The Union Home Ministry claimed in an affidavit in the Supreme Court on Tuesday that since October 2020 as many as 10,787 ventilators have been installed in various hospitals across the country.
Category: Science & Technology
** Biocon subsidiary gets approval to market cancer drug Abevmy in Europe
Bengaluru-based pharmaceutical company Biocon Biologics has received approval from the European Commission to market breast, ovarian, cervical and renal cancer drug ‘Abevmy’.
The company got the approval for the Abevmy in two strengths — 100mg and 400 mg
** IISc team studies differences between mechanized brain and human brain to equip them with similar traits
According to SP Arun, associate professor at Centre for Neuroscience (CNS) at IISc, many studies showing similarities between deep networks and brains were already available. “However, none has really looked at their systematic differences, which would help us get closer to making these networks more brain-like,” he said.
** Czech, Ireland and the US fly in life-saving devices to Bengaluru amid surge in COVID cases
According to a senior Customs official, a total of 66 ventilators from Ireland valued at Rs 3.37 crore and 8 ventilators from the US valued at Rs 0.21 crore were cleared.
A total of 218 respiratory devices including high purity regulators and mouthpieces from Czech Republic a totally valued at Rs 0.58 crore were also cleared.
** DRDO to aid hospitals generate oxygen on site
The Medical Oxygen Plant (MOP) technology, developed by DRDO for on-board oxygen generation in the Light Combat Aircraft Tejas by DRDO’s Bengaluru-based Defence Bioengineering and Electromedical Laboratory (DEBEL), will now be employed in the fight against the current crisis of oxygen for Covid-19 patients.
The same technology generates oxygen for fighter pilots flying the Tejas at high altitudes.
First Time in India. Scientists Discover 2.5 million-year-old Dragonfly Fossil : October 2020
First Dragonfly fossil has been discovered by a team of scientists from West Bengal. The discovery was found in Latehar District, Jharkhand.
The fossil belongs to the late Neogene period which dates between 2.5 million and 5 million years ago.
The dragonfly is about 3 cm long and has a wingspan of around 2.5 cm
The research Paper of the findings was published in the October 10th edition in ‘Current Science’ Journal.
___________
___________________________________
West Bengal / Jharkhand / INDIA
Indian-American Sethuraman Panchanathan Appointed to Head America’s top Science Funding Body : June 2020
American Scientist – Dr. Sethuraman Panchanathan has been appointed by U.S President Donald J Trump as the 15th Director , of the National Science Foundation (NSF). The term is for 6 years.
The NSF is the top American body supporting fundamental research on non-medical fields of science. It has a budget of USD 7.4 billion .
Earlier Assignments:
- Executive Vice President – ASU Knowledge Enterprise Development , Arizona State University
- Chief Research Officer – Arizona State University
- Director – Center for Cognitive Ubiqiutous Computing (CUbiC), Arizona State University
- Foundation Chair – Computing and Informatics, Arizona State University
- Member – National Science Foundation . Appointed by US President Barack Obama ( June 2014 )
Other/s:
- Fellow – National Academy of Inventors, USA
- Fellow – Canadian Academy of Engineering
- Fellow – Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, USA
- Fellow – Institute of Optical Engineers, USA
Education:
- Ph.D – Electrical and Computers Engineering, University of Ottowa (1989)
- M.E – Masters in Electrical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, IIT (1988)
- B.E. – Bachelors in Electronics & Communications Engineering, Indian Institute of Science , IISc (1984)
- B.Sc – Bachelors in Physics, University of Madras
Notes:
Dr. Sethuraman Panchanathan is the second Indian-American to be nominated to this prestigious science position. His predecessor was Dr. Subra Suresh who served during October 2010 and March 2013.
India becomes Founding Member of Global Alliance on AI (GPAI) : June 2020
India has joined leading nations of the world including USA, UK, Australia, EU amongst others as a founding member of a league of nations which has launched a Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) or Gee-Pay.
The other nations in partnership also include Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Republic of Korea and Singapore etc.
GPAI will be supported by a Secretariat, hosted by Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris, as well as by two Centers of Expertise- one each in Montreal and Paris.
American-Indian Doctor Ankit Bharat performs First Lung Transplant for COVID-19 Survivor : June 2020
Dr. Ankit Bharat MD, led a team of surgeons and performed a double-lung transplant on a Covid-19 survior.
The Chicago patient was on a ventilator and a heart-lung machine for 6 weeks before she underwent the operation at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago, Illinois.
Presently:
- Chief of Thoracic Surgery & Surgical Director – Northwestern Medicine Lung Transplant Program.
______________________________
American / American-Indian
Harsh Vardhan takes charge as Chairman of WHO’s Executive Board : May 2020
Dr. Harsh Vardhan (aka) Harshvardhan Goel has taken charge of the World Health Organization (WHO), as Executive Chairman of the Board with effect from May 22nd, 2020.
He succeeds Hiroki Nakatani of Japan. To head a 34 member Executive Board of the 134 nation, World Health Assembly
Presently :
- Minister – Ministry of Health & Family Welfare – Government of India
- Minister – Ministry of Science & Technology – Government of India
- Minister – Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India
- Member of Parliament – 17th Lok Sabha
Education :
- M.S. (Otorhindaryngologist) – Ganesh Shanker Vidyarthi Memorial Medical College, Kanpur (1983)
- M.B.B. S – Ganesh Shanker Vidyarthi Memorial Medical College, Kanpur (1979)
Awards / Honours :
- IMA President’s Special Award of Appreciation – by Indian Medical Association (1994)
- Director-General’s ‘Polio Eradication Champion Award Commendation Medal’ – World Health Organization (WHO) – (1998)
- Polio Eradication Champions Award – by Rotary International (2001)
- ‘Doctor of the Last Decade’ (Swasthya Ratna) – by Indian Medical Association’s New Delhi branch (2002)