Abstract
Propagation of tropical cyclones and their landfall along the coast affect the livelihood of the coastal community with loss of life, and Bay of Bengal is particularly vulnerable as past disasters have shown. The present study investigates the effects of tropical cyclones namely Phailin, Hudhud and Vardah during its landfall along the East Coast of India. Numerical modelling of storm surges primarily depends on the wind characteristics, for which, the performance of the simulated storm surge from cyclone wind and pressure fields of ECMWF is examined with Telemac-2D. The quality of the wind field is enhanced by applying available wind modification techniques, such as the parametric cyclone wind model superposed with ECMWF wind field, and the direct modification of ECMWF wind field. The superposed wind speed is found in good agreement with the measured wind data. The hydrodynamic simulation was then performed for the cyclonic events for the computation of the storm surge. The predictions agree well with the observed surges for the simulations performed with modified wind fields. The error reduced from 15 cm to 6 cm and model skill improved by 3% leading to a correlation coefficient of 0.98.
There is growing evidence that the pathogenesis of retinal diseases such as diabetic retinopathy (DR) and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) have a significant chronic inflammatory component. A vital part of the inflammatory cascade is through the activation of pattern recognition receptors (PRR) such as toll-like receptors (TLR). Here, we reviewed the past and current literature to ascertain the cumulative knowledge regarding the effect of TLRs on the development and progression of retinal diseases. There is burgeoning research demonstrating the relationship between TLRs and risk of developing retinal diseases, utilising a range of relevant disease models and a few large clinical investigations. The literature confirms that TLRs are involved in the development and progression of retinal diseases such as DR, AMD, and ischaemic retinopathy. Genetic polymorphisms in TLRs appear to contribute to the risk of developing AMD and DR. However, there are some inconsistencies in the published reports which require further elucidation. The evidence regarding TLR associations in retinal dystrophies including retinitis pigmentosa is limited. Based on the current evidence relating to the role of TLRs, combining anti-VEGF therapies with TLR inhibition may provide a longer-lasting treatment in some retinal vascular diseases.