TNPSC Current Affairs March 30, 2020

www.tnpsc.academy – TNPSC Current Affairs March 30, 2020 (30/03/2020)

 

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Topic: Discovery of New Species, Profile of States

Himalayan Ibex

A recent study by scientists of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) has proved that Himalayan Ibex, distributed in the trans-Himalayan ranges of Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh, is a distinct species from the Siberian Ibex.

To unravel the complexity in species recognition of Indian Ibex, the researchers, under a project funded through the National Mission on Himalayan Studies implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, undertook field surveys and collected faecal samples from Lahaul and Spiti, Himachal Pradesh.

Key findings:

The latest genetic analysis provided first evidence to claim that Himalayan Ibex is genetically different from all other ranges of Siberian Ibex.

The results of the genetic analysis surprisingly revealed that I-T clade (referred to as Siberian Ibex) was estimated to have diverged from Alpine Ibex during the Pleistocene epoch (2.4 million years ago) than the Siberian Ibex during the Miocene-Pliocene boundary (6.6 million years ago).

About Siberian Ibex:

It is a species of wild goat and is distributed in diverse habitats, ranging from cold deserts, rocky outcrops, steep terrain, high-land flats and mountain ridges to low mountains and foothills.

Siberian ibex is a polytypic species, plausibly formed by lumping of at least 2 species and or 3 to 4 sub-species.

IUCN status: Least concern.

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Topic: International Diary of Events

Exercise Red Flag

The U.S. Air Force has cancelled Phase-I of its flagship multilateral air exercise, Red Flag, scheduled in Alaska from April 30.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) was to take part in the exercise with its Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jets.

Key facts:

Exercise Red Flag is a two-week advanced aerial combat training exercise held several times a year by the United States Air Force. It aims to offer realistic air-combat training for military pilots and other flight crew members from the United States and allied countries.

Only countries considered friendly towards the United States take part in Red Flag exercises.

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Topic: Public Awareness and General Administration

PM- CARES fund

PM Narendra Modi announces PM-CARES fund to fight coronavirus outbreak. PM- CARES fund stands for Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund. It is a public charitable trust.

Contributions by corporates to this fund will be considered as social welfare spending under the company’s law.

It will be an emergency situation fund. This Fund will also cater to similar distressing situations, if they occur in the times ahead.

How will the fund be administered?

The prime minister is the chairman of the new public charitable trust, its members include the defence minister, home minister and the finance minister.

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Topic: Latest inventions on science and health, Current Socio-Economic Crisis

Convalescent plasma therapy

As the proportion of patients infected with COVID-19 continues to rise in the United States, the Food and Drug Administration is facilitating access to COVID-19 convalescent plasma for use in patients with serious or immediately life-threatening COVID-19 infections.

Why was this necessary?

While clinical trials are underway to evaluate the safety and efficacy of administering convalescent plasma to patients with COVID-19, the FDA is granting clinicians permission for use of investigational convalescent plasma under single-patient emergency Investigational New Drug Applications (INDs), since no known cure exists and a vaccine is more than 1 year away from becoming available.

What is Convalescent plasma therapy? How it works?

It seeks to make use of the antibodies developed in the recovered patient against the coronavirus.

The whole blood or plasma from such people is taken, and the plasma is then injected in critically ill patients so that the antibodies are transferred and boost their fight against the virus.

WHO guidelines in this regard:

WHO guidelines in 2014 mandate a donor’s permission before extracting plasma. Plasma from only recovered patients must be taken, and donation must be done from people not infected with HIV, hepatitis, syphilis, or any infectious disease.

If whole blood is collected, the plasma is separated by sedimentation or centrifugation, then injected in the patient. If plasma needs to be collected again from the same person, it must be done after 12 weeks of the first donation for males and 16 weeks for females, the WHO guidelines state.

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Topic: Public Awareness and General Administration, Latest Diary of Events

National Teleconsultation Centre (CoNTeC)

Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has launched the National Teleconsultation Centre (CoNTeC).

The project CoNTeC, an acronym for COVID-19 National Teleconsultation Centre, has been conceptualised by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare and has been implemented by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi.

How it works?

The CoNTeC is a Telemedicine Hub established by AIIMS, New Delhi, wherein expert doctors from various clinical domains will be available 24×7 to answer the multifaceted questions from specialists from all over the country.

The modes of communication will include simple mobile telephony as well as two way video communications, using WhatsApp, Skype and Google Duo.

How to Contact the CoNTeC?

A single mobile number (+91 9115444155) can be dialled from anywhere in the coutnry/world by COVID-19 treating doctors to reach the CoNTeC which has six lines that can be used simultaneously at present.

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Topic: Places in News

Baltic Sea

The Seals need ice to keep themselves safe from predators such as wolves and foxes. However, the declining ice in the Baltic sea has disrupted their survivals.

Key facts:

With depleting ice levels, the seals are forced to inhabit the islets (small islands) that they normally hesitate to inhabit. This has caused overcrowding and is disrupting the survival rates of their pups. Around 3,000 Seal pups are born on the Baltic Sea Coats every year.

The Grey Seals are the most common seals in these seas and have been categorized as “Least Concern” under IUCN Red List. However, experts believe that the depleting ice levels has raised concerns and it is time to change their conservation status.

Baltic Sea:

Baltic Sea is a Mediterranean Sea. It is enclosed by Estonia, Denmark, Finland, Lithuania, Sweden, Poland, Germay, Russia. The group of countries that are currently referred to Baltic states are Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania.