Abstract: The present invention relates to a pharmaceutical or veterinary composition for the use thereof in preventing and/or treating infection by the influenza viruses. The composition is characterized in that it contains, in an appropriate pharmaceutical carrier, at least one compound selected from among Etilefrine and Diltiazem.

Abstract: An optical fiber and an optical amplifier including the optical fiber are disclosed, the optical fiber includes a core region for guiding a propagation of a multimode optical signal, a cladding region laterally surrounding the core region and at least two doped rings, each of the at least two doped rings having a corresponding rare-earth or transition metal dopant concentration. The core region includes a central core having a first refractive index, at least one core layer laterally surrounding the central core, each of the at least one core layer having corresponding internal and external radii, an internal radius of an innermost core layer corresponding to a radius of the central core and an external radius of the outermost core layer corresponding to a radius of the core region.

Abstract: The invention relates to a combination of Diltiazem and at least one viral polymerase inhibitor compound selected from among Baloxavir marboxil, Pimodivir, RO-7 and CC-42344. The invention relates in particular to the therapeutic use of said combination in the prevention and/or treatment of a viral infection, in particular of the respiratory and/or intestinal tract of a human or animal body.

Abstract: The present invention relates to diltiazem for use as an agent for activating the expression of at least one gene encoding a type III interferon, in the prevention and/or treatment of infections by at least one pathogenic microorganism of the epithelia of the respiratory and/or intestinal tracts.

Abstract: The invention concerns a nutritional or therapeutic agent comprising a molecule mix obtained from Vitis vinifera and Vaccinium angustifolium, comprising: at least 1% of catechins and epicatechins, the percentage being given by weight in relation to the total weight of the mix, preferably at least 5%, at least 5 ppm (parts per million in the mix) of ferulic acid, preferably at least 10 ppm. The invention also relates to the use of this agent due to its effects on cognitive functions in particular.

Abstract: An apparatus comprises a main arm having links extending from a ground end to an effector end and allowing movement of the effector end from a first position to a second position, the links including at least a base link adapted to be pivotally connected to a base, and a spacing link pivotally mounted to a free end of the base link and extending to the effector end. A first 4-bar parallelogram has pivot joints at its corners and including the base link of the main arm. A second 4-bar parallelogram has pivot joints at its corners and including the spacing link of the main arm and an effector link at the effector end adapted to support an object. A serial interconnection is between the first 4-bar parallelogram and the second 4-bar parallelogram constraining the effector link to maintaining a constant orientation in at least two rotational degrees of freedom relative to the base.

Abstract: There is described a high-strength concrete generally having: about 100 parts by weight of cement; about 60 to about 360 parts by weight of fine aggregates; about 90 to about 230 parts by weight of mineral powder having a diameter D50 below 150 ?m; about 0.1 to about 25 parts by weight of superplasticizer; and about 20 to about 65 parts by weight of water, the high-strength concrete has a cement content less than about 500 kg/m3 and having a compressive strength after 28 curing days of about 55 MPa or greater.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to methods, non-transitory computer readable media, and systems that can render a virtual object in a digital image by using a source-specific-lighting-estimation-neural network to generate three-dimensional (“3D”) lighting parameters specific to a light source illuminating the digital image. To generate such source-specific-lighting parameters, for instance, the disclosed systems utilize a compact source-specific-lighting-estimation-neural network comprising both common network layers and network layers specific to different lighting parameters. In some embodiments, the disclosed systems further train such a source-specific-lighting-estimation-neural network to accurately estimate spatially varying lighting in a digital image based on comparisons of predicted environment maps from a differentiable-projection layer with ground-truth-environment maps.

Abstract: A method for synthesizing a protein of interest within a plant or a portion of a plant is provided. The method involves treating the plant to increase secondary leaf biomass production, followed by introducing one or more than one nucleic acid sequence encoding a protein of interest operatively linked with a regulatory region that is active in the plant, into the plant. The plant is then maintained under conditions that permit the nucleic acid sequence encoding the protein of interest to be expressed in the plant or the portion of the plant. Optionally, the plant or portion of the plant may be harvested and the protein of interest extracted.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an attenuated virus strain derived from a human metapneumovirus strain comprising the genome sequence represented by sequence SEQ ID NO. 1, said attenuated strain comprising one or more genetic modifications of said sequence SEQ ID NO. 1 attenuating the virulence of said strain.

Abstract: Provided herein are synthetic analogs of withanolide natural products and their pharmaceutical uses in treating neurodegenerative diseases.

Abstract: A method of increasing the yield, stability, or both of an acid sensitive protein in a plant is provided. The method comprises introducing a first nucleic acid and a second nucleic acid into the plant, or portion of the plant. The first nucleic acid comprises a first regulatory region active in the plant and operatively linked to a nucleotide sequence encoding the acid sensitive protein. The second nucleic acid comprises a second regulatory region active in the plant and operatively linked to a nucleotide sequence encoding a channel protein, for example but not limited to a proton channel protein. The plant or portion of the plant is incubated under conditions that permit the expression of the nucleic acids, thereby increasing the yield of the acid sensitive protein when compared to the yield of the acid sensitive protein produced in the plant or portion of the plant produced under the same conditions, and in the absence of the proton channel protein.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a pharmaceutical or veterinary composition for the use thereof in preventing and/or treating infection by the influenza viruses. Said composition is characterized in that it contains, in an appropriate pharmaceutical carrier, at least one compound selected from among Etilefrine and Diltiazem.

Abstract: The invention concerns a nutritional or therapeutic agent comprising a molecule mix obtained from Vitis vinifera and Vaccinium angustifolium, comprising: at least 1% of catechins and epicatechins, the percentage being given by weight in relation to the total weight of the mix, preferably at least 5%, at least 5 ppm (parts per million in the mix) of ferulic acid, preferably at least 10 ppm. The invention also relates to the use of this agent due to its effects on cognitive functions in particular.

Abstract: A jointed mechanism includes a passive pendulum system attached to and suspended from the multi-axis robot. The system includes one or more position sensors configured to measure a joint angle on the pendulum system, at least one arm, and an end-effector attached to a distal end of the pendulum system. A controller implements a method to selectively control motion of the robot in a plurality of control modes. The control modes include a Cooperative Mode and an Autonomous Mode. The controller is configured to detect contact with the end-effector when operating in the Autonomous Mode, and to automatically initiate a control action in response to the contact. The pendulum system may be a parallelogram arrangement.

Abstract: A shotcrete nozzle assembly comprising: a tubular body including a body sidewall defining a central passageway extending along a central longitudinal passageway axis, and water dispensing bores extending through the body sidewall and including: first and second sets of water dispensing bores positioned such that outlet openings thereof defined in an inner face of the body sidewall are disposed in a respective one of longitudinally spaced-apart first and second transversal planes extending perpendicularly to the passageway axis, at least some of the water dispensing bores being oriented such that the central bore axes thereof extend in a non-radial direction relative to the passageway axis, and such that an orthogonal projection of the central bore axes of the first and second sets of water dispensing bores onto one of the transversal planes forms first and second projected central bore axes which intersect each other at a first non-zero angle.

Abstract: A fluidic centripetal apparatus for testing components of a biological material in a fluid is presented. The fluidic centripetal device is adapted to be received within a rotatable holder. The apparatus comprises a fluidic component layer having fluidic features on at least a front face and a bottom component layer bonded to a rear of the fluidic component layer thereby creating a fluidic network through which the fluid flows under centripetal force. In one embodiment, the fluidic feature may be a bottom-Tillable chamber coupled to an entry channel for receiving the fluid, the chamber inlet being provided at an outer side of the bottom-fillable chamber.

Abstract: A parallel mechanism comprises legs with kinematically redundant actuation for a parallel mechanism. Each of these legs comprises a first sub-leg and a second sub-leg each with a proximal end and a distal end. A link has a proximal end and a distal end. A joint with a rotational degree of freedom (DOF) is between and common to the distal ends of the sub-legs, and the proximal end of the link. A joint provides two or more rotational DOFs at the distal end of the link and connects the distal end of the link to one end of the parallel mechanism. Joints in the sub-legs provide DOFs to the sub-legs and connect the proximal ends of the sub-legs to the other end of the parallel mechanism. A degree of actuation (DOA) is provided for each of the sub-legs to control movement of the link.

Abstract: Disclosed is a new treatment for reducing amyloid beta (A?), for treating Alzheimer's disease (AD), for improvement of cognitive disorder or learning and memory disorder associated with AD and for the treatment of multiple sclerosis. It was found that a NOD2 agonist could improve phagocytosis of A? across the blood brain barrier, to be scavenged by increased concentration of patrolling monocytes caused by the NOD2 agonist, removing A? from circulation, thereby preventing its eventual deposit. Also disclosed is a composition for such use.

Abstract: A method of increasing expression of an heterologous protein of interest in a plant or portion of the plant is provided. The method comprises treating the plant or portion of the plant with a jasmonate-pathway activator, and introducing a nucleotide sequence operably linked to a regulatory region derived from a DNA plant virus and encoding the heterologous protein of interest into the plant or portion of the plant. Alternatively, the plant or plant portion may comprise the nucleic acid and encoding the heterologous protein of interest, and the plant or portion of the plant is treated with the jasmonate pathway activator. The treated plant is incubated under conditions to permit expression of the nucleotide sequence encoding the heterologous protein of interest.