Abstract: An indwelling pleural catheter system comprises an indwelling catheter device (2) comprising a catheter tube (7) with a fenestrated distal end (7A) configured to reside in the pleural cavity of a subject and a connection hub (10) fluidically coupled to a proximal end (7B) of the catheter tube, a skin anchoring member (3) to anchor the connection hub (10) to the skin of the subject, and optionally a detachable ambulatory suction module (4) configured for detachable attachment to the connection hub (10). The suction module (4) comprises a fluid inlet (19) configured for fluidic coupling to the catheter tube (7) through the connection hub (10) and a fluid outlet (20) configured for detachable fluidic coupling to a pleural fluid drainage system (5) to drain pleural fluid through the detachable ambulatory suction module. The detachable ambulatory suction module is configured to exert a negative pressure in the catheter tube upon detachment of the pleural fluid drainage system from the suction module.

Abstract: The present invention relates to therapies and therapeutic agents for use in the treatment of cardiomyopathies. In particular, the invention is concerned with, but not limited to therapies and therapeutic agents for use in the treatment of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Such therapeutic agents comprise hypomethylating agents.

Abstract: Protein agglomeration is inhibited in a protein-containing liquid, within an industrial processing plant, using a microwave resonance cavity having an inlet conduit and an outlet conduit. The liquid is transported into and out of the cavity, and while within the cavity, it is exposed to a microwave electromagnetic field. This field exposure reduces the tendency of proteins within the liquid to agglomerate, and inhibits coagulation or protein deposition for an extended period of time after leaving the cavity.

Abstract: A method of treating a vessel in a subject comprises the steps of advancing a device distally across a treatment zone in a vessel, wherein the device comprises an elongated catheter having a lumen and a distal end, and a radially expansive treatment element disposed in the lumen and configured for axial movement relative to the catheter; deploying the radially expansive treatment element proud of the distal end of the catheter to radially expand and circumferentially impress against the vessel lumen at a distal end of the treatment zone; and withdrawing the deployed radially expansive treatment element proximally along the treatment zone with the treatment element circumferentially impressed against the vessel lumen to mechanically and circumferentially denude the treatment zone of the vessel. The radially expansive treatment element is then recaptured into the lumen of the catheter, before the device is withdrawn from the treated vessel.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for performing optical image detection using a camera module comprising a Digital MicroMirror Device, a first point Photo Detector, a second point Photo Detector, a first lens and a second lens.

Abstract: Described is a decoder suitable for use with any communication or storage system. The described decoder has a modular decoder hardware architecture capable of implementing a noise guessing process and due to its dependency only on noise, the decoder design is independent of any encoder, thus making it a universal decoder. Hence, the decoder architecture described herein is agnostic to any coding scheme.

Abstract: A method for predicting risk of recurrence of cancer in an individual with cancer, the method comprising a step of assaying a cancer sample from the individual for positive expression of at least two genes or proteins encoded by those genes selected from the group consisting of FOXM1, UHRF1, PTTG1, E2F1, MYBL2, HMGB2, ATAD2, E2F8, ZNF367 and TCF19, wherein positive expression of the at least two genes correlates with increased risk of recurrence of cancer compared with an individual who does not exhibit positive expression of the at least two genes or proteins encoded by those genes.

Abstract: A method of providing an anti-microbial coating on an object, comprises the steps of pretreating the object in a first oxygen plasma to graft oxygen-based functional groups on the surface of the object by plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition, coating the pretreated object with a suspension of particulate graphene oxide to provide a graphene oxide coating on the object, treating the object in a hydrocarbon plasma to deposit an amorphous hydrocarbon film on the graphene oxide coating by plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition, and treating the object in a second oxygen plasma configured to etch and flatten the coatings on the surface of the object. A prosthetic implant having a metal or metal alloy surface and an anti-microbial coating on all or part of the surface is also described.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a cell, wherein the cell is modified to: reduce O-GalNAc galactosylation activity in the cell by reduction of functional COSMC molecular chaperone in the cell and/or by reduction of functional T-synthase in the cell; and overexpress ?1,4-galactosyltransferase in the cell; and associated methods, kits and uses.

Abstract: A medical device comprising a bladder (or plurality of bladders), an attachment mechanism, a fluid inlet, a fluid outlet, a compressor, a pressure regulator system, and a perfusion sensor, which is compressed against intact tissue (unbroken skin or surface tissue in a cavity) for the purpose of minimising blood perfusion to prevent drug delivery to a non-target site.

Abstract: A strain of Bifidobacterium longum APC 1472 is described. The strain has weight lowering effects in-vivo, achieved through inducing satiety via decreased internalisation of the Ghrelin receptor, and therefore, decreased constitutive activity. Moreover, the strain also showed a trend towards decreased ghrelin receptor hypothalamic expression in HFD-fed mice when compared with vehicle control group. The strain also improves glucose tolerance and decreased insulin plasma levels in mice, indicating the strain in the prevention and/or treatment of Type II diabetes, especially in obese individuals.

Abstract: Described are concepts, systems, devices and methods that enhance decoding performance of channels subject to correlated noise. The concepts, systems, devices and methods can be used with any combination of codes, code-rates and decoding techniques. In embodiments, a continuous realization of effective noise is estimated from a lead channel by subtracting its decoded output from its received signal. This estimate is then used to improve the accuracy of decoding of an otherwise orthogonal channel that is experiencing correlated effective noise. In this approach, channels aid each other through the post-decoding provision of estimates of effective noise. In some embodiments, the lead channel is not pre-determined, but is chosen dynamically based on which of a plurality of decoders completes first, or using soft information including an estimate of effective noise that is least energetic or most likely to have occurred.

Abstract: The invention provides a monolithic integrated mesh device for atomization or pumping of a fluid or liquid comprising a plurality of apertures and a piezoelectric material. The piezoelectric material is bonded to the mesh device at an atomic scale. In one embodiment the monolithic micro-fabricated device of the invention includes piezoelectric material that eliminates the need for expensive assembly process and improves reliability. This also has advantage of requiring lower operating voltage and less complicated circuitry.

Abstract: Provided are an apparatus and system for directing power flow between multiple devices, the apparatus comprising: one or more inlet ports for connection to one or more devices; a plurality of outlet ports configured for supplying electrical power; and a computing device configured to route power from the one or more inlet ports to the outlet ports. The system comprises a plurality of the apparatus connected to each other.

Abstract: A wearable device for detecting heart rhythm abnormalities, comprising: a sensor unit comprising at least one pulse oximeter; a processor unit; a memory unit; and a power unit comprising a battery and configured to disseminate battery power amongst various components of the wearable device; wherein, the at least one pulse oximeter is configured to measure optically a bloodstream at a sampling rate and output first data; wherein, the processor unit is configured to process the first data and determine a time for the processed first data to be automatically recorded in the memory unit; wherein, the processor unit is configured to dynamically adjust the sampling rate of the at least one pulse oximeter based on a predetermined event; and wherein, the processor unit is configured to control the power unit in such a way that the sampling rate is dynamically adjusted through applying varying power levels to the sensor unit and consequently the wearable device is operable to enable a duration up to 90 days for a sing

Abstract: Multi jurisdictional data sharing includes ingesting data sharing regulations for respectively different political jurisdictions and parsing each of the regulations into a corpus of regulatory text with portions of the corpus having been normalized into different sets of uniform regulations for corresponding ones of the different political jurisdictions. Each of the uniform regulations for each of the political jurisdictions is then matched with one or more applicable data sharing rules and a reference for each of the data sharing rules can be written to a data sharing rules table in association with one or more of the political jurisdictions determined to have uniform regulations matched to the one or more data sharing rules. Consequently, data sharing requests can be restricted as between organizations of one or more implicated political jurisdictions according to each matched data sharing rule in the data sharing rules table that had been associated with the political jurisdictions.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide a method, system and computer program product for tiered data sharing privacy assurance in responding for requests to inspect investigative data. In an embodiment of the invention, a method for tiered data sharing privacy assurance in responding for requests to inspect investigative data includes receiving a request to access investigative data and applying a privacy test to the request to determine if the request is specific for an individual or generic to any individual. On condition that the privacy test is determined to be generic, the request may be denied. But otherwise, on condition the test is determined to be specific, a data sharing rule that defines a degree to which the investigative data is to be shared may be applied and the request responded to according to the defined degree.

Abstract: A device for occlusion of a body lumen comprises an implantable occlusion apparatus (3) operably attached to an elongated catheter member (4) configured for transluminal delivery and deployment of the occlusion apparatus in the body lumen. The occlusion apparatus comprises a radially expansible element (5) detachably attached to the elongated catheter member, and adjustable between a contracted orientation suitable for 10 transluminal delivery and a deployed orientation configured to occlude the body lumen, an energy delivery element (6, 14, 21) configured to deliver energy to surrounding tissue to heat the tissue, and a sensor (7) configured to detect a parameter of the wall of the body lumen. The energy delivery element (6, 14, 21) and sensor (7) are axially movable independently of the radially expansible element whereby, in use, the energy delivery 15 element and sensor can be transluminally retracted leaving the radially expansible element in-situ occluding the body lumen.

Abstract: A surface preparation method (200) for a composite material (104) having an original surface (110), the material (104) comprising fibres (104a) within a matrix (104b), comprises removing (204) a surface portion of the matrix (104b) by plasma ablation so as to reveal and activate (206) a new surface (120) with at least a portion of a plurality of the fibres (104a) exposed thereon, without creating a residual heat-affected zone.

Abstract: Devices and methods described herein decode a sequence of coded symbols by guessing noise. In various embodiments, noise sequences are ordered, either during system initialization or on a periodic basis. Then, determining a codeword includes iteratively guessing a new noise sequence, removing its effect from received data symbols (e.g. by subtracting or using some other method of operational inversion), and checking whether the resulting data are a codeword using a codebook membership function. This process is deterministic, has bounded complexity, asymptotically achieves channel capacity as in convolutional codes, but has the decoding speed of a block code. In some embodiments, the decoder tests a bounded number of noise sequences, abandoning the search and declaring an erasure after these sequences are exhausted. Abandonment decoding nevertheless approximates maximum likelihood decoding within a tolerable bound and achieves channel capacity when the abandonment threshold is chosen appropriately.