Tamil Nadu 
Eliminate mosquito larvae using East Indian Globe Thistle
(0)Even a low concentration extract of the leaf of the East Indian Globe Thistle can kill mosquito larvae without impacting fish populations in water, say scientists from Loyola College, Chennai. They have identified the active compound, β-isocostic acid, and worked out how it acts. Dhatri Madduru reports:
Mosquito-borne diseases – on the rise in coastal India?
Data from the National Centre for Vector Borne Disease Control shows that coastal states have a higher incidence of diseases transmitted by mosquitoes. Why? What can be done to reduce the problem? Researchers from the Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai investigate.
Fibre biosensor to diagnose cardiovascular disease
The amount of the proteins, troponin T and troponin I, in blood is helpful to assess the damage done due to a heart attack. Troponin I is a better indicator. Researchers have now come up with a lab-on-a-chip device to detect the protein. Read the details of their ingenious invention.
Sugarcane Detrashing: Design for Mechanisation
Removing dried yellow leaves from sugarcane is slow and painful if done manually. Existing mechanical devices cannot be adjusted to sugarcane varieties with different heights. Researchers from TNAU have come up with a design that is suitable for all varieties of sugarcane, reducing time and costs for farmers.
Chronic Kidney Disease in Rural Andhra Pradesh
Cases of chronic kidney disease of unknown cause were seen in Uddhanam, Andhra Pradesh and later, in Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry. Similar cases have been reported from other parts of the world. What are the kidney pathologies in such cases and what could be the cause? Recent research provides clues. A report by M Karunanithi.
Nitrogen Dioxide Sensors: high sensitivity, fast response
Zinc oxide can be used as a sensor for nitrogen dioxide, a harmful gas. Researchers at PSG Institute of Advanced Studies, Coimbatore find that a nanofiber of zinc oxide sheathed by a thin layer of another metal oxide can improve the sensitivity as never before. Vishal Baloria reports.
Predicting age and gender from dental images
Hemalatha Balan from the KGISL Institute of Technology, Coimbatore has come out with a method to automatically classify dental images as per age and sex – a boon for forensic science. Nazim Nazeer from the ICMR-National Institute for Research in Environmental Health provides the details:
Transparent Metallic Electrodes: for flexible digital devices
Scientists from NIT Warangal, DMRL Hyderabad, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, and ARCI Hyderabad have now come out with a super thin, transparent and flexible metallic electrode for optoelectronics and wearable digital devices. Read the report here:
Rice Plant Disease: Automatic identification
Some diseases of rice can destroy 80% of the crop. Timely detection of the diseases can save farmers from economic ruin. Researchers from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have now developed a method to automatically detect three common rice diseases. Read on for details.
Detecting Bismuth Pollution: A fluorescent chemosensor
Bismuth is a highly useful metal for engineers. And bismuth compounds abound in medicine. Yet high doses can dangerous. So we need a method to detect it in food, water and environment. Researchers from Coimbatore have now come up with one.
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