PS4 engine
11-05-2024
11:43 AM

Overview:
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) achieved yet another milestone in design and manufacturing by successfully conducting a long duration test of the PS4 engine of the PSLV stage.
About PS4 engine:
- It is the uppermost stage of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), comprising two Earth storable liquid engines.
- It uses a bipropellant combination of nitrogen tetroxide as the oxidizer and monomethyl hydrazine as the fuel, developed by Isro's Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre.
- The same engine is also used in the Reaction Control System (RCS) of the first stage (PS1) of PSLV.
- ISRO redesigned the conventionally manufactured PS4 engine to make it compatible with additive manufacturing techniques and this innovative approach, known as Design for Additive Manufacturing, has yielded remarkable advantages.
What is Additive Manufacturing?
- It is also known as 3D printing which is an emerging technology that is rapidly transforming manufacturing processes worldwide.
- It creates 3-dimensional objects by successively layering materials under computer control.
- It involves layering materials like plastics, composites, or bio-materials to create objects that range in shape, size, rigidity, and colour.
- Compared to traditional subtractive techniques, 3D printing offers immense design flexibility, reduced waste, and the ability to produce complex geometries.

Q1: What is a Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV)?
It is a space launch vehicle designed, developed and operated by the ISRO to launch satellites and other space objects into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbits (GTO).
Oleander flowers
11-05-2024
11:43 AM

Overview:
Two Kerala government-controlled temple boards have banned use of oleander in temple offerings after a 24-year old woman died after accidentally chewing some oleander leaves.
About Oleander flowers:
- Nerium oleander, commonly known as oleander or rosebay, is a plant cultivated worldwide in tropical, subtropical, and temperate regions.
- It is known for its drought tolerance, the shrub is often used for ornamental and landscaping purposes.
- In Kerala, the plant is known by the names of arali and kanaveeram, and is grown along highways and beaches as a natural, green fencing.
- There are different varieties of oleander, each with a flower of a different colour.
- The plant has been frequently described in Brihattrayi, Nighantus and other classical Ayurvedic texts.
- Charka [Charak Samhita] has prescribed the leaves of white flowered variety externally in chronic and obstinate skin diseases of serious nature including leprosy.
- According to Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India (API) an oil prepared from the root bark can be used to treat skin diseases.
Oleander’s toxicity
- Ingestion or inhalation of smoke from burning oleander can be intoxicating.
- This is due to the properties of cardiac glycosides (a type of chemical) including oleandrin, folinerin, and digitoxigenin, which are present in all parts of the plant.
- Effects of oleander toxicity include nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, rashes, confusion, dizziness, irregular heartbeat, slow heartbeat, and, in extreme cases, death.

Q1: What is the characteristic of temperate climates?
These are characterized by relatively moderate mean annual temperatures, with average monthly temperatures above 10°C in their warmest months and above −3°C in their colder months.
Source: Why Kerala has banned oleander flowers in temple offerings
What are Carboxysomes?
11-05-2024
11:43 AM

Overview:
A research team led by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has discovered how carboxysomes work.
About Carboxysomes:
- These are intracellular structures found in many autotrophic bacteria, including Cyanobacteria, Knallgasbacteria, Nitroso- and Nitrobacteria.
- They are proteinaceous structures resembling phage heads in their morphology; they contain the enzymes of carbon dioxide fixation in these organisms.
- Similar structures are known to harbor the B12-containing coenzyme glycerol dehydratase, the key enzyme of glycerol fermentation to 1,3-propanediol, in some Enterobacteriaceae, such as Salmonella.
- They perform carbon fixation, which is the process of converting carbon dioxide from the atmosphere into organic compounds that can be used by the cell for growth and energy.
- These are made of polyhedral protein shells about 80 to 140 nanometres in diameter.
- These compartments are thought to concentrate carbon dioxide to overcome the inefficiency of RuBisCo (ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase) – the predominant enzyme in carbon fixation and the rate limiting enzyme in the Calvin cycle.
Application
- One of the most promising application of carboxysome is in plant synthetic biology, whereby the introduction of carboxysome into plant chloroplasts as the CO2-concentrating mechanism can improve photosynthetic efficiency and crop yield.

Q1: What is Carbon fixation?
It is the conversion of atmospheric carbon dioxide into organic molecules by autotrophic organisms. Because atmospheric inorganic carbon must be mobilized into organic compounds for life on earth.
Source: Researchers shed new light on carboxysomes in key discovery that could boost photosynthesis
Hanooman AI Platform
11-05-2024
11:43 AM

Overview:
Recently, 3AI Holding Limited and SML India, announced the launch of ‘Hanooman’, India’s homegrown multilingual GenAI platform.
About Hanooman AI Platform:
- It is the largest multilingual and most affordable Gen AI platform.
- Features:
- It is available in 98 global languages, of which, 12 are Indian languages.
- The 12 Indian languages that the web version and app are currently available in include Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Kannada, Odia, Punjabi, Assamese, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Sindhi.
- It can handle everything from a casual chat to offering professional advice as well as performing complex technical tasks like coding and tutoring.
- The Gen AI platform will offer its multimodal and multilingual capabilities, including text, voice, image, and code to users.
- It aims to cater to four sectors:healthcare, governance, financial services, and education. It offers an open-source alternative to commercially accessible Large Language Models (LLMs).
What is Generative Artificial Intelligence?
- It refers to deep-learning models that can take raw data and “learn” to generate statistically probable outputs when prompted.
- It is powered by foundation models (large AI models) that can multi-task and perform out-of-the-box tasks, including summarization, Q&A, classification, and more.
- With minimal training required, foundation models can be adapted for targeted use cases with very little example data.
- It works by using a Machine Learning model to learn the patterns and relationships in a dataset of human-created content.
- It then uses the learned patterns to generate new content.

Q1: What is a Large Language Model (LLMs)?
A large language model (LLM) is a type of artificial intelligence (AI) program that can recognize and generate text, among other tasks.LLMs are trained on huge sets of data—hence the name "large."
Source: Indian AI platform Hanooman launches in 98 global languages
What are the FLiRT Variants?
11-05-2024
11:43 AM

Overview:
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have found that there is an unfamiliar set of COVID-19 variants spreading across the US and they are collectively called FLiRT.
About FLiRT Variants:
- KP.2 and KP1.1, dubbed ‘FLiRT’ variants, are descendants of the Omicron JN.1 which spread globally over the winter last year.
- Features
- The variants appear to outstrip their ancestor and other Omicron variants. KP.2 is the more dominant strain of the two and it is believed to leap past immunity built up from vaccines and previous infections.
- The FLiRT’ variants are descendants of the JN.1 variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus with two new added spike mutations.
- How does it spreads? This variant spreads via respiratory droplets of the person to others, or touching infected surfaces such as faucets, furniture, elevator buttons etc.
- Symptoms of FLiRT
- The symptoms of the new variant are similar to those of other Omicron subvariants: sore throat, cough, nausea, congestion, fatigue, headache, muscle or body ache, loss of taste or smell.
- Prevention: Vaccination and preventive measures are advised to curb the spread.

Q1: What is Omicron BF. 7?
Omicron BF. 7 is the latest sub-variant of the Omicron variant, first detected in Northwest China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.It is also known as the 'Omicron spawn'.
Source: All about FLiRT, the new COVID-19 variants | Explained
55 Cancri e Planet
11-05-2024
11:43 AM

Overview:
Recently, astronomers detected rocky planets beyond our solar system with an atmosphere.
About 55 Cancri e Planet:
- It is an exoplanet also known as Janssen and is a super-Earth.
- The planet is located in our Milky Way galaxy about 41 light-years from Earth, in the constellation Cancer.
- It is a rocky planet significantly larger than Earth but smaller than Neptune.
- It orbits perilously close to a star dimmer and slightly less massive than our sun, rapidly completing an orbit every 18 hours or so.
- It is about 8.8 times more massive than Earth, with a diameter about twice that of our planet.
- It orbits its star at one-25th the distance between our solar system's innermost planet Mercury and the sun. As a result, its surface temperature is about 3,140 degrees Fahrenheit.
- The planet is probably tidally locked, meaning it perpetually has the same side facing its star, much like the moon does toward Earth. Four other planets, all gas giants, are known to orbit its host star.

Q1: What are Exoplanets?
These are planets that orbit other stars and are beyond our solar system. Exoplanets come in a host of different sizes. They can be gas giants bigger than Jupiter or as small and rocky as Earth. They are also known to have different kinds of temperatures; boiling to cold.
Source: Astronomers finally detect a rocky planet with an atmosphere
Constructed wetlands
11-05-2024
11:43 AM

Overview:
Constructed wetlands emerge as a promising approach, offering not only effective treatment but also environmental and economic benefits.
About Constructed wetlands:
- These are engineered structures designed to replicate the functions of natural wetlands.
- They are composed of meticulously chosen vegetation, soil and water, orchestrated to facilitate a seamless process of purification.
- Constructed wetlands are typically divided into two categories:
- Subsurface flow (SSF): These wetlands direct wastewater through gravel beds or porous media, promoting microbial activity that degrades organic matter.
- Surface flow (SF): These wetlands demonstrate their aesthetic appeal above the water’s surface, with gently flowing streams and lush vegetation.
- Objective: To convert pollutants into benign compounds through natural processes.
- Unlike conventional concrete tanks, these wetlands foster biodiversity, welcoming a diverse array of life forms — ranging from microorganisms to aquatic plants and even birds — to engage in the purification process.
- India boasts several remarkable locations where constructed wetlands are utilised for wastewater treatment.
- One such example is the Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary in Delhi, situated on the city’s outskirts.
- The Kolkata East Wetlands in West Bengal, designated as a Ramsar site, feature a vast network of natural and constructed wetlands.
- Benefits
- Cost-Effectiveness: In contrast to traditional treatment facilities, constructed wetlands frequently offer a more economical option for construction and upkeep.
- Environmental benefits: In addition to their primary role in wastewater treatment, constructed wetlands offer supplementary environmental advantages. They function as habitats for a wide array of plant and animal species, promoting biodiversity conservation.
- Scalability and adaptability: Constructed wetlands are flexible in their scalability, able to be adjusted to fit various industrial operations and spatial limitations.

Q1: What Are Microbes?
Microbes are organisms that are too small to be seen without using a microscope, so they include things like bacteria, archaea, and single cell eukaryotes — cells that have a nucleus, like an amoeba or a paramecium. Sometimes we call viruses microbes too.
Source: Constructed wetlands are nature’s ingenious solution for wastewater treatment in India
What is DigiLocker?
11-05-2024
11:43 AM

Overview:
DigiLocker has become a digital placeholder for administrative and government-related documents and now students have the option of viewing their scores and even obtaining their verified marksheets.
About DigiLocker:
- It is a flagship initiative of the Ministry of Electronics & IT (MeitY) under the Digital India programme in 2015
- It is a government approved application and is ideally maintained with strict security protocols framed by officials.
- It operates as an app to store users’ digital records. The app can be used when applying for a passport, reviewing marksheets, or proving one’s identity during travel.
- The app is part of the Indian government’s paper-free initiative aimed at letting users access, verify, and store essential documents in a digital wallet so that they are easy to retrieve and present to officials when required.
- The issued documents in DigiLocker system are deemed to be at par with original physical documents as per Rule 9A of the Information Technology (Preservation and Retention of Information by Intermediaries providing Digital Locker facilities) Rules, 2016.
- It has standard security measures in place including 2048 Bit RSA SSL encryption, multi-factor authentication (OTP verification), consent systems, timed log outs, and security audits.

Q1: What is multifactor authentication?
Multifactor authentication (MFA) is an account login process that requires multiple methods of authentication from independent categories of credentials to verify a user's identity for a login or other transaction.
Source: What is DigiLocker and does it keep your data safe? | Explained
Uniyala multibracteata
11-05-2024
11:43 AM

Overview:
After a gap of 140 years, researchers have rediscovered Uniyala multibracteata from a non-protected area of the Wagamon hills in the Western Ghats.
About Uniyala multibracteata:
- It isa rare tree species which is locally known as Kattupoovamkurunnila.
- The genus Uniyala is named to recognise the contribution of B.P Uniyal, a renowned plant taxonomist. This genus has 11 species, most of which are endemic to south India.
- It is a small tree or large shrub 2 to 5 metres high. Its leaves are covered with cottony hairs.
- Its flowers are very beautiful and [the tree] produces flowers from October to January.
- Habitat: Its habitat consists of evergreen forests and rocky grasslands 1,200 metres above sea level. Interestingly, such rare species of plants have not yet been discovered in protected forests.

Q1: What is evergreen forest?
It is a forest in which there is no complete, seasonal loss of leaves (i.e. trees shed old leaves and produce new ones partially, and sometimes throughout the year, rather than during particular periods). The trees may be softwood conifers or broad-leaved hardwoods found here.
Source: Researchers rediscover rare tree species in Wagamon after 140 years