Heart rates and energy costs of female tea-leaf pluckers in India were studied while at rest, during walking (with and without basket loads) and during plucking. Walking with loaded baskets was the most strenuous job. The 'fast' category of pluckers had higher, cardiac and gross energy costs than the 'slow' category. When the energy costs were linked to productivity, the 'fast' pluckers had lower costs per unit of productivity. The thermal load was found to be high, and the effectiveness of protective equipment such as indigenous hats has been discussed.

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Several polysaccharide sulfates (heparin, dextran sulfate, chitin disulfate, cellulose sulfate) and some phosphates (α-tocopherol phosphate, polyphloretin phosphate, hexametaphosphate) were investigated for their direct effects on fibrinolytic agents (neutral proteases and plasminogen activators). α-Tocopherol phosphate and polyphloretin phosphate were strong inhibitors. The remainder of the compounds had mostly weak inhibitory or enhancing effects varying from compound to compound and with the type of fibrinolytic agent. Some (heparin, chitin disulfate, hexametaphosphate) had little or no influence at the concentrations used.