Quality of life of alcohol dependent patients attending a deaddiction centre in Kannur district

Background: Quality of life (QOL) is individuals' perceptions of their position in life. QOL of alcohol dependent patients is an area that has received relatively less attention compared to other alcohol related problems.Methods: A deaddiction centre based cross sectional study was done on 370 individuals using a predesigned questionnaire during the period of 2012-2013. The data was analyzed using SPSS version 17. Spearman’s rank correlation test was used to find association between the study variables.Results: The mean age of the study subjects was 38.08±8.46 years. The mean duration of drinking was 12.62±7.47 years. The overall score of the QOL and the perceived health in alcohol dependent patients was 3.19±0.89 and 3.01±0.98 respectively. The mean of the transformed scores of physical, psychological, social and environmental domains are 69.12±12.82, 57.84±12.81, 58.52±17.05, 68.62±10.23 respectively. Statistical analysis of age with physical, environmental and social domains showed a significant negative correlation; literacy status with QOL, perceived health, physical, psychological, social and environmental domains showed a significant positive correlation; socio economic status with QOL and psychological domain showed a significant positive correlation; duration of drinking with QOL, perceived health, physical and psychological domain showed a significant negative correlation.Conclusions: Harm from alcohol use is a major public health problem. Reducing the level of social and health harms from alcohol requires preparation and planning

A variable magnetic disc wind in the black hole X-ray binary GRS 1915+105?

Context. GRS 1915+105 being one of the brightest transient black hole binaries (BHBs) in the X-rays offers a unique testbed for the study of the connection between accretion and ejection mechanisms in BHBs. In particular, this source can be used to study the accretion disc wind and its dependence on the state changes in BHBs.Aims. Our aim is to investigate the origin and geometry of the accretion disc wind in GRS 1915+105. This study will provide a basis for planning future observations with the X-ray Imaging Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM), and may also provide important parameters for estimating the polarimetric signal with the upcoming Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE).Methods. We analysed the spectra of GRS 1915+105 in the soft and hard chi classes using the high-resolution spectroscopy offered by Chandra HETGS. In the soft state, we find a series of wind absorption lines that follow a non-linear dependence of velocity width, velocity shift, and equivalent width with respect to ionisation, indicating a multiple component or stratified outflow. In the hard state we find only a faint Fe XXVI absorption line. We model the absorption lines in both the states using a dedicated magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) wind model to investigate a magnetic origin of the wind and to probe the cause of variability in the observed line flux between the two states.Conclusions. The MHD disc wind model provides a good fit for both states, indicating the possibility of a magnetic origin of the wind. The multiple ionisation components of the wind are well characterised as a stratification of the same magnetic outflow. We find that the observed variability in the line flux between soft and hard states cannot be explained by photo-ionisation alone but is most likely due to a large (three orders of magnitude) increase in the wind density. We find the mass outflow rate of the wind to be comparable to the accretion rate, suggesting an intimate link between accretion and ejection processes that lead to state changes in BHBs

महाराष्ट्र की डोल जाल मात्स्यिकी

महाराष्ट्र की डोल जाल मात्स्यिक

Purse seine fishing in Maharashtra

Purse seines are one of the important gears operated along the west coast of India for harvesting shoaling pelagic fishes, mostly oil sardine and mackerel. Purse seine fishing method invented to harvest the large shoal of pelagic fish in Maine, United State of America during 1830’s later is was spread to Norway, Sweden, Japan etc. In India purse seine was introduced on experimental basis in 1954 under Indo-Norwegian project off Quilon, Kerala and other attempt was made in Goa in 1957 when the territory was still ruled by Portuguese. The commercial purse seining taken up by the fishers in Karnataka during the mid 1970s was later adopted by the fishers in Kerala and Goa. In Maharashtra, fishers from the southern region (Ratnagiri and Sindhdurg) adopted purse seine fishing in late eighties and Mirkarwada emerged as a major base of operation for these purse seiners. In northern Maharashtra, fishers were mostly engaged in set bagnet (Dol nets) and trawl fishing until the late 1990s when a few trawl fishers shifted to purse seine fishing expecting better economic prospects

Hatching of Olive ridley turtle twin hatchlings

A clutch of 126 olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) turtle eggs was laid at Palapetty Beach, Thrissur District, Kerala on 15th January 2016 and relocated by members of the Kanyakumari Turtle NEWS Club to the hatchery at Palapetty. On 02nd March 2016, after 46 days of incubation, 58 hatchlings emerged from the nest unaided in the early morning. The nest was excavated three hours after emergence of the first hatchling, at which time 14 more hatchlings emerged from the exposed eggs including two pairs of twins (Table 1; for example see Figure 1) which emerged from the eggshells on their own. The hatchlings were transported to a holding tank 15min post-hatching. The twin hatchlings were unable to remain afloat and their movement on land was also impaired as they remained connected by the respective yolk sacs. The first pair of twin hatchlings died half an hour after hatching, while the second pair of twins survived for six hours. Four other hatchlings which emerged from the exposed eggs died before being introduced to the holding tank. The surviving hatchlings were released to sea approximately nine to thirteen hours after hatching

Minimum Legal Size (MLS) for marine capture fisheries management in Maharashtra

The marine capture fisheries sector of Maharashtra has undergone tremendous change in terms of fishing patterns, fishing methods, spatial expansion of fishing grounds, multiday fishing and innovations in crafts and gears, among others. With the increasing demand for marine fish for consumption and other non-food utilization of fishes, exploitation of juvenile fishes is becoming more common. Exploitation of juveniles which causes ‘growth overfishing’ is a major concern as it affects the health of fish stocks and the ecosystem which impacts livelihood of fishers and causes much economic loss to all stakeholders

Record of the Trident cuttlefish from Maharashtra coast

Cuttlefish are important fishery resources landed mostly by mechanized trawlers operating along Maharashtra coast. Many new records of cuttlefishes have been reported from Maharashtra over the years

Unusual landing of cephalopods along Ratnagiri coast off Maharashtra

Cephalopods are a marine fishery resource of increasing importance along Maharashtra coast and mostly exploited by trawlers. In 2017 cephalopods forms 9.4% of total marine fish landing of Maharashtra. During month of mid-October to mid- November 2017 there was sudden spurt in Indian squid (Uroteuthis (Photololigo) duvaucelii) and Pharaoh cuttlefish (Sepia pharaonis) catch at Harnai and Rajiwada fish landing centre of Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra

Automatic Identification System (AIS): An initiative in purse seine fisheries along Mumbai coast

Automatic Identification System (AIS) is a significant development in navigation safety since the introduction of RADAR. It was originally developed as a collision avoidance tool for commercial vessels to improve the helmsman’s information about his surrounding environment. AIS does this by continuously transmitting a vessels identity, position, speed and course along with other relevant information to all other AIS equipped vessels within range