Experimental evaluation of a hollow glass fiber

Very high interest in making a low-loss fiber for the infrared has been stimulated by important applications in optical communication, surgery, cutting, welding, and heat treatment. The leaky waveguide is one of the most promising types of future fiber in the infrared region where low-loss materials are not available or not suitable for making fibers (i.e., CO2 laser light lambda = 10.6 microm). In this paper a comparative model of a He-Ne laser beam and an oxide glass leaky hollow fiber for a CO2 laser light beam and a chalcogenide glass leaky hollow fiber are studied. Measurements of attenuation, dependence of output power on diameter and angle, and the angular dependence of output angle vs input angle were made. The experimental data were compared with theoretical calculations, and the critical value of the wall thickness for minimum attenuation is given.     

Spatial Organization of the Brazilian States with Respect to Human Migration

"Multidimensional scaling technique was applied to the Brazilian migration matrix in order to identify the functional regions of the nation, using the 1970 census data for males. The results obtained from three types of proximity matrices confirmed the key roles of Minas Gerais and Mato Grosso as the core states in addition to Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. Substantial circulation of migrants among the core states runs counter to the popular notion about the Northeastern states as the major source of labor in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. The Northeast [was] found to consist of three groups of states: Maranhao, Piaui and Ceara showed a stable clustering, but peripherally located, in all configurations; and, the other two groups failed to form persistent regions across configurations. Though limited in scope, the observed attraction of Espirito Santo and Goias violated the widely held negative effect of distance and deserves further investigation."     

Intensive computer keyboard training programmes

An intensive computer keyboard training course, based on an information processing model of man, was tested on a variety of personnel in work. Over a one or two week period, 241 adult subjects were trained. Subjects achieved mean speeds of 7.1 words per minute (WPM) after the second and 13.7 WPM after the ninth lesson. Significant decreases in errors per minute (EPM) occurred from 2.67 to 1.78. Previous experience with a keyboard and being female were factors associated with enhanced keyboard operating performance. Compressing the ten lessons from two into one week reduced the effectiveness of the programme.     

City-size distributions and the world urban system in the twentieth century

"In this paper we trace and interpret changes in the geographical pattern and city-size distribution of the world's largest cities in the twentieth century. Since 1900 the geographical distribution of these cities has become increasingly dispersed; their city-size distribution by rank was nearly linear in 1900 and 1940, and convex in 1980. We interpret the convex distribution which emerged following World War 2 as reflecting an economically integrated but politically and demographically partitioned global urban system. Our interpretation of changes in size distribution of cities emphasizes demographic considerations, largely neglected in previous investigations, including migration and relative rates of population change."