Prelim Bits 14-04-2018

India Mobile Congress (IMC)

India Mobile Congress will be conducted this year end, at New Delhi.
India Mobile Congress is one of the biggest Mobile, Internet and Technology events in Asia.
This year’s theme “NEW DIGITAL HORIZONS: Connect. Create. Innovate.”
It is organized by Department of Telecommunications, Government of India and Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI).
India Mobile Congress 2018 will bring together the leading players from across the mobile ecosystem, as well as adjacent industry sectors such as automotive and consumer electronics.
The first edition of India Mobile Congress held in September 2017.
It aims at building ideas, forging lasting Industry relationships, showcasing leading-edge mobile technology and product trends, and providing sectoral insights and impactful solution.
The platform will witness participation from partner countries from the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) region.

GreenCo rating

GreenCo rating was implemented recently in 42 production units and workshops of Indian Railways.

Indian Railways had entered into partnership with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in 2016 by which CII is facilitating various railways’ production units and workshops go the Green way.
The development of 'Green Company Rating system' (GreenCo rating) for companies was a step taken by CII to promote the greener ways of production in Indian companies.
GreenCo Rating System is a first-of-its-kind rating in the world that facilitates companies in improving their overall green performance.
GreenCo focus on major environmental areas including- energy efficiency, renewable energy, water conservation, waste management, resource conservation, green supply chain, product stewardship and life cycle assessment.

Elusor macrurus

Elusor macrurus is popularly known as Mary River’s turtle.
It was added to the “EDGE of Existence” list of endangered species compiled by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL).
It is a native of Queensland of Australia and lives only in the Mary River from which it takes its name.
They have specialized organs in their cloaca which process oxygen from the surrounding water.
The turtle’s most distinguishing feature is the bright green, spiky Mohawks sprouting on the heads of some.
However they are not hair but algae that cover them as they are underwater for a long period of time.
According to IUCN Red List they are endangered species.

Destruction of the creatures’ natural habitat through the building of dams, as well as the collection of its eggs for the pet trade, piled on the survival pressure

Totoaba macdonaldi

The totoaba or totuava is a marine fish.
This species is endemic to the Eastern Pacific, and is only found in the central and northern Gulf of California, Mexico.
The totoaba is caught for its swim bladders which are smuggled to China for sale on the black market as traditional medicine and a delicacy.

The swim bladders are called as Maws and dubbed as aquatic cocaine.
It is listed as critically endangered according to IUCN red list.
Mexican fishermen are using huge nets, called gill nets, to catch totoaba and those nets accidentally kill the vaquita porpoises.
Vaquita Known as the “panda of the sea” for the distinctive black circles around its eyes which faces extinction is seriously impacted.
Vaquita is 30 in total in this area which is also a critically endangered species.

Influence of tiny sea algae over climate

NASA is conducting a study of the world’s largest phytoplankton bloom in the North Atlantic to see how the tiny sea algae influence the climate every season.
The study will track how phytoplankton give rise to small organic particles that leave the ocean and end up in the atmosphere, influencing cloud formation.
Phytoplankton responds much faster to processes that alter temperature than the temperature itself, which changes slowly due to water’s high heat capacity.
Therefore phytoplanktons are often early indicators of an impending change in temperature.
The depth to which solar radiation can penetrate affects the heating rate of the upper ocean down to a 100 metro or more.
This influences the warming of the sea surface which in turn alters the atmospheric winds, humidity and clouds and thus El Niño, La Niña and the monsoon.

Views of study commissioned by Microsoft

Recently a study was commissioned by Microsoft that revealed the following points.
By the year 2021, around 60 % of the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is expected to be derived from digital products and services.
The products and services will be created through the use of technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things and cloud computing, among others.
Technology can play a role in providing facilities like preventive health care and augmented diagnosis to the needy in the health sector.
Similarly in agriculture, where productivity can be increased by 20-30 per cent, simply by using predictive technology.
The central government has formed a committee on AI chaired by P P Chakraborty to suggest a technical framework or platform for the emerging technology.

Source: PIB, The Hindu, Business standard