10 PM Current Affairs Quiz: November 8, 2020

Statement 1 is correct. MCC contains specific directions for party in power. The party in power whether at the Centre or in the States concerned shall ensure that no cause is given for any complaint that it has used its official position for the purposes of its election campaign.
Issue of advertisement at the cost of public exchequer in the newspapers and other media and the misuse of official mass media during the election period for partisan coverage of political news and publicity regarding achievements with a view to furthering the prospects of the party in power shall be scrupulously avoided.
Ministers and other authorities shall not sanction grants/payments out of discretionary funds from the time elections are announced by the Commission.
Statement 2 is correct. The MCC directions state that:
–The election manifesto shall not contain anything repugnant to the ideals and principles enshrined in the Constitution and further that it shall be consistent with the letter and spirit of other provisions of Model Code of Conduct.
–The Directive Principles of State Policy enshrined in the Constitution enjoin upon the State to frame various welfare measures for the citizens and therefore there can be no objection to the promise of such welfare measures in election manifestos. However, political parties should avoid making those promises which are likely to vitiate the purity of the election process or exert undue influence on the voters in exercising their franchise.
–In the interest of transparency, level playing field and credibility of promises, it is expected that manifestos also reflect the rationale for the promises and broadly indicate the ways and means to meet the financial requirements for it. Trust of voters should be sought only on those promises which are possible to be fulfilled.

A mutation is a change in a DNA sequence. Mutations can result from DNA copying mistakes made during cell division, exposure to ionizing radiation, exposure to chemicals called mutagens, or infection by viruses.
In the D614G mutation in coronavirus, the virus replaced the aspartic acid (D) in the 614th position of the amino acid with glycine (G). Hence the mutation is called the D614G.
# It has also been reported in India.
A preprint posted in medRxiv, which has not undergone peer-review, explains the sequenced genomes of 5,085 SARS-CoV-2 strains in Houston. By doing so, it discovered that not only did the D614G show increased infectivity but it also displayed greater ability at attaching itself to the cell walls inside an individual’s nose and throat, increasing the viral load.

Both statements are correct.
16 Psyche is a giant metal asteroid, about three times farther away from the sun than is the Earth. Its average diameter is about 140 miles (226 kilometers) — about one-sixteenth the diameter of Earth’s Moon. Psyche orbits the Sun between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
Unlike most other asteroids that are rocky or icy bodies, scientists think the M-type (metallic) asteroid 16 Psyche is comprised mostly of metallic iron and nickel similar to Earth’s core. Scientists wonder whether Psyche could be an exposed core of an early planet that lost its rocky outer layers due to a number of violent collisions billions of years ago.
NASA’s Psyche mission is targeted to launch in August of 2022, the Psyche spacecraft would arrive at the asteroid in early 2026, following a Mars gravity assist in 2023.

The Kessler syndrome, also called the Kessler effect, collisional cascading or ablation cascade, is a scenario in which the density of objects in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) is high enough that collisions between objects could cause a cascade where each collision generates space debris that increases the likelihood of further collisions.
# According to European Space Agency, the number of space debris objects in Earth’s orbit is 6.7 lakh (larger than 1 cm) and over 17 crore (larger than 1 mm).

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a progressive brain condition that’s thought to be caused by repeated blows to the head and repeated episodes of concussion.
It’s particularly associated with contact sports, such as boxing or American football. CTE was previously known as “punch drunk” syndrome and dementia pugilistica. But these terms are no longer used because it’s now known that the condition is not limited to ex-boxers.
The symptoms of CTE vary between individuals, but tend to be similar to those of other types of degenerative brain conditions, particularly Alzheimer’s disease.

Statement 1 is correct. The leishmaniases are a group of diseases caused by protozoan parasites from more than 20 Leishmania species. These parasites are transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected female phlebotomine sandfly, a tiny – 2–3 mm long – insect vector.
The most common forms are cutaneous leishmaniasis, which causes skin sores, and visceral leishmaniasis, which affects several internal organs (usually spleen, liver, and bone marrow).
Some people have a silent infection, without any symptoms or signs. People who develop clinical evidence of infection usually have fever, weight loss, enlargement (swelling) of the spleen and liver, and abnormal blood tests.
Statement 2 is incorrect. If not treated, severe (advanced) cases of visceral leishmaniasis typically are fatal.
# To recognize the significant contributions towards defining the survival tactics of Leishmania donovani, Society of Biological Chemists (India) has chosen Dr Susanta Kar, Senior Scientist, CSIR-CDRI for this year’s Prof.A N Bhaduri Memorial Lecture Award.

Urban October was launched by UN-Habitat in 2014 to emphasize the world’s urban challenges and engage the international community towards the New Urban Agenda.
Each October, everyone interested in sustainable urbanization from national and local governments to universities, NGOs and communities is encouraged to hold or participate in activities, events, and discussions.
The month begins with World Habitat Day on the first Monday of the month, 5 October in 2020, and ends with World Cities Day on 31 October. Activities can take place on those specific days or at any time during the month.
World Cities Day 2020 is the seventh global celebration since it was launched on 31 October 2014 in Shanghai, China. The theme is Better City, Better Life and the sub-theme for this year is Valuing our communities and cities, and the Global Observance was hosted in Nakuru, Kenya.

All of the above have been recognized as part of “World network of Biosphere Reserves”.
Panna Biosphere Reserve (Madhya Pradesh) is the latest inclusion in this list taking the total count from India to 12. The others are: Nilgiri, Gulf of Mannar, Sunderban, Nanda Devi, Nokrek, Pachmarhi, Similipal, Achanakmar – Amarkantak, Great Nicobar, Agasthyamala and Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve.
The Man and the Biosphere (MAB) programme is an intergovernmental scientific programme that aims to establish a scientific basis for enhancing the relationship between people and their environments.

Launched in 2012, developed by World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the German finance institution DEG, the Water Risk Filter is a practical online tool that helps evaluate the severity of risk places faced by graphically illustrating various factors that can contribute to water risk.
World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has released the Water Risk Filter analysis report.
According to the scenarios in the WWF Water Risk Filter, the 100 cities that are expected to suffer the greatest rise in water risk by 2050 are home to at least 350 million people as well as nationally and globally important economies.
Jaipur topped the list of Indian cities, followed by Indore and Thane.

Both statements are correct.
In April 2020 Government of India had launched a training module for management of COVID-19 named ‘Integrated Govt. Online training’ (iGOT) portal on Ministry of Education’s DIKSHA platform for the capacity building of frontline workers to handle the pandemic efficiently.
Courses on iGOT have been launched for Doctors, Nurses, Paramedics, Hygiene Workers, Technicians, Auxiliary Nursing Midwives (ANMs), State Government Officers, Civil Defence Officers, Various Police Organizations, National Cadet Corps (NCC), NehruYuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS), National Service Scheme, Indian Red Cross Society, Bharat Scouts and Guides and other volunteers at the stage.
# Ministry of Health has said that uniquely designed Integrated Government Online training’-iGOT platform provides self-contained training material for COVID-19 warriors comprising 56 modules, 196 videos and 133 training documents.