Category Archives: Inspiration / Positive News and Features

‘Brain Glue’ repairs traumatic brain injuries

Amazing Feats, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Leaders, Nri's / Pio's, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion
Lohitash Karumbaiah, assistant professor in UGA’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, led the team that designed and created Brain Glue.

Hydrogel mimics the composition and mechanics of the brain.

For an update to this story, visit Brain Glue, Part 2

Researchers at the University of Georgia’s Regenerative Bioscience Center have developed Brain Glue, a substance that could one day serve as a treatment for traumatic brain injuries, or TBIs.

The Brain Glue is a hydrogel matrix with a gelatin-like consistency that acts as a scaffolding for transplanted stem cells, which are capable of repairing damaged tissue. With the unique ability to take the shape of the void left in the brain after a severe trauma, the Brain Glue will enable a more natural healing environment for stem cells to colonize and regenerate.

Lohitash Karumbaiah, assistant professor in UGA’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, led the team that designed and created Brain Glue. The main difference between Brain Glue and other synthetic hydrogels, according to the team, is the variety of possibilities to trap neural stem cells, improve integration and reduce the likelihood of rejection.

“It’s very common with these invasive injuries that surgeons will actually remove the part of the dead brain leaving behind a cavity or hole,” said Karumbaiah. “The question is, then, can you replace that with something like our Brain Glue, loaded up with compounds native to the brain together with a mix of protective agents that can be incorporated for the best therapeutic outcome.

“The cool thing about this chemistry is that you can take our Brain Glue liquid formulation and then very briefly expose it to long-wave UV light and form a hydrogel in any shape you like,” he said.

Every day, 153 people in the U.S. die from injuries that include TBI, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those who survive a TBI may live with impaired thinking, memory, movement or sensation. TBIs can also lead to personality and emotional changes.

The new approach is described in the journal ACS Biomaterials Science and Engineering and a recently awarded abstract from the International Brain Injury Association.

For more than two years now, Karumbaiah has been awarded seed-funding for his collaborative TBI work with Maysam Ghovanloo, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. The TBI research was initially funded by the Center for Regenerative Engineering & Medicine, known as REM, a collaborative initiative launched in 2011 between the University of Georgia, Emory University and the Georgia Institute of Technology.

The REM collaboration is an extension of Karumbaiah’s work to further study neuroplasticity: the brain’s ability to self-renew, adapt and compensate for injury and disease. His future studies will focus on how neural networks form and change in response to traumatic insults, and he will investigate the therapeutic use of electrical stimulation to help return loss of function in any given region of the brain.

“Multiple methods are needed in these kinds of studies,” said Karumbaiah. “The Brain Glue is where we make the scaffold, and the neuro-network function is really this other arm — learning how neurons fire and wire together and what this really means in terms of function.”

Steven Stice, director of the Regenerative Bioscience Center, is working with Karumbaiah on a licensed technology for commercialization of the new Brain Glue, which was recently named best abstract at a meeting of the International Brain Injury Association.

Karumbaiah’s work recently attracted a four-year, $1.5 million research grant from the National Institutes of Health.

“Lohitash sets an example for other junior faculty to emulate,” said Stice, GRA Eminent Scholar and D.W. Brooks Professor in CAES. “To be recognized internationally at such an early stage takes great skill and dedication.”

A full version of ACS Biomaterials Science article is available online at http://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/acsbiomaterials.6b00805

The Regenerative Bioscience Center at the University of Georgia links researchers and resources collaborating in a wide range of disciplines to develop new cures for devastating diseases that affect animals and people. With its potential restorative powers, regenerative medicine could offer new ways of treating diseases for which there are currently no treatments-including heart disease, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and stroke. For more information, see www.rbc.uga.edu.

source: http://www.news.uga.edu / UGA Today / Home> Health & Wellness> Science & Technology / by Charlene Betourney / December 19th, 2017

MLA unhappy about work on Govt Ayurveda Hospital

Business & Economy, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Leaders, Records, All, Science & Technology

Madikeri MLA Appachu Ranjan expressed his dissatisfaction over work on the newly constructed Government Ayurveda and Homeopathy Integrated Hospital, built at a cost of Rs 60 lakh, at B G S Circle in the new taluk centre, Kushalnagar.

He inaugurated the building during a programme organised by Kodagu Zilla Panchayat and the department of Ayush on Monday.

Inspecting the work on the building, Appachu Ranjan vented his ire against the contractor and said that the hospital was not constructed as per the proposed plan.

“The wheelchair ramp meant for specially-abled people and for patients, at the entrance of the hospital, is built unscientifically. The staircase, toilet and bathroom fittings are of poor quality,” the MLA noted and took ZP assistant engineer Fayaz and contractors Mahesh, Prakash and Manjunath to task.

The ramp and the staircases should be set right immediately, he added.

“There is no use of having old fashioned structures. The hospital should have modern facilities,” the MLA said and directed the engineer and contractors to incorporate the necessary changes in the building.

Zilla Panchayat member K P Chandrakala said that the building work was done in a hurry and is not according to the plan. She too pointed out that the ramp and the staircase are unscientific and urged those concerned to demolish the existing ramp and the staircase and build new ones.

The ZP member also demanded action against the engineer and the contractors.

Speaking to the reporters, Appachu Ranjan said that the new hospital building is constructed at a cost of Rs 60 lakh. But, the work is not carried out properly.

The official and the contractors have been taken to task. Directions have been issued in this regard. The hospital is built to cater to the needs of the people in the surrounding villages, he said.

Stating that the second wave of Covid-19 has crept in, he asked the people to be more cautious. Everyone should follow the norms such as wearing masks and following social distancing.

Somwarpet Taluk Panchayat president Pushpa Rajesh, vice president Abhimanyu Kumar, ZP member K R Manjula, Town Panchayat president B Jayavardhan and vice president Surayya Banu were present, among others.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Mangaluru / by DHNS, Kushalnagar / April 05th, 2021

Cricketer Robin Uthappa conferred with IIM Kozhikode National Excellence Award

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Leaders, Records, All, Sports

Kozhikode, Apr 8 (PTI): Cricketer Robin Uthappa was on Thursday presented with the National Excellence award instituted by IIM-Kozhikode for his contribution in the field of cricket.

This is the 3rd edition of the award, presented annually to eminent personalities for their contribution to the world of sports, and to commemorate IIMK”s iconic Calicut Half Marathon which is now into its 12th year.

The event, which is going completely virtual for the first time is scheduled to be held from April 9-11, according to a IIM-K release.

Presenting the award, IIM-K Director Prof. Debashis Chatterjee recounted Uthappa”s contribution to the game of cricket and how he ably carried his team forward by demonstrating resilience, focus and determination – a quality that resonates with the legend of Arjuna.

Traits like Focus, Flexibility and Freedom were the idea behind constituting this national award, he said and recalled the iconic moment when Uthappa tipped his cap and saluted the crowd after hitting the stumps in In India”s famous bowl-out win over arch-rivals Pakistan in 2007 T20 World Cup, as one of the most memorable events in the game of cricket, an IIM-K release said.

Paralympian and Arjuna Awardee Dr Deepa Malik and Babita Kumari Phogat, renowned wrestler are the previous winners of the award, instituted two years ago.

Uthappa expressed gratitude about his debut and relived the days when he shared the stage with cricketers like Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and Virender Sehwag among other Indian cricket legends.

Sharing with the IIM-K community the importance of not giving up, especially when the chips are down, he said one should always have self-belief in taking challenges head-on one step at a time, in order to achieve their goals.

Calicut Half Marathon is the largest student-driven marathon organised every year for the past 11 years.

The marathon aims in contributing towards different social issues that can bring a phenomenal change when assimilated together.

It is this belief that the students of IIM Kozhikode wish to encourage and promote through the marathon.

IIM-Kozhikode Calicut Half Marathon in its 12th edition is bringing the theme ”Better Together United Despite Distances,” the release added.

source: http://www.outlookindia.com / Outlook / Home> The News Scroll / PTI / April 08th, 2021

Kodava Samaja Remembers General K.S. Thimayya

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Leaders, Records, All

Marking the 115th birth anniversary of General K.S. Thimayya, Kodava Samaja, Mysuru, had organised a simple function at its premises in Vijayanagar 1st Stage here this morning.

Office-bearers of the Samaja offered floral tributes to the portrait of Gen. Thimayya. Samaja President Kekada M. Belliappa, Vice-President Mechanda M. Ponnappa, Secretary Malachira M. Ponnappa, Treasurer Mukkatira B. Jeevan, Joint Secretary Padiyanda Vimala Poonacha and former Presidents of the Samaja were among those present.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Photo News / March 31st, 2021

Mysuru-Kodagu MP Greets New NSG Director General

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Senior IPS Officer from Kodagu district, Maneyapanda A. Ganapathy, yesterday took charge as the Director General of National Security Guard (NSG), an elite counter-terrorism unit under the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Picture shows Mysuru-Kodagu MP Pratap Simha congratulating M.A. Ganapathy at the NSG Head Quarters in Palam, New Delhi, this morning. Also seen are MP’s wife Arpitha Simha and daughter Vipanchi Simha.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Photo News / March 19th, 2021

From kattan kaapi to Chameli Americano, Manoj Kumar’s inspirational Araku journey

Amazing Feats, Coffee News, Education, Green Initiatives / Environment, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Nature, World Opinion

Kumar worked with adivasis in Andhra’s Araku Valley for decades, grew coffee of the highest quality and took it to Paris in 2017. On March 19, Araku Coffee opened its first café in India in Bengaluru. Kumar wants to replicate the Araku model for other crops as well, he tells us how

Cafe L'Orange
Cafe L’Orange

In the late 1990s, the late Kallam Anji Reddy, founder-chairman of pharmaceutical company Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, appointed developmental economist Manoj Kumar as the head of his NGO, the Naandi Foundation. Kumar’s brief was to foster sustainable livelihoods in rural India.

One of the many projects Kumar embarked on in the early 2000s was to get adivasi farmers in Andhra Pradesh’s Araku Valley to grow specialty coffee, which, simply put, is organic and sustainably grown coffee of the highest quality. To many people, it appeared to a quixotic endeavour. Araku was not a traditional coffee-growing region. Kumar, who grew up in Kerala drinking kattan kaapi, the traditional home-brewed black coffee, had no real knowledge about coffee; and the Araku Valley had been riddled with Naxal insurgency for decades. Kumar worked with, and lived among, the tribals for over a decade and through biodynamic farming and the formation of an adivasi cooperative, one of the world’s largest fair-trade and organic certified cooperatives, he achieved the seemingly impossible.

In 2017, Kumar opened the first Araku Cafe and store in Paris and about a year later, Araku Coffee bagged top honours for the best coffee pod at the prestigious Prix Epicures OR awards in Paris. On March 19, Araku opened its first cafe in India. The 6000 sq ft, two-level flagship cafe in Indira Nagar in Bengaluru features, among others, an in-house roastery, the country’s first Specialty Coffee Association-certified Coffee Academy, a book store, and food that is sustainably procured.

In an interview to Moneycontrol, Kumar talks about the growing interest in specialty coffee in India, its transformative potential, and about replicating the Araku model in other parts of the country. Edited excerpts:

How do you see Araku’s flagship cafe take the specialty coffee story forward in India?

By and large, the production of specialty coffee in India has so far been almost nil, barring a few micro estates. We have been a notable exception. Our success has made coffee growers realise that it is possible to get much higher value and definitely profits if they can elevate their coffee to the level of a specialty coffee. I’m hoping that this desire to excel will be infectious to the community of coffee growers in India. They could learn to look at coffee as being more than just an average-to-poor-quality mass-produced commodity, which is neither financially rewarding nor sustainable. We are blessed to have the climate and topography to grow coffee. Europe and most of the coffee-drinking nations don’t grow coffee. I see our cafe in Bangalore as a place where people can interact and learn more about the power of specialty coffee. And we would want to take it beyond producers to policy makers and to everyone through a consumer movement to inculcate a certain pride in the opportunity we have to make coffee a profitable Indian-origin commodity and revive India’s agriculture to an extent. Araku is not a traditional coffee-growing region, and yet we have grown world-class coffee there. So, you can imagine the potential of places such as Chikmagalur and Coorg…

Tamagoyaki Toastie is on the menu of Araku’s café in Bengaluru.
Tamagoyaki Toastie is on the menu of Araku’s café in Bengaluru.

Have you met people from the coffee-growing community who want to get into specialty coffee?

Absolutely. When we started the Araku journey, we had only between 10 percent to 20 percent of farmers whose coffee could be rated as specialty coffee. Today, I have 80 percent of my farmers all growing specialty coffee. I have requests from many small estate and large estate owners, and even people who are into wine now want to know if we can help them with the same regenerative agricultural practices that made our coffee world-class.

Araku Coffee co-founder Manoj Kumar
Araku Coffee co-founder Manoj Kumar

You’ve been to specialty coffee hotspots across the world. How have your experiences shaped the flagship store?

Scandinavia inspired me a lot. The quality of service there was based predominantly on knowledge. Every brewer, roaster, and barista I met had a completely different level of knowledge and that knowledge was shared with the customer. A relatable example would be going to an Apple store for the first time and discovering that every staffer has an in-depth knowledge about the products. So, one of the things I took away from there was that our team had to be knowledgeable about what they were selling, even if it meant setting up a coffee school at the cafe. Our team is not just selling a random service, they are selling coffeeology. And our prices are extremely competitive. Somebody even mentioned that a lot of the coffee we serve is, more or less, the same price as the coffee you get at Starbucks.

The Naandi Foundation has been at work replicating or adapting the Araku model in other parts of India. How has that worked out?

The Naandi Foundation is now massively expanding its agricultural footprint. We are now in a large way expanding into Wardha and the Vidarbha region, replicating the Araku model with other crops. We started off with pomegranate and that is very much on track but we are also exploring or expanding into other portfolios. Turmeric in that region is world-class, and it has a Geographical Indication tag. Then, we looked at red gram and other pulses. The idea is to have a bouquet of produce for the farmer to get it to be profitable and to identify one or two which become unique to that region. I think the winners here will be turmeric, pulses, and organic cotton. We are also looking closely at working in Meghalaya and Kerala and the Konkan belt.

You first went to the Araku Valley in 2001. Looking back, which was the turning point of your journey?

I’d think earning the trust and respect of the tribals was the turning point. I had started with just 1,000 farmers, and I would tell them that one day their land would produce a coffee that would be world-class. And they would always tell me that they wouldn’t let me down. That kind of love and trust from their end really made all the difference.

MURALI K MENON works on content strategy at HaymarketSAC.

source: http://www.moneycontrol.com / MoneyControl / Home> News> Trends> Features / by Murali K Menon / March 20th, 2021

This Karnataka couple adopts unique methods to protect non-migratory birds

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives / Environment, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Nature, Records, All

Using social media as their tool and selfie culture as a weapon, this couple is urging the residents across the state to keep aside a bowl of water for the birds during this summer season.

‘Hakkigondu Gutuku’ (a drop to the birds) campaign is receiving an optimistic reaction from many residents across the state including children. (Photo | EPS)

Madikeri (Karnataka):

A couple in Kodagu has started a unique campaign to protect the non-migratory birds during the peak summer season. 

Using social media as their tool and selfie culture as a weapon, this couple is urging the residents across the state to keep aside a bowl of water for the birds during this summer season.

‘Hakkigondu Gutuku’ (a drop to the birds) campaign has started from March 10 by Gautham Kiraganduru and his wife Sumana, which is receiving an optimistic reaction from many residents across the state including children. Known for their social works, the couple established ‘Namma Pratishtana’ firm in the district and is promoting various eco-friendly activities.

“Birds are an important part of the ecosystem and they ensure balance in the environment. There is a need to promote and preserve the bird species. Hence, to protect the birds during the summer season, we have started this initiative where we have requested the participants to set up a DIY arrangement to feed birds. The residents have to keep some water and grains for the birds and then click a selfie alongside this setup. We will pick the three best pictures and honour the winners with prizes,” explained Gautham.

The initiative that is making noise across social media has gained attention from not just the residents of Kodagu, but also from the residents across the state including Davanagere, Uttara Kannada, Dharawad, Bellary, Hassan, and Shivamogga among others. “We have received numerous selfie photographs of people setting up the bird feeders. Also, international kickboxer Girish R Gowda has extended support to this initiative,” added Gautham. He explained that numerous trekkers are also participating in this initiative and are setting up feeders across several spots.

Last year, this couple had gained attention after they signed up for body donation during their wedding ceremony. Instead of distributing wedding invitation cards that have low shelf-life, they printed Kannada books with works of unrecognized writers and shared them as wedding invitations. They had also grown over 1,000 different saplings and distributed the same as wedding gifts to the guests. 

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Good News / by Prajna GR / Express News March / March 18th, 2021

In a first, Kodagu launches project to reduce human-elephant conflict by using honey bees

Amazing Feats, Business & Economy, Education, Green Initiatives / Environment, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Records, All

The project has been launched for the first time in the country on an experimental basis by the Khadi and Village Industries Commission with support from the management of Ponnampet Forestry College.

Beekeeping equipment distributed to a farmer during the event (Photo | Special arrangement)

Madikeri :

A research project to reduce human-elephant conflict with the help of honey bees was inaugurated at Ponnampet Forestry College in Kodagu on Monday. The project has been launched for the first time in the country on an experimental basis by the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) with support from the college management.

RE-HAB — Reducing Elephant Human Attack by using Bees — aims at controlling wild elephant movement into villages by roping in honey bees. The success of the initiative will be monitored regularly to launch it across the country. A total of three elephant conflict places have been chosen in Kodagu district including two at Nagarahole Sanctuary and one at Thora village in Virajpet where a total of ten beehive boxes have been placed across the forest fringe. The boxes have been placed approximately at eight feet distance and tied using a fence rope. This set-up will act as an elephant conflict mitigation measure.

The project was launched by KVIC Chairman Vinay Kumar Saxena at Ponnampet Forestry College. “In 2017, the Sweet Revolution was launched in the nation to promote apiculture. Beekeeping has many benefits and a farmer can earn from the bee wax, royal jelly and bee venom apart from the honey extraction. Further, beekeeping enables cross pollination and increases the income of a farmer by 30%,” he said.

Saxena explained that states with high elephant populations are spending crores on solving the human-elephant conflict and added, “Many of the mitigation methods to control the conflict are unscientific. The research project of RE-HAB will be monitored regularly and, if successful, will be implemented across the country.”

He said that the RE-HAB project will create a sustainable employment opportunity in beekeeping while also fighting the elephant conflict ecologically. Dr Kushalappa, the dean of the Forestry College, reckoned that the project will enable integrated farming while controlling the elephant menace.

Alongside launching the project, a total of 50 beneficiaries were given bee colonies and beekeeping equipment by KVIC to promote apiculture in the district. Dr Sudarshan of KVIC said, “We are finding a physical solution to an ecological problem. Nature must work with nature and the RE-HAB will work at a low cost.”

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Prajna GR / Express News Service / March 15th, 2021

Braveheart boy from Kodagu posthumously honoured for saving lives of schoolmates

Amazing Feats, Education, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Records, All

During a picnic, some students who went for a swim in the Cauvery were pulled by the water currents. Lenin Bopanna managed to save the lives of four students but drowned in the process.

Lenin Bopanna

Madikeri :

A student who drowned saving the lives of his schoolmates was posthumously honoured with the Hoysala Shaurya Award by the Women and Child Welfare department. The award was received by the boy’s parents at a ceremony hosted in Bengaluru.

Lenin Bopanna was a student of Lion’s School in Kalathmadu village near Gonikoppal. In March last year, 39 students of the school from the Scouts and Guides team had visited the popular tourist destination of Dubare Camp for a picnic.

However, a tragic event unfurled as some students who went for a swim in the Cauvery river were pulled by the water currents. Lenin Bopanna managed to save the lives of four students during the incident but drowned in the process.

The son of Madeera Harish and Kavitha of Hysodluru village, Lenin was nominated for the award with the help of state Scouts and Guides Commissioner PGR Sindhya. Lenin’s father Harish said that his son received the award for his bravery following the efforts of Sindhya and the principal of Lion’s School.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Express News Service / March 10th, 2021

Free Eye Camp

Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Records, All, Uncategorized

Kodava Samaja, Mysuru and Nethradhama Super Speciality Eye Hospital have jointly organised free eye check-up camp for Kodava Samaja and Kodava Association members and their family on Mar. 16 from 10 am and 2 pm at Samaja premises in Vijayanagar.

For details, contact Mob: 70191-20650 or 94837-54771.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> In Briefs / March 13th, 2021