Abstract: The present invention provides a method for depositing an organic-inorganic perovskite, the method comprising the step of depositing a perovskite precursor solution comprising one or more organic cation, wherein said precursor solution preferably deposited by inkjet printing. The method is particularly useful in the manufacture of perovskite solar cells. For depositing the perovskite, a perovskite precursor solution or ink is preferably used, which comprises an organic cation carrying an anchoring group, such as 5-ammonium valeric acid. Surprisingly, the presence of the latter compound renders the precursor solutions stable and suitable for inkjet printing.

Abstract: A medical device including an electric measurement circuit, in which are connected at least two sensors the impedance of which varies as a function of a sensed physical parameter, a source of electrical power for powering the electric measurement circuit, an antenna for emitting an electromagnetic field as a function of the impedance of the electric measurement circuit, each of the sensors being associated with a switch for short circuiting the sensor in the measurement circuit, the medical device further including a system for controlling the switches in order successively to command the opening or closing of the switches in determined configurations. The medical device may notably be able to be applied to the human body or implanted in the human body.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a pulse wave image reconstruction method to be used for example in ultrasound imaging. The proposed method is based on an image measurement model and its adjoint operator. The proposed method introduces matrix-free formulations of the measurement model and its adjoint operator. The proposed method has the advantage that the reconstructed image has a very high quality and that it can be reconstructed quickly.

Abstract: The present invention concerns an array processing image reconstruction method comprising: receiving a set of echo waveforms as measurements from the object of interest; defining a measurement model linking an unknown image of the object to the measurements; defining a data fidelity functional using the measurement model; defining a regularisation functional using a trained non-linear mapping, the regularisation functional comprising prior knowledge about the unknown image; defining an optimisation problem involving the data fidelity functional and the regularisation functional for obtaining a first image estimate of the unknown image; and solving the optimisation problem to obtain the first image estimate.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a method for an artificial neural network to confirm the recognition of handwritten characters produced by a user. The method comprising: training the artificial neural network with a training data set comprising a first set of characters; collecting handwritten characters of a second set of characters produced by the user; and analysing the collected characters of the second set of characters by using the artificial neural network to obtain a first set of probability values comprising character specific probability values for the collected characters, each character specific probability value indicating the probability that the collected character has been correctly interpreted. The analysis considers at least the manner how the collected characters are handwritten and the appearance of the collected characters to obtain the character specific probability values. The invention also relates to a corresponding data processing apparatus.

Abstract: A method for generating a three-dimensional patterned soft structure, including the steps of providing a soft supporting substrate, providing a drop-on-demand system with a device for varying the velocity of the jetted droplets, providing a liquid ink, jetting the liquid ink towards the soft supporting substrate with the drop-on-demand system, controlling an injection depth of the liquid ink into the soft supporting substrate by varying a jetting velocity of the liquid ink; and depositing droplets of the liquid ink over a volume of the soft supporting substrate, thereby generating the three-dimensional patterned soft structure.

Abstract: Non-invasive “drawable”, or “paintable”, electrode for electrical stimulation or biological signal sensing comprising a pervious and electrically conductive layer (1), at least one electrically insulating element (2) for maintaining the electrically conductive layer (1) separated from the skin (11), and a conductive material (3) that is deposed using a delivery system (4) on desired areas (5) of the electrically conductive layer (1). The conductive material (3) can penetrate the electrically conductive layer (1) and any other part of the electrode underlying the desired areas (5), thus reaching the skin. The conductive material (3) creates an electrical connection between the desired areas (5) of the electrically conductive layer (1) and the skin. Therefore, the shape of the desired areas (5) electrically connected with the skin, can be customized by the user deposing (or “drawing”) the conductive material (3).

Abstract: The present invention concerns a thermal drawing method for forming fibers, wherein said fibers are made at least from a stretchable polymer. The present invention also concerns drawn fibers made by the process.

Abstract: A method for screen-space voxel ray-casting of scenes on a whole screen. The method comprises providing a graphics card; rendering seamlessly any one of the following list of primitives containing at least polygons, voxels; using a GPU pipeline of the graphics card for rasterization; rendering of the primitives sorted from front to back; thereby optimizing a 2D pixel fill rate by in case the primitives are voxels, rendering the voxels as discrete points and storing size and shading information into a per-pixel data structure; storing information about closest primitives into the per-pixel data structure as neighboring 2D pixel data structures; in case the primitives are polygons, rendering the polygons as continuous surfaces and storing shading information into the per-pixel data structure.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for organizing trained and untrained neural networks. In one aspect, a neural network device includes a collection of node assemblies interconnected by between-assembly links, each node assembly itself comprising a network of nodes interconnected by a plurality of within-assembly links, wherein each of the between-assembly links and the within-assembly links have an associated weight, each weight embodying a strength of connection between the nodes joined by the associated link, the nodes within each assembly being more likely to be connected to other nodes within that assembly than to be connected to nodes within others of the node assemblies.

Abstract: Described herein are microelectrode array devices, and methods of fabrication and use of the same, to provide highly localized and efficient electrical stimulation of a neurological target. The device includes multiple microelectrode elements arranged along an elongated probe shaft. The microelectrode elements are dimensioned and shaped so as to target individual neurons, groups of neurons, and neural tissue as may be located in an animal nervous system, such as deep within a human brain. Beneficially, the neurological probe can be used to facilitate location of the neurological target and remain implanted for long-term monitoring and/or stimulation.

Abstract: A method for visualizing structures inside a cochlea, comprising the steps of irradiating a cochlear bone with a first laser light to ablate portions of the cochlear bone, to form a thinned area of the cochlear bone, and imaging intracochlear structures by a second light via the thinned area of the cochlear bone to optically scan targeted structures inside the cochlea.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for encoding and/or decoding digital images, wherein the encoding apparatus includes a processor configured for determining weights of a graph related to an image by minimizing a cost function, transforming the weights through a graph Fourier transform, quantizing the transformed weights, computing transformed coefficients through a graph Fourier transform of a graph having the transformed weights as weights, de-quantizing the quantized transformed weights, computing a reconstructed image through an inverse graph Fourier transform on the basis of the de-quantized transformed weights, computing a distortion cost on the basis of the reconstructed image and the original image, generating a final encoded image on the basis of the distortion cost.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods are provided for treating diseases that produce elevated intraocular pressures, such as glaucoma, wherein the device includes a housing shell defining a cavity between a first end and a second end of the housing shell, and an elastic membrane disposed within the cavity to divide the cavity into a fluidic channel that permits a flow of fluid from the first end to the second end and a sealed cavity. The elastic membrane deforms to change the volume of the sealed cavity responsive to pressure fluctuations between the first and second ends, thereby varying the fluidic resistance of the flow of fluid through the fluidic channel.

Abstract: A scanning probe microscope for high-speed imaging and/or nanomechanical mapping including a scanning probe comprising a cantilever with a tip at the distal end, and means for modulating a tip-sample distance separating the tip from an intended sample to be viewed with the microscope, the means for modulating being adapted to provide a direct cantilever actuation.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an in vitro method for detecting and/or quantifying a biological or chemical substance of interest in a liquid sample, by a capillary action test using, as probes, photoluminescent inorganic nanoparticles, of formula A1-xLnxVO4(1-y)(PO4)y (II), in which Ln is selected from europium (Eu), dysprosium (Dy), samarium (Sm), neodymium (Nd), erbium (Er), ytterbium (Yb), thulium (Tm), praseodymium (Pr), holmium (Ho) and mixtures thereof; A is selected from yttrium (Y), gadolinium (Gd), lanthanum (La), lutetium (Lu), and mixtures thereof; 0<x<1; and 0?y<1, said method employing detection of the luminescence, with an emission lifetime shorter than 100 ms, of the nanoparticles, after one-photon absorption, by excitation of the matrix at a wavelength less than or equal to 320 nm. It also relates to a capillary action test device comprising, as probes, the aforementioned nanoparticles, as well as the use of such a method for purposes of in vitro diagnostics.

Abstract: A device for sorting biological entities is disclosed. The device comprises a channel to canalize the biological entities and a selector having slots to accommodate said entities. Means for detecting and analysing an optical parameter of the biological entities is coupled with the selector. The selector can switch from a rest position to a sorting position, or at least two sorting positions, based on the detected and analysed optical parameter, so that biological entities can be sorted on the basis of their optical properties. The device is particularly intended for sorting egg cells, zygotes, embryos, or larvae of an insect, an amphibian or a fish such as Xenopus laevis, C. elegans or zebfrafish Danio rerio.

Abstract: A random access memory having a memory array having a plurality of local memory groups, each local memory group including a plurality of bitcells arranged in a bitcell column, a pair of local bitlines operatively connected to the plurality of bitcells, a pair of global read bitlines, a local group read port arranged between the pair of local bitlines and the pair of global read bitlines for selectively accessing one of the local bitlines depending on a state of a selected bitcell, and a local group precharge circuit operatively arranged between the pair of local bitlines.

Abstract: The present invention relates to use of inhibitors of Notch signalling pathway selected from the group consisting of 6-(4-Tert-Butylphenoxy)Pyridin-3-Amine (I3), its derivatives, in treating and/or preventing cancers.

Abstract: A novel mechanical system, based on a new cable driven mechanical transmission, able to provide sufficient dexterity, stiffness, speed, precision and payload capacity to actuate multi-DOF micro-manipulators. Besides the possibility of being used in several articulated surgical instruments and robotic systems for surgery or other applications involving remote manipulation, it enables the design of a novel fully mechanical surgical instrument, which offer the advantages of conventional laparoscopy (low cost, tactile feedback, high payload capacity) combined with the advantages of single port surgery (single incision, scarless surgery, navigation through several quadrants of the abdominal cavity) and robotic surgery (greater degrees of freedom, short learning curve, high stiffness, high precision, increased intuition).