Abstract: A device and a method for sensing the electrolytic conductivity of a fluid are disclosed. The device comprises a battery (1) having an oxidizing electrode (2) and a reducing electrode (3) connected by a hydrophilic and/or a porous material or an empty receptacle (4) providing a microfluidic cavity for a fluid (10), said battery (1) being activated upon the addition of said fluid (10) therein and providing electrical energy while the fluid (10) impregnates by capillarity said microfluidic cavity; and at least one instrument (5) connected to the battery (1). The instrument (5) has an equivalent impedance that makes the battery (1) work at a specific operating point allowing determining or discriminating among values of electrolytic conductivity of the fluid (10) and includes means for quantifying the electrolytic conductivity of the fluid (10), thereby inferring the conductivity of the fluid (10) from the performance of the battery (1).

Abstract: Relapsed/refractory T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) has a dismal outcome, and no effective targeted immunotherapies for T-ALL exist. The extension of chimeric antigen receptor T-cells (CARTs) to T-ALL remains challenging because the shared expression of target antigens between CARTs and T-ALL blasts leads to CARTs fratricide. CD 1a is exclusively expressed in cortical T-ALLs, a major subset of T-ALL. The expression of CD 1a is restricted to cortical thymocytes and neither CD34+ progenitors nor T-cells express CD 1a during ontogeny, confining the risk of on-target/off-tumor toxicity. The present invention provides CARs comprising a CD 1a-targeting moiety which may be transduced or transformed into T cells. The resultant CARTs are suitable for the treatment of cortical T-ALLs.

Abstract: A method involves detecting in a sample an autoantibody binding specifically to one or more from Gluk1, Gluk2, Gluk3, Gluk4 and Gluk5, preferably Gluk2. An autoantibody binds specifically to one or more from Gluk1, Gluk2, Gluk3, Gluk4 and Gluk5, preferably Gluk2. A diagnostically useful carrier with a solid phase with an immobilized polypeptide contains one or more from Gluk1, Gluk2, Gluk3, Gluk4 and Gluk5, preferably Gluk2 or a variant thereof. The autoantibody can be used for diagnosing a neurological autoimmune disease or a cancer.

Abstract: The invention is based on observing that LIF is capable of activating the self-renewal of tumor stem cells in cancer, in particular gliomas, which indicates that the inhibition of LIF, and generally of IL-6 type cytokines, can be used in therapeutic compositions for the treatment of diseases associated with unwanted proliferation. The invention also relates to a method for the identification of compounds capable of blocking/inhibiting the proliferation of stem cells, and to an in vitro method for the diagnosis of diseases associated with unwanted cell proliferation in a subject or for determining the predisposition of a subject to suffer said disease associated with unwanted cell proliferation, or for prognosis of average life expectancy of subjects suffering from said tumors.

Abstract: A method is provided for manufacturing an article comprising a transparent conductive material, wherein a transparent conductive material (e.g., indium tin oxide) is deposited onto a substrate (e.g., fused silica) by physical vapor deposition, then annealed at high temperature (i.e., at least 450° C.) in a nitrogen atmosphere. The resulting article comprises a transparent conductive material that reduces the trade-off between low resistivity (or sheet resistance) and high near infrared transmission. For example, the transparent conductive material thus obtained may possess a transmission of at least 80% at 1550 nm while having a resistivity of less than or equal to about 5×10?4 Ohm-cm and a Haacke figure of merit of at least about 40×10?4??1. Also provided is a method for modulating the resistivity and/or the near infrared transmission of a transparent conductive material by annealing the transparent conductive material at a high temperature under nitrogen atmosphere.

Abstract: A method involves detecting in a sample an autoantibody binding specifically to one or more from Gluk1, Gluk2, Gluk3, Gluk4 and Gluk5, preferably Gluk2. An autoantibody binds specifically to one or more from Gluk1, Gluk2, Gluk3, Gluk4 and Gluk5, preferably Gluk2. A diagnostically useful carrier with a solid phase with an immobilized polypeptide contains one or more from Gluk1, Gluk2, Gluk3, Gluk4 and Gluk5, preferably Gluk2 or a variant thereof. The autoantibody can be used for diagnosing a neurological autoimmune disease or a cancer.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a method to prepare a graphene coated sponge comprising: filling mineral wool with a solution comprising graphene material by successive squeezing to obtain a mineral wool soaked with graphene material; transferring the mineral wool soaked with graphene material into a hydrothermal reactor and submitting it to heating from 60 to 240° C. for 5 minutes to 72 hours to have graphene material bonded to mineral wool and cleaning the heated material to remove the unbonded graphene material and reaction by-products from the graphene coated mineral wool. The present invention also relates to a graphene coated sponge obtained by the mentioned method and the use of such graphene sponge as water-treating agent.

Abstract: A method involves detecting in a sample an autoantibody binding specifically to one or more from Gluk1, Gluk2, Gluk3, Gluk4 and Gluk5, preferably Gluk2. An autoantibody binds specifically to one or more from Gluk1, Gluk2, Gluk3, Gluk4 and Gluk5, preferably Gluk2. A diagnostically useful carrier with a solid phase with an immobilized polypeptide contains one or more from Gluk1, Gluk2, Gluk3, Gluk4 and Gluk5, preferably Gluk2 or a variant thereof. The autoantibody can be used for diagnosing a neurological autoimmune disease or a cancer.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are graphene coatings characterized by a porous, three-dimensional, spherical structure having a hollow core, along with methods for forming such graphene coatings on glasses, glass-ceramics, ceramics, and crystalline materials. Such coatings can be further coated with organic or inorganic layers and are useful in chemical and electronic applications.

Abstract: A method of forming a functionalized device substrate is provided that includes the steps of: forming a graphene layer on a growth substrate; applying a polyimide layer to a glass, glass-ceramic or ceramic substrate, wherein a coupling agent couples the polyimide layer to the said substrate; coupling the polyimide layer to the graphene layer on the growth substrate; and peeling the growth substrate from the graphene layer.

Abstract: A graphene transistor system for measuring electrophysiological signals uses flexible epicortical and intracortical arrays of graphene solution-gated field-effect transistors (gSGFETs) to record infraslow signals alongside signals in the typical local field potential bandwidth. The graphene transistor system includes a processing unit, and at least one graphene transistor (gSGFET) a tunable voltage source connected to the drain and source terminals of the transistor (gSGFET), and at least one filter configured to acquire and split the signal from the transistor into at least a low frequency band signal and high frequency band signal, which are amplifiable with a gain value.

Abstract: A method for controlling timing of events in a microfluidic device and a timer microfluidic device are disclosed. The method comprises adding a liquid on a first end of a microfluidic device at a first time t0, the liquid flowing by capillarity towards a second end; producing, by a battery (12) included in the microfluidic device, energy from a second time tstart until a third time tend to feed an auxiliary device (16) connected to the battery (12). The battery (12) is sized and composed to provide a given amount of energy during a delivery energy time interval toperation, comprised between a time ton in which a voltage output of the battery (12) is above a threshold and a time toff in which the voltage output is below the threshold, to control the duration of an event including a selective activation and deactivation of said auxiliary device (16).

Abstract: Disclosed herein are graphene coatings characterized by a porous, three-dimensional, spherical structure having a hollow core, along with methods for forming such graphene coatings on glasses, glass-ceramics, ceramics, and crystalline materials. Such coatings can be further coated with organic or inorganic layers and are useful in chemical and electronic applications.

Abstract: A multi-layered band and a method for manufacturing a multi-layered band are disclosed. The multi-layered band comprises a support (1) to hold at least one battery structure (10) formed by overlapped layers including a porous material (11) and two electroactive electrodes (12, 13), one oxidizing (12) and one reducing (13), separated at a certain distance between them and in touch with said porous material (11). The battery structure (10) is configured to be activated upon the addition of a fluid into a given region of the porous material (11) and to provide electrical energy while said fluid impregnates by capillarity the porous material (11). The overlapped layers are constituted by parallel strips extending longitudinally along the length of the support (1), such that said multi-layered band can be cut transversally providing individual batteries of a same or different width each including the porous material (11) and the electroactive electrodes (12, 13).

Abstract: The invention relates to antibodies directed against human Leukemia Inhibitory Factor (LIF) and to a hybridoma cell line producing said antibodies. The invention also relates to a method for blocking/inhibiting the proliferation of stem cells, and to an in vitro method for the diagnosis of diseases associated with unwanted cell proliferation in a subject or for determining the predisposition of a subject to suffer from said disease associated with unwanted cell proliferation, or for prognosis of average life expectancy of a subject suffering from said disease. The therapeutic potential of said antibodies is based on observing that the inhibition of LIF can be used in therapeutic compositions for the treatment of diseases associated with unwanted proliferation.

Abstract: A device and a method for sensing the electrolytic conductivity of a fluid are disclosed. The device comprises a battery (1) having an oxidizing electrode (2) and a reducing electrode (3) connected by a hydrophilic and/or a porous material or an empty receptacle (4) providing a microfluidic cavity for a fluid (10), said battery (1) being activated upon the addition of said fluid (10) therein and providing electrical energy while the fluid (10) impregnates by capillarity said microfluidic cavity; and at least one instrument (5) connected to the battery (1). The instrument (5) has an equivalent impedance that makes the battery (1) work at a specific operating point allowing determining or discriminating among values of electrolytic conductivity of the fluid (10) and includes means for quantifying the electrolytic conductivity of the fluid (10), thereby inferring the conductivity of the fluid (10) from the performance of the battery (1).

Abstract: A method, system and computer programs for computing simultaneous rectilinear paths using medical images are disclosed. The method comprises receiving a 3D medical image comprising voxels representing a volume of an anatomical region of a patient and a preliminary path determined by two points traversing said 3D medical image, wherein said 3D medical image has segmented therein at least one area of interest, the preliminary path comprising a security zone with a given distance; computing a distance map of said area of interest and mapping its voxels to a first value or to a second value depending on a distance threshold, the latter being equal to said given distance of the security zone; selecting the voxels having said second value and projecting them using a frustum that projects the preliminary path onto a single point, to obtain a 2D projected image that includes a plurality of rectilinear paths.

Abstract: The photoreactor comprises at least one housing (11) for at least one reaction vessel and at least one light source for lighting said at least one reaction vessel, and the photoreactor comprises: a first module (1) provided with said at least one housing (11) for at least one reaction vessel and comprising a cooling/heating circuit (15) for regulating the temperature of said at least one reaction vessel; a second module (2) provided with said at least one light source; and a thermal insulating layer (5) placed between the first module (1) and the second module (2). It improves reproducibility of the reactions by temperature and light intensity control.

Abstract: The photoreactor comprises at least one housing (11) for at least one reaction vessel and at least one light source for lighting said at least one reaction vessel, and the photoreactor comprises: a first module (1) provided with said at least one housing (11) for at least one reaction vessel and comprising a cooling/heating circuit (15) for regulating the temperature of said at least one reaction vessel; a second module (2) provided with said at least one light source; and a thermal insulating layer (5) placed between the first module (1) and the second module (2). It improves reproducibility of the reactions by temperature and light intensity control.

Abstract: The invention relates to antibodies directed against human Leukemia Inhibitory Factor (LIF) and to a hybridoma cell line producing said antibodies. The invention also relates to a method for blocking/inhibiting the proliferation of stem cells, and to an in vitro method for the diagnosis of diseases associated with unwanted cell proliferation in a subject or for determining the predisposition of a subject to suffer from said disease associated with unwanted cell proliferation, or for prognosis of average life expectancy of a subject suffering from said disease. The therapeutic potential of said antibodies is based on observing that the inhibition of LIF can be used in therapeutic compositions for the treatment of diseases associated with unwanted proliferation.