UPSC Quiz – 2023 : IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs Quiz 18th October 2023

·       Atomic symbol: Nb

·       It has a body-centered cubic crystalline structure.

·       It must be placed in a protective atmosphere when processed at even moderate temperatures because it tends to react with oxygen, carbon, the halogens, nitrogen, and sulfur.

·       It has the property of becoming superconducting at low temperatures.

Sources:

·       It is not found free in nature but in minerals such as columbite and tantalite.

·       Commercially, niobium is extracted by first forming the oxide (Nb2O5). The oxide is then reduced using carbon or hydrogen.

·       Niobium resists corrosion due to the oxide film.

·       The metal starts to oxidize rapidly in the air at 200 degrees Celsius.

·       The metal is inert to acids, even to aqua regia at room temperature, but is attacked by hot, concentrated acids, and especially by alkalis and oxidizing agents.

·       It is one of the five major refractory metals (metals with very high resistance to heat and wear).

·       Refractory metals are a group of metallic elements that are highly resistant to heat and wear. It is generally accepted that tungsten, molybdenum, niobium, tantalum and rhenium best fit most definitions of refractory metals.

Applications:

·       It is used for the production of high-temperature-resistant alloys and special stainless steels.

·       It is also used in its pure form to make superconducting accelerating structures for particle accelerators.

·       Niobium alloys are used in surgical implants because they do not react with human tissue.

·       Niobium carbide is used in cutting tools.

·       Niobium-tin and niobium-titanium alloys are used as wires for superconducting magnets capable of producing exceedingly strong magnetic fields.

·       On its eastern periphery, the Marsh is flanked by the Buckingham Canal.

·       The diverse ecosystem of the marshland supports some 115 bird species, ten mammals, 21 reptiles, ten amphibians, 46 fish, nine molluscs, five crustaceans, and seven butterfly species.

·       These include notable species such as Russell’s viper (Daboia siamensis) and birds such as the glossy ibis (Plegadis falcinellus), grey-headed lapwings (Vanellus cinereus) and Pheasant-tailed jacana (Hydrophasianus chirurgus).

·       It is one of the Ramsar sites from India.

·       It is a corporate action in which a company issues additional shares to shareholders, increasing the total by the specified ratio based on the shares they held previously.

Why is a stock split done?

·       It is done to infuse liquidity and to make shares affordable for various investors who could not buy the shares of that company before due to high prices.

·       It is sometimes aimed at helping a company meet the minimum requirements to remain listed on an exchange.

·       This is because some stock indexes are price-weighted, meaning a company wishing to join the index would need to have, among other criteria, a price that falls within a certain band.

·       The most common split ratios are 2-for-1 or 3-for-1 (sometimes denoted as 2:1 or 3:1).  This means that for every share held before the split, each stockholder will have two or three shares, respectively, after the split.

·       The number of shares increases, but the price per share goes down in proportion.

·       It provides the Conference of the Parties (COP) and its other subsidiary bodies, with timely advice relating to the implementation of the Convention.

·       It is a subsidiary body of the COP that report regularly to the COP on all aspects of its work.

·       SBSTTA comprises government representatives competent in the relevant field of expertise.

It functions includes:

·       Providing assessments of the status of biological diversity,

·       Providing assessments of the types of measures taken in accordance with the provisions of the Convention and

·       Responding to questions that the COP may put to the body.

·       The 25th meeting of SBSTTA was held at Nairobi, Kenya.

·       These stations are capable of providing Real Time Positioning Service through Real Time-Kinematic with an accuracy of + / – 3cm.

·       The CORS network is available 24 /7 throughout the year.

Significance

·       CORS based precision services will boost auto navigation and machine control-based solution in Agriculture, Mining, Construction, Transport and Civil Aviation sector.

·       This will open new domains of innovation and research and create a Geospatial based ecosystem in these sectors.

·       CORS data will also aid in various scientific studies like Upper Atmosphere and Space weather studies, Meteorology and weather forecast, Plate motion and Tectonic studies, Seismology and Hydrology etc.

·       The Survey of India has set up more than 1,000 CORS stations across India.

Survey of India

·       It is the National Survey and Mapping Organization of the country under the Department of Science & Technology, Ministry of Science & Technology.

·       It is the oldest scientific department of India.

·       It was set up in 1767 and has evolved rich traditions over the years

·       It is assigned the role as the nation’s Principal Mapping Agency, Survey of India bears a special responsibility to ensure that the country’s domain is explored and mapped suitably.