Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - November, 2018

Notes:
The Kerala Infrastructure and Technology for Education (KITE) has rolled out its Online Open Learning training platform ‘KOOL’. The platform can be used to train teachers, students and the general public. It is a six week course, which includes many features for learners in the form of animated learning assistants, video tutorials and check lists for practicing the activities. The other features includes creation of word documents, spreadsheet, presentation, image editing, video-audio editing, development of digital resources, Malayalam typing, internet, educational applications. KOOL has been designed in a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) model. It is compulsory for teachers to successfully complete 45 hours of computer course in order to clear their probation. Teachers who successfully complete the course would be awarded certificates.

Notes:
Dr. Thanjavur Santhanakrishna Kanaka (86), who was Asia’s first & world’s third female neurosurgeon, has passed away in Chennai, Tamil Nadu on November 14, 2018. She served in the Indian Army as a commissioned officer during the 1962-1963 Sino-Indian War. Beside this, she was the first neurosurgeon in India to perform chronic electrode implants in the brain; having performed deep brain stimulation as early as in 1975. Dr. Kanaka, who retired as professor of Neurosurgery in Madras Medical College (MMC) in 1990, was known to have inspired many women to take to the field of neurosurgery in the country. She used her own funds to establish a hospital, named after her parents as Sri Santhanakrishna Padmavathi Health Care and Research Foundation, which offers free healthcare to the needy.

Notes:
The researchers at IIT Kharagpur have devised a Decision Support System (DSS) to help maximise the number of LPG connections in Below Poverty Level (BPL) households in the ‘Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY)’ . A DSS is a computer programme that helps in making sound rational decisions using mathematical programming and operation research techniques. The DSS mathematical model devised at IIT KGP has found the optimum number of total (BPL) connections required in a region and the number of dealerships that need to be commissioned in a region over the policy time frame. This type of mathematical modeling of a policy (LPG) can be used as a reference for mathematical model. The PMUY, launched in May 2016, aimed at providing 5 crore LPG connections by 2019 to BPL families with the support of Rs 1,600 to each family. The Central government has recently revised the target to 8 crore LPG connections by 2020.

Notes:
In China, the world’s first underground hotel “the InterContinental Shanghai Wonderland”has opened in Shanghai, which is buried almost 90 metres deep in an old quarry. The 18-storey luxury hotel is almost entirely subterranean having two floors above ground and the rest underground, including two floors that are underwater. Built in the Sheshan Mountain Range, it encloses 336 rooms and suites which mimic the landscape of the quarry offering a picturesque view into the abyss. The bottom floors have underwater suites that feature in-room aquariums where guests can enjoy the aquatic ecosystem of the decommissioned quarry. Other highlights of the exotic resort are its cascading glass waterfall, a glitzy amusement park and exposed rocks. The sprawling property is built by British firm Atkins, who is also responsible for architectural marvels such as Burj Al Arab in Dubai and skyscraper Landmark 81 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The hotel can withstand a magnitude 9 earthquake.

Notes:
Golfer Shubhankar Sharma from Chandigarh has become the first Indian to win European Tour ‘Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year’ award. He achieved the feat soon after finishing tied 41st at the season-ending 2018 World Tour Championship event in Dubai. No Indian has won the Rookie of the Year award in European Tour, though three Indians – Arjun Atwal (1995), Shiv Kapur (2005) and C Muniyappa (2009) emerged as Rookie of the Year on the Asian Tour. Some of the other golfers to have won this prestigious award include Jon Rahm (2017), Wang Jeunghun (2016), Byeong Hun An (2015) and Brooks Koepka (2014).

Notes:
The World COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) Day is observed every year on 21st of November by the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) to raise awareness of COPD and to improve prevention and treatment of this lung disease for patients around the world. The 2018 theme is ‘Never too early, never too late’. The COPD is not one single disease but an umbrella term used to describe chronic lung diseases that cause limitations in lung airflow. Tobacco smoking is the most common cause of COPD. The most common symptoms of COPD are breathlessness, or a ‘need for air’, excessive sputum production, and a chronic cough. According to the latest WHO estimates (2004), currently 64 million people have COPD and 3 million people died of COPD. WHO predicts that COPD will become the third leading cause of death worldwide by 2030.

Notes:
Popular singer Nahid Afrin of Assam has been appointed as the first ‘Youth Advocate’ of the northeastern region by UNICEF India to fight for child rights. The UNICEF engages ‘Youth Advocates’ to harness their voice as agents of change in society. The youth advocates support initiatives of positive change that include access to quality education, basic healthcare, ending violence against children, and addressing the issues of equity and inclusion. Nahid made her playback debut in the 2016 Bollywood film ‘Akira’ starring Sonakshi Sinha in the lead. Recently, Nahid also won the best female playback singer award at the Assam state Film Award 2018. Recently, Asian Games gold-medallist sprinter Hima Das was appointed as first-ever youth ambassador of UNICEF India.

Notes:
Ustad Imrat Khan, the noted Indian classical musician, has passed away in US. He dedicated his life to propagating the Sitar and the surbahar worldwide. In 2017, he famously turned down the Padma Shri saying the recognition had come too late and diminished his achievements. Imrat Khan toured the world with his music and performed at the Cannes Film Festival in 1970 for a Merchant-Ivory partnership. He was also a regular at various music festivals in India. He belonged to the illustrious Etawa gharana (or the Imdadkhani Gharana), named after his grandfather Ustad Imdad Khan. The gharana is one of the oldest in India with a musical legacy of over 400 years and traces its roots to Agra.

Notes:
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved continuation of the nine sub-schemes of the umbrella scheme “Atmosphere & Climate Research-Modelling Observing Systems & Services (ACROSS)” during 2017-2020 at an estimated cost of Rs. 1450 crore. It will be implemented by the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) through its institutes namely India Meteorological Department (IMD), Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF), and Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Service(INCOIS). The scheme will provide improved weather, climate and ocean forecast and services, thereby ensuring transfer of commensurate benefits to the various services like Public weather service, disaster management, Agro-meteorological Services, Aviation services, Environmental monitoring services, Hydro-meteorological services, climate services, tourism, pilgrimage, power generation, water management, Sports & adventure etc.

Notes:
IIM Calcutta Innovation Park (IIMCIP) has recently signed pact with Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) to promote the startup enterprises in East and Northeast India. The pact will bring incubator and industry together in a more formal way. ICC services for the startup entrepreneurs in the country include facilitating funding, queries, meetings, Market Connect, Legal Connect, Mentoring, B2B and B2G interactions. IIMCIP is a not for profit (Section 8) company established under the aegis of IIM Calcutta to promote Entrepreneurship and Innovation. The park is currently incubating 40 startups with almost half from Bengal.