Dysrhythmias of the respiratory oscillator

Breathing is regulated by a central neural oscillator that produces rhythmic output to the respiratory muscles. Pathological disturbances in rhythm (dysrhythmias) are observed in the breathing pattern of children and adults with neurological and cardiopulmonary diseases. The mechanisms responsible for genesis of respiratory dysrhythmias are poorly understood. The present studies take a novel approach to this problem. The basic postulate is that the rhythm of the respiratory oscillator can be altered by a variety of stimuli. When the oscillator recovers its rhythm after such perturbations, its phase may be reset relative to the original rhythm. The amount of phase resetting is dependent upon stimulus parameters and the level of respiratory drive. The long-range hypothesis is that respiratory dysrhythmias can be induced by stimuli that impinge upon or arise within the respiratory oscillator with certain combinations of strength and timing relative to the respiratory cycle. Animal studies were performed in anesthetized or decerebrate preparations. Neural respiratory rhythmicity is represented by phrenic nerve activity, allowing use of open-loop experimental conditions which avoid negative chemical feedback associated with changes in ventilation.In animal experiments, respiratory dysrhythmias can be induced by stimuli having specific combinations of strength and timing. Newborn animals readily exhibit spontaneous dysrhythmias which become more prominent at lower respiratory drives. In human subjects, swallowing was studied as a physiological perturbation of respiratory rhythm, causing a pattern of phase resetting that is characterized topologically as type 0. Computational studies of the Bonhoeffer-van der Pol (BvP) equations, whose qualitative behavior is representative of many excitable systems, supports a unified interpretation of these experimental findings. Rhythmicity is observed when the BvP model exhibits recurrent periods of excitation alternating with refractory periods. The same system can be perturbed to a state in which amplitude of oscillation is attenuated or abolished. We have characterized critical perturbations which induce transitions between these two states, giving rise to patterns of dysrhythmic activity that are similar to those seen in the experiments. We illustrate the importance of noise in initiation and termination of rhythm, comparable to normal respiratory rhythm intermixed with spontaneous dysrhythmias. In the BvP system the incidence and duration of dysrhythmia is shown to be strongly influenced by the level of noise. These studies should lead to greater understanding of rhythmicity and integrative responses of the respiratory control system, and provide insight into disturbances in control mechanisms that cause apnea and aspiration in clinical disease states. (c) 1995 American Institute of Physics.     

On two methods of determining the ellipses and ellipsoids of positioning accuracy of robot manipulators

Summary When analysing the problem of the positioning accuracy of robot manipulators it is important to know how far random deviations of the hand may be from the desired position if the joint positioning errors possess a normal distribution. Two methods of determining the ellipses and ellipsoids of probability concentration are compared. The first of them is based on the standard procedure of the probability calculus. The second approximate method consists in finding at first the polygon or polyhedron of the positioning accuracy, and then in finding the ellipse or ellipsoid with principal axes and second order moments coinciding with those of the polygon or polyhedron, respectively. Examples of application demonstrate that these two methods give very close results.

---

Zwei Methoden zur Bestimmung der Ellipsen und Ellipsoide der Positioniergenauigkeit von Handhabungsrobotern

Übersicht Bei der Untersuchung der Positioniergenauigkeit von Handhabungsrobotern ist es wichtig, die Größe zufälliger Abweichungen des Greifers von der erstrebten Position zu kennen, wenn die Lagefehler der Verbindungen eine Normalverteilung besitzen. Es werden zwei Methoden zur Bestimmung der Ellipsen bzw. Ellipsoide der Wahrscheinlichkeitsdichte verglichen. Die erste beruht auf dem Standardverfahren der Wahrscheinlichkeitsrechnung. Die zweite Näherungsmethode besteht darin, daß zunächst das Polygon bzw. Polyeder der Positioniergenauigkeit bestimmt wird und danach die Ellipse bzw. das Ellipsoid mit den Hauptachsen und Momenten zweiter Ordnung wie das Polygon oder Polyeder. Beispiele zeigen, daß beide Methoden zu sehr ähnlichen Ergebnissen führen.

     

The generation and classification of tile-k-transitive tilings of the Euclidean plane,the sphere and the hyperbolic plane

Algorithms based on the theory of Delaney-Dress symbols are discussed that can be used to recursively produce all possible equivariant types of tile-k-transitive tilings of the Euclidean plane, the sphere and the hyperbolic plane, for any (reasonable)k. A number of results can be obtained using computer implementations of the algorithms.     

Etude des conditions d'accès au triazino-1,2,4-[4,5-b] indazole

1,2,4-Triazino[4,5-b]indazol-1(2H)one and its derivatives were prepared by transposition of 3-[2-(-1,3,4-oxadiazolyl)]indazole or by ring closure of indazole ethoxymethylidenehydrazides. The synthesis of 1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-l,2,4-triazino[4,5-b]indazole-1,4-dione was achieved by cyclising the N-carbethoxyhydrazide of indazole-3-carboxylic acid and the synthesis of 1,2,4-triazino-[4,5-b]indazol-4(3H)one was made by cyclising the N-carbethoxy-hydrazone of indazole-3-carboxaldehyde. The Oxydation of 1,2,4-triazino[4,5-b]indazole-l(2H)thione gave 1,2,4-triazino-[4,5-b]indazoles. Nmr spectral data are reported.     

A configuration interaction study of phosphine using bonded functions

A computational study is made of the effect of basis set upon the energy, properties and inversion barrier of the phosphine molecule. The calculations are performed at both the SCF and CI level. The flexibility of the double zeta basis is discussed in the light of the results.     

Struktur von 7,11-Diphenyl-2,4-diazaspiro[5,5]undecan-1,3,5,9-tetraonen durch LIS-NMR

A semi-quantitative method for determining distances between a possible coordination centre and protons from LIS-NMR values is developed for the title compounds3, although these have four coordination points. This makes it possible to propose structures and conformations for the isomers of3.

---

---

Mit 4 Abbildungen

---

H.-H. Otto undH. Yamamura, Ann. Chem., im Druck.     

Etude dilatométrique de la cristallisation et de la transformation polymorphe du polybutène — 1 isotactique

Résumé On étudie par dilatométrie la cinétique de cristallisation et de la transformation III de trois échantillons de polybutène-1 isotactique. On montre que la cristallisation de l'échantillon fondu est initiée par des germes hétérogènes, dont le nombre varie d'un échantillon à l'autre. La vitesse de cristallisation varie linéairement avec l'inverse du degré de surfusion (T ^–1), sa variation thermique étant indépendante de l'échantillon. On met en évidence l'importance de la cristallisation secondaire, qui suit le processus autocatalytique. D'autre part, la transformation III, après refroidissement, est initiée par des germes apparaissant sporadiquement dans les fibrilles lamellaires de la texture sphérulitique, et elle se propage le long de celles-ci. D'une manière générale la vitesse de transformation isotherme dépend de l'histoire thermique: on examine ici l'influence de la température de cristallisation primitive et celle d'une trempe préalable aux basses températures. Cette dernière engendre un grand nombre de germes, dont la fraction qui résiste à une élévation de température, accélère la transformation. On discute, enfin, les trois volumes de référence déterminant la cristallinité des échantillons dans les deux formes. On propose une nouvelle échelle de cristallinité, dont la cohérence est confirmée par l'invariance des valuers des coefficients de dilatation des deux formes de cristaux, déduites de la dilatation des échantillons obtenus après trempe ou cristallisation isotherme à haute température.

---

Summary Kinetics of crystallization and transformation III are investigated dilatometrically with three isotactic Polybutene-1 samples. Primary autocatalytic crystallization from the supercooled melt is initiated by a heterogeneous nucleation process, the number of nucle being determined by the previous temperature of the melt. The rate of crystallization depends linearly on the reciprocal of the degree of supercooling (T ^–1) and its thermal variation is identical for the three samples investigated. The importance of the secondary cristallization, which follows the primary process, is emphasized. On the other hand, the transformation III, which occurs after cooling the semicristalline sample in the room temperature range, is initiated by nuclei appearing sporadically in the lamellar ribbons of the spherulitic texture and they grow linearly along these ribbons. In general the isothermal rate of transformation depends on the previous thermal history of the sample: the influence of the cristallization temperature and that of quenching to low temperatures are systematically investigated. Such a quenching prior to transformation generates a great number of nuclei, a fraction of which persiste even at higher temperatures and increases the rate of transformation. Reference volumes, which determine the cristallinity of PB-1 in its two forms, are discussed. A new cristallinity scale is proposed, the coherence of which is confirmed by the constant values of the expansion coefficients of the two cristalline forms, calculated from the actuel thermal expansion of the semicristalline material, the cristallinity of which varied in a large range.

---

Zusammenfassung Es wird an drei isotaktischen Polybuten-1-Proben die Kinetik der Kristallisation und der Transformation von II nach I untersucht. Eine primäre autokatalytische Kristallisation aus der unterkühlten Schmelze wird durch einen heterogenen Keimbildungs-Prozeß initiiert. Die Zahl der Keime ist durch die vorausgehende Temperatur der Schmelze bedingt. Die Geschwindigkeit der Kristallisation hängt linear vom reziproken Wert der Unterkühlung ab (T ^–1) und die thermische Variation ist identisch für alle drei untersuchten Proben. Die Wichtigkeit der Sekundär-Kristallisation, die dem primären Prozeß folgt, wird betont. Andererseits wird die Transformation von II nach I, die nach Abkühlen der halb-kristallinen Probe auf Raumtemperatur eintritt, durch Keime initiiert, die verstreut in den laminaren Rippen der sphärulithischen Textur erscheinen. Sie wachsen linear längs der Rippen. Im allgemeinen hängt die isotherme Geschwindigkeit der Transformation von der thermischen Vorgeschichte der Probe ab. Der Einfluß der Kristallisations-Temperatur und der des Abschreckens zu tiefen Temperaturen werden systematisch untersucht. Ein Abschrecken vor der Transformation erzeugt eine große Zahl von Keimen, von denen ein Bruchteil auch bei höheren Temperaturen fortbesteht und die Transformations-Geschwindigkeit so erhöht. Referenz-Volumina, die die Kristallinität von PB-1 bestimmen, werden diskutiert in ihren zwei Formen. Eine neue Kristallinitäts-Skala wird vorgeschlagen, deren Zutreffen durch die konstanten Werte der Ausdehnungs-Koeffizienten der zwei Kristall-Formen, berechnet aus dem tatsächlichen Ausdehnungsverhaltens des semikristallinen Materials, dessen Kristallanteil in einem großen Bereich variierte, gesichert wird.

---

---

Avec 12 figures en 14 détails et 8 tableaux

---

Beursier del'OTAN pendant l'année 1966.