Daily Current Affairs MCQ- May 14, 2024 - UPSC MCQ

According to the study Indian Ocean basin-wide (IOBW) index exhibits a close association with dengue outbreaks in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres. 

• It represents the average sea-surface temperature variations across the tropical Indian Ocean.
• It has emerged as a key indicator for predicting the magnitude and timing of dengue epidemics in each country. 
• IOBW index’s association with the Southern Hemisphere is stronger than that with the Northern Hemisphere. 
• The index has a more pronounced impact on temperatures in tropical regions. Brazil, for example, bears a higher burden of dengue in the Southern Hemisphere. 
• The Northern Hemisphere witnesses a peak dengue epidemic period between July and October and the Southern Hemisphere in February and April, both in the summers.
• Further, the amplitude of dengue incidence was high when the index was positive and low when it was negative.  
• The link between the Indian Ocean’s temperature and dengue incidence is likely due to its influence on regional temperatures through teleconnections, large-scale atmospheric patterns that can transfer heat and moisture across vast distances.

Key facts about Dengue

• It is caused by the dengue virus (DENV)
• Transmission: It is transmitted to humans through the bites of infected female mosquitoes, primarily the Aedes aegypti mosquito.
• The severe form of dengue fever, also called dengue hemorrhagic fever, can cause serious bleeding, a sudden drop in blood pressure (shock) and death.
• It is more common in tropical and subtropical climates.
• Symptoms: The most common symptoms are high fever, headache, body aches, nausea and rash.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

The 4th Joint Committee meeting for the review of AITIGA (ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement) was held in Putrajaya, Malaysia from 7-9 May 2024.

• It is a trade deal between the ten member states of ASEAN and India.
• It was signed at the 7th ASEAN Economic Ministers-India Consultations in Bangkok, Thailand in 2009.
• The agreement, which came into effect in 2010, is sometimes referred to as the ASEAN-India Free Trade Agreement.
• The Agreement covers trade in physical goods and products; it does not apply to trade in services.
• ASEAN and India signed a separate ASEAN-India Trade in Services Agreement in 2014.

What is ASEAN?

• It is a group of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which was established in 1967 with the signing of the Bangkok declaration.
• Founding members: Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.
• Presently ASEAN comprises 10 member states namely Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia and Vietnam.
• It promotes intergovernmental cooperation and facilitates economic, political, security, military, educational, and sociocultural integration between its members and other countries in Asia.

Hence both statements are correct.

Recently, the world's largest facility designed to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere started operations in Iceland.

• It is the largest carbon dioxide capture and storage facility of its kind and launched operations. It is situated on a dormant volcano in Iceland.
• It is dubbed as "Mammoth," this plant is Climeworks' second commercial direct air capture (DAC) facility in the nation and is significantly larger than its predecessor, Orca, which began in 2021.
• Working:
• This cutting-edge technology draws in air and chemically extracts carbon dioxide, which can then be stored underground, converted into stone, or reused.
• The Swiss company Climeworks, in partnership with Icelandic company Carbfix, plans to sequester the captured carbon by turning it into stone beneath the earth's surface, utilizing Iceland’s abundant geothermal energy to power the process.

What is direct air capture?

• This technology extracts CO₂ directly from the atmosphere at any location, unlike carbon capture which is generally carried out at the point of emissions, such as a steel plant.
• The CO₂ can be permanently stored in deep geological formations or used for a variety of applications.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

Project Raptor Watch (PRW) of the Madras Naturalist’s Society, who have been tracking peregrines in Chennai for two years and aims to document, study and monitor raptor species in few districts of Tamil Nadu.

• The Peregrine Falcon is one of the most widespread birds in the world.
• Distribution: It is found on all continents except Antarctica, and on many oceanic islands.
• Habitat:
• They prefer open habitats, such as grasslands, tundra, and meadows.
• They are most common in tundra and coastal areas and rare in sub-tropical and tropical habitats. They nest on cliff faces and crevices.
• Behaviour: They are active during the day. When not breeding they are primarily solitary and establish and defend territories.
• Ecological role: They are high level predators, peregrine falcons play an important role in regulating populations of their prey, particularly pigeons and doves.
• Conservation status
• IUCN Red List status: Least Concern. 

Hence both statements are correct.

A leopard cat has been spotted in Maharashtra’s Pench Tiger Reserve for the first time, a senior forest official said recently.

About Leopard Cat:

• It is a species of forest-dwelling cat, of the family Felidae.
• Scientific Name: Prionailurus bengalensis
• It is noted for its leopard-like colouring. 
• Distribution:
• They are the most widely distributed Asian small cats.
• Their range extends from the Amur region in the Russian Far East over the Korean Peninsula, China, Indochina, the Indian Subcontinent, to the West in northern Pakistan, and to the south in the Philippines and the Sunda Islands of Indonesia. 
• Habitat:
• They are found in agriculturally used areas but prefer forested habitats.
• They live in tropical evergreen rainforests and plantations at sea level, in subtropical deciduous and coniferous forests in the foothills of the Himalayas at altitudes above 1000 m.
• Features:
• They vary widely in size and appearance across their range. The colouration ranges from pale tawny, to yellow, red, or grey above, with the underparts white, and spotted.
• There are usually four black stripes running down the forehead to the nape, breaking up into short bands and elongate spots on the shoulders.
• The length of the animal ranges from 45 to 75 cm (18 to 30 inches), excluding the 23–35-cm (9–13.8-inch) tail. 
• They are solitary, nocturnal carnivores.
• Conservation Status:
• IUCN Red List: Least Concern

Hence both statements are not correct.

A one-member panel appointed by the High Court of Meghalaya to handle coal-related issues has flagged the lack of progress in restoring the environment damaged by rat-hole coal mining in the State.

About Rat-Hole Mining: 

• It is a method of manual drilling most common in Meghalaya, especially in the West Jaintia Hills, East Jaintia Hills, and West Khasi Hills. 
• The term “rat hole" refers to the narrow pits dug into the ground, typically just large enough for one person to descend and extract coal.
• The coal is manually extracted using primitive tools such as pickaxes, shovels, and baskets.
• Rat-hole mining is broadly classified into two categories: Side-cutting procedure and box-cutting.
• In the side-cutting procedure, narrow tunnels are dug on the hill slopes, and workers go inside until they find the coal seam.
• Box-cutting entails digging a circular or squarish pit at least 5 sq. metre in width up to a depth of 400 feet.
• Miners who drop down in makeshift cranes or using rope-and-bamboo ladders dig horizontally after finding the coal seam.
• The tunnels are dug in every direction from the edge of the pit, resembling the tentacles of an octopus.
• Risks associated:
• Rat-hole mining is largely unregulated, and miners have to work without proper ventilation, safety gear, and any structural support.
• The narrow and vertical nature of the pits makes them prone to collapse, leading to accidents and fatalities.
• The National Green Tribunal (NGT) banned rat-hole mining in 2014 for being unscientific, although the practice remains widespread.

Hence option b is the correct answer.

Google Chrome has been hit with another zero-day vulnerability, which has set the alarm bells ringing among users and cyber experts. 

About Zero-Day Vulnerability:

• A ZDV is a system or software vulnerability unknown to the vendor and for which no patch or means of mitigation are available at the time it is discovered. 
• The term ZDV refers to the flaw itself, while zero-day attack refers to an attack that has zero days between the time the vulnerability is discovered and the first attack. 
• Zero-day exploit refers to the method or technique hackers use to take advantage of a ZDV, often via malware, and execute the attack.
• Thus, a zero-day attack occurs when threat actors develop and release malware that targets the ZDV. 
• Because they were discovered before security researchers and software developers became aware of them—and before they can issue a patch— ZDVs pose a higher risk to users for the following reasons:
• Cybercriminals race to exploit these vulnerabilities to cash in on their schemes.
• Vulnerable systems are exposed until a patch is issued by the vendor.
• Once a ZDV has been made public, it is known as an n-day or one-day vulnerability.

Hence both statements are correct.

The Home Ministry recently sanctioned 113 roads under the Vibrant Village Programme in Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Sikkim to improve connectivity in areas along the border.

About Vibrant Village Programme:

• It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme implemented over the financial years 2022-23 to 2025-26.
• Objective:
• Comprehensive development of villages and blocks on the northern border, thus improving the quality of life of people living in identified border villages.  
• This will help in encouraging people to stay in their native locations in border areas and reversing the outmigration from these villages, adding to improved security of the border. 
• The programme will provide funds for the development of essential infrastructure and the creation of livelihood opportunities in 2967 villages in 19 Districts and 46 Border blocks of 4 States and 1 UT along the northern land border of the country: Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and the UT of Ladakh.
• The programme envisages focused areas of intervention in the select villages for the creation of opportunities for livelihood generation through promotion of tourism and cultural heritage, skill development and entrepreneurship, and development of cooperative societies, including agriculture/horticulture, cultivation of medicinal plants/herbs etc.
• Interventions also include providing road connectivity to unconnected villages, housing and village infrastructures, energy including renewable energy, television and telecom connectivity.
• Vibrant Village Action Plans will be created by the district administration with the help of Gram Panchayats, and 100 % saturation of Central and state schemes will be ensured.
• There will be no overlap with the Border Area Development Programme.

Hence option d is the correct answer.

Recently, a study by an international team of researchers revealed the formation of new enigmatic layer – E prime layer at the outermost part of Earth's core. 

• It was believed that a material exchange between the core and mantle is small.
• But the experiments revealed that when water reaches the core-mantle boundary, it reacts with silicon in the core, forming silica.

How did this layer develop?

• This latest research suggests that tectonic plates carrying surface water have transported it deep into the Earth over billions of years.
• Upon reaching the core-mantle boundary about 1,800 miles below the surface, this water initiates significant chemical changes, influencing the core's structure.
• Scientists have observed that subducted water reacts chemically with core materials under high pressure.
• This reaction leads to the formation of a hydrogen-rich, silicon-depleted layer at the outer core, resembling a film-like structure.
• Silica crystals generated by this process ascend and blend into the mantle, impacting the overall composition.
• These modifications in the liquid metallic layer could potentially result in reduced density and altered seismic characteristics, aligning with anomalies detected by seismologists.

Significance:

• This discovery enhances researchers’ comprehension of Earth's internal mechanisms, indicating a broader and more intricate global water cycle than previously acknowledged.
• The transformed layer in the core holds significant implications for the interconnected geochemical processes linking surface water cycles with the deep metallic core.

Hence option a is the correct answer.

Scientists discovered hints of the new isotope called nitrogen-9, by smashing beams of oxygen isotopes into beryllium atoms in the U.S. National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory. 

• It is characterised by seven protons and two neutrons – which is an unusually high proton-to-neutron ratio.
• This disparity has a critical effect on the isotope’s stability, influencing its decay processes as well as overall behaviour.
• For one, the high proton content places nitrogen-9 atoms beyond the conventional stability thresholds. 
• Most nitrogen comes as the isotope nitrogen-14, with seven protons and seven neutrons. But physicists say they have glimpsed a far more elusive variant with just two neutrons.

What are Isotopes?

• These are atoms of a given element that vary only in the number of neutrons. This difference sets apart one isotope from another.
• Many isotopes are also unstable, especially those whose atoms have too few neutrons for the number of protons.
• Unstable isotopes are short-lived, and often decay by releasing some energy to achieve a more stable configuration.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.