On the sound insulation of masonry wall façades

In this paper, laboratory measurements of sound reduction index for two types of cavity walls commonly used in façades are presented. The first type consists of “masonry–air cavity–brick” and the second one consists of “masonry–air cavity–-gypsum board”. Data are used to show that masonry walls with gypsum boards provide higher sound insulation than masonry cavity walls. The influence on sound reduction index of apertures made on external leaf of the wall to ventilate the cavity of the wall is also examined.     

Streptokinase resistance test in a group of Mediterranean people and its possible variations as regards sex and age

A streptokinase resistance test (SK-RT) was studied on a group of people from the Mediterranean coast of Spain. It was found that 87.5% of the studied population required a dose of 250,000 U or less to obtain an adequate neutralization of the circulating antibodies. In none of the cases was the required dose higher than 500,000 U. The average dose was of 132,969 U (SD = 102,269). No significant differences were found between the dose required for men and that required for women. A significantly inferior dose to the average was, however, required for people over 50 years old (x = 112,280, SD = 100,459).     

Changes in human amniotic fluid fibrinolytic inhibitor levels during pregnancy

The amniotic fluid (AF) when incubated with the patient's own plasma diminishes the lytic activity of the plasma. It is suggested that this inhibition is due to the presence of fibrinolytic inhibitors in the AF. The inhibitors rate increases as pregnancy advances. Evaluating these inhibitors in a group of 65 women before and after the 38th week of pregnancy, a higher rate of fibrinolytic inhibitors is found after the 38th week. The said differences are statistically significant. For the moment it does not seem that the increasing of the inhibitors in the last part of pregnancy might be used as a fetal maturity test.     

Atmospheric Components Determination From Ground-Level Measurements During the Spectra Barax Campaigns (SPARC) Field Campaigns

The surface processes and ecosystem changes through response analysis (SPECTRA) Barrax campaigns were validation campaigns developed in the framework of the SPECTRA mission in order to verify that the geophysical data products provided by satellite imagery are consistent with the measurements made by independent means. Two campaigns took place in Barrax, Spain, during the summers of 2003 and 2004. This paper presents the results of the characterization of the atmospheric composition from solar radiation, radiosoundings, and lidar measurements. Several potentially interesting situations involving atmospheric layers with different types of aerosols and water content are discussed. The presence of a residual layer capping the mixing layer during some days of the 2003 campaign and the arrival of a dust-rich air mass from the Sahara on the last two days of the 2004 campaign provide some relevant aerosol vertical profiles to test atmospheric correction algorithms. The study of the effects of these atmospheric situations on radiative transfer calculations is required in the development and validation of advanced atmospheric correction codes for the new generation of Earth observation systems.     

Influence of plastic electrical outlet boxes on sound insulation of gypsum board walls

In this paper, the influence on sound insulation of plastic electrical outlet boxes installed on double leaf steel stud gypsum board walls containing cavity absorption was examined experimentally. It was shown that the effect on sound insulation was negligible. It was also shown that the size of the elctrical boxes had not effect on sound insulation.