Daily Current Affairs for UPSC – 8 June 2023

Daily Current Affairs for UPSC 2023

Q) Which one of the following statements is not correct about Ground-Level Ozone?

1. It is also commonly known as tropospheric ozone.
2. It is directly emitted into the air by the vehicles.
3. Volatile organic compounds are one of its main components.
4. It can harm vegetation during the growing season.

Daily Current Affairs for UPSC – 7 June April 2023

Explanation:

• Option (1) is correct: According to Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), parts of the Delhi-NCR region witnessed ground-level ozone readings exceeding the national standards on 87 out of 92 days in the summer period between March and May. Also known as tropospheric ozone, ground-level ozone is “a colourless and highly irritating gas that forms just above the Earth’s surface (up to 2 miles above the ground).
• Option (2) is incorrect but option (3) is correct: Ground-Level Ozone is not directly emitted into the air but rather produced when two primary pollutants react in sunlight and stagnant air. These two primary pollutants are nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). About 95 per cent of NOx from human activity comes from the burning of coal, gasoline and oil in motor vehicles, homes, industries and power plants. VOCs from human activity come mainly from gasoline combustion and marketing, upstream oil and gas production, residential wood combustion, and from the evaporation of liquid fuels and solvents. Ground-level ozone is also called a “secondary” pollutant.
• Option (4) is correct: The pollutant can also affect sensitive vegetation and ecosystems, including forests, parks and wildlife refuges. It can harm sensitive vegetation during the growing season too.

Q) With reference to genetically modified crops, consider the following statements:

1. Bt-cotton covers about 96 percent of the total area under cotton cultivation in India.
2. DMH-11 is a genetically modified variety of corn that was approved for field trials recently.
3. The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee falls under the overall control of the Ministry of Science and Technology.

How many of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. Only one
2. Only two
3. All three
4. None

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is correct: The pest-resistant, genetically modified version of cotton, called Bt Cotton, was the first GM crop to be grown commercially in India during 2002-2003. By 2014, about 96% of the area under cotton cultivation in India was Bt cotton, making India the fourth-largest cultivator of GM crops by area and the second largest producer of cotton. The approval of Bt Cotton has been delayed by the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC).
• Statement 2 is incorrect: Dhara Mustard Hybrid (DMH -11) is a genetically modified version of Mustard. It was developed by research team at Delhi University led by former vice-chancellor and genetics professor Deepak Pental under a government-funded project. The process uses a system of genes from soil bacterium that makes mustard better suited to hybridization than current methods. The developers of DMH-11 have claimed a yield increase of 25-30% over non-hybrids.
• Statement 3 is incorrect: The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), is responsible for the assessment of proposals related to the release of genetically engineered organisms and products into the environment, including experimental field trials.

Q) Consider the following statements about ‘Tropical Cyclones’:

1. A favourable ‘Madden Julian Oscillation’ conditions in the Indian Ocean can increase the intensity of a cyclone.
2. Cyclone Biparjoy recently made landfall in the coastal areas of the state of Odisha.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is correct but statement 2 is incorrect: Tropical cyclone is a low-pressure system that forms over warm tropical waters and move over to the coastal areas bringing violent winds, very heavy rainfall and storm surge. The wind direction in the cyclone is anti-clockwise in the northern hemisphere & clockwise in the southern hemisphere. Cyclone Biparjoy in the Arabian Sea has intensified into a ‘very severe cyclone’. The cyclone has received favoured from exceptionally warm Arabian Sea, a weak monsoon onset, and favourable Madden Julian Oscillation (MJO) conditions in the Indian Ocean. The cyclone is currently located about 850 km west of Goa and is expected to move northwards and turn towards Oman in the coming days. The cyclone will help the monsoon onset in Kerala within the next 48 hours, but it will delay the ascent up the Western coast.

Q) With reference to the ‘Fermi energy’, consider the following statements:

1. It is the energy differential between the highest and lowest occupied states of fermions.
2. The Fermi level changes as the solids are warmed and the electrons are added to it.
3. It helps in understanding the stability of white dwarfs in the universe.

How many of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. Only one
2. Only two
3. All three
4. None

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is correct: Fermi energy is a concept in quantum mechanics. It usually refers to the energy difference between the highest and lowest occupied single-particle states in a quantum system of non-interacting fermions at absolute zero temperature.
• Statement 2 is correct: At absolute zero temperature, the electrons are in the lowest energy state, and that’s why the Fermi level is between the valence band and the conduction band. The sea of fermions above which no electrons exist is referred to as the Fermi level due to the fact that there is sufficient energy. The Fermi level changes as the solid are warmed and the electrons are added to or removed from it.
• Statement 3 is correct: It can be used in insulators and semiconductors. The electrical and thermal characteristics of the solids can be determined with the help of Fermi energy. Understanding the stability of white dwarfs is an important part of nuclear physics. White dwarfs are stars that have a fraction of the mass of the Sun but have the same amount of radius.

Q) Which of the following factors are responsible for the spread of antimicrobial resistance?

1. Practices of self-medication
2. Mass bathing in rivers
3. Use of growth promoters in food animals
4. Pharmaceutical industry pollution

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

1. Only one
2. Only two
3. Only three
4. All four

Explanation:

• Option (4) is correct: Anti-Microbial Resistance is the ability of microorganisms to persist or grow in the presence of drugs designed to inhibit or kill them. It is one of the major threats to global health, food security and development as it threatens the effective prevention and treatment of infections caused by bacteria, parasites, viruses and fungi. Reasons for the spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR):
• Antibiotic consumption in humans: Excessive and inappropriate use of antibiotics in human healthcare can contribute to the emergence of bacterial strains resistant to multiple antibiotics. This includes the unnecessary use of antibiotic fixed dose combinations.
• Social factors: Practices such as self-medication and easy access to antibiotics without prescription can contribute to the misuse and overuse of antibiotics. Lack of knowledge about when to use antibiotics appropriately also plays a role.
• Cultural activities: Certain cultural practices, such as mass bathing in rivers during religious mass gatherings, can contribute to the spread of AMR by facilitating the exchange of antibiotic-resistant organisms.
• Antibiotic consumption in food animals: The use of antibiotics, especially those crucial to human health, as growth promoters in food animals, such as poultry, can contribute to the development of AMR. Antibiotic residues can enter the food chain and contribute to the spread of resistance.
• Pharmaceutical industry pollution: Wastewater effluents from antibiotic manufacturing units often contain significant amounts of antibiotics. When these effluents are not properly treated, they can contaminate water bodies, leading to the presence of antibiotic residues and antibiotic-resistant organisms.
• Environmental sanitation: Inadequate disposal of sewage and improper treatment of wastewater can contribute to the contamination of rivers and other water bodies with antibiotic residues and antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
• Infection control practices in healthcare settings: Poor adherence to infection control practices, such as hand hygiene, in healthcare facilities can facilitate the transmission of antibiotic-resistant bacteria among patients.

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