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The paper describes an experimental study to evaluate the need of nickel electroplating on stainless steel part in vacuum brazed oxygen-free electronic (OFE) copper-type 316L stainless steel transition joints with silver copper eutectic braze filler metal (BVAg-8 of AWS A5.8). The results of the study demonstrated that nickel electroplating is not required to obtain hermetically sealed sound and strong OFE copper-316L stainless steel transition vacuum brazed joints. The only pre-treatment requirement for stainless steel part is simple ultrasonic cleaning, although pickling treatment has been found to have a favorable effect in improving its wettability for the braze filler metal. Brazed joints made with unplated stainless steel (SS) not only displayed (i) required level of hermeticity (helium leak rate ≤2 × 10−10 mbar·l/s) and bakeablility at 523 K for ultra-high vacuum application and (ii) reasonably good tensile strength comparable to those made with Ni-plated SS, but also exhibited significantly suppressed extent of intergranular penetration of braze filler metal into copper. Important factors responsible for the development of sound OFE copper-316L stainless steel brazed joints with ultrasonically cleaned stainless steel part are excellent wettability of OFE copper which compensated for poor wettability of stainless steel surface and presence of hydrocarbon-free high vacuum environment during brazing.

There is a vast range of gases which get ionized, produce electron-ion pairs, on the passage of high energy charged particles. Such gases are extensively used in experiments such as LHC, Belle-II, RHIC, DAFNE, etc which produce high energy particles. Panjab University established a detector assembly and characterization laboratory dedicated to gaseous detectors such as Resistive Plate Chamber (RPC) and Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) for the LHC experiment. Here, we present the recent work on the fabrication and characterizations of the GEM detector at Panjab University.

The high parton densities at the Large Hadron Collider lead to a probability of occurrence of two or more parton-parton scatterings in a hadron-hadron collision. The possibility of two hard parton-parton scatterings in a hadron collision is known as double parton scattering (DPS) . The study of DPS processes, being performed using the various final states at different collision energies using the CMS detector at the Large Hadron Collider, has been presented. The DPS processes play an important role in hadron-hadron collisions as they act as a background to new physics searches. The study of DPS processes provides information on the parton-parton correlations and parton distributions in a hadron.

The paper describes a new approach for vacuum brazing of niobium-316L stainless steel transition joints for application in superconducting radiofrequency cavities. The study exploited good wettability of titanium-activated silver-base brazing alloy (CuSil-ABA®), along with nickel as a diffusion barrier, to suppress brittle Fe-Nb intermetallic formation, which is well reported during the established vacuum brazing practice using pure copper filler. The brazed specimens displayed no brittle intermetallic layers on any of its interfaces, but instead carried well-distributed intermetallic particles in the ductile matrix. The transition joints displayed room temperature tensile and shear strengths of 122-143 MPa and 80-113 MPa, respectively. The joints not only exhibited required hermeticity (helium leak rate

Low magnetic permeability is an important criterion in selection of the material of construction of beam pipes and vacuum chambers of electron accelerators for safeguarding against distortion of the magnetic field. In the modified design of new 20 MeV/30 mA Injector Microtron for the existing synchrotron radiation sources Indus-1 and Indus-2, AISI 316 LN stainless steel has been identified as the material of construction of its vacuum chamber. Welding of AISI 316LN stainless steel with conventional filler alloys like ER316L and ER317L of AWS A5.9 produces duplex weld metal with 3–8% ferro-magnetic delta ferrite to avoid solidification cracking. The results of the study has demonstrated that GTAW of AISI 316LN SS with high Mn adaptation of W 18 16 5 N L filler produced a crack free non-magnetic weld with acceptable mechanical properties. Moreover, AISI 316LN stainless steel is not required to be solution annealed after the final forming operation for obtaining a low magnetic permeability, thereby avoiding solution annealing of large vacuum chamber in vacuum/controlled atmosphere furnace and associated problems of distortion. Besides Injector Microtron, the study also provides useful input for design of future indigenous accelerators with vacuum chambers of austenitic stainless steel.

A sensitive method for the quantification of 11 pesticides in sugar samples to the μg kg −1 level has been developed. These pesticides are often used in an agricultural context. A simple solvent extraction followed by selective analysis using a gas chromatography–mass spectrometric method was used. This method was accurate (⩾99%) as it possesses limits of detection in the 0.1-μg kg −1 range, and the coefficients of variations are less than 15% at the low μg kg −1 end of the method’s linear range. The percent recovery of all the pesticides at the lowest levels of detection ranges from 82% to 104%. This method was used for the quantification of pesticides in sugar samples collected from different factory outlets from different parts of India. In this study, 27 refined sugar samples were analysed in which one sample showed a detectable level of the chlorpyrifos pesticide. This study showed that Indian sugar is free from the commonly-used pesticides at the low μg kg −1 levels.

A number of families in a rural area of Jabalpur District (Madhya Pradesh), India, were affected by repeated episodes of convulsive illness over a period of three weeks. The aim of this investigation was to determine the cause of the illness.The investigation included a house-to-house survey, interviews of affected families, discussions with treating physicians, and examination of hospital records. Endosulfan poisoning was suspected as many villagers were using empty pesticide containers for food storage. To confirm this, our team collected blood and food samples, which were transported to the laboratory and analyzed with GC-ECD.Thirty-six persons of all age groups had illness of varying severity over a period of three weeks. In the first week, due to superstitions and lack of treatment, three children died. In the second week, symptomatic treatment of affected persons in a district hospital led to recovery but recurrence of convulsive episodes occurred after the return home. In the third week, 10 people were again hospitalized in a teaching hospital. Investigations carried out in this hospital ruled out infective etiology but no facilities were available for chemical analysis. All persons responded to symptomatic treatment. The blood and food samples analyzed by our team showed presence of endosulfan, which was confirmed by GCMS. One of the food items (Laddu) prepared from wheat flour was found to contain 676 ppm of alpha-endosulfan.Contamination of wheat grains or flour with endosulfan and its consumption over a period of time was the most likely cause of repeated episodes of convulsions, but the exact reason for this contamination could not be determined. This report highlights the unsafe disposal of pesticide containers by illiterate farm workers, superstitions leading to delay in treatment, and susceptibility of children to endosulfan.

There is experimental evidence of adverse effects of endosulfan on the male reproductive system, but there are no human data. Therefore, we undertook a study to examine the relationship between environmental endosulfan exposure and reproductive development in male children and adolescents. The study population was composed of 117 male schoolchildren (10-19 years of age) of a village situated at the foothills of cashew plantations, where endosulfan had been aerially sprayed for more than 20 years, and 90 comparable controls with no such exposure history. The study parameters included recording of clinical history, physical examination, sexual maturity rating (SMR) according to Tanner stages, and estimation of serum levels of testosterone, luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone, and endosulfan residues (70 study and 47 control subjects). Mean +/- SE serum endosulfan levels in the study group (7.47 +/- 1.19 ppb) were significantly higher (p < 0.001) than in controls (1.37 +/- 0.40 ppb). Multiple regression analysis showed that SMR scoring for development of pubic hair, testes, penis, and serum testosterone level was positively related to age and negatively related to aerial exposure to endosulfan (AEE; p < 0.01). Serum LH levels were significantly positively related to AEE after controlling for age (p < 0.01). The prevalence of congenital abnormalities related to testicular descent (congenital hydrocele, undescended testis, and congenital inguinal hernia) among study and controls subjects was 5.1% and 1.1%, respectively, but the differences were statistically nonsignificant. Our study results suggest that endosulfan exposure in male children may delay sexual maturity and interfere with sex hormone synthesis. Our study is limited by small sample size and nonparticipation.

Pesticides are toxic chemicals but their benefits to society are undeniably great. These chemicals enhance the economic potential in terms of increased agricultural output and eradication of vector borne diseases but the success has extricated a price in terms of adverse effects on human and environmental health (White 1990; Koh and Jeyaratnam 1996). Production of technical grade pesticides and their formulation products in industrial settings and their application in field conditions involve substantial potential risk as the various processes and activities are unlikely to be risk free. In formulation process, active ingredients are mixed with inert substances to yield different forms of the product (dust powder, emulsifiable concentrates etc). During this process, workers are exposed to various toxic chemicals including technical grade pesticides, various solvents and adjuvants that are known to exert deleterious effects on the health of workers (WHO 1992; Kashyap and Bhatnagar 1996).

Monitoring for occupational exposures to carcinogens can be among the most daunting tasks of the occupational health professional. Air sampling data do not provide reliable estimates of exposure because the skin is often a major route of entry. Biological monitoring markers are available on several levels for chemical carcinogens, however. These can be used to augment the occupational health program by providing estimates of internal and effective dose. Carcinogen biomarkers have proven to be important tools in research studies of exposure and genetic susceptibility. The results of two of these studies will be reviewed and placed in the context of an occupational monitoring program. We found that a battery of markers was very useful in a cross-sectional study. Individuals with high exposure and effect could be identified as were physiological factors which caused higher levels of effective dose markers.

The residues of the congeners of dioxin and furan have been identified in the egg samples collected from the western zone of the India. The samples were collected from the chicken grown in sites where Municipal Corporation incinerates the municipal and hazardous wastes. All the samples showed the presence of the residues of PCDDs/Fs. The mean TEQ of dioxin and furan were 7.10 pg/g and 0.39 pg/g respectively.

In a cross-sectional study of 33 workers exposed to benzidine and benzidine dyes and 15 non-exposed controls, we previously reported that exposure status and internal dose of benzidine metabolites were strongly correlated with the levels of specific benzidine-DNA adducts in exfoliated urothelial cells. We also evaluated DNA adduct levels in peripheral white blood cells (WBC) of a subset of 18 exposed workers and 7 controls selected to represent a wide range of adducts in exfoliated urothelial cells. Samples were coded and then DNA was analyzed using 32P-postlabeling, along with n-butanol extraction. One adduct, which co-chromatographed with a synthetic N-(3'-phospho-deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-N'-acetylbenzidine standard, predominated in those samples with adducts present. The median level (range) of this adduct in WBC DNA was 194.4 (3.2-975) RAL x 10(9) in exposed workers and 1.4 (0.1-6.4) in the control subjects (p = 0.0002, Wilcoxon Rank Sum Test). There was a striking correlation between WBC and exfoliated urothelial cell adduct levels (Pearson r = 0.84, p < 0.001) among exposed subjects. In addition, the sum of urinary benzidine, N-acetylbenzidine and N,N'-diacetylbenzidine correlated with the levels of this adduct in both tissues. This is the first study in humans to show a relationship for a specific carcinogen adduct in a surrogate tissue and in urothelial cells, the target for urinary bladder cancer.

Scarcity of water in upland areas limits the growing of transplanted rice and the yield of rice grown under rainfed conditions is very low. As the first priority for the use of runoff recycling based water resources is in the dry season followed by the monsoon season, a strategy has been developed to use the surplus water (occurring during the early monsoon season) to grow transplanted rice without compromising the dry season irrigation. Field experiments revealed that under the mid-hill conditions, transplanted rice can be grown as transplanted in 5 cm standing water and thereafter tainted, requiring only 3.0–3.5 cm of water with a yield reduction of about 25% as compared to generally recommended intermittent submergence (2 days after the disappearance of water) requiring 100–130 cm of water. However, the reduction in yield was not significant if 1 week of initial ponding just after transplanting was created. Based on rainfall-runoff analysis, graphs were developed for runoff and volume of water available in water tanks in different durations of early monsoon periods, command-catchment area ratio and the volume of water available after irrigation which is to be used in dry season, as a function of runoff curve numbers. These graphs can be consulted directly to plan irrigation systems for transplanted rice in upland areas.

The authors identified 2 rural areas for study in Gujarat State, India, on the basis of pesticide use in agriculture and vector-control programs. In rural area 1, pesticides were used in both agriculture and vector-control programs, whereas in rural area 2, they were used in agriculture only. Water samples were collected from both areas, and they were analyzed for total dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) residues. The mean residue levels of total DDT in rural areas 1 and 2 were 7.56 ng/l and 4.27 ng/l, respectively. The corresponding values for HCH were 6.96 ng/l and 5.53 ng/l, respectively. Residue levels of both pesticides were significantly lower in rural area 2 than in area 1.

A health surveillance study in 22 healthy spraymen showed significent T-wave changes (including inversion) in most of the limb leads and chest leads following 5 d exposure to methomyl, a carbamate pesticide. Significant changes in plasma cholinesterase and lactic dehydrogenase activities were also noticed. The ECG changes could be reproduced in rabbits and were dose dependent. This type of ECG change following exposure to a carbamate compound is reported for the first time in occupationally-exposed subjects. The study results indicate that these changes are probably directly related to methomyl rather than its toxicity through cholinesterase inhibition. The significance of these changes remain to be investigated.

A study of the a.c. conductivity of the Pb-modified amorphous ambipolar semiconductors (PbS)X(GeS)0.7-x(GeS)0.3 and Ge42S58 in the frequency range 100 to 10kHz and in the temperature span 180K–440K has been undertaken for the first time. The a.c. conductivity is found to be proportional to ωs. The temperature dependence of σa.c(ω) and the parameter s is reasonably interpreted by the correlated barrier hopping model (CBH). The analysis of the results reveals that the electronic conduction in Ge42S58 takes place via single-polaron hopping in the whole temperature range of study. Addition of Pb impurity induces new types of defects (C−, Pb2+) which contribute predominantly to the single-polaron hopping process at higher temperature (>330K), but the conduction at lower temperature (

Measurements of the a.c. conductivity of Bi-modified Mn-doped semiconducting glasses Ge20S79·5-x,BixMn0·5, have been carried out in the frequency range 100Hz-10kHz and at temperatures from 180 to 4...

This article is the continuation of the article entitled "Dawn of Ayurveda during the reign of Nizam-VII of, Hyderabad" published in B.I.I.H.M. Vol. 18, No. 1, Jan 1998, pp. 67-84. The life sketch of nine pioneers of Ayruveda who established the system of Ayurveda on the track during the rule of Nizam - VII - Mir Osman Ali Khan Bahadur are presented here.

Rumoozul Atibba, a rare Urdu book compiled by Hakim Fairozuddin is in two Volumes. It is published by Darul Kutub Rafiqul Atibba, printed in "Rifah-e-Aam press in 1913 at Lahore which contains short biographies of Ayurvedic and Unani physicians. It has been compiled to disclose the tested formulae hidden in the minds of eminent scholars of Ayurveda and Unani with their life sketches. The selection of this work has been aimed to enlight the Ayurvedic History prevailed in different languages. Twenty biographies of Ayurvedic Physicians were in first volume of 'Rumuzul Atibba', which were published prior to this article (Bulletin of Indian Institute of History of Medicine. Vol XXVI (1996). This article contains only three biographies of Ayurvedic physicians.

In the name of Trillinga Ayurveda Vidya Peetham a seed for Ayurveda with a schoolfree Ayurveda dispensary along with a Sanskrit school was sowed at Warangal by some eminent devoted private practitioners of Ayurveda and Philanthropists. The city of Warangal is a historical place and once a capital of Kakatiya Kingdom, though it was part and parcel of Nizam dominion. In fact such steps taken by Private Organisations for establishment of Ayurvedic system of Medicine in Hyderabad and in Andhra region at Bejwada is appreciable.

Urdu is a distinct literary language began to develop in India during Mughal empire. Lots of people read, write and speak, this language in Indian subcontinent. This brief article will shed light on the seven rare books in Urdu compiled and published in the period from 19th century to the first half of the current century. Some books may not have high value but the struggle of the scholars, is appreciable.

Thirty male pesticide formulators exposed to the dust and liquid formulation of endosulfan, quinalphos, chlorpyriphos, monocrotophos, lindane, parathion, phorate, and fenvalerate and 20 comparable control subjects from the same area of study were examined for the evaluation of thyroid function tests. The level of TSH was elevated (about 28%) in pesticide formulators as compared to a control group, but the increase was statistically insignificant. Based on the individual TSH measurement, 3 of 30 formulators had isolated elevated levels of TSH and seem to have acquired sub-clinical hypothyroidism; five had TSH values slightly elevated to the upper boarder line (4.03,uIU/ml); and the majority of formulators (N= 22) had TSH values in the normal range varying from 1.29 to 3.9 pIU/ml. Total T3 was suppressed significantly (P 4 level. This studyindicatedthyroidfunctionimpairmentinfewpesticide formulators.

We evaluated the influence of urine pH on the proportion of urinary benzidine (BZ) and N-acetylbenzidine present in the free, unconjugated state and on exfoliated urothelial cell DNA adduct levels in 32 workers exposed to BZ in India. Postworkshift urine pH was inversely correlated with the proportions of BZ (r = -0.78; P0.0001) and N-acetylbenzidine (r = -0.67; P0.0001) present as free compounds. Furthermore, the average of each subject's pre- and postworkshift urine pH was negatively associated with the predominant urothelial DNA adduct (P = 0.0037, adjusted for urinary BZ and metabolites), which has been shown to cochromatograph with a N-(3'-phosphodeoxyguanosin-8-yl)-N'-acetylbenzidine adduct standard. Controlling for internal dose, individuals with urine pH6 had 10-fold higher DNA adduct levels compared to subjects with urine pHor = 7. As reported previously, polymorphisms in NAT1, NAT2, and GSTM1 had no impact on DNA adduct levels. This is the first study to demonstrate that urine pH has a strong influence on the presence of free urinary aromatic amine compounds and on urothelial cell DNA adduct levels in exposed humans. Because there is evidence that acidic urine has a similar influence on aromatic amines derived from cigarette smoke, urine pH, which is influenced by diet, may be an important susceptibility factor for bladder cancer caused by tobacco in the general population.

Urinary mutagenicity has been used in occupational and epidemiological studies for over two decades as a cost-effective, general biomarker of exposure to genotoxic agents. However, few studies have compared urinary mutagenicity to additional biomarkers determined among low- and high-exposed groups. To address this issue, we evaluated the relationship between urinary mutagenicity and other types of biomarkers in a cross-sectional study involving 15 workers exposed to the urinary bladder carcinogen benzidine (BZ, high exposure), 15 workers exposed to BZ-dyes (low exposure), and 13 unexposed controls in Ahmedabad, India. Urinary organics were extracted by C18/methanol and evaluated for mutagenicity in the presence of S9 in the Salmonella strain YG1024, which is a frameshift strain that overproduces acetyltransferase. The results were compared to biomarker data reported recently from the same urine samples (Rothman et al., Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA, 93, 5084-5089, 1996) that included a metabolite biomarker (the sum of the urinary levels of BZ + N-acetylbenzidine + N,N'-diacetylbenzidine) and a DNA adduct biomarker [a presumptive N-(3'-phosphodeoxyguanosin-8-yl)-N'-acetylbenzidine (C8dG-ABZ) DNA adduct in exfoliated urothelial cells]. The mean +/- SE urinary mutagenicity (revertants/micromol of creatinine) of the low-exposure (BZ-dye) workers was 8.2 +/- 2.4, which was significantly different from the mean of the controls (2.8 +/- 0.7, P = 0.04) as was that of the mean of the high-exposure (BZ) workers (123.2 +/- 26.1, P < 0.0001). Urinary mutagenicity showed strong, positive correlations with urinary metabolites (r = 0.88, P < 0.0001) and the level of the presumptive C8dG-ABZ urothelial DNA adduct (r = 0.59, P = 0.0006). A strong association was found between tobacco use (bidi smoking) and urinary mutagenicity among the controls (r = 0.68, P = 0.01) but not among the exposed workers (r = 0.18, P = 0.11). This study confirms the ability of a biomarker such as urinary mutagenicity to detect low-dose exposures, identify additional genotoxic exposures among the controls, and correlate strongly with urinary metabolites and DNA adducts in the target tissue (urinary bladder epithelia) in humans.

Several epidemiologic studies indicate that NAT2-related slow N-acetylation increases bladder cancer risk among workers exposed to aromatic amines, presumably because N-acetylation is important for the detoxification of these compounds. Previously, we showed that NAT2 polymorphisms did not influence bladder cancer risk among Chinese workers exposed exclusively to benzidine (BZ), suggesting that NAT2 N-acetylation is not a critical detoxifying pathway for this aromatic amine. To evaluate the biologic plausibility of this finding, we carried out a cross-sectional study of 33 workers exposed to BZ and 15 unexposed controls in Ahmedabad, India, to evaluate the presence of BZ-related DNA adducts in exfoliated urothelial cells, the excretion pattern of BZ metabolites, and the impact of NAT2 activity on these outcomes. Four DNA adducts were significantly elevated in exposed workers compared to controls; of these, the predominant adduct cochromatographed with a synthetic N-(3'- phosphodeoxyguanosin-8-yl)-N'-acetylbenzidine standard and was the only adduct that was significantly associated with total BZ urinary metabolites (r = 0.68, P < 0.0001). To our knowledge this is the first report to show that BZ forms DNA adducts in exfoliated urothelial cells of exposed humans and that the predominant adduct formed is N-acetylated, supporting the concept that monofunctional acetylation is an activation, rather than a detoxification, step for BZ. However, because almost all BZ-related metabolites measured in the urine of exposed workers were acetylated among slow, as well as rapid, acetylators (mean +/- SD 95 +/- 1.9% vs. 97 +/- 1.6%, respectively) and NAT2 activity did not affect the levels of any DNA adduct measured, it is unlikely that interindividual variation in NAT2 function is relevant for BZ-associated bladder carcinogenesis.

In early 20th century some Urdu scholars tried to enrich urdu literature with medical history. They started compiling and publishing the biographies of the contemporary physicians along with their achievements. One of such works "Rumoozul Atibba" a rare book compiled by Hakim Fairozuddin in Urdu, published by 'Darul Kutub Rafiqul Atibba' and printed in 'Rifah-e-Aam Press' at Lahore in the year 1913 A.D. has been taken here. It contains about 150 short biographies of Ayurvedic and Unani physicians, out of which all the twenty biographies of Ayurvedic physicians given in it, have been presented in this article.

It is a biographical work which sheds light on the lives and works of some of the Ayurvedic Physicians flourished during Nizam dynasty. The credit for development of Ayurveda in Hyderabad goes to the eminent Ayurvedic Physicians, mentioned in this articles who taught Ayurveda in their private clinics, rendered their services during the outbreak of epidemics, organised conferences, compiled very useful works on Ayurveda and established an Ayurvedic school on a grand scale which was recognised by the government.

A vacuum chamber, to house the optical pulse compressor of a 150 TW Ti:sapphire laser system, has been designed, fabricated, and tested. As the intensity of the laser pulse becomes very high after pulse compression, there is phase distortion of the laser beam in air. Hence, the beam (after pulse compression) has to be transported in vacuum to avoid this distortion, which affects the laser beam focusability. A breadboard with optical gratings and reflective optics for compression of the optical pulse has to be kept inside the chamber. The chamber is made of SS 316L material in cuboidal shape with inside dimensions 1370×1030×650 mm3, with rectangular and circular demountable ports for entry and exit of the laser beam, evacuation, system cables, and ports to access optics mounted inside the chamber. The front and back sides of the chamber are kept demountable in order to insert the breadboard with optical components mounted on it. Leak tightness of 9×10−9 mbar-lit/sec in all the joints and ultimate vacuum of 6.5×10−6 mbar was achieved in the chamber using a turbo molecular pumping system. The paper describe details of the design/ features of the chamber, important procedure involved in machining, fabrication, processing and final testing.

This article contains a brief history of Ayurveda in Hyderabad. It can be proudly stated that this system is prevailing here since foundation of this city in 1590 A.D. As it is said that the physicians of Ayurveda and Unani both were among the staff of the first general hospital of Hyderabad city 'Darush-shifa' which was constructed in 1595 A.D. After the Qutub Shahi period the rulers of Asafjahi dynasty also patronised this system. The physicians of this period not only run their clinics but they also teach this system to their pupils privately. Due to the efforts of some eminent Ayurvedic physicians, Ayurveda progressed well. The names and the photos of these physicians have been given in this article. Now this system has a good status here with well established college, hospital and research department etc.

Chemical oxidation of beta-hydroxybutyrate (beta-OHB) to acetoacetate (AcAc) has been carried out by a simple and new method employing potassium persulphate as an oxidising agent. Under the conditions of assay, beta-OHB (0.079-0.395 microM) was instantaneously oxidised to AcAc and the authenticity of the oxidised product was proved by absorption spectroscopy. A common absorption maxima at about 446 nm was observed in all the spectra recorded for the product (AcAc-complex) obtained after the oxidation of beta-OHB (0.079-0.395 microM) to AcAc followed by coupling with diazotized p-nitroaniline. This absorption maxima was almost equal to that obtained for AcAc-complex using AcAc as reference standard. It implies that AcAc formed by the chemical oxidation of beta-OHB is identically similar to the AcAc used as reference standard for the study. This fact was further strengthened when absorption spectra, recorded either individually or in combination (mixed-type), exhibited a single peak with a common absorption maxima at about 446 nm. Absorption spectra was found to be partially diminished by glucose (1.77 microM) and chloride (17.1 microM), while almost complete diminution of absorption spectra was observed at higher concentration of glucose (8.88 microM) and chloride (51.3 microM).

Assessments of human exposure to persistent organochlorine insecticides (OCI) through biological monitoring offers a profound criteria to evaluate the magnitude of potential health risk, if any, due to use of these chemicals. Residues of these chemicals especially DDT and HCH have been identified and reviewed in man and his environment from different parts of the world however, by comparison very high levels of DDT and its metabolites have been reported in human body fat, blood and milk samples in India. Since there is a definite relationship between the amount of DDT and its residues in blood and those present in human fat depot, blood can be easily be used for assessing the total body burden of persistent OCI in various populations. In view of fragmentary reports on the levels of DDT and HCH in human blood samples from India which categorically pertain to the general population of urban areas like Delhi and Lucknow. The authors attempted to provide a database on residues of DDT and HCH including other cyclodiene compounds, e.g. heptachlor, heptachlor epoxide, aldrin, oxygchlordane, HCB and dieldrin in blood samples collected from general population of Ahmedabad (rural) area.

Intraperitoneal treatment of adult male rats with lindane at dosages of 4 and 8 mg/kg over a period of 45 days caused retardation in body and testicular growth. Testicular degeneration was conspicuous over a period of 45 days in both dosages of lindane. After treatment with lindane, histochemical and biochemical studies revealed the accumulation of testicular lipid components, i.e. total lipids, triglycerides and cholesterol along with fatty degeneration in testicular tissues. Moreover, the loss of male accessory organ weight indicated androgen deficiency in treated rats.

A series of laboratory experiments was conducted to determine the mechanism(s) responsible for a previously reported observation that addition of liquid manure to soil increased the NaHCO3-extractable P (Ext-P) of large aggregates (> 2 mm) more than that of smaller aggregates whereas addition of an inorganic P solution did not. Application of liquid poultry manure increased the total P, Ext-P and total C concentrations in large aggregates (> 2 mm) much more (> 2.5 ×) than that in small aggregates (

Causes du plus faible taux d'enrichissement en phosphore extractable observe lors de l'application de purin

Optical absorption spectra of amorphous compositions in the systems GeSBi, GeSeBi and GeSeSb have been studied in the spectral region 50 to 600 cm −1 at room temperature. The spectra exhibit bismuth/antimony induced changes in the glass network. Interpretation of the results indicates some differences in the structural built-up of the different categories of amorphous semiconductors.

SUMMARYAn aqueous solution of a morphactin (chlorflurenol) was applied at 100–1000 ppm to plants of corn (Zea maysL.) variety White Ganga-2 to examine its influence on growth, sex expression, yield and carbohydrates in the grain. At concentrations up to 600 ppm morphactin decreased height, weakened apical dominance, increased the number of tillers and thickness of stem, and caused an appreciable increase in female sex expression, yield and carbohydrates in the grain but reduced them at 800 and 1000 ppm.

Possible contamination of human milk through the excretion of DDT and its metabolites is a concern in India, where DDT is widely used as an insecticide. To assess this risk, milk samples collected from 60 lactating women admitted to hospitals in Delhi were quantitatively analyzed. 55 of the 60 milk samples showed evidence of residues of pp'DDE (mean, 0.176 + or - 0.382 ppm), op'DDT (mean, 0.046 + or - 0.011 ppm), and pp'DDT (mean, 0.122 + or - 0.434 ppm). The mean residue level in milk fat (mg/kg fat) was 7.280 + or - 23.240, 1.428 + or - 2.697, and 1.597 + or - 5.936, respectively. A large variation in individual values was observed. The finding that pp'DDE is the DDT metabolite excreted into human milk at the highest level is consistent with previous research. Daily intake of total DDT averaged 0.062 mg/kg of body weight--a value that is 12 times higher than the acceptable level of DDT (0.005 mg/kg/day) set by the World Health Organization. Although no harmful effects of DDT have been recorded to date in breastfed infants in India, preventive measures aimed at reducing the body burden of DDT in lactating women are urged.

Blood samples of 75 pesticide factory workers in Agra Division, India, were analyzed for biochemical parameters of clinical importance. About 75% of the subjects had significantly low levels of serum cholinesterase activity. Several subjects had below average blood sugar and urea values. The majority had elevated levels of serum cholesterol, phospholipid and SGOT activity. 52 workers reported general toxic symptoms. A correlation between the clinical manifestations and blood biochemical parameters has been attempted.

A critical assessment of the merits of core-spinning by means of comparisons of the strength and extension of core-spun yarns with all-staple-fibre yarns forms the basis of this paper. Core-spinning was done by introducing the filament under tension into the drafted strand as the latter entered the front rollers of the ring-frame. A 20-den (2.2-tex) nylon monofilament was used as core, and three types of staple-fibre covering were investigated. The effects of twist, pre-tension, and feeding arrangements on the geometrical disposition and tensile properties of the yarns were examined. Improvements in strength are, in general, realized at low twists by the incorporation of the filament and by further constraining it to occupy the core. The contribution of the components to the yarn strength and the process of breaking were also subjected to a detailed study. The studies reported provide an interesting insight into the extent of cohesion developed between the fibres during the straining of the yarn and its i...

A single oral dose of DDT (60.0 mg/kg), malathion (687.5 mg/kg), phosalone (60.0 mg/kg) and elsan (175.0 mg/kg) to adult male albino rats produced significant impairment in acid and alkaline phosphatase activities within 1 h of dosing. Renal and hepatic alkaline phosphatase activity was significantly inhibited in all cases, while treatment with malathion and phosalone resulted in an increase in intestinal alkaline phosphatase activity. Elsan induced an increase in acid phosphatase activity in liver, kidney and intestine whereas the response to DDT, malathion and phosalone was variable.