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This study undertakes a comprehensive assessment of selected mariculture enterprises in the coastal regions of India, centered on long-term sustainability as the key focus. This is juxtaposed against India's ambitious blue economy targets and policy thrust that pin on the expansion of mariculture as a promising avenue for enhancing marine fish production. Farm-level, region-specific, techno-economic, and socio-cultural factors associated with, and conditional on, sustainable intensification of mariculture-based production systems are examined in detail. The Principles-Criteria-Indicators (PCI) approach is used to establish the linkage between identified farm-level indicators and various dimensions of sustainability. While the selected enterprises were assessed to be technically and economically viable in general, glaring gaps were evident on key indicators of sustainability such as the legitimacy of access over water bodies, use of quality seed and feed, institutional credit access, market access, and fair marketing practices, optimal stocking density, mechanization, use of renewable energy, adoption of environmental-friendly culture practices, farm surveillance, crew safety, and social protection. This indicates the need for taking proactive measures to ensure the long-term sustainability of mariculture, particularly in the initial stages of establishment when such interventions are easy to adopt. Based on the insights obtained from the analysis, a broad set of strategies, policy options, and institutional interventions critical to scaling-up coastal mariculture enterprises along the east and west coasts of India are presented.

Defining nutrient management zones (MZs) is crucial for the implementation of site-specific management. The determination of MZs is based on several factors, including crop, soil, climate, and terrain characteristics. This study aims to delineate MZs by means of geostatistical and fuzzy clustering algorithms considering remotely sensed and laboratory data and, subsequently, to compare the zone maps in the north-eastern Himalayan region of India. For this study, 896 grid-wise representative soil samples (0–25 cm depth) were collected from the study area (1615 km2). The soils were analysed for soil reaction (pH), soil organic carbon and available macro (N, P and K) and micronutrients (Fe, Mn, Zn and Cu). The predicted soil maps were developed using regression kriging, where 28 digital elevation model-derived terrain attributes and two vegetation derivatives were used as environmental covariates. The coefficient of determination (R2) and root mean square error were used to evaluate the model’s performance. The predicted soil parameters were accurate, and regression kriging identified the highest variability for the majority of the soil variables. Further, to define the management zones, the geographically weighted principal component analysis and possibilistic fuzzy c-means clustering method were employed, based on which the optimum clusters were identified by employing fuzzy performance index and normalized classification entropy. The management zones were constructed considering the total pixel points of 30 m spatial resolution (17, 86,985 data points). The area was divided into four distinct zones, which could be differently managed. MZ 1 covers the maximum (43.3%), followed by MZ 2 (29.4%), MZ 3 (27.0%) and MZ 4 (0.3%). The MZs map thus would not only serve as a guide for judicious location-specific nutrient management, but would also help the policymakers to bring sustainable changes in the north-eastern Himalayan region of India.

The recent fluctuations in abundance of the Indian oil sardine Sardinella longiceps, a tropical small pelagic clupeid fish, was investigated in the light of overfishing and variations in its habitat ecology in southeastern Arabian Sea. In 2012, its landings peaked to an all-time record making it the fifth largest sardine fishery in the world, and within 3 years the catches were reduced to nearly a tenth of that level. This study examined the fishery dependant factors such as effort, catch rates and expansion of fishing area; the biological variations in fish size, maturity and recruitment; and tried to relate this to the environmental variations in the sardine habitat and food availability. The 2012 mega harvest was a result of a 2-time increase in gear size and engine capacity of fishing crafts and a 3.7-time increase in fishing effort. The female maturation process was strongly influenced primarily by rainfall and then by upwelling and the resulting influx of cold nutrient-rich water in the habitat from April much before the start of the monsoon in June. After 2013, the weak monsoons and the 2015 El Nino Southern Oscillation resulted in a warmer (by an average of 1.1°C) period which negatively impacted the maturation process. The abundance of jellyfishes which are larval and young fish predators in the habitat negatively affected recruitment after 2013. The mismatch in timing of phytoplankton productivity and sardine larvae in the habitat also affected the recruitment success. These environmental divergences coupled with the excessive capture (beyond maximum sustainable yields) of spawning stock and juveniles from 2010 has resulted in this biological catastrophe which has affected the livelihood of thousands of small-scale fishers. A more responsive fisheries administration with timely restriction on fishing effort and protection of spawning stocks by way of fishery closure would have helped minimize the impacts.

Objective: The objective of this study was to examine the feasibility and acceptability of an online family literacy program (FLP) among low-income Latino families during the COVID-19 pandemic., Methods: We conducted a mixed methods pilot study. Latino parent-child dyads participated in an 8-week online FLP conducted on video conferencing software, developed through a cross-sector health care-education partnership. We conducted surveys and structured observation to assess feasibility and acceptability and in-depth interviews to gain insight into the context of participants' experiences during the pandemic., Results: The 35 participating parent-child dyads all identified as Latino, 83% reported limited English proficiency, and 60% of parents did not achieve a high school diploma. Nearly two-thirds of families participated in at least half of the sessions. On average, parents welcomed, liked, approved, and found the program appealing. While 86% experienced a technology problem at least once during sessions, all were resolved with minimal assistance. During qualitative interviews, we identified 3 themes that provide insight into their experiences with the FLP within the broader context of the pandemic: (1) disruption in family routine and financial strain caused by COVID-19 intensified family stress, (2) the forced transition to remote learning highlighted the inequities experienced by Latino preschool children, and (3) the FLP empowered parents and enhanced health and education experiences., Conclusion: Latino families had high participation levels in an online FLP and found it acceptable. Additional work is needed to understand how similar primary care programs can be leveraged to promote optimal development during a time of heightened need., (Copyright © 2023 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To determine the effect of adding a video and text messages to Reach Out and Read (ROR) on parent-reported literacy activities compared to the standard version., Study Design: We conducted a mixed methods hybrid type I effectiveness-implementation randomized trial in a community health center that serves low-income Latino families. We assessed shared reading frequency and the StimQ Reading subscale, at enrollment and 6-month follow-up and the StimQ Parent Verbal Responsivity subscale, Parent Reading Belief Inventory, and Survey of Wellbeing of Young Children-Milestones at follow-up. We randomized 160 parent-child dyads to ROR or ROR plus video and text messages (enhanced ROR). We collected process data on ROR and engagement with texts. We interviewed 15 enhanced ROR participants. We analyzed quantitative data using regression and qualitative data using immersion/crystallization., Results: One hundred thirty-seven parent-child dyads completed the study (87% Latino, mean child age 9 months). We found differences in the StimQ Reading subscale (B = 0.32; P = .034) and marginal differences in attitudes about reading favoring enhanced ROR. Between-group differences for shared reading frequency, verbal responsivity, and developmental delay were not significant. Qualitative themes provided insight into the enhanced ROR including how it encouraged parents, remaining barriers like competing priorities and lack of social support, and unanticipated benefits (ie, parent appreciation for attention on their families' wellbeing)., Conclusions: A video and text message enhancement to ROR resulted in modest improvements in the home literacy environment over ROR alone. Additional strategies are needed to overcome potent barriers faced by low-income families., (Copyright © 2021 Academic Pediatric Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: To describe the development and pilot testing of a bilingual family literacy program (FLP) for dual language learners entering kindergarten implemented in a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC)., Description: The Ready and Healthy for Kindergarten program is an English-Spanish bilingual FLP that uses four parent and pediatrician-prioritized health topics to introduce early English literacy skills to families and promote health behaviors that are important for school readiness while encouraging maintenance of Spanish. We developed an FLP manual, conducted a 16-week single-arm pilot study, and modified the FLP based on family feedback and observation., Assessment: We recruited 14 parent-child dyads for the pilot through clinician referral. All participating parents identified as Hispanic/Latino and 86% reported limited English proficiency. Two-thirds had less than a high school education. Seventy-one percent of families attended more than half of the sessions. Parents rated the FLP as highly acceptable. During implementation, we made substantive changes to the FLP including increasing the focus on promoting bilingualism, encouraging all participants to share their experiences with the health topics, helping parents identify literacy activities embedded in their daily health routines (e.g., lullabies), and distributing information on health resources., Conclusion: We developed and implemented an innovative bilingual FLP in an FQHC that was well-attended and acceptable to families. The FLP has the potential to be replicated in other primary care sites and our findings lay the groundwork for future studies on how to best leverage healthcare settings to promote equity in school readiness.

Objective: Literacy promotion is a pediatric standard of care in which clinicians provide guidance on shared reading. Latino parents are more likely to hear advice to read with children but are less likely to do so. We sought to understand literacy promotion from the perspective of Latino parents and to identify facilitators and barriers., Methods: We purposively sampled Latino parents who participated in Reach Out and Read (ROR) for a qualitative, semistructured interview study. We identified themes using immersion/crystallization and achieved thematic saturation after 21 interviews., Results: Two thirds of participants had less than high school education; half of whom had not completed eighth grade. The mean child age was 16.4 months. Primary facilitators of engagement were advice from a pediatrician during a clinical encounter and receipt of the ROR book. Barriers identified included: 1) parents' perceptions that their children were not developmentally ready and that their children's behavior (eg, activity) indicated they were not interested in shared reading; 2) self-perceived limited literacy and/or English proficiency; 3) parenting demands occurring in the context of poverty; and 4) continued child media use despite advice from pediatricians to choose alternate activities such as shared reading instead., Conclusions: Parent-clinician relationships are central to ROR's impact but clinicians need to pay more attention to factors in a child's broader environment to strengthen literacy promotion. Specifically clinicians should emphasize skill building during the clinical encounter (eg, sharing knowledge about child development and modeling) and work collaboratively with other stakeholders to address poverty-related stressors., (Copyright © 2020 Academic Pediatric Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) that affects cervid species throughout North America. We evaluated gene expression in white-tailed deer collected by Illinois Department of Natural Resource wildlife managers during annual population reduction (e.g., sharpshooting) and disease monitoring efforts throughout the CWD-endemic area of northcentral Illinois. We conducted comparative transcriptomic analysis of liver and retropharyngeal lymph node tissue samples between CWD-positive ( n  = 5) and CWD-not detected ( n  = 5) deer. A total of 74,479 transcripts were assembled, and 51,661 (69.36%) transcripts were found to have matched proteins in NCBI-NR and UniProt. Our analysis of functional categories showed 40,308 transcripts were assigned to at least one Gene Ontology term and 37,853 transcripts were involved in at least one pathway. We identified a total of 59 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in CWD-positive deer, of which 36 and 23 were associated with liver and retropharyngeal lymph node tissues, respectively. Functions of DEGs lend support to previous relationships between misfolded PrP and cellular membranes (e.g., STXBP5), and internal cellular components. We identified several genes that suggest a link between CWD and retroviruses and identified the gene ADIPOQ that acts as a tumor necrosis factor (TNF) antagonist. This gene may lead to reduced production of TNF and impact disease progression and clinical symptoms associated with CWD (i.e., wasting syndrome). Use of candidate genes identified in this study suggests the activation of endogenous processes in CWD-positive deer, which in turn may enable earlier detection of the disease., Competing Interests: None declared., (© 2019 The Authors. Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Physician assistants (PAs) are essential to the health care system, and there are not nearly enough of them to meet the needs of our ethnically diverse population. Factors contributing to a lack of minorities in PA schools are related to academic performance, commitments outside work/school, and social and economic deprivation. From 2014 to 2016, the Texas Area Health Education Center East worked with the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston to implement Physician Assistant Learner Support programming. This program, targeting minority high school students, promoted and educated both students and parents about PA careers with the objective of alleviating one of the main barriers to minority higher education-lack of understanding of educational and career opportunities. This study found that parental knowledge about PA application requirements, PA degree requirements, financial aid, and career prospects at the high school level is essential to securing parental support of student selection of PA careers.

Oxidative carbonylation of amines using NaIO(4) as the oxidant and NaI as a promoter affords good to excellent yields of ureas from primary amines in the absence of transition metal catalysts.

Prostaglandin (PG)E(2) has been shown to inhibit mediator release from human alveolar macrophages (AMs), but the prostanoid receptor(s) mediating this response have not yet been documented. To investigate this, the present authors conducted a range of pharmacological and expression-based studies in monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs) and AMs. MDMs were obtained by in vitro differentiation of monocytes from the peripheral blood of healthy human volunteers. Human AMs were obtained by perfusion of lung tissue from carcinoma resection patients. In MDMs, PGE(2) potently inhibited lipopolysaccharide-induced tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha release (p[A](50) 8.51+/-0.11, maximum inhibition 95.9+/-4.8%). In human AMs, PGE(2) also inhibited TNF-alpha release but the observed concentration-effect curve was very flat and inhibition was incomplete. The shape of the PGE(2) curve in AMs suggested that its effects were mediated by activation of a heterogeneous receptor population. Expression studies combined with the use of various E-prostanoid (EP) receptor agonists and a selective EP(4)-receptor antagonist (Ono-AE2-227) confirmed that the inhibitory effects of PGE(2) in both AMs and MDMs were mediated by activation of EP(4) and EP(2) receptors. These data indicate that both E-prostanoid(4) and E-prostanoid(2) selective agonists may have anti-inflammatory properties in lung diseases where macrophages play a role.

Externally applied Ag+ (100-200 nM) irreversibly blocked the strong inwardly rectifying K+ channel, Kir2.1. Mutation to serine of a cysteine residue at position 149 in the pore-forming H5 region of Kir2.1 abolished Ag+ blockage. To determine how many of the binding sites must be occupied by Ag+ before the channel is blocked, we measured the rate of channel block and found that our results were best fitted assuming that only one Ag+ ion need bind to eliminate channel current. We tested our hypothesis further by constructing covalently linked dimers and tetramers of Kir2.1 in which cysteine had been replaced by serine in one (dimer) or three (tetramer) of the linked subunits. When expressed, these constructs yielded functional channels with either two (dimer) or one (tetramer) cysteines per channel at position 149. Blockage in the tetramer was complete after sufficient exposure to 200 nM Ag+, a result that is also consistent with only one Ag+ being required to bind to Cys149 to block fully. The rate of development of blockage was 16 times slower than in wild-type channels; the rate was 4 times slower in channels formed from dimers.

Locus control regions (LCRs) are cis-acting elements that confer position-independent and copy-number-dependent expression upon associated genes in transgenic mice. Here we show the second example of the use of an LCR (the rat LAP LCR) in a stable expression vector system, used here in conjunction with the rat liver (NRLM) cell line. Non-transfected NRLM cells are electrically silent and highly suitable for patch clamp electrophysiology. We report reliable constitutive expression from two different K+ channel cDNAs; the voltage-gated rat clone Kv3.4 and the inward rectifier mouse clone Kir2.1. We further show that constitutive expression levels are stable for at least 8 weeks from initial recording.

1. The effects of Rb+ and Cs+ as blocking ions were investigated on wild-type and mutant forms of the inward rectifier K+ channel, IRK1 (Kir2.1). 2. In wild-type channels, Rb+ blockage was voltage dependent, increasing and then falling with increasing hyperpolarization. 3. Rb+ blockage was abolished by replacing Asp172 in the M2 domain of the pore-forming subunit by Asn, but was re-established by a change to Gln, narrowing the pore. Blocking affinity was reduced in D172Q, and was also reduced by replacing Gly168 in M2 by Ala. 4. Cs+ blockage was also abolished in D172N but was re-established in D172Q. 5. There appears to be a balance between charge and pore size in determining whether ions block or permeate. A major part of the selectivity of Kir2.1 is associated with Asp172 in the M2 domain.

1. We describe the effects on channel function of changing an aspartate residue (Asp172) in a membrane-spanning alpha-helix of the murine inward rectifier, IRK1, by site-directed mutagenesis. 2. Alteration of Asp172 to Glu (charged) or to Gln or Asn (polar but uncharged) produced functional channels showing inward rectification, though rectification was weaker with Gln and Asn. 3. Intrinsic gating around the potassium equilibrium potential, EK, was conserved only if the charge on residue 172 was conserved. Currents through channels with Gln or Asn in this position showed no time dependence under hyperpolarization. 4. The change from Asp to Gln also reduced the affinity for internal Mg2+ at least fivefold, indicating that Asp172 also forms part of the site for Mg2+ blockage. 5. The consequences for channel structure of Asp172 lining the pore are discussed.

A man with an infarction of his inferior temporal and occipital association cortex bilaterally, which spared primary visual cortex, had impaired visual recognition of objects, faces, colors, words, and gestures. Analysis of visual function indicated that the recognition failures resulted from an agnosia, rather than elemental visual impairment. Whereas his impairment of gesture recognition appeared to be related to an associative agnosia, his inability to recognize objects was related to an apperceptive agnosia. There may be four subtypes of apperceptive agnosia: one where the internal object representations or structural descriptions are impaired, another where an adequate percept cannot be derived, a third where the internal referent and percept are dissociated, and a fourth where both levels are impaired. Our patient demonstrated a failure to relate individual elements to the whole, a failure to integrate multiple elements, and a reliance on global perception. He had normal object imagery. These results suggest that, whereas internal representations were intact, he was unable to form adequate perceptual representations.

1. We describe the cloning of the inward rectifier K+ channel IRK1 from genomic DNA of mouse; the gene is intronless. 2. The IRK1 gene can be stably expressed in murine erythroleukaemia (MEL) cells. Such transfected cells show inward rectification under whole-cell recording. 3. Channels encoded by the IRK1 gene have an intrinsic gating that depends on voltage and [K+]o. Rate constants are reduced e-fold as the driving force on K+(V-EK) is reduced by 24.1 mV. 4. Removal of intracellular Mg2+ permits brief outward currents under depolarization. The instantaneous current-voltage relation may be fitted by an appropriate constant field expression. 5. Removal of intracellular Mg2+ speeds channel closure at positive voltages. In nominally zero [Mg2+]i, rate constants for the opening and closing of channels, processes which are first order, are similar to those of native channels.

The nar1 gene was cloned from Ustilago maydis and the 908-amino-acid (aa) sequence of the encoded protein found to have strong identities with other nitrate reductases from fungi and plants. This was especially so in three domains which define enzyme cofactor-binding sites. The gene was isolated alone and in association with the nir1 gene, suggesting that the two genes are closely linked on the chromosome. The phenotype of a strain in which nar1 had been disrupted was consistent with the only role of nar1 being in nitrate reduction. Nitrate ions induced a 90-fold increase in nar1 transcript levels, while ammonium ions repressed transcript levels.

Fundamental studies of the mechanism of human beta-like globin gene-expression have identified DNA sequences (locus control regions or LCRs) which directly influence the specific activation of beta-globin genes in erythroid cells. Here we report the first applications of LCR-mediated gene-activation to stable electrophysiological expression of several homomultimeric ion channel proteins. We describe expression driven from a native K+ channel gene promoter region, contiguous to an intronless coding sequence, within a single excised human genomic DNA fragment. In addition, cDNAs encoding both inactivating and non-inactivating mammalian K+ currents have been expressed by insertion between the promoter and second intron of the human beta-globin gene. Expression levels are characteristically independent of integration position and are proportional to LCR-gene copy number, a parameter specific for each clonal cell line. K+ channel expression is inducible by erythroid differentiation and has been demonstrated by electrophysiological recordings of cells taken directly from culture.

The pattern of movement errors in ideomotor apraxia suggests an abnormality in selection and sequencing of component movements. Individuals with Huntington's disease were evaluated prospectively for the presence of apraxia, and aspects of motor and cognitive function were correlated with apraxic errors. Based on a conservative apraxia rating, ideomotor apraxia occurred in three (33%) of nine patients with a mean duration of disease of 10.4 years. Only two (22%) individuals made no apraxic errors, however, and the group as a whole made apraxic errors in 26% of movements. Apraxia was associated with errors in imitation of nonsymbolic movements but not with errors in recognition of gestures. It correlated significantly with duration of disease and with progressive abnormalities of posture but not with other individual aspects of elementary motor or cognitive function. These associations indicate that apraxia in Huntington's disease may be due primarily to involvement of subcortical motor structures rather than cerebral cortex.

When bisecting radial lines visually, normal subjects err towards distant peripersonal space, and when bisecting vertical lines visually, they err towards upper vertical space. In contrast, when bisecting lines under tactile-proprioceptive guidance, subjects err towards near peripersonal space, suggesting that normally attention is preferentially distributed away from the body during visual exploration but distributed towards the body during tactile exploration. A patient with ischaemic lesions, however, involving both inferior temporal lobes neglected far peripersonal and upper vertical space. He also demonstrated a motor bias away from the neglected space. These findings suggest that in man attention is spatially directed in three orthogonal axes (horizontal, vertical and radial), that attention may normally be unequally distributed in each of these axes, and that neglect may occur in not only the horizontal axis but also in the radial and vertical axes.