Category Archives: Science & Technology

Hyderabad-based doctor wins Bhatnagar Award for contributions in science and technology

Science & Technology, World Opinion, , , , ,

Hyderabad, TELANGANA :

The list of awardees was announced on Thursday. This is the fourth Bhatnagar award for LVPEI, which is the only eye institute to win the award.

Dr Mohammad Javed Ali of the Hyderabad-based LV Prasad Eye Institute. ( FIle Photo )
Dr Mohammad Javed Ali of the Hyderabad-based LV Prasad Eye Institute. ( FIle Photo )

Hyderabad :

Dr Mohammad Javed Ali of the Hyderabad-based LV Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI) has won the coveted ‘Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award’ in the ‘Medical Sciences’ category for his outstanding contributions in science and technology this year.

Javed currently heads the Govindram Seksaria Institute of Dacryology at LVPEI and is a senior Humboldt scientist at Friedrich-Alexander University, Nuremberg, Germany.

The list of awardees was announced on Thursday. This is the fourth Bhatnagar award for LVPEI, which is the only eye institute to win the award. This science award is presented annually by the CSIR and is considered as the highest multidisciplinary science award in India.

Another reward for research

Among his several awards, Dr Javed has received The Experienced Researcher – Senior Alexander Von Humboldt Fellowship Award, which is one of the pinnacle awards given out for research

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Express News Service / September 28th, 2019

For this topper, ‘S’uccess stands for parents’ support

Education, Karnataka (under research project), Science & Technology, , , , ,

Mangaluru, KARNATAKA :

Dr Safwan Ahmed, Best Post Graduate Resident in Neurology, with his mother and wife at the 24th convocation of Nimhans. dh photo
Dr Safwan Ahmed, Best Post Graduate Resident in Neurology, with his mother and wife at the 24th convocation of Nimhans. dh photo

Every time his father and Safwan Ahmed passed by Kasturba Medical College in Manipal, his father would say that it was his dream to see his son study there some day. He was only a child back then. It was not too long after, that Ahmed’s father died  of a heart attack. A student of class 11 then, he decided to live his father’s dream and graduated from there.

On Monday, he was among the 14 meritorious students who got recognised for their achievements at the 24th convocation of Nimhans.

He was awarded the Dr Anisya Vasanth Memorial Award for the best postgraduate resident in Neurology. “I dedicate this award to my mother. Every time I burnt the midnight oil, she was beside me. She would wake up along with me, even if it was 3 am and has been my strong support,” said Ahmed. He recollected that most of his education was in government school and college and that merits and scholarships have helped him adequately.

“I want to start a new sub-speciality centre in cognitive neurosciences in Father Muller College in Mangaluru, where I work at present,” he said, when asked about future plans.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State / by Reshma Ravishanker / DH News Service / September 16th, 2019

Postage Stamps on Two Unani Physicians to be released on 30 August

Science & Technology, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Lucknow, UTTAR PRADESH / PATNA :

Hakim Mohammad Abdul Aziz Lakhnawi & Hakim Mohammad Kabiruddin
Hakim Mohammad Abdul Aziz Lakhnawi & Hakim Mohammad Kabiruddin

Two Unani physicians are among the 12 ‘Master Healers’ of AYUSH systems to be commemorated with postage stamps on 30th August. The stamps will be released by the Prime Minister of India in New Delhi.

Hakim Mohammad Kabiruddin (1894–1976) and Hakim Mohammad Abdul Aziz Lakhnawi (1854–1911), the eminent scholars and physicians of Unani Medicine, are the two legends who will be immortalised on the postage stamps.

The Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine (CCRUM) in their press released shared this information about these two physicians.

While Hakim Mohammad Kabiruddin was one of the most prolific writers and a great academician of Unani Medicine in the twentieth century, Hakim Mohammad Abdul Aziz Lakhnawi was a great philosopher-physician of his time. Hakim Kabiruddin realized that education of Unani Medicine through Arabic or Persian medium could no longer sustain and felt the need to convert Unani text books in Urdu language. He devoted his efforts to fulfil this need and successfully translated many important books in Urdu language. His translation works include ‘Tarjama-e-Mujiz al-Qanoon’, ‘Tarjama-e-Kabir’ (Translation of Sharah al-Asbabwa al-Alamat), ‘Tarjama Hummayat-e-Qanoon’, ‘Tarjama wa Sharh Kulliyat-e-Nafisi’, ‘Tarjama Kulliyat-e-Qanoon’, etc.

With a view to popularize Unani Medicine and promote its scientific literature, he started Al-Masih, a monthly magazine in 1921 and established ‘Daftar al-Masih’, a publishing house, which published his original works as1) well as translations done by him and his colleagues. He also contributed to compilation and translation of medical syllabus of Jamia Usmania Hyderabad and was honored with the title of ‘Shahanshah-e-Tasnifaat’ (Emperor of Compilations) by Nizam of Hyderabad.

On the other hand, Hakim Mohammad Abdul Aziz Lakhnawi was a member of the famous Azizi family of Unani Medicine which is named after him despite the fact that there were many illustrious Hakims amongst his ancestors. His remarkable contribution is the establishment of Takmil ut-Tib College, Lucknow. He had exceptional expertise in the principles and philosophies of Unani Medicine. In spite of being over occupied by medical practice and teaching, he found time to write medical books / booklets that included Risala Tuhfa-e-Azizi, Bayaz-e-Mujarrabat and Hashiya ala al-Qanoon.

source: http://www.twocircles.net / TwoCircles.net / Home> Event> Indian Muslim> Lead Story / by  TCN News / August 29th, 2019

KLETU students shine in Aero Design event

Amazing Feats, Education, Karnataka (under research project), Science & Technology,

KARNATAKA :

The AeroKLE team with their working models. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The AeroKLE team with their working models. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

They come first in regular class and third in micro class in national tournament

AeroKLE, a team of 17 students of KLE Technological University (KLETU), has secured the top place, in the regular class, at the national-level SAE India Aero Design 2019 competition held in Tamil Nadu.

In the recent competition, organised by SRM Institute of Science and Technology, they also secured the third rank in the micro class. As many as 146 teams from across the country took part in the competition.

The team comprised Vineet Anand Bedarman (captain), Amit Allimatti, Sayyed Ahmed Zuhair, Rohit Anvekar, Rahul Pattar, Shridhar Hadimani, Om Prakash Patel, Yajnesh Poojari, Koustubh Annigeri, Sujay C, Nilesh Bandekar, Mallikarjun Pattanshetty, Yeshwanth Kumar, Ajey Joshi, Alex Steven Dharmdas, Calvin Lobo, and G.V. Srikar.

The team was guided by Head of School of Mechanical Engineering, KLETU, B.B. Kotturshettar; Head of Centre of Material Sciences Nagaraj Banapurmath, and faculty coordinator G.M. Hiremath.

They were involved in designing and testing different prototypes in Hubballi.

They also optimised the final aircraft designs and submitted the technical design report at the event.

The report too was praised by judges and was has adjudged the ‘best technical design report’ at the event.

The students have bagged a purse of ₹1.35 lakh.

At the contest, the regular class demanded the highest payload to be lifted, whereas the micro class demanded the highest payload fraction.

The teams had to conform to the mechanical and electrical limitations as prescribed by Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), India.

Experts from the Indian Space and Research Organisation, the Defence Research and Development Organisation, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, and National Aerospace Laboratories were the judges for the event.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Hubballi – August 02nd, 2019

Indian-Australian entrepreneur Aamir Qutub wins esteemed award

Business & Economy, Leaders, NRI's / PIO's, Science & Technology, World Opinion, , , , , , ,

Aligarh, UTTAR PRADESH / Geelong ( VICTORIA ) , AUSTRALIA :

siasat.com
siasat.com

Melbourne (Australia):

Indian-Australian Entrepreneur and an alumnus of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), Aamir Qutub, has won the Young Entrepreneur of the Year award in the Business Excellence Awards (GBEA) category in Australia.

According to a press release issued by his firm, established in 1986, and managed by the Geelong Chamber of Commerce, the Business Excellence Awards are the oldest business awards in Australia.

“With a record number of entrants participating in the Geelong Business Excellence Awards, and going through a stringent judging process, the Awards are now more competitive than ever, ” says Ben Flynn, CEO Geelong Chamber of Commerce.

Aamir Qutub is the Founder and CEO of Enterprise Monkey (a digital solutions agency), Tech Investor and Co-Founder in 6 startups. Aamir is also a member of Ministerial Advisory Committee to the Minister for Planning in Australia.

He was appointed as the General Manager of ICT Geelong (local IT Industry Cluster) at the age of 25. He was the founding Secretary of Pivot Summit – Australia’s largest regional tech conference.

Aamir was brought up in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh. He did his Engineering degree from Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) and immigrated to Australia at the age of 23 to complete MBA from Deakin University.

“I had applied for around 150 office jobs but couldn’t get any due to lack of experience in Australia. I used to work as a cleaner at the Avalon Airport, and distribute newspapers in midnight to pay for my living and fee,” Aamir has reportedly said.

In 2012, Aamir got an internship opportunity with ICT Geelong. Impressed with his performance and passion for digital transformation, he was asked by the board to step up as the General Manager of ICT Geelong at the age of 25.

At AMU, Aamir was elected as Geneneral Secretary of AMU Students’ Union (AMUSU) in 2011. As AMUSU Secretary, Aamir organized the first-ever recruitment drive in the university which resulted in the placement of 2000 students in 30 companies. His passion for technology contributed in the digitization of AMU campus by introduction of free WiFi and Smart Classrooms.

In 2014, Aamir founded Enterprise Monkey – a Web and App solutions company in his brother-in-law’s garage. “I started with $2000 in savings,” says Aamir who led his company to establish in 4 countries with YoY revenue growth of 300% in the first 3 years.

Enterprise Monkey has established itself as a leader in web and app space. It is now growing it’s leadership in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Augmented Reality and Internet of Things (IoT) space. The client list includes NASDAQ listed companies as well as seed stage startups.

source: http://www.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home> News> India / posted by Qayam / August 02nd, 2019

IIT-Delhi Research Scholar Mohammad Adnan Selected For Prestigious Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting

Education, Science & Technology, World Opinion, , , ,

Azamgarh, UTTAR PRADESH  :

MohdAdnanMPOs30jun2019

New Delhi :

Mohammad Adnan, a research scholar in the Department of Physics at Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, has been selected to attend a high-profile annual gathering of Nobel Laureates and emerging scientists from around the world.

He is among 600 most qualified young scientists from around the globe to attend the 69th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting in Germany, which is dedicated to physics. Key topics are cosmology, laser physics and gravitational waves.

Adnan is currently a doctoral student under the supervision of Prof G. Vijaya Prakash, Nanophotonics Labs, Department of Physics, IIT Delhi. He was selected for his research on the emission properties of organic and inorganic materials.

Every year since 1951, Nobel Prize winners in chemistry, physics, physiology and Medicine gather at Lindau to discuss the issues of importance in their respective fields with students from around the world. Getting selected for the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting is recognition of a researcher’s work in his/her respective field.

According to the statement issued by the Council for the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings, the selected young scientists are outstanding undergraduates, PhD students and post-doctoral students under the age of 35, conducting research in the field of physics. They have successfully passed a multi-stage international selection process. About 140 science academies, universities, foundations and research-oriented companies contributed to the nominations.

Reacting to his selection, Adnan said that he is excited to attend the prestigious meeting, which will give him an opportunity to interact with so many Nobel laureates at one place.

Mohammad Adnan, who completed his schooling from Azamgarh, finished his B.Sc from Aligarh Muslim University and topped the M.Sc. examination in 2015. In February, this year, he also won the Newton-Bhabha Fellowship under which he will be visiting Cambridge University from July to November this year.

The Lindau meeting will be held from June 30 to July 5.

source: http://www.thecognate.com / The Cognate / Home> Inspiring Muslims / by Shaik Zaheer Hussain / March 20th, 2019

Mangalore Doctor Salma Suhana Selected For American Academy Of Neurology Award

Education, Karnataka (under research project), SCHOLARSHIPS, Science & Technology, World Opinion, , , , , , , ,

Mangaluru, KARNATAKA :

SalmaSuhanaDrMPOs30jun2019

Dr. Salma Suhana, who is is currently pursuing Superspeciality Neurology at S S Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre, Davangere, has won the American Academy of Neurology’s prestigious 2019 International Scholarship Award.

She has been awarded the scholarship in recognition of her study on Cerebral Venous Thrombosis.

A native of Mangalore, Dr Salma completed her MBBS at Fr Muller Medical College and Hospital in Mangalore and has won two gold medals from the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences. She completed her MD at Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences in Bengaluru.

American Academy (AAN) of Neurology has invited her to participate in the annual meeting of international neurologists to be held in Philadelphia in the US in May 2019. She is one among 30 selected recipients of the prestigious honour from across the world.

source: http://www.thecognate.com / The Cognate / Home> Inspiring Muslims / by Shaik Zakeer Hussain / January 11th, 2019

Azim Premji to retire as executive chairman and MD of Wipro by end of July

Business & Economy, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Karnataka (under research project), Leaders, Science & Technology, World Opinion, , , , ,

Bengaluru, KARNATAKA :

azimpremjiMPOs06jun2019

IT major Wipro founder Azim H. Premji, who turned a small maker of vegetable oil into a $8.5 billion software behemoth, will retire as the company head by July-end and handover reins of the firm to his son, Rishad.

Mr. Premji, who turns 74 next month, will retire as executive chairman upon the completion of his current term on July 30, 2019, after having led the company for 53 years, Wipro said in a statement.

He, however, will continue to serve on the board as a non-executive director for five years till July 2024 and has also been conferred the title of founder chairman.

Wipro board also announced that chief executive officer and executive director Abidali Z. Neemuchwala will be re-designated as CEO and managing director, while Rishad Premji will be re-appointed as whole-time director for a period of five years with effect from July 31, 2019, to July 30, 2024. Mr. Rishad Premji will be designated as executive chairman.

These changes will be effective July 31, 2019, subject to shareholders’ approval.

₹52,750 crore for philanthropic activities

A recipient of Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan awards, Mr. Azim Premji now plans to devote more time for philanthropic activities.

He had, in March 2019 gifted an additional ₹52,750 crore of the company’s shares to support philanthropic activities, making it the most generous donation in the nation’s history.

About 34% of shares held by companies controlled by Mr. Azim Premji, India’s second-richest person, were irrevocably renounced and earmarked to the Azim Premji Foundation, taking the total donations to over ₹1.4 lakh crore.

Mr. Azim Premji’s Foundation, which works in the education sector and supports over 150 non-profits serving under-privileged with financial grants, has 67% of economic ownership of Wipro.

‘Pioneers of Indian technology industry’

“Azim Premji, one of the pioneers of the Indian technology industry and founder of Wipro Limited will retire as executive chairman upon the completion of his current term on July 30, 2019 after having led the company for 53 years. However, he will continue to serve on the board as non-executive director and founder chairman,” Wipro said in a statement announcing the top deck changes.

Mr. Azim Premji transformed a small hydrogenated cooking fat firm to a $8.5 billion global tech titan that is counted among India’s top IT exporters and also led the transformation of Wipro Enterprises into a global FMCG, infrastructure engineering and medical devices powerhouse, with revenues of about $2 billion.

He will remain the chairman of Wipro Enterprises and continue to chair the board of Wipro-GE Healthcare, the statement added.

“It has been a long and satisfying journey for me. As I look into the future, I plan to devote more time to focus on our philanthropic activities. I have great confidence and trust in Rishad’s leadership to steer Wipro in its next phase of growth as we move forward,” Mr. Azim Premji said.

‘Unflinching commitment’

Commenting on the changes, chairman designate Mr. Rishad Premji said Wipro has, over the decades, demonstrated that success can built on the foundation of strong values and uncompromising integrity.

“This is a testament to the spirit and dedication of thousands of Wiproites. I am very excited about our future and the opportunity to create value for all our stakeholders in these transformative times for Wipro and the technology industry,” he said.

Ashok S. Ganguly — independent director and chairman, Board Governance, Nomination and Compensation Committee at Wipro — said Mr. Azim Premji’s “unflinching commitment” to values made him an exemplar of how business and ethics can and must go together.

“His exceptional generosity makes him one of the greatest philanthropists of our time,” he added.

Mr. Ganguly further said that Mr. Rishad Premji’s understanding of the global technology industry, strong strategic orientation and diverse leadership experience make him the “right person to guide Wipro”.

“He is also best positioned to represent the interests and fundamental social purpose of the largest shareholder of Wipro,” Mr. Ganguly noted.

source: http://www.thehindu.com  / The Hindu / Home> Business / by  PTI / Bengaluru – June 06th, 2019

Dubai-based Indian boy finalist in Google Science Fair

Community Involvement / Social Issues, Education, Green Products, NRI's / PIO's, Science & Technology, World Opinion, ,

Chennai, TAMIL NADU -INDIA / Dubai, UAE :

Shaamil Karim, a grade 11 student at the Indian High School Dubai, was selected from thousands of entries.

Dubai,Shaamil Karim,Indian High School Dubai

Karim’s project detects if a car or person is passing by and makes the next street light brighter and the previous light dimmer, saving energy.(Shaamil Karim/ facebook)

A Dubai-based Indian boy has ranked among the top 100 regional finalists for the Google Science Fair global contest for his project to make street lights smarter, the media reported.

Shaamil Karim, a grade 11 student at the Indian High School Dubai, was selected from thousands of entries, Gulf News reported on Saturday.

His project detects if a car or person is passing by and makes the next street light brighter and the previous light dimmer, saving energy.

Karim, a 15-year-old computer whizkid who originally hail from Chennai, said his father was his inspiration to come up with a solution for power wastage.

“We were at a park late at night and all the lights were switched on. My dad said, ‘Can’t we do something about this?’ I decided to do my project to make street lights smart,” he told the Gulf News.

Karim added that his project would be around 63 per cent cheaper than infrared-based sensors.

The global 20 finalists are expected to be announced this month.

source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home> Education / by Indo-Asian News Service, Dubai / May 26th, 2019

IMTECH’s novel compound treats colistin-resistant bacteria

Science & Technology, World Opinion, , ,

Chennai, TAMIL NADU :

Klebsiella-pneumoniae | Photo Credit: www.niaid.nih.gov
Klebsiella-pneumoniae | Photo Credit: www.niaid.nih.gov

Very low concentration of the compound was able to kill all the bacteria in four to eight hours; there was no regrowth of bacteria even after a day.

A novel compound isolated from a soil bacterium shows promise in killing Gram-negative bacteria (Klebsiella pneumoniae and E. coli) that are resistant to colistin, a powerful, last-line antibiotic. The compound was effective in killing colistin-resistant bacteria in studies done in vitro and on mice models. Unlike colistin, the compound was found to be safe and did not damage the kidney of mice, a team led by Dr. Hemraj Nandanwar from the Institute of Microbial Technology (CSIR-IMTECH) found.

The bacterium (Paenibacillus sp) was found in the soil at Malvi village in Jind district, Haryana in January 2016.

“Colistin-resistant bacteria are increasing at an alarming rate in India and outside. It is a serious medical issue. The extent of resistance varies from one bacterial species to another and from one hospital to another. If colistin-resistant bacteria are found in the blood there is 80% chance of death,” says Dr. Abdul Ghafur from Apollo Speciality Hospitals, Chennai and co-author of a paper published in the journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.

The colistin-resistant bacteria were provided by Dr. Ghafur. Nineteen K. pneumoniae samples were from humans and three E. coli were from food samples.

Based on the amino acid composition and other studies, the team found the compound to be a new variant of the tridecaptin family; the variant was named tridecaptin M (the letter M standing for Malvi). Colisitin belongs to a different class of antibiotics, and so there is no cross resistance with the tridecaptin family of compounds.

The compound is novel and this is also the first time that antibacterial effects of tridecaptin family of compounds on colistin-resistant bacteria have been studied.

Interestingly, the new compound was more effective on K. pneumoniae bacteria that were colistin-resistant and less effective on colistin-sensitive bacteria, the team found. When the purified compound was tested on colistin-resistant bacteria, 16 times less amount of the compound was enough to kill the bacteria, compared with colistin.

Studies on resistance

More importantly, studies found that there is less likelihood of bacteria developing resistance against the compound. Very low concentration of the compound was able to kill all the bacteria in four to eight hours; there was no regrowth of bacteria even after a day. So this suggests that the compound resists spontaneous mutation. To further study the evolution of acquired resistance, they exposed the bacteria to very low concentration of the compound for 20 days. Even after 20 days the bacteria showed very low acquired resistance.

Mechanism of action

The mechanism by which the compound kills the bacteria is very different from most of the other drugs, especially colistin. The compound affects the ATP synthesis by the bacteria. With less fuel being produced, the bacteria are unable to multiply and thus killed.

Compared with colistin, the compound shows less ability to get into the bacteria (membrane permeability). So it forms specific pores in the membrane which disturbs the movement of ions leading to a reduction in ATP production. If the compound is used along with low concentration of colistin, the amount of compound required to kill colistin-resistant bacteria is 16-fold less. Thus colistin and the compound act synergistically.

Animal studies

The effectiveness of the compound was tested on mice by infecting the thigh muscle with colistin-resistant bacteria. Whereas colistin failed to kill the bacteria, about 90% of bacteria were killed by the compound.

Acute toxicity was tested by injecting 12 mg per kg every two hours till the accumulated dose became 72 mg per kg. All mice injected with colistin died within a day but no mice injected with the compound died. The kidney of the sacrificed mice did not show any damage.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sci-Tech / by K. Prasad / Chennai – May 24th, 2019