Hindu Notes from General Studies-02

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India cuts export quotas for Maldives

News

• India has lowered the limits on the export of certain essential commodities such as potatoes, onions, and eggs to the Maldives, according to a recent notification, in a move that sparked reports of possible food shortages in the Maldives.

Beyond News

• This move, though ostensibly based on a new method of calculation, comes against the backdrop of a recent heightening of tensions between the two countries.
• Relations between India and Maldives have soured somewhat in recent times.
• According to the 1981 agreement between India and Maldives, the Indian government ,having regard to the fact that it has traditionally been supplying certain essential commodities to the Maldives, has agreed to facilitate supply to the Maldives of specified quantities of commodities, to be determined bilaterally.
• The new three-year average method of calculating the limits will result in a year-on-year reduction in the amount of some essential goods exported to the Maldives, but an increase in others.

UAE Minister to meet Chief Ministers

News

• India’s relations with the UAE are expected to receive a boost this week with major energy and diplomatic discussions.

Why its important? 

• This is the first time that a high official of the UAE will engage several State leaders of India in a bid to strengthen bilateral ties.

Beyond News

• During the week-long visit that began , UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed is scheduled to conclude a trilateral energy agreement and hold meetings with Chief Ministers of multiple States marking a renewed outreach to the States by the energy-rich country.
• Apart from the important energy pact, the UAE also looks for greater partnership with ISRO for its own Mars mission.
• Energy giants Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and Aramco will seal a trilateral agreement with the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
• Both sides are also expected to sign a currency swap agreement.

India, Bangladesh Navies to join hands

News:

• India and Bangladesh have agreed to institute a Coordinated Patrol (CORPAT) as an annual feature between the two Navies.

Beyond News:

• The first edition will be inaugurated by Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba during his visit there from June 24 to 29.
• The commencement of CORPAT is major step towards enhanced operational interaction between both Navies.
• Naval cooperation between India and Bangladesh has been traditionally strong, encompassing a wide span which includes operational interactions through port calls, passage exercises along with capacity building, capability enhancement and training initiatives.
• The aim of Adm. Lanba’s visit is to “consolidate bilateral defense relations between India and Bangladesh and to explore new avenues for naval cooperation.”
• Over the last few years, the Navy has expanded its assistance to countries in the region through “material support, training, EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone) surveillance, provisioning of platforms, hydrographic assistance, joint exercises and offering slots in professional training courses.”
• The Navy regularly conducts CORPATs with Indonesia, Myanmar and Thailand. It also conducts EEZ surveillance of Maldives, Mauritius and Seychelles on their request.

Hindu Notes from General Studies-03

World’s smallest computer to treat cancer

News

• Scientists have developed the world’s smallest computer device that measures just 0.3 millimetres and could help find new ways to monitor and treat cancer. One of the most interesting features is that it can run on low power.

Beyond News

• The new computing devices have processors and wireless transmitters and receivers. They receive and transmit data with visible light. A base station provides light for power and programming, and it receives the data.
• One of the big challenges in building the device called Michigan Micro Mote was how to run at very low power.
• Another challenge was achieving high accuracy while running on low power.
• Designed as a precision temperature sensor, the new device converts temperatures into time intervals, defined with electronic pulses.
• The intervals are measured on-chip against a steady time interval sent by the base station and then converted into a temperature.
• As a result, the computer can report temperatures in minuscule regions – such as a cluster of cells – with an error of about 0.1 degrees Celsius.
• The system is very flexible and could be reimagined for a variety of purposes. Temperature may also help in evaluating cancer treatments.

Formalin-laced fish seized

News

• The Kerala State Food Safety wing officials during inspection seized 6,000 kg of fish preserved using formalin (formaldehyde) at the inter-State border check-post at Walayar in Palakkad.

Beyond News

• The seized fish prawn/shrimp  had been brought in from Andhra Pradesh and preliminary examination using rapid detection strip tests, developed by the Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (CIFT), revealed the presence of formalin in the fish.
• Following this, samples were collected and sent for detailed analysis at the CIFT lab in Ernakulam, food safety officials said.
• Food Safety officials suspect that toxic preservatives are being used by people/traders in Kerala who are importing fish from neighbouring States. It is highly unlikely that traders from Andhra Pradesh are directly selling fish in Kerala after preserving it in formalin, they say.
• Earlier too, the food safety wing has tried to monitor the quality of fish in the market by collecting samples and sending it for analysis .
• Senior officials said that the Commissioner of Food Safety department was in touch with his counterparts in other States too regarding the import of contamination of fish.

IISc researchers find asthma drug effective in treating TB

News

• A drug (Pranlukast) currently used for treating asthma has been found to be effective against tuberculosis, researchers from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, have found.

Beyond News

• Studies carried out in mice models found the drug to be effective in treating TB both when used alone and in combination with an anti-TB drug rifampicin.
• The drug uses a unique strategy to target the TB bacteria and is therefore quite unlikely to cause any adverse side-effects either to the human cells or the beneficial bacteria found in humans.
• Most of the current anti-TB drugs target either the RNA synthesis (transcription) or cell-wall synthesis of the bacteria.
• Many steps make up the arginine biosynthesis pathway and one of them involves an enzyme ArgJ (Ornithine acetyltransferase) which is essential for the survival and virulence of TB bacteria.
• The ArgJ enzyme is unique to TB bacteria and its counterpart neither exists in humans nor in the beneficial bacteria of human microbiome. This makes the ArgJ an exciting target for drug development and is very unlikely to cause any harmful side-effects in the human host.
• To further reduce the chances of the chosen drug causing any side-effects, the researchers decided to target a unique site on the ArgJ enzyme that is not found in other proteins described so far.

‘Rhino habitat under threat of mining’

News

• The lynching of two adventure enthusiasts a fortnight ago has put the focus on rampant mining, quarrying and stone crushing activities that are threatening the ecology of the Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong landscape.

Beyond News

• Kaziranga National Park, home to the largest population of one-horned rhinos in the world.
• Outlining the threat posed to the rhino habitat, also a tiger reserve, environmentalist and RTI activist has complained about the non-implementation of the recommendations of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) by the Assam government for stopping all mining, quarrying and stone crushing activities in the Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong landscape.
• The NTCA had in its report on April 20 asked the State government to immediately stop such activities that are severely hampering the survival and conservation of the tiger, its habitats, co-predators, prey, including mega herbivores, and their transit routes during the annual flood season.
• During floods, animals of low-lying Kaziranga National Park flee to the adjoining kills of Karbi Anglong district. Some stone mines and quarries are on their transit routes.

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