The cephalopod fishery at Cochin, Kerala

The Cochin Fisheries Harbour is a major fish landing centre in Kerala. Cephalopod landings at this centre contribute about 11-23% of Kerala's annual cephalopod catch. They are landed as bycatch by shrimp trawlers which operate off Cochin upto 60 m depth. On an average, about 200 trawlers of 8-13m length range operate every day from Cochin base

Surveillance for Risk Factors of Cardiovascular Disease among an Industrial Population in Southern India

We assessed (i) the risk of cardiovascular disease in an industrial population in Chennai, southern India and (ii) whether the status of treatment and control of diabetes and hypertension would be different in an industrial population, which is provided free healthcare, compared with the general population of Chennai. Subjects residing in the residential areas of 2 industries (Indian Airlines and Integral Coach Factory) in Chennai in southern India were recruited. The subjects were employees (n=440) selected by an age- and sex-stratified random sampling method, and their family members (n=727) in the age group of 20–69 years; a total of 1167 subjects. Fasting plasma glucose, lipid estimations and anthropometric measurements were done in all the subjects. Information on demographic and lifestyle determinants was obtained using a questionnaire. Diabetes was diagnosed using the American Diabetes Association criteria and metabolic syndrome was defined by the Adult Treatment Panel III criteria with modified waist definition for Asian Indians. Results. Age-adjusted prevalence of major risk factors for cardiovascular disease using the 2001 Census of India were as follows: diabetes 11.9%; hypertension 25.4%; dyslipidaemia 40.2%; hypertriglyceridaemia 28.3%; overweight (body mass index ³23 kg/m2) 60.2%; and metabolic syndrome 34.1%. Use of tobacco in any form was present in 22.9% of men and 0.5% of women; 79% of the subjects followed a sedentary lifestyle. Among subjects receiving medication, 42.1% of subjects with diabetes and 55.3% of subjects with hypertension had their disease under adequate control. A comparison of these results with the general population of Chennai showed that the industrial population had a higher prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in spite of having better access to healthcare facilities. Conclusions. The prevalence of cardiovascular disease was high in this industrial population of Chennai. Although the overall treatment and control of diabetes and hypertension was better than that in the general population, it was still inadequate and this emphasizes the need for greater awareness about non-communicable diseases

Recent trends in cephalopod fishery of Kerala coast

Since the Cephalopods have emerged as a valuable resource in recent times because of the demand in export trade, constant monitoring of the fishery, resource position and relevant biological aspects has become imperative. The resource characteristics and biological aspects of cephalopods are being regularly monitored at Vizhinjam, Cochin and Calicut by CMFRI Scientists, Dr. N. Ramachandran, Shri. K. Prabhakaran Nair, Smt. V. Kripa and Shri. G.P. Kumaraswamy Achari

Did human DRD2 haplotypes originate in India? A survey of haplotype frequencies and linkage disequilibrium in the tribes of Eastern Ghats, South India

In recent years, a possible role of the dopamine D2 receptor (DRD2) locus has been reported in various fields like the etiology of alcoholism, neuropsychiatric disorders, etc. Therefore, it has been the focus of considerable attention. DNA analysis has made it easier to study haplotypes, arrays of alleles at closely linked loci along the chromosome. These regions are short enough to show little or no recombination, and behave as blocks that might have ancient origins. Scoring these markers as haplotypes, allows analysis both in terms of haplotype frequencies and identity in terms of linkage disequilibrium. The human dopaminergic system is an important focus of study in the fields of neuropsychiatry and pharmacology; it is also a promising nuclear DNA marker in studies of human genome diversity. Haplotype frequencies and linkage disequilibrium for the dopamine D2 receptor gene (DRD2) were determined in 197 unrelated individuals from four tribal populations of the Eastern Ghats, an important region of India. The three marker systems in this study are highly polymorphic in all the four tribal populations and the haplotype system showed high levels of heterozygosity than the Nilgiri Hill tribes and those in other parts of the world, except Africa. Out of the possible eight haplotypes, seven are commonly shared by all the populations. The ancestral allele B2D2Al accounts for 0.028 to 0.166, which was present in all the groups consistently. The linkage disequilibrium was statistically significant in all the populations. The results show a chance of Indian origin or back migration of human DRD2 haplotypes. Data obtained in this study on DRD2 represent one of the small, but growing number of datasets examining disequilibrium and haplotype frequencies in human populations and also indicate that the gene flows from the Eastern Ghats to the Western Ghats. These populations might be one of the oldest among other Indian populations

Spin correlations among the charge carriers in an ordered stripe phase

We have observed a diffuse component to the low-energy magnetic excitation spectrum of stripe-ordered La5/3Sr1/3NiO4 probed by neutron inelastic scattering. The diffuse scattering forms a square pattern with sides parallel and perpendicular to the stripe directions. The signal is dispersive, with a maximum energy of ~10 meV. Probed at 2 meV the scattering decreases in strength with increasing temperature, and is barely visible at 100 K. We argue that the signal originates from dynamic, quasi- one-dimensional, antiferromagnetic correlations among the stripe electrons.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures. To be published in Physical Review Letter

Meckel's diverticulum: An alternative condult for the Mitrofanoff procedure

Journal of Postgraduate Medicine492151-153JPMD

Performance Evaluation and Experimental Studies on Metallised Gel Propellants

Metallised gel propellants offer higher specific impulse and volumetric loading, reduced vaporisation loss, spillage and slosh problems and easy storage in comparison to the conventional liquid propellants. Theoretical performance analysis of gel propellant containing Al in unsymmetrical dimethyl hydrazine-dinitrogen tetroxide (UDMH-N/sub 2/O/sub 4} system shows peak Isp (vacuum condition) of 316.7 s and 318.3 s at oxidiser/fuel (O/f) ratios of 1.5 and 1.0, respectively for 30 per cent and 40 per cent UDMH-Al gel propellants, under standard conditions. The effect of other parameters like area ratio and chamber pressure on performance has been brought out in view of mission oriented applications. Aluminium has been found to be a better choice over magnesium in metallised gel propellants. Experimental studies on UDMH gellation using propellant grade (15 micrometer)and pyrotechnic grade (1.5 micrometer)Al in 500g batch level show that gellant(methyl cellulose) concentration could be reduced by 50 percent using pyrotechnic grade Al. The pseudoplastic-thixotropic behaviour, flow rate through die holes, burst pressure tests and bulk density are studied. UDMH -25 to 30 per cent Al gels with both grades of Al are found to be stable, pseudoplastic (shear thinning) and thixotropic (time-dependent shear thinning), but their flow pattern through die holes differ in nature

Lidar Observations of aerosol layers just below the tropopause level during IFP-INDOEX

A lidar system has been used at Gadanki (13.5º, 79.2ºE) to study the characteristics of aerosol layer (cloud) occurring just below the tropical tropopause. The preliminary results of the lidar observations indicate that the cloud occurs ~ 2 km below the tropopause. The top and bottom edges of the cloud have propensity for ice crystal presence with liquid droplets/ vapours in-between. The clouds show temporal fluctuations (in their backscattering ratio) with temporal scales of the order of 30–90 min

Cephalopod production in India and constituent maritime states

The fishing craft and gear in which cepbalopods are obtained in India and the all India, statewise and east and west coast cephalopod production are presented. The bulk of the cephalopod catches is obtained along the west coast and trawl net accounts for major portion of landings. Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat are the leading states in production

Investigate the emission characteristic of biodiesel from waste cooking oil

This paper aims to investigate the emission characteristics of biodiesel prepared from the waste cooking oil. The characterization of the performance of the blended fuel in diesel engines results in an improvement and a reduction in hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide emissions. Various amounts of fuel were mixed with leftover cooking oil to create the final product. In order to explore the performance function, combustion range, and emission properties of diesel engines, the setup described here was developed. The combustion properties, including exhaust gas emissions of NOx, CO, CO2, HC, smoke, and O2, have been examined under various load scenarios