Marine National Park and conservation of fisheries resources

Industrial development often takes priority over other sectors in developing countries. In the process, problems like pollution of air, water, growth of slums, lack of sanitary facilities and other environmental hazards greatly increase, reaching to uncontrollable proportions. In the industrial development. In the sphere of both Fisheries and Tourism, mistakes of development are common. It is high time that we pay some attention to the proper planning and development of the seafood export industries along our fine fishing coast. Similarity the other economic activities of sea, in particular the exploitation of the bed and coastal zones in the west coast for oil, have increased in recent years to such an extent that the detrimental effects on the ecological balance in some habitats are no longer minor

Universality Class of the Reversible-Irreversible Transition in Sheared Suspensions

Collections of non-Brownian particles suspended in a viscous fluid and subjected to oscillatory shear at very low Reynolds number have recently been shown to exhibit a remarkable dynamical phase transition separating reversible from irreversible behaviour as the strain amplitude or volume fraction are increased. We present a simple model for this phenomenon, based on which we argue that this transition lies in the universality class of the conserved DP models or, equivalently, the Manna model. This leads to predictions for the scaling behaviour of a large number of experimental observables. Non-Brownian suspensions under oscillatory shear may thus constitute the first experimental realization of an inactive-active phase transition which is not in the universality class of conventional directed percolation.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, final versio

Galactose-containing glycosylphosphatidylinositols in Trypanosoma brucei

Many eukaryotic surface glycoproteins, including the variant surface glycoproteins (VSGs) of Trypanosoma brucei, are synthesized with a carboxyl-terminal hydrophobic peptide extension that is cleaved and replaced by a complex glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) membrane anchor within 1-5 min of the completion of polypeptide synthesis. We have reported the purification and partial characterization of candidate precursor glycolipids (P2 and P3) from T. brucei. P2 and P3 contain ethanolamine-phosphate-Man alpha 1-2Man alpha 1-6Man alpha 1-GlcN linked glycosidically to an inositol residue, as do all the GPI anchors that have been structurally characterized. The anchors on mature VSGs contain a heterogenously branched galactose structure attached alpha 1-3 to the mannose residue adjacent to the glucosamine. We report the identification of free GPIs that appear to be similarly galactosylated. These glycolipids contain diacylglycerol and alpha-galactosidase-sensitive glycan structures which are indistinguishable from the glycans derived from galactosylated VSG GPI anchors. We discuss the relevance of these galactosylated GPIs to the biosynthesis of VSG GPI anchors

Transfer of glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol membrane anchors to polypeptide acceptors in a cell-free system

Glycosylinositol phospholipid (GPI) membrane anchors are the sole means of membrane attachment of a large number of cell surface proteins, including the variant surface glycoproteins (VSGs) of the parasitic protozoan, Trypanosoma brucei. Biosynthetic data suggest that GPI-anchored proteins are synthesized with carboxy-terminal extensions that are immediately replaced by GPI, suggesting the existence of preformed GPI species available for transfer to the nascent protein in the ER. Candidate precursor glycolipids having a linear sequence indistinguishable from the conserved core structure found on all GPI anchors, have been characterized in T. brucei. In this paper we describe the transfer of three GPI variants to endogenous VSG in vitro. GPI addition is not reduced by inhibitors of protein synthesis and does not require ATP or GTP, consistent with a transpeptidation mechanism

Finfish resources around Andaman and Nicobar islands

The average catch rate of finfishes obtained by FORV Sagar Sampada from the survey area in the Andaman Sea was 259 kg/hr and the yield ranged from 8.6 to 1260 kg/hr. Silver bellies was the most abundant component (37.5%) with a catch rate of 96.9 kg/hr. Carangids, elasmobranchs and perches accounted for 20.3%, 11.9% and 8.0% of the total catch and the corresponding catch rates were 52.5, 31.1 and 20.8 kg/hr respectively. The highest catch rate of 1260 kg/hr was recorded from 13°10'N - 92°37'E at a depth of 65m. The catch rate indicated that the depth zone 51-100 m is productive and yielded 84.7% of the total catch at a catch rate of 501.4 kg/hr. Although the pelagic trawl was operated at 38 stations, the catch realised was neghgible (0.83 kg/hr)

Persistence at the onset of spatiotemporal intermittency in coupled map lattices

We study persistence in coupled circle map lattices at the onset of spatiotemporal intermittency, an onset which marks a continuous transition, in the universality class of directed percolation, to a unique absorbing state. We obtain a local persistence exponent of theta_l = 1.49 +- 0.02 at this transition, a value which closely matches values for theta_l obtained in stochastic models of directed percolation. This result constitutes suggestive evidence for the universality of persistence exponents at the directed percolation transition. Given that many experimental systems are modelled accurately by coupled map lattices, experimental measurements of this persistence exponent may be feasible.Comment: 7 pages, Latex, 6 Postscript figures, Europhysics Letters (to appear

Consultancy services in marine fisheries- A profile of technologies and experts

The ICAR system currently needs very effective partnership between the researchers and the user groups. The Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, a premier Institute under the ICAR, has taken effective steps to introduce the services and technologies in the marine fisheries sector, achieved over the last 50 years R & D activities. With a viev/ to institutionalising transfer of technologies, the institute has constituted a Consultancy Processing Cell (CPC) in 1997 for effectively serving the needs of our clients, through the short term and long term trainings, consultancies, contract services and contract research

Seasonal influence on volatile aroma constituents of two banana cultivars (Grand Naine and Nendran) under Kerala conditions

Banana is a tropical fruit with a pleasant flavour, widely consumed throughout the world. Volatile aroma compounds are responsible for olfactory flavor of banana. However, the development of aroma flavors is affected by the atmospheric temperatures during fruit growth period. In order to get good quality fruits in terms of aroma it is essential to understand the optimum temperature for maximum aroma production. The approach used in this study was to alter the dates of harvest to understand the optimum temperature required for maximum production of volatile compounds under Kerala conditions. The results revealed that with increased temperature volatile aroma compounds decreased in cvs. Grand Naine and Nendran. Total volatile compounds were higher in cv. Grand Naine compared to cv. Nendran. Cultivar Nendran recorded increased concentrations of esters, alcohols and decreased aldehydes, ketones, hydrocarbons and acids at high temperatures. Phenols and other constituents did not show much variation with respect to the temperature variation in both the cultivars. Among esters, Isoamyl butanoate and 3-Methylbutyl-3-methylbutyrate esters were the most abundant in both the cultivars. Ketones, especially 4-Methyl-1-penten-3-one was higher in cv. Nendran whereas esters were lower compared to cv. Grand Naine. Total area of aroma constituents in cultivars Grand Naine and Nendran were high in October followed by February with mean atmospheric temperature of 30.5ºC and 32.6ºC respectively. In case of cv. Nendran, total area of esters and alcohols were maximum at high temperature (34.5ºC) but in cv. Grand Naine, esters and alcohols decreased with high temperature. Results indicated that fruits harvested in October were better in terms of volatile aroma quantity in both the cultivars due to lower atmospheric temperature. Seasonal variations affected the two cultivars differentially in terms of percentage of groups of volatile compounds

Exposure to human and bovine noroviruses in a birth cohort in southern India from 2002 to 2006

Human and bovine norovirus virus-like particles were used to evaluate antibodies in Indian children at ages 6 and 36 months and their mothers. Antibodies to genogroup II viruses were acquired early and were more prevalent than antibodies to genogroup I. Low levels of IgG antibodies against bovine noroviruses indicate possible zoonotic transmission

Using museum objects to improve wellbeing in mental health service users and neurological rehabilitation clients

Background: This study sought to determine the effects of a heritage-in-health intervention on well-being. Benefits of arts-in-health interventions are relatively well-documented yet little robust research has been conducted using heritage-in-health interventions, such as those involving museum objects. Method: Hospital patients (n = 57) participated in semi-structured, 30–40 minute facilitated interview sessions, discussing and handling museum objects comprising selections of six artefacts and specimens loaned from archaeology, art, geology and natural history collections. Well-being measures (Positive Affect Negative Affect Scale, Visual Analogue Scales) evaluated the sessions while inductive and deductive thematic analysis investigated psycho-educational features accounting for changes. Results: Comparison of pre- and post-session quantitative measures showed significant increases in well-being and happiness. Qualitative investigation revealed thinking and meaning-making opportunities for participants engaged with objects. Conclusion: Heritage-in-health sessions enhanced positive mood and social interaction, endorsing the need for provision of well-being-related museum and gallery activities for socially excluded or vulnerable healthcare audiences