Rapid Spectrophotometric Determination of Thallium with Mepazine Hydrochloride

179-180Mepazine hydrochloride reacts with thallium(III) at room temperature in phosphoric acid medium to give and orange-red species with an absorption maximum at 512 nm. The reaction obeys Beer’s law over the concentration range 0.1-13.0 μg/ml of thallium(III) with an effective spectrophotometric range of 1.8-11.0 μg/ml. The molar absorptivity is 1.60 x 104 dm3 mol-1 cm-1. The efficacy of the method is shown by the successful determination of thallium in synthetic thallium alloys

A new record of deep-sea caridean shrimp Plesionika narval (Decapoda: Pandalidae) from the south west coast of India

Pandalid shrimp, Plesionika narval (Fabricius, 1787) was recorded from trawl fishing off Kochi (9°59’ N 76°14’E), Kerala, south-west coast of India. The specimens were obtained from deep-sea shrimp trawlers operated at a depth range of 250-300 m. Samples were collected from the Kalamuku Landing Centre on 4th April 2014. 14 males and 12 females in good condition were segregated from the mixed deep-sea shrimp doscards and their measurements recorded (Table 1). Body was transparently pinkred in colour with a pair of sub dorsal and lateral red margined white stripes extending along almost entire body length from anterior carapace to posterior abdomen

Awareness of computer vision syndrome and related factors among information technology professionals

Background: Extensive use of computers for both professional and personal purpose has led to an increase in computer related health problems. Aim of this study was to evaluate the awareness regarding symptoms and the related factors in computer vision syndrome (CVS) among a group of information technology (IT) professionals.Methods: This study was conducted among 300 IT employees. After obtaining informed consent, structured questionnaire was given and data collected and analyzed.Results: Out of 300 respondents, 194 (64.7%) were males and 106 (35.3%) females. Mean age was 30.5 years.48.3% had more than eight years of computer usage and 77.3% used computers on an average of 8-12 hours per day. About 201 (67%) of the participants had at least one ocular symptom, most common was dryness (96%). 94.7% reported eyestrain and 86.3% reported redness and itching. Dryness and eyestrain were more in males (p<0.05). Dryness, eyestrain and redness were more in those who used computers for more than eight years duration and for 8-12 hours/day (p<0.05). 253 (84.3%) were aware about this syndrome, the main source being internet. The main relief measure adopted was to take a break in between the work hours. Only 51.3% consulted a doctor for their symptoms.  Conclusions: In our study though 84.3% of IT professionals were aware of CVS and 67% had at least one ocular symptom, only 51.3% took professional advice for their problems. There is a definite need for awareness about corrective measures and treatment methods to be adopted for CVS among IT professionals

Unusual landings of the deep-sea lobster, Palinustus waguensis in Sakthikulangara Fisheries Harbour

Unusual landing of Deepsea lobster Palinustus waguensis was observed at Sakthikulangara Fisheries Harbour at Kollam on 15.01.2019 along with the catch of deep-sea shrimps. An estimated catch of 100 kg of P.waguensis was landed in multiday shrimp trawls operated at a depth of 200-250 m, during the first two weeks of January 2019. Since the inception of deepsea shrimp landings, this species was observed in stray numbers and this is the first time a landing of this magnitude was observed. The lobster was sold in local market @ 150-200 ₹ per kg for domestic consumers. Distribution of this species is reported in the Indo-west pacific region (India, Thailand, Philippines, Japan) at a depth range of 100 to 180 m. The lobsters randomly sampled ranged from 81 to 154 mm each in total length and having 15.3 to75.7 grams weigh

Reproduction in the deep-sea penaeoid shrimp Aristeus alcocki Ramadan, 1938 (Decapoda: Penaeoidea: Aristeidae) from southwestern India

The Arabian red shrimp, Aristeus alcocki Ramadan, 1938, is one of the targets of commercial trawlers operating since 2000 along the Indian coasts at depths of 200–850 m. We report for the first time on the reproductive biology, insemination frequency, ovarian maturation, gonadosomatic index (GSI), size at maturity, and fecundity of A. alcocki investigated macroscopically and validated histologically using monthly trawl samples from the southwestern coast of India. Females have an open thelycum with five gonad developmental stages (I to V) and two stages (I and II) in males. A total of 4,170 specimens were examined and 68.6% of the females had been inseminated (carapace length (CL) 22.0–53.0 mm), predominantly during January to May. Females in stage I (immature) measured on average CL 25.5 ± 0.87 mm, those in stages IV and V (mature) CL 41.5 ± 0.62 mm. Immature males were smaller, mean CL 20.5 ± 0.5 mm. Size at first sexual maturity for females was estimated as CL 35.07 mm (total length (TL) 120–170 mm) and the inseminated specimens (CL50is) were mature at CL 31.45 mm using a non-linear method. The smallest mature female was CL 35 mm, whereas the size at maturity (CL50ms) of males was estimated as CL 19.6 mm (TL 75–96 mm). We also report synchronous oocyte development and continuous spawning activity with a peak during January to April. Information on the reproduction of this deep-water shrimp will help fishery managers estimate the stock sustainability and develop resource management measures

A Novel Skin Disease Detection Technique Using Machine Learning

Skin sicknesses present critical medical care difficulties around the world, requiring precise and opportune location for successful therapy. AI became promising stuff for computerizing the discovery and characterization of skin illnesses. This study presents a clever methodology that uses the choice tree strategy for skin sickness location. In computerized location, we utilize an exhaustive dataset containing different skin sickness pictures, including melanoma, psoriasis, dermatitis, and contagious diseases. Dermatologists skillfully mark the dataset, guaranteeing solid ground truth for precise grouping. Preprocessing strategies like resizing, standardization, and quality improvement are applied to set up the symbolism for the choice tree calculation. Then, we remove applicable elements from the preprocessed pictures, enveloping surface, variety, and shape descriptors to catch infection explicit examples successfully. The choice tree model is prepared utilizing these removed elements and the named dataset. Utilizing the choice tree's capacity to learn progressive designs and choice principles, our methodology accomplishes an elevated degree of exactness in grouping skin sicknesses. Extensive experiments and evaluations on a dedicated validation set demonstrate the effectiveness of our decision tree-based method, achieving a classification accuracy of 96%. Our proposed method provides a reliable and automated solution for skin disease detection, with potential applications in clinical settings. By enabling early and accurate diagnoses, our approach has the capacity to improve patient outcomes, trim down healthcare overheads, and alleviate the burden on dermatologists

Fishery, biology and population dynamics of Metapenaeus dobsoni (Miers 1878) from Kerala, south-west coast of India

The fishery and population dynamics of the flowertail shrimp Metapenaeus dobsoni along the Kerala coast was studied based on landings at Cochin Fisheries Harbour during the period 2005 to 2007. Kerala ranked first in the production of M. dobsoni (>50%), followed by Tamil Nadu. The average annual catch and catch per unit effort of M. dobsoni was 2,526 t and 115.2 kg respectively. It formed 70% of the total penaeid shrimps landed in trawls. Peak landings were observed from April to June followed by November to January. The size range of male and female was 51-100 mm and 51-125 mm, respectively. The male-female sex ratio was 1:1.21. Mature females occurred throughout the period of observation and the size at first maturity was 60 mm. Growth parameters L∞, K and t0 were estimated as 103 mm, 2.01 y-1, -0.00018 and 130, 2.51 y-1, -0.000046 for male and female, respectively. Length at recruitment (Lr) was found to be 53 mm for both sexes while the length at 50% capture (Lc50) was 65 mm for males and 70 mm for females. Recruitment was found to occur in most of the months with peak (>70%) during June to November. Natural mortality (M), fishing mortality (F), total mortality (Z), exploitation rate (E) and Emax were 2.17, 5.57, 7.74, 0.72, 0.81 and 2.00, 5.83, 7.83, 0.74, 0.680 for males and females, respectively. Higher values of E indicated that the resource is overexploited. Results of Beverton and Holt yield per recruit analysis and Thompson and Bell analysis revealed that at the present fishing effort, spawning stock biomass was above 20% suggesting that the fishery is sustainable

Fishery and biology of Plesionika quasigrandis Chace, 1985 off Sakthikulangara, south-west coast of India

The fishery and biology of Plesionika quasigrandis Chace, 1985 from Sakthikulangara Fishing Harbour was studied for the period 2006-2008. The average annual catch was 2400 t, forming 28% of the total deep sea shrimp landings at Sakthikulangara. August to November was the most productive period in terms of catch and catch rate. The growth parameters L∞ and K y-1 for males and females were 124 mm, 0.7 and 130 mm, 0.8 respectively. The growth performance index (φ’) and t0 were 4.032, -0.0036 and 4.131, -0.00275 for males and females, respectively with a longevity of 5 years. Recruitment pattern was bimodal with two peaks, one in March and the other in June. The relationship between total length (TL) and total weight (W) revealed an isometric growth in case of females and allometric growth in males. The length at recruitment (Lr) and length at 50% capture (Lc50) was 73; 84.8 mm (males) and 78; 93.4 mm (females), respectively which corresponded to an age (tc) of 1.6 years. The natural mortality, fishing mortality, total mortality, exploitation ratio, exploitation rate and Emax were 0.81, 2.14, 2.95, 0.62, 0.72, 0.90 and 0.88, 2.97, 3.85, 0.71, 0.77, 0.93 for males and females, respectively. The rate of exploitation for P. quasigrandis was found to be lower than the Emax which indicates sustainable utilisation of the resource

Isolation, identification and bioactive potential of bacterial endophytes from Coleus

Coleus (Lamiaceae) is a large and widespread genus comprising of species with diverse ethnobotanical uses. In the present study, bacterial endophytes were isolated from Coleus forskohlii and Coleus aromaticus. Endophytes are the microorganisms which reside within the plants without showing any harmful effect on its host. Diverse types of endophytes live symbiotically within almost all plants and in turn help the plant in a number of ways such as imparting resistance against biotic and abiotic stresses, producing compounds involved in attraction of pollinators, inducing the plant defense mechanisms, etc. The bacterial endophytes isolated in this study, were characterized by microscopic examination (using gram staining) and molecularly identified by sequencing the 16S rRNA. Extracts were prepared from endophytic biomass using solvents of different polarities (methanol, ethyl acetate and butanol) and were screened for their bioactive potential (in vitro cytotoxicity anti-microbial, and anti-oxidant activity). Scale-up of endophytes showing promising results is under process, which will help in isolation of pure compounds

Observations on the monsoon prawn fishery in Kerala

The ban on trawling in Kerala from June 15th to July 30th coincides with the southwest monsoon. During the period fishermen venture into the sea with their traditional/motorised crafts and gears such as thermocol boats (Alapuzha) and Thanguvallom (Ernakulam and Thrissur). The latter is operated with outboard engines and operate up to 8 km from the shore. The thermocol boats fish very near the shore (up to 3 km). The gear operated are ring seines or thangu vala and gill nets. The unique phenomenon in the monsoon season known as mud-bank or ‘chakara’ is characterised by calm areas close to the shore