Complete genome sequences of an Escherichia coli laboratory strain and trimethoprim-resistant (TMP32XR) mutant strains

We report the whole-genome sequences of an Escherichia coli laboratory wild-type strain and trimethoprim-resistant strains (two biological replicates, TMP32XR1 and TMP32XR2). Compared to the U00096.3 strain, a widely used strain in laboratory experiments, the laboratory wild-type strain and the drug-resistant strains evolved from this (TMP32XR1 and TMP32XR2) are 13, 24, and 37 bp longer, respectively

Is the Scyphozoan jellyfish Lychnorhiza malayensis symbiotically associated with the crucifix crab Charybdis feriatus?

Scyphozoan jellyfish (Medusae), the gelatinous invertebrate group, plays a vital role in the global oceanic and coastal ecosystems. By virtue of their floating nature, and horizontal and vertical spread in the water column, they are known to have varied associations with other invertebrates and teleosts, which make them an integral part of the marine ecosystem

Marine ornamental fish culture: Means for economic growth

The marine ornamental fish trade is a sunrise industry that has been expanding in recent years and has grown into a multimillion-dollar enterprise mainly due to the emergence of technologies for captive breeding of fishes, modern aquarium gadgets, setting and maintenance of miniature reef aquaria. Aquarium keeping is amongst the most popular of hobbies with millions of enthusiasts worldwide and the trade of marine ornamentals has been expanding in recent years and has grown into a multimillion-dollar enterprise. The recent emergence of modern aquarium gadgets and technologies for setting and maintenance of miniature reef aquaria made aquarium keeping much easier than previous. Since the marine ornamental trade is operated throughout the tropics, the global marine ornamental trade is estimated at US$ 200-330 million. India is endowed with a vast resource potential of marine ornamentals distributed in the coral seas and rocky coasts with patchy coral formations. In the context of the expanding global scenario and the increasing demand for domestic trade, it appears very lucrative for India to venture into this industr

Some observations on the beaked sea snake Enhydrina schistosa (Daudin, 1803) in the mudbank area, off Alapuzha, Kerala, southwest coast of India

Hook-nosed sea snake or beaked snake, Enhydrina schistosa were caught during experimental fishing operations in the mudbank region along central Kerala Coast at depths ranging from 6 to 12 m. The sea snakes were found to form aggregations of 5 to 6 numbers and were able to tolerate highly turbid waters. The catfish Arius jella and the puffer fish Lagocephalus inermis were the dominant prey items. mudbanks are unusually calm areas which form along the Kerala coast during the monsoon. The inshore waters including the mudbanks are intense fishing areas of non mechanized crafts during the monsoon. The presence of venomous sea snakes is precarious and there is a need to give awareness programme for the fishers about this danger

Meta-analysis of host response networks identifies a common core in tuberculosis

Tuberculosis remains a major global health challenge worldwide, causing more than a million deaths annually. To determine newer methods for detecting and combating the disease, it is necessary to characterise global host responses to infection. Several high throughput omics studies have provided a rich resource including a list of several genes differentially regulated in tuberculosis. An integrated analysis of these studies is necessary to identify a unified response to the infection. Such data integration is met with several challenges owing to platform dependency, patient heterogeneity, and variability in the extent of infection, resulting in little overlap among different datasets. Network-based approaches offer newer alternatives to integrate and compare diverse data. In this study, we describe a meta-analysis of host’s whole blood transcriptomic profiles that were integrated into a genome-scale protein–protein interaction network to generate response networks in active tuberculosis, and monitor their behaviour over treatment. We report the emergence of a highly active common core in disease, showing partial reversals upon treatment. The core comprises 380 genes in which STAT1, phospholipid scramblase 1 (PLSCR1), C1QB, OAS1, GBP2 and PSMB9 are prominent hubs. This network captures the interplay between several biological processes including pro-inflammatory responses, apoptosis, complement signalling, cytoskeletal rearrangement, and enhanced cytokine and chemokine signalling. The common core is specific to tuberculosis, and was validated on an independent dataset from an Indian cohort. A network-based approach thus enables the identification of common regulators that characterise the molecular response to infection, providing a platform-independent foundation to leverage maximum insights from available clinical data

Marine litter - A problem for stake net fishers: A case study in Vembanad Lake, Kerala

Plastics have becom e an inevitable item in daily life. Since they are non -deg rad able and persist fo r cen tau ries th ey are conside red as one o f the m ost serious th rea ts to the m a rine ecosystem in the cu rren t cen tu ry. M a rine litte r consisting o f plastics and o th e r non -biod eg rad able m aterial reach th e sea th ro ug h rivers and estuaries due to im p rop e r disposal o r som e tim es are discarded directly into the ecosystem . Th e coastal w a te rs are im p o rtan t fishing areas w h e re tradition al fish e rm en use diffe ren t types o f c ra ft and gea r to h a rvest the fish from the na tu ral w a te rs. The prog ressive increase in plastics and th eir indisc rim in a te discards have a ffected the ecosystem and also th e fish e rs w h o depend on the ecosystem

Seed production of Clown Fishes

Ornamental fish production for the aquarium industry is a multimillion dollar industry in the world. Aquarium keeping is amongst the most popular of hobbies with millions of enthusiasts worldwide. Although most fish kept in aquariums are from freshwater, the acquisitions of marine ornamental fish has greatly increased in recent years and are also popularized through children’s movies by starring charismatic colorful fishes and other creatures. Recent advances in fish husbandry and aquarium gadgets and technology have further facilitated the hobby. The vast array of organisms that make up the generic ornamental aquarium fish trade is staggering. In India, marine ornamental fish trade is an emerging field during the last two decades and day by day the industry in advancing. As the industry is growing, it also foster additional sideline business such as aquarium making, aquatic plants and live food production, grow- out culture there by provide job opportunity and livelihood option

Small scale entrepreneurship in marine ornamentals: A profitable venture for employment

The trade of marine ornamentals has been expanding in recent years and has grown into a multimillion dollar enterprise mainly due to the emergence of modern aquarium gadgets and technologies for setting and maintenance of miniature reef aquaria. Aquarium keeping is amongst the most popular of hobbies with millions of enthusiasts worldwide and the trade of marine ornamentals has been expanding in recent years and grown into a multimillion dollar enterprise. The recent emergence of modern aquarium gadgets and technologies for setting and maintenance of miniature reef aquaria made the aquarium keeping much easier than previous. Since the marine ornamental trade is operated throughout the tropics, the global marine ornamental trade is estimated at US$ 200-330 million. India is endowed with a vast resource potential of marine ornamentals distributed in the coral seas and rocky coasts with patchy coral formations. In the context of the expanding global scenario and the increasing demand in the domestic trade, it appears very much lucrative for India to venture into this industry