Abstract: Provided is a device for converting rotary motion into oscillatory axial motion, which device comprises: (a) a rotation element (1); (b) a base element (2); and (c) one or more bearings (3) for facilitating rotary motion of the rotation element relative to the base element; wherein the rotation element and/or the base element comprise one or more raised portions (4) and/or one or more lowered portions (5) over which portions the one or more bearings (3) pass in order to periodically increase and decrease axial distance between the rotation element (1) and the base element (2) as rotation occurs, thereby imparting an oscillatory axial motion to the rotation element (1) relative to the base element (2).

Abstract: Provided is a method for controlling a resonance enhanced rotary drill comprising a drilling module and a control system for controlling one or more drilling parameters of the drilling module, which method comprises: (a) employing one or more initial characteristics of the material being drilled, and/or one or more initial drilling parameters to control the drilling module; (b) measuring one or more current drilling parameters to obtain one or more measured drilling parameters; (c) employing the one or more measured drilling parameters as an input in the control system, in order to obtain an output from the control system, which output comprises one or more calculated characteristics of the material being drilled; (d) employing the one or more calculated characteristics of the material being drilled, and/or the one or more measured drilling parameters, as an input in the control system, in order to obtain an output from the control system, which output comprises one or more calculated drilling parameters;

Abstract: Provided is an apparatus for use in directional drilling, which apparatus comprises: (a) a drill bit; (b) at least one steering actuator capable of exerting a longitudinal force on the drill bit, so as to change the direction of drilling; and/or (c) at least one drill bit steering insert, capable of extending and retracting so as to change the cutting characteristics of the drill bit and thereby change the direction of drilling. Further provided is a method of directional drilling, employing the apparatus of the invention.

Abstract: Provided is an apparatus for use in resonance enhanced drilling, which apparatus comprises a drilling module comprising a drill-bit, wherein the apparatus further comprises: a sensor for measuring one or more parameters relating to the interaction of the drill-bit and the material being drilled; and a sensor for measuring one or more motions of the drill-bit.

Abstract: The present application relates to a method of assaying ubiquitination in a sample by combining ubiquitin together with a substrate in a sample containing UBE1, UbcH3, Skp2-isoform 1, Skp1, Cull, Rbx1, Cks1, CDK2 and Cyclin E1 under conditions suitable for ubiquitination to take place, exposing the sample to a labelled binding partner which is specific for the ubiquitin, and measuring the amount of ubiquitin bound to the substrate.

Abstract: The present invention related to a method of assaying ubiquitination in a sample by combining ubiquitin and two or more of E1, E2, E3 and a substrate protein in a sample under conditions suitable for ubiquitination to take place, exposing the sample with a labelled binding partner which is specific for the ubiquitin and measuring the amount of labelled ubiquitin bound to any one of the components in the sample, wherein one or more of the components in the sample comprises an immobilization tag which facilitates its immobilization onto a solid surface.

Abstract: Provided herein are methods for the assembly of a polynucleic acid sequence that is at least partially carried out on a microfluidic device; methods for the preparation of a library of polynucleic acid sequences; microfluidic devices; methods for designing nucleic acid sequences; methods for planning the assembly of a polynucleic acid sequence from a plurality of nucleic acid sequences; systems comprising components for carrying out these methods; computer programs which, when run on a computer, implements these methods; and computer readable medium or carrier signals encoding such a computer program.

Abstract: Provided is a method for detecting analyte in a sample, which method comprises: (a) contacting the sample with a peptide nucleic acid (PNA) probe; (b) performing an electrochemical impedance spectrometry (EIS) measurement on the sample; (c) determining the presence, absence, quantity and/or identity of the analyte from the EIS measurement; wherein the analyte comprises nucleic acid; and wherein the quantity of analyte in the sample when the sample is taken is substantially the same as the quantity of analyte in the sample when the sample is subjected to the EIS measurement.

Abstract: An apparatus for use in resonance enhanced rotary drilling. The apparatus comprising one or both of: (a) a vibration isolation unit; and (b) a vibration transmission unit. The vibration isolation unit and/or the vibration transmission unit typically comprising a spring system comprising two or more frusto-conical springs arranged in series.

Abstract: The present invention provides a tubular article (10), such as may be used as an oil and gas pipeline, having a longitudinal axis X comprising inner and outer separate strips (12, 14) of spirally wound overlapping material each having a longitudinal axis L and first and second edges (16, 18, 16?, 18?), in which each strip (12, 14) comprises two or more longitudinally extending ridges (20, 22, 20?, 22?), each of which extends along said longitudinally extending axis L in parallel to each other and in which said ridges (20, 22, 20?, 22?) each comprise asymmetric ridges having a leading edge (24, 24?) forming a contact portion (28, 28?) and wherein said leading edges (24, 24?) are each in contact with each other and further comprising a non-contact trailing edge portion (26, 26?) which are spaced from each other by an amount G.

Abstract: Provided is apparatus for use in resonance enhanced rotary drilling, which apparatus comprises: (i) an upper load-cell for measuring static and dynamic axial loading; (ii) a vibration isolation unit; (iii) optionally an oscillator back mass; (iv) an oscillator for applying axial oscillatory loading to the rotary drill-bit; (v) a vibration transmission unit; (vi) a lower load-cell for measuring static and dynamic axial loading; (vii) a drill-bit connector; and (viii) a drill-bit, wherein the upper load-cell is positioned above the vibration isolation unit and the lower load-cell is positioned between the vibration transmission unit and the drill-bit, and wherein the upper and lower load-cells are connected to a controller in order to provide down-hole closed loop real time control of the oscillator.

Abstract: Provided is an apparatus for use in resonance enhanced drilling, which apparatus comprises a drilling module comprising a drill-bit, wherein the apparatus further comprises: a sensor for measuring one or more parameters relating to the interaction of the drill-bit and the material being drilled; and a sensor for measuring one or more motions of the drill-bit.

Abstract: An active heterodyne detection system comprises a continuously tuneable laser source (1) emitting infra-red radiation, means (8) to split the infra-red radiation into a first part and a second part, means (4) to provide a frequency shift between the first part and the second part, means (8, 9) to direct the first part of the infra-red radiation to a target (2), means (4) to provide the second part of the infra-red radiation as a local oscillator, means (8, 9) to collect a scattered component of the first part of the infra-red light from the target (2), and means (5) to mix the scattered component and the local oscillator and route them to a detector (3) for heterodyne detection over a continuous spectral range. A method of active heterodyne detection over a continuous spectral range is also disclosed.

Abstract: This invention relates to structures for mounting LEDs, the structures being suitable for use in the manufacture of light guide devices. This invention also relates to light guide devices comprising the structures and methods of manufacture of the aforementioned. The light guide devices are suitable for use in a range of applications, particularly in connection with the backlighting of displays, for example, liquid crystal displays.

Abstract: This invention relates to light guide devices and methods of manufacture. The light guide device is suitable for use in a range of applications, particularly in connection with the backlighting of displays, for example, liquid crystal displays.

Abstract: A method for controlling a resonance enhanced rotary drill comprising a rotary drill bit and an oscillator for applying axial oscillatory loading to the rotary drill bit, the method comprising: controlling frequency (f) of the oscillator in the resonance enhanced rotary drill whereby the frequency (f) is maintained in the range (D2 Us/(8000 ?Am))1/2?f?Sf(D2 Us/(8000 ?Am))1/2 where D is diameter of the rotary drill bit, Us is compressive strength of material being drilled, A is amplitude of vibration, m is vibrating mass, and Sf is a scaling factor greater than 1; and controlling dynamic force (Fd) of the oscillator in the resonance enhanced rotary drill whereby the dynamic force (Fd) is maintained in the range [(?/4)D2effUs]?Fd?SFd[(?/4)D2effUs] where Deff is an effective diameter of the rotary drill bit, Us is a compressive strength of material being drilled, and SFd is a scaling factor greater than 1, wherein the frequency (f) and the dynamic force (Fd) of the oscillator are controlled by monitori

Abstract: Clamp for clamping an article including a plurality of pads (10) which may be arranged in a circle around a support frame (90) and pivotally connected thereto by pivot arms (26) pivotable about an axis parallel to the axis of an article (92) to which the pads (10) are to be clamped. The pads (10) are supported on the arms (26) by ball-joints or universal joints (48) such as to ensure any off-center load L is passed through said pads (10) as a vertical load having no radial component.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for the assembly of a polynucleic acid sequence from a plurality of nucleic acid sequences in which the polynucleic acid sequence is of a formula Nn+1, in which N represents a nucleic acid sequence and where n is 1 or greater than 1 and each N may be the same or a different nucleic acid sequence, in which the method comprises: (i) providing a first nucleic acid sequence N1 which has an oligonucleotide linker sequence L13 at the 3?-end of the nucleic acid sequence; (ii) providing a second nucleic acid sequence N2 which optionally has an oligonucleotide linker sequence L23? at the 3?-end of the nucleic acid sequence and which has an oligonucleotide linker sequence L25? at the 5?-end of the nucleic acid sequence, wherein the 5?-end linker sequence L25? of nucleic acid sequence N2 is complementary to the 3?-end linker sequence L13? of nucleic acid sequence N1; (iii) optionally providing one or more additional nucleic acid sequences N, wherein nucleic acid sequence N2 has an

Abstract: An apparatus (50) for and method of manufacturing helically wound tubular structures (116) includes a rotating faceplate (74) upon which are mounted a plurality of diameter defining rollers (78) which, in operation, cause a strip material (80) to be plastically deformed into a helical winding which may be lain down in abutting or self-overlapping relationship to form said tubular structure (116).

Abstract: An active heterodyne detection system comprises a continuously tuneable laser source (1) emitting infra-red radiation, means (8) to split the infra-red radiation into a first part and a second part, means (4) to provide a frequency shift between the first part and the second part, means (8, 9) to direct the first part of the infra-red radiation to a target (2), means (4) to provide the second part of the infra-red radiation as a local oscillator, means (8, 9) to collect a scattered component of the first part of the infra-red light from the target (2), and means (5) to mix the scattered component and the local oscillator and route them to a detector (3) for heterodyne detection over a continuous spectral range. A method of active heterodyne detection over a continuous spectral range is also disclosed.