Civil Services Simplified: Decoding the Enigma of UPSC by Dr. CP. Kaushik

Final Result.👍👍

Eid Mubarak... Let love, peace and good health spread to all..❤️

Target Prelims 2024: Day 13 1. Superconductivity: •Superconductivity is a phenomenon in materials with two extraordinary properties: zero electrical resistance and expulsion of magnetic fields. •Achieving superconductivity requires extremely low temperatures, often exceeding 250 degrees Celsius below zero. •Different materials, including Mercury, Lead, Aluminum, Tin, Niobium, exhibit superconductivity at their respective critical temperatures. •Researchers are actively searching for materials that can demonstrate superconductivity at room temperature. •The mechanism behind zero resistance involves normal conductivity, cooper pairs, enhanced mobility, and zero resistance and superconductivity. •Superconducting materials have potential applications in energy infrastructure, high-speed transportation, advanced medical technologies, and quantum computing. 2. Einstein's Cross: •Einstein's theory of general relativity predicts the formation of an "Einstein Cross," a unique form of gravitational lensing. •The cross occurs when the foreground and background objects are perfectly aligned, causing light from the background to split into four separate images. •This lensing effect can magnify faint objects, enabling astronomers to observe distant galaxies with unprecedented clarity. Gravitational lensing, as explained by Einstein's theory, is a curvature in spacetime caused by mass and energy. The discovery of the Einstein Cross provides insights into the distribution of matter in the universe, allowing for the mapping of the mass distribution of galaxies and clusters. 3. Neerakshi: **India's first autonomous underwater vehicle, Neerakshi, has been launched, marking a significant advancement in maritime capabilities. •Neerakshi's capabilities include: o Mine Detection and Disposal: Equipped with advanced sensors and detection systems, it can identify and locate underwater mines, enhancing maritime security and safety. o Underwater Surveys: Operates autonomously at depths of up to 300 meters, enabling detailed underwater environment surveys. o Endurance and Efficiency: With an endurance of four hours, it can carry out extended underwater missions without constant surface control. •Neerakshi's applications include: o Enhancing maritime surveillance and coastal infrastructure protection. o Supporting offshore energy exploration. o Conducting scientific research on underwater environments. o Tracking pollution levels and monitoring marine ecosystem health. 4. Bhu-Vision (Krishi-Rastaa) Platform: *ICAR and KrishiTantra have developed an IoT-based platform for automated soil testing and agronomy advice. Key Features Include •Automated Soil Testing: Conducts twelve key soil parameter tests to make a digital soil health card report. **Deficit Identification: Helps farmers identify nutrient deficiencies and other soil health issues. ***Potential Benefits: Improved Soil Health, Enhanced Resource Management, Reduced Environmental Impact. 5. Green Ammonia: •It is produced by using hydrogen from water electrolysis and nitrogen separated from the air. •These are then fed into the Haber process (also known as Haber-Bosch) which is powered by sustainable electricity. **•Green ammonia production is where the process of making ammonia is 100% renewable and carbon-free. •It can be used in: Fuel for engines such as locomotives and shipping, replacing diesel and marine fuel oil, Fuel source for electricity and power generation, building block to make fertilisers for use in agriculture; Feedstock for industrial and manufacturing applications ranging from water purification through to pharmaceuticals, etc.

Target Prelims 2024: Day 12 1. LiDAR: Light Detection & Ranging **LiDAR is a remote sensing method that uses light in the form of a pulsed laser (near-infrared spectrum.) to measure ranges (variable distances) to the Earth. It consists primary three components — the scanner, laser and GPS receiver. **It works by emitting a laser beam and measuring the time it takes for the beam to bounce back after hitting an object. By repeating this process many times per second, it can create a detailed map of the environment, including the location and shape of objects within it. **Applications of LiDAR: Topographic Mapping, Autonomous vehicles, Archaeology, Agriculture, Forest management, Urban planning. 2. Nanoflakes: •**Nanoflakes are thin, flat structures or particles with nanoscale dimensions and are made from various materials, including metals, semiconductors, oxides, and polymers. They are often made from graphene. **Applications: In batteries, solar cells, and electronic devices, water purification, as their large surface area makes them effective at removing pollutants from water, sensor applications and in solar cells, nanoflakes can be utilized to increase light absorption and enhance electron mobility, potentially leading to more efficient energy conversion. 3. IMPRINT (IMPacting Research, INnovation and Technology) Program: •It is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Education and the Department of Science & Technology (DST). •It aims to address societal challenges and enhance the country's technological capabilities & focuses on collaborative research projects between academia and industry, with an emphasis on developing solutions that have real-world impact. •Through the IMPRINT Program, funding is provided for research projects in areas such as healthcare, energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, and sustainable development. 4. Attosecond & Nobel Prize in Physics: ** To three physicists for their research related to attosecond pulses of light. Three physicists are Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz, and Anne L'Huillier. **Attosecond pulses are short bursts of light lasting for a billionth of a billionth of a second. ** These ultra-short pulses allow the capture of the fastest events with a time resolution of attoseconds. •They are generated through the high harmonic generation process, where interaction with a gas target produces a broad spectrum of harmonics, including attosecond pulses. • Applications: Ultrafast Electron Dynamics, Probing Materials, Controlling Electron Behaviour, Imaging Molecular Structure so on. 5. Phonons: **Phonons are the elementary particles representing sound waves, demonstrating quantum potential and offer compatibility with existing technologies, facilitating faster and cost-effective quantum technology implementation. •Phonons are less susceptible to environmental noise, ensuring more stable quantum operations. •Phonons are scalable, suitable for large-scale quantum devices, making them suitable for bulk materials. •The breakthrough represents a significant step forward in overcoming limitations in noise, scalability, and detection in quantum computing.

Target Prelims 2024: Day 11 1. Advanced Chemistry Cell (ACC) Battery: •It can store electric energy either as electrochemical or as chemical energy and convert it back to electric energy as and when required. •These have major applications in the electric vehicles, maintaining grid stability, solar rooftop, consumer electronics etc. * Nodal Ministry is Min of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises. * Only cells with higher performance specifications i.e. ENERGY DENSITY & LIFE CYCLE will be included. 2. Freemartins: ** In animal husbandry, cattle that are born exhibiting characteristics of both sexes are called freemartins. * In agricultural settings, Freemartins are generally culled because freemartins can’t reproduce; farmers often identify them through physical and/or behavioural traits. •Freemartins are sterile female cattle that result from the twinning of a male and a female within the same uterus. This phenomenon occurs in approximately 90% of such twin pregnancies in cattle. 3. Foucault Pendulum: **The Foucault pendulum device has been installed in the new Parliament building in New Delhi. It was designed and installed by the National Council of Science Museums (NCSM), Kolkata which works under Min of CULTURE. ** It is a deceptively simple device used to illustrate the earth’s rotation named after 19th century French scientist Leon Foucault. •The Key Principles Behind Foucault Pendulum are Coriolis Effect & Conservation of Angular Momentum. 4. Graphene-Aurora Program: •The Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) has launched the ‘Graphene-Aurora program’. It aims to bridge the gap between graphene research and commercialization.. •The initiative aims to foster a thriving graphene technology and innovation ecosystem, enabling SMEs and startups to commercialise and scale up their graphene technologies, thus enhancing India's position in the global new material market. * Graphene is used in electronics, materials science, energy storage, touch screens, DNA sequencing, medical fields, light panels, and solar cells, among others. 5. Quantum Dots: ** The smaller a particle, the more its electrons are squeezed together, and that affects its properties. Such particles, whose size determines their behaviour, are called quantum dots. **Nobel Prize in chemistry for the 2023 has been awarded to three scientists for the discovery and synthesis of quantum dots. 3 scientists are Moungi Bawendi, Louis E. Brus and Aleksey Ekimov. **The properties of any element depend on how many electrons it has. However, when matter is tiny, of nano-dimensions, its properties depend on its size. **They are typically made from materials like cadmium selenide, lead sulfide, or indium arsenide.

Hello Everyone. The update is taking some more time. I am stuffed with some personal work. Pls wait for 2/3 more days.. I will try to update the enlisted 50 topics ASAP.

Prelims 23 Paper

Tomorrow, I am starting a new foundation batch for Science and Tech@6:00 PM. Those who missed the classes in their batches and were requesting to attend can seek permission from the helpdesk in the main building and join.. It will be a fully updated batch with updates till 28th Feb

Also, new set of current updates (nearly 50) for Prelims 24 coming by this weekend!! Stay updated and study well!!

It's not a spam/junk message.. It's available on UPSC Website.

Prelims got postponed due to elections!! Extra three weeks now..👍

For Geography & Mapping related updates, u can get some good insights over this. He is a senior faculty.

Geography & Environment Updates for UPSC @ Vineet thaploo https://youtube.com/@geoneet3266 https://t.me/VineetThaplooGeography

Target Prelims 2024: Day 10 1. Thermobaric Weapon: ** Thermobaric weapons — also known as aerosol bombs, fuel air explosives, or vaccum bombs — use oxygen from the air for a large, high-temperature blast. A thermobaric weapon causes significantly greater devastation than a conventional bomb of comparable size. **Vacuum bombs are not prohibited by any international law or agreement, but their use against civilian populations in built-up areas, schools or hospitals, could attract action under the Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907. 2. TAPAS: TAPAS (Tactical Airborne Platform for Aerial Surveillance) Beyond Horizon-201 or Tapas BH-201 is a long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle, previously used to be referred as Rustom-II. **It can cover a range of 250+ km using the C Band frequency data link developed by Defence Electronics Application Laboratory (DEAL) at DRDO. The medium-altitude, long-endurance drone. It has a range of over 18 hours and altitude capabilities of up to 28,000 feet. 3. Agni Prime: ** Agni Prime is a two-stage canisterised solid-propellant missile with dual redundant navigation and guidance system. **The nuclear-capable missile has been designed and developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). •The surface-to-surface ballistic missile has a range of 1000 to 2000 km. •The Agni Prime missile, the smallest and lightest among the entire Agni series of ballistic missiles. 4. Varunastra: **Indigenously designed and developed heavy-weight torpedo (HWT) Varunastra was recently successfully test-fired with a live warhead against an undersea target by the Indian Navy. **Varunastra is ship launched, heavy weight, electrically-propelled anti-submarine torpedo capable of targeting quiet submarines, both in deep and shallow waters in an intense countermeasures environment. **It was designed and developed by Vizag-based Naval Science and Technological Laboratory (NSTL) under the DRDO and is manufactured by Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL). 5. Mahendragiri Frigate: ** Mahendragiri Frigate is the seventh and last stealth frigate of Project 17A Frigates and is named after a mountain peak in Eastern Ghats located in Odisha. The ship is being built by the Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) in Mumbai. **Project 17A:The project was launched by the defence forces of India to construct a series of stealth guided-missile frigates. •Under the Project 17A programme, four ships by Mumbai-based Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) and three by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited (GRSE) are being built. •These warships follow the Project 17 Class Frigates (Shivalik Class) and boast enhanced stealth features, advanced weapons, sensors, and platform management systems. •Project 17A ships have been designed in-house by the Indian Navy’s Warship Design Bureau WDB. •As much as75% of the orders for equipment and systems of Project 17A ships are from indigenous firms, including MSMEs. •The first six ships of the project have been launched so far by MDL & GRSE between 2019-2023.

Target Prelims 2024: Day 9 1.Nabhmitra Device: ** Developed by ISRO Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad * Nabhmitra Device is a satellite-based communication system developed for the safety of fishermen. It enables two-way messaging services from/to sea. The weather and cyclone warnings will be communicated in the local language, the boats can also send distress messages to the authorities. * Apart rpm providing information about shipping channels and maritime boundaries, the device will also help to identify fishing fields. 2. Transients: ** These are astronomical phenomena with durations of fractions of a second to weeks or years. Typically, they are extreme, short-lived events associated with the total or partial destruction of an astrophysical object. • Apart from supernovae, the transients include, flaring stars (variable stars that flare up for a short while), white dwarf binaries (burnt remains of dead stars that orbit one another and often merge and explode in supernovae), active galactic nuclei. 3 Sagar Sampark: Sagar Sampark is developed by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways (MoPSW) to rectify errors in the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) utilizing reference stations strategically positioned at known locations for real-time corrections. •Sagar Sampark enhances the accuracy of positioning information received from GNSS, including GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou, and NAVIC. It provides shore-to-ship services, playing a vital role in maritime navigation. It leads to significant improvement in GPS error correction accuracy, reducing it from 5 to 10 meters to less than 5 meters for areas within 100 Nautical Miles from Indian coastlines. 4. CAR T Cell Therapy: **Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell therapy, is an innovative form of immunotherapy used to treat certain types of cancer. * The therapy involves modifying a patient's own T cells, which are a type of immune system cell, to enhance their ability to recognize and attack cancer cells. **T-cells are cytotoxic cells (WBCs) that fight illness and infection. This Therapy involves genetic modification of T cells to equip them with synthetic receptors. **Genetic modification to express Chimeric Antigen Receptors (CARs) to target specific cancer antigens & Modified T cells cultured and multiplied. *Infusion of CAR T cells back into patient's bloodstream. **CAR T cells bind to cancer cells, leading to immune system destruction. 5. Artificial Sweeteners: **These are sugar substitutes that are used as a substitute for natural sugars. They are typically many times sweeter than sugar, so only small amounts are needed to achieve the desired level of sweetness. *These sweeteners are chemically synthesized and provide a sweet taste without the high calorie content of regular sugar. **Some examples of artificial sweeteners are saccharin, aspartame, acesulfame potassium, sucralose, Neotame and Advantame.