Solar Cycle

 Solar Cycle

The recent increase in solar missions is attributed to the approaching solar maximum in the solar cycle.
Recent solar missions include Aditya L1 by ISRO, Proba-3 by the European Space Agency, and PUNCH by NASA.

What is the Solar Cycle?
Definition: Approximately every 11 years, the Sun’s magnetic field undergoes a flip, switching its magnetic poles in a process known as the solar cycle.

Phases of the Solar Cycle:

• Solar Maximum: This is the optimal period for studying the Sun, marking the peak of solar activity with the highest number of sunspots. It is characterized by solar flare eruptions and coronal mass ejections (CMEs).
• Solar Minimum: Following the solar maximum, this phase represents the lowest solar activity with the fewest sunspots.

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Influenza Vaccines
The WHO has recommended the use of trivalent influenza vaccines for the 2025–2026 northern hemisphere influenza season. These vaccines include egg-based, cell culture-based, recombinant protein-based, and nucleic acid-based vaccines for influenza.

About Egg-based Vaccines:
These are produced by growing viruses in fertilized chicken eggs. The virus-containing fluid is extracted, and the virus is either inactivated (for killed-virus vaccines) or weakened (for live attenuated vaccines).

Challenges:
"Egg adaptation" refers to the process where vaccine seed viruses adapt to avian receptors, potentially leading to genetic mutations that affect the vaccine's effectiveness.

Other Types of Vaccines:

• Cell Culture-Based Vaccines: These use mammalian cells to grow the virus.
• Recombinant Protein-Based Vaccines: These involve producing specific proteins (antigens) from a virus using genetic engineering.
• Nucleic Acid-Based Vaccines: These vaccines deliver genetic instructions (DNA or mRNA) to cells, prompting them to produce viral proteins.

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Austria (Capital: Vienna)
Christian Stocker has been sworn in as Austria’s new Chancellor.

Political Features:

• Austria is a landlocked country in central Europe.
• Vienna is the headquarters for various international organizations, including the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, and the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
• Austria shares borders with Czech Republic (north), Germany (north-west), Hungary (east), Italy (south-west), Liechtenstein (west), Slovakia (east), Slovenia (south), and Switzerland (west).
• Austria is a member of the European Union but not of NATO.

Geographical Features:

• Climate: Temperate, continental.
• Terrain: Primarily mountainous (Alps) in the west and south, with flat or gently sloping areas along the eastern and northern borders.
• Major Lake: Lake Constance, shared with Switzerland and Germany.
• Major River: The Danube.

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