Science and Technology: March 2023 UPSC Current Affairs | Current Affairs & Hindu Analysis: Daily, Weekly & Monthly PDF Download

Coping with Type-1 Diabetes

Why in News?

Recently, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) issued guidelines regarding diagnosis, treatment, and management for type-1 diabetes.

• This is the first time the ICMR has issued guidelines specifically for type 1 diabetes, which is rarer than type 2.

What do we Need to know about Diabetes?

About

Diabetes is a Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) that occurs either when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin (a hormone that regulates blood sugar, or glucose), or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin, it produces.

Types of Diabetes

• Type 1 Diabetes:
  • It is also known as juvenile diabetes (as it mostly affects children of age 14-16 years), this type occurs when the body fails to produce sufficient insulin.
  • It is predominantly diagnosed in children and adolescents. Although the prevalence is less, it is much more severe than type 2.
• Type 2 Diabetes:
  • It affects the way the body uses insulin. While the body still makes insulin.
  • Type 2 diabetes can occur at any age, even during childhood. However, this type of diabetes occurs most often in middle-aged and older people.
  • Gestational Diabetes: This type occurs in women during pregnancy when the body sometimes becomes less sensitive to insulin. Gestational diabetes does not occur in all women and usually resolves after giving birth.
  • Impacts of Diabetes: It affects the five major organs namely, Kidney, Heart, Blood vessels, Nervous System, and Eyes (retina).
  • Factors Responsible: Factors that lead to increase in diabetes are an unhealthy diet, lack of physical activity, harmful use of alcohol, overweight/obesity, tobacco use, etc.

How Rare is Type-1 Diabetes?

• Out of 10 lakh children and adolescents living with type 1 diabetes in the world, India holds the highest numbers.
• Out of 2.5 lakh people living with type 1 diabetes in India, 90,000 to 1 lakh are under the age of 14 years.
• Only 2% of all hospital cases of diabetes in the country are type 1 — but which is being diagnosed more frequently.

What Factors Exacerbate the Condition?

• Genetic Factors: It plays a role in determining whether a person will get type-1 diabetes. The risk of disease in a child is:
  • 3% when the mother has it
  • 5% when the father has it
  • 8% when a sibling has it.
• Presence of Certain Genes: It is also strongly associated with the disease. For example, the prevalence of genes called DR3-DQ2 and DR4-DQ8 is 30-40% in patients with type 1 diabetes as compared to 2.4% in the general population.
  • DR3- DQ2 and DR4-DQ8 means the patient is permissive for celiac disease and is capable of developing or having the disease.

What are the Treatments?

• Glucose monitoring: Continuous glucose monitoring devices can help monitor the blood glucose levels throughout 24 hours with the help of a sensor.
• Artificial pancreas: It can automatically deliver insulin when required.

What are Related Initiatives?

• National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS):
  • In order to prevent and control major NCDs, this initiative was launched by India in 2010 with focus on strengthening infrastructure, human resource development, health promotion, early diagnosis, management and referral.
• World Diabetes Day:
  • It is observed on 14^th November every year. The 2022 campaign will focus on access to diabetes education. access to diabetes education.
• Global Diabetes Compact:
  • WHO launched a Global Diabetes Compact to better fight the disease while marking the centenary of the discovery of insulin.

Piezoelectric Effect

For the first time, scientists have reported evidence of the piezoelectric effect in liquids.

Details

• The effect was found in pure 1-butyl-3-methyl imidazolium bis(trifluoromethyl-sulfonyl)imide and 1-hexyl-3-methyl imidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide – both ionic liquids (i.e. liquids made of ions instead of molecules) at room temperature.
• The effect has been known for 143 years and in this time has been observed only in solids.
• The new finding challenges the theory that describes this effect as well as opens the door to previously unanticipated applications in electronic and mechanical systems.

What is the piezoelectric effect?

• Piezoelectric Effect is the ability of certain materials to generate an electric charge in response to applied mechanical stress.
• In the piezoelectric effect, a body develops an electric current when it is squeezed.

Discovery

• “The piezoelectric effect was discovered in 1880, in quartz.

Example

• Quartz is the most famous piezoelectric crystal: it is used in this capacity in analog wristwatches and clocks.

Applications

• Such crystals are also used in cigarette lighters, electric guitars, TV remote controls, audio transducers, and other instruments where converting mechanical stress to a current is useful.

Why the effect in liquids surprising?

• The reason the piezoelectric effect has only been expected in solids thus far is that the body being squeezed needs to have an organised structure, like the pyramids of quartz.
• Liquids don’t have such structure; instead, they take the shape of their container.

Significance

• The discovery opens the door to applications that have previously not been accessible with solid-state materials, and [room-temperature ionic liquids] are more readily recyclable and in many instances pose fewer environmental issues than many currently used piezoelectric materials.
• The liquids also displayed the inverse piezoelectric effect: they became distorted when an electric charge was applied. This fact could be used to control how the liquids bent light passing through them by passing different currents through them. That is, using this simple control mechanism, vials of these liquids could be lenses with dynamic focusing abilities.
• Having a theory to explain the liquids’ behaviour could reveal why these liquids behave the way they do, which could in turn reveal better ways to manipulate them, and develop newer applications.

Geomagnetic Storm

Why in News?

Recently, Elon Musk’s Starlink has lost dozens of satellites that were caught in a geomagnetic storm a day after they were launched.

• The satellites were designed to burn up on reentry into the Earth’s atmosphere, and did not create debris in space.
• However, the loss of 40 satellites — most of a launch batch — in a single solar event has been described as “unheard of” and “huge”.

What is a Geomagnetic Storm?

• Solar Storms occur during the release of magnetic energy associated with sunspots (‘dark’ regions on the Sun that are cooler than the surrounding photosphere - the lowest layer of the solar atmosphere), and can last for a few minutes or hours.
• A geomagnetic storm is a major disturbance of Earth's magnetosphere that occurs when there is a very efficient exchange of energy from the solar wind into the space environment surrounding Earth.
• The magnetosphere shields our home planet from harmful solar and cosmic particle radiation, as well as erosion of the atmosphere by the solar wind – the constant flow of charged particles streaming off the Sun.
• These storms result from variations in the solar wind that produce major changes in the currents, plasmas, and fields in Earth’s magnetosphere.
• The solar wind conditions that are effective for creating geomagnetic storms are sustained (for several to many hours) periods of high-speed solar wind, and most importantly, a southward directed solar wind magnetic field (opposite the direction of Earth’s field) at the dayside of the magnetosphere.
• This condition is effective for transferring energy from the solar wind into Earth’s magnetosphere.
• The largest storms that result from these conditions are associated with solar Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) where a billion tons or so of plasma from the sun, with its embedded magnetic field, arrives at Earth.
• CMEs are large ejections of plasma and magnetic fields that originate from the Sun's corona (outermost layer).

How does it Affect Earth?

• Can Impact Space Weather:
  • Not all solar flares reach Earth, but solar flares/storms, Solar Energetic Particles (SEPs), high-speed solar winds, and Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) that come close can impact space weather in near-Earth space and the upper atmosphere.
• Can Hit Operations of Space-Dependent Services:
  • Solar storms can hit operations of space-dependent services like Global Positioning Systems (GPS), radio, and satellite communications. Aircraft flights, power grids, and space exploration programmes are vulnerable.
• Can Potentially Create Disturbances in the Magnetosphere:
  • Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) with ejectiles loaded with matter travelling at millions of miles an hour, can potentially create disturbances in the magnetosphere, the protective shield surrounding the Earth.
  • Astronauts on spacewalks face health risks from possible exposure to solar radiation outside the Earth’s protective atmosphere.

How are Solar Storms Predicted?

• Solar physicists and other scientists use computer models to predict solar storms and solar activities in general.
• Current models are capable of predicting a storm’s time of arrival and its speed.
• But the storm’s structure or orientation still cannot be predicted.
• Certain orientations of the magnetic field can produce a more intense response from the magnetosphere, and trigger more intense magnetic storms.
• With the increasing global dependence on satellites for almost every activity, there is a need for better space weather forecasts and more effective ways to protect satellites.

Rare Planetary Alignment

Why in News?

Five planets - Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Uranus will align in the sky which is often called a planetary parade or alignment, and will be visible to the naked eye.

What are the Major Points Related to Planetary Alignment?

• About:
  • The best viewing time is on March 28^th 2023, shortly after the sun sets below the horizon.
  • Venus will be the most visible planet, followed by Mars with its special orange hue.
  • Uranus will be near Venus but difficult to detect without proper equipment, while Mercury and Jupiter will appear at the bottom.
  • The last time these five planets aligned was in 2004. The alignment is often referred to as a planetary parade and can be seen in the nighttime sky.
• Factors Affecting Observability:
  • Experts have pointed out that the visibility of certain planets in the alignment depends on certain conditions, such as light pollution and the location of the viewer.
• Recent Planetary Alignments:
  • A similar alignment occurred in June 2022, where five planets - Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn - aligned.
  • However, this lineup will not occur again until 2040.

Japanese Encephalitis

Context 

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi have designed and demonstrated a new strategy for developing potential drug molecules  for treating various diseases like the Japanese Encephalitis Virus (JEV)

Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV)

• About:
  • It is a mosquito-borne flavivirus and belongs to the same genus as dengue, yellow fever and West Nile viruses.
  • It is the most important cause of viral encephalitis in Asia.
  • The first case of Japanese encephalitis viral disease (JE) was documented in 1871 in Japan.
• Transmission: 
  • JEV is transmitted to humans through bites from infected mosquitoes of the Culex species (mainly Culex tritaeniorhynchus). 
  • Humans, once infected, do not develop sufficient viraemia to infect feeding mosquitoes. The virus exists in a transmission cycle between mosquitoes, pigs and/or water birds (enzootic cycle). 
• Occurrence: 
  • The disease is predominantly found in rural and periurban settings, where humans live in closer proximity to these vertebrate hosts.
  • In most temperate areas of Asia, JEV is transmitted mainly during the warm season, when large epidemics can occur.
  • In the tropics and subtropics, transmission can occur year-round but often intensifies during the rainy season and pre-harvest period in rice-cultivating regions.
• Prevention: 
  • There is no antiviral treatment for patients with JE. Treatment is supportive to relieve symptoms and stabilize the patient.
  • Safe and effective vaccines are available to prevent JE. 
  • WHO recommends that JE vaccination be integrated into national immunization schedules in all areas where JE disease is recognized as a public health issue.
  • JE vaccination is also included under the Universal Immunisation Program of the Government of India.

Government Initiatives

• The National Programme for Prevention and Control of Japanese Encephalitis(JE)/ Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (NPPCJA),  follows a multi pronged strategy encompassing preventive (sanitation, safe drinking water, improvement in nutrition etc.), case management (capacity building of medical and para-medical staff, referral etc.) and rehabilitation (physical and social rehabilitation of disabled children).

Glow Scope

Why in News?

Researchers at Winona State University, Minnesota, have created a design for a Glow Scope, a Fluorescence Microscope.

• With this setup, they were able to image the creatures’ brain, spinal cord, heart, and head and jaw bones.
• They were able to zoom in and out using the smartphone camera and the clip-on lens.

What is Fluorescence Microscopy?

About:

• An optical microscope views an object by studying how it absorbs, reflects or scatters visible light.
• A fluorescent microscope views an object by studying how it reemits light that it has absorbed, i.e., how it fluoresces. This is its basic principle.
• The object is illuminated with light of a specific wavelength. Particles in the object absorb this light and reemit it at a higher wavelength. These particles are called fluorophores; the object is infused with them before being placed under the microscope.

Is the Glowscope Accessible?

• Using a ‘glowscope’ still requires access to fluorophores, suitable biological samples, the know-how to combine the two, and some knowledge of physics to work out which LED flashlight to buy.
• The Foldscope was truly remarkable because all its required components were simple to understand.
• In 2014, a group of scientists at Stanford University released Foldscope, a handheld microscope made almost entirely out of paper, which takes 30 minutes to put together, and which could capture images of cells.
• However, the fact that a simple fluorescent microscope can be set up for a few thousand rupees means, instead of being entirely out of reach, researchers can prepare samples and take them to schools, where students can observe them.

India’s Third Moon Mission

Why in News?

Recently, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully conducted the flight acceptance hot test of the CE-20 cryogenic engine that will power the cryogenic upper stage of the launch vehicle for the Chandrayaan-3 mission.

• The test was successfully conducted at the ISRO Propulsion Complex, Mahendragiri in Tamil Nadu.

What are the Highlights of the Test?

• The hot test was carried out for a planned duration at the High Altitude Test Facility.
• All the propulsion parameters during the test were found satisfactory and closely matched with predictions.
• The cryogenic engine will be further integrated with the propellant tanks, stage structures and associated fluid lines to realise the fully integrated flight cryogenic stage.

What is the Chandrayaan-3 Mission?

• Chandrayaan-3 is India’s third moon mission and is a follow-up of Chandrayaan-2 of July 2019, which aimed to land a rover on the lunar South Pole.
• The mission is scheduled to be launched later in 2023 by Launch Vehicle Mark 3 (LVM3) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota.
• The subsequent failure of the Vikram lander led to the pursuit of another mission to demonstrate the landing capabilities needed for the Lunar Polar Exploration Mission proposed in partnership with Japan for 2024.
• The Mission will have three major modules- the Propulsion module, Lander module and Rover.
• The propulsion module will carry the lander and rover configuration till 100 km lunar orbit.
• The Lander will have the capability to soft land at a specified lunar site and deploy the Rover which will carry out in-situ chemical analysis of the lunar surface during the course of its mobility.

India’s First DNA Vaccine for Dengue

Why in News?

Researchers at India’s National Centre for Biological Sciences, in collaboration with nine other institutions in India, Africa, and the US, have developed India’s first and only DNA vaccine candidate for dengue fever.

• In preliminary trials on mice, the candidate generated a robust immune response and improved survival rates after exposure to the disease.

What is Dengue?

• About:
  • Dengue is a mosquito-borne tropical disease caused by the dengue virus (Genus Flavivirus), transmitted by several species of mosquito within the genus Aedes, principally Aedes aegypti.
  • This mosquito also transmits chikungunya and Zika infection.
• Serotypes of Dengue:
  • There are 4 distinct, but closely related, serotypes (separate groups within a species of microorganisms that all share a similar characteristic) of the virus that cause dengue (DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3 and DEN-4).
• Symptoms:
  • Sudden high fever, severe headaches, pain behind the eyes, severe bone, joint, and muscle pain, etc.
• Dengue Vaccine:
  • The dengue vaccine CYD-TDV or Dengvaxia was approved by the US Food & Drug Administration in 2019, the first dengue vaccine to get the regulatory nod in the US.
  • Dengvaxia is basically a live, attenuated dengue virus which has to be administered in people of ages 9 to 16 who have laboratory-confirmed previous dengue infection and who live in endemic areas.
• Challenges in Vaccine Development:
  • Developing an effective vaccine against dengue is tricky because it is caused by four closely related virus serotypes.
  • Each one interacts differently with antibodies in human blood. A person infected with DEN-1 is then protected against it for life, but not against the other three serotypes.
  • An ideal vaccine must target all serotypes.
  • Also, vaccines trigger production of antibodies that prevent the virus from binding to cells at later exposure. But with dengue, antibodies help the virus replicate and cause severe disease.