Economic loss and gains of marine fishing along Kerala coast

Along the Kerala coast, the capital investment in mechanized, motorised and non-mechanised sectors of various craft-gear combinations, on an average, ranges from Rs. 23000 for a small catamaran unit in the non-motorised sector to RS.25 lakh for a small trawler in the mechanised sector. The average operating cost of individual craft among these categories varies between Rs.8,000 and Rs.13 lakh providing returns to the tune of 15 per cent to 140 per cent of the capital investment. Economic loss due to juvenile fishing is severe for species like flatfish with a difIerential ratio 0.14, anchovies with 0.20, thread tin breams with 0.21 , carangids 0.29 and shrimps 0.33

Hypoxia-induced shift in the phenotype of proteasome from 26S toward immunoproteasome triggers loss of immunoprivilege of mesenchymal stem cells

Allogeneic mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are immunoprivileged and are being investigated in phase I and phase II clinical trials to treat different degenerative and autoimmune diseases. In spite of encouraging outcome of initial trials, the long-term poor survival of transplanted cells in the host tissue has declined the overall enthusiasm. Recent analyses of allogeneic MSCs based studies confirm that after transplantation in the hypoxic or ischemic microenvironment of diseased tissues, MSCs become immunogenic and are rejected by recipient immune system. The immunoprivilege of MSCs is preserved by absence or negligible expression of cell surface antigen, human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DRα. We found that in normoxic MSCs, 26S proteasome degrades HLA-DRα and maintains immunoprivilege of MSCs. The exposure to hypoxia leads to inactivation of 26S proteasome and formation of immunoproteasome in MSCs, which is associated with upregulation and activation of HLA-DRα, and as a result, MSCs become immunogenic. Furthermore, inhibition of immunoproteasome formation in hypoxic MSCs preserves the immunoprivilege. Therefore, hypoxia-induced shift in the phenotype of proteasome from 26S toward immunoproteasome triggers loss of immunoprivilege of allogeneic MSCs. The outcome of the current study may provide molecular targets to plan interventions to preserve immunoprivilege of allogeneic MSCs in the hypoxic or ischemic environment

Dizajniranje i sinteza novih derivata tiofenkarbohidrazida, tienopirazola i tienopirimidina s antioksidativnim i antitumorskim djelovanjem

2-Amino-5-acetyl-4-methyl-thiophene-3-carboxylic acid ethyl ester (1) and 5-acetyl-2-amino-4-methylthiophene-3-carbohydrazide (2) were synthesized and used as starting materials for the synthesis of new series of 1-(5-amino-4-(3,5-dimethyl-1H-pyrazole-1-carbonyl)-3-methylthiophen-2-yl) ethanone (3a), 1-(5-amino-4-(4-chloro-3,5-dimethyl-1H-pyrazole-1-carbonyl)-3-methylthiophen-2-yl) ethanone (3b), 1-(4-methyl-2-amino-5-acetylthiophene-3-carbonyl) pyrazolidine-3,5-dione (4), (Z)-N\u27-(4-methyl-2-amino-5-acetylthiophene-3-carbonyl) formohydrazonic acid (5a), (Z)-ethyl-N\u27-(4-methyl-2-amino-5-acetylthiophene-3-carbonylformo hydrazonate (5b), 6-acetyl-3-amino-2,5-dimethylthieno2,3-dpyrimidin-4(3H)-one (8), 5-methyl-3-amino-2-mercapto-6-acetylthieno2,3-dpyrimidin-4(3H)-one (10) and 5-methyl-6-acetyl-2-thioxo-2,3-dihydrothieno2,3-dpyrimidin-4(1H)-one (12) as potential antioxidant and antitumor agents. Pharmacological results showed that compounds 6a, 6b, 8, 10 and 12 exhibited promising antitumor and antioxidant activity.Etilni ester 2-amino-5-acetil-4-metil-tiofen-3-karboksilne kiseline (1) i 5-acetil-2-amino-4-metiltiofen-3-karbohidrazid (2) sintetizirani su i upotrebljeni kao reaktanti u sintezi novih spojeva 1-(5-amino-4-(3,5-dimetil-1H-pirazol-1-karbonil)-3-metiltiofen-2-il) etanona (3a), 1-(5-amino-4-(4-klor-3,5-dimetil-1H-pirazol-1-karbonil)-3-metiltiofen-2-il) etanona (3b), 1-(4-metil-2-amino-5-acetiltiofen-3-karbonil) pirazolidin-3,5-diona (4), (Z)-N\u27-(4-metil-2-amino-5-acetiltiofen-3-karbonil) formohidrazonske kiseline (5a), (Z)-etil-N\u27-(4-metil-2-amino-5-acetiltiofen-3-karbonilformo hidrazonata (5b), 6-acetil-3-amino-2,5-dimetiltieno2,3-dpirimidin-4(3H)-one (8), 5-metil-3-amino-2-merkapto-6-acetiltieno2,3-dpirimidin-4(3H)-ona (10) i 5-metil-6-acetil-2-tiokso-2,3-dihidrotieno2,3-dpirimidin-4(1H)-ona (12) kao potencijalnih antioksidansa i citostatika. Farmakološka ispitivanja ukazuju na to da spojevi 6a, 6b, 8, 10 i 12 imaju značajno antitumorsko i antioksidativno djelovanje

Sinteza i anthelmintičko djelovanje novih 2-supstituiranih-4,5-difenil imidazola

A series of 2-substituted-4,5-diphenyl imidazoles 1a-j were synthesized by refluxing benzil with different substituted aldehydes in the presence of ammonium acetate and glacial acetic acid. Structures of the synthesized compounds were confirmed on the basis of IR, 1H NMR and mass spectral data. Compounds 1a-j were screened for anthelmintic activity. Test results revealed that compounds showed paralysis time of 0.24 to 1.54 s and death time of 0.39 to 4.40 s while the standard drugs albendazole and piperazine citrate showed paralysis time of 0.54 and 0.58 s and death time of 2.16 and 2.47 s, respectively, at the same concentration of 1 % (m/V). Five compounds, 2-[2-hydroxyphenyl]-4,5-diphenyl imidazole (1b), 2-[3-methoxyphenyl]-4,5-diphenyl imidazole (1c), 2-[2-phenylethenyl]-4,5-diphenyl imidazole (1e), 2-[4-fluorophenyl]-4,5-diphenyl imidazole (1g) and 2-[3-nitrophenyl]-4,5-diphenyl imidazole (1h) showed significant anthelmintic activity compared to the standard drugs.Refluksiranjem benzila s različitim supstituiranim aldehidima u prisutnosti amonijeva acetata i ledene octene kiseline sintetizirana je serija 2-supstituiranih-4,5-difenil imidazola (1a-j). Strukture sintetiziranih spojeva potvrđene su IR, 1H NMR i masenom spektroskopijom. U testovima na anthelmintičko djelovanje određeno je vrijeme paralize 0,24 do 1,54 min i vrijeme smrti 0,39 do 4,40 min, dok standarni lijekovi albendazol i piperazin citrat imaju vrijeme paralize 0,54 i 0,58 min, a vrijeme smrti 2,16, odnosno 2,47 min pri istim koncentracijama (1 % m/V). Pet spojeva, 2-[2-hidroksifenil]-4,5-difenil imidazol (1b), 2-[3-metoksifenil]-4,5-difenil imidazol (1c), 2-[2-feniletenil]-4,5-difenil imidazol (1e), 2-[4-fluorofenil]-4,5-difenil imidazol (1g) i 2-[3-nitrofenil]-4,5-difenil imidazol (1h) pokazuju značajno anthelmintičko djelovanje u odnosnu na standardne lijekove

Effect of different biofloc system on water quality, biofloc composition and growth performance in Litopenaeus vannamei (Boone, 1931)

The experiment was conducted with three biofloc treatments and one control in triplicate in 500 L capacity indoor tanks. Biofloc tanks, filled with 350 L of water, were fed with sugarcane molasses (BFTS), tapioca flour (BFTT), wheat flour (BFTW) and clean water as control without biofloc and allowed to stand for 30 days. The postlarvae of Litopenaeus vannamei (Boone, 1931) with an Average body weight of 0.15 � 0.02 g were stocked at the rate of 130 PL m �2 and cultured for a period of 60 days fed with pelleted feed at the rate of 1.5% of biomass. The total suspended solids (TSS) level was maintained at around 500 mg L �1 in BFT tanks. The addition of carbohydrate significantly reduced the total ammonia- N (TAN), nitrite-N and nitrate-N in water and it significantly increased the total heterotrophic bacteria (THB) population in the biofloc treatments. There was a significant difference in the final average body weight (8.49 � 0.09 g) in the wheat flour treatment (BFTW) than those treatment and control group of the shrimp. Survival of the shrimps was not affected by the treatments and ranged between 82.02% and 90.3%. The proximate and chemical composition of biofloc and proximate composition of the shrimp was significantly different between the biofloc treatments and control. Tintinids, ciliates, copepods, cyanobacteria and nematodes were identified in all the biofloc treatments, nematodes being the most dominant group of organisms in the biofloc. It could be concluded that the use of wheat flour (BFTW) effectively enhanced the biofloc production and contributed towards better water quality which resulted in higher production of shrimp

Synthesis and Pharmacological Evaluation of Novel Schiff Base Analogues of 3-(4-amino) Phenylimino) 5-fluoroindolin-2-one

In our study, a series of novel 3-(4-(benzylideneamino) phenylimino) 4-fluoroindolin-2-one derivatives were synthesized and characterized by spectral (I.R, 1H NMR, mass) and elemental analysis. The title compounds (N1-N10) were evaluated for analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and ulcerogenic index activities. Results displayed that compound N3 exhibited significant analgesic activity. Among the title compounds studied, N2, N3, and N8 exhibited significant anti- inflammatory activity comparable to reference standard diclofenac sodium. Interestingly, the test compounds showed only mild ulcerogenic side effect when compared to aspirin

Cadmium Sulfide Nanoparticles Decorated with Au Quantum Dots as Ultrasensitive Photoelectrochemical Sensor for Selective Detection of Copper(II) Ions

Anomalous ingestion of copper has significant adverse effects and shows acute toxicity in living organisms. Recently, photoelectrochemical (PEC) method has attracted much attention as a platform for a Cu²⁺ ion sensor because of its high sensitivity, selectivity, low-cost, and accurate selection compared to other conventional methods. In this work, stepwise hydrothermal and <i>in situ</i> chemical approaches for synthesizing cadmium sulfide nanoparticles (CdS NPs) for decorating gold quantum dots (Au QDs) are presented, along with notable PEC performance. The amount of Au QDs loaded on the CdS NPs had a significant influence on the PEC performance. CdS NPs-Au QDs-2 with 1.0 mmol % Au QDs demonstrated an exceptional photocurrent density of 350.6 μA cm^–2, which was 3.7-, 2.2-, and 2.0-fold higher than those of CdS NPs, CdS NPs-Au QDs-1 (0.75 mmol %), and CdS NPs-Au QDs-3 (1.25 mmol %), respectively. Femtosecond transient absorption dynamics of the ground state recovery showed a buildup time of 243 fs for Au and 268 fs for CdS, which were assigned to cooling of the photoexcited electrons. For CdS NPs-Au QDs, the transient spectrum was dominated by a signal from CdS with no contribution from Au. The fast buildup dynamic was absent in CdS-Au, indicating a rapid transfer of the photoexcited electrons from CdS to Au before cooling down. Unquestionably, the CdS NPs-Au QDs-2 photoelectrode response upon Cu²⁺ detection showed the lowest limit of detection of 6.73 nM in a linear range of 0.5–120 nM. The selectivity of CdS NPs-Au QDs-2 toward Cu²⁺ ions in lake and tap water was also studied, which suggested that CdS NPs-Au QDs-2 is promising as a photoactive material for PEC-based environmental monitoring and analysis

Gold-silver@TiO2 nanocomposite-modified plasmonic photoanodes for higher efficiency dye-sensitized solar cells

In the present investigation, gold–silver@titania (Au–Ag@TiO2) plasmonic nanocomposite materials with different Au and Ag compositions were prepared using a simple one-step chemical reduction method and used as photoanodes in high-efficiency dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The Au–Ag incorporated TiO2 photoanode demonstrated an enhanced solar-to-electrical energy conversion efficiency of 7.33%, which is ∼230% higher than the unmodified TiO2 photoanode (2.22%) under full sunlight illumination (100 mW cm−2, AM 1.5G). This superior solar energy conversion efficiency was mainly due to the synergistic effect between the Au and Ag, and their surface plasmon resonance effect, which improved the optical absorption and interfacial charge transfer by minimizing the charge recombination process. The influence of the Au–Ag composition on the overall energy conversion efficiency was also explored, and the optimized composition with TiO2 was found to be Au75–Ag25. This was reflected in the femtosecond transient absorption dynamics in which the electron–phonon interaction in the Au nanoparticles was measured to be 6.14 ps in TiO2/Au75:Ag25, compared to 2.38 ps for free Au and 4.02 ps for TiO2/Au100:Ag0. The slower dynamics indicates a more efficient electron–hole separation in TiO2/Au75:Ag25 that is attributed to the formation of a Schottky barrier at the interface between TiO2 and the noble metal(s) that acts as an electron sink. The significant boost in the solar energy conversion efficiency with the Au–Ag@TiO2 plasmonic nanocomposite showed its potential as a photoanode for high-efficiency DSSCs

Sprouty Proteins Inhibit Receptor-mediated Activation of Phosphatidylinositol-specific Phospholipase C

PLCγ03B3 binds Spry1 and Spry2. Overexpression of Spry decreased PLCγ03B3 activity and IP3 and DAG production, whereas Spry-deficient cells yielded more IP3. Spry overexpression inhibited T-cell receptor signaling and Spry1 null T-cells hyperproliferated with TCR ligation. Through action of PLCγ03B3, Spry may influence signaling through multiple receptors

Efficacy and tolerability of a 4-month ofloxacin-containing regimen compared to a 6-month regimen in the treatment of patients with superficial lymph node tuberculosis: a randomized trial

Tuberculosis (TB) lymphadenitis is the most common form of extra-pulmonary TB, and the treatment duration is six months. This non-inferiority based randomized clinical trial in South India evaluated the efficacy and safety of a four-month ofloxacin containing regimen in tuberculosis lymphadenitis (TBL) patients