International Guide Dog Day
Context :
International Guide Dog Day is celebrated on 29 April 2020. The day is celebrated every year on the last Wednesday of April. This day aims to honour the importance of a guide dog that is in the life of a person who is blind or visually impaired. The dog enables people with impaired vision to get around safely by being independent.
Aim :
The day aims to raise awareness about Guide Dogs in society. The day honours the guide dogs and the hard-working people who dedicate their time to train and match them to their owners.
History :
The day was initiated by the International Guide Dog Federation (IGDF). The first International Guide Dog Day was celebrated in 1992.
The idea for a guide dog was initiated by Johann Wilhelm Klein, who was the founder of the Institute for the Education of the Blind in Vienna. In 1819, Klein wrote about a method for training guide dogs. In 1847, Jakob Birrer, a blind man from Sweden, wrote how he had specially trained his own guide dog.
Natural Product Based Alzheimer Inhibitor
Context :
Scientists from Jawaharlal Nehru Centre For Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) have modified the structure of Berberine into Ber-D to use as an Alzheimer’s inhibitor.
- JNCASR is an autonomous institute under the Department of Science & Technology (DST), Govt. of India.
- Berberine is a chemical found in several plants. It is a natural and cheap product similar to curcumin (a substance in turmeric). It is found in India and China and used in traditional medicine and other applications.
Highlights :
- Berberine is poorly soluble and toxic to cells. So scientists modified berberine to Ber-D, which is a soluble (aqueous), antioxidant. They found it to be a multifunctional inhibitor of multifaceted amyloid toxicity of Alzheimer’s disease.
- Amyloid is a protein that is deposited in the liver, kidneys, spleen, or other tissues in certain diseases.
- In case of Alzheimer’s disease, Amyloid beta (Aβ) accumulates in the brain.
- Ber-D inhibits aggregations of metal-dependent and -independent Amyloid beta (Aβ). Further, Ber-D treatment averts mitochondrial dysfunction and corresponding neuronal toxicity contributing to premature apoptosis (cell death).
- These multifunctional attributes make Ber-D a promising candidate for developing effective therapeutics to treat multifaceted toxicity of Alzheimer’s disease.
Ayushman Bharat Diwas 2020
Context :
Ayushman Bharat Diwas is celebrated on 30 April.
The day aims to promote affordable medical facilities in remote areas of the country based on the Socio-Economic Caste Census database. It will also promote health and wellness and provide insurance benefits to the poor.
Ayushman Bharat :
- Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PMJAY), also known as the National Health Protection Mission (AB-NHPM), was launched by PM Narendra Modi on 14 April 2018, at Bijapur, Chhattisgarh.
- The scheme will enable the beneficiaries to take cashless benefits from public and private hospitals across the country.
- The scheme aims to cover 50 crore beneficiaries in India and it covers secondary and tertiary healthcare. So far, the scheme has benefitted 10 crore families in India, of which 8 crore families in rural areas and 2.33 crore families from urban areas.
- The Scheme includes various benefits with a cover of Rs.5 lakh per family to be given per year.
New List of Names of Tropical Cyclones
Context :
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has released a list with the names of 169 tropical cyclones that are likely to emerge over the north Indian Ocean, including the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean.
- The report was adopted by WMO/ESCAP Panel on Tropical Cyclones (PTC) with consensus in April, 2020.
- The current list has a total of 169 names including 13 names each for 13 WMO/ESCAP member countries.
Key Points :
- IMD, one of the six Regional Specialised Meteorological Centres (RSMC) in the world, is mandated to issue advisories and name tropical cyclones in the north Indian Ocean region.
- The advisories are issued to 13 member countries under WMO/ESCAP Panel including Bangladesh, India, Iran, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
- Benefits of naming : Naming of tropical cyclones helps the scientific community, disaster managers, media and general masses to
- Identify each individual cyclone.
- Create awareness of its development.
- Remove confusion in case of simultaneous occurrence of tropical cyclones over a region.
- Remember a tropical cyclone easily,
- Rapidly and effectively disseminate warnings to a much wider audience.
Naming of the Tropical Cyclones :
- The WMO/ESCAP Panel on Tropical Cyclones (PTC) at its 27th Session held in 2000 in Muscat, Oman agreed in principle to assign names to the tropical cyclones in the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea.
- The naming of the tropical cyclones over the north Indian Ocean commenced from September 2004.
- This list contained names proposed by then eight member countries of WMO/ESCAP PTC, viz., Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
- The requirement for a fresh list of tropical cyclones including representation from five new member countries: Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen (total 13 member countries) was tabled during the 45th session of WMO/ESCAP, held in September 2018. The session was hosted by Oman.
International Jazz Day
Context :
International Jazz Day is celebrated on 30 April. The day aims to create awareness around the world of the virtues of jazz as a force of peace, unity, dialogue, and enhanced cooperation among people, and an educational tool. International Jazz Day 2020 is the ninth year celebration of International Jazz Day.
Jazz :
The musical form of Jazz was developed by African Americans. It was influenced by both European harmonic structure and African rhythms. It originated in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Events :
Amid COVID-19 pandemic, the day has been decided to be celebrated virtually. The online celebration of International Jazz Day 2020 will be hosted by Herbie Hancock. The virtual Global Concert featuring artists from different parts of the world will Livestream on jazzday.com. The event will witness performances by Marcus Miller, Lang Lang, Charlie Puth, Cécile McLorin Salvant, John McLaughlin, Dianne Reeves, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Sibongile Khumalo, Alune Wade, John Beasley, Ben Williams, Lizz Wright, John Scofield, and others.
History :
In November 2011, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) proclaimed 30 April as International Jazz Day. The day was designated to bring together communities, schools, artists, historians, academics, and jazz enthusiasts from across the world to celebrate and learn about the art of jazz and its impact.