On the unusual landing of juvenile black pomfret at Veraval and Mangrol landing centre of Gujrat

Pomfrets form an Important component in the fishery off Mangrol and Veraval. They are landed by trawl nets and monofilament gill nets. The silver pomfret Pampas argenteus Is locally called "Vichhuda" and the black pomfret, Formio niger is called "Halva". The former dominates the pomfret fishery with peak landings in the monsoon and post monsoon period. The black pomfret does not show any regular pattern of landing

Investigations on the creeks of Saurashtra

Gujarat has a rich estuarine system supported by run-off from five major rivers, viz., Narmada, Mahi, Tapti, Banas and Sabarmati. The branches of these rivers form several small creeks which act as outlets to the sea. These creeks are known to have supported traditional fisheries for a variety of shrimps and fishes over the years. However, these fisheries are now on a declining phase. With reduced rainfall in recent years, these creeks remain saline for a major part of the year. Natural flushing is further obstructed by the numerous check dams and small impoundments constructed across the rivers and rivulets flowing into these creeks

The unusual landings of Juveniles of Decapterus russelli and Rastrelliger kanagurta in trawl catches of Veraval

Caputre of fish Juveniles in trawl nets is a common and regular phenomenon ever since the cod end mesh size has been reduced to less than 10 mm. Generally the cod-end catches are a mixture of juveniles of several species of finflshes and shellfishes, along with a host of inedible benthic biota. The occurance of a single species in significantly large quantities is seldom found or reported

Unusal landings of large-sized Sepia pharaonis from the coastal waters of Saurashtra

Fishing grounds for cuttlefishes are beyond 50m depth zone, off Dwaraka. This report is on unsual landings of Sepia pharaonis from the coastal waters off Saurashtra. The total landing of S. pharaonis was estimated to be around 20 tonnes. It is revealed that minor upwelling has been the reason for this unusual catch

A practical, bioinformatic workflow system for large data sets generated by next-generation sequencing

Transcriptomics (at the level of single cells, tissues and/or whole organisms) underpins many fields of biomedical science, from understanding the basic cellular function in model organisms, to the elucidation of the biological events that govern the development and progression of human diseases, and the exploration of the mechanisms of survival, drug-resistance and virulence of pathogens. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies are contributing to a massive expansion of transcriptomics in all fields and are reducing the cost, time and performance barriers presented by conventional approaches. However, bioinformatic tools for the analysis of the sequence data sets produced by these technologies can be daunting to researchers with limited or no expertise in bioinformatics. Here, we constructed a semi-automated, bioinformatic workflow system, and critically evaluated it for the analysis and annotation of large-scale sequence data sets generated by NGS. We demonstrated its utility for the exploration of differences in the transcriptomes among various stages and both sexes of an economically important parasitic worm (Oesophagostomum dentatum) as well as the prediction and prioritization of essential molecules (including GTPases, protein kinases and phosphatases) as novel drug target candidates. This workflow system provides a practical tool for the assembly, annotation and analysis of NGS data sets, also to researchers with a limited bioinformatic expertise. The custom-written Perl, Python and Unix shell computer scripts used can be readily modified or adapted to suit many different applications. This system is now utilized routinely for the analysis of data sets from pathogens of major socio-economic importance and can, in principle, be applied to transcriptomics data sets from any organism

A practical, bioinformatic workflow system for large data sets generated by next-generation sequencing

Transcriptomics (at the level of single cells, tissues and/or whole organisms) underpins many fields of biomedical science, from understanding the basic cellular function in model organisms, to the elucidation of the biological events that govern the development and progression of human diseases, and the exploration of the mechanisms of survival, drug-resistance and virulence of pathogens. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies are contributing to a massive expansion of transcriptomics in all fields and are reducing the cost, time and performance barriers presented by conventional approaches. However, bioinformatic tools for the analysis of the sequence data sets produced by these technologies can be daunting to researchers with limited or no expertise in bioinformatics. Here, we constructed a semi-automated, bioinformatic workflow system, and critically evaluated it for the analysis and annotation of large-scale sequence data sets generated by NGS. We demonstrated its utility for the exploration of differences in the transcriptomes among various stages and both sexes of an economically important parasitic worm (Oesophagostomum dentatum) as well as the prediction and prioritization of essential molecules (including GTPases, protein kinases and phosphatases) as novel drug target candidates. This workflow system provides a practical tool for the assembly, annotation and analysis of NGS data sets, also to researchers with a limited bioinformatic expertise. The custom-written Perl, Python and Unix shell computer scripts used can be readily modified or adapted to suit many different applications. This system is now utilized routinely for the analysis of data sets from pathogens of major socio-economic importance and can, in principle, be applied to transcriptomics data sets from any organism

Deep insights into Dictyocaulus viviparus transcriptomes provides unique prospects for new drug targets and disease intervention

The lungworm, Dictyocaulus viviparus, causes parasitic bronchitis in cattle, and is responsible for substantial economic losses in temperate regions of the world. Here, we undertake the first large-scale exploration of available transcriptomic data for this lungworm, examine differences in transcription between different stages/both genders and identify and prioritize essential molecules linked to fundamental metabolic pathways, which could represent novel drug targets. Approximately 3 million expressed sequence tags (ESTs), generated by 454 sequencing from third-stage larvae (L3s) as well as adult females and males of D. viviparus, were assembled and annotated. The assembly of these sequences yielded ~61,000 contigs, of which relatively large proportions encoded collagens (4.3%), ubiquitins (2.1%) and serine/threonine protein kinases (1.9%). Subtractive analysis in silico identified 6928 nucleotide sequences as being uniquely transcribed in L3, and 5203 and 7889 transcripts as being exclusive to the adult female and male, respectively. Most peptides predicted from the conceptual translations were nucleoplasmins (L3), serine/threonine protein kinases (female) and major sperm proteins (male). Additional analyses allowed the prediction of three drug target candidates, whose Caenorhabditis elegans homologues were linked to a lethal RNA interference phenotype. This detailed exploration, combined with future transcriptomic sequencing of all developmental stages of D. viviparus, will facilitate future investigations of the molecular biology of this parasitic nematode as well as genomic sequencing. These advances will underpin the discovery of new drug and/or vaccine targets, focused on biotechnological outcomes

Principal component analysis (PCA) and genetic diversity studies for discrimination of genotypes and yield parameters in ICRISAT Pearl Millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.] accessions

PCA and cluster analysis were used to assess 50 pearl millet genotypes for 26 attributes to identify associations among individuals as well as their traits and patterns of variation. Among 26 PCs (Principal Components), eight unveiled eigenvalues greater than one, which accounted for 78.29 % of the total variability among the traits. The first component (PC1) had a great maximum variability of about 18.53 % with the highest eigenvalue. It was observed that PC1 revealed maximum variation in comparison with other 25 PCs, whereas PC2 to PC8 showed gradual reduction in variability with values 17.38, 11.71, 8.17, 7.37, 5.63, 5.0 and 4.49 percent respectively. Therefore, selecting lines and traits based on PC1 would be beneficial. The factor loading of PCs exhibited that PC1 accounted for maximum variability for traits like NTrPP (number of tillers per plant), LAI (leaf area index) and GY (grain yield) per plant. PC2 counted for 17.38 % of the total variance and exhibited the greatest variability for number of leaves per plant (NLPP). PC3 showed 11.71 % variability and taken maximum variability for leaf:stem ratio (LSR). PC4 exhibited 8.17 % of variability and possessed maximum variability for plant height (PtH), leaf width (LfW), flag leaf width (FgLW) and stem girth (SG) which pointed out the huge impact in the total variation of the genotypes. Cluster analysis recorded cluster III had desirable mean values for most of the traits studied. The genotype, viz. IP 8327 from cluster III would be used as parent for pearl millet improvement program

The bacteria profiles of wounds in diabetic patients hospitalized in northern Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa

Diabetic wound infections still remain a health concern such that correct identification of bacteria is essential in monitoring the spread of the infections as well as in the administration of the correct treatment. This study therefore focuses on isolating and identifying bacteria present in diabetic wounds of hospitalized patients in northern KwaZulu-Natal and assessing their distribution.The wound specimen were collected and swabbed onto selective and differential media. The bacteria identities were presumptively ascertained through biochemical characterization (Gram-stain, catalase test, oxidase test and API) and then confirmed through 16S rDNA sequencing.A total of 42 isolates were recovered from 83% of the patients sampled from the three participating hospitals (X, Y, and Z). Gram-negative bacilli from Enterobacteriaceaewere predominant followed by Staphylococci spp and Enterococcus faecaliswith 43% polymicrobial cases from hospital Z and 29% from hospital X. Distribution of some opportunistic pathogens and nosocomially-acquired pathogens were also observed across the patients with five bacterial identities distributed among hospital X and Z. The adverse effects associated with the recovered bacteria in diabetic wounds pose a serious health concern and preventive measure should be taken.Keywords: Diabetes mellitus, wounds, bacteria, infectio

Effect Of Online Education On Elementary Education In India

The mishaps happening in online education can cost a lot to the students who are getting educated by it in many ways. Elementary students particularly suffer immensely in terms of health, safety due to the online mode of education. The education system for young kids is viewed as a sacred stage since it helps in imparting basic knowledge to a human being. Yet, there are many Initiatives to help the problem, but it is still not enough. The objective of this study is to find whether online education is fruitful for the elementary school, and to deduce how many hours is advisable for elementary class, also to find how much health is getting affected, likely also to see if gadgets is advised to provide to the elementary students, lastly to ascertain which mode of education is most preferable for elementary education. Unlike in the case of doctrinal research where the research is conducted on the basis of facts and data already collected in the library, archives and other databases, collecting or gathering information by a first-hand study into the universe, it helps the empirical research to be carried on. There are a total of 1005 samples collected with regard to this study. Hence, through these figures, we are able to understand that there is not much reception regarding online education for elementary students among the general public but truly they are at a confused level about which mode is truthfully the good one for elementary school students