Category: Amazing Feats

** IISc. researchers help develop math model to predict COVID-19 vaccine efficacy

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science and Queensland Brain Institute in Australia have developed a mathematical model that predicts how antibodies generated by COVID-19 vaccines confer protection against symptomatic infections

The protection offered by vaccination has been touted as a major factor in reducing the damage caused by the third wave of Covid-19 infections. Several vaccines offer a high degree of protection, with some reducing the number of symptomatic infections by over 95% in clinical trials. But what determines the extent of protection? Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc.) and Queensland Brain Institute (QBI) in Australia have addressed this question by developing a mathematical model that predicts how antibodies generated by COVID-19 vaccines confer protection against symptomatic infections. The study was published in Nature Computational Science.

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** Ind vs SL 3rd T20I | No escape from Shreyas for Sri Lanka as India completes sweep – February 27th, 2022

The No. 3 batter’s unbeaten 45-ball 73 takes the home team to yet another win with plenty to spare; visiting captain Shanaka’s quickfire knock of 74 goes in vain

There’s no stopping Shreyas Iyer. After hammering back-to-back half-centuries in the first two T20Is against Sri Lanka, the 27-year-old remained unbeaten on 73 off 45 deliveries as India completed a clean sweep, defeating the touring side by six wickets in the third T20I.

Chasing the target of 147 at the HPCA Stadium on Sunday, India captain Rohit Sharma opened the innings with Sanju Samson as Ishan Kishan was ruled out of the fixture after being hit on the helmet in the previous game.

** Take pride in Tamil, says Modi

PM stresses language diversity of India.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that every citizen should be proud that the world’s oldest language, Tamil, is in India. Emphasising the importance of the mother tongue in his ‘M ann Ki Baat’ radio show, Mr. Modi said, “The mother and mother tongue, both together strengthen the foundation of life, lending it permanence. Just like we cannot abandon our mother, similarly, we cannot leave our mother tongue either.”

He said the country was proud to be associated with 121 forms of mother tongues, 14 of which are spoken by over one crore people in everyday life.

In 2019, Hindi was ranked third among the most spoken languages of the world. “Every Indian should be proud of this, too. Language is not just a medium of expression, but also serves to preserve the culture and heritage of society,” Mr. Modi said, highlighting the contribution of Surjan Parohi, a famous Hindi poet from Suriname, whose forefathers had gone there along with thousands of workers to earn a living.

** West Indies spin legend Sonny Ramadhin dead – Feb 2u7th, 2022

Sonny Ramadhin (1 May 1929 – 27 February 2022) was a West Indian cricketer, and was a dominant bowler of the 1950s. He was the first of many West Indian cricketers of Indian origin, and was one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1951.

Having had made his Test debut against England at Old Trafford in 1950, Ramadhin ended up playing 43 Tests and taking 158 wickets at an average of 28.98

** Tirupati celebrates its 892nd birthday

Saint Ramanuja laid stone for the temple city on February 24 in 1130

With garlands of mango leaves and saffron festoons crisscrossing the four roads encircling the Sri Govindaraja temple and plantain trees adorning either side of the road, the core area of the temple city wore a festive look on its 892 nd birthday on Thursday.

According to inscriptions, it was on February 24 in the year 1130 that Vaishnavite saint Bhagawad Ramanuja laid the foundation stone for the temple and the four Mada streets around the shrine, which became the first step towards building the township.

Feb 24th / Andhra Pradesh

** Roll call at Indian restaurants abroad

MTR in London, Sona in New York, Tres Ind in Dubai — with more Indian restaurants opening internationally.

Spanking new openings, however, are reporting housefuls every day, from Sona (Priyanka Chopra’s New York restaurant), MTR and Chourangi in London (the latter being Anjan Chatterjee’s Calcutta special eatery), to Très Ind in Dubai — not new but newly anointed as the number four swish space on the prestigious World’s 50 Best in MENA (Middle East North Africa). What is the reality behind the scenes? Are they finding it tougher to get staff, or is the new world order seeing (or expecting) easier hires from India, as countries with shortages make work visas easier?

** India records highest-ever annual FDI inflow at $81.97 bn in 2020-21

India, in the last seven financial years (2014-21), has received FDI inflow worth $440.27 billion which is nearly 58 percent of the total FDI reported in the last 21 years ($763.83 billion) the Parliament was told on Friday.

India registered its highest-ever annual FDI inflow of $81.97 billion (provisional figures) in 2020-21 despite the COVID-related disruptions, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Anupriya Patel told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply.

This indicates increasing inclination of global companies to set up their business in India, she added.

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** Andhra Pradesh: 8-year-old girl’s skating feat wins MLA Roja’s appreciation

Vensika Siri skates all the way from Nangili check-post to Nagari MLA’s residence covering a distance of 250 km

An 8-year-old girl of Puttur municipality in Chittoor district on Saturday performed an impressive feat of skating from the Nangili check-post on the Chittoor-Bengaluru NH in Karnataka to the residence of Nagari MLA R.K. Roja, covering a distance of about 250 kilometers. 

** First-of-its-kind patent for flywheel-based tech granted to Telangana couple

The first such in the world, claims patentee

For the first time in the country, probably in the world, a patent has been issued to flywheel-based power generation, the first-of-its-kind fuel-less power generation technology. 

The Kinetics Associated Mass Mechanical Applications (KAMMA) — heat, work and internal energy transfers from one object to another — are applied to KAMMA gear flywheel power generation method. The patent office said the date of filing of the patent (patent application number 201941039749 and patent number 382243) was October 1, 2019, and it was granted on November 22, 2021. 

The patent was issued to Chaganti Srinivas Bhasker and Chaganti Bala, a couple who had worked on the subject for the past three decades. “It is hereby certified that a patent has been granted to the patentee for an invention entitled ‘Kamma Gear Flywheel Power Generation and Multiplication and Storage’ as disclosed in the above mentioned application for the term of 20 years from the 1 st day of October 2019 in accordance with the Patents Act 1970,” reads the certificate.