Category Archives: Science & Technologies

Citric acid-based disinfectant to kill chikungunya

Records, All, Science & Technologies, World Opinion

Chennai :

A team of scientists in the city, along with experts in Andhra Pradesh and Japan, has found that a citric acid-based disinfectant can destroy the chikungunya virus. The chemically synthesised citric acid developed in Japan, has earlier proved effective in killing the human influenza virus.

The team from the department of virology at Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati; Nichi-In Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Chennai and scientists in Japan have tested the disinfectant in the form of granules on chikungunya virus. The team first collected more than 1,000 samples of chikungunya virus and developed and maintained in both human and mosquito cell line. The disinfectant was then tested on these viruses when it showed it can destroy the virus.

Scientists said the application could be on skin or fumigation to bring down the probability of infection even if bitten by a carrier mosquito. D V R Saigopal, professor of virology, SV University, said that the disinfectant, which is an ingredient in several food additives, was developed in Japan 10 years ago. “The disinfectants we get in India are detergent, phenol, foam or alcohol-based and have high toxicity and side effect. This disinfectant is solvent based and our tests showed it has low level of toxicity. It is not only safer but also cheaper,” the professor explained.

Scientists said that the disinfectant is at present approved as a mouth gargle and rinse in Japan and also used by the Japanese railways department as spray in their train coaches during flu seasons. It is also sold with a brand name ‘Clinister’ by a Japanese multinational company.

Encouraged by the positive result, the scientists have decided to approach the Union government with their research work looking for avenues to try it on other viruses. “It can kill the virus in the environment and in the mosquito as well as on the surface of the human skin where there is mosquito bite. It can be used in detergents, fumigant, mosquito repellent and hand wash,” the professor said.

Scientists have also decided to use the same methodology to test it on other viruses like foot and mouth disease virus and dengue virus.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Chennai / by U. Tejonmayam, TNN / October 14th, 2014

A shop of his own, a disease to win over

Business & Economy, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Science & Technologies
Yogarasu Kumaran, along with two other young men, also recovering from mental illnesses, runs a vegetable shop at Villivakkam market, facilitated by Better Chances, an NGO working in the field of mental wellness -- Photo: K. Pichumani / The Hindu
Yogarasu Kumaran, along with two other young men, also recovering from mental illnesses, runs a vegetable shop at Villivakkam market, facilitated by Better Chances, an NGO working in the field of mental wellness — Photo: K. Pichumani / The Hindu

City NGO helps those with mental illnesses lead better lives, make a living

Until three months ago, K. Yogarasu Kumaran would sleep, wake up, eat, then go to sleep again, all day long, every day.

Diagnosed with schizophrenia, the 25-year-old had shuttled between private mental health facilities for years, but none, he said, had really helped.

Today, Mr. Kumaran, along with two other young men, also recovering from mental illnesses, runs a vegetable shop at Villivakkam market, facilitated by Better Chances, an NGO working in the field of mental wellness.

For a lot of people who are recovering or have recovered from mental illnesses, finding a job is a huge challenge. “This is what we wanted to address. Additionally, we also wanted to make them a part of community and ensure their illness is not stigmatised,” said Porkodi Palaniappan, director of Better Chances.

When Mr. Kumaran decided that enough was enough and that he wanted to change the way he lived, he joined Better Chances. “At first, I had anger issues every day. But over time, I began taking my medication again, and recently, I stood first in the screen-printing class at the centre,” he said.

MentalHealthCF15oct2014

With vegetables sourced from Koyambedu market and space given to them by the owner of the premises S. Krishnan, the shop, called Roots, is bustling on Saturday morning.

Tomatoes, onions and greens line the front section, and Amul Raj, who was earlier treated for schizophrenia, calls out to customers.

Mr. Raj, said Ms. Palaniappan, thought at one point he would never get out of an institution. Now, he dreams of entering politics some day.

The tables at the shop have been made by a carpenter who has also recovered from a mental illness, said Ms. Palaniappan, and the two women who help out at the shop are mothers of children with Down Syndrome.

“The idea is to empower people — both those with illness and caregivers — with opportunities to work,” she said, adding she hopes to facilitate more such initiatives soon.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Zubeda Hamid / Chennai – October 12th, 2014

India Hopeful of Developing Hyperplane: Noted Scientist Sivathanu Pillai

Leaders, Records, All, Science & Technologies, World Opinion

Chennai :

Could India develop a hyperplane? Yes, says India’s noted scientist Sivathanu Pillai, who is working on the hyperplane project, which will use hydrogen-based fuel and is 25 times faster than sound.

Speaking on the sidelines of being conferred with Lifetime Achievement Award by Rotary Club of Madras, Pillai said the success of hyperplane lies in mastering the scramjet technology, a type of very fast jet engine. Although the US and China have successfully developed the scramjet engine, they are yet to design materials that can withstand the heat generated by an object travelling at such high speed.

Usually in a high speed aircraft, air friction causes extreme heating of the leading edge where the temperature could be very high (Mach 5 generates 1,000 degree Celsius).

Currently, there is no technology that can withstand the heat, said Pillai, adding that the Indian Space Research Organisation, DRDO and other organisations are working to develop hyperplane.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by Express News Service / October 15th, 2014

Ninja Army of Delivery Boys

Business & Economy, Science & Technologies

NinjaCF13oct2014

A swanky building just off OMR is bustling with activity. Legions of men in uniform are constantly pouring in with huge bags on their backs and sheaves of papers in their hands; several take off on bikes, and there are vans and lorries queuing up to handle bulk shipments at E-kart logistics, a company that delivers Flipkart products.

These men are part of the e-tail army, the ones who zoom around the city on their two-wheelers, the ones who convert the few clicks from your laptop or mobile app to a product in your hands.

“We individually handle 40-50 deliveries a day. Around festival time, the number shoots to 70 and upwards,” say Ganesh and Mani, as they share and wolf down lunch from a stainless steel container. “Our shift starts as early as 7.30 am. Based on the orders, we split the routes and go about deliveries,” says Ganesh, rushing off to pick up his next consignment from the office after his brief lunch.

Ganesh is a field executive who drives a two-wheeler, while Mani drives a van. When orders are placed in bulk by companies, vans go out to deliver consignments, Mani informs.

Madhan is part of a team that does only one thing — reverse deliveries. That’s right, there are dedicated teams to pick up goods that are faulty, or those that don’t match the consumer’s specifications. “We get calls to pick up and return products for a plethora of reasons — the colour is different, the photo of the product shown on the web site is different and so on. We check it and take back the product,” says the lanky, soft-spoken 20-something.

“Sometimes, real mess-ups happen. Customers who returned the product get the same kind of product even the second time. That’s when we really face the music. But whatever happens, we stay calm,” he adds.

The executives are trained on how to speak to customers and are given firm instructions — no executive is supposed to call up a customer more than two times to check for an address. And the newbies are told to tag along with the more experienced ones for about 10 days to learn the ropes.

The number of products returned or exchanged, though, seems to be a touchy topic, with a source requesting anonymity while informing that if there are about 500 deliveries a day, about 80 of them — about 16 per cent of the customers — call back for a new product or to return them.

But Manigandan, Area Manager, says that they usually handle about 2,000 deliveries a day, but due to ‘Diwali spike’, they are now delivering 3,500 to 4,000 products a day. And that’s just from one hub alone. E-kart operates from seven branches in the city, so that works out to a whopping 14,000 deliveries in the city on normal days and double that during the festive season. Manigandan says that certain areas are ordering hotspots, such as those near SRM university in Kattankalathur and RMZ Millenia Tech Park in Taramani.

Coming back two or three times to deliver for customers who are not at a specified address, getting lost and driving through pothole ridden roads and even walking down lanes where bikes are too narrow to even enter, these delivery men accomplish what is no mean feat — 70-80 deliveries a day during festival season works out to a lightning fast 10 every hour, or 1.6 deliveries every minute. Mind boggling, ain’t it?

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> TamilNadu / by Varun B. Krishnan / October 13th, 2014

Chennai hospital gets certification from national board

Education, Records, All, Science & Technologies, World Opinion
N. Ram, chairman of Kasturi & Sons Limited (centre), hands over the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Health Care Providers’ certificate to Sister Magdeline Fernandes, president of St. Isabel Society — Photo: B. Jothi Ramalingam
N. Ram, chairman of Kasturi & Sons Limited (centre), hands over the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Health Care Providers’ certificate to Sister Magdeline Fernandes, president of St. Isabel Society — Photo: B. Jothi Ramalingam

Saturday was a milestone for the doctors and nurses of St. Isabel’s Hospital in the institution’s 65-year-old run.

The hospital, which is run by the Franciscan Sisters, received accreditation from the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Health Care Providers (NABH).

N. Ram, chairman, Kasturi & Sons Limited, who handed over the certificate to Sister Magdeline Fernandes, president of St. Isabel Hospital Society and the provincial superior, wished that the hospital would be able to continue its dedicated service to society.

He recalled how the hospital had taken care of M.S. Subbulakshmi at a very difficult stage. He said he was happy to note the hospital had been able to modernise and was also a teaching institution.

It took three years for the hospital to follow and implement the 625 stringent objective elements stipulated by NABH.

Though the Franciscan Hospitaller Sisters of the Immaculate Conception arrived at Goa in 1886, they came to Madras only in 1942 and the hospital was set up in March 1949. Initially, St. Isabel’s Hospital was a maternity home with a few beds. It has now grown into a 300-bed facility with 31 clinical departments.

Sister Celine Philip, administrator and president of St. Isabel Hospital Society, Sister Danis Mary, assistant provincial, Sister Betty D’Souza, vice-president of the hospital, Sister Philomina Joseph, medical superintendent, George Thomas, senior consultant and head of emergency medicine, and K. Ravi, ophthalmologist, were present on the occasion.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Special Correspondent / Chennai – October 12th, 2014

Top technician feted by Yamaha

Science & Technologies, World Opinion
Meenakshi Sundaram, winner of the Yamaha World Technician Grand Prix 2014, is seen with Masaki Asano, MD of Yamaha Motors, India. Photo: Bijoy Ghosh
Meenakshi Sundaram, winner of the Yamaha World Technician Grand Prix 2014, is seen with Masaki Asano, MD of Yamaha Motors, India. Photo: Bijoy Ghosh

Two-wheeler technician Meenakshi Sundaram (34), a resident of Madurai, was a nervous man when he flew to Japan in September to represent India at the Yamaha 6 World Technician Grand Prix 2014.

However, he returned home with the coveted world title that he won on October 1 after beating 19 other contestants from 18 countries.

On Wednesday, Sundaram was felicitated by Yamaha in the city for his achievement. Clad in a bright red jumpsuit, the technician was overjoyed to receive the winner’s trophy from Masaki Asano, managing Director of Yamaha Motors, India, to thunderous applause.

Addressing the audience, Sundaram recalled the morning of May 5, 1998, when he joined a Yamaha service station in Arapalayam after completing class X. “My love for Yamaha’s RX 100 model drove me to join the team of mechanics. Now, I have come a long way and cannot believe I have been crowned top technician in the world by Yamaha,” he said.

In 2012, after clearing a written test, Sundaram got a shot at winning the National Technician Grand Prix India, but could manage only the 11 place. “I gave it another shot in 2013 and was one of the two winners who went on to represent India at the grand prix in Japan,” Sundaram added.

The biennial event in Japan, whose winners this year were from 18 countries, including New Zealand, Germany and Vietnam, was dominated by the Indian technician, who worked with a Yamaha R15 to showcase his talent. He excelled in five categories — trouble shooting, electrical wiring, wheel alignment, periodic maintenance and a written test — and was adjudged the overall winner in the commuter model class.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Staff Reporter / Chennai – October 09th, 2014

Kudankulam farmer sows groundnut developed by BARC

Green Initiatives/ Environment, Nature, Science & Technologies

Tirunelveli :

A farmer at Kudankulam in Tiruneveli district, where two nuclear reactors are situated, seems to be impressed by Bhabha Atomic Research Centre’s contribution to agriculture. The farmer, T Selvaraj, on Thursday began to sow the TG37A type groundnut developed by Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC).

In June last, BARC invited a couple of progressive farmers, including Selvaraj, to the Palayamkottai prison where the inmates had sown the TG37A groundnut. The prison inmates sowed the groundnut in March and reaped the harvest in June.

Impressed by the successful cultivation at the prison, Selvaraj approached the BARC scientists. He was given 180kg of groundnuts to cultivate.

Selvaraj said he was planning to cultivate it in a one-hectare field. The sowing will continue for three days.

“I am convinced that this will give me good yields,” he said.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Madurai / by J. Arokiaraj, TNN / October 09th, 2014

Erode witnesses first organ harvesting

Records, All, Science & Technologies

Erode :

In a first of its kind operation in Erode, a group of doctors harvested vital organs from a victim who was confirmed brain dead on Saturday. According to Kovai Medical Centre and Hospital (KMCH) in Erode, the victim was admitted to the hospital on September 30.

The 57-year-old man hailed from Rajapalayam in Virudhunagar district. He worked as chief electrician in Tamil Nadu Cements Corporation Limited in Alangudi, Tiruvarur district. “He was about to retire in a few months and was transferred to the marketing department. As part of his work, he came to Pallipalayam in Namakkal district on September 30,” said P Manoj, kin of the deceased. Talking to TOI, he said the victim met with an accident the same day in Pallipalayam. “An unknown vehicle knocked him down and he sustained grave head injuries,” he added.

Passersby rushed him to a private hospital in Erode for treatment. Doctors admitted him to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and the next day his relatives arrived at the hospital. “Doctors said his condition was critical and soon he slipped into coma from which he never recovered and was soon declared medically dead,” said Janaki, wife of the deceased.

The private hospital, in which the victim was admitted, did not have licence to harvest organs. So they shifted the patient to KMCH on Friday. “We have thoroughly examined his body and brain conditions. According to government rules, we should confirm twice before harvesting organs from a victim’s body. So we have conducted checkups twice, one on Friday night around 10.30 pm and another one on Saturday early morning around 4. 30am,” said a spokesperson from KMCH, on condition of anonymity. “We spoke to the family members about the importance of organ donation and they immediately agreed,” he said.

A team of 10 doctors led by senior general physician Dr N V Mohan, carried out the organs harvesting operation. The team started the operation around 10 am and completed around 3 pm. “We have harvested a pair of eyes, a pair of kidneys and liver from the victim’s body. We could not use his heart due to his age,” the spokesperson said and added that all the vital organs were sent to Coimbatore and Erode based hospitals immediately.

The body was later sent to Erode government hospital for postmortem and then handed over to the relatives.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Coimbatore / TNN / October 05th, 2014

Buy Online, Get Delivered by Post

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Science & Technologies

Chennai :

Even as the Internet era has upset the fortunes of India Post, the postal department in the Tamil Nadu circle is trying to merge emerging technology with its ubiquitous presence in the nooks and corners of India to make inroads in e-commerce as well as financial segments.

The department, which is in the red now, is vying to establish a major presence in the e-commerce segment, Chief Postmaster General of Tamil Nadu circle T Murthy told Express. “We already have a tie-up with Amazon and an online supermarket in Chennai and are currently negotiating for a tie-up with Flipkart,” Murthy said.

“Currently we deliver around 50,000 parcels from the supermarket chain alone and 5,000 from Amazon,” said Murthy.

He says India Post’s plans to have a tie-up with Flipkart have reached an advanced stage. “We have heard reports that they are opening godowns here in Chennai,” he said.

Through the tie-up with e-commerce firms, their products will be delivered to every corner of the State as the department has a vast network that no one in India has, he said.

India has close to 10 million online shoppers and the numbers are growing at an estimated 8-10 per cent annually.

Electronics and apparel are the biggest categories in terms of sales.

The postal department is also planning to have Internet connectivity in all its post offices located across Tamil Nadu. “This is likely by the end of the financial year,” said Murthy.

He says currently the Tamil Nadu circle is facing a loss of 30 per cent as its market has been eaten away due to the Internet revolution.

The postal department is planning to capitalise on its vast infrastructure by investing Rs 5,000 crore in core banking services and other financial services, he said.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by C. ShivaKumar / October 04th, 2014

Chennai-born professor may get Nobel prize

Records, All, Science & Technologies, World Opinion
Dr Ramamoorthy Ramesh likely to win the Nobel Prize for Physics this year
Dr Ramamoorthy Ramesh likely to win the Nobel Prize for Physics this year

Chennai:

Chennai-born Dr Ramamoorthy Ramesh, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, USA, is in the list 27 recently issued by Thomson Reuters as potential scientists likely to win the Nobel Prize for Physics this year. The award will be announced on October 7.

Dr Ramesh is an alumnus of Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, and had gone to Berkeley in 1987 for Ph.D at the University of California. He joined the university faculty in 2004 in the materials science and engineering and physics departments. His work mostly focused on complex oxides.

In the Reuters list of Nobel probables, Dr Ramesh’s name figures with those of James Scott of the University of Cambridge and Yoshinori Tokura of University of Tokyo for their work in ferroelectric memory devices and multiferroic materials. Thomson Reuters has so far predicted correctly 35 Nobel winners.

source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation> Current Affairs / DC Correspondent / October 02nd, 2014