Daily Current Affairs for UPSC – 23 January 2023

Daily Current Affairs for UPSC 2023

Q) Recently seen in news, the term ‘Immune Imprinting’ is best related to which one of the following?

1. The replication of white blood cells against an infection.
2. Inducement of an immune response to cancer cells in the body.
3. Repetition of the immune response based on the first infection.
4. Understanding immunity through gene sequencing.

Daily Current Affairs for UPSC – 21 January 2023

Explanation:

• Option (3) is correct: Immune imprinting is a tendency of the body to repeat its immune response based on the first variant it encountered, through infection or vaccination when it comes across a newer or slightly different variant of the same pathogen. Recent studies have shown that a phenomenon called immune imprinting in our bodies might be making the new COVID boosters far less effective than expected. After our body is exposed to a virus for the first time, it produces memory B cells that circulate in the bloodstream and quickly produce antibodies whenever the same strain of the virus infects again. When a similar, not identical, variant of the virus is encountered by the body again, the immune system, rather than generating new B cells, activates memory B cells, which in turn produce antibodies that bind to features found in both the old and new strains, known as cross-reactive antibodies. Although these cross-reactive antibodies do offer some protection against the new strain, they aren’t as effective as the ones produced by the B cells when the body first came across the original virus. Thus, scientists have said nasal vaccines might be better at preventing infections than injected ones, as they believe the mucous membranes would create stronger protection, despite carrying some imprint of past exposure.

Q) Which of the following are applications of ChatGPT?

1. It can be used to translate text from one language to another.
2. It can be used to generate new articles or stories.
3. It can generate text that appears to be written by a human.
4. It can analyze emotion of a text and classify it as positive or negative.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

1. 1, 2 and 3 only
2. 1, 3 and 4 only
3. 2 and 4 only
4. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Explanation:

• Option (4) is correct: All the statements are correct.  ChatGPT (Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer) is a large language model launched by OpenAI in November 2022. Language models are a type of machine learning model that is trained to generate text. ChatGPT is based on the GPT-3.5 model, which is one of the largest and most advanced language models currently available.
• Applications of ChatGPT:
• Text generation and Summarization: It can be used to generate new text, such as writing new articles, stories, or poetry and to summarize long documents or articles into shorter versions.
• Language Translation: ChatGPT can be used to translate text from one language to another.
• Chatbot: ChatGPT can be integrated into the chatbot, which would allow an end-user to interact with the bot in natural language.
• Sentiment Analysis: ChatGPT can be used to analyze the sentiment of a text and classify it as positive, negative or neutral.
• There are some concerns associated with language models such as the Chat GPT:
• Bias: ChatGPT is trained on large amounts of text data, which may contain biases. This can result in the model replicating and amplifying these biases in its responses.
• Privacy: Language models such as ChatGPT have access to vast amounts of data, which can include personal information about individuals. There are concerns about how this data is collected, used, and protected.
• Misinformation: They have the ability to generate text that appears to be written by a human, which can be used to spread misinformation.
• Plagiarism: Plagiarism in academics is not a new issue, but ChatGPT has altered how AI is utilized to produce original writing. It is difficult to identify plagiarized information as a result.
• Job displacement: Language models have the potential to automate tasks that were previously performed by humans, which could lead to job displacement.

Q) Consider the following statements:

1. It consists of high-altitude grasslands interspersed with sholas.
2. The endangered Nilgiri Tahr is found here.
3. The Lakkom waterfalls originate from here.
4. Anamudi, the highest peak in South India is located in this area.

Which one of the following National Park/ Wildlife Sanctuary is described in the statements given above?

1. Silent Valley National Park
2. Eravikulam National Park
3. Mukurthi National Park
4. Mathikettan Shola National Park

Explanation:

• Option (2) is correct: Eravikulam National Park in Munnar, Kerala, has witnessed an early onset of the breeding season with the birth of two Nilgiri tahr. Eravikulam National Park is located along the Western Ghats in the Idukki and Ernakulam districts of Kerala in India. The terrain consists of high-altitude grasslands interspersed with sholas. Anamudi, the highest peak in South India lies inside this park. It was declared a Sanctuary in 1975 with the intention of protecting the indigenous population of endangered Nilgiri Tahr (highly endangered mountain goat), which further in 1978 was declared a National Park Considering it’s ecological, faunal, geomorphological and Zoological Significance. The Lakkom Waterfalls originate in the heart of the Eravikulam National Park offering breathtaking views. This is also the land of “Neelakurinji”, the flower that blooms once in twelve years.

Q) With reference to the Liquified Natural Gas (LNG), consider the following statements:

1. It can be used as a backup fuel for renewable energy sources.
2. It can be used as a feedstock in chemical and petrochemical industries.
3. It does not contain any trace amounts of carbon dioxide.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. 1 and 2 only
2. 2 only
3. 1 and 3 only
4. 1, 2 and 3

Explanation:

• Statement 1 and 2 are correct: Several applications of LNG are:

• Power Generation: LNG can be used to generate electricity in power plants, which can be a cleaner-burning alternative to coal.
• Transportation: LNG can be used as a transportation fuel for ships, trucks, and buses.
• Industrial: LNG can be used as a fuel for industrial processes such as heating, cooling and providing energy for chemical reactions.
• Residential and Commercial: LNG can be used for heating, cooking, and generating electricity in homes and businesses in areas without access to natural gas pipelines.
• Peaking power: LNG can be used as a backup fuel for renewable energy sources such as wind and solar which can be intermittent.
• As a feedstock: LNG can be used as a feedstock in chemical and petrochemical industries.
• Statement 3 is incorrect: Methane makes up around 90% or more of the Liquified Natural Gas (LNG). The rest of the LNG is composed of other gases such as ethane, propane, and butane and trace amounts of other gases like CO2, nitrogen, helium and various types of hydrocarbons like ethylene, propylene and butadiene.

Q) Consider the following statements:

1. A Judicial Magistrate can also register a First Information Report.
2. In cases tried by the session court, the charge sheet must be prepared within 60 days of the arrest
3. Both the First Information Report and charge sheet are public documents.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 1 and 2 only
3. 2 and 3 only
4. 1, 2 and 3

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is correct but statement 3 is incorrect: First Information Report (FIR) means any information recorded by an on-duty officer given by an aggrieved person or any other person either in writing or made orally about the commission of a Cognizable Offence. FIR can be registered by the Judicial Magistrate. Recently, the Supreme Court has held that the public cannot be given free access to a charge sheet or a final investigation report as it is not a public document.
• Statement 2 is incorrect: A charge sheet refers to a formal police record showing the names of each person brought into custody, the nature of the accusations, and the identity of the accusers. The charge sheet is to be filed within 60 days from the date of arrest of the accused in cases triable by lower courts and 90 days in cases triable by the Court of Sessions. No case for grant of bail will be made under section 167(2) of the CrPC if the charge sheet is filed before the expiry of 90 days or 60 days. A charge sheet is distinct from the FIR, which is the core document that describes a crime that has been committed.

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