Diet composition of freshwater crab, Potamon koolooense Rathbun, 1904 from hillstream of Uttarakhand

The present study was carried out to study the diet composition of freshwater crab, P. koolooense in hillstream Khoh of Uttarakhand during November, 2013 to October, 2014. Total 105 crab samples were used for the study, 35 male and 47 female were found with food in their stomach while rest of the 23 had empty stomachs. The carapace length (CL) ranged from 12mm to 49mm, carapace width (CW) from 15mm to 59mm and total weight (TW) from 2.08g to 60.12g. Stomach content analysis of the animal showed that the diet of the animal composed of animal matter, plant matter, algae, fungi, debris and unidentified materials. Animal matter ranged from (3.27-11.93%), plant matter (4.37-14.44%), algae (1.73-6.15%), fungi (0.17-1.43%), debris (28.18-40.47%) and unidentified materials (36.46-50.05%) in males while in the female animal matter ranged from (3.09-12.34%), plant matter (4.45-12.73%), algae (1.03-7.61%), fungi (0.02-3.34%), debris (23.18-43.34%) and unidentified (30.31-51.04%). Unidentified materials recorded maximum and fungi recorded minimum in both the sexes of Potamon koolooense. A significant difference was observed at p<0.05 between food groups- algae and unidentified matter in both sexes. This is the first report, to key out and quantifies the dietary items and feeding habits of crab in Uttarakhand which would be helpful in interpreting the ecological niche of the animal in mountain stream communities

Quantitative osteological study of a bottom feeder hillstream cyprinoid fish Crossocheilus latius latius (Hamilton- Buchanan)

The quantitative osteological study has been conducted on a Hillstream bottom feeder fish Crossocheilus latius latius. C. latius latius is a common hillstream fish of Snowfed Rivers of Alaknanda. The bones have been taken from different sized fishes ranged from 13 to 27 Cm in length and 39 to 132 gm in weight. The correlation is applied between Body Weight and the Weight of different disarticulated bones of C. latius latius. The correlation (r) is highly significant among the different parameter of body in relation to osteology which ranged from r = 0.952; P<0.1 to r = 0.999; P< 0.1

Laser Range Sensors

This paper presents the design aspects of laser range finders and proximity sensors beingdeveloped at IRDE for different applications. The principle used in most of the laser rangefinders is pulse echo or time-of-flight measurement. Optical triangulation is used in proximitysensors while techniques like phase detection and interferometry are employed in instrumentsfor surveying and motion controllers where high accuracy is desired. Most of the laser rangefinders are designed for ranging non-cooperative targets

Ontogeny of feeding and digestive system in cobitidian fish Noemacheilus montanus (McClelland)

Noemacheilus montanus is a bottom feeder water tracer fish of Himalayan region. The fish moves within the minute water capillaries in the mountain region and inhabited in small tributaries of hill stream. The incubation period spanned over 40-45 hour. After 1st day post-hatching the mouth was opened and upper and lower lips were distinguished. By second day post hatching taste buds were developed on both the lips. The larvae show rudiments of barbels on second day and which continue to grow  and by 5th day post hatching these acquire slender and long shapes with many taste buds scattered all over the surface. The large numbers of taste buds secrete huge amount of mucous which is morpho-ecological adaptation in these larvae for movement as well as this protect the larvae in their habited zone.  Various taste buds are also located on the upper and lower lips which are heterogeneous in shape. These taste buds greatly help this loach to locate the food and render this fish with carni-omnivorous habit enabling them to be the scavengers of the water body where they live. The pharyngeal region was distinguished from the buccal cavity by the development of the gill structure evident by 1st days post-hatch which are also having a large number of taste buds and mucous cells. These are helpful to take movement as well as respiration in the environment having less amount of water

Antibacterial and antioxidant activity of methanolic extract of bark of Prunus persica

In the present study in vitro antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of Prunus persica family rosaceae were carried out from the bark extract of the plant. The methanolic extract was tested for their antimicrobial study against gram positive and gram negative bacteria and for their antioxidant activity using scavenging activity of DPPH (1,1 diphenyl-2-picrylhydrozyl) radical method. The plant extract showed remarkable antibacterial and antioxidant activity

Floristic Diversity and Indigenous Uses of Forest Vegetation of Dabka Watershed in Indian Central Himalaya

A species check list of flora is presented in and around Dabka watershed, District Nainital of Uttarakhand, together with preliminary Phytosociological data for the major species of communities. A total of 45 tree species, 09 shrubs and 32 species of grasses and herbs recorded. Results of quantitative sampling indicate that Adina cordifolia (IVI 66.26) species dominated in the watershed area. Other important woody associates include Quercus incana (IVI 26.74), Pinus roxburghii (IVI 14.64). The diversity range for tree layer was 3.16 followed by herbs (2.92) and then shrubs (1.84); all of the tree species were contagious distribution. Analysis of use diversity showed that the recorded species provide 8 Different uses to local communities. About 56% of the species are used for more than one use categories. Although some species have multiple uses, the average number of uses per species is three. The uses were placed under three major use categories, which had highest contribution of the total uses. These include food, medicinal and fuel/fodder/timber/ dye etc. use value of species shows that about 38% species use in medicinal purposes, 32% species used for edible purposes and 33% use as various purposes. The current work provide the baseline floristic and ecological data and documents the structure and composition of vegetation and also collect information about ethno-botanic used to explore the conservation status and folk medicinal knowledge of the surrounding peoples of the study area, for managers planners and policy makers to understand such simple method assessing the biodiversity of any potential area for conservation in any region. The finding suggest that, public awareness and community based management need to be encouraged at all levels in order to overcome the threats; further investigation into nutritional properties of all the species reported; study on the pharmacological attributes would help to understand their medicinal application. Furthermore urgent collection of germplasm from areas under human pressure is recommended

Water and nutrition: a framework for action.

This framework for action was developed to support the inclusion of nutritional considerations in the design of water operations and to help formulate nutrition-enhancing water policy. Chronic undernutrition early in life can cause cognitive and physical impairments that prevent children from achieving their full potential and have lasting consequences on the human capital that is essential for economies of the future to be competitive. Water is at the core of healthy growth and development. It is a driver of better nutrition but, when poorly managed, can lead to negative impacts. The role of water for early child nutrition has centered on ensuring a hygienic living environment through clean water, adequate sanitation, and good hygiene. However, the importance of water for nutrition is much broader. A reliable water supply is needed to grow food to feed families, secure livelihoods, and provide income for other nutrition inputs. Yet water has become more variable as climate change accelerates, leading to more frequent and more damaging droughts and floods. Mismanagement of water resources results in shortages, pollution, and in some cases conflict, each of which impact a child’s ability to thrive. These relationships call for a more nuanced recognition of the role that water plays in early child nutrition, as well as the need for guidance on ways to mitigate the risks and boost the benefits of water investments for nutrition

Accessible biometrics: a frustrated total internal reflection approach to imaging fingerprints

Fingerprints are widely used as a means of identifying persons of interest because of the highly individual nature of the spatial distribution and types of features (or minuta) found on the surface of a finger. This individuality has led to their wide application in the comparison of fingerprints found at crime scenes with those taken from known offenders and suspects in custody. However, despite recent advances in machine vision technology and image processing techniques, fingerprint evidence is still widely being collected using outdated practices involving ink and paper – a process that can be both time consuming and expensive. Reduction of forensic service budgets increasingly requires that evidence be gathered and processed more rapidly and efficiently. However, many of the existing digital fingerprint acquisition devices have proven too expensive to roll out on a large scale. As a result new, low-cost imaging technologies are required to increase the quality and throughput of the processing of fingerprint evidence. Here we describe an inexpensive approach to digital fingerprint acquisition that is based upon frustrated total internal reflection imaging. The quality and resolution of the images produced are shown to be as good as those currently acquired using ink and paper based methods. The same imaging technique is also shown to be capable of imaging powdered fingerprints that have been lifted from a crime scene using adhesive tape or gel lifters

Composition-Dependent Dielectric and Piezoelectric Properties of Na1-zKzNbO3 Ceramics

Sodium potassium niobate, Na1-zKzNbO3, is a ceramic material that exhibits dielectric and piezoelectric properties, which can be tuned by changing the composition of the material. The dielectric properties of Na1-zKzNbO3 ceramics are characterized by a high dielectric constant and low loss, which makes them useful for applications in capacitors, filters, and resonators. Pellets of Na1-zKzNbO3 (0.120 ≤ z ≤ 0.210) were prepared by the solid-state reaction technique. The structural and morphological study was carried out on the prepared compositions at room temperature (RT). A Piezoelectric indirect constant (d33*) was obtained for the prepared compositions. Additionally, dielectric measurements were performed at frequencies 10-1000 kHz, from ambient temperature to 500 °C. For the prepared compositions with z = 0.175, a break in the XRD peak shifting patterns was observed, and the average grain size was calculated at 2.044 ± 0.3 µm. Also, the maximum indirect piezoelectric constant (d33*) was observed for z = 0.175 among the prepared compositions. For the prepared compositions, compositions with z = 0.140 showed the highest dielectric constant (peak value 1486, 385 °C). Among the prepared samples, dielectric constant (ε), loss tangent (tan δ) and electric conductivity (σ) were found to be minimum for the composition with z = 0.175 at all the measured frequencies. Anomalous dielectric, piezoelectric and structural properties are evident for the samples with z = 0.175 among the prepared samples. Overall, the composition-dependent dielectric and piezoelectric properties of Na1-zKzNbO3 ceramics make them promising materials for use in various electronic and sensing applications where high-performance dielectric and piezoelectric materials are required