Phytoplankton taxonomy, identification and enumeration

Phytoplankton are microscopic, free floating organisms and is the principal primary producers of the oceans. Their size range from 0.2 μm to 2 mm. Phytoplankton contains primary pigments and accessory pigments such as chlorophyll (Chl), carotenoids etc. which strongly absorbs the blue and red light of the visible spectra. Phytoplankton also influences the total scattering properties of sea water

Phytoplankton functional types

The term “functional types” emerged from biogeochemical studies. It represents the group of organisms that share common characteristic role in biogeochemical functions. In ecology, a functional type or group represents an aggregation of organisms according to some well-defined property that sets a role or “function” for them in a system. Phytoplankton Functional types (PFT) are defined as a group of organisms (irrespective of taxonomic affiliation) that carry out a particular chemical process such as calcification, silicification, nitrogen fixation, or dimethyl sulfide production; they are also referred to as “biogeochemical guilds”. For example, in Nitrogen-Phytoplankton-Zooplankton (NPZ) models, P and Z are representatives of functional types, i.e., producers and consumers. This aggregation is acceptable for some applications, but may be too coarse or even inappropriate for others

EFFECTIVE PROFESSIONAL LEARNING FOR MAINSTREAM TEACHERS TO SUPPORT ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS ACADEMIC ENGLISH DEVELOPMENT

By 2044, more than half of all Americans are projected to speak a language that is not English. These English language learners (ELLs) are challenged with learning academic English in order to be proficient. However, many mainstream teachers are not professionally trained to support their academic language development. This was the case at the preschool through Grade 8 school located in New Jersey that was part of the study. The needs assessment conducted at the school showed that mainstream teachers would benefit from increased knowledge and explicit instructional strategies to foster academic English vocabulary development in all content areas. Based on these findings, the researcher designed and implemented a teacher study group focused on increasing teacher knowledge of second language acquisition, academic vocabulary development, and dialogic pedagogies. Teachers engaged in activities that included reading articles, discussions, coplanning lesson plans and implementing two instructional strategies to increase ELLs vocabulary development and academic language use. The group was composed of 20 teachers who participated in the intervention for a duration of 11 weeks. A mixed method study using both qualitative and quantitative methods was used to assess the process and outcomes of the intervention. Findings included a high level of collegial interaction and participant responsiveness. The participants stated an increase in self-efficacy and perceived preparation to teach ELLs and confidence in increasing ELLs academic vocabulary development. Implications of the findings, limitations and future research are discussed along with the limitations of this study

Regional and seasonal variations in phytoplankton

One of the main goals of remote-sensing observations is the study of seasonal cycles of phytoplankton biomass in different regions of the World Ocean. In many regions these cycles repeat every year including minor details. This pattern is a result of seasonal oscillations of physical environment. In high latitudes these oscillations are more pronounced, and the response of phytoplankton is more evident

DNA Barcoding of Fish Fauna using Mitochondrial CO1 Gene

This study aimed to investigate the quantitative relationships between four fish species from three genera based on molecular analyses (barcoding) of nine species from five genera utilizing the mitochondrial COI gene. Species within the same genus showed more transitional incompatibilities than transversional mismatches. The samples were divided into four main groups by a phylogenetic tree built from the sequencing data (cytochrome COI) of samples from the two populations using the neighbour-joining method. As dissimilar species were clustered under separate nodes and similar species were clustered under the same nodes, the neighbour-joining tree revealed various clusters corresponding to the taxonomic status of the species. In conclusion, the mitochondrial CO1 gene is a useful molecular marker for DNA barcoding.

Linking climate variability and water associated diseases through Earth Observation in coastal areas of India

Climate-related extreme weather events impinge on human life and assets in various ways wherein their contributions to the transmission of water-associated diseases introduce additional hurdles on our efforts to control them. This article examines the impacts of extreme weather events on water-associated diseases using examples from the Kerala flood of 2018, and its impact on the microbial pollution in Vembanad lake and coastal regions of Kerala, using in-situ and remote sensing-based monitoring of water quality, models, and digital platforms. The article also discusses capacity building initiatives such as citizen science, awareness building, and training programmes for supporting efforts to control the outbreaks of epidemics during extreme weather condition

Metronomic adjuvant chemotherapy evaluation in locally advanced head and neck cancers post radical chemoradiation – a randomised trial

Background: Locally advanced head and neck cancers treated with radical chemoradiation have unsatisfactory outcomes. Oral metronomic chemotherapy improves outcomes in comparison to maximum tolerated dose chemotherapy in the palliative setting. Limited evidence suggests that it may do so in an adjuvant setting. Hence this randomized study was conducted. Methods: Patients of head and neck (HN) cancer with primary in oropharynx, larynx or hypopharynx, with PS 0–2 post radical chemoradiation with documented complete response were randomized 1:1 to either observation or oral metronomic adjuvant chemotherapy (MAC) for 18 months. MAC consisted of weekly oral methotrexate (15 mg/m2) and celecoxib (200 mg PO BD). The primary endpoint was OS and the overall sample size was 1038. The study had 3 planned interim analyses for efficacy and futility. Trial registration- Clinical Trials Registry- India (CTRI): CTRI/2016/09/007315 [Registered on: 28/09/2016] Trial Registered Prospectively. Findings: 137 patients were recruited and an interim analysis was done. The 3 year PFS was 68.7% (95% CI 55.1–79.0) versus 60.8% (95% CI 47.9–71.4) in the observation and metronomic arm respectively (P value = 0.230). The hazard ratio was 1.42 (95% CI 0.80–2.51; P value = 0.231). The 3 year OS was 79.4% (95% CI 66.3–87.9) versus 62.4% (95% CI 49.5–72.8) in the observation and metronomic arm respectively (P value = 0.047). The hazard ratio was 1.83 (95% CI 1.0–3.36; P value = 0.051). Interpretation: In this phase 3 randomized study, oral metronomic combinations of weekly methotrexate and daily celecoxib failed to improve the PFS or OS. Hence observation post-complete response post radical chemoradiation remains the standard of care. Funding: ICON funded this study.</p

Metronomic adjuvant chemotherapy evaluation in locally advanced head and neck cancers post radical chemoradiation – a randomised trial

Background: Locally advanced head and neck cancers treated with radical chemoradiation have unsatisfactory outcomes. Oral metronomic chemotherapy improves outcomes in comparison to maximum tolerated dose chemotherapy in the palliative setting. Limited evidence suggests that it may do so in an adjuvant setting. Hence this randomized study was conducted. Methods: Patients of head and neck (HN) cancer with primary in oropharynx, larynx or hypopharynx, with PS 0–2 post radical chemoradiation with documented complete response were randomized 1:1 to either observation or oral metronomic adjuvant chemotherapy (MAC) for 18 months. MAC consisted of weekly oral methotrexate (15 mg/m2) and celecoxib (200 mg PO BD). The primary endpoint was OS and the overall sample size was 1038. The study had 3 planned interim analyses for efficacy and futility. Trial registration- Clinical Trials Registry- India (CTRI): CTRI/2016/09/007315 [Registered on: 28/09/2016] Trial Registered Prospectively. Findings: 137 patients were recruited and an interim analysis was done. The 3 year PFS was 68.7% (95% CI 55.1–79.0) versus 60.8% (95% CI 47.9–71.4) in the observation and metronomic arm respectively (P value = 0.230). The hazard ratio was 1.42 (95% CI 0.80–2.51; P value = 0.231). The 3 year OS was 79.4% (95% CI 66.3–87.9) versus 62.4% (95% CI 49.5–72.8) in the observation and metronomic arm respectively (P value = 0.047). The hazard ratio was 1.83 (95% CI 1.0–3.36; P value = 0.051). Interpretation: In this phase 3 randomized study, oral metronomic combinations of weekly methotrexate and daily celecoxib failed to improve the PFS or OS. Hence observation post-complete response post radical chemoradiation remains the standard of care. Funding: ICON funded this study.</p

Book of Abstracts & Lead Articles The Second International Symposium Remote Sensing for Ecosystem Analysis and Fisheries

SAFARI (Societal Applications in Fisheries and Aquaculture using Remotely-Sensed Imagery) is an initiative which provides a forum for coordination, at the international level, of activities in global fisheries research and management. The forum is open to all interested parties, including policy makers, research scientists, government managers, and those involved in the fishing industries. SAFARI organizes international workshops and symposia as a platform to discuss the latest research in Earth observation and fisheries management, information sessions aimed at the fisheries industry, government officials and resource managers, representation at policy meetings, and producing publications relevant to the activities. SAFARI gains worldwide attention through collaboration with other international networks, such as ChloroGIN (Chlorophyll Global Integrated Network), IOCCG (International Ocean-Colour Coordinating Group), POGO (Partnership for Observation of the Global Oceans) and the oceans and society: Blue Planet Initiative of the intergovernmental organization, the Group on Earth Observations (GEO)

Satellite chlorophyll concentration as an aid to understanding the dynamics of Indian oil sardine in the southeastern Arabian Sea

Coastal waters of Kerala, which form an integral part of the Malabar upwelling zone off the southwest coast of India, constitute an important fishing region for small pelagics. Satellite remote sensing data from 1998−2014 were used to test the hypothesis that fluctuations in the landings of Sardinella longiceps, the major pelagic fish landed in the area designated as the South Eastern Arabian Sea (SEAS), are influenced by seasonal variability in phytoplankton biomass (measured as chlorophyll a [chl a] concentration), under the changing strength of physical para - meters such as sea surface temperature (SST), alongshore wind stress, Ekman mass transport, sea level anomaly (SLA) and Kerala rainfall. Multiple linear regression analysis (MLRA) was used to assess the influence of physical forcing mechanisms on chl a concentration on monthly and seasonal scales. We found that SLA, alongshore wind stress, SST and rainfall were ranked 1 to 4, respectively, and the first 3 factors significantly influenced the chl a concentration of SEAS. Pearson’s correlation analysis between monthly chl a and sardine landing (with chl a leading) showed a maximum positive correlation (+0.26) at 2 and 3 mo lags, emphasizing that the influence of chl a on the fishery of S. longiceps is seasonal (r = 0.35 for seasonal lead−lag correlation) in the coastal waters of SEAS. Variation in phytoplankton biomass, as evidenced by chl a fluctuations, seems to have a decisive role in regulating the physiological condition of larvae spawned during the southwest monsoon season, their juveniles and finally the adults that are recruited into the fishery in the next season. Using the quantity of phytoplankton as a predictive tool will exploit the presumptive trophic link to aid understanding of sardine fishery dynamics in upwelling zones