Setting appropriate reference conditions (RCs) is critical for classifying the Ecological Quality Status (EcoQS) which is extremely challenging, considering the present-day estuaries. The EcoQS of ...three tropical estuaries was assessed by applying five different RCs to identify the best applicable method for the area. The AZTI's indices (AMBI and M-AMBI) categorised areas with sharper pollution gradient with ease, while classification of moderate-low polluted areas was ambiguous. Indices responded to chemical stressors more clearly in the impacted estuary compared to the less polluted estuaries. Ecological status assigned by the default RC (lowest AMBI and highest diversity and richness values) were more accurate than those obtained on application of other four types of RCs, owing to various estuarine constraints that are discussed herewith. Thus, prior to application, caution should be exercised while setting area-specific RCs. The inclusion of combination of AZTI's indices with professional judgment for successful appraisal of ecosystem is recommended.
•Five types of reference conditions (RCs) were employed for ecostatus assessment.•AZTI’s indices were accurate in more impacted estuaries than those less stressed.•Default RCs performed better than other applied RCs in these estuaries.•Indices with tested RC and expert judgment are recommended for future studies.
The preservation of ecosystem functioning of coastal zones, in face of increasing environmental stressors and species extinctions, relies on the functional redundancy and inherent resilience of its ...inhabitants. To compare the benthic functioning and resilience of a disturbed area with a relatively less impacted area, a study was conducted in Mumbai Port and Malvan Marine Protected Area (MPA), which exhibited contrasting characteristics. The hypothesis posited that the anthropogenically influenced Mumbai port would exhibit lower functional parameters and resilience compared to Malvan. Overall, the MPA presented higher species richness and functional diversity with a greater presence of sensitive species, while Mumbai was dominated by the presence of opportunistic species, as anticipated. However, our findings demonstrated that despite varied trends in species diversity metrics, in both the coastal areas, the resemblance in benthic functioning was high due to similarity in dominant trait profiles. Surprisingly, Functional Richness was higher at Mumbai, while Functional Evenness, Divergence and Dispersion were comparable at both sites. The resilience, as quantified by Functional Redundancy, was also comparable at both areas attributable to the presence of clusters of species with similar traits and a low occurrence of rare traits. The combination of traits observed in both areas was influenced by the extant environmental conditions, as revealed by RLQ analyses. This study underscores the valuable insights provided by the application of Biological Trait Analysis (BTA) tool in deciphering the relationship between species diversity and ecosystem functioning, as well as the resilience capabilities of ecosystems subjected to varying levels of perturbation. Moreover, the incorporation of functional diversity indices yielded valuable inferences regarding ecosystems resilience, which can aid future ecosystem management strategies.
•The ecosystem resilience was compared in a major port and a marine protected area.•The functional diversity metrics revealed stability in both Mumbai and Malvan.•The RLQ analyses showed the clusters of ecological preferences against stressors.•Mumbai port showed higher resilience despite being subjected to perturbations.•Functional redundancy was almost similar due to shared traits among the species.
Cervical human papillomavirus (HPV) infection may increase HIV risk. Since other genital infections enhance HIV susceptibility by inducing inflammation, we assessed the impact of HPV infection and ...clearance on genital immunology and the cervico-vaginal microbiome. Genital samples were collected from 65 women for HPV testing, immune studies and microbiota assessment; repeat HPV testing was performed after 6 months. All participants were HIV-uninfected and free of bacterial STIs. Cytobrush-derived T cell and dendritic cell subsets were assessed by multiparameter flow cytometry. Undiluted cervico-vaginal secretions were used to determine cytokine levels by multiplex ELISA, and to assess bacterial community composition and structure by 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. Neither HPV infection nor clearance were associated with broad differences in cervical T cell subsets or cytokines, although HPV clearance was associated with increased Langerhans cells and HPV infection with elevated IP-10 and MIG. Individuals with HPV more frequently had a high diversity cervico-vaginal microbiome (community state type IV) and were less likely to have an L. gasseri predominant microbiome. In summary, HPV infection and/or subsequent clearance was not associated with inflammation or altered cervical T cell subsets, but associations with increased Langerhans cells and the composition of the vaginal microbiome warrant further exploration.
Background. Genital inflammation is a key determinant of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission, and may increase HIV-susceptible target cells and alter epithelial integrity. Several genital ...conditions that increase HIV risk are more prevalent in African, Caribbean, and other black (ACB) women, including bacterial vaginosis and herpes simplex virus type-2 (HSV-2) infection. Therefore, we assessed the impact of the genital microbiota on mucosal immunology in ACB women and microbiome-HSV-2 interactions. Methods. Cervicovaginal secretions and endocervical cells were collected by cytobrush and Instead Softcup, respectively. T cells and dendritic cells were assessed by flow cytometry, cytokines by multiplex enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and the microbiota by 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid gene sequencing. Results. The cervicovaginal microbiota of 51 participants were composed of community state types (CSTs) showing diversity (20/51; 39%) or predominated by Lactobacillus iners (22/51; 42%), L. crispatus (7/51; 14%), or L. gasseri (2/51; 4%). High-diversity CSTs and specific bacterial phyla (Gardnerella vaginalis and Prevotella bivia) were strongly associated with cervicovaginal inflammatory cytokines, but not with altered endocervical immune cells. However, cervical CD4+ T-cell number was associated with HSV-2 infection and a distinct cytokine profile. Conclusions. This suggests that the genital microbiota and HSV-2 infection may influence HIV susceptibility through independent biological mechanisms.
.— Surveys undertaken on diseases caused by Vibrio spp. in Penaeus monodon from culture ponds of coastal Andhra Pradesh recorded the occurrence of five types of diseases: tail necrosis, shell ...disease, red disease, loose shell syndrome (LSS), and white gut disease (WGD). Among these, LSS, WGD, and red disease caused mass mortalities in shrimp culture ponds. Six species of Vibrio—V. harveyi, V. parahaemolyticus, V. alginolyticus, V. anguillarum, V. vulnificus, and V. splendidus—are associated with the diseased shrimp. The number of Vibrio spp. associated with each disease ranged from two to five. Additionally, shrimp with red disease had concurrent infections with white spot syndrome virus. Vibrio harveyi in the case of LSS and WGD, V. parahaemolyticus for red disease, and V. alginolyticus for shell disease are the major etiologcal agents. Differences occur in the degree of virulence of different species of Vibrio and also different isolates of the same species. Vibrio harveyi isolated from LSS shrimp is the most virulent. In general, all the Vibrio isolates from LSS shrimp tend to be more virulent as compared to their counterparts from other diseased shrimp. It is apparent that the degree of virulence of various Vibrio isolates depends on its source and the pond environmental conditions. Most of the Vibrio isolates showed susceptibility to oxytetracycline, norfloxacin, and ciprofloxacin. The luminous V. harveyi exhibited resistance to many antibiotics and susceptibility to only three drugs. Considering the emergence of antimicrobial resistant strains of Vibrio, the need for using probiotics in place of antibiotics for disease control is stressed.
Abstract
A Compact, dual-layer Frequency Selective Surface (FSS) is presented for electromagnetic shielding applications. The square loop FSS is modified to provide band rejection characteristics for ...ISM band and lower Ultra-Wide Band (UWB) covering from 2.2 GHz to 7.1 GHz with the bandwidth of (S21 < -20dB) 4.9 GHz. The novel design exhibits symmetric property due to which it achieves polarization-insensitive stable band rejection of the desired frequency band for various angles of incidences up to 60°. The proposed FSS structure has compact dimensions of 0.170λ x 0.170λ x 0.0117λ. The design was fabricated on either side of the substrate made of FR-4 with a dielectric constant of 4.4 and loss tangent of 0.02. The measured results are well per the simulation results. The proposed FSS in this paper has various applications, including the aerospace industry, hospitals, random, and in the scope of electromagnetic filters, etc.
The crude extract isolated from the visceral mass of
Anadara granosa
, an intertidal bivalve mollusc was tested for inhibitory activity against pathogenic bacteria of the shrimp and fish viz.
Vibrio ...harveyi
and
Staphylococcus aureus
respectively by agar well diffusion and contact bioautography methods. Maximum inhibitory activity was shown against
V. harveyi
by methanol and chloroform (9:1) extract. Twelve fractions (1–12) could be separated from the crude extract through column chromatography. Five out of twelve fractions (7, 8, 9, 10, and 11) showed antibacterial activity and they were further run on column chromatography for purity. The fraction no. 9 showed highest antibacterial activity among the five and was subjected to NMR for the proton, C
13
and H
1
–H
1
correlation, IR and mass spectral analysis for structural elucidation. Structure of the compound isolated from fraction no: 9 was determined as 1-(((2Z, 4Z)-dodeca-2,4-dienoyl)oxy)-3-hydroxypropan-2-yl tetradecanoate.
A histopathological study of Penaeus monodon showing external symptoms of white spot disease, collected from culture ponds at Mulakuddu and Rambilli villages (Visakhapatnam District) during May and ...July 2001, provided evidence for the occurrence of multiple viral infections. Each diseased shrimp carried concurrent infections with four different viruses, identified on the basis of nuclear changes, resulting in the formation of characteristic inclusion/occlusion bodies, as WSSV, YHV, MBV and IHHNV. The identification of the various viruses needs confirmation through molecular diagnostic methods. This constitutes a report recording concurrent infections with multiple viruses in a single shrimp.
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