Page 58

IIT Roorkee develops low-cost portable ventilator to tackle COVID-19

By
newspost
-
0

Roorkee, IIT Roorkee has developed a low-cost portable ventilator that can be useful to ensure the survival of COVID-19 patients. Named as ‘Prana-Vayu,’ the closed-loop ventilator is developed in collaboration with AIIMS, Rishikesh, and is equipped with state-of-the-art features.

The ventilator is based on the controlled operation of the prime mover to deliver the required amount of air to the patient. The automated process controls the pressure and flow rates in the inhalation and exhalation lines. Besides, the ventilator has feedback that can control tidal volume and breathe per minute. The ventilator will be useful for a wide degree of congestions in the respiratory tract and is applicable for all age group patients, especially the elderly. The prototype has been tested successfully for normal and patient-specific breathing conditions. Additionally, it does not require compressed air for functioning and can be especially useful in cases when hospital wards or open areas are converted into ICUs. It is safe and reliable as it is equipped with real-time spirometry and alarms. It can automatically limit high pressure with an alarm system. In case of a failure, the circuit opens to the atmosphere with prevent choking. Some additional features are remote monitoring by health professionals, touch screen control of all operating parameters, moister, and temperature control for inhaled air. The manufacturing cost per ventilator is estimated to be INR 25000.

The research team from IIT Roorkee included Prof. Akshay Dvivedi and Prof. Arup Kumar Das with online support from Dr. Debendra Tripathi from AIIMS Rishikesh. They teamed up  a week back by remote communication to develop a quick time technology to help the distressed in the situation of COVID-19. The research development on the ventilator started during the lockdown period necessitating the development of many parts like microprocessor-controlled non-return valves, solenoid valves, one-way valve, etc. using the facilities of Tinkering Laboratory, IIT Roorkee.

“Prana-Vayu has been designed especially for COVID-19 pandemic. It is low-cost, safe, reliable, and can be quickly manufactured. We have successfully achieved the ventilatory requirement on a test lung, and it can be used for both infants and even overweight adults,” said Prof. Akshay Dvivedi, Coordinator, Tinkering Laboratory, IIT Roorkee. “Our commercial product will be of approximate dimensions of 1.5 feet × 1.5 feet for effective portability,” he added.

“Today ‘Prana-Vayu’ was presented to more than 450 industries in a webinar organized by CII. I am happy to share that we have received interest from multiple industries for its mass production. We are committed to augmenting the efforts of the government in tackling the pandemic. This low-cost ventilator will be highly useful for COVID-19 patients, especially when there is a shortage of ventilators.” said Prof. Ajit K Chaturvedi, Director, IIT Roorkee.

Alls well a mile high in the sky

By
Tania Saili
-
0

Mussoorie, As the news of Nizammudin Markaz being the hotspot of Covid-19 filtered down, concern began to do the rounds in Mussoorie too.

But the good news is that all is well. Newspost spoke to SDM Varun Choudhary about the incident and he reassured us saying, “Five people from Mussoorie did visit the Nizammudin Jamaat but four of them returned to the hill station on the 15th of February, while one is said to be in Himanchal Pradesh.”

Since the 15th of February, the four individuals between the age group of 32-35 years stayed put in town. Further adding: “forty-five days hence, the four individuals in question have shown no symptoms of the infection. So it shall be safe to conclude that they are not carriers.’ It is this news that brings a collective sigh of relief to town.

“To ensure double indemnity, the local intelligence unit visited these individuals this morning. After screening, their right hand index finger has been marked with inedible ink and for ample safety they have been put under home quarantine, to put to rest any niggling doubts.”

The local administration also met the Imams in town to assure them that all was well. There exists little reason for panic.

Earlier in the day, speaking about the Nizammudin incident, Ashok Kumar, Director General of Police(Law & Order) told the media: “26 people of Uttarakhand participated in Tablighi Jamaat event at Delhi’s Nizamuddin Markaz. They are still in Delhi. 173 out of 713 people who participated in regular jamaats at the mosque in last 28 days have been quarantined in Uttarakhand.”

With an alert administration keeping an eagle’s eye on Covid-19 developments, hill-state remains an island of calm in a turbulent sea.

The Changing Colour of Khakhi

By
Tania Saili
-
0

Mussoorie: The Incharge of Landour Police Station and Picture Palace Sub Inspector Suraj Kandari and constable Chandraveer’s duties have changed drastically ever since the hill station went into lockdown mode.

Of course from 27th March they have enforced a strict lockdown. But at the same time, Suraj and his one-man team have been ferrying free home-deliveries of fruits, vegetables, milk, medicines, groceries and helping with Home Services like mobile recharges, plumbers, electricians or whatever a householder requires from time to time.

Over the past week, these men in khakhi helped along by the Mussoorie Traders have ensured that all calls have been attended to and all parameters, satisfactorily met.

“In the past four days we have delivered close to 125 deliveries to people spread over a radius of 12-15 kms,” Suraj Kandari tells me.  Adding, “we receive close to 50-60 calls a day, we put three or four orders together and then within two hours these packets are home delivered to the needy.”

As the one-day dovetails into the other, the numbers of phone calls on the hotline number are on the increase. So are the relentless efforts of these men in khaki.

“Mostly elderly people are unable to leave home during relaxation hours, and they rely entirely upon us for these services, ” Suraj tells me. “All I have to do is make sure that not a single call goes unanswered.’

Surely what these youngsters are now doing is so far removed from what they were trained for. But stepping into this new role gives them a sense of community, contentment and the sheer joy of helping those in need.

Mussoorie Home Delivery Hotline – 7300-686-294

Orders can be placed between 7 am – 11 am for same day delivery.

Orders post 12 noon will be delivered the next day.

Police department does delivery.

Delivery is Free of charge during the lockdown period.

We accept cash, but also take PayTM. The PayTM can be done to the delivery person itself.

Virtual school solution: The key to continuous learning amid COVID-19

By
newspost
-
0

Dehradun, With the increase in COVID-19 cases throughout India, the Government has imposed a total lockdown across India. As a result, disruption to the education industry has been unprecedented with school closures, suspended academic operations and inadequacy of platform to conduct online classes. Considering this situation, Next Education India Pvt. Ltd., India’s leading education solutions provider, has stepped forward to help schools with the transition from offline to online academics operations through the ‘Next Learning Platform’, a school-in-a-box solution/an integrated solution to facilitate remote learning and academic operations without any hindrance.

Next Education strives to make academic operations and the K–12 learning environment more interactive, creative and engaging by offering its integrated learning platform, Next Learning Platform, comprising NextERP, NextLMS including Live Lectures, NextAssessment, content access at home and leading state boards’ content in vernacular and different languages.

Next Education is offering a free subscription of Next Learning Platform to its partner schools till April 30, 2020. With an emphasis on providing continuous learning and seamless academic operations, it is necessary for educational institutions in the country to adopt online learning solutions. Next Learning Platform offers NextERP for managing school operations and communications, NextLMS to empower teachers to create lesson plans, assign and track homework and conduct live lectures. Through live lectures, teachers create a virtual classroom via the internet to facilitate long-distance learning. Students can revisit the recorded sessions as many times they want and also receive real-time notifications about the sessions. Teachers can also conduct live online doubt sessions.

NextAssessment is a powerful tool that allows teachers to create assessments using the automatic assessment generator, assign adaptive tests and give personalised feedback to students. Our award-winning digital content is aligned with NextCurriculum and TeachNext content. The digital content is available across ICSE, CBSE, IGCSE and 29 state boards in 7 different languages.

Mr. Beas Dev Ralhan, CEO and Co-Founder, Next Education said, “Through Next Learning Platform, our mission is to enable schools to take a step forward in the right direction so that their academic operations are not hampered amid the COVID-19 outbreak. Our ‘school-in-a-box’ platform allows schools to run a virtual school through various tools like NextERP, NextLMS, live lectures, online classes and more.”

Mr. Ralhan further added, “With an emphasis on ensuring providing uninterrupted academic operations, it is all the more necessary for educational institutions in the country to adopt online learning platforms. Live Lecture replicates the actual classroom environment, thereby instilling enthusiasm and interest among students to learn and attend the classes regularly.”

‘Breaking News’ All Day Long

By
Tania Saili
-
0

Dehradun, Not all heroes come wearing a white coat and a stethoscope dangling around their neck during the times of Covid-19 lockdown. Many like my colleagues come armed with a digital camera, smart phone and mike. Make no mistake; reporters have been working round the clock, on ground, bringing us ‘breaking news’ from the remotest corners of the hill state.

For instance, there are ANI staffer Afzal Ahmed and Kishore Arora. They have become an inseparable part of the thousands of electronic media workers who despite the pandemic keep us abreast with the latest happenings.

For almost 15 years this unlikely duo have covered all events, major and minor, in Uttarakhand. But for 41-year-old Afzal and 54-year-old Kishore Arora covering the lockdown has been another experience that they are unlikely to forget in a hurry.

Afzal says: “I had covered the 2013 Kedarnath Deluge extensively, but that was nothing like the Covid19. We have come across migrant labours, senior citizens, young students all affected by this epidemic. Covid-19 doesn’t discriminate it has cut across gender, age, social standing.”

Kishore finds that the Covid-19 has cut close to home: “I never remember my hometown being so quiet and eerie. It was a city buzzing with life a few weeks ago. Now all that we see are deserted lanes.”

Like thousands of other reporters across the 13 districts, these unsung heroes start their day at the break of dawn and return home late at night. They travel the length and breadth of their city limits looking for untold stories. The one’s in Dehradun congregate at Clock Tower during lunchtime, taking a well-deserved break, catching up with one another over a smoke two.

It will be many hours before these heroes wend their way to home and hearth where their families have been praying for their good health and safe return. Only to march out again armed with their equipment,  to tell an untold story.

IIT Roorkee-incubated startup offers free interactive books during lockdown

By
newspost
-
0

March, IIT Roorkee-incubated startup TBS Planet Comics Studio is offering interactive comics free of cost to entertain kids during the quarantine period in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. The comics are available in six vernacular languages namely Hindi, English, Telugu, Kannada, Bangla, Marathi thereby aiding kids to hone their linguistic skills.

“The Covid-19 pandemic has led to the shutdown of educational institutions and children are staying at home. They should utilize this time in reading which will not only entertain them but also hone their linguistic skills and supplement classroom learning. This initiative is in line with our commitment to offering curated experiences to our readers. It will keep kids engaged while their parents work from home,” said Mr. Rajeev Tamhankar, Founder &CEO, TBS Planet Comics Studio.

The interactive comics enables kids to play games where they can choose to play as a character and shape the adventure according to the choices they make in the story. It is available on accessing the link https://www.tbsplanet.com/en/read and caters to six genres- Action superheroes, Comedy, Horror, Mythology, History, and Moral Stories.
“It is commendable that one of our students has come forward so that the children are engaged during the present lockdown. This initiative will encourage more kids to embrace reading during their leisure hours,” said Prof. Ajit K. Chaturvedi, Director IIT Roorkee.

The comics are centered on six superheroes- Ved, Varun, Karma, Yug, Takshak, and Rudra. Ved is a Delhi- based detective who uses his wit and intellect to solve cases. He was brought up by magician Anand. The character is truly Indian and was also among #1 bestseller on Amazon in the Indian comics’ category. Deriving from the Indian mythology, Varun came into existence underwater after Dwarka submerged. The comics portray the adventures of water-based superhuman Varun. Karma is among the most intriguing characters of the comics’ superhero universe. Karma punishes criminal to the extent of crime. Yug is an immortal warrior who has been saved by King of Devpur for a mission of eliminating evil from the planet. Based in antiquity, this superhero indulges in interesting adventures. Takshak is the Snake-man superhero of the TBS Planet Comics universe. He is currently banned from the snake world and is living in Mumbai to explore the pearl of time, also known as “Kaal-Moti”. His story includes many adventures while he tries to comprehend the human world.  Rudra is the son of Vayu and the blessing of Shiva. He is among the most fierce and powerful characters of the TBS Planet Comics Universe. As Veer, he works as a tourist guide in Haridwar.

TBS Planet Comics Studio is supported under the Technology Incubation and Entrepreneurship Development Society (TIEDS) of IIT Roorkee. To promote innovation and entrepreneurship, TIEDS facilitates incubation of new enterprises with innovative technologies by admitting them at its Incubator, TIDES, and rendering physical, technical, financial and networking expertise.

Beyond the call of duty: The Sant Nirankari Mission

By
Tania Saili
-
0

Mussoorie, Extraordinary times like these individuals and communities have come forward to do their bit in helping and assisting not only the State administration but also individuals in need.

The Sant Nirankari Mission,  Uttarakhand has always been the flag bearer helping everyone across the length and breadth of the hill-state during their hour of need. From Kedarnath deluge to cleanliness drives, education, Girl Child Mission, Say no to plastic, taking care of the elderly, distributing ration to the needy the Sant Nirankari Mission and their sevadaars have never shunned responsibility but voluntarily stepped in to help in all possible ways.

Today, the Mission promised its 70-75 retreats to the State Government to be used as Isolation Wards for Covid-19, if need arises. These retreats, spread  over all 13 districts of Uttarakhand have their maximum presence in Pauri, Uttarkashi, Haridwar, Dehradun and Tehri district.

Speaking to Newspost, Mussoorie Zonal In-charge, Harbhajan Singh says, “There are 70-75 Nirankari Mission buildings within Uttarakhand and close to 40-45 retreats are under me directly. We as a community have come forward to do the best we can during this period.” Adding, “The Dehradun Police Department got in touch with us asking us to house close to 100-150 migratory labours who had no homes to go back to, post the lockdown. The Sant Nirankari Mission has decided to house these people at our Rest Camp Bhawan, in Dehradun. Their housing and food will be taken care off by the Mission, until the situation gets better.”

Applauding the gesture, SSP Dehradun Arun Mohan Joshi said, “This is a crisis which the entire nation is facing and it is very heartening to see individuals and communities such as the Sant Nirankari Mission coming forward to help the State administration is these testing times.“

IIT Roorkee resumes teaching through digital mode during Covid-19

By
newspost
-
0
IIT Roorkee

Roorkee, The country is in a state of lockdown upto 14th April and the classes are suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic. IIT Roorkee has resumed teaching learning utilising digital content sharing with students over the internet.

While recognizing the fact that e-learning cannot replace classroom learning, the institute has given faculty various options of imparting distance education. While keeping in mind that different portions of the syllabus may be suited to different digital forms, faculty has been asked to leverage live video, interactive live video, video files, ppt, ppt with voice or text commentary, pdf, doc, jpg mode for making the teaching as effective as possible.

The following are some of the options which can be used:

(i) Real-time lectures through Google classroom/ Webex/Zoom/Microsoft Teams etc.

(ii) Mapping of the content remaining to be taught to specific video lectures available on NPTEL, SWAYAM etc.

(iii) Sharing of PPTs/pdf with or without voice/text commentary

(iv) Uploading of content on Facspace or Channel-I.

(v) Use of WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter etc. for sharing content as well as sending messages.

(vi) Sharing of reference sources, lecture notes, book chapters, assignments, presentations, case studies etc. If some content is not available in digital format it can be scanned to gets its digital equivalent. With the availability of mobile phones, scanning can be done just by taking pictures.

(vii) Any other digital form or platform that is convenient.

“While sharing of digital content need not necessarily be live or interactive, and hence the students will be free to go through that content at their convenience, regular interactive chat/video/email-based sessions can be organized to answer queries and clear doubts. As far as possible, live sessions shall be organized in the slot which is assigned to that course in the current semester’s timetable. The pace of instruction shall be slightly slower than the pace we are used to in classroom teaching,” said Prof. Ajit K. Chaturvedi, Director, IIT Roorkee.

All students do not have regular or high-speed access to the internet. However, moderate, or intermittent, access to the internet is available to a large fraction of the students. Hence such students will get the content after a delay of a few days or maybe weeks. The Institute will take this factor into account while finalizing the time of examination. The students who get full/partial fee waiver will get up to Rs. 500 (five hundred) reimbursement to help them improve their access to the internet. They can avail of this reimbursement after normal semester activity is resumed.

Wings to Health during Covid-19 lockdown

By
Tania Saili
-
0

Dehradun, In testing time like these everyone is doing their bit to make sure they are home and healthy.

There are those amongst us who are ensuring that their clients from different walks of life and age group get their regular workout even when they are under lockdown.

A highly qualified fitness professional, armed with many International certifications Chetna Gurung aka Koko of Dehradun’s KoKo Power Studio, in Rajendar Nagar, has come out with tailored live-stream fitness courses for her clients so that they remain fit and fab during the Covid-19 lockdown.

Talking to Newspost, Vaidya Shikha Prakash tells us, “I have been working out with Koko for over a year now. Her online classes are a good respite during this lockdown as she is able to guide us regarding right postures and sequence of exercising. She knows individual stamina and limitations and helps us target the problem areas, even during the lockdown.”

Why not any other online course? I ask Shikha. Quick comes the retort, “Online there are so many things. Copying any random trainer or celebrity may lead to grievous injury.”

The frontline Studio brings with it new concepts of personalized fitness training. The Studio comes inclusive with state-of-the-art equipment ranging from Reformer, Wunda Chair, Barrel, Step Ladder along with a TRX training center module suspension training, 3D functional Training and TRX RIP Cord Training.

“We have shifted all our courses to virtual online sessions which are one-on-one. I demonstrate the exercise to the client and they follow and there is a special diet plan according to individual needs and requirement and so far its working very well,” Koko informs me.

For now, Koko has her eights clients lined up from morning to evening sessions. Telling us more, she says, “Post the lock down I wasn’t content and happy sending clients a diet chart or exercise schedule. We started this live-stream session a few days back and it is doing wonders to all around.”

Covering all major components along with nutrition counseling, lifestyle assessment and lot more, KoKo Power Studio is ensuring that “the weight scale goes down and the quality of living goes up,” as you give your health new wings during the lockdown.

Helping Man’s Best Friend: Animal Welfare Association for Strays

By
Tania Saili
-
0

Mussoorie, “Fifteen years ago, while leaving Thailand in my youth, I left abandoned a street dog that I had befriended.” He haunts me to this day,” says an author in Landour. “Never again will I abandon a canine friend, they have no one else but us.” He is not alone.  A small yet strong community of animal lovers called AWAS, Mussoorie has put their best foot forward to lend a helping hand to our four-legged friends.

2-year-old Animal Welfare Association for Strays/ AWAS run and operated by contributions of cash and kind from its active larger community of pet lovers spread across twin cities of Mussoorie and Dehradun is made up of an efficient team of professional veterinary doctors and volunteers.

De-worming, neutering, vaccinations, looking for comfortable homes for litters and much, much more, is on their day-to-day list of things. Today the plight of the poor stray animals whose only source of meal were hotels, eateries and restaurants which have shut shop overnight, have left our canines and felines hungry and thirsty.

Like always, AWAS has taken an initiative to provide food and drinking water to our streeties during relaxation hours. “This is the least we can do. I also request all the group members to feed the stray in their neighbourhood. If anyone wants to donate food like biscuit, egg, bread or any food material, these are always welcome and we will collaborate with them on phone call and do what is required,” assures veterinary doctor Sam.

Vivek Benipal another active member from the group tells us, “the need of the hour is a proper shelter, where we would be able to provide much better service and dedicated care for strays in the area, many of which need neutering and vaccinations. What we also need  is street animal feeder passes during lock-down.”

The appeal to those is authority is for Uttarakhand to give out street animal feeder licenses like Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Punjab etc to feed stray dogs, cats, cows during the lockdown period as tweeted by Minister Maneka Sanjay Gandhi earlier in the week.

Call now to make your contribution @ 91-7300-686-293

1...575859...932Page 58 of 932

Editor's Choice

Popular Posts

©