[en] The operation of a free electron laser in the VUV regime puts stringent demands on the beam quality of an electron linear accelerator. For this reason the beam diagnostic technique of fourier-transform spectroscopy has been further developed to determine the longitudinal charge profile of the electron bunch with the required precision. Transition, diffraction and synchrotron radiation have been used as radiation sources and as measurement device a Martin-Puplett interferometer. In the frame of this thesis data have been taken using pyroelectric detectors, DTGS detectors, Golay cells and bolometers. An analysis procedure for the data has been developed and thoroughly tested including among other things the correction of the frequency dependence of the different sources and diffraction effects inside the interferometer. It is possible to reconstruct asymmetric charge distributions using the dispersion relation by Kramers and Kronig. It could be shown, that the analysis is able to reconstruct the expected charge distributions as long as the detectors are not limited in their low frequency acceptance. Depending on the actual amount of noise on the measured data different shapes and widths can be reconstructed with errors below 10% and can hence be distinguished. The results show only small dependencies on the bunch compression parameters, while the shapes and widths are in good agreement with other results. The shortest bunch length measured has a full width at half maximum of approximately 1.6 ps. (orig.)

[en] A sensitive radioimmunoassay for anticollagen antibodies is described. ¹⁴C-labelled human acid-soluble collagen of high specific activity (5 x 10⁶ dpm/mg) is used as antigen either in native or denatured state. Experimentally induced anticollagen antibodies or RA synovial fluids containing antibodies to collagen are reacted with the labelled antigen. The immune complexes formed are precipitated with goat antiserum to rabbit globulins ('second antibody'). A systematic investigation of the labelled collagen in regard to cleavage by enzymes, fibril formation and specificity showed that no gross alteration had been caused by the labelling procedure. The assay furnishes information on the avidity, specificity and immunoglobulin class of experimental or pathological anticollagen antibodies. It can also be used as sensitive assay for collagen in biological fluids

[en] A sensitive radioimmunoassay for antibodies to gliadin has been developed. Gliadin from wheat gluten was labelled with [1-¹⁴C]acetic anhydride to a specific activity of 2.6 x 10⁶ dpm/mg. Immunological evidence is presented that the antigen was not essentially altered by the labelling procedure. Experimentally-induced antigliadin antibodies or sera of patients with coeliac disease (CD) were reacted with labelled gliadin and the immune complexes formed precipitated by antiglobulin. Precipitating antibodies were determined by incubating CD sera with labelled gliadin and measuring the radioacticity in precipitates formed without the addition of second antibody. Comparison with other methods for the detection of antigliadin antibodies, including immunoelectrophoresis, immunodiffusion and passive hemagglutination indicated that total and precipitating antibodies were determined only by RIA. The assay also provides information on the immunoglobulin class of antigliadin-antibodies present in sera of patients with coeliac disease

No abstract available

[en] In efforts to improve the efficiency of energy conversion systems the trend in power generation is towards increased output capacities, pressures and, in particular, temperatures. If these goals are to be achieved, it will be necessary for materials displaying distinctly improved properties to be used without this involving any dramatic rise in costs, e.g. by the use of superalloys. A new steel making technique, based on pressurized electroslag remelting, has spawned a new generation of advanced engineering materials, the nitrogen alloyed steels. The paper describes the properties of these ferritic and austenitic N-steels and their potential for future applications

[en] 14 RA synovial fluids and 7 non-RA synovial fluids were investigated as to their collagenase-activity using ¹⁴C-labelled type I human collagen in soluble form. Breakdown products were fractionated by gel filtration on Sephadex G 200 superfine. Cleavage of native and denatured labelled collagen was compared. 11 RA synovial fluids showed significant collagenase activity as manifested by degradation of native collagen, while only one synovial fluid of the control group displayed a significant collagenolytic activity. Results were compared with cleavage of reconstituted collagen fibrils. Influence of EDTA and KSCN on collagen degradation was also studied: EDTA completely blocked degradation of native or denatured collagen, while KSCN caused an increase of collagenolytic activity in two cases. (orig.)

[en] 0.2 g of an enzyme mixture (Wobenzym) labelled with ³H-acetic anhydride, were given orally to guinea pigs, which were arranged in 4 groups of 5 animals. The animals of each group were sacrificed at intervals of 30 minutes, 2, 4 and 24 hours after application. Radioactivity of the small and large intestine, plasma, urine, liver, heart, kidney, and skeletal muscle were determined. It could be shown that the labelled mixture of enzymes was absorbed from the intestine and was demonstrable in significant amounts in plasma, urine, heart, kidney, liver and skeletal muscle. (author)

[en] The authors describe a series of 18 patients with an intrasellar mass incidentally discovered by computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging. The average size of the mass was 13 mm, with a range from 5 to 25 mm. Initial ophthalmologic examination revealed bitemporal hemianopia in 2 patients. Results of routine endocrine testing showed partial hypopituitarism in 5 patients and growth hormone hypersecretion without signs and symptoms of acromegaly in 1 patient. Four patients underwent neurosurgery. Histologically, one chondroid chordoma and three pituitary adenomas were found. In the remaining 14 patients treated conservatively, repeated computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging revealed no significant change in tumor size at the time of follow-up. The results suggest that the incidentaloma of the pituitary gland is a benign condition that does not necessarily require neurosurgical intervention

[en] It has been demonstrated that phase separation in helium-2 space cooling systems can be achieved by active phase separators with a micron-sized flow channel of adjustable length and well-defined geometry. This paper describes an experiment aimed at understanding the helium flow characteristics and the cooling mechanism in such phase separators. It is found that the adjustability of the gap length provides greater sensitivity, and a more extended range of variability in the mass flow rate than can be achieved by variation of the pressure drop alone. Direct feedback of the gap length on the bath temperature is of special importance at low temperatures and correspondingly low values of pressure drop. Highly sensitive open-close operation is attainable by variation of the gap length without the requirement of additional heat input

[en] There is a scintigraphic trio which indicates, with a high degree of probability, the presence of a megioma. It consists of intensive uptake of radio-pertechnitate immediately after injection, a level, or only slowly declining, time-activity curve over the tumour and corresponding intensive fluorine uptake of the skull, even in the absence of radiological or histological evidence of bone involvement. (orig.)