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October 20, 2018 (Chenai)
Next on the agenda are programmes for Mumbai and Cochin
In 2015, unprecedented and sudden floods paralysed Chennai with over 18 lakh people being displaced. Following this, at the behest of the office of the Principal Scientific Advisor to government of India, research institutions, chief among them the National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR), Chennai, and IITs, got together to build a flood warning system customised for use in Chennai. Carrying the acronym C-FLOWS, which stands for Chennai FLOod Warning System, the six-module ensemble can predict flooding due to heavy rainfall, sea-level rise and increase in water levels of the three rivers-Cooum, Adyar and Kosasthalaiyar-that traverse the city.
Ward-level data
"The State government shared data such as ward boundaries, population details, infrastructure available across Tamil Nadu, which have been used in the warning system," says M. V. Ramana Murthy, Director, NCCR. The topography data was obtained from the Indian Remote Sensing programme. "Next we plan to develop such a system for Mumbai city and Cochin area," he adds.
Knowing the elevation at different spots, the system can predict the way the area would flood based on different scenarios that have been simulated. Inputs were taken from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on forecast and National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF), which gives the prediction for rain 10 days in advance. Similarly, INCOIS gives the hydrodynamic congestion such as storm surge and tide etc. Using this, the system can, two weeks ahead of the event, simulate the scenario. "The system can predict what would happen at the level of individual wards," says Tune Usha, scientist with the NCCR and one of the key persons behind the development of C-FLOWS. "We can now apply it to the Greater Chennai Corporation area of 462 sq. km," she adds.
Thus, early warnings could be issued. "The flood itself cannot be avoided, but it can be managed and the disaster mitigated," says Dr Usha.
The spatial database of the city which contains all administrative layers, details of ward boundaries, infrastructure, details of elevations and surfaces, soil, land use, geomorphology and census datasets are contained in the first module. There are many precomputed scenarios of flooding based on the forecast rainfall and tidal conditions, in a library. From this the most appropriate one may be selected for superimposing on the geomorphology. The second module has to do with this precisely. Simultaneously, models can also be run in real time based on actual datasets. Over this can be overlaid details of storm water drains and drainage fractions to enable pre-flood planning operations.
The 3D visualisation module makes possible a realistic visualisation of the flooding in various places such as infrastructure, buildings, roads, ward boundaries etc, by superimposing the model outputs on the layers of data.
Convergence
Data from IMD, NCMRWF, INCOIS and Tamil Nadu State government are brought together in an online hub along with the field data and the remote sensing data to observe the situation in real time. This is the fourth module.
Authorised personnel can use a mobile app, which has been developed alongside, to collect data from flooded areas such as geotagged photographs and add to the database. This fifth module helps capture the ground reality and provide primary information for decision makers to plan relief and mitigation operations.
The last aspect is a decision support system: this is an online GIS query portal which can answer questions on quantum of flooding in specific localities, flood proximity, for example, it can say which roads are inundated and suggest routes for planning relief operations and so on.
According to Dr. K Satyagopal, Principal Secretary and Commissioner, Revenue Administration and Disaster management, C-FLOWS will be integrated with TN-SMART, a portal being developed by his department.October 6, 2018 (Bangalore)
A small molecule attached to carbon nanospheres could cross the blood-brain barrier
Using a small molecule that activates two enzymes (CBP/p300 histone acetyltransferases), researchers from India and France have been able to completely recover long-term memory in mice with Alzheimer's disease. Neuron-to-neuron connections that form the network were re-established leading to memory recovery in the diseased mice. The therapeutic molecule used in the study was synthesised by a team led by Tapas Kundu from the Molecular Biology and Genetics Unit at Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Bengaluru.
The small molecule was found to activate the two enzymes, and the two enzymes by virtue of being the master regulators activate several genes that are important for memory. In a June 2013 paper in the Journal of Neuroscience, Prof. Kundu's team had demonstrated the small molecule's ability to generate new neurons and induce long-term memory in normal mice.
Memory in mice"If it is able to induce memory in normal mice, we wondered if it can induce and recover lost memory in mice with Alzheimer's," recalls Prof. Kundu. "We found the molecule activating the two enzymes in the diseased mice and producing new neurons. Also, 81 genes whose expression was repressed in mice with Alzheimer's were activated to normal levels." Besides completely recovering lost memory, other symptoms of Alzheimer's such as balance problem was also addressed.
The amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles contribute to the degradation of the neurons leading to memory loss in Alzheimer's. "The plaques and tangles absorb these two enzymes. So once the enzymes are activated by the small molecule, the whole process of neurodegeneration gets reversed," he says.
Most clinical studies of Alzheimer's have failed as cognitive dysfunction associated with the disease emerges quite late when the brain is affected by the deposition of plagues and tangles, and cell death. The possibility of reversing the damage through production of new neurons and connection between neurons therefore offers promise. "There is a possibility that the small molecule may at least be able to delay the cognitive decline and improve the conditions of patients," he says.
"We didn't see the plaques and tangles progressing and growing. Don't think they get destroyed. We need to carry out more studies to confirm the fate of plaques and tangles," he says.
Blood-brain barrier
Since the small molecule cannot cross the blood?brain barrier and enter the brain, the researchers turned to carbon nanospheres synthesised by a team led by Prof. Muthusamy Eswaramoorthy, Chemistry and Physics of Materials Unit at JNCASR and coauthor of the latest paper published in the journal EMBO Molecular Medicine. The carbon nanospheres, about 400 nanometres in size, are synthesised using glucose, and the small molecule is attached to the surface of the nanospehere.
"As reported in a 2008 paper in the journal Nano Letters, glucose easily crosses the blood-brain barrier. So it acts as a vehicle to ferry the molecule into the brain. Since the nanospheres retain some glucose property they are able to ferry the molecule and reach the brain in about 48 hours," says Prof. Eswaramoorthy.
"We were able to see high concentration of the molecules in the brain in 48?72 hours after administering," says Prof. Kundu, who is currently the director of Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI), Lucknow.
The nanospheres were not seen after 21 days, probably because the glucose was consumed by the brain.
The study tested the ability of the small molecule in recovering memory at an early stage of disease onset. "Currently, we are studying mice with Alzheimer's disease that are one year old. And the initial results are promising," he says.
Synthesis of the small molecule and carbon nanospheres and testing them on normal mice were carried out in JNCASR, while testing them on diseased mice model was done in France.
Prof. Kundu is looking at the prospect of founding a start-up company to carry out toxicity studies.
October 5, 2018 (Chennai)
The Department of Science and Technology (DST) is commemorating the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi with a project to give a fillip to solar cooking.
As the first of many activities taken up by the government to uphold Gandhi's ideals, DST has instituted Grand Challenge Awards for the design of solar cooking solutions at both household and community levels to empower rural people.
Researchers from academic and research institutions and industry have been invited to submit designs with specifications for solar cooking solutions before December 31 this year. The designs fall under three categories-household cooking (5 persons), small community cooking (50 persons), and large community cooking (300 persons). They should be user-friendly and find wide acceptability.
Explaining the rationale for the competitive invitation, Ashutosh Sharma, Secretary, DST, said, "The basic solar cooking design has not changed for a long time. Unlike in the case of the solar water heater, which has seen wider acceptance and uptake, we don't see the same for solar cooking. The challenge is to make solar cooking more user-friendly, functional and cheap," he said.
"The ones now commercially available are only solar cookers while we are looking at solar cooking solutions that will allow Indian style of cooking, which includes boiling, steaming and frying," Prof. Sharma said. "The currently available ones can only be used on the terrace or in other open places, while we are looking at solutions which can be used in the kitchen."
To make that possible, DST has set out 12 criteria which include the ability of the cooker to work in diffused light or no light for at least two hours, have temperature control and range, and work independently or in conjunction with grid power.
Financial support
The finalists in each category will be provided financial support for development or pilot demonstration.
"If the researcher wants to scale-up through a start-up, there is a mechanism in place for DST to provide funding. For companies, the technology development board can provide funding to commercialise the technology," he added. All intellectual property rights will remain with the innovator.
The government has been encouraging the use of solar cookers.
Financial incentives of 30% of the cost of the solar cooker all over the country and 60% to special category States (hilly and northeastern States) are already in place.
September 8, 2018 (Bengaluru)
Taiwan's space agency NSPO has sought collaboration with the ISRO, especially in the areas of the outer space and tracking extreme weather events, its officials have said.
Chen-Joe-Fong, the system lead of FORMOSAT-7 programme of the National Space Organisation (NSPO), said they are seeking a collaboration in tracking extreme weather events like cyclones.
On the sidelines of Bengaluru Space Expo 2018, a meeting was also held between the officials of the NSPO and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in which the Taiwanese side pitched for greater cooperation.
"Taiwan is prone to typhoons while India faces cyclones. We have Formosat-5 earth observation satellite. We are looking to collaborate with Antrix (the space arm of the ISRO) on this," Chen said.
Formosat-5, a 450-kg Earth observation satellite was launched in August last year. Plans are on to launch Formosat-7 an advance version, Chen said.
Chen said Taiwan was also looking to collaborate with India in the area of outer space, alluding to India's first inter-planetary mission - Mars Orbiter Mission - and Chandrayaan-1.
India also has plans to further explore Mars and undertake exploration programme for Venus.
Taiwan was a part of the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-02 mission, a particle physics detector on the International Space Station, with a purpose to search outer space for antimatter and dark matter as part of an investigation into the origin of the universe.
"The meeting was very good and we are looking forward for collaboration with the ISRO," Prof Henry H Chen, Counsellor and Director, Science and Technology, at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Centre in New Delhi said.
Requesting anonymity, an ISRO official confirmed the meeting took place.
The official added that the Taiwanese side were looking for a collaboration in launch services. The ISRO is known for providing cheaper launch options.
Taiwan has had active cooperation with the US in the area of space and is now looking at diversifying its ties with other space agencies.
October 6, 2018 (Bangalore)
A small molecule attached to carbon nanospheres could cross the blood-brain barrier
Using a small molecule that activates two enzymes (CBP/p300 histone acetyltransferases), researchers from India and France have been able to completely recover long-term memory in mice with Alzheimer's disease. Neuron-to-neuron connections that form the network were re-established leading to memory recovery in the diseased mice. The therapeutic molecule used in the study was synthesised by a team led by Tapas Kundu from the Molecular Biology and Genetics Unit at Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Bengaluru.
The small molecule was found to activate the two enzymes, and the two enzymes by virtue of being the master regulators activate several genes that are important for memory. In a June 2013 paper in the Journal of Neuroscience, Prof. Kundu's team had demonstrated the small molecule's ability to generate new neurons and induce long-term memory in normal mice.
Memory in mice
"If it is able to induce memory in normal mice, we wondered if it can induce and recover lost memory in mice with Alzheimer's," recalls Prof. Kundu. "We found the molecule activating the two enzymes in the diseased mice and producing new neurons. Also, 81 genes whose expression was repressed in mice with Alzheimer's were activated to normal levels." Besides completely recovering lost memory, other symptoms of Alzheimer's such as balance problem was also addressed.
The amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles contribute to the degradation of the neurons leading to memory loss in Alzheimer's. "The plaques and tangles absorb these two enzymes. So once the enzymes are activated by the small molecule, the whole process of neurodegeneration gets reversed," he says.
Most clinical studies of Alzheimer's have failed as cognitive dysfunction associated with the disease emerges quite late when the brain is affected by the deposition of plagues and tangles, and cell death. The possibility of reversing the damage through production of new neurons and connection between neurons therefore offers promise. "There is a possibility that the small molecule may at least be able to delay the cognitive decline and improve the conditions of patients," he says.
"We didn't see the plaques and tangles progressing and growing. Don't think they get destroyed. We need to carry out more studies to confirm the fate of plaques and tangles," he says.
Blood-brain barrier
Since the small molecule cannot cross the blood?brain barrier and enter the brain, the researchers turned to carbon nanospheres synthesised by a team led by Prof. Muthusamy Eswaramoorthy, Chemistry and Physics of Materials Unit at JNCASR and coauthor of the latest paper published in the journal EMBO Molecular Medicine. The carbon nanospheres, about 400 nanometres in size, are synthesised using glucose, and the small molecule is attached to the surface of the nanospehere.
"As reported in a 2008 paper in the journal Nano Letters, glucose easily crosses the blood-brain barrier. So it acts as a vehicle to ferry the molecule into the brain. Since the nanospheres retain some glucose property they are able to ferry the molecule and reach the brain in about 48 hours," says Prof. Eswaramoorthy.
"We were able to see high concentration of the molecules in the brain in 48?72 hours after administering," says Prof. Kundu, who is currently the director of Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI), Lucknow.
The nanospheres were not seen after 21 days, probably because the glucose was consumed by the brain.
The study tested the ability of the small molecule in recovering memory at an early stage of disease onset. "Currently, we are studying mice with Alzheimer's disease that are one year old. And the initial results are promising," he says.
Synthesis of the small molecule and carbon nanospheres and testing them on normal mice were carried out in JNCASR, while testing them on diseased mice model was done in France.
Prof. Kundu is looking at the prospect of founding a start-up company to carry out toxicity studies.
September 6, 2018 (Bengaluru)
The national human space mission 'Gaganyaan' will get French support in the form of life support and medicine for the Indian crew.
The French space agency CNES head Jean-Yves LeGall announced that an enabling agreement would be signed on Wednesday with his ISRO counterpart K. Sivan.
He was at the bi-annual Bengaluru Space Expo BSX 2018 which opened here on Thursday.
ISRO wants industry to drive the production of routine launch vehicles in two years, Dr. Sivan said on Thursday. "We are not satisfied with the current level of industry participation in the space programme. Our missions are growing at a fast pace, to almost two launches a month, from the current seven-odd a year," he said, urging industry to take up bigger and independent roles in making satellites and launchers.
Giving a sense of the monetary returns to home industry, he said that of the ₹10,400 crore worth of launch vehicles approved a few months back, about ₹9000 crore will go to supplier industries in the coming years. Industry must gauge the benefits of investing in space in a big way, Dr. Sivan said.
As many as 59 satellites are due in three years. ISRO needs over a dozen light-lifting PSLV rockets to launch them - and wants industry to step in and relieve ISRO of this load, he said.
ISRO's commercial arm Antrix Corporation's CMD Rakesh Sasibhushan said the space industry was growing in double digits.
Mr. Le Gall said the two countries will add new applications such as drinking water resources to their old tie-up for climate satellite missions. Next year, CNES would have its Argos payload again on Oceansat-3. The 3-day BSX is hosted by ISRO, Antrix and CII.
September 8, 2018 (Tarnaka)
At the behest of Dr. S Chandrasekhar, director, Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT), the membrane group led by Dr S Sridhar, senior principal scientist, installed ultra-filtration systems of 700 lit/hr capacity each in Wayanad district as well as the badly-affected Kuttanad district of flood ravaged Kerala.
Some of the affected villages covered include Panamaram and Thakazhi with around 500 families benefiting from IICT's efforts. Dr. Sridhar also indicated that more such installations would be completed in Kuttanad, Trivandrum and Kottayam districts during the next one week to lend further helping hand to locals.
The technology involves the application of hollow fiber membranes that remove turbidity and pathogens from flood water. A hand pump is used to create the pressure difference across the membrane for purifying the water, as electricity is not available in remote areas during floods. A smart chlorine cartridge is provided to eliminate any secondary contamination by harmful disease-causing microbes. The IICT director also arranged to send a cheque to Chief Minister of Kerala for an amount of Rs. 14,65,027 contributed towards the "Chief Ministers' Distress Relief Fund" by the staff members and students of the institute.
August 29, 2018 (N. Delhi)
In its 5th Executive Committee meeting held in New Delhi yesterday, the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) approved projects worth nearly Rs 150 crores in Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal under the Namami Gange programme. These projects include I&D works where small rivers, rivulets and drains are intercepted before they empty into the main river, and are diverted to Sewage Treatment Plants (STP), so that the water that finally drains into the main river is clean and totally devoid of any pollutants. The projects also include STPs and development of Ghats. The state wise details of the projects are as follows:
Uttarakhand
An Interception and Diversion (I&D) projects was approved for Rispana & Bindal Rivers in Dehradun at an estimated cost of Rs 60 crores. The wastewater from these rivers ultimately meets Ganga between Haridwar and Rishikesh through river Song. Once executed, this project will tap 117 naalas/drains now carrying untreated wastewater. It is proposed to build a Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) with 1 Million Litre Per day (MLD) capacity to treat some of this wastewater while 28 MLD will be treated at the existing STPs.
Uttar Pradesh
The development of Ghats in Mirzapur was approved at an estimated cost of Rs.27.41 crore under the Clean Ganga Fund. The project includes the renovation, extension and widening of the Ghats as well as provision of amenities, landscaping and embankment construction. Further, the project also includes refurbishment of Ram Gaya crematorium and construction of two new crematoriums.
Bihar
The Committee approved a 3.5 MLD capacity Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) and its ancillary works, along with Interception and Diversion (I&D) of sewer lines in Sonepur in Bihar at an estimated cost of Rs.30.92 crore. The Project includes the cost of operations and maintenance (O&M) for 15 years. Once completed, the STP will treat all the 5 drains of the city including RN Tagore School Drain, Ward 3-4 boundary, Grave yard ward 18, Meena Bazaar which are presently carrying untreated sewage into the river Mahe which discharges into river Gandak and finally into the Ganga.
The Committee also approved the river front development project in Sonepur at an estimated cost of Rs.22.92 Crore. This includes construction of a connecting promenade, embankment protection, provision of amenities as well as landscaping along the ghats. In addition, 8 ghats are under construction under the Namami Gange programme at an estimated cost of 20 crores.
West Bengal
The Eexcutive Committee also gave go-ahead to the upgradation/renovation of Ghats and Crematoria at Katwa, Kalna, Agradwip and Dainhat in West Bengal. These projects will be taken up under Clean Ganga Fund. The combined cost of these projects is Rs. 8.58 crores and includes embankment protection, provision of basic amenities at the Ghats, landscaping, electrical and allied works, renovation of existing structures etc at the various ghats.
Documentation of Cultural Heritage along River Ganga
The Eexcutive Committee also accorded approval to a proposal to document the cultural heritage of River Ganga from Gaumukh to Gangasagar through INTACH. The proposal seeks to develop an appreciation of the river as a cultural stream embedded in the soul of India, by documenting its associated cultural narrative, including features like an annual calendar of events and rituals. This would cover archaeological heritage, intangible cultural heritage and environmental heritage.
NMCG is fully committed to cleaning and sustaining the cleanliness of the river Ganga. The Mission is making all out efforts to achieve this task and meet the timelines of the Namami Gange programme.
August 28, 2018 (N. Delhi)
The central government on Tuesday constituted a new 21-member advisory panel on science, technology and innovation under the chairmanship of Principal Scientific Advisor, K VijayRaghavan, that will also co-ordinate the implementation of programmes through various bodies.
"This gives a fresh direction to the country's science and technology sector. The council will advise the PM on science, technology, as well as innovation, but also coordinate the implementation of the PMs vision," said VijayRaghavan.
The council must "actively aid in the formulation and timely implementation of major science and technology missions" and "evolve interdisciplinary technology development programmes," the government order announcing its formation said.
The new council has nine members, including Dr VK Saraswat, member of NITI Aayog and former director general of Defence Research and Development Organisation, Dr AS Kiran Kumar, former chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation, and Maj Gen Madhuri Kanitkar, dean of Armed Forces Medical College, Pune.
Manjul Bhargava, professor at Princeton University and a Fields medal winner, Subhash Kak, a professor at Oklahoma State University, and Baba Kalyani, the managing director of Bharat Forge, an Indian multinational corporation are also members of the council.
Apart from the nine members, the council will also have twelve special invitees-eleven ex officio secretaries of various departments including health research, atomic energy and higher education and one member invited by the chair.
"This is a good move because scientific advisory bodies had been defunct for a while now. These bodies have a great role to play and ideally all government decisions should be based on their advise. In my view, the composition of the council should be such that there are more practising scientists rather than bureaucrats and scientists who are now in administrative roles," said Soumitro Banerjee, General Secretary of the Breakthrough Science Society that organised March for Science in India.
The panel, called the Prime Minister's Science, Technology and Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC) will replace the Scientific Advisory Committee to the Prime Minister and to the Cabinet.
These committees, which were first set up in 1999 under the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, had a term running concurrently with the government's. In 2014 , the new NDA government decided not to constitute this committee. Earlier this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi appointed VijayRaghavan as his scientific advisor.
"The new council will not go out with the current government. This council is concerned with the national effort and will remain in office till it is reconstituted," said VijayRaghavan.
