Health
iSAVE (Individualized System for Augmenting Ventilator Efficacy)
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about iSAVE)
What's the NEWS

• A team of researchers in the United States has come up with splitters for ventilators that will address the shortage of the life-saving equipment.
• The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation, Bengaluru, recently approved the equipment.
• IndVentr is the Indian partner making the device.
• The team validated the device in India, and the first batch has been delivered to two hospitals in Kerala. By the month-end, 100 more units will be deployed at several hospitals.

Know! about iSAVE

• Called iSAVE (Individualized System for Augmenting Ventilator Efficacy), the equipment re-purposes the flow valves of a ventilator to provide customised support to two patients.
• Ventilator support to groups of patients in emergencies has been tried out with limited success, as there are concerns about contamination and the right parameters of the patients being ensured.
• The right amount of pressure and tidal volume make sure that the lungs receive the correct requirement of oxygen.
• With the digital respiratory monitor, it is easy to monitor both patients
• The goal is to alleviate the human resource limitation, while making nursing and monitoring safe for both the nurse and the patients.
• The equipment can be assembled with an existing ventilator in less than 10 minutes even by an inexperienced staff member.
• The device is such that a small person and a large person can be ventilated at the same time, providing versatility to the equipment. Training manuals and videos to help have been prepared.
• As the pandemic surged in India, IndVentr received funds to make the equipment.

Culture
International Museum Day 2021

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about International Museum Day + about ICOM)
What's the NEWS

• International Museum Day falls on 18 May every year.
• The objective of International Museum Day ,as declared by International Council of Museums(ICOM), is to raise awareness about the fact that, "Museums are an important means of cultural exchange, enrichment of cultures and development of mutual understanding, cooperation and peace among peoples."
• The theme for International Museum Day 2021 is ‘The Future of Museums: Recover and Reimagine'.

Importance of Culture

• India is a storehouse of archaeological treasures and its cultural richness is world famous. However, what we may have lacked ,is excellence in showcasing our boundless culture in the manner it is done abroad .
• Museums play a pivotal role in showcasing our culture in different ways that interests people.
• Two panel discussions were organised at today's programme with the following themes : i)Re-imagining Museum & Culture Study Programs to Create New Pathways to the Future , and ii) The many Shades of Online Interaction & Engagement and What it Means for Museums.
• Experts from various fields like culture, museology, educationists in field of Cultural Business Program, anthropology, heritage among others participated in the panel discussions.

International Council of Museums (ICOM)

• Created in 1946, the International Council of Museums (ICOM) is a non-governmental organisation maintaining formal relations with UNESCO and having a consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council.
• ICOM also partners with entities such as the World Intellectual Property Organization, Interpol, and the World Customs Organization in order to carry out its international public service missions, which include fighting illicit traffic in cultural goods and promoting risk management and emergency preparedness to protect world cultural heritage in the event of natural or man-made disasters.
• Members of the ICOM get the ICOM membership card, which provides free entry, or entry at a reduced rate, to many museums all over the world.

Art and Culture
National Gallery of Modern Art launches Audio-Visual Guide App on the occasion of International Museum Day

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about the app and its benefits + about National Gallery of Modern Art )
What's the NEWS

• The National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), announced the launch of the NGMA's Audio-Visual Guide App on the occasion of International Museum Day.

Know! all about it

• It will be possible for museum viewers to listen to anecdotes and stories related to the treasured Indian modern art exhibited at the Gallery, on smart phone, anywhere, anytime.
• The app is an audio-visual guide for exploring the modern art treasures on display across galleries of the Museum.
• To listen to the narrations, users need to download the app and navigate the content using the numbers mentioned.
• The same numbers will be on display next to the art work at the Museum.
• A web version of the app is also available for those not keen to download the app and can be accessed by just scanning the QR code at location. The NGMA app and tours are free for all users.
• The museum tours are a rich mix of images, videos and voice.
• They aim to enhance the viewing experience of the visitors at the museum and also enable one to ‘visit' the art works virtually.
• The text is written in an interesting storytelling format with details about the artist, the thought behind the art work and the techniques used in creating the piece.
• It will help people connect with art in an intimate way. I especially hope that our children and youth will use the app prolifically, experiencing art as a vital expression of the human spirit.'
• The museum has launched the app on the occasion of the International Museums Day 2021.

Know! about National Gallery of Modern Art

• Founded in 1954, as the premier museum of modern art of a newly independent nation, the National Gallery Modern Art, New Delhi, houses and showcases masterpieces of the changing art forms of modern India spanning more than one hundred and fifty years.
• The museum continues to reaffirm its role as a repository of modern and contemporary visual, plastic and new media arts.
• The museum has a seminal collection of more than 2000 artists.
• The line-up includes artists of the of stature of Raja Ravi Verma, Abanindranath Tagore, Rabindranath Tagore, Gaganendranath Tagore, Nandalal Bose, Jamini Roy, Amrita Sher-Gil, Thomas Daniell, and a few leading international artists.
• Some of the oldest works preserved at NGMA date back to 1857. With 12,000 square meters of exhibition space, it is one of the world's largest modern art museums.

Science & Technology
Multiplex RT-PCR kit
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about multiplex RT-PCR kit and how it targets two SARS CoV2 genes: RdRp and ORFb-nsp14, and the human RNAse P gene) + Mains ( GS III awareness in the filed of science and technology)
What's the NEWS

• A newly developed multiplex RT-PCR kit has a higher accuracy of detecting covid19 across the various mutant strains of the virus responsible for the global pandemic.
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• As the pandemic is going through a second wave with multiple variants, the selection of target genes in multiplex RT-PCR assay is becoming critical for accurate detection of the virus.
• Even though coronaviruses make far fewer errors than other RNA viruses, the mutations in S, R, and N genes often interfere with RT-PCR assay.
• For example, the "variant of concern" B1.1.7 (also known as the UK variant) has a 69-70del, due to deletion of 6 bases in the RNA, which resulted in S gene drop out from RT-PCR assay.

Know! about multiplex RT-PCR kit

• The new multiplex RT-PCR kit developed Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST), an Institute of National Importance under the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India targets two SARS CoV2 genes: RdRp and ORFb-nsp14, and the human RNAse P gene as the internal control to help detect a range of mutant strains.
• Various studies have shown that RdRp and ORF1b-nsp14 genes are more sensitive in detecting Covid19. In order to target the multiple variants in the second wave, using two highly accurate confirmatory genes like RdRp and ORF-nsp14, can give precise results.
• The ORFb-nsp14 is one of the least mutated genes in Covid19 and currently, there are no kits in the market with ORF-nsp14 as the target.
• The new kit is based on multiplex Taqman chemistry, amplifying all three genes in a single reaction
• The amplification time for the assay is 45 minutes, apart from the time required for the RNA isolation from nasopharyngeal swab samples.
• Multiplexing two confirmatory genes will help shortlist possible new variants if one of the genes fails to amplify and can be marked for sequence analysis.
• ICMR has validated this kit at the National Institute of Virology, Pune, and found that it has 97.3% sensitivity and 100% specificity in covid19 detection.

Prelims Factoids
Colombo Port City
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about Colombo port city) + Mains ( GS II bilateral relations)
What's the NEWS

• A Chinese-funded tax-free enclave billed as Sri Lanka's answer to Dubai and Singapore cleared the final legal hurdle as the Supreme Court in Colombo ruled it could go ahead with only minor tweaks.

Know! about the port city

• The largest single foreign investment in Sri Lanka is one of several massive Asian infrastructure projects funded by China as Beijing increases its regional footprint.
• The brand new "Port City", an area of reclaimed land, will attract billions of dollars for trade, banking and offshore services similar to what is available in Dubai and Singapore, two of its potential competitors.
• Named the "Colombo Port City" because of its proximity to Colombo's main harbour, the sea reclamation - carried out with considerable Chinese labour - completed in 2019 has doubled the size of Colombo's financial district by adding 269 hectares.
• Under the proposed legislation expected to be passed by Parliament, the Port City will be administered by a commission with unprecedented powers to fast track investment approvals.
• Transactions within the Port City will be denominated in foreign currency and all salaries earned by any worker will be tax-exempt.

Concerns

• Western countries, as well as regional power India, have long expressed concern over growing Chinese influence in strategically placed Sri Lanka.
• U.S. ambassador Alaina Teplitz told reporters last month that an unintended consequence of the Port City could be "a haven for money launderers and other sorts of nefarious actors."

Prelims Factoids
GLOBAL ENTRY PROGRAM
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about Global Entry Program and the role of CCTNS in it )
What's the NEWS

• On the request of the U.S. authorities, Indian security agencies in the past two years checked the antecedents of more than 9,000 Indians who wanted to enrol for the paid Global Entry Program that allows members to use expedited lanes at the U.S. airports and few other international airports.

Know! about Global Entry Program

• The Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS), a secure application that links over 97% police stations in the country is being used for antecedent verification for Global Entry.
• CCTNS, a centrally funded scheme has been developed by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) under the Union Home Ministry.
• Background verification of Indian citizens who have applied for U.S CBP's Global Entry has been undertaken by Government of India on behalf of U.S government's CBP Global Entry Program.
• The Global Entry is a facility run by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), an agency that works under the Department of Homeland Security that fast tracks movement of pre-approved, low-risk travellers upon arrival after a rigorous background check through designated kiosks.
• Applicants are charged $100 and a personal interview before they are enrolled. Their biometrics are also collected.
• Though the pilot project started in 2008, India became a member of Global Entry in 2017.
• After receiving a request, the U.S. authorities send them to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
• The MEA forwards it to the Ministry of Home Affairs, which taps other ministries, State police and other database to run a background check.
• The CBP does not process the application if a person has been "convicted of any criminal offence or have pending criminal charges, including outstanding warrants; have been found in violation of any customs, immigration or agriculture regulations or laws in any country."
• The other countries that are part of this programme are Argentina, Australia, Canada, Colombia, Germany, Mexico, New Zealand, Panama, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Switzerland, Taiwan and the United Kingdom.

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