Academic

Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning (SSSIHL) has been celebrating National Science Day for the last five years. This year, SSSIHL has jointly organized and celebrated National Science Day 2023 (NSD – 2023) in collaboration with Dr. K. V. Rao Scientific Society (KVRSS), Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organizations (SSSO), India, and Nexus Consulting, Bangalore at the Prasanthi Nilayam campus.

As part of NSD 2023 celebrations, different competitions were organized for both school and college students, namely Essay, Painting, and Quiz were organized for schools across India to participate.

The registrations for these three different competitions were held between January 16 -February 7, 2023. Each of these competitions witnessed over 300 registrations from over 19 States in India.

On National Science Day, 28 February 2023, the Finalists of all the competitions convened at the Prasanthi Nilayam Campus, of SSSIHL and participated in the grand finale.

The winners were all felicitated during the Valedictory ceremony by the Honorable Chancellor, SSSIHL, Sri K Chakaravarthi, the Managing Trustee of Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust Sri R J Ratnakar and the Vice-Chancellor (Acting) Prof B. Sai Giridhar. Further, the members and guests of Dr. K. Rao Scientific Society too were felicitated by the dignitaries.

A detailed report with photographs from the Finale event is enclosed here.

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View Recording:

Quiz Finals: https://www.youtube.com/live/27LW-00-Yls?si=apSdirI4y0xYXXep

https://www.youtube.com/live/35b_ZbFmT7M?si=2zx0Y68Z-k8rq9y8

https://www.youtube.com/live/FWalNznu35Q?si=JVMUn8jv9pBXT6Fi

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The Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning’s Department of Humanities and Social Sciences conducted a National Workshop on “Macro Stabilisation Policies for India in the post-pandemic era” on August 26, 2023, at Prasanthi Nilayam Campus. The event featured lectures, presentations, and discussions, uniting experts, academicians, policymakers, and students to tackle the complex economic challenges faced by India during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

The workshop commenced with traditional rituals, including Vedam chanting and lamp lighting. Dr. G Raghavender Raju, Head, Dept. of Humanities and Social Sciences, welcomed attendees and expressed gratitude to the distinguished speakers. Vice-Chancellor Prof. B Raghavendra Prasad highlighted the pandemic’s impact on India’s economy and praised the government’s focus on preserving lives and livelihoods, aligning with India’s values.

Prof. N R Bhanumurthy Vice-Chancellor, Dr. B R Ambedkar School of Economics University stressed the need for an active fiscal policy coupled with an accommodative monetary stance and urged reconsideration of the public debt-to-GDP ratio in his talk.

Dr. Deba Prasad Rath Principal Adviser, Department of Economic and Policy Research at Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Mumbai, emphasized the importance of cohesive fiscal and monetary policies.

Dr. Nadhavael GV, Director of the Division of Reports and Knowledge, Dissemination at the Department of Economic and Policy Research, RBI Central Office, Mumbai policies should enhance productivity, harness technology, and manage human capital strategically.

Prof. Ashima Goyal, Member of the Monetary Policy Committee of RBI, and Emeritus Professor at IGIDR Mumbai emphasized the significance of credible inflation targeting, timely structural reforms, and clear communication in policy implementation.

The workshop also featured student presentations on topics like interest reference rate changes, de-dollarization, central bank digital currency, and non-basmati rice bans, fostering engaging discussions.

Overall, the workshop successfully merged academic knowledge with practical insights, garnering positive feedback.

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Session 1.: https://youtube.com/live/SkIjau6Izsk

Session 2.: https://youtube.com/live/IeopuTCJjYk

CSIR-IMMT, Bhubaneswar in association with the Department of Management and Commerce, SSSIHL, organized a Workshop on Intellectual Property Rights on 28 July 2023 at the Anantapur Campus. The workshop was held as part of the month-long National Intellectual Property Festival promoted by the DSIR-DPIIT, Government of India from 1-31 July 2023.

The Resource persons who addressed the participants were:

• Mrs. Saipriya Balasubramanian, Senior Business Intelligence and IP Analyst with Rapid Alpha. Topic: “Role of IP in Business Strategy”
• Dr. Vijayalakshmi Asthana, Principal Scientist, CSIR – Traditional Knowledge Digital Library Unit. Topic: “Intellectual Property Rights- An Overview”
• Dr. Viswajanani Sattigeri, Head, CSIR – Traditional Knowledge Digital Library Unit. Topic: “Traditional Knowledge: IP and People’s Rights.”

Participants gained valuable knowledge about the significance of intellectual property protection, its legal framework, and ethical considerations. The event fostered a culture of respect for creators’ rights and encouraged innovation while upholding responsible practices in handling intellectual property.

Faculty Members, Research Scholars from various departments of the campus, and 110 students participated in the Workshop that was held in hybrid mode.

Dr. G. Padmavathy, Associate Head of the Department, Dr. (Mrs.) Swetha Thiruchanuru, Asst. Professor, and Dr. C. Jayashree, Assistant Professor, all from the Department of Management & Commerce, SSSIHL, Anantapur campus, coordinated the event.

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The “National Conference on Recent Trends in Mathematical Biology – Theory, Methods, and Applications” was organized by the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science (DMACS) of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning (SSSIHL), A. P. India from July 20-22, 2023 at the Prasanthi Nilayam Campus, and was supported by DST SERB, India.

The conference saw scientists, researchers, academicians, and students from over 70 institutions across India, from diverse disciplines, converge and exchange cutting-edge insights, advancements, and applications in the rapidly evolving field of mathematical biology. The conference emphasized interdisciplinary collaboration and the integration of mathematical modeling with biological sciences to address real-world challenges in healthcare, environmental sustainability, and biological systems understanding. Attendees explored innovative theoretical frameworks and methodologies, fostering new research opportunities at the intersection of mathematics and biology.

We are grateful to all the guest speakers for making the conference a great success:

1. Prof. Arni S R Srinivasa Rao, Professor and Director of the Laboratory for Theory and Mathematical Modelling, Medical College of Georgia, USA
2. Prof. B V Ratish Kumar, Professor, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, IIT Kanpur
3. Dr. Prashant Kumar Srivastava, Associate Professor and Head, the Department of Mathematics, IIT Patna
4. Dr. Ritesh Kumar Dubey, Research Associate Professor Department of Mathematics, SRMIST, Chennai
5. Dr. S RV Prasad Bhuvanagiri, Associate Professor, Department of Mathematics, School of Advanced Sciences, VIT Vellore
6. Dr. Nitu Kumari, an Associate Professor of Applied Mathematics, IIT Mandi
7. Dr. Jai Prakash Tripathi, Assistant Professor, Department of Mathematics, Central University of Rajasthan
8. Dr. Bapan Ghosh, Assistant Professor, IIT lndore
9. Dr. P. Muthu, Associate Professor, Department of Mathematics, NIT Warangal
10. Prof. Mini Ghosh, Professor at the School of Advanced Sciences at the Vellore Institute of Technology, Chennai Campus
11. Prof. Sandip Banerjee, Professor, Department of Mathematics, IIT Roorkee
12. Dr. Mohit Kumar Jolly, Assistant Professor from Centre for BioSystems Science and Engineering (BSSE), IISc Bangalore

Best Research Paper Awards: The conference also saw several participants presenting their research papers. The selection was based on the problem’s relevance in the current world scenario, delivery efficiency of the person, clarity of thoughts on their topic, presentation skills, and overall audience appeal. The jury consisted of Dr. P Muthu (NIT Warangal), Dr. B S R V Prasad (VIT Vellore), and Dr. BVK Bhardwaj (SSSIHL). The following were the winners of this competition:

• 1^st prize -Mr. Ritwik Chandra Pandey, SSSIHL
• 2^nd prize- Mr. Viney Kumar, Shiv Nadar Institute of Eminence
• 3^rd prize – Ms. Priyanka N C, NIT, Tiruchirappalli

The event helped harness the power of mathematics and its applications in biology, furthering our understanding of living systems and opening new horizons for addressing critical societal challenges.

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View Book of Abstracts: https://www.sssihl.edu.in/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/NCRTMBTMA-Book-of-Abstracts.pdf

View Schedule https://www.sssihl.edu.in/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/NCRTMBTMA-Schedule-Final.pdf

View Recording:

Day 1- Morning: https://www.youtube.com/live/aAgZCY-mzk0?si=YS4NuADP-jR4wqvc

Day 1- Afternoon: https://www.youtube.com/live/T4b7qpd2HV4?si=mLZgTHptkkPYfmtd

Day 2- Morning: https://www.youtube.com/live/C31Q2di3G5w?si=8Mx3xoGM71k_iSte

Day 2- Afternoon: https://www.youtube.com/live/WKAIM9JXi1c?si=4hX1dgG6HP9oUIq4

Day 3: https://www.youtube.com/live/fuwXPX8k7BE?si=gDPpW7WKJaFO7xLe

Identifying the Issue

An effort to study the relationship between cycloalkanone ring size and the observed NLO properties of bischalcones

Objective of the Research

To explore the effect of the cycloalkanone ring size on the NLO properties of bischalcones

Who should read this?

Faculty, Research scholars, and Students of Optics and Organic Chemistry

Solution

With the objective of establishing the effect of cycloalkanone ring size on the NLO properties of bischalcones para-substituted diarylideneacetone and substituted diarylidenecycloalkanone derivatives were synthesized by the Claisen–Schmidt condensation reaction and characterized by using UV-vis, FT-IR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR and mass spectrometry. The second harmonic generation (SHG) efficiencies and third-order nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of the synthesized compounds were studied. Among all the synthesized compounds, 2,6-bis-(4-methoxybenzylidene) acetone showed the highest SHG efficiency (12.96 times that of urea) and 2, 6-bis–(4-methylthiobenzylidene) cyclopentanone showed the highest third order NLO property with χ ⁽³⁾ value of 2.650 ± 0.02310^-13. Among the diarylidenecycloalkanones SHG efficiency decreased with an increase in the cycloalkanone ring size. Diarylidenecyclopentanone series showed the best third-order NLO activity followed by diarylideneacetone, diarylidenecycloheptanone, and diarylidenecyclohexanone series. The results indicate that the cycloalkanone ring size as well as the presence of substituent on the aryl ring affect the  NLO properties.

Key Features and Benefits

The results of the study help in the design of bischalcones with potential NLO properties
 

Impact

Enriches the knowledge of preparing organic compounds with good NLO properties

Team

• Nitesh Taman, Bishnu Prasad Joshi, Swayamsiddha Kar, and Nageswara Rao Golakoti, from the Department of Chemistry, SSSIHL
• Prajal Chettri, Vaibhav Mahendrakar, and Shailesh Srivastava from the Department of Physics, SSSIHL.

Title of paper: Effect of cycloalkanone ring size on second and third order nonlinear optical properties of Bischalcones

Read Paper Here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.optmat.2023.113825

Identifying the Issue

• Spread of multi-drug resistance in the malaria parasite
• Lack of novel therapies and drugs

Objective of the Research

• Development of a novel drug-like candidate with rapid kill kinetics against the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum.
• Non-haemolytic and non-toxic to animals.

Who should read this?

Research community working in the Antiplasmodial drug development, medicinal chemists, and pharmaceutical industry.

Solution

Development of nontoxic small molecules with high therapeutic effect and selectivity.

Key Features and Benefits

• Development of small molecules with rapid kill kinetics for plasmodium trophozoite stage
• Non-toxic to mammalian cells and mice
• Non-haemolytic drug-like molecules
• Effective at low micromolar concentrations

Impact

• Oral uptake of the drug for effective therapy
• Minimizing the development of multi-drug resistance in malaria parasites when combined with other therapies
• Effective against drug-resistant parasitic strains

Team

• Hariharan Moorthy, Nitesh Taman, Sai Kiran Mavileti, and Nageswara Rao Golakoti, from the Department of Chemistry, SSSIHL
• Mamta Yadav & Dinkar Sahal, from Malaria Drug Discovery Laboratory, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), New Delhi
• Labhini Singla & Angshuman Roy Choudhury, Department of Chemical Sciences, from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Mohali

Title of paper: Antiplasmodial and Antimalarial Activity of 3,5-Diarylidenetetrahydro-2H-pyran-4(3H)-ones via Inhibition of Plasmodium falciparum Pyridoxal Synthase

Read Paper Here: https://doi.org/10.1002/cmdc.202200411

Identifying the Issue

Malarial parasites are becoming resistant to presently used drugs, for this reason, there is a need for new and better antimalarial drugs.

Objective of the Research

To semi-synthesize isoandrographolide acetals from the natural product andrographolide and study their antimalarial potency.

Who should read this?

Faculty, research scholars, and students of Medicinal and Organic chemistry.

Solution

Isoandrographolide and its nineteen acetals were synthesized and characterized using 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, mass spectrometry, IR, and UV spectroscopy. Out of these fifteen isoandrographolide acetals are novel. The compound (3,19)-4-Methoxy-benzylidene-isoandrographolide was characterized using single-crystal X-ray diffraction also. All the compounds were tested for their anti-plasmodial potencies (IC50) against the chloroquine-sensitive Pf3D7 and chloroquine-resistant PfINDO strains. Potent compounds were further tested for their cytotoxicity (CC50) against mammalian cells. The activity of the compounds is influenced by various factors like the type of substituent, its position, and also its bulkiness. Thus, from this study it can be concluded that acetals of isoandrographolide can be explored as potential anti-plasmodial leads.

Key Features and Benefits

• Two isoandrographolide acetals showed good IC₅₀ of 10 μM and 12μM
• Isoandrographolide acetals can be further explored as potential leads

Impact

Potential as leads in the development of antimalarial drugs

Team

• Nitesh Taman, Sai Kiran Mavileti, and Nageswara Rao Golakoti, from the Department of Chemistry, SSSIHL
• Mamta Yadav & Dinkar Sahal, from Malaria Drug Discovery Laboratory, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), New Delhi
• Srinivas Nanduri from the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Hyderabad

Title of paper: Synthesis and Anti‑Plasmodial Activity f Isoandrographolide Acetals

Read Paper Here: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11696-023-02684-9

Students from the Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences participated in the International Conference on Public Health and Dietary Lifestyle (Virtual) held on May 10 -11, 2023, and won three awards for their presentations, from over 127 oral and poster presentations made in multiple breakout sessions on the two days. The details are as below:

Ms. B. Sowjanya, a final year PG student received the Best Oral Presentation award for her paper titled, “Formulation, Development and Acceptability Attributes of Composite Millet Flour-Based Gluten Free Crackers with Amaranth as Value Addition for Post-COVID Era”.

Ms. A. Srinidhi, a final year PG student received the Best Oral Presentation award for her paper titled, “Evaluation of Physical, Nutritional and Sensorial Attributes of Flax Seed Incorporated Composite Millet Flour Cookies”.

Ms. Amrita Shaw, a research scholar, received the Best Poster Presentation award for her poster titled “Different Fat Profiling Techniques Used for Food Quality Evaluation: A Review”.

Ms. B. Sowjanya and Ms. A. Srinidhi (2021-2023 batch) carried out the above-mentioned research work under the guidance of Dr. M. Meera as part of their M.Sc. Dissertation. Miss Amrita Shaw joined the Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences as a Ph.D. scholar in September 2022 and is currently working in the area of Food Quality and Safety, under the supervision of Dr. Jhinuk Gupta.

The conference was organized by the Universal Society of Food and Nutrition (USFN) in virtual mode on May 10 -11, 2023, on the theme Food, Diet & Obesity. USFN is a non-profit professional organization dedicated to food and nutrition research and actively helps to build up a network amongst researchers and academicians globally. The conference was attended by professionals from different genres like health care providers (doctors, nurses, dietitians), Professors and Students

SSSIHL Congratulates the students for the above achievements and for making the University and department proud.

Ms. S Sai Dharshini, a research scholar, and Prof. B. Andallu, both from the Dept. of Food and Nutritional Sciences, participated and presented at the “7^th International Diabetes Summit” organised by the Chellaram’s Diabetes Institute, Pune on 10^th-12^th March 2023.

Ms. S Sai Dharshini was conferred a ‘Special Recognition Award’, for her oral presentation titled “Formulation and Assessment of Millet-based Gluten-free Snack Box for Diabetes Management – A Response Surface Analysis” which is also a part of her doctoral research work, conducted under the able guidance of Asst. Prof (Dr.) M. Meera.

Prof. B. Andallu was conferred a ‘Special Recognition Award’ for her two research papers titled ‘Antidiabetic Efficacy of Mulberry (Morus indica L.) Leaves: Mode of Action in Streptozotocin-diabetic rats’ and ‘In vitro and in vivo Evaluation of Coriander Seeds (Coriandrum sativum L.) for Antihyperglycemic, Antioxidant and Hypolipidemic Effects’

The Chellaram’s Diabetes Institute’s International Diabetes Summit is a prestigious and cutting-edge event that brings together leading experts, researchers, and healthcare professionals from around the globe to exchange knowledge and insights on diabetes management and research. The 3-day mega event comprised of a workshop on advances in diagnosing diabetic foot and retinal diseases. There was a special session on diabetes in the young focusing on diet, lifestyle, and type 1 diabetes session with an on-table display and a visual toolkit of diet and these sessions attracted the audience. There were various scientific sessions by expert faculty covering diabetes complications and their management in day-to-day life.

SSSIHL Congratulates Ms. S Sai Dharshini and Prof. B. Andallu on their recognition and wishes them all the very best for their future.

The Department of Management & Commerce of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, Muddenahalli Campus, held its annual Alumni interaction program IGNITION 2023 on 08 July 2023 for its B.B.A. students. Over 12 members of the Alumni with various industry experiences actively participated in the event interacting and engaging with the boys through various talks and activity sessions throughout the day:

• Sri Parthasarathi V, Strategic Account Manager, GeeBee Education
• Sri Goutham Menon, Senior Territory Sales Manager, PhonePe Pvt. Ltd.
• Sri Abhayvelayudhan, HR Manager – TA, Oliva Skin and Hair Clinic
• Sri Manikanta B.V., Proprietor, Srinivasa Wood World
• Sri Sharath N, Founder and CFO @ FREE, MD @ Sharath Bharath Ventures
• Sri Sai Sandesh Sharma, Analyst at Dotdash Meredith India.
• Sri Krishnaprasad N P, Chief Marketing Officer, Koncepts Lab, India
• Sri Jagan Mohan Shesham, Manager – Search, GroupM Pvt. Ltd.
• Sri Shiva Rama Krishna Naidu Kamisetty, Manager, Development, Teach for India
• Sri Saunak Dey, Analyst, Government, and Public Services, Deloitte USI
• Sri Pratyay Das, Analytics Analyst, Accenture Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

The objective of this initiative was for the students of the B.B. A. program to be able to view their experiences at the campus from different perspectives, understand the importance of the programme they are pursuing, and the way forward, keeping in mind the kind of opportunities available in the market today, all this by engaging in meaningful knowledge sessions of their choice while networking with members of the Alumni hailing from various industries.

The students made the most of the opportunity by actively participating and engaging with their seniors and were grateful to them for taking time out and spending the day with them.

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