Prelims Focus 8th April 2025

CAPTCHA systems

In News: CAPTCHA systems have come under renewed scrutiny amid discussions about their effectiveness in combating the recent rise of bot-driven activities and digital security breaches, underscoring both their significance and limitations in the rapidly changing cyber environment.

About: 

CAPTCHA, an acronym for Completely Automated Public Turing Test to Tell Computers and Humans Apart, is a security mechanism designed to differentiate human users from bots. It plays a crucial role in safeguarding websites and online platforms from automated malicious activities, such as spam, fraud, and unauthorized access.

How CAPTCHA Works: 

CAPTCHA operates on the principle that humans and bots process information differently. It presents challenges that are simple for humans but difficult for bots to solve. Common types of CAPTCHA tests include:

• Text-based CAPTCHA: Users identify distorted letters or numbers.
• Image-based CAPTCHA: Users select specific images based on prompts.
• Audio CAPTCHA: Users listen to audio snippets and provide responses.
• Checkbox CAPTCHA: Users click “I’m not a robot,” with cursor movements analyzed for randomness.

Vibrant Villages Programme-II (VVP-II)

In News: The Vibrant Villages Programme-II (VVP-II) is a central sector scheme approved by the Union Cabinet with a total outlay of ₹6,839 crore for the period 2024-25 to 2028-29. 

• This initiative aims to comprehensively develop villages located along international land borders, excluding the northern border already covered under VVP-I. 
• The program aligns with the vision of Viksit Bharat@2047 for “Safe, Secured & Vibrant Land Borders” and focuses on creating better living conditions, enhancing livelihood opportunities, and boosting border security.

Key Objectives

• Improved Living Conditions: Enhance infrastructure and services in strategic border villages.
• Livelihood Opportunities: Promote sustainable livelihoods through cooperatives, self-help groups, and value chain development.
• Border Security: Control trans-border crime and integrate border populations into the national mainstream.
• Community Engagement: Empower villagers as “eyes and ears” of border guarding forces, enhancing internal security.

Shingles Vaccine may Reduce Risk of Dementia

In News: A study in Wales suggests that the shingles vaccine may also lessen the probability of new dementia diagnoses by approximately 20% over 7 years.

• Shingles (Herpes Zoster) is a viral contamination due to the Varicella-Zoster Virus (VZV), the equal virus that causes chickenpox.

Dementia 

• It is a collection of sicknesses that affect memory, thinking, and regular activities, normally in older adults, though now not everyone will develop it with age.
• Common forms of dementia encompass Alzheimer’s diseases, vascular dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies, and frontotemporal dementia.
• Risk elements encompass age (65+), high blood pressure, diabetes, weight issues, smoking, immoderate alcohol use, physical state of no activity, social isolation, and despair.
• Dementia is resulting from diseases that harm mind cells, leading to cognitive decline past everyday growing old. 
• It also can get up from strokes, infections, alcohol abuse, or bodily mind injuries.
• Impacts: It has bodily, mental, social, and financial influences on people, carers, households, and society. 
• Treatment: While there may be no cure for dementia, treatments like physical activity, brain-stimulating activities, and medicinal drugs (e.G., cholinesterase inhibitors, NMDA antagonists, blood pressure control) can help control signs and symptoms.
• Finding of new observation:  The research, posted in Nature, found that people eligible for the shingles vaccine (based on their beginning date) had a lower chance of developing dementia as compared to people that had been ineligible.
  • This impact was more suggested in women than men.

Semaglutide

In News: A current study found that oral semaglutide (Rybelsus) reduces the danger of heart assaults, strokes, and cardiovascular loss of life by 14%.

• Semaglutide is a GLP-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) is to obtain a full-size discount in cardiovascular risk, was accepted in 2021 for weight control in people with weight problems and conditions like type 2 diabetes.
• The trial centered on decreasing main unfavorable cardiovascular activities (MACE) in human beings with type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and continual kidney disease (CKD).
• The study found that oral semaglutide extensively reduced MACE as compared to a placebo.
• Placebo is utilized in studies to evaluate the results of a brand new remedy to a non-active treatment.

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