Study on the growth and survival of Channa striatus (Bloch) postlarvae using live feed

Feeding experiments were conducted on the postlarvae of Channa striatus with two different live feeds - a copepod (Thermocyclops decipiens) and cladocerans (Moina micrura and Ceriodaphnia comuta) individually and in mixture. Food was provided at the rate of (500±50 Ind/L) and the experiments were carried out in 100 litre capacity tanks for 30 days. Results indicated better weight gain (951.85±28.77%) and survival (92.00<%) of postlarvae fed with mixed live food than individual live feed organisms

Role of natural productivity in modified extensive shrimp pond growing <i>Penaeus monodon</i> (Penaeidae, Crustacea)

195-200Hydrobiology of a modified extensive shrimp (Penaeus monodon) culture pond was monitored. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of plankton population revealed higher phytoplankton population during the first six weeks of culture which declined to low level thereafter and remained at that level till the end of the culture period. Zooplankton was represented mainly by rotifers, copepods and mysids. Dense population of rotifers and copepods occurred during the first-month of culture while mysids appeared from the third week of first-month and dominated there after. Composition of zooplankton varied depending on the occurrence of Brachionus plicatilis, Keratella spp, Pseudodiaptomus annandalei Paracalanus aculetaus, Oithona brevicornis, Microstella norvegica and Mesopodopsis zeylanica during the culture period. Gut content analyses showed sand grains, zooplankton, pelletized feed and unidentified semi-digested food matter in the proportions of 43%, 16%, 21% and 20% respectively. The percentage of stomach contents varied in different size groups. It is observed that during the early phase of culture natural food contributes considerably to the growth of the shrimp

Volatile bioactive compounds from marine macro-algae and their pharmacological properties

832-842The present study is aimed at identification of bioactive compounds and their pharmacological properties of four macro-algae (Hydropuntia edulis, Halymenia venusta, Ulva lactuca and Padina gymnospora) from the Hare Island, Tuticorin district of Tamil Nadu, India. The characterization of ethanol extracted compounds was done using GC-MS techniques. The major secondary metabolites such as alkaloids, phenol, saponins, flavonoids, steroids, terpenoids and tannins were recorded from all the algal samples. The numbers of major volatile compounds recorded in the GC-MS analysis are 32, 19, 8 and 14 in H. edulis, H. venusta, U. lactuca and P. gymnospora, respectively. All these identified compounds could be of therapeutic values for many acute and chronic diseases and disorders. These secondary metabolites belong to alkanes, aliphatic amines, aromatics, aldehydes, 1°, 2° amines and ketone groups. Many of these characterized compounds could be used for therapeutic purposes

Meiofaunal response to the tidal exchange and domestic sewage in the Adyar estuary, Chennai, India

1341-1348Maximum and minimum diversity recorded was 27 species and 16 species, respectively while density was (2093.33±141.12 Ind. /10 cm2) and (140.61±20.8 Ind. /10 cm2), respectively. ANOVA of the density of meiofaunal taxa showed significant difference between seasons at p= 0.05 level. Higher percentage composition of rotifers (54.9%), nematodes (19.72%) and oligochaetes (12.82%) were recorded. Correlation coefficients of meiofaunal density also showed significant difference with physicochemical parameters. Tidal exchange of seawater which depended on sand bar formation in mouth of the estuary and the quantum of domestic sewage released highly influenzed the pollution status of eatuary. Depending on these factors and seasonal variations in the physicochemical parameters the meiofaunal populations showed different responses in their diversity and density. The results indicated highly polluted state of the estuary during the study period

Home Appliances Controlling Using Windows Phone 7

ABSTRACT: In modern days, we must use various high-tech machineries and equipments to get our jobs done and make the life easier. These machineries should be controlled by the house owner from any location as the house owner might be away from house at workplace or travelling in a different place in the weekend. Thus a system of remote monitoring and controlling are very much necessary. Smart home is one of these types of system equipped with home appliances which we wish to control home appliances smartly from anywhere. Some products are commercially available which allow remote home appliance controlling through internet which is undoubtedly emerging. But it lacks the true sense of real mobility and security, making the remote home appliance controlling a limited term than it is supposed to be. In search of a true remote and adequately secure solution to be really effective and practicable, mobile telephony is better than any other solutions. Mobile phones have become almost an inseparable part of civil lives today. In this work we introduce a new mechanism so that the ordinary services of the mobile phones can be leveraged to communicate with and control the home appliances and make our homes a really smart one

Bayesian estimation of meiofaunal population using elicited information – A study with experts’ opinion in ecological models

473-488In most of the statistical models judgment from experts’ opinion has been required for the selection of predictor variables and functional relationships. Ecology, as in other branches of science, involves a complex mechanism of influence on data and its analysis is usually based on sound statistical principles. It is possible to construct realistic ecological models that explain the complex data and could provide the basis for further inference. In this study, an attempt has been made to estimate the prevalence of <span style="mso-ansi-language:EN-IN; mso-bidi-font-style:italic">Meiofaunal population based on the data collected in five stations (Adyar, Marina, Napier, Pulicat and Royapuram) of Chennai coast and the elicited information that would form a basis for constructing realistic priors. Further data pertaining to foraminiferans, a rare group of meiofauna from the five stations of Chennai coast is subjected to Bayesian analysis and the results are discussed. </span

Constraining sediment provenance for tsunami deposits using distributions of grain size and foraminifera from the Kujukuri coastline and shelf, Japan

Tsunami deposits preserved in the geological record provide a more comprehensive understanding of their patterns of frequency and intensity over longer timescales; but recognizing tsunami deposits can prove challenging due to post-depositional changes, lack of contrast between the deposits and surrounding sedimentary layers, and differentiating between tsunami and storm deposition. Modern baseline studies address these challenges by providing insight into modern spatial distributions that can be compared with palaeotsunami deposits. This study documents the spatial fingerprint of grain size and foraminifera from Hasunuma Beach and the Kujukuri shelf to provide a basis from which tsunami deposits can be interpreted. At Hasunuma Beach, approximately 50 km east of Tokyo, the spatial distribution of three common proxies (foraminiferal taxonomy, foraminiferal taphonomy and sediment grain size) for tsunami identification were mapped and clustered using Partitioning Around Medoids cluster analysis. Partitioning Around Medoids cluster analysis objectively discriminated two coastal zones corresponding to onshore and offshore sample locations. Results show that onshore samples are characterized by coarser grain sizes (medium to coarse sand) and higher abundances of Pararotalia nipponica (27 to 63%) than offshore samples, which are characterized by finer grain sizes (fine to medium sand), lower abundances of Pararotalia nipponica (2 to 19%) and Ammonia parkinsoniana (0 to 10%), higher abundances of planktonics (15 to 58%) and species with fragile tests including Uvigerinella glabra. When compared to grain-size and foraminiferal taxonomy, foraminiferal taphonomy; i.e. surface condition of foraminifera, a proxy not commonly used to identify tsunami deposits, was most effective in discriminating modern coastal zones (identified supratidal, intertidal and offshore environments) and determining sediment provenance for tsunami deposits at Kujukuri. This modern baseline study assists the interpretation of tsunami deposits in the geological record because it provides a basis for sediment provenance to be determined.NRF (Natl Research Foundation, S’pore)MOE (Min. of Education, S’pore)Published versio