Daily Quiz: UPSC Prelims Marathon (Science & Technology) | November 5,2020

Major Atmospheric Cerenkov Experiment Telescope (MACE) is an Imaging Atmospheric Cerenkov telescope (IACT) located at Hanle, Ladakh, India.
•It is the highest (in altitude) Cerenkov telescope in the World and was built by Electronics Corporation of India, Hyderabad, for the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre.
•It was assembled at the campus of Indian Astronomical Observatory at Hanle.
•Operational since 2016, it is remotely operated and runs on solar power.
Source: The Hindu

The X-ray Polarimeter Satellite (XPoSat) is a planned space observatory to study polarization of cosmic Xrays.
•It is planned to be launched in 2021, and to provide a service time of at least five years.
•The telescope is being developed by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and the Raman Research Institute.
•Studying how radiation is polarized gives away the nature of its source, including the strength and distribution of its magnetic fields and the nature of other radiation around it.
•XPoSat will study the 50 brightest known sources in the universe, including pulsars, black hole X-ray binaries, active galactic nuclei, and non-thermal supernova remnants.
Source: Indian Express

Red Flag is USA‘s flagship multilateral air exercise.
•It is a Pacific Air Forces-sponsored exercise meant to provide realistic training in a simulated combat environment over the Joint Pacific Alaska range complex.
•The Red Flag Alaska 20-1 was scheduled to be held in Alaska from 30th April to 15th May, 2020.
•Recently, the U.S. Air Force has cancelled the Phase-I of Red Flag due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
•The Indian Air Force (IAF) was also to take part in the exercise with its Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jets.
•The IAF joined Red Flag for the first time in 2008 in Nevada.
Source: The Hindu

Under Operation Sanjeevani an Indian Air Force (IAF) C-130J transport aircraft delivered 6.2 tons of essential medicines and hospital consumables to Maldives.
•These medicines and consumables were procured from eight suppliers in India but couldn‘t be transported through any other means due to the 21-day lockdown imposed to contain the spread of COVID-19.
•At the request of the government of Maldives, the IAF aircraft activated Operation Sanjeevani and lifted these medicines from airports in New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Madurai before flying to the Maldives.
•Among other things, these medicines include influenza vaccines, anti-viral drugs such as lopinavir and ritonavir which have been used to treat patients with COVID-19 in other countries.
Source: Indian Express

IISc Bengaluru has developed an indigenous ventilator prototype under project Praana in view of COVID-19 crisis.
•The project is a voluntary effort to help the nation at the time of crisis. The ventilator has been developed using materials readily available in India.
•The prototype has mass flow sensors and controllers which accurately tell how much oxygen is flowing and what volume the patient is inhaling in one breath.
•Pneumatics is built around mass produced water filter hardware. The control system is built around open source industrial controller.
•In a large country like India, the biggest challenge is the manufacturing of such ventilators on a mass-scale due to limited access to pneumatic and electronic hardware, sensors and actuators in the global marketplace.
•The indigenous ventilator prototype build under Project Praana will address the issue.
Source: The Hindu

CollabCAD is an indigenous three dimensional computer aided design system which helps the used to build models in virtual 3d space and create and engineering drawings for shop floor which makes it a complete package for smart manufacturing.
•It is jointly launched by Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog and National Informatics Centre (NIC).
•CollabCAD initiative aims to provide a great platform to students of Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs) across country to create and modify 3d designs with free flow of creativity and imagination.
•This software would also enable students to create data across the network and concurrently access the same design data for storage and visualization.
•NIC is playing a crucial role in pushing the online module to reach to the students all across the country by providing a huge source of data through this software CAD system.
•CollabCAD will be used by around 5000 schools where Atal Tinkering Labs are established.
Source: The Hindu

Geo-fencing is a location-based service in which an app or other software uses GPS, RFID, Wi-Fi or cellular data to trigger a pre-programmed action when a mobile device or RFID tag enters or exits a virtual boundary set up around a geographical location, known as a geo-fence.
•The ―geo-fencing‖ is accurate by up to 300 m.
•Depending on how a geo-fence is configured it can prompt mobile push notifications, trigger text messages or alerts, send targeted advertisements on social media, allow tracking on vehicle fleets, disable certain technology or deliver location-based marketing data.
•To make use of geo-fencing, an administrator or developer must first establish a virtual boundary around a specified location in GPS- or RFID-enabled software.
•This virtual defense will then trigger a response when an authorized device enters or exits that area, as specified by the administrator or developer.
•Other applications of geo-fence – Social networking, Marketing, Audience engagement, Smart appliances, Human Resource management, Telematics, Security.
Source: The Hindu

PMNRF was instituted in 1948 by then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, to assist displaced persons from Pakistan.
•The fund is currently used primarily to tackle natural calamities like floods, cyclones and earthquakes.
•The fund is also used to help with medical treatment like kidney transplantation, cancer treatment and acid attack.
•The fund consists entirely of public contributions and does not get any budgetary support.
•It accepts voluntary contributions from Individuals, Organizations, Trusts, Companies and Institutions etc.
•The corpus of the fund is also invested in various forms with scheduled commercial banks and other agencies.
•Disbursements are made with the approval of the Prime Minister.
•The fund is recognized as a Trust under the Income Tax Act and the same is managed by the Prime Minister or multiple delegates for national causes.
•Contributions towards PMNRF are notified for 100% deduction from taxable income under section 80(G) of the Income Tax Act, 1961.
Source: The Hindu

Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) is an international institute based in Sweden, dedicated to research into conflict, armaments, arms control and disarmament.
•Established in 1966, SIPRI provides data, analysis and recommendations, based on open sources, to policymakers, researchers, media and the interested public.
•SIPRI has released its annual report “Trends in World Military Expenditure, 2019”.
•Recent report of SIPRI showcases an increase of 5.5 per cent in the volume of international arms transfers during 2015–19, compared with the previous five-year period.
Source: The Hindu

Migration and Development Briefs are prepared by the Migration and Remittances Unit, Development Economics (DEC), World Bank.
•The brief aims to provide an update on key developments in the area of migration and remittance flows and related policies over the past six months.
•India, the country that received the most remittances in the world, $79 billion in 2018, according to the World Bank‘s Migration and Development Brief.
Source: The Hindu