Biochemical & Pharmacological evaluation of liver oils of selected deep sea sharks and chimaeras of the Indian EEZ

With a seacoast of 8,1 18 km, an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of 2 million square km, and with an area of about 30,000 square km under aquaculture, lndia produces close to six million tonnes of fish, over 4 per cent of the world fish production. While the marine waters upto 50m depth have been fully exploited, those beyond, remain unexplored. There is an ever increasing demand for fishery resources as food. The coastal fishery resources of the country are dwindling at a rapid pace and it becomes highly imperative that we search for alternate fishery resources for food. The option we have is to hunt for marine fishery resources. Studies pertaining to proximate composition, amino acid and fatty acid composition are essential to understand the nutraceutical values of these deep sea fishery resources. The present study was aimed to carry out proximate composition of deep sea fishery resources obtained during cruises onboard the FORV Sarise Sampada, to identify fishery resources which have appreciable lipid content and thereby analyse the bioactive potentials of marine lipids, to study the amino acid profile of these fishery resources, to understand the contents of SPA, MUFA and PUFA and to calculate the n3/n6 fatty acid contents. Though the presence of nutraceuticals was identified in the marine fishery resources their use as potential food resources deserve further investigation. So the study were carried out to calculate the hepatosomatic indices of sharks & chimaeras and conduct biochemical characterisation of liver oils of Apristurus indicus, Cenlrophorus scalprams, Centroselachus crepidater, Neoharriotta raleighana, and Harriotta pinnata obtained during cruises onboard the FORV Sugar Sampada.Therapeutic use of shark liver oil is evident from its use for centuries as a remedy to heal wounds and fight flu (Neil er al. 2006). Japanese seamen called it 'samedava' or "cure all". Shark liver oil is being promoted worldwide as a dietary supplement to boost the immune system, fight infections, to treat cancer and to lessen the side effects of conventional cancer treatment. These days more emphasis is laid on the nutritive benefits of shark liver oils especially on the omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids ( PUFAs) (Anandan er al. 2007) and alkylglycerols (AKGs) (Pugliese er al. I998) contained in them due to the high rise of inflammatory disorders such as arthritis, asthma and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Schizophrenia. So the present study also evaluate the pharmacological properties with respect to analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anti pyretic and anti-ulcer effects of four different liver oils of sharks belonging to the Indian EEZ and to identify the components of oil responsible for these activities.The analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities of liver oils from Neoharriotra raleighana (NR), Centrosymnus crepidater (CC), Apristurus indicus (AI), and Centrophorus sculpratus (CS) sharks caught from the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean were compared. The main objectives also include determination of the cholesterol lowering effects of liver oils of Neoharriotra raleighana (NR) and Centrophorus sculpratus (CS) on the high fat diet induced dyslipidemia and to compare the impact of four isolipidemic diets, on levels of serum diagnostic marker enzymes, on lipid profile of blood and liver and antioxidant status of heart in male Albino rats. And also to study the efficacy of Centrophorus sculpratus (CS) liver oil against Complete Freund’s Adjuvant-induced arthritis and to compare the anti-inflammatory activity of this oil with a traditionally used anti-inflammatory substance gingerol (oleoresin extracted from ginger.). The results of the present study indicated that both (Centrophorus sculpratus liver oils as well as gingerol extracts proved to be effective natural remedies against CFA-induced arthritis in Albino rats.

Systematics and biology of Fishes of family of the hemiramphidae of Cochin coast

This overall focus of the thesis involves the systematics and biology of fishes of the family hemiramphidae of cochin coast.India is one of the leading fish producing nations in the world with an average annual production of 6.1 million tonnes of fish and shell fish from capture and culture fisheries in 2001 (Ayyappan and Biradar, 2002).Fisheries play a very significant role in the Indian economy by providing employment to nearly 7 million people directly or indirectly, supplying rich protein food and earning valued foreign exchange.Fishes of the family Hemiramphidae are commonly called ‘half beaks‘.In India, studies on hemiramphids commenced with the work of Day (1878,1889) who recorded thirteen species of hemiramphids from the Indian waters.The study area, which is part of Cochin coast is located between Lat.9°28’ and 10° N and Long.76° 13’ and 76° 31 E. Lying parallel to it is an estuary which is commonly called the Cochin backwaters which has a total area of about 200 sq.miles.The study area is subjected to wide variations in salinity from place to place, season and surface to bottom.The Cochin coast and the adjacent back water system of Kerala has a rich and diversified fish fauna. The hemiramphid fishes constitute a minor fishery of this area.The study on the distribution and availability of hemiramphid fishes present in the Cochin coast shows that they evince different patterns of distribution.In the present study it is noticed that fecundity has high correlation with weight than length of the fish.Histological studies revealed that the spermatogenesis in both H. (H) limbatus and H.(H) xanthopterus, consists of spermatogonia, primary spermatocytes secondary, spermatocytes, spermatids and spermatozoa whereas in the oogenesis of both the species.biological study will be useful in implementation of proper measures of conservation and management so that further devastation of the hemiramphids of Cochin Coast can be controlled.

Histological, Histochemical and Biochemical characterisation of male morphotypes of Macrobrachium rosenbergii (de Man)

This thesis entitled “Histological ,Histochemical and biochemical characterisation of male morphotypes of macrobrachium rosenbergii(De Man). The giant fresh water prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii (de Man) is emerging as a prime candidate species in fresh water aquaculture as a global basis and therefore, receiving much attention in recent years.the present work was aimed at to study the histological variations, if any, in the reproductive system viz. testes, vas deferens including androgenic gland, hepatopancreas and the neurosecretory system viz. eye stalk, brain and thoracic ganglion among the male morphotypes and their transitional stages of M.rosenbergii from growouts. This study was also aimed at to bring out the histochemical variations, if any, in the reproductive system comprising of testes, vas deferens including androgenic gland and the hepatopancreas among the male morphotypes and their transitional stages collected from growouts. Biochemical characterisation of various male morphotyes and their transitional stages have also been attempted in order to find out biochemical evidence, if any, in the morphotypic transformation.Histological study of the testes of three male morphotypes viz., SM, SOC and SBC and their 'transitional stages viz., WOC, tSOC, WBC and OBC have been carried out with a view to unravel the structural and functional differences of the testes, if any, of these morphotypes. Studies on the lipid components viz., cholesterol, phospholipid and triglyceride In the muscle tissue and hepatopancreas have been carried out.

Dopamine D2 and 5-HT2A receptor gene expression

Neuronal dopamine and serotonin receptors are widely distributed in the central and the peripheral nervous systems at different levels. Dopaminergic and serotonergic systems have crucial role in aldehyde dehydrogenase regulation Stimulation of autonomic nervous system during ethanol treatment is suggested to be an important factor in regulating the ALDH function. The ALDH enzyme activity was increased in plasma, cerebral cortex, and liver but decreased in cerebellum. The ALDH enzyme affinity was decreased in plasma, brainstem and liver and increased in cerebral cortex and cerebellum. Dopamine and serotonin content decreased in liver and brain regions - cerebral cortex, corpus striatum of ethanol treated rats with an increased HVA/DA, 5-HIAA/5-HT tumover rate. Dopamine content decreased in brainstem with an increased HVA/DA turnover rate and serotonin content decreased with an increased 5-HIAA/5-HT turnover rate in the brainstem of ethanol treated rats compared to control. Serotonin content increased in hypothalamus with a decreased 5-HIAA/5—HT turnover rate where as dopamine content decreased in hypothalamus with an increased HVA/DA tumover rate of ethanol treated rats compared to control.alterations of DA D2 and 5-HTQA receptor function and gene expression in the cerebellum, hypothalamus, corpus striatum, cerebral cortex play an important role in the sympathetic regulation of ALDH enzyme in ethanol addiction. There is a serotonergic and dopaminergic functional regulation of ALDH activity in the brain regions and liver of ethanol treated rats. Gene expression studies of DA D2 and 5'HT2A studies confirm these observations. Perfusion studies using DA, 5-HT and glucose showed ALDH regulatory function. Brain activity measeurement using EEG showed a prominentfrontal brain wave difference. This will have immense clinical significance in the management of ethanol addiction.

Neuronal degeneration in streptozotocin induced diabetic rats: Effect of Aegle marmelose and pyridoxine in pancreatic cell proliferation and neuronal Surviva

This thesis Entitled Neuronal degeneration in streptozotocin induced diabetic rats: effect of aegle marmelose and pyridoxine in pancreatic B cell proliferation and neuronal survival. Diabetes mellitus, a chronic metabolic disorder results in neurological dysfunctions and structural changes in the CNS. Antioxidant therapy is a challenging but necessary dimension in the management of diabetes and neurodegenerative changes associated with it. Our results showed regional variation and imbalance in the expression pattern of dopaminergic receptor subtypes in diabetes and its role in imbalanced insulin signaling and glucose regulation. Disrupted dopaminergic signaling and increased hyperglycemic stress in diabetes contributed to the neuronal loss. Neuronal loss in diabetic rats mediated through the expression of pattern of GLUT-3, CREB, IGF-1, Akt-1, NF,B, second messengers- cAMP, cGMP, IP3 and activation of apoptotic factors factors- TNF-a,caspase-8. Disrupted dopaminergic receptor expressions and its signaling in pancreas contributed defective insulin secretion in diabetes. Activation of apoptotic factors- TNF- a,caspase-8 and defective functioning of neuronal survival factors, disrupted second messenger signaling modulated neuronal viability in diabetes. Hyperglycemic stress activated the expression of TNF-a,caspase-8, BAX and differential expression of anti oxidant enzymes- SOD and GPx in liver lead to apoptosis. Treatment of diabetic rats with insulin, Aegle marmelose and pyridoxine significantly reversed the altered dopaminergic neurotransmission, GLUT3, GLUT2, IGF-1 and second messenger signaling. Antihyperglycemic and antioxidant activity of Aegle marmelose and pyridoxine enhanced pancreatic B cell proliferation, increased insulin synthesis and secretion in diabetic rats. Thus our results conclude the neuroprotective and regenerating ability of Aegle marmelose and pyridoxine which in turn has a novel therapeutic role in the management of diabetes.

Synthesis and Characterization of Novel Ionomers based on Styrene Butadiene Copolymer

Novel thermo-reversible zinc sulphonated ionomers based on styrene butadiene rubber (SBR), and high styrene rubber (HSH) were synthesized by sulphonation followed by neutralization with zinc. The sulphonate content of the ionomer was estimated by using x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. Presence of sulphonate groups has been confirmed by FTIR and FTNMR spectra. The TGA results show improvement in the thermo~oxidative stability of the modified rubber. Both DSC and DMTA studies show that the incorporation of the ionic groups affect the glass rubber transition of the base polymer. lntroduction ol ionic functionality in to the base material improved the physical properties. Retention of the improved physical properties of the novel ionomers even after three repeated cycles of mixing and molding may be considered as the evidence for the reprocessability of the ionomer. Effect of particulate fillers (HAF black, silica and zinc stearate) on the properties of the zinc sulphonated styrene butadiene rubber ionomer has been evaluated. Incorporation of tillers results in improvement in mechanical properties. Zinc stearate plays the dual role of reinforcement and plasticization. The evaluation of dielectric properties of zinc sulphonated styrene butadiene rubber iorpmers at microwave frequencies reveal that the materials show conductivity at semiconductor level. The real and imaginary parts of the complex permittivity increases with increase in ionic functionality. Use of the 38.5 ZnS-SBR ionomer as a compatibiliser for obtaining the technologically compatible blends from the immiscible SBR/NBR system has been discussed.

Stochastic Inventory with/without Service Time, Reneging and Retrial of Customers

This thesis Entitled Stochastic modelling and analysis.This thesis is divided into six chapters including this introductory chapter. In second chapter, we consider an (s,S) inventory model with service, reneging of customers and finite shortage of items.In the third chapter, we consider an (s,S) inventoiy system with retrial of customers. Arrival of customers forms a Poisson process with rate. When the inventory level depletes to s due to demands, an order for replenishment is placed.In Chapter 4, we analyze and compare three (s,S) inventory systems with positive service time and retrial of customers. In all these systems, arrivals of customers form a Poisson process and service times are exponentially distributed. In chapter 5, we analyze and compare three production inventory systems with positive service time and retrial of customers. In all these systems, arrivals of customers form a Poisson process and service times are exponentially distributed.In chapter 6, we consider a PH /PH /l inventory model with reneging of customers and finite shortage of items.

Serotonin receptor subtypes functional regulation and oxidative stress mediated apoptosis in 6-hydroxydopamine lesioned Parkinsonian rats

Parkinson’s disease is a chronic progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the selective loss of dopaminergic neurons in the SNpc resulting in severe motor impairments. Serotonergic system plays an important regulatory role in the pathophysiology of PD in rats, the evaluation of which provides valuable insight on the underlying mechanisms of motor, cognitive and memory deficits in PD. We observed a decrease in 5-HT content in the brain regions of 6-OHDA infused rat compared to control. The decreased 5-HT content resulted in a decrease of total 5-HT, 5-HT2A receptors and 5-HTT function and an increase of 5-HT2C receptor function. 5-HT receptor subtypes - 5-HT2A and 5-HT2C receptors have differential regulatory role on the modulation of DA neurotransmission in different brain regions during PD. Our observation of impaired serotonergic neurotransmission in SNpc, corpus striatum, cerebral cortex, hippocampus, cerebellum and brain stem demonstrate that although PD primarily results from neurodegeneration in the SNpc, the associated neurochemical changes in other areas of the brain significantly contributes to the different motor and non motor symptoms of PD. The antioxidant enzymes – SOD, CAT and GPx showed significant down regulation which indicates increased oxidative damage resulting in neurodegeneration. We also observed an increase in the level of lipid peroxidation. Reduced expression of anti-apoptotic Akt and enhanced expression of NF-B resulting from oxidative stress caused an activation of caspase-8 thus leading the cells to neurodegeneration by apoptosis. BMC administration in combination with 5-HT and GABA to PD rats showed reversal of the impaired serotonergic neurotransmission and oxidative stress mediated apoptosis. The transplanted BMC expressed NeuN confirming that 5-HT and GABA induced the differentiation and proliferation of BMC to neurons in the SNpc along with an increase in DA content and an enhanced expression of TH. Neurotrophic factors – BDNF and GDNF rendered neuroprotective effects accompanied by improvement in behavioural deficits indicating a significant reversal of altered dopaminergic and serotonergic neurotransmission in PD. The restorative and neuroprotective effects of BMC in combination with 5-HT and GABA are of immense therapeutic significance in the clinical management of PD.

Fish habitats and species assemblage in the selected rivers of Kerala and investigation on life history traits of Puntius carnaticus(Jerdon,1849)

This thesis entitled Fish habitats and species assemblage in the selected rivers of kerala and investigation on life history traits of puntius carnaticus (JERDON,1849). Ecology is a new and exceedingly complex field of study, even though its concept was recognized by the Apostles in their use of the phrase ‘all flesh is grass.central role to play both in order to understand better the biodiversity phenomenon and to be able to draw up clear guidelines for careful resource management. In a review by WWF, IUCN and UNEP on the ways of conserving genetic diversity of freshwater fish it was recommended that the best way to conserve species diversity is to conserve habitat.The habitat studies in freshwater ecosystems are very essential for the proper understanding and management of human impact on fish diversity, to study the relationship between habitat variables and fish species assemblage structure, quantification of ecosystem degradation, habitat quality and biotic integrity of the ecosystems, development of habitat suitability index (I-ISI) models and classification of river reaches based on their physico-chemical properties. Therefore in the present study an attempt was made to assess the biodiversity potential and the relationship between habitat variables and fish species assemblage structure in six major river systems of Kerala which would be very useful in impressing upon the seriousness of habitat degradIn the present study, in Kabbini river system 15 locations encompassing between 721 946m above MSL were surveyed.ation and biotic devastation undergone in the major river systems of Kerala.During the present study the Habitat Quality Score (HQ) developed by the Ohio EPA was applied for the first time in India.The result of the present study revealed that, among various variables analysed, altitude has a very significant influence in deciding the fish diversity in six major river systems of Kerala. The fish diversity studied on the basis of Shanon-Weiner and Simpson diversity indices revealed that even though some minor variations occur with the suitability and complexity of habitats, the altitude showed inverse relationship with fish diversity.The present study revealed that the National Policy on the interlinking of rivers would permanently alter the HSI indices of the above mentioned fish species, which are now solely protected by the individuality of the rivers where their limited occurrence was notice.

Design and Development of re configurable compact cross patch antenna for switchable polarization

Antennas are necessary and vital components of communication and radar systems, but sometimes their inability to adjust to new operating scenarios can limit system performance. Reconfigurable antennas can adjust with changing system requirements or environmental conditions and provide additional levels of functionality that may result in wider instantaneous frequency bandwidths, more extensive scan volumes, and radiation patterns with more desirable side lobe distributions. Their agility and diversity created new horizons for different types of applications especially in cognitive radio, Multiple Input Multiple Output Systems, satellites and many other applications. Reconfigurable antennas satisfy the requirements for increased functionality, such as direction finding, beam steering, radar, control and command, within a confined volume. The intelligence associated with the reconfigurable antennas revolved around switching mechanisms utilized. In the present work, we have investigated frequency reconfigurable polarization diversity antennas using two methods: 1. By using low-loss, high-isolation switches such as PIN diode, the antenna can be structurally reconfigured to maintain the elements near their resonant dimensions for different frequency bands and/or polarization. 2. Secondly, the incorporation of variable capacitors or varactors, to overcome many problems faced in using switches and their biasing. The performances of these designs have been studied using standard simulation tools used in industry/academia and they have been experimentally verified. Antenna design guidelines are also deduced by accounting the resonances. One of the major contributions of the thesis lies in the analysis of the designed antennas using FDTD based numerical computation to validate their performance.

Photonic applications of biomaterials with special reference to biopolymers and microbes

This thesis Entitled Photonic applications of biomaterials with special reference to biopolymers and microbes. A detailed investigation will be presented in the present thesis related to direct applications of biopolymers into some selected area of photonics and how the growth kinetics of an aerial bacterial colony on solid agar media was studied using laser induced fluorescence technique. This chapter is an overview of the spectrum of biomaterials and their application to Photonics. The chapter discusses a wide range of biomaterials based photonics applications like efficient harvesting of solar energy, lowthreshold lasing, high-density data storage, optical switching, filtering and template for nano s tructures. The most extensively investigated photonics application in biology is Laser induced fluorescence technique. The importance of fluorescence studies in different biological and related fields are also mentioned in this chapter.

Weather and climate of Penisular India modulated by Extrinsic factors- Empirical and Numerical Perspectives

The Doctoral thesis focuses on the factors that influence the weather and climate over Peninsular Indias. The first chapter provides a general introduction about the climatic features over peninsular India, various factors dealt in subsequent chapters, such as solar forcing on climate, SST variability in the northern Indian Ocean and its influence on Indian monsoon, moisture content of the atmosphere and its importance in the climate system, empirical formulation of regression forecast of climate and some aspects of regional climate modeling. Chapter 2 deals with the variability in the vertically integrated moisture (VIM) over Peninsular India on various time scales. The third Chapter discusses the influence of solar activity in the low frequency variability in the rainfall of Peninsular India. The study also investigates the influence of solar activity on the horizontal and vertical components of wind and the difference in the forcing before and after the so-called regime shift in the climate system before and after mid-1970s.In Chapter 4 on Peninsular Indian Rainfall and its association with meteorological and oceanic parameters over adjoining oceanic region, a linear regression model was developed and tested for the seasonal rainfall prediction of Peninsular India.

Triterpenoids as Biomarkers of Mangrove Organic Matter in Cochin Estuarine System

This thesis entitled triterpenoids as biomarkers of mangrove organic matter in cochin estuarine system.Mangrove forests, known as rainforests of the sea are one of the most important coastal ecosystems in the world in terms of primary production and coastal protection.Estuaries, the important areas of world’s coastal zones link the carbon cycle of the oceans to the continents.Three mangrove ecosystems and three estuarine stations around Cochin region, southwest coast of India were selected for the present study. The thesis is divided into five chapters. Chapter 1 is the Introduction and it deals with the aim and scope of the present study. Chapter 2 is Materials and Methods. This chapter deals with the nature and general geographical features of the study area. It also contains the details of the sampling and analytical methodology.the present study. Chapter 3 is Geochemistry and it includes the seasonal and spatial variations of the geochemical parameters in the surface sediments.Chapter 4 is Biochemical Composition. It covers the biochemical composition of organic matter in the surface sediments to examine the quality and quantity of organic matter.Chapter 5, Triterpenoid Biomarkers in Sediments, characterize the organic matter in the sediments of the mangrove and estuarine ecosystems under study, to assess the possible sources with the help of triterpenoid biomarkers along with other lipid biomarkers.

Design and synthesis of efficient mac architectures for high speed decimal processor

Most of the commercial and financial data are stored in decimal fonn. Recently, support for decimal arithmetic has received increased attention due to the growing importance in financial analysis, banking, tax calculation, currency conversion, insurance, telephone billing and accounting. Performing decimal arithmetic with systems that do not support decimal computations may give a result with representation error, conversion error, and/or rounding error. In this world of precision, such errors are no more tolerable. The errors can be eliminated and better accuracy can be achieved if decimal computations are done using Decimal Floating Point (DFP) units. But the floating-point arithmetic units in today's general-purpose microprocessors are based on the binary number system, and the decimal computations are done using binary arithmetic. Only few common decimal numbers can be exactly represented in Binary Floating Point (BF P). ln many; cases, the law requires that results generated from financial calculations performed on a computer should exactly match with manual calculations. Currently many applications involving fractional decimal data perform decimal computations either in software or with a combination of software and hardware. The performance can be dramatically improved by complete hardware DFP units and this leads to the design of processors that include DF P hardware.VLSI implementations using same modular building blocks can decrease system design and manufacturing cost. A multiplexer realization is a natural choice from the viewpoint of cost and speed.This thesis focuses on the design and synthesis of efficient decimal MAC (Multiply ACeumulate) architecture for high speed decimal processors based on IEEE Standard for Floating-point Arithmetic (IEEE 754-2008). The research goal is to design and synthesize deeimal'MAC architectures to achieve higher performance.Efficient design methods and architectures are developed for a high performance DFP MAC unit as part of this research.

ON (s,S) inventory policy with/without retrial and interruption of services/production

In this thesis we have developed a few inventory models in which items are served to the customers after a processing time. This leads to a queue of demand even when items are available. In chapter two we have discussed a problem involving search of orbital customers for providing inventory. Retrial of orbital customers was also considered in that chapter; in chapter 5 also we discussed retrial inventory model which is sans orbital search of customers. In the remaining chapters (3, 4 and 6) we did not consider retrial of customers, rather we assumed the waiting room capacity of the system to be arbitrarily large. Though the models in chapters 3 and 4 differ only in that in the former we consider positive lead time for replenishment of inventory and in the latter the same is assumed to be negligible, we arrived at sharper results in chapter 4. In chapter 6 we considered a production inventory model with production time distribution for a single item and that of service time of a customer following distinct Erlang distributions. We also introduced protection of production and service stages and investigated the optimal values of the number of stages to be protected.