VVPAT

For: Preliminary
Topic Covered: Electronic Voting machine, its uses, Election Commission

News Flash

To ensure the voters vote go to their preferred candidate, the Election Commission of India for the first time made all booths equipped with VVPAT machines along with the electronic voting machines.

 

VVPAT

Voter verifiable paper audit trail or verifiable paper record is a method of providing feedback to voters using a ballotless voting system. It dispenses a slip with the symbol of the party for which a person has voted for. The voter cannot take slip at home as the slip appears on a small windows inside the machine. The booth slip is only an identification document to cross-check with the electoral rolls.

 

Facts

• For the first time in India, VVPAT -fitted EVMs was used in entire Goa state in the 2017 assembly elections.
• VVPAT machines are being used for the first time in any Lok Sabha elections.
• To bring more ‘credibility’ and ‘integrity’ to the ongoing Loksabha electoral process, the Supreme Court has directed the Election Commission of India to increase the random matching of paper trail machine slips with EVM results from one to five polling booth in each assembly segment.

 

Who can Vote

• All voter card holders.
• In the absence of an EPIC card, voters need to carry one of 12 documents prescribed by the Election Commission to vote. These include passport, driver’s licence, service identity card, bank/post office passbbok, PAN, smart card issued by RGI, MNREGS job card, health insurance smart card issued by Ministry of Labour, pension document with photo and Aadhaar.

 

How do VVPAT machines work?

When a voter presses a button in the EVM, a paper slip is printed through the VVPAT. The slip contains the poll symbol and name of the candidate. It allows the voter to verify his/her choice.  After being visible to the voter from a glass case in the VVPAT for seven seconds, the ballot slip will be cut and dropped into the drop box in the VVPAT machine and a beep will be heard. VVPAT machines can be accessed by polling officers only.

Source: The Hindu

 

 

Zinc deficiency

For: Preliminary
Topics covered: Zinc deficiency’s impact and effects,

News Flash

Rising carbon dioxide levels can quicken zinc insufficiency in harvests and in this way in human consumption, alerts another study titled ‘Inadequate zinc intake in India: past, present and future’ by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

• The presence of zinc plays a critical role in human immune systems.

 

Highlights of study

• Nearly ten million people in India to become newly deficient due to inadequate zinc intake.
• The highest rate of inadequate zinc intake was concentrated mainly in the southern and northeastern States with rice-dominated diets: Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Manipur and Meghalaya.
• Rice is poor in [the presence of] zinc, causing higher rates of zinc inadequacy in diets that rely heavily upon it.
• Overall urban populations and wealthier urban groups in particular, showed higher rates of inadequate intake as well, due to a higher proportion of nutrient-poor fats and sugars in the diet.

 

Zinc

Zinc is an essential mineral that is naturally present in some foods, added to others, and available as a dietary supplement. Zinc is involved in numerous aspects of cellular metabolism. It is required for the catalytic activity of approximately 100 enzymes and it plays a role in immune function, protein synthesis, wound healing, DNA synthesis, and cell division. Zinc also supports normal growth and development during pregnancy, childhood, and adolescence and is required for proper sense of taste and smell. A daily intake of zinc is required to maintain a steady state because the body has no specialized zinc storage system.

 

Health issues due to Zinc deficiency

• Inadequate zinc intake can have serious health consequences, particularly for young children.
• Malaria
• Diarrhoeal diseases
• Pneumonia
• Zinc deficiency is characterized by growth retardation, loss of appetite, and impaired immune function.
• Zinc deficiency causes hair loss, delayed sexual maturation, impotence, hypogonadism in males, and eye and skin lesions.
• Weight loss, delayed healing of wounds, taste abnormalities, and mental lethargy can also occur.

 

Health risk from Excessive Zinc

• Zinc toxicity can occur in both acute and chronic forms.
• Acute adverse effects of high zinc intake include nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, and headaches.

 

Sources of Zinc 

• A wide variety of foods contain zinc.
• Oysters contain more zinc per serving than any other food.
• Others: red meat and poultry,  beans, nuts, certain types of seafood (such as crab and lobster), whole grains, fortified breakfast cereals, and dairy products.

 

Government’s initiatives to slow down deficiency

• National grain fortification programmes
• Increased dietary diversity
• Bio-fortified crops
• Reduced carbon dioxide emissions

 

Source: The Hindu

 

 

NASA exoplanet hunter finds earth-sized planet

For: Preliminary; Mains: GS III
Topics covered: space exploration, Technology advancement

News Flash

NASA’s new exoplanet hunter Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) has discovered its first earth-sized world. The planet orbits HD 21749, a star with about 70% of the sun’s mass located 53 light years away in the southern constellation Reticulum and is the second planet TESS has identified in the system

Exoplanets are planets beyond our own solar system.

 

Exoplanet Missions

• Kepler launched in 2009 on a prime mission to observe a region in the Cygnus constellation. Kepler performed that mission for four years — double its initial mission lifetime — until most of its reaction wheels (pointing devices) failed. NASA then put Kepler on a new mission called K2, in which Kepler uses the pressure of the solar wind to maintain position in space. The observatory periodically switches its field of view to avoid the sun’s glare. Kepler’s pace of planetary discovery slowed after switching to K2, but it is still found hundreds of exoplanets using the new method. Its latest data release, in February 2018, contained 95 new planets.

• Kepler has revealed a cornucopia of different types of planets. Besides gas giants and terrestrial planets, it has helped define a whole new class known as “super-Earths”: planets that are between the size of Earth and Neptune. Some of these are in the habitable zones of their stars, but astrobiologists are going back to the drawing board to consider how life might develop on such worlds. Kepler’s observations showed that super-Earths are abundant in our universe.

• A new observatory called the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) was launched in spring 2018. TESS will orbit the Earth every 13.7 days and will perform an all-sky survey over two years. It will survey the Southern Hemisphere in its first year, and the Northern Hemisphere (which includes the original Kepler field) in its second. The observatory is expected to reveal many more exoplanets, including at least 50 that are around the size of Earth.

• The NASA James Webb Space Telescope, which is expected to launch in 2020. It is specialized to observe in infrared wavelengths. The powerful observatory is expected to reveal more about the habitability of certain exoplanets’ atmospheres.

• The European Space Agency’s PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations of stars (PLATO) telescope, which is expected to launch in 2024. It is designed to learn how planets form and which conditions, if any, could be favorable for life.

• The ESA ARIEL (Atmospheric Remote-sensing Infrared Exoplanet Large-survey) mission, which will launch in mid-2028. It is expected to observe 1,000 exoplanets and also do a survey of the chemical compositions of their atmospheres.

 

Source: NASA

 

World Heritage Day

For: Preliminary

News Flash

The International Day for Monuments and Sites also known as World Heritage Day is an international observance held on 18 April each year around the world.

This special day offers an opportunity to raise the public’s awareness about the diversity of cultural heritage and the efforts that are required to protect and conserve it, as well as draw attention to its vulnerability.

 

Background

On 18 April 1982 on the occasion of a symposium organised by ICOMOS in Tunisia, the holding of the “International Day for Monuments and Sites” to be celebrated simultaneously throughout the world was suggested. This project was approved by the Executive Committee who provided practical suggestions to the National Committees on how to organise this day.

The idea was also approved by the UNESCO General Conference who passed a resolution at its 22nd session in November 1983 recommending that Member States examine the possibility of declaring 18 April each year “International Monuments and Sites Day”. This has been traditionally called the World Heritage Day.

 

World Heritage sites in India

Cultural : Agra Fort (1983), Ajanta Caves (1983), Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara at Nalanda, Bihar (2016), Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi (1989), Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park (2004), Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus) (2004), Churches and Convents of Goa (1986), Elephanta Caves (1987), Ellora Caves (1983), Fatehpur Sikri (1986), Great Living Chola Temples (1987,2004), Group of Monuments at Hampi (1986), Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram (1984), Group of Monuments at Pattadakal (1987) , Hill Forts of Rajasthan (2013), Historic City of Ahmadabad (2017), Humayun’s Tomb, Delhi (1993) , Khajuraho Group of Monuments (1986) , Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya (2002), Mountain Railways of India (1999,2005,2008) , Qutb Minar and its Monuments, Delhi (1993), Rani-ki-Vav (the Queen’s Stepwell) at Patan, Gujarat (2014), Red Fort Complex (2007), Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka (2003), Sun Temple, Konârak (1984), Taj Mahal (1983), The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier, an Outstanding Contribution to the Modern Movement (2016), The Jantar Mantar, Jaipur (2010), Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai (2018)

Natural : Great Himalayan National Park Conservation Area (2014), Kaziranga National Park (1985), Keoladeo National Park (1985), Manas Wildlife Sanctuary (1985), Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks (1988,2005) , Sundarbans National Park (1987), Western Ghats (2012)

Mixed : Khangchendzonga National Park (2016)

Source: The Hindu

 

 

5G Technology in India

For: Preliminary
Topics covered: Technology advancement

News Flash

BSNL has begun work on making itself 5G-ready this fiscal year. Its focus would be on deploying new technologies with an aim to tap the nearly 50% of the population that is still “untouched by mobile phones.

However, BSNL is awaiting government approval for 4G spectrum.

India, traditionally been a late adopter of advanced technologies. We still are struggling to achieve the speed 4G network offers. In fact 4G speeds in India are some of the worst in the world. It is highly unlikely that we will witness any major developments in the coming year. Having said that, the telecom regulatory authority of India (TRAI) has started the process of auctioning the 5G spectrum in India. Meanwhile, analysts have predicted that India will fully adopt 5G by 2022.

 

The 5G Technology

The new 5G technology is not just the next version of mobile communications, evolving from 1G to 2G, 3G, 4G and now 5G. Instead the new 5G technology has been driven by specific uses ad applications.Chipmakers and smartphone companies alike are talking about the 5G wave that is going to hit the globe in 2019 and which promises to elevate the speed of the wireless networks from the present speed of about 45mbps to about 1Gbps.

 

Main Features of 5G

• Ubiquitous connectivity for applications as diverse as automotive communication.
• Remote control with haptic style feedback
• Huge video downloads
• The very low data rate
• Applications like remote sensors.
• IoT, Internet of Things.

 

SUGGESTED 5G WIRELESS PERFORMANCE

PARAMETER	SUGGESTED PERFORMANCE
Peak data rate	At least 20 Gbps downlink and 10 Gbps uplink per mobile base station. This represents a 20 fold increase on the downlink over LTE.
5G connection density	At least 1 million connected devices per square kilometer (to enable IoT support)
5G mobility	0Km/h to “500Km/h high speed vehicular” access.
5G energy efficiency	The 5G spec calls for radio interfaces that are energy efficient when under load, but also into a low energy mode quickly when not in use.
5G spectral efficiency	30bits/Hz downlink and 15bits/Hz uplink. This assumes 8×4 MIMO (8 spatial layers down, 4 spatial layers up).
5G real-world data rate	The spec “only” calls for a per-user download speed of 100 Mbps and upload speed of 50 Mbps.
5G latency	Under ideal circumstances, 5G networks should offer users a maximum latency of just 4ms (compared to 20ms for LTE).

Source: The Hindu

 

 

ATTENTION

Vanessa Cardui butterflies

A vast number of migrating butterflies have swarmed across Lebanon this year after heavy winter rain in the Middle East led to an exceptional spring for wild flowers.

The last time this migration happened in this way was back in 1917.

The sheer number of Vanessa Cardui butterflies travelling from Africa to northern Europe caused admiring bewilderment, as millions crossed mountains, fields, villages and cities.

Lebanon: Lebanon, officially known as the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus is west across the Mediterranean Sea.

Vanessa cardui: Vanessa cardui is a well-known colourful butterfly, known as the painted lady, or formerly in North America as the cosmopolitan. The butterflies’ have distinctive black, white and russet wings and they could be seen in the northern villages of Mrouj and Zaarour flitting across large meadows of wild flowers.

 

Source: The Hindu

 

 

Pulitzer Prizes

The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal have won Pulitzer Prizes for their separate investigations on U.S. President Donald Trump and his family.

• The prestigious journalism award is given to The Times for explanatory reporting for its probe of the Trump family’s finances that “debunked his claims of self-made wealth and revealed a business empire riddled with tax dodges.

• The South Florida Sun Sentinel won the Pulitzer for public service for its coverage of failings by school and law enforcement officials before and after the February 2018 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

• Hannah Dreier of ProPublica won the prize for feature writing for a series of stories about immigrants from El Salvador living on New York’s Long Island caught up in a crackdown on MS-13 gang members.

• The Associated Press won a Pulitzer for international reporting for its coverage of the war in Yemen.

• The Overstory by Richard Powers won the Pulitzer for fiction and Fairview by Jackie Sibblies Drury won the prize for drama.

• The Pulitzer for history was awarded to David Blight for Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom while the biography prize went to Jeffrey Stewart for The New Negro: The Life of Alain Locke .