Abstract: An osmotic power generator comprising an active membrane supported in a housing, at least a first chamber portion disposed on a first side of the active membrane for receiving a first electrolyte liquid and a second chamber portion disposed on a second side of the active membrane for receiving a second electrolyte liquid, a generator circuit comprising at least a first electrode electrically coupled to said first chamber, and at least a second electrode electrically coupled to said second chamber, the first and second electrodes configured to be connected together through a generator load receiving electrical power generated by a difference in potential and an ionic current between the first and second electrodes.

Abstract: Peptides that specifically bind erythrocytes are described. These are provided as peptidic ligands having sequences that specifically bind, or as antibodies or fragments thereof that provide specific binding, to erythrocytes. The peptides may be prepared as molecular fusions with therapeutic agents, tolerizing antigens, or targeting peptides. Immunotolerance may be created by use of the fusions and choice of an antigen on a substance for which tolerance is desired.

Abstract: The invention relates to a circuit (100) able to achieve simultaneous impedance matching between a generator (G) and a load (CH) for a power supply signal comprising at least two distinct frequencies.

Abstract: A method which can be used to analyse oxidising species in a sample, including: placing the sample in contact with a first photoluminescent agent, and a second optically active agent, at least the first photoluminescent agent including nanoparticles doped with rare earth elements and being oxidisable, the luminescence of the first photoluminescent agent varying, at least at one first wavelength, with the amount of oxidising species, and the signal emitted by the second optically active agent being constant or varying, at least at one second wavelength other than the first wavelength, with the amount of oxidising species in a direction opposite to the luminescence of the first photoluminescent agent; energising the first and second agents in the sample; measuring the light intensity of the sample at least at the first and second wavelengths; and assessing the presence and/or the amount of oxidising species by interpreting the measured light intensities.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for the preparation of a coating comprising at least one coating layer on a substrate, the method comprising the steps of a. providing monomers of the type R—(N)x-(L)m-(C?C)n-(L?)o-(N?)y—R?, wherein R is a head moiety, R? is a tail moiety, (C?C)n is an oligoyne moiety, L and L? are linker moieties, N and N? independently are branched or unbranched optionally substituted C1-C25 alkyl moieties optionally containing 1 to 5 heteroatoms, x, m, o, and y are independently 0 or 1, n is 4 to 12, and wherein the head moiety allows for an interaction with the surface of the substrate; b. bringing the monomers into contact with the substrate wherein the interaction of the head moieties of the monomers with the surface of the substrate induces at least a part of the monomers to align in a defined manner thereby forming a film on the surface and bringing the oligoyne moieties of the monomers into close contact with each other; c.

Abstract: A biosensor includes a source element; a drain element; a semiconductor channel element between the source element and the drain element for forming an electrically conductive channel with adjustable conductivity between the source and drain elements; a first gate element configured to be electrically biased to set a given operational regime of the sensor with given electrical conductivity of the channel; and a second gate element, physically separate from the first gate element, configured to contact a solution comprising analytes allowed to interact with a gate contact surface of the second gate element to generate a surface potential change dependent on the concentration of the analytes in the solution. The channel element is substantially fully depleted allowing the first and second gate elements to be electrostatically coupled such that the surface potential change at the second gate element is configured to modify the electrical conductivity of the channel.

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 medical fluid drainage system which may be advantageously used to actively absorb excess fluid from an interstitium in a living host and to transport it from an inlet member 1 in a non edematous body part out of an outlet member 4 via pumps (5, 6, 7) built in series, such as a distal area with functional lymphatic vessels, or directly in a lymphatic vessel, or directly in a blood vessel.

Abstract: Disclosed is an opto-electronic device including a semiconducting substrate, a layered interface including at least one layer, the layered interface having a first surface in contact with a surface of the semiconducting substrate and the layered interface being adapted for passivating the surface of the semiconducting substrate, the layered interface having a second surface and the layered interface being adapted for electrically insulating the first surface from the second surface, and a textured surface structure including a plurality of nanowires and a transparent dielectric coating, the textured surface structure being in contact with the second surface of the layered interface, the plurality of nanowires protruding from the second surface and the plurality of nanowires being embedded between the second surface and the transparent dielectric coating.

Abstract: The present invention relates to polymeric structures, in the form of flat membrane-like surfaces or micro- nanostruc-tures such as capsules, characterized in that it comprises a substantially two-dimensional layer of covalently-bonded monomers of R-substituted metal or metalloid oxides. Said polymeric structures in most embodiments have a crystal architecture with a hexagonal lattice, but the nature of the covalent bonds present therein impart a bending flexibility that make the polymeric structures behave as a “soft” crystal. Methods of producing such structures, composition comprising thereof and method of using thereof are also included within the present disclosure.

Abstract: The present invention relates to functionalized hydrogel networks grafted with at least one moiety for use in numerous fields, from cosmetics to surgery and medicine.

Abstract: A process for ultrasensitive in vitro detection and/or quantification of a substance of interest in a sample is performed by detecting the luminescence emission by photoluminescent inorganic nanoparticles. The process includes (i) use of photoluminescent particles comprising a photoluminescent inorganic nanoparticle consisting of a crystalline matrix having at least 103 rare-earth ions, and coupled to a targeting agent for the substance to be analyzed, under conditions conducive to their association with the sample substance to be analyzed; (ii) exciting the rare-earth ions of the particles by an illumination device having a power of at least 50 mW and an excitation intensity of at least 1 W/cm2; (iii) detecting the luminescence emission by the particles after single-photon absorption; and (iv) determining the presence and/or concentration of the substance by interpreting said luminescence measurement. This process can be used for in vitro diagnostic purposes and as an in vitro diagnostic kit.

Abstract: Various blends of polymers are disclosed, comprising oligopeptide functionalised polymers such as polyisobutylene and polystyrene. Mono-functionalised and di-functionalised polymers (each containing 0 to 5 peptide units beyond its terminal amide group) may be blended with each other and/or with non-functionalised polymers to produce blended compositions. Such compositions are of use, for example, in vibrations dampers. Certain blends also exhibit self-healing properties.

Abstract: A method for marking a product (1) with a photoluminescent mark, said mark comprising a photoluminescent portion (10) which is transparent under normal light conditions and revealed by photoluminescence under UV illumination, said mark further comprising a non photoluminescent portion (9) which is transparent under normal light conditions as well as under UV illumination, said method comprising: deposing on said product a stack, said stack comprising alternatively layers (2, 4), such as AlN, with a thickness of less than 1 micron and layers (3) of a second material, such as GaN, with a thickness of less than 10 nm; raising the transparency of said non photoluminescent portion (10) with a deposition of transparent material (6) or incorporation of ions into said non photoluminescent portions.

Abstract: Method of designing a refractive surface, comprising providing a refractive object having a refractive surface with an initial geometry, determining a refraction of incident illumination through the refractive surface with the initial geometry to create a source irradiance ES distribution on a receiver; and determining a shape of the refractive surface of the refractive object such that a resulting irradiance distribution on the receiver matches a desired target irradiance ET provided by a user.

Abstract: A method of making an array having discrete volumes of cell culture micro-environments possessing different properties influencing the behavior of encapsulated cells, in particular proliferation, colony-formation, differentiation, migration, or combinations thereof.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a compound of formula (I) based on a structure including functionalized spirofluorene and fused aromatics or non-aromatic rings with at least one heteroatom, and used as hole transporting material in a optoelectronic and/or photoelectrochemical device.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a A device for puncturing an object, in particular a bodily vein, comprising: a body defining an inner cavity with at least one opening and a perforating needle extending in the cavity and being movable in the cavity between a resting position and an active position where the needle extends at least partially through the opening outside the cavity, and actuating means arranged to move the needle between the resting and active positions. The actuating means comprises a tuneable multistable driving mechanism comprising at least a multistable element having a determined switching load, the multistable element being fixedly arranged between the needle and an inner wall of the cavity, and an actuator for transmitting energy to move the needle between the resting and active positions when the energy reaches the switching load.

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: A method for handling, in a microfluidic system, microdrops which include samples, including the steps of forming, in an oil, microdrops of an aqueous solution containing a sample, the oil and/or the aqueous solution containing a sample including a gelling agent; trapping the microdrops by means of surface-tension traps pre-arranged in a trapping area; and at least partially gelling the oil in the trapping area and/or at least partially gelling the trapped microdrops.