A new congrid eel, Rhynchoconger randalli sp. nov. (Congridae: Anguilliformes), with a pentagonal pattern of vomer dentition from the Bay of Bengal, Indian waters.

A new species Rhynchoconger randalli sp. nov. is described herein on the basis of 2 specimens collected from Paradeep fishing harbor, Odisha, India along the Bay of Bengal from a depth of about 3640 meters. The pentagonal vomerine teeth pattern is unique among all the Rhynchoconger species described to date. The new species is characterized by predorsal vertebrae 78 and preanal vertebrae 2931. The new species closely resembles the recently described Rhynchoconger smithi, but differs in having a larger eye diameter (12.512.9% HL vs. 9.59.7% in R. smithi), smaller interorbital space (13.113.5% HL vs. 15.018.1 in R. smithi), lower dorsal-fin ray count before vent 4447 vs. 5458 in R. smithi, and unique pentagonal vomerine teeth pattern.

A new species of conger eel, Ariosoma (Congridae: Bathymyrinae), from the Bay of Bengal, India.

Ariosoma bengalense sp. nov. is described on the basis of two specimens having total length (TL) 216304 mm, collected from the northern part of the Bay of Bengal, India. The new species is characterized by the dorsal-fin origin positioned above the gill-opening margin and above the 9th lateral-line pores, supratemporal pore absent, 910 predorsal vertebrae; 4649 preanal vertebrae and 146149 total vertebrae. The new species most closely resembles the Indian species Ariosoma gnanadossi, the new species differs from A. gnanadossi having the snout length (SL) longer than eye diameter (snout length 1.42.0 in eye diameter) vs. snout length almost equal to the eye diameter in A. gnanadossi. Further, the new species has translucent pectoral fins vs. black pectoral fins in Ariosoma gnanadossi. The new species differs from four of the seven species reported from India: Ariosoma majus, A. melanospilos, A. maurostigma and A. indicum with absence of supratemporal pores vs. three in all the species mentioned.

Enhanced top-down sensorimotor processing in somatic anxiety.

Functional neuroimaging research on anxiety has traditionally focused on brain networks associated with the psychological aspects of anxiety. Here, instead, we target the somatic aspects of anxiety. Motivated by the growing appreciation that top-down cortical processing plays a crucial role in perception and action, we used resting-state functional MRI data from the Human Connectome Project and Dynamic Causal Modeling (DCM) to characterize effective connectivity among hierarchically organized regions in the exteroceptive, interoceptive, and motor cortices. In people with high (fear-related) somatic arousal, top-down effective connectivity was enhanced in all three networks: an observation that corroborates well with the phenomenology of anxiety. The anxiety-associated changes in connectivity were sufficiently reliable to predict whether a new participant has mild or severe somatic anxiety. Interestingly, the increase in top-down connections to sensorimotor cortex were not associated with fear affect scores, thus establishing the (relative) dissociation between somatic and cognitive dimensions of anxiety. Overall, enhanced top-down effective connectivity in sensorimotor cortices emerges as a promising and quantifiable candidate marker of trait somatic anxiety.

Infection of the parasitic isopods on commercial fishes of the northern part of the east coast of India.

The present study reports the parasitic isopod infection on commercial fishes of the northern part of the east coast of India collected during the period 2010-2015 from the marine waters of Odisha and West Bengal. During the study, 394 isopods were collected after examining 2668 fishes. These include 14 species of isopods, out of which 13 belong to 5 genera under the family Cymothoidae, and a single species Alitropus typus belongs to the family: Aegidae. Of theses, 03 species viz., Catoessa boscii, Cymothoa eremita and Nerocila loveni are first record to the northern part of east coast of India. Out of the 2668 fishes examined, 326 examples belonging to 34 species under 19 different families were infected by different isopods. Members of the host fish family Carangidae were more parasitized by isopods, followed by Clupeidae, Scoberidae, and Leiognathidae. The dominant isopods were Nerocila phaiopleura and Catoessa boschii. The total prevalence was 12.21. The prevalence was high on the host fish Alepes djedaba and lowest on Lutjanus johnii. The total infection caused by genus Alitropus was 1.52%, Anilocra was 5.07%, Catoessa was 24.87%, Cymothoa was 0.25%, Nerocila was 65.73%, and Norileca was 2.55%. The isopod  prevalence was high during post-monsoon than pre-monsoon and monsoon. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12639-021-01463-1.

A new Congrid eel, Rhynchoconger smithi sp. nov. (Anguilliformes: Congridae), from the Bay of Bengal, India.

A new Conger eel species is described based on four specimens collected from Petuaghat fishing harbour, West Bengal, India. The combination of morphological characters and molecular data are discordant with the seven congeners currently recognized. Rhynchoconger smithi sp. nov. can be distinguished by having head smaller than trunk; pre-anal length more than three times in total length; a small eye, diameter 2.0-2.2 in snout length; rictus ending at a vertical through posterior margin of pupil; ethmovomerine teeth patch small, with 58-74 blunt teeth arranged in seven to eight irregular rows; vomerine teeth patch small, with 18-28 granular teeth arranged in four to six irregular rows, distinctly separated by narrow spaces from the ethmovomerine and maxillary teeth; three supraorbital pores and one supra-temporal pore; and 159+ to 164 total vertebrae. Moreover, R. smithi differs significantly from four congeners, R. nitens, R. flavus, R. ectenurus and R. gracilior, with Kimura two-parameter (K2P) distances 14.6%-20.3%.

Altered effective connectivity in sensorimotor cortices is a signature of severity and clinical course in depression.

Functional neuroimaging research on depression has traditionally targeted neural networks associated with the psychological aspects of depression. In this study, instead, we focus on alterations of sensorimotor function in depression. We used resting-state functional MRI data and dynamic causal modeling (DCM) to assess the hypothesis that depression is associated with aberrant effective connectivity within and between key regions in the sensorimotor hierarchy. Using hierarchical modeling of between-subject effects in DCM with parametric empirical Bayes we first established the architecture of effective connectivity in sensorimotor cortices. We found that in (interoceptive and exteroceptive) sensory cortices across participants, the backward connections are predominantly inhibitory, whereas the forward connections are mainly excitatory in nature. In motor cortices these parities were reversed. With increasing depression severity, these patterns are depreciated in exteroceptive and motor cortices and augmented in the interoceptive cortex, an observation that speaks to depressive symptomatology. We established the robustness of these results in a leave-one-out cross-validation analysis and by reproducing the main results in a follow-up dataset. Interestingly, with (nonpharmacological) treatment, depression-associated changes in backward and forward effective connectivity partially reverted to group mean levels. Overall, altered effective connectivity in sensorimotor cortices emerges as a promising and quantifiable candidate marker of depression severity and treatment response.

A new species of the genus Cirrhimuraena (Anguilliformes: Ophichthidae) from the Bay of Bengal, India.

A new species of the genus Cirrhimuraena (Anguilliformes: Ophichthidae), Cirrhimuraena indica sp. nov., is described based on eight specimens collected from the Paradip (Odisha) and Petuaghat harbours (West Bengal) along the Bay of Bengal. The species is distinct in having the upper jaw fringed with 16-17 cirri before posterior nostril and 4-5 in between the anterior and posterior nostrils on the side; dorsal fin originates above the level of gill opening, predorsal length is 9.3-10.9 in total length; the head is relatively large, the length is 9.3-9.8 in total length; no infraorbital pores are observed between the nostrils; teeth are numerous, small, conical and in bands on each jaw; pores are present before the gill opening 10-11 and before anus 47-48; pectoral-fin length is 2.4-2.8 in head length; predorsal vertebrae are 8-10, pre-anal vertebrae 43-47 and total vertebrae 164-169. In the maximum likelihood tree analysis for COI gene, the new species belongs to the same clade as the other congener of Cirrhimuraena chinensis and is separated from the species morphologically and genetically.

Ophichthus kailashchandrai sp. nov. (Anguilliformes: Ophichthidae): a new species of snake eel from Indian waters, Bay of Bengal.

A new snake eel (Anguilliformes: Ophichthidae: Ophichthinae) species, Ophichthus kailashchandrai sp. nov., is described from three specimens, collected from the Shankarpur fishing harbour located on the northern part of the Bay of Bengal, West Bengal, India. Ophichthus kailashchandrai sp. nov. is distinguished from its congeners by having its dorsal-fin origin at the posterior third of the pectoral fin, preanal length 2.6-2.8 in TL, uniserial maxillary and mandibular teeth and vertebral count (predorsal vertebrae 14-15, preanal vertebrae 54-55, and total vertebrae 180-182).

Large-scale Functional Integration, Rather than Functional Dissociation along Dorsal and Ventral Streams, Underlies Visual Perception and Action.

Visual dual-stream theory posits that two distinct neural pathways of specific functional significance originate from primary visual areas and reach the inferior temporal (ventral) and posterior parietal areas (dorsal). However, there are several unresolved questions concerning the fundamental aspects of this theory. For example, is the functional dissociation between ventral and dorsal stream driven by features in input stimuli or is it driven by categorical differences between visuoperceptual and visuomotor functions? Is the dual stream rigid or flexible? What is the nature of the interactions between the two streams? We addressed these questions using fMRI recordings on healthy human volunteers and employing stimuli and tasks that can tease out the divergence between visuoperceptual and visuomotor variants of dual-stream theory. fMRI scans were repeated after seven practice sessions that were conducted in a non-MRI environment to investigate the effects of neuroplasticity. Brain activation analysis supports an input-based functional dissociation and existence of context-dependent neuroplasticity in dual-stream areas. Intriguingly, premotor cortex activation was observed in the position perception task and distributed deactivated regions were observed in all perception tasks, thus warranting a network-level analysis. Dynamic causal modeling analysis incorporating activated and deactivated brain areas during perception tasks indicates that the brain dynamics during visual perception and actions could be interpreted within the framework of predictive coding. Effectively, the network-level findings point toward the existence of more intricate context-driven functional networks selective of "what" and "where" information rather than segregated streams of processing along ventral and dorsal brain regions.

Changing clinico-epidemiology of post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) in India: Results of a survey in four endemic states.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: Detection and treatment of post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) cases is considered important for kala-azar elimination. The objective of our study was to find out the proportion of different forms of lesions, interruption of treatment and rate of treatment completion, cure rates of PKDL, risk factors for developing severe forms of PKDL and utilization of services offered by the kala-azar elimination program. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of PKDL patients registered for treatment at all levels of care during 2015 and 2016 was done. RESULTS: 576 PKDL patients who had started treatment in 2015 and 2016 were studied. Three-fourths of all patients were found to be clinically cured after a year of follow-up. Around 90% lesions were of macular type. Interruption of treatment was observed in one-fourth of PKDL patients. Median duration between kala-azar treatment and development of PKDL was 4.5 years. Around 79% patients had past history of kala-azar treatment. Discontinuation of treatment during earlier kala-azar episode was significantly associated with the development of papular and nodular forms of lesion. 43% of patients had received the incentive of INR 2000 after completion of treatment. Around three-fourths women in the reproductive age group were found not to use any contraceptive method during PKDL treatment. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION: PKDL treatment interruption should be reduced through ensuring drug supply and timely retrieval of patients. Directly observed treatment should be implemented and combination regimen should be explored to improve final cure rate. Delivery of financial incentive to PKDL patients and counselling and contraception to women of reproductive age group should be improved.

Ophichthus chilkensis Chaudhuri, 1916 (Anguilliformes: Ophichthidae)-resurrection as a valid species from India, with re-description.

Ophichthus chilkensis Chaudhuri, 1916 has long been treated as a synonym of Pisodonophis cancrivorus (Richardson, 1848). O. chilkensis is hereby re-described on the basis of holotype from Chilika Lake, Odisha as well as ten fresh specimens from Talsari, Balasore district, Odisha and Digha, West Bengal. The present study confirms it belonging to the genus Ophichthus and resurrected as a valid species from the east coast of India. It is compared with its closest congener species, particularly with Ophichthus microcephalus Day, 1878, known from India.

Ophichthus johnmccoskeri sp. nov. (Anguilliformes: Ophichthidae): a new snake eel from Indian waters, Bay of Bengal.

A new species of snake eel (Anguilliformes: Ophichthidae: Ophichthinae), Ophichthus johnmccoskeri sp. nov., is described from three specimens collected from the northern part of the Bay of Bengal, India. Ophichthus johnmccoskeri sp. nov. is distinguished from its congeners by having the dorsal-fin origin well behind the pectoral-fin tips, by tooth pattern (lower jaw with a single row anteriorly followed by biserial teeth on anterior sides and tri-serial teeth posteriorly), and vertebral count (24 predorsal, 51-52 preanal, and 156-158 total).The new species has a single barbel between the anterior and posterior nostrils; vomerine teeth biserial anteriorly, multi to triserial and biserial medially and in a single row posteriorly; maxillary teeth biserial anteriorly and triserial posteriorly; tip of the lower jaw toothless; and tail length 1.6 times in total length.

Neural Substrate of Group Mental Health: Insights from Multi-Brain Reference Frame in Functional Neuroimaging.

Contemporary mental health practice primarily centers around the neurobiological and psychological processes at the individual level. However, a more careful consideration of interpersonal and other group-level attributes (e.g., interpersonal relationship, mutual trust/hostility, interdependence, and cooperation) and a better grasp of their pathology can add a crucial dimension to our understanding of mental health problems. A few recent studies have delved into the interpersonal behavioral processes in the context of different psychiatric abnormalities. Neuroimaging can supplement these approaches by providing insight into the neurobiology of interpersonal functioning. Keeping this view in mind, we discuss a recently developed approach in functional neuroimaging that calls for a shift from a focus on neural information contained within brain space to a multi-brain framework exploring degree of similarity/dissimilarity of neural signals between multiple interacting brains. We hypothesize novel applications of quantitative neuroimaging markers like inter-subject correlation that might be able to evaluate the role of interpersonal attributes affecting an individual or a group. Empirical evidences of the usage of these markers in understanding the neurobiology of social interactions are provided to argue for their application in future mental health research.

An evaluation of planarity of the spatial QRS loop by three dimensional vectorcardiography: Its emergence and loss.

AIMS: To objectively characterize and mathematically justify the observation that vectorcardiographic QRS loops in normal individuals are more planar than those from patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). METHODS: Vectorcardiograms (VCGs) were constructed from three simultaneously recorded quasi-orthogonal leads, I, aVF and V2 (sampled at 1000 samples/s). The planarity of these QRS loops was determined by fitting a surface to each loop. Goodness of fit was expressed in numerical terms. RESULTS: 15 healthy individuals aged 35-65years (73% male) and 15 patients aged 45-70years (80% male) with diagnosed acute STEMI were recruited. The spatial-QRS loop was found to lie in a plane in normal controls. In STEMI patients, this planarity was lost. Calculation of goodness of fit supported these visual observations. CONCLUSIONS: The degree of planarity of the VCG loop can differentiate healthy individuals from patients with STEMI. This observation is compatible with our basic understanding of the electrophysiology of the human heart.

A new species of elongate unpatterned moray eel of the genus Gymnothorax (Muraenidae: Muraeninae) from the Bay of Bengal.

An elongate, brown unpatterned moray eel, Gymnothorax indicus sp. nov., is described based on four specimens collected from the northern Bay of Bengal. The new species is differentiated from other elongate, unpatterned moray eels in having the following combination of characters: anus at about mid-point of body, preanal length 2.0 in total length; snout blunt and short; dorsal fin margin black, 5 mandibular pores; maxillary teeth uniserial, sharp and depressible, total vertebrae 194 (MVF: 9-79-194).

A new species of Short Brown Unpatterned Moray Eel of the Genus Gymnothorax (Anguilliformes: Muraenidae) from the Bay of Bengal.

A new species of short brown unpatterned moray eel of the genus Gymnothorax, Gymnothorax mishrai sp. nov. is described from a specimen of 324 mm total length, collected from the Bay of Bengal. The species is distinguished by having the dorsal-fin origin before gill opening, jaw pores with brown rim, two branchial pores, total vertebrae 134 (MVF: 9-59-134), three median intermaxillary teeth, uniserial maxillary and vomerine teeth. The new species is distinctly different from the other eight described species of this group. This species is also the first species of short brown unpatterned moray eel to be reported from India.

A new fish species of the Genus Hapalogenys (Perciformes: Hapalogenyidae) from the Bay of Bengal, India.

A new species of the genus Hapalogenys, Hapalogenys bengalensis sp. nov. is described from fourteen specimens collected from the Bay of Bengal coast. The species is distinct in having three longitudinal dark stripes; pelvic-fin tip almost reaching the base of first anal-fin spine when depressed; transverse scale rows above lateral line 7-8, below lateral line 19-20; gill rakers 18 (7 on lower limb and 11 on upper limb); posterior angle ofjaw reaching vertical through anterior rim of eye. Genetic divergence (13.0-14.2%) and analysis of NJ tree shows that the new species is closely related to H. kishinouyei in the "Hapalogenys kishinouyei complex" with significant morphological difference from the other three species reported from the same complex.