Daily Prelims Notes 16 May 2021

May 16, 2021
Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
Category: DPN

Daily Prelims Notes

16 May 2021

Table Of Contents

Subject: Governance

Context: Recently, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has proposed doing away with the concept of promoters and moving to ‘person in control.

Concept:

It has also suggested reducing the minimum lock-in periods post a public issue for promoters and pre-IPO shareholders.
The consultation paper suggested that a three-year transition period for moving from the promoter to person in control concept.
The SEBI has proposed that if the target of the problem includes provide on the market or financing aside from for capital expenditure for a challenge, then the minimal promoters’ contribution of 20% must be locked-in for one year from the date of allotment.
The promoters’ holding in excess of minimum promoters’ contribution shall be locked in for a period of six months as opposed to the existing requirement of one year from the date of allotment in the IPO.

What is person in control concept?

Control Person means any person that holds a sufficient number of any of the securities of an issuer so as to affect materially the control of that issuer, or that holds more than 20% of the outstanding voting securities of an issuer.
Control Person means any individual who has a Control relationship with the Fund or an investment adviser of the Fund.
Control Person means a director or executive officer of a licensee or a person who has the authority to participate in the direction, directly or indirectly through 1 or more other persons, of the management or policies of a licensee.

2. DOOMSDAY SCROLLING / SURFING

Subject: Science & tech

Context: As Covid-19 has struck back to ravage our surroundings, most of us find ourselves continuously scrolling through pandemic-related news and social media feed — almost compulsively. That is what is called “doomscrolling” or “doomsday scrolling”.

Concept:

It is the tendency to scroll through bad news even though the news is saddening or depressing.
The term Doomsday Surfing is one of the new lexicon of words the COVID-19 has introduced into the daily lives of man.
This is done by almost every human being on the earth. People in the age group of 15 years to 30 years are surfing to seek help.
On the other hand, the people in the age group of 30 years to 45 years are blaming others on social media. On the brighter side, the senior age people are trying to spread positivity and spirituality.
It has become a behavioural addiction. As people become more and more addictive, the social media algorithms designed to feed to the addictions serve up fulfilling the interests. This becomes a vicious cycle.

Dopamine and Doomsday Surfing

Both positive and negative news gives dopamine high. Thus, Doomsday Surfing increases dopamine levels.
Dopamine is a chemical compound found naturally in human body. It is a neuro transmitter. It controls the movements of the person. The right balance of dopamine is important for both physical and mental wellbeing.
High Dopamine levels lead to difficulty in sleeping, increased energy levels, anxiety, and stress. On the other hand, it also gives improved ability to focus and learn.

3. WINCHCOMBE METEORITE

Subject: Geography

Context: The National History Museum located in London is to display a piece of the meteorite that touched down the town of Winchcombe in Gloucestershire in the UK. The meteorite touched the UK soil in February 2021.

Concept:

The Winchcombe meteorite is 103 grams in weight. It is a fragment of black rock resembling coal. It was founded by a team from University of Glasgow.
On February 28, 2021, around hundreds of people spotted a fireball blazing across the sky. The flash of light lasted for six seconds.

Significance

The meteorite is 4.5 billion years old. Thus, the meteorite is believed to give clues about the beginning of the solar system.
This meteorite is rare as it is a carbonaceous meteorite. Out of the 65,000 meteorite types known to mankind, only thousand are of this type.
The Winchcombe meteorite is similar to that retrieved by the Hayabusa 2 mission.

Carbonaceous meteorites

They contain high proportion of carbon which is up to 3%. The Allende meteorite is the largest carbonaceous meteorite found on the earth.
They contain silicates, sulphides, oxides and 3% to 22% of water. The presence of organic compounds in these meteorites say that they have not undergone heating since they were formed. Their compositions are close to the solar nebula. The solar system condensed from Solar Nebula.

Meteorites, Meteors and Meteoroid

The Meteoroids are objects that range in size from dust grains to small asteroids. When these meteoroids enter the earth atmosphere, they are called meteors. When the meteors hit the ground, they are called meteorites.

4. MARS LANDING BY CHINA

Subject: Science & tech

Context: China landed a spacecraft on Mars carrying its first Mars rover in a big boost to its space ambitions.

Concept:

China had in July last year launched its first Mars mission, called Tianwen-1, meaning Questions to Heaven, carrying a lander and rover.
Tianwen-1 had been in orbit since February, and recently, a lander descended successfully on to the surface of the red planet.
Only the Soviet Union and the U.S. had previously carried out a successful landing on Mars.
China had previously tried to launch a Mars orbiter along with Russia in 2011, but that failed to enter orbit. This attempt, on its own, hit the target.

Zhurong Rover

China’s first Mars rover will be named Zhurong after a traditional fire god.
The rover is aboard the Tianwen-1 probe that arrived in Mars orbit on February 24 and is due to land in May to look for evidence of life.
The rover will provide “first-hand materials for research on the planet’s space environment, surface topography, and soil structure”.

About Tianwen-1:

China’s first Mars probe is called Tianwen-1 (formerly Huoxing 1).
The spacecraft consists of an orbiter, a lander and a rover.
Launched in 2020 on a Long March 5 rocket from Xichang, China.
Landing site: Somewhere in Utopia Planitia, a vast plain in Mars’ northern latitudes and the same place NASA’s Viking 2 mission landed in the 1970s.

5. CONVALESCENT PLASMA THERAPY

Subject: Science & tech

Context: Plasma therapy not found effective, likely to be dropped from clinical management guidelines.

Concept:

The convalescent plasma therapy seeks to make use of the antibodies developed in the recovered patient against the coronavirus.
The whole blood or plasma from such people is taken, and the plasma is then injected in critically ill patients so that the antibodies are transferred and boost their fight against the virus.
A study in The Lancet Infectious Diseases stated that a Covid patient usually develops primary immunity against the virus in 10-14 days.
Therefore, if the plasma is injected at an early stage, it can possibly help fight the virus and prevent severe illness.
The plasma can be infused into two kinds of Covid-19 patients, those with a severe illness or individuals at a higher risk of getting the virus.
However, while plasma transfers immunity from one person to another, it is not known if it can save lives in Covid-19 infection.
The treatment could be effective for patients in the age group 40-60, but may be less effective for people aged beyond 60 years.

Previous Application:

The United States used plasma of recovered patients to treat patients of Spanish flu (1918-1920).
Hong Kong used it to treat SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) patients in 2005.
In 2009, the Swine flu (H1N1) patients were treated with plasma.
It has also been used to treat critically ill patients during Ebola as well.

6. TORNADOES

Subject: Geography

Context: Twelve people were killed and over 300 injured when two powerful tornadoes walloped Chinese cities of Wuhan and Suzhou on Friday night, leaving a trail of destruction of houses and factories.

Concept:

A tornado is a narrow, violently rotating column of air that extends from a thunderstorm to the ground.
Because wind is invisible, it is hard to see a tornado unless it forms a condensation funnel made up of water droplets, dust and debris.
Tornadoes can be among the most violent phenomena of all atmospheric storms we experience.
Tornadoes come in many shapes and sizes, and they are often visible in the form of a condensation funnel originating from the base of a cumulonimbus cloud, with a cloud of rotating debris and dust beneath it.
It is generally accompanied by extreme weather such as heavy downpours, hail storms, and lightning.

7. SUBDOLUSEPS NILGIRIENSIS

Subject: Science & tech

Context: Researchers have discovered an Asian gracile skink species from Western Ghats.

Concept:

Named Subdolusepsnilgiriensis, the reptile has a slender body of just about 7 cm and is sandy brown in colour.
The new species is closely related to Subdolusepspruthi found in parts of the Eastern Ghats.
The new species was found in a dry deciduous area, showing that even the dry zones of our country are home to unrealised skink diversity.
This species is only the third skink species discovered from mainland India in the last millennium.
Skinks are non-venomous. They resemble snakes because of the often-inconspicuous limbs and the way they move on land. Such resemblance has led to confusion often resulting in humans killing this harmless creature.
Subdolusepsnilgiriensis is currently considered a vulnerable species as there are potential threats from seasonal forest fires, housing constructions and brick kiln industries in the area.

8. BIOLOGICS

Subject: Science & tech

Context: A nano particle designed by researchers from University of Massachusetts, Amherst, in the U.S., offers a new, potentially revolutionary approach to treating diseases.

Concept:

The new concept, Protein–Antibody Conjugates or PACs, combines two different approaches to drug delivery.
One is biologics, where the idea is to target a defective protein in the system by delivering proteins to it. An example of this is the case of insulin treatment. If a person is short of insulin, which is a protein, they are given a shot of this to balance the system.
The other approach is to use antibodies for drug delivery. Antibodies are something the body produces to detect a foreign substance inside the body.
Protein–antibody conjugates or PACs, developed by the group, which have a protein attached to the antibody, can zero in on, say, pancreatic cancer cells.
This could have impact on incurable diseases, so-called undruggable ones like pancreatic cancer.