India's most trusted brands are @Samsung_IN @sony_india & @LGIndia says @TRA_Research

India's most trusted brands are @Samsung_IN @sony_india & @LGIndia says @TRA_Research pic.twitter.com/mHUy6B97um

— Press Release Watch (@PrReleaseWatch) April 18, 2018

Samsung, Sony and LG are the top three most trusted brands in India, according to The Brand Trust Report 2018 released by TRA Research (a Comniscient Group company). The fourth Most Trusted Brand is India’s leading multinational conglomerate, Tata, and is followed by the Cupertino based technology company, Apple, slipping a rank from last year. Also maintaining its position among the top 10 Most Trusted and rising two ranks to attain the 6th position in 2018 is Dell. Honda is at rank 7. This is followed by Nike which has shown a substantial steadily climbed over the years (rank 49 in 2015, rank 48 in 2016 and rank 37 in 2017) to rank 8 in 2018. Hewlett Packard has a two rank jump over last year to rank 9, while Maruti Suzuki fell by three ranks from 2017 to rank 10 in India’s Most Trusted Brand list.

Usage of Teflon coated nonstick cookware causes hair loss says @HAIRLINECLINIC #B'luru

Usage of Teflon coated nonstick cookware causes hair loss says @HAIRLINECLINIC #B'luru pic.twitter.com/oL9kVI4fiM

— Press Release Watch (@PrReleaseWatch) December 15, 2016

Bengaluru based Hairline International Research and Treatment Centre released a report today on the effects of Teflon (found in nonstick cookware) that contains Perflurooctanoic Acid (PFOA), on hair fall. The report was released by Dr. S. Sacchidanand, Director of Medical Education, Government of Karnataka. according to the report 80% of the cases visiting the clinic with hair fall are PFOA positive. What is alarming is that of these cases, 65%, irrespective of gender developed high cholesterol. 70% of the women developed Polycystic Ovarian Disease (PCOD) and 65% developed hypothyroidism.

4.73 per cent of calls get dropped in India, globally its 3% @telecom_india

The report by  RedMango Analytics says 59.1 per cent of call drop in India is due to poor quality and 36.9 per  due to network faults. Poor quality can be defined as high interference in the radio signal from the mobile phone to the tower and vice versa.According to the report, higher-priced smartphones worth Rs 30,000 and above experienced lowest call drops followed by mid-range smartphones. The survey was carried out across 20 cities across India, including Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Jammu.Most operators have call drop rates higher than the 2% limit prescribed by TRAI.

4.73 per cent of calls get dropped in India, globally its 3% @telecom_india pic.twitter.com/ZtxrH5Ia3G

— Press Release Watch (@PrReleaseWatch) March 13, 2016

Marconi Prize winer India-born engineer-scientist and Stanford University Professor Emeritus Dr.Arogyaswami Joseph Paulraj finds system engineering is a major reason behind the currernt high percentage of call drops in India.Recently he was in Bangalore to deliver the IEEE-VITM lecture on 'Mobile Communications-Past and Future.' It may be noted, that Dr. Paulraj has made profound contributions in building  MIMO technology which every wifi router and 4G phone uses today.

Lovers tend to outspend each other on #Valentine’s Day : A survey by http://Jeevansathi.com

Responses from more than 1800 people across India, revealed startling facts on how people plan to celebrate the “Day of Love”. 40% respondents answered that spending is a competition with their partner with men constituting 43% and women 28%. This percentage rose up to 45% in non-metros as compared to 30% in metro cities.

Lovers tend to outspend each other on #Valentine’s Day : A survey by https://t.co/XZI5lzgksQ pic.twitter.com/3b4IKz3Qyp

— Press Release Watch (@PrReleaseWatch) February 10, 2016

On being asked what men and women both expected as a valentines day’s gift from each other, men had a clear idea about the gifts. Flowers, jewellery, clothing & accessories and weekend trips are some of the gifts women feel they should get and men answered these questions correctly in the survey.
On the other hand, women respondents answered that men would also like customized gifts and fragrances on the day while most of the men responded that they would like to receive electronics/gadgets and jewellery apart from flowers, clothing and weekend trips.

Other Highlights of the survey:

·         43% men feel they would want to spend more as compared to their valentine on the day for love, only 28% women feel the same.

·         According to the survey, men clearly understand what women want, and are planning to gift what women desire

·         62% of the respondents would like to have 14th Feb as their wedding/engagement day

·         33% respondents want to relax at home for this Valentine’s Day

#Mobile apps for travel bookings on rise, finds #Yatra.com Survey

'Mobile bookings and budget accommodation are two areas where we made tremendous progress in the winter season,' said Sharat Dhall, President Yatra.com.'Vacationing in winters has become an accepted norm similar to summer travel. We have seen a number of takers opting for not only domestic but also international destinations for their winter vacations. Indians are holidaying more frequently and that’s a trend that has been on an increase over the past few years,' he added.

Survey Highlights:-

Top Choice for Domestic Destinations

Kashmir or other Hill Stations(22.1%)

Goa(19.7%)

Kerala(13.3%)

Andamans(8.2%)


Top Choice for International Destinations

Thailand/ Singapore/ Malaysia(19.4%)

Europe(13.7%)

Dubai(11.5%)

Key Highlights:

·         Luxury travel has increased, more than 30 percent ready to spend more than Rs 50,000 per person

·         Budget accommodation (under Rs 4,000) is the top choice on vacation

·         People are definitely holidaying in the winter, however summer travel soars higher

·         Increase in people opting for an international destination

·         South East Asian countries are more popular than some domestic destinations

·         Mobile bookings are increasing

#WhatsApp, #Facebook, #Instagram and #UC Browser are most popular apps of 2015 in India

#WhatsApp, #Facebook, #Instagram and #UC Browser are most popular apps of 2015 in India pic.twitter.com/9bUXZaRA5l

— Press Release Watch (@PrReleaseWatch) January 9, 2016

According to a latest report by 9Apps, an average Indian user installs no more than 32 apps (lower than the world average) and only 26% users have Hindi language apps. 9Apps, one of the most popular Android apps store with 140 million monthly active users worldwide, has released an apps trends and insight report on the Android app market. According to the data compiled, most mobile users continue to download apps via 2G network and prefer offline playback versus online streaming amidst sporadic connection. WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram and UC Browser were the top apps of 2015 whereas Flipkart, Snapdeal, Amazon and Paytm remain the most popular ecommerce apps. 17% of all daily app downloads continue to be games – with car racing and action games being most popular. India is Asia’s fastest-growing mobile gaming market with revenues expected to cross 1 bn by 2018.

Indian Public #Cloud Services Market Will Reach $731 Million in 2015 : #Gartner

Public cloud services revenue in India will reach $731 million by the end of 2015, an increase of $176 million over 2014 revenue of $555 million, according to Gartner, Inc. In 2015, public cloud services revenue is driven by high growth rates in key market segments, such as cloud infrastructure as a service (IaaS), cloud management and security services, and software as a service (SaaS).

 Spending on IaaS will total $100 million in 2015, an increase of 25 percent over last year. Spending on cloud management/security will grow 36.6 percent to $82 million, and SaaS will grow 33.4 percent to $302 million this year.

Gartner predicts high rates of spending on cloud services in India to continue through 2019 when the market is expected to reach $1.9 billion.

“The forecast for cloud services vary based on local factors, including supply and demand within the local markets, country-specific economic conditions, currency exchange rates, and other global market factors,,” said Sid Nag, research director at Gartner. “The explosive growth of IaaS and SaaS in the India market is an indication that enterprises in India are moving away from building their own on premises infrastructure, as well as migrating from the traditional software licensing model, to a SaaS model served up by cloud providers.”

According to Gartner’s latest cloud adoption survey, 61 percent of respondents in India indicated that they are currently using cloud services, and additional 31 percent plan to use cloud services by the end of 2015.

80,000 jobs created by Tech #startups in FY 2015, says #Nasscom

According to the NASSCOM-Zinov report on Indian technology start-ups  the sector has created a whopping 80,000 jobs in the country in 2014-15.With 100 per cent growth in number of private equity, venture capitalists, angel investors along with a 125 per cent growth in funding over last year, Indian start-up ecosystem has risen to the next level. The total funding in the India based start-ups is estimated to be nearly $5 billion by 2015. Various central and state government start-up initiatives are further supporting this progressive phase of start-ups in India.

Number of PE/VCs investment grew by 100% over 2014. Subsequently creating 80,000 jobs in the Indian #startup sector. pic.twitter.com/gL2GNHvs56

— NASSCOM (@nasscom) October 13, 2015

Key highlights of the report:-
·         India is the youngest start-up nation in the world- 72% of the founders are less than 35 years old
·         More than 50% of the 1200 startups focus on ecom, consumer services and aggregators
·         9% female founders and co-founders in startup ecosystem
·         Number of accelerators grew by 40% from ~80 in 2014 to ~110 in 2015
·         Total Funding in 2015, growth of ~125% over 2014
·         Number of PE/VCs investment grown by 100% over 2014
·         80,000 jobs created by startups

India’s connected consumers driving growth. 50% #startups in '15 focus on consumer #internet, #aggregators or hyperlocal solutions. #NPC2015

— NASSCOM (@nasscom) October 14, 2015

Survey finds falling Rupee fails to deter Indian holidaymakers from going abroad

Undeterred by a falling rupee, more than 60 per cent travellers in the country are still eager for globe—trotting , according to a recent survey by online travel portal Yatra.com.

Survey finds falling Rupee fails to deter Indian holidaymakers from going abroad pic.twitter.com/G8f1hCsdJ0

— Press Release Watch (@PrReleaseWatch) July 15, 2015

The survey found more than 60 per cent of Indians are eager to travel and remain unaffected by the dip in rupee and continue to pursue their holiday plans,

The survey was conducted among 10,000 individuals from Yatra.com’s customer base.

“The rupee weakening has not really had an adverse impact on Indian travellers as most of them are unfazed and continue to make holiday plans. Savvy Indian traveller’s book well in advance these days and, hence, are confident about getting good deals within their budget,” Yatra.com President Sharat Dhall said.

#Bangalore to add 12 Million Square Feet Of Office Space through 2016;JLL

Bangalore has helped India debut on the ‘City Momentum Index’ (CMI) Top 20 list – an annual survey carried out by Jones Lang LaSalle globally. Reinforcing the city’s status of being one of India’s premier technology centres, Bangalore figures at No. 12 in the Top 20 technology-rich cities globally.

#Bangalore to add 12 Million Square Feet Of Office Space through 2016;JLL pic.twitter.com/uWgtXYCMNZ

— Press Release Watch (@PrReleaseWatch) July 7, 2015

Bangalore’s strong performance has also been boosted by some of world’s highest levels of prime office space construction, absorption and rental increases. Interestingly, Bangalore pipped other Asia Pacific cities in demand for office spaces. Robust demand for commercial space from the IT sector and associated IT-enabled services is helping boost absorption levels - highest in the Asia Pacific region.

Office rents are also growing strongly and Bangalore figures in the top 20 of JLL’s Q1 2015 ‘Global Office Index’. Construction is increasing to meet the demand generated by Bangalore’s rapidly expanding economy. An increase of around 5-10% in prime office rents will be seen in 2015.

Bangalore’s top scores in the CMI (rank out of 120 cities):

·         GDP Growth 2014 (6)

·         Population Growth (8)

·         Real Estate Market Transparency Improvement (8)

·         Office Net Absorption (as % stock) 2014 (11)

·         Projected Office Rental Growth 2015 (14)

·         FDI Count 2014 (14)

While outside the top 20, Delhi and Mumbai are beginning to see an increase in momentum as economic growth picks up and demand for prime office space strengthens.

Market Dynamics

Year after year, Bangalore has remained very close to the demand-supply equilibrium in commercial real estate. The net absorption between 1Q14 and 1Q15 was around 700,000 sq m. An equivalent of 8.4% of current office stock will be built over 2015 and 9.5% in 2016 – adding up to a cumulative total of about 18% over both years.

Considering a net leasable area of 65 million sq ft currently, this would translate into 5.5 million sq ft of office stock getting added this year and 6.2 million sq ft in 2016 – in an ideal scenario i.e. when delays do not occur in construction work. Though the office occupier profile is changing with more companies in the eCommerce and BFSI sectors leasing commercial spaces across the city, a majority of the leasing activity remains IT and ITeS-driven.

As far as popular office sub-markets are concerned, Whitefield is already saturated and Electronic City does not see much traction. The latter mostly has only back-end offices as the rents here are cheaper than most other sub-markets. Companies, especially in the BFSI and eCommerce sectors, prefer the eastern and northern stretches of ORR due to good connectivity and a lack of supply in other sub-markets.

In these two sub-markets alone, 5.8 million sq ft were absorbed in 2014 against a total absorption of 8.7 million sq ft in the entire city. Rents in these two sub-markets alone are expected to increase by 8-10% in the second-half of 2015 as against the average rent increase of 6% expected across the city in the corresponding period.

Concerns around data integrity among pharmaceutical companies

One third of pharmaceutical companies have not conducted reviews to assess potential gaps in data integrity, according to an EY survey, ‘Analysing the state of Data Integrity Compliance in the Indian Pharmaceutical Industry’. Data Integrity Reviews are conducted to evaluate if data records are accurate, complete, attributable, legible and maintained within their original context in electronic or paper form. Over 30% of the respondents stated that they have received inspectional observations by regulators. This was despite signing off their understanding and compliance with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) norms.

“Maintaining data integrity is crucial for the pharmaceutical sector. Today, companies with existing or anticipated concerns around data integrity should initiate regular proactive data integrity assessments. This will be beneficial even for companies that enjoy a good reputation in the market. These periodic assessments provide assurance to all stakeholders involved - customers, investors, regulators as well as reaffirm the management’s commitment toward highest standards of quality.” adds Rajiv Joshi, Partner, Fraud Investigation & Dispute Services, EY.

EY's survey on sexual harassment at the workplace

Titled ‘Reining in sexual harassment at the workplace’ the survey highlights that growing consciousness of issues relating to women’s safety at the workplace has compelled many organizations to take note of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act 2013 (referred as the ‘Act’); but the implementation and subsequent change is taking place at a sluggish pace.

·         According to the survey, 40% of the respondents were yet to train their Internal Complaints Committee(ICC) members, although the Act specifically mandates this

·         35% of the respondents were unaware of the penal clause for non-compliance with laws relating to how ICCs should be constituted

·         44% of the respondents’ organizations did not display the penal consequences of sexual harassment, at conspicuous places 

Private health care industry in #Karnataka to grow to $ 30 billion by 2020

According to healthcare management & research institute, IIHMR Bangalore the health care sector’s revenues in Karnataka are projected to shoot up to US$ 30 billion by 2020 from the current US$5 billion odd – the biggest contributor to this growth will be Bangalore.

Dr. Biranchi N. Jena, Director of IIHMR Bangalore, said, “The Indian private health care industry is expected to grow from around US$ 40 billion currently to $ 280 billion by 2020. Overall, there is a huge shortage, running into a few lakhs, of health care staff across all levels in all states of India in the public and private space. There are an estimated 600 private hospitals in Karnataka, barring small and medium clinics. There is a current requirement of around 1500 hospital management professionals in the state, but due to non-availability of qualified professionals, they find it difficult to manage. This scarcity of quality health care professionals will increase further in a big way in coming years as existing hospitals modernise and expand and many more new ones of global standards are set up.  We at IIHMR foresee that over 10,000 hospital management professionals will be needed by 2020 to meet this growing gap.”

The Indian healthcare sector is facing shortages in terms of workforce and infrastructure. Our country is also facing pressure due to the poor reach of quality healthcare to crores of its citizens due to problems like access and affordability. There are around 1.65 trained allopathic doctors and nurses per 1000 population, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended guideline of 2.5 per 1000 population. Total hospital bed density in the country at about 0.9 per 1000 population is well below the global average of 3.0 and the WHO guideline of 3.56.

Total healthcare expenditure in India was only 3.9% of GDP, compared to 8.9% for Brazil, 6.2% for Russia and 5.2% for China. Out of this amount, out-of-pocket expenditure accounts for 61% of spend and only 26 per cent of Indians are covered by health insurance. By 2020, an estimated 97 million Indians will be aged 60 or older, up from about 64 million in 2010. The number of diabetes cases is expected to increase from nearly 65 million in 2013 to 100 million by 2030. Thus, hospitals need a greater management thrust to ensure that our young and productive nation doesn’t get affected by mismanagement of health care.

Five technology trends spoted by #Accenture for 2015

The Accenture Technology Vision 2015 maps out five key trends:

·         The Internet of Me

·         Outcome Economy

·         Platform (R)evolution

·         Intelligent Enterprise

·         Workforce Reimagined

 In its annual outlook of global technology trends, Accenture (NYSE: ACN) has identified a 180-degree shift to what it calls the “We Economy” that is re-shaping markets and changing the way we work and live.  According to Accenture Technology Vision 2015, pioneering enterprises are tapping into a broad array of other digital businesses, digital customers and even digital devices at the edge of their networks to create new digital “ecosystems.”

The Accenture Technology Vision 2015 report offers examples of how, in the rapidly growing Industrial Internet of Things  — i.e., the interconnection of embedded computing devices within the existing Internet infrastructure — companies are using digital ecosystems to offer new services, reshape experiences and enter new markets.  This is supported by the Accenture survey, which found that 35 percent of respondents are already using partner APIs to integrate data and collaborate with business partners, with an additional 38 percent planning to do so.  One example is Home Depot, which is working with manufacturers to ensure that all of the connected home products it sells are compatible with the Wink connected home system — thereby creating its own connected home ecosystem and developing potential new services and unique experiences for Wink customers.

Government revenue from Direct selling Industry to reach Rs.9000 crores by 2025:#KPMG-#FICCI report

Government revenue from Direct selling Industry to reach Rs.9000 crores by 2025:#KPMG-#FICCI report pic.twitter.com/TJuWRkUxxR
— Press Release Watch (@PrReleaseWatch) December 4, 2014

India’s Direct selling Industry has the potential to engage 18 million Direct Sellers by 2025 and to reach a size of INR 64,500 crores by 2025

Highlights:-

·       South India is the largest market for direct selling in India

·       The report suggests the need to revisit laws and bring about regulatory clarity

·       Sector has the potential to engage over 10 million women as direct sellers by 2025

·       Sector’s contribution to Government revenue expected to increase 9 folds to INR 9000 Crores by 2025

24% Oral Problems in Karnataka are ‘Gum Related’:Study Report

24% Oral Problems in Karnataka are ‘Gum Related’:Study Report pic.twitter.com/EuqdYMyCOw
— Press Release Watch (@PrReleaseWatch) September 3, 2014

Pepsodent’s ‘Call The Expert’ report reveals 24% Oral Problems in Karnataka are ‘Gum Related’
According to the survey, Karnataka recorded the second highest number of gum problems along with West Bengal(24%), after Andhra Pradesh at 37%.

40% of the foreign students in USA come from #China & #India: Brookings Study Report

Foreign students in US from 1 China 25% 2 India 15% 3 S Korea 10% 4 S Arabia 5% 5 Canada 4% http://t.co/HnIIrZV23E pic.twitter.com/LI0Hns53ID
— Conrad Hackett (@conradhackett) August 29, 2014

The United States is the global hub for academic training. In the 2012-2013 academic year the United States hosted a record 819,644 international students, 21 percent of all students studying abroad worldwide.
The number of foreign students on F-1 visas in U.S. colleges and universities grew dramatically from 110,000 in 2001 to 524,000 in 2012. The sharpest increases occurred among students from emerging economies such as China and Saudi Arabia. Foreigners studying for bachelor’s and master’s degrees and English language training accounted for most of the overall growth.
Foreign students are concentrated in U.S. metropolitan areas. From 2008 to 2012, 85 percent of foreign students pursuing a bachelor’s degree or above attended colleges and universities in 118 metro areas that collectively accounted for 73 percent of U.S. higher education students. They contributed approximately $21.8 billion in tuition and $12.8 billion in other spending—representing a major services export—to those metropolitan economies over the five-year period.
Most foreign students come from large fast-growing cities in emerging markets. Ninety-four (94) foreign cities together accounted for more than half of all students on an F-1 visa between 2008 and 2012. Seoul, Beijing, Shanghai, Hyderabad and Riyadh are the five foreign cities that sent the most higher education students to the United States during that time.
Foreign students disproportionately study STEM and business fields. Two-thirds of foreign students pursuing a bachelor’s or higher degree are in science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) or business, management and marketing fields, versus 48 percent of students in the United States. Both large (San Jose, Calif.) and small (Beaumont-Port Arthur, Texas) metro areas figure among those with the highest shares of their foreign students in STEM disciplines.
Forty-five (45) percent of foreign student graduates extend their visas to work in the same metropolitan area as their college or university. Metro areas that retain high shares of their foreign graduates under the temporary Optional Practical Training (OPT) program tend to be either large diversified economies (e.g., New York, Los Angeles), or specialized labor markets that align closely with foreign graduates’ training (e.g., Honolulu, Seattle, Las Vegas).

Indian PC mkt grow 23.6% in Q2: IDC

PC market in India grew 23.6 per cent to 2.55 million units in the April-June period over the previous quarter, according to research firm IDC.
The overall India PC shipments in Q1 this year stood at 2.06 million units.The consumer PC market recorded 1.16 million units, growing 12.8 per cent q-o-q over Q1 2014.The commercial PC segment registered quarter-on-quarter growth of 34.5 per cent over Q1 2014.
HP emerged as the numero uno player with 29.5 per cent share in the Indian PC market, helped by the execution of large education deals in the state government of Tamil Nadu.
Dell captured the second spot with a market share of 19.1 per cent, while Lenovo ranked third in the tally with 13.9 per cent share in the quarter.
IDC anticipates increase in consumer spending both as a result of seasonality owing to festive buying and cautious end user spending on high end smart phones.

Discovery of brain disorders by using new “Deep sequencing” technique by Dr. Saumya Jamuar

A study led by Indian scientist Dr. Saumya Jamuar, researcher at Harvard Medical School and Boston Children's Hospital, co-founder of Global Gene Corp, and Prof. Christopher Walsh, MD, PhD, chief of Genetics and Genomics at Boston Children’s Hospital, opened up new possibilities for finding genetic causes for previously mysterious neurologic and psychiatric conditions. As per the August 21st issue of The New England Journal of Medicine Dr. Jamuar led this study along with Prof. Christopher Walsh, MD, PhD, chief of Genetics and Genomics at Boston Children’s Hospital using a technique called “ targeted high-coverage sequencing ” technique and was able to identify subtle somatic mutations—those affecting just a percentage of cells—in patients with brain disorders.

Dr. Jamuar along with Prof. Christopher Walsh led this study and used a technique called “targeted high-coverage sequencing” to find mutations in 158 patients with brain malformations of unknown genetic cause, who had symptoms such as seizures, intellectual disability and speech and language impairments.

Rather than analyzing the whole genome or exome (protein-coding regions of genes), the investigators focused on a panel of known or suspected genes, but drilled deeper than the traditional genomic sequencing technique. Whole genome or exome sequencing typically breaks the DNA into little fragments, each of which is read multiple times—typically 30—to find the disease-causing mutation. But 30 reads aren’t statistically enough to catch mutations that only occur in 15 to 20 percent of our cells—especially given that mutations may affect just one of our two copies of a gene. So Walsh, Jamuar and colleagues scaled up the number of reads, sequencing each candidate gene not 30 but greater than 200 times. This enabled them to find mutations in 27 of the 158 patients (17 percent). Of these, 8 mutations (30 percent) occurred in only a proportion of the blood cells (so-called mosaic mutations)— 5 of these 8 were missed by traditional genomic sequencing, and one was missed on a previous whole exome sequencing.

Commenting on the new study, Dr. Jamuar said, "This new approach enhances whole-genome and whole-exome sequencing.  We found that ~30% of patients with an identified mutation had a somatic mutation, 63% of which would have been missed on traditional testing. This has huge implications for researchers studying similar disease conditions such as autism, schizophrenia, etc. It changes the way we think about genetic diseases and lastly, translates into clinically relevant diagnostic tool that can help reach a patient's diagnosis. With increasing diagnosis and awareness of these mutations, the hope is that it would lead to identification of a potential target for mediation and cure."

Traditionally, we are taught that we inherit our genes from our parents and each cell of our body has the same genetic make up. Variations in our genes, also known as mutations, disrupt the function of the gene and lead to a disease. These mutations can be inherited from the parents or can arise spontaneously when the egg or the sperm is being formed (also known as de novo mutations). In these cases, all cells of the body will carry the mutation.

However, more recently, researchers are realizing that an individual can have two or more different genetic make up - one normal and other abnormal, a process known as somatic mosaicism. In this scenario, the mutation develops after fertilization (when the sperm and egg have come together to form the embryo) and hence, only affects some cells but not the others. It is estimated that each one of us carries at least one such mutation in our body but the relevance of somatic mosaicism to human disease has not been well studied.

Traditional methods of genetic testing are unable to detect these (somatic) mutations and hence, the true prevalence of somatic mosaicism in relation to human disease has never been quantified previously. Not every cell in the body is the same genetically, and disease-causing mutations don’t necessarily affect every cell—making these mutations easy to miss even with next-generation genomic sequencing.

Internet can unlock Rs. 20,000 crores for telcos in next 3 yrs:Study

A joint study conducted by Google and A.T. Kearney to identify Indian online market opportunities, revealed that Telcos can generate additional cumulative revenues of $8 billion and EBITDA of $ 2.9 billion over the next three years.
With over 155 million mobile Internet users today in the country, India will see a major mobile explosion, as the Internet user base will more than double to 480 million by 2017. It is estimated that in next three years, smartphone penetration will grow six times to reach 385 million people and the number of users who transact online will grow to 160 million.  The study outlines that data consumption on mobile phones will triple, and consumers will be buying five times as much content.
Online recharges for prepaid mobile, Media Content and services, Mobile business apps for SMEs and M-payments could be four top-priority areas that could unlock billions of dollars of cumulative value for telcos.
As per our market research, 73 percent of mobile data consumers would be willing to spend more time online if more entertainment content were available in an engaging format. Similarly, 70 percent of Internet users have not yet tried online recharges but are willing to try because of the inconvenience they face with traditional channels,said Rajan Anandan, VP and Managing Director of sales and operations, Google India.