Platelets ‘can replicate benefits of exercise in brain’, shows study

• Scientists have found that an injection of specific blood molecules can replicate the benefits of exercise in the brain, paving the way for potential new treatments for age-related cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s disease patients.
• The platelets, the tiny blood cells critical for blood clotting, secrete a protein that rejuvenates neurons in aged mice in a similar way to physical exercise.
• We know exercise increases the production of new neurons in the hippocampus, the part of the brain important for learning and memory,
• Previous research has shown platelets are involved, but this study shows platelets are actually required for this effect in the aged mice.
• The study focused on exerkines, the biological compounds released into the bloodstream during exercise, which are believed to stimulate the exercise-induced response in the brain.
• We discovered that the exerkine CXCL4/Platelet factor 4 or PF4, which is released from platelets after exercise, results in regenerative and cognitive improvements when injected into aged mice
• The findings have significant implications for the development of drug interventions.

Pink Floyd song reconstructed from listeners’ brain activity: How was this done, significance

• A new study has made inroads in this research by successfully managing to “decode” the brain’s electrical activity to reconstitute it as recognisable music.
• This is not the first time scientists have managed to reconstruct what the brain perceives from recorded neural signals. In the past, there have been successful attempts at recreating words and images using signals recorded by implanted electrodes.
• However, this is the first time scientists have managed to reconstruct a recognisable, even if somewhat garbled, song purely from neural recordings.
• The results of this study might help create better brain-computer interfaces and assistive devices that translate brainwaves into speech for those unable to speak due to paralysis caused by stroke.
• Consider the late Stephen Hawking, one of the world’s most famous scientists who lost his ability to speak due to a motor-neurone disease which left him paralysed. After he was unable to speak, he communicated via a speech generating device which improved over the years. But even at its very best, the speech generated was robotic, without any inflection.

Electrodes implanted onto the brain’s surface

• The 29 test subjects were all suffering from epilepsy and already had implants inserted onto their brains to determine the cause of the seizures. The researchers were able to get consent from these patients to carry out this study.
• Moreover, even after placing electrodes directly on to the brain, the music was still somewhat garbled due to the number of electrodes that were packed in. The researchers hope that by increasing the density of electrodes on the brain (number of electrodes/surface area), they will be able to obtain even better resolution.

Focus on auditory regions for reproducing speech

• Despite these limitations on its current real-world applicability, scientists have gathered some vital information during this exercise.
• Crucially, researchers were able to identify which parts of the brain respond to which kind of stimuli. They found that certain portions of superior temporal gyrus – located just behind and above the ear and associated with auditory processing – respond to the onset of speech, while other areas respond to other elements of the music.
• In the past, researchers have focused on the brain’s motor cortex, associated with movements of the mouth and vocal cords to recreate the acoustics of speech. The new study can guide scientists to a different location.

Amylotropic Lateral Sclerosis:

• It is a neurodegenerative disease in which special nerve cells called motor neurons in the brain and spine which control an individual’s voluntary functions like walking, chewing, talking, moving their arms- are affected.
• It’s also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
• As these nerve cells progressively die, the muscles dependent on them are unable to function or move, due to which they begin to atrophy or waste away.

How does ALS affect the body?

• As your motor neurons (nerve cells) continue to decline, they can’t send signals to your muscles. The two types of motor neurons are:
  • Upper motor neurons, the motor nerve cells in your brain and spinal cord. Their job is to send signals to lower motor neurons.
  • Lower motor neurons, the motor nerve cells in your brain stem (lower part of your brain) and spinal cord. They receive instructions from the upper motor neurons. They then send messages to your muscles telling them to move.
• From the onset of symptoms, it takes around 8 to 15 months for diagnosis.
• Currently, there is no effective cure for this disease.

RBI launches UDGAM, a centralised web portal for searching unclaimed deposits across multiple banks

UDGAM Portal

• It has been developed by RBI for use by members of public to facilitate and make it easier for them to search their unclaimed deposits across multiple banks at one place.
• Reserve Bank Information Technology Pvt Ltd (ReBIT), Indian Financial Technology & Allied Services (IFTAS), and participating banks have collaborated on developing the portal.
• The portal will enable users to either claim the deposit amount or make their deposit accounts operative at their respective banks.
• Procedure:
  • Customers can register on the ''Udgam'' platform using their mobile number.
  • Once registered, they can search for unclaimed deposits under their name and provide additional inputs such as PAN, voter ID, driving licence and passport number.
  • Customers can then retrieve their deposits by completing a KYC process with their branch.
  • In case the deposit-holder has passed away, their nominee will be required to submit documents.

Unclaimed Deposits

• According to RBI, "Unclaimed Deposits" refers to funds held in savings or current accounts that have remained inactive for duration of 10 years, or in the case of fixed deposits (FDs), have not been withdrawn within 10 years from the maturity date.

The gaps in the Births and Deaths Registration (Amendment) Act

The Registration of Births and Deaths (RBD) Act, 1969 provides for compulsory registration of births and deaths under a uniform law across India. Experience of its working indicates that it is necessary to amend it for several reasons, and things could be changing as a Bill to amend this Act — called the Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2023 — for the first time since its inception, has been passed by Parliament and has got the assent of the President of India.

The Registration of Births and Deaths (RBD) Act, 1969:

• It provides for compulsory registration of births and deaths under a uniform law across India.
• Registration of Births and Deaths in India is mandatory with the enactment of RBD, Act 1969 and is done as per the place of occurrence of the event.
• It is the responsibility of the States to register births and deaths.
• State governments have set up facilities for registering births and deaths and keeping records.
• A Chief Registrar appointed in every State is the executive authority for implementation of the Act.
• A hierarchy of officials at the district and lower levels do the work.
• The RGI, appointed under this Act, is responsible for coordinating and unifying the implementation of the RBD Act.

Need for New Bill:

• To create a National and State level database of registered births and deaths
• It would help in updating other databases resulting in efficient and transparent delivery of public services and social benefits”.

Provisions

• The Bill makes it compulsory that the Registrar General of India maintains a national level database of births and deaths
• The Chief Registrar of births and deaths in every State is required to maintain a State-level database of registered births and deaths ‘using the portal approved by the Registrar General of India’.
• The databases are to provide information to update the National Population Register, the Aadhaar database, electoral rolls, ration card, passport, and other databases at the national level, as may be notified.
• In the case of birth: The amendments provide for collecting the Aadhaar number of the parents.
  • Nothing is mentioned about the Aadhaar number of the deceased.

Background

• The registration hierarchy is the responsibility of State governments, with the Registrar General of India having only the role of coordination and unification of the registration system.
• The maintenance of the central database is being added to the Registrar General of India’s functions.
  • The Chief Registrars are the executive authorities for the matters relating registration of births and deaths in the States.
  • They need to maintain a database for efficient delivery of services of providing birth and death certificates.

National Database:

• The national database will be a collection of State-level databases, except for some data items that some States may have in addition to the national standards prescribed by the Registrar General of India.
• If the authorities maintaining other databases require information on births and deaths
  • It will be possible to design a system wherein the required data flow to their databases on a daily basis or even a real time basis from the State-level database.

Need for a national-level database

• It is provided that database at the central level be made available to authorities dealing with the maintenance and preparation of databases relating to
  • population register
  • electoral rolls
  • Aadhaar number
  • ration card
  • passport
  • driving license
  • property registration
  • other databases at the national level, as may be notified.
• If authorities require information from the database of registered births and deaths to update their databases
  • It requires amendment in the laws or executive orders under which they are maintained.
• The RBD Act needs an enabling provision to share information from the database.

Issues:

• New additions to the list later may be more dangerous than those listed and approved by Parliament.
  • For example, the government can now decide that a list of women whose third or higher order birth is being registered be prepared and given to the Family Welfare department for follow up on family planning programmes.

Certificate of cause of death

• Presently, the State government decides that a cause of death certificate should be issued by the medical practitioner who attended the deceased person
• The areas/hospitals where such a certificate has been made mandatory varies across States
  • but is generally restricted to deaths in medical institutions.
• The amendments make it compulsory that for all deaths in medical institutions
  • A cause of death certificate is sent to the Registrar of Births and Deaths and a copy of the certificate is provided to the closest relative.
  • For deaths that occur outside hospitals, the medical practitioner who attended to the deceased during the person’s recent illness has to issue such a certificate.

Associated Issues with the amendment in certification of cause of death:

• The medical practitioner may not have always arrived at a definite diagnosis before the person died.
• The forms for cause of death that are being used are in conformity with World Health Organization recommendations.
  • If the deceased was attended by a practitioner of the AYUSH systems of medicine: The cause of death recorded may not be usable for cause of death statistics
  • since they may not be classifiable under the International Classification of Diseases.
• A person who was under treatment for a certain disease can die of an entirely different cause outside a medical facility when the medical practitioner was not available for consultation.
  • How can the practitioner be expected to issue a certificate of cause of death in such cases?
• Section 17 of the Act prohibits the inclusion of cause of death in any certificate issued under the Act
  • It now says that the cause of death certificate should be given to the relative of the deceased.
  • These are contradictory as the cause of death in the death register is taken from the same cause of death certificate issued by the medical practitioner

Kanniyakumari’s Matti is distinct with fragrance and honey-like taste

Matti banana variety, native to Kanniyakumari district, which was recently granted the Geographical Indication (GI) tag.

Matti banana:

• There are six known types of the Matti banana and they are indigenous to Kanniyakumari, where it thrives in the unique climate and soil.
• They are known as ‘Baby Banana’ which flourishes mainly in Kalkulam and Vilavancode taluks.
• Even if it takes root and yields in other areas, the fruit will be without the sweet fragrance and honey-like taste unique to the Matti bananas grown in Kanniyakumari.
• Unlike typical banana bunches that grow straight, the Matti’s fingers exhibit a distinct wind-blown appearance.
• Its low total soluble solids content (TSSC) recommends it as a baby food.
• Types of Matti Banana
  • Nal Matti boasts a yellowish-orange colour and fine aroma, while Theyn [honey] Matti’s pulp tastes like honey.
  • Kal Matti gets its name from the calcium oxalate crystals forming in its pulp and black dots on the skin.
  • Nei Matti exudes the aroma of ghee, and Sundari Matti, a Matti clone, with its elongated fingers, thick peel, and creamy white rind, is facing extinction.

Geographical Indication Tag

• It is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin.
• This is typically used for agricultural products, foodstuffs, wine and spirit drinks, handicrafts and industrial products.
• The Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999seeks to provide for the registration and better protection of geographical indications relating to goods in India.
• This GI tag is valid for 10 years following which it can be renewed.

What is Leidenfrost effect?

If you watch cooking videos on social media frequently, chances are that you may have come across tutorials to treat your stainless-steel cooking utensils to imitate the behaviour of their non-stick counterparts.

• While this step is often called the “water test” in such videos, the driving principle here is the Leidenfrost effect.
• The Leidenfrost effect is a phenomenon where the bottom layer of a liquid, when added to a surface that is hotter than its boiling point, instantly vaporises and forms an insulating layer around the rest of the liquid, protecting it from boiling rapidly. The vapour layer is extremely thin but enough to keep the liquid just below its boiling point since it decreases the heat transfer from the surface to the liquid.
• When water is added to a sufficiently hot metal pan, it scuttles around instead of immediately evaporating, even though the temperature of the pan is much higher than the boiling point of water. Since the thermal conductivity of steam is much lower than the metal pan, water in this case evaporates slower than it otherwise would. This is an everyday depiction of the Leidenfrost effect.
• The temperature of the pan has to be at or above the Leidenfrost point – which corresponds to the minimal heat flux or the lowest amount of heat that can be transferred from the hotter to the colder body in consideration – for this effect to come into play.
• If the heat flux drops below the Leidenfrost point, the vapour layer will collapse.

Who is the phenomenon named after?

Johann Gottlob Leidenfrost was a German doctor who is credited with having first described the Leidenfrost effect.

Heronries are thriving in Thiruvananthapuram district, says a WWF survey

Heron

• These are any of about 60 species of long-legged wading birds.
• These are classified in the family Ardeidae (order Ciconiiformes) and generally including several species usually called egrets.
• The Ardeidae also include the bitterns (subfamily Botaurinae).
• These are widely distributed over the world but are most common in the tropics.
• They usually feed while wading quietly in the shallow waters of pools, marshes, and swamps, catching frogs, fishes, and other aquatic animals.
• They nest in rough platforms of sticks constructed in bushes or trees near water; the nests usually are grouped in colonies called heronries.

Significance of the Heronry count

• Heronry counts aims at counting ‘apparently occupied nests’ of herons, egrets, and other colonial waterbirds.
• This is regarded as an effective and accurate way to determine the breeding population of waterbirds in an area.
• Being one of the top predators in the aquatic food chain, monitoring their population can indicate the health of the aquatic ecosystem, freshwater as well as brackish water.

Chairman, Central Water Commission Launches Mobile App ‘Floodwatch’ To Provide Real-Time Flood Forecasts To Public Using Interactive Maps

Floodwatch App

• This app gives information related to the flood situation and forecasts up to 7 days on a real-time basis to the public.
• The in-house developed user-friendly app has readable and audio broadcast and all the information is available in 2 languages, viz. English and Hindi.
• Other feature of the app includes real-time flood monitoring where users can check up-to-date flood situation throughout the country.
• The app utilizes near real-time river flow data from various sources.
• The app also provides flood forecast at nearest location where users can check the flood advisory at the station nearest to them on the Home Page itself.
• The app will also provide State-wise/Basin-wise Flood Forecast (up to 24 hours) or Flood Advisory (up to 7 days) which can be accessed by selecting specific stations, state wise or basin wise from the dropdown menu.
• This app utilizes advanced technologies such as satellite data analysis, mathematical modelling, and real-time monitoring to deliver accurate and timely flood forecasts.

Central Water Commission

• It is a premier Technical Organization of India in the field of Water Resources.
• It is presently functioning as an attached office of the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.
• Functions
  • The Commission is entrusted with the general responsibilities of initiating, coordinating and furthering in consultation of the State Governments concerned, schemes for control, conservation and utilization of water resources throughout the country.
  • It also undertakes the investigations, construction and execution of any such schemes as required.
• It is headed by a Chairman, with the status of Ex-Officio Secretary to the Government of India.

Chennai-based Agnikul Cosmos begins integration of its first satellite rocket with launchpad at SDSC SHAR in Sriharikota

Agnibaan SubOrbital Technological Demonstrator (SOrTeD)

• Agnibaan SOrTeD is a single-stage launch vehicle powered by AgniKul’s patented Agnilet engine, which is an entirely 3D-printed, single-piece, 6 kilonewton (kN) semi-cryogenic engine.
• Unlike traditional sounding rockets that launch from guide rails, Agnibaan SOrTeD will lift off vertically and follow a predetermined trajectory to perform a precisely orchestrated set of manoeuvres during flight.
• Features:
  • It is a customisable launch vehicle that could be launched in one or two stages.
  • The rocket stands 18 metres tall and has a mass of 14,000 kg.
  • It is capable of carrying payloads up to 100 kg to an altitude of 700 km in five different configurations.
  • The rocket''s first stage could have up to seven Agnilet engines, depending on the mission, which are powered by Liquid Oxygen and Kerosene.
  • The rocket is also designed for launch from more than 10 different launch ports.
  • To ensure its compatibility with multiple launch ports, AgniKul has built a launch pedestal named ''Dhanush'' that will support the rocket''s mobility across all its configurations.
  • The Agnilet engine, which powers the entire operation, is the world’s sole single-piece 3D-printed engine.

WHO South-East Asia region adopts Gandhinagar Declaration to enhance efforts to end TB

Gandhinagar Declaration

• It was adopted at the end of the two-day meeting held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, to follow up on the progress made to end tuberculosis (TB) by the countries** of the WHO South-East Asia Region.
• The Declaration calls for establishing high-level multisectoral commission reporting to the highest political level in each country for synergy of efforts among various stakeholders and to monitor progress towards ending TB and other priority diseases.
• These high-level multisectoral commission on TB could also help build responsive health systems and advance universal health coverage and health security.
• The declaration calls for ensuring appropriate adoption and use of science and technology for equitable and human rights-based TB services that are accessible to all, irrespective of any social, cultural, or demographic divide, through an integrated, primary health care approach.
• It emphasises on the allocation of necessary resources to meet TB service coverage targets and address social determinants to have a multi-disease impact.
• The declaration calls on WHO to maintain TB as a Flagship Priority Programme over the coming years and provide leadership and technical support to countries for sustained and accelerated approaches supported by research and innovation.
• It calls upon all partners to enhance their support to end TB and priority diseases in the Region as per the UN Sustainable Development Goals target 3.3 - End the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and neglected tropical diseases and combat hepatitis, water-borne diseases, and other communicable diseases.

2.2 mn new workers including 71 transgenders enrolled under ESIC in June

Employees State Insurance (ESI) Scheme

• It is a social security scheme offered by the Government of India as per the Employees'' State Insurance Act, 1948.
• It is administered by a statutory corporate body called the Employees'' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC)
• The scheme provides protection to employees against disablement/death due to employment injury, sickness, and maternity.
• Applicability:
  • The ESI Scheme applies to factories and other establishment''s Road Transport, Hotels, Restaurants, Cinemas, Newspaper, Shops, and Educational/Medical Institutions wherein 10 or more persons are employed.
  • However, in some States threshold limit for coverage of establishments is still 20.
  • It is the employer''s legal responsibility to register their factory/ establishment under the ESI Act within 15 days of its applicability to them.
• Wage Limit:
  • The existing wage limit for coverage under the Act is Rs.21,000/- per month (25000/- per month in the case of Persons with Disability).
  • It is the employer''s responsibility to enroll eligible employees in the ESI program.
• How are contributions made?
  • This is a self-financing scheme, where the employees and the employers make regular monthly contributions to the scheme at a certain percentage of their wages.
  • As of now, covered employees contribute 0.75% of the wages, whereas the employers contribute 3.25% of the wages, payable to their employees.
  • Employees earning less than Rs. 137/- a day as daily wages are exempted from payment of their share of contribution.
  • The State Governments, as per provisions of the Act, contribute 1/8th of the expenditure of medical benefits within a per capita ceiling of Rs. 1500/- per Insured Person per annum.
• The main benefits provided under ESI Scheme are:
  • Sickness Benefit: During medical leave, the scheme offers cash flow during the said period. The worker can avail 70% of the daily wage for a maximum of 91 days. This can be availed in two consecutive periods.
  • Disablement Benefit: In case of temporary disablement of the worker, they are eligible for a monthly wage of 90% until they recover. In the case of permanent disability, 90% of the monthly wage can be availed for the entire life.
  • Dependants’ Benefit: Paid at the rate of 90% of wage in the form of monthly payment to the dependants of a deceased Insured person in cases where death occurs due to employment injury or occupational hazards.
  • Maternity Benefit: The beneficiary can avail 100% of the daily wages for up to 26 weeks, which can be extended to a further one month based on the medical advice. In the case of miscarriage, the benefit is 6 weeks, while in the case of adoption it is 12 weeks.
  • Medical Benefit: Under the scheme, the insured’s medical expenses are covered through affordable and reasonable healthcare facilities.
  • Besides the above, other benefits being provided to the beneficiaries are Confinement Expenses, Funeral Expenses, Vocational Rehabilitation, Physical Rehabilitation, Unemployment Allowance (RGSKY) and Skill Upgradation Training.
• Employee''s insurance number remains the same as long as he or she remains within the ESIC wage limit. Changing jobs will not affect an employee''s insurance status, and his or her insurance number will remain the same.

Digital India expansion gets ₹14903 crore outlay

National Supercomputing Mission

• It was launched in 2015 to provide the country with supercomputing infrastructure to meet the increasing computational demands of academia, researchers, MSMEs, and startups.
• The Mission is steered jointly by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) and implemented by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Pune and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru.
• The main objectives of the mission are:
  • Make India a world leader in High-Performance Computing (HPC) and enhance the national capability in solving grand challenge problems of national and global relevance.
  • Empower scientists & researchers with state-of-the-art computing facilities for their cutting-edge research in their respective Domains.
  • Reduce redundancies and avoid duplication of efforts and investments.
  • Create an ecosystem for positioning India as a major power for supercomputing and attain global competitiveness and self-reliance in HPC.
• The Mission envisages empowering academic and R&D institutions spread over the country by installing a vast supercomputing grid comprising of more than 70 HPC facilities.
• These supercomputers will also be networked on the National Supercomputing grid **over the National Knowledge Network (NKN).**The NKN is another programme of the government which connects academic institutions and R&D labs over a high speed network.
• Academic and R&D institutions, as well as key user departments/ministries, would participate by using these facilities and developing applications of national relevance.
• The Mission also includes the development of highly professional and skilled human resources for meeting the challenges of development of these applications.

Indian supercomputers in the Top 500 Global Supercomputing List:

• The AI Supercomputer ‘AIRAWAT’, installed at C-DAC, Pune, has been ranked at 75.
• PARAM Siddhi-AI supercomputer installed at C-DAC, Pune, has been ranked at 131.
• Pratyush supercomputer installed at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology has been ranked at 169.
• Mihir supercomputer installed at the National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting has been ranked at No. 316.