News in Shorts- 10 June 2024

Fog Computing

• About: A decentralized computing structure, fog computing extends the cloud capabilities to the edge of an enterprise network. 
• Edge and Cloud Analytics: It facilitates short-term analytics at the edge, while the cloud performs resource-intensive analytics.
  • It is not to be confused with edge computing–which brings data processing closer to devices–while fog computing involves processing data on intermediary nodes placed at the network’s edge.

Applications of Fog Computing:

• Connected cars: collecting and processing data from sensors in real-time to enable features such as autonomous driving and infotainment.
• Smart cities: monitoring traffic flows, managing public transportation, optimizing energy use, and more.
• Industrial IoT:  enhancing efficiency and safety in factories, power plants, mines, and other industrial infrastructure.
• Connected health: supporting remote patient monitoring, telemedicine, and other healthcare applications.
• AR/VR: enabling low-latency, high-quality augmented and virtual reality experiences.

SupTech

• About: Supervisory technology, or SupTech, is the use of AI and data analytics to oversee and manage financial institutions.
• Functions: It helps supervisors monitor whether firms are compliant with the regulations through efficient data collection, detailed data analysis, and accessibility.

Hydrogen Line

• About: The hydrogen line is an important instrument in modern astronomy from studying distant stars to looking for extraterrestrial intelligence (if it exists).
• Spin Alignment in Hydrogen Atoms: Each hydrogen atom is made of one proton and one electron.
  • Both these particles have a property called spin. Colloquially, the spin can point up or down at any given time. 
  • When the spins of both particles are pointing up (or down), they are said to be aligned. 
  • When they are pointing in opposite directions, they are anti-aligned. 
• Hydrogen Line Emission: Anti-aligned spins give the atom more energy than aligned spins.
  • When the electron flips its spin, the atom releases this excess energy as electromagnetic radiation with a 21 cm wavelength.
  • This emission appears as a characteristic line in some detectors, known as the “hydrogen line.”
• Discovery: Scientists discovered this emission in 1951 and it transformed radio astronomy.
• Detecting Clouds: By looking for this emission, they could detect clouds of cold, neutral hydrogen atomic gas in interstellar space.