DAILY NEWS ANALYSIS

The 24^th Hornbill Festival, a vibrant celebration of culture, music and dance will be held in Nagaland’s misty mountains in 2023.

• It is an annual event which is called as the festival of festivals.
• Origin – It began in 2000 and is named after hornbill, a bird that symbolises beauty and grace in Naga folklore and ritual.
• Held at – The heritage village of Kisama, Nagaland.

December 1 is Nagaland Statehood Day, thus the hornbill festival begins on that day and goes on for 10 days.

• Aim – To revive and protect the rich culture of Nagaland and display its extravaganza and traditions.
• It unites 16 Naga tribes of Nagaland to celebrate in colourful costumes, pulsating rhythm, and musical stories.
• 24th Edition, 2023 – It will host a wrestling championship, dance competition, exhibition, food festival among others.
• Partner Countries – USA, Germany and Columbia

The Great Indian Hornbill is the State bird of both Kerala and Arunachal Pradesh.

Onattukara Vikasana Agency in Kerala, plans to increase the area under sesame cultivation to 2,000 hectares from current 600 hectares.

• Grown in – 3 districts of Alappuzha, Kollam and Pathanamthitta in Kerala
• The Kerala Agriculture University (KAU) acquired the geographical indication (GI) tag in 2023 for its medicinal value and quality.
• Onattukara Vikasana Agency – It is the registered owner of the GI-tagged sesame seeds with Agriculture Minister of Kerala as its Chairman.
• Geographical uniqueness – The specific climate and nutrients of the soil of the region is generating medicinal value for the oilseeds
  • It contains high levels of Vitamin E and antioxidants and also contains oleic acid, linoleic acid, palmitoleic acid.
• Medicinal property - From the 18th century, Ayurvedic doctors’ utilised Onattukara sesame oil for the treatment of diseases related to rheumatism and to protect the skin.

Other GI tagged agricultural products from Kerala includes, Marayur jaggery, Chengalikodan nendran banana, Central Travancore jaggery, Kaipad rice, etc.

According to a new study, Earth core's mysterious new layer was formed due to surface water diving deep.

• Inner Earth – It has 4 primary layers
  • Inner core (innermost layer)
  • Outer core
  • Mantle (middle layer)
  • Crust (outermost layer)
• E-prime layer – It is the new enigmatic layer which is formed at the Earth's outer core as a result of surface water penetrating deep into the planet.
• It is more than 60 miles (100 kilometers) thick, relatively slim compared with other sections of Earth's interior.

Impact – Modifications in the liquid metallic layer could potentially result in reduced density and altered seismic characteristics.

Significance – The transformed layer in the core holds significant implications for the interconnected geochemical processes linking surface water cycles with the deep metallic core.

Recently, World Health Organization (WHO) has requested China for a detailed report of a widespread outbreak of an undiagnosed pneumonia like respiratory illness affecting children.

• Pneumonia is an acute respiratory infection that affects the lungs.
• Causes – Infectious agents like viruses, bacteria and fungi
  • Bacteria – Streptococcus pneumonia, Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib)
  • Virus – Respiratory syncytial virus
• Transmission - By direct contact with infected people via air-borne droplets (cough or sneeze) and through blood, especially during and shortly after birth.
• Pathology – Alveoli (air sacs) are filled with pus and fluid, making breathing painful and limits oxygen intake.
• Symptoms – Wheezing is more common in viral infections.
• Severely ill may be unable to feed or drink and may experience unconsciousness, hypothermia and convulsions.
• Risk factors – Pre-existing illness like HIV, children and old age people who are above 65 years of age.

Pneumonia is the single largest infectious cause of death in children worldwide.

• Treatment - Pneumonia caused by bacteria are treated with antibiotics, amoxicillin tablets is used as 1^st line of treatment.
• Prevention – It can be prevented by immunization (vaccines), adequate nutrition, and by addressing environmental factors.

Quantum Computing (QC) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are arguably the two most transformative technologies of our era, pushing the boundaries of computation and cognition, respectively.

What is Quantum AI?

• It means the use of QC for computation of machine learning algorithms, which takes advantage of computational superiority of QC to achieve results that are not possible to achieve with classical computers.
• Quantum theory-
  • Qubits- It can exist in a superposition of two states (both 1 and 0), to encode and manipulate information.
  • Entanglement- It is a phenomenon where two qubits can share a quantum state and influence each other, even when they are far apart.

• The potential outcomes are extraordinary as QC redefine the limits of speed and parallelism and AI reshape our understanding of intelligence and automation.

In 2019, Google’s Sycamore quantum processor achieved quantum supremacy solving complex problems in about 200 seconds that would take classical supercomputers millennia.

What is the significance of Quantum AI?

• Computational boost- It enables to tackle more complex problems and achieve artificial general intelligence.
• Better automation- Quantum AI can automate tasks such as optimization, simulation, and encryption that are difficult or impossible for classical computers.
• Improved security- Quantum AI can enhance the security of data and communication by using quantum cryptography and quantum key distribution, which are immune to hacking.
• Faster data analytics- They can process large amounts of data faster and more efficiently than classical computers, such as big data, quantum machine learning, and quantum neural networks.
• Effective machine learning- It can improve the performance and accuracy of machine learning models and train them faster by using quantum enhanced learning.
• Simulation- It can simulate complex systems that are beyond the reach of classical computers such as quantum chemistry, quantum biology and quantum physics.
• Optimization - Quantum annealing is a quantum technique that can solve optimisation problems in AI and machine learning.
• It uses quantum tunnelling to escape local minima and reach global optima, which are the optimal solutions.

What are the challenges with Quantum AI?

• Prone to errors- Quantum systems are highly sensitive to external disturbances, making them prone to decoherence.
  • Decoherence occurs when the fragile quantum state of a qubit is disrupted, leading to inaccuracies in calculations.
• Complexity- Traditional AI algorithms are not directly compatible with QC, hence new algorithms are needed for quantum systems.
• Lack of skillset- The scarcity of professionals with interdisciplinary skills of both AI and QC poses a hurdle in the widespread adoption of quantum AI.
• Cybersecurity risks- QCs could potentially break existing encryption protocols, enable malicious actors to access sensitive information and disrupt transactions or manipulate records.
• Lack of neutrality- Quantum AI could inherit or amplify the biases and unfairness of classical AI, such as discrimination, exclusion, or misrepresentation of certain groups or individuals.
• Societal impact- Quantum AI threatens privacy, increases inequality or causes ecological damage.

The first therapy based on gene editing technology Crispr-Cas9 for sickle cell disease and thalassaemia has been approved in UK.

What is sickle cell anaemia and thalassemia?

What is Casgevy?

• Casgevy is the 1^st licensed therapy in the world based on the gene editing technology Crispr-Cas9.
• Apheresis - It is a one-time treatment for which the doctor has to first collect blood stem cells from the bone marrow using a process called apheresis (filtering out the blood for different components).
• The cells are then sent to the manufacturing site where it takes about 6 months for them to be edited and tested.
• Gene editing - The therapy uses the patient’s own blood stem cells, which are precisely edited using Crispr-Cas9.
  • So far, the only permanent treatment has been a bone marrow transplant, for which a closely matched donor is needed.
• A gene called BCL11A, which is crucial for switching from foetal to adult haemoglobin, is targeted by the therapy.
  • Foetal haemoglobin (naturally present in everyone at birth), does not carry the same abnormalities as adult haemoglobin.
• The therapy uses the body’s own mechanisms to start producing more of foetal haemoglobin, alleviating the symptoms of the two conditions.
• Side effects- They are similar to those associated with autologous stem cell transplants, including nausea, fatigue, fever and increased risk of infection.

What are the pros and cons of this treatment?

As nations gather for the COP 28 in Dubai, the question of carbon capture’s future role in a climate-friendly world will be in focus.

What is Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR)?

• Carbon removal- Using technologies, practices, and approaches to remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from our atmosphere through deliberate and intentional human actions.
• It captures CO2 from the atmosphere and locks it away for decades or centuries in plants, soils, oceans, rocks, saline aquifers, depleted oil wells, or long- lived products like cement.

• Process- CDR can be done through traditional or technological processes or both.

• Forms of CDR- The most common form of carbon capture technology involves capturing the gas from a point source like an industrial smokestack.
• Carbon storage- It includes
  • Carbon capture and storage (CCS) - The carbon can be moved directly to permanent underground storage.
  • Carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) – Carbon can be used in another industrial purpose first.

As of 2023, CDR is estimated to remove around 2 gigatons of CO2 per year, which is equivalent to 4% of the greenhouse gases emitted per year by human activities.

What are the different CDR methods?

• The 9^th National Level Pollution Response Exercise (NATPOLREX-IX) was conducted by the Indian Coast Guard off Vadinar, Gujarat recently.
• It demonstrates the level of preparedness and coordination between various resource agencies to respond to a marine oil spill invoking provisions of the National Oil Spill Disaster Contingency Plan (NOSDCP).

The Indian Coast Guard functions as the Central Coordinating Authority for response to Oil spills in Indian waters.

• South East Asia's 1^st Night Sky Sanctuary will be setup in Ladakh with the help of Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bengaluru.
• It will be located within the Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary and adjacent to the Indian Astronomical Observatory (2^nd-highest optical telescope in the world).

• Leh Berry is a juice made from the sea buckthorn fruit of Leh, Ladakh.
• The sea buckthorn fruit is known as the "King of Vitamin C".
• It contains over 100 nutrients, 8 vitamins, 24 minerals, 18 amino acids, and antioxidants.

It got Geographical Indication (GI) tag recently.

• The Union Minister of AYUSH has recently participated in the Yoga and Ayurveda in Neurosciences, Therapeutics and Research Approaches (YANTRA) conference, 2023 recently.
• YANTRA, 2023 is an international conference on Integrative Medicine with a theme on models of integration in healthcare.

It was held at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) in association with Jignasa, which provides a common platform to address all aspects related to AYUSH systems.

• NCC celebrated its 75^th Anniversary on November 26, 2023.
• It was established in 1948 as a largest uniformed youth organization of Indian Armed Forces with its headquarters in New Delhi.
• It aims at developing character, comradeship, discipline, secular outlook, the spirit of adventure and ideals of selfless service amongst young citizens.

It is open to school and college students on voluntary basis as a Tri-Services Organization, comprising the Army, the Navy and the Air Force.

• The Union Government has decided to rename the existing Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres (AB-HWCs) as ‘Ayushman Arogya Mandir’
• The new tag line will be Arogyam Parmam Dhanam.

National Health Policy, 2017 envisioned the Health and Wellness Centres.

• Recently scientists have detected disturbances in Earth’s magnetic field called G1 geomagnetic storms, which are temporary disturbances in the planet’s magnetic field due to solar sparks.
• As a result of this geomagnetic storm, people living in northern and southern latitudes can witness more beautiful northern and southern lights, also known as aurorae
• Solar flares are categorised into 4 different classes
  • B (Too small to harm Earth),
  • C (Noticeable consequences on the planet),
  • M (Bit more serious and can cause limited radio blackouts),

X (Most dangerous, potentially causing planet-wide radio blackouts with strong radiation emissions).

• Ministry of Education has recently launched the 3^rd phase of Yuva Sangam under the Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat campaign.
• Under the programme, the students within the age group of 18 to 30 will get multi-dimensional exposure in 5 broad areas.
  • Paryatan (tourism), Parampara (traditions), Pragati (development), Prodyogik (technology) and Paraspar sampark (people-to-people connect) in the host States.

Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat (EBSB) is a government initiative that promotes cultural exchange and national integration between India's states and union territories.