GK today S&T

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its space shuttle program in July 2012. It was left no other option it lacked

funding for development of private vessels by US companies like Boeing and

Space-X over the last five years.

Asia’s biggest telescope MAST inaugurated at Udaipur Solar Observatory in

Rajasthan

Multi-Application Solar Telescope (MAST), Asia’s biggest telescope was

inaugurated at the Udaipur Solar Observatory in Rajasthan. It was

inaugurated by Professor U.R Rao, Chairman of Physical Research Laboratory,

inaugurated. Facts about of MAST The telescope was installed under the

projectundertaken by Union Ministry of Science and Technology and was

funded by Department of Space (DoS). The project will be monitored by Ahmedabad based Physical Research Laboratory.

Features: MAST has a lens of 50 cm in diameter. These lenses were developed

on the basis of optical and mechanical system ofBelgium. The rear part of MAS

has been developed by the observatory while its front part was developed by

the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). MAST has been designed in

2004 and its optical elements were added to it in 2008. In 2013, it was

installed at the Udaipur Solar Observatory.

Applications:It will provide 3 Dimensional (3D) images of solar activities such

as solar blast and solar flares. It will also in vital studies about other planetary

movements even in the day time.

Site Specifications: Udaipur Solar Observatory was chosen as project site dueto pleasant temperature around it as it is surrounded by water. Besides, the

site provides ambient spot for observatory as it has more than 250 days of

continuous sunshine, allowing observing the sun properly during day time.

India foils UK Company’s bid to patent its traditional knowledge for treating

hair loss


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India has foiled UK based company Pangaea Laboratories Limited’s bid to

patent use of pine bark, turmeric and tea for treating hair loss. India was able

to protect its traditional knowledge after Traditional Knowledge Digital Library

(TKDL), a unit of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) had filed

pre-grant opposition against UK based company along with prior-art evidences

using these 3 natural ingredients. In February 2011, Pangaea Laboratories

Limited had filed patent application at European Patent office (EPO) on a

medicinal composition for treating hair loss which mainly contained pine bark,

turmeric and green tea. It should be noted in Indian systems of medicine like

Ayurveda and Unani, it has been proved that above three natural ingredients

are being used as a treatment for hair loss, since ancient times. Till date TKDL

under the aegis of CSIR has achieved success in protecting India’s traditional

knowledge in about 200 such cases without any cost. Earlier, TKDL also had

foiled an attempt of Colgate-Palmolive Company to patent a mouthwashformula containing herb extract from Nutmeg- Jayaphal which is traditionally

used in India as medicine to cure oral diseases.

New frog species named ‘Indirana Salelkari’ discovered in Goa

Wildlife researchers have discovered new frog species in Netravali forest

sanctuary of Goa.

The discovered species has been christened as ‘Indirana Salelkari’ after

Netravali Range Forest Officer Prakash Salelkar for his contribution to

conservation of wildlife.

Sri Lanka inks MoU with Google to launch Project Google Loon

As per the MoU, Google will place 13 high-altitude balloons over the island

nation to provide affordable high-speed 3G (3rd Generation) internet services to

the entire country. It is also expected that this project will provide free Wi-Fi

connectivity across Sri Lanka.

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Successful implementation of this project will make Sri Lanka the first country

in the world to have Internet access covering the whole country with the

government support.

Google Loon project: It is Google’s ambitious research and development

project with the mission of providing Internet access to rural and remote areas.

Under this project, Google will install high altitude ‘floating telecom tower’

balloons in the sky which will provide full broadband internet coverage.

These balloons have transceivers which can connect to cell phone networks

filling gaps in their networks especially in remote areas such as mountains and

deserts.

South Korea declares end of MERS outbreak

Facts about Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS)

• MERS belongs to the family ofcoronaviruses which includes large family

of viruses such as common cold and Severe acute respiratory syndrome

(SARS).

• It was discovered in 2012 and was mostly centred in Saudi Arabia.

• Source: MERS is a betacoronavirus derived from bats. Camels have

shown to have antibodies to MERS, but the exact source of infection in camels

has not been identified.

• Transmission: It can be transmitted from infected person to others after

close contact via a respiratory route.

• It spread’s in droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes.

• Symptoms: fever, breathing problems, pneumonia and kidney failure.

• Treatment: Till date there is no vaccine available to prevent it. However,

intensive medical care can help patient to breath.

28 July: World Hepatitis Day

World Hepatitis Day is being observed every year on July 28 around the globe.

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Focus of the day: To spread awareness about viral hepatitis, that causes acute

and chronic disease and kills around 1.4 million people every year. It also seeks

to encourage diagnosis, prevention and treatment of Hepatitis.

2015 Theme-Prevent Hepatitis: It’s up to You.

About World Hepatitis Day

• It is being observed since 2010 and is one of the 8 official global public

health campaigns marked by the World Health Organization (WHO).

• WHO in May 2010 had passed resolution for observance of this day on

viral hepatitis which provides official endorsement. Prior to this, World

Hepatitis Alliance (WHA) had launched campaign in concern of chronic viral

hepatitis in 2008.

• 28 July was chosen to mark the birthday ofProfessor Baruch Blumberg.

He had discovered hepatitis B virus and was awarded with the Nobel Prize in

Physiology or Medicine (1976) for this discovery.

What is Hepatitis?

Hepatitis name has derived from Greek word ‘Hepar’ meaning liver and ‘itis’

meaning inflammation. Thus, it is a medical condition in which there occurs

inflammation of liver cells and its complications vary with the type of infection.

What are different types of Hepatitis?

There are 5 types of hepatitis viz. A, B, C, D and E. Each type is caused by a

different hepatitis virus.

What causes Hepatitis?

It is mostly caused by a group of viruses called hepatitis viruses and also be

caused by intoxicants like drugs, alcohol, chemicals and other infections and

autoimmune diseases.

China launches two new Navigational Satellites into space

China launched two new navigational satellites into space as part of its

domestic navigation systemBeiDou (meaning Compass).

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The 18th and 19th satellites (of total constellation of 35 satellites) were

successfully launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in

southwestern Sichuan province.

About BeiDou Satellite Navigation System

• BeiDou is 2nd generation of the Chinese navigational system seen as

rival to the US’s Global Positioning System (GPS).

• Comprises constellation of total 35 satellites in two separate satellite

constellations viz. limited test system (operational since 2000) and a full-scale

global navigation system which is currently under construction.

• Became operational in China in December 2011, with the constellation of

10 satellites. In December 2012, it began offering services to customers in the

Asia-Pacific region and on its completion in 2020, it will provide services to

global customers.

• Applications:Currently it used for civilian services in field of navigation,

messaging, transportation and weather forecasting sectors. It also has military

applications.

China successfully tests 5th generation Long March carrier rocket

China has successfully tested the power system of Long March-5, a fifth

generation of carrier rocket belonging to China’s Long March family of rockets.

This announcement was after Long March-5 rocket carrier, entered a runoff

phase.

Facts about Long March- 5th Generation

• Long March-5 has the carrying capacity twice of the payload compared to

other present carriers of China.

• It has payload capacity of 14 tonnes to geostationary transfer orbit and

25 tonnes to low Earth orbits.

•

It will serve the final chapter in building China’s manned space stationsand 3 step current program of orbiting, landing and returning lunar.

Long March-5 is scheduled for flight in 2016 and its capacity will be equivalent

to that of mainstream carrier rockets presently used around the world.

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About Long March rocket family

It should be noted that since 1970s, the Long March rocket family of China has

completed more than 200 missions. China’s first satellite, Dong Fang Hong (the

East is Red)-1 was successfully put into Earth orbit by Long March-1 on 24

April 1970 (after one failed attempt in November 1969).

India earns $100 million by launching 45 foreign satellites: Government

India has earned about US 100 million dollars by launching 45 commercial

foreign satellites from 19 countries.

The revenue was earned by Antrix, the commercial arm of the Indian SpaceResearch Organisation (ISRO).

This information was given by Union Science and Technology Minister Jitendra

Singh in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.

It was also announced this revenue from the commercial space missions will

further grow with launch of 28 foreign satellites between 2015 and 2017. In

this regard Antrix has signed agreements with six countries viz. Algeria,

Canada, Germany, Indonesia, Singapore and US.

Apart from this, the minister also informed that ISRO has launched 72

indigenous satellites from Satish Dhawan space centre, Sriharikota in Andhra

Pradesh using indigenous launch vehicles viz. Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle

(PSLV). In addition, ISRO also has successfully launched four micro and nano

satellites built by students of Indian universities. In future six indigenous

satellites are also to be launched by Mach 2016.

July 23: National Broadcasting Day

Every year July 23 is observed asNational Broadcasting day. On this day in

1927, Indian Broadcasting Company (IBC) began organized radio

broadcasting from Bombay station.

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To mark the occasion, All India Radio (AIR) had organized a symposium on the

subject Creation of New India and Broadcasting Medium in New Delhi.

Radio Broadcasting in India

In India, radio broadcasting began during the British rule in 1923 under the

imitative of theRadio Club of Bombay.

Later in 1927, IBC which was a private entity was granted permission by

British Government to operate two radio stations in Mumbai (then Bombay)

and Kolkata (then Calcutta). Since then it has gained immense popularity and

had changed the socio-economic life of people.

In 1930, British Government took over radio broadcasting and started the

Indian State Broadcasting Service (ISBS). Later it was changed to All IndiaRadio (AIR) in 1936 and Akashwani in 1957.

Present Scenario: Currently, AIR is one of the largest public broadcasting

organisations in the world.It is largest in terms of the spectrum of socio-

economic, the number of languages of broadcasts and cultural diversity it

serves.

AIR service now comprises around 414 stations located across the country

with reach to the 99.19 per cent of the total population and 92 per cent of the

country’s area in 23 languages and 146 dialects.

ISRO successfully test-fires GSLV-Mark III rocket engine

ISRO has successfully test-fired Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle

(GSLV) Mark III project’s high-thrust cryogenic rocket engine.

It is India’s first indigenously designed and developed high-thrustcryogenic rocket engine capable of generating a nominal thrust of 19

tonnes.

Test:It was conducted at ISRO’s Propulsion Complex atMahendragiri in

Tamil Nadu for 800 seconds time frame which produces 25 per cent more

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thrust than the burn duration of the engine during flight. The test meet all its

parameters.

About high-thrust cryogenic rocket engine

The engine operates on Gas Generator Cycle. It uses extremely low temperature

propellants such as Liquid Hydrogen at -2530 C and Liquid Oxygen at -1930C.

Integration and assembly of the engine and its testing were carried out in ISRO

Propulsion Complex (IPRC), a unit of ISRO.

Applications

This high-thrust cryogenic rocket engine will used to power Cryogenic stage

(C25) i.e. the upper stage of the next generation GSLV Mk-III rockets. The

rockets are aimed at carrying four-tonne payloads, including future manned

missions.

This successful test will help ISRO to master this complex, high-performance

cryogenic propulsion technology which will further help in building self-

reliance for the Indian space programme

Two new plant species discovered in Western Ghats

Two new plant species were discovered in Edmalayalar, Pooyamkutty-

Adamalayar and Neriamangalam forest regions of Western Ghats in Ernakulam

district of Kerala.

The discovered species have been christened as Vellithumpa and Eriocaulon

manoharanii.

They were discovered by a team of researchers led by Professor C.N. Sunil

during investigations conducted as part of a UGC-sponsored project on theflowering plants.

IIT Bombay, Nehru Science Centre launch ‘Internet for All’ Mobile Science

Exhibition

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Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Bombay and Nehru Science Centre have

launched a pilot project “Internet for All” in its Mobile Science Exhibition Bus

in Mumbai.

It was launched under the aegis of the Union Government’s flagship ‘Digital

India’ campaign.

The Mobile Science Exhibition Bus was launched with theme “Internet for All’

which aimed atcreating awareness about the power of internet. It is

basically science exhibitions on wheels in which 20 theme based exhibition

models which are mounted on specially designed Buses.

The fully equipped exhibition bus willtravel to rural areas and provide hands

on internet experience to all the students in rural schools. The aim of this

initiative is to take Science to the door steps of rural school children and toenthuse students to take up careers in Science and Technology.

Under this initiative, students will be provided few Aakash tablets during

interaction session with volunteers to showcase the power of internet and its

uses for the society.

CERN’s LHC discovers new class of particles called Pentaquarks

Scientists at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC) have discovered a new class

of exotic subatomic particles called thePentaquarks.

The discovery was made by the scientist’s after watching the decaying of a

subatomic type particle known as theLambda B baryon.

Facts about Pentaquark

• Pentaquark was first predicted to exist in the 1960s and its name was

coined by Israeli theoretical physicist Harry J. Lipkin.• It is a particle consisting of five quarks (any of a group of subatomic

particles carrying a fractional electric charge) bounded together.

• These qauarks are elementary particles that exist in six variations

known as flavors having unusual names ofup, down, top, bottom, strange

and charm.

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• These elementary particles bind together in different combinations to

form a range of composite particles.Most commonly known combinations

are neutrons and protons, consisting of three quarks each.

• Applications: This discovery will allow physicists to understand

the quantum chromodynamics (i.e. study of strong fundamental forcedescribing the interactions between quarks and gluons which make up proton,

neutron and pion).

• In addition, it might help to shed light on the physics of neutron stars.

Note:In 1964, US physicist Murray Gell-Mann had revolutionised the

understanding of the structure of matter. He had proposed that a category of

particles known as baryons, which includes protons and neutrons and three

fractionally charged objects called quarks. For this work Gell-Mann was

awarded Nobel Prize in physics in 1969.

Volcanic eruptions slow down Global Warming: Study

As per recently published study in the journal Nature Communications,

Volcanic eruptions by injecting particulates into the atmosphere may have

slowed down global warming.

The study was based upon research of a team of international researchers

including Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) scientists.Key facts from study

• During the last 10 years volcanic aerosols have acted as a natural

umbrella to slow down global warming from release of anthropogenic

greenhouse gases (GHGs).

• The global concentration of GHGs in the atmosphere has continuously

increased over the past decade but due to volcanic aerosols the mean global

surface temperature has not increased indicating negative climate forcing

effect.

•

In the years 2008-2011, volcanic aerosol particles have reflected theincoming solar radiation twice in the lowest part of the stratosphere than

previously thought.

• However, the frequent volcanic eruptions and the subsequent cooling

effect is only temporary phenomenon. Thus, the temperature rise will speed up

again.

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• The study had used the data from the tropopause region located up to 35

km altitude in the atmosphere.

Tropopause: It is region of transition layer between the wet weather layer with

clouds (troposphere) at lower level and the dry and cloud-free layer

(stratosphere) above it.In the Tropapause temperature is constant whereas in troposphere it decreases

with increase in altitude and in stratosphere it increases with altitude.

Union Government launches GAGAN, aviation navigation system

Union Government has launched GPS-Aided Geo Augmented Navigation

(GAGAN) system, for aviation navigation. It was launched by Union Civil

Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju in New Delhi.

Facts about GAGAN system

• Jointly developed by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and

Airports Authority of India ( AAI).

• It will provide augmentation service forGPS over the India, Bay of

Bengal, South-east Asia and Middle East along with expansion up to

Africa.

• The system with the help of reference and uplink station will provide

corrections to the GPS signal in order to improve air traffic management.

• It is 10 times more precise compared to GPS and radio navigation aids

used for precision landing.

• Presently, GAGAN Payload is already operational throughGSAT-8 and

GSAT-10 satellites. The 3rd payload will be carried onboardGSAT-15 satellite

to be launched October 2015.

• Benefits: It will make airline operations more efficient by increasing fuel

savings, direct routes, ease of search and rescue operations, reduced workload

of flight crew and Air Traffic Controllers and cost savings due to withdrawal of

ground aids.

With this launch, India became the fourth nation in the world to have inter-

operable Satellite Based Augmentation System (SBAS) after US, Europe and

Japan. It should be noted that GAGAN is the first SBAS system in the world to

serve the equatorial region.

Four Indian scientists receive William Harvey Award 2015

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Four Indian scientists from the Aligarh based Jawaharlal Nehru Medical

College (JNMC) under Aligarh Muslim University have jointly awarded the

prestigious William Harvey Award 2015.

They were selected for this award in the field ofHematology for their work in

the rare Hemoglobin C (Hb C) disease.

Recipients of Award are

• Saeedul Hasan Arif

• Kafeel Akhtar.

• Shagufta Qadri.

• Suhailur Rahman.

Hemoglobin C disease

This disease is widely prevalent in West African and Mediterranean countries

and not common in the Indian sub-continent. Those afflicted from this disease

suffer nutritional anaemia and do not respond to the treatment.

About William Harvey Award

The award is named for scientist William Harvey (1578- 1657). It is given by the

American Society of Hypertension.

Mr. Harvey has pioneered in development of first accurate account of how the

heart and circulatory system operated.

ISRO successfully launches PSLV-C28 carrying 5 UK satellites

ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) C-28 on 10 July 2015 successfully

put five satellites of United Kingdom into designated orbits.

They were successfully put designated into orbit after its lift off from first

launch pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikotta, Andhra Pradesh.

For this mission, ISRO had used high-end XL version of PSLV as it was

its biggest and heaviest commercial launch with overall lift-off mass of all 5

satellites was 1,440 kg .

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Five satellites are:

• Constellation of 3 identical DMC3 Satellites: Three satellites

comprised of DMC3-1, DMC3-2 and DMC3-3, all weighing around 447-kg.

They are designed for simultaneous high temporal and high spatial resolution

optical Earth observation.

• Application: Surveying the resources on earth, urban infrastructure

management and monitoring of disasters.

• CBNT-1: It is an optical Earth Observation technology demonstration

micro satellite, weighing around 91 kg. .

• De-OrbitSail:It is an experimental nano satellite. It will be used for the

demonstration of large thin membrane sail and drag deorbiting using this sail.

All of the five satellites belonged to UK’s Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL).

They were launched as part commercial launch arrangement between SSTL

and ANTRIX, the commercial arm of ISRO.

PSLV C-28 XL

• For this mission four-stage PSLV-C28 was used as launch vehicle, which

is high-end ‘XL’ version of PSLV.

It comprised of new designs consisting of circular launcher adaptor

i.e. L-adaptor and a triangular deck called Multiple Satellite Adapter-

Version 2 (MSA-V2).

• It was specially designed by ISRO to overcome the tough task of

mounting the three DMC3 satellites in launch vehicle as each was having

height of about 3m.

It was PSLV’s overall 30th flight and 29th consecutive successful launch and

9th flight of PSLV in ‘XL’ configuration.

Uttarakhand gets India’s first earthquake early warning system

Uttarakhand became first Indian state to install a system to detect earthquakes

and disseminate warnings.

The first system has been installed in its capitalDehradun which will issue

warnings 1-40 seconds before earthquakes of magnitude 5 or more occur.

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The system is designed and manufactured byItalian firm, Space Dynamics

which already has installed it in Japan, Italy and US.

Features of earthquake early warning

• The system is incorporated with sensors which are capable to detect P

(Primary) and S (Secondary) wavesgenerated during an earthquake.• It is capable to detect the harmless P wave, which travels faster than the

S wave for advance warning.

• The system has the earliest detection among those currently in use

worldwide.

The second system will be established at Pithoragarh in the Kumaon region of

Uttarakhand.

According to the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), Uttarakhand falls

under seismic zone V i.e. High-Risk Seismic Zone. Apart from it, Jammu and

Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Rann of Kutch (Gujarat), Northern Bihar and Andaman & Nicobar Islands also fall under this seismic zone.

Microsoft to develop digital villages, cyber-security centre in Maharashtra

Software giant Microsoft has agreed to develop ‘digital villages’ and a ‘smart

MIDC’ (industrial colony) in Maharashtra under state’s flagship ‘Make In

Maharashtra’ initiative.

It was announced by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis after he met MicrosoftCEO Satya Nadella during his visit to company’s office in Seattle, US. The

location of the smart MIDC is yet to be decided.

Microsoft will also set up cyber-security centre in Maharashtra’s IT hub Pune

and also agreed to adopt a tribal village in Melghat district in order to provide

‘tertiary health services’.

Both sides also discussed application of cloud services to MSMEs and

technological solutions for implementing Right to Service Act. Microsoft will

also help state government develop ‘Safe Maharashtra’ mobile application to

provide security to vulnerable people by tracking them.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis also met Boeing CEO Raymond Conner and

discussed expansion of MRO operations at its plant in the industrial facility of

Multi-modal International Cargo Hub and Airport (MIHAN) in Nagpur.

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Nationwide Mobile Number Portability becomes operational

Nationwide mobile number portability (MNP) has become operational from 3

July 2015.

It became operational after major private mobile operators like Vodafone,

RCom, Airtel, Uninor and Idea Cellular along with state-run BSNL and MTNL

issued statements to launch MNP.

The operationalisation of nationwide MNP will allow customers to keep their

existing mobile phone numbers while shifting between States and circles by

changing operators. Prior to this, customers were only able to change their

operator by retaining the same number only in the same state or telecom circle.

Thus this move lays the first foundation stone for the Union government’s

ambitious ‘One nation, One number’ plan.

Background

In November 2014, Department of Telecommunications (DoT) had approved the

national MNP recommendations of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India

( TRAI).

TRAI had set the deadline to rollout full MNP on May 2, 2015. However it was

extended on the request Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) by two

months till July.

Fact: MNP within a circle or state was first launched in Haryana in November

2010 and later was expanded to other circles. At present India is divided into

22 telecom service areas or circles.

About G.D. Birla Award

• Established:1991 by the K. K. Birla Foundation in the honour of

philanthropist Ghanshyam Das Birla.

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• The award is given Indian scientist below the age of 50, living and

working in India for his outstanding scientific research, mostly during the past

5 years.

• Cash Prize: It carries a cash prize of 50 lakh rupees and a citation.

Epigenetics:It is field of science that deals with study of changes that

influence gene function.

First potential treatment for deadly MERS virus identified by scientists

For the first time scientists have identified two promising drug candidates for

the treatment of deadly Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) virus.

REGN3051 andREGN3048 are the two antibodies (drug candidates) which

have shown ability to neutralise the MERS virus. This research was done in

collaboration with New York based biopharmaceutical company Regeneron.

Cyborg

Acyborg (short for "cybernetic organism") is a theoretical or fictional being

with both organic and biomechatronicparts. The term was coined in 1960

byManfred Clynes andNathan S. Kline.[1] D. S. Halacy'sCyborg: Evolution of

the Superman in 1965 featured an introduction which spoke of a "new frontier"

that was "not merely space, but more profoundly the relationship between

'inner space' to 'outer space' – a bridge...between mind and matter

Bionics is the application of biologicalmethods and systems found innature to

the study and design ofengineering systems and moderntechnology.

About 4G LTE

• 4G LTE is wireless communications standard developed by the 3rd

Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).

• It is one of several competing 4G standards along with WiMax (IEEE

802.16) and Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB).

http://currentaffairs.gktoday.in/potential-treatment-deadly-mers-virus-identified-scientists-07201524069.htmlhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cybernetichttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organismhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biomechatronichttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manfred_Clyneshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathan_S._Klinehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyborg#cite_note-1https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_methodhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naturehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engineeringhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technologyhttp://currentaffairs.gktoday.in/potential-treatment-deadly-mers-virus-identified-scientists-07201524069.htmlhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cybernetichttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organismhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biomechatronichttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manfred_Clyneshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathan_S._Klinehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyborg#cite_note-1https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_methodhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naturehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engineeringhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technology


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• It is designed to provide up to 10x speeds of 3G networks for mobile

devices such as tablets, smartphones, netbooks and wireless hotspots etc.

• It can provide internet speed of at least 100 Mbit per second (Mbps) to 1

GBit per second (Gbps).

•

4G technologies are designed to provide IP (Internet Protocol)-based voice,data and multimedia streaming at high speed.

C.N.R. Rao conferred with Japan’s highest civilian award ‘Order of the Rising

Sun, Gold and Silver Star’

About C.N.R. Rao (Chintamani Nagesa Ramachandra Rao)

• N.R Rao is eminent scientist and world’s foremost solid state and

materials chemists. He has worked mainly in solid-state and structural

chemistry.

He was first Indian scientist to reach the h-index of 100.

• He has authored of around 1600 research papers. He also has authored

and edited 45 books.

Note: h-index also called the Hirsch index or Hirsch number is a tool that

measures the productivity and impact of the published work of a scientist or

scholar.

ISRO’s GAGAN to provide navigational support to Indian Railways

ISRO has announced to provide navigational support to Indian Railways

through GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) system.

The navigational support along with space technology-based tools will be

provided to Indian Railways for unmanned level crossings safety.

By using GAGAN software system, a train will get to know the location of any

unmanned level crossing by a warning signal. Once this warning signal is

given, the train’s hooter will automatically start when it comes near anunmanned crossing.

About GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation (GAGAN)

• GAGAN was jointly developed by the ISRO and Airports Authority of

India (AAI) for the advancement of air navigation.

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• It is an indigenous navigational guide system developed on the lines of

GPS system of the US.

• Presently, GAGAN signal is broadcasted through two Geostationary Earth

Orbit (GEO) satellites-GSAT8 and GSAT10.

•

The system was launched in 2011 as a payload with GSAT-8. With thislaunch India had joined the club elite nations comprising of US, Europe and

Japan who have the same level of space-based augmentation for navigational

purpose.

World’s First Electric Passenger aircraft BX1E manufactured in China

The world’s first electric passenger aircraft named BX1E was manufactured in

China.

The aircraft was designed by Shenyang Aerospace University and LiaoningGeneral Aviation Academy located in the northeastern Liaoning Province of

China.

Features of BX1E Electric Passenger aircraft

• BX1E aircraft has a 14.5-meter wingspan and a maximum payload of

230 kgs.

• It can fly at an altitude of 3,000 meters.

• The aircraft can charge within two hours.

• Fully charged aircraft can have flight time of 45 minutes to 1 hour with a

maximum speed of 160 km per hour.

The first two BX1E aircrafts were delivered to Liaoning Ruixiang General

Aviation Co. Ltd. These aircrafts will be used in tourism, pilot training,

meteorology and rescue operations.

Moon engulfed in permanent, lopsided dust cloud: Study

Recently published study in the journal Nature has revealed that Moon is

engulfed in a permanent but lopsided dust cloud made up of tiny dust grains. The study team was led by Professor Mihaly Horanyi of University of Colorado

Boulder physics.

Key fact

• The dust cloud was discovered by using data from NASA’s Lunar

Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE).

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• Composition: The cloud is primarily made up oftiny dust grains kicked

up from the Moon’s surface. These tiny dust grains were result of the impact of

high-speed, interplanetary dust particles.

• Formation: Such a single dust particle from a comet striking the Moon’s

surface lofts thousands of smaller dust particles into moon’s airlessenvironment. This resulted in formation of lunar cloud which is maintained by

regular impacts from such particles.

• With annual events like the Geminids meteor shower, the density of dust

cloud increases.

• It should be noted that the dust on the Moon which is dark and sticky

was created over several billion years ago. It was outcome of interplanetary

dust particles incessantly pounded the rocky lunar surface.

• Practical Applications of this Study:Knowledge of the dusty

environments in space especially knowing where the dust is and where it isheaded in the solar system may help to mitigate hazards for future human

exploration missions including dust particles damaging spacecraft or harming

astronauts.

BSNL to set up 40,000 wi-fi hot spots India

State owned telecommunications giant Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL)

has announced to set up 40,000 Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) hot spots across the

country.

This project will come in lines with new digital architecture which is part of

Union Government’s flagshipDigital India Programme. The 40,000 wi-fi hot

spots project will be entailed with an investment of about 6,000 crore rupees.

The project is likely to be completed by 2018.

It was announced by Union Minister of Communications & IT Ravi Shankar

Prasad after launching the Wi-Fi facility at Taj Mahal in Agra, Uttar Pradesh.

BSNL has installed the Wi-Fi facility at the premises of Taj Mahal as part of theUnion Government’s plan to provide free internet services at major tourist

places across country.

BSNL has introduced this Wi-fi facility with support of Quadgen, a Bengaluru-

based company. The service will freely available to everyone including tourist

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for half-an-hour. After half-an-hour the Wi-fi services will cost 30 rupees an

hour.

Researchers create World’s thinnest bulb from graphene

Researchers have created the world’s thinnest light bulb using graphene as

filament.

It was created by team of scientist led by Young Duck Kim comprising members

from Columbia University School of Engineering, Seoul National University and

Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science.

Features of Bulb

• The bulb usesgraphene, a perfectly crystalline form of carbon as a

filament.• The filament is attached to metal electrodes and suspended the strips

above the substrate.

• After current is passed through filament it heats up to over 2,500° C and

produces exceptionally bright light.

Applications: The new type of thinnest bulb can be used as broadband light

emitter. It can also be integrated into chips which will pave the way towards the

realisation of atomically flexible, thin and transparent displays. It will also help

to boost graphene-based on-chip high speed optical communications.

Union Government launches augmented reality application ‘Sakaar’

Union Government has launched Augmented Reality technologybased mobile

application named ‘Sakaar’ to highlight theachievements of the Department

of Space.

It was launched by Minister of State (MoS) in the Department of Atomic Energy

Dr. Jitendra Singh in New Delhi.

Sakaar application and its multimedia content for Android devices is developed

by Development and Educational Communication Unit (DECU) of ISRO.

The application consists of 3 Dimensional (3D) models of Mars Orbiter Mission

(MOM), RISAT, indigenous rockets such as PSLV, GSLV Mk-III etc. It also has

videos of INSAT 3D-predicting cyclones, MOM launch and orbit insertion

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videos, 360 degree animated view of MOM, GSLV D5/Cryo and Anaglyph of

Mars surface.

What is Augmented Reality technology?

Augmented Reality (AR) technology is computer-generated 3D models,

animations, videos that augments (or supplements) the live direct view of

a physical, real-world environment.

With the help of device’s camera the real time augmentation and information is

overlaying takes place which enhances user’s current perception.

Essentially AR requires three basic elements for its functioning. They are AR

application, AR Markers and Android OS enabled mobile with back camera.

Philae comet lander wakes up from hibernation on Comet 67P

Philae comet lander has taken on the surface of Comet 67P (Churyumov-

Gerasimenko) from seven-month hibernation.

It was announced byEuropean Space Agency (ESA) after the comet lander

managed to communicate with Earth for more than a minute.

In November 2014,Philae comet lander had created space history by

becoming first to probe landed on a comet. The historic feat was achieved after

it was dropped on to the surface of Comet 67P by itsmother ship Rosetta.

After successfully landing on the comet it had worked for 60 hours and had

conducted experiments and transmitted that data to Earth before going into

hibernation after its solar-powered battery ran flat.

Probe resumed its communication on 14 June 2015 by sending about 300

packages of data to Earth via its mother ship Rosetta which is still orbiting the

comet.

Timeline of Philae’s journey

• March 2004: ESA’s unmanned probe Rosetta was successfully launched

from Kourou, French Guiana.

• February 2007: The probe carries out a close flyby of Mars.

• September 2008: Probe successfully passes close to an asteroid 2867

located 400 million km from Earth.

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• July 2010: The probe transmits first pictures from the largest asteroid

ever visited by a satellite Lutetia in between Mars and Jupiter.

• August 2014: It swings alongside comet 67P situated in between the

orbits of Mars and Jupiter.

• November 2014: Philae lander successfully lands on comet after it isreleased from Rosetta.

14 June: World Blood Donor day

World Blood Donor Day is being observed across the world on 14 June to raise

the public awareness about the need for safe blood donation.

The theme of this year’s campaign isThank you for saving my life. This year’s

campaign encourages donors all over the world to donate blood voluntarily and

regularly with the sloganGive freely, give often. Blood donation matters.

Objective

• To spread awareness about the need for safe and secure blood supplies.

• Provide an opportunity to draw public attention to the importance of

blood donation for saving lives.

World Health Organisation (WHO), a nodal agency of UN for international

public health has called for increased regular blood donations from voluntary,

unpaid donors in order to save millions of lives globally each year.

It should be noted that World Blood Donor Day is one of eight official

global public health campaigns marked by the WHO. The event was

established in 2004. It was established in order to raise awareness of the

need for safe blood and blood products and to thank blood donors for their

voluntary donations.

Juvenile Camel’s key source of MERS: Study

As per recently published study, camels aged less than four years might be a

major source ofMiddle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). The study was

published in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases

The research study was undertaken by international team who had looked for

evidence of current or past infection in more than 800 dromedary camels (also

called Arabian camels).

In this study researchers have found out that

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• More than 90 per cent of camels were infected by MERS virus the age of

two and virus shedding was more common in calves than in adults.

• Changes in animal husbandry may reduce the occurrence of human

MERs infections.

•

Dromedary camels that are living in the Middle East have antibodies thatrecognised MERS virus protein which is a strong sign of past infection.

• However the spread of MERS virus in humans is still unknown but it

might spread due direct contact with body fluids from infected camels.

• Alternatively, it might have spread by drinking unpasteurised camel milk

and possibly by transfer through the contaminated virus present in the saliva

of an infected calf to their mothers.

Cyclonic Storm Ashobaa: First Tropical storm of the season

Cyclonic storm Ashobaain Arabian Sea is the first tropical storm of the pre-

monsoon season in the Indian seas.

The cyclonic storm was formed after intensified deep depression (low pressure

zone) was developed over east central Arabian Sea about 590 km west

southwest of Mumbai, 470 km southwest of Veraval (Gujarat) and 960 km east-

southeast of Masirah Island (Oman).

After its formation the cyclonic storm has moved northwestwards. The system

has potential to intensify further. But this cyclonic storm will not hit Indian

states severely as it has further moved north-northwesterly direction towardsOman. Northwestern coastal states of India such as Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat

and Karnatakawill only face strong winds along with showers.

Naming

The name Ashobaa to this tropical storm was given by Sri Lanka which is

one of eight countries that are naming tropical cyclones in North Indian

Ocean region on rotational basis. The series of naming by countries is

Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and

Thailand.

The last cyclone calledNilofer (2014) was suggested byPakistan. Next cyclone

formed in future will have nameKomen, suggested by Thailand.

Advantages of naming cyclones/ storms:

• Provide easy communication between forecasters and the general public

regarding forecasts and warnings.

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This discovered site is dry as Mars and has a mean atmospheric relative

humidity (RH) of 17.3 percent and a soil RH of a constant 14 percent at a depth

of one meter.

World’s first fully warm-blooded fish named Opah discovered

World’s first fully warm-blooded fish namedOpah or moonfish was discovered

recently. It was discovered by scientists at the US National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Opah or moonfish has ability to circulate heated blood throughout its body

which makes it first fish known to be fully warm-blood.

Quick facts

Warm-blooded animals: They generate their own heat and maintain a body

temperature independent of the environment. They are also known

asendotherms. It should be noted most of mammals and birds are warm-

blooded animals.

Cold-blooded animals: Their body temperature depends on the temperature of

their surroundings. Thus they are hot when their environment is hot and cold

when their environment is cold. They are also known asectotherms. Most ofamphibians, reptiles, invertebrates and most fish are cold-blooded animals.

SBI launches sbiINTOUCH, NFC-enabled Contactless Debit and Credit Cards

India’s largest lender, State Bank of India (SBI) has launched contact-less

credit and debit cardssbiINTOUCH.

sbiINTOUCH is based upon latest near-field technology (NFC) that enables

customer to transact using the card by just tapping or waving it against the

reader of the point-of-sale machine

Cards incorporated with NFC technology are secure and hassle-free. SBI is also

proving afraud liability cover of 1 lakh rupees on these cards.

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With this, SBI has joined league of private lenders like ICICI Bank and HDFC

Bank. It should be noted thatICICI bank was first to introduce contact-less

credit and debit cards in India.

RBI rules on contact-less credit and debit cards

•Presently, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) allows banks to enable

transactions in case of contactless cards up to Rs. 2,000 without the requiring

a separate PIN authentication.

• But incase of amounts higher, banks should provide customers with an

option of contact payment and pin authentication requirement.

May 11: National Technology Day

Every year, ̀National Technology Day’ is observed across India on May 11.

This day glorifies the importance of science in day-to-day life and motivates

students to adopt science as a career option.

National Technology Day is being commemorated to celebrate the anniversary

of first of the five tests ofOperation Shakti (Pokhran-II) nuclear test which

was held on 11 May 1998 inPokhran,Rajasthan.

Apart from Pokhran nuclear test, on this day first indigenous aircraft Hansa-3

was test flown at Bangalore and India also conducted successful test firing of

the Trishul missile on the same day.

Considering all these achievements 11 May was chosen to be commemorated

as National Technology Day.

To commemorate this day, Technology Development Board (TDB) has instituted

a National Award. This award is conferred on to various individuals and

industries for their successful achievement in commercialization of Indigenous

Technology.

NASA’s 10-Engine Electric Plane named GL-10 Completes Flight Test

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NASA successfully tested a 10-Engine Electric Plane named Greased Lightning-

10 (GL-10) that that can take off and land like a helicopter and fly efficiently

like an aircraft.

During several test flights, remotely piloted GL-10 prototype successfully

transitioned from hover to wing-borne flight.Key features of NASA’s Greased Lightning-10 (GL-10)

• GL-10 is remotely piloted plane similar as Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

(UAV).

• It is designed and developed in such a way that it can take off like a

helicopter and fly like an airplane.

• It is a battery-powered 10-engine and has a 3.05 meters wingspan. 8

electric motors are mounted on the wings. 2 electric motors are mounted on

the tail.

•

It weighs a maximum of 28.1 kilogrammes at take-off.• Due to its versatile vertical takeoff and landing ability produces less

noise.

• Applications: Can be used as UAV for small package delivery or vertical

take-off and landing, long endurance surveillance for agriculture, mapping and

other applications.

• Its modified scaled up version can be used as four person size personal

air vehicle.

Microsoft launches Edu-Cloud with aim to Make Learning Fun

Information technology giant, Microsoft has launched a cloud computing-based

offering Edu-Cloud with an aim to Make Learning Fun.

It seeks to enhance digital learning and teaching in schools and higher

education institutions in India through virtual learning platforms.

Edu-Cloud by with the help of cloud computing technology will create, deliver

and manage educational content from any device, anywhere, anytime in orderto make learning easy and fun.

It is expected, Edu-Cloud will benefit around 1 million teachers and 6 million

students in over 1,500 institutes across India in next 18 months.

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Initially the company will tie-up with the Hyderabad based Chaitanya group of

educational institutions which will adopt Edu-Cloud for its teachers and

students in its 80 schools.

Teachers and students of these schools will use Microsoft’s Windows-powered

tablets in order to access rich, interactive and relevant content from cloud to

make learning and teaching more engaging and productive.

India home to 48 species of bumblebees

Recently released bookIndian Bumblebees has revealed that India is home to

48 of the 250 known species of bumblebees.

The book is written by entomologist M.S. Saini and co-authors Rifat H. Rainaand Harpeet Singh Ghator.

These 48 known species of bumblebees native to India and are the only

pollinators of vegetation in high-altitude regions.

Key facts about Indian Bumblebees

• Bumblebees are social insects and live in colonies and the size of it

depends on the species. They are similar to the honeybees.

• Mostly characterised by yellow, black and reddish body hair and are often

striped.

Generally found on altitudes of 2,000-15,000 feet along theentireHimalayas from Jammu & Kashmir to Nagaland.

• Life cycle: The founder of the Bumblebees colony is the queen. She

hibernates throughout winter and in spring finds a site for new nest. She then

lays her eggs in autumn which will result in the first batch of workers.

• Importance:Bumblebees play an important role in the ecosystem and

are crucial forpollination at higher altitudes. Thus without them seed setting

and fruiting will not take place in many plants.

They pollinate fruit trees, vegetables, cash crops and even

ornamental and medicinal plants high in the Himalayas.

ISRO successfully tests indigenous cryogenic engine with four-tonne capacity

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Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on 28 April 2015 successfully

tested an indigenous cryogenic engine.

The powerful version of the cryogenic engine was tested successfully at ISRO’s

propulsion complex at Mahendragiri in Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu. A

team headed by Director D Karthikesan had led the testing. This engine will allow launch vehicles to carry satellites of up to capacity of

four tonnes in geostationary orbit. It will also give boost to India’s

interplanetary probes and manned space missions.

Facts about cryogenic engine

• A cryogenic engine is more efficient as it provides more thrust for every

kilogram of propellant burnt.

• Cryogenic fuels are extremely clean as they give out only water while

burning. The engine uses liquid oxygen at -2530C and liquid hydrogen at

-1830C

• It can develop the thrust needed in the final state of the rocket to put

satellites, weighing two tonnes or more, into a geosynchronous orbit.

• It is essential to master this technology for any space power as launching

heavier satellites requires cryogenic engines even in the lower stages of the

rocket.

• It will also make India self-reliant in sending heavier satellites to the

required orbits and eliminate need of dependence on foreign launch vehicles.

It should be noted that India sixth spacefarer after US, Russia, the

European Space Agency, China and Japan to develop a cryogenic engine.

Earlier in January 2015, India had successfully launchedGSLV-D5, thefirst

successful launch vehicle with an indigenous cryogenic engine. But it had

capacity to launch satellites of up to two tonnes.

25 April: World Malaria Day

Every year World Malaria Day (WMD) is observed on 25 April. The day is

observed to recognise the global efforts to control preventable disease

malaria. The theme of this year WMD-2015 is “Invest in the Future and

Defeat Malaria”.

This day also seeks to highlight the need for continued investment and

sustained political commitment for elimination and control of malaria.

WHO also had called on the global health community to urgently address

significant gaps in the treatment, prevention and diagnosis of malaria.

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Background

• World Malaria Day was instituted in 2007 by World Health Organization

(WHO) member nations during World Health Assembly.

• This day is one of the eight official global public health campaigns

currently marked by the WHO.Some facts

• As per United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) report more than 1200

children die every day worldwide from Malaria. At least three quarters of

malaria deaths occur in children under 5.

• According to the recent report by the World Health Organization (WHO)

since 2000, Malaria deaths worldwide have declined by 47 percent. In Africa

alone, Malaria deaths during the period declined by 54 percent.

Railway Ministry launches mobile app for paperless unreserved tickets

The Railway Ministry has launched‘utsonmobile’, a mobile application for

paperless unreserved tickets.

The application service was launched by Union Railway Minister Suresh

Prabhu in New Delhi.

This application will allow its passenger to buy a ticket on the move and to

board the train with the ticket secured on his mobile phone in digital format,

without any need for printing the ticket.

Initially, it has been launched as a pilot project and cover 15 stations in

Southern Railway. Later on it will be extended to entire country in phases.

Key facts

• The application has been developed by Centre for Railway Information

Systems (CRIS).

• It aims to eliminate the need for printing of unreserved tickets.

• The application provides necessary on-screen alerts to guide the

passenger during the booking process.

• Payment for the ticket will be done through the Railway Wallet, a feature

inbuilt in the App.

• Passenger will get ticket confirmation on their mobile screen after

booking the ticket which will contain limited information of the ticket.

• This app can be downloaded from Windows Store and Google Play Store.

Background

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• This paperless ticketing service using mobile applications comes in line

with announcement made by Union Government in the Union Railway Budget

of February 2015.

• In this budget, Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu had announced

that the Indian Railways is committed toOperation Five Minutes that is,purchase of an unreserved ticket within five minutes and launching of

paperless unreserved mobile ticket is the first step in this area.

Information and Broadcasting Ministry receives ISO 9001:2008 certification

Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) on 22 April 2015

received an ISO 9001:2008 certification from the British Standards Institute

(BSI).

The ISO certification was granted to Ministry in respect of various

permissions and licences issued by it for the broadcasting and print media

and films.

These licences or permissions include for satellite Television channels, multi-

system operators, teleports, community radio stations and DTH services.

It also includes publication of Indian editions of technical and scientific and

foreign magazines of news and current affairs, facsimile editions of foreign

newspapers and permission for foreign film producers.

The Ministry has undertaken this initiative in order to bring in more

transparency and efficiency in the processes related in granting of various

permissions and licenses to the eligible applicants.

In this regard, the Ministry has put in place a well-defined procedure and

measures in order to ensure quality of services offered to the customers

on the basis of ISO 9001:2008. It will also ensure delivery of services by the

Ministry in a qualitative manner.

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How Maglev train works?

• Maglev train hovers 10 centimetres above the tracks and is propelled by

electrically charged magnets which lift and moves train carriages above the rail

tracks.

• This train travels along a guideway using magnets to create both lift andpropulsion.

• This lift and propulsion reduces friction and allow it to attain higher

speeds compared to conventional wheeled trains.

India 5th biggest generator of e-waste in 2014: UN report

As per recently releasedGlobal E-Waste Monitor 2014report by United

Nations, India is the fifth biggest producer of e-waste in the world. The report was compiled by UN think tank United Nations University (UNU).

Key facts from report

• Top 5 e-waste producing nations: US, China, Japan, Germany and

India.

• In case of wealthy nations top 5 e-waste producers are Norway,

Switzerland, Iceland, Denmark, and United Kingdom.

• US and China have produced the most e-waste in 2014. Both nations

account for 32 percent of total e-waste produced in the world in 2014.

•

India has discarded around 1.7 million tonnes (Mt) of e-waste in 2014.• In 2014, around 41.8 Mt of e-waste was produced all over world and it is

expected to rise by 21 percent to 50 million Mt in 2018.

• In terms of continent wise, Asia has produced most e-waste per

inhabitant in year 2014 by producing 16 Mt i.e. 3.7 kg per inhabitant.

• Top three Asian e-waste producing nations are- China (6.0Mt), Japan

(2.2Mt) andIndia (1.7Mt).

• While, Africa has generated lowest amount of e-waste per inhabitant by

producing 9 Mt i.e. 1.7 kg per inhabitant.

Newly discoveredSpider named after Telangana state

Newly discovered spiders of Thomisidae family have been named as Telangana

crab spider (Thomisus telanganensis) i.e. after Indian state of Telangana.

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These spiders were discovered by G.B. Pravalikha and Chelmala Srinivasulu,

wildlife and taxonomy researchers from the Zoology Department of Osmania

University at an expedition at Nagnur in Karimnagar district of Telangana.

Key factsTelangana crab spiders

Morphologically they resemble crabs and are hence also called crab

spiders.

• Have tendency to walk sideways like crabs.

• They lie on flowering plants and wait for prey so they are also known as

flower spiders.

• Do not weave webs like traditional spiders.

• They attack immobilise their prey with venom and prey all of a sudden.

• Size is between 3 mm and 23 mm.

• Colour varies from dull to bright and colourful.• Generally are bio-controlling agents and help to keep the insect

population under control. Thus are important to the ecosystem.

India successfully test-fired nuclear-capable Dhanush missile from ship

India on 9 April 2015 successfully test fired nuclear weapons-capable Dhanush

missile from a ship, off the Odisha coast.

Test- The ship-based missile was launched from an Offshore Patrolling Vessel

(OPV), deep inside the Bay of Bengal to test its full range. It successfully hit the

target point with high degree of accuracy.

Facts about Dhanush Missile

• Indigenously developed by Defence Research and Development

Organisation (DRDO).

• Thesurface-to-surface missile is anaval variant of Prithvi missile.

• Capable of carrying of 500 to 1000 kilogram conventional as well as

nuclear payload.

• It is a single-stage, liquid-propelled missile and has range of350 km.

• Capable to target both land-based and sea-based targets. It gives Indian

Navy capability to strike enemy targets with great precision.

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It should be noted that Dhanush is one of the 5 missiles developed by the

DRDO under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP).

TRAI recommends 112 as single emergency number for India

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on 7 April 2015 has proposed

‘112’ as a single emergency number that can be used all across the country

including for police, fire and ambulance departments.

This emergency number will be similar to the ‘911’ an all-in-one emergency

service in the United States.

At present, for emergency disaster management different numbers for different

emergencies such as 100 for police, 101 for fire and 102 for ambulance are in

existence.

TRAI has suggested that existing emergency numbers can be retained as

secondary numbers and the calls made to them be re-routed to ‘112’. After time

being, once a call to the secondary numbers significantly reduces, they can be

withdrawn gradually.

Callers seeking help in emergency can dial ‘112’ from mobile or landline phones

even when outgoing facility has been debarred or the service temporarilysuspended. TRAI also has proposed SMS-based access for the emergency

services.

The regulator also has recommended setting up of Public Safety Answering

Points (PSAPs) – a call centre through which all calls to ‘112’ will be routed.

Depending upon type of emergency, PSAPs will send police, fire, medical and

other emergency response servieces.

April 7: World Health Day

World health Day was observed all over the world on April 7, 2015. Theme for

year 2015 was“food safety” with the slogan from farm to plate, make food

safe.

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The theme highlights

• Need to make food free from viruses, microbes and chemicals substances

that are responsible for more than 200 diseases. Indirectly unsafe food is

linked to the annual deaths of some 2 million people, mostly children.

• Need to create awareness about food safety as it possesses challenges

from the changes in food production, distribution and consumption.

• Changes in the environment and new emerging pathogens and

antimicrobial resistance are also challenge to food safety.

In this regard, WHO is also working with countries to strengthen efforts to

detect, prevent and respond to foodborne disease outbreaks in line with the

Codex Alimentarius.

About World Health Day• Every year on April 7, World Health Day is celebrated under the

sponsorship of the World Health Organization (WHO).

• Purpose: To focus on increasing the life expectancy by adding good

health to the lives of people and promoting healthier living habits.

• This day marks the WHO’s founding and is observed since 1950,

• Since then April 7 every year is seen as an opportunity by the WHO to

draw worldwide attention to a subject of major importance to global health

each year.

Himachal Pradesh assembly launches India’s first E-Vidhan Mobile apps

Himachal Pradesh Government on 30 March 2015 launched part one of E-

Vidhan Mobile apps.

E-Vidhan Mobile apps will enable all 68 members of state assembly to get the

entire House business on their smartphones and tablets, laid in the House 45

minutes before the beginning of the daily proceedings.

With this Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha became the first state assembly in

the country to launch this app to facilitate smart-working.

Key facts

• The app will provide notifications of the Vidhan Sabha’s press releases,

bulletins, budget speeches, documents and the bills tabled in the House to

members.

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Decision in this regard was taken byDefence Acquisition Council (DAC)

headed by Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar.

DAC gave its nod for two AWACS, which includes buying two Airbus A330s,

worth 5,113 crore rupees. Airbus was the lone bidder for the programme.

About Airborne Warning and Control Systems (AWACS) Project• AWACS or eyes in the sky can detect incoming aerial threats like hostile

fighters, drones and cruise missiles from 400-km away.

• It has capability to penetrate longer distances within enemy

territory by way of radars and electronic warfare systems without

venturing into the region physically.

• The project will involve mounting indigenous 360-degree coverage active

electronically scanned array (AESA) radars on Airbus A-330 wide-body jets.

• Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) will develop the

AWACSs. Apart from this, DAC also cleared the purchase of mine ploughs for T-90 tanks

at Rs 710 crore and 30 weapon locating radars at Rs 1,605 crore besides

others.

ISRO successfully launches fourth navigation satellite IRNSS 1D

Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on 28 March 2015 successfully

launched fourth navigation satellite Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System

(IRNSS)-1D.

It was launched by Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) C-27 into the orbit

from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.

The satellite is similar to, and follows the IRNSS 1A, 1B and 1C which were

launched in April 2013, July 2014 and October 2014respectively.

IRNSS-1D will be launched into a sub Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (sub

GTO). It weighs 1,425 kg and carries a navigation payload and CDMA ranging

payload in addition with a laser retro-reflector.

About IRNSS series

• IRNSS is a navigation system that will cover India, and also extend 1,500

kms from its boundaries.

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These nitrates are a class of molecules that contain nitrogen in a form used by

living organisms. Thus this discovery adds evidence to the hypothesis that

ancient Mars was habitable for life.

However, there is no evidence suggesting that the discovered nitrogen

molecules found by the rover was created by life on the red planet. Scientists

also believe that the discovered molecules are ancient and might have been

deposited from non-biological processes like meteorite impacts and lightning on

Mars’ in past.

It should be noted that Nitrogen is essential part for all known forms of life as it

used in the building basic blocks of larger molecules like DNA and RNA that

encode the genetic instructions for life. It is also essential in proteins that is

used to build structures like hair and nails in living organisms.

PM Narendra Modi launches PRAGATI platform for redressal of grievances

Prime MinisterNarendra Modi on 25 March 2015 launched Pro-Active

Governance and Timely Implementation (PRAGATI)platform.

PRAGATI is a multi-purpose and multi-modal platform aimed ataddressing

grievances of common man. It also aims at simultaneously monitoring and

reviewing important Union government programmes and projects as well as

projects flagged by State Governments.

It is an innovative project in e-governance and good governance and

accountability with real-time presence and information exchange among the

key stakeholders.

Key features of PRAGATI

• Designed in-house by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) team with

the help of National Informatics Center (NIC).

• Uniquely bundles three latest technologies including Digital data

management, geo-spatial technology and video-conferencing.• Three-tier system that bringsPMO, Union Government Secretaries,

and Chief Secretaries of the States at one stage. Thus, offers a unique

combination in the direction ofcooperative federalism.

• Prime Minister can directly discuss the issues with the concerned

Central and State officials with full information and latest visuals of the ground

level situation.

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• The system will work on strengthen and re-engineer the data bases of

Centralized Public Grievance Redress And Monitoring System (CPGRAMS)

along with Project Monitoring Group (PMG) and the Ministry of Statistics and

Programme Implementation.

On a monthly basis, Prime Minister will interact with bureaucrats i.e. on fourth Wednesday of every month at 3.30 PM- called asPRAGATI Day.

Issues to be flagged before the PM will be picked up from the available database

regarding Public Grievances, pending Projects and on-going Programmes.

These issues will uploaded seven days prior to the PRAGATI day.

India’s first Polar Remotely Operated Vehicle operationalised in North

Antarctica

India’s first Polar Remotely Operated Vehicle (PROVe) was successfully

operationalised for research in North Antarctica by National Institute of Ocean

Technology (NIOT).

PROVe was operationalised, after it had undergone series of trials in Antarctica

in the past two months since its deployment by the NIOT researchers.

It has been deployed in Priyadarshini Lake located on the Schirmacher Oasis

which is a major source of water for Maitri, India’s second base in the

Antarctica.

Key facts of PROVe

• Indigenously built by NIOT under the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences.

• Capable of probing the sea bed under normal temperature and capable of

exploring up to 200 meters in inhospitable and tough regions like the ice clad

Antarctica.

• Operated remotely by scientists on board the ship and has inbuilt

thrusters allowing it for 360-degree movement.

Will help researchers to study and find out details about dissolved

oxygen in sea bottom, salinity and the quantity of sunlight hitting the

bottom of the sea.

• The results and outcomes will help researchers in understanding the

biological activities taking place inside the sea.

Implications of its operationalisation in Antartica

• Its breakthrough is a great leap forward inforecasting with precision

the ever elusive Monsoon, a climatic phenomenon which determines India’s

economy.

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• In case of forecasting Monsoon,PROVe will measure parameters like

ocean currents, temperature and salinity in the Arctic.

• It will especially help scientist to move away from present Mathematical

models for forecasting the Monsoon which many times vary from initial

forecasts.Current operation will collect data for analysis in June 2015. This data will be

used for analyzing hypothesis about the link between Antarctic Ocean currents

and Indian monsoon system.

Union Government launches Twitter Samvad for direct communication between

Government and citizens

Union Government has launched a new digital platform ‘ Twitter Samvad’ in

association with social networking giant Twitter.

The digital platform was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New

Delhi on 24 March 2015 during his meeting with Twitter Chief Executive Dick

Costolo.

About Twitter Samvad

• The service aims to boost the nation’s e-governance plans and

facilitate direct communication between leaders, government agencies

and citizens.• Twitter Samvad is based on a digital platform provided by an Indian

company ZipDial which was recently acquired by Twitter.

• Through this platform a set of curated Tweets from the Twitter handled

accounts of the government and the leaders will be delivered to mobile-phone

users every day across the country as text messages.

• The service will also play important role during emergencies by helping

government agencies to share live updates, even time-sensitive information on

law and order or rescue.

Union Government launches BIRAC AcE Fund to accelerate growth of

entrepreneurs in Biotechnology

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