Abstract: A non-therapeutic method of accumulating a polymeric or high molecular weight molecular product within a bacterial microcompartment in bacterial cytoplasm, which method employs a recombinant bacteria which is transformed to express a microcompartment containing an enzyme capable of converting a low molecular weight substrate into a polymeric or high molecular weight product, the method comprising the steps of: incubating the recombinant bacteria with the low-molecular weight substrate, or a precursor of the low molecular weight substrate which is capable of being metabolized to the substrate within the recombinant bacteria, such that the substrate or precursor is taken up by the bacteria, wherein the substrate enters the microcompartment and the enzyme within the microcompartment converts the substrate to a polymeric or high molecular weight molecular product, and wherein the polymeric or high molecular weight molecular product is accumulated within the microcompartment due to its size.

Abstract: In one embodiment the invention relates to a photodetector device sensitive for wavelengths comprising a doped Ge absorbing material bonded to a substrate material locally of opposite doping polarity and an interface layer formed between the Ge absorbing material and the substrate material to form a p-n junction. In one embodiment the bonded material comprises a p-doped Ge wafer and n-doped Si or So I wafer and obtained from a low-temperature heat treatment after bonding. The invention also discloses a process for making a photodetector.

Abstract: The invention is based on the surprising finding that treatment with a chemotherapeutic agent such as 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and an autophagy inducer effectively inhibit the continued growth of, and prevent the recovery following drug withdrawal, of cancer cells. In vivo, drug resistance from a failure to adequately engage in apoptotic programmed cell death leads to a recurrence of cancer and tumors can remain dormant for periods of time before re-emerging as drug resistant metastases. It has been hypothesized that autophagy (Type II cell death) may help cancer cells survive in response to growth limiting conditions, such as nutrient depletion, hypoxia, absence of growth factor, or presence of cytotoxic drug. LiCl is a known autophagy inducer and accelerates cell survival to autophagic programmed cell death.

Abstract: The current invention relates to the use of a bacterial species in the preparation of a composition adapted for oral administration for the delivery of an agent to a site in the body. The site in the body may be an organ or a tumour site. The bacterial species is a food grade, non-pathogenic, gram-positive bacteria capable of anaerobic growth.

Abstract: An integrated LED device is provided. The LED device includes a substrate. The LED device includes a semiconductor material including a light generating layer and positioned on the substrate. The semiconductor material and/or the substrate are configured to control light internally to output quasi-collimated light from a light emitting surface of the LED device. The LED device includes an optical component positioned at the light emitting surface and configured to receive quasi-collimated light exiting the light emitting surface and to alter one or more optical properties of at least some beams of the quasi-collimated light.

Abstract: A method of predicting a SGA infant in a patient at a pre-symptomatic gestational stage is described. The method comprises a step of assaying a biological sample from the patient for an abundance of a plurality of metabolite biomarkers selected from the 19 metabolite biomarkers of Table IV, correlating the abundance of the plurality of metabolite biomarkers with a metabolite fingerprint of SGA shown in Table IV, and predicting SGA based on the level of correlation between the abundance of the plurality of metabolite biomarkers and the metabolite fingerprint of Table IV.

Abstract: A Nisin derivative or variant, comprising an amino acid substitution at amino acid position 29 in the amino acid sequence. The Nisin derivative exhibits enhanced antimicrobial activity when compared to wild type Nisin. The Nisin derivative has an application as a natural food additive and as a therapeutic agent.

Abstract: An integrated dual-axis anisotropic magnetoresistive sensor can include first and second sensor units. A resistor bridge of the first sensor unit can include a plurality of magnetoresistors, each having at least one strip of anisotropic magnetoresistive material with a longitudinal axis substantially parallel to the technological anisotropy axis of the material. A resistor bridge of the second sensor unit can include a plurality of magnetoresistors having a plurality of strips of the anisotropic magnetoresistive material, the plurality of strips including a first subset having longitudinal axes aligned at a first angle to the technological anisotropy axis and a second subset having longitudinal axes aligned at a second angle to the technological anisotropy axis. The second angle can have the same magnitude as the first, but be rotated in an opposite direction from the technological anisotropy axis.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a macrocyclic derivative which is formed by modification of a macrocycle. The invention further relates to assemblies formed by the self-assembly of such macrocyclic derivatives in aqueous solvent, and includes bilayer vesicles, micelles, monolayers, nanoparticles, colloidal assemblies and surface-coated assemblies.

Abstract: A method of screening compounds or molecules comprising the steps of: translating a sequence encoding the amino acid sequence comprising SEQ ID No. 29 in a translation system in the presence of a test compound or molecule; and analysing the translation product(s) for the presence of one or more of (a) a peptide comprising the amino acids Pro-Gly at the C terminus and a peptide comprising the amino acid Pro at the N terminus: or (b) a peptide comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID No. 29.

Abstract: An antimicrobial peptide having potent antibacterial activity against Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus is described. Also described is an isolated Lactobacillus salivarius DPC6502 strain as deposited with the National Collection of Industrial and Marine Bacteria under the Accession No. NCIMB 41840, and variants thereof, wherein the isolated bacteria and variants thereof express an antimicrobial peptide of the invention.

Abstract: The invention is based on the surprising finding that treatment with a chemotherapeutic agent such as 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and an autophagy inducer effectively inhibit the continued growth of, and prevent the recovery following drug withdrawal, of cancer cells. In vivo, drug resistance from a failure to adequately engage in apoptotic programmed cell death leads to a recurrence of cancer and tumours can remain dormant for periods of time before re-emerging as drug resistant metastases. It has been hypothesised that autophagy (Type II cell death) may help cancer cells survive in response to growth limiting conditions, such as nutrient depletion, hypoxia, absence of growth factor, or presence of cytotoxic drug. LiCl is a known autophagy inducer and accelerates cell survival to autophagic programmed cell death.

Abstract: A sensor material of the type comprising a long-decay photoluminescent, protonable dye embedded in a suitable polymeric matrix, is used for generating a specific optical response to two different analytes present in a sample, thus allowing selective determination of the two analytes in the sample. Also described is a method for the simultaneous sensing of a first and second analyte in a sample. The method comprises the steps of irradiating a sensor material of the type comprising a long-decay photoluminescent protonable dye embedded in a suitable polymeric matrix with light of one or two wavelengths, determining photoluminescence intensity and lifetime signals originating from the sensor, and correlating the photoluminescence intensity signal with a concentration of the first analyte and the photoluminescence lifetime signal(s) with the concentration of the second analyte.

Abstract: The invention provides a wide spectrum light source comprising a housing with an aperture, said aperture adapted to emit light; and a plurality of light emitting diode (LED) sources mounted in said housing, wherein said LED sources are arranged at different heights in said housing adapted to provide efficient wide spectrum operation of said light source.

Abstract: A method of predicting a SGA infant in a patient at a pre-symptomatic gestational stage is described. The method comprises a step of assaying a biological sample from the patient for an abundance of a plurality of metabolite biomarkers selected from the 19 metabolite biomarkers of Table IV, correlating the abundance of the plurality of metabolite biomarkers with a metabolite fingerprint of SGA shown in Table IV, and predicting SGA based on the level of correlation between the abundance of the plurality of metabolite biomarkers and the metabolite fingerprint of Table IV.

Abstract: A method of assessing the allergic status of a subject to a specific allergen, comprises the steps of determining a subject-specific numeric value for a plurality of variables comprising age, sex, SPT, IgE, (sIgE or tIgE minus sIgE) and allergic symptoms, applying an allergen-specific weighting to the numeric value for each variable, and correlating the weighted numeric values with allergic status for the subject. The weighted numeric values is correlated with allergenicity status using a deterministic probability function.

Abstract: A hydrogel based occlusion system, a method for occluding vessels, appendages or aneurysms, and a method for hydrogel synthesis are disclosed. The hydrogel based occlusion system includes a hydrogel having a shrunken and a swollen state and a delivery tool configured to deliver the hydrogel to a target occlusion location. The hydrogel is configured to permanently occlude the target occlusion location in the swollen state. The hydrogel may be an electro-activated hydrogel (EAH) which could be electro-activated with a delivery system to control the degree of swelling/shrinking.

Abstract: The current invention provides use of a CLA-producing bacterium for the in vivo conversion in the gut of polyunsaturated fatty acids to CLA. The CLA-producing bacterium is selected from one or more of the group consisting of propionibacteria, lactobacilli, lactococci and streptococci, and bifidobacteria.

Abstract: A semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) is used in a double pass configuration with one of the output ports followed by an attenuator, which is followed by a modulator with a reflective facet. The variable loss between the SOA and the modulator is optimised, so that the SOA can be operated in a highly saturated regime without distorting the modulated signal. The SOA is firstly saturated by the input carrier, (21) in FIG. 2, which has a constant power and hence does not introduce patterning of the SOA gain. On the contrary the saturation induced by the carrier creates a clamping effect that prevents patterning for signals with input put power comparable with or less than the input optical carrier power. The optical carrier amplified by the SOA (22) then travels through the attenuator section and it is attenuated (23). The carrier (23) then enters the modulator section where it is modulated with the data signal (24).

Abstract: The invention provides time-synchronised transmission of data on the (polarisation or phase-modulated) QKD channel and the (on-off modulated) conventional channel such that a QKD bit is only transmitted when a zero, or sequence of zeros, is transmitted on the conventional channel. Also, there is co-directional propagation of the QKD and conventional channel. Further, there is dispersion management through wavelength selection or control of fibre properties or other means such that the “walk-off in time of the QKD pulses and the Raman pulses generated by the ones on the conventional channel is less than or of the order of one bit period. The latter can be achieved, for example, by placing the conventional and QKD channel wavelengths close to the point where the group velocity-induced time delay for optical pulses propagating in the fibre reaches a minimum. This dispersion minimum occurs at a wavelength of 1.3 microns in standard fibre. The invention discloses a receiver embodiment to implement the invention.