A penaeid prawn with an abnormal telson

Reported instances' of abnormalities in fishes are common 1-6, but in prawn it is limited, Deshmukh and Kuber' have reported a case of double rostrum in Parapenaeopsis styli/era. Apart from this there is no other published work on abnormalities in P. styli/era, The present note deals Witll the abnormal telson

On the capture of juveniles of Lutjanus russelli (Bleeker) and Scatophagus argus var. tetracanthus (Lacepede) from Bombay waters

Bhokshi nets are operated regularly at Manori creek at Marve for prawns and fishes of the creek, landed with juveniles fishes of two species of quality fishes as , Lutjanus russelli (Bleeker) and Scatophagus argus var. tetracanthus (Lacepede) as incidental catches. It is quite probable that this unusual landings of juveniles in bag nets in good numbers was due to the young ones coming into the creek owing to the availability of food in the creeks during monsoon period and also to escape strong currents in the foreshore areas. During this period Bhokihi net operations are harmful for juvenile fishes and therefore it is advisable that these nets be operated with larger mesh size at the cod end

Effects of Melanin-Induced Free Radicals on the Isolated Rat Peritoneal Mast Cells

Pheomelanin from human red hair (RHM) produces considerably more cellular damage in Ehrlich ascites carcinoma cells when subjected to radiations of wavelength 320-700nm than eumelanin from black hair (BHM). Irradiation of RHM generated large amounts of superoxide while BHM did not produce detectable amounts of superoxide. The present investigations describe the effects of irradiation of mast cells in the presence of various natural and synthetic melanins. Irradiation of mast cells in the presence of RHM and red hair melanoprotein released large amounts of histamine while BHM and synthetic melanins prepared from dopa, cysteinyldopa, or a mixture of dopa and cysteinyldopa did not release histamine. The release of histamine at lower concentrations of RHM was not accompanied by the release of 51Cr from chromium-loaded cells, suggesting that this release was of noncytotoxic nature. On the other hand, the release of histamine at higher concentrations of RHM was due to cell lysis since both histamine and cytoplasmic marker 51Cr were released to the same extent. The release evoked by large concentration RHM was not inhibited by superoxide dismutase or catalase. This suggests that the cell lysis under these conditions was not due to H2O2 or O2-. The finding that mast cells release histamine when irradiated in the presence of RHM suggests that the immediate and late-phase reactions seen in sunburn may in part be due to the release of mediators from these cells

Occurrence of the crab Calappa lophos (Herbst) In trawler landings at Sassoon docks, Bombay

An instance of the crab Calappa lophos suddenly appearing in commercial quantities in the trawl catches at Sassoon dock, successively in two years, is reported

On the occurrence of Acetes johni Nataraj and A. japonicus Kishinouye in Bombay waters

Aceies indicus H. Milne Edwards constitutes an important fishery iu Maharashtra State. On a close study of samples collected from Sassoon Dock and Versova, two principal landing centres ior Acetes, it was observed that two more species were present in the catches. They were identified as Acetes johni Nataraj and Acetes japonicus Kishinouye. Though a formal record exists for A. johni from plankton collection off Saurashtra and Kerala Coasts, the fishery value for the species is reported for the first time

Validation of Gender Friendly Breastfeeding Knowledge scale among young adults

Introduction: Breastfeeding is the most effective intervention to improve child health. Young adults, both genders play an important role in society supporting breastfeeding as they will be stepping towards parenthood in the near future. Bringing awareness and busting the myths among them is essential. This study aimed to develop a Gender Friendly Breastfeeding Knowledge scale based on a conceptual framework that reflected the knowledge of young adults and evaluates its validity and reliability. Methodology:  Development of the questionnaire for Conceptual framework and item generation was done using PubMed, Google Scholar, other sources and expert opinion. The type of measurement was structured as a 5-point Likert scale. The Lawshe technique to assess the content validity ratio. A cross-sectional survey in graduation colleges situated in Mangalagiri or within the radius of 30 km of Mangalagiri, Andhra Pradesh, India was conducted in 2020. 1400 Adult males and females aged 20-25 years and perusing full-time graduation course were recruited. For each item in the Gender Friendly Breastfeeding Awareness scale, we assessed individual item characteristics and item-test correlation. To check to construct validity, we performed exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. Results: Expert panel retained 23 items from initially 30 items. The content validity index score for the each of 23-items in the scale was more than 0.80. A four-factor structure perfectly fitted the data and illustrated 54 percent of the variation in knowledge of breastfeeding. Four stages of CFA were completed. The chi-square = 860.534 was significantly above the 0.01 level.  Cronbach's a = 0.787 based on standardized items reflected the overall internal consistency of the gender-friendly breastfeeding awareness scale. Conclusion: Gender-friendly breastfeeding knowledge scale is a valid and reliable tool, it is recommended that this scale be used in communities, educational institutions, and in relevant research to assess breastfeeding knowledge among young adults of both genders, thereby promoting breastfeeding practices in the future

Multi-level socioecological drivers of agrarian change:Longitudinal evidence from mixed rice-livestock-aquaculture farming systems of Bangladesh

Coastal systems are facing natural and human-driven change coupled with a rising population. With increasing shifts in socioecological conditions during the past several decades, it is important to understand how socioecological drivers at different hierarchical levels: -micro, -meso, and -macro affect coastal farming systems, which play a crucial role in the livelihoods of coastal dwellers. Mixed rice-livestock-aquaculture farming in Southern Bangladesh exemplifies the rapid change occurring in many of the world's coastal farming systems in response to these drivers. We used panel data observations from the above study area and modeled trajectories of farm typologies, and the impact of multi-level socioecological drivers by a novel approach. Our approach integrates: (1) a well-articulated conceptual frame of change observed using (2) a temporal view of the potential drivers, change process and farm type outcomes, with the twenty years panel data of 502 households that is analyzed by means of (3) multivariate statistics in conjunction with panel data models that operationalize the conceptual frame. Our approach allows (a) estimating dynamic effects over time that typically cannot be estimated in a cross-sectional data set, (b) distinguishing between time-invariant fixed and time dependent random effects of multi-level socioecological drivers, and (c) controlling for omitted variables to a certain extent. Considering farming systems both within and outside of polder embankment systems intended to protect against oceanic water intrusion, we found a gradual shift from heterogeneous, rice-livestock farm types to more homogenous farms with less livestock and more off-farm activities. Micro-level factors including farm plot fragmentation, farmers' experience in cropping, machinery, salinity and soil fertility were influencing changes in farming systems. Meso-level factors including markets, road infrastructure, labor availability, access to extension and land tenure also affect the trajectory of farming systems change. Among macro-level drivers, increasing population density positively and significantly influenced cropping intensity among farms outside polder systems. Within polders, a positive but non-significant trend was observed for the influence of population density on cropping intensity. Our data also indicate negative and significant influence of cyclonic storms on cropping intensity over time in both areas. Our results underscore the importance of accounting for multiple levels of socioecological drivers of change when developing appropriate policy options for sustainable development in South Asia's coastal farming systems

A prospective study on haematobiochemical aspects of atopic dermatitis in dogs

A prospective study on haemato-biochemical aspects of canine atopic dermatitis was conducted in the Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Mannuthy during the period from 2019 to 2021. Sixteen dogs diagnosed with atopic dermatitis using characteristic clinical (Favrot’s) criteria with exclusion of other pruritic skin diseases, together with elevated Ig E levels and ten healthy animals formed the subjects for the present study. Whole blood samples were collected from atopic and healthy controls and haematobiochemical parameters were estimated. Haemato-biochemical studies of atopic dogs revealed anaemia with leukocytosis, neutrophilia and eosinophilia and hypoalbuminaemia with reduced AG ratio. Absolute eosinophil count that was found positively correlated with neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in atopic dogs, is of diagnostic significance in quantifying inflammatory response which helps in instituting customized treatment to atopic animals in clinical practice. Hypoalbuminaemia observed in atopic animals in the present study indicates the need for nutrient supplementation in the therapeutic protocol of the disease

Occurrence of allergic dermatitis in dogs with special reference to canine atopic dermatitis in Kerala

Allergic dermatitis is an inflammatory skin disease manifested as itchy skin rashes, caused as a result of hypersensitivity reactions elicited in the body due to exposure to various allergens. Canine atopic dermatitis (CAD) is a widespread skin condition characterized by an inherited propensity to develop pruritic inflammatory skin disease linked to IgE antibodies, which usually target environmental allergens. The study was conducted on 245 cases of allergic dermatitis in dogs presented to the small animal dermatology unit during the period from 2019 to 2021. Out of the total 2,032 dermatological cases in dogs presented to the clinics from different parts of Kerala, 245 cases were diagnosed as various allergies over a period of three years, and out of which, 63 cases were recorded as canine atopic dermatitis (CAD). All the 63 cases diagnosed as CAD were utilized for age-wise, gender-wise and breed-wise occurrence of disease. The occurrence of allergic dermatitis in the present study was recorded as 13 per cent. The highest occurrence rate recorded was that of flea allergy followed by atopic dermatitis, contact allergy dermatitis and food allergy. In the current study, higher incidence (66.7 per cent) of atopic dermatitis was found in dogs below 3 years of age, followed by dogs older than 5 years and of the age group >3 to 5 years. Gender-wise occurrence of atopic dermatitis revealed a male predominance with a sex ratio of 1.74: 1 in the present study. Labrador breed of dogs were more prone to atopic dermatitis followed by Beagle, Pomeranian, Shih Tzu, Pug, Pit bull, German Shepherd dog, Dachshund, Rottweiler and Golden Retriever