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PM meets Bal Puraskar winners

PM Modi interacting with Bal Pursakar winners on Friday. (Source: @PMOIndia Twitter)

New Delhi (NVI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with recipients of Rashtriya Bal Puraskar today. The awards were conferred by President Ram Nath Kovind on Wednesday. The awardees will also participate in the Republic Day Parade on January 26.

The 49 awardees are from various states of India including one each from Jammu & Kashmir, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh. PM Rashtriya Bal Puraskar awards are given every year to recognize exceptional achievements of children in the field of art & culture, innovation, scholastics, social service, sports and bravery.

Admiring the outstanding achievements of the children in different fields, PM Modi said the work done by them at such a young age is amazing. He said, “I am proud to see the way in which you are fulfilling your duties towards society and the nation. It gives me that extra energy and the push to work harder when I hear the stories of bravery and achievements of our young comrades.”

The PM asked the awardees to work harder while being strongly rooted to the ground realities. “This recognition should be a beginning to achieve more and you should realise this is not an end in itself. And such awards will inspire your peers and other children to become achievers.”

Coronavirus and steps to prevent it

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New Delhi (NVI) : Health officials around the world are keeping a close watch on the outbreak of coronavirus in China, which is spreading around Asia and has reached as far away as the United States.

The new kind of virus has already claimed a number of lives and more cases have been detected.

Governments are responding with stepped-up surveillance of airline passengers arriving from the affected area to try to keep the outbreak under control. In this matter, World Health Organization (WHO) has released a list of Q&A to provide information.

Here’s what you should know about the coronavirus at the center of the outbreak.

What is a coronavirus?
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that are known to cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

What is a novel coronavirus?
A novel coronavirus (CoV) is a new strain of coronavirus that has not been previously identified in humans.

Can humans become infected with a novel coronavirus of animal source?
Detailed investigations found that SARS-CoV was transmitted from civet cats to humans in China in 2002 and MERS-CoV from dromedary camels to humans in Saudi Arabia in 2012. Several known coronaviruses are circulating in animals that have not yet infected humans. As surveillance improves around the world, more coronaviruses are likely to be identified.

What are the symptoms of someone infected with a coronavirus?
It depends on the virus, but common signs include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath, and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death.

Can coronaviruses be transmitted from person to person?
Yes, some coronaviruses can be transmitted from person to person, usually after close contact with an infected patient, for example, in a household workplace, or health care centre.

Is there a vaccine for a novel coronavirus?
When a disease is new, there is no vaccine until one is developed. It can take a number of years for a new vaccine to be developed.

Is there a treatment for a novel coronavirus?
There is no specific treatment for disease caused by a novel coronavirus. However, many of the symptoms can be treated and therefore treatment based on the patient’s clinical condition. Moreover, supportive care for infected persons can be highly effective.

What can a person do to protect themselves?
Standard recommendations to reduce exposure to and transmission of a range of illnesses include maintaining basic hand and respiratory hygiene, and safe food practices and avoiding close contact, when possible, with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness such as coughing and sneezing.

Are health workers at risk from a novel coronavirus?
Yes, they can be, as health care workers come into contact with patients more often than the general public WHO recommends that health care workers consistently apply appropriate infection prevention and control measures.

What are WHO’s recommendations for countries?
WHO encourages all countries to enhance their surveillance for severe acute respiratory infections (SARI), to carefully review any unusual patterns of SARI or pneumonia cases and to notify WHO of any suspected or confirmed case of infection with novel coronavirus.
Countries are encouraged to continue strengthening their preparedness for health emergencies in line with the International Health Regulations (2005).

Ventricular arrhythmia treated by protons for the first time, reports CNAO

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New Delhi (NVI): For the first time in the world, a 73-year-old patient suffering from a severe form of dilated cardiomyopathy or ventricular arrhythmia, has been treated with a proton beam at the Centro Nazionale Adroterapia Oncologica (CNAO) of Pavia, Italy.

The intervention, developed in collaboration with the Irccs Policlinico San Matteo Foundation, was performed at CNAO, Pavia. CNAO is the National Center of Oncological Hadrontherapy, one of the 6 structures in the world equipped with accelerators capable of generating beams of protons and carbon ions, generally used for the treatment of radio-resistant and non-operable tumors.

Ventricular arrhythmias are abnormal heartbeats that originate in the lower heart chambers, called ventricles. These types of arrhythmias causes the heart to beat too fast, which prevents oxygen-rich blood from circulating to the brain and body and may result in cardiac arrest.

A statement from CNAO and San Matteo reads, “The choice to use hadron therapy with protons, an advanced form of radiation therapy for the treatment of tumors, for the treatment of cardiac pathology was born from the need to combat a particularly aggressive form of ventricular arrhythmia that had not responded effectively to both traditional and more advanced treatments and which caused continuous and dangerous alterations of the heart rhythm in the patient.”

Proton beam is targeted, with a very reduced impact on the delicate surrounding tissues, on that part of the heart responsible for irregular heartbeats.

The patient was transferred to Pavia from a Milanese hospital where he was hospitalized for ventricular arrhythmias and repeated cardiac arrests.

“In this particularly serious case, a different intervention was necessary”, underlines Roberto Rordorf, head of the Arrhythmology Unit of the Cardiology of the Policlinico San Matteo, directed by Luigi Oltrona Visconti.

Although phototherapy radiotherapy has already been used experimentally. In rare cases to treat some forms of arrhythmia, this time it was chosen to proceed with protons which guarantee a much lower impact on the surrounding delicate tissues.

“Pavia’s intervention is the first in the world on humans and the first results are really encouraging. For this reason, together with the CNAO we are evaluating the feasibility of an experimental clinical study,” said Roberto Rordorf.

“For CNAO this is a completely new way”, adds Gianluca Vago, president of the National Center of Oncological Hadrontherapy, but it confirms the extraordinary potential of this form of radiotherapy even outside its application in the oncological field, a vocation for our center was born, and the spirit of full collaboration with the world of Italian and international care that animates it.

App that helps visually impaired persons identify currency notes

New Delhi (NVI): Visually challenged persons can now identify the denomination of a currency note through the help of a mobile app that has been launched by RBI.

Empowering the visually impaired persons, the ‘Mani App’ can be downloaded free and works on am offline mode, i.e., it doesn’t require internet connectivity to operate.

The user can simply open the app and point the camera of mobile phone to the currency note.

The app identifies denomination of both old and new Mahatma Gandhi series banknotes.

The app can read the denomination of currency after scanning it and then play an audio to help the visually impaired person know the value of the note.

The app is available on both Android Play Store and iOS Apple store without any charges.

However, the mobile app does not authenticate the note as fake or counterfeit. The Mani App was launched by RBI on January 1, 2020.

Coronavirus scare: Indian Embassy monitoring situation in China, cancels R-day reception

Beijing (NVI): The Indian Embassy in Beijing has cancelled Republic Day reception scheduled for January 26 in view of the coronavirus-related situation in China, which is being closely monitored by the Mission here.

“In view of the evolving situation due to the corona virus outbreak in China as well as the decision of Chinese authorities to cancel public gathering and events,@EOIBeijinghas also decided to call off the Republic Day reception scheduled to be held @EOIBeijing on January 26th,” the Embassy said in a tweet.

The Embassy has set up two hotline numbers for those who wish to get in touch in this regard. The hotline numbers are +8618612083629 and +8618612083617.

“We are closely monitoring the evolving situation in China, including advisories issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) in this connection,” the Embassy said.

The Embassy said it has been receiving queries from Indians in Hubei province as well as their relatives in India in connection with the evolving situation of the coronavirus epidemic in China.

“In this regard the embassy is in touch with relevant Chinese authorities in Beijing and Wuhan as well as Indians in Hubei Province, especially in Wuhan,” an official statement said.

The relevant Chinese authorities have assured all assistance to residents of Wuhan, including food supply.

At present, it is reported that supermarkets (particularly those that are government run) and e-commerce services, including food delivery continue to remain operational in Wuhan.

Everyone concerned has been advised to keep track of the Embassy’s social media accounts (give account details) for updates on this evolving situation.

Temperature dips in Delhi

New Delhi (NVI): Minimum temperature in Delhi today dropped to 8.2 degree celsius from 9.0 degree celsius recorded yesterday.

The maximum temperature today is expected to be around 20.0 degrees celsius, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The weatherman has forecast that a spell of showers is likely to hit Delhi on January 28 onwards due to fresh western disturbance.

Meanwhile, the overall air quality in the national capital today improved a notch from“very poor”to “moderate” category.

According to System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR),the Air Quality Index (AQI) in the national capital stood at  112 which falls in the  “moderate” category.

Centre will extend North-east development model to J&K: Shripad Naik

Srinagar (NVI): Union Minister of State for Defence Shripad Yesso Naik today said the Centre will extend its North-east model of development to the Union Territory Jammu and Kashmir, in a bid to trigger overall growth in different areas in the Valley.

As part of Centre’s outreach programme, Naik arrived in Kashmir today and addressed various delegations here at SKICC.

He said the Union Territory will witness “north-eastern states like development in coming years.”

“North-east has witnessed an immense development in last five years. So to follow this model, we will complete all the developmental works and schemes, which witnessed no progress for years. The central government and union territory administration will work in coordination to count Jammu and Kashmir among developed places of India,” he said.

Naik said of the 1,644 projects sanctioned under Rs 8,000 crore, Prime Minister’s development package, works on 559 water supply schemes have been taken up by the administration in the UT.

“These 559 water supply schemes cost Rs 965 crore. Besides, 500 connectivity works have been allotted under PMGSY and 700-kilometer road length has been macadamized,” he said.

The Union minister said new power projects were coming up to enhance the power generation capacity by additional 3,500 megawatts.

“Currently, Kashmir generates 12,000 megawatts electricity. Now some more power projects are coming up to increase the capacity by additional 3,500 megaWatts,” he said.

Naik, who is also the Union Minister of State for AYUSH, said that the Centre is “keen” to promote Kashmir as a prime medical tourism destination of India.

“Nature has bestowed the valley with enough greenery and clean atmosphere. So it can prove to be as good medical tourism destination,” he said.

He also said that at least 90 new health centres will come up in J&K to improve the medical facilities for the people.

“Country-wide 12,5000 health centres are being set up, which will include at least 12,500 dedicated AYUSH units. Every district will now have 50 bedded AYUSH hospitals in Kashmir. People will get treatment of their choice and more than the requirement,” he said.

The Union Minister said the government has already introduced the health insurance cover of Rupees five lakh for financially weak families.

“They won’t have to worry now about the medical expenses. People can get better medical facilities through the insurance cover to treat the diseases,” he said.

He said an equal emphasis was being given to the areas known for growing medicinal herbs. “Apart from generating source of income for the people, Kashmir will be known for its medicinal herbs, which can treat various diseases,” he said.

Exercise can improve vision: Study

New Delhi (NVI): Exercises can improve our vision too, according to the World Economic Forum report based on a study.

The WEF report which is based one Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience study reveals that low-intensity exercise boosted activation in the visual cortex, the part of the cerebral cortex that plays an important role in processing visual information.

According to University of California, Santa Barbara psychological and brain sciences professor and co author Barry Giesbrecht said “We show that the increased activation—what we call arousal—changes how information is represented, and it’s much more selective.That’s important to understand because how that information then gets used could potentially be different,”.

“There’s an interesting cross-species link that shows these effects of arousal might have similar consequences for how visual information is processed. That implies the evolution of something that might provide a competitive advantage in some way,” he added.

To find out that visual processing increase during physical activity for the human brain, scientist designed an experiment using behavioral measures and neuroimaging techniques to explore the ways in which brief bouts of physical exercise affect human performance and underlying neural activity.

During this experiment, 18 volunteers wore a wireless heart rate monitor and an EEG (electroencephalogram) cap containing 64 scalp electrodes.

While on a stationary bicycle, participants performed a simple orientation discrimination task using high-contrast stimuli composed of alternating black and white bars presented at one of nine spatial orientations.

The tasks were performed while at rest and during bouts of both low- and high-intensity exercise.

The recorded data were then fed into a computational model that allowed researchers to estimate the responses of the neurons in the visual cortex activated by the visual stimuli.

The responses were analyzed while participants were at rest and then during low- and high-intensity exercise.

This approach allowed researchers to reconstruct what large populations of neurons in the visual cortex were doing in relation to each of the different stimulus orientations—and to generate a “tuning curve,” which estimates how well the neurons are representing the different stimulus orientations.

UC Santa Barbara’s Attention Lab postdoctoral researcher and a lead author Tom Bullock said “We found that the peak response is enhanced during low-intensity exercise relative to rest and high-intensity exercise. We also found that the curve narrows in, which suggests a reduction in bandwidth.”

“Together, the increased gain and reduced bandwidth suggest that these neurons are becoming more sensitive to the stimuli presented during the low-intensity exercise condition relative to the other conditions, ” he said.

It is unclear by what mechanism this is occurring, Bullock says that there are some hints that it may be driven by specific neurotransmitters that increase global cortical excitability and that can account for the change in the gain and the increase in the peak response of these tuning profiles.

Govt considering reducing entry barrier in coal mining: Coal Secretary

Coal Secretary Anil Kumar Jain (File)

New Delhi (NVI): Coal Secretary Anil Kumar Jain has said that the government is looking at reducing entry barriers in coal mining which will have a spin effect on the GDP growth and economy.

He also said that Coal the Ministry is open to all suggestions in this regard and will go to the Cabinet after the consultation series are over.

Jain was yesterday speaking at a stakeholder consultation on recently launched discussion paper of Ministry of Coal for ‘Auction of Coal Mines for Sale of Coal’ organized by Ministry of Coal, jointly with FICCI.

This was the first of the series of stakeholders’ consultations being organized to gain the industry’s perspective on the upcoming auction of coal mines for sale of coal. The second roundtable is in the series is being organized on 28th January at Kolkata.

The Coal Secretary’s comments come amid the Central Government’s efforts to enable wider participation in auction of coal mines by removing the end-use restrictions of the mining blocks. The Government has also promulgated Mineral Laws (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020 on January 10 in this direction.

Earlier last year, the Government had also allowed 100% Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) under automatic route for coal mining activities including associated processing infrastructure.

Coast Guard helps in rescue of 13 Indians aboard stranded vessel

New Delhi (NVI): The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) today coordinated the rescue of 13 Indian crew members from a sinking vessel near Okha in Gujarat. The vessel was on its way from Basrah in Iran to Hazira in Surat district.

The Coast Guard rescued the distressed Merchant tanker MT Reem 5 at 11.30 am in the Arabian Sea, about 210 NM (Nautical Miles) from Okha, a coastal town in Dwarka district of Gujarat.

The Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre Mumbai (MRCC), after receiving a distress call from the sinking vessel at 08.05 am, established contact with another Indian ship in the area and MRCC Karachi, as the position was 90 NM inside Pakistan Search and Rescue Region.

MRCC Mumbai identified MV Ganga which was operating in close vicinity and directed the vessel to rescue the crew on MT Reem 5.

All the 13 crew members were then rescued by MV Ganga around 11.40 am today despite severe rough sea conditions, the Coast Guard said, adding the status of the distressed vessel was being monitored closely.

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