A field experiment of factorial randomized block design was conducted with barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) to evaluate the effect of organic matter and fertilizer N placement on the efficiency and immobilization of applied N. Also, the experiment was to determine whether immobilization was a factor in causing the differences in efficiencies for broadcast and banded N. The plots used consisted of open‐ended iron cylinders 35 cm in diameter pressed into the soil to a depth of 25 cm. Labelled urea containing 19.15 atom %15N was either banded at 10 cm soil depth or surface broadcast at a rate of 100 kg N/ha. Oat straw (Avena sativa L.) was used us the organic matter source and applied at 5,000 kg/ha and was either mixed throughout the soil to a 10 cm depth or spread evenly on the soil surface. Fertilizer N removed by the above‐ground portion of the crop and that remaining in the 100 cm soil depth at harvest time was determined. Nitrogen uptake and barley yield were greater from banded N than from broadcast N. The differences in uptake for the two methods of N placement were enhanced by adding organic matter to the soil. Recovery of fertilizer N in plant tops varied between 22.8 and 42.8% for urea surface broadcast and between 42.0 and 53.1% for urea applied in a band. About 83 to 87% and 82 to 95% of the applied N was accounted for in the soil and plant at the end of the experiment for broadcast and band‐N applications, respectively. Leaching losses of applied N were negligible for both methods of N application. Significantly more labelled N was found in soil from the broadcast than from the banded fertilizer (40.3 vs. 34.0% of added N) at the end of the experiment and the effect was particularly enhanced by mixing straw with the soil. Since leaching losses were negligible and unaccountable differences probably as gaseous losses were essentially the same for broadcast and banded N applications (13 and 15%, respectively), the superiority of banded N over broadcast N applications with respect to barley yields and N uptake was largely due to the reduced immobilization of banded N.

Fifty patients of both sexes with clinically suspected cosmetic dermatitis were subjected to patch testing with a cosmetic and fragrance series, approved by the Contact and Occupational Dermatosis Forum of India (CODFI), and with selected allergens from the Indian Standard Series (ISS). Most of these patients were young adults between 10-29 years; the mean age was 27.5 years. The majority of the patients had cosmetic dermatitis of <1 year duration (68%). The occupational profiles of the patients included students (46%), housewives (18%), teachers (10%) and laborers (4%). A miscellaneous group, comprised of tailors, farmers, staff nurses, beauticians, jewellers and engineers, accounted for the remaining 22%. The most commonly involved site was the face, followed by the forehead, neck and scalp. Patch testing of these patients revealed that, out of the 50 subjects tested, thirty-three (66%) reacted to one or more allergens. Fragrance components were the most common offending allergen (51.5%) followed by preservatives (39.3%), paraphenylenediamine (PPD) (21.2%), and cetrimide and tertiary butyl hydroquinone (12.1% each), in descending order of frequency. Hence, patch testing, with the standard series supplemented by personal cosmetics; should be considered for patients with cosmetic dermatitis to determine the offending allergen so as to avoid further contact with that allergen.

Abnormal cell membrane metabolism is associated with many neuropsychiatric disorders. Free phosphomonoesters and phosphodiesters, which can be detected by in vivo 31P magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), are important cell membrane building blocks. However, the quantification of phosphoesters has been highly controversial even in healthy individuals due to overlapping signals from macromolecule membrane phospholipids (MP). In this study, high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) cerebral 31P MRS spectra were acquired from healthy volunteers at both 3 and 7 Tesla. Our results indicated that, with minimal spectral interference from MP, the [phosphocreatine (PCr)]/[phosphocholine (PC) + glycerophosphocholine (GPC)] ratio measured at 7 Tesla agreed with its value expected from biochemical constraints. In contrast, the 3 Tesla [PCr]/[PC+GPC] ratio obtained using standard spectral fitting procedures was markedly smaller than the 7 Tesla ratio and than the expected value. The analysis suggests that the commonly used spectral model for MP may fail to capture its complex spectral features at 3 Tesla, and that additional prior knowledge is necessary to reliably quantify the phosphoester signals at low magnetic field strengths when spectral overlapping is significant.

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