The Influence of Slow Blood Volume Waves on the Shape of the Dicrotic Complex

Recorded arterial blood volume pulses are often superimposed on slow rhythmic volume waves. It was noticed that in such recordings the dicrotic complex changes its shape as a function of the volume wave; on the ascending limb of the volume wave the dicrotic complex becomes more pronounced, whereas on the descending limb it becomes attenuated. In order to explain this observation a mathematical analysis of the recording was performed. The analysis suggests that the changes in the shape of the dicrotic complex can be explained by assuming a superposition of arterial wall extensions caused by volume changes due to 1) the downstroke of the volume pulse, 2) the dicrotic complex, and 3) the ascending (or descending) limb of the volume wave. Three functions simulating these three vascular events were electronically generated and superimposed. The result shows that the simulated dicrotic complex changes its shape in a similar manner as in the physiological recording, strengthening the proposed explanation. The origin of the dicrotic complex and of rhythmic waves in blood volume and blood pressure is still unclear and their interaction, therefore, is difficult to understand. The present paper offers a possible explanation for a case in which the shape of the dicrotic complex, appearing on a blood volume pulse, changes as a function of a rhythmic volume wave.     

Design of a positive resist for projection lithography in the mid-UV

The design, synthesis, formulation, and process optimization of a new mid-UV resist are described. The synthesis of a spectrally matched sensitizer was guided by semiempirical quantum mechanical calculations that predict the effect of structural changes on optical absorption characteristics. The formulation was guided by computer profile simulation studies and the process development by a response surface analytical procedure. These techniques allowed formulation optimization to be achieved on the basis of an understanding of the complex interactions between the resist dissolution response functions and the modulation transfer function of the exposure tool for which the resist was designed.     

Ermittlung der dynamischen Werkstoffkonstanten von bituminös gebundenen Baustoffen

The evaluation of the dynamical properties of bituminous mixtures An experimental method for the evaluation of the dynamical properties of bituminous mixtures is presented. Because of their viscoelastic behaviour the design of a special testing device was necessary. In this paper the guiding ideas for this testing machine are developed. Moreover, some experimental results and experiences, which could be valuable for calculating the stresses in road constructions, are given.     

Synthesis of palladium nanoparticles using a continuous flow polymeric micro reactor

A continuous flow polymeric micro reactor, fabricated using a negative photo resist SU-8 on a 10 x 10 cm PEEK (polyetheretherketone) substrate by standard UV lithography, was utilized to synthesize palladium nanoparticles. The nanoparticles were characterized by Transmission Electron Microscopy, Selected Area Electron Diffraction and X-ray Diffraction. The Pd nanoparticles synthesized in the micro reactor were found to have a narrower size distribution when compared with those obtained by the conventional batch process.     

Fast branch & bound algorithms for optimal feature selection

A novel search principle for optimal feature subset selection using the Branch & Bound method is introduced. Thanks to a simple mechanism for predicting criterion values, a considerable amount of time can be saved by avoiding many slow criterion evaluations. We propose two implementations of the proposed prediction mechanism that are suitable for use with nonrecursive and recursive criterion forms, respectively. Both algorithms find the optimum usually several times faster than any other known Branch & Bound algorithm. As the algorithm computational efficiency is crucial, due to the exponential nature of the search problem, we also investigate other factors that affect the search performance of all Branch & Bound algorithms. Using a set of synthetic criteria, we show that the speed of the Branch & Bound algorithms strongly depends on the diversity among features, feature stability with respect to different subsets, and criterion function dependence on feature set size. We identify the scenarios where the search is accelerated the most dramatically (finish in linear time), as well as the worst conditions. We verify our conclusions experimentally on three real data sets using traditional probabilistic distance criteria.     

Subtle but distinct impairments of rats with chemical lesions in the thalamic mediodorsal nucleus, tested in a radial arm maze.

Tested the performance of 18 hybrid BD9?×?BD10 rats trained in a radial arm maze before and after chemical lesions of the thalamic mediodorsal nucleus or the ventral tegmental area. Their behavior was compared with that of 18 sham-operated controls. Lesions were produced with ibotenic acid, a compound that selectively destroys neurons while apparently leaving fibers of passage intact. Results revealed no intergroup differences in the number of errors performed when all 6 trials were given in 1 session without interruption. The group with mediodorsal lesions, however, made significantly more errors than either of the other 2 groups when a delay of 1 hr was interposed between the 1st 4 and the last 2 trials. Furthermore, these Ss differed from Ss of the other groups in the number of sessions necessary to reach criterion, in the time needed to finish a session, and in the directness with which a goal was approached. Ss with lesions of the ventral tegmental area did not differ from Ss of the sham-operated control group in any of the measures taken. It is suggested that the deficits of rats with mediodorsal lesions resemble qualitatively those found in human patients with lesions of the mediodorsal nucleus. (63 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)