The mechanisms underlying the generation of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep are poorly understood. Despite a lack of direct support, neurons maximally active during REM sleep (REM sleep-active) located in the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus (PPTn) are hypothesized to generate this state and its component phenomenology. This hypothesis has never been directly tested, since the results of selectively inhibiting this cell-group have never been determined. Using microdialysis, electrophysiology, histochemical and pharmacological methods in freely-behaving rats (n=22) instrumented for sleep-wake state and respiratory muscle recordings, I selectively inhibited REM sleep-active PPTn neurons. Contrary to the prevailing hypothesis, I showed that REM sleep-active PPTn neurons suppress REM sleep by limiting the frequency of its onset. These neurons also shape the impact of REM sleep on breathing. REM sleep-active PPTn neurons restrain behavioural activation of upper-airway musculature during REM sleep, while depressing breathing rate and respiratory activation of the upper-airway musculature across sleep-wake-states.

Using the method of breaking circular symmetry and the subsequent symmetry restoration via projection techniques, we calculate the ground-state energies and excitation spectra of N-electrons confined in parabolic quantum dots in strong magnetic fields in the medium-size range 10<=N <=30. The physical picture is that of finite rotating electron molecules (REMs) comprising multiple rings, with the rings rotating independently of each other. A derived analytic expression for the energetics is applicable to arbitrary sizes given the corresponding ring configuration of classical point charges. Also by exact diagonalization (EXD) method, we show the spectrum and structure of few electrons, 2<=N<=3, confined in elliptical dots at finite magnetic field. The results suggest the formation of a state of Wigner-molecular properties with spin associated, which has great instructions for the development of quantum register in quantum computing.

Since studies have revealed sleeping quality is highly related to our health conditions, sleep-medicine has attracted more and more attention in recent years. Sleep staging is one of the most important elements of sleep-medicine. Traditionally, it¡¦s done by observing the information form of EEG, EOG and EMG signals. But this is almost not possible to achieve at home. Automatic detection of REM sleep is the main goal of this study. Via comparing the classification performances of different combinations of EEG, EOG and EMG signals, this study also tries to simplify the number of signal channels. By using features extracted from EEG, EOG and EMG signals, the back-propagation neural networks are used to distinguish REM and NREM sleep. By refining the outputs of the neural networks, this study extensively test the efficacy of the proposed approach by using databases from two different sleep centers. This work also investigates the influences of the number of signal channels, REM sleep ratio, AHI, and age on classification results. Data acquired from the sleep centers of China Medical University Hospital (CMUH) and Sheng-Mei Hospital are arranged in ten different groups. For our largest datasets, which consists of 1318 subjects from CMUH, the results show that the proposed method achieves 95.5% epoch-to-epoch agreement with Cohen's Kappa 0.833, sensitivity 85.9% and specificity 97.3%. The generalization accuracy is 94.1% with Cohen's Kappa 0.782, sensitivity 78.5% and specificity 97.3%.

The rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep is one of the most important parts in overnight sleep. In this study, an automatic REM sleep staging rule is introduced. Compared with the traditional REM detection method, a distinct feature of this method is that it only requires two EOG signals and thus reduces the number of input signal channels significantly. We calculate the correlation coefficient series between two EOG signals. By representing such a series with a VQ coding method, several techniques are proposed to improve the classification rate. Experimental results are given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

Marinediesel Sweden AB i Ängelholm tillverkar och utvecklar båtmotorer och motorbåtsdrev. Jaggjorde mitt exobb på avdelningen MD Engineering som huvudsakligen utvecklar marina drivlinor.Marinediesel Sweden AB var i behov av ett styrprogram till den testbänk de byggt för att kunna testasina motorbåtsdrev. Denna rapport beskriver arbetet jag utfört för att färdigställa och optimera ettstyrprogram till en testrigg för marina drivlinor. I rapporten tar jag upp drevbänkens uppbyggnad, dessfunktion samt de problem jag stött på på vägen. Bland annat beskrivs hur effektförlusten beräknasmed energidifferensen i tillförd och bortförd olja i drevet, samt hur det pålagda vridmomentet, somsimulerar belastningen vid verkliga driftsförhållanden, styrs och beräknas med endast trycket ihydraulcylindrarna. / Marinediesel Sweden AB in Ängelholm manufacture and develop marine engines and stern drives. Idid my thesis at the company division MD Engineering that is specialized in marine powertrainresearch and development.Marinediesel Sweden AB in Ängelholm were in need of a control program for a test rig they built inorder to test their sterndrives. This thesis report describes the process to optimize and finish a test rigfor marine powertrains. In this report I discuss how the test rig is constructed, it's operation and theissues I encountered along the way. Among other things, I describe how the power loss is calculatedby the energy difference of the supplied and abducted oil in the gear, and how the applied torque,which simulates the load at actual operating conditions, are controlled and calculated using only thepressure in the hydraulic cylinders.

No abstract available. / Thesis (LL.M.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1986.

No description available.

A produção arquitetônica de Rem Koolhaas e seu Office for Metropolitan Architecture pode ser considerada, sem o risco de se incorrer em exageros, uma das mais influentes do fim do século XX e início do século XXI. Figuras influentes da arquitetura contemporânea passaram por seu escritório e trabalharam sob sua tutela, diversas publicações dedicam edições inteiras às suas obras e seu reconhecimento internacional torna-se incontestável após ser laureado em 2000 com o prêmio Pritzker. Apesar do reconhecimento, o caminho que Koolhaas trilhou junto a seu escritório desde sua fundação, em 1972, até as primeiras obras concluídas e o reconhecimento da crítica especializada, em 1992, é relativamente desconhecido, com a maior parte do material disponível dispersado em periódicos diversos. Percebe-se também que publicações que analisam projetos do OMA tendem a abordar a obra através de seu valor simbólico ou sócio-econômico, com uma tendência a relacionar diretamente a biografia de Koolhaas e seus textos às formas produzidas. Esta dissertação tem como objetivo organizar, sistematizar e categorizar informações sobre as duas primeiras décadas de produção do OMA—1972 a 1992, coincidindo com o período abordado por Koolhaas em seu tomo S, M, L, XL. Através da análise formal dos projetos, com ênfase nos diferentes tipos de estrutura utilizados em projetos ao longo da carreira do OMA, pretende-se elucidar a transformação das estratégias projetuais do escritório e reiterar a presença da tradição moderna nos projetos de Koolhaas. / Rem Koolhaas and his Office for Metropolitan Architecture projects can be considered, without the risk of exaggeration, one of the most influential body of works of the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st. Influential professionals in contemporary architecture worked at the office and learned from Koolhaas’s teachings, several magazines dedicate entire issues to his works, and his international recognition became indisputable after he was awarded the Pritzker Prize in 2000. Although Koolhaas and his office were internationally recognized, the path that led to this recognition-from its foundation in 1972 to its first works being built and subsequent success with specialized critics in 1992-is relatively unknown, with most of the available material being spread out among different magazines. It is also noteworthy that the critics who analyze Koolhaas’s work projects tend to approach the work through its symbolic or socio-economic value, with a tendency to directly relate the biography of Koolhaas and his texts to the forms of his designs. This dissertation aims to organize, systematize and categorize information on the first two decades of OMA’s production — from 1972 to 1992, coinciding with the period covered by Koolhaas in his book S, M, L, XL. Through a formal analysis of his works, focusing on the different types of structure utilized in projects throughout the years, this dissertation intends to clarify the office’s transformation of design strategies and reaffirm the continuation of the modern tradition present in Koolhaas’s work.

Among all of the devastating effects that Parkinson’s disease (PD) has on an individual, sleep dysfunction is one that can have a profound effect on the entire family of the patient. The most potentially destructive of these sleep syndromes being that of Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Behavior Disorder (RBD). This disorder not only causes sleep impairment to the patient, but can occasionally result in life-threatening injury to the individual or their bed partner. While this condition is manageable with medication, the current treatment of choice is a long-acting benzodiazepine, clonazepam. This drug, while effective in treating RBD, comes with a significant burden of side effects. Patients with neurodegenerative disorders, like PD, are at even higher risk of suffering the negative impacts of this treatment. One potential alternative treatment that has been considered is a supplement of exogenous melatonin, a hormone that plays a role in maintaining one’s circadian rhythm. Several small case studies have shown potential efficacy of this treatment, and with very few side effects. However, this efficacy has not yet been proven by randomized clinical trial. This proposed study will perform a double-blind randomized clinical trial of melatonin vs. placebo in a population of PD patients with RBD. Subjects will be analyzed via polysomnographic sleep study, where symptoms will be scored on the RBD Severity Scale (RBDSS) at baseline and after a treatment intervention. Statistical analysis will then ascertain whether or not a significant symptom reduction is seen following melatonin treatment, compared to a group receiving placebo. If melatonin proves to be efficacious in this patient population, this would give clinicians a new treatment option to consider to effectively manage symptoms of RBD with a much lower risk of potentially harmful side effects. Finding an effective method of managing this condition, the prevalence of which continues to rise worldwide, will have a great impact on improving the safety and quality of life of these patients.

A produção arquitetônica de Rem Koolhaas e seu Office for Metropolitan Architecture pode ser considerada, sem o risco de se incorrer em exageros, uma das mais influentes do fim do século XX e início do século XXI. Figuras influentes da arquitetura contemporânea passaram por seu escritório e trabalharam sob sua tutela, diversas publicações dedicam edições inteiras às suas obras e seu reconhecimento internacional torna-se incontestável após ser laureado em 2000 com o prêmio Pritzker. Apesar do reconhecimento, o caminho que Koolhaas trilhou junto a seu escritório desde sua fundação, em 1972, até as primeiras obras concluídas e o reconhecimento da crítica especializada, em 1992, é relativamente desconhecido, com a maior parte do material disponível dispersado em periódicos diversos. Percebe-se também que publicações que analisam projetos do OMA tendem a abordar a obra através de seu valor simbólico ou sócio-econômico, com uma tendência a relacionar diretamente a biografia de Koolhaas e seus textos às formas produzidas. Esta dissertação tem como objetivo organizar, sistematizar e categorizar informações sobre as duas primeiras décadas de produção do OMA—1972 a 1992, coincidindo com o período abordado por Koolhaas em seu tomo S, M, L, XL. Através da análise formal dos projetos, com ênfase nos diferentes tipos de estrutura utilizados em projetos ao longo da carreira do OMA, pretende-se elucidar a transformação das estratégias projetuais do escritório e reiterar a presença da tradição moderna nos projetos de Koolhaas. / Rem Koolhaas and his Office for Metropolitan Architecture projects can be considered, without the risk of exaggeration, one of the most influential body of works of the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st. Influential professionals in contemporary architecture worked at the office and learned from Koolhaas’s teachings, several magazines dedicate entire issues to his works, and his international recognition became indisputable after he was awarded the Pritzker Prize in 2000. Although Koolhaas and his office were internationally recognized, the path that led to this recognition-from its foundation in 1972 to its first works being built and subsequent success with specialized critics in 1992-is relatively unknown, with most of the available material being spread out among different magazines. It is also noteworthy that the critics who analyze Koolhaas’s work projects tend to approach the work through its symbolic or socio-economic value, with a tendency to directly relate the biography of Koolhaas and his texts to the forms of his designs. This dissertation aims to organize, systematize and categorize information on the first two decades of OMA’s production — from 1972 to 1992, coinciding with the period covered by Koolhaas in his book S, M, L, XL. Through a formal analysis of his works, focusing on the different types of structure utilized in projects throughout the years, this dissertation intends to clarify the office’s transformation of design strategies and reaffirm the continuation of the modern tradition present in Koolhaas’s work.