Assessing abundance and catch selectivity of Octopus cyanea by the artisanal fishery in Lakshadweep islands, India

Subsistence fishery for cephalopods contributes significantly to the local economy of several Asian, African and island states. In addition to being unregulated and undocumented, recent studies indicate that low-scale fisheries can have detrimental effects on marine ecosystems. In the Lakshadweep islands, men, women and children have been involved in spear fishing for octopus for a long time, but there is a paucity of information on the biology and fishery of the octopus species in Indian waters. In this study, we estimated the population abundance, morphometry and sex ratio of Octopus cyanea. Moreover, we examined whether the current octopus spear fishing activity displayed size or sex selectivity, given that larger individuals are easier to spot and brooding females spend more time in crevices. O. cyanea surveys were conducted by snorkeling in the lagoons of Kavaratti and Agatti islands between November 2008 and April 2012. The estimated mean density of O. cyanea was 3 and 2.5 individuals per hectare in Agatti and Kavaratti, respectively. Individual mean weight was 923.36 g and 846.26 g in Agatti and Kavaratti and the male:female sex ratio 1.35:1 and 3.8:1, respectively. Comparison between visual counts and fisheries landings indicated that fishing effort was concentrated in areas of high juvenile abundance but without female-bias. Constructing a long-term database of fishery catches will help with stock assessment and understanding the factors that influence octopus populations. Implementation of a lower size limit of 500 g would act as a precautionary measure against catching very small octopuses

Static and dynamical quantum correlations in phases of an alternating field XY model

We investigate the static and dynamical patterns of entanglement in an anisotropic XY model with an alternating transverse magnetic field, which is equivalent to a two-component one-dimensional Fermi gas on a lattice, a system realizable with current technology. Apart from the antiferromagnetic and paramagnetic phases, the model possesses a dimer phase which is not present in the transverse XY model. At zero temperature, we find that the first derivative of bipartite entanglement can detect all the three phases. We analytically show that the model has a "factorization line" on the plane of system parameters, in which the zero temperature state is separable. Along with investigating the effect of temperature on entanglement in a phase plane, we also report a non-monotonic behavior of entanglement with respect to temperature in the anti-ferromagnetic and paramagnetic phases, which is surprisingly absent in the dimer phase. Since the time dynamics of entanglement in a realizable physical system plays an important role in quantum information processing tasks, the evolutions of entanglement at small as well as large time are examined. Consideration of large time behavior of entanglement helps us to prove that in this model, entanglement is always ergodic. We observe that other quantum correlation measures can qualitatively show similar features in zero and finite temperatures. However, unlike nearest-neighbor entanglement, the nearest-neighbor information theoretic measures can be both ergodic as well as non-ergodic, depending on the system parameters.Comment: 20 Pages, 13 Figures, 2 Tables, Published versio

Derivative-free global optimization using space filling curves

Many real-world problems involve multivariate global optimization which can be difficult to solve. In this report, a new approach to the Dividing Rectangles or DIRECT algorithm for solving multi-dimensional global optimization problems with bounds and a real-valued objective function, is discussed. DIRECT is a variation of the standard Lipschitzian optimization omitting the requirement of having to specify a Lipschitz constant; by viewing the Lipschitzian constant as a weighting parameter for indicating the emphasis to be placed on global versus local search. Typically, this constant is not so small in standard Lipschitz approaches, since the constant needs be at least as large as the maximum rate of change of the objective function; which forces a higher emphasis on global search and thus, results in a slower convergence. However, DIRECT enables operation at both global and local level by concurrently searching using all possible constants. The global part of the algorithm figures out the basin of convergence of the optimum, which the local part of the algorithm can suitably exploit. This justifies the fast convergence of DIRECT in computing the approximate minimum with the guaranteed precision. One major drawback of DIRECT is its combinatorial complexity in higher dimensions where DIRECT often takes many more function evaluations to find a good approximation of the global minimum. One method to resolve this difficulty is to transform the problem domain into its one-dimensional equivalent. This approach is demonstrated in this report using space filling curves, to reduce the multiextremal optimization problem to the minimization of a univariate function. In this case, the Hölder continuity of space filling curves has been exploited to solve global optimization problems.Bachelor of Engineering (Computer Science

A conservative approach toward restoration of fractured anterior tooth

Reattachment of the fractured anterior tooth is a highly conservative and aesthetic treatment that has gained popularity in the recent past. Presented here is one such case in which a combination of external enamel bevel and internal dentinal groove has been used to enhance the bonding between the fractured fragment and the remaining tooth. The treatment was found to be successful both functionally and aesthetically at the 18-month follow-up

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Not AvailableA procedure to purify anthocyanin, a natural pigment, following a green approach by using macroporous resin and its encapsulationforthemaintenanceof itsstabilityisdescribed.Thislaboratory experiment,whichdescribesthebenefits ofusingresin for the purification, is a learning tool for students working in the field on nutraceuticals. The resin can be used several times by the students as it follows an adsorption−desorption technique. The whole experiment was divided into two sections: the first is the purification, and the second part deals with encapsulation. Students successfully purified the anthocyanins using XAD-16 resin from the solvent extract of purple cabbage. Afterward, encapsulation of purified anthocyanin in maltodextrin was done using a freeze drying and spray-drying technique. Feedback from students clearly indicates that the laboratory practical session indeed helped them to learn the greener approach of purification and encapsulation using industrial techniques.Not Availabl

Assessing abundance and catch selectivity of

Subsistence fishery for cephalopods contributes significantly to the local economy of several Asian, African and island states. In addition to being unregulated and undocumented, recent studies indicate that low-scale fisheries can have detrimental effects on marine ecosystems. In the Lakshadweep islands, men, women and children have been involved in spear fishing for octopus for a long time, but there is a paucity of information on the biology and fishery of the octopus species in Indian waters. In this study, we estimated the population abundance, morphometry and sex ratio of Octopus cyanea. Moreover, we examined whether the current octopus spear fishing activity displayed size or sex selectivity, given that larger individuals are easier to spot and brooding females spend more time in crevices. O. cyanea surveys were conducted by snorkeling in the lagoons of Kavaratti and Agatti islands between November 2008 and April 2012. The estimated mean density of O. cyanea was 3 and 2.5 individuals per hectare in Agatti and Kavaratti, respectively. Individual mean weight was 923.36 g and 846.26 g in Agatti and Kavaratti and the male:female sex ratio 1.35:1 and 3.8:1, respectively. Comparison between visual counts and fisheries landings indicated that fishing effort was concentrated in areas of high juvenile abundance but without female-bias. Constructing a long-term database of fishery catches will help with stock assessment and understanding the factors that influence octopus populations. Implementation of a lower size limit of 500 g would act as a precautionary measure against catching very small octopuses

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Not AvailableChaetomium globosum Kunze ex. Fries has been known to produce diverse bioactive metabolites, attracting researchers to exploit the biocontrol agent for plant disease management. However, distinct research gaps are visible regarding detail characterization of bioactive metabolites. Thus the current study has been planned to characterize volatile and nonvolatile compounds of most potential strain of C. globosum 5157. GC–MS analysis of hexane fraction revealed twenty-six volatile organic compounds, representing 65.5% of total components in which 3-octanone (21.4%) was found to be most abundant. UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS analysis of ethyl acetate and methanolic fractions resulted tentative characterization of fifteen and eleven metabolites, respectively. Among these, nine metabolites were isolated, purified and characterized using 1H NMR and High resolution mass spectrometric analysis to delineate mass fragmentation pattern for the first time. Antifungal potential of hexane fraction exhibited high inhibitory action against Sclerotium rolfsii (139.2 μg mL−1) whereas ethyl acetate fraction was highly effective against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (112.1 μg mL−1). Comparative assessment of C. globosum 5157 vis a vis Trichoderma harzianum A28 revealed promising effect of C. globosum 5157 with respect to antifungal properties and plant growth promotion of Brassica seedlings.Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Indian Agricultural Research Institute (Grant number: CRSCIARISIL 2014035267), Ministry of Agriculture, New Delhi, Indi

Fabrication of Core–Shell-Structured Organic–Inorganic Hybrid Nanocatalyst for the Expedient Synthesis of Polysubstituted Oxazoles via Tandem Oxidative Cyclization Pathway

The quest for designing efficient heterogeneous catalytic systems for tandem oxidative cyclization reactions has provided a great impetus to research efforts, as it enables the step-economic construction of complex heterocyclic molecules as well as confers the benefits of a facile catalytic recovery. In the present study, we disclose a new core–shell-structured organic–inorganic hybrid copper nanocatalyst fabricated via the covalent grafting of 2,2′-dipyridyl ketone ligand on amine-functionalized silica-encapsulated magnetite nanoparticles, followed by its metallation with cupric acetate for the tandem oxidative cyclization of amines and β-ketoesters, leading to the production of biologically active polysubstituted oxazole moieties. This programmed catalytic protocol proceeds via the formation of intermolecular C–C and C–N bonds by single-step synthesis and accommodates a broad combination of reaction coupling partners

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Not AvailableThe present study deals with the comparative extraction techniques of ellagitannins from pomegranate rind to get higher extraction efficiency for the purpose of waste valorization. Extraction techniques followed the trend high-speed homogenization (2.08%) > ultrasonic-assisted extraction (1.71%) > microwave-assisted extraction (1.40%) > Soxhlet (1.31%) > enzymeassisted extraction (0.95%) in terms of punicalin equivalent yield. Being green technique, ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE) was further optimized by using response surface methodology (RSM). Yield of ellagitanins was maximized to 3.04% in terms of punicalin equivalent yield for UAE using RSM, which is significantly higher than conventional Soxhlet extraction method (1.71%) using optimized conditions. The LC-HRMS analysis found that Punicalin A and B were the major ellagitannins present in the purified extract apart from the hexose sugar of ellagic acid. Ellagitannin-rich extract was evaluated for their antioxidant activity by DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP assays, and the IC50 values ranged between 4.9–29.2 and 25.4–32.9 for the crude and purified ellagitannin, respectively. In silico analysis revealed good binding capacity of ellagic acid with catalase. Polyphenols from pomegranate rind have strong potential for industrial utilization.Not Availabl