DAY – 58 (InstaTest-58): Insta 75 Days Revision Plan-2022: Topic – SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, PREVIOUS YEAR UPSC PAPER 2006, November 2021 CA

Solution: C

Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSC)

Context: Japan approves stem cells trial to treat spinal cord injuries. A team of Japanese researchers will carry out an unprecedented trial using human-induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) to treat spinal cord injuries.

What are induced pluripotent stem cells?

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are adult cells that have been genetically reprogrammed to an embryonic stem cell–like state by being forced to express genes and factors important for maintaining the defining properties of embryonic stem cells.

Although additional research is needed, iPSCs are already useful tools for drug development and modeling of diseases, and scientists hope to use them in transplantation medicine.

What are stem cells, and why are they important?

Stem cells have the remarkable potential to develop into many different cell types in the body during early life and growth. In addition, in many tissues they serve as a sort of internal repair system, dividing essentially without limit to replenish other cells as long as the person or animal is still alive. When a stem cell divides, each new cell has the potential either to remain a stem cell or become another type of cell with a more specialized function, such as a muscle cell, a red blood cell, or a brain cell.

Stem cells are distinguished from other cell types by two important characteristics:

1. First, they are unspecialized cells capable of renewing themselves through cell division, sometimes after long periods of inactivity.
2. Second, under certain physiologic or experimental conditions, they can be induced to become tissue- or organ-specific cells with special functions. In some organs, such as the gut and bone marrow, stem cells regularly divide to repair and replace worn out or damaged tissues. In other organs, however, such as the pancreas and the heart, stem cells only divide under special conditions.

What are the similarities and differences between embryonic and adult stem cells?

One major difference between adult and embryonic stem cells is their different abilities in the number and type of differentiated cell types they can become. Embryonic stem cells can become all cell types of the body because they are pluripotent. Adult stem cells are thought to be limited to differentiating into different cell types of their tissue of origin.

Embryonic stem cells can be grown relatively easily in culture. Adult stem cells are rare in mature tissues, so isolating these cells from an adult tissue is challenging, and methods to expand their numbers in cell culture have not yet been worked out. This is an important distinction, as large numbers of cells are needed for stem cell replacement therapies.

Solution: A

Recombinant DNA (rDNA)

• Recombinant DNA (rDNA) molecules are DNA molecules formed by laboratory methods of genetic recombination (such as molecular cloning) to bring together genetic material from multiple sources, creating sequences that would not otherwise be found in the genome.
• Recombinant DNA is possible because DNA molecules from all organisms share the same chemical structure. They differ only in the nucleotide sequence within that identical overall structure.
• In most cases, organisms containing recombinant DNA have apparently normal phenotypes. That is, their appearance, behavior and metabolism are usually unchanged.

• The cutting of DNA at specific locations became possible with the discovery of the so-called ‘molecular scissors’- restriction enzymes.
• Restriction enzymes belong to a larger class of enzymes called nucleases. These are of two kinds; exonucleases and endonucleases.
• Exonucleases remove nucleotides from the ends of the DNA whereas, endonucleases make cuts at specific positions within the DNA.
• The cut piece of DNA was then linked with the plasmid DNA. These plasmid DNA act as vectors to transfer the piece of DNA attached to it.
• You probably know that mosquito acts as an insect vector to transfer the malarial parasite In to human body.
• In the same way, a plasmid can be used as vector to deliver an alien piece of DNA into the host organism.
• The linking of antibiotic resistance gene with the plasmid vector became possible with the enzyme DNA ligase, which acts on cut DNA molecules and joins their ends. This makes a new combination of circular autonomously replicating DNA created in vitro and is known as recombinant DNA.
• When this DNA is transferred into Escherichia coli, a bacterium closely related to Salmonella, it could replicate using the new host’s DNA polymerase enzyme and make multiple copies. The ability to multiply copies of antibiotic resistance gene in E. coli was called cloning of antibiotic resistance gene in E. coli.

Applications of Recombinant DNA Technology

• Recombinant DNA is widely used in biotechnology, medicine and research.
• Recombinant DNA is used to identify, map and sequence genes, and to determine their function.

Solution: B

What is Nanotechnology?

Nanotechnology is science, engineering, and technology conducted at the nanoscale, which is about 1 to 100 nanometers.

Nanoscience and nanotechnology are the study and application of extremely small things and can be used across all the other science fields, such as chemistry, biology, physics, materials science, and engineering.

How it Started

The ideas and concepts behind nanoscience and nanotechnology started with a talk entitled “There’s Plenty of Room at the Bottom” by physicist Richard Feynman at an American Physical Society meeting at the California Institute of Technology (CalTech) on December 29, 1959, long before the term nanotechnology was used. In his talk, Feynman described a process in which scientists would be able to manipulate and control individual atoms and molecules. Over a decade later, in his explorations of ultraprecision machining, Professor Norio Taniguchi coined the term nanotechnology. It wasn’t until 1981, with the development of the scanning tunneling microscope that could “see” individual atoms, that modern nanotechnology began.

Physicist Richard Feynman, the father of nanotechnology.

Solution: D

Mission on Nano Science and Technology (Nano Mission):

• Launched in 2007.
• It is as an “umbrella capacity-building programme”.
• The Mission’s programmes will target all scientists, institutions and industry in the country.
• It will also strengthen activities in nano science and technology by promoting basic research, human resource development, research infrastructure development, international collaborations, among others.
• It will be anchored in the Department of Science and Technology and steered by a Nano Mission Council chaired by an eminent scientist.

Outcomes and significance of the mission:

• As a result of the efforts led by the Nano Mission, today, India is amongst the top five nations in the world in terms of scientific publications in nano science and technology (moving from 4th to the 3rd position).
• The Nano Mission itself has resulted in about 5000 research papers and about 900 Ph.Ds and also some useful products like nano hydrogel based eye drops, pesticide removal technology for drinking water, water filters for arsenic and fluoride removal, nanosilver based antimicrobial textile coating, etc.

The Nano Mission has thus helped establish a good eco-system in the country to pursue front-ranking basic research and also to seed and nurture application-oriented R&D, focused on useful technologies and products.

Solution: A

Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) is the third generation launch vehicle of India. It is the first Indian launch vehicle to be equipped with liquid stages. After its first successful launch in October 1994, PSLV emerged as the reliable and versatile workhorse launch vehicle of India with 39 consecutively successful missions by June 2017. During 1994-2017 period, the vehicle has launched 48 Indian satellites and 209 satellites for customers from abroad.

Besides, the vehicle successfully launched two spacecraft – Chandrayaan-1 in 2008 and Mars Orbiter Spacecraft in 2013 – that later traveled to Moon and Mars respectively.

PSLV has a four-stage system comprising a combination of solid and liquid-fuelled rocket stages.

The first stage at the very bottom is solid fuelled having six strap-on solid rocket boosters wrapped around it. Second stage is liquid fuelled whereas the third stage has a solid fuelled rocket motor. At the fourth stage, the launcher uses a liquid propellant to boost in the outer space.

Due to its unmatched reliability, PSLV has also been used to launch various satellites into Geosynchronous and Geostationary orbits, like satellites from the IRNSS constellation.

Solution: C

Carbon nanotubes (CNT) are cylindrical molecules consisting of rolled-up sheets of single-layer carbon atoms, namely, graphene. Carbon nanotubes are used in applications that require high strength, electrical conductivity, durability, lightweight properties, and thermal conductivity as compared to the other conventional materials. Rapid demand for CNT in integrated circuits, lithium batteries, fuel cells, drug delivery, solar PV cells, hydrogen storage, and field emission displays is contributing to market growth. They act as antennas for electromagnetic devices and radios. Conductive carbon nanotubes are used in brushes for commercial electric motors as they improve thermal and electrical conductivity. It occurs as they stretch through the plastic matrix of the brush. Rising commercialization, technological advancements to improve the overall product quality, and the development of more advanced products are the key trends driving the market.

Solution: A

SATCOM Applications

Most of us are touched by satellite communication in more ways than we realise. Satellite communication (SATCOM) offers some unique benefits like, ubiquitous coverage, serving far flung areas, anywhere connectivity etc. In the past two and a half decades Indian National Satellite (INSAT) and GSAT systems have revolutionized the country’s telecommunications, TV broadcasting, DTH services, business communications, rural area connectivity etc. The satellite communication technology has matured substantially over past three decades and is being used on commercial basis for a large number of applications.

In SATCOM Applications, currently the thrust areas are satellite based tele-education, tele-medicine, Village Resource Centres, wide-band services. In near future, Broadband Internet and similar VSAT applications will be provided using Multi Spot beam high power, high throughput satellites using Ku/Ka frequency, bands.

Tele-education project is focused on spreading satellite-based distance education to entire country at school, college and university level. Tele-medicine is providing very valuable support to rural health services by enabling Super-Specialty doctor’s services to remote areas.

Earth Observation Applications

The hallmark of Indian space programme is the application-oriented focus and the benefits that have accrued to the country through these programmes. The societal services offered by Earth Observation, SATCOM and the recent NavIC constellation of satellites in various areas of national development, including tele-education and telemedicine, are standing examples of applications-oriented space programme of India. Remote Sensing applications projects at National, State and Local levels are being carried out through a well-established multi-pronged implementation architecture of National Natural Resources Management System (NNRMS) in the country. The architecture of space programme in India emphasises on the applications, with active participation of user-community from Government, Academia and Industry. During past many years, Indian Remote Sensing Satellite constellation has taken giant strides in ensuring many areas of application, operational. Some of the most prominent ones are Agricultural Crops Inventory, Water Resources Information System, Ground Water Prospects, Forest Working Plans, Biodiversity and Coral Mapping, Potential Fishing Zones, Ocean State Forecasts, Rural Development, Urban Development, Inventory & Monitoring of Glacial Lakes / Water Bodies, Location based Services using NavIC constellation, Disaster Management Support Programme (Cyclone and Floods Mapping & Monitoring, Landslide Mapping & Monitoring, Agricultural Drought, Forest Fire, Earthquakes, Extreme Weather Monitor.

Solution: C

Hydrogen fuel is a zero-emission fuel burned with oxygen. It can be used in fuel cells or internal combustion engines. It is also used as a fuel for spacecraft propulsion.  Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe.

The sun and other stars are composed largely of hydrogen.

Benefits of hydrogen fuel

• It is readily available. It doesn’t produce harmful emissions.
• It is environmentally friendly and is a non-toxic substance. It can be used as fuel in rockets.
• Hydrogen is three times as powerful as gasoline and other fossil fuels. It is renewable and can be produced again and again.

Solution: D

National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), an umbrella organization for operating retail payments and settlement systems in India, is an initiative of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) under the provisions of the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007, for creating a robust Payment & Settlement Infrastructure in India.

Considering the utility nature of the objects of NPCI, it has been incorporated as a “Not for Profit” Company under the provisions of Section 25 of Companies Act 1956 (now Section 8 of Companies Act 2013), with an intention to provide infrastructure to the entire Banking system in India for physical as well as electronic payment and settlement systems.

The Company is focused on bringing innovations in the retail payment systems through the use of technology for achieving greater efficiency in operations and widening the reach of payment systems.

Solution: D

The Indian Space Programme has the primary goal of promoting and establishing a vibrant space science, applications and technology programme to assist in the overall development of the nation.

The first Indian satellite, Aryabhata, launched in 1975, carried scientific experiments to investigate X-ray astronomy, solar neutrons and supra-thermal electron density. Since then, several instruments for scientific research have been flown on board high altitude balloons, sounding rockets and satellites. Several ground based facilities have also been set up for conducting research by scientists from universities and research institutions as part of astrophysical, solar and atmospheric research programmes.

Technologies developed for those spacecraft systems, which are readily available now at ISRO, can be fully exploited for embarking on planetary missions with well thought out scientific objectives.

Mars Orbiter Mission is ISRO’s first interplanetary mission to planet Mars with an orbiter craft designed to orbit Mars in an elliptical orbit. The primary driving technological objective of the mission is to design and realize a spacecraft with a capability to perform Earth Bound Manoeuvre (EBM), Martian Transfer Trajectory (MTT) and Mars Orbit Insertion (MOI) phases and the related deep space mission planning and communication management at a distance of nearly 400 million Km. Following are the payloads developed by SAC and flown.

Chandrayaan-1, India’s first mission to Moon, was launched successfully on October 22, 2008 from SDSC SHAR, Sriharikota.

Solution: C

What is the Kessler syndrome?

This is an idea proposed by NASA scientist Donald Kessler in 1978. He said that if there was too much space junk in orbit, it could result in a chain reaction where more and more objects collide and create new space junk in the process, to the point where Earth’s orbit became unusable.

This situation would be extreme, but some experts worry that a variant of this could be a problem one day, and steps should be taken to avoid it ever happening. This idea was also popularised in the movie Gravity.

Solution: B

GSLV MkIII, chosen to launch Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft, is a three-stage heavy lift launch vehicle developed by ISRO. The vehicle has two solid strap-ons, a core liquid booster and a cryogenic upper stage.

GSLV Mk III is designed to carry 4 ton class of satellites into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) or about 10 tons to Low Earth Orbit (LEO), which is about twice the capability of the GSLV Mk II.

GSLV Mk III uses two S200 solid rocket boosters to provide the huge amount of thrust required for lift off. The S200 was developed at Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre.

The L110 liquid stage is powered by two Vikas engines designed and developed at the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre.

Solution: A

Satellites in geostationary orbit (GEO) circle Earth above the equator from west to east following Earth’s rotation – taking 23 hours 56 minutes and 4 seconds – by travelling at exactly the same rate as Earth.

This makes satellites in GEO appear to be ‘stationary’ over a fixed position. In order to perfectly match Earth’s rotation, the speed of GEO satellites should be about 3 km per second at an altitude of 35 786 km. This is much farther from Earth’s surface compared to many satellites.

Satellites in polar orbits usually travel past Earth from north to south rather than from west to east, passing roughly over Earth’s poles.

Satellites in a polar orbit do not have to pass the North and South Pole precisely; even a deviation within 20 to 30 degrees is still classed as a polar orbit. Polar orbits are a type of low Earth orbit, as they are at low altitudes between 200 to 1000 km.

Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) is a particular kind of polar orbit. Satellites in SSO, travelling over the polar regions, are synchronous with the Sun. This means they are synchronised to always be in the same ‘fixed’ position relative to the Sun. This means that the satellite always visits the same spot at the same local time – for example, passing the city of Paris every day at noon exactly.

This means that the satellite will always observe a point on the Earth as if constantly at the same time of the day, which serves a number of applications; for example, it means that scientists and those who use the satellite images can compare how somewhere changes over time.

Solution: C

National Super Computing Mission (NSM) is boosting high power computing in the country

Launched in 2015 and jointly funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), the seven-year mission aims at establishing supercomputer facilities across 70 national research and academic institutions and connecting them onto a National Knowledge Network (NKN).

With the infrastructure planned in NSM Phase-I already installed and much of Phase-II in place, the network of supercomputers through the country will soon reach to around 16 Petaflops (PF). Phase-III, to be initiated in January 2021, will take the computing speed to around 45 Petaflops.

NSM is jointly steered by the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) and Department of Science and Technology (DST) and implemented by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Pune and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru.

Param Shivay, the first supercomputer assembled indigenously, was installed in IIT (BHU), followed by Param Shakti and Param Brahma at IIT-Kharagpur and IISER, Pune, respectively.

The three phases will provide access to High-Performance Computing (HPC) Facilities to around 75 institutions and more than thousands of active researchers, academicians working through Nation Knowledge Network (NKN) – the backbone for supercomputing systems.

HPC and Artificial Intelligence (AI) have converged together. A 100 AI PF Artificial Intelligence supercomputing system is being created and installed in C-DAC, which can handle incredibly large-scale AI workloads increasing the speed of computing-related to AI several times.

India has developed an Indigenous server (Rudra), which can meet the HPC requirements of all governments and PSUs. This is the first time that a server system was made in India, along with the full software stack developed by C-DAC.

Solution: C

“Sagar Vani”, a mobile app, was launched recently on the occasion of Foundation Day of Ministry of Earth Sciences.

Solution: C

Solution:

• As explained in last year’s Economic Survey, “Barbell” is a common strategy used in financial markets to deal with extreme uncertainty by combining two seemingly disparate legs. The iterative leg of this strategy is the same as the “Agile” approach that uses feedback-loops, and real-time adjustment.
• The Agile approach is a well-established intellectual framework that is increasingly used in fields like project management and technology development. In an uncertain environment, the Agile framework responds by assessing outcomes in short iterations and constantly adjusting incrementally. It is important here to distinguish Agile from the “Waterfall” framework which has been the conventional method for framing policy in India and most of the world.
• The Waterfall approach entails a detailed, initial assessment of the problem followed by a rigid upfront plan for implementation. This methodology works on the premise that all requirements can be understood at the beginning and therefore pre-commits to a certain path of action. This is the thinking reflected in five-year economic plans, and rigid urban master-plans.

Solution: C

Solution:

• India has had a BoP surplus over the last 2 years. Hence, RBI gained Foreign Exchange Reserves (634b USD as on 31st Dec, 2021). This is equivalent to 13.2 months of merchandise imports and is higher than the country’s external debt. The combination of high foreign exchange reserves, sustained foreign direct investment, and rising export earnings will provide an adequate buffer against possible global liquidity tapering in 2022-23.

Solution: C

Solution:

Solution: B

Solution:

• The Cyclopean Wall of Rajgir is a 40 km (25 mi) long wall of stone which encircled the ancient city of Rajgriha (present-day Rajgir), in the Indian state of Bihar , to protect it from external enemies and invaders. It is among the oldest examples of cyclopean masonry in the world.

Solution: A

Solution:

• The Australian government declared the koala as ‘Endangered’ in the states of Queensland and New South Wales as well as the Australian Capital Territory.
• About Koala (Scientific name: Phascolarctos cinereus):
• Region: Found only in Australia.
• Habitat: Live high up in eucalyptus trees of native bush lands and forests, usually perched between the forks of the tree’s branches.
• Diet: Up to a kilogram of eucalyptus leaves every day. o Major threat: habitat loss; Chlamydia, a bacterial disease and bushfires, drought etc.

Answer B

NCA has two councils: Executive Council and Political Council. The Executive Council is chaired by the National Security Advisor (NSA) while Political Council is chaired by the Prime Minister

Answer D

What is GTAM?

It is an alternative new model introduced for selling off the power by the renewable developers in the open market without getting into long term PPAs.

Key features of GTAM:

• Transactions through GTAM will be bilateral in nature with clear identification of corresponding buyers and sellers, there will not be any difficulty in accounting for Renewable Purchase Obligations (RPO).
• GTAM contracts will be segregated into Solar RPO & Non-Solar RPO as RPO targets are also segregated.
• Daily & Weekly Contracts – Bidding will take place on MWh basis.
• Price discovery will take place on a continuous basise. price time priority basis. Subsequently, looking at the market conditions open auction can be introduced for daily & weekly contracts.
• Energy scheduled through GTAM contract shall be considered as deemed RPO compliance of the buyer.

Significance and benefits of the move:

• The introduction of GTAM platform would lessen the burden on RE-rich States and incentivize them to develop RE capacity beyond their own RPO.
• This would promote RE merchant capacity addition and help in achieving RE capacity addition targets of the country.
• GTAM platform will also lead to increase in number of participants in renewable energy sector.
• It will benefit buyers of RE through competitive prices and transparent and flexible procurement.
• It will also benefit RE sellers by providing access to pan- India market.

Answer B

Sustainable Growth Pillar is an important pillar of India-US Strategic Energy Partnership co-chaired by NITI Aayog and United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Energy modeling or energy system modeling is the process of building computer models of energy systems in order to analyze them.

Answer A

It aims to improve the operational efficiencies and financial sustainability of discoms (excluding Private Sector DISCOMs).

Highlights of the scheme:

• It is a reforms-based and results-linked scheme.
• It seeks to improve the operational efficiencies and financial sustainability of all DISCOMs/Power Departments excluding Private Sector DISCOMs.
• The scheme envisages the provision of conditional financial assistance to DISCOMs for strengthening supply infrastructure.
• The assistance will be based on meeting pre-qualifying criteria as well as upon the achievement of basic minimum benchmarks by the DISCOM.
• The scheme involves a compulsory smart metering ecosystem across the distribution sector—starting from electricity feeders to the consumer level, including in about 250 million households.
• Scheme also focuses on funding for feeder segregation for unsegregated feeders.
• The Scheme has a major focus on improving electricity supply for the farmers and for providing daytime electricity to them through solarization of agricultural feeders.

ANswer D

The Bosphorus connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara, while the Dardanelles connects the Aegean Sea with the Sea of Marmara.

Montreux Convention

Ukraine asked Turkey to close Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits, also known as the Turkish Straits, under the Montreaux Convention.

For those wondering what this agreement is and how it plays into the battle, here’s some clarity on the issue.

Signed in 1936, the Montreux Convention Regarding the Regime of the Straits {known as the Montreux Convention} gives Turkey control over the Bosphorus and Dardanelles Straits and regulates the transit of naval warships.

Signed on 20 July 1936 at the Montreux Palace in Switzerland, the Convention permitted Turkey to remilitarise​ the Straits. It went into effect on 9 November 1936 and was registered in the League of Nations Treaty Series on 11 December 1936.

The Montreux Convention guarantees free passage of civilian vessels to use the Turkish straits, unless they are from a country that Turkey is engaged in war with, giving it the authority to close the straits to all merchant ships if it chooses.

However, the accord isn’t that clear when it comes to warships and that’s where the controversy arises.

The accord states that if Turkey is at war, Ankara has the right to do whatever is necessary, including closing the straits. If other states are at war and Turkey is neutral, the straits are closed for those belligerent countries.

In peacetime, the rules are a bit more complicated.

The convention does not allow aircraft carriers, but it does not mention ships that are designed for other purposes but can also carry aircraft. In this case, Ankara is the ultimate decision-maker depending on war and peacetime.

The Turkish government must also authorise aircraft if they cross over the straits.

Submarines are also not allowed to pass the Turkish straits. But Black Sea states — Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania and Georgia — can build submarines outside the Black Sea and transport them through the straits, and can exit the Black Sea for maintenance by providing adequate notice.

Answer : c

Answer : d

Let first number =x

and second number = y

According to the question,

x – y = 18              …………………(1)

and 3x – 4y = 18  ………………….(2)

On multiplying Eq. (1) by 3 and then

subtracting Eq. (ii) from it, we get

3x-3y 54

3x-4y = 18

y= 36

On putting the value of y in Eq. (1), we get

x = 18 + y = 18 + 36

x = 54

Required sum = x + y = 54+ 36= 90

Answer : a

Let the unit’s digit be y and ten’s digit be x.

Then, the number = 10x + y

When interchanging the place, the number is 10y + x.

According to the question,

(10x+ y) – (10y + x) = 18

10 x + y -10y – x = 18

9x – 9y=18

X – y = 2

and x+y = 12

On adding Eqs. (1) and (2), We get

x = 7

\ x = 7 and y = 5

Product = xy  = 7 ´ 5 = 35

Answer: c

Let total number of sweets = x

According to the question,

(x / 250) – ( x /300) = 1

(6x – 5x ) /1500 = 1

\x = 1500

\ Required number of sweets = 1500

Answer : A

1 is wrong as the definition of bamboo grown in non forest areas has been changed as per the amendbent