For the second consecutive year, Google has not featured a doodle to commemorate International Yoga Day 2023, leaving many yoga enthusiasts and internet users surprised. The absence of a dedicated doodle has sparked speculation and discussion among online users.
Google, known for its creative and interactive doodles that celebrate various occasions and events, has traditionally featured International Yoga Day in the past. The decision to skip the yoga-themed doodle for two consecutive years has raised questions among users.
Taking to Twitter, some users expressed disappointment over the absence of Google Doodle on International Yoga Day, a username Anand Prasad wrote, “It's International Yoga Day today but Google Doodle (at least in India, not sure elsewhere) is not promoting that."
However, the researchers point out that drug development from a native toxin of snake venom is tedious. To overcome this problem, Mukherjee and his collaborators developed two novel custom peptides (commercially produced peptides for use in biomedical laboratories) — TNP and HNP, inspired by snake venom neurotrophin, that regulate the development, maintenance, and function of vertebrate nervous systems. These peptides show selective binding to human TrkA receptor of nerve cells and, hence, can improve the selectivity and specificity of drug molecules toward the receptor, thereby enhancing the therapeutic potency of those drug molecules. Mukherjee emphasises that the low molecular weight, structural stability, small size, and target sensitivity of the peptides make them powerful tools for conquering the limitations of using endogenous neurotrophins as therapeutic agents. This drug-like peptide discovered by the group can potentially reduce the progression of neurodegenerative diseases through an entirely new strategy. The treatment would be most effective for people with fewer symptoms earlier during the onset of the disease. Bacteria-busting water Researchers from IISc have demonstrated the generation of plasma-activated water containing reactive oxygen and nitrogen species such as hydrogen peroxide, nitrogen dioxide and nitrate in high strengths. This high-strength plasma-activated water (hs-PAW) was found capable of inactivating even hyper-virulent multidrug-resistant pathogens. The study, led by Lakshminarayana N Rao and Dipshikha Chakravortty, also shows that plasma-activated water is neutral, making it suitable for biomedical applications, says IISc’s in-house newsletter Kernel. The team found that the reactive species in hs-PAW disintegrates the bacteria’s outer cell membrane by perforation, arresting the metabolic activity, eventually inactivating or killing the bacteria. The team also found that the hs-PAW could retain its bactericidal activity even after 15 days. They suggest that hs-PAW can be used in several medical applications, such as wound healing, apart from tackling hard-to-treat multidrug-resistant pathogens. Anemia mukht Bharat The Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute in Bhavnagar has developed a ‘Double Fortified Salt’ using “an innovative new cost-effective fortified food product”. Using this salt helps in delivering small but crucial amounts of iodine and iron in our diet. This helps in improving mental capacity, maternal and infant survival and human productivity with an endeavor of “Anaemia mukht Bharat”, says CSMCRI. Both iron (Fe3+) and iodine are very stable in this salt. “The additional nutrition that one gets out of this salt is magnesium, an important nutrient that helps in preventing diabetes mellitus,” says CSMCRI website.
The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals have become a byword for the key challenges our world faces. But are developing countries facing an additional challenge, by not being recognized equally for the impact their research is having? Simon Linacre looks at a new white paper that shows more can be done to raise up funding and research recognition for the developing world.
When the UN adopted the SDGs in 2015 to focus attention on the major challenges facing the world, it did so seeking to recognise all 193 signatory countries equally. It has always been apparent that some of the worst problems facing humanity are felt much more keenly in developing countries, however the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was an opportunity to right the wrongs of the past and even out inequalities.
However, there has been a nagging doubt, to paraphrase George Orwell, that ‘all countries are equal, but some countries are more equal than others’. This fear has been realized in a landmark white paper by Times Higher Education(THE),Prince Sultan University and Digital Science, titled ‘Research in the Context of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in the Developed and Developing World: Evidence From the Past 15 Years’ and available on the website of the 2023 Global Sustainable Development Congress where it was released last week.
Figures 12 and 13 from the white paper. SDGs research outputs per year, organized by country income. Source: Dimensions.
The white paper is the most comprehensive of its kind to date and calls for greater equity for developing nations within the global research ecosystem, especially as those countries are impacted most by the issues the SDGs focus on.
The white paper was commissioned by THE and utilizes data from Dimensions to uncover significant gaps in research funding, collaboration and assessment between developed and developing countries. Lower income countries struggle to gain recognition for their contributions towards the SDGs. The authors wanted to level the playing field with a series of recommendations, including:
Targeted interventions to support lower-income countries, promote research infrastructure, and provide funding opportunities to bolster their research capacities and collaborations
Continued use of THE Impact Rankings to help address global inequalities and promote strong SDG partnerships between regions
Use of comprehensive and (if needed) bespoke metrics that capture the multidimensional aspects of research impact aligned with the SDGs, to provide valuable insights and guide policy-making and funding decisions
Incentives at local and international levels to accelerate SDG research and research collaboration between high-income and lower-income countries, to help uplift scholars from countries that suffer from structural, historical and contemporary imbalances of power in the global research ecosystem.
When reviewing the report, it is clear from the analysis that there is a substantial gap between higher and lower income nations when it comes to research funding and recognition. Perhaps most importantly, this gap has been closing only slowly over the past 15 years, not quickly as one might hope and expect.
The authors – Professor Mohammad Nurunnabi (Prince Sultan University), Dr Sanjida Haque (Prince Sultan University), Ms Ann Campbell (Digital Science), Dr Juergen Wastl (Digital Science), Dr Ishan Cader (Times Higher Education) – conclude by seeking to reinforce the urgent calls to action by policymakers, both regionally and globally. They say there is a clear need to reflect the quality and impact of research within less developed regions and implement strategies that not only improve the research ecosystem, but that utilize the global influence of university impact rankings. For everyone’s sake, let’s hope the game can be changed in favor of those who have been at a disadvantage since the first whistle.
“Research in the Context of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in the Developed and Developing World: Evidence From the Past 15 Years” is available on the website of the 2023 Global Sustainable Development Congress.
Simon Linacre
About the Author
Simon Linacre, Head of Content, Brand & Press | Digital Science
Simon has 20 years’ experience in scholarly communications. He has lectured and published on the topics of bibliometrics, publication ethics and research impact, and has recently authored a book on predatory publishing. Simon is also a COPE Trustee and ALPSP tutor, and holds Masters degrees in Philosophy and International Business.
