Daily Prelims Notes 4 August 2020

August 4, 2020
Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
Category: DPN

Table Of Contents

Subject: Science and tech

What are Cytokines?

Cytokines are helpful proteins that are produced by several immune cells including the innate macrophages, dendritic cells, natural killer cells and adaptive T and B lymphocytes.
These proteins interact with cells of the immune system in order to regulate the body’s response to any infection as well as mediate normal cellular process in the body.

What is cytokine storm?

Overproduction of large amount of pro-inflammatory cytokine in the body can lead to“ cytokine storm”. Three of the most important pro-inflammatory cytokines of the innate immune response are IL-1, TNF- α, and IL-6.

What causes cytokine storm?

A cytokine storm can occur due to an infection, auto immune condition, or other disease. Symptoms of cytokine storm include high fever, inflammation, severe fatigue and nausea.

2. Happy hypoxia or Silent Hypoxia

Subject: Science and Tech

Context:

Experts have been seeing multiple cases of “happy hypoxia” or “silent hypoxia” amongst 30-40 per cent of patients.

What is happy hypoxia/ silent hypoxia?

The silent hypoxia is a condition when the peripheral oxygen saturation remains good, but the partial pressure of oxygen is very low that shows up in the arterial blood gas (ABG) tests. But patients do not feel any symptoms of low oxygen, as they feel fine, healthy and keep talking.
Suddenly, their condition deteriorates, leading to their death.
Hypoxemia is defined as “a decrease in the partial pressure of oxygen in the blood.” As blood oxygen levels begin to reduce, a person may experience shortness of breath, also called dyspnea. If blood oxygen levels continue to fall, the organs may shut down, and the issue becomes life threatening.
COVID-19 is primarily a respiratory illness, and a severe case can reduce the amount of oxygen that the lungs can absorb.
Blood oxygen levels have been found to be very low in some COVID-19 patients.

3. The Electronic Vaccine Intelligence Network (eVIN)

Subject: Science and Tech

Context:

eVIN has now been adapted by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare under the National Health Mission for use in the coronavirus pandemic.

What is eVIN?

eVIN is a system a system used to track information on vaccine supply chain and stocks across the country. It provides real-time information on vaccine stocks and flows, and storage temperatures across all cold chain points in the country.
It has been used in the past to track immunization for children and pregnant mothers against vaccine preventable diseases. Now it will be customized for use during the coronavirus pandemic.
eVIN combines state-of-the-art technology, a strong IT infrastructure and trained human resource to enable real time monitoring of stock and storage temperature of the vaccines kept in multiple locations across the country.
32 Indian states and Union Territories are already established under eVIN, .The remaining states and UTs – Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Ladakh and Sikkim are soongoing to join the network as well.

4. CRISPR

Subject: Science and Tech

What is Gene Editing?

Genome editing (also called gene editing) is a group of technologies that give scientists the ability to change an organism’s DNA.
These technologies allow genetic material to be added, removed, or altered at particular locations in the genome. Several approaches to genome editing have been developed.
A recent one is known as CRISPR-Cas9, which is short for clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats and CRISPR-associated protein 9.
CRISPR technology was adapted from the natural defense mechanisms of bacteria and archaea (the domain of single-celled microorganisms). These organisms use CRISPR-derived RNA and various Cas proteins, including Cas9, to foil attacks by viruses and other foreign bodies. They do so primarily by chopping up and destroying the DNA of a foreign invader. When these components are transferred into other, more complex, organisms, it allows for the manipulation of genes, or “editing.”
The CRISPR-Cas9 system has generated a lot of excitement in the scientific community because it is faster, cheaper, more accurate, and more efficient than other existing genome editing methods.
Its many potential applications include correcting genetic defects, treating and preventing the spread of diseases and improving crops.

5. Time Capsule

Subject: Science and Tech

Context:

A time capsule will be placed around 2,000 feet underground at the Ram Temple construction site in Ayodhya.

What is a time capsule?

It is a container of any size or shape, which accommodates documents, photos and artefacts typical of the current era and is buried underground, for future generations to unearth.
The time capsule requires special engineering so that the contents don’t decay, even if pulled out after a century.
Material such as aluminium and stainless steel are used for the encasing, and documents are often reproduced on acid-free paper.
While the term “time capsule” was coined in the 20th century, among the earliest examples of one dates back to 1777, found by historians inside the statue of Jesus Christ in a church in Spain during restoration work in December 2017.
The International Time Capsule Society (ITCS), based in the US and formed in 1990, is now defunct but continues estimating the number of time capsules in the world. As per its database, there are 10,000-15,000 times capsules worldwide.

6. Disincentivising savings

Subject: Economy

Context:

There has been a sharp fall in deposit rates due to aggressive rate cuts by banks in response to the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) reduction in the benchmark rates. This coupled with a rise in consumer prices have pulled real interest rates into negative territory, disincentivising savings.

Concept Builder:

Real interest Vs Nominal Interest

A real interest rate is an interest rate that has been adjusted to remove the effects of inflation to reflect the real cost of funds to the borrower and the real yield to the lender or to an investor. A nominal interest rate refers to the interest rate before taking inflation into account

What has happened?

Since this March, fixed deposit rates have fallen by 100-125 basis points across many banks, even higher in some cases. In fact, deposit rates fell significantly in 2019 and were on a free fall in the beginning of this year, even before the RBI embarked on its fast-paced rate easing cycle since March.

Why banks are reducing deposit rates?

In a falling rate scenario, banks are often more quick to cut deposit rates than lending rates. In the current scenario, when there is surplus liquidity and weak credit growth Banks have reduced deposits rate to cushion themselves.
Banks have turned highly risk averse to lending and even cautious to investing in government bonds (fearing mark-to-market loss).
Hence, to cushion the impact of lower interest income on margins, banks have been cutting deposit rates significantly. For eg: SBI had cut its savings deposit rate to 2.7 per cent last month (for deposits up to ₹1 lakh).

What’s the effect?

Savers are stuck with bank deposit rates that are at near two-decade low levels. Currently (as of mid-June), public sector banks (PSBs) on an average offer 5.2-5.45 per cent on their 3-5 year deposits. The last time deposit rates were near around these levels were in 2003 and 2004.

7. Seed Terrorism

Subject: Science and Tech

Context:

The National Seed Association of India (NSAI) has asked the Centre to put its agencies on high alert against Chinese seeds penetrating into Indian fields. It has suggested the government to have in place adequate plans to deal with the ‘seed terrorism’.

What has happened?

Mysterious seed packets, often labelled with a misleading description were received in mails in India, Japan, Canada, the United States of America and United Kingdom over the past week. These packets have arrived from China and have raised a “seed terrorism” alarm.International Seed Testing Association (ISTA) has warned countries about the threat of such seed contamination. NSAI has issued an alert on the basis of an International Seed Testing Association (ISTA) warning on the entry of suspicious seeds in the Indian market.

What can be the adverse effects?

It can adversely affect India’s biodiversity.
Emergence of new invasive speeds and weeds
It can threated the food security of India.

Why is china sending these seeds?

These are seeds of an invasive species and it is an attempt by China to introduce pathogens or disease.
US authorities claim that these packets are a part of China’s brushing scam.
China has much-advanced biotechnology and has the capacity to destroy Indian food production.
It is alleged that China is trying to use these spurious seeds as bio weapon.

What can be done?

The Custom department has been put on alert and has been asked to confiscate illegal seeds coming from China or other countries.
It wants courier companies and those receiving seed packets even when they have not ordered for it, to report it to the police and other government agencies.

8. Somnath temple

Subject: Arts and Culture

Context:

Construction of a grand Shri Ram Temple slated to commence on August 5^th. This has revived the history of prana pratishtha puja of the Somnath Temple by Rajendra Prasad, the first President of India.

Concept:

Somnath, literally translated as the Lord of Moon (Soma) houses the first of the 12 Jyotirlingas or the symbolic representation of Lord Shiva.
This highly famed pilgrim destination is located at the Viraval Port or PrabhasPattan in Saurashtra, Gujrat.
The temple’s positioning is quite unique. The temple is positioned in such a way that not a single piece of land is visible from the Somnath seashore until Antarctica.

Troubled History:

In AD 1026, Mahmud of Ghazni first looted the temple,and then came Afzal Khan, the commander of Ala-ud-din Khilji and later Aurangzeb.
It is said that the temple was looted and destroyed as many as seventeen times.
The Iron man of India, SardarVallabhbhai Patelwas instrumental in the construction of the present temple. Renowned temple architect Prabhaschandar designed it and the first President of India Dr. Rajendra Prasad installed the Jyotirling in the new temple on May 11, 1951.

Architectural style:

The present temple is built in the Chaulukya style of temple architecture or “Kailash Mahameru Prasad” style and reflects the skill of the SompuraSalats, one of Gujarat’s master masons.

9. Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx) initiative

Subject: Science and tech

Context:

Seven biomedical firms have been selected to produce next-generation tests under US’ Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx) initiative.

Concept:

The aim behind the initiative is to significantly increase the number, type and availability of tests by millions per week.
The RADx initiative will help develop new tests that will allow students, teachers and other workers to get tested frequently, allowing the safe re-opening of educational institutions and bringing back normal economic activity.

10. State Election Commissioner

Subject: Polity

Context:

Mr. N. Ramesh Kumar took charge as the State Election Commissioner (SEC) of Andhra Pradesh upon his reappointment by the Governor recently.

Concept:

The super-intendance, direction and control of the preparation of electoral rolls and the conduct of all elections to the panchayats shall be vested in the state election commission.
It consists of a state election commissioner to be appointed by the governor.
His conditions of service and tenure of office shall also be determined by the governor.
He shall not be removed from the office except in the manner and on the grounds prescribed for the removal of a judge of the state high court.
His conditions of service shall not be varied to his disadvantage after his appointment.

Removal of high court judges:

A judge of a high court can be removed from his office by an order of the President.
The President can issue the removal order only after an address by the Parliament has been presented to him in the same session for such removal.
The address must be supported by a special majority of each House of Parliament (i.e., a majority of the total membership of that House and majority of not less than two-thirds of the members of that House present and voting).
The grounds of removal are two—proved misbehavior or incapacity.

11. Clinical Establishment Regulatory Commission

Subject: Government organisation

Context:

West Bengal Clinical Establishment Regulatory Commission issued seven separate advisories regarding charges for diagnosis and treatment.

Concept:

The Clinical Establishments Act provides for registration and regulation of clinical establishments in the country with a view to prescribe basic minimum standards of facilities and services of particular type being provided by the clinical establishment.
The Act is applicable to all types (both therapeutic and dignostic types) of Clinical Establishments from the public and private sectors, belonging to all recognized systems of medicine, including single doctor clinics. The only exception is Clinical Establishments run by the Armed forces.
The Act has taken effect in the four States namely, Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Sikkim, and all Union Territories except the NCT of Delhi
The States of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Bihar, Jharkhand, Assam and Haryana have adopted the Act under clause (1) of article 252 of the Constitution.