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Current Affairs – 11 May 2024

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Current Affairs – 11 May 2024

Hanooman AI Platform

Recently, 3AI Holding Limited and SML India, announced the launch of ‘Hanooman’, India’s homegrown multilingual GenAI platform.

  • Hanooman AI Platform Features:
    • Largest multilingual Gen AI platform, offering affordability and accessibility.
    • Available in 98 global languages, including 12 Indian languages like Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, and others.
    • Capable of handling various tasks from casual chat to professional advice and complex technical tasks like coding and tutoring.
    • Offers multimodal and multilingual capabilities, encompassing text, voice, image, and code.
    • Targets four key sectors: healthcare, governance, financial services, and education.
    • Provides an open-source alternative to commercially accessible Large Language Models (LLMs).
  • Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI):
    • Deep-learning models that learn to generate statistically probable outputs from raw data.
    • Powered by foundation models, which can multitask and perform tasks like summarization, Q&A, and classification.
    • Requires minimal training and can be tailored for specific use cases with limited example data.
    • Operates by using machine learning models to discern patterns and relationships in human-created content datasets.
    • Utilizes learned patterns to autonomously generate new content.

FLiRT Variants

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have found that there is an unfamiliar set of COVID-19 variants spreading across the US and they are collectively called FLiRT.

  • FLiRT Variants (2 and KP1.1):
    • Descendants of the Omicron JN.1 variant, which spread globally over the previous winter.
    • Outstrip their ancestor and other Omicron variants in terms of transmission and immune evasion.
    • KP1.2 is the more dominant strain, believed to evade immunity from vaccines and previous infections.
    • Originating from the JN.1 variant, they feature two new spike mutations.
  • Transmission:
    • Spreads via respiratory droplets from an infected person to others.
    • Can also transmit through touching infected surfaces such as faucets, furniture, elevator buttons, etc.
  • Symptoms of FLiRT:
    • Similar to other Omicron subvariants: sore throat, cough, nausea, congestion, fatigue, headache, muscle or body ache, loss of taste or smell.
  • Prevention:
    • Vaccination and adherence to preventive measures advised to curb the spread of the FLiRT variants.

PS4 engine

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) achieved another milestone in design and manufacturing by successfully conducting a long duration test of the PS4 engine of the PSLV stage.

  • PS4 Engine:
    • Uppermost stage of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).
    • Comprises two Earth storable liquid engines.
    • Utilizes a bipropellant combination of nitrogen tetroxide as the oxidizer and monomethyl hydrazine as the fuel.
    • Developed by ISRO’s Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre.
    • Also used in the Reaction Control System (RCS) of the first stage (PS1) of PSLV.
  • Additive Manufacturing:
    • Also known as 3D printing, it’s a transformative technology in manufacturing.
    • Creates 3-dimensional objects by layering materials under computer control.
    • Involves layering materials like plastics, composites, or bio-materials to create objects of varying shapes, sizes, rigidity, and colors.
    • Offers immense design flexibility, reduced waste, and the ability to produce complex geometries compared to traditional subtractive techniques.

Uniyala multibracteata

After a gap of 140 years, researchers have rediscovered Uniyala multibracteata from a non-protected area of the Wagamon hills in the Western Ghats.

About Uniyala multibracteata:

  • It is a rare tree species which is locally known as Kattupoovamkurunnila.
  • The genus Uniyala is named to recognise the contribution of B.P Uniyal, a renowned plant taxonomist. This genus has 11 species, most of which are endemic to south India.
  • It is a small tree or large shrub of 2 to 5 metres high. Its leaves are covered with cottony hairs. Its flowers are very beautiful and [the tree] produces flowers from October to January.
  • Habitat: Its habitat consists of evergreen forests and rocky grasslands 1,200 metres above sea level. Interestingly, such rare species of plants have not yet been discovered in protected forests.

55 Cancri e Planet

Recently, astronomers detected rocky planets beyond our solar system with an atmosphere.

  • 55 Cancri e Planet (Janssen):
    • An exoplanet classified as a super-Earth.
    • Also known as Janssen, located approximately 41 light-years away from Earth in the constellation Cancer within the Milky Way galaxy.
    • Larger than Earth but smaller than Neptune, it is considered a rocky planet.
    • Orbits very close to its host star, completing an orbit roughly every 18 hours.
    • Its orbit is extremely close, approximately one-25th the distance between Mercury and the Sun in our solar system.
    • Surface temperature estimated to be around 3,140 degrees Fahrenheit due to its proximity to its star.
    • Likely tidally locked, meaning one side of the planet always faces its star, similar to the moon’s relationship with Earth.
    • Host star also has four other known planets, all of which are gas giants.

DRDO and IIT Bhubaneswar Collaborate on Defence Technology Projects

DRDO and IIT Bhubaneswar join forces to advance defence technology research in electronics warfare, AI surveillance, power systems, and radar systems.

  • Partnership Overview:
    • Collaboration between the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bhubaneswar.
    • Aimed at advancing research in electronics warfare, AI-driven surveillance, power systems, and radar systems.
    • DRDO has sanctioned nine projects from the Electronics and Communication Systems (ECS) Cluster to IIT Bhubaneswar, with seven additional projects awaiting approval.
    • Backed by ₹18 crore in funding.
  • Significance of Collaboration:
    • Director of IIT Bhubaneswar, Prof. Shreepad Karmalkar, underscores the shift towards practical application, entrepreneurship, and skill development.
    • Seen as a pathway to excellence in defence research and technology.
  • Research Focus:
    • Head of the School of Electrical Sciences at IIT, Prof S.R. Samantaray, highlights alignment with evolving defence needs and the vision of ‘Atma Nirbhar Bharat’.
    • Expected to bolster defence research programs, promoting sustainability and contributing to the national ecosystem.
  • Collaborative Intent:
    • Director General of the ECS Cluster at DRDO, Dr. Binay K. Das, emphasizes addressing future defence needs.
    • Goal is to collectively advance defence capabilities and strengthen India’s position in defence research and development.