Prelim Bits 17-04-2024 | UPSC Daily Current Affairs

C-C nozzle

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) recently said that it has successfully developed a lightweight Carbon-Carbon (C-C) nozzle for rocket engines.

• It is a lightweight Carbon-Carbon (C-C) nozzle to enhance the vital parameters of rocket engines.
• Developed by - Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
• The key feature of the nozzle is its anti-oxidation coating of Silicon Carbide, which extends its operational limits in oxidizing environments.
• This coating reduces thermally induced stresses and enhances corrosion resistance, allowing for extended operational temperature limits in hostile environments.
• Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)-4 currently employs twin engines with nozzles made from Columbium alloy.
• By replacing the engines with C-C nozzle , a mass reduction of approximately 67% can be achieved.
• This substitution is projected to increase the payload capability of the PSLV by 15 kg.
• Features
  • Low density
  • High specific strength
  • Excellent stiffness
  • Capable of retaining mechanical properties even at high temperatures.

References

1. Times of India | Carbon-Carbon Rocket Engine Nozzle
2. ISRO | Carbon-Carbon Nozzle for Rocket Engines
3. India Today | Carbon-Carbon (C-C) nozzle

Global Forest Watch Monitoring Project

The recent report of Global Forest Watch monitoring project says that India has lost 2.33 million hectares (6%) of tree cover since 2000.

Findings

• Loss of Primary forests – India lost 4.1% of humid primary forest from 2002 to 2023, making up 18% of its total tree cover loss in the same period.
• Absorption of Co2 – Between 2001 and 2022
  • India emitted 51 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent a year
  • Removed 141 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent a year,
  • Represents a net carbon sink of 89.9 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent a year.
• Loss of Natural forests - The data showed that 95% of the tree cover loss in India from 2013 to 2023 occurred within natural forests.
• The country lost 175,000 hectares of tree cover in 2016 and 144,000 hectares in 2023, the highest in the last 6 years.
• The maximum tree cover loss occurred in 2017.
• Highest tree cover lost states - The GFW data showed that 5 states accounted for 60% of all tree cover loss between 2001 and 2023.
• 5 States – Assam, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Manipur.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation, the rate of deforestation in India was 668,000 hectares per year between 2015 and 2020, the 2^nd highest worldwide

• Loss due to fires - The data showed India lost 35,900 hectares of tree cover due to fires from 2002 to 2022, with its maximum in 2008.
• Highest tree cover losing states due to fires (2001 to 2022) – Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Assam, and Meghalaya.

Global Forest Watch (GFW)

• It is an online platform that provides data and tools for monitoring forests.
• It is established by World Resources Institute (WRI), launched in 1997.
• GFW uses cutting-edge technology that allows anyone to access near real-time information about where and how forests are changing around the world.

References

1. The Indian Express | Global Forest Watch Report
2. Global Forest Watch | About

Bhandasar Jain Temple

• The Bhandasar Jain Temple is a temple made of ghee, situated in Bikaner, Rajasthan.
• It was constructed by the wealthy Jain merchant Bhandasa Oswal.
• This temple is dedicated to the 5^th Tirthankara, Sumatinatha.
• It is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India.
• It is said that during a period of severe drought, when water was scarce, Bhandasa Oswal decided to use ghee (40,000 kilogram), as a substitute for water in the temple’s mortar.
• Architecture- The temple itself is a 3-storied marvel, constructed using red sandstone with intricate yellow-stone carvings adorning its walls, pillars, and mandapa.
• The sanctum, or garbhagriha, is a pancharatha, covered by a shikhara with karna-amalakas and amalakas at the top.
• The temple’s walls are embellished with leaf paintings, frescoes, and ornamented mirror work, which depict the lives of the 24 Tirthankaras.

References

Times of India | Bhandasar Jain Temple

Thiruvalluvar

• Thiruvalluvar, a revered ancient saint, poet, and philosopher with no caste or religion, has been regarded as a Tamil cultural and moral icon.
• Historicity - His family history, religion, or location of birth are all unknown certainties.
• The period during which he lived is debated.
• Some accounts place him in the 3^rd or 4^th century CE; others date him in the 8^th or 9^th century.
• He has been identified as both a Hindu and a Jain sage, while Dravidian groups consider him as a saint with no religious identifiers except his Dravidian roots.
• Thirukkural - The ‘Thirukkural’ or ‘Sacred Couplets’, a collection of moral aphorisms in verse that is attributed to Thiruvalluvar, does not name him as its author.
• He is named first in a later collection of verses known as ‘Thiruvalluva Malai’.
• In 1935, the Tamil Nadu government officially recognized 31 BCE as the year of Valluvar.

Tirukkural

• The Tirukkuṟaḷ, or the Kural, is a classic Tamil language text consisting of 1,330 short couplets, or kurals, of 7 words each.
• Its 133 sections of 10 couplets each are divided into 3 books - aram (virtue), porul (government and society), and kamam (love).
• It is widely acknowledged for its universality and secular nature.
• It is one of the Patiren-kirkkanakku (“Eighteen Ethical Works”) in Tamil literature.

References

1. The Indian Express | Thiruvalluvar
2. Britannica | Thiruvalluvar

Men5CV Vaccine

Nigeria has become the 1^st country in the world to roll out a new vaccine (called Men5CV) against meningitis.

• It protects people against 5 strains (A, C, W, Y and X) of the meningococcus bacteria.
• It was recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).
• The vaccine and emergency vaccination activities are funded by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.

Nigeria is one of the 26 meningitis hyper-endemic countries of Africa, situated in the area known as the African Meningitis Belt.

Meningitis

• Meningitis is a serious infection that leads to the inflammation of the membranes (meninges) that surround and protect the brain and spinal cord.
• There are multiple causes of meningitis, including viral, bacterial, fungal and parasitic pathogens.
• Bacterial meningitis is the most serious, can also result in septicaemia (blood poisoning), and can seriously disable or kill within 24 hours those that contract it. 
• Symptoms - Headache, fever and stiff neck.
• Road map to meningitis - In 2019, WHO and partners launched the global roadmap to defeating meningitis by 2030. 
• The roadmap sets a comprehensive vision towards a world free of meningitis, and has 3 goals:
  • Elimination of bacterial meningitis epidemics;
  • Reduction of cases of vaccine-preventable bacterial meningitis by 50% and deaths by 70%; and
  •  reduction of disability and improvement of quality of life after meningitis due to any cause.

Reference

WHO | Nigeria introduces new 5-in-1 vaccine