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In this paper, our main aim is to generalize the mixed mean dual affine quermassintegrals to the Orlicz space. Under the framework of Orlicz dual Brunn–Minkowski theory, we introduce a new geometric operator by calculating the first Orlicz variation of the mixed mean dual affine quermassintegrals and call it the Orlicz mixed mean dual affine quermassintegrals. The fundamental notions and conclusions of the mixed mean dual affine quermassintegrals, and the Minkowski and Brunn–Minkowski inequalities for the mixed mean dual affine quermassintegrals are extended to an Orlicz setting, and the related concepts and inequalities of Orlicz dual quermassintegrals are also included in our conclusions. The new Orlicz isoperimetric inequalities in special case yield the Orlicz dual Minkowski inequality and Orlicz dual Brunn–Minkowski inequality, which also imply the Lp-dual Minkowski inequality and Brunn–Minkowski inequality for the mixed mean dual affine quermassintegrals.

Summary Aims Different trophic factors are known to promote retinal ganglion cell survival and regeneration, but each had their own limitations. We report that hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) confers distinct advantages in supporting ganglion cell survival and axonal regeneration, when compared to two well-established trophic factors ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Methods Ganglion cells in adult hamster were injured by cutting the optic nerve. HGF, CNTF, or BDNF was injected at different dosages intravitreally after injury. Ganglion cell survival was quantified at 7, 14, or 28 days postinjury. Peripheral nerve (PN) grafting to the cut optic nerve of the growth factor–injected eye was performed either immediately after injury or delayed until 7 days post-injury. Expression of heat-shock protein 27 and changes in microglia numbers were quantified in different growth factor groups. The cellular distribution of c-Met in the retina was examined by anti-c-Met immunostaining. Results Hepatocyte Growth Factor (HGF) was equally potent as BDNF in promoting short-term survival (up to 14 days post-injury) and also supported survival at 28 days post-injury when ganglion cells treated by CNTF or BDNF failed to be sustained. When grafting was performed without delay, HGF stimulated twice the number of axons to regenerate compared with control but was less potent than CNTF. However, in PN grafting delayed for 7 days after optic nerve injury, HGF maintained a better propensity of ganglion cells to regenerate than CNTF. Unlike CNTF, HGF application did not increase HSP27 expression in ganglion cells. Microglia proliferation was prolonged in HGF-treated retinas compared with CNTF or BDNF. C-Met was localized to both ganglion cells and Muller cells, suggesting HGF could be neuroprotective via interacting with both neurons and glia. Conclusion Compared with CNTF or BDNF, HGF is advantageous in sustaining long-term ganglion cell survival and their propensity to respond to favorable stimuli.

The emission profiles of light-emitting diodes have typically be measured by goniophotometry. However this technique suffers from several drawbacks, including the inability to generate three-dimensional intensity profiles as well as poor spatial resolution. These limitations are particularly pronounced when the technique is used to compared devices whose emission patterns have been modified through surface texturing at the micrometer and nanometer scales,. In view of such limitations, confocal microscopy has been adopted for the study of emission characteristics of LEDs. This enables three-dimensional emission maps to be collected, from which two-dimensional cross-sectional emission profiles can be generated. Of course, there are limitations associated with confocal microscopy, including the range of emission angles that can be measured due to the limited acceptance angle of the objective. As an illustration, the technique has been adopted to compare the emission profiles of LEDs with different divergence angles using an objective with a numerical aperture of 0.8. It is found that the results are consistent with those obtained by goniophotometry when the divergence angle is less that the acceptance angle of the objective.

We report on the synthesis of a porous hierarchical disklike ZnO nanostructure fabricated via a simple low-temperature hydrothermal method for photovoltaic applications. The hierarchical ZnO nanostructures consist of porous ZnO nanowires growing in six symmetric directions and form a disklike shape. Owing to the enlarged surface area and natural electron collection routes of the ZnO hierarchical nanostructures, dye-sensitized solar cells based on these structures exhibit improved photovoltaic performance compared with that of the ZnO nanowire arrays. Our results suggest that porous hierarchical nanomaterials are promising materials for applications in dye-sensitized solar cells.

InGaN light-emitting diodes of stripe geometries have been demonstrated. The elongated geometry facilitates light spreading in the longitudinal direction. The chips are further shaped by laser-micromachining to have partially-inclined sidewalls. The light extraction efficiencies of such 3D chip geometries are enhanced by ~12% (~8% according to ray-trace simulations), leading to a reduction of junction temperatures. The effective emission area is also increased four times compared to a cubic chip. The stripe LEDs are thus more efficient emitters with reduced luminous exitance, making them more suitable for a wide range of lighting applications.

Lens damage has been demonstrated to promote axonal regeneration of retinal ganglion cells. Various mechanisms associated with this enhancement have been proposed, including macrophage recruitment and stimulatory factors from the lesioned lens. Lens epithelial cells, which become activated as a result of injury, are another potential stimulus. A recent study of co-culturing lens epithelial cells adjacent to retinal explants without direct contact showed that neurites were attracted to grow towards them. We explored the ability of lens epithelial cells to act as a favorable substrate for ganglion cell axonal regeneration, by culturing retinal explants on top of a lens epithelial cell layer, as well as in vivo by transplanting freshly isolated lens epithelial cells to the cut optic nerve. Retinal explants cultured on lens epithelial cells regenerated more and longer neurites than those cultured on either an acellular substrate or a substrate of corneal cells, while lens epithelial cells transplanted to the optic nerve stimulated axons to regenerate in close association with them.

We have investigated the changes in arrangement of the SSEA-1 immunoreactive chiasmatic neurons in the mouse ventral diencephalon from embryonic day (E) 9 to the end of gestation. A regionally specific staining of SSEA-1 was first detected in the ventricular layer of the caudal diencephalon at E10 and later at E11 on the cells in the subventricular layer. At E12, these cells formed the characteristic V-shaped configuration caudal to the optic axons in the chiasm. At E13-E15, this neuronal array changes gradually to a configuration that facilitates contact with the optic axons only at the midline and the initial segment of the optic tract. Colocalization studies showed that CD44 was localized strongly on the neurons in the central but not lateral domains of the array, suggesting existence of heterogeneity in these neurons in terms of surface antigen presentation. This difference between the central and lateral domains raises the possibility that the chiasmatic neurons may regulate the patterning of axon orders at the midline and the optic tract through presentation of distinct combination of guidance cues at these strategic positions in the optic pathway. Furthermore, exogenous Lewis-x/SSEA-1 inhibited neurite outgrowth from the E14 retinal explants; this inhibition was observed in neurites from both ventral temporal and dorsal nasal retina. These findings suggest an action of this surface carbohydrate on the control of axon growth and guidance in the mouse optic pathway.

In this paper, vector norm inequalities that provides upper bounds for the Lipschitz quantity $\left\Vert f\left( T\right) x-f\left( V\right)x\right\Vert $ for power series $f\left( z\right) =\sum_{n=0}^{\infty}a_{n}z^{n},$ bounded linear operators $T,V$ on the Hilbert space $H$ and vectors $x\in H$ are established. Applications in relation to Hermite-Hadamard type inequalities and examples for elementary functions of interest are given as well.

The Combustion and Environment Group of the Propulsion and Performance Department at the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency proposed a bipropellant (H2O2 and hydrocarbon fuel) hybrid rocket-turbine engine for micro air vehicle (MAV) propulsion. A prototype bipropellant system was designed, built and tested to assess the full benefits of the rocket part of this type of engine. The operating parameters of the prototype engine were compared with predictions obtained in an earlier feasibility study. A considerable amount of knowledge on the usage and performance of H2O2 has been gained from these experiments. The test results show good agreement with predictions made in the feasibility study. Heat loss from the nozzle and ignition of the fuel are identified to be major problems which must be overcome before the engine can be developed into a viable propulsion system for MAVs.

Poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) bone cement is widely used in vertebral body augmentation procedures such as vertebroplasty and balloon kyphoplasty. Filling high modulus PMMA increases the modulus of filled verterbra, increasing the risk of fracture in the adjacent vertebra. On the other hand, in porous PMMA bone cements, wear particle generation and deterioration of mechanical performance are the major drawbacks. This study adopts a new approach by utilizing linoleic acid coated strontium substituted hydroxyapatite nanoparticle (Sr-5 HA) and linoleic acid as plasticizer reducing bone cement's modulus with minimal impact on its strength. We determined the compressive strength (UCS) and modulus (Ec), hydrophobicity, injectability, in vitro bioactivity and biocompatibility of this bone cement at different filler and linoleic acid loading. At 20 wt % Sr5-HA incorporation, UCS and Ec were reduced from 63 ± 2 MPa, 2142 ± 129 MPa to 58 ± 2 MPa, 1785 ± 64 MPa, respectively. UCS and Ec were further reduced to 49 ± 2 MPa and 774 ± 70 MPa respectively when 15 v/v of linoleic acid was incorporated. After 7 days of incubation, pre-osteoblast cells (MC3T3-E1) attached on 20 wt % Sr5-HA and 20 wt % Sr5-HA with 15 v/v of linoleic acid group were higher (3.73 ± 0.01 x 10⁴, 2.27 ± 0.02 x 10⁴) than their PMMA counterpart (1.83 ± 0.04 x 10⁴). Incorporation of Sr5-HA with linoleic acid in monomer phase is more effective in reducing the bone cement's stiffness than Sr5-HA alone. Combination of low stiffness and high mechanical strength gives the novel bone cement the potential for use in vertebroplasty cement applications.

Modified strontium-containing hydroxyapatite (Sr-HA) bone cement was loaded with gentamicin sulfate to generate an efficient bioactive antibiotic drug delivery system for treatment of bone defects. Gentamicin release and its antibacterial property were determined by fluorometric method and inhibition of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) growth. Gentamicin was released from Sr-HA bone cement during the entire period of study and reached around 38% (w/w) cumulatively after 30 days. Antibacterial activity of the gentamicin loaded in the cements is clearly confirmed by the growth inhibition of S. aureus. The results of the amount and duration of gentamicin release suggest a better drug delivery efficiency in Sr-HA bone cement over polymethylmethacrylate bone cement. Bioactivity of the gentamicin-loaded Sr-HA bone cement was confirmed with the formation of apatite layer with 1.836 ± 0.037 μm thick on day 1 and 5.177 ± 1.355 μm thick on day 7 after immersion in simulated body fluid. Compressive strengths of the gentamicin-loaded Sr-HA cement reached 132.60 ± 10.08 MPa, with a slight decrease from the unloaded groups by 4-9%. Bending moduli of Sr-HA cements with and without gentamicin were 1.782 ± 0.072 GPa and 1.681 ± 0.208 GPa, respectively. On the contrary, unloaded Sr-HA cement obtained slightly larger bending strength of 35.48 ± 2.63 MPa comparing with 33.00 ± 1.65 MPa for loaded cement. No statistical difference was found on the bending strengths and modulus of gentamicin-loaded and -unloaded Sr-HA cements. Sr-HA bone cement loaded with gentamicin was proven to be an efficient drug delivery system with uncompromised mechanical properties and bioactivity.

To review the clinical manifestations of phaeochromocytoma in a Hong Kong Chinese population.Retrospective review. SETTING. Five public hospitals in Hong Kong.Seventeen patients with operated phaeochromocytoma between 1994 and 2003 were reviewed retrospectively.Six patients (35%) were men, 11 (65%) were women. The mean age at presentation was 47 (range, 17-72) years. The diagnosis post-presentation was delayed by 1 to 132 months. Over 70% of the patients had hypertension. The most frequent symptoms were headache (53%), palpitations (53%), and sweating (41%); all these symptoms were present in 24% of the patients. Four (24%) had hereditary phaeochromocytoma/paraganglioma syndrome. The sensitivity of 24-hour urinary catecholamine measurements was 82%. Mean urinary adrenaline and noradrenaline concentrations were respectively 7- and 8-fold greater than the upper reference limits. Computed tomography and metaiodobenzylguanidine scintigraphy were the most widely used means for tumour localisation (sensitivity, 100% and 87% respectively). Approximately 65% of the patients had intra-adrenal tumours; 53% were on right side, 18% were bilateral. All the patients were prescribed phenoxybenzamine (dosage range, 20-120 mg/day) preoperatively. Two thirds of the patients had improved blood pressure 1 year after the operation. No malignancy was reported after a mean follow-up period of 7 years.Our series of patients with phaeochromocytomas commonly had a high frequency of normotension and extra-adrenal tumours. A high index of clinical suspicion and appropriate biochemical investigations are necessary to make the diagnosis, especially for patients manifesting adrenal incidentaloma and extra-adrenal lesion.

We have determined whether chondroitin sulphate (CS) glycosaminoglycans are sufficient to direct a selective inhibition of neurite growth from ventral temporal (VT) but not from dorsal nasal (DN) retina in mouse embryos; this may underlie the formation of axon divergence in the optic chiasm. Explants from the retinal region of embryonic day-14 mouse were grown on a laminin–polylysine substrate near to a circular spot coated with CS. In control cultures, in which no CS was added to the spot, both VT and DN retinal neurites grew extensively into the coated territory. When presented with spots coated with 10 mg/ml CS, neurite growth from the VT retina into the CS territory was dramatically reduced but that from the DN retina was not significantly affected. The selective inhibition to VT neurites was completely abolished by treatment with chondroitinase ABC, indicating a specific contribution of CS glycosaminoglycan in this regionally specific behaviour. This differential behaviour was not observed in explants presented with a lower or higher concentration of CS or in explants grown on substrate coated with a different laminin concentration. Thus, a critical ratio of CS to laminin seems to be essential to induce this differential behaviour in retinal neurites towards contact with CS. Furthermore, this behavior was not observed in explants cultured directly on a CS-rich substrate, suggesting that contact with growth-promoting molecules is necessary for the selective responses of retinal neurites during subsequent contact with CS. We concluded that CS glycosaminoglycan is sufficient to drive selective inhibition of VT but not DN neurites and that, together with a critical combination of growth-promoting factors, it may control the axon divergence process at the mouse optic chiasm.

Lean premixed prevaporised (LPP) combustion can reduce NOx emissions from gas turbines, but often leads to combustion instability. A flame transfer function describes the change in the rate of heat release in response to perturbations in the inlet flow as a function of frequency. It is a quantitative assessment of the susceptibility of combustion to disturbances. The resulting fluctuations will in turn generate more acoustic waves and in some situations self-sustained oscillations can result. Flame transfer functions for LPP combustion are poorly understood at present but are crucial for predicting combustion oscillations. This paper describes an experiment designed to measure the flame transfer function of a simple combustor incorporating realistic components. Tests were conducted initially on this combustor at atmospheric pressure (1.2 bar and 550 K) to make an early demonstration of the combustion system. The test rig consisted of a plenum chamber with an inline siren, followed by a single LPP premixer/duct and a combustion chamber with a silencer to prevent natural instabilities. The siren was used to induce variable frequency pressure/acoustic signals into the air approaching the combustor. Both unsteady pressure and heat release measurements were undertaken. There was good coherence between the pressure and heat release signals. At each test frequency, two unsteady pressure measurements in the plenum were used to calculate the acoustic waves in this chamber and hence estimate the mass-flow perturbation at the fuel injection point inside the LPP duct. The flame transfer function relating the heat release perturbation to this mass flow was found as a function of frequency. The same combustor hardware and associated instrumentation were then used for the high pressure (15 bar and 800 K) tests. Flame transfer function measurements were taken at three combustion conditions that simulated the staging point conditions (Idle, Approach and Take-off) of a large turbofan gas turbine. There was good coherence between pressure and heat release signals at Idle, indicating a close relationship between acoustic and heat release processes. Problems were encountered at high frequencies for the Approach and Take-off conditions, but the flame transfer function for the Idle case had very good qualitative agreement with the atmospheric-pressure tests. The flame transfer functions calculated here could be used directly for predicting combustion oscillations in gas turbine using the same LPP duct at the same operating conditions. More importantly they can guide work to produce a general analytical model.Copyright © 2003 by QinetiQ Ltd.

A thorough understanding of the auto-ignition process is critical to the success of lean premixed prevapourised (LPP) combustors for future ultra-low NOx emissions gas turbines. A considerable amount of work has been done in the past on auto-ignition delay time (ADT) measurements for various aviation fuels and hydrocarbons. However, little was known about the influence of various possible fuel additives on ADT. A test rig was designed and built by DERA specifically for ADT measurements. It consisted of an injector housing and an instrumented duct where the ignition location could be monitored by fibre optic sensors. It was intended to acquire ADT measurements at 875K, 16bar and 40m/s of mean flow. The test rig and instrumentation were commissioned in January and February 2000. However, instrumentation inside the injector housing was damaged soon after the initial hot run as a result of overheating. Attempts were made to repair the damaged components and to identify the cause of overheating. Unfortunately, the damage to the components was extensive and the cause of overheating could not be diagnosed. In view of the technical risks involved, it was decided to stop further testing with this rig. Although ADT measurements could not be undertaken as planned, useful operating experience was gained from the tests conducted.Copyright © 2001 by ASME

Neutropenia is an unusual condition of blood dyscrasia in which the count of circulating neutrophils falls below the normal level. Neutrophil plays an important role in the host defense mechanism. The common clinical manifestations of neutropenia include ulcerative and inflammatory lesions in the oral cavity. A case of neutropenia of a seven-year-old girl is reported.

Precision mechanical rotors with spindown times of greater than 10 15 s are needed for tests of Einstein's General Theory of Relativity. A parametric method of servoing the magnetic suspension bearings has been developed which gives the levels of vertical stability essential to the precision of rotation

The Gravity-Probe-B relativity gyroscope experiment (GP-B) will measure the geodetic and frame-dragging precession rates of gyroscopes in a 650 km high polar orbit about the earth. The goal is to measure these two effects, which are predicted by Einstein's General Theory of Relativity, to 0.01 percent (geodetic) and 1 percent (frame-dragging). This paper presents the development progress for full-size prototype flight hardware including the gyroscopes, gyro readout and magnetic shielding system, and an integrated ground test instrument.

A case of Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome (RTS) is presented. The syndrome is characterized by broad thumbs and great toes, peculiar facial features and mental retardation. The oral findings of the patient are reported, and the dental management is discussed.

Gravity Probe-B (GP-B), also known as the Stanford Relativity Gyroscope Experiment, will test two fundamental predictions of Einstein's General Theory of Relativity by precise measurement of the precessions of nearly perfect gyroscopes in earth orbit. This endeavor embodies state-of-the-art technologies in many fields, including gyroscope fabrication and readout, cryogenics, superconductivity, magnetic shielding, precision optics and alignment methods, and satellite control systems. These technologies are necessary to enable measurement of the predicted precession rates to the milliarcsecond/year level, and to reduce to 'near zero' all non-General Relativistic torques on the gyroscopes. This paper provides a brief overview of the experiment followed by descriptions of several specific hardware items with highlights on progress to date and plans for future development and tests.

A case of bilateral malposition of maxillary second premolars is reported. Different approaches for management are considered. The possible causes of the rare abnormality are discussed.