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CSIR NEWSCSIR NEWSCSIR NEWSCSIR NEWSProgress, Promise and Prospects
VOL 60 NO 5 & 6 MARCH 2010
C O N T E N T S
website: http://www.csir.res.in
Wishesits Readers a Very
Happy New Year 2010
Shri Prithviraj Chavan, Hon’ble Minister forS & T and Earth Sciences Visits IICT and NIO
Risorine — A Novel CSIR Drug CurtailsTB Treatment
CEERI Centre, Chennai, Transfers itsTechnologies to Industry
DG, ICMR Visits CSIO
CSIR NEWS50
VISITS
Shri Prithviraj Chavan, Hon’ble Minister forScience & Technology and Earth Sciences Visits IICT and NIO
Shri Prithviraj Chavan,Hon’ble Minister for
Science & Technology andEarth Sciences (IndependentCharge), Government ofIndia and Vice President,CSIR, visited the IndianInstitute of ChemicalTechnology (IICT), Hyderabad,on 2 February 2010.
Addressing seniorscientists of IICT and staffmembers, the Hon’bleMinister emphasized that some of thecrucial areas that CSIR is all set to focuson are: climate change, affordable healthcare, non-fossil energy, water securityand food, including development ofappropriate technologies. He alsopointed out that the growth rate ofscientific output of the country,determined by the publications was 12%as compared to the global growth rateof 4% and it was 19% in case of China.
He asked scientists to work very hardto compete with China in the field ofdeveloping new technologies andmanufacturing of finished products.
The Hon’ble Minister was apprisedof the major research activities of theInstitute by a presentation made byDr. J. S.Yadav, Director, IICT. TheMinister laid the foundation stones of thefollowing centres of excellence: Centrefor Chemical Biology, Advanced Centre
for Lipid Research andCentre for PheromoneChemistry. He visited someof the important R&D labsand interacted with theresearch workers.
Later in the evening, anindustry meet wasorganized, where theMinister addressed thecaptains of the industry,interacted with them andlistened to their advice and
problems patiently.To provide a quick view of the major
research activities of IICT for the lastdecade, a poster display was organizedwhich highlighted the main researchprogrammes and achievements.Samples of important products likedrugs, agrochemicals and oils were alsodisplayed for the benefit of the ChiefGuest.
Shri Prithviraj Chavan, Hon’ble Union Minister of S&T and Earth Sciences,laying the foundation stones of centers of excellence at IICT
Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT), Hyderabad
National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), Goa
Shri Prithviraj Chavan, Hon’ble Ministerfor Science & Technology and EarthSciences (Independent Charge) visitedthe National Institute of Oceanography(NIO), Goa, on 15 February 2010. ShriChavan was apprised of the work beingcarried out at the Institute, whichincludes services to Indian industry andresearch of strategic importance to thecountry. He also visited some of thelaboratories of NIO to understand the
activities and projects of nationalimportance being pursued at NIO.
While addressing the staff of NIO,the Minister informed that theGovernment of India has recentlyprovided considerable support towardsinfrastructure development for thecountry’s research and educationalinstitutions. He also expressed thatgenerous support is now being madeavailable for higher education in science
by providing scholarships at differentlevels. Also, new institutes of excellenceare being opened. He hoped that thisinvestment will attract the younggeneration towards pure science studies,which act as a catalyst to acceleratescientific and industrial research in thecountry. He also appreciated theresearch work being carried out at NIOand indicated that NIO’s role fits well inmany of the missions of the country.
March 2010 51
VISITS
The Hon’ble Minister theninaugurated an extension of the mainbuilding of the Institute that adds 3100sq.m. of floor area having specialfacilities to support multi-disciplinaryresearch, including sedimentaryanalyses, isotope studies and microbialecology studies. The new facility will also
have a 66 sq. m. cold room maintainedat minus 20º C to store samples, and two135 sq.m. of cold storage maintained atminus 4º C to preserve sediment coresbesides ‘clean rooms’ of 70 sq. m. withcontrolled environment.
Talking to the press, the Hon’bleMinister stressed on the need for
research in the EEZ of India andAntarctica, and expressed hissatisfaction on the work being carriedout by NIO and by the National Centrefor Antarctic and Oceanic Research ofthe Ministry of Earth Sciences locatedat Vasco-da-Gama.
Director General, ICMR Visits CSIO
Dr. Vishwa Mohan Katoch,Secretary to the Government of
India, Department of Health Research(Ministry of Health & Family Welfare)and Director General, Indian Council ofMedical Research (ICMR), visited theCentral Scientific InstrumentsOrganization (CSIO), Chandigarh, on8 January 2010. Dr Katoch wasintroduced to the scientists of CSIO andtaken round the various laboratoriesnamely, Medical Instrumentation,Photonics, Food Processing, Instru-mentation Lab and Bio-MolecularElectronics and Nano Technology Labs.He showed keen interest in variousdiagnostic devices for the measurementof different physiological parameters
Shri Prithviraj Chavan, Hon’ble Union Minister of S&T and Earth Sciences inaugurating the Biology Extension wing (left)and being explained the NIO Project details (right)
Dr. Vishwa Mohan Katoch, Director General, ICMR,interacting with scientists of CSIO while visiting
one of the labs of CSIO
and also in the work carried out bythe laboratory on LINAC system.The latter is currently being used forpatient treatment at two major cancertreatment hospitals in the country. Hesuggested that CSIO should work outa plan for the large scale productionof this important equipment, which isneeded for cancer treatment.
Dr. Katoch also took keen interestin prosthetic devices and low visionaids for orthopedically and visuallyimpaired patients respectively. Hewas equally impressed with the highscience research areas such as Bio-Photonics for the detection of pathogensfor early detection of diseases. Whileappreciating the work done by CSIO,
he expressed his desire to havecollaborative R&D programmesbetween CSIR-CSIO and ICMRinstitutions in some cutting-edge areasof research.
CSIR NEWS52
Risorine — A Novel CSIR Drug Curtails TB TreatmentDr. P. Cheena Chawla
Our battle against the disease-causing bugs is endless. Since
antiquity scores of infectious diseasescaused by bacteria, viruses and fungihave affected millions of peopleworldwide. Fighting these formidablefoes has not been easy as these tiny lifeforms that cause life threateningdiseases in human beings are cleverenough to thwart all our attempts madeto pin them down. Take for example, awide range of antibiotics – the potenttools to kill many harmful bacteria – thatare turning ineffective in the wake ofdevelopment of resistance inmicroorganisms to these drugs.Moreover, due to the indiscriminate useof antibiotics there is an increasingmicrobial resistance to many newantibiotics as well.
To make matters worse, mostantibiotics have their well known sideeffects on the human body. This isparticularly a matter of great concernfor diseases like tuberculosis for whichpatients have to take long-term treatmentwith drugs namely, rifampicin andisoniazid that have many adversereactions on different organs of thebody. In this light, the development ofspecial molecules called ‘bioenhancers’is a scientific breakthrough, asbioenhancers have no drug activity oftheir own but are uniquely endowed withproperties for promoting the biologicalactivity or simply the uptake of otherdrugs.
The bountiful Nature is replete withnatural products, mainly contained inplant sources, which have played an
important role in the development ofdrugs. Synergism – increase in the actionof one biomolecule by another unrelatedchemical – is the hallmark of herbaldrugs. For example, ‘berberine’ is ananti-microbial alkaloid isolated fromBerberis fremontii that has very weakanti-microbial activity in solution.However, in combination with acompound called 5-methoxyhydnocarpin (5-MHC), the anti-microbial activity of berberine isincreased by 200-folds against thebacterium, Staphylococcus aureus.
Similarly, such bioenhancer activityof cow-urine distillate in a compositioncontaining antibiotics and anti-canceragents is also well known. Undoubtedly,bioavailability enhancement helps tolower dosage levels and shorten thetreatment course.
In a significant development, IndianInstitute of Integrative Medicine (IIIM),Jammu, in public private partnership withCadila Pharmaceutical Ltd, Ahmedabad,has released a new drug formulationagainst tuberculosis called ‘risorine’
that contains reduced dose (200 mg) ofrifampicin + isoniazid (300 mg) +piperine (10 mg) found to bebioequivalent to standard rifampicinregimen. Launched in November 2009,this indigenously developed drugformulation could drastically cut short theduration of TB treatment. Risorine hasbeen approved for marketing by DrugController General of India aftersuccessful completion of all the phasedclinical trials.
The R&D work on developing thisformulation was started in the erstwhileRegional Research Laboratory, Jammunow renamed as Indian Institute ofIntegrative Medicine by Dr. C. K. Atal,former Director, in early 1980s. Onscrutinizing a large number of ancientIndian Ayurvedic formulations used inthe treatment of a wide range ofdiseases, it was observed that in amajority of formulations ‘Trikatu’ wasused as one of the ingredients. Trikatuis a combination of three herbal productsnamely, Piper nigrum (black pepper),Piper longum (long pepper) and ginger.
R&D HIGHLIGHTS
Black pepper is a precious herb, popular since ancient times for its culinary and medicinal values
March 2010 53
R&D HIGHLIGHTS
Concerted research efforts resultedin the isolation of an active alkaloidalmolecule called ‘piperine’ from piperspecies, which was shown to increasethe bioavailability of specific drugs. Oncombining piperine with many commondrugs, a reduction of dose of that drugwas observed for the samepharmacological effects, without anyactivity of piperine itself. This is due toenhanced uptake of the drug by bodycells, and also because the drug remainsavailable in blood for long durations.
Popularly known as bioenhancers’,such compounds simply enhance thebioavailability and bio-efficacy of otherdrugs with which they are combined,without any pharmacological activity of
their own at the same dose level.Scientists at IIIM, Jammu, tested thebioenhancing activity of piperine onvarious drugs, which ultimately resultedin designing the risorine formulationuseful for the treatment of tuberculosis.The work, now patented, has beendocumented in various national andinternational journals particularly in India,Europe and USA.
The bacterium, Mycobacteriumtuberculosis, infects one in three peopleworldwide and kills about 3 millionvictims every year on a global scale.Nearly 9 million new TB cases add tothe TB burden of our planet annually.TB is a major public health problem inour country as India accounts for one-fifth of the global TB incident cases.Besides this huge burden of TB patients,the cases with multi-drug resistanttuberculosis (MDR-TB) are on the riseas many patients discontinue with theTB drugs, primarily rifampicin andisoniazid, due to long treatment andunpleasant side effects of the drugs.
Rifampicin has been a first line anti-tubercular drug for a long time. It hasbeen used for treating tuberculosis since1960s and is known for causing manyside effects. Also, the levels of rifampicinin blood decrease over a period of timedue to the auto-induction of drugmetabolizing enzymes by rifampicin.
In fact, cells of the human bodycontain on their surface membranescertain proteins called ‘transporter’proteins that ‘pump’ specific substancesout of cells, for being taken away by theblood.Undoubtedly, these proteins canprotect cells from toxic overloads ofmany substances, but at the same timethey can also spoil the efficacy ofotherwise beneficial drugs, likerifampicin, by pumping them out of thecells before they can act. One of themost important such ‘pump’ proteins isp-glycoprotein, which is found in themembranes of cells in the intestines,brain, liver, pancreas, kidneys, and othertissues.
At the molecular level, piperine acts
Molecular structure of piperine
Trikatu comprises ginger (1) black pepper l(2)and long pepper (3)
(1) (2) (3)
Cell transporter proteins pump specific substances in and out of cells
substance to be transported
periplasmic-bindingprotein
membrane-spanningtransporter or ‘pump’
protein
cytoplasm
periplasm
Cellmembrane
CSIR NEWS54
by suppressing p-glycoprotein andcytochrome P450 enzymes, whichcounteract the metabolism of rifampicinvia these proteins, thus enhancing theoral bioavailability of rifampicin. Piperinealso decreases the intestinal productionof glucuronic acid, thus allowing moresubstances to enter the body in activeform. This wonder compound thusallows many drugs to enter and remainwithin their target cells for longerdurations.
Management of TB with risorine ispoised to have remarkable benefits asthe use of bioavailability enhancers, ingeneral, not only increase thebioavailability for a drug, but also helpreducing the cost of treatment andincidents of drug resistance whileminimizing adverse drug reactions. In
this new formulation, the rifampicin dosehas been reduced from 450 mg to 200mg along with isoniazid and piperine,with the same pharmacological activityas used earlier. Risorine could evenreplace the currently used rifampicin for‘Directly Observed Treatment Short-course’ (DOTS) therapy, run by theCentral government in association withdifferent States.
According to the team of scientistsat IIIM, risorine is very safe, effectiveand economical for the management oftuberculosis. In other words, with useof risorine TB patients would get curedin a shorter span of treatment.Interestingly, in a multi-centric clinicaltrial conducted across India in patientswith radiologically confirmed diagnosisof pulmonary tuberculosis, more than
90% of the patients treated with risorinewere cured of tuberculosis with lesserside effects. Cadila Pharmaceuticals isall geared to take this new formulationfor tackling TB to foreign markets likeChina, Russia and African countries andexpects to multiply its turnover from thissegment by over ten times in the comingfew years.
A marvel of the plant world and asure gift to humankind, the black pepperhas both culinary and medicinal values.Among its myriad medicinal properties,the one that makes its compoundpiperine a bioenhancer holds immensepromise for making ‘dose economy’drugs that particularly suit the healthneeds of people in the developingcountries.
CEERI Centre, Chennai, Transfers its Technologies to Industry
The Central Electronics Engineering Research Institute (CEERI), Chennai Centre, has entered into agreement forcommercialization of its technologies — X-ray Imaging Based Mango Sorting System and Plastic Waste Sorting System
for Recycling of PET Materials — with M/s Proteck Circuits & Systems Pvt. Ltd., Chennai and M/s Dintis TechnologiesPvt. Ltd., Bangalore, respectively at a Technology Transfer function held on 9 December 2009 at the Conference Hall,CSIR Madras Complex, Chennai.
Mango is one of the most important fruitsin India. The internal quality of mangois a concern for consumers and exporttraders. The Indian mango variety viz.alphonso is the most important fruit forexport. This variety, however, suffersfrom physiological disorder of spongytissue growing in the pulp portion of themango because of which, its export value
and consumer satisfaction are affected.So far the causative factor of thisoccurrence has not been identified andthere is no proven technology for itscontrol as yet.
Certain varieties of mango viz.,neelam and totapuri have seed weevilor stone-weevil infestation, which canaffect the processed pulp. Due to this,
the exporters and processors are unableto provide quality mangoes and pulpfree from spoilage. As the presence ofspoiled pulp inside the mango is notvisible to human eye, it is not possible todetect affected mangoes. Till now,certain countries had banned theimport of Indian mangoes because ofthis. In such a scenario, the immediate
TECHNOLOGIES TRANSFER
Technologies Transferred
X-ray Imaging Based Mango Sorting System
March 2010 55
TECHNOLOGIES TRANSFER
Plastics are ubiquitous andcontaminating the environment.Disposal of plastics has become atechnological and social subject that hascreated and attracted a lot of attentionfrom researchers, business people,politicians, environmental activists andthe general public. One way to reducethe environmental pollution, owing toplastic waste comprising disposables anddurables, is to recycle them. That is, torecover the used plastics from municipalor industrial waste streams and convertthem into new useful objects.
Recycling of plastic-wastes issteadily gaining importance because ofthe efforts on conservation of oilresources and the shortage of disposalsites. The plastic waste is separated intodifferent material types by manualsorting, to obtain recyclable materials ofhigh value. The purity of sorting fractionsobtained in this way is not sufficient fordirect recycling of pure polymers.Moreover, it is uneconomical and theworking conditions are not onlyunpleasant but even hazardous to health.Considering the above difficulties, an
automatic plastic sorting approach,involving automatic identification ofmaterials followed by a mechanicalsorting, appears as an attractivealternative to manual sorting.
NIR spectroscopy helps inidentification of individual plastic typesand offers a promising approach towaste sorting. Online inspectiontechnology preferably makes use of NIRspectrometry, which is capable ofoperating rapidly. Spectroscopicmethods are non-invasive and non-destructive measuring systems. These
Mango Sorting Machine Displaying technology transfer documents (from left): Dr Chandra Shekhar,Director, CEERI; Mr Chander Parkash, Director, DST and Mr K. Balasubramanian,
MD, M/s Proteck Circuits & Systems Pvt. Ltd., Chennai
priority is to detect spongy tissue andseed weevil infected mangoes byinstrumental means and grading goodquality mangoes for consumption andexport.
In view of the above, CEERI’sChennai Centre, at CSIR MadrasComplex had taken up a project withfunding support from the Department ofScience and Technology (DST), New
Delhi. Under this programme, a totallynon-destructive indigenous technologywas developed by employing X-rayimaging technique to sort the mangoesbased on internal disorders in real time.This system is poised to be a boon tomango growers, exporters, traders andprocessing industries. The X-rayscanned mangoes are safe forconsumption and there is no health
hazard. The developed system wasalso demonstrated to various useragencies, equipment manufacturers andpotential entrepreneurs during aTechnology Awareness Workshopheld on 4 and 5 June 2009 at Chennai.This technology has now beentransferred to M/s Proteck Circuits andSystems Pvt. Ltd., Chennai, forcommercialization.
Plastic Waste Sorting System for Recycling of PET Materials
CSIR NEWS56
methods provide spectral data fromwhich meaningful information can berapidly extracted for analysis. Thedetection speed should however,match the specific situation created bythe type and size of arriving parts.The identification is very accurate interms of its ability to distinguishdifferent plastics, and is reasonablyprecise.
On realizing the importance of theneed, CEERI Centre, Chennai, hasdeveloped an NIR spectroscopy basedplastic waste sorting system with fundingfrom the Ministry of Environment and
Forests. The system, consisting of ahigh-throughput NIR spectrograph andspecially designed collection optics, isused to record the Near Infra Redspectra from disposed consumer plasticpackaging wastes conveyed on anindustrial conveyer belt. Spectra ofdifferent plastics are recorded betweenselective narrow ranges of the NIRspectrum.
The plastic waste typically includessix types of materials namely, poly-ethylene (PE), poly-ethylene-teraphthalate (PET), poly-propylene(PP), poly-vinyl-chloride (PVC), high
Plastic Waste Sorting Machine Dr Chandra Shekhar, Director, CEERI, Pilani (right) and Mr Dintis Thomas,MD, M/s Dintis Technologies Pvt. Ltd., Bangalore (left) exchanging the
Technology Transfer Agreement documents. Dr Nagesh R. Iyer,Coordinating Director, CMC and Director, SERC is looking on
density polyethylene (HDPE) and poly-styrene (PS). The experimental labmodel classifies them and sorts PETalone. Through the existing set-up, PETmaterials can be sorted close to 100%with up to 200 kg per hour throughput.The maximum throughput is limited bythe speed of the spectrograph used inthe system. Higher throughputs up to1 tonne/hr can be achieved by usinghigh-speed spectrographs and fastersorting routine. This technology isnow transferred to M/s DintisTechnologies Pvt. Ltd, Bangalore, forcommercialization.
Latest Ranking (January 2010 Edition) of World’s Open Access Repositories is now available athttp://repositories.webometrics.info/index.html. This has ranked the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), Goa’srepository (http://drs.nio.org) at 245. NIO improved its ranking from last year’s position (267).
NIO’s repository has been updated constantly by adding the new manuscripts making the research results availableto the world’s scientific community. There are only seven Indian repositories that are ranked in this list of 400 and NIO’srepository stands 5th among them.
NIO’s repository ranked at 245 in World’s Open Access Repositories
TECHNOLOGIES TRANSFER
March 2010 57
TECHNOLOGIES TRANSFER/R&D HIGHLIGHTS
NIO’s Technology for Production of DHA Transferred toM/s Avestha Gengraine Technology Pvt. Ltd., Bangalore
Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), is anomega-3 fatty acid having
beneficial nutrient properties includingthe development of brain functions ininfants. It forms an essential componentof infant food formulae, and is currentlymanufactured from marine sources likethraustochytrids.
The National Institute ofOceanography (NIO), Goa, along withthe other institutional partners namely,Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine(IIIM), Jammu, and Indian Institute ofChemical Technology (IICT),Hyderabad, under the New MillenniumIndian Technology Leadership Initiative(NMITLI) scheme developed aknowledge-based know-how for theproduction of DHA through directfermentation of marine thraustochytridstrain, SC-1.
CSIR had earlier signed anagreement on 2 July 2007, to transfer
this technology of DHA production toAvestha Gengraine Technology Pvt.Ltd., Bangalore, an industrial partner,with the initial lump sum payment of Rs.50 lakhs to the institutional partners afterfulfilling the following criteria:(1) A detailed Standard Operating
Protocol (SOP) for culturing andmaintenance of SC-1 culture,production details and downstreamprocessing of DHA and chemicalcharacterization of DHA was to beproduced by all the three CSIRpartners.
(2) A demonstration of production ofDHA in 200 L fermenter andculturing of SC-1 to the concernedstaff of Avestha GengraineTechnology Pvt. Ltd., Bangalore.Once the company starts
manufacturing DHA on a commercialscale, a further Rs. 100 lakhs will be paid
Thraustochytrid strain, SC-1.
to CSIR in three installments over aperiod of three years. This amount willalso be distributed among the threepartner Institutes. The Project titled,“Recombinant Approach to ProduceAlpha-Linolenic Acid andDocosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) inSunflower and Yeast” was initiated byDr. S. Raghukumar and later on carriedforward by Dr. ChandralataRaghukumar at NIO.
A New Strategy for Developing Thin Fuel Cell Electrodes
Proton Exchange Membrane FuelCells (PEMFC) hold great promise
for addressing the evergrowing energydemand because of their high efficiency,simplicity in operation and zero emission.Despite these advantages, fuel cellsdeployment faces stiff economical andtechnical barriers.
A principal drawback is the slowoxygen reduction reaction leading toinadequate efficiency of energyconversion in PEMFCs. To overcome
this limitation and to achieve practicalcurrent densities, Pt is the best suitedcatalyst till date. However, to obtainbetter performance, a proper dispersionof Pt nanoparticles ona suitable supportmaterial is needed.
So far one-d i m e n s i o n a lnanostructures ofcarbon such asnanotubes and
nanofibers have triggered wide interest,mainly due to their exciting features suchas anisotropy, unique structure andsurface properties. However,
CSIR NEWS58
R&D HIGHLIGHTS
notwithstanding the much hypedadvantages of these materials for fuelcell electrode applications, the inherentlylow surface area possessed by themrestricts the amount of active component(Pt) that can be dispersed on thesematerials.
A catalyst with higher carbon to Ptratio can lead to better dispersion, butthis will result into a thick layer of catalystwith concomitantly higher mass transferand electric resistances. From the pointof view of designing membraneelectrode assemblies (MEAs) — theactive power producing center of aPEMFC — apart from controlling thesize of Pt and its dispersion, a propertuning of mass transfer rate is alsoimportant.
To overcome these two prevailingconstraints on mass transfer and electricresistance there is a need to developMEAs with thin electrodes. Toaccomplish this goal, a desired level ofPt loading should be achieved whilerestricting the carbon content to theminimum possible level.
Dr. Sreekumar and colleagues at theNational Chemical Laboratory (NCL),Pune, have developed a novel approach
to address these issues. The basic ideais to exploit the inner cavity ofnanostructured carbon support materialsfor metal dispersion, which is morecomplex as compared to outer wallutilization.
A fascinating aspect of thisachievement is that by implementing themetal dispersion on the inner and outerwalls of the substrate, the availableactive species’ surface area can bedoubled by keeping the same carbonamount. Moreover, the hollow cavitymay provide an intriguing confinementenvironment which can result in amodified behaviour of the materialsconfined inside.
The key step is the proper choiceof a support material with tubularmorphology and open tips where theinner cavity can be utilized as well. Thefirst step towards practical utility is thefilling of such cavities with suitablematerials which need a better interplaybetween capillary action and wettability.
This goal is attained by a carefuloptimization of experimental procedureto achieve balanced surface tension andpolarity characteristics of the reactionmedium. Thus, by proper control of the
experimental parameters, selectivedecoration of Pt nanoparticles on theinner as well as on the inner and outerwalls of carbon nanofibers could beachieved.
Figure (a) and (b) show the HRTEMimages of the Pt decorated carbon nano-fiber samples consisting of decorationselectively on the inner wall and inneras well as the outer wall, respectively.While The HRTEM images show theselective decoration of Pt nanoparticles,the enhancement in the activity of thepresent catalyst as compared to theconventional CNT supported catalyst isclear from electrochemical studies.Cyclic voltammetry confirms almostdouble active area complimented by fourtimes higher rate constant for oxygenreduction as revealed by rotating diskelectrode (RDE) studies.
This catalyst has immense scope asan electrode material for PEMFCsbecause for a fixed catalyst loading, theavailable surface area will be doubledleading to better dispersion and aconcomitantly low electrode thicknessowing to the effective utilization of thecarbon surface.
IMMT Granted US Patent for theFly Ash Building Construction Materials
CSIR was Granted US Patent No:US20090250660 entitled,
‘Composition for Building Materialsand a Process for the PreparationThereof’. The Inventors of the patentare from the Institute of Minerals and
Materials Technology-IMMT, (formerly,Regional Research Laboratory),Bhubaneswar. The Inventors are:Banshidhar Nayak, Barada KantaMishra, Snehasis Behera, Rajeev andVimal Kumar.
ABSTRACT
The present invention provides acomposition and a process for thepreparation of chemical activated coldsetting fly ash building constructionmaterials. The chemical activator is
March 2010 59
R&D REPORTS
an alkaline aqueous solution of 11.2 to13.6 in pH and 1.25 to 1.40gm/cc indensity which contains admixtures ofdifferent concentrations of hydroxyl,sulfate, acetate and chloride bearingchemical salts of calcium, magnesium,sodium, potassium and aluminum inwater medium.
Importance of Geographical IndicationsDr. Swaranjit Singh Cameotra
The Geographical Indications (GI)are the expressions or signs used
to show that a product originates from acountry, a region, a specific place or anenvironment. This is without anyreputation or quality attached to it. The1994 Agreement on Trade-RelatedAspects of Intellectual Property Rights(TRIPS Agreement) came intoforce in 1995, and had its effect indeveloped countries, including theUnited States. TRIPS sets forthstandards to regulate internationalintellectual property protection andenforcement, and establishesinternational minimum standards forGeographical Indications.
Part II, Section 3 of TRIPS, inArticles 22-24, specifies the minimumstandards of protection that WTOMembers must provide forGeographical Indications. Theimportance of GI is illustrated in thefollowing examples: ‘Florida’ fororanges; ‘Idaho’ for potatoes; and‘Washington State’ for apples. Some
products like Darjeeling Tea, Champagneof France, Basmati Rice of DehraDunare other well known examples. Further,appellations of the origin are used tosafeguard and protect the products ofspecific regions and environment, suchas Kashmiri shawls, Cuban cigars,Scotch whisky and so on.
It is interesting to note that there isan IPR row over the famous Pashminashawls in the international market.Pashmina shawls are traditionally madein Jammu and Kashmir. Thisgeographical region is known for makinghigh quality Pashmina shawls due to theenvironmental factors specific to theState. Recently, it was in the news thathundreds of the rare goats that producethe Pashmina wool died due tostarvation in severe winter. In the wintermonths there is a shortage of fodder,which is a threat to more than one lakhgoats that not only give unique wool butalso large quantities of milk to the people.
To protect the claim over the shawl,the Geographical Indication Law (GIL)
The reaction of chemical activatorsolution and the mineral constituents offly ash mix develop binding property.The binding matrix of chemical activatedfly ash mix is mostly hydrous silica andsilicate group of phases, which on settingunder atmospheric condition attains
strength suitable for building constructionapplications.
Utilization of fly ash of any sourceby weight ranges from 80 to 99% in themanufacture of building materialsincluding heat and acid resistance andtoxic waste disposal products.
has to be passed by the Parliament orenacted by through the President. It isinsufficient to protect GI goods bytrademarks alone for claiming IP Rights.Under the WTO regulations, IP Rightsover the GI products can be protectedby the usage of the GIL. The problemof claim over GI products becomes morecomplicated in close bordering states. Incase of conflict, the question of jointregistration or separate registrationarises. However, in most cases, priorityis given to the first applicant claimingthis mode of IPR protection. Thedefinition of GI includes appellation oforigin under the TRIPS Agreement.
Recently, Darjeeling tea has got thestatus of GI. The tea grown in this regionhas a typical flavour and aroma due tothe unique soil and environmentalconditions prevailing there. If the tea istaken out and planted elsewhere or someother brand of tea is planted in theDarjeeling region, the characteristicaroma of the Darjeeling tea does notshow up. The altitude and humidity levels
CSIR NEWS60
R&D REPORTS
respected and protected. Theendangered species can be protected byrestricting or stopping exploitation of theendangered sites and areas.
Plants, animals and microorganismsare indispensable for the environmentecosystem cycles. The microorganismscannot be seen by our naked eye andare thus, lesser known by the people.These unseen beneficial microbes workin association with plants and animals.They also work for us very efficientlyand independently by fixing atmosphericnitrogen for good plant growth, in theproduction of vitamins, enzymes,medicines, in the food industry, incleaning pollutants of crude oil sludge,pesticides etc.
Special and consistent efforts haveto be made to conserve and preservethe rich biodiversity on a long-term basis.In India the Biological Diversity Act isbeing implemented. A NationalBiodiversity Authority has been set upto monitor and regulate the biodiversity.Intellectual Property Right (IPR) is animportant component in the area ofbiological diversity.
Unfortunately, when IPR issues arediscussed, stress is not given to theGeographical Indications. GI is of utmostvital importance and must be stronglyaddressed in the issues of IPR. Forexample, the culture collections do havecolumns in their Data Sheets about thesource of the culture and its isolationpoint. This information must be filled inand uploaded carefully whenever aculture is accepted or identified by the
culture collection/depository. Inclusion ofGI must be given vast publicity to createawareness amongst the people. TheGovernment and the people arebecoming more aware and cautious inthe area of GI and its protection. Thereis a provision for the conservation andpreservation of the GIs, besides thetraditional knowledge and folklore of thelocal people.
A substantial progress is made bythe Indian Government, NationalBiodiversity Authority (NBA) and all theStates in the implementation of this Act.During the implementation of the saidAct if any problems are encountered,the Government, NBA and the StateBiological Diversity Boards have thepower to make new rules, removedifficulties and regulate theimplementation of the Act.
IPR helps in the protection oftraditional knowledge, unwritten andunrecorded folklore of many developingcountries. Thus, IPR and GI blend verywell and fit in the Biological DiversityAct and all these tools together can beexploited to the benefit of the countryand the cultures of origin. A country canapply for international protection systemby registration of a particular GI as perthe Lisbon Agreement. Further, TRIPSAgreement strongly conveys to all themembers of WTO to protect GI.
also contribute to the fine blend ofcharacteristics. The Kangra tea ofHimachal Pradesh in India has also beengiven the GI status. The Kangra tea likethe Darjeeling tea gives the unique andspecific characters only when it is grownin the Kangra valley.
The famous Kullu shawl ofHimachal Pradesh in India has beenregistered under the GI of Goods Act1999 as GI No. 19 by the GI Registry,Chennai. This Act safeguards theinterests of the genuine Kullu shawlweavers and producers. It is interestingto note that unauthorized shopkeepersor producers cannot even use signboards/hoardings of selling Kullu shawls.If anyone is found selling fake shawls, ahuge penalty is imposed on such a personor there is imprisonment of six monthsto three years or both under the GI Act1999. It is interesting to note that theDasheri mangoes have also been giventhe GI status of India.
Biological Diversity is becomingvery important day by day. Efforts arebeing made to conserve and preservebiodiversity all over the world. We haveto create awareness of the vitalimportance of conserving biodiversity forthe current and future benefits/applications. Mass awareness can bedone by delivering lectures/interactions,through the media, internet and throughjournals, brochures and magazines.Registers and database creation ofbiodiversity is of great importance. Thetraditional knowledge of the local peoplemust also be taken into account,
Dr. Swaranjit Singh Cameotra isworking as Scientist F, IMTECH,
Sector 39A, Chandigarh-160036E-mail: [email protected],
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The theories and classification schemescommonly used for understanding
estuarine dynamics often refer to a steadystate of the estuary in which the salinityfield is time-independent. In this state,salinity-ingress into the estuary due todifferent processes (diffusion, gravity,current formation, impact of tidalasymmetries, etc.) is balanced by salinity-egress induced by runoff.
Studies made by scientists of theNational Institute of Oceanography (NIO),Goa, have revealed that the salinity fieldof the estuaries that are located on thecoasts of the Indian subcontinent and comeunder the influence of the Indian SummerMonsoon (ISM) is never in a steady state.They refer to such estuaries as ‘monsoonalestuaries’, an example of which is theMandovi estuary located on the west coastof India.
Describing the annual cycle of thesalinity field in this estuary, scientists haveconcluded that the essential unsteadinessof the salinity field arises from two featuresof the runoff into it.
First, most of the runoff occurs as aseries of episodes of highs and lulls spreadover about four months of the wet summermonsoon. Second, the total runoff is large,well over an order of magnitude larger thanthe estuarine volume. Two parameters havebeen defined to represent these twofeatures, showing that they can be used todistinguish the monsoonal estuaries fromothers.
For further reading:Vijith, V.; Sundar, D.; Shetye, S. R. Time-Dependence of Salinity in MonsoonalEstuaries. Estuar. Coast. Shelf Sci.: 85(4);2009; 601-608.
Time-Dependence ofSalinity in Monsoonal
Estuaries
CSIO signs MoU with RDSO
On the occasion of Golden Jubilee Foundation Day, the Central ScientificInstruments Organisation (CSIO), Chandigarh, signed a Memorandum
of Understanding (MoU) with Research Design and Standard Organisation(RDSO), Lucknow, to take up some challenging areas of research in advancedinstruments for railway safety.
The joint work aims to augment the railway infrastructure to ensuresafety measures at par with international standards to avoid accidents. Factorsresponsible for rail accidents including track malfunctioning, negligence byoperators, continuous wear and tear of various components used in enginesand wagons, signaling problem and carelessness of people while crossingunmanned railway crossings, etc. will be dealt with.
By signing this MoU, CSIO and RDSO have joined hands to take up thechallenging task of designing and development of advanced instrumentationsystems for Indian Railways with state-of-the-art technologies based onautomatic and reliable detection techniques. This will allow operators andinfrastructure managers to monitor irregularities more effectively and directmaintenance staff to take timely corrective measures.
CSIO & RDSO, to start with, have identified the following areas oftechnical collaboration:• Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) based Sensors and Systems for Bridge Health
Monitoring, Rail Weld and Fracture Detection, Unmanned RailwayCrossing Annunciation, Structural Integrity Testing, Catenary Monitoring,etc.;
• Condition Monitoring and Early Warning for Landslide, OpticalPyrometers for Hot Box Devices, MEMS based Miniature OMS withBluetooth and Palmtop Computation with Enhanced Memory;
• Enhanced Driver Vision System (Head Up Display System for Railways),Designing of Lens for LED type Signals;
• Instrumentation for Controlled Atmospheric Chamber for Fruits andVegetables Movement; and
• Stress Measurement in Coaches, Fire Alarms, Micro Hardness Testingand Track Soil Measurement.The MoU was signed by Dr. H. S. Pannu, Director General, RDSO,
Lucknow, on behalf of RDSO and Dr. Pawan Kapur, Director, CSIO, onbehalf of CSIO for a period of three years. Prof. Samir K. Brahmachari,Director General, CSIR, and Prof. Surendra Prasad, Director, IIT, Delhiand Chairman, Research Council of CSIO were among others presentduring the signing ceremony. Prof. Brahmachari, who also presided over theGolden Jubilee Foundation Day function of CSIO, termed this programmebetween CSIO and RDSO in line with CSIR’s programme, ‘CSIR for800 million’.
R&D HIGHLIGHTS/MOUS
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CONFERENCES
The National EnvironmentalEngineering Research Institute
(NEERI), Nagpur, organized theInternational Conference on,‘Nanobiomaterials for EnvironmentalApplications (ICNEA 2009)’ during 7-8 December 2009 at NEERI.
The Conference was inaugurated bythe Guest of Honour Prof. G. M. Chow,Professor and Chair, Department ofMaterials Science and Engineering,National University of Singapore; theChief Guest, Padmashree Prof. K. L.Chopra, Honorary Professor, IIT Delhiand former Director, IIT Kharagpur; andthe Special Invitee Dr. R.N. Singh,Chairman, Research Council, NEERI.The other dignitaries present on theoccasion were Dr. Tapan Chakrabarti,Acting Director, NEERI and Dr. S. R.Wate, Scientist and Head, EnvironmentalImpact and Risk Assessment (EIRA)Division and Organizing Secretary,ICNEA 2009.
While delivering the KeynoteAddress at the Inaugural Programme ofthe Conference, Prof. Chow stated thatnanobiomaterials and their applicationsare widely recognized as an emergingarea for material scientists,biotechnologists, chemists, engineersand medical professionals. Recentdevelopments in the areas of materialsscience and biological sciences haveenabled an impressive progress in thedevelopment of new nanobiomaterials.
Prof. Chow also said that theprogress in nanobiomaterials researchclearly requires an improved
International Conference onNanobiomaterials for Environmental Applications (ICNEA 2009)
understanding in multiple disciplines.Besides, this specialized field of researchrequires the development of new designmethodologies or utilization of novelprocessing/fabrication routes in order toobtain better material properties in termsof both physical as well as theirbiological performance. He said that thethree-dimensional atom probe is one ofthe instruments that theoretically canprovide chemical analyses in threedimensions with the highest spatialresolution.
Prof. Chow said that nanostructureshave much greater strength, stability andsurface area per unit mass than standardmaterials, and those less than 10nm sizepossess quantum effects whereby sizemay control, for example, conductivity,the specific wavelength of emitted light,transparency, or capacity to be a catalyst.Prof. Chow signified the importance ofnanobiomaterials and stated that manyresearch journals are coming up in thearea of nanobiotechnology.
Speaking on this occasion,Padmashree Prof. K. L. Chopra saidthat nanomaterials are not very new asthe technologies related to nanomaterialshave been existing since 1950-60s.Scientists all over the world, especiallychemists, have been creating them inmedicines for over half a century.This was the beginning of themicroelectronics era, though scientistsdid not actually call them by the name,nano. Prof. Chopra said that it is onlynow that the scientists can produce evenmetallurgical materials putting aside all
theories of thermodynamics. However,large-scale application of these materialsfor production of mass-scale productsis just impossible, he opined.
Prof. Chopra said that nano-materials are too expensive to be usedon a mass scale, at least in developingcountries. He also cleared a lot of mythsabout nanomaterials, such as one aboutthese materials being new inventions.The second myth he busted was the onebeing projected by agencies like the UNTask Force on Nanomaterials, that thesetechnologies will save humanity.
Prof. Chopra pointed out that thesematerials can not solve problems of bigcountries like India, where they arebeing projected as technologies that canbe used to purify drinking water. This issomething totally non-viableeconomically and socially, he added.
Prof. Chopra further said that it isonly recently that the ‘nano’ has beenhyped worldwide. What has changed thescenario and made nanomaterials moreuseful today is the coming together ofphysicists, chemists and biologists forgiving birth to new horizons in the areaof nanomaterials. He expressed thatnano-biotechnology and nano-agriculturehave a promising future.
Dr. R. N. Singh, in his address saidthat the development of nanobiomaterialsis the hottest technological topic of thiscentury, and how to make syntheticnanobiomaterials has always remaineda challenging task for our scientists. Hestated that the union of distinct scientificdisciplines is revealing the leading edge
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of nanobiotechnology. Tracing theevolution of nanobiomaterials, Dr. Singhsaid that 15-20 years ago, theinterdisciplinary activity of geneticists,biologists, immunologists and organicchemists created a more diverse toolboxnow known as life science.Bioconjugates were created to help usmove from outside the cell to the inside,he added.
Dr. Singh stated that physicists,chemists, polymer chemists andengineers in parallel laid the foundationfor the small world of nano materialsscience, and in less than a decade,materials science and life sciencetogether are unraveling the mysteries ofcontrolling, at the molecular level, thestructure of matter.
Dr. Singh informed that particles,complexes, tubes, active surfaces anddevices are being explored at the nanoscale, which are leading to insightfulunderstanding along with the creation ofnew scientific tools. He said that as perthe current practices being followed forthe development of nanobiomaterials,nanobiotechnology seems to be acombination of chemistry, biology andmechanical engineering, though chemistsand physicists have been manipulatingmatter on the molecular level forcenturies.
Dr. Singh also advocated that thismulti-disciplinary approach will add newdimensions in the area ofnanobiomaterials. He briefed about therole and importance of NEERI incarrying out the present and future R&Dactivities for the development ofnanobiomaterials for human welfare.Focusing on the future research areasof nanoscience, Dr. Singh urged the
scientists to apply nanoscience from bothlaboratory to field, and field to laboratory,particularly for effective environmentalmonitoring.
Earlier, in his Welcome Address,Dr. Tapan Chakrabarti said thatnanobiomaterials is a multi-disciplinaryscientific field with roots in life science,materials science and nanotechnology.Though the basic and applicationresearches of nanobiomaterials havebeen the hot topic in the materialsresearch for biomedicine andbiotechnology, their environmentalapplications are also of primeimportance.
Speaking on DNA andnanomolecules, Dr. Chakrabarti saidthat the idea of linking up nanoparticlesthrough the use of modified DNA is nota new one, and researchers haverecently made some headway in thisdirection. He stated that when a fewnanoparticles are arranged in a particularstructure, new properties can emerge.Nanoparticles in this case are analogousto atoms, which, when connected in amolecule, often exhibit properties notfound in the individual atoms, and theproperties of these new materials maybe advantageous for many potentialapplications, he added.
Dr. Chakrabarti explained theimportance of DNA in the developmentof nanobiomaterials and said that DNAcan maneuver the strands in such a waythat they engulf nanoparticles. He statedthat biosensors are very important forenvironmental monitoring, particularlymonitoring the levels of certainchemicals in air, soil and water. Asbiosensors, their biological base makesthem ideal for toxicological
measurements which are suited forhealth and safety applications, he added.He further said that nanobiotechnologyis a promising solution which can aid inthe development of clean and greentechnologies.
On this occasion, Prof. Chow, alsodelivered the Invited Lecture on,‘Upconversion Nano-Phosphors forImaging and Sensing’. In his lecture,he particularly pointed out thatfluorescent bio-probes and sensorsshould be ideally nanoscale with narrowsize distribution, while being resistant tophoto-bleaching, biocompatible, non-toxic, highly luminescent and sensitive.
The Inaugural Programme wasfollowed by six Technical Sessionswhere many national and internationalexperts spoke on various importantaspects. The distinguished speakerswere: Prof. T. Pradeep, Department ofChemistry, IIT Madras, Chennai spokeon, ‘Luminescent Quantum Clusters ofNoble Metals Embedded in Proteins’;Dr. Paresh Chandra Ray, Departmentof Chemistry, Jackson State University,USA on, ‘Nanomaterial BasedSensing of Environmental Toxin’; Dr.S. R. Wate on, ‘Application ofMaterials for EnvironmetalMonitoring, Analysis and Sensing’;Prof. Dhirendra Bahadur, Professor &Head, Department of MetallurgicalEngineering and Materials Science, IITBombay, Mumbai on, ‘Zinc and IronOxide Nanoparticulates forEnvironmental Remediation’; Dr. S.Venkata Mohan, Scientist,Bioengineering and EnvironmentalCentre, Indian Institute of ChemicalTechnology (IICT), Hyderabad, on,‘Exploiting the Role of Carbon Nano
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Novel Materials for Toxic ChemicalSensors’; Dr. T. Prasada Rao,Chemical Sciences & TechnologyDivision, NIIST, Thiruvananthapuramon, ‘Molecularly Imprinted PolymerMaterials for Removal of SelectedPersistent Inorganic and OrganicPollutants’; Dr. Anupama Kumar,Department of Chemistry, VNIT,Nagpur on, ‘Synthesis of MolecularlyImprinted Polymers (MIPs) forAntioxidants’; Dr. Ramaswamy,Director, Biotechnology Centre,Anna University, Coimbatore on‘Nanobiomaterials and Nano-medicine: Vision for the Future’; Dr.Ajai K. Pillai, Department of Chemistry,Government VYTPG AutonomousCollege, Durg on, ‘A Simple Method forDetermination of Vanadium in OpenCast-Iron Ore Leachates UsingRhodamine’ and Ms. Rohini Kitture,Department of Electronic Science, Punespoke on, ‘Bulk and Nano-Forms ofZnO and TiO2 for Textile WastewaterDegradation’.
In the Valedictory Function, Dr.Tapan Chakrabarti, stated that thisConference has successfully coveredvarious important areas pertaining toenvironmental materials, including thedesign and synthesis methods,characterization tools, molecularapproaches and molecularly imprintedpolymers. He said that the Conferencehas also highlighted various moleculartools for environmental applications.However, the issues related to molecularimprinting have remained in focus. Thiswas followed by the panel discussionsession, in which Dr. Chakrabartipresided as Chairman and Dr. SukumarDevotta, former Director, NEERI as a
moderator, and the other panelistswere Prof. Hongtao Yu, Prof. DavidSpivak, Prof. G. M. Chow, Prof.Y. Anjaneyulu, Dr. P. C. Ray andDr. M. J. Whitcombe.
Dr. Devotta briefed about theimportance of nanobiomaterials, but atthe same time, he pointed out thatthere should be a difference betweennanobiomaterials and bionanomaterials.He said that nanobiomaterials are ofsignificant application in the area ofpharmaceuticals, but not in the area ofenvironmental monitoring andmitigation. Probably one of thesolutions to this issue is application ofengineering. Prof. Chow said that fordeveloping nanobiomaterials forenvironmental applications, there is aneed to understand the inherent sciencein detail and provide cost-effectivesolutions.
Prof. Anjaneyulu pointed out that inview of the importance ofnanomaterials, NEERI should developnecessary infrastructure for givingtraining to create skilled manpower inthis field. Prof. Spivak commentedthat more toxicity related studiesshould be carried out in the area ofnanobiotechnology.
Prof. Yu remarked that there shouldbe more collaborative research in thearea of nanobiomaterials. Prof.Whitcombe urged the scientists toidentify the real problems and findout solutions for the society. Theparticipants also interacted with theexpert panel on various environmentalissues. Dr. Wate, coordinated thissession and in the end proposed a Voteof Thanks.
Powder and Tubes as Anodic Coatingon Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC)Performance’; Dr. Hemant Purohit,Scientist & Head, EnvironmentalGenomics Unit, NEERI, on‘Chemiresistive DNA Nanosensors’;Prof. Hongtao Yu, Professor and Chair,Department of Chemistry andBiochemistry, Jackson State University,USA spoke on, ‘Environmental Fateand Toxicity of Gold and SilverNanomaterials’; Dr. Bharat B. Kale,Nanocomposites Group, Centre forMaterials for Electronics (C-MET),Pune on, ‘Photodegradation of Phenolin Water by Zinc Indium Vanadate: ANovel Solar Light Photocatalyst’;Dr. N. K. Labhsetwar, Scientist,Environmental Materials Unit, NEERI,on, ‘Mixed Oxide Based Low-CostCatalytic Material for Diesel SootOxidation’; Prof. David Spivak,Professor of Chemistry, Louisiana StateUniversity, USA spoke on, ‘NovelApproaches to Molecular Imprintingin Different Matrices’; Dr. Michael J.Whitcombe, Cranfield University, U.K.on, ‘Molecularly Imprinted Polymers– From Monoliths to Nanoparticles’;Dr. R. J. Krupadam, Scientist, EIRADivision, NEERI on, ‘NanoporousPolymer Receptors for SensingEnvironmental Pollutants’; Dr. S.Sandhya, Scientist and Head, NEERIZonal Laboratory, Chennai on,‘Optimization of PhotocatalyticDegradation Conditions of OrganicDyes Using Silver Doped TiO2’;Prof. Y. Anjaneyulu, Department ofChemistry and Biochemistry, JacksonState University, USA spoke on,‘Computationally DesignedMolecularly Imprinted Polymers as
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SEMINARS/SYMPOSIA
International Seminar on Magmatic Ore Deposits (ISMO-2009)
The Institute of Minerals andMaterials Technology (IMMT),
Bhubaneswar; Geological Society ofIndia, Bangalore and NationalGeophysical Research Institute (NGRI),Hyderabad, jointly organized aninternational Symposium on, MagmaticOre Deposits (ISMO-09) during 1-4December 2009.
Platinum group elements (PGEs: Pd,Pt, Rh, Ru, Ir, Os) present in magmaticore deposits are today assuming anincreasingly important role for their use
Symposium on Applied Aerodynamics and Design ofAerospace Vehicles, (SAROD 2009)
ASymposium on AppliedAerodynamics and Design of
Aerospace Vehicles, popularly knownas SAROD is a biennial event that startedwith a unique objective of bringingtogether designers and aerodynamicistsacross the country. The fourth SARODwas organized by the NationalAerospace Laboratories (NAL),Bangalore, jointly with ADA, during 10-13 December 2009. It was sponsoredby several governmental organizationsthat in addition to CSIR, included ADA,DRDO, HAL, ARDB, ISRO and AeSI.
The Inaugural Function was held on10 December 2009 at Eagleton GolfVillage premises. Dr. Sajeer Ahmed,Chairman, National OrganizingCommittee (NOC), welcomed thedistinguished gathering and introducedthe objectives of SAROD 2009. He alsointroduced the Chief Guest Dr.Radhakrishnan, Chairman, ISRO, andthe Keynote Speaker Prof. R.Narasimha.
in automobile emission control, fuel cells,catalysis, electronic components andcancer treatment. In the past decade,there has been a surge in the explorationfor PGEs all over the world, includingthe Indian subcontinent. This is reflectedin the continuing growth of research andexploration efforts for magmatic N-Cu-(PGE) sulphide deposits hosted in mafic-ultramafic rocks in our country.
The incidence of platinum group ofelements (PGEs) has been reported inOrissa and other States of India over
last two decades. Despite tremendousprogress, there remains much to beprobed and known. This directly callsfor the dissemination of plethora of geo-informatics for updating the presentembodiment of Earth Science System.Thus, the present International Seminarwas aimed at bringing togetheracademicians, geologists, researchers,metallurgists and engineers from aroundthe world to Bhubaneswar, with a viewto understand the recent global advanceson this front.
Dr. A. R. Upadhya, Director, NALand Co-Chairman, National AdvisoryCommittee, said that SAROD is a veryunique symposium that assumesimportance because of its focus ondesign. Mr. Biju Uthup, Co-chairman,NOC, spoke on the history and role ofSAROD and its relevance to Indianaerospace programmes. On thisoccasion, the Symposium proceedingswere released along with the Directoryof Aerodynamicists and a 1:0.75 scaledmodel of an Indian boomerang.
Dr. Radhakrishnan, in his address,spoke on the space programme startingwith early history of ISRO and coveringup to present day programmes. Prof.Narasimha’s Keynote lecture was on‘Boomerangs — In India andElsewhere’. He said he preferred to givea ‘festive’ talk on this subject. He spokeon the history and covered theaerodynamic aspects of boomerangs.
Previous SAROD events have setprecedence by honouring three eminent
aerodynamicists. On this occasion, Dr.Vasantha Sastry, former Director,SHAR, Dr. Aravamudhan, formerDirector, ADE and Dr. R. Balakrishnan,former Director, Vehicle Dynamics,DRDL were chosen to receive thishonour.
The topics covered in theSymposium included CFD applications,navigation and guidance, algorithms andmodelling, aeroelasticity, spaceapplications, hypersonic airbreathingengines, hypersonic flows, control andtrajectory optimization, MAV/UAVapplications and design aspects, laminarflow technology, flight data analysis,design and optimization and investigativeaerodynamics. In general, theSymposium addressed all the aspects ofcurrent research in aerodynamics anddesign of aerospace vehicles.
Prof. Shevare of IIT Bombay gavea plenary talk on, ‘Assessment of CFDWork in India’. Mr. P. Jayasimha ofHAL, Bangalore, spoke on, ‘Aircraft
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Design—Indian Perspective’, andProf. Edward Greitzer of MIT, USA,delivered the third Plenary Talk on, ‘TheSilent Aircraft and Beyond: anIndustry-University CollaborativeEnterprise.’
The invited lectures covered a broadspectrum of activities and speakerscame from academia, industry and R&Dorganizations proving again that designand product development areinterdisciplinary and inter-organizationalactivities.
Invited talks included presentationsby Dr. Chittur Venkatasubban ofHawker Beechcraft, USA on, ‘CFD inBusiness Aviation: The Challenge andthe Promise’, Mr. K. Sivan of VSSCon, ‘Autonomous Trajectory ControlStrategies for Un-powered WingedEntry Vehicles’, Dr. Francois Pepin ofBombardier, Canada on, ‘Developmentof High-Lift Systems for theBombardier CRJ-700,’ Dr. GautamSenGupta of Boeing, USA on,‘Prediction of Transonic Flutter’, Dr.Francois Falempin of MBDA, Franceon, ‘French R&T Effort for HighSpeed Airbreathing Propulsion’, Prof.Charbel Farahat on, ‘Advances in
Nonlinear Computational Aeroelasticity’,Prof. Richard Morgan of University ofQueensland, Australia on, ‘The Study ofRadiating Hypervelocity Flows’, Prof.M. S. Bhat, IISc on, ‘Development ofUAV Research Platform forRandomized Path Planning andControl’, Prof. C. Venkatesan, IITKanpur on, ‘ComputationalAeroelastic Formulation forHelicopter Rotor Loads’ and Dr. A.Lurdharaj, ADE on, ‘Design ofEndurance UAVs’.
On the second day, a paneldiscussion on two topics was chaired byDr. Prahlada, CC R&D, DRDL. Thepanel consisted of Prof. Sitaram Bhat,IISc; Prof. Venkatesan, IIT Kanpur; Dr.Chittur Venkatasubban, HawkerBeechcraft; Dr. Gautam SenGupta,Boeing; and Dr. Aravamudhan, formerDirector, ADE. The first topic for paneldiscussion dealt with ConfigurationAerodynamics while the second topicdealt with Enhancing the Role ofEngineering Students and Faculty inAerospace Design Activities. All themembers clearly expressed urgent needto develop manpower in configurationaerodynamics and were of the opinion
that the two topics went hand-in-hand.A need for establishing the centre ofexcellence for aeroelasticity was clearlyfelt.
SAROD 2009 achieved animportant objective set by the AdvisoryCommittee that is to involve engineeringstudents in aeronautics discipline. Onefaculty member and one student eachwas invited from nearly 40 engineeringcolleges, teaching aeronautics in thesouthern region. The idea was to exposethe students to the current researchareas in aerodynamics and design ofaerospace vehicles.
Technical sessions concluded witha brief closing function wherein Dr.Upadhya distributed certificates to thestudents and faculty who were speciallyinvited to attend. SAROD 2009 alsoshowcased an exhibition of technologiesand services offered by the sponsors.There were a total of 19 stalls.
A scaled model of Indian boomerangwas released during this event. Mr.Kamaleshaiah and his team made finereplicas, nearly 400 of them of an ancientIndian boomerang, which were ondisplay at Government Museum,Egmore, Chennai. The original is madeof ivory and is a non-returning type.Boomerangs are most ancientaerodynamic devices used primarily forhunting.
Several private organizations cameforward to give financial assistance forthe Symposium. These included IBM,Mahindra Aerospace, Josts Engineering,CAE, L&T (Defense, Nuclear andAerospace Cluster), SUNMicrosystems, HP, SGI, AltairEngineering, GridPro, Captronix,Metacomp, ESI, Tesscorn Systems,Laser Spectra Services and Dantec. TheSymposium banquet was hosted by HALand the cultural evening, viz.,Bharatanjali, was sponsored by L&T.
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WORKSHOPS
International Workshop on Molecular Epidemiology,Environmental Health and Arsenic Exposure Assessment
The Fourteenth All IndiaCongress of Cytology
and Genetics (AICCG) heldevery alternate year indifferent parts of India washosted by Indian Institute ofChemical Biology (IICB),Kolkata, during 1-4December 2009.
IICB has a FogartyTraining Programme incollaboration with theUniversity of California, Berkeley, USA,funded by NIH, USA which focuses onthe development of skills and capacitybuilding for research to deal with criticalenvironmental health issues. Under thistraining programme, IICB organizes aWorkshop on the topic related to humanhealth related research every alternateyear.
This year, the training Workshopwas organized along with the FourteenthAICCG meeting. The main topic for theWorkshop was: ‘MolecularEpidemiology, Environmental Healthand Arsenic Exposure Assessment’.The AICCG Meeting and Workshopwere intended to review the advancesmade in the field of cytology andgenetics and to review the advancementof research in the field of environmentalhealth with special reference to arsenicexposure assessment.
The Workshop had 45 invitedspeakers from different parts of theglobe including stalwarts like Prof. NinaHolland, Prof. Allan Smith (Universityof California, Berkeley, USA), Prof. J.Christopher States (University of
Louisville, USA) and Dr. David Kalman(University of Washington, USA) toname a few. Thirty two participantsfrom India and abroad took part in theFogarty International Workshop.
The Inaugural Function was held inMeghnad Saha Auditorium in CentralGlass and Ceramic Research Instituteand was chaired by Dr. Siddhartha Roy,Director, IICB. The other dignitariespresent were Prof. Arun KumarSharma, President, AICCG; Prof. AllanSmith, Director of Fogarty Programmeat the University of California, Berkeley,USA and Prof. DhrubojyotiChattopadhyay, Pro-Vice Chancellor,Calcutta University. Dr. Ashok K. Giri,the Organizing-Secretary, 14th AICCGand Fogarty Workshop, and Prof SumitaJha of the Department of Genetics,Calcutta University were also presentamong others.
The Fourteenth AICCG had nineinvited Plenary Sessions, three InvitedLecture Sessions and two PosterSessions, in addition to the Inaugural andConcluding Sessions. Eminent scientistsaddressed key issues in the fields of
Cytology and Geneticsstarting from classical topicslike karyotype analysis inplants and animals, to state-of-the-art techniquesincluding genomics andproteomics, their applicationsin identifying high riskindividuals, molecularmechanism of pathogenesisand probable remedialmeasures. Talks covering
wide areas in every sphere of Cytologyand Genetics delivered by speakers fromdifferent backgrounds were the mainattraction of 14th AICCG.
Sixty one participants presentedtheir posters in two poster sessions ongenetic toxicology. Both the sessionswere highly appreciated by the judges,invited speakers and participants.Among the participants Mr. RaviDoddapaneni, Ms. Sukanya Majumdar,Ms. Myo Ma Ma Than, Ms. DebaratiGhosh and Mr. Udayan Bhattacharyawere awarded the cash prizes alongwithcertificates for their poster presentations
Mr. Ravi Doddapaneni receiving the Best PosterAward from Prof. Allan Smith
Seated on dais during the inaugural session (from left) are: Dr. A. K. Giri,Prof. S. Jha, Prof. D. J. Chattopadhyay, Prof. Allan Smith,
Prof. A. K. Sharma and Dr. S. Roy
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by Prof. Allan Smith, Dr. A. K. Giri, Prof.S. Raisuddin and Prof. Anita Mukherjeerespectively, during the ConcludingSession.
From the discussions ensuing duringthe Concluding Session, the followingmajor recommendations emerged:
• Utilization of new cutting edgetechnologies like genomics andproteomics should be adopted morecommonly in India to understand andovercome the rampant healthproblems of both plants and animals;
• More emphasis needs to be givento research related to environmentalhealth with special reference towater and air pollution in thissubcontinent;
• Since arsenic contamination is amajor health hazard in India, regularmonitoring of the groundwater qualityin different parts of the country ishighly recommended; and
••••• Molecular genetic studies in arsenic-
induced skin lesions etc. need to beintroduced for better understandingof the mechanism of arseniccarcinogenesis which may bedifferent from carcinogenesisinduced by other agents.
Group photograph of the faculty and participants of 14th AICCG
Indo-Russian Workshop onComplex Networks: Dynamics and Synchronization
The Indian Institute of ChemicalBiology, (IICB), Kolkata, organized
an Indo-Russian Workshop on,‘Complex Networks: Dynamics andSynchronization’. It was attended bynine Russian delegates who presentedtheir work, and two scientists fromGermany, one from Spain and one fromUnited States. There were a total of 55participants including young researchersfrom different parts of India. Eighteentalks were presented in the Seminar.
As a continuation of the Workshop,an International Symposium on,Complex Dynamical Systems andApplications was also arranged atDigha Science Centre, West Bengal,during 3-6 December 2009 where fewmore scientists from abroad and also The participants in the Workshop at IICB
from India joined and discussed theircurrent research activities.
The topics covered included physicalsystems, neuron models, and cardio-
Russian delegate Prof. Vladimir Belykh isdelivering his speech
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vascular system. The talks focused oncollective behaviours of small units (unitcells or oscillators) in such systems.Problems related to biological systemswere discussed in the Symposium. Thephysicists discussed the theoreticalmodels and as well as some experiments
conducted by them. They however, feltthat close interaction with biologists andfaculties from medicine can translatetheir experience into real biologicalsystems leading to exchange ofknowledge. A number of physicistsparticipating in the Symposium felt the
necessity to concentrate on syntheticgenetic networks in future and plannedto explore the possibilities of bringingtogether physics, biology and medicinein the present period to prepare jointprogrammes of action on DynamicalProcesses in Biological Systems.
International Workshop on Biomolecular Electronics and OrganicNanotechnology for Environment Preservation
The Department of Science & Technology Centre onBiomolecular Electronics, National Physical Laboratory
(NPL), New Delhi, jointly with Department of BiologicalFunctions and Engineering, Graduate School of Life ScienceSystems Engineering, Kitakyushu, Kyushu Institute ofTechnology, Japan, organized an International Workshop on,Biomolecular Electronics and Organic Nanotechnologyfor Environment Preservation from 17 to 20 December2009 at NPL.
Prof. S. K. Joshi, former Director General, CSIR, theChief Guest on the occasion, while inaugurating the Workshopexpressed that the Workshop will bring together scientistsfrom Japan and India who are actively contributing to trueinterdisciplinary field of Biomolecular Electronics and thiswill accelerate the pace of growth of biomolecular devices.
A group photograph of the participants of the Workshop
A dais view of the Workshop
CSIR NEWS70
Prof. R. C. Budhani, Director, NPL,in his speech enlightened that the fusionof nanotechnology and bio-molecularelectronics is also likely to lead to thedevelopment of futuristic productsand technologies, which will eventuallycontribute to the national economies.Prof. K. Kaneto delivered theKeynote Address, which was highlyinformative.
The Workshop was attended byabout 250 delegates including expertsfrom Japan, US, Sweden, Korea and
India. The leading scientists andspecialists from almost all the fields ofBimolecular Electronics and OrganicNanotechnology participated in theWorkshop. A total of 145 papers,classified as 11 Plenary Lectures, 28Invited Lectures, and 12 Oral and 90Posters were presented. Besides, aPanel Discussion also took place duringthe last day of the Workshop. In parallelwith the poster presentation, anexhibition was arranged in whichcommercial equipment available today
in relation to biomolecular electronicswas exhibited by five exhibitors.
The Workshop was highlysuccessful and it paved the way forhealthy discussions, interactions andawareness on Nanotechnology and itsapplications from the environment pointof view. The lectures were veryinformative and they motivated youngerminds to accept challenges in the frontiermulti-disciplinary field of researchand development in biomolecularelectronics.
Dr. V. P. S.Awana Scientist E1,National PhysicalLaboratory (NPL),New Delhi, receivedMRSI Medal for theyear 2010. Hedelivered the Medallecture in 21st MRSIannual meeting held
from 9-11 February 2010 at Sardar Patel University in Gujarat.The MRSI medal is conferred upon Dr. Awana for his
outstanding contribution to the field of superconductivity andsuperconducting materials. Dr. Awana has published over 200research articles in SCI journals in his research career of overtwo decades.
Dr. Awana has also been honoured earlier for his researchwork. Some noteworthy Awards among them include the INSAYoung Scientist Medal, DAE Golden Jubilee Young AchieversAward and Rajib Goyal Medal. He has availed variousprestigious international fellowships including JSPS, ICYS andMANA from Japan, CNPq and FAPESp from Brazil, ISEM-ARC from Australia. He has also been Max Planck Fellow atGermany.
Dr. V. P. S. Awana receives MRSI Medal
Dr. Gopal Bhatia, Scientist G and Head, CarbonTechnology Unit, Division of Engineering
Materials, National Physical Laboratory (NPL),New Delhi, has been awarded B. D. BangurAward 2009, instituted by M/S Graphite India Ltd,and Indian Carbon Society. The Award waspresented to him, jointly with Dr. P. K. Jain,Scientist, ARCI, Hyderabad, at the First AsianCarbon Conference, held at Habitat Center, NewDelhi, during 25-27 November 2009 in recognitionof the outstanding contributions made by him tothe field of Carbon Science and Technology andfor the growth of Carbon Technology in India. TheAward consists of a cash amount of Rs. 50,000/-a medal and a scroll.
Dr. Gopal Bhatia AwardedB. D. Bangur Award 2009
Dr. Sekhar Majumdar, former Head,Computational & Theoretical Fluid Dynamics
Division (CTFD), National Aerospace Laboratories(NAL), Bangalore, has been elected Fellow of theIndian National Academy of Engineering, NewDelhi, from 1 January 2010.
Dr Sekhar Majumdar Honoured
Dr. V.P.S. Awana, NPL, receivingthe MRSI Medal for the year 2010
HONOURS & AWARDS
March 2010 71
HONOURS & AWARDS
Prof. Samir K. Brahmachari, DirectorGeneral, CSIR, has been chosen to receive
the prestigious ‘Nayudamma Award’ for 2010,jointly instituted by Nellore based NayudammaCentre for Development Alternatives andR. M. K. Engineering College, Kavaraipettai,Tamil Nadu.
Prof. Brahmachari, a Ph.D. in MolecularBiophysics from Indian Institute of Science,Bangalore, was earlier a Professor of MolecularBiophysics and Genetic Engineering at the IndianInstitute of Science, Bangalore, before joiningas Director, IGIB. He has pioneered functionalgenomics initiative in India and has successfullyled the Indian Genome Variation ConsortiumProject.
Prof. Brahmachari is presently coordinatinga national network project on ‘In Silico Biology’for drug target development. He and hiscoworkers have demonstrated association oftwo genes to schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.They have identified several SNPs and othermarkers associated with various neurologicaldisorders. Prof. Brahmachari is the first todiscover how human miRNA can target HIVgenes and control virus replication, thus openingup a new vista of anti-viral therapeutics.
Prof. Brahmachari has received severalawards and distinctions for spearheading various
Prof. Samir K. Brahmachari,Chosen for
Nayudamma Award
Prof. Gautam Biswas becomes a Fellow ofthe Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore
Prof. Gautam Biswas, Director, Central Mechanical Engineering ResearchInstitute (CMERI), Durgapur, has becomea Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences,Bangalore. His areas of research are:Computational Fluid Dynamics and HeatTransfer. He has developed methodologiesfor handling free surface flows, bubbleformation in film boiling and turbulenttransport.
Before joining CMERI, Prof. Biswas was holding the post ofGD and V. M. Mehta Endowed Chair Professor of MechanicalEngineering at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur. Hehas earlier been the Dean of Academic Affairs at IIT, Kanpur. Hewas a Humboldt Fellow in Germany and JSPS invited Fellow in Japan.He is Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers(ASME), the Indian National Academy of Engineering and theNational Academy of Sciences (India). He is also a Fellow of theInstitution of Engineers (India).
The prestigious ‘Padma Shri’ Award, oneof the highest of the three Civilian
Awards of India, which is given in recognitionof distinguished service in a chosen field, hasbeen conferred on Dr. Vijay Prasad Dimri,the then Director, National GeophysicalResearch Institute (NGRI), Hyderabad, inrecognition of his work in Science andEngineering.The Padma Awards are announced on the occasion of Republic Day,every year. For the 2010, the President of India has approved 130Padma Awards (6 Padma Vibhushan, 43 Padma Bhushan and 81Padma Shri). The Awards are presented by the President of India ata function held at Rashtrapati Bhavan sometime in March/April everyyear.
Prestigious ‘Padma Shri’ AwardConferred on Dr. V. Prasad Dimri
CSIR NEWS72
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facets of research in biotechnology.These include: INSA Young ScientistsAward in 1979; Kani Medal (NationalCancer Research Centre, Japan), 1981;Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award (CSIR)1990; FICCI Award, 1999; MillenniumMedal (Indian Science Congress) 2000;Ranbaxy Award 2001; Prof. B. R.Ambedkar Centenary Award forExcellence in Biomedical Research(ICMR) 2005; J. C. Bose Medal (INSA)2007; and H. K. Firodia Award ForExcellence In Science and Technology(2007).
Prof. Brahmachari is an electedmember of the Human GenomeOrganization, 1991 and is also an electedmember of the HUGO Council, 2004.He has been elected to the fellowshipof all the three National Academies. Hehas also been a member of various TaskForces and Committees, Government ofIndia; Member, Expert Group on HumanRights and Biotechnology, UnitedNations; Council Member, FAOBMB,since 1997; and Member, Indo-EuropeanCommission S&T Steering Committee.He has been even included in theAdvisory Committee of the X-Prize inGenomics which consists of leadingscientists of the world.
Prof. Brahmachari has also beeninvolved in the issues related to genomicsresearch and human rights. As anAdvisor to Human Rights HighCommission, he has also addressedissues of unethical exploitation of genetic
resources of the Third World. He haschampioned the concept of rights ofpatients in benefit sharing in thedevelopment of genomic medicines.He has also contributed significantlyin promoting industry-academia
interactions through novel program ofknowledge partnership.
Prof. Brahmachari has over 140publications in leading internationaljournals and has 10 patents and 14software copyrights to his credit.
HONOURS & AWARDS
