About DIETS of Excellence

• To strengthen teacher training, the District Institutes of Education and Training (DIET) will be developed into centres of excellence. 
• Funding: Financial assistance, totalling to Rs 9000 crores, will be provided to States/UTs for the physical upgradation of all 613 District Institutes of Education and Training (DIETs) to develop them as DIET of Excellence in the country in a phased manner in the next five years. 
• Upto Rs. 15 Crore per DIET will be provided under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Samagra Shiksha for improving various infrastructural facilities. 

What are District Institutes of Education and Training?

• It is an integral part of India’s education system.
• It was established in every district of India as a result of the National Policy on Education 1986.
• DIETs were designed to provide quality training and support to teachers, teacher educators, and other educational personnel.
• The National Policy on Education 1986 was the first step towards achieving this goal.
• They were intended to serve as a hub of academic excellence and professional development.
• The initial focus of DIETs was on providing pre-service and in-service training to teachers and teacher educators.
• They work closely with schools to identify the specific needs of students and develop teaching strategies that cater to those needs.
• They also work with the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) to develop curriculum frameworks that are aligned with national education policies.

Q1) What is Samagra Shiksha?

It is an overarching programme for the school education sector extending from pre-school to class 12. The scheme has been prepared with the broader goal of improving school effectiveness measured in terms of equal opportunities for schooling and equitable learning outcomes.

Source: Shri Dharmendra Pradhan launches various initiatives in School and Teacher Education

About Gold Nanoparticles

• Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are small gold particles with a diameter of 1 to 100 nm.
• Once dispersed in water, AuNPs are also known as colloidal gold.
• These are also called as 'gold bhasma,'
• Properties
  • Spherical AuNPs possess useful attributes such as size- and shape-related optoelectronic properties, large surface-to-volume ratio, excellent biocompatibility, and low toxicity.
  • Important physical properties of AuNPs include surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and the ability to quench fluorescence.
  • Spherical AuNPs exhibit a range of colors (e.g., brown, orange, red and purple) in aqueous solution as the core size increases from 1 to 100 nm.
  • These are not – toxic, not phototoxic, not genotoxic, non-irritant and non-sensitizing
• Applications
  • Electronics: Gold nanoparticles are designed for use as conductors from printable inks to electronic chips. Nanoscale gold nanoparticles are being used to connect resistors, conductors, and other elements of an electronic chip.
  • Photodynamic Therapy: Near-IR absorbing gold nanoparticles produce heat when excited by light at wavelengths from 700 to 800 nm. This enables these nanoparticles to eradicate targeted tumors.
  • Therapeutic Agent Delivery: Therapeutic agents can also be coated onto the surface of gold nanoparticles. The large surface area-to-volume ratio of gold nanoparticles enables their surface to be coated with hundreds of molecules
  • Sensors – These are used in a variety of sensors. For example, a colorimetric sensor based on gold nanoparticles can identify if foods are suitable for consumption.
  • Diagnostics: These are also used to detect biomarkers in the diagnosis of heart diseases, cancers, and infectious agents.

Q1) What is nanotechnology?

Nanotechnology is the manipulation of matter on a near-atomic scale to produce new structures, materials and devices. The technology promises scientific advancement in many sectors such as medicine, consumer products, energy, materials, and manufacturing.

Source: Gold nanoparticles can help arrest ageing: Experts

About Golden Langurs

• It can be most easily recognized by the color of their fur, after which they are named.
• It has been noted that their fur changes colors according to the seasons.
• The color of the young also differs from adults in that they are almost pure white.
• Geographic Range:
  • o It is limited to Assam, India and neighboring Bhutan where they live year-round.
  • o The area they inhabit is restricted to the region surrounded by four geographical landmarks: the foothills of Bhutan (north), Manas river (east), Sankosh river (west), and Brahmaputra river (south).
• Habitat
  • o They occupy moist evergreen and tropical deciduous forests as well as some riverine areas and savannas in Assam and Bhutan.
  • o They are very much dependent on trees, living in the upper canopy of sub-tropical forests in the south and in more temperate forests in the north.
  • o They may be found at elevations close to sea level in the south and up to 3000 m at the foothills of Bhutan in the north.
• Conservation status
  • o IUCN: Endangered
  • o CITES: Appendix I
  • o Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 : Schedule I

Q1) What is the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)?

It is an international agreement between governments that aims to ensure that international trade in wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. CITES was adopted in 1973 and entered into force in 1975.There are 184 member parties, and trade is regulated in more than 38,000 species.

Source: India’s golden langur population estimated at 7,396

About Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft

• It is India’s fifth-generation multirole fighter jet.
• Features
  • It will have advanced stealth features to avoid detection by enemy radar.
  • Fuel and Weapon: The aircraft will have a large, concealed internal fuel tank of 6.5-tonne capacity, and an internal weapons bay for a range of weapons, including indigenous weapons.
  • Engine: The AMCA Mk1 variant will have the US-built GE414 engine of the 90 kilonewton (kN) class, while the more advanced AMCA Mk2 will fly on the more powerful 110kN engine, which will be developed indigenously by DRDO’s Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE) in collaboration with a foreign defence major.
  • The aircraft will have a low electro-magnetic signature, which will make it difficult for enemy radar to detected it.
  • At the same time, it will have powerful sensors and new weapons, so it is able to register the signature of enemy aircraft and take them out.
• The Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) will be the nodal agency for executing the programme and designing the aircraft.
• It will be manufactured by state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

Q1) What is GE F414 Fighter Jet Engine?

It is a high-performance, two-spool, axial-flow turbofan engine that is used to power a variety of military aircraft, including the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, the JAS 39 Gripen, and the Tejas Mark II. It is a derivative of the GE F404 engine, which was developed in the 1970s. It has been used by U.S. Navy aircraft for more than 30 years.

Source: All about India’s indigenous fifth-gen fighter jet AMCA, and why it is important

About Inflection 2.5

• It is an “upgraded in-house model that is competitive with all the world’s leading LLMs.
• The newly upgraded Large Language Model comes with its signature personality and uniquely empathetic fine-tuning.
• It has made some stellar strides in areas of IQ such as coding and mathematics.
• With the new upgrade, Pi has now been endowed with world-class real-time web search capabilities to ensure that users get access to high-quality and up-to-date information in real time.
• The new LLM, users are talking to the Pi chatbot about a wider range of topics including discussing current events, getting local restaurant recommendations, studying for a biology exam, drafting business plans, coding, and even fun discussions on hobbies.

What is PI chatbot?

• Pi is an AI chatbot with which one can have deep and meaningful conversations.
• To access the chatbot, one needs to log on to Inflection.AI, click on Meet Pi, and simply start talking to the chatbot right away.
• It is more humane and has been promoted as a chatbot that has a personality.
• It is more like a companion to humans and is free to use.
• The chatbot comes with a voice, in six distinct voices, to choose from adding life to conversations.
• The chatbot has been shown billions of lines of text on the open web.
• This allows Pi to have conversations with users and answer a wide variety of questions, according to the company.

Q1) What is a large language model?

It is a type of artificial intelligence algorithm that’s trained to learn the patterns and structures of a given language. This not only allows it to understand and summarize information, but also generate and predict new content.