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By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 8:56:24 pm

Sack, jail Kumar: Uddhav

Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) President Uddhav Thackeray today demanded the immediate removal and arrest of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar and fresh elections in Maharashtra, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu in the wake of differences emerging in the Election Commission of India’s top brass. Referring to reports in a media report that two Election Commissioners, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had reportedly raised objections on multiple occasions over certain decisions concerning...

Sack, jail Kumar: Uddhav

Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) President Uddhav Thackeray today demanded the immediate removal and arrest of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar and fresh elections in Maharashtra, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu in the wake of differences emerging in the Election Commission of India’s top brass. Referring to reports in a media report that two Election Commissioners, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had reportedly raised objections on multiple occasions over certain decisions concerning electoral rolls and the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR), Thackeray accused the ECI of becoming ‘a part of a wider political operation’ intended to weaken democratic institutions. “There’s a ‘gang’ of people within the election system that is conniving to split political parties, grab their names and poll symbols, and are ‘murdering democracy’. The horrific, ugly and grotesque face of Gyanesh Kumar has been exposed. The Supreme Court must take suo motu cognizance of the entire controversy,” demanded Thackeray. Pointing to the ECI claims that it follows the directives of the Ministry of Home Affairs, he said “this raises questions whether the Home Minister is the ‘mastermind’, which needs to be clarified”. “If so, then he too must face the appropriate punishment,” said Thackeray, hinting at Amit Shah. Dwelling on the expose on ECI, he slammed the poll panel for “operating in an arbitrary fashion with Gyanesh Kumar, who is driven by a lust for power”, and reiterated that the CEC must be removed and jailed forthwith. To a query on following the rules, Thackeray shot back: “Did he follow the rules? Then why talk of rules for him sack and jail him. We salute the two ECs (Sandhu and Joshi) for bringing this out and opening the eyes of the country.” Attempting to douse the flames engulfing its credibility, the ECI said that there may be differences but these were thoroughly discussed and all the final decisions were taken unanimously by all the three top functionaries with their signatures. Thackery said around 45 lakh voters were added to the electoral rolls between the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections (both 2024), and objections were subsequently raised on more than 40 lakh of those voter names. NCP (SP) seeks all-party meet The Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) on Wednesday called for an immediate all-party meeting to discuss reports of differences emerging within the Election Commission, saying the issue concerns the constitutional rights of every citizen and should not be treated as a political matter. She said the allegations should be discussed openly to establish whether there was any substance in them. Asked if Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar should “step aside”, Sule said there should be an open discussion on whether the allegations are true. “If the system is going to collapse, then who we should trust in this country,” the Lok Sabha member from Baramati constituency in western Maharashtra said.

AI in Sperm Sorting: An Unbiased Decision for A Better Outcome

Writer: Dr. Ramnath Babu T J
Dr. Ramnath Babu T J
Nov 7, 2024
3 min read

Artificial Intelligence or AI is revolutionising fertility treatments of the future. The inclusion of AI enhances the accuracy, efficiency, and objectivity of sperm selection, hence potentially improving fertility outcomes by leaps and bounds. Traditionally, sperm sorting through manual methods is subjective to judgments. Processes like centrifugation and swim-up methods are used to separate sperm based on motility and morphology. Although they are effective, they have their limitations, leading to human errors that affect the success rates of fertility treatment. For instance, studies have shown that traditional sperm sorting techniques can have variability in success rates, with reported live birth rates ranging between 15 per cent to 25 per cent per cycle depending on the method and quality of sperm. Hence the introduction of AI helps in maintaining consistency in evaluations of sperm, using the same data set for every sample which leads to better judgments.


Automation and Standardisation- Automation of sperm selection and also introduction of AI in the process have improved the results in ART. AI-assisted sperm selection improves the accuracy in choosing high-quality sperm for fertilisation purposes, and also, pregnancy and live birth rates might be improved. Technologies like Intracytoplasmic Morphologically Selected Sperm Injection along with AI ensure the chances of pregnancies increase by about 10-20 per cent compared to the standard procedures. AI and Automation will decrease time taken to analyze sperm and increase opportunities to select better sperm with DNA integrity for better development and higher success rates in embryo selection. These processes ensure that the sperm selection process follows consistent criteria, reducing variability in outcomes caused by human error.


Analysing Complex Data for Better Outcomes- AI plays a crucial in improving IVF outcomes by analysing complex data and providing tailored recommendations. AI-driven tools and models such as those on SpOvum.ai point towards an opportunity to optimise ovarian stimulation decisions by assessing patient characteristics and follicle growth patterns. A study revealed that the use of AI in IVF improved egg yield and reduced medication costs. AI enables fertility specialists to make data-driven choices, improving overall IVF success rates and streamlining treatment processes.


Reducing Human Error- AI models can continuously learn and refine their performance by being trained on newer data. This adaptability ensures the technology remains unbiased and up-to-date with the latest scientific insights into sperm quality and fertility success rates. Studies have shown that AI-driven sperm sorting can decrease human-related errors by up to 25 per cent, improving sperm selection quality in terms of morphology and motility.


Reduction of Sperm Damage- The new AI-driven sperm sorting techniques also include microfluidic systems that are known to exhibit several advantages over the most commonly used conventional method, which is centrifugation. Traditional centrifugation methods, such as density gradient centrifugation, also cause severe oxidative stress and DNA fragmentation of the sperm because of the very high mechanical forces involved. The AI-infused microfluidic sorting minimises this damage significantly by involving gentler processes that mimic the natural pathway of sperm selection. The studies show that the process of microfluidic sorting decreases DNA fragmentation in sperm, which gives improved opportunities for success for IVF. For example, DNA fragmentation is 20 percent lower in sperm sorted using microfluidic processes than in traditional processing methods.


AI is bound to play an increasingly definitive role in fertility treatments, which will improve the outcomes for couples experiencing infertility.


(The author is a Co-Founder & CEO at SpOvum® Technologies. Views personal.)

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