Abstract: A method of investigating a sample using a wide-field multiphoton microscope with tunable excitation wavelength (?) is disclosed. The sample is illuminated at some excitation wavelength. Images of the sample are acquired at wavelengths different from the excitation wavelength, e.g., at half the excitation wavelength for SHG microscopy, using an image sensor. Based on the obtained images, an autoalignment procedure is carried out for optimizing the position of the sample relative to the illumination and/or collection beam paths. An image or spectrum that has been obtained for the optimal relative position is stored. The procedure is repeated for multiple excitation wavelengths.

Abstract: Thin films of lithium-containing materials and methods for fabricating them are generally described. In some embodiments, the formation of a first vapor is induced from a first target and the formation of a second vapor is induced from a second target, resulting in the formation of a thin film. In some embodiments, at least a portion of the formation of the first vapor and the formation of the second vapor occurs under vacuum conditions. In some embodiments, the thin film has a relatively high ionic conductivity, mixed ionic/electronic conductivity, or other properties beneficial for applications such as active electrode materials or solid-state electrolytes.

Abstract: An additive manufacturing process for the manufacture of an object in an additive manufacturing apparatus, wherein the object is formed by one or several individual solid filamentous units, said additive manufacturing process comprises the steps of, discharging a polymer composition in a molten state from a nozzle of a print head, thereby imparting an orienting flow on the polymer composition in a molten state being discharged from the nozzle of the print head and depositing said discharged polymer composition in a molten state along at least one predefined, preferably horizontal, path and allowing the thus formed one or several filamentous units to solidify such as to form one or several solid filamentous units of the object to be manufactured; optionally repeating the previous step until the object is formed; wherein said polymer composition comprises a thermotropic liquid crystal polymer as a polymer component of the polymer composition and the solid filamentous units are characterized in that the smal

Abstract: The present invention to provide a method of operating a thermal energy storage device comprising a body of heat transfer fluid, said body of heat transfer fluid comprising an upper temperature region comprising heat transfer fluid having a temperature above a upper threshold temperature, a lower temperature region comprising heat transfer fluid having a temperature below a lower threshold temperature and a thermocline region separating the upper and lower temperature regions and comprising heat transfer fluid having a temperature above a lower threshold temperature and below an upper threshold temperature, wherein during charging of the thermal energy storage device, heat transfer fluid is removed from the thermocline region of the body of heat transfer fluid and when the temperature of the heat transfer fluid being removed from the thermocline region of the body of heat transfer fluid rises above a maximum temperature, said heat transfer fluid being removed is brought to a temperature equal to or below said

Abstract: This disclosure presents systems and methods to provide an interactive environment in response to touch-based inputs. A first body channel communication device coupled to a user may transmit and/or receive signals configured to be propagated along skin of the user such that the skin of the user comprises a signal transmission path. A second body channel communication device coupled to an interaction entity may be configured to transmit and/or receive signals configured to be propagated along the skin of the user along the signal transmission path. A presentation device may present images of virtual content to the user. Information may be communicated between the first body channel communication device, the second body channel communication device, and the presentation device so that virtual content specific to the interaction entity may be presented to augment an appearance of the interaction entity.

Abstract: The invention is related to an inositol polyphosphate oligo alkyl ether compound, or its pharmaceutically acceptable salt, for use in treatment or prevention of a disease associated with formation of calcium salt crystals.

Abstract: A method for analysing an analyte (3) using surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), comprising the following steps: (a) providing an essentially flat or topologically structured metal surface (1) of a SERS-active metal; (b) depositing the analyte (3) or an open pore matrix material (5) on the surface (1); (c) depositing a multitude of nano-droplets (2) of a SERS-active metal on top of the analyte (3) or the open pore matrix material (5), respectively; and (d) spectroscopically analysing, by scanning laser irradiation and using SERS, the analyte sandwiched between the surface (1) and the multitude of nano-droplets (2). The diameter of the nano-droplets (2) is in the range of 5-70 nm, and the distance between adjacent nano-droplets (2) is smaller than their diameter, and wherein step c) is carried out by PVD or by sputtering SERS-active metal.

Abstract: The present invention provides a pressure transducer (1) and a method for fabricating a pressure transducer. The pressure transducer is for use in a gas pressure gauge and uses a squeeze-film. The pressure transducer comprises a first wafer (2) and a second wafer (3), wherein—at least the first wafer comprises a device layer (2.1) and a handle layer (2.3); —the second wafer (3) has a top and bottom surface; and wherein—at least the device layer (2.1) of the first wafer (2) is structured. The pressure transducer further comprises a membrane (4.1), a cavity (5) between the membrane (4.1) and the second wafer (3), wherein the cavity (5) has a cavity bottom, an inlet (12) connecting the cavity (5) to a surrounding, a suspension (6) of the membrane (4.1), wherein the suspension (6) allows oscillation of the membrane (4.1), and an oscillation generator to set the membrane (4.1) in oscillation. The pressure transducer is characterized in that the structured device layer (2.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the field of water treatment/metal recovery and to materials/devices useful in such processes. Specifically the invention provides for composite materials comprising amyloid fibrils; activated carbon; optionally a support material; whereby said amyloid fibrils and said activated carbon are in intimate contact. The invention further provides for the treatment of water using such composite materials.

Abstract: In particular embodiments, a 2D representation of an object may be provided. A first method may comprise: receiving sketch input identifying a target position for a specified portion of the object; computing a deformation for the object within the context of a character rig specification for the object; and displaying an updated version of the object. A second method may comprise detecting sketch input; classifying the sketch input, based on the 2D representation, as an instantiation of the object; instantiating the object using a 3D model of the object; and displaying a 3D visual representation of the object.

Abstract: A scaling application estimates a downscaling kernel used to generate a downscaled image. The scaling application upscales the downscaled image based on the estimated downscaling kernel, thereby generating a higher resolution version of the downscaled image with minimal visual artifacts. The scaling application includes various networks that perform the above operations. A kernel mapping network generates a degradation map based on the estimated downscaling kernel. A degradation-aware generator network generates a reconstructed image based on the downscaled image and the degradation map. A kernel discriminator network generates an image delta that reflects visual artifacts present in the reconstructed image. The scaling application includes a parameter optimizer that iteratively modifies the estimated downscaling kernel to reduce visual artifacts indicated in the image delta.

Abstract: Lithium-containing thin films and methods for fabricating them are generally described. In some embodiments, the formation of a first vapor is induced from a first target and the formation of a second vapor is induced from a second target, resulting in the formation of a thin film. In some embodiments, at least a portion of the formation of the first vapor and the formation of the second vapor occurs under vacuum conditions. In some embodiments, the thin film has a relatively high ionic conductivity.

Abstract: The present invention provides additive manufacturing compositions, also referred as “inks” in the field of additive manufacturing, which can be fine-tuned with respect to porosity by varying the intensity of the photopolymerisation light source and which can further be used to obtain objects out of glasses, ceramics or glass-ceramics and their respective alloys.

Abstract: A biomedical apparatus for pumping blood of a human or an animal patient through a secondary blood circuit is provided, including a blood pump, an inlet duct and an outlet duct for guiding blood of the patient to the blood pump and back to the patient. The apparatus further includes a measuring device with at least one pressure sensor for measuring pressure values in the patient's circulatory system. A controller is provided that includes at least two different preset control algorithms for regulating the operating point of the blood pump based on the measured pressure values. The controller is configured to select one of these preset control algorithms for being applied in dependence on the position of the at least one pressure sensor in the patient's circulatory system.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for the treatment of cellulosic material. The method is comprising the steps of impregnation of the cellulosic material and treatment of the impregnated cellulosic material by a fumigation step or an evaporation step. Impregnation is performed with a metal ion M and at least one ion precursor Z yielding an impregnated cellulosic material. The at least one ion precursor Z provides an anion A or an anion A and a cation Y comprised within at least one metal salt solution I or with a metal salt solution II comprising a metal ion M. The fumigation or evaporation step is yielding a cellulosic composite material comprising a compound M(NH4)A, MYA or M(OH)x, wherein M is a metal.

Abstract: The present invention provides polymersomes comprising non-biodegradable amphiphilic block-copolymers and their enteral (e.g., oral) or topical use in the treatment of an ammonia or ammonia methylated analog-associated disease or disorder or symptom thereof (e.g., hyperammonemia or trimethylaminuria). More particularly, it provides a polymersome comprising (a) a membrane, which comprises a block copolymer of poly(styrene) (PS) and poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), wherein the PS/PEO molecular weight ratio is higher than 1.0 and lower than 4.0; and (b) a core which encloses an acid. It also provides a method of making the polymersome comprising mixing the copolymer-containing organic solvent phase with an aqueous phase containing the acid.

Abstract: The present invention relates to inositol derivatives covalently modified with one, two or three solubility functions, particularly polyethylene glycol moieties, for use in therapy or prevention of conditions related to pathological calcium crystallization, such as cardiovascular calcifications, nephrocalcinosis, calcinosis cutis, chondrocalcinosis and kidney stones.

Abstract: A process for preparing a polyfluorinated compound of formula Ar—R1 (I), wherein Ar—R1 (I) is an aromatic ring system wherein R1 is selected from the group consisting of SF4Cl, SF3, SF2CF3, TeF5, TeF4CF3, SeF3, IF2, SeF2CF3, and IF4, X2 is N or CR2, X3 is N or CR3, X4 is N or CR4, X5 is N or CR5, X6 is N or CR6, and the total number of nitrogen atoms in the aromatic ring system is between 0 and 3, wherein R2, R3, R4, R5 and R6 are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, fluoro, chloro, bromo, nitro, trifluoromethyl, 2,2,2-trifluoroethyl, pentafluorosulfanyl, phthalimido, azido, benzyloxy, trifluoromethoxy, 2,2,2-trifluoroethoxy, methoxycarbonyl, ethoxycarbonyl, methylcarbonyl, ethylcarbonyl, acetoxy, t-butyl, phenylcarbonyl, benzylcarbonyl, 3-trifluoromethylphenyl, phenylsulfonyl, methylsulfonyl, chlorophenyl, methyldoxolonyl, methyl, isopropyl, cyclopropyl, cyclobutyl, cyclopentyl, cyclohexyl, fluoromethyl, fluoroethyl and phenyl.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for identifying miRNA (microRNA)-modulating compounds by contacting a compound of interest with a cell comprising (i) a “miRNA-specific module” that reports specific miRNA target sequence binding by means of a first reporter product; (ii) a “non-specific RNAi module” that reports altered expression of one or more endogenous miRNAs with baseline expression levels in the cell (“non-specific miRNA markers”) by means of a second reporter product; and optionally (iii) a “gene expression module” that reports global changes in gene expression; and subsequent detection of changes in reporter product expression. The advantage of this method is that non-specific miRNA- and/or RNAi-effects of the compound of interest are detected and false positive results due to the structural similarity of different miRNAs and the commonly shared maturation pathway for most miRNAs are substantially reduced over conventional miRNA screening assays.

Abstract: A method for preparing interleukin-2 or an interleukin-2 analogue formed by at least three building blocks includes: synthesizing the at least three building blocks, whereby for each building block the C-terminal residue comprises an ?-keto group and/or the N-terminal residue comprises a cyclic hydroxylamine; coupling the at least three building blocks by KAHA ligation resulting in a depsipeptide; and rearranging the depsipeptide to obtain interleukin-2 or an interleukin-2 analogue.