Studies on the taxonomy of interstitial Fauna of some prominent beaches of Kerala

The oceans in their expanse cover, seven - tenths of the Earth surface. Despite being restricted in size, the littoral zone or the intertidal zone (beach) has the greatest variation in environment factors of any marine area .Stemming from this variation ,a treamendous diversity of life, which may be great as or greater than that found in the more extensive sub tidal habits exist in this realm. the study beaches harbour diverse and abundant assemblage of marine organisms. Besides macro funna, microscopic organisms belonging to the lower and higher invertebrate taxa profusely inhabit these beaches. The ecological realm where these animals exist is known as the interstitial environment, which in principle includes the pore spaces in between the sand grains containing copious supply of nutrient rich oxygenated seawater. An astonishing diversity of taxa could be found within the interstitial fauna.

Characterization of polyhydroxyalkanoates accumulating vibrios from marine benthic environments and production studies of polyhydroxyalkanoates by Vibrio sp. BTKB33

The present work deals with the characterization of polyhydroxyalkanoates accumulating vibrios from marine benthic environments and production studies of polyhydroxyalkanoates by vibrio sp.BTKB33. Vibrios are a group of (iram negative, curved or straight motile rods that normally inhabit the aquatic environments.The present study therefore aimed at evaluating the occurrence of PHA accumulating vibrios inhabiting marine benthic environments; characterizing the potential PHA accumulators employing phenotypic and genotypic approaches and molecular characterization of the PHA synthase gene. The study also evaluated the PHA production in V:'hri0 sp. strain BTKB33, through submerged fennentation using statistical optimization and characterized the purified biopolymer. Screening for PHA producing vibrios from marine benthic environments. Characterization of PHA producers employing phenotypic and genotypic approaches.The incidence of PHA accumulation in Vibrio sp. isolated from marine sediments was observed to be high, indicating that the natural habitat of these bacteria are stressful. Considering their ubiquitous nature, the ecological role played by vibrios in maintaining the delicate balance of the benthic ecosystem besides returning potential strains, with the ability to elaborate a plethora of extracellular enzymes for industrial application, is significant. The elaboration of several hydrolytic enzymes by individuals also emphasize the crucial role of vibrios in the mineralization process in the marine environment. This study throws light on the extracellular hydrolytic enzyme profile exhibited by vibrios. It was concluded that apart from the PHA accumulation, presence of exoenzyme production and higher MAR index also aids in their survival in the highly challenging benthic enviromnents. The phylogenetic analysis of the strains and studies on intra species variation within PHA accumulating strains reveal their diversity. The isolate selected for production in this study was Vibrio sp. strain BTKB33, identified as V.azureus by 16S rDNA sequencing and phenotypic characterization. The bioprocess variables for PHA production utilising submerged fermentation was optimized employing one-factor-at-a-time-method, PB design and RSM studies. The statistical optimization of bioprocess variables revealed that NaCl concentration, temperature and incubation period are the major bioprocess variables influencing PHA production and PHA content. The presence of Class I PHA synthase genes in BTKB33 was also unveiled. The characterization of phaC genes by PCR and of the extracted polymer employing FTIR and NMR analysis revealed the presence of polyhydroxybutyrate, smallest known PI-IAs, having wider domestic, industrial and medical application. The strain BTKB33 bearing a significant exoenzyme profile, can thus be manipulatedin future for utilization of diverse substrates as C- source for PHA production. In addition to BTKB33, several fast growing Vibrio sp. having PHA accumulating ability were also isolated, revealing the prospects of this environment as a mine for novel PHA accumulating microbes. The findings of this study will provide a reference for further research in industrial production of PHAs from marine microorganisms .

Studies On Some Aspects Of Biology Of Two Estuarine Fishes Megalops Cyprinoides And Scatophagus Argus

Based on the adaption of fishes to their habitat, they are divided into three ecological groups - marine, fresh water and estuarine or brackish water forms. Estuarine fishes inhabit the less saline region of the sea, estuaries and other inland waters. These fishes are more subjected to pollution than fresh water fishes or marine fishes as they encounter pollutants present in the outgoing river water and the incoming sea water during low and high tides respectively. So, the study of the biology of the estuarine fishes has become unavoidable to assess their suitability in aquaculture. The development of both capture and culture fisheries related to any brackish water system is dependent on the availability of scientific‘ data on the various biological factors in respect of the different species. Such a study on fishes will be helpful in formulating suitable schemes for the management of brackish water for capture and culture fisheries. It was therefore felt that a study of the biological and biochemical aspects of two estuarine fishes Megalops cyprinoides Broussonet and Scatophargus Bloch which are not fully exploited in aquaculture programmes, was worth undertaking. The present study is expected to advance our knowledge on the biology of the two fishes which are very desirable for brackish water fish farming

Protease Production by haloarchaea Natrinema sp. BTSH10 isolated from salt pan of South India

The present study led to the recognition of Natrinema sp. BTSH 10 isolated from saltern ponds, as an ideal candidate species for production of gelatinase, which was noted as a halozyme capable of showing enzyme activity in the presence of 15% NaCl. Results obtained during the course of the present study indicated potential for application of this enzyme in industrial catalysis that are performed in the presence of high concentrations of salt. The enzyme characteristics noted with this gelatinase also indicate the scope for probable applications in leather industry, meat tenderization, production of fish sauce and soy sauce. Since halophilic proteases are tolerant to organic solvents, they could be used in antifouling coating preparations used to prevent biofouling of submarine equipments. The gelatinase from haloarchaea could be considered as a probable candidate for peptide synthesis. However, further studies are warranted on this haloarcheal gelatinase particularly on structure elucidation and enzyme engineering to suit a wide range of applications. There is immense scope for developing this halozyme as an industrial enzyme once thorough biochemistry of this gelatinase is studied and a pilot scale study is conducted towards industrial production of this enzyme under fermentation is facilitated. Based on the present study it is concluded that haloarchaea Natrinema sp. that inhabit solar saltern ponds are ideal source for deriving industrially important halozymes and molecular studies on enzymes are prerequisite for their probable industrial applications. This is the first time this species of archaea is recognized as a source of gelatinase enzyme that has potential for industrial applications.

Impact of floriculture development enhances livelihood of India’s rural women

India’s rural women are involved in various types of work and contribute considerably to the economy. However much of their work is not systematically accounted in the official statistics. India’s governmental and non-governmental data collection agencies admit that there is an under-estimation of tribal women’s contribution as rural workers. This study describes in detail a research project that focuses on the indicators for socioeconomic development in the least developed rural villages by examining the impact of floriculture on the lives of impoverished tribal women who inhabit the harsh drylands of western India.

Experiencias de estigma de enfermos mentales con trabajadores de la salud en Colombia

Los conceptos para la comprensión del estigma, inician con Goffman en los años sesenta, hasta los estudios de los noventa liderados la World Psychiatri Asociation (WPA). ¿Cómo se crea el estigma?, ¿cómo se difunde? y ¿que efectos tiene sobre los enfermos mentales, sus familias, la sociedad y los sistemas de salud?; es necesario caracterizarlas. Diferencias entre los países desarrollados y en vía de desarrollo, en las características del estigma, sus efectos y consecuencias se han observado; podrían explicarse por las diferencias socioculturales. Este artículo busca determinar cuáles y como son las experiencias que los pacientes mentales crónicos tienen con los trabajadores de la salud en siete regiones colombianas y que factores se encuentran asociados a éstas. Es uno de los objetivos específicos de un protocolo que evalúa otros aspectos del estigma; para la caracterización de las experiencias de estigma en Colombia. Se aplicó entrevista tipo encuesta (Inventario de Experiencias de Estigma), auto diligenciad, a quinientos pacientes de siete regiones del país; la cual se usa en investigaciones de la WPA. Se hallaron niveles bajos pero significativos, de experiencias de estigma con los trabajadores de la salud, se evidenció que la mayoría de experiencias están relacionadas con el llamado “estigma estructural”, de igual manera aparecen algunos factores asociados como el tipo de institución donde ha sido hospitalizado, el numero de hospitalizaciones, el tipo de persona con la que convive, y haber recurrido a la tutela, entre otros.

Análisis del fracaso del proceso de paz de Oslo entre Israel y el pueblo palestino desde el punto de vista religioso: casos Gush Emunim y Hammas. 1993 – 2000

Los diferentes procesos que se han llevado a cabo con el objeto de darle fin al conflicto palestino-israelí han sido numerosos y en algunos casos improductivos. Se podría decir que han sido las formas de negociación las que han influido en el fracaso de algunos procesos, pero desde esta investigación se quiere mostrar cómo la religión de cada uno de los pueblos ha influido de manera negativa para la finalización satisfactoria de los procesos. Este conflicto no sólo se basa en la consecución de la paz por medios negociados, sino en la búsqueda del reconocimiento de la identidad religiosa y cultural de dos pueblos que habitan en un mismo territorio.

La agenda ambiental Andina y su contribución a la integración regional y el desarrollo sostenible. Estudio de Caso: programa regional de biodiversidad en las regiones andino-amazónicas de los países miembros de la CAN (BIOCAN) 2006-2010

El medio Ambiente es el espacio donde el ser humano se desarrolla y por medio del cual sustenta su vida. Por tanto de su conservación depende el bienestar del hombre y demás seres vivos que habitan la tierra. Sin embargo la actividad humana está ejerciendo un impacto negativo ambiental. Por ésta razón los distintos gobiernos están tomando medidas para tratar de llevar a cabo políticas que estén en armonía con un desarrollo económico, ecológico y sustentable, de tal manera que se pueda satisfacer las necesidades de la generación presente sin comprometer las necesidades de las generaciones futuras, para atender sus propias necesidades.Razón por la que se crea La agenda ambiental andina ya que la subregión andina es una de las zonas con más riqueza natural y cultural en el mundo.

Ciudad, ciudadanía y género. Problemas y paradojas

La preocupación feminista por la ciudad surge del cuestionamiento a la distribución desigual de los espacios, a la asignación diferencial de las esferas doméstica y pública, afi rmando que es en el escenario de las ciudades donde se configura la vida cotidiana, se desarrollan procesos sociales y es allí donde la movilidad y las actividades de las mujeres responden a estereotipos “femeninos”, influenciados por una perspectiva masculina tanto de la planifi cación como de la cultura dominante. La ciudadanía se origina en las ciudades, sin embargo estas contienen patrones de desigualdad de género, la división tajante de lo público y lo privado asociado a lo femenino y masculino en las urbes, la estructura espacial que difi culta el uso y acceso a los benefi cios de la ciudad, la falta de áreas verdes e infraestructura o la inseguridad, afecta con mayor profundidad a las mujeres. Por ello, el reclamo por el derecho a la ciudad en las prácticas organizativas de mujeres urbanas populares, muestran las incongruencias, carencias y debilidades de la concepción tradicional de la ciudadanía. En este trabajo presento estas contradicciones a nivel teórico y empírico, pues entre confl ictos y negociaciones, libertades y restricciones, las mujeres cotidianamente habitan y rehabitan la ciudad, en espacios privilegiados para el ejercicio democrático. Estos temas serán refl exionados en este artículo, donde nuevos y viejos problemas implicados en el debate, serán analizados a la luz de un conjunto de evidencias empíricas de trabajo de campo en barrios urbanos populares de la ciudad de Concepción, en Chile.

Petróleo e indígenas en Colombia. Una mirada desde la seguridad humana

En Colombia las actividades de exploración, explotación, transporte y procesamiento de hidrocarburos que se vienen realizando desde comienzos del siglo XX son responsables de grandes procesos de transformación del territorio y de degradación de los ecosistemas en los que se realizan. Estos procesos han impactado negativamente la seguridad de las comunidades indígenas poniendo en riesgo su cultura y en algunos casos su existencia misma. Aunque históricamente los derechos de estas poblaciones frente a la explotación petrolera, y minera en general, han cambiado y su autonomía e integridad es protegida por la Constitución de 1991, las comunidades siguen teniendo una alta vulnerabilidad frente a la intervención de los ecosistema que habitan.La degradación ambiental producida directamente por las actividades petroleras y por los procesos de colonización que estas impulsan se constituye en una amenaza a la seguridad de las comunidades, cuyos territorios y recursos de subsistencia se ven disminuidos. La colonización y la presión sobre los recursos naturales que esta produce son motivadas principalmente por la pobreza de poblaciones campesinas que buscan nuevas tierras para habitar, a su vez estos dos procesos son causa de degradación ambiental que empobrece a las comunidades étnicas debido a que afecta sus fuentes de sustento, situación que genera inseguridad para los indígenas. Adicionalmente, la degradación ambiental y la disminución de los territorios ponen en riesgo la cultura de estos grupos humanos, pues afecta sus valores, tradiciones, autoridades y, en general, su forma de vida lo que constituye una amenaza a su seguridad.-----In Colombia, the exploration, exploitation, transport, and processing of hydrocarbons since the beginning of the 20th century have caused great territory transformations and ecosystem degradation. These processes have impacted adversely the indigenous communities security, exposing their culture and, in some cases, their existence itself. Even though, facing oil and, in general, mineral exploitation, the rights of this population have changed historically and their autonomy and integrity is protected by the 1991 Constitution, the communities are still highly vulnerable to the intervention on the ecosystem they inhabit.The environmental degradation directly arisen from the oil exploitation activities and the colonization they have driven, has become a threat to the security of the communities whose territories and subsistence resources have been reduced. Colonization and the resulting natural resource pressure are mainly caused by the poverty of the country population that seek new lands to occupy and these two facts cause in turn the environmental degradation that impoverish the ethnic communities by affecting their living sources, thereby causing insecurity to the indigenous population. In addition, environmental degradation and territory reduction risk these human groups’ culture by impacting their values, tradition, authorities and, in general, their way of living, and therefore turn into a threat to their security.

El ordenamiento territorial a partir de la producción social del territorio. Caso de estudio: Parque de la 93.

El territorio, como una representación de la sociedad, manifiesta relaciones poder y situaciones de confrontación entre las clases sociales que lo habitan, consolidando escenarios funcionales a éstas. A continuación se analiza la forma en la que incide la producción social del territorio en el ordenamiento territorial, en el caso de la transformación del Parque de la 93. La ordenación del territorio no surge de manera espontánea, sino que responde a unos intereses por localizar espacios de producción y consumo para incidir directamente en el proceso de acumulación de capital. Se utiliza el materialismo histórico como la herramienta fundamental de análisis, pues éste ubica la lucha de clases en el centro de la discusión, expresando la relación entre los intereses de la clase dominante respecto a un territorio y las necesidades de ordenamiento territorial para construir espacios que propicien la acumulación de capital.

Sòcrates a l’àgora. Una proposta per a 4t d’ESO

L’article exposa detalladament l’experiència d’un projecte per a la formació educativa en ètica i ciutadania, que es va posar en pràctica a l’IES Damià Huguet i al Centre de Tecnificació Esportiva de Campos . Es tracta d’una experiència de treball molt diversa, basada en vuit unitats didàctiques variades i que se centra en quatre competències bàsiques: aprendre a ser i a actuar de manera autònoma, aprendre a pensar i a comunicar, aprendre a descobrir i a tenir iniciativa, i aprendre a conviure i a habitar el món. L’objectiu principal és obrir el debat i abordar el pensament lliure, de tal manera que els alumnes puguin vertebrar aquestes reflexions conjuntament amb les altres matèries didàctiques i assoleixin les demandes educatives en relació amb el context social i cultural de la societat actual. El projecte revisa l’assignatura d’educació per a la ciutadania per donar-li un caire pràctic i per enllaçar teoria i pràctica a través de la reflexió sobre la pròpia vida i la realitat

Integração do elemento vegetal no edificado

Esta dissertação é muito mais do que um trabalho sobre ajardinamento de edifícios, pois pretende-se que seja uma ferramenta de ajuda em benefício da transformação de milhares de metros quadrados, das coberturas e das fachadas, muitas vezes negligenciados, em espaços verdes públicos beneficiando, não somente, os promotores imobiliários mas, acima de tudo os seus ocupantes e usufrutuários, que desta forma podem tirar partido de novos espaços de estar, ao ar livre. Enquanto a cidade, ao nível térreo, apresenta um aumento de tráfego rodoviário, com inegável poluição e confusão, é possível, desta forma, usufruir de um espaço aberto. Esta dissertação procura estudar os edifícios que já integram o elemento vegetal no seu conceito e que sejam um sucesso na forma como usam o elemento vegetal, de modo a divulgar as técnicas de construção, entender as decisões dos projectistas e o impacto nos utilizadores que habitam e usufruem dos espaços – Análise-Pós-Ocupação. Esta dissertação pretende demonstrar o quanto é importante que as cidades apresentem espaços verdes para uso da população. As zonas verdes existentes nas cidades são inequivocamente um importante indicador da qualidade ambiental existente nessas mesmas cidades. As coberturas e fachadas verdes arrefecem os edifícios, capturam e filtram as águas da chuva, proporcionam habitat à vida selvagem, reduzem o efeito de estufa das cidades, proporcionam uma preciosidade estética, uma experiência recreativa e por vezes comida, para os habitantes das cidades. Pretende-se assim, focar os benefícios humanos, sociais e naturais que se obtêm ao introduzir vegetação nas paredes, terraços, pátios e coberturas dos edifícios. Assim foi considerado útil usar uma metodologia para também analisar o tipo de espécies usadas nos estudos de caso, e determinar a necessidade de uma ferramenta para que a selecção vegetal respeite critérios de biodiversidade e melhor adaptabilidade aos ecossistemas locais, sabendo de antemão que não podem nem pretendem substituir os habitats naturais, que as cidades também podem e devem apresentar.

Periodic Reordering

For many networks in nature, science and technology, it is possible to order the nodes so that most links are short-range, connecting near-neighbours, and relatively few long-range links, or shortcuts, are present. Given a network as a set of observed links (interactions), the task of finding an ordering of the nodes that reveals such a range-dependent structure is closely related to some sparse matrix reordering problems arising in scientific computation. The spectral, or Fiedler vector, approach for sparse matrix reordering has successfully been applied to biological data sets, revealing useful structures and subpatterns. In this work we argue that a periodic analogue of the standard reordering task is also highly relevant. Here, rather than encouraging nonzeros only to lie close to the diagonal of a suitably ordered adjacency matrix, we also allow them to inhabit the off-diagonal corners. Indeed, for the classic small-world model of Watts & Strogatz (1998, Collective dynamics of ‘small-world’ networks. Nature, 393, 440–442) this type of periodic structure is inherent. We therefore devise and test a new spectral algorithm for periodic reordering. By generalizing the range-dependent random graph class of Grindrod (2002, Range-dependent random graphs and their application to modeling large small-world proteome datasets. Phys. Rev. E, 66, 066702-1–066702-7) to the periodic case, we can also construct a computable likelihood ratio that suggests whether a given network is inherently linear or periodic. Tests on synthetic data show that the new algorithm can detect periodic structure, even in the presence of noise. Further experiments on real biological data sets then show that some networks are better regarded as periodic than linear. Hence, we find both qualitative (reordered networks plots) and quantitative (likelihood ratios) evidence of periodicity in biological networks.

Interactions between earthworms and arsenic in the soil environment: a review

Chemical pollution of the environment has become a major source of concern. In particular, many studies have investigated the impact of pollution on biota in the environment. Studies on metalliferous contaminated mine spoil wastes have shown that some soil organisms have the capability to become resistant to metal/metalloid toxicity. Earthworms are known to inhabit arsenic-rich metalliferous soils and, due to their intimate contact with the soil, in both the solid and aqueous phases, are likely to accumulate contaminants present in mine spoil. Earthworms that inhabit metalliferous contaminated soils must have developed mechanisms of resistance to the toxins found in these soils. The mechanisms of resistance are not fully understood; they may involve physiological adaptation (acclimation) or be genetic. This review discusses the relationships between earthworms and arsenic-rich mine spoil wastes, looking critically at resistance and possible mechanisms of resistance, in relation to soil edaphic factors and possible trophic transfer routes. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.