Abstract: The present invention concerns a material, based on fibrillar, elongated, or disk-like colloidal particles, that has a high scattering efficiency, a method that is suitable for preparing such a material, and the use of such a material. The material can be used as, or as a part of, a pigment, paint or protective coating in various industries, but due to its high scattering, and due to the fact that the material appears white even as a thin membrane, it is an interesting option also in the paper and pulp, cosmetic and medical industries.

Abstract: A semiconductor structure comprising a matrix having a first cubic Group-III nitride with a first band gap, and a second cubic Group-III nitride having a second band gap and forming a region embedded within the matrix. The second cubic Group-III nitride comprises an alloying material which reduces the second band gap relative to the first band gap, a quantum wire is defined by a portion within the region embedded within the matrix, the portion forming a one-dimensional charge-carrier confinement channel, wherein the quantum wire is operable to exhibit emission luminescence which is optically polarised.

Abstract: A method of increasing the interference contrast in interferometric scattering optical microscopy. The method comprises providing a particle detection region comprising a chamber or channel having a boundary defined by one or more interfaces, illuminating a particle in the particle detection region with coherent light using an objective lens such that the light is reflected from the interface and scattered by the particle, capturing the reflected light and the scattered light using the objective lens, and providing the captured reflected and scattered light to an imaging device to image interference between the reflected light and the scattered light. The particle is illuminated by coherent light at an oblique angle to the interface.

Abstract: Described herein are zeolite bodies, in particular those having improved physical and chemical properties, methods of manufacturing the zeolite bodies, and uses of the zeolite bodies, in particular in catalysis and gas separation.

Abstract: An image generation system for providing a ghost image free head-up display, the system comprising a display screen having a front surface and a back surface, a picture generation unit for projecting an image towards the display screen for reflection towards a predetermined eye box, and a field lens, wherein the picture generation unit is configured to project light through the field lens such that light is incident on the front surface of the display screen forming a first virtual image, wherein a portion of the light is transmitted through the display screen and is incident on the back surface of the display screen forming a second virtual image, wherein the first and second virtual images have an offset, wherein the field lens is configured such that the offset is below a threshold magnitude and the first and second virtual images are substantially overlaid as viewed from the eye box.

Abstract: A process of making an adsorbent body, wherein the process includes the steps of: (a) contacting adsorbent material with an initial mixture to form a solvated adsorbent mixture in a first solvent; (b) removing the first solvent and removing at least some of the first solvent from the solvated adsorbent mixture in the first solvent to form an initial adsorbent body; (c) contacting the initial adsorbent body with a second solvent to form a reduced-binder adsorbent body in a second solvent; and (d) solvent-drying the reduced-binder adsorbent body to form the adsorbent body. Also described is an adsorbent body, and the use of the adsorbent body in gas storage.

Abstract: The invention provides means of diagnosing and treating microvascular angina (MVA). Diagnostic applications of intra-coronary guidewires are provided. Treatment of MVA patients with zibotentan is disclosed. The MVA patient can be identified and selected for treatment via the diagnostic applications provided.

Abstract: The present application relates to a metal organic framework (MOF) glass composite comprising metal halide perovskite, and a method for its preparation.

Abstract: The present invention provides biomarkers and methods useful for screening for risk of progression to invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) in a patient.

Abstract: The present invention relates to sensors for detecting the presence or measuring the concentration of a target analyte, the sensor comprising: (i) a first phase comprising a first crosslinked polymer: (ii) a second phase comprising a second crosslinked polymer: and (ill) a target analyte recognition agent: the first phase and second phase arranged to form an optical grating. The first crosslinked polymer comprises low amounts of a crosslinking agent. The present invention also relates to methods of making a sensor for detecting the presence or measuring the concentration of a target analyte.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a heart valve comprises: a step of injection moulding a first part of the heart valve from a first block-copolymer, wherein the injection moulding is performed at a temperature below an order-disorder transition temperature of the block copolymer, such that a phase structure is present in the molten block-copolymer; a step of injection moulding a second part of the heart valve from a second block-copolymer that is different to the first block-copolymer, by over-moulding over the first part to form an over-moulded structure, wherein the injection moulding is performed at a temperature below order-disorder transition temperatures for the first and second block copolymers, such that a phase structure is present in the molten second block-copolymer and remains present in the first block-copolymer; and a step of cooling the over-moulded structure, without heating it above the order-disorder transition temperatures between the step of injection moulding the second part and the step of cool

Abstract: This invention relates to the expansion of primary cholangiocytes in the form of cholangiocyte organoids (COs) using culture conditions in which canonical Wnt signalling is inhibited and non-canonical Wnt/PCP signalling is potentiated. Methods of expanding primary cholangiocytes, expanded populations of cholangiocytes and medical applications of expanded cholangiocytes are provided.

Abstract: A heart valve is at least partially constructed from a block-copolymer, the block-copolymer having a phase structure formed by its constituent blocks, and wherein the phase structure is arranged so as to produce anisotropic physical properties in the heart valve.

Abstract: The present invention provides compositions and methods for transferring phospholipids and other molecules between the leaflets of a cell membrane. The compositions comprise at least one nucleic acid or compound having a hydrophilic region, where the composition is able to form a nanostructure that forms a toroidal pore in a lipid membrane. The nucleic acid or hydrophilic region-containing compound further contains an attached molecule capable of inserting the nanostructure into the lipid membrane. The invention also provides methods for scrambling lipids and other molecules in a cell membrane, which can be used to alter the function of a selected cell or to facilitate the death of the cell. The scrambling activity of synthetic scramblases described herein outperforms previously known enzymatically active DNA nanostructures and naturally occurring scramblases, in some cases by several orders of magnitude.

Abstract: The present invention relates to sensors for detecting the presence or measuring the concentration of a target analyte, the sensor comprising: (i) a first phase comprising a first crosslinked polymer; (ii) a second phase comprising a second crosslinked polymer; and (ill) a target analyte recognition agent; the first phase and second phase arranged to form an optical grating. The first crosslinked polymer comprises low amounts of a crosslinking agent. The present invention also relates to methods of making a sensor for detecting the presence or measuring the concentration of a target analyte.

Abstract: The present invention provides tissue equivalent scaffold structures and methods of production thereof. Such methods include providing a casting chamber comprising an elongate mould portion, axially disposing a lumen template within the elongate mould portion, and at least partly filling the casting chamber with a gel casting material comprising a matrix of fibrils or fibres and an interstitial fluid phase, such that a portion of the lumen template extends above the casting material. The fluid phase of the gel is allow to flow axially out of the elongate mould portion, in a restricted manner, thereby resulting in axial densification of the gel casting material to form a tissue equivalent tubular scaffold. Tissue equivalent scaffold structures according to the present invention are able to support cell populations both within the walls and on the surface of the construct.

Abstract: A method of determining diffusion coefficient of one or more components in a polydisperse sample is provided. The method comprising the steps of: introducing an auxiliary fluid flow into a fractionation channel; introducing the polydisperse sample comprising one or more components into the fractionation channel; allowing the sample and the auxiliary fluid to create a combined flow; fractionating the combined flow into two or more fractions by diffusive sizing; subsequently separating two or more components from each fraction by creating a distribution of the components within a separation channel; detecting a characteristic of each the two or more components in each fraction; and comparing the characteristic of each component in each fraction in order to determine the diffusion coefficient of each of the one or more components in the polydisperse sample.

Abstract: The present invention relates to methods of working sheet metal, and sheet metal working apparatus for performing such methods. Such methods include steps of providing a sheet metal workpiece having first and second surfaces opposed to each other and at least one edge, bending the workpiece to form at least a first sidewall portion defined between the edge and a basal region, the first sidewall portion thereby defining a curved fold region in the sheet metal workpiece adjacent the first sidewall portion. Following this, first anvil tool and a first forming tool are provided for contact with and constraint of the first and second surfaces of the sheet metal workpiece respectively. The forming tool and/or the anvil tool are then progressively slid along the curved fold region to cause shear material transfer in the curved fold region to further deform the curved fold region.

Abstract: A Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) for an optical fibre comprising a set of optical inputs, one for each wavelength of a WDM optical signal to be transmitted, a graphene electro-absorption modulator (EAM) for each optical input to modulate light from the optical input, and one or more drivers to drive each graphene electro-absorption modulator. The drivers have a data input, a low pass filter to low-pass filter data from the data input to provide low pass filtered data, and an output to drive each graphene electro-absorption modulator with a combination of the low pass filtered data and a bias voltage. The bias voltage is configured to bias the graphene EAM into a region in which, e.g., when the transmission of the graphene electro-absorption modulator increases the effective refractive index for the modulated light decreases and vice-versa to pre-chirp to the modulated light to compensate for dispersion in the fibre.

Abstract: The present invention provides a computer-implemented method for analysing a urine sample from a subject. The method comprises providing the value of one or more cell-free DNA fragment size metrics for said sample, and determining whether the sample has a high or low likelihood of being from a brain cancer patient by providing said values of said cell-free DNA fragment size metrics as input to a machine learning model. The machine learning model is trained to classify sample data into one of at least two classes, the at least two classes comprising a first class having a high likelihood of being from a brain cancer patient and a second class having a low likelihood of being from a brain cancer patient. Methods for diagnosing or screening for brain cancer, detecting recurrence or residual disease, providing a prognosis or selecting a treatment for brain cancer are also described.