Science Affairs Coverage from Jan 2019 to December 2019
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Biotechnology ______DNA technolgy (use and application) regulation bill, 2019
Context-Recently a Parliamentary panel headed by congress leader Jairam Ramesh began hearing the contentious DNA technolgy (use and application) regulation bill, 2019 with members grilling officials from the Department of biotechnology on scope for violation of privacy in the proposed DNA data bank. •The DNA technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill, 2019 was introduced in Lok Sabha by the Minister for Science and Technology, Mr. Harsh Vardhan, on July 8, 2019. About The DNA technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill, 2019 •Use of DNA Data: Under the Bill, DNA testing is allowed only in respect of matters listed in the Schedule to the Bill. These include offences under the Indian Penal Code, 1860, and for civil matters such as paternity suits. Further, the Schedule includes DNA testing for matters related to establishment of individual identity •Collection of DNA: While preparing a DNA profile, bodily substances of persons may be collected by the investigating authorities. Authorities are required to obtain consent for collection in certain situations. For arrested persons, authorities are required to obtain written consent if the offence carries a punishment of up to seven years. If the offence carries more than seven years of imprisonment or death, consent is not required. Further, if the person is a victim, or relative of a missing person, or a minor or disabled person, the authorities are required to obtain the written consent of such victim, or relative, or parent or guardian of the minor or disabled person. If consent is not given in these cases, the authorities can approach a Magistrate who may order the taking of bodily substances of such persons. •DNA Data Bank: The Bill provides for the establishment of a National DNA Data Bank and Regional DNA Data Banks, for every state, or two or more states. DNA laboratories are required to share DNA data prepared by them with the National and Regional DNA Data Banks. Every Data Bank will be required to maintain indices for the following categories of data: (i) a crime scene index, (ii) a suspects’ or undertrials’ index, (iii) an offenders’ index, (iv) a missing persons’ index, and (v) an unknown deceased persons’ index. •Removal of DNA profiles: The Bill states that the criteria for entry, retention, or removal of the DNA profile will be specified by regulations. However, the Bill provides for removal of the DNA profiles of the following persons: (i) of a suspect if a police report is filed or court order given, (ii) of an undertrial if a court order is given, and (iii) on written request, for persons who are not a suspect, offender or undertrial, from the crime scene or missing persons’ index.
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•DNA Regulatory Board: The Bill provides for the establishment of a DNA Regulatory Board, which will supervise the DNA Data Banks and DNA laboratories. The Secretary, Department of Biotechnology, will be the ex officio Chairperson of the Board. The Board will comprise additional members including: (i) experts in the field of biological sciences, and (ii) Director General of the National Investigation Agency and the Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation. •Functions of the Board: The functions of the Board include: (i) advising governments on all issues related to establishing DNA laboratories or Data Banks, and (ii) granting accreditation to DNA laboratories. Further, the Board is required to ensure that all information relating to DNA profiles with the Data Banks, laboratories, and other persons are kept confidential. •DNA laboratories: Any laboratory undertaking DNA testing is required to obtain accreditation from the Board. The Board may revoke the accreditation for reasons including, failure to: (i) undertake DNA testing, or (ii) comply with the conditions attached to the accreditation. If the accreditation is revoked, an appeal will lie before the central government or any other authority notified by the central government. Further, every DNA laboratory is required to follow standards for quality assurance in collection, storing, and analysis of DNA samples. After depositing the DNA profile for criminal cases, the laboratory is required to return the biological sample to the investigating officer. In all other cases, the sample must be destroyed. •Offences: The Bill specifies penalties for various offences, including: (i) for disclosure of DNA information, or (ii) using DNA sample without authorization. For instance, disclosure of DNA information will be punishable with imprisonment of up to three years and fine of up to one lakh rupees.
What is DNA profiling ? • DNA profiling is the process where a specific DNA pattern, called a profile, is obtained from a person or sample of bodily tissue • Even though we are all unique, most of our DNA is actually identical to other people’s DNA. However, specific regions vary highly between people. These regions are called polymorphic. Differences in these variable regions between people are known as polymorphisms. Each of us inherits a unique combination of polymorphisms from our parents. DNA polymorphisms can be analysed to give a DNA profile. • Human DNA profiles can be used to identify the origin of a DNA sample at a crime scene or test for parentage. • In a human, 0.1 per cent of the DNA or genetic material is unique to each individual and this identifying information can be obtained from any cell, including hair and skin DNA profiling is used to: • identify the probable origin of a body fluid sample associated with a crime or crime scene • reveal family relationships • identify disaster victims, for example, ESR scientists travelled to Thailand to help identify victims of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami.
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Controversy regarding Bt Cotton • A group of more than 1,000 farmers gathered in a village in Akola of Maharashtra to sow seeds of an unapproved, genetically modified variety of cotton, defying government regulations. The government is now investigating what was planted.
Bt Cotton: • Bt Cotton is developed by Bayer-Monsanto and it involves insertion of two genes viz ‘Cry1Ab’ and ‘Cry2Bc’ from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis into cotton seeds. • This modification codes the plant to produce protein toxic to Heliothis bollworm (pink bollworm) thus making it resistant to their attack. The commercial release of this hybrid was sanctioned by the government in 2002. • Bt cotton remains the only GM crop allowed to be cultivated in the country.
India and GM Crops: • In India, it is the responsibility of the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) under the Environment Ministry to assess the safety of a genetically modified plant, and decide whether it is fit for cultivation. The GEAC comprises experts and government representatives, and a decision it takes has to be approved by the Environment Minister before any crop is allowed for cultivation. • Besides Bt cotton, the GEAC has cleared two other genetically modified crops — brinjal and mustard — but these have not received the consent of the Environment Minister. Concerns: • Genetic changes made in a plant can make it unsafe for consumption, have adverse impacts on human or animal health, or introduce problems in the soil or neighbouring crops. There is an elaborate process of tests and field trials to be followed. Critics of GM technology argue that some traits of genes start expressing themselves only after several generations, and thus one can never be sure about their safety.
CCMB scientists sequence Asiatic lion genome
Context: For the first time, the entire genome of Asiatic lion has been sequenced by scientists from CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad. The objective is to understand the species at DNA level and study if there are any specific problems with regard to adaptability to environment or behaviour vis-à-vis other big cats.
Need and significance: This firsthand information would help researchers to better understand the evolution of Asiatic lions and also make possible comparative analysis with other big cats.
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The genome sequencing would enable scientists to develop specific markers to study population genetics (the differences at the gene level within a population) and get newer insights into its population status and subsequent management. The study will enable better disease and population management of the endangered big cat by identifying characteristics which are specific to Asiatic lions.
About Asiatic Lion: • IUCN Red List Status: Endangered • Listed in Schedule I of Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972, in Appendix I of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). • At present the only home of Asiatic lion is Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary in Gujarat. • The population of the endangered Asiatic lion is very low — only 523 animals are present in the Gir forests. Project MANAV: Human Atlas Initiative News • For the first time, Indian scientists will be mapping every single tissue of the human body to have deeper understanding of the roles of tissues and cells linked to various diseases. • Department of Biotechnology (DBT) launched MANAV: Human Atlas Initiative towards improving knowledge on human physiology.
MANAV: Human Atlas Initiative • It is a project funded by DBT, which aims at creating a database network of all tissues in the human body from the available scientific literature. • It is a project that involves scientific skill development for annotation, science outreach along with handling big data. • It will involve gaining better biological insights through physiological and molecular mapping, develop disease models through predictive computing and have a holistic analysis and finally drug discovery. • The student community, who will be the backbone on assimilating the information, will be trained and imparted with skills to perform annotation and curation of information that will ultimately form the online network. • DBT has invested funds shared between two institutions in Pune – National Centre for Cell Science (NCCS) and Indian Institute of Science, Education and Research (IISER), Pune. • Besides, Persistent Systems Limited has co-funded the project and is developing the platform.
Utility of the project • The aim of the project remains to understand and capture the human physiology in two stages – in a normal stage and while in a disease stage.
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• Such a database on individual tissues, once ready, can come handy in tracing the causes of a disease, understanding specific pathways and ultimately decode the body’s disease stage linked to tissues and cells. • The teams will also study any potent elements or molecules that have never been used in the form of drugs, to target the specific cells or tissues. Importance • So far, researchers and students have had little or no expertise in reading scientific literature and develop or build further information on the same. • This platform will impart key skills to the student community to read classified scientific literature, in this case, on individual tissue-basis, and perform annotation and curation. • Since all the information generated will pass through multiple levels of reviews, it will be an Atlas or a reliable collection on human body tissues. • This collated data can be useful for both future researchers and parallelly, to the clinicians and drug developers, who finally handle human bodies in disease conditions.
Gene Editing • Chironex fleckeri is among the deadliest box jellyfish species, with an explosive sting that causes cardiac arrest in humans. Scientists are still unsure exactly how its venom works. But a team of researchers has managed to develop an antidote to block its venom using the powerful gene-editing tool CRISPR. The drug, cyclodextrin, is already tested safe for humans, cheap and readily available. • Genes contain the bio-information that defines any individual. Physical attributes like height, skin or hair colour, more subtle features and even behavioural traits can be attributed to information encoded in the genetic material. • An ability to alter this information gives scientists the power to control some of these features. Gene “editing” — sometimes expressed in related, but not always equivalent, terms like genetic modification, genetic manipulation or genetic engineering — is not new.
About CRISPRs (Clustered Regularly Interspersed Short Palindromic Repeats) • CRISPRs are elements of an ancient system that protects bacteria and other single-celled organisms from viruses, acquiring immunity to them by incorporating genetic elements from the virus invaders. • CRISPRs evolved over millions of years to trim pieces of genetic information from one genome and insert it into another. And this bacterial antiviral defense serves as an astonishingly cheap, simple, elegant way to quickly edit the DNA of any organism in the lab. • Discovery of CRISPRs has changed gene therapy. CRISPRs work by using an enzyme — Cas9 — that homes in on a specific location in a strand of DNA. The process then edits the DNA to either remove unwanted sequences or insert payload sequences. CRISPRs use an RNA molecule as a guide to the DNA www.abhimanuias.com , [email protected] Corporate office: Dainik Bhaskar Building, 2nd Floor, Sector 25-D, Chandigarh
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CRISPR Technology
Why in news? CRISPR anti-venom: Antidote to world’s most venomous sting made with gene editing. Chironex fleckeri is among the deadliest box jellyfish species, with an explosive sting that causes cardiac arrest in humans. Scientists are still unsure exactly how its venom works. But a team of researchers has managed to develop an antidote to block its venom using the powerful gene- editing tool CRISPR. The drug, cyclodextrin, is already tested safe for humans, cheap and readily available.
What are Genes and what is gene- editing? Genes contain the bio-information that defines any individual. Physical attributes like height, skin or hair colour, more subtle features and even behavioural traits can be attributed to information encoded in the genetic material. An ability to alter this information gives scientists the power to control some of these features. Gene “editing” — sometimes expressed in related, but not always equivalent, terms like genetic modification, genetic manipulation or genetic engineering — is not new. What is CRISPR-Cas9? The clustered, regularly interspaced, short palindromic repeats, or CRISPR/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9) (CRISPR-Cas9) system has revolutionised genetic manipulations and made gene editing simpler, faster and easily accessible to most laboratories. CRISPR technology is basically a gene-editing technology that can be used for the purpose of altering genetic expression or changing the genome of an organism. • The technology can be used for targeting specific stretches of an entire genetic code or editing the DNA at particular locations. • CRISPR technology is a simple yet powerful tool for editing genomes. It allows researchers to easily alter DNA sequences and modify gene function. • Its many potential applications include correcting genetic defects, treating and preventing the spread of diseases and improving crops. However, its promise also raises ethical concerns. How it works? CRISPR-Cas9 technology behaves like a cut-and-paste mechanism on DNA strands that contain genetic information. • The specific location of the genetic codes that need to be changed, or “edited”, is identified on the DNA strand, and then, using the Cas9 protein, which acts like a pair of scissors, that location is cut off from the strand. A DNA strand, when broken, has a natural tendency to repair itself. • Scientists intervene during this auto-repair process, supplying the desired sequence of genetic codes that binds itself with the broken DNA strand. Concerns:
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Tampering with the genetic code in human beings is more contentious. Leading scientists in the field have for long been calling for a “global pause” on clinical applications of the technology in human beings, until internationally accepted protocols are developed. Way ahead: This CRISPR technology is indeed a path-breaking technology, to alter genes in order to tackle a number of conventional and unconventional problems, especially in the health sector. However, experiments and tests to validate its use must be subjected to appropriate scrutiny by the regulators, and their use must be controlled to prevent commercial misuse. SALT TOLERANT RICE VARIETY
Context
A group of Indian scientists has developed a new salt-tolerant transgenic rice plant
Facts to Know • A group of Indian scientists led by ArunLahiriMajumderhas developed a new salt-tolerant transgenic rice plant by over-expressing a gene from a wild rice called Porteresiacoarctata into the commonly used IR 64 indica rice variety. •Porteresiacoarctata is a native of India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Myanmar and is grown mainly in saline estuaries. • The new crop can withstand salt concentration of up to 200 micromole per litre (about half as saline as sea water) without affecting normal growth and grain yield under greenhouse conditions. • The study has also indicated that inositol, a vitamin like substance found in all plants and animals including human being, acts as a stress-ameliorator and as a switch for a number of other pathways important for imparting salt-tolerance. • There are several plants called halophytes, which are rich sources of salt stress tolerance genes and Porteresiacoarctata is one of them. • One of the genes isolated earlier by the scientists from this plant, PcINO1 , codes for a salt tolerant enzyme which synthesizes inositol even in presence of salt, while the second gene isolated by the group, PcIMT1 from the same plant converts inositol to another compound called pinitol. • The researchers over-expressed these two genes into IR64 indica rice. They generated three types of transgenic lines: one with introgression of PcINO1 only, the second with PcIMT1 only and the third with combinations of both. • The rice lines created with PcINO1 gene exhibited significantly higher tolerance, with a salt concentration of upto 200 micromole per litre or higher in pots, with little compromise in growth or other physiological parameters.
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• The two other transgenic lines, one with PcIMT1 gene alone and the second with both PcINO1 and PcIMT1 genes were less efficient. • The scientists then compared the quantities of inositol/pinitol in the three set of transgenic lines. They found that under saline conditions inositol production remained uninterrupted only in the transgenic plant created with PcINO1. • The new finding indicates that such manipulation of the inositol metabolic pathway may be one of the ways to combat salt stress in plants.
Significance of the Discovery • The new findings assume importance particularly in the context of the growing concerns over the global climate change, as there is a particularly need to develop new rice varieties that are salt and drought resistant. • Conventional breeding programmes have led to the development of some salt and drought- tolerant rice varieties and they are in use in India and other countries like Philippines and Bangladesh. However, conventional breeding has not been able to meet the requirements fully. • There is a need for efforts to develop new varieties through genetic manipulation also. About the Research Team Besides Prof. ArunLahiriMajumder who led the team, the research team consisted of Rajeswari Mukherjee, Abhishek Mukherjee, SubhenduBandyopadhyay, Sritama Mukherjee, SonaliSengupta and Sudipta Ray of Division of Plant Biology at Kolkata-based Bose Institute. The work had been supported by funds from the Department of Biotechnology. Genome sequencing to map population diversity • In an indigenous genetic mapping effort, nearly 1,000 rural youth from the length and breadth of India will have their genomes sequenced by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). The project aims at educating a generation of students on the “usefulness” of genomics. • Globally, many countries have undertaken genome sequencing of a sample of their citizens to determine unique genetic traits, susceptibility (and resilience) to disease. This is the first time that such a large sample of Indians will be recruited for a detailed study. • The project is an adjunct to a much larger government-led programme, still in the works, to sequence at least 10,000 Indian genomes. About Genome Sequencing: • Genomes will be sequenced based on a blood sample and the scientists plan to hold at least 30 camps covering most States. • Every person whose genomes are sequenced will be given a report. The participants would be told if they carry gene variants that make them less responsive to certain classes of medicines. For instance, having a certain gene makes some people less responsive to clopidogrel, a key drug that prevents strokes and heart attack. • In some cases, the correlation between disease and genes is weak. A person can request such information through their clinician because many disorders have single-gene causes but no cure www.abhimanuias.com , [email protected] Corporate office: Dainik Bhaskar Building, 2nd Floor, Sector 25-D, Chandigarh
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Analysis: • Ever since the human genome was first sequenced in 2003, it opened a fresh perspective on the link between disease and the unique genetic make-up of each individual. Nearly 10,000 diseases — including cystic fibrosis, thalassemia — are known to be the result of a single gene malfunctioning. While genes may render some insensitive to certain drugs, genome sequencing has shown that cancer too can be understood from the viewpoint of genetics, rather than being seen as a disease of certain organs. • Globally, many countries have undertaken genome sequencing of a sample of their citizens to determine unique genetic traits, susceptibility (and resilience) to disease. This is the first time that such a large sample of Indians will be recruited for a detailed study.
IndiGen Genome project • The IndiGen initiative was undertaken by CSIR in April 2019. • It was implemented by CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB), New Delhi and CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad. • IndiGen programme aims to undertake whole genome sequencing of thousands of individuals representing diverse ethnic groups from India. • The objective is to enable genetic epidemiology and develop public health technologies applications using population genome data. • The outcome of project will have applications in a number of areas such as predictive and preventive medicine with faster and efficient diagnosis of rare genetic diseases. The whole-genome data will be important for building the knowhow, baseline data and indigenous capacity in emerging area of Precision Medicine. Genome sequencing is figuring out the order of DNA nucleotides, or bases, in a genome—the order of As, Cs, Gs, and Ts that make up an organism's DNA. The human genome is made up of over 3 billion of these genetic letters. National Genomic Grid (Cancer) Government plans to set up a National Genomic Grid, so as to take cancer research to the next level and make treatment viable for people of different economic classes. • The National Genomic Grid for India-specific cancer research will collect samples from cancer patients from India to study genomic factors influencing cancer and identifying the right treatment modalities for Indian population. • The grid to be formed will be in line with National Cancer Tissue Biobank (NCTB) set up at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras.
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• NCTB functions in close association with Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) and has the capacity to stock 50,000 genomic samples from cancer patients. • The government plans to set up National Genomic Grid in same style as that of NCTB with pan- India collection centres by bringing all cancer treatment institutions on board. •The grid will have four parts, with the country divided into east, west, north and south. Nigeria first to approve Bt cowpea
Context-Nigeria has become the first country to approve open cultivation of genetically modified (GM) Bt cowpea.
Reason for approval and benefits • Pests, particularly pod borer (Maruca vitrata), have hampered production of cowpea, the most important legume in the west African country. • Bt cowpea was pest-resistant and needed just two sprays while current varieties need eight. It could potentially increase yield by 20 per cent, a researcher said. • The GM food crop can also help combat malnutrition rates, especially in children, according to a statement. Concerns • Bt cowpea, faced opposition for years in Nigeria due to fears of an adverse impact on health. It contains the transgene Cry1Ab, which can be toxic for human liver cells and also alter immune systems of lab animals, anti-GM groups claimed. • It was banned in South Africa where the cultivation of modified maize led to enormous pest resistance and infestation. Moreover, it hasn’t been approved for commercial use elsewhere in the world GM crops • GM is a technology that involves inserting DNA into the genome of an organism. To produce a GM plant, new DNA is transferred into plant cells. Usually, the cells are then grown in tissue culture where they develop into plants. The seeds produced by these plants will inherit the new DNA. • Genetic modification of plants involves adding a specific stretch of DNA into the plant’s genome, giving it new or different characteristics. This could include changing the way the plant grows, or making it resistant to a particular disease. The new DNA becomes part of the GM plant’s genome which the seeds produced by these plants will contain. ICRISAT identified climate resilient genes in chickpea International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Hyderabad identified climate resilient genes in chickpea. •Genome sequencing of 429 chickpea lines from 45 different countries, identified that chickpea has four important genes for heat tolerance and three important genes for drought tolerance.
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• The identification of other genes with important agronomic traits (high yield, test weight, kernel weight, maturity, plant height, and lodging resistance) will help in increasing crop yield and providing better resistance to pests and diseases. • Identification of these climate-resistant genes will help in developing newer chickpea varieties which can tolerate temperatures up to 38°C. ICRISAT: It is an international non-profit organization which undertakes agricultural research for rural development in the semi-arid tropics (SAT) region. • It was established in 1972, and its charter was signed by the Food Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the • It performs crop improvement research on crops like Chickpea, Pigeonpea, Groundnut, Pearl millet, Sorghum, Finger Millet and Small millets. Genome Sequencing to Map Population Diversity Published On - 4/25/2019 |Science Affairs| Biotechnology In an indigenous genetic mapping effort, nearly 1,000 rural youth will have their genomes sequenced by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). • The project is aims to sequence at least 10,000 Indian genomes. • Those recruited as part of genome-sample collections are representative of the country’s population diversity. • In this case, the bulk of them will be college students, both men and women, and pursuing degrees in the life sciences or biology. • The project aims to reach out to a lot of collegians, educating them about genomics and putting a system in place that allows them to access information revealed by their genome. Genome Sequencing: Genome refers to an organism’s complete set of DNA, including all of its genes. Each genome contains all of the information required to build and maintain that organism. Genome sequencing refers to figuring out the order of the DNA nucleotides, or bases, in a genome. Golden rice
Bangladesh intent to allow commercial production of golden rice after completion of confined field testing by Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI), Gazipur. • It is genetically-engineered rice, it contains beta-carotene — by inserting bacteria and daffodil and maize genes into it. This is called golden rice because of the golden colour of its grains. • The newly developed food grain claims to overcome child blindness in this region, owing to Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) . • Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia have adopted the commercial cultivation of the GM rice variety. • Commercial production of goldern rice is not allowed in India. Rice Fortification
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Fortification is the practice of deliberately increasing the content of an essential micronutrient, i.e. vitamins and minerals (including trace elements) in a food, so as to improve the nutritional quality of the food supply and provide a public health benefit with minimal risk to health. Rice fortification is the practice of increasing the content of essential micronutrients in rice and to improve the nutritional quality of the rice. • Regular milled rice is low in micronutrients and serves primarily as a source of carbohydrate only. The fortification of rice is a major opportunity to improve nutrition. • Fortified rice are contains Vitamin A, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B12, Folic Acid, Iron and Zinc. Regulations under Food Safety and Standards (Fortification of Foods) Regulations, 2016’ sets the standards for food fortification and encourage the production, manufacture, distribution, sale and consumption of fortified foods. • The regulations also provide for specific role of FSSAI in promotion for food fortification and to make fortification mandatory. This sets the premise for the national summit on fortification of food.
Wild Food Plants
Wild food plants (WFPs) • WFPs which are neither cultivated nor domesticated constitute a special category. • They grow wild in forests as well as in farmlands and are harvested by local people as sources of food. • The tradition of eating WFPs, to augment staple food crops, continues in the present day. • For forest- dwelling communities, forests remain the main source of food, nutrition, and livelihoods even today. • The Soliga tribe is one such community in the Western Ghats who use their indigenous tradition of eating WFPs, to augment staple food crops Soligas and their traditional knowledge • The Soligas are one of few remaining forest-dwelling tribes in and around the forests of Biligiri Ranganath (BR) Hills, MM Hills, and Bandipur in Karnataka and the Sathyamangalam forests in Tamil Nadu. • The study revealed that the diversity of WFPs consumed by the Soligas evolved over generations as a survival strategy. • They relate the usage of WFPs to seasonal plant availability and the status of resources. • These tribals can even predict the availability of WFPs with respect to micro-climatic changes, indicating a long-term intimate knowledge of their surroundings. • In addition to their role in balancing food baskets of the poor, WFPs play an important role in maintaining the nutritional and livelihood security for forest communities during periods of drought or scarcity. Examples of WFPs
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• According to Soligas, they get a variety of mushrooms, tender bamboo shoots, and fruits like Jamune, Karanada, wood apple, custard apple and several varieties of leaves during the rainy season. • Honey and tubers like Dioscorea, makal and many ceropegia are harvested throughout the year. • In the hot dry summers, the Soligas use leaves and fruits like mango, jackfruit, amla, beland tamarind. • Except rice, another staple food of Soligas which they grow, the forests give them everything else.
Why WFPs? • For example, edible leaves such as Kaddisoppu and Javanesoppu available in the forest have a very high content of pro-vitamin A (Beta Carotene), anti-oxidants and soluble protein. • It is found that the leaves are rich in digestible iron, zinc, and manganese as well. • Tubers and fruits from the forest that are rich in vitamins and anti-oxidant, are in high demand in local markets. • Some of the tubers and mushrooms also have high iron, zinc, vitamins and anti-oxidant content that is vital for nutritional security. Threats to WFPs • Despite their role in food security, forests are mostly left out of policy decisions related to food security and nutrition. • Forest foods are in high demand, both in tribal community markets and nearby rural markets. • Though this may appear an opportunity for economic empowerment of tribal communities, if not managed, over-harvesting could lead to degradation of the forests and ultimately, disappearance of these very species. • Activities such as stone quarrying, mining and development pose grave threats to WFPs. • The other threat is from commercial monoculture plantations on forestland under afforestation and social forestry programmes, which are crowding out these wild species. Way forward • For WFPs to be preserved for posterity, the forests must be co-managed by tribal communities. • For the tribal communities, the forest is not just a source of food, but is also a part of their identity. • Their way of life is respectful of nature and recognizes diversity in its different manifestations. • The tribal community’s relationship with the forest is one of belonging rather than ownership. • Community forest management is good for the health of the forests. • Implementation of India’s landmark 2006 Forest Rights Act that offers provisions to involve communities in safeguarding forest resources and developing co-management plans is needed. Defence ASTRA Missile
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Context-Recently Air-to-Air missile, ASTRA, has been successfully flight tested off the coast of Odisha. • The missile was launched from Su-30 MKI as a part of User trials. The live aerial target was engaged accurately demonstrating the capability of first indigenous air-to-air missile. ASTRA missile • Astra is an indigenous Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Astra missile with a range of over 70 km. • The missile can fly towards its target at a speed of over 5,555 kilometres per hour. It has a 15- kilogramme high-explosive pre-fragmented warhead. • The Astra missile has been developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation along with 50 other public and private organisations, involved at various stages of its development. • Modifications of the Sukhoi-30 MKI jets to accommodate Astra missiles has been carried out by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) • Astra is capable of engaging targets at varying range and altitudes allowing for engagement of both short-range targets (up to 20 km) and long-range targets (up to 80 km) using alternative propulsion modes. BrahMos: The Anti-ship version of supersonic cruise missile BrahMos was test fired from the launch complex-3 of Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur in Odisha. • The name BrahMos is formed from names of two riverse. Indian river Brahmaputraand the Moskva River of Russia. • Manufactured at BrahMos Aerospace Limited which is a joint venture between India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyenia (NPOM). • The medium-range ramjet supersonic cruise missile has a strike range of about 290 km. • The BrahMos is the fastest cruise missile of its class in the world. Mother of All Bombs China has developed a massive bomb. China's defence industry giant NORINCO for the first time showcased the aerial bomb, the country's largest non-nuclear bomb.It is dubbed as the Chinese version of the "Mother of All Bombs" due to its huge destruction potential that is claimed to be only second to nuclear weapons, the daily said.The bomb was airdropped by an H-6K bomber and caused a gigantic explosion, showed a promotional video released by China North Industries Group Corporation Limited (NORINCO) on its website at the end of December.
Bhabha Kavach
Bhabha Kavach • Bhabha Kavach, billed as “India’s lightest bullet-proof jacket”, was launched at the International Police Expo 2019 in New Delhi.
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• The bullet-proof jacket is developed jointly by the Ordnance Factories Board and the public sector metals and metal alloys manufacturer MIDHANI. • It can withstand bullets from an AK-47 assault rifle (7.62 mm hard steel core bullets), and the 5.56 mm INSAS rifle. • The Kavach weighs 9.2 kg, a half kilogram less than the weight for a bullet-proof jacket prescribed by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). • The jacket is powered with nano technology from Bhabha Atomic Research Centre and has a five-year warranty. Stands all Quality standards • The trials have validated that the Bhabha Kavach meets US National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Level III standards, which guarantees protection against 7.62 mm NATO-standard bullets. • Most army bulletproof jackets meet the lesser NIJ Level II standard, which protects soldiers from 9 mm bullets fired from a carbine or handgun. • That is because the army places a premium on mobility as well as protection and does not want a heavy jacket. Imbibing strength • Bhabha Kavach is built from layers of “high-density, high-tenacity polyethelene, which are thermo-sealed” by MIDHANI. • This means the layers are fused together at high temperature. • This forms a thick, hard armour plate, which is then sprayed with BARC’s carbon nanomaterial. • Soaking into the layers of the plate, the nanomaterial instils the toughness and tenacity needed to slow down and trap a bullet as it passes through the plate. • Bulletproof jacket armour is of two types. Soft armour provides lesser protection, suitable for threats from handgun and small arms bullets and is worn by bodyguards and VIPs against personal threats. • Hard armour is stronger and heavier and is designed to stop high calibre rounds. • NIJ Level IV jackets even provide protection against armour-piercing rounds. • Each Bharat Kavach has four hard armour plates, which protect the wearer from the front, back, and either side. Akash Missile • Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully test fired AKASH- MK-1S missile from ITR , Chandipur, Odhisa. Akash MK 1S is an upgraded version of existing Akash missile with indigenous technology. • Akash MK-1S is a surface to air missile which can neutralize advanced aerial targets. The Akash weapon system has combination of both command guidance and active terminal seeker guidance. Seeker and guidance performance have been consistently established in both the missions
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About Missile: • This is surface to air anti-aircraft missile with a strike range of 25 km and capability to carry warhead of 60 kilogram. • It has a launch weight of 720 kg, a diameter of 35 cm and a length of 5.78 metres. • It can reach an altitude of 18 km and can be fired from both tracked and wheeled platforms. • The missile is guided by a phased array fire control radar called ‘Rajendra’ which is termed as Battery Level Radar (BLR) with a tracking range of about 60 km. • The Akash-MK-1S is capable of striking down enemy fighter jets and drones very effectively and accurately. • The Akash surface-to-air missile was designed to intercept enemy aircraft and missiles from a distance of 18 to 30 km. Akash Missile: Context: Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully test fired AKASH-MK-1S missile. Key facts: • This is surface to air anti-aircraft missile with a strike range of 25 km and capability to carry warhead of 60 kilogram. • It can reach an altitude of 18 km and can be fired from both tracked and wheeled platforms. • The missile is guided by a phased array fire control radar called ‘Rajendra’ which is termed as Battery Level Radar (BLR) with a tracking range of about 60 km. • The Akash-MK-1S is capable of striking down enemy fighter jets and drones very effectively and accurately. • The Akash surface-to-air missile was designed to intercept enemy aircraft and missiles from a distance of 18 to 30 km. Indian Coast Guard ship (ICGS) Vigraha • Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICGS) Vigraha, a frontline offshore patrol vessel, sailed into history. After 29 glorious years of service from 1990 to 2019, the ship was decommissioned. • ICGS Vigraha was the seventh offshore patrol vessel built by the Mazagaon Dock Limited, Mumbai and it was commissioned on April 12, 1990. The ship was later based at Visakhapatnam and has been instrumental in protecting the east coast in general and Andhra Pradesh coast in particular since then. About ICGS Vigraha • During the 29 years of service, the ship has participated in major coast guard operations involving search and rescue, anti-poaching, pollution response, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, repatriation and joint exercises among others. • ICGS Vigraha is the symbolic representation of an able-minded warrior in the battle field and true to her name, she has brought many laurels. • Vigraha has been instrumental in saving many lives at sea and helped in apprehension of many smugglers and poachers. www.abhimanuias.com , [email protected] Corporate office: Dainik Bhaskar Building, 2nd Floor, Sector 25-D, Chandigarh
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• Among them, 275 kg silver haul was the most prominent. • The decommissioning ceremony was attended by eight former Commanding Officers who had been at the helm of the ship, along with former and the present crew. Apache helicopters • The Indian Air Force (IAF) has received the first AH-64E (I)-Apache Guardian helicopter at the Boeing production facility in Mesa, Arizona, USA. • Better known as an ‘attack helicopter’, the Apache was received by a team of Indian Air Force officers led by an Air Marshal.
How many Apache helicopters are being acquired by India? • The Indian government has signed a contract for 22 Apache helicopters with the US government and Boeing. This contract was signed in September 2015 for $3 Billion at current rates and was for the supply of helicopters to the IAF. A follow-up order for six Apache helicopters was placed for the Army at an estimated cost of $930 Million. When will the helicopters arrive in India? • The first of these helicopters is scheduled to be shipped to India in July this year and are likely to be inducted in the IAF at a special ceremony in Pathankot air base. Selected aircrew and ground crew have been trained at the US Army base Fort Rucker in Alabama. This nucleus of trained personnel will lead the induction of the helicopters in the IAF. IAF gets first Apache Guardian attack helicopter • US aerospace major Boeing has handed over first of the 22 Apache Guardian attack helicopters to the Indian Air Force today. • The addition of AH-64E (I) Apache helicopter is a significant step towards modernization of the force’s chopper fleet.
AH-64E Apache • The AH-64E Apache is a leading multi-role attack helicopter and is flown by the US Army. • The helicopter has been customised to suit the IAF’s future requirements and would have significant capability in mountainous terrain. • It has the capability to carry out precision attacks at standoff ranges and operate in hostile airspace with threats from ground. • Its ability to transmit and receive the battlefield picture, to and from the weapon systems through data networking makes it a lethal acquisition
India’s Anti-Satellite (ASAT) missile • In March, India demonstrated an operation called ‘Mission Shakti’, the Defence Research & Development Organisation demonstrated India’s ability in offensive defence capability, using a missile to destroy a satellite in Low Earth Orbit. • Mission Shakti is a joint programme of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). www.abhimanuias.com , [email protected] Corporate office: Dainik Bhaskar Building, 2nd Floor, Sector 25-D, Chandigarh
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About Mission Shakti: • It is the technological capability to hit and destroy satellites in space through missiles launched from the ground. • The technology is aimed at destroying, if necessary, satellites owned by enemy countries. The test, however, can be carried out only on one’s own satellite. • There are a large number of satellites currently in space, many of which have outlived their utility and orbiting aimlessly. • One such satellite was chosen for the test. India did not identify the satellite it had chosen to hit for the test. Analysis: • Satellites are extremely critical infrastructure of any country these days. A large number of crucial applications are now satellite-based. These include navigation systems, communication networks, broadcasting, banking systems, stock markets, weather forecasting, disaster management, land and ocean mapping and monitoring tools, and military applications. Destroying a satellite would render these applications useless. It can cripple enemy infrastructure, and bring it down on knees, without causing any threat to human lives. • It requires very advanced capabilities in both space and missile technologies that not many countries possess. • But more than that, destroying space infrastructure like satellites is also taboo in the international community — at least till now — just like the use of a nuclear weapon. • Almost every country agrees that space must not be used for wars and has spoken against weaponisation of space. There are international treaties governing the use of space, that mandate that outer space, and celestial bodies like the Moon, must only be exploited for peaceful purposes. • There is a Outer Space Treaty of 1967, to which India is a signatory, that prohibits countries from placing into orbit around the Earth “any objects carrying nuclear weapons or any other kinds of weapons of mass destruction”. It also prohibits the stationing of such weapons on celestial bodies, like the moon, or in outer space. “The moon and other celestial bodies shall be used by all state parties to the treaty exclusively for peaceful purposes. Nirbhay missile
• India successfully test-fired its first Sub-sonic cruise missile, Nirbhay. The launch was conducted from a test range in Odisha.
About Missile: • Nirbhay is a long range, all-weather, subsonic cruise missile designed and developed in India by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). • It is a two-stage missile powered by Solid rocket motor booster. • It has an operational range of 1000 km (long range).
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• The Nirbhay cruise missile is an Indian version of the American Tomahawk. • The missile, which can be deployed from multiple platforms, was launched by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) from complex-3 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur, • This missile is capable of loitering and cruising at 0.7 Mach at altitude as low as 100 meters, covered the designated target range in 42 minutes and 23 seconds. • Nirbhay was tracked with the help of ground-based radars and other parameters were monitored by indigenous telemetry stations developed by DRDO. The missile test was conducted in a phased manner. Health & Medicine Lymphatic filariasis Context: National Symposium on Lymphatic Filariasis was held in India on the theme ‘United to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis’.
Lymphatic filariasis: Also called as elephantiasis, it is Caused by infection with parasitic worms living in the lymphatic system. The larval stages of the parasite (microfilaria) circulate in the blood and are transmitted from person to person by mosquitoes. May Cause abnormal enlargement of body parts, and leading to severe disability and social stigmatization of those affected. The parasites are transmitted by four main types of mosquitoes: Culex, Mansonia, Anopheles and Aedes.
Triple drug therapy: The World Health Organization (WHO) is recommending three drug treatment to accelerate the global elimination of lymphatic filariasis. • The treatment, known as IDA, involves a combination of ivermectin, diethylcarbamazine citrate and albendazole. • The plan is to administer these drugs for two consecutive years. The life of the adult worm is hardly four years, so it would die a natural death without causing any harm to the person. Need for and significance of the therapy: • Lymphatic filariasis poses a grave threat to India. • Over 40% of worldwide cases are found in India. • Since 2004, two drug therapy for lymphatic filariasis has been in place but the addition of the third drug now will give a boost to the overall campaign. •India has missed earlier deadlines to eradicate the disease by 2015 and 2017. • The global deadline now is 2020 and the three drug approach may help the country get there. Anthrax
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Context: Anthrax scare at Assam’s Pobitora sanctuary after death of 2 buffaloes Asiatic Water Buffaloes.
What is anthrax? A disease caused by Bacillus anthracis, a germ that lives in soil. Affects animals such as cattle, sheep, and goats more often than people. People can get anthrax from contact with infected animals, wool, meat, or hides. Spread: It does not spread directly from one infected animal or person to another; it is spread by spores. These spores can be transported by clothing or shoes. Symptoms & Infection: Respiratory infection in humans initially presents with cold or flu-like symptoms for several days, followed by pneumonia and severe (and often fatal) respiratory collapse. Gastrointestinal (GI) infection in humans is most often caused by consuming anthrax-infected meat and is characterized by serious GI difficulty, vomiting of blood, severe diarrhea, acute inflammation of the intestinal tract, and loss of appetite. Cutaneous anthrax, also known as Hide porter’s disease, is the cutaneous (on the skin) manifestation of anthrax infection in humans. Treatment: • The standard treatment for anthrax is a 60-day course of an antibiotic. Treatment is most effective when started as soon as possible. • Although some cases of anthrax respond to antibiotics, advanced inhalation anthrax may not. By the later stages of the disease, the bacteria have often produced more toxins than drugs can eliminate.
Use in Bioterrorism: Anthrax has been used in biological warfare by agents and by terrorists to intentionally infect. It was spread in US through a mail. It killed 5 people and made 22 sick. WHO report on TB cases in india Context-The tuberculosis incidence rate in India has decreased by almost 50,000 patients over the past one year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO)
Key findings • The report notes that in 2017, India had 27.4 lakh TB patients which came down to 26.9 lakh in 2018. •Incidence per 1,00,000 population has decreased from 204 in 2017 to 199 in 2018. • The number of patients being tested for rifampicin resistance has increased from 32% in 2017 to 46% in 2018. • And the treatment success rate has increased to 81% for new and relapse cases (drug sensitive) in 2017, which was 69% in 2016.
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Disease trends • According to experts, TB remains the top infectious killer in the world claiming over 4,000 lives a day. • This report presents progress towards targets set at the first-ever United Nations General Assembly high-level meeting on TB in 2018, that brought together heads of state, as well as the targets of the WHO End TB Strategy and Sustainable Development Goals. Covering all cases • Meanwhile, the India TB-Report 2019 notes that India is closest ever to covering all TB cases through the online notification system (NIKSHAY). “With the aim of universal access to free diagnostics and treatment services, state-of-the-art diagnostic tests and quality assured drugs have been extended to all patients seeking TB care,” notes the India report. • In India, of the estimated 2.69 million TB cases emerging in 2018, 2.15 million were reported to the Government of India — leaving a gap of 5,40,000 patients who are going unreported.
What is Tuberculosis? • Tuberculosis -- or TB, as it’s commonly called -- is a contagious infection that usually attacks the lungs. It can also spread to other parts of the body, like the brain and spine. A type of bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis causes it. How Is TB Spread? • Through the air, just like a cold or the flu. When someone who’s sick coughs, sneezes, talks, laughs, or sings, tiny droplets that contain the germs are released. If you breathe in these nasty germs, you get infected. • TB is contagious, but it’s not easy to catch. You usually have to spend a lot of time around a person who has a high load of bactilli in their lungs. That’s why it’s often spread among co- workers, friends, and family members. • Tuberculosis germs don’t thrive on surfaces. You can’t get the disease from shaking hands with someone who has it, or by sharing their food or drink. Lancet’s Findings on India •India’s goal to end the epidemic by 2025(five years ahead of the UN SDG) is too “ambitious", “unrealistic", and, therefore, unattainable. As it requires high quality of care to every person from diagnosis to treatment. • TB incidence in the country being 204 cases per 1,00,000 in 2017. • 10% of individuals with TB die or self-cure before presenting for care. • Patient delay before the first presentation for care is 4.1 months. • The proportion of people with TB completing treatment is 85%. • India has the highest number of multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) cases in the world. the majority of cases due to direct transmission. • The early diagnosis and prompt initiation of effective treatment should be high priority to curb MDR-TB transmission.
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‘UMMID’ initiative UMMID (Unique Methods of Management and treatment of Inherited Disorders) initiative: Department of Biotechnology has started the UMMID Initiative which is designed on the concept of ‘Prevention is better than Cure’. UMMID aims to create awareness about genetic disorders amongst clinicians and establish molecular diagnostics in hospitals so that the fruits of developments in medical genetics reach the patients in India.
UMMID initiative aims to: • Establish NIDAN (National Inherited Diseases Administration) Kendras to provide counselling, prenatal testing and diagnosis, management, and multidisciplinary care in Government Hospitals wherein the influx of patients is more. • Produce skilled clinicians in Human Genetics. • Undertake screening of pregnant women and new born babies for inherited genetic diseases in hospitals at aspirational districts. Need for and significance of the initiative: In India’s urban areas, congenital malformations and genetic disorders are the third most common cause of mortality in newborns. With a very large population and high birth rate, and consanguineous marriage favored in many communities, prevalence of genetic disorders is high in India. Establishment of patient care services for genetic disorders is the need of the time. ‘TB Harega Desh Jeetega’ campaign Context: ‘TB Harega Desh Jeetega Campaign’ has been launched with an aim to eliminate tuberculosis from India.
About ‘TB Harega Desh Jeetega’ Campaign: •Campaign aims to improve and expand the reach of TB care services across the country, by 2022. •Three pillars of the campaign- clinical approach, public health component and active community participation. •Supporting aspects of the campaign – patient support, private sector engagement, political and administrative commitment at all levels. •The government will ensure that all patients, at private or public hospitals, receive free-of-cost and high-quality TB care.
Background: United Nations has marked 2030 as a global target to eliminate TB worldwide but the Government of India has made 2025 as its target to eliminate tuberculosis from the country. Why is Tuberculosis a major cause of concern? • TB is one of the leading causes of death worldwide and the leading cause from a single infectious agent, ranking above HIV/AIDS. www.abhimanuias.com , [email protected] Corporate office: Dainik Bhaskar Building, 2nd Floor, Sector 25-D, Chandigarh
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• TB is an infectious disease caused by the bacillus Mycobacterium tuberculosis. • It typically affects the lungs (pulmonary TB) but can also affect other sites. • The disease is spread when people who are sick with pulmonary TB expel bacteria into the air, for example by coughing. • Broader influences on the TB epidemic include levels of poverty, HIV infection, under nutrition and smoking. • Diagnostic tests for TB disease include – Rapid molecular test, Sputum smear microscopy, Culture-based methods • Without treatment, the mortality rate from TB is high. SDG: The consolidated goal on health is SDG 3. One of these targets, (Target 3.3), explicitly mentions TB. SDG 3 also includes a target (Target 3.8) related to universal health coverage (UHC) in which TB is explicitly mentioned. This includes an indicator on the coverage of essential prevention, treatment and care interventions. Foot-and-mouth disease
Context: PM to launch National Animal Disease Control Programme for Foot and Mouth Disease. • It is a 100% centrally funded programme, with a total outlay of Rs.12,652 crore from 2019 to 2024. • It aims to control Foot and Mouth Disease and Brucellosis by 2025 with vaccination and eventual eradication by 2030.
About Foot-and-mouth disease: • It is an infectious and sometimes fatal viral disease. •Affects cloven-hoofed animals, including domestic and wild bovids. •Symptoms: The virus causes a high fever for two or three days, followed by blisters inside the mouth and on the feet that may rupture and cause lameness. • The virus responsible for the disease is a picornavirus, the prototypic member of the genus Aphthovirus. Spread of the disease and Concerns associated: Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) has severe implications for animal farming, since it is highly infectious and can be spread by infected animals through aerosols, through contact with contaminated farming equipment, vehicles, clothing, or feed, and by domestic and wild predators.
Can Humans be affected? Humans can be infected with foot-and-mouth disease through contact with infected animals, but this is extremely rare. Some cases were caused by laboratory accidents. Because the virus that causes FMD is sensitive to stomach acid, it cannot spread to humans via consumption of infected www.abhimanuias.com , [email protected] Corporate office: Dainik Bhaskar Building, 2nd Floor, Sector 25-D, Chandigarh
Science and Technology | Udaan by Abhimanu IAS meat, except in the mouth before the meat is swallowed. Symptoms of FMD in humans include malaise, fever, vomiting, red ulcerative lesions (surface-eroding damaged spots) of the oral tissues, and sometimes vesicular lesions (small blisters) of the skin. India declared free of Avian Influenza Context-With effect from September 3, the OIE-World Organisation for Animal Health declared the country free of the virus. • Avian Influenza was first reported from Hongkong in 1997. Since then, there have been many outbreaks across the world. India too has had multiple outbreaks since 2005. • The status will last only till another outbreak is reported. India was last declared free of the disease in 2017
Basics about Influenza virus There are four types of influenza viruses: types A, B, C and D: • Influenza A viruses infect humans and many different animals. The emergence of a new and very different influenza A virus with the ability infect people and have sustained human to human transmission, can cause an influenza pandemic. • Influenza B viruses circulates among humans and cause seasonal epidemics. Recent data showed seals also can be infected. • Influenza C viruses can infect both humans and pigs but infections are generally mild and are rarely reported. • Influenza D viruses primarily affect cattle and are not known to infect or cause illness in people.
Key facts • Humans can be infected with avian, swine and other zoonotic influenza viruses, such as avian influenza virus subtypes A(H5N1), A(H7N9), and A(H9N2) and swine influenza virus subtypes A(H1N1), A(H1N2) and A(H3N2). • Human infections are primarily acquired through direct contact with infected animals or contaminated environments, these viruses have not acquired the ability of sustained transmission among humans. • Avian, swine and other zoonotic influenza virus infections in humans may cause disease ranging from mild upper respiratory tract infection (fever and cough), early sputum production and rapid progression to severe pneumonia, sepsis with shock, acute respiratory distress syndrome and even death. Conjunctivitis, gastrointestinal symptoms, encephalitis and encephalopathy have also been reported to varying degrees depending on subtype. • The majority of human cases of influenza A (H5N1) and A(H7N9) virus infection have been associated with direct or indirect contact with infected live or dead poultry. Controlling the disease in the animal source is critical to decrease risk to humans. • Influenza viruses, with the vast silent reservoir in aquatic birds, are impossible to eradicate. Zoonotic influenza infection in humans will continue to occur. To minimize public health risk,
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Science and Technology | Udaan by Abhimanu IAS quality surveillance in both animal and human populations, thorough investigation of every human infection and risk-based pandemic planning are essential. Humans can be infected with zoonotic influenza viruses such as avian or swine influenza viruses.
The pathogen There are four types of influenza viruses: types A, B, C and D: •Influenza A viruses infect humans and many different animals. The emergence of a new and very different influenza A virus with the ability infect people and have sustained human to human transmission, can cause an influenza pandemic. •Influenza B viruses circulates among humans and cause seasonal epidemics. Recent data showed seals also can be infected. •Influenza C viruses can infect both humans and pigs but infections are generally mild and are rarely reported. •Influenza D viruses primarily affect cattle and are not known to infect or cause illness in people.
Transmission? • Human infections with avian and other zoonotic influenza viruses, though rare, have been reported sporadically. Human infections are primarily acquired through direct contact with infected animals or contaminated environments, but do not result in efficient transmission of these viruses between people. KALA AZAR
Context : • Study warns Kala azar patients can be a source of infection for others in their community. ?
About : • Researchers from the global programme, Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative, and the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, conducted the study. • A study has highlighted the need to keep track of patients even after they are treated successfully to see whether they develop a skin condition called Post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL). • Public health programmes normally ignore the condition since it merely develops as skin lesions in the form of rashes and nodules. • Even though the lesions were found to contain the parasite causing kalaazar, it was not fatal like kalaazar. It also appears in only some patients and not all.
KALA-AZAR : • It is a chronic and potentially fatal parasitic disease of the internal organs, particularly the liver, spleen, bone marrow and lymph nodes. • It is caused by bites from female phlebotominesandfl ies – the vector (or transmitter) of the leishmania parasite. www.abhimanuias.com , [email protected] Corporate office: Dainik Bhaskar Building, 2nd Floor, Sector 25-D, Chandigarh
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• The sandfl ies feed on animals and humans for blood, which they need for developing their eggs. • The term “kala-azar” comes from India where it means black fever. • It is also known as Indian leishmaniasis, visceral leishmaniasis, leishmania infection, dumdum fever, black sickness, and black fever. • It spreads due to infection by the parasite called Leishmaniadonovani. • Leishmaniadonovaniis transmitted by sandfl y bites in parts of Asia (primarily India), Africa (primarily Sudan), South America (primarily Brazil), Europe (primarily in the Mediterranean region) and in North America. • According to WHO, if the disease is not treated, the fatality rate in developing countries can be as high as 100% within 2 years. Ebola declared as Health Emergency
• Ebola outbreak in DR Congo has been declared as a global health emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO). • Till now Ebola has infected more than 2500 people in the DRC during the new outbreak, killing more than 1650. By calling the current situation a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), WHO in Geneva, Switzerland, has placed it in a rare category that includes the 2009 flu pandemic, the Zika epidemic of 2016, and the 2-year Ebola epidemic that killed more than 11,000 people in West Africa before it ended in 2016.
About Ebola • Ebola, previously known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever, is a rare and deadly disease caused by infection with one of the Ebola virus species. • Ebola can cause disease in humans and nonhuman primates (monkeys, gorillas, and chimpanzees). • Ebola is caused by infection with a virus of the family Filoviridae, genus Ebolavirus. • There are five identified Ebola virus species, four of which are known to cause disease in humans: Ebola virus (Zaire ebolavirus); Sudan virus (Sudan ebolavirus); Taï Forest virus (Taï Forest ebolavirus, formerly Côte d’Ivoire ebolavirus); and Bundibugyo virus (Bundibugyo ebolavirus). • The fifth, Reston virus (Reston ebolavirus), has caused disease in nonhuman primates, but not in humans. • Ebola viruses are found in several African countries. Ebola was first discovered in 1976 near the Ebola River in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Since then, outbreaks have appeared sporadically in Africa. • The natural reservoir host of Ebola virus remains unknown. However, on the basis of evidence and the nature of similar viruses, researchers believe that the virus is animal-borne and that bats are the most likely reservoir. Four of the five virus strains occur in an animal host native to Africa.
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People get Ebola through direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes in, for example, the eyes, nose, or mouth) with • Blood or body fluids of a person who is sick with or has died from Ebola. • objects (like needles and syringes) that have been contaminated with body fluids from a person who is sick with Ebola or the body of a person who has died from Ebola, • infected fruit bats or primates (apes and monkeys), and • Sexual intercourse
Nipah virus • The deadly Nipah virus has resurfaced in the south Indian state of Kerala, nearly a year after it claimed 17 lives. About Nipah Virus: • Nipah virus is transmitted from animals to humans. • Fruit bats, common across south Asia, are the natural hosts of the virus and often do not display any symptoms. The virus is released via their saliva, urine, and excreta. • The Nipah virus was first detected in 1998 in a Malaysian village after which it has been named. That outbreak had claimed 105 lives that year, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). Here, pigs had contracted the disease first, from where it was transmitted to farmers.
Nipah and South East Asia: • In the past two decades, Nipah related deaths have been recorded every year in southeast Asia. Scientists say people in this region often succumb to this disease because of drinking raw date palm sap tapped directly from trees. Infrared cameras have caught bats licking the sap before they were collected and consumed by locals. • Between 1998 and 2015, over 600 cases have been recorded across the world, according to the WHO. • In the past, India had recorded two outbreaks—in West Bengal’s Siliguri (2001) and Nadia (2007) districts. • There is no vaccine available for the disease and treatment is currently limited only to addressing the symptoms.
International Classification of Diseases (ICD) • The World Health Organization has for the first time recognised “burn-out” in its International Classification of Diseases (ICD), which is widely used as a benchmark for diagnosis and health insurers.
Important Points: • It will become globally recognized in 2022, giving healthcare providers and insurers precedent to acknowledge, treat and cover symptoms of 'burn-out'.
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• The WHO describes burn-out as 'chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed,' along with three defining symptoms: a) feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion; b) increased mental distance from one's job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one's job; and c) reduced professional efficacy. • The listing in the ICD notes that 'burn-out refers specifically to phenomena in the occupational context and should not be applied to describe experiences in other areas of life.' • It is distinct from other types of adjustment disorder, disorders specifically associated with stress, anxiety or fear-related disorders, and mood disorders - all of which have their own classifications.
What is ICD? • The ICD is the global health information standard for mortality and morbidity statistics. The first international classification edition, known as the International List of Causes of Death, was adopted by the International Statistical Institute in 1893. WHO was entrusted with the ICD at its creation in 1948. The ICD is revised periodically and is currently in its 10th revision. • ICD is increasingly used in clinical care and research to define diseases and study disease patterns, as well as manage health care, monitor outcomes and allocate resources. ICD has been translated into 43 languages.
WHO declares Algeria, Argentina malaria-free • The World Health Organization (WHO) declared Algeria and Argentina as malaria-free, with no recorded cases of indigenous transmission of the disease since 2013 and 2010 respectively. Important Points: • Malaria remains one of the world’s leading killers. It accounted for an estimated 219 million cases from 87 countries and over 400,000 related deaths in 2017. • Over 60 per cent of fatalities were among children under five years, and caused 266,000 of all malaria deaths worldwide, according to WHO's World malaria report 2018. • Efforts such as improved surveillance, which allowed for every last case of malaria to be rapidly identified and treated, free diagnosis and treatment to ensure no one was left behind, helped to prevent, detect and cure the disease. • Algeria is where the malaria parasite was first discovered in humans almost a century and a half ago, and that was a significant milestone in responding to the disease • With 92 per cent of malaria cases and 93 per cent of malaria deaths recorded from Africa, the region had a high share of the global malaria burden in 2017. Four countries in the continent accounted for nearly half of all malaria cases worldwide: Nigeria (25 per cent), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (11 per cent), Mozambique (five per cent), and Uganda (four per cent), the World malaria report 2018 showed.
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• Argentina, on the other hand, began eliminating in the 1970s. The South American country trained health workers to spray homes with insecticides as well as diagnose the disease through microscopy. • The country also initiated cross-border collaboration and worked closely with the Government of Bolivia. Between 2000 and 2011, more than 22,000 homes in border areas were sprayed with insecticides and widespread malaria testing was conducted. • While Algeria is the second African country to be officially recognised as malaria-free, after Mauritius (certified in 1973), Argentina is the second country in the Americas to be certified in 45 years, after Paraguay in June 2018. About Malaria Parasite: • Malaria parasite was first discovered in Algeria by French physician Charles Louis Alphonse Laveran in 1880. By the 1960s, the disease became the country’s primary health challenge, with an estimated 80,000 cases reported each year. Monkeypox virus: Singapore reports first case of rare virus Context: Singapore recently reported the first ever case of the Monkeypox Virus, a rare virus similar to the human smallpox.
About Monkeypox Virus: What is It? • Monkeypox virus (MPXV) is an orthopoxvirus that causes a viral disease with symptoms in humans similar, but milder, to those seen in smallpox patients. • Smallpox was declared eradicated in 1980, whereas human monkeypox is endemic in villages of Central and West Africa. • The occurrence of cases is often found close to tropical rainforests where there is frequent contact with infected animals. • There is no evidence to date that person-to-person transmission alone can sustain monkeypox in the human population.
Transmission: Monkeypox is a viral zoonosis, i.e. a disease transmitted from animals to humans. It can be transmitted through contact with the blood, bodily fluids, or cutaneous or mucosal lesions of infected animals. Human infections have been documented through the handling of infected monkeys, Gambian giant rats and squirrels, with rodents being the most likely reservoir of the virus. Worlds first Malaria Vaccine: RTS,S (Mosquirix) News • The WHO welcomed a pilot project in Malawi of administering a malaria vaccine to children below the age of 2 years. RTS,S vaccine (Mosquirix)
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• The vaccine has been developed by GSK — the company is donating about 10 million doses of the product for the pilot. • It was created in 1987 by GSK, and was subsequently developed with support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. • RTS,S aims to trigger the immune system to defend against the first stages of malaria when the Plasmodium falciparum parasite enters the human host’s bloodstream through a mosquito bite and infects liver cells. • The vaccine is designed to prevent the parasite from infecting the liver, where it can mature, multiply, re-enter the bloodstream, and infect red blood cells, which can lead to disease symptoms. • In 2014, the vaccine cleared phase III clinical trials which certified that it was both effective and safe for use in humans.
Why trials in Malawi? • A total 3, 60,000 children across three African countries — Malawi, Ghana and Kenya — will be covered every year with the vaccine. • Most of these deaths are in Africa, where more than 2,50,000 children die from the disease every year. • Malaria is a constant threat in the African communities where this vaccine will be given. The poorest children suffer the most and are at highest risk of death. How badly is India affected by malaria? • India ranks very high in the list of countries with a serious malaria burden. • In 2018, 3,99,134 cases of malaria and 85 deaths due to the disease were reported in the country, according to data from the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme. • Six states — Odisha (40%), Chhattisgarh (20%), Jharkhand (20%), Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, and Mizoram (5-7%) — bear the brunt of malaria in India. • These states, along with the tribal areas of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, account for 90% of India’s malaria burden.
Durgama Anchalare Malaria Nirakaran (DAMaN) initiative: • Among states, Odisha’s Durgama Anchalare Malaria Nirakaran (DAMaN) initiative is significant. • The initiative aims to deliver services to the most inaccessible and hardest hit people of the State. The initiative has in-built innovative strategies to combat asymptomatic malaria. • The programme is jointly implemented by Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Malaria Research (ICMR-NIMR), National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP), Odisha and Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV).
Typbar TCV Context-Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech has developed a typhoid vaccine (Typbar TCV) which has better efficacy than the previously used vaccinations in preventing typhoid fever. www.abhimanuias.com , [email protected] Corporate office: Dainik Bhaskar Building, 2nd Floor, Sector 25-D, Chandigarh
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• Typbar TCV is a type of conjugate vaccine which has already been pre-qualified by the World Health Organisation’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (WHO-SAGE). • This enables the procurement and supplies of this vaccine to UNICEF, Pan-American Health Organisation (PAHO) and GAVI-supported countries, the Hyderabad-based company said in a statement. • Currently, two typhoid vaccines viz. Polysaccharide Typhoid Vaccine and Live, Weakened Typhoid Vaccine are used in India. However, their efficacy is lower than the conjugate vaccine as they offer 60-70% protection, unlike the conjugate vaccine which confers nearly 82% protection.
Typbar TCV • The vaccine containing polysaccharide of Salmonella typhi Ty2 conjugated to Tetanus Toxoid. Vi Capsular polysaccharide of Salmonella typhi alone elicit B cell responses, but the conjugation of bacterial polysaccharide to a protein carrier provides foreign peptide antigens that are presented to the immune system eliciting antigen-specific CD4+ Th cells, referred to as T- dependent antibody responses. A hallmark of T-dependent responses, which are also elicited by toxoid is to induce both higher-affinity antibodies and long-term immune memory. • Typbar TCV is the first typhoid vaccine, clinically proven to be administered to children from six months of age to adults and confers long term protection against typhoid fever • Typbar TCV is the only approved vaccine for children and infants less than 2 years of age. Typhoid • Typhoid is caused by the salmonella typhi bacteria, and is spread through contaminated food and water. According to WHO, every year nearly 1.2 crore cases of typhoid are reported globally. Death from typhoid is put at more than 1.28 lakh globally each year. And this is mostly reported among children and young adults in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. • A typhoid conjugate vaccine offers a good solution to protect children from falling ill and from drug-resistant typhoid. National institute of Sowa-Rigpa (NISR) Context-The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi today approved the establishment of the National Institute for Sowa-Rigpa in Leh as an autonomous organization under the Ministry of AYUSH
Objective • The objective is to establish the National Institute of Sowa-Rigpa (NISR) as an apex Institute for Sowa-Rigpa with aim of bringing a valid and useful synergy between Traditional Wisdom of Sowa- Rigpa and modern science, tools and technology. It will help to promote interdisciplinary research & education of Sowa-Rigpa.
Significance • After setting up of NISR, the synergy among the existing Sowa Rigpa Institutions - Central University of Tibetan Studies. Sarnath, Varanasi and Central Institute of Buddhist Studies, Leh,
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Union Territory of Ladakh. which are under the administrative control of Ministry of Culture and NISR will be established. • This will facilitate quality education, scientific validation, quality control & standardization and safety evaluation of Sowa-Rigpa products, standardized Sowa-Rigpa based tertiary health delivery and to promote interdisciplinary research & education of Sowa-Rigpa at undergraduate, postgraduate and postdoctoral levels. • The National Institute of Sowa Rigpa would identify the best Sowa-Rigpa treatment – including their standard procedures-within the framework of traditional Sowa-Rigpa principle and possible co-relation with bio-molecular western medicine in providing health care facilities to the general public.
Sowa-Rigpa • Commonly known as Tibetan system of medicine is one of the oldest, Living and well documented medical tradition of the world. It has been originated from Tibet and popularly practice in India, Nepal, Bhutan, Mongolia and Russia. • The majority of theory and practice of Sowa-Rigpa is similar to “Ayurveda” . • The first Ayurvedic influence came to Tibet during 3rd century AD but it became popular only after 7th centuries with the approach of Buddhism to Tibet. There after this trend of exportation of Indian medical literature, along with Buddhism and other Indian art and sciences were continued till early 19th century. • India being the birth place of Buddha and Buddhism has always been favorite place for learning Buddhist art and culture for Tibetan students; lots of Indian scholars were also invited to Tibet for prorogation of Buddhism and other Indian art and sciences. This long association with India had resulted in translation and preservation of thousands of Indian literature on various subjects like religion, sciences, arts, culture and language etc. in Tibetan language. • In India, this system is widely practice in Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Darjeeling (West Bengal), Dharamsala, Lahaul and Spiti(Himachal Pradesh) and Ladakh region.
UN report on lead in paints Context-As World Lead Prevention Week starts on October 20, 2019, a new United Nations (UN) report has revealed that many of its members do not have proper laws inhibiting the concentration of lead in items like paints. Key findings • According to the report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), only 13 countries have laws which prescribe that lead concentration should not be more than 90 particles per million (ppm). • Ninety ppm is the concentration limit recommended by the Model Law and Guidance for Regulating Lead Paint published by the UNEP in 2018.
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• It is the lowest and most protective regulatory limit for lead paints that has been set in India, the United States (US), Bangladesh, Canada, Cameroon, China, Ethiopia, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kenya, Nepal and the Philippines. • These 13 countries are part of 73 countries out of the UN’s 193 members, which, as of September 30, 2019, had confirmed that they had legally binding controls on lead in paint, according to the UNEP report. • As many as three countries had set 100 ppm, 13 had set 600 ppm and six had set the limit of 1,000 ppm or higher. •Eighty-five had stated that they did not have legally binding controls, while information was unavailable for the remaining 35 countries.
Why lead is added to paints • Lead is added to paints for various reasons, including enhancing the colour, reducing corrosion and decreasing the drying time. Impact of lead • Lead can reach soil, dust and groundwater through weathering . And, it has several adverse health impacts • Lead exposure accounted for 1.06 million deaths from long-term effects and 24.4 million disability adjusted life years known as DALYs in 2007, the UNEP report said. • Lead can cause permanent damage to the brain and nervous system, resulting in decreased IQ and increased behavioural problems. • It can also cause anaemia, increase the risk of kidney damage and hypertension, and impair reproductive function,” the report noted. •Young children and pregnant women (whose developing foetus can be exposed) are especially vulnerable to the adverse effects of lead. Even relatively low levels of exposure can cause serious and irreversible neurological damage. • Estimated annual costs (in international dollars) of lead exposure by global region, based on loss of IQ, include the following: Africa — $134.7 billion; Latin America and the Caribbean — $142.3 billion; and Asia — $699.9 billion. • In Asia-Pacific, nine (23 per cent) countries had enacted laws. Here, the paint testing studies found 16-95 per cent samples containing lead above the set standards depending from country to country. The annual economic cost of childhood lead exposure in this region was found to be 1.88 per cent of the regional GDP. • Even though India enacted a law in 2016 saying lead concentration was not permissible above 90 ppm in paints, a study released by New Delhi-based non-profit and research organisation Toxics Link said that out of the total 20 samples it collected, only three subscribed to the limit. • Others had lead content from 101 ppm to 130,797 ppm. And, all these samples were manufactured after the lead law was enforced in 2017. These samples were collected from Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur and Rajasthan. www.abhimanuias.com , [email protected] Corporate office: Dainik Bhaskar Building, 2nd Floor, Sector 25-D, Chandigarh
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• By contrast, the economic cost is low for eliminating the use of lead compounds in new decorative paints. In fact, many manufacturers have already successfully reformulated their paint products to avoid the intentional addition of lead. Aflatoxin-M1 in processed milk Context-Traces of Aflatoxin M1 (AFM1), a deadly carcinogen, were found in some of the milk samples tested as part of a national survey by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
Findings • Out of the total 6,432 samples of liquid milk which were tested, 456 samples (7.1 per cent) were found to be unsafe due to contaminants such as Aflatoxin-M1, antibiotics or pesticides • Aflatoxin-M1 is a contaminant that comes in the milk through poor storage practices of animal feed and fodder. • The highest rates of aflatoxin contamination were found in Tamil Nadu (88 out of 551 samples), Delhi (38 out of 262 samples) and Kerala (37 out of 187 samples). The carcinogen was found to be more prevalent in processed rather than raw milk. Aflatoxin • Aflatoxins are toxins produced by certain fungi which are generally found in agricultural crops like maize, peanuts, cotton seed and others. They are carcinogenic in nature, which means they can cause cancer. • Consumption of food containing aflatoxin concentrations of one milligram/kilogram or higher has been suspected to cause aflatoxicosis, the prognosis of which consists of acute liver failure, jaundice, lethargy and nausea, eventually leading to death, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) study in February 2018. • Based on past outbreaks, it has been estimated that when consumed over a period of 1–3 weeks, an Aflatoxin B1 dose of 20–120 microgram per kilogram (μg/kg) by weight per day is acutely toxic and potentially lethal. • According to FSSAI standards, the permissible limit of aflatoxins in milk is 0.5 µg/kg. • A study conducted in Nairobi, Kenya in August 2018 stated that AFM1 had potentially severe health impacts on milk consumers, including the risk of cancer and stunting in children under the age of five years. • The exposure to AFM1 from milk is 46 nanogram per kilogram (ng/day) on average, but children bear higher exposure of 3.5 ng/kg bodyweight per day (bw/day) compared to adults, at 0.8 ng/kg bw/day. This causes stunting among children.
How do you differentiate between chemical contamination and adulteration? And what are the implications of this distinction? Contamination and adulteration both may involve the presence of a substance that is not intended to be in a product. Contamination www.abhimanuias.com , [email protected] Corporate office: Dainik Bhaskar Building, 2nd Floor, Sector 25-D, Chandigarh
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•Contamination is unintentional. • It may result from natural causes (e.g., heavy metals of the soil that are taken up by plants) or causes implicit in the process (e.g., pesticide residues). These scenarios are often referred to as technically unavoidable. • Contamination can also occur as a consequence of some sort of shortcoming or lapse in quality control. Contamination is, for the most part, predictable (e.g., higher residues of arsenic can be expected in plants grown in soil that is itself high in arsenic; the application of pesticides in general will lead to pesticide residues in plants), and risks from contamination are generally easier to manage or limit because they involve hazards that manufacturers know they need to carefully control. • Additional examples are aflatoxins in peanuts or milk, or microbiological contaminants in fresh or canned products. Adulteration • Adulteration, on the other hand, is generally economically motivated. It often employs the intentional replacement of the expected ingredient, or its dilution, with a less expensive alternative—such as the scrap melamine that was added to milk products and pet food to falsify the levels of protein in these products. •Not every case of adulteration will result in serious adverse health effects such as those related to the melamine scandals, which is why we do not hear about this problem as often as it occurs. • In most cases, finished product manufacturers and consumers will simply be cheated out of what they have paid a premium for—still unethical, still with some potential negative consequences for the brand image (e.g., consumer detection of taste and/or texture differences), but not necessarily a health risk to the consumer. • However, adulteration always results in the introduction of unknown hazards and hence unknown risks into the production of, and eventually into, the consumer product. • No one knows what was added (except for the adulterator), and thus no one can account for risks associated with that substance. The food’s safety, the brand’s image and ultimately the safety of the consumer are at the mercy of the adulterator’s knowledge with regard to the safety of the substitution. (In the melamine milk powder scandal, for instance, had the perpetrators not used scrap melamine with the combined presence of melamine and cyanuric acid, it may not have resulted in tragic health effects—widespread kidney problems and even the deaths—on infants and would have probably gone undetected.) • That is the danger adulteration poses—an unknown element is introduced into the food supply chain that may be harmless, but may be devastating, and it often is not reasonable to expect its presence because it is designed to bypass detection by routine testing. Silicosis Context-Miners (Saharia tribe) in Madhya Pradesh suffering from silicosis decided to organise themselves to press for adequate compensation and appeal to the government for right treatment, instead of being treated for tuberculosis.
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• When miners turn 35, immunity falls and they contract the disease easily. But the government is not ready to admit the extent of the disease, and treat them for TB instead. Silicosis •Silicosis is one of the most important occupational health illnesses in the world. It is a progressive lung disease caused by inhalation of silica over a long period of time. Silicosis is characterized by shortness of breath, cough, fever and bluish skin. • Silica (SiO2 / silicon dioxide) is crystal-like mineral found in abundance in sand, rock, and quartz. Silicosis occurs most commonly as an occupational disease in people working in the quarrying, manufacturing and building construction industries. It is also reported from population with non- occupational exposure to silica dust from industrial as well as nonindustrial sources. Treatment • Silicosis is an incurable condition with its potential to cause permanent physical disability. As there is no effective specific treatment of silicosis, the only way to protect workers’ health is control of exposure to silica-containing dusts and to detect cases early through monitoring of currently and formerly exposed workers along with proper management to reduce disability. Carcinogen substance in Ranitidine Context-Recently US food and drug regulator raised concerns over popular heartburn drug ‘ranitidine’ being contaminated with cancer-causing substances, India’s top drug regulatory body has begun looking into the issue in India. • The letter, however, does not call for any halting of supplies, which means the products — known popularly through brand names like ‘Aciloc’, ‘Zinetac’, ‘Rantac’, ‘R-Loc’ and ‘Ranitin’ — will continue to be marketed in the country. • The drug Ranitidine is commonly prescribed medicine for countering acidity and is available in various formulations including tablets, injections, etc. • Some Ranitidine medicines contain a Nitrosamine Impurity called N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) at low levels which are considered as Carcinogenic. •CDSCO has also asked states to ensure that the drug is sold only under prescription as it is a prescription drug included in Schedule H. Ranitidine • Ranitidine reduces the amount of acid your stomach makes. • It's used for indigestion and heartburn and acid reflux. It is also used for gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) - this is when you keep getting acid reflux. Ranitidine is also taken to prevent and treat stomachulcers. • In India, a host of companies including GlaxoSmithKline, Dr. Reddy’s, Sun Pharmaceuticals sell over 180 versions of the drug. Some commonly known brands of Ranitidine are Zantac, Aztec, Giran etc e-Cigarettes Context-Recently Indian government decided to ban the sale, storage and manufacture of e- cigarettes. . www.abhimanuias.com , [email protected] Corporate office: Dainik Bhaskar Building, 2nd Floor, Sector 25-D, Chandigarh
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• Once the ban comes into force, consumption, production, manufacturing, import, export, transport, sale, distribution, storage and advertisement of e-cigarettes would become illegal in India. e-Cigarette • E-cigarettes are the most common form of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS). These are basically devices that do not burn or use tobacco leaves. Instead, they vaporise a solution using a battery. This vapour is then inhaled by the user. • The main constituents of the solution, in addition to nicotine when nicotine is present, are propylene glycol, with or without glycerol and flavouring agents.
How does an e-Cigarette work? • The effectiveness of e-cigarettes depends on a range of factors such as the battery's strength, the nature of unit circuit, solutions used and the user's behaviour, among others. • Since e-cigarettes work on vapours, their effectiveness is directly dependent on the product's ability to heat the solution to a state where it transforms into vapour. As a result, the battery's voltage and circuit strength are crucial components. Stronger the voltage and circuit, faster will the solution heat up and vaporise, and more effective will be the product. • Battery voltage and unit circuitry differences can result in considerable variability in the products' ability to heat the solution to an aerosol and, consequently, may affect delivery of nicotine and other constituents, and may contribute to the formation of toxicants in the emissions.
Health risks •WHO report on e- cigarettes and effects: As per the report, Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) (also known as e-cigarettes) emits nicotine, the addictive component of tobacco products. In addition to dependence, nicotine can have adverse effects on the development of the foetus during pregnancy and may contribute to cardiovascular disease.The WHO report further says that although nicotine itself is not a carcinogen, it may function as a “tumour promoter” and seems to be involved in the biology of malignant disease, as well as of neurodegeneration. •E-cigarettes usually contain nicotine. Nicotine is what makes tobacco products addictive. Be aware that some e-cigarettes that claim to be nicotine-free have been found to contain nicotine. •E-cigarettes are harmful for youth, young adults, and pregnant women. The nicotine in e- cigarettes is harmful for developing babies, and can lead to addiction and harm brain development in children and young adults into their early 20s. Although there is still much to learn about e-cigarettes, the evidence is clear that the harmful health effects of using e-cigarettes means teens and young adults should not use them. •E-cigarettes may contain other harmful substances. While e-cigarettes typically have fewer chemicals than regular cigarettes, they may still contain heavy metals like lead, flavorings linked to lung disease, small particles that can be inhaled deep into the lungs, and cancer-causing
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Science and Technology | Udaan by Abhimanu IAS chemicals. Being near someone using an e-cigarette can expose you to the aerosol and the chemicals in it. This is similar to secondhand smoke from regular. genetically-modified Aedes aegypti mosquito Context-Contrary to claims made, genes from genetically-modified Aedes aegypti mosquito were found to have been transferred to naturally-occurring A. aegypti mosquito population in three areas in Brazil where transgenic mosquitoes were released. • It is unclear if the presence of transgenic mosquito genes in the natural population will affect the disease transmission capacity or make mosquito control efforts more difficult. • A.aegypti mosquitoes are responsible for transmitting dengue, chikungunya and Zika virus. Concerns • About 4,50,000 transgenic male mosquitoes were released each week for 27 months (June 2013 to September 2015) in three areas in Brazil. • The genetic strategy employed to control A. aegypti population known as RIDL (the Release of Insects carrying Dominant Lethal genes) is supposed to only reduce the population of the naturally occurring A. aegyptimosquitoes and not affect or alter their genetics • The genetic strategy works on the premise that the transgenic male mosquitoes released frequently in large numbers would compete with the naturally occurring male mosquitoes to mate with the females. Offspring from the mating of transgenic male mosquito and naturally occurring female mosquito do not survive to the adult stage. This is because tetracycline drug, which prevents the dominant lethal gene from producing the lethal protein during rearing in labs, is not present in sufficient quantity in nature. In the absence of tetracycline, there is overproduction of the lethal protein causing the larvae to die. • The claim was that genes from the release strain would not get into the general population because offspring would die. That obviously was not what happened.
Dengue • It is a mosquito-borne viral infection causing a severe flu-like illness and, sometimes causing a potentially lethal complication called severe dengue • The Aedes aegypti mosquito is the main vector that transmits the viruses that cause dengue. The viruses are passed on to humans through the bites of an infective female Aedes mosquito, which mainly acquires the virus while feeding on the blood of an infected person. • Once infected, humans become the main carriers and multipliers of the virus, serving as a source of the virus for uninfected mosquitoes. The virus circulates in the blood of an infected person for 2-7 days, at approximately the same time that the person develops a fever. Patients who are already infected with the dengue virus can transmit the infection via Aedes mosquitoes after the first symptoms appear (during 4-5 days; maximum 12).
Zika virus • It is a mosquito-borne flavivirus that was first identified in Uganda in 1947 in monkeys. It was later identified in humans in 1952 in Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania. www.abhimanuias.com , [email protected] Corporate office: Dainik Bhaskar Building, 2nd Floor, Sector 25-D, Chandigarh
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• Zika virus disease is caused by a virus transmitted primarily by Aedes mosquitoes, which bite during the day. • Symptoms are generally mild and include fever, rash, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, malaise or headache. Symptoms typically last for 2–7 days. Most people with Zika virus infection do not develop symptoms. • Zika virus infection during pregnancy can cause infants to be born with microcephaly and other congenital malformations, known as congenital Zika syndrome. Infection with Zika virus is also associated with other complications of pregnancy including preterm birth and miscarriage. • An increased risk of neurologic complications is associated with Zika virus infection in adults and children, including Guillain-Barré syndrome, neuropathy and myelitis. Bombay blood group Context-Over the last two week the Demand for the Bombay blood type has coincidentally spiked at hospitals in Mumbai, but supply has been scarce.
Blood types, common & rare • The four most common blood groups are A, B, AB and O. • The rare, Bombay blood group was first discovered in Mumbai (then Bombay) in 1952 by Dr Y M Bhende. • Each red blood cell has antigen over its surface, which helps determine which group it belongs to. • The Bombay blood group, also called hh, is deficient in expressing antigen H, meaning the RBC has no antigen H. • For instance, in the AB blood group, both antigens A and B are found. A will have A antigens; B will have B antigens. In hh, there are no A or B antigens. Rare in India, rarer globally • Globally, the hh blood type has an incidence of one in four million. It has a higher incidence in South Asia; in India, one in 7,600 to 10,000 are born with this type. • The blood type is more common in South Asia than anywhere else because of inbreeding and close community marriages. “It is genetically passed,” Shared common ancestry among Indians, Sri Lankans, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis has led to more cases of hh blood phenotype in this region.
Why AB+ is called univarsal recipient? • People with type AB+ blood are universal recipients because they have no antibodies to A, B or Rh in their blood and can receive red blood cells from a donor of any blood type. Why O- is called universal donor? • Type O blood lacks antigens on the outside of the red blood cells. This means that our immune system will not react to the blood because there is no antigen to react against. • Similarly, Rh negative blood lacks the Rh antigens on the outside of the blood cells, so once again there are no proteins for our immune system to react against. This lack of antigens means www.abhimanuias.com , [email protected] Corporate office: Dainik Bhaskar Building, 2nd Floor, Sector 25-D, Chandigarh
Science and Technology | Udaan by Abhimanu IAS that type O negative blood can be transfused in people of any blood type; hence, the term universal blood donor. • Red blood cells from a donor that is type O+ can be transfused into patients of four different blood types: A+, B+, AB+, and of course O+. African Swine fever Context-China has reported a new outbreak of African swine fever that is threatening the country’s vital pork industry About
African Swine fever • African swine fever is a viral disease of pigs and wild boar that is usually deadly. There are neither vaccines nor cures. For this reason, it has serious socio-economic consequences in affected countries. Humans are not susceptible to the disease Transmission and spread Healthy pigs and boar usually become infected by: • Contact with infected animals, including contact between free-ranging pigs and wild boar. •Ingestion of meat or meat products from infected animals – kitchen waste, swill feed, infected wild boar (including offal). • Contact with anything contaminated by the virus such as clothing, vehicles and other equipment. •Bites by infectious ticks. Movement of infected animals, contaminated pork products and the illegal disposal of carcasses are the most significant means of spread of the disease.
Is it a public health threat? • ASF cannot be transmitted to humans through contact with pigs or pork. • ASF only affects members of the pig family. Why is ASF not a human threat? • Most viruses demonstrate some degree of host restriction; they replicate in one cell type or host and not in another. While there are exceptions, this is the general rule, not the exception. In the case of ASF virus, there is no evidence supporting either subclinical or clinical infection of humans. • The host restriction in ASF virus is likely due to the absence of susceptible and permissive cells needed for viral replication. It could also be related to the inability of the virus to overcome intrinsic and innate host responses generated following ASF virus exposure. Germany to phase out glyphosate by 2023: Context- Recently Germany took step to phase out Glyphosate to protect insect population that play a pivotal role in ecosystems and pollination of food crops.
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Glyphosate use in india • Glyphosate use increased 1500% since genetically modified crops were introduced Why farmers continue to use Glyphosate • Despite being aware of its toxicity, farmers in India want the chemical as it helps them control weeds in their farms at a lower cost. Cost of weeding can be as much as three times lower if glyphosate is used instead of manual labour. Farmers use glyphosate on all kinds of crops; they cover the crop plant with plastic baskets to protect them and spray the chemical on the weeds around it. • However, for genetically modified herbicide-tolerant crops, the usage is more as farmers spray it more liberally across fields to clear the weeds. “Farmers cannot afford to think about the long- term adverse health effects of the chemical.
What is glyphosate? • Glyphosate is an herbicide. It is applied to the leaves of plants to kill both broadleaf plants and grasses. The sodium salt form of glyphosate is used to regulate plant growth and ripen specific crops. • Glyphosate was first registered for use in the U.S. in 1974. Glyphosate is one of the most widely used herbicides. People apply it in agriculture and forestry, on lawns and gardens, and for weeds in industrial areas. Some products containing glyphosate control aquatic plants.
How does glyphosate work? • Glyphosate is a non-selective herbicide, meaning it will kill most plants. It prevents the plants from making certain proteins that are needed for plant growth. Glyphosate stops a specific enzyme pathway, the shikimic acid pathway. The shikimic acid pathway is necessary for plants and some microorganisms.
Trans fatty acids (TFA) • The WHO has joined hands with the International Food and Beverage Alliance (IFBA) to achieve the target of eliminating industrially produced trans fats by 2023. Eliminating industrially produced trans-fat is one of the simplest and most effective ways to save lives and create a healthier food supply. • The commitment made by the IFBA is in line with the WHO’s target to eliminate industrial trans-fat from the global food supply by 2023.
About TFA: • Trans fatty acids or Trans fats are the most harmful type of fats which can have much more adverse effects on our body than any other dietary constituent. • These fats are largely produced artificially but a small amount also occurs naturally thus in our diet, these may be present as Artificial TFAs and/ or Natural TFAs.
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• Artificial TFAs are formed when hydrogen is made to react with the oil to produce fats resembling pure ghee/butter. In our diet the major sources of artificial TFAs are the partially hydrogenated vegetable oils (PHVO)/vanaspati/ margarine while the natural TFAs are present in meats and dairy products, though in small amounts. • TFAs pose a higher risk of heart disease than saturated fats. While saturated fats raise total cholesterol levels, TFAs not only raise total cholesterol levels but also reduce the good cholesterol (HDL), which helps to protect us against heart disease. • Trans fats consumption increases the risk of developing heart disease and stroke. It is also associated with a higher risk of developing obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, infertility, certain types of cancers and can also lead to compromised fetal development causing harm to the yet to be born baby. • Despite their harmful effect the reason why food manufacturers frequently use them because TFA containing oils can be preserved longer, they give the food the desired shape and texture and can easily substitute ‘Pure ghee’. Further, these are comparatively far lower in cost and thus add to profit/saving.
Electronics & computers Edge computing Context-By 2025, says the global research and advisory firm Gartner, companies will generate and process more than 75% of their data outside of traditional centralised data centres — that is, at the “edge” of the cloud.
What is Cloud Computing? • In a cloud computing architecture, all data is gathered and processed in a centralized location, usually in a data center. All devices that need to access this data or use applications associated with it must first connect to the cloud. Since everything is centralized, the cloud is generally easy to secure and control while still allowing for reliable remote access. • Public cloud services such as Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services, and Google Cloud provide tremendous benefits for organizations that use a traditional client/server network. By storing assets and information in a centralized cloud, they ensure that authorized users can access the information and tools they need from anywhere at any time.
What is Edge Computing? • As Internet of Things (IoT) devices become more common and incorporate more processing power, a vast amount of data is being generated on the outer “edge” of computing networks. •Traditionally, the data produced by IoT devices is relayed back to a central network server, usually housed in a data center. Once that data is processed, further instructions are sent back to the devices out on the edge of the network.Network latency can have serious consequences for IoT devices. Take, for example, self-driving cars. Autonomous vehicles gather a tremendous amount of data from their surroundings and from other devices nearby. If the vehicle’s reaction www.abhimanuias.com , [email protected] Corporate office: Dainik Bhaskar Building, 2nd Floor, Sector 25-D, Chandigarh
Science and Technology | Udaan by Abhimanu IAS time is dependent upon instructions from the computing resources at the core of the network, the slightest delay could literally be a matter of life and death. Edge Computing Vs. Cloud Computing - Which One’s Better? • First, it’s important to understand that cloud and edge computing are different, non- interchangeable technologies that cannot replace one another. • Edge computing is used to process time-sensitive data, while cloud computing is used to process data that is not time-driven. • Besides latency, edge computing is preferred over cloud computing in remote locations, where there is limited or no connectivity to a centralized location. These locations require local storage, similar to a mini data center, with edge computing providing the perfect solution for it. • Edge computing is also beneficial to specialize and intelligent devices. While these devices are akin to PCs, they are not regular computing devices designed to perform multiple functions. These specialized computing devices are intelligent and respond to particular machines in a specific way. However, this specialization becomes a drawback for edge computing in certain industries that require immediate responses. • The process of edge computing differs from cloud computing because it takes time, sometimes up to 2 seconds to relay the information to the centralized data center, delaying the decision- making process. The signal latency can lead to the organization incurring losses, hence organizations prefer edge computing to cloud computing. • The centralized nature of cloud computing makes it difficult to process data gathered from the edge of the network quickly and effectively. What the cloud lacks in speed, however, it makes up for in power and capacity. National Policy on Electronics 2019 Context: The Union Cabinet has given its approval to the National Policy on Electronics 2019 (NPE 2019), proposed by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). The Policy envisions positioning India as a global hub for Electronics System Design and Manufacturing – (ESDM) by encouraging and driving capabilities in the country for developing core components, including chipsets, and creating an enabling environment for the industry to compete globally.
Salient Features of NPE 2019: • Create eco-system for globally competitive ESDM sector: Promoting domestic manufacturing and export in the entire value-chain of ESDM. • Provide incentives and support for manufacturing of core electronic components. • Provide special package of incentives for mega projects which are extremely high-tech and entail huge investments, such as semiconductor facilities display fabrication, etc. • Formulate suitable schemes and incentive mechanisms to encourage new units and expansion of existing units.
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• Promote Industry-led R&D and innovation in all sub-sectors of electronics, including grass root level innovations and early stage Start-ups in emerging technology areas such as 5G, loT/ Sensors, Artificial Intelligence (Al), Machine Learning, Virtual Reality (VR), Drones, Robotics, Additive Manufacturing, Photonics, Nano-based devices, etc.
National Broadband Mission (NBM) Context: The union government has launched the National Broadband Mission (NBM).
What is NBM? The mission will facilitate universal and equitable access to broadband services across the country, especially in rural and remote areas. It also involves laying of incremental 30 lakh route km of optical fibre cable and increasing tower density from 0.42 to 1 tower per thousand population by 2024. The mission also envisages increasing fiberisation of towers to 70% from 30% at present. The mission will envisage stakeholder investment of $100 billion (Rs 7 lakh crore) including Rs 70,000 crore from Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) in the coming years. • The mission also involves the development of a Broadband Readiness Index to measure the availability of digital communication infrastructure and foster conducive policy ecosystem within a state/UT. • It will also strive for the creation of a digital fibre map of the communications network and infrastructure, including optical fibre cables and towers across the country. Significance: • The broadband mission aims to fast-track growth of digital communications infrastructure, bridge the digital divide, facilitate digital empowerment and inclusion, and provide affordable and universal access of broadband to all. • It will lay emphasis on universality, affordability and quality of services. The Centre will work with the states and UTs for having consistent policies pertaining to expansion of digital infrastructure, including for Right of Way (RoW) approvals required for laying of optical fibre cable.
Facebook cryptocurrency: Libra
• Facebook announced a digital currency called Libra that will roll out for use in 2020 and allow the platform’s billions of users across the globe to make financial transactions online. • The new technology threatens to change the landscape of banking and is already the subject of scrutiny, as Facebook faces increasing calls for regulation and antitrust measures. What is Libra? • Facebook says Libra is a “global currency and financial infrastructure”. In other words, it is a digital asset built by Facebook and powered by a new Facebook-created version of blockchain, the encrypted technology used by bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. www.abhimanuias.com , [email protected] Corporate office: Dainik Bhaskar Building, 2nd Floor, Sector 25-D, Chandigarh
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• The currency will be serviced by a collective of companies called the “Libra Association”. It functions as what is known as a “stablecoin”, pegged to existing assets like the dollar or euro, in the aim of making it less subject to the volatility that many cryptocurrencies experience. • The Libra Association is described by Facebook as an independent, not-for-profit organisation based in Switzerland. It serves two main functions: to validate transactions on the Libra blockchain and to manage the reserve Libra is tied to and allocate funds to social causes.
5G deployments • None of the Indian telecom companies figure in the list of 303 5G deployments by 20 operators in 294 locations across the globe. • According to mobile and broadband network intelligence firm Ookla, no limited or commercial deployments have been identified in India. Switzerland leads as the country with the most current 5G deployments in 217 cities, each with commercial availability.
About 5G deployment in India: • A committee of the Telecom Ministry recently cleared the proposal to allow Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea and Reliance Jio to conduct 5G spectrum trial next month onwards for a period of three months. For these trials, equipment vendors Samsung, Nokia and Ericsson have been selected. • In India, deliberations are still going on whether to give spectrum for 5G in the 26 GHz and 28 GHz bands. Department of Space does not want spectrum to be given in these bands • A report by GSM Association last month noted that $1.3 trillion will be spent on mobile networks across all technology generations between 2019 and 2025 — and of this, 75 per cent will be invested on 5G networks. • Telecom companies have also raised red-flags over the pricing of the spectrum as recommended by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). The sector watchdog last August had recommended the auction of 20 MHz blocks of spectrum in the 3,300-3,600 MHz band — considered ideal for 5G — at Rs 492 crore per MHz. Whereas the same band was priced at around Rs 131 crore per MHz in auctions held in South Korea in June. • A panel set up by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) in September 2017 to prepare a roadmap for rollout of 5G in India submitted its suggestions in August last year saying that it expected the technology to be operational in the country by 2020. The nine-member Steering Committee, headed by AJ Paulraj, also recommended releasing additional spectrum for 5G services. • The report prepared by the committee noted that 5G services would have cumulative economic impact of more than $1 trillion by 2035.
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About 5G technology? • 5G is the next evolution in mobile phone networks. In the last two decades we've had the launch of 3G, then 4G, and now 2019 will see the launch of 5G which will roll-out significantly faster than 4G. • With a new network comes new capabilities, from broadband-like speeds on your phone, improved downloading and uploading speeds, and for IoT (Internet of Things) the ability for companies to control devices remotely in a much more efficient and faster way than currently possible. • By 2024 there will be over 1.5 billion of us connected to 5G, according to Ericsson, a company that makes some of the infrastructure that will make all this possible.
National Policy on Software Products - 2019 • The Union Cabinet has approved the National Policy on Software Products - 2019 to develop India as a Software Product Nation.
Important Features: • This policy aims to develop India as the global software product hub, driven by innovation, improved commercialisation, sustainable Intellectual Property (IP), promoting technology start¬ups and specialized skill sets. • Further, the Policy aims to align with other Government initiatives such as Start-up India, Make in India and Digital India, Skill India etc so as to create Indian Software products Industry of USD ~70-80 billion with direct & indirect employment of ~3.5 million by 2025. • Initially, an outlay of Rs.1500 Crore is involved to implement the programmes/ schemes envisaged under this policy over the period of 7 years. Rs1500 Crore is divided into Software Product Development Fund (SPDF) and Research & Innovation fund. • The Policy will lead to the formulation of several schemes, initiatives, projects and measures for the development of Software products sector in the country as per the roadmap envisaged therein. To achieve the vision of NPSP-2019, the Policy has the following five Missions: • To promote the creation of a sustainable Indian software product industry, driven by intellectual property (IP), leading to a ten-fold increase in India share of the Global Software product market by 2025. • To nurture 10,000 technology startups in software product industry, including 1000 such technology startups in Tier-II and Tier-III towns & cities and generating direct and in-direct employment for 3.5 million people by 2025. • To create a talent pool for software product industry through (i) up-skilling of 1,000,000 IT professionals, (ii) motivating 100,000 school and college students and (iii) generating 10,000 specialized professionals that can provide leadership.
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• To build a cluster-based innovation driven ecosystem by developing 20 sectoral and strategically located software product development clusters having integrated ICT infrastructure, marketing, incubation, R&D/testbeds and mentoring support. • In order to evolve and monitor scheme & programmes for the implementation of this policy, National Software Products Mission will be set up with participation from Government, Academia and Industry. Inclusive Internet Index 2019 • According to the Inclusive Internet Index (3i) prepared by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), there are demonstrable benefits from comprehensive female e-inclusion policies, digital skills programmes and targets for women and girls to study science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)
Important highlights: • In this index, Sweden topped the chart, followed by Singapore and the US. • Men still have more Internet access than women globally, but low and lower middle-income countries narrowed the gender gap in 2018, the study noted. • The UK, Namibia and Ireland, followed by Austria, Chile and South Africa, are among the top performers of the year, all with female digital skills training plans. • Inclusion for women and those with disabilities have improved, with low income and lower- middle-income countries driving progress. About the Inclusive Internet Index: • The Inclusive Internet Index, commissioned by Facebook and conducted by The Economist Intelligence Unit, seeks to measure the extent to which the Internet is not only accessible and affordable, but also relevant to all, allowing usage that enables positive social and economic outcomes at individual and group level. • The aim of the Inclusive Internet Index is to provide researchers and policymakers with the information they need to enable the beneficial use of the Internet, irrespective of age, gender, location or background. • The index assesses the performance of 100 countries in four categories of inclusion: Accessibility, Affordability, Relevance and Readiness. Each category incorporates key indicators of internet inclusion, including quantitative measures such as network coverage and pricing, and qualitative measures such as the presence of e-inclusion policies and the availability of local- language content. India’s 1st 3-D Smart Traffic Signal launched Mohali traffic police in Punjab have launched India’s first wireless 3-D Smart Traffic Signal System called Intelights. • It proposes a Intelligent Traffic Timer Control to regulate traffic signals with smart bird’s eye view using wireless sensor system.
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• It uses dynamic signal control technology to adjust timers of red, yellow and green lights according to the traffic density at an intersection. • It uses existing CCTV cameras to gather live traffic video feed, and automatically evaluates the traffic density using Artificial Intelligence (AI), and sets signal timers accordingly. • This process is repeated for every cycle of traffic lights to keep traffic flowing smoothly. Microdot Patches • They are based on Microdot technology which involves spraying body and parts of vehicle or any other machine with microscopic dots, which give a unique identification. • Microdots and adhesive will become permanent fixtures/affixation which cannot be removed without damaging asset that is vehicle itself. • These nearly invisible microdots are permanent and can only be read physically with a microscope and identified with ultra violet (UV) light source. Union Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) has issued a Draft Notification that seeks to amend Central Motor Vehicle Rules and allows motor vehicles and their parts, components, assemblies, sub-assemblies to be affixed with Microdot Patches. South Korea launched the world’s first nationwide 5G mobile networks
5G will provide smartphones with near-instantaneous connectivity, 20 times faster than 4G. • 5G will deliver vastly increased capacity, lower latency, and faster speeds. 5G networks will operate in a high-frequency band between 28 GHz and 60 GHz. This range is known as the millimeter wave (mmWave) spectrum and the sub-6 GHz range that LTE calls home will also be used. As a result, a lot of bandwidth will be available to users. • The 5G technology is crucial for the future development of devices such as self-driving vehicles and is expected to bring about $565 billion in global economic benefits by 2034.
Nuclear related issues Nuclear Suppliers Group
What is NSG? • Brought in 1974– in response to the Indian nuclear test (smiling Buddha). • It is a Multilateral export control regime. • It is a Group of nuclear supplier countries that seek to prevent nuclear proliferation by controlling the export of materials, equipment and technology that can be used to manufacture nuclear weapons. • The NSG first met in November 1975 in London, and is thus popularly referred to as the “London Club”.
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• It is Not a formal organization, and its guidelines are not binding. Decisions, including on membership, are made by consensus. •Membership: 48 supplier states.
Criteria for membership: • The ability to supply items (including items in transit) covered by the annexes to Parts 1 and 2 of the NSG Guidelines; • Adherence to the Guidelines and action in accordance with them; • Enforcement of a legally based domestic export control system which gives effect to the commitment to act in accordance with the Guidelines; • Full compliance with the obligations of one or more of nuclear non-proliferation agreement. • Support of international efforts towards non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and of their delivery vehicle.
Why the membership is important for India? • Membership will increase India’s access to state-of-the-art technology from the other members of the Group. • Access to technology and being allowed to produce nuclear equipment will give a boost to the Make in India program. That will, in turn, boost the economic growth of our country. • As per India’s INDC under the Paris Climate agreement, we have committed to reducing dependence on fossil fuels and ensuring that 40% of its energy is sourced from renewable and clean sources. In order to achieve this target, we need to scale up nuclear power production. This can only happen if India gains access to the NSG. •Namibia is the fourth-largest producer of uranium and it agreed to sell the nuclear fuel to India in 2009. However, that hasn’t happened, as Namibia has signed Pelindaba Treaty, which essentially controls the supply of uranium from Africa to the rest of the world. If India joins the NSG, such reservations from Namibia are expected to melt away. •India will get an opportunity to voice it’s concern if in case of change in the provision of the NSG guidelines. Akademik Lomonosov: World’s first floating nuclear reactor It was constructed by Russian state nuclear power firm Rosatom. It has been named after Russian Academician and scientist Mikhail Lomonosov. • It follow examples of nuclear submarines, aircraft carriers and icebreakers which have long used nuclear power, and are intended for isolated areas with little infrastructure. • It is fitted with 2 modified KLT-40 naval propulsion nuclear reactors (each of 35 MW capacities) together providing up to 70 MW of electricity and 300 MW of heat. • It will be primarily used to power oil rigs in untapped Artic region’s remote areas where Russia is pushing to drill for oil and gas since global warming and melting ice has made earlier ice covered Northeast Passage (connecting Atlantic Ocean to Pacific along Russia’s northern coast) more accessible. www.abhimanuias.com , [email protected] Corporate office: Dainik Bhaskar Building, 2nd Floor, Sector 25-D, Chandigarh
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•Environmentalists and critics have dubbed Akademik Lomonosov’s as ‘nuclear Titanic’ or ‘Chernobyl on ice’ citing to previous Russian and Soviet nuclear accidents (1986 Chernobyl disaster).
Emerging technologies Torrefaction Context-India is testing a Swedish technology — torrefaction that can convert rice stubble into ‘bio-coal’. • The Office of the Principal Scientific Advisor (PSA) to Government of India has funded a pilot project in Punjab to evaluate the feasibility of the technology. Bioendev, a Swedish company, has set up a pilot plant at the National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute in Mohali
Torrefaction • Torrefaction is a thermal process to convert biomass into a coal-like material, which has better fuel characteristics than the original biomass • Torrefaction involves the heating of biomass in the low or absence of oxygen to a temperature of typically 200 to 400°C. The structure of the biomass changes in such a way, that the material becomes brittle, and more hydrophobic. • Although the weight loss is about 30%, the energy loss is only 10%. • Main product is the solid, torrefied biomass. • During the torrefaction process a combustible gas is released, which is utilised to provide heat to the process. • Energy from 35 million tons paddy is wasted every year in India. It can be converted to bio coal and replace 21 million tons of fossil coal a year. • This would work out to 48 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent reduction, or equivalent to Green House Gas emissions from 10.2 million Indian cars The benefits of torrefied pellets make it the ideal coal replacement: • Grinds & burns like coal – existing infrastructure can be used • Lower feedstock costs • Lower shipping and transport costs • Minimal de-rating of the power plant • Provides non-intermittent renewable energy • Lower sulfur and ash content (compared with coal) Space Cartosat-3 Context-India’s PSLV-C47 successfully launched Cartosat-3 and 13 commercial nanosatellites into Sun Synchronous orbit from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), SHAR, Sriharikota.
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• 13 Commercial Nanosatellites from USA were also successfully injected into designated orbit. These satellites were launched under commercial arrangement with NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), the commercial arm of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
About CartoSAT-3 • CartoSAT-3 is the eighth in a series of indigenous Earth observation satellites built by ISRO. • With its highly-advanced remote sensing capability, CartoSAT-3 is a leap of advancement over its predecessor CartoSAT-2, with a wider spatial range (of view) and finer resolution (of up to 0.25 metres or 25 centimetres). • If all goes to plan, the satellite will be placed at an altitude of 509 km, at an inclination of 97.5 degrees by mid-day on 27 November. • It will also image across multiple spectra — panchromatic (captures all visible colours of light), multispectral (captures light within specific ranges in the electromagnetic spectrum) and hyperspectral (captures light from across the electromagnetic spectrum) earth observation mission. • The mission life of CARTOSAT-3 would be for five years? • Cartosat-3 is unusually heavy and more than double the mass of the previous eight in its class. •Resolution: It has the 'sharpest eye' of civil remote sensing satellites in the world. Other satellite • Apart from India's CartoSAT-3, the launch also included a communication satellite demo satellite called "MESHBED", and 12 SuperDove "Flock" satellites.
Significance • Data from most of the Cartosat satellites are exclusively used by the armed forces. • CARTOSAT-3 would address increased user's demands for large scale urban planning, rural resource and infrastructure development, coastal land use and land cover apart from defense and military purposes.
Sun synchronous orbit • Almost all the satellites that are in a polar orbit are at lower altitudes. Plus, they are often used for applications such as monitoring crops, forests and even global security. • A polar orbit travels north-south over the poles and takes approximately an hour and a half for a full rotation. As the satellite is in orbit, the Earth is rotating beneath it. As a result, a satellite can observe the entire Earth’s surface (off-nadir) in the time span of 24 hours. • Higher altitude satellites orbit more slowly because the circumference of the circular orbit is larger. In addition, the pull of gravity is weaker at higher altitudes. • When a satellite has a sun-synchronous orbit, it means that it has a constant sun illumination through inclination and altitude. For sun-synchronous orbits, it passes over any given point on Earth’s surface at the same local solar time.
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• Because of the consistent lighting in sun-synchronous orbits, scientists leverage this in various remote sensing applications. Saturn has more moons than Jupiter Context-With the discovery of 20 more moons orbiting Saturn, the ringed planet has overtaken Jupiter as host to the most moons in the Solar system. • Saturn now has 82 known moons, whereas Jupiter has a paltry 79. • They were spotted using the Subaru Telescope in Hawaii by a team led by Scott Sheppard at the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington DC. How do we even know Saturn has moons? • Although the planets of the Solar system are all visible to the naked eye and have been known to humans since antiquity, it wasn’t until Galileo Galilei turned a telescope on Jupiter in 1610 that we discovered Earth was not alone in having an orbiting companion. • Galileo saw Jupiter’s four largest moons and could make out what we now know are Saturn’s rings. Decades later, with better telescopes, Christian Huygens and Giovanni Domenico Cassini observed Saturn’s moons. • It became clear that the giant planets are surrounded by multitudes of satellites, resembling smaller versions of the Solar system. By the middle of the 19th century, telescopes had improved enough that the first eight moons of Saturn – including Titan, the largest – had been viewed directly. • The introduction of photographic plates, which enabled the detection of fainter objects with long-exposure observations, helped astronomers increase their count of Saturn’s moons to 14.
Geotail Context-Recently instrument on Chandrayaan-2, CLASS, designed to detect signatures of elements in the Moon’s soil, had detected charged particles during the mission. • This happened during the orbiter’s passage through the “geotail”.
What is Geotail • The geotail is a region in space that allows the best observations. The region exists as a result of the interactions between the Sun and Earth. • The Sun emits the solar wind, which is a continuous stream of charged particles. These particles are embedded in the extended magnetic field of the Sun. Since the Earth has a magnetic field, it obstructs the solar wind plasma. This interaction results in the formation of a magnetic envelope around Earth. • On the Earth side facing the Sun, the envelope is compressed into a region that is approximately three to four times the Earth radius. On the opposite side, the envelope is stretched into a long tail, which extends beyond the orbit of the Moon. It is this tail that is called the geotail.
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• Once every 29 days, the Moon traverses the geotail for about six days. When Chandrayaan-2, which is orbiting the Moon, crosses the geotail, its instruments can study the properties of the geotail
About CLASS instrument • The CLASS instrument on Chandrayaan-2 is designed to detect direct signatures of elements present in the lunar soil. • This is best observed when a solar flare on the Sun provides a rich source of x-rays to illuminate the lunar surface; secondary x-ray emission resulting from this can be detected by CLASS to directly detect the presence of key elements like Na, Ca, Al, Si, Ti and Fe.
Project NETRA Context: ISRO has initiated ‘Project NETRA’ – an early warning system in space to detect debris and other hazards to Indian satellites.
What is Project NETRA (Network for space object Tracking and Analysis)? • Under the project, the ISRO plans to put up many observational facilities: connected radars, telescopes; data processing units and a control centre. • They can, among others, spot, track and catalogue objects as small as 10 cm, up to a range of 3,400 km and equal to a space orbit of around 2,000 km. Significance of the project: • The project will give India its own capability in space situational awareness (SSA) like the other space powers — which is used to ‘predict’ threats from debris to Indian satellites. • NETRA’s eventual goal is to capture the GEO, or geostationary orbit, scene at 36,000 km where communication satellites operate. • The effort would make India a part of international efforts towards tracking, warning about and mitigating space debris. ISRO loses connection with Vikram lander Context-The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) has lost contact with Vikram Lander of Chandrayaan-2. • Speaking about the situation, Isro chief Dr K Sivan said everything was normal till the time Vikram lander was 2.1 km above Moon's surface. • The mission suffered a technical glitch moments before Vikram's scheduled landing on Moon's surface.
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• The descent hoped to reduce its speed from 6048 km per hour to about 7 km per hour or lower to enable a soft landing About
Chandrayaan 2 – India’s second Lunar Mission • Chandrayaan 2 is an Indian lunar mission that will explore the Moon’s south polar region. No country has ever gone there before. • The launch vehicle will be carrying an orbiter, a rover named Pragyan and a lander named Vikram.
Chandrayaan 1 vs Chandrayaan 2 • The Chandrayaan 1 mission was launched in October 2008 and was active in operations until August 2009. The mission included a lunar orbiter and an impactor. The Chandrayaan 1 mission was launched using the PSLV-XL rocket, serial number C11 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre located in Sriharikota. •Chandrayaan 2 mission was launched from Sriharikota Space Center on 22 July 2019 to the Moon by a Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III (GSLV Mk III). It includes a lunar orbiter, lander and rover, all developed domestically. The main scientific objective is to map the location and abundance of lunar water. • Unlike Chandrayaan-1, Chandrayaan-2 will attempt to soft-land(But failed) its Vikram module on the lunar surface and deploy a six-wheeled Rover, Pragyaan on the Moon to carry out several scientific experiments. The lift-off mass of Chandrayaan-1 was 1380 kg while Chandrayaan-2 weighs 3850 kg. Component of Chandayaan 2 •Launcher – The GSLV Mk-III is India’s most powerful launcher to date and has been completely designed and fabricated from within the country. •Orbiter – The Orbiter will observe the lunar surface and relay communication between Earth and Chandrayaan 2’s Lander — Vikram. •Lander – The lander called ‘Vikram’ is designed to execute India’s first soft landing on the lunar surface. ‘Vikram’ is named after the space luminary, Dr Vikram A Sarabhai, who spearheaded India’s nascent space programme. •Rover – The rover is a 6-wheeled, AI-powered vehicle named Pragyan, which translates to ‘wisdom’ in Sanskrit. The Rover can travel up to 500 meters (half a kilometre) from the landing spot on the moon.
Thirty Meter Telescope Thirty Metre Telescope
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• The Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) is a proposed astronomical observatory with an extremely large telescope (ELT) that has become the source of controversy over its planned location on Mauna Kea on the island of Hawaii in the US state of Hawaii. • It is being built by an international collaboration of government organisations and educational institutions, at a cost of $1.4 billion. • “Thirty Metre” refers to the the 30-metre diameter of the mirror, with 492 segments of glass pieced together, which makes it three times as wide as the world’s largest existing visible-light telescope. • The larger the mirror, the more light a telescope can collect, which means, in turn, that it can “see” farther, fainter objects. • It would be more than 200 times more sensitive than current telescopes, and would be able to resolve objects 12 times better than the Hubble Space Telescope. Utility of the telescope • One of its key uses will be the study of exoplanets, many of which have been detected in the last few years, and whether their atmospheres contain water vapour or methane — the signatures of possible life. • For the first time in history this telescope will be capable of detecting extraterrestrial life. • The study of black holes is another objective. • While these have been observed in detail within the Milky Way, the next galaxy is 100 times farther away; the Thirty Metre Telescope will help bring them closer.
Spitzer telescope • Spitzer space telescope of NASA will be retired on January 30, 2020. Spitzer is going to shut down permanently after about 16 years of exploring the cosmos in infrared light. • By 2020, Spitzer space telescope will have operated for more than 11 years beyond its prime mission.
About Spitzer space telescope • Spitzer is a small but transformational observatory. It captures infrared light, which is often emitted by 'warm' objects that are not quite hot enough to radiate visible light. • Spitzer lifted the veil on hidden objects in nearly every corner of the universe, from a new ring around Saturn to observations of some of the most distant galaxies known. • In 2017, the telescope revealed the presence of seven rocky planets around the TRAPPIST-1 star. • In many cases, Spitzer's exoplanet observations were combined with observations by other missions, including NASA's Kepler and Hubble space telescopes. • An additional 650 hours are dedicated to follow-up observations of planets discovered by NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, which launched just over a year ago. Artemis Mission www.abhimanuias.com , [email protected] Corporate office: Dainik Bhaskar Building, 2nd Floor, Sector 25-D, Chandigarh
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Context: NASA has unveiled the calendar for the “Artemis” program that will return astronauts to the Moon for the first time in half a century, including eight scheduled launches and a mini- station in lunar orbit by 2024.
Key facts: • Artemis 1 will be an uncrewed mission around the Moon planned for 2020. • Next will come Artemis 2, which will orbit Earth’s satellite with a crew around 2022; followed finally by Artemis 3 that will put astronauts on lunar soil in 2024, including the first woman. • The three will be launched into space by the biggest rocket of all time, the Boeing-led Space Launch System (SLS), which is currently under development but has seen numerous delays and has been criticized in some quarters as a bloated jobs program.
About Artemis: NASA’s next mission to the Moon will be called Artemis. ARTEMIS stands for Acceleration, Reconnection, Turbulence and Electrodynamics of Moon’s Interaction with the Sun. The mission was named Artemis after the Greek mythological goddess of the Moon and twin sister to Apollo, namesake of the program that sent 12 American astronauts to the Moon between 1969 and 1972.
Athena and LISA missions Context: Researchers have proposed to combine the observing power of two future ESA missions, Athena and LISA, to study the effects when two supermassive black holes collide. Currently in the study phase, both missions are scheduled for launch in the early 2030s.
Background: Supermassive black holes, with masses ranging from millions to billions of Suns, sit at the core of most massive galaxies across the Universe. We don’t know exactly how these huge, enormously dense objects took shape, nor what triggers a fraction of them to start devouring the surrounding matter at extremely intense rates, radiating copiously across the electromagnetic spectrum and turning their host galaxies into ‘active galactic nuclei’. Athena, the Advanced Telescope for High-ENergy Astrophysics: Athena will be the largest X-ray observatory ever built, investigating some of the hottest and most energetic phenomena in the cosmos with unprecedented accuracy and depth. It is designed to answer two fundamental questions: how supermassive black holes at the centre of galaxies form and evolve, and how ‘ordinary’ matter assembles, along with the invisible dark matter, to form the wispy ‘cosmic web’ that pervades the Universe. Objectives: Athena is going to measure several hundreds of thousands of black holes, from relatively nearby to far away, observing the X-ray emission from the million-degree-hot matter in their surroundings.
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LISA, the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna: LISA will be the first space-borne observatory of gravitational waves—fluctuations in the fabric of spacetime produced by the acceleration of cosmic objects with very strong gravity fields, like pairs of merging black holes. LISA will detect low-frequency gravitational waves, such as the ones released when two supermassive black holes collide during a merger of galaxies. LISA will detect the gravitational waves emitted by the spiralling black holes about a month before their final coalescence, when they are still separated by a distance equivalent to several times their radii. Significance: Scientists expect that a fraction of the mergers found by LISA, especially those within distances of a few billion light years from us, will give rise to an X-ray signal that can be eventually seen by Athena.
RISAT-2B Context: ISRO successfully launched radar imaging satellite RISAT-2B on-board PSLV-C46 from Sriharikota. • RISAT-2B was placed into an orbit of 555 km with an inclination of 37 degree to the equator. • This is the fourth flight unit of the RISAT programme and it would be used for reconnaissance, strategic surveillance and disaster management. Key facts: • It has been developed for military and general surveillance purposes. The data will also be used in fields of agriculture, forestry and disaster management support. • RISAT-2B is equipped with a synthetic aperture radar that can take pictures of the earth during day and night, and also under cloudy conditions. • With this advanced earth observation satellite, ISRO has introduced a complex new technology. That is a 3.6 metre unfurlable radial rib antenna. This is also going to be the technology of the future. •RISAT-2B is going to RISAT-2, which was placed in the orbit in 2009. RISAT-2 was RISAT-1’s replacement, a microwave remote sensing satellite that was launched in 2012. RISAT-2 was actively used India to monitor activities in camps across the border in Pakistan to thwart infiltration bids by terrorists. Seven mega missions by ISRO Context: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has announced its planned seven mega missions which will be conducted over a period of next 10 years.
The seven mega missions include: • Chandrayaan-2. • XPoSat (to study cosmic radiation in 2020) and Aditya-L1(to the Sun in 2021).
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• Undefined Missions – which include missions which are still in planning stage namely Mangalyaan-2 (or Mars Orbiter Mission-2 in 2022), Lunar Polar Exploration (or Chandrayaan-3 in 2024), Venus mission (in 2023), Exoworlds (exploration outside the solar system in 2028).
About Xposat: • The X-ray Polarimeter Satellite (or Xposat), is ISRO’s dedicated mission to study polarization. It will be launched launch in year 2020. • It will be a five-year mission and will study cosmic radiation. • It will be carrying a payload named ‘polarimeter instrument in X-rays’ (POLIX) made by Raman Research Institute. POLIX will study degree and angle of polarisation of bright X-ray sources in energy range 5-30 keV. • The spacecraft will be placed in a circular 500-700km orbit.
About Aditya- L1 mission: What is it? It is India’s first solar mission. Objectives: It will study the sun’s outer most layers, the corona and the chromospheres and collect data about coronal mass ejection, which will also yield information for space weather prediction. Significance of the mission: The data from Aditya mission will be immensely helpful in discriminating between different models for the origin of solar storms and also for constraining how the storms evolve and what path they take through the interplanetary space from the Sun to the Earth. Position of the satellite: In order to get the best science from the sun, continuous viewing of the sun is preferred without any occultation/ eclipses and hence, Aditya- L1 satellite will be placed in the halo orbit around the Lagrangian point 1 (L1) of the sun-earth system.
RISAT-2B: An all-seeing radar imaging satellite Published On - 5/20/2019 |Science Affairs| Space News • The PSLV-C46 is set to launch RISAT-2B from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. RISAT Constellation • RISAT-2B, short for “Radar Imaging Satellite-2B”, is the second in a series of satellites used to observe weather conditions on Earth using radar imagery. • RISAT-2 was the first satellite in the series, launched for the purpose of surveillance. RISAT-1 was launched later, to become India’s first all-weather radar imaging satellite. • RISAT-2B is to be followed by RISAT-2BR1, 2BR2, RISAT-1A, 1B, 2A and so on. • ISRO orbited its first two radar satellites in 2009 & 2012 and it plans to deploy four or five of them in 2019 alone. • A constellation of such space-based radars means a comprehensive vigil over the country.
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• Once operational, the satellite will be capable of monitoring weather day and night, in all weather conditions.
About PSLV-C46 • The PSLV-C46 mission is ISRO’s 48 PSLV launch, and the 14th PSLV Core-Alone (CA) mission. • The PSLV was the first of ISRO’s rockets to be equipped with liquid rocket stages. • In the PSLV-CA version, the rocket doesn’t have the six strap-on boosters that larger rockets do, and only uses the four core stages of the PSLV to launch its payload. BepiColombo Spacecraft - ESA and JAXA Joint Mission to Mercury Published On - 5/11/2019 |Science Affairs| Space The European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) successfully sent two probes on a joint mission to Mercury.
What is the mission on? • It is the first European mission to Mercury. • It is also the first to send two spacecraft to make complementary measurements of mercury and its environment at the same time. • An Ariane 5 rocket was launched from French Guyana. • It lifted an unmanned spacecraft, BepiColombo, which is carrying the two probes. • The spacecraft separated and went into orbit for the 7-year trip to Mercury.
Aditya- L1 mission Context: The Indian Space Research Organization is planning to launch Aditya- L1 mission to study the sun early in 2020.
About Aditya- L1 mission: What is it? It is India’s first solar mission. Objectives: It will study the sun’s outer most layers, the corona and the chromospheres and collect data about coronal mass ejection, which will also yield information for space weather prediction. Significance of the mission: The data from Aditya mission will be immensely helpful in discriminating between different models for the origin of solar storms and also for constraining how the storms evolve and what path they take through the interplanetary space from the Sun to the Earth. Position of the satellite: In order to get the best science from the sun, continuous viewing of the sun is preferred without any occultation/ eclipses and hence, Aditya- L1 satellite will be placed in the halo orbit around the Lagrangian point 1 (L1) of the sun-earth system. What are Lagrangian points and halo orbit?
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Lagrangian points are the locations in space where the combined gravitational pull of two large masses roughly balance each other. Any small mass placed at that location will remain at constant distances relative to the large masses. There are five such points in Sun-Earth system and they are denoted as L1, L2, L3, L4 and L5. A halo orbit is a periodic three-dimensional orbit near the L1, L2 or L3.
Most ancient type of molecule in our universe Published On - 4/26/2019 |Science Affairs| Space • Scientists have announced that the first type of molecule that ever formed in the universe has been detected in space for the first time, after decades of searching. About Molecule: • This molecule is helium hydride, or HeH+, formed just after the Big Bang nearly 14 billion years ago. • Helium hydride is a finicky molecule because helium itself is a noble gas, making it very unlikely to combine with any other kind of atom. But in 1925, scientists were able to create the molecule in a laboratory by coaxing the helium to share one of its electrons with a hydrogen ion. • Then, in the late 1970s, scientists studying the planetary nebula called NGC 7027 thought that this environment might be just right to form helium hydride. But their observations were inconclusive. And although subsequent investigations hinted it could be there, the space telescopes used didn’t have the technology to pick out the signal of helium hydride from the all other molecules in the nebula. • The researchers discovered the molecule’s signature in our own Milky Way galaxy using NASA’s airborne SOFIA observatory, as the aircraft flew high above the Earth’s surface and pointed its instruments out into space. • SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy) soars over the snow-covered Sierra Nevada mountains with its telescope door open during a test flight. SOFIA is a modified Boeing 747SP aircraft. Image via NASA/Jim Ross. • When the universe was still very young, only a few kinds of atoms existed, mostly helium and hydrogen. • Scientists believe that around 100,000 years after the Big Bang, helium and hydrogen combined to make a molecule for the first time. • Scientists have inferred that helium hydride was this first, primordial molecule. The problem, though, is that scientists could not find helium hydride in space. author of the paper. Guesten. • The lack of evidence of the very existence of helium hydride in interstellar space was a dilemma for astronomy for decades. • SOFIA found modern helium hydride in a planetary nebula, a remnant of what was once a sun- like star. Located 3,000 light-years away near the constellation Cygnus, the nebula – called NGC 7027 – has conditions that allow this mystery molecule to form. EMISAT MISSION
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• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has launched the country’s first electronic surveillance satellite, EMISAT. • It was launched on-board PSLV-C45. As many as 28 small satellites of international customers were also put in space as secondary riders.
How does EMISAT work? • The EMISAT is a 436kg cuboid spacecraft that has since been deployed into orbit at 748km altitude. • The ISRO Telemetry Tracking and Command Network at Bengaluru assumed control of the satellite. In the coming days, the satellite will be brought to its final operational configuration. • India’s first ELINT satellite was developed jointly in over five years by ISRO and Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), under the latter’s Project Kautilya. • EMISAT will be able to scan the ground for electromagnetic signals to intercept hostile radar signals as well as other electronic broadcast frequencies. • It is sensitive to the Ka band of the electromagnetic frequencies of radar spectrum, ranging up to 40GHz. • This reportedly gives it the ability to scan through practically any terrain obstruction to detect signal anomalies, and alert defend systems well in advance while delaying the enemies by intercepting transmission. • The EMISAT now joins India’s array of dedicated military satellites, including the CARTOSAT-2 series satellites that have so far been used in planning India’s surgical strikes in response to Pakistan’s terrorist attacks on Uri and Balakot. • Alongside bolstering India’s defence forces, ISRO also demonstrated the reusability and versatility of its PSLV fourth stage, which was used in this mission. It also happened to be one of ISRO’s longest missions, including three different stages of deployment and lasting for nearly three hours. NASA’s Mars Rover Opportunity Concludes a 15-Year Mission • The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced that its Mars Mission, Opportunity has come to an end. • This marked the conclusion of the 15-year saga. The decision to end the mission was made after all the efforts to restore contact with the Opportunity Mars rover didn’t yield desired results.
About Rover: • Opportunity was the second of the two rovers launched in 2003 to land on Mars and begin traversing the Red Planet in search of signs of past life. The rover is still actively exploring the Martian terrain, having far outlasted her planned 90-day mission. • Since landing on Mars in 2004, Opportunity has made a number of discoveries about the Red Planet including dramatic evidence that long ago at least one area of Mars stayed wet for an extended period and that conditions could have been suitable for sustaining microbial life. www.abhimanuias.com , [email protected] Corporate office: Dainik Bhaskar Building, 2nd Floor, Sector 25-D, Chandigarh
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GSAT-31 • India’s latest communication satellite, GSAT-31 was successfully launched from the Spaceport in French Guiana. • The launch vehicle Ariane 5 VA-247 lifted off from Kourou Launch Base, French Guiana at carrying India’s GSAT-31 and Saudi Geostationary Satellite 1/Hellas Sat 4 satellites, as scheduled.
About GSAT- 31: • With a lift-off mass of 2536 kg, GSAT-31 will augment the Ku-band transponder capacity in Geostationary Orbit. • The satellite will provide continuity to operational services on some of the in-orbit satellites. GSAT-31 derives its heritage from ISRO’s earlier INSAT/GSAT satellite series. • GSAT-31 has a unique configuration of providing flexible frequency segments and flexible coverage. The satellite will provide communication services to Indian mainland and islands. • GSAT-31 will provide DTH Television Services, connectivity to VSATs for ATM, Stock-exchange, Digital Satellite News Gathering (DSNG) and e-governance applications. The satellite will also be used for bulk data transfer for a host of emerging telecommunication applications. • After separation from Ariane-5 upper stage, the two solar arrays of GSAT-31 were automatically deployed in quick succession and ISRO's Master Control Facility at Hassan in Karnataka took over the command and control of GSAT-31 and found its health parameters normal. • In the days ahead, scientists will undertake phase-wise orbit-raising manoeuvres to place the satellite in Geostationary Orbit (36,000 km above the equator) using its on-board propulsion system. • During the final stages of its orbit raising operations, the antenna reflector of GSAT-31 will be deployed. Following this, the satellite will be put in its final orbital configuration. The satellite will be operational after the successful completion of all in-orbit tests. Chang’e-4 • Recently China announced that its Chang’e-4 probe had successfully transmitted back images from the far side (also known as the dark side) of the Moon. Tidal locking: • Over billions of years, Earth’s gravitational pull has brought the Moon’s spin into sync with its orbit. It takes exactly 28 days for the Moon to complete one rotation, and the same time to make one orbit around Earth. This leads to a phenomenon called “tidal locking”. With the Moon’s rotation and orbit keeping it forever in step with the Earth, only one part of it is visible from this planet at any time. The unseen part is the “far side of the Moon”. • Although it is also called the “dark side of the Moon” — a description that owes much of its popularity to a Pink Floyd album — this is actually a misnomer. Viewed from Earth, half the Moon is sunlit at any time; and during a new moon, the near side is dark while it is the far side that is fully lit. The far side of the moon is also lighter in colour. www.abhimanuias.com , [email protected] Corporate office: Dainik Bhaskar Building, 2nd Floor, Sector 25-D, Chandigarh
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Why far side is difficult? • All previous Moon landings, manned and unmanned, have been on the near side. This has been primarily because the Moon would have blocked radio communication between its far side and Earth. To work around this problem, the Chinese mission has used a “relay satellite”, called Queqaio (Magpie Bridge) and launched in May 2018. It is in orbit around a strategically selected point, called L2. Signals between the far side and Earth are transmitted via the relay satellite. • While Chang’e-4 is the first spacecraft to actually land on the far side, its images of that side are not the first. On October 7, 1959, the Soviet spacecraft Luna 3 clicked a number of photographs of the far side, from over 60,000 km away. China’s BeiDou navigation satellite starts global services • China’s BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS), touted as a rival to the widely-used American GPS, has started providing global services. • The positioning accuracy of the system has reached 10 metres globally and five metres in the Asia-Pacific region. Its velocity accuracy is 0.2 metres per second, while its timing accuracy stands at 20 nanoseconds. • Pakistan has become the first country to use the BeiDou system ending its reliance on the Global Positioning System (GPS). • It will be the fourth global satellite navigation system after the US GPS, Russia’s GLONASS and the European Union’s Galileo.
About BeiDou Satellite System: • Named after the Chinese word for the Big Dipper or Plough constellation [Ursa Major], Beidou has been in the works for over two decades but only became operational within China in 2000 and the Asia-Pacific region in 2012. • When complete in 2020, it will have a constellation of 35 satellites to provide global coverage. This year alone, there have been more than 10 Beidou satellite launches - two more were launched this week. More are planned in what state media describe as a "period with unprecedentedly intensive launches". • Long March-5: China’s largest carrier rocket China has successfully launched its largest carrier rocket, Long March-5, carrying the Shijian-20 satellite, from Wenchang Space Launch Center (WSLC) in south China’s Hainan Province. • The rocket which is also known as CZ-5 is China’s heaviest and most advanced communications satellite. • It can carry a maximum payload of 25 tonnes into low Earth orbit (LEO) and 14 tonnes into geosynchronous orbit. • The successful launch is a major step forward for China’s planned mission to Mars in 2020. Shijian-20 satellite: It is a new technology test and verification satellite. The satellite will lay foundation for development of highly sensitive space probes.
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Bhibha star and Planet “Santamasa'' The International Astronomical Union (IAU) named a white yellow star in Sextans Constellation as “Bhibha” and its planet as “Santamasa” • The star has been named Bhibha honoring Indian Woman Scientist Bhibha Choudhury who discovered subatomic particle pi-meson. •Bhibha is an ageing star that is 6.2 billion years old and Santamsa is its only planet. The mass of the planet is expected to be 1.5 times as that of Jupiter and is very hot. • Santamasa completed its revolution around its star in just about 2.1375 days Pi Meson: In particle physics, pi meson or pion is a subatomic particle. They are unstable and existing with positive, negative and neutral charges. It means that they are present in proton, neutron and electron of an atom. ICON Space Weather Satellite: launched by NASA • NASA has launched a satellite called ICON or Ionospheric Connection Explorer to explore the mysterious, dynamic region where air meets space. • It will study the link between space weather and Earth weather. • The satellite has been built by Northrop Grumman, an American global aerospace and defense technology company. • It will study the airglow formed from gases in ionosphere and also measure the charged environment right around the 580-kilometer-high (360-mile-high) spacecraft. Ionosphere is the charged part of upper atmosphere extending several hundred miles up. It is in constant flux as space weather bombards it from above and Earth weather from below, sometimes disrupting radio communications.
Mission Extension Vehicle-1 (MEV-1): 1st Satellite Servicing Spacecraft launched Published On - 10/13/2019 |Science Affairs| Space • The robotic Mission Extension Vehicle-1 (MEV-1) was successfully launched atop of Russian Proton rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. • It is first of its kind commercial satellite-servicing spacecraft. It is designed to dock with aging spacecraft more than 22,000 miles above Earth, then extend its life with aid of solar-electric thrusters. • It was built by Virginia-based company Northrop Grumman. It will attempt first-ever docking between two spacecraft near geostationary orbit (nearly 36,000 kilometers over the equator that is popular with communications satellite operators). It will link up with 18-year-old Intelsat communications satellite • It is designed for 15-year useful life, and can dock and undock multiple times, thus, it will be providing well in excess of 15 years of mission extension to orbital geosynchronous satellites running low on its own propellant supply. K2-18b: Exoplanet known to have water and temperature
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Context- astronomers have for the first time discovered K2-18b, which is eight times the mass of Earth, is now the only exoplanet known to have both water and temperatures that could be potentially habitable. About • The planet orbits the cool dwarf star K2-18, which is about 110 light years from the Earth in the Leo constellation, researchers said. • The discovery is the first successful atmospheric detection for an exoplanet orbiting in its star's 'habitable zone', at a distance where water can exist in liquid form • "K2-18b is not 'Earth 2.0' as it is significantly heavier and has a different atmospheric composition. Exoplanet • All of the planets in our solar system orbit around the Sun. Planets that orbit around other stars are called exoplanets. Exoplanets are very hard to see directly with telescopes. They are hidden by the bright glare of the stars they orbit. Gravitational lensing Using NASA’sJames Webb Space Telescope as a sort of time machine, researchers plan to investigate how new stars are born, with the help of a natural phenomenon called “gravitational lensing”. • Gravitational lensing is an effect of Einstein’s theory of general relativity – simply put, mass bends light. • The gravitational field of a massive object will extend far into space, and cause light rays passing close to that object (and thus through its gravitational field) to be bent and refocused somewhere else. •The more massive the object, the stronger its gravitational field and hence the greater the bending of light rays – just like using denser materials to make optical lenses results in a greater amount of refraction. The James Webb Space Telescope, also called Webb or JWST, is a large, space-based observatory, optimized for infrared wavelengths, which will complement and extend the discoveries of the Hubble Space Telescope. Russia launches its 1st humanoid robot in space named FEDOR It is the first ever life-size humanoid robot sent into space by Russia. • It was launched onboard of unmanned Soyuz MS-14 rocket from Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. • It can emulate human body movements. This key skill will allow it to remotely help astronauts or even people on Earth to carry out tasks while humans are strapped into exoskeleton. •US space agency NASA had sent world’s first humanoid robot Robonaut 2 (R2) to space in 2011 to work in hazardous environments.
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Interplanetary shocks Published On - 8/21/2019 |Science Affairs| Space NASA’s Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission took first high-resolution measurements of an interplanetary shock. • These shocks are made of particles and electromagnetic waves launched by Sun. These interplanetary shocks provide ideal test beds for learning about larger universal phenomena. • They are type of collisionless shock — ones where particles transfer energy through electromagnetic fields instead of directly bouncing into one another. These collisionless shocks are found throughout the universe, including in supernovae, black holes and distant stars. • These shocks are made of particles and electromagnetic waves launched by the Sun, which continually releases streams of charged particles called solar wind. Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission is NASA’s robotic space mission launched in March 2015 to study Earth’s magnetosphere. • It consists of constellation of four identical spacecraft that orbit/fly in tetrahedral formation around Earth through dynamic magnetic system surrounding our planet to study Magnetic reconnection. • It is also designed to gather information about microphysics of energetic particle turbulence and acceleration, processes that occur in many astrophysical plasmas. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Technical Liaison Unit (ITLU) Union Cabinet has approved setting up of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Technical Liaison Unit (ITLU) at Moscow, Russia. • Department of Space (Dos) already has instituted technical Liaison Units, namely ISRO Technical Liaison Units (ITLU) at Washington, Untied States and Paris, France with prime objective to liaise with various Government and space agencies in US and Europe, respectively. This will be third such Technical Liaison Unit • It is mandated to collaborate with Space agencies and industries in Russia and neighbouring countries for mutually synergetic outcomes. • It will enable effective technical coordination for timely interventions on diversified matters with Russia and neighbouring countries for realization of the programmatic targets of ISRO. TOI 270 Planetary System NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) recently discovered new dwarf star and planetary system named as TOI 270. It is located about 73 light years away from Earth, and in the constellation Pictor. •Its members include Dwarf star named TOI 270, which is 40 % smaller than the Sun in size and mass, and three exoplanets (planets outside solar system) that have been named TOI 270b, TOI 270c and TOI 270d. • These three planets orbit their star every 3.4 days, 5.7 days, and 11.4 days respectively.
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•TOI 270b is innermost planet and is expected to be a rocky world about 25% bigger than Earth. It is not habitable (or within Goldilocks Zone) since it is located too close to star — about 13 times closer than our Solar System’s Mercury is from Sun. • On other hand, TOI 270c and TOI 270 d are Neptune-like planets because their compositions are dominated by gases rather than rock. Hayabusa2 Mission It is intended to collect pristine materials from beneath surface of a distant asteroid named Ryugu, some 300 million kilometres from Earth. • Then Hayabusa2 Mission was launched in December 2014, with project cost around $270 million. • It is a complex multi-year which has also involved sending rovers and robots down to the surface. It is scheduled to return to Earth with its samples in 2020. • It is the successor to JAXA’s (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) 1st asteroid explorer called Hayabusa which is Japanese word for ‘falcon’. • In 2010 Hayabusa returned with dust samples from a smaller, potato-shaped asteroid. It was also hailed as scientific triumph despite various setbacks during its epic 7-year odyssey. India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) • The India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) Project is a multi-institutional effort aimed at building a world-class underground laboratory with a rock cover of approx.1200 m at Pottipuram in Bodi West hills of Theni District of Tamil Nadu. • Construction of an underground laboratory and associated surface facilities for non- accelerator based high energy and nuclear physics research in India.It also include Construction of an Iron Calorimeter (ICAL) detector for studying neutrinos. • It is a mega-science project jointly funded by the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and the Department of Science and Technology (DST). Neutrinos hold the key to several important and fundamental questions on the origin of the Universe and the energy production in stars. Spektr-RG Telescope • It is developed by Russia as a joint project with Germany. • Launch Vehicle: Proton-M rocket • It is launched to observe black holes, neutron stars and magnetic fields. • It is a space observatory that intends to replace Spektr-R, known as the Russian Hubble, which Roskosmos (Russian space agency) lost control of in January 2019. • Spektr-R was launched in 2011 and now its successor Spektr-RG will take up its duties. Evacuation System Assembly (or LESA) Published On - 6/24/2019 |Science Affairs| Space Among other preparations for NASA’s 2024 Moon mission (Artemis Mission), scientists are testing the Lunar Evacuation System Assembly, or LESA device.
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• It is developed by European Space Agency (ESA), an intergovernmental organisation of 22 member states dedicated to space exploration. • LESA is a pyramid-like structure. It is designed in a way to be deployed just by a single astronaut in lunar gravity to rescue an incapacitated crew mate. RADARSAT Constellation Mission (RCM) Canada has recently launched RADARSAT Constellation Mission (RCM) was into space aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. • The constellation of three satellites will provide daily images of Canada’s vast territory and maritime approaches, as well as images of the Arctic, up to four times a day. • It will have daily access to 90 percent of the world’s surface. • The RCM is also equipped with an Automatic Identification System (AIS), allowing improved detection and tracking of ships, including those conducting illegal fishing. • The RADARSAT Constellation Mission will provide improved data for the critical services our government provides to Canadians, including monitoring climate change, protecting the health of our oceans, forests and crops; and supporting our first responders’ disaster relief efforts. Spectrum-Roentgen-Gamma (SRG) • It will create a three-dimensional (3D) X-ray map of the universe and unveil unknown supermassive black holes, dark energy and stars. • The telescope will be launched into space on a Russian-built Proton-M rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on June 21, 2019. • The four-year mission will survey the entire sky eight times and track the evolution of the universe and dark energy — a mysterious repulsive force — that is accelerating its expansion. • It also aims to detect up to three million supermassive black holes — many of which are unknown — and X-rays from as many as 700,000 stars in the Milky Way. • The telescope is the first to be sensitive to high-energy ‘hard’ X-rays and map the entire sky. • The SRG will also find how dark matter — the main engine of galaxy formation — is spread in the universe. Sri Lanka’s 1st satellite - Raavana-1 launched • It is a cube satellite measuring 11.3 cm x 10 cm x 10 cm, and weighs around 1.05 kg • The satellite was lauched under ‘Birds project’ an acronym for ‘Joint Global Multi-Nation Birds Satellite project’, which is a cross-border interdisciplinary satellite project for non-space faring countries supported by Japan. •It is first step towards creating an indigenous space program by designing, building, operating, testing and launching 1st satellite for participating nations. • The Birds 3 project is led by Japan’s Kyushu Institute of Technology and involves students from Sri Lanka, Nepal and Japan. Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV)
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DRDO conducted maiden test of an indigenously developed HSTDV from launch pad number-4 of Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Abdul Kalam Island off Odisha Coast. • It is an unmanned scramjet demonstration aircraft. It is designed to cruise at Mach 6 speed with scramjet engine. • It can be used for launching satellites at low cost and can also be available for long-range cruise missiles of future. • In scram-jet technology, fuel combustion takes place in a chamber in missile at supersonic speeds while in a ram jet system, the system collects air it needs from atmosphere during flight at subsonic speeds and propellants burn in combustion chamber. ‘Starlink’ constellation SpaceX launched a rocket carrying the first 60 satellites of its ‘Starlink’ constellation, from Cape Canaveral, Florida in US. The SpaceX’s new array of Starlink communication satellites is intended to provide Internet from space • The launch was conducted by SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rockets which began to release the satellites at an altitude of 280 miles •Starlink’s constellation will become operational once over 800 satellites will be activated, which will require at least 12 launches carrying similar payloads. SpaceX is a private rocket company of high-tech entrepreneur Elon Musk. Musk is also chief executive officer (CEO) of automaker Tesla Inc. Square Kilometre Array (SKA) The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project is an international effort to build the world’s largest radio telescope, with eventually over a square kilometre (one million square metres) of collecting area. • The SKA will eventually use thousands of dishes and up to a million low-frequency antennas that will enable astronomers to monitor the sky in unprecedented detail and survey the entire sky much faster than any system currently in existence. • Thousands of SKA antenna dishes will be built in South Africa (in the Karoo), with outstations in other parts of South Africa, as well as in eight African partner countries. ‘Artemis’ 2024 Mission The NASA’s mission will return astronauts to Moon for first time in past 50 years, including eight scheduled launches and a mini-station in lunar orbit by 2024. • ARTEMIS is abbreviation for Acceleration, Reconnection, Turbulence and Electrodynamics of Moon’s Interaction with the Sun. It is NASA’s next mission to moon. • First mission- Artemis 1 is planned for 2020. • It consists of a spacecraft to measure what happens when Sun’s radiation hits our rocky moon, where there is no magnetic field to protect it. ARTEMIS mission
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It is NASA’s mission to the Moon, ARTEMIS stands for Acceleration, Reconnection, Turbulence and Electrodynamics of Moon’s Interaction with the Sun. •It consists of spacecraft to measure what happens when the Sun’s radiation hits our rocky moon, where there is no magnetic field to protect it. • The mission uses two of the five in-orbit spacecraft from another NASA Heliophysics constellation of satellites (THEMIS) that were launched in 2007 and successfully completed their mission earlier in 2010. Yuvika 2019’ ‘YUva VIgyani KAryakram’ 2019, is a two week (14 days) summer vacation residential training programme, which will be conducted by ISRO . • It was launched by ISRO in tune with the Centre governments vision of “Jai Vigyan, Jai Anusandhan”. • It aims to get young school children interested in emerging areas of space science, space technology and various space applications by imparting basic knowledge about it. It also seek to inculpate scientific temper in students. • The students are selected based on their performance in the 8th Standard (covering CBSE, ICSE and State syllabus), which includes both academic and extracurricular activities. Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) MODIS is a key instrument aboard the Terra (originally known as EOS AM-1) and Aqua (originally known as EOS PM-1) satellites. •Terra’s orbit around the Earth is timed so that it passes from north to south across the equator in the morning, while Aqua passes south to north over the equator in the afternoon. •Terra MODIS and Aqua MODIS are viewing the entire Earth’s surface every 1 to 2 days, acquiring data in 36 spectral bands, or groups of wavelengths. NASA’s MODIS data shows that China and India are leading the increase in “greening efforts” across the world. ‘RISAT 2BR1’- radar imaging reconnaissance satellite
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced its plans to launch its latest radar imaging reconnaissance satellite ‘RISAT 2BR1’ towards the end of May 2019. • ‘RISAT-2’ was deployed before RISAT-1. Its main sensor is X-band synthetic aperture radars (SAR) which provided Indian defence forces all-weather surveillance for monitoring national borders to notice any potential threat or malicious activity and to carry out anti-infiltration and anti-terrorist operations. •RISAT-1 was successfully launched on 26 April 2012 for a period of five years. It is first indigenous microwave remote sensing satellite designed and developed by ISRO NASA Spots 1st Molecule of the Universe
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The scientists have detected the first molecule to ever form from stray atoms in the universe. The first such molecule was helium hydride, a combination of helium and hydrogen •NASA’s SOFIA, the world’s largest airborne observatory, to detect helium hydride in NGC 7027, a planetary nebula about 3,000 light-years away from Earth. •Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) is a Boeing 747SP jetliner modified to carry a 106-inch diameter telescope. Scientists for long had held that around 100,000 years after the big bang, helium and hydrogen combined to make a molecule called helium hydride for the first time. Liquid methane spotted on Titan moon of Saturn Scientists have found that Saturn’s largest moon Titan has small liquid lakes that run more than 100 metres deep, perched atop hills and filled with methane. • Scientists suspect the lakes were formed when surrounding bedrock chemically dissolved and collapsed a process which occurs with a certain type of lake on Earth. • The scientists also observed “phantom lakes” on Titan that during wintertime appeared to be wide but shallow. • Evidence about Titan’s hydrological cycle, with liquid hydrocarbons raining down from clouds, flowing across its surface and evaporating back into the sky which is comparable to Earth’s water cycle. • Scientists suspect Titan could potentially could harbour life possibly in the surface bodies of liquid hydrocarbons because of Titan’s complex chemistry and distinctive environments. Titan is the most Earth-like body in the solar system. It has lakes, canyons, rivers, dune fields of organic sand particles about the same size as silica sand grains on Earth. Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) planetary-defence mission. NASA has announced that SpaceX will fly its Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) planetary- defence mission. Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) is a planned space probe that will demonstrate the kinetic effects of crashing an impactor spacecraft into an asteroid moon for planetary defense purposes •DART planetary-defence mission will be will launched by the Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California in June 2021. • The spacecraft will slam into “Didymoon,” the 540-foot-wide (165 meters) satellite of the near- Earth asteroid Didymos which is located at about 4 million miles from Eart in October 2022. • Scientists will observe the impact with telescopes and measure the change in the Didymoon’s orbit around the asteroid. DART won’t be the first spacecraft to wallop an asteroid. Japan’s Hayabusa2 probe smashed a copper cannonball into the space rock Ryugu, to unearth pristine subsurface material for study. First Commercial Flight of SpaceX’s Falcon Heaby Rocket launched
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SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket successfully lifted off marking booster’s second flight and its first commercial launch. For the first time, all three of the rocket’s reusable boosters returned safely to Earth. • The rocket deployed an advanced communications satellite, Arabsat-6A which will provide internet and communications services to residents of the Middle East, Africa and parts of Europe. •Falcon Heavy Rocket weighs more than 3.1 million pounds and is made up of three reusable boosters based on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, which has been ferrying cargo to the International Space Station since 2012. SpaceX is a private American aerospace manufacturer and space transportation services company headquartered in Hawthorne, California. It was founded in 2002 by entrepreneur Elon Muskwith the goal of reducing space transportation costs. SpaceX has developed Falcon launch vehicle family and the Dragon spacecraft family to deliver payloads into Earth orbit. New population of ultraviolet stars in the globular cluster NGC 2808 Indian Astronomers have identified have identified a new population of ultraviolet stars in the globular cluster NGC 2808 using the Indian multi-wavelength space observatory AstroSat, launched in September 2015. AstroSat: AstroSat is India’s dedicated multi-wavelength space observatory, it observes the universe in the optical, Ultraviolet, low and high energy X-ray regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. NGC 2808: Globular clusters are collections of thousands to millions of stars, moving as one unit. These stars are tightly held together by the gravity of the cluster itself and are believed to have formed together at roughly the same time. The globular cluster contains stars with a variety of masses but with similar chemical composition. NGC 2808 is one of the massive globular clusters and is located at a distance of 47,000 light years from us. China’s Long March Rocket Series China’s Long March Rocket Series which is the mainstay of China’s space programme since 1970 has successfully completed its 300th launch by putting a new communication satellite into orbit through Long March-3B Rocket. • The rocket series built by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation was responsible for about 96.4 per cent of all the launch missions in China. • It also provided launch services for countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative, including Algeria, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. • The Long March-1 carrier rocket launched the country’s first satellite, Dongfanghong-1, into orbit on April 24, 1970. Crew Dragon of Space X has successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS)
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• The demonstration mission is named as Demo-1.It was a test mission before it can begin taking US astronauts into space. • The Dragon Capsule had carried Ripley, a test dummy named after the heroine from Alien Movies. • During the mission, Flight computers guided the spacecraft directly into a docking port, unlike the previous cargo Dragon spacecraft that were attached to the space station after captured by a robotic arm. Demo-1 was a dress rehearsal to demonstrate that the vehicle is reliable and safe so that NASA can resume manned flights from US soil this year and reduce its reliance on Russia to ferry its astronauts to the space station since the end of the US space shuttle program in 2011 after a 30- year run. Beresheet- Israel’s Mission to Moon Israel launched its first moon mission, sending an unmanned spacecraft - Beresheet (Genesis) to collect data to be shared with NASA. • The project is the first privately backed lunar lander mission partially funded by SpaceIL, a non- profit company. The project costed $100 million • The spacecraft is named Beresheet as a reference to the first words of the Bible in Hebrew: “In the beginning” • So far only Russia, the United States and China have sent spacecraft to the moon. • The Chinese craft- Chang’e 4 made the first ever soft landing on the far side of the moon on January 3. LOFAR Telescope The Low-Frequency Array or LOFAR, is a large radio telescope network located in Netherlands, completed in 2012 by ASTRON, the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy and its international partners. LOFAR consists of a vast array of omni-directional antennas using a new concept in which the signals from the separate antennas are not combined in real time as they are in most array antennas. The electronic signals from the antennas are digitized, transported to a central digital processor, and combined in software to emulate a conventional antenna. PSLV-C44 successfully launches Microsat-R and Kalamsat-V2 Kalamsat-V2, • a student payload (Contributed by college students and the members of a Chennai-based organisation – Space Kidz India) and first to use PS4 (the fourth stage of the vehicle) as a platform to orbit around the Earth. • It is the lightest satellite to be ever built and launched into orbit and it is also Isro’s first launch of a satellite built by a private firm. • It is a communications satellite for ham radio transmission, a form of wireless communication used by amateurs for non-commercial activities.
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Science and Technology | Udaan by Abhimanu IAS and Microsat-R, an imaging satellite, is meant for military purposes • This launch marked the first mission of PSLV-DL, a new variant of PSLV with two strap-on motors. • Isro made an attempt to recover the dead rocket stage in this launch. With PSLV rockets the first three stages usually drop back to Earth; its fourth and final stage using liquid propellants is stopped and restarted several times to get a spacecraft into just the right orbit. • Isro converted this fourth stage into an experimental orbital platform to conduct small experiments in space. This experimental orbital platform will aid in carrying out experiments in a near zero-gravity environment. Epsilon-4 rocket • Japan launched the Epsilon – 4 rocket carrying 7 satellites developed by private sector companies and Universities from the Uchinoura Space Center in Kagoshima.The cost of launch which is roughly USD 50 million was borne by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to promote and encourage space exploration by private sector in Japan. • The Epsilon series was developed in a bid to put small satellites into orbit at a low lost. China’s Chang’e-4 lunar rover made the first-ever soft landing on the far side of the moon Published On - 1/15/2019 |Science Affairs| Space • With the Moon’s rotation and orbit keeping it forever in step with the Earth, only one part of it is visible from this planet at any time. The unseen part is the “far side of the Moon”. • Earth’s gravitational pull has brought the Moon’s spin into sync with its orbit. • It takes exactly 28 days for the Moon to complete one rotation, and the same time to make one orbit around Earth. This leads to a phenomenon called “tidal locking”.
______Biology Homo luzonensisin Researchers have unearthed an unknown human species that lived on an island in Philippines some 50,000 years ago– Homo luzonensis. • The new found species is named Homo luzonensisinhonor of Luzon, the island where the mysterious beings lived during the late Pleistocene epoch, more than 50,000 years ago. They were less than four feet tall. • Though luzonensisis short like the hobbit, it shares features with a number of other ancient human relatives. • It has curved foot and finger bones like Australopithecus(a genus that includes the famous Lucy); premolars that have characteristics similar to those seen in Australopithecus, Homo habilis and Homo erectus; and small molars that look like those of modern humans, or Homo sapiens. Biosimilar medicines Biosimilar medicines are produced from biological sources like cells and not from synthesized chemicals. www.abhimanuias.com , [email protected] Corporate office: Dainik Bhaskar Building, 2nd Floor, Sector 25-D, Chandigarh
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• They are important to treat cancers and other non-communicable diseases. • They are less expensive and give same effectiveness as that of generic medicines. Trastuzumab • WHO launched a biosimilar medicine “Trastuzumab” in order to treat breast cancers. • It is an antibody that shows high efficacy in curing early stages of breast cancers. It was included in the WHO Essential Medicines List in 2015. Essential Medicines of WHO • The Essential Medicines according to the WHO, are the medicines that satisfy priority health care needs. • It was launched in 1977 and updated once in two years. The list includes medicines for both adult and children. The current list was published in April 2019. Indian brain atlas IIIT-Hyderabad creates the first Indian brain atlas. It is named as IBA100. • First digital human brain atlas was created by the Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI) and the International Consortium for Brain Mapping (ICBM) in 1993 • Recently, MNI and ICBM have released other brain atlases that are widely used as a standard in neuroscience studies. Other brain atlases include Chinese, Korean and Caucasian. • The atlas reveals that Indian brain is smaller in height, width, and volume compared to the western and eastern populations. •The India-specific brain atlas was created by using the MRI scans of 50 individuals of different genders. •Immediate implication of this finding can be seen in treatment outcomes of neurological problems or brain related ailments - like dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease etc. Zearalenone: fungal toxin infesting cereals • Zearalenone is a fungal toxin infesting cereals such as wheat, maize and barley. It attacks crops while they are growing, but can also develop when cereals are stored without being dried fully • The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India does not impose maximum limits for zearalenone, though the European Union (EU) does • India regulates the levels of some of these, including aflatoxin, deoxynivalenol, ergot and patulin. The first three infest cereals, while patulin is found in apples. Each of these toxins has been associated with disease outbreaks. For example, in 1974, a hepatitis outbreak in Rajasthan and Gujarat, which made 398 people sick and killed 106, was linked to aflatoxin in maize. • Meanwhile, chronic aflatoxin consumption has been shown to cause liver cancer. Given this, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifies aflatoxin as a Group 1 carcinogen, meaning there is enough evidence for its carcinogenicity. In zearalenone’s case, there is no strong evidence of toxicity in humans so far, though several research groups are investigating, • National Sample Survey Office data on Indian diets to calculate how much zearalenone people could be consuming. The average daily consumption through wheat and rice was 0.27 and 0.3 www.abhimanuias.com , [email protected] Corporate office: Dainik Bhaskar Building, 2nd Floor, Sector 25-D, Chandigarh
Science and Technology | Udaan by Abhimanu IAS mcg/kg of body weight — higher than the EU limit of 0.25 mcg/kg. In highly contaminated samples, exposure could be as high as 16.9 times the EU limit. • Zearalenone behaves like oestrogen, the female sex hormone, and could cause endocrine disturbances in humans. Its nasty effects in animals, such as pigs, are documented. • Since zearalenone favours cool climates, such contamination could be limited to a few States. Also, strong epidemiological data linking human zearalenone levels with diseases such as breast cancer are important. Avian botulism Avian botulism is a serious neuromuscular illness of birds caused by a toxin that is produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. •What does it affect? Though birds are commonly affected, humans can also become sick from botulism typically by eating improperly canned or stored foods. Aside from this, humans and pets are primarily at risk only if they eat infected fish, birds or maggots. •Where and when does it occur?Fish-eating birds that die of botulism are poisoned by eating fish that contain Botulism toxin. Ingestion of maggots from the carcass of an infected animal can continue the spread of avian botulism, which may be responsible for large kills of birds. •What are the field signs? Avian botulism typically results in paralysis – this results in the infected species exhibiting unusual behaviour. For example, water birds may not be able to hold their head up and as a result, often drown. Gulls can often walk, but not fly. Other birds may drag one or both wings, exhibiting poor posture while s tanding. • The first outbreak in Australia occurred in 1938; one of the earliest major reported die-offs of a large number of waterfowls linked to this disease was encountered in Victoria in 1938. More than 17,000 migratory birds have been died in Sambhar Lake so far, the investigation so far suggests avian botulism. Typhoid Vaccine • The TCV was recommended by WHO in 2018 for infants and children over 6 months of age in typhoid-endemic countries. As compared to earlier vaccines, TCV provides long-lasting protection and requires fewer dosages. • The Vaccine is funded by the United Nations Children Fund (UNCF). • Pakistan becomes the first country to introduce WHO approved typhoid vaccine. The campaign is launched with the support of Geneva based Gavi Vaccine alliance. • The Gavi Vaccine Alliance is backed by several global organization such as World Bank, WHO, UNICEF, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to lower vaccine costs for poor countries. Typhoid • Typhoid impacts young children in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and Middle-East. • In these regions, the disease if caused due to unsafe water and sanitation systems and inadequate drinking water. Acute flaccid myelitis (AFM)
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AFM, being referred to as a ‘polio-like condition’, has been tested negative for the polio virus, as per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the United States. • It is a neurological illness. It is a weakness or paralysis of the limbs. In case of myelitis, there’s inflammation of the spinal cord. • The symptoms of AFM, particularly, weakening of limbs, are similar to polio. • While the exact hasn’t been identified, the CDC believes that some virus may be the behind it. • While in the US, the incidence rate of AFM is 0.71 per million, in India it was 120 per million populations in 2010. New drug for drug-resistant TB- PRETOMANID Published On - 8/16/2019 |Science Affairs| Diseases United States (US) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved new drug-Pretomanid for treating drug-resistant strain of Tuberculosis (TB). • Pretomanid is novel compound developed by New York-based non-profit organisation TB Alliance. • It is used alongside two other antibiotics (bedaquiline and linezolid) to treat extremely drug- resistant strain of tuberculosis. • This three-drug regimen is collectively known as BPaL regimen and it can cure highly drug- resistant strains of tuberculosis by drastically shortening treatment period. This treatment regimen had achieved 90% success rate during six months of treatment and six months of post-treatment follow-ups after it was tested on 109 patients at three sites in South Africa. ROTAVAC Vaccine • It is India’s first indigenously developed vaccine for rotavirus infections. It has been developed by the Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech Limited. • It was introduced in 2016 in phased manner, beginning with 4 states initially. At present, Rotavirus vaccine is now available in 28 States/UTs. • It was included in Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) based on recommendation of expert committee National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI). • In January 2018, World Health Organisation (WHO) had prequalified Rotavac vaccine i.e. it can be sold internationally to several countries in Africa and South America. Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has decided to expand Rotavirus vaccine to the entire country from September 2019. It will provide Rotavirus vaccine to every child across all 36 states/UTs by September, 2019. Canine Distemper Virus It is highly contagious viral disease that attacks gastrointestinal, respiratory, central nervous systems, immune system and other vital organs of wide variety of animal species, including dogs, coyotes, foxes, pandas and wolves. • In most of the cases, this infection is fatal. It is also known as hardpad disease.
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• It is caused by single-stranded RNA virus of family Paramyxoviridae (the same family of viruses that causes mumps, measles, and bronchiolitis in humans). This virus is similar to measles virus in humans and rinderpest virus which affects cattle. • It is highly contagious via inhalation and can also be transmitted by shared food and water bowls and equipment. • It has found that 86% of tested dogs around Ranthambhore National Park in Rajasthan carried CDV antibodies in their bloodstream. According to recent study published in Threatened Taxa, tigers face glooming threat from Canine Distemper Virus (CDV) transmitted from CDV-infected dogs living in and around wildlife sanctuaries. New tuberculosis (TB) vaccines named IMMUVAC and VPM1002 These vaccines aim to prevent infection (pre-exposure) or prevent primary progression or reactivation of latent TB infection (post-exposure), all of which have critical role to play in India’s big fight against TB. • These are India’s first large-scale trial for new tuberculosis (TB) vaccines launched by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). •Immuvac: It is also known as mycobacterium indicus pranii (MIP). It has been manufactured by Ahmedabad based Cadila Pharmaceuticals, •VPM1002: It is manufactured by Pune based Serum Institute of India. • It is infectious disease which is caused by bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB). As per Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare’s 2018 annual report of Central TB division, the incidence of TB in India was nearly 2.8 million annually and incidence of multidrug-resistant TB (MDR TB) was 1,47,000 per year. India has highest share of global TB burden, contributing to 27% of total global burden. Measles • It is transmitted via droplets from the nose, mouth or throat of infected persons. • Severe measles is more likely among poorly nourished young children, especially those with insufficient vitamin A, or whose immune systems have been weakened by HIV/AIDS or other diseases. • The most serious complications include blindness, encephalitis (an infection that causes brain swelling), severe diarrhoea and related dehydration, and severe respiratory infections such as pneumonia. • Routine measles vaccination for children, combined with mass immunization campaigns in countries with low routine coverage, are key public health strategies to reduce global measles deaths. • Under the Global Vaccine Action Plan, measles and rubella are targeted for elimination in five WHO Regions by 2020. WHO is the lead technical agency responsible for coordination of immunization and surveillance activities supporting all countries to achieve this goal.
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The WHO has declared that the deadly childhood infection has been eliminated in the island nation. Sri Lanka is the fifth country in WHO’s Southeast Asia region to eliminate measles. The other four countries are Bhutan, Maldives, DPR Korea and Timor-Leste. National Programme for prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and strokes (NPCDCS) •NPCDCS was launched in 2010 in 100 districts across 21 States, in order to prevent and control the major NCDs. • The main focus of the programme is on health promotion, early diagnosis, management and referral of cases, besides strengthening the infrastructure and capacity building. •Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), also known as chronic diseases, tend to be of long duration and are the result of a combination of genetic, physiological, environmental and behaviours factors. A meeting to review the status of National Programme for prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and strokes (NPCDCS) was held recently. ‘MERA India’ to of eliminating Malaria from India by 2030 The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) launched ‘MERA (Malaria Elimination Research Alliance) India’, with aim of eliminating Malaria from India by 2030. It is a collective group of partners working on malaria control. It was launched on occasion of World Malaria Day 2019 (Observed on 25 April). • It aims to prioritize, plan and scale up a coordinated research to have impact on population facing malaria risk and to eliminate malaria from India by 2030. • It complements and not duplicates international efforts to eliminate Malaria on a national scale, and simultaneously contributing to broader global agenda. • It seeks to facilitate trans-institutional coordination and collaboration around shared research agenda, which responds to programmatic challenges, addresses gaps in available tools, and proactively contributes to targeted research. • It holds importance for Ministry of Health and Family Welfare because of operational research. West Nile Virus Recently a case of West Nile Virus detected in Kerela. West Nile Virus is a viral infection which typically spread by mosquitoes and results in neurological disease as well as death in people.It was first detected in a woman in the West Nile district of Uganda in 1937 and was later identified in birds (crows and Columbiformes) in the Nile delta region in 1953. Symptoms: People infected with WNV suffer from fever, headache, fatigue, body aches, nausea, vomiting, occasionally with a skin rash (on the trunk of the body) and swollen lymph glands. In case of severe West Nile disease, the patient may also suffers stupor, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness and paralysis. One in 150 persons infected with the virus will develop a severe form of the disease, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). There are no vaccines to prevent or medications to treat the infection.
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Yellow Fever • Yellow fever spreads through mosquitoes. • It is often associated with jaundice, hence the name yellow. • vaccine is often compulsory before travelling to any of the yellow fever-endemic countries in parts of Africa, and Central and South America. • Vaccine name 17D, is generally considered safe but facing vaccine hesitancy" or the "reluctance or refusal to vaccinate despite the availability of vaccines." Project Soli of Google Google announced Project Soli in 2015; it is a purpose-built chip to track your motion on a microscopic scale. • It uses miniature radar for real-time motion tracking of the human hand; it’s able to track sub- millimetre motion at high speeds with great accuracy which can be used in wearables, phones, computers, cars and IoT devices. • The radar works by emitting electromagnetic waves with objects within the beam reflecting information back to the antenna. • The information gathered from the reflected signal – things like time delay or frequency changes – give the device information about the interaction. • The Soli radar chip works on the 60 GHz spectrum frequency as it has the least interference for the kind of minute movements Google wants to track. However, the 60 GHz spectrum is not commercially usable in India. Recently launched Google Pixel 4 uses a radar-based Soli chip to introduce Motion Sense, a feature that provides similar touchless gesture-based controls. Colistin banned in animal food industry The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has issued an order prohibiting the manufacture, sale and distribution of colistin and its formulations for food-producing animals, poultry, aqua farming and animal feed supplements. • The arbitrary use of colistin in the food industry, particularly as growth supplementsused in animals, poultry, aqua farms, would likely reduce the antimicrobial resistance within the country. • It is used for growth promotion (for example fattening of broiler poultry in less time and with less feed) as well as for preventing diseases in healthy animals. • Colistin is also listed as a highest priority critically important antibiotic (HPCIA) in the WHO’s list of critically important antimicrobials for human medicine. • Colistin is the last resort drug against multidrug resistant gram-negative infections such as pneumonia and bacteremia in critically ill patients in intensive care units Indian National Action Plan on AMR aims to restrict and phase out non-therapeutic use of antimicrobials such as their use as growth promoters and disease prevention in animals. DRDO develops a range of combat Casualty drugs
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The range of ‘combat casualty drugs’ can extend the golden hour of gravely wounded security personnel till the trooper is shifted to hospital. Combat Casualty Drugs: Glycerated saline is a battlefield intravenous fluid that does not freeze till -18 degrees Celsius and is useful in handling trauma cases in high altitude areas. A special medicated dressing material, cellulose fibre-based dressings in the kit is 200 times more absorptive than normal dressings during bleeding wounds Chitosan gel helps in preventing blood loss by forming a film over the wound. Coupled with platelets and red blood cells aggregation, it stops the bleeding. Its antibacterial and wound health properties are of added benefit. Part of the range is hypocholorous acid (HOCL), a disinfectant for troopers involved in jungle warfare. It is helpful in treating necrotising fascitis, a rapidly progressing bacterial infection of soft tissues. Bacterial toxins cause local tissue damage and necrosis, as well as blunt immune system responses. Developed at the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences, a laboratory of the Defence Research and Development Organisation. Information technology mHariyali app launched The mobile application was launched by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs to encourage public engagement in planting trees and Green drives. The application provides automatic geo – tagging of plants. It will hence enable the nodal officers to periodically monitor the plantation. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs in September 2019, had selected 103 Central Government colonies to implement the following • Awareness and Construction of Roof top rain water harvesting • Cleaning and Greening of open space through plantation • Sensitization on Source Segregation of household waste • Orientation and Capacity building on Home Composting. The application is a part of the campaign to keep the participants motivated. As a part of the campaign the Hariyali Mahostav was also launched. Operation Digital Board • Digital board will be introduced all over the country in government and government aided schools from class 9th onwards as well as in higher education institutions. • It will make the learning as well as the teaching process interactive and popularize flipped learning as a pedagogical approach using information Technological tools. • Union Human Resource Development Ministry has launched Operation Digital Board to leverage technology in order to boost quality education in the country. • UGC will be the implementing agency for ODB in Higher Education Institutions(HEIs) Government to roll out a public Domain Name Server Published On - 2/24/2019 |Science Affairs| Information Technology www.abhimanuias.com , [email protected] Corporate office: Dainik Bhaskar Building, 2nd Floor, Sector 25-D, Chandigarh
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• It aims to provide a faster and more secure browsing experience for Internet users in the country, while ensuring that citizens’ data is stored locally. • A DNS is a like a directory for the Internet. It helps to convert domain names that are easy for people to remember into IP addresses, which are used by computers/machines to communicate. • It will be executed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC). Oceanic research Samudrayaan project National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) will launch ‘Samudrayaan project by 2021-22 to explore the deep sea region. • It is pilot project of Union Ministry of Earth Sciences as part the Rs 6000 crore ‘Deep Ocean’ mission for deep ocean mining of rare minerals. • It proposes to send indigenously developed submersible vehicle with three persons to a depth of about 6000 metres to carry out deep underwater studies. • It will be undertaken by the NIOT, Chennai and is in line with ISRO’s ambitious ‘Gaganyaan’ mission of sending an astronaut to space by 2022. • The indigenously developed submersible vehicle developed as part of this project is capable of crawling on sea bed at a depth of 6km for 72 hours. • If it is successful, India will join selected league of developed nations in the exploration of minerals from deep oceans. •International Sea Bed Authority (ISBA) has allocated India75,000 sq km site in Central Indian Ocean Basin (CIOB) for exploration of polymetallic nodules from seabed.
Physics & Chemistry in everyday life Iron ion battery
Context: IIT Madras has fabricated a rechargeable iron ion battery and registered initial success. Key facts: • The rechargeable iron ion battery has been designed using mild steel as the anode. • The iron ion battery is cost-effective and the amount of energy that can be stored in the battery is also high. • While lithium ions are the charge carriers in lithium ion battery, the Fe2+ ions perform that function in the case of iron ion battery. • When fabricated under controlled conditions, the amount of energy that can be drawn from the iron ion battery is 220 Wh per kg, which is 55-60% of lithium ion battery’s performance. • In iron ion battery, vanadium pentoxide is used as the cathode. Vanadium pentoxide was chosen as it has a layered structure with very large spacing between the layers. • The large inter-layer spacing in vanadium pentoxide allows iron ions to easily move in and bind to the interlayers of the cathode and also easily get detached and move back to the anode. Benefits of iron over Lithium: www.abhimanuias.com , [email protected] Corporate office: Dainik Bhaskar Building, 2nd Floor, Sector 25-D, Chandigarh
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• Iron has favourable physico-chemical properties like lithium. • The redox potential of iron ion is higher than lithium ion and the radius of the Fe2+ ion is nearly the same as that of the lithium ion. •Iron is more stable during the charging process and therefore prevents short-circuiting of the batteries. This, when compared with the popular lithium metal-based batteries helps cut down the cost and make it safer to handle. India’s First District cooling system India’s First District cooling system will come up in Amravati, capital of the Andhra Pradesh. The government of Andhra Pradesh has entered into a 30-year concession with UAE-based international cooling provider, The agreement between the National Central Cooling Company (Tabreed) for the District Cooling System at Amaravati. District cooling system District cooling systems produce chilled water, steam or hot water at a central plant and then pipe that energy out (either underground or over rooftops) to buildings for air conditioning, space heating and water heating. As a result, these buildings don’t require their own chillers, air conditioners, boilers or furnaces. They are considered to be highly efficient to address each of the challenges like high Capital and operating costs, reliability, flexibility and environmental sustainability while meeting their comfort and process cooling and heating needs. District cooling uses only 50 per cent of primary energy consumption for cooling urban building n compared to other cooling systems. This also reduces carbon emissions. District cooling system at Amaravati District cooling system at Amaravati is part of Andhra Pradesh government’s vision to create jobs and homes along with a world-class infrastructure at Amaravati. The District cooling system will meet the cooling requirements for the State’s Assembly, High Court, Secretariat and other government buildings that are currently under construction, for which cooling services will commence from early 2021. Atmospheric Water Generator (AWG) • Atmospheric Water Generator can be used to generate water straight from the humidity present in the atmosphere. • It uses heat exchange for condensing the atmospheric moisture to produce pure, safe and clean potable water. The AWG comes with a Mineralisation Unit, which is used to add minerals which are required to make the water potable. • It is developed by Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) and launched at Aero India 2019. New Scientific Standard of Kg • Scientists from around the world met at the General Conference on Weights and Measures in Versailles, France, and voted to change the definition of a kilogram, tying it to a universal constant in nature. The change will go into effect on May 20, 2019.
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• The previous definition of kilogram was based on the mass of the international prototype ‘kilogram’ which is an artefact, platinum iridium cylinder stored in a locked vault in the bowels of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) in Sevres, France. However, the new definition is based on physical constants of nature. The change is in the definition of kilogram and will not have any practical implications. • The National Physical Laboratory, India (NPLI) is the custodian of National Prototype of the Kilogram, copy No. 57 (NPK-57), which was provided by the BIPM in 1958 after its first calibration in 1955. The NPK-57 has been recalibrated in 1985, 1992, 2002 & 2012 so far at the BIPM. Chemistry Ethanol Production Why in News? The Ministry of Environment and Forests announced that mills would not require separate environmental clearance to produce additional ethanol from B-heavy molasses. Why was this decision taken? • The decision comes at a time when the country is looking at heavy oversupply of sugar, and a host of measures have been launched by the central government to address the systemic issue. • The ministry clarified that the proposals to undertake additional ethanol production from B- heavy molasses/sugarcane juice/sugar syrup/sugar would be considered. • It will be considered under the provisions of the EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) notification, 2006, by an expert appraisal committee for granting environmental clearance. What are ethanol and molasses? • Ethanol, or ethyl alcohol, is a liquid that has several uses. • At 95% purity, it is called rectified spirit and is used as the intoxicating ingredient in alcoholic beverages. • At 99%-plus purity, ethanol is used for blending with petrol. • Both products are made from molasses, a by-product of sugar manufacturing. • For making sugar, mills crush sugarcane which typically has a total fermentable sugars (TFS) content of 14%. • The TFS component consists of sucrose along with the reducing sugars glucose and fructose. • Most of this TFS component gets crystallised into sugar, and the remaining part is called molasses. What are the Molasses stages? • The molasses go through three stages - A, B, and C, the last one being where the molasses are most un-crystallised and non-recoverable. • The ‘C’ molasses roughly constitute 4.5% of the cane, and have a remaining TFS of 40%. • After C-molasses are sent to the distillery, ethanol is extracted from them. Every 100 kg of TFS yields 60 litres of ethanol. • Thus, from one tonne of cane, mills can produce 115 kg of sugar (at 11.5% recovery) and 45 kg of molasses (18 kg TFS) that gives 10.8 litres of ethanol. www.abhimanuias.com , [email protected] Corporate office: Dainik Bhaskar Building, 2nd Floor, Sector 25-D, Chandigarh
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Why focus on more ethanol? •Mills currently have all-time-high stocks of sugar, and they have been at loggerheads with farmers over non-payment of dues. • Mill owners insist that the reason behind their woes is excess production of sugar and fall in its price. • Under the circumstances, ethanol is the only real saviour - both for mills and cane growers. • In September 2019, the government approved an increase in the price of ethanol to be procured by public sector oil marketing companies from sugar mills for blending with petrol for the 2019-20 supply year. • The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs also allowed conversion of old sugar into ethanol. • This again is expected to help mills deal with the current overproduction in the sweetener and make timely payments to farmers for the cane delivered by them. • Ethanol production has been additionally facilitated with the government mandating 10% blending of petrol with ethanol. UN Report on lead concentration in paints Context: World Lead Prevention Week started on October 20, 2019. On the sidelines, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has released a report on lead concentration in items like paints. Permissible limit: •Ninety ppm is the concentration limit recommended by the Model Law and Guidance for Regulating Lead Paint published by the UNEP in 2018. • It is the lowest and most protective regulatory limit for lead paints that has been set in India and some other countries. Key findings: • Only 13 countries have laws which prescribe that lead concentration should not be more than 90 particles per million (ppm). • These 13 countries are part of 73 countries out of the UN’s 193 members, which, as of September 30, 2019, had confirmed that they had legally binding controls on lead in paint, according to the UNEP report. • The largest economic burden of lead exposure was borne by low- and middle-income countries. Lead and it’s concentration: Lead is added to paints for various reasons, including enhancing the colour, reducing corrosion and decreasing the drying time. However, lead can reach soil, dust and groundwater through weathering or peeling of the patin. It has several adverse health impacts: • Lead exposure accounted for 1.06 million deaths from long-term effects and 24.4 million disability adjusted life years known as DALYs in 2007. • Lead can cause permanent damage to the brain and nervous system, resulting in decreased IQ and increased behavioural problems. www.abhimanuias.com , [email protected] Corporate office: Dainik Bhaskar Building, 2nd Floor, Sector 25-D, Chandigarh
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• It can also cause anaemia, increase the risk of kidney damage and hypertension, and impair reproductive function. • Young children and pregnant women (whose developing foetus can be exposed) are especially vulnerable to the adverse effects of lead. Even relatively low levels of exposure can cause serious and irreversible neurological damage. What needs to be done? • The cost of eliminating the use of lead compounds in decorative paint is much lower than removing these paints from surfaces in homes. • By contrast, the economic cost is low for eliminating the use of lead compounds in new decorative paints. In fact, many manufacturers have already successfully reformulated their paint products to avoid the intentional addition of lead. • According to the paint industry, the reformulation of residential and decorative paints to eliminate lead additives is feasible, and the technical and cost impacts are manageable.
Need of the hour: establishing laws and informing people about the hazardous effects of lead in paints remained key measures to curb its growing menace. How carbon-14 revolutionized science Carbon-14 has six protons and eight neutrons in its nucleus. By contrast, most of the carbon in our bodies and in the outside world, known as carbon-12, has six protons and six neutrons. Crucially, those two extra neutrons make the nucleus of a carbon-14 atom unstable so that it decays radioactively into an atom of nitrogen. More importantly, these decays are relatively infrequent so that it is possible to measure changes in a carbon sample over tens of thousands of years. What are carbon dating, isotopes and half-lives? The nucleus of an element is made up of subatomic particles: protons and neutrons. The number of protons in the nucleus of an element defines its chemical behavior. But atoms of the same element can possess different numbers of neutrons in their nuclei. These different forms are known as isotopes. Carbon has three main isotopes: carbon-12, carbon-13 and carbon-14. The first two are stable but the last decays radioactively. In any sample, carbon-14 atoms will take around 5,730 years to lose half their number. Thus carbon-14 is said to have a half-life of 5,730 years.
Applications Over the years, uses of carbon-14 have spread well beyond dating ancient artefacts. Drugs can be labelled with carbon-14 and followed as they pass through the body in order to test their safety and efficacy. Other researchers have used the isotope to trace the way in which plants convert carbon dioxide into sugar, revealing the intricate processes underpinning photosynthesis. www.abhimanuias.com , [email protected] Corporate office: Dainik Bhaskar Building, 2nd Floor, Sector 25-D, Chandigarh
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In addition, carbon-14 has been exploited to study plankton and other forms of sea life, revealing how the waters of the oceans circulate in a great interconnected web of currents that sweep round the planet. “The carbon content of a fish will register what it has been eating, which in turn will reflect the chemistry of the surrounding water, which will be influenced by how the ocean has mixed,” says Marra. For good measure, carbon-14 is now playing a major role in uncovering how climates have changed on Earth over tens of thousands of years, work of immense importance as scientists struggle to understand how rising carbon emissions are now triggering dangerous global heating. PDK- A Fully Recyclable Plastic Scientists have created a next-generation plastic that can be fully recycled into new materials of any form, shape or colour without any loss of its performance or quality. • The name of newly created recyclable plastic is Poly (Diketoenamine), or PDK. • takes recycling into consideration from a molecular perspective. It means that this recyclable plastic can be disassembled into its constituent parts at molecular level. • Unlike conventional plastics, the monomers which make PDK plastic could be easily recovered and freed from any compounded additives just by dunking the plastic material in a highly acidic solution. • The acid then breaks down PDK polymers into monomers and also allows monomers to be separated from entwined chemical additives that give plastic its actual look and feel. International Year of the Period Table of Chemical Elements UNESCO has declared 2019 as the International Year of the Period Table of Chemical Elements to commemorate the 150th birthday of the periodic table of chemical elements. The Periodic table of the Chemical elements was first published by Russian scientist Dmitry Mendeleev in the year 1869.
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