Large Hadron Collider
News: Large Hadron Collider has reached its first stable beams in 2024.
Large Hadron Collider: The Large Hadron Collider is a giant, complex machine built to study particles that are the smallest known building blocks of all things.
Built by: European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) between 1998 and 2008 in collaboration with over 10,000 scientists.
Location: LHC is buried 100 metres underground on the Swiss-French border.
Hadrons: They are the heaviest particles. It is composed of two or more quarks that are held strongly by the electromagnetic force.
Collider: It is essentially a particle accelerator that sends particles zooming around in opposite directions and then makes them crash into each other.
Goal:
- The Large Collider facilitates experiments under conditions that simulate those after the Big Bang.
- This will allow scientists to study the essential properties of matter and the forces that mold the universe.
Working of LHC:
- Its work will involve sending beams of protons, which are positively charged particles present in the nucleus of atoms, speeding towards each other at nearly the speed of light in the 27-kilometre ring of the LHC.
- Scientists will record and analyse the collisions of the particles in the two beams as part of a set of experiments, which will be used to study dark matter, dark energy and other mysteries of the universe.
Success of LHC: On July 4, 2012, scientists at CERN had announced to the world the discovery of the Higgs boson or the ‘God Particle’ during the LHC’s first run.
CERN:
- CERN is the European Organization for Nuclear Research.
- Engineers at CERN use the world’s largest and most complex scientific instruments to study the basic constituents of matter – fundamental particles.
- Founded in 1954, the CERN laboratory is located on the Franco-Swiss border near Geneva.
- It has 23 member states.
- Brazil, Croatia, India, Latvia, Lithuania, Pakistan, Türkiye and Ukraine are Associate Member States.
- India was granted Observer status to the CERN Council in 2002.
UPSC Current Affairs : Clean Economy Investor Forum | GS Paper 2
Windfall Profit
News: Onion traders are worried over underpriced exports to UAE that is yielding windfall profits to some importers.
Windfall Gains/Profits:
- A windfall gain refers to an unexpected increase in income that may arise from sources like winning a lottery, receiving an unforeseen inheritance, or encountering a shortage of supply.
Nature: These gains are characterized by their temporary nature.
Scope of Windfall Profits:
- Windfall profits are typically enjoyed by entire industry sectors, although they can also benefit individual companies.
- They arise due to sudden changes in market structure, executive orders from the government, court rulings, or significant shifts in trade policy.
- While companies receiving windfall profits may not have planned for them, they naturally welcome the unexpected increase in income.
Business Utilization: Companies often allocate windfall profits towards various purposes, including increasing dividends, buying back shares, reinvesting in the business for future growth, or reducing debt.
Individual Impact: Windfall profits can lead to a sudden boost in an individual’s income, surpassing what they might have reasonably expected.
Windfall Taxation:
- Windfall tax is imposed by governments on certain industries when economic conditions allow them to experience significantly higher profits than average.
- It serves as a mechanism for regulating industries during periods of excessive profitability.
Implementation: Windfall taxes are levied and calculated based on the excess profits generated by industries. Governments use windfall taxes as a means of economic regulation and revenue generation.
CDP-SURAKSHA
News: The Central government has introduced CDP-SURAKSHA, a new platform aimed at efficiently disbursing subsidies to horticulture farmers through the Cluster Development Programme (CDP).
CDP-SURAKSHA (System for Unified Resource Allocation, Knowledge, and Secure Horticulture Assistance):
- It is a digital platform.
- The platform will allow an instant disbursal of subsidies to farmers in their bank account by utilising the e-RUPI voucher from the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).
- Features: Database integration with PM-KISAN, cloud-based server space from NIC, UIDAI validation, eRUPI integration, local government directory (LGD), content management system, geotagging, and geo-fencing.
e-RUPI:
- The CDP-SURAKSHA platform uses e-RUPI vouchers from the NPCI.
- The voucher is a one-time payment mechanism that can be redeemed without a card, digital payments app or internet banking access, at the merchants accepting e-RUPI.
- The e-RUPI can be shared with the beneficiaries for a specific purpose or activity by organisations or government via SMS or QR code.
Cluster Development Program (CDP):
- Definition: The CDP is a component of the central sector scheme of National Horticulture Board.
- Launch: It was launched by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW) in 2021.
- Aim: To leverage the geographical specialisation of horticulture clusters and promoting integrated and market-led development of pre-production, production, post-harvest, logistics, branding, and marketing activities.
TSAT-1A Satellite
News: Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) has announced the successful deployment into space of its sub-metre optical satellite that was assembled and tested in India.
Launch: SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket launched TSAT-1A satellite from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida.
Tata Advanced Systems Limited:
- It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Tata Sons.
- TASL is India’s leading private sector player for aerospace and defence solutions.
TSAT-1A Satellite:
- TSAT-1A is India’s first indigenously developed and built satellite capable of sub-meter resolution optical imaging.
- It has the ability to capture stunningly detailed images of Earth’s surface with sub-meter resolution.
- It is equipped with both multispectral and hyperspectral imaging technology, enabling it to gather data across a broad spectrum of wavelengths.
- This advanced capability enhances our comprehension of land, water, and natural resources with greater depth and detail.
Benefits of TSAT-1A Satellite:
Agriculture:
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- Enhanced insights into crop health, soil quality, and water availability.
- Optimization of irrigation, fertilizer application, and disease management.
- Potential for increased yields and sustainable farming practices.
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Disaster Management:
- Real-time, high-resolution imagery aiding in disaster preparedness.
- Facilitation of rapid on-the-ground assessment during emergencies.
- Efficient resource allocation for recovery operations.
Urban Planning:
- Detailed mapping of infrastructure and analysis of land use patterns.
- Identification of areas for urban development and expansion.
- Creation of resilient, well-designed cities to accommodate population growth.
Environmental Monitoring:
- Tracking changes in forests, coastal erosion, and water quality.
- Detection of pollution hotspots.
- Informed decision-making for environmental protection and resource management, including climate change mitigation strategies.
Importance:
- Collaboration for Innovation : The TSAT-1A project represents a successful strategic partnership between Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) and Satellogic, a globally recognized leader in high-resolution Earth observation satellites.
- India’s Ascendancy in Satellite Development: This remarkable achievement solidifies India’s position as a rising power in satellite development and Earth observation capabilities.
Important Terms in Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Data Dredging:
- Also referred to as data snooping or p-hacking, data dredging.
- It is the misuse of data analysis techniques.
- It is a statistical manipulation method to find patterns in data, seemingly appearing to be significant but having no underlying effect in reality – resulting in misleading conclusions.
Air Gap:
- In cybersecurity, air gap refers to a network security measure of isolating computer or network from external connections, including the internet.
- It helps protect data from destruction, unauthorised access, and manipulation in the events of system failure or an intrusion.
- Usually air gaps are used for extreme risk situations such as classified defence systems.
Mixture of Experts:
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- It is a machine learning approach to training by splitting tasks into sub-problems and assigning ‘expert’ models to handle each of them.
- Each expert model makes a prediction for the sub-tasks which are then combined to generate the final output.
- It enables pretraining with less compute allowing easy scaling-up.
OTA Update: Over-the-air or OTA updates:
- These are the delivery of new software or firmware features and updates via an internet connection.
- These updates offer upgrades to the underlying operating system, read-only apps on system partitions, and time zone rules without physically connecting the device to a computer.
- OTA updates can be both automatic and manual.
Rhamphicarpa Fistulosa
News: Rhamphicarpa fistulosa has affected the rice production in Africa.
Rhamphicarpa fistulosa:
- It is also called as Rice vampireweed (Rhamphicarpa fistulosa).
- It is a facultative, parasitic weed that grows on rice in Africa.
- R fistulosa also affects sorghum and maize and other cereal crops.
- The weed can germinate & grow independently but significantly increases its reproductive output when parasitizing a suitable host.
- R fistulosa is not controlled by fertilisers.
- R fistulosa is found in at least 35 countries in Africa.
Lavender Cultivation
News: More than 700 acres of farmland has been brought under lavender cultivation in Jammu and Kashmir.
Lavender:
- Lavender is a crop native to Europe but was introduced in the temperate regions of Jammu &Kashmir state by the CSIR Aroma Mission.
- This has been called as the ‘purple revolution’.
- Lavender is a small, perennial aromatic herb shrub used in the fragrance, specialty food, and alternative medicine industries.
- Propagation of lavender can be done by seeds, rooted cuttings, tissue culture, and layering.
Required Climatic Conditions:
- Optimal Soil Conditions:
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- Flourishes in well-aerated, light soil rich in organic matter.
- Thrives in neutral to alkaline, free-draining soil, but can tolerate poor or eroded soil.
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- Rainfall Requirements:
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- Thrives in regions with rainfall ranging from 300 to 1400 mm per year.
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- Climate Adaptability:
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- Hardy and adaptable to temperate climates, tolerating drought and frost.
- Prefers cool winters and summers, requiring ample sunlight.
- Suitable for regions experiencing snowfall and hilly terrain.
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- Uses: Versatile uses include food and flavoring, pharmaceutical and therapeutic, as well as cosmetic and industrial purposes.