Postoperative evaluation in mandibular prognathism treated by bilateral sagittal split osteotomy

The present study was undertaken to evaluate the postoperative relapse from the period of unwiring to 1 year postoperatively and its correlation to the amount of mandibular setback and change in vertical dimension after mandibular bilateral sagittal split osteotomy. Twenty-seven patients were evaluated cephalometrically by the time preoperatively, 6 weeks, 6 months and 1 year postoperatively. It was found that 1) the average amount of mandibular setback at pogonion point, 6 weeks postoperatively, is 7.6mm backward and 1.9mm downward, 2) the average amount of horizontal relapse at pogonion point, 6 months and 1 year postoperatively, are 1.9mm and 2.3mm respectively. 86% of the horizontal relapse, 1 year postoperatively, occurs in the first 6 months after removal of intermaxillary fixation, 3) the average amount of vertical relapse at pogonion point, 6 months and 1 year postoperatively, are 0.9mm and 1.1mm upward. 82% of the vertical relapse, 1 year postoperatively, occurs in the first 6 months after removal of intermaxillary fixation, 4) the amount of 1 year postoperatively horizontal relapse is significantly correlated both with the amount of horizontal mandibular set back and vertical downward change (r = 0.58, 0.67, p < 0.001), whereas the amount of vertical relapse is with the vertical downward change only, but horizontal setback isn't.     

Evaluation and optimisation of receiver height in a compound parabolic collector with low acceptance angle

This research presents the method of finding an optimised location of a tubular receiver for a compound parabolic collector (CPC) with 6° acceptance angle. Due to low acceptance angle, reflected rays concentrate below the focus of a parabola. Graphical ray tracing (GRT) approach is implemented to execute the optical analysis with and without manufacturing error in the collector. It is performed on collector–receiver combinations by varying receiver height below the focus and they are compared on the basis of utilised area and projection ratios. The ideal cases of collector–receiver combinations which contribute high utilisation and projection ratio are selected and verified with the camera target method (CTM) performed on the actual set-up. It is built for water heater application to validate the results obtained from GRT and CTM. The thermal performance of CPC at various receiver heights is compared by thermal efficiency and therefore the optimum receiver height is concluded.     

On the preparation and application of novel PVDF–POSS systems

Novel systems based on poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) and polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) have been prepared by grafting amino-containing POSS (POSS–NH₂) onto the surface of modified PVDF (PVDFm). Namely, the approach consists of a preliminary modification of PVDF by a chemical treatment with an alkaline solution, in order to obtain unsaturations, and a subsequent surface reaction of PVDFm with POSS molecules characterized by an amino group as reactive side. The level of polymer unsaturation, measured by Raman spectroscopy, turned out to be finely tuned by varying the dehydrofluorination reaction time. The surface grafting of POSS has been studied by SEM-EDS analysis, Raman and XPS spectroscopy. Indeed, while the level of modification of PVDFm has been found to decrease as a consequence of the reaction with POSS, thus indicating a likely saturation of double bonds by silsequioxane molecules, the Si concentration turned out to increase with increasing the concentration of the polymer surface unsaturation. The feasibility of the application of POSS grafting onto the surface of membranes, based on PVDFm, has also been verified.