GS Paper 3

Context: Indian startups that utilize RISC-V, an open-source instruction set architecture (ISA), have immense potential for creating innovative products, devices, and AI solutions in collaboration with global companies.

About RISC-V

• RISC-V is an open standard Instruction Set Architecture (ISA) based on established RISC principles. Each computer hardware will support a particular ISA.
• Unlike most other ISA designs, RISC-V is provided under open-source licenses that do not require fees to use. RISC-V can be extended or customised for a variety of hardware or application requirements.
• ARM and x-86 are two such instruction set architectures- one of which is licensed and the other is sold, where the industry consolidated in the earlier decades. However, RISC-V has emerged as a strong alternative to them in the last decade, having no licensing encumbrances, enabling its adoption by one and all in the semiconductor industry, at different complexity levels for various design purposes. India has developed two series of microprocessors:
  • SHAKTI series of microprocessors by IIT Madras.
  • VEGA microprocessors by C-DAC.

Context: Central Government is foreseeing a “stagnation” in milk production and a possible scarcity of ghee and butter as an impact of the lumpy skin disease (LSD) that took the lives of about 1.89 lakh cattle recently.

Major Highlights

• Normally, milk production in India is growing at 6% per year. This year, it is either stagnant or has grown at 1% or 2%. The demand for milk, however, has grown by 8% to 10%, which has led to “price inflation” in milk and its products. 
• Besides LSD, another reason for the “price inflation” is the increase in the prices of fodder and its scarcity.
  • The fodder cultivation area is around 4% for the past five decades. However, the Indian dairy sector is growing at a rate of 6%. 

Lumpy Skin disease

• Lumpy skin disease is caused by the lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV), which belongs to the genus capripoxvirus, a part of the poxviridae family (smallpox and monkeypox viruses are also a part of the same family).
• It is a contagious disease that usually affects host animals like cows and buffaloes. 
• The disease can either spread through:
  • direct contact with the vectors (like mosquitoes, some biting flies, and ticks)
  • contaminated fodder and water (infected animals shed the virus through oral and nasal secretions which may contaminate common feeding and water troughs)
  • animal semen during artificial insemination.
•  It is not a zoonotic virus i.e., the disease cannot spread to humans.
• Symptoms: LSD affects the lymph nodes of the infected animal, causing the nodes to enlarge and appear like lumps on the skin, which is where it derives its name from.
  • The cutaneous nodules, 2–5 cm in diameter, appear on the infected cattle’s head, neck, limbs, udder, genitalia, and perineum. The nodules may later turn into ulcers and eventually develop scabs over the skin. 
  • Other symptoms include high fever, sharp drop in milk yield, discharge from the eyes and nose, salivation, loss of appetite, depression, damaged hides, emaciation (thinness or weakness) of animals, infertility and abortions. 
• The morbidity of the disease varies between two to 45% and mortality or rate of death is less than 10%.
• It is safe to consume milk from cattle infected by Lumpy Skin Disease, as it is a non-zoonotic disease.

Spread

• LSD disease is currently endemic in several countries across Africa, parts of West Asia (Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Syrian Arab Republic), and Turkey. 
• The disease reached India in August 2019, with initial cases being detected in Odisha and West Bengal. 

Implications

• The disease leads to reduced milk production as the animal becomes weak and also loses appetite due to mouth ulceration, abortion in pregnant animals and sterility in bulls. 
• It threatens the livelihoods of smaller farmers significantly which incur losses due to cattle deaths. 

Key Facts

• India is the world’s largest milk producer at about 210 million tonnes annually. India also has the largest headcount of cattle and buffalo worldwide.

Context: Raccoon Stealer, an information-stealing malware, was used to target eight Central government entities, including Central Paramilitary Forces and the Income Tax Department.

• National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) has been tracking and reporting the activities of Raccoon Stealer malware, which is available as Malware-as-a-service (MaaS).
• It is an information stealer malware which is usually delivered through email that retrieves sensitive data from infected machines. 

Malware-as-a-Service (MaaS)

• Malware as a Service (MaaS) is a type of cybercrime model where malware is offered for sale or rent by cyber criminals as a service.
  • Malware is malicious software specifically designed to exploit vulnerabilities in computer systems or networks. 
• These services typically are available on the dark web. They are purchased to carry out various malicious activities, such as stealing sensitive information, disrupting computer systems, or encrypting data and demanding a ransom to unlock it.
• In this model, individuals or groups with little or no technical expertise can gain access to sophisticated and powerful malware tools and services, enabling them to launch cyber attacks without needing to develop or maintain their own malware. Thus, making it easier for cybercriminals to launch attacks and evade detection.
• MaaS operates similarly to legitimate Software as a Service (SaaS) models, where software is provided on a subscription or pay-per-use basis. 

Some of the most common types of malware include

• Viruses: Programs that can replicate themselves and spread to other computers which can cause various problems, such as disrupting computer operations, stealing information, or damaging files.
• Trojan horses: These programs masquerade themselves as legitimate software but can carry out malicious activities, such as stealing data or giving attackers unauthorized access to a computer.
• Worms: A self-replicating program that can spread across networks, disrupting computer operations and consuming network resources.
• Adware: Software that displays unwanted advertisements on a computer. It can be intrusive and sometimes can track a user's online activities.
• Ransomware: Encryption of a victim's data with the demand for a ransom payment to unlock it. It can result in losing important data and files.
• Spyware: Software designed to collect information about a user's online activities without their knowledge or consent to steal sensitive information (like financial statements and passwords).
• Bots: A bot, short for "robot", is a type of software application or script that performs automated tasks on command like malicious activities. 

National Technical Research Organisation

• National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) is a highly specialised technical intelligence gathering agency under the National Security Advisor. 
• The agency specializes in multiple disciplines, which include remote sensing, Signals Intelligence, data gathering and processing, cyber security, geospatial information gathering, cryptology, strategic hardware and software development and strategic monitoring.

Context: New method of visual detection of SARS-CoV-2 can identify the infection at an early stage. A new sandwich-based lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) for the detection of the Receptor Binding Domain (RBD) of severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2(SARS-CoV-2) could provide an efficient substitute for RT-PCR tests.

Need for Rapid and Affordable Covid-19 Testing

• RT-PCR tests are time-consuming and require skilled labour and equipment. Not feasible for large-scale on-site testing.
• New test kits are needed that are rapid, robust, affordable and can be used for mass testing without skilled personnel. Helps reduce spread by early detection.

Development of Lateral Flow Immunoassay (LFIA) test

• Scientists from DBT-NIAB and Gandhi Medical College developed an LFIA test for early on-field detection of SARS-CoV-2. Based on antigen-antibody interaction, doesn't need skilled staff.
• With DST-SERB support, scientists cloned a gene for SARS-CoV-2 RBD protein, purified and generated antibodies (Ab) against it. AuNPs-Ab is used as a capture probe for colorimetric detection.
• LFIA test works on sandwich format - RBD antigen in sample interacts with AuNPs-Ab to form complex, moves along the membrane and reacts with RBD Ab coated as test line, giving red colour. The control line verifies test functionality.
• Different parameters like blocking buffer, and antibody concentration optimized for maximum efficiency. Band intensity was analyzed using a smartphone app for image acquisition/analysis, giving RGB data and intensity trends.

Utility and Cost-Effectiveness

• LFIA strips are useful as a portable, point-of-care device for on-site SARS-CoV-2 testing at home or in rural areas. Much cheaper than RT-PCR, benefits the economically disadvantaged.
• Mass production of kits can enable large-scale testing. But quality checks and safeguards are needed to ensure accuracy before policy implementation.
• If proven highly accurate, LFIA and similar cheap, rapid test kits can revolutionize Covid-19 control strategies in resource-poor settings through early detection and isolation. Can aid in return to normalcy in some activities.

Limitations and Future Prospects

• Smartphone image analysis provides qualitative, not quantitative results. So not replace RT-PCR's high accuracy in diagnosis, prognosis and treatment monitoring.
• As mutations emerge, new generations of test kits may be needed to detect them. Continuous R&D is required to keep up with an evolving virus.
• Sample size and real-world data on test performance are needed to determine suitability. Regulatory approvals are required before mass uptake.
• Future prospects: Integrating multiplex detection in one assay; developing rapid confirmatory tests; commercial partnerships for scaling up production at low cost while ensuring quality.

The development of a cheap, rapid lateral flow immunoassay test for SARS-CoV-2 detection is promising for controlling the Covid-19 pandemic through affordable mass testing. However, the test may have limitations in the accuracy and detection of new variants that emerge. Continuous research and policy interventions are needed to enable early, widespread use of fast, low-cost but reliable diagnostics, especially in resource-poor regions bearing high caseloads. New tests that balance speed, cost, accuracy and adaptability will be key to managing coronavirus disease into the future.