Pollution and fish mortlaity in Chaliyar river, Mavoor

Fish mortality on a large scale occurred in the Chaliyar river near Calicut from 7-3-1979 to 16-3-1979 in the region between Elamaram and Pallikkadavu. Information gathered from the inhabitants on the banks of the river revealed that large quantities of wastewater from the Gwalior Rayons Factory located at Mavoor was seen discharged into the river through the emergency outlet at Elamaram, on the evening of 6-3-1979. Apart from the low pH causing the mortality, the disappearance of these fishes from the heavily polluted areas and the dislocation of the Nereid worms from their habitat would also reveal the possibility of occurrence of some metallic poison in the water. The Biological Oxygen Demand of the effluent determined on several occasions earlier showed no ill effect to the biological organisms in the water. Government of Kerala has now decided to close down the Pulp and Fibre divisions of the Factory till pollution abatement measures are completed

Studies on lignocellulose biodegradation of coir waste in solid state fermentation using Phanerocheate chrysosporium and Rhizopus stolonifer

The solid state fermentation is one of the most economically viable processes for the bioconversion of lignocellulosic coir waste is represented by Phanerochaete chrysosporium and Rhizopus stolonifer. Coir pith is a waste lignocellusic material; it consists of lignin, cellulose, hemicellulose and protein. The two fungal cultures are able to synthesis varying quantities of lignocellulytic enzymes (cellulase, xylanase, ligninase, and protease, laccase and lignin peroxidase) that are required for substrate bioconversion. For example, P. chrysosporium produces two extracelluler enzymes (laccase and lignin peroxidase). They have been associated with lignin depolymerisation in other fungi. Fermentation was carried out over 35 days and the bioconverted sample was analyzed at 7 days intervals, the highest and most significant lignocellulytic enzyme activity (P < 0.05) as well as lignocellulosic compound (P < 0.05) conversion was observed on day 35 in P. chrysosporium and coculture mediated fermentation. P.chrysosporium and coculture was more efficient than R. stolonifer. The maximum amount of laccase and lignin peroxidase produced by P. chrysosporium and coculture was approximately (5 and 8.1 IU/ml, respectively) after 28 days of fermentation

Domination changing and unchanging signed graphs upon the vertex removal

A subset S of V (Σ) is a dominating set of Σ if |N⁺(v) ∩ S| > |N⁻(v) ∩ S| for all v ∈ V − S. This article is to start a study of those signed graphs that are stable and critical in the following way: If the removal of an arbitrary vertex does not change the domination number, the signed graph will be stable. The signed graph, on the other hand, is unstable if an arbitrary vertex is removed and the domination number changes. Specifically, we analyze the change in the domination of the vertex deletion and stable signed graphs.Publisher's Versio

Length - weight relationship of a mesopelagic shrimp, Oplophorus typus from the west coast of India

The length weight relationship of Oplophorus typus (Oplophoridae) was studied from samples by Isaac Kid - Mid water Trawl (IKMT)operated onboard FORV Sagar Sampada off west coast of india during October 1998 to May 2001. The relationship between total length and total weight and other dimentional relationship were also worked out. The relationships are not significantly different between male and female

Growth and mortality parameters of the three spot crab, Portunus sanguinolentus (Herbst, 1783) from Gulf of Mannar, South East Coast of India

1534-1539The stock characteristics of growth and mortality parameters of portunus sanguinolentus were studied from Gulf of Mannar. The carapace width of male and female P. sanguinolentus was ranged from 3.9 cm to 19.10 cm, carapace length 1.9 cm to 10.3 cm and the weight ranged from 15 to 328 g. The growth parameters of P. sanguinolentus (Male- L∞ = 19.31 cm, K = 1.08 yr-1, t0 = -0.165: Female - L∞ = 20.49 cm , K = 1.43yr-1, t0 = -0.121). The mortality parameters like natural mortality (M), fishing mortality, total instantaneous mortality (Z) and exploitation ratio (E) of P. sanguinolentus (Male- M = 2.00; F = 1.97; Z = 3.97 & E=0.4962: Female -M =2.3; F = 2.39; Z= 4.69 and E = 0.5095) were observed. The results showed that P. sanguinolentus population is marginally over exploited at Gulf of Mannar

Usefulness of pleural fluid uric acid and its ratio to serum uric acid levels in classifying pleural effusions as exudates and transudates and its correlation with light’s criteria

INTRODUCTION: Pleural effusion is a very common clinical presentation of diseases. A correct diagnosis of the underlying disease is essential for the management of pleural effusion. A limited number of diseases cause Transudative Pleural Effusion, whereas exudative effusions require more extensive diagnostic investigations. Therefore, the first step is to classify them as transudates or exudates, even if this differentiation does not contribute to the etiological diagnosis. Many criteria have been used to distinguish them, but none of them have been found to be satisfactory. Light’s criteria is the most commonly used method. The criteria is one or more of the following to diagnose exudates. 1. Pleural fluid protein / Serum protein >0.5, 2. Pleural fluid LDH/ Serum LDH >0.6, 3. Pleural fluid LDH more than 2/3rd of the upper limit of serum. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the advantages of Total Pleural fluid Uric acid and its ratio to Serum Uric acid levels in classifying Pleural Effusions as Exudates or Transudates. MATERIALS & METHOD: This study is to be conducted among 60 patients with pleural Effusion, attending the Department of Medicine & Department of Thoracic Medicine in Govt. Rajaji Hospital, Madurai. METHODOLOGY: This study was conducted in Govt. Rajaji Hospital, Madurai which is affiliated to Madurai Medical College. This study subjects were selected from the patients admitted in Department of Medicine and Department of Medicine, Govt. Rajaji Hospital. The study was conducted in 60 patients; the patients had pleural effusion with clinical background of congestive cardiac failure, chronic liver disease, chronic kidney disease, tuberculosis, parapneumonic effusions, malignancy. RESULT: “By applying Light’s criteria in patients with transudative pleural effusion classified clinically, 85.2% % of the cases were correctly diagnosed as transudative pleural effusion. By applying Pleural fluid Uric acid in patients with transudativee pleural effusion classified clinically, 96.3 % of the cases were correctly diagnosed as transudativee pleural effusion. Among the parameters used, most specific test to classify an transudative pleural effusion from exudative pleural effusion is pleural fluid uric acid in which is 96.3 % and most sensitive test is pleural fluid / serum Uric acid ratio which is 96.96. %. The positive predictive value, negative predictive value and diagnostic accuracy to classify an transudativee pleural effusion from a exudative pleural effusion is higher for pleural fluid total Uric acid which is 96.29 % , 95.23 % , 94 % respectively . CONCLUSION: For many decades Light’s criteria had been used widely to differentiate exudative from transudative pleural effusion. But it also misclassified 25 % of transudates as exudates, so there was a need to identify new parameters which would prove to be superior or supportive to the array of tests at present. From our study we came to known that there was statistically significant criteria [p value < 0.001] in classifying pleural effusion as exudates and transudates by using pleural fluid uric acid and pleural fluid/serum uric acid ratio

Studies on pelagic shrimps in the deep scattering layer of the west coast of India (TH 100)

Today, when so much is being said and written about our interests in the ocean, it is particularly important to retain our perspective. Of course, the present pattern is likely to change, although how rapidly or dramatically we do not know. What is certain is that we shall use the ocean more intensively and in a greater variety of ways. Our greatest need is to use it wisely. The general goal of ecological research to which marine biology makes an important contribution, is to achieve an understanding and to tum to our advantage all the biological processes that give our planet its special character. Marine biology is focussed on the problems of biological production, which are closely related to problems of production in the economic sense as well. Our most compelling interest is often narrower. It lies in ocean life as a renewable resource, primarily of protein-rich foods and food supplements for our domestic animals and to us and of secondary materials and drugs. At this point, it is time to inquire about the future expectations from the ocean which is or three dimensional environments provides protein rich seafoods alternate to agricultural products from land. Other than this, nonliving resources such as minerals, oil, medicinal properties of the various marine organisms etc. are resources we collect from the sea. The present harvest of marine living resources from the world oceans is about 87 million tonnes in 1996 (Anon., 1998). More than 90% of this harvest is finfishes: the rest consists of whales, crustaceans, molluscs and other invertebrates. It is now a common knowledge that fish is one of the few major foodstuffs showing an increase in global production that continues to exceed the growth rate of the human population. This increase has been accompanied by changing patterns of use. Although some products of high unit values that includes luxury foods, such as shellfish, have maintained or even enhanced their relative economic importance and the trend is that moderate catch is used directly for human consumption and the bulk is reduced to fishmeal for animal feed and manure. There are also large aggregations of pelagic animals that live further down and are associated particularly with the "Deep Scattering Layer" (DSL). the sound-reflecting stratum observed in all oceans which has vast potential to provide exploitable resources.

Nemipterus delagoae Smith (Nemipteridae: Pisces) A new record from the Indian seas

The occurrence of Nemipterus delagoae Smith is reported here for the first time from the Indian seas based on one specimen 231 mm total length, collected from 40-m depth at 9°35'N 76°05'E along the southwest coast of India, The species is described and illustrated

Penaeoid and Sergestoid shrimps from the deep scattering layer (DSL) in the Arabian Sea

Results of a preliminary study on the occurrence and distribution of seventeen species of Penaeoid and Sergestoid shrimps from the deep scattering layer'(DSL) of the Indian EEZ of Arabian Sea are presented here based on the IKMT samples collected during FORV Sagar Sampada cruises from May 1998 to December 2002

Food and feeding habits of the pelagic shrimp, Oplophorus typus from the deep scattering layer along the west coast of India

The food and feeding habits of the pelagic shrimp, Oplophorus typus, an inhabitant of deep scattering layer from the west coast of India were studied during the period, October 1998-May 2001. Difference in food preference had been noticed between seasons and at different bathymetric realms. O.typus preferred food items such as detritus, chaetognaths, crustacean remains, fish remains, shrimp remains, euphausiids, diatoms, copepods and foraminifera. Diurnal variations in the feeding intensity as well as preference of food items were noticed