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Metamaterials show properties different from the properties present in the natural occurring materials. In ordinary way, materials are constructed at the chemical level but metamaterials are constructed at the macroscopic level and derive their properties from geometry. Metamaterials simultaneously exhibit negative permittivity and permeability resulting in negative refractive index. It is because of these unusual properties that metamaterials change the electric and magnetic property of electromagnetic waves. The reflection pattern as displayed by metamaterials has been a field of research worldwide with various theories and models being suggested. However, development of the desired commercially viable metamaterials is directly dependent on advancement in the field of nano-technology as even the best conventional photolithography techniques are not able to fabricate the element at the molecular levels. Metamaterial are expected to impact most of the technological fields where electromagnetic radiation are used. They provide a fast emerging flexible platform for technological advancement. Metamaterials have a prominent role in Aerospace and Defence which enable its application in enhanced communication, radar improvement, drones, light aircrafts, next generation composites and invisibility cloaks. Research undertaken for design of low density but high strength radar absorbing materials has been limited due to key factors such as mechanical strength, environmental resistance, thickness, absorptivity and weight. Research efforts have now shifted towards radar absorbing structures, a field which enables multiple military application, wherein metamaterial offer one such lucrative option. COMSOL Multiphysics Electro Magnetics RF Module software has been used in order to simulate various metamaterial designs. The aim of the paper is to study various designs of metamaterials and its applications as Electromagnetic wave absorbers.

Summary The occurrence of dermatophytes and other keratinophilic fungi was investigated in 700 small mammals representing 9 species of rodents and one of shrew. Three species of dermatophytes were isolated with an overall prevalence of 16.6%. These included Trichophyton simii (97 isolates), T. mentagrophytes var. granulate (4) and Microsporum gypseum (15). None of the animals yielding dermatophytes showed any skin lesions nor did their hair fluoresce under ultra-violet light. Of the 97 isolates of T. simii, 81 originated from Delhi and 16 from Alwar (Rajasthan). A majority of the isolates of T. simii were obtained from Tatera indica (The Indian gerbil), the dominant field rodent of the plains and peninsular India, and Suncus murinus, a common shrew. The consistent recovery of T. simii from the fur of these animals trapped over a period of 5 years from a particular rural site in Delhi and its association with several other species of small mammals in contrast to its sporadic occurrence in soil suggests that it is predominantly a zoophilic species. The prevalence of other species of keratinophilic fungi in the animals investigated was a follows: Chrysosporium tropicum (3.6 %), C. keratinophvlum (1 %), Keratinophyton terreum (1.7%), Anixiopsis stercoraria (0.4%), Pseudoarachniotus hya-linosporus (0.9 %), Auxarthron zuffianum (0.8 %) and Ctenomyces serratus (0.7 %). Zusammenfassung 700 kleine Saugetiere, 9 Nagetierarten und 1 Spitzmausart einschliesend, wurden auf das Vorkommen von Dermatophyten und anderen keratinophilen Pilzen untersucht. Der Anteil von 3 isolierten Dermatophytenarten betrug 16,6 %. Gezuchtet wurden Trichophyton simii (97 Stamme), Trichophyton mentagrophytes var. granulare (2) und Microsporum gypseum (15).

Summary The prevalence of Cryptococcus neoformans was investigated in 236 samples of excreta of pigeons (Columba livia) and six other avian species. Cr. neoformans was recovered on 15 (10,06%) occasions form old pigeon excreta and on 2 occasions form old excreta of Apus affinis (the House Swift). The recovery of Cr. neoformans from samples of pigeon droppings examined from sheltered or partially sheltered sites was significantly higher than that from the open sites. None of the 30 samples of fresh pigeon droppings and the viscera of any of the 35 pigeons examined yielded Cr. neoformans. Among the other potential fungal pathogens occasionally encountered in avian excreta were 3 isolates each of Monosporium apiospermum (Allescheria boydii) and Aspergillus fumigatus. 14 of Candida albicans, 4 of C. tropicalis, one of C. guilliermondii, and 14 of Geotrichum candidum. C. albicans and G. candidum were also recovered from the intestinal contents of 4 and 3 pigeons respectively. Zusammenfassung Die Verbreitun; von Cryptococcus neoformans wurde anhand von 236 Proben von Taubenausscheidungen (Columba livia) und 6 weiteren Vogelarten untersucht. Crypto-coccus neoformans wurde in 15 (10,06 %) Fallen in alten Taubenausscheidungen und in zwei Fallen in alten Exkreten der Hausschwalbe (Apus affinis) nachgewiesen. Die Isolierung von Cryptococcus neoformans aus den untersuchten Taubenkotproben, und zwar von iiberdachten und teilweise iiberdachten Entnahmestellen, war signifikant hoher als von freiliegenden Probeentnahmestellen. Keine der 30 frischen Taubenkotproben und die Ein- geweide keiner der 35 untersuchten Tauben enthielten Cryptococcus neoformans. Unter den anderen gelegentlich aus den Vogelkotproben isolierten pilzlichen Erregern fanden sich Monosporium apiospermum (Allescheria boydii; 3mal), Aspergillus fumigatus (3mal), Candida albicans (14mal), Candida tropicalis (4mal), Candida guilliermondii (1mal) und Geotriabum candidum (14mal). Candida albicans (4mal) und Geotrichum candidum (3mal) wurden ebenfalls aus dem Inhalt der Eingeweide gezuchtet.

Secondary care rheumatology services for patients with inflammatory arthritis (IA) in the West Midlands were audited using Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance (ARMA) standards of care. Questionnaires were analysed from 1,715 patients in 11 rheumatology departments. ARMA standards recommend full multidisciplinary team assessment; referral rates to nurse specialists (52.3%), physiotherapists (48.7%) and occupational therapists (36.5%) were, however, lower than expected. Attendance at existing hospital-led education groups was rare (8.9%), awareness of existing helplines was moderate (59.2%) but the proportion of patients reporting satisfaction with advice about their disease was high (80.5%). Significant variations were found between departments. For patients with IA < 2 years (n = 236), 84.5% were seen by a rheumatologist within the ARMA standard of 12 weeks of referral; diagnosis of a type of IA was made at the first rheumatology appointment in 66.4%; 82.8% of rheumatoid arthritis patients had commenced disease-modifying drugs, although time to commencement varied across departments. This study raises issues regarding provision of rheumatology services, prioritisation of patient referral and patient education.

Micropipe density (MPD) is a crucial parameter for silicon carbide (SiC) substrates that determines the quality, stability and yield of the semiconductor devices built on these substrates. The importance of MPD is underscored by the fact that all existing specifications for 6H- and 4H-SiC substrates set upper limits for it. Several methods for measuring the MPD are known, however, their reliability and applicability to various types of substrates (e.g. semiinsulating, conducting, etc.) has not been systematically studied. The subject of this paper is a comparative study of various techniques used for the MPD measurement accompanied by statistical analysis of the results. The study was initiated by several organizations working in the immediate field of silicon carbide or in closely related fields and included SiC substrate manufacturers, substrate consumers, equipment manufacturers and universities. The study represented a round robin experiment in which MPD was measured on thirty SiC wafers of various pedigrees. The values of MPD have been determined using both destructive and non-destructive techniques. The repeatability of each technique is analyzed and compared with that of other techniques.

In this paper an attempt has been made to understand the nature, extent and causes of housing poverty in India. Housing stock, new household formation, homelessness, type of structure, number of rooms and households, slums and squatter settlements, housing investment, housing affordability, ownership occupancy, water connection and toilets have been taken as indicators of housing poverty. The paper is based on secondary sources. It concludes that mainly critically poor, low income groups and low middle income groups are suffering from housing poverty. The main causes of housing poverty is existing socio-economic and political systems and unrealistic and insensitive attitude of ruling elite towards the growing needs of poor in growing cities. There is lack of political will rather than the resources. The need of hour is strong political will for comprehensive understanding of phenomenon and enhancement of human capabilities with public action and democratic government support.

Three monocot lectins from underground tubers of plants belonging to the family Araceae were investigated for their mitogenic potential towards human peripheral blood lymphocytes. All the three lectins turned out to be potent mitogens in the [3H]-thymidine uptake assay. Gonatanthus pumilus lectin was mitogenic at an optimum concentration of 25 micrograms/ml while Alocasia indica and Sauromatum guttatum lectins were most effective at a concentration of 50 micrograms/ml. [3H]-thymidine incorporation studies further revealed that the lectins were T-cell mitogens and did not induce any appreciable DNA synthesis in B-enriched lymphocytes. The proliferation kinetic studies detected maximum incorporation on day 3 and the mitogenic response was shown to be inhibited by asialofetuin in a concentration-dependent manner.

Failure characteristics of Gr/PEEK were studied, using an experimental investigation and a fully nonlinear ply-by-ply finite-element technique. The stacking sequence of the laminates (with centrally located holes) investigated were: 0, 90, ±45 deg, (0/45/90/−45 deg)2s and (0±45/90 deg)2s. The [0 deg] laminate failure was characterized by splitting at the extremities of the hole and along the fibers. The [90 deg] laminates failed in the transverse direction, whereas the [±45 deg] laminates exhibited considerable elongation to failure. In the case of the quasi-isotropic laminates, the failure progression appeared to be due dominantly to matrix cracking followed by fiber failure. Analytical predictions of the failure process showed reasonably good correlation with the experimentally determined data.

Two Amaranthus lectins, namely A. caudatus (ACL) and A. spinosus (ASL), were purified by affinity chromatography on asialofetuin-linked amino-activated silica. The lectins were eluted non-specifically by using 0.1 M glycine-HCl buffer, pH 2.5. Both the lectins showed similarities in biological and physico-chemical properties. These are dimeric proteins composed of subunits having Mr of 35 800 and 37 000 Da, respectively, which are not held together by disulphide linkages. Among the various hapten inhibitors, the lectins showed affinity for N- acetyl- d -galactosamine , fetuin and asialofetuin. The Amaranthus lectins were found to be non-specific and reacted with human and various animal erythrocytes. These are glycoproteins having no metal ion requirement for their activity.

Graphite/epoxy curved cylindrical panels were impacted in the center by an impact machine capable of measuring load during the test. Load, deflection, and strain as functions of time were measured for six symmetric lay-up configurations for impact energies of 0.5-4.5 ft-lb. Damage was produced in all panels for certain impact energies. The extent and location of damage was determined from C-scans and optical microscopy of panel crow sections. An in-house nonlinear finite element code was used to predict the panel deflections and stresses

Background: Anti-tumour necrosis factor (anti-TNF) therapy has been an important development for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) but the impact of its delivery on hospital resources in still emerging. Aims: We audited the effect of starting anti-TNF on the use of other anti-rheumatic therapies and hospital resources in a routine secondary care setting. Methods: A retrospective study of resource use before and after anti-TNF was conducted. Hospital records of 54 RA patients were studied and data taken from the time of commencing anti-TNF to 1 October 2004 and an equal time period prior to commencing anti-TNF. Identical data were collected for 54 controls not on anti-TNF. Relevant figures were extrapolated to per annum rates. Results were analysed using two-factor ANOVAs comparing the pre- versus post-anti-TNF period. Cases on intravenous (IV) versus subcutaneous (SC) anti-TNF were also compared in separate ANOVAs. Results: Mean duration of anti-TNF therapy was 17.04 months (range 3.60–42.36). Mean pre- and 3-months post-anti-TNF Disease Activity Scores (DAS28) were 6.93 and 3.88, respectively. Cases were more likely than controls to be on oral prednisolone pre- and post-anti-TNF. Methylprednisolone requirement, number of disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs), telephone helpline contacts and duration as an inpatient reduced significantly post-anti-TNF. Day case admissions increased but outpatient appointments decreased only in cases on IV anti-TNF. Conclusions: In a pragmatic setting, anti-TNF therapy led to reduced need for steroid injections and other DMARDs, as well as reductions in use of several hospital resources. Wider replication of these findings will be important for planning delivery. Copyright: © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The prevalence of pulmonary nocardiosis in a tuberculosis and chest diseases hospital in Amritsar is reported. Of 1510 sputum samples cultured from 1016 patients, 67 sputa originating from 16 patients were found to be positive for the Nocardia asteroides species complex. Based upon repeated isolation of N. asteroides from the respiratory tract, its microscopic demonstration in KOH wet mounts or stained smears of sputum and clinical evaluation of patients, 14 cases of pulmonary nocardiosis were diagnosed. This gave a prevalence of 1.4% pulmonary nocardiosis in the tuberculosis hospital. The prevalence of the disease was found to be 1.3% in the males as against 1.5% in the females. Of the various clinical categories of patients investigated, pulmonary tuberculosis with sputum negative for acid-fast bacilli (AFB) yielded the highest prevalence of 3.2%, followed by 1.3%, 1.2%, 1.1% and 0.5% in pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), bronchiectasis and pulmonary tuberculosis with sputum positive for AFB, respectively. Type IV cutaneous hypersensitivity to nocardin was observed in 19 of 908 (2%) patients tested, whereas only a solitary positive reactor was found among 260 healthy volunteers. Twelve of 19 nocardin positive reactors (63%) had unequivocally proven pulmonary nocardiosis. The nocardin skin test gave false negative results in two nocardiosis patients. More comprehensive investigations are warranted in order to evaluate the nocardin skin test as an additional aid for the diagnosis of nocardiosis. Barring a solitary exception, the nocardiosis patients were successfully treated with sulphadiazine or trimethoprim-sulphamethoxazole (TMP-SMZ) combination. To the best of our knowledge, this is the largest series of pulmonary nocardiosis patients in a prospective study as yet reported from India. The observations underscore the point that nocardiosis warrants greater attention in the differential diagnosis of bronchopulmonary diseases.

Azo dyes, the largest portion of manufactured dyestuffs, are primarily used as colouring substances in food, textiles, and the plastic industry. It has been estimated that 128 tonnes per annum of dyes are released into the environment worldwide [Anliker, 1977]. Certain azo compounds are known to be mutagenic in bacterial tests [Yahagi et al., 1975; Venitt and Bushell, 1976; Brown et al., 1978]. Watersoluble dyes are biotransformed by intestinal micro-organisms in the gastro intestinal tract, and the toxicity, mutagenicity, and carcinogenicity of these dyes in the gut or liver may be attributed to their metabolites. Since it is desirable to have a genotoxic evaluation of a chemical being released into the environment in order to check their indiscriminate use, a project has been initiated to determine the mutagenicity of the azo dyes being used commercially. The present report deals with the results of 13 dyes tested in Salmonella typhimurium with and without metabolic activation.

The purpose of this study was to determine the predictive value of an endotracheal tube cuff leak for the development of postextubation stridor and the need for reintubation.Consecutive trauma patients who required intubation at a level I trauma center from July 1997 to July 1998 were studied prospectively. Pediatric patients and those who did not meet the standard weaning protocol criteria established by the Division of Trauma and Surgical Critical Care were excluded. Injury Severity Score, endotracheal tube size, reason for intubation, and the number of days intubated before the initial extubation attempt were recorded. At the time of extubation, the difference in exhaled tidal volume from before to after endotracheal tube cuff deflation was calculated. This number was then divided by the exhaled tidal volume before cuff deflation and was recorded as the percent cuff leak. Patients were followed for 24 hours after extubation for the development of stridor or need for reintubation. Statistical analysis to compare subgroups of patients was performed using ANOVA with Scheffé post hoc analysis.Among the 110 patients analyzed, the most common reason for intubation was closed-head injury. Seven patients (6.4%) developed stridor alone and had a mean cuff leak of 5 8 mL (8.4% of tidal volume before cuff deflation). Six patients (5.5%) experienced stridor that required reintubation and had a mean cuff leak of 68 mL (9.2% of tidal volume before cuff deflation). Patients who developed stridor or needed reintubation had been intubated for a significantly greater length of time than those not developing stridor or requiring reintubation (2.6 versus 3.0 days, p0.001). There were no differences in Injury Severity Score, endotracheal tube size, or reason for intubation between these groups.A cuff leak of less than 10% of tidal volume before cuff deflation is useful in identifying patients at risk for stridor or reintubation (96% specificity). It appears that the amount of cuff leak decreases after intubation for more than 3 days, increasing the risk of stridor and need for reintubation. This information may be helpful in identifying those patients who need treatment for laryngotracheal edema, ie, use of steroids or anesthesia during extubation, the efficacy of which remains to be determined.

Two lectins purified from the tubers of Arisaema consanguineum Schott (ACA) and A. curvatum Kunth (ACmA) belonging to the monocot family Araceae were mitogenic for human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) in the [3H]-thymidine uptake assay. ACA and ACmA had an optimum stimulatory concentration of 10-25 micrograms/ml and 50-100 micrograms/ml, respectively, as observed in PBMC from five different individuals. The mitogenic response of PBMC was inhibitable in a dose-dependent manner by asialofetuin. The lectins were T-cell specific, and stimulation kinetic studies using ACA and ACmA showed that they induce maximum thymidine uptake in PBMC at day 4 and 3, respectively.

Four new monocot lectins from the tubers of araceous plants, namely, Arisaema consanguineum Schott (ACA), A. curvatum Kunth (ACmA) and Sauromatum guttatum Schott (SGA) from the tribe Areae, and Gonatanthus pumilus D. Don (GPA) from the tribe Colocasieae have been purified by affinity chromatography on asialofetuin-linked amino activated silica beads. These lectins possess similar physicochemical and biological properties. All the lectins gave a single peak on HPLC size exclusion and cation exchange columns, and a single band on PAGE, (pH 4.5). In SDS-PAGE, all the lectins gave a single band corresponding to a subunit of M(r) 1,3000. All the lectins yielded multiple peaks on anion-exchange column, multiple bands on non-denatured PAGE (pH 8.3) and a family of bands on isoelectric focusing. The lectins agglutinate rabbit, rat and sheep red blood cells (RBCs) but are inactive towards human ABO erythrocytes. The haemagglutination activity of these lectins is inhibited by asialofetuin only, while simple sugars/derivatives including chitin, porcine mucin and fetuin did not react. In serological studies against rabbit anti-SGA serum, all four lectins produced immunoprecipitin lines. The lectins within each tribe were identical but the lectins belonging to the tribe Areae were only partially identical to the lectins from the tribe Colocasieae.

Asialofetuin-linked amino activated silica was used for the affinity purification of lectins from Amaranthus hypochondriacus Linn (AHL) and A. tricolor Linn (ATL). Like a few other Amaranthus lectins, these lectins were also inhibited by N-acetyl-D-galactosamine, fetuin and asialofetuin; they agglutinated human and different animal erythrocytes. The purified lectins yielded a single band on PAGE pH 8.3, pH 4.5 and SDS-PAGE, pH 8.3. These also gave a single peak in gel exclusion on Biogel P-200, HPLC 300 SW and cation exchange columns. However, both lectins gave multiple peaks in anion exchange column and multiple bands in isoelectric focusing. AHL and ATL are dimeric proteins in which the subunits having M(r) 29,000 and 39,000, respectively, are not held together by disulphide linkages. The pure lectins are glycoproteins and do not require Ca2+, Mn2+ and Mg2+ for their agglutination activity.

Historically, the access control problem has been couched within the framework of subjects, object, and rights. In this paper we argue for a newer paradigm for distributed and multi-system applications, that transcends the subject-object view of access control. This new paradigm views access control and authorization not in terms of individual subjects and object, but rather in terms of long-lived tasks that need to be authorized and managed in information systems.

The purpose of this thesis was to determine (both experimentally and analytically) the initiation and progression of failure, stress-strain response, and the failure loads of Graphite/Polyetheretherketone (Gr/PEEK) laminates, incorporating an eccentric 0.4 inch circular discontinuity, loaded in axial tension at room temperature. For each ply lay-up, three values of eccentricity were considered (the three values of eccentricity were determined by the hole location within each specimen). In addition, experimentation was conducted to study the effects of boundary conditions on the failure characteristics of the Gr/PEEK laminates; this was accomplished through the use of a special mounting fixture which allowed in-plane rotation of the specimens. Finally, experimentation was conducted, using photoelasticity, to verify the gross stress states of the Gr/PEEK laminates predicted by the analytical study. Analytically, a nonlinear material finite element program was used to predict the initiation and progression of failure, stress-strain response, and the failure loads of the Gr/Peek laminates. In addition, the effects of boundary conditions on the failure modes of the Gr/Peek laminates was studied analytically. And finally, the gross stress states of the Gr/PEEK laminates were considered in the analytical portion of this thesis.

Inaccuracies in using the off-axis tension test are caused by the nonuniform stresses produced by the end constraints. The purpose of this study is to show that these nonuniformities can be virtually eliminated by adjusting the amount of tab clamping and selectively locating the point about which the clamp may rotate.

A Fourier transform approach is applied to the transient analysis of dynamic soil–structure interaction under SH-motion. The governing equations are formulated in the frequency domain using a Finite Element–Boundary Element (FE–BE) coupling method. After solving the transformed problem, the transient solution is obtained using the discrete inverse Fourier transform with a fast Fourier transform algorithm. Two examples are presented in order to show the numerical performance of the proposed technique.

The environmental distribution of Aspergillus fumigatus in 2 cane-sugar mills and one paper factory in northern India is compared with 2 localities in Delhi. The preponderance of the species at the U.D. Sugar Mills, Shamli, was contrary to its low prevalence in the University of Delhi campus and at Subzimandi, the vegetable and fruit market of Delhi. Aspergillus fumigatus accounted for 42.5% of the total aerial fungal colony counts recorded in the Shamli Mills as against 2% in Delhi. The predominant aerial fungus at Subzimandi was A. niger whereas aspergilli were overwhelmingly outnumbered by other fungi in the University of Delhi campus. Within the Shamli Mills, the bagasse-containing sites had a significantly higher aerial prevalence (50.3%) of A. fumigatus than the bagasse-free sites (13.5%). Furthermore, A. fumigatus was more prevalent in the operational (57.2%) than in the non-operational period (23.8%) of the mills. The high frequency of isolations of A. fumigatus from and its dense population in su...

Mycetoma of the knee, caused by Nocardia caviae and idangosed by culture and histopathology, occurred in a 20 year old farmer from a rural area of Varanasi District in Uttar Pradesh, India. The isolate was pathogenic to mice and it showed close agreement with the standard description of the species. It is suggested that infection due to this species has a higher prevalence than is currently recognized.

Candida viswanathii has been isolated from the cerebrospinal fluid of a 20 year old male patient suffering from meningitis which ended fatally. The fungus proved pathogenic to cortisone treated mice but was poorly so to the normal mice challenged intravenously.

A finite element Galerkin formulation admitting non-homogenous boundary conditions and discontinuous approximants is derived from a variational principle. The procedure results in matrix equations explicitly allowing for jump discontinuties across interelement boundaries. As an illustration, a specialization of the procedure similar to a reduced integration technique is used to solve several problems in elastostatics. The improvement in accuracy in comparison with conventional methods is remarkable.

We studied the effect of prostate resection on serum creatine kinase (EC 2.7.3.2) and lactate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.27) isoenzymes in 22 patients. Two hours after their operations, two-thirds of these patients had increased total creatine kinase activity. The MB isoenzyme was demonstrated in sera of 66% of the patients and the BB isoenzyme in 76%. MB content varied from 1 to 7% of total creatine kinase activity, the average activity being 7.4 +/- 6 (SD) U/L. BB content varied from 1 to 29% of the total creatine kinase activity, the average activity being 8.5 +/- 5.4 U/L. No patients showed evidence of cardiac damage. In contrast to the enzyme changes associated with cardiac injury, MB isoenzyme seen after prostate resection is usually associated with the appearance of BB activity. In addition, the ratio of lactate dehydrogenase isoenzymes 1 and 2 was "inverted" in only five of the 33 patients, and appeared to corrlate with the degree of hemolysis in the postoperative sera. The prostate contains all three creatine kinase isoenzymes, BB predominating.

The induced auxotrophy for p-aminobenzoic acid (PABA) resulted in a complete loss of virulence of Aspergillus fumigatus for normal as well as cortisone-treated mice. The PABA-requiring mutant of A. fumigatus survived in vivo for 4 to 7 days without causing any infection. However, it showed conditional virulence in animals receiving PABA in very small quantities. Repeated inoculations of the viable spores of the avirulent mutant strain gave favorable results in building immunity against intravenous challenge of the virulent strain. The immunogenicity of the PABA-requiring mutant was comparable with that of a wild strain of the fungus in agar gel double-diffusion tests using clinical and hyperimmune sera and in skin tests on patients with allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis.

A comprehensive survey has been carried out on the occurrence ofAspergillus species in the respiratory tract of patients of bronchopulmonary diseases in Delhi. In all, 1238 clinical specimens, which included 1082 sputa, 143 bronchial aspirates and 13 throat swabs obtained from 812 patients, were examined. Of these 61.7 per cent patients were culturally positive yielding 29 different species ofAspergillus. The prevalence of aspergilli in sputa was significantly higher than in the bronchial aspirates.Aspergillus niger was the commonest species isolated showing a prevalence of 36.7 per cent. It was followed byA. flavus, A. nidulans, A. terreus, A. versicolor, A. sydowi, A. japonicus andA. oryzae. None of theAspergillus species showed a significant correlation with any of the diseases, or the type of treatment the patients had received. Of the 8 broad occupational groups investigated farmers and labourers showed higher prevalence ofA. niger andA. flavus. The prevalence ofAspergillus species in the throats of healthy persons was 16 per cent withA. versicolor being the commonest species followed byA. flavus, A. amstelodami, A. sydowi andA. terreus. A comparison of the prevalence ofAspergillus species in the patients, healthy individuals and atmosphere of Delhi appears to support the view that the aspergilli are transient residents in the human respiratory tract following their inhalation from the environment.

Available published reports on deep mycoses in India have been critically and exhaustively reviewed. So far there seem to be only 9 cases of actinomycosis reported, mostly of thoracic type and diagnosed on the basis of the presence of “sulphur granules” in the lesions. Nocardiosis and its chief causal agentNocardia asteroides have received particular attention in recent studies. To-date there are 18 authentic cases reported from India and significantly 12 of these have been diagnosed by applying the paraffin bait technique to the isolation ofN. asteroides from sputa and other clinical specimens. In most of these 12 cases timely diagnosis allowed for the successful treatment of the disease with heavy doses of sulphadiazine. Case reports on cryptococcosis which include 26 adequately documented cases, have been published from various parts of the country. Occurrence ofCryptococcus neoformans in soil and its association with old pigeon excreta have also been confirmed by studies done in some northern and western regions of this country. The status of histoplasmosis in India still remains a debatable subject although there is a suggestive evidence that the disease may be endemic in the northeastern parts. There are 9 case reports in which diagnosis has been supported by histopathologic findings and in 3 cultures have also been positive. However, attempts to isolateHistoplasma capsulatum from soil or any other extra-human source have remained futile and the limited surveys have revealed only low skin sensitivity to histoplasmin and none to blastomycin and coccidioidin. As yet there is no authentic case of blastomycosis, coccidioidomycosis or paracoccidioidomycosis reported from India. Two cases of invasive aspergillosis and 6 of bronchopulmonary aspergillomas have been published. In the latterAspergillus fumigatus, A. niger andA. flavus have been found to be the aetiologic agents. In addition, a recent report on a series of 8 patients recognises for the first time the occurrence of allergic aspergillosis in this country. Two cases of phycomycoses, involving the lungs in one and brain in the other case have been described. Diagnosis of bronchopulmonary candidiasis has been claimed in as many as 16 patients by several authors but in none the evidence is unequivocal. The isolation ofCandida viswanathii from the cerebrospinal fluid of two fatal cases is suggestive of the possible aetiologic role of this new yeast in human meningitis. Besides, there are 3 cases of brain mycoses described in Indian literature, two due toCladosporium trichoides while in the third caseUstilago maydis, the causal agent of maize smut, has been implicated.

Oil content and fatty acid composition of the 50 bunch peanut types have been reported. The oil content showed little variation, (49.1 ± 2.5%) and of the major component acids, oleic acid showed little variation (44.5 ± 5%) whilst the palmitic (P) and linoleic (L) contents were reciprocally related (P + L ≏ 48%).

The effect of cortisone on bronchopulmonary aspergillosis in experimental mice forced to inhale aerosols of dry and viable spores of 6 Aspergillus species was investigated. A significant enhancement in mortality and tissue invasion due to all the test species: — A. flavus, A. fumigatus, A. nidulans, A. nidulans var. dentatus, A. niger, A. tamarii and A. terreus was observed in the cortisone treated animals.

A method for determination of phospholipids in serum is described that involves complexing intact phospholipids with chromogenic reagent, thus eliminating the need for acid digestion, which is a mandatory step in all the current procedures for phospholipid analysis. Inorganic phosphorus and other serum components do not interfere in the determination. Excellent agreement between results of this new procedure and the conventional acid digestion method (r=0.986, y intercept=2.053, and slope=0.986) makes it an attractive alternative clinical method for determination of phospholipids in serum.

Department of Chemistry, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar Manuscript received 17 January 1977; accepted 18 March 1977 The stability constants of the complexes of 3-hydroxynaphthalene-2-carboxylic acid with Zn(II), Cd(II) and UO2(II)have been obtained potentiometrically in 50 vol % dioxane-water medium at three temperatures and ionic strength 0.1 M (KNO2) following the Bjerrum-Calvin technique as applied by Irving and Rossotti. The values of overall changes in \(\bigtriangleup\)G, \(\bigtriangleup\)H and \(\bigtriangleup\)S have been evaluated.The thermodynamic stability constants have also been reported by determining the stability constants of the complexes at 30° and four different ionic strengths and then extrapolating to zero ionic strength.

Department of Chemistry, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar Manuscript received 14 January 1976 ; accepted 19 March 1976 The proton-ligand and metal-ligand stability constants of complexes of Zn(II), Cd(II) and UO2(II) with 3-hydroxy naphthalene-2-carboxylic acid have been determined at 30°,35° and 40° in dioxane-water medium (70% V/V) and at ionic strength 0.1M(KNO3) using Calvin-Bjerrum \(p\)H titration technique as modified by Irving and Rossotti. The ∆G°, ∆H° and ∆S° values of the chelates have also been calculated using temperature coefficient and Gibbs-Helmholtz equation.

The environmental distribution of Aspergillus fumigatus in 2 cane-sugar mills and one paper factory in northern India is compared with 2 localities in Delhi. The preponderance of the species at the U.D. Sugar Mills, Shamli, was contrary to its low prevalence in the University of Delhi campus and at Subzimandi, the vegetable and fruit market of Delhi. Aspergillus fumigatus accounted for 42.5% of the total aerial fungal colony counts recorded in the Shamli Mills as against 2% in Delhi. The predominant aerial fungus at Subzimandi was A. niger whereas aspergilli were overshelmingly outnumbered by other fungi in the University of Delhi campus. Within the Shamli Mills, the bagasse-containing sites had a significantly higher aerial prevalence (50.3%) of A. fumigatus than the bagasse-free sites (13.5%). Furthermore, A. fumigatus was more prevalent in the operational (57.2%) than in the non-operational period (23.8%) of the mills. The high frequency of isolations of A. fumigatus from and its dense population in sugar-cane bagasse seemed to suggest a special association of the fungus with this substrate.

A study of 46 cases of allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis has been presented with special reference to laboratory aspects. Episodic airways obstruction and dual skin reaction to aspergillin were present in all the cases. Furthermore, there were pulmonary infiltrations in 91.1%, blood eosinophilia in 80.4%, precipitins in 91.3%, and sputum cultures repeatedly positive for A. fumigatus in 82.6% of the patients. It was observed that the multiplicity of precipitin bands corresponded to the higher recovery of A. fumigatus in culture. A. flavus and A. niger were recovered from 58.7 and 80.4% cases of allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis respectively but dual skin reactions to these species occurred only in 47.6 and 26.2% and precipitins in 21.7 and 4.3% of cases, respectively. The findings are compatible with the poor allergenic and antigenic properties attributed to these two species in comparison with A. fumigatus. It is suggested that allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis may not be too uncommon in India and it deserves greater attention in the differential diagnosis of chest diseases.

Numerical performance of Ghaboussi's isoparametric bilinear quadrilateral element, for analysis of quasi-static flow of an incompressible fluid through a linear elastic saturated porous soil, is compared with that of Sandhu's composite element in which the displacement has biquadratic interpolation. Application of both procedures to solution of one-dimensional consolidation and plain strain consolidation of the half-space under a strip load shows that Ghaboussi and Wilson's procedure gives results almost identical to those from the higher order element but is significantly more economical to use.

Department of Chemistry, Punjabi University, Patiala. Manuscript received 25 January 1973; revised 8 April 1974; accept-ed 9 April 1974 Estimation of Arsenic(V) in Organic Compounds in the Presence of Copper(ll), Beryllium(ll) and Tin(IV)&nbsp