Current Affairs Quiz- 37

1. 1. Question

   2 points
   One of the new approaches for mosquito eradication that show promise in the war against Zika and Dengue Virus is the use of Genetically Engineered (GM) Mosquitoes. In what way do these mosquitoes help?

   •  a) Male GM Mosquitoes indirectly block dengue transmission to humans, as their sperms kill the virus inside the body of the mosquitoes they breed with
   •  b) Female GM mosquitoes pass on ‘dominant lethal’ genes – which prevent the multiplication of virus strains – to their offspring and gradually all female mosquitoes will contain this gene
   •  c) ‘Tetracycline’ is a chemical compound which GM Mosquitoes produce. This compound prevents mosquitoes from successfully reproducing, thus reducing population significantly in a few weeks
   •  d) Male GM Mosquitoes pass on a ‘dominant lethal’ gene to offspring which prevents mosquito larvae from growing properly and causes them to die before adulthood
   Solution: d.

   “Two novel strategies have shown promise in recent years. One involves the use of genetically modified male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that carry a dominant lethal gene. The gene is passed down to offspring when they mate with wild female mosquitoes that are not genetically altered. The lethal gene in the offspring produces a protein that stops their cells from functioning normally by producing more of itself and prevents other genes essential for survival from turning on. This prevents the mosquito larvae from growing properly and causes them to die before adulthood, essentially breaking the insect’s life cycle.”

   http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/with-zika-indian-firm-scales-up-trials-for-gm-mosquitoes/article8206480.ece

2. 2. Question

   1 points
   ‘Point NJ9842’ refers to

   •  a) The southernmost point on the demarcated Line of Control (LoC)
   •  b) The northernmost point on the Siachen Glacier
   •  c) The northernmost point on the demarcated Line of Actual Control
   •  d) The northernmost point on the demarcated LoC
   Solution: d.

   

   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NJ9842

3. 3. Question

   1 points
   Consider the following statements:

   1. Altitude sickness occurs at higher altitudes due to lower percentage of oxygen in the atmosphere
   2. Acclimatisation, or homeostasis, refers to any of the numerous gradual, long-term responses of an organism to changes in its environment

   Which of the statements above is/are correct?

   •  a) 1 Only
   •  b) 2 Only
   •  c) Both 1 and 2
   •  d) Neither 1 nor 2
   Solution: d.

   “At sea level, because air is compressible, the weight of all that air above us compresses the air around us, making it denser. As you go up a mountain, the air becomes less compressed and is therefore thinner. The important effect of this decrease in pressure is this: in a given volume of air, there are fewer molecules present. This is really just another way of saying that the pressure is lower. The percentage of those molecules that are oxygen is exactly the same: 21%. The problem is that there are fewer molecules of everything present, including oxygen. So although the percentage of oxygen in the atmosphere is the same, the thinner air means there is less oxygen to breathe.”

   Homeostasis: The numerous sudden changes that evoke rapid and short-term responses via the nervous and hormonal systems are not examples of acclimatization (What is acclimatisation?). An individual organism can regulate its internal processes rapidly to sustain itself within the usual range of environmental changes that it encounters hourly or daily. But this rapid regulation, or homeostasis, is limited in its operation to a small range of environmental variations.

   http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/armys-unseen-enemy-in-siachen/article8206435.ece

4. 4. Question

   1 points
   With reference to the Civil Liabilities for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010, which of the following statements is/are incorrect?

   1. Section 17(b) permits victims of a nuclear incident to sue the operator or the supplier for damages applying tort law and thus exposing suppliers to unlimited liability
   2. Under Section 46 liability for a nuclear accident can be channelled from the operator to suppliers of nuclear material

   Select the correct answer using the code given below:

   •  a) 1 Only
   •  b) 2 Only
   •  c) Both 1 and 2
   •  d) Neither 1 nor 2
   Solution: c.

   Both are incorrect. Provisions of each section have been interchanged in the statements above.

   Under Section 17(b), liability for a nuclear accident can be channelled from the operator, which is the Nuclear Power Corporation of India, to suppliers of nuclear material, specifically if the accident is due to an act of the supplier or his employee, which includes supply of equipment or material with patent or latent defects or sub-standard services.

   Section 46 permits victims of a nuclear incident to sue the operator or the supplier for damages applying tort law, even though such proceedings would be beyond the scope of CLNDA and its liability cap, and thus exposing suppliers to unlimited liability.

   http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/nuclear-ambiguities/article8206363.ece

5. 5. Question

   1 points
   Consider the following statements:

   1. Bt cotton is the only genetically modified crop allowed to be grown by farmers in India.
   2. Bt brinjal was cleared for commercialization by the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee, but it since has been under an indefinite moratorium on its cultivation

   Which of the statements above is/are correct?

   •  a) 1 Only
   •  b) 2 Only
   •  c) Both 1 and 2
   •  d) Neither 1 nor 2
   Solution: c.

   “The Indian GM crops saga is a convoluted one. Currently, it has the world’s fourth largest GM crop acreage on the strength of Bt cotton, the only genetically modified crop allowed in the country.”

   “Following the study of biosafety data and field trials by two expert committees, Bt brinjal was cleared for commercialization by India’s top biotech regulator, the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee, in 2009. But nothing came of it, with moratoriums imposed by then Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh and his successor Jayanthi Natarajan following opposition from civil society groups and brinjal-growing states.”

   http://www.livemint.com/Opinion/2KSuCjSTz3qvRG9OyqHBJM/Genetically-modified-crops-the-way-forward.html