Abstract: Aberrations in stimulated emission depletion microscopy are corrected using an adaptive optics approach using a metric which combines both image sharpness and brightness. Light modulators (22,32) are used to perform aberration correction in one or more of the depletion path (10), the excitation path (12), or the emission path from sample to detector.

Abstract: A proteoliposome, which is obtained by removing a surfactant from a mixed solution including lipid, membrane proteins and the surfactant, wherein the content of the surfactant in the mixed solution is equal to or more than 1.5 times of the sum of a maximum amount of the surfactant associating with the lipid and a maximum amount of the surfactant associating with the membrane protein. A biochip wherein the above-described proteoliposome is spread on a substrate. A method for producing a proteoliposome by removing a surfactant from a mixed solution including lipid, membrane proteins and the surfactant, wherein the content of the surfactant in the mixed solution is made equal to or more than the sum of a maximum amount of the surfactant associating with the lipid and a maximum amount of the surfactant associating with the membrane protein.

Abstract: A liposome comprising a region of a lipid bilayer membrane with different membrane thicknesses, wherein each lipid bilayer membrane region is composed of a different lipid, and a thick membrane side in the region of the lipid bilayer membrane is formed of lipid having a phase transition temperature higher than that of the lipid forming a thin membrane side in the region of the lipid bilayer membrane. A proteoliposome, wherein the above-described liposome includes membrane proteins. A biochip, wherein the above-described liposome or the above-described proteoliposome is spread on a substrate. The above-described biochip, wherein the substrate includes at least one kind selected from the group consisting of mica, SiO2, SiN, Au and Pt.

Abstract: A wind turbine and generator arrangement comprises a turbine that drives a self-excited induction generator via a shaft and mechanical gearbox. The induction generator includes an electrical circuit that includes a variable capacitance and a variable resistance. The variable capacitance may be constituted by a fixed capacitor and a triac under the control of a controller, or by a bank of capacitors switched by a relay under control of the controller. The variable resistance includes a triac controlled resistor or a bank of relay-switched resistors which constitute heating elements for heating domestic hot water. In use the generator frequency and voltage are allowed to ‘float’ while the optimal generator power output is maintained, but adjusting the impedance of the electrical circuit as the wind speed varies.

Abstract: The invention provides a long range ordered, layered double hydroxide compound for use in modulating an immune response to an antigen, and an immune modulator composition comprising the layered double hydroxide and an interlayer anion A. The compound is [MII(1-x)MIIIx(OH)2]x+[An-x/n], in which MII is a divalent metal cation or a mixture of two or more divalent metal cations, MIII is a trivalent metal cation or a mixture of two or more trivalent meta cations, or a mixture of one or more trivalent metal cation with one or more quadravalent metal cation, x is from 2:1 to 1:4, and A is an interlayer anion having a charge n, wherein optionally some or all of the interlayer anion A may be replaced by one or biologically active agent and/or one or more antigen, and wherein A is selected from conjugate bases of acids having a pKa of ?4 or higher.

Abstract: There is described a method of synthesizing a family of oligopeptides of predetermined amino acid sequence, which together make up from 7 amino acids to the complete amino acid sequence of a target protein, which comprises: synthesizing a nucleic acid construct which codes for a fusion protein composed of overlapping peptides derived from the desired portion of the target protein, interspersed with regions which code for protease cleavage sites, expressing the nucleic acid construct in a suitable expression vector, harvesting the fusion protein corresponding to the nucleic acid sequence, and digesting the fusion protein with a protease selective for the cleavage sites to generate the oligopeptides. The oligopeptides may be generated in vitro or in vitro and may be used as vaccines against viral infections and in epitope mapping.

Abstract: This invention relates to a tissue expander for use in medical, veterinary and dental applications. The tissue expander comprises a self-inflating polymer network and a biodegradable polymer having a non-degraded state and a degraded state which in the non-degraded state constrains the inflation of the self-inflating polymer network and in the degraded state allows inflation of the self-inflating polymer network. In a preferred embodiment, the self-inflating polymer network and the biodegradable polymer form an interpenetrating polymer network or a semi-interpenetrating polymer network. Alternatively or in addition, the self-inflating polymer network forms a core and the biodegradable polymer forms coating which partially or fully surrounds the core.

Abstract: A vane assembly (21) for an axial flow turbine engine provides a plurality of nozzles (22) arranged symmetrically around a turbine axis formed by an inner hub (26), an outer casing (27) and vanes (23) intermediate pairs of adjacent nozzles. The nozzles have a cross-section normal to the turbine axis that changes smoothly with the position of the cross-section along the turbine axis from a first shape having a minimum radius of curvature of a first value that is no less than a limit L, providing the cross-section with no highly curved corners, to a second shape having a minimum radius of curvature of a second value less than the first value, providing corners. This allows the secondary flow structure to be designed to improve aerodynamic loss and cooling performance.

Abstract: An electric machine (100) comprises a stator (112) and a rotor (114a, b) mounted for rotation about a rotor axis (120) with respect to the stator. Permanent magnets (124a, b) are carried by the rotor. The rotor has an output (190). The stator has coils (122) wound on stator bars (116) for interaction with the magnets. The rotor has two stages (114a,b) arranged one at either end of the stator bars, with two air gaps (126a,b) between the ends of the bars and the rotor stages. An annular housing (102, 142a, b, 146) retains and mounts the stator. A bearing (164a, b) is between the rotor and stator, the rotor being hollow around said rotor axis. There are two significant magnetic flux paths (30,30?) of the motor. The first passes between adjacent coils in a circuit on a substantially circumferential plane with respect to the axis (120). A second path 30? is in an axial plane, passing around the bearing.

Abstract: The present invention provides a modified influenza virus wherein the RNA of the haemagglutinin gene has been modified such that the haemagglutinin signal sequence is not expressed and the virus produces a haemagglutinin protein that lacks a functional signal sequence. The invention further provides composition comprising the modified virus and uses of the modified virus.

Abstract: The subject disclosure provides compositions for reducing serum cholesterol and/or triglyceride levels in subjects. These compositions can comprise racemic ?-hydroxybutyrate or D-?-hydroxybutyrate, optionally in the acid form, physiologically compatible salts of racemic ?-hydroxybutyrate or D-?-hydroxybutyrate, esters of D-?-hydroxybutyrate, oligomers of D-?-hydroxybutyrate containing from 2 to 20 or more monomeric units in either linear or cyclic form, racemic 1,3 butandiol or R-1,3 butandiol alone and can be, optionally, administered in conjunction with a low fat diet to a subject.

Abstract: An electric machine (10; 100) comprises a rotor (14) having permanent magnets (24) and a stator (12) having coils (22) wound on stator bars (16) for interaction with the magnets across an air gap (26a, b) defined between them. The rotor has two stages (14a, b) arranged one at either end of the bars. The bars have a shoe (18a, 8) at each end of each bar that links magnetic flux through the bars with said magnets on each stage. Adjacent shoes facing the same stage of the rotor have a high-reluctance shoe gap (27) between them; adjacent magnets on each stage of the rotor have a high-reluctance magnet gap (25) between them; and the shoe and magnet gaps (25, 27) are angled with respect to each other such that they engage progressively as the rotor rotates. Alternatively, the shoes facing each stage are in a ring of connected shoes such that the magnets experience a continuous reluctance that is at least 90% constant as a function of rotor position.

Abstract: An electric machine comprises a rotor, preferably having permanent magnets, although other field generation means are available, and a stator. The stator has coils wound on stator bars for interaction with the magnetic field of the rotor across an air gap defined between them. The rotor comprises a housing of a chamber containing refrigerant. The rotor housing has heat dissipating fins accessible by the open environment whereby air movement relative to the housing caused at least by rotation of the rotor absorbs heat from the fins. The machine may be an axial flux machine, the coils being wound on bars that are disposed circumferentially spaced around a fixed axle of the machine forming a rotational axis of the rotor. The machine may be a wheel motor for a vehicle, wherein the wheel is mounted directly on the rotor housing.

Abstract: An electrode for use in a electrochemical sensor comprises carbon modified with a chemically sensitive redox-active compound, excluding an electrode based on carbon having derivatized thereron two redox-active species wherein at least one of said species is selected from anthraquinone, phenanthrenequinone and N,N?-diphenyl-p-phenylenediamine (DPPD). The invention further provides a pH sensor comprising: a working electrode comprising carbon modified with a chemically sensitive redox active material; and a counter electrode, wherein the ratio of the surface area of the working electrode to the surface area of the counter electrode is from 1:10 to 10:1. Also provided is a pH sensor comprising: a working electrode comprising carbon modified with a chemically sensitive redox active material, and a counter electrode, wherein the area of the working electrode is from 500 ?m2 to 0.1 m2. The uses of these electrodes and sensors are also described.

Abstract: The invention relates to therapeutic agents for use in the prevention or treatment of Alzheimer's disease. In particular the invention relates to use of inhibitors of cell cycle reentry and progression to the G1/S transition or inhibitors of progression of the cell cycle through the G1/S transition point in the prevention or treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

Abstract: The invention relates to sulphur- and/or selenium-containing compounds that can inhibit the enzyme inositol mono-phosphatase (IMPase), and which can be used in treating conditions that are treatable through inhibition of this enzyme, such as bi-polar disorder, the compounds having a structure of Formula (I), or is a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof; Formula (I); in which: E is S or Se and each of phenyl rings A and B is optionally substituted with one or more substituents, in which each substituent is selected independently from: (1) a halogen, which is preferably selected from F, Cl and Br; (2) C1-C4 alkyl, such as C1-C2 alkyl or C1 alkyl, optionally substituted with one or more halogen atoms, each of which is preferably selected from F, Cl and Br; and (3) C1-C4 alkoxy, such as C1-C2 alkoxy or C1 alkoxy; optionally substituted with one or more halogen atoms, each of which is preferably selected from F, Cl and Br.

Abstract: The present invention provides a modified influenza virus wherein the RNA of the haemagglutinin gene has been modified such that the haemagglutinin signal sequence is not expressed and the virus produces a haemagglutinin protein that lacks a functional signal sequence. The invention further provides composition comprising the modified virus and uses of the modified virus.

Abstract: A velocity selective preparation method is disclosed, for velocity selective arterial spin labelling (VSASL), the VSASL method using non-selective radiofrequency pulses and magnetic field gradients to modulate the longitudinal magnetization of the spins as a function of their velocity, wherein said velocity selective preparation method comprises an n-segment B1 insensitive rotation that is resistant to eddy current artifacts.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for the determination of relative pressure fields from flow-sensitive data, the method comprising: applying a finite element discretisation to the Pressure Poisson Equation (PPE): b = f + ?? ? ? u - ? ? ( ? u ? t + ( ( u - w ) · ? ) ? u ) where vecter b is a function of a given blood velocity data, u represents the velocity, w the reference velocity, t the time, f a volume force, p the pressure and p and ? the fluid density and viscosity, respectively, and wherein the PPE is now defined as the divergence of the above equation and gives a higher order derivative of the pressure field p: ?p=?·b.

Abstract: The invention relates to sulphur- and/or selenium-containing compounds that can inhibit the enzyme inositol mono-phosphatase (IMPase), and which can be used in treating conditions that are treatable through inhibition of this enzyme, such as bi-polar disorder, the compounds having a structure of Formula (I), or is a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof; Formula (I); in which: E is S or Se and each of phenyl rings A and B is optionally substituted with one or more substituents, in which each substituent is selected independently from: (1) a halogen, which is preferably selected from F, Cl and Br; (2) C1-C4 alkyl, such as C1-C2 alkyl or C1 alkyl, optionally substituted with one or more halogen atoms, each of which is preferably selected from F, Cl and Br; and (3) C1-C4 alkoxy, such as C1-C2 alkoxy or C1 alkoxy; optionally substituted with one or more halogen atoms, each of which is preferably selected from F, Cl and Br.