Toxicity of four therapeutic compounds to fry of Indian major carps

Toxicity of four therapeutic compounds: sodium chloride, potassium permanganate, potassium dichromate and acriflavine to fry of Catla calla, Labeo rohita and Cirrhinus mrigala was tested. Bioassays were conducted in 5 and 10 liters glass jars in the laboratory for periods of 24-48 hrs. at temperatures of 26° and 32°C. LC 50 values of the chemicals were in the ranges of 5500 to 7500 ppm, 37.5 to 48 ppm, 92.5 to 125 ppm and 47.5 to 80 ppm respectively. The results obtained are of value in evolving cheap control methods against some common fish diseases. Sodium chloride and acriflavine can be widely used for chemotherapy and potassium dichromate is preferable to potassium permanganate for prophylaxis.

Copper, zinc, iron and manganese in sediments and in the rock oyster Saccostrea cucullata in Mumbai coast

Sediment and oyster (Saccostrea cucullata) samples were collected at Dhanda, a fishing village in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The samples were analysed for copper, zinc, iron and manganese contents. Metal concentrations in the sediments and bioaccumulated levels in oysters were correlated. There is no positive correlation between the total sedimentary levels of metals analysed and the bioaccumulated levels of respective metals in oyster. A positive correlation between the bioavailable fractions of zinc, iron and manganese, and the bioaccumulated levels exists. Copper, however, shows a negative correlation with respect to the bioaccumulated levels.

Ferroelectric liquid crystal mixtures containing chiral ether and ester compounds with the 2-arylidene-p-menthan-3-one skeleton

Some 1R,4R-2-(4-phenylbenzylidene)-p-menthane-3-one derivatives containing the ether or ester linking group between benzene rings of the arylidene fragment have been studied as chiral dopants in ferroelectric liquid crystal systems based on the eutectic mixture (1:1) of two phenylbenzoate derivatives CmH2m+1OC6H4COOC6 H4OCnH2n+1 (n = 6; m = 8, 10). The ferroelectric properties of these compositions (spontaneous polarization, rotation viscosity, smectic tilt angle as well as quantitative characteristics of their concentration dependences) were compared with those for systems including chiral dopants containing no linking group. Ferroelectric parameters of the induced ferroelectric compositions studied have been shown to depend essentially on the presence of the linking group between benzene rings and its nature as well as on the number of the benzene rings in the rigid molecular core of the chiral dopants used. For all ferroelectric liquid crystal systems studied, the influence of the chiral dopants on the thermal stability of N*, SmA and SmC* mesophases has been quantified. The influence of the linking group nature in the dopant molecules on the characteristics of the systems studied is discussed taking into account results of the conformational analysis carried out by the semi-empirical AM1 and PM3 methods.

Acute toxicity of copper, zinc and mercury on intertidal gastropods of Mumbai coast

The acute toxicity test conducted by static bioassay techniques have revealed that among selected heavy metals, copper is more toxic than zinc and mercury to Planaxis sulcatus and Trochus radiatus. The natural availability of heavy metals in the surrounding environment of these organisms is found to be deciding factor for their toxicity. Natural habitat of the animal also contributes to the sensitivity of a particular animal to the heavy metals tested. In addition the tendency of the animal to overcome the adverse conditions in their surrounding also plays a significant role in toxicity of pollutants.

Erratum: "Zinc oxide nanostructures and high electron mobility nanocomposite thin film transistors" (IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices (2009))

In the above entitled paper (ibid., vol. 55, no. 11, pp. 3001-3011), two errors were noticed after the paper went to press. The errors are corrected here.

Effects of dietary phosphorus and zinc levels on growth artd bone mineralization in fingerlings of rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss

A laboratory based 2 x 2 factorial experiment was conducted to investigate the influences of dietary phosphorus and zinc levels on growth and bone mineralization in fingerlings of rainbow trout for 21 weeks. Two levels of phosphorus (19 and 30 mg/g) and two levels of zinc (55 and 103 Ag/g) in the dry diets were tested. Duplicate tanks of 30 rainbow trout (average weight 1.56 ± 0.24 g) per 60L glass tank were fed experimental diets three times a day to apparent satiation level at 15 to 24°C water temperature. The results of the present study demonstrated that dietary phosphorus supplementation influenced the growth and bone mineralization whereas zinc levels significantly (p<0.05) influenced bone mineralization in rainbow trout. Further investigations in this area with different size and age groups of this fish are broadly needed.

Fabrication of an organic field effect transistor using nano imprinting of Ag inks and semiconducting polymers

A simple and cheap procedure for flexible electronics fabrication was demonstrated by imprinting metallic nanoparticles (NPs) on flexible substrates. Silver NPs with an average diameter of 10 nm were prepared via an improved chemical approach and Ag Np ink was produced in α-terpineol with a concentration up to 15%. Silver micro/nanostructures with a dimension varying from nanometres to microns were produced on a flexible substrate (polyimide) by imprinting the as-prepared silver ink. The fine fluidic properties of an Ag NP/α-terpineol solution and low melting temperatures of silver nanoparticles render a low pressure and low temperature procedure, which is well suited for flexible electronics fabrication. The effects of sintering and mechanical bending on the conductivity of imprinted silver contacts were also investigated. Large area organic field effect transistors (OFET) on flexible substrates were fabricated using an imprinted silver electrode and semiconducting polymer. The OFET with silver electrodes imprinted from our prepared oleic acid stabilized Ag nanoparticle ink show an ideal ohmic contact; therefore, the OFET exhibit high performance (Ion/Ioff ratio: 1 × 103; mobility: 0.071 cm2 V-1 s-1). © 2010 IOP Publishing Ltd.

Flexible array sensors based on zinc oxide nanowires for touch displays

Recent efforts towards the fabrication of touch sensing systems are presented, in which zinc oxide nanowire arrays are embedded in a polymer matrix to produce an engineered composite material. In the future, these sensor systems will be fully flexible and multi-touch as intended for Nokia's 'Morph' concept device.

Concentration and distribution of heavy metals (lead, cadmium, chromium, copper, nickel, zinc) in Karachi shore and offshore sediments

A study to measure the heavy metal pollution level in the sediment of coastal and offshore area indicates that high concentration of heavy metals were found around Manora channel and eastern coast of Karachi. In comparison with coastal areas, relatively low concentration of heavy metals was recorded in the offshore area. The result shows that sewage and industrial wastes are the main source of heavy metal pollution in the coastal area. The concentration of heavy metals in the sediments is as follows: Chromium 10.4-33.69, nickel 13.3-47.6, lead 10.0-39.04, cadmium 0.08-0.21, zinc 7.4-73.2 and copper 9.44-18.56 mg/kg. In the offshore areas strong correlation was observed between copper and organic carbon, and calcium carbonate and cadmium. In the shore area such correlation has been recorded among nickel, chromium, zinc, and chromium and copper. The Karachi. coast is viewed as moderately polluted when compared to other continental coastal areas.

Effect of zinc and manganese supplementation to tricalcium phosphate rich diet for tiger puffer (Takifugu rubripes)

Effects of zinc (Zn) and manganese (Mn) supplementation to a tricalcium phosphate (TCP) rich diet for tiger puffer have been investigated. A TCP supplement to the diet decreased the growth of fish compared to the control diet with a Ca supplementation from Ca-lactate. However, addition of either Zn or Mn to the TCP supplemented diet could not improve the growth of tiger puffer. Addition of both zinc and manganese to the TCP supplemented diet improved the growth of tiger puffer.

Genotoxic effect of nickel chloride and zinc sulphate on fish Hypophthalmichthys molitrix

The present investigation is to assess the genotoxic potential of nickel chloride and zinc sulphate on gill cells of silver carp Hypophthalmichthys molitrix. Fishes were exposed in sublethal concentration of nickel chloride 5. 7 mg/1 and zinc sulphate 6.8 mg/1, and sampled at 10, 20 and 30 days. Nickel chloride and zinc sulphate treated fishes exhibited an apparent increase in the aberration frequency and a decrease in the mitotic index as compared to control. Acentric fragment, chromatid break, endoreduplication, chromatid gap, centromeric fusion, ploidy, sticky plate, dicentric chromosome, clumping and partial sticky plates were some of the abnormalities observed. The chromosomal aberrations in the treated fishes were significant compared to control.

Catalyst-free synthesis of zinc oxide nanostructures by microheaters in the ambient environment

This paper demonstrates a catalyst-free synthesis of ZnO nanostructures using platinum microheaters under ambient environmental conditions. Different morphologies of ZnO nanostructures are synthesized from the oxidization of Zn thin film by local heating. The synthesized ZnO structures are characterized by the SEM, EDX and Raman spectra. The characterization of two shapes of Pt microheaters is investigated and the relationship between the applied heating power and ZnO nanostructures synthesis is investigated under ambient conditions. We observe that the density and morphology of ZnO nanostructures can be controlled through applied heating voltages. Furthermore, a connected composite structural (Zn-ZnO-Zn) layer is synthesized using combinative microheaters. © 2011 IEEE.

Preservation of Sardinella longiceps in iced and chilled seawater. Part 1 - Changes during storage with particular reference to bacterial load and nitrogenous compounds

Oil sardines in prime condition were subjected to onboard chilling. Two lots were chilled in CSW (samples C and CI), a third lot was chilled in crushed ice (sample I) and a fourth lot left not iced on deck (Sample AI). Upon landing sample AI was iced and sample CI was removed from the CSW and iced. All the four samples were kept in a chilled room for storage studies. The fish chilled and stored in CSW recorded the least, and the fish subjected to delayed icing, the highest values for all the indices of spoilage namely, free amino nitrogen, trimethylamine (TMA) and total volatile base nitrogen (TVBN). The total psychrophilic bacterial number also showed a similar trend. The organoleptic assessment of the cooked samples revealed C I, CI, AI to be the order of preference throughout the storage. This assessment was found to hold good for the rest of the parameters as well. The CSW held fishes were found to be distinctly superior to the iced ones for the first five days of storage. Such a marked prevalence in quality for five days would suffice for the fish to fetch a premium in the market over other landings of the same fish whether chilled or not chilled. Chilling on board in CSW and icing the same after landings, did not show encouraging results.