S&T and IPR Flashcards
ITLU?
ISRO Technical Liasion Unit (ITLU)
- ISRO has two ITLUs:
- at Washington, USA and
- Paris
- Union Cabinet has approved setting up a third ITLU at Moscow
- It is mandated to collaborate with Space agencies and industries in Russia and neighbouring countries for mutually synergetic outcomes.
Mission Shakti?
- Anti satellite missile
- joint project of DRDO and ISRO
- carried out from DRDO’s testing range in Odisha’s Balasore.
- India is only the 4th country to acquire such a specialised and modern capability, and Entire effort is indigenous. Till now, only the US, Russia and China had the capability to hit a live target in space.
- India had claimed after the test that the debris would decay within 45 days after the event. However, experts tracking the debris created by the event have reported that 40% of it has still not decayed after 4 months f the event
Technologies that can tackle the Space debris problem?
- Nasa’s Space Debris Sensor orbits the Earth on the International Space Station. The sensor was attached to the outside of the space station’s European Columbus module in December 2017. It will detect millimetre-sized pieces of debris for at least two years, providing information on whatever hits it such as size, density, velocity, orbit and will determine whether the impacting object is from space or a man-made piece of space debris.
- REMOVEdebris, satellite contain two cubesats that will release simulated space debris so that it can then demonstrate several ways of retrieving them.
- Deorbit mission: There are two emerging technologies being developed under what’s known as the e.Deorbit mission to grasp the wayward space junk, or to catch it.
- Other technologies include moving objects with a powerful laser beam.
Space Debris Problem: facts and Figures?
- The real amount of space debris is said to be between 500,000 and one million pieces as current sensor technology cannot detect smaller objects. They all travel at speeds of up to 17,500 mph (28,162 kmph) fast enough for a relatively small piece of orbital debris to damage a satellite or a spacecraft.
- Russia blew up one of its old satellites in November in a missile test that sparked international anger because of the space debris it scattered around the Earth’s orbit. Recently, a Chinese satellite (Tsinghua Science Satellite) had a near collision with one of the many chunks of debris left by the fallout of this Russian anti-satellite missile test.
Space Situational Awareness Control Centre?
- ISRO has set up a Directorate of Space Situational Awareness and Management
- The control centre set up at Bangalore; It would also assimilate the tracking data of inactive satellites from indigenous observation facilities
- aimed at protecting high valued space assets from space debris close approaches and collisions.
Genome India Initiative?
- by DBT
-
Two-phase exercise
- first phase involves sequencing the complete genomes of nearly 10,000 Indians from all corners of the country and capture the biological diversity of India.
- In the next phase, about 10,000 “diseased individuals” would have their genomes sequenced. These vast troves of data sets would be compared using machine learning techniques to identify genes that can predict cancer risk, as well as other diseases
- data generated would be accessible to researchers anywhere for analysis. This would be through a proposed National Biological Data Centre envisaged in a policy called the ‘Biological Data Storage, Access and Sharing Policy’, which is still in early stages of discussion.
QRSAM?
- Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air missiles (QRSAM)
- by DRDO
- developed to replace the ‘Akash’ missile defence system, and has 360-degree coverage.
- It uses solid fuel propellant and has a strike range of 25-30 km with capability of hitting multiple targets.
- It is capable of hitting the low flying objects.
Canine distemper virus (CDV)?
- viral disease that infects the gastrointestinal, respiratory, and central nervous systems.
- caused by Morbillivirus
- spread through air and direct and indirect contact with infected animals and materials; Inhaling the virus is the primary method of exposure.
- prevention: vaccine
- There is no known cure for CDV.
- It is closely related to the viruses that cause measles in man and rinderpest in ungulates
- can’t spread to humans
- in News:
- found in dogs around Ranthambore NP
- Last yr 20 lions in Gir died coz of it
Palani panchamirtham?
- given as ‘prasadam’ at the Murugan temple at Palani has been granted the Geographical Indication (GI) tag.
- This is the first time a temple ‘prasadam’ from Tamil Nadu has been given the GI tag.
- The panchamirtham is a combination of five natural substances — banana, jaggery, cow ghee, honey and cardamom. Dates and diamond sugar candies are added for flavour.
Iron ion battery?
- by IIT Madras
- The rechargeable iron ion battery has been designed using mild steel as the anode.
- The iron ion battery is cost-effective and the amount of energy that can be stored in the battery is also high.
- While lithium ions are the charge carriers in lithium ion battery, the Fe2+ ions perform that function in the case of iron ion battery.
- When fabricated under controlled conditions, the amount of energy that can be drawn from the iron ion battery is 220 Wh per kg, which is 55-60% of lithium ion battery’s performance.
- In iron ion battery, vanadium pentoxide is used as the cathode. Vanadium pentoxide was chosen as it has a layered structure with very large spacing between the layers that allows iron ions to easily move in and bind to the interlayers of the cathode and also easily get detached and move back to the anode.
- Benefits of iron over Lithium:
- Iron has favourable physico-chemical properties like lithium.
- The redox potential of iron ion is higher than lithium ion and the radius of the Fe2+ ion is nearly the same as that of the lithium ion.
- Iron is more stable during the charging process and therefore prevents short-circuiting of the batteries. This, when compared with the popular lithium metal-based batteries helps cut down the cost and make it safer to handle.
‘Falaq’ system?
radar air defence system developed by Iran
It is an improved version of the Gamma, a system of Russian origin.
It has a range of 400 km (250 miles) that could help defend against cruise and ballistic missiles and drones.
PSLV-C51?
- This was the 53rd flight of ISRO’s PSLV and the first dedicated mission of its commercial arm, NewSpace India Ltd.
- mission was undertaken under a commercial arrangement with Spaceflight Inc., U.S
- It carried 19 satellites (Including Brazil’s optical earth observation satellite, Amazonia-1, and 18 co-passenger satellites — five from India and 13 from the U.S.).
- Amazonia-1 is the first fully Brazilian-made satellite, which would help to monitor the Amazon forests. It was injected in sun-synchronous orbit
- Bhagavad Gita was also sent on board an SD card
- PSLV is an indigenously-developed expendable launch system of the ISRO, Categorised as medium-lift launchers with a reach up to various orbits, including the Geo Synchronous Transfer Orbit, Lower Earth Orbit, and Polar Sun Synchronous Orbit. controlled from Satish Dhawan Space centre, Sriharikota
NSIL?
- New Space India Limited (NSIL), is a GoI company under Department of Space.
- It is second commercial arm of ISRO
- It differs from ISRO’s existing commercial arm Antrix Corporation. Antrix will handle ISRO’s commercial deals for satellites and launch vehicles with foreign customers. NSIL will deal with capacity building of local industry for space manufacturing.
- stablishment of NSIL was announced in Budget 2019.
- One of the mandates of NSIL is to mass-produce and manufacture the SSLV and the more powerful PSLV in partnership with the private sector in India through technology transfers. Its aim is to use research and development carried out by ISRO over the years for commercial purposes through Indian industry partners.
What is Raman Effect?
Raman Effect is a change in the wavelength of light that occurs when a light beam is deflected by molecules.
When a beam of light traverses a dust-free, transparent sample of a chemical compound, a small fraction of the light emerges in directions other than that of the incident (incoming) beam.
Most of this scattered light is of unchanged wavelength. A small part, however, has wavelengths different from that of the incident light; its presence is a result of the Raman Effect.
Sericin?
- Produced by silkworms, it is a silk protein which is known to possess anti-oxidant and other medicinal properties.
- These properties depend on amino acid composition and secondary metabolites (polyphenols and flavonoids) of sericin.
- They vary with source of silkworms and their availability depends on the length of sericin peptides obtained during extraction.
- Uses: It could be used for protection from oxidative damage, edema, erythema, sunburn, premature aging, wrinkling, and skin cancer.
Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission?
- NASA’s MMS investigates how the Sun’s and Earth’s magnetic fields connect and disconnect, explosively transferring energy from one to the other in a process that is important at the Sun, other planets, and everywhere in the universe, known as magnetic reconnection.
- Reconnection limits the performance of fusion reactors and is the final governor of geospace weather that affects modern technological systems such as telecommunications networks, GPS navigation, and electrical power grids.
- MMS reveals, for the first time, the small-scale three-dimensional structure and dynamics of the elusively thin and fast-moving electron diffusion region.
- MMS recently made the first precise measurements of an interplanetary shock using high-resolution instruments.
Tardigrades?
- The tardigrade, also known as water bear, is among the toughest and most resilient creatures on Earth.
- The tardigrade can only be seen under a microscope.
- Half a millimetre long, it is essentially a water-dweller but also inhabits land and, a 2008 study found, can survive in the cold vacuum of outer space.
- The tardigrade can endure extreme hot and cold temperature levels.
- They themselves expel water from their bodies and set off a mechanism to protect their cells, and can still revive if placed in water later. The organism is known to “come back to life” on rehydration.
- The tardigrade derives its name from the fact that it looks like an eight-legged bear, with a mouth that can project out like a tongue.
- A tardigrade typically eats fluids, using its claws and mouth to tear open plant and animal cells, so that it can suck nutrients out of them.
- It is also known to feast on bacteria and, in some cases, to kill and eat other tardigrades.
- canwithstand Gamma radiation, a lack of Oxygen and the intense blast of solar winds. They can also go without foodor water fr over 10 yrs
- RECENT: the Israeli spacecraft Beresheet attempted to land on the Moon, but crashed. It was carrying a number of items — including thousands of specimens of a living organism called tardigrade.
Beresheet Mission?
- Israel’s First Lunar Lander- Beresheet– was launched on board Falcon 9.
- Beresheet attempted to become the first Israeli spacecraft, and the first privately-operated mission, to land on the Moon.
- However, it crashed on the surface. It was carrying a number of items — including thousands of specimens of a living organism called tardigrade.
- Their arrival on the moon was unexpectedly explosive; Beresheet’s crash landing on April 11 may have scattered the microorganisms onto the lunar surface, raising issue of Inter-planetary Pollution
- as long as the tardigrades remain on the moon, their chances of spontaneously awakening are low. Without liquid water, the tiny creatures will remain in a tun state. Even if the lunar tardigrades did somehow encounter liquid water while still on the moon, without food, air and a moderate ambient temperature, they wouldn’t last very long once they revived.
Parker Solar Probe?
- On August 12, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe completed a year in service.
- The NASA probe recently made an extremely close encounter with the Sun. The probe was just 5.3 million miles away from the surface of our star and passed by at a ridiculous speed of 363,660 mph, making it the fastest artificial object ever created. Additionally, the Parker Solar Probe also broke the record for the closest satellite to survive a near pass of the Sun.
- It also became the first spacecraft to fly through the outer atmosphere of the Sun- ‘Corona’. The spacecraft flew through Corona and sampled magnetic fields and particles there.
- It is part of NASA’s “Living With a Star” programme that explores different aspects of the Sun-Earth system.
- It also allowed us to see the planet Venus in color for the first time. The Wide-field Imager for Parker Solar Probe (WISPR) by the American space agency has managed to take pictures of the surface of Venus revealing stunning continents, plains, plateaus and even a layer of Oxygen.
- The probe seeks to gather information about the Sun’s atmosphere and NASA says that it “will revolutionise our understanding of the Sun”.
- It is also the closest a human-made object has ever gone to the Sun.
- three detailed science objectives:
- Trace the flow of energy that heats and accelerates the solar corona and solar wind.
- Determine the structure and dynamics of the plasma and magnetic fields at the sources of the solar wind.
- Explore mechanisms that accelerate and transport energetic particles.
● In order to unlock the mysteries of the sun’s atmosphere, Parker Solar Probe will use Venus’ gravity during seven flybys over nearly seven years to gradually bring its orbit closer to the sun.
● The spacecraft will fly through the sun’s atmosphere as close as 3.9 million miles to our star’s surface, well within the orbit of Mercury and more than seven times closer than any spacecraft has come before
Spectrum bands and their uses?
- 700 MHz: suitable for 4G; Premium
- 800MHz: data coverage
- 900MHz: GSM soectrum
- 1800 MHz: used fr voixe ops
- 2100 MHz: originl band reserved for 3G
- 2300 MHz: for Wi-Max tech
- 2500 MHz: Wi Max
nine national missions guided by the Prime Minister Science, Technology & Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC)?
Each mission is being led by a lead Ministry and will engage international and national institutional partners, young scientists and industry
- national language translation: make opportunities and progress in S&T accessible to all in their mother tongue using a combination of machine and human translation
- Quantum frontier
- AI and its application in areas such as helathcare, education, agri, smart cities and infra incl smart mobility and transportation
- National Biodiversity Mission: cataloguing and mapping all lifeforms in India including associated cultural and traditional practices
- Electric vehicles
- Bioscience for HUman health:construct comprehensive reference maps of genomes and to understand the dynamics of how exposure to different environments impact our bodies.
- Waste to wealth- Swachh Bharat, Unnat Bharat
- Deep ocean exploration and changes in ocean due to CC
- AGNIi: rovide a platform for innovators to bring their technology ready products and solutions to industry and the market
AIM-PRIME?
Launched by Atal Innovation Mission in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) & Venture Center.
AIM-PRIME (Program for Researchers on Innovations, Market-Readiness & Entrepreneurship) is an initiative to promote and support science-based deep-tech startups & ventures across India.
Baikal GVD?
Russian scientists recently launched one of the world’s biggest underwater neutrino telescopes called the Baikal-GVD (Gigaton Volume Detector) in the waters of Lake Baikail, the world’s deepest lake situated in Siberia.
It is one of the three largest neutrino detectors in the world along with the IceCube at the South Pole and ANTARES in the Mediterranean Sea.
It seeks to study in detail the elusive fundamental particles called neutrinos and to possibly determine their sources.
T/F:
- neutrinos are fundamental particles
- neutrinos are most abundant particles with mass
- neutrinos react with almost everything making their detection very difficult
- neutrinos are impossible to catch
- neutrinos are of three types
- neutrinos might not attribut their mass to higgs field.
- neutrinos are produced during nuclear reactions in the sun
- T; along with quarks, photons and electrons. cannot be broken down into smaller particles
- T; second most abundant overall but photons do not have mass
- F; least interactive
- F
- T; three flavours- electron neutrino, muon neutrino and tau neutrino. scientists also postulate possibilty of a fourth flavour- sterile neutrino
- T
- T
InSight Mission?
- InSight is part of NASA’s Discovery Program.
- It will be the first mission to peer deep beneath the Martian surface, studying the planet’s interior by measuring its heat output and listening for marsquakes, which are seismic events similar to earthquakes on Earth. It has recorded multiple marsquakes
- It will use the seismic waves generated by marsquakes to develop a map of the planet’s deep interior. InSight seeks to answer one of science’s most fundamental questions: How did the terrestrial planets form?
Oxytocin?
- Was banned by GoI in 2018 but order stayed by Delhi HC and SC
- Oxytocin has also been dubbed the hug hormone, cuddle chemical, moral molecule, and the bliss hormone
- It is a hormone that is made in the brain, in the hypothalamus. It is transported to, and secreted by, the pituitary gland
- It acts both as a hormone and as a brain neurotransmitter.
- The release of oxytocin by the pituitary gland acts to regulate two female reproductive functions: Childbirth and Breast-feeding.
- Its use is especially crucial to prevent new mothers from excessively bleeding after giving birth—a common cause of maternal deaths.
- Reasons behind the ban are:
- Misuse in dairy industry: livestock is injected with Oxytocin to make them release milk at a time convenient to farmers.
- Oxytocin is also used to increase the size of vegetables such as pumpkins, watermelons, eggplants, gourds, and cucumbers.
FEDOR?
- FEDOR, which stands for Final Experimental Demonstration Object Research, the Skybot F-850 is the first humanoid robot to be sent to space by Russia.
- life-size humanoid robot that will spend 10 days learning to assist astronauts on the International Space Station.
- robot’s main purpose it to be used in operations that are especially dangerous for humans onboard spacecraft and in outer space.
- Fedor is not the first robot to go into space. In 2011, NASA sent up Robonaut 2, a humanoid robot that had a similar aim of working in high-risk environments.
- In 2013, Japan sent up a small robot called Kirobo along with the ISS’s first Japanese space commander.
‘Mitra’ on moon?
- It is an impact based crater on moon named after noted Indian physicist Sisir Kumar Mitra.
- Mitra led the research in ionosphere–the upper region of the atmosphere–and radiophysics.
- He was the first to introduce the teaching of radio communication in India.
- His book, ‘Upper Atmosphere’ published in 1947 is still considered the Bible for research workers in the field of ionosphere.
- In 1950s, he advocated space research and high altitude rocket research programmes which had been successfully conducted by US and USSR.
- The name was given by Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (WGPSN), part of International Astronomical Union (IAU)
Lunar craters?
- bowl-shaped landforms created by two processes: volcanism and cratering. There are hundreds of thousands of moon craters ranging from less than a mile across to giant basins called mare, which were once thought to be seas.
- The largest crater on the Moon is called South Pole-Aitkin Basin. It’s about 1,600 miles across (2,500 kilometers). It’s also among the oldest of the Moon’s impact basins and formed just a few hundred million years or so after the Moon itself was formed.
- Because of the Moon’s lack of water, atmosphere, and tectonic plates, there is little erosion, and craters are found that exceed two billion years in age.
-
eg. of some craters
- Plato
- Copernicus
- Kepler
- Grimaldi
- Mitra
Mars solar conjunction?
- Mars and Earth will be on opposite sides of the Sun. Occurs every two yrs
- Poses issues in space missions around that planet like NASA’s Curiosity rover and InSight lander
- During solar conjunction, the solar gas can interfere with radio signals when engineers try to communicate with spacecraft at Mars, corrupting commands and resulting in unexpected behaviour from those space explorers.
C-DOT and its latest innovations?
Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT):
- It is an Indian Government owned telecommunications technology development centre.
- It was established in 1984 with initial mandate of designing and developing digital exchanges.
-
C-Sat-Fi (C-DOT Satellite WiFi):based on the optimal utilization of wireless and satellite communication to extend connectivity to the unserved areas including the remote islands and difficult terrains.
- ideally suited to addressing disasters and emergencies when no other means of communication are available.
- does not require expensive Satellite Phones and can work on any WiFi-enabled phone.
- C-DOT’s XGSPON (10 G Symmetrical Passive Optical Network): help in meeting the demands of applications like IPTV, HD Video Streaming, Online Gaming and host of other cloud-based services that necessitate the seamless availability of high bandwidth.
- C-DOT’s Interoperable Set-Top Box (CiSTB): will revolutionize the experience of the Cable TV operators by offering them a high degree of choice, ease and convenience without having to replace the once installed STB.
What is Coprolite?
fossilised faeces belonging to animals that lived millions of years ago.
T/F: Gravitational lensing is useful to cosmologists because it is directly sensitive to the amount and distribution of dark matter.
T
Lensing can help astronomers work out exactly how much dark matter there is in the Universe as a whole and also how it is distributed.
Lensing has also been used to help verify the existence of dark matter itself.
James Webb Space Telescope?
- also called Webb or JWST, is a large, orbiting space-based observatory, optimized for infrared wavelengths, which will complement and extend the discoveries of the Hubble Space Telescope.
- It will cover longer wavelengths of light than Hubble and will have greatly improved sensitivity.
- The longer wavelengths enable JWST to look further back in time to see the first galaxies that formed in the early universe, and to peer inside dust clouds where stars and planetary systems are forming today. Scientists hope this set-up can detect the light from the very first population of stars in the Universe to switch on more than 13.5 billion years ago.
- JWST is a joint venture between the US (Nasa), European (Esa) and Canadian space agencies (CSA).
- It will be a large infrared telescope with an approximately 6.5 meter primary mirror.
- Unlike the Hubble Space Telescope (HST orbits around the Earth at an altitude of ~570 km above it), Webb will not actually orbit the Earth, instead it will sit at the Earth-Sun L2 Lagrange point,5 million km away. At the L2 point Webb’s solar shield will block the light from the Sun, Earth, and Moon which will help Webb stay cool, which is very important for an infrared telescope.
GI tags to two TN’s sarees?
- Dindigul locks are known throughout the world for their superior quality and durability, so much so that even the city is called Lock City.
- The Kandangi sarees are manufactured in the entire Karaikudi taluk in Sivaganga district. They are characterised by large contrast borders and some are known to have borders covering as far as two-thirds of the saree
COVID genome sequencing: national efforts worldwide falling short
- Scientists say that constant analysis of the virus’s genetic information, combined with epidemiological data, is crucial to providing real-time knowledge about the pathogen’s vagaries.
- UK was able to use this tracking method to alert the world about the changes in the virus’s biology.
- Globally the deployment of this technology has been patchy. a Lancet editorial in February pointed out, “the fact that Gambia, Equatorial Guinea, and Sierra Leone have a higher rate of genome sequencing than France, Italy, or the USA, suggests that wealth is not the only determinant of capacity”.
- India seems to be uder performing. less than 1 per cent of COVID-positive specimens are subjected to genomic sequencing. India has not made optimum use of its facilities. The Delhi-based Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology is reportedly analysing less than 30 per cent of the samples it is equipped to study.
5G technology?
Operate in the millimeter wave spectrum (30-300 GHz) which have the advantage of sending large amounts of data at very high speeds.
Operate in 3 bands, namely low, mid and high frequency spectrum.
Reduced latency will support new applications that leverage the power of 5G, the Internet of Things (IoT), and artificial intelligence.
Increased capacity on 5G networks can minimize the impact of load spikes, like those that take place during sporting events and news events.
What are the international exposure guidelines?
Two international bodies produce exposure guidelines on electromagnetic fields. Many countries currently adhere to the guidelines recommended by:
The International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection.
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, through the International Committee on Electromagnetic Safety.
These guidelines are not technology-specific. They cover radiofrequencies up to 300 GHz, including the frequencies under discussion for 5G.
rollout of 5G in India: is India prepared?
parliamentary panel on information technology said in a report that India is entirely unprepared to roll out 5G telecom services. Committee finds that inadequate availability of spectrum, high spectrum prices, poor development of use cases, low status of fiberization, non-uniform RoW {right of way} issues, deficient backhaul capacity, etc. are some of the factors coming in the way of rolling out of 5G services in India
India is yet to auction radio waves (spectrum) for 5G.
Department of Telecom had earlier set the target of starting 5G trials in 2019 and roll out the next-generation service in 2020-21.Because of claims by the defence ministry and space department on part of the spectrum that was identified for 5G services, the deadline was missed.
What are Sinovac and Sinophram?
Chinese COVID 19 vaccines
AmbiTAG?
AmbiTAG is India’s first indigenous temperature data logger for cold chain management.
It is an Internet-of-Things (IoT) device that records real-time ambient temperature during the transportation of perishable products, vaccines and even body organs and blood.
Developed by IIT Ropar.
EAST experiment?
- China’s Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST), also known as ‘Artificial Sun’ experiment
- EAST has set a new record in the latest experiment, where it achieved a plasma temperature of 216 million Fahrenheit (120 million C) for 101 seconds. This temp is 7X that of core of the sun
- how was the experiment carried out:
- Experts focused their giant array of almost 200 laser beams onto a tiny spot to create a mega blast of energy – eight times more than they had ever done in the past.
- Although the energy only lasted for a very short time – just 100 trillionths of a second – the scientists were able to create more energy than they are using.
- In this experiment, scientists used two isotopes of hydrogen, giving rise to helium.
- China is not the only country that has achieved high plasma temperatures. In 2020, South Korea’s KSTAR reactor set a new record by maintaining a plasma temperature of over 100 million degrees Celsius for 20 seconds.
- The mission mimics the energy generation process of the sun.
- The reactor consists of an advanced nuclear fusion experimental research device located in Hefei, China.
- It is one of three major domestic tokamaks that are presently being operated across the country.
- The EAST project is part of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) facility, which will become the world’s largest nuclear fusion reactor when it becomes operational in 2035.
- The ITER project includes the contributions of several countries, including India, South Korea, Japan, Russia and the United States.
International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER)?
- currently being built at Saint-Paul-les-Durance in southern France
- will try to replicate reactions that occur on the solar surface to power it and produce that energy on a commercial scale.
- This is also the most complex engineering feat that will be achieved in the history of humanity.
- The whole unit will involve over 3,000 tonnes of superconducting magnets, some of which would weigh as large as an aircraft. These will be connected to 200 kilometres long superconducting cables. All this will be kept at a temperature of -269 degrees celsius by the world’s largest cryogenic plant.
- India’s Larsen and Toubro has developed a massive component for this reactor – a 30 diameter wide cryosat that will completely cover the reactor and help it to keep its temps low when the reactions on the inside get got
soace missions to planet venus?
- Magellan – a Nasa mission that ended in 1994.
- Venus Express– A European mission- focused on atmospheric science.
- Akatsuki– Japanese spacecraft- focused on atmospheric science.
UPCOMING:
- NASA’s Davinci+ (Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging) mission seeks to measure the planet’s atmosphere to gain insight into how it formed and evolved. and determine whether the planet ever had any ocean
- NASA’s Veritas (Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopy) will map the planet’s surface to understand its geological history and investigate how it developed so differently than Earth.
GEO satellites:
- about?
- used in?
- above equator travelling at the same rate as that of earth, appears stationary wrt a given point. Satellites in GEO cover a large range of Earth so as few as three equally-spaced satellites can provide near global coverage. This is because when a satellite is this far from Earth, it can cover large sections at once.
- GEO is used by satellites that need to stay constantly above one particular place over Earth, such as telecommunication satellites. This way, an antenna on Earth can be fixed to always stay pointed towards that satellite without moving. It can also be used by weather monitoring satellites, because they can continually observe specific areas to see how weather trends emerge there.
LEO satellites:
- about?
- uses?
- features
- normally at an altitude of less than 1000 km but could be as low as 160 km above Earth.
- LEO satellites do not always have to follow a particular path around Earth in the same way – their plane can be tilted. Thus, more routes available for LEO
- Satellites in this orbit travel at a speed of around 7.8 km per second; at this speed, a satellite takes approximately 90 minutes to circle Earth, meaning the ISS travels around Earth about 16 times a day.
- most commonly used for satellite imaging, as being near the surface allows it to take images of higher resolution
- also the orbit used for ISS
- However, individual LEO satellites are less useful for tasks such as telecommunication, because they move so fast across the sky and therefore require a lot of effort to track from ground stations.
- Instead, communications satellites in LEO often work as part of a large combination or constellation, of multiple satellites to give constant coverage
MEO satellites:
- about?
- uses?
- also does not need to take specific paths around Earth, and it is used by a variety of satellites with many different applications. Again uses many satellites to act as a net to cover the earth
- very commonly used by navigation satellites, like the European Galileo system
polar Orbit satellites:
- about?
- uses?
- Satellites in polar orbits usually travel past Earth from north to south rather than from west to east, passing roughly over Earth’s poles. even a deviation within 20 to 30 degrees off the poles is still classed as a polar orbit.
* Polar orbits are a type of low Earth orbit, as they are at low altitudes between 200 to 1000 km. - often used for Earth-mapping, Earth observation, capturing the Earth as time passes from one point, reconnaissance satellites, as well as for some weather satellites. The Iridium satellite constellation also uses a polar orbit to provide telecommunications services.
Sun synchronous Orbit satellites:
- about?
- uses?
- SSO is a particular kind of polar orbit. Satellites in SSO, travelling over the polar regions, are synchronous with the Sun. This means they are synchronised to always be in the same ‘fixed’ position relative to the Sun. This means that the satellite always visits the same spot at the same local time – for example, passing the city of Paris every day at noon exactly.
- This means that the satellite will always observe a point on the Earth as if constantly at the same time of the day, which serves a number of applications; for example, it means that scientists and those who use the satellite images can compare how somewhere changes over time.
- A satellite in a Sun-synchronous orbit would usually be at an altitude of between 600 to 800 km
- scientists use image series like these to investigate how weather patterns emerge, to help predict weather or storms; when monitoring emergencies like forest fires or flooding; or to accumulate data on long-term problems like deforestation or rising sea levels.
Transfer orbits and Geostationary Transfer orbit (GTO)?
an orbit where, by using relatively little energy from built-in motors, the satellite or spacecraft can move from one orbit to another.
This allows a satellite to reach, for example, a high-altitude orbit like GEO without actually needing the launch vehicle to go all the way to this altitude, which would require more effort
Reaching GEO in this way is an example of one of the most common transfer orbits, called the geostationary transfer orbit (GTO)
Lagrange points?
For many spacecraft being put in orbit, being too close to Earth can be disruptive to their mission – even at more distant orbits such as GEO.
For example, for space-based observatories and telescopes whose mission is to photograph deep, dark space, being next to Earth is hugely detrimental because Earth naturally emits visible light and infrared radiation that will prevent the telescope from detecting any faint lights like distant galaxies.
Lagrange points, or L-points, allow for orbits that are much, much farther away (over a million kilometres) and do not orbit Earth directly. These are specific points far out in space where the gravitational fields of Earth and the Sun combine in such a way that spacecraft that orbit them remain stable and can thus be ‘anchored’ relative to Earth. If a spacecraft was launched to other points in space very distant from Earth, they would naturally fall into an orbit around the Sun, and those spacecraft would soon end up far from Earth, making communication difficult. Instead, spacecraft launched to these special L-points stay fixed, and remain close to Earth with minimal effort without going into a different orbit.
The most used L-points are L1 and L2. These are both four times farther away from Earth than the Moon – 1.5 million km, compared to GEO’s 36 000 km – but that is still only approximately 1% of the distance of Earth from the Sun.
Distributed Spacecraft Autonomy (DSA)?
- DSA project seeks to advance NASA’s spacecraft autonomy capabilities.
- Autonomy is an essential technology for multi-spacecraft missions.
- It allows spacecraft to decide their next activities, as opposed to having the spacecraft send their status to a control station on the ground and await further instructions.
- This autonomous decision-making capability is critical to the success of future deep-space missions with multiple spacecraft.
- The time delay on the round-trip communications and the amount of data that can be sent make it impractical to follow the classic model of receiving status on the ground then commanding, especially for multiple spacecraft.
- Autonomous decision-making would allow multiple spacecraft to share data and make quick decisions together, thus overcoming any latency and bandwidth constraints.
SWARM concept?
The geostationary satellites used for communication and weather forecasting today are very large and very expensive — and most are still functioning perfectly when they must be disposed of because they run out of fuel.
‘Swarm’ refers to formations of small satellites that can act as alternate or engage in repair and refueling works.
These will be smaller, less expensive, more efficient satellites that work in tandem to accomplish things their bigger brethren never imagined.
“The Swarm” is a sort of janitorial role. These “garbage trucks in space” would remove, repair or refuel the thousands of unused satellites orbiting the earth.
types of vaccines?
- inactivated v
- live-attenuated v
- mRNA v
- Subunit, recombinant, polysaccharide, and conjugate vaccines
- Toxoid v
- viral vector v
types of vaccines: inactivated vaccines?
Pathogens (viruses or bacteria) that cannot multiply cannot cause disease. So inactivating a virus or bacteria, using chemicals like formalin, can convert them into a safe immunogen.
Because inactivated viruses or bacteria do not multiply, we may need to use multiple doses (booster shots) of the vaccine and also give another substance to improve the immune response — this is called an adjuvant. The most common adjuvant is the alum but shark oil suspensions and a few others are also used.
A number of vaccines developed in China, and Covaxin in India are on the inactivated platform.
other vaccines of inactivated type are
- Hepatitis A
- Flu (shot only)
- Polio (shot only)
- Rabies
types of vaccines: Live attenuated vaccines?
- Live vaccines use a weakened (or attenuated) form of the germ that causes a disease.
- Because these vaccines are so similar to the natural infection that they help prevent, they create a strong and long-lasting immune response. Just 1 or 2 doses of most live vaccines can give you a lifetime of protection against a germ and the disease it causes.
- But live vaccines also have some limitations:
- people with weakened immune response, long term health problems or those with organ transplants are vulnerable
- They need to be kept cool, so they don’t travel well.
- used aginst following diseases
- measles, mumps, rubella (MMR combined vaccines)
- rotavirus
- smallpox
- chickenpox
- Yellow fever
types of vaccines:mRNA vaccines?
mRNA vaccines make proteins in order to trigger an immune response. mRNA vaccines have several benefits compared to other types of vaccines, including shorter manufacturing times and, because they do not contain a live virus, no risk of causing disease in the person getting vaccinated.
used in many COVID vaccines
types of vaccines: Subunit, recombinant, polysaccharide, and conjugate vaccines?
- Subunit, recombinant, polysaccharide, and conjugate vaccines use specific pieces of the germ—like its protein, sugar, or capsid (a casing around the germ).
- Because these vaccines use only specific pieces of the germ, they give a very strong immune response that’s targeted to key parts of the germ. They can also be used on almost everyone who needs them, including people with weakened immune systems and long-term health problems.
- One limitation of these vaccines is that you may need booster shots to get ongoing protection against diseases.
- These vaccines are used to protect against:
- hepatitis B
- HPV
- Whooping cough
- Pneumococcal disease
types of vaccines: toxoid vaccines?
- Toxoid vaccines use a toxin (harmful product) made by the germ that causes a disease. They create immunity to the parts of the germ that cause a disease instead of the germ itself. That means the immune response is targeted to the toxin instead of the whole germ.
- Like some other types of vaccines, you may need booster shots to get ongoing protection against diseases.
- Toxoid vaccines are used to protect against:
- Diphtheria
- Tetanus
types of vaccines: viral vector vaccines?
Viral vector vaccines use a modified version of a different virus as a vector to deliver protection. Several different viruses have been used as vectors, including influenza, vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), measles virus, and adenovirus, which causes the common cold.
In viral-vectored vaccines, a virus is used to carry the target antigen gene into human cells.
Covishield uses a chimpanzee adenovirus (AZD1222 or ChAdOx1), which carries the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein.
The chimpanzee adenovirus has been used because humans will not have pre-existing antibodies to this adenovirus.
Virtopsy: what? use or need? in use where? India?
Virtual autopsy to find cause of death 1) some grps - notably Muslims and Jews- have religious objections to conventional autopsy 2) fastr: 30 min vs 2.5 hrs (conventional) 3) results matches with that from conventional in 65-90% of cases accto various studies Began in Sweden,now a std practice in Japan, USA, Aus AIIMS and ICMR working together on it. may be opertaional in next 6 months
Sun will run out of fuel in about ________yrs frm today? Effect on planets of Solar system?
4.5 bn Sun will shed its outer layer, and destroy Mercury, venus and probably Earth and may even evaporate Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. sun will become a white dwarf
T/F: Scientists recently found a planet for the first time, revolving around a white dwarf.
T
what is NMR spectroscopy?
an important technique for structural characterization of pharmaceutical and other chemical molecules, used in quality control and research for determining the content and purity of a sample as well as its molecular structure. India also has this tech most recently at CSIR-IICT, Hyderabad
What is torrefaction?
- It is a Swedish tech tested by India to reduce stubble burning 2. It is a thermal process used to produce high-grade solid biofuels from various streams of woody biomass or agro residues. 3. It involves heating the biomass to temperatures between 250 and 300 degrees Celsius in a low-oxygen atmosphere. During this process the hemi-cellulose in the biomass decomposes, which transforms the biomass from a fibrous low quality fuel into a product with excellent fuel characteristics.
Head on Generation (HOG) technology: associated with? what is it? recent developments?
trains The system runs the train’s ‘hotel load’ (the load of air conditioning, lights, fans, and pantry, etc.) by drawing electricity from the overhead electric lines through the pantograph. Between April 2018 and November 2019 around 436 trains have been converted into HOG compliant
Head on Generation (HOG) vs End on Gen (EOG) tech?
in EOG, ‘hotel load’ is provided with electricity from two large diesel generator sets, attached to either end of the train 1.HOG system is free of air and noise pollution vs 1724.6 tonnes/annum CO2 and 7.48 tonnes/annum NOx emission frm EOG today
Indian Neutrino Observatory (INO): where? features?
At Pottipuram village in Bodi west hills in theni district, on TN-Kerala border
- multi-institutional effort
- under-ground: with rock cover of 1200m
- will form base for non-accelerator based high energy and nuclear physics research in India
- jointly funded by DAE + DST
- Setting up of National Centre for High Energy Physics at Madurai, for the operation and maintenance
- will hv 2 under-grnd lab caverns with 2 km long access tunnels; will house an Iron Calorimeter (ICAL) for detecting neutrinos
Causes for opposition to the project:
- The project in question falls exactly on the hill slopes of this part of the Western Ghats, which align within it a significant tiger corridor, namely the Mathikettan-Periyar tiger corridor.
- This corridor links the Periyar Tiger Reserve along the Kerala and Tamil Nadu borders and the Mathikettan Shola National Park.
- The proposed project area also ecologically links to the eastern habitats, where Srivilliputhur Meghamalai Tiger Reserve is located. It hosts tigers from this region and helps in genetic dispersal.
- The area is a significant watershed and catchment zone for the rivers Sambhal and Kottakudi.
Neutrinos: significance?
- second most widely occurring particle in the universe, only second to photons 2. so abundant among us that every second, there are more than 100 trillion of them passing right through each of us 3. hold the key to several important and fundamental questions on the origin of the Universe and the energy production in stars 4. Another important possible application of neutrinos is in the area of neutrino tomograph of the earth, that is detailed investigation of the structure of the Earth from core on wards. This is possible with neutrinos since they are the only particles which can probe the deep interiors of the Earth.
Neutrinos: features?
- first proposed by Swiss scientist Wolfgang Pauli in 1930 2. occur in three different types, or flavours otbo mass 3. have a tiny mass, but the ordering of the neutrino mass states is not known 4. background from cosmic rays (which interact much more readily than neutrinos) and natural radioactivity will make it almost impossible to detect them on the surface of the Earth. This is the reason most neutrino observatories are located deep inside the Earth’s surface.
Hera mission: 1. by? 2. what? 3. specifics? 4. need?
- ESA (Hera is part of an international double-spacecraft collaboration (DART) betn ESAand NASA ) 2. part of Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART); deliberately crash itself into the moonlet at a speed of approximately 6 km per second to change the speed of the moonlet in its orbit around the main body 3. DART) will target Didymoon, a pair of near-Earth asteroids; DART and Hera were conceived together as part of the international ‘Asteroid Impact Deflection Assessment’ experiment 4. around 25,000 near-Earth objects (NEOs) that orbit the Sun on a trajectory that brings them close to earth’s orbit; NEOs which are 140 metres or more in size and come within 0.05 AU (astronomical unit) to Earth are classified as ‘potentially hazardous’
DART Mission?
● The main aim of the mission is to test the newly developed technology that would allow a spacecraft to crash into an asteroid and change its course.
● DART is a low-cost spacecraft, weighing around 610 kg at launch and 550 kg during impact.
● It also carries about 10 kg of xenon which will be used to demonstrate the agency’s new thrusters called NASA Evolutionary Xenon Thruster–Commercial (NEXT-C) in space.
● The spacecraft carries a high-resolution imager called Didymos Reconnaissance and Asteroid Camera for Optical Navigation (DRACO).
Images from DRACO will be sent to Earth in real-time and will help study the impact site and surface of Dimorphos.
● DART will also carry a small satellite or CubeSat named LICIACube (Light Italian CubeSat for Imaging of Asteroids). LICIACube is expected to capture images of the impact and the impact crater formed as a result of the collision. It can also capture images of any dust cloud formed during the impact.
● DART will reach its target on September 26, 2022.
Which asteroid will be deflected?
The target of the spacecraft is a small moonlet called Dimorphos (Greek for “two forms”). It is about 160-metre in diameter and the spacecraft is expected to collide when it is 11 million kilometres away from Earth.
Dimorphos orbits a larger asteroid named Didymos (Greek for “twin”) which has a diameter of 780 metres.
The plan:
The spacecraft will navigate to the moonlet and intentionally collide with it at a speed of about 6.6 kilometres per second or 24,000 kilometres per hour. The collision is expected to take place between September 26 and October 1, 2022.
Future Pandemic risks?
- Scientists estimate that planet Earth has over 1.5 million unknown viruses, of which about 40-50% can infect humans.
- Of these, scientists have knowledge of only about 260 pathogens.
- Getting to know all the others requires money and an acceptance that some form of risk exists in these clusters, especially from unknown viruses that can jump from animals to humans.
- Importantly, it calls for a mindset willing to concede that life is full of uncertainties, and, second, that money saved by not taking precautions would be less than what’s spent later to tackle an outbreak.
- In 2018, the WHO released its annual list of pathogens and diseases that urgently required research funding before they turned into a public health crisis. The world’s attention was drawn to something called Disease X, a placeholder name for the next deadly infection. Other names on the list were already proven epidemics, but it was Disease X that jumped out. But nobody committed to spend money on a future IF.
breakthrough in understanding Sun’s corona ?
- Scientists have recently discovered tiny flashes of radio light emanating from all over the Sun, which they say could help in explaining the long-pending coronal heating problem.
- The data was collected with the help of the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) radio telescope.
- The radio lights or signals under study result from beams of electrons accelerated in the aftermath of a magnetic explosion on the Sun.
- These observations are the strongest evidence till date that the tiny magnetic explosions, originally referred to as ‘nanoflares’. Researchers believe that these explosions could indeed be heating up the corona.
Sun’s corona?
- The Sun’s corona is the outermost part of the Sun’s atmosphere.
- The corona is usually hidden by the bright light of the Sun’s surface. The corona is about 10 million times less dense than the Sun’s surface. This low density makes the corona much less bright than the surface of the Sun.That makes it difficult to see without using special instruments. However, the corona can be viewed during a total solar eclipse.
- The corona is in the outer layer of the Sun’s atmosphere—far from its surface. Yet the corona is hundreds of times hotter than the Sun’s surface.
- The corona extends far out into space. From it comes the solar wind that travels through our solar system. The corona’s temperature causes its particles to move at very high speeds. These speeds are so high that the particles can escape the Sun’s gravity.
Widefield Array (MWA) radio telescope?
- situated in Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory, Boolardy Station, Western Australia
- It is a joint project between an international consortium of organisations to construct and operate a low-frequency radio array.
- Operating in the frequency range 70–300 MHz, the main scientific goals of the MWA are to detect neutral atomic Hydrogen emission from the cosmological Epoch of Reionization (EoR), to study the sun, the heliosphere, the Earth’s ionosphere, and radio transient phenomena, as well as map the extragalactic radio sky.
Layers of Sun?
- Core
- Radiative zone
- convection Zone
- Photosphere: photosphere is the deepest layer of the Sun that we can observe directly.It reaches from the surface visible at the center of the solar disk to about 250 miles above that. Temperature decreases in this layer as we move away frm the sun
- chromosphere: is a layer in the Sun between about 250 miles and 1300 miles above the solar surface. Temp increases in this layer as we move away frm the sun
- Corona: the outermost layer of the Sun, starting at about 1300 miles above the solar surface. Temp is 500000K to a few millions K. corona cannot be seen with the naked eye except during a total solar eclipse, or with the use of a coronagraph. The corona does not have an upper limit.
How RT-PCR is used for detecting Covid-19?
- SARS-CoV-2 is an RNA virus, that means it infiltrates a healthy cell to multiply and survive.
- Thus, the RT-PCR test is for the identification of SARS-CoV-2 RNA. In this, the RNA is converted to DNA through a process called ‘reverse transcription’ for detecting viruses.
- core technique behind RT-PCR is PCR, which is abbreviation of Polymerase Chain Reaction by a special enzyme “polymerase”, by which a targeted fragment of DNA is doubled at every cycle of reaction. For example, if there is only one copy of target gene in a test tube, in the first cycle of PCR, there will be two, in second cycle four… and so on. However, this technology can be used only for DNA as starting material. It cannot be directly used for detection of RNA viruses, like a coronavirus. That’s why, RNA needs to be converted into DNA (by another enzyme called Reverse Transcriptase). That’s why the name RT-PCR
- The SARS-CoV-2 RNA is generally detectable in respiratory specimens during the acute phase of infection.
- For that upper and lower respiratory specimens (such as nasal, nasopharyngeal) are collected.
- This sample is treated with several chemical solutions that remove substances, such as proteins and fats, and extracts only the RNA present in the sample.
- Real-time RT-PCR setup usually goes through 35 cycles, which means that by the end of the process, around 35 billion new copies of the sections of viral DNA are created from each strand of the virus present in the sample.
- As new copies of the viral DNA sections are built, the marker labels attach to the DNA strands and then release a fluorescent dye, which is measured by the machine’s computer and presented in real-time on the screen. The computer tracks the amount of fluorescence in the sample after each cycle. When the amount goes over a certain level of fluorescence, this confirms that the virus is present.
RT-PCR vs antibody tests?
- Ant-body tests: if we can detect the presence of specific antibodies in a blood sample, it can be safely presumed that at some point, that individual is exposed to that invader.
- unlike DNA, antibodies cannot be copied in a test tube, and therefore, this test is generally less sensitive than PCR.
- In practice, the antibody based test can be performed in most of the pathology laboratories, while RT-PCR needs special instrument, which many labs may not have.
- anti-Covid-19 antibodies take a duration of 5-8 days to be in sufficient quantities to be detected. thus, in the first week, RT-PCR is the only among the two that can be effective.
- anti body tests may turn out to be positive fr a few days even after being treated completely since anti-bodies stay in the body fr some time.
- Thus, antibody tests act as false negative in the early phase and as false positive fr some time after completely being treated.
- RT-PCR is a conclusive test for a patient who has clinical symptoms and the doctor needs to make a diagnosis if he is suffering with normal flu or Covid-19.
- if someone wants to collect the data on how many people are exposed to virus in last few weeks or months, irrespective of whether they had symptoms or not, the antibody test will give you the overall “exposure” to virus within community while RT-PCR will be negative
RNA viruses?
- may be single or double stranded
- Notable human diseases caused by RNA viruses include the
- common cold, influenza, SARS, COVID-19,
- hepatitis C, hepatitis E,
- West Nile fever, Ebola virus disease,
- rabies, polio and measles
- Viruses with RNA as their genetic material which also include DNA intermediates in their replication cycle are called retroviruses
- Another term for RNA viruses that explicitly excludes retroviruses is ribovirus.
- RNA viruses generally have very high mutation rates compared to DNA viruses, because viral RNA polymerases lack the proofreading ability of DNA polymerases. This is one reason why it is difficult to make effective vaccines to prevent diseases caused by RNA viruses—diversity is their strength
What is an ELISA-based test?
The Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assays (ELISAs) based test is used for the detection of antibodies that are produced by the body to fight against antigens or foreign substances.
ELISA-based tests are blood-based tests, which have high sensitivity and specificity.
IgG and IgM?
The body produces Immunoglobulin M (IgM) and IgG antibodies to fight against a pathogen.
The IgM antibodies are produced in four-seven days after pathogens enter the body.
The IgG antibodies are produced between 10-14 days of the pathogen’s appearance.
ELISA based tests vs RT-PCR vs Rapid antibody kits?
- If the IgG antibody is detected in IgG-ELISA tests, it can be concluded that the person was exposed to SARS-CoV-2.
- ELISA is also a form of a rapid test. However, other rapid antibody test kits are point-of-care and use a finger-prick method to draw blood. They take much lesser time and do not need a laboratory process to detect antibodies.
- Both, ELISA-based tests and point-of-care tests are not used for confirming Covid-19 infection and are only used for surveillance purpose.
- RT-PCR tests are considered as the gold standard for confirming the presence of SARS-CoV-2.
Magnetocaloric materials?
They are certain materials in which application and removal of a magnetic field causes the materials to become warmer or cooler.
Scientists at the International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials (ARCI), an autonomous R&D Centre of DST, has developed a rare-earth-based magnetocaloric material that can be effectively used for cancer treatment.
UV radiations to kill micro-organisms and disinfect?
- UV radiations are normally used to kill microorganisms.
- Particularly, UV-C, also known as Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) is a disinfection method that uses short-wavelength ultraviolet light to kill or inactivate microorganisms by destroying their nucleic acids and disrupting their DNA, leaving them unable to perform vital cellular functions and stops their replication.
- UVGI is used in a variety of applications, such as food, air, and water disinfection.
- Few research studies have found that UVC radiation is also effective in killing coronaviruses on various surfaces, but efficiency is variable for different kinds of surfaces depending on their texture.
different EM waves with their wavelength range?
Types of UV radiation?
The most common form of UV radiation is sunlight, which produces three main types of UV rays:
- UVA
- UVB
- UVC
UVA rays have the longest wavelengths, followed by UVB, and UVC rays which have the shortest wavelengths.
While UVA and UVB rays are transmitted through the atmosphere, all UVC and some UVB rays are absorbed by the Earth’s ozone layer. So, most of the UV rays you come in contact with are UVA with a small amount of UVB.
What is Shetkari Sanghatana movement?
It is a Farmers’ union movement for use of genetically modified seeds.
The Sanghatana has announced that this year they are going to undertake large-scale sowing of unapproved GM crops like maize, Ht Bt cotton, soyabean and brinjal across Maharashtra, even though they are not approved
Farmers who plant such variants will put up boards on their fields proclaiming the GM nature of their crop.
This action will draw attention to the need for introduction of the latest technology in the fields.
What is the legal position of genetically modified crops in India?
In India, the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) is the apex body that allows for commercial release of GM crops.
Penalty: Use of the unapproved GM variant can attract a jail term of 5 years and fine of Rs 1 lakh under the Environmental Protection Act ,1989.
GMO Regulation in India?
The task of regulating GMO levels in imported consumables was initially with the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) under the Union environment ministry.
● Its role in this was diluted with the enactment of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and FSSAI was asked to take over approvals of imported goods.
Examples of GM seeds used in India?
- Bt cotton, the only GM crop that is allowed in India, has two alien genes from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) that allows the crop to develop a protein toxic to the common pest pink bollworm.
- Ht Bt cotton is derived with the insertion of an additional gene, from another soil bacterium, which allows the plant to resist the common herbicide glyphosate. Cost of weeding goes down considerably if farmers grow Ht Bt cotton and use glyphosate against weeds.
- In Bt brinjal, a gene allows the plant to resist attacks of fruit and shoot borer. In case of Bt brinjal, the cost reduces as the cost of production is reduced by cutting down on the use of pesticides.
- In DMH-11 mustard, genetic modification allows cross-pollination in a crop that self-pollinates in nature.
anti-viral textile technology?
- HeiQ Viroblock NPJ03 is an intelligent Swiss textile technology that is added to the fabric during the final stage of the textile manufacturing process. It is a special combination of advanced silver and vesicle technology.
- It has proven effective against SARS-CoV-2, the COVID-19 causing virus
- Suitable for all fiber types, from medical nonwovens (e.g. face masks) to fabrics for clothing and home textiles.
- There are claims that garments treated with HeiQ Viroblock actively inhibit viruses and kill them upon contact, helping to minimize the potential for re-transmission of pathogens through clothing.
Objectives of Gaganyaan mission?
- Enhancement of science and technology levels in the country
- A national project involving several institutes, academia and industry
- Improvement of industrial growth
- Inspiring youth
- Development of technology for social benefits
- Improving international collaboration
Benefits of a Manned space mission fr INdia?
Boost to industries: Gaganyaan Mission is expected will source nearly 60% of its equipment from the Indian private sector.
Employment: According to the ISRO chief, the Gaganyaan mission would create 15,000 new employment opportunities, 13,000 of them in private industry and the space organisation would need an additional manpower of 900.
Technological Development: Human Space flights are frontier field and will lead to further thrust for technological developments in India
Spurs R&D: HSF will thrust significant research in areas such as materials processing, astro-biology, resources mining, planetary chemistry, planetary orbital calculus and many other areas
Motivation to Youth
National Prestige: India will be the fourth country to launch human space mission.
Project NETRA?
- for tracking space objects.
- Under the project, the ISRO plans to put up many observational facilities: connected radars, telescopes; data processing units and a control centre.
- They can, among others, spot, track and catalogue objects as small as 10 cm, up to a range of 3,400 km and equal to a space orbit of around 2,000 km.
- The project will give India its own capability in space situational awareness (SSA) like the other space powers — which is used to ‘predict’ threats from debris to Indian satellites.
- NETRA’s eventual goal is to capture the GEO where communication satellites operate.
- The effort would make India a part of international efforts towards tracking, warning about and mitigating space debris.
- Need: Currently there are 15 functional Indian communication satellites in the geostationary orbit of 36,000 km; 13 remote sensing satellites in LEO of up to 2,000 km; and eight navigation satellites in medium earth orbits.
Indian Data Relay Satellite System?
- IDRSS, a new satellite series, is planned to track and be constantly in touch with Indian satellites, in particular those in low-earth orbits which have limited coverage of earth.
- It will be a set of satellites that will track, send and receive information from other Indian Satellites.
- IDRSS satellites of the 2,000 kg class would be launched on the GSLV launcher to geostationary orbits around 36,000 km away.
- A satellite in GEO covers a third of the earth below and three of them can provide total coverage.
- It will also be useful in monitoring launches. The first beneficiary would be the prospective crew members of the Gaganyaan mission of 2022 who can be fully and continuously in touch with mission control throughout their travel.
Xenobots?
- USA created world’s first “living machines” — tiny robots built from the cells of the African clawed frog, that can move around on their own. first time ever, “completely biological machines from the ground up”
- can move toward a target, perhaps pick up a payload (like a medicine that needs to be carried to a specific place inside a patient) — and heal themselves after being cut
- neither a traditional robot nor a known species of animal”, but “a new class of artifact: a living, programmable organism”.
- application: searching out nasty compounds or radioactive contamination, gathering microplastic in the oceans, travelling in arteries to scrape out plaque
GSAT 30?
- India’s telecommunication satellite, in line with INSAT/GSAT satellite series and will replace INSAT-4A in orbit
- GSAT-30 is configured on ISRO’s enhanced I-3K Bus structure to provide communication services from Geostationary orbit.
- launch took place from the Spaceport in French Guiana on LV-Ariane 5 VA-251
- GSAT 30 gives the Indian mainland and islands coverage in the Ku band, and extended coverage in a wider area stretching from Australia to Europe in the lower-frequency C-band.
- The Ku and C bands are part of a spectrum of frequencies, ranging from 1 to 40 gigahertz, that are used in satellite communications.
- GSAT-30 will provide DTH TV Services, connectivity to VSATs [Very Small Aperture Terminals] for ATM, stock exchange, television uplinking and teleport services, Digital Satellite News Gathering (DSNG) and e-governance applications.
Lithium Sulphur battery?
operate in the same way as regular lithium-ion work
Significance:
- This battery that has five times the capacity of a traditional lithium ion battery. It can retain 99 per cent of its charge even after 200 charge cycles.
- Li-S batteries are also many times cheaper than lithium ion batteries that could bring down the cost of electric mobility.
Issues:
- they had an intrinsic problem with the sulphur electrode, which would break after repeated charge cycles, making its superior capacity redundant.
- The sulphur cathode would break because of expansion and contraction during cycles.
- recently, researchers in Australia re-engineered a Li-S battery to overcome this
LIGO- India project?
piloted by Deptt of atomic Energy and DST
LIGO-India project will be jointly coordinated and executed by three Indian research institutions: IUCAA, Pune; DAE-Insti fr Plasma Research, Ganhinagar and Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology (RRCAT), Indore.
LIGO India project aims to move one advanced LIGO detector from Hanford to India.
global LIGO project operates three gravitational-wave (GW) detectors. Two are at Hanford, Washington, north-western US, and one is at Livingston in Louisiana, south-eastern US.
Artemis Mission?
- Artemis Lunar exploration Programme by NASA ; began in 2011
- ARTEMIS stands for Acceleration, Reconnection, Turbulence and Electrodynamics of Moon’s Interaction with the Sun.
- With the Artemis program, NASA will land the first .woman and next man on the Moon by 2024
- The main objective is to measure what happens when the Sun’s radiation hits our rocky moon, where there is no magnetic field to protect it.
- For the Artemis program, NASA’s new rocket called the Space Launch System (SLS) will send astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft a quarter of a million miles away from Earth to the lunar orbit.
- Once astronauts dock Orion at the Gateway — which is a small spaceship in orbit around the moon — the astronauts will be able to live and work around the Moon, and from the spaceship, astronauts will take expeditions to the surface of the Moon.
- The agency will fly two missions around the Moon to test its deep space exploration systems. Artemis 1 is aiming to send an uncrewed spacecraft around the moon using a combination of the never-flown Space Launch System rocket, along with the once-flown Orion spacecraft. NASA hopes to extend the program with the moon-orbiting crewed Artemis 2 mission in 2024, then a landing on Artemis 3 in 2025, ahead of other crewed missions later in the 2020s.
first rover to visit the Moon?
by Russia, in 1959
Uncrewed
Luna1 and 2
East Asian Observatory?
- Formed by EACOA (East Asian Core Observatories Association) for the purpose of pursuing joint projects in astronomy within the East Asian region.
- The intention of EAO is to build and operate facilities, which will enhance and leverage existing and planned regional facilities.
- It will also raise funding and to build an observatory staff, separate from that of the EACOA institutions.
- The EAO is chartered as a non-profit Hawaii corporation.
- Its first task is to assume the operation of the James Clerk Maxwell Submillimetre Telescope (JCMT) on the summit of Maunakea, Hawai`i.
- It consists of China, Japan, Taiwan, Korea as full members and Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia as ‘observers’.
- Implications for India (in talks of joining):
- Having India join the group could mean the establishment of new kinds of telescopes — one proposed being in Tibet — that could aid the observation of new black holes and throw light on cosmic phenomena.
Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property?
- It is a multilateral treaty dealing with the protection of industrial property in the widest sense.
- Administered by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
- Article 6 of the Paris Convention of 1883 protects armorial bearings, flags and other State symbols of the States part to the convention, including official signs, and hallmarks indicating control and warranty adopted by them.
- recent context: KVIC is eyeing international trademark for ‘khadi’ under the Paris Convention for protection of industrial property, to prevent any product from masquerading as ‘khadi’ nationally or globally.
Vyom Mitra?
- It is ISRO’s female-looking spacefaring humanoid robot.
- It will be used for an unmanned flight of ISRO’s GSLV III rocket in December 2020, which, along with a second unmanned flight in July 2021.
- Vyommitra, equipped with a head, two arms and a torso, is built to mimic crew activity inside the crew module of Gaganyaan.
- Functions: Attaining launch and orbital postures, responding to the environment, generating warnings, replacing carbon dioxide canisters, operating switches, monitoring of the crew module, receiving voice commands, responding via speech (bilingual).
NavIC?
Navigation with Indian Constellation
- NavIC is an independent regional navigation satellite system designed to provide position information in the Indian region and 1500 km around the Indian mainland.
- IRNSS would provide two types of services, namely Standard Positioning Services (accuracy: <20m) available to all users and Restricted Services provided to authorised users.
- its constellation will consist of seven satellites. Three of these will be geostationary over the Indian Ocean. four will be geosynchronous – appearing at the same point in the sky at the same time every day.
- Each satellite is being tracked by at least one of fourteen ground stations at any given point of time, with a high chance of most of them being visible from any point in India.
- GPS receivers will not work; need special receivers (yet to be developed)
T/F: Intel recently unveiled chipsets supporting the IRNSS-NavIC.
F
by Qualcomm
Archaea?
- They are a primitive group of microorganisms that thrive in extreme habitats such as hot springs, cold deserts and hypersaline lakes.
- These slow-growing organisms are also present in the human gut, and have a potential relationship with human health.
- They are known for producing antimicrobial molecules, and for anti-oxidant activity with applications in eco-friendly waste-water treatment.
- Scientists have reported a new archaeon discovered in Sambhar salt lake. It has been named Natrialba swarupiae, after Dr Renu Swarup, secretary, Department of Biotechnology.
accretion burst event?
- Astronomers have recently found that the funnelling of matter into a forming star happens at different rates over time, as per the rotating disc of gas and dust theory.
- Sometimes the forming star swallows up a huge amount of matter, resulting in a burst of activities in the massive star.
- This is called an accretion burst event.
- It is incredibly rare: only three such events have been observed, out of all the billions of massive stars in the Milky Way.
- With rotatin disc theory, the astronomers will be able to develop and test theories to explain how high-mass stars gain their mass.
Maser Monitoring Organisation (M2O)?
After the first detection of an accretion burst, in 2016, astronomers from around the world agreed in 2017 to coordinate their efforts to observe more.
This led to the formation of the Maser Monitoring Organisation (M2O).
The primary goal of M2O is to make the atronomy community aware of the importance of Maser monitoring. It is also to increase the number of sources monitored, the number of transitions monitored at, and increase cadence of observation.
Genome editing: types of editing?
- small dna changes
- removal of a section of DNA
- insertion of section of DNA: After the DNA has been cut, a modified piece of DNA similar in sequence to the site of the cut is introduced. The cell uses the modified piece of DNA as the template to repair the break, filling the break with a copy of the new DNA
LiDAR Technology?
- LiDAR is a remote sensing technology that uses light in the form of a pulsed laser to measure ranges (distances) to a target.
- These light pulses—combined with other data recorded by the airborne system— generate precise, three-dimensional information about the shape of the Earth and its surface characteristics.
- It is similar to radar and sonar (that use radio and sound waves, respectively)
- A lidar instrument principally consists of a laser, a scanner, and a specialized GPS receiver
- Two types of lidar are topographic and bathymetric.
- Topographic lidar typically uses a near-infrared laser to map the land.
- Bathymetric lidar uses water-penetrating green light to also measure seafloor and riverbed elevations
- LiDAR surveys can also be use dto map the water requirements in regions as was done recently by WAPCOS, a PSU under min of Jal shakti, i forest areas on assam, bihar, CHH, Goa, JH etc. The survey helped in identifying areas which need GW recharge and recommend water conservation strategies
Trojan Asteroids?
These asteroids are believed to be the remnants of the early solar system, and studying them will help scientists understand its origins and evolution, and why it looks the way it does.
- The Trojan asteroids are believed to be formed from the same material that led to the formation of planets nearly 4 billion years ago when the solar system was formed.
Asteroids are divided into three categories.
First, those found in the main asteroid belt, between Mars and Jupiter. This region is estimated to contain somewhere between 1.1-1.9 million asteroids.
The second group is that of trojans (the name comes from Greek mythology), which are asteroids that share an orbit with a larger planet. NASA reports the presence of Jupiter, Neptune and Mars trojans. In 2011, they reported an Earth trojan as well.
The Jupiter asteroids can be found in what are referred to as “swarms” that lead and follow the planet Jupiter along its orbit around the Sun. ‘Lucy’ will reach the first swarm of these asteroids that precede Jupiter by August 2027.
The third classification of asteroids is under Near-Earth Asteroids (NEA), which has orbits that pass close to the Earth. Those that cross the Earth’s orbit are called Earth-crossers. More than 10,000 such asteroids are known, of which over 1,400 are classified as potentially hazardous asteroids (PHAs).
Types of Atm Jet Engines?
Cryogenic jet engines vs Sceamjet engines?
Genome Sequencing?
- Genomics involves the sequencing and analysis of genomes through uses of high throughput DNA sequencing.
- DNA Sequencing is the method that determines the order of the four nucleotides bases (adenine, thymine, cytosine, and guanine) that make up the DNA molecule and convey important genetic information.
Blockchain: how does it operate?
- The technology allows transactions to be simultaneously anonymous and secure, peer-to-peer, instant and frictionless.
- It does this by distributing trust from powerful intermediaries to a large global network, which through mass collaboration, clever code and cryptography, enables a tamper-proof public ledger of every transaction that’s ever happened on the network.
- A block is the “current” part of a blockchain which records some or all of the recent transactions, and once completed, goes into the blockchain as permanent database.
- Each time a block gets completed, a new block is generated. Blocks are linked to each other (like a chain) in proper linear, chronological order with every block containing a hash of the previous block.
- Blockchain derives its name from the digital databases or ledgers where information is stored as “blocks’’ that are coupled together forming “chains”. An exact copy of the blockchain is available to each of the multiple computers or users who are joined together in a network and any new information added or altered via a new block is to be vetted and approved by over half the total users.
Cryptobiosis?
Also known as anabiosis, it is a metabolic state of life entered by an organism in response to adverse environmental conditions such as desiccation, freezing, and oxygen deficiency.
- In the cryptobiotic state, all measurable metabolic processes stop, preventing reproduction, development, and repair.
- When environmental conditions return to being hospitable, the organism will return to its metabolic state of life as it was prior to the cryptobiosis.
