Structure-function interrelation and clinical effect of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP)

Atriopeptin III (AP III) and its six analogues were synthesized by solid phase method and their diuretic and hypotensive activities were determined. Among these analogues, analogue [D-Ala-5, D-Arg-23] AP III was nearly 10 times as potent as AP III in diuretic activity while its hypotensive activity increased only 50% of that of AP III. Analogue des [Ser-15Gly-16Leu-17Gly-18Asn-20Ser-21] AP III was 15% as potent as AP III in diuretic activity, but it still maintained about 60% of the hypotensive activity of AP III. Meanwhile, we tried analogue [D-Ala-5, D-Agr-23] AP III for the treatment of hypertensive syndrome in pregnancy and obtained some good results.

OSNet: a neural network implementation of order statistic filters

A dedicated neural network model called OSNet which finds the kth largest element in an array of real numbers is proposed. Its overall processing time is constant irrespective of the number of elements in the array and is four times the processing time of a single neuron. Networks of this kind may be used as building blocks for hardware implementation of order statistic filters. Examples of using OSNet for implementing various order statistic filters and for sorting are shown.

Improving the linearity of the Michelson interferometric angular measurement by a parameter compensation method

A parameter compensation method is developed to improve the linearity of the Michelson interferometric angular measurement. The formulas for the exact calculation of the parameters are presented; different cases are discussed. By introducing a weight function in the calculation, we can change the distribution of the linearity over the whole range of measurement. The theoretical analysis and the experimental results show that this method greatly improves the linearity of the measurement even for a large range of measurement.

New optical method for measuring small-angle rotations

To measure small-angle rotations, the two mirrors of a Michelson interferometer are replaced by right-angle prisms. Rotation of the latter shifts the interference pattern. Measurement of that shift gives, after calibration, the rotation. The experimental setup is insensitive to vibrations, provides good linearity between +5 degrees and -5 degrees , and has a resolution of 10(-4) deg.