Podcasts about Mahajan

Moderator: Amit Bobby Mahajan, MD, FCCP, DAABIP Guest: Jonathan Kurman, MD Guest: Surya Bhatt, MD New strategies like advanced pharmacologic agents and bronchoscopic lung volume reduction are redefining COPD and emphysema management. Dr. Bobby Mahajan sits down with Drs. Surya Bhatt and Jonathan Kurman to highlight emerging strategies for identifying ideal candidates, optimizing patient selection, and combining therapies to reduce dyspnea and improve outcomes. Dr. Mahajan is the Medical Director of Interventional Pulmonology and Complex Airway Disease Programs at the Inova Health System in Virginia, Dr. Bhatt is the Director of the Center for Lung Analytics and Imaging Research as well as the Medical Director of the Pulmonary Function and Exercise Physiology Lab and the Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and Dr. Kurman is an Associate Professor of Medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin and the Director of Interventional Pulmonology at Froedtert and Medical College of Wisconsin Health Network. This program is produced in partnership with the American College of Chest Physicians and is sponsored by Pulmonx, the maker of the Zephyr Valve.

These diseases - West Nile Virus, Lyme disease, and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever - are named for the places where outbreaks happened. But they're also all things you get from being bitten by mosquitoes or ticks. Research: Balasubramanian, Chandana. “Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF): The Deadly Tick-borne Disease That Inspired a Hit Movie.” Gideon. 9/1/2022. https://www.gideononline.com/blogs/rocky-mountain-spotted-fever/ Barbour AG, Benach JL2019.Discovery of the Lyme Disease Agent. mBio10:10.1128/mbio.02166-19.https://doi.org/10.1128/mbio.02166-19 Bay Area Lyme Foundation. “History of Lyme Disease.” https://www.bayarealyme.org/about-lyme/history-lyme-disease/ Caccone, Adalgisa. “Ancient History of Lyme Disease in North America Revealed with Bacterial Genomes.” Yale School of Medicine. 8/28/2017. https://medicine.yale.edu/news-article/ancient-history-of-lyme-disease-in-north-america-revealed-with-bacterial-genomes/ Chowning, William M. “Studies in Pyroplasmosis Hominis.("Spotted Fever" or "Tick Fever" of the Rocky Mountains.).” The Journal of Infectious Diseases. 1/2/1904. https://archive.org/details/jstor-30071629/page/n29/mode/1up Elbaum-Garfinkle, Shana. “Close to home: a history of Yale and Lyme disease.” The Yale journal of biology and medicine vol. 84,2 (2011): 103-8. Farris, Debbie. “Lyme disease older than human race.” Oregon State University. 5/29/2014. https://science.oregonstate.edu/IMPACT/2014/05/lyme-disease-older-than-human-race Galef, Julia. “Iceman Was a Medical Mess.” Science. 2/29/2012. https://www.science.org/content/article/iceman-was-medical-mess Gould, Carolyn V. “Combating West Nile Virus Disease — Time to Revisit Vaccination.” New England Journal of Medicine. Vol. 388, No. 18. 4/29/2023. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2301816 Harmon, Jim. “Harmon’s Histories: Montana’s Early Tick Fever Research Drew Protests, Violence.” Missoula Current. 7/20/2020. https://missoulacurrent.com/ticks/ Hayes, Curtis G. “West Nile Virus: Uganda, 1937, to New York City, 1999.” From West Nile Virus: Detection, Surveillance, and Control. New York : New York Academy of Sciences. 2001. https://archive.org/details/westnilevirusdet0951unse/ Jannotta, Sepp. “Robert Cooley.” Montana State University. 10/12/2012. https://www.montana.edu/news/mountainsandminds/article.html?id=11471 Johnston, B L, and J M Conly. “West Nile virus - where did it come from and where might it go?.” The Canadian journal of infectious diseases = Journal canadien des maladies infectieuses vol. 11,4 (2000): 175-8. doi:10.1155/2000/856598 Lloyd, Douglas S. “Circular Letter #12 -32.” 8/3/1976. https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/departments-and-agencies/dph/dph/infectious_diseases/lyme/1976circularletterpdf.pdf Mahajan, Vikram K. “Lyme Disease: An Overview.” Indian dermatology online journal vol. 14,5 594-604. 23 Feb. 2023, doi:10.4103/idoj.idoj_418_22 MedLine Plus. “West Nile virus infection.” https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/007186.htm National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease. “History of Rocky Mountain Labs (RML).” 8/16/2023. https://www.niaid.nih.gov/about/rocky-mountain-history National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease. “Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.” https://www.niaid.nih.gov/diseases-conditions/rocky-mountain-spotted-fever Rensberger, Boyce. “A New Type of Arthritis Found in Lyme.” New York Times. 7/18/1976. https://www.nytimes.com/1976/07/18/archives/a-new-type-of-arthritis-found-in-lyme-new-form-of-arthritis-is.html?login=smartlock&auth=login-smartlock Rucker, William Colby. “Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.” Washington: Government Printing Office. 1912. https://archive.org/details/101688739.nlm.nih.gov/page/ Sejvar, James J. “West Nile virus: an historical overview.” Ochsner journal vol. 5,3 (2003): 6-10. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3111838/ Smithburn, K.C. et al. “A Neurotropic Virus Isolated from the Blood of a Native of Uganda.” The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. Volume s1-20: Issue 4. 1940. Steere, Allen C et al. “The emergence of Lyme disease.” The Journal of clinical investigation vol. 113,8 (2004): 1093-101. doi:10.1172/JCI21681 Steere, Allen C. et al. “Historical Perspectives.” Zbl. Bakt. Hyg. A 263, 3-6 (1986 ). https://pdf.sciencedirectassets.com/281837/1-s2.0-S0176672486X80912/1-s2.0-S0176672486800931/main.pdf World Health Organization. “West Nile Virus.” 10/3/2017. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/west-nile-virus Xiao, Y., Beare, P.A., Best, S.M. et al. Genetic sequencing of a 1944 Rocky Mountain spotted fever vaccine. Sci Rep 13, 4687 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-31894-0 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Paroxysmal movement disorders refer to a group of highly heterogeneous disorders that present with attacks of involuntary movements without loss of consciousness. These disorders demonstrate considerable and ever-expanding genetic and clinical heterogeneity, so an accurate clinical diagnosis has key therapeutic implications. In this episode, Kait Nevel, MD, speaks with Abhimanyu Mahajan, MD, MHS, FAAN, author of the article “Paroxysmal Movement Disorders” in the Continuum® August 2025 Movement Disorders issue. Dr. Nevel is a Continuum® Audio interviewer and a neurologist and neuro-oncologist at Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis, Indiana. Dr. Mahajan is an assistant professor of neurology and rehabilitation medicine at the James J. and Joan A. Gardner Family Center for Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders at the University of Cincinnati in Cincinnati, Ohio. Additional Resources Read the article: Paroxysmal Movement Disorders Subscribe to Continuum®: shop.lww.com/Continuum Earn CME (available only to AAN members): continpub.com/AudioCME Continuum® Aloud (verbatim audio-book style recordings of articles available only to Continuum® subscribers): continpub.com/Aloud More about the American Academy of Neurology: aan.com Social Media facebook.com/continuumcme @ContinuumAAN Host: @IUneurodocmom Guest: @MahajanMD Full episode transcript available here Dr Jones: This is Doctor Lyell Jones, editor in chief of Continuum. Thank you for listening to Continuum Audio. Be sure to visit the links in the episode notes for information about earning CME, subscribing to the journal, and exclusive access to interviews not featured on the podcast. Dr Nevel: Hello, this is Dr Kait Nevel. Today I'm interviewing doctor Abhi Mahajan about his article on diagnosis and management of paroxysmal movement disorders, which appears in the August 2025 Continuum issue on movement disorders. Abhi, welcome to the podcast and please introduce yourself to the audience. Dr Mahajan: Thank you, Kait. Thank you for inviting me. My name is Abhi Mahajan. I'm an assistant professor of neurology and rehabilitation medicine at the University of Cincinnati in Cincinnati, Ohio. I'm happy to be here. Dr Nevel: Wonderful. Well, I'm really excited to talk to you about your article today on this very interesting and unique set of movement disorders. So, before we get into your article a little bit more, I think just kind of the set the stage for the discussion so that we're all on the same page. Could you start us off with some definitions? What are paroxysmal movement disorders? And generally, how do we start to kind of categorize these in our minds? Dr Mahajan: So, the term paroxysmal movement disorders refers to a group of highly heterogeneous disorders. These may present with attacks of involuntary movements, commonly a combination of dystonia and chorea, or ataxia, or both. These movements are typically without loss of consciousness and may follow, may follow, so with or without known triggers. In terms of the classification, these have been classified in a number of ways. Classically, these have been classified based on the trigger. So, if the paroxysmal movement disorder follows activity, these are called kinesigenic, paroxysmal, kinesigenic dyskinesia. If they are not followed by activity, they're called non kinesigenic dyskinesia and then if they've followed prolonged activity or exercise they're called paroxysmal exercise induced dyskinesia. There's a separate but related group of protogynous movement disorders called episodic attacks here that can have their own triggers. Initially this was the classification that was said. Subsequent classifications have placed their focus on the ideology of these attacks that could be familiar or acquired and of course understanding of familiar or genetic causes of paroxysmal movement disorders keeps on expanding and so on and so forth. And more recently, response to pharmacotherapy and specific clinical features have also been introduced into the classification. Dr Nevel: Great, thank you for that. Can you share with us what you think is the most important takeaway from your article for the practicing neurologist? Dr Mahajan: Absolutely. I think it's important to recognize that everything that looks and sounds bizarre should not be dismissed as malingering. Such hyperkinetic and again in quotations, “bizarre movements”. They may appear functional to the untrained eye or the lazy eye. These movements can be diagnosed. Paroxysmal movement disorders can be diagnosed with a good clinical history and exam and may be treated with a lot of success with medications that are readily available and cheap. So, you can actually make a huge amount of difference to your patients' lives by practicing old-school neurology. Dr Nevel: That's great, thank you so much for that. I can imagine that scenario does come up where somebody is thought to have a functional neurological disorder but really has a proximal movement disorder. You mentioned that in your article, how it's important to distinguish between these two, how there can be similarities at times. Do you mind giving us a little bit more in terms of how do we differentiate between functional neurologic disorder and paroxysmal movement disorder? Dr Mahajan: So clinical differentiation of functional neurological disorder from paroxysmal movement disorders, of course it's really important as a management is completely different, but it can be quite challenging. There's certainly an overlap. So, there can be an overlap with presentation, with phenomenology. Paroxysmal nature is common to both of them. In addition, FND and PMD's may commonly share triggers, whether they are movement, physical exercise. Other triggers include emotional stimuli, even touch or auditory stimuli. What makes it even more challenging is that FND's may coexist with other neurological disorders, including paroxysmal movement disorders. However, there are certain specific phenom phenotypic differences that have been reported. So specific presentations, for example the paroxysms may look different. Each paroxysm may look different in functional neurological disorders, specific phenotypes like paroxysmal akinesia. So, these are long duration episodes with eyes closed. Certain kinds of paroxysmal hyperkinesia with ataxia and dystonia have been reported. Of course. More commonly we see PNES of paroxysmal nonepileptic spells or seizures that may be considered paroxysmal movement disorders but represent completely different etiology which is FND. Within the world of movement disorders, functional jerks may resemble propiospinal myoclonus which is a completely different entity. Overall, there are certain things that help separate functional movement disorders from paroxysmal movement disorders, such as an acute onset variable and inconsistent phenomenology. They can be suggestibility, distractibility, entrainment, the use of an EMG may show a B-potential (Bereitschaftspotential) preceding the movement in patients with FND. So, all of these cues are really helpful. Dr Nevel: Great, thanks. When you're seeing a patient who's reporting to these paroxysmal uncontrollable movements, what kind of features of their story really tips you off that this might be a proximal movement disorder? Dr Mahajan: Often these patients have been diagnosed with functional neurological disorders and they come to us. But for me, whenever the patient and or the family talk about episodic movements, I think about these. Honestly, we must be aware that there is a possibility that the movements that the patients are reporting that you may not see in clinic. Maybe there are obvious movement disorders. Specifically, there's certain clues that you should always ask for in the history, for example, ask for the age of onset, a description of movements. Patients typically have videos or families have videos. You may not be able to see them in clinic. The regularity of frequency of these movements, how long the attacks are, is there any family history of or not? On the basis of triggers, whether, as I mentioned before, do these follow exercise? Prolonged exercise? Or neither of the above? What is the presentation in between attacks, which I think is a very important clinical clue. Your examination may be limited to videos, but it's important not just to examine the video which represents the patient during an attack, but in between attacks. That is important. And of course, I suspect we'll get to the treatment, but the treatment can follow just this part, the history and physical exam. It may be refined with further testing, including genetic testing. Dr Nevel: Great. On the note of genetic testing, when you do suspect a diagnosis of paroxysmal movement disorder, what are some key points for the provider to be aware of about genetic testing? How do we go about that? I know that there are lots of different options for genetic testing and it gets complicated. What do you suggest? Dr Mahajan: Traditionally, things were a little bit easier, right, because we had a couple of genes that have been associated with the robust movement disorders. So, genetic testing included single gene testing, testing for PRRT2 followed by SLC2A. And if these were negative, you said, well, this is not a genetic ideology for paroxysmal movement disorders. Of course, with time that has changed. There's an increase in known genes and variants. There is increased genetic entropy. So, the same genetic mutation may present with many phenotypes and different genetic mutations may present with the similar phenotype. Single gene testing is not a high yield approach. Overall genetic investigations for paroxysmal movement disorders use next generation sequencing or whole exome sequence panels which allow for sequencing of multiple genes simultaneously. The reported diagnostic yield with let's say next generation sequencing is around 35 to 50 percent. Specific labs at centers have developed their own panels which may improve the yield of course. In children, microarray may be considered, especially the presentation includes epilepsy or intellectual disability because copy number variations may not be detected by a whole exome sequencing or next generation sequencing. Overall, I will tell you that I'm certainly not an expert in genetics, so whenever you're considering genetic testing, if possible, please utilize the expertise of a genetic counsellor. Families want to know, especially as an understanding of the molecular underpinnings and knowledge about associated mutations or variations keeps on expanding. We need to incorporate their expertise. A variant of unknown significance, which is quite a common result with genetic testing, may not be a variant of unknown significance next year may be reclassified as pathogenic. So, this is extremely important. Dr Nevel: Yeah. That's such a good point. Thank you. And you just mentioned that there are some genetic mutations that can lead to multiple different phenotypes. Seemingly similar phenotypes can be associated with various genetic mutations. What's our understanding of that? Do we have an understanding of that? Why there is this seeming disconnect at times between the specific genetic mutation and the phenotype? Dr Mahajan: That is a tough question to answer for all paroxysmal movement disorders because the answer may be specific to a specific mutation. I think a great example is the CACNA1A mutation. It is a common cause of episodic ataxia type 2. Depending on when the patient presents, you can have a whole gamut of clinical presentations. So, if the patient is 1 year old, the patient can present with epileptic encephalopathy. Two to 5 years, it can be benign paroxysmal torticollis of infancy. Five to 10 years, can present with learning difficulties with absence epilepsy and then of course later, greater than 10 years, with episodic ataxia (type) 2 hemiplegic migraine and then a presentation with progressive ataxia and hemiplegic migraines has also been reported. So not just episodic progressive form of ataxia has also been reported. I think overall these disorders are very rare. They are even more infrequently diagnosed than their prevalence. As such, the point that different genetic mutations present with different phenotypes, or the same genetic mutation I may present with different phenotypes could also represent this part. Understanding of the clinical presentation is really incomplete and forever growing. There's a new case report or case series every other month, which makes this a little bit challenging, but that's all the more reason for learning about them and for constant vigilance for patients who show up to our clinic. Dr Nevel: Yeah, absolutely. What is our current understanding of the associated pathophysiology of these conditions and the pathophysiology relating to the genetics? And then how does that relate to the treatment of these conditions? Dr Mahajan: So, a number of different disease mechanisms have been proposed. Traditionally, these were all thought to be ion channelopathies, but a number of different processes have been proposed now. So, depending on the genetic mutation that you talk about. So certain mutations can involve ion channels such as CACMA1A, ATP1A3. It can involve solute carriers, synaptic vesicle fusion, energy metabolism such as ECHS1, synthesis of neurotransmitters such as GCH1. So, there are multiple processes that may be involved. I think overall for the practicing clinician such as me, I think there is a greater need for us to understand the underlying genetics and associated phenotypes and the molecular mechanisms specifically because these can actually influence treatment decisions, right? So, you mentioned that specific genetic testing understanding of the underlying molecular mechanism can influence specific treatments. As an example, a patient presenting with proximal nocturnal dyskinesia with mutation in the ADCY5 gene may respond beautifully to caffeine. Other examples if you have SLC2A1, so gluc-1 (glucose transporter type 1) mutation, a ketogenic diet may work really well. If you have PDHA1 mutation that may respond to thiamine and so on and so forth. There are certain patients where paroxysmal movement disorders are highly disabling and you may consider deep brain stimulation. That's another reason why it may be important to understand genetic mutations because there is literature on response to DBS with certain mutations versus others. Helps like counselling for patients and families, and of course introduces time, effort, and money spent in additional testing. Dr Nevel: Other than genetic testing, what other diagnostic work up do you consider when you're evaluating patients with a suspected paroxysmal movement disorder? Are there specific things in the history or on exam that would prompt you to do certain testing to look for perhaps other things in your differential when you're first evaluating a patient? Dr Mahajan: In this article, I provide a flow chart that helps me assess these patients as well. I think overall the history taking and neurological exam outside of these paroxysms is really important. So, the clinical exam in between these episodic events, for example, for history, specific examples include, well, when do these paroxysms happen? Do they happen or are they precipitated with meals that might indicate that there's something to do with glucose metabolism? Do they follow exercise? So, a specific example is in Moyamoya disease, they can be limb shaking that follows exercise. So, which gives you a clue to what the etiology could be. Of course, family history is important, but again, talking about the exam in between episodes, you know, this is actually a great point because out– we've talked about genetics, we've talked about idiopathic paroxysmal movement disorders, –but a number of these disorders are because of acquired causes. Well, of course it's important because acquired causes such as autoimmune causes, so multiple sclerosis, ADEM, lupus, LGI1, all of these NMDAR, I mentioned Moyamoya disease and metabolic causes. Of course, you can consider FND as under-acquired as well. But all of these causes have very different treatments and they have very different prognosis. So, I think it's extremely important for us to look into the history with a fine comb and then examine these patients in between these episodes and keep our mind open about acquired causes as well. Dr Nevel: When you evaluate these patients, are you routinely ordering vascular imaging and autoimmune kind of serologies and things like that to evaluate for these other acquired causes or it does it really just depend on the clinical presentation of the patient? Dr Mahajan: It mostly depends on the clinical presentation. I mean, if the exam is let's say completely normal, there are no other risk factors in a thirty year old, then you know, with a normal exam, normal history, no other risk factors. I may not order an MRI of the brain. But if the patient is 55 or 60 (years) with vascular risk factors, then you have to be mindful that this could be a TIA. If the patient has let's say in the 30s and in between these episodes too has basically has a sequel of these paroxysms, then you may want to consider autoimmune. I think the understanding of paraneoplastic, even autoimmune disorders, is expanding as well. So, you know the pattern matters. So, if all of this is subacute started a few months ago, then I have a low threshold for ordering testing for autoimmune and paraneoplastic ideology is simply because it makes such a huge difference in terms of how you approach the treatment and the long-term prognosis. Dr Nevel: Yeah, absolutely. What do you find most challenging about the management of patients with paroxysmal movement disorders? And then also what is most rewarding? Dr Mahajan: I think the answer to both those questions is, is the same. The first thing is there's so much advancement in what we know and how we understand these disorders so regularly that it's really hard to keep on track. Even for this article, it took me a few months to write this article, and between the time and I started and when I ended, there were new papers to include new case reports, case series, right? So, these are rare disorders. So most of our understanding for these disorders comes from case reports and case series, and it's in a constant state of advancement. I think that is the most challenging part, but it's also the most interesting part as well. I think the challenging and interesting part is the heterogeneity of presentation as well. These can involve just one part of your body, your entire body can present with paroxysmal events, with multiple different phenomenologies and they might change over time. So overall, it's highly rewarding to diagnose such patients in clinic. As I said before, you can make a sizeable difference with the medication which is usually inexpensive, which is obviously a great point to mention these days in our health system. But with anti-seizure drugs, you can put the right diagnosis, you can make a huge difference. I just wanted to make a point that this is not minimizing in any way the validity or the importance of diagnosing patients with functional neurological disorders correctly. Both of them are as organic. The importance is the treatment is completely different. So, if you're diagnosing somebody with FND and they do have FND and they get cognitive behavioral therapy and they get better, that's fantastic. But if somebody has paroxysmal movement disorders and they undergo cognitive behavioral therapy and they're not doing well, that doesn't help anybody. Dr Nevel: One hundred percent. As providers, obviously we all want to help our patients and having the correct diagnosis, you know, is the first step. What is most interesting to you about paroxysmal movement disorders? Dr Mahajan: So outside of the above, there are some unanswered questions that I find very interesting. Specifically, the overlap with epilepsy is very interesting, including shared genes, the episodic nature, presence of triggers, therapeutic response to anti-seizure drugs. All of this I think deserves further study. In the clinic, you may find that epilepsy and prognosis for movement disorders may occur in the same individual or in a family. Episodic ataxia has been associated with seizures. Traditionally this dichotomy of an ictal focus. If it's cortical then it's epilepsy, if it's subcortical then it's prognosis for movement disorders. This is thought to be overly simplistic. There can be co-occurrence of seizures and paroxysmal movement disorders in the same patient and that has led to this continuum between these two that has been proposed. This is something that needs to be looked into in more detail. Our colleagues in Epilepsy may scoff this, but there's concept of basal ganglia epilepsy manifesting as paroxysmal movement disorders was proposed in the past. And there was this case report that was published out of Italy where there was ictal discharge from the supplementary sensory motor cortex with a concomitant discharge from the ipsilateral coordinate nucleus in a patient with paroxysmal kinesigenic cardioarthidosis. So again, you know, basal ganglia epilepsy, no matter what you call it, the idea is that there is a clear overlap between these two conditions. And I think that is fascinating. Dr Nevel: Really interesting stuff. Well, thank you so much for chatting with me today. Dr Mahajan: Thank you, Kait. And thank you to the Continuum for inviting me to write this article and for this chance to speak about it. I'm excited about how it turned out, and I hope readers enjoy it as well. Dr Nevel: Today again, I've been interviewing doctor Abhi Mahajan about his article on diagnosis and management of paroxysmal movement disorders, which appears in the August 2025 Continuum issue on movement disorders. I encourage all of our listeners to be sure to check out the Continuum Audio episodes from this and other issues. As always, please read the Continuum articles where you can find a lot more information than what we were able to cover in our discussion today. And thank you for our listeners for joining today. And thank you, Abhi, so much for sharing your knowledge with us today. Dr Monteith: This is Dr Teshamae Monteith, associate editor of Continuum Audio. If you've enjoyed this episode, you'll love the journal, which is full of in depth and clinically relevant information important for neurology practitioners. Use the link in the episode notes to learn more and subscribe. AAN members, you can get CME for listening to this interview by completing the evaluation at continpub.com/audioCME. Thank you for listening to Continuum Audio.

Send us a textIn this episode, I sit down with Reema Mahajan, founder of Indian Women in Dubai (IWD) — one of the UAE's most powerful purpose-driven and the biggest communities.As two Indian women living in Dubai, we had a deeply resonant conversation about cultural burdens, invisible rules, and the barriers that have shaped our identities — and how women like us are now breaking them to create freedom, visibility, and impact. In this powerful conversation, we dive into:How Reema transformed a simple online meet-up into a thriving community of 150,000+ women.The cultural challenges Indian women face — and what it takes to break free.Her transition from corporate boardrooms to leading a community movement.The role of identity, self-worth, and courage in creating lasting impact.This is not just about building a community. It's about rewriting what it means to be an Indian woman — in Dubai and beyond.

Moorings: Voyages of Capital across the Indian Ocean (U of California Press, 2025) follows sailors from the Gulf of Kachchh in India as they voyage across the Indian Ocean on mechanized wooden sailing vessels known as vahans, or dhows. These voyages produce capital through moorings that are spatial, moral, material, and conceptual. With a view from the dhow, the book examines the social worlds of Muslim seafarers who have been rendered invisible even as they maneuver multiple regulatory regimes and the exigencies of life, navigating colonialism, neoliberalism, the rise of Hindutva, insurgency, climate change, and border regimes across the ocean. Based on historical and ethnographic research aboard ships, at ports, and in religious shrines and homes, Moorings shows how capitalism derives value from historically sedimented practices grounded in caste, gender, and transregional community-based forms of regulation. Nidhi Mahajan is Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Reighan Gillam is Associate Professor in the Department of Latin American, Latino, and Caribbean Studies at Dartmouth College. Her research examines the ways in which Afro-Brazilian media producers foment anti-racist visual politics through their image creation. She is the author of Visualizing Black Lives: Ownership and Control in Afro-Brazilian Media (University of Illinois Press). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Moorings: Voyages of Capital across the Indian Ocean (U of California Press, 2025) follows sailors from the Gulf of Kachchh in India as they voyage across the Indian Ocean on mechanized wooden sailing vessels known as vahans, or dhows. These voyages produce capital through moorings that are spatial, moral, material, and conceptual. With a view from the dhow, the book examines the social worlds of Muslim seafarers who have been rendered invisible even as they maneuver multiple regulatory regimes and the exigencies of life, navigating colonialism, neoliberalism, the rise of Hindutva, insurgency, climate change, and border regimes across the ocean. Based on historical and ethnographic research aboard ships, at ports, and in religious shrines and homes, Moorings shows how capitalism derives value from historically sedimented practices grounded in caste, gender, and transregional community-based forms of regulation. Nidhi Mahajan is Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Reighan Gillam is Associate Professor in the Department of Latin American, Latino, and Caribbean Studies at Dartmouth College. Her research examines the ways in which Afro-Brazilian media producers foment anti-racist visual politics through their image creation. She is the author of Visualizing Black Lives: Ownership and Control in Afro-Brazilian Media (University of Illinois Press). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/anthropology

Moorings: Voyages of Capital across the Indian Ocean (U of California Press, 2025) follows sailors from the Gulf of Kachchh in India as they voyage across the Indian Ocean on mechanized wooden sailing vessels known as vahans, or dhows. These voyages produce capital through moorings that are spatial, moral, material, and conceptual. With a view from the dhow, the book examines the social worlds of Muslim seafarers who have been rendered invisible even as they maneuver multiple regulatory regimes and the exigencies of life, navigating colonialism, neoliberalism, the rise of Hindutva, insurgency, climate change, and border regimes across the ocean. Based on historical and ethnographic research aboard ships, at ports, and in religious shrines and homes, Moorings shows how capitalism derives value from historically sedimented practices grounded in caste, gender, and transregional community-based forms of regulation. Nidhi Mahajan is Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Reighan Gillam is Associate Professor in the Department of Latin American, Latino, and Caribbean Studies at Dartmouth College. Her research examines the ways in which Afro-Brazilian media producers foment anti-racist visual politics through their image creation. She is the author of Visualizing Black Lives: Ownership and Control in Afro-Brazilian Media (University of Illinois Press). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Geetu Mahajan's Passion for Safety in Trucking Safety isn't just a policy—it's a passion. In this episode of the Lead Pedal Podcast, Bruce Outridge talks with Geetu Mahajan about why safety means so much to her and how that passion drives her work in the trucking industry. From building stronger safety cultures to protecting drivers and fleets, Geetu shares powerful insights on why safety should always come first on the road. Learn more about Compliance Mentorz at www.compliancementorz.com  This episode is sponsored by Bison Transport with many opportunities for truck drivers in their fleet across Canada. At Bison – they put Safety First Bison's “Right to Decide” Policy gives every Driver their ultimate protection. Drivers make the final decision if it is safe to drive and Bison actively encourages Driver's use of this policy.    You can learn more about Bison and the opportunities available at www.bisondriving.com   or call 1-800-527-5781 @BisonTransport #bisontransport   This episode is sponsored by Compliance Mentorz helping the Canadian trucking community improve their safety and compliance for safer roadways.  Compliance Mentorz, a leading commercial safety consulting company, is proud to serve clients nationwide across Canada. But our commitment to safety and compliance doesn't stop at borders – we're excited to extend our support to clients throughout North America. Call 905-486-1666 or Learn more at www.compliancementorz.com                          DriverCheck is a leader in drug and alcohol, cognitive, and workplace testing helping employers have a safe workplace for their staff. Learn how DriverCheck can help you be safe at www.drivercheck.ca   About the Podcast The Lead Pedal Podcast for Truck Drivers helps truck drivers improve their truck driving careers, trucking businesses as owner operators, CDL skills, find trucking jobs, and offer trucking tips. Learn about the trucking benefits and salaries as a professional truck driver through interviews and tips related to the North American Trucking Industry. The Lead Pedal Podcast is a Canadian based trucking podcast focused on trucking in Canada. LISTEN TO THE PODCAST- The show is available at www.theleadpedalpodcast.com , Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartradio, SoundCloud, and other popular podcast platforms. Thanks for listening JOIN THE LEAD PEDAL PODCAST FAN CLUB  www.LeadPedalFanClub.com  LISTEN TO LEAD PEDAL RADIO at www.LeadPedalRadio.com  The Lead Pedal Podcast for Truck Drivers talks all things trucking for people in the transportation industry helping them improve their business and careers. Interviews with industry professionals and truck drivers, trucking information, and other features on the industry are meant to be helpful for truck drivers and those in transportation. The Lead Pedal Podcast for Truck Drivers has main episodes released every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with bonus material on other days. You can learn more about the host and show on our website and make sure to SUBSCRIBE to the show on your favourite podcast platform. www.theleadpedalpodcast.com  What does The Lead Pedal Podcast mean? The Lead (pronounced - Led) stands for acceleration or fast-track of your career or business. It is a play on words and we certainly are not here promoting speeding in the industry. We are hoping this information will help you become a professional driver faster than if you didn't know about many of these topics. Are you enjoying the show? If so we would appreciate you leaving us a rating and review on your favourite podcast platform. www.theleadpedalpodcast.com  Join The Lead Pedal Fan Club where are loyal fans get first chance at specials, discounts on merchandise and much more.The club is free to join and you can learn more at www.theleadpedalfanclub.com     

In this episode of Dealer Talk, we dive deep into mindset, leadership, and making bold decisions in business. I'm thrilled to sit down with my long-time friend and client, Inder Dosanjh, whose journey from technician to owning 17 car dealerships is nothing short of inspiring. We also welcome Munish Mahajan, Inder's co-founder, CEO & President, who brings a tech-forward, transformative approach to dealership operations. We talk about: The mindset shifts that move you from “just a job” to building something bigger. The challenges of scaling a dealership business while keeping your team motivated and empowered. How data, AI, and smart processes can fill gaps in dealership operations. The power of complementary skill sets in partnerships and leadership. Real-life crossroads that define companies and leaders—and how to make bold decisions when the stakes are high. Whether you're a dealership owner, GM, frontline manager, or part of a BDC team, this episode is packed with insights on growth, transformation, and taking action—even when it feels risky.

Drawn to both science and the arts when she was at school, Reena Mahajan's studies and work took her to three continents. She studied architecture in New Delhi before moving to Paris to study urban planning and sustainable development. When she moved to Uruguay, she broadened her horizons and studies into gender responsive design and children-friendly planning.Now a strong advocate for sustainable development, women's mobility, social impact and gender equality – among other things – Reena founded Studio Divercity, with a mission to transform car-dominated urban areas into people-centric spaces. She recently set up StreetSmart, a digital platform that enables communities to reimagine their streets and environment, and she has joined the contributors to Lab of Thought, a Netherlands-based organisation set to transform urban environments. So far so stellar – so what's next? She has some brilliant advice for anyone searching for values-led employment and says optimism comes from action, even if it's small.Read more... Mentioned in this podcastProf Dr Marco Te Brömmelstroet and the Lab of ThoughtThe Mayor of Paris Anne HidalgoOther episodes to listen to:Sanjuktar Jithendar, Architect, Mikhail Riches S1 E9Nick Molden, CEO and founder of Emissions Analytics S1 E4Sarah Daly, Sustainability strategist, marketing professional, lobbyist, entrepreneur, thought-leader and visionary S3 E1Divya Kumar, Community engagement manager at Earthwatch Europe S4 E4David Kohnstamm, Chief sustainability officer and co-founder, Leafcloud S4 E3Connor Cashell, Campaigns manager, Cycling UK S5 E5About ProGRESS:Host Sandra Kessell invites guests to discuss their pro- Green, Ethical, Sustainable and Socially responsible jobs, courses or activities and asks for real-world insights into the pathways and careers that led to them. Subscribe and find out how they got there and how you can too.Instagram: @progress_green_careers_podcastOriginal content © Sandra Kessell Original music © Lyze KessellEmail: hello@mypro-gress.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why you should listenSanjeet Mahajan shares his journey building AgentForce agents and custom AI solutions, revealing the critical prompt engineering techniques that eliminate hallucinations and deliver real ROI.Learn the decision framework for when to use AgentForce versus building custom agents with LangChain and CrewAI, plus real case studies from hospitality and real estate showing measurable results.Discover how to create your own "Content Crafter" AI agent that generates marketing ideas in 10 minutes instead of 3-4 weeks, based on your unique business journey and client data.As a Salesforce consultant, you're watching competitors struggle with AgentForce implementation while others race ahead with custom AI agents. The hallucinations, pricing concerns, and lack of clear guidance on when to build versus buy has left many of you spinning your wheels. I see this frustration constantly - talented consultants who know their platforms inside-out but feel lost in the AI maze. In this episode, I talk with Sanjeet Mahajan from Kizzy Consulting, who's spent months in the trenches building both AgentForce and custom agents. We dive deep into the prompt engineering techniques that actually work, the decision framework for choosing platforms, and proven case studies that show real ROI. If you're tired of AI hype and want practical implementation strategies that work, this conversation will give you the roadmap you need.About Sanjeet MahajanSanjeet Mahajan is the Founder & CEO of Kizzy Consulting, a Salesforce Ridge and ISV Partner helping nonprofits, real estate, and homecare teams grow with clean data, smart automation, and human-first design. A seasoned Technical Architect with a deep curiosity for AI, Sanjeet is building intelligent systems that think, act, and adapt—so businesses don't just keep up, they leap ahead.Resources and LinksKizzyconsulting.comSanjeet's LinkedIn profileLangChainCrewAIN8NNotebookLMNapkin.aiPrevious episode: 624 - How to Turn Client Cloud Platform Pain Into Profitable Migration Projects with Jon TopperCheck out more episodes of the Paul Higgins PodcastSubscribe to our YouTube channel: @PaulHigginsMentoringFree Training for AI & Tech Consultants Ready to Stop Trading Time for MoneyJoin our newsletterSuggested resource

How a €1 B digital‑engineering firm uses generative AI and agent tech to reinvent retail supply chains and CX.18 000 engineers, €1 B revenue, 50+ patents—Nagarro's Global CTO Rahul Mahajan explains how generative AI, vector databases and knowledge graphs are reshaping demand planning and personalization at scale.⏱️ CHAPTERS00:00 Intro: product‑to‑service mind‑set 00:22 Meet Rahul Mahajan & Nagarro overview 01:17 Missed NRF meetings + digital engineering culture 02:35 Diversified industries & complex problem solving 03:35 Rahul's 50+ patents in retail AI 04:58 CPG use case: multi‑channel demand planning 06:49 SKU‑level AI forecasting & supply chain accuracy 07:32 “Humanizing personalization” patent explained 08:20 Ecosystem shift: partner products & services 09:29 Agent tech & zero‑downtime integration 10:16 From transactions to lifestyle services 12:08 Patenting novel data structures & AI models 13:19 Knowledge graphs + vectorized semantics 14:24 AI governance: tone, privacy, explainability 15:14 LLM interoperability (OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini) 16:32 Why retailers must move before they're disrupted 17:13 Contact Rahul & closing

Siddharth Mahajan grew up in Vijayapura, a small town in northern Karnataka. Born blind, he faced many challenges in school, including being teased and excluded. But with the support of his family and a few teachers who believed in him, Siddharth slowly built a strong academic path for himself.In this episode of Eyeway Conversations, he talks about:Studying in a mainstream school as a blind studentDeveloping a deep interest in English literatureInterning with The Hindu and completing online global coursesTeaching himself music and releasing his first Kannada trackWhy he wants to become a professor and change how people see disability in educationIf you know someone with vision impairment who needs help or guidance, share the Eyeway Helpline: 8800 00 4334Visit: www.scorefoundation.org.in

Introduction There are several diseases that are canonically recognized as ‘interesting', even by laymen. Whether that is in their mechanism of action, their impact on the patient, or something else entirely. It's hard to tell exactly what makes a medical condition interesting, it's a you-know-it-when-you-see-it sort of thing. One such example is measles. Measles is an unremarkable disease based solely on its clinical progression: fever, malaise, coughing, and a relatively low death rate of 0.2%~. What is astonishing about the disease is its capacity to infect cells of the adaptive immune system (memory B‑ and T-cells). This means that if you do end up surviving measles, you are left with an immune system not dissimilar to one of a just-born infant, entirely naive to polio, diphtheria, pertussis, and every single other infection you received protection against either via vaccines or natural infection. It can take up to 3 [...] ---Outline:(00:21) Introduction(02:48) Why is endometriosis interesting?(04:09) The primary hypothesis of why it exists is not complete(13:20) It is nearly equivalent to cancer(20:08) There is no (real) cure(25:39) There are few diseases on Earth as widespread and underfunded as it is(32:04) Conclusion--- First published: June 14th, 2025 Source: https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/GicDDmpS4mRnXzic5/endometriosis-is-an-incredibly-interesting-disease --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO. ---Images from the article:

Shaitan Choohe | John Yeoman | Hindi Translation Arvind Gupta | Voice Vibha Mahajan**Listen with Irfan (LwI)A tapestry of voices and stories, spun with careSupport LwI - a soulful creation shaped by affection,thriving on the warmth of its listeners. Your contribution helps keep thisfree, bringing global stories, rare sound recordings, and personal musicarchives to all without paywalls. I curate voices, readings from literature,and cultural studies with immense care. Through my recent initiative, Read Aloud Collective,voices from around the world are coming together in celebration of spoken word.Grateful for your love -keep listening, keep supporting!  Curator: IrfanSupport LwI by contributing:  https://rzp.io/rzp/MemorywalaYour comments and feedback are welcome. Write toramrotiaaloo@gmail.com

The Five Chinese Brothers | Writer Claire Huchet Bishop | Hindi Translation Arvind Gupta | Voice Vibha Mahajan*Vibha Mahajan was born in Jalandhar, Punjab. She comes from an Arya Samaj family and completed her education in Jalandhar. After graduating, she earned a professional degree in law (LLB). Vibha got married in Ambala, Haryana, into a family of educationists. Encouraged by her new family, she went on to complete her MA in English and B.Ed.She is currently managing a school established by her family. Alongside her work in education, Vibha has a deep interest in theatre, poetry writing, and spirituality. Although writing poetry is her passion, she finds little time for it due to professional commitments. When she came across Irfan ji's initiative, she decided to register, hoping it might encourage her to carve out some time to write again.Curator: IrfanJoin the Art of Reading:Share Your Story on Listen with IrfanDo you have a passion for reading literature or narrating captivating prose? Here's your chance to shine! I'm thrilled to announce a new collaborative series, Art of Reading, on my podcast channel, Listen with Irfan.If you love bringing stories to life, I'm offering you a platform to showcase your talent.Record a short story of your choice (maximum 8 minutes) and share it with a community of like-minded narrators and listeners. This is a free, non-commercial initiative to connect aspiring narrators, promote storytelling, and build a creative community. No monetization, just pure love for the art of narration.How to Participate:- Choose a short story or piece of prose you're passionate about.- Record it with clear audio using a mobile phone or audio recorder. Do not include your name or the story's title in the recording.- Background music is optional, but avoid copyrighted tracks to prevent hosting issues.- Send your recording via email to ramrotiaaloo@gmail.com or WhatsApp at +91 9818098790.Submission Guidelines- -Submit only MP3 files. - Include:1. Name2. Current City3. Profession4. Brief bio (max 80 words)5. Photograph (if requested after review)  Full credit to the writer and narrator will be given on the Listen with Irfan podcast channel. Join us to share your voice, connect with an audience, and celebrate the art of storytelling!Let's create something beautiful together!Cover: IrfanWe respect creative ownership. If you believe this is your work or if appropriate credit hasn't been given, kindly get in touch at ramrotiaaloo@gmail.comBECOME A PATRON : Work on Listen with Irfan takes time, money and hard work to produce. As of now it is being done voluntarily with the family, friends and listeners who came forward for hand holding from its inception.  If you like the Podcasts, admire it, and benefit from its content, please consider awarding us an honorarium to make the future of this Podcast Channel robust and assured.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠यहाँ आपको मिलती हैं वो दुर्लभ आवाज़ें खुद बोलती, गाती और बहस करती। मनोहर श्याम जोशी, कमलेश्वर, कृष्णा सोबती, बी वी कारंत, शमशेर बहादुर सिंह, बलराज साहनी, अज्ञेय, रसूलन बाई, निर्मल वर्मा, मंगलेश डबराल, राजेंद्र यादव, चंद्रकांत देवताले, भवानी प्रसाद मिश्र, इस्मत चुग़ताई, सत्यदेव दुबे, त्रिलोचन, अमरीश पुरी, इब्राहीम अल्क़ाज़ी, मोहन उप्रेती, गोरख पांडेय, नैना देवी, वीरेन डंगवाल, मन्नू भंडारी, भीष्म साहनी, देवकी नंदन पांडे आदि के अलावा अनगिनत भारतीय और विदेशी समकालीन विचारक, कलाकार, लेखक, कवि और सांस्कृतिक लड़ाके। किताबों पर चर्चा के पॉडकास्ट, संगीत, फिल्म रिव्यू और स्ट्रीट रिकॉर्डिंग्स का एकमात्र पॉडकास्ट मंच। Details to support this Podcast Channel i.e. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Listen with Irfan⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ :-Bank Name: State Bank Of IndiaName: SYED MOHD IRFANAccount No:32188719331Branch: State Bank of India, Vaishali Sec 4, GhaziabadIFSC–SBIN0013238UPI/Gpay ID irfan.rstv-2@oksbiPayPal ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠paypal.me/farah121116⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠RazorPay etc ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://irfaniyat.stck.me/⁠⁠⁠Cover: Irfan

 ABOUT OUR GUEST:  Sameedha Mahajan, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP ND, is an Architectural Designer at HDR, currently involved in critical infrastructure projects and aviation architecture in the USA. As a graduate of KRVIA, India, and Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, her journey as a first-generation immigrant and a woman of color in the Architecture-Engineering-Construction industry has been both challenging and rewarding. Recently, she was honored to receive the O-1 visa, which is awarded to professionals for extraordinary ability in their fields. Sameedha is deeply committed to mentoring students and emerging professionals and fostering inclusive growth within the design community. She also writes about architecture and urban design for various print and digital publications, contributing to the broader discourse on the built environment.  CONNECT WITH SAMEEDHA Social Media: LinkedIn   EPISODE AND EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS Sameedha's Design Observer Article Link Allyship Episode with H.J. Dewes Empowering Women in Industry Membership National Event - Registration Link!! Empowering Women in Industry Magazine Empowering Women in Industry Website Empowering Women in Industry Virtual Events  QUOTES AND KEY TAKEAWAYS “You don't need to wait until you feel ready to take up space. Please take up space—because if you wait for the perfect moment, you may never begin.” “Even small, everyday actions can make someone feel seen and valued—and that makes a big difference.” “My story begins in India, where I was raised in a household deeply influenced by design. My father is an architect and an urban designer, so I was surrounded by drawings, construction sites, and conversations about design.” “I was struck by the messy beauty of Indian urban life.” “As a first-generation immigrant, navigating a new country, new people, new experiences—it was exciting... and kind of scary.” “India is like a melting pot of different cultures and settlements. I realized how good design can elevate your life—by giving access to resources like healthcare and education.” “This role of design was highlighted for me early on, and I knew I wanted to help people shape their lives through it.” “Given how the world is changing—with data science, sustainability, and public policy touching everything—I wanted to explore how those forces impact design.” 

Our feature guest this week is Nipun Mahajan, EVP at ISACA Denver. News from and a lot more! Support us on Patreon! Fun swag available - all proceeds will directly support the Colorado = Security infrastructure. Come join us on the new Colorado = Security Slack channel to meet old and new friends. Sign up for our mailing list on the main site to receive weekly updates - https://www.colorado-security.com/. If you have any questions or comments, or any organizations or events we should highlight, contact Alex and Robb at info@colorado-security.com This week's news: Join the Colorado = Security Slack channel Boulder, Colorado Named New Host of Sundance Film Festival Beginning in 2027 Popular grocery chain plans expansion into the Denver-metro area Denver sporting goods maker expands more than threefold Denver-based Angi Inc. completes spin-off, becomes independent Ball Corp. offloads product line to new joint venture Denver cryptocurrency company is being bought by a major industry player Five Critical Insights from the State of Trust Summit What does Google's $32B acquisition of cloud security startup Wiz mean for security operations? | Red Canary Upcoming Events: Check out the full calendar ISSA Denver - Insider Threats: A Hacker's Perspective - 4/9 CSA Colorado - Securing the Cloud - Attack Vectors - 4/15 Denver OWASP - The Attacker's Distributed Supercomputer: Your Browser - 4/16 ISACA Denver - Annual General Meeting - 4/17 Let's Talk Software Security - Can't We Just Automate Application Security? - 4/17 ISSA Pikes Peak - Chapter Meeting - 4/23 View our events page for a full list of upcoming events * Thanks to CJ Adams for our intro and exit! If you need any voiceover work, you can contact him here at carrrladams@gmail.com. Check out his other voice work here. * Intro and exit song: "The Language of Blame" by The Agrarians is licensed under CC BY 2.0

http://www.sherylkline.com/blogIn the latest Fearless Female Leadership episode, I had the opportunity to speak with Deep Mahajan, Vice President of Talent Management at Juniper Networks, about the transformative power of empathy in the workplace—and how it's anything but a “soft” skill. Deep shared her personal journey, the pivotal influence of her father, and how empathy is not only a moral imperative but a performance-driving force within high-achieving organizations.Deep's leadership philosophy began taking shape in a small town in Rajasthan, India, where she watched her father—at the peak of his career as a surgeon—pivot to a life of service. His courageous example inspired her to choose a people-centered path, ultimately leading her to the world of talent development and performance strategy.Throughout her career, Deep challenged conventional norms and followed a purpose-led approach, opting for authenticity and human-centric design over prestige or tradition. Her commitment to building empathetic systems has enabled her to scale high-performance cultures while still honoring each employee's unique journey.In our conversation, Deep breaks down how empathy is woven into every part of performance management: from setting collaborative goals to delivering meaningful feedback, and from personalized development to building a culture of trust and inclusion. Her message is clear—empathy isn't optional, it's essential.Key takeaways from the interview:0:00:57 – Deep's father was her first role model in empathy, choosing community service over personal accolades at the height of his medical career.0:03:27 – Her career path shifted from engineering and medicine to economics and ultimately HR, driven by her desire to help people grow.0:04:41 – Empathy is a critical ingredient in performance management—it enhances goal setting, feedback, development, and recognition.0:06:53 – Lack of empathy in leadership leads to broken systems, disengagement, and underperformance.0:08:15 – Continuous, two-way conversations drive better outcomes than impersonal, once-a-year performance reviews.0:09:12 – High-performance cultures depend on balancing bold expectations with genuine, consistent care for individuals.0:10:00 – The future of work demands personalization, and empathetic systems are key to retaining and inspiring top talent.0:11:08 – Empathy must be authentic—it can't be faked. Caring must come from a place of real connection.0:11:50 – Deep's “5-second rule” helps leaders pause and respond with empathy in emotionally charged conversations.0:12:21 – True empathy is about listening to understand, not to respond—especially when tensions are high.If Deep's insights resonated with you, I'd love to hear your story. Let's connect and explore how you can bring strategic empathy into your own leadership journey.If you're interested in being featured on the Fearless Female Leadership podcast, please email me at info@sherylkline.com. If you're a leader looking to gain clarity on ‘what's next', build cohesive, high-performing teams, or lead with greater confidence and influence, let's have a confidential conversation.Also, if your company would like to be a part of the 10-company book speaking roadshow for my new book, The Fearless Female Leader, I'd love to discuss it with you!Cheering you on always! —Sheryl

In this episode, I connect with Reena Mahajan, founder of Paris-based Studio Divercity, to discuss creating people-centered and nature-based cities and reducing car dependency in cities around the globe. Studio Divercity envisions a world where people-centered & nature-positive cities replace car-centric urban sprawl. Reena is an architect, urban planner, and mobility advocate with a strong background in low-impact, water-sensitive, and sustainable urban development. Her story is yet another example of a parent radicalized into being a safe streets activist while trying to keep her young child safe from the violence posed by car drivers. We also gush a bit about the fabulous Paris School Streets program and street greening efforts.Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform. Also, don't forget to check out the Active Towns Channel for more video content.Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel):- Studio DiverCity website- Tom Flood's Rovelo Creative website- My first episode w/ Tom Flood- My second episode w/ Tom Flood- My Paris 2015 car-free day videoIf you are a fan of the Active Towns Podcast, please consider supporting the effort as an Active Towns Ambassador in the following ways:1. Join our Patreon community. Contributions start at just $3 per month2. If you enjoyed this episode, you can also "leave a tip" through "Buy Me a Coffee"3. Make a donation to my non-profit, Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc., to help support my pro bono work with citiesCredits:- Video and audio production by John Simmerman- Music via Epidemic SoundResources used during the production of this video:- My recording platform is Ecamm Live- Editing software Adobe Creative Cloud Suite- Equipment: Contact me for a complete listFor more information about the Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit our links below:- Active Towns Website- Active Towns on Bluesky- Weekly Update e-NewsletterBackground:Hi Everyone! My name is John Simmerman, and I'm a health promotion and public health professional with over 30 years of experience. Over the years, my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization in how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.Since 2010,  I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be while striving to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."The Active Towns Channel features my original video content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.Thanks once again for tuning in! I hope you find this content helpful and insightful.Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2025 ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Send Maria a text HERE :) In this episode of The Small Nonprofit Podcast, Maria chats with Sheela Mahajan, founder of the Nonprofit Science Institute and host of the Nonprofit Science Podcast. Sheela shares how nonprofits can move beyond reactive decision-making and start thinking more strategically. They discuss the challenges of shifting organizational mindsets, how to implement systematic decision-making processes, and the importance of defining problems before jumping to solutions. Sheela introduces the Signals Framework, a structured approach to problem-solving that empowers nonprofit leaders to make data-driven decisions with confidence. Key Topics Covered: Why nonprofits struggle with decision-making Introducing the signals framework Rethinking fundraising events Overcoming resistance to change The power of documentation in decision-making Actionable tips: ➜ Use the signals framework: write down the specific problem you're solving, collect data, and test solutions systematically. ➜ Get everyone in the room: bring together staff, leadership, and board members to align on key challenges. ➜ Track decision-making: keep records of strategic decisions to help future teams stay informed. ➜ Shift the culture: encourage a data-driven mindset rather than relying on “this is how we've always done it.” ➜ Start small: test the framework on a single issue before applying it organization-wide. Resources: Nonprofit Science Institute – Website Nonprofit Science Podcast – Listen Here Free Ebook: The Signals Framework – Download Here Connect with Us: Connect with Maria Rio Connect with Sheela Mahajan Subscribe and Review: Don't forget to subscribe to The Small Nonprofit Podcast on your favorite platform! Leave a review to help us reach more listeners and continue providing valuable insights. Watch this episode on YouTube. Support the Podcast: Support these conversations by donating here. Coming Next Week: Join us next week for a must-listen episode on landing your dream nonprofit job!

On this episode we hear from Saloni. Founder of Paras Corporation which is a PR agency specialising in hospitality and travel sector. When she started, she identified a gap in the market and has continued to grow the business from there and now has two physical offices in India and in Dubai. She describes her work as promoting the soul of the property. We went onto having a great conversation about women in leadership and as entrepreneurs in India. The topic of balance came up, but not in the way we normally speak about. It is actually the balance of culture and tradition, and how women are born to wear multiple hats. We also discussed the evolving Indian traveller who are now looking for the non-conventional travel destinations, one that is worth taking note of.

In this enlightening episode we welcome back the highly esteemed Rebecca Edwards, Director of Education at Activated Probiotics, to dive into the emerging and critical topic of the oral microbiome. The conversation covers the fundamental aspects of the oral microbiome, its significant links to brain health, Alzheimer's disease, cardiovascular issues, pregnancy outcomes, immune health, and even COVID-19 predispositions. Rebecca reveals the frightening realities of oral bacteria, including the pathways through which oral health can influence systemic conditions like Alzheimer's and rheumatoid arthritis. The podcast also emphasises practical actions for maintaining oral hygiene, the role of diet and hydration, and the groundbreaking potential of oral probiotics. Additionally, the episode provides a sneak peek into the upcoming Activated Probiotics Symposium, featuring a stellar lineup of speakers and groundbreaking topics aimed at shifting paradigms in healthcare.EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:03:19 The importance of oral hygiene03:51 Understanding the oral microbiome06:45 The oral microbiome and public health09:05 The rise of microbiome interest post-COVID16:25 The oral microbiome's impact on brain health24:43 The role of dental plaque and gum disease29:49 Oral health and systemic diseases35:34 Call to action for practitioners38:19 The impact of COVID on healthcare39:28 Oral health and genetic predispositions41:29 The importance of dental care accessibility42:48 Rethinking mouthwash and bacteria45:26 Diet and oral microbiome48:02 Cardiovascular health and oral hygiene53:19 Probiotics for oral health59:13 Practical tips for oral hygiene01:03:04 Upcoming probiotic symposiumTickets to Activated Probiotics Symposium here:https://events.humanitix.com/activated-probiotics-symposium-2025Activated Probiotics instagram:https://www.instagram.com/activatedprobiotics/References to the oral microbiome:Kanagasingam S, von Ruhland C, Welbury R, Singhrao S K. Antimicrobial, polarizing light, and paired helical filament properties of fragmented tau peptides of selected putative gingipains. J Alzheimers Dis 2022; doi: 10.3233/JAD-220486.Kanagasingam S, von Ruhland C, Welbury R, Chukkapalli S S, Singhrao S K. Porphyromonas gingivalis conditioned medium induces amyloidogenic processing of the amyloid-β Protein precursor upon in vitro infection of SH-SY5Y cells. J Alzheimers Dis Rep 2022; doi: 10.3233/ADR-220029.Haditsch U, Roth T, Rodriguez L, Hancock S, Cecere T, Nguyen M, Arastu-Kapur S, Broce S, Raha D, Lynch CC, Holsinger LJ, Dominy SS, Ermini F. Alzheimer's Disease-Like Neurodegeneration in Porphyromonas gingivalis Infected Neurons with Persistent Expression of Active Gingipains. J Alzheimers Dis. 2020;75(4):1361-1376. doi: 10.3233/JAD-200393. PMID: 32390638; PMCID: PMC7369049.Stephen S. Dominy et al. ,Porphyromonas gingivalis in Alzheimer's disease brains: Evidence for disease causation and treatment with small-molecule inhibitors.Sci. Adv.5,eaau3333(2019).DOI:10.1126/sciadv.aau3333The Oral-Gut-Brain AXIS: The Influence of Microbes in Alzheimer's DiseaseNarengaowa1, Wei Kong1, Fei Lan1, Umer Farooq Awan2, Hong Qing1* and Junjun Ni1*References to all 11 studies on Biome BreatheRanjith, A., Nazimudeen, N. Bin, & Baiju, K. V. (2022). Probiotic mouthwash as an adjunct to mechanical therapy in the treatment of stage II periodontitis: A randomized controlled clinical trial. International Journal of Dental Hygiene, 20(2), 415–421. https://doi.org/10.1111/idh.12589Doppalapudi, R., Vundavalli, S., & Prabhat, M. (2020). Effect of probiotic bacteria on oral Candida in head‑ and neck‑radiotherapy patients: A randomized clinical trial. Journal of Cancer Research and Therapeutics, 6(3), 470–477. https://doi.org/10.4103/jcrt.JCRTThakkar, P. K., Imranulla, M., Kumar, P. G. N., Prashant, G. M., Sakeenabi, B., & Sushanth, V. H. (2013). Effect of probiotic mouthrinse on dental plaque accumulation: A randomized controlled trial. Dentistry and Medical Research|, 1(1), 7–12.Purunaik, S., Thippeswamy, H. M., & Chavan, S. S. (2014). To Evaluate the Effect of Probiotic Mouthrinse on Plaque and Gingivitis among 15-16 Year Old School Children of Mysore City, India- Randomized Controlled Trial. Global Journal of Medical Research, 14(4), 9–14.Jothika, M., Vanajassun, Pp., & Someshwar, B. (2015). Effectiveness of probiotic, chlorhexidine and fluoride mouthwash against Streptococcus mutans - randomised, single-blind, in-vivo study. Journal of International Society of Preventive and Community Dentistry, 5(7), 44. https://doi.org/10.4103/2231-0762.156153Jindal, G., Pandey, R. K., Agarwal, J., & Singh, M. (2011). A comparative evaluation of probiotics on salivary mutans streptococci counts in Indian children. European Archives of Paediatric Dentistry, 12(4), 211–215. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03262809Manikandan, S., Behera, S., Karthikeyan, R., Niranjana, A., Bharathan, R., & Mohammed, O. B. (2020). Effect of green tea extract mouthrinse and probiotic mouthrinse on salivary pH in a group of schoolchildren: An in vivo study. Journal of Pharmacy And Bioallied Sciences, 12(5), 404. https://doi.org/10.4103/jpbs.JPBS_119_20Jindal, V., Mahajan, N., Goel, A., Kaur, R., Mahajan, A., & Malhotra, P. (2017). Clinical efficacy of probiotic mouthwash in the treatment of gingivitis patients in Himachal population. Journal of the International Clinical Dental Research Organization, 9(1), 41. https://doi.org/10.4103/2231-0754.207386Deshmukh, M. A., Dodamani, A. S., Karibasappa, G., Khairnar, M. R., Naik, R. G., & Jadhav, H. C. (2017). Comparative evaluation of the efficacy of probiotic, herbal and chlorhexidine mouthwash on gingival health: A randomized clinical trial. Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research, 11(3), ZC13–ZC16. https://doi.org/10.7860/JCDR/2017/23891.9462Sharma, P., Datta, G., Gandhi, K., & Kumar, D. (2019). A comparative evaluation of efficacy of probiotic and chlorhexidine mouthrinses on gingival health and plaque accumulation in 6-9 year old children. International Journal of Applied Dental Sciences, 5(1), 156–162. http://www.oraljournal.com/archives/2019/5/1/C/5-1-43Doppalapudi, R., Vundavalli, S., & Prabhat, M. P. V. (2020). Effect of probiotic bacteria on oral Candida in head‑ and neck‑radiotherapy patients: A randomized clinical trial. Journal of Cancer Research and Therapeutics, 16, 470–477. https://doi.org/10.4103/jcrt.JCRT

* Israel approves plan to withdraw troops from Gaza: report Israel is moving forward with plans to withdraw its troops from Gaza, following progress in prisoner exchange talks with Hamas, according to media reports. Haaretz newspaper reported that the military has approved several withdrawal strategies aimed at swiftly pulling soldiers out of the area. One of the options being considered includes using the Netzarim Corridor, which splits Gaza into two, as a potential exit route. * Houthis claim another attack on US aircraft carrier in Red Sea The Houthis in Yemen say they've launched another attack on the USS Harry Truman aircraft carrier in the Red Sea. Their military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, stated that missiles and drones were used to target the ship in the northern Red Sea. He explained that the attack aimed to push the carrier out of its operational area. * Sudan paramilitary leader says 'lost' key Al-Jazirah state capital The leader of Sudan's Rapid Support Forces, or the RSF, has admitted that his troops have lost control of Wad Madani, the capital of Al-Jazirah state, after an army offensive. In a message to the paramilitaries and the public, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo vowed to retake the city, a key hub in central Sudan. The RSF had held it since December 2023. Meanwhile, the army, which has been fighting the RSF since April, announced on Saturday that it had entered Wad Madani and was clearing out "remnants of the rebels". * Ethiopia, Somalia restore full diplomatic relations Ethiopia and Somalia have decided to fully restore their diplomatic ties, a move the two nations announced in a joint statement. The announcement came after a meeting between Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, where they discussed ways to strengthen their relationship and address shared priorities. Back in April 2024, Somalia expelled Ethiopia's ambassador and shut down its consulates in Hargeisa, following tensions over the Somaliland port deal. The dispute was eventually resolved with the Ankara Declaration, brokered by Türkiye. * Toxic smoke from LA wildfires poses health risk People in Los Angeles are being urged to stay indoors as dangerous wildfire smoke spreads across the area. Massive fires burning in and around the city have filled the air with toxic fumes, creating health risks for residents. Anish Mahajan from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health explained in a press conference that wildfire smoke contains a mix of fine particles, gases and water vapours. It's those small particles that can get into your nose and throat, causing sore throats and headaches, Mahajan said, advising caution for everyone—even those who are otherwise healthy.

Join us for a lively conversation with Aditi Mahajan as she reveals her secrets to creating stunning, color-infused artwork, her journey in the crafting community, and how being an Altenew Educator has shaped her creative process. Find out how her culture and her work as a psychologist inspires her style.Bring your card designs to life with the power of color! Join Chromatic Harmony Online Cardmaking Class https://altenew.com/products/chromatic-harmonyCraft your life with Altenew! Follow us for more design inspiration:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/altenewllc/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@altenewFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/altenewYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/altenewPinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/altenew/Card blog: https://www.blog.altenew.comScrapbook blog: https://www.mixedmedia.altenew.comCheck out Artistry by AltenewInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/artistrybyaltenew/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCY0ifFqCq6irkxFZeQGrXgVisit https://www.altenew.com to shop for your crafting stash.Contact our Customer Happiness Team at support@altenew.com if you have any questions.

In the latest episode of the Discover Your SecondAct Podcast, we have a very special guest—RJ Ginnie AKA Ginnie Mahajan!Ginnie is an award-winning radio jockey and the beloved host of the morning show Suno Na Dilli on Radio City Delhi 91.1In the conversation, we talked about her journey as an influential voice in the radio industry, the current state of the field, and exciting career opportunities. She also shared her tips on becoming a great RJ, embarrassing stories and her SecondAct.Need to start your own podcast? SecondAct Studio is the right place for you. For inquiries, DM us atInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/secondactbyarchhana/LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3Qz9LmSWebsite: https://thesecondact.in/Follow our Host – Archana DuttaInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/_archanadutta/LinkedIn- https://www.linkedin.com/in/archana-dutta/  Follow Ginnie MahajanInstagram- https://www.instagram.com/rjginnie/Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/rjginnie/#secondact #rjginnie #radiocity #radioshow #sunonadilli #radiojockey #podcastindia

Subscribe to Receive Venkat's Weekly Newsletter Digital SAT is here. Today we feature 2 high school seniors, Eva and Emily from Jenks High School to share their experiences with the Digital SAT. They talk about the structure of the test, how they prepared for it, The differences between the Paper and Digital Test, and their Advice for Juniors. Topics discussed in this episode: Introducing Eva Mahajan, Emily Seo, Jenks High School [] Digital SAT Overall Experience  [] Setup [] Parts of the Test [] Dynamic Modules [] Eva “Prefers Paper” [] Scratch Paper [] Practice Tests [] Differences between the Practice and Real Test [] Paper versus Digital [] Advice for Juniors [] Retaking the Test? [] Our Guests: Eva Mahajan and Emily Seo, Senior Jenks High School, Tulsa OK. Memorable Quote: “So first I would tell them to take as many practice tests as possible, because that's how I like to study. And I soon learned the grammar patterns and the formatting pretty well. And then I would also say, Make sure not to cram study the day or even week before, and to create a schedule over a longer period of time.” Emily Seo. Episode Transcript: Please visit Episode Transcript. Calls-to-action: Follow us on Instagram. To Ask the Guest a question, or to comment on this episode, email podcast@almamatters.io. Subscribe or Follow our podcasts at any of these locations: Apple Podcasts, Spotify and others.

Mona Mahajan, senior investment strategist at Edward Jones, says the stock market is likely to moderate, but investors should lean into any volatility or price declines as an opportunity to buy and build their portfolio. In a wide-ranging Big Interview, Mahajan — who sees a soft landing as the most likely economic outlook — gives her take on every asset class from the Magnificent Seven to small-cap stocks, from bonds and precious metals to alternative investments. Todd Rosenbluth, head of research at VettaFi, makes the Van Eck Morningstar SMID Moat fund his ETF of the Week.  In the Market Call, Jeffrey DeMaso, editor of The Independent Vanguard Adviser, discusses Vanguard funds and ETFs. 

Osteosarcoma Webinar Series: Osteosarcoma Webinar Series: One of our MIB Agents OutSmarting Osteosarcoma 2024 grant recipients, Dr. Shahana Mahajan, a Professor and Principal Investigator from Hunter College of the City University of New York will provide an overview of her funded work on repurposing drugs for metastatic osteosarcoma. Dr. Mahajan will share the recent findings from her lab on testing the efficacy of Riluzole in osteosarcoma cell lines and patient-derived cell lines. Riluzole is a glutamate-release inhibitor and has been used for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) for decades and is being tested for other neurodegenerative disorders. Riluzole has shown promising results in glutamate receptor-expressing melanoma and other cancer types. The Mahajan Lab efforts are invested in establishing Riluzole as a possible treatment option for osteosarcoma for which targeted therapy has not been successful due to lack of oncogenic driver mutations. In their lab, Riluzole has shown efficacy in inhibiting proliferation, migration, and invasive ability of osteosarcoma cells in 11 cell lines and 4 patient-derived lines. Dr. Mahajan earned a Ph.D. from the Indian Institute of Science, a premier Institute in India in the field of Molecular Biology. She did postdoctoral studies at Weill Cornell Medical College in the Department of Pharmacology and at NYU Langone Medical Center in the Department of Biochemistry. She continued her research at NYU Langone Medical Center as a Research Assistant Professor until she joined Hunter College as an Assistant Professor in 2007. At Hunter, she continued her research neuroscience to investigate glutamate-induced excitotoxicity in rat hippocampal neurons. After her lab was lost to Hurricane Sandy, she reinitiated her research in osteosarcoma. In 2015, her lab moved to Belfer Research Building which is a part of Weill Cornell Medical College. She was appointed as an adjunct faculty at Weill Cornell Medical College. After a short presentation on this research, she will take questions from attendees. Share your questions in advance with us at Christina@MIBAgents.org.

Mumbai-based director Subhadra Mahajan discusses her debut feature film ‘Second Chance' which just had its Hollywood premiere at AFI, following a World premiere at Karlovy Vary earlier this year. Past inspirations include her love for the Iranian New Wave and Andrea Arnold's ‘Fish Tank'.She speaks on her filmmaking journey, influenced by classic Hollywood films, and reflects on her storytelling process, character development, and the collaborative nature of filmmaking. The discussion also delves into the themes of healing, nature, and the unlikely friendships made while making films. Subhadra emphasizes the importance of breaking traditional filmmaking rules to foster creativity, the challenges of working with a low budget, and the significance of community in film festivals. What Movies Are You Watching?Like, subscribe and follow us on our socials @pastpresentfeature

She holds numerous world records. But even today, her passion is not really considered 'sport'. It has been over a decade since she was honoured with the Padma Shri. Yet she still has to go struggle for being acknowledged by - and seek permissions from - various authorities. Despite all this, nobody has been able to deter Sheetal Mahajan from her goal. Having overcome, various challenges and hurdles over the past two decades, Sheetal Mahajan has made great strides in the field of skydiving. She has indeed emerged as an inspiration for young athletes in the country. On the occasion of Daughter's Day, let's meet the girl who flies high into - and dives from - the sky.अनेक विश्वविक्रम तिच्या नावावर आहेत. पण आजही ती करते ते 'खेळ' म्हणून गृहित धरलं जात नाही. पद्मश्री पुरस्काराने तिला गौरवण्यात आलं, त्यालाही आता दशकभराचा कालावधी लोटला. तरीही अजूनही राजाश्रयासाठी आणि परवानग्यांसाठी तिला उंबरे झिजवावे लागतात. असं सगळं असलं तरी शीतल महाजनला तिच्या ध्येयापासून कोणीही परावृत्त करू शकलेलं नाही. गेली दोन दशकं विविध आव्हानं आणि अडथळ्यांवर मात करत स्कायडायव्हिंग क्षेत्रात तिने उत्तुंग भरारी घेतली आहे. स्कायडायव्हिंग क्षेत्रातली ही 'शीतल' फुंकर देशातल्या असंख्य युवा खेळाडूंसाठी प्रेरणास्थान ठरली आहे. डॉटर्स डे च्या निमित्ताने भेटूया आकाशाशी नाते जोडणाऱ्या लेकीला.

Welcome to The Nonlinear Library, where we use Text-to-Speech software to convert the best writing from the Rationalist and EA communities into audio. This is: Generative ML in chemistry is bottlenecked by synthesis, published by Abhishaike Mahajan on September 18, 2024 on LessWrong. Introduction Every single time I design a protein - using ML or otherwise - I am confident that it is capable of being manufactured. I simply reach out to Twist Biosciences, have them create a plasmid that encodes for the amino acids that make up my proteins, push that plasmid into a cell, and the cell will pump out the protein I created. Maybe the cell cannot efficiently create the protein. Maybe the protein sucks. Maybe it will fold in weird ways, isn't thermostable, or has some other undesirable characteristic. But the way the protein is created is simple, close-ended, cheap, and almost always possible to do. The same is not true of the rest of chemistry. For now, let's focus purely on small molecules, but this thesis applies even more-so across all of chemistry. Of the 1060 small molecules that are theorized to exist, most are likely extremely challenging to create. Cellular machinery to create arbitrary small molecules doesn't exist like it does for proteins, which are limited by the 20 amino-acid alphabet. While it is fully within the grasp of a team to create millions of de novo proteins, the same is not true for de novo molecules in general (de novo means 'designed from scratch'). Each chemical, for the most part, must go through its custom design process. Because of this gap in 'ability-to-scale' for all of non-protein chemistry, generative models in chemistry are fundamentally bottlenecked by synthesis. This essay will discuss this more in-depth, starting from the ground up of the basics behind small molecules, why synthesis is hard, how the 'hardness' applies to ML, and two potential fixes. As is usually the case in my Argument posts, I'll also offer a steelman to this whole essay. To be clear, this essay will not present a fundamentally new idea. If anything, it's such an obvious point that I'd imagine nothing I'll write here will be new or interesting to people in the field. But I still think it's worth sketching out the argument for those who aren't familiar with it. What is a small molecule anyway? Typically organic compounds with a molecular weight under 900 daltons. While proteins are simply long chains composed of one-of-20 amino acids, small molecules display a higher degree of complexity. Unlike amino acids, which are limited to carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen, small molecules incorporate a much wider range of elements from across the periodic table. Fluorine, phosphorus, bromine, iodine, boron, chlorine, and sulfur have all found their way into FDA-approved drugs. This elemental variety gives small molecules more chemical flexibility but also makes their design and synthesis more complex. Again, while proteins benefit from a universal 'protein synthesizer' in the form of a ribosome, there is no such parallel amongst small molecules! People are certainly trying to make one, but there seems to be little progress. So, how is synthesis done in practice? For now, every atom, bond, and element of a small molecule must be carefully orchestrated through a grossly complicated, trial-and-error reaction process which often has dozens of separate steps. The whole process usually also requires non-chemical parameters, such as adjusting the pH, temperature, and pressure of the surrounding medium in which the intermediate steps are done. And, finally, the process must also be efficient; the synthesis processes must not only achieve the final desired end-product, but must also do so in a way that minimizes cost, time, and required sources. How hard is that to do? Historically, very hard. Consider erythromycin A, a common antibiotic. Erythromycin was isolated in 1949, a natural metabolic byproduct of Streptomyces erythreus, a soil mi...

Bianca Blake and Prashant Mahajan are the co-founders of Klickrr.Klickrr is a cloud-based communications platform that provides an easy-to-use, ‘done for you' service, helping businesses send compliant text messages that cut through the clutter and connect with their customers. It is designed to help startups and mid-sized businesses enhance their revenue, make it predictable, and scale efficiently.Bianca, who now holds the role of CEO, is a hugely experienced marketer with a rich professional background, including 15 years of global marketing experience in various sectors including pharmaceutical, consumer healthcare, and FMCG.Prashant, who now acts as Klickrr's CTO, designed and built the Klickrr platform from the ground up, serving over 100 businesses, government agencies, non-profits, and SMEs, sending millions of SMS messages since its inception.In this episode:Bianca and Prashant share their professional and entrepreneurial journey as co-founders of Klickrr.They discuss the key role that SMS can still play in the successful marketing and communications strategy of businesses of all sizes.They offer tips on how a business can set themselves up for success in advance of launching their own SMS marketing channel.Both talk about the own challenges behind the brand development and marketing of the Kilckrr business itself and their plans for future growth as business leaders.

When I learned about today's guest as a working mom, business owner, and CEO of the Nonprofit Science Institute, I couldn't wait to have her on the podcast.Sheela Mahajan helps nonprofits go from intangible and ambiguous goals to quantifiable, measured impact. She is leading the effort in bringing scientific thinking to the nonprofit field. Sheela is sharing her Signals Framework with us, a process to help nonprofits make informed decisions, and explaining how scientific thinking can help your nonprofit.In this episode:[05:58] Practical strategies for science based decision making[11:11] A case study of scientific thinking leading to significant measurable outcomes[18:52] Developing effective implementation plans grounded in evidence[24:36] Coaching clients on scientific data-driven decision making[28:31] Prioritizing buy-in and belonging with the Signals FrameworkRESOURCESTake the leap into successful fundraising with the Savvy Fundraiser Fundamentals Course. The ultimate guide designed for nonprofits that have been around for a while, but haven't delved into the world of fundraising yet. This course covers everything from crafting compelling campaigns to collaborating effectively with your team, ensuring you have all the tools you need to elevate your fundraising efforts.CONNECT WITH SHEELALinkedIn: Sheela MahajanWebsite: nonprofit-science.comIn 2012, I started a nonprofit in a small village in Malawi, living alone, facing many challenges, I built a successful organization. This book is a tale of resilience, passion, and community strength. Discover the highs, lows, lessons learned, and unforgettable moments that shaped my journey. Whether you're in the nonprofit world, thinking of starting one, or just love a great story, pre-order HERE< As the fundraising engine of choice for over 80,000 organizations in 90+ countries, Donorbox's easy-to-use fundraising tools help you raise more money in more ways. Seamlessly embed a customizable donation form into your website that reduces donor drop-off with a 4x faster checkout, launch a crowdfunding or peer-to-peer campaign, sell event tickets, raise funds on the go with Donorbox Live™ Kiosk, and much more. Learn more at donorbox.orgCONNECT WITH HALEYHaley is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE), Certified Stress Management Coach, and Certified EmC train the trainer. She is the Founder of The Savvy Fundraiser, a nonprofit consulting and coaching business. She has worked in both small and large nonprofit teams in the human services, homelessness, and youth sectors; and she specializes in the EmC process, nonprofit leadership, board development, and fundraising. Haley is a passionate, impact-driven, experienced nonprofit professional whose mission is to empower, elevate and engage nonprofit leaders to build healthy, thriving organizations.Instagram: @thesavvyfundraiser LinkedIn: Haley Cooper, CFREWebsite: thesavvyfundraiser.comProduced by Ideablossoms

Welcome to The Nonlinear Library, where we use Text-to-Speech software to convert the best writing from the Rationalist and EA communities into audio. This is: Things I learned talking to the new breed of scientific institution, published by Abhishaike Mahajan on August 30, 2024 on LessWrong. Note: this article is sponsored by and cross-posted to the Good Science Project. They also write a fair bit, and their articles were essential reading for writing this essay! Also, this article would not be possible without the hours of discussion/editing help I've had with several people from these institutions, and a few outside of them. Huge shout-out to all of them! Introduction Arcadia Science, Speculative Technologies, FutureHouse, Arc, and Convergent. All of these are a new form of scientific institute. Most are funded entirely by a few billionaires. Most are non-profits. Most of them focus on the life-sciences. Most of them have sprung up in just the last few years. They do all also have one common thread: a grand statement. We are an experiment in a new way to do science. And they are! Traditionally, research is conducted in academic or private industry labs - dependent on NIH grants in the former and markets in the latter. Given the (often singular) sources of no-strings-attached funding, these new institutions need not satisfy either the NIH or the markets, allowing them to conduct research in a unique fashion. In one sense, the experimental aspect of these institutions revolves around the focus of the research itself, addressing fields or using methods that the founders - correctly or not - view as underserved/underutilized. But, on a more subtle level, the experimental aspect could be more closely tied to the culture of these organizations. Institutions like Arcadia, FutureHouse, and the rest could be viewed as the production of auteurs - a term from filmmaking for films with such a heavy sense of the director's personal taste that the film is inseparable from the director. This is where the novelty within these institutions primarily lie, in how the founders of the institute wish science was conducted. And wielding billions of dollars, thousands of hours of work, and hundreds of scientists as a means to test whether their theories are correct. Of course, nothing under the sun is truly new. There is an age-old history of scientist dissatisfaction with how 'things are traditionally done', and confidently building new institutions to solve the problems they've seen. Many of these are now household names amongst researchers: Broad Institute, Whitehead Institute, Max Planck Society, Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), and so on. Each of these were started with similar contrarian mentalities as the current era of institutions. Some of these were more experimental than others, most notably HHMI, which prized itself on its focus on interdisciplinary research above all else. But all were experiments, many of them extraordinarily successful. Yet, the current iteration of new research institutes is still arguably more experimental than its ancestors. While the last generation of institutes was typically tied directly to universities, the current era of ones (outside of Arc) are independent, allowing them a larger sense of opinionation on how science should be done. But, despite this experimentation, there is relatively little information out there on what's going on inside them. Not in terms of science, but more-so the vibes. While aspects of these organizations have been written about previously, such as in articles in The Atlantic and Endpoints, they aren't assessing vibes! These other articles are, first and foremost, news-pieces; valuable, but lack any opinionated observations on the inner-workings of the institutions. Nadia Asparouhova's essay on the subject comes closest to this regarding the history of these institutions, but still few details on how they practically function. This essay attempts to discuss that missing s...

Welcome to The Nonlinear Library, where we use Text-to-Speech software to convert the best writing from the Rationalist and EA communities into audio. This is: A primer on the current state of longevity research, published by Abhishaike Mahajan on August 22, 2024 on LessWrong. Note: This post is co-authored with Stacy Li, a PhD student at Berkeley studying aging biology! Highly appreciate all her help in writing, editing, and fact-checking my understanding! Introduction The last time I read about aging research deeply was around 2021. The general impression I was getting was that aging research was increasingly more and more funded (good!). Unfortunately, none of the money led to actionable or useful insights (bad). Over time, you get slightly burnt out by all the negative news. After getting a job in biotech, I kept a hazy eye on the subject but mostly tuned out of it entirely. But, especially today, I am curious: how has the aging field progressed in the last few years? Since 2021, what has changed? In this post, I'll share a list of immediate questions about the state of affairs in aging research, and the answers I've found for them. For each question, I'll offer some basic background knowledge required to understand the question. Feel free to skip that part if you already understand the question! Did the therapeutic focus on sirtuins amount to much? Background Sirtuins are a family of signaling proteins, commonly referred to by their corresponding gene name, SIRT1, SIRT2, all the way up to SIRT7. Their primary role is deacetylation, which is just the removal of a chemical marker (acetyl) on proteins. It was noticed in the 1980s that some sirtuin classes were especially involved in three key activities: modifying histones, which are proteins that tune the accessibility of DNA in the nucleus, transcriptional modification, which determines how DNA is interpreted by the body, and DNA repair, which speaks for itself. And anything involved in modifying and maintaining DNA is something worth paying attention to! Studies in the 2000s showed that the activity of specific sirtuin classes strongly correlated with age; the young had more sirtuin activity, and the old had less. This seemed to be causative in aging; overexpressing certain sirtuin genes led to lifespan increase and downregulation of them led to lifespan decrease. The results were a bit mixed, and the results were for yeast cells - always a red flag - but there was some promise in viewing sirtuins as an aging target. It turns out that editing humans to safely overexpress sirtuin genes is somewhat hard to do (as is expressing any gene in humans). But there was an easy way around that: focus on molecules that are required for sirtuin to do its job. A class of therapeutics grew from this: sirtuin-activating compounds. How do you activate sirtuins? Well, sirtuins are dependent on NAD+, or nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, to perform their primary function. Increasing cellular NAD+ levels could also be a way to indirectly push for more sirtuin activity. Practically speaking, NAD+ bioavailability is poor, so supplementation with precursors to NAD+, such as nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) and nicotinamide riboside (NR), was instead used. There are plenty of other compounds in this category too: resveratrol, fisetin, and quercetin are all names you may hear mentioned. How has this fared? Answer TLDR: The whole sirtuin theory was losing steam by the time I started reading about it a few years ago. It's only gotten worse. Nothing particularly useful has come from sirtuin-focused therapies, and likely nothing ever will. A Cell paper from 2018 found that NAD+ precursor supplementation didn't improve mice longevity. To be fair, they did show that supplementation improves some aspects of health-span, specifically improved glucose metabolism and reduced oxidative stress to the liver in aged mice, so still potentially useful. But nothing revolutionary. Still, human clinical trials ...

Welcome to The Nonlinear Library, where we use Text-to-Speech software to convert the best writing from the Rationalist and EA communities into audio. This is: A primer on why computational predictive toxicology is hard, published by Abhishaike Mahajan on August 19, 2024 on LessWrong. Introduction There are now (claimed) foundation models for protein sequences, DNA sequences, RNA sequences, molecules, scRNA-seq, chromatin accessibility, pathology slides, medical images, electronic health records, and clinical free-text. It's a dizzying rate of progress. But there's a few problems in biology that, interestingly enough, have evaded a similar level of ML progress, despite there seemingly being all the necessary conditions to achieve it. Toxicology is one of those problems. This isn't a new insight, it was called out in one of Derek Lowe's posts, where he said: There are no existing AI/ML systems that mitigate clinical failure risks due to target choice or toxicology. He also repeats it in a more recent post: '…the most badly needed improvements in drug discovery are in the exact areas that are most resistant to AI and machine learning techniques. By which I mean target selection and predictive toxicology.' Pat Walters also goes into the subject with much more depth, emphasizing how difficult the whole field is. As someone who isn't familiar at all with the area of predictive toxicology, that immediately felt strange. Why such little progress? It can't be that hard, right? Unlike drug development, where you're trying to precisely hit some key molecular mechanism, assessing toxicity almost feels…brutish in nature. Something that's as clear as day, easy to spot out with eyes, easier still to do with a computer trained to look for it. Of course, there will be some stragglers that leak through this filtering, but it should be minimal. Obviously a hard problem in its own right, but why isn't it close to being solved? What's up with this field? Some background One may naturally assume that there is a well-established definition of toxicity, a standard blanket definition to delineate between things that are and aren't toxic. While there are terms such as LD50, LC50, EC50, and IC50, used to explain the degree by which something is toxic, they are an immense oversimplification. When we say a substance is "toxic," there's usually a lot of follow-up questions. Is it toxic at any dose? Only above a certain threshold? Is it toxic for everyone, or just for certain susceptible individuals (as we'll discuss later)? The relationship between dose and toxicity is not always linear, and can vary depending on the route of exposure, the duration of exposure, and individual susceptibility factors. A dose that causes no adverse effects when consumed orally might be highly toxic if inhaled or injected. And a dose that is well-tolerated with acute exposure might cause serious harm over longer periods of chronic exposure. The very definition of an "adverse effect" resulting from toxicity is not always clear-cut either. Some drug side effects, like mild nausea or headache, might be considered acceptable trade-offs for therapeutic benefit. But others, like liver failure or birth defects, would be considered unacceptable at any dose. This is particularly true when it comes to environmental chemicals, where the effects may be subtler and the exposure levels more variable. Is a chemical that causes a small decrease in IQ scores toxic? What about one that slightly increases the risk of cancer over a lifetime (20+ years)? And this is one of the major problems with applying predicting toxicology at all - defining what is and isn't toxic is hard! One may assume the FDA has clear stances on all these, but even they approach it on a 'vibe-based' perspective. They simply collate the data from in-vitro studies, animal studies, and human clinical trials, and arrive to an approval/no-approval conclusion that is, very often, at odds with some portion of the medical comm...

Elon Musk Says Dubai Is A Beautiful City! An Employee Praised Her Former Emirati Boss Who Showed Her Compassion During A Personal CrisisA Dubai Tourist Is So Impressed With Taxi Drivers That He Would Just Come Back For ThemA Tourist From Morocco Was Invited To A Stranger's Home In The Burj KhalifaReema Mahajan Who Helped Building a Vibrant Community of 100,000 Indian Women in the UAE

In this episode, Daniel Arnold sits down with Dr. Vidur Mahajan   Dr. Vidur Mahajan is the Chief Executive Officer of CARPL.ai, the world's first end-to-end platform for testing, deployment, and monitoring of medical imaging AI solutions. With a background as a physician and an MBA from the Wharton School of Business, he has significantly contributed to healthcare technology adoption.   They discuss the company's two-step AI deployment framework (Dev-D), which helps institutions discover, test, and integrate AI applications. Key clients include academic centers like Mass General and Yale, and the Singapore government, using the platform for AI benchmarking and deployment.   The conversation highlights the significant investment radiologists, especially in India, make in upskilling with AI technology. Dr. Mahajan compares the current state of radiology AI to the early days of MRI, noting that while AI's capabilities are proven, its practical usefulness is still being established. They observe new AI companies emerging from regions like Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia.   A critical lesson shared involves the importance of proper client qualification in sales, avoiding pushing products onto uninterested clients. The guest emphasizes the need for a neutral platform to evaluate AI solutions transparently, ensuring healthcare providers can choose the best tools without bias. The episode concludes with insights on the future of radiology AI and reflections on the entrepreneurial journey in this field.   Learn more at https://medality.com/the-radiology-report-podcast   Like this episode? We'd love it if you could leave us a five-star review! And make sure to subscribe, so you never miss an opportunity to hear from the leaders in radiology.

Amitt Mahajan is the Founder of Proof of Play, the creators of Pirate Nation, the fully onchain free-to-play pirate-themed roleplaying game (RPG). Prior to founding Proof of Play, Amitt was the founder and CTO of MyMiniLife (acquired by Zynga), founder and CEO of Toro (acquired by Google), and the co-founder and CTO of Rare Bits, an NFT marketplace launched in 2018 the same week as OpenSea. While at Zynga, he co-created the game FarmVille (300M players, $1B+ in revenue) and served as the CTO of Zynga Japan. Before his entrepreneurial work, Mahajan was an engineer at Epic Games on the Unreal Engine and Gears of War.In this conversation, we discuss:- Building FarmVille and working at Zynga, a top 3 gaming studio of all time- The importance of distribution in gaming- Distribution in FB vs Telegram vs Discord- Social gaming- Creating games = giving multiple choices and giving high player agency- “Finding the fun”- Building decentralized games and gaming infrastructure- Crypto is ethical neutral technology- Importance of streaming in today's games- Building community- Dev cycle speedPirate NationWebsite: piratenation.gameX: @PirateNationDiscord: discord.gg/piratenationAmitt MahajanX: @amittmLinkedIn: Amitt Mahajan  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------  This episode is brought to you by PrimeXBT.  PrimeXBT offers a robust trading system for both beginners and professional traders that demand highly reliable market data and performance. Traders of all experience levels can easily design and customize layouts and widgets to best fit their trading style. PrimeXBT is always offering innovative products and professional trading conditions to all customers.   PrimeXBT is running an exclusive promotion for listeners of the podcast. After making your first deposit, 50% of that first deposit will be credited to your account as a bonus that can be used as additional collateral to open positions.  Code: CRYPTONEWS50  This promotion is available for a month after activation. Click the link below:  PrimeXBT x CRYPTONEWS50

Join us on Cyrus Says for an illuminating conversation with Shruti Mahajan, the visionary casting director behind Sanjay Leela Bhansali's "Heeramandi"! She also talks about her MBA days, shifting from Jaipur to Mumbai.Get exclusive insights into the casting process of "Heeramandi" and learn how Shruti is reshaping Indian cinema's global image. From her unique approach to finding fresh faces to her dreams of putting Indian talent on the world stage, Shruti reveals it all.Don't miss this fascinating deep dive into the art of casting and the future of Indian cinema with one of the industry's most influential behind-the-scenes players!#Heeramandi #Cyrus Says #SanjayLeelaBhansaliSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Shruti Mahajan Deorah is the Director at India Energy & Climate Center (IECC) at UC Berkeley's Goldman School of Public Policy - leveraging clean energy technology and policy expertise to catalyze rapid transformation of energy systems in close collaboration with Indian policymakers and business leaders. She is an alum of UC Berkeley and IIT Bombay. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theindustryshow/support

 Vietnam's tourism industry is making positive strides, but are the current resources enough for it to reach the heights of Thailand's tourism?

Embark on a journey toward holistic wellness as we delve into the realm of functional nutrition with Kajal Mahajan, a leading expert in the field. In this episode, we explore the transformative power of nutrition beyond conventional approaches. Join us as we uncover the wisdom behind functional nutrition and its profound impact on overall well-being. [00:32] - About Kajal Mahajan Kajal is the Founder and Head Coach of The Positive Practice. She holds a Master's in Clinical Nutrition with an undergraduate degree in Sports Science and Health Psychology. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/tbcy/support

Nitin Mahajan, a visionary in the tech industry, is actively transforming the tech universe one company at a time while currently building 88 Ventures to achieve unprecedented success. Recognizing the transformative power of AI, Nitin is passionate about ensuring its widespread adoption in a way that positively impacts lives and maximizes its reach to the masses. 88 Ventures serves as the culmination of Nitin's unwavering dedication, extensive knowledge, and far-reaching vision. Through this venture, he envisions unlocking new opportunities and fostering meaningful connections in the professional world by embracing the potential of technology. In addition to his role at 88 Ventures, Nitin has also embraced the role of an Angel Investor, supporting individuals with grand ambitions and empowering them to bring their unique visions to life. His mission is to uplift those whose aspirations may go unnoticed by others. If you share Nitin's values and are driven to build profitable bootstrap businesses while making a positive impact, he is here to guide you on your journey. Reach out to Nitin, and rest assured that you will connect with someone who understands your vision and is committed to helping you succeed. Just drop him a text, and a world of possibilities awaits! LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nitinmahajan2/ Website: https://88ventures.org/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/geeksofthevalley/support

Chandan Mahajan is the co-founder of dotkonnekt - helping brands grow their business organically by combining the power of commerce, community, and content. dotkonnekt is partnering with progressive marketers on creating a new growth playbook, moving beyond ineffective paid ads and expensive custom development. Previously Chandan held senior leadership positions with Sutherland and Wipro. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theindustryshow/support

  Network configuration analysis has always been the domain of commercial-grade software. Batfish changes all that with an open source, community-supported tool that can find errors and guarantees the correctness of planned or current network configurations. Ratul Mahajan joins Tom Ammon and Russ White to talk about this new tool, its capabilities, and the importance of network configuration analysis.

In this bonus Q&A interview with Deep, she shares:Her proudest moment and biggest failure in her career so farA trend that she is following in Talent Development right nowThe biggest challenge she sees in Talent Development todayBooks that have made a big impact on her lifeOne piece of career advice she has for youDeep Mahajan, Juniper Networks' Vice President of Talent Management, is an accomplished leader dedicated to organizational success through talent capability and culture building. Her extensive background spans diverse industries, holding key roles that showcase her adeptness in navigating complexities across organizations of different sizes and stages, steering teams towards excellence.With an MBA from Symbiosis International University and a BA in Economics from Delhi University, Deep's strategic prowess is bolstered by hands-on experience in leading transformative initiatives that impact the culture and people capabilities in an organization. With over 20+ years of HR expertise, her previous roles include heading People Development and Culture at Nutanix and contributing to VMware's global people development team. Deep's palpable passion for nurturing growth and learning shines within the dynamic tech landscape.Deep's visionary leadership permeates Juniper Networks, fostering a culture of perpetual development. Her continued guidance shapes the company's path, propelling both individuals and the organization towards continuous development and enduring success.Connect with Andy Storch here:WebsiteLinkedInJoin us in the Talent Development Think Tank Community!Connect with Deep Mahajan:LinkedIn

In today's episode, we dive into the world of building an internal talent marketplace with our special guest, Deep Mahajan, VP of Talent Management at Juniper Networks. Deep shares her insights on the challenges and successes of implementing an internal talent marketplace, the importance of embracing change in the workplace, and the power of skills as the new currency for career development. You'll learn:How Juniper Networks defines an internal talent marketplace and the key benefits they have seen from implementing this systemThe importance of a mindset shift among employers and HR professionals in embracing the concept of an internal talent marketplace. Ways in which the pandemic has changed employees' expectations and needs when it comes to career development and talent mobility and how organizations can adapt.How organizations can foster a culture of skill development and empower employees to direct their own development using skills-based orientationDeep Mahajan, Juniper Networks' Vice President of Talent Management, is an accomplished leader dedicated to organizational success through talent capability and culture building. Her extensive background spans diverse industries, holding key roles that showcase her adeptness in navigating complexities across organizations of different sizes and stages, steering teams towards excellence.With an MBA from Symbiosis International University and a BA in Economics from Delhi University, Deep's strategic prowess is bolstered by hands-on experience in leading transformative initiatives that impact the culture and people capabilities in an organization. With over 20+ years of HR expertise, her previous roles include heading People Development and Culture at Nutanix and contributing to VMware's global people development team. Deep's palpable passion for nurturing growth and learning shines within the dynamic tech landscape.Deep's visionary leadership permeates Juniper Networks, fostering a culture of perpetual development. Her continued guidance shapes the company's path, propelling both individuals and the organization towards continuous development and enduring success.Connect with Andy Storch here:WebsiteLinkedInJoin us in the Talent Development Think Tank Community!Connect with Deep Mahajan:LinkedIn

Karan Mahajan reads his story “The True Margaret,” which appears in the August 14, 2023, issue of the magazine. Mahajan is the author of two novels, “Family Planning” and “The Association of Small Bombs,” which won the New York Public Library Young Lions Fiction Award in 2017.