The Feministic Vision for Reconstruction of Social Equality

In the history of human race, the role of woman has been wider and her contribution very significant. The Anthropological evidences show that the work of the early woman was tedious. It was only woman‟s food gathering but not man‟s hunting that sustained the humanity. All the tribal societies were centred around and organized through the mothers. But over a period of time the physical strength of males gained importance with the cultivation of land and planned husbandry, and women have been defined as economically dependent, as homemakers and consumers, but not as producers. The failure of societies to acknowledge women‟s contributions has not only undermined women‟s status, but denied their necessary resources. The present paper will discuss the position of woman, origin of feminism, and the feministic vision for reconstruction of social equality

Synthesis, characterization, magnetic, thermal and redox properties of oxovanadium(IV) complex of heterocyclic acid hydrazone

The hydrazone ligand obtained from 2-thiophene carboxaldehyde and nicotinic hydrazide reacts with equimolar mixture of vanadyl acetyl acetonate in methanol to yield oxovanadium(IV) complex with 2-thiophenecarba nicotinic hydrazone. The prepared compound shows effective solubility in organic solvents such as acetonitrile, DMF and DMSO. Molar conductivity data of the complex revealed its non-electrolytic behavior in DMF and DMSO. EPR spectra of 2-thiophenecarba nicotinic hydrazonato oxovanadium(IV) was recorded in DMF at LNT and g and A values were calculated. The complex was proposed to be square pyramidal in geometry. Cyclic voltammogram of the complex in DMF was studied by changing the scan rates 50, 100, and 200 mV/sec. ΔE values of the complex showed the reversible criterion and ipc/ipa values which were close to 1 indicating that the redox couple as reversible. Thermogram of the complex was recorded to find the weight loss at different temperature ranges. Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectra showed mass number of the molecular ions

Effect of pH on Blepharisma intermedium. 5. Studies on esterases

Synopsis. Esterases of Blepharisma intermedium grown in buffered media of different pH values and in unbuffered media have been char­acterized. Selective inhibition studies indicate six carboxylesterases, two arylesterases and one cholinesterase in all cases. Although the type and number of the enzymes remain constant, there are variations in their inhibitor sensitivities

Bacterial pollution indicators associated in the tissues of an estuarine fish Mugil cephalus from Ashtamudi lake, a Ramsar site of Kerala, India

Fishes are continuously exposed to the microorganisms present in water and in the sediment. The present study was attempted to screen the pollution indicator bacteria in the tissues of an estuarine fish Mugil cephalus from Kureepuzha Backwater, a part of Ashtamudi Lake. Total heterotrophic bacteria, total coliform bacteria, Escherichia coli and fecal streptococci were enumerated from the fish tissues using standard microbiological procedures. Comparison of bacterial count in the skin, gill and gut of Mugil cephalus revealed that highest count of indicator microbes were found in the skin followed by the gill and gut of fish from all sites except site 4. Fishes from site 4, they show bacteria predominantly in the gut. Two way Anova showed a significant difference in microbial count between sites and between tissues except Total heterotrophic bacteria and fecal streptococci between sites. Results of physico chemical parameters also supports that the anthropogenic activities accumulated in the study area, causing the disruption of hydrological quality of Lake and thus increases the load of detrimental microorganisms. Hence it is recommended that good processing of fish such as washing, scraping scales, removal of gills and gut contents and proper cooking help to reduce microbial pathogen in fish body and make it safe for consumption

Relationship between Natural Antibody levels and Somatic Cell Count in Dairy Cattle

At present mastitis in dairy cattle is detected by using somatic cell count and various bacterial diagnostic tests. Still it is difficult to understand the exact health status of the animal by mere observation of the test results, since there maybe presence of sub-clinical cases. There are indications in other species like poultry that natural antibodies might be used as indicators for the identification of (more) disease resistant individuals (Wijga, 2009). The present study focuses on the relationship between the natural antibody titres collected at a single sampling moment and the somatic cell count later inn the lactation. If proven, natural antibodies can be used as indicators for the immune status of the animal. For the present research the preliminary analysis of the fixed effects were analysed using the SAS software and the genetic parameters were estimated using the ASReml software. The results from the analyses show that relationships between the NAb titres and SCS after the sampling moment exists, but with a trend expressing a positive correlated response. The study shows that the NAb levels do not show a protective effect on the animal as the cell counts later in the lactation increased when the NAb levels increased. Hence NAb titre measured in milk samples may not be useful as a tool against mastitis selection

Aquatic insects, a tool for monitoring the health of riverine ecosystem, a case study of Killiyar, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India

Aquatic insects are used as model organisms for assessing the health status of lenthic or lotic ecosystems. Biomonitoring using entomological indicators is one of the widely accepted tools to analyze the impacts of sewages in aquatic environment. The present study was aimed to assess the health status of a semi urban river system, Killiyar using entomological indicators. Season wise sampling of aquatic insects was done at four selected segments according to the rapid bioassessment protocol recommended by Environmental Protection Agency. The present study could identify 29 families of aquatic insects for screening the levels of pollution in Killiyar. Family Biotic Index (FBI) showed that there was a remarkable variation in water quality along the river. Hilsenhoff’s family biotic index obtained for river origin was in the range 4.40 - 5.02 indicating excellent water quality. High value of family biotic index, least occurrence of intolerant groups and dominance of tolerant taxa in the midstream and downstream segments showed that increased contamination of water by various sources. Immediate attention is needed to cease the degradation of this precious ecosystem.      Keywords: Aquatic insects, Biomonitoring, Family Biotic Index, Killiyar, Water pollutio

Purification and characterisation of a carboxylesterase from the latex ofSynadenium grantii Hook, ‘f’

The latex ofSynadenium grantii was found to contain esterolytic activity. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic study coupled with substrate and inhibitor specificity studies revealed the presence of multiple forms of carboxylesterases and cholinesterases in the latex. One of the carboxylesterases of the latex was purified by acetone fractionation, carboxymethyl-Sephadex chromatography and Sepharose-6B gel filtration. The homogeneity of the enzyme was established by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, isoelectric focussing and sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The enzyme consists of a single polypeptide chain with a molecular weight of 14,000. The amino acid analysis of the purified enzyme revealed that it contained a greater number of neutral and acidic, compared to basic amino acid residues. The isoelectric pH of the enzyme was found to be 4.0. The enzyme was a glycoprotein as revealed by periodic acid Schiff-staining technique. Studies with different organophosphate and carbamate inhibitors showed that this enzyme was sensitive to organophosphates. The product inhibition studies with this enzyme showed linear competitive inhibition with acetate and linear non-competitive inhibition with 1-naphthol