Prevalence of hepatitis A antibodies in southeastern Spain: a population-based study

OBJECTIVES: To identify variables, other than legal definitions, that may have influenced North Cheshire's Coroner in returning a verdict of 'suicide' or an 'open verdict' on unexpected deaths of the elderly. DESIGN: Retrospective review of all coroner's verdicts in North Cheshire during a 5-year period 1989-1993. MATERIAL: Forty-seven 'suicide' and 'open verdict' deaths in North Cheshire between 1989 and 1993 as defined in ICD classification 'E' codes E950-E959 and E980-E989, respectively, that were returned on the deceased aged 65 and above who died within North Cheshire. FINDINGS: Logistic regression analysis suggests that the Coroner's decision may be influenced by: intimation of intent, psychiatric history and method of death. Sex of the deceased, history of attempted suicide, social setting and history of alcohol problems did not appear significantly associated with coroner's verdict.     

Determination of selenium in serum by hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry for calculation of daily dietary intake

Hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry was used to determine the selenium concentrations in 130 samples of human serum from a control group of inhabitants in the southern part of the province of Granada (Spain). The mean selenium concentration in serum was 74.9 micrograms/l. This concentration did not vary significantly (P > 0.05) in relation to the sex of the subject, with concentrations of 80.6 micrograms/l in men and 70.7 micrograms/l in women. These mean values correspond to a mean daily dietary selenium intake of 50.4 micrograms per day in men and 44.6 micrograms per day in women. A considerable number of the individuals in the study area therefore have a daily selenium intake lower than the recommended dietary allowance of 70 micrograms per day for men and 55 micrograms per day for women. Likewise, the measured selenium concentrations in the basic health zones of the area were not statistically different (P > 0.05). The differences in selenium concentration between subjects in coastal zones and mountainous zones are therefore not significant.     

Numerical study of the specimen size effect in the split Hopkinson pressure bar tests

A numerical and experimental assessment of the compression test in the split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) has been made. The DYNA2D finite element code was employed in the numerical part. The aim of the work was to establish the influence of an important reduction in the specimen diameter on the results. To this end, several numerical experiments were carried out with different diameters. Experimental measurements using the SHPB technique were also performed. The material studied was the 7017 T73 aluminium alloy. In the simulations, stress histories were registered at different places in the incident and output bars, as well as in the test specimen. Numerical simulations show important three-dimensional effects in the SHPB, increasing for smaller diameters. Experiments show the same tendencies evinced by the numerical simulation. Care must be taken to minimize them to achieve the desirable uniaxial stress condition on the specimen.     

Santolindiacetylene, a polyacetylene derivative isolated from the essential oil of Santolina canescens

The yield, composition, and some pharmacological activities (hepatoprotective and antioxidant) of the essential oil of Santolina canescens aerial parts have been investigated. The essential oil qualitative data were determined by gc and gc-ms. The main component, santolindiacetylene [1], was isolated and characterized by spectral methods, and the structure assigned as 1-(2'-naphthyl)hexa-2,4-diyne. The protective activities of the essential oil and its main component [1] were evaluated against carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatotoxicity in a rat model. In both cases a significant hepatoprotective effect was observed, as evident from the strong decrease of elevated GPT serum levels caused by carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatic damage.     

Broadband electronically tunable planar active radiating elementsand spatial power combiners using notch antennas

A Gunn device has been integrated with two types of active planar notch antennas. The first types uses a coplanar waveguide (CPW) resonator an a stepped-notched antenna with bias tuning to achieve a bandwidth of 275 MHz centered at 9.33 GHz with a power output of 14.2±1.5 dBm. The second type uses a CPW resonator with a varactor for frequency tuning to achieve a bandwidth of over 1.3 GHz centered at 9.6 GHz with a power output of 14.5±0.8 dBm. This is equivalent to over 14% electronic tuning bandwidth. Both configurations exhibit a very clean and stable output signal. A theoretical circuit model was developed to facilitate the design. The model agrees well with experimental results. Injection-locking experiments on the second configuration show a locking gain of 30 dB with a locking bandwidth of 30 MHz at 10.2 GHz. Power combining experiments of two-varactor-tuned CPW active notch antenna elements in a broadside configuration have achieved well over 70% combining efficiency throughout the wide tuning range. The circuits have advantages of small size, low cost, and excellent performance