Newsletter No. 42

CUHK Newsletter No.42 May 1993 of oxygen radicals that induce tissue injury. He went on to give an account of a new treatment procedure developed by his unit through clinical experience to relieve refractory ascites in patients with chronic liver failures. To replace the conventional procedure which may have many undesirable side effects, he and his colleagues devised a new treatment approach - dialytic ultrafiltration, which means extracorporeal ultrafiltration of ascites by withdrawing ascitic fluid continuously from the peritoneal cavity. Controlled studies have confirmed its safety and revealed the possible mechanisms by which the renal function is gradually improved. Mathematician Describes the Shape of Liquid Surface under Zero Gravity L i q u i d surfaces people see in a glass, a coffee cup, a beer mug or a bathtub are basically flat. What will be the shape of the surface like when liquid is put in a container under zero gravity? That was the subject of a study by Prof. Paul Concus of the University of California at Berkeley, a world- renowned mathematician recently invited by the Department of Mathematics to give a public lecture on the results of a related experiment conducted aboard the US space shuttle. A video of the shuttle experiment was also shown during the lecture held on 29th April at the Science Centre. Mathematically, the shape of a liquid surface can be described by a non-linear differential equation involving the volume of the liquid, the contact angle between the liquid surface and the container wall, the shape of the container and gravity. And according to studies of the relevant differential equation jointly undertaken by Prof. Concus and Prof. Robert Finn of Stanford University, under zero gravity the shape of the liquid surface in some symmetric containers is not symmetrical. The equation however gave no clue about the actual shape of the liquid surface. Computer simulations were therefore done and three possibilities emerged. Only when the experiment was performed in space last June could they confirm the actual asymmetrical shape, and research is ongoing to compare the experimental results and the computer simulations. NewPostgraduate and Undergraduate Programmes T h e University Senate has recently approved the introduction of seven new programmes in the academic years 1993-94 and 1994-95。 1993-94 -Doc t or of Philosophy Programme in Government and Public Administration -Master of Philosophy Programme in Fine Arts -Graduate Diploma Programme in Advanced Nursing 1994-95 -Master of Science Programme in Mathematics -Master of Science Programme in Physics -Bachelor of Arts Programme in Translation -Bachelor of Education Programme in Physical Education and Sports Science New Publications of the University Press The following books will be sold at a 20 per cent discount to staff members at the University Bookshop, John Fulton Centre. • A History of Chinese Calligraphy (in English) by Tseng Yuho, 446 pages, hardcover, HK$420. • Leaves of Prayer (in English) by Elsie Choy, 256 pages, hardcover, HK$240. • Scientific Exchange between China and Foreign Countries (in Chinese) by Pan Jixing, 590 pages, paperback, HKS195. • A Study on the Social Structure of the Pai Yao in Liannan, Guangdong (in Chinese) by Hsieh Jiann, 340 pages, paperback, HK$125. 4