Mathematician Ruixiang Zhang to receive 2023 Sastra Ramanujan Prize

Sastra Ramanujan Prize

• The prize was instituted in the year 2005.
• It is awarded every year by the SASTRA University on its campus near Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu, on Ramanujan’s birth anniversary, December 22.
• The prize is conferred annually to mathematicians from across the world who is less than 32 years of age, working in an area influenced by the Srinivasa Ramanujan.
• The age limit is 32 years to commemorate the fact that Ramanujan accomplished a phenomenal body of work in this short span.
• Cash prize: It carries a citation and an award of $10,000.
• This award has gained global repute ever since it was instituted.
• Other recipients: Manjul Bhargava and Akshay Venkatesh

Ruixiang Zhang

• He is a young mathematician whose fundamental work spans from analytic number theory**, combinatorics, and Euclidean Harmonic Analysis to geometry.**
• Building on his Princeton PhD thesis, Zhang in collaboration with Shaoming Guo proved a multivariable generalisation of the main conjecture in Vinogradov’s Mean Value Theorem.
• This work, which has appeared in Inventiones Mathematicae in 2019, is considered a major achievement.

Genome-wide study of staghorn coral identified

Staghorn coral

• It is one of the most important corals in the Caribbean.
• It, along with elkhorn coral and star corals built Caribbean coral reefs over the last 5,000 years.
• Staghorn coral can form dense groups called “thickets” in very shallow water.
• These provide important habitat for other reef animals, especially fish.
• Appearance
  • Staghorn coral colonies are golden tan or pale brown with white tips and they get their color from the algae that live within their tissue.
  • These corals have antler-like branches and typically stem out from a central trunk and angle upward.
  • Each staghorn coral colony is made up of many individual polyps that grow together.
  • These coral get food from photosynthetic algae that live inside the coral''s cells. They also feed by capturing plankton with their polyps’ tentacles.
• Distribution:
  • It is found typically in clear, shallow water (15–60 feet) on coral reefs throughout the Bahamas, Florida, and the Caribbean.
  • The northern extent of the range in the Atlantic Ocean is Palm Beach County, Florida, where it is relatively rare.
  • They live in many coral reef habitats including spur and groove, bank reef, patch reef, and transitional reef habitats, as well as on limestone ridges, terraces, and hard bottom habitats.
• Lifespan & Reproduction
  • These coral reaches reproductive maturity at about 7 inches tall.
  • Staghorn coral is a simultaneous hermaphrodite, meaning each colony produces both eggs and sperm, but usually does not self-fertilize.
  • This coral sexually reproduces once per year after the full moon in late summer by “broadcast spawning” eggs and sperm into the water column.
  • Fertilized eggs develop into larvae that settle on hard surfaces and form new colonies.
• Threats
  • Climate change
  • Diseases: It is particularly susceptible to white band and white plague
  • Unsustainable Fishing Pressure

White band disease

• It is a common tissue loss disease.
• Studies suggest that white band disease is caused by a communicable agent, however, a specific pathogen has not yet been definitively identified.

UK''s beloved Sycamore Gap cut down

Sycamore tree

• It was located in a dip between two hills, at a gap in the Hadrian Wall – an old stone structure that is close to the border between England and Scotland – in Northumberland, northern England.
• The ‘gaps’ are essentially channels, which were “naturally chipped away by vast amounts of meltwater flowing beneath the ice sheets that once covered the area,” thousands of years ago.
• Features:
  • This tree can become extremely tall as they mature – reaching a height of up to 35 metres.
  • They are commonly found in the UK and have leaves similar to that of a maple tree.
  • The bark is dark pink-grey, and smooth when young, but becomes cracked and develops small plates with age.
  • A sycamore can live for as long as 400 years.
• Distribution: It is native to central, eastern and southern Europe, it is believed to have been introduced to the UK by the Romans or in the Tudor era around the 1500s.

Hadrian Wall

• It is part of a larger UNESCO World Heritage Site called the ‘Frontiers of the Roman Empire’ and is found in the UK and Germany.

Dr Jitendra Singh launches the Intelligent Grievance Monitoring System (IGMS) 2.0 Public Grievance portal and Automated Analysis in Tree Dashboard portal of DARPG

Intelligent Grievance Monitoring System (IGMS) 2.0

• It is a public grievance portal and Automated Analysis in Tree Dashboard portal of the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG).
• It has been implemented by IIT Kanpur.
• Objectives: The Dashboard provides instant tabular analysis of Grievances Filed & Disposed, State-wise & District-wise Grievances Filed & Ministry-wise data.
• It will also help the officials identify the root cause of the grievance.
• This portal will help the DARPG with creation of draft letter for selected scheme/ministry and expedite the grievance redressal process by the concerned ministry/department.
• It has been enabled with Artificial intelligence (AI) capacity.

CPGRAMS

• Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) is an online platform available to the citizens 24x7 to lodge their grievances to the public authorities on any subject related to service delivery.
• It is a single portal connected to all the Ministries/Departments of Government of India and States.
• Every Ministry and States has role-based access to this system.
• It is also accessible to the citizens through standalone mobile application downloadable through Google Play store and mobile application integrated with UMANG.
• The status of the grievance filed in CPGRAMS can be tracked with the unique registration ID provided at the time of registration of the complainant.

18 more pygmy hogs return to Manas National Park

Pygmy hog

• It is the smallest and rarest species of wild pig in the world.
• It is one of the very few mammals that build its own home, or nest, complete with a ‘roof’.
• It is an indicator species as its presence reflects the health of its primary habitat, tall and wet grasslands.
• Habitat: It prefers undisturbed patches of grassland dominated by early succession riverine communities, typically comprising dense tall grass intermixed with a wide variety of herbs, shrubs and young trees.
• Currently, the viable population of this pig in the wild is in the Manas Tiger Reserve in Assam.
• Conservation status:
  • IUCN: Critically Endangered
  • The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I

Manas National Park

• It is located in the state of Assam. It is contiguous with the Royal Manas National Park in Bhutan.
• It is a national park, UNESCO Natural World Heritage site, a Project Tiger reserve, an elephant reserve and a biosphere reserve.
• Flora: It contains some of the largest remaining grassland habitats in the sub-Himalayan grassland ecosystems.
• Fauna: The Park is known for its rare and endangered endemic wildlife such as the Assam roofed turtle, hispid hare, golden langur and pygmy hog.
• The Manas River is a major tributary of Brahmaputra River, which passes through the Manas National Park.

Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve to protect flora, fauna

Kalakkad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve

• Location: It is located in the Southern Western Ghats in the Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari districts of Tamil Nadu.
• It was established as a Tiger Reseve in 1988.
• This reserve is a mixture of three main sanctuaries: Kalakad Sanctuary, Mundanthurai Sanctuary, and a part of Kanyakumari Sanctuary.
• Nestled between Kerala and Tamil Nadu, the Agastya Malai Hill Range forms the core area of the sanctuary and is part of one of the world''s 18 biodiversity hotspots.
• The reserve is also known as the “River Sanctuary”, with as many as 14 rivers originating from this Tiger Reserve.
• Terrain: Undulating with several valleys and porous rocks.
• Vegetation:
  • It varies from thorny shrub jungles to lush evergreen forests.
  • In addition to forests, savannah woodlands, and grasslands, there are tea and coffee plantations within the reserve.
• Flora: Important species include Sarcandra, Paphiopedulum, druryi, Hopea parviflora, Hopea utilis, Calophylum elatum, Cullenia exarillata, etc.
• Fauna: Tiger, leopard, rusty spotted cat, wild dog, sloth bear, elephant, gaur, sambar, spotted deer, mouse deer, nilgiri langur, slender loris, bonnet macaque, lion tailed macaque, etc.

Senescent immune cells promote lung tumor growth

Macrophages

• Macrophages are a type of white blood cell that plays an important role in the human immune system.
• They are involved in the detection, phagocytosis, and destruction of bacteria and other harmful organisms.
• The term macrophage is formed by the combination of the Greek terms "makro" meaning big, and "phagein" meaning eat.
• They are essential for the maintenance and defence of host tissues, doing so by sensing and engulfing particulate matter and, when necessary, initiating a pro-inflammatory response.
• They can modify themselves to form different structures in order to fight various different microbes and invaders. In this way, macrophages provide the first line of defense in protecting the host from infection.
• They are also involved in the development of non-specific or innate immunity.
• Macrophages produce a variety of cytokines, which are signaling molecules that communicate with other cells of the immune system. Cytokines play a role in inflammation, tissue repair, and the adaptive immune response.
• They migrate to and circulate within almost every tissue, patrolling for pathogens or eliminating dead cells.
• Macrophages may have different names according to where they function in the body. For example, macrophages present in the brain are termed microglia and in the liver sinusoids, they are called Kupffer cells.

Cellular Senescence

• It refers to a state of stable cell cycle arrest in which proliferating cells become resistant to growth-promoting stimuli, typically in response to DNA damage.
• During this phase, the cell undergoes numerous phenotypic and metabolic changes.
• Senescent cells accumulate during ageing and have been implicated in promoting a variety of age-related diseases.
• Cellular senescence can compromise tissue repair and regeneration, thereby contributing towards ageing.
• Removal of senescent cells can attenuate age-related tissue dysfunction and extend the health span.
• Senescence can also act as a potent anti-tumour mechanism by preventing the proliferation of potentially cancerous cells

Sela Tunnel''s 96% complete, may open by year-end

Sela Tunnel Project

• Location: It is located in the West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh.
• Once completed, the Sela tunnel will be the world''s longest bi-lane tunnel at an altitude above 13,000 feet.
• It will ensure all-weather connectivity between Guwahati in Assam and Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh.
• It is being excavated below the Sela Pass on the NH-13 component of the Trans-Arunachal Highway system.
• It is being **built by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO)**under Project Vartak and the tunnel''s construction commenced on April 1, 2019.
• Project Details:
  • Tunnel 1: This single-tube tunnel has a length of 980m.
  • Tunnel 2: This bi-lane tunnel has a length of 1555m. It includes one escape tube for emergencies.
  • Roads: Approach to Tunnel 1 is 7100m, the road between the two tunnels is 1340m, and the approach to Tunnel 2 is 340 m long.

Sela Pass

• It is a high-altitude mountain pass located in the Tawang district of Arunachal Pradesh.
• Elevation: 4,170 meters above sea level
• It connects Tawang Valley to the rest of India.
• Open throughout the year, Sela Pass is managed by the BRO.

Newly discovered fish can change its colour like a chameleon

Badis limaakumi

• It is a new badis fish species discovered in Nagaland.
• It is locally known by many names, like “Tepdang” or “Akngashi (Chungli)” or “Aokngatsü (Mongsen)” or “Sempi” etc.
• It appears black in its natural habitat but undergoes a remarkable color change when placed in an aquarium or different environments.
• Features:
  • It has a comparatively large and slender body.
  • Absence of blotches on the sides and fins, as well as on the cleithrum.
  • Large number of lateral-line scales.

Badis species

• It is a genus of small freshwater fish belonging to the family Badidae.
• Fish from the Badis species are also called Chameleon fish due to their ability to change colour rapidly when breeding, when wanting to blend into their surroundings, or when stressed.
• Distribution: They are found in freshwater bodies like rivers, ponds, and marshes in northern India, eastern Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal, including the Ganges, Brahmaputra, Mahanadi, and Indus basins.
• Currently, there are about 25 recognized badis species, out of which 15 have been reported from India.
• They are predatory in nature, feeding on tiny freshwater invertebrates.

Top financial regulator seeks global clampdown on hedge fund borrowing

Financial Stability Board (FSB)

• FSB was established by the G20 in 2009 in the wake of the financial crisis.
• Mandate: It was created expressly to coordinate at the international level the work of national financial authorities and international standard-setting bodies and to develop and promote the implementation of effective regulatory, supervisory, and other financial sector policies in the interest of financial stability.
• The FSB brings together national authorities responsible for financial stability (central banks, supervisory authorities, and finance ministries), international organisations, and standard-setting bodies.
• The FSB operates by monitoring, analyzing, and making recommendations on key aspects of the financial system. It assesses emerging issues that could impact global financial stability.
• The FSB’s decisions are not legally binding on its members.
• Headquarters: Basel, Switzerland.
• Members:
  • The FSB consists of 68 member institutions. It comprises several central banks, ministries of finance, and supervisory and regulatory authorities from 25 jurisdictions, as well as 10 international organizations and six Regional Consultative Groups (RCGs).
  • The board includes all G20 major economies.
• Structure:
  • The Plenary, which serves as the sole decision-making body.
  • The Steering Committee, which takes forward operational work in between plenary meetings.
  • Three Standing Committees, each with specific but complementary responsibilities.
• India and FSB: India is an active member of the FSB, having three seats in its Plenary represented by the Secretary (Dept of Economic Affairs), Deputy Governor-RBI, and Chairman-SEBI.