With No Deliberate Speed: The Segregation of Roma Children in Europe

In this study, by taking the advantage of both inorganic ZnO nanoparticles and the organic material chitosan as a composite seed layer, we have fabricated well-aligned ZnO nanorods on a gold-coated glass substrate using the hydrothermal growth method. The ZnO nanoparticles were characterized by the Raman spectroscopic techniques, which showed the nanocrystalline phase of the ZnO nanoparticles. Different composites of ZnO nanoparticles and chitosan were prepared and used as a seed layer for the fabrication of well-aligned ZnO nanorods. Field emission scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and infrared reflection absorption spectroscopic techniques were utilized for the structural characterization of the ZnO nanoparticles/chitosan seed layer-coated ZnO nanorods on a gold-coated glass substrate. This study has shown that the ZnO nanorods are well-aligned, uniform, and dense, exhibit the wurtzite hexagonal structure, and are perpendicularly oriented to the substrate. Moreover, the ZnO nanorods are only composed of Zn and O atoms. An optical study was also carried out for the ZnO nanoparticles/chitosan seed layer-coated ZnO nanorods, and the obtained results have shown that the fabricated ZnO nanorods exhibit good crystal quality. This study has provided a cheap fabrication method for the controlled morphology and good alignment of ZnO nanorods, which is of high demand for enhancing the working performance of optoelectronic devices

Stock assessment of small head hair tail Eupleurograrnmus muticus (Gray) (Pisces/Trichiuridae) from Mumbai coast

Based on the data collected from New Ferry Wharf, Versova and Vasai in the years 1997-99, the age, growth, mortality and stock assessment of small head hair tail, Eupleurograrnmus muticus (Gray)is reported in the present communication. The growth parameters - asymptotic length (Lm) and growth coefficient (K) were estimated as 81 1 mm and 0.78 per year respectively. The average total, natural and fishing mortality coefficients were estimated as 4.36, 1.15 and 3.21 respectively. The yield isopleths diagram shows that cumetric fishing could be achieved at exploitation rate (E) of 0.68 and LC 1 Lm value of 0.68. The present E of 0.73 is well beyond the optimum E of 0.50. Thus some management measures should be taken to prevent depletion of this resource

Comparison of condition factor of the ribbonfish Lepturacanthus savala (Cuvier, 1829) and Eupleurogrammus muticus (Gray, 1831) from Mumbai coast

Two co-existing species of ribbonfish Lepturacanthus savala (Cuvier, 1829) and Eupleurogrammus muticus (Gray, 1831) were landed by traditional dol net and trawl net in Mumbai waters with the former contributed more in the landings. Fluctuations in the condition factor have been found in both the sexes of L. savala and E. muticus. k value of the former species was highly affected by gonadal maturation than feeding activity where as k value of latter species was highly linked up with feeding intensity than sexual maturity. Female specimens had higher condition factors than males in both the species

Multi proxy approach to evaluate and delineate the potential of hot springs in the Kotli District (Kashmir, Pakistan)

Tattapani hot springs are located near the Kotli District of Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. This study evaluates these hot springs based on surface geological information, radon emission measurements, hydro-geochemical and isotopic signatures and potential source mechanisms. Field observations reveal that the hot springs are located at the crest of the Tattapani anticline along the faulted contact of Cambrian carbonates with Paleocene siliciclastics. In addition, remnants of igneous intrusions in the Cambrian carbonates are commonly observed. Spatial distribution of radon emissions (ranging between 2.1 and 29.5KBq m-3) indicates an anomalous zone located over the Cambrian-Paleocene faulted contact. Hydro-geochemical data show sodium-bicarbonate affinity of hot springs. The highest surface temperature of these springs is recorded at 60.8ºC. Average reservoir temperatures based on silica and cation geo-thermometers are 101ºC and 115ºC, respectively. Giggenbach ternary diagram (Na-K-Mg) suggests a non-equilibrium state between fluid and rock, whereas isotopic and chemical data indicate heat loss by conductive cooling and mixing with groundwater during the flow of thermal water up to the surface. Oxygen and deuterium isotopes indicate that thermal water is of meteoric origin, rain and/or snow in the north at higher altitudes providing the potential recharge. Furthermore, absence of tritium in the thermal water suggests a residence time of more than 50 years

Estimation of mortality rates, exploitation rates and ratios of Lepturacanthus savala (Cuvier) and Eupleurogrammus muticus (Gray)

The contribution of ribonfish to the total fish catch in the world has gone up from 1.1% in 1990 to 1.8% in 1998. However, ever since the pressure has increased in the coastal waters, the catches have started showing signs of decline. The same is also reflected in two species, Lepturacanthus savala and Eupleurogrammus muticus recorded from the dol net in Mumbai waters. In the present investigation the mortality rates and ratios of two species of ribbonfish are recorded. The pooled total, natural and fishing mortality of the former species is 4.15, 1.30, and 2.86 respectively whereas that of the latter species is 4.31, 1.15 and 3.16 respectively. The pooled exploitation ratio (E) and exploitation rate (U) of L. savala and E. muticus were 0.68 & 0.66 and 0.73 & 0.72 respectively. Though for both the species the E is well beyond the optimum E of 0.5, for E.muticus it is very much on the higher side. Thus, a reduction in the fishing effort is required to prevent future damage to the stock

Normality of I-V Measurements Using ML

Electrochemistry ecosystems are promising for accelerating the design and discovery of electrochemical systems for energy storage and conversion, by automating significant parts of workflows that combine synthesis and characterization experiments with computations. They require the integration of flow controllers, solvent containers, pumps, fraction collectors, and potentiostats, all connected to an electrochemical cell. These are specialized instruments with custom software that is not originally designed for network integration. We developed network and software solutions for electrochemical workflows that adapt system and instrument settings in real-time for multiple rounds of experiments. We demonstrate this automated workflow by remotely operating the instruments and collecting their measurements to generate a voltammogram (I-V profile) of an electrolyte solution in an electrochemical cell. These measurements are made available at the remote computing system and used for subsequent analysis. In this paper, we focus on a novel, analytically validated machine learning (ML) method for an electrochemistry ecosystem to ensure that I-V measurements are consistent with the normal experimental conditions, and to detect abnormal conditions, such as disconnected electrodes or low cell content volume.Comment: published at eScience 202

Uranium Concentration in Human Blood using Fission Track Etch Technique

The technique of fission track etch has been applied to determine concentration of uranium in human blood samples for exposed group and control group, male and female, using CR-39 track detector that is employed for registration of induced fission tracks. The blood samples of exposed group were collected from three key southern Iraqi governorates (Basrah, Muthanna and Dhi-Qar). These governorates were the center of intensive military activities during the 1991 and 2003 Gulf wars. The blood samples of the control group were taken from individuals who live in Babil governorate. This governorate, which is considered environmentally uncontaminated, is located north-west of the study area. The results showed that the uranium concentrations in human blood of exposed group ranged from 0.78 ppb (male, 3 years old, from Dhi-Qar) to 2.47 ppb (female, 65 years old, from Basrah). For the control group, the uranium concentration ranged from 0.32 ppb (male, 4 years old) to 1.47 ppb (female, 52 years old). It has also been found that the uranium concentrations in blood samples of exposed group are higher than those of the control group, and the uranium concentrations for female exposed group and control group are higher than those for male exposed group and control group. Keywords: uranium concentration, human blood, CR-39, fission track, Ira

Pulmonary Anthracosis in A Lion Tailed Macaque (Macaca silenus), An Endangered Primate Species - A Case Report

Anthracosis is the blackish pigmentation of the lung parenchyma and tracheobronchial tree. A female Lion Tailed Macaque aged 19 years was being kept captive in Thiruvananthapuram Zoo for 17 years. On 30th November 2019, the animal was found dead in the zoo and was subjected to a necropsy at the zoo hospital. The necropsy revealed diffused black deposits throughout the lungs on gross examination. On histopathological analysis, blackish deposits could be found throughout the lung parenchyma as free particles in addition to those observed in macrophages. Vehicular emissions seem to have caused the condition to develop. This is the first reported case of anthracosis in a Lion Tailed Macaque. The condition can adversely affect the health and life expectancy of Lion Tailed Macaques. The conservation status of Lion Tailed Macaques makes it important to prevent such pathologies from affecting the relatively smaller population of the species