Abstract: The invention relates to a Q-switched laser comprised of a pump light source (1), an optical resonator accommodating a laser medium (6), and a passive Q-switch (5). It is the object of the present invention to provide an improved Q-switched laser which is of a simple and compact setup while having the least possible jitter of the repetition time. To achieve this target, the invention proposes that by means of a beam splitter (8) part of the light coupled out of the optical resonator is passed on to an optical delay line (9) and coupled back into the optical resonator upon having passed through the optical delay line (9).

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a cross-reactive antibody that specifically inhibits or blocks mammalian Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2)-mediated immune cell activation. The invention is further directed to an isolated nucleic acid or vector coding for the variable regions of the heavy and/or light chain of such an antibody. Also provided is a pharmaceutical composition comprising such an antibody, or a nucleic acid or vector encoding it. Further provided are methods of use of such compositions in the prevention and/or treatment of inflammatory processes or any other process induced by bacterial infection, trauma, or chronic inflammation, or for the prevention and/or treatment of bacteriaemia or sepsis.

Abstract: The present invention is related to a method of determining a test compound's ability to modify the biological activity of a GPR17. Said method comprises, among others, the step of contacting the test compound with a GPR17, or a functional GPR17 fragment in the presence of a suitable amount of a GPR17 agonist of formula I.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for determining or predicting the progression of chronic kidney disease in a subject suspected of having chronic kidney disease, comprising determining the expression levels of at least one marker selected from (a) FGF23; and (b) adiponectin in a biological sample. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a use of a specific detection molecule for FGF23 or adiponectin for the preparation of a diagnostic composition for the detection of chronic kidney disease or the progression of chronic kidney diseases in a subject suspected to suffer from said disease. In particular, the present invention also provides for use of FGF23 and/or of adiponectin as an in vitro marker for the presence, absence or progression of a chronic kidney disease and kits comprising a specific detection molecule for FGF23 or a specific detection molecule for adiponectin for use in the method of the present invention.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and a device (1, 100) for determining the sex of fertilized, nonincubated bird eggs (13, 130), where an egg (13, 130) has a solid egg shell (14), an egg yolk (2) which is surrounded by the egg shell and further egg integuments and a blastodisc (3) associated with the egg yolk (2), and where a probe (4, 40) for measuring a spectrum is introduced through a hole (17) of the egg shell (14) towards the blastodisc (3) with blastodisc cells (23), with the following steps: —positioning of the probe (4, 40) in the region of the blastodisc (3), —spectroscopic in-ovo characterization of the blastodisc cells (23), and —identification of the sex by an automatic classification of spectra.

Abstract: A method and a device for processing light-polymerizable material for the assembly of a mold, utilizing a lithography-based generative manufacturing technique wherein a layer of a light-polymerizable material, the material being located in at least one trough (4) having a particularly light-transmissive, horizontal bottom (6), is polymerized by illumination on at least one horizontal platform (12), the platform having a prespecified geometry and projecting into a trough (4), in an illumination field, wherein the platform (12) is displaced vertically to form a subsequent layer, light-polymerizable material is then added to the most recently formed layer, and repetition of the foregoing steps leads to the layered construction of the mold in the desired form, which arises from the succession of layer geometries.

Abstract: The invention relates to a layer system composed of a silicon-based carrier having a single-crystal surface and of a heterostructure applied directly to the single-crystal surface of the carrier. The layer system according to the invention is characterized in that the carrier comprises a silicon substrate doped with one or more dopants, wherein the doped portion extends across at least 30% of the thickness of the doped silicon substrate and a concentration of the dopants in the doped portion of the silicon substrate is predetermined such that a corrected limiting concentration GK meets the condition of formula (1): GK = ? m = i n ? ? N dot i 1 + 5 × 10 22 ? ? cm - 3 N dot i ? ? - E A i / 0.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for classifying a tissue biopsy sample obtained from a tumour, comprising determining a plurality of stiffness values for said sample by measuring a plurality of points on the sample with a spatial resolution of at least 100 ?m and assigning the sample to a probability of malignancy. A sample showing a unimodal stiffness distribution is assigned to a high probability of being non-malignant, and a sample showing an at least bimodal stiffness distribution is assigned to a high probability of being malignant, wherein said stiffness distribution is characterized by a first peak exhibiting an at least two-fold higher stiffness value than a second peak. The present invention further relates to a system for classifying a tumour tissue biopsy sample.

Abstract: A measuring device has a micro-electromechanical capacitive sensor which has electrodes which move toward and away from each other for measurement of a mechanical deflection of a test mass. The measuring device has a charge integrator which has an operating amplifier which has at least one amplifier input connected to the sensor and an amplifier output which is fed back to the amplifier input via an integration capacitor. The amplifier input is connected via a high-resistance electrical resistor to a terminal for an electrical common-mode reference potential. In addition to the amplifier input, the operating amplifier has an auxiliary input. The amplifier output is connected to the auxiliary input via a deep pass.

Abstract: The invention relates to a tubular supporting prosthesis, comprising two terminal regions relative to the longitudinal supporting prosthesis axis and a center region disposed between the two terminal regions, wherein every terminal region is provided with a mesh structure made of at least two structural rings, which are connected to each other via connecting members and are disposed point-symmetrically about the longitudinal supporting prosthesis axis. The center region is formed by elongated connecting members, which are connected to the structural rings respectively disposed adjacent to the center of the longitudinal supporting prosthesis axis. An aortic valve, which is produced by means of tissue engineering, is fastened and/or integrated in the center region.

Abstract: The present invention relates to 3-(Indolyl)- and 3-(azaindolyl)-4-phenylmaleimide compounds of formula (I) wherein R1, R2 and R3 are as defined in the description, and the physiologically acceptable salts, solvates and solvates of the salts of the compounds of formula (I). The compounds of formula (I) are suitable for treating tumors.

Abstract: The present invention relates to methods of diagnosing a breast carcinoma, determining the prognosis of a patient diagnosed with breast carcinoma and determining the efficacy of a treatment regimen of breast carcinoma in a patient, using Calponin-h2 and/or CALML 5 as markers. Furthermore, the invention relates to a kit and a marker panel for use in these methods.

Abstract: A compound, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or ester thereof, comprises the structure: [(P1-S1j)p-L-(S2q-P2)r]t wherein: P1 and P2, which may be the same or different, are cyclic oligopeptide moieties, at least one of P1 and P2 having the motif B-Arg or B-(Me) Arg within the cyclic moiety, wherein B is a basic amino acid, a derivative thereof, or phenylalanine or a derivative thereof; S1 and S2 are spacer groups, which may be the same or different; L is a linker moiety containing at least two functional groups for attachment of the cyclic oligopeptides or spacer groups; n and q are independently 0 or 1; p and r are independently integers of 1 or more; and t is an integer of 1 or more, provided that, when t, p or r is greater than 1, the cyclic oligopeptide moiety, spacer group and/or the value of j or q may be the same or different between the multiple (P1-S1j) moieties or multiple (S2q-P2) moieties.

Abstract: The invention relates to the novel use of gene markers in a method of predicting the risk of or diagnosing a subject to develop graft versus host reaction (GvHR) or graft versus host disease (GvHD). In other aspects the invention also relates to methods of monitoring the efficacy of treatment of GvHR or GvHD, and methods of screening a candidate substance for the treatment of GvHR or GvHD.

Abstract: The present invention is related to a method of determining a test compound's ability to modify the biological activity of a GPR17. Said method comprises, among others, the step of contacting the test compound with a GPR17, or a functional GPR17 fragment in the presence of a suitable amount of a GPR17 agonist of formula I.

Abstract: A method and a device for discharging fertilizer for agricultural cultivated plants are disclosed. According to the invention, the required quantity of fertilizer is determined depending on the current nutrient uptake (nutrient status), optimum nutrient uptake (nutrient requirement) by the fertilizing deadline, and optimum nutrient uptake (nutrient requirement by the next fertilizing deadline, wherein other influencing factors are taken into consideration via a correction factor DIMA.

Abstract: A method of delivering a radioactive liquid, includes, performing an initialization, including; extracting at least a first amount of a radioactive liquid from a source of radioactive liquid, measuring a radioactivity level for the first amount of radioactive liquid, and performing a calibration phase. The calibration phase includes, extracting a second amount of radioactive liquid from the source of radioactive liquid wherein the second amount is calculated based on the radioactivity level of the first amount to provide a total dose of radioactive liquid having a predetermined radioactivity level, and delivering the total dose and performing at least one more calibration and delivery phases.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a method and a device for determining mechanical stress load, and optionally interface effects, on particles dispersed in a fluid. According to the invention, fluid comprising dispersed particles such as biomolecules is fed into a sample space of a device comprising a jacket which encloses a sample chamber and at least two rolls arranged within said jacket such that said sample space is defined between said rolls, said rolls being independently rotatable with respect to each other, wherein said jacket has an inner surface which is essentially adapted to the outer surface of the rolls, rotational movement is imparted to at least one of the rolls of said device, and changes in the state of said particles are determined from which mechanical stress load acting on the particles can be determined.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device (1) for irradiating tissue (G) with light pulses (L), comprising a housing (2), at least one light source (3) for emitting the light pulses (L) with a wavelength (?) of from 600 nm to 660 run, a modulator (4) and a power stage (6) for generating the light pulses (L), and with an activating element (5). For creating a device (1) which is as small, as cost-efficient and as effective as possible, by which as good a therapy success as possible is achieved in various applications, the modulator (4) is designed for generating the light pulses (L) with a pulse frequency (f) of from 1 to 10 Hz, and the power stage (6) is designed for emitting the light pulses (L) with an energy which causes breaking up of the photosensitizer in the photodynamic therapy and evokes a frequency doubling or a two-photon absorption (TPA) in the tissue (G) when treating inflammations without a sensitizer.

Abstract: The present invention relates to compounds which inhibit or antagonize the binding of methylglyoxal (MG) and/or other reactive carbonyl species (RCS) to an arginine- or lysine- containing protein, preferably an arginine- or lysine-containing cellular protein, such as a sodium ion channel, e.g. the sodium ion channel Na(v)1.8. Preferred scavenger compounds are peptides comprising several or multiple repeats of the amino acid sequence motif Gly-Glu-X-Pro (GEXP), wherein X is Arg or Lys, and pharmaceutical compositions thereof. The present invention furthermore relates to the use of the compounds as scavenger or antagonists of methylglyoxal and/or related reactive carbonyl species (RCS). The present invention furthermore relates to the use of the compounds for the prevention and/or treatment of pain, hyperalgesia and pain related diseases, in particular pain and/or hyperalgesia caused by or associated with methylglyoxal and/or reactive carbonyl species (RCS).