Cold tests of open coaxial resonators in the range 9–17 GHz

A study of selective properties of coaxial open cylindrical resonators have been conducted experimentally and compared with theory. The resonator consists of an inner circular cylinder symmetrically located inside an outer weakly irregular open waveguide. Several fundamental TE modes were identified over the range 9 to 17 GHz through measurements of the resonant frequencies and the associated loaded quality factors. It has been verified that the structure and the number of resonant modes are both strongly dependent on the diameter of the coaxial insert. Such an electrodynamical system proves to be useful in guided wave applications requiring, for example, filters, frequency-tunable resonators and devices for analyzing the modal composition of a signal.     

Breast-feeding and the nutritional status of nursing children in Chile

4-Pentafluoroethylumbelliferyl-beta-D-glucoside is proposed as an efficient substrate for human leukocyte acid beta-glucosidase. Its synthesis is described. This substrate was compared directly with 4-trifluoromethylumbelliferyl-beta-D-glucoside synthesized by us earlier and with 4-methylumbelliferyl-beta-D-glucoside which is commonly used for acid beta-glucosidase activity assay. The specific activity of acid beta-glucosidase with 4-pentafluoroethylumbelliferyl-beta-D-glucoside was 3- and 8-fold higher than it was with the substrates mentioned above. The kinetic parameters KM and VMAX for human leukocyte acid beta-glucosidase with the three substrates was determined. One possible application of the newly synthesized substrate is its use in the diagnosis of acid beta-glucosidase hereditary deficiency (Gaucher's disease).     

Palatopharyngeal surgery. A study of its effectiveness in the treatment of obstructive apnea syndrome during sleep

Palatopharyngeal surgery is a therapeutic option for obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS). This operation is based on the assumption that the soft palate is the principal apneogenic area of the upper airways. The effectiveness of palatopharyngeal surgery and of correcting nasal obstruction (co-adjuvant factor of SAOS), when present, was evaluated. Thirty patients were selected by cephalometry for surgery (3 women, 27 men; age 45.3 +/- 7.5 years). The success rate was 60%, which justifies the inclusion of surgery as a useful option for treating SAOS.     

Phase transmittance RBF neural networks

Presented is a new complex valued radial basis function (RBF) neural network with phase transmittance between the input nodes and output, which makes it suitable for channel equalisation on quadrature digital modulation systems.     

Trade-offs in scan path and BIST implementations for RAMs

In this article we propose efficient scan path and BIST schemes for RAMs. Tools for automatic generation of these schemes have been implemented. They reduce the design effort and thus allow the designer to select the more appropriate scheme with respect to various constraints.     

A typology of propagation of changes on the structure of a multiregional economic system: the case of the European Union, 1975–1985

The effects of structural change in all sectors of some regions in multiregional input-output systems are explored in this paper. For each region, the changes in direct inputs are decomposed into a matrix of intraregional changes and a matrix of interregional backward linkage changes. This distinction provides for a decomposition of changes in the Leontief inverse into a sum of matrices representing the matrices of intraregional and interregional fields of influence of changes. In turn, this process facilitates the identification of changes in gross outputs that may be traced to changes in intra- and interregional structural changes. The analysis is applied to the European input-output tables for 1975 and 1985.This paper was presented at the 1996 annual meeting of the Western Regional Science Association     

Serum IgA antibodies from patients with coeliac disease react strongly with human brain blood-vessel structures

BACKGROUND: Our objective was to determine the possible presence of IgA antibodies directed against human central nervous system (CNS) structures in sera from coeliac disease (CD) patients. METHODS: Serum samples were collected from 4 patients with active CD on a gluten-containing diet, 11 biopsy-proven CD patients on a gluten-free diet (GFD), and 52 non-coeliac gastrointestinal controls. In all patients IgA antigliadin antibody (AGA) titres were determined with enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA), and IgA antiendomysium antibodies (EMA) with indirect immunofluorescence on human umbilical cord. Cryostat sections of human brain occipital cortex were incubated with the patients' sera and subsequently labelled with anti-human IgA fluorescein conjugate. RESULTS: All sera from patients with active CD on a gluten-containing diet yielded positive results in both the IgG-AGA and EMA test and in indirect immunofluorescence on brain tissue, disclosing a strong fluorescence over blood-vessels structures. All sera from CD patients on a GFD and from non-coeliac gastrointestinal controls gave a negative result on both the EMA test and the immunofluorescence reaction on human brain. CONCLUSIONS: Sera from patients with active CD contain IgA antibodies that react with human brain vessel structures, giving intense fluorescence. These antibodies are not present in sera from coeliac patients on a GFD or non-coeliac controls. This finding might be involved in the abnormal nervous system manifestations frequently described in association with coeliac disease.     

Electrical Conductivity Measurement Through the Loaded Q Factor of a Resonant Cavity

We present a method for measuring the electrical conductivity of metallic materials that relies on the ratio of two loaded Q factors, Q_R/Q_X, with Q_R corresponding to a TE₀₁₁-mode reference cavity made of aluminum, and Q_X the Q that results upon replacing the aluminum plate with the one fabricated from the material to be examined. Electrical conductivity is mathematically inferred from the ratio Q_R/Q_X where the loaded Q factors are measured by using the transmission-type method. Within a 3.0 percent accuracy, conductivities determined at 8.7 GHz for electrolytic copper (5.6 times 10⁷ S/m) and brass (1.6 times 10⁷ S/m) show to be in good agreement with those reported in the literature.     

Phase equilibria of the Al-Cu-Zn system for compositions close to brass alloys

The effect of aluminium on the equilibrium phases of the Cu-Zn alloys has been studied within the range of chemical compositions of interest to brass producers. Ternary alloys were cast by melting two Cu-Zn base alloys (with ∼59.5% and ∼61.2 wt.% Cu) followed by the addition of aluminium up to 3.68 wt.%. Isothermal homogenization, followed by rapid cooling, has been used to determine the equilibrium phases at different temperatures. The alloys have been observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the respective chemical analysis determined by electron probe microanalysis (EPMA). Statistical analysis of the results enables a correlation of the chemical compositions of the equilibrium phases with temperature within composition range of the study.