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Mohale, H.P.; Jawahar, P.; Jayakumar, N.; Oli, G. Arul; Ravikumar, T., and Bhosle, R., 2024. Ecomorphology of selected penaeid shrimp in the coastal marine waters of Tamil Nadu (southern India). Journal of Coastal Research, 40(2), 303–318. Charlotte (North Carolina), ISSN 0749-0208. This study investigated how shrimp morphology is influenced by the environment by examining the effects of components like temperature, salinity, substrate type, and water currents; it exposed how these variables affect the development and expression of morphological traits in shrimp species by examining patterns of morphological variation within and between species to demonstrate the contributions of natural selection, genetic drift, and phenotypic plasticity to the diversification of shrimp morphology. The prevalence of shrimp species was: Penaeus indicus > Metapenaeus dobsoni > Metapenaeus brevicornis > Penaeus canaliculatus > Penaeus semisulcatus > Penaeus mergiuensis > Penaeus japonicas > Metapenaeus moyebi > Penaeus latisulcatus > Penaeus monodon. The study results showed negative correlations between biochemical oxygen demand and dissolved oxygen and a harmful effect on the morphological characteristics and growth of shrimp species. According to single factor and comprehensive pollution indices, the water bodies in this study were moderately polluted. P. semisulcatus had higher mean values for the ecomorphology parameters, indicating no adverse effects and a positive relationship. P. semisulcatus shrimp were also found to have decadal growth development and survivability. P. mergiuensis had the lowest growth rates. Results indicated detrimental effects and a bad association when evaluating decadal growth, development, and survival for most of the other shrimp species. This study enhances knowledge of the evolutionary processes that have shaped shrimp adaptations over time and highlights the challenges for sustainability of the biodiversity in the coastal marine waters of Tamil Nadu, India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has considerably promoted the usage of Digital Financial Services (DFS) in India. Therefore, exploring the various determinants influencing the DFS users is crucial for the DFS providers to understand their customers better. This study aims to identify, measure, and validate the determinants of Digital Financial Literacy (DFL) from the Indian adults who use Digital Financial Services. A sample of 384 adult DFS users from India was surveyed using a self-administered questionnaire in 2021. A multidimensional scale was developed to measure the Digital Financial Literacy in this study. The results exhibit that Digital Knowledge, Financial Knowledge, Knowledge of DFS, Awareness of Digital Finance Risk, Digital Finance Risk Control, Knowledge of Customer Right, Product Suitability, Product Quality, Gendered Social Norm, Practical Application of Knowledge and Skill, Self-determination to use the Knowledge and Skill and Decision Making are the determinants of DFL among the adults in India. Further, the users of DFS without DFL will face numerous challenges such as inability to complete the transaction, financial loss and privacy breach, etc. Hence, the study concludes that DFL is prerequisite to use DFS effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Medication errors have an adverse impact on the healthcare system by increasing patient morbidity and mortality. They are preventable, and educational or technologybased interventions are needed to reduce their prevalence and improve medication safety. We aimed to study the impact of a sensitization programme and a blame-free reporting tool for doctors and nurses on the prevalence and reporting of medication errors in the intensive care units (ICUs) of a tertiary care teaching hospital. Methods. This prospective interventional study was conducted in the ICUs of cardiology, medicine, paediatrics and neonatology. Baseline medication errors were detected by prescription order review and direct observation of administration of medication for 30 days. A sensitization programme was conducted for doctors and nurses in these ICUs, the results were discussed, and a blame-free medication error reporting tool was introduced. Medication charts were modified to remove the transcription process in the cardiology and paediatrics ICUs. The follow-up study was conducted for 30 days in each ICU to monitor the impact of the sensitization programme. Results. The prevalence of medication errors was found to be 334.1/1000 patient observation days. Prescription errors were the most common types of errors at 129.1/1000 patient observation days. The interventions significantly reduced the error rate in all four ICUs. The overall number of prescriptions with errors was reduced from 9.1% (177/1944) to 3.5% (48/1373) and no medication error was reported using the tool. Conclusion. The sensitization programme on medication errors for doctors and nurses may be effective in improving medication safety. The impact was more pronounced in prescription errors. Reporting of medication errors did not improve in this study despite the introduction of a blame-free reporting tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single-day trawling is commercially practiced along Thoothukudi coast, involving a total of 275 trawlers of varying length range operated from Thoothukudi fishing harbour (8°47’N, 78°9.5’E). The trawlers can be classified in three categories: vessels with overall length (OAL) of 40–50′ (Type 1), OAL 50–60′ (Type 2) and OAL above 60′ (Type 3). Trawlers with OAL of 45′, 55′ and 65′ were selected for the study. Irrespective of the type of vessel, the power required for towing the net was found to be unnecessarily high. The excess power wasted due to faulty trawl designs in Type-1, Type-2 and Type-2 vessels was 55, 87 and 133 hp, respectively. While trawling with optimal trawl design would contribute only 28.67% of the brake horse power (BHP) of the Type 3 vessels, the existing design of trawl used in this type of vessels contributed as much as 50.83% of the BHP. The Type-1, Type-2 and Type-3 trawlers were found to operate with excess fuel consumption at the rate of 103, 212 and 418 L of diesel per cruise, respectively. Based on the annual fuel consumption, true total annual CO2emission was estimated as 458 tons. The study revealed that the total fuel consumption can be reduced by 40% by optimizing the trawl design and reducing the free-running speed, free-running duration and trawling speed. Further, vessels with an OAL of 60′ and above may be permitted for multi-day fishing in distant waters after suitably limiting the number of fishing trips/month in order to minimize the fuel loss through free running. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Prevalence of cardiovascular diseases are reported to be high in police force, which constitute a special occupational group. "Partners in Prevention" was a special surveillance activity carried out among the personnel of the Department of Police, Government of Puducherry by JIPMER, Puducherry. The present study reports the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and other cardiovascular risk factors in this group. Materials and Methods: The design was cross-sectional analytical study covering 1618 policemen during 2013-15. A pre-tested questionnaire was used for collecting data. Anthropometric and biochemical measurements were carried out using standard techniques. Metabolic syndrome was diagnosed using the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) consensus worldwide definition. Statistical analysis was performed using the IBM- SPSS 21 software. Results: The mean (SD) age of the participants was 45.7 (10.1) years. Majority (90%) of the participants were males and were in the age group of 30-59 years. Metabolic syndrome was observed in two-fifth (42%) of the study population. We found the prevalence as: hypertension (45.2%), abnormal HDL levels (62.3%), diabetes (34.7.1%), and high body mass index of >=25 kg/m² (60.5%). Conclusion: Our study identified that police personnel were having high CVDs and risk factors. It calls for an urgent need to initiate screening and secondary prevention programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human-caused marine pollution poses a constant threat to marine ecosystems, particularly tropical mangrove forests, which are vulnerable to litter from both inland and marine sources due to inadequate waste management. Despite well-documented effects of marine litter on various maritime habitats, its impact on mangrove forests remains underexplored. This study investigates the abundance, composition, sources, and impacts of human-caused marine litter on mangroves along the Thoothukudi coast in the Gulf of Mannar, southeast India. The study recorded an average litter abundance of 6.7 ± 1.2 items/m 2 on the mangrove ground and 8.6 ± 0.3 items/tree, with plastic litter comprising over 81 % of all collected litter. Single-use plastic items were the most common across all sites. Several indices, including the General Index, Clean Coast Index, Pollution Load Index (PLI), and Hazardous Items Index (HII), were used to evaluate mangrove floor cleanliness, all indicating poor conditions. The PLI revealed "Hazard Level I" plastic debris concerns, with litter levels varying significantly by location. Areas with high population density and poor solid waste management had significantly more stranded litter. Litter sources were identified as both local (land-based) and external (marine fishing). Trapped plastic was found to impair mangrove pneumatophores and branches. To mitigate the negative impacts on mangrove ecosystems and ensure their conservation, the study emphasizes the need for strict law enforcement, a unified solid waste management strategy, and a widespread behavioural shift among citizens., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known financial conflicts of interest or personal relationships that could have influenced the work presented in this paper. The work presented in the paper was carried out entierly under Tamil Nadu Dr.J.Jayalalithaa Fisheries University. The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests, (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

In the Gulf of Mannar, Noctiluca scintillans blooms have been observed three times in September 2019, September and October 2020, and October 2021. It was determined and measured how the bloom period affects ichthyo-diversity. Noctiluca cell density varied slightly from year to year, ranging from1.8433 × 10 3 cells/L to 1.3824 x 10 6 cells/L. In surface and sea bottom waters, high ammonia levels and low dissolved oxygen levels were noted. During the bloom period a significant increase in chlorophyll concentration was found. The amount of chlorophyll in GOM was extremely high, according to remote sensing photos made using MODIS-Aqua 4 km data. Acute hypoxia caused the death of wild fish near coral reefs and also in fish reared in sea cages. The decay of the bloom resulted in significant ammonia production, a dramatic drop in the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water, and ultimately stress, shock, and mass mortality of fishes., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Children with evidence of tuberculous disease registered at the TB Clinic, Institute of Child Health, Madras during the years 1977 to 1992 were analyzed. Progressive primary complex, is the commonest thoracic form of tuberculosis while tuberculous meningitis is the commonest extra thoracic form. The overall prevalence of various clinical forms of tuberculosis has decreased over the last 16 years. There is an increasing trend in the prevalence of progressive primary complex among the BCG vaccinated group. The prevalence of pleural effusion, bone tuberculosis and abdominal tuberculosis is almost same over the last 16 years and is more in the BCG non vaccinated children. In tuberculous adenitis there is no significant variation between the two groups. The occurrence of tuberculous meningitis is in the ratio of 1:3 among BCG vaccinated and non-BCG vaccinated children. Though the prevalence of miliary tuberculosis is negligible, it is significantly more in BCG non-vaccinated children. There is a tendency for slight decrease in overall mortality due to tuberculosis in the last 10 years but the mortality due to tuberculous meningitis continues to be the same over the past 16 years.