Daily Current Affairs MCQ- June 15, 2024 - UPSC MCQ

A new study released June 11, 2024, has reported the first significant decrease in atmospheric concentrations of potent ozone-depleting substances (ODS) known as hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs).

About:

• Ozone-Depleting Substances (ODS) are chemicals that cause the depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer.
  • This layer is crucial for protecting life on Earth by absorbing the majority of the sun's harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation.
• The most common ODS include chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), halons, carbon tetrachloride, and methyl chloroform.
• ODS are substances commonly used in refrigerators, air conditioners, fire extinguishers, and aerosols.

The Montreal Protocol:

• The Montreal Protocol, signed in 1987, is a global agreement to protect the stratospheric ozone layer by eliminating the production and consumption of ODSs like chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).
• The worldwide production of CFCs has been prohibited since 2010.

Kigali Amendment to Montreal Protocol:

• In 2016, Parties to the Montreal Protocol adopted the Kigali Amendment to phase down the production and consumption of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) worldwide.
• HFCs are widely used alternatives to ODS such as hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), already controlled under the Protocol.

Hence option d is the correct answer.

A delegation of the Central Government recently visited Great Nicobar, the site for the Rs. 750000 crore greenfield composite project centered around a transshipment port.

About Great Nicobar Island:

• It is the southernmost island of the Nicobar Islands Archipelago, located in the southeast of the Bay of Bengal.
• It is the largest of the Nicobar group of islands, spanning 1,045 square kilometers.
• Headquarters: Campbell Bay
• Indira Point, situated in Campbell Bay, is the southernmost point of India and is only about 150 km from Sumatra, Indonesia. 
• The population consists mostly of two indigenous communities: Shompen, a largely nomadic hunter-gatherer Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group, and Nicobarese, a semi-traditional Scheduled Tribe. 
• It has tropical wet evergreen forests, hill ranges nearly 650 m high, and coastal plains.
• A large portion of the island is covered by dense forests, which are home to a variety of endemic biodiversity, including the Nicobar megapode, the Nicobar tree shrew, and the Nicobar long-tailed macaque.
• The only Bio-sphere Reserve in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the Great Nicobar Bio-sphere Reserve encompasses a large part (some 85%) of the island.
• The island also comprises a hill range with its highest point being around 642 meters above sea level at Mount Thullier.
• The region also has coral reefs with varied thicknesses and diversity.
• The island has many rivers, such as the Alexandra, Dogmar, Galathea, and Amrit Kaur, all of which flow in a south-western or southern direction, which in turn signifies the southern slope of the island.

Hence option b is the correct answer.

Experts highlighted the importance of ultrasound for the early detection of fatty liver disease, noting that blood tests alone might not offer a prompt diagnosis.

About Ultrasound Imaging:

• It is a noninvasive imaging test.
• It uses high-frequency sound waves to create real-time pictures or videos of internal organs or other soft tissues, such as blood vessels.
• It is also called ultrasonography or sonography. Ultrasound images may be called sonograms.
• Ultrasound enables healthcare providers to see the details of soft tissues inside your body without making any incisions (cuts). 
• Unlike other imaging techniques, ultrasound uses no radiation. 
• Healthcare providers use ultrasound exams for several purposes, including during pregnancy, for diagnosing conditions, and for image guidance during certain procedures.
• How does an ultrasound work?
• During an ultrasound, a healthcare provider passes a device called a transducer or probe over an area of your body or inside a body opening.
• The provider applies a thin layer of gel to your skin so that the ultrasound waves are transmitted from the transducer through the gel and into your body.
• The probe converts electrical current into high-frequency sound waves and sends the waves into your body’s tissue.
• Sound waves bounce off structures inside your body and back to the probe, which converts the waves into electrical signals.
• The denser the object the ultrasound hits, the more of the ultrasound bounces back.
• A computer then converts the pattern of electrical signals into real-time images or videos, which are displayed on a computer screen.
• Limitations:
• Sound waves don't travel well through air or bone. This means ultrasound isn't effective at imaging body parts that have gas in them or are hidden by bone, such as the lungs or head.
• Ultrasound may also not be able to see objects that are located very deep in the human body. 

Hence option a is the correct answer.

Russia claimed to have targeted the Ukrainian military airbase in Mirgorod using the nuclear-capable Iskander-M missile system

About Iskander-M:

• The Iskander (Western reporting name: SS-26 Stone) is a road-mobile short-range ballistic missile system developed by Russia.
• It entered Russian service in 2006.
• It is designed for tactical strikes on small, high-value land targets. 
• This system can use different types of missiles.
• Features:
• It is 7.3 meters long, 0.92 meters in diameter, and has a launch weight of 3,750 kilograms.
• It has a range of 400-500 km and uses both inertial and optical guidance systems.
• It can carry conventional and nuclear warheads up to 700 kg.
• Its missiles can travel at up to seven times the speed of sound (Mach 7) and can reach an altitude of more than 30 miles.
• It employs a maneuverable re-entry vehicle (MaRV) and decoys to defeat theater missile defense systems.
• It is also equipped with various systems for in-flight correction and self-targeting, allowing the missile to overcome missile defense systems.
• Variants:
• Iskander-E: export version, range: 280 km.
• Iskander-K: new version, unveiled in 2007, with a new cruise missile R-500, range: 280 km max.

Hence both statements are correct.

Scientists recently discovered frost on Mars' tallest volcano, Olympus Mons, revealing an active water cycle on the Red Planet.

About Olympus Mons:

• It is a shield volcano located in Mars’ western hemisphere.
• It is the highest point on Mars and the largest known volcano in the solar system.
• It is 16 miles (24 kilometers) high, which makes it about three times higher than Mt. Everest.
• It is also very wide (340 miles or 550 kilometers) and covers an area larger than the entire chain of Hawaiian Islands.
• In contrast, the largest volcano on Earth, Hawaii’s Mauna Loa, is 120 kilometers across and 9 kilometers high.
• It is some 3.5 billion years old, which means the volcano formed early on in Mars’ history.
• It is a very flat mountain which slopes by only 2 to 5 degrees.
• Its summit is marked by a caldera, a large depression formed by volcanic activity, spanning 50 miles (80 kilometers) wide.
• The summit caldera consists of several overlapping pits. These pits were created by different eruptive phases.
• In contrast, many Earth-based volcanoes typically feature a single, less complex caldera.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

Indonesian delegation explores collaboration with India on various initiatives under President-elect Prabowo, including mid-day meal scheme and digital inclusion.

• It is the largest school feeding programme of its kind in the world which covers children across Classes 1 to 8 (age group 6 to 14).
• Background:
• In 1925, a Mid Day Meal Programme was introduced for disadvantaged children in Madras Municipal Corporation.
• It was started in India on 15th August 1995 as ‘National Programme of Nutritional Support to Primary Education (NP-NSPE)’.
• It was renamed as ‘National Programme of Mid-Day Meal in Schools’ in October 2007, also known as the Mid-Day Meal (MDM) Scheme.
• Under the scheme, hot cooked meal per day is provided to all children (studying in Class I to VIII) enrolled in government schools, local body schools, government-aided schools, special training centres (STC), maktabs and madrasas supported under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan.
• Objectives:
• Increase the enrolment in the schools of the children who belong to disadvantaged sections of the society.
• Increase the attendance of the children in government and government-aided schools.
• To retain the children studying in class I to VIII.
• To give nutritional support to the children studying in the elementary stage, especially in the drought-affected areas.
• To address hunger and malnutrition and improve socialisation among castes.
• Implementation: Each State/UT has to set up State Steering-cum Monitoring Committees (SSMCs) at the State, District and Block level to oversee the implementation of this scheme, including establishing a mechanism to maintain the quality and nutritional standards of the meals.
• Funding: It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme. Hence, the cost is shared between the Centre (60%) and States (40%) with states and UTs with a legislature, and 90:10 with the Northeastern states, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, while the Centre bears 100% of the costs in UTs without legislature.
• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Education
• In 2021 it was renamed as the Pradhan Mantri POSHAN Scheme.

Hence only statements 2 and 3 are correct.

Minibrains grown in the lab may help explain why concussions and other Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs) raise people's risk of dementia.

• These are scientifically known as brain organoids, but often called "minibrains" and serve as miniature, simplified models of full-size human brains.
• How are minibrains made? 
• Scientists typically grow brain organoids from stem cells, a type of immature cell that can give rise to any cell type, whether blood, skin, bowel or brain. 
• The stem cells used to grow organoids can either come from adult human cells, or more rarely, human embryonic tissue.
• Scientists collect adult cells and then expose them to chemicals in order to revert them into a stem cell-like state. The resulting stem cells are called "induced pluripotent stem cells" (iPSC), which can be made to grow into any kind of tissue.
• To give rise to a minibrain, scientists embed these stem cells in a protein-rich matrix, a substance that supports the cells as they divide and form a 3D shape. Alternatively, the cells may be grown atop a physical, 3D scaffold.
• Application: These organoids can potentially be useful in basic research, drug development and even computer science. 

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

Mangal Pandey played a significant role in Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 whose death anniversary is celebrated on April 8 every year.

• Mangal Pandey played a crucial role in India's first rebellion against British rule in 1857.
• He is considered the hero of the first war of Independence, also known as the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857.
• Early life
• He was born on July 19, 1827 near Faizabad in Uttar Pradesh.
• In 1849, Pandey joined the army of the British East India Company and served as a sepoy in the 6th Company of the 34th Bengal Native Infantry in Barrackpore.
• Rebellion against East India Company
• He revolted against the East India Company for introducing cartridges that were greased with animal fat as it hurt the religious sentiments of the soldiers.
• This movement of rebels reached other parts of India and led to a mass revolt against the colonial rulers. Common people too came out and opposed anti-India laws.
• On March 29, 1857, Pandey mutinied and fired at his Senior Sergeant Major. He was overpowered and hanged on April 8, 1857, by the order of a Court Martial at Lal Bagan in Barrackpore. His regiment was disbanded, like the 19th infantry at Behrampore, for showing resentment.

Hence both statements are correct.

The U.S., Britain and Australia are set to begin talks on bringing new members into their AUKUS security pact.

About AUKUS:

• It is a trilateral security partnership between the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and Australia agreed in 2021.
• AUKUS is intended to strengthen the ability of each government to support security and defense interests, building on longstanding and ongoing bilateral ties. 
• It consists of two key pillars.
• Pillar 1 focuses on supporting Australia to acquire its first conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarine fleet. (It does not involve the transfer of nuclear weapons to Australia.)
• Pillar 2 focuses on cooperation in eight advanced military capability areas:artificial intelligence (AI), quantum technologies, innovation, information sharing, and cyber, undersea, hypersonic and counter-hypersonic and electronic warfare domains.
• Submarine Component:
• It is designed to equip Australia with nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSNs).
• In total, Australia will end up with eight of the new nuclear submarines, called SSN-AUKUS.
• These submarines will be based on a British design but have American technology or an American combat system.
• AUKUS will make Australia the seventh country in the world to be armed with nuclear-powered submarines and the second, after the United Kingdom, with whom the United States has shared this technology.
• It will significantly enhance Australia’s undersea capabilities in the Indo-Pacific as nuclear-powered submarines offer many advantages, such as extended range, endurance, and stealth—features.
• These countries, however, made it clear that their aim is not to arm the new submarines with nuclear weapons. This is because Australia is a signatory to the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT), which bans it from acquiring or deploying nuclear weapons.

Hence both statements are correct.

Russia recently declared a "federal emergency" in the southern Orenburg region as the Ural River inundated Orsk, prompting the evacuation of thousands of people. 

About Ural River:

• It is a 2,428 km long river that flows through Russia and Kazakhstan along the continental boundary between Europe and Asia. 
• It is also referred to as the Zhayyq River in the native Kazakh language.
• Course:
• The river originates in the Ural Mountains, close to Mount Kruglaya in Russia.
• It empties into the Caspian Sea; the world’s largest inland sea that lies between Europe and Asia.
• It is Europe's third-longest river, after the Volga and the Danube rivers, and Asia's 19^th longest river. 
• Melting snow constitutes about 60% to 70% of the river’s water source, while precipitation is a minor source.
• A prominent feature of the Ural River is its digitate delta, or tree-like structure, that can be seen as the river enters the Caspian Sea. 
• Tributaries:
• It has a total of58 tributaries, with the most prominent ones being Kushum, Derkul, Chagan, Irtek, Utva, Elek, Bolshaya Chobda, Kindel, Sakmara, Tanalyk, Salmys, Or, and Suunduk. 
• Tributaries from the right side are typical mountain rivers, while the left side tributaries have flatland characteristics.

Hence option b is the correct answer.