Author: SSSIHL

Puttaparthi, 24 August 2021:

Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning (SSSIHL, Deemed -to-be University) today honoured two eminent Scientists with the Degree of ‘Doctor of Science’ (Honoris Causa) for their outstanding contributions to science & society, at an award ceremony held by the Deemed-to-be-University in Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh.

Invoking the blessings of the Revered Founder Chancellor, Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, the Honourable Chancellor, Shri K. Chakravarthi I.A.S, conferred the title of ‘Doctor of Science’ (Honoris Causa), in the presence of the Vice-Chancellor Prof. (Dr.) C. B Sanjeevi and other senior officials of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning on 1) Padma Shri Professor G. Venkataraman, a former Vice-Chancellor, SSSIHL, an eminent and celebrated scientist, scholar and educationist, for his outstanding contributions in the field of Nuclear Science, the use of technology in the service of society and inculcating value education in young minds and on 2) Dr. Sethuraman Panchanathan, a renowned computer scientist and engineer and currently the Director of the U.S. National Science Foundation, for his achievements and outstanding contributions in the field of Computer Science and Engineering in the service of society.

Prof. G. Venkataraman, also a former Director, ANURAG (DRDO) is an elected fellow of the Indian National Science Academy, a recipient of numerous awards including the Jawaharlal Nehru FellowShip, the Sir C.V Raman prize and the prestigious Padma Shri. He is also a renowned Condensed matter physicist and a writer.

Dr. Sethuraman Panchanathan, a former Member of the National Science Board, is a fellow of several prestigious institutions, including the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the U.S National Academy of Inventors to name a few, where he also served as vice-president for strategic initiatives, and a recipient of the Distinguished Alumnus Awards and the Governor’s Innovator of the Year for Academia Award for his scientific contributions.

Prof. (Dr.) C. B Sanjeevi, the Vice-Chancellor, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning said “The staff and students of our Deemed-to- be-University are extremely fortunate to be associated with luminaries like Professor G. Venkataraman and Dr. Sethuraman Panchanathan. Their mentorship has immensely benefited and shaped the lives of our students over the years. The distinguished awardees are a true guiding spirit for the younger generation to emulate”.

About the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning

The Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning (SSSIHL) (Deemed-to-be-University), Puttaparthi, is one of the few institutions in the world offering values-based education to students at the University level. Ethics and morals form the undercurrent of every subject taught at the Deemed to be University, providing a holistic framework of inter-personal development for its students combined with academic excellence. This year, we celebrate the commencement of the University’s 40th year of excellence.

The Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning (SSSIHL) also provides a strong research environment, with exceptional academic practices, that has resulted in the growth of national and international collaborations. The Central Research Instruments Facility (CRIF), based at the Prasanthi Nilayam Campus of the SSSIHL, is one of the few facilities in the country that houses advanced Characterisation/ Analytical Tools to carry out Translational Research in various areas of Science and Technology.

For more Information, contact:

Registrar, SSSIHL, email: [email protected] or [email protected]; Tel: +91 8555287239

Identifying the Issue

Behavioural finance considers that investors are not completely rational economic agents and are subject to cognitive limitations. About 4266 companies are listed on the U.S stock exchange, and Investors cannot provide equal attention to all the stocks and depend on heuristics and shortcuts. We ask:

“Does firm-initiated tweets grab investor attention and propel them to trade in the stock market”

Objective of the Research

• To create a dataset of the corporate tweets for a sample of thirty large corporations of the U.S.A
• To analyse the relationship between the frequency of firm-initiated tweets and changes in stock returns and trading volume

Who should read this?

Stock market investors, traders, social media managers and corporate communication heads in the U.S.A will find the results valuable

Solution

• Developed an algorithm on R programming language using “rtweet” and “BatchGetSymbols” packages to obtain firm-initiated tweets, stock prices,
  and trading volumes.
• Countered the API per-user per-day limitation by deploying a task scheduler to run a search query at regular intervals without supervision and executed it on the cloud storage using Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) provided by AWS Amazon Web Services.
• Examined the relationship between corporate tweeting behaviour and stock price using Vector Autoregression (VAR) model and used Impulse response function (IRF) to quantify the shock on the stock market from Tweets.
  We observe that a shock in corporate tweeting behaviour translates into a positive effect on changes in trading volume and returns in 73% and 60% of stocks, respectively

Key Features and Benefits

• The results establishing the association between corporate tweeting behaviour and traded values of return and volume will help corporates strategize the impact of their social media communication on the stock market
• Using corporate tweet frequency, investors can build forecasting models to predict future price movements to earn superior returns
• The study contributes to the scarce literature on the analysis of firm-initiated tweets on volumes and provides researchers the opportunity to examine content analysis on firm-initiated tweets

Impact

A study on the adoption and usage of social media by America’s largest companies, the Dartmouth Center for Marketing Research at the University of Massachusetts, found that Twitter topped the list. Twitter has revolutionized corporate communication and have become important channels for disseminating information.

The association between corporate tweeting behaviour and the stock market opens up great opportunities for corporations concerning corporate information disclosure. It has opened up a new discussion on the power of communication over actions, where social media users give great weightage to tweets and take decisions. In the 21st century, corporations will focus more on tweets to win the corporate war as “A Tweet is mightier than the sword”.
 

Team

• G Aditya, Research Scholar, Department of Management and Commerce, SSSIHL
• Dr Subramanian S Iyer, Assistant Professor, Department of Management and Commerce, SSSIHL

Title: “Impact of Firm-Initiated Tweets on Stock Return and Trading Volume”

Read Paper Here: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15427560.2021.1949717

The International collaboration between the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning (SSSIHL), India and Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST), Japan began in the year 2015 with multiple teams working together from both the institutions. Over the years, the collaboration has grown stronger with multiple student exchanges and internships between the two institutions to work on numerous projects.

In one such successful project, a new research study is now published in Physica E: Low-dimensional Systems and Nanostructures. In this research work, STAR Lab, SSSIHL and Matsumi Lab, JAIST have explored the use of 2D Titania nanotube (TiNT) and its Gold (Au) and Platinum (Pt)-nanoparticles decorated analogues for achieving augmented fluorescence emission using the surface plasmon-coupled emission (SPCE) platform.

Motivation

• Need for alternative 2D materials for plasmon-coupled fluorescence emission enhancement
• Extensive use of 2-Dimensional (2D) carbon material in the past for achieving augmented fluorescence emission
• 2D materials such as graphene has π-plasmons that can induce significant π–π interactions with the fluorophores resulting in decreased fluorescence emission
• Pure graphene is expensive and its synthesis involves cumbersome procedures

Research outcome

• The use of alternative, 2D-carbon type material- TiNT for plasmonic application
• Rapid (30 seconds) electrochemical synthesis of hybrid metal-dielectric spacer and cavity material (Au@TiNT, Pt@TiNT and AuPt@Pt-TiNT) for plasmonic applications
• Novel use of 2D-TiNT and Au and Pt-decorated TiNT in SPCE platform to achieve an excess of 100-fold fluorescence emission enhancement
• Purcell factor-based understanding of enhancement form hybrid metal-dielectric Pt@TiNT

Authors

• STAR Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning: Bebeto Rai, Dr. Venkatesh Srinivasan and Dr. Sai Sathish Ramamurthy
• Matsumi Lab, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology-Japan: Dr. Santhosh Bukka and Prof. Noriyoshi Matsumi

Journal: Physica E: Low-dimensional Systems and Nanostructures

Read Paper Here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physe.2021.114868

The Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences (DFNS), SSSIHL won prizes for oral presentations at the National E-Conference on ‘Integration of Modern and Traditional Nutrition Approaches Towards Health and Wellbeing: Importance, Challenges and Future’ organized by Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, Sri Devaraj Urs Academy of Higher Education and Research, Kolar, on 28th and 29th April 2021.

Ms. Sai Sruthi Shree K K, Doctoral Research Scholar, DFNS won the First Prize for her presentation under the ‘Traditional Nutrition’ category for the paper entitled ‘Ayurvedic Perspective and Modern Nutritional Evaluation of Traditional Indian Brown Rice Varieties’ co-authored by Ms. Ashrita C. Haldipur, Doctoral Research Scholar, DFNS, and Dr. N. Srividya, research supervisor & Head, DFNS. This paper helped to validate the traditional knowledge on the nutritional importance of select pigmented rice varieties using modern research techniques. The award included a certificate of appreciation and a cash prize of rupees five thousand.

Under the ‘Trends in Therapeutic Nutrition’ category, Prof. B. Andallu, Honorary Faculty, DFNS, won the second prize for her paper entitled ‘Amelioration of H2O2-induced oxidative stress in human leukocytes by aniseed (Pimpinella anisum L.) extracts’ co-authored by Dr. Shobha Iyer. The paper explained the potency of aniseeds that are rich in bioactive phytochemicals as a preventive agent against oxidative stress-induced diseases. The award included a certificate of appreciation and a cash prize of rupees three thousand.

Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning (SSSIHL) congratulates Ms. Sai Sruthi and Prof. B Andallu and team DFNS, for the above recognition and for making the University proud.

Identifying the Issue

a) While there are many vector-host models developed to study the spread of COVID-19 at population level, there are very few works done to understand the interplay of the immune response and the virus particles in the body. None of the current models developed has studied the role and efficacies of HCQ and BCG Vaccination in reducing COVID-19 burden. Furthermore, these models have not considered explicitly the role of inflammatory mediators such as Cytokines and Chemokine’s released by the body in defending the body against the virus.

b) In this work, a within-host mathematical model is developed and optimal control problem is framed to study the role and efficacies of HCQ and BCG Vaccination in reducing the burden of COVID-19

Objective of the Research

• We propose to study the role and efficacies of HCQ and BCG Vaccination in reducing COVID-19 burden by framing an optimal control problem
• Comparative Effectiveness study is also done to support the results obtained in optimal control problem
• Both the above can help to understand the dynamics and control SARS-Cov-2 virus in a better way

Who should read this?

Anyone in the field of Academics and research, working in areas of Mathematics, Bio-Mathematics, Mathematical Modelling, and also Doctors, especially Physicians

Solution

In this work, we consider two scenarios involving the administration of HCQ and BCG vaccine. The findings of these studies include the following: the average infected cell count and viral load decreased the most when both the HCQ and BCG interventions were applied together in both scenarios. On the other hand, the average susceptible cell count decreased the best when HCQ alone was administered in both these scenarios. The basic reproduction number and viral count decreased the best when HCQ and BCG booster interventions were applied together, reinstating the fact obtained earlier in the optimal control setting.

Key Features and Benefits

• It is observed that the viral load decreased the most when both the HCQ and BCG interventions were applied together. This could help doctors and physicians to look for combination therapy as one of the alternatives to stop the multiplication of virus in the body
• The basic reproduction number and viral count decreased the best when HCQ and BCG booster interventions were applied together

Impact

• The work presented in this paper could enhance our understanding of complex interplay of immune response and virus particles in the body
• It can help physicians with decision making in the treatment of life-threatening COVID-19 pneumonia

Team

• Bishal Chhetri, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, India
• D K K Vamsi, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, India
• Bhanu Prakash, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, India
• Carani B Sanjeevi, Vice-Chancellor, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, India

Paper Published In: Advances in Dynamical Systems and Application, Volume 16, no. 1, 369-403

Title: “Combined Drug Interventions and its Efficacy in the Reduction of COVID-19 Burden: A Within-Host Modelling Study with reference to HCQ and BCG Vaccination”

Read Paper Here: https://www.ripublication.com/adsa21/v16n1p26.pdf

Dr. V. Prathyusha, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, SSSIHL, Anantapur was recently awarded the ‘Young Scientist Award 2020’ by the Andhra Pradesh Akademi of Sciences (APAS) for her contribution in the field of Chemical Sciences. In addition, Dr. Prathyusha has also been admitted as ‘Associate Fellow’ of the A.P. Akademi of Sciences for the year 2020.

The Young Scientist Awards, was instituted by the Andhra Pradesh Akademi of Sciences, in recognition of the notable research contributions and outstanding work of the young scientists of Andhra Pradesh working in different fields of Science and technology which includes Physical and Mathematical/Engineering Sciences/ Earth, Ocean, Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences/ Medical, Health and Sciences/Chemical Sciences/Life Sciences including Agricultural Sciences.

The computational chemistry research team headed by Dr. V. Prathyusha, comprises two research scholars, Mr. Abhishek. H and K.V. S Mani Chandrika and have been actively working on bio-inspired molecules as potential adsorbents, potent bio-active molecules and the SERS of neurotransmitters in the presence of silver clusters. These studies will find useful applications in the field of medicine and environment. The computational studies are also being complemented by synthesis of the bio-active compounds, fabrication of materials and substrates in-house, and experimental SERS studies.

Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning (SSSIHL) congratulates Dr. V. Prathyusha and the team for the above recognition and for making the University proud.

For more on Dr. V.Prathyusha visit https://www.sssihl.edu.in/faculty/v-prathyusha/
 

July 8, 1971

Fifty years have gone by. It is the golden jubilee of the College Building of the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, Anantapur Campus. The Sri Sathya Sai Arts and Science College (for Women), Anantapur, was founded by our beloved Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba on 8th July, 1971. The then President of India, Sri. V V Giri, and Smt. Saraswati Giri, inaugurated the College Buildings in the Divine presence of Bhagawan Baba.

Video of Bhagawan inaugurating Anantpur College: https://youtu.be/WKd92UBHFGE

Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s aim in starting a women’s college first, in the chain of educational institutions founded by Him, was to emphasise that, if a woman is educated, the entire family benefits from her knowledge and wisdom. She plays an important role in moulding the future generations of the family into responsible citizens. While inaugurating the College Buildings, Bhagawan Baba declared that the College would soon be transformed into a Deemed University. He said, “The Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning will have to undertake the task of revitalising the ancient culture of India and training the rising generation on the path of love and service to humanity.“

This is a unique institution that is a pioneer in providing “Educare” – a system of education that blends secular knowledge with spiritual knowledge. The Institute offers education free of cost. It seeks to provide an integral education that enables the full blossoming of the personality of the students.

Identifying the Issue

While there are vector-host models developed to study the dengue virus at population level, very few works performed to understand the dengue viral dynamics in human body. None of the current models as per our study has considered the role of innate immune response in the defence to the dengue viral attack until recently one of them by Rotem Ben-Shachar and Katia Koelle, introduced innate immune response and showed that it can reproduce the characteristic features of the primary infection.

In this paper, a non-linear model is proposed which incorporates innate and adaptive (both cellular and humoral) immune responses, studying the Dengue virus at cellular level using a mathematical model.

Objective of the Research

• We propose to study the dynamics of within-host epidemic model of dengue infection which incorporates both innate immune response and adaptive immune response (Cellular and Humoral)
• The proposed model also incorporates the time delay for production of antibodies from B cells and understand the dynamics of this model using the dynamical systems approach by performing the stability and sensitivity analysis
• Both the above can help detect and control the dengue virus better and understand the dengue viral dynamics in human body

Who should read this?

Those working in the field of Mathematics, Bio-Mathematics, Mathematical Modeling, research, and other related academic fields, and Doctors, especially Physicians.

Solution

The critical level of the antibody recruitment rate(q) was found to be responsible for the existence and stability of various steady states. The stability of endemic state was found to be dependent on time delay. The sensitivity analysis identified the production rate of antibodies (q) to be highly sensitive parameter.

• The existence and stability conditions for the equilibrium states of the disease have been obtained
• The threshold value of time delay has been computed which is critical for change in stability of the endemic state

Key Features and Benefits

• It has been observed that that innate response co-relates with the virus titer in the early stages of the infection which can help in an early detection of a serious disease
• The production rate of antibodies (q) was found to be highly sensitive
• It was observed that the burst rate of virus particles (k) has a predictable behaviour and the rate of infection(β1) is sensitive only in some interval range

Impact

• The works presented in this paper could enhance our understanding of this complex immune response
• The model can help in detection of the disease in the early stages of the infection

Team

• Deva Siva Sai Murari Kanumoori: University of L’Aquila, L’Aquila, Italy
• D Bhanu Prakash: Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning – SSSIHL, India
• D. K. K. Vamsi: Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning – SSSIHL, India
• Carani B Sanjeevi: Vice-Chancellor, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning -SSSIHL

Paper Published In: Computational and Mathematical Biophysics 9, no. 1 (2021): 66-80

Read Paper Here: https://doi.org/10.1515/cmb-2020-0118

The STAR Lab, SSSIHL, has published a new article in Asian Journal of Psychiatry that presents the task sharing approach as an effective strategy for the detection of perinatal depression in rural area of South India. This study presents a synergistic outcome from the educational and medical institutions established by Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, Founder Chancellor, SSSIHL. This collaborative effort was carried out at Sri Sathya Sai General Hospital (SSSGH), Prasanthi Nilayam over a period of three years. The longitudinal study involved two expert doctors from the SSSGH (Prasanthi Nilayam and Whitefield), three psychiatrists (two from Schizophrenia Research Foundation, Chennai, and one from Government Medical College/Government General Hospital, Anantapur) and a biostatistician from Germany, all of whom worked continuously with the members from the STAR Lab, SSSIHL.

Study and Outcome
In this work, we have assessed the quality of perinatal depression screening by a non-expert in the context of task sharing in a rural Indian maternity service. This is a longitudinal study carried out for three years involving voluntary participation of pregnant women right from the second trimester up to 3 months post-delivery. A qualified midwife (trained by a psychiatrist and doctors from SSSGH) administered the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), a questionnaire that is widely used for identifying possible depressive symptoms in pregnant women and new mothers. With the study participants’ consent, these EPDS sessions were recorded (audio/video) in line with the approval obtained from the SSSIHL institutional ethics committee. As part of the study, these audio/video recordings were analyzed by expert psychiatrists. Several studies have suggested that task-sharing is an effective strategy to monitor perinatal depression (PND), but no study has assessed the quality of PND detection by a non-expert, in the context of task-sharing especially in a rural Indian population. This approach further addresses the shortage of mental health care professionals (MHPs) in resource limited settings, especially in low and middle income countries and promotes remote care solutions during the pandemic. Our research study findings suggest that with adequate training, in the absence of experts (psychiatrists), non-experts (midwives) can be highly effective at task-sharing implemented for screening PND.

Impact
This study has a significant impact on society, particularly in rural areas, with respect to healthcare management. Our research outcome recommends that with sufficient training, non-experts (midwives) can be effective at task-sharing, implemented for the screening of PND at clinical centers where availability of MHPs is limited. The empowerment of non-experts for the given task will also serve as an excellent alternative to address the shortage of MHPs in resource limited areas, especially in rural areas of India. This training can also provide an alternative for remote care even during the pandemic
 

Mr. Rohan Yashraj Gupta and Mr. S R Pranav Sai, Doctoral Research Scholars in Actuarial Science, DMACS, SSSIHL had the honour to present their individual research works at the 3rd Insurance Data Science Conference at City, University of London on 17th and 18th of June 2021.

The Insurance Data Science Conference 2021 brought together academics and practitioners in areas including data science, analytics, machine learning, artificial intelligence, computational statistics, and software, as applied in the insurance industry. The exchange mainly focused on applications in insurance pricing, reserving, risk assessment and modelling, customer analytics, capital management, catastrophe, and econometric modelling.

Several leading Actuaries and Data Scientists in the Insurance industry submit their works every year. After a rigorous selection process select high-quality works would be selected for the presentation at the conference. SSSIHL Doctoral Research Scholars presented on the following topics:

A comparative study of using various Machine Learning and Deep Learning-based fraud detection models for Universal Health Coverage schemes and assessing the impact of COVID-19 in healthcare fraud (Rohan Yashraj Gupta)

Capturing the power of ensemble learning using GLM and Artificial Neural Network for insurance pricing (S R Pranav Sai)

SSSIHL congratulates Mr. Rohan Yashraj Gupta and Mr. S R Pranav Sai for the honour and appreciates their deep commitment to research in Actuarial Data Science, inspiring others into this new stream of research.