Neste trabalho são apresentados o desenvolvimento e construção de um sistema de microondas para espectroscopia paramagnética eletrônica em baixa freqüência (bandas L e S). Basicamente o sistema é composto de um oscilador que opera na faixa de 1,0 a 2,0 GHZ, uma cavidade do tipo Bridged Loop-Gap, acopladores direcionais, circuladores, atenuadores, detetor, sistemas de controle automático de freqüência CAF e pré-amplificador. Todo o arranjo compõe uma ponte de microondas que é acoplada à unidade de processamento e registro do espectrômetro VARIAN (E-109) do Laboratório do grupo de biofísica do IFQSC. No sistema apresentado os estágios de amplificação de baixo ruído, circuito de CAF, pré-amplificador e sistema ressonante foram desenvolvidos e implantados localmente. A conveniência em se utilizar um espectrômetro de RPE em baixa freqüência é permitir o estudo de amostras que apresentam características espectrais vindas das interações hiperfinas e superhiperfinas parcialmente resolvidas em freqüências mais altas. Também é possível obter-se parâmetros de energia de campo zero de sistemas de spin com S &#62 1 se o sistema puder ser tratado por métodos aproximativos em banda X. Um exemplo utilizando o íon Cr3+ no garnet CGGG é mostrado neste trabalho / In this work a microwave bridge for electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy hás been developed. The system is suitable for operation at low frequency, basically L and S-band. It is composed of an oscilator with a 1.0 to 2.0 GHz bandwith, a Bridged loop-gap resonator, directional couplers, circulators, attenuators, reverse diode detector, AFC sub-system and a pré-amplifier. All these modules are assembled to a constitute a microwave bridge, which is coupled to the processing and register unit of the VARIAN E-109 EPR spectometer of the Biophysics Laboratory at IFQSC. The low-noise amplifier, AFC sub-system, pre-amplifier and the Bridged Loop-Gap resonator have been entirely developed in this work. The advantage in the use of the low frequency EPR spectometer is that it allows the study of samples which present paramagnetics structures that are obscured by g-strain at high frequency (X, Q band). These structures come out from hiperfine and superhiperfine poorly resolved in the high frequency range that could be conventienly resolved at low frequency. It is also possible, to obtain the zero field splitting parameters in spin systems with S &#62 1, if a perturbative approximation is useful, comparing the spectre in X and L band. One example of this new approad using Cr3+ as impurity in the CGGG garnet is presented.

O presente trabalho teve por objetivo pesquisar os efeitos que as bandas de freqüência espacial alta e baixa têm no reconhecimento de faces em campo visual lateralizado. Foram distribuídos aleatoriamente 40 participantes em dois grupos. Os voluntários observaram 14 fotos de faces sem filtragem até memorizá-las. A seguir foram apresentadas 56 fotos de faces com filtragens de freqüências espaciais, intercaladas aleatoriamente com apresentações de faces não mostradas anteriormente. Cada uma delas foi exibida na tela durante 300 ms mediante a metodologia de apresentação dicótica. O participante devia responder se a face mostrada pertencia ao grupo de fotos inicialmente observado. As freqüências de respostas permitiram calcular as curvas ROC (Receiver Operating Characteristic) e os parâmetros Az e da preconizado pela Teoria de Detecção de Sinal (MACMILLAN; CREELMAN, 2005) para as faces naturais, faces compostas de freqüências espaciais baixas e faces compostas de freqüências espaciais altas. Os resultados obtidos mostram que as faces Originais foram melhor reconhecidas do que as faces com Freqüências Espaciais Altas (FEA) ou Freqüências Espaciais Baixas (FEB). Ao contrário do achado na literatura, o Hemisfério Esquerdo (HE) teve uma tendência a reconhecer mais eficazmente as faces do que o Hemisfério Direito (HD), independente da condição de filtragem. O HD é igualmente competente do que o HE para processar FEB, mas pior do que o HE para processar FEA. Quanto à performance por gênero, tanto homens quanto mulheres tiveram um desempenho similar quando as faces foram processadas com o HD. O desempenho das mulheres ficou de acordo com a hipótese da FE, pois o reconhecimento que fizeram para as faces com FEA foi melhor do que para as que tinham predomínio de FEB. Os homens, mesmo com o HE, fizeram um reconhecimento melhor das faces com predomínio de FEB do que das faces com FEA. / This study was made with the objective of investigate the effects of high and low spatial frequency bands in face recognition in lateralized visual field. 40 participants were randomly distributed in two groups. The volunteers viewed fourteen non-filtered pictures of faces until they managed to memorize them. After that, fifty six spatial frequency filtered pictures of faces were presented randomly interspersed with pictures of faces previously showed. Each one of them was exhibited in the screen for three hundred milliseconds using the dichotic presentation procedure. The participant should answer whether the face presented belonged to the group of pictures initially viewed. The frequency of responses allowed to calculate the ROC (Receiver Operating Characteristic) Curves and the Az and da parameters praised by the Signal Detection Theory (Macmillan; Creelman, 2005) for natural faces, low spatial frequency composed faces and high spatial frequency composed faces. Results showed that original faces were better recognized than faces with high spatial frequencies (HSF) and low spatial frequencies (LSF). Differently from literature, the left hemisphere was more accurate than the right to recognize faces, regardless of the filter condition. The RH was equivalent to the LH to process LSF, but worse than the LH to process HSF. Concerning the performance of the genders, men and women judged faces in a very similar way when they used the RH. The performance of women agreed with the FE hypothesis, being faces with HSF recognized better than faces with LSF. Men, even using the LH, were more accurate to recognize faces with LSF than HSF.

Introdução: A frequência de detecção de bandas oligoclonais (BOC) em doentes com esclerose múltipla (EM) na cidade de São Paulo é significativamente mais baixa do que em outras cidades do Brasil e de outros países, principalmente da Europa e da América do Norte. Não se conhece o motivo pelo qual isso ocorre. Uma das hipóteses mais interessantes relacionada à imunopatogenia da EM é a chamada Hipótese Higiênica, que postula uma relação inversamente proporcional entre a prevalência de infecções por parasitas e a frequência da EM. Objetivo: verificar se há relação entre a ocorrência de anticorpos contra parasitas no soro sanguíneo e a detecção de BOC em pacientes diagnosticados com EM na cidade de São Paulo. Métodos: Foram estudados 164 pacientes do Ambulatório de Doenças Desmielinizantes da Divisão de Neurologia Clínica e da Divisão de Anestesia do Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo dos quais foram obtidas as amostras de LCR e de soro em que foi realizado este estudo. Esses pacientes foram separados em 4 grupos (EM, CIS, Grupo Controle com Pacientes de DNI e Grupo Controle com Pacientes sem Queixas Neurológicas) nos quais foram identificadas as presenças de BOC e de anticorpos parasitários. Para a detecção de anticorpos parasitários, foi utilizada a técnica de eletroforese unidimensional de proteínas em gel de poliacrilamida em sistema descontínuo, com antígenos LV-Tcra (líquido vesicular de Taenia crassiceps) e ES-Tcra (líquido excreção/secreção de Taenia crassiceps). Resultados: Dos 164 pacientes estudados, separados em seus respectivos grupos, foram pesquisados anticorpos antiparasitários de baixo e de alto peso molecular. Esses anticorpos foram observados em 103 pacientes nos quais não havia 13 BOC. Destes, 2 apresentaram anticorpos de baixo peso molecular e 59 anticorpos de alto peso molecular. Dos 61 pacientes em que havia BOC, foram encontrados anticorpos de baixo peso molecular em um; 16 apresentaram anticorpos de alto peso molecular. Conclusão: Em doentes com EM clinicamente definida anticorpos anti-Taenia foram detectados com a mesma frequência em pacientes com BOC e em pacientes sem BOC / Introduction: The frequency of oligoclonal bands (OCB) detection in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) in the city of São Paulo is significantly lower than in other cities of Brazil and other countries, mainly Europe and North America. To date, the reason for its occurrence is still unknown. One of the most interesting hypotheses related to the immunopathogenesis of MS is the so-called Hygiene Hypothesis, which postulates an inverse relationship between the prevalence of parasitic infections and the frequency of MS. Objective: This study examined whether there is a relationship between the occurrence of antibodies against parasites in blood serum and the detection of OCB in patients diagnosed with MS in the city of São Paulo. Methods: We have studied 164 patients from the Demyelinating Diseases Clinic of the Division of Clinical Neurology and Division of Anesthesia Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo from whom CSF and serum samples were obtained and which were used to conduct the present study. These patients were divided into 4 groups: MS, Clinically Isolated Syndrome (CIS), control group with patients with Inflammatory Neurologic Diseases (IND) and Control Group with patients without neurologic complaints, in whom the presence of OCB and anti- parasitic antibodies was identified. For the detection of parasitic antibodies, the unidimensional electrophoresis of proteins in polyacrylamide gel in a batch system with LV-Tcra antigens (Taenia crassiceps vesicular fluid) and ES-Tcra (net excretion / secretion of Taenia crassiceps) was used. Results: Of the 164 patients studied, separated into their respective groups, anti- parasite antibodies of low and high molecular weight were analyzed. A total of 103 patients presented no OCB, and of these, 2 had antibodies of low molecular weight and 59 presented antibodies of high molecular weight. Of the 61 patients with OCB positive, one showed antibodies of low molecular weight and 16 antibodies of high molecular weight. Conclusion: This study showed that in patients with clinically established MS. anti-Taenia antibodies occurred with the same frequency in patients with OCB and in patients without OCB

Introdução: O diagnóstico da esclerose múltipla (EM) embora seja clínico, se completa com os resultados de imagem de ressonância magnética, somados ainda com a análise do líquido cefalorraquidiano (LCR), que se constituem em ferramentas indispensáveis. A presença das bandas oligoclonais (BOC) no LCR faz parte do estudo da EM, assim como auxilio no diagnóstico. Existem grandes variações quanto à frequência de BOC em pacientes com EM nas diferentes populações, desde 90% em países nórdicos europeus, até 30 a 60% no Japão, China, Índia e Líbano. O presente estudo tem o objetivo de estabelecer o valor da análise do LCR para o diagnóstico da EM em nossa população, com ênfase na pesquisa de BOC. O estudo também objetiva correlacionar os resultados destas análises com as características clínicas e demográficas da amostra selecionada. Casuística e Métodos: Foram estudados 145 pacientes selecionados do Centro de Referência de Doenças Desmielinizantes do Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina de Universidade de São Paulo, no período de agosto de 2005 a janeiro de 2008. Foram registrados para o estudo os dados demográficos, clínicos e da evolução da doença. O diagnóstico da EM foi estabelecido segundo o painel internacional de McDonald, revisado em 2005. A técnica utilizada para a pesquisa de BOC foi a focalização isoelétrica, seguida do immunoblotting, simultaneamente no LCR e no soro sanguíneo. Os resultados desta análise não foram utilizados para estabelecer o diagnóstico, ou para incluir pacientes na casuística da pesquisa. O grupo controle foi selecionado entre aqueles que se submeteram à anestesia raquidiana para cirurgias de pequeno porte. Resultados: Apresentaram BOC: 54,4% dos 90 pacientes com EM; 31,2% dos 16 pacientes com síndrome clínica isolada; 17,9% dos 39 pacientes com doenças neurológicas inflamatórias. No grupo controle, os 19 pacientes não apresentaram BOC. A sensibilidade das BOC foi calculada em 54,4%. A especificidade foi de 100% quando comparado ao grupo controle. Quando comparado com o grupo de pacientes com doenças neurológicas inflamatórias, a especificidade foi de 82,1%. Nos pacientes que se autodeclaram de cor parda ou preta, a frequência de BOC foi maior, com significância na borda do nível de significância de 5% (p=0,0518). Quanto aos aspectos clínicos evolutivos foi constatada maior presença de BOC nas formas progressivas recorrentes (100%); seguida da forma primariamente progressiva (87,5%); secundariamente progressiva (54,5%) e forma remitente recorrente (44,3%). A homogeneidade das BOC segundo as formas clínicas foi significante (p=0,0103), ao nível de significância de 5%. Conclusões: Este trabalho demonstra que a frequência de BOC em pacientes com EM foi de 54,4%, sendo menor que em outras séries mundiais. Estes resultados também não confirmam aqueles obtidos em estudos brasileiros prévios. A etnia e as formas de evolução clínica da doença influenciaram com significância na frequência de aparecimento das BOC. A baixa frequência das BOC no LCR de pacientes com EM pode ser decorrente de fatores associados à baixa e média prevalência da doença nesta região. / Introduction: The diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) although clinical, is rounded out with the results of magnetic resonance imaging, in addition to an analysis of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), which form a set of indispensible tools. The presence of oligoclonal bands (OCB) in the CSF is used in the study and for the diagnosis of MS. The frequency of OCB in MS patients varies widely in different populations, ranging from 90% in Nordic countries, to 30 to 60% in Japan, China, India and Lebanon. The objective of the present study is to establish a reference value for the analysis of CSF for the diagnosis of MS in our population, with an emphasis on the study of OCB. A further objective of the study is to correlate the results of these analyses with the clinical and demographic characteristics of the sample selected. Methods: The sample was composed of 145 patients selected from the Demyelinating Diseases Reference Center of the Clinical Hospital of the University of São Paulo, from August 2005 to January 2008. Records containing demographic, clinical and disease progression were used for the study. The diagnosis of MS was established according to 2005 Revisions of the McDonald Criteria. To detect OCB, isoelectric focusing was employed, followed by immunoblotting, simultaneously in both the CSF and blood serum. The results of this analysis were not used to establish the diagnosis or to include patients in the study sample. The control group was selected from those who were submitted to spinal tap for anesthesia in minor surgery. Results: OCB were found in 54.4% of the 90 patients with MS, 31.2% of the 16 patients with isolated clinical syndrome, and 17.9% of the 39 patients with inflammatory neurological diseases. In the control group, 19 patients did not present OCB. The sensitivity of OCB was calculated to be 54.4%. The specificity was 100% when compared to the control group. When compared with the group of patients with inflammatory neurological diseases, the specificity was 82.1%. For the patients who classified themselves as colored or black, the frequency of OCB was higher, with borderline significance using a significance level of 5% (p=0.0518). With regard to clinical evolution of MS, the highest presence of OCB was found in the relapsing progressive types (100%); followed by the primary progressive type (87.5%); secondary progressive type (54.5%); and relapsing remitting type (44.3%). The homogeneity of the OCB in relation to the clinical types was significant (p=0.0103), at a significance level of 5%. Conclusions: This study shows that the frequency of OCB in patients with MS was 54.4%, lower than the findings of other worldwide series. Moreover, these results do not confirm those obtained in other Brazilian studies. Race and clinical progression of the disease influenced, in a statistically significant manner, the frequency of the presence of OCB. The low frequency of OCB in the CSF of patients with MS may be the result of factors associated with the low and medium prevalence of this disease in this region.

Orientador: Lenita Waldige Mendes Nogueira / Acompanha 01 CD-ROM / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Artes / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-23T08:46:32Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Sartori_Vilmar_M.pdf: 8053058 bytes, checksum: 82b94ddb3b284aed3d88abb22f7aa0d8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013 / Resumo: Este trabalho busca recriar a história da Banda Ítalo-Brasileira (atual Carlos Gomes), fundada no final do século XIX por imigrantes italianos na cidade de Campinas, SP, e ainda em atividade. A pesquisa foi baseada em documentação preservada em vários acervos históricos, sendo principal deles o da própria banda. A partir da análise deste material verificou-se de que maneira a Banda Ítalo-Brasileira/Carlos Gomes foi assimilando as profundas transformações pelas quais passou a sociedade brasileira. Novos hábitos e costumes forçaram a banda a buscar um público que já não a tem como objeto de fruição musical e ela se vê pressionada a mudar o repertório e os espaços de apresentação, abandonando o tradicional coreto da praça. Esta pesquisa revelou dois modelos distintos de banda musical, um baseado nas práticas musicais do século XIX, que se estende aproximadamente até 1950, o período em que era nomeada Ítalo-Brasileira, e outro modelo mais afinado com os séculos XX/XXI, representado pela atual Banda Carlos Gomes / Abstract: This paper aims to recreate the history of the former Italian-Brazilian Band, currently named Carlos Gomes, a wind band founded in the late nineteenth century by Italian immigrants in the city of Campinas, São Paulo, that's still active. The research was based on documentation from several historical archives, especially the band's own historical records. The material's analysis showed how this musical group has assimilated and reflected the deep changes the Brazilian society has undergone throughout this period. Social and cultural changes, with new customs and cultural patterns led the band to seek a new audience and to change its own repertoire and presentation venues, abandoning the traditional city parks bandstands. The research has shown two distinct models of wind band, the first one based on the musical practices and styles of the late nineteenth century that endured until the 1950s, period in which it was called Italian-Brazilian Band, and the second one, more in tune with the twentieth century and the contemporary musical tendencies, represented by the current Carlos Gomes Band / Mestrado / Fundamentos Teoricos / Mestre em Música

BACKGROUND - Bipolar disorder has been postulated as an explanation for King John's inconsistencies of leadership and vagaries of character. Changes in activity, matching those in mood, are core features of the condition. METHOD - A measure of King John's activity was derived from his travelling itinerary. Change Point Analysis (CPA) was used to detect significant changes in that travelling activity and from them, to identify clinically compliant, high and low, activity time periods. The results were tested against an alternative mathematical model (Bollinger Bands™), three alternative parameters and two comparator itineraries (familial & non-familial). Using primary historical sources and published analyses, bipolar symptoms were identified and their temporal relationship to the ICD-10 compliant CPA periods evaluated. The influence of circumstances was also evaluated using primary sources and a representative sequential sample (1200-1204). RESULTS - CPA identified 83 periods of changed travelling activity. These changes were mathematically independent of the availability of the historical sources that underpin the itinerary. From these, 37 high and 22 low periods complied with current diagnostic guidelines and demonstrated descriptive and statistical similarities to those found in the bipolar literature. Analyses using alternative mathematical modelling and different parameters showed similar changes; analyses of comparator itineraries showed a possible familial trait. Of the 17 bipolar symptoms identified, all were found in CPA periods of appropriate polarity. Of the 23 sequential periods, 10 showed evidence of behaviour that was difficult to attribute to circumstances. CONCLUSIONS & OUTCOMES - The pattern of changes in King John's activity are highly suggestive of bipolar disorder with primary historical sources describing synchronous bipolar behaviour. This may alter our understanding both of King John and of Magna Carta. Change Point Analysis merits greater consideration when analysing time based data, as does the use of activity as an objective marker of human behaviour.

In this thesis, the propagation of transient waves in heterogeneous media and the tuning of periodic elastic materials are studied. The behaviour of time harmonic waves in complex media is a well understood phenomenon. The primary aim of this text is to gain a deeper understanding into the propagation of transient waves in periodic media. The secondary aim is to explore the time harmonic behaviour of two dimensional pre-stressed elastic media and investigate the plausibility of band gap tuning. We begin this text by investigating the reflection of pulses from a semi-infinite set of point masses (we call 'beads') on a string. The reflected pulse is formulated using Fourier transforms which involve the harmonic reflection coefficient. We find that the reflected amplitude of a harmonic wave depends on its frequency. We then ask whether it is possible to find an effective reflection coefficient by assuming the beaded portion of the string is given by some effective homogeneous medium. An effective reflection coefficient is found by assuming the homogeneous medium has the wavenumber given by the infinite beaded string. This effective reflection coefficient is compared to the exact reflection coefficient found using the Wiener-Hopf technique. The results from studying the reflection problem gave inspiration to chapter 4, which focuses on the time dependent forcing of an infinite beaded string that is initially at rest. We again use the Fourier transform to find a time dependent solution. The z-transform is then used, after sampling the solution at the bead positions. We impose a sinusoidal loading which is switched on at a specified time. In doing this we are able to explore how the system behaves differently when excited in a stop band, a pass band and at a frequency on the edge between the two. An exact solution for the infinite beaded string is found at any point in time by expanding the branch points of the solution as a series of poles. We compare this exact solution to the long time asymptotics. The energy input into the system is studied with the results from the exact solution and long time approximation showing agreement. Interesting behaviour is discovered on the two edges between stop and pass bands. In chapter 5 the effect of a nonlinear elastic pre-stress on the wave band structure of a two dimensional phononic crystal is investigated. In this chapter we restrict ourselves to incompressible materials with the strain energy functions used being the neo-Hookean, Mooney-Rivlin and Fung. The method of small-on-large is used to derive the equation for incremental elastic waves and then the plane wave expansion method is used to find the band structure. Finally, chapter 6 focuses on the same geometry with a compressible elastic material. The strain energy function used is the one suggested by Levinson and Burgess. We use the theory of small-on-large to derive the incremental equations for coupled small amplitude pressure and shear waves in this material. In both compressible and incompressible materials we show how it is possible to control the stop bands in a material by applying a large elastic pre-stress.

The Northern Areas of Port Elizabeth are mostly comprised of the so called “Coloured” community and is vibrant in tradition and musical activities. Community music in the form of marching bands, brigade bands, wind bands and brass bands form a central part of the music activities in this area. The non-availability of music education in schools combined with the multitude of social challenges creates a cultural and moral vacuum. Children are not exposed to the finer arts and music in particular and without these bands and groups probably never will. This study will explore five community bands/groups and the role they play in the lives of people and especially the children and the youth. The impact and influence music has on the social upliftment of under-privileged children in this area has never been studied. The study shows the big impact these bands/groups have on the children and the communities they serve and highlights the dedication and good work of those band managers working with these groups. The study concludes with a proposal that an art/music centre be established in the Northern Areas of Port Elizabeth.

The purpose of the work presented in this thesis was to explore and understand the mechanisms governing toughness, ductility and ballistic performance in a class of nanostructured carbide-free bainite-austenite steels, sometimes known as ‘superbainite’. The mechanical properties of these alloys have been extensively reported, but their interpretation is not clear. The thesis begins with an introduction to both the relevant nanostructures and some of the difficulties involved in explaining observed properties, alongside a summary of the role of mixed- microstructures in alloy development. An overview of the debate regarding the mechanism of bainite formation is pre- sented in Chapter 2, in the form of a literature survey encompassing the period of explicit recognition of the bainite microstructure. Of note is the role played by the displacive theory of formation in the development of the alloy structures investigated in this thesis. A characterisation of a commonly available bainitic alloy forms the basis for Chapter 4. Observations confirm the nanoscale nature of the structure, although additional phases are found to be present, namely: cementite and martensite. This is explained as resulting from relatively low alloying additions and chem- ical segregation effects, which are modelled using thermodynamic and kinetic approaches. Chapters 5 and 6 contain a comprehensive study of the response of this alloy to the stress concentration present at the notch root of a Charpy impact sample. The work provides evidence of notch root embrittlement due to stress-induced martensite transformation. Results from synchrotron and laboratory X-ray experiments in particular reveal that machining, as well as applied stress, can initiate the austenite-martensite transformation, and methods to mitigate this effect are suggested. An innovative approach is harnessed in Chapter 7, in order to identify exper- imentally the volume fraction at which three-dimensional connectivity (‘percolation’) of austenite is lost in a superbainitic steel. Hydrogen thermal desorption techniques are applied to this problem, inspired by the tendency of such alloys to undergo tensile failure with limited or zero necking. The striking result sheds light on the importance of austenite morphology in restricting the diffusion of hydrogen into a mixed structure. The final set of experimental work is directed towards understanding the damage mechanisms that occur during projectile penetration of a coarser bainitic armour- plate alloy. The formation of adiabatic shear bands is found to be a dominant factor governing the ballistic failure of the plate. The sheared material undergoes severe high-temperature deformation, but does not change phase upon cooling, leading to the proposal of certain methods that could be implemented to improve ballistic resistance of the steel. The totality of the research presented herein is summarised in Chapter 9, which draws attention to new areas of interest that have arisen from the current work, proposing several future directions of investigation. The broader issue of understanding, common to all studies performed thus far, is that of the causes, effects, and extent, of stress-induced transformation to martensite experienced by the retained austenite that is a key feature of superbainite and similar steels.

A full-sky free-free template is increasingly important for the high-sensitivity Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) experiments, such as Planck. On the Galactic plane, where free-free estimations from Halpha measurements become unreliable, Radio Recombination Lines (RRLs) can be used to determine the thermal brightness temperature unambiguously with no dust contamination. RRLs are a powerful tool for the diagnostic of the interstellar medium, tracing the ionised component, its electron temperature, velocity and radial distributions.This thesis describes the investigation of the ionised emission from HII regions and diffuse gas along the Galactic plane using RRLs, with the aim of providing a map of the free-free emission to complement the high latitude Halpha observations. Measuring the free-free emission on the Galactic plane is of great importance to understand and characterise other Galactic emission components: synchrotron, anomalous dust and thermal dust emission. The fully-sampled HI Parkes All-Sky Survey and associated deep Zone of Avoidance Survey are re-analysed to recover extended RRL emission. They include three RRLs (H166alpha, H167alpha and H168alpha) at frequencies near 1.4 GHz. A data cube covering l=20 degree to 44 degree and |b| < 4 degree is constructed of RRL spectra with velocity and spatial resolution of 20 km/s and 14.8 arcmin, respectively. Well-known HII regions are identified as well as the diffuse RRL emission on the Galactic plane.In order to convert the integrated RRL emission into a free-free brightness temperature a value of the electron temperature (Te) of the ionised gas is needed. Using the continuum and line data from the present survey, the variation of Te with Galactocentric radius was derived for the longitude range l=20 degree to 44 degree, with a mean Te on the Galactic plane of 6000 K. The derived Te variation was used to obtain the first direct measure of the free-free brightness in this region of the Galactic plane. Subtraction of this thermal emission from the total continuum at 1.4 GHz leaves the first direct measurement of the synchrotron emission. A narrow component of width 2 degree is identified in the synchrotron latitude distribution.Determining the free-free and synchrotron emission in this region of the Galactic plane identifies the anomalous microwave component, when combined with WMAP and IRIS data. The results are in agreement with models of small spinning dust grains.