Is the deep sea prawn fishery of Kerala sustainable?

The enterprising small and medium shrimp trawler operators of Kerala ventured into deep sea fishing for the first time in November 1999 defying the longheld concept that deep sea prawn resources could be harvested only by means of large trawlers. This endeavour proved successful with the realisation of 25,647 t of deep sea prawns in the first fishing season lasting between November '99 and May 2000

Innovative exploitation of deepsea crustaceans along the Kerala coast

Exploratory surveys carried out since 1965 by fishing vessels belonging to different governmental agencies have revealed the occurrence of commercially Important deep sea crustaceans in trawlable concentration along the south-west coast of India

Observations on the prawn fishery off Sakthikulangara in the light of monsoon trawling ban

Sakthikulangara is the most important prawn landing center in Kerala. Study on the prawn fishery exploited by shrimp trawlers for a period of 15 years during 1986-200b at rnis centre indicated a decline in the landings in the first five year period followed by improved fishery between 1991 and 1995. However, decline in catch and catch rate was registered in the next 5 years. Contribution of Sakthikulangara to the Kerala prawn fishery declined from 51% in seventies to 30% in eighties and 24% in nineties. 'Karikkadi' (Parapenaeopsis stylifera) contributed to 68% of the average annual production during 1986 - 2000. Extension of trawling to middle shelf waters and introduction of night trawling transformed the complexion of prawn fishery in the nineties with the addition of nonconventional species such as Trachypenaeus curuirostris, Solenocera choprai and Penaeus canaliculatus. Analysis of data on prawn fishery at Sakthikulangara for a period of 20 years (1981-2000) to study the impact of ban on monsoon trawling has indicated that trawling ban for a short duration of 45 days in the first half of the season is advantageous to the 'Karikkadi' fishery

Beyond God the Father: The Manawaka Novels of Margaret Laurence as a Feminist Rewriting of T. S. Eliot’s Four Quartets

If, according to Margaret Laurence, 'Humankind's Quest for the archetypal parents, for our gods, for our own meanings in the face of our knowledge of the inevitability of death, is central to mythology, religion and history', it is also central to her own fiction. Her four Manawaka novels are sagas of spiritual quests for freedom. They enact journeys in time and place simultaneously; and unlike traditional male heroes, her heroines descend into the depths of their own being as well as the cultural past and return after discovering their own power. In that process, they seem to reject institutionalised religion and seek to find the god within who is the god of creativity and love - unlike the patriarchal God

Physico-chemical characteristics of textile effluent collected from Erode, Pallipalayam and Bhavani polluted regions, Tamilnadu, India

Present study perceives that textile dye effluents of Erode, Pallipalayam and Bhavani region have substantial volume of EC, pH, TDS, COD, BOD, Sodium Chloride, Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium and heavy metals. Results point out that irrespective of the source, effluent properties exceeded permissible limits by WHO/ FAO/Federal Environmental Protection Agency for irrigation. The textile industry consumes a mixture of chemicals and huge amount of water during the production process. About 200 L of water are used to produce 1 kg of textile. The textile effluent can cause several health infections like haemorrhage, ulceration of skin, nausea, skin irritation and dermatitis

Artisanal longline fishing for high value fishes off Mumbai, Maharashtra

Sassoon Dock is one of oldest and a major landing center located in Mumbai from where several multiday and single day fishing vessels including trawlers, dolnetters, gillnetters and hook and line units operate. Marine fisheries of Maharashtra is mostly dominated by trawlers and dolnetters while line fishing is done by only a few fishers. The artisanal fishers in Juhu, Colaba and nearby areas of Mumbai are operating a few long line units in small wooden boats (6 - 7 m OAL) or fibre boats fitted with engines of 16 – 24 hp from Sassoon Dock landing centre

Demographics of a heavily exploited deep water shark Echinorhinus cf. brucus (Bonnaterre, 1788) from the south-eastern Arabian Sea

In the absence of direct consumption importance and considering as low value bycatch, many vulnerable non-target species, especially slow growing deep water fauna, are overlooked in tropical fisheries research and management. The bramble shark Echinorhinus cf. brucus (Bonnaterre, 1788) is one such species, subjected to a significant non-targeted deepwater fishery off southern India. A length frequency based stock assessment of bramble shark caught in trawl fisheries from the south-eastern Arabian Sea suggests that, E. cf. brucus is a moderately slow growing (K=0.12 year-1) and moderately long lived shark species (Tmax = 25 years, L∞= 333 at corresponding age of 55 years) which is overexploited (M=0.17, Z=0.39) in the region. In view of resilience capacity and vulnerability of deep sea fisheries, improved research and monitoring programmes are urgently required to ensure a sustainable future for India’s expanding deep sea and distant water fisheries

Diuretic activity of ethanolic extract of whole plant of Sphaeranthus indicus linn in albino rats

Background: Sphaeranthus indicus Linn (S. indicus Linn) is a medicinal plant widely used in Indian traditional system of medicine for treating various ailments. The aim of the study was to evaluate diuretic activity by Lipschitz method in albino rats.Methods: Thirty albino rats were grouped into five groups and each contained six rats. Group I (control group) received 25ml/kg each of 0.9% sodium chloride orally. Group II (standard) received Hydrochlorothiazide 25 mg/kg orally dissolved in isotonic normal saline. Groups III, IV and V received ethanolic extracts of S. indicus Linn in doses 100mg/kg, 200mg/kg and 300mg/kg respectively dissolved in isotonic saline orally. The mice were put in metabolic cages and urine samples were collected for all the groups up to 24 hours after dosing. Urine was analysed for volume, urinary excretion ratio, diuretic activity, sodium and potassium composition electrolytes. Data was analysed using SPSS version 16 for windows.Results: Single dose administration of S. indicus in doses of 100, 200 and 300 mg/Kg as compared to Hydrochlorothiazide (25 mg/kg)have significantly (p<0.001, ANOVA) increased total urine output along with an increase in concentration of sodium and potassium. S. indicus Linn 300 mg/Kg produced greater diuretic activity, which is comparable to the effect of standard.Conclusions: The extract treated rats showed a dose dependent increase in urine volume. Maximum diuretic and kaliuretic activity were observed at the dose of 300 mg/kg of the extract. The present study supports and confirms the basis for folklore use of S. indicus Linn as a diuretic agent

3D-printing: An emerging and a revolutionary technology in pharmaceuticals

© 2018 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA. One of the novel and progressive technology employed in pharmaceutical manufacturing, design of medical device and tissue engineering is three-dimensional (3D) printing. 3D printing technologies provide great advantages in 3D scaffolds fabrication over traditional methods in the control of pore size, porosity, and interconnectivity. Various techniques of 3D-printing include powder bed fusion, fused deposition modeling, binder deposition, inkjet printing, photopolymerization and many others which are still evolving. 3D-printing technique been employed in developing immediate release products, various systems to deliver multiple release modalities etc. 3D printing has opened the door for new generation of customized drug delivery with built-in flexibility for safer and effective therapy. Our mini-review provides a quick snapshot on an overview of 3D printing, various techniques employed, applications and its advancements in pharmaceutical sciences