UPSC QUIZ 05.12.2023

Explanation:

• Government of India and Government of Manipur signed a Peace Agreement with United National Liberation Front (UNLF) , which is oldest valley-based insurgent group of Manipur.

United National Liberation Front

• The UNLF was formed in 1964, and is distinct from the insurgent groups active in the state’s Naga-dominated and Kuki-Zomi dominated hills.
• The UNLF is one of the seven “Meitei Extremist Organisations” banned by the Union government under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, 1967.
• The UNLF has been operating both within and outside Indian Territory.
• It is believed that the UNLF initially received training from the NSCN (IM), the largest insurgent group among the Naga factions.
• It operates in all the valley areas of Manipur and some villages in the Kuki-Zomi hill districts.

Explanation:

• Periodic Labor Force Survey conducted by the National Sample Survey Office recently released data for July-September 2023, which shows India's unemployment rate in urban areas.

Key Features of Recent PLFS

• Urban unemployment rate: Unemployment rate in urban areas declined from 7.2% (July-September 2022) to 6.6% (July-September 2023).
• Men: This rate has declined from 6.6% to 6% over this time period.
• Women: A more positive trend was seen in their rate, which decreased from 9.4% to 8.6% over the given time period.
• Worker-Population Ratio: Worker-Population Ratio in urban areas The percentage of employed persons in the population for persons aged 15 years and above increased from 44.5% in July-September, 2022 to 46% in July-September, 2023.
• Men: This rate increased from 68.6% to 69.4% during this time period.
• Women: Their rate increased from 19.7% to 21.9% during this time period.

Explanation:

• Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) represent an unprecedented innovation at the intersection of blockchain technology and governance.
• These digital entities operate without centralized control and are governed by smart contracts and the consensus of their members, often using cryptocurrencies as a means of decision making and resource allocation.
• DAOs have attracted attention for their potential to transform various industries including finance, arts, and governance by fostering transparent, democratic, and self-enforcing systems.
• These institutions are not only reshaping traditional business structures, but also challenging the way we understand trust, governance and collaboration in a digital world.
• A DAO is an organization represented by rules encoded in the form of a computer program that is transparent, controlled by the members of the respective organization, and not influenced by the government.
• The idea behind a DAO is to create self-sustaining, community-driven units governed by smart contracts on the blockchain network.
• These smart contracts execute pre-defined rules autonomously without the need for intermediaries, ensuring trust through code rather than traditional authorities.

Explanation:

• For 200 years, scientists have failed to grow a common mineral in the laboratory under conditions under which it is believed to form naturally.
• Now, thanks to a new theory developed from atomic simulations, a team of researchers has finally succeeded in developing it in the laboratory. Their success solves a long-standing geology mystery called the “Dolomite Problem.”
• Dolomite is a calcium-magnesium-carbonate mineral. Dolomite is a prominent mineral in the Dolomite Mountains of Italy, Niagara Falls, the White Rocks of Dover, and the hoodoos of Utah.
• It is very abundant in rocks older than 100 million years, but is almost absent in younger mountain formations.
• Dolomite was first described as a mineral by the Swiss naturalist Nicolas de Saussure in 1792.

Explanation:

• A researcher at Saitama University has discovered a way to 'monitor' plants that respond to warning signals.
• The new study may help resolve long-standing questions in the field of plant defense mechanisms and pave the way for crop protection without the use of pesticides.
• The smell of freshly cut grass is caused by a group of compounds called green leaf volatiles (GLVs).
• A plant releases GLV into the air when it is injured. To other plants this smell can be a warning that tells them danger is near.
• Scientists are considering using this process to fight agricultural pests without using pesticides.
• GLV is released as a by-product. By developing defensive responses, plants can make themselves less palatable or even indigestible to avoid insect attackers.