About Bor Tiger Reserve:

• It is located in the Wardha District of Maharashtra.
• It is the smallest tiger reserve in India by area.
• It is centrally located among several other Bengal tiger habitats.
  • Towards the northeast lies the Pench Tiger Reserve, towards the east is the Nagzira Navegaon Tiger Reserve, and to the southeast is the Karhandla Wildlife Sanctuary.
  • The Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve is located to the southeast, the Melghat Tiger Reserve stands to the west, and the Satpura Tiger Reserve lies to the northwest.
• Vegetation: The area is populated by the Dry Deciduous Forest type.
• Flora: Teak, tendu, bamboo, tarot, and gokhru are some of the abundant species.
• Fauna:
  • Apart from tigers, the reserve is home to several other mammals like leopards, sloth bears, sambar deer, Indian bison (gaur), chital, wild boars, and more.
  • It has recorded diversity of just under 200 avian species, with migratory waterfowl such as the tufted duck, northern shovelers, as well as the elegant fish specialist, the osprey.
  • Commonly seen resident species include the Indian peafowl, black-hooded oriole, and Indian paradise flycatcher.

About Brandt’s Hedgehog:

• It is a species of desert hedgehog.
• Scientific Name: Paraechinus hypomelas
• Distribution: It is native to parts of the Middle East and Central Asia, with a range that includes Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and parts of Turkmenistan.
• Habitat:
  • It inhabits arid and semi-arid regions, including rocky deserts, scrublands, and dry mountain slopes.
  • The species is adapted to environments with sparse vegetation, loose or stony soils, and extreme temperature fluctuations between day and night.
  • It is often associated with areas that provide natural shelter, such as rock crevices, abandoned burrows, or dense shrubs.
  • It is still capable of digging dens when absolutely needed. It hibernates during colder weather.
• Features:
  • It has a black brownish face with a few white hairs interspersed on the forehead.
  • They have large ears with a narrow base.
  • Both the dorsal and ventral surfaces as well as the limbs are usually blackish brown.
  • It has five short-nailed toes on each of its two front paws.
  • Its back paws have four toes each with nails that constantly grow long.
  • It is a faster runner due to lighter needle protection.
  • It is predominantly nocturnal.
• Conservation Status:
  • IUCN Red List: Least concern.

About Soft Matter:

• Soft matter, or soft materials, is a sub-field of “condensed matter”, referring to a variety of materials that can be easily deformed or structurally altered by thermal fluctuations or nominal external stress.
• Soft materials include colloids, polymers, foams, gels, liquid crystals, and many biomaterials.
• They exhibit many useful and appealing properties, which account for their ubiquity in everyday life, finding use in a diverse range of applications in industry including, food, medical, automotive, construction, transportation, electronics, and manufacturing.
• Everyday examples include curd, toothpaste, shampoo, soap bubbles, and living cells.
• One of the important characteristics of soft matter is their physical structures in the mesoscopic scale.
• It is the properties and interactions of these structures that determine the overall behavior of the material.
• Unlike “hard materials” such as metals, ceramics, or glass, the building blocks of soft matter are held together by weak forces.
• As a result, soft material properties can be markedly affected as a result of small changes in temperature, applied force, time, and environment.

About Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS):

• It is a rare neurological disorder in which a person’s immune system mistakenly attacks part of their peripheral nervous system.
  • This is the part of the nervous system outside the brain and spinal cord.
  • It controls muscle movement, pain signals, and temperature and touch sensations.
• Since the body's own immune system does the damage, GBS is called an autoimmune disease.
• GBS is also called acute inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (AIDP).
• It can occur at any age, but it most commonly affects people between 30 and 50.
• Causes:
  • The exact cause of the disease remains unclear, but it is often observed following a viral or bacterial infection, vaccination, or major surgery.
  • At such times, the immune system becomes hyperactive, leading to this rare condition.
• Symptoms:
  • Patients often begin with an unknown fever, followed by weakness and other nervous system-related symptoms.
  • It can increase in intensity over a period of hours, days, or weeks until certain muscles cannot be used at all.
  • Some cases of GBS are very mild and only marked by brief weakness. Others cause nearly devastating paralysis, leaving the person unable to breathe on their own.
  • It is potentially life-threatening. People with GBS should be treated and monitored as quickly as possible
• Treatment:
  • There’s no known cure for GBS.
  • Several treatment options can ease symptoms and help speed recovery.
  • Most people recover completely from GBS, but some serious illnesses can be fatal.
  • While recovery may take up to several years, most people are able to walk again six months after symptoms first began.
  • Some people may have lasting effects, such as weakness, numbness, or fatigue.

About United Arab Emirates:

• Location: It is a Middle East country that is located on the north east edge of the Arabian Peninsula.
• Bordering Countries: It is bordered by Saudi Arabia in the south and west; and Oman in the east.
• Maritime Boundary: Gulf of Oman (East), Persian Gulf (North).
• Capital City: Abu Dhabi
• Geographical Features of United Arab Emirates 
  • Terrain: The emirates comprise a mixed environment of rocky desert, coastal plains and wetlands, and waterless mountains. 
  • Climate: The climate is hot and humid along the coast and is hotter still, but dry, in the interior.
  • Natural Resources: It mainly consists of petroleum and natural gas.
  • Tropic of Cancer passes through UAE, specifically Abu Dhabi emirate. 

About Indian Bison:

• It is the largest species among the wild cattle and the Bovidae.
• Distribution: These are indigenous to the South and Southeast parts of Asia.
• Habitat: They are primarily found in evergreen and semi-evergreen forests along with moist deciduous forests with open grasslands.
• They prefer hilly-terrains with large and undisturbed forest tracts and abundant water.
• Conservation Status of Indian Bison:
  • IUCN Red List: Vulnerable
  • CITES: Appendix I
  • Wild Life Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I 
• Ecological Significance: It plays a vital role in maintaining ecological balance in forests besides serving as important prey species for tigers.
• They also help shape vegetation dynamics and contribute to seed dispersal.
• Threats: Loss of habitat throughout most of their range. It is susceptibility to domestic cattle diseases like rinderpest, hoof, or mouth disease.

Key Facts about Debrigarh wildlife sanctuary

• Location: It is situated in the Bargarh district of Odisha.
• It is located near Hirakud Dam (the longest dam in India and the longest earthen dam in the world) on the Mahanadi River.
• Vegetation: Most of the plant sanctuary is covered with mixed and dry deciduous forest.
• Flora: Major trees found here are Sal, Asana, Bija, Aanla, Dhaura, etc..
• Fauna: Indian leopards, sloth bears, chousingha (four-horned antelope), sambar deer, gaurs (Indian bison).

About ICGS Sankalp:

• ICGS Sankalp is the 5th Advanced Offshore Patrol Vessel (AOPV) of Indian Coast Guard which was commissioned in 2008.
• The vessel is indigenously built by the Goa Shipyard Limited.
• Functions: It is designed primarily for extended maritime surveillance, exclusive economic zone (EEZ) protection, search and rescue operations, and enforcement of maritime laws within India's vast oceanic domains.
• Features of ICGS Sankalp:
  • It is equipped with state of the art navigational and communication sensors and other equipment.
  • It is capable of embarking Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH) and Chetak helicopters. 
  • Armaments: It is equipped with primary armament consisting of two 30 mm CRN-91 twin-barrel naval guns, designed for surface engagement and controlled by an integrated fire control system.
  • It also fitted with davits to deploy up to five high-speed interceptor boats.

About Indiaphonte bijoyi:

• It is a tiny crustacean discovered from the Kavaratti lagoon in the Lakshadweep islands.
• It belongs to the family Laophontidae within the Copepoda class.
• Habitat: It lives in sediments in aquatic environments.
• Key Facts about Laophontidae:
  • It is most diverse family within the order Harpacticoida.
  • It is microscopic in size and plays a vital role in maintaining the health of marine and freshwater ecosystems.
• Ecological Role:
  • They are sensitive to pollution, oil spills, heavy metals, and climate change and are considered reliable bio-indicators of environmental change.
  • They are widely used in aquaculture and fisheries, especially as live feed for fish larvae.
  • They produce and convert omega-3 fatty acids such as Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) that are essential for the growth of fish and shellfish and contribute significantly to human nutritional security.

About Chips to Start-up Programme:

• It is an umbrella capacity-building initiative launched by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) in 2022.
• Target: It targets the development of industry-ready professionals across undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral levels.
• It aims to catalyse the incubation of start-ups and enable technology transfers.
• Features of Chips to Start-up Programme:
  • The programme seeks to provide access to SMART lab facilities, train students, generate patents, and support focused research publications. 
  • It supports innovation, enhances employability, and enables academic institutions to play a more active role in India’s semiconductor value chain.
  • Programme Approach and Implementation
    • It adopts a comprehensive approach, providing students with hands-on experience in chip design, fabrication, and testing.
    • It is achieved through regular training sessions in collaboration with industry partners, combined with mentorship and practical support.
    • Students gain access to advanced chip design tools, fabrication facilities, and testing resources, including state-of-the-art EDA software and semiconductor foundries.
    • These opportunities also include implementing R&D projects under the C2S Programme to develop working prototypes of Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASICs), Systems-on-Chip (SoCs), and Intellectual Property (IP) Core designs.