IAS Prelims GS Questions and Answers - June 22, 2016

ANSWER: Gujarat

Explanation:

• Lakulish Yoga University, in a lotus-shaped building, has been set up by the Surendranagar-based Life Mission Trust, which already runs several yoga training centres across Gujarat as well as in Canada and Mauritius.
• The university will soon start admissions to courses in yoga, Indian culture and Indology.
• It is claimed to be the first ever such private sector self-financed institution in the country.
• It is said to be the first ever Yoga University in the country which will award full-fledged degrees after three years' course
• During the three years, degree course students will be taught subjects of Ashtang Yoga, karma, knowledge, Bhakti Yoga, philosophy, psychology, anatomy, ayurveda and naturopathy.

ANSWER: 1, 2

Explanation:

• In its thirty sixth flight (PSLV-C34), ISRO's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle successfully launched the 727.5 kg Cartosat-2 Series Satellite along with 19 co-passenger satellites from Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota. This is the thirty fifth consecutively successful mission of PSLV and the fourteenth in its 'XL' configuration.
• Of the 19 co-passenger satellites carried by PSLV-C34, two – SATHYABAMASAT weighing 1.5 kg and SWAYAM weighing 1 kg – are University/Academic institute satellites and were built with the involvement of students from Sathyabama University, Chennai and College Of Engineering, Pune, respectively.
• The remaining 17 co-passenger satellites were international customer satellites from Canada (2), Germany (1), Indonesia (1) and the United States (13).

ANSWER: Collect data on greenhouse gases

Explanation:

• The ‘Sathyabamasat,’ is a satellite developed by students and faculty of Sathyabama University.
• Its mission objectives is to collect data on greenhouse gases (Water vapor, Carbon monoxide, Carbon dioxide, Methane and Hydrogen fluoride)
• It can be used to find the sources of emission and curb it.
• ISRO and Sathyabama University signed an MoU to support the design, development and launch of the satellite. Subsequently, a space technology centre was established on the university campus to conduct advanced research in rocketry, satellites and space applications. A team of students and faculty members have been working on the project, periodically reviewed by ISRO scientists.
• ISRO will be the primary agency to use the satellite data. Later, it will be shared with other agencies like Indian Meteorological Department for interpretation. Once the life span of the satellite gets over, it can be used for amateur radio communication.

ANSWER: For HAM radio community

Explanation:

• The mission objectives are to provide point to point messaging services to the HAM community.
• The COEP Satellite (SWAYAM) project is aimed at developing a reliable bidirectional communications platform. Started in late 2008, the SWAYAM project revolves around the challenge of building a pico-satellite destined to orbit the Earth at a height of 500-800 km.
• Payload of the Satellite is point to point packet communication with which a user can send and receive messages from one point to other point on the earth.
• Scientific objective of the satellite is to demonstrate passive attitude control to stabilise and appropriately orient the satellite. This technique is being used for the first time on an Indian Satellite. Another objective is to provide Low earth orbit channel characterisation in UHF HAM band.

ANSWER: Facebook

Explanation:

• Social networking giant Facebook has introduced tools and educational resources to help people in India who may be struggling with self-injury or experiencing suicidal thoughts. These tools are already available in countries like the US, Australia, New Zealand and the UK.
• Vulnerable users will then be encouraged to connect to the AASRA India helpline or the Live Love Laugh Foundation or a friend or seek self-help advice from resources and tips provided on how they can work through these feelings.
• Facebook has also introduced 'Help a Friend in Need' guide to help people identify when someone is distressed and what steps to take to get help. The guide also offers suggestions on how to approach their friend, what to say, how to react and what to avoid.
• It gives people the skills to reach out without fear of making the situation worse. The guide will be available in English, Hindi, Bengali, Kannada, Malayalam, Punjabi, Sinhalese, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu and Marathi.

ANSWER: Breast Cancer

Explanation:

• People who carry a faulty BRCA1 gene are at high risk of developing aggressive breast cancer.
• By pinpointing the cells that give rise to breast cancers in women who have inherited a faulty version of the BRCA1 gene, researchers at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in Australia identified that the drug denosumab may have potential to prevent breast cancer from developing.
• Cancer precursor cells in BRCA1-mutant breast tissue had many similarities to aggressive forms of breast cancer. These pre-cancerous cells could be identified by a marker protein called RANK.
• The discovery of RANK as a marker of cancer precursors was an important breakthrough, because inhibitors of the RANK signalling pathway were already in clinical use.
• The research team showed that RANK inhibition switched off cell growth in breast tissue from women with a faulty BRCA1 gene and curtailed breast cancer development in laboratory models.
• This strategy could delay or prevent breast cancer in women with an inherited BRCA1 gene mutation.

ANSWER: Only 1

Explanation:

• Vitamin D is essential for the absorption of calcium and the prevention of rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults.
• Vitamin D refers to a group of fat-soluble secosteroids responsible for increasing intestinal absorption of calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphate, and zinc.
• Vitamin D is found in few dietary sources. Sunlight exposure is the primary source of vitamin D for the majority of people, other than supplements.
• There are plants as well as animal sources. However very few plant sources are available for e.g. Alfalfa (Vitamin D₃).

ANSWER: Convergence of modern and traditional Indian medicine

Explanation:

• The Centre for Integrative Medicine and Research is a pioneering initiative by AIIMS, New Delhi in the quest for convergence of contemporary medicine with India’s ancient and traditional medical practices.
• It has been envisioned as a “state of the art” research center where top experts from various disciplines of contemporary medicine will collaborate with Yoga and Ayurveda specialists, both for disease treatment, and for preventive healthcare.
• This step shall witness an integrated approach to healthcare, where the focus shifts from treatment to well being and prevention of diseases.
• The Centre will provide a potent platform for integrating the contemporary allopathy with the benefits of traditional knowledge in healthcare such a Yoga and Ayurveda.
• The Centre will seek scientific validation of Indian ancient medicine systems with a focus on Yoga. It has been designed as a perfect platform for rigorous research to establish the efficacy of our traditional methods of healing, which in turn should pave the way for their greater international scientific acceptability

ANSWER: It provides information on diabetes and also how to manage it

Explanation:

• The Health Minister launched the M-Diabetes initiative which harnesses the power and potential of the vast mobile telephony network.
• With a missed call to 011-22901701 the caller can get more information on Diabetes and how to prevent and manage it.
• One can also log on to www.mdiabetes.nhp.gov.in for more information.