Science, technology and innovations in India

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New method of producing hydrogen from water using magnets shows energy-efficient route to manufacturing of the fuel
Posted On: 04 AUG 2021 1:18PM by PIB Delhi

Indian researchers have come up with an innovative hydrogen manufacture route which increases its production three times and lowers the energy required that could pave the path towards environment-friendly hydrogen fuel at a lower cost.

As a fuel, hydrogen has a critical role to play in driving the paradigm shift towards a green and sustainable economy. In addition to having about 3-fold higher calorific value compared to non-renewable energy sources such as coal and gasoline, the combustion of hydrogen to release energy produces water and is thus completely non-polluting. Due to the extremely low abundance of molecular hydrogen in the earth’s atmosphere (350 ppbv), electric-field driven breakdown of water is an attractive route for production of hydrogen. However, such electrolysis requires high energy input and is associated with slow rate of hydrogen production. The use of expensive platinum- and iridium-based catalysts also discourages it for wide-spread commercialization. Therefore, the transition to ‘green-hydrogen-economy’ demands approaches that lower the energy cost and material cost and simultaneously improve the hydrogen production rate.

A team of researchers from IIT Bombay led by Prof. C. Subramaniam have come up with an innovative route that provides viable solutions to all these challenges. It involves electrolysis of water in the presence of an external magnetic field. In this method, the same system that produces 1 ml of hydrogen gas required 19% lower energy to produce 3 ml of hydrogen in the same time. This is achieved by synergistically coupling the electric and magnetic fields at the catalytic site.

The simple approach also provides the capability to retrofit any existing electrolyser (that uses electricity to break water into hydrogen and oxygen) with external magnets without drastic change in the design, leading to increased energy efficiency of H2 production. This proof-of-concept demonstration for producing hydrogen has been published in ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering.



The electrocatalytic material -- cobalt-oxide nanocubes that are dispersed over hard-carbon based nanostructured carbon florets, is of prime importance to achieve this effect and was developed with the support of the Department of Science & Technology’s Material for Energy Storage program at Technology Mission Division. It was put to use for magneto-electrocatalysis through the DST-SERB grant.

The interface between the carbon and cobalt oxide is key to magneto-electrocatalysis. It is advantageous as it forms a system that does not require the constant presence of the external magnetic field and is able to sustain the magnetisation for prolonged time periods; the magnitude of the enhancements achieved (650% increase in current density, 19% lowering of energy required and a 3-fold increase in volumetric hydrogen production rate) is unparalleled, the intermittent magnetic field required is similar to what a fridge magnet can provide. This route can be directly adopted in existing electrolyzers without any change in design or mode of operation and one-time exposure of magnetic field for 10 minutes is enough to achieve the high rate of hydrogen production for over 45 minutes.

“The intermittent use of an external magnetic field provides a new direction for achieving energy-efficient hydrogen generation. Other catalysts can also be explored for this purpose,” says Prof. Subramaniam. “A basic electrolyser cell of 0.5 nm3/h capacity can be immediately upgraded to a 1.5 nm3/h capacity by replacing the catalysts and supplying the magnetic field”, added Jayeeta Saha and Ranadeb Ball, students who were supported by the DST funding.

Having shown that the method is not very complicated either, the team is now working with an industrial partner to increase the TRL level and ensure its successful commercialization.

“Given the importance of hydrogen-based economy, we aim to implement the project in a mission-mode and realise an indigenous magneto-electrolytic hydrogen generator,” says Prof. Subramaniam. If their efforts are successful, we might be looking at an environmentally friendly fuel, hydrogen, replacing petroleum, diesel, and compressed natural gas (CNG) in the future, he added.



Publication:

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acssuschemeng.1c01095

https://static.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/userfiles/image/image001III0.jpg

 

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INSPIRE faculty fellow develops human-based models to study neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism


Posted On: 04 AUG 2021 11:00AM by PIB Delhi



Dr. Yogita K Adlakha, an Inspire Faculty Fellow, has developed human-based models to study neuron development and neurodevelopmental disorder such as autism which can help design treatment strategies for such brain disorders.


Since decades, animal models have been used to understand brain-related disorders, and the drugs which function in animal models have failed in clinical trials. The dearth of human models has led to lack of knowledge of the pathophysiology of such disorders, an essential requirement for designing their treatment strategies. Therefore, Dr. Yogita K Adlakha, a recipient of INSPIRE Faculty fellowship instituted by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), filled this gap by generating human-based stem cell model to understand brain development and dysfunction at the National Brain Research Centre, Manesar, Haryana. Currently, she works as a Scientist at Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, NCR biocluster, Faridabad.


Along with her research group, she established a protocol from India for the first time by generating and producing induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from human peripheral blood. They have further refined the protocol of differentiation of iPSCs into the brain-specific stem cells, i.e., neural stem cells (NSCs).


Her group has contributed immensely in understanding the role of microRNA in the neural stem cell fate, which revealed how certain small non-coding RNAs called microRNA, which do not form protein but regulate expression of other genes, can enhance differentiation of neural stem cells into neurons. Her research has contributed to expanding the knowledge of neuron development and the role of small non-coding miRNA in brain-specific stem cells fate, thereby changing the face of neuroscience and stem cells.


Dr. Yogita filled this gap and developed a human-based model that could help study how brain develops, particularly the neurons, and what goes awry during brain development leading to cognitive decline, impairment in language, and social interaction. Along with her group, she derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from human peripheral blood and differentiated them into neural stem cells (NSCs). Since levels of microRNA-137 are less in neurodevelopmental disorders such as ASD and ID, her study demonstrates crucial roles of this miRNA during human NSC fate determination with an elaboration of underlying molecular mechanisms. This study was published in the journal “STEM CELLS”.


Her study provides the first evidence that a brain enriched miRNA-137 induces neuronal differentiation and inhibits proliferation using human neural stem cells derived from iPSCs. During the study, it was observed that miRNA-137 not only accelerates mitochondrial (powerhouse) biogenesis but also induces oxidative phosphorylation, generating ATP or energy currency of the cell. This resulted in increased mitochondrial content, which is actually necessary for the newly born neurons. Decrease in proliferative capacity of NSCs with age leads to compromised regenerative ability of the brain. The findings of her study by revealing the NSC differentiation induced by miR-137 can facilitate the design of treatments for aging-associated neurodegenerative diseases and ASD and ID.


Decrease in proliferation of brain-specific stem cells with age leads to compromised regenerative capacity of the brain. In her present work, she proposes that differentiation of brain-specific stem cells induced by a small non-coding miRNA may promote the design of treatments for aging-associated neurodegenerative diseases and autism.





“My research using DST INSPIRE fund has definitely contributed to expanding the knowledge of neuron development and neurodevelopmental disorder such as autism and the role of small non-coding miRNA in brain-specific stem cells fate,” adds Dr. Yogita.

 

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IIT Madras to Collaborate with Adyar Cancer Institute to Develop Kit for early Diagnosis of Ovarian Cancer


6-8 minutes


CHENNAI, 29th July 2021: Indian Institute of Technology Madras is going to collaborate with the Cancer Institute (WIA) at Adyar in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, to develop a point-of-care device for early diagnosis of Ovarian Cancer.
The two institutions have entered into an MoU to further develop and validate this technology and transfer it to a suitable Industrial partner to manufacture and market the kit to the general public.
Ovarian cancer is the seventh most common cancer and eighth leading cause of cancer associated death in women. The number of new cases worldwide in 2020 was 314000 while in India it was 44000; the number of deaths due to ovarian cancer in 2020 was 207000 globally while in India it was 32077 [the deaths include cases diagnosed in earlier years]. It is therefore a silent killer since most patients do not have any symptoms in the early stage or have non-specific symptoms which are usually ignored, resulting in most patients presenting in advanced stages of the disease. Additionally, early detection of ovarian cancer has not been possible due to lack of reliable markers or diagnostic tests.
The MoU towards this collaboration was signed on 29th July 2021 by Dr Selvaluxmi, Director, Cancer Institute, and Prof. Ravindra Gettu, Dean Industrial Consultancy and Sponsored Research, IIT Madras, the lead investigators Dr. V.V. Raghavendra Sai, Associate Professor (Biomedical Engineering), Department of Applied Mechanics, IIT Madras, and Dr. T. Rajkumar, Professor and Head, Department of Molecular Oncology, Cancer Institute [WIA]
Under funding from the Department of Science and Technology, Govt. of India, the Department of Molecular Oncology at the Cancer Institute [WIA] had undertaken research to identify proteins which can be detected in the blood which can help in the diagnosis of epithelial ovarian cancers, which accounts for over 90% of the ovarian cancers.
Speaking about the key focus of this collaboration, Dr. T. Rajkumar, Professor and Head, Department of Molecular Oncology, Cancer Institute, said, "Our research to identify early diagnosis biomarkers for ovarian cancer used blood samples from 138 ovarian cancer patients, 20 patients with benign ovarian cancers and 238 healthy subjects. The study used high end proteomics [Tandem Mass Tag (TMT) based quantitative analysis by high resolution mass spectrometry] for initial identification of proteins which were differentially expressed in epithelial ovarian cancers. There were over 507 blood proteins which were expressed differently between healthy subjects and epithelial ovarian cancer patients. A two-stage validation was then undertaken.
21 of the 507 proteins in blood that were found to be expressed at different levels were taken up for validation using an advanced technique called Quantibody array.
In the 2nd stage, 9 proteins found to be expressed at different levels between healthy subjects and epithelial ovarian cancer patients were assessed using sandwich ELISA for each individual protein.
Highlighting the unique aspects of this collaboration, Dr. V.V. Raghavendra Sai, Associate Professor (Biomedical Engineering), Department of Applied Mechanics, IIT Madras, said, "This gives us an excellent opportunity to work closely with the clinicians towards a deeper understanding of the bottlenecks on the clinical diagnosis and gain from this rich experience to develop robust systems. The clinicians also will have an avenue to see the potential of the latest technological developments and guide us to effectively tailor them to meet the needs. The state-of-the-art high throughput systems, available only in the centralized diagnostic laboratories for screening for disease markers, are limited by the infrastructure, cost, access and sometimes sensitivity. We aim to realize a cutting-edge table-top customizable diagnostic system that can help in decentralization of the diagnosis and bring a paradigm shift in the way the disease diagnosis is done currently."
Using the ELISA assays, a combination of 5 markers (CA125, IGFBP2, SPP1, TSP1 and ADI) showed 90.24% sensitivity and 94.87% specificity. This assay of 5 markers has the potential for early diagnosis of epithelial ovarian cancers. A patent application has been filed. The research has been published in the Journal of Proteomics [2020]. The collaboration with IIT Madras will help develop a single point of care device [instead of doing 5 ELISA reactions] which can help in faster and cheaper early diagnosis. This is not for screening purposes at this point of time".
On the other hand, IIT Madras has received funding from Indo-German Science and Technology Centre (IGSTC), DST- Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) and Indo-US Science and Technology forum (IUSSTF) to develop point-of-care diagnostic platforms for pathogen detection and disease diagnosis. Novel diagnostic device technologies for important diseases specific to India. In particular, tuberculosis and COVID-19 are at the pre-clinical validation stage.
Both Institutions will establish a review board and will obtain the necessary ethical clearances to evaluate and review the progress arising from this collaboration. The Cancer Institute (WIA) at Adyar is a comprehensive cancer centre with a hospital, a Research centre, a Centre for preventive oncology, Epidemiology and Cancer Registry and a College of Oncological Sciences. Its Research centre is engaged in research and development in Molecular Oncology and are further involved in identifying biomarkers for early diagnosis, prognosis and in the development of newer therapeutics in the field of Oncology.
The Key Outcomes envisaged from this collaboration include:
A· Point of care device for early diagnosis of epithelial ovarian cancers
A· A cost-effective and fast method of analysis, using only blood sample allowing out-patient diagnosis.
A· Additional areas of collaboration in the pipeline including early diagnosis of breast cancer [patent filed by Cancer Institute [WIA] and awaiting publication of the scientific data] and development of a nano-formulation of a peptide [discovered by the team in Cancer Institute for targeting an aggressive bone cancer called Ewing's sarcoma, patent filed and data published]

 

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Advanced Wound Dressing Material Based on Seaweed Agar can Treat Diabetic Wounds and Manage Chronic ones at Competitive Cost


Posted On: 06 AUG 2021 11:47AM by PIB Delhi



An Indian scientist has developed an advanced wound dressing based on agarose, a natural polymer derived from seaweed agar, for the treatment of infected diabetic wounds and patients suffering from chronic wounds. This indigenous dressing will allow cost-effective dressings for chronic wound patients and will also pave the way for business incubation.


The biodegradable, non-immunogenic wound dressing was developed from sustainable source intervention has been developed by Dr. Vivek Verma from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur by adding several additive molecules like iodine and citric acid. It was supported by the Advanced Manufacturing Technologies programme of the Department of Science & Technology (DST), Government of India, and is aligned with the ‘Make in India’ initiative, which has bagged a National patent and has been validated and tested in-vitro and in-vivo on rat model.


The role of addition of several active molecules like sericin, iodine, and citric acid to this novel wound dressing has been evaluated along with agar in terms of their healing and containment property with regards to chronic wounds. The invention, in particular, provides agar dressing films for the treatment of infected diabetic wounds. The dressing may be used as a single layer, bilayer, or multi-layered hydrogel films depending on the severity and type of wound.


The developed intervention is in third stage of the Technology Readiness Level. At present, the dressing has been tested on rat model with small-sized circular wound of diameter 5 mm with single layer dressing incorporated with only one active ingredient.


The next step would be to test its efficacy in the treatment of large wounds in big animals like rabbits or pigs. Dr. Verma is working towards incorporation of all the active agents in single or multilayer arrangement and optimize various parameters related to it. The final stage will include clinical trials. Following these steps, the technology can be commercialized in the market as single or all ingredient loaded uni/multilayer dressing material.


According to Dr. Vivek Verma, the advanced wound dressing has potential to be converted into commercial product for advanced wound care, and it can provide an active bandage for treatment and management of chronic wounds at competitive cost.


The advanced wound dressing market in India is largely monopolized by foreign companies. This indigenous dressing will not only allow cost-effective dressings for chronic wound patients but also will pave way for business incubation.


For more details, Dr. Vivek Verma ([email protected]) can be contacted.

 

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Carbon-based non-toxic and reusable wrapper to increase shelf life of fruits


Posted On: 09 AUG 2021 3:23PM by PIB Delhi



Indian scientists have developed a composite paper made of carbon (graphene oxide) loaded with preservatives that can be used as wrappers to help extend shelf life of fruits. Unlike the present preservative dipping technology, where the preservatives are adsorbed by the fruit, causing chronic toxicity to the consumers; here preservatives the wrapper releases the preservative only when needed. The wrapper can be reused, which is not possible with the present technology.


Fruits are highly perishable, hence 50% of fruits produced are wasted, causing huge losses. Conventional preservation relies on coating the preservative with the resin, wax, or edible polymer, which may cause chronic health problems.


In order to address this problem, a team of researchers led by Dr. P. S Vijayakumar fromInstitute of Nano Science and Technology, Mohali, an Autonomous Institute of the Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India looked for an alternative, that could be generated from waste and would not lead to adsorption of preservatives in the fruit.


The activated graphene oxide-loaded molecules were then loaded with preservatives. This high preservative-loaded graphene oxide, when cast into a paper used for fruit wrapping, ensures that the fruit is not loaded with toxic preservatives. But when the fruit over-ripens or gets infested by pathogens, the acidity increases by the secretion of acids, critic, and oxalic acids trigger the release of the preservatives for the preservation of the fruit. Otherwise, the preservative stays with the carbon wrapper. In the fruit dipping method, the preservative will be lost along with the fruit, whereas the wrapper can be re-used after the consumption of the fruit for the preservation of the next batch of fruits.


To develop this non-toxic and reusable wrapping paper, the team allowed carbon matrix to incubate with the preservative. After the incubation for 24 hr in room temperature, the resultant was washed several times to remove the extra preservatives. And finally, this carbon-preservative composite was cast into paper. This work has been published in the journal ‘ACS applied materials and interface’.


“Already waste-derived carbon materials are known to harbour huge amount of organic molecule loading, hence the preservative loaded carbon has been prepared and cast into paper for the fruit preservation. Increasing the capacity of carbon to hold organic molecules helped us to develop this product,” adds Dr.Vijayakumar.


This novel product can benefit the farmers and food industry by extending the shelf life of fruits. Using this wrapper for the fruit will also ensure that the customer gets the fruits with healthy quality, as we have found improvement in the phenol content. The production of this graphene fruit wrapper requires only the carbon produced from the heating of biomass, hence it will also benefit in biomass consumption and employment generation.

 

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Porous carbon nano-particles from waste onion peels used for making soft actuators with enhanced photo-mechanical capacity


Posted On: 10 AUG 2021 3:48PM by PIB Delhi



Using porous carbon nanoparticles from waste onion peels, a team of scientists have developed soft robotic actuators with enhanced photomechanical capacity. The actuators can act as efficient traps for the illuminating low-power near-infrared (NIR) light and can convert a control signal into mechanical motion with bioengineering applications such as drug delivery, wearable and assistive devices, prostheses, and even artificial organs.


Soft robots or actuators consisting of rubber-like polymer with embedded nanomaterials which convert a source of energy to mechanical motion have been gaining much interest with targeted applications in areas including bio-medical, military, and remote space operations. Generation of predesigned motion facilitated by their flexibility, affordability, and easy customization are the main reasons for such interest. The high thermal conductivity of these nanoforms results in rapid distribution of the heat generated locally by thermal and photo-thermal stimuli. To take these actuators to the next level of development, heat traps can be created to capture and contain the generated heat for slightly longer durations such that the achieved photomechanical actuation can be enhanced.


A team led by Prof. S. Krishna Prasad at the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS), Bengaluru, has realized such a possibility by utilizing porous carbon nanoparticles (PCNs). In the research work recently published in the ‘Journal of Nanostructure in Chemistry,’ the porous nano-carbons (PCN) prepared were prepared from waste onion peels by Dr. Gurumurthy Hegde at the B.M.S. College of Engineering, Bengaluru.


The specific surface area of the high porosity PCNs were efficient traps for the illuminating low-power near-infrared (NIR) light resulting in the film comprising PCNs and PDMS achieving large magnitude (multi-mm) actuation with fast (sub-second) responses. These features are seldom obtained in single-layer films containing any other carbon nanostructure.


The researchers attribute the heat-trapping capability to the manner in which the PCN is prepared. Ms. Pragnya Satapathy, a senior research fellow, says, “Exhaustive measurements performed show that the photothermal conversion efficiency and the heat-trapping capability is seen to be strongly correlated with the pyrolysis temperature employed for PCN preparation, and thus is an effective control parameter.”


As a value addition, the team also found with an additional ultrathin (30 nm) gold layer, the actuation magnitude could be more than doubled, and more importantly, bidirectional photo-controlled face-sensitive movement realized. As a novel application-oriented demonstration of the process, the team fabricated a Near-Infrared-driven electrical switch which could activate LED circuits and could be used for other similar applications.

 

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Uttarakhand CM launches India's first earthquake early warning mobile app developed by IIT-Roorkee


3-4 minutes


Synopsis
It is a path-breaking achievement for the institute as it is the country's first application for notifying people about earthquake alerts. It can also help tell the location of people trapped inside a structure following an earthquake.

Uttarakhand CM launches India's first earthquake early warning mobile app developed by IIT-Roorkee

It is a path-breaking achievement for the institute as it is the country's first application for notifying people about earthquake alerts. It can also help tell the location of people trapped inside a structure following an earthquake.

economictimes.indiatimes.com

 

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Low-cost Flexible Tactile Sensors having Robotics and Bio-medical Applications Developed


Posted On: 12 AUG 2021 2:47PM by PIB Delhi



An Indian researcher has developed low-cost soft, flexible, and wearable sensors that can be used for diagnosis of pulse rate variability in humans. Being a high sensitivity flexible pressure/strain sensor, it can also be used for small and large scale motion monitoring, with potential applications in robotics, prosthetics, as well as minimal invasive surgery and identification of tumor/cancerous cells.


Dr. Dipti Gupta from IIT Bombay has fabricated these tactile (pressure and strain) sensors using low-cost polyurethane foam and nanomaterial-based inks that can coat several substrates with support from the Advanced Manufacturing Technologies programme of the Department of Science & Technology (DST), Government of India. Reduced graphene oxide (rGO) was used as the sensing material. The fabrication of sensors based on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) as the sensing material was challenging due to the intrinsic hydrophobic behavior of graphene oxide inks as well as the agglomeration of graphene oxide flakes after reduction. A reducing agent called hydrazine and a dual-component additive comprising of compounds benzisothiazolinone and methylisothiazolinone in appropriate proportion were used to synthesize rGO ink with a hydrophilic nature. Utilizing this hydrophilic rGO ink mixed with multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs), a very simple, low-cost approach was found for the fabrication of a pressure sensor based on polyurethane (PU) foam coated with the MWNT−rGO ink (MWNT− rGO@PU foam). The MWNT−rGO@PU foam-based devices were shown to be versatile pressure sensors with the potential to detect both small-scale and large-scale movements.


The research was published in the journal ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces. The technology which can be used to monitor the pulse waveform of a human radial artery in real-time is aligned with the ‘Make in India’ initiative, and Dr. Gupta has applied for 3 national patents for these sensors. The sensors have been tested for their different level of strains like micro and large scale motion monitoring and have potential applications in biomedical devices, skin electronics, and minimal invasive surgery. This frontier technology for wearable and robotic devices applications is in the third stage of Technology Readiness Level, and Dr Gupta further plans to develop a prototype for an array of sensors in the future.

 

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Union Agriculture Minister inaugurated the world's second-largest refurbished gene bank at the National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources

Our farmers are skilled human resources even without a degree – Shri Narendra Singh Tomar


Posted On: 16 AUG 2021 8:12PM by PIB Delhi



Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar inaugurated the world's second-largest refurbished state-of-the-art National Gene Bank at the National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR), Pusa, New Delhi. On this occasion, Shri Tomar said that the farmers of India are fully capable of accepting the challenges faced by the agriculture sector and conquering them. He said that our farmers are skilled human resources even without any major educational degree. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi is constantly concerned about the welfare of the farmers and concrete steps have been taken by the government through several schemes to increase their income.

Appreciating the services of visionary experts like Prof. B. P. Pal, Prof. M.S. Swaminathan and Prof. Harbhajan Singh, Shri Tomar said that they had laid a strong foundation for the conservation of diversity of indigenous crops in the country. “We have a glorious past, for the progress of the country, everyone should keep moving forward with a sense of responsibility towards the future. This revamped state-of-the-art National Gene Bank is a powerful step in that direction. The staff working here must have felt satisfaction and happiness that how they are serving the agriculture sector and the country while saving the heritage. Today, the need for biofortified crop varieties is being felt, somewhere there is an imbalance, which the government is trying to overcome by taking the farmers along”, he added.

Shri Tomar said, “in ancient times there was a lack of resources and technology, but the fabric of nature was strong, there was complete coordination, due to which there was neither malnutrition nor death due to hunger in the country then. But when this fabric broke, we started facing difficulties and needed to make special efforts. Due to the successful efforts of the government with the farmers and agricultural scientists, today the production and productivity of food grains are increasing continuously.” He said that if proper attention had been given to the development of agriculture twenty-thirty years ago, today the world would be dependent on India for agriculture and allied sector.


Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shri Kailash Choudhary said that agri-farmers would be greatly benefited by the new gene bank with state-of-the-art facilities for germplasm. The government is working with a positive mindset. The goal of the Prime Minister is to make the farmers self-reliant, the government is making every effort in this direction.


Dr. Trilochan Mohapatra, Director General, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, while delivering the welcome address, explained the activities and progress of the Bureau. On this occasion, Union Minister Shri Tomar released some publications of the Bureau and launched PGR Map App. The services of Shri Kuldeep Singh, the recently retired Director of the Bureau, for the modernization of the gene bank, was appreciated.


The National Gene Bank established in the year 1996 to preserve the seeds of Plant Genetic Resources (PGR) for future generations, has the capacity to preserve about one million germplasm in the form of seeds. Presently it is protecting 4.52 lakh accessions, of which 2.7 lakh are Indian germplasm and the rest have been imported from other countries. National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources is meeting the need of in-situ and ex-situ germplasm conservation through Delhi Headquarters and 10 regional stations in the country.

 

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Indigenous memory technology adoption for 180 nm CMOS production: A national milestone in semiconductor R&D

A tiny memory to make chips “perfect”

Posted On: 17 AUG 2021 8:01PM by PIB Delhi



The natural world is analog while computing is digital. Computers perceive the natural world through sensorchips whose output is analog. The analog output is converted into the language of computers through a digitizer chip or an analog to digital converter (ADC). Foundries mass-produce these chips. Ideally, these chips should be identical but manufacturing variations produce tiny offsets which are revealed upon testing. This renders a large fraction of chips useless. The tiny offset may be stored in memory once and applied to the output afterward to make each imperfect chip, “perfect”! Using this method,generic chips can now be designed and application-specific offsets added to make expensive custom chip design redundant, saving time and money for the user.


Chip technology gaps became the focus of investigation for Indian researchers asthe demand for semiconductors increased inthe country and globally. The Government of India took cognizance of the significance of R&D in innovation-drivensemiconductor manufacturing.TheyimprovedR&D capacity by buildingCentres for Excellence in Nanoelectronics (CENs);the firstones being atIIT Bombay and the Indian Institute of Science. This led to a transformed semiconductor research ecosystem making the country a major contributor to electron device-related research.


The next challenge was to translate research to manufacturing. The semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem in India is led by Semi-Conductor Laboratory (SCL), Mohali, Department of Space, Government of India, and is the most advanced semiconductor manufacturing fab (a large facility with cleanroom environments used to produce memory chips) in the country.


“The success of the “Digital India” initiative by the Government of India has underpinnings in our country’s ability to manufacture electronics hardware. The focus on electronics hardware including integrated circuits or chips is key to strengthen R&D primarily in the Space and Defense sectors. Development of standards, product design or IP development, and semiconductor manufacturing are increasingly important. Improving India’s participation in this area is a major priority for R&D in India. The partnership between IIT Bombay and SCL to establish this memory technology for the first time demonstrates the augmented potential for semiconductor research in the country”, said Prof. K. VijayRaghavan, Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the Government of India.


IIT Bombay partnered with SCL to successfully demonstrate CMOS 180nm based production-ready 8-bit memory technology. IIT Bombay invented the one-time programmable (OTP) memory based on ultra-thin deposited silicon dioxide (a few atoms thick) instead of the existing gate oxide-based OTP technology. In contrast to the high voltage required by gate oxide breakdown (a popular OTP memory), IIT Bombay’s memory chip requires less power and chip-area as the need for boosted voltage supply is avoided.“Memory technology is critical to data security. It is essential for present and future Indian Fabs. To infuse innovation, translating memory technology from research to manufacturing is the key to compete globally and serve locally to establish a vibrant semiconductor ecosystem. The OTP Memory Technology Adoption for Trimming Application by the joint IIT Bombay - SCL Chandigarh teams is a pioneering step in this direction. It will be a gamechanger by enabling secure memory and encryption hardware for the country.” Dr. V.K. Saraswat, Member, NITI Aayog.


The team at IIT Bombay was supported by the Department of Science and Technology’s Intensification of Research in High Priority Area (IRHPA).Aspects of the work were funded byMeitY/DST’s Nanoelectronics Network for Research and Applications (NNetRA)supportsthe memory application,DST-Advanced Manufacturing Technologies, and the Office of PSA for hardware security.The team at IIT Bombay partnered with IITDelhi,SETS Chennai, and DRDOfor hardware encryption.


“One out of 100 ideas make the journey from Lab to Fab. The exacting process of exceeding 95% yield requires an unrelenting multi-disciplinary team supported by a world-class R&D infrastructure to form an enduring collaboration. Once successful such technology opens possibilities of touching countless lives, in this case, through chips with a tiny memory,” said Prof. Udayan Ganguly, who leads the team at IIT Bombay.

 

[Varoon2]

Sounds good.

IIT Guwahati researchers develop new memory architectures methods to boost processor speeds

www.gadgetsnow.com

 

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India records 572% growth in grant of Patents in last 7 years


Minister of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs & Food & Public Distribution and Textiles Shri Piyush Goyal today conferred the National Intellectual Property Awards 2020 to the winners at an event. Dr GiridharAramane, Secretary, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade and other senior officials were also present at virtual event.


While addressing the award function, Shri Goyal congratulated all the winners & hoped that they would continue to do such exemplary work in future also. He said that these awards were truly inclusive with contributions from varied sectors i.e. from Academia to Start-ups.


The Minister said that today, technology & ideas are the twin engines of growth, IPR is the fuel that powers them and this award not only recognises the innovative ideas of individuals & institutions but also serves as an inspiration for others. He said there is need to bring an IP revolution for Inclusive Progress in the nation and strengthening IPR laws. He said it will boost job creation, quality, competitiveness & manufacturing.


The Minister said that powered by Intellectual Property, India can be the "Innovation Powerhouse" of the world. Shri Goyal said that Intellectual Property Rights actually translates into India’s progress in real-time and extend Intellectual Property Right to India’s Prosperity Right. He said, we must aim to make India the “Design hub of World”


Shri Goyal said that just like geographical boundaries guard our country’s interests, Intellectual Property is the guardian of our country’s prospects. Shri Goyal further added that Intellectual property is the cornerstone of nation’s progress & showcases ingenuity of our youth. It is the key for success of Start-up India, Make in India & Design in India. He said under Prime Minister’s guidance, India has taken giant strides in creating a robust IPR regime & an ecosystem to foster innovation.


Shri Goyal further said that IP has the power & potential to change lives & create livelihoods for billions. He said that today we recognise IP as one of the most valuable assets in India’s ability to compete in global economy. He said, our IP Rights must ensure whoever invents in India is not only protected but guaranteed to prosper .A strong IPR regime will empower the expansion & energize the industry in challenging times.


He said one major initiative in this direction has been – National IPR Policy for “Creative India, Innovative India”.


He said other key initiatives are Fee Concessions like 10% rebate on online filing, 80% fee concession for Start-ups & Small Entities. The Minister said that IPR filing procedures are now more compact, time-bound, user-friendly & compatible for e-transactions.He said that comprehensive e-Filing facility, Electronic processing of Patents & Trademarks applications, are bringing transparency & ease of access for those IPR seekers.


Addressing the event , Shri Goyal said the key achievements include


-Granting of 28,391 patents in 2020-21 as compared to 4,227 grants during 2013-14 (572% growth.


-Reduction in Time of patent examination from 72 months in Dec 2016 to 12-24 months in Dec 2020


-14.2 lakh trademark registrations in 4 years (2016-2020) in comparison to 11 lakh during 75 years (1940-2015).


Shri Goyal said we have improved India’s ranking in Global Innovation Index to 48th in 2020, (+33 ranks from 81st in 2015-16). The Minister said now, we must all work in a mission mode to achieve the ambitious target of being in the top 25 nations of Global Innovation Index.


In his concluding remarks, the Minister said that from Cars to Computers & from Sewing Machines to Spaceships, we must encourage all to design a better future for humanity. He said that we all need to contribute ideas in order to make our IP regime more proficient.





On this occasion, Shri Goyal made following announcements-


• 80% fee reduction filing for IPRs to all Recognized Educational Institution (Govt/Aided/Pvt) irrespective of whether such institute is in India or outside India.


• Total fee (Filing + publication + Renewal fee) for an Institute is ~Rs. 4,24,500/- now, this will be reduced to Rs. 84,900/ -, The fees among the top Patent Offices worldwide.


• Office of CGPDTM (IP office) will impart training & awareness to 10 Lakh students in this Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav (15th Aug, 2021 to 15 Aug, 2022).





Shri Goyal appreciated efforts & contribution of all Officers in IP Office for being trusted guardians of “Brain of India”. He urged all to aim higher to transform India into a magnet to attract best of talent, ideas & technology.


It may be noted, every year National Intellectual Property (IP) Awards are conferred by Office of Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks (CGPDTM), Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, to recognize and reward the top achievers, comprising individuals, institutions, organisations, enterprises, police units and other legal entities, for IP creation, commercialization and enforcement, which has contributed towards strengthening IP eco-system in the country and encouraging creativity and innovation.

 

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Multi-Storeys Constructed with Thermocol could be the future Earthquake-resistant Buildings


Posted On: 23 AUG 2021 3:55PM by PIB Delhi



Thermocol could be the material of the future for construction of earthquake-resistant buildings, with thermal insulation and could also save energy required to develop construction materials.


Researchers at IIT Roorkee have found that thermocol or Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) is used as a composite material in core of reinforced concrete sandwich, could resist earthquake forces on up to four-storey buildings.


The researchers tested a full-scale building and a number of wall elements constructed with thermocol sandwiched between two layers of concrete at the National Seismic Test Facility (NSTF) of the Department of Earthquake Engineering, IIT Roorkee, developed under Fund for Improvement of S&T Infrastructure (FIST) programme of Department of Science & Technology (DST), Government of India. Mr Adil Ahmad, the research Scholar who conducted the tests, evaluated the behaviour of the constructions under lateral forces, as earthquake causes a force predominantly in lateral direction. The investigation was supplemented with detailed computer simulation of a realistic 4-storey building. Prof. Yogendra Singh, supervising the research, informed that the analysis shows that a four-storey building constructed with this technique is capable of resisting earthquake forces, even in the most seismic zone (V) of the country, without any additional structural support.


They have attributed this earthquake resistance capability to the fact that the EPS layer is sandwiched between two layers of concrete having reinforcement in the form of welded wire mesh. The researchers said that the force being applied on a building during an earthquake arises due to the inertia effect and hence depends on the mass of the building. Thermocol resists earthquakes by reducing the mass of the building.


In this technique, the EPS core and the wire mesh reinforcement is produced in a factory. The building skeleton is first erected from the factory-made core and reinforcement panels, and then concrete is sprayed on the skeleton core. This technique does not require any shuttering and hence can be constructed very fast.


Besides resisting earthquakes, the use of expanded polystyrene core in concrete walls of a building can result in thermal comfort. The core provides the necessary insulation against the heat transfer between building interior and exterior environment. This can help in keeping the building interiors cool in hot environments and warm during cold conditions. India suffers a large variation of temperature in different parts of the country and during different seasons of the year. Therefore, thermal comfort is a crucial consideration along with structural safety.


The technology also has the potential of saving construction material and energy, with an overall reduction in carbon footprint of buildings. It replaces a large portion of concrete volume from the walls and floor/roof. This replacement of concrete with the extremely lightweight EPS not only reduces mass, thereby decreasing the earthquake force acting on a building but also diminishes the burden on the natural resources and energy required to produce the cement concrete.

Fig. 1 Factory made EPS core panel and welded wire mesh reinforcement	Fig. 2 Building skeleton made of factory-made EPS core panels

Fig. 3 Spraying and pouring of concrete over the EPS core skeleton and finished building model

Fig. 4 Testing of the full-scale building model in the NSTF and strain pattern obtained using the contactless Digital Image Correlation system procured through DST-FIST support

 

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Solar cells by Hyderabad scientists to make waves | Hyderabad News - Times of India


HYDERABAD: In the backdrop of Indian government’s plan set to launch deep ocean mission in 2022, researchers from Birla Institute of Technology (BITS), Pilani (Hyderabad campus) have found that submerged solar cells could be potentially used in monitoring sensors and for other commercial and defence applications such as submarines and marine investigations.
As part of a funded-project by the Defence Materials and Stores Research and Development Establishment (DMSRDE), Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), researchers at BITS, Pilani, Hyderabad along with those from Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, studied ‘underwater characterisation and monitoring of silicon solar cells in diverse water settings’.
“Essentially, sufficient solar energy is available underwater that is enough to run self-powered submarine equipment. The purpose of the study was to develop some capabilities and data repository from various kinds of solar cells for its usage underwater,” said Sudha Radhika, assistant professor, department of electrical and electronics engineering, BITS, Hyderabad.

Solar cells by Hyderabad scientists to make waves | Hyderabad News - Times of India

In the backdrop of Indian government’s plan set to launch deep ocean mission in 2022, researchers from Birla Institute of Technology (BITS), Pilani (H

timesofindia.indiatimes.com

 

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Indigenously developed powders from unused scrape materials to be used for the repair of aero-engine components made of Ni-based super alloy


Posted On: 24 AUG 2021 5:15PM by PIB Delhi



Indian Scientists have for the first time repaired aero-engine components through emerging additive manufacturing or 3D printing technique called Directed Energy Deposition process that can significantly reduce repair costs and overhaul time. They indigenously made powders suitable for the additive manufacturing process called the Directed Energy Deposition process.


Ni-based superalloys are widely used in aero-engine components. Despite having exceptional properties, they are prone to damage due to extreme operational conditions. Manufacturing defects during the casting or machining process are another major cause of rejection, and tons of such unused components are scrapped due to minor defects.


A team of scientists from the International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy & New Materials (ARCI), an autonomous R&D Centre of Department of Science & Technology, Govt. of India, indigenously developed powders suitable for additive manufacturing using inert gas atomizer available at ARCI by melting unused scrap material. Utilising this, ARCI is developing the Laser-DED process for the repair of aero-engine components made of Ni-based superalloy.


Furthermore, the ARCI team developed a technology to refurbish pinion housing assembly (critical component in helicopters used for power transmission to the main fan) by machining out the damaged layer and rebuilding it using laser cladding process followed by final machining. Laser cladding and Laser-DED (both processes) are the same. In general, for two-dimensional deposition (surface coating), the term laser cladding is used, and for the manufacture of three-dimensional parts, the term laser-DED is used. A patent (201911007994) has been filed for the same.


A post-clad heat treatment method was also designed to minimize microstructural inhomogeneity and ensure minimal substrate properties variation. These laser-clad repaired prototypes were found to be free from distortion and exhibited excellent performance. The team has also developed repair and refurbishment technologies for other industrial sectors, such as refurbishing diesel engine cylinder heads made of grey cast iron and refurbishing shafts used in the refinery. This work has been published in the journal ‘Transactions of The Indian Institute of Metals’.


Thus the impact of repair and refurbishment technology developed by ARCI can be best realized in the aerospace sector due to expensive materials, manufacturing costs, and stringent quality checks.


Publication link: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12666-020-02150-0


For more detail, please look into Patents # 201911007994, 201811039663; or Mr. Manish Tak (manish[at]arci[dot]res[dot]in) may be contacted.

Fig 1: (a)Aero-engine components made of Ni-based superalloys for repair and (b)powder developed indigenously at ARCI

Fig 2: Pinion housing with robotic unit at ARCI


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New advanced oxidation technology can enhance waste water reuse at lower cost


Posted On: 25 AUG 2021 3:59PM by PIB Delhi



A new technology may soon enhance the reuse of waste water in an affordable and sustainable manner. The technology which uses UV-Photocatalysis can treat municipal sewage and highly polluting industrial wastewater streams and increase its reuse as a technological option in industrial as well as municipal wastewater treatments.


With ever-increasing water crisis, it becomes imperative for industries & utilities to reuse ‘treated water’. However, the current treatment practices are inefficient because of high dependence on biological treatment systems, which are unable to bear shock loads. This is followed by tertiary treatment systems involving RO and Multi Effect Evaporators (MEE). These systems have large carbon footprint and maintenance costs making the wastewater treatment highly unsustainable and unaffordable. These researchers have felt the need to integrate novel approaches and advanced technologies in current systems.


The Energy and Resources Institute, New Delhi, has developed a technology called The Advanced Oxidation Technology or TADOX® which ‘can reduce less dependence and load on biological and tertiary treatment systems and help achieve Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD). It can bring down capital expenditure on ZLD by 25-30% and operating expense by 30-40% for industrial wastewater treatment.


The Advanced Oxidation Technology, TADOX® developed by TERI New Delhi for wastewater treatment is an effort in this direction. Department of Science and Technology (DST), GoI- Water Technology Initiative (WTI) has supported TERI to develop this technology at bench scale collaboration in tie-up with ONGC Energy Centre (OEC), Delhi.


The technology supported by the Water Technology Initiative (WTI) of the Department of Science and Technology, Govt. of India involves UV-Photocatalysis as an Advanced Oxidation Process (AOP) at the secondary treatment stage leading to oxidative degradation and mineralization of targeted pollutants.


It improves biodegradability, thereby preventing bio-fouling of membranes and enhancing life span and efficiency of RO systems as also overall load on evaporators like Multiple Effect Evaporators and Mechanical vapor recompression (MVR), and so on. It can reduce Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), dissolved organics, pathogens, Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), and Micropollutants.


TADOX® could be integrated and retrofittable in existing treatment systems making it a viable option as a novel Decentralized Wastewater Treatment Technology (DWTT) applicable in upcoming and existing infrastructural projects, townships, commercial complexes, green buildings, and smart cities.


The technology has been adopted by an MSME Company to scale up to 10 Kilo Litre per Day continuous running plant in TERI Gurugram campus. TADOX® technology has been chosen for pilot trials and augmentation plan for identified industrial sectors under ‘Namami Gange’ Programme of the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Govt. of India. The Technology is at TRL 7 and ready for commercialization through field implementations and Technology & Trademark License Agreement from 1st April 2021.

First 10 KLD TADOX® Wastewater Treatment Plant at TERI Gurugram Campus.

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Researchers Discover Three Super-massive Black Holes Merging Together in Our Nearby Universe


Posted On: 27 AUG 2021 9:28AM by PIB Delhi



Indian researchers have discovered three supermassive black holes from three galaxies merging together to form a triple active galactic nucleus, a compact region at the center of a newly discovered galaxy that has a much-higher-than-normal luminosity. This rare occurrence in our nearby Universe indicates that small merging groups are ideal laboratories to detect multiple accreting supermassive black holes and increases the possibility of detecting such rare occurrences.


Supermassive black holes are difficult to detect because they do not emit any light. But they can reveal their presence by interacting with their surroundings. When the dust and gas from the surroundings fall onto a supermassive black hole, some of the mass is swallowed by the black hole, but some of it is converted into energy and emitted as electromagnetic radiation that makes the black hole appear very luminous. They are called active galactic nuclei (AGN) and release huge amounts of ionized particles and energy into the galaxy and its environment. Both of these ultimately contribute to the growth of the medium around the galaxy and ultimately the evolution of the galaxy itself.


A team of researchers from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics consisting of Jyoti Yadav, Mousumi Das, and Sudhanshu Barway along with Francoise Combes of College de France, Chaire Galaxies et Cosmologie, Paris, while studying a known interacting galaxy pair, NGC7733, and NGC7734, detected unusual emissions from the centre of NGC7734 and a large, bright clump along the northern arm of NGC7733. Their investigations showed that the clump is moving with a different velocity compared to the galaxy NGC7733 itself. The scientists meant that this clump was not a part of NGC7733; rather, it was a small separate galaxy behind the arm. They named this galaxy NGC7733N.


This study, published as a letter in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics, used data from the Ultra-Violet Imaging Telescope (UVIT) onboard the first Indian space observatory ASTROSAT, the European integral field optical telescope called MUSE mounted on the Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile and infrared images from the optical telescope (IRSF) in South Africa.


The UV and H-alpha images also supported the presence of the third galaxy by revealing star formation along with the tidal tails, which could have formed from the merger of NGC7733N with the larger galaxy. Each of the galaxies hosts an active supermassive black hole in their nucleus and hence form a very rare triple AGN system.


According to the researchers, a major factor impacting galaxy evolution is galaxy interactions, which happen when galaxies move close by each other and exert tremendous gravitational forces on each other. During such galaxy interactions, the respective supermassive black holes can get near each other. The dual black holes start consuming gas from their surroundings and become dual AGN.


The IIA team explains that if two galaxies collide, their black hole will also come closer by transferring the kinetic energy to the surrounding gas. The distance between the blackholes decreases with time until the separation is around a parsec (3.26 light-years). The two black holes are then unable to lose any further kinetic energy in order to get even closer and merge. This is known as the final parsec problem. The presence of a third black hole can solve this problem. The dual merging blackholes can transfer their energy to the third blackhole and merge with each other.


Many AGN pairs have been detected in the past, but triple AGN are extremely rare, and only a handful has been detected before using X-ray observations. However, the IIA team expects such triple AGN systems to be more common in small merging groups of galaxies. Although this study focuses only on one system, results suggest that small merging groups are ideal laboratories to detect multiple supermassive black holes.

Journal reference: Astronomy & Astrophysics, Volume 651, id.L9, 6 pp.


(https://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/full_html/2021/07/aa41210-21/aa41210-21.html)