A study on the piscifauna of the Idukki Reservoir and catchment area

From the area under report 17 species, 15 endemic and 2 exotic, of freshwater fish have been identified. Of these, 8 species are commonly found in the catches and are of fishery significance. The fact that small fish species which have no fishery importance also support life in other trophic levels of this ecosystem is well exemplified by the interaction of the birds and mammals with these species. A scientific management and monitoring of the reservoir waters as well as the remaining segments of forests are recommended to salvage the wild life and vegetation from a possible rapid deterioration within years

Evaluation of bone mineral density and its correlation with homocysteine and other biochemical bone markers in postmenopausal women

Background: Osteoporosis is more common in post-menopausal women. Early detection of bone loss by bone mineral density helps to confirm the diagnosis of osteoporosis and assesses the future risk of osteoporotic fractures. Recent studies have revealed the association between increased plasma concentrations of homocysteine (Hcy), and reduced bone mineral density. Nevertheless, inconsistencies persist in the literature. Thus, the need for this study arose to investigate the possible relationship between serum Hcy status and bone mineral density on a group of post-menopausal women. The objective of the study was to assess bone mineral density (BMD) in postmenopausal women and to correlate the same with biochemical bone markers like homocysteine, serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP), calcium and phosphorous levels.Methods: One hundred (100) postmenopausal women were recruited to enter this cross-sectional study. Out of which 86 postmenopausal females, were grouped into osteopenic and osteoporotic based on low t –scores. Bone mineral density (BMD) was measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) and serum Hcy, serum ALP, calcium and phosphorus levels were estimated. The relationship of Hcy with BMDand other biochemical markers was estimated using Pearson’s correlation.Results: Serum Hcy levels were significantly higher in osteoporotic women when compared to other BMD groups, and were inversely correlated with BMD. No statistical difference was seen with other biochemical bone markers like calcium, Phosphorus and ALP.Conclusions: This study shows that Hcy status is associated with BMD in osteoporotic postmenopausal women. BMD evaluation in postmenopausal women with high Hcy levels may have prognostic and therapeutic potentials, which needs to be explored through further Prospective studies

Chemical kinetic considerations for postflame synthesis of carbon nanotubes in premixed flames using a support catalyst

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) on a grid supported cobalt nanocatalyst were grown, by exposing it to combustion gases from ethylene/air rich premixed flames. Ten equivalence ratios (φ) were investigated, as follows: 1.37, 1.44, 1.47, 1.50, 1.55, 1.57, 1.62, 1.75, 1.82, and 1.91. MWCNT growth could be observed for the range of equivalence ratios between 1.45 and 1.75, with the best yield restricted to the range 1.5–1.6. A one-dimensional premixed flame code with a postflame heat loss model, including detailed chemistry, was used to estimate the gas phase chemical composition that favorsMWCNT growth. The results of the calculations show that the mixture, including the water gas shift reaction, is not even in partial chemical equilibrium. Therefore, past discussions of compositional parameters that relate to optimum carbon nanotube (CNT) growth are revised to include chemical kinetic effects. Specifically, rapid departures of the water gas shift reaction from partial equilibrium and changes in mole fraction ratios of unburned C2 hydrocarbons to hydrogen correlate well with experimentally observed CNT yields

Conformal solids and holography

We argue that a $SO(d)$ magnetic monopole in an asymptotically AdS space-time is dual to a $d$-dimensional strongly coupled system in a solid state. In light of this, it would be remiss of us not to dub such a field configuration $solidon$. In the presence of mixed boundary conditions, a solidon spontaneously breaks translations (among many other symmetries) and gives rise to Goldstone excitations on the boundary$-$the phonons of the solid. We derive the quadratic action for the boundary phonons in the probe limit and show that, when the mixed boundary conditions preserve conformal symmetry, the longitudinal and transverse sound speeds are related to each other as expected from effective field theory arguments. We then include backreaction and calculate the free energy of the solidon for a particular choice of mixed boundary conditions, corresponding to a relevant multi-trace deformation of the boundary theory. We find such free energy to be lower than that of thermal AdS. This suggests that our solidon undergoes a solid-to-liquid first order phase transition by melting into a Schwarzschild-AdS black hole as the temperature is raised.Comment: 31 pages; v2: incorrect calculation in sec. 4 has been deleted; main results unchange

How formulating implementation plans and remembering past actions facilitate the enactment of effortful decisions

Building on prior research studying effortful decision making and enactment processes (Bagozzi, Dholakia, & Basuroy, 2003; BDB), we identify and provide an in-depth understanding of two specific self-regulatory strategies: (1) formulating an implementation plan, and (2) remembering past actions, that decision makers can use in facilitating enactment of effortful decisions. The results of three experiments, in which the decision maker's goal and self-regulatory strategy were manipulated, showed that for goals that decision makers chose volitionally, the motivational effects of both these strategies lay in increasing levels of proximal implementation-related variables (implementation intentions, plan completeness, plan enactment, and goal realization) significantly. In contrast, for goals that were assigned to participants, these strategies' motivational effects additionally extended to significantly increasing distal goal-related variables (goal desire, goal intentions, perceived self-efficacy, and implementation desires). The theoretical implications of our findings are discussed, and future research opportunities are explored. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/57372/1/562_ftp.pd

A UK-Wide Survey of Life-Threatening Thyroidectomy Complications

Background and Aims. Complications following thyroidectomy can prolong hospital stay and cause significant morbidity particularly for patients treated for benign thyroid conditions. Our aim was to administer a UK-wide survey of thyroid surgery units on frequency and timing of the onset of life-threatening airway complications & correlate to factors that might be associated with them. Methods. A questionnaire including the number of and timing of the onset of life-threatening airway complications, number of thyroidectomy procedures performed per year, surgeon years of experience, the use of difficult airway management protocol, post-operative patient destination, and patient deaths, was sent to 80 UK surgical units. Results. 23/41 hospitals responded reported no postthyroidectomy airway complications. Life-threatening airways complications all occurred within the first 12 hours postoperatively, with 9 cases occurring in the recovery room and in less than 2 hours, 3 cases occurring 2–6 hours, and 3 cases occurring 6 to 12 hours after surgery. Conclusion. The results may support recent publications that advocate thyroidectomy as a less-than-24-hour surgery procedure in selected patients. Further a larger study and standardised protocol are required to establish patients' selection criteria to determine who are likely to develop serious postoperative complication and may require HDU bed

Adrenal Medullary Autografts in Anterior Eye Chamber, Lateral Ventricle and Striatum of Adult Rats: A Long Term Study

The neurobiological basis for the short-term recovery in Parkinson's patients and experimental animals grafted with adrenal medulla is not yet clear. Structural details of the grafted chromaffin cells are also not available. In the present study, autografts of adrenal medulla in the anterior eye chamber, lateral ventricle and striatum of adult rats were studied for 360 days. Though a large number of cells degenerated, a few healthy chromaffin cells survived up to 360 days in the anterior eye chamber. In the ventricular and striatal regions, cells degenerated more rapidly, and a few surviving cells were seen only up to 120 and 150 days, respectively. Degeneration of the cells was evident from the alteration of the cytoplasmic granules, appearance of vacuoles and lysosomes, rapid decline in the number of TH and DBH positive cells and diffusion of enzymes in the intercellular region. Only lymphocytes and connective tissue cells were seen in the ventricle after 120 days, while outlines of a few chromaffin cells and background fluorescence were still evident in the striatum up to 150 days. In some of the intrastriatal transplants, morphologically identifiable Schwann cells were present and, in one transplant, there was evidence of myelination of axons by Schwann cells. These axons were obviously derived from the adjacent host tissue. From the findings it has been concluded that autografts of adrenal medulla survive for only a Limited period of time on transplantation to the central nervous system and anterior eye chamber. Survival seemed to be better in the anterior eye chamber than at the sites preferentially chosen for treating Parkinson's patients or experimental animals

Fetal Dopaminergic Neurons Transplanted to the Normal Striatum of Neonatal or Adult Rats and to the Denervated Striatum of Adult Rats

Fetal ventral mesencephalon from the 15th gestational day was grafted into the striatum of neonatal and adult rats. In one group of adult rats, fetal nigra was transplanted into normal striatum. In a second group, the tissue was transplanted at sites where dopaminergic fibers were denervated with 6-hydroxydopamine. The behavior of the dopaminergic neurons and glial reactions were studied by staining with cresyl violet to localize the transplants and by immunolabeling tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and glial fibrillary acidic protein. In normal adults, the transplants were small. At the edge of the transplants, TH-positive neurons were packed into clusters, and an interface without any significant crossover of TH-positive fibers was present. Glial reaction was minimal in and around the transplant. In the denervated striatum, transplants were generally larger than those in normal striatum and surrounded by a glial scar. TH-positive neurons were both closely packed and loosely arranged at the periphery of the transplants. Processes could be clearly defined and could be traced to the adjacent host striatum through the TH-free denervated area. In neonates, the transplants were large and at times extended beyond the striatum. Most TH-positive neurons were arranged linearly along the periphery of the transplant. Cell bodies were widely separated and a well-developed neuropil was present. Fibers from the transplant mingled freely with the host striatum without any interface. In all three transplant groups, tracing the TH-positive neurites was easy because they were thicker and coarser than other elements. No apparent glial reaction occurred in the neonates. Thus, the growth and maturation of dopaminergic neurons seemed to vary in different environments. The most conducive environment appears to be neonatal brain in which growth factors are readily available