Current Affairs 28-NOV-2023 (The Hindu)

Optical Fibres/Fiber Optics

(D => Pg-8)

Optical Fibres/Fiber Optics

Made of thin cylindrical strands of glass. Diameter - close to diameter of a human hair. Can carry information encoded as digital information, across large distances almost at the speed of light.

Components of Fiber Optics

• Total Internal Reflection (TIR)

Parts of Fiber Optics Communication System

• Transmitter: Encodes information into optical signals in the form of rapidly blinking light pulses of zeros and ones.
• Optical Fibre: Carries signal to its destination.
• Receiver: Reproduces information from encoded signal.

Advantages of Fiber Optics

• High carrying capacity.
• High data-transmission rate.
• Insensitive to external perturbations.
• Flexible, lightweight, and less signal degradation.
• Less expensive, consumes low power, and non-flammable.

Applications

• Defence - high-level data security fields of military and aerospace applications. Wirings in aircraft, hydrophones for SONARs and Seismic applications.
• Used in airbags and traction control in automobiles.
• Used in medical applications to view internal body parts.
• Imaging in hard-to-reach places.

Practice Question – Mains GS – III

Optical fibre is the backbone of the digital infrastructure required for the 5G technology. Where does India stand in the optical fibre manufacturing industry? Examine the challenges it faces and suggest the way forward. (250 Words, 15 Marks)

Guru Nanak

(B,D => Pg-11)

Guru Nanak

• Birth: 1469 in Nankana Sahib.
• Foundation: Laid the foundation of Sikhism.
• Core Beliefs: Established Sikhism’s core beliefs.
• Composition: Composed hymns and spiritual verses found in Guru Granth Sahib.

Three Core Pillars

• Naam Japna: Meditating on God's name.
• Kirat Karni: Living an honest life and earning through hard work.
• Vand Chakna: Sharing with others, especially the less fortunate.

Teachings

• Advocated Nirguna: Devotion and worship of a formless divine being.
• Ik Onkar: Oneness of God. Humans are equal in the eyes of the divine regardless of their caste, creed, or gender.
• Social Equality: Condemned discrimination based on caste, religion, or gender. Community kitchen to promote equality.
• Seva: Selfless service to mankind. Dasvandh - donating one-tenth of one’s earnings among needy persons.
• Egalitarian Society: Langar - collective cooking and sharing of foods. Pangat - sharing food without distinctions of high and low caste. Sangat - Collective decision making.
• Rejected Renunciation: Emphasized domestic obligations along with spiritual duties.

Practice Question – Prelims

Consider the following statements:

1. He was the guru who organized the Sikh community into a warrior class called as Khalsa.
2. The concept of 5k’s (Kesh, Kangha, Kirpan, Kachera and Kara) was introduced by him.
3. He abolished all existing social divisions within the Sikh community.
4. Two of his sons were executed on the orders of Aurangazeb.

The above-mentioned statements refer to which one of the following Sikh Guru?

a) Guru Gobind Singh b) Guru Har Gobind c) Guru Arjan d) Guru Tegh Bahadur

Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP)

(B => Pg-2)

ROP

• Eye Disease: Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP)
• Occurrence: Happens in premature babies (less than 3 pounds weight).
• Retina Development: Blood vessels of the retina finish developing around the 9 months of pregnancy.
• Premature Birth: Premature birth may lead to abnormal development of blood vessels in the retina.
• Symptoms:
  • Eyes wander, shake, or make other unusual movements.
  • Eyes don’t follow objects.
  • Pupils look white.
  • Baby has trouble recognizing faces.
• Treatment Options:
  • Laser treatment.
  • Anti-VEGF drug injection.
  • Surgery.

Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI)

• Established: In 1988 after World Health Assembly resolution.
• Stakeholders:
  • World Health Organization (WHO).
  • Rotary International.
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
  • UNICEF.
• Strategies:
  • Operates in regions where polio remains endemic or where outbreaks occur.
  • Mass vaccination (oral polio vaccine (OPV) or inactivated polio vaccine).
  • Surveillance.
  • Community engagement.
• Contributions:
  • Polio cases have decreased by more than 99%.
  • Polio vaccines have prevented an estimated 20 million cases.
  • Wild case of polio only exists in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
  • Polio elimination by 2023.

Practice Question – Prelims

Consider the following statements about Poliomyelitis:

1. It is a highly infectious bacterial disease.
2. The disease mainly affects the nervous system and causes irreversible paralysis in infected individuals.
3. There is no known cure for polio, but it can be prevented through Vaccination.
4. India received polio-free certification by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2014, after three years of zero cases.

How many of the statements given above is/are correct?

a) Only one b) Only two c) Only three d) All four