10 PM Current Affairs Quiz: December 6, 2020

Both statements are correct.
Aadi Mahotsav is a national tribal festival and a joint initiative of Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India & Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED) in which individual tribal artisans, tribal SHGs, agencies, organisations working with tribals participate.
It started in 2017 and has held many events all over the country since then. The virtual edition of Aadi Mahotsav- Madhya Pradesh was recently inaugurated

To encourage inter-tribal interaction and to promote cultural heritage of Nagaland, the Government of Nagaland organizes the Hornbill Festival every year in the first week of December.
Organized by the State Tourism and Art & Culture Departments, Hornbill Festival showcases a mélange of cultural displays under one roof. This festival usually takes place between the 1st and the 7th of December every year at Naga Heritage Village, Kisama.
The Festival is named after the Indian Hornbill, the large and colourful forest bird which is displayed in folklore in most of the state’s tribes.
The state has decided to hold the festival on a virtual platform this year.

Vasoplegia is the syndrome of pathological low systemic vascular resistance, the dominant clinical feature of which is reduced blood pressure in the presence of a normal or raised cardiac output.
Vasoplegic syndrome is a common occurrence following cardiothoracic surgery and is characterized as a high-output shock state with poor systemic vascular resistance. The pathophysiology is complex and includes dysregulation of vasodilatory and vasoconstrictive properties of smooth vascular muscle cells.

Statement 1 is incorrect. It is not a serological test. Serologic tests measure the antibody response in an individual.
Loop-mediated isothermal amplification, or LAMP, is an assay that can be used for viral RNA detection. This is a one ­step nucleic acid amplification method to multiply specific sequences of RNA of the coronavirus. Here, the RNA is first made into cDNA (copy DNA) by the usual re­verse transcription. Then, the DNA is amplified by the LAMP technique.
Statement 2 is correct. The benefits of RT-LAMP are important for the viability of broadscale use of this technology. Chief among these is that amplification of genetic material is done quickly under isothermal conditions, which removes the requirements for a thermal cycler.
This also allows for higher amplification efficiency, because there is no need to wait for thermal changes, and thus no time is lost. Whereas a traditional PCR can take around 3 to 4 hours, RT-LAMP takes less than an hour. Other benefits include the high specificity and selectivity for the genetic material in question.

Statement 1 is correct. National Centre for Radio Astrophysics-TIFR has set up a unique facility for radio astronomical research using the metre wavelengths range of the radio spectrum, known as the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT), it is located at a site about 80 km north of Pune.
GMRT is a very versatile instrument for investigating a variety of radio astrophysical problems ranging from nearby Solar system to the edge of observable Universe.
Statement 2 is correct. Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) has become the third Indian scientific facility to be awarded the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) milestone for its novel engineering, advanced technology and scientific contributions made in the field of radio astronomy.
The previous two Indian contributions, recognised by the world’s largest technical professional organisation recognised in 2012, are for the pioneering work done by Sir JC Bose to demonstrate the generation and reception of radio waves in 1895, and for the Nobel Prize winning discovery of the scattering of light named “Raman effect” by Sir CV Raman in 1928.
The IEEE Milestones programme honours significant technical achievements and excellence for the benefit of humanity found in unique products, services, seminal papers and patents, which have global or regional impact, in all areas associated with IEEE.

Torrefaction is a thermal process to convert biomass into a coal-like material, which has better fuel characteristics than the original biomass. Torrefied biomass is more brittle, making grinding easier and less energy intensive. Compared to fresh biomass, storage of the torrefied material can be substantially simplified since biological degradation and water uptake is minimized.
Torrefaction involves the heating of biomass in the absence of oxygen to a temperature of typically 200 to 400°C. The structure of the biomass changes in such a way, that the material becomes brittle, and more hydrophobic. Although the weight loss is about 30%, the energy loss is only 10%. Main product is the solid, torrefied biomass.
The increasing air pollution due to the burning of stubble and agro-residue by local farmers has become a major concern for the country. Torrefaction offers a potential solution for it.

The Brahmaputra River; Bengali Jamuna, Tibetan Tsangpo, Chinese Yarlung Zangbo Jianga; along its course passes through the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, the Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam, and Bangladesh.

# China’s media reported recently that authorities have given the go ­ahead for a Chi­nese hydropower company to construct the first down­stream dam on the lower reaches of the Brahmaputra river.

Statement 1 is correct. The Kiwi fruit has high nutritive and medicinal value. It is a rich source of vitamin B & C and minerals like phosphorus, potassium & calcium.
Statement 2 is incorrect. In India, Kiwi is mostly grown in the mid hills of Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, J & K, Sikkim, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Kerala.
Kiwi can be grown in areas experiencing 700-800 chilling hours (no. of hours during which temperature remains at or below 70 C during the winter season).
The plant can be grown at 800-1500 m. above m.s.l. A rainfall of about 150 cm. /year is sufficient. In summer, high temperature (> 350 C) and low humidity may cause scorching of leaves. Sun scald and heat stress are the main problems in its cultivation in lower areas.
Deep, rich, well-drained sandy loam soils are ideal for cultivation of kiwi. A soil pH slightly less than 6.9 results in maximum yield but higher pH upto 7.3 adversely affects the yield due to Mn deficiency.
# Arunachal has recently become first state to obtain Organic Certification for Kiwi under Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North East Region (MOVCD-NER).

Both statements are correct.
The Indian Peacock Softshell Turtle species is confined to India, Bangladesh and Pakistan. It is widespread in the northern and central parts of the Indian subcontinent. It is found in rivers, streams, lakes and ponds with mud or sand bottoms. It is omnivorous, juveniles observed feeding on mosquito larvae and fish, while adults consume snails, earthworms, prawns, fish, frogs, carrion, and vegetation.
It is listed as Vulnerable species in the IUCN Red List.
–The species is heavily exploited for its meat and calipee (the outer cartilaginous rim of the shell).
–Threats in the River Ganga to the species are those generic for all large river turtles, including reduction of fish stock, as a result of overfishing, pollution, increase in river traffic, and sand-mining, among others.

Option 1 is correct. Afghan-India Friendship Dam (AIFD) also known as the Salma Dam, is a hydroelectric and irrigation dam project located on the Hari River in Chishti Sharif District of Herat Province in western Afghanistan. This project is funded and constructed by the Government of India as a part of the Indian aid project.
Option 2 is correct. India has signed an agreement with Afghanistan for building the Shahtoot Dam in Afghanistan. It is a proposed dam in the Kabul river basin, one of the five river basins in Afghanistan.
Option 3 is incorrect. The Kajaki Dam is one of the major hydroelectric power dams of Helmand province on Helmand River in southern Afghanistan. It was constructed in 1950s by an American company as part of the Helmand Valley Authority project.