Nutritional, microbial and sensory quality evaluation of fermented Setipinnaphasa, Hamilton 1822, (PhassyaShidal), marketed in North-east India

Fermented Setipinnaphasa (Phassya Shidal) is a traditional fish product, popular in the north eastern states of India, because of its typical flavor and aroma. The proximate composition, biochemical, microbiological and sensory qualities of Phassya Shidal available in markets were studied. The results of the analysis showed that the market samples of Phassya Shidal were a good source of protein (27.20%). The pH and moisture content were 6.2 and 37.52%, respectively. Both Phassya Shidal and fresh Setipinnaphasa (raw material) were rich in lysine, leucine, valine, aspartic acid, alanine and glutamic acid. The effect of fermentation on the amino acids content of the sample was not significant except in histidine (P<0.05). An increase in the contents of fatty acids and amino acids composi-tion was observed in the Phassya Shidal during fermentation. Significant variations (P<0.05) in the proportions of some unsaturated fatty acids were noticed between product and fresh fish. The major saturated fatty acids were C16:0 and C18:0. The Oleic acid was the prominent monounsaturated fatty acid. The dominant polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) were of the n-3 series. The major PUFA found chiefly in linoleic acid and linolenic acid in both the samples. The physicochemical analysis revealed that the product was of acceptable quality. The bacterial flora of Phaasya Shidal comprised of Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus spp. and Escherichia coli indicating unhygienic handling practices during preparation and storage. Though the product had acceptable sensory quality, strict hygienic measures should be adopted during processing to safeguard the health of the consumers

In Silico characterization of growth hormone from freshwater ornamental fishes: Sequence analysis, molecular modelling and phylogeny

The present investigation includes in Silico sequence analysis, three-dimensional (3D) structure prediction and evolutionary profile of growth hormone (GH) from 14 ornamental freshwater fishes. The analyses were performed using the sequence data of growth hormone gene (gh) and its encoded GH protein. The evolutionary analyses were performed using maximum likelihood (ML) estimate and maximum parsimony (MP) methods. Bootstrap test (1000 replicates) was performed to validate the phylogenetic tree. The tertiary structures of GH were predicted using the comparative modelling method. The suitable template for comparative modeling protein databank (PDB IDs: 1HWG A) has been selected on the basis of basic local alignment search tool (BLASTp) and fast analysis (FASTA) results. The target-template alignment, model building, loop modelling and evaluation have been performed in Modeller 9.10. The tertiary structure of GH is α-helix structure connected by loops, which forms a compressed complex maintained by two disulfide bridges. The resultant 3D models are verified by ERRAT and ProCheck programmes. After fruitful verification, the tertiary structures of GH have been deposited to protein model database (PMDB). Sequence analyses and RNA secondary structure prediction was performed by CLC genomics workbench version 4.0. The computational models of GH could be of use for further evaluation of molecular mechanism of function.Keywords: Growth hormone, in Silico, somatotropin, growth hormone gene (gh) mRNA, freshwater ornamental fis

Preparation, acceptability and quality evaluation of fermented fish product Mowa shidal prepared from the Mola carplet (Amblypharyngodon mola, Hamilton, 1822)

Mowa shidal was prepared from sundried Amblypharyngodon mola by the traditional fermentation process at ambient temperature, maintaining all possible hygienic conditions. Biochemical, microbiological and sensory qualities at the different stages of fermentation of Mowa shidal was monitored. The product was perfectly matured after 120 days of fermentation showing the characteristic shidal smell and a moist and sticky surface. The fermentation process did not show any significant effect (P>0.05) on the proximate composition. The product had a high nutritional quality. The protein and ash content of the sample were recorded to be 31.28-31.70% and 9.95-11.11%, respectively and pH showed 5.8-6.5 in 180 days of fermentation. The physicochemical analysis revealed that the fermented product was of acceptable quality. The TPC of Mowa shidal was 5.86 log cfu/g in the first month of fermentation and it reached 4.82 log cfu/g after 120 days. The counts gradually decreased with the increasing duration of fermentation. Most of the isolate was found to be Staphylococcus aureus. After the second month of fermentation S. aureus reached 54% of total count and might play an important role in the fermentation process. Pathogenic bacteria like Salmonella spp. and E. coli were absent, which indicate good sanitary practice during processing. Thus, the good quality shidal can be produced from A. mola with a high nutritional quality and consumer acceptability

Nutritional, microbial and sensory quality evaluation of fermented Puntius sophore Hamilton, 1822 (Puthi shidal) marketed in North-east India

Biochemical, microbiological and sensory qualities of Puthi shidal from the markets of North-east India were studied. Puthi shidal was found as a good source of protein (38.35%). Its pH and moisture content was found to be 6.1 and 33.44%, respectively. It was rich in lysine (11.8±1.9 g 100g-1 ) among essential amino acids, whereas glutamic acid was the highest (21.4±3.6 g 100g-1 ) in non-essential amino acids group. The major saturated fatty acids were palmitic acid (14.0±1.5 mole %) and stearic acid (17.0±2.3 mole %). The oleic acid (19.1±1.5 mole%) was the prominent monounsaturated fatty acid. The dominant polyunsaturated fatty acids were of the n-6 series. The major polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) found chiefly in linoleic acid (11.0±1.4 mole %) in the sample. The microbial load (log cfu/g) of Puthi Shidal comprised of total plate count (5.4±0.35), Staphylococcus aureus (2.4±0.30) and Streptococcus spp. (1.1±0.1), indicating unhygienic handling practices during preparation and storage. The physicochemical analysis i.e. total volatile base nitrogen (TVB-N) (116.20 mg%), non protein nitrogen (NPN) (2.50%), peroxide value (PV) (39.12 milliequivalent O2/g of fat), free fatty acids (FFA) (64.50% as oleic acid) and overall acceptability (6.9±0.59) revealed that the product was of acceptable quality. Though the product was found to have high nutritional value, strict hygienic measures should be adopted right from the preparation of raw materials, processing methods and during storage, in order to safeguard the health of the consumers

Future glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) hazard of the South Lhonak Lake, Sikkim Himalaya

The Teesta basin in Sikkim Himalaya hosts numerous glacial lakes in the high altitude glacierized region, including one of the largest and the fastest-growing South Lhonak Lake. While these lakes are mainly located in remote and unsettled mountain valleys, far-reaching glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) may claim lives and damage assets up to tens of kilometers downstream. Therefore, evaluating GLOF hazard associated with current and potential future glacier-retreat-driven changes is of high importance. In this work, we assess the future GLOF hazard of the South Lhonak Lake by integrating glacier and hydrodynamic modeling to calculate the lake's future volume and hydraulic GLOF characteristics and impacts along the valley. We identify the increased susceptibility of the lake to potential avalanche impacts as the lake grows in the future. Here we model six avalanche scenarios of varying magnitudes to evaluate the impact-wave generated in the lake and overtopping flow at the dam. Avalanche simulations indicate that the frontal moraine is susceptible to overtopping. The overtopping flow hydraulics is evaluated along the channel assuming no erosion of the moraine. Further, we consider three lake-breach scenarios to model GLOFs originating from the lake, flow propagation, and its downstream impacts. The uncertainty in the breach parameters including breach width and time of failure are calculated to estimate the upper and the lower hydraulic limits of potential future GLOF events. Further, the uncertainty in the flow hydraulics was evaluated using dynamic flood routing of six GLOFs that originate from the lake. Hydrodynamic GLOF modeling resulted in a predicted peak discharge of 4311 m3s−1, 8000 m3s−1, and 12,487 m3s−1 for breach depths of 20 m, 30 m, and 40 m respectively. The large-potential scenario suggests that maximum flow depth and flow velocity at Chungthang, a town proximally located to a major hydropower station built-in 2015, could reach up to 25–30 m and 6–9 m s−1, respectively. Mapping infrastructure exposed to GLOFs in the Teesta valley shows that many settlements and assets located along the river channel at Chungthang are potentially exposed to future GLOFs, indicating the need to conduct a full environmental impact assessment and potentially undertake GLOF risk mitigation measures

Modeling potential glacial lake outburst flood process chains and effects from artificial lake‐level lowering at Gepang Gath lake, Indian Himalaya

Glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) are a severe threat to communities in the Himalayas; however, GLOF mitigation strategies have been implemented for only a few lakes, and future changes in hazard are rarely considered. Here, we present a comprehensive assessment of current and future GLOF hazard for Gepang Gath Lake, Western Himalaya, considering rock and/or ice avalanches cascading into the lake. We consider ground surface temperature and topography to define avalanche source zones located in areas of potentially degrading permafrost. GLOF process chains in current and future scenarios, also considering engineered lake lowering of 10 and 30 m, were evaluated. Here, varied avalanche impact waves, erosion patterns, debris flow hydraulics, and GLOF impacts at Sissu village, under 18 different scenarios were assessed. Authors demonstrated that a larger future lake does not necessarily produce larger GLOF events in Sissu, depending, among other factors, on the location from where the triggering avalanche initiates and strikes the lake. For the largest scenarios, 10 m of lowering reduces the high-intensity zone by 54% and 63% for the current and future scenarios, respectively, but has little effect on the medium-intensity flood zone. Even with 30 m of lake lowering, the Sissu helipad falls in the high-intensity zone under all moderate-to-large scenarios, with severe implications for evacuations and other emergency response actions. The approach can be extended to other glacial lakes to demonstrate the efficiency of lake lowering as an option for GLOF mitigation and enable a robust GLOF hazard and risk assessment

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries