Daily Quiz: UPSC Prelims Marathon – October 26

• Fibrous Joints: Fibrous joints do not allow any movement. This type of joint is shown by the flat skull bones which fuse end-to-end with the help of dense fibrous connective tissues in the form of sutures, to form the cranium.
• Synovial Joints: Synovial joints are characterized by the presence of a fluid filled synovial cavity between the articulating surfaces of the two bones. Such an arrangement allows considerable movement.
• Cartilaginous Joints: In cartilaginous joints, the bones involved are joined together with the help of cartilages.
• Arthritis: Inflammation of joints.
• Osteoporosis: Age-related disorder characterized by decreased bone mass and increased chances of fractures. Decreased levels of estrogen is a common cause.
• Gout: Inflammation of joints due to accumulation of uric acid crystals.

Both are correct

Type 1 diabetes: results from the body’s failure to produce insulin, and requires the person to inject insulin. Patients with type1 diabetes will need to take insulin injection for the rest of their life. They must also ensure proper blood glucose level by carrying out regular tests.

Type 2 diabetes: results from insulin resistance, a condition in which cells fail to use insulin properly, sometimes combined with an absolute insulin deficiency. Some people may be able to control their type 2 symptoms by doing exercise, loosing weight, maintaining healthy diet and monitoring their blood glucose level.

Waves can be classified as Transverse or Longitudinal waves.

Transverse waves are those where in the particles in the medium vibrate in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the propagation of waves.

On the other hand, Longitudinal waves are those where particles in the medium vibrate in the same direction as that of the direction of propagation of waves.

EM waves are Transverse waves. EM waves are Non-mechanical waves. Waves which does not require medium for propagation of are known as Non-mechanical waves.

EM waves usually is used in applications like Spectroscopy. But it also finds application in communication technologies.

BT Cotton Gene CRY1ac has been taken from soil bacterium Bacillus Thuringiensis, which has been inserted into cotton. This gene has been identified to produce a toxin that is potent to many pests. Once this gene is inserted into cotton plants, then we get a cotton plant that fights pests on its own. This reduces the use of Pesticides.

In India, BT Cotton was used on a wide scale from 2002. Over a decade now, the positives and negatives are properly documented.

Negatives

• Bollworm pests that the BT toxin is designed to fight, is becoming BT resistant. This is a major issue, since this scenario was not anticipated and there is virtually no solution as of now to this issue.
• BT toxin is destroying microflora.
• BT plants are not able to produce BT toxin throughout their lifespan

• GRAPHENE: it is a substance composed of pure carbon where the length of carbon bonds is 0.142nm. The atoms in Graphene are arranged in a hexagonal pattern similar to honey comb structure. The term Graphene was coined as a combination of graphite and the suffix “ene” by hans-peter Boehm.
• The Nobel prize in Physics for 2010 was given to Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov for groundbreaking experiments regarding 2D material Graphene.
• Graphene conducts electricity faster than silicon. It can also resist temperature Upto 150 degc. Hence it has become favoritly used in IC’s and PC boards.

Remote sensing satellites are those satellites that are used as weather satellites. These are placed at an altitude of 800km. They measure EM radiation that is reflected, scattered from the Earth’s surface. India’s remote sensing satellites are world’s largest constellation of satellites now consisting of 12 satellites.

Applications of Remote Sensing satellites are

• In Agriculture, it is used for Crop forecasting, movement of locusts, flood warning.
• In Resources management, it is used to map forest cover, identify forest fires, mineral mapping, National wastelands maps are prepared using this data.
• In disaster management, it is used to warn about cyclones, floods and tsunami.
• In defence, it is used to identify troop movements.

Russia launched Sibir (Siberia), the world’s largest nuclear-powered icebreaker ship built under Project 22220 into the water at the Baltic Shipyard in St Petersburg. Sibir is second of three icebreakers of new class of biggest nuclear powered icebreakers ever constructed under Project 22220. The first one was Arktika (Arctic) was put in service in June 2016. Third icebreaker Ural is set to be completed in 2019.