Academic

The Department of Humanities and Social Sciences hosted the inaugural session of the ‘Students’ Success School’ on Saturday, July 13, 2024, at the Anantapur Campus. This session marked the beginning of a series aimed at assisting students in preparing for competitive examinations.

The event commenced with the ceremonial lighting of the lamp by the Chief Guest, Sri Megha Swaroop, IAS, Municipal Commissioner of Anantapur, along with the Campus Director, Prof. Rani P L, the Dean of the Humanities, Social Sciences, and Languages and Literature departments, and faculty members Dr. M R Geetha Bala, Dr. M Venkatalakshmi, and Ms. Arunima Pant from the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Following the lamp lighting, students performed an invocatory Vedam. Dr. M R Geetha Bala, Associate Professor of Economics and former Dean, delivered the welcome address, expressing gratitude to the Chief Guest and highlighting the importance of the session series in guiding students toward successful careers. Prof. Rani P L, Campus Director, emphasized the foundational educational values championed by our Founder Chancellor, Sri Sathya Sai Baba, particularly the idea that “The End of Education is Character,” and thanked the Chief Guest for their participation and the department for organizing the initiative.

Sri Megha Swaroop, IAS, then delivered the inaugural address, focusing on essential values for UPSC aspirants, systematic study techniques, and insights into the exam’s stages, drawing from personal experience. A question-answer session followed, where he provided valuable tips and addressed students’ queries. Dr. Arun Kumar from the History Department elaborated on UPSC subjects and necessary subject knowledge, concluding the enriching session.

The event wrapped up with a vote of thanks and Mangala Arathi. This initiative by the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences proved to be both informative and inspiring providing valuable guidance and motivation for the students in attendance.

The 7th International Conference on Food and Nutrition, organized by the Universal Society of Food and Nutrition (USFN) in collaboration with UCSI University, Malaysia, was held in hybrid mode on June 29-30, 2024. The conference, themed “Culinary Diversity and Health: A Global Perspective,” attracted a diverse group of professionals, including nutritionists, dieticians, professors, scientists, research scholars, health experts, industrialists, and students, who gathered to discuss the latest advancements and research in food science and nutrition. Over 100 presenters from around the world showcased their work during the two-day event.

Faculty members and students from the Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences (DFNS) at Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning (SSSIHL) participated in the conference in the following capacities:

Keynote Address

• Prof. B. Andallu, Honorary faculty and former Head of the Department, delivered the keynote address on “Herbs and Spices in the Prevention and Treatment of Stress-Induced Diseases.” Her presentation emphasized the role of phytochemicals in herbs and spices in enhancing health and slowing degenerative processes associated with aging. Prof. Andallu highlighted the potential of common kitchen herbs and spices in preventing serious chronic diseases and managing stress-related health issues. Her talk was well-received, sparking an engaging discussion session.

Organizing Committee Member and Session Chair

• Dr. Jhinuk Gupta, Assistant Professor, served as an organizing committee member and session chair, and evaluator for one of the virtual presentation sessions on June 30, 2024. Dr. Gupta, an active researcher in food safety and quality monitoring, facilitated discussions on advanced research in food safety and its critical role in nutrition.

Research Presentations

• Ms. Amrita Shaw, a Doctoral Research Scholar, presented her research on “Detection of Re-used Cooking Oil through Micro-Raman Spectroscopy.” This research, guided by Dr. Jhinuk Gupta and Dr. Sai Muthukumar V (Associate Professor, Dept. of Physics), addressed a crucial issue in the food industry and was commended by the session chairs for its significance. Dr. Muthukumar, a meticulous researcher in the field of Applied Spectroscopy, played a pivotal role in the presented work.
• Ms. Shreya P Sarathy, who completed her M.Sc. dissertation under Dr. Jhinuk Gupta during the academic year 2023-2024, presented her project on “Mislabeling in the Indian Health Food Market: Market Survey and Analytical Testing,” co-authored by Ms. Tharani Lakshmi Tharuni and Ms. Amrita Shaw. Her presentation illuminated the widespread issue of mislabeling in the health food sector and the importance of detecting such practices. The panelists praised her work and the relevance of the research.

The active participation and contributions from the DFNS team at SSSIHL were highly appreciated and added significant value to the conference.

Sri Undavalli Venkata Gopi, a Research Scholar from the Department of Chemistry, under the supervision of Dr. Kumar Sai Smaran, delivered an oral presentation titled “Defect Engineering Pathways Towards Unlocking the Potential of Perovskites in Supercapatteries” at the 18th International Symposium of Polymer Electrolytes (ISPE-18). The event took place from 23-28 June 2024, in Langkawi, Malaysia, and was organized by the ACS Malaysia Chapter.

Sri Gopi’s oral presentation explored how the inherent options to manipulate the stoichiometries (defects) in perovskite derivatives and their higher-order analogues can be utilized. Specifically, their oxygen deficiency attributes can be employed in anionic intercalated mechanism-based supercapatteries, which was the core of his presentation at the conference.

Sri Gopi was also the recipient of the ISPE 18 Young Researcher Travel Award, which acknowledges young talents for their contributions to the field of energy storage. To encourage participation from young researchers worldwide, the ISPE 18 Young Researcher Travel Award is awarded to eligible and deserving scholars who demonstrated academic excellence through the quality of their research. The travel award (100,000 INR approx.) was awarded to only four participants worldwide, including Sri Gopi.

The International Symposium on Polymer Electrolytes (ISPE) is a premier conference in the field of energy storage. The 18th session held in Langkawi, Malaysia, focused on the theme “Zero Carbon Emission by Revolutionizing Energy with Polymer Electrolytes.” The conference encouraged scientific presentations on a variety of topics, including Lithium-ion batteries and related technologies, Supercapacitors and allied technologies, Solar cells, Fuel cells, Sensors,
Actuators, and emerging energy-related themes

The conference featured esteemed pioneers in the energy storage field, such as Prof. Michel Armand, Prof. Stefano Passerini, Prof. Maria Forsyth, Prof. Masayoshi Watanabe, and Prof. Vito di Noto.

Watch: Sri Gopi Receiving the Young Researcher Travel Award

Raj Kumar Thakur, a student of II M.Sc. Physics, Prasanthi Nilayam campus was awarded the second-best poster presenter at this year’s Summer School Program 2024 at the Institute for Plasma Research (IPR), Dept. of Atomic Energy, Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

The project for his summer internship was titled “Axial Plasma Diagnostics of Fireball Plasma Using Langmuir Probe” under the supervision of Dr. Mukesh Ranjan (Scientific Officer-G). During this project, Raj Kumar gained hands-on experience in experimental plasma physics, including managing a vacuum system, generating fireball plasma inside the vacuum chamber, diagnosing the plasma using a Langmuir probe, and estimating plasma parameters.

The two-month Summer School Program, held annually for M.Sc. Physics and 3rd-year B.Tech. students also featured a week-long lecture series on plasma research. This series was conducted by IPR scientists, professors, the dean, and the director, covering fundamental plasma physics and its industrial applications. It included discussions on the “International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor” (ITER), a global mega project for developing a fusion reactor, in which India is a participant member.

Internships are a great way for students to gain practical exposure and learn from a real environment, and students at SSSIHL are encouraged to actively participate in internship programs as part of their curriculum.

The Centre for Excellence in Mathematical Biology (CEMB) at the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning (SSSIHL) is pleased to announce its Faculty Development Program (FDP) on “Dynamical Systems & Optimal Control Theory, AI/ML, and Bioinformatics with Applications to Healthcare.” This program will be held online from July 8 to July 15, 2024.

This FDP will feature domain experts from renowned institutions, who will delve into topics such as Dynamical Systems & Optimal Control Theory, AI/ML, and Bioinformatics, with a specific focus on healthcare applications. The program will include both theoretical lectures and hands-on sessions.

In line with CEMB’s mission to enhance national capacity in Infectious Disease Modelling and Mathematical Biology, this FDP is part of a larger initiative that also encompasses conferences, workshops, and training programs. SSSIHL CEMB is dedicated to leveraging mathematical innovation for societal benefit, particularly in developing advanced solutions for public health. By applying mathematical modeling and analysis, the centre aims to create practical solutions that have a significant positive impact on society, translating scientific research into real-world applications for the betterment of humanity.

The FDP will be coordinated by Dr. D. K. K. Vamsi and Dr. M. S. Srinath from the Department of Mathematics & Computer Science, and Dr. K. N. Naresh from the Department of Biosciences at SSSIHL.

Download Flyer

Last date for Registrations: 6 July 2024

Register Here: https://forms.gle/dMrxgnJogYve4wVJ7

Students from the Department of English Language and Literature at Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, Anantapur Campus, participated in the two-day international conference titled “Embracing the Forte of SDGs in English Language and Literature: A Cognitive Perspective (EFSELL CP).” The event took place on March 28th and 29th, 2024, at SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai.

The conference featured plenary talks by distinguished speakers from India and abroad, student and scholar paper presentations, poetry readings, and live theatrical performances. Nineteen students from III BA, I MA, and II MA, accompanied by faculty members Dr. Maitali Khanna, Dr. Arun K Behera, and Dr. Sowmya S, represented the English Department of SSSIHL, Anantapur Campus.

Sixteen students presented research papers co-authored with their faculty mentors. Their research, active engagement in discussions, presentation skills, and subject knowledge received significant appreciation. Additionally, Dr. Maitali Khanna and Dr. Arun K Behera were honored as Session Chairs for the paper presentation sessions.

The conference concluded with awards for the best papers and presentations. Among the winners were two postgraduate students from SSSIHL:

Best Paper Award: Ms. Sathyapriya Dharshini S. (I MA English) for her paper “AI-Mediated Composition Writing in an ESL Classroom: A Case Study,” co-authored with Prof. Rani P. L.

Best Presenter Award: Ms. Meghana Srinivas Mandalappu (II MA English) for her paper “Navigating the Mental Spaces and Emotional Labyrinths in the Selected Songs from Taylor Swift’s Folklore,” co-authored with Dr. Maitali Khanna.

Overall, participating in the conference was a valuable educational experience for students and faculty members.

Identifying the Issue

• In silico technique to replace or assist and reduce the cumbersome experimental techniques in protein engineering.
• In silico validation using mutations with known functional implications in homologs.

Objective of the Research

• To use in silico techniques as a replacement for experimental techniques for protein engineering.
• To validate the findings using experimentally verified mutations with known functional implications from homologous proteins.

Who should read this?

It is helpful for all the experimentalists who are interested in protein engineering and understanding the role of single nucleotide polymorphisms from genomic studies after high throughput analysis.

Solution

Protein engineering by directed evolution is time-consuming. Hence, in silico techniques using software for ∆∆G calculation, and predicting propensity for aggregation, amyloid formation, and chaperone binding are employed to design proteins. We employed these techniques to engineer BDNF-NTF3 interactions. The effect of different mutations was screened for their favourable, unfavourable, and lack of effect in the BDNF NTF3 system. The unfavourable mutants showed fewer hydrophobic interactions and higher hydrogen bonds compared to the wild-type or other mutants with similar solvent-accessible surface area, suggesting solvent-mediated disruption of hydrogen-bonded interactions.

The predictions in the BDNF system were validated using mutations with known functional effects in the NGF system where similar results were obtained. The results suggest that mutations with known effects in homologous proteins could help validation, and in silico-directed evolution, experiments could be a viable alternative to or for arriving at informed decisions or as a supplement to the experimental technique used for protein engineering.

Key Features and Benefits

• High throughput data generation for informed decisions to aid protein engineering.
• Validation from the experimentally available data using in silico
• The method can help to understand the effect of single nucleotide polymorphisms from the genomic data.

Impact

• This workflow helps to make informed decisions before performing or helping replace experiments.
• This workflow will help to reduce the cumbersome experiments required in protein engineering.
• The method can help to understand the effect of single nucleotide polymorphisms from the genomic data.
• Validation from the experimentally available data using in silico methods/techniques.

Team

• V.M. Datta Darshan, Department of Biosciences, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning
• Venketesh Sivaramakrishnan, Department of Biosciences, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning
• Subbarao Kanchi, Department of Physics, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning
• Natarajan Arumugam, Department of Chemistry, College of Science, King Saud University
• Abdulrahman I. Almansour, Department of Chemistry, College of Science, King Saud University

Title of paper: “In silico energetic and molecular dynamic simulations studies demonstrate potential effect of the point mutations with implications for protein engineering in BDNF”

Read Paper Here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.132247

In collaboration with the Institution’s Innovation Council, the Department of Management and Commerce, Muddenahalli campus hosted a three-day entrepreneurship development workshop titled i-CUBE from March 14th to 16th, 2024. This event aimed to synergize ideas of inception with imagination and innovation, featuring expert insights and experiences from seasoned entrepreneurs.

The 3-day workshop began on March 14th with the traditional lighting of the lamp and invocatory chants. Sri S. Sai Manohar, Assistant Professor in the Department of Management & Commerce, welcomed participants and distinguished speakers. The inaugural address was delivered by Prof. Pallav Kumar Baruah, Dean of Sciences and President of the IIC, followed by a keynote address from Prof. B. Raghavendra Prasad, Vice-Chancellor of SSSIHL.

The guests of honor, Sri C.N. Ram, Co-Promoter of FYNDNA TechCorp (P) Ltd., Mumbai, and Sri Debasish Chakraborty, Co-Founder & Board Member of Perfios Software Solutions (P) Ltd., Bangalore, set the stage for the workshop with their addresses, sharing invaluable insights from their entrepreneurial journeys.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to all the esteemed speakers for dedicating their time, sharing their experiences, and guiding young minds as they embark on their entrepreneurial pursuits.

Esteemed speakers @iCube:

• C.N.Ram, Co-Promoter, FYNDNA Tech-corp (P) Ltd., Mumbai
• Debasish Chakraborty, Co-Founder, Perfios Software Solutions (P) Ltd, Bangalore
• B.G.Venkatesh, Director, MBG Shakti, Chennai (Alumnus of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning)
• Seshasayee, Founder, Farm Guru, Chennai
• B Ramesh, MD, Rams Fittings and Accessories (P) Ltd., Chennai
• Prashanth Raju, CEO, Trayee Business Solutions (P) Ltd., Chennai (Alumnus of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning)
• Venkataramani Suresh, Co-Founder, Karkinos Healthcare (P) Ltd., New Delhi (Alumnus of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning)
• Sathya Pramod, Founder and CEO, Kayess Square Consulting (P) Ltd., Bangalore (Alumnus of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning)
• P S Gunaranjan, Social Entreprenuer, Founder, UC (Alumnus of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning)
• Viswas P, VP, Account Management Services, Teikametrics India Solutions (P) Ltd., Bangalore (Alumnus of Sri Sathya Sai Higher Secondary School)
• Sri Sunil Kumar,Properitor, J.K Brands,Bangalore
• Thiruvengadam Parthasarathi, Former Senior Director, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India (P) Ltd., Bangalore

View Detailed Report

View Photos

View Recording:

Day 1 – S1: https://www.youtube.com/live/TIppGgYIcCs?si=Oup9EPjdj0UZ1TEK

Day 1 – S2: https://www.youtube.com/live/U5cbEP53BrE?si=PSnQhOBrpIUzERdo

Day 2 – S3: https://www.youtube.com/live/k4Xl7zS1AfQ?si=bos2bUYDv1oLTSc5

Day 2 – S4: https://www.youtube.com/live/q7DpP38hrRo?si=x-5FmTmMKSTlRns5

Day 3 – S5: https://www.youtube.com/live/FABxYlaVgCQ?si=4HKJVTGAWmr1x9k9

Day 3 – S6: https://www.youtube.com/live/tPeYUsXA1OE?si=VuYrTrLzSv8VaQR8

Identifying the Issue

• Off-target effects of the anti-cancer drugs available in the market.
• Need for better anti-cancer drugs with high potency and low toxicity.

Objective of the Research

• To synthesize novel Spirobibenzopyrans with potent anti-cancer activity. \
• this study focuses on creating compounds with powerful anti-cancer properties while minimizing toxicity

Who should read this?

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

Solution

Design and synthesis of Spirobibenzopyrans with potent anti-cancer activity

Key Features and Benefits

• One pot synthesis of Spirobibenzopyrans using Lewis acid catalysts.
• Screening of anti-cancer activity of the synthesized Spirobibenzopyrans by a phenotypic approach.
• HIT compounds identified.
• Toxic dose determined in Drosophila

Impact

• Potent compounds 5-methoxyspirobibenzopyran and 6-methoxybibenzopyran act as potent pJNK inhibitors. pJNK is an oncogenic target.
• The correlation between the docking studies and the experimental studies were established.

Team

• Dr. Prashant Rai, Department of Chemistry, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning
• Dr. Rohit Kumar, Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University
• Jyotsna Singh, Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University
• Prof. Srikrishna Saripella, Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University,
• Prof. Nageswara Rao Golakoti, Department of Chemistry, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning

Title of paper: Design, synthesis, in-vitro, and in-vivo anti‐cancer evaluation of the novel spirobibenzopyrans on epithelial cancer model of Drosophila melanogaster

Read Paper Here: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11696-022-02321-x

Identifying the Issue

• Understand structure-activity relationship of non-linear optical property of chalcone derivatives
• Study of non-linear optical properties of the chalcone derivatives using same method under identical conditions.

Objective of the Research

• To synthesize novel chalcone derivatives and establish their structure-activity relationship

Who should read this?

Research community working in Material science and Optics.

Solution

Identification of the best architecture and the substituent in chalcone derivatives for enhanced optical property.

Key Features and Benefits

• Establishment of structure-activity relationship of non-linear optical property of chalcone derivatives
• The study led to the understanding that chalcones with A-A-D architecture show best non-linear optical properties.

Impact

• Compounds with A-A-D architecture show best non-linear optical properties.
• The electron withdrawing group when incorporated in Ring A results in enhanced optical activities.

Team

• Prashant Rai, Department of Chemistry, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning
• Prajal Chettri, Department of Physics, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning
• Swayamsiddha Kar, Department of Chemistry, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning
• Malhar Anupam Nagar, Department of Physics, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning
• Shailesh Srivastava, Department of Physics, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning
• Nageswara Rao Golakoti, Department of Chemistry, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning

Title of paper: Synthesis, characterization and structure–activity relationship of non‐linear optical response of chalcone derivatives with in silico insights.

Read Paper Here: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11696-020-01487-6