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Prototype
Reactor to be Ready Before 2010
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A
prototype fast breeder reactor that can
produce 500 megawatts of electricity is
likely to begin functioning at Kalpakkam
before 2010, Baldev Raj, Director, Indira
Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR),
said here on Monday. Mr. Raj told media
persons at the PSG College of Technology
that construction work on the reactor was
going on ahead of schedule. The reactor
was expected to supply electricity to the
State grid at Rs. 3.22 a kilowatt hour (kwhr)
or `unit.' Advanced reactors can produce
electricity at Rs. 2 a kwhr. To cater to
the increasing energy needs, there were
plans to establish four more nuclear reactors.
Using current technology, it could generate
up to 500 giga watts. All conventional energy
sources in the country would not be enough
to meet expected future requirements, so
there was need to concentrate on nuclear
energy. .
Courtesy:
The Hindu, August 29, 2006
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India's
Own Bird Flu Vaccine at Just 35 Paise
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A
vaccine to prevent avian flu developed by
a Bhopal-based research institute could
be available for as cheap as 35 paise per
dose, official sources said. Developed by
the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory
(HSADL), it is the first vaccine against
avian flu in the country. HSADL, which has
the technique for identifying the avian
influenza virus among poultry, tested thousands
of bird samples, including droppings of
migratory birds, after avian flu (H5N1)
hit some parts of western Madhya Pradesh,
Gujarat and Maharashtra earlier this year.
The country suffered losses estimated at
Rs.7 billion ($150 million) with over one
million bird culled and about 1.5 million
eggs as well as several thousand tonnes
of feed destroyed, according to official
sources. "The Indian Council of Agricultural
Research (ICAR) entrusted us with the job
of developing the vaccine soon after the
first outbreak of the disease this February
and also provided us with Rs.80 million
promptly to help us accomplish the challenging
task," said HSADL Joint Director Dr. H.K.
Pradhan. Led by Pradhan, a special team
of scientists swung into action, toiling
day and night on the vaccine and developed
it in less than six months. "The cost of
the vaccine has been worked out at 27 paise
per dose. It is expected to go up to 35
paise, including the trader's profit and
cost of transportation. But it will be for
the company manufacturing the vaccine to
decide on the selling price," Pradhan told
IANS. "We had the viruses collected during
this year's outbreak and the cell lines
taken five years ago," said Pradhan. "The
vaccine can be used immediately after an
outbreak to control the spread of the virus
as well as for vaccination in anticipation
of an outbreak. "However, vaccination before
an outbreak is generally not advisable as
the vaccine has its own limitations. But
there is little chance of bird flu occurring
after vaccination as the vaccine uses a
killed virus to elicit good immune response."
"The immune response is good and the protection
offered by the vaccine has been found to
be above 90 percent. The duration of protection
should last up to six months for hens. For
a broiler it needs to be administered only
once," he claimed.
Courtesy:
The Economic Times, August 28, 2006
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Next
Stop, Clinical Research
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Clinical
research is fast emerging as a lucrative
career option, given the vast demand-supply
gap of research professionals in India.
With product patents in place, the drug
companies in India are forced to do research
on developing molecules on their own. The
international drug companies are finding
India with its swelling population, diverse
genetics and various diseases a good place
to conduct clinical trials. Another advantage
India has, according to experts, is the
low cost, which will be just 30-40% of the
price for the same work in Europe and the
US. "Most drug companies want persons skilled
in research using Western methodology,"
says Anil Joseph, chief executive officer
& managing director of Kochi-based Inter
Ed Faculty of Clinical Research (IFCR),
which offers training for a Canadian post
graduate diploma in clinical re-search in
collaboration with York College of Industry
and Technology in Canada. Mr Joseph claims
IFCR as a Indo-Canadian joint venture in
clinical research is the only institution
in India involved in research, training
and placement. "The clinical research field
is a Rs 5000-crore industry and the country
needs around 50,000 clinical research professionals.
Currently, the turnout is about 300 a year,
hardly enough to bridge the gap," he says.
Advanced clinical research needs well-equipped
accredited labs and outside the US, India
is the only country that has the maximum
number of laboratories accredited by US
FDA.
Courtesy:
The Economic Times, August 25, 2006
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Natco
Pharma Launches Bortenat
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Natco
Pharma Limited, a Hyderabad-based pharmaceutical
company, has announced the launch of its
brand of Bortenat (Bortezomib) 3.5 mg injection
used in the treatment of multiple myeloma.
Bortenat will be priced at Rs. 16,800 as
against Rs. 75,000 of the imported medicine
and since it was a pre-1995 invention, Natco
was not expecting any patent litigation
around the molecule.
Courtesy:
The Hindu, August 25, 2006
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NRI
Astronomer Leads Black Holes' Study
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Super-hot
atoms in space hold the key to an astronomical
mystery-the black holes-and an Indian American
astronomer is leading an effort to study
those atoms on Earth. Anil Pradhan, professor
of astronomy at the Ohio State University,
and his team have used supercomputers to
perform the most precise energy calculations
ever made for these atoms and their properties.
As a result, astronomers, in particular,
those hunting black holes, will have a better
idea of what they are looking at when they
examine faraway space matter using X-ray
telescopes, according to a press release
from the university. The results appear
in the September issue of the Journal of
Physics B - Atomic, Molecular and Optical
Physics. And while the paper's subject matter
is highly technical, it tells a story that
weaves together atomic physics, Einstein's
theory of relativity, cutting edge astronomical
observations and some of the world's fastest
supercomputers. Astronomers have spied seas
of super-hot atoms in plasma form, circling
the centres of very bright galaxies, called
active galactic nuclei. The plasma is thought
to be a telltale sign of a black hole; the
black hole itself is invisible, but any
material spiralling into it should be very
hot, and shine brightly with X-rays. Before
anyone can prove definitively whether active
galaxies contain black holes, astronomers
need to measure the energy levels of the
excited atoms in the plasma very precisely,
and match the measurements with what they
know about atomic physics. Assuring the
accuracy of atomic data doesn't sound like
the most exciting job in astronomy, Pradhan
admitted-but it is fundamentally important.
"Most astronomers take it for granted that
the atomic data they are referencing are
correct-they have to, in order to interpret
their observations," he said.
Courtesy:
The Times of India, August 25, 2006
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Wipro
Sets up First Test Lab With Wi-Fim in Bangalore
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Wipro
Technologies has been selected by the Wi-Fi
Alliance to become an authorised pre-certification
test lab, only the third such facility of
the global industry trade association in
the world. The other two such labs are located
in the US and Taiwan, said Frank Hanzlik,
Managing Director of Wi-Fi Alliance, which
has close to 300 member companies devoted
to promoting the growth of wireless local
area networks (WLAN), at a news conference
in Bangalore on Tuesday. The pre-certification
lab will allow Wipro Technologies, the global
IT services division of New York Stock Exchange-listed
Wipro Limited, to pre-test products for
Wi-Fi Alliance members who are planning
to pursue Wi-Fi certification, and marks
the non-profit association's first presence
in the India market. "Numerous Wi-Fi Alliance
member companies currently have large-scale
operations in India," said Hanzlik. "With
increasing demand for Wi-Fi products worldwide,
it is only natural that we extend member
services in India and the pre-certification
lab is just the start." President, Global
IT Service Lines, Wipro Technologies, Suresh
Vaswani, said testing services is a rapidly
growing segment for the company, which has
a 5,500 people dedicated for testing services
from which it derived a revenue of USD 57
million in the last quarter. Testing services
is growing at the rate of ten-plus percentage
points for the company in the last eight
quarters, he added.
Courtesy:
Hindustan Times, August 23, 2006
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Indian
Curry Beats Aspirin
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Eating
curry may be a better cure for headaches
than aspirin, according to research. A study
funded by the Scottish Executive has found
that salicylic acid, the active ingredient
in aspirin, occurs naturally in Indian food
and that curry could help treat migraines
and prevent colon cancers. Spices such as
cumin, turmeric and paprika, all of which
are used in curries, are particularly rich
sources of salicylic acid, the study said.
Neither does Indian food cause the side-effects
associated with long-term aspirin use, such
as internal bleeding and ulcers, the study,
conducted by the Rowett Research Institute,
found. "One portion of vindaloo we examined
contained 95mg of salicylic acid, more than
the amount in an aspirin tablet. A low-dose
aspirin tablet contains about 65mg of the
acid." Garry Duthie, one of the study's
co-authors, said: "The dietary level of
salicylic acid in curry is exceptionally
high. I wouldn't recommend a curry a day
for headaches, but it is possible that someone
with a headache who is a good absorber of
salicylic acid might find it went away if
they had a vindaloo. The hotter the curry,
the greater the possible benefits. A korma,
with relatively low levels of spices, would
be less effective than a vindaloo or a phal,
the hottest curry widely available in UK."
Curcumin, the component of turmeric that
gives curry its distinctive yellow colour,
is primarily responsible for its healthy
effect. Regular aspirin prevents colon cancer
because of its apparent ability to reduce
the inflammation that occurs during a tumour's
development. Agencies
Courtesy:
The Times of India, August 23, 2006
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to Index
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OVL
States Recoverage Reserves in Myanmar
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ONGC
Videsh Ltd (OVL) and its partners in Blocks
A-1 and A-3 in Myanmar offshore, have announced
the recoverage reserves from three fields.
The Best estimate of in-place reserves certified
by Gaffney, Cline and Associates for Shwe,
Shwe Phyu and Mya gas fields are 3.4 trillion
cubic feet, 0.5 tcf and 1.8 tcf respectively,
totaling to 5.7 tcf, a company press release
said here. The High Estimates Gas volume
(gas initially in-place) for the Shwe, Shwe
Phyu and Mya gas fields are 5.4 tcf, 1.2
tcf and 3.4 tcf respectively, totaling to
10 tcf. Recoverable reserves of Shwe, Shwe
Phyu and Mya are 2.9 tcf, 0.4 tcf and 1.5
tcf respectively, totaling to 4.8 tcf. The
High Estimates of Contingent Gas Resources
(Recoverable Reserve) of Shwe, Shwe Phyu
and Mya are 4.7 tcf, 0.9 tcf and 3.0 tcf
respectively, totaling to 8.6 tcf. OVL holds
20 per cent stake in the two blocks. The
other consortium partners in the blocks
are Daewoo International Corporation 60
per cent (Operator), Korea Gas Corporation
10 per cent and GAIL (India) Ltd 10 per
cent. "The Shwe and Shwe Phyu field appraisal
has been completed by the consortium in
May. The consortium has further announced
that they will drill two appraisal wells
in Mya discovery and in addition to it,
they have identified two more prospects
in Block A-3 where they plan to drill one
or two exploratory wells in 2007," the release
added.
Courtesy:
www.financialexpress.com, August 22, 2006
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Indian
Drug Firms File Most DMFs in US
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Indian
pharma companies have filed the largest
number of drug master filings (DMFs) with
the US Food and Drug Administration in the
April-June 2006 quarter. According to data
available, Indian pharma companies filed
104 out of the 251 new DMFs made in the
US in April-June 2006, compared with 74
out of 213 DMFs made a year ago. DMFs are
confidential, proprietary assets that present
to the US FDA the formulae, processes, test
methodology, and other data relevant to
the manufacture of products used in the
composition, packaging and processing of
pharmaceuticals or biologics. Indian players
accounted for 41.4 per cent of total DMFs
with the US FDA in the last quarter. Also,
among Indian players, mid-cap players emerged
as one of the larger players with DMFs.
For instance, Aurobindo Pharma filed for
21 DMFs in the June 2006 quarter, which
was the largest number filed by an Indian
pharma company. Lupin filed nine DMFs in
the last quarter, while Matrix filed eight.
In the June 2005 quarter, Matrix filed the
maximum number of DMFs among Indian players,
accounting for 12 out of the total 74 filings.
Courtesy:
Business Standard: August 21, 2006
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Project
to Develop Nano Herbicides
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Two
scientists from the Tamil Nadu Agricultural
University (TNAU) in Coimbatore and a third
from the Technologico de Monterry (Monterry
Tech) in Mexico have entered into a collaboration
to carry out a five-year project with a
budget of Rs. 1.02 crore, to develop nano
herbicides to destroy weeds by attacking
their seed coats. The scientists are C.
R. Chinnamuthu, Associate Professor of Agronomy,
Directorate of Research, TNAU; E. Kokiladevi,
Assistant Professor of Biotechnology, Centre
for Plant Molecular Biology, TNAU; and Ilangovan
Kuppusamy, Founder and Director, Nanotechnology
Initiative, Monterry Tech. According to
the researchers, the easiest way to eliminate
weeds is to destroy their seed banks in
the soil and prevent them from germinating
when weather and soil conditions become
favourable for their growth. Being very
small, nano herbicides will be able to blend
with the soil, eradicate weeds in an eco-friendly
way without leaving any toxic residues,
and prevent the growth of weed species that
have become resistant to conventional herbicides.
Weeds survive and spread through underground
structures such as tubers and deep roots.
Ploughing infected fields while removing
weeds by hand can make these unwanted plants
spread to uninfected areas. Each of these
plants produces thousands of seeds every
growing season. In some cases, the buried
seeds can sprout even after 20 years. Frequently
tilling the soil can multiply weeds that
spread through root fragments. Herbicide
chemical formulations needed to be used
carefully in order to prevent contaminating
the environment or making the weeds herbicide-resistant.
Removing weeds by hand is laborious, time-consuming
and inefficient.
Courtesy:
The Hindu, August 21, 2006
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'India
Emerging as Pharma Research Hub'
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Minister
for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences
Kapil Sibal has said that India is emerging
as the global clinical research hub. Many
multinational pharmaceutical companies are
conducting clinical trials on new drugs
in India which have passed through Phase
I studies in their country of origin. Such
trials can be accomplished with the expertise
available in India at a much lower cost
than in developed countries. Outsourcing
of clinical trials to India is part of a
larger globalization and knowledge economy
process which, along with its potential
benefits, seems set to proceed as the dominant
theme of global development over the near
future, he said. As there is potential for
mutual benefit, it would be desirable to
capture the clinical trials' outsourcing
opportunity in a manner that enables economic
returns to India and the multinational companies,
as well as tangible benefits to public health
without any exploitation, he said. Certain
country specific issues such as lack of
clear regulatory norms and Intellectual
Property Right (IPR) issues were earlier
considered barriers to global clinical research
development in India. "Now, government has
streamlined the provisions under Drugs and
Cosmetics (D&C) Rules concerning conduct
of clinical trials in the country. Rules
122A to E of the D&C Rules have been amended
for this purpose laying down mandatory requirements
for prior permission to conduct clinical
trials and powers to withdraw a trial,"
he said. The term 'clinical trial' has been
defined under the rules. Schedule-Y under
the rules that prescribes the requirements
for pre-clinical and clinical studies concerning
new drugs has been extensively revised in
January, 2005, to define the responsibilities
of sponsors, clinical investigators and
ethic committees. The requirements of good
clinical practice (GCP) guidelines published
by the government have been made mandatory,
he added.
Courtesy:
The Economic Times, August 20, 2006
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Ranbaxy
Launches Soliten in Indian Market
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Ranbaxy
Laboratories Ltd has launched its brand
Soliten (Solifenacin) in the Indian market,
for the management of chronic urological
disorder. The product, being introduced
for the first time in India, would be sold
in tablet form in dosages of 5 mg and 10
mg. Soliten provides relief from chronic
problems of an Overactive Bladder (OAB)
and has lesser side effects and greater
effectiveness, Ranbaxy said in a filing
on the Bombay Stock Exchange.
Courtesy:
The Pioneer, August 19, 2006
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India
Emerges as Pharma R&D Hub
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The
clinical research market in India is estimated
to be $100 million and is expected to grow
to $300 million by 2010, say industry experts.
The easy availability of patient pool, diverse
disease profiles in the patient population,
an estimated cost savings of 50 per cent
in Phase I studies and 60 per cent in Phase
II and III studies are the major driving
forces that bring India among one of the
most-preferred Asian countries for R&D activities.
However, the Chinese pharmaceutical market
is one of the fastest-growing in the world
and it is estimated to be the fifth-largest
by 2010 and third-largest by 2020. According
to Mr Manoj Mehta, research associate, pharma
and chemical division, Ficci, "India, which
accounts for $20 million of outsourced research,
is expected to grab total $2 billion business
over the next decade." "India has a huge
market (1.1 billion population), a high
intellectual capital and capable work force,
which makes the pharmaceutical industry
more attractive," he added. However, lack
of resources to compete with MNCs for new
drug discovery research and to commercialise
molecules on a worldwide basis, along with
lack of strong linkages between industry
and academia and inadequate regulatory standards
prove to be the weak link for the pharmaceutical
R&D in the country. "The solution lies with
pro-active measures such as public-private
partnerships and encouragement of R&D. Also,
there is much to do in terms of addressing
further regulatory and infrastructure challenges,
where the industry will have to work closely
and swiftly with the government to address
these issues," said Mr Mehta.
Courtesy:
The Asian Age, August 19, 2006
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Wipro
Tech Scripts New Strategy
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Wipro
Technologies has come up with two new strategies
- product engineering and package implementation
for startups and large sized IT businesses.
The reason sought by the company was that
very few players in research and development
have jumped into this pool. With the help
of the strategy, the company wants to establish
itself as a complete R&D company. It will
also co-opt companies involved in research
relating to IP creation, chip manufacturing,
software programming and more. Wipro is
also looking to partner with companies in
Taiwan and Thailand. It has come up with
another strategy to boost its products.
The 3A strategy - awareness, advocacy and
applying thoughts - addresses Fortune 1000
companies based in the US, Europe and Japan.
The strategy directly targets the IP address
of the company and individuals found favouring
the Wipro brands. The company has revealed
that with the implementation of the strategy,
readership of its newsletter has gone up
considerably, website hits have also increased,
whereas, nearly 12 per cent of readers have
forwarded news regarding its services. Wipro
Technologies chief marketing officer Jessie
Paul said, "We will not be pouring in more
money to do marketing of their products
separately to get International customers.
Instead, we will be targeting IP address
of the visitor at Wipro's website". Unlike,
IBM, SAP, Accenture and more, an India origin
company cannot afford advertisement rates
of international publications. "The strategy
adpoted to directly target the IP address
of the company is found to be economical,
increases revenues and help us to reduce
wastage of resources," Jessie added. The
company will also release a book named "Bangalore
Tiger", written by Steve Hamm on the success
story of Wipro in October this year. The
price of the book will be priced around
$25 in the US and Rs 300 in India.
Courtesy:
www.business-standard.com, August 18, 2006
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Reactor
For Nuclear Submarine Fully Operational
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The
reactor for India's nuclear-powered submarine
project at Kalpakkam, near here, is working
smoothly at its full capacity of 100 MWe,
informed sources said. Defence Minister
Pranab Mukherjee inspected the project on
July 18 while taking part in the 20th anniversary
celebrations of the commissioning of the
Fast Breeder Test Reactor there. The project
is called the Advanced Technology Vessel
(ATV) programme. The sources said the reactor,
which went critical towards the end of 2004,
was fully operational now. A miniaturised
version of the reactor would be built and
fitted into the submarine. Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh visited the ATV facility
on October 23, 2004, when he launched the
construction of the Prototype Fast Breeder
Reactor (PFBR) there. Substantial progress
has also been made in building the submarine's
hull at Visakhapatnam, the sources said.
The ATV is a joint project of the Bhabha
Atomic Research Centre (BARC) of the Department
of Atomic Energy (DAE), the Navy and the
Defence Research and Development Organisation
(DRDO). The ATV has facilities at BARC in
Mumbai, Kalpakkam, and Visakhapatnam. The
mood is upbeat in these facilities about
the progress made. The fuel for the reactor,
which is highly enriched uranium, comes
from the Rare Materials Project near Ratnahalli,
near Mysore.
Courtesy:
The Hindu, August 18, 2006
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National
Centre For Nanosciences to Come up in Chennai
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A
national centre for nanosciences and biomedical
nanotechnology is to come up in Chennai,
under the University of Madras. The university
proposes to use Rs. 80 crore from the Rs.
100 crore the Centre has promised for its
150th anniversary. Its proposal for creating
the centre was given in principle clearance
by the University Grants Commission last
month. The centre will be part of the university's
efforts to create technology-based entrepreneurs
and incubating university-based start up
companies, says Vice-Chancellor S.P. Thyagarajan.
The Human Resource Development Ministry
will process the proposal for releasing
the grant. "We are already planning a technology
business incubator in the university using
a Rs. 5-crore grant from the Union Department
of Science and Technology. This work will
get a fillip with the creation of the national
centre," says Prof. Thyagarajan. The centre
will be able to focus on activities of national
and international scientists working in
areas such as DNA diagnostics, drug delivery
systems, biosensor-based evaluation of the
disease process, progress and pathophysiology.
Courtesy:
The Hindu, August 18, 2006
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Indo-Russian
Hi-Tech Centre Opens in Siberia
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An
Indo-Russian centre for research, development
and implementation of joint high-technology
projects opened in Siberian city of Novosibirsk
on Thursday. Initially the centre would
be involved in development and implementation
of projects in processing of metals and
alloys with the help of lasers and power
electronics systems.
Courtesy:
The Hindu, August 18, 2006
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TCS
Develops Gene-Based Malaria Cure
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Tata
Consultancy Services, India's leading software
services firm, is all set to make a mark
in the healthcare space by developing a
novel gene-based therapy for the treatment
of Asia's most dreaded disease malaria.
The Tata group company, which ventured into
the healthcare-related software services,
has successfully developed a novel gene-based
technology that will revolutionise treatment
for Malaria, the most dreaded disease in
Asia and Africa. The scientific team at
the Advanced Technology Centre (ATC) of
TCS Health in Hyderabad has undertaken this
initiative as part of the New Millennium
Indian Technology Leadership Initiative
of the Council of Indian Scientific and
Industrial Research (CSIR). The new research
involving an improved annotation of the
genomic structure of P.Falciparum- a parasite
that is the principal cause of Malaria.
According to M Vidyasagar, executive vice-president
and head of the Advance Technology Centre,
the TCS approach in this first gene-based
technology for Malaria treatment involves
identification of genes and theri possible
functions based on combination of machine
learning algortihms to predict the locations
of genes and experimental verification of
the predictions. However, the verification
part will be undertaken by TCS' academic
partners in this project. The technology
is expected to be ready for further development
to the therapeutical usage soon. Following
this, TCS, in consensus with the CSIR would
transfer the technology to prospective partners
like a pharmaceutical or biopharmaceutical
company. Malaria, a dreaded disease in many
Asain countries and Africa, is treated with
high dose antibiotics and Chloroquines.
Though Chloroquines was successful in combating
the disease when launched in the 1950s,
the malaria parasite gradually became resistant.
Now, new studies have found combining the
drug with another preparation, Primaquine,
could restore its effect.
Courtesy: www.business-standard.com,
August 15, 2006
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For
a Rabies Free India, Chennai Shows The Way
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Animal
welfare groups in Tamil Nadu, leading a
pilot project in sterilisation of street
dogs, are now urging the central government
to support their animal birth control (ABC)
initiative across the country. As many as
50 municipal corporations across Tamil Nadu
and neighbouring states have decided to
implement a programme that was successfully
tried by the Chennai Corporation, bringing
to a halt the annual killing of 20,000 street
dogs. "It has to happen across the country,"
says Appaji Rao, vice chairperson of the
Animal Welfare Board of India. Animal welfare
groups People for Animals (PFA) and Blue
Cross, along with the Society for the Prevention
of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) and the municipal
body, here have led a 10-year programme
to sterilise and relocate dogs, instead
of killing them. Animal welfare activists
say the Indian pie dog or mongrel is one
of the best breeds to keep, it is easy to
keep them as pets, and they are good community
watch and alarm dogs. In 1995, activists
like Shiranee Pereira, Marieen Vijay and
Sethu Vaidyanathan had set up PfA here.
At that time, the Chennai municipality was
catching 18,000-20,000 dogs a year and killing
them at Pulianthope, on the city's outskirt.
The practice has been on since 1932. "It
was a British legacy, that's how they thought
the street dog had to be tackled," says
Rao. The animal welfare organisations found
culling was no solution to the city's rabies
problem. Besides being cruel, over the years
it was obvious that culling had failed to
bring down Chennai's street dog population.
The PFA began lobbying with the corporation
to stop the annual killing and adopt the
WHO recommended ABC programme. It was in
September 1996 that PFA succeeded in convincing
the municipal authorities. It pioneered
the animal birth control programme. Now
every year, about 8,000 street dogs in Chennai
are sterilised and vaccinated. The corporation
allowed the killing house to be converted
into an ABC dispensary. "Chennai's is the
most successful ABC programme in India.
The programme has been so effective that
incidence of deaths from rabies has dropped
by 87 per cent over the last 10 years,"
Rao points out. At the time of sterilisation,
every street dog is also inoculated. The
municipality has also done major solid waste
management in the city. The dogs do not
get unlimited food. "There are almost no
litters on the city streets," Rao says.
Every street dog has its territory. It is
best to let it remain in its territory as
a watchdog, welfare activists say. If not,
it is relocated. But while it is allowed
to live its life in peace, it is not encouraged
to breed. This has also dramatically reduced
the number of stray dogs on Chennai streets
and incidents of rabies.
Courtesy:
The Economic Times, August 15, 2006
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India
Now a Bird Flu-Free Nation
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India
has informed a global animal health body
that it has regained its status as an avian
influenza-free country. "The final report
in this regard has been sent by the department
of animal husbandry, dairying and fisheries
to the Office International des Epizooties
(OIE) (the world organisation of animal
health) on Aug 11," the agriculture ministry
said in a statement Saturday. On Feb 18,
India had notified the OIE of an outbreak
of highly pathogenic avian influenza [HPAI
(H5N1)] in Navapur and Uchchal area of the
states of Maharashtra and Gujarat. Further
outbreaks were notified in Jalgaon district
of Maharashtra with a spillover into adjoining
Madhya Pradesh. The last outbreak was detected
April 18, in Jalgaon district of Maharashtra.
"There has been no further outbreak of avian
influenza in India after April 18," the
OIE was informed. Since the outbreak of
avian flu in the country, nearly 67,000
samples have been tested at the High Security
Disease Laboratory in Bhopal. All samples
collected from the outbreak areas in Maharashtra,
Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat have been tested.
Surveillance around the areas of outbreaks
and in the rest of the country has shown
no evidence of the presence of highly pathogenic
avian influenza. "India has, therefore,
declared that it is free from Highly Pathogenic
Avian Influenza," the statement said, adding
that surveillance will continue given the
global spread of avian influenza and the
situation in the neighbouring countries
where it is almost endemic.
Courtesy:
The Economic Times, August 13, 2006
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Indian
Firm to Build Acid Plants For Zambia Mines
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India's
Furnace Fabrica Ltd will build two acid
plants to supply Zambian copper mines, where
acid is currently imported to support rising
copper production, state media reported
on Thursday. Keli Walubita, the Zambia high
commissioner to India, said that Furnace
Fabrica would build an acid plant in Kabwe,
140 km north of Lusaka, and another one
in Kitwe, 380 km further north of the capital.
Walubita said that the Indian firm would
provide acid to the expanding copper mines.
"Once fully operational, the acid plants
will have a (total) capacity to produce
960 tonnes of acid per day," the Times of
Zambia quoted Walubita as saying. No indication
of investments was given or the timetable
for construction of the two plants. Zambia
is increasingly in need of sulphuric acid,
a key component in copper production, and
currently imports from South Africa as copper
production rises due to global demand. Copper
mining is Zambia's economic lifeblood and
the copper mines are a major employer in
this southern African country of 10 million
people.
Courtesy:
The Financial Express, August 11, 2006
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Waste
Minimisation Programme Found Profitable
in Fertilizer Unit
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The
waste minimisation programme implemented
in small-scale fertilizer manufacturing
unit of 10 tonnes per day capacity Epsom
salt could save Rs.8.65 lakhs. The scheme
implemented with the help of Industrial
Operations Research Group (IORG), Palakkad,
saved Rs.8.5 lakhs per annum by making a
small investment of up to Rs.1 lakh for
purchasing and using suitable weighing machines
and adopting improved practices. The payback
period is less than two months. The manufacture
of Epsom salt requires manganese ore, sulphuric
acid, magnesium oxide and water as ingredients.
The present practice is to add these ingredients
on continuous basis, mix them till reaction
is completed and the clear liquid of magnesium
sulphate separates out which is sent for
crystallisation and drying. A study conducted
by N.G. Nair of IORG said that a typical
SSI unit has a capacity to produce 10 tonnes
per day of Epsom salt. A large number of
reaction tanks and mixing tanks are constructed
and workers use large wooden batons to mix
the ingredients poured in these tanks. The
transfer of liquid is facilitated by overflow
or siphoning action using PVC pipes. The
quality of ingredients used is based on
`thump rule' dictated by the supervisor.
There is no weighing system, as these ingredients
are not issued on weight but by volume basis.
The purity of the ingredients does not receive
serious considerations. It has been observed
that magnesium ore received by the units
come in different impurity levels, which
vary from 50 to 75 per cent. As this aspect
gets ignored, the input quantity of the
ore taken for reaction varies. In effect,
these chemicals are not issued in their
molar proportions. This results in excess
consumption of material, which along with
the impurities appear as sludge and is indicative
of the waste generated in the unit, he said.
For the production of 10 tonnes of Epsom
salt per day, the requirement of various
ingredients estimated are six tonnes of
25 per cent purity ore and 120 kg of magnesium
oxide. Further four tonnes of sulphuric
acid would be required and 4.5 KL of water
for the reaction purpose. Another 5.5 KL
of water will also be required to account
for evaporation and potential seepage losses
and for keeping the reactant mass in solution.
The impurities\sludge generated would amount
to approximately 1.5 tonnes per day. Thus
it has been found that the current usage
of ingredients and potential amount of resource
conservation feasible and economic savings
potential for a typical fertilizer unit
manufacturing 10 tonnes of Espson salt is
Rs.8.5 lakhs per annum, Dr. Nair said. The
manufacture of Epsom salt finds another
bottleneck, which is in the drying process.
According to present practices, after crystallisation
and recovery of product through centrifuge,
the product is dried in open air and is
subject to vagaries of climate, which is
restrictive on the production capacity\yield
of these units. To overcome this problem
the usage of electrically driven rotating
drum is found economical. The heat recovered
from the flue gases from the boiler furnace
has been utilised for drying the magnesium
sulphate crystal.
Courtesy:
The Hindu, August 11, 2006
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Meteorites
Wiped Out Dinosaurs in Gujarat
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The
pieces of meteorite that fell in Western
parts of Gujarat a few days back caused
little damage. But they most probably contributed
to the extinction of dinosaurs from the
earth 65 million years ago. Several parts
of Gujarat can be regarded as the Jurassic
Park of India where hundreds of dinosaurs
of different size and shapes used to roam
freely as indicated by the large number
of fossilised dinosaur eggs that are found
in this region. Scientists believe that
it was mainly the devastating impact of
a large number of meteorites hitting the
earth that caused the extinction of the
dinosaurs. "Traces of iridium, which are
found in the area where the dinosaur fossils
have been found, gives credence to the theory
that dinosaurs must have been wiped out
because of huge meteorite impacts which
must have occurred 65 million years ago",
said Deputy Director General of Geological
Survey of India (Western Region) Dr RS Goyal.
Though there is no conclusive evidence to
show that it was meteorite impact which
caused extinction of dinosaurs, scientists
infer this from the fact that large quantities
of iridium are found in the layers of the
earth where dinosaurs are usually found.
This is because iridium is a rare element
that is primarily in the meteorites, Goyal
added. Explaining how dinosaurs vanished
from the earth, Goyal said scientists believe
that 65 milion years ago there were heavy
showers of meteorite on the earth. This
showers lasted for several days. The showers
were so awesome that it kicked up a large
amount of dust and smoke laced with iridium,
a highly toxic element. The toxic dust and
smoke was so intense that it covered the
whole stratosphere blocking the total sunlight.
This prevented the photosynthesis-the process
by which plants take nourishment using solar
energy. As a result the plants withered
and died. The herbivorous animals, which
needed plants for their survival, died and
consequently the carnivorous animals including
large dinosaurs, which preyed on herbivorous
animals also died. As a result, dinosaurs
all over the world, including Gujarat died,
he added. "Traces of iridium are found in
the soil just above the soil layer where
dinosaurs have been found. In Viri village
in Anjar District, where we have found several
dinosaur fossils, we have found considerable
traces of iridium indicating the coorelation
between meteorites and the extinction of
dinosaurs," Pande added. The meteoric showers
are also believed to have caused other techtonic
upheavals like volcanic eruptions which
have also contributed to the extinction
of dinosaurs, says Pande.
Courtesy:
Hindustan Times, August 09, 2006
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Pak
Boy Youngest to Have Liver Transplant in
India
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Sheryar
is just about a year old and wants a feel
of everything he sees - right from his orange
balloon to television microphones being
thrust at his parents - probably to make
up for the 10 months of life that he lost
out on being tied to hospital beds. He has
a new liver now, something that belonged
to his 44-year-old grandmother. The Pakistani
child, born without any bile ducts, was
operated upon at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital
(SGRH) on June 16. As per the hospital's
claims, he is the youngest child to have
successfully received a liver transplant
in India. He responded well, was out of
the intensive care unit in 10 days, and
out of the hospital within a month, though
he would need to be on drugs that suppress
his immune system for the rest of his life.
Doctors, however, say this won't deter him
from leading a normal life. Says his father
Arshad, a Dubai-based businessman, "He had
been operated once in Pakistan but that
was not successful. His improvement after
this operation has been drastic. He feeds
well, plays, does things he has never been
able to do." The family, he adds, had taken
estimates from hospitals all over the world
and SGRH's Rs 14 lakh "suited us". The operation
was complicated, says Dr A S Soin, senior
consultant and liver transplant surgeon,
SGRH, more so because of the earlier surgery.
"We removed about 25% of his grandmother's
liver and transplanted it on him. It is
big for him now, but as his body grows,
it will start growing when required. Liver
surgeries are complicated because the blood
supply to all organs in the abdomen are
linked to the liver and there are more chances
of bleeding. In his case, the main blood
vessel to the liver too was blocked because
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