AIIMS: COVID Study On Children:

• According to the study, adolescents had lower mortality and fewer symptoms than adults.

• Children between the ages of 15 and 17 have been immunised since January 3, 2022. Before beginning the vaccination programme, doctors wanted to look into the COVID profiles of these children.

• Patients with organ cancer are more likely to have a moderate to severe condition. India should prioritise the development of paediatric infrastructure.

• One percent of adolescents have COVID-19 disease. COVID-19 was found to be mild in 84.6 percent of those tested.

• 11.5 percent of the participants were bothered by their bodies. 14.9 percent of the children had fever and a cough.

• COVID-19 disease was found in 6.3% of the population. 6.2 percent of the children had breathing problems.

• According to the study, 50.7 percent of people felt out of breath during the second wave. Oxygen therapy was required for 7.3% of the children.

• In 2.3 percent of the cases, invasive ventilation was required. 2.8 percent of respondents preferred non-invasive ventilation.

• In invasive ventilation, pressure is delivered through an endotracheal tube. Non-invasive ventilation refers to the oxygen assistance provided by a face mask.

• One percent of the children were given steroids. Remdesivir was given to 16.9 percent of the children.

• MIS – C is a multisystem inflammatory syndrome. It`s a condition in which antibodies turn hostile and attack the human body.

• MIS – C was discovered in children. MIS – C affected 12 out of 10,000 children infected with COVID-19.

• After recovering from COVID-19, the children develop the MIS – C condition in four to six weeks.

The Fastest AI Supercomputer In The World:

By the middle of 2022, Facebook parent company Meta`s new "artificial intelligence supercomputer" will be the fastest on the planet.

Highlights

• On January 24, 2022, Meta announced the AI Research SuperCluster (RSC). It is thought to be one of the fastest AI supercomputers in operation today.

• AI can currently perform tasks such as translating text between languages and assisting in the identification of potentially harmful content.

• However, the next generation of AI would necessitate the development of powerful supercomputers capable of performing quintillions of functions per second.

• RCS will aid in the development of new and improved AI models. It will also enable figuring in a variety of languages.

• RCS will also contribute to the development of technologies for the next central computing platform, dubbed "the metaverse," in which AI-driven applications and products will play an important role.

Metaverse

• Metaverse could be a network of 3D virtual worlds centred on social interaction.

• In futurism and fantasy, this term refers to a hypothetical iteration of the internet and a universal virtual world.

• The term "metaverse" was coined in the 1992 fantasy novel Snow Crash.

Meta Platforms

• Meta Platforms was formerly known as Facebook, a multinational technology conglomerate based in the United States.

• Meta is the parent company of Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram, and is headquartered in Menlo Park, California.

• Meta is one of the world`s most valuable companies, and it is one of the Big Tech companies in information technology in the United States, alongside Amazon, Google, Apple, and Microsoft.

Supercomputer

• When compared to a general-purpose computer, the supercomputer has a high level of performance.

• Its performance is typically measured in terms of floating-point operations per second (FLOPS) rather than "million instructions per second (MIPS)."

Om RT-PCR Kit Developed By CSIR-CDRI

• Om kit is the first omicron kit developed by a government agency.

• It will allow India to achieve self-sufficiency in RT-PCR diagnostics.

• Dr. Atul Goel, Dr. Niti Kumar, and Dr. Ashish Arora make up the CSIR-CDRI team.

• The indigenous RT-PCR kit `INDICoV-OmTM` is one of the world`s few specialist Omicron detection kits.`

• In contrast to genome sequencing, the Om test kit will aid in the rapid and cost-effective detection of omicron variants in a large population.

• The kit was finished in two months. It will cost you around Rs 150. It will also provide test results in less than two hours.

• The kit can also detect new strains of Covid infection and respiratory infections.

• The kit will be available in mid-February after receiving approval from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

• The kit has been referred to the ICMR-National Institute of Virology (NIV) for validation.

• The Om diagnostic kit will be used specifically to detect the omicron variant. Its discovery will aid in the patient`s accurate diagnosis and treatment.

• The majority of RT-PCR-based diagnostic tools fail to identify the covid variation causing the illness.

• Assays such as S-gene dropout or whole-virus Nextgen sequencing are now used to detect the omicron variant.

• Concerns 

• The manner in which the S-gene is dropped is not specific. It does not specify what type of variety it is.

• The Nextgen sequencing approach, too, has limitations, such as cost, turnaround time, and the number of centres that provide this service.

• RT-PCR is a scientific procedure that combines reverse transcription of RNA into DNA. To amplify DNA targets, the polymerase chain reaction is used (PCR). It is used to calculate the amount of a specific RNA.

Volatile Organic Compounds:

• VOC is used as paint thinners. Also, they are used in perfumes. 

• They are naturally found in petroleum products. Plants, animals, and microorganisms also produce them.

• The water solubility of volatile organic compounds is very low. They are highly unstable at room temperature.

• Benzene is the most dangerous of all VOCs. It is classified as a carcinogen. It can be found in gasoline, cigarette smoke, automobiles, and paints.

• It`s widely used in the dry cleaning industry. It is also an organic compound that is volatile (VOC). These VOCs are present in dry-cleaned clothing.

• Eye, nose, and throat irritation Dizziness, headaches, and asthma-like symptoms It also causes a lot of cancer, kidney damage, and liver damage.

• Plants account for 90 percent of the VOCs in the atmosphere. VOCs are important in chemical reactions in the atmosphere.

• The VOCs help to keep the air above it clean. They also react with harmful pollutants and subdue their environmental effects. 

• VOCs are important in animal-plant communication. VOC concentrations in homes are five times higher than in the environment.

• VOCs can also stay in homes for prolonged periods. Long-term inhalation of VOCs causes cancer.

• Governments around the world, including the United States and the United Kingdom, have yet to establish regulations for VOC industrial limits. Increase house ventilation to reduce VOC exposure.

• There is no distinction between VOCs and other contaminants in the air in India.

• VOCs are substances produced by industrial pollution, automobiles, burning fuels, transportation, furniture coatings, and other sources, according to China.

• In the United States, they are referred to as hazardous materials. VOCs are organic compounds with a boiling point of less than or equal to 250 degrees Celsius, according to the EU definition.

Science