0 January to July 2021

Home , Astra (missile), Barak 8, Gliese 486, HGC019, INSACOG, Nag (missile)

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SCIENCE & TECH ...... 6 1. REUSABLE LAUNCH VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATION PROGRAMME(RLV-TD) ...... 6 2. GAGANYAAN MISSION ...... 6 3. MARS ORBITER MISSION (MOM) ...... 6 4. CHANDRAYAAN MISSION...... 7 5. SOLAR MISSION ...... 8 6. ARTEMIS ACCORD ...... 9 7. NATIONAL MISSION ON INTERDISCIPLINARY CYBER-PHYSICAL SYSTEM (NMICPS) ...... 10 8. SMART ANTI-AIRFIELD WEAPON (SAAW) ...... 10 9. AQUAPONICS ...... 11 10. DATA SONIFICATION ...... 11 11. SEED BALL TECHNIQUE ...... 12 12. TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE DIGITAL LIBRARY (TKDL) ...... 12 13. INDIAN SARS-COV-2 GENOMICS CONSORTIUM (INSACOG) ...... 12 14. DRAFT NATIONAL SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION POLICY ...... 13 15. NEW REGULATIONS OF FSSAI ON TRANS FATS ...... 14 16. H5N8 SUBTYPE OF INFLUENZA A VIRUS ...... 14 17. NATIONAL ATOMIC TIMESCALE ...... 15 18. VIGYAN JYOTI AND ENGAGE WITH SCIENCE (VIGYAN PRASAR) ...... 16 19. GENDER ADVANCEMENT FOR TRANSFORMING INSTITUTIONS (GATI) ...... 16 20. INDIA INNOVATION INDEX 2020 ...... 17 21. WHAT IS SEROPOSITIVITY AND SERO POSITIVITY SURVEY? ...... 17 22. CATALYTIC DEWAXING: ...... 18 23. INTERNATIONAL THERMONUCLEAR EXPERIMENTAL REACTOR (ITER): ...... 18 24. AUGMENTED REALITY VS VIRTUAL REALITY: ...... 19 25. GLOBAL INFLUENZA DATA INITIATIVE (GISAID): ...... 19 26. SPIKE PROTEIN OF SARS-COV-2: ...... 20 27. SOFTWARE DEFINED RADIO TACTICAL (SDR-TAC):...... 20 28. CONTINUOUSLY OPERATING REFERENCE STATIONS (CORS) NETWORK: ...... 21 29. BLAZAR ...... 21 30. NATIONAL TUBERCULOSIS ELIMINATION PROGRAMME (NTEP) ...... 22 31. OPEN-RAN ...... 22 32. CURIOSITY ROVER MARS ...... 23 33. ARYABHATTA RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF OBSERVATIONAL SCIENCES (ARIES) ...... 23 34. VERTICAL LAUNCH SHORT RANGE SURFACE TO AIR MISSILE (VL-SRSAM) ...... 23 35. CENTRE FOR DNA FINGERPRINTING AND DIAGNOSTICS (CDFD) ...... 24 36. COVIRAP ...... 24 37. NAVARITIH ...... 25 38. DRAFT SPACE BASED REMOTE SENSING POLICY OF INDIA - 2020: ...... 25 39. PERSEVERANCE ROVER: ...... 26 40. DRAFT HUMANS IN SPACE POLICY FOR INDIA, 2021: ...... 26

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41. ARJUN MAIN BATTLE TANK (MK-1A): ...... 27 42. GPS BASED TOLL COLLECTION SYSTEM ...... 27 43. 2001 FO32 ASTEROID ...... 28 44. SOLID FUEL DUCTED RAMJET (SFDR) ...... 28 45. INTERNATIONAL LUNAR RESEARCH STATION ...... 29 46. FLOATING SOLAR PLANT IN TELANGANA ...... 29 47. LUNAR POLAR EXPLORATION (LUPEX) MISSION ...... 29 48. SYNTHETIC APERTURE RADAR (SAR): ...... 30 49. RAMAN THERMOMETRY FOR MONITORING OF POWER TRANSMISSION CABLES ...... 30 50. SUPERMASSIVE MOVING BLACK HOLE ...... 31 51. EQUINE HERPES VIRUS ...... 32 52. BHABHA ATOMIC RESEARCH CENTRE (BARC) ...... 32 53. GENOME MAPPING OF INDIAN OCEAN BY NIO ...... 33 54. TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION REPORT 2021 ...... 34 55. NEW BACTERIA FOUND ON INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION (ISS) ...... 34 56. REFRIGERATION SYSTEM PUSA-FSF ...... 34 57. DISCOVERY OF FOUR NEW PARTICLES AT THE LARGE HADRON COLLIDER (LHC) ...... 35 58. OLA LARGEST ELECTRIC TWO WHEELER PLANT ON FAST TRACK ...... 35 59. MULTI-BEAM E-BAND PRODUCT GIGA MESH ...... 35 60. NEW 'DOUBLE MUTANT' COVID-19...... 36 61. ARIES-DEVASTHAL FAINT OBJECT SPECTROGRAPH & CAMERA (ADFOSC) ...... 36 62. GLIESE 486B ...... 37 63. ENZYMES TO BLOCK HIV REPLICATION ...... 37 64. BAIKAL GVD DETECTOR ...... 37 65. INS VIRAAT ...... 38 66. INDIAN ‘DOUBLE MUTANT’ STRAIN NAMED B.1.617 ...... 38 67. INYAS MASS CAMPAIGN ON COVID ...... 39 68. MUON G-2 EXPERIMENT ...... 39 69. NANOSNIFFER...... 40 70. TIKA UTSAV ...... 40 71. ADVANCED ANTIQUITIES MANAGEMENT SYSTEM OF GOA ...... 41 72. FUKUSHIMA NUCLEAR ACCIDENT ...... 41 73. GAMMA RAY EMITTING ACTIVE GALAXY ...... 42 74. NEW ELECTRONIC NOSE WITH BIODEGRADABLE POLYMER ...... 43 75. MRNA BASED COVID-19 VACCINE-HGC019 ...... 43 76. INDIA-FRANCE AGREEMENT ON GAGANYAN MISSION ...... 44 77. WORLD HAEMOPHILIA DAY ...... 45 78. DUROKEA SERIES ...... 45 79. MEDICAL OXYGEN ...... 46 80. NEW INITIATIVES BY NIXI...... 46 81. GLOBAL DIABETES COMPACT ...... 47

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82. MARS INGENUITY HELICOPTER ...... 47 83. ALH MK-III HELICOPTER ...... 48 84. VIRTUAL GLOBAL FORUM ON TB VACCINE ...... 48 85. RESPOND PROGRAMME OF ISRO ...... 49 86. HUMAN-MONKEY CHIMERAS ...... 49 87. PERSEVERANCE MARS ROVER MADE OXYGEN ...... 50 88. HARLEQUIN ICHTHYOSIS ...... 51 89. SPACE X CREW-2 MISSION...... 51 90. E-2025 INITIATIVE ...... 52 91. KRI NANGGALA-402 SUBMARINE ...... 52 92. #FOSS4GOV INNOVATION CHALLENGE ...... 53 93. OXYGEN FROM STERLITE COPPER ...... 53 94. ZHURONG ...... 53 95. ADITYA-L1 SUPPORT CELL...... 54 96. INDIA'S FIRST 3D PRINTED HOUSE ...... 54 97. NAVIC- OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE TELECOM INDUSTRY ...... 55 98. PYTHON-5 AIR TO AIR MISSILE ...... 56 99. APOLLO 11 MISSION: ...... 56 100. CT COUNT IN COVID TEST ...... 57 101. PERMIT FOR DRONES TO DELIVER VACCINES: ...... 57 102. COOKING OIL BASED BIODIESEL ...... 58 103. NIGHT LANDING OF CREW DRAGON SPACECRAFT ...... 58 104. CLASSIFICATION OF CORONA VARIANTS ...... 59 105. AYUSH-64 ...... 60 106. R21 / MATRIX M VACCINE ...... 61 107. ANTI-COVID DRUG BY DRDO ...... 61 108. SPUTNIK LIGHT ...... 61 109. E-SANJEEVANI OPD ...... 62 110. LUMPY SKIN DISEASE ...... 63 111. MUCORMYCOSIS ...... 63 112. OSIRIS REX ...... 63 113. SATHI SCHEME ...... 64 114. WINCHCOMBE METEORITE ...... 64 115. WIFI AT RAILWAY STATIONS ...... 65 116. ZEOLITE CARGO SERVICE ...... 65 117. ‘MEDICINES FROM SKY’ PROJECT ...... 66 118. NEWS SHOWCASE BY GOOGLE ...... 67 119. INS RAJPUT ...... 67 120. NASA-ESA SOLAR ORBITER (SOLO) ...... 67 121. COVISELF- SELF TESTING COVID KIT ...... 68 122. SUN HALO PHENOMENON ...... 69

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123. EMERGENCY USE LISTING (EUL) ...... 69 124. YELLOW FUNGUS ...... 70 125. BIO HUB INITIATIVE BY WHO...... 70 126. PIMS-TS ...... 71 127. IT RULES, 2021 ...... 71 128. AYUSH CLINICAL CASE REPOSITORY (ACCR) PORTAL ...... 72 129. MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES COCKTAIL THERAPY ...... 72 130. MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES COCKTAIL THERAPY ...... 73 131. AMBITAG ...... 74 132. VAJRA KAVACH DISINFECTION SYSTEM ...... 75 133. NEW MISSIONS TO VENUS ...... 75 134. EXPERIMENTAL ADVANCED SUPERCONDUCTING TOKAMAK (EAST) ...... 77 135. CLEAN ENERGY MINISTERIAL (CEM) ...... 78 136. TUMOUR ANTIGEN SPAG9 ...... 78 137. INS SANDHAYAK ...... 79 138. CIBER-2 INSTRUMENT OF NASA- ...... 79 139. ADUCANUMAB DRUG...... 80 140. CAR T-CELL THERAPY ...... 80 141. ENVISION MISSION TO VENUS ...... 81 142. UNESCO SCIENCE REPORT, 2021 ...... 82 143. LEPTOSPIROSIS ...... 83 144. PASIPHAE PROJECT ...... 83 145. JIVAN VAYU ...... 84 146. NEW SHEPHARD ROCKET SYSTEM ...... 84 147. CORPORATISATION OF OFB ...... 85 148. DEEP OCEAN MISSION ...... 86 149. SHENZHOU-12 ...... 87 150. WORLD SICKLE CELL DAY ...... 88 151. ANTIBODIES AGAINST NIPAH VIRUS IN BAT SPECIES IN MAHARASHTRA ...... 89 152. 2014 UN271 ...... 89 153. 'GAIN OF FUNCTION' RESEARCH ...... 90 154. DELTA PLUS VARIANT OF COVID VIRUS ...... 91 155. INS VIKRANT ...... 92 156. LIDAR SURVEY REPORTS TO AUGMENT WATER IN FOREST AREAS ...... 92 157. AFRICAN SWINE FEVER ...... 93 158. CHINA’S DRAGON MAN ...... 94 159. SERB-FIRE INITIATIVE ...... 95 160. ANTI- COVID DRUG 2-DEOXY-D-GLUCOSE (2-DG) ...... 95 161. HUMAN STEM CELL RESEARCH GUIDELINES ...... 96 162. PORTALS ON AYUSH SECTOR LAUNCHED ...... 97 163. UNITY 22 MISSION ...... 98

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164. DBGENVOC- WORLD’S FIRST DATABASE OF GENOMIC VARIANTS OF ORAL CANCER ...... 98 165. SATURN’S MOON ENCELADUS ...... 99 166. ZIKA VIRUS CASE REPORTED IN KERALA ...... 100 167. COUNTRY'S FIRST LNG FACILITY PLANT AT NAGPUR ...... 101 168. INDIA’S FIRST CRYPTOGAMIC GARDEN ...... 102 169. MAHARASHTRA'S MASS DRUG ADMINISTRATION AGAINST LYMPHATIC FILARIASIS ...... 102 170. NASA'S VIPER MISSION ...... 103 171. VACCINE BOOSTER SHOTS ...... 104 172. ACUTE ENCEPHALITIS SYNDROME (AES) ...... 104 173. INDIA’S SINGLE LARGEST SOLAR PARK AT RANN OF KUTCH ...... 105 174. UV-C TECHNOLOGY AND ITS EFFECT ON CORONAVIRUS ...... 106 175. GUILLAIN-BARRE SYNDROME (GBS) ...... 107 176. CHEMOTAXIS BY E.COLI ...... 107 177. SUB-ORBITAL SPACE FLIGHT ...... 109 178. HUBBLE TELESCOPE ...... 110 179. US PLAN TO TRANSMIT THE INTERNET IN CUBA VIA HIGH-ALTITUDE BALLOONS ...... 110 180. SHREYA SINGHAL CASE ...... 111 181. NEA SCOUT SPACECRAFT...... 112 182. MONKEY B VIRUS ...... 112 183. OXYGEN RATIONING DEVICE – AMLEX ...... 113 184. HIGH STRENGTH BETA TITANIUM ALLOY ...... 113 185. SPACE RICE ...... 114 186. H5N1 AVIAN INFLUENZA ...... 114 187. AKASH-NG MISSILE ...... 115 188. PHASE-2 OF I-STEM ...... 116 189. MONKEYPOX ...... 117 190. NAUKA' MODULE OF RUSSIA ...... 118 191. CHANDRAYAAN-3 ...... 118 192. DIVYA NAYAN ...... 120 193. NEAR-SURFACE SHEAR LAYER (NSSL) OF THE SUN ...... 120

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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

1. Reusable Launch Vehicle Technology Demonstration Programme(RLV-TD)

In News- RLV-TD is India's first uncrewed flying testbed developed for ISRO's Reusable Launch Vehicle Technology Demonstration Programme.

About RLV-TD- • RLV-TD is a winged body aerospace vehicle that operates in hypersonic flight regime. • It is capable of launching satellites into orbit around earth and then re-enter the atmosphere. • It is a prototype vehicle developed to achieve the Two-Stage To Orbit (TSTO) Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV). • ISRO handles the RLV-TD programme. • The Technology Demonstration Programme consists of the development of a hypersonic rocket with air- breathing engines and the reusable launch vehicle • The first test-flight took place on 23rd May 2016 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh • RLV will not be used in the Gaganyaan mission. • A Space Capsule will be used in Gaganyaan Mission.

2. Gaganyaan Mission

In news: Four Indian Air Force (IAF) pilots, chosen as candidate-astronauts for India’s first manned mission Gaganyaan, have begun training in Moscow, Russia.

• Gaganyaan is the ₹10,000-crore Indian human space flight scheduled for 2022. • It is designed to have 3-7 crew members spend 3-7 days in space in a 400-km orbit. • The first of the two pre-Gaganyaan flights with a humanoid will be launched in 2020-end. • The candidates will study in detail the systems of the Soyuz manned spaceship, as well as be trained in short-term weightlessness mode. • The Soyuz is a Russian spacecraft which carries people and supplies to and from the space station. • The candidates will also be trained to take appropriate actions during emergencies like abnormal landing in (unplanned) climate and geographic zones.

Developments so far: • ISRO has completed the development of launch vehicle GSLV Mk-III which has the necessary payload capability to launch a 3-member crew module in low earth orbit. • It has also tested the crew escape system which is an essential technology for human space flight. • Elements of the life support system and Space suit also have been realized and tested. • The orbital & re-entry mission and recovery operations have been demonstrated in the Space Capsule Re- entry experiment (SRE) mission.

3. Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM)

Mars Orbiter Mission was launched with the help of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) C-25- XL from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota on November 5, 2013.

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Primary Objectives: 1. Study of Martian atmosphere 2. Study of Martian Surface Features 3. Morphology 4. Mineralogy.

5 different scientific payloads carried are: 1. Mars Color Camera (MCC) 2. Methane Sensor for Mars (MSM) 3. Lyman Alpha Photometer (LAP) 4. Thermal Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (TIS) 5. Mars Exospheric Neutral Composition Analyser (MENCA)

Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) – Achievements 1. India is the 1st country in the world to achieve Mars Orbit Insertion in the very 1st attempt. The cost of this mission was $ 74 million, less than a famous Hollywood movie named Gravity. 2. MOM is the cheapest Interplanetary Space Mission in the World. 3. It is the 1st Interplanetary Space Mission of India. 4. It is the 1st Indian spacecraft to survive the Van Allen Belt, by crossing it 39 times. 5. Before ISRO only 3 other different Space agencies were able to successfully carry out space missions to Mars, ROSCOSMOS of Russia, NASA and European Space Agency (ESA). 6. MOM mission won Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament, and Development – For its contribution to strengthening international cooperation for the peaceful use of outer space.

4. Chandrayaan Mission

• Chandrayaan-1 was the first Indian lunar probe under Chandrayaan program. • It was launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation in October 2008, and operated until August 2009. • The mission included a lunar orbiter and an impactor. • India launched the spacecraft using a PSLV-XL rocket. • India was the fourth country to place its flag insignia on the Moon. • The location of impact was named Jawahar Point.

Due to technical issues Chandrayaan-1 stopped communicating in August 2009 and ISRO officially declared that the mission was over. Chandrayaan-1 operated for 312 days as opposed to the intended two years, but the mission achieved most of its scientific objectives.

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• As per scientists at NASA, earth’s oxygen could be driving the formation of hematite which is ferried by Earth’s magnetosphere. • Chandrayaan-1 data indicates that the moon's poles are home to water that scientists are trying to decipher.

Chandrayan-2: • Chandrayaan-2 is India’s first lander mission. • It consists of an Orbiter, Lander and Rover, all equipped with scientific instruments to study the moon. • Orbiter - The Orbiter is a 2379-kg spacecraft with 7 instruments on board. It has instruments to study the mineral composition on the moon and the lunar atmosphere, and to assess the abundance of water. The Orbiter will observe lunar surface and relay communication between Earth and the Lander. • Lander - ISRO has named the Lander module as Vikram. It carried three instruments that will mainly study the moon’s atmosphere. One of the instruments will also look out for seismic activity on the lunar surface. • Rover - The Rover is a 6-wheeled, Artificial Intelligence-powered and solar-powered vehicle named Pragyan, meaning wisdom. Its primary objective is to study the composition of the moon’s surface near the landing site and determine the abundance of different elements on the moon’s surface. • Chandrayaan-2 was planned to make a landing at a site where no earlier mission had gone, i.e near the South pole of the moon.

However, a part of the mission failed as the Vikram lander crash-landed on the lunar surface. Chandrayaan-3 is likely to be launched in early 2021. It will be a mission repeat of Chandrayaan-2 and will include a Lander and Rover similar to that of Chandrayaan-2, but will not have an orbiter.

5. Solar Mission

• ISRO is preparing for its first scientific expedition to study the Sun, Aditya-L1. • It would be placed into a point in space known as the L1 Lagrange point. • Aditya L1 will be ISRO’s 2nd space-based astronomy mission after AstroSat (It is the first dedicated Indian astronomy mission aimed at studying celestial sources in X-ray, optical and UV spectral bands simultaneously), which was launched in 2015. • Aditya L1 will be launched using the PSLV - XL with 7 payloads (instruments) on board. • Many of the instruments and their components for this mission are being manufactured for the first time in the country.

Lagrange Points are positions in space where the gravitational forces of a two-body system (like the Sun and the Earth) produce enhanced regions of attraction and repulsion. The L1 point is about 1.5 million km from Earth. A Satellite placed in the halo orbit around the Lagrangian point 1 (L1) has the major advantage of continuously viewing the Sun without any occultation/ eclipses

Objective: Aditya L1 will study the Sun’s corona (Visible and Near infrared rays), Sun's photosphere (soft and hard X-ray), chromosphere (Ultra Violet ), solar emissions, solar winds and flares, and Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs), and will carry out round-the-clock imaging of the Sun.

The payloads used: • Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC): • Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SUIT) • Aditya Solar wind Particle Experiment (ASPEX) • Plasma Analyser Package for Aditya (PAPA)

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• Solar Low Energy X-ray Spectrometer (SoLEXS) • High Energy L1 Orbiting X-ray Spectrometer (HEL1OS)

Other Missions to the Sun- NASA’s Parker Solar Probe’s aim is to trace how energy and heat move through the Sun’s corona and to study the source of the solar wind’s acceleration.

1.1 Metrolite and Metro Neo

In News- The government is set to approve national standard specifications for Metro Neo.

About Metro Neo- • Metro Neo is a mass rapid transit system providing low-cost, energy-efficient and eco-friendly urban transport solutions for tier 2 and tier 3 cities. • It is no-frills, low-cost urban rail transit system aimed at cities with population of less than 10 lakh or suburbs of bigger cities. • Metro Neo systems are lighter and smaller than conventional Metro trains. • They cost about 25% of conventional systems but with similar facilities. • Metrolite costs about 40% of the normal Metro. • Metro Neo will not run on track but on road. • It is suitable for places where the traffic demand is around 8,000 passengers one way in peak time. • The Maharashtra government has already given a green signal for this state-of-the-art Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) for Nashik.

Metrolite- • The Centre has proposed a light urban rail transit system - 'Metrolite' - in small cities and towns having lower projection of ridership, with each train having three coaches and a restricted speed of 25 kmph. • The Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry has issued standard specifications of the 'Metrolite' system which will be developed on surface and elevated stretches. • It will have a dedicated path separating the road traffic with it. • The three-coach train will have a capacity of carrying 300 passengers. • The maximum operational speed of the Metrolite is 60 KMPH.

6. Artemis Accord

In News- NASA’s Artemis programme aims to return humans to the Moon by 2024.

About Artemis Accord- • NASA announced Eight-Nation Space Coalition under Artemis Accords. • The Artemis Accords are an international agreement between governments of participating nations in the Artemis program. • It is based on the principles for cooperation in the civil exploration and use of the Moon, Mars, comets, and asteroids for peaceful purposes, and is grounded in the Outer Space Treaty of 1967. • The Accords were signed on October 13, 2020 by the directors of eight national space agencies: United States, Australia, Canada, Japan, Luxembourg, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates. • Ukraine and Brazil signed it later in 2020. • The signatories commit to adhere to peaceful exploration transparently. • The Artemis Accords exclude China, a rising space rival to the US.

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Artemis program- • Is an upcoming crewed mission to the moon. • It is a collaborative project of NASA, European Space Agency (ESA), Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). • The preparations for the mission started in 2017 and are expected to be launched in 2024. • The program is divided into three parts, ○ Artemis I is most likely to be launched next year and involves an unscrewed flight to test the SLS and Orion spacecraft. ○ Artemis II will be the first crewed flight test and is targeted for 2023. ○ Artemis III will land astronauts on the Moon’s South Pole in 2024.

7. National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical System (NMICPS)

In News- Recently, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Ropar, Punjab is setting up a Sectoral Application Hub in Technologies for Agriculture and Water under NMICPS. It will bring solutions for stubble management, water quality improvement and mapping of hazardous substances in water.

About NMICPS- • It was launched in 2018 and is implemented by the Department of Science & Technology for a period of five years. • It covers the entire India which includes Central Ministries, State Governments, Industry and Academia.

Objectives of the mission- • It is a comprehensive mission which would address technology development, application development, human resource development & skill enhancement, entrepreneurship and start-up development in Cyber- Physical System (CPS) and associated technologies. • The mission aims at establishing 15 Technology Innovation Hubs (TIH), six Application Innovation Hubs (AIH) and four Technology Translation Research Parks (TTRP). • They have four focused areas namely: ○ Technology Development ○ HRD & Skill Development ○ Innovation, Entrepreneurship & Start-ups Ecosystem Development ○ International Collaborations

Cyber-physical system (CPS)- ● Cyber-Physical Systems is an interdisciplinary field that deals with the deployment of computer-based systems that do things in the physical world. It integrates sensing, computation, control and networking into physical objects and infrastructure, connecting them to the Internet and to each other. ● Examples- Smart Grid Networks, Smart Transportation System, Enterprise Cloud Infrastructure, Utility Service Infrastructure for Smart Cities, etc...

8. Smart Anti-Airfield Weapon (SAAW)

In News- DRDO conducted a successful trial of the indigenously developed Smart Anti-Airfield Weapon (SAAW) off the Odisha coast from the Hawk-I jet of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

About SAAW- • It is the first smart weapon fired from an Indian Hawk.

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• SAAW is a long-range precision guided anti-airfield weapon. • It is capable of engaging ground targets with precision up to a range of hundred kilometres. • Basically, SAAW is a bomb and is designed to destroy targets such as bunkers, runways, reinforced structures and aircraft hangers. • So far, eight successful tests of SAAW have been conducted. • In 2020, the Government of India approved the SAAW project for Indian Navy and Indian Air Force.

9. Aquaponics

In News- The Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Mohali, developed the ‘Aquaponics facility’ for aquaponic cultivation of plants.

What is Aquaponics? • Aquaponics refers to any system that combines conventional aquaculture (raising aquatic animals such as snails, fish, crayfish or prawns in tanks) with hydroponics (cultivating plants in water) in a symbiotic environment. • It is a form of agriculture that combines raising fish in tanks (recirculating aquaculture) with soilless plant culture (hydroponics). • It is a sustainable method of raising both fish and vegetables. • After the initial set-up costs, an Aquaponics system requires very little in terms of financial input. So growers can reap huge rewards.

10. Data Sonification

In News- The NASA Chandra X-Ray Center (CXC) has unveiled a new ‘sonification’ project that transforms data from astronomical images into audio.

What is the project? • Users can now ‘listen’ to images of the Galactic Centre, the remains of a supernova called Cassiopeia A, as well as the Pillars of Creation Nebula, which are all located in a region around 26,000 light-years away from Earth. • The data has been collected by NASA’s Chandra X-Ray Observatory, Hubble Space Telescope and Spitzer Space Telescope, each of which is represented by a different musical ‘instrument’, data is represented using a number of musical notes.

Data Sonification- • It refers to the use of sound values to represent real data. • It is the auditory version of data visualisation. • The birth of a star, a cloud of dust or even a black hole can be ‘heard’ as a high- or low-pitched sound.

Chandra X-ray Project- • It was launched by Space Shuttle Columbia in 1999. • The Chandra X-ray Observatory is part of NASA's ﬂeet of "Great Observatories" along with the Hubble Space Telescope, the Spitzer Space Telescope. • The "X-ray universe" refers to the universe as observed with telescopes designed to detect X-rays. X-rays are produced in the cosmos when matter is heated to millions of degrees. Such temperatures occur where high magnetic fields, or extreme gravity, or explosive forces exist in space. • The telescope is named after the Nobel Prize-winning Indian astrophysicist Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar.

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11. Seed Ball Technique

In News: Odisha’s Athagarh Forest Division has started casting seed balls (or bombs) inside different reserve forest areas to enrich food stock for wild elephants.

What happens in a seed ball? • A seed ball (or plant seed bomb) is a plant seed which has been pre-planted in a small round lump of soil materials, mainly a mixture of clay and compost along with other necessary nutrients, and the entire ball containing the seed is then dried. • This enables the seed to germinate for a few days initially and then be produced when the conditions are right. • In effect, each seed is pre-planted and is generally sown by depositing the seed ball anywhere where it is suitable for the plant species. • This keeps the seed safe from birds etc.. till the right moment for germination comes. • Historically, the Seed balls were used by the Ancient Egyptians to plant crops when the swollen banks of the river Nile receded after a flood. • They are also used in Asia and North America, especially in regions of high aridity. • The process of the seed’s germination and growth is such that it requires no attention after it is dispersed – the reason why seed pellets are known as the “fire and forget” way of plantation. • They eliminate the need for ploughing and digging holes in the soil and the seeds do not need to be planted, since they are already surrounded by soil, nutrients, and microorganisms.

12. Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL)

In News- AYUSH ministry and the CSIR will collaborate in research and education in areas of traditional systems of medicine and its integration with modern science

About TKDL: • It is an Indian digital knowledge repository of traditional knowledge, especially about medicinal plants and formulations used in Indian systems of medicine. • Set up in 2001, as a collaboration between the CSIR and the MINISTRY OF AYUSH (This is not the first collaboration of the two organisations). • The objective of the library is to protect the ancient and traditional knowledge of the country from exploitation through biopiracy and unethical patents, by documenting it electronically and classifying it as per international patent classification systems. • It documents in digitized format, various Indian traditional systems of medicine available in the public domain. • It contains information in five languages - English, German, French, Japanese and Spanish

13. Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG)

In news- INSACOG has been launched recently.

What is SARS-CoV-2 Virus? • Referred to as SARS-CoV-2 VUI 202012/01 has been identified through viral genomic sequencing in the United Kingdom (UK). • It is also known as lineage B.1.1.7. • It is defined by multiple spike protein mutations.

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• It is correlated with a significant increase in the rate of COVID-19 infection in England. • This increase is thought to be at least partly because of mutation N501Y inside the spike glycoprotein’s receptor-binding domain, which binds to the ACE2 receptor in humans.

Key features of the INSACOG- • INSACOG is a consortium of 10 labs. • Coordinated by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) along with MoH&FW, ICMR, and CSIR. • The overall aim is to monitor the genomic variations in the SARS-CoV-2 on a regular basis through a multi- laboratory network. • This vital research consortium will also assist in developing potential vaccines in the future. • The consortium will establish a sentinel surveillance for early detection of genomic variants with public health implication, and determine the genomic variants in the unusual events/trends.

14. Draft National Science Technology and Innovation Policy

• In news- Department of Science and Technology released the draft 5th National Science Technology and Innovation Policy (STIP) for public consultation.

About STIP- • The STIP will be guided by its broad vision of achieving technological self-reliance and position India among the top three scientific superpowers in the decade to come. • To attract, nurture, strengthen and retain critical human capital through a ‘people centric’ science, technology and innovation (STI) ecosystem, • To double the number of Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) researchers, Gross Domestic Expenditure on R&D (GERD) and private sector contribution to the GERD every 5 years. • To build individual and institutional excellence in STI.

The objective of the policy is to identify and address strengths and weaknesses of the Indian STI ecosystem to catalyse socio-economic development of the country and also make the Indian STI ecosystem globally competitive.

Key features of STIP- • STIP revolves around the core principles of being decentralized, evidence-informed, bottom-up, experts- driven, and inclusive. • It envisages the formation of an STI Development Bank for direct investments on various long and medium-term projects in select strategic areas, commercial ventures, start-ups, technology diffusion and licensing. • It states that the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ+) community will be included in gender equity conversations with special provisions to safeguard its members’ rights and promote their representation and retention in STI. • The policy will lead to the establishment of a National STI Observatory that will act as a central repository for all kinds of data related to and generated from the STI ecosystem. • It will encompass an open centralised database platform for all financial schemes, programmes, grants and incentives existing in the ecosystem. • A dedicated portal to provide access to the outputs of such publicly-funded research will be created through the Indian Science and Technology Archive of Research (INDSTA). • It proposes to create pathways for the government to negotiate with journal publishers for a “one nation, one subscription” policy, in return for a centrally-negotiated payment.

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• It also proposes to establish education research centres (ERCs) and collaborative research centres (CRCs) to provide research inputs to policymakers and bring together stakeholders. • States to earmark percentage of the state allocation for STI-related activities. • Multinational Companies (MNCs) will collaborate with domestic private and public sector entities on projects aligned to national needs and priorities • It also proposes that hybrid funding models with enhanced participation from public and private sectors will be created through the Advanced Missions in Innovative Research Ecosystem (ADMIRE) initiative. • It also aims to bring in the concept of ‘dynamic policy’ with a robust policy governance mechanism incorporating features such as implementation strategy, periodic review, policy evaluation, feedback, adaptation and a timely exit strategy for various policy instruments.

15. New regulations of FSSAI on Trans Fats

In news- Recently, FSSAI has reduced the trans-fat levels in foods from 5% to 3%.

What are Trans Fats? Tran’s fats or trans-fatty acids are a form of unsaturated fat which are the result of partial hydrogenation of unsaturated fat.

Types of Trans fats- • Trans fats come in both natural and artificial forms. • Natural or ruminant trans fats occur in the meat and dairy from ruminant animals when bacteria in these animals’ stomachs digest grass. • Artificial trans fats are created when hydrogen is added to unsaturated liquid vegetable oils to make them more solid. • Food manufacturers use partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs) to improve the texture, shelf life, and flavour of food. • Artificial trans fats are found in fried foods, commercial baked goods, processed foods, etc…

Ill effects of trans fats- • Increased bad cholesterol and also lower good cholesterol. • Trans fats are associated with increased risk of heart attacks and death from coronary heart disease.

FSSAI regulations of Trans fats- • FSSAI has capped the amount of trans fatty acids (TFA) in oils and fats to 3% for 2021 and 2% by 2022 from the current permissible limit of 5%. • The revised regulation applies to edible refined oils, vanaspati (partially hydrogenated oils), margarine, bakery shortenings and other mediums of cooking such as vegetable fat spreads and mixed fat spreads. • It was in 2011 that India first passed a regulation that set a TFA limit of 10% in oils and fats, which was further reduced to 5% in 2015.

16. H5N8 subtype of Influenza A Virus

In news- The presence of the H5N8 subtype of the Influenza A virus was reported in ducks in Kottayam and Alappuzha districts of Kerala.

What is H5N8? • It is a subtype of the Influenza A virus (sometimes called bird flu virus).

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• Flu/Influenza is an extremely contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza A or B viruses. • It appears most frequently in winter and early spring. • The flu virus attacks the body by spreading through the upper and/or lower respiratory tract. • Although it is a lethal for birds,the H5N8 strain of avian influenza has a lower likelihood of spreading to humans compared to H5N1.

Types of flu/Influenza viruses- There are four types of influenza viruses: A, B, C and D. • Influenza A viruses are the only influenza viruses known to cause flu pandemics, i.e., global epidemics of flu disease. • Influenza B virus is almost exclusively a human pathogen, and is less common than influenza A. The only other animal known to be susceptible to influenza B infection is the seal. • Influenza type C infections generally cause mild illness . It infects humans and pigs, and can cause severe illness and local epidemics. • Influenza D viruses primarily affect cattle and are not known to infect or cause illness in people. Cases of infections from the Type D virus are rare compared to Types A, B, and C.

17. National Atomic Timescale

In news- Recently, Prime Minister of India dedicated National Atomic Timescale to the Nation.

What is the Atomic Timescale? • Atomic time scale generated by atomic clocks, which furnish time more accurately than was possible with previous astronomical means. • Atomic clocks measure the actual length of a second, which is the base unit we use to calculate time.

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• With this launch, India has become self-reliant in measuring the time within the range of a nano second. • Now Indian Standard Time is matching the International Standard Time with the accuracy range of less than 3 nano second. • This will be a big help for organizations like ISRO who are working with cutting edge technology. • Modern technology related Banking, railways, defense, health, telecom, weather forecast, disaster management and many similar sectors will be benefited greatly from this achievement. • This timescale would strengthen India’s role in Industry 4.0. • This achievement will lead to self-reliance in the field and will lead to creation of more effective and cheaper tools for pollution control.

18. Vigyan Jyoti and Engage with Science (Vigyan Prasar)

In news- The Department of Science & Technology (DST) and IBM India announced collaborations to scale up two DST initiatives--Vigyan Jyoti and Engage with Science (Vigyan Prasar) recently.

Vigyan Jyoti initiative- • The Vigyan Jyoti programme was launched by DST in 2019. • Vigyan Jyoti is a programme to promote Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) learning among girl students. • The program provides a scholarship, visit to nearby scientific institutions, science camps, lecturers from eminent women scientists, and career counseling. • The program is currently implemented by Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV) in 58 districts, with the participation of about 2900 students. • It focuses on solving the multidimensional problems associated with meager representation of women in Engineering and Technology streams in higher education by building confidence and excitement towards these streams.

Engage with Science (Vigyan Prasar)- • This is an interactive platform that will be built on top of the India Science Over-The-Top (OTT) platform to encourage and inspire high school students to pursue Science & Technology (S&T) for a career. • The principal objective of Vigyan Prasar is to serve India’s science popularization agenda.

19. Gender Advancement for Transforming Institutions (GATI)

• GATI Framework is an innovative overarching Pilot Project supported by the Department of Science and Technology (DST). • It ushers a new intervention programme for gender equality in science and technology in India. • The GATI model draws inspiration from the Athena SWAN Gender Equality Charter and accreditation framework operated by Advance HE, UK, since 2005. • Project GATI aims to nudge institutions of higher education and research towards supporting diversity, inclusion and the full spectrum of demographic talent for their own success and progression. • In particular, it aspires to create an enabling environment for equal participation of women in science, technology, engineering, medicine and mathematics disciplines (STEMM) at all levels, addressing deep- rooted problems. • It envisages a fresh perspective on not just measures for increasing retention and recruitment but the progression of women throughout their professional journey.

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20. India Innovation Index 2020

In news- NITI Aayog released the second edition of the India Innovation Index 2020 in a virtual event.

What is it? • The index seeks to rank the states and union territories based on their relative performance of supporting innovation, and to empower them to improve their innovation policies by highlighting their strengths and weaknesses. • It is jointly prepared by NITI Aayog and the Institute of Competitiveness.

Key highlights of the Index- • The states and union territories have been divided into 17 ‘Major States’, 10 ‘North-East and Hill States’, and 9 ‘City States and Union Territories’, for effectively comparing their performance. • The states and union territories have been ranked on two broad categories: outcome and governance. • The framework consists of 36 indicators, which include hard data (32 indicators) and four composite indicators.

Innovation Ranking of states- Top five major states Top five NE and Hill states Top Five UTs/Small states/cities

1. Karnataka 1. Himachal Pradesh 1. Delhi 2. Maharashtra 2. Uttarakhand 2. Chandigarh 3. Tamil Nadu 3. Manipur 3. Daman & Diu 4. Telangana 4. Sikkim 4. Puducherry 5. Kerala 5. Mizoram 5. Goa

21. What is seropositivity and sero positivity survey?

In news- A pan-India serosurvey was recently conducted by the CSIR.

What is seropositivity? • Seropositive means having or being a positive serum reaction especially in a test for the presence of an antibody. • The state of either having or not having detectable antibodies against a specific antigen, as measured by a blood test (serologic test). E.g. HIV seropositive means that a person has detectable antibodies to HIV; seronegative means that a person does not have detectable HIV antibodies. • Sero-surveys use tests that examine the liquid part of blood, or ‘serum’, not nose, throat and mouth fluid. • These tests detect an immune response to the virus material, not SARS-CoV-2 virus material itself.

Current CSIR Sero-survey- • Smokers and vegetarians were found to have lower seropositivity indicating that they may be at a lesser risk of getting infected by coronavirus. • The blood group ‘O’ may be less susceptible to the infection, while people with ‘B’ and ‘AB’ blood groups were at a higher risk. • Higher seropositivity was found for those using public transport and with occupational responsibilities such as security, housekeeping personnel, non-smokers and non-vegetarians,

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• This is for the first time that a study has been done in India wherein individuals have been monitored for three months (35 individuals) to six months (346 individuals) for antibodies including those with probable neutralising activity.

22. Catalytic Dewaxing:

In news- Recently, The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of Indian Oil Corporation Ltd’s second Catalytic Dewaxing unit at Haldia.

About Indian Oil Corporation Ltd’s second Catalytic Dewaxing unit • It is estimated to be built with rupees one thousand and 19 crores and to be completed by April 2023. Once commissioned, this will lead to import substitution and save foreign exchange. • The project objective is to augment API Group-II & III Lube Base Oil (LBO) production with the capacity of 270 TMTPA considering 8000 hours/year of operation • Unconverted oil (UCO) from existing once through the Hydrocracker unit (OHCU) is being processed in the existing Feed Preparation unit (FPU). • Distillates from FPU are being processed in the existing Catalytic dewaxing unit (CDWU-I) to produce Lube Base Oil (LBO). • The new proposed CDWU-II unit will produce Gr-II & Gr-III lube base oil from the heart cuts generated from FPU. • The feed for the catalytic dewaxing unit is waxy light to heavy blend of unconverted oil. • Catalytic dewaxing is a process that ensures that oil products like diesel are liquid at the specific temperature ranges in which they are to be used in order to meet the cold flow requirements essential for the commercial success. The main purpose of dewaxing is to remove hydrocarbons that solidify readily (i.e., wax) for making lubricating oil base stock with low pour points (-9 to 14°F).

23. International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER):

In news - Assembly of the world’s largest nuclear fusion reactor began in France.

What is it? • The ITER project is a joint effort by countries such as Japan, India, the European Union, the United States, Russia, China and South Korea. • It was launched in 2006, has a five-year assembly phase and plans to reach its maximum power output by 2035. • ITER will be the first fusion device to produce net energy and the first fusion device to maintain fusion for long periods of time. • It will be the first fusion device to test the integrated technologies, materials, and physics regimes necessary for the commercial production of fusion-based electricity.

What will ITER do? • Produce 500 MW of fusion power • Demonstrate the integrated operation of technologies for a fusion power plant • Achieve a deuterium-tritium plasma in which the reaction is sustained through internal heating • Test tritium breeding • Demonstrate the safety characteristics of a fusion device.

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The tokamak is an experimental machine designed to harness the energy of fusion. Inside a tokamak, the energy produced through the fusion of atoms is absorbed as heat in the walls of the vessel. Just like a conventional power plant, a fusion power plant will use this heat to produce steam and then electricity by way of turbines and generators. ITER will be the world's largest tokamak—twice the size of the largest machine currently in operation, with ten times the plasma chamber volume.

24. Augmented Reality Vs Virtual Reality:

What Is Virtual Reality (VR)? • It helps in creating a stimulus of the environment with the help of computer programming. • It is a technological illusion created to give a real-time effect for an individual. • It does not involve a screen for viewing but has special VR devices giving you a three-dimensional experience. • With the combined simulation of various human senses, the computer transforms the algorithms into a code. • Various companies have entered the competition in producing high-end VR devices like Oculus Quest, PlayStation, and even Google . What Is Augmented Reality? • Augmented Reality or AR is similar to Virtual Reality but not the same. • It is an enhanced version of reality for adding digital information to a pre-existing technology

Virtual Reality Augmented Reality • It has the ability to let its user • The Augmented technique helps you to create a digital scenario travel to different locations with rather than giving you the feature of teleporting to various the help of a VR device. places virtually. • Thus, the user can translocate • It is rather a good choice as it helps you locate places of your himself from place to place with choice with the help of the AR application. the help of its technology. • Best use for smartphones, can be upgraded with new versions of handsets, Games are played on a greater scale using AR technology.

25. Global Influenza Data Initiative (GISAID):

• GISAID is a global science initiative and primary source for genomic data of influenza viruses and the novel coronavirus responsible for COVID-19. • It is a public platform started by the WHO in 2008 for countries to share genome sequences. • It is headquartered in Munich, Germany. • It is a not for profit organisation. • It is an alternative to share avian influenza data via conventional public-domain archives. • GISAID differs from other genetic sequence databases like GenBank and EMBL primarily in that users of GISAID must have their identity confirmed and agree to a Database Access Agreement that restricts the way GISAID data can be used.

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26. Spike protein of SARS-CoV-2:

In news- According to new research it is found that, if the Spike protein is not stable, antibodies may be induced but they will be less effective in terms of blocking the virus.

What is a spike protein? • The SARS-CoV-2 is a spherical shell featuring spike protein which appears like a crown. • This protein initiates the process of infection in a human cell by attaching itself to the ACE2 receptor, before replicating. • Recently scientists freeze-framed the spike protein before and after its fusion with the cell. • After binding with the ACE2 receptor, the spike protein changed its shape to the rigid hairpin. • The researchers also concluded that the spike can also become visible before the fusion, even without the virus getting attached to the cell. • The researchers are of the view that the alternative shape of the protein protects the SARS-CoV-2 from breaking down. • Virus remains viable on various surfaces for a variable time, this can be due to the rigid shape of the spike protein. • The post fusion shape protects the protein from our immune system because the post-fusion shape may induce antibodies that do not neutralize the virus. • There's a similarity between the pre and post-fusion forms as the sugar molecules in both of them are evenly located on the surface and are known as Glycans. • It is because of glycans, the virus ditches the immune system.

27. Software Defined Radio Tactical (SDR-Tac):

In News- Ministry of Defence (MoD) and Defence Public Sector Undertaking (DPSU) Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) have signed a contract for procurement of Software Defined Radio Tactical (SDR-Tac) worth over Rs 1,000 crore in New Delhi.

What is SDR-Tac ? • The SDR-Tac, jointly designed and developed by Defence Electronics Applications Laboratory (DEAL) of DRDO through a consortium of domestic agencies and industry and Indian Navy will bring strategic depth to the Armed Forces. • The delivery will take place within three years. • The SDR-Tac is a four Channel Multi-mode, Multi Band, 19’’ Rack mountable, ship borne Software Defined Radio system. • It is intended to serve ship-to-ship, ship-to-shore and ship-to-air voice and data communication for network centric operations. • It supports simultaneous operation of all the four channels covering V/UHF and L Band.

SDR-Tac Importance to Armed forces- • These SDRs will be backward compatible with existing Indian radios. Different Service groups require different form factor radios for specific platforms and waveforms/applications. • They also allow implementation of futuristic waveforms on the same hardware using software programmability, thus ensuring longer life and savings on cost.

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28. Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS) Network:

In News- By 2022, SVAMITVA Scheme would ensure CORS network coverage across the Country

About Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS) Network- • The CORS network is a multi-purpose, multi-agency cooperative endeavor, combining the efforts of hundreds of government, academic, and private organizations. • The stations are independently owned and operated. • Each agency shares their GNSS/GPS carrier phase and code range measurements and station metadata with NGS, which are analyzed and distributed free of charge. • The idea behind is to provide a common positioning platform in defined accuracy for the survey, mapping and monitoring of large infrastructure projects, drainage planning along with management of revenue maps and state boundary management.

29. Blazar

What's a Blazar? • A blazar is a feeding super massive black-hole (SMBH) in the heart of a distant galaxy that produces a high- energy jet viewed face-on from Earth. • Like other forms of active galactic nuclei (AGN), blazars are the most luminous and energetic objects in the known universe. • The central SMBH that drives an AGN are the nucleation seeds that stimulate the formation of their host galaxies, while the SMBH itself grows in the process. • Gas, dust and the occasional star are captured and spiral into this central black hole, creating a hot accretion disk which generates enormous amounts of energy in the form of photons, electrons, positrons and other elementary particles.

Whole Earth Blazar Telescope- It is an international consortium of astronomers created in 1997, with the aim to study a particular category of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) called blazars, which are characterized by strong and fast brightness variability, on time scales down to hours or less.

Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES)- • It is an autonomous body under the Department of Science & Technology. • It is a leading research institute in Nainital, Uttarakhand which specializes in Astronomy, Astrophysics and Atmospheric Sciences.

Black holes- • A black hole is a place in space where gravity pull is so much that even light cannot get out. • The gravity is so strong because matter has been squeezed into a tiny space. • This can happen when a star is dying. • Because no light can get out, people can’t see black holes. • Black holes can be big or small. • The largest black holes are called “supermassive.” • Scientists have found proof that every large galaxy contains a supermassive black hole at its center. • The supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy is called Sagittarius A.

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30. National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP)

In News- Tuberculosis control programme renamed, to focus on elimination. About National Strategic Plan (2017- 25) for TB elimination: • The NSP 2017 - 2025 builds on the success and learning’s of the last NSP and encapsulates the bold and innovative steps required to eliminate TB in India by 2030. • It is crafted in line with draft National Health Policy 2015, World Health Organization’s (WHO) End TB Strategy, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations (UN). • Vision: TB - Free India with zero deaths, disease and poverty due to tuberculosis. • Goal: To achieve a rapid decline in burden of TB, morbidity and mortality while working towards elimination of TB in India by 2025.

It has been integrated into the four strategic pillars of "Detect - Treat - Prevent - Build" (DTPB). Detect: Find all DS - TB and DR - TB cases with an emphasis on reaching TB patients seeking care from private providers and undiagnosed TB in high - risk populations. • Treat: Initiate and sustain all patients on appropriate anti - TB treatment wherever they seek care, with patient friendly systems and social support. • Prevent the emergence of TB in susceptible populations • Build and strengthen enabling policies, empowered institutions and human resources with enhanced capacities.

31. Open-RAN

In News- TRAI Chairman P.D. Vaghela while speaking at the 15th India Digital Summit stated that the use of Open- RAN and software-defined telecom networks will provide Indian entities with ample opportunities to go in for the network equipment market.

What is Open-RAN? • The Open-RAN (Radio Access Network) is a new paradigm where cellular radio networks consist of hardware as well as software components from a variety of vendors which are operating over network interfaces that are truly 'Open and Interoperable'. • It is an ongoing shift in the mobile network architecture, consisting of networks to be built using subcomponents from multiple vendors.

About O-RAN ALLIANCE- • O-RAN ALLIANCE was founded in February 2018 by AT&T, China Mobile, Deutsche Telekom, NTT DOCOMO and Orange. • It was established as a German entity in August 2018. • Since then, O-RAN ALLIANCE has become a world-wide community of mobile network operators, vendors, and research & academic institutions operating in the Radio Access Network (RAN) industry. • O-RAN ALLIANCE’s mission is to re-shape the RAN industry towards more intelligent, open, virtualized and fully interoperable mobile networks. • The new O-RAN standards will enable a more competitive and vibrant RAN supplier ecosystem with faster innovation to improve user experience. • O-RAN based mobile networks will at the same time improve the efficiency of RAN deployments as well as operations by the mobile operators. • O-RAN focuses on technical aspects of the RAN and stays neutral in any political, governmental or other areas of any country or region. O-RAN does not get involved in any policy-related topics.

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32. Curiosity rover Mars

In news- The Mars rover ‘Curiosity’ has completed 3,000 Martian days.

NASA Curiosity Mission- • The Curiosity is the largest and most capable rover ever sent to Mars. • It landed on Mars in August, 2012.

Curiosity Rover- • Curiosity is an SUV-sized Mars rover designed to explore the Gale crater on Mars as part of NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission • The main mission of Curiosity was “to search areas of Mars for past or present conditions favourable for life, and conditions capable of preserving a record of life.”

It has a suite of instruments: ○ A gas chromatograph, a mass spectrometer, a tunable laser spectrometer, X-ray diffraction, fluorescence instrument help study the rocks ○ The Mars Hand Lens Imager (for close-up pictures) and a Mast Camera (to take photos of the surroundings) ○ An instrument named ChemCam to vaporize thin layers of Martian rocks. ○ Radiation Assessment Detector to study the radiation environment at the surface of Mars ○ Rover Environmental Monitoring Station to measure atmospheric pressure, temperature, humidity, winds, plus ultraviolet radiation levels ○ Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons instrument to measure subsurface hydrogen.

33. Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES)

In News- ARIES has announced that it will organize a live telecast of the upcoming solar eclipse on social media.

About Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES)- • It is situated at Manora Peak, in Nainital, Uttarakhand. • Was established in 1954. • It is an autonomous institute of the Department of Science & Technology (DST), Government of India. • The main research interests of Astronomy & Astrophysics division are in solar, planetary, stellar, galactic and extragalactic astronomy including stellar variabilities, X-ray binaries, star clusters, nearby galaxies, quasars, and inherently transient events like supernovae and highly energetic gamma ray bursts. • The unique position of ARIES (79° East), places it at almost in the middle of 180° wide longitude band, between Canary Island (20° West) and Eastern Australia (157° East), and therefore complements observations which might not be possible from either of these two places.

34. Vertical Launch Short Range Surface to Air Missile (VL-SRSAM)

In News- DRDO conducted two successful launches of Vertical Launch Short Range Surface to Air Missile (VL- SRSAM).

About VL-SRSAM- • It is meant for neutralizing various aerial threats at close ranges including sea-skimming targets. • The current launches were carried out for demonstration of vertical launch capability as part of its maiden launch campaign. 23 www.journalsofindia.com January to July 2021

• On both occasions, the missiles intercepted the simulated targets with pinpoint accuracy. The missiles were tested for minimum and maximum range. • VL-SRSAM with Weapon Control System (WCS) were deployed during the trials.

35. Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (CDFD)

In news- Vice President inaugurated first of its kind Pediatric Rare Genetic Disorders laboratory at CDFD.

About Pediatric Rare Genetic Disorders laboratory- • The newly inaugurated lab will be multifaceted as the services provided will include- ○ Genome sequencing, identifying of causal genetic variations ○ Generation of animal models ○ Telemedicine and creation of a database on the disease-associated genetic variants in the Indian population • This lab will tie up with medical colleges having paediatric departments, from where blood samples of children suffering from rare genetic disorders will be collected. • Scientists at the CDFD will conduct genomic sequencing to understand which mutations in the genes cause disorders. • The lab will also provide counselling to parents regarding the mutation. • Once the genetic mutation is identified among such children, the scientists at CDFD will also conduct research to find out if the mutation is the only cause behind the rare genetic disorder. • The CDFD will also make a database of such diseases for further research, which will even help in development of therapeutics.

36. COVIRAP

In news- Recently, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has validated the efficacy of the Covid-19 method called COVIRAP.

What is COVIRAP? • It is a cuboid-shaped portable testing device that can deliver results in an hour, making it an effective tool to scale up coronavirus screening in peripheral and rural areas • It was developed by IIT Kharagpur.

Why is it unique? • Current tests include RT-PCR, which are highly accurate but require advanced lab infrastructure, and antigen tests that can give results in minutes but have a lower accuracy. • COVIRAP process is completed within an hour. • The test is conducted in a ultra-low-cost portable unit that can be handled by unskilled operators outside the lab environment. • It is an alternative to high-end RTPCR machines. • The same unit can be used for a large number of tests on replacement of the paper cartridge after each test. • This means many other tests, falling under the category of isothermal nucleic acid-based tests (INAT), can be performed in the same machine. For instance it can perform tests beyond Covid-19, for influenza, malaria, dengue, Japanese encephalitis, TB etc, under the category of isothermal nucleic acid-based tests. •

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COVIRAP & FELUDA: • FELUDA, named after Satyajit Ray’s fictional detective as an acronym for FNCAS9 Editor-Limited Uniform Detection Assay, is a test developed by the Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology. This too detects genes specific to SARS-CoV-2, but uses CRISPR-CAS technology. • While the current FELUDA prototype requires a PCR machine for processing, COVIRAP uses its own detection technology, patented by IIT-KGP.

37. NAVARITIH

In news- Recently, the Prime Minister released a certification course on innovative construction technologies named NAVARITIH (New, Affordable, Validated, and Research Innovation Technologies for Indian Housing).

About NAVARITIH- It is being offered jointly by the School of Planning & Architecture, New Delhi and Building Materials & Technology Promotion Council (BMTPC), Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs, New Delhi.

Objectives of this course are to- • Familiarise the professionals with the latest materials and technologies being used worldwide for housing. • Provide an awareness of the state of art of materials and technologies in terms of properties, specifications, and performance, design and construction methodologies so that professionals can successfully employ these in their day to day practice. • Provide exposure to executed projects where such materials and technologies have been implemented.

38. Draft Space Based Remote Sensing Policy of India - 2020:

The Department of Space has published a draft “Space- based Remote Sensing Policy of India (SpaceRS Policy 2020)” along with draft “Norms, Guidelines and Procedures (SpaceRS NGP 2020)” for its implementation.

Aim: SpaceRS Policy 2020 is aimed at enabling wider stakeholders’ participation and ease of data access.

SpaceRS Policy-2020 states that the Government of India shall – 1. Promote Indian Industries to carry out space based remote sensing activities within and outside India. 2. Enable easy access to space based remote sensing data, except for “sensitive data and information”. 3. Concentrate on realisation of space based remote sensing systems to cater to the country’s needs, that cannot be effectively, affordably and reliably satisfied by the commercial entities, either due to national security concerns or economic factors. 4. Provide a timely and responsive regulatory environment for the commercial Indian industry to establish and operate space based remote sensing systems

As per the policy, any service provider will be free to provide remote sensing data and services to any user in the country. Due to national security considerations, a category of data will be identified as ‘sensitive’ and a different mechanism for dissemination of such data is envisaged

Details of other key features- • Indian entities can establish and operate satellite remote sensing systems to provide remote sensing data. • Any Indian registered non-Government Private Entity (NGPE) intending to set up the ground station for satellite data reception, facilities for satellite tracking, controlling and monitoring, within Indian territory, shall need authorization. • They can establish satellite system through their own built satellite or procured satellite.

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• They can establish Telemetry, Tracking & Command (TT&C) and Satellite data reception stations in or outside India. • The remote sensing activities within the Indian territory can be carried out, only with an authorized space asset.

Indian National Space Promotion & Authorization Center (IN-SPACe), an independent body constituted by Government of India, under Department of Space (DOS), shall accord necessary authorizations and permissions for all space based remote sensing activities, to or from Indian territory.

39. Perseverance Rover:

In news- Recently, NASA released the first image of Mars taken by its Perseverance rover.

Key updates- • The perseverance rover, which is the most advanced astrobiology laboratory ever sent to another world, safely landed on the Martian surface recently. • Touching down near an ancient river delta, the rover will search for traces of ancient life and will gather the most vital rock samples for a possible return to Earth. • The spacecraft has been equipped with a record 25 cameras and two microphones. • The images were snapped during the crucial last minutes of the rover’s descent, also referred to as the “seven minutes of terror”, when it was travelling at 12,000 miles per hour.

About Perseverance Rover- • Mission name: It is part of the mission Mars 2020 • Launch: July 2020 • Landing: February 18 2021 • The Mars 2020/Perseverance rover is designed to better understand the geology of Mars and seek signs of ancient life.

Key objectives- • Explore a geologically diverse landing site • Assess ancient habitability • Seek signs of ancient life, particularly in special rocks known to preserve signs of life over time • Gather rock and soil samples that could be returned to Earth by a future NASA mission • Demonstrate technology for future robotic and human exploration

Mars Helicopter- • The Mars Helicopter is a technology demonstration, hitching a ride on the Perseverance rover. • It may achieve a "Wright Brothers moment “ by testing the first powered flight on the Red Planet.

40. Draft Humans in Space Policy for India, 2021:

In news- The Department of space (DoS), has prepared a draft “Human Space Policy-2021 and released it for public suggestions.

The draft “Human Space Policy-2021” - Policy principle- "The Humans in Space Policy aims for sustained human presence in space as an instrument for development, innovation and foster collaborations in alignment with national interests".

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The “Humans in Space Policy 2021" shall take effect upon approval of the Union Cabinet of India.

In pursuance of the Humans in Space Policy 2021, Department of space shall- • Demonstrate human space flight capability leveraging the expertise of ISRO, national research institutions, academia, industry and other organisations. • Define long-term road map for sustained human presence in low earth orbit and undertaking exploration missions beyond low earth orbit. • Identify and develop necessary technologies for enabling sustained presence of humans in low earth orbit and beyond. • Constitute a suitable mechanism to enable participation of various national stakeholders in Indian human space programme. • Define and develop a comprehensive collaborative framework for scientific research in domains linked to human space activities keeping in mind the national priorities.

41. Arjun Main Battle Tank (MK-1A):

In News- Prime Minister handed over the indigenously developed Arjun Main Battle Tank (MK-1A) to the Indian Army at a ceremony in Chennai.

About Arjun Main Battle Tank- • The Arjun Main Battle Tank project was initiated by DRDO in 1972 with the Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment (CVRDE) as its lead laboratory. • The objective was to create a “state-of-the-art tank with superior fire power, high mobility, and excellent protection”. • Mass production began in 1996 at the Indian Ordnance Factory’s production facility in Avadi, Tamil Nadu. • The Indian Army received the first batch of 16 tanks in 2004 and they were inducted as a squadron of the 43 Armoured Regiment.

Features of the Arjun tank- • The Arjun tanks stand out for their ‘Fin Stabilised Armour Piercing Discarding Sabot (FSAPDS)’ ammunition and 120-mm calibre rifled gun. • It also has a computer-controlled integrated fire control system with stabilised sighting that works in all lighting conditions.

How is the Mk-1A different? • The Mk-1A version has 14 major upgrades on the earlier version. • It is also supposed to have missile firing capability as per the design, but this feature will be added later as final testing of the capability is still on. • The latest version has 54.3 percent indeginous content against the 41 per cent in the earlier model. • The army will get 118 units of the Main Battle Tank, indigenously designed, developed and manufactured by CVRDE and DRDO along with 15 academic institutions, eight labs and several MSMEs.

42. GPS based toll collection system

In news: Government has finalised GPS-based (Global Positioning System) technology toll collection to ensure seamless movement of vehicles across the country.

About GPS based toll collection system: • It will ensure India becomes ‘toll booth free’ in the next two years. 27 www.journalsofindia.com January to July 2021

• Toll amount will be deducted directly from the bank account based on the movement of vehicles. • While now all commercial vehicles are coming with vehicle tracking systems, the Government will come up with some plan to install GPS technology in old vehicles. • By using GPS technology for toll collection, the toll income in next five years will be Rs 1.34 lakh crore. • It is likely that the same formula as the Fastag may be applied here. • If this formula is implemented, toll booths will be removed and this will facilitate transport movement in a better fashion. The Global Positioning System (GPS)- • Satellite-based navigation system that consists of 24 orbiting satellites, each of which makes two circuits around the Earth every 24 hours. • These satellites transmit three bits of information – the satellite’s number, its position in space, and the time the information is sent. • These signals are picked up by the GPS receiver, which uses this information to calculate the distance between it and the GPS satellites. • As GPS provides real-time, three-dimensional Positioning, navigation, and timing 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, all over the world, it is used in numerous applications, including GIS data collection, surveying, and mapping.

43. 2001 FO32 asteroid

In news: On March 21, 2021 FO32 passed by at about 124,000 kph – faster than the speed at which most asteroids encounter Earth.

About 2001 FO32 asteroid- • It was discovered in March 2001 by the Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) program in Socorro, New Mexico. • Recently the near-Earth asteroid made its closest approach at a distance of about 2 million kilometers or 5 1/4 times the distance from Earth to the Moon. • The reason for the asteroid’s unusually speedy close approach is its highly inclined and elongated (or eccentric) orbit around the Sun, an orbit that is tilted 39 degrees to Earth’s orbital plane. • This orbit takes the asteroid closer to the Sun than Mercury and twice as far from the Sun as Mars. • It completes one orbit every 810 days (about 2 1/4 years). • There is no threat of a collision with our planet now or for centuries to come. • The last notably large asteroid close approach was that of 1998 OR2 on April 29, 2020.

44. Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet (SFDR)

In news: DRDO successfully flight tested the second indigenously developed ‘Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet (SFDR)’ propulsion based missile system.

About Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet (SFDR) Technology- • It is a missile propulsion system based on the concept of Ramjet Engine principle. • DRDO began developing SFDR first in 2017 and had conducted successful tests in 2018 and 2019 as well. • Successful demonstration of SFDR technology will enable DRDO to develop indigenous long range air-to-air missiles. • At present, such technology is available only with a handful of countries in the world. • The missile based on SFDR fly at supersonic speeds and high manoeuvrability ensures the target aircraft cannot get away.

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45. International lunar research station

In news: China National Space Administration (CNSA) and Roscommon signed a memorandum of understanding on the construction of a moon outpost called the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS).

About ILRS- • It is a comprehensive scientific experiment base with the capability of long-term autonomous operation. • ILRS will be built on the lunar surface and/or in lunar orbit. • It will carry out multi-disciplinary and multi-objective scientific research activities such as lunar exploration and utilization, lunar-based observation, basic scientific experiment and technical verification. • Russia and China will adhere to the principle of co-consultation, joint construction, and shared benefits. • Open to all interested countries and international partners to strengthen scientific research exchanges.

46. Floating solar plant in Telangana

In news: Telangana is all set to host India's biggest floating solar power plant.

About India's biggest floating solar power plant- • These projects are coming up at Ramagundam power project (100 MW), which will be the single location largest floating solar plant in the country as of now. • The solar project is commissioned by National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC). • The solar project cost around Rs 423 cr will have 4.5 lakh photovoltaic panels. • The solar panels will cover 450-acre areas of the reservoir. • Aimed at reducing its carbon footprints and accelerating its green energy production to 30 percent of its capacity.

World's largest solar plant- • The world's largest solar power plant with 600 MW capacities is being set up on Omkareshwar Dam on Narmada River in Madhya Pradesh. • The project costing Rs 3,000 cr is expected to start power generation only by 2022-23. • South Korea is building the largest dam-based floating solar power plant in the world with a capacity of 41MW.

Ramjet- • A ramjet is a form of air-breathing jet engine that takes up oxygen from the atmosphere during flight, thus doesn’t require an oxidizer as part of the solid motor. • However, ramjet-powered vehicles require an assisted take-off like a rocket. It assists to accelerate it to a speed where it begins to produce thrust. • Further, ramjets work efficiently at supersonic speeds around Mach 3 (three times the speed of sound) and can operate up to speeds of Mach 6. • But the ramjet efficiency starts to drop when the vehicle reaches hypersonic speeds. • The scramjet engine is an improvement over the ramjet engine, it operates at hypersonic speeds and allows supersonic combustion. Thus, it is known as Supersonic Combustion Ramjet or Scramjet.

47. Lunar Polar Exploration (LUPEX) Mission

In news: ISRO and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) held a virtual meeting to review their ongoing cooperation in launching a joint lunar polar exploration (LUPEX) mission.

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About lunar polar exploration (LUPEX) mission- • LUPEX robotic lunar mission is a concept between ISRO and JAXA. • It would send a lunar rover and lander to explore the South Pole region of the Moon in 2024. • JAXA is likely to provide the under-development H3 launch vehicle and the rover. • ISRO would be responsible for the lander.

48. Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR):

In news: ISRO has completed development of a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) capable of producing extremely high-resolution images for a joint earth observation satellite mission with NASA.

About NISAR- • NASA-ISRO SAR (NISAR) is a joint collaboration for a dual-frequency L and S-band SAR for earth observation. • NISAR will be the first satellite mission to use two different radar frequencies (L-band and S-band) to measure changes in our planet’s surface less than a centimetre across. • The mission is targeted to launch in early 2022 from ISRO’s Sriharikota spaceport in Andhra Pradesh’s Nellore district, about 100km north of Chennai. • NASA is providing the mission’s L-band SAR, a high-rate communication subsystem for science data, GPS receivers, a solid-state recorder and payload data subsystem. • ISRO is providing the spacecraft bus, the S-band radar, the launch vehicle and associated launch services for the mission. • NISAR would provide a means of disentangling highly spatial and temporally complex processes ranging from ecosystem disturbances to ice sheet collapses and natural hazards including earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes and landslides • It will observe Earth’s land and ice-covered surfaces globally with 12-day regularity on ascending and descending passes, sampling Earth on average every six days for a baseline three-year mission.

49. Raman thermometry for Monitoring of Power Transmission Cables

In news: IIT Madras has demonstrated that by using Raman thermometry on fibre optic cables, they can achieve the monitoring of power transmission cables.

Raman Thermometry- • Raman spectroscopy is the analytical method for identifying chemical compounds and characterizing the chemical bonding and solid-state structure of materials. • One can use Raman spectroscopy to determine the temperature of the material being analyzed. • Raman thermometry is a thermal characterization technique which makes use of Raman scattering phenomena to determine the local temperature in microelectronics systems. • When light is scattered off an object, say a molecule, two bands are observed, with higher and lower frequency than the original light, called the Stokes and anti-Stokes bands, respectively.

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• The temperature measurement was performed in not just one location, but in a distributed manner using an optical fibre. • This technology helps to analyze transmission efficiencies in a better way and reduce Transmission and Distribution loss that is incurred to DISCOMS.

Raman Effect- • The Raman Effect is a phenomenon in spectroscopy discovered by the eminent physicist Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman in 1928. • In 1930, he got a Nobel Prize for this remark. • The Raman Effect is a change in the wavelength of light that occurs when a light beam is deflected by molecules.

• The Raman Effect is when the change in the energy of the light is affected by the vibrations of the molecule or material under observation, leading to a change in its wavelength. • Raman Effect is “very weak” — this is because when the object in question is small (smaller than a few nanometres), the light will pass through it undisturbed.

50. Supermassive moving Black hole

In news: Recently, the Astronomers have discovered the first moving supermassive black hole.

Key updates: • Its mass is about three million times that of our Sun. • According to the Astrophysical Journal, the black hole was travelling within its own galaxy, J0437+2456, which is around 228 million light years away from Earth • Black hole in motion was surprising because the majority of supermassive black holes are not expected to be moving and they're usually content to just sit around. • The focus of the researchers’ study was the water in the accretion disk, the spiralling mass around a supermassive black hole made of matter that is eventually ingested by the black hole. • Scientists used radio antennas and by using a technique called very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) they calculated the velocities of the 10 black holes under survey. • Only one, whose velocities didn’t match with the other objects in the host galaxy, stood out. • The study noted that the supermassive black hole is moving with a speed of about 110,000 miles per hour. • The scientists have narrowed down on two possibilities causing this motion - Two black holes merging and a binary system of blackholes. 31 www.journalsofindia.com January to July 2021

• The twin of the newly-discovered wandering black hole might not be emitting masers, keeping it from being detected by the radio antenna network.

51. Equine Herpes Virus

In news: Due to the outbreak of Equine Herpes Virus, International Equestrian Federation (FEI) announced cancellation of World Cup finals recently. Its outbreak has also disrupted India's lone Tokyo-bound equestrian Fouaad Mirza's Olympic preparations.

What is Equine Herpes Virus(EHV)? • It is a virus of the family Herpesviridae that causes abortion, respiratory disease and occasionally neonatal mortality in horses. • But it does not affect humans. • EHV are DNA viruses that are found in most horses all over the world • There are more viruses in this family, but EHV 1, 3, and 4 pose the most serious health risks for domestic horses. • Most common way of spread is through direct horse-to-horse contact via the respiratory tract or through direct or indirect contact with an infected aborted fetus and fetal membranes. • Two main strains of EHV-1 have been isolated - D752 strains are correlated to outbreaks associated with neurological disease, whereas outbreaks with non-neurological disease are more closely associated with strains of N752. • The disease caused by neurological strains has been named Equine Herpesvirus Myeloencephalopathy or EHM. There is currently no licensed vaccine against EHM and no treatment other than palliative care. • Signs and symptoms include decreased coordination, urine dribbling, fever, hind limb weakness, leaning against things to maintain balance, lethargy and the inability to get off the ground. • The present diagnosis for EHV-1 is PCR, polymerase chain reaction, which copies the DNA so one can see if a virus is in the DNA segment. • Seven countries have confirmed EHV-1 cases so far - Spain, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden and Qatar.

52. Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC)

In news: Recently, BARC has designed the first research reactor through PPP model.

Key updates- • BARC has designed a research reactor that can make radioisotopes available at low costs to medical and other industries. • For the first time, the premiere nuclear research organisation of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) will share the technology with industries through a public-private partnership. • The proposed research reactor is expected to bring down the cost of nuclear medicine, which are extensively used for cancer treatment.

About Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC)- • The Government of India created the Atomic Energy Establishment, Trombay (AEET) with Homi J. Bhabha as the founding director on 3 January 1954. • It was established to consolidate all the research and development activities for nuclear reactors and technology under the Atomic Energy Commission. • It is headquartered in Trombay, Mumbai

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• Its core mandate is to sustain peaceful applications of nuclear energy, primarily for power generation. • It also conducts research in other high technology areas like accelerators, micro electron beams, materials design, supercomputers, and computer vision etc… • It researches spent fuel processing and safe disposal of nuclear waste. • The BARC also researches biotechnology at the Gamma Gardens and has developed numerous disease- resistant and high-yielding crop varieties, particularly groundnuts. • To encourage research in basic sciences, BARC started the Homi Bhabha National Institute.

Important reactors of BARC-  Apsara (1956; named by the then Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru)  CIRUS (1960; the "Canada-India Reactor" with assistance from the US)  The now-defunct ZERLINA (1961; Zero Energy Reactor for Lattice Investigations and Neutron Assay), Purnima I (1972)  Purnima II (1984)  Dhruva (1985)  Purnima III (1990), and  KAMINI

53. Genome mapping of Indian Ocean by NIO

In news: National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) in Panaji another 30 crew members including six women are taking the first-of-its-kind research project in the country to map genomes in Indian Ocean.

More information: • They will spend three months on the research vessel Sindhu Sadhana traversing the course of over 10,000 nautical miles in the Indian Ocean. • The project aims to gather samples from various stretches of the ocean at an average depth of about 5 km for genome mapping of microorganisms in the Indian Ocean. • It helps in understanding the biochemistry and the response of the ocean to climate change, nutrient stress and increasing pollution. • Project cost is Rs 25 crore and will take three years to complete. • The mapping of the DNA and RNA will show the nutrients present in them, and also those lacking in different parts of the ocean. • Coverage course is from India’s east coast, Australia, Port Louis in Mauritius and up to the border of Pakistan, off India’s west coast.

What is Genome Mapping? • It describes the methods used to identify the locus of a gene and the distances between genes. Gene mapping can also describe the distances between different sites within a gene.

About CSIR-the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO)- • CSIR-NIO was established on 1 January 1966 following the International Indian Ocean Expedition (IIOE) in the 1960s. • The principal focus of research has been on observing and understanding special oceanographic characteristics of the Indian Ocean. • NIO, with its headquarters at Dona Paula, Goa, and regional centres at Kochi, Mumbai and Visakhapatnam, is one of the 37 constituent laboratories of the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), New Delhi.

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54. Technology and Innovation Report 2021

In news: As per UNCTAD’s report, India was the biggest ‘over performer’ in frontier technologies among developing countries.

About the report- • UNCTAD analysed the progress of countries in using frontier technologies, considering their national capacities related to physical investment, human capital and technological effort. • Frontier technologies include artificial intelligence, the internet of things, big data, blockchain, 5G mobile telephony, 3D printing, robotics, drones, gene-editing, nanotechnology and solar power. • According to the country-readiness index, India was the biggest ‘overperformer’ in frontier technologies than the country's per capita GDP. • Several developing countries showed stronger capabilities to use and adapt frontier technologies above their GDPs, the report highlighted. • Country’s actual index ranking was 43, while the estimated one based on per capita income was 108 which meant that India overperformed other countries by 65 ranking positions. • India was followed by the Philippines, which overperformed by 57 ranking positions. • But most of the 158 countries assessed were lagging behind. • As per the report, both India and China performed well in research and development because of availability of qualified and highly skilled Human Resources. • The report highlighted that the United States, Switzerland and the United Kingdom were “best prepared” for frontier technologies

Most of the best-prepared countries are from Europe, except the Republic of Korea, Singapore and the United States.

55. New bacteria found on International Space Station (ISS)

• Four species of bacteria have been identified on ISS, one of which has been named after Indian biodiversity scientist Seyed Ajmal Khan who is a professor at the Annamalai University in Tamil Nadu. • Researchers from the University of Hyderabad, working with NASA, have described the discovery and isolation of four strains of bacteria. • All of them are rod-shaped bacteria belonging to the Methylobacteriaceae family – usually found in soil and freshwater, where they are involved in nitrogen fixation and defend against pathogens. • Of the four, one strain was identified as Methylorubrum rhodesianum bacteria, whereas the other three strains were previously undiscovered. • These new bacteria were identified from swabs of various locations inside the ISS. • It may bolster future efforts to cultivate crops during long spaceflight missions, since related species are known to promote the growth of plants.

56. Refrigeration System Pusa-FSF

• Women scientists from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) of ICAR in collaboration with researchers from Michigan State University have developed the Refrigeration System Pusa-FSF. • Pusa-Farm SunFridge (Pusa-FSF) is a 100% solar-powered battery-less cold store that can preserve around 2 tonnes of freshly-harvested produce at 3-4°C during the day and 8-12°C at nighttime. • It is built on dismantlable mild steel frames and plates and has been installed at IARI’s New Delhi campus and two villages – Picholiya in Rajasthan’s Ajmer district and Chamrara in Panipat, Haryana. 34 www.journalsofindia.com January to July 2021

• The technology has been licensed to Jaipur-based SND Infraprojects Pvt. Ltd. • The total cost is Rs 5-5.5 lakh.

57. Discovery of four new particles at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC)

In news: Recently, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, CERN has announced the discovery of four brand new particles at the Large Hadron Collider in Geneva.

Key updates- • The LHC is a particle accelerator that pushes protons or ions to near the speed of light. • It consists of a 27-kilometre ring of superconducting magnets with a number of accelerating structures that boost the energy of the particles along the way. • With the recent discovery, LHC will have 59 new particles in addition to Higgs boson since it started colliding protons particles that make up the atomic nucleus along with neutrons in 2009. More about the Large Hadron Collider- • It is the world's largest and highest-energy particle collider and the largest machine in the world. • It was built by the CERN between 1998 and 2008 in collaboration with over 10,000 scientists and hundreds of universities and laboratories, as well as more than 100 countries. • The accelerator sits in a tunnel 100 metres underground at CERN, on the Franco-Swiss border near Geneva, Switzerland. • The first collisions were achieved in 2010 at an energy of 3.5 teraelectronvolts (TeV) per beam, about four times the previous world record.

58. OLA largest electric two wheeler plant on fast track

In news: OLA Electric Mobility Pvt. Ltd is building what it calls a ‘Future Factory’.

Key highlights- • The ‘Future Factory’ when ready, will produce 10 million e-scooters every year, making it the largest two- wheeler maker globally. • ABB robots will be digitally integrated into Ola’s AI-enabled mega-factory, to optimize robot performance, productivity and product quality. • This Future factory is being built on Industry 4.0 principles and it will be powered by its own proprietary AI Engine and tech stack that will be deeply integrated into all its systems, continuously self-learning and optimizing every aspect of the manufacturing process. • This future factory is expected to be the country’s most automated, with about 5,000 robots and automated guided vehicles in use once the factory is fully operational to its full capacity

59. Multi-beam E-band product Giga Mesh

In news: Astrome, a women-led startup, has developed an innovative wireless product that gives fibre-like bandwidth at fraction of cost of fibre to help telecom operators deliver reliable low-cost internet services to suburban and rural areas.

About the GigaMesh- • The wireless product called Giga Mesh could enable telecom operators to deploy quality, high-speed rural telecom infrastructure at 5 times lower cost. 35 www.journalsofindia.com January to July 2021

• Rural connectivity customers and defence customers who have already signed up for pilots will soon witness the demonstration of this product by Astrome. • The deep tech startup incubated at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore is supported by DST-ABI Woman Startup Program of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India. • They proved their millimeter-wave multi-beam technology in the lab in 2018, for which the company has been granted a patent in India and US. • Since then, the technology has been converted to a powerful and scalable product called Giga Mesh, which can solve much of the last mile connectivity telecom needs of our country. • The Multi-beam E-band product packs 6 Point-to-Point E-band radios in one, thereby distributing the cost of the device over multiple links and hence reducing capital expenditure. • The radio provides long-range and multi-Gbps data throughput at each link. • Features like automatic link alignment, dynamic power allocation between links and remote link formation help operators achieve significant operating expenditure cost reduction.

60. New 'double mutant' COVID-19

In news: A new double mutant strain of SARS CoV2 virus has been detected in India.

What is a "double mutant" variant? • Like all viruses, the coronavirus keeps changing in small ways as it passes from one person to another. • The vast majority of these mutations are inconsequential and don't alter the way the virus behaves. • But some mutations trigger changes in the spike protein that the virus uses to latch on to and enter human cells - these variants could potentially be more infectious, cause more severe disease or evade vaccines. • Vaccines against respiratory pathogens like SARS-Cov2, the virus that causes Covid-19, protect us by stimulating our bodies to make antibodies. • The best types to protect us are the "neutralising antibodies" because they block the virus from being able to enter the human cells. • Such double mutations confer immune escape and increased infectivity. • If enough mutations happen in a viral family tree or a lineage, the virus can begin to function differently and the lineage can become a so-called 'variant of concern. • Double mutant is not a scientific term and is just another mutant which seems to be unique to India.

61. Aries-Devasthal Faint Object Spectrograph & Camera (ADFOSC)

In news: The Ministry of Science & Technology has commissioned the ADFOSC on Devasthal Optical Telescope.

About ADFOSC- • It is indigenously designed and developed by Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES), Nainital. • Largest of its kind among the existing astronomical spectrographs in the country. • It is a low-cost optical spectrograph that can locate sources of faint light from distant quasars and galaxies in a very young universe, regions around supermassive black-holes around the galaxies and cosmic explosions. • It is about 2.5 times less costly compared to the imported ones and can locate sources of light with a photon-rate as low as about 1 photon per second. • It has been successfully commissioned on the 3.6-m Devasthal Optical Telescope (DOT), the largest in the country and in Asia, near Nainital Uttarakhand.

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• Photons coming from distant celestial sources, collected by the telescope, are sorted into different colours by the spectrograph and are finally converted into electronic recordable signals. • It uses an in-house developed Charge-Coupled Device (CCD) camera cooled to an extremely low temperature of -120 degree.

62. Gliese 486b

In news: An exoplanet dubbed Gliese 486b was recently discovered orbiting its star, Gliese 486.

About Gliese- • It orbits the star once every 1.5 days at a distance of 2.5 million km and it belongs to a class of exoplanets called super-Earths. • It has a radius of 1.31 Earth radii, a mass 2.8 times that of our home planet, but has a similar density. • Its composition is not its only distinguishing feature, its relative closeness to Earth . • It is the third-closest such "transiting" alien world known and the closest one that orbits a red dwarf with a measured mass.

63. Enzymes to block HIV replication

In news- The researchers at IISc, Bengaluru have developed artificial enzymes to block replication and reactivation of HIV.

Key updates- • According to the researchers these “nanozymes”, made from vanadium pentoxide nanosheets, work by mimicking a natural enzyme called glutathione peroxidase that helps reduce oxidative stress levels in the host’s cells, which is required to keep the virus in check. • The nanozymes are stable inside biological systems and do not mediate any unwanted reactions inside the cells. • They are also quite easy to prepare in the lab. • The IISc has mentioned that the virus hides inside the host’s immune cells in a “latent” state and stably maintains its reservoir. • When the levels of toxic molecules such as hydrogen peroxide increase in the host’s cells, leading to a state of increased oxidative stress, the virus gets ‘reactivated’ – it emerges from hiding and begins replicating again.

64. Baikal GVD detector

In news- Recently, the Russian scientists launched one of the world’s biggest underwater neutrino telescopes called the Baikal-GVD (Gigaton Volume Detector) in the waters of Lake Baikal.

About Baikal-GVD- • The Baikal deep underwater neutrino telescope (or Baikal-GVD – Gigaton Volume Detector) is an international project in the field of astroparticle physics and neutrino astronomy. • Its primary goal is the detailed study of the flux of high-energy cosmic neutrinos and the search for their sources. • It will also search for dark matter candidates, for neutrinos from the decay of super heavy particles, for magnetic monopoles and other exotic particles. • Neutrinos are the second most abundant particles, after photons, which are particles of light.

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• Though neutrinos are abundant, they are not easy to catch, because they do not carry a charge and as a result they do not interact with matter. • One way of detecting neutrinos is in water or ice, where neutrinos leave a flash of light or a line of bubbles when they interact. • An underwater telescope such as the GVD is designed to detect high-energy neutrinos that may have come from the Earth’s core, or could have been produced during nuclear reactions in the Sun. • Studying the fundamental particles called neutrons and their sources will aid scientists’ understanding of the origins of the universe since some neutrinos were formed during the Big Bang, while others as a result of supernova explosions or because of nuclear reactions in the Sun. • The telescope is one of the three largest neutrino detectors in the world along with IceCube at the South Pole and ANTARES in the Mediterranean Sea. • The Baikal-GVD collaboration includes 10 institutions from 6 countries, along with various contractors and partners. • The preparatory phase of the project was concluded in 2015. • The construction of the first phase of Baikal GVD (GVD-I) was started in 2016.

65. INS Viraat

In news- Recently, Supreme Court ordered a “status quo” with regard to the dismantling of India’s decommissioned aircraft carrier, INS Viraat, at the Alang shipbreaking yard in Gujarat.

About INS Viraat- • It was originally commissioned by the British Royal Navy as HMS Hermes on 18 November 1959, 15 years after she was laid down in June 1944. • It served as the flagship of the Royal Navy's task force during the Falkland Islands campaign in 1982 and was commissioned from active duty in 1985. • The ship’s Motto was the Sanskrit phrase ‘Jalamev Yashya, Balamev Tasya’ which means ‘who controls the sea is the powerful’. • It played a major role in Operation Jupiter in 1989 during the Sri Lankan Peacekeeping operation. • The Ship played a key role in creating a blockade against Pakistan during the Kargil War under Operation Vijay in 1999. • The ship was also deployed during Operation Parakram (2001-02) following the terror attack on the Indian Parliament. • It is the second Centaur-class aircraft carrier which was in service for 30 years before being decommissioned in March 2017. • It has participated in various international joint exercises like Exercise Malabar (USA), Exercise Varuna (French), Naseem-Al-Bahar (Oman Navy). • It holds the Guinness world record for being the longest serving warship of the world.

66. Indian ‘double mutant’ strain named B.1.617

In news-The 'double mutant' virus that scientists had flagged as having a bearing on the spread of the pandemic in India, has a formal scientific classification as B.1.617.

About B.1.617- • B.1.617 was first detected in India on December 7, 2020. • Though now present in at least eight countries, nearly 70% of the genome sequences that have the mutations characterising B.1.617 and submitted to the global database GISAID are from India. • This is followed by the United Kingdom (23%), Singapore (2%) and Australia (1%). 38 www.journalsofindia.com January to July 2021

• The variant has a couple of defining mutations, E484Q and L425R, that enable them to become more infectious as well as evade antibodies. • Though these mutations have individually been found in several other coronavirus variants, the presence of both these mutations together have been first found in some coronavirus genomes from India. • L452R, some studies show, could even make the coronavirus resistant to T cells, that is the class of cells necessary to target and destroy virus-infected cells.

67. INYAS mass campaign on COVID

In news- Recently, The Indian National Young Academy of Sciences (INYAS) has launched a multi-pronged nationwide mass awareness campaign to bust myths about the COVID-19 vaccination programme.

About INYAS mass campaign- • The Department of Science & Technology (DST) launched a multipronged nationwide mass awareness campaign. • Campaign to bust myths about COVID 19 vaccination is in 11 languages, including English and Hindi. • Campaign is carried out through COVACNEWS android-based mobile app made by INYAS for ensuring information at the fingertips. • A pan-India info-graphic video and audio competition with motivation to transform information into better readable and effective formats is also being organised. • GYAN TEEKA webinar series dedicated to increasing awareness about vaccines through eminent speakers and open statement on COVID-19 vaccination is done. • The entries of the competition will be utilized to increase vaccine awareness by INYAS, and these competitions will be judged in three groups – school, college and professional.

Indian National Young Academy of Sciences (INYAS)- • First and only recognized young scientist academy of India. • INYAS was founded by the INSA council in December 2014. • Vision is to promote Science education and networking among young scientists at National as well as International level. • Initiatives include National Frontiers of Science meetings, technical symposiums, Science outreach camps, remote area lectures, career awareness workshops, webinars on current topics and many more, • INYAS provides a platform to exchange ideas, initiate discussions on scientific topics, collaborations among the new generation of scientists and to make the voices of the young researchers be heard by senior academicians and policy makers of the

68. Muon g-2 Experiment

In news- Recently, Fermilab has released first results from its “muon g-2” experiment, spotting the anomalous behaviour of the elementary particle called the muon.

About Muon g-2 Experiment- • The experiment Muon g–2 (g minus two), was conducted at the US Department of Energy’s Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab). • As the muon g-2 experiment measured the extent of the anomaly, Fermilab announced that “g” deviated from the amount predicted by the Standard Model. • The results strongly agreed with the Brookhaven results, where accepted theoretical values for the muon are g-factor: 2.00233183620 and anomalous magnetic moment: 0.00116591810

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• The new experimental results (combined from the Brookhaven and Fermilab results) are g-factor: 2.00233184122 and anomalous magnetic moment: 0.00116592061. • The g–factor is a measure that derives from the magnetic properties of the muon. • This value is known to be close to 2, so scientists measure the deviation from 2 and hence the name g–2.

Muon- • The muon is an elementary particle similar to the electron, with an electric charge of −1 e and a spin of 1/2, but with a much greater mass. • It is classified as a lepton. • The muon is a heavier cousin of the electron and is expected to have a value of 2 for its magnetic moment, labelled “g”. • The muon is not alone in the universe. • It is embedded in a sea where particles are popping out and vanishing every instant due to quantum effects. • So, its g value is altered by its interactions with these short-lived excitations.

69. NanoSniffer

In news- Recently, the Union Education Minister launched NanoSniffer, the world’s first Micro sensor-based Explosive Trace Detector (ETD).

About Nano sniffer- • It has been developed by NanoSniff Technologies which is an IIT Bombay incubated start-up. • It can detect explosives in less than 10 seconds. • It is being marketed by Vehant Technologies, a spin-off from a former IIT Delhi incubated start-up Kritikal Solutions. • It also identifies and categorizes explosives into different classes. • It detects all classes of military, conventional and homemade explosives. • NanoSniffer gives visible & audible data with sunlight-readable color display. • It is an affordable device that will reduce our dependence on imported explosive trace detector devices. • NanoSniffer is a 100 percent Made in India product in terms of research, development & manufacturing. • The core technology of NanoSniffer is protected by patents in the U.S. & Europe.

70. Tika utsav

In news- Recently, the Prime Minister appealed to the Chief Ministers of the States to organise “Tika Utsav”.

About Tika Utsav- • Tika Utsav is a vaccine festival. • It is to be held between April 11, 2021 and April 14, 2021. • Objective of the festival is to vaccinate as many people as possible. • Focus is on zero wastage of COVID-19 vaccine. • The Government of India has planned to cover 250 million people included in the “high priority” category by July 2021 under its vaccination programme. • Right now COVAXIN, a government backed vaccine produced by Bharat Biotech and COVISHIELD vaccines manufactured by Astra Zeneca are administered in India.

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71. Advanced Antiquities management system of Goa

In news- The Directorate of Archives and Archaeology (DAA) of the Goa government inaugurated the Advanced Antiquities Management System.

About Advanced Antiquities management system (AAMS)- • AAMS is a software-driven automated storage used for the storage of various objects. • It is the first such system in the country for storage of antiquities as so far it has been used for storage of industrial equipment. • The AAMS will ensure safety of antiquities, clean storage space, access control and data management and also enhance utilisation of space. • It will also provide information about the age of the antiquity, the material it is made of and its brief history. • At present, there are 83 antiquities in the system, the oldest one being a tenth century Shivlinga. • It also includes 12 sculptures found under a waterfall in the Ladyfem village in North Goa’s Bicholim, remains of a 13th century temple in South Goa’s Navelim. • There are also 18th century artifacts found at the Alorna Fort including glasses made in Germany and Holland. • The system will mostly benefit researchers and students permitted access by the DAA in Goa and officials of the department.

72. Fukushima Nuclear Accident

In news- Recently, Japan's government approved a plan to release more than one million tonnes of treated water from the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant into the ocean.

About Fukushima Nuclear Accident- • Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident, that occurred in 2011 at the Fukushima Daiichi plant in northern Japan, the second worst nuclear accident in the history of nuclear power generation. • The site is on Japan’s Pacific coast, in northeaster Fukushima prefecture about 100 km south of Sendai. • The facility, operated by the Tokyo Electric and Power Company (TEPCO), was made up of six boiling- water reactors constructed between 1971 and 1979. • At the time of the accident, only reactors 1–3 were operational. • Tsunami waves generated by the main shock of the Japan earthquake on March 11, 2011, damaged the backup generators at the Fukushima Daiichi plant. • Explosions resulting from the build-up of pressurized hydrogen gas occurred in the outer containment buildings enclosing reactors 1 and 3 and a third explosion occurred in the building surrounding reactor 2 later. • Nuclear regulators elevated the severity level of the nuclear emergency from 5 to 7 - the highest level on the scale created by the International Atomic Energy Agency, placing it in the same category as the Chernobyl accident, which had occurred in the Soviet Union in 1986. • In 2018, Tepco admitted it had not filtered all dangerous materials out of the water, despite saying for years they had been removed. • Water containing tritium is routinely released from nuclear plants around the world and releasing the Fukushima water to the ocean is supported by regulatory authorities. • Tritium is considered to be relatively harmless because it does not emit enough energy to penetrate human skin. • But when ingested it can raise cancer risks, a Scientific American article said in 2014.

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• The first water release is not expected for about two years, by the time Tepco will begin filtering the water, building infrastructure and acquiring regulatory approval. • Once begun, the water disposal will take decades to complete, with a rolling filtering and dilution process, alongside the planned decommissioning of the plant.

73. Gamma Ray Emitting Active Galaxy

In news- Scientists from ARIES, Nainital, Government of India, along with researchers from other institutions, have found the farthest gamma-ray emitting Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 (NSL1) galaxy known till date.

Key Findings- • Researchers from ARIES in collaboration with researchers have been studying around 25,000 Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). • In the process, they found a high-z gamma-ray emitting NLS1 galaxy at a high redshift of 1.34, which is about 31 billion light-years away from us. • One of the largest ground-based telescopes in the world, the 8.2 m Subaru Telescope located in Hawaii, US was used to confirm the findings. • Researchers confirmed that the newly found farthest gamma-ray emitting NLS1 galaxy was formed when the Universe was only about 4.7 billion years old.

Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN)- • Supermassive black holes are millions to billions of times the mass of the Sun. • These supermassive black holes found at the center of the galaxies are the reason that the compact region at the center of a galaxy has an extremely high luminosity. • Bright central regions of these galaxies are called Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN). • Galaxies hosting Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) are called active galaxies. • Compared to normal galaxies, these active galaxies can emit up to thousands of times of energy. • Emissions of active galaxies are non-stellar that are observed in the form of microwave, radio, infrared, optical, X-ray, ultra-violet, and gamma-ray wavebands. • Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 (NSL1) galaxies are classified as AGN. • Type 1 Seyfert galaxies have narrow emission lines in their optical spectrum. • Earlier, the NSL1 galaxies were thought to be powered by low mass black holes and therefore were deemed very unlikely to produce relativistic jets but proved wrong when gamma-ray emissions were detected in them.

Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES)- • Established in 1954, autonomous institute of the Department of Science & Technology (DST), Government of India. • It is situated at Manora Peak, in Nainital, Uttarakhand. • Leading research Institutes which specializes in observational Astronomy & Astrophysics and Atmospheric Sciences. • The main research interests of Astronomy & Astrophysics division are in solar, planetary, stellar, galactic and extragalactic astronomy including stellar variabilities, X-ray binaries, star clusters, nearby galaxies, quasars, and inherently transient events like supernovae and highly energetic gamma ray bursts. • The unique position of ARIES (79° East), places it at almost in the middle of 180° wide longitude band, between Canary Island (20° West) and Eastern Australia (157° East), and therefore complements observations which might not be possible from either of these two places.

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74. New Electronic Nose with Biodegradable Polymer

In news- Scientists have developed an electronic nose with biodegradable polymer and monomer that can detect hydrogen sulphide (H2S), a poisonous, corrosive, and flammable gas produced from swamps and sewers.

About New Electronic Nose- • Scientists from the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS), Bangalore, in collaboration with their counterparts from Saudi Arabia developed an exceptionally sensitive and selective H2S Gas sensor. • It was developed by impersonating the neuron responsible for identification of airborne molecules or olfactory receptor neuron (ORN). • H2S is the primary gas produced from the microbial breakdown of organic matter in the absence of oxygen, and this necessitates easy detection of its emission from sewers and swamps.

Mechanism of Action New Electronic Nose- • The impersonation of ORN is done with the help of an organic electronic device consisting of biodegradable polymer and monomer. • The fabricated sensor consists of a heterostructure consisting of two layers. ○ The top layer: A monomer and realized with a novel chemical tris (keto-hydrazone), which is both porous and contains H2S specific functional groups. ○ The bottom layer: Is the active channel layer which plays a key role in altering the current and mobility of charge carriers. • Thus the synergistic combination helps to pre-concentrate the H2S molecules, initiate an acid-based chemical reaction, and thereby brings a change in the majority carriers (holes) of the channel region in the device. • The capacitance sensor which showed an excellent sensitivity in detecting H2S gas with an experimental limit of detection of around 25 parts per billion has high ambient stability of around 8 months without compromising sensing performance.

75. mRNA based Covid-19 vaccine-HGC019

In news- Pune-based Gennova Biopharmaceuticals is conducting human trials of its mRNA-based vaccine against the SARS-CoV-2.

About HGCO19- • Gennova in collaboration with HDT Biotech Corporation, Seattle, USA has worked together to develop an mRNA vaccine since the first report of the SARS-CoV-2 genome was published. • HGC019 has already demonstrated safety, immunogenicity, neutralization antibody activity in the rodent and non-human primate models. • It has all the necessary information to guide the host cells to make the antigen – spike protein of the virus, reported to interact with host cells receptor, and supported by ‘lipid inorganic nanoparticle (LION)’ as a delivery vehicle. • The neutralizing antibody response of the vaccine in mice and non-human primates was comparable with the sera from the convalescent patients of COVID-19. • HGCO19 contains a short, synthetic version encoding the spike protein (antigen) of the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, reported to interact with receptors on host cells. • When the vaccine is injected into the body the synthetic mRNA is taken to muscle cells where it instructs cells to make numerous copies of mRNA and copies of the antigen.

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• It gives the advantage over other vaccine candidates to present the identically folded form of spike protein of coronavirus as it is reported during its infection cycle. • Other immune cells would then act on the spike proteins and in the process learn to identify the coronavirus and protect the body if the person were ever to be actually infected. • Uniqueness of Gennova vaccine • Gennova uses the most prominent mutant of spike protein (D614G) as a vaccine candidate. • HGCO19 uses the self-amplifying mRNA platform, which gives the advantage of a low dosing regimen. • HGCO19 uses the adsorption chemistry so that the mRNA is attached on the surface of the nano-lipid carrier to enhance the release kinetics of the mRNA within the cells. • HGCO19 is stable at 2-8°C.

mRNA Vaccines- • In standard viral vaccines, either inactivated (or attenuated) virus or viral proteins known to cause infection are used to immunize. • However, the mRNA vaccines do not use this conventional model to immunize. As it • Carries the molecular instructions to make the protein in the body through a synthetic RNA of the virus. • The host body uses this to produce the viral protein that is recognized by the immune system, thereby making the body ready to fight against the disease.

Advantages of mRNA vaccines- • Novel vaccine development can take anywhere between 10 – 15 years. Considering the immediate need for a vaccine against COVID 19, the developmental time for the vaccine must be reduced. • mRNA based vaccines are thus the ideal choice because of their rapid developmental timeline. • mRNA vaccines are considered safe as mRNA is non-infectious, non-integrating in nature, and degraded by normal cellular mechanisms. • They are highly efficacious because of their inherent capability of being translatable into the protein structure inside the cell cytoplasm. • mRNA vaccines are fully synthetic and do not require a host for growth, e.g. eggs or bacteria. Therefore, they can be quickly manufactured in an inexpensive manner under cGMP conditions to ensure their “availability” and “accessibility” for mass vaccination on a sustainable basis.

76. India-France agreement on Gaganyan Mission

In news- Space agencies of India and France recently signed an agreement for cooperation in Gaganyaan.

About India-France agreement- • The first space agreement between France and India dates back to 1964. • The recent agreement was announced during French Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian's visit to the ISRO headquarters in Bengaluru. • Existing partnerships between the two nations cover almost all areas of space activity. • Under this new agreement, ISRO has asked the French space agency CNES to help prepare for Gaganyaan missions and to serve as its single European contact in this domain. • The equipment developed by CNES tested and still operating aboard the International Space Station (ISS) will be made available to Indian crews. • The CNES will also be supplying fireproof carry bags made in France to shield equipment from shocks and radiation.

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• CNES will train India's flight physicians and CAPCOM mission control teams in France at the CADMOS centre for the development of microgravity applications and space operations at CNES in Toulouse and at the European Astronaut Centre (EAC) in Cologne, Germany.

77. World Haemophilia Day

In news- World Haemophilia Day is celebrated on April 17, 2021.

About World Haemophilia Day- • World Haemophilia Day is celebrated on April 17 every year since 1989. • This year is the 30th edition of World Haemophilia Day. • This year's theme 'Adapting to change; sustaining care in a new world'. • Day is observed for bridging together the communities suffering with global bleeding disorder. • Day is meant to create international awareness of haemophilia and inherited bleeding disorders. • This day also helps in raising funds for the patients who cannot afford to have the treatment of haemophilia. Haemophilia- • Haemophilia is an inherited bleeding disorder. • In this rare blood disease blood clotting proteins that are clotting factors are lacking or insufficient in blood. • When one is injured, blood clots normally, but in case of haemophilia a person may bleed for a longer time. • Internal bleeding is life-threatening as it may damage organs and tissues also.

There are three types of haemophilia: • Haemophilia A- Lack of blood clotting factor VIII is more common and this happens in 80 per cent of the cases. • Haemophilia B- Lack of factor IX • Haemophilia C- Lack of clotting factor XI

Causes of haemophilia- • Caused by genetic mutation which involves genes that code for blood clotting proteins. • 13 different proteins termed; Factor I through Factor XIII are the clotting factors.

78. Durokea Series

In news- Recently, Union Education minister launched “World 1st affordable and long-lasting hygiene product DuroKea Series”.

About Durokea Series- • IIT Hyderabad researchers have developed innovative this DuroKea long-lasting technologies to combat COVID-19 virus spreading. • This next generation DuroKea antimicrobial technology starts at Rs. 189, kills 99.99% of germs instantly and leaves behind the long-lasting protective nanoscale coating up to 35 days till next wash. • The unique property of DuroKea range is to ensure instant killing (within 60 sec) and prolonged protection. • This revolutionary antimicrobial property of DuroKea products has been tested and certified by Indian Government accredited lab and field-tested at the IIT Hyderabad campus.

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79. Medical Oxygen

In news- Recently, the Government of India set to import medical oxygen from abroad amid a massive flood of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases.

Medical oxygen- • Oxygen is widely used in every healthcare setting, with applications from resuscitation to inhalation therapy. • Oxygen was known to be the only element that supports respiration as early as 1800 and was first used in the medical field in 1810. • However, it took about 150 years for the gas to be used throughout medicine. • In the early to mid-20th century oxygen therapy became rational and scientific. • Oxygen provides a basis for virtually all modern anaesthetic techniques. • It helps to restore tissue oxygen tension by improving oxygen availability in a wide range of conditions such as COPD, cyanosis, shock, severe haemorrhage, carbon monoxide poisoning, major trauma, cardiac/respiratory arrest. • Aids resuscitation and provides life support for artificially ventilated patients. • Aids in cardiovascular stability. • Guidelines have been published by the British Thoracic Society (BTS) on the safe therapeutic use of medical oxygen, which encourages proper assessment of the patient before use.

80. New initiatives by NIXI

In news- The National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI), announced three new initiatives aimed at raising awareness of the IPv6 protocol in India.

NIXI Academy- • NIXI Academy to educate technical and nontechnical people in India to learn and relearn technologies like IPv6. • NIXI academy comprises an IPv6 training portal which is developed with the help of various technical experts in order to provide mass training to the community. • Helps network operators and educators understand networking best practices, principles and techniques, manage Internet resources better and use appropriate Internet technologies more effectively.

NIXI-IP-index- • NIXI-IP-INDEX portal will be used to compare the IPv6 Indian adoption rate with other economies in the world. • This portal will motivate organisations to adopt IPv6, provide inputs for planning by technical organisations and research by academicians.

IPv6 Expert Panel (IP Guru)- • IP Guru extends support to all the Indian entities who are finding it technically challenging to migrate and adopt IPv6. • IPv6 expert group will help in identifying and hiring an agency that will help end customers by providing necessary technical support to adopt IPv6.

National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI)- • NIXI is a not-for-profit organization under section 8 of the Companies Act 2013. • Working since 2003 for spreading the internet infrastructure to the citizens of India through the following

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activities: o Internet Exchanges through which the internet data is exchanged amongst ISP’s, Data Centers and CDNs. o IN Registry, managing and operation of .IN country-code domain and . IDN domain for India. o IRINN, managing and operating Internet protocol (IPv4/IPv6).

81. Global Diabetes Compact

In news- On the 100th anniversary of the discovery of insulin, the World Health Organization (WHO) unveiled a Global Diabetes Compact to help combat the disease.

The International Diabetes Compact (IDC)- • Dr. Frederick Banting, an orthopaedic surgeon, and Charles Best, a medical student at the University of Toronto, discovered Insulin in 1921. • Hence to mark the centenary, the programme was unveiled at the Global Diabetes Summit, which was co- hosted by the Canadian government. • The goal is to reduce diabetes risk and ensure that all people diagnosed with diabetes have equal, inclusive, accessible, and high-quality treatment and care. • It would also aid in the prevention of type 2 diabetes caused by obesity, a poor diet, and a lack of physical activity. • It will provide benchmarks for combating the diseases in the form of "national coverage goals" to ensure that diabetes treatment reaches a broader audience. • It aims to bring together key stakeholders from the public and private sectors, as well as people living with diabetes, behind a shared vision in order to build new energy and co-create solutions.

Diabetes- • Diabetes is a Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) that occurs when the pancreas produces insufficient insulin or when the body's insulin is ineffectively used. • It is the only significant non-communicable disease where the risk of dying young is increasing rather than decreasing. • It is divided into two categories: ○ Type 1 Diabetes: When the pancreas fails to produce enough insulin, type 1 diabetes develops. ○ Type 2 Diabetes: Type 2 diabetes is by far the most common form of diabetes. The body does not use insulin adequately in this state. Insulin resistance is the term for this. Obesity and a lack of physical activity are the leading causes of type 2 diabetes.

82. Mars Ingenuity Helicopter

In news- NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter became the first aircraft in history to make a powered, controlled flight on another planet.

About the helicopter- • Ingenuity is a barebones 1.6 feet (0.5 metres) tall, a spindly four-legged chopper. • Its fuselage, containing all the batteries, heaters and sensors, is the size of a tissue box. • The carbon-fibre, foam-filled rotors are the biggest pieces, each pair stretches 4 feet (1.2 metres) tip to tip. • The helicopter is topped with a solar panel for recharging the batteries, crucial for its survival during the minus-130 degree Fahrenheit (minus-90 degree-Celsius) Martian nights. • It is part of NASA’s Mars 2020 mission as it was carried by NASA’s Perseverance rover, launched in July 2020.

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• The helicopter’s mission is to help collect samples from the surface from locations where the rover cannot reach. • NASA chose a flat, relatively rock-free patch for Ingenuity's airfield which turned out to be less than 30 metres from the original landing site in Jezero Crater (where the Perseverance landed). • The helicopter was released from the rover onto the airfield on April 3. • Flight commands were sent on April 18th after controllers sent up a software correction for the rotor blade spin-up. • Up to five helicopter flights are planned, and if successful, the demo could lead the way to a fleet of Martian drones in decades to come, providing aerial views, transporting packages and serving as scouts for astronauts. • The triumph was hailed as a Wright Brothers moment as the first powered flight on Earth was achieved by the Wright brothers in 1903 in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. • It was built by JPL, which also manages the technology demonstration for NASA Headquarters. • It is supported by NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, the NASA Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, and the NASA Space Technology Mission Directorate.

83. ALH MK-III Helicopter

In news- The Indian Navy recently commissioned Indian Naval Air Squadron (INAS) 323, the first unit of the indigenously developed ALH (Advanced Light Helicopter) Dhruv Mk III aircraft.

About ALH MK-III Helicopter- • The Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH-DHRUV), designed and built in-house, is a twin-engine, multi-role, multi-mission, new generation helicopter in the 5.5 tonne weight range. • It's a multi-role chopper powered by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited's Shakti engine (HAL). • The ALH Mk III will be used for search and rescue, special operations, and coastal surveillance and will have an all-glass cockpit. • The Advanced Light Helicopter programme was conceived by HAL in 1984. • Dhruv Mk-I, Mk-II, Mk-III, and Mk-IV are the four main variants of Dhruv. • The plane, which is a step up from the Mk 1, would be able to reduce low visibility during nighttime search and rescue operations. • It has a 0.7 mm gun, giving it a significant capability in LIMO (low intensity maritime operations). • The new automatic flight control system outperforms the previous one by a long shot.

84. Virtual Global forum on TB vaccine

In news- Due to the on-going coronavirus pandemic, a Virtual Global Forum on TB Vaccines was convened.

About Virtual Global forum on TB vaccine- • Global Forum on TB Vaccines is the world’s largest gathering of stakeholders striving to develop new vaccines to prevent TB. • It provides an important and unique opportunity to review the state of the field, share the latest research findings, and identify new and innovative approaches to TB vaccine R&D, with the end goal of developing and deploying new TB vaccines as quickly as possible. • The program addresses the full spectrum of issues relevant to TB vaccine research and development (R&D), from basic research to clinical trials, manufacturing, regulatory, access, and advocacy. • The main goals of the Forum are to: ○ Review progress and share the latest research and data ○ Identify and promote innovative and transformative approaches to TB vaccine R&D 48 www.journalsofindia.com January to July 2021

○ Encourage partnerships and collaboration to accelerate TB vaccine R&D ○ Increase global recognition of the critical role vaccines will play in global efforts to end TB.

85. RESPOND programme of ISRO

In news- The ISRO recently announced that it would help eight joint research projects proposed by IIT-Space Delhi's Technology Cell under its RESPOND programme.

About RESPOND programme of ISRO- • In the 1970s, ISRO launched the RESPOND (Research Sponsored) programme. • Aim is to encourage academia to engage in and contribute to a variety of space-related research activities. • ISRO provides financial assistance to academic institutions in India to conduct research and development activities in the fields of space science, space technology, and space applications. • This is ISRO's flagship initiative for promoting extramural study in new areas of space at academia. • It aims to strengthen the academic base, create human capital, and improve facilities at academic institutions in order to fund space programmes. • As of September, 2020 number of ongoing projects are 214 (Space Science: 23, Space Technology: 145, Space Applications: 46) • Academic Institutions supported under the projects are 117. • Space Technology Cells are at 7 IITs (Bombay, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Madras, Roorkee, Guwahati and Delhi), IISc Bangalore and Joint Research Programme at SP Pune University.

86. Human-Monkey chimeras

In news- For the first time, scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in the United States have developed human cells in monkey embryos.

Purpose of Chimeric Research- • Researchers have developed a chimeric tool by incorporating human cells into the embryos of macaque monkeys. • Chimeras are organisms made up of cells from two different species, such as humans and monkeys in this case. • For example, if this hybrid embryo was implanted in the womb of a monkey, it might develop into a new species (however this was not the aim of this study). • The monkey embryos containing human stem cells in this study survived and developed outside the body for 19 days. • The research would provide scientists with a valuable tool for science and medicine, allowing them to learn more about early human growth, disease initiation and progression, and ageing. • In addition, this type of study may aid in drug assessment and resolve the urgent need for organ transplantation. • Chimeric instruments offer a new medium for studying how diseases develop. Example, a human cell may be modified to express a gene linked to a specific form of cancer. • Researchers could then study the course of disease progression using the engineered cells in a chimeric model.

Note- In 2014, an Irish farm accidentally created "Geep," a hybrid between a goat and a sheep. Mules, which are the product of mating between a female horse and a male donkey, is another example of a hybrid animal. Different species seldom cross-breed, and when they do, the offspring don't live long and are susceptible to infertility.

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Hybrid Animal Laws in India- • The cultivation of hybrid animals has been prohibited in India since 1985. • The “Rules for the manufacture, use, import, export, and storage of dangerous microorganisms, genetically modified organisms, or cells, 1989” notified under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 control GMOs and their products. • The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, the Department of Biotechnology, and state governments are responsible for enforcing these rules through six competent authorities. • A collection of guidelines on enclosed studies, biologics, confined field trials, food safety evaluation, environmental risk assessment, and other topics was supported by the Rules of 1989.

87. Perseverance Mars Rover made Oxygen

In news- For the first time, a device aboard the rover was able to produce oxygen from the thin Martian atmosphere.

About the Perseverance Rover- • In July, 2020 the project was launched. • Perseverance's main mission is to look for traces of ancient life and gather rock and regolith samples to eventually return to Earth. • Perseverance is fueled by electrical energy produced by the radioactive decay of plutonium. • Perseverance is equipped with drills, cameras, and lasers and is expected to explore Mars. • It is equipped with a one-of-a-kind instrument called MOXIE (Mars Oxygen ISRU Experiment), that produces molecular oxygen on Mars using carbon dioxide from the planet's carbon-dioxide-rich atmosphere. • On Mars, carbon dioxide makes up ~96% of the gas in the planet’s atmosphere whereas Oxygen is only 0.13%. • To produce oxygen, MOXIE separates oxygen atoms from carbon dioxide molecules by using heat at a temperature of around 800 degrees Celsius, and in the process also produces carbon monoxide as a waste product. • It is designed to generate up to 10 grams of oxygen per hour. • It is the size of a car battery, weighing 17.1 kg on Earth, but just 6.41 kg on Mars. • In its first operation since arriving on the Red Planet, MOXIE produced 5 grams of oxygen enough for an astronaut to breathe for 10 minutes. • MOXIE is only a test model and future oxygen generators that descend from its technology need to be about 100 times larger to support human missions on Mars.

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88. Harlequin Ichthyosis

In news- Recently Odisha reported it’s first-ever case of a baby born with harlequin ichthyosis, a rare genetic condition, at a hospital in Berhampur in the state’s Ganjam district.

About Harlequin Ichthyosis- • Mutations in the ABCA 12 gene are stated to cause harlequin ichthyosis. • The ABCA12 protein plays a major role in transporting fats in cells which make up the outermost layer of skin. • Severe mutations in the gene lead to the absence or partial production of the ABCA12 protein. • The disease affected one in three million births and is caused due to a mutated gene inherited from the parents. • The disease sees the skin form large diamond-shaped plates across the body that are separated by deep cracks... • The skin is dry and scaly, almost like fish skin and hence the term ‘icthyosis’, derived from ‘ikthus’, Greek meaning for fish. • India’s first recorded case of a baby born with harlequin ichthyosis was in 2016, at a private hospital in Nagpur, Maharashtra. • Such cases were also reported in Delhi, Patna and West Bengal. • The infants could not survive for long and succumbed to the disease days after birth. • There have been maybe 200 to 250 such cases across the world.

89. Space X Crew-2 Mission

In news- Four astronauts were launched to the International Space Station (ISS) from Florida as part of collaboration between NASA and SpaceX under the Commercial Crew Program.

About SpaceX Crew-2 Mission- • The mission is called Crew-2 and is the second crew rotation of the SpaceX Crew Dragon and the first with international partners. • Two NASA astronauts and two each from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and the European Space Agency are among the four astronauts (ESA). • NASA's Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur will lead the mission as spacecraft commander and pilot, respectively, while mission specialists Akihiko Hoshide and Thomas Pesquet will travel to the space station for a six-month science mission. • The aim of this test flight was to see whether SpaceX capsules could be used to shuttle astronauts to and from the International Space Station on a regular basis. • Demo-2 was followed by the Crew-1 mission in November, 2020 which was the first of six crewed missions between NASA and SpaceX marking the beginning of a new era for space travel. • Crew-1 team members joined Expedition 64 members in mid-November 2020 to perform microgravity experiments on the International Space Station. • Central focus during this time will be to continue a series of Tissue Chips in Space studies. • Tissue Chips are small models of human organs that contain multiple cell types that behave similarly to the human body. • According to NASA, these chips can potentially speed up the process of identifying safe and effective drugs and vaccines.

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90. E-2025 Initiative

In news- The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified 25 countries, including three from Africa, with the potential to eradicate malaria by 2025 under its ‘E-2025 Initiative’, ahead of World Malaria Day 2021.

What is the E-2020 initiative? • The countries were part of the World Health Organization's E-2020 campaign, which began in 2016 and is operating in 21 countries across five regions to eliminate malaria by 2020. • The World Health Assembly adopted a new Global Technical Strategy for Malaria 2016-2030 in May 2015, setting ambitious targets to significantly reduce the global malaria burden over the next 15 years, with benchmarks to monitor progress along the way. • Malaria removal in at least 10 countries that had the disease in 2015 is a crucial achievement for 2020. • These countries were chosen based on an overview of the probability of being eliminated based on three main criteria: ○ Malaria case incidence patterns from 2000 to 2014; ○ Malaria targets have been set by affected countries; ○ Experts in the field from the WHO; • India (4%) is one of the five countries (the others being Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mozambique and Uganda) which together accounted for nearly half of all malaria cases worldwide.

91. KRI Nanggala-402 Submarine

In news- KRI Nanggala (402) submarine went missing in deep waters north of Bali during a SUT torpedo drill.

About KRI Nanggala-402 Submarine- • KRI Nanggala (402) is a diesel-electric attack submarine of the Indonesian Navy, one of two Cakra-class submarines, and uses a Type 209 design. • Nanggala was ordered in 1977, launched in 1980, and commissioned in 1981. • The boat has conducted intelligence gathering operations in the Indian Ocean and around East Timor and Nunukan. • It was a participant of the international Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training naval exercise and has conducted a passing exercise with USS Oklahoma City. • The boat underwent a major refit in 2012. • Nanggala was declared missing on 21 April 2021, hours after losing contact with surface personnel while it was underwater. • The boat is named after the Nanggala, a divine and powerful short spear that was owned by Prabu Baladewa (the elder brother of Krishna), a recurring character in wayang puppet theatre. • The Indian Navy's Deep-Submergence Rescue Vessel (DSVR) left from Visakhapatnam to help in rescue operations.

What is a DSRV (deep submergence rescue vessel)? • India is one of the few countries in the world that can use a DSRV to search for and rescue a damaged submarine. • Using its state-of-the-art side scan sonar and remotely operated vehicle, the Indian Navy's DSRV system can locate a submarine up to 1,000 metres deep. • The SRV can also be used to supply the submarine with emergency supplies.

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92. #FOSS4GOV Innovation Challenge

In news- To promote the adoption of Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) in government, Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) has launched the #FOSS4GOV Innovation Challenge.

About #FOSS4GOV Innovation Challenge- • Accelerating the adoption of Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) in government is an important part of GovTech 3.0, which focuses on creating safe and inclusive Open Digital Ecosystems (ODEs). • Participants will be eligible for incubation funding, prize money, domain expert mentorship, and institutional support from eminent organisations for concept incubation and solution listing on GeM. • It calls upon FOSS innovators, technology entrepreneurs and Indian Startups to submit implementable open source product innovations in CRM and ERP with possible applications for Govtech in Health, Education, Agriculture, Urban Governance, etc... • It will use the FOSS community and start-ups' innovation capacity to address crucial issues in government technology. Free and Open Source Software (FOSS)- • The source code of the software may be edited, modified, or reused by users and programmers. • It allows programmers to change the program's functionality by changing it. • The word "free" denotes that the programme is not subject to copyright restrictions. • The word "open source" denotes that the software is in the form of a project, allowing for simple software creation by expert developers around the world without the need for reverse engineering. • FOSS may also be referred to as free/libre open-source software (FLOSS) or free/open-source software (F/OSS).

93. Oxygen from Sterlite Copper

In news- The Supreme Court recently allowed Vedanta Limited to operate its oxygen production units at the Sterlite Copper plant in Tutikorin in Tamil Nadu.

Oxygen in Copper Plant- • The Vedanta Limited plant has two oxygen production units lying idle, with a combined capacity of 1,050 tonnes. • The oxygen from these units is meant to feed the furnaces of the copper-melting plant. • These facilities suck in air from the atmosphere, which is processed so that the oxygen-rich fraction of the air is absorbed in the final process. • The oxygen produced at Sterlite’s units is crude oxygen. • Sterlite Copper had been facing protests ever since its inception in 1994. • The local community’s concerns include hazardous industrial operations that produce toxins such as lead, arsenic and sulphur oxides, pollution of the environment, and their impact on public health. • Following a gas leak in March 2013, the state government ordered shutting down of the plant, and the Supreme Court fined Sterlite Rs 100 crore for flouting environmental norms. • Though the plant was in operation in June 2013, it was shut down again following the violent protests and police firing in May 2018.

94. Zhurong

In news- The China National Space Administration recently revealed that its first Mars rover would be called ‘Zhurong.'

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Background- • In 2019, China became the first country to land a space probe on the moon's far side, which had previously been unexplored, and returned lunar rocks to Earth for the first time in December. • After the former Soviet Union and the United States, China will be the third country to land a robot rover on Mars.

About Zhurong- • The Tianwen-1 probe, which arrived in Mars orbit in February 2020, is carrying China's first Mars rover. • The name of the rover is "Huo Xing," which means "fire star" in Chinese. • The rover is part of China's space ambitions, which also include the launch of a crewed orbital station and the landing of a human on the moon. • Utopia Planitia, a rock-strewn plain where the US lander Viking 2 landed in 1976, is the leading contender for the landing spot.

Tianwen-1- • Its objectives include researching the atmosphere and surface conditions on Mars, as well as analysing and mapping the Martian surface and geology. • It takes its name from an ancient Chinese poem called "Questions to Heaven." • It's a three-in-one orbiter, lander, and rover that'll look for water and ice on Mars' surface, explore soil properties, and research the atmosphere, among other things. • It took off from the Wenchang launch centre on a Long March 5 rocket, a launch system developed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT). • It will be the first mission to land ground-penetrating radar on the Martian surface, allowing scientists to research local geology, as well as the distribution of rock, ice, and soil.

95. Aditya-L1 Support Cell

In news- Aditya-L1 Support Cell provides all data on board India’s first dedicated solar space mission.

About Aditya-L1 Support Cell- • A community service centre called Aditya-L1 Support Cell has been set up to bring all data on board India’s first dedicated solar space mission to a single web-based interface. • It is a joint effort of ISRO and Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES). • It will allow every interested individual to perform scientific analysis of the data. • It is slated to develop specific tools to assist guest observers and researchers to prepare observing proposals for Aditya-L1 observations. • It will also assist ISRO with the design and development of analysis software for handling scientific data. • The centre will also provide co-aligned data from other observatories around the world that can complement the data obtained from Aditya-L1. • This centre will expand the reach of Aditya-L1 not only within India, but also increase the visibility of the mission at the international level.

96. India's First 3D Printed House

In news- Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman recently inaugurated the country’s first 3D printed house at IIT, Madras, conceived by former alumni and built in just five days.

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About India's First 3D Printed House- • With TVASTA Manufacturing Solutions using indigenous methodologies in design and construction till completion, Indian mind, Indian design and Indian creativity has been involved. • The single-storey house has one bedroom, hall and kitchen, developed with ‘Concrete 3D Printing” technology. • It was developed in association with Habitat for Humanity’s Terwilliger Centre for Innovation in Shelter. • TVASTA Manufacturing Solutions co-founder Adithya V S said the concrete 3D printing technology is a ‘ready to implement methodology’ with no lead time on manufacturing, thereby reducing construction time. • This technology can enable deep personalisation of construction for the ultimate target segment — who is the individual.

3D Printing- • 3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, is a technique for creating prototypes or working models of structures by layering materials such as plastic, resin, thermoplastic, metal, fibre, or ceramic. • The model to be printed is created by the machine using software, which then sends instructions to the 3D printer. • The majority of 3D printing and the industry that surrounds it takes the form of additive manufacturing, in which companies create custom items for projects with very specific requirements, such as lightweight equipment. • Medical and allied products are one of the most popular uses for such products. • With a market share of more than 35%, the United States remains the world pioneer in 3D printing. • China controls about half of the Asian economy, followed by Japan (30%) and South Korea (10%).

97. NavIC- Opportunities for The Telecom Industry

In news- National Telecommunications Institute for Policy Research, Innovation and Training (NTIPRIT), recently conducted a webinar on the topic "NavlC -- Opportunities for the Telecom Industry" in collaboration with ISRO and Telecom Industry.

About NavIC- • NavIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation) is an autonomous regional satellite navigation system established and maintained by ISRO. • It covers India and a region extending up to 1,500 km beyond Indian mainland (primary coverage area). • It provides position accuracy better than 20 m (20) and timing accuracy better than 50 ns (20). • The actual measurements demonstrate accuracy better than 5 m and 20 ns respectively. • NavIC based applications are being used in various civilian sectors, including, transport, map applications, and timekeeping. • Today major mobile chipset manufacturers like Qualcomm, MediaTek and Broadcom already support NavIC across various chipset platforms. • Some examples for NavlC enabled mobile phones include the Redmi Note 9 series from Xiaomi, the Realme 6 series, the OnePlus Nord, etc.

About NTIPRIT- • National Telecommunications Institute for Policy Research Innovation and Training (NTIPRIT) is the apex training institute of the Department of Telecommunication. • Involved in conduction of induction Training for probationary officers of Indian Telecommunication Service Group — A (IT’S Group A).

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• It also conducts various In-Service Trainings, Management Development Programmes, Regional and International Trainings, Capacity Building workshops for Officers of Government of India in various aspects of Information and Communication Technology Administration.

98. Python-5 Air to Air missile

In news- India’s Indigenous Light Combat Aircraft Tejas has added capability of firing Israeli-origin Python-5 air-to- air missile (AAM) after successful tests.

About Python-5 missile- • Python-5 is a fifth generation air-to-air missile (AAM) manufactured by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems. • It is the newest member in the range of Python AAMs. • The missile can engage enemy aircraft from very short ranges and near beyond visual range. • Python-5 is the most accurate and reliable AAM of the Israeli Air Force and one of the most sophisticated guided missiles in the world. • The development on the Python-5 began in the 1990s. • The missile was unveiled for the first time during the Paris Air Show in June 2003. • It integrates a fifth-generation imaging seeker, modern software, advanced infrared counter- countermeasure (IRCCM) and flight control systems. • Python-5 has a length of 3.1m, wingspan of 64cm and diameter of 16cm and weight of the missile is 105kg. • It can carry an 11kg high explosive fragmentation warhead equipped with an active laser proximity fuse. • The missile demonstrated superior target detection and tracking capabilities during the developmental and operational test programme, involving captive carry evaluation and homing trials. • The first operational kill by Python-5 was in August 2006 during the Lebanon War. • Python-5 missiles were delivered along with Spyder systems to the Indian Air Force, Georgian Air Force, Republic of Singapore Air Force and Peruvian Army.

99. Apollo 11 Mission:

In news- NASA astronaut Michael Collins at 90, who piloted the historic mission of Apollo 11 spacecraft Columbia in 1969, recently passed away due to cancer.

About Apollo 11 Mission- • The primary objective of Apollo 11 was to complete a national goal set by President John F. Kennedy on May 25, 1961- to perform a crewed lunar landing and return to Earth. • Additional flight objectives included scientific exploration by the lunar module (LM), crew; deployment of a television camera to transmit signals to Earth; and deployment of a solar wind composition experiment, seismic experiment package and a Laser Ranging Retroreflector. • Apollo 11 was launched from Cape Kennedy on July 16, 1969, carrying Commander Neil Armstrong, Command Module Pilot Michael Collins and Lunar Module Pilot Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin. • Armstrong described the event as he took "...one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind" on July 20, 1969. • Under the Apollo programme, there were five more successful lunar landing missions and one unplanned lunar swing-by, Apollo 13. • The Apollo 17 mission's Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt were the last men to walk on the moon.

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100. Ct Count in COVID Test

In news- Recently, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has rejected a Maharashtra government request to reduce the CT value cut-off from 35 to 24 for positivity rate under the RT-PCR test.

What is Ct Value? • The abbreviation Ct stands for ‘Cycle Threshold.' • The Ct value indicates how many cycles the virus can be detected after. • If more cycles are needed, it means the virus was undetected when the number of cycles was lower. • Since the virus has been detected after fewer cycles, the lower the Ct value, the higher the viral load. • The period after the onset of symptoms has been shown to have a stronger association with Ct values than the seriousness of the disease.

Viral Load- • The sum of genetic material, most commonly RNA, of a virus found in an infected person's blood is referred to as viral load. • The total number of viral particles present in each millilitre of blood is represented in this way. • The virus is replicating and the infection is progressing if the viral load in the blood is higher. • In the process known as "viral shedding" an infected person with a high viral load is more likely to shed more virus particles.

RT-PCR Tests- • RNA (ribonucleic acid) is extracted from the patient's swab in an RT-PCR (Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction) procedure. • It is then amplified after being transformed into DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid). • The method of making several copies of genetic material - in this case, DNA is known as amplification. • This enhances the test's ability to detect the virus's existence. • Amplification occurs in a series of cycles and a measurable amount of virus is generated after many cycles.

101. Permit for Drones to deliver Vaccines:

In news: The Civil Aviation Ministry permitted the Telangana government to use drones for experimental delivery of vaccines within the visual line of sight.

More information- • The permission for flying the unmanned aerial vehicles has been given for a period of one year or until further orders. • However, these exemptions to the state will be valid only if all the limitations and conditions as stated for the respective entities are strictly followed. • The trials will also help determine conditions such as degree of isolation, population, geography, and other factors in order to recognise regions that need drone deliveries in particular. • The conditional exemption has been granted from the Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Rules, 2021. • The use of drones has been granted with the aim of achieving four goals: quicker vaccine distribution across the country, increased healthcare access, possible integration into the middle mile of medical logistics for long-range drones and improving medical supply chain. • Similar conditional permission was previously given to the ICMR in April 2021 in order to conduct a feasibility study of Coronavirus vaccine delivery using drones in collaboration with IIT Kanpur.

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• A Hyderabad-based startup called ‘Hepicopter’ together with the Indian Institute of Public Health (Hyderabad), Public Health Foundation of India, and Telangana government support is focusing on doorstep delivery of healthcare solutions which includes medicines, diagnostics and vaccines.

102. Cooking oil based biodiesel

In news: Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Steel, remotely flagged off the first supply of UCO (Used Cooking Oil) based Biodiesel blended Diesel under the EOI Scheme from Indian Oil’s Tikrikalan Terminal, Delhi.

More information- • Under the Expressions of Interest for “Procurement of Bio-diesel produced from Used Cooking Oil” scheme, OMCs offer periodically incremental price guarantees for five years. • It also extends off-take guarantees for ten years to prospective entrepreneurs. • Under this initiative, Indian Oil has received 51KL of UCO-Biodiesel at its Tikrikalan terminal in Delhi as of 31.3.2021. • This initiative will garner substantial economic benefits for the nation by shoring up indigenous Biodiesel supply, reducing import dependence, and generating rural employment. • It will also help divert the unhealthy used oil from the food chain to a more productive purpose and usher in a revolution through “Randhan se Indhan”. • Indian Oil has started constructing eight Biodiesels plants across Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh.

Biodiesel- • It is an alternative fuel, similar to conventional or ‘fossil’ diesel. • It can be produced from vegetable oils, animal fats, tallow and waste cooking oil. • A significant advantage of it is its carbon-neutrality, i.e. the oilseed absorbs the same amount of CO2 as is released when the fuel is combusted in a vehicle. • It is rapidly biodegradable and completely non-toxic. • Biodiesel is made through a chemical process called transesterification whereby the glycerin is separated from the fat or vegetable oil. • The process leaves behind two products – methyl esters and glycerin. • Methyl ester is the chemical name for biodiesel and glycerin is used in a variety of products, including soap.

103. Night landing of Crew dragon spacecraft

In news: Crew Dragon spacecraft recently brought back to the Earth four astronauts from the International Space Station (ISS), landing on water in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida.

About the landing- • A SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule carrying four astronauts back to Earth splashed down off Florida in NASA's first nighttime ocean landing in more than 50 years. • The last nighttime splashdown for NASA was when the crew of Apollo 8 arrived in the Pacific Ocean on December 27, 1968. • Commander Michael Hopkins was the first to emerge after the hatch was opened followed shortly after by fellow NASA astronaut Victor Glover. • NASA astronaut Shannon Walker and Japan's Soichi Noguchi were the other two aboard. • The four astronauts went to space last November as the crew on the first fully operational mission to the ISS aboard a vehicle made by Elon Musk's SpaceX.

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• They traveled 71.2 million miles (114.6 million kilometres) during their 168 days in orbit (including 167 days aboard the space station). • As of now seven astronauts have remained on the ISS including a new crew of four who arrived on a different SpaceX craft recently.

SpaceX Crew-2: • It is the second crewed operational flight of a Crew Dragon spacecraft, and its third overall crewed orbital flight. • The mission was launched on 23 April 2021. • It used the same capsule as Demo-2 (Endeavour) and used the same booster as Crew-1 (B1061.1). • Crew 2 team consists of two NASA astronauts - mission commander Shane Kimbrough and pilot Megan McArthur along with Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide and fellow mission specialist Thomas Pesquet, a French engineer of the European Space Agency. • It is the second "operational" space station team launched by NASA aboard a Dragon Crew capsule since the US resumed flying astronauts into space from US soil in 2020, following a nine-year hiatus at the end of the US space shuttle program in 2011.

104. Classification of corona variants

In news: Health authorities in the UK recently said that two variants from the B.1.617 lineage or Indian variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus have been identified and monitored as Variants under Investigation (VUI).

About the variants- • Variants of a virus have one or more mutations that differentiate it from the other variants that are in circulation. • While most mutations are deleterious for the virus, some make it easier for the virus to survive. • The SARS-CoV-2 virus is evolving fast because of its high levels of circulation which makes it able to replicate faster. • The B.1.617 variant of the virus has two mutations - E484Q and L452R. • Both are separately found in many other coronavirus variants, but they have been reported together for the first time in India. • This variant is classified as a Variant of Interest (VOI) by the World Health Organisation (WHO). • The L452R mutation has been found in some other VOIs such as B.1.427/ B.1.429, which are believed to be more transmissible and may be able to override neutralising antibodies. • The WHO has said that samples from individuals who had natural infection may have reduced neutralisation against variants.

Classification of Coronavirus- • The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), classifies variants into three categories -- variant of • Interest (VOI), variant of concern (VOC) and variant of high consequence. • VOI is defined as, “A variant with specific genetic markers that have been associated with changes to receptor binding, reduced neutralization by antibodies generated against previous infection or vaccination, reduced efficacy of treatments, potential diagnostic impact, or predicted increase in transmissibility or disease severity.” • VOC is defined as, “A variant for which there is evidence of an increase in transmissibility, more severe disease (e.g., increased hospitalizations or deaths), and significant reduction in neutralization by

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antibodies generated during previous infection or vaccination, reduced effectiveness of treatments or vaccines, or diagnostic detection failures.” The B.1.1.7, B.1.351, P.1, B.1.427, and B.1.429 variants circulating in the US are classified as VOC. • A variant of high consequence has clear evidence that prevention measures or medical countermeasures • (MCMs) have significantly reduced effectiveness relative to previously circulating variants.

Possible attributes of a variant of high consequence are- • Demonstrated failure of diagnostics • Evidence to suggest a significantly reduction in vaccine effectiveness, • A disproportionately high number of vaccine breakthrough cases, or very low vaccine-induced protection against severe disease • Significantly reduced susceptibility to multiple Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) or approved therapeutics • More severe clinical disease and increased hospitalizations • It would require notification to WHO under the International Health Regulations. Currently there are no SARS- CoV-2 variants that rise to the level of high consequence.

105. AYUSH-64

In news: The Ayush ministry has launched a massive nationwide campaign to distribute its proven poly herbal ayurvedic drug AYUSH 64 and Sidha medicine Kabasura Kudineer for the benefit of Covid patients in home isolation.

More information- • It is recommended in National Clinical Management Protocol based on ayurveda and yoga which is vetted by National Task Force on Covid Management of ICMR and Guidelines for Ayurveda Practitioners for Covid- 19 patients in home isolation. • Kabasura Kudineer is included in Guidelines for Siddha Practitioners for Covid 19 issued by the ministry of Ayush. • The Ministry of Ayush and CSIR collaboration recently completed the multi-centre clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of AYUSH 64 in the management of mild to moderate Covid-19 patients. • The main collaborator in the campaign is Sewa Bharati. • About AYUSH-64- • It is an Ayurvedic formulation which was developed by the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS), the apex body for research in Ayurveda under the Ministry of Ayush, for management of Malaria. • This drug was repurposed as the ingredients showed notable antiviral, immune-modulator and antipyretic properties. • The formulation has also shown very promising results in Influenza like illness. • It can be taken by patients at any stage of the COVID-19 disease. • It has been identified as a potential adjunct to standard care in the management of asymptomatic, mild and moderate COVID-19 without risk factors and those not requiring emergency interventions or hospitalization. • It is found to significantly reduce the duration for clinical recovery in terms of disease symptoms and severity.

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106. R21 / Matrix M vaccine

In news: A malaria vaccine candidate tested on children in West Africa has shown an efficacy of around 77 per cent.

About the vaccine- • The R21/Matrix-M vaccine is developed by the Clinical Research Unit of Nanoro (CRUN), Burkina Faso and their partners at the University of Oxford in the UK. • It is the first malaria vaccine to reach the 75 per cent efficacy target set by the WHO. • The subjects in the study reported no serious side effects from the vaccine, which was found to be safe and can be manufactured at low cost on a large scale. • The Serum Institute of India has manufactured the vaccine and will deliver more than 200 million doses of the vaccine once it is approved by regulators. • It is a modified version of RTS, S which is another candidate against malaria that has been in development for more than 30 years. • RTS, S is developed by Walter Reed Institute of Research, GlaxoSmithKline and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation with the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative. • This vaccine is designed to stop the Plasmodium falciparum malaria parasite from entering the liver and preventing the subsequent deadly blood stages. • It targets the liver stage protein of the Plasmodium falciparum life cycle. • RTS, S is the first, and to date the only, vaccine to reduce malaria in children but is not highly efficacious.

107. Anti-COVID drug by DRDO

In news: An anti-COVID-19 therapeutic application 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) has been developed by Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS), a lab of DRDO, in collaboration with Dr Reddy’s Laboratories (DRL), Hyderabad.

About the drug- • Clinical trial results have shown that this molecule helps in faster recovery of hospitalised patients and reduces supplemental oxygen dependence. • Higher proportion of patients treated with 2-DG showed RT-PCR negative conversion in COVID patients. • In efficacy trends, the patients treated with 2-DG showed faster symptomatic cure than Standard of Care (SoC) on various endpoints. • The drug comes in powder form in sachet, which is taken orally by dissolving it in water. • It accumulates in the virus infected cells and prevents virus growth by stopping viral synthesis and energy production. • Its selective accumulation in virally infected cells makes this drug unique. • Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has granted permission for emergency use of 2-DG.

108. Sputnik light

In news: Russia has released a new single-dose vaccine named Sputnik Light.

About the vaccine- • It is developed by the Russian Ministry of Health, the Gamaleya National Research Centre of Epidemiology and Microbiology and the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF). • It has also been registered and given authorisation for use.

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• Sputnik V is a two-dose vaccine made from recombinant adenovirus 26 (Ad26) and adenovirus 5 (Ad5) (Common cold-causing viruses). • The first dose (Ad26) is the prime vaccine, which is the first part of the Sputnik V vaccine and the second (Ad5) is the booster shot. • It has also proved to be effective against "all-new strains of coronavirus". • After the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, this is only the second vaccine that has shown relatively high efficacy (79.4 percent) against the virus with just a single dose. • The vaccine is easy to store at temperatures ranging from two to eight degrees Celsius. • The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) approved the Sputnik V in April after Dr Reddy's Laboratories conducted a successful bridge trial. • RDIF has tied up five Indian vaccine makers to produce over 850 million doses of the Sputnik V vaccine; other 4 drugmakers include Gland Pharma, Hetero Pharma, Stellis Bio and Virchow Biotech.

Mechanism- • A recombinant vaccine uses specific parts of the virus. • Since they are made using only pieces of the virus, they result in an extremely strong immune response that targets key parts of the virus. • They can be administered to everyone and even people with weak immune systems and long-term health problems. • However, limitation is it may need booster shots to continue to provide protection against diseases.

109. e-Sanjeevani OPD

In news- National Teleconsultation Service of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is the first of its kind online OPD service offered by a country government to its citizens.

About the service- • The National Telemedicine Service comprises two variants of e-Sanjeevani namely, ○ Doctor to doctor (eSanjeevani AB-HWC) telemedicine platform that is based on hub and spoke model ○ Patient to doctor telemedicine platform (eSanjeevani OPD) which provides outpatient services to the citizens in the confines of their homes • The e-Sanjeevani AB-HWC is being implemented at Health and Wellness Centres under Ayushman Bharat Scheme. • It was rolled out in November 2019 and Andhra Pradesh was the first State to roll out e-Sanjeevani AB-HWC services. • The e-Sanjeevani OPD provides digital health services to the citizens through more than 250 online OPDs setup. • Anyone can seek medical advice and medication through audio and video. • Over 220 of these online OPDs are specialist OPDs and the rest are general OPDs. • It was rolled out in April 2020 during the first lockdown in the country when all the OPDs were closed. • The service is operational in 31 States and Union Territories and Tamil Nadu, UP, Karnataka are the top 3 states availing the facility. • Top five districts with largest number of consultations are Salem (Tamil Nadu), Madurai (Tamil Nadu), Hassan (Karnataka), Meerut (Uttar Pradesh) and Raebareli (Uttar Pradesh). • Majority of patients (50.35%) fall between 20 and 40 years.

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110. Lumpy skin disease

In news: The Bihar government recently issued an advisory about the likely spread of lumpy skin disease (LSD).

About the disease- • Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is a disease of cattle and buffalo caused by a capripox virus. • Since 2012, LSD has spread from Africa and the Middle East into South-eastern Europe and several other countries in the Balkans. • LSD was first reported in Asia and the Pacific region in 2019 in North West China, Bangladesh and India. • It is believed that arthropod vectors, direct contact, contaminated feed and water and iatrogenic means (for example, repeated use of needles on different animals) can spread the disease. • The World Organisation for Animal Health is encouraging members in at-risk areas to initiate vaccination campaigns ahead of virus entry and to continue timely reporting of all outbreaks. • The virus is present in high concentrations in the skin nodules and scabs on affected animals and can be isolated from blood, saliva, ocular and nasal discharges and semen. • The incubation period is between 4 and 14 days post-infection. • The nodules may become necrotic and ulcerate, leading to an increased risk of flystrike. • Management of lumpy skin disease relies on vaccination, control of animal movements and culling infected animals.

111. Mucormycosis

In news: A rare fungal infection, known as mucormycosis is being detected among Covid-19 patients in some states.

About the disease- • It is also called “black fungus”. • It is caused by a group of moulds known as mucormycetes present naturally in the environment. • Symptoms include pain and redness around eyes and/or nose, fever, headache, coughing, shortness of breath, bloody vomits, and altered mental status. • Warning signs can include toothache, loosening of teeth, blurred or double vision with pain. • Sinuses or lungs of such individuals get affected after they inhale fungal spores from the air. • The disease often manifests in the skin and also affects the brain. • Vulnerable groups include people who have health problems or take medicines that lower the body’s ability to fight germs and sickness. • These include those with diabetes, cancer, or those who have had an organ transplant. • While it is treated with antifungals, mucormycosis may eventually require surgery.

112. Osiris Rex

In news: NASA’s OSIRIS-REx began its journey back from asteroid Bennu.

More information on spacecraft- • The Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) started its two-year long journey back to Earth. • It is NASA’s first mission to visit a near-Earth asteroid, survey its surface and collect a sample from it. • In October 2020, the spacecraft briefly touched asteroid Bennu, from where it collected samples of dust and pebbles.

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• Bennu is considered to be an ancient asteroid that has not gone through a lot of composition-altering change through billions of years. • This means that below its surface lie chemicals and rocks from the birth of the solar system. • It is as tall as the Empire State Building, located about 200 million miles away from the Earth. • It is named after an Egyptian deity. • It is a B-type asteroid, implying that it contains significant amounts of carbon and various other minerals. • Because of its high carbon content, the asteroid reflects about four per cent of the light that hits it. • Around 20-40 percent of Bennu’s interior is empty space and scientists believe that it was formed in the first 10 million years of the solar system’s creation, implying that it is roughly 4.5 billion years old. • The surface of the asteroid is covered in massive boulders. • There is a slight possibility that Bennu might strike the Earth in the next century, between the years 2175 and 2199. • NASA will also distribute a part of the samples to laboratories worldwide and will reserve about 75 per cent of the samples for future generations.

113. SATHI Scheme

In news: Under the SATHI scheme, several centers are being set up to house major analytical instruments to provide common services of high-end analytical testing.

About the scheme- • These centers are initiated under the ‘Sophisticated Analytical & Technical Help Institutes (SATHI)’ scheme of the Department of Science and Technology. • They will address the need for building shared, professionally managed, and strong S&T infrastructure in the country which is readily accessible to academia, start-ups, manufacturing, industry and R&D labs. • Three such centers set up at IIT Kharagpur, IIT Delhi and BHU Varanasi, are being operated with a transparent, open access policy. • DST has planned to set up five SATHI Centers every year for the next four years. • These Centres will be equipped with a major analytical instrument and advanced manufacturing facility, which is usually not available at Institutes / Organisations. • This effort is expected to reach out much needed less endowed organisations like MSMEs, Start-ups, State Universities and Colleges fostering a strong culture of research collaboration between institutions.

Aims and Objectives- • To provide a shared, professionally managed services and strong Science and Technology infrastructure / facilities, with efficiency, accessibility and transparency of highest order under one roof. • SATHI will have facilities for fabrication work, rapid prototyping, material testing, characterisation, new device fabrication, smart manufacturing and characterisation facilities etc., to attract and help R&D labs, industrial R&D, MSME, Incubators, Start-ups, etc... • To organise short term courses / workshops / seminars, hands-on training programme etc. on the use and application of various instruments and techniques for External and Internal Users / Researchers. • To train technicians for maintenance and operation of sophisticated scientific instruments and keep a record book of these people trained.

114. Winchcombe meteorite

In news- A piece of the Winchcombe meteorite that fell in the town of Winchcombe in Gloucestershire in the UK in February 2021 is set to be displayed at the National History Museum.

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About the meteorite- • The piece of meteorite is a 103 gram fragment of black rock resembling coal. • It dates back to the birth of the solar system nearly 4.5 billion years ago. • Examining it may offer scientists and researchers clues about the beginning of the solar system and maybe even the Earth. • Winchcombe is also significant because it is the meteorite to have fallen and recovered from the UK in about 30 years. • This type of meteorite is known as a carbonaceous meteorite. • Out of about 65,000 known meteorite types, only about 1,000 are of this particular type. • Meteoroids are objects in space that range in size from dust grains to small asteroids. • When meteoroids enter the Earth’s atmosphere they are called meteors. • If a meteoroid enters the Earth’s atmosphere and hits the ground, it is called a meteorite.

115. Wifi at Railway stations

• The railways has enabled free Wi-Fi at its 6000th station as the facility went live at Hazaribagh town of Jharkhand. • The railways provided Wi-Fi facility first at the Mumbai Railway station in 2016. • Wi-fi at 5000th station was provided at Midnapore in West Bengal. • On May 15, 2021 Jarapada station in Angul District of Odisha was also provided with Wi-Fi facility. • The Wi-Fi facility at railway stations are meant to meet the objectives of the ‘Digital India' programme. • This will bridge the digital divide between the rural and urban citizens thereby maximizing the digital footprint in the rural villages as well as enhance the user experience. • It is carried out with the help of RailTel, a PSU under the Ministry of Railways in partnership with Google, Department of Telecommunication (under Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF), PGCIL and Tata Trust. • Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh are the top three states with more stations being Wi-fi connected (as of May 2021).

116. Zeolite cargo service

In news- Air India flights began transporting 'zeolite’, from Rome, that is an essential component imported by the DRDO for oxygen generation.

About Zeolite- • Zeolite, also called molecular sieve, are microporous crystalline solid of aluminium silicate that have small openings of fixed size to trap large molecules, while allowing small molecules to pass through. • Atmospheric air contains 78 % nitrogen and about 20 % oxygen and zeolite adsorbs or traps nitrogen onto its surface. • Zeolite is used in the Medical Oxygen Plant (MOP) technology, developed by DRDO for on‐board oxygen generation on aircraft like Tejas. • The MOP utilizes Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) technique and Molecular Sieve (Zeolite) technology to generate oxygen directly from atmospheric air. • This technology will be useful to provide oxygen supply during the pandemic in hospitals in urban and rural areas.

• Zeolites occur naturally as well as man made. They are very stable solid with a high melting point of 1000 degree

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• Celcius. They do not undergo oxidation in the presence of air. They are insoluble in water or other inorganic • Solvents. They do not have any harmful environmental effects though skin contact or inhalation might have a • carcinogenic effect.

Application of Zeolites- • Zeolites are widely used as ion-exchange beds in domestic and commercial water purification, softening.

• They have the potential of providing precise and specific separation of gases, including the removal of H2O,

CO2, and SO2 from low-grade natural gas streams. • Zeolites help silver naturally emit light, which may compete with fluorescent lights or LEDs. • Zeolites have used advanced nuclear-waste reprocessing methods, where their micro-porous ability is used to remove fission products from the waste. • Used to thermochemically store solar heat harvested from solar thermal collectors. • In agriculture, clinoptilolite (a naturally occurring zeolite) is used as a soil treatment. It provides a source of slowly released potassium. • Clinoptilolite has also been added to chicken food- the absorption of water and ammonia by the zeolite made the birds' droppings drier and less odoriferous, hence easier to handle. • Pet stores market zeolites for use as filter additives in aquaria.

117. ‘Medicines from Sky’ project

In news- The Telangana State government has selected 16 primary healthcare centres (PHCs) spread around Vikarabad area hospital for pilot testing the ambitious ‘Medicine from the sky’ project.

More about the project- • It is the first-of- its-kind project involving delivery of medicines through multiple drones. • A consortium of seven operators headed by Blue Dart Med-Express had been selected. • The permission has been granted for conducting experimental delivery of Covid-19 vaccines within Visual Line of Sight (VLOS) Range, normally about 500 meters and will be scaled up gradually to 9 km range. • The permission exemption is valid for one year. • The project would be launched in three waves starting with a pilot followed by mapping the route network for operation of drones for delivering vaccine/medicine in the desired community health centres and PHCs. • The Civil Aviation Ministry granted approval to the state on its request under the Unmanned Aircraft System Rules 2021 for conducting experimental BVLOS drone flights for delivery of vaccines. • The project is aimed at assessing alternative logistics routes in providing safe, accurate and reliable pick up and delivery of health care items like medicines, COVID-19 vaccines, units of blood and other lifesaving equipment from the distribution centre to specific locations and back. • The consortium of companies selected for the implementation of the project has been asked to submit standard operation protocol along with the risk mitigation plans to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation for its approval. • It has been decided to constitute teams comprising health experts and representatives from the regulator as also the Air Traffic Control (ATC) at Shamshabad airport for monitoring the implementation of the project in phases. • Blue Dart, one of the major logistics service providers in the country, recently formed 'Blue Dart Med- Express Consortium' to streamline delivery of vaccines and emergency medical supplies to the remote parts of the country with drones. • The consortium is part of the ‘Medicine from the Sky’ project, in collaboration with the Government of Telangana, World Economic Forum, NITI Aayog and Healthnet Global.

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118. News Showcase by Google

In news- Google recently announced the launch of its global product called News Showcase in India.

More about News Showcase- • News Showcase is a global vehicle to pay news publishers for their content online. • It also allows partnering publishers to curate content and provide limited access to paywalled stories for users. • It was originally launched in October 2020. • Google has sealed agreements with 30 Indian publishers to offer access to some of their content on News Showcase. • The content from these publishers will begin to appear in dedicated News Showcase panels in Google News and on Discover pages in English and Hindi. • Support for more local languages will be added in the future. • Google has signed licensing agreements with publishers for editorial curation and it will also pay participating news organizations to give readers access to a limited amount of paywalled content. • News Showcase is currently live across many countries like the UK, Germany and Australia with over 700 news publications. • Under the Google News Initiative (GNI) programme, 50,000 journalists and journalism students will be trained in strengthening their digital skills to aid reporting and combat misinformation online. • The GNI Transformation Lab, a programme for 20 local small- and mid-sized Indian news organizations to help them transform every aspect of their business to succeed online will be launched.

119. INS Rajput

In news- The first destroyer of the Indian Navy, INS Rajput was decommissioned on 21st May, 2021.

About INS Rajput- • It was the lead ship of the Kashin-class destroyers built by the erstwhile USSR. • It was constructed in the 61 Communards Shipyard in Nikolaev (present-day Ukraine) under her original Russian name ‘Nadezhny’ meaning ‘Hope’. • The ship was commissioned as INS Rajput on 04 May 1980 at Poti, Georgia by IK Gujral, the Ambassador of India to USSR with Capt Gulab Mohanlal Hiranandani, its first Commanding Officer. • The ship has the distinction of serving in both Western and Eastern Fleets. • Its motto was “Raj Karega Rajput”. • The ship has participated in several operations including Operation Aman off Sri Lanka to assist IPKF, Operation Pawan for patrolling duties off the coast of Sri Lanka, Operation Cactus to resolve hostage situation off the Maldives, and Operation Crowsnest off Lakshadweep. • It also participated in numerous bilateral and multinational exercises. • It was also the first Indian Naval Ship to be affiliated with an Indian Army regiment – the Rajput Regiment. • It was decommissioned at a solemn ceremony at Naval Dockyard, Visakhapatnam.

120. NASA-ESA Solar orbiter (SolO)

In news- NASA and European Space Agency’s Solar orbiter has captured the first solar eruption.

More information- • The Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) was captured by NASA instrument, the Solar Orbiter Heliospheric Imager (SoloHI) onboard the spacecraft. 67 www.journalsofindia.com January to July 2021

• SoloHI watches the solar wind, dust, and cosmic rays that fill the space between the Sun and the planets. • Two more imagers on Solar Orbiter - ESA’s Extreme Ultraviolet Imager and Metis, also captured views of the CME. • NASA’s STEREO-A spacecraft also caught a glimpse from its COR2 detector.

About Solar orbiter- • The Solar Orbiter (SolO) is a Sun-observing satellite, developed by the European Space Agency (ESA). • It is intended to perform detailed measurements of the inner heliosphere and nascent solar wind, and perform close observations of the polar regions of the Sun. • Solar Orbiter will be able to observe the magnetic activity building up in the atmosphere that can lead to powerful solar flares or eruptions. • It was launched on 10 February 2020 and the mission is planned to last 7 years. • The total mission cost is US$1.5 billion, with both ESA and NASA contributions. • The science payload is composed of 10 instruments. • The spacecraft has already taken the closest picture of the Sun to date. • Researchers will also have the chance to coordinate observations with NASA's Parker Solar Probe mission (2018-2025) which is performing measurements of the Sun's extended corona.

121. Coviself- Self testing COVID kit

In news- The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) recently approved the country’s first Covid-19 self-testing kit for home use.

About Coviself- • CoviSelf has been developed by MyLab Discovery Solutions, a Pune-based molecular company. • It uses a rapid antigen test, in which a nasal swab sample is tested for the virus and gives results within 15 minutes. • Anyone can collect their own nasal sample and test it for SARS-CoV-2. • Taking the test takes hardly two minutes and costs Rs 250. • ICMR has advised this test only for those who have symptoms or are high-risk contacts of positive patients and need to conduct a test at home. • If positive, the person will be considered Covid-19 positive and will not require RT-PCR as a confirmatory test. • If a person tests negative but has symptoms, he or she has to undergo an RT-PCR test. • This test is synced with a mobile app, CoviSelf, which will help directly feed the positive case’s report on the ICMR portal. • This test is not advised for general screening in public places of hawkers, show owners, or commuters. • A person is positive for Covid-19 if two lines appear on the testing card - on marker ’t’ for the testing line, and ‘c’ for quality control line. • If the person is negative, a single line appears on marker ‘c’. • If the result takes more than 20 minutes to show, or if a line does not flash across marker ‘c’, then the test is invalid. • A rapid-result all-in-one test kit produced by Lucira Health was given emergency use authorization in the US in November, 2020. • Similar kits have been approved in Europe and South Korea too.

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122. Sun halo phenomenon

In news- The people in Bengaluru recently witnessed a rare optical and atmospheric phenomenon called ‘22 degree circular halo’.

About the phenomenon- • Sun Halo, also known as '22 degree halo', is an optical phenomenon that occurs due to sunlight reflecting and refracting in millions of hexagonal ice crystals suspended in the atmosphere and may split into colours because of dispersion. • It takes the form of a ring with a radius of approximately 22 degrees around the sun or the moon. • The halos were used as part of weather lore, which was an empirical means of weather forecasting before meteorology was developed. • They often indicate that rain will fall within the next 24 hours, since the cirrus and cirrostratus clouds in the upper troposphere (5–10 km) that cause them can signify an approaching frontal system. • Many of these appear near the Sun or Moon, but others occur elsewhere or even in the opposite part of the sky. • Among the best known halo types are the circular halo, light pillars, and sun dogs. • In cold weather they can also float near the ground, in which case they are referred to as diamond dust. • Just like a rainbow, a halo is visible when viewed from the right angle, sometimes appearing just white but often with colours of the spectrum also clearly present. • Halos can have many forms, ranging from colored or white rings to arcs and spots in the sky.

123. Emergency Use Listing (EUL)

In news- Bharat Biotech International will hold a preliminary meeting with the World Health Organization (WHO) before applying for an emergency-use listing (EUL) for its covid vaccine, Covaxin.

About emergency-use listing (EUL)- • The World Health Organization (WHO) developed the Emergency Use Assessment and Listing (EUAL) mechanism in response to the 2014 – 2016 Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak. • The EUAL is a risk-based procedure for assessing and listing unlicensed vaccines, therapeutics and in vitro diagnostics (IVDs) for use primarily during public health emergencies of international concern (PHEIC). • Later the EUL procedure replaced the Emergency Use Assessment and Listing (EUAL) procedure. • The EUL is a special procedure intended to provide a time-limited listing for unlicensed products in an emergency context when limited data are available and the products are not yet ready for application for prequalification. • The manufacturer will complete the development of the product and submit for licensure and WHO prequalification. • The EUL is not intended to interfere with ongoing clinical trials. • Bharat Biotech officials, on 19 April, 2021 had submitted an expression of interest for EUL with WHO. • After the company submits its final proposal for Covaxin’s EUL, whose product evaluation group comprising regulatory experts from around the world and a technical advisory group will conduct a review. • The process may include on-site inspections of the company’s facilities. • The company had recently issued a statement saying that the second interim data from its phase 3 trials of nearly 26,000 participants showed that the vaccine has an efficacy of 78% in preventing covid-19. • This efficacy is partially lower than the 80.6% found in the first interim data in March, 2021. • WHO’s cutoff for efficacy of covid-19 vaccines is 50%, the same as the lower limit set by regulators in India, the US and other countries. • A WHO EUL will make those inoculated with Covaxin eligible to enter regions such as the European Union.

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• While WHO and European Medicines Agency (EMA) have authorized vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson, WHO has also included jabs from China’s Sinopharm in its list.

124. Yellow fungus

In news- A patient in Ghaziabad, UP, has been diagnosed with a case of yellow fungus.

About the infection- • Yellow fungus is a fungal infection, which can be rather fatal and deadly as it begins internally unlike the others where symptoms are visible. • This characteristic of yellow fungus makes it very difficult to manage and more dangerous as early diagnosis is a necessity in such cases. • The infection is mainly caused by bad hygiene. • Overuse of steroids, antibacterial medications or poor oxygen use are also a few causes of the infection. • Symptoms of yellow fungus are disrupted digestion, lack of energy, lethargy and fatigue, loss of appetite, malnutrition, prolonging recovery timelines and weight loss. • In later stages of the infection patients exhibit severe symptoms like sunken eyes due to malnutrition and organ failure, slow healing of wounds and oozing of pus from the wounds, and necrosis (cell injury that leads to death of cells and living tissues). • The treatment for yellow fungus is Amphotericin-B injection.

125. Bio hub initiative by WHO

In news- The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Swiss Confederation have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to launch the first WHO Bio Hub Facility as part of the WHO Bio Hub System, which was announced in November 2020.

About the initiative- • Based in Spiez, Switzerland, the facility will serve as a centre for the safe receipt, sequencing, storage and preparation of biological materials for distribution to other laboratories, in order to inform risk assessments, and sustain global preparedness against these pathogens. • Thus it will enhance the rapid sharing of viruses and other pathogens between laboratories and partners globally to facilitate a better analysis and preparedness against them. • Pathogens are now shared bilaterally between countries on an ad hoc basis, which can be slow, and leave some countries without access to the benefits and tools. • The BioHub will enable member states to share biological materials under pre-agreed conditions, including biosafety, biosecurity, and other applicable regulations. • This will ensure timeliness and predictability in response activities.

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• WHO will broaden its Bio Hub System for the use of biological materials by qualified entities such as manufacturers for the development of medical by-products for fair allocation to countries? • WHO is currently running a pilot phase, using SARS-COV-2 and its variants, to test the feasibility and operational arrangements for sharing such materials with the facilities of the Bio Hub System? • Following results from the pilot project, the Bio Hub will expand from SARS-COV-2 and its variants, to other pathogens and connect partners with other repositories and laboratory networks in 2022.

126. PIMS-TS

In news- According to a recent study, most symptoms of paediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome (PIMS-TS) associated with SARS-CoV2 are resolved after six months.

About PIMS-TS- • PIMS-TS are also known as multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C). • This rare condition is associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection that was first defined in April 2020. • More than 250 cases were identified in the UK and Ireland from March to June, 2020. • While it is not known what exactly triggers the condition, PIMS-TS is thought to be an immune overreaction. • The symptoms of the condition include fever, rash, eye infection, and gastrointestinal symptoms. • In rare cases, this condition can rapidly lead to medical emergencies such as insufficient blood flow, a condition known as shock and multiple organ failure can occur. • The recent study conducted on a small group of paediatric patients showed that gastrointestinal, heart, and neurological symptoms were resolved within six months of the COVID-19 infection. • Any lasting neurological effects are probably mild and do not cause disability. • Any long-term damage to the organs is thought to be a rare occurrence.

127. IT rules, 2021

In news- The new Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 are made applicable for social media firms operating in India.

About the rules- • All significant social media platforms with more than 50 lakh (5 million) users like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Koo are very much categorized as large social media platforms. • The new IT Rules 2021 say that digital media platforms now require a larger grievance redressal mechanism which will include a Chief Compliance Officer, a Nodal Contact Person and a Resident Grievance Officer (who would be based out of India). • All social media platforms are required to publish these details on their apps and websites and explain to users the mechanism in place to make a complaint against any content on the platform. • These complaints need to be acknowledged within 24 hours of receipt and these complaints need to be actioned upon within a period of 15 days from the date of receipt. • The expedited processes have to take down certain content including revenge porn, there should be self- regulation mechanisms and an oversight mechanism created by the MeitY. • When an intermediary fails to observe these rules, the provisions of section 79 (1) of the Act shall not be applicable for such intermediary and the intermediary shall be liable for punishment under any law for the time being in force and the Indian Penal Code". • The section 79 specifically gives digital media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and WhatsApp legal immunity in a way against liability for posts made on their networks, third party information or data.

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• The rules include a traceability clause that requires social media platforms to locate “the first originator of the information” if required by authorities.

More about traceability cause- • This rule will impact most messaging apps such as Signal, Telegram, Snapchat, Wire, WhatsApp etc.. • WhatsApp has filed a lawsuit in the Delhi High Court. • The company has invoked the 2017 Justice K S Puttaswamy vs Union of India case to argue that the traceability provision is unconstitutional and against people’s fundamental right to privacy as underlined by the Supreme Court decision. • The company has said that the requirement to ‘trace’ chats would mean that the platform will have to break end-to-end encryption, which is turned on by default for all messages. • Traceability requires re-engineering the app just for the Indian market, which is unlikely to happen. • WhatsApp’s argument is that traceability, even if enforced, is not foolproof and could lead to human rights violations. • Hence the plea has stated that the court should declare the traceability clause as “unconstitutional” and should not allow it to come into force.

128. Ayush Clinical Case Repository (ACCR) portal

In news- The ministry of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa-Rigpa and Homoeopathy) launched the clinical repository portal and Ayush Sanjivani mobile application.

About the portal- • The Ayush Clinical Repository (ACCR) portal will serve as a platform to support both Ayush practitioners and the general public. • This portal aims to aggregate information about clinical outcomes achieved by Ayush practitioners on a large scale. • It will facilitate dissemination of information and further analysis and research. • It is expected to document the strengths of Ayush systems for treatment of various disease conditions. • It will help widen the scientific base of all streams of AYUSH. • One notable feature of the ACCR portal is the dedicated section for reporting and publishing details of Covid 19 cases treated through Ayush Systems. • The Ayush Sanjivani app (third version) is on Google Play Store and iOS. • It facilitates a significant study and documentation regarding the efficacy of selected Ayush interventions including Ayush 64 and Kabasura Kudineer medicines in the management of asymptomatic & mild to moderate Covid 19 patients.

129. Monoclonal antibodies cocktail therapy

In news- Two private hospitals in Chennai recently launched ‘monoclonal antibodies cocktail’ therapy for Covid-19 patients.

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• The drug is administered either through the intravenous or subcutaneous (under the skin) route, through an infusion or injection. • It becomes active soon after entering the body. • Children above the age of 12 years, with mild symptoms can be given the drug. • The therapy was first used to treat former United States President Donald Trump in 2020. • Recent clinical studies have shown that antibody therapy or antibody-drug cocktail can reduce the chance of hospitalisation by 70 per cent in patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms. • Monoclonal antibodies are artificially created in a laboratory by recombinant DNA technology and tailor- made to fight a particular disease. • Cipla and Switzerland-based Roche have launched this antibody cocktail in the market. • The therapy is most suited for "high-risk COVID-19 patients" who are within the first ten days of symptom onset and meet any of the listed criteria. • Other criteria include obesity with BMI (Body Mass Index) of more than 35; or type 1 or type 2 diabetes mellitus; or chronic kidney disease or liver disease; or currently receiving immunosuppressive treatment; or if aged above 55, has either heart disease or hypertension or chronic lung disease. • This therapy is meant for people who are under home isolation and do not need oxygen support, so the cut-off level of SpO2 is about 93 per cent. • It is not meant for people in ICU or on ventilators or needing any kind of oxygen support and those patients who have anaphylaxis which could entail severe allergic reaction. • The therapy has been approved by the Food & Drug Administration of the United States and has also been cleared by India’s top drug regulator the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI). • The Central Drugs Standards Control Organisation (CDSCO) has provided an Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) for the antibody cocktail in India. • Zydus Cadila is the only Indian company to have developed a neutralizing monoclonal antibody-based cocktail ZRC-3308 and has sought DCGI approval for a clinical trial.

130. Monoclonal antibodies cocktail therapy

In news- Two private hospitals in Chennai recently launched ‘monoclonal antibodies cocktail’ therapy for Covid-19 patients.

About the therapy- • The antibody therapy is a cocktail of two monoclonal antibodies - Casirivimab and Imdevimab injection and was designed specifically to block the infectivity of SARS-CoV-2. • When given to patients with mild symptoms in an early stage of Covid-19, it helps reduce the multiplication of the coronavirus. • Thus it avoids worsening of the disease and the need for hospitalisation. • The drug is administered either through the intravenous or subcutaneous (under the skin) route, through an infusion or injection. • It becomes active soon after entering the body. • Children above the age of 12 years, with mild symptoms can be given the drug. • The therapy was first used to treat former United States President Donald Trump in 2020. • Recent clinical studies have shown that antibody therapy or antibody-drug cocktail can reduce the chance of hospitalisation by 70 per cent in patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms. • Monoclonal antibodies are artificially created in a laboratory by recombinant DNA technology and tailor- made to fight a particular disease. • Cipla and Switzerland-based Roche have launched this antibody cocktail in the market. • The therapy is most suited for "high-risk COVID-19 patients" who are within the first ten days of symptom onset and meet any of the listed criteria. 73 www.journalsofindia.com January to July 2021

• Other criteria include obesity with BMI (Body Mass Index) of more than 35; or type 1 or type 2 diabetes mellitus; or chronic kidney disease or liver disease; or currently receiving immunosuppressive treatment; or if aged above 55, have either heart disease or hypertension or chronic lung disease. • This therapy is meant for people who are under home isolation and do not need oxygen support, so the cut-off level of SpO2 is about 93 per cent. • It is not meant for people in ICU or on ventilators or needing any kind of oxygen support and those patients who have anaphylaxis which could entail severe allergic reaction. • The therapy has been approved by the Food & Drug Administration of the United States and has also been cleared by India’s top drug regulator the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI). • The Central Drugs Standards Control Organisation (CDSCO) has provided an Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) for the antibody cocktail in India. • Zydus Cadila is the only Indian company to have developed a neutralizing monoclonal antibody-based cocktail ZRC-3308 and has sought DCGI approval for a clinical trial.

131. AmbiTAG

In news- Indian Institute of Technology, Ropar (IIT Ropar) in Punjab has developed a first-of-its-kind IoT device – AmbiTag.

About the device- • It records real-time ambient temperature during the transportation of perishable products, vaccines, vegetables, meat, body organs, blood, dairy products as well as animal semen. • The recorded temperature helps to know whether that particular item transported from anywhere in the world is still usable or perished because of temperature variation. • It is shaped like a USB device that continuously records the temperature of its immediate surroundings from -40 to +80 degrees in any time zone for a full 90 days on a single charge. • Similar devices that are available at present record data only for a duration of 30- 60 days. • It has a range of inbuilt features to customise logging intervals, time zone and alarms. • The device generates an alert when the temperature goes beyond a pre-set limit. • The recorded data can be retrieved by connecting the USB with any computer. • The device has been developed under Technology Innovation Hub – AWaDH (Agriculture and Water Technology Development Hub) and its Startup ScratchNest. • So far, such devices are being imported by India from other countries such as Singapore, Hong Kong, Ireland, and China.

AWaDH- Agriculture and Water Technology Development Hub • AWaDH is a research center at IIT Ropar established with support from the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) to carry out extensive research in the field of agriculture and water. • The mission of the Hub is to develop 30 Agritech, support 35 startups/spin-off companies, train more than 1000 professionals in Cyber-Physical Systems, give more than 8000 employment through different Agritech innovations, etc.. • It is working on (i) Water and Soil Quality Assessment Processes, (ii) Water Treatment and Management, (iii) Agriculture Automation and Information Systems, (iv) Stubble Management and Urban Farming, (v) IoT Systems, and (vi) Nuclear Instrumentation for Agriculture & Water, towards eco-friendly farming practices. • The technology developed at Hub would advance the (i) Environment, Forest and Climate, (ii) Fisheries (iii) Food Processing and Public Distribution, (iv) Rural and Women Empowerment, (v) Land Resources, (vi) Electronics and Information Technology, (vii) Fertilizer

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132. Vajra Kavach disinfection system

In news- disinfection system, called Vajra Kavach, is developed by Mumbai-based startup Indra Water.

About the system- • It removes any possible traces of the disease-causing SARS-Cov-2 virus from Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), N95 masks, coats, gloves and gowns. • It enables reuse of PPEs and other materials used by healthcare workers. • It helps to reduce biomedical waste generation. • The disinfection is done in just a few minutes. • The system is able to achieve a 1,00,000-fold reduction in the number of microorganisms. • In scientific terms, tests showed 5 log (99.999%) reduction of viruses and bacteria. • It was tested with Escherichia virus MS2 (a single-stranded RNA virus and surrogate of human respiratory viruses such as influenza virus and coronavirus) and E.coli strain C3000. • ‘Log reduction’ is a term used to signify the relative number of living microbes that are eliminated after a process such as disinfection. • The validation and testing of the system was done by the Department of Biosciences & Bioengineering at IIT Bombay. • Indra Water was set up with the Department of Science & Technology (DST)’s NIDHI-PRAYAS grant (through Society for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, IIT Bombay) for coming up with innovations in the water sector. • Indra Water is one among the 51 startups which were funded and supported under Centre for Augmenting WAR with COVID-19 Health Crisis (CAWACH), an initiative by National Science & Technology Entrepreneurship Development Board (NSTEDB), DST.

About NIDHI-PRAYAS- • An early stage prototype/ proof of concept (PoC) fund is needed to be effectively able to convert technology ideas and innovations into products, and eventually to spur entrepreneurship. • DST-NIDHI’s PRomoting and Accelerating Young and ASpiring technology entrepreneurs (PRAYAS) is specifically to support young innovators turn their ideas into PoC. • It is a pre-incubation initiative that would be implemented through a Program Management Unit (PMU) and the incubators selected for implementing the PRAYAS program will be the PRAYAS Centres (PCs).

Objectives- • To enable translation of an innovative idea to a prototype. • To provide a platform for faster experimentation and modify approaches in the idea to market journey. • To indigenously generate innovative solutions relevant to the local and global problems. • To attract a large number of youth who demonstrates problem solving zeal and abilities • To work on their new technology/knowledge/innovation based startups. • To enhance the pipeline in terms of quality and quantity of innovative startups to the incubators. • To build a vibrant innovation • ecosystem, by establishing a network between innovators, academia, mentors and incubators.

133. New missions to Venus

In news- NASA recently announced two missions to Venus, as part of its ‘Discovery Program’ that aims to explore and study the solar system.

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About the two new missions- • The VERITAS (Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopy) mission will map the surface of the planet in 3D and study its geology. • It will also study infrared emissions from the surface to map various kinds of rocks. • It hunts for volcanic activity and tries to find out if any active volcanoes are releasing water vapour into the atmosphere, sustaining its greenhouse effect. • The DAVINCI+ (Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging) will study the dense atmosphere of Venus to understand the trigger and evolution of the runaway greenhouse effect active on the planet. • The mission will also try to determine if the planet held an ocean of liquid water in the past. • The mission will return the first high-resolution images of unique surface features known as “tesserae” on Venus, which are akin to the continents on Earth, and suggest the existence of plate tectonics. • The mission’s accompanying Plus probe will drop into the atmosphere, making measurements of noble gas composition in the layers. • The “ultra-precise” Deep Space Atomic Clock-2 will be tested on VERITAS while the Compact Ultraviolet to Visible Imaging Spectrometer (CUVIS) will fly with DAVINCI+ to make high-resolution UV measurements. • The missions are funded for $500 million each and are expected to launch somewhere around 2028-2030.

About Venus- • Venus is often called Earth’s twin because of similar mass, size, gravity, surface composition and complex atmospheric processes. • For those on Earth, Venus is the second-brightest object in the sky after the moon. • It appears bright because of its thick cloud cover that reflects and scatters light. • The planet’s thick atmosphere traps heat and is the reason that it is the hottest planet in the solar system with a surface temperature of 500C- high enough to melt lead. • Venus moves forward on its orbit around the Sun but spins backwards around its axis slowly, which means on Venus the Sun rises in the west and sets in the East. • One day on Venus is equivalent to 243 Earth days because of its backward spinning. • Venus does not have any moons, a distinction it shares only with Mercury among the planets in the Solar System. • It is also known as the "morning star" and "evening star".

Venus orbiters include- • Mariner 2 (1962), • Soviet Venera (1967) (( first successful probe to enter and return data from another planet)), • Venera 7 lander (1970), the first craft to successfully land on another planet, • Venera 8 (1974), • Venera 9 & Venera 10 (1975), • Pioneer Venus (1978), the first orbiter around Venus and carried the first radar to observe another planet, • The most recent observations of Venus are from the Galileo spacecraft, which flew past Venus in February 1990 on its roundabout journey to Jupiter. • On November 9th of 2005, the European Space Agency’s Venus Express mission was launched on a Russian rocket, with support from NASA. • The Cassini Orbiter, which orbited Saturn until September 2017, also observed Venus briefly and sent home some useful data. • As of now, Japan’s Akatsuki mission is studying the planet from Orbit.

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About Shukrayaan- • Shukrayaan-1 is a proposed orbiter to Venus by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to study the surface and atmosphere of Venus. • The mission concept to Venus was first presented at a Tirupati space meet in 2012. • From 2016 to 2017, ISRO collaborated with JAXA to study the Venus atmosphere using signals from the Akatsuki in a radio occultation experiment. • The three broad research areas of interest for this mission include surface/subsurface stratigraphy and re- surfacing processes; study of atmospheric chemistry, dynamics and compositional variations; study of solar irradiance and solar wind interaction with Venus ionosphere. • ISRO and France (CNES) are holding discussions to collaborate on this mission and jointly develop autonomous navigation and aerobraking technologies. • The science payload would have a mass of 100 kg and would consist of instruments from India and other countries.

134. Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST)

In news- China’s Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST), an advanced nuclear fusion experimental research device, set a new record after it ran at 216 million degrees Fahrenheit (120 million degrees Celsius) for 101 seconds.

About China’s ‘artificial sun’ EAST- • For another 20 seconds, the “artificial sun” also achieved a peak temperature of 288 million degrees Fahrenheit (160 million degrees Celsius) for another 20 seconds. • The sun’s core only reaches about 15 million degrees Celsius, which means the reactor was able to touch temperatures that are 10 times hotter than that. • The reactor is located at the Institute of Plasma Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (ASIPP) in Hefei, China. • Its purpose is to replicate the process of nuclear fusion, which is the same reaction that powers the sun. • It is one of three major domestic tokamaks that are presently being operated across the country, the other two China is currently operating are the HL-2A reactor as well as J-TEXT. • EAST first became operational in 2006. • It is part of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) facility, which will become the world’s largest nuclear fusion reactor when it becomes operational in 2035. • The project includes the contributions of several countries, including India, South Korea, Japan, Russia and the United States. • The next goal for the scientists behind the experimental reactor is to maintain the high temperature for a long period of time. • China is not the only country that has achieved high plasma temperatures as, in 2020, South Korea’s KSTAR reactor set a new record by maintaining a plasma temperature of over 100 million degrees Celsius for 20 seconds.

About KSTAR- • The KSTAR (or Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research) is a magnetic fusion device at the Korea Institute of Fusion Energy in Daejeon, South Korea. • It is intended to study aspects of magnetic fusion energy which will be pertinent to the ITER fusion project. • The project was approved in 1995 but construction was delayed by the East Asian financial crisis. • The construction phase of the project was completed on September 14, 2007.

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• The first plasma was achieved in June 2008.

135. Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM)

In news- India and the UK have launched a new workstream to promote industrial energy efficiency, under the Clean Energy Ministerial's (CEM) Industrial Deep Decarbonization Initiative (IDDI) in the backdrop of 12th CEM organised virtually by Chile with coordination by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).

More information- • The IDDI initiative has been supported by Germany and Canada, with more countries expected to join soon. • India and the UK recently had agreed on a joint roadmap for climate action by 2030 in a virtual meeting of Indian Prime Minister Narendra and his UK counterpart. • The objective of the new collaboration is to infuse green technologies and stimulate demand for low- carbon industrial material. • The partnership includes new collaboration on clean energy transition and protecting forests and joint leadership to develop resilient infrastructure in climate vulnerable countries. • As India is committed to cutting emissions intensity per unit of GDP by 33-35 per cent by 2030, effective deployment of low carbon technologies in energy-intensive sectors like iron and steel, cement and petrochemicals is the need of the hour.

About CEM- • The Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) is a high-level global forum to promote policies and programs that advance clean energy technology, to share lessons learned and best practices, and to encourage the transition to a global clean energy economy. • Initiatives are based on areas of common interest among participating governments and other stakeholders. • The current 26 members account for 90% of the world’s clean power and 80% of global clean energy investment. • At the UNFCCC meet in Copenhagen in December 2009, the U.S. announced that it would host the first Clean Energy Ministerial. • The theme of CEM12 was “Ambition into Action-- Turning a Year of Ambition into a Decade of Delivery''. • The CEM is focused on three global climate and energy policy goals: ○ Improve energy efficiency worldwide ○ Enhance clean energy supply ○ Expand clean energy access

136. Tumour Antigen SPAG9

In news- The SPAG9 antigen developed by the National Institute of Immunology (NII) has received the ASPAGNIITM trademark.

About the antigen- • India''s first indigenous tumour antigen SPAG9 was discovered in 1998 by Dr Anil Suri who heads the Cancer Research Programme at the NII, a Department of Biotechnology (DBT) institute. • At present, ASPAGNIITM is being used in dendritic cell (DC) based immunotherapy in cervical, ovarian cancer and will also be used in breast cancer. (As per WHO report, one in 10 Indians will develop cancer during their lifetime, and one in 15 will die of cancer).

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• Immunotherapy is a new approach that exploits the body's inner capability to put up a fight against cancer. • With this approach, either the immune system is given a boost, or the T-cells are trained to identify recalcitrant cancer cells and kill them. • Those patients expressing SPAG9 protein can be treated with a DC-based vaccine approach, in which a patient’s cells, called monocytes are collected from their blood and modified into dendritic cells. • These dendritic cells are primed with ASPAGNIITM and are injected back to the patient to help the ''fighter'' cells, or T-cells, in the body to kill the cancer cells. • DC-based immunotherapy is safe, affordable and can promote antitumor immune responses and prolonged survival of cancer patients.

137. INS Sandhayak

In news- Indian Navy’s oldest hydrographic survey ship INS Sandhayak was decommissioned at Naval Dockyard in Visakhapatnam.

More information- • INS Sandhayak is Indian Navy's fifth hydrographic survey ship in the series indigenously designed and constructed. • The ship was commissioned to the Indian Navy on February 26, 1981. • The vessel was conceptualised by Rear Admiral F.L. Fraser, the then Chief Hydrographer to the government. • It operated as a hydrographic survey ship in the Indian Navy, under the Eastern Naval Command. • It was equipped with a helicopter and Bofors 40 mm gun for self defence, four survey motor boats and two small boats. • Hydrographic vessels carry out surveys related to measurement and description of features which affect maritime navigation, marine construction, offshore oil exploration and related activities. • It was an active participant in many significant operations such as Operation Pawan (assisting the Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka in 1987) and Operation Rainbow (rendering humanitarian assistance post Tsunami of 2004). • It also participated in the maiden joint INDO-US HADR (humanitarian assistance and disaster relief) exercise 'Tiger-Triumph' in 2019. • It served for 40 years and undertook over 200 major hydrographic surveys in Western and Eastern coasts of the Indian peninsula, the Andaman Sea, and minor surveys in Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Bangladesh.

138. CIBER-2 instrument of NASA-

In news- Recently, a NASA-funded rocket’s launch window opened at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, USA with an aim to count the number of stars that exist in the Universe.

About Cosmic Infrared Background Experiment-2 (CIBER-2)- • A NASA-funded sounding rocket was launched with an improved instrument to look for evidence of extra stars that may have been missed in stellar head counts. • The CIBER-2 is the latest in a series of sounding rocket launches that began in 2009. • It is led by Michael Zemcov, assistant professor of physics and astronomy at the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York • The CIBER-2 instrument, like the earlier CIBER instruments, was launched aboard a small suborbital rocket that carries scientific instruments on brief trips into space before falling back to Earth for recovery. • It won’t count stars, but it will detect the diffuse, cosmos-filling glow known as the extragalactic background light. 79 www.journalsofindia.com January to July 2021

• From all of this extragalactic background light, the CIBER-2 will focus on a portion of this called cosmic infrared background, which is emitted by some of the most common stars. • CIBER-2 was designed to observe an expanded range of wavelengths from the near-infrared to green visible light to see if it’s there. • CIBER-2 can also distinguish light from the first galaxies and stars or early direct-collapsing black holes. • Once the instrument is above Earth’s atmosphere, it will survey a patch of sky that will include dozens of clusters of galaxies. • The ESA infrared space observatory Herschel also counted the number of galaxies in infrared and measured their luminosity previously.

139. Aducanumab drug

In news- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Biogen's aducanumab, the first drug to target an underlying cause of Alzheimer's disease.

About the drug- • The drug is to be sold under the brand Aduhelm. • It is the first new approval of an Alzheimer's drug since 2003 and the only treatment designed to slow progression of Alzheimer’s disease. • Aduhelm is designed to target amyloid beta, a protein that forms sticky deposits or plaques in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease. • Amyloid is thought to begin forming years before any signs of memory loss appear, thus making treatment as early as possible most likely to provide benefit. • The drug was tested in patients in the earliest stages of Alzheimer's but was not tested in people who had progressed to moderate dementia. • Alzheimer's is estimated to account for at least 60% of dementia, which involves declines in memory, reasoning or thinking skills and basic ability to function. • Aduhelm is given as a monthly intravenous infusion.

140. CAR T-cell therapy

In news- Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of S&T supported First CAR-T cell therapy was conducted at ACTREC, Tata Hospital in Mumbai.

Need for the Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy- • CAR-T therapy has emerged as a breakthrough in cancer treatment. • Clinical trials conducted globally have shown promising results in end stage patients, especially in patients suffering from Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia. • At present this technology is not available in India because each patient's CAR-T cell therapy costs 3-4 crore (INR). • The challenge therefore is to develop this technology in a cost-effective manner and make it available for the patients. • Chimeric antigen receptors are receptor proteins that have been engineered to give T cells the new ability to target a specific protein. • The receptors are chimeric because they combine both antigen-binding and T-cell activating functions into a single receptor. Collaboration to develop CAR-T cell technology- • In order to promote and support development of CAR-T cell technology against cancer and other diseases, BIRAC and DBT have taken initiatives and launched specialized calls to invite proposals in the last 2 years. 80 www.journalsofindia.com January to July 2021

• Recently,the first CAR-T cell therapy (a type of gene therapy) was done at the Bone Marrow Transplant unit at ACTREC, Tata Memorial Center in Mumbai. • The CAR-T cells were designed and manufactured at the Bioscience and Bioengineering (BSBE) department of IIT Bombay.

• This is a “first in India” gene therapy in early phase pilot clinical trial and the dedicated efforts and excellent collaboration between IIT Bombay and Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai. • The central government’s National Biopharma Mission-BIRAC has approved 19.15 crore to the team for conducting a first-in-human phase-1/2 clinical trial of the CAR-T cells.

Other initiatives of National Biopharma Mission regarding T cells • It is also supporting the development of Lentiviral vector manufacturing facility for packaging plasmids used to transfer the modified T cell inside the body, cGMP facility for T-cell transduction and expansion for CAR T-cell manufacturing to two other organizations. • The development of CAR-T cell technology for diseases including acute lymphocytic leukemia, multiple myeloma, glioblastoma, hepatocellular carcinoma and type-2 diabetes is supported through DBT.

141. EnVision mission to Venus

In news- The European Space Agency (ESA) has selected EnVision as its next orbiter that will visit Venus in the 2030s.

About the mission- • EnVision is an ESA led mission with contributions from NASA. • The earliest launch opportunity for EnVision is 2031, followed by 2032 and 2033. • Once launched on an Ariane 6 rocket, the spacecraft will take about 15 months to reach Venus and will take 16 more months to achieve orbit circularisation. • The spacecraft will carry a range of instruments to study the planet’s atmosphere and surface, monitor trace gases in the atmosphere and analyse its surface composition. • NASA has provided VenSAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar), that will help to image and map the surface as well as Deep Space Network support. • The radio science experiment is led by institutes in France and Germany. • The new mission will follow another ESA-led mission to Venus called ‘Venus Express’ (2005-2014).

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• At the core of the mission is the question of how Earth and Venus evolved so differently from each other considering that they are roughly of the same size and composition.

Venus Express (VEX)- • It was the first Venus exploration mission of the European Space Agency (ESA). • It was launched in November 2005, arrived at Venus in April 2006 and began continuously sending back science data from its polar orbit around Venus. • It was equipped with seven scientific instruments, with the main objective of long term observation of the Venusian atmosphere. • It focussed on atmospheric research and pointed to volcanic hotspots on the planet’s surface. • The observation over such long periods of time had never been done in previous missions to Venus, and was key to a better understanding of the atmospheric dynamics. • ESA concluded the mission in December 2014.

142. UNESCO Science report, 2021

In news- The UNESCO Science Report, 2021 has been published.

Highlights of the report- • During the period from 2014 to 2018, spending on science worldwide increased by nearly 20 per cent. • The number of scientists rose some 13.7 per cent, a trend that was further boosted by the COVID-19 pandemic. • Just two countries – the United States and China, accounted for nearly two-thirds of this increase, or roughly 63 per cent. • Four out of five countries fall far behind, investing less than one per cent of their GDP in scientific research. • The fields of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics have been particularly dynamic. • Research has surged in lower middle-income countries, rising from just under 13 per cent in 2015, to more than 25 percent in 2019. • Critical areas such as carbon capture and storage, have received less investment. • Open access to research remains a challenge as more than 70 per cent of publications remain largely inaccessible to the majority of researchers. • Only a third of researchers are women and account for only 22 percent of the workforce in AI.

Statistics on India- • Research spending as a share of India’s GDP in 2019 -- 0.70% • Start-ups in India in 2019 -- 17,390 • Publications on AI and robotic in 2019 -- 26,779 • Engineering and technology students as a share of all Indian students in higher education in 2018 -- 11.4%

About UNESCO Science report- • The UNESCO Science Report is a global monitoring report published regularly by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. • It was launched in 1993 under the name of World Science Report. • It is published every five years in the month of November and since 1993, six reports have been published. • The series monitors the evolution of the support system for science, technology and innovation worldwide over time.

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• The recent report was due for release in November 2020 but got postponed due to COVID pandemic.

143. Leptospirosis

In news- Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) recently issued an advisory warning about leptospirosis, following heavy rainfall in Mumbai.

About the disease- • Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease that affects humans and animals. • It is caused by bacteria of the genus Leptospira. • Cattle, pigs, horses, dogs, rodents and wild animals carry the bacterium and these infected animals may have no symptoms of the disease. • Humans can become infected through contact with urine (or other body fluids, except saliva) from infected animals, contact with water, soil, or food contaminated with the urine of infected animals. • The bacteria can enter the body through skin or mucous membranes (eyes, nose, or mouth), especially if the skin is broken from a cut or scratch. • Outbreaks of leptospirosis are usually caused by exposure to contaminated water, such as floodwaters. • Person to person transmission is rare. • The common symptoms of leptospirosis include fever, rash, body ache, and vomiting and can be treated with antibiotics. • Without treatment, Leptospirosis can lead to kidney damage, meningitis, liver failure, respiratory distress, and even death. • In India, the outbreaks of Leptospirosis are increasingly being reported from states such as Kerala, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu Maharashtra and Karnataka. • Government of India launched the Programme for Prevention and Control of Leptospirosis (PPCL) during 12th Five year plan in the endemic states and National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has been designated as the nodal agency for implementation of Programme.

The strategies of the Programme include- 1. Development of trained manpower. 2. Strengthening the surveillance of Leptospirosis in humans. 3. Strengthen diagnostic laboratory in programme states. 4. Advocacy for strengthening of patient management facilities in programme states. 5. Strengthening Inter-Sectoral Coordination at state and district level for outbreak detection, prevention and control of leptospirosis.

144. Pasiphae project

In news- Polar-Areas Stellar-Imaging in Polarisation High-Accuracy Experiment (PASIPHAE), an international collaborative sky surveying project helps to study the polarisation in the light coming from millions of stars.

More about PASIPHAE- • The project name is inspired from Pasiphae, the daughter of Greek Sun God Helios. • The survey will use two high-tech optical polarimeters to observe the northern and southern skies, simultaneously. • It will focus on capturing starlight polarisation of very faint stars over large areas of the sky. • Such data can help remove the galactic polarised foreground light.

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• By combining these data, astronomers will perform a maiden magnetic field tomography mapping of the interstellar medium using a novel polarimeter instrument known as WALOP (Wide Area Linear Optical Polarimeter). • WALOP will be mounted on two small optical telescopes - 1.3-metre Skinakas Observatory, Crete, and 1- metre telescope of the South African Astronomical Observatory located in Sutherland. • Scientists from the University of Crete, Greece, Caltech, USA, Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), India, the South African Astronomical Observatory and the University of Oslo, Norway, are involved in this project, steered by the Institute of Astrophysics, Greece. • The Infosys Foundation, India, Stavros Niarchos Foundation, Greece and USA’s National Science Foundation have each provided a grant of $1 million, combined with contributions from the European Research Council and the National Research Foundation in South Africa.

145. Jivan Vayu

In news - Recently, IIT Ropar has developed the nation's first power-free Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) device 'Jivan Vayu.

About Jinav Vayu CPAP device- • It is Nation’s first such device which is adapted to both kinds of oxygen generation units like O2 cylinders and oxygen pipelines in hospitals. • These provisions are not available in otherwise existing CPAP machines. • The machine functions even without electricity. • CPAP is a treatment method for patients having breathing problems during sleep called sleep apnea. • The machine uses mild air pressure to keep the airways open for easy breathing. • It is also used to treat infants whose lungs have not fully developed. • The treatment is all the more necessary during early stages of the Covid-19 infection as it reduces lung damage and allows patients to recover from the inflammatory effects. • It has an inbuilt viral filter at the air entrainment end which has a viral efficacy of 99.99%. • The device has been manufactured using 3D printing and has also been tested mechanically. • ‘Jivan Vayu’ can deliver high flow oxygen (20–60 LPM) while maintaining a continuous positive pressure of up to 20 cm H2O. Difference between Oxygen Concentrator and Oxygen Cylinder- • Concentrators work like an oxygen cylinder, supplying oxygen through the use of masks or nasal tubes. • However, cylinders need refilling, while oxygen concentrators can work 24×7 using electricity. • Oxygen concentrators are portable and easy-to-carry alternatives to massive cylinders. • Concentrators are not the best option for those suffering from severe comorbidities and complications because they can only provide 5-10 litres of oxygen per minute, which may not be enough for patients who have severe complications. • There are two types of oxygen concentrators- continuous flow and pulse. • While a continuous flow oxygen concentrator provides the same flow of oxygen in a minute until it’s been turned off, pulse dose identifies the patient’s breathing pattern and gives out oxygen when it detects inhalation.

146. New Shephard rocket system

In news- Recently, Amazon founder and billionaire Jeff Bezos’s space company called Blue Origin concluded the online auction for the first seat on New Shephard, a rocket system meant to take tourists to space.

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About New Shephard- • It is a vertical-takeoff, vertical-landing (VTVL), crew-rated suborbital reusable launch vehicle that is being developed by Blue Origin as a commercial system for suborbital space tourism. • Its name makes reference to the first American astronaut in space, Alan Shepard, one of the original NASA Mercury Seven astronauts, who ascended to space on a suborbital trajectory similar to that planned for New Shepard. • It has been designed to take astronauts and research payloads past the Karman line, the internationally recognized boundary of space. • Apart from its academic and research-oriented goal, New Shephard will also allow space tourists to experience microgravity by taking them 100 km above the Earth. • Uncrewed flight testing of the complete New Shepard vehicle (propulsion module and space capsule) began in 2015. • In 2018, Blue Origin was one of the ten companies selected by NASA to conduct studies and advance technologies to collect, process and use space-based resources for missions to the Moon and Mars. • New Shephard completed its seventh test launch successfully in October 2020 when it took off from Texas. • The winning bidder will get to fly aboard New Shephard along with Bezos and his brother, when it takes its first human flight on July 20, the day which marks the 52nd anniversary of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin’s moon landing.

How does this rocket system work? • The rocket system consists of two parts, the cabin or capsule and the rocket or the booster. • The cabin can accommodate experiments from small Mini Payloads up to 100 kg. • Its cabin is designed for six people and sits atop a 60 feet tall rocket and separates from it before crossing the Karman line, after which both vehicles fall back to the Earth. • All the six seats in the capsule are meant for passengers, each of whom get their own window seat. • The capsule is fully autonomous and does not require a pilot. • After separating from the booster, the capsule free falls in space, while the booster performs an autonomously controlled vertical landing back to Earth. • The capsule, on the other hand, lands back with the help of parachutes. Karman line- • It is an attempt to define a boundary between Earth's atmosphere and outer space. • The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), an international standard-setting and record-keeping body for aeronautics and astronautics, defines the Kármán line as the altitude of 100 kilometres (62 miles; 330,000 feet) above Earth's mean sea level. • The Kármán line is named after Theodore von Kármán, a Hungarian American engineer and physicist who was active in aeronautics and astronautics. • He was the first person to determine the altitude at which the atmosphere becomes too thin to support aeronautical flight (83.6 km (51.9 miles)). • A vehicle above this altitude would have to travel faster than orbital velocity to derive sufficient aerodynamic lift to support itself.

147. Corporatisation of OFB

In news- The Union Cabinet cleared the corporatisation of the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) to boost its efficiency and competitiveness.

Key updates- • OFB is India’s main producer of weapons and military equipment and controls 41 ordnance factories. 85 www.journalsofindia.com January to July 2021

• Ordnance factories are currently engaged in the production of tanks, armoured personnel carriers, mine protected vehicles, bombs, rockets, artillery guns, anti-aircraft guns, parachutes, small arms, clothing and leather equipment for soldiers. • OFB will be split into seven new Defence PSUs, that will produce ammunition and explosives, vehicles, weapons and equipment, troop comfort items, opto-electronics gear, parachutes and ancillary products. • All OFB employees (Group A, B and C) from different production units will be transferred to the corporate entities on deemed deputation for an initial period of two years without changing their service conditions as government employees. • The pension liabilities of the retirees and existing employees will continue to be borne by the government. • An empowered group of ministers (EGoM), constituted under the defence minister in 2020 will oversee the board’s corporatisation. • An internal army assessment in 2020 had flagged concerns about faulty ammunition and armament supplied by the OFB causing army casualties. • The CAG had also raised questions about the quality of products supplied by the OFB and its overall performance in its reports.

About Ordnance Factory Board (OFB)- • It is a Government agency under the control of the Department of Defence Production (DDP), Ministry of Defence (MoD), Government of India. • It was founded in 1712 as Dutch Ostend Company's Gun Powder Factory at Ichhapur and OFB was established on 2 April, 1979. • It is headquartered in Kolkata. • It is engaged in research, development, production, testing, marketing and logistics of a product range in the areas of air, land and sea systems. • It comprises 41 ordnance factories, 9 training institutes, 3 regional marketing centres and 4 regional controllerate of safety. • Every year, 18 March is celebrated as the Ordnance Factory Day in India. • OFB is the world's largest government-operated production organisation and the oldest organisation in India. • It is often called the "Fourth Arm of Defence" and the "Force Behind the Armed Forces" of India.

148. Deep ocean mission

In news- The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved the proposal of the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) on "Deep Ocean Mission".

About the mission- • It will be a mission mode project to support the Blue Economy Initiatives of the Government of India. • It is set to explore the deep ocean for resources and develop deep sea technologies for sustainable use of ocean resources. • The estimated cost of the Mission will be Rs. 4077 crore for a period of 5 years to be implemented in a phase-wise manner. • The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) will be the nodal ministry implementing this multi-institutional ambitious mission. • Such technology and expertise is now available with only five countries -- US, Russia, France, Japan and China and India will now be the sixth country to have it.

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The mission consists of the following six major components- • Development of Technologies for Deep Sea Mining, and Manned Submersible: A manned submersible will be developed to carry three people to a depth of 6000 metres in the ocean with a suite of scientific sensors and tools. An Integrated Mining System will be also developed for mining Polymetallic Nodules from 6000 m depth in the central Indian Ocean. • Development of Ocean Climate Change Advisory Services: A suite of observations and models will be developed to understand and provide future projections of important climate variables on seasonal to decadal time scales under this proof of concept component. • Technological innovations for exploration and conservation of deep-sea biodiversity: Bio-prospecting of deep sea flora and fauna including microbes and studies on sustainable utilization of deep sea bio- resources will be the main focus. • Deep Ocean Survey and Exploration: The primary objective of this component is to explore and identify potential sites of multi-metal Hydrothermal Sulphides mineralization along the Indian Ocean mid-oceanic ridges. • Energy and freshwater from the Ocean: Studies and detailed engineering design for offshore Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) powered desalination plants are envisaged. • Advanced Marine Station for Ocean Biology: This component is aimed at the development of human capacity and enterprise in ocean biology and engineering. This component will translate research into industrial application and product development through on-site business incubator facilities. A research vessel for deep ocean exploration would be built in an Indian shipyard which would create employment opportunities. • The United Nations (UN) has declared the decade 2021-2030 as the Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. The Government of India's Vision of New India by 2030 has highlighted the Blue Economy as one of the ten core dimensions of growth.

149. Shenzhou-12

In news - Recently, China launched the crewed spacecraft Shenzhou-12 in a historic mission.

About Shenzhou-12- • A Long March 2F rocket is transporting the Shenzhou-12 or Divine Vessel. • The flight marks the seventh crewed Chinese spaceflight and the seventh crewed flight of the Shenzhou program. • The recently launched spacecraft is carrying three astronauts to part of a space station still under construction for the longest stay in low Earth orbit by any Chinese national. • These astronauts are to work and stay on Tianhe, the living quarters of the future space station, for three months. • The three men will test the module's technologies including its life-support system. • Shenzhou-12 is the third of 11 missions - four of which will be crewed - needed to complete China's first full-fledged space station. • Construction of the space station began in April with the launch of Tianhe, the first and largest of the three modules.

About Tianhe(Harmony of Heavens)- • Also known as the Tianhe core module, it is the first module to launch from the Tiangong space station. • The core module provides life support and living quarters for three crew members, and provides guidance, navigation, and orientation control for the station. • It is the first module of a third-generation Chinese modular space station.

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• It was launched into orbit on 29 April 2021, as the first launch of the final phase of the Tiangong program (Project 921), part of the Chinese space program. • Other examples of modular station projects include the Soviet/Russian Mir, Russian OPSEK, and the International Space Station.

150. World Sickle cell day

In news - World Sickle cell day is observed on 19th July every year.

About World Sickle cell day- • World Sickle Cell Day aims to raise awareness of sickle cell disorders. • The day came to existence in 2008 after the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) acknowledged sickle cell disease as a public health problem. • The UNGA also recognised Sickle disease as one of the first genetic diseases.

About Sickle Cell disease/disorder- • Sickle cell disease is the most prevalent inherited blood disorder. • People with sickle cell disorders don't have enough healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen throughout the body. • This disease makes normal life difficult and patients need regular blood transfusions. • The disease can be detected during the screening process of a newborn. • If there is a family history of the Sickle Cell disease, then it can also be diagnosed at the time of pregnancy. • The symptoms of the disease generally appear at the age of five months and tend to change over time. • Some of the common symptoms of Sickle Cell Disease include Anaemia, Swelling in hands and feet, eyesight problems, pain, delay in growth and regular infections. • The only cure of this disease is either stem cell transplant or bone marrow. • If it is recognised at an early stage, apart from stem cell transplant, the symptoms can also be dealt with the help of antibiotics, pain killers, periodic blood transfusion, and vaccinations. • There are three types of sickle cell disease- ○ Hbs beta thalassemia: This type occurs when the sickle cell gene is passed from one parent, while the beta-thalassemia is passed from the other one. ○ HbSS: It is a severe type of sickle cell disease which occurs when the child inherits sickle cell gene from both the parents. ○ HbSc: This occurs when one parent has a sickle cell gene and the other has a gene from abnormal haemoglobin.

Initiatives of India: • Recently ‘National Sickle Cell Conclave’ was organized to mark World Sickle Cell Day by FICCI, jointly with the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Apollo Hospitals and Novartis. • During the webinar, The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) – Novartis report ‘Stepping out of the shadows – Combating Sickle Cell Disease in India’ was also released. • In order to collect real time data and provide relevant information related to Sickle Cell, the government has launched a new portal which will act as a catalyst in creating awareness.

The Ministry of Tribal Affairs has initiated an ‘Action Research’ project under which Yoga dependent lifestyle should be promoted and to reduce the complications in the patient suffering from this disease.

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151. Antibodies against Nipah virus in bat species in Maharashtra

In news- The Nipah virus has been found in two species of bats in Maharashtra for the first time by scientists from the Pune-based National Institute of Virology (NIV).

Key updates- • The new study ‘Detection of possible Nipah virus infection in Rousettus leschenaultii and Pipistrellus bats in Maharashtra, India’, published in the Journal of Infection and Public Health has found the virus and antibodies in different species. • The NIV article states that India has witnessed four Nipah outbreaks so far. • The Nipah-carrying bats were found in a cave in Mahabaleshwar in Satara in March 2020. • The NIV team looked at Pteropus medius, Rousettus leschenaultii and Pipistrellus pipistrellus bats that are common in India and collected swabs in the Mahabaleshwar cave. • One bat each from R leschenaultii and P pipistrellus species tested positive for both NiV RNA and anti NiV IgG antibodies. • This is the first report of possible NiV infection in R leschenaultii bats in India, which was demonstrated by the presence of both NiV RNA and anti-NiV IgG antibodies in bats.

About Nipah Virus- • The Nipah virus is a type of RNA virus in the genus Henipavirus. • The virus, usually found in bats, features in the top 10 priority list of pathogens identified by the World Health Organisation, and its transmission to humans has resulted in deadly outbreaks across the world. • Nipah is considered dangerous as there is no medicine or vaccine, and the death rate is high. • It has a death rate of 65% to 100%. • The infection is generally believed to be emerging from fruit bats from the Pteropodidae family. • Nipah’s symptoms are similar to influenza, including fever, muscle pain and breathing problems.

152. 2014 UN271

In news- Astronomers have discovered a new object, bigger than a comet, on the outskirts of the Solar System and is coming near us.

Key updates- • The object is likely to make a close pass by the Sun, bringing it into Saturn's orbit in 2031. • The object was observed in data from the Dark Energy Survey conducted between 2014 and 2018. 89 www.journalsofindia.com January to July 2021

• Estimated to be between 100 to 370 kilometres in width, the object is bigger than the normal specification of a comet and is likely to be a dwarf planet. • When first observed in 2014, the mega comet was about 29 Astronomical Units (AU) away from the Sun. • Since then, the 2014 UN271 has travelled nearly 7 AU and is now nearly 22 AU away from the Sun. • This distance brings it closer to us than Neptune. • At its closest approach to planets in our Solar System, it is expected to pass by just 10.9 AU of the Sun, almost reaching the orbit of Saturn. • The massive orbit of this mega comet extends between the inner solar system and the Oort cloud on the boundary of interstellar space spanning around 6,12,190 years. • Interstellar space is the region beyond the heliosphere where the Sun's influence wanes and solar winds slow down. • Astronomers expect that before it reaches Saturn and gets closer and closer to the Sun, the object will develop the typical characteristics of a comet that includes a tail, and the coma formed as the material on the surface evaporates from the heat and radiation of the Sun. • In 2017, a cigar-shaped object named 'Oumuamua', which means "visitor from afar arriving first" in Hawaiian, was the first visitor from interstellar space to be detected by Earth.

153. 'Gain of function' research

In news- 'Gain of function' research came to light with the re-emergence of the lab-leak origin theory for the SARS- CoV-2.

About gain of function research- • It involves deliberately altering an organism in the lab, altering a gene, or introducing a mutation in a pathogen to study its transmissibility, virulence and immunogenicity. • It is believed that this allows researchers to study potential therapies, vaccine possibilities and ways to control the disease better in future. • This research involves manipulations that make certain pathogenic microbes more deadly or more transmissible. • This is done by genetically engineering the virus and by allowing them to grow in different growth mediums, a technique called serial passage. • The Wuhan Institute of Virology was said to have conducted gain-of-function research on coronaviruses. • The gain-of-function studies, which enhance viral yield and immunogenicity, are required for vaccine development. • Some forms of gain-of-function research reportedly carry inherent biosafety and biosecurity risks and are thus referred to as ‘dual-use research of concern (DURC)’. • This indicates that while the research may result in benefits for humanity, there is also the potential to cause harm accidental or deliberate escape of these altered pathogens from labs may even cause pandemics. • In India, all activities related to genetically engineered organisms or cells and hazardous microorganisms and products are regulated as per the Manufacture, Use, Import, Export and Storage of Hazardous Microorganisms/ Genetically Engineered Organisms or Cells Rules, 1989. • In 2020, the Department of Biotechnology issued guidelines for the establishment of containment facilities, called ‘Biosafety labs’, at levels two and three.

What is loss of function research? • It involves inactivating mutations, resulting in a significant loss of original function, or no function to the pathogen.

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• When mutations occur, they alter the structure of the virus that is being studied, resulting in altered functions. • Some of these significant mutations might weaken the virus or enhance its function.

154. Delta plus variant of COVID virus

In news- Recently, Maharashtra reported the first death due to Delta plus variant coronavirus.

What is the Delta plus variant of COVID virus? • The new Delta plus variant has been formed due to a mutation in the Delta or B.1.617.2 variant, which was first identified in India. • It is formally known as AY.1 or B.1.617.2.1. • The mutation is the result of the Delta variant acquiring the spike protein mutation K417N to form what is scientifically known as the AY.1 variant. • K417N has previously been identified in the Beta variant (first found in South Africa) and the Gamma variant (first detected in Brazil). • These variants are characterised as being highly infectious and may reduce the potency of vaccines. • It is undergoing mutations in various geographies and that these mutations are displaying more transmissibility and potential reductions in monoclonal antibody response.

• The concern is that because the Delta variant has a cavalcade of mutations that have allowed it to dominate in several countries, including India, another form may pose new challenges to the management of the pandemic in India. • According to CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, the mutation was associated with resistance to a newly developed monoclonal antibody treatment drug, Casirivimab and Imdevimab, for those with moderate and severe disease but at high risk.

WHO list of variants of concern- • It includes Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Gamma variants. • There is little evidence so far specifically linking AY.1 to large outbreaks and significant disease transmission, and hence Delta variant has not yet appeared in the list.

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155. INS Vikrant

In news- India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC) will begin its sea trials in July.

Key updates- • It is set to be commissioned into the Eastern Naval Command as INS Vikrant by mid-2022. • It is also known as the Indigenous Aircraft Carrier 1 or IAC-1. • The ship had successfully completed the ‘basin trial’ in November 2020 during which the propulsion and power generation systems of the ship in harbour were tested. • Though the original plans for the ship were floated in 1989, the design work began fresh in 1999 after then Defence Minister George Fernandes green-lighted the project. • The keel was laid in February 2009 and was launched on 12 August 2013. • It has been designed by the Indian Navy’s Directorate of Naval Design (DND) and is being built at Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL). • The IAC is the most complex warship building project to have been indigenously designed and built. • The IAC is 262 metres long and 62 metres wide and has a STOBAR (short takeoff but arrested recovery) configuration with a ski jump capability. • The carrier would have on board about 35-40 aircraft -- a mix of naval fighters, anti-submarine helicopters, and naval UAVs. • It is equipped with the Israeli Barak 1 surface to air missile for short range and the Barak 8 for long range defence against aerial targets.

156. LiDAR survey reports to augment water in forest areas

In news- Union Environment Minister released LiDAR-based reports mapping out the water requirement within forest areas in 10 states.

Key updates- • The LiDAR (light detection and ranging) technology was used to create 3-D images of the project areas to recommend soil and water conservation structures. • The surveys were carried out in forest areas in Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Nagaland, and Tripura. • It is a first of its kind and a unique experiment using LiDAR technology which will help augment water and fodder in jungle areas thereby reducing human-animal conflict. • The project was awarded to WAPCOS, a PSU under the Jal Shakti Ministry for implementation in 26 states.

About LIDAR- • LiDAR, or light detection and ranging, is a remote sensing method used for measuring the exact distance of an object on the earth’s surface. • It was first used in the 1960s when laser scanners were mounted to aeroplanes. • LiDAR uses a pulsed laser to calculate an object’s variable distances from the earth surface. • The time the laser light takes to return to the LiDAR source is calculated. • The distance of the object=(Speed of Light x Time of Flight)/ 2

• There are three primary components of a LiDAR instrument -- the scanner, laser and GPS receiver. • Other elements that play a vital role in the data collection and analysis are the photodetector and optics. • LiDAR systems are divided into two types based on its functionality -- Airborne LiDAR and Terrestrial

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LiDAR. • Airborne LiDAR is installed on a helicopter or drone for collecting data. • Terrestrial LiDAR systems are installed on moving vehicles or tripods on the earth surface for collecting accurate data points. • These are quite common for observing highways, analysing infrastructure or even collecting point clouds from the inside and outside of buildings.

Applications of LIDAR- 1. Agriculture: LiDAR can be used to create 3D elevation maps of a particular land. This can be converted to create slope and sunlight exposure area maps. This information can be used to identify the areas which require more water or fertilizer and help the farmers to save on their cost of labor, time and money. 2. River Survey: Water penetrating green light of the LiDAR can be used to see things underwater and helps create a 3D model of the terrain. It helps in monitoring the floodplains. 3. Modelling Pollution: LiDAR wavelength is shorter and it operates in ultraviolet, visible region or near infrared. This helps to image the matter which is of the same size or larger than the wavelength. So LiDAR can detect pollutant particles of carbon dioxide, Sulphur dioxide, and methane. 4. Archeology and Building Construction: LiDAR plays an important role for the archeologist to understand the surface. LiDAR can detect micro-topography that is hidden by vegetation which helps archeologists to understand the surface. 5. Ground-based LiDAR technology can be used to capture the structure of the building. This digital information can be used for 3D mapping on the ground which can be used to create models of the structure. 6. Oceanography: Other than locating objects, LiDAR is also used for calculating phytoplankton fluorescence and biomass in the ocean surface, which otherwise is very challenging. 7. Astronomy: LiDAR is also capable of mapping the surfaces of celestial bodies – it was used to generate a precise global topographic survey of Mars in 2001. 8. Autonomous vehicles: LiDAR sensors determine the exact position of obstacles in the surrounding environment, generating data that will steer vehicles in the right direction to avoid making an impact. 9. Green Energy: LiDAR attached to the turbine itself is used to calculate the direction and strength of wind, and if necessary will change the direction of the blade in order to generate more power.

157. African Swine Fever

In news- Pigs in Mon, Kiphire and Phek districts of Nagaland were affected by African Swine Fever, recently.

African Swine Fever (ASF)- • It is a highly contagious hemorrhagic viral disease of domestic and wild pigs. • It is caused by a large double stranded DNA virus of the Asfarviridae family, which also infects ticks of the genus Ornithodoros. • ASF is a disease listed in the World Organisation for Animal Health’s Terrestrial Animal Health Code and must be reported to it. • The epidemiology of ASF is complex and varies depending on the environment, types of pig production systems, the presence/ absence of competent tick vectors, human behaviour, and the presence/ absence of wild pigs. • The virus causes a hemorrhagic fever with high mortality rates in domestic pigs. • It persistently infects its natural hosts, warthogs, bushpigs, and soft ticks of the genus Ornithodoros, which likely act as a vector, with no disease signs.

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• Routes of transmission can include: ○ Direct contact with infected domestic or wild pigs. ○ Indirect contact, through ingestion of contaminated material (e.g. food waste, feed, or garbage). ○ Contaminated fomites, or biological vectors (soft ticks of the genus Ornithodoros). • ASF however is not a risk to human health. • Acute forms of ASF are characterised by high fever, depression, anorexia and loss of appetite, haemorrhages in the skin. • Mortality rates are lower, but can still range from 30-70%. • Chronic disease symptoms include loss of weight, intermittent fever, respiratory signs, chronic skin ulcers and arthritis. • Currently there is no approved vaccine for ASF.

World Organisation for Animal Health- • The World Organisation for Animal Health, formerly the Office International des Epizooties, is an intergovernmental organization coordinating, supporting and promoting animal disease control. • It was founded in 1924. • The main objective is to control epizootic diseases and thus to prevent their spread. • Other objectives consist of transparency, scientific information, international solidarity, sanitary safety, the promotion of Veterinary Services, food safety and animal welfare. • It is headquartered in Paris. • The recent innovation of the World Animal Health Information System (OIE-WAHIS) provides members with a new tool for animal disease surveillance for strengthened risk analysis and the monitoring during disease emergencies. • It is recognized as a reference organisation by the World Trade Organization (WTO) and in 2018 had a total of 182 member states. • India is also a member country.

158. China’s Dragon man

In news- Researchers from China have claimed to have found an ancient human skull that could belong to an altogether new species of humans.

Key updates- • The skull was found in the Songhua river in north-east China’s Harbin city. • The findings have been published in the journal ‘The Innovation’. • He has been dubbed the “Dragaon Man” or Homo longi, a name that has been derived from the Long Jiang or Dragon river in the Heilongjiang province of China where the city of Harbin is located. • It has been noted that the cranium (the portion that encloses the brain) could be over 146,000 years old. • The skull was reportedly discovered back in 1933, when a bridge was built over the Songhua river. • The UK’s Natural History Museum notes that because of the distinctive shape of the skull, which was found almost complete, some members of the team have suggested that it be declared a part of a new species of the genus Homo. • Significantly, the size of the skull, which has a considerable brain capacity, is comparable to that of modern humans and Neanderthals. • “Dragon Man” probably lived in a forested floodplain area as part of a small community. • They may have been well adapted for harsh environments and would have been able to disperse throughout Asia. • This population would have been hunter-gatherers, living off the land.

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• The researchers have said that Homo longi, and not the Neanderthals, were the extinct human species most closely related to our own kind. • However, a number of experts do not agree that Dragon Man is a separate species. • Recently researchers working in Israel had claimed that they had identified a previously unknown kind of ancient human called “Nesher Ramla Homo'' that lived nearly 100,000 years ago.

Human species- • As per the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, there are over 21 human species. • Out of them, Sahelanthropus tchadensis is believed to be the oldest member of the human family tree. This species lived about 7-6 million years ago somewhere around present day Chad in Africa. • Orrorin tugenensis, who lived about 6.2-5.8 million years ago in Eastern Africa is the oldest early human on the family tree and members from this species were approximately the size of a chimpanzee. • Homo habilis lived about 2.4-1.4 million years ago in Eastern and Southern Africa, and is one of the earliest members of the genus Homo. • Homo erectus lived about 1.89 million-110,000 years ago, in Northern, Eastern, and Southern Africa and Western and East Asia. • Homo floresiensis lived around 100,000-50,000 years ago, in Asia and specimens have so far only been found on an Indonesian island. • Homo heidelbergensis lived about 700,000-200,000 years ago in Europe, some parts of Asia and Africa and was the first early human species to live in colder climes. • Homo neanderthalensis lived about 400,000-40,000 years ago, and co-existed with Homo sapiens for a few thousand years in Europe and in southwestern and central Asia. • Homo sapiens evolved about 300,000 years ago and are found worldwide.

159. SERB-FIRE initiative

In news- A first-of-its-kind research initiative called ‘Fund for Industrial Research Engagement (FIRE)’ has been launched by the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), in collaboration with Intel India.

About FIRE initiative- • It is a joint government and industry initiative with a co-funding mechanism to promote innovative technology solutions and strengthen academic research through collaboration with key R&D organizations in India. • It will increase research opportunities in the space of Artificial Intelligence (AI)/Machine Learning (ML), platform systems, circuits & architecture, Internet of Things (IoT), materials & devices, security etc… • The program intends to select highly impactful research projects in every cycle (typically once or twice a year), which have breakthrough potential at a national or global level. • It will support the best researchers in academia with funding, mentoring, and industry connect. • As the next step, the FIRE program will share a Request for Proposal (RFP) and invite the Indian research community to submit research proposals.

160. Anti- COVID drug 2-deoxy-D-Glucose (2-DG)

In news- Anti- COVID drug 2-deoxy-D-Glucose (2-DG) has been launched commercially.

About 2-Deoxy-D-Glucose (2-DG)- • The anti-Covid therapeutic application of 2-DG has been jointly developed by The Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences, DRDO and the Dr Reddy’s Laboratories. 95 www.journalsofindia.com January to July 2021

• It received the nod (emergency use approval) of the Drug Controller General of India’s on May 1, 2021. • It can be administered only upon prescription to hospitalised moderate to severe Covid-19 patients as an additional therapy to the existing care, under the supervision of a qualified physician. • The drug will be supplied to both Government and private Covid-19 health facilities across India. • Each sachet of 2-DG has been fixed at Rs 990 per sachet and the government institutions will receive it at a subsidized rate. • The drug is available in powder form in a sachet, and can be taken orally after dissolving in water. • The drug, 2-DB will be sold commercially under the brands 2DGTM. • According to Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, the drug has a purity of 99.5 percent. • Its selective accumulation in virally infected cells makes this drug unique. • The drug reportedly reduces a patient's average recovery time by two and a half days and oxygen demand by up to 40 per cent. • According to the government, 2-DG being a generic molecule and an analogue of glucose, it can be easily produced and made available in large quantities. • However, it should not be given to pregnant and lactating women and patients below 18 years. • The uncontrolled diabetes, severe cardiac problem, ARDS, severe hepatic and renal impairment patients have not been studied yet with 2DG, and hence caution should be exercised.

How does it work? • 2-DG, made of the generic molecule along with an analogue of glucose, accumulates in the virus-infected cells of the body and prevents the invasion of the virus from one cell to another. Viral synthesis and energy production of the virus is cut short, stopping it from growing faster helping Covid patients to no longer depend on supplemental oxygen and recover faster.

161. Human Stem Cell Research Guidelines

In news- Human Stem Cell Research Guidelines have been updated recently.

About updated guidelines- • The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) in May 2021 released an updated version of its guidelines for basic and clinical research involving human stem cells and embryos. • The ISSCR’s changes include recommendations for using human embryo models, lab-derived gametes, and human-animal chimeras as well as an end to the widely accepted two-week maximum for growing human embryos in culture. • As per the old guideline, after 14 days, an embryo should not be used for research and must be destroyed. ISSCR has removed this rule. • The 14-day rule has served as an international standard since 1990 when it was included in the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act in the United Kingdom. • The new rule makes it possible to conduct research on human embryos that are at more advanced stages of development. • Drawbacks of the new guidelines is that there is no longer any limit on the time frame for research. The longer a human embryo is allowed to grow, the more recognisably human it becomes.

What is the 14-day rule? • After an egg cell is fertilised by a sperm cell, the resulting embryo consists of a few identical cells. Most embryos will implant in the uterus after the 14th day. • After this point, the ‘primitive streak’ appears, which is the first sign of an embryo’s developing nervous system.

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• The rule also identified the point at which the embryo shows signs of individuation, because it is no longer possible for the embryo to split into twins after 14 days. • Some people reason that due to these events, it is at this stage that a moral being comes into existence, and it would not be ethical to perform research on embryos after this time.

Laws of embryo research across the world- • Countries like Italy and Germany — don’t allow it at all. • Others, like the UK, allow research to continue until the embryo is 14 days old, after which it must be destroyed. • Some countries like the United States do not have any law regulating it. • In South Africa, embryos must not be older than 14 days.

Are international guidelines binding? The international guidelines are not legally binding. But the effect of the revised guidelines is that the international standard for best practice in scientific research has now changed. This means that countries which have implemented the rule in their laws will need to revise them so that they are in line with best practice in science.

The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR)- • It is an independent nonprofit organization and the voice of the stem cell research community. • It is based in Skokie, Illinois, United States. • The organization's mission is to promote excellence in stem cell science and applications to human health. • It was formed in 2002 (incorporated on March 30, 2001) to foster the exchange of information on stem cell research. • In June 2003, the International Society for Stem Cell Research held its first convention. • The ISSCR produced its original standards for human embryonic stem cell research in 2006, followed closely in 2008 with guidelines for the use of such cells in clinical settings.

162. Portals on Ayush sector launched

In news- Five new portals in the Ayush sector and four publications were released by the Union Minister of Ayush Shri Kiran Rijiju in an online event.

Key updates- CCRAS-Research Management Information System (RMIS)- A collaborative effort of ICMR and CCRAS, this portal will be a one stop solution for R&D in Ayurveda based studies. Free of cost research guidance by experienced Scientists, Clinicians of Ayurveda can be availed through this portal.

E-Medha (electronic Medical Heritage Accession) Portal- Online public access catalog for more than 12000 Indian medical heritage books through NIC’s e-granthalaya platform.

AMAR (Ayush Manuscripts Advanced Repository) Portal- This Portal is of immense value and it has digitized information on rare and hard to find Manuscripts and catalogues of Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, Sowa Rigpa in libraries or in individual collections across India or in other parts of the world.

SAHI (Showcase of Ayurveda Historical Imprints) Portal- This portal showcases inscriptions, Archeo-botanical Information, Sculptures, Philological sources and advanced Archeo Genetic studies. The four publications released were- • Proceedings of International workshop on” Preservation and Promotion of SOWA-RIGPA in Asia • Compendium of Important Cereals mentioned in Ayurveda-Series-1, volume-1

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• Ayurveda Sangraha: An important classical textbook of Ayurveda, till now was available in Bengali language and now has been transliterated to Devanagari Script. • PathapathyaVinishcaya- An important book of Ayurveda and has details of diet and lifestyle.

163. Unity 22 mission

In news- Six crew members went aboard Virgin Galactic flight ‘VSS Unity’, a suborbital rocket-powered space plane that blast off to space on July 11, 2021 from New Mexico.

About the mission- • Virgin Galactic carried passengers into space on its spaceplane VSS Unity for the first time. • The Unity 22 mission consists of two pilots and four mission specialists, one of whom is Virgin Galactic founder Sir Richard Branson and Indian-origin Sirisha Bandla. • As the name suggests, Unity 22 is the 22nd test flight of VSS Unity, and Virgin Galactic's fourth flight into space. • The purpose of the test flight is to gather data about the spacecraft, including the cabin environment, seat comfort, passenger weightlessness, and the view of the Earth from the passenger area, as well as the efficacy of the Spaceport America training program for its customers. • Sir Richard is tasked with evaluating the "private astronaut experience" and became the first billionaire to go to space, beating Amazon’s Jeff Bezos' space flight (New Shepard rocket) by nine days. • Ms. Sirisha Bandla is the Vice President of Government Affairs and Research Operations at Virgin Galactic. • She was born in Tenali, a city in the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh and was raised in Houston, Texas in the United States of America. • She became the fourth Indian to fly into space and the second Indian-born woman to fly into space after Kalpana Chawla. • The other Indians who went to space include Rakesh Sharma, Kalpana Chawla and Sunita Williams.

164. dbGENVOC- World’s First Database of Genomic Variants of Oral Cancer

In news- National Institute of Biomedical Genomics (NIBMG), Kalyani has created a database of genomic variations in oral cancer; the first of its kind in the world.

Key updates- • dbGENVOC is a browsable online database of GENomic Variants of Oral Cancer. • NIBMG has made this database publicly-accessible. • First release of dbGENVOC contains- 1. ~24 million somatic and germline variants derived from whole exome sequences of 100 Indian oral cancer patients and whole genome sequences of 5 oral cancer patients from India, 2. Somatic variation data from 220 patient samples drawn from the USA and analyzed by TCGA-HNSCC project and 3. Manually curated variation data of 118 patients from recently published peer-reviewed publications. • dbGENVOC is not just a catalogue of genomic variants, it has a built-in powerful search engine. • It also allows a reasonable extent of statistical and bioinformatics analysis to be carried out online, including identifying variants in associated altered pathways in oral cancer. • The repository, which will be updated annually with variation data from new oral cancer patients from different regions of India and Southeast Asia, has the potential to support advances in oral cancer research.

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National Institute of Biomedical Genomics (NIBMG)- • It is a national level research institute for genomic medicine in India. • It is located at Kalyani West Bengal, 50 km from Kolkata. • It has been established as an autonomous institution under the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India. • This is the first institution in India explicitly devoted to research, training, translation and service and capacity-building in biomedical genomics.

About Oral cancer- • India is the second country having the highest number of oral cancer cases. • It is the most prevalent form of cancer among men in India. • Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) dominates all the oral cancer cases with potentially malignant disorders, which is also recognized as a detectable pre-clinical phase of oral cancer. • It is fuelled by tobacco-chewing that causes changes in the genetic material of cells in the oral cavity. • Oral cancers preventions screened for and/or detected early and treated at an early stage. • When diagnosed early, the 5-year survival rate is above 80%, whereas it is less than 20-30% in the advanced stage of the disease. • Awareness initiatives and programs include comprehensive tobacco control legislation (COTPA, 2003) and ratification of WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) in 2004 by the Government of India.

165. Saturn’s moon Enceladus

In news- NASA’s Cassini spacecraft has detected an unusually high concentration of methane, along with carbon dioxide and dihydrogen, in the moons of Saturn.

Key updates- • The spacecraft has found that Titan has methane in its atmosphere and Enceladus has a liquid ocean with erupting plumes of gas and water. • An international research team has used new statistical methods to understand if methanogenesis or methane production by microbes could explain the molecular hydrogen and methane. • The team gave a set of conditions, including dihydrogen concentration and different temperatures to understand if microbes would grow. • It has opined that methane could be formed by the chemical breakdown of organic matter present in Enceladus’ core. • On Earth, hydrothermal vents on seafloors are known to release methane, but this happens at a very slow rate. • However, this hypothesis is plausible but only if Enceladus was formed through the accretion of organic- rich material from comets. • The results have suggested that methane production from hydrothermal vents is not sufficient to explain the high methane concentration detected by Cassini.

About Encledaus- • Enceladus is the sixth-largest moon of Saturn. • It is mostly covered by fresh, clean ice, making it one of the most reflective bodies of the Solar System. • It has a wide range of surface features, ranging from old, heavily cratered regions to young, tectonically deformed terrains.

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• It was discovered on August 28, 1789, by William Herschel, • The two Voyager spacecraft, Voyager 1 and Voyager 2, passed nearby in 1980 and 1981. • In 2005, the Cassini spacecraft started multiple close flybys of Enceladus, revealing its surface and environment in greater detail. • In particular, Cassini discovered water-rich plumes venting from the south polar region. • According to NASA scientists, the plumes are similar in composition to comets. • In 2014, NASA reported that Cassini found evidence for a large south polar subsurface ocean of liquid water with a thickness of around 10 km. • On June 7, 2021, astronomers reported detecting substantial amounts of methane, a possible sign of microbial life, on Enceladus.

About Titan moon- • Titan is larger than the planet Mercury and is the second largest moon in our solar system. • It is the only one moon in the solar system with a substantial atmosphere. • Titan’s atmosphere is made mostly of nitrogen, like Earth’s, but with a surface pressure 50 percent higher than Earth’s. • It is the only place besides Earth known to have liquids in the form of rivers, lakes and seas on its surface. • The largest seas are hundreds of feet deep and hundreds of miles wide. • Beneath Titan’s thick crust of water ice is more liquid, an ocean primarily of water rather than methane. • Titan has no known moon, but it’s possible for a moon to have moons. • Titan has no rings, while some of Saturn’s moons create rings around the planet. • Three other spacecraft - Pioneer 11, and Voyagers 1 and 2, studied Titan while flying by Saturn. • Titan’s air is dense enough that one could walk around without a spacesuit but an oxygen mask is needed.

166. Zika Virus case reported in Kerala

In news- Around 14 Zika Virus cases have been reported in Kerala recently.

About Zika Virus- • Zika virus disease is caused by a virus transmitted primarily by Aedes mosquitoes, which bite during the day. • The mosquito-borne flavivirus 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. • Outbreaks of Zika virus have been recorded in Africa, the Americas, Asia, and the Pacific. • The majority of people infected with Zika virus do not develop symptoms. However, symptoms are generally mild including fever, rash, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, malaise, and headache, and usually last for 2–7 days. • A major outbreak in Brazil in 2015 revealed that it can lead to severe birth defects when pregnant women are infected. • Zika virus is also associated with other complications during pregnancy, including preterm birth and miscarriage. • It results in microcephaly (smaller than normal head size) and other congenital malformations in the infant, collectively referred to as congenital Zika syndrome. • It can also be sexually transmitted. • There is no treatment available for Zika virus infection or its associated diseases and Vaccine trials are underway. • Deaths are extremely rare.

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• Zika virus infection is also a trigger of Guillain-Barré syndrome, neuropathy and myelitis, particularly in adults and older children. • India saw the first cases of Zika virus in May 2017 in Gujarat.

Prevention- • According to WHO, protection against mosquito bites during the day and early evening is a key measure to prevent Zika virus infection. • Special attention should be given to prevention of mosquito bites among pregnant women, women of reproductive age, and young children. • Personal protection measures include wearing clothing, using physical barriers such as window screens and closed doors and windows, and applying insect repellent to skin. • As Aedes mosquitoes breed in small collections of water it is important to eliminate these mosquito breeding sites.

167. Country's first LNG facility plant at Nagpur

In news- India’s first LNG Facility plant has been set up by Baidyanath Ayurvedic Group on Kamptee Road near Nagpur Jabalpur Highway, Maharashtra.

About LNG- • Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is natural gas, predominantly methane, with some mixture of ethane, propane and butane that has been cooled down to liquid form for ease and safety of non-pressurized storage or transport. • LNG is a clear, colourless and non-corrosive, non-toxic liquid which forms when natural gas is cooled to - 162ºC (-260ºF). • The cooling process shrinks the volume of the gas 600 times, making it easier and safer to store and ship. • In its liquid state, LNG will not ignite. • The "acidic" elements such as hydrogen sulphide (H2S) and carbon dioxide (CO2), together with oil, mud, water, and mercury, are removed from the gas to deliver a clean sweetened stream of gas. • LNG can be used to fuel internal combustion engines. • LNG competes directly with compressed natural gas as a fuel for natural gas vehicles since the engine is identical. • LNG offers a unique advantage over CNG for more demanding high-horsepower applications by eliminating the need for a turbocharger, thus being overall more efficient. • China has been a leader in the use of LNG vehicles and Japan, the world's largest importer of LNG.

Indian scenario- • India has set a target to raise the share of natural gas in the country's energy mix to 15% by 2030 from the current 6.3% to cut its carbon footprint. • To meet that target India's gas consumption needs to rise to 640 million standard cubic metres a day (mmscmd) from the current 155 mmscmd. • Indian companies are investing billions of dollars to strengthen gas infrastructure, including laying 15,000- kilometer pipelines to supply cleaner fuel to households and industries. • India currently has 17,000 kms of gas pipeline network. • Petronet LNG Ltd, an Indian oil and gas company is a joint venture promoted by the Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL), ONGC, Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOC) and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL). • It has set up the country's first LNG receiving and regasification terminal in Dahej, Gujarat, and another terminal in Kochi, Kerala.

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168. India’s first cryptogamic garden

In news- India’s first cryptogamic garden has been inaugurated in Uttarakhand’s Dehradun district.

Key updates- • It is located in the Chakrata town of Dehradun. • A garden at Deoban in Chakratahouses almost 76 different species of cryptogams, a primitive plant species found since the Jurassic era. • Because of its low pollution levels and moist conditions which are conducive for the growth of these species, Deoban is chosen. • Deoban also has pristine majestic forests of Deodar and Oak which create a natural habitat for cryptogamic species.

About Cryptogams- • A cryptogam (scientific name Cryptogamae) is a plant or a plant-like organism that reproduces by spores, without flowers or seeds. • "Cryptogamae" means "hidden reproduction", referring to the fact that no seed is produced. • Other names, such as "thallophytes", "lower plants", and "spore plants" are also occasionally used. • The best-known groups of cryptogams are algae, lichens, mosses and ferns, and also includes non- photosynthetic organisms traditionally classified as plants, such as fungi, slime molds, and bacteria. • Algae comprises the most primitive organisms which are predominantly aquatic, both in marine as well as freshwater habitats. • Ferns are the largest living group of primitive vascular plants while fungi is a kingdom of usually multicellular eukaryotic organisms that are heterotrophs. • Bryophytes are the simplest and primitive land plants that occupy an intermediate position between algae and pteridophytes. • Lichens are a complex life form that is a symbiotic partnership of two separate organisms, a fungus and an algae. • Cryptogams are considered among the best bioindicators, as they grow only at places without pollution and with ample soil moisture. • These species will just vanish even if there is the slightest deviation in the environmental indicators. • Not all cryptogams are treated as part of the plant kingdom; the fungi, in particular, are regarded as a separate kingdom, more closely related to animals than plants, while blue-green algae are now regarded as a phylum of bacteria. • The names of all cryptogams are regulated by the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants.

169. Maharashtra's mass drug administration against Lymphatic Filariasis

In news- The state government of Maharashtra has flagged off its mass drug administration drive for the elimination of lymphatic filariasis. With this, it became the first State in the country to resume giving rounds of the drug after the second wave of COVID-19.

About the MDA- • Mass Drug administration (MDA) is one of the two pillars of the National Programme for Elimination of Lymphatic Filariasis, under which anti-filaria drugs are administered to the eligible population once a year. • Everyone except pregnant women, children below five years and seriously ill people will be administered the drugs in the presence of health workers.

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• Triple-drug therapy is a new drug combination approved by the WHO, which has been proven to be more effective and helpful in reducing the number of MDA rounds needed to eliminate filariasis. • A combination of two drugs, diethylcarbamazine (DEC) and Albendazole, or three Ivermectin, DEC, and Albendazole will be administered during the drive.

About Lymphatic Filariasis- • Known as Elephantiasis, filariasis is the second most disabling disease after mental health according to WHO and is transmitted by infected mosquitoes. • It is a painful and profoundly disfiguring disease. • It is caused by infection with parasites classified as nematodes (roundworms) of the family Filarioidea that are transmitted through the bites of infected mosquitos. • 90% of cases are accounted for by WuchereriaBancrofti worms. • The rest of the remaining cases are caused by BrugiaMalayi and BrugiaTimori. • Mosquito-transmitted larvae are deposited on the skin from where they can enter the body. • The larvae then migrate to the lymphatic vessels where they develop into adult worms, thus continuing the cycle of transmission. • It is a neglected tropical disease. • Usually acquired in childhood, the infection damages the lymphatic system and if left untreated, causes enlargement of body parts. • Most cases are symptomless. • Rarely, long-term damage to the lymph system causes swelling in the legs, arms and genitalia. • It also increases the risk of frequent bacterial infections that harden and thicken the skin (elephantiasis). • India in the early 2010s, accounted for 40% of all the cases in the world. • Indian government introduced the Accelerated Lymph Filariasis Elimination Plan (APELF) in 2018.

Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (GPELF)- • In 2000, WHO established the GPELF to stop transmission of infection with mass drug administration (MDA) and to alleviate suffering among people affected by the disease through morbidity manage-ment and disability prevention (MMDP). • GPELF aims to reduce the prevalence of infection below target thresholds and to alleviate the suffering of people affected by lymphoedema and hydrocele, the chronic manifestations of the disease • The target set by GPELF in 2000 to eliminate LF as a public health problem globally by 2020 will not be achieved by then. • Despite setbacks due to COVID-19, WHO will accelerate work to achieve this target by 2030.

170. NASA's Viper mission

In news- NASA will launch its Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, or VIPER, in 2023 to get a closer view of the Moon's South Pole and evaluate the concentration of water as well as other potential resources on its surface.

Key updates- • NASA is undertaking the mission to understand if it is possible for human life to sustain on the Moon, by using locally available resources. • The VIPER mobile robot is NASA’s first mobile robotic mission to the Moon, and the first resource mapping mission on any other celestial body. • NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) will be providing the launch vehicle and lander and it is going to be a 100-day mission. • VIPER measures 5 feet by 5 feet and weighs 430 kilograms.

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• VIPER will be the largest and heaviest payload delivered by a CLPS provider. • The Moon rover will directly analyse the water ice on the surface and sub-surface of the celestial body. • The VIPER will also evaluate the same at varying depths and temperatures within four main soil environments on the moon. • It will transmit the data to Earth which will then be utilised in the creation of resource maps. • It will also help scientists determine the location and concentration of frozen water on the Moon and varied forms such as ice crystals or molecules chemically bound to other materials. • VIPER’s findings will inform future landing sites under the Artemis program by helping to determine locations where water and other resources can be harvested to sustain humans over extended stays.

171. Vaccine booster shots

In news- Recently, Pfizer has reached out to US regulators to authorise a booster dose of its Covid-19 vaccine within the next month.

What is a vaccine booster? • Vaccine booster shot is a means of strengthening one’s immune system against a particular pathogen. • It may be exactly the same original vaccine, in which case its goal is to increase the magnitude of protection by producing more antibodies. • The shot i.e or altered genetic blueprint of the germ triggers one’s immune system to attack the foreign organism like it would if you actually got the disease.

What does a Vaccine booster do? • It gives the memory cells the crucial signal to re-engage when the virus attacks. • This can be useful whether the booster contains the original vaccine or something different. • If it contains the original one, it’ll amplify the signal, increasing the number of antibodies produced • If it contains a tweaked recipe, it will train the cells to recognise new features of the virus and produce antibodies, should one be exposed to a newer variant.

When and who needs it? • The booster shots are only for the fully-vaccinated. • These boosters will be particularly helpful for the elderly and immuno-compromised people whose bodies were unable to mount a robust protection against the virus following the first two shots. • If there are studies showing that a new variant can sneak past the antibodies created by a specific vaccine, the need of a tweaked booster shot arises then. • Studies have shown that a person getting a booster shot does not necessarily have to opt for the same vaccine he had taken originally. • Countries like the United Arab Emirates, Thailand or Bahrain which had inoculated most of its population with the Oxford Astrazeneca doses have already decided to offer a booster shot. • Even the United Kingdom which has approved the Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson and Oxford AstraZeneca vaccines is already planning to give out boosters to those aged 50 and above before the winter.

172. Acute encephalitis syndrome (AES)

In news- Bihar has performed well in providing tap water supply to rural households in its 15 JE-AES priority districts.

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Key updates- • The five states with JE-AES-affected priority districts are Assam, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. • The Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) has provided tap water supply to more than 97 lakh households in 61 Japanese Encephalitis-Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (JE-AES) affected priority districts in five states. • As many as 61 high priority districts in five States are identified for strengthening prevention and control measures through five Union ministries with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare as the nodal ministry.

What is Japanese Encephalitis-Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (JE-AES)? • It is characterized as acute-onset of fever and a change in mental status (mental confusion, disorientation, delirium, or coma) and/or new-onset of seizures in a person of any age at any time of the year. • The disease most commonly affects children and young adults and can lead to considerable morbidity and mortality. • Viruses are the main causative agents in AES cases, although other sources such as bacteria, fungus, parasites, spirochetes, chemicals, toxins and noninfectious agents have also been reported over the past few decades. • AES due to JEV was clinically diagnosed in India for the first time in 1955 in the southern State of Madras, now Tamil Nadu. • The outbreak of JE usually coincides with the monsoon and post monsoon period when the density of mosquitoes increases while encephalitis due to other viruses especially entero-viruses occurs throughout the year as it is a water borne disease. • In India, AES outbreaks in north and eastern India have been linked to children eating unripe litchi fruit on empty stomachs. • Unripe fruit contain the toxins hypoglycin and methylenecyclopropylglycine (MCPG), which cause vomiting if ingested in large quantities. • AES, known locally as ‘chamki bukhar’, was the leading cause of deaths of many children in Muzaffarpur and adjoining districts of north Bihar during the last 25 years. • Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is the major cause of AES in India (ranging from 5%-35%). • Herpes simplex virus, Influenza A virus, West Nile virus, Chandipura virus, mumps, measles, dengue, Parvovirus B4, enteroviruses, Epstein-Barr virus and scrub typhus, S.pneumoniae are the other causes of AES in sporadic and outbreak form in India. • Nipah virus, Zika virus are also found as causative agents for AES. • AES can be treated using antibiotics, antiviral medication, and supportive care. • Other measures include ensuring children eat cooked meals before going to bed and keeping children under parental supervision so that they can prevent them from eating unripe and too many litchis.

173. India’s single largest solar park at Rann of Kutch

In news- NTPC Renewable Energy Ltd (NTPC REL) will set up a 4750 MW renewable energy park at Rann of Kutch in Khavada, Gujarat.

Key updates- • Once set up, it will be India’s largest solar park. • NTPC REL has been given the go-ahead by MNRE under Mode 8 (Ultra Mega Renewable Energy Power Park) of Solar Park Scheme. • NTPC REL has plans to generate green hydrogen on a commercial scale from this park. • NTPC Ltd, India’s largest energy integrated company aims to build 60 GW Renewable Energy Capacity by 2032. 105 www.journalsofindia.com January to July 2021

• Currently, it has an installed capacity of 66 GW across 70 power projects with an additional 18 GW under construction. • NTPC has also commissioned India’s largest Floating Solar plant of 10 MW on the reservoir of Simhadri Thermal Power Plant, Andhra Pradesh. • NTPC REL has also inked a pact with the Union territory of Ladakh to set up a green hydrogen mobility project in the region. • The signing of the MoU was marked with the inauguration of NTPC’s first solar installations in Leh in the form of solar trees and a solar carport. • NTPC has planned to ply 5 hydrogen buses, to start with, in the region and the company will be setting up a solar plant and a green hydrogen generation unit in Leh. • This will put Leh as the first city in the country to implement a green hydrogen based mobility project.

NTPC Renewable Energy Ltd (NTPC REL)- • It is the subsidiary of NTPC Ltd, India’s largest energy conglomerate. • In August, 2020, NTPC had received the approval from NITI Aayog and the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) to set up a wholly-owned company for its renewable energy business. • It had entered into an agreement with Greenko to explore energy storage and renewable energy (RE) power supply solutions. • The objective of the partnership is to explore the possibility of development of renewable energy-based round-the-clock, flexible and dispatchable power supply offerings based on the integration of renewable sources and pumped storage projects. • NTPC has a target to generate nearly 30 percent of its overall power capacity from renewable energy sources by 2032. • Besides, it will have 32 GW of solar power, 5 GW of hydropower and 2 GW of nuclear energy by 2032, taking the total clean energy capacity to 39 GW. • The present installed capacity of NTPC Group is 62.9 GW (including 11.75 GW through JVs/subsidiaries) comprising 45 NTPC Stations and 25 Joint Venture stations (9 coal-based, 4 gas-based, 8 hydro, 1 small hydro 2 wind and 1 Solar PV).

174. UV-C technology and its effect on Coronavirus

In news- Union Minister of State for Science and Technology said that UV-C Disinfection Technology will soon be installed in Parliament for the “mitigation of airborne transmission of SARS-COV-2’’.

Key updates- • The UV-C air duct disinfection system was developed by CSIR-CSIO (Central Scientific Instruments Organisation). • The system is designed to fit into any existing air-ducts and the virucidal dosages using UV-C intensity and residence time can be optimised according to the existing space. • The virus is deactivated in any aerosol particles by the calibrated levels of UV-C light. • It can be used in auditoriums, malls, educational Institutions, AC buses, and in railways. • The technology will first be installed in the Central Hall, Lok Sabha Chamber and Committee Rooms 62 and 63.

What is UV? • Ultraviolet (UV) is a type of radiation naturally emitted by the Sun in a wavelength range of 100-400 nm. • It is divided into three bands: UV-C (100-280 nm), UV-B (280-315 nm) and UV-A (315-400 nm).

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• UV-A and UV-B rays from the Sun are transmitted through our atmosphere and all UV-C is filtered by the ozone layer. • UV-B rays can only reach the outer layer of skin or epidermis and can cause sunburns and are also associated with skin cancer. • UV-A rays can penetrate the middle layer of skin or the dermis and can cause aging of skin cells and indirect damage to cells’ DNA. • UV-C radiation has been used for decades to disinfect the air, water, and non-porous surfaces in hospitals, laboratories. • But these conventional germicidal treatments are done in unoccupied rooms as they can cause skin burns and eye injuries. • A paper published in June 2020 in Scientific Reports noted that UV-C radiation can destroy the outer protein coating of the SARS-Coronavirus. • An in-vitro experiment conducted by Hiroshima University researchers showed that 99.7% of SARS-CoV-2 viral culture was killed when exposed to 222 nm UV-C irradiation at 0.1 mW/cm2 for 30-seconds. • Researchers from the IIT, Kanpur, who developed a portable disinfectant device that used UV-C radiation (222-254 nm), noted that the device was specifically developed to disinfect non-living things. • As viruses and bacteria are much smaller than human cells, far-UVC light can reach their DNA and kill them. • However, the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) has said that the effectiveness of UV-C against the SARS-CoV-2 virus is unknown.

175. Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS)

In news- The US Food and Drug Administration has warned that the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines may increase the risk of Guillain-Barre syndrome.

Key updates- • The syndrome is most likely to appear within 42 days of vaccination. • It was mainly reported in men, many of whom were 50 or older. • This is not the first vaccine that has been linked to Guillain-Barré, although the risk appears to be tiny. • A large swine flu vaccination campaign in 1976 led to a small uptick in the incidence of syndrome.

About Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS)- • Guillain-Barré is a rare neurological illness in which the body’s immune system attacks nerve cells in the peripheral nervous system (PNS). • It can cause muscle weakness and paralysis. • Although the symptoms often pass within weeks in some cases, the condition can cause permanent nerve damage. • If the nerves are damaged, muscles will not be able to respond to the signals they receive from the brain. • It is most common in adults over 50. • The cause of Guillain-Barré syndrome is unknown but is typically triggered by an infectious illness, such as gastroenteritis (irritation of the stomach or intestines) or a lung infection. • There’s no cure for the condition, but treatment can help reduce the severity of symptoms and shorten the duration of the illness.

176. Chemotaxis by E.coli

In news- Recently, scientists tracked the behaviour of Intestinal Bacteria-E-coli.

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Key findings of the study- • The study was conducted by the scientists from S. N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences, an Autonomous Research Institute established under the Department of Science and Technology, Govt. of India. • They have theoretically shown that there is an optimum size of the receptor clusters at which the E.coli cell shows the best-directed motion guided by chemical signals received from its environment. • To quantify performance, they measured how fast the cell climbs up the concentration gradient or how strongly the cell is able to localize in the nutrient-rich region. • According to the team, good performance also means a strong ability of the cell to distinguish between nutrient-rich and nutrient-depleted regions in space. • According to the present study, as cluster size increases, sensing is enhanced, which improves chemotactic performance.

The study can improve understanding of chemotactic behavior, particularly of an organism forming the bulk of bacterial samples for experiments owing to its ability to replicate fast and adapt easily to change in its environment. The new finding will help track behavior of E-Coli bacteria in response to chemical signals. The response of E-Coli to chemicals in the intestine bacteria plays a crucial role in the functioning of the human intestine

What is Chemotaxis? • It is the movement of an organism or entity in response to a chemical stimulus. • Somatic cells, bacteria, and other single-cell or multicellular organisms direct their movements according to certain chemicals in their environment. • This is important for bacteria to find food (e.g., glucose) by swimming toward the highest concentration of food molecules, or to flee from poisons (e.g., phenol). • Many organisms in nature respond to the chemical signal received from their environment by showing bodily motion or as chemotaxis. • White blood cells that are needed for healing injuries find the site of injury or inflammation by chemotaxis. • Butterflies also track flowers, and male insects reach their targets by using chemotaxis. • In multicellular organisms, chemotaxis is critical to early development (e.g., movement of sperm towards the egg during fertilization) and subsequent phases of development as well as in normal function and health (e.g., migration of leukocytes during injury or infection).

Escherichia coli (E.coli)- • E. coli is a Gram-negative, facultative anaerobic, rod-shaped, coliform bacteria of the genus Escherichia that is commonly found in the lower intestine of warm-blooded organisms. • It is transmitted to humans primarily through consumption of contaminated foods, such as raw or undercooked ground meat products, raw milk, and contaminated raw vegetables and sprouts. • Most E.coli strains are harmless, but some can cause serious food poisoning. • Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) is a bacterium that can cause severe foodborne disease. • Primary sources of STEC outbreaks are raw or undercooked ground meat products, raw milk, and faecal contamination of vegetables. • In most cases, the illness is self-limiting, but it may lead to a life-threatening disease including haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS), especially in young children and the elderly. • E.coli bacteria show chemotaxis in response to different chemicals present in the human gastrointestinal tract. • E. coli cells swim toward amino acids (serine and aspartic acid), sugars (maltose, ribose, galactose, glucose), dipeptides, pyrimidines and electron acceptors (oxygen, nitrate, fumarate). • E.coli uses its run-and-tumble motion to migrate towards the region with more nutrients.

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177. Sub-orbital space flight

In news- Recently, a six member crew aboard Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity spaceship completed a brief trip to the “edge of space” which is known as Suborbital Flight.

About Suborbital Space Flight- • Virgin Group founder Richard Branson and five others undertook a brief trip to the “edge of space”, taking off on the VSS Unity spaceship from New Mexico and reaching an altitude of 85 km from Earth before returning. • This trip is called a “suborbital flight”. • Branson’s flight was first carried off the ground by a larger aeroplane to an altitude of around 15 km. • From here, the vehicle blasted off the plane, achieving a height of around 85 km, where it momentarily reached zero vertical velocity. • These are suborbital flights, because they will not be travelling fast enough to orbit Earth once they reach there.

What is Suborbital? • Suborbital means that while these vehicles will cross the ill-defined boundary of space, they will not be going fast enough to stay in space once they get there. • If a spacecraft – or anything else, for that matter reaches a speed of 28,000 km/h or more, instead of falling back to the ground, it will continuously fall around the Earth. • That continuous falling is what it means to be in orbit and is how satellites and the Moon stay above Earth. • Anything that launches to space but does not have sufficient horizontal velocity to stay in space, like these rockets – comes back to Earth and therefore flies a suborbital trajectory.

The Suborbital flights would be far less expensive than carrying experiments and people to the International Space Station. They could also be an alternative to parabolic flights in aeroplanes that space agencies currently use to simulate zero gravity.

More information- Unity 22 mission - JournalsOfIndia

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178. Hubble telescope

In news- NASA has planned to fix a glitch that had stopped the Hubble space telescope from being used for science work for more than a month. The safe mode was activated after an onboard computer halted on 13 June, leading to all non-essential systems being shut down.

About the telescope- • Named after the astronomer Edwin Hubble, the observatory is the first major optical telescope to be placed in space. • It was launched by Discovery in April 1990. • It has a 7.9 feet mirror, and captures images of deep space playing a major role in helping astronomers understand the universe by observing the most distant stars, galaxies and planets. • It was not the first space telescope, but is one of the largest and most versatile. • Its four main instruments observe in the ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. • It was built by NASA with contributions from the European Space Agency. • The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) selects Hubble's targets and processes the resulting data, while the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) controls the spacecraft. • Hubble is the only telescope designed to be maintained in space by astronauts. • One successor to the Hubble telescope is the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) which is scheduled to be launched in late 2021.

179. US plan to transmit the internet in Cuba via high-altitude balloons

In news- US plans to transmit the Internet to people in Cuba via high-altitude balloons when their government has blocked access.

Key updates- • From December 2018, Cubans are getting Internet access on their phones through the state telecom monopoly. • But the Cuban government restricts independent media and censors what’s available to Cubans online.

Project Loon- • Started in 2011 by Alphabet, the parent company of Google. • The system aimed to bring Internet access to remote and rural areas poorly served by existing provisions, and to improve communication during natural disasters to affected regions. • The Loon balloons were effectively cell towers the size of a tennis court. • The balloons are maneuvered by adjusting their altitude in the stratosphere to float to a wind layer after identifying the wind layer with the desired speed and direction using wind data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). • Users of the service connect to the balloon network using a special Internet antenna attached to their building. • The signal travels through the balloon network from balloon to balloon, then to a ground-based station connected to an Internet service provider (ISP), then into the global Internet. • They floated 60,000 to 75,000 feet above the Earth. • They were made of the plastic polyethylene, and the balloons used solar panels for electricity and could deliver service to smartphones in partnership with a local telecom. • Though each balloon could serve thousands of people, they had to be replaced every five months or so because of the harsh conditions in the stratosphere. • Navigating balloons through the stratosphere was also considered difficult. 110 www.journalsofindia.com January to July 2021

• The project shut down in January, 2021 as it wasn’t commercially viable. • Some of the technology developed by Loon LLC lives on as Project Taara. • Following the shutdown of the Project Loon, Project Taara which started its pan-African rollout in Kenya will continue to provide high-speed internet to unconnected and under-connected communities in Kenya.

However, according to the experts, it would not be that easy to set up a guerrilla Internet service for Cuba through balloons. It would need an unused band of spectrum, or radio frequencies, to transmit a connection to Cuba, and spectrum use is typically controlled by national governments.

180. Shreya Singhal case

In news- The Supreme Court recently termed the continued use of Section 66A of the Information Technology Act, 2000 by law enforcement agencies of various states as “a shocking state of affairs”.

Key updates- • The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has requested States and Union Territories (UTs) to direct all police stations under their jurisdiction not to register cases under the repealed Section 66A of the Information Technology Act, 2000. • It has also requested that if any case has been booked in States and UTs under Section 66A of the IT Act, 2000, such cases should be immediately withdrawn.

More information- • In 2015, the Supreme court had struck down Section 66A in the landmark case Shreya Singhal v. Union of India. • The court had called it “open-ended and unconstitutionally vague”, and thus expanded the contours of free speech to the Internet. • Section 66A, introduced in 2008, the amendment to the IT Act, 2000, gave the government power to arrest and imprison an individual for allegedly “offensive and menacing” online posts. • It was passed without discussion in Parliament. • It empowered police to make arrests over what policemen, in terms of their subjective discretion, could construe as “offensive” or “menacing” or for the purposes of causing annoyance, inconvenience, etc. • It prescribed the punishment for sending messages through a computer or any other communication device like a mobile phone or a tablet, and a conviction could fetch a maximum of three years in jail. • The word “offensive”, having a very wide connotation, was open to distinctive, varied interpretations. • It was seen as subjective, and what might have been innocuous for one person, could lead to a complaint from someone else and, consequently, an arrest under Section 66A if the police prima facie accepted the latter person’s view. • The first petition came up in the court following the arrest of two girls in Maharashtra in November 2012 over a Facebook post in which they made comments on the shutdown of Mumbai for the funeral of Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray. • The petition was filed by Shreya Singhal, then a 21-year-old law student. • Activist Aseem Trivedi was arrested for drawing cartoons lampooning Parliament and the Constitution to depict their ineffectiveness. • On March 24, 2015, a bench of Justices J. Chelameswar and R.F. Nariman ruled in Shreya Singhal v. The Union of India declared Section 66A unconstitutional on grounds of violating the freedom of speech guaranteed under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution of India. • The Court held that the Section was not saved by virtue of being a ‘reasonable restriction’ on the freedom of speech under Article 19(2).

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• It also held that the prohibition against the dissemination of information by means of a computer resource or a communication device intended to cause annoyance, inconvenience or insult did not fall within any reasonable exceptions to the exercise of the right to freedom of expression. • The apex Court also read down Section 79 and Rules under the Section that held that online intermediaries would only be obligated to take down content on receiving an order from a court or government authority.

181. NEA Scout spacecraft

In news- NASA recently announced that its new spacecraft NEA Scout, has completed all required tests and has been safely tucked inside the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket.

About the Near-Earth Asteroid Scout (NEA Scout) spacecraft- • NEA Scout is one of several payloads that will hitch a ride on Artemis I, which is expected to be launched in November, 2021. • Artemis I will be an uncrewed testflight of the Orion spacecraft and SLS rocket. • NEA Scout is a miniaturized spacecraft, known as a CubeSat, developed under NASA’s Advanced Exploration Systems Program. • CubeSats are miniaturized spacecraft with great potential for space-based science, exploration, engineering support, Earth observation, and relay communication. • It is about the size of a big shoebox. • It will serve as a robotic reconnaissance mission to fly by and return data from an asteroid representative of near-Earth asteroids. • It will use stainless steel alloy booms and deploy an aluminum-coated sail measuring 925 square feet. • The spacecraft will take about two years to cruise to the asteroid and will be about 93 million miles away from Earth during the asteroid encounter. • It is equipped with special cameras and can take pictures ranging from 50 cm/pixels to 10 cm/pixels. • It can also process the image and reduce the file sizes before sending them to the earth-based Deep Space Network via its medium-gain antenna. • It will deploy from the Space Launch System after the Orion spacecraft is separated from the upper stage. • It will be America’s first interplanetary mission using a special solar sail propulsion.

182. Monkey B virus

In news- China reported the first human infection case with Monkey B virus (BV).

About the virus- • The virus, initially isolated in 1932, is an alphaherpesvirus enzootic in macaques of the genus Macaca. • B virus is the only identified old-world-monkey herpesvirus that displays severe pathogenicity in humans. • The United States' Centre for Disease Control (CDC) has said that since its first detection, it has infected just 50 people and only 21 of them died. • The infection can be transmitted via direct contact and exchange of bodily secretions of monkeys. • It has a fatality rate of 70 to 80 percent. • Macaque monkeys commonly have this virus, and it can be found in their saliva, feces, urine or brain or spinal cord tissue. • The virus may also be found in cells coming from an infected monkey in a lab. • B virus can survive for hours on surfaces, particularly when moist. • Humans can get infected if they are bitten or scratched by an infected monkey, get an infected monkey’s tissue or fluid on broken skin or in eyes, nose, or mouth, or get exposed to the brain (especially), spinal cord, or skull of an infected monkey. 112 www.journalsofindia.com January to July 2021

• Though symptoms typically start within one month of being exposed to B virus, it could appear in as little as three to seven days. • The first indications of B virus infection are typically flu-like symptoms such as fever and chills, muscle ache, fatigue and headache, following which an infected person may develop small blisters in the wound or area on the body that came in contact with the monkey. • Some other symptoms of the infection include shortness of breath, nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain and hiccups. • Currently, there are no vaccines that can protect against B virus infection. • Till date, only one case has been documented of an infected person spreading B virus to another person.

183. Oxygen Rationing Device – AMLEX

In news- To increase the life of medical oxygen cylinders three fold, the Indian Institute of Technology, Ropar has developed a first-of-its-kind Oxygen Rationing Device – AMLEX.

About AMLEX- • AMLEX supplies a required volume of oxygen to the patient during inhalation and trips when the patient exhales CO2. • So far, during exhalation, the oxygen in the oxygen cylinder/pipe is pushed out along with the exhaled CO2 by the user. • This leads to wastage of a large volume of oxygen in the long run. • In addition to this, a large volume of oxygen escapes from the openings of the mask to the environment in the resting period (between inhalation and exhalation) due to its continuous flow in the mask. • The AMLEX can be easily connected between the oxygen supply line and the mask worn by the patient. • The device can operate on both portable power supply (battery) as well as line supply (220V-50Hz). • It uses a sensor which senses and successfully detects inhalation and exhalation of the user in any environmental condition. • It works with any commercially available oxygen therapy masks having multiple openings for air flow. • It can be easily connected between the oxygen supply line at its two input and output connectors. • Standard sized connectors make the device handy and ready to use without the requirement of any additional set-up.

184. High Strength Beta Titanium Alloy

In news- Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has indigenously developed a High Strength Metastable Beta Titanium Alloy on industrial scale for applications in aerospace structural forgings.

Key updates- • The alloy contains Vanadium, Iron and Aluminium (Ti-10V-2Fe-3Al). • It has been developed by Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory (DMRL), a Hyderabad based laboratory of DRDO. • These alloys are already being used by many developed nations in recent times as a beneficial substitute for the relatively heavier traditional Ni-Cr-Mo structural steels to achieve weight savings. • The high strength beta titanium alloys are unique due to their higher strength, ductility, fatigue, and fracture toughness. • Its lower lifetime cost, owing to superior corrosion resistance in comparison to steels, is an effective trade- off to justify its use in aerospace structural forgings • The Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) has identified over 15 steel components that may be replaced by Metastable Beta Titanium alloy forgings in the near future with a potential of 40 percent weight savings. 113 www.journalsofindia.com January to July 2021

About Titanium alloy- • Titanium alloys are alloys that contain a mixture of titanium and other chemical elements. • Such alloys have very high tensile strength and toughness. • They are light in weight, have extraordinary corrosion resistance and the ability to withstand extreme temperatures. • The high cost of both raw materials and processing limit their use to military applications, aircraft, spacecraft, bicycles, medical devices, jewelry, highly stressed components such as connecting rods on expensive sports cars and some premium sports equipment and consumer electronics. • “Commercially pure" titanium has acceptable mechanical properties and has been used for orthopedic and dental implants. • For most applications titanium is alloyed with small amounts of aluminium and vanadium, typically 6% and 4% respectively, by weight. • This mixture has a solid solubility which varies dramatically with temperature, allowing it to undergo precipitation strengthening.

185. Space rice

In news- Recently, China has harvested the first batch of Space rice.

More about space rice- • Space rice was harvested from seeds that went on a 23-day lunar voyage with China's Chang'e-5 mission. • After being exposed to cosmic radiation and zero gravity, these seeds weighing around 40 gram returned and were harvested at the space breeding research centre of the South China Agricultural University in Guangdong province. • Their length is now about 1 centimeter. • Its first crop has been brought to the earth in the form of seeds. • Rice seeds exposed to the environment in Space may mutate and produce higher yields once planted on Earth. • This space rice is also hailed as "rice from heaven” and will take at least three to four years before entering the market. History of China’s experiment- • China has been taking seeds of rice and other crops to Space since 1987. • More than 200 Space plant varieties, including cotton and tomatoes, have been approved for planting. • In 2018, the total plantation area for space crops approved in China reached more than 2.4 million hectares. Chang'e-5- • It is the fifth lunar exploration mission of the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program, and China's first lunar sample-return mission. • It is named after the Chinese moon goddess Chang'e. • Chang'e-5 mission is the first lunar sample-return mission conducted by humanity in over four decades since the Soviet Union's Luna 24 in 1976.

186. H5N1 avian influenza

In news- On July 21, an 11-year-old boy died of H5N1 avian influenza in Delhi, which is the first recorded death due to the bird flu in India this year.

About Avian influenza/ Bird flu- • It is a disease caused by avian influenza Type A viruses found naturally in wild birds worldwide.

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• The virus can infect domestic poultry including chickens, ducks, turkeys and there have been reports of H5N1 infection among pigs, cats, and even tigers in Thailand. • Avian Influenza type A viruses are classified based on two proteins on their surfaces – Hemagglutinin(HA) and Neuraminidase(NA). • There are about 18 HA subtypes and 11 NA subtypes. • There have been reports of avian and swine influenza infections in humans including A(H1N1), A(H1N2), A(H5N1), A(H7N9), etc... • The first report of human H5N1 infection was in 1997 and currently, over 700 human cases of Asian Highly Pathogenic Asian Avian Influenza A (HPAI) H5N1 virus have been reported to the World Health Organisation from 16 countries. • The infection is deadly as it has a high mortality rate of about 60%. • The most common route of virus transmission is direct contact — when a person comes in close contact with infected birds, either dead or alive. • The flu spreads from the saliva, mucus and faeces of the infected birds. • Humans can also be affected if they come in contact with contaminated surfaces or air near the infected poultry. • The transmission of the virus from birds to humans is rare and sustained human-to-human transmission has not yet been established. • There is no sufficient evidence suggesting the spread of the virus through properly cooked meat. • Signs and symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, muscle aches, nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, Severe respiratory illness and Neurological changes. • Children and adults below 40 were seen to be the most affected and mortality was high in 10-19 years olds.

187. Akash-NG missile

In news- DRDO successfully flight-tested surface-to-air missile Akash-NG off the coast of Odisha recently.

About New Generation Akash Missile (Akash-NG)- • The missile system has been developed by Defence Research & Development Laboratory (DRDL), Hyderabad in collaboration with other DRDO laboratories. • Akash-NG can strike targets at a distance of around 60 km and fly at a speed of up to Mach 2.5. • This is now being improved into the Akash-NG, which is engineered to shoot down extremely high- performing fighter aircraft or high-manoeuvring, low radar cross-section aerial threats. • The Akash-NG detects enemy fighters at ranges out to 80 km and initiates the launch sequence. • The Akash-NG rocket has been re-engineered comprehensively and brought down from the legacy Akash’s 700 kg to a sleek 350 kg. • The IAF earlier inducted seven units of the Akash missile, while the army has inducted two and has another two on order. • Bharat Electronics Limited builds the Akash missile system for the IAF, while Bharat Dynamics Limited is the prime integrator for the army. • The MoD earlier announced that indigenisation levels in the Akash are above 96 per cent. • The IAF has part-funded the development of the Akash-NG. Two key improvements to the current Akash missile have transformed it into the Akash-NG- 1. The first is a brand new, two-pulse, solid rocket motor that replaces the old ramjet on the legacy Akash missile. The new motor not just reaches out to 30 kilometres (km), but also generates a high terminal velocity to strike even the fastest and most agile enemy fighters. 2. The second major change in the Akash-NG is its new seeker head developed by the DRDO laboratory, Research Centre Imarat (RCI). The seeker locks onto the enemy aircraft and continuously guides the Akash- NG to impact with the target. 115 www.journalsofindia.com January to July 2021

More about Akash Missile system- • AKASH is a Short Range Surface to Air Missile system to protect vulnerable areas and vulnerable points from air attacks(25 Kms). • The missile was inducted in 2014 in IAF and in 2015 in Indian Army. • AKASH Weapon System can simultaneously engage Multiple Targets in Group Mode or Autonomous Mode. • It has built in Electronic Counter-CounterMeasures (ECCM) features. • The entire weapon system has been configured on mobile platforms. • The all-weather missile can engage targets at a speed 2.5 times more than the speed of sound and can detect and destroy targets flying at low, medium and high altitudes. • Akash uses a ramjet propulsion system which can intercept the target at supersonic speed without deceleration. • It has been designed and developed as part of India’s 30-year-old integrated guided-missile development programme (IGMDP) which also includes other missiles like Nag, Agni, Trishul and Prithvi. • The missile has a launch weight of 720 kg, length of 5.8 m and a diameter of 350 mm and can carry a warhead of 50-60kg. • The nuclear-capable missile can fly at a speed of up to Mach 2.5 (nearly 860 meter per second) at a maximum height of 18 km. • It can strike enemy aerial targets like fighter jets, drones, cruise missiles, air-to-surface missiles as well as ballistic missiles from a distance of 30 km. • The missile is supported by the indigenously developed radar called ‘Rajendra’ that can handle highly- manoeuvring multiple targets from multiple directions in group or autonomous mode. • The missile is reportedly cheaper and more accurate than US’ Patriot missiles due to its solid-fuel technology and high-tech radars.

188. Phase-2 of I-STEM

In news- The I-STEM project has been accorded an extension for five years until 2026 and enters its second phase with added features.

Phase II of the Indian Science Technology and Engineering facilities Map (I-STEM)- • Under Phase II, the portal will host indigenous technology products listed through a digital catalogue. • The portal will also provide a platform for the various City Knowledge and Innovation Clusters supported by the Office of Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to enhance effective use of R&D infrastructure through leveraging collaboration and partnership built on a shared STI ecosystem. • It will also host and provide access to selected R&D software required to undertake research projects by students and scientists. • The I-STEM portal in its new phase will be designed as a dynamic digital platform that will provide a boost to research and innovation especially for 2 tier and 3 tier cities and also for the emerging start-up ecosystem.

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About I-STEM- • I-STEM is the national web portal for sharing R&D facilities and was formally launched in January 2020. • It is an initiative of Office of PSA, GOI under the aegis of Prime Minister Science, Technology and Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC) mission. • I-STEM portal facilitates researchers to access slots for the use of equipment, as well as to share the details of the outcomes, such as, patents, publications and technologies. • Goal is to strengthen the R&D ecosystem of the country by connecting researchers with resources, in part by promoting technologies and scientific equipment development indigenously, and providing necessary supplies and support to researchers by enabling them an access to existing publicly funded R&D facilities in the country.

Prime Minister’s Science, Technology, and Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC)- • It is an overarching Council that facilitates the Principal Scientific Adviser’s Office to assess the status in specific science and technology domains, comprehend challenges in hand, formulate specific interventions, develop a futuristic roadmap and advise the Prime Minister accordingly. • The PM-STIAC Secretariat is based at Invest India and provides support to the Office of the PSA on project management and monitoring of the aforesaid interventions and national missions.

Nine Missions under PMSTIAC- • Natural language translation. • Quantum Frontier. • Artificial Intelligence. • National Biodiversity. • Bioscience for Human Health. • Waste to wealth. • Deep Ocean exploration. • AGNIi.

189. Monkeypox

In news- A rare case of monkeypox was detected in Texas, USA recently.

About the Monkeypox- • Monkeypox is a viral zoonotic disease, caused by monkeypox virus, a member of the Orthopoxvirus genus in the family Poxviridae and belongs to the same family of viruses as smallpox. • It was first discovered in 1958 when two outbreaks of a pox-like disease were recorded in colonies of monkeys kept for research. • The first case of monkeypox in humans was recorded in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of Congo during a period of intensified effort to eliminate smallpox. • It is a rare but potentially serious viral illness that is characterised by flu-like symptoms and swelling of the lymph nodes. • The condition gradually progresses to a widespread rash all over the face and body. • It is mostly transmitted to people from wild animals such as rodents and primates, but human-to-human transmission also occurs by contact with lesions, body fluids, respiratory droplets and contaminated materials such as bedding. • Eating inadequately cooked meat and other animal products of infected animals is a possible risk factor. • Scientists have so far discovered two distinct genetic groups of monkeypox virus -- Central African and West African. • A new third generation vaccinia vaccine has now been approved for prevention of smallpox and monkeypox. 117 www.journalsofindia.com January to July 2021

• Smallpox had a higher fatality rate than monkeypox. • The most recent case detected in the US has been infected by the type of virus found in parts of West Africa, including Nigeria. • The United Kingdom, Israel and Singapore have also recorded cases of monkeypox in passengers, all of whom were returning from Nigeria.

190. Nauka' module of Russia

In news- Russia's new 'Nauka' laboratory module meant for the International Space Station(ISS) blasted off recently aboard the Proton rocket.

More information- • Nauka is a 42-feet-long module weighing 20 tonnes. • It was set to launch in 2007 but was reportedly delayed due to technical issues. • ‘Nauka’ in Russian means Science. • It is Russia's most ambitious research facility in space and is fitted with an oxygen generator, robotic cargo crane, a toilet and a bed for Russian astronauts. • The Russian module will initially be used as a docking facility and for conducting experiments as the crew works in it. • The multipurpose laboratory’s active docking port and airlock which will be handled by the European Robotic Arm. • It will also provide astronauts with additional cargo storage space including oxygen regeneration equipment. • The high-tech research lab is attached to the Zvezda module and the lab will serve the Russian segment of the space station. • It replaced the Pirs module after the latter got detached from the ISS.

About Pirs module- • Pirs, a Russian module on the ISS was launched in 2001. • It was used as a docking port for spacecraft and as a door for cosmonauts to go out on spacewalks. • It is the biggest space laboratory Russia has launched to date. • It was pulled away from the ISS using a Progress MS-16/77P cargo ship, which had remained docked to the module since February. • It is the first permanent ISS module to be decommissioned, and burned up and disintegrated during atmospheric re-entry over the Southern Pacific.

191. Chandrayaan-3

In news- India is likely to launch its third mission to the moon, Chandrayaan-3, in the third quarter of 2022.

Key updates- • The Chandrayaan-3 mission has been planned as only a lander-rover mission to demonstrate India’s capability of soft landing on a celestial body. • It will communicate with Earth via the existing orbiter from Chandrayaan-2 whose lifespan has been estimated to be seven years. • The mission was announced just a few months after the Vikram lander aboard Chandrayaan-2 mission crash-landed on the lunar surface just 2.1 km from its goal in September 2019.

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• The realisation of Chandrayaan-3 involves various processes, including finalisation of configuration, subsystem realisation (manufacturing), integration, spacecraft-level detailed testing and a number of special tests to evaluate the systems performance on Earth.

Chandrayaan program- • Chandrayaan-1 was the first Indian lunar probe under the Chandrayaan program. • It was launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation in October 2008, and operated until August 2009. • The mission included a lunar orbiter and an impactor. • India launched the spacecraft using a PSLV-XL rocket. • India was the fourth country to place its flag insignia on the Moon. • The location of impact was named Jawahar Point.

Goals: • High-resolution mineralogical and chemical imaging of the permanently shadowed north- and south-polar regions • Searching for surface or subsurface lunar water-ice, especially at the lunar poles • Identification of chemicals in lunar highland rocks • Chemical stratigraphy of the lunar crust by remote sensing of the central uplands of large lunar craters and of the South Pole Aitken Region (SPAR) • Due to technical issues Chandrayaan-1 stopped communicating in August 2009 and ISRO officially declared that the mission was over. Chandrayaan-1 operated for 312 days as opposed to the intended two years, but the mission achieved most of its scientific objectives.

Findings: • The recent images sent by Chandrayaan-1 suggest that the moon may be rusting along the poles. • Data sent indicates the presence of hematite at the lunar poles. • Recently, NASA has found evidence of greater quantities of metals such as iron and titanium on the moon’s subsurface. • As per scientists at NASA, earth’s oxygen could be driving the formation of hematite which is ferried by Earth’s magnetosphere. • Chandrayaan-1 data indicates that the moon's poles are home to water that scientists are trying to decipher.

Chandrayan-2: • Chandrayaan-2 is India’s first lander mission. • It consists of an Orbiter, Lander and Rover, all equipped with scientific instruments to study the moon. • Orbiter - The Orbiter is a 2379-kg spacecraft with 7 instruments on board. It has instruments to study the mineral composition on the moon and the lunar atmosphere, and to assess the abundance of water. The Orbiter will observe the lunar surface and relay communication between Earth and the Lander. • Lander - ISRO has named the Lander module as Vikram. It carried three instruments that will mainly study the moon’s atmosphere. One of the instruments will also look out for seismic activity on the lunar surface. • Rover - The Rover is a 6-wheeled, Artificial Intelligence-powered and solar-powered vehicle named Pragyan, meaning wisdom. Its primary objective is to study the composition of the moon’s surface near the landing site and determine the abundance of different elements on the moon’s surface. • Chandrayaan-2 was planned to make a landing at a site where no earlier mission had gone, i.e near the South pole of the moon.

However, a part of the mission failed as the Vikram lander crash-landed on the lunar surface. A successful

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landing would have made India the fourth country in the world to do so after the US, the erstwhile USSR and China, and the first country to have landed so close to the lunar South Pole.

192. Divya Nayan

In news- DivyaNayan, a personal reading machine for the visually impaired was unveiled recently.

About the device- • It is developed by CSIR-Central Scientific Instruments Organisation (CSIO), Chandigarh. • Using the device, any printed or digital document can be accessed in the form of speech output. • Users can place the device over the document to be read and manually scan it. • The device uses language-dependent optical character recognition to convert the image into text and a text to speech converter, further converts the text into audio. • Audio files are stored in the machine and can be listened back. • The device is handheld, standalone, portable, completely wireless and IoT enabled. • It is currently available in Hindi, English, Bengali, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, and Punjabi but is further compatible with other Indian and foreign languages. • It has interfaces such as USB, Bluetooth, Wifi, LAN, Headphone etc. • It has a rechargeable lithium ion battery and Internal memory of 32 GB for document storage.

Other significant devices developed by CSIR for the benefit of the common man are- • Myoelectric Hand for the persons having below elbow amputation; • Electronic Knee for the persons having above knee amputation; • Electronic Control Module for powered wheelchair; • 3D Printed Orthosis for children with congenital hemiparesis.

193. Near-surface shear layer (NSSL) of the Sun

In news - For the first time, Indian astronomers at the Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES) and the IISc, Bangalore, have presented a theoretical explanation for the existence of the Sun's near- surface shear layer (NSSL).

About the Near-Surface Shear Layer (NSSL)- • The NSSL is the region very close to the visible solar surface, where there is a change in the rotation profile of the Sun. • It was long known the Sun’s equator spins faster than the poles. • However, a peek into the internal rotation of the Sun using sound waves revealed the existence of an intriguing layer called near-surface shear layer (NSSL). • In NSSL the rotation profile of the Sun changes sharply. • The presence of such a layer had been indicated by many researchers in the past based on solar surface observations but the real inference has been provided only after helioseismic measurements.

Key findings of the study- • This work has been published in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. • In their study, they have used an equation called the thermal wind balance equation. • It explains how the slight difference in temperature between solar poles and equator, called thermal wind term, is balanced by the centrifugal force appearing due to solar differential rotation.

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• Most scientists believe that this condition is true only in the interior of the Sun, and it does not hold near the solar surface. • In this work, the authors have shown that this belief actually holds near the surface as well.

Thermal wind- • The thermal wind is the vector difference between the geostrophic wind at upper altitudes minus that at lower altitudes in the atmosphere.

Helioseismology- • It is a term coined by Douglas Gough. • It is the study of the structure and dynamics of the Sun through its oscillations, principally caused by sound waves that are continuously driven and damped by convection near the Sun's surface.

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