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By:

Abhijit Mulye

21 August 2024 at 4:59:11 pm

BJP expels Amravati rebels

Mumbai: The Bharatiya Janata Party expelled three leaders from Amravati for six years and issued show-cause notices to over 100 corporators in Pune this week for defying party directives during the Maharashtra legislative council elections. The party took these disciplinary actions to neutralize internal rebellion against Mahayuti alliance candidates and enforce organizational rules by mandating written explanations from the Pune representatives within five days. The disciplinary action in...

BJP expels Amravati rebels

Mumbai: The Bharatiya Janata Party expelled three leaders from Amravati for six years and issued show-cause notices to over 100 corporators in Pune this week for defying party directives during the Maharashtra legislative council elections. The party took these disciplinary actions to neutralize internal rebellion against Mahayuti alliance candidates and enforce organizational rules by mandating written explanations from the Pune representatives within five days. The disciplinary action in Amravati stems from the seat-sharing arrangement of the ruling Mahayuti alliance. The Amravati Teachers constituency was allocated to the Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, which fielded sitting legislator Kiran Sarnaik. Defying this arrangement, BJP leaders Sangita Shinde, Chandrashekhar Bhoyar, and Sumit Pawar filed independent nominations. This rebellion reportedly upset Chief Minister Shinde, prompting his faction to initiate maneuvers to support independent candidate Sachin Sanap against the BJP’s official nominee, Kaustubh Gawde, in the Pune Teachers constituency. Under pressure to salvage alliance unity, the BJP expelled its three Amravati rebels for a period of six years, thereby sending a message of solidarity to the Shiv Sena and attempting to halt retaliatory political moves in Pune. Simultaneously, the BJP faced mass absenteeism in its Pune stronghold. Over 100 corporators skipped the official campaign launch event for the party’s Pune division graduates and teacher’s constituency candidates. The gathering was presided over by BJP state president Ravindra Chavan and attended by Union Minister of State Murlidhar Mohol, state minister Chandrakant Patil, and Mayor Manjusha Nagpure. Noting the empty chairs, house leader Ganesh Bidkar personally verified the attendance in the hall. The party immediately served show-cause notices to the absent corporators, instructing them to submit a formal clarification within five days. The BJP has 119 elected and seven nominated corporators in the Pune Municipal Corporation, bringing its total strength to 126. A final decision on disciplinary measures will be taken after senior leaders review the submitted explanations. Beyond party discipline, the Amravati Teachers constituency election has drawn attention for a stark shift in campaign methods. Traditionally focused on direct communication with educators regarding their grievances, the election is now characterized by large vehicle convoys, modern campaign mechanisms, and widespread allegations of cash and Paithani saree distribution among voters. A formal complaint has already been registered in Achalpur regarding voter inducement. Despite the influx of money and political muscle, the core demands of the teaching community remain centered on the old pension scheme, grants for unaided schools, and pending salary issues.

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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