Thon rings from amorphous ice and implications of beam-induced Brownian motion in single particle electron cryo-microscopy

We have recorded dose-fractionated electron cryo-microscope images of thin films of pure flash-frozen amorphous ice and pre-irradiated amorphous carbon on a Falcon~II direct electron detector using 300 keV electrons. We observe Thon rings \cite{Thon1966} in both the power spectrum of the summed frames and the sum of power spectra from the individual frames. The Thon rings from amorphous carbon images are always more visible in the power spectrum of the summed frames whereas those of amorphous ice are more visible in the sum of power spectra from the individual frames. This difference indicates that while pre-irradiated carbon behaves like a solid during the exposure, amorphous ice behaves like a fluid with the individual water molecules undergoing beam-induced motion. Using the measured variation in the power spectra amplitude with number of electrons per image we deduce that water molecules are randomly displaced by mean squared distance of $\sim$ 1.1 \AA$^{2}$ for every incident 300 keV e$^{-}$/\AA$^2$. The induced motion leads to an optimal exposure with 300 keV electrons of 4.0 e$^{-}$/\AA$^2$ per image with which to see Thon rings centred around the strong 3.7{\AA} scattering peak from amorphous ice. The beam-induced movement of the water molecules generates pseudo-Brownian motion of embedded macromolecules. The resulting blurring of single particle images contributes an additional term, on top of that from radiation damage, to the minimum achievable B-factor for macromolecular structure determination.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures, Supplementary information 6 pages with 5 figure

Electrocoagulation coupled with adsorption for effective removal of eosin yellow and nigrosin dyes in aqueous solution

This paper deals with the study of suitability and efficiency of electrocoagulation (EC) coupled with adsorption to remove dye from synthetic dye solution. The EC cell consisted of mild steel (MS)/copper plates as electrodes and dye solution as electrolyte. The effects of operating time, concentration, supporting electrolyte, current density and pH have been investigated to find out the optimum operating conditions for EC. The concentration of dye was successfully reduced (EY) ?50% and Nigrosin dye ?99% during EC under the optimum operating conditions of initial concentration 0.5ppm, 20ppm, current density 0.04 A/cm2, 0.015 A/cm2, supporting electrolyte 4g, 4g, electrolysis time 20min, 10min, Eosin Yellow and Nigrosin dye respectively, the removal efficiency of the dyes were found 46.69% and 99%, electrical conductivity were 125.0 S/m and 105.7 S/m and TDS left in the EC treated solution were 82.0 and 69.3 ppt. Further proceedings with solution for adsorption process help to improve the dye removal. Results of the studies are electrical conductivity 20 S/m and TDS 30 ppt for EY, for Nigrosin 64.2 S/m and 42.1 ppt

Neoplasia in oil sardine from Palk Bay

During a routine fishery survey programme at Irumeni fishing village, Palk Bay on 03rd December 2016, a single specimen of oil sardine Sardinella longiceps with neoplasia, measuring 163 mm in total length (TL) and weighing 119 gram was collected from the gillnet landings. The specimen was a female with empty stomach

First record of deformity in Chinese Pomfret, Pampus chinensis (Euphrasen, 1788) from Indian waters

The Chinese pomfret Pampus chinensis (Euphrasen, 1788) (Stromateidae) observed with deformity from fish landings at the Jegathapattinam fishing harbour along Palk Bay coast of Tamil Nadu. The abnormality owing to fractional dorsal fin may call as ‘saddleback syndrome’ and this may be due to any kind of physical injury during early stages or to a higher chance of predation and in due course, the wound healed and the individual survive even with extreme deformed condition. Such a deformity for this species of Pomfret has never been documented from Indian waters and this could be the first record in Pampus chinensis

Histomorphology and immunohistochemistry of adenocarcinoma and fibroma in Indian oil sardine (Sardinella longiceps Valenciennes, 1847) from Palk Bay, Southeast coast of India

A single specimen of Indian oil sardine Sardinella longiceps was observed with wart-like appearances in three different regions of the fish: one on the premaxillary part, and other two on the skin and at the vent region respectively. Mucosal tissues were expunged and preserved in 10 % neutral phosphate-buffered formalin for histological examination. Based on the histopathological analysis, lesions were identified as adenocarcinoma and fibroma on the premaxillary part and skin, respectively. Based on the immunohistochemistry, vimentin and cytokeratin-like proteins were demonstrated, suggesting that the wart-like extrusions were fibroma and adenocarcinoma respectively

EVALUATION OF SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC WATER PUMPING SYSTEM AND IMPROVING ITS EFFICIENCY FOR DEVELOPING AN ENERGY STORAGE DEVICE

An electricity demand in India is now at an all-time high. Agriculture accounts for 21.5 percent of total electricity use; according to sectoral demand patterns. Technology is becoming increasingly popular. PV cells are utilized to power electrical equipment because of their high energy output. Solar energy is a clean and inexpensive energy source. Solar powered water pumping is an important technology for conserving vital resources such as water and electricity. This experiment is to calculate the efficiency of solar pump and panel. It is evaluated by calculating the input and output energy of the pump and panel. By comparing the efficiencies of pump and panel we can be able to estimate the amount of loss of energy. For conserving the energy, we can also install battery and charge controller for the use of pump in dark without solar energy. It conserves energy even while the pump is working. At the time of 2-3pm the efficiency of solar panel is about 55-60% and for the pump is 50-55%. By installing the storage device, we can save 2-5% of the energy wastage. This proves to be a better implementation for conserving the energy and the use of pump at any time. View Article DOI: 10.47856/ijaast.2022.v09i08.00

Rescue of a green sea turtle caught in a midwater trawl along Palk Bay, Southeast coast of India

An exploratory fish trawl survey was conducted on 4th March 2021 along the Mallipattinam coast of Palk Bay, Tamil Nadu, on the southeast coast of India. Midwater trawling was carried out between the coordinates of 10.25° N, 79.53° E and 10.28° N, 79.64° E, 5 nautical miles offshore and in waters 7m deep. When hauling the trawl net, we noticed that a single green turtle (Chelonia mydas) was accidentally caught in the trawl catch (Figure 1). The neck of the turtle was entangled in an abandoned gillnet. The turtle was removed carefully from the codend of the trawl net and cut free from the entangling gillnet without any further apparent stress and injury. The turtle was carefully examined but no sign of injury or malformation were found. Morphometric measurements were taken with a flexible tape measure (Figure 2) and the weight estimated by hand (Table 1). The tail did not extend beyond the carapace so, at this size, the turtle cannot be conclusively identified as male or female. The turtle was released back into the sea with the help of crew members (Figure 3)

Effect of Emblica officinalis fruits against metallic-lead induced biochemical and hematological alterations in Wistar rats

Lead toxicity and related health issues have become global concern due to increased use of lead-based products in the modern world. Though attempts are being made to tackle this malady through many ways, the use of naturally occurring materials that are available locally is a subtle approach. In this investigation, the fruits of E. officinalis (EO) were studied for their potential in overcoming biochemical and hematological alterations caused by metallic lead in rat model. Four groups of rats, each containing six animals, were considered for the study. Group I served as normal control while to other groups (II– IV), metallic lead powder (100 ppm/rat) was orally administrated for 30 consecutive days. From day 31, the animals in groups III and IV were treated with EO in doses of 50 and 100 mg/kg body weight (p. o.), respectively, for the following seven days. Group II served as lead-treated control. On day 38, the animals in all groups were sacrificed and the blood was collected and serum separated. The changes in biochemical (aspartate aminotrasferase, alanine aminotrasferase, alkaline phosphatase, gamma glutamyltrasferase, total cholesterol, triglycerides, urea, creatinine and calcium) and hematological (red blood cell count, white blood cell count, hemoglobin, packed cell volume and platelet count) parameters were estimated. Lead treated animals in Group - II showed appreciable changes in hematological and biochemical parameters. Treatment with EO (50 and 100 mg/kg) significantly restored the changes in the above parameters to near normal values implying that the fruit of E. officinalis is an effective natural material to overcome widespread lead toxicity. This observation is further supported by histopathological studies of liver and kidney tissues wherein the distorted architecture, degeneration and other changes found in lead-treated animals were brought back to near normal stages by the treatment of EO

Course Manual on Marine Fisheries & Mariculture Prepared for the Training programme for B.F.Sc students of Central Agricultural University (CAU), Tripura

The undergraduate Fisheries Science students are required to know about the inland and marine fisheries. The students from landlocked area are getting rare opportunity to understand the marine fisheries and mariculture activities. Hence, based on the request of the Central Agricultural University (CAU), Tripura as a part of their academic activities, the Director, ICAR-CMFRI, has kindly approved a 10 days in-plant training for B.F.Sc. final year students at the ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), Mandapam Regional Centre. The training was organized in collaboration with Agricultural Technology Information Centre (ATIC), ICAR-CMFRI, Kochi. A total of 27 B.F.Sc students and a faculty of Central Agricultural University (CAU), Tripura participated in the training programme during 17th to 26th January, 2020. The training emphasized on the skill development of students through hands on training on mariculture activities and field visits to fish landing centres. A course manual was prepared covering the major topics on marine capture fisheries and mariculture. I congratulate all those who have put in their sincere efforts to bring out this manual