SSLC: Valuation over, results before April 24

Thiruvananthapuram: The valuation of answer scripts of SSLC examination was completed on Saturday. Officials are hoping that the results could be announced on or before April 24. 

Given the extra holidays owing to the Lok Sabha polls, evaluation was completed on time by deputing more number of teachers and extending the time of valuation.

Nearly 13,000 teachers attended the exercise at 54 camps.

The teachers, who attended the camps related to parliamentary polls and also the election duty, had to spend additional time at evaluation camps accordingly. Now the process of uploading marks is in progress.

This year also, candidates will not be given any moderation. It may be noted that no moderation has been allotted since 2005. Similar to the last few years, the pass percentage is expected to be above 90 percent this time also.

Plus Two evaluation underway
Meanwhile, evaluation of higher secondary exams is also underway. It is expected that the plus two results could be released by May 15. So far, the valuation of 60 percent answer sheets has been completed.

Given the 53 subject combinations, paper valuation is a cumbersome process. Around 15,000 teachers are attending the camps set up at 67 centers. The marks of chemistry, mathematics and physics papers, which are subjected to double valuation, are recorded online. Last year, the plus two results were published on May 10.

SSLC: Valuation over, results before April 24

Thiruvananthapuram: The valuation of answer scripts of SSLC examination was completed on Saturday. Officials are hoping that the results could be announced on or before April 24. 

Given the extra holidays owing to the Lok Sabha polls, evaluation was completed on time by deputing more number of teachers and extending the time of valuation.

Nearly 13,000 teachers attended the exercise at 54 camps.

The teachers, who attended the camps related to parliamentary polls and also the election duty, had to spend additional time at evaluation camps accordingly. Now the process of uploading marks is in progress.

This year also, candidates will not be given any moderation. It may be noted that no moderation has been allotted since 2005. Similar to the last few years, the pass percentage is expected to be above 90 percent this time also.

Plus Two evaluation underway
Meanwhile, evaluation of higher secondary exams is also underway. It is expected that the plus two results could be released by May 15. So far, the valuation of 60 percent answer sheets has been completed.

Given the 53 subject combinations, paper valuation is a cumbersome process. Around 15,000 teachers are attending the camps set up at 67 centers. The marks of chemistry, mathematics and physics papers, which are subjected to double valuation, are recorded online. Last year, the plus two results were published on May 10.

Prohibitory orders issued as Muslim League office in Thaliparamba attacked

Kannur: A prohibitory order has been issued in Taliparamba municipality in view of tension prevailing over the attack on Muslim Leage office here.

The Muslim League activists found their office and the Chandrika office destroyed when they came on Sunday morning. Miscreants also broke in and smashed the office equipment. 

The Muslim League alleged that the SDPI was behind the attack.

The protest staged to condemn the attack had turned violent. In the stone pelting, some of the shops on Thaliparambu market road were damaged.

A heavy police force led by DySP is camping in the area to prevent any untoward incident.

Prohibitory orders issued as Muslim League office in Thaliparamba attacked

Kannur: A prohibitory order has been issued in Taliparamba municipality in view of tension prevailing over the attack on Muslim Leage office here.

The Muslim League activists found their office and the Chandrika office destroyed when they came on Sunday morning. Miscreants also broke in and smashed the office equipment. 

The Muslim League alleged that the SDPI was behind the attack.

The protest staged to condemn the attack had turned violent. In the stone pelting, some of the shops on Thaliparambu market road were damaged.

A heavy police force led by DySP is camping in the area to prevent any untoward incident.

Scientists reconstruct nose from lab-grown cartilage

London:There is hope for those who have lost their nose to cancer or in an accident.

Scientists have reported the first-ever successful nose reconstruction surgery using cartilage grown in the laboratory.

Cartilage cells were extracted from the patient's nasal septum, multiplied and expanded onto a collagen membrane.

The so-called engineered cartilage was then shaped according to the defect and implanted.

'The engineered cartilage has clinical results comparable to the current standard surgery. This new technique could help the body to accept the new tissue better and to improve the stability and functionality of the nostril,' said Ivan Martin, professor for tissue engineering at the University Hospital of Basel.

A research team from the University of Basel in Switzerland, used a method called tissue engineering where cartilage is grown from patients' own cells.

This new technique was applied on five patients, aged 76 to 88 years, with severe defects on their nose after skin cancer surgery.

One year after the reconstruction, all five patients were satisfied with their ability to breathe as well as with the cosmetic appearance of their nose.

None of them reported any side effects.

'The method opens the way to using engineered cartilage for more challenging reconstructions in facial surgery such as the complete nose, eyelid or ear,' said Martin.

Usually, grafts for reconstruction are taken from the nasal septum, the ear or the ribs and used to functionally reconstruct the nose.

However, this procedure is very invasive, painful and can lead to complications at the site of the excision due to the additional surgery.

The researchers extracted a small biopsy, isolated the cartilage cells (chondrocytes) and multiplied them.

The expanded cells were seeded onto a collagen membrane and cultured for two additional weeks, generating cartilage 40 times the size of the original biopsy.

The engineered grafts were then shaped according to the defect on the nostril and implanted.

The same engineered grafts are currently being tested in a parallel study for articular cartilage repair in the knee.

The results of the study are slated to appear in the journal The Lancet. IANS

Scientists reconstruct nose from lab-grown cartilage

London:There is hope for those who have lost their nose to cancer or in an accident.

Scientists have reported the first-ever successful nose reconstruction surgery using cartilage grown in the laboratory.

Cartilage cells were extracted from the patient's nasal septum, multiplied and expanded onto a collagen membrane.

The so-called engineered cartilage was then shaped according to the defect and implanted.

'The engineered cartilage has clinical results comparable to the current standard surgery. This new technique could help the body to accept the new tissue better and to improve the stability and functionality of the nostril,' said Ivan Martin, professor for tissue engineering at the University Hospital of Basel.

A research team from the University of Basel in Switzerland, used a method called tissue engineering where cartilage is grown from patients' own cells.

This new technique was applied on five patients, aged 76 to 88 years, with severe defects on their nose after skin cancer surgery.

One year after the reconstruction, all five patients were satisfied with their ability to breathe as well as with the cosmetic appearance of their nose.

None of them reported any side effects.

'The method opens the way to using engineered cartilage for more challenging reconstructions in facial surgery such as the complete nose, eyelid or ear,' said Martin.

Usually, grafts for reconstruction are taken from the nasal septum, the ear or the ribs and used to functionally reconstruct the nose.

However, this procedure is very invasive, painful and can lead to complications at the site of the excision due to the additional surgery.

The researchers extracted a small biopsy, isolated the cartilage cells (chondrocytes) and multiplied them.

The expanded cells were seeded onto a collagen membrane and cultured for two additional weeks, generating cartilage 40 times the size of the original biopsy.

The engineered grafts were then shaped according to the defect on the nostril and implanted.

The same engineered grafts are currently being tested in a parallel study for articular cartilage repair in the knee.

The results of the study are slated to appear in the journal The Lancet. IANS

Unpaid Indian women workers sent home from Saudi Arabia

Riyadh:The Indian embassy in Saudi Arabia has finally repatriated a group of Indian women workers who were not paid their salaries for the past nine months by their employer.

The Indian embassy in Riyadh arranged the flight tickets for ten workers, who were on contractual jobs for a cleaning company here, from the Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF) and mediated with the contracting company to safeguard their final exits, Arab News reported Sunday.

Meanwhile, the contracting company which had employed the cleaners for two-and-half years allowed their final exit.

Eleven Indian women from Kerala last month appealed to the Indian embassy for help after they were allegedly not paid their salaries for the past nine months.

A worker, whose travelling documents could not be processed, will be repatriated next week.

They were not going to work since March 16, demanding that they will return to work only after their dues are paid.

Earlier last month, the Indian embassy expressed its concern over the matter. IANS

Unpaid Indian women workers sent home from Saudi Arabia

Riyadh:The Indian embassy in Saudi Arabia has finally repatriated a group of Indian women workers who were not paid their salaries for the past nine months by their employer.

The Indian embassy in Riyadh arranged the flight tickets for ten workers, who were on contractual jobs for a cleaning company here, from the Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF) and mediated with the contracting company to safeguard their final exits, Arab News reported Sunday.

Meanwhile, the contracting company which had employed the cleaners for two-and-half years allowed their final exit.

Eleven Indian women from Kerala last month appealed to the Indian embassy for help after they were allegedly not paid their salaries for the past nine months.

A worker, whose travelling documents could not be processed, will be repatriated next week.

They were not going to work since March 16, demanding that they will return to work only after their dues are paid.

Earlier last month, the Indian embassy expressed its concern over the matter. IANS

73.70 percent voting in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala saw at least 73.70 percent of its 24.2 million voters turning out Thursday to elect 20 Lok Sabha members from the state.

Poll officials said the figure is provisional and accounts for votes polled only until 6 p.m. The actual tally of votes is expected to rise further.

In 2009, Kerala polled 73.37 per cent votes.

Voters showed great enthusiasm especially during the early part of Thursday, queuing up at polling stations even before the first ballot was cast.

Officials say that many more of Kerala's 24.2 million voters would have come out to cast their ballot, if it weren't for the rains which lashed across parts of the state towards evening.

Barring a few skirmishes, voting by and large ended on a positive note with state Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala expressing his thanks to all the political parties and the people for maintaining a high level of discipline.

Of the 20 Lok Sabha seats that are up for grabs in Kerala, Vadakara seat represented by union Minister of State for Home Mullapally Ramachandran recorded the highest turnout of 81.40 percent, closely followed by Kannur with 80.90 percent.

The least turnout was recorded at the Pathanamthitta constituency - 65.80 percent.

The Thiruvananthapuram constituency, which has conventionally seen the lowest voting percentage witnessed 68.60 percent polling, up from 65.74 percent in 2009.

The 269 candidates in the fray included 27 women.

In Kerala, the fight is mainly between the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) and the CPI-M led Left Democratic Front (LDF). Leaders of the both rival fronts have claimed victory because of the high turnout.

In the 2009 elections, UDF won 16 seats while the LDF won four.

Speaking to IANS, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said that whenever the voter turnout is high, his party and the UDF benefits directly.

'We have no doubt. We will do extremely well, you just wait and see,' said Chandy.

On the other hand, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) state secretary Pinnarayi Vijayan predicts that the huge turnout means that the UDF is heading for its worst-ever rout.

'We expect that 2004 will repeat (LDF had won 18 seats that year) as people are fed up with both the central and state governments,' said Vijayan.

In the State capital, which is witnessing a keen triangular contest, BJP candidate and veteran leader O. Rajagopal appears confident that this time the lotus will finally bloom in Kerala.

'The Congress is going to become history and you wait and see the outcome here,' said Rajagopal, whose campaign got a shot in the arm after senior party leader L.K. Advani canvassed for him on the last day of the campaign here.

IANS

73.70 percent voting in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala saw at least 73.70 percent of its 24.2 million voters turning out Thursday to elect 20 Lok Sabha members from the state.

Poll officials said the figure is provisional and accounts for votes polled only until 6 p.m. The actual tally of votes is expected to rise further.

In 2009, Kerala polled 73.37 per cent votes.

Voters showed great enthusiasm especially during the early part of Thursday, queuing up at polling stations even before the first ballot was cast.

Officials say that many more of Kerala's 24.2 million voters would have come out to cast their ballot, if it weren't for the rains which lashed across parts of the state towards evening.

Barring a few skirmishes, voting by and large ended on a positive note with state Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala expressing his thanks to all the political parties and the people for maintaining a high level of discipline.

Of the 20 Lok Sabha seats that are up for grabs in Kerala, Vadakara seat represented by union Minister of State for Home Mullapally Ramachandran recorded the highest turnout of 81.40 percent, closely followed by Kannur with 80.90 percent.

The least turnout was recorded at the Pathanamthitta constituency - 65.80 percent.

The Thiruvananthapuram constituency, which has conventionally seen the lowest voting percentage witnessed 68.60 percent polling, up from 65.74 percent in 2009.

The 269 candidates in the fray included 27 women.

In Kerala, the fight is mainly between the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) and the CPI-M led Left Democratic Front (LDF). Leaders of the both rival fronts have claimed victory because of the high turnout.

In the 2009 elections, UDF won 16 seats while the LDF won four.

Speaking to IANS, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said that whenever the voter turnout is high, his party and the UDF benefits directly.

'We have no doubt. We will do extremely well, you just wait and see,' said Chandy.

On the other hand, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) state secretary Pinnarayi Vijayan predicts that the huge turnout means that the UDF is heading for its worst-ever rout.

'We expect that 2004 will repeat (LDF had won 18 seats that year) as people are fed up with both the central and state governments,' said Vijayan.

In the State capital, which is witnessing a keen triangular contest, BJP candidate and veteran leader O. Rajagopal appears confident that this time the lotus will finally bloom in Kerala.

'The Congress is going to become history and you wait and see the outcome here,' said Rajagopal, whose campaign got a shot in the arm after senior party leader L.K. Advani canvassed for him on the last day of the campaign here.

IANS