Recent trends in cephalopod fishery of Kerala coast

Since the Cephalopods have emerged as a valuable resource in recent times because of the demand in export trade, constant monitoring of the fishery, resource position and relevant biological aspects has become imperative. The resource characteristics and biological aspects of cephalopods are being regularly monitored at Vizhinjam, Cochin and Calicut by CMFRI Scientists, Dr. N. Ramachandran, Shri. K. Prabhakaran Nair, Smt. V. Kripa and Shri. G.P. Kumaraswamy Achari

Structural, Morphological and 1/f noise Properties of ITO/TiO2 thin Films by e-beam Evaporation System for Optoelectronic Device Applications

In the present research study, ITO/TiO2 thin films were prepared on a glass substrate by using an electron beam (e-beam) evaporation system at different annealing temperatures (300, 350, 400 and 450 °C). The amorphous and crystalline natures of ITO/TiO2 structure were analyzed by X-ray diffraction study. As the grain size becomes larger, indirectly it will develop the crystalline quality of the TiO2 films studied from AFM. The surface of TiO2 films and the crystalline size of the sample were increased gradually with respect to a temperature that is observed in SEM. The elemental composition determined by the energy dispersive analysis of EDAX showed that TiO2 thin films were highly stoichiometric. Further, the higher optical transmittance (93%) was obtained with 450 °C annealed ITO/TiO2 film. The optical band gap increased along with annealing temperatures (300, 350, 400 and 450 °C). All the above results of this present work can be utilized for solar cell and optoelectronic device applications. © 2020 Author(s)

Structural, morphological and 1/f noise properties of ITO/TiO2thin films by e-beam evaporation system for optoelectronic device applications

In the present research study, ITO/TiO2 thin films were prepared on a glass substrate by using an electron beam (e-beam) evaporation system at different annealing temperatures (300, 350, 400 and 450 °C). The amorphous and crystalline natures of ITO/TiO2 structure were analyzed by X-ray diffraction study. As the grain size becomes larger, indirectly it will develop the crystalline quality of the TiO2 films studied from AFM. The surface of TiO2 films and the crystalline size of the sample were increased gradually with respect to a temperature that is observed in SEM. The elemental composition determined by the energy dispersive analysis of EDAX showed that TiO2 thin films were highly stoichiometric. Further, the higher optical transmittance (93%) was obtained with 450 °C annealed ITO/TiO2 film. The optical band gap increased along with annealing temperatures (300, 350, 400 and 450 °C). All the above results of this present work can be utilized for solar cell and optoelectronic device applications. © 2020 Author(s)

Review on cephalopod resources, biology and stock assessment in Indian seas

Cephalopods are fished from the seas around India from very early times and at present contribute one of the most important exploited marine fishery resources oj the country (between 4 and 5% of the all India production). The production, which remained at very low level up to the early seventies, has shown a remarkable increase crossing the 1,00,000 tonne mark in 1994. The taxonomy, biology and stock assessment of the various exploited species have been studied since the early seventies by the CMFRI. Studies indicate that uplo 1994 tlie exploitation has remained within rational limits in almost all maritime states. The recent rapid increase in production warrants close monitoring of this short-lived resource from the viewpoint of Judicious management

Brevianes Revisited

Breviones are a new family of secondary metabolites that were originally isolated from the New Zealand endemic fungus Penicillium brevicompactum var. Dierckx. These compounds are generally characterized by a new carbon skeleton, known as breviane, which that has three possible structural variations, such as breviane, abeo-breviane, and abeo-norbreviane. Brevianes present a basic diterpenic tricyclic core that is mevalonic in origin and is similar to that of perhydrophenanthrene. The core bears four methyl groups at positions C4, C8, C10, and C13 and has defined stereochemistry at positions C5, C8, C9, C10, and C14. The C1'-C7' side chain has been proposed to have a polyketide biosynthetic origin and is joined to the diterpenic moiety through carbons C2'-C15'. The cyclization and lactonization of this part of the molecule leads to the characteristic breviane spiranic ring fused to the α-pyrone

Effect of the 3'APOB-VNTR polymorphism on the lipid profiles in the Guangxi Hei Yi Zhuang and Han populations

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Apolipoprotein (Apo) B is the major component of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) and chylomicrons. Many genetic polymorphisms of the Apo B have been described, associated with variation of lipid levels. However, very few studies have evaluated the effect of the variable number of tandem repeats region 3' of the Apo B gene (3'APOB-VNTR) polymorphism on the lipid profiles in the special minority subgroups in China. Thus, the present study was undertaken to study the effect of the 3'APOB-VNTR polymorphism on the serum lipid levels in the Guangxi Hei Yi Zhuang and Han populations.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A total of 548 people of Hei Yi Zhuang were surveyed by a stratified randomized cluster sampling. The epidemiological survey was performed using internationally standardized methods. Serum lipid and apolipoprotein levels were measured. The 3'APOB-VNTR alleles were determined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed by electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gels, and classified according to the number of repeats of a 15-bp hypervariable elements (HVE). The sequence of the most common allele was determined using the PCR and direct sequencing. The possible association between alleles of the 3'APOB-VNTR and lipid variables was examined. The results were compared with those in 496 people of Han who also live in that district.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Nineteen alleles ranging from 24 to 64 repeats were detected in both Hei Yi Zhuang and Han. HVE56 and HVE58 were not be detected in Hei Yi Zhuang whereas HVE48 and HVE62 were totally absent in Han. The frequencies of HVE26, HVE30, HVE46, heterozygote, and short alleles (< 38 repeats) were higher in Hei Yi Zhuang than in Han. But the frequencies of HVE34, HVE38, HVE40, homozygote, and long alleles (≥ 38 repeats) were lower in Hei Yi Zhuang than in Han (<it>P </it>< 0.05–0.01). The levels of total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and Apo B in Hei Yi Zhuang but not in Han were higher in VNTR-LS (carrier of one long and one short alleles) than in VNTR-LL (the individual carrying two long alleles) genotypes. The levels of TC, triglycerides (TG), LDL cholesterol, and Apo B in Hei Yi Zhuang were higher in both HVE34 and HVE36 alleles than in HVE32 allele. The levels of TC, TG, HDL-C and Apo B in Hei Yi Zhuang were also higher in homozygotes than in heterozygotes. There were no significant differences in the detected lipid parameters between the VNTR-SS (carrier of two short alleles) and VNTR-LS or VNTR-LL genotypes in both ethnic groups.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>There were significant differences of the 3'APOB-VNTR polymorphism between the Hei Yi Zhuang and Han populations. An association between the 3'APOB-VNTR polymorphism and serum lipid levels was observed in the Hei Yi Zhuang but not in the Han populations.</p

Emergence and Spread of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant in Alberta Communities Revealed by Wastewater Monitoring

Wastewater monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 allows for early detection and monitoring of COVID-19 burden in communities and can track specific variants of concern. Targeted assays enabled relative proportions of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron and Delta variants to be determined across 30 municipalities covering >75% of the province of Alberta (pop. 4.5M) in Canada, from November 2021 to January 2022. Larger cities like Calgary and Edmonton exhibited a more rapid emergence of Omicron relative to smaller and more remote municipalities. Notable exceptions were Banff, a small international resort town, and Fort McMurray, a more remote northern city with a large fly-in worker population. The integrated wastewater signal revealed that the Omicron variant represented close to 100% of SARS-CoV-2 burden prior to the observed increase in newly diagnosed clinical cases throughout Alberta, which peaked two weeks later. These findings demonstrate that wastewater monitoring offers early and reliable population-level results for establishing the extent and spread of emerging pathogens including SARS-CoV-2 variants.Alberta Healt

The mystery of the cerebellum: clues from experimental and clinical observations

Abstract The cerebellum has a striking homogeneous cytoarchitecture and participates in both motor and non-motor domains. Indeed, a wealth of evidence from neuroanatomical, electrophysiological, neuroimaging and clinical studies has substantially modified our traditional view on the cerebellum as a sole calibrator of sensorimotor functions. Despite the major advances of the last four decades of cerebellar research, outstanding questions remain regarding the mechanisms and functions of the cerebellar circuitry. We discuss major clues from both experimental and clinical studies, with a focus on rodent models in fear behaviour, on the role of the cerebellum in motor control, on cerebellar contributions to timing and our appraisal of the pathogenesis of cerebellar tremor. The cerebellum occupies a central position to optimize behaviour, motor control, timing procedures and to prevent body oscillations. More than ever, the cerebellum is now considered as a major actor on the scene of disorders affecting the CNS, extending from motor disorders to cognitive and affective disorders. However, the respective roles of the mossy fibres, the climbing fibres, cerebellar cortex and cerebellar nuclei remains unknown or partially known at best in most cases. Research is now moving towards a better definition of the roles of cerebellar modules and microzones. This will impact on the management of cerebellar disorders