Studies on Selected Myctophid Fishes in Arabian Sea with respect to their Status in Deep Sea Trawl Bycatch, Length-Weight Relationship, Reproductive Biology and Population Dynamics

Available information on abundance of myctophids and their utilisation indicate that there is excellent scope for development of myctophid fisheries in Indian Ocean. Most of the conventional fish stocks have reached a state of full exploitation or over-exploitation. Hence there is need to locate new and conventional fishery resources in order to fill in the supply-demand gap, in the face of increasing demand for fish. Information on length-weight relationship, age and growth, spawning season, fecundity and age at maturity and information on bycatch discards are required for sustainable utilization of myctophid resource in the Indian Ocean

Studies on the Quality of Rainwater at Various Land Use Locations and Variations by Interaction with Domestic Rainwater Harvesting Systems

The present study focused on the quality of rainwater at various land use locations and its variations on interaction with various domestic rainwater harvesting systems.Sampling sites were selected based upon the land use pattern of the locations and were classified as rural, urban, industrial and sub urban. Rainwater samples were collected from the south west monsoon of May 2007 to north east monsoon of October 2008, from four sampling sites namely Kothamangalam, Emakulam, Eloor and Kalamassery, in Ernakulam district of the State of Kerala, which characterized typical rural, urban, industrial and suburban locations respectively. Rain water samples at various stages of harvesting were also collected. The samples were analyzed according to standard procedures and their physico-chemical and microbiological parameters were determined. The variations of the chemical composition of the rainwater collected were studied using statistical methods. It was observed that 17.5%, 30%, 45.8% and 12.1% of rainwater samples collected at rural, urban, industrial and suburban locations respectively had pH less than 5.6, which is considered as the pH of cloud water at equilibrium with atmospheric CO,.Nearly 46% of the rainwater samples were in acidic range in the industrial location while it was only 17% in the rural location. Multivariate statistical analysls was done using Principal Component Analysis, and the sources that inf1uence the composition of rainwater at each locations were identified .which clearly indicated that the quality of rain water is site specific and represents the atmospheric characteristics of the free fall The quality of harvested rainwater showed significant variations at different stages of harvesting due to deposition of dust from the roof catchment surface, leaching of cement constituents etc. Except the micro biological quality, the harvested rainwater satisfied the Indian Standard guide lines for drinking water. Studies conducted on the leaching of cement constituents in water concluded that tanks made with ordinary portland cement and portland pozzolana cement could be safely used for storage of rain water.

Studies on new processing aids and other compounding ingredients in special purpose rubbers

In the first part of the study we probed the effectiveness of rice bran oil as a multipurpose compounding ingredient for nitrile (NBR) and chloroprene (CR) rubbers. This oil has already been successfully employed in the compounding of NR and SBR in this laboratory.In this context we thought it worthwhile to try this oil in the polar rubbers viz, NBR and CR also. The principle of like dissolves like as applicable to solvents is equally applicable while selecting a plasticiser, elastomer combination. Because of the compatibility considerations polar plasticisers are preferred for polar rubbers like NBR and CR. Although plasticisation is a physical phenomenon and no chemical reaction is involved, the chemical structure of plasticisers determines how much physical attraction there is between the rubber and the plasticiser. In this context it is interesting to note that the various fatty acids present in rice bran oil have a long paraffinic chain, characteristic of waxes, with an acid group at the end of the molecule. The paraffinic end of the molecule contributes lubricating effects and limits compatibility whereas the acid end group contributes some polarity and is also chemically reactive. Because of absorption of acid group on the surface of pigments, these acids will have active pigment wetting characteristics also. These factors justifies the role of rice bran oil as a co-activator and lubricating agent for NBR and CR. In fact in our study we successfully replaced stearic acid as co-activator and aromatic oillDOP as processing aid for CR and NBR with rice bran oil.This part of the study has got special significance in the fact that rubber industry now heavily depends on petroleum industry for process oils. The conventional process oils like aromatic, naphthenic and paraffinic oils are increasingly becoming costlier, as its resources in nature are fast depleting. Moreover aromatic process oils are reported to be carcinogenic because of the presence of higher levels of polycyclic aromatic compounds in these oils.As a result of these factors, a great amount research is going on world over for newer processing aids which are cost effective, nontoxic and performanance wise at par with the conventional ones used in the rubber industry. Trials with vegetable oils in this direction is worth trying.Antioxidants are usually added to the rubber compound to minimise ageing effects from heat, light, oxygen etc. As rice bran oil contains significant amount of tocopherols and oryzanol which are natural antioxidants, we replaced a phenolic antioxidant like styrenated phenol (SP) from the compound recipe of both the rubbers with RBO and ascertained whether this oil could function in the role of antioxidant as well.Preparation and use of epoxidised rice bran oil as plasticiser has already been reported.The crude rice bran oil having an iodine value of 92 was epoxidised in this laboratory using peracetic acid in presence of sulphuric acid as catalyst. The epoxy content of the epoxidised oil was determined volumetrically by treating a known weight of the oil with excess HCI and back titrating the residual HCI with standard alkali solution. The epoxidised oil having an epoxy content of 3.4% was tried in the compounding of NBR and CR as processing aids. And results of these investigations are also included in this chapter. In the second part of the study we tried how RBO/ERBO could perform when used as a processing aid in place of aromatic oil in the compounding of black filled NRCR blends. Elastomers cannot have all the properties required for a particular applications, so it is common practice in rubber industry to blend two elastomers to have desired property for the resulting blend.In this RBO/ERBO was tried as a processing aid for plasticisation, dispersion of fillers, and vulcanisation of black filled NR-CR blends.Aromatic oil was used as a control. The results of our study indicate that these oils could function as a processing aid and when added together with carbon black function as a cure accelerator also.PVC is compatible with nitrile rubber in all proportions, provided NBR has an acrylonitrile content of 25 to 40%. Lower or higher ACN content in NBR makes it incompatible with PVC.PVC is usually blended with NBR at high temperatures. In order to reduce torque during mixing, additional amounts of plasticisers like DOP are added. The plasticiser should be compatible both with PVC and NBR so as to get a homogeneous blend. Epoxidised soyaben oil is reported to have been used in the compounding of PVC as it can perfonn both as an efficient plasticiser and heat stabilizer.At present DOP constitute the largest consumed plasticiser in the PVC compounding. The migration of this plasticiser from food packaging materials made of PVC poses great health hazards as this is harmful to human body. In such a scenario we also thought it worthwhile to see whether DOP could be replaced by rice bran oil in the compounding of NBR-PVC blends Different blends of NBR-PVC were prepared with RBO and were vulcanized using sulphur and conventional accelerators. The various physical and mechanical properties of the vulcanisates were evaluated and compared with those prepared with DOP as the control plasticiser. Epoxidised rice bran oil was also tried as plasticiser for the preparation of NBR-PVC blends. A comparison of the processability and cure characteristics of the different blends prepared with DOP and ERBO showed that ERBO based blends have better processability and lower cure time values. However the elastographic maximum torque values are higher for the DOP based blends. Almost all of the physical properties evaluated are found to be slightly better for the DOP based blends over the ERBO based ones. However a notable feature of the ERBO based blends is the better percentage retention of elongation at break values after ageing over the DOP based blends. The results of these studies using rice bran oil and its epoxidised variety indicated that they could be used as efficient plasticisers in place of DOP and justifies their role as novel, nontoxic, and cheap plasticisers for NBR-PVC blends.

Studies on taxonomy and ecology of Mysidacea from the EEZ of India

Members of the order Mysidacea are important component in marine and estuarine plankton inhabiting all regions of the oceans. There are many brackish water species and few species occur in fresh water, some have become adapted to the specialized environments of caves and wells. They are omnivores, responsible for remineralisation of a substantial portion of the detritus in the water column. They form an important link in the food chain (between microbial producers and secondary consumers) and therefore play a major role in the cycling of energy within the aquatic ecosystem. In tropical and subtropical waters, swarms of mysids are exploited commercially and marketed as preserved cooked food. Mysids have been used in fish farming as live feed resource. They are also excellent experimental organism, extremely useful in the studies of potential impact of various pollutants in the aquatic environment. Mysids are also used in wood pulp effluent plants.Considering the significant role of mysids in the productivity of tropical and coastal ecosystems,the present study has been undertaken to extend our knowledge on the systematics, species composition, distribution,abundance and ecology of mysid fauna of the Indian EEZ and adjoining areas. The present study therefore will undoubtedly fumish valuable information on Mysidacea of the Indian waters.

Household Energy consumption pattern in rural Kerala

The present thesis critically analyzes the micro level issues that influence the rural household energy behavior in Kerala. The aim of the study is to examine the energy consumption pattern at the household level in rural Kerala and to assess the variations in rural household energy consumption pattern across geo-climatic and socio-economic clusters. The researcher assess the attitudes of the rural households towards energy sources, uses and devices. The study tries to identify the factors influencing the adoption of energy conservation practices and shift to the improved energy

Rural Transformation in Kerala

This study is an attempt to present an integrated picture of the economic changes that have taken place in the rural economy of Kerala. Its limited purpose is to draw the attention of researchers and policymakers to an important but neglected dimension in rural analysis and planning.The thesis aims to identify changes in income, employment-and population. and analyses the structural change in land ownership and other assets of the rural population. The thesis also studies the changes in agriculture, especially with reference to land use and cropping pattern and examines the extend of rural indebtedness. These aspects are studied with reference to three Panchayats - Thazhava, Pananchery, Muttil – which are taken as case studies.

Studies on osmoregulation in the penaeid prawn Metapenaeus dobsoni (Miers)

Metapenaeus dobsoni (Miers) is the most abundant species along the coast of Kerala. It is cultured extensively by adoption of traditional farming practices. The geographical location and water source determines the seasonal and annual environmental fluctuations the prawn farming systems experiences. The life cycle of the shrimp includes its migration to the coastal deeper waters for spawning and the immigration of larvae to the estuaries for growth. The survival of the species in such complex ecosystems is thus critical to its life cycle. The animal adapts itself to different environments through a physiological process known as osmoregulation. The present study on osmoregulation in the penaeid prawn Metapenaeus dobsoni was thus undertaken to understand the mechanism adopted by this species to survive in different environments. A number of experimental work have been conducted to understand the effect of salinity on the internal variations. However the effect of the complex environmental conditions as existent in nature on the osmotic variations in this species has not been dealt with in any of the earlier studies.

Hydrogeological, Geophysical And Geochemical Studies In Parts Of Coastal And Midland Areas, Central Kerala - A Gis Approach

The present study deals with the different hydrogeological characteristics of the coastal region of central Kerala and a comparative analysis with corresponding hard rock terrain. The coastal regions lie in areas where the aquifer systems discharge groundwater ultimately into the sea. Groundwater development in such regions will require a precise understanding of the complex mechanism of the saline and fresh water relationship, so that the withdrawals are so regulated as to avoid situations leading to upcoming of the saline groundwater bodies as also to prevent migration of sea water ingress further inland. Coastal tracts of Kerala are formed by several drainage systems. Thick pile of semi-consolidated and consolidated sediments from Tertiary to Recent age underlies it. These sediments comprise phreatic and confined aquifer systems. The corresponding hard rock terrain is encountered with laterites and underlined by the Precambrian metamorphic rocks. Supply of water from hard rock terrain is rather limited. This may be due to the small pore size, low degree of interconnectivity and low extent of weathering of the country rocks. The groundwater storage is mostly controlled by the thickness and hydrological properties of the weathered zone and the aquifer geometry. The over exploitation of groundwater, beyond the ‘safe yield’ limit, cause undesirable effects like continuous reduction in groundwater levels, reduction in river flows, reduction in wetland surface, degradation of groundwater quality and many other environmental problems like drought, famine etc.

Learning From Cross Country Experiences In Housing: A Micro Finance Approach For Inclusive Housing In India

Housing is one of the primary human needs. It is second only to the need for food and clothing. From a macro perspective, housing is an industry that can prove itself to be a growth engine for a nation, particularly a developing nation like India. Housing has been one of the top priorities for the various governments in India since the seventies. The need for housing has been increasing at a phenomenal pace in India and so also the need for housing finance. Since the growth in supply of housing could not keep pace with the growth in its demand, housing shortage has been on the rise over the years. Housing finance industry which was relatively dormant till the early nineties underwent sweeping changes ever since the initiation of financial sector deregulation measures. Financial deregulation measures brought about several changes in this industry, the first and foremost being the fast growth rate in the industry coupled with cutthroat competition among the industry players. This trend has been quite prominent since the entry of commercial banks into this arena. Accordingly, there has been a surge in the growth of retail (personal) loans segment, particularly in respect of housing loans. This is evident from the fact that housing loans disbursed by banks as a percentage of their total loans has increased from just 2.79% as of end-March 1997 to as high as 12.52% as of end-March 2007. Thus, there has been an unprecedented growth rate in the disbursement of housing loans by banks, and as of 31 March 2007 the outstanding balance of housing loans by all banks in India stands at Rs.230689 Crore, as against just Rs.7946 Crore as of 31 March 1997, the growth rate being 35.82 %CAGR (for the eleven years’ period, FY 1997-‘2007). However, in spite of the impressive growth in housing finance over the years, there are growing apprehensions regarding its inclusiveness, i.e. accessibility to the common man, the underprivileged sections of the society to housing finance etc. Of late, it is widely recognized that formal housing finance system, particularly the commercial banks (CBs) – most dominant among the players – is fast becoming exclusive in operations, with nearly 90% of the total housing credit going to the rich and upper middle income group, primarily the salaried class. The case of housing finance companies (HFCs) is quite similar in this regard. The poor and other marginalized sections are often deprived of adequate credit facilities for housing purpose. Studies have revealed that urban housing poverty is much more acute than the rural probably because of the very fast process of urbanization coupled with constant rural to urban migration

Studies on Copepods from the EEZ of India-Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea

The main objectives of the study are: To study the seasonal distribution of copepods with special reference to their qualitative and quantitative distribution, with notes on biodiversity in the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal. To study the spatial and temporal distribution of copepods in the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal.To understand the hydrography and the environmental characteristics of the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal and their role in the distribution and biomass of copepods.To study the vertical migration/diurnal migration of the copepods. To study the difference between the coastal and oceanic composition of copepods in the study area and the factors responsible for it.

Studies on Landfill Leachate Transportation and Its Impact on Soil Characteristics

Leachate from an untreated landfill or landfill with damaged liners will cause the pollution of soil and ground water. Here an attempt was made to generate knowledge on concentrations of all relevant pollutants in soil due to municipal solid waste landfill leachate and its migration through soil and also to study the effect of leachate on the engineering properties of soil. To identify the pollutants in soil due to the leachate generated from municipal solid waste landfill site, a case study on an unlined municipal solid waste landfill at Kalamassery has been done. Soil samples as well as water samples were collected from the site and analysed to identify the pollutants and its effect on soil characteristics. The major chemicals in the soil were identified as Ammonia, Chloride, Nitrate, Iron, Nickel, Chromium, Cadmium etc.. Engineering properties of field soil samples show that the chemicals from the leachate of landfill may have effect on the engineering properties of soil. Laboratory experiments were formulated to model the field around an unlined MSW landfill using two different soils subjected to a synthetic leachate. The Maximum change in chemical concentration and engineering property was observed on soil samples at a radial distance of 0.2 m and at a depth of 0.3 m. The pollutant (chemicals) transport pattern through the soil was also studied using synthetic leachate. To establish the effect of pollutants (chemicals) on engineering properties of soil, experiments were conducted on two types soils treated with the synthetic chemicals at four different concentrations. Analyses were conducted after maturing periods of 7, 50, 100 and 150 days. Test soils treated with maximum chemical concentration and matured for 150 days were showing major change in the properties. To visualize the flow of pollutants through soil in a broader sense, the transportation of pollutants through soil was modeled using software ‘Visual MODFLOW’. The actual field data collected for the case study was used to calibrate the modelling and thus simulated the flow pattern of the pollutants through soil around Kalamassery municipal solid waste landfill for an extent of 4 km2. Flow was analysed for a time span of 30 years in which the landfill was closed after 20 years. The concentration of leachate beneath the landfill was observed to be reduced considerably within one year after closure of landfill and within 8 years, it gets lowered to a negligible level. As an environmensstal management measure to control the pollution through leachate, permeable reactive barriers are used as an emerging technology. Here the suitability of locally available materials like coir pith, rice husk and sugar cane bagasse were investigated as reactive media in permeable reactive barrier. The test results illustrates that, among these, coir pith was showing better performance with maximum percentage reduction in concentration of the filtrate. All these three agricultural wastes can be effectively utilized as a reactive material. This research establishes the influence of leachate of municipal solid waste landfill on the engineering properties of soil. The factors such as type of the soil, composition of leachate, infiltration rate, aquifers, ground water table etc., will have a major role on the area of influence zone of the pollutants in a landfill. Software models of the landfill area can be used to predict the extent and the time span of pollution of a landfill, by inputting the accurate field parameters and leachate characteristics. The present study throws light on the role of agro waste materials on the reduction of the pollution in leachate and thus prevents the groundwater and soil from contamination