Trends in marine fish production in Tamil Nadu using regression and autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model

Tamil Nadu is situated in the south eastern coast of the Indian peninsula with a coastal line of 1076 km (13% of the country’s coast line), 0.19 million sq.km of EEZ (9.4 % of total national EEZ) and a continental shelf of about 41,412 sq. km. This is one of the country’s leading state in marine fish production and ranks third in marine fish production. In Tamil Nadu, Ramanathapuram district is a leading maritime district followed by Nagapattinam and Thoothukudi. The objective of this study was to investigate the trends in marine fish production in Tamil Nadu. Yearly fish production data for the period of 1988-1989 to 2012-2013 were analyzed using time-series method called Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) model and Regression analysis (curve estimation). In our study, the developed best ARIMA model for Tamil Nadu marine fish production was found to be ARIMA (1, 1, 1) which have the minimum BIC (Bayesian Information Criterion). ARIMA model had got a slightly higher forecasting accuracy rate for forecasting marine fish production of Tamil Nadu than Regression trend analysis. The independent sample test showed there was no significant difference between the two models. The limitations of ARIMA model include its requirement of a long time series data for better forecast. It is basically linear model assuming that data are stationary and have a limited ability to capture non-stationarities and nonlinearities in series data. Both the models indicated that Tamil Nadu marine fish production has plateaued and fishermen should be encouraged to adopt sustainable fishing practices

Marine Fisheries Policies in India: Opportunities and Challenges

Fisheries are an important source of food, nutrition, employment and income in India. The sector provides livelihoods to about 16 million fishers and fish farmers at the primary level and almost twice the number along the value chain. Fish being an affordable and rich source of animal protein is one of the healthiest options to mitigate hunger and malnutrition. The sector has immense potential to more than double the fishers and fish farmers' incomes, as envisioned by the government. India has rich and diverse fisheries resources ranging from deep seas to lakes, ponds, rivers and more than 10 percent of the global biodiversity in terms of fish and shellfish species. The marine fisheries resources are spread along the country's vast coastline of about 8118 km and 2.02 million square km Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and 0.53 million sq. km continental shelf area. The inland resources are in the form of rivers and canals (1.95 lakh km), floodplain lakes (8.12 lakh hectares), ponds and tanks (24.1 lakh hectares), reservoirs (31.5 lakh hectares), brackish water (12.4 lakh hectares), saline/alkaline affected areas (12 lakh hectares), etc. The unutilized and underutilised vast and varied inland resources offer great opportunities for livelihood development and ushering economic prosperity

Mucormycosis: a rare but rising fungal infection in COVID-19 patients at tertiary care centre

Background: New pandemic Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) shows wide range of disease pattern from mild to life threatening pneumonia in association with bacterial and fungal infections. Invasive fungal infections are becoming new burden in COVID-19 patients especially when associated with diabetes mellitus.Methods: We have studied 90 patients of invasive fungal sinusitis at tertiary care centre over a period of 3 months from March 2021 to June 2021 prospectively. All patients suspected for invasive fungal sinusitis in association with covid19 are included. Results: 67 males and 23 females of age group 41 to 70 years were presented as case of invasive fungal sinusitis with suspicion of Mucormycosis. Disease extended to orbit in 90 patients, to hard palate in 33 and skin involved in 5 patients. Diagnosis based on clinical presentation, computed tomography (CT scan) findings, KOH preparation and culture. KOH showing fungal elements in 62 patients and fungi isolated in 37 patients. Aspergillus group and mucorales contribute equally being found in 17 samples each. 23 patients lost their life due to this disease. This study is done and reported first time from this tertiary care centre.Conclusions: Invasive fugal sinusitis including Mucormycosis otherwise rare disease has significantly increased in COVID-19 pandemic. Immune dysregulation due to COVID-19, Diabetis mellitus and wide spread use of corticosteroids/antibiotics all contributed to this rise in cases of invasive fungal diseases. Early diagnosis, surgical intervention and antifungal treatment help to reduce mortality and morbidity

सामाजिक-आर्थिक दृष्टिकोण से भारतीय समुद्री मात्स्यिकी क्षेत्र की जाांचः प्रतिबिंब और प्रतिमान

सामाजिक-आर्थिक दृष्टिकोण से भारतीय समुद्री मात्स्यिकी क्षेत्र की जाांचः प्रतिबिंब और प्रतिमा

MINERAL ANALYSIS OF AVERRHOA BILIMBI L. – A POTENTIAL FRUIT

Averrhoa bilimbi L. (Oxalidaceae) is widely distributed and cultivated throughout tropical countries for their fruits. Parts such as leaves, bark, fruits are widely used in medicine as a folk remedy for many symptoms. This study provides morphological and biochemical characteristics of half-ripen bilimbi fruits. During present study physical and chemical properties of Bilimbi fruits were studied at half-ripen stage for potential benefits based on its mineral content. Phosphorus content of the fruits was higher at half-ripen stage i.e. 39 ± 1.7%, while in case of minor elements, Molybdenum is present in least amount i.e. 0.04 ± 0.05 ppm.  This Chemical studies reveals; these fruits are good source of minerals such as Potassium, Phosphorus, Nitrogen, Calcium, Magnesium and Iron suggesting its use as a potential fruit.Keywords: Averrhoa, Bilimbi, Mineral analysis, Oxalidaceae

Gauging the impacts and externalities of covid pandemic in marine fisheries sector of India: “Building Back Better”

The paper attempts to analyse and synthesise the findings from the various studies conducted across different sections and stakeholders pertaining to the fisheries sector across the world focusing specifically in the global south. While there have been studies on the immediate impact, the paper examined the direct and indirect impact of covid pandemic on the fisheries sector with particular attention paid to the externalities that have developed as unprecedented changes occurred. As a result of these changes, several adaptation and mitigation strategies have been implemented by stakeholders across the fisheries value chain which is presented in the paper. Keeping in mind the expanded scope, the current paper looked at over 65 peer reviewed research articles published during May 2020-March 2022 from Google scholar and Web of Science platforms. Additionally, reports from organisations such as FAO, Oxfam and World fish were examined. While it is certainly true that there have been devastating impacts of the pandemic across the fisheries sector, there are also lessons to be learnt in re-building the world better and therefore the paper also contributes to developing a framework of adaptation and mitigation strategies from the experiences of the countries in the global south

Dynamics in Fish price behaviour across Species and markets towards Sustainable Fisheries Development

The fish marketing system in India is rapidly changing in recent years due to the vast improvement in handling technology, transportation and consequent market penetration. Efficient and effective marketing ensures fish availability to consumers at the right time and in the right place. However, there is a visible geographic separation between the fish landing centres and consuming points which can be adequately addressed by the interventions across the fish value chain. The present study is an attempt to understand the varied complexions in fish prices across different states of India to provide an insight into the trends in price behaviour and identify the different transits in the fish trade. The study was based on the primary data of fish prices collected from the 28 highly diversified fish markets including landing centres, retail and wholesale markets across the states of Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Telangana during the period Jan 2019 – Dec 2020. The fish prices of the 28 highly diversified species with 7 species in each state were identified to estimate the transits in the fish trade

Training Manual on Advanced Analytical Tools for Social Science Research Vol.1

Applying appropriate analytical techniques form the backbone of any research endeavor in agriculture, fisheries, and allied sciences. Without proper knowledge of applying statistical/econometric tools, software, and derivation of inferences from the same, it would not be possible to gather relevant interpretations of the investigation. Hence, the importance of well-designed data collection protocol, analysis, and interpretation cannot be underestimated. Such inferences form the basis of sound policy planning and resource management. Technology advancements and the development of analytical software have made the data analysis process less laborious. A basic understanding of the application of advanced analytical tools and their interpretation increases the productivity and efficiency of social science researchers engaged in agriculture/animal/fisheries science research. Hence the Winter School on Advanced Analytical Tools for Social Science Research is designed to enhance the analytical skills of social science researchers from NARES by allowing them to familiarize with advanced analytical procedures and their practical applications. This Winter School is a step towards familiarizing recent analytical techniques in social science to derive quality research outputs. The course is designed to acquaint the participants with areas such as exploratory data analysis, sampling techniques, data classificatory techniques, non–parametric methods, econometric analysis, and time series modeling, etc. Lectures on GIS/Spatial modeling, scaling techniques, data mining and big data analytics, machine learning techniques, and ecosystem evaluation have also been touched upon. The course is more practical-oriented, with a greater emphasis on interpreting the results. It employs a combination of lectures and exercises using statistical software

NRG Oncology/RTOG 0921: A phase 2 study of postoperative intensity-modulated radiotherapy with concurrent cisplatin and bevacizumab followed by carboplatin and paclitaxel for patients with endometrial cancer.

BACKGROUND: The current study was conducted to assess acute and late adverse events (AEs), overall survival (OS), pelvic failure, regional failure, distant failure, and disease-free survival in a prospective phase 2 clinical trial of bevacizumab and pelvic intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) with chemotherapy in patients with high-risk endometrial cancer. METHODS: Patients underwent a hysterectomy and lymph node removal, and had ≥1 of the following high-risk factors: grade 3 carcinoma with \u3e50% myometrial invasion, grade 2 or 3 disease with any cervical stromal invasion, or known extrauterine extension confined to the pelvis. Treatment included pelvic IMRT and concurrent cisplatin on days 1 and 29 of radiation and bevacizumab (at a dose of 5 mg/kg on days 1, 15, and 29 of radiation) followed by adjuvant carboplatin and paclitaxel for 4 cycles. The primary endpoint was grade ≥3 AEs occurring within the first 90 days (toxicity was graded according to the National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events [version 4.0]). RESULTS: A total of 34 patients were accrued from November 2009 through December 2011, 30 of whom were eligible and received study treatment. Seven of 30 patients (23.3%; 1-sided 95% confidence interval, 10.6%-36.0%) developed grade ≥3 treatment-related nonhematologic toxicities within 90 days; an additional 6 patients experienced grade ≥3 toxicities between 90 and 365 days after treatment. The 2-year OS rate was 96.7% and the disease-free survival rate was 79.1%. No patient developed a within-field pelvic failure and no patients with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage I to IIIA disease developed disease recurrence after a median follow-up of 26 months. CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative bevacizumab added to chemotherapy and pelvic IMRT appears to be well tolerated and results in high OS rates at 2 years for patients with high-risk endometrial carcinoma

Climbing the ladder of success through Pearl spot seed production technology: The saga of SHG entrepreneurs in Vallarpadam

Climbing the ladder of success through Pearl spot seed production technology: The saga of SHG entrepreneurs in Vallarpada