Abstract: A device includes a conductive surface (12) and electrical contacts (14) by which an electric current is able to be passed. The electrical contacts (14) include conductive seeds (16) deposited on the conductive surface (12), an electrically insulating layer (18), which covers discontinuously the conductive seeds (16) in order to form openings leaving access to the conductive seeds (16), and a plating layer (22) recovering the discontinuous insulating layer (18) and deposited on conductive seeds (16) which are accessible through the openings and form points from which the deposit of the plating layer (22) can start. The rest of the conductive surface (12), which doesn't include any electrical contacts (14), is continuously covered by the electrically insulating layer (18).

Abstract: A system for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease is provided by moving cerebrospinal fluid containing particles know to contribute to onset of Alzheimer's disease from a source of cerebrospinal fluid to the stomach or bladder, where the particles are safely digested by gastric acid or excreted, the system including an implantable pump, an inlet catheter, an outlet catheter, and a one-way valve. The system further includes at least one filter to filter harmful particles from the cerebrospinal fluid and return the filtered cerebrospinal fluid back to the source of cerebrospinal fluid, where the harmful particles blocked by the filter may be rinsed off the filter and transported to the stomach or bladder.

Abstract: The invention relates to a sensing tip (8) comprising a conventional tip (1), such as a pipette tip, which is essentially made of a cavity which communicates with the external environment through an aperture (3) located at the tip distal end; the sensing tip (8) furthermore comprising an electrical impedance sensor made of at least two electrodes (4,5,6) located respectively outside (4) and inside (5,6) said conventional tip (1) and wherein the sensing area is arranged within said aperture (3). The invention also covers the use of the above-cited sensing tip (8).

Abstract: All wireless devices must comply with the local radio regulations which are set by international and national regulatory bodies such as the European Telecommunication Standardization Institute (ETSI) for Europe and the Federal Commission for Communication (FCC) for US. A new firmware module is proposed, that will ensure that devices, in all circumstances will comply with the ETSI regulations for single channel emissions in the 868 MHz ISM band. Namely, assuring compliance with the duty-cycle limit, the maximum TX time and minimum TX-off time limit. Such a solution has not been researched mostly due to the popularity of the virtually worldwide 2.4 GHz ISM band which does not have duty-cycle limitations. The wireless sensor networks (WSN) operating in the 868 MHz band have their own niche applications that benefit from the increased signal range. The development and the acceptance of such applications will benefit from the existence of the proposed module implemented in firmware/software.

Abstract: A bipolar resistive switching device (RSM device, FIG. 35) comprises an electrically conductive bottom electrode (BE, FIG. 35); a stack of transition metal oxides layers (RSM, FIG. 35), a number of transition metal oxide layers (RSO, FIG. 35) being equal or greater than 2, the stack comprising: at least one MOx layer (RSOA, FIG. 35), at least one oxygen gettering layer NOy (RSOB, FIG. 35). The resistive switching device further comprises an electrically conductive top electrode (TE, FIG. 35).

Abstract: A method for performing a post processing pattern on a diced chip having a footprint, comprises the steps of providing a support wafer; applying a first dry film photoresist to the support wafer; positioning a mask corresponding to the footprint of the diced chip on the first dry film photoresist; expose the mask and the first dry film photoresist to UV radiation; remove the mask; photoresist develop the exposed first dry film photoresist to obtain a cavity corresponding to the diced chip; positioning the diced chip inside the cavity; applying a second dry film photoresist to the first film photoresist and the diced chip; and expose and develop the second dry film photoresist applied to the diced chip in accordance with the post processing pattern.

Abstract: A method and system for calibrating an optical device having a spatial optical modulator (6) and including: an optical lens (8) of a large numerical aperture, capable of receiving an incident beam and/or collecting an optical beam reflected by a sample; a camera (14) disposed in a plane optically conjugate with the focal plane of the lens (8); and a spatial optical modulator (6) disposed on the optical beam upstream of the camera (14). The method includes the following steps consisting in: acquiring three-dimensional images of the PSF in terms of intensity in a plane conjugate with the focal plane of the lens (8), reconstructing the profile in terms of amplitude and/or phase of the beam using a phase diversity algorithm, and determining the respective influence functions of a plurality of elements P1, . . . , PN of the spatial optical modulator (6) on the profile in terms of the amplitude A and/or phase ? of the beam.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of producing formic acid in a catalyzed chemical reaction from hydrogen gas and carbon dioxide gas, said reaction being conducted in an acidic medium comprising a polar solvent over a wide range of temperatures at total gas pressure of hydrogen and carbon dioxide up to 250 bar without the addition of base, carbonate, hydrogen carbonate or formate. The method of the present invention is advantageous since the reaction may be conducted in a polar solvent such as water or DMSO.

Abstract: A junctionless Nano-Electro-Mechanical (NEM) resonator, comprising a highly doped conductive channel connecting a drain region and a source region; the conduction channel region is movable and the overall structure is fixed at least at these two ends placed on acting the source and drain regions, respectively; at least one fixed gate electrode arranged to control a depletion charge in the highly doped conductive channel thereby modulating dimensions of a cross-section of the highly doped conductive channel. A dimension of the cross-section in the direction of an electrical field that is oriented from the fixed gate electrode to the highly doped conductive channel, is designed in such a way that it can be reduced under the effect of the depletion charge such that a full depletion in the highly doped conductive channel is achievable with the control of the fixed gate electrode.

Abstract: The present invention refers to using the principal of a room temperature molten ionic liquid, to an electrolyte, to devices comprising the ionic liquid co-melting, and to the preparation of a room temperature ionic liquid via various physical and chemical methods. The room temperature molten ionic liquid comprises at least two component salts, at least one of which is not molten at room temperature, but, if combined with another salt, is in the molten state at room temperature.

Abstract: System and methods for producing a plurality of Sinc shaped pulses in the time domain include a light source for providing an input light signal having an input frequency, and at least one spectrum shaper for producing the plurality of Sinc shaped pulses from the input light signal. The spectrum shaper may include an amplitude modulator, at least one radio-frequency generator and a bias voltage generator.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and device for forming a plasma beam. According to the invention: the quality of the electroneutrality of the plasma beam (PB) is detected (in 12 and/or 13); and the alternating polarization potentials of the extraction and acceleration grid (4) are adjusted such that the plasma beam (PB) is at least approximately electrically neutral.

Abstract: A method for preparing a topographically structured hydrogel microarray is described comprising the steps of a) providing one or more types of biomolecule(s) on top of micropillars of an array of micropillars, preferably by means of robotical spotting, b) providing a partially crosslinked hydrogel on a substrate, preferably attached to a substantially rigid and/or planar substrate, c) simultaneously soft-embossing a hydrogel microwell array and transferring the biomolecule(s) from the micropillars to the microwells by pressing the micropillars of the array of step a) onto the partially crosslinked layer of hydrogel of step b) until substantial completion of crosslinking and d) demolding the array of micropillars of step a) from the hydrogel microwell array of step c).

Abstract: A method of fabricating a transparent and birefringent mineral solid thin layer comprises the following steps: a) preparing a colloidal solution constituted by anisotropic mineral nanoparticles in suspension in a dispersion liquid; b) depositing the colloidal solution on a surface of a substrate by spreading as a thin layer while applying directional shear stress tangentially to the surface of the substrate so as to deposit the colloidal solution as a liquid thin layer on the surface of the substrate, the value of the shear stress and the concentration of mineral nanoparticles in the colloidal solution being determined in such a manner as to cause the anisotropic mineral nanoparticles to be aligned along the direction of the shear stress tangential to the surface of the substrate; and c) drying the liquid thin layer by evaporating the dispersion liquid.

Abstract: The device comprises at least an inlet tube for the passage of fluid to be drained, said tube being connected to a chamber wherein said chamber comprises rotating means for adjusting the flow rate in said tube.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a multilayer composite material comprising: —a base layer—a metallic layer consisting of an insulating matrix phase and of a metallic particles phase, said metallic particles being distributed in the insulating matrix, wherein a volume fraction ? being the ratio between the volume of metallic particles and the volume of the metallic layer corresponds to a critical volume fraction ?*+??, with 0<???5%, the critical volume fraction ?* being the volume fraction for which an increase of conductivity of the metallic layer as a function of the volume fraction ? has a maximum value.

Abstract: A method for creating isotopes using laser beams, including the steps: 1) placing a target under plasma conditions, 2) bombarding the target under plasma conditions with particles generated using a bundle of laser beams, the bundle of laser beams being synchronised with the development of the plasma conditions, the fuel and the particles being selected in such a way that the interaction between the target under plasma conditions and the particles generates nuclear reactions, and 3) recovering the isotopes generated by the nuclear reactions.

Abstract: A multimode local probe microscope having a resonator, a first electrode, and a second electrode, an excitation source adapted to generate mechanical resonance in the resonator, a metal tip fastened to the resonator, movement mechanism for imparting relative movement between the local probe and a sample and adapted to bring the end of the tip to within a distance Z lying in the range 0 to 100 nm, and detector for detecting at least one electrical signal representative of friction forces at the terminals of said electrodes. The metal tip is electrically connected to the output second electrode and the microscopy apparatus includes amplifier and filter for amplifying and filtering signals relating to the friction forces and to the tunnelling current in a single electronic circuit, and configured for regulating the distance Z between the end of the tip and the surface of the sample.

Abstract: The present invention provides new bi- and polypyridine ligands of ruthenium dyes. The invention also provides solar cells, in particular dye-sensitized solar cells comprising the dyes.

Abstract: The invention pertains to a near-infrared fluorescent dye that is cell permeable and can be attached to selected proteins in living cells. The dye has the general formula or its corresponding spirolactone wherein Y is chosen from the group consisting of Si, Ge and Sn; R0 is —COO? or COOH; R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R7, R8, R9, R10, R11, R12, R13, R14, R15 and R16 are substituents, including hydrogen, independently from each other. The dye (i) absorbs and emits light at wavelengths above 600 nm; (ii) possesses high photostability; (iii) has high extinction coefficients and high quantum yields; (iv) can be derivatized with different molecules; and (v) is membrane-permeable and shows minimal background binding to biomolecules and biomolecular structures.