Important Facts for Prelims (4th December 2018) | 04 Dec 2018

SHINYUU Maitri-2018

  • The bilateral air exercise between the Japanese Air Self Defence Force (JASDF) and Indian Air Force is being held in Agra, India.
  • The theme of the exercise is joint Mobility/Humanitarian Assistance & Disaster Relief (HADR) on Transport aircraft.
  • Recently, the joint military exercise between Indian Army and Japan Ground Self Defence Force, named Dharma Guardian 2018 was held in Mizoram, India.
  • Japan-India Maritime Exercise knows as JIMEX was also held in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.


Chemputer” to Manufacture Drugs

  • Scientists at University of Glasgow, UK have developed a new method to produce drug molecules, which uses downloadable blueprints to easily and reliably synthesise organic chemicals via a programmable ‘chemputer’.
  • This is the first time synthesis of important drug molecules was achieved in an affordable and modular chemical-robot system called a chemputer.
  • The chemputer is underpinned by a new universal and interoperable standard for writing and sharing chemical recipes.
  • Those chemical recipes, run on a computer programme the team calls the ‘chempiler’, instruct the chemputer how to produce molecules on-demand, more affordably and safely than ever possible before.
  • This is a key step in the digitisation of chemistry and will allow the universal assembly of complex molecules on demand, democratising the ability to discover and make new molecules using a simple software app and a modular chemputer.
  • Chemputer system, could allow medical professionals in remote parts of the world to create life-saving drugs as and when required.

International Conference on Bears

  • International conference on bears has been organised in Agra (Uttar Pradesh).
  • The conference is hosted by Wildlife SOS (a conservation non-profit organisation) in collaboration with Bear Care Group from the US and Canada.
  • The conference is focused on bear care, wildlife conservation and human-wildlife conflict mitigation.

Acute Flaccid Myelitis

  • Acute Flaccid Myelitis (AFM), a polio-like disease affecting children has come into public focus.
  • Enteroviruses (a group of viruses such as poliovirus and enterovirus A71, and West Nile virus. ) are the main cause of the disease in children.
  • The concerns emanate from the US, more than 100 cases of AFM have been confirmed in 2018.
  • AFM is characterised by muscle weakness — weak limbs, pain, absent reflexes.