Exploring the vulnerability of the coastal wetlands of India to the changing climate and their adaptation strategies.

Changing climate exerts significant pressure on coastal wetland fishery, ecosystems and livelihood at the eco-regional level. In the present study, an indicator and scoring-based vulnerability assessment framework was developed to assess climate change-induced potential impacts and vulnerability of the coastal wetlands through stakeholder perception and primary data collection on ecology and fisheries. The study was conducted in 12 coastal wetlands in the Gangetic estuarine regions of eastern India. Analysis of rainfall, temperature and extreme climatic events was also carried out. The climate variability in the region was analysed and discussed in the context of ecosystem health and sustainability indicators. The results indicated that anthropogenic stress has a greater influence on ecosystem services than climatic stress. However, the nature and degree of vulnerability of fishers to climate change vary with their capacity to adapt to such changes and alternate sources of livelihood. Altogether, 34 fish species were documented, belonging to 11 taxonomic orders, and categorized as per intensity of resilience using selected criteria. Perception-based climate-resilient adaptation strategies have also been discussed. Developing appropriate adaptation policies and implementing climate-resilient practices and management can minimize vulnerability and increase the adaptive capacity of fishers ensuring sustainable livelihood options.

Diel variation of plankton in the highly impacted freshwater zone of Hooghly estuary in relation to ecological alteration.

Plankton are promising ecological monitoring tool that responds quickly to any sort of aquatic ecological alteration, of which many of them are much susceptible to ecological variations. Therefore, monitoring shifts in plankton composition can indicate changes in water quality and aid to identify potential pollution sources. In the present study, the variation in plankton dynamics in relation to ecological variables were monitored in the freshwater zone of the Hooghly estuary from May 2020 to April 2021. The study was conducted in the interval of every six hours. i.e., at 6 A.M., 12 P.M., 6 P.M., and 12 A.M. The present finding revealed the occurrence of 54 phytoplankton and 20 zooplankton taxa/species. Diel variation revealed that among different time intervals, the highest abundance of phytoplankton was recorded 28,307 cells l-1 at 12 P.M, while the lowest was recorded 10,632 cells l-1 at 6 A.M. However, the highest zooplankton abundance was observed 804 ind l-1 at 6 A.M., and the lowest was recorded 156 ind l-1 at 6 P.M. The ANOVA (p < 0.05) analysis indicated significant diel variation for many planktonic genera. The CCA exhibited that most of the phytoplankton were influenced by multiple water quality variables such as temperature, turbidity, calcium, pH, salinity, DO, and nutrients. However, the majority of the zooplankton were affected by turbidity, total phosphorus, sulphate, calcium and available nitrogen. Significant seasonal variation in plankton composition has also been observed. The present study will help to determine the varying diel pattern of planktons in retort to alterations in the water quality parameters and varying ecological niches.

Emerging Two-Dimensional Materials for Electromagnetic Interference Shielding Application.

Graphene is the first two-dimensional material that becomes the center material in various research areas of material science, chemistry, condensed matter, and engineering due to its advantageous properties, including larger specific area, lower density, outstanding electrical conductivity, and ease of processability. These properties attracted the attention of material researchers that resulted in a large number of publications on EMI shielding in a short time and play a central role in addressing the problems and challenges faced in this modern era of electronics by electromagnetic interference. After the popularity of graphene, the community of material researchers investigated other two-dimensional materials like MXenes, hexagonal boron nitride, black phosphorous, transition metal dichalcogenides, and layered double hydroxides, to additionally enhance the EMI shielding response of materials. The present article conscientiously reviews the current progress in EMI shielding materials in reference to two-dimensional materials and addresses the future challenges and research directions to achieve the goals.

Indian females in the twenty-first century: how they have fared? An analysis using geospatial techniques.

Gender equality and women empowerment have been on the top of the agenda globally. Achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls has been mentioned by the United Nations in its Sustainable Development Goal (SDG-5) as a target. Various efforts and initiatives have been taken at global, regional and local level to eliminate gender inequality. Women in India have been stereotyped and discriminated since ancient times due to the patriarchal mindset. Social evils such as sati, purdah system, female foeticide, female infanticide, dowry, domestic violence have been faced by women. Various constitutional and legal provisions have been framed to eliminate such evils. In contemporary times, women have become sensitised about their rights and have come a long way in terms of women empowerment. Various schemes have been launched by central and state governments for emancipation of women. However, the patriarchal mindset still exists and gender biasness is still experienced by women both in public and private space. The paper attempts to analyse the level of women empowerment in different states of India. The study is based on the secondary data collected from various government sources. An analysis of the reasons responsible for the trends has also been done. It has been found in the study that female literacy has a positive bearing on the health and decision-making of females. Also, government support in the from of infrastructure and schemes act as a catalyst in women empowerment. Women-centric organisations and Self Help organisations have promoted economic empowerment and decision-making of females.

Combining stakeholder perception and ecological approaches for assessing vulnerability of floodplain wetlands in changing climate: a regional study.

Wetland fisheries are most vulnerable to climate and anthropogenic change, and therefore, vulnerability assessment is essential for the formulation of prudent management strategies. In the present study, vulnerability assessment was carried out in nine floodplain wetlands from three districts of West Bengal using stakeholder perception and ecological conditions. In absence of long-term time series data on ecology and fisheries of wetlands, stakeholder perception study was carried out to assess the vulnerability status to climate change. Phased interviews were conducted using structured questionnaires to study the stakeholder perception on climatic variability and changes in ecology and fisheries of wetlands over the past 15 years. Climate data used for climate trend analysis was procured from Indian Meteorological Department. Ecological parameters were studied from the wetlands seasonally from January 2018 to December 2018. Analysis of climatic variables for last three decades revealed a warming trend and decreasing rainfall in the study area. The temperature anomaly ranged from + 0.07 to + 0.31 °C while rainfall anomaly ranged from - 61.41 to - 372.62 mm. Respondents showed high level of consensus (75.3%) on climate change awareness. The respondents were aware of the fact that climate anomaly affects ecology and fisheries of wetlands in most of the cases with consensus ranging from 67.8 to 94.7%. The studied wetlands showed 2 to 81.28% reduction in depth, 21.52-61.29% reduction in species diversity, and 30-95% macrophyte infestation. The stakeholder perception-based vulnerability scores ranged from 18 to 31 and indicated 6 out of 9 wetlands (66.6%) as highly vulnerable and the rest as moderately vulnerable. The ecological vulnerability scores ranged from 17 to 21 and indicated 5 out of 9 wetlands (55.6%) as highly vulnerable and 4 wetlands in the moderately vulnerable range. Although both the approaches used in the present study categorized the studied wetlands as moderately to highly vulnerable, the category of some of the wetlands varied in both the approaches. This suggests that utilizing a single approach may not give precise vulnerability status of an ecosystem. Use of combined approaches for construction of a composite vulnerability index covering different aspects impacted by climate change might present a better picture of the vulnerability status and aid in formulation of effective mitigation/management plan.

Effect of nano-conversion on morphological, rheological and thermal properties of barley starch.

The aim of the present study was to synthesize biodegradable starch nanoparticles (SNP's) from a renewable source like barley starch and to characterize for morphological, crystalline, thermal, and rheological properties. Acid hydrolysis transformed A+V-type round or disc-shaped native starch (NS) granules with an average width of 10 µm and the average length of 22 µm into round or irregular shaped A-type SNP's with an average size of 64 nm with the crystallinity enhanced from 41.75 to 48.08%. The zeta potential of NS and SNP's was - 17.7 and - 21.4 nm, respectively, with the higher stability of SNP's. The gelatinization temperature increased while melting decreased after nano conversion of barley starch. The storage and loss moduli of 12 and 15% suspension of SNP's remained unchanged with a change in angular frequency (0.1-10 rad-s), which indicated a greater tendency to recover after deformation, while 20% SNP's suspension behaved like a viscous fluid. The flow behavior test demonstrated a shear-thinning behavior of SNP's suspension.

Morphological and thermo-mechanical characterization of sweet potato starch based nanocomposites reinforced with barley starch nanoparticles.

The aim of present study was to develop and characterize the biodegradable sweet potato starch-based nanocomposite films reinforced with barley starch nanoparticles (SNP). Sweet potato starch-based films with varying concentrations of barley SNP (5-25% w/w) were manufactured by adopting solution casting method using glycerol as a plasticizer. The morphology, thickness, transparency, water solubility, water vapor transmission rate (WVTR), tensile strength, elongation at break and thermal stability properties of nanocomposite films were evaluated. The results showed that the incorporation of barley SNP led to a significant increase in tensile strength from 2.63 (control film) to 8.98 MPa (nanocomposite with 15% (w/w) SNP). Compared with the native starch film, the surface of the nanocomposite films became more rough and uneven with the increasing concentration of nanofillers. High concentration of SNP (upto 25%, w/w) significantly decreased the transparency and WVTR, and water solubility (upto 20%, w/w) of nanocomposite films. The WVTR decreased from 3294.53 to 349.06 g/m2/24 h. In addition, the thermal stability of nanocomposites got improved after incorporation of SNP into starch-film matrix.

Regulation of granulosa cell functions through NRP-1 mediated internalization of follicular fluid non-exosomal miR-210.

Crosstalk between follicular fluid (FF) and granulosa cells (GCs) plays a vital role in the regulation of folliculogenesis, ensuring regular reproductive cycle in mammals. This crosstalk is primarily mediated by hormones and signaling molecules, such as cytokines and chemokines. Recently, extracellular microRNAs (miRNAs) have gained a lot of attention in cell-to-cell communication. Extracellular miRNA transportation occurs through exosomes, a kind of micro-vesicles produced from almost all cells. However, the mode of non-exosomal miRNA internalization is not much studied. In the present study, we explored the role of neuropilin-1 (NRP-1) as a receptor in internalizing FF non-exosomal miRNAs in GCs. We first confirmed the expression of NRP-1 in GCs during follicular development followed by its role in the internalization of miR-210, a non-exosomal miRNA. This study showed that incubation of GCs with a non-exosomal fraction of FF increased the content of miR-210 in GCs as compared to their control. To illustrate the role of NRP-1 as a receptor, NRP-1 was knockdown using siRNA. Silencing experimental results showed a significant decrease in uptake of miR-210 in NRP-1 knockdown GCs. Furthermore, downstream expression analysis of miR-210 target genes (CYP19A1, PCNA, and EFNA3) also confirmed the NRP-1 mediated miR-210 internalization. Results of the present study clearly demonstrated that FF non-exosomal miR-210 can be internalized through the NRP-1 receptor. Furthermore, differential expression of NRP-1 in GCs suggests its role in follicular development. Overall, these findings suggest that FF non-exosomal miRNA plays an important role in GC functions and female reproduction.

Dynamics of phytoplankton community in seasonally open and closed wetlands in the Teesta-Torsa basin, India, and management implications for sustainable utilization.

The present study deals with the broader understanding of phytoplankton assemblage pattern and their ecohydrological interactions in two ecologically distinct floodplain wetlands of Teesta - Torsa basin, India. Analyses of data revealed significant seasonal variations (p ≤ 0.05) of ten water variables (temperature, transparency, pH, conductivity, total dissolved solids, dissolved oxygen, total hardness, total alkalinity, PO4 - P, and SiO4 - Si) in both the wetlands; however, no significant variation was observed among the sampling stations. In total, 128 species of phytoplankton were recorded (118 species belonging to 94 genera in seasonally open; 103 species belonging to 86 genera in closed wetland). Four algal groups, viz. Cyanophyceae, Coscinodiscophyceae, Bacillariophyceae, and Chlorophyceae, were the dominant quantitative component, remarkably influencing the total phytoplankton population in both the wetlands, contributing ~ 87% of total phytoplankton. Species Aulacoseira granulata alone contributed 12 - 41% and 8 - 34% to the total phytoplankton in the seasonally open and closed wetland, respectively, and indicated high organic load in both the wetlands. Altogether thirty-six and thirty-one phytoplankton taxa appeared as major indicators across the seasons for seasonally open and closed wetland, respectively. The indicator taxa (Aulacoseira, Oscillatoria, Dolichospermum, Spirogyra, Synedra, Nitzschia, Navicula, Euglena, Phacus) in both the wetlands hinted that the wetlands are under pollution pressure. The assemblage structure of phytoplankton was related to transparency, NO3 - N, PO4 - P, SiO4 - Si, total dissolved solids, and temperature as evident from BIO - ENV. Furthermore, the marginal test also selected similar variables (depth, transparency, conductivity, PO4 - P, SiO4 - Si) for seasonally open and the variables such as depth, conductivity, total dissolved solids, total alkalinity, and NO3 - N for the closed wetland. The study showed that the seasonal riverine connectivity greatly influences the variations in phytoplankton community in the seasonally open wetland.

Induction of Systemic Resistance in Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) Against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ciceris by Antagonistic Rhizobacteria in Assistance with Native Mesorhizobium.

In the present study five potent rhizobacterial antagonists of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ciceris alone and in combination with Mesorhizobium (M) were evaluated for their potential to elicit the defence response reactions to reduce the total loss of plants and enhance the growth of two chickpea cultivars i.e. resistant GPF-2 and susceptible JG-41. Observations revealed that maximum phenolic, peroxidase (PO) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity was induced after 30th day of germination. Maximum phenol concentration of 745.8 and 724.1 µg/gfw root tissues was recorded by Ps45 when co-inoculated with Mesorhizobium in both the varieties i.e. GPF-2 and JG-41 respectively. Isolates Ps45, Ps47 and Ps44 were found most promising to induce PO and PPO activity, in combination with Mesorhizobium and recorded superior over the fungicide with respect to negative control. Similar results were recorded for the phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL), maximally induced on 20th day after germination, where dual inoculation of Ps44+M and Ps45+M induced 57.0 and 54.2 nmol of cinnamic acid min-1 gfw-1 in GPF-2. However in case of JG-41, Ps45 and Ba1a exhibited highest PAL activity of 54.2 and 41.4 nmol of cinnamic acid min-1 gfw-1. Malonic aldehyde concentration in stem tissues at 30th day revealed that lipid peroxidation was effectively reduced in rhizobacterial treated plants compared to fungicide and negative control, signifying the role of antagonistic plant growth promoting rhizobacteria in reducing the stress and enhancing the plant's defence response to reduce the disease incidence and thus improving the plant growth and yield. Moreover the dual inoculations were observed superior over the fungicide treatment as well as single inoculations in terms of growth (root/shoot length and weight), signifying the synergistic effect of screened antagonists and native Mesorhizobium in suppressing the pathogen and thereby enhancing the plant growth.

Gold nanoparticles modulate the steroidogenic and apoptotic pathway in a buffalo granulosa cell model.

OBJECTIVES: Granulosa cells are associated with steroidogenesis and ovarian function in females. Aims of the study are to understand the effects of gold nanoparticles (AuNP) on steroidogenesis and apoptotic pathway associated genes in buffalo granulosa cells. RESULTS: The AuNP were prepared chemically and thereby characterized by transmission electron microscope (TEM) imaging, absorbance and dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurements for hydrodynamic diameter and zeta potential. The cultured buffalo granulosa cells (BGC) were co-incubated with AuNP in two concentrations (2 × 109 and 2 × 1010 AuNP/ml) for 24 h. Treatment of BGC with AuNP significantly modulated the steroidogenesis associated genes (3ß-Hsd and Cyp19A1) expression and progesterone accumulation in the culture fluid. AuNP affected the apoptotic pathway in BGC by affecting the gene expression of Caspase-3, Bad and Bax. The AuNP did not exert oxidative stress through anti-oxidant induction & lipid peroxidation in the buffalo GC. CONCLUSIONS: AuNP may modulate the endocrine system by having impact on the steroidogenesis pathway and also have the potential to affect apoptotic pathway in a buffalo granulosa cell model.

Modeling pre-spawning fitness and optimal climate of spotted snakehead Channa punctata (Bloch, 1793) from a Gangetic floodplain wetland of West Bengal, India.

The spawning and well-being of fish in an ecosystem are closely linked to climatic cues, viz., temperature and rainfall. Reduced fitness can affect the reproductive performance and lead to skipped spawning. Benchmarking the threshold fitness required for a fish population to achieve readiness for spawning, and understanding how climatic parameters influence the fitness will aid in predicting the fate of its reproductive success in future climatic conditions. This study determined the threshold condition factor pre-spawning fitness (Kspawn50) at which 50% of the female Channa punctata population can be deemed fit for spawning. The optimal climate within which pre-spawning fitness is attained by this species under Indian climatic conditions was also identified. The study was conducted from June 2015 to September 2016, covering two spawning seasons (June-August) in a Gangetic floodplain wetland of West Bengal, India. The non-parametric Kaplan-Meier method (survival fit) was used for estimation of pre-spawning fitness. "Ready to spawn" females were classified based on binary coding of the gonadal maturity stages. The thermal and precipitation range within which spawning fitness is achieved was identified by using the locally weighted smoothing technique. Female C. punctata pre-spawning fitness (Kspawn50) ranged from 1.26 to 1.39 with an estimated median of 1.29 units. Temperatures between 29 and 32 °C and rainfall above 100 mm were conducive to attaining the requisite pre-spawning fitness in C. punctata. This is the first study benchmarking the pre-spawning fitness and optimal climate for C. punctata. Understanding spawning requirements can inform the climate change-induced impacts on reproductive plasticity and evolutionary adaptations of snakeheads in the Ganga river basin.

Hyper-ammonia stress causes induction of inducible nitric oxide synthase gene and more production of nitric oxide in air-breathing magur catfish, Clarias magur (Hamilton).

Nitric oxide (NO) is an important signalling molecule that plays diverse physiological functions in several vertebrates including that of adaptation to various stressful stimuli. The air-breathing magur catfish (Clarias magur) is known to tolerate a very high external ammonia (HEA) stress in its natural habitats. We report here the possible induction of inducible nitric oxide (inos) gene and more generation of NO in magur catfish exposed to HEA. Exposure to HEA (25 mM NH4Cl) for 14 days led to the higher accumulation of NO in different tissues of magur catfish and also more efflux of NO from the perfused liver of NH4Cl-treated fish as a consequence of high build of toxic ammonia in body tissues. More synthesis and accumulation of NO in body tissues was associated with the induction of iNOS activity, which otherwise was not detectable in control fish. The stimulation of iNOS activity in HEA exposed fish was mainly due to induction of inos gene as evidenced by more expression of inos mRNA and also more abundance of iNOS protein in different tissues of magur catfish. Immunocytochemical analysis indicated the zonal specific expression of iNOS protein in different tissues of magur catfish. The augmentation of iNOS in the fish under HEA could be an adaptive strategy of the fish to defend against the ammonia stress through the generation of NO. Therefore, the present finding identifies the potential role of iNOS to enhance the adaptive capacity and survivability of catfish under various adverse environmental and pathological conditions that it faces in its natural habitats.

Postpartum uterine infection & ovarian dysfunction.

Postpartum uterine infections such as metritis, endometritis and mastitis have been considered as underlying causes for ovarian dysfunction in mammals. Almost all mammals, particularly dairy animals are susceptible to postpartum uterine infections, resulting in impaired fertility and economic loss. One of the factors for low fertility in females is ovarian dysfunction, which is exhibited as impaired growth and function of ovarian follicles by the postpartum infection. Immune system of mammals provides a host defence mechanism against pathogenic microbes through the recognition of pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) and forming inflammasomes. Like immune cells, ovarian granulosa cells also exhibit a similar pattern of cytokine gene expressions on exposure to PAMPs. Genome-wide transcriptomic approaches explored the molecular mechanisms underlying the immune function of buffalo granulosa cells during endotoxin exposure. Understanding the molecular mechanism of ovarian dysfunction due to uterine infection would be helpful to implement various strategies to handle the adverse effects of postpartum uterine disease on fertility by developing potential therapeutics. Therefore, this article focuses on key factors that are responsible for postpartum infection and particularly summarizes the molecular mechanism of infection underlying the ovarian dysfunction in dairy animals.

Novel cereal bran based low-cost liquid medium for enhanced growth, multifunctional traits and shelf life of consortium biofertilizer containing Azotobacter chroococcum, Bacillus subtilis and Pseudomonas sp.

The present study was carried out to valorise cereal (rice and wheat) bran for the development of low-cost liquid consortium bioformulation. Different concentrations of bran-based liquid media formulations were evaluated for the growth of consortium biofertilizer cultures (Azotobacter chroococcum, Bacillus subtilis and Pseudomonas sp.). Among the bran-based formulations, wheat bran-based formulation WB5, exhibited the highest viable cell of 10.68 ± 0.09 Log10 CFU/ml and 12.63 ± 0.04 Log10 CFU/ml for Azotobacter chroococcum and Bacillus subtilis whereas for Pseudomonas sp., rice bran based bioformulation RB5 recorded maximum viability (12.71 ± 0.05 Log10 CFU/ml) after 72 h of incubation. RB51 and WB52liquid formulations were further optimized for enhanced shelf life using 5, 10 and 15 mM of trehalose, 0.05 and 0.1% carboxymethyl cellulose, and 0.5 and 1.0% glycerol. Following the peak growth at 72 h of incubation, a gradual decrease in the viable population of consortium biofertilizer cultures was observed in all the liquid formulations. The WB5 and RB5 formulations with 15 mM trehalose and 0.1% CMC, not only recorded significantly highest cell count of consortium biofertilizer cultures, but also maximally supported multi-functional traits i.e., phosphate and zinc solubilization, ammonia and IAA production up to 150 days. Further evaluation of seedling emergence and growth of wheat (PBW 826) under axenic conditions recorded WB5 amended with 15 mM trehalose-based consortium bioformulation to exhibit maximum emergence and growth of wheat seedlings. This low-cost liquid formulation can be used for large-scale biofertilizer production as a cost-effective liquid biofertilizer production technology.

Enhanced microwave absorption properties of conducting polymer@graphene composite to counteract electromagnetic radiation pollution: green EMI shielding.

Conducting polymers have been thoroughly investigated and found to have extensive applications in the fields of microwave absorption and electromagnetic (EM) shielding owing to their distinctive characteristics and adaptability. In the present work, conducting polymer (PEDOT and polyaniline) and graphene composites were prepared via an in situ chemical polymerization technique. Further, these composite materials were characterized to determine their potential to address the issue of EM radiation pollution in the microwave frequency (12.4 GHz to 18 GHz). The PEDOT/graphene composites exhibited significant shielding effectiveness of up to 46.53 dB, achieving a green index (gs) of 1.17. Also, absorption was observed to be the dominant shielding mechanism in all the samples owing to significant dielectric losses (ε''/ε' ≈ 1.9-3.1) and microwave conductivity (σs = 19.9-73.6 S m-1) in the samples at 18 GHz. Both dielectric loss and conduction loss occurred because of the strong interactions involving polarization, charge propagation, and the creation of conductive routes through the incorporation of graphene in the polymer matrix. These properties/shielding results indicate the potential of the composites to be used as lightweight EM shielding materials. These materials are suitable shield materials for electronic devices to protect them from harmful electromagnetic radiation, making them vital in various applications.

Boosting the photocatalytic activity of g-C3N4 via loading bio-synthesized Ag0 nanoparticles and imidazole modification for the degradation and mineralization of fluconazole.

The emergence of fluorinated organic compounds in the pharmaceutical, agrochemical, and textile industries has led to a potential increase in the environmental issues and health problems. Herein, a modified heterojunction of bio-synthesized Ag nanoparticles (Ag0 NPs) immobilized on imidazole-modified graphite carbon nitride (Im/g-C3N4) as a suitable support (Ag0/Im/g-C3N4) was hydrothermally synthesized and studied for the photocatalytic removal of the most widely used antifungal organo-fluorine compound-fluconazole (FCZ). The optical properties were thoroughly investigated in the present study, and it was observed that the proposed modification to g-C3N4 has led to the shifting of conduction and valance band edge position (for g-C3N4, -0.73 and 1.54 eV and for ICA, -1.14 and 1.28 eV), narrowing of band gap energies, i.e., 2.01 eV, and reduced charge recombination rate. The external and internal surface morphologies were scrutinized through FE-SEM and HR-TEM analyses. Functionalities and potential crystallinity were investigated using FTIR and XRD techniques. The elemental state and composition of the composite were analyzed via XPS. The obtained results substantiate the intended modifications in the ICA composite. The photocatalyst Ag0/Im/g-C3N4 (ICA) was able to degrade 95.74% of FCZ with a high degradation rate (k1) of 0.0289 min-1 within 2-h of the solar illumination experiment. The overall degradation process was observed to be governed by a pseudo-first-order kinetic model. Detailed parameters such as effects of ions, pH (optimized pH 4, highest degradation rate k1 =0.039 min-1), dissolved organic matter (DOM), and optimization of catalysts dosage were studied. The major reactive oxygen species (ROS) was identified as super-oxide radicals (O2●-). The HR-MS and COD-TOC analysis were used to evaluate the degradation and mineralization of FCZ forced by ICA catalysts. The ICA catalyst was found to be stable and reusable for up to five cycles suggesting towards its potential towards the mitigation of environmental pollutants.

Pseudo-Lyre Sign.

To study the causes of the Pseudo- Lyre sign which is radiologically demonstrated in tumours other than the carotid body tumour. The study is based on an unusual case of neurofibroma of the cervical sympathetic chain presenting as a pulsatile mass in the carotid triangle in a 34 years female. Radiological investigation pointed to a diagnosis of a carotid body tumour because of typical splaying of the internal and external arteries causing the Lyre sign. At surgery, the tumour which was arising from the cervical sympathetic chain (CSC) was excised with minimum blood loss and histopathology confirmed it to be neurofibroma. This, we presume is the first ever report of a neurofibroma of the cervical sympathetic chain causing Lyre sign which we have referred to as Pseudo-Lyre sign. The various investigations which help in diagnosing the cause of Pseudo-Lyre sign have been discussed. All tumours causing Lyre sign on radio-imaging are not carotid body tumours. Other masses mostly neurogenic can demonstrate this sign and an attempt should be made preoperatively to confirm the diagnosis.

Multivariate characterization of biochemical and physiological attributes umpires Pangasianodon hypophthalmus for a welfare-based open-water cage culture.

The striped catfish, Pangasianodon hypophthalmus, dominates in the Indian inland freshwater cage culture because of its rapid growth and adaptive feeding habits; however, suitable stocking density based on growth without compromising the health of fish is important. Furthermore, fish growth and survival are inversely proportional to stocking density. Many farmers face size differentiation and poor survival at higher stocking densities. To address the aforementioned practical issue, the current study was carried out to study the influence of different stocking densities on the growth performance of P. hypophthalmus in cages. The fingerlings of P. hypophthalmus (10.63 ± 0.27 g) were stocked in triplicate in five different stocking densities (20, 30, 40, 50, and 60 m-3), and the fishes were given commercial feed for 240 days. The outcome demonstrated that the fish stocking densities and their growth attributes were inversely related. Stocking density in the range of 20 to 40 m-3 produced the highest final weight, relative growth rate, and specific growth rate. The feed conversion ratio was significantly lower in 20, 30, and 40 m-3 than the higher densities of 50 and 60 m-3. The level of serum biochemical markers such as serum glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (SGOT) and serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase (SGPT) and glucose and cortisol levels elevated significantly in higher stocking densities. The muscle quality changed as crude fat and muscle pH decreased at 50 and 60 m-3, leading to a drop in drip loss and frozen leakage rate. The vital water quality parameters were found within a suitable range. According to the outcomes of principal component analysis (PCA), elevated levels of SGOT, SGPT, glucose, and cortisol were detrimental to fish growth. The stocking density of 30 m-3 had the highest benefit-cost ratio (B:C) and return on investment (RI), followed by 20 and 40 m-3. Higher economic return was achieved at lower densities (30-40 m-3). This study suggests that rearing P. hypophthalmus at stocking densities of about 30-40 m-3 could be considered as an optimum for the inland freshwater cage culture which gives the best performance in terms of growth and production in tropical reservoirs of India. The best-suited stocking density is also taken into consideration based on the characterization of multivariate biochemical and physiological attributes.

Influence of stocking density and environmental factors on the expression of insulin-like growth factors in cage-reared butter catfish (Ompok bimaculatus, Bloch 1794) within a large reservoir ecosystem.

In vertebrates, insulin-like growth like factors (IGFs) play an important role in growth and other physiological processes. The GH-IGF axis is considered a valuable tool to monitor fish growth performance. Herein, we report the molecular characterization of igf-1, igf-2, and ß-actin transcripts and relative expression of igf-1 and igf-2 in the liver and muscle tissue of cage-reared butter catfish, Ompok bimaculatus, in response to different stocking densities (T1, 15 fingerlings m-3; T2, 25 fingerlings m-3; and T3, 35 fingerlings m-3) over 180 days of culture duration. The length of the partial amplified transcript sequence of Obigf-1, Obigf-2, and Obß-actin was 325, 438, and 924 bp, respectively. Phylogenetically, Obigf-1 and Obigf-2 were closely clustered with catfishes, viz., Clarias magur, Bagarius yarrelli, and Silurus asotus. The expression of igf-1 was significantly downregulated in the liver at higher densities after 120 days as biomass in the cages increased, while igf-2 expression did not change with the stocking densities over the culture period. Cortisol concentration was significantly elevated in T3 groups post 150 days of the culture period and correlated negatively with the expression of igf-1 (p < 0.05) and igf-2 (p > 0.05). Environmental parameters, pH, TDS, hardness, conductivity, and alkalinity showed a significant positive correlation with hepatic IGF expression. Our study indicates that the liver-derived igf-1 plays a more important role in the regulation of growth in response to culture density in the species studied, and thus, igf-1 can be used effectively as a biomarker for growth. Furthermore, this study will help in planning a proper harvest schedule and optimize the culture practices of O. bimaculatus in an open water cage system.