First 3D Printed Heart
Category: Sc & tech
- Scientists in Israel unveiled a 3D print of a heart with human tissue and vessels.
- The heart marked the first time anyone has successfully engineered and printed an entire heart replete with cells, blood vessels, ventricles and chambers.,”
- People have managed to 3D-print the structure of a heart in the past, but not with cells or with blood vessels.
- Cardiovascular disease is the world’s leading cause of death, according to the World Health Organization, and transplants are currently the only option available for patients in the worst cases.
- But the number of donors is limited and many die while waiting. When they do benefit, they can fall victim to their bodies rejecting the transplant — a problem the researchers are seeking to overcome. Using the patient’s own tissue was important to eliminate the risk of an implant provoking an immune response and being rejected.
Wholesale Inflation
Category: Economy
- Wholesale price inflation rose to a three-month high of 3.18% in March on costlier food and fuel.
- The Reserve Bank of India mainly factors in retail inflation for monetary policy decision.
Exports
Category: Economy
- India’s exports rose to a five-month high of 11% in March on account of higher growth mainly in pharma, chemicals and engineering sectors.
- The trade deficit — the difference between exports and imports — narrowed to $10.89 billion during the month.
- During the full fiscal, the sectors which recorded healthy growth include petroleum (28%), plastic (25.6%), chemicals (22%), pharmaceuticals (11%) and engineering (6.36%).
- Oil imports in April-March 2018-19 grew to $140.47 billion, while non-oil imports grew to $366.97 billion during that fiscal.
Public Sector Enterprises
Category: Economy
- State-run companies will have 12 months to monetise non-core assets identified by a ministerial panel headed by the finance minister, failing which the finance ministry may restrict budgetary allocations to the CPSEs.
- An inter-ministerial group (IMG) chaired by the secretary of DIPAM will identify the non-core assets of the CPSEs on its own, and also on the basis of recommendations of the Niti Aayog. The final call will, however, be taken by the finance minister-headed panel.
- Once the Alternative Mechanism, comprising the finance minister, road transport minister and the minister of the administrative ministry concerned approves the assets for monetisation, it should be completed within 12 months from the date of approval.
Measles
Category: Sc & tech
- Measles cases rose 300% worldwide through the first three months of 2019 compared to the same period last year, the UN said.
- Measles, which is highly contagious, can be entirely prevented through a two-dose vaccine, but the World Health Organization (WHO) has in recent months sounded the alarm over slipping global vaccination rates.
Long Period Average
Category: Geography
- While releasing its monsoon forecast, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) expressed the projected rainfall in terms of Long Period Average (LPA), saying that it was expected to be 96% of LPA.
- The LPA of the monsoon season over the country is 89 cm, calculated for the period 1951-2000.
- This is the average rainfall recorded during the months from June to September, calculated during the 50-year period, and is kept as a benchmark while forecasting the quantitative rainfall for the monsoon season every year.
- Like the countrywide figure, IMD maintains an independent LPA for every homogeneous region of the country, which ranges from 71.6 cm to 143.83 cm.
- The region-wise LPA figures are: 143.83 cm for East and Northeast India, 97.55 cm for Central India, 71.61 cm for South Peninsular India, and 61.50 for Northwest India, which put together bring the all-India figure to 88.75 cm.
- The monthly LPA figures for the season are 16.36 cm for June, 28.92 cm for July, 26.13 cm for August and 17.34 cm for September.
- So, when IMD forecasts the category of rainfall, be it for country, region or month, the forecast is based on these standardised figures calculated for a period of 50 years. As per the outputs obtained from the weather models, the rainfall is categorised as normal, below normal, or above normal.
