaking on the occasion, Dr N N Raju, president of Indian Psychiatric society said, “Karntaka is in the forefront of psychological health sector in the country. It is also leading the implementation of new projects in this connection. The service of psychiatrists of Kundapur is excellent service to society. Service of senior doctor like Dr K S Karanth is known throughout the country.”

The programmes was presided over by Dr P Kiran Kumar, president of Karnataka branch of society.

President designate of Indian Psychiatric association Dr Vinay Kumar, president of south zone Dr Udayakumar, president of Karnataka branch Dr N M Patil, honorary secretary Dr Somashekhar Bijjal, secretary of conference committee Dr Ravindar Munoli were present.

Dr Prakash Tolar welcomed the gathering. Psychiatrists of various states are partaking in this conference. Discussions and discourses about community mental health will be held. The valedictory function of the conference will be held on Sunday, September 11.

Three Bengaluru startups win BITS Pilani event

Green Tiger Mobility, the cleantech firm, and Daffodil Health, a healthcare startup, won in the Pan India Track, where participants were invited from across the country.

Of the 15 startups, shortlisted from over 1,500 applications, four have been selected to receive an equity-less grant of Rs 30 lakh each. Of these, three are from Bengaluru. Winners were chosen based on three categories or tracks — Pan India, BITSian and Web3.0.

Green Tiger Mobility, the cleantech firm, and Daffodil Health, a healthcare startup, won in the Pan India Track, where participants were invited from across the country. Green Tiger is working on developing a hybrid vehicle, while Daffodil Health is a behavioural healthcare platform aimed at children.

The latter aims at giving parent-mediated therapy to children with behavioural and developmental disorders like autism, ADHD, dyslexia and others. Conquest, run by around 30 engineering students from BITS Pilani’s Centre of Entrepreneurial Leadership, is the first and largest student-run startup accelerator, hosting programmes every year to help startups get funding and mentors.

The Demo Day for the 18th edition of the accelerator programme was held in Bengaluru on Sunday, with 15 startups shortlisted to pitch their ideas to a panel of investors, industry leaders and others. Another Bengaluru-based company StreamMoney won in the Web3.0 Track, where the focus is on startups developing or utilising technology related to Web3.0. StreamMoney focuses on the ability to transfer conditional ownership of non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

The startup is working towards making a utility protocol, allowing NFT owners to rent out or allow ticketing or subscriptions of their NFTs. This allows owners to add in a utility contract with their NFTs that allows access to their tokens for a limited period of time.

Green Tiger Mobility, the cleantech firm, and Daffodil Health, a healthcare startup, won in the Pan India Track, where participants were invited from across the country.

A clean technology firm, focusing on building hybrid cars that allow you to switch between electric and internal combustion engines at the switch of a button, was one of the three Bengaluru startups that won big at BITS Pilani’s Conquest.

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Japanese company Rakuten opens office in Bengaluru

Rakuten India is a global product and innovation centre for Tokyo-based Rakuten Group that focuses on electronic commerce and online retailing

Rakuten India, a global product and innovation centre for Tokyo-based Rakuten Group that focuses on electronic commerce and online retailing, has opened an office in Bengaluru to grow its customer base in India.

Rakuten’s new office is situated near Cubbon Park. The 20-storey building, Rakuten-Crimson House, has office space of 3 lakh sq.ft. with a capacity to accommodate over 3,000 persons.

The office is expected to enhance the company’s capability for deep-tech innovation and R&D in e-commerce, fintech, content and entertainment, as well as AI in computer vision, speech, and natural language processing (NLP).

“India is and has been central to our growth strategy. Our new R&D centre will build on the high value-added engagements that Rakuten has been delivering from India in deep tech and product innovation,’‘ said Yasufumi Hirai, CIO, CISO, Group Executive Vice President of Rakuten Group, Inc.