Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a new class of antimicrobial agents. In particular, this disclosure provides the identification and characterization of novel spiro-lactam compounds as anti-HIV/AIDS and anti-malarial agents. Furthermore, this disclosure also provides the preparation of spiro-?-penicillanic acids, which proved to be potent inhibitors of HIV.

Abstract: Non-invasive Ocular Drug Delivery Insert Technology. The invention concerns an ocular insert which is a new biocompatible polymer-based controlled drug delivery system (CDDS) applicable to a variety of drugs and other compounds for the treatment of different ocular pathologies. This ocular insert allows releasing of at least one drug under suitable concentration levels during suitable periods of time. The device may be inserted in the lower or upper fornix conjunctiva, in a non-invasive way, meaning that the patient will be able to place the device himself, without intervention of medical specialized staff. The insert of the invention will release the drug in such a controlled rate that will allow the drug release up to 300 days by either a “Fickian” or a linear profile according to the intend purpose or pathology.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for accomplishing fast and accurate 3D registration of curves and surfaces using local differential information, i.e., normals and tangents. In an embodiment, a method solves the curve-vs-surface alignment problem either by using a purely online search scheme, or by taking advantage of the availability of a pre-operative model, which often happens in medical procedures, to further speed-up the computational search by performing offline processing of the pre-operative bone model. The disclosed method is also extended to solve the curve-vs-curve and surface-vs-surface alignment problems, which also have important applications in medical procedures such as arthroscopy and arthroplasty.

Abstract: This invention relates to atroipsomers of reduced tetraphenylporphyrin derivatives with halogen atoms (F, Cl, Br) in the ortho positions of the phenyl groups, particularly halogenated tetraphenylchlorins and halogenated tetraphenylbacteriochlorins, which can be used in photodynamic therapy. According to the formulae of the invention, the ortho-phenyl substituents X1, X2, X3, X4, X5, X6, X7 and X8 may be identical or different and represent halogen atoms or hydrogen atoms, provided that at least all of X2, X4, X6 and X8 are halogens, and the meta-phenyl substituents R1, R2, R3 and R4 are independently chosen from —OH, —OR or —SO2R?, where R? are each independently chosen from —Cl, —OH, -aminoacid, —OR, —NHR, or —NR2, where R are alkyl of 1 to 12 carbon atoms or R2 represents cycloalkyl with 2 to 12 carbon atoms. The atropisomers of this invention have the majority of the substituents R1, R2, R3 and R4 on the same side of the plane defined by the macrocycle.

Abstract: Coating inkjet-printed traces of silver nanoparticles (AgNP) ink with a thin layer of eutectic gallium indium (EGaIn) increases the electrical conductivity and significantly improves tolerance to tensile strain. This enhancement is achieved through a room temperature “sintering” process in which the liquid-phase EGaIn alloy binds the AgNP particles to form a continuous conductive trace. These mechanically robust thin-film circuits are well suited for transfer to highly curved and non-developable 3D surfaces as well as skin and other soft deformable substrates.

Abstract: This invention falls within the scope of steganography, i.e., encoding of information (such as a text) into other information, for example, an image. It is the object of this invention a computational method for generating at least one image with coded information comprising the steps of: i) associating an information to be coded to a plurality of graphic elements, each of the graphic elements consisting of a symbol out of a plurality of symbols, thus generating a pattern of graphic elements and ii) generating at least one image comprising at least one pattern obtained from step i). This method introduces a consistent and highly flexible way of encoding information into an image. Additionally, this invention has also as object a system associated to the said method, images obtained from the said method, as well as a reading method and system thereof.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for accomplishing fast and accurate 3D registration of curves and surfaces using local differential information, i.e., normals and tangents. In an embodiment, a method solves the curve-vs-surface alignment problem either by using a purely online search scheme, or by taking advantage of the availability of a pre-operative model, which often happens in medical procedures, to further speed-up the computational search by performing offline processing of the pre-operative bone model. The disclosed method is also extended to solve the curve-vs-curve and surface-vs-surface alignment problems, which also have important applications in medical procedures such as arthroscopy and arthroplasty.

Abstract: Device for applying in a pavement for collecting mechanical energy from a vehicle passing over said pavement for actuating an electromechanical converter for generating electrical energy, said device comprising: an electromechanical converter; a mechanical or mechanical-hydraulic system comprising a crank-linear slide or crank-piston; a base structure for supporting and fixing the device to the pavement; a cover displaceable in vertical axis translation caused by the vehicle passing over, wherein the cover is arranged to actuate the crank-linear slide or crank-piston; a rack-pinion, or a hydraulic cylinder and respective hydraulic circuit having actuator, arranged for converting linear displacement of the linear slide or the piston, respectively, into rotation of a shaft of the electromechanical converter; wherein said cover has a non-horizontal surface profile having a first elevation at a first end and a second elevation at a second end, wherein the first elevation is lower than the second elevation.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for accomplishing fast and accurate 3D registration of curves and surfaces using local differential information, i.e., normals and tangents. In an embodiment, a method solves the curve-vs-surface alignment problem either by using a purely online search scheme, or by taking advantage of the availability of a pre-operative model, which often happens in medical procedures, to further speed-up the computational search by performing offline processing of the pre-operative bone model. The disclosed method is also extended to solve the curve-vs-curve and surface-vs-surface alignment problems, which also have important applications in medical procedures such as arthroscopy and arthroplasty.

Abstract: Methods and systems for describing a camera radiometrically, in terms of camera response function and vignetting, and in terms of color, suitable for non-uniform illumination set-ups. It estimates the camera response function and the camera color mapping from a single image of a generic scene with two albedos. With a second same-pose image with a different intensity of the near-light the vignetting is also estimated. The camera response function calibration involves the segmentation of the two albedos, the definition of the system of equations based on the assumption that can be made about the image formation process, and the actual estimation. For the modelling the vignetting there are three steps: computing the albedo-normalized irradiance, finding points of equal vignetting, when needed, and estimation.

Abstract: Disclosed is a concept for computer-assisted procedures of surgery and diagnosis that target rigid, non-deformable anatomical parts such as bone, tissue, or teeth. The disclosure describes attaching small visual markers to instruments and anatomy of interest (e.g. bone surface), with each marker having a printed known pattern for detection and unique identification in images acquired by a free-moving camera, and a geometry that enables estimating its rotation and translation with respect to the camera using solely image processing techniques.

Abstract: The present invention relates to carboxamide halogenated porphyrin derivatives, in particular bacteriochlorin or chlorin, of formula (I) use of the same or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof in photodynamic therapy, where the derivatives are able to detect and exhibit the presence of hyperproliferative disorders and, in the presence of an adequate lighting, to treat the same. The present invention also describes a pharmaceutical composition having the carboxamide halogenated porphyrin derivatives, in particular bacteria-chlorin or chlorin, of Formula (I) or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, for the treatment of cancer and/or microbial and/or viral infections, in humans or animals.

Abstract: An artificial reef to be anchored to the seabed comprises two or more juxtaposed conduits which are positioned in parallel with the direction of wave propagation. Both conduits include directrices. The upper conduit includes directrices which drive the flow of the wave's crest, and the lower conduit includes directrices which drive the water diverging from the apertures in the area under the wave's trough. The upper and lower conduits are hydraulically connected, each connection comprising a shut-down valve associated with a useful energy-generating unit.

Abstract: The disclosed subject matter includes methods of preparation, properties, pharmaceutical compositions and methods of therapy of sulfonated chlorins and bacteriochlorins designed for the photodynamic therapy (PDT) of hyperproliferative tissues such as tumors, hyperproliferative blood vessels and other disorders or abnormalies that are responsive to PDT. In particular, the economical large-scale synthesis of stable chlorins and bacteriochlorins is described. Their properties were tailored to meet those of ideal photosensitizers for PDT. In another embodiment, pharmaceutical compositions and methods of therapy for systemic administration are provided. In a further embodiment, pharmaceutical compositions and methods of therapy for topical administration are also provided. Further provided is a method of labeling a target tissue and providing an image of that tissue by fluorescence of magnetic resonance imaging.

Abstract: This invention refers to a device capable of rapidly and efficiently converting the energy in a laser pulse into a high-impulse broadband pressure wave and to its applications in the transient permeabilization of a biological membrane, including the outer layers of the skin, without causing damage or discomfort. A method to deliver drugs and biologically active compounds to or through the skin, or biological barriers, with this device is also disclosed.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a high precision method, model and apparatus for calibrating, determining the rotation of the lens scope around its symmetry axis, updating the projection model accordingly, and correcting the image radial distortion in real-time using parallel processing for best image quality. The solution provided herein relies on a complete geometric calibration of optical devices, such as cameras commonly used in medicine and in industry in general, and subsequent rendering of perspective correct image in real-time. The calibration consists on the determination of the parameters of a suitable mapping function that assigns each pixel to the 3D direction of the corresponding incident light.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for matching point regions in images with radial distortion that, given two frames acquired by a camera with radial distortion, estimates the global image distortion and the local transformations undergone by the image regions between frames, with the objective of accurately tracking an aligning these image regions in a sequence of frames, calibrating the radial distortion using only moving image points, or estimating the relative change in focal length in cameras with radial distortion and variable zoom using only moving image points, and that comprises the following steps: extracting local image features; tracking local features; and determining the radial distortion calibration based on a computational efficient procedure that uses the information for all local features being tracked.

Abstract: Feature extraction, coding and pooling, are important components on many contemporary object recognition paradigms. This method explores pooling techniques that encode the second-order statistics of local descriptors inside a region. To achieve this effect, it introduces multiplicative second-order analogues of average and max pooling that together with appropriate non-linearities that lead to exceptional performance on free-form region recognition, without any type of feature coding. Instead of coding, it was found that enriching local descriptors with additional image information leads to large performance gains, especially in conjunction with the proposed pooling methodology. Thus, second-order pooling over free-form regions produces results superior to those of the winning systems in the Pascal VOC 2011 semantic segmentation challenge, with models that are 20,000 times faster.

Abstract: Formula (I) and (II). The present invention relates to the use of a new lupane derivative of general formula (I) or (II), or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt, crystal form, complex, hydrate, or hydrolysable ester thereof, for preventing and/or inhibiting tumor growth and for treating cancer and other proliferative diseases, more particularly for treating leukemia, liver, cervical, colon and prostate cancer. The present invention also relates to the synthesis of these compounds and to pharmaceutical compositions which contain them.

Abstract: Disclosed is a concept for computer-assisted procedures of surgery and diagnosis that target rigid, non-deformable anatomical parts such as bone, tissue, or teeth. The disclosure describes attaching small visual markers to instruments and anatomy of interest (e.g. bone surface), with each marker having a printed known pattern for detection and unique identification in images acquired by a free-moving camera, and a geometry that enables estimating its rotation and translation with respect to the camera using solely image processing techniques.