World Veterinary Day
Context :
The World Veterinary Day was observed on 25 April 2020. The day is observed on the last Saturday of April of every year. The day provides an opportunity to celebrate the contributions of veterinarians to the health of animals and society.
Theme :
The theme for 2020 World Veterinary Day is “Environmental protection for improving animal and human health.” The day is initiated by the World Veterinary Association (WVA).
World Veterinary Day :
World Veterinary Day was first observed in 2001. It is an annual celebration for the veterinary profession. The day aims to promote the work of veterinary professionals from all over the world as they work to improve human and animal welfare, food safety, practices of animal transport and quarantine, the environment, and environmental conservation and protection. The year 2011 was observed as the World Veterinary Year, in commemoration with the founding day of first veterinary school in 1761 in Lyon, France. The day was initiated with an aim to educate the public, particularly animal owners and producers, about the benefits of vaccination for the animal, human, and public health.
World Veterinary Day Award :
On this day, the WVA and global animal medicines association ‘Health for Animals’ will give the World Veterinary Day Award and a sum of $2,500 to a WVA member working alone or with other groups. The award will be presented to the person who submits the best contribution based on the annual theme.
India became third largest military spender in the world
Context :
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) report titled “Trends in World Military Expenditure, 2019” stated that India has become the third-largest military spender in the world, after the US and China.
Highlights :
- For the first time that India and China are among the top three military spenders.
- It highlighted that India’s tensions and rivalry with Pakistan and China are among the main reasons for its increased military expenditure.
- The military spending of India grew by 6.8% to $71.1 billion in 2019. This was the highest military spending in South Asia.
- The report stated that the total global military expenditure rose to $1,917 billion in 2019, which is an increase of 3.6% from 2018 and the largest annual growth in spending since 2010.
Top 5 countries in the list :
1) US
2) China
3) India
4) Russia
5) Saudi Arabia
The five largest spenders in 2019 accounted for 62% of the expenditure.
organic-Inorganic hybrid nanocoatings for disposable masks
Context :
Dr.Viswanatha R from Jyothy Institute of Technology, Bengaluru under the DST Nano Mission has developed organic-inorganic hybrid nanocoatings for disposable masks. The Department of Science and Technology (DST) has approved the large-scale production of the mask.
Why nano-coating is needed :
The N95 masks are capable of filtering out all types of particles, including viruses and bacteria. These masks are expensive and need prior training as standard practice before using it. Inexpensive disposable masks have several limitations. These often get wet through salivary droplets, body fluids, and sweat. The wet masks attract the microorganisms and act as a breeding ground for those organisms to multiply in number. This will affect the person wearing it and get easily infected. Being disposable, these medical masks, when discarded, generate medical waste.
Also, the wearer of the mask is prone to touch the surface of the mask frequently to adjust his mask or to scratch the itch which contaminates the mask. It is expected that the Nano-coatings on the mask will address the problem by offering a hydrophobic coating on the surface of the masks, preventing it from wetting. It will disinfect the pathogens that come in contact with the nanocoated surface. The nanocoating will be easily scalable, safe, and economical and is highly effective against the COVID-19.
Highlights :
- The sol-gel nanotechnology developed a functionalized organic-inorganic hybrid nanocoating based on silica nanoparticles. It is then coupled with a polymer matrix that is hydrophobic and disinfects the pathogenic virus associated with COVID-19 that comes in contact with the surface of the mask.
- The medical masks include developed nanocoating and viral disinfection ability and prepare a plan of action for the transfer of technology to industries.
- Functionalization of nanoparticles using the sol-gel technology will make the nano-coating hydrophobic.
Merger Of Two Black Holes with Unequal Masses
Context :
The gravitational wave observatories at Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) have detected a merger of two unequal-mass black holes for the first time.
Key Points :
- The event, dubbed GW190412, was observed on 12th April, 2019. The event came almost five years after the first ever detection of gravitational wave signals by LIGO detectors.
- On 14th September, 2015 the LIGO Observatories detected a signal from GW150914.
- GW190412: It involved the merger of two black holes weighing approximately 8 and 30 Solar masses, respectively. The merger took place at a distance of 2.5 billion light years away.
- A solar mass is the mass of the sun equal to approximately 2×10³⁰ kg.
- It is a standard unit of mass in astronomy.
- The new unequal mass system is a unique discovery since all binaries observed previously by the LIGO and Virgo (Italy) detectors consisted of two roughly similar masses. This will make it possible to infer many more things such as:
- a more accurate determination of the distance from the event.
- the spin or angular momentum of the black hole with more mass.
- the orientation of the whole event with respect to viewers on Earth.
- Difference between binary blckholes of equal masses and unequal masses:
- Dominant emission of gravitational waves happens at twice the orbital frequency of the binary blackholes of equal masses and is negligible.
- In binary blackholes with unequal masses, the emission happens at a frequency that is three times the orbital frequency.
- Orbital frequency is a scalar measure of rotation rate.
- Also, in the merger of unequal black holes, the spin of the more massive black hole can be determined from the extra features in the signal waveform.
- The spin of the heavier black hole plays a more prominent role in the dynamics of the binary.
- Verification with the prediction of General Relativity:
- This observation once again confirms Einstein’s theory of general relativity, which predicts the existence of higher harmonics, i.e. gravitational waves at two or three times the fundamental frequency.
- General relativity, also known as the general theory of relativity, is the geometric theory of gravitation published by Albert Einstein in 1915.
- The key predictions of Einstein’s theory: the first direct detection of gravitational waves and the first observation of the collision and merger of a pair of black holes.
- This observation once again confirms Einstein’s theory of general relativity, which predicts the existence of higher harmonics, i.e. gravitational waves at two or three times the fundamental frequency.
Basava Jayanthi
Context :
Basava Jayanthi was celebrated on 26 April. It is an annual event that is celebrated in the honour of the birth of Vishwaguru Basaveshwara, the 12th-century philosopher and social reformer.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid homage to Lord Basaveshwara and greeted the people on the occasion of Basava Jayanthi. The day aims to spread Lord Basavanna’s works and his ideas around the world to make the world a better place.
Basavanna :
Basavanna was a 12th-century philosopher, Kannada poet, statesman, and a social reformer. He lived during the reign of the Kalachuri-dynasty king Bijjala I in Karnataka, India. He introduced Anubhava Mantapa, a new public institution that welcomed men and women to discuss spiritual and mundane questions of life, in open. Basavanna introduced the Sharana movement. It attracted people from all castes that produced a corpus of literature, the vachanas. It unveiled the spiritual universe of the Veerashaiva saints. He also set up the Anubhava Mandapa, where the Sharanas, drawn from different castes and communities, gathered and engaged in learning and discussions
In November 2015, PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the statue of Basaveshwara along the bank of the River Thames at Lambeth in London. Also in 2017, the PM suggested the digitization of holy Vachanas of Basavanna, which was done later.