IAS Prelims GS Questions and Answers - Mar 09, 2016

ANSWER: Lungs

Explanation:

• High levels of insulin directly damage the lung structure, says global study.
• Diabetes may be impeding the normal functioning of lungs and common medicines that are used to treat insulin resistance may actually be exacerbating conditions such as asthma, report a team of Indian, European and American scientists. Most medicines to treat diabetes attempt to control the excess blood sugar by pumping in ever-increasing quantities of insulin into the body. That only makes matters worse.
• Notably, Indians have the lowest lung function in the world even after adjusting for our smaller body size. The importance of this research paper is that it shows for the first time that high levels of insulin are directly damaging the lung structure and function.
• Recently, there have been a number of studies showing that when adjusted for body size, Indians have among the smallest lungs in the world or nearly a third smaller than a white European of similar size. This means a reduced efficiency to filter oxygen from ingested air, an accelerated decline in lung function with age as well as an increased propensity to contract respiratory diseases.

ANSWER: 1, 2

Explanation:

• A diet rich in a fatty acid that is essential for nutrition and found in grapeseed and other oils but not in olive oil may lower the risk of heart disease and diabetes.
• Grape seed oil increases high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C or "good cholesterol") levels and reduces LDL levels.

ANSWER: Only 2

Explanation:

• To be developed under the ‘Make Category’, the FICV is a high mobility armored battle vehicle, for infantry men to keep pace with new advancements in weaponry system.
• The FICV needs to be compact, tracked and amphibious, no heavier than 18-20 tonnes, so that it can be air-portable and transportable by other means, onto combat zones.
• The vehicle must fire anti-tank guided missiles to ranges beyond 4 km, with a capability to carry a crew of three, and eight combat-kitted infantrymen.
• The FICV will replace the Indian Army’s fleet Russian-designed BMP (Sarath BMP-II) series armed vehicles, that are in operation since 1980.
• The competition for a Rs 60,000 crore defence order, for the supply of 2610 Future Infantry Combat Vehicles (FICV) to the Indian Army over 25 years, currently includes Larsen & Toubro; Mahindra & Mahindra; Tata Motors.
• Tata Motors entered into a strategic agreement with Bharat Forge Ltd and General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) of the US to bid for this project.

ANSWER: Electric Vehicles

Explanation:

• It will cover all vehicle segments i.e. two, three and four wheelers, cars, LCVs, Buses etc and all forms of hybrid (Mild/Strong/Plug-in) and pure electric vehicles.
• To promote eco-friendly vehicles, the government today formally launched the FAME India scheme offering incentives on electric and hybrid vehicles of up to Rs 29,000 for bikes and Rs 1.38 lakh for cars.
• FAME India - Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric vehicles in India - is a part of the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan.
• The nodal department for this scheme is the Department of Heavy Industries.
• The key focus of the scheme is to setup areas of excellence in vehicle system integration, motors and controllers and power electronics; batteries and battery management system and charging infrastructure.
• There is thrust on demand creation too.

ANSWER: Prescription

Explanation:

• The symbol means prescription i.e. the advised drugs should be consumed as per the doctor’s prescription only. The dosage too needs to be as per the doctor’s advice.
• To reduce antimicrobial resistance, as per the government of India, the drugs specified in Schedule H1 shall be labeled with the symbol Rx which shall be in red and conspicuously displayed on the left top corner of the label.

ANSWER: 2, 3, 4

Explanation:

• National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke (NPCDCS) focuses on reducing risk of non-Communicable diseases.
• The focus of the programme is on health promotion and prevention, strengthening of infrastructure including human resources, early diagnosis and management and integration with the primary health care system through NCD cells at different levels.
• National Cancer Control Programme, an on-going programme, has been integrated under NPCDCS.

ANSWER: All of the above

Explanation:

• Major risk factors for these NCDs are raised blood pressure, cholesterol, tobacco use, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, alcohol consumption, and obesity which are modifiable.
• Hence a majority of cancers and Cardio-Vascular Diseases (CVDs) can be prevented and treated if diagnosed at an early stage.