Daily Prelims Notes 14 May 2023

May 14, 2023
Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
Category: DPN

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Daily Prelims Notes

14 May 2023

Table Of Contents

1. U.K. sees success in mitochondrial replacement therapy

Subject : Science and technology

Section: Health

Concept :

The United Kingdom was the first country to approve a reproductive technique known as Mitochondrial replacement therapy (MRT).
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) reported that “less than 5” children have been born using the procedure.
HFEA is a fertility regulator in the U.K. that approves In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) based procedures on a case-by-case basis.
In 2022, Australia became the second country to approve the MRT procedure.

About Mitochondrial Replacement Therapy (MRT):

It is a new form of reproductive in-vitro fertilization (IVF) which works on the principle of replacing a women’s abnormal mitochondrial DNA (mt-DNA) with the donor’s healthy one.
People have two types of DNA in their cells, nuclear DNA, which is inherited from both parents and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), which is inherited only from the mother.
MRT is designed to prevent women who are carriers of mitochondrial diseases from passing on these heritable genetic diseases to their children.

How is MRT carried out?

MRT involves using an egg from an egg donor who doesn’t have mutations.
The nucleus of the egg is removed and replaced with the nuclear DNA from the woman who has mitochondrial DNA mutations.
The egg is then fertilized with the father’s sperm in the embryology lab.
If it grows into an embryo for transfer during IVF treatment, the embryo would be free of mitochondrial disease.

Mitochondria:

Mitochondria are membrane-bound cell organelles that generate most of the chemical energy needed to power the cell’s biochemical reactions.
Mitochondria are often referred to as the powerhouses of the cell.
Chemical energy produced by the mitochondria is stored in a small molecule called adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP is the chemical energy “currency” of the cell that powers the cell’s metabolic activities.
Generally, mitochondria, and therefore mitochondrial DNA, are inherited only from the mother.

2. Storm Shadow Missile

Subject :Science

Section: Defence

Concept:

Russia’s Defence Ministry recently said that Ukrainian aircraft had struck two industrial sites in the Russian-held city of Luhansk in eastern Ukraine with Storm Shadow missiles supplied by Britain.

About Storm Shadow Missile:

It is a long-range cruise missile with stealth capabilities, jointly developed by the UK and France.
The missile is intended to strike high-valued stationary assets such as airbases, radar installations, communications hubs and port facilities.
Able to be operated in extreme conditions, the weapon offers operators a highly flexible, deep-strike capability based on a sophisticated mission planning system.
The Storm Shadow is also in service with the air forces of Egypt, India, Italy, Greece, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Features:

It is typically launched from the air.
It carries a 450kg conventional warhead to a range of up to 200 miles (300km).
The missile weighs 1.3 tonnes and is just over 5m long.
It is equipped with fire-and-forget technology and fully autonomous guidance.
The missile is fitted with a passive imaging infrared seeker.
The missile is programmed with every detail of the target and the path to be taken to reach the target prior to its launch.
Once launched, the Storm Shadow drops to a low altitude to avoid detection by enemy radar before latching onto its target with the infrared seeker.

3. Groundwater exploitation and Land Subsidence

Subject :Geography

Section: Physical geography

Concept :

Several independent studies have found out that the excessive groundwater extraction is causing land subsidence in north-west India, including Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, and Faridabad.
The Central Ground Water Board (CGWB), a subsidiary body of the Jal Shakti Ministry, is tasked with assessing the state of India’s groundwater resources.
It has a system of groundwater observation-wells and monitors water levels four times a year. It, however, does not analyse the consequences of ‘over exploitation.’

Over exploitation:

Agricultural practices in north-west India are heavily dependent on groundwater withdrawal. With limited monsoon rain, the groundwater table is precariously low.
The CGWB has reported that many groundwater blocks are over-exploited, leading to the depletion of underlying aquifers.
In Punjab, for instance, 76% of the groundwater blocks are ‘over exploited’. In Chandigarh, it is 64% and about 50% in Delhi. This means that more groundwater than can be recharged is extracted.
Land subsidence is caused when these aquifers run dry and the layers of soil and rock above them start to sink.
GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) satellites based analysis has shown a correlation between building deformities and groundwater withdrawals, and unplanned growth and urbanisation have exacerbated the issue in some parts of Delhi-NCR.
Land subsidence can lead to increased flooding, as the land sinks and reduces the capacity of water bodies to hold water. In the Ganga basin, over-extraction of groundwater has caused the land to sink, leading to flooding in the area.

Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE)

The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) was a joint mission of NASA and the German Aerospace Center (DLR).
Twin satellites took detailed measurements of Earth’s gravity field anomalies from its launch in March 2002 to the end of its science mission in October 2017.
By measuring gravity anomalies, GRACE showed how mass is distributed around the planet and how it varies over time.
Data from the GRACE satellites is an important tool for studying Earth’s ocean, geology, and climate.

GRACE-FO Mission

The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO) mission is a partnership between NASA and the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ).
GRACE-FO is a successor to the original GRACE mission, which orbited Earth from 2002-2017.
It carries on the extremely successful work of its predecessor while testing a new technology designed to dramatically improve the already remarkable precision of its measurement system.

Why need such data on groundwater and soil moisture?

Groundwater and soil moisture — which depicts wetness in soil — are crucial for irrigation and crop growth.
The need to constantly monitor groundwater and soil moisture is important since both act as useful indicators for predicting drought conditions.
One of the goals of the new global maps is to make the same consistent product available in all parts of the world, especially in countries that do not have any groundwater-monitoring infrastructure.
The data would help in managing the selection of appropriate agricultural crops and predicting yields.

4. Operation Samudragupt

Subject :Schemes

Concept :

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and the Indian Navy, in a joint operation off the Kerala coast, have seized approximately 2,500 kg of methamphetamine valued at about 15,000 crore and originating from Pakistan.
This is the largest drug seizure in terms of financial value by any anti-drug enforcement agency in the nation.
The seizure is a part of Operation Samudragupt, which seeks to rid the Indian Ocean region of drugs by targeting drug trafficking on ships.

Operation Samudragupt

The Director General of NCB started Operation Samudragupt to stop the trafficking of heroin and other drugs in the Indian Ocean region.
Officers from the Operations Branch of NCB Headquarters participated in the operation, which was led by Sanjay Kumar Singh, Deputy Director General (Ops), NCB.
The operation’s main goal was to gather actionable intelligence that could result in the interdiction of ships transporting illegal drugs.
The team exchanged information with narcotics law enforcement organisations including DRI and ATS Gujarat as well as intelligence organisations like the Indian Navy’s Intelligence Wing and NTRO.

Methamphetamine- the stimulant drug

Methamphetamine — meth for short — is a powerful, highly addictive stimulant that affects the central nervous system, and is used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy, a sleep disorder.
Crystal methamphetamine or crystal meth is a form of the drug that looks like glass fragments or shiny, bluish-white rocks.
It is chemically similar to amphetamine.
Methamphetamine can be smoked, swallowed in the form of a pill or tablet, snorted, and injected after dissolving the powder in water or alcohol.
Methamphetamine can lead to myocardial infarction (heart attack); it can cause stroke.
The drug can affect the heart, the brain, and the kidneys. It can result in the blood pressure shooting up suddenly. So, it is a very dangerous drug if there is an overdose.

5. Karnataka DGP Praveen Sood to be next Director of CBI

Subject: Polity

Section: National Organisation

Context: Karnataka Director General of Police Praveen Sood on Sunday was appointed as the next director of the Central Bureau of Investigation for a two-year tenure

Details:

Sood’s name was recommended by a selection committee comprising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, and Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Saturday.

Director of CBI

Director, CBI as Inspector General of Police, Delhi Special Police Establishment, is responsible for the administration of the organization.
Till 2014, the CBI Director was appointed on the basis of the DSPE Act, 1946.
In 2003, DSPE Act was revised on Supreme Court’s recommendation in the Vineet Narain case.
A committee that had members from Central Vigilance Commission, Secretaries from Home Ministry, Ministry of Personnel and Public Grievances would send recommendations to Central Government for the appointment of CBI Director.
In 2014, the Lokpal Act provided a committee for appointment of CBI Director:
Headed by Prime Minister
Other members – Leader of Opposition/ Leader of the single largest opposition party, Chief Justice of India/ a Supreme Court Judge.
Home Ministry sends a list of eligible candidates to DoPT. Then, the DoPT prepares the final list on basis of seniority, integrity, and experience in the investigation of anti-corruption cases, and sends it to the committee.
Director of CBI has been provided security of two year tenure, by the CVC Act, 2003.

6. Gaganyaan

Subject: Science and Technology

Section: Space technology

Context: Indigenously developed parachutes for the safe return of the capsule that will carry astronauts under the proposed Gaganyaan programme are set to undergo fitment tests at an Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) facility in Bengaluru.

Details:

The Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment (ADRDE), the Agra-based laboratory under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), has developed the parachutes for India’s manned space flight programme, Gaganyaan, which envisages putting a crew of three astronauts in low-earth orbit.
The parachute configuration consists of 10 parachutes.
During flight the sequence starts with deployment of two parachutes of “apex cover separation parachute”, which is protection cover for the crew module parachute compartment, followed by two more of “drogue parachute deployment” to stabilise and bring down the velocity.
Upon the drogue parachute release, three parachutes of the “pilot parachute” system will be used to extract three parachutes of the “main parachute” individually, to reduce the speed of the crew module to safe levels during its landing, the statement explained.
Stating that each parachute’s performance must be evaluated by complex testing methods, the ADRDE said that individual parachutes have undergone sub-system level testing.
India’s maiden human space flight ‘H1’ mission is targeted to be launched in the fourth quarter of 2024. In view of the paramount importance of crew safety, two test vehicle missions are planned before the ‘G1’ mission to demonstrate the performance of crew escape system and parachute-based deceleration system for different flight conditions.
“The uncrewed ‘G1’ mission is targeted to be launched in the last quarter of 2023 followed by the second uncrewed ‘G2’ mission in the second quarter of 2024, before the final human space flight ‘H1’ mission in the fourth quarter of 2024,” he stated.
The first uncrewed flight ‘G1’ mission is aimed at validating the performance of human-rated launch vehicle, orbital module propulsion system, mission management, communication system and recovery operations. The mission will carry a humanoid as payload.
The astronaut-designates for the human space flight mission are currently undergoing their mission-specific training at Bengaluru with the second semester of crew training currently underway. The first semester of astronaut training included modules on theoretical basics, space medicine, launch vehicles, spacecraft system and ground support infrastructure. Regular physical fitness sessions, aeromedical training and flying practice are also part of crew training. Corresponding evaluation and assessment activities have also been completed.

Gaganyaan

Gaganyaan project envisages demonstration of human spaceflight capability by launching crew of 3 members to an orbit of 400 km for a 3 days mission and bring them back safely to earth, by landing in Indian sea waters.
The project is accomplished through an optimal strategy by considering inhouse expertise, experience of Indian industry, intellectual capabilities of Indian academia & research institutions along with cutting edge technologies available with international agencies. The pre-requisites for Gaganyaan mission include development of many critical technologies including human rated launch vehicle for carrying crew safely to space, Life Support System to provide an earth like environment to crew in space, crew emergency escape provision and evolving crew management aspects for training, recovery and rehabilitation of crew.
Various precursor missions are planned for demonstrating the Technology Preparedness Levels before carrying out the actual Human Space Flight mission. These demonstrator missions include Integrated Air Drop Test (IADT), Pad Abort Test (PAT) and Test Vehicle (TV) flights. Safety and reliability of all systems will be proven in unmanned missions preceding manned mission.

Human related LMV3

LVM3 rocket – The well proven and reliable heavy lift launcher of ISRO, is identified as the launch vehicle for Gaganyaan mission. It consists of solid stage, liquid stage and cryogenic stage. All systems in LVM3 launch vehicle are re-configured to meet human rating requirements and christened Human Rated LVM3. HLVM3 will be capable of launching the Orbital Module to an intended Low Earth Orbit of 400 km.
HLVM3 consists of Crew Escape System (CES) powered by a set of quick acting, high burn rate solid motors which ensures that Crew Module along with crew is taken to a safe distance in case of any emergency either at launch pad or during ascent phase.

Orbital Module

Orbital Module (OM) that will be Orbiting Earth comprises of Crew Module (CM) and Service Module (SM). OM is equipped with state-of-the-art avionics systems with adequate redundancy considering human safety.
CM is the habitable space with Earth like environment in space for the crew. It is of double walled construction consisting of pressurized metallic Inner Structure and unpressurised External Structure with Thermal Protection System (TPS). It houses the crew interfaces, human centric products, life support system, avionics and deceleration systems. It is also designed for re-entry to ensure safety of the crew during descent till touchdown.
SM will be used for providing necessary support to CM while in orbit. It is an unpressurized structure containing thermal system, propulsion system, power systems, avionics systems and deployment mechanisms.

Crew training

Astronaut Training Facility established in Bengaluru caters to Classroom training, Physical Fitness training, Simulator training and Flight suit training. Training modules cover academic courses, Gaganyaan Flight Systems, Micro-gravity familiarization through Parabolic Flights, Aero-medical training, Recovery & Survival training, mastering of Flight Procedures and training on Crew Training Simulators. Aero medical training, Periodical flying practice and Yoga are also included as part of the training.