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CURRENT AFFAIRS: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

(2016-17)

MARCH, 2017

March 17, 2017

UK grants doctors first licence to create 3-parentbabies

THE NEWS

Britain’s fertility regulator has granted doctors the first U.K. licence to create babies using a
three-parent IVF technique designed to prevent inherited genetic diseases.

The licence has been granted for three-parent IVF technique.


The first child will be created using the mitochondrial pronuclear transfer technique and could be
born before the end of this year.

What are mitochondria?

Mitochondria are small structures found in our cells that generate the cellular energy used to
power every part of our bodies.
Mitochondria have their own DNA, which controls only mitochondrial function and energy production.
This is separate from our "nuclear DNA," which makes us who we are and determines appearance and
personality.
Three Parent Baby
The treatment is known as “three-parent” IVF because the babies, born from genetically modified
embryos, would have DNA from a mother, a father and from a woman donor.
Known as mitochondrial donation, the in vitro fertilization technique involves replacing faulty
mitochondria inherited from the mother with the healthy mitochondria of another woman as a
way of preventing mitochondrial disease from being passed on to a child. Mitochondrial diseases
are genetic conditions and about 1 in 6500 affected children are estimated to be born with these
conditions every year.
Most of a cell's genetic material, or DNA, is contained within the nucleus but a small amount, say
less than 1%, is found in the mitochondria.
This mitochondrial DNA is inherited only from the mother through her eggs.
If the mother's mitochondrial DNA is faulty, it is possible that she may pass on a number of rare
but serious mitochondrial diseases, including muscle weakness, diabetes, heart problems, epilepsy
and stroke-like episodes. In serious cases, they can lead to death.
There is no cure or effective treatment for many of the mitochondrial diseases. Critics of
the treatment say it is a dangerous step that will lead to the creation of genetically modified
“designer babies”.
But on the positive side the treatment will help families affected by these devastating diseases.

Technique
The “mitochondrial replacement” technique developed to stop mitochondrial diseases is called
pronuclear transfer.
Pronuclei are nuclei from the egg and sperm that are in the fertilized egg, called a zygote, but
have not yet fused into a single nucleus.
In this technique, the mother’s egg and a donor egg are fertilized at the same time. The pronuclei
are removed from the donor egg and discarded. Then the pronuclei are sucked out of the
mother’s egg and transferred into the empty donor.

For more info:https://youtu.be/0wFn9Oj4u2E

March 16, 2017

India hosts world’s oldest algae fossil

Details :

THE NEWS
Scientists in India have uncovered a pair of 1.6 billion-year-old fossils that appear to contain red
algae.

Research summary as published in journal PLOS Biology


The newly discovered algae may be the oldest plant-like life discovered on Earth. Until now,
the oldest known red algae was 1.2 billion years old.
The material structurally resembles red algae.
It is embedded in fossil mats of cyanobacteria inside a 1.6 billion-year-old phosphorite (a kind of
rock).
It was found in Chitrakoot region in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
Scientists used x-rays to observe regularly recurring platelets in each cell, which they believe are
parts of chloroplasts.
Chloroplasts are the organelles within plant cells where photosynthesis takes place.

Why this discovery is important?

Scientists often debate the question of when complex life began on Earth.
Scientists generally agree that large multicellular organisms became common about 600 million
years ago.
This discovery could lead experts to rewrite the tree of life.

March 15, 2017

Boaty McBoatface, from joke to explorer

Details : THE
NEWS
Boaty McBoatface, the high-tech remote-operated yellow submarine, will begin its first mission
this week through a deep current that starts in Antarctica and goes through the Southern Ocean.

News Summary
Boaty will navigate through underwater waterfalls and rapids on a two-month mission. The
submarine will depart from Punta Arenas, Chile and will head to the Southern Ocean.

It will collect data to help scientists understand how global warming affects oceans. The robot
submarine’s missions can last for several months and it include travelling thousands of miles
under ice.
It will reach a depth of about 3 1/2 miles to measure properties on an oceanic scale. It can
then rise to the surface to transmit data to oceanographers via a radio link.
The submarine bears a name that began as a joke.

March 13, 2017

Sweet spot in eye helps humans read

Details : THE
NEWS
A team led by Kolkata-born scientists has found that a special sweet spot in the eye called ‘fovea’
plays a crucial role in humans being able to focus on computer screens and also read, an ability
which is unique to Homo sapiens.

News Summary

Dr. Raunak Sinha and Dr. Mrinalini Hoon describe themselves as a ‘scientist couple’ who
deciphered the most important aspects of how our vision works at cellular level.
The findings decipher the mechanism that lets humans read the text, recognise faces, enjoy
colours.
This breakthrough will help in understanding how the most important aspects of our vision work
at a cellular level.
The results help explain why central and peripheral vision have different qualities.

Fovea
The fovea is a specialised region that dominates our visual perception.
It provides more than half of the input from the eyes to the visual cortex of the brain. Located
near the optic nerve, the fovea helps us with fine tasks like reading.
Compared to the peripheral retina, the fovea is less able to process rapidly changing visual signals.

Importance of research

Among mammals, only humans and other primates have fovea- the dimple-like structure in their
retinas.
The fovea is responsible for visual experiences that are rich in colourful spatial detail. Figuring out
how the fovea functions is essential to the search for strategies to correct central vision loss,
including efforts to design visual prosthetics.
Diseases such as macular degeneration are much more debilitating than deficits in peripheral
eyesight because of the importance of the fovea to everyday vision.

BASICS: Hyperloop Technology

Details :

What is a hyperloop?

It is a system where magnetically levitating capsules are sent at high speeds through low-
pressure tubes.
The technology is expected reduce the transport time, of goods and people, by more than 80%.
It was entrepreneur Elon Musk who came up with the idea for a hyperloop. The
system is now being developed to connect Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

But why is India so excited about it?


Hyperloop One, the company developing the technology, has begun an online vote for people to
suggest and choose the best route to deploy a hyperloop in their countries.
The route choices for India are: Bengaluru-to-Chennai (334 km in 20 minutes), Bengaluru- to-
Thiruvananthapuram (736 km in 41 minutes), Delhi-to-Mumbai via Jaipur and Indore (1,317 km in 55
minutes), Mumbai-to-Chennai via Bengaluru (1,102 km in 50 minutes), and Bengaluru to Chennai
(334 km in 20 minutes).

When can we see it in action in India?

Hyperloop One has announced its intentions to begin operations in India by 2021.
There are reports that the company has already begun talks with the Indian government to see
how to make this possible and to combine this with the Make in India mission by sourcing the
necessary material locally.

Pros and Cons

If approved, such plans would enable India to jump forward in its transport infrastructure and
could revolutionise the way business is conducted
In a country like India where railway infrastructure is abysmal and the airline industry is priced
beyond the abilities of most of the populace, it is doubtful if India can really afford another
expensive transport system.

March 12, 2017

New clone of MRSA identified in Kerala aquatic environment

Details : THE
NEWS

A new clone of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), which is exclusive to Kochi,


has been identified.

News Summary
Scientists at the Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (CIFT), Kochi have identified the new
clone while assessing the prevalence of MRSA in seafood and the environment.
The new clone is unique to seafood and the aquatic environment of Kerala.
But now, there is no immediate threat in consumption of seafood contaminated with MRSA.
S. aureus causes disease by producing enterotoxin in the food.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)


The emergence of MRSA has been identified as a health concern globally since the 1960s.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection is caused by a type of staph bacteria
that's become resistant to many of the antibiotics used to treat ordinary staph infections.
MRSA can lead to diseases ranging from milder form of skin infections, boils, furunculosis to life-
threatening septicemia and bacteraemia from post-surgical contamination.

March 11, 2017

‘Lost’ Chandrayaan-1 found orbiting Moon byNASA

Details :

Why in news?

India’s first lunar probe, Chandrayaan-1, which was considered lost, is still orbiting the moon,
NASA scientists have found.

Summary:

ISRO lost communication with Chandrayaan-1 on August 29, 2009, almost a year after it was
launched on October 22, 2008
Using a new ground-based radar technique, NASA scientists have found Chandrayaan-1 still
circling some 200 km above the lunar surface.
They also detected NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO).
Chandrayaan-1 is very small and cuboid in shape, about 1.5 metres in length on each side, and was
lost long back in 2009. So, finding it was not easy.

Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex:


Green Bank Telescope:

How it was found?

To find a spacecraft 380,000 km away, NASA used the 70-metre antenna at its Goldstone Deep Space
Communications Complex in California to send out a powerful beam of microwaves towards the
moon.
Then the radar echoes bounced back from lunar orbit were received by the 100-metre
Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia .
With Chandrayaan-1, the radar team utilised the fact that this spacecraft is in the polar orbit
around the moon, so it would always cross above the lunar poles on each orbit.
The team pointed Goldstone and Green Bank at a location 160 km above the moon’s north pole
and waited to see whether the lost spacecraft crossed the radar beam.
Something that had a radar signature of a small spacecraft did cross the beam twice during
observations.
The timings between detections matched the time it would take Chandrayaan-1 to complete one
orbit and return to the same position above the moon’s pole.
March 3, 2017

Kalvari’ test-fires anti-ship missile

Details :

Why in news?
Kalvari submarine successfully conducted its first test-firing of an anti-ship missile.

Summary:

Kalvari is the first of the Scorpene submarines being built in India.


It successfully conducted its maiden test-firing of an anti-ship missile in the Arabian Sea. The
missile fired was a French SM-39 Exocet anti-ship missile.
These missiles will provide the vessels the ability to neutralise surface threats at extended ranges.
The missile launch is significant as it enhances the Indian Navy’s sub-surface warfare capability.
Kalvari is presently in an advanced stage of user trials.
It is scheduled to be commissioned into the Navy very soon.

Scorpene Submarines:

Six Scorpene submarines are being built under Project P-75 by Mazgaon Docks Limited (MDL) with
technology transfer from France.
Scorpene submarines are advanced Diesel submarines with Air Independent Propulsion System
(AIP) technology.
Conventional diesel-electric submarines have to surface every few days to get oxygen, but with AIP
systems, they can stay submerged for much longer periods.
The state-of-art features of the Scorpene include superior stealth and the ability to use precision
guided weapons. The attack can be launched with torpedoes, as well as tube launched anti-ship
missiles, whilst underwater or on surface.
It can undertake many types of missions typically undertaken by any modern submarine
i.e Anti-Surface warfare, Anti-Submarine warfare, Intelligence gathering, Mine Laying etc.

Students are advised to see the post explaining types of submarines:

https://lms.vajiramandravi.com/current-affairs/goa-periscope-a-russian-sub-
leased/58087e0eb680d35ebaacdfc4/

FEBRUARY- 2017

Feb. 28, 2017

Organ-on-a-chip mimics the heart

Details : THE
NEWS

Scientists have created a three-dimensional (3D) organ-on-a-chip that can mimic the heart’s
biomechanical properties and could help in studying cardiac diseases, screening and development
of drugs.

The Research

The research was published in the journal Acta Biomaterialia .


Scientists have created the I-Wire Heart-on-a-Chip to understand the behaviour of cardiac cells.
The chip will be useful in studying cardiac diseases, drug screening and drug development and in
personalised medicine by identifying the cells taken from patients that can be used to patch
damaged hearts effectively.
The device can reproduce the response of cardiac cells to different drugs that affect heart
function in humans.
The unique aspect of the new device is that it controls the mechanical force applied to cardiac
cells.
This allows the researchers to reproduce the mechanical conditions of the living heart, which is
continually stretching and contracting, in addition to its electrical and biochemical environment.
I-Wire also allows the researchers to grow cardiac cells under controlled, time-varying
tension similar to what they experience in living hearts.
The heart cells in the fibre align themselves in alternating dark and light bands, called sarcomeres,
which are characteristic of human muscle tissue.

Feb. 25, 2017

India building a supercomputer juggernaut

Details : THE
NEWS
In the coming June, India will likely unveil its most powerful supercomputer.
What is a supercomputer?

A supercomputer is a computer or array of computers that act as one collective machine and is
capable of processing enormous amounts of data.
Supercomputers are used for very complex jobs such as nuclear research or forecasting weather
patterns.
The worth of supercomputers is determined by their processing speed, power usage and
arrangement of processors.

About the upcoming Supercomputer

The as-yet-unnamed machine will be jointly hosted at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology,
Pune and the National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting at Noida in Uttar Pradesh.
Most of the machine’s computing power will help in monsoon forecasting.
If its processors operate at the full capacity of 10 petaflops (1 followed by 15 zeroes of floating
point operations per second), a clock speed a million times faster than the fastest consumer
laptops, it could earn a place among the world’s top 10 fastest supercomputers. For the first time,
colleges and other research institutions can log in and harness its power to address problems,
ranging from weather modelling to understanding how proteins fold.

Supercomputers in India

India has built or hosted supercomputers since the 1990s.


India held a ‘top 10’ spot only once in 2007- The EKA built by the Computational Research
Laboratories, which is part of the Tata group.
Currently several ultra-fast machines exist in Indian academic institutions and they feature in the
100s or 200s in global rankings.
PARAM 8000 is considered India's first supercomputer and was indigenously built in by Centre for
Development of Advanced Computing
Feb. 23, 2017

Seven Earth-like planets found

Details : THE
NEWS
Scientists have spotted seven planets, with mass similar to the Earth and orbiting around a dwarf star
the size of Jupiter, around 39 light years from the Sun.

About the Planets

The scientists first found three planets passing in front of dwarf star TRAPPIST-1.
On further monitoring of the star, scientists found that four more ‘exoplanets’ are orbiting the
dwarf star.
The planets have no real names yet. They’re only known by letters, “b’’ through “h” and the letter
“A” refers to the star itself.
These seven planets have orbits ranging from 1 ½ to 20 days.
Three of the planets are in the so-called habitable zone, also known as the Goldilocks zone,
where conditions are just right for water and life to flourish — not too much and not too little
stellar energy.
The four other planets are tantalizingly close to the Goldilocks zone.
The planets’ temperature is low enough to make possible the presence of liquid water on their
surface and maybe life.
Five of the seven planets have sizes similar to that of the Earth, while the remaining two are
intermediate in size — between the Mars and the Earth.
Based on the mass estimates, the six inner planets may have a rocky composition. The sixth
planet has low density, suggesting a volatile rich composition.

Unanswered Questions

The scientists are still trying to rule out the presence of large hydrogen envelope to make sure
that the planets are indeed Earth-like.
This will be followed by a detailed study of climate and chemical composition to try and find out if
there is life on these planets.

Feb. 20, 2017

Navy honours Tara-Tarini hill shrine by naming sailboat


Details : THE
NEWS:
The Indian Navy recently inducted its second ocean going sailboat Tarini.
(Source: http://pragativadi.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/INSV-Tarini.jpg )

Summary:

The first all-women crew on board the recently inducted sailboat INSV Tarini will set sail in
August this year to circumnavigate the globe.
It is named after the Tara-Tarini hill shrine in Ganjam district of Odisha. The
people of the district see it as honouring Odia maritime history.
In Sanskrit, the word Tarini means both boat and saviour.
Tara-Tarini was the traditional patron deity for sailors and merchants of ancient Odisha, who
worshipped it for safety and success at sea.
This is also expected to draw attention of people all over the country towards this famous hill
shrine of south Odisha.

The Shrine:

Tara-Tarini shrine is located on the Kumari hills on the banks of Rushikulya river in Ganjam district.
According to historians, this holy shrine may be linked to the worship of Tara, the primordial deity
of the Mahayana Buddhism.
Later, it became a major shrine of Tantra.
Tara-Tarini of Orissa is known to have historical linkages with the river Goddess Mhadei- the
exclusive boat deity of the Mhadei river of Goa. Both the deities Tariniand Mhadei have sculptural
similarities.

INS Tarini:

The Indian Navy recently inducted its second ocean going sailboat Tarini.
INSV Tarini is almost identical to her illustrious predecessor, the iconic INSV Mhadei which has
sailed over 115000 nautical miles in the past eight years.
In order to promote ocean sailing activities and to encourage women empowerment, the Indian
Navy conceptualized the idea of the First Indian All Women Circumnavigation of the Globe. They will
set sail later this year on INS Tarini.

Feb. 18, 2017


Project Loon can now predict weather systems

Details : THE
NEWS

The Project Loon team can now use machine learning to predict weather systems.

Weather Prediction

By using machine-learning algorithms, Google has found a way to predict weather with enough
accuracy to make it possible to hover balloons over a relatively small area for a long period of
time.
The team can now run an experiment and try to give service in a particular place in the world with
lesser number of balloons.
The advance means Google has much more control over where its balloons reach, making it
possible to focus on a specific region, rather than circumnavigating the globe.

Project Loon
Project Loon is a network of balloons traveling at high altitude and designed to extend
Internet connectivity to people in rural and remote areas worldwide. The
balloons float in the stratosphere around 18-20 kilometres high.
This particular altitude has been chosen as by raising or lowering altitude, the balloons can be
caught in different weather streams, changing direction.
Google uses solar panel and wind to power electronic equipment in the balloon throughout the day.

Feb. 17, 2017

Potent malaria vaccine on the anvil

Details : THE
NEWS
A malaria vaccine that mimics a mosquito bite yielded encouraging results in human trials. The
positive results of the trial have raised hopes for thwarting a parasite that kills a child every two
minutes.
According to researchers, a registered vaccine may take another two years to reach the market.
Malaria Incidence

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there were 212 million malaria cases in the
world in 2015 and 4,29,000 deaths. More than 90% of deaths occur in Africa.

The Vaccine

The candidate drug is called as PfSPZ and it provided up to 100% protection for 10 weeks in a
trial.
PfSPZ uses a live, immature form of the malaria parasite called sporozoite, to stimulate an immune
reaction in humans.
PfSPZ is being developed against the Plasmodium falciparum mosquito-borne parasite, by far the
deadliest type.
The developers of PfSPZ are aiming for efficiency of about 80-90% protection lasting for six months to a
year.
The ability to complete an immunisation regime in 10 days will facilitate the use of PfSPZ- CVac in
mass vaccination programmes to eliminate the malaria parasite and to prevent malaria in
travellers.

MALARIA
Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by parasites that are transmitted to people through
the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes.

Cause
Malaria is caused by Plasmodium parasites.
The parasites are spread to people through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes,
called "malaria vectors."
There are 5 parasite species that cause malaria in humans. Two of
these species that pose the greatest threat are:

1. P. falciparum: It is the most prevalent malaria parasite on the African continent and is responsible
for most malaria-related deaths globally.
2. P. vivax: Vivax is the dominant malaria parasite in most countries outside of sub-Saharan Africa.

About Vaccines: https://lms.vajiramandravi.com/current-affairs/novel-chikungunya-vaccine- promises-

safety-effectiveness/585a416cb680d376d0cd7b0c/

Feb. 16, 2017

ISRO launches 104 satellites in one go

Details : THE
NEWS

ISRO created launch history by placing a record 104 spacecraft in their desired orbits.

The launch
The feat was performed on the old reliable launch vehicle, the PSLV C-37.
The vehicle took off from the first launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.
Passengers of PSLV-C37

Flying its 39th mission since it became operational in 1993, the PSLV — called PSLV-C37, delivered
into space 104 satellites and payload of 1,378 kg in its 38th consecutive successful flight.
C-37 was largely a commercial flight as 101 satellites belonged to six other countries. Of the 101
foreign satellites launched by PSLV, 96 are from the US, while one satellite each is from the
Netherlands, Switzerland, Israel, Kazakhstan and the UAE.
Among Indian satellites, a satellite of ISRO’s Cartosat-2 series was also launched.
The satellite will be used for mapping urban and rural regions, regulation of coastal land use,
management of road networks, water distribution and other several other purposes. The two ISRO
Nano satellites (INS-1 and 2) are carrying instruments from its Space Applications Centre (SAC) and
Laboratory for Electro Optics Systems (LEOS) for experiments.

Previous Records

Earlier, the highest number of satellites launched on a single mission by ISRO was 20 satellites in
June 2016, on board PSLV C34.
NASA held the record of launching 29 satellites in November 2013 and then by the Russian space
agency in November 2013 and June 2014 with the launch of 33 and 37 satellites respectively.

Privatisation of Satellite Industry

The issue of letting private satellites operate from India is being considered actively by the government
now.
ISRO itself is moving towards greater participation from private companies in satellite building as
it seeks to focus on its core area of space research.
Currently, several companies collaborate in the manufacture of ISRO satellites though the final
assembly is always done in-house.
The demonetisation decision and the push for digitisation may weigh in favour of letting private
satellites offer such services.
Satellite-based broadband could be several times faster and more reliable than cabled networks
that are available in India.
In India, about 10 to 15 per cent of the geographical area is where the terrain is difficult and
satellite-based broadband is the only solution for these areas.

(With inputs from The Indian Express)

Feb. 15, 2017

PSLV C-37

Details :

The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) has set a world record by launching 104 satellites
on board a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) flight.
It was thirty ninth flight of the PSLV where additional motors are strapped onto the rocket. The main
payload is the Indian earth observation satellite, CartoSat-2D.
The other 103 satellites are nanosatellites from India, Israel, Kazakhstan, the Netherlands, Switzerland,
the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the United States.
There are 101 foreign satellites that are being launched as part of a commercial agreement
between Isro and its commercial arm, Antrix.

Curtain Raiser Video about PSLV C-37


http://www.isro.gov.in/pslv-<wbr>c37-cartosat-2-series-<wbr>satellite/pslv-c37-cartosat-2-
<wbr>series-satellite-curtain-<wbr>raiser-video
Feb. 13, 2017

Indian-origin prof’s low-cost device to cut radiotherapy sittings to one

Details :

Why in news?
An Indian-origin professor has developed a low-cost targeted radiation device to cut radiotherapy
sittings to one.

Radiotherapy:

Radiotherapy uses high-energy rays to treat disease. It can be given both externally and
internally.
Radiotherapy works by destroying cancer cells in the area that’s being treated. Cancer cells
cannot repair themselves after radiotherapy, but normal cells usually can.

Summary:

Dr Jayant Vaidya, an Indian-origin professor at the University College London, has developed a
low-cost targeted radiation device.
The device can cut 15-20 radiotherapy sittings, that breast cancer survivors need after their
surgery, to just one and that too on the surgery table.
Dr Jayant calls his radiation device-Targit (or Targeted Intraoperative Radiotherapy). Breast
cancer is currently the most common form of cancer among women in India with the incidence
rate touching 26 per 100,000 people.

Why it was developed?

He developed it after he noticed that the patients in Mumbai who did not actually need
mastectomy (removal of full breast) were getting it done even though they could have done just
with lumpectomy (removal of lump in the breast) & radiation. This is because the patients did not
have a place to stay in Mumbai for the six weeks that the radiation would otherwise take.
Radiation therapy is done after lumpectomy to destroy any cancer cells that may have been left in
the breast after the tumor was removed.
He says that about 20,000 women across the world have already got treated by it. The
device would cost about Rs 3-4 crore in India, while a conventional radiotherapy machine
could cost upwards of Rs 10-15 crore.
For the patient too there would be substantial savings as it is given inside the operation theatre
just once.
Feb. 12, 2017

Green drive on blue waters

Details : THE
NEWS

A warship of the Navy will be using solar power to generate a share of its on-board power.

Zero Maintenance Solar Power System

Naval survey vessel INS Sarvekshak has innovatively deployed the zero-maintenance solar power
system.
The system is capable of generating 5.4KW electricity, by customising and installing razor- thin,
flexible solar panels on the canopy of its telescopic (retractable) helicopter deck.
These panels have a maintenance free life for 24 years.

Drawback of conventional panel

Rigid, glass-topped solar panels are unsuitable in the humid, salty marine environment, as they
cannot withstand high wind speeds.
They were found to be unfit for fitment on ships and they needed to be stationary for the sensors
to receive sunlight.
Given these constraints, the naval team then decided on the light weight, extra-thin and flexible
panels that would not break.
Feb. 5, 2017

Tribe offers clues to hidden wonders of medicinal plant


Details : THE
NEWS

A medicinal plant endemic to the southern parts of Western Ghats and Sri Lanka could offer
scientists the key to new herbal formulations and modern drugs for the treatment of cancer and
wounds and burns.

Details

Scientists at the Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute
(JNTBGRI) here have confirmed the multiple therapeutic properties of Neurocalyx
calycinus.
The medicinal plant is used by the Cholanaickan tribe (one of the particularly vulnerable groups)
in Kerala to treat inflammations and wounds.
The researchers have filed for a patent on a novel herbal drug formulation possessing wound-
healing, burn-healing, anti-cancer, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, immuno- enhancing, platelet-
augmentation and anti-oxidant effects.

Medicinal Traits

Animal trials have proved that the leaves of N.calycinus possess wound-healing properties comparable
to the standard drug Povidone/ Iodine in the early phase of inflammation.
The anti-inflammatory activity of the leaves was found comparable to the drug diclofenac
sodium.
The pre-clinical trials confirmed the therapeutic effects of N.calycinus against burn wounds and
pain, besides its immuno-enhancing, platelet augmentation, and anti-oxidant potential.
The presence of high Vitamin E content and potent cytoprotective activity in cell lines has also
enhanced the prospects of developing an anti-cancer drug.

Feb. 4, 2017

Chenchu tribals get an ATM for medicines


Details : THE
NEWS

(Source http://www.mapsofindia.com/maps/andhrapradesh/andhrapradesh-forest-map.html ) Emergency


medical care has been a cry for the tribals of remote ‘Chenchugudems’.
Chenchugudams is the habitation of Chenchus which is one of the vulnerable tribe of Andhra
Pradesh because of the difficult terrain and lack of communication network.
The State government has now set up an ATM-like kiosk to dispense medicines free of cost round-the-
clock, Prakasam District, near the Nallamala foothills.

SMS Prescription
The state government has arranged a system of telemedicine where a local health worker will
check the vitals of the patients visiting the health centre.
The health worker will then consult a doctor via phone and will receive prescription via SMS.
The Remote Medicine Dispenser will then dispense the appropriate medicines.

What is Telemedicine?

Telemedicine is a field in health science arising out of the effective fusion of Information and
Communication Technologies with Medical Science.
According to World Health Organisation, telemedicine is defined as, “The delivery of healthcare
services, where distance is a critical factor, by all healthcare professionals using information and
communication technologies for the exchange of valid information for diagnosis, treatment and
prevention of disease and injuries, research and evaluation, and for continuing education of
healthcare providers, all in the interests of advancing the health of individuals and their
communities”.
The main objective of telemedicine is to cross the geographical barriers and provide healthcare
facilities to rural and remote areas.

Benefits to Patients:
Feb. 3, 2017

Scientist says international journal violated ethics on Bihar’s ‘litchi disease’ report

THE NEWS

A scientist and virologist, Dr. Jacob John had investigated the mystery disease that proved fatal for
many 15-year old children in Muzaffarpur, Bihar.
The scientist has now raised ethics issues about the way the research has been published by the
journal Lancet Global Health on January 30.

THE ISSUE

According to the scientist, the journal has not given due credit to the work done by the team of
Dr. John two years ago.

THE STUDY

Dr. John published in 2014 evidence of a link between a fruit in Jamaica, the ackee (from the same
family as litchi) and a disease called acute encephalopathy in Jamaicans.
He showed the close clinical similarity between ackee poisioning and the Muzaffarpur illness,
where litchi consumption and skipping the evening meal could result in very low blood glucose
and acute encephalopathy, leading to seizures and coma, and death in many cases.
According to study, It was under-nourished children who were affected by the disease. Children
in poor rural families, typically of labourers working in litchi orchards were the ones at risk.
In view of this study, the Government of Bihar has already introduced some interventions such as
asking parents to restrict litchi consumption by children, making sure no child goes to bed
without eating a meal, measuring blood glucose level and infusing 10% dextrose immediately on
admission to the hospital.
ENCEPHALITIS

Encephalitis is the inflammation of the brain.


It is mostly caused by a microorganism (bacteria, virus or parasite). In a
few cases, the offending agent can be any toxic compound.

Feb. 2, 2017

‘Lost continent’ found lurking under Mauritius

Details : THE
NEWS
Scientists have confirmed the existence of a “lost continent” under the Indian Ocean island of
Mauritius.
The lost continent was left over by the breakup of the supercontinent- Gondwana, which started
about 200 million years ago.

DETAILS

Earth is made up of two parts:

1. The continents, which are old.


2. The oceans, which are young.

The newly discovered lost island is a small piece of island that probably broke of when Africa,
India, Australia and Antarctica split up and formed the Indian Ocean.
The piece of crust was subsequently covered by young lava during volcanic eruptions on the
island.
The scientists found zircons on the island of Mauritius that are three billion years old. There are
many pieces of various sizes of undiscovered continent which are collectively called as Mauritia.
They are spread over the Indian Ocean and were left over by the breakup of Gondwanaland.

ZIRCONS
Zircons are minerals that occur mainly in granites from the continents.
They contain trace amounts of uranium, thorium and lead and due to the fact that they survive
geological process very well, they contain a rich record of geological processes and can be dated
extremely accurately.

Feb. 1, 2017

Researchers employ laser light to speed upelectronics

Details : THE
NEWS
A researcher from India has taken the first definitive step to produce high-speed electronic devices that
can operate one million times faster than modern electronics.
Results as published in the journal ‘Nature’

A team of researchers (that includes one Indian researcher, Dr. Manish Garg) has used laser light
to generate very high frequency electric current inside a solid material.
The electrons were found to be moving at a speed (frequency) close to 1015 (one million

billion) hertz, whereas the best achievable speed in modern transistors is only 10 9(one billion)
hertz.
Light waves are electromagnetic in nature and have very high oscillation frequency of electric and
magnetic fields.
This ultra-high frequency of light waves can be used to drive and control electron motion in
semiconductors.
When the electronics are driven by such light waves then they will be faster than currently used
modern electronics.

JANUARY-2017

Jan. 31, 2017

Medical audits will check stent prices, sayactivists

Details : THE
NEWS

Activists are demanding that government should introduce medical audits where doctors will
have to account for drugs and devices used.
According to activists, the doctors and hospitals are taking ‘cuts’ for recommending use of coronary
stents, which may not be necessary in heart patients.

What activists are demanding?

The activists have demanded that the government should develop standard treatment guidelines
for cardiovascular interventions with the help of expert doctors, free from conflict of interest and
also implement medical audits of procedures.
The patients across the country are paying higher price for stents that are pushing patients and
their families into increasing indebtedness or leaving them without life-saving treatment.

NPPA Data

The demand came after a data was published by the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority
(NPPA).
The data says that the price of a stent increases nearly 2000% by the time the patient
gets the implant.
The NPPA data also shows that the largest cut goes to the hospitals, which can be as high as
650% more than the price at which the hospital purchases the stents from the distributor.

CORONARY STENTS

Stents are small, expandable tubes that treat narrowed arteries in the body.
In people with coronary heart disease caused by the build-up of plaque, the stents help in:

1. Opening the narrowed arteries


2. Reducing the symptoms, like chest pain
3. Help treat a heart attack

The stents are usually made of metal mesh.


Coronary stents have been included in the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM).

Jan. 30, 2017

Atomic clocks on indigenous navigation satellite develop snag

Details : THE
NEWS
NavIC, the indigenously built satellite- based positioning system has developed a technical snag in
the atomic clocks on its first satellite.
NavIC has 21 atomic clocks on seven spacecraft.
One of the three crucial rubidium timekeepers on IRNSS-1A spacecraft failed six months ago and
the other two followed subsequently.
(Rubidium (Rb) is a soft, silvery-white metallic element of alkali group.)
The troubled IRNSS-1A spacecraft was put in space in July 2013 and has an expected life span of
10 years.
The seventh navigation satellite, IRNSS-1G, was launched in April 2016.
A minimum of four working satellites was sufficient to realise the full use of the navigation system.

Navigation with Indian Constellation

It is also known as the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System.


It is a constellation of seven satellites in a geosynchronous orbit around Earth, and they
coordinate to provide centimetre-level tracking precision.
It gives precise information on position, navigation and time (PNT) of objects or persons to users on
ground, sea and air.
The IRNSS is India’s version of the US’s globally used GPS system, and covers a wide swath of
Asia and the Indian Ocean.

ATOMIC CLOCKS

The two most widely used atomic clocks in recent years have been:

1. Cesium beam atomic clock


2. Rubidium clock

Such clocks have provided the accuracy necessary to test general relativity and to track variations
in the frequencies of pulsars.
Atomic clocks are integral parts of the Global Positioning System since extreme accuracy in
timing is necessary
Rubidium atomic clocks , though less accurate at measuring the passage of time than are
hydrogen maser clocks, are still quite accurate, relatively cheap and widely used.
They neither gain nor lose a second in tens of millions of years.
They measure time according to the frequency of microwave emissions by electrons in a cooled
rubidium atom, called the rubidium standard.
When the atoms are of the element caesium instead, the resulting clock is also referred to as a
primary frequency standard given its use in defining the standard times of many countries.
Indian Standard Time is kept by caesium atomic clocks in Delhi’s National Physical Laboratory.
A video on how Atomic clocks work and their use in positioning systems:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2BxAu6WZI8

Jan. 29, 2017

GM mosquito trials to control dengue, chikungunya launched

Details : THE
NEWS:

Outdoor caged trials to demonstrate the efficiency of genetically modified mosquitoes to


suppress wild female Aedes aegypti mosquito populations that transmit dengue, chikungunya and
Zika have been started in Maharashtra.

Modified males

The technology is based on the Release of Insects carrying Dominant Lethal genes (RIDL)
technology.
The technology uses genetically modified male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that carry a dominant
lethal gene.
When the male GM mosquitoes mate with wild female mosquitoes the lethal gene is passed on to
offspring.
The lethal gene in the offspring kills the larvae before they reach adulthood.

Why only male mosquitoes are modified?

Since male mosquitoes do not bite humans, the release of GM males will not increase the
risk of dengue, chikungunya and Zika.

Merits

It is a promising technology and India must certainly look at new vector control methods, The
technology is safe as well as efficient in limiting the spread of the disease.

Practical Considerations

There are practical problems of raising a large number of mosquitoes needed for vector control.
About 100-150 GM mosquitoes are needed per person for months together.
Large numbers of GM male mosquitoes have to be released at regular intervals to compete with
wild normal males for mating.
Since the larvae die before reaching adulthood, the technology is a “self-limiting approach.

Jan. 27, 2017

‘Smart glasses’ that automatically focus on what yousee

Details :
Why in news?

The new ‘smart glasses’ developed by scientists can automatically adjust the focus on what a
person is seeing, whether it is far away or close.

Need for lens:

The human eye has a lens inside that adjusts the focal depth depending on what you look at.
However, as people age, the lens loses its ability to change focus. That is why many people
require reading glasses or bifocals to see objects up close, and regular eyeglasses
to see far away.
But these ‘smart glasses’ can automatically adjust the focus, and so there will be no need for
bifocals or to change between normal and reading glasses.

Summary:

Scientists, including one of Indian origin, developed new ‘smart glasses’ that will end the need for
wearing bifocals or constantly swapping reading glasses.
These ‘smart glasses’ can automatically adjust the focus on what a person is seeing, whether it is
far away or close.
The glasses contain lenses made of glycerin, a thick colourless liquid, enclosed by flexible rubber-like
membranes.
When the wearer looks at an object, the mechanism in the glasses instantly measures the
distance and tells the glasses how to curve the (liquid) lenses.
If the user then sees another object that is closer, the distance meter readjusts and the lens is
reshaped.
Before putting them on for the first time, all users have to do is feed their eyeglasses prescription
into an accompanying smartphone app, which then calibrates
the lenses automatically via a Bluetooth connection.
Currently, the scientists have constructed a bulky working prototype (as shown in the picture).
But a lighter, more attractive pair could hit the marketplace in three years.

Jan. 22, 2017


Ethiopian President all praise for makers of Jaipur Foot

Details : THE
NEWS:
Ethiopian President praised the makers of the world famous Jaipur Foot for holding two camps in
his country.
About 700 handicapped persons were rehabilitated in these camps.
He lauded the efforts of Bhagwan Mahaveer Vikalang Sahayata Samiti (BMVSS) to restore
mobility to handicapped persons by fitting artificial limbs- Jaipur Foot

Jaipur Foot Technology


The Jaipur Foot is a rubber-based prosthetic leg for people with below-knee amputations. It is
choice of prosthetic because of its low cost and variable applicability.
The foot is superior to other prosthetics in range of movements which makes it easier for the
differently-abled person to assimilate in semi-urban and rural set ups in developing countries.
Like all lower limb prosthesis, the Jaipur Foot / limb Technology has three vital components namely -

1. Prosthetic Foot
2. Knee Joint
3. Socket & Shank

BMVSS is the parent body for Jaipur Foot.


Jaipur Foot was developed at Jaipur in 1968 by a group of eminent orthopedic surgeons and
highly innovative craftsmen.
Jan. 19, 2017

Tata Memorial begins clinical trials to beat chemotherapy hair loss

Details : THE
NEWS:
The Tata Memorial Hospital (TMH) has started a clinical trial using technology to minimise hair loss
due to chemotherapy. This is for the first time that such kind of initiative is being experimented in
India.
It is expected to address the loss of self-esteem and confidence that many cancer patients,
especially women, face and reduce cancer-related trauma.
The trial involves use of a scalp cooling technique to restrict chemotherapy medication from
reaching the scalp, thus reducing hair fall.

Working of the machine:

The machine circulates the coolant in the silicon caps and reduces its temperature. This in
turn decrease the blood supply to the scalp.
As chemotherapy medication is given intravenously and circulated through the blood, the scalp
gets less blood and thus less of the medication.

Why chemotherapy results in hair fall?

The chemotherapy medication works best on fast-dividing cells. Since cancer cells divide rapidly,
the medicines attack those cells.
But as the medicine cannot differentiate cancer cells from normal body cell, the other cells like those
in the blood, mucosal lining and hair follicles also come under attack.
This leads to hair fall along with other related side effects such as reduced blood count, mouth
ulcers etc.

Grading of hair fall


The chemotherapy-induced hair loss is graded as:
Grade 0: No hair fall.
Grade 1: Less than 50 per cent hair loss. Grade 2:
More than 50 per cent hair loss.
Jan. 18, 2017

India now an associate member of CERN

Details :
Why in news?
India officially became an Associate member of CERN on 17 January, 2017.

Summary:

India officially became an Associate member of CERN on 17 January, 2017 after the Indian government
completed its internal approval procedures.
The Indian government had earlier signed the agreement with CERN on November 21, 2016.

CERN:

CERN is the world’s largest nuclear and particle physics laboratory and best known as operator of
the Large Hadron Collider (LHC).
The name CERN is derived from the acronym for the French "Conseil Européen pour la Recherche
Nucléaire", or European Council for Nuclear Research.
CERN was founded in 1954, in Geneva, on the French-Swiss border.
It has 22 member states and four associate member states ( India, Turkey, Pakistan, Ukraine) and
other associate members (Serbia and Cyprus) transitioning to full member status.
India has been actively involved in CERN’s scientific activities for over 50 years. India had
an active involvement in the construction of the LHC.
India was inducted as an ‘Observer’ at CERN in 2004.

Benefits of Associate Membership:

India’s Associate Membership will strengthen the long-term partnership between CERN and the
Indian scientific community.
It will allow India to take part in meetings of the CERN Council and its committees.
As an Associate member, India can participate in all experiments and will have full access to all
data generated at CERN.
It will enhance participation of young scientists and engineers in various CERN projects and bring back
knowledge for deployment in the domestic programmes.
Indian scientists can apply for staff positions at the organisation.
Indian industry will be entitled to bid for CERN contracts, which will open up opportunities for
industrial collaboration in areas of advanced technology. So, the “Make in India” will also get a
boost.
India has to pay about Rs. 40 crore a year as an Associate member. Scientists say it is a small fee
compared to the huge scientific and commercial benefits that India will stand to gain.

An earlier post on the portal on same topic:

https://lms.vajiramandravi.com/current-affairs/india-joins-cern-as-an-associate-
member/58353ed1b680d35eb95daf1b/

Jan. 14, 2017

Indian pepper may be a cancer fighter

Details : THE
NEWS:
The Indian long pepper which is popular for spicing up food, may soon be used as a potential
cancer treatment drug.
STUDY: Published in Journal of Biological Chemistry

The Indian long pepper contains a chemical that could stop the production of an enzyme that is
commonly found in tumours.
The scientists have uncovered the chemical process behind anti-cancer properties of Indian
pepper plant called the long pepper.
The chemical actively involved is called as Piperlongumine (PL).
PL has shown activity against many cancers including prostate, breast, lung, colon, lymphoma,
leukaemia, primary brain tumours and gastric cancer.

Mechanism of Action

PL converts to hPL, an active drug that silences a gene called GSTP1.

LONG PEPPER

The long pepper is a plant native to India.


It is commonly found in southern India and south-east Asia.
It dates back thousands of years in the Indian subcontinent tied to Ayurveda, one of the world's
oldest medical systems.
This study illustrates the importance of examining and re-examining our theories as in this case we
learned something fundamentally new about a 3,000-year-old medical claim using modern science.

Jan. 10, 2017

TB institute warns against use of new drug


Details : THE
NEWS
The new drug Bedaquiline (BDQ) has shown positive results in patients suffering from XDR- TB.
An eighteen year old girl's father has filed case seeking help (Treatment with BDQ) to save her
daughter who is suffering from Extreme Drug Resistant (XDR) Tuberculosis.

What NITRD told the court?

The National Institute of Tuberculosis & Respiratory Diseases (NITRD) told that the drug Bedaquiline
(BDQ) should not be administered without proper tests as it might lead to the TB-causing bacteria
becoming further drug resistant and may spread to the community.
It is absolutely essential to study the drug resistance of the bacteria in the patient so as to formulate
the right BDQ containing regimen lest the bacteria become BDQ resistant and spread in the
community.
BDQ is available through limited sources in India, one of which is the NITRD in Delhi. It is a
new drug discovered after five decades of research on TB treatment.
Its efficacy and effects are still being evaluated.
It should be rolled out in a phased manner to avoid its misuse, development and spread of fatal BDQ
resistant bacteria in the community.

TUBERCULOSIS:
EXTREME DRUG RESISTANT TUBERCULOSIS

XDR-TB is a form of TB which is resistant to at least four of the core anti-TB drugs.
XDR-TB involves resistance to the two most powerful anti-TB drugs, isoniazid and rifampicin,
also known as multidrug-resistance (MDR-TB), in addition to resistance to any of the
fluoroquinolones (such as levofloxacin or moxifloxacin) and to at least one of the three injectable
second-line drugs (amikacin, capreomycin or kanamycin).
MDR-TB and XDR-TB both take substantially longer to treat than ordinary (drug- susceptible) TB.
These two forms of TB require the use of second-line anti-TB drugs which are more expensive
and have more side-effects than the first-line drugs used for drug-susceptible TB.
People may get XDR-TB in one of the following ways:

(A): It may develop in a patient who is receiving treatment for active TB:

1. When anti-TB drugs are misused or mismanaged.


2. It can happen when patients are not properly supported to complete their full course of
treatment.
3. When health-care providers prescribe the wrong treatment, or the wrong dose, or for too short a
period of time.
4. When the supply of drugs to the clinics dispensing drugs is erratic or the drugs are of poor quality.

(B): The second way that people can develop XDR-TB is by becoming infected from a patient who is
already ill with the condition.
Spread:

The spread of TB bacteria depends on factors such as the number and concentration of infectious
people in any one place together and the presence of people with a higher risk of being infected
(such as those with HIV/AIDS).

Cure:
XDR-TB patients can be cured, but with the current drugs available the likelihood of success is
much smaller than in patients with ordinary TB or even MDR-TB.
Cure depends on the extent of the drug resistance, the severity of the disease and whether the
patient’s immune system is compromised.
Patients infected with HIV may have a higher mortality.

Jan. 9, 2017

QR codes ensure policemen remain on the beat

Details : THE
NEWS
Subhahu (an Android App) will make the delivery of police assistance efficient and accountable.
Subhahu is developed by a team of IT engineers in Bengaluru.
It will help police personnel complete their night beat rounds on time without missing a street or
house and will help them in reacting to emergencies immediately.
The electronic beat system (e-beat) is likely to become operational in a month.

WORKING OF THE SYSTEM

The system works online and real-time data is fed into the server.
Houses and streets will be affixed with quick response code tags. Constables can go around
scanning them.
The app adds the global positioning system (GPS) and time stamps on the data sheet prepared at
the end of the beat.
There are some fail-safe techniques built into the app to stop personnel from misusing it. For
example, no officer can collect the tags from all homes and scan them at his office or home
without going out on the beat. That will be detected immediately as the address and GPS tags will
not match.

QR CODES

The "QR" in QR codes stands for "quick response," as the codes are designed to be read quickly.
QR codes are two-dimensional barcodes that can be read by cell phones, smartphones and dedicated
devices.
The codes are small squares with black and white patterns.
A QR code is used to encode some sort of information, such as text, email, phone number or a
URL.
The technology for QR codes was developed by Densa-Wave, a Toyota subsidiary. The codes were
originally used for tracking inventory.

How is a QR Code(2D barcode) different from a normal 1D barcode?


In 1D barcode data is scanned only in one direction, horizontally. Whereas, in 2D Barcodes the data
is stored in both the directions and can be scanned vertically and horizontally.
A standard 1D Barcode stores up to 30 numbers and a QR Barcode can store up to 7,089
numbers.

Jan. 8, 2017

China setting up highest altitude telescopes close toLAC

Details : THE
NEWS:
China is setting up the world’s highest altitude gravitational wave telescopes in a Tibet prefecture
close to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with India.

ABOUT TELESCOPE

The code name for the first phase telescope is Ngari No. 1 and is located 30 km south of
Shiquanhe Town in Ngari Prefecture.
Ngari No. 1 telescope will be located 5,250 meters above sea level.
The second phase involves a series of telescopes, code-named Ngari No. 2, to be located about
6,000 meters above sea level.

WHY NGARI?
Parts of Ngari is last Tibetan prefecture at China’s border with India.
The high altitude, clear sky and minimal human activity Ngari is one of the world’s best spots to
detect tiny twists in cosmic light.

OBJECTIVES:

1. It will detect and gather data on primordial gravitational waves in the Northern
Hemisphere.
2. To detect the echoes resonating from the universe, which may reveal more about the Big Bang
theory.

GRAVITATIONAL WAVES
Gravitational waves were first proposed by Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity 100 years
ago.
In 2016 scientists with the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) announced
the proof of the waves’ existence.
The Ngari observatory will be among the world’s top primordial gravitational wave observation
bases, alongside the South Pole Telescope and the facility in Chile’s Atacama Desert.
Jan. 7, 2017

Double delight from Indian telescope data

Details : THE
NEWS:

(GMRT Antenna)

The researchers have found what happens when matter ejected by a giant black hole is swept up
in the merger of two enormous galaxy clusters.
Astronomers have used the data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, India’s Giant
Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) and other telescopes.
Researchers discovered two of the most powerful phenomena in the universe: A
supermassive black hole
The collision of giant galaxy clusters about two billion light years from Earth.

GIANT METREWAVE RADIO TELESCOPE:

GMRT is an indigenous project set up by NCRA (National Centre for Radio Astrophysics), Pune.
GMRT is a very versatile instrument for investigating a variety of radio astrophysical problems,
ranging from nearby Solar system to the edge of observable Universe.
Its important astrophysical objectives are:

1. To provide important constraints to the theories of formation of galaxies and clusters.


2. To search for and study rapidly-rotating Pulsars in our galaxy.

Jan. 6, 2017
Israel harnessing sunshine with world’s tallest solar tower

Details :

Why in news?
Israel in harnessing sunshine with world’s tallest solar tower, in what is called the Ashalim project.

(Source: http://www.unmuseum.org/burning_mirror_solar2.jpg )

The Ashalim project:

It will be Israel’s largest renewable energy project when completed by 2018.


It is located in the Negev desert.
It is significant for Israel’s commitment to CO2 reduction and renewable energy.
Israel has set a goal of generating 10 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020, up
from the current 2.5 per cent.
The centerpiece of Ashalim project is a solar tower that will use solar energy to generate electricity.
How is this different from other solar energy plants?

Regular solar power plants use photovoltaic solar panels, which convert sunlight directly into
electricity.
But Solar towers use a different solar-thermal method.
This Ashalim tower is encircled by 50,000 mirrors, known as heliostats.
These mirrors focus the sun’s rays onto the tower, heating a boiler that creates steam to spin a
turbine and generate electricity.

Jan. 2, 2017

Jaitapur to witness anti-nuclear plant protestagain

Details : THE
NEWS:

The anti-Jaitapur nuclear power plant group has announced a one-day protest after the Government of
India asked French and American companies to furnish details of functional reactors designed by them.
French company EDF proposes to build six European Pressurised Reactors (EPR) of 1,600 MW
each in Jaitapur.
Despite the environmental clearance given to the project six years ago and completion of the land
acquisition process, no nuclear plant was set up at Jaitapur as the Nuclear Power Corporation of
India Limited (NPCIL) and the French company are yet to sign techno- commerical agreements.
The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) is currently keen to know how the technology works and
wants to see the reference nuclear plant built using similar technology, which is functional.

JAITAPUR PLANT CONTROVERSY:

1. Environmental effects and geological issues related to Jaitapur Power Plant have been raised. Jaitapur
lies in ecological sensitive are of Konkan.

Jaitapur is also seismically sensitive and weak. It comes under Moderate Risk Zone area.

2. Impact on fishermen: The plant will use the sea water for cooling and then release warmed
water in the Arabian Sea.

The fishermen in villages around fear the destruction of fisheries in the nearby sea.
3. Social Impact: The project requires about 968 hectares of land panning five villages and will have a
huge negative impact on the social as well as environmental development of not just these villages and the
surrounding areas, but also on the Konkan region in general.

4. Nuclear Liability: According to Nuclear Liability Act, only the operator of the plant i.e. NPCIL can
sue the manufacturer in case of accident and the victims will not be able to sue.

NPCIL is a government agency and opponents fear that it cannot act as a fair moderator. Later on,
Indian Nuclear Insurance Pool (INIP) of 1,500 crore rupees was launched as per the mandatory
provision under the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act (CLND), 2010. The pool provides
capacity for insurance coverage to operators and suppliers for any nuclear liability towards third
party.

EUROPEAN PRESSURISED REACTOR:

EPR is a Pressurised Water reactor and its designs are highly safe and provide enhanced economic
competitiveness.
The EPR has an electrical production capacity of more than 1650 MWe, which places it among the
most powerful reactors in the world.

PRESSURISED WATER REACTOR:

Pressurised water reactors are one of the three Light Water Reactors.
In a typical design concept of a commercial PWR, the following process occurs: The core
inside the reactor vessel creates heat.
Pressurized water in the primary coolant loop carries the heat to the steam generator. Inside the
steam generator, heat from the primary coolant loop vaporizes the water in a secondary loop,
producing steam.
The steam line directs the steam to the main turbine, causing it to turn the turbine generator,
which produces electricity.
The unused steam is exhausted to the condenser, where it is condensed into water.
The resulting water is pumped out of the condenser with a series of pumps, reheated, and pumped
back to the steam generator.
Fuel: Uranium Oxide Powder

Moderator: Light water (This is normal water but is written as Light Water to differentiate it from
Heavy Water i.e. Deuterium Oxide)

Coolant: Water

Related Links:

About India’s Three Stage Nuclear Program: https://lms.vajiramandravi.com/current-


affairs/kudankulam-plant-safest-in-the-world-says-russian-official/579ef6a9b680d34114f6bf2d/

About Light Water Reactor: https://lms.vajiramandravi.com/current-affairs/npcl-ap-govt-to- elicit-


peoples-views-on-n-plant/581eb7e4b680d35eb339f02e/

DECEMBER-2016

Dec. 26, 2016

Russia offers technology to keep hackers atbay

Details : THE
NEWS:
Russian Quantum Center (RQC) is ready to collaborate with India.
The center will offer its quantum technology that will prevent hackers from breaking into bank
accounts.
RQC plans to offer 'quantum cryptography’ that could propel India to the forefront of hack proof
communication in sectors such as banking and national and homeland security.
RQC conducts scientific research which includes developing 'unbreakable cryptography' for the
banks and the government organisations.
RQC is willing to collaborate as Russia and India are part of BRICS, an association of five major
emerging national economies.
Experts in India say that a technology like 'quantum cryptography' is relevant at a time when
hacking targets are multiplying in India as the country goes digital.

How does it work?


The 'Quantum cryptography' created by RQC depends more on physics, rather than mathematics.
It is based on the usage of individual particles or waves of light (photon) and their intrinsic quantum
properties to develop an unbreakable cryptosystem.
The traditional encryption depends on transmitting a decryption key along with the secret
information. The recipient then uses that key for deciphering that secret data.
The hackers can clone this key and steal the information.
To address this problem the most promising application of quantum cryptography is Quantum
key distribution (QKD).
In this, two users can establish QKD session that allows them to obtain a random private key.
QKD is distinct as it encrypts this key on light particles called photons.
A hacker trying to clone or read such a key would automatically change its state, due to
fundamental principle of quantum mechanics.
The recipient and the transmitter can also detect the attempts to read or intercept the
information.
According to RQC, the developed solution can be a central point of quantum-safe infrastructure
for banks, financial and governmental institutions "ensuring absolute security of communication."

Dec. 24, 2016

50 biotech labs to be set up in Arunachal

Details :

THE NEWS:

A total of 50 biotechnology laboratories will be set up in Arunachal Pradesh.


The laboratories will be a push to encourage biotechnology research and start-ups. The
labs will be established as part of a Department of Biotechnology scheme, called Biotech
Labs in Senior Secondary Schools (BliSS) to encourage students to consider careers in
biotechnology.
The programme is part of a larger initiative to establish labs in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya,
Mizoram, Tripura, Nagaland, Sikkim and Manipur.

BIOTECH LABS IN SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS (BLISS)

Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, will set up 50 Biotech Laboratories in Senior


Secondary Schools of Arunachal Pradesh under the scheme Biotech Labs in Senior Secondary
Schools (BLISS) to encourage young dynamic students.
This project will be jointly funded by Department of Bio-Technology and Rural Technology Centre
of Department of Science and Technology, Government of India.
According to the scheme, Rs. 15 lakh will be provided per school to set up basic facilities at
biotech labs and infrastructure including computers, freezers and microscopes.
A State-level biotech hub will be set up in the State for conducting advanced research and for
training students in related careers.
There would also be an intellectual property cell at the State Science and Technology council, for
protecting indigenous traditional knowledge.
Setting up biotechnology labs in the schools will directly benefit more than ten thousand students
and teachers of the state towards promoting education in biotechnology.
Implementation of Biotechnology projects will also lead to developing market linkages to
facilitate entrepreneurs for marketing their produce that will help in income generation,
sustainable Socio-techno-economic development in rural tribal areas at large.
The Project will also lead to biotechnological implementation and sustainable utilization,
development and conservation of bio resources of the State.

Dec. 23, 2016

Moon race: TeamIndus to carry Japanese rival’srover

Details : THE
NEWS:
TeamIndus, Bengaluru and ispace Inc, Japan are two private novices that are competing to land on
moon.
TeamIndus and Hakuto (the team of Japanaese startup ispace Inc. ) have signed a “rideshare”
agreement.
Team Indus's spacecraft will be launched on ISRO's PSLV rocket in December, 2017 and Hakuto's
four-kg robotic rover will be carried on Team Indus's 600-kg spacecraft.
The robotic rover has been developed by Hakuto, the Japanese team in the ‘Google Lunar
XPRIZE.’

Google Lunar XPRIZE:

Both Google and XPRIZE seek to foster a new space economy of innovation and entrepreneurship
through low-cost, efficient access to the Moon and use the Google Lunar XPRIZE teams’ moonshots to
inspire and engage citizens around the world with science, technology, and innovation.
The private space enterprises are competing in the [totally $30-million] Google Lunar XPRIZE.
The GLXP was announced in 2007 and it encourages private-funded entities to land on the moon and
rove on its surface for at least half a kilometre.
It mandates that they must launch their spacecraft by December 31, 2017.
TeamIndus is the sole Indian entry and it plans to land its spacecraft on the lunar surface on the
Republic Day of 2018.
From among the original 30-odd candidates, GLXP has said it now has five confirmed teams in the
race.
The other three are SpaceIL of Israel; Moon Express of USA; and the 15-nation Synergy Moon.

( XPRIZE is a non-profit organization that designs and manages public competitions intended to encourage
technological development that could benefit mankind.)

Dec. 22, 2016

Robot provides rare glimpse of world under Antarctic sea ice

Details :

Why in news?
An underwater robot has captured a rare glimpse of colorful world beneath the Antarctic sea ice.

Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV):


(Source: http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/12/21/14/3B8D616400000578-4054054-image-a-
9_1482330593638.jpg )

Colorful world under antarctic sea ice:

Summary:

An underwater robot has captured a rare glimpse of the world beneath the Antarctic sea ice.
It revealed a colourful and wide variety of biodiversity, including coconut-shaped sponges, sea
spiders, dandelion-like worms, pink algae and spidery starfish.
The Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) took footage on a camera attached to a Remotely Operated
Vehicle (ROV).
The study was carried out near Australia's Casey research station in Antarctica.
Marine life here exists in water that is -1.5 degrees Celsius year round and covered in 1.5 metres of
sea ice for 10 months of the year.
They sent the camera through a small hole drilled in the ice to record the acidity, oxygen, salinity
and temperature of the seawater.
Carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere is absorbed by the ocean, which increases its acidity.
Carbon dioxide is more soluble in cold water and thus, polar waters are acidifying at twice the rate
of tropical or temperate regions.
So the ocean ecosystems in polar regions are expected to be among the first impacted
from ocean acidification
Scientists in Antarctica are working on better understanding of the impact of acidification on the
Southern Ocean sea-floor communities.

Dec. 21, 2016

Novel chikungunya vaccine promises safety,effectiveness

Details : THE
NEWS:
Researchers have developed the first vaccine for chikungunya fever made from an insect - specific
virus that does not have any effect on people, making the vaccine safe and effective.

The findings as published in the journal Nature Medicine:

The newly developed vaccine quickly produces a strong immune defence and completely protects
mice and non-¬human primates from disease when exposed to the chikungunya virus.
There is currently no commercial chikungunya vaccine.

VACCINES:

A vaccine is a biological preparation that provides active acquired immunity (immunity that is not
present since birth) to a particular disease.
A vaccine typically contains an agent that resembles a disease-causing microorganism and is often
made from weakened or killed forms of the microbe, its toxins or one of its surface proteins.
Traditionally, vaccine development involves tradeoffs between how quickly the vaccine works and
safety.

Common Types of Vaccines:

1. Live attenuated vaccines: These are made from weakened versions of a live pathogen typically
offer rapid and durable immunity but reduced safety.
2. Inactivated Vaccines: Vaccines that contain inactivated but previously virulent, micro- organisms
that have been destroyed with chemicals, heat, radiation, or antibioticsThe inability of
inactivated vaccines to replicate enhances safety at the expense of effectiveness, often requiring
several doses and boosters to work properly.
3. Toxoid: Toxoid vaccines are made from inactivated toxic compounds that cause illness rather
than the micro-organism. Toxoid vaccines are known for their efficacy.

There may be a risk of disease with all of these vaccine types, either from incomplete inactivation
of the virus or from incomplete or unstable weakening of the live virus that is only recognised
when rare vulnerable individuals contract disease.
To overcome these tradeoffs, the researchers used the Eilat virus as a vaccine platform since it
only infects insects and has no impact on people.
The researchers used an Eilat virus clone to design a hybrid virus ¬based vaccine containing
chikungunya structural proteins.
CHIKUNGUNYA:

Chikungunya is a mosquito-borne viral disease first described during an outbreak in southern


Tanzania in 1952.
The word Chikungunya, derived from the Kimakonde language which is spoken by the indigenous
people of southern Tanzania, means that which is contorted.
It refers to the contorted position taken by people when they are affected by joint pain.

How is it transmitted?

It is transferred from human to human by mosquitoes.


The females of Aedes Aegyptii and Aedes albopictus are the main species of mosquito that spread the
disease.
These mosquitoes bite through the day.
Chikungunya is a fever spread by a virus that is transmitted by the female mosquito.

Control:

We face multiple issues with respect to chikungunya disease control in our country. A lack
of sensitive virus-specific diagnostic tools,
An absence of drugs/vaccine.
Poor vector control measures and public awareness contribute tremendously in escalating the
problem.

Dec. 19, 2016

IIT Madras group develops alternative system for communication during disasters

Details : THE
NEWS:
DISANET:
One of the first things to get affected during natural disasters and accidents is the communication
network.
An IIT Madras team is developing a low-cost communication system that can enable rescue
workers to communicate with a locally established centre and through this centre to the
National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) in Delhi.
The plan is also to enable citizens within the reach of this system to communicate essential
messages, such as “I am safe” or basic information – name, age, gender, etc, of persons
discovered.
The whole system is compatible with basic model mobile phones as most users in India do not own
smart phones.
It will allow basic services such as voice, text and video communications to be exchanged within
this network of rescue workers, Master Operation Centre and the NDMA.
The design has four subsystems — WiFi, a satellite link, single-carrier GSM and LTE (Long Term
Evolution) which is a standard for high-speed wireless communication for mobile phones and
data terminals.
The compact system can be easily transported in trucks to the site of the Master Operation Centre
within a few hours of the disaster.
The wireless system will provide coverage over an area of approximately 1,000 square
kilometres.

CURRENT SCENARIO:

At present, people who are involved in rescue operations, such as police personnel, use
walkie/talkie handsets (VHF/UHF).
VHF/UHF handsets are expensive. So, the police are very selective of who gets to use them.
Much of the police force depends on GSM for its communication needs and they are subject to all
the disruptions that affect GSM network.
Rescue workers with GSM handsets, WiFi cameras and WiFi nodes can spread out over an area of
12-25 square kilometre to form the primary deployment area.
These workers supply communication between the affected area and the Master Operation Centre
(MOC).

NOTE: Details about system will be updated after it is put in to use.

Dec. 17, 2016

Genetic Engineering: Clock of ageing can be reset, show Salk Institute scientists

Details :
THE NEWS:

The Salk team’s discovery was reported in the issue of the journal Cell.
In the first attempt to reverse ageing by reprogramming the genome the scientists at the Salk
Institute have rejuvenated the organs of mice and lengthened their life spans by 30 percent.
The technique which requires genetic engineering which cannot be applied directly to people but
the achievement points toward better understanding of human ageing and the
possibility of rejuvenating human tissues by other means.
The finding is based on the heterodox idea that ageing is not irreversible and that an animal’s
biological clock can in principle be wound back to a more youthful state.
The ageing process is clock-like in the sense that a steady accumulation of changes eventually
degrades the efficiency of the body’s cells.
The team saw improved organ health in normal mice but could not yet say if longevity was extended.

GENETIC ENGINEERING

Genetic engineering is the process by which scientists modify the genome of an organism. Creation of
genetically modified organisms requires recombinant DNA.
Recombinant DNA is a combination of DNA from different organisms or different locations in a
given genome that would not normally be found in nature.
In most cases, use of recombinant DNA means that you have added an extra gene to an organism to
alter a trait or add a new trait.
Some uses of genetic engineering include improving the nutritional quality of food, creating
pest-resistant crops and creating infection-resistant livestock.

Understanding Genetic Engineering: Basic Biology

To understand how genetic engineering works, there are a few key biology concepts that must be
understood:

Host Organism

The organism that is modified in a genetic engineering experiment is referred to as the host.
Depending on the goal of the genetic engineering experiment, the host could range from a
bacterial cell to a plant or animal cell or even a human cell.

Vector

The vehicle used to transfer genetic material into a host organism is called a vector. Scientists
typically use plasmids, viruses, cosmids, or artificial chromosomes in genetic engineering
experiments.
A genetically-engineered viral vector is designed by scientists to inject DNA of interest.

DNA
DNA is the recipe for life.
DNA is a molecule found in the nucleus of every cell and is made up of 4 subunits represented by the
letters A, T, G, and C.
The order of these subunits in the DNA strand holds a code of information for the cell.

(Just like the English alphabet makes up words using 26 letters, the genetic language uses 4 letters to
spell out the instructions for how to make the proteins an organism will need to grow and live.)

Small segments of DNA are called genes. Each gene holds the instructions for how to produce a
single protein.
This can be compared to a recipe for making a food dish. A recipe is a set of instructions for
making a single dish.
An organism may have thousands of genes. The set of all genes in an organism is called a genome.
A genome can be compared to a cookbook of recipes that makes that organism what it is.
Every cell of every living organism has a cookbook.

Why are proteins important?

Proteins do the work in cells. They can be part of structures (such as cell walls, organelles, etc).
They can regulate reactions that take place in the cell. They can serve as enzymes, which speed-up
reactions.
Everything you see in an organism is either made of proteins or the result of a protein action.

How is DNA important in genetic engineering?

DNA is a ‘universal language’, meaning the genetic code in all organisms. This
characteristic is critical to the success of genetic engineering.
When a gene for a desirable trait is taken from one organism and inserted into another, it gives
the ‘recipient’ organism the ability to express that same trait.
Genetic engineering, also called transformation, works by physically removing a gene from one
organism and inserting it into another, giving it the ability to express the trait encoded by that gene.

(It is like taking a single recipe out of a cookbook and placing it into another cookbook.)

The process:

Select an organism that naturally contains the desired trait. The


DNA is extracted from that organism.
The one desired gene must be located and copied from thousands of genes that were extracted.
This is called gene cloning.
The new gene(s) called a transgene is delivered into cells of the recipient organism. This is called
transformation.
The most common transformation technique uses a bacteria that naturally genetically engineer
plants with its own DNA.
The transgene is inserted into the bacteria, which then delivers it into cells of the organism being
engineered.
Once a transgenic organism has been created, traditional breeding is used to improve the
characteristics of the final product.
So genetic engineering does not eliminate the need for traditional breeding. It is simply a way to
add new traits to the pool.
How does genetic engineering compare to traditional breeding?

Although the goal of both genetic engineering and traditional plant breeding is to improve an
organism’s traits, there are some key differences between them.
While genetic engineering manually moves genes from one organism to another, traditional
breeding moves genes through mating, or crossing, the organisms in hopes of obtaining offspring
with the desired combination of traits.
Traditional breeding is effective in improving traits, however, when compared with genetic
engineering, it does have disadvantages. Since breeding relies on the ability to mate two
organisms to move genes, trait improvement is basically limited to those traits that already
exist within that species. Genetic engineering physically removes the genes from one organism
and places them into the other. This eliminates the need for mating and allows the movement of
genes between organisms of any species. Therefore, the potential traits that can be used are
virtually unlimited.
Breeding is also less precise than genetic engineering. In breeding, half of the genes from each
parent are passed on to the offspring. This may include many undesirable genes for traits that are
not wanted in the new organism. Genetic engineering, however, allows for the movement of a
single, or a few, genes.
Dec. 14, 2016

Japan launches 'space junk' collector

Details :
Japan launched a cargo ship bound for the International Space Station (ISS) carrying a 'space junk'
collector.
The cargo ship is also carrying other materials for the ISS including batteries and drinking water
for the astronauts.
The capsule called Kounotori, or white stork contains nearly 5 tons of food, water and other
supplies.

'Space junk' collector

Scientists at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) are experimenting with a tether to pull
junk out of orbit around Earth, clearing up tonnes of space clutter+ including cast-off equipment from
old satellites and pieces of rocket.
More than 50 years of human space exploration since the Soviet-launched Sputnik satellite in
1957 has produced this hazardous belt of orbiting debris.
There are estimated to be more than 100 million pieces in orbit that are posing a growing threat
to future space exploration.

NOTE: Fact based question about the name of the collector and the country that launched it can be

asked in Prelims.

Dec. 13, 2016


India looks for first signals emitted by stars,galaxies

Details : THE
NEWS:
Nearly 14 billion years since the formation of the universe, astrophysicists and astronomers are
still hunting for signals from the first stars and galaxies.
The first stars hold answers to many questions from the "dark ages" i.e. the period immediately
after the Big Bang.
A team of Indian astrophysicists and researchers conducted the first round of data collection and
are confident of detecting such signals in near future.
The signal is popularly referred to as the 21-cm signal and holds many secrets. Detecting the
signal would enable scientists to understand this nebulous period in the formation of cosmos.

THE PROJECT:

The project named SARAS (Shaped Antenna measurement of the background Radio Spectrum),
has a system that consists of an antenna connected with analog and digital receivers to take the
data from sky and record it for further analysis.
The team's aim is to detect the signal emitted from the time when the first stars and galaxies
formed.
Detection of signals from neutral hydrogen atoms at the time the first luminous objects in the
universe were born is challenging.
Detection helps the astronomer to decipher the physical processes during the Dark Ages which
are necessary to understand the formation of first stars and galaxies as well as the evolution of
the diffuse intervening medium to its present state.
The researchers used an indigenous radio telescope and instruments.
The observations were done from a location 300 metres higher than Hanle, in Ladakh. The
location is 4,800m from the sea level and is the highest night sky observation point in the world for
such an experiment.

(Source: Times Of India)


Dec. 12, 2016

‘Nanoceramic’ material for safer, cheaper nuclearreactors

Details : THE
NEWS:
Scientists have created a nanoceramic material which may be used in next-generation nuclear
reactors.
Nanoceramic is a type of nanoparticle that is composed of ceramics which are generally classified
as inorganic, heat-resistant, nonmetallic solids made of both metallic and nonmetallic
compounds.
Nanoceramics will operate at higher temperatures and radiation fields producing energy more
efficiently and economically.
The new material is made of aluminium oxide nanoceramic coating. It can withstand high
temperatures, the harsh effects of radiation and also becomes tougher under radiation.
Corrosion is a surface phenomenon so a coating on the surface is needed and for the coating
should withstand high radiation doses without becoming embrittled.
Scientists characterised an aluminium oxide nanoceramic coating, a new material that can
withstand the harmful effects of these high-temperature liquid metals in advanced reactors.
Nanoceramic coating will be done in coolant chamber of reactor.

How it is different from earlier methods?

Traditionally, water has been used as the primary coolant in reactors. Water
absorbs the heat released from fission reactions.
Water poses fewer risks of corrosion damage to materials but there are limits to the
temperatures up to which water-cooled reactors can operate.
New coolants such as liquid metals like sodium and lead are effective at higher temperatures but
are corrosive to the materials from which a nuclear reactor is made.

NUCLEAR REACTOR COOLANT

A nuclear reactor coolant is a coolant in a nuclear reactor used to remove heat from the nuclear
reactor core and transfer it to electrical generators and the environment.
Commonly used coolants are:

Water :

Almost all currently operating nuclear power plants are light water reactors using ordinary water under
high pressure as coolant and neutron moderator.
Heavy water reactors use deuterium oxide which has similar properties to ordinary water but
much lower neutron capture, allowing more thorough moderation.

Molten Metal:

Fast reactors have a high power density and do not need neutron moderation. Most
have been liquid metal cooled reactors using molten sodium.
Lead, lead-bismuth eutectic, and other metals have also been occasionally used.

Molten salt:

Molten salts share with metals the advantage of low vapor pressure even at high temperatures
and are less chemically reactive than sodium.

NOTE: Read it with your science and technology class notes.

Dec. 9, 2016

A more muscular rice variety takes on wheat


Details : The
NEWS:
A rice variety that packs more protein to match wheat has been released by Karnataka’s University of
Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru.
The rice strain offers an option to those who are not comfortable switching over to wheat for
supplementary protein.
Wheat has about 14 per cent of protein.
The strain has 12 to13 per cent protein content which is higher than the 6 to 7.5 per cent in
normal rice.

Benefits:

This high-protein strain could help diabetics.


Using conventional breeding, researchers raised the amount of lysine, an amino acid that helps
synthesize proteins by about 20 per cent.
The higher protein leads to a decrease in starch, benefiting diabetics.
The rice protein is easier to digest compared to what comes from non-vegetarian sources. So, it is
good for children and the elderly.
The rice variety will play a crucial role in fighting protein deficiencies
For majority of the people who do not eat meat products or can't afford pulses, rice could be a
good source of proteins
It will also be beneficial for people having wheat allergy.
For the farmer, the new entrant is a lucrative option that can be grown like any other cereal,
without extra costs.

NOTE: A Question can be asked in GS Mains about benefits and need of moving towards hybrid and
fortified varieties of crops. Research and few point from the articles can be quoted in the answer.

Dec. 8, 2016

Remote sensing satellite Resourcesat-2Alaunched

Details : THE
NEWS:
Remote sensing satellite Resourcesat-2A was launched from Sriharikota. The
spacecraft was flown aboard a PSLV-C36 rocket.
It was the 37th consecutive successful flight of the indigenous light-lifting rocket.
There was one new feature in this launch: The on-board cameras were put for the first time on the
launcher and it showed the separation of the stages during the flight and the deployment of the
solar panels of the satellite.

Specifications:

RESOURCESAT-2A is a Remote Sensing satellite intended for resource monitoring. The


1,235-kg spacecraft is orbiting pole-to-pole, at 824 km from Earth.
There are three cameras of different resolution that will give regular micro and macro information on
land and water bodies below, farm lands and crop extent, forests, mineral
deposits, coastal information, rural and urban spreads besides helping in disaster management.
The three cameras can cover the land below in a unique three-tier manner. RESOURCESAT-
2A is a follow on mission to RESOURCESAT-1 and RESOURCESAT-2, launched in 2003 and
2011 respectively.
RESOURCESAT-2A is intended to continue the remote sensing data services to global users provided by
RESOURCESAT-1 and RESOURCESAT-2

India’s Earth Observation Satellites (Remote Sensing)

Remote sensing is the acquisition of information about an object or phenomenon without making
physical contact with the object.
Remote sensing generally refers to the use of satellites to detect and classify objects on Earth,
including on the surface and in the atmosphere and oceans.
These remote sensing satellites are equipped with sensors looking down to the earth. They are
the "eyes in the sky" constantly observing the earth as they go round in predictable orbits.

The data from these satellites are used for several applications covering agriculture, water resources,
urban planning, rural development, mineral prospecting, environment, forestry, ocean resources and
disaster management.
Starting with IRS-1A in 1988, ISRO has launched many operational remote sensing satellites.
Today, India has one of the largest constellations of remote sensing satellites in operation.

1. There are thirteen operational satellites are in Sun-synchronous orbit – RESOURCESAT-1, 2, 2A


CARTOSAT-1, 2, 2A, 2B, RISAT-1 and 2, OCEANSAT-2, Megha-Tropiques, SARAL and SCATSAT-1.
2. There are four satellites in Geostationary orbit- INSAT-3D, Kalpana & INSAT 3A, INSAT - 3DR.
Related Question, Prelims 2015:

Question: In which of the following activities are Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellites used?
1. Assessment of crop productivity

2. Locating ground water resources

3. Mineral exploration

4. Telecommunications

5. Traffic studies

Select the correct answer using the code given below

a) 1, 2 and 3 only

b) 4 and 5 only

c) 1 and 2 only

d) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5

Solution: a)

Nano Crush stenting technique shows promise for narrow coronary arteries

Details : THE
NEWS:
In a breakthrough for treating abnormal narrowing of branching arteries, scientists have
developed a new stenting technique called ‘Nano Crush’.
This technique offers an easy, long-term treatment for the condition. There
are various causes of narrowing of the blood vessels:

• Smoking

• High blood pressure

• High cholesterol

• Diabetes or insulin resistance

• Sedentary lifestyle
Narrowing of blood vessels decrease the blood supply to the tissue/organ leading to organ damage and
even in death, in cases where blood vessels involved supply blood to vital organs like heart, brain,
kidney.

Drawbacks of existing treatment:

The treatment of stenosis or abnormal narrowing at the branching points of arteries is a major
challenge for interventional cardiologists.
Traditional stents placed at such points often compromise one of the branches. Existing
treatments for stenosis involve more metal and are difficult to execute.
The technique is time-consuming, difficult, technically demanding and leads to incomplete
revascularisation
Nano Crush:

The Nano Crush technique is an easy and effective method of stenting the branching arteries, as it
does not affect the blood flow in any of the branches and offers a long-term solution.
This technique ensures minimal metal load with immediate and long-term results.

Left: Traditional stenting with metal Right:


Nano Crush Technique

Choppy seas prevent rescue of tourists fromAndamans

Details : THE
NEWS:
(Excercise: Locate Havelock and Neil Island on your Atlas. Also study the surrounding water bodies)
Nearly 1,500 tourists remained stranded at Neil and Havelock, two famous tourist destinations of
the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
The Navy ships failed to dock because of heavy swells formed due to the depression over southeast
Bay of Bengal.
(Swells are big waves formed due to prolonged wind action.)

(Representative Image)

The meteorological department predicted that the depression situated 260 km west- northwest
of Car Nicobar and 310 km south-southwest of Port Blair will intensify into a deep depression
and then into a cyclonic storm.
The problem is that the system is virtually static and not moving, because of which the bad
weather and rough sea state continue to remain localised. Had the system moved away, it would
have carried the bad weather along with it, away from Havelock.

SWELLS:

A swell, in the context of an ocean, sea or lake, is a series of mechanical waves that propagate
along the interface between water and air and so they are often referred to as surface gravity
waves.
These series of surface gravity waves are generated by distant weather systems where wind blows
for a duration of time over a fetch of water.
A swell consists of wind-generated waves that are not or are hardly affected by the local wind at
that time.
Swell waves often have a long wavelength but this varies due to the size, strength and duration of
the weather system responsible for the swell and the size of the water body. Factors that influence
the formation of wind waves which will go on to become ocean swell are:

1. Wind speed or strength relative to wave speed- the wind must be moving faster than the wave
crest for energy transfer, stronger prolonged winds create larger waves.
2. The uninterrupted distance of open water over which the wind blows without significant change
in direction (called the fetch)
3. Width of area affected by fetch
4. Wind duration- the time over which the wind has blown over a given area
5. Water depth

TROPICAL CYCLONES:

Cyclones, hurricanes and typhoons are all the same weather phenomenon. They are tropical
storms of greater intensity.
In the Atlantic and Northeast Pacific, the term “hurricane” is used. Northwest
Pacific – Typhoon
South Pacific and Indian Ocean – Cyclone

Features of a cyclone:

These are systems of intense low pressure.


They have the lowest pressure at the center& strong winds blow into the center from high pressure
area.
These winds are deflected into an anti-clockwise direction in the northern hemisphere and clockwise
direction in the southern hemisphere.
They rush upwards with a great force creating a vortex which is the area that surrounds the eye of
the cyclone.
The rapidly rising air gives rise to torrential rains and the strong winds cause damage. They occur
in the tropical latitudes 5° and 20° South and North of the equator, in autumn when sea
temperatures are at their highest.
They form over warm oceans where sea temperatures exceed 26°C.
Related questions:
Question, Prelims 2014
Which one of the following pairs of islands is separated from each other by the ‘Ten Degree Channel’?

a) Andaman and Nicobar

b) Nicobar and Sumatra

c) Maldives and Lakshadweep

d) Sumatra and Java

Answer: (a)

Question: (Prelims 2015)

In the South Atlantic and South Eastern Pacific regions in tropical latitudes, cyclone does not originate.
What is the reason?

(a) Sea Surface temperature are low

(b) Inter Tropical Convergence Zone seldom occurs


(c) Coriolis force is too weak

(d) Absence of land in those regions

Answer: (b)
Fourth industrial revolution and responsibleinnovation

Details :

Introduction:

The First Industrial Revolution used water and steam power to mechanize production. The
Second used electric power to create mass production.
The Third used electronics and information technology to automate production.
Now a Fourth Industrial Revolution is building on the Third, the digital revolution that has been
occurring since the middle of the last century. It is characterized by a fusion of technologies that is
blurring the lines between the physical, digital, and biological spheres.
The Fourth Revolution:

The Fourth is evolving at an exponential rather than a linear pace.


Moreover, it is disrupting almost every industry in every country. And the breadth and depth of
these changes herald the transformation of entire systems of production, management, and
governance.
Already, artificial intelligence (AI) is all around us, from self-driving cars and drones to virtual
assistants and software that translate or invest.
AI could either be the best, or the worst thing, ever to happen to humanity. There is a need to
build safe AI and to ensure AI’s benefits are widely and evenly distributed.
Regulators vs Innovators:

For many decades now, regulators have lagged behind innovators. But the
rate of innovation has accelerated sharply.
Driverless cars, autonomous drones, gene editing, 3D printing, artificial intelligence (AI), smart
robots and synthetic biology are some of the new developments that have caught our imagination.
Each of these has staggering potential for both good and bad.
They can liberate humankind but equally they can become the stuff of dystopian movies. This has
opened up a vast and widening gap between innovators and the ability of regulators and
policymakers to make sense of the social and moral implications of innovations.

How India can benefit?

In a country like India, new technologies offer enormous hope of ending scarcity and enabling
affordable access to hundreds of millions of people.
India must not be slow or hesitant in embracing the benefits that these innovations offer. India
must see these as opportunities to leapfrog other nations and own linear development.
For example, the shortage of doctors, nurses, teachers, policemen or judges can be covered by
smart bots at the very least enormously increase the productivity of a doctor, judge or teacher
and over time, they may even be better than their human counterpart. Driverless cars can ease
congestion and make public transportation convenient even for the affluent.
Gene editing can help engineer crops with the ability to withstand extremes of climate change.
The possibilities are limitless.

Challenges:

The leaders in most of these innovations are currently companies outside India. We need to
look at the policies that will be necessary to ensure that India isn’t colonized again, this time by
companies.
In a country with a huge labour surplus and employment challenges it would not be okay for
companies to automate everything. Some boundaries should exist and policy makers need to draw
those policy lines.
In an age of smart machines, we need to strike balance between technology and employment.

What India should do?

No country has a perfect solution to striking the right balance on such matters & this is no excuse to
stay away from probing models of responsible innovation.
Other countries, individuals, and organizations have already started working on solutions by
bringing together a global community of scholars and practitioners with a common conception of
responsible innovation, for purposes of research, training and outreach.
India needs to do at least three things.

1. Ensure that there is a thoughtful public discourse on these relatively arcane matters so that we
progress with awareness.
2. We need to create multiple forums for an informed and intelligent dialogue between key
stakeholders: innovators, regulators, policymakers, scientists, civil society and business leaders.
3. The need and ability to do controlled experiments which is critical for learning and testing
assumptions.

Conlusion:
Intentional approach to policy and regulation is very different from our historical laissez faire (the
policy of leaving things to take their own course, without interfering) approach only to ban
something quickly after the first incident and public outcry.
A thoughtful sophisticated approach, built on principles of responsible innovation, is essential if
India is to prosper from the fourth industrial revolution.

Dec. 7, 2016

TIFR discovery challenges theory ofsuperconductivity

Details : THE
NEWS:
A team of researchers has discovered semi-conductivity in bismuth at around -273 C° Researchers
at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Mumbai, have made a landmark discovery
that challenges the conventional understanding of superconductivity. A team of scientist has
discovered bismuth semi-metal in bulk form becoming a superconductor when the temperature
is lowered to 530 microKelvin (about -273 degree C).
The Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) theory [which explains superconductivity in most low Tc
superconductors] cannot explain the superconductivity seen in bismuth. (There’s no need to
learn about the theory, knowing the name is enough)

According to scientists, this discovery demands a new theory and a new mechanism to
understand superconductivity in bismuth.
The discovery also provides an alternative path for discovering new superconducting materials
which are very different from the conventional superconductors.
Superconductors are materials that conduct electricity with no resistance.
To become superconductors, the element should have mobile electrons, and these electrons
should come together to form pairs, known as Cooper pairs.
While metallic superconductors have one mobile electron per atom, bismuth has only one mobile
electron per 100,000 atoms.
Since carrier density is so small, people did not believe that bismuth can superconduct.

What is a superconductor?

Superconductors are materials that conduct electricity with no resistance.


This means that, unlike the more familiar conductors such as copper or steel, a superconductor
can carry a current indefinitely without losing any energy.
At very low temperatures, the electric and magnetic properties of some materials such as lead,
mercury and some oxides radically change.
These materials become superconductors i.e. they stop showing any electric resistance and expel
the magnetic fields.
However, they need to be cooled to very low temperatures, which restricts their use in our everyday
life.
Superconductors already have drastically changed the world of medicine with the advent of MRI
machines, which have meant a reduction in exploratory surgery. Power utilities, electronics
companies, the military, transportation, and theoretical physics have all benefited strongly from
the discovery of these materials.
The first discovery of a superconductive material took place in 1911 when a Dutch scientist
named Heike Kammerlingh Onnes, who was also the first person to liquefy helium, and reached
temperatures as low as 1.7 kelvin (K).
Applications of Superconductivity:

Legend Commercial Emerging


Medical Magnet Resonance Imaging (MRI) MRI
Various Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) NMR (inserts)

Industrial MRI, NMR, etc.

Magnetic Separation Magnetic Separation


Magnetic Shielding Sensors
and Transducers
Electric Power Power Cables

Generators Motors
Fault Current Limiters

Flywheel Energy Storage

Magnetic Energy Storage


(SMES)

Transformers
Fusion Energy

Transportation M a g n e t i c a l l y levitated
trains

Marine Propulsion (motors)

M a r i n e Propulsion
(magnetohydrodynamic)
Physics Particle Accelerators
Magnets
Plasma/Fusion Research

Electronics SQUIDs SQUIDs

High Speed Computing

Dec. 6, 2016

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)

Details :

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is an extracorporeal technique of providing both


cardiac and respiratory support to persons whose heart and lungs are unable to provide an
adequate amount of gas exchange to sustain life.
ECMO has the word 'oxygenation' in it because the heart assist device removes blood from a
person's body, diminishes carbon dioxide in the blood and pumps oxygen into the red blood cells
to infuse life giving blood that helps a person stay alive.
The blood is pumped directly into the body to energise it as the heart and lungs are unable to
perform that pumping, life-giving function.
Criteria for the initiation of ECMO include acute severe cardiac or pulmonary failure that is potentially
reversible and unresponsive to conventional management.
It is life support and life sustaining intervention given to a critical patient whose heart and lungs
cannot produce ‘adequate gas exchange’ to remain alive.
Late CM of Tamil Nadu, Ms. Jayalalithaa was kept on ECMO after she suffered cardiac arrest.
NORMAL PULMONARY CIRCULATION:

Deoxygenated blood from the body tissues reaches heart (Right atrium and Right ventricle) via
veins.
From heart this blood goes to lungs via Pulmonary artery.
In lungs, gaseous exchange takes place and carbon-di-oxide is replaced by oxygen. Then, this
oxygenated blood again reaches heart (Left Atrium and Left Ventricles) via pulmonary vein.
From heart this blood is pumped for circulation via aorta which further divides into systemic
arteries.
BASIC TERMS:

In systemic circulation, the term artery is mostly used for thick walled vessels that carry
oxygenated blood and veins for vessels that carry deoxygenated blood.
But in pulmonary circulation, the term artery is used for blood vessel carry blood from heart
(irrespective of the oxygen content) and vein is used for vessels that carry blood to heart.
An extracorporeal medical procedure is one which is performed outside the body. Oxygenation in
the process means heart assist takes blood from a person’s body and removes carbon dioxide
from it, and pumps oxygen into the red blood cells that keeps a person alive.

Dec. 4, 2016

Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan

Details : Introduction:
While India has made considerable progress in the reduction of maternal and infant mortality,
every year approximately 44000 women still die due to pregnancy-related causes and
approximately 6.6 lakh infants die within the first 28 days of life.
Many of these deaths are preventable and many lives can be saved if quality care is provided to
pregnant women during their antenatal period and high risk factors such as severe anemia,
pregnancy-induced hypertension etc are detected on time and managed well.
Program:

The Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan has been launched by the Ministry of Health &
Family Welfare (MoHFW), Government of India.
The program aims to provide assured, comprehensive and quality antenatal care, free of cost,
universally to all pregnant women on the 9th of every month.
PMSMA guarantees a minimum package of antenatal care services to women in their 2nd / 3rd
trimesters of pregnancy at designated government health facilities
The programme follows a systematic approach for engagement with private sector which includes
motivating private practitioners to volunteer for the campaign developing strategies for
generating awareness and appealing to the private sector to participate in the Abhiyan at
government health facilities.
One of the critical components of the Abhiyan is identification and follow up of high risk
pregnancies. A sticker indicating the condition and risk factor of the pregnant women would be
added onto MCP card for each visit:

o Green Sticker- for women with no risk factor detected

o Red Sticker – for women with high risk pregnancy

Goal of the PMSMA

Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan envisages to improve the quality and coverage of
Antenatal Care (ANC) including diagnostics and counselling services as part of the Reproductive
Maternal Neonatal Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCH+A) Strategy.

Objectives of the program:

Ensure at least one antenatal checkup for all pregnant women in their second or third trimester
by a physician/specialist
Improve the quality of care during ante-natal visits. This includes ensuring provision of the following
services:

1. All applicable diagnostic services


2. Screening for the applicable clinical conditions
3. Appropriate management of any existing clinical condition such as Anaemia, Pregnancy induced
hypertension, Gestational Diabetes etc.
4. Appropriate counselling services and proper documentation of services rendered
5. Additional service opportunity to pregnant women who have missed ante-natal visits

Identification and line-listing of high risk pregnancies based on obstetric/ medical history and
existing clinical conditions.
Appropriate birth planning and complication readiness for each pregnant woman especially
those identified with any risk factor or co-morbid condition.
Special emphasis on early diagnosis, adequate and appropriate management of women with
malnutrition.
Special focus on adolescent and early pregnancies as these pregnancies need extra and
specialized care

Dec. 2, 2016

Fixed Dose Combination Ban

Details :
NOTE: Since this is an old issue, so in this article, we will first discuss about the basics and small pre-cap
about the issue followed by 'the news' of the day.

How many drugs have been banned and why?

The Health Ministry in a gazette notification (In March, 2016) banned 344 fixed dose drug
combinations.
Health experts have pointed to their many side-effects, some of them are fatal and the lack of
therapeutic justification for their sale.

Combination drugs and the associated risk:

Combination drugs or fixed dose combination (FDC) drugs are those with two or more active
pharmaceutical ingredients combined in a fixed dose to form a single drug, acceptable only when
the drugs so combined have a therapeutic advantage.
For instance, a combination of nimesulide and paracetamol that is prescribed as an anti- pyretic (used
to prevent or reduce fever) is FDC.
Fixed dose combinations have caused some apprehension as the side-effects of the combined
product and its effects are different from those of its individual components. Sometimes, the
combination can come with risks that are not there in the components by themselves.
The added danger is that when an adverse reaction happens in a patient, it is often difficult to
place which ingredient is responsible for that reaction.

Why were they banned?

The ban was prompted by a view long held by health experts that these drugs have dangerous
side-effects and that many of these combinations do not have any advantage over the individual
drugs.
Eventually, the government acted on the opinion of the Kokate Committee set up to examine
these drugs which recommended the ban.

Argument made by the pharma companies:

In its argument, Pfizer said that its Corex syrup had been granted approval by the Drug Controller
in 1995, which implied that there was “therapeutic justification” for the ingredients.
The companies also argued that a non-statutory committee could not have withdrawn the approval
without even conducting tests.
Government’s defence:

The government said that the lack of approval for FDCs was a secondary issue and the primary
focus was that they “lacked safety and efficacy”.
It also argued that these FDC medicines are “new drugs” and require licences from the Drugs
Controller General of India (DCGI).
The court dismissed both the arguments.

So why did the court set aside the ban now?

The decision was taken by the Centre without following procedure prescribed in the Drugs
and Cosmetics Act.
The bench noted that the government had not consulted the Drugs Technical Advisory Board or
the Drugs Consultative Committee but had acted on the advice of a ‘technical committee’.
Under Section 26A of the Drugs Act, a drug can be banned only after the licence holder of that
drug is given a three-month notice.
In March, the court had stayed the Centre’s ban and now, it has struck it down.

THE NEWS:

Delhi High Court reverses ban on combination drugs

The Delhi High Court set aside the Centre’s ban on 344 fixed dose combination (FDC) drugs,
saying the decision was taken in a “haphazard manner” without consulting the statutory bodies
as mandated under the law.
It said the March decision banning the 344 FDCs was based on the recommendations of the
Kokate Committee and without consulting the DTAB, the DCC or the Central Drugs Laboratory,
the bodies set up under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.
The Bench said the ban had to be decided based on scientific technical reasons on the advice of
the Drugs Technical Advisory Body (DTAB) and the Drugs Consultative Committee (DCC)
constituted under the Drugs Act.
The court wondered why the Centre took advice of Kokate Committee and not the DTAB and
DCC.

Health Ministry to file appeal, points to parallel plea in SC

With a parallel petition pending in the Supreme Court, the Health Ministry plans to appeal against
the Delhi High Court’s decision to set aside the ban on 344 drugs considered unsafe.
Popular brands like Corex cough syrup, Vicks Action 500 Extra and Phensedyl were banned by the
Health Ministry for not having a therapeutic justification.
The Health Ministry had banned the sale and distribution of 344 FDCs — considered unsafe and with
no therapeutic justification — based on recommendations from the Prof. Kokate expert committee.

Related Question: UPSC,


2013 Mains:
Question: What do you understand by fixed dose drug combinations (FDCs)? Discuss their merits and

demerits
NOVEMBER- 2016

Nov. 30, 2016

ISRO drones help map disasters in north-east

Details : THE
NEWS:
The Shillong-based North-Eastern Space Applications Centre (NE-SAC) of the Indian Space
Research Organisation has tested unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to assess several regional
problems, ranging from measuring diseased paddy fields to damage caused by frequent
landslides.
Drones are used to collect land details and add to data from remote sensing satellites. Drone-
based studies are new and currently confined to the north-eastern States.
UAVs can perform efficient surveys for disaster-prone or physically inaccessible areas, quick
damage assessment of landslides, floods and earthquakes and enable timely relief measures.
However, the area studied by a drone will be smaller compared to the area assessed from space
by satellites.
The processing and storage of large amounts of data given by a drone are a problem.

UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE:

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft without a human
pilot aboard.
The flight of UAVs may operate with various degrees of autonomy: Either
under remote control by a human operator.
Fully or intermittently autonomously, by onboard computers.
UAVs are often preferred for missions that are too dangerous for humans.

Applications of UAV:

Delivery vehicle: For provisioning of goods and services.


Monitoring of projects: Such as construction, roadways, railways, river basin development.
Disaster management: Assessment of impact of flood, identification of most affected areas,
efficient allocation of relief material.
Drought management: Locating water resources, delivery of relief material.
Agriculture: Aerial survey of cropping intensity, damage to crops, to estimate the losses. Forest
management and environment conservation: Assessment of degraded areas, deforestation
activities, forest fires.
Wildlife conservation and planning: proposals for wildlife corridors by monitoring movement of
animals, monitoring wildlife trafficking, illegal hunting.
Aerial Photography
Border Patrolling Illegal
landfill detection
Crowd monitoring during rallies and gatherings. Real
time monitoring of storms like cyclones.

Nov. 29, 2016

Bitcoin adoption in India sees surge

Details :

Why in news?

An Indian bitcoin start-up said the implementation is timely because bitcoin adoption is rapidly
ascending in India
Unocoin, an Indian bitcoin start-up, has unveiled a new app.
The app will allow consumers to buy, sell, send, receive and store bitcoins, all in one place. Unocoin
said the implementation is timely because bitcoin adoption is rapidly ascending in India.
Unocoin said it has become the first company in India to offer a full-featured mobile bitcoin app.
Demand for bitcoins is expected to increase with more than 300 million Indians using their phones
regularly for accessing the Internet.
Bitcoin:

Bitcoin is a digital currency that is not supported by any country’s government or central bank.
It can be traded for services or goods with sellers who accept bitcoins as payment.
In February 2015, the number of merchants accepting bitcoin for products and services passed
100,000.
Bitcoin was first introduced in October 2008. It was invented by an unidentified programmer, or
group of programmers, under the name of Satoshi Nakamoto.
The system is peer-to-peer (person to person using bitcoins) and transactions take place between
users directly, without an intermediary (like Bank).
Bitcoin transactions are seen by the entire network within a few seconds which are verified
by network nodes and are usually recorded into Bitcoin's world wide ledger (record of
transactions) called the blockchain, in the next block.
Bitcoin isn’t owned by anyone. Anyone can use it, but there isn’t a single company that is in
charge of it.
So, Bitcoin payments are impossible to block, and bitcoin wallets can’t be frozen (unlike the
currency we use that government can regulate).
Unlike government issued money, that can be inflated at will (by increasing or decreasing the
money supply), the supply of bitcoin is mathematically limited to twenty one million bitcoins, and
that can never be changed.
Bitcoins are impossible to counterfeit (as they are encrypted, hence also called Crypto- currency).
Bitcoin’s price is determined by the laws of supply and demand.

Creation and purchasing:

Bitcoins are created as a reward in a competition in which users offer their computing power
(users can make their computers as part of the bitcoin ecosystem).
This activity is referred to as mining and successful miners are rewarded with transaction fees and
newly created bitcoins.
Besides being obtained by mining, bitcoins can be exchanged for other currencies, products, and
services.
You can buy them on trusted Bitcoin exchanges.
You can sell something you already have in exchange for them.

Issues:

Since there is no central authority, there is no one to complain to if something goes wrong. So, just
like physical cash, don’t let strangers hold your bitcoins for you, and don’t send them to
untrustworthy people on the internet.
Bitcoins are encrypted and you have keys for those. But no one can help you if you forget your
password or otherwise lose access to your private keys.
The European Banking Authority and other sources have warned that bitcoin users are not protected
by refund rights (like failed credit card transactions).
The use of bitcoin by criminals has attracted the attention of financial regulators, legislative
bodies and law enforcement.

Note to students: This basic idea about Bitcoin should suffice. Don't have to gain an in-depth
understanding of it. Don't spend too much time on this.

For those curious, here are couple of videos: Bitcoin:


https://bitcoin.org/en/
Blockchain Technology explained:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSP-taqLWPQ
Nov. 27, 2016

Candida Auris Infection

Details :

Note: News about the infection is given in today's The Hindu under the headline "The stealth superbug,
decoded". The original article has research details which are not relevant for exam. The following
details about the pathogen is more than enough.
About Candida Auris:

Candida auris is a species of fungus that grows as yeast.


It is one of the few species of the Candida genus that cause the infection candidiasis in humans.
Candidiasis is often acquired in the hospital when human immune systems are weakened.
C. auris causes fungemia yielding systemic candidiasis.

The outbreaks of Candida Auris infection have been reported this year across five continents. The
countries where infection was reported are US, India, Pakistan, South Korea, Kuwait, South Africa,
Colombia, Venezuela and United Kingdom.
A team of scientists in Bengaluru is behind the genome sequencing of Candida auris.
It is often seen in patients whose immune system is compromised, such as AIDS patients, in case
of transplants, malignancies and the use of catheters.
It widely considered an emerging superbug fungus as it does not respond to conventional antifungal
drugs.
India has one of the highest number of infections caused by this superbug.
The rise of more virulent forms is connected to the indiscriminate use of antibiotics. The strain
found in the United States was resistant to even the third class of antifungal treatment.
Like other Candida infections, C. auris infections are usually diagnosed by fungal culture of blood
or other body fluids. However, C. auris is harder to identify from cultures than other more
common types of Candida.
The team of scientists in India has developed a diagnostic tool to detect Candida auris using
polymerase chain reactions.
The first case reported was in Japan in 2009.
The increased concern about C. auris is because:

1. It is often multidrug-resistant, meaning that it is resistant to most antifungal drugs


commonly used to treat Candida infections.
2. It is difficult to identify with standard laboratory methods, and it can be misidentified in labs
without specific technology.
3. It has caused outbreaks in healthcare settings. For this reason, rapid identification of C. auris in a
hospitalized patient is particularly important so that hospitals can take special precautions to stop
its spread.
Invasive infections with any Candida species can be fatal. 60% of people with C. auris infections
have died. However, many of these people had other serious illnesses that also increased their
risk of death.

Related Questions: Prelims,


2015
Question: H1N1 virus is sometimes mentioned in the news with reference to which one of the
following diseases?

(a) AIDS

(b) Bird flu

(c) Dengue

(d) swine flu

Answer: (d)

Question: Among the following, which were frequently mentioned in the news for the outbreak of
Ebola virus recently?

(a) Syria and Jordan

(b) Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia

(c) Philippines and Papua New Guinea

(d) Jamaica, Haiti and Surinam

Answer (b)

Nov. 26, 2016


IIT-Madras to help CERN unravel mysteries ofuniverse

Details : THE
NEWS:
A silicon tracker detector built by Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M) will be among the
key tools in the Compact Muon Solenoid Detector at CERN.
Data from the main detector, 100m below ground may help scientists understand the evolution
of the universe better.
The silicon detector made by IIT-M will replace the existing detector when it dies out by 2025.
IIT-M would build part of the silicon detector in collaboration with other Indian institutes. The
silicon detector will be one of the four sub-detectors in the main CMS detector.
A part of a detector for the Large Hadron Collider, which helped scientists discover Higgs
Boson in 2012, was also built in India.
A CMS detector is designed to see a wide range of particles produced during high-energy collision
of protons.
When this happens, scientists will essentially be recreating a very small model of the state of the
universe when it was in the first trillionth of a second after the Big Bang.
The silicon detector, which will be installed near the collision point, will give the position of the
particle when it will travel through the detector.

ABOUT COMPACT MUON SOLENOID:

(Solenoid: A cylindrical coil of wire acting as a magnet when carrying electric current.)

The term Compact Muon Solenoid comes from the relatively compact size of the detector, the
fact that it detects muons, and the use of solenoids in the detector.
The Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment, which is a part of the Large Hadron Collider at
CERN, is famous for its role in the discovery of the Higgs Boson a.k.a the god particle.
The Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment is one of two large general-purpose particle
physics detectors built on the Large Hadron Collider at CERN in Switzerland and France.
The goal of CMS experiment is to investigate a wide range of physics, including the search for the
Higgs boson, extra dimensions and particles that could make up dark matter.
The CMS detector uses a huge solenoid magnet to bend the paths of particles from collisions in
the LHC.
The Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) is a general-purpose detector at the Large Hadron Collider
(LHC).
Although it has the same scientific goals as the ATLAS experiment, it uses different technical
solutions and a different magnet-system design.

(It investigates a wide range of physics, from the search for the Higgs boson to extra dimensions and
particles that could make up dark matter. Although it has the same scientific goals as the CMS
experiment, it uses different technical solutions and a different magnet- system design.)

The CMS detector is built around a huge solenoid magnet. This takes the form of a cylindrical coil
of superconducting cable that generates a field of 4 tesla. (About 100,000 times the magnetic
field of the Earth).
The CMS experiment is one of the largest international scientific collaborations in history,
involving 4300 particle physicists, engineers, technicians, students and support staff from 199
institutes in 43 countries (Source : CERN).

NOTE:
There's no need to mug up all the minute details. You just need to know experiments at CERN. CMS is
in news since 2014 & this year India has become associate member of CERN. So we have covered this
topic.

Nov. 25, 2016

Kamarajar Port to deploy RFID

Details : THE
NEWS:
Kamarajar Port Ltd., (KPL) is all set to implement a full-fledged Radio Frequency
Identification (RFID) system to track movement of men, materials and laden vehicles within its
premises on real time basis.
The implementation of RFID system is one of the initiatives of Ease of Doing Business under the
Shipping Ministry.
This will benefit trade immensely in terms of time and cost reduction.
Some of the major ports have already implemented RFID system but KPL is the first one to have
full-fledged system in place to track men, materials and vehicles.
It is an integrated intelligent system comprising RFID based pass to move and monitor men and
materials, for entry and exit of vehicles, automatic vehicle identification with RFID tags and
number plate capturing system.
The implementation of RFID system will significantly enhance the security of the port, speed up
the movement, track each and every movement of men and material across the port and prevent
revenue leakage and any malfunction at the gate.

MAJOR PORTS OF INIDA:

Ennore Port was officially renamed as Kamarajar Port Limited. It is located on the Coromandel Coast
about 24 km north of Chennai Port.
RADIO-FREQUENCY IDENTIFICATION:

Radio-frequency Identification (RFID) is a general term used for a system that communicates using
radio waves between a reader and an electronic tag attached to an object.
RFID systems are typically made up of three components namely an antenna (also called reader or
interrogator), tag (transponder) and a software system.
When a RFID tag passes through the electromagnetic field of the radio signal, it will be detected.
Then the reader decodes the data stored in the tag and the data transferred in to the software
system for processing.
The data obtained from the tag may contain information about products such as price, date of
purchase, information about location, etc.
RFID also has the ability to track moving objects.
Currently RFID is widely used for asset tracking, tracking parts in manufacturing processes,
tracking shipments in supply chains, retailing, payment systems like road tolls and for access
controlling for securitypurposes.

(NOTE: Most of the students usually get confused between RFID and bluetooth. So, we are explaining
both of them and also mentioning basic differences between the two.)

BLUETOOTH

Bluetooth uses wireless communication to connect different types of devices replacing the cables that
connect them.
Bluetooth is a technology used to transfer data in a short range.
Bluetooth creates a personal area network (PANs) with high levels of security.
Biggest strength of this technology is the ability to handle data and voice transmissions at the same
time and therefore this can be used to share voice, music, photos, videos and other information
between paired devices.
Bluetooth compatible devices contain a small computer chip that contains a Bluetooth radio and
a software system that will allow the user to connect the device with other devices.
Main advantages of the Bluetooth technology are low power consumption, low cost and
robustness.

What is the difference between RFID and Bluetooth?

RFID systems communicate between an antenna or a reader and a tag attached to an object,
while Bluetooth technology is used to communicate between two Bluetooth compatible devices.
Further, Bluetooth has the ability to handle data and voice transmissions at the same time which
allows it to be used in a wide range of applications such as hands-free headsets for voice calls and
printing and faxing capabilities. RFID is used to transfer a limited amount of information that is
stored in the RFID tag such as product information and location information.
Nov. 23, 2016

India joins CERN as an associate member

Details : THE
NEWS:
CERN is the world’s largest nuclear and particle physics laboratory and best known as operator of
the Large Hadron Collider.
India became an associate member of the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN).
Though the deal has been signed, India will formally become a member around January after
depositing an instrument of ratification.
India was inducted as an ‘Observer’ at CERN in 2004.
India will not have voting rights on decisions of the Council.

Significant outcomes:

India’s Associate Membership will strengthen the long-term partnership between CERN and the
Indian scientific community.
Associate Membership will allow India to take part in meetings of the CERN Council and its committees
(Finance Committee and Scientific Policy Committee).
Becoming Associate Member will enhance participation of young scientists and engineers in
various CERN projects and bring back knowledge for deployment in the domestic programmes.
Indian industry will be entitled to bid for CERN contracts, which will open up opportunities for
industrial collaboration in areas of advanced technology.
Indian scientists can apply for staff positions at the organisation.

ABOUT CERN:

The name CERN is derived from the acronym for the French "Conseil Européen pour la Recherche
Nucléaire", or European Council for Nuclear Research.
It is a provisional body founded in 1952 with the mandate of establishing a world-class
fundamental physics research organization in Europe.
CERN was founded in 1954.
CERN is based in Geneva on the French-Swiss border.
It has 22 member states and four associate member states and other associate members
transitioning to full member status.
It was one of Europe's first joint ventures.

Research at CERN:

CERN's main area of research is particle physics – the study of the fundamental constituents of
matter and the forces acting between them.
Because of this, the laboratory operated by CERN is often referred to as the European Laboratory
for Particle Physics.
At CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, physicists and engineers are probing
the fundamental structure of the universe.
They use the world's largest and most complex scientific instruments to study the basic
constituents of matter – the fundamental particles.
The particles are made to collide together at close to the speed of light.
The process gives the physicists clues about how the particles interact and provides insights into
the fundamental laws of nature.
The instruments used at CERN are purpose-built particle accelerators and detectors. Accelerators
boost beams of particles to high energies before the beams are made to collide with each other
or with stationary targets. Detectors observe and record the results of these collisions.

India’s involvement at CERN:

India and CERN signed a Cooperation Agreement in 1991, setting priorities for scientific and
technical cooperation, followed by the signature of several Protocols.
India had an active involvement in the construction of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). India also
contributed in the areas of design, development and supply of hardware accelerator
components/systems and its commissioning and software development and deployment in the
machine.
Indian scientists have played a significant role in the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment, one of
the two large experiments that led to the discovery of the Higgs Boson.

Nov. 22, 2016

Discovery of special stem cells in fruit flies to help study diseases

Details :

(NOTE: The article is based on the results published in the journal eLife.)

Till date, there has been no evidence of hematopoietic stem cells in fruit flies.
Only the progenitor cells which are precursors to differentiated cells, were found in these flies.
Researchers have discovered hematopoietic stem cells in Drosophila (fruit flies), thus providing an
invertebrate model to study hematopoietic stem cells.
According to research team fruit fly will serve as a good model as it shares many similarities with
humans.
Hematopoietic stem cells are the stem cells that give rise to all the other blood cells. Many
diseases in humans are linked to the development of blood cells e.g., leukaemia and Fanconi anaemia
take root at an early embryonic stage.
To know how the development of blood cells in humans leads to these diseases has been difficult
as the early hematopoietic stem cell development takes place in a six-week-old embryo.

BASICS: ABOUT STEM CELLS

Stem cells are mother cells that have the potential to become any type of cell in the body. Stem cells
have the ability to self-renew or multiply while maintaining the potential to develop into other types
of cells.
Stem cells can become cells of the blood, heart, bones, skin, muscles, brain etc.

Types of stem cells:


Totipotent Stem Cells:

Totipotent stem cells are one of the most important stem cells types because they have the
potential to develop into any cell found in the human body.
Totipotent cells can form all the cell types in a body, the extraembryonic or placental cells.
Embryonic cells within the first couple of cell divisions after fertilization are the only cells that are
totipotent.

Pluripotent Stem Cells (PS cells)

These possess the capacity to divide for long periods and retain their ability to make all cell
types within the organism.
Pluripotent cells can give rise to all of the cell types that make up the body.
The best known type of pluripotent stem cell is the one present in embryos. These are termed
embryonic stem cells.

Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells:

Pluripotent cells derived from adult human skin cells are termed induced pluripotent stem cells or
iPS cells.

Fetal stem cells


These are obtained from tissues of a developing human fetus.
These cells have some characteristics of the tissues they are taken from. For
example, those taken from fetal muscles can make only muscle cells. These are
also called progenitor cells.

Adult stem cells

These are obtained from some tissues of the adult body.


Multipotent cells can develop into more than one cell type but are more limited than pluripotent
cells.
For example stem cells can be obtained from the bone marrow, which is a rich source of stem
cells that can be used to treat some blood diseases and cancers.

Potential for use


Nov. 21, 2016

Door-to-door survey for vaccination against JE

Details : THE
NEWS:
(NOTE: The news is about Malkangiri District, Odisha where children have succumbed to Japanese
Encephalitis.)

To intensify the fight against JE and the continuing deaths of children, a three-day door-to- door
survey for vaccination against JE was started.
This grassroots-level survey will identify all children in the district between the ages of one and 15
years.
These identified children would be vaccinated against JE in December.
A massive awareness drive would also be started to make ignorant tribals aware about the threat of
encephalitis, its causes as well as need for vaccination.
This awareness drive would be taken up through intensive house-to-house interpersonal
communication with the help of grassroots-level health workers, anganwadi workers, ASHA volunteers,
teachers and panchayat body members.
The central expert team constituted by the government in its interim report claimed that apart
from JE, consumption of beans of Cassia occidentalis, locally known as ‘bada chakunda’, is also a
major cause of death among children.
Anthraquinone, a toxin found in Cassia occidentalis is also the cause of Encephalopathy and
deaths. Presence of anthraquinone had been found in urine samples of some ailing children.

VECTOR BORNE DISEASES:

Vector-borne diseases are infections transmitted by the bite of infected arthropod species, such
as mosquitoes, ticks, triatomine bugs, sandflies, and blackflies.

National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme

NVBDCP was launched in 2003-04 by merging National anti-malaria control programme, National
Filaria Control Programme and Kala Azar Control programmes.
Japanese B Encephalitis and Dengue/DHF have also been included in this Program. Directorate of
NAMP is the nodal agency for prevention and control of major Vector Borne Diseases.

List of Vector Borne Diseases Control Programmes:

National Anti - Malaria programme Kala -


Azar Control Programme National Filaria
Control Programme
Japenese Encephilitis Control Programme Dengue
and Dengue Hemorrhagic fever

1) NATIONAL ANTI - MALARIA PROGRAMME

Malaria is one of the serious public health problems in India.


At the time of independence malaria was contributing 75 million cases with 0.8 million deaths
every year prior to the launching of National Malaria Control Programme in 1953. A
countrywide comprehensive programme to control malaria was recommended in 1946 by the
Bhore committee report that was endorsed by the Planning Commission in 1951. In April 1953,
Govt. of India launched a National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP).

Objective:

To bring down malaria transmission to a level at which it would cease to be a major public health
problem.

2) KALA -AZAR CONTROL PROGRAMME

Kala Azar or Visceral Leishmaniasis is a chronic disease caused by an intracellular protozoan


(Leishmania species) and transmitted to man by bite of female phlebotomus sand fly.
Currently, it is a problem in Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and some parts of Uttar Pradesh.
In view of the growing problem, planned control measures were initiated to control kala- azar.
Objectives:

The strategy for kala-azar control broadly included three main activities.

Interruption of transmission by reducing vector population through indoor residual insecticides.


Early diagnosis and complete treatment of Kala-azar cases; and Health
education programme for community awareness.

3) NATIONAL FILARIA CONTROL PROGRAMME

Bancrftian filariasis is caused by Wuchereria bancrofti and transmitted to man by the bites of
infected mosquitoes - Culex, Anopheles, Mansonia and Aedes.
Lymphatia filaria is prevalent in 18 states and union territories.
The National Filaria Control Programme was launched in 1955. The activities were mainly confined to
urban areas. However, the programme has been extended to rural areas since 1994.

Objectives:

Reduction of the problem in un-surveyed areas


Control in urban areas through recurrent anti-larval and anti-parasitic measures.

4) JAPANESE ENCEPHALITIS CONTROL PROGRAMME

Japanese Encephalitis is a zoonotic disease, caused by an arbovirus, group B (Flavivirus) and is


transmitted by Culex mosquitoes.
This disease has been reported from 26 states and UTs since 1978.
The case fatality in India is 35% which can be reduced by early detection, immediate referral to
hospital and proper medical and nursing care.
The total population at risk is estimated 160 million.
The most disturbing feature of JE has been the regular occurrence of outbreak in different parts of
the country.
Govt. of India has constituted a Task Force at National Level which is in operation and reviews the
JE situations and its control strategies from time to time.

Objectives:

Strengthening early diagnosis and prompt case management at PHCs, CHCs and hospitals through
training of medical and nursing staff.
IEC for community awareness to promote early case reporting, personal protection, isolation of
amplifier host, etc.;
Vector control measures mainly fogging during outbreaks, space spraying in animal dwellings, and
antilarval operation where feasible; and
Development of a safe and standard indigenous vaccine. Vaccination for high risk population
particularly children below 15 years of age.

5) DENGUE AND DENGUE HEMORRHAGIC FEVER

One of the most important resurgent tropical infectious disease is dengue.


Dengue Fever and Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF) are acute fevers caused by four
antigenically related but distinct dengue virus serotypes.
It is transmitted by the infected mosquitoes, Aedes aegypti.
Dengue outbreaks have been reported from urban areas from all states. All the
four serotypes of dengue virus (1,2,3 and 4) exist in India.
The Vector Aedes Aegypti breed in peridomestic fresh water collections and is found in both
urban and rural areas.

Objectives:

Surveillance for disease and outbreaks


Early diagnosis and prompt case management
Vector control through community participation and social mobilization Capacity
building

India begins to drill into the Antarctic ice

Details : THE
NEWS:
Climatologists are increasingly worried about the large uncertainties in the future Antarctic
contribution to the global sea-level rise.
An Indo-Norwegian project to understand the response of Antarctic ice shelves to the global
warming has begun in East Antarctica, especially the Dronning Maud Land (DML). This land is
characterised by loosely-connected ice shelves along the 2000-km-long coast. Ice shelves of East
Antarctica are poorly understood when compared to the West Antarctica region.

ABOUT PROJECT: Mass-balance, dynamics, and climate of the Dronning Maud Land coast, East
Antarctica (MADICE)

Under the project, geophysical field measurements, ice core drilling, ice-sheet modelling and
satellite remote sensing-based studies will be conducted to understand the future Antarctic
contribution to the global sea-level rise.
The researchers will assess the current status and dynamics of ice shelves in Dronning Maud Land
to decipher its response to the future climate change.
Attempts will also be made to reconstruct the recent changes in Antarctic climate using ice cores and
its possible teleconnections to global climate.
Other studies that will be carried out include:
1. Studies on the mass balance.
2. Long-term evolution of the Antarctic ice rises (grounded ice mass leading to an elevated part of the
ice shelf).
3. Assessment of the impact on the Antarctic ice-shelf stability and ice-sheet loss.
The scientific programme is jointly funded by the Ministry of Earth Sciences, India and the Research
Council, Norway.
NCAOR and the Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI) are the partnering research institutions. Maitri
(India’s Antarctic research station) will serve as the logistic support base.
Under the MADICE, research will be conducted during 2016-17 and 2017-18 Antarctic field seasons.
Scientists tweak photosynthesis to up crop yield

Details :

Why in news?

Scientists have successfully tweaked the process of photosynthesis to make it more efficient and
increase plant productivity.

Summary:

Scientists have successfully tweaked the process of photosynthesis to make it more efficient and
increase plant productivity.
Researchers targeted a process called NPQ that plants use to shield themselves from excessive
solar energy.
They used tobacco plants as they can be easily modified. They are optimistic that this approach
will work in other crops.

Photosynthesis:

Photosynthesis is a chemical change that happens in the leaves of green plants.


It is a process used by plants and other organisms to convert light energy into chemical energy
that can later be released to fuel the plant's/organisms' activities.
During this reaction, carbon dioxide and water are converted into glucose and oxygen. The glucose is
used in respiration, or converted into starch and stored.
The reaction requires light energy, which is absorbed by a green substance called chlorophyll.

Non-photochemical quenching (NPQ):

Crop leaves exposed to full sunlight absorb more light than they can use.
If they cannot get rid of this extra energy, it will actually bleach the leaf (lose colour). Plants
protect themselves by making changes within the leaf that dissipate the excess energy as heat.
This process is called non-photochemical quenching (NPQ).

NPQ reduces productivity:

However, when a cloud crosses the sun, or a leaf goes into the shade of another, it can take up to
half an hour for that NPQ process to relax.
In the shade, the lack of light limits photosynthesis, and NPQ is also wasting light as heat.
Researchers used a supercomputer to predict how much the slow recovery from NPQ reduces
crop productivity over the course of a day.
These calculations showed “surprisingly high losses” of 7.5 per cent to 30 per cent, depending on
the plant type and prevailing temperature.

Solution:

Researchers suggested that boosting levels of three proteins might speed up the recovery process (that
is, quickly getting out of NPQ).
To test this concept, they inserted genes taken from the model plant into tobacco.
The modified plant lines consistently showed 14-20 per cent higher productivity than the non-
modified ones.

Nov. 19, 2016

Scheme soon to grade CSIR scientists’performance

Details : The
News:
A controversial proposal to grade the performance of CSIR scientists is expected to be soon
cleared by Prime Minister.
The new system proposes to measure a scientist’s performance into a single equation and is a
departure from the existing format of having scientists internally evaluated by their peers.

‘It’s irrational’

Several scientists have expressed different view on the new grading process and termed it as
“irrational.”
That’s because different CSIR labs had different mandates: Some were focussed at looking for
drugs, some for testing if potential drugs were safe or could be made more efficient and others
were geared towards making low-cost products that weren’t necessarily marketable but had great
societal impact.
All of these activities are equally important and reducing this complexity to a single equation or a
single score is seen as an unfair attempt.

ABOUT CSIR:

Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) was established in 1942.


It is an autonomous body and the largest research and development (R&D) organisation in India.
Prime Minister is the chairman of The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). CSIR is
India’s largest chain of publicly-funded research laboratories spread across the
country that are involved in a wide range of research from battery technology and genomics to
glass-making.
The Council is now India’s biggest publisher of research papers.
It runs 38 laboratories and 39 field stations or extension centres spread across the nation. It is
mainly funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology but it operates as an autonomous body
registered under the Registration of Societies Act of 1860.
The research and development activities of CSIR include:

1. Aerospace engineering
2. Structural engineering
3. Ocean sciences
4. Life sciences
5. Metallurgy
6. Chemicals
7. Mining
8. Food
9. Petroleum
10. Leather
11. Environment

Nov. 14, 2016

About Supermoon

Details :

What is a Supermoon?

It happens when a full moon is closest to Earth. Moon orbits our planet in an oval shape so sometimes
it comes closer to us than at other times.
To us Earth-lings, the moon appears 30 per cent brighter and 14 per cent bigger. Supermoon is
not an astrological term.
It's scientific name is perigee-syzygy. (As supermoon sounds more catchy, so, it is used by the media
to describe our celestial neighbour when it gets up close).
Astrologer Richard Nolle first came up with the term.
Monday, November 14 supermoon will be the biggest and brightest in 70 years.
(Source: NASA)

How common are supermoons?

They're fairly frequent. There are six supermoons in 2016.


Each full moon of the year is given a name. (Although they vary according to the source.) October's
full moon is referred to as the Hunter's moon because it appears very soon after sunset and
traditionally generated more light for farmers working in the fields and hunters to spot wildlife.

How close does the moon actually get?

Closeness varies during each supermoon.


The Moon's distance varies each month between approximately 357,000 and 406,000 kilometers
(222,000 and 252,000 mi) due to its elliptical orbit around the Earth (distances given are centre-to-
centre).
November 14's full moon will be the closest for 70 years. The moon will come 221,524 miles from
Earth - almost touching distance in space terms.
The closest full moon of the whole of the 21st century will fall on December 6, 2052.

Will the tides be larger?

Tides are governed by the gravitational pull of the moon and to a lesser extent the sun. When the
moon is closer to Earth, it can lead to slightly higher tides, and greater variations between the
tides.

Other Common Moons:

Full moon: They come around every month and light up the night at night. Harvest
moon: The full moon closest to the autumn equinox.
Black moon: Most experts agree that this refers to the second new moon in a calendar month.
Blue moon: A phenomenon that occurs when there is a second full moon in one calendar month.
A black moon is supposedly the flip side of a blue moon.
Blood moon: Also known as a supermoon lunar eclipse. It's when the shadow of Earth casts a
reddish glow on the moon, the result of a rare combination of an eclipse with the closest full
moon of the year. It was last seen in September 2015.
Strawberry moon: A rare event when there's a full moon on the same day as the summer solstice. It
happened in June 2016 for the first time since 1967 when 17 hours of sunlight gave way to a bright
moonlit sky.
Nov. 13, 2016

India still losing fight against child pneumonia, diarrhoea epidemics

Details : The
News:
It is World Pneumonia Day 2016 and India’s position has not changed much. It still stands on
top of the charts with a total of 2,96,279 deaths from pneumonia and diarrhoea.

The Pneumonia and Diarrhoea Progress Report:

The Pneumonia and Diarrhoea Progress Report published annually by the International Vaccine
Access Center (IVAC) at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health puts India at the top
of the list of 15 nations.
India is among the 12 nations that have improved their Global Action Plan for the Prevention and
Control of Pneumonia and Diarrhoea (GAPPD) score this year.
The rate of all-cause mortality in under-five children has been cut by more than half worldwide
since 1990, from 91 deaths per 1,000 live births to 43 in 2015.
Among all the causes, pneumonia and diarrhoea’s contribution to under-5 deaths remains stubbornly
high.
In 2015, these two diseases together were responsible for nearly one of every four deaths that
occurred in children under five.
Nearly 15 years after the introduction of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccines in 2000, five
countries among those with the highest pneumonia burden — India, Indonesia, Chad, China and
Somalia — are still not using the vaccine in their routine immunisation programmes.
In addition to vaccines, the report points out other simple proven interventions to prevent these
deaths, including antibiotics, exclusive breastfeeding, and access to treatment and care.
Partial introduction

India recently announced a partial introduction of PCV in five states (Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan
and Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh) from 2017.
Adding life-saving vaccines such as PCV (pneumococcal conjugate) and rotavirus to immunisation
programme will not only improve the health of children but will also reduce hospitalisation and
other conditions associated with diarrhoea and pneumonia, such as malnutrition and delayed
physical and mental development among children.
India introduced rotavirus vaccines in four States in 2015: Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal
Pradesh and Odisha.
India's Universal Immunization Programme, launched in 1985, is one of the largest immunization
programmes in the world, said Nadda.
With the addition of four new vaccines-Inactivated Polio (IPV), Rotavirus, Measles, Rubella (MR)
and Adult Japanese Encephalitis (JE).
UIP will provide free vaccines against 12 life threatening diseases to 27 million children annually,
according to the health ministry.

ABOUT PNEUMONIA PREVENTION:

Pneumonia is the leading killer of children under five, yet it has become “A forgotten killer of children.”

According to UNICEF report, India accounts for maximum number of pneumonia cases.

PREVENTING PNEUMONIA IS KEY:

Reducing pneumonia deaths requires implementing effective prevention measures so that children are
healthier and less likely to develop pneumonia in the first place. The prevention measures listed below all
show at least some evidence of reducing pneumonia mortality among under-fives.

-Some research has also suggested that hand washing and lowering indoor air pollution play a role in
reducing pneumonia deaths among children in the developing world.

-For HIV-infected children, preventing pneumonia (PCP) through cotrimoxazole prophylaxis is essential.

-IMMUNIZATION: Immunizations help reduce childhood deaths from pneumonia in two ways:

1. First, vaccinations help prevent children from developing infections that directly cause
pneumonia, such as Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib).
2. Second, immunizations may prevent infections that can lead to pneumonia as a complication (e.g.,
measles and pertussis). Three vaccines have the potential to significantly reduce child deaths from
pneumonia. These vaccines include the measles, Hib and pneumococcal conjugate vaccines.

-ADEQUATE NUTRITION: Undernourished children are at a higher risk of suffering childhood death or
disability. It has been estimated that child undernutrition contributes to more than half of all child
deaths in developing countries. Undernutrition may place children at an increased risk of developing
pneumonia in two ways.

1. Malnutrition weakens a child’s overall immune system as an adequate amount of protein and
energy is needed for proper immune system functioning.
2. Undernourished children have weakened respiratory muscles, which inhibits them from
adequately clearing secretions found in their respiratory tract.

-EXCLUSIVE BREASTFEEDING It is widely recognized that children who are exclusively breastfed
develop fewer infections and have less severe illnesses than those who are not.

Breast milk contains the nutrients, antioxidants, hormones and antibodies needed by the child to
survive and develop and specifically for a child’s immune system to function properly.
-ZINC: Children who lack sufficient amounts of specific micronutrients, particularly zinc face additional
risks of developing and dying from pneumonia.

Research has shown that zinc intake during the acute phase of severe pneumonia decreased the
duration and severity of pneumonia and reduced treatment failure rates.

VACCINES HOLD PROMISE OF SAVING MILLIONS OF CHILDREN FROM DYING OF PNEUMONIA:

Three vaccines have the potential to save millions of children’s lives by reducing deaths from pneumonia.
These vaccines work to reduce the incidence of pneumonia caused by the bacterial pathogens.

-MEASLES VACCINE: Measles is an acute viral infection that often causes only a self-limiting illness in
children.

But complications can lead to disability or death, especially in children who are undernourished
or have compromised immune systems.
Pneumonia is a serious complication of measles and the most common cause of death associated
with measles worldwide.

-HIB VACCINE: Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) is an important cause of pneumonia and meningitis
among children in developing countries.

An advisory group established by the World Health Organization recently recommended that Hib
vaccine be made available to all developing countries except where evidence indicates a low
burden of disease or where overwhelming impediments to implementation exist.

-PNEUMOCOCCAL CONJUGATE VACCINE: Streptococcus pneumoniae is the most common cause of


severe pneumonia among children in the developing world.

Vaccines to protect against this infection have been available for adults and children over 2
years of age for years, but only recently has a new vaccine been developed that is suitable for
infants and toddlers, called the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV).

India should aim to provide universal immunization to fight against pneumonia and diarrhea and
should also launch a planned program for prevention on the lines of other successful programmes like
polio, neonatal and maternal tetanus etc.

Note: Apart from the report publishes in The Hindu, inputs have been taken from UNICEF report.

Question can be asked on Pneumococcal and Diarrhea burden in India and preventive measures.
Nov. 7, 2016

Blood test to detect drug-resistant TB

Details :

The Research:
Researchers have identified two microRNA biomarkers present in serum samples that could be
used for TB diagnosis and TB disease prognosis.
It could be used both for drug-sensitive pulmonary TB and multi-drug-resistant TB (MDR- TB)
patients.
The use of these biomarkers may speed up the diagnosis of MDR-TB.
In India, mostly the patients are first started on drug-sensitive TB drugs and if they do not show
any improvement even after a couple of months then MDR-TB is suspected.
The blood-based TB diagnosis using these biomarkers has great advantages: A good number of
adults and children are unable to give sputum samples. So diagnosis of pulmonary TB in these
cases is difficult.

About Biomarkers:

In medicine, biomarkers are compounds isolated from serum, urine, or other fluids that can be
used as an indicator of the presence or severity of a particular disease state.
Biomarkers can also be used to assess the effectiveness of particular therapies.
By using easily obtained and assayed biomarkers to monitor a patient's reaction to a particular
drug, it is possible to determine whether treatment is effective for that individual.
This information can be used for early detection of adverse drug response.

Biomarkers are of various types:

Particular proteins or peptides: e.g., prostate-specific antigen as an indicator of increased risk for
prostate cancer.
Antibodies: e.g., anti-citrullinated protein antibodies for rheumatoid arthritis. Cell
types: e.g., white blood cell counts in infection or cancer.
Metabolites: e.g., phenylalanine in urine of newborns with phenylketonuria
Lipids: e.g., cholesterol and other lipid levels in cardiovascular disease.
Hormones: e.g., thyroid stimulating hormone in Hashimoto's Disease Enzyme
levels: e.g., various hepatic enzymes for liver cancer.

Uses:

To assess physiological states such as blood pressure or fever or imaging studies of particular
organs or organ systems.
A biomarker can also be a substance introduced into a patient to assess how internal organ
systems are functioning, such as radioactive iodine used to measure thyroid function.
Ultimately, biomarkers can be used to detect a change in the physiological state of a patient that
correlates with the risk or progression of a disease or with the susceptibility of a disease to a
given treatment.
Note: Biomarkers can be asked as a direct question in prelims or as a short note in Mains.

Nov. 6, 2016

NPCL, A.P. govt. to elicit people’s views onN-plant

Details :
What's the news?

The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCL) and the Andhra Pradesh government will
conduct public hearing in Kovvada village.
The objective is to get the opinion of the people on the social impact survey conducted recently.
The survey is mandatory to obtain clearance from the Ministry of Environment for Forests for the
establishment of India’s biggest atomic power plant in Ranasthalam mandal of Srikakulam district.

About Kovvada Nuclear Plant:

Kovvada Nuclear Plant is a proposed light water nuclear power reactor to be set up at Kovvada in
Srikakulam district.
The plan is to build six 1000 MW light water nuclear power reactors at Kovvada.
The proposal received opposition from people in Srikakulam as well as neighbouring districts
over the environmental hazards of reactor and effect on human health in case of any accident.

Light Water Reactors:

The LWRs are cooled and moderated using ordinary water.


They tend to be simpler and cheaper to build than other types of nuclear reactors, due to which
they make up the majority of civil nuclear reactors as well as naval propulsion reactors in service
across the world.
Light water reactors are thermal reactors which use thermal neutrons to sustain the chain
reaction. In general, LWR’s are divided into two categories:

1. Pressurized water reactors (PWR): Pressurized water reactors use a reactor pressure vessel (RPV)
to contain the nuclear fuel, moderator, control rods and coolant. They are cooled and moderated
by high-pressure liquid water.
2. Boiling water reactors: They are cooled and moderated by water like a PWR, but at a lower pressure
which allows the water to boil inside the pressure vessel producing the steam that runs turbines.

LWRs (such as pressurised water reactors and boiling water reactors) use enriched uranium as
fuel and ordinary water as both the moderator and coolant. Whereas the heavy water-based
Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) use natural Uranium as fuel.
Of India’s current installed nuclear power capacity of 4,780 MWe, a total of 4,160 MWe is based on
the indigenous PHWR technology and 620 MW on foreign technical cooperation using LWR
technology.
Nov. 5, 2016

Mcr-1 isolated in India, a further chapter in antibiotic resistance

Details :

Indian researchers have isolated a strain of E.Coli bacteria carrying a new gene (mcr -1) which was
described previously as ‘truly pan-drug resistant’.
It is resistant to the last mile antibiotic the human race currently has access to i.e. colistin. It is
not self limiting, and can spread in the community.
Whenever an antibiotic is used/overused/ misused, resistance develops. A mix of bacteria enters the
sewage, contaminates drinking water and enters the gut of a healthy individual, making him/her
resistant to those bugs. This resistance moves from one level to another. Mcr-1 is therefore,
inevitable.
It was first identified in China. The gene has since been discovered in livestock, water, meat and
vegetables for human consumption in several countries, and in humans infected with E.coli.
Mcr-1 has now also been found living in the gut of healthy humans.

‘Antibiotic crisis’

Colistin has been available since 1959 to treat infections caused by Gram-negative bacteria - A
category including the food-poisoning germs E-coli and Salmonella and Acinetobacter which can
cause pneumonia or serious blood and wound infections. Colistin was abandoned for human
use in the 1980s due to high kidney toxicity but is widely used in livestock farming, especially in
China.
As bacteria have started to develop resistance to other modern drugs, colistin had to be brought back
as a treatment of last resort in hospitals and clinics.

Why is it scary?

It is scary because water treatment can't eliminate these bacteria or these genes perfectly.
After treatment, this water directly goes to the environmental water and people use this water for
many things which means there is a circulation.

About Antibiotic Resistance:

What is antibiotic resistance?

Antibiotic resistance occurs when an antibiotic has lost its ability to effectively control or kill
bacterial growth.
The bacteria are "resistant" and continue to multiply in the presence of therapeutic levels of an
antibiotic.
Bacterias can collect multiple resistance traits over time and become resistant to many different
families of antibiotics

Why do bacteria become resistant toantibiotics?

Antibiotic resistance is a natural phenomenon.


When an antibiotic is used, bacteria that can resist that antibiotic have a greater chance of
survival than those that are "susceptible."
Susceptible bacteria are killed resulting in a selective pressure for the survival of resistant strains of
bacteria.
The current higher-levels of antibiotic-resistant bacteria are attributed to the overuse and abuse of
antibiotics.
In some countries and over the internet antibiotics can be purchased without a doctor's
prescription. Patients sometimes take antibiotics unnecessarily to treat viral illnesses like the
common cold.
How do bacteria become resistant?

Some bacteria are naturally resistant to certain types of antibiotics.


However, bacteria may also become resistant in two ways: 1)By a
genetic mutation:
Mutations are rare spontaneous changes of the bacteria's genetic material.
Some mutations enable the bacteria to produce potent chemicals (enzymes) that inactivate
antibiotics, while other mutations eliminate the cell target that the antibiotic attacks.

2) By acquiring resistance from another bacterium:

Bacteria can acquire antibiotic resistance genes from other bacteria by undergoing a simple
mating process called "conjugation” where bacteria can transfer genetic material, including genes
encoding resistance to antibiotics from one bacterium to another.
Viruses are another mechanism for passing resistance traits between bacteria. The resistance
traits from one bacterium are packaged into the head portion of the virus. The virus then injects
the resistance traits into any new bacteria it attacks.

How does antibiotic resistance spread?

Genetically, antibiotic resistance spreads through bacteria populations both "vertically," when new
generations inherit antibiotic resistance genes, and "horizontally," when bacteria share or exchange
sections of genetic material with other bacteria.

Can bacteria lose their antibiotic resistance?


Yes, antibiotic resistance traits can be lost, but this reverse process occurs more slowly.

Nov. 4, 2016

NASA builds telescope 100 times powerful thanHubble


Details :

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has successfully completed building
the largest space telescope that is 100 times powerful than the Hubble Space Telescope.
The telescope will be launched on an Ariane 5 rocket from French Guiana in October of 2018.
The telescope is named as James Webb Space Telescope. JWST was formerly known as the "Next
Generation Space Telescope" (NGST). It was renamed in Sept. 2002 after a former NASA
administrator, James Webb
It is a joint project of the NASA, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency.
Unlike with Hubble, astronauts won’t be able to reach the JWST to fix a problem after it launches.
The telescope will be stationed too far away for them to reach, about 930,000 miles from Earth.
Once it is in position, though, together the James Webb and Hubble will give scientists an
unprecedented view of the universe.
It will study every phase in the history of our Universe, ranging from the first luminous glows after
the Big Bang, to the formation of solar systems capable of supporting life on planets like Earth, to
the evolution of our own Solar System.
The observations it makes will not only help scientists understand the origins of the universe, but
also search for signs of life on faraway planets.
The space telescope will provide images of the first galaxies ever formed and explore planets
around distant stars.
The Webb telescope’s infrared cameras are so sensitive that it needs to be shielded from the rays
of the Sun. A five-layer sunshield of the size of a tennis court will prevent the heat from interfering
with the telescope’s infrared sensors.
The layers work together to reduce the temperatures between the hot and cold sides of the
observatory by about 298 degrees Celsius. Each successive layer of the sunshield, made of
kapton, is cooler than the one below.

Nov. 2, 2016

Mystery behind birth of Saturn’s rings solved

Details :

What researchers said:

The giant planets in our solar system have very diverse rings.
Observations show that Saturn’s rings are made of more than 95 per cent icy particles, while the
rings of Uranus and Neptune are darker and may have higher rock content.
Planetary rings that surround Saturn, Neptune and Uranus were formed four billion years ago
when large objects passed very close to planets and got destroyed.
It is thought that thousands of Pluto-sized objects from the Kuiper belt existed beyond Neptune.
According to researchers these large objects passed close to the giant planets and were
destroyed by their tidal force during the Late Heavy Bombardment.

Kuiper Belt:

The Kuiper Belt is a disc-shaped region beyond Neptune that extends from about 30 to 55
astronomical units (compared to Earth which is one astronomical unit, or AU, from the sun).
The region is probably populated with hundreds of thousands of icy bodies larger than 100
km (62 miles) across and an estimated trillion or more comets.
Dwarf planet Pluto may be the best known of the larger objects in the Kuiper Belt. Comets from
the Kuiper Belt take less than 200 years to orbit the sun.
Objects in the Kuiper Belt are presumed to be remnants from the formation of the solar system
about 4.6 billion years ago.
The first of these bodies, which astronomers call Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs), came to light in
1992.

OCTOBER-2016

Oct. 25, 2016

ISRO starts landing tests for Chandrayaan-2mission

Details :

Why in news?

Indian Space Research Organsiation (ISRO) started a series of ground and aerial tests linked to the
critical Moon landing of Chandrayaan-2.

Chandrayaan-2:

Chandrayaan-2 mission is tentatively set for late 2017 or early 2018 and includes soft- landing on
Moon (with a Lander) and moving a rover on its surface.
The mission includes an Orbiter, a Lander and a Rover, all being readied at ISAC in Bengaluru.
The Orbiter spacecraft will travel to the Moon's orbit and release the Lander, which will in turn
deploy a tiny Rover to roam on the lunar surface — all three sending data and pictures to Earth.
GSLV-Mk II vehicle will launch this mission.
Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-F05) mission’s success in September'16 has
established that this vehicle is now ready for Chandrayaan-2 mission.

Testing for the mission:

ISAC (ISRO Satellite Centre), at Bangalore, is the lead Centre for building satellites and developing
associated satellite technologies.
ISAC is also the lead centre for Chandrayaan-2.
It has artificially created close to ten craters to simulate the lunar terrain and test the Lander’s
sensors.
These artificial craters are created at Challakere in Chitradurga distict of Karnataka. ISRO
aircrafts with sensors are being tested over these craters.
The Moon Lander will be equipped with sensors so that it can identify an appropriate landing spot
on the moon.

Challakere, the Science City:

Challakere is a City in Chitradurga district in the state of Karnataka, India.


It is called Science city as it has several Science research organizations like IISc, DRDO, BARC and
ISRO have set up their establishments here.
It is also called Oil City due to the numerous Edible Oil mills around the city.

Oct. 23, 2016


Finding the right waves to cut breast cancer

Details :

Low and medium range radio waves have been used to alleviate minor ailments such as neck and
back pain.
Now, scientists are finding ways where with certain improvements these waves can be finely
controlled and can be used to treat cancer.

Current Scenario: Radiofrequency ablation

Technique called “Radiofrequency ablation” or RFA is used for treatment of tumors.


In radiofrequency ablation treatment or RFA, cancerous tissue is burned off by poking a needle
electrode through the skin into the tumour.
Determining the right places to insert the needle needs high-resolution images of the infected
region that are taken by instruments such ultrasound, computed tomography (CT) or magnetic
resonance imaging (MRI).
The high-frequency electrical currents are passed through the electrode, creating heat that
destroys the cancer cells.
RFA is an effective treatment option for patients who might have difficulty with surgery or those
whose tumours are less than one and a half inches in diameter.
RFA is generally conducted in the outpatient setting, using either local anesthetics or conscious
sedation anesthesia.
It is very specific for treating the desired tissue without significant collateral damage.

Other uses of RFA:

Cardiology
Aesthetics dermatology
Varicose veins Obstructive
sleep apnea Pain
management Barrett's
esophagus

Side Effects:

The main side effect of RFA is some discomfort, including swelling and bruising at the site of the
treatment. There can also be numbness and itching.
Risk of allergic reaction. Infection
at the site of injection. Injury to
the nerves.
Radio waves for treatment

Radio waves are part of the electromagnetic spectrum and indispensable for the working of
several of our communication devices from radios to satellites.
The higher is the frequency of electromagnetic waves, the more energetic they are and the
greater their chances of being harmful to the body.
By using this property with precision and perfection, treatment of certain proliferative diseases like
cancer can be done.

Benefits of radio waves:


They could emerge as a competitor to conventional radiation and chemotherapy to treat cancer.
Because they employ low-frequency waves, RF treatment would be far less likely to damage
healthy tissue.
There would be no unpleasant side effects of such therapy.
It would be possible to ensure that patients would need fewer sittings than conventional
radiation therapy.

Oct. 17, 2016

‘Telemedicine emerging as a growth driver in healthcare’

Details :

What is the news?

It is very difficult to access healthcare in semi-urban or rural areas. Along with that is the technological
revolution. So, people may not have potable water or toilets, but they do have a smart phone.
A combination of poor last-mile healthcare delivery and an easy access to technology has made
telemedicine a strong growth story in the healthcare industry.
Another aspect is that the e-commerce space has exploded, so people are looking at various
innovations to bridge the gap in healthcare access.
The other key growth driver in the healthcare sector is medical tourism, where nationals of other
countries visit India to take advantage of quality healthcare at affordable prices.

What is Telemedicine?

Telemedicine is a field in health science arising out of the effective fusion of Information and
Communication Technologies with Medical Science.
According to World Health Organisation, telemedicine is defined as, “ The delivery of healthcare
services, where distance is a critical factor, by all healthcare professionals using information and
communication technologies for the exchange of valid information for diagnosis, treatment and
prevention of disease and injuries, research and evaluation, and for continuing education of
healthcare providers, all in the interests of advancing the health of individuals and their communities”.
The main objective of telemedicine is to cross the geographical barriers and provide healthcare
facilities to rural and remote areas.

Types of Telemedicine:
Telemedicine process can be categorized on basis of application adopted:
Telepathology
Tele-cardiology
Teleradiology
Telesurgery

and so on..

Applications Of Telemedicine:

Tele-health care : It is the use of information and communication technology for prevention,
promotion and to provide health care facilities across distance. It involves activities like tele-
consultation and tele-follow up.
Tele-education: It is the process of distance education based on the use of information and
telecommunication technologies that make interactive, flexible and accessible learning possible
for any potential recipient.
Disaster Management: Telemedicine can play an important role to provide healthcare facilities to the
victims. During disaster, most of the terrestrial communication links either do not work properly or
get damaged so a mobile and portable telemedicine system with satellite connectivity and customized
telemedicine software is ideal for disaster relief.
Tele-home health care: Telemedicine technology can be applied to provide home health care for
elderly or underserved, homebound patients with chronic illness. It allows home healthcare
professionals to monitor patients from a central station. Remote patient monitoring is less
expensive, more time savings, and efficient methodology. A Computer Telephone Integrated (CTI)
system can monitor vital functions of patients twenty four hours a day and give immediate
warnings.

Advantages:

Eliminate distance barriers and improve access to quality health services.


In emergency and critical care situations where moving a patient may be undesirable and/or not
feasible
Facilitate patients and rural practitioners’ access to specialist health services and suppor. Lessen
the inconvenience and/or cost of patient transfers.
Reduce unnecessary travel time for health professionals.
Reduce isolation of rural practice by upgrading their knowledge through tele-education or tele-CME.

Barriers:

Physician/Patient Acceptance
Availability of Technology at a Reasonable Cost Accessibility
to the people living in far remote areas.
Some healthcare professionals has doubt about the quality of images transmitted for tele-
consultation and tele-diagnois.
Funding/ Reimbursement Issues.
Lack of Trained Manpower.
Privacy and Security Concerns.

Moving beyond the solar system to exoplanets

Details :
The Kepler and K2 missions of NASA have identified thousands of planet candidates.
There are nearly 5,000 planet candidates and 3,397 have been confirmed as planets, according
to the NASA exoplanet archive.
The latest entry into the list of confirmed exoplanets is Kepler-56 d.
This planet has an orbital period of 1,002 days, accurate to five days, and a mass of nearly
5.61 times that of Jupiter.
It is a massive planet that orbits its star Kepler-56 whose radius is about 4.23 times the sun’s
radius and which is about 1.32 times as massive as the sun.
The discovery of these systems that differ from our solar system has led to astronomers
rethinking their models of the origin and structure of planetary systems.

-While initially, based on the structure of our solar system with its eight planets, scientists believed that
smaller rocky planets would form closer to the star and huge, massive, gaseous ones would orbit at a
distance, this belief was shaken by the very first exoplanet seen – 51 Pegasi b. This planet has about half
the mass of Jupiter and orbits its star at close quarters.
Exoplanets research in India

Indian efforts in looking out for exoplanets are done in the Mount Abu Infrared Observatory and
through Astrosat.
The PARAS-1 spectrograph, which is part of the Mount Abu Infrared Observatory, hosts a 1.2-metre
telescope, focussed on detecting exoplanets.
This facility is soon to be upgraded with a 2.5 m telescope, and PARAS-2.

What is an exoplanet?

An exoplanet or extrasolar planet is a planet that orbits a star other than the Sun.
Models of exoplanets show that there are 14 types of planets. These can be pure water planets,
carbon planets, hydrogen planets, and so on. Our solar system has only five types. The habitable zone
is the range of distances from a star where a planet’s temperature allows liquid water oceans,
critical for life on Earth.

Some notable exoplanets

51 Pegasi b
HD 209458 b
55 Cancri e
HD 80606 b
WASP-33b

Related Questions:
UPSC Prelims, 2015

The term Goldilocks Zone is often seen in news in the context of:

a) The limits of habitable zone above the surface of Earth

b) Regions inside the Earth where shale gas is available

c) Search for the Earth-like planets in outer space

d) Search for meteorites containing precious metals

Answer: c

Oct. 16, 2016

Government unveils satellite surveillance to curb illegal mining

Details :

What is the News?

In a path-breaking move, the mines ministry came out with mining surveillance system (MSS), a
pan-India surveillance network using latest satellite technology, to check illegal mining.

What is Mining Surveillance System (MSS)?

Developed under the Digital India programme, MSS is a satellite-based monitoring system, which aims
to check illegal mining activity through automatic remote-sensing detection technology.
MSS will trigger an alarm whenever there is an instance of illegal mining outside permitted areas.
The Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM) has developed MSS, in co-ordination with the Bhaskaracharya
Institute for Space Applications and Geo-informatics (BISAG) and the Ministry of Electronics and
Information Technology (MEITY).
Maps of mining leases have been geo-referenced in MSS, which are superimposed on the latest
satellite remote sensing scenes obtained from CARTOSAT and USGS (US Geological Survey).
The system checks 500 meters around the existing mining lease boundary to search for any
unusual activity relating to illegal mining. Any discrepancy will be flagged off as a trigger.
MSS will cover major minerals including coal, iron ore and bauxite at present and minerals like sand,
lime stone and granite will be brought under its ambit in the coming days
The ministry plans to involve public in the system where citizens also can use this app and report any
illegal mining activity.
This technology will help in designing the planned development of mining and also provide complete
data of laborers working in the sector, which will lead to better safety standards.
Mining Tenement System:

MTS is an online computerised register that is intended to bring computerisation and automation
in the functioning at directorates of mining and geology (DMGs) of the states, IBM, GSI and the
mines ministry.
The system will display applications under process, ownership and details of area granted, period
of concession, taxes, compliance of rules and regulations, area available for grant of concession,
quality and quantity of the ore deposit, portion relinquished after reconnaissance or prospecting
operations, land details with ownership and the like.

Illegal Mining in India:

There is enormous and large scale multi-state illegal mining of iron ore and manganese ore
running into thousands of crores every year.
It has several pernicious evil effects on the national economy, good governance, public functionaries,
bureaucracy, public order, law and order.
It has encouraged huge corruption at all different levels in public life, mafia in society and money
power.
The main cause & incentive for this illegal mining of iron ore and manganese ore is the huge
profit in the export market (mainly China). The prices of these have gone up by about 20 times
without any corresponding benefit and increase to the public exchequer.
Hence, the first and immediate step recommended is total ban on exports of iron ore and manganese
ore.
This can be reviewed, relaxed and liberalized once the enforcement agency is in place to see that
no illegal mining of these items takes place and also after reasonable estimate of reserves
available and the demand of industries in the country for production of steel and 2 steel
products.
There are other reasons also which facilitates illegal mining, such as lack of effective enforcement,
adequate staff, necessary infrastructure etc.
MSS will enable real time check on illegal mining and will warn the officials even on slightest
change in topography.
MSS will ensure sustainable utilization of the country’s mineral resources.

Oct. 15, 2016

Self powered UV photodetector charges energy storage devices.

Details :
What is the News?

The researchers from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, have developed a cost-
effective, high-performance, self-powered UV photodetector that can use the harvested optical
energy for direct self-charging of energy storage devices such as supercapacitor.
It can also be used for operating electronic devices in the absence of external power source.

What the researchers have developed?

The researchers developed the photodetector by integrating semiconducting vanadium doped zinc
oxide (VZnO) nanoflakes with a conducting polymer.
The photodetector has superior performance in terms of faster detection of photo signals in the
order of milliseconds even when UV light intensity is low.
Zinc oxide (ZnO), the base material for UV detection, can be doped with vanadium to produce
photodetectors that are self-powered.

How it works?

When doped with vanadium, the microstructure of ZnO changes from nanorods to closely- packed
nanoflakes, causing an increase in the surface area to the volume of the material. Doping ZnO with
vanadium also creates surface defects within the band gap (between the conduction and valence
bands) of ZnO, which helps in trapping the UV radiation that falls on the nanoflakes.
The nanorods are one-dimensional and so the possibility of light reflection from the top surface is
more.
The UV light that gets into the pores undergoes multiple reflections and finally gets absorbed.
The VZnO nanoflakes were annealed (heated and allowed to cool slowly) in the presence of
hydrogen gas at 350 degree C (hydrogenated) to increase the conductivity and reduce the
recombination of photo-generated charge carriers.

Benefits?

Compared with ZnO, which generates only 40 nA photocurrent, the nanoflakes (VZnO) produced
five times more photocurrent.
Once the nanoflakes were hydrogenated, the current generation capacity further increased to
1,000 nA.
If the increased optically active surface area of the nanoflakes enhanced the generation of electron-
hole pairs (photo response), resulting in increased current generation, hydrogenation brought about
a further enhancement in the electron-hole pair generation as well as increased free electron
density, leading to more current generation.
When exposed to UV light, the device, after hydrogenation, was able to detect photo signal within
milliseconds, which is nearly 100 times faster than conventional UV photodetectors.
Oct. 14, 2016

India, Russia to set up agro irradiationcentres

Details :

What is the news?

India and Russia are collaborating to set up integrated irradiation centres in India to reduce
agricultural losses.
A bilateral agreement was signed between the Indian Agricultural Association, Hindustan Agro Co-
Op Ltd (HACL) and United Innovation Corporation (UIC), a subsidiary of ROSATOM State Atomic
Energy Corporation of Russia and aims to set up 25 integrated irradiation
centres.
In the first phase, seven centres will be set up in Maharashtra.
The irradiation doses are recommended by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the
final product is safe to use.

Why is it needed?

In India, post-harvest losses in food and food grains are around 40-50 per cent.
It is mainly due to insect infestation, microbiological contamination, physiological changes due to
sprouting and ripening and poor shelf life.
The use of irradiation will reduce the losses which are because of germination and inadequate
storage.

Food Irradiation:

In irradiation, food products are subjected to a low dosage of radiation to treat them for germs
and insects, increasing their longevity and shelf life.
This treatment is used to preserve food, reduce the risk of food borne illness, prevent the spread
of invasive pests, and delay or eliminate sprouting orripening.
Irradiation by gamma rays, X-rays and accelerated electrons under controlled conditions does
not make food radioactive.
Irradiation is equivalent to pasteurization for solid foods, but it is not the same as sterilization.
It does not reduce the nutritional value of food products and does not change their organoleptic
properties and appearance.

Oct. 13, 2016

ABB to electrify Indian buses

Details :

What is the News?

Swiss power and automation technology group ABB has drawn up plans for India to become a
fully electric vehicle nation by 2030, including an offer to supply electric buses that can be
charged within 15 seconds.
India has plans to convert around 1.5 lakh diesel buses run by state transport corporations into
electric buses in a bid to reduce its Rs.8 lakh crore annual crude oil import bill and check pollution.
Globally a new line of such buses will replace some of the diesel buses in Geneva with flash-charging
connection technology taking less than a second to connect the bus to the charging point at 13 bus
stops with a 600-kilowatt power boost.

How will it work?

With no overhead lines, the electric buses by ABB connect to a high-power charging contact at
bus stations through its controlled moving arm.
It is equipped with on-board batteries and gets charged at various ‘flash-charging’ bus stations
within 15 seconds.
At the terminals, buses can be fully charged within five minutes and can help save up to 1,000
tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions ever year, compared with existing diesel buses. The bus
wastes no time as the on-board batteries get charged within 15 seconds while passengers are
boarding and de-boarding the bus.
The idea is to utilise the bus station space by using it as charging points and operate them at par
with the diesel fleet.
The bus system is safe as the voltage is only released when the bus is connected for charging at
the bus stations.
So, even if someone climbs up on the bus station, he won’t get any electric shock.
The National Electricity Mission Plan 2020 had identified the need to build rapid charging points
at prominent bus stops in India to eliminate the need for large batteries.
It had, however, said a pilot projects needs to be rolled out to see the viability of its operations on
a large scale as it costs five times the cost of normal charging stations.
It had said that the likely potential demand for electric buses in India will be in the range of 2,300-
2,700 units by 2020.

What is ABB's flash charging technology?

Two major barriers to the adoption of electric vehicles are long charging times and the need to
recharge frequently.
Especially when it comes to public transport, the downtime associated with battery charging can
be a major obstacle to the commercial viability of electric operation. Furthermore the size and
weight of onboard batteries increase energy consumption and reduce space available to
passengers.
ABB’s flash charging technology permits a bus to be recharged in only 15 s. Furthermore, this
occurs at bus stops at which the bus needs to stop anyway, meaning schedules are not
negatively affected.
As soon as the bus has drawn to a halt, a contact on its roof automatically rises, using laser
guidance to align with an overhead receptacle.
A flash charger then delivers 400 kW for 15 s.
The energy delivered suffices as a top-up charge and helps reduce required battery capacity.
Further brief recharging occurs as energy is recovered in braking.
A longer and full recharge is provided at the bus terminus, where 200 kW can be delivered for 3 to 5
min using the same roof-mounted contact.

High-altitude glacial lab opens in theHimalayas

Details :

What is the News?

Himansh, a glaciological research facility has been established in a remote village of Spiti valley at
an altitude of above 13,500 ft (over 4000 m).
AIM: To facilitate better study and quantification of the Himalayan glacier responses towards the
climate change.
The station will also work as a base for undertaking surveys using Terrestrial Laser Scanners
(TLS) and Unmanned Aerial to digitise glacier movement and snow cover variation.
The research facility was established by the National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research
(NCAOR), Goa, under the Ministry of Earth Sciences.
The facility is equipped with automatic weather stations for weather monitoring, water level
recorder for quantifying the glacier melt, ground penetrating radar to know the thickness of
glaciers, geodetic GPS systems to study the glacier movements, snow fork for studying snow
thickness, steam drill, snow corer, temperature profilers, as well as various glaciological tools.

Need to quantify glaciers:

Himalayan region has the largest concentration of glaciers outside the polar caps, and this region is
called as “Water Tower of Asia”.
It is the source of the 10 major river systems that provide irrigation, power and drinking water to
nearly 10% of the world’s population.
The station has been set up as part of initiatives to understand and quantify glaciers in the upper Indus
basin in Himachal Pradesh and their contribution to river discharge.
There is also risk of devastating floods or Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) as melting of glaciers
is causing formation of more lakes and their (lakes) could unleash massive amount of water
leading to floods.
Some of the glaciers that are already being studied under this project are Bada Shigri,
Samudra Tapu, Sutri Dhaka, Batal, Gepang Gath and Kunzam.

Kolkata researchers use human hair to produce cathodes for solar cells

Details :

What is the News?

Researchers have used human hair to produce cost-effective, metal-free cathodes for use in
solar cells.
This is the first instance where a bio-waste-derived electrode has been used as cathode in a
quantum dot sensitised solar cell device.
The performance of graphitic porous carbon cathode produced by a team has been at par with
metal-based cathodes.
The graphitic porous carbon cathodes have performed well to convert visible sunlight to
electricity much higher than commercially available activated carbon cathodes and are also
comparable with commonly used cathodes made of platinum metal and metal sulfides.
These ‘green’ cathodes can bring down the cost of solar cells.
Graphitic porous carbon cathode using human hair is simple, quick and inexpensive to produce
and no physical or chemical activation process or templates are required.
The porosity and high surface area to volume ratio plays an important role in adsorption-
desorption of electrolyte.

About National Solar Mission:

It is a major initiative of the Government of India and State Governments to promote ecologically
sustainable growth while addressing India's energy security challenge. It is also known as
Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission.
The Mission is one of the several initiatives that are part of National Action Plan on Climate Change
and will also constitute a major contribution by India to the global effort to meet the challenges
of climate change.
The mission was launched with a target of 20GW by 2022 which was later increased to 100 GW.
It is aimed at reducing the cost of solar power generation in the country through: Long-
term policy
Large scale deployment goals
(Aggressive R&D
Domestic production of critical raw materials, components and products.

India-US solar case at WTO

United States filed a case with WTO against India for restricting the critical materials used to
domestic content, citing discrimination against US exports and that industry in US which has
invested hugely will be at loss.
US insist that such restrictions are prohibited by WTO.
India claims that it is only an attempt to grow local potential and to ensure self sustenance and
reduce dependence.

Related questions: Prelims, 2016

Q. ‘Net metering’ is sometimes seen in the news in the context of promoting the

(a) production and use of solar energy by the households/consumers

(b) use of piped natural gas in the kitchens of households

(c) installation of CNG kits in motor-cars

(d) installation of water meters in urban households


Solution: A

Oct. 12, 2016

Karnataka’s ban on e-cigs turns into vapour nearschools

Details :

What is the news?

Teachers in Karnataka have noticed students switching to e-cigarettes which are banned for sale.
The Karnataka State government had imposed ban on sale (including online) and use of e-
cigarettes in the State, based on the recommendations of the State high powered committee on
tobacco control in June,2016.
The Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR) has discovered that
teens have turned e-cigarettes into devices for consuming ‘e-drugs’ such as hashish oil, marijuana
wax and cannabis products sold by the black trade.
According to a study published in the journal Pediatrics, the incidence of high school students
using e-cigarettes to vaporise marijuana and other drugs is 27 times higher than the adult rate.
The new method helps users to discreetly vape deodorized (concealing the unpleasant odor by
addition of flavored substance like mint etc.) drugs and its extracts without the neighbouring
person realising.

About e-cigarettes:

Electronic cigarettes or e-cigarettes are a type of battery-operated, electronic nicotine delivery


system (ENDS) that heats a liquid to produce a vapor that the user inhales.
E-cigarettes have a cartridge containing a liquid (sometimes referred to as "e-liquid"), which
contains nicotine and other constituents like propylene glycol, glycerol or flavorings. The liquid is
heated to produce a vapor which is then inhaled by the user.
First-generation of e-cigarettes mimic the shape and size of conventional cigarettes and may be
referred to as "cigalikes."
Second-generation e-cigarettes are larger than conventional cigarettes and are either pen- style
(medium size) or tank-style (large size).
Third-generation e-cigarettes are known as "personalized vapors."
Metals such as tin, lead, nickel, and chromium have been found in e-cigarette liquids. Other
compounds detected include tobacco-specific nitrosamines, carbonyl compounds, metals, volatile
organic compounds and phenolic compounds.
Nicotine replacement products like chewing gums, not e-cigarettes, should be used to manage
nicotine withdrawal symptoms in people who are trying to quit smoking.
As per WHO, regulations are needed to stop promotion of e-cigarettes to nonsmokers and young
people, minimize potential health risks to users and nonusers, stop unproven health claims about e-
cigarettes, and protect existing tobacco control efforts.
Indian Medical Association has also condemned the use and sale of e-cigarettes as a safer
substitute to normal cigarettes.
E-cigarettes were invented in 2003 in China.

Side Effects:

Nicotine exposure from e-cigarette use increases heart rate and produce measurable levels of
blood cotinine, a nicotine metabolite.
Inhaling e-cigarette vapor is likely to be harmful due to chronic inhalation caused by e- cigarette
vapor.
Levels of toxic and carcinogenic compounds may vary in e-cigarette liquid components and device
used.
Little is known about the overall safety or the carcinogenic effects of propylene glycol or glycerol
when heated and aerosolized. At high temperatures, propylene glycol
decomposes and may form propylene oxide, a probable human carcinogen. Glycerol
produces the toxin, acrolein.
Both propylene glycol and glycerol decompose to form the carcinogens formaldehyde and
acetaldehyde, with levels depending on the voltage of the battery used in the e-cigarette.

Oct. 9, 2016

Demystifying Science: Great Balls of Fire

Details :

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has seen planet-size cannonballs of hot gas whipping through the
space near a dying star, but the origin of these plasma balls remains a mystery. The high- speed blobs,
each double the mass of Mars and twice as hot as the surface of the sun, are moving so fast in space
that they would take only half an hour to go between the Earth and the moon (238,900 miles, or
384,472 kilometers), according to a statement from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The observations
suggest that these balls of fire have been appearing every 8.5 years for at least the last four centuries.

What are the Great Balls of Fire?

The Great Balls of Fire (GBF) are mysterious, super-hot blobs of gas which were detected by the
Hubble Space Telescope.
Each as massive as planet Mars and zooming so fast through space that they would travel from earth
to the moon in 30 minutes, the GBF have continued once every 8.5 years for at least the past 400
years.
The fireballs present a puzzle to astronomers.
The gas balls were observed near a red giant called V Hydrae, about 1,200 light years away from
earth.
Red giants are stars that are nearing the end of their fuel supplies and have begun to puff up and
expand.
While the fireballs could not have been ejected by the star, it is felt that an unseen companion
star in an elliptical orbit around the red giant could be responsible.
The elongated orbit carries the companion every 8.5 years to within the puffed-up atmosphere of
V Hydrae, where it gobbles up material from the bloated star.
This material then settles into a disk around the companion, and serves as the launching pad for
blobs of plasma, which travel at roughly a half-million miles per hour.
This star system could explain a dazzling variety of glowing shapes uncovered by Hubble that are
seen around dying stars and called planetary nebulae.
If scientists can discover where these balls come from, it could also explain other weird shapes
seen in the cloud of gas around dying stars, some of which have been difficult for scientists to
explain.

The Hubble Space Telescope (HST):

It is a space telescope that was launched into low Earth orbit in 1990, and remains in operation.
Although not the first space telescope, Hubble is one of the largest and most versatile, and is
well-known as both a vital research tool and a public relations boon for astronomy.
The HST is named after the astronomer Edwin Hubble, and is one of NASA's Great Observatories,
along with the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, the Chandra X-ray Observatory, and the
Spitzer Space Telescope.
The HST was built by the United States space agency NASA, with contributions from the European
Space Agency.
Its scientific successor, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), is scheduled for launch in 2018.
Oct. 7, 2016

Communication satellite GSAT-18 successfullylaunched

Details :

What is the news?

India's Communication satellite GSAT-18,built by ISRO, was launched from the European
spacepad of Kourou in French Guiana.
GSAT was launched into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit.
AIM: To provide telecommunication services and will strengthen the space agency's current fleet
of 14 operational telecom satellites.
GSAT 18 will support television, telecommunication, VSAT and digital satellite news gathering.
Currently, ISRO is dependent on Ariane-5 rocket for carrying its heavier satellites and is
developing GSLV Mk III for this purpose.

About Communication Satellites:

The Indian National Satellite System or INSAT is group of geo-stationary satellites launched
by ISRO.
The purpose of INSAT is to provide television broadcasting, satellite newsgathering, societal
applications, weather forecasting, disaster warning and Search and Rescue operations.
It is a joint venture of the Department of Space, Department of Telecommunications, India
Meteorological Department, All India Radio and Doordarshan.
Important communication satellites:
EDUSAT is for audio-visual interactive classroom program.
KALPANA 1: Meteorological satellite.
Oct. 6, 2016

Bill to protect HIV community from bias getsapproval

Details :

The Union Cabinet, has approved the long-awaited amendments to the HIV Bill, granting stronger
protection to the country’s HIV community.

What the Bill seeks?

The Bill seeks to prevent stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV.
The “HIV and AIDS Bill, 2014” will bring legal accountability and establish a formal mechanism to
probe discrimination complaints against those who discriminate against such people.
These amendments will allow families that have faced discrimination to go to court against institutions
or persons being unfair.
The Bill lists various grounds on which discrimination against HIV-positive persons and those living
with them is prohibited.
These include the denial, termination, discontinuation or unfair treatment with regard to
employment, educational establishments, health care services, residing or renting property,
standing for public or private office, and provision of insurance.

About HIV:

HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus.


If left untreated, HIV can lead to the disease AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). Unlike some
other viruses, the human body can’t get rid of HIV completely.
So once someone have HIV, they have it for life.
HIV attacks the body’s immune system, specifically the CD4 cells (T cells), which help the immune
system fight off infections.
If left untreated, HIV reduces the number of CD4 cells (T cells) in the body, making the person
more likely to get infections or infection-related cancers.
Over time, HIV can destroy so many of these cells that the body can’t fight off infections and
disease.
These opportunistic infections or cancers take advantage of a very weak immune system and
signal that the person has AIDS, the last state of HIV infection.
No effective cure for HIV currently exists, but with proper treatment and medical care, HIV can be
controlled.
The medicine used to treat HIV is called antiretroviral therapy or ART.

About AIDS:

AIDS stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.


AIDS is the final stage of HIV infection, and not everyone who has HIV advances to this stage.
AIDS is the stage of infection that occurs when your immune system is badly damaged and you
become vulnerable to opportunistic infections.
When the number of your CD4 cells falls below 200 cells per cubic millimeter of blood (200
cells/mm3), you are considered to have progressed to AIDS. (The CD4 count of an uninfected
adult/adolescent who is generally in good health ranges from 500 cells/mm3 to 1,600 cells/mm3.)
You can also be diagnosed with AIDS if you develop one or more opportunistic infections,
regardless of your CD4 count.
Without treatment, people who are diagnosed with AIDS typically survive about 3 years. Once
someone has a dangerous opportunistic illness, life expectancy without treatment falls to about 1
year.
People with AIDS need medical treatment to prevent death.
Chemistry Nobel developers of world's smallestmachines

Details :

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 2016 has been awarded to Jean-Pierre Sauvage, Sir J. Fraser Stoddart
and Bernard L. Feringa for developing molecular machines.

What they have developed?

They have developed molecules with controllable movements, which can perform a task when
energy is added (like when exposed to UV light).
These machines are a thousand times thinner than a strand of hair and invisible to the naked
eye.
Normally, molecules are joined by strong covalent bonds in which the atoms share electrons,
but in the chain they were linked by a freer mechanical bond.
For a machine to be able to perform a task, it must consist of parts that can move relative to
each other.
For this, the scientists used chemical attractions to construct molecular chains, axles, motors,
muscles, and even computer chips.
Molecular machines will be used in the development of things such as new materials, sensors
and energy storage systems.

Which of the following Indian born scientists won a Nobel Prize in Chemistry?

a) C.V.Raman

b) Ha Gobind Khurana

c) Venkatraman Ramakrishnan

d) J.C.Bose

Answer: Venkatraman Ramakrishnan in 2009 was awarded jointly to VenkatramanRamakrishnan,


Thomas A. Steitz and Ada E. Yonath "for studies of the structure and function of the ribosome". He was
not an Indian Citizen at the time of receiving the prize, thus "Indian Born".

Oct. 5, 2016

Nobel physics prize 2016 to be shared by British scientists


Details :

This year’s Nobel Prize in physics goes to three men, who, in their work in the 1970s and 1980s,
explained the very weird thing that happens to matter when you squish it down to a flat plane, or cool
it down to near absolute zero.

Half the prize goes to David Thouless of the University of Washington, and the other half is split between
Duncan Haldane of Princeton University and J. Michael Kosterlitz of Brown. All the laureates were born in
the UK.

So what, exactly, did Thouless, Haldane, and Kosterlitz prove?

In essence, they showed that the bizarre properties of matter at cold or condensed states
— for instance, when super-cold materials conduct electricity without resistance — could be
explained by the mathematics of topology.
Topology is a branch of math that studies what properties are preserved when objects are stretched,
twisted, or deformed.
Hansson, apparently anticipating the total ignorance of topology, so he brought along a cinnamon
bun, a bagel, and a pretzel to explain it at the prize announcement.
He explained: You can describe the number of holes in each shape topologically. A bun
has zero holes, a bagel has one, and a pretzel has two.
There are no half holes.
And the number of holes in these objects stays the same if you stretch or twist them. Using
topology, Thouless, Haldane, and Kosterlitz were able to elucidate mysteries like how super-cold
films of helium change their phase of matter, and how those phase transitions then change their
properties (like how conductive they are to electricity and magnetism).
Beyond theory, the research has also led scientists to develop new materials.
Some of these materials are called “topological insulators,” which conduct electricity solely on
their surface.
These topological insulators haven’t made it into any commercial products yet, but the Nobel
committee and the scientists are still excited about the possibilities for using them in quantum
computing and other yet-to-be discovered applications.
One of these insulators, called stanene — basically a one-atom thick layer of tin — will conduct
electricity at high temperatures with little resistance.
One day, scientists hope stanene could perhaps replace copper components in computers.

Oct. 4, 2016

Nobel Prize for Physiology/ Medicine, 2016

Details :

What is the news?

The 2016 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to YoshinoriOhsumi of the
Tokyo Institute of Technology (Japan), for his discoveries of mechanisms for autophagy.

What is autophagy?

Autophagy is a Greek word where automeans self and phageinmeans to eat. It is a


fundamental process for degrading and recycling cellular components.

Process:

Cytoplasmic contents are isolated from rest of the cell and are packed in a vesicle known as an
autophagosome.
The autophagosome fuses with a lysosome(suicidal bag of cell) The
contents are then degraded and recycled.

Physiological functions:

Autophagy can rapidly provide fuel for energy and building blocks for renewal of cellular
components, and is, therefore, essential for the cellular response to starvation and other types of
stress.
Autophagy can eliminate intracellular bacteria and viruses, damaged organelles.
Autophagy helps in embryo development and cell differentiation.

Role of Autophagy:

In disease state: Autophagyis seen as an adaptive response to stress and promotes


survival by eliminating offending agent.
In starvation: Breakdownsthe cellular components and promotes cellular survival by maintaining
energy levels of the cell.

Disruption of autophagy processes of the cell has been linked to Parkinson’s disease, type 2 diabetes.

Oct. 3, 2016

Impact of fumigation on dengue, chikungunya

Details :

What is the news?

Fogging is done extensively during monsoon to control the spread of mosquitoes and vector
borne diseases like malaria, dengue and chikungunya.
Plumes of diesel and malathion, an organophosphate insecticide that has low toxicity for humans
is used for fogging.
As per the National Vector-Borne Disease Control Programme’s Operational Guidelines for Urban
Vector-Borne Disease Control 2016, one part of malathion is to be mixed with 19 parts of diesel.
The ‘fog’ is created by blasting the mixture of insecticide and water into very fine droplets.

Limitations of fogging:

Fumigation has minimal impact on controlling the spread of vector-borne diseases as it only
targets adult mosquitoes, not the larvae.
This can limit the spread of disease to some extent but cannot be useful for eradication. Frequent
fogging can build resistance in the mosquitoes.
Adverse impact of water resources.
Also known to cause adverse reactions like itching, burning, prickling sensations on skin,
headaches, swelling, asthma, sneezing, nasal congestion and nausea.

Solution:

Larvicidal measures should be adopted. Water


logging should be checked.
Oct. 2, 2016

No takers for 700 megahertz, auction bids top Rs.53,000 cr.

Details :

The government received bids worth more than Rs.53,000 crore on the first day of the biggest ever
auction of the country’s telecom spectrum. A total of 2,300 MHz of spectrum worth Rs.5.6 lakh crore
has been put up for sale. The government had raked in Rs 1.1 lakh crore from the last spectrum
auction held in March 2015. It had sold spectrum across 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1,800 MHz and 2,100
MHz bands.

What is Spectrum?

We were first introduced to spectrum in school when we saw that seven colours were
produced when a white light hits a glass prism.
In simple terms, spectrum can be considered as a range of all lights of various wavelengths. But
light is part of a larger spectrum called the electromagnetic (EM) spectrum. EM spectrum has in it
a range of similar EM radiations like visible light, infrared light, ultraviolet light, X-rays and the
one that is useful to us here is radio waves.
As these are all radiations, they travel and spread as they go.
Waves are defined by attributes of wavelength (length of the wave), amplitude (height of the
wave) and frequency (number of cycles per seconds).
Radio waves are those that have frequency of 3 kHz (3000 cycle per second) to 300 GHz (3 billion cycles
per second).
Audible frequency for human is between 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz.
Consider waves moving around us at different speeds (frequencies) between 3 kHz and 300 GHz.
Different frequencies are utilised for different purposes.
The Radio FM stations air their channels around the 100 MHz frequencies.

Bands:

So spectrum refers to the waves that are there all around us at all times, passing through everything
and this means that it needs to be regulated.
If any one could broadcast signals at any frequency, there would be total chaos, and it would lead
to a lot of interference, effectively rendering the spectrum useless for any kind of meaningful
communication.
That's why the spectrum gets divided into bands by the government.
Think of the spectrum as a whole as the wide open ground, and think of bands as roads that are
put up on it to help guide traffic in a regulated fashion.
So the spectrum is divided between different types of technology - your AM and FM channels are
all spread around 100MHz - 200MHz.
Telecom spectrum starts from 800MHz, and goes up to 2300MHz.
Beyond that, we start getting into the unlicensed bands used for technology such as Wi-Fi and
Bluetooth - Wi-Fi used to be 2.4GHz (2400MHz) and has started to shift to the 5GHz band.
Commonly used bands for cellular communication are 800MHz, 900MHz, 1800MHz, 2100MHz, and
2300MHz.
According to the GSM Alliance, the most suitable spectrum for telecommunication is in the
400MHz to 4GHz range, and these bands are used globally for various telecommunications
purposes. As a result, different standards such as GSM, WCDMA, and LTE were developed over
time to use these bands; creating an ecosystem of technology that operators can deploy.
Each country regulates the use of spectrum in its own territory but (by and large) the same technology
finds use around the world, which is how you have roaming services.

Circles:

Just as you have different countries managing spectrum in their geographies, you also have
different telecom circles.
This was a way for the government to manage the spectrum effectively across the country, and as
a result, India was divided into 23 circles in 1995; later, in 2007, Chennai was merged with Tamil
Nadu leaving 22 circles in all.

Oct. 1, 2016

After 12 years, Rosetta spacecraft bound for comettomb

Details :

Europe’s Rosetta spacecraft was heading or a mission-ending crash into the comet it has stalked for
two years, a dramatic conclusion to a 12-year odyssey to demystify our Solar System’s origins.
The Issue:

Philae is a robotic European Space Agency lander that accompanied the Rosetta spacecraft until
it separated to land on comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, launched on 2 March 2004.
On 12 November 2014, Philae touched down on the comet, but it bounced when its anchoring
harpoons failed to deploy and a thruster designed to hold the probe to the surface did not fire.
The lander briefly awoke in June 2015.
And now Rosetta spacecraft was heading for a mission-ending crash.

Objectives of the Mission:

The prime objective of the mission is to help understand the origin and evolution of the Solar
System.
The comet’s composition reflects the composition of the pre-solar nebula out of which the Sun
and the planets of the Solar System formed, more than 4.6 billion years ago.
Therefore, an in-depth analysis of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko by Rosetta and its lander
will provide essential information to understand how the Solar System formed.
There is convincing evidence that comets played a key role in the evolution of the planets, because
cometary impacts are known to have been much more common in the early Solar System than today.
Comets, for example, probably brought much of the water in today's oceans.
They could even have provided the complex organic molecules that may have played a crucial
role in the evolution of life on Earth.

SEPTEMBER- 2016

Sept. 28, 2016

Mega launchers for ISRO soon

Details :

An advanced Indian mega space launcher that can deliver ten-tonne and heavier communication
satellites to space and using a semi-cryogenic engine is likely to power ISRO’s launchers by around
2018. That is the space agency’s next big space vehicle, having just achieved the GSLV for lifting 2,000-
kg payloads. The agency is gearing up for first test flight of the GSLV Mark-III vehicle in December with
a 4,000-kg payload.

About the GSLV Mk. III:

The GSLV Mk. III launch vehicle is an evolved version of India’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch
Vehicle, developed and operated by the Indian Space Research Organization.
The primary purpose of GSLV is the deployment of Geostationary Satellites, but the vehicle has been
designed to be human-rated to deliver an initial version of ISRO’s crewed vehicle into orbit.
Currently, the government has approved the development of the semi-cryogenic stage alone.
When fitted suitably into a launch vehicle, it will see India putting satellites of the class of 6,000 to
10,000 kilos — or with some variations, lift even 15,000-kg payloads — to geostationary transfer
orbits at 36,000 km.
The engine is expected to triple or quadruple ISRO's transportation ability. Development for
the GSLV-III began in the early 2000s,
GSLV Mk III is conceived and designed to make ISRO fully self reliant in launching heavier
communication satellites of INSAT-4 class, which weigh 4500 to 5000 kg.
It would also enhance the capability of the country to be a competitive player in the multimillion
dollar commercial launch market.
GSLV-Mk III is designed to be a three stage vehicle, with 42.4 m tall with a lift off weight of 630
tonnes.
First stage comprises two identical S200 Large Solid Booster (LSB) with 200 tonne solid
propellant, that are strapped on to the second stage, the L110 re-startable liquid stage. The third
stage is the C25 LOX/LH2 cryo stage.
The most difficult component of the GSLV Mk. III to be developed was the large C-25 Cryogenic
Upper Stage.
Development of India’s first indigenous cryogenic stage led to a delay of the GSLV Mk. II vehicle
and thus Mk. III was pushed back further.

By Jupiter! Proof of water plumes on moon

Details :

More evidence of possible water plumes erupting from the surface of Jupiter’s icy moon Europa has
been spotted using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, the U.S. space agency said. Europa, one of more
than 50 moons circling the gas giant, is considered by NASA as a “top candidate” for life elsewhere in
the solar system because it is believed to possess a massive, salty, subsurface ocean that is twice the
size of Earth’s.

Importance:

Using the Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers detected activity in the south pole of Europa,
which is thought to house a huge global ocean containing twice as much water as all the oceans
on Earth.
The ocean is believed to be protected by a thick ice layer and the plumes could mean missions to
Europa may be able to gather samples from the waters without having to drill though the ice.
The plumes are estimated to rise about 125m before raining back onto Europa's surface and were
observed by a team initially attempting to discover more about Europa's atmosphere.
The finding supports evidence from 2012, when a team of astronomers detected evidence of
water vapour erupting from Europa's south pole more than 100 miles into space.
If the findings are confirmed, Europa will be the second moon in the solar system known to have
water vapour plumes.
Saturn's moon Enceladus was the first known to produce such jets of water when they were
discovered spewing off its surface in 2005.
Using ultraviolet images taken by Hubble, a space telescope that was launched in 1990, the
potential plumes are seen around the southern edge of Europa and appear as dark fingers or
patches of possible absorption.
If plumes exist, this is an exciting finding because it potentially gives easier access to the ocean
below.
Last year, data from Hubble confirmed that Jupiter’s largest moon, Ganymede, has an
underground ocean that with more water than Earth’s, broadening the hunt for places in the
solar system where life might be able to exist.

The Hubble Space Telescope (HST):


It is a space telescope that was launched into low Earth orbit in 1990, and remains in operation.
Although not the first space telescope, Hubble is one of the largest and most versatile, and is well
known as both a vital research tool and a public relations boon for astronomy.
The HST is named after the astronomer Edwin Hubble, and is one of NASA's Great Observatories,
along with the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, the Chandra X-ray Observatory, and the
Spitzer Space Telescope.
The HST was built by the United States space agency NASA, with contributions from the European
Space Agency.
Its scientific successor, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), is scheduled for launch in 2018.

Sept. 27, 2016


Value of ISRO’s workhorse goes up

Details :

According to ISRO, India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle in its 37th flight (C-35) put eight satellites into
two different orbits out of which five are foreign. The primary payload of the PSLV was India’s 371-kg
SCATSAT-1 satellite for weather monitoring and weather-related studies. The other Indian satellites were
Pratham, built by the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, and PISAT, built by PES University in
Bangalore.The five foreign satellites were ALSAT-1B, ALSAT-2B, ALSAT-1N from Algeria, NLS-19 from Canada
and Pathfinder-1 from USA.

Importance of the Mission:

With the launch, ISRO demonstrated its double orbit deployment capability, which reduces satellite
deployment costs.
Now, double orbit deployment capability of ISRO reduces the cost of satellite deployment as it
will remove the requirement of two separate launch operations.
So profit increases with a boost in business and price-efficient operation.
ISRO draws majority of its revenues from satellite launch services by its commercial arm– Antrix
Corporation.
To reclaim lost ground, ISRO has to reinvent itself regularly.
Over the years, it has decreased the per kg payload launch prices and has forayed into the
development of reusable launch vehicles.
Its amazingly successful PSLV vehicle boasts a safe launch record that acts as an effective and luring
selling proposition.
Over the years, the satellite launch industry has grown more competitive.
European Space Agency has taken huge strides and so has the Japanese JAXA. French- based
Arianespace commands over 50 per cent of the satellite launch market and Elon Musk’s SpaceX,
with its reusable Falcon launch vehicles, has tremendously changed the price parameter in the
launch market.

Use of Space technology:

Space technology is the next step in providing multiple services to governments, companies and
the people as well.
The range of satellite uses now include Weather
monitoring,
Disaster alert,
Remote sensing to seek out mineral resources,
Surveillance,
Communication,
Exploration,
Specialised satellites for telemedicine, rural education, internet connectivity and countless other uses.
Countries and companies both now look to space to develop a new range of services and tap on
space as a more efficient channel for their operations.

Sept. 26, 2016

Two years on, Mars orbiter remains a datatrove

Details :

The low-cost Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) which was originally meant for six months is completing two
years of orbiting Mars on 24th September. The MOM’s performance and longevity have brought cheer
to ISRO scientists who designed, built and launched the spacecraft in a record time of less than two
years.

About the Mars Orbiter Mission:


The Rs 450 crore Mars Orbiter Mission was launched with the PSLV-C25 rocket from Sriharikota
on November 5, 2013.
After travelling 666 million kilometres for around 300 days, it entered into the Mars orbit on
September 24, 2014.
India created history as the first nation to reach Mars on a maiden attempt.
The debut achievement of making the spacecraft go round the planet was the most challenging
manouevre of the mission.
It eluded old planetary warhorses Russia, the U.S. and Europe, who started out into space 50
years back with superior rockets.
The five payloads collect data on geology, morphology, atmospheric processes and surface
temperature of Mars.
The extended life has helped scientists make more observations of Mars from its five instruments
and study the seasons better.
Its has sent colourful images of the Martian terrain, valleys and hills from different distances.
An ISRO-MOM team won the U.S. National Space Society’s Space Pioneer Award for 2015. ISRO
also won the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for promoting
international cooperation in peaceful use of outer space.

Question asked in UPSC Pre-2016

Q. Consider the following statements: The


Mangalyaan launched by ISRO
1. is also called the Mars Orbiter Mission

2. made India the second country to have a spacecraft orbit the Mars after USA

3. made India the only country to be successful in making its spacecraft orbit the Mars in its very first
attempt

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Ans: (c)
World’s largest radio telescope beginsoperations

Details :

The largest radio telescope in the world officially opened on 25th September in China. The Five- hundred-
meter Aperture Spherical Telescope, or FAST, is named after its diameter, which at 500 meters makes it
195 meters wider than the second largest telescope of its kind, the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico.

About the Aperture Spherical Telescope:

The Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST) nicknamed Tianyan is a radio


telescope located in the Dawodang depression, a natural basin in Pingtang County, Guizhou
Province, southwest China.
It consists of a fixed 500 m (1,600 ft) dish constructed in a natural depression in the landscape.
It is the world's largest filled aperture (single dish) radio telescope.
Construction on the FAST project began in 2011 and was completed in July 2016. It is operational since
25 September 2016, when it began testing
It will be used for observation of pulsars as well as exploration of interstellar molecules and interstellar
communication signals.
Pulsars are imploded cores of stars slightly larger than the Sun, which emit radiation that can be
detected from earth, if your telescope is sensitive enough.
This telescope is so sensitive, in a test it detected radio waves from a pulsar 1,351 light- years
away.
Like radio telescopes in other parts of the world, FAST will study interstellar molecules related to
how galaxies evolve.
For example, recently a team using data from the Very Large Array, a collection of radio antennas
in the New Mexico desert, picked up what scientists describe as "faint radio emission from atomic
hydrogen in a galaxy nearly 5 billion light-years from Earth.
The team said that the "next generation of radio telescopes," like FAST, will build on their findings
about how gasses behave in galaxies.
As for FAST's final use, studying interstellar communication signals, it could be more simply
referred to as searching for intelligent extraterrestrial life.
In theory, if there is civilization in outer space, the radio signal it sends will be similar to the signal
we can receive when a pulsar is approaching us.
Such communication could go both ways.
In 1974, the Arecibo radio telescope sent a signal deep into space with a graphic containing,
among other things, images of "the Arecibo telescope, our solar system, DNA, a stick figure of a
human, and some of the biochemicals of earthly life, according to the SETI institute, a scientific
organization devoted to the search for extraterrestrial life.

Centre to block online content on child abuse

Details :

In an attempt to protect children from sexual abuse online, the government will soon issue an advisory
to Internet Service Providers, asking them to filter and block related objectionable images, videos as
well as text. In compliance with the provision of the (IT) Act, websites/portals and ISPs should deploy
filters/technological tools to block/disable any such child sexual abuse images, videos and text available
on the Internet, according to a draft note prepared by the Ministry of Electronics and IT . Last year, the
government had banned more than 850 sites citing the Supreme Court’s directions to address the
menace of pornography, especially child pornography. However, the move did not go down well with a
majority of users who took to social media to criticise it. The Centre later clarified that the move was
temporary and it was planning a long-term policy to tackle online child sexual abuse.

Current forms of child online abuse and exploitation include:

Cyberbullying: emotional harassment, defamation and social exposure, intimidation, social


exclusion.
Online sexual abuse: distribution of sexually explicit and violent content, sexual harassment.
Online sexual exploitation: production, distribution and use of child sexual abuse material (CSAM)
(child pornography), “sextortion”, “revenge pornography”
Cyber extremism: ideological indoctrination and recruitment, threats of extreme violence.
Online commercial fraud: identity theft, phishing, hacking, financial fraud.
Habit formation and online enticement to illegal behaviours: access to alcohol, cheating,
plagiarism, gambling, drug trafficking, sexting and self-exposure.
Grooming: preparing a child, significant adults and the environment for sexual abuse and exploitation
or ideological manipulation.

Important Facts:

There are currently about 400 million Internet users in India.


While 60 per cent of urban dwellers have access to the Internet, only 15 per cent are
online in rural areas.
The digital divide is equally stark between men and women.
In urban areas, women make up one third of Internet users, whereas in rural areas only 10 per cent
of Internet users are female.
Virtually all urban middleclass men of working age now have Internet access through
smartphones, although almost all poor rural women are offline.
Many poorer and rural users continue to use basic feature phones for communication and
entertainment.
The patterns of Internet use also vary between rural and urban areas, with urban users
increasingly going online for communication, social networking, shopping and ticketing and rural
users still
predominantly for entertainment.
Little reliable information is available on children’s access to the Internet.
While less than 10 per cent of schools in Bihar, Assam and Jharkhand have personal computers
(PCs), virtually all schools in Kerala and Chandigarh have PCs.

Sept. 25, 2016

U.S. drone rules set, firms race for flightdata

Details :

United Parcel Service Inc's launch this week of drone test flights simulating emergency medical- supply
deliveries highlights a race for data to prove such deliveries can be performed safely.

The gathering data about the drone's flight and others like it is a vital part of a new effort to convince U.S.
regulators to loosen the reins on using robotic aircraft for deliveries. The UPS- CyPhy test focusing on
package delivery. Amazon.com Inc is also focusing on tests on package delivery in the United Kingdom.
whereas PrecisionHawk is developing a system enabling drones to detect objects in the air and on the
ground to avoid collisions - technology that could also help deliver packages.

What is a drone?

In aviation and in space, a drone refers to an unpiloted aircraft or spacecraft. Another


term for it is an “unmanned aerial vehicle” or UAV.
On Earth, drones are often used for military purposes because they don't put a pilot's life at risk
in combat zones.
Also, drones don't require rest, enabling them to fly as long as there is fuel in the craft and there are no
mechanical difficulties.
A drone is simply an unmanned aircraft. Its
origins can be traced to the military.
Today drones are no longer only operated by the military, with smaller versions used for all sorts
of purposes by companies and individuals.
For example, Amazon and Google say they are developing drones that deliver parcels. Facebook
wants to fly giant drones that can carry internet signal to remote areas.
Drones are also being used to film documentaries and news reports in dangerous or inaccessible
areas.

Sept. 24, 2016

Sun Pharma signs deal to develop denguevaccine

Details :

An agreement has been signed between the Delhi unit of the International Centre for Genetic
Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) and India’s largest pharmaceutical company,Sun
Pharmaceutical Industries for clinical development of a novel botanical drug, Cissampelos pariera (Cipa)
for the treatment of dengue. The partnership aims to develop Cipa as a safe, effective and affordable
botanical drug and permits Sun Pharma access to all the intellectual properties of the drug across 17
countires. ICGEB will establish assay systems for the development of Cipa for the treatment of dengue
infection.

Important Points:

India represents ~50% of the global population estimated to be at risk of dengue.


Severe dengue, which is potentially fatal, correlates with very high virus load, reduction in platelet
counts and haemorrhage.
Antiviral therapy to reduce high virus load may be beneficial in attenuating disease severity.
ICGEB have explored Indian traditional medicine, Ayurveda, to identify plants that could be a
source of dengue inhibitory activity.
It has been found that an alcoholic extract prepared from Cissampelos pareira Linn inhibited the
replication of dengue viruses in living cells in culture and protected mice against dengue infection.
It also showed antipyretic and anti-inflammatory effects.
Importantly, this extract did not show any toxic effects in rats and did not affect platelets and red
blood cells.
This observation is critical as dengue fever is commonly treated with antipyretics.
In a dengue-endemic resource-poor country as India, the C. pareira plant may serve as a source
for the development of an inexpensive herbal formulation against dengue.

Other Facts:

This would be the first time a vaccine developed entirely in India for a vector-borne disease has
been advanced for clinical development in India.
Though India is well-known for developing generic versions of drugs and vaccines it rarely
develops drugs from scratch, in part due to a regulatory environment that discourages untested
drugs and the huge costs and risks associated with early-stage drug development.
Rotavac — a vaccine to protect children against infections by the rotavirus — is the only other
vaccine developed, tested and commercialised in India.
This year it was integrated into India’s Universal Immunisation Programme.
According to the World Health Organization, 390 million dengue infections are globally recorded
annually, of which 96 million manifest clinically.
India has recorded one of the worst outbreaks this year with the Union Health Ministry noting
99,913 dengue cases and 220 deaths in 2015 and 33,310 cases and 20 deaths this year as of
September 11.
Dengue is transmitted by the Aedes Aegypti mosquito and can be caused by any of four closely-
related viruses.
Immunity to one doesn’t confer resistance to the others and while most dengue infections aren’t
lethal, a minority of infections can induce bleeding and death.
There is no recommended treatment for dengue so far other than rest, fluids and paracetamol.
About the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB):

It was promoted by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) as a centre of
excellence for research and training in genetic engineering and biotechnology for the benefit of
developing countries.
The ICGEB is an international, nonprofit research organization.
Established as a special project of UNIDO, it became fully autonomous in 1994 and now counts
over 60 Member States.
It provides a scientific and educational environment of the highest standard and conducts
innovative research in life sciences for the benefit of developing countries.
It strengthens the research capability of its Members through training and funding programmes
and advisory services and represents a comprehensive approach to promoting biotechnology
internationally.
With Components in Trieste(Italy), New Delhi(India) and Cape Town(South Africa), the Centre
forms an interactive network with Affiliated Centres in ICGEB Member States. ICGEB is part of
the United Nations System.

Sept. 22, 2016

Pune team produces carbon from sugarcane waste for use in batteries

Details :

While making anode-grade carbon is currently very expensive and time-consuming, the Pune
researchers were able to produce high-quality carbon within minutes by using a low power microwave
system. Researchers have used a simple, cost-effective and quick process to convert sugarcane
bagasse into anode-grade porous, conducting, activated carbon material for use in Li-ion batteries.

What they have done?

The initial carbonisation was carried out overnight at room temperature by mixing bagasse with
concentrated sulphuric acid.
Except silica most of the inorganic impurities present in bagasse get dissolved by acid treatment.
This also helps in forming robust carbon double bond backbone structure.
The solid product is washed thoroughly, oven-dried at 70 degree C and mixed with potassium
hydroxide to form slurry.
The slurry is then heated in a microwave oven for a few minutes.
Though the mixture achieves a burning temperature for a few minutes, it is self-generated by
microwave and not through external heating.
Local heating causes graphitisation and pores are eventually formed when potassium hydroxide
reacts with carbon.
The process is repeated one more time after mixing with water to optimise porosity and
conductivity.
Porosity is important as lithium ions come through liquid electrolyte and must reach different
parts of the carbon anode.
Optimum porosity is needed for accessibility of lithium ions.

Benefits:

The quality of carbon and battery performance using this carbon is quite good and competitive with
carbon made through other complicated schemes and processes. Anode-grade carbon is generally
produced through decomposition at nearly 1000 degree Celsius.
The process time to get anode-grade carbon is cut down dramatically. The
electrical energy input is also reduced substantially.
Researchers have used Simple kitchen microwave used to derive high-quality material in minutes.

Sept. 21, 2016

Early Earth was covered with crust-likesurface

Details :

Addressing fundamental unknowns about the earliest history of Earth's crust, scientists have precisely
dated the world's oldest rock unit at 4.02 billion years old. The findings suggest that early Earth was
largely covered with an oceanic crust-like surface.
What the scientists have done?

Scientists have precisely dated the world's oldest rock at 4.02 billion years old, which suggests
that early Earth was largely covered with an oceanic crust-like surface.
It gives an important information about how the early continents formed.
Only three locations worldwide exist with rocks or minerals older than 4 billion years old: one
from Northern Quebec, mineral grains from Western Australia, and the rock formation from
Canada's Northwest Territories examined in this study.
While it is well known that the oldest rocks formed prior to 4 billion years ago, the unique twist
on this rock sample is the presence of well-preserved grains of the mineral zircon, leaving no
doubt about the date it formed.
Rocks and zircon together give us much more information than either on their own.
Zircon retains its chemical signature and records age information that doesn't get reset by later
geological events, while the rock itself records chemical information that the zircon grains don't.

Sept. 19, 2016

Cambodia emerges as surrogacy hub & Sushma takes up case of surrogate baby’s passport

Details :

With India toughening its stand on surrogacy, evident in the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill 2016 which the
Cabinet cleared last month, surrogacy service seekers, and even doctors have started moving to
destinations that still allow this service. In anothe development the External Affairs Ministry has taken
up with the British High Commission the case of a British couple, who had a baby this May through
surrogacy in India and face the prospect of leaving her in an orphanage as they have not been able to
procure a passport for her. The couple had come India on a medical visa that expired on September 7
and was subsequently extended for one month. Now their visa expires on October 7 and a British
passport for the baby has to be obtained by that time.

What is surrogacy?

Surrogacy is where a woman becomes pregnant with the intention of handing over the child to
someone else after giving birth.
Generally, she carries the baby for a couple or parent who cannot conceive a child themselves -
they are known as "intended parents".
There are two forms of surrogacy.
In traditional surrogacy, the surrogate mother's egg is used, making her the genetic mother.
In gestational surrogacy, the egg is provided by the intended mother or a donor.
The egg is fertilised through in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and then placed inside the surrogate mother.
Is surrogacy legal?

It varies from country to country.


Countries such as France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Bulgaria prohibit all forms of surrogacy.
In countries including the UK, Ireland, Denmark and Belgium, surrogacy is allowed where the
surrogate mother is not paid, or only paid for reasonable expenses.
Paying the mother a fee (known as commercial surrogacy) is prohibited.
Commercial surrogacy is legal in some US states, and countries including, Russia and Ukraine.

Where do people go for surrogacy?


countries popular with parents for surrogacy arrangements are the US, Thailand, Ukraine and
Russia.
Mexico, Nepal, Poland and Georgia are also among the countries described as possibilities for
surrogacy arrangements.
Costs vary significantly from country to country, and also depend on the number of IVF cycles
needed, and whether health insurance is required.

Cambodia the new destinations:

While Cambodia has become popular among people — both Indians and from other parts of the
world — countries such as Ukraine and Kenya are attracting doctors from India.
India is no longer on the surrogacy map and after Bangkok and Thailand stopped surrogacy,
Cambodia opened up.
As in the early days of surrogacy in India, the lack of proper laws or guidelines in Cambodia has
proved a big attraction.
There is growth in surrogacy in Cambodia since last year.
There is a huge pressure building and Cambodia is ill-prepared to handle it. Besides, there
are no laws in place in Cambodia.
Doctors who offered surrogacy service in India are aware of the new hubs.

MIT scientists develop new technique to help zero in on Martian life

Details :

MIT scientists have developed a novel spectroscopic technique that may help NASA’s new Mars rover, to
be launched in 2020, find signs of present or former extraterrestrial life on the red planet.

In 2020, NASA plans to launch a new Mars rover that will be tasked with probing a region of the planet
scientists believe could hold remnants of ancient microbial life. The rover will collect samples of rocks
and soil, and store them on the Martian surface; the samples would be returned to Earth sometime in
the distant future so that scientists can meticulously analyse the samples for signs of present or former
extraterrestrial life.

What scientists have done?

Now, scientists at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US have developed a technique
that will help the rover quickly and non-invasively identify sediments that are relatively unaltered, and
that maintain much of their original composition.
Such “pristine” samples give scientists the best chance for identifying signs of former life, if they
exist, as opposed to rocks whose histories have been wiped clean by geological processes such as
excessive heating or radiation damage, researchers said.
How it will work?

The team’s technique centres on a new way to interpret the results of Raman spectroscopy, a
common, non-destructive process that geologists use to identify the chemical composition of
ancient rocks.
Among its suite of scientific tools, the 2020 Mars rover includes SHERLOC (Scanning Habitable
Environments with Raman and Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals), an instrument that will
acquire Raman spectra from samples on or just below the martian surface.
SHERLOC will be pivotal in determining whether life ever existed on Mars.
Specifically, the researchers were able to estimate the ratio of hydrogen to carbon atoms from the
substructure of the peaks in Raman spectra.
This is important because the more heating any rock has experienced, the more the organic
matter becomes altered, specifically through the loss of hydrogen in the form of methane,
researchers said.
The improved technique enables scientists to more accurately interpret the meaning of existing
Raman spectra, and quickly evaluate the ratio of hydrogen to carbon – thereby
identifying the most pristine, ancient samples of rocks for further study.
This may also help scientists and engineers working with the SHERLOC instrument on the 2020
Mars rover to zero in on ideal Martian samples.

Sept. 18, 2016

Foreign embryos frozen in doubt

Details :

Human embryos of couples from across the world, frozen in liquid nitrogen at countless infertility
clinics across India, now float in a sea of uncertainty with surrogacy laws in India set to become
tougher, but no explanation on offer as to why these embryos can’t be returned to their genetic
owners. Couples from the world over who came to India for surrogacy service are now demanding that
their embryos be shipped back to them, but it is an almost impossible proposition as export of human
embryos is barred.

India banned commercial surrogacy in November, 2015, but panic among couples has set in only now
after the Cabinet cleared the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill 2016 last month.

The bill, which has made the government’s intent to ban commercial surrogacy clear, is silent on the
fate of embryos already banked in India.

What is Human embryo?

An embryo is an early stage of development of a multicellular diploid eukaryotic organism. In


general, in organisms that reproduce sexually, an embryo develops from a zygote, the single cell
resulting from the fertilization of the female egg cell by the male sperm cell.
The zygote possesses half the DNA of each of its two parents.
Human embryogenesis is the process of cell division and cellular differentiation of the embryo
that occurs during the early stages of development.
In biological terms, human development entails growth from a one celled zygote to an adult
human being.
Fertilisation occurs when the sperm cell successfully enters and fuses with an egg cell (ovum).
The genetic material of the sperm and egg then combine to form a single cell called a zygote and
the germinal stage of prenatal development commences.
Embryogenesis covers the first eight weeks of development and at the beginning of the ninth
week the embryo is termed a fetus.
Human embryology is the study of this development during the first eight weeks after
fertilisation.
The normal period of gestation (pregnancy) is nine months or 38 weeks.

Current Practices:

Currently, before couples create embryos and freeze them for future In vitro fertilization (IVF)
cycles, they sign a consent agreement for cryopreservation of embryos.
That document outlines what both the mother and father want for the embryos if the couple
divorces or if either person dies.
For most clinics, the options come down to:
Continue to freeze them.
Donate them to another couple.
Donate them to science, or Discard
them.
However, export of human embryos is barred.

To know about Surrogacy and the Surrogacy Bill, please read these Articles:
https://lms.vajiramandravi.com/current-affairs/surrogacy-bill-gets-the-cabinet-
nod/57bedc88b680d36348b0d39c/
https://lms.vajiramandravi.com/current-affairs/why-the-surrogacy-bill-is-
necessary/57c2895cb680d319d1dba88f/

An uneasy buzz

Details :

What is Chikungunya?

Chikungunya is a mosquito-borne viral disease first described during an outbreak in southern Tanzania
in 1952.

The word Chikungunya, derived from the Kimakonde language which is spoken by the indigenous
people of southern Tanzania, means that which is contorted.

It refers to the contorted position taken by people when they are affected by joint pain.

How is it transmitted?

It is transferred from human to human by mosquitoes.


The females of Aedes Aegyptii and Aedes albopictus are the main species of mosquito that spread the
disease.
These mosquitoes bite through the day.
Chikungunya is a fever spread by a virus that is transmitted by the female mosquito. Female
mosquitoes need proteins from mammalian blood for their eggs to develop, which is why they
bite humans.
Certain viruses like the dengue and chikungunya viruses collectively called arboviruses (ARthropod
BOrne viruses) make use of this requirement of the mosquitoes to ensure their own survival.
These viruses were originally present only in the forest areas infecting primarily monkey species.
Humans were just incidental hosts.
But now due to the impact of industrialisation and loss of forest cover, these viruses have made
humans as their permanent hosts.
The virus cannot spread from one human to another but can spread only by mosquitoes which
get infected while biting an infected individual, thereafter transmitting the virus by biting an
uninfected individual.

How does the chikungunya virus spread and act on the body?

Once a mosquito bites, the virus spreads through the epidermal cells of the skin and reaches the
inside of the body through the blood stream.
The virus primarily targets muscle, joint and skin fibroblasts where the maximum damage occurs.
This is the reason why patients experience intense joint pain and swelling along with rashes and
acute fever.
Apart from the tissues, a person’s immunity-mediated response is another important factor
that dictates the severity of the disease.
This explains why immune-compromised individuals such as very young children and elderly
persons are more severely affected by this virus.
This is also the reason why individuals with other underlying health complications such as like
diabetes and cardiovascular diseases experience have more drastic effects due to the infection.
It has to be emphasised at this point that while chikungunya results in extreme morbidity and a
prolonged phase of physical disability, it is not a fatal disease.

Control the key:

We face multiple issues with respect to chikungunya disease control in our country.
A lack of sensitive virus-specific diagnostic tools, An
absence of drugs/vaccine.
Poor vector control measures and public awareness contribute tremendously in escalating the
problem.
It is no surprise then that India is considered as the hub for chikungunya spread across the globe.

Sept. 17, 2016

Cassini to make final observation of Saturn

Details :

After studying Saturn, its rings and moons for more than 12 years, NASA’s Cassini spacecraft has
entered the final year of its epic voyage during which it will make the closest-ever observations of the
planet. Beginning November 30, Cassini’s orbit will send the spacecraft just past the outer edge of the
main rings. These orbits, a series of 20, are called the F-ring orbits.

About Cassini–Huygens:

A joint endeavor of NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Italian space agency, Agenzia
Spaziale Italiana (ASI), Cassini is a sophisticated robotic spacecraft orbiting the ringed planet and
studying the Saturnian system in detail.
Cassini–Huygens is an unmanned spacecraft sent to the planet Saturn.
Cassini is the fourth space probe to visit Saturn and the first to enter orbit, and its mission is
ongoing as of 2016.
It has studied the planet and its many natural satellites since arriving there in 2004.
Its design includes a Saturn orbiter (Cassini) and a lander (Huygens) for the moon Titan. The two
spacecraft are named after astronomers Giovanni Cassini and Christiaan Huygens. The spacecraft
launched on October 15, 1997 aboard a Titan IVB/Centaur and entered orbit around Saturn on
July 1, 2004, after an interplanetary voyage that included flybys of Earth, Venus, and Jupiter.
On December 25, 2004, Huygens separated from the orbiter and landed on Saturn's moon Titan on
January 14, 2005.
This was the first landing ever accomplished in the outer Solar System.

Sept. 16, 2016


Babies fall victim to antibiotic resistance

Details :

Infected with ‘superbugs’ in birth facilities within 72 hours of being born, thousands of Indian babies are
dying due to an ‘alarming degree’ of drug resistance, a major study has found. The researchers found that
nearly 26 per cent of babies with sepsis died, as multi drug resistance made the ailment untreatable. The
findings, published in the journal The Lancet, found that despite early detection and appropriate medical
attention, neonates with sepsis and pneumonia (both common ailments in newborns) died, because none
of the drugs worked. This is an evidence of rampant antibiotic resistance, across all ages, all over the
country. This worrying epidemic-like situation is a result of overuse of antibiotics in humans, agriculture and
livestock.Three ‘superbugs’ in particular – Klebsiella, Acinetobacter, and E. coli – were associated with
more than half (53 per cent) of the infections.

What is Sepsis?
Sepsis is a potentially life-threatening complication of an infection.
Sepsis occurs when chemicals released into the bloodstream to fight the infection trigger
inflammatory responses throughout the body.
This inflammation can trigger a cascade of changes that can damage multiple organ systems,
causing them to fail.
If sepsis progresses to septic shock, blood pressure drops dramatically, which may lead to death.
Anyone can develop sepsis, but it's most common and most dangerous in older adults or those
with weakened immune systems.
Early treatment of sepsis, usually with antibiotics and large amounts of intravenous fluids,
improves chances for survival

What are Superbugs?

"Superbugs" is a term used to describe strains of bacteria that are resistant to the majority of
antibiotics commonly used today.

What is an antibiotic?

Antibiotics, also known as antimicrobial drugs, are drugs that fight infections caused by bacteria.
Alexander Fleming discovered the first antibiotic, penicillin, in 1927.
After the first use of antibiotics in the 1940s, they transformed medical care and dramatically
reduced illness and death from infectious diseases.
The term "antibiotic" originally referred to a natural compound produced by a fungus or another
microorganism that kills bacteria which cause disease in humans or animals.
Some antibiotics may be synthetic compounds (not produced by microorganisms) that can also kill
or inhibit the growth of microbes.

What is antibiotic resistance?

Antibiotic resistance is the ability of bacteria or other microbes to resist the effects of an
antibiotic.
Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria change in some way that reduces or eliminates the
effectiveness of drugs, chemicals, or other agents designed to cure or prevent infections.
The bacteria survive and continue to multiply causing more harm.

Why & how are bacteria becoming resistant to antibiotics?

Antibiotic use promotes development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.


Every time a person takes antibiotics, sensitive bacteria are killed, but resistant germs may be left
to grow and multiply.
Repeated and improper uses of antibiotics are primary causes of the increase in drug- resistant
bacteria.
While antibiotics should be used to treat bacterial infections, they are not effective against viral
infections like the common cold, most sore throats, and the flu.
Widespread use of antibiotics promotes the spread of antibiotic resistance.
Antibiotics kill or inhibit the growth of susceptible bacteria. Sometimes one of the bacteria survives
because it has the ability to neutralize or escape the effect of the antibiotic; that one bacterium can
then multiply and replace all the bacteria that were killed off.
Exposure to antibiotics therefore provides selective pressure, which makes the surviving bacteria
more likely to be resistant.
In addition, bacteria that were at one time susceptible to an antibiotic can acquire resistance
through mutation of their genetic material or by acquiring pieces of DNA that code for the
resistance properties from other bacteria.
The DNA that codes for resistance can be grouped in a single easily transferable package. This
means that bacteria can become resistant to many antimicrobial agents because of the transfer
of one piece of DNA.
Setting computers to IST is just a matter of time

Details :

The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)’s National Physical Laboratory, the organisation
that defines the Indian Standard Time (IST), has formally proposed to the Central government that all
Indian computers be “legally required” to synchronise their clocks to the IST.

Why?

The time displayed on laptops or smartphones — being derived from multiple American servers
— would be a few seconds off from the actual Indian time.
The frequent mismatches in the time stamps make it harder for Indian cyber security experts to
investigate Internet-perpetrated frauds.
Also in recent months, India has stepped up efforts to become self-reliant in its communication
networks.
This month, the Indian Space Research Organisation is expected to operationalise the Indian
Regional Navigation Satellite System (its operational name is NAVIC).
Therefore the National Physical Laboratory wants this to be a legal requirement to synchronise
their clocks to the IST.

About the National Physical Laboratory(NPL):

The National Physical Laboratory is the National Metrology Institute of india and a Premier
Research Laboratory in the field of Physical Sciences.
It is the Indian organisation that maintains the clocks, weights and other apparatus that conform
to globally agreed standards on measuring units such as metre, kilogram and second.
The National Physical Laboratory was conceptualized in 1943 by the Governing Body of Council of
Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), with a view to pave way for using science and technology
as a means for industrial growth and development, as well as to give fillip to the fledgling Indian
industry.
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the then Prime Minister of India, laid the foundation stone for the
laboratory on January 4, 1947 and it was one of the first National Laboratory to be set-up under
the CSIR.
The Headquarters of the NPL is in New Delhi.
Over the years, the Laboratory has more than realized its primary mandate as the keeper of
Measurement Standards for the nation while also substantially expanding its research activities to
emerge as a leading national institution for research in a whole gamut of areas in the Physical
Sciences.

Facts for Prelims


Details :

Facts for Prelims.

China progresses towards manned spacestation:

China has successfully launched Tiangong-2 — its space lab, which is part of an ambitious plan,
stretched along several phases, to establish a manned space station around 2022.
A Long March-2F T2 rocket lifted the space lab at 10:04 p.m. local time from the Jiuquan Satellite
Launch Center in northwestern China’s Gobi desert.
After a flight of 580 seconds, it entered its designated orbit 380 kilometres above Earth.
Subsequently, the space lab would be transferred to a slightly higher orbit, around 393 kilometres
above Earth — the height of the future Chinese space station. Once this is achieved, the
Shenzhou-11 manned spaceship would ferry two astronauts into space to dock with the lab in
mid-to-late October.
The two astronauts will work in Tiangong-2 for 30 days before re-entering Earth’s
atmosphere.
China’s first cargo ship, Tainzhou-1, will lift-off in April 2017, to dock with Tianwgong-2, in order
to provide it with fuel and other supplies.

Astronomers find a baby planet:

Astronomers have discovered signs of a baby planet developing around another star. The
team used an array of radio telescopes in Chile to close in on a nascent planetary system lying 176
light-years from Earth - distant to us, but nearby in astronomical terms.
The forming planet is thought to be an ice giant, similar to Uranus or Neptune in our Solar
System.
The young star is surrounded by a disc made of tiny dust particles.
Variations in the signal received by Alma allow researchers to estimate the size of these dust
grains.
Smaller, micrometre-sized dust particles dominate the most prominent gap in the disc, which has
a radius of 22 astronomical units (AU - equivalent to the mean distance from the centre of the
Earth to the centre of the Sun).
Alma consists of 66 high precision antennas located on the Llano de Chajnantor, a plateau in the
Atacama Desert with an altitude of 5,000m.
The antennas capture and concentrate radio waves from astronomical sources.
With this discovery, scientists hope that future generations of scientists will help unlock the
mysteries regarding the origins and life cycles of planetary systems especially our very own, solar
system.

Sept. 14, 2016

GSAT-11 to be launched in early 2017

Details :

An entertainment-cum-internet revolution is on the anvil in India. GSAT-11, India’s advanced and


heaviest communication spacecraft to date at 5,700 kg, is to be launched early next year on the
European Ariane launch vehicle. The high-throughput satellite with its multi-spot beam coverage of the
country will be far superior to the older generation three-tonne INSAT/GSAT spacecraft.

GSAT-11 is designed to generate a bandwidth of more than 12 gbps primarily for users of Internet
driven services, VSAT operations and rural connectivity.

The Development Process:


Indian Govt. approved the creation of GSAT-11 in 2009, when it allocated a budget of Rs 500
crore for the same.
It weighs more than double as much as the biggest Indian satellite in orbit right now. GSAT-11 can
provide 10 GHz of bandwidth, which is equivalent of 220 transponders with bandwidth of 36 Mhz.
The satellite has four antennas of 2.8 meter diameter each.
Not only it can transform the way Direct to Home (DTH) services are being accessed, but it can also
enable high speed Internet connectivity within the same bandwidth.
It can especially be useful in those remote areas where our Govt. hasn’t been able to spread
wired connectivity.
Including Andaman and Nicobar Islands, GSAT-11 is being designed to cover the entire country.

How Will It Work?

All the towns and villages of India can be linked via a single broadcasting powerhouse, which will
beam integrated Internet and TV services.
This is how the whole process is being planned:
The satellite will beam high speed data in the range of 10 GBPS to small local Wi-Fi towers established
at major geographical locations.
This will broadcast data to dongles which will be connected with TVs in every household. Hence,
the satellite can directly power TV broadcasting and Internet services in the same bandwidth, at
high speed.
No need for cables and wires to connect dishes.
This will be a technology that will eliminate cables and will be ideal for smart cities

Sept. 12, 2016

AIDS epidemic has entered its worst phase

Details :

Mark Feinberg , Chief Executive Officer of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, has recently said that
the lack of urgency weakening global HIV interventions. Having spent nearly three decades in HIV
research, Dr. Feinberg said the AIDS epidemic was worse than ever but it had become less visible, leading
governments to think that the problem had been solved.

Link of the Interview: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/aids- epidemic-has-


entered-its-worst-phase/article9097990.ece

About HIV:

HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus.


If left untreated, HIV can lead to the disease AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). Unlike some
other viruses, the human body can’t get rid of HIV completely.
So once someone have HIV, they have it for life.
HIV attacks the body’s immune system, specifically the CD4 cells (T cells), which help the immune
system fight off infections.
If left untreated, HIV reduces the number of CD4 cells (T cells) in the body, making the person
more likely to get infections or infection-related cancers.
Over time, HIV can destroy so many of these cells that the body can’t fight off infections and
disease.
These opportunistic infections or cancers take advantage of a very weak immune system and
signal that the person has AIDS, the last state of HIV infection.
No effective cure for HIV currently exists, but with proper treatment and medical care, HIV can be
controlled.
The medicine used to treat HIV is called antiretroviral therapy or ART.
About AIDS:

AIDS stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.


AIDS is the final stage of HIV infection, and not everyone who has HIV advances to this stage.
AIDS is the stage of infection that occurs when your immune system is badly damaged and you
become vulnerable to opportunistic infections.
When the number of your CD4 cells falls below 200 cells per cubic millimeter of blood (200
cells/mm3), you are considered to have progressed to AIDS. (The CD4 count of an uninfected
adult/adolescent who is generally in good health ranges from 500 cells/mm3 to 1,600 cells/mm3.)
You can also be diagnosed with AIDS if you develop one or more opportunistic infections,
regardless of your CD4 count.
Without treatment, people who are diagnosed with AIDS typically survive about 3 years. Once
someone has a dangerous opportunistic illness, life expectancy without treatment falls to about 1
year.
People with AIDS need medical treatment to prevent death.

Where did HIV come from?


Scientists identified a type of chimpanzee in Central Africa as the source of HIV infection in humans.
They believe that the chimpanzee version of the immunodeficiency virus (called simian
immunodeficiency virus, or SIV) most likely was transmitted to humans and mutated into HIV
when humans hunted these chimpanzees for meat and came into contact with their infected
blood.
Studies show that HIV may have jumped from apes to humans as far back as the late 1800s.
Over decades, the virus slowly spread across Africa and later into other parts of the world.

Sept. 11, 2016

‘Generics are a lifeline’

Details :

The interview of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) or Doctors without Borders Secretary-General
Jerome Oberreit is important for your exam. After knowing the basics here, please read the whole
interview.

About the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) or Doctors without Borders:

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) or Doctors without Borders, the international humanitarian medical
aid organisation that is active in 69 countries, serves populations affected by epidemics, armed
conflicts, natural calamities and manmade disasters.
MSF was founded in Paris, France in 1971.
It is a non-profit, self-governed organisation.
MSF has relied heavily on generic drugs, much of which has been sourced from India, to deliver
health care to some of the most deprived peoples on the planet.
Addressing healthcare exclusion has been a major part of its work, and this has often meant
locking horns with big pharmaceutical companies.
MSF was in the news recently for its decision not to take any more funds from the European
Union and member countries in protest against their tough refugee policies.

What is generic drug?

A generic drug is identical--or bioequivalent--to a brand name drug in dosage form, safety, strength,
route of administration, quality, performance characteristics and intended use.
Although generic drugs are chemically identical to their branded counterparts, they are typically
sold at substantial discounts from the branded price.

Link of the Interview: http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/interview/generics-are-a-


lifeline/article9094864.ece

Question asked in UPSC pre-2016

'Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres)’, often in the news, is

(a) a division of World Health Organisation

(b) a non-governmental international organisation

(c) an inter-governmental agency sponsored by European Union

(d) a specialised agency of the United Nations

Ans: (b)
Stocktaking in the dengue war

Details :

India has reported an annual average of 20,474 dengue cases (2006-12). However, it surged to 40,571
with 137 deaths in 2014. Last year, there were 100,000 cases and 220 deaths. Today, urban hubs like
the national capital New Delhi, and State capitals like Kolkata and Bengaluru are struggling to fight
the endemic form of dengue. India is bearing an estimated total annual economic cost of $1.11 billion
due to dengue, which includes direct medical costs of $548 million.

About Dengue:

Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral infection.


The infection causes flu-like illness, and occasionally develops into a potentially lethal complication
called severe dengue.
The global incidence of dengue has grown dramatically in recent decades. About
half of the world's population is now at risk.
Dengue is found in tropical and sub-tropical climates worldwide, mostly in urban and semi- urban
areas.
Severe dengue is a leading cause of serious illness and death among children in some Asian and
Latin American countries.
There is no specific treatment for dengue/ severe dengue, but early detection and access to
proper medical care lowers fatality rates below 1%.
Dengue prevention and control depends on effective vector control measures.
Vector control is any method to limit or eradicate the mammals, birds, insects or other arthropods
(here collectively called "vectors") which transmit disease pathogens.
The most frequent type of vector control is mosquito control using a variety of strategies.

Transmission:

The Aedes aegypti mosquito is the primary vector of dengue.


The virus is transmitted to humans through the bites of infected female mosquitoes. After
virus incubation for 4–10 days, an infected mosquito is capable of transmitting the virus for the
rest of its life.
Infected symptomatic or asymptomatic humans are the main carriers and multipliers of the virus,
serving as a source of the virus for uninfected mosquitoes.
Patients who are already infected with the dengue virus can transmit the infection (for 4–5 days;
maximum 12) via Aedes mosquitoes after their first symptoms appear.
The Aedes aegypti mosquito lives in urban habitats and breeds mostly in man-made containers.
Unlike other mosquitoes Ae. aegypti is a day-time feeder; its peak biting periods are early in the
morning and in the evening before dusk.
Female Ae. aegypti bites multiple people during each feeding period.

Trio of high-energy telescopes spots slowest known magnetar

Details :

Astronomers have found evidence of a magnetar — magnetised neutron star — that spins much slower than
the slowest of its kind known until now, which spin around once every 10
seconds. The magnetar 1E 1613 — at the centre of RCW 103, the remains of a supernova explosion
located about 9,000 light years from Earth — rotates once every 24,000 seconds (6.67 hours), the
researchers found. On June 22, 2016, an instrument aboard NASA’s Swift telescope captured the
release of a short burst of X-rays from 1E 1613. The Swift detection caught astronomers’ attention
because the source exhibited intense, extremely rapid fluctuations on a time scale of milliseconds,
similar to other known magnetars.
What is magnetar?

A magnetar (a contraction of magnetic star) is a neutron star with an ultra-strong magnetic field.
At ~1015 gauss, the magnetic field is a thousand trillion times stronger than the Earth’s, and
between 100 and 1,000 times stronger than that of a radio pulsar, making them the most magnetic
objects known.
These exotic objects possess the most powerful magnetic fields in the universe — trillions of
times that observed on the Sun — and can erupt with enormous amounts of energy.
They are formed in the same way as all neutron stars, through the core-collapse of a massive star
in a supernova explosion.
It is not entirely clear what conditions cause a magnetar to be created instead of an ordinary
neutron star or pulsar, but in order to achieve such strong magnetic fields, some theories suggest
the neutron star must initially rotate between 100 and 1,000 times per second.
The idea of a magnetar was first proposed in 1987.
A Neutron stars are created when giant stars die in supernovas and their cores collapse, with the
protons and electrons essentially melting into each other to form neutrons.

Sept. 10, 2016

Road clear for Chandrayaan-2

Details :

The space road to Chandrayaan-2 is now clear. The significance of the Geosynchronous Satellite
Launch Vehicle (GSLV-F05) mission’s success on 8th September is that the rocket is now more than
qualified to put Chandrayaan-2 into orbit. The interfaces between GSLV-Mk II and Chandrayaan-2 have
already been finalised, according to officials in the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

About the Chandrayaan 2 Mission:

Chandrayaan 2, India’s second mission to the Moon, is an advanced version of the previous
Chandrayaan-1 mission.
It consists of an Orbiter, Lander and Rover configuration.
A GSLV-Mk II vehicle will put Chandrayaan-2 with a lander and a rover into orbit in the first quarter of
2018.
It will be a totally indigenous mission — the vehicle, the spacecraft, the lander and the rover are
all made in India.
The orbiter (that is, the spacecraft), the lander and rover together will weigh 3,280 kg. After the
spacecraft is inserted into the lunar orbit, the lander with the rover inside it will separate and
land softly on the moon’s surface.
The lander will have a throttleable engine for performing a soft landing and four sites have been
short-listed for this.
After it touches down on a flat surface on the moon, the 25-kg rover — which is a kind of a toy car
— will emerge from it.
It will have six wheels, made of aluminium, to move about on the lunar soil. The
wheels will interact in such a way that the rover does not sink.
The rover will move at a speed of two cm a second.
Its lifetime on the moon is 14 earth days; it will have two payloads for analysing the soil’s chemical
properties.
During 2010, it was agreed that Russian Space Agency ROSCOSMOS would be responsible for lunar
Lander and ISRO will be responsible for Orbiter and Rover as well as Launch by GSLV.
Later, due to a shift in the programmatic alignment of this mission, it was decided that the Lunar
Lander development would be done by ISRO and Chandrayaan-2 will be totally an Indian mission.
NASA spacecraft on way to asteroid to bring back samples

Details :

The first NASA explorer of its kind has taken off on a seven-year quest, chasing after a big, black,
unexplored asteroid to gather a few handfuls of gravel for return to Earth. It will take two years for
Osiris-Rex to reach Bennu (BEHN'-oo), which is circling the sun in a slightly wider orbit than Earth's. The
boxy spacecraft will actually go into orbit around the asteroid, seeking out the best spot before going in
for a quick bite. NASA has gone after comet dust and solar wind particles before, but never anything
from an asteroid. It promises to be the biggest cosmic haul since the Apollo moon rocks.

About OSIRIS-REx:

The Origins Spectral Interpretation Resource Identification Security - Regolith Explorer spacecraft
will travel to a near-Earth asteroid, called Bennu (formerly 1999 RQ36), and bring at least a 2.1-
ounce sample back to Earth for study.
The mission will help scientists investigate how planets formed and how life began, as well as
improve our understanding of asteroids that could impact Earth.
OSIRIS-REx was launched on Sept. 8, 2016.
As planned, the spacecraft will reach its asteroid target in 2018 and return a sample to Earth in
2023.

About Asteroid:

An asteroid is a celestial body - composed of rock, metal or a mixture of both - that is orbiting the
Sun.
Most of them are in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
Even though there are millions of asteroids with sizes up to more than 500 km (like Pallas and
Vesta) they are of no danger to the planet Earth.
The biggest body in the asteroid belt - Ceres - is officially not called an asteroid anymore but a
dwarf planet.
Asteroids are small solar system bodies that orbit the Sun.
Made of rock and metal, they can also contain organic compounds.
Asteroids are similar to comets but do not have a visible coma (fuzzy outline and tail) like comets
do.

Sept. 9, 2016

GSLV weathers snag, puts satellite in orbit


Details :

A last-minute delay due to an anomaly in the indigenous cryogenic stage of the GSLV-F05 gave some
anxious moments to ISRO officials, but this did not deter them from putting the INSAT- 3DR, an
advanced weather satellite with four payloads, into a precise Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO).
This is the third consecutive flight of the GSLV Mark II with our indigenous cryogenic engine

What is Geosynchronous Orbits or Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO)?

A geosynchronous orbit (GEO) is a prograde, low inclination orbit about Earth having a period of
23 hours 56 minutes 4 seconds.
A spacecraft in geosynchronous orbit appears to remain above Earth at a constant longitude,
although it may seem to wander north and south.
The spacecraft returns to the same point in the sky at the same time each day.

What is Geostationary Orbits?


To achieve a geostationary orbit, a geosynchronous orbit is chosen with an eccentricity of zero,
and an inclination of either zero, right on the equator, or else low enough that the spacecraft can
use propulsive means to constrain the spacecraft's apparent position so it hangs seemingly
motionless above a point on Earth. (Any such maneuvering on orbit, or making other adjustments
to maintain its orbit, is a process called station keeping.)
The orbit can then be called geostationary.
This orbit is ideal for certain kinds of communication satellites and meteorological satellites.

About the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle:

It was primarily developed to launch INSAT class of satellites into Geosynchronous Transfer
Orbits.
GSLV is being used for launching GSAT series of satellites.
GSLV is a three stage launcher that uses one solid rocket motor stage, one Earth storable liquid
stage and one cryogenic stage.

About Indigenous Cryogenic Engine:

A Cryogenic rocket stage is more efficient and provides more thrust for every kilogram of propellant
it burns compared to solid and earth-storable liquid propellant rocket stages. Specific impulse (a
measure of the efficiency) achievable with cryogenic propellants (liquid Hydrogen and liquid Oxygen)
is much higher compared to earth storable liquid and solid propellants, giving it a substantial
payload advantage.
However, cryogenic stage is technically a very complex system compared to solid or earth- storable
liquid propellant stages due to its use of propellants at extremely low temperatures and the
associated thermal and structural problems.
Oxygen liquifies at -183 deg C and Hydrogen at -253 deg C.
The propellants, at these low temperatures are to be pumped using turbo pumps running at
around 40,000 rpm.
It also entails complex ground support systems like propellant storage and filling systems, cryo
engine and stage test facilities, transportation and handling of cryo fluids and related safety aspects.
ISRO's Cryogenic Upper Stage Project (CUSP) envisaged the design and development of the
indigenous Cryogenic Upper Stage to replace the stage procured from Russia and used in GSLV
flights.

Sept. 8, 2016

Canada hopes to supply more uranium

Details :
anada was hopeful of reaching agreement to supply energy-hungry and fast-growing India with more
uranium than the 3,000 metric tonnes that has already been agreed upon, Canadian Natural Resources
Minister said recently.

The deal:

In April last year, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Canada, a pact was inked for
Canada’s Cameco to supply India 3,000 metric tonnes of uranium over five years at an estimated cost
of $254 million.

Why is this deal significant?

It comes at the end of two years of protracted negotiations that followed the 2013 civil nuclear
deal between the countries.
Canada, among the world’s largest producers of uranium, played a key role in India’s nuclear
evolution, having supplied the first Indian reactor CIRUS in 1954.
The exports of uranium and nuclear hardware to India were, however, stopped after New Delhi
used Canadian technology to carry out a peaceful nuclear test in 1974.

Does India have uranium deals with other countries too?

Yes. With Kazakhstan and Australia.


It imports around 40 per cent of its requirement — between 2008 and 2014, imports of uranium
totalled 4,458 metric tonnes, 2,058 MT of which came from Russia’s Tvel Corporation, 2,100 MT
from NAC Kazatomprom of Kazakhstan, and 300 MT from Areva of France.

Why does India need uranium?

India has 21 operational nuclear reactors and six under construction, which use uranium as fuel.
The nuclear component of India’s energy production is currently under 3 per cent at 6,000 MW.
By 2032, India expects to have 45,000 MW of nuclear capacity, provided it has assured uranium
fuel supplies.

Is uranium concentrate used directly in reactors?

No. Uranium is a naturally-occurring element in the earth’s crust, and mining takes place in
locations where it is naturally concentrated.
To make nuclear fuel, uranium extracted from mines is first stored as uranium oxide concentrate
— a bright yellow substance sometimes referred to as ‘yellow cake’ — which is then enriched
into uranium-235 isotope, before being made into pellets that are loaded into the nuclear fuel
assembly.

How much uranium does India produce?

The government does not release data on local uranium production, but it is estimated to be
around 350-400 MT.
Total Indian reserves are estimated at 181,600 MT, mainly in Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand and
Meghalaya.

Important Facts:

Over two-thirds of the world's production of uranium from mines is from Kazakhstan, Canada and
Australia.
Kazakhstan produces the largest share of uranium from mines (39% of world supply from mines in
2015), followed by Canada (22%) and Australia (9%).
Sept. 7, 2016

Missing Philae spacecraft found on comet

Details :

The Philae spacecraft, missing since 2014 after a 10-year trip, has finally been found.

The Issue:

Philae is a robotic European Space Agency lander that accompanied the Rosetta spacecraft until
it separated to land on comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, launched on 2 March 2004.
On 12 November 2014, Philae touched down on the comet, but it bounced when its anchoring
harpoons failed to deploy and a thruster designed to hold the probe to the surface did not fire.
Scientists at the European Space Agency announced that they had located the lander, which
touched down on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on November 12, 2014. The landing
did not go as planned; the spacecraft bounced and flew for two hours, then lost touch with the
agency three days later when its primary battery died and it went into hibernation.
The lander briefly awoke in June 2015 and again in July 2015, but hadn’t been heard from since.
Its location had been unknown.

Objectives of the Mission:

The prime objective of the mission is to help understand the origin and evolution of the Solar
System.
The comet’s composition reflects the composition of the pre-solar nebula out of which the Sun
and the planets of the Solar System formed, more than 4.6 billion years ago.
Therefore, an in-depth analysis of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko by Rosetta and its lander
will provide essential information to understand how the Solar System formed.
There is convincing evidence that comets played a key role in the evolution of the planets, because
cometary impacts are known to have been much more common in the early Solar System than today.
Comets, for example, probably brought much of the water in today's oceans.
They could even have provided the complex organic molecules that may have played a crucial
role in the evolution of life on Earth.

Sept. 5, 2016

Robotic vehicle to scan sea floor for missingAn-32

Details :

Later this week a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) with a robotic arm will descend to a depth of 3.5
km to scan the bed of the Bay of Bengal for suspected debris of the Indian Air Force’s An- 32 (Russian
origin) transport plane which went missing on July 22.

The issue:

The Indian Air Force’s An-32 transport plane went missing on July 22.
The An-32 took off on a routine weekly courier flight from Chennai to Port Blair at 8.30
a.m. with six crew and 23 personnel but never reached the destination.
Massive search efforts have so far yielded no trace of the aircraft and the search gradually moved
underwater to scan the seabed.
Two research vessels, Oceanographic vessel Samudra Ratnakar of the Geological Survey of
India (headquarters at Kolkata) and Sagar Nidhi of the National Institute of Ocean Technology
(headquarters at Chennai) are leading the underwater search. They are capable of sonar search
up to the depths at which the aircraft is supposed to be and have been mapping the sea bed.

About the Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV):

The ROV is with National Institute of Ocean Technology vessel Sagar Nidhi.
ROV is a small unmanned vehicle controlled from a ship on the surface with a long cable. It also
has a robotic arm which can be used to pick and move things.

Indian scientists unlock preterm birth mystery

Details :
Indian researchers have made a major discovery by understanding the mechanisms by which preterm
births (between 28 and 32 weeks of gestation) occur, Normally, a pregnancy lasts about 40 weeks. .
At 35 per cent, India accounts for the highest burden of preterm births in the world.

What the researchers found?

The researchers found for the first time that gram-positive Group B Streptococcus (GBS) bacteria
produce small balloons called membrane vesicles which contain toxins that kill both foetal and
maternal cells and destroy the collagen that binds the cells together.
Group B Streptococcus (GBS) bacteria are normally found in human vagina and their numbers can
shoot up in some pregnant women.
The GBS bacteria have been associated with premature rupture of amniotic membrane and
preterm birth.

How the team tested the hypothesis?

The team tested its hypothesis by injecting vesicles into 15 pregnant mice.
All the injected mice gave birth to preterm babies and nearly 40 per cent were born dead
(stillborn).
The preterm babies were much smaller and unhealthy. In
mice the babies were born two days preterm.
This is equivalent to two months in humans as the gestation period in mice is 21 days.

Why do preterm babies need special care?

Preterm babies are not fully prepared to live in the world outside their mother’s womb. They get
cold more easily and may need more help feeding than full-term babies.
Because their bodies are not yet fully developed, they may have problems breathing and can also
suffer from other complications including infections.

Sept. 2, 2016

‘India has only half the satellites it needs’

Details :

India’s space capacity of 34 working satellites is barely half of what the country needs and is severely
limited to meet increasing demands from the Centre, States and businesses, A.S. Kiran Kumar, Chairman
of the Indian Space Research Organisation, said recently. ISRO plans to put 12–18 satellites in space each
year to meet this demand and also wants to be free to pursue higher technologies.
ISRO’s satellites for communication, earth observation and navigation have demonstrated over the
years that space technology and its applications can be effectively used for the benefit of our citizens,
improving quality of life and harnessing natural resources.

some of its applications are:

It can tell fisher folk where to find fish; It


Forecast crop yields;
It can Locate people or places;
Help governments govern and plan projects;
Understanding weather and climate;
Monitoring and management of natural resources; Planning
and monitoring of developmental activities;
Support to management and mitigation during disaster events, and Information
for better governance.
Indians contract Zika infection

Details :

The External Affairs Ministry confirmed that the first few cases of Indians affected by the Zika virus had
been detected in Singapore.

Background

Zika virus is a mosquito-borne flavivirus that was first identified in Uganda in 1947 in monkeys
through a network that monitored yellow fever.
It was later identified in humans in 1952 in Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania. Outbreaks
of Zika virus disease have been recorded in Africa, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific.
From the 1960s to 1980s, human infections were found across Africa and Asia, typically
accompanied by mild illness.
The first large outbreak of disease caused by Zika infection was reported from the Island of Yap
(Federated States of Micronesia) in 2007.
In July 2015 Brazil reported an association between Zika virus infection and Guillain-Barré
syndrome.
In October 2015 Brazil reported an association between Zika virus infection and microcephaly.

Transmission

Zika virus is primarily transmitted to people through the bite of an infected mosquito from the Aedes
genus, mainly Aedes aegypti in tropical regions.
Aedes mosquitoes usually bite during the day, peaking during early morning and late
afternoon/evening.
This is the same mosquito that transmits dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever. Sexual
transmission of Zika virus is also possible.
Other modes of transmission such as blood transfusion are being investigated.

Complications of Zika virus disease

After a comprehensive review of evidence, there is scientific consensus that Zika virus is a cause of
microcephaly and Guillain-Barré syndrome.
Microcephaly: It is a rare nervous system disorder that causes a baby's head to be small and not
fully developed.
The child's brain stops growing as it should.
This can happen while the baby is still in the mother's womb or within the first few years of birth.
Guillain-Barre syndrome: It is a rare but serious autoimmune disorder in which the immune
system attacks healthy nerve cells in your peripheral nervous system.
This leads to weakness, numbness, and tingling. It
can eventually cause paralysis.
The exact cause of Guillain-Barre is unknown, but it often occurs after a viral or bacterial
infection.

Fossil find points to life on Earth 3.7 bn yearsago

Details :

Life on Earth is even older than we thought, Australian scientists have unveiled fossils dating back a
staggering 3.7 billion years.

About the Discovery:

The tiny structures — called stromatolites — were found in ancient rock along the edge of
Greenland’s ice cap, and were 220 million years older than the previous record holders.
They show that life emerged fairly shortly — in geological terms — after Earth was formed
some 4.5 billion years ago.
And, they offer hope that very basic life may at one point have existed on Mars.
The structure and geochemistry of the rock in which they were found provided clues to a biological
origin for the microfossils, which in turn points to a rapid emergence of life on Earth.
The one-to-four centimetre high Isua stromatolites were exposed after the melting of a snow patch
in the Isua Greenstone Belt of Greenland.
The discovery of the Isua stromatolite fossils provides a greater understanding of early diversity
of life on Earth and researchers said could have implications for our understanding of life on
Mars.
The discovery pushes back the fossil record to near the start of Earth's geological record and points
to evidence of life on Earth very early in its history.

How Stromatolites formed?

For much of Earth's history, life was just single cells, and stromatolite fossils are mounds of carbonate
constructed by these communities of microbes.
Stromatolites are formed when microorganisms, such as certain kinds of bacteria, trap bits of
sediment together in layers.
These layers build up over time to create solid rock.
These rocks themselves were never alive, but their existence suggest that the very simple single-cell
organisms that made them were present on Earth hundreds of millions of years earlier than
previously thought.
However anothe scientist was more skeptical.
Structures that look just like stromatolites can form without the presence of any living organism.
The interpretation of stromatolite-like structures has been notoriously difficult in Earth’s oldest
rocks and the scientist predicted that the study findings would “spark controversy”.

AUGUST- 2016

Aug. 30, 2016

Kudankulam’s second reactor synchronised to southern grid

Details :

The second reactor of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP), which attained criticality on July 10
last month, crossed another milestone on 29th August when the turbine of the 1,000 MWe unit was
successfully synchronised to the southern power grid. This marks the generation of electricity and its
supply to the grid by the second reactor.

Originally planned as a project to be completed in 60 months from the ‘first pouring of concrete’ on
March 31, 2002, it took 11 years for the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd. to reach criticality with
the first reactor because of problems ranging from delays in the supply of components by the Russians to
anti-KKNPP agitations.

For details, please read these two previous Articles:

https://lms.vajiramandravi.com/current-affairs/modi-putin-to-dedicate-kudankulam- nuclear-plant-
unit-i-today/57aab6beb680d37a9da9514e/ https://lms.vajiramandravi.com/current-
affairs/kudankulam-plant-safest-in-the-world-says- russian-official/579ef6a9b680d34114f6bf2d/

Anti-leprosy drug can enhance BCG vaccine efficacy: Study

Details :

Indian researchers have been able to bring about more than 50-fold improvement in the efficacy of
the commonly used TB vaccine — Bacillus Calmette Guerin (BCG) — by giving mice
the anti-leprosy drug (clofazimine) for a month along with a dose of the vaccine. To test the efficacy of
the novel strategy, the BCG-vaccinated mice that were co-treated with anti-leprosy drugs for a month
were exposed to TB bacteria.

What the researcher has done?

The BCG vaccine efficacy is critically dependent on the generation of long-lasting memory cells
called the central memory T (Tcm) cells.
The Tcm cells generate effector memory T (Tem) cells that kill the TB bacteria.
Though effective in children, the vaccine’s efficacy diminishes with time, particularly in TB endemic
regions.
This is because people in TB endemic countries are continuously exposed to TB bacteria. With
regular exposure to TB bacteria, Tem cells that fight the bacteria get used up and the pool of Tcm
cells that get converted to Tem cells eventually get exhausted, thereby rendering the host
vulnerable to TB infection.
If the Tcm cells are much higher in number to start with then they can convert to Tem cells for a
longer period and produce a much rapid and stronger response against TB bacteria and protect
the individual from TB infection for an extended period.
This is precisely what the researcher has achieved.
The researchers nearly doubled the size of Tcm cell pool by administering anti-leprosy drug (5
mg/kg body weight) to mice already vaccinated with BCG.

What is leprosy?

Leprosy starts by damaging the small nerves on the skin’s surface resulting in a loss of sensation.
Without the gift of pain, everyday activities are fraught with danger. Unnoticed
burns and ulcers can lead to permanent disability.
Due to the inability to detect grit in the eye, blindness is a common consequence of leprosy.
The disease is caused by a bacillus (rod-shaped) bacterium known as Mycobacterium leprae.
Mycobacterium leprae was discovered by G.A. Hansen in Norway in 1873, is a slow- growing,
intracellular pathogen that cannot live outside its host.
Because it can only be grown in animals, not in a laboratory, it is more difficult to study than
other bacteria.
Armadillos and immunocompromised mice are the two primary sources for growing the bacteria
for research purposes.

What happens

Leprosy starts by damaging the small nerves in the skin’s surface.


The first outward sign is usually discoloured patches where there is no feeling. If
treated at this early stage, damage or disability is unlikely.
‘Monotony was hardest part of Mars isolationexperiment’

Details :

The six people who went into isolation for a year in Hawaii to help NASA plan for a mission to Mars
emerged on 29th August. The team was based on a barren, northern slope of Mauna Loa, living inside a
dome that is 36 feet (11 meters) in diameter and 20 feet tall.

NASA is studying how these long-term isolation scenarios play out on Earth — in a program called
Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation (HI-SEAS) — before pressing on toward Mars, which
the U.S. space agency hopes to reach sometime in the 2030s.

The first HI-SEAS experiment involved studies about cooking on Mars and was followed by a four-
month and an eight-month cohabitation mission.
Two more HI-SEAS missions are planned starting in January 2017 and 2018.

About HI-SEAS:

HI-SEAS (Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation) is an analog habitat for human
spaceflight to Mars.
HI-SEAS is located in an isolated position on the slopes of the Mauna Loa volcano on the island of
Hawaii.
The area has Mars-like features and an elevation of approximately 8,200 feet above sea level.
The first HI-SEAS study was in 2013 and NASA's Human Research Program continues to fund and
sponsor follow-up studies.
The missions are of extended duration from four months to a year.
The purpose of the detailed research studies is to determine what is required to keep a space
flight crew happy and healthy during an extended mission to Mars and while living on Mars.
Research into food, crew dynamics, behaviors, roles and performance, and other aspects of
space flight and a mission on Mars itself is the primary focus.
The HI-SEAS researchers also carry out studies on a variety of other topics as part of their daily
activities.

Aug. 29, 2016

ISRO flight-tests scramjet engine, joins eliteclub

Details :

India on 28th August became only the fourth nation to flight-test a scramjet engine, a technology that
scientists claim could change the way space travel is undertaken in the future. India is the fourth
country to demonstrate the flight testing of Scramjet Engine after the US, Russia and European Space
Agency. Though the full development of the engine, for an “air breathing” propulsion system that
significantly reduces the amount of fuel needed to fire up engines on a rocket, is “decades away”, it is a
significant milestone for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

What is Scramjet?

Rockets usually carry both fuel and oxidiser for easy combustion, scramjet engine uses the oxygen
from atmosphere to compress fuel, thus reducing the weight of rocket and increasing the
efficiency.
In a scramjet engine, the combustion of fuel occurs in a stream of air compressed by the forward
speed of the aircraft itself, as opposed to a normal jet engine, in which the fan blades compresses
the air.
The engine burns fuel just by using the atmospheric oxygen.
The airflow in the engine remains supersonic i.e greater than the speed of sound.
The engine can only be used in the atmospheric phase of a rocket's flight as there is little to no
oxygen once the rocket exits the bounds of the earth's atmosphere.
The engine will reduce the weight of the vehicle during lift-off by more than half, enabling it to
carry heavier payloads into orbit.
It will help bring down launch costs by reducing the amount of oxidiser that needs to be carried
along with fuel.
The engine can be used both in ascent and descent phase of the vehicle.
ISRO's is to place this new rocket alongside the Re-usable Launch Vehicle (RLV) which India
successfully tested a few months ago.
Many countries like Japan, China, Russia and Europe are only in the initial or testing phase of
Supersonic combustion technology.

Why are scramjets important for ISRO?


ISRO currently uses rocket launch vehicles like the PSLV to deliver satellites into orbit. PSLVs are
expendable, meaning that can only be used once, and are designed to carry both fuel and
oxidizer with for launch.
Scramjets use ambient air to burn fuel, thus saving the need to carry an oxidizer – thus increasing the
payload of a craft.
ISRO claims that using Avatar for satellite launches will cut down launch costs by half. Since
there are no rotating parts in a scramjet, the chances of failure are also measurably reduced.

What is Avatar?

ISRO’s reusable launch vehicle platform, called Avatar, is a concept that is capable of carrying out
satellite launches – takes off vertically and lands back on a runway.
The spacecraft is designed to use ramjets and scramjets for thrust.
Each of these engines will be used in different stages of the flight – with ramjet used at lower
speeds, scramjet at hypersonic speeds and cryogenic engines when the craft reaches the edge of
the atmosphere.
This is not India’s first venture into hypersonic flight or scramjet technology.
DRDO has reportedly been working with NPO Mashinostroyenia of Russia to develop the second
generation Brahmos cruise missile powered by a scramjet, dubbed the Brahmos-II. Brahmos-II is being
designed to be capable of flying 300 odd kilometers at a speed of Mach 7.
The current generation Brahmos is propelled using a liquid-fueled ramjet engine, making it possible
for the missile propel forward at up to Mach 3 – the fastest for a cruise missile in the world today.

A drone squadron to keep drivers in line

Details :

The Maharashtra government has deployed drones for the first time on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway
to stop wayward drivers in their tracks. The 95-km road has acquired a reputation for becoming a
‘death zone’, as reckless drivers cut lanes and ignore the speed limit. Operating from four base stations,
the drones will be at work round-the-clock, whirling over traffic to check rash driving and overtaking.

What is a drone?

In aviation and in space, a drone refers to an unpiloted aircraft or spacecraft. Another


term for it is an “unmanned aerial vehicle” or UAV.
On Earth, drones are often used for military purposes because they don't put a pilot's life at risk
in combat zones.
Also, drones don't require rest, enabling them to fly as long as there is fuel in the craft and there are no
mechanical difficulties.
A drone is simply an unmanned aircraft. Its
origins can be traced to the military.
Today drones are no longer only operated by the military, with smaller versions used for all sorts
of purposes by companies and individuals.
For example, Amazon and Google say they are developing drones that deliver parcels. Facebook
wants to fly giant drones that can carry internet signal to remote areas.
Drones are also being used to film documentaries and news reports in dangerous or inaccessible areas.

Project Loon:

Project Loon, is a Google project in India, to provide internet connectivity by using balloons.
Google, under its Project Loon, is using big balloons floating at a height of 20 kilometers above
earth surface for transmission of Internet services.
It has already tested this technology in New Zealand, California (the US) and Brazil.
As per Google, each balloon can provide connectivity to a ground area about 40 km in diameter
using a wireless communications technology called LTE or 4G.

This year, one question has been asked by UPSC on this project. ‘Project Loon’,
sometimes seen in the news, is related to
(a) Waste management technology

(b) Wireless communication technology

(c) Solar power production technology

(d) Water conservation technology

Ans: (b)

Aug. 28, 2016

Pharmacies not likely cause of TB drugresistance

Details :

For a while now, the medical community has been blaming pharmacies for indiscriminately giving
antibiotics to patients with tuberculosis (TB), instead of referring them to a doctor. A Lancet paper has
now corrected the popular misconception when a study found that none of the 622 pharmacies in
Delhi, Mumbai and Patna handed out first-line anti-TB drugs (Tuberculosis, which results from an
infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, can be cured with a combination of first-line drugs) to
these patients. So, pharmacies are the unlikely source of irrational drug use that contributes to
multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. The reason why pharmacies did not dispense first-line, anti-TB drugs
could be because they belong to a more stringent Schedule H1 category of drugs where details of the
prescription and name of the doctors and patients have to be documented and the registry retained for
two years.

What is multidrug-resistant TB and how do we control it?

The bacteria that cause TB can develop resistance to the antimicrobial drugs used to cure the
disease.
Multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) is TB that does not respond to at least isoniazid and rifampicin,
the two most powerful anti-TB drugs.
The reasons why multidrug resistance continues to emerge and spread are mismanagement of TB
treatment and person-to-person transmission.
Most people with TB are cured by a strictly followed, six-month drug regimen that is provided to
patients with support and supervision.
Inappropriate or incorrect use of antimicrobial drugs, or use of ineffective formulations of drugs
(e.g. use of single drugs, poor quality medicines or bad storage conditions), and premature
treatment interruption can cause drug resistance, which can then be transmitted, especially in
crowded settings such as prisons and hospitals.

Solutions to control drug-resistant TB are to:

Cure the TB patient the first time around.


Provide access to diagnosis.
Ensure adequate infection control in facilities where patients are treated. Ensure
the appropriate use of recommended second-line drugs.
In 2014, an estimated 480 000 people worldwide developed MDR-TB.
Aug. 24, 2016

IITs get Council approval for more seats

Details :

The IIT Council has recently approved in principle an increase in number of seats by 2020, subject to
each IIT’s assessment of its preparedness. This apart, plans for global collaborations have also got the
nod of the IIT Council.

About the Global Initiative of Academic Networks (GIAN):

The Global Initiative of Academic Networks (GIAN) is a programme of the Ministry of Human
Resource Development, one with potentially far reaching impact.
It was launched on 30-November-2015.
It is intended to enlarge and deepen the interface of India’s institutions of higher learning and
globally recognised institutions of academic eminence.
Over the next year or so, faculty from highly rated institutions abroad will visit India, interact and
partner with their counterparts and with students, and deliver specialised courses.

Objectives of GIAN

To increase the footfalls of reputed international faculty in the Indian academic institutes. Provide
opportunity to our faculty to learn and share knowledge and teaching skills in cutting edge areas.
To provide opportunity to our students to seek knowledge and experience from reputed
International faculty.
To create avenue for possible collaborative research with the international faculty
To increase participation and presence of international students in the academic Institutes.
Opportunity for the students of different Institutes/Universities to interact and learn subjects in
niche areas through collaborative learning process.
Provide opportunity for the technical persons from Indian Industry to improve understandings
and update their knowledge in relevant areas.
Motivate the best international experts in the world to work on problems related to India. Develop
high quality course material in niche areas, both through video and print that can be used by a
larger body of students and teachers.
To document and develop new pedagogic methods in emerging topics of national and
international interest.

Digital Locker Authority soon to push paperless governance

Details :
The Centre will soon appoint an authority to administer and manage its Digital Locker initiative, one of
the key projects under Digital India programme, as it looks to push paperless governance.

About the Digital Locker Authority:

The Digital Locker Authority will be responsible for granting licenses and to authorise a private
entity to offer these services.
Besides, it will need to prepare standards and guidelines, while also ensuring compliance by
service providers.
These guidelines include those for data retention and migration, audit and security and privacy.
The authority, will also need to notify the fee or service charges a subscriber will have to pay for
availing Digital Locker services from authorized service providers.
Currently, the services are offered for free.
While the Centre runs the DigiLocker service, citizens can also store documents with
private players

About Digital Locker:

Digital Locker is one of the key initiatives under the Digital India Programme.
Digital Locker is aimed at minimizing the usage of physical documents and enable sharing of e-
documents across agencies.

Objectives of Digital Locker:

Enable digital empowerment of residents by providing them with Digital Locker on the cloud.
Enable e-Signing of documents and make them available electronically and online Minimize the
use of physical documents.
Ensure authenticity of the e-documents and thereby eliminate usage of fake documents. Secure
access to Govt. issued documents through a web portal and mobile application for residents.
Reduce administrative overhead of Govt. departments and agencies and make it easy for the
residents to receive services.
Anytime, anywhere access to the documents by the resident.
Open and interoperable standards based architecture to support a well-structured standard
document format to support easy sharing of documents across departments and agencies.
Ensure privacy and authorized access to residents' data.

Question asked in UPSC prlims-2016

Regarding ‘DigiLocker’, sometimes seen in the news, which of the following statements is/are
correct?

1. It is a digital locker system offered by the Government under Digital India Programme.

2. It allows you to access your e-documents irrespective of your physical location. Select
the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Ans: (c)
Aug. 23, 2016

Three strains of fungi to help recycle rechargeable batteries

Details :

Although rechargeable batteries in smartphones, cars and tablets can be charged again and again, they
don't last forever. Old batteries often wind up in landfills or incinerators, potentially harming the
environment. And valuable materials remain locked inside. Now, a team of researchers is turning to
naturally occurring fungi to drive an environmentally friendly recycling process to extract cobalt and
lithium from tons of waste batteries.
Why Fungi are used:

While other methods exist to separate lithium, cobalt and other metals, they require high
temperatures and harsh chemicals.
Using Fungi is an environment-friendly recycling process.
Three strains of fungi are used in this process— Aspergillus niger , Penicillium simplicissimum and
Penicillium chrysogenum.
These strains of fungi are selected because they have been observed to be effective at extracting
metals from other types of waste products.
The team first dismantles the batteries and pulverises the cathodes. Then, they expose the
remaining pulp to the fungus.
Fungi naturally generate organic acids, and the acids work to leach out the metals. Fungi are
also a very cheap source of labour.
Through the interaction of the fungus, acid and pulverised cathode, we can now extract the
valuable cobalt and lithium.

Aug. 22, 2016

Man with a huge ‘negative’ carbon footprint

Details :

Dr. Jayant Baliga's invention, the IGBT, helps increase energy efficiency and touches our lives daily, be it
in cars or refrigerators, he is Known as the “man with the largest negative carbon footprint in the
world,” Indian-born American electrical engineer Jayant Baliga is the inventor of the insulated gate
bipolar transistor (IGBT).

What is an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT)?

It is a three-terminal power semiconductor device primarily used as an electronic switch which, as


it was developed, came to combine high efficiency and fast switching.
It is a switch that is used in order to allow power flow in the On state and to stop power flow
when it is in the Off state.
An IGBT works by applying voltage to a semiconductor component, therefore changing its
properties to block or create an electrical path.
It switches electric power in many modern appliances: variable-frequency drives (VFDs), electric
cars, trains, variable speed refrigerators, lamp ballasts, air-conditioners, A CFL lamp and even
stereo systems with switching amplifiers.

Uses of IGBT in a CFL lamp:


A CFL lamp needs a switch as opposed to a tungsten-based lamp.
In the latter, energy is lost due to the heating required by the tungsten filament. A CFL
lamp works through a gas discharge.
IGBTs are used to generate the gas discharge, which lights up the bulb.
The IGBT’s other advantage was to allow for electronics to fit into the small volume of the base
below the gas tube.
The use of electronics helped bring down the size, as well as the cost, of CFL lamps. Compared to
incandescent bulbs, CFL bulbs improved lighting efficiency by 75 per cent. Use of CFL lamps
instead of traditional lighting, in the last 25 years, has saved the world 73,000 Terawatt-hours of
energy and almost 5.7 trillion litres of gas, and has helped decrease carbon dioxide emissions by
49.5 billion metric tonnes.

What is a carbon footprint?

Your carbon footprint is the sum of all emissions of CO2 (carbon dioxide), which were induced by
your activities in a given time frame.
Usually a carbon footprint is calculated for the time period of a year.
In a first, scientists predict brain activitypatterns

Details :

Researchers have, for the first time, decoded and predicted the brain activity patterns of word meanings
within sentences, an advancement that may help brain injury and stroke patients communicate better.
The study used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure human brain activation where
researchers successfully predicted what the brain patterns would be for new sentences.

Researcher can now predict 70% brain activity patterns.


The study makes key advances towards understanding how information is represented
throughout the brain.

What is functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)?

Functional magnetic resonance imaging or functional MRI (fMRI) is a functional neuroimaging


procedure using MRI technology that measures brain activity by detecting changes associated
with blood flow.
This technique relies on the fact that cerebral blood flow and neuronal activation are coupled.
When an area of the brain is in use, blood flow to that region also increases.
The primary form of fMRI uses the blood-oxygen-level dependent (BOLD) contrast, discovered by
Seiji Ogawa.
This is a type of specialized brain and body scan used to map neural activity in the brain or spinal
cord of humans or other animals by imaging the change in blood flow (hemodynamic response)
related to energy use by brain cells.

Aug. 19, 2016

Centre funding 16 yoga research projects

Details :

The Department of Science and Technology has funded a wide range of research institutions to study
the efficacy of yoga and whether it has a role in alleviating stroke, type-2 diabetes, Parkinson’s and
schizophrenia. For this 'SATYAM', an acronym for Science and Technology of Yoga and Medicine, has
been conceived by the government to develop good science around yoga.

This year's Prelim Question Paper has revealed one thing that, you must also be aware of those
initiatives of the Government, which are not so popular, but are important. See these Questions:
‘SWAYAM’, an initiative of the Government of India, aims at

(a) Promoting the Self Help Groups in rural areas

(b) Providing financial and technical assistance to young start-up entrepreneurs

(c) Promoting the education and health of adolescent girls

(d) Providing affordable and quality education to the citizens for free

Ans: (d)
‘Rashtriya Garima Abhiyaan’ is a national campaign to

(a) Rehabilitate the homeless and destitute persons and provide them with suitable sources of livelihood.

(b) Release the sex workers from their practice and provide them with alternative sources of livelihood.

(c) Eradicate the practice of manual scavenging and rehabilitate the manual scavengers.

(d) Release the bonded labourers from their bondage and rehabilitate them.

Ans: (c)

Giant hybrid airship takes off for first time

Details :

A blimp-shaped, helium -filled airship — considered the world’s largest aircraft — has flown for the first
time with a short but historic jaunt over an airfield in central England.

About the Aircraft:

It is a hybrid of blimp, helicopter and airplane, it can stay aloft for days at a time and has been
nicknamed the “flying bum” because of its bulbous front end.
The Airlander is designed to use less fuel than a plane, but carry heavier loads than conventional
airships.
Its developer, Hybrid Air Vehicles, says it can reach 16,000 feet, travel at up to 148 kmph and stay
aloft for up to two weeks.
It uses helium because unlike hydrogen, helium is not flammable.
The aircraft was initially developed for the U.S. military, which planned to use it for surveillance in
Afghanistan.
The U.S. blimp program was scrapped in 2013 and since then Hybrid Air Vehicles, a small British
aviation firm that dreams of ushering in a new era for airships, has sought funding from government
agencies and individual donors to make the Aircraft.

From this type of News, the UPSC has asked one question in this year's exam.

What is ‘Greased Lightning-10 (GL10)’, recently in the news?

(a) Electric plane tested by NASA


(b) Solar-powered two-seater aircraft designed by Japan

(c) Space observatory launched by China

(d) Reusable rocket designed by ISRO

Ans: (a)

Aug. 18, 2016

Sunshine, seaweed help to break down dyewaste


Details :

Scientists at the Central Salt & Marine Chemicals Research Institute (CSMCRI), Bhavanagar, Gujarat
have been able to completely degrade three industrial dyes — methyl orange, methylene blue and
reactive black-5 — in the presence of sunlight. The researchers have developed a photocatalyst using
titanium dioxide doped with red seaweed polymer carrageenan (a substance extracted from red and
purple seaweeds) to degrade the dyes.

Problems:

Despite stringent environmental regulations, a comprehensive method of treating industrial dye


is not available.
The methods available are expensive and do not completely break down the dye molecules to
non-toxic constituents but merely concentrate the contaminants.
Annually, more than 500 tonnes of non-degradable textile colour wastes are being disposed of in
natural streams without adequate treatments.

Solutions:

Titanium dioxide has conventionally been used for photocatalytic degradation of industrial dyes, but
it takes a long time to degrade dyes.
So the researchers doped titanium dioxide nanoparticles with sulphur and carbon by treating it
with carrageenan.
The nanocomposite was found to behave as an excellent photocatalyst that helped degrade
industrial dyes quickly in a single-step process.
Unlike a commercial titanium-dioxide-based catalyst that did not clear the dye solutions, the
photocatalyst prepared in the lab was found to degrade the dyes when exposed to direct sunlight
between noon and 2 pm during May-July.
The Titanium dioxide doped photocatalyst degraded reactive black-5 and methylene blue in
about one-and-half hours and 60 per cent of methyl orange in two hours.
When a solar concentrator is used the intensity of visible light is more and this plays an important
role in the degradation process.

Aug. 16, 2016

Countdown begins for Cybathlon

Details :
Even as the Rio Olympics fever runs its course, athletes around the world are preparing for a
competition of a different kind — Cybathlon 2016 — which will see amputees using prosthetic limbs to
perform daily tasks that we take for granted, such as pouring themselves coffee or easing into a chair.

About Cybathlon:

Happening for the first time, Cybathlon, set to begin in in Zurich, Switzerland on October 8 this year,
will host 74 athletes from 25 countries.
They will participate in competitions that cut across six disciplines: brain-computer interface,
powered arm, powered leg races, powered exoskeleton and wheelchair race. Unlike the
Paralympics, the Cybathlon looks for excellence and innovation in the way of interfacing the
human and the robotic components.
That's why it has been called the Cyborg Olympics.
The Cybathlon is presented by ETH Zurich and comes out of a collaboration with the Swiss
National Center of Competence in Robotics Research, which intends to use the competition to
promote the development and widespread use of bionic technology.
Whereas other international competitions for disabled athletes, such as the Paralympics, only
permit competitors to use unpowered assistive technology, the Cybathlon encourages
the use of performance-enhancing technology.

Aug. 12, 2016

Ex-chief of ISRO named in Antrix charge sheet

Details :

On 11th August, the Central Bureau of Investigation has filed a charge sheet against former ISRO
Chairman G. Madhavan Nair and other senior officials in the Antrix-Devas deal case for allegedly
facilitating a wrongful gain of Rs.578 crore to Devas Multimedia Private Limited.

What is the Issue?

It is alleged that the government officials abused their position to favour Devas by giving them rights
for delivery of videos, multimedia content and information services to mobile phones using S-Band
through GSAT-6 and GSAT-6A satellites and terrestrial systems in India.

They, thus, caused a wrongful gain of Rs.578 crore to the private firm and its owners.

For detail study, please read this previous Article, here various dimensions of the issue have been
covered: https://lms.vajiramandravi.com/current-affairs/blow-to-india-as- arbitration-tribunal-rules-
against-antrix/57982fe8b680d3250334bfbf/

Novel drug compound inhibits skin cancer in mice, finds study

Details :

Researchers at the Pune-based National Centre for Cell Science (NCCS) have been successful in isolating
cancer stem cells that cause skin cancer.

They have also been able to demonstrate that a compound (Andrographolide) isolated and purified
from a herb (Andrographis paniculata) that is found in India to be effective in inhibiting tumour growth
— both skin cancer and lung metastasis — in mice.

What they have done?

To establish that CD133 positive cancer stem cells cause cancer, the researchers injected the cells
subcutaneously into mice.

All the animals that were injected with CD133 positive cancer stem cells developed skin cancer
(melanoma).

The CD133 positive cancer stem cells developed tumour faster than non-cancer stem cells.

The CD133 positive cancer stem cells also produced lung metastasis in a different set of mice that
received the cells through intravenous injection.

Benefit of this research:

Substantial experimental evidences from the current study indicate that the compound
[Andrographolide] has therapeutic potential for the management of cancer stem-cell mediated
melanoma growth and lung metastasis.

The ability of the compound to inhibit stem cell mediated-tumour growth and lung metastasis becomes
significant as CD133 positive cells show enhanced ability to flush out cancer drugs from inside the cells
thereby increasing the probability of tumour relapse.
Aug. 10, 2016

Modi, Putin to dedicate Kudankulam Nuclear Plant Unit-I today

Details :

Prime Minister of India and Russian President is going to dedicate Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project
(KKNPP's) first unit to the country on 10th August. The first unit of the Kudankulam nuclear power plant
is already in service. It was connected to the southern grid and the operation of the first 1,000 Mw unit
at Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP) has started from December 31, 2014 generating 1,000
Mw. The second unit, which achieved criticality in July, will begin power production by end of August
2016.

Background of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP's):

The reactors at Kudankulam are being built by the NPCIL and Russia's Atomstroyexport company, a
subsidiary of Rosatom (the regulatory body of the Russian nuclear complex). The Indian
government signed a contract with the Soviet Union to build the plant in 1988, but construction
started only in 1997 due to the political and economic upheaval in Russia after the collapse of the
Soviet Union in 1991.
The construction of the first two units were later halted in September 2011 following protests by
villagers around the plant. Work at the plant finally resumed in March 2012. And now, it's days
away from generating energy.
After court and governments, both state and centre, interventions the issue was addressed.
On July 13, 2013, power generation started initially it was 300 Mw and it was increased to 500
Mw step by step.
In December 2014, KNPP Unit I was declared commercial operation from midnight of December
31, 2014.
The second unit of KKNPP-II attained first criticality (start of controlled self-sustaining nuclear
fission chain reaction in the Reactor for the first time) at 20:56 hours on July 10, 2016 after accord
of regulatory and statutory clearances.
This will be followed by various tests, connection to the grid and raising of power in steps to full
power in line with the stage-wise clearances of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB).
The capacity of KKNPP Unit-II on full power operation would be 1,000 Mw. Electricity generated
by central sector generating stations is allocated to the beneficiary states and union territories in
the electricity region by the Ministry of Power.

Controversies related to Kudankulam nuclear power plant(KNNP)

It has been a controversial project since its inception, with protests by local residents and various
activist groups over potential radiation threats and issues related to nuclear waste disposal.
The anti-Kudankulam campaign intensified after the Fukushima nuclear incident in Japan in
2011.
KNPP is allegedly located in a tsunami prone area and more than one million people residing
within the 30km radius of the nuclear power plant cannot be evacuated safely in the occurrence
of any nuclear disaster.
The People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE) is at the forefront of the anti-
Kudankulam campaign.
Identification of four faulty crucial valves in reactors at Kudankulam and the arrest of Russian
officials for sourcing substandard materials for nuclear equipment further fuelled opposition to
the plant.

About the Kudankulam nuclear power plant reactor:


Kudankulam, is India's first nuclear plant to use imported PWR technology.
The existing nuclear power plants in India use pressurised heavy water reactor or boiling water
reactor technology.
KNPP uses the advanced version of Russian-developed PWR nuclear technology, VVER- 1000 type
reactors, also know as water-water power reactors.
VVER technology has completed more than 1,500 reactor-years of operating time. KNPP
uses AES-92, also called the V-466 model, which is the latest version of the third- generation
VVER-1000.
This integrates active and passive safety measures , including passive heat removal system
(PHRS), hydrogen re-combiners, core catcher, hydro accumulators and quick boron injection
system (QBIS). This multi-layered safety feature ensures the plant and environment are safe.

Please also refer to the previous article on this topic.

Aug. 5, 2016

Zika vaccine trial on monkeys shows promise

Details :

Tests involving three different kinds of Zika vaccines on rhesus monkeys have produced good immune
responses and caused no adverse effects, raising hopes for the development of an effective vaccine for
use in humans. None of the vaccinated monkeys developed infection when later challenged with Zika
virus. Also, the transfer of antibodies at higher doses from vaccinated monkeys to Zika-naïve mice
and monkeys was found to offer “complete protection” when the animals were exposed to Zika virus.
Zika virus strains from both Brazil and Puerto Rico were used for developing the vaccines.

What is Zika virus?

• Zika virus disease is caused by a virus transmitted primarily by Aedes mosquitoes.

• People with Zika virus disease can have symptoms including mild fever, skin rash, conjunctivitis, muscle
and joint pain, malaise or headache. These symptoms normally last for 2- 7 days.

• There is scientific consensus that Zika virus is a cause of microcephaly and Guillain-Barré syndrome.
Links to other neurological complications are also being investigated.

Transmission

Zika virus is primarily transmitted to people through the bite of an infected mosquito from the Aedes
genus, mainly Aedes aegypti in tropical regions. Aedes mosquitoes usually bite during the day,
peaking during early morning and late afternoon/evening. This is the same mosquito that transmits
dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever. Sexual transmission of Zika virus is also possible. Other modes
of transmission such as blood transfusion are being investigated.

WHO response

WHO is supporting countries to control Zika virus disease by taking actions outlined in the Zika Strategic
Response Framework:

• Define and prioritize research into Zika virus disease by convening experts and partners.

• Enhance surveillance of Zika virus and potential complications.

• Strengthen capacity in risk communication to engage communities to better understand risks associated
with Zika virus.
• Strengthen the capacity of laboratories to detect the virus.

• Support health authorities to implement vector control strategies aimed at reducing Aedes mosquito
populations.

• Prepare recommendations for the clinical care and follow-up of people with complications related
to Zika virus infection, in collaboration with experts and other health agencies

Aug. 3, 2016

AYUSH drugs to get trial guidelines

Details :

To bring research on Ayurvedic drugs and formulations closer to practices in Western medicine, the
Indian Council of Medical Research has released a set of guidelines concerning standards that must be
adhered to in testing medicines from AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy) schools.

Highlights of the draft guidelines:

The draft guidelines say that research on traditional and folk medicines and patented and
proprietary varieties of traditional medicines involving human participants must be done using
the same ethical principles under which drug trials are conducted.
It means the adverse effects of such drugs and a system whereby the potency and safety of the
investigational drug can be measured ought to be in place.
Compensation should be provided to the affected persons.
If a mix of medicinal systems are involved, then there ought to be experts from each of those
fields supervising trials and if a product deriving from traditional knowledge were to be
commercialised, the “legitimate rights/share of the tribe or community from which the
knowledge was gathered should be taken care of appropriately while applying for Intellectual
Property Rights and patents for the product".

First human genetic editing trial in China

Details :

Chinese scientists are going to perform the world’s first genetic editing trial on humans, this is in an
attempt to find a cure for lung cancer. It will be performing the trial by inject patients with cells that
have been modified using the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technique.

What is CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editingtechnique?

CRISPR, short for clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats.


It allows scientists to selectively edit genome parts and replace them with new DNA stretches.
Cas9 is an enzyme that can edit DNA, allowing the alteration of genetic patterns by genome
modification.
CRISPR is a collection of DNA sequences that direct Cas9 where to cut and paste.
In this trial doctors will extract T cells, a type of immune cell, from the patient’s blood and then
knock out the gene that encodes the PD-1 protein, which normally limits the cell’s capacity to
launch an immune response.
The edited cells will be multiplied in the lab before being reintroduced to the patients. This
process will kick-start the T cells to launch an attack on the tumour cells.
It is like building a cancer-fighting army outside the patient body.
CRISPR-Cas9 technology has the potential to revolutionise the treatment of blood diseases, tumours
and other genetic diseases.
The one concern is that T cells might also attack normal tissue.

Aug. 1, 2016

Kudankulam plant safest in the world, says Russian official

Details :

The Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP) is the first in the world, which
have implemented the post-Fukushima safety enhancement requirements, and it is operated successfully,
the reactor is protected from the impact of any earthquake, tsunami, tornado and hurricane.

About the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP)

Unit 1 and 2 of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP) reactors are being built with the
collaboration with the Russians.
In December 2014, both sides announced a decision for the construction of at least 12 more units
in India.
Each reactor has the capacity to generate 1000 MW of electricity. The first
unit started generating power in October 2013.
While Unit 1 at Kudankulam is functional and producing electricity after initial hiccups, Unit 2 had
attained criticality on July 10 and is planned to be connected to the grid in August.
Currently, India roughly generates around 5580 MW of nuclear power of which around 1000
MW is generated by KKNPP unit 1, making it the largest contributor of atomic energy in the
country. Once the unit 2 starts generating power, the capacity will go up to 6580 MW, of which
the KKNPP alone will contribute to around 2000 MW.

India's Nuclear Power Programme:

India has three-stage nuclear power programme.


India drew its three-stage nuclear power programme because of insufficient uranium reserves
To understand better the linkage between the three stages, one should know about the fuels.
The materials that one comes across as fuels for atomic power plants are Uranium 235,
Uranium238, Uranium233, plutonium and thorium.
Natural uranium has two isotopes: U238 (99.27 per cent) and U235 (0.72 per cent). Only
U235 can sustain a fission chain reaction and is called fissile material.
Two other fissile materials that can fuel nuclear reactors are plutonium and U233, which are
manmade and not available in the nature.
Plutonium is created when U238 is irradiated in a nuclear reactor where it absorbs neutrons and
part of it is transmuted into plutonium.
Similarly, U233 is created when thorium is irradiated in a nuclear reactor, where it absorbs neutrons,
which transmutes a part of the thorium into U233.
Thus U238 and thorium are also valuable nuclear resources, called fertile materials, as they can
be converted into fissile material for fuelling nuclear reactors and generate power.
With the available uranium reserves around 20,000 mw can be generated for 30 years.
In order to utilise the abundance availability of thorium (3.6-lakh-tonne reserves) and to be able to
generate nuclear power beyond 30 years, India drew up a three-stage atomic power
programme.

The first stage

It is the setting up of Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWR).


Besides generating power, PHWRs will convert a part of U238 in natural uranium into
plutonium, which is separated from the spent fuel in plutonium reprocessing plants.

The second stage

It is of fast breeder reactors (FBR), which will come into operation largely from 2020, will be
fuelled by plutonium (obtained from the first stage PHWRs) and U238.
The fast breeder reactors will fission plutonium for power production and at the same time breed more
plutonium from the U238.
The surplus plutonium from each FBR can be used to set up additional FBRs and grow the nuclear
capacity in tune with India's needs.

The Third stage

Consolidation and further growth of the nuclear electric base is planned to by means of thorium
breeders, which will form the third stage of the programme, which is several decades away.
But this will set the stage for adequate power for the next couple of centuries.
As mentioned earlier, thorium when irradiated in a nuclear reactor gets converted into U233, a
fissile material.
The third stage use of thorium for power generation. It
has already begun.
A prototype 30 kv reactor at Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research called Kamini for thorium
separation, irradiation in reactor, reprocessing for separation of U233, neutron radiography and
activation analysis have been commissioned successfully.

JULY- 2016

July 30, 2016

With thrust on innovation, scheme to INSPIRE young scientists to be renamed

Details :

The Department of Science and Technology (DST) is revamping the INSPIRE (Innovation in Science
Pursuit for Inspired Research), programme, now it will be called as MANAK (Million Minds
Augmenting National Aspirations and Knowledge) from this year.

About INSPIRE

"Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE)" is an innovative programme


sponsored and managed by the Department of Science & Technology for attraction of talent to
Science.
The basic objective of INSPIRE is to communicate to the youth of the country the excitements of
creative pursuit of science, attract talent to the study of science at an early age and thus build the
required critical human resource pool for strengthening and expanding the Science & Technology
system and R & D base.
A striking feature of the programme is that it does not believe in conducting competitive exams
for identification of talent at any level.
It believes in and relies on the efficacy of the existing educational structure for identification of
talent.

July 28, 2016

CAG raps Navy on aircraft carrier, jets

Details :

The Navy has come under scrutiny by the Comptroller and Auditor-General (CAG) for repeated
delays in the construction of the first indigenous aircraft carrier in Kochi and for the underperformance
of MiG-29K fighter jets which are to operate from it.

Article 149 is related to the duties and Powers of the Comptroller and Auditor- General of India.

About INS Vikrant:

India has launched its first indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, joining the elite club of nations
with the capability of designing and building a warship of this size and capability. The ship has
been designed by Directorate of Naval Design and is being built at Cochin Shipyard Limited. Its
production work had commenced in November 2006.
Fighter aircraft - Mig-29K, Light Combat Aircraft and Kamov-31 helicopters - will deployed on
board the carrier which will also carry an array of other weapons systems.
The launch has marked India's entry into a select club of countries capable of designing and
building a carrier of this size and capability.
Other nations capable of designing and building a ship of equivalent size are the US, the UK, Russia
and France.
INS Vikrant has the capacity to carry 36 fighter planes. The flight deck of IAC will have the capacity
to hold 19 aircraft and the hangar inside will have room for 17 fighters.
Apart from domestic design and manufacturing work, it is the high grade warship steel made by
the Steel Authority of India which has been used for building the ship.
The launch of warship, which has a length of 260 metres and is 60 metres wide, is behind schedule
by three years. It is set to go for extensive trials in 2016 before being inducted into the Navy by
2018 end

Farewell Philae: Earth severs link with silent comet probe

Details :

Important Informations:

Earth bid a final farewell to robot lab Philae on 27th July, severing communications after a year-long
silence from the pioneering probe hurtling through space on a comet.
Rosetta launched in 2004 and arrived at Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on 6 August 2014.
It is the first mission in history to rendezvous with a comet. Rosetta is
an European Space Agency mission.

AlsoRead: http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Frequently_asked_questions
July 27, 2016

Blow to India as arbitration tribunal rules against Antrix

Details :

A Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) tribunal in the Hague has ruled against Antrix Corporation, the
commercial arm of India’s space organisation, ISRO, in the ongoing case with Devas Corporation over
sharing of spectrum on satellites.

What is the issue?

Antrix was to provide 70 MHz of the S-Band wavelength to Devas by leasing transponders in
ISRO's satellites. Devas was to pay Antrix $300 million.
A PCA tribunal has found that the Government of India’s actions in annulling a contract between
Devas and Antrix Corporation Ltd. and denying Devas commercial use of S-band
spectrum constituted an expropriation
Expropriation means that the action of the state in taking or modifying the property rights of an
individual in the exercise of its sovereignty.

Consequence of this decision:

Following the ruling, India may have to fork out $ 1 billion as compensation to Devas.

What is the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA)?

It is an intergovernmental organization located at the Hague in the Netherlands. It was


established in 1899 to facilitate arbitration and other forms of dispute resolution
involving various combinations of states, state entities, international organizations and
private parties.
the PCA is not a court in the traditional sense, but a permanent framework for arbitral tribunals
constituted to resolve specific disputes.
The PCA was the first permanent intergovernmental organization to provide a forum for the
resolution of international disputes through arbitration and other peaceful means.

Jurisdiction of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA):

The PCA provides services for the resolution of disputes involving various combinations of states, state
entities, intergovernmental organizations, and private parties.
It has jurisdiction in international dispute resolution, encompassing territorial, treaty, and human rights
disputes between states, as well as commercial and investment disputes, including disputes arising
under bilateral and multilateral investment treaties.
It also addresses those disputes which are signed under the rules of the United Nations
Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) and the Antrix-Devas deal has been signed
under the UNCITRAL.

What is Spectrum?

We were first introduced to spectrum in school when we saw that seven colours were produced
when a white light hits a glass prism.
In simple terms, spectrum can be considered as a range of all lights of various wavelengths. But
light is part of a larger spectrum called the electromagnetic (EM) spectrum. EM spectrum has in it
a range of similar EM radiations like visible light, infrared light, ultraviolet light, X-rays and the
one that is useful to us here is radio waves.
As these are all radiations, they travel and spread as they go.
Waves are defined by attributes of wavelength (length of the wave), amplitude (height of the
wave) and frequency (number of cycles per seconds).
Radio waves are those that have frequency of 3 kHz (3000 cycle per second) to 300 GHz (3 billion cycles
per second).
Audible frequency for human is between 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz.
Consider waves moving around us at different speeds (frequencies) between 3 kHz and 300 GHz.
Different frequencies are utilised for different purposes.
The Radio FM stations air their channels around the 100 MHz frequencies.

What is the S-band spectrum?

The S-band spectrum, which is part of the Devas-ISRO deal, is extremely valuable for mobile
broadband services, in terms of usage as well as money.
The frequency, also known as 2.5 Ghz band, is globally used for providing mobile broadband
services using fourth generation technologies such as WiMax and Long Term Evolution (LTE).
This frequency band is unique because it has a substantial amount of spectrum (190 MHz) that can
be put to use for mobile services.
All other spectrum bands up to 3.5 GHz include significantly smaller amounts of spectrum for
terrestrial mobile communication, or are not available.
In India, of the 190 Mhz, the Department of Space was given 150 Mhz — 30 years ago — for
Broadcast Satellite Service and Mobile Satellite Service.
Other informations:

Department of Space (DOS) is an Independent Department directly working under the Prime
Minister of India.
It has the primary responsibility of promoting development of space science & technology
towards achieving self-reliance and for space applications facilitating all-round development of
the nation.

Despite pings, no breakthrough yet, saysParrikar

Details :

Efforts are on to trace the missing An-32 aircraft, additional resources deployed to comb undersea area
but no breakthrough yet.

In this news, these two institutions, the Geological Survey of India (GSI) and the National Institute of
Ocean Technology (NIOT) have been highlighted which are important from prelims point of view.

The Geological Survey of India (GSI)

It was established in 1851, it is a government organisation and its office is attached to the Ministry of
Mines Government of India.
Its headquarters is at Kolkata.
The principal function of GSI relate to creation and updation of national geoscientific data and
mineral resource assessment, air-borne and marine surveys and conducting multifarious geo-
technical, geo-environmental and natural hazards studies, glaciology, seismotectonics, etc. and to
nurture studies on fundamental research.

The National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT)

It was established in November 1993 as an autonomous society under the Ministry of Earth Sciences,
Government of India.
The major aim of starting NIOT under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, is to develop reliable
indigenous technology to solve the various engineering problems associated with harvesting of
non-living and living resources in the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), which is about two-
thirds of the land area of India.
Its headquarters at Chennai.

Indo-U.S. expedition discovers natural gas in Indian Ocean


Details :

A large natural gas discovery has been made in the Indian Ocean following a joint expedition by India and
the U.S., opening up a new resource to meet energy needs.

What are Gas hydrates?

Natural gas hydrates are a naturally occurring, ice-like combination of natural gas and water
found in oceans and polar regions.
Gas hydrates are considered as vast resources of natural gas and are known to occur in marine
sediments on continental shelf margins.
These deposits occur in Western, Eastern and Andaman offshore areas. By
nature this gas is mostly methane.
Methane gas hydrate is stable at the seafloor at water depths beneath about 500 meters.

Importance of Gas hydrates:

The amount of gas within the world’s gas hydrate accumulations is estimated to greatly exceed
the volume of all known conventional gas resources.
This is the first discovery of its kind in the Indian Ocean that has the potential to be producible.
This discovery is the result of the most comprehensive gas hydrate field venture in the world to
date, made up of scientists from India, Japan and the United States.
Although it is possible to produce natural gas from gas hydrates, there are significant technical
challenges, depending on the location and type of formation.

Also Read: http://moes.gov.in/programmes/gas-hydrates

July 25, 2016

Dark matter remains elusive

Details :

World’s most sensitive detector in the Large Underground Xenon (LUX) dark matter experiment in
USA fails to find any trace of dark matter.
Dark matter is thought to account for more than four-fifths of the mass in the universe. Scientists
are confident of its existence because the effects of its gravity can be seen in the rotation of
galaxies and in the way light bends as it travels through the universe.

Also Read: http://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/focus-areas/what-is-dark-energy/

Scientists work toward storing digital information in DNA

Details :

According to scientist Genetic material could become a durable format to archive data in the future.

How DNA store information?

DNA is by its essence an information-storing molecule; the genes we pass from generation to
generation transmit the blueprints for creating the human body.
The information is stored in strings of what’s often called the four-letter DNA code.
That really refers to sequences of four building blocks abbreviated as A, C, T and G found in the
DNA molecule.
Specific sequences give the body directions for creating particular proteins.

How Digital device store information?


Digital devices, on the other hand, store information in a two-letter code that produces strings of
ones and zeroes.
A capital ‘A’, for example, is 01000001.

How DNA could carry Digital information?

Converting digital information to DNA involves translating between the two codes. For
example,in one lab, a capital A can become ATATG.
The idea is once that transformation is made, strings of DNA can be custom-made to carry the new
code, and hence the information that code contains.

July 24, 2016

ISRO ready for air-breathing propulsionexperiment


Details :

If the experiment of air breathing propulsion experiment is successful then Indian Space Research
Organisation (ISRO) will achieve low-cost access to space.
It means reducing the cost per kg of payload when a launch vehicle is used to put a satellite into
orbit.
Air-breathing rocket systems use the atmospheric oxygen from their surroundings and burn it
with the stored on-board fuel for producing the forward thrust in contrast to the conventional
chemical rocket systems which carry both the oxygen and the fuel onboard so as a result, the
air-breathing systems become much lighter and more efficient, leading to reduced overall costs.
Also Read: http://www.nasa.gov/missions/research/f_scramjets.html

July 23, 2016

CSIR scientist dismissed for fabricating data

Details :

Swaranjit Singh Cameotra, a senior scientist at the Chandigarh-based Institute of Microbial


Technology (IMTECH), a CSIR lab, was removed from service early this month for fabricating data in
three papers published in 2013 (April 17, October 1 and October 8) in scientific journal PLOS ONE .
All the three papers were retracted by the journal in July 2014.

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