MOST PROBABLE TOPICS – PART 12

1. Plasma Therapy

‘Plasma’ is the liquid component in the blood that carries antibodies, hormones and various nutrients across the body.
Plasma is the largest part of blood. It, makes up more than half (about 55%) of its overall content. When separated from the rest of the blood, plasma is a light yellow liquid. Plasma carries water, salts and enzymes.
The main role of plasma is to take nutrients, hormones, and proteins to the parts of the body that need it. Cells also put their waste products into the plasma. The plasma then helps remove this waste from the body. Blood plasma also carries all parts of the blood through your circulatory system.
Convalescent Plasma is the plasma collected from people who were infected and have made a complete recovery; these people develop antibodies which are of vital importance. Antibodies are proteins used by the body to fight off infections and thus provide immunity to those who have beaten Covid-19. The plasma of these patients is transfused into the blood of patients are fighting Covid-19.
Convalescent Plasma Therapy is reported to help patients who are at higher risk, such as those with comorbidities like heart disease or Diabetes, or those who have weakened immune systems.

2. N 95 Masks

N: This is a Respirator Rating Letter Class. It stands for “Non-Oil” meaning that if no oil-based particulates are present, then you can use the mask in the work environment. Other masks ratings are R (resistant to oil for 8 hours) and P (oil proof).

95: Masks ending in a 95, have a 95 percent efficiency. Masks ending in a 99 have a 99 percent efficiency. Masks ending in 100 are 99.97 percent efficient and that is the same as a HEPA quality filter.

.3 microns: The masks filter out contaminants like dusts, mists and fumes. The minimum size of .3 microns of particulates and large droplets won’t pass through the barrier.

Material: The filtration material on the mask is an electrostatic non-woven polypropylene fibre.

3. Gaofen-9 05

China successfully launched a new optical remote-sensing satellite from its Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China on Sunday.
The satellite, Gaofen-9 05, was sent into orbit by a Long March-2D carrier rocket.

4. T Cells

T cells are so called because they are predominantly produced in the thymus.
They recognise foreign particles (antigen) by a surface expressed, highly variable, T cell receptor (TCR).
There are two major types of T cells: the helper T cell and the cytotoxic T cell.
As the names suggest, helper T cells ‘help’ other cells of the immune system, whilst cytotoxic T cells kill virally infected cells and tumours.
The severity of disease can depend on the strength of these T cell responses.

5. Thwaites Glacier

Thwaites Glacier is 120 km wide, fast-moving glacier located in Antarctica.
Because of its size (1.9 lakh square km), it contains enough water to raise the world sea level by more than half a metre.
Its melting already contributes 4% to global sea-level rise each year. It is estimated that it would collapse into the sea in 200-900 years.
- Studies have found the amount of ice flowing out of it has nearly doubled over the past 30 years.
It is important for Antarctica as it slows the ice behind it from freely flowing into the ocean. Because of the risk it faces — and poses — Thwaites is often called the Doomsday Glacier.
Recently, a new study has detected the presence of warm water at a vital point beneath the Thwaites glacier as the cause of its melting.

6. Merger of 2 Unequal Black Holes

The gravitational wave observatories at Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) have detected a merger of two unequal-mass black holes for the first time.
The event, dubbed GW190412, was observed on 12th April, 2019. The event came almost five years after the first ever detection of gravitational wave signals by LIGO detectors.
GW190412: It involved the merger of two black holes weighing approximately 8 and 30 Solar masses, respectively. The merger took place at a distance of 2.5 billion light years away.

7. Baby Milky Way/ SPT0418–47

A galaxy, called SPT0418–47, has been discovered recently and is so far away that it took billions of years for its light to reach Earth and so our image of it is from deep in the past.

A golden halo glinting 12 billion light-years away is the farthest galaxy resembling our Milky Way yet spotted. This was when the Universe was 1.4 billion years old.

The “baby” SPT0418-47 was picked up by the powerful Alma radio telescope in Chile using a technique called gravitational lensing.

8. MOSAiC

The Multidisciplinary Drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) is an international research expedition to study the physical, chemical, and biological processes that coupled the Arctic atmosphere, sea ice, ocean, and ecosystem.

MOSAiC is the first year-round expedition into the central Arctic exploring the Arctic climate system.
The results of MOSAiC will contribute to enhance understanding of the regional and global consequences of Arctic climate change and sea-ice loss and improve weather and climate predictions.
The project has been designed by an international consortium of leading polar research institutions, under the umbrella of the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC).

9.NASA launches Mars rover Perseverance

NASA launched Mars rover Perseverance to look for signs of ancient life.
This is the world’s third and final Mars launch of the summer (UAE’s Hope Probe and China’s Tianwen-1)
Perseverance will aim for treacherous unexplored territory: Jezero Crater, riddled with boulders, cliffs, dunes and possibly rocks bearing signs of microbes from what was once a lake more than 3 billion years ago.
Perseverance is the largest, heaviest and the most sophisticated vehicle NASA has ever sent to Mars.

10. LiDAR

LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) is a remote sensing method that uses light in the form of a pulsed laser to measure ranges & variable distances.
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.
A LiDAR instrument principally consists of a laser, a scanner, and a specialized GPS receiver.
Airplanes and helicopters are the most commonly used platforms for acquiring LiDAR data over broad areas.

Applications:

LiDAR is used for agriculture, hydrology and water management systems
and geology-related applications.
It is also used in archaeology.

Source- The Hindu

11. KURMA App

KURMA is a mobile-based application aimed at turtle conservation. It was launched on the occasion of World Turtle Day (23^rd May).
It is developed by the Indian Turtle Conservation Action Network (ITCAN) in collaboration with the Turtle Survival Alliance-India and Wildlife Conservation Society-India.
The KURMA App has a built-in digital field guide covering 29 species of freshwater turtles and tortoise of India, and information on turtle identification, distribution, vernacular names, and threats.

12. Faults

A fault is a fracture or zone of fractures between two blocks of rock.

Faults allow the blocks to move relative to each other.
This movement may occur rapidly, in the form of an earthquake – or may occur slowly, in the form of creep.
Previously unknown faults at the foot of the Himalaya discovered.

Faults are related to the movement of Earth’s tectonic plates. The biggest faults mark the boundary between two plates.

There are three kinds of faults:

Strike-slip: indicate rocks are sliding past each other horizontally, with little to no vertical movement. Both the San Andreas and Anatolian Faults are strike-slip.
Normal fault: create space. Two blocks of crust pull apart, stretching the crust into a valley. The Basin and Range Province in North America and the East African Rift Zone are two well-known regions where normal faults are spreading apart Earth’s crust.
Thrust (reverse) faults: slide one block of crust on top of another. These faults are commonly found in collisions zones, where tectonic plates push up mountain ranges such as the Himalayas and the Rocky Mountains.

Strike-slip faults are usually vertical, while normal and reverse faults are often at an angle to the surface of the Earth.

Recently, geologists discovered a series of faults at the foot of the Himalaya.

13.Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO) project

It is a massive observatory for detecting cosmic gravitational waves and for carrying out experiments.
The objective is to use gravitational-wave observations in astronomical studies.
LIGO- India project: It is piloted by Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and Department of Science and Technology (DST).

14. IN-SPACe

Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre
IN-SPACe will be an autonomous nodal agency under the Department of Space.
It is expected to be functional within 6 months (from June 2020).
IN-SPACe is supposed to be a facilitator and a regulator.
It will act as an interface between ISRO and private parties.
It will provide the necessary support for the private space industry to conduct its activities.
IN-SPACe will assess the needs and demands of private players including educational and research institutions.
It will explore ways to accommodate these requirements in consultation with ISRO.
It will also assess how best to utilise India’s space resources and increase space-based activities.
Existing ISRO infrastructure, scientific and technical resources and even data are planned to be made accessible to interested parties.
[The infrastructure includes both ground- and space-based.]

15. Probiotics

Probiotics are live microorganisms that are intended to have health benefits when consumed or applied to the body. They can be found in yogurt and other fermented foods, dietary supplements, and beauty products.
Some bacteria help digest food, destroy disease-causing cells, or produce vitamins. Many of the microorganisms in probiotic products are the same as or similar to microorganisms that naturally live in our bodies.
Probiotics may contain a variety of microorganisms. The most common are bacteria that belong to groups called Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. Other bacteria may also be used as probiotics, and so may yeasts such as Saccharomyces boulardii.

16. Creative Destruction

It is a process through which something new brings about the demise of whatever existed before it.
Joseph Schumpeter, an Austrian-American economist, developed the concept of creative destruction from the
works of Karl Marx.
The term is most often used to describe disruptive
technologies such as the railroads or, in our own time, the Internet.

17. Examples of Govt Intervention in Markets

1. Essential Commodities Act (ECA), 1955
2. Drug Price Controls Under ECA
3. Government Intervention In Grain Markets,eg MSP
4. Debt Waivers

18. Public Sector Banks vs Private Sector Banks Comparison

Frauds and NPAs– PSBs fare worse than NPSBs
Return on assets (ROA)– Private banks are better.
Bank Credit Growth– Private sector fares better

So PSBs perform worse on all above parameters.

19. Modes of Disinvestment followed by Government

The Government has been following an active policy on disinvestment in CPSEs through the various modes :-

Disinvestment through minority stake sale in listed CPSEs to achieve minimum public shareholding norms of 25 per cent. While pursuing disinvestment of CPSEs, the Government will retain majority shareholding, i.e., at least 51 per cent and management control of the Public Sector Undertakings;
Listing of CPSEs to facilitate people’s ownership and improve the efficiency of companies through accountability to its stake holders – As many as 57 PSUs are now listed with total market capitalisation of over ` 13 lakh crore.
Strategic Disinvestment – involves sale of substantial portion of Government shareholding in identified Central PSEs (CPSEs) up to 50 per cent or more, along with transfer of management control.
Buy-back of shares by large PSUs having huge surplus;
Merger and acquisitions among PSUs in the same sector;
Launch of exchange traded funds (ETFs) – an equity instrument that tracks a particular index. The CPSE ETF is made up of equity investments in India’s major public sector companies like ONGC, REC, Coal India, Container Corp, Oil India, Power Finance, GAIL, BEL, EIL, Indian Oil and NTPC; and
Monetization of select assets of CPSEs to improve their balance sheet/reduce their debts and to meet part of their capital expenditure requirements.

20. Major Reasons for Decline in Global Output Growth in 2019

Protectionist tendencies of China and the USA and rising USA-Iran geopolitical tensions.
In particular, global production in automobile industry fell sharply due to a decline in demand, which was caused by changes in technology and emission standards in many countries.
Muted inflation in advanced and emerging economies reflecting a slack in consumer demand.
Drop in growth of manufacturing exports from major economies.
Increasing trade barriers as well as trade uncertainty stemming from growing trade tensions also weakened business confidence and further limited trade.

21. Vyom Mitra

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) unveiled its first ‘woman’ astronaut, named Vyom Mitra who will ride to space in the first test flight of the human space mission, Gaganyaan.
She is half-humanoid . She is capable of switching panel operations, performing Environment Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS) functions, conversations with the astronauts, recognising them and solving their queries.
She will simulate the human functions required for space before real astronauts take off before August 2022. She will be sent in a space capsule around the end of 2020 or early 2021 to study how astronauts respond to living outside earth in controlled zero-gravity conditions.

22. Contempt of Court

Contempt of court is one of the reasonable restrictions on freedom of speech and expression under Article 19(2).
Article 129 of the Constitution conferred on the Supreme Court the power to punish contempt of itself.
Article 215 conferred a corresponding power on the High Courts.
Article 142(2) says that when any law is made by the Parliament on the provisions mentioned in clause 1 of this Article, the Supreme Court has all the power to make an order for securing any person’s attendance, production of any documents or has the power to give punishment to anyone for its contempt.
The Contempt of Court Act, 1971, outlines the procedure in relation to investigation and punishment for contempt.
The Act divides contempt into civil and criminal contempt.
- Civil contempt refers to the willful disobedience of an order of any court.
- Criminal contempt includes any act or publication which:
  - Scandalises the court,
  - Prejudices any judicial proceeding
  - Interferes with the administration of justice in any other manner.

23. Mission Karmayogi

It aims to make Indian Civil Servant more creative, constructive, imaginative, innovative, proactive, professional, progressive, energetic, enabling, transparent and technology-enabled.
NPCSCB will be for capacity building for Civil Servants so that they remain entrenched in Indian Culture and sensibilities and also learn from the best institutions and practices across the world.

24. Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative

The Indo-Pacific Initiative was proposed by PM Modi for a safe and secure maritime at the East Asia Summit. This indicates that India is ready to play a bigger role in the region where China has been pushing its military assertiveness.
IPOI was launched by India in 2019 and its pillars include enhancing maritime security, promoting free, fair and mutually beneficial trade and maritime transport
and enhancing science and technology cooperation.

25. South African Customs Union

India and SACU revived discussion for Preferential Trade Agreement .
SACU is a customs union comprising Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa & Eswatini
(Swaziland).
It is world`s oldest custom union, whose formation dates back to 1910.

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