Daily Current Affairs MCQ- December 4, 2023 - UPSC MCQ

An outbreak of a respiratory illness in northern China and Ohio in the US — the White Lung Syndrome as people are calling it — has sparked speculation online of a new pandemic threat after COVID-19.

• It originates from distinctive white patches on chest X-rays in affected children.
• The term includes various respiratory illnesses like acute respiratory distress syndrome, pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis, and silica-related conditions.
• Causes: It is believed to be caused by a combination of bacterial, viral, and environmental factors.
• Signs and symptoms
• The patients have symptoms including cough, fever, runny nose, phlegm pileup in sinuses, difficulty breathing and fatigue. 
• Treatment
• The treatment is mainly focused on addressing the symptoms of pneumonia and ensuring the respiratory health of the patients.
• Medicines are given to alleviate symptoms like cough and fever. Overall monitoring must be done and oxygen therapy provided if necessary.

Hence both statements are correct.

At COP28, Allied Climate Partners joined International Finance Corporation in a climate financing venture to try to generate $11 billion in investments in developing countries.

• It is a philanthropic investment organization.
• Mission: With a mission to increase the number of bankable, climate-related projects and businesses in emerging markets and developing economies to create significant environmental, economic, and social impact.
• It initially focus regions are Southeast Asia, the Caribbean and Central America, Africa, and India.
• It is not a United Nations affiliated body.

Hence both statements are not correct.

India’s manufacturing sector continued to perform better with S&P Global Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) rising to 56 in November against 55.5 in October.

• It is an indicator of business activity -- both in the manufacturing and services sectors.
• It is a survey-based measures that asks the respondents about changes in their perception of some key business variables from the month before.
• It is calculated separately for the manufacturing and services sectors and then a composite index is constructed.
• The index helps in determining whether the market conditions, as seen by purchasing managers, is expanding, contracting or staying the same. 
• There are two types of PMI — Manufacturing PMI and Services PMI.

How is the manufacturing PMI derived?

• It is derived by sending fact-based questions to a large number of companies in the concerned sector.
• The questions are related to 5 key variables. The variables with their weights in the index are — new orders (30%), output (25%), employment (20%), suppliers’ delivery times (15%) and stock of items purchased (10%).
• The surveys are conducted on a monthly basis.
• A PMI number greater than 50 indicates expansion in business activity.
• A number less than 50 shows contraction. The rate of expansion is also judged by the difference from the mid-point (50) and also by previous month’s data.
• PMI data for India is released by S&P Global - a global major in financial information and analytics.
• Earlier PMI data is India was released by IHS Markit before its merger with S&P.
• The Manufacturing PMI measures the performance of India’s manufacturing sector and is derived after a survey of approx. 500 manufacturing companies.

Hence both statements are correct.

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has taken suo motu cognisance of a report on the mowing down of three elephants by a goods train at Buxa Tiger Reserve.

About Buxa Tiger Reserve (BTR):

• Location: It lies in the Alipurduar sub-division of the Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal.
• Its northern boundary runs along the international border with Bhutan.
• The Sinchula hill range lies all along the northern side of BTR, and the eastern boundary touches that of Assam State. 
• It got its name from Buxa Fort, which is located on the Sinchula Range at an altitude of 867 meters.
• The fragile "Terai Eco-System" constitutes a part of this reserve.
• It serves as an international corridor for elephant migration between India and Bhutan.
• Two rivers, namely the River Raidak and the River Jayanti, flow through the forest of Buxa. 
• Vegetation: The forests of the reserve can be broadly classified as the ‘Moist Tropical Forest’ of Champion and Seth’s (1968) recent classification.
• Flora: Some of the important species are Sal, Champa, Gamar, Simul, and Chikrasi.
• Fauna: The main species include the Tiger, elephant, leopard cat, gaur, wild boar, sambar, hog deer, Chinese pangolin, etc.

Hence both statements are not correct.

A scientist from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) recently discovered a new plant species of ‘wild okra’ named ‘Abelmoschus Odishae’.

About Abelmoschus Odishae:

• It is a new plant species of ‘wild okra’.
• It was discovered in a moist deciduous forest in Bansapal block in Keonjhar district, Odisha.
• It can be used for hybridisation to create a better variety with high disease resistance.
• It can also play a vital role in widening the genetic base of okra.
• Features:
• It is a perennial shrub up to 5 meters high with a densely hispid, prickly stem with retrorse hairs.
• It has large, deep yellow flowers.
• It has sub-reniform seeds with short, stout, and non-spiral trichomes.
• It also has a seed viability of 95 percent.

What is Okra?

• Okra, also known as gumbo or ladies’ fingers, is a warm-season vegetable. 
• It is native to the tropics of the Eastern Hemisphere and is widely cultivated or naturalized in the tropics and subtropics of the Western Hemisphere.
• It comes in green and red varieties.
• It is part of the mallow family of botanicals, which also includes cocoa and cotton.
• It is a good source of minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, and fiber.
• Okra has a mild taste and a unique texture, with a peach-like fuzz on the outside. Inside the pod are small, edible seeds.
• It contains a sticky juice that people use to thicken sauces.

Hence option c is the correct answer.

Recently, Indonesia’s Mount Marapi in West Sumatra province erupted, spewing white-and-gray ash plumes for more than 3,000 metres (about 9,800 feet) into the air.

• It is a volcanic mountain peak located near the centre of the island of Java, Indonesia. 
• Marapi’s name is derived from the ancient Mignangkabau dialect meaning “Mountain of Fire” it seems likely this complex volcano has been highly active for thousands of years.
• It rises to 9,551 feet (2,911 metres) and has steep slopes with dense vegetation on its lower flanks.
• Marapi is among more than 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia, which is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an arc of volcanoes and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.

Hence option b is the correct answer.

Recently, a new highly fluorescent material with exceptional optical properties has been developed using phosphorene, cystine, and gold (Ph-Cys-Au) which can be used as a visual sensing platform for detecting anti-cancer drug Methotrexate.

• It is a widely used anti-cancer drug.
• The MTX value of more than 10 µM in blood plasma is hazardous.
• If it remains in the system for more than 10 hours, resulting in poisoning effects on the lungs, ulcers of the stomach, and heart stroke.
• MTX is highly expensive, and the detection of unwanted overdoses using traditional procedures is time-consuming and involves complex instrumentation.

Hence option a is the correct answer.

Cybersecurity firm Promon has identified a novel Android malware named FjordPhantom that employs virtualization to target applications. 

About FjordPhantom:

• It is a new malware that employs virtualization to elude detection and target applications.
• It propagates through messaging services and combines app-based malware with social engineering to deceive banking customers.
• It strategically zeroes in on users within Southeast Asia, encompassing countries such as Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, and Vietnam.
• Working:
• It utilizes email, SMS, and messaging apps to entice users into unwittingly downloading what appears to be a legitimate banking app, which contains FjordPhantom.
• When this app gets installed, the attackers, posing as customer service representatives, guide the users through the steps to run the app.
• The malware uses virtualization to create a virtual container to run this app, and attackers can monitor the user’s actions and steal their credentials.
• It facilitates attackers in gaining access to files and memory, conducting debugging, and injecting code into other apps.
• Additionally, the malware logs various actions performed by the targeted applications, signifying active development and suggesting potential targeting of other apps in the future.

Hence option c is the correct answer.

Recently, India and Sweden launched Leadership Group for Industry Transition (LeadIT) 2.0 during the COP28 World Climate Action Summit, hosted in Dubai.

• Since its inception in 2019, LeadIT has grown into a collaborative effort involving 18 countries and 20 industry-leading companies. 
• The LeadIT initiative, initially centered around pivotal sectors such as iron, steel, cement, and aluminum, focused on industry transition and knowledge sharing.
• LeadIT has played a pivotal role in accelerating the adoption of low-carbon technologies, aligning with global environmental goals.
• Three core areas of LeadIT 2.0:
• Inclusive and Just Industry Transition: Ensuring that industry transitions are not only efficient but also equitable, promoting fairness and inclusivity in the process.
• Low Carbon Technology Development and Transfer : Placing renewed emphasis on the development and seamless transfer of low-carbon technologies, crucial for achieving sustainable practices across industries.
• Emerging Economy Technology Transfer: Facilitating the expedited transfer of innovative solutions to emerging economies, assisting in their transition to more sustainable practices.
• It serves as a platform for public-private collaboration, fostering sector-specific and cross-sectoral learning, especially concerning innovation opportunities and new technologies.

Hence both statements are correct.

Recently, researchers have developed miniature robots using human cells and termed them as anthrobots.

• These are constructed from human tracheal cells which are bio-robots that possess self-assembly capabilities.
• These are capable of both movement and healing neurons within a laboratory setting.
• They can spontaneously fuse together to form a larger structure called a superbot, which was able to encourage the growth of neurons.
• Size: They are measuring between the width of a human hair and the tip of a sharpened pencil.
• Structure: The anthrobots displayed diversity in structure and behavior. Some took on a spherical shape fully covered in cilia, while others resembled a football shape irregularly adorned with cilia.
• These anthrobots are different from Xenobots, which are created from embryonic stem cells of frog.
• Application
• They hold promise for regenerative medicine, wound healing, and disease treatment.

What are Tracheal cells?

• These are from the lining of the bronchi/trachea, the network of tubes used to convey air to the lungs.
• They are responsible for producing lubricating mucus to keep the airways functional and they are a type of epithelial cell, a term used generally to refer to cells lining the inside or outside of the body.
• These cells generate mucus and a number of other compounds, which play an important role in respiration.

Hence option (d) is the correct answer.