Science and Technology MCQ Set 24
Showing question 116 to 120 of total 301 MCQs
MCQ Set: 24
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Question No: 116
TMC researchers have discovered a biomarker for which form of cancer?
- Tongue cancer
- Pancreatic cancer
- Lung cancer
- Liver cancer
Answer and Explanation
Answer: A
Explanation
Researchers at the Tata Memorial Centre in Mumbai have identified a biomarker that will help doctors decide whether patients with early-stage tongue cancer should undergo neck surgery to remove 20-30 lymph nodes.
Patients negative for the biomarker can be spared of neck dissection.
Studies were carried out on 57 patients.
In nearly 70% of patients with early-stage tongue cancer, the tumour does not spread to the lymph nodes.
But in the absence of a reliable biomarker capable of pointing out in which patients the disease will recur, doctors routinely remove the affected part of the tongue and the lymph nodes in all patients.
Nearly 80% of patients survive and are disease-free if tongue cancer is detected early.
But once cancer spreads to the lymph nodes, the survival rate reduces to 40%.
Currently, surgical removal of lymph nodes and studying them is the only way of knowing if the cancer has spread.
The discovery of the biomarker — MMP10 protein — potentially fills this gap.
Only those patients who have higher level of this protein [overexpression] are likely to have cancer spread to the lymph nodes.
So the biomarker will help doctors to decide which patients could be spared of complex surgeries to remove the lymph nodes.
The biomarker can be identified using a simple immuno histochemical analysis, a method to locate proteins in tissue sections.
The researchers validated their findings using data of 253 patients from the Cancer Genome Atlas and other studies.
The MMP10 biomarker was significantly higher in four of the five data sets.
The 57 patients studied were negative for human papillomavirus (HPV) but were habitual users of chewing tobacco.
Although chewing tobacco has been associated with oral cancer, there has been no direct evidence linking the two at the genome level.
This study has for the first time shown a direct link between chewing tobacco and tongue cancer.
Those chewing tobacco had a classic signature in the genome in the form of a specific type of mutation (transversion mutation).
According to the study, 53% of all patients have this tobacco signature.
This mutation is driven by tobacco usage.
Question No: 117
Scientists have created the world’s first music composition with information about ______.
- eclipse
- solar flares
- rain
- lightening
Answer and Explanation
Answer: A
Explanation
Scientists, including one of Indian origin, have created an original music composition.
This is using data from the movements of the Sun, the Moon and the gradual darkness during the total solar eclipse in the U.S.
This is the first time researchers have made music with eclipse information.
The team from Georgia Institute of Technology in the U.S. watched countless videos of total eclipses to develop the correct tone and pacing for the piece.
They also used live data from the total solar eclipse, that swept across the U.S. on August 21, to add more musical elements to the existing piece.
The researchers, including Avrosh Kumar, talked to two blind people. One had previously seen an eclipse.
The other described how she listens to her surroundings, allowing researchers to better understand how visually impaired people use ambient sounds to develop a sense of their environment and the moments in their lives.
The audio experience at times sounds both hopeful and ominous.
During first contact, as the Moon starts to slide in front of the sun, high tonal sounds - representing the moon - gradually increase in volume and consistency.
During second contact, or the beginning of totality, the musical tension continues to rise.
This is even as the overall pitch and loudness begin to diminish as light levels fade.
In this portion of the music, the sound of crickets is also heard to signify the “false dusk” effect created when the moon completely covers the sun.
Question No: 118
Scientists in UK have discovered the world’s ______ surgical robot called Versius.
- Smallest
- Biggest
- Heaviest
- Lightest
Answer and Explanation
Answer: A
Explanation
Scientists in the UK have developed the world’s smallest surgical robot with low-cost technology used in mobile phones and space industries.
The robot, called Versius, mimics the human arm and can be used to carry out a wide range of procedures.
It is in these that a series of small incisions are made to circumvent the need for traditional open surgery.
These include hernia repairs, colorectal operations, as well as prostate, ear, nose and throat surgery.
Such procedures reduce complications and pain after surgery and speed up recovery time for patients.
The robot is controlled by a surgeon at a console guided by a 3D screen in the operating theatre.
The robot is much easier to use than existing systems, and take up about a third of the space of current machines.
For robots to revolutionise surgery, they need to be versatile, easy to use and small.
This is so that surgical staff can move them around the operating room or between operating theatres, or pack them away when they are not being used.
This is the first robotic arm to be designed specifically for laparoscopic surgery which does that.
One of the key benefits of the robot is that it works like a human arm and contains technology that detects resistance to make sure the right amount of force is used when the instruments are inside the patient.
Researchers used electronics from mobile phones to help the robot “think” and process information, and gear box technology.
This is originally designed for the space industry to help it move.
The robot is set to be launched next year.
Question No: 119
China has launched its first cyber-court in which city?
- Hangzhou
- Guangzhou
- Shenzhen
- Shanghai
Answer and Explanation
Answer: A
Explanation
China today launched its first cyber court specialising in handling internet-related cases in the e-commerce hub of Hangzhou.
This is amid a spike in the number of online disputes.
The Hangzhou Internet Court in Hangzhou, capital of east China’s Zhejiang Province will handle cases such as online trade disputes and copyright lawsuits.
The cases handled by the court will be tried online.
Yesterday, the Hangzhou municipal legislature appointed the president, vice presidents and judges of the court.
Hangzhou is home to many Internet companies, including e-commerce giant Alibaba.
The latest report from the China Internet Network Information Centre showed that China had about 751 million netizens and 724 million mobile Internet users as of the end of June.
Question No: 120
China has launched its first cyber-court in which city?
- Hangzhou
- Guangzhou
- Shenzhen
- Shanghai
Answer and Explanation
Answer: A
Explanation
China today launched its first cyber court specialising in handling internet-related cases in the e-commerce hub of Hangzhou.
This is amid a spike in the number of online disputes.
The Hangzhou Internet Court in Hangzhou, capital of east China’s Zhejiang Province will handle cases such as online trade disputes and copyright lawsuits.
The cases handled by the court will be tried online.
Yesterday, the Hangzhou municipal legislature appointed the president, vice presidents and judges of the court.
Hangzhou is home to many Internet companies, including e-commerce giant Alibaba.
The latest report from the China Internet Network Information Centre showed that China had about 751 million netizens and 724 million mobile Internet users as of the end of June.