Current Affairs Quiz - April, 2023

Notes:
Dehradun-based Indian Institute of Petroleum, a CSIR lab, recently launched its One Week One Lab (OWOL) campaign.
The campaign marks the celebrations of Dr B.R Ambedkar’s birth anniversary along with the CSIR-IIP’s 64th foundation day on 14th April at its campus in Dehradun.

Notes:
The Status of Women in Agrifood Systems report was released recently by the Food and Agricultural Organisation.
According to the report, eliminating gender discrimination in agriculture could result in increase in the size of global economy and alleviate hunger at a time when over 345 million people are estimated to experience acute food insecurity.

Notes:
Hwasong-18 ICBM is a solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile developed by North Korea. It was test fired recently to confirm the performance of the high-thrust solid-fuel engines, the stage-jettisoning technology and various functional control systems.

Notes:
Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Parshottam Rupala has launched the Animal Pandemic Preparedness Initiative under the National One Health Mission.
He also launched the World Bank-funded Animal Health System Support for One Health to enhance India’s preparedness and response to potential animal pandemics, in line with the One Health approach.

Notes:
A team of scientists led by the Indian Institute of Spices Research (IISR), Kozhikode, have discovered a new species of insect pathogenic fungus.
The fungus, isolated from leafhopper pest of Malabar tamarind, has been named Metarhizium indicum to indicate its Indian origin. It is said to have a potential biocontrol application.

Notes:
April 17 is observed as the World Hemophilia Day and the theme for this year is  “Access for All: Prevention of bleeds as the global standard of care”.
Hemophilia is a rare genetic blood disorder that inhibits the clotting of blood, leading to significant bleeding during injuries and surgeries. Every year, the World Hemophilia Day is observed to raise awareness about this disorder.

Notes:
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a collection of marine debris in the North Pacific Ocean. It is also known as the Pacific trash vortex, spans waters from the West Coast of North America to Japan.
Marine debris is litter that ends up in the ocean, seas, and other large bodies of water. A recent study by Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) shows that this giant collection of plastic trash has also become home to thousands of marine life, creating a new kind of ecosystem.

Notes:
The blastomyces fungus is linked to the recent outbreak of “atypical” pneumonia among the employees of the Escanaba Billerud Paper Mill in the US.
The fungus is endemic to Michigan and is generally found in moist soil and decomposing wood. If disturbed, microscopic spores from the fungus can get dispersed in air and travel freely. Human beings can contract blastomycosis by inhaling the spores.

Notes:
The National Health Authority (NHA) has recently invited contributors to test, contribute and become a participant in the Health Claims Exchange Ecosystem by onboarding the participants on the National Health Claims Exchange (HCX) – Sandbox Environment.
NHA announced HCX as an initiative under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) in September 2022 and subsequently worked with various groups to come up with Health Insurance Exchange specifications.

Notes:
‘Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite’ (TESS) is a space telescope for NASA’s Explorer program, designed to search for exoplanets.
Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) recently marked five years in space. Since it was launched in 2018, the satellite has mapped more than 93 percent of the entire sky, discovered 329 new alien worlds and thousands more exoplanet candidates.