In situ observation of scorpionfish in seagrass meadows of the Gulf of Mannar, India

The seagrass meadows of Sethukarai coast are unique in nature, housing high faunal diversity compared to other coastal areas. A rare live specimen of bandtail scorpionfish Scorpaenopsis neglecta was found near a burrow dug by an alpheid shrimp. Taxonomy, morphometric and meristic characters, adaptive, behavioural and colour-switching physiological camouflage trait of the S. neglecta are elaborated in this communication. Visual in situ documentation of feeding habits of scorpaenids and their preying behaviour, especially that of lionfish Pterois volitans preying on goby fish is presented. Mutualism exhibited by goby fish Amblyeleotris gymnocephala with the alpheid shrimp Alpheus rapax and the importance of habitat protection from anthropogenic activities are also discussed

Socio-economic analysis of finfish culture in cages in coastal waters of Kerala, southwest coast of India

Cage culture of finfish is becoming a popular alternate source of livelihood in Vembanad Lake in Kerala, India. A study was conducted during November to December, 2016 to assess the socio-economic status of the farmers practicing cage culture in Kerala and the resultant economic benefits. Data on demographic features, farming activities, specific culture and farm management practices, economics and problems related to cage farming were collected from 36 active farmers of the Ernakulam District. Etroplus suratensis (Pearl spot), Lates calcarifer (Asian sea bass), and Genetically Improved Farm Tilapia (GIFT) were the major species culture

Influence of sediment chemistry on mangrove-phosphobacterial relationship

The study reveals importance of sediment chemistry in mangrove-phosphobacterial relationship. The various physicochemical parameters of sediment, bacterial distribution, and acidic- alkaline phosphatase activity were studied in Avicennia marina mangrove sediments. The sampling sites were four mangrove forests along West India. Rhizospheric, pneumatophoric and bulk/non-rhizospheric sediment were collected. The rhizospheric sediment showed higher bacterial activity. The pH was observed low in the rhizospheric sediment and good abundance of phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB). This was also supported by other physico-chemical parameters. Acid phosphatase activity was found to be higher in rhizospheric sediment indicating acid production at rhizosphere by microbial action and root exudation. It is the first study indicating that alkaline phosphatase activity was observed to be higher in pneumatophoric sediment. This coincides with higher number of phosphatase-producing bacteria (PPB) and high inorganic P in the pneumatophoric sediment, revealing that this region of A. marina harbours favourably more PPB with utilization of organic P by bacterial load and conversion to inorganic forms stressing that strong bonding exists between mangrove-sediment-phosphobacterial relationships

Exploring the interplay between metabolic power and equivalent distance in training games and official matches in soccer: a machine learning approach.

Introduction: This study aimed to explore the interplay between metabolic power (MP) and equivalent distance (ED) and their respective roles in training games (TGs) and official soccer matches. Furthermore, the secondary objective was to investigate the connection between external training load (ETL), determined by the interplay of metabolic power and equivalent distance, and internal training load (ITL) assessed through HR-based methods, serving as a measure of criterion validity. Methods: Twenty-one elite professional male soccer players participated in the study. Players were monitored during 11 months of full training and overall official matches. The study used a dataset of 4269 training games and 380 official matches split into training and test sets. In terms of machine learning methods, the study applied several techniques, including K-Nearest Neighbors, Decision Tree, Random Forest, and Support-Vector Machine classifiers. The dataset was divided into two subsets: a training set used for model training and a test set used for evaluation. Results: Based on metabolic power and equivalent distance, the study successfully employed four machine learning methods to accurately distinguish between the two types of soccer activities: TGs and official matches. The area under the curve (AUC) values ranged from 0.90 to 0.96, demonstrating high discriminatory power, with accuracy levels ranging from 0.89 to 0.98. Furthermore, the significant correlations observed between Edwards' training load (TL) and TL calculated from metabolic power metrics confirm the validity of these variables in assessing external training load in soccer. The correlation coefficients (r values) ranged from 0.59 to 0.87, all reaching statistical significance at p < 0.001. Discussion: These results underscore the critical importance of investigating the interaction between metabolic power and equivalent distance in soccer. While the overall intensity may appear similar between TGs and official matches, it is evident that underlying factors contributing to this intensity differ significantly. This highlights the necessity for more comprehensive analyses of the specific elements influencing physical effort during these activities. By addressing this fundamental aspect, this study contributes valuable insights to the field of sports science, aiding in the development of tailored training programs and strategies that can optimize player performance and reduce the risk of injuries in elite soccer

Prevention of Secondary Injury after Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: Relationship between Pelvic-Drop and Dynamic Knee Valgus.

Background: Optimal neuromuscular, Lumbo-Pelvic-Hip Complex, and lower extremity control are associated with decreased risk factors for secondary anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. This study aimed to analyze any asymmetries and malalignments in the Lumbo-Pelvic-Hip Complex and the lower limbs at 6 months after ACL reconstruction (ACLR). (2) Methods: We conducted an exploratory retrospective observational single-center study in patients during the outpatient postoperative rehabilitation program at ICOT (Latina, Italy). From January 2014 to June 2020, 181 patients were recruited, but only 100 patients (86 male 28 ± 0.6 years, 178 ± 0.5 height; 14 female 24 ± 2.0 years, 178 ± 3.0 height) were eligible for the inclusion criteria and studied 6 months after ACL reconstruction surgery. (3) Statistical analysis: Student's t-tests and Pearson's product-moment correlation coefficient were used to determine significant differences between affected and non-affected limbs and variables' association. (4) Results: The study shows a decrease in neuromuscular control of the Lumbo-Pelvic-Hip Complex and dynamic adaptive valgus of the knee at 6 months after ACLR (mean difference between pathological and healthy limb of dynamic adaptive valgus was -10.11 ± 8.19° 95% CI -14.84 to -9.34; mean value was 16.3 ± 6.8° 95% CI 14.04 to 18.55 for healthy limb and 4.2 ± 3.1° 95% CI 3.15 to 5.21 for pathological limb, p < 0.0001). The results also showed a relationship between dynamic adaptive valgus and contralateral pelvic drop (r = 0.78, 95% CI 0.62 to 0.88, magnitude of correlation very large). (5) Conclusions: The analysis showed an associative correlation between decreased postural control of the pelvic girdle and dynamic adaptive valgus of the knee in 38% of patients; this study highlights the usefulness of the Single-Leg Squat Test (SLST) as a clinical/functional assessment to evaluate the rehabilitation process and as a preventive tool to reduce the risk of second ACL injuries during the return to sport

Eficiência de bio e imunoensaio para detecção de semente de soja geneticamente modificada tolerante ao glifosato em lotes de sementes de soja não transgênica.

A produção de semente de soja livre de sementes de outras cultivares ou outras sementes, dentro dos limites estabelecidos pela legislação, é facilitada pelo fato da soja ser espécie autógama. No caso específico das cultivares geneticamente modificadas (GM), a baixa taxa de fecundação cruzada que ainda pode existir é um dos pontos críticos de contaminação genética dos campos de sementes convencionais por transgênicos. O objetivo deste trabalho foi verificar a eficiência de dois métodos de detecção de misturas de semente GM em amostras de soja convencional, para avaliar lotes de sementes quanto aos limites exigidos pela legislação. Foram utilizadas amostras de semente da cultivar BRSMG 810C (convencional) e da cultivar BRSMG 850GRR. Foram avaliados dois tamanhos de amostras (200 e 400 sementes), com quatro níveis de contaminação (semente GM adicionada às amostras convencionais, para se obter 0%, 0,5%, 1% e 1,5%), e dois métodos de detecção: imunoensaio de fluxo lateral e bioensaio (pré-embebição em solução de herbicida a 0,6% do equivalente ácido, na proporção de 2,5 vezes o peso do substrato, por 16 horas no escuro a 25oC). O método de bioensaio é eficiente na detecção da presença de GM em amostras de semente convencional de soja, desde que as mesmas apresentem alta qualidade fisiológica. Existe correlação significativa entre os valores obtidos pelo método de detecção por bioensaio e os níveis de contaminação estabelecidos (r= 0,82; p< ou = 0,0001). O tamanho da amostra não influenciou a eficiência dos dois métodos na detecção da presença de sementes adventícias (GM)

Comment to "ultrasonic assessment of females with carpal tunnel syndrome proved by nerve conduction study"

Letter to the Edito

Marine mammal strandings along the Indian coast mapped

The stranding locations of marine mammals namely blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus), Bryde’s whale (Balaenoptera edeni), fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus), humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) and minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) along the Indian coast were mapped (Fig. 1) using passive method. The data was collected for the period 1874 to 2016