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Subject: Science and Technology

  • GRACE-FO Mission

    NASA releases new global maps mapping groundwater, soil wetness using GRACE-FO satellites.

    GRACE-FO Mission

    • The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO) mission is a partnership between NASA and the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ).
    • GRACE-FO is a successor to the original GRACE mission, which orbited Earth from 2002-2017.
    • It carries on the extremely successful work of its predecessor while testing a new technology designed to dramatically improve the already remarkable precision of its measurement system.

    Why need such data on groundwater and soil moisture?

    • Groundwater and soil moisture — which depicts wetness in soil — are crucial for irrigation and crop growth.
    • The need to constantly monitor groundwater and soil moisture is important since both act as useful indicators for predicting drought conditions.
    • One of the goals of the new global maps is to make the same consistent product available in all parts of the world, especially in countries that do not have any groundwater-monitoring infrastructure.
    • The data would help in managing the selection of appropriate agricultural crops and predicting yields.

  • Covid-19 Quarantine Alert System (CQAS)

    The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has shared a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) with all telecom service providers regarding the application called COVID-19 Quarantine Alert System (CQAS).

    • CQAS collects phone data, including the device’s location, on a common secured platform and alerts the local agencies in case of a violation by COVID patients under watch or in isolation.

    Quarantine Alert System (CQAS)

    • Developed By: The DoT and the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), in coordination with telecom service providers, have developed and tested the application.
    • Working: The CQAS prepares a list of mobile numbers, segregates them on the basis of telecom service providers, and the location data provided by the telecom companies are run on the application to create geo-fencing.
    • 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 geofence.
    • Geo-fencing will only work if the quarantined person has a mobile phone from Airtel, Vodafone-Idea or Reliance Jio, as “BSNL/MTNL” do not support location-based services. BSNL and MTNL are government-owned.
    • The location information is received periodically over a secure network for the authorised cases with “due protection of the data received”.
    • The System triggers e-mails and SMS alerts to an authorised government agency if a person has jumped quarantine or escaped from isolation, based on the person’s mobile phone’s cell tower location. The “geo-fencing” is accurate by up to 300 m.

    Use of Powers under the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885

    • The Centre is using powers under the Indian Telegraph Act to “fetch information” from telecom companies every 15 minutes to track COVID-19 cases across the country.
    • The States have been asked to seek the approval of their Home Secretaries under the provisions of Section 5(2) of the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885, for the specified mobile phone numbers to request the DoT to provide information by email or SMS in case of violation of “geo-fencing”.
    • Section 5(2) authorises State or Centre to access information of a user’s phone data in case of “occurrence of any public emergency or in the interest of the public safety.”

    Protection of Data

    • As per the SOP, the phone number should be deleted from the system after the period for which location monitoring required is over and the data would be deleted four weeks from thereon.
    • The data collected shall be used only for the purpose of Health Management in the context of COVID-19 and is strictly not for any other purposes. Any violation in this regard would attract penal provisions under the relevant laws.

    Centre for Development of Telematics

    • C-DOT was established in August 1984 as an autonomous Telecom R&D Centre of DoT.
    • It is a registered society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.
    • It is a registered ‘public-funded research institution’ with the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Ministry of Science & Technology.

    Global Positioning System

    • The Global Positioning System is a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), used to determine the ground position of an object.
    • It is a US-owned utility that provides users with Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) services.

    Radio-Frequency Identification

    • Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) is the use of radio waves to read and capture information stored on a tag attached to an object.
    • A tag can be read from up to several feet away and does not need to be within the direct line-of-sight of the reader to be tracked.

    Wi-Fi

    • Wi-Fi is the name of a wireless networking technology that uses radio waves to provide wireless high-speed Internet and network connections.
    • WiFi network enables a connection between two or more devices wirelessly for data sharing purposes.

  • Sodium Hypochlorite as Coronavirus disinfectant

    In Uttar Pradesh, migrant workers travelling to their home states, or their belongings, were sprayed with a disinfectant, apparently to sanitise them.  The chemical in the spray was a sodium hypochlorite solution.

    Sodium hypochlorite

    • Sodium hypochlorite is commonly used as a bleaching agent, and also to sanitise swimming pools.
    • As a common bleaching agent, sodium hypochlorite is used for a variety of cleaning and disinfecting purposes.
    • It releases chlorine, which is a disinfectant. Large quantities of chlorine can be harmful.
    • The concentration of the chemical in the solution varies according to the purpose it is meant for.
    • A normal household bleach usually is a 2-10% sodium hypochlorite solution.
    • At a much lower 0.25-0.5%, this chemical is used to treat skin wounds like cuts or scrapes. An even weaker solution (0.05%) is sometimes used as a handwash.

    Note: The common bleaching powder is chemically referred to as Calcium hypochlorite and not Sodium hypochlorite.

    Is the chemical safe?

    • Sodium hypochlorite is corrosive and is meant largely to clean hard surfaces.
    • It is not recommended to be used on human beings, certainly not as a spray or shower. Even a 0.05% solution could be very harmful for the eyes.
    • A 1% solution can cause damage to the skin of anyone who comes in contact with it.
    • If it gets inside the body, it can cause serious harm to lungs.

    Does the chemical get rid of the novel coronavirus?

    • The WHO recommends homemade bleach solutions of about 2-10% concentration to clean hard surfaces to clear them of any presence of the novel coronavirus.
    • Cleaning hard surfaces with this solution can disinfect them not just from novel coronavirus but also help prevent flu, food born illnesses, and more.

  • Convalescent Plasma Therapy

    With no specific treatment available for novel coronavirus disease and a vaccine at least a year away, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved use of blood plasma from recovered patients to treat severely critical COVID-19 patients.

    Convalescent Plasma Therapy

    • The therapy seeks to make use of the antibodies developed in the recovered patient against the coronavirus.
    • The whole blood or plasma from such people is taken, and the plasma is then injected in critically ill patients so that the antibodies are transferred and boost their fight against the virus.
    • A COVID-19 patient usually develops primary immunity against the virus in 10-14 days.
    • Therefore, if the plasma is injected at an early stage, it can possibly help fight the virus and prevent severe illness.

    How often has it been used in the past?

    • This therapy is no new wonder. It has been used several times.
    • The US used plasma of recovered patients to treat patients of Spanish flu (1918-1920).
    • In 2014, the WHO released guidelines to treat Ebola patients with convalescent whole blood and plasma.
    • In 2015, plasma was used for treating MERS patients.

    How is it done?

    • The process to infuse plasma in a patient can be completed quickly.
    • It only requires standard blood collection practices, and extraction of plasma.
    • If whole blood is donated (350-450 ml), a blood fractionation process is used to separate the plasma.
    • Otherwise, a special machine called aphaeresis machine can be used to extract the plasma directly from the donor.
    • While blood is indeed extracted from the donor, the aphaeresis machine separates and extracts the plasma using a plasma kit, and the remaining blood components are returned into the donor’s body.

    WHO’s guidelines

    • WHO guidelines in 2014 mandate a donor’s permission before extracting plasma.
    • Plasma from only recovered patients must be taken, and donation must be done from people not infected with HIV, hepatitis, syphilis, or any infectious disease.
    • If whole blood is collected, the plasma is separated by sedimentation or centrifugation, then injected in the patient.
    • If plasma needs to be collected again from the same person, it must be done after 12 weeks of the first donation for males and 16 weeks for females, the WHO guidelines state.

    How optimistic is the latest move?

    • COVID-19 does not have a specific treatment, only supportive care— including antiviral drugs, oxygen supply in mild cases and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.
    • Plasma can be infused into two kinds of COVID-19 patients— those with a severe illness, or individuals at a higher risk of getting the virus.
    • However, that while plasma transfers immunity from one person to another, it is not known if it can save lives in COVID-19 infection.
    • The treatment could be effective for patients in the age group 40-60, but may be less effective for people aged beyond 60 years.

    Can it be done in India?

    • India has facilities for removing 500 ml of plasma from a donor using aphaeresis.
    • For this experimental therapy to be tried out, the Drug Controller General of India will first have to grant blood banks approval for removal of plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients.
    • The procedure is simple and can be done in India, but it is important to control the risk of infection during transfusion, and the patient’s acceptance is required.
    • It’s like a vaccine. It will engulf the virus and kill it. But it is easier said than done. We may need a series of approvals which India has never done before.

  • Schedule H1 drugs

    Hydroxychloroquine is now a schedule H1 drug and can be sold on prescription only.

    What are Schedule H1 drugs?

    • The sale of the Hydroxychloroquine drug from now on should be in accordance with the conditions for sale of drugs specified in Schedule H1 to the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945.
    • In exercise of the powers conferred by Section 26B of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 (23 of 1940), the Central Government can direct that sale by retail of any drug.

    Why such move?

    • The Central Government is satisfied that the drug ‘Hydroxychloroquine’ is essential to meet the requirements of emergency arising due to pandemic COVID-19.
    • And in the public interest, it is necessary to regulate and restrict the sale and distribution of the drug ‘Hydroxychloroquine’ and preparation based thereon for preventing their misuse.

    Hydroxychloroquine

    • Hydroxychloroquine is used to prevent or treat malaria infections caused by mosquito bites.
    • It does not work against certain types of malaria (chloroquine-resistant).

    Pls take a note-

    • Hydroxychloroquine and a related drug, chloroquine, are currently under study as possible treatments for COVID-19.
    • These drugs have not yet been approved for this use.
    • Do not use these medications to treat COVID-19 unless your doctor recommends that you do so.

  • Indian Scientists’ Response to CoViD-19 (ISRC) Group

    Several Indian scientists have come together to form a Google group to address some of the concerns that the COVID-19 outbreak has thrown up.

    Indian Scientists’ Response to CoViD-19 (ISRC)

    • It is a voluntary group of scientists who regularly discuss the rapidly evolving situation with its dire need for science communication.
    • With nearly 200 members, the group has scientists from institutions such as the NCBS, the IISc, the TIFR, the IITs, the IISERs and many others.
    • The group aims to study existing and available data to bring out analyses that will support the Central, State and local governments in carrying out their tasks.

    Self-assigned tasks

    • Several working groups have been formed by scientists.
    • They include one on hoax busting to address disinformation spreading with respect to the coronavirus and one on science popularization to develop material that explains concepts such as home quarantine.
    • Other groups work on resources in Indian languages, mathematical models and apps.

    Why such a group?

    • The scientific community has realized their social and democratic responsibility in the current situation, both in terms of analysing the situation and reaching out to the public.

  • Serological test for COVID-19

    The ICMR invited bids for an estimated 10 lakh antibody kits (for serological tests) for the diagnosis of COVID-19.

    What are serological tests?

    • Viral infections are mainly identified by two kinds of tests– genetic and serological.
    • Genetic tests can identify infections that are active but cannot be used to detect past infections.
    • To trace how infections like the novel coronavirus have spread so far, it is important to detect people who contracted the disease in the past and have recovered.
    • This is what serological tests seek to determine.

    How are the two different?

    • The genetic test is conducted on a swab collected from the back of the throat, a liquid sample from the lower respiratory tract, or a simple saliva sample.
    • For SARS-COV-2, the virus’s RNA is first converted into DNA.
    • By a process called polymerase chain reaction (PCR), DNA fragments in the sample are copied exponentially — one is copied into two, the two are copied into four, and so on.
    • Unlike genetic tests, which look for RNA in swab samples, serological tests work on antibodies in blood samples. Hence, they are also called ‘antibody tests’.

    How serological tests work?

    • Antibodies, or protective proteins produced by the immune system to neutralize pathogens such as bacteria and viruses, are present in one’s bloodstream for a considerable period of time after the infection has gone.
    • To disable a pathogen, the antibody latches to a unique protein molecule on pathogen’s surface, called an antigen.
    • Serological tests use antigen molecules to detect the presence of antibodies relevant to the infection.
    • Generally, a blood sample is placed in a test tube that is lined with antigens on the inside. If the relevant antibodies are present, they latch on to the antigens.
    • Such tests are relatively inexpensive, and can display results within a few minutes.

  • [pib] Project ‘Isaac’

    IIT, Gandhinagar has launched Project Isaac to engage its students in creative projects to enhance their critical skills while they are confined to their homes because of Coronavirus.

    Project ‘Isaac’

    • The project is inspired by Sir Isaac Newton, who was similarly sent home by Trinity College, Cambridge, because of the Great Plague of London in 1665.
    • During this year, Newton, then a 22-year-old college student developed some of his most profound discoveries, including early calculus, as well as his theories of optics and gravity.
    • As part of the project, four different competitions are being organized by IIT, Gandhinagar to cultivate new skills among students regarding writing, painting, coding, music, creative expression, and so on.
    • Students can take part in competitions online.

  • ‘Contact tracing’

    As the number of coronavirus cases in India increases, authorities in different states are relying on contact tracing, a concept in epidemiology that involves tracing the number of people an infected person comes in contact with.

    The idea behind contact tracing is to stop the outbreak by breaking the transmission chains.

    What is Contact Tracing?

    • Contact tracing is not a novel concept and has been used as a method to track cases of the Ebola virus in Africa.
    • It is one of the methods of detecting an outbreak and the number of infected people.
    • In 2014, when the first Ebola cases began to be reported in Sierra Leone, a contact tracing mechanism was devised.
    • According to the Centre for Disease Control (CDC), the system in the district was able to identify 13 Ebola cases, which would have been overlooked otherwise.

    Various steps involved

    According to WHO contact tracing can be broken down into three steps:

    1) Contact identification:

    • This involves identifying the contacts of the infected person by asking about the person’s activities and those of people around them since the onset of illness.
    • In the case of the first positive COVID-19 patient from Chandigarh for instance, a chain of 119 people was traced directly or indirectly to the patient.

    2) Contact listing:

    • This means listing all those people who came in contact with the infected person.
    • Efforts should be made to identify every listed contact and to inform them of their contact status, what it means, the actions that will follow, and the importance of receiving early care if they develop symptoms.
    • In some areas across India, authorities are releasing lists of those who are quarantined and are identifying their houses by putting quarantine posters in front of their houses.

    3) Contact follow-up:

    • This step involves regular follow-ups with all the contacts to monitor for symptoms and test for signs of infection.

    Limitations of Contact Tracing

    • Since everyone has many contacts, contact tracing is useful when there are only a few cases.
    • At this point, in many countries, we have so many cases that everyone would be contacted. This is essentially the lockdown — everybody isolates.
    • However, while a fifth of the world’s population is currently isolated and under lockdown, it may not be feasible to trace contacts of all the infected patients given the scale of the current outbreak.

    Way forward

    • While contact tracing is an important step during a disease outbreak, it is insufficient alone in controlling it, requiring other interventions.
    • Rapid and effective contact tracing can reduce the initial number of cases, which would make the outbreak easier to control overall.
    • Effective contact tracing and isolation could contribute to reducing the overall size of an outbreak or bringing it under control over a longer time period.

  • Why need a 21-day lockdown period?

    Amid diverse opinions on nationwide lockdown, there is a public health/epidemiological significance to the 21-day lockdown period announced by PM.

    What led PM to impose 21-day lockdown?

    • It seems that rich scientific data has fed this decision to announce a 21-day lockdown period.
    • In fact, 21-day quarantines have been discussed elaborately in the context of Ebola and the calculations are based on the estimated incubation period of the virus in a human host.
    • The 21-day quarantine value is derived from interpretations of outbreak data, past and present, public health experts said.

    Median incubation period

    • In epidemiological terms, the logic is that we have arrived at an incubation period of 14 days.
    • Give another week for the residual infection to die out, for the tail end, to be entirely safe, and you arrive at 21 days.
    • This being a new coronavirus, they have estimated that the median incubation period (the time between the entry of the virus to the onset of symptoms/ disease) falls within this period.

    Significance

    • This is the most effective way of preventing the spread of the infection from those already infected into the community.
    • In fact, for infections that are transmitted in this manner, this is the one thing to prevent the rapid spread of infection within the community.
    • The lockdown or quarantine also creates some breathing space — to convince people of the seriousness of the situation and build positive public opinion, carry out disinfection of all buildings, vehicles and surfaces, and allows hospitals to prepare themselves for the next phase of operations.