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Species of Sargassum are very common in the subtidal and lower intertidal regions of the Indian coasts. SRTNIVASAN (1966) has enumerated s many s 70 taxa, It was pointed out by VARRIER and PILLAI (1952) that Sargassum spp. can be good sources of alginic acid. Since then a number of studies have been carried out on the alginic acid content in and methods of extraction from various species of Sargassum. The alginic acid content varies from 4.85% to 29.17% on the basis of dry weight (ΚΑΡΡΑΝΝΓΑ et al. 1962). This may also show seasonal Variation in the same species. Again plants of the same species from different regions of the coast are also said to show variations in alginic acid content. Because of these variations, it would be desirable to bring into cultivation a species which is rieh in alginic acid and harvest it in the right time to give a high grade product. Sargassum plagiophyllttm is a common species in the South Indian waters and grows submerged at a depth of about 2 to 5 fathoms (A-10 m). This species has been estimated to have an alginic acid content of 25%. Therefore, this species would be an ideal one for cultivation, As preliminary step, it was decided to plant a fresh substratum made of concrete among the plants of S. plagiophylhtm in its natural environment. By this it was thought to allow the oospores of the alga to settle on the substratum and start new plants. If large number o£ such concrete devices were planted in naturally occuring Sarg sstfw beds and these devices were to be covered by oospores shed by Sargassum^ an easy and effective method of cultivation would be the result. With the above object in view, Sargassum beds were located at three places in the Gulf o£ Mannar on the eastern side of Krusadai Island. Concrete cylinders with rough surfaces 1,5 foot high and l foot in diameter were prepared and these were lowered into the sea at preselected places. The cylinders were fixed erect to the sea bottom. The cylinders were taken out periodically and examined to note the appearance of sporelings of Sargassum and to record the growth of these sporelings into mature plants.Observations were recorded for a period of eighteen months in the first instance and again at the end of 30 months. The cylinders were planted on January, 27 1967. A month later one of the cylinders was found broken to pieces and only one small piece could be recovered. In April 1967 two other cylinders were washed away and only one cylinder could be recovered.Further observations were made wholly on this cylinder. In the first three months after planting the cylinders, there was apparently no sporelings of Sargassum or of any other seaweed on the surface o£ the cylinders, but the surface was covered by a slimy matter, presumably some benthic orgamsms. In the fourth month a number of sporelings of seaweeds other than Sargassum made their appearance, These included EnUromorpha spp,, Caulerpa sertulari tdes> Pococktella variegata, Peyssonelia obscura, Padina spp., Colpomenia sinuosa> Dictyota spp., Hypnea valentiae and Cenf...

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We present a rare case of corneal ulcer caused by a species of a coelomycetes fungus, Chaetomium strumarium. This fungal genus is a rare causative agent of keratomycosis, with only a handful of cases reported. The clinical presentation, investigative techniques, and preliminary management of our patient are reported. The cases reported in global literature are also summarized in a tabular form in the discussion.

Abstract:This paper describes a database for cell signaling enzymes. Our web database offers methods to study, interpret and compare cell-signaling enzymes. Searching and retrieving data from this database has been made easy and user friendly and it is well integrated with other related databases. We believe the end user will be benefited from this database.