💥Join UPSC 2027,2028 Mentorship (August Batch) + XFactor Notes & Microthemes PDF
Talk to Mentor

Civilsdaily

Login

Subject: Science and Technology

  • Drosophila

    Pune is set to host the fifth edition of the Asia Pacific Drosophila Research Conference (APDRC5) is being organised in the country for the first time by the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER).

    Drosophila

    • Drosophila is a genus of two-winged flies commonly known as fruit flies that are used in evolutionary and developmental studies.
    • It is a genus of flies, belonging to the family Drosophilidae, whose members are often called “small fruit flies” or pomace flies, vinegar flies, or wine flies, a reference to the characteristic of many species to linger around overripe or rotting fruit.
    • It is one of the most widely-used and preferred model organisms in biological research across the world for the last 100 years.
    • Several discoveries in biology have been made using this. Its genome is entirely sequenced and there is enormous information available about its biochemistry, physiology and behaviour.

  • WHO prequalifies Serum’s low-cost Pneumococcal Vaccine

    Pneumococcal vaccine developed by the Pune-based Serum Institute of India has been pre-qualified by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

    Pneumococcal Vaccine

    • Pneumococcal vaccination is a method of preventing a specific type of lung infection (pneumonia) that is caused by the pneumococcus (Streptococcus pneumonia) bacterium.
    • There are more than 80 different types of pneumococcus bacteria – 23 of them covered by the vaccine.
    • The vaccine is injected into the body to stimulate the normal immune system to produce antibodies that are directed against pneumococcus bacteria.
    • This method of stimulating the normal immune system to be directed against a specific microbe is called immunization.
    • It does not protect against pneumonia caused by microbes other than pneumococcus bacteria, nor does it protect against pneumococcal bacterial strains not included in the vaccine.

    About the Vaccine

    • The pneumococcal vaccine PNEUMOSIL is a conjugate vaccine to help produce stronger immune response to a weak antigen.
    • Serum Institute had optimized an efficient conjugate vaccine manufacturing processes for its meningitis A vaccine (MenAfriVac).
    • It was used for manufacturing the pneumococcal vaccine. This helped the company reduce the manufacturing cost of pneumococcal vaccine.

    Why?

    • It pneumonia caused 1,27,000 deaths in India in 2018, the second highest number of child mortality under the age of five in the world.
    • In India, pneumonia and diarrhoea cause the most deaths in children under five years.
    • In 2017, pneumococcal conjugate vaccine was included in the under India’s Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP).
    • It has been introduced in a phased manner starting with Himachal Pradesh, parts of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
    • The efficacy of the Serum vaccine was tested against an already approved pneumococcal vaccine (Synflorix).

  • [op-ed of the day] Data and its discontents

    Context

    The Personal Data Protection Bill which was introduced in Lok Sabha contains a certain provision that might have implications for India’s digital economy. These provisions must be carefully considered as Parliament reviews the proposed legislation.

    What are the stated objectives of the bill?

    • The first purpose deals with privacy concerns.
    • Its purpose is to safeguard the constitutional guarantee of privacy for Indian citizens
    • The second purpose is to provide a just and equitable vision for the future of India’s digital economy

    What are the incongruent provisions?

    • One of the provision enables the central government to direct the regulated entity under the act to provide anonymised personal data.
    • The government wants to use this anonymised personal data to enable the targeted delivery of services or evidence-based policymaking
    • The above provisions could have certain implications that need to be carefully considered.

    Anonymised data and issues with it

    • Under the bill, anonymised data refers to data from which all the markers of identity have been irreversibly removed.
    • Recent research shows that the present methods of anonymisation are imperfect.
    • With the use of modern machine learning techniques, the data released as “anonymous” can be re-identified.
    • So, the approach to regulation of anonymised data must be contextual and sectoral- with a focus on finance and healthcare.

    Use of big data and AI in governance

    • The government also plans to use big data and artificial intelligence within governance and planning systems.
    • The use of these techniques has the potential to increase government capacity and transparency.
    • It can also help in making an informed decision about economic and social planning.
    • However, the provision ignores the multiplicity of existing and inchoate rights like IPRs (Intellectual Property Rights), copyrights and trade secret protections.

    Consequences of the conflicting provision

    • While the government wants the data to be open for acquisition similar to the power of “eminent domain” over land, but it comes in conflict with existing laws.
    • It comes in conflict with the copyright acts, intellectual property rights, and trade secret laws.
    • Databases are commercially significant for commercial companies.
    • Overlap of these existing rights within the government system can jeopardise accountability and transparency.

     Problems with Big data and AI in governance

    • Unregulated use of the database in governance could have consequences for the people and communities who are being made visible or being invisible by this data.
    • A shift from a qualitative method like census to the quantitative method like big data which is collected in a different context and used for a different purpose may not be smooth.
    • Such data will be incomplete for governance.
    • The data could also be replete with biases of the private entity collecting the data.
    • So, the use of this unregulated data for policymaking or targeting beneficiaries could be disastrous.

    Way forward

    The regulation of non-personal data must take into account both the potential harms to individual privacy as well as the wider social and political consequences of the use of data for governance.

     

     

  • Millimeter Spectrum

    The DoT plans to auction the 24.75 – 27.25 gigahertz (GHz) spectrum in the 5G band in March-April 2020.

    Millimeter Spectrum

    • The new spectrum under the 5G band called the ‘millimeter-wave bands’ is separate from the 8,300 megahertz (MHz).
    • The millimeter-wave band or extremely high-frequency frequency spectrum is mainly designed for usage in airport security scanners, closed-circuit television, scientific research, machine-to-machine communication, and military fire control.

    What’s so special with this MM spectrum?

    • As the wavelength becomes smaller, the cell size becomes less, which is the footprint of the relay station. This will be used more by the industry.
    • If we you already have fiber connection and want to reach houses, this will be through millimeter bands.

  • Blockchain Technology: Prospects and Challenges

  • Indian Navy Updates

  • Indian Air Force Updates

  • Indian Army Updates

  • Indian Missile Program Updates

  • Electric and Hybrid Cars – FAME, National Electric Mobility Mission, etc.