Abstract: A process of the production of high surface area tantalum and/or niobium powders via the reduction of the corresponding tantalum and/or niobium oxides is disclosed, wherein the reduction is carried out by reacting the tantalum and/or niobium oxides with at least one metal halide selected form the group consisting of halides of Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba and Ce, and an alkali metal at elevation temperature so as to form the tantalum and/or niobium powders. The process of the present invention has the advantages of: simple operation, the tantalum and/or niobium powders obtained have high surface area, high purity, good flowability, therefore are particularly suitable for manufacturing electrolytic capacitors.

Abstract: The invention is directed to reliable and efficient detection of mRNAs as well as other RNAs in living cells and its use to identify and, if desired, separate cells based on their desired characteristics. Such methods greatly simplify and reduce the time necessary to carry out previously-known procedures, and offers new approaches as well, such as selecting cells that generate a particular protein or antisense oligonucleotide, generating cell lines that express multiple proteins, generating cell lines with knock-out of one or more protein, and others.

Abstract: The subject invention provides non-human mammalian hosts characterized by inactivated endogenous Ig loci and functional human Ig loci for response to an immunogen to produce human antibodies or analogs thereof. The hosts are produced by multiple genetic modifications of embryonic cells in conjunction with breeding. Different strategies are employed for recombination of the human loci randomly or at analogous host loci. Chimeric and transgenic mammals, particularly mice, are provided, having stably integrated large, xenogeneic DNA segments. The segments are introduced by fusion with yeast spheroplasts comprising yeast artificial chromosomes (YACs) which include the xenogeneic DNA segments and a selective marker such as HPRT, and embryonic stem cells.

Abstract: The invention concerns a method for the determination of data for the preparation of presymptomatic or prenatal diagnosis of phakomatosis, in particular, a tumor suppressor gene disease, in a high-risk patient, in particular of neurofibromatosis, comprising the steps of: making available the tumor material from a person afflicted with the tumor suppressor gene disease, who is a relative of the high-risk patient; isolating tumor DNA from the tumor in the relative; isolating blood DNA from the blood of the relative; amplifying polymorphous DNA microsatellite markers from the tumor and the blood; separating the markers by length; observing the lengths of the markers; comparing the markers from the blood and the tumor; examining for a loss of alleles; optionally, comparing amplified markers from a second tumor of the relative; and amplifying polymorphous DNA microsatellite markers from the blood of an offspring and separating and observing the markers.

Abstract: Antibodies with fully human variable regions against a specific antigen can be prepared by administering the antigen to a transgenic animal which has been modified to produce such antibodies in response to antigenic challenge, but whose endogenous loci have been disabled. Various subsequent manipulations can be performed to obtain either antibodies per se or analogs thereof.

Abstract: The present invention relates to polynucleotides encoding the CYP3AX protein and variants thereof. Further, the present invention also provides vectors comprising said polynucleotides, in particular vectors, wherein polynucleotides of the present invention are operatively linked to regulatory elements allowing expression in prokaryotic and/or eukaryotic host cells. In addition, the present invention relates to proteins encoded by said polynucleotides and antibodies specifically recognizing such proteins. The present invention also concerns transgenic non-human animals comprising the above-described polynucleotide or vectors. Moreover, the present invention relates to methods for identifying and obtaining drug candidates and inhibitors for therapy of disorders related to the malfunction of the CYP3AX genes as well as to methods of diagnosing the status of such disorders. The present invention also relates to methods for the identification of molecular variants of the CYP3AX polynucleotide or protein.