Abstract A novel, language‐based interface to the specification of multivariate volume classification and shading algorithms has been implemented. The system facilitates experimentation by providing access to data relevant to volume classification and shading (scalars, gradients, and gradient magnitudes) in a C‐like language environment. The user writes code to calculate opacity and colour on a per voxel basis. The code is interpreted and compiled in a transparent fashion and then executed on a volume data‐set. The output is a volume primitive suitable for input to standard volume rendering algorithms.

A graphical display system for animating mapped cardiac potentials is described. The system displays recorded voltages from 121 epicardial electrodes simultaneously on a computer monitor using color to indicate the magnitude of the voltage. Numerous options accessible through the mouse-driven user interface provide the user with a high degree of interaction with the data. The user can observe the changes in the recorded voltages over time by defining a portion of the data over which to animate the voltages. Animation speeds of up to 2 1/4 frames per second can be achieved, depending on the workstation used. Use of the graphical display system provides a new tool for studying the electrical conduction properties of the heart. Through its use, a more complete understanding (and potentially a more effective treatment) of arrhythmias might be achieved.>

The authors review the role that customer-oriented demand-side management (DSM) can plan in utility planning, discuss its current state of application, provide a framework for incorporating uncertainty in DSM programs, and present ideas on how DSM programs can be implemented and monitored. They conclude that DSM provides a workable solution to some of the major problems confronting electric utilities today. DSM offers utility management many alternatives to improving customer satisfaction and maintaining good customer relations in the increasingly competitive area of electric supply, besides improving the utility's financial health. Decision analysis can provide a sound basis for selecting DSM alternatives in an environment of uncertainty. Finally, DSM provides an implementable mechanism to incorporate utility and customer requirements into integrated planning procedures.>

The authors note that knowledge of the extracellular potential gradient field of the defibrillation shock and the cardiac-tissue response to the shock should lead to better understanding of the mechanism of defibrillation and stimulate improvement of defibrillation techniques. By measuring the potential distribution of the defibrillation shock throughout the heart and the location of the recording electrodes, the potential gradient field may be calculated. By recording local electrograms throughout the heart immediately before and after the shock, the tissue response to the shock can be evaluated.>