Ramya Nambiar

College: CMR National PU College, ITPL, Bengaluru


 Sample: Beetle


 Site of sample collection: CMR National PU College, ITPL


 Date of Collection: 19 February 2019


 Date of Observation: 19 February 2019


 Students involved: Gopika Anil, Shwetha Santhosh and Ramya Nambiar


 Kingdom:
 
 Animalia
 
 ,
 
 Phylum:
 
 Arthropoda
 
 
 Class:
 
 Insecta
 
 
 Order:
 
 Coleoptera
 


 Description:-

<div class="wp-block-image">
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 <img alt="IMG-20190220-WA0013 (5)" class="wp-image-128910 gcloudimg" data-attachment-id="128910" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta='{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}' data-image-title="IMG-20190220-WA0013 (5)" height="477" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_128892/IMG-20190220-WA0013-5-1.jpg" width="358"/>
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 With more than a million species, which greatly vary from each other in taxonomic relatedness, size and ecology, the beetle is the largest group of insects.


 The crustaceans possess hard armor-like exoskeletons that weighs the creatures down. But, instead, the exoskeletons are surprisingly light – even allowing the armor-wearing insects like the beetle, to fly.


 Viewing the exoskeleton of the
 
 Cotinis mutabilis
 
 , a field crop pest beetle, under the foldscope showed it’s composition distinctly. It’s exoskeleton is composed of twisted plywood structures, known as Bouligand structures, which help protect against predators. Fibers in this Bouligand structure are bundles of chitin polymer chains wrapped with proteins. These fibers have a diameter of just 20 nanometers.


 Exoskeletons of beetles and their associated morphological characteristics, can serve many different functions, including thermoregulation. The beetle skeleton acts differentially across the electromagnetic spectrum determining internal body temperatures.

Exoskeleton of a beetle

College : CMR National PU College, ITPL, Bengaluru


 Sample: touch me not plant


 Site of sample collection: University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore


 Date of Collection: 18 June 2019


 Date of Observation: 21 June 2019


 Students involved: Gopika Anil, Malavika Rajesh, Ramya Nambiar, Shwetha Santhosh


 Description:-


 
 
 Mimosa pudica
 
 
 
 <a alt="Mimosa_pudica#cite_note-Amador-Vegas-3" class="gcloudimg" href="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_159443/Mimosa_pudica%23cite_note-Amador-Vegas-3">
 </a>
 
 also called
 
 sensitive plant
 
 ,
 
 sleepy plant
 
 ,
 
 action plant
 
 ,
 
 <a alt="Mimosa_pudica#cite_note-RHSPF-4" class="gcloudimg" href="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_159443/Mimosa_pudica%23cite_note-RHSPF-4">
 </a>
 
 
 Dormilones
 
 ,
 
 touch-me not
 
 ,
 
 shameplant
 
 ,
 
 zombie plant
 
 , or
 
 shy plant
 
 ) is a creeping annual or perennial flowering plant of the pea/legume family Fabaceae
 <a alt="Fabaceae" class="gcloudimg" href="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_159443/Fabaceae">
 </a>


 Me along with my friends observed this plant under the foldscope and was fascinated by the way it gave us a much detailed and deeply magnified image of every single part that made it . It was so clearly visible that we could learn in detail it’s structure.


 The process of folding and recoiling of it’s leaves costs the
 
 mimosa pudica
 
 plant a lot of energy. Furthermore, this response is also said to interfere with photosynthesis (the process through which leaves prepare food for the plant in the presence of water, carbon dioxide and sunlight). Therefore, it comes as no surprise that botanists are confounded as to why these plants evolved this trait, given that it depletes their energy stores and adversely impacts them.

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 <img alt="IMG-20190623-WA0025" class="wp-image-159444 gcloudimg" data-attachment-id="159444" data-comments-opened="1" data-id="159444" data-image-meta='{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}' data-image-title="IMG-20190623-WA0025" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_159443/IMG-20190623-WA0025.jpg"/>
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 <img alt="IMG-20190623-WA0026" class="wp-image-159445 gcloudimg" data-attachment-id="159445" data-comments-opened="1" data-id="159445" data-image-meta='{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}' data-image-title="IMG-20190623-WA0026" data-link="https://microcosmos.foldscope.com/?attachment_id=159445" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_159443/IMG-20190623-WA0026.jpg"/>
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Touch me not plant

­Name: Ramya Nambiar


 College: CMR National PU college, ITPL Bangalore


 Item observed: Erythrosine


 <img alt="" class="size-medium wp-image-65897 aligncenter gcloudimg" data-attachment-id="65897" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta='{"aperture":"2.6","credit":"","camera":"GT-N7100","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1537798341","copyright":"","focal_length":"3.7","iso":"1250","shutter_speed":"0.058823529411765","title":"","orientation":"1"}' data-image-title="" data-recalc-dims="1" height="225" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_65896/20180924_141221.jpg" width="300"/>


 Description:-


 Erythrosine, also known as Red No. 3 is a derivative of fluorine. It is cherry pink synthetic, primarily used for food coloring.


 When viewed under the foldscope I could see even the tiniest crystal. Viewing this under the foldscope gave me a much better and magnified image of every single particle that made it. It also gave me a better understanding of this chemical.

Erythrosine

Name: Ramya Nambiar


 College: CMR National PU college, ITPL campus, Bangalore


 Item observed: Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs)


 Description:-

<div class="wp-video" style="width: 1000px;">
 
 <video class="wp-video-shortcode" controls="controls" height="563" id="video-66183-1" preload="metadata" width="1000">
 <source alt="20180924_135034.mp4" class="gcloudimg" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_66183/20180924_135034.mp4" type="video/mp4"/>
 <a alt="20180924_135034.mp4" class="gcloudimg" href="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_66183/20180924_135034.mp4">
 https://microcosmos.foldscope.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/20180924_135034.mp4
 </a>
 </video>
</div>

 ­Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles are extremely small particles that gets separated and is attracted to magnet even when in water. This is mainly due to its super paramagnetic properties. These particles are kept in about 100mL of water.  These are also non-toxic and biocompatible.


 <img alt="IMG-20180924-WA0042" class="size-medium wp-image-66189 aligncenter gcloudimg" data-attachment-id="66189" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta='{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}' data-image-title="IMG-20180924-WA0042" data-recalc-dims="1" height="225" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_66183/IMG-20180924-WA0042.jpg" width="300"/>


 When viewed under the foldscope, these particles show a core-shell structure which are coated with some surfactants.

Magnetic nanoparticles

Name: Ramya Nambiar


 College: CMR National PU college, ITPL campus, Bangalore


 Item observed: Fly ash


 Description:-


 <img alt="IMG-20180926-WA0031-1" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-66589 gcloudimg" data-attachment-id="66589" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta='{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}' data-image-title="IMG-20180926-WA0031-1" data-recalc-dims="1" height="258" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_66584/IMG-20180926-WA0031-1.jpg" width="300"/>


 Fly ash is produced by the burning of powdered coal and other materials. All fly ash includes substantial amounts of silicon dioxide (both amorphous and crystalline), aluminium oxide (Al2O3) and calcium oxide (CaO). It also has unburnt carbon. ­


 When viewed under the foldscope, it appears as silt-sized particles which are generally spherical, typically ranging in size between 10 and 100 micron. These particles improve the fluidity and workability of fresh concrete. Fly ash is very fine and this is one of the important properties of it. The pollutant-bound fly ash can be converted into bricks and used for building drainage. The polymer can lock the impurities in its solid structure.


 Fly ash is also­ used as a lake cleaning agent. Pollutants (organic, inorganic, heavy metals) bind to fly ash almost 100% in any kind of polluted water. It helps in the treatment of polluted water even at 10,000/20,000 parts per million (ppm). Water treated by fly ash is colorless and devoid of most pollutants, and fit for industrial and agricultural use. Once treated under ion exchange and reverse osmosis, the water can even be used for drinking.

Fly ash

Name: Ramya Nambiar


 College: CMR National PU college, ITPL campus, Bangalore


 Item observed: Auramine O


 Description:-


 <img alt="IMG-20181109-WA0013" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-79390 gcloudimg" data-attachment-id="79390" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta='{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}' data-image-title="IMG-20181109-WA0013" data-recalc-dims="1" height="225" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_79388/IMG-20181109-WA0013.jpg" width="300"/>


 Auramine-O is a diarylmethane dye used as a fluorescent stain. In its pure form it is very soluble in water and in ethanol.


 When viewed under the foldscope, it appears as yellow needle crystals. It is a hydrochloride and a fluorescent stain. It along with carbol generates brilliant yellow fluorochrome of bacilli.


 It is used for the staining of acid-fast organisms, coccidia. It is also effective in detecting positive cases of tuberculosis. Viewing this under the foldscope gave me a magnified image of every single particle that made it and also gave me a better understanding of this chemical dye.

Auramine-O

Names: Shwetha Santhosh, Gopika Anil and Ramya Nambiar.


 College: CMR National PU college, ITPL campus, Bangalore.


 Item observed: Ragi (two different samples).


 Description:-


 SAMPLE 1


 <img alt="IMG-20181207-WA0006" class="wp-image-96616 aligncenter gcloudimg" data-attachment-id="96616" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta='{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}' data-image-title="IMG-20181207-WA0006" data-recalc-dims="1" height="282" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_96603/IMG-20181207-WA0006.jpg" width="376"/>


 “The sample 1 of ragi taken was coarse when compared to the second sample. This is primarily a powder food, made out of Ragi grain. It is finger millet powder.”


 SAMPLE 2


 <img alt="IMG-20181207-WA0008" class="aligncenter wp-image-96617 gcloudimg" data-attachment-id="96617" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta='{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}' data-image-title="IMG-20181207-WA0008" data-recalc-dims="1" height="273" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_96603/IMG-20181207-WA0008.jpg" width="364"/>


 “The sample 2 of ragi taken had more finer particles. There was no lumping as it was kept in well aerated conditions. The sample we took was pure and wasn’t mixed with other substances.”




 Observing both these samples under the foldscope gave a magnified and a differentiated image of every single particle that made it and also gave us a better understanding of it.




 Importance: Ragi, also referred to as finger millet and Nachni, contains proteins, iron and calcium in high amounts. This has a lot of health benefits for infants. It helps in the overall growth and development of them.

Ramya Nambiar

Earth

Posts

Magnetic nanoparticles

Fly ash

Auramine-O

Two different samples of ragi

Exoskeleton of a beetle

Touch me not plant

Erythrosine

Magnetic nanoparticles

Fly ash

Auramine-O

Two different samples of ragi

Exoskeleton of a beetle

Touch me not plant

Erythrosine

Magnetic nanoparticles

Fly ash

Auramine-O

Two different samples of ragi

Locations

Statistics

Type of Sample

Foldscope Lens Magnification