Abstract: A method and apparatus are described for controlling the attitude of a vehicle in a space having at least two opposed viewable regions, each region being viewed by a respective first sensor for sensing a first frequency band of electromagnetic radiation and a respective second sensor for sensing a second frequency band of electromagnetic radiation, wherein respective first and second data sets from the first and second sensors for each regions are produced, these second data sets are subsequently modified and combined with the first data sets to form respective third data sets for each region. The attitude of the vehicle is then adjusted until the third data sets are substantially equal.

Abstract: A method for the preparation of a compound of general Formula: or pharmaceutically acceptable derivatives and salts, racemates, isomers and/or tautomers thereof comprising cyclizing an azomethine ylide of general Formula: wherein, A is a cyclic or non-cyclic group; Z is a carbon or a heteroatom; n is selected from 0, 1, 2 or 3; W, X and Y may be the same or different and each are selected from hydrogen; optionally substituted alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, amino, alkoxy, alkenoxy, alkynoxy, aryl, alkylthio, heterocyclyl; carboxy, carboxy ester, carboxamido, acyl, acyloxy, mercapto, halogen, nitro, sulfate, phosphate, cyano and optionally protected hydroxy; or W and X, together with the nitrogen and carbon atoms to which they are attached, form a saturated or unsaturated nitrogen containing heterocyclic group which may be optionally substituted or optionally fused to a saturated or unsaturated carbocyclic group, aryl group or heterocyclic group is provided.

Abstract: The invention relates to process for the production of an emulsion, comprising combining an aqueous liquid with a non-aqueous liquid mixture to form a combination, removing dissolved gases from both the aqueous liquid and the non-aqueous liquid mixture and agitating the combination sufficient to form the emulsion. The non-aqueous liquid mixture is immiscible with the aqueous liquid, and combination is formed in the absence of an emulsion stabilizing agent.

Abstract: An apparatus for interferometric sensing, comprising a plurality of single-longitudinal mode laser sources to each provide radiation at a corresponding plurality of selected wavelengths, and at least one modulator to frequency or phase modulate the radiation from each laser; a plurality of Fabry-Perot interferometers formed by Bragg Gratings written into optical fibre, each interferometer being responsive to one of the said plurality of wavelengths to each produce a reflected or transmitted optical output signal dependent on the corresponding interferometer path length; and one or more demodulators to demodulate the optical output signals and produce a corresponding plurality of measurement signals indicative of optical path lengths of the respective interferometers.

Abstract: The present invention provides novel genes involved in cellulose biosynthesis and methods using such genes to modulate cellulose biosynthesis in fiber-producing plants such as cotton. The invention also provides methods for identifying and isolating alleles of these genes in a population of fiber-producing plants that correlate with the quality of the produced fibers.

Abstract: A method of cleaning a surface, comprising applying de-gassed water (containing no more than 1 ppm gas) to the surface to disperse or dissolve dirt on the surface in the water. The method may also comprise dissolving hydrophobic dirt on the surface using a non-aqueous solvent, and dispersing the non-aqueous solvent and dissolved hydrophobic dirt in the de-gassed water. The non-aqueous solvent may itself contain low levels of dissolved gas, for example no more than 10 ppm. Apparatus for cleaning a surface is also disclosed.

Abstract: The present invention provides novel genes involved in cellulose biosynthesis and methods using such genes to modulate cellulose biosynthesis in fiber-producing plants such as cotton. The invention also provides methods for identifying and isolating alleles of these genes in a population of fiber-producing plants that correlate with the quality of the produced fibers.

Abstract: A solar cell sub-module (100) for a photovoltaic device, including a plurality of elongate solar cells (slivers) (101) mounted in a structure that maintains the elongate solar cells in a longitudinally parallel and generally coplanar configuration, the structure providing one or more conductive pathways (201) electrically interconnecting the elongate solar cells (101).

Abstract: The invention relates generally to processes for improving or increasing the electrical conductivity of aqueous liquids by way of removal of dissolved gases therein. Use of degassed aqueous liquids in water based electrolysis processes such as electrodialysis, may advantageously improve the efficiency of such a process.

Abstract: The present invention relates to dispersions of hydrophobic pharmaceutically active agents in an aqueous phase and methods for preparing them. Advantageously, the dispersions may be substantially free of additional surfactants, dispersants and stabilizers.

Abstract: A controller (44) for a SMA actuator (2) includes an electgric power source (46) for applying an electric current through an SMA element (8), a sensor (48) to detect change in an electric resistance of the element (8); and a regulator (50) for controlling the magnitude of the applied electric current. The regulator (50) applies a first current above a safe limit current for the element (8) until a selected change in the electric resistance is detected and applies a second current less than the first current after the change is detected.

Abstract: A single-mode optical device, including a first region, and a second region laterally disposed about the first region, and including an absorbing layer and an isolation layer between the absorbing layer and the first region, wherein the thickness of the isolation layer is selected to control optical loss from the first region to the absorbing layer in the second region and thereby to attenuate one or more high order lateral optical modes of the device. The one or more high order lateral optical modes are attenuated relative to the fundamental lateral mode to provide the device with a high kink power. The device can be a 980 nm ridge diode laser where the thickness of an oxide insulating layer around the ridge is selected to control optical losses into a gold contact layer and thereby attenuate the first order lateral mode, providing the laser with a kink power of at least about 250 mW.

Abstract: The present invention relates generally to a method of retarding, reducing or otherwise inhibiting viral functional activity and, more particularly, to a method of reducing, retarding or otherwise inhibiting viral functional activity by down-regulating Vpu ion channel functional activity. Even more particularly, the present invention provides a method of treating HIV infection or AIDS by inhibiting Vpu ion channel mediated HIV replication.

Abstract: A fractal generation process, including: (i) randomly selecting images from a set of V>1 input images; (ii) selecting transformation functions from a set of transformation functions; (iii) generating transformed images by applying the selected transformation functions to the selected images; and (iv) generating an output image by combining the transformed images. Steps (i) to (iv) can be repeated to generate a set of V output images, and the entire sequence can be repeated using the set of V output images as a new set of V input images to generate a new set of output images. After a sufficient number of iterations, the new set of output images is substantially independent of the first set of input images used in the process. The resulting images represent V-variable fractals.

Abstract: The present invention relates generally to a method of retarding, reducing or otherwise inhibiting viral functional activity and, more particularly, to a method of reducing, retarding or otherwise inhibiting viral functional activity by down-regulating Vpu ion channel functional activity. Even more particularly, the present invention provides a method of treating HIV infection or AIDS by inhibiting Vpu ion channel mediated HIV replication.

Abstract: The invention relates to compounds of the following formula (I). In these compounds, R1, R2, R3 and R4 are each independently a substituted or unsubstituted cyclitol with a ring comprising six carbon atoms, or hydrogen, substituted or unsubstituted alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, acyl, alkyloxycarbonyl, or alkylaminocarbonyl. At least two of R1, R2, R3 and R4 comprise the substituted or unsubstituted cyclitol. The linker can be any one of the following: —(CH2)w—, —(CH2)x—C6H4—(CH2)x—, —(CH2)y—NR5—(CH2)y—, and —(CH2)z—HCR6—(CH2)z—; wherein: w, x, y and z are independently an integer having a value of 0–10; R5 is a substituted or unsubstituted cyclitol with a ring comprising six carbon atoms; and, R6 is —OH, —OSO3Na, —OSO3Na substituted with alkyl, cycloalkyl or aryl, or substituted or unsubstituted alkyl, cycloalkyl or aryl. The compounds can also include substituted or unsubstituted cyclitol carbamides with the linker bond at the carbamide nitrogen.

Abstract: The present invention relates generally to isolated genes which encode polypeptides involved in cellulose biosynthesis in plants and transgenic plants expressing same in sense or antisense orientation, or as ribozymes, co-suppression or gene-targeting molecules. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a nucleic acid molecule isolated from Arabidopsis thaliana, Oryza sativa, wheat, barley, maize, Brassica spp., Gossypium hirsutum and Eucalyptus spp. which encode or an enzyme which is important in cellulose biosynthesis, in particular the cellulose synthase enzyme and homologues, analogues and derivatives thereof and uses of same in the production of transgenic plants expressing altered cellulose biosynthetic properties.

Abstract: The present invention relates generally to isolated genes which encode polypeptides involved in cellulose biosynthesis in plants and transgenic plants expressing same in sense or antisense orientation, or as ribozymes, co-suppression or gene-targeting molecules. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a nucleic acid molecule isolated from Arabidopsis thaliana, Oryza sativa, wheat, barley, maize, Brassica spp., Gossypium hirsutum and Eucalyptus spp. which encode or an enzyme which is important in cellulose biosynthesis, in particular the cellulose synthase enzyme and homologues, analogues and derivatives thereof and uses of same in the production of transgenic plants expressing altered cellulose biosynthetic properties.

Abstract: A method for the preparation of a compound of general Formula: or pharmaceutically acceptable derivatives and salts, racemates, isomers and/or tautomers thereof comprising cyclizing an azomethine ylide of general Formula: wherein, A is a cyclic or non-cyclic group; Z is a carbon or a heteroatom; n is selected from 0, 1, 2 or 3; W, X and Y may be the same or different and each are selected from hydrogen; optionally substituted alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, amino, alkoxy, alkenoxy, alkynoxy, aryl, alkylthio, heterocyclyl; carboxy, carboxy ester, carboxamido, acyl, acyloxy, mercapto, halogen, nitro, sulfate, phosphate, cyano and optionally protected hydroxy; or W and X, together with the nitrogen and carbon atoms to which they are attached, form a saturated or unsaturated nitrogen containing heterocyclic group which may be optionally substituted or optionally fused to a saturated or unsaturated carbocyclic group, aryl group or heterocyclic group is provided.

Abstract: A method for determining the ion channel activity of a substance comprises the steps of (i) expressing the substance as a heterologous protein in a host cell, and (ii) determining changes in permeability of the plasma membrane of the host cell induced by expression of the heterologous protein. A screening method for determining ion channel modulating activity of a test substance is also disclosed.