POEM Platform
ISRO successfully launched the PSLV Orbital Experimental Module or ‘POEM’.
• It is a platform that will help perform in-orbit scientific experiments during the 4th stage of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).
• The PSLV is a four-stage rocket where the first three spent stages fall back into the ocean, and the final
stage (PS4) after launching the satellite into orbit ends up as space junk.
• With the help of the POEM, in PSLV-C53 mission, the PS4 stage would orbit the earth as a stabilized platform to perform experiments.
• It will derive its power from solar panels mounted around the PS4 tank, and a Li-Ion battery.
• It has a dedicated Navigation Guidance and Control (NGC) system for attitude stabilization, which stands for controlling
the orientation of any aerospace vehicle within permitted limits.
Zoonotic Diseases
These are diseases that can spread between animals and humans. Many human diseases, like rabies, Ebola, and COVID-19, come from animals. Changes in the environment and how people handle animals can increase the risk of these diseases.
More than 60% of human pathogens are zoonotic in origin. This includes a wide variety of bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa, parasites, and other pathogens.
• Some of the common zoonotic diseases are Rabies, Ebola, Swine flu, Zika & Ebola viruses, plague, dengue, chikungunya, Japanese encephalitis and Covid-19.
Factors Influencing Relevance of Zoonoses:
• Ecological changes in man’s environment
• Handling animal by-products and wastes
• Increased movements of man – It expose the people to contaminated food and water leading to diseases
like amoebiasis, salmonellosis, shigellosis, etc.
• Increased trade in animal products .
Cervavac
This is India’s first vaccine for HPV, a virus that can cause cervical cancer. The Serum Institute of India makes it and is for people aged 9 to 26. HPV is common, but most people clear the infection. Cervical cancer is a major concern for women in India.
About Cervavac:
• It is the country’s first qHP vaccine manufactured by Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII).
• The vaccine protects women against cervical cancer.
• The vaccine can be administered to those in the 9 -26 age group.
About HPV
• It is the most common viral infection of the reproductive tract.
• More than 90% of the infected population eventually clears the infection.
• Cervical cancer is by far the most common HPV-related disease.
• Cervical cancer in India is the 2nd most frequent cancer among women.
Project 17A
his project is about building new warships with better stealth, weapons, sensors, and management systems. Seven ships are being built, named after Indian mountain ranges. Dunagiri is the fourth ship launched, named after a range in Uttarakhand.
• It follows the P17 Frigates (Shivalik Class) with improved stealth features, advanced weapons
and sensors, and platform management systems.
• A total of 7 ships are under construction under this project.
• The ships are Nilgiri, Himgiri, Udayagiri, Dunagiri, Taragiri, Vindhyagiri, and Mahendragiri, which are
named after the mountain ranges in India.
Alpha Fold
This is an AI program by Google’s DeepMind that predicts how proteins are shaped. This helps understand how proteins work and could be useful in medical research.