On the occurrence of mature penaeid prawn Penaeus merguensis in a shallow solar salt works reservoir along the Okhamandal Coast of Gulf of Kutch and its spawning in laboratory

Penaeus merguensis is so far reported to attain complete maturity and spawn in the sea or deep culture ponds only. Mature specimens of stage III to V collected from a shallow reservoir of solar saltworks were studied and spawned in laboratory. A comparison of spawning of spawner from sea and reservoir is also reported

Cervical length measurement by transvaginal sonography in predicting preterm labour in low risk women

Background: Preterm birth is the leading cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality. Transvaginal sonographic measurement of the cervix is a reliable alternative method for the assessment of cervical length as it allows better quality and more accurate visualization of the uterine cervix. Several studies have reported that cervical assessment on transvaginal sonography may be useful in the prediction of preterm delivery. The objective of this study was to assess cervical length at 20 to 24 weeks of gestation in low risk women and correlate with the gestational age at delivery.Methods: A prospective cohort study conducted in a tertiary care Military Hospital in Pune, India. 354 asymptomatic low risk antenatal women with gestational age of 20 to 24 weeks were studied. Cervical assessment with transvaginal sonography for the measurement of cervical length was performed using a 10 MHz transvaginal probe.Results: 7 percent women delivered preterm. The incidence of short cervix in low risk women was only 0.56%. 100% women with short cervix delivered preterm and, only 6.9% patients who had cervical length more than 25 mm delivered preterm. Cervical length 25 mm has got sensitivity and NPV of 100% and a specificity of 93.46%. However, the PPV was only 8%.Conclusions: The study reported significant inverse relation between short cervix and the occurrence of preterm delivery. Our findings suggest that cervical length can be used as a screening method for preterm labour in low risk women. However strong evidences from large randomized control trials would be required to assess its cost-effectiveness.

Finfish resources around Andaman and Nicobar islands

The average catch rate of finfishes obtained by FORV Sagar Sampada from the survey area in the Andaman Sea was 259 kg/hr and the yield ranged from 8.6 to 1260 kg/hr. Silver bellies was the most abundant component (37.5%) with a catch rate of 96.9 kg/hr. Carangids, elasmobranchs and perches accounted for 20.3%, 11.9% and 8.0% of the total catch and the corresponding catch rates were 52.5, 31.1 and 20.8 kg/hr respectively. The highest catch rate of 1260 kg/hr was recorded from 13°10'N - 92°37'E at a depth of 65m. The catch rate indicated that the depth zone 51-100 m is productive and yielded 84.7% of the total catch at a catch rate of 501.4 kg/hr. Although the pelagic trawl was operated at 38 stations, the catch realised was neghgible (0.83 kg/hr)

Observations on the fish and prawn seed resources of the Gulf of Kutch and their utilization in aquaculture

The characteristics of the fish and prawn seed resources of the Gulf of Kutch are described. Results of experiments conducted in a primary low saline reservoir of a solar salt works to study their utility for aquaculture are reported. The prospective role of aquaculture in augmenting fish production along the coast is also discussed

Evaluation of Potential Predictability of Indian Summer Monsoon Rainfall in ECMWF's Fifth-Generation Seasonal Forecast System (SEAS5)

Forecasts of Indian summer monsoon rainfall (ISMR: June to September, JJAS) are issued prior to the onset of rainy season. Thus, an assessment of both potential and actual forecast skills for Indian summer monsoon rainfall should be based on a longer lead time. Based upon the European Center for Medium Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) fifth-generation seasonal forecast system (SEAS5), two lead times are considered: one with an April initial condition (IC) and the other with a May IC from 1981 through 2019 (39 years). Our results show that SEAS5 successfully represents the spatial patterns and variations in the mean JJAS precipitation in the ISMR region compared with the observed rainfall patterns. However, there seem to be significant discrepancies in the simulation of mean precipitation, particularly over topographical regions. SEAS5 is capable of reproducing the observed annual precipitation cycle in India. Moreover, the model is able to better predict the realistic ISMR teleconnections with El Nin˜o-Southern Oscillation and the Indian Ocean Dipole at May ICs. The resulting forecasts across the region are characterized by moderate significant potential and actual skill in both leads, and it decreases as lead time increases. The predictability of SEAS5 is directly related to its ability to correctly predict the forcing of the tropical sea surface temperature and its teleconnections. In spite of this, both lead forecasts have a significant number of unpredicted events and false alarms. This study highlights model discrepancies, shows poor performance in predicting ISMR, and highlights the need for further research on this crucial issue of social relevance

Service Life and Life-Cycle Assessment of Reinforced Concrete with Fly ash and Limestone Calcined Clay Cement

Environmental impact due to the emission of carbon dioxide during concrete production can be taken care by reducing the clinker content in the cement. The clinker content can be reduced by replacing it with fly ash and limestone calcined clay. Such systems can have a potential to exhibit enhanced durability/service life when exposed to chloride and carbon dioxide. However, estimating probabilistic service life of concretes with such alternative binder systems is difficult due to the lack of quantitative estimates of the input parameters such as chloride diffusion coefficient (DCl), ageing coefficient (m), carbonation coefficient (KCO2), and chloride threshold (Clth). This paper presents the experimentally observed estimates of these parameters for the following systems: (i) 100% OPC, (ii) 70% OPC + 30% fly ash, and (iii) limestone calcined clay cement (LC3) – known as OPC, PFA, and LC3 concretes, respectively, herein. A total of three concrete mixes were designed. Also, based on these input parameters, the probabilistic service life estimates of a bridge pier and a girder made of these three concretes and exposed to chlorides and carbon dioxide are presented. For chloride ingress study, Fick’s 2nd Law of diffusion and Clth have been used. For carbonation study, a recently developed model for estimating carbonation depth (using mixture proportion) have been used. Then, the life‑cycle assessment (LCA) of these three concrete systems in terms of the CO2 emissions per unit of concrete per year of estimated service life is presented - for both chloride and carbonation induced corrosion. In chloride laden environments, the service life of the bridge pier and girder systems could be enhanced by about 10 times by using fly ash or LC3 concretes – for similar strength grade concretes. Also, the average annual CO2 emissions (during the expected service life) of PFA and LC3 concretes could be about 3 and 7 times, respectively, lower than that of OPC concretes of similar strength grade. In case of carbonation-induced corrosion, the limited experimental data indicate that the PFA and LC3 concretes could exhibit a lower service life and higher average annual CO2 emissions (during the expected service life) than OPC concretes

Stranding of a rare marine dolphin at Vizhinjam

On sighting a dolphin struggling for survival In the near shore area off Adimaithura (near Vizhinjam) on 31-08-1998, the fishermen encircled it with a shore seine. It was a rare marine Risso's dolphin, Grampus griseus (Cuvier, 1812), measuring 250 cm in length. In spite of the medical treatments given for the injuries, it survived in the Marine Aquarium at Vizhinjam for about 13 hrs only

Temporal fossa arachnoid cyst presenting with bilateral subdural hematoma following trauma: two case reports

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Intracranial arachnoid cysts are considered to be congenital malformations with a predilection for the temporal fossa. They are often asymptomatic but can sometimes be symptomatic due to enlargement or hemorrhage. There are multiple case reports of arachnoid cysts becoming symptomatic with hemorrhagic complications following head trauma. In such cases, the bleeding is often confined to the side ipsilateral to the arachnoid cyst. Occurrence of contralateral subdural hematomas in patients with temporal fossa arachnoid cysts has rarely been observed and is reported less frequently in the medical literature.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We report two cases of people (a 23-year-old man and a 41-year-old man) with temporal fossa arachnoid cysts complicated by a subdural hematoma following head injury. Both patients developed a subdural hematoma contralateral to the side of a temporal fossa arachnoid cyst. It is likely that lack of adequate intracranial cushioning in the presence of an intracranial arachnoid cyst may result in injury not only to ipsilateral but also to contralateral bridging veins, following head trauma.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>It is important to identify and report such rare complications with intracranial arachnoid cysts, so that asymptomatic patients with an intracranial arachnoid cyst can be counseled about such possibilities following head trauma.</p

Survey Among Medical Students During COVID-19 Lockdown: The Online Class Dilemma

Background: In view of COVID-19 lockdown in India, many colleges started online classes. This study aimed to evaluate the attitudes of, and the factors affecting, medical students attending online classes during lockdown. Methods: We designed an online questionnaire with open-ended, close-ended, and Likert scale questions. Links to the questionnaires were shared with the medical students who have attended at least one online class during the COVID-19 lockdown period. Respondents were 1061 participants from 30 medical colleges from the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu in India. Results: The majority of students – 94% (955/1016) – used smartphones to attend online classes. ZOOM/ Skype – by 57.1% (580/1016) – and Google platforms – by 54.4% (553/1016) – were commonly used. Learning at leisure – 44.5% (452/1016) – was the top reason why students liked online classes, whereas network problems – 85.8% (872/1016) – was the top reason why students disliked them. Lack of sufficient interaction – 61.1% (621/1016) was another reason why students disliked online learning. More than half the participants – 51.7% (526/1016) – did not want to continue online classes after COVID-19 lockdown. More students – 55% (558/1016) – favored regular classes than online classes. Conclusion: Students in our survey did not seem favorably disposed to online classes. Network problems experienced by students should be addressed. Furthermore, teachers should try to make the classes more interactive and educational institutions should address the problems pointed out by the students in order to make online classes more effective in the future

Evaluation of serum mineral micronutrients (Zn, Cu, Fe, Mg) and their correlation with clinical parameters (gingival index, probing pocket depth, clinical attachment loss) in chronic periodontitis patients

Background: Nutrition especially micro-mineral nutrients plays a major role in the etiology of chronic periodontitis. Serum levels of micro-mineral nutrients can be used as markers for the incidence of periodontitis and may also be used as indicators for dietary supplementation. Aims and Objectives: The aim of the study was to estimate the serum levels of Zn, Cu, Fe, and Mg of chronic periodontitis patients and normal healthy controls., to measure the clinical parameters (gingival index, probing pocket depth [PPD], and clinical attachment loss) in chronic periodontitis patients and normal healthy controls., to compare the levels of serum Zn, Cu, Fe, and Mg levels of chronic periodontitis patients and healthy controls and to correlate the levels of serum micronutrients with clinical parameters (gingival index, PPD, and clinical attachment loss) in chronic periodontitis patients and healthy controls. Materials and Methods: A total of 110 subjects, 55 subjects with chronic periodontitis and 55 healthy control subjects in the age group 35–65 years were selected for the study. Serum micronutrient levels of Cu, Fe, Zn, Mg, and the clinical parameters were measured. Results: Serum concentrations of Cu and Fe showed statistically significant increase and serum Zn and Mg showed a significant decrease in peridontitis patients as compared to normal healthy controls. Copper and Fe showed a significant positive correlation and Zn and Mg showed a significant negative correlation with clinical parameters (gingival index, PPD, and clinical attachment loss). Conclusion: The present study supports and extends the view that the assessment of serum mineral micronutrient can serve as possible biomarkers or indicators for an inflammatory condition like chronic periodontitis