As students, they walked through King George’s Medical University’s iconic administrative block umpteen number of times, but students from orthodontic department’s first batch never felt so overwhelmed as they did here on Saturday.
Aboard a golden chariot to take a ride of their campus, the alumni relished each moment of their golden jubilee. The ride ended at Browne Hall which had marked the beginning of their journey as specialist dentists.
First student Dr DN Kapoor, who was given a special welcome, said the face of his college has changed but the spirit remains the same. “We all owe our best to this campus… Once a Georgian, always a Georgian,” he said.
The day also marked 50 years of in orthodontics in the medical university. “We began with just one room in 1965 and today, it is a full-fledged department from where over 200 post graduate students have passed out and are working in different parts of the world,” said head of the department and also the organizer of the event Prof Pradeep Tandon.
A 50-minute video capturing department’s journey from its inception was also screened. It included bytes from scores of teachers and students. The department is the only Orthodontic Centre in India which has exclusively rendered orthodontic teaching and treatment.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Lucknow / TNN / December 06th, 2015
Billionaire Philanthropist and Entrepreneur Manoj Bhargava demonstrate Electricity-Generating Bicycle during its Launch in New Delhi. (PTI photo)
New Delhi :
Indian-American billionaire philanthropist Manoj Bhargava, on Friday, unveiled a stationary bicycle that can generate electricity and help rural households meet their energy needs.
“The stationary bicycle generates power. The pedalling turns a flywheel, which spins a generator that charges the attached battery,” Bhargava said while unveiling the product.
He further said the cycle is estimated to be priced between Rs 12,000-15,000 and will be available by March next year.
One hour of pedalling can meet a rural household’s electricity needs for 24 hours, including running lights, a small fan and charging a cell phone — all without electricity bills, fuel costs or pollution, a statement issued by him said.
Bhargava said he had a discussion about the product with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“I had a discussion with Modiji about a year ago,” he said.
Bhargava was also not very enthusiastic about collaborating with government departments.
“…if I go to a government department…they are not bad people but efficiency is zero. Besides, it will take six months to decide which department of the government should help me out,” he said.
Bhargava said he will first start selling the product in Uttarakhand and later target rest of the domestic market.
He also said that Uttarakhand is a power surplus state but households face electricity shortages and this product can help them meet their basic requirements.
He added that the product will be manufactured in India at the facilities of some industrial houses, as well as in US.
The product would have one model where the user can also measure the calories burnt while using it.
These kind of products are especially useful for the 1.3 billion people around the world who do not have access to electricity, he said.
Bhargava, whose net worth is estimated at USD 4 billion, has pledged 99 percent of his fortune to finding solutions that can help people across the world.
Bhargava also supports The Hans Foundation, one of the largest charitable organisations in India.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> NRI> NRI Achievers / PTI / November 27th, 2015
This foundation day, on November 25, Lucknow University alumnae society will confer `Lifetime Achievement Award’ to Lord (Dr) Khalid Hameed. Hameed is the chairman and CEO of London International Hospital and chairman of Alpha Hospital Group. Lord Hameed completed his MBBS from Lucknow University in 1967.
LU alumni society will felicitate eight other illustrious former students who have brought laurels to their alma mater by doing exceptionally well in their respective professions.
Among those who will be felicitated this year are Justice SS Chauhan of the Allahabad high court; IAS officer Lov Verma; director general, Archaeological Survey of India Rakesh Tewari; CEO Biotechnology Park Prof Pramod Tandon; senior journalist Rahul Dev; eminent theatre personality SM Kulshreshtha; chairman-cum-managing director, Mineral Exploration Corporation Ltd Gopal Dhawan and noted Awadh historian Yogesh Praveen.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Lucknow / by Isha Jain, TNN / November 16th, 2015
A young researcher from the Allahabad University’s (AU) department of physics has come up with breakthrough research in new age solar cells that could revolutionize the photovoltaic technology that harnesses solar energy.
Lokendra Kumar, an assistant professor at AU’s department of physics, worked with the US scientists at Purdue University on plastic solar cell technology under India-US 21th Century Knowledge Initiative of the University Grants Commission (UGC). His research centres around emerging solar technologies and is in collaboration with the network for photovoltaic technology in the US which is a world leader in the field of solar cells.
He has already worked in the US for a year under Raman fellowship programme and designs emerging solar cells.
“Emerging next generation solar cells are different from conventional inorganic-silicon solar cells and a topic of great interest for potentially low cost solar energy conversion into electrical energy and possibility of many novel applications,” Lokendra told TOI. “Portable solar cells, building-integrated solar cells (BISC), etc., are such new age solar cells. As the name suggests, building-integrated solar cells (BISC) electric power systems not only produce electricity, they are also part of the building,” he informed.
“Simply put, having an entire building made of solar panels which would not only serve the purpose of window of the outer structure but will also harness the unlimited power of solar energy, would be reality in near future,” he informed.
“The key advantage of building-integrated solar panels is the marginal additional cost in installation. But it can be possible only if architects and principals have sufficient knowledge about solar cells technologies and appropriate design tools to assist them. Emerging photovoltaic technologies including plastic solar cells and inorganic-organic hybrid solar cells have a unique feature of making flexible foldable semi-transparent solar panels with easy and low cost building integration,” he added.
“These solar cells are like plastic paint and solar have unique feature for some specific uses in remote areas too,” said the young physicist.
“Future belongs to technology called ‘Pervskite’ which are inorganic-organic solar cells as these are very cheap in comparison to present silicon based cells and have shown to be very efficient,” said Kumar.
Kumar also worked on some unanswered questions on design and operation of these technologies. He demonstrated some efficient solar cells and studied their properties while working at the Purdue. He delivered invited lecture on photo-physics of organic semiconductors and a fundamental challenge for economic viability of organic solar cell technology, in an international conference at Boston and also participated in other international workshops and meeting during his stay in the US.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Allahabad / by Rajeev Mani, TNN / October 27th, 2015
The 23rd National Children’s Science Congress, organized by Union department of science and technology got underway at Kendriya Vidyalaya, New Cantt on Wednesday. Around 300 students from 31 KVs of the state are participating in the two day intra-regional event.
The students would discuss various weather phenomenon and climatic changes like understanding weather scenario, impact of human activities on weather & climatic changes, eco-system, their co-relation with society and culture, agriculture and health and many more such issues.
In a short but glittering inaugural ceremony, chief guest Narendra Dev University of Agriculture & Technology, Faizabad, Vice Chancellor Akhtar Haseeb reflected upon the need to develop scientific attitude among students through interesting ways and means so that they could contribute towards human welfare in the most rational way.
KV New Cantt principal Shalini Dikshit accorded warm welcome to the distinguished guests. At the end of the inaugural ceremony, vice principal Rajeev Kumar Tiwari proposed vote of thanks.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Allahabad / TNN / October 15th, 2015
Even as Punjab farmers rue the loss of nearly two-thirds of their cotton crop to whitefly, Lucknow-based National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI) has developed a cotton variety that is resistant to the pest.
The technology has been tested on cotton plants at the institute’s polyhouse, where a gene derived from a vegetable – which the institute did not disclose – was found effective against whitefly. The ones injected with the ‘gene’ at the polyhouse are healthy and others are stunted and infested with whitefly.
“The ‘gene’ makes whitefly sterile thus controlling the reproduction of the pest,” said Dr PK Singh, principal investigator of the project, ‘Development of Resistance against Whitefly in Cotton’, at the institute. NBRI, a research lab of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), has applied for a patent for the technology in eight countries.
Whitefly is a common pest which affects 30 plant varieties, including cotton, brinjal, papaya, tomato, okra and cucurbits, both in open fields and polyhouses. Though cotton is grown in nine states – Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, it’s the northern states where the pest affects the crop more.
Whitefly is a sap-sucking pest which affects plants in two ways: it sucks all the nutrients from leaves and excretes on the leaf’s surface thus causing fungal infection. Worse, the crop infested with whitefly may not wither completely but remains stunted. This gives farmers the hope that an overdose of fertilisers and pesticides would save the plant, but actually the yield from unhealthy plants is too little.
Once there is an outbreak it is difficult to check it. Spraying pesticides may not always help as the canopy formed by grown up plants may not let pesticide act on each and every leaf. Besides, the pest sticks to the base of the leaves and lays eggs there. “Treating each and every leaf can help but that’s a tough task,” said a scientist.
Once the pest spreads, it can destroy the crop in six to eight weeks. It was after testing genes from 250 plants that NBRI found the gene from a vegetable effective on cotton.
The protein formed by the gene was found safe and also easily digestible in the laboratory trials. The technology is now ready for field trials. “We want industrial partners to take the technology forward for field trials and efficacy test,” said director, NBRI, Dr CS Nautiyal.
The institute has done the trial on ‘coker’ variety of cotton which is not cultivable for low yield. “It needs to be crossed with other varieties and after six to eight crossings, we can transfer the gene to varieties which are commonly cultivated,” said Singh. ‘Coker’ is competent to take any gene.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Lucknow / by Neha Shukla, TNN / October 09th, 2015
DG, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Dr. Girish Sahni, on the occasion of CSIR Foundation Day, today announced bestowing of CSIR Award for S&T Innovations for Rural Development (CAIRD) – 2014 upon CSIR-Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CSIR-CIMAP), Lucknow for “Enhancing incomes of farm communities through Vetiver based Technological Interventions”.
CSIR had instituted the “CSIR Award for S&T Innovations for Rural Development” in the year 2006 to recognize and honour S&T innovations that have helped transform the lives of rural people.
The effort through this award, in a way, is also to give a boost to rural development through intrinsic innovation and its implementation at ground level.
The award, which has emerged as a very prestigious one, carries a cash prize of Rs.10 lakh, a citation and a shield.
source: http://www.pib.nic.in / Press Informaion Bureau, Government of Indai, Ministry of Science & Technology / by KSP / September 26th, 2015
A boy from Uttar Pradesh Rahul De has been appointed as marketing head of MTN – Africa’s biggest multinational mobile telephone network – and would oversee the operation from Nigeria.
MTN Group’s President and CEO Raymond Sifiso Ndlovu Dabengwa made this announcement. He said that Rahul De would be the Chief Marketing Officer and would head the operation from Nigeria.
He is the first Indian to have been appointed at this level. Before shifting his base to Nigeria De was heading MTN’s marketing division in Ghana. “The new assignment would be a real challenge as MTN in Nigeria has been facing pressure in the market for some time now. Half yearly results of the group show that the Nigerian operation has not grown,” De communicated to The Pioneer through email..
Nigeria market is the largest for MTN in terms of subscribers. At 61 million subscribers and revenue of almost 4 billion dollars yearly it does 30 per cent of MTN group revenues.
MTN is the largest telecom operator in Africa with around 12 Billion dollars revenue and 231 million subscribers. It has operations spread across 22 countries in Africa and Middle east
Rahul has been widely recognised in MTN as having turned around its Ghana operations where worked for four years. “MTN Ghana has become the ‘data network of choice’, and has become a pioneer in ‘mobile money initiatives’. Having customers always at the heart of things the company has grown exponentially though their has been serious pressure due to depreciation of local currency (cedis) to dollars,” De said
“My priority would be to create a more youth centric organization, data network of choice, customer experience management and deliver on all brand promises,” De said.
De belongs to Allahabad. He did his schooling from B SC from Allahabad and did research on international marketing trade.
Prior to his assignment Rahul has held a number of senior roles in Reliance, Aircel, Maxis (Malaysia)
source: http://www.dailypioneer.com / The Pioneer / Home> State edition> Lucknow / Pioneer News Service, Lucknow / Thursday – August 13th, 2015)
For Deepti Vibha, her job as a neurologist does get stressful at times, but it is also a very rewarding and satisfying career. Photo: Arvind Yadav
A lot of sweat, toil and tears go into the making of a neurologist,” says Dr Deepti Vibha, an assistant professor, department of neurology at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi. “Neurology was my passion as there is no other area of medicine which is as complex as brain/nervous system. I drew inspiration from my teachers while pursuing my graduation and postgraduation. The workload and fascination for teaching were prime factors that motivated me to study neurology,” she says.
Vibha did her MBBS from King George’s Medical University, Lucknow, which is a five-and-half year course. Subsequently, she pursued an MD (medicine) from Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Memorial Medical College, Kanpur, and followed it up with a three-year doctorate of medicine in neurology from the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi. Thereafter, she decided to pursue a career in academics and joined a government hospital as faculty.
“At the initial stage of training as a medical student, I was exposed to clinical specialities like medicine, surgery, paediatrics, orthopaedics, otorhinolaryngology, obstetrics and gynaecology and ophthalmology. I learnt how to take down a patient’s medical history and examine him or her. I was taught about para-clinical and diagnostic specialities like pathology, microbiology and radiology during MBBS training. After getting a bachelor’s degree in medicine and surgery, I sat for an entrance examination for the speciality I wanted to pursue,” she shares.
One should be ready for intense hard work, advises Dr Vibha. “The entrance examinations are quite competitive. Therefore, it might not always be possible to get the speciality you are aspiring for. I was interested in medicine and was fortunate to get selected as well. The training includes both theory and practical aspects where one has to spend long hours in reading medical books and attend to patients. Anyone wanting to take up this profession should be aware that it is very demanding and requires utmost dedication.”
Neurology is different from neurosurgery as it deals with managing patients who suffer from disorders of the brain, nerves and muscles which do not require surgery for treatment like brain and spinal cord tumours, head trauma etc which do not come under the realm of neurology.
“Neurologists have to meticulously trace the medical history of the patient and minutely study the symptoms to arrive at a precise diagnosis. They also deal with life-threatening cases on a regular basis. These include acute stroke, acute and chronic meningitis, encephalitis, autoimmune neurological diseases, demyelination, acute neuropathy, myelopathy and myasthenia gravis, to name a few. Timely treatment ensures rewarding outcomes of all these conditions,” explains Vibha.
A day in the life of a neurologist includes attending to patients in the OPD (out-patient department), IPD (in-patient department) and emergency from morning till the end of the day.
“In OPD, I attend cases of epilepsy, headache, infections of the brain, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord diseases, neuropathies, Parkinson’s disease, sleep disorders, dementia and other genetic disorders. In IPD, I attend to patients who are a diagnostic challenge and those who require in-hospital management. Emergencies are seen on a round-the-clock basis at AIIMS,” she says.
Young people wanting to take up this profession “should have an enormous amount of patience and be willing to spend long hours with patients with neurological diseases or problems, record their history and examine them in detail for a correct diagnosis. An optimum management plan is then drafted. Some neurological diseases are chronic and such patients require counselling and rehabilitation support apart from medical therapy. Therefore, neurologists must have empathy and patience,” says Vibha.
One should also have the ability to go beyond the call of duty and ensure a patient’s comfort level. Excellent communication and research skills are a must. Also, one has to constantly stay updated on the latest in the field of neurology.
Is it a stressful job? “There are no definite working hours as such because emergencies can come up any time of the day. It does get stressful at times but it is also the most rewarding and satisfying career. Neurology case evaluation requires a lot of time, compassion and sensitivity,” she says.
Considering that lifestyles have become stressful in today’s time, neurological disorders are on the rise.
“According to a ‘Journal of Association of Physicians of India’ in January 2012, there were approximately 1,100 qualified clinical neurologists working in India, which is inadequate for 1.2 billion Indians. Hence, there is an urgent need for more neurologists across the country. Also, we require more institutes for training, but not at the cost of quality. Very few people are interested in pursuing a career in academics and teaching due to monetary reasons and lack of opportunities in the government sector. Credence should to be given to teaching and research in this field. Also, teaching hospitals, especially those having DM/DNB programmes, need to retain competency in order to raise the standards of training,” says Vibha, who has also received the ML Soni book prize for being the best neurology DM resident at AIIMS.
As for remuneration in the field, she says, “In government hospitals, the starting salary ranges from `60,000 to `1 lakh per month. This is very low when you compare it with private hospitals, where salaries start from `2 lakh to `5 lakh per month. However, there is huge scope in this field. Neurologists are an integral part of any super or multi-speciality hospital, be it government or private. These days there are various sub-speciality fellowships in stroke, neurophysiology, epilepsy, movement disorders, sleep, neuromuscular disorders, neuro-immunology, mostly abroad, which can give doctors an edge over others.”
For Vibha, saving lives, curing patients and seeing a smile on their faces when they go back home fully recovered is extremely satisfying. “I consider these as my rewards. My father is a retired bank officer and my mother is a homemaker. Being the only doctor in the family is a matter of pride,” concludes Vibha.
All about
Dr Deepti Vibha
Profession: Neurologist
Day begins at: 5.30am
Day ends at: No fixed hours
Work hours: Usually eight hours
Social responsibilities: Spreading awareness about strokes, epilepsy and other neurological disorders
Family: Husband is a nephrologist and they have a four-year old son
Vacations: Last year, to the lovely Kashmir valley
When not at work: Likes to read, travel and spend time with family
Getting to know her
Deepti Vibha is an assistant professor at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi.
She did her MBBS from King George’s Medical University, Lucknow, which is a five-and-half year course, following which, she did an MD (medicine) from Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Memorial Medical College, Kanpur. Subsequently, she pursued a three-year doctorate of medicine in neurology from AIIMS, New Delhi.
Vibha has received the ML Soni book prize for being the best neurology DM resident at AIIMS.
Vibha deals with neurological diseases such as acute stroke, acute and chronic meningitis, encephalitis, demyelination, acute neuropathy and myelopathy to name a few.
Oncology
Dealing with tumours
Oncology is the study of cancer, a disease characterised by abnormal cell growth in the body. Its sub-specialities include surgical oncology, medical oncology and radiation oncology.
A medical oncologist provides systemic therapy such as chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, targeted therapies and bone marrow transplants.
According to a WHO India report, by 2020, the developing world is likely to have 70% of the projected 20 million cancer-stricken patients globally.
There are, however, far fewer oncologists in India than required, especially for surgical and medical (involving therapy such as chemotherapy) treatment.
As an oncologist, you will need to counsel a patient, make him/her come to terms with the disease and get treated for it.
At times, patients may find it difficult to cope with a life-threatening ailment and might panic or get depressed. Medical experts have to help them stay positive and alleviate their suffering, so inter-personal skills are as crucial.
Endocrinology
Treating hormonal disorders
Endocrinology is a branch of biology and medicine dealing with the endocrine system, its diseases, and its specific secretions of what we know as hormones.
It is also concerned with the psychological or behavioural activities of metabolism, growth and development, tissue function, sleep, digestion, respiration, excretion, mood, stress, lactation, movement, reproduction and sensory perception caused by hormones.
An endocrinologist is a medical doctor (MD) who has specialised in the treatment or research of disorders that affect the endocrine system and the function of glands that produce and release hormones into the bloodstream.
Nephrology
Say no to kidney problems
Nephrology is a specialisation of medicine and paediatrics that concerns itself with the study of normal kidney function, kidney problems, the treatment of kidney problems and renal replacement therapy (dialysis and kidney transplantation).
Nephrologists are physicians who deal with kidney disorders including — fluid and electrolyte disorders, acid-base disorders, kidney stones, glomerular diseases, tubulointerstitial diseases, mineral metabolism, acute kidney disease, acute renal failure, chronic kidney diseases, chronic renal failure, end stage renal disease and dialysis. Nephrologists may further sub-specialise in dialysis, kidney transplantation, chronic kidney disease, cancer-related kidney diseases etc.
source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / by Anchal Bedi, Hindustan Times, New Delhi / May 29th, 2015
U.P. Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav takes a look at solar water pumping solutions at the North India Solar Summit on Friday. Photo: Rajeev Bhatt
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav announced on Friday the waiver of value-added tax on solar energy equipment, and said the State was working on setting up solar power plants and parks here.
“Our State has a vast potential and if facilities are given here, entrepreneurs could make India a developed nation. ‘Make in India’ could not succeed without ‘Make in UP,’” he said.
At the North India Solar Summit, organised by the Indian Industries Association, he said the State had announced its solar policy and the government was working on having solar power plants and solar parks in the State.
He said light and fans would be run on solar power in the under-execution Loha housing scheme. Solar power would soon be supplied to a village with no charge collected from consumers. The State was working to ensure power supply for 16 to 18 hours in rural areas and 22 to 24 hours in urban areas.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Other States / PTI / Lucknow – April 25th, 2015
