How to fix the Hulu error code 5003.

Hulu is known as one of the most popular and entertaining streaming service across the world. It fulfills the user demands by allowing to them stream popular TV shows. It is owned by the Walt Disney company and was founded in 2007. Their motto is to podcast the most recent TV shows from the most popular network and also they own and publish their originak content and independent movies. Or now Hulu is available only in the USA and Japan.

How is Hulu different from Netflix and Amazon prime?

Hulu allows the viewers to have early access to the most recent popular series which would be aired with the help of multiple traditional networks.

Apart from the success and all the mesmerizing content Hulu has several error codes and error messages which are not easy to understand and solve the problem. Some of the Hulu problems are associated with your device, the others are caused by the poor internet connection and some maybe caused by the hardware issues.

General Hulu trouble shooting problems.

The problems are generally a result of poor internet connection or the issue is related to the Hulu app, all these problems can be fixed by some general methods.

Common fixes for Hulu.

Try restarting your streaming device or restart your home network devices.

Try unplugging your steaming device and leave it unplugged for some time and then plug back in.

Try switching from a wireless to a wired network connection.

Try updating your Hulu app or reinstall it by uninstalling it first.

Make sure your browsing device is also fully updated.

These are the most general and basic tricks to solve some basic Hulu problems. But an error code is a different case where these basic ideas won’t work out. Let’s talk about the error code 5003.

Error code 5003.

The code refers and indicates an issue with the video playback while streaming on Hulu. The failure could come with the following set of messages, “We’re sorry, but there was an issue while playing the video”. Or “Please check your connection and try again”.

Reason behind the cause of Error 5003.

  • An internet connection which is not quite up to the mark could trigger the Hulu app as it requires a perfect internet connection.
  • Another reason to the problem may be an outdated app, it is really important to update your app to the latest version for a fitting experience.
  • The good news is that all the devices can have access to the Hulu app but if the device is outdated, the Error code 5003 could show up so it is really important to keep your device up to date.
  • Using VPN to access the Hulu app could end up in resulting the code 5003 as the app is only available in the USA and Japan.

Solution 1: PowerCycling Devices
As a primary troubleshooting step, we’ll be power-cycling all the devices involved within the streaming process to urge obviate any corrupt cache. In order to do that:

Unplug the power to your Internet Router and the device on which you are streaming.
Press and hold the “Power” button for a minimum of 15 seconds.
Plug the devices back in and await them to power on.
Try to stream and check to see if the issue persists.
Solution 2: Updating Application
This process might differ counting on the device that you simply are using to stream from Hulu, but we’ve listed the methods to update the Hulu app for many of the streaming devices.

For Windows:
The updating process is fairly easy for Windows. In order to update:
Close the Hulu app completely and click on on the “Microsoft Store” icon within the taskbar.
Click on the “Three Dots” within the top right corner and choose the “Downloads and Updates” button.
Select the “Get Updates” button and await the downloading process to start out .
After the updates are downloaded and installed, attempt to stream from Hulu and check to ascertain if the difficulty persists.
For Android:
Click on the PlayStore icon and choose the “Menu” button within the top left corner.
Then select “My Apps and Games” button and then select the “Updates” tab.
Click on the “Check for Updates” button and choose the “Update” button ahead of the Hulu app to initiate the updating process.
Wait for the update to be downloaded and installed.
Try to stream and check to see if the issue persists.
For Android TV:
Select the “Home” button on your remote and then choose “Google Play Store” below the “Apps” option.
Select the term “Auto-Update Apps”and then click on “Auto-Update Apps at that particular time”.
For Apple TV:
Open Settings and click on “Apps”.
Select the “Automatically Update Apps” button to configure the TV to update apps on its own.
Click on it again to turn it off after the app has been updated.
Solution 3:Updating Device Software

It is recommended that you should keep the device up to date to clear the chances of any malfunction.
Therefore, it’s recommended to see online for the tactic to update your exact console to the newest software provided by the developer. This will help in clearing out any sort of incompatibility or complicating issues with the application.

Best gifts for dad

             Best gifts for dad

So you have decided to make your dad feel special by gifting him the best you can. Well it’s a historical fact that choosing gifts is the most confusing stuff to do, the reason being millions and millions of options. So in this article you will find some evergreen choices for gifts that just work wonder. 

hugs_gettyimages

HUGs, yes you read it right. Give a warm cozy hug to your father and share how good you feel about him and trust me, it will work more than enough and your lovely dad will be happy in less than a second.

Apart from that try presenting him a lovely pair of socks because this is something that will definitely come in his use and won’t just eat dirt in the showcase.

A grooming and facial kit is also a good suggestion and will come handy to him in times of urgency when he hasn’t got any time to go and wait in saloons.

best-dad-ever-mug-coffee-mug-fathers-day-mug-daddy-mug-cup-with-stirring-spoon-gift

Apart from that, a coffee mug with vacuum sealed lid is also a nice buy as he can effortlessly carry tea, coffee or any beverage he loves which will remain hot or cold for 3 hrs.

A personalized photo frame or latest novel by this fav author is also a good stuff to think about. Further, gift him the membership of gym or yoga class that will add a pinch of health in your gift.

To escalate this gifting stuff why don’t you present him with his favourite snack in the evening so that he can go to bed with a smile on his face .

But you mustn’t forget,. Your affection, love and care is all what will really make his day and he will feel proud to have a child like you.

 

Importance of INTERNSHIPS for college students!!!

In the world full of competitors to be successful student/businessman etc. should have a different approach. They need do things which have already less participants. It would be best if none of the competitors are present, it doesn’t mean you have to do very odd thing. Everyone needs a better lifestyle and a proper career so that they can live luxurious life with the family, for that we have to start at early as possible and gain the maximum experience. There are many of the websites nationally and internationally that provide work to college students as in the name of freelancers some of the popular sites are:

1- Internshala

2- LetsINTERN

3- LinkedIN

4- GlassDoor

5- Hello Intern

6- Twenty19

7- AngelList

8- Indian Internships

9- Oyster Connect

10- Interlelo

The above listed Internship site are the popular one yet there are many more to be listed.

  • Internships not only make a student financial independent at college life but it plays a very important role as while on last year of college it boost the CV and the chances of selection in your dream company gets increased by 10 folds.
  • Internship help a student start to build a professional network that can be a resource for the student.
  • Internship also help student to decide a second option of career and also can make it as a part-time works on his professional job.
  • Many companies are in search of students who have already completed an internship related to professional job which will also help student to do the work which is of his choice and already experienced on it.
  • Internships provide a great impact on confidence of the student which will help a lot in the actual job.
  • Students gain knowledge and get aware on how to talk with superior person, how to keep conversation on and most importantly how to influence anybody with the power of the words.
  • Students also get hands on to manage the task assigned. They also get to know to give a separate time table to each task and mange the workflow while studying.
  • They get the professional guidance even if they fail to mange the task as the internship provider cannot force any student and they encourage the student on compilation of task.

 

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This are the most benifits of the Internship…Hope it will be helpful.

If you are in college and not having any internship, than go for it…It will prove helpful in the future.

 

Companies Are Turning to Digital Marketing to Survive COVID-19: Here’s Why

As we already know that Covid-19 has become a global pandemic and it is here to stay for quite a while. As this pandemic has caused a sense of chaos among the global companies and made them think and also change the ways on how they used to execute their business strategies.

Coming across the results, majority of the company owners have not succeeded in planning out some new strategy to balance out the chaos created by the pandemic.

It seems that that they are unable to the accept the fact that their previous strategies or the way they used to work may not work now. They will have to adapt to the current situation and make changes accordingly to survive this pandemic.

Some of the organizations which used to work hand in hand have now adopted Digital Marketing as a part of their survival plan.

Some of the company owners have not only embraced the pandemic but are willing to face the temporary economic downfall and then try to recover from it later on as quickly as possible.

Major impacts of Covid-19 on Business companies.

As we know that there’s no such business that’s not been affected by the corona virus but the companies that are suffering the most are the startups which do not have a large capital to keep their company alive and even the companies which highly rely on meeting and face to face interactions like hair salons, gyms, sporting complexes and clothing stores.

Some of the companies which usually had unbelievable amount of growth by the customer referrals are now experiencing such major revenue loss that their reaction to this problem is to cut the marketing costs instead of heading and thinking about the solution.

On the other hand the unusual reactions from the people have caused a lot of harm to the larger B2B companies that serve these smaller businesses.

Digital marketing can help all sorts of business ideas or strategies irrespective of the company’s net worth. The customers are still in need of the products that they used to purchase before the pandemic so the company just has to change the ways in which they reach their audience.

How to take your business online.

If we talk about the time when there was no corona virus, People knew where the best pizza was sold or the best quality beauty products.

But now as there is a complete shutdown and the companies are no where to be seen, People wonder which ones are still in business and where they can spend their money to buy the essentials.

It’s a great opportunity to the businesses which have been highly affected by the deadly virus. With the help of digital marketing they can get in touch with the customers and start boosting their brand on their website or social media platform.

Communicating with the customers.

The first step involves the interaction between the business and the customers. The companies which were never socially or digitally active will now have to change their ways and build strong connections online for the scope of their survival.

  • The companies which are affected by the corona virus should take the initiative and contact their customers via email or sms and explain them how the services have changed and how they can still avail the services.
  • Make an advertisement go viral on a newsletter on how the company have managed to keep up with the crisis and what are the necessary changes made which should be known by the people.
  • The power of social media cannot be neglected here, a simple public post on Facebook or Instagram can be used as a source to reach out the customers.

Charging up the company website.

It is a fine opportunity for the global companies to invest in longer term channels only if the marketing budget allows.

The world has become unstable and the people are not certain on what to do, here alot of external tactics can be used to for internal success as creating a blog for the company or enabling the sales of the materials.

Let’s look up to some of the examples :

Sharing vital information on the web site’s homepage regarding the business queries and letting the audience know that the business is still ongoing.

Updating the service pages with some catchy new photos and descriptions would do the job and if possible add certain discounts which would catch the eye of a lot of audience.

E-commerce system would help the company in taking online orders so it should be a top priority. Some of the platforms which can be uself for such agendas are Shopify or even Paypal.

Building the company’s social media presence.

With isolation and social distancing in hand people are spending most of their time online, this is a great opportunity to take your business on social media and start interacting with more and more people.

There is a huge increase in the time spent by the people of Italy on Facebook and when it comes to Instagram the people of USA are no further left behind they top the chart by 43.1% active users in isolation.

This is a one time opportunity for all the business leads to get on social media and set a goal to build a large set of online following.

Let’s see how the companies can do that –

Updating or sharing various sets of things such as contents or blogs related to the company or related to the social aspects.

Humor is something that is loved by the audience and the posts or videos regarding humor would catch a lot of audience.

Get in touch with an influenceer and start working with him as a lot of influencers are left set open due to the coronavirus outbreak and are available for a reasonable price.

By making these kind of certian and easy changes with less amount of money involved a company could benefit even after the lockdown is over and normalcy is availed.

How Social Media fits into Digital Marketing.

Social media is one of the most important platform for digital marketing as the presence on social media helps to reach out a number of audience which later turn into their customers.

Digital marketing uses the social media platform to promote their business ideas, products or services. It is the best way to engage traffic to their sites and attract large amount of audience. The main aim of digital marketing is to reach the target audience and social media helps it to reach millions of people around the world in just few minutes.

Benefits of Digital marketing on Social media.

Improved marketing strategies.

As social media allows people to connect with each other and it also allows the marketers to observe the user data and the day to day activities of the people or customers and get to learn their intrests and dislikes and then take further steps on a regular basis to plan their marketing strategies accordingly, this leads to an improved and stable marketing business.

Improvement and increase in sales.

As social media allows the customers to view your products and order online they take the opportunity and avail the offer or services as soon as possible. As the customers reach out to your products and make a purchase, you can get the credentials which are required to contact them later on for further more advertisements. Moreover if they tend to like the product, chances are that they could become your regular customer and the reviews they leave online and the people they meet and let them know about your business will also help in the publicity of your company.

Improved customer satisfaction.

The most important aspect of Social media in terms of digital marketing is that it helps the customers to keep their word, send their feedback and ask their questions or queries regarding the products or the brand. Social media allows you to quickly review their feedback and quickly resolve their queries, this way the customers have no doubts and this operation leads to satisfied customers and what do satisfied customers do? That’s right they are your lead and will help you in boosting your business.

Improved Brand awareness.

Having a strong brand name on social media is very important as majority of the customers before buying any of their desired products go through online websites and social media. A strong. Brand name could attract them to your product and make them your customer. You can take your brand on Facebook and Instagram for better results, as by publishing Facebook ads, it could lead to get you a lot of customers.

Improved SEO rankings.

As the audience from social media carry a lot of traffic to your website, it makes you stand out from your competition due to the social signals received by your website. As a result search engines are more likely to rank your site higher in terms of relevant search results.

Improved and increased web traffic.

As you promote quality and informative content on your social media profiles, it will give rise to the toll of followers and customers to your website and will eventually lead to a lot of sales.

As we know that social media is the latest addition to the digital marketing world as it promotes all kinds of messages and brands on top quality social media apps like Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, Google+, Snapchat and Tumblr which obviously catches the eye of alot of audience and leads to the promotion of the brand.

The technique of social media is really simple, create the content and use the social media platform to promote it and gain audience and hence social media marketing has become a part of digital marketing.

The major advantage of social media is that it is completely free to use and promote your stuff without even spending a single penny unlike some of the digital marketing tools. You can make daily progress and updates without worrying about the money.

Conclusion

There is no scope for loss when you take your business on social media, there is only one way and that is the route to progress and success. If you have your business online but not on social media it is like owning a business and not letting anyone know about it.Last but not the least social media gives you the valueable opportunity to gain new insights into your customers,it leads you to the customers who believed your business did not exist.

HOW TO STUDY PROPERLY

Studying for long hours is only beneficial if done in the proper way. If you are not studying in the right manner, it is a certainty that all those hours would not lead to desired results. By tweaking your studying techniques backed by research project you’ll improve the standard of the content learnt and may also retain it for a extended time. 

1. Focused and diffused learningUse both focused and diffuse modes of learning. Focused mode is when you focus attentively on a topic and study it with no distraction. After doing this for some time (can follow the Pomodoro technique), you can switch over to some other tasks. In this time period, the brain works on the material learnt, processing and understanding it. This is a reason why if you can’t understand something, you’ll grasp it easily once you visit it later. 

2. Play hard, study smartInclude activities like exercising, walking, playing any sport in your daily timetable. These physical activities assist your brain in understanding unfamiliar topics and ideas . Do not think of them as just another pastime. It is not smart to only study for the whole day with zero physical activity. 

3. Sleep!Sleeping is very crucial to your learning. Waking up the night before the exam and cramming the entire night can help in the short term but it is not at all helpful when it comes to longer retention span. Sleeping helps in clearing the toxins produced in the brain during the day and consolidates the material learnt.

4. Spaced studyingMake sure that your learning is spaced over a period of days. Learn every day, this gives the time to make the previous concepts stronger and understand the new things in a better way. It is not smart to study a lot one day and then not studying anything for the next five days.

5. Apply what you have learntPractice what you have learnt. If you cannot solve a problem, do not see the solution immediately. Try using the concepts that you have learnt and if you are still stuck use hints if available. After exhausting all paths, you can check the solution but make sure to actually work it out. Just reading the solution is not enough. 

6. Mixing up thingsAfter mastering one topic do not stick to it, move to newer concepts. This might seem difficult and it is quite likely that you would end up procrastinating, but start anyhow. Reading the same concepts might give you the sense of progress but you should be real to yourself. 

7. Learning from basicsWhen learning a new concept, approach it right from the basics and then explain it to yourself in simpler terms. This is also known as Feynman’s technique and it is very effective when dealing with difficult and layered topics.

8. Watch out for new ideasBe open to new ideas and techniques when solving problems. If you are acquainted with a method, you might often feel that it is the most effective approach. This can block you from knowing and trying better techniques that exist. So be receptive to learning new things.

9. Consistent learningLearning compounds with consistency. Even if you’ve got started late, do a daily portion everyday. An essential aspect of smart study is to spot the facility of normal learning. Throughout human history, there are many samples of people that have started late and achieved mastery in their field.

How to use Facebook Ads to Boost your Real Estate Business.

Facebook is one of the biggest platform to podcast your ads and boost your real estate business. With a huge number of audience present at one platform,thus you are able to reach billions of customers at just one go. Audience of all sorts of age range can be found on this platform.

How Facebook can be crucial for real estate advertising.

As we know billions of people who use the internet are on Facebook.People tend to use the internet for all sort of little things. As compared to the old times people don’t tend to find their homes through their relatives or friends, now everything’s online as with just one click people tend to find their dream home. By advertising on Facebook it makes you reach a lot of potential customers.

How to setup a real estate ad.

First you need to set certain goals and organize a campaign level as to what type of ad you would want to run and the sort of public engagement you expect. Facebook allows you to set the audience who can view your ads and who don’t. So it’s best for you to choose the homeowners and deny the local realtors. You can add text, images, videos, buttons and actions in your ad.

Benefits of using Facebook to boost your real estate business.

Traffic ads.

Traffic ads allows you to showcase the ads to the people who certainly click on the ads. These types of ads work best when you are trying to drive traffic to your page and the audience will give it a lead.

Engagement ads.

These types of ads will be shown to the people who always like, share and comment. This ad works best when you are trying to make a name for your real estate business in the community.

Retargeting ads.

These are the ads which are designed by Facebook and are viewed by the audience who already know your business this will help you to stay on top of their heads.

This is why Facebook is the best platform for advertising your business as it reaches out to all the potential customers by sending the right ad to the right person at the very right time.

Targeting the audience.

There are several ways in which you can target the desired audience.

By Demographic

It is the study of population based on the factors of age, race and sex. By this you can target various types of people such as homeowners, First time home buyers, new parents, adult parents etc.

By Geography

You can target people living in the same neighborhood, same city or same country by the use of zip codes and also with the help of Facebook to mark a radius around a particular address.

Allow your ad on Facebook for a short period of time as when the clicks on the ad goes down your ad cost goes up. So the shorter the better.

Tips

Tips to use the Facebook ads.

Always add a link to your ad as many people don’t know where to click while seeing an ad but always will know that the link will lead them to the right place.

At the end of your ad always add some catchy advertising lines such as “call us anytime” or “We are always available for you” .

As Facebook is obviously a part of social media and social media has all sorts of emojis and people tend to like seeing some sort of expressions with the text they are viewing, so we highly recommend you to use them as a part of your ad.

Use good images and videos, this will catch the eye of the customer as they like the image attached to your ad they will very well view your add and also might click the link in the description and lead to the official site.

Do not provide all the information on your ad, it’s just supposed to be a teaser so that they can click and hop onto your ad for all the required information. That way they get to know you and you get to know them.

Stay consistent as Facebook Ads also takes time to catch the eye of an audience and by repetive availability of the ad on the screen the audience recognizes and remembers the ad or brand.

The power of Facebook Pixel.

If one wishes to carry out a retargeting ad he must have access to Facebook Pixel. The app tracks the leads of the audience so Facebook knows if someone has visited your site before. The power of Facebook Pixel acts in a way that after the ad is published the Pixel enters the learning mode and learns about the type of people that have visited the ads and once it understands the algorithm of the situation, it will show your ads to the similar audience.

The audience should be able to contact you easily so make sure to put your contact information on every page of your website.

Conclusion.

Real estate business requires alot of leads to promote and settle and that’s where Facebook Ads are used to boost those leads. It is the most effective way to generate leads cheaply and quickly.

How Tea drinking has evolved around the world

When you get up early in the morning and start your day the first thing you aspire for is tea. Tea is refreshing, energetic drink that sets up your day. we get to know about the popularity of tea from the fact that it is 2nd most consumed drink after water all around the globe. Tea is an aromatic beverage commonly prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over tea powder prepared by crushing leaves of the Camellia sinensis , an evergreen shrub (bush) usually found in East Asia . Tea is very ancient drink as its origin dates back to around 3rd century AD which is mentioned in medical records of Hua Tuo in the regions of today’s worlds North Burma and southwestern China.

Tea: history and origin

Tea has been in use as energetic and recreational drink since ancient time. During 18th-19th century tea had become very popular among Britishers who were using it as recreational drink. They were so much addicted to tea that they had started trading Opium drug derived from the seed capsules of the opium poppy Papaver somniferum grown in mostly Northeast part of India for the miraculous plant leaves Camellia sinensis from plantations of China. Later the Chinese liberals started fights against this conspiracy of western countries against Asian countries especially against East Asia. This led to famous Opium wars between two countries.

Tea and Health

Tea has many positive effects on health.If you are up to lose your weight then tea can be your best partner.Many researchers have stated that consumption of Tea helps in reducing risk of heart attacks as it lowers cholesterol level,it also helps in maintaining blood pressure.Green tea drinking is very effective to reduce risk against cancer and also it improves brain functioning.

Though it has many good health effects but its over consumption can lead to caffeine overload leading to dizziness,nervousness and disturb in sleep. It can also cause muscle pain , heartburn etc. It is recommended that daily intake of caffeine should not exceed 40 milligrams.

Tea: beverage of the world

Tea has gained popularity in almost over 100 countries where people enjoy this drink in various forms. A balanced consumption of tea is like boon to us.Tea has evolved over the centuries from native to only China and east Asia in 3rd century AD to almost in every household of the world in this 21st century.

Clarity in confusion

If there is no clarity in confusion then there should be no confusion in clarity. If it is not clear that doesn’t mean it is not clear that meant to confuse you to make it appear as a confusion.If you think it as a confusion it definitely becomes as a confusion because they make it appear look like confusion and tend to make you confuse the clarity that you have about the confusion.There should be clarity in confusion which no longer makes confusion as confusion and make us clear about the confusion.

“Confuse the confusion so that the confusion becomes clarity.” If confusion can no longer confuse your confusion then there will be a chance to clear the confusion. If we aren’t clear about something there will be a large chance to be confused because there is no clarity. If we have a clarity then there will be no chance to get confused. If we get confused then there are chances to get clarity. If we don’t confuse over confusion,we can get clarity over confusion and can make confusion in clarity into clarity of confusion.

Confusion of confusion will definitely confuse the confusion and make us path of clarity disappear. The confusion replicates before the clarity comes into play. That makes clarity to get confused and try to make confusion as clarity and clarity as confusion and make confusion look so confused to know what confusion is. In order to stop it we need to get clarity before the confusion turns into confusion of confusion. For that try to confuse the confusion so that it gets confused and gets clarity because the confusion is in confusion and gets clarity over confusion by thinking clarity as confusion.

If we are clear about confusion then we can clear the confusion with the confusion itself. For that we should get clarity about confusion. To get clarity about confusion we should know about confusion and become confusion. If we try to confuse the confusion by becoming confusion it definitely doubts about confusion and try to get the clarity about it and in order to make it happen, it becomes as a clarity in the process. This is how we turn confusion into clarity by having clarity in confusion.

Confusion appears to confuse you and when we realise the fact that it just appears to do so and when we try to make what it is making us to feel then we can create the appearance of confusion. No one can create the confusion because it is not real. Confusion is just an illusion of clarity.No one gets confused, it’s only the lack of clariry which makes confusion. If confusion is clear then there is no confusion. If we have clarity over clarity then there is no need to have clarity over confusion because confusion never comes into the play.

If you are confused with the clarity that I gave on confusion then definitely you should follow the steps that I mentioned in order to get clarity in confusion.

Why are cats the best pets in the world?

To start off the appearance of cats are much attractive than any other pets, they are less likely to cause trouble and they are less expensive as Compared to the other pets and also require less maintenance. If you have kids the best option to have a pet would be a cat as they show love and affection towards the People and also sleep alot. They are also very joyful and always in a playful mood. Also to keep in mind the life expectancy of pets, humans tend to get attached to their pets and in the case of cats when one gets attached they hope that the pet lives on to the very next level with them and the life expectancy of cats tends to be 15 years. Also keeping in mind that it is easy to Control cats as Compared to any other pets. Cats also tend to develop the same emotional relationship with the owner as the owner has with the per according to a recent study. It is also said that if you set your cat on a loose somewhere far those pets still return to us this shows their love, affection, attachment and loyalty of cats. It is easy to travel with a pet cat and or move anywhere in the neighborhood as they are non violent, easy to handle and supportive. They tend to adopt to the environment and are less likely to misbehave. It has been proven that playing with a cat on a regular basis reduces the threat of heart stroke and reduces depression and anxiety among kids. They also sleep for 12 to 16 hours a day,which means when they are awake they are absolutely active and playful. Cats are the best of the option to choose when starting a family or when you have children around the corner.

NIT Srinagar working on material science & electrochemistry for sustainable energy

Dr. Malik Abdul Wahid from National Institute of Technology (NIT) Srinagar is a recipient of the INSPIRE Faculty award instituted by the Department of Science & Technology, Govt. of India working in the area of energy research towards marriage of material science and electrochemistry to develop sustainable energy and affordable energy sources. His focus is mainly on electrodes and electrolyte material electrochemistry.

Fig: Dr. Malik Abdul Wahid in his lab

The major components of Dr. Malik’s current research interests include material research on the electrode development for Sodium-ion (Na-ion) battery, which offers a 20% cost reduction compared to present Lithium-ion (Li-ion) technology.  He has been focusing on the two aspects, i.e., cost reduction and efficiency elevation. For the former, he is currently focused upon stabilization of a combination of carbon-based anodes and organic cathodes. While for the latter, he is exploring the new cathode chemistries. Two of his recent projects are development of layered high capacity cathodes by suitable doping that offers high capacity and stability and Sulphate-phosphate hybrid cathodes. Similarly, Sodium (Na) metal anode hosts with heavy Na deposition capacities are being developed.  The mentioned projects are a new direction to the field of Na ion battery research.

Along with his collaborators at IISER Pune, Dr. Malik developed a Si-Phosphorene nano-composite material for efficient Si stabilization as an anode in Li-ion battery, which was published in the journal Sustainable Energy Fuels. The obtained material delivers five times more capacity than carbon-based electrodes and can be fully charged in about 15 minutes.

His team at NIT Srinagar employed a simple hydrothermal strategy to synthesize reduced graphene oxide (rGO) wrapped high aspect ratio 1-dimensional SbSe nano-structure. The work has been published in the journal Chem Phys Chem. They achieved a decent performance with the reversible capacity of 550 mAhg-1 at a specific current of 100 mAg-1which implies that 5 to 6g of synthesized material would run a high range android cell phone.

“INSPIRE Faculty award is a prestigious award and should be distinguished from a regular faculty position in any institute. To honour the positions, I have co-founded a center of excellence (COE), namely, the Interdisciplinary Division of Renewable Energy and Advanced Materials (iDRAEM) at NIT Srinagar. The COE primarily worked with my & collaborator’s research grant, but recently institute promised funding support. Additionally, with the possible support of MHRD (under the FAST scheme), the center is set to blossom and cater to some high-quality research.” Dr. Malik said.

At present, this centre co-founded by Dr. Malik caters to the research in the advanced areas of energy storage and super-hydrophobic surfaces for water harvesting, besides focusing on the local resources of J&K. Dr. Wahid has already published a paper on the application of walnut shell derived carbon as Na ion battery anode applications (ACS Omega, 2017, 2 (7), pp 3601–3609). The material has a lot of scope to be employed for advanced electrode applications. Similarly, waste dairy products and aquatic flora of Dal lake appear to have appropriate morphology to be employed as precursors for the electrode grade carbon.  Energy storage activities under iDRAEM partly focus on the synthesis of high-quality carbon materials from local precursors. Lotus stem is very promising in being porous to be employed as precursor for electrode grade carbon material.  It also undertakes challenges of developing high-quality hydrophobic surfaces by replicating the hydrophobic leaf structure of local plants of DAL lake.

[Related publications:

  1. Sustainable Energy Fuels, 2019, 3, 245-250
  2. ChemPhysChemdoi.org/10.1002/cphc.201901011
  3. Energy & Fuels, doi.org/10.1021/acs.energyfuels.0c01046
  4. Surfaces and Interfaces, 2020, 19, 100476]

(For more detail, please contact Dr. Malik Abdul Wahid, Email: malikwahid15@gmail.com)

IASST scientists develop herbal medicine loaded smart bandage for wounds

Scientists from Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology (IASST) an autonomous institute of the Department of Science & Technology,Govt. of India have developed a pH-responsive smart bandage that can deliver the medicine applied in the wound at the pH that is suitable for the wound. The scientists have developed the delivery system by fabricating a nanotechnology-based cotton patch that uses cheap and sustainable materials like cotton and jute.

In the research by Dr Devasish Chowdhury, Associate Professor IASST,a nanocomposite hydrogel bound compact cotton patch incorporated with jute carbon dots was fabricated to carry out the drug release. Jute has been used for the first time as a precursor in synthesizing fluorescent carbon dots, and water was used as the dispersion medium. Herbal formulation neem leaf (Azadirachtaindica) extract was taken as the model drug to exemplify the release study.

This study published in the journal ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng. demonstrated the stimuli-responsive drug delivery system using natural products – jute and neem leaf extract. The jute carbon dots were immobilized in the hydrogel matrix-bound cotton patch and could effectively exemplify different drug release pattern at two different pH levels –lower at pH 5 than at higher at pH 7.

The stimuli-responsive nature of the fabricated hybrid cotton patch acts as an advantage as in case of growth of bacterial infections in a wound, and this induces release of drug at lower pH which is favourable under these conditions. This pH-responsive behaviour of the fabricated cotton patch lies in the unique behaviour of the jute carbon dots incorporated in the system because of the different molecular linkages formed during the carbon dot preparation.

DrDevasish Chowdhury’s group had earlier fabricated a compact cotton patch that showed excellent wound healing ability but posed a disadvantage because of uncontrolled release when drug was loaded to it. In the present work, they controlled the drug release of the cotton patch, thereby making it a smart wound dressing material.

Around any wound, pH changes due to bacterial infections. Hence they developed a pH-responsive drug delivery system with the cotton patch. Carbon dots which are zero-dimensional nanomaterials, due to their unique carbon core and surface functional groups can be designed to exhibit different behaviour towards different pH. They are also known for their low toxicity and great biocompatibility. Therefore, different carbon dots were used as a nano-filler in fabricating hybrid cotton patches to check the drug release behaviour.

The development of such a stimuli-responsive behavior of hybrid cotton patch paves the way for utilizing it as smart wound-dressing or bandage material. Use of cheap and sustainable material like cotton and jute to fabricate the patch makes the whole process biocompatible, non-toxic, low cost and sustainable. 

The scheme depicting the fabrication of pH responsive cotton patch

(For more details, Dr Devasish Chowdhury (devasish@iasst.gov.in) can be contacted.)

Food and Immunity: Correlation to combat against COVID-19

The outbreak of the current pandemic has affected the lives of people, their health, and wellbeing. The sudden disruption of daily routine, undesired laws of social distancing, and receiving a flood of information puts all of us at risk of mental stress and dilemma. Persistent fear, anxious mood, irritability, feelings of guilt, pessimism and worthlessness, insomnia, loss of appetite or weight gain, poor concentration and, worsening of chronic health problems may be an indication that stress is affecting our health and immunity. During the lockdown period, our existing underlying diseases may also trigger in the absence of adequate physical activities and fear of the pandemic. So, there is a need to strengthen our physical strength and immunity system even if we do not have any lifestyle disease.

In the absence of any prescribed treatment, vaccine and therapeutic recommendations being available against COVID-19, governments of most countries and several authorised international health agencies like the World Health Organisation, the British Dietetic Association, and the UD Food and Administration are emphasizing on maximum use of raw vegetables and fruits, nuts, and seeds; pulses and wholegrain foods; unsaturated oils; limit the intake of soda, salt, sugar, and trans fats; and stop eating junk and sugary food. Apart from food, guidelines also recommend physical exercises, meditation and adequate sleep, and good exposure to sunlight.

These recommendations and guidelines have already been a part of the ancient healing system of India, i.e. Ayurveda, which suggests that life is standing on four pillars, namely, Aahar (diet), Vihar (lifestyle), Achar (conduct of individual with the external world) and Vichar (mental health). According to this, food is like a medicine that can recuperate an individual by establishing the connection between elements of life, food, and body. Individuals’ temperament, physical and emotional states can be determined and regulated by their food choices, quantities, and lifestyle. It is well known that there is a close relationship among genes, environment, food, and emotional factors that lead to a bidirectional vicious cycle of mood, food, and lifestyle diseases. Ayurveda recommends the intervention of healthy lifestyles, meditation, pranayama, adequate sleep, and Satvik food to live a healthy, peaceful life and fight against various diseases including COVID-19.

Ayurveda considers that proper food selection and dietary schedule help to maintain holistic health with a calm mind. BhagwadGitaand Yoga Shastras divided food into three types based on their qualities (termed as gunas). They are Sathva (satoguna), Rajasa (rajoguna), and Thamasa (tamoguna). Sathva means goodness, whereas Rajasa means aggressive/active, and ordered from “best” to “worst”. Thamasa means inactive. A Satvik diet is meant to include foods and eating habits that are natural, vital and energy-containing and provides calmness, purity and promote longevity, intelligence, strength, health and delight. Examples of Satvikfood items are fruits, vegetables, sprouted grains, cereals, nuts and seeds, low fat milk and milk products, pure fruit juices, and cooked food that is consumed within 3-4 hours of cooking, etc.

A Rajasic diet, the mode of passion, is one that is overly spicy, hot, or fried with pungent, sour, and salty taste. Rajasic food possesses attributes of negativity, passion, and restlessness. Examples of Rajasic food are caffeinated drinks (like coffee, fizzy soft drinks, tea), sugary foods (chocolate, cake, biscuits, chips, etc), or spicy food.  As these foods are rich in glucose, they may provide immediate energy but eventually destroys the mind-body equilibrium, feeding the body at the expense of the mind.

A Tamsik diet, the mode of ignorance, is one that consists of overcooked, stale, fast, reheated, microwaved, or frozen food; dead food such as meat, fish, poultry, eggs; alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs of addiction. Tamsik foods are hard to digest and gift inertia, dullness, and induce sleep. All these are an important cause of obesity, diabetes, heart, and liver disease.

Rajasic and Tamsik foods, available as processed and junk foods, are full of of carbohydrates, sugar, and trans-fat in high proportions. The combination of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and table sugar has become a primary choice of food industries as a sweetener due to its better shelf-life, more palatability and competitive price. This resulted in an additional 30% increase in overall sweetener intake and inability to regulate the hormones insulin and leptin and to inhibit the production of ghrelin, all factors that are known to affect the satiety centre in our brain, regulate blood glucose levels and appetite. Fast foods and fried foods like French fries, doughnuts, cakes, pie crusts, biscuits, frozen pizza, cookies, crackers, and stick margarines are made up by using hydrogenated or artificial trans-fats (or trans-fatty acids) which meets their food processing needs, easy to use, inexpensive and can be used many times in the commercial fryers. High sugar, high-fat and animal protein diets lead to disruption in the regulation of blood glucose levels, fat build-up in the liver, high uric acid concentrations,reduced kidney function and increase in arteriolar thickening, and fat deposition.

On the other hand, food rich in Prana (‘life-force’) is a combination of carbohydrates, fats, rich in dietary fibre, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants with a limited amount of sugar, salt and oil, and no animal fat. It can be digested easily and utilize the six tastes in Ayurveda (sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, astringent). Satvik food with recommended physical exercise, adequate rest, and a positive mindset is a source of energy and can reduce the risk of high body mass index, coronary artery disease, obesity, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and osteoporosis. Satvik food is pure, natural, strong, wise, and full of energy to provide calmness and peace to the mind, thereby resulting in longevity of life in an individual.

On the other hand, Rajasic and Tamsik food like onion, garlic, asafoetida, caffeinated tea, and coffee; fried, spicy, high in sugar, and junk foods induce restlessness, lethargy, and sleep. Food like garlic and onion may be good as medicine but not for daily consumption. The daily consumption of food, which stimulates the nervous system, may lower the possibilities of experiencing life.

Food choices during the current pandemic

Recommended FoodAvoid (but could be taken rarely to satisfy taste buds) Not Recommended
Fibrous food in the form of raw or freshly cooked colourful vegetables and fruits (good sources of vitamins A, C and E, as well as antioxidants, folate, and fibre (opt steaming, grilling or sautéing cooking methods) Less spicy and oily food Garlic, onion, unseasonal veggies in a limited amount Fried, over spicy and overcooked, or stale food
Pulses and wholegrain foods (oats, brown pasta, millet, and rice, quinoa and whole-wheat fresh chapatis and wraps) Brown breadRefined, processed grain foods (white pasta and rice, and white bread), deep-frozen foods
Low-fat or reduced-fat versions of milk and dairy products like curd, yoghurt (rich in probiotics that strengthen the digestive tract).White meats like poultry and fish that are generally lower in fats than red meat; processed meat (though it is not a part of Satvik food)Red meat
Unsalted nuts and seeds (like pumpkin, sunflower, and flax). They are great sources of vitamin E, niacin, riboflavin, protein, healthy fat, antioxidants, and fibre.Homemade low fat/sugar snacks like idli, dosa, dhokla, upma, daliya, brown bread with pea-nut butterSnacks that are high in salt and sugar (cookies, samosa, cakes, and chocolate); pickles, jams
Egg yolks, and fortified breakfast cerealsCanned food, used after washing it to remove extra salt or sugar 
Unsaturated fats (e.g., found in fish, avocado, nuts, olive oil, soy, canola, sunflower and corn oils). The fat intake is recommended less than 30% of total energy intake, of which no more than 10% should come from saturated fat.Saturated fats (e.g., found in fatty meat, butter, coconut oil, cream, cheese, and lard) Trans-fats (processed food, fast and fried food, snacks, frozen pizza, pies, cookies, margarines, and spreads)
Fresh fruit juices, low fat lassi, chaaz, lemon water, coconut water/ hot water, herbal tea (packs a big punch of polyphenols, flavonoids, and antioxidants that destroy free radicals)   Soft drinks or sodas and other drinks that are high in sugar (e.g., packed fruit juices; fruit juice concentrates and syrups; flavoured milks and water; energy and sports drinks; and yogurt drinks, caffeinated tea, coffee, ready-to-drink tea, and coffeeAlcohol, tobacco, drugs
 Honey and jaggeryBrown sugarWhite sugar
Indian herbs:Coriander (Dhaniya), turmeric (contain Curcumin), fenugreek (methi), tulsi (Basil), cumin (jeera), fennel (sonph), cloves, black pepper (Kalimirch, contain Piperine), cinnamon (dalchini), ginger and curry leaves. These spices have antioxidant, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, act as immune booster and may help to flush out any sinuses from the body.Rock salt (limit salt intake to 5 grams (equivalent to a teaspoon) a day.Iodised saltNon-iodised salt 

The current guidelines of the Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India, recommend self-care guidelines for preventive health measures and boosting immunity. These guidelines recommend herbal tea and decoction (Kadha) made from Tulsi, Dalchini, Kalimirch, Shunthi (Dry Ginger) and Munakka (Raisin) with jaggery and/or fresh lemon juice to enhance the taste as immunity promoting measures against COVID-19. Guidelines also recommend avoiding cold, frozen, and heavy foods, which is a clear indication to avoid Rajasic and Tamsik food. Recommendations such as to take appropriate rest, timely sleep, exposure to sunlight, and practice of Yogasana and Pranayama also help to balance our body, mind, and lifestyle.

It is recommended that in this time of uncertainties and non-availability of treatment, it is important to remain healthy and peaceful. Good food with other recommendations, as explained in the above table, would help in building up our immunity as well as burst the stress while combating against COVID-19.

(Written by: Jyoti Sharma,Senior Scientist, DST and S.K. Varshney, Head, International Bilateral Cooperation Division, Department of Science and Technology.

The views expressed in the article are those of the authors and not of the organisation they belong to.)

Ramayan: The philosophy of Life

By- Neha Sharma

 

An Inspirational tale of sacrifice, love, separation, conflict & redemption. Ramayana depicts characters that we should aspire to be like. It treads on the righteous path of Dharma and karma.
In order to overcome the ills prevalent in society, follow the teachings of Ramayana in these modern days. The Ramayana speaks the true identity of the individual, the real meaning of family and the sanctity of the society. It explains in detail the relationship that should exist between the preceptor and the discipline.
Ramayana teaching should be put into practice only then man can live a life of peaceful purpose.
It exhorts to transform one’s heart by practicing the noble values of prosperity, devotion and righteousness. Rama has devoted the highest virtues of truth, purity, fame, beauty & prosperity.

The fact is that every individual is divine, but due to immense attachment of men with his body, they are unable to know or recognize their divine nature. So you can experience and enjoy divinity only by treading along the path of love and truth shown by lord Ram.
The Ramayana is a Universal epic. Its influence stretches across countries, civilization, continents, culture, cults, creeds, classes etc and cultures.
It expounds rules for daily life and living. It also propagates the importance of love, Justice, Sacrifice and virtue. It cautions man against the danger of the six evils namely kama (lust), krodha (anger), Lobha (greed), Moha (attainment), Mada (pride), and Matsarya (envy, jealousy).
Sita’s abduction by Ravana brought about the downfall of Ravana. This great epic teaches that Good always wins over evil even it is more powerful as illustrated by the victory of Ram over Ravana.

INSIDERS OF CORONAVIRUS

By- Garima Yadav 

The establishment of lockdown in India is a big step to fight against the coronavirus. Every day the no. of deaths and patients are increasing even after the imposition of lockdown but is this what a general public demanding?  The ratio is vast between the poor and the rich and each one is facing problems in their own life. But the real problem is being faced by the minorities and the those poor people who earn daily wages to live their life but the lockdown has emerged the surviving issues for them other than just the virus. These people have the shortage of money, lifestyle, facilities and every basic need which is most important in the current situation. According to doctor it is very necessary to wash our hands regularly with soap and clean water but these minorities lack every necessity. They don’t have clean water running through their taps 24/7 nor a proper house to live in so how will these people be saved from this situation?

CORONAVIRUS
CORONAVIRUS

Government has made it so strict that every corner, every border, every highway is locked down with police in charge. There are no proper facilities available for these people to survive through this situation which will lead them to being one of the victims from this corona virus. Recently the lockdown has been extended till May 3rd and this had led the labourers of take a step out of their house. Recently a large group of migrant workers in Mumbai gathered in the streets of Bandra demanding for the permission to move to their native places because living this long is becoming harder for them each day and all they want is to back to their family and at least live the rest of the days with them, they are being helpless right now with no earnings and every day is a challenge for them. Not just in Bandra but also the workers from Ahmedabad and Surat have took the same step.

Currently they are just demanding for some transportation support from the prime minister, that’s all they need. Luckily the exportation of goods and transportation are being considered by the home minister to control the situation of living.