About Panama Canal:

• It is a manmade waterway that connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans across the Isthmus of Panama.
• It is one of the strategic artificial waterways in the world.
• It is owned and administered by Panama.
• History:
  • It was built by the United States and completed in 1914.
  • From its opening in 1914 until 1979, the Panama Canal was controlled solely by the United States.
  • In 1979, control of the canal passed to the Panama Canal Commission, a joint agency of the United States and the Republic of Panama, and complete control passed to Panama in 1999.
• Functioning
  • It uses a system of locks and elevators to take ships from one end to the other.
  • This is needed because the two oceans that the Panama Canal connects do not lie at the same elevation, with the Pacific slightly higher than the Atlantic.
  • For a ship entering the canal through the Atlantic, it needs to gain elevation during its journey to the Pacific.
  • This is achieved using a lock system which lifts and drops vessels to the required sea level at either end of the canal.
  • Basically, locks are either flooded (to gain elevation) or drained (to lose elevation), and act as water elevators.

About Titanium:

• It is the fourth most abundant metal and the ninth most abundant element in the Earth's crust.
• It often occurs in ore deposits in the form of chemical compounds with iron or oxygen.
• It is present in meteorites and the sun.
• Ores of Titanium: The two prime commercial minerals are Ilmenite (FeTiO3) and Rutile (TiO2).
• Titanium is obtained by the Kroll process.
  • Kroll process is a method for producing titanium metal in large quantities and high purity using a magnesium reduction process for titanium tetrachloride, developed by William Justin Kroll in the 1940s.
• Properties:
  • It is very corrosion resistant and generally not affected by air, water, acids or bases. 
  • It has a low density, good strength, is easily fabricated, and has excellent corrosion resistance. 
  • The metal burns in air and is the only element that burns in nitrogen. 
• Applications of Titanium:
  • It is useful in aircraft, spacecraft, ships, and other high-stress applications.
  • It also is used in prosthetic devices, because it does not react with fleshy tissue and bone.
  • Titanium oxide spectra are used by astronomers to identify cool red dwarf stars.
  • It is used as an alloying agent with many metals including aluminium, molybdenum and iron. 

About Aghanashini River:

• Origin: It originates from Gadihalli (Sirsi) in the Western Ghats of Karnataka. 
• Aghanashini meaning the ​“Remover of Sins” is one of the very few free-flowing rivers of the world.
• It joins Arabian Sea at Tadri, Karnataka.
• Tributaries: Donihalla, Chandika hole, Masti mane halla, Benne hole etc
• Water Falls: The variations in the terrain has led to formation of various water falls such as the Burude falls, Dabbe falls, Waate halla, Benne holé falls, Unchalli falls.
• Aghanashini Estuary: Where the Aghanashini River meets the Arabian Sea, this estuarine system is rich in mangroves and supports a variety of fish and bird species.
  • Aghanashini Estuary has been designated as the Ramsar Site.

About GARBH-INi Initiative:

• It promotes Maternal and Child Health and develops prediction tools for preterm birth.
• It is an interdisciplinary Group for Advanced Research in BirtH outcomes- DBT India Initiative (GARBH-Ini) has initiated a cohort study of pregnant women has been initiated in 2015.
• Objective
  • To acquire deep fundamental knowledge on adverse pregnancy outcomes such as preterm birth (PTB) and fetal growth restriction (FGR)
  • Apply this knowledge to identify efficient and sustainable solutions that would assist in reducing associated mortality, immediate and long term morbidity.
• It is an initiative under the Department of Biotechnology of the Union Ministry of Science and Technology as a collaborative interdisciplinary programme.
• This program is led by the Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI), NCR Biotech cluster, Faridabad.
• It is part of the Atal Jai Anusandhan Biotech Mission – Undertaking Nationally Relevant Technology Innovation (UNaTI).

What is a Preterm Birth?

• It is defined as babies born alive before 37 weeks of pregnancy are completed. There are sub-categories of preterm birth, based on gestational age:
  • Extremely preterm (less than 28 weeks)
  • Very preterm (28 to 32 weeks)
  • Moderate to late preterm (32 to 37 weeks)

About Colombia:

• Location: It is a country located in the northwestern part of South America.
• It is known as the “Gateway of South America”, strategically located in the northwest, connecting South America with Central and North America.
• Bordering Countries: It is bordered by Panama to the northwest; by Ecuador and Peru to the south; by Venezuela to the east and by Brazil to the southeast.
• Maritime Borders: It is also bounded by the Caribbean Sea in the north and by the Pacific Ocean in the west. 
• It is a member of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) since 2020.
• Capital City: Bogotá
• Geographical Features of Colombia:
  • Climate: The climate is tropical along the coasts and eastern plains and cooler in the highlands.
  • Physical Regions: The country consists of two main regions: the Andes Mountains and broad lowland plains. 
  • Highest Peak: Its highest point is Pico Cristobal Colon
  • Major Rivers: Major rivers include the Magdalena, Amazon, and Orinoco.
  • Natural Resources: It is rich in natural resources like petroleum, natural gas, coal, and gold.

About Micro and Small Enterprises Cluster Development Programme:

• It is a demand driven Central Sector Scheme.
• It aims to increase the productivity and competitiveness of Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) for their holistic development using a cluster approach.
• Under this programme, State Government sends proposals for establishment of Common Facility Centers (CFCs) and establishment /up-gradation of Infrastructure Development (ID) projects as per requirements in clusters.
• Objectives
  • To enhance the sustainability and growth of MSEs by addressing common issues such as improvement of technology, skills & quality, market access, etc
  • To build capacity of MSEs for common supportive action through formation of self-help groups, consortia, upgradation of associations, etc
  • To create/upgrade infrastructural facilities in the new/existing Industrial Areas/ Clusters of MSEs
  • To set up Common Facility Centres (for testing, training, raw material depot, effluent treatment, complementing production processes, etc.).
  • Promotion of green & sustainable manufacturing technology for the clusters so as to enable units switch to sustainable and green production processes and products
• There are two components under the scheme viz.
  • Common Facility Centers (CFCs): Creation of tangible “assets”as Common Facility Centers (CFCs) in Industrial Estate.
  • Infrastructure Development (ID): This component is for development of infrastructure in new/existing notified Industrial Estate including Flatted factory complexes.
• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises

About Akasha300 3D Printer:

• It is a high-temperature multi-material extrusion 3D printer.
• It is backed by the Space Technology Innovation and Incubation Centre at IIST and the Kerala Startup Mission.
• Features of Akasha300 3D Printer:
  • The printer features dual-extrusion technology capable of operating at temperatures up to 350°C, with future upgrades planned to extend this to 500°C.
  • Its modular extruder design allows integration of additional extrusion systems, paving the way for hybrid additive manufacturing techniques.
  • It includes a heated bed that can reach up to 110°C, upgradeable to 150°C, and an enclosed chamber capable of maintaining temperatures up to 80°C.
  • This enables stable and precise printing of high-performance materials that require strict thermal conditions.
  • It is designed as an industrial-grade research platform, the system incorporates a robust motion system and integrated air filtration.
• Significance: These features make it suitable for research and development, allowing engineers and scientists to create functional components and prototypes with greater speed and accuracy.

About Minor Planet Centre:

• It is the world’s primary repository for all observations of small bodies in the solar system.
• It operates at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory under the International Astronomical Union.
• It is Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts USA.
• Process
  • When astronomers discover a new object, they send their data to the MPC, where experts verify the observations and calculate the object’s orbit.
  • If the discovery is new, the MPC assigns it an official designation.
• Functions of Minor Planet Centre
  • It plays a vital role in tracking asteroids, comets, and the moons of the outer planets.
  • One of the MPC’s most critical jobs involves monitoring near-earth objects (NEOs).
    • NEOs are space rocks that could potentially threaten the earth.
  • MPC maintains a large database that allows scientists to predict if and when a rock might come close to the earth.
  • The MPC also facilitates communication within the global scientific community by publishing electronic circulars that alert researchers to new discoveries or interesting celestial events.

About National AI Skilling Initiative:

• It is aimed at strengthening AI capabilities in areas such as animation, visual effects, gaming, comics (AVGC) and media technology.
• It was launched by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, in partnership with Google and YouTube.
• This initiative will train participants from the creative and media sectors.
• Implementation: It is being implemented through the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT).
• Features of National AI Skilling Initiative:
  • It will be conducted in two phases.
    • Phase I: It will focus on foundational AI learning at scale through Google Career Certificates and Google Cloud Generative AI learning paths.
    • Participants will undergo courses such as AI Essentials, Prompting Essentials, Introduction to Generative AI, and Generative AI Leader Path. Successful completion of this phase will be mandatory for progression to the next stage.
    • Phase II: It will focus on advanced, hands-on and project-based specialization for the creative industry.
  • The training will be conducted in major cities across the country.
• Significance: It will support creators, media professionals, students and developers in building future-ready skills.

About Hudsonian godwit:

• The Hudsonian godwit (Limosa haemastica) is one of the world's most remarkable travellers.
• It is a large shorebird in the sandpiper family, Scolopacidae. 
• Habitat: It breeds in wetland habitats (sedge meadows and muskeg) in sub-Arctic and Boreal regions.
• Distribution: It is mainly found in North America and South American countries.
• Diet: These birds forage by probing in shallow water. They mainly eat insects and crustaceans.
• It travels every year from their breeding grounds in the Arctic to Patagonia where they spend the southern summer.
• Threats: Habitat loss and climate change are among the most urgent threats.
• Conservation Status
  • IUCN Red List: Vulnerable