Abstract: The invention provides a process for the production of a monolithic implant for use in tissue engineering, the process comprising the steps of plasticising at least one biocompatible material into a paste, extruding the paste through a die, and drying the extruded material to eliminate an aqueous and/or non-aqueous component. The invention also relates to a monolithic implant as thereby manufactured, and the use of such an implant as a scaffold for tissue-engineering and as a transplant tissue in reconstructive or replacement surgery.

Abstract: A gas-sensing semiconductor device is fabricated on a silicon substrate having a thin silicon oxide insulating layer in which a resistive heater made of a CMOS compatible high temperature metal is embedded. The high temperature metal is tungsten. The device includes at least one sensing area provided with a gas-sensitive layer separated from the heater by an insulating layer. As one of the final fabrication steps, the substrate is back-etched so as to form a thin membrane in the sensing area. Except for the back-etch and the gas-sensitive layer formation, that are carried out post-CMOS, all other layers, including the tungsten resistive heater, are made using a CMOS process employing tungsten metallisation. The device can be monolithically integrated with the drive, control and transducing circuitry using low cost CMOS processing. The heater, the insulating layer and other layers are made within the CMOS sequence and they do not require extra masks or processing.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for screening for pre-eclampsia in a mammal, such as a human, by determining the amount and quality of foetal 2,3 bisphosphoglycerate mutase (2,3 BPGM) present. Reagents and kits for carrying out the method are also provided.

Abstract: A fluid injection and exhaust needle for use in gas injection moulding comprising a needle with two separate flow channels; a fluid inlet channel and a fluid outlet channel; wherein gas is injected into the melt via the fluid inlet channel to form a gas cavity in the melt, and gas is simultaneously exhausted from the cavity via the fluid outlet channel.

Abstract: A method of coating an article during injection molding wherein coating material carried by a high pressure carrier gas is blasted at high velocity directly onto the internal walls of a closed mold and then a plastics substrate is injected into the coated mold to form in-situ a coated molded product.

Abstract: The application relates to an assay method for studying the effect of at least one compound on RN virus replication and transcription comprising the steps of providing a synthetic RN molecule encoding at least a portion of the genome of an RN virus of interest and a copy of a reporter gene; incubating a cell containing the RN molecule with the or each compound and detecting an amount of reporter gene product. Preferably the RNA virus is a paramyxovirus such as human respiratory syncytial virus or avian pneumovirus. The assay may be automated to allow the screening of large numbers of compounds for anti-viral activity. Kits for carrying out the assay method are also disclosed.

Abstract: A method for killing pests (e.g. insects) comprising administering material from Xenorhabdus species (e.g. X. nematophilus) such as cells or supernatants orally to the pests, either alone or in conjunction with Bacillus thuringiensis or pesticidal materials derived therefrom. Also disclosed is an isolated pesticidal agent (and compositions comprising the same) characterized in that it is obtainable from cultures of X. nematophilus or mutants thereof, has oral pesticidal activity agent Pieris brassicae, Pieris rapae and Plutella xylostella, is substantially heat stable to 55° C., is proteinaceous, acts synergistically with B. thuringiensis cells as an oral pesticide and is substantially resistant to proteolysis by trypsin and proteinase K. DNA encoding pesticidal activity is also disclosed.

Abstract: A gas injection moulding method comprising injecting a melt into a mould and injecting gas into the melt to form a gas cavity in the melt wherein the melt is cooled by use of injection gas cooled to below the external ambient air temperature and/or by a continuous flow of injection gas through the mould.

Abstract: The application discloses a method of making an antibody molecule, the antibody containing an immunoglobulin heavy chain comprising a ?3 domain or a mu domain, the method comprising: (a)Providing a nucleotide sequence encoding the immunoglobulin heavy chain; (b)Modifying the nucleotide sequence in the region of the nucleotide sequence encoding the C-terminus 18 amino acids of the completed heavy chain to remove, or reduce the effectiveness of, one or more vacuolar targeting signal sequences to form a modified nucleotide sequence; (c)Inserting the modified nucleotide sequence into a host cell; and (d)Causing the host cell to express the modified nucleotide sequence to form the modified antibody heavy chain and secrete the modified antibody heavy chain from the host cell. This improves the secretion of the antibody from, for example, plant cells. Methods of adding J-chain binding activity to antibodies are also provided. The modified antibodies and their use is also disclosed.

Abstract: A system to perform measurements on liquids, meat, viscous sugar or starch-based materials, and other foodstuffs using air-coupled ultrasound is provided. The technique uses ultrasonic transducers (advantageously capacitive transducers with polymer membranes), to generate ultrasonic signals in air, and to receive these signals after they have passed through the material under test. An ultrasonic pulse-compression process is then applied to increase the sensitivity of signals transmitted through the materials.

Abstract: A laminate material comprising two components, a first thermoplastic polymer substrate and a second thermoplastic polymer blown film; wherein the film and substrate are directly bonded one to another and where substantially one face or side of the substrate only is laminated with film; such that in use the resistance of the substrate to a localised impact on a non-laminated face is significantly reduced by the presence of the film layer.

Abstract: An electrostatic transducer, such as a loudspeaker or microphone, comprises a multi-layer panel (1) incorporating an electrically insulating middle layer (2) sandwiched between first and second electrically conducting outer layers (3, 4). At least one of the layers has a profiled surface (6) where it contacts the surface of another of the layers. Furthermore a signal generator is provided for applying an alternating electrical voltage across the first and second layers (3, 4) to initiate vibration due to variation of the electrostatic forces acting between the layers, thereby serving as a loudspeaker (or for detecting variation of such electrostatic forces due to received vibration in the case of a microphone).

Abstract: Mass spectrometry apparatus 105 comprises a serial arrangement of an ion source 110, first time of flight means, a field free region 120, means to fragment the molecules, a second time of flight means and a large area detector 160. The second time of flight means includes an ion mirror 150, the ion mirror 150 being arranged to produce a reflecting substantially quadratic field. The first time of flight means is arranged to provide spatial focusing concomitant with time focusing of ions at or near the entrance to the ion mirror 150. The means provided to fragment the ions front the first time of flight means can be a collision cell 140 or in the field free region 220 or in the first time of flight means. The means to fragment the molecules has a potential which is different from the potential at the entrance to the ion mirror 150, and the detecting surface of the detector 160 is mounted in the time focal surface of the ion mirror 150.

Abstract: A non-linear optical crystal of a compound having the general formula DxM1?xTOZO4, including isomorphs thereof, where: D is a dopant which comprises one or both of Rb and Cs; M is selected from one or both of K and Ag; T comprises one or more of Ti, Sn and Ge, optionally together with one or both of Nb and Ta; Z is selected from one or both of P and As, optionally together with one or both of Ge and Si; and 0<x?0.1.

Abstract: A method of forming a lattice-tuning semiconductor substrate comprises the steps of defining parallel strips of a Si surface by the provision of spaced parallel oxide walls (2) on the surface, selectively growing a first SiGe layer on the strips such that first dislocations (3) extend preferentially across the first SiGe layer between the walls (2) to relieve the strain in the first SiGe layer in directions transverse to the walls (2), and growing a second SiGe layer on top of the first SiGe layer to overgrow the walls (2) such that second dislocations form preferentially within the second SiGe layer above the walls (2) to relieve the strain in the second SiGe layer in directions transverse to the first dislocations (3). The dislocations so produced serve to relax the material in two mutually transverse directions whilst being spatially separated so that the two sets of dislocations cannot interact with one another.

Abstract: In order to reduce dislocation pile-ups in a virtual substrate, a buffer layer 32 is provided, between an underlying Si substrate 34 and an uppermost constant composition SiGe layer 36, which comprises alternating graded SiGe layers 38 and uniform SiGe layers 40. During the deposition of each of the graded SiGe layers 38 the Ge fraction x is linearly increased from a value corresponding to the Ge composition ratio of the preceding layer to a value corresponding to the Ge composition ratio of the following layer. Furthermore the Ge fraction x is maintained constant during deposition of each uniform SiGe layer 40, so that the Ge fraction x varies in step-wise fashion through the depth of the buffer layer. After the deposition of each pair of graded and uniform SiGe layers 38 and 40, the wafer is annealed at an elevated temperature greater than the temperature at which the layers have been deposited.

Abstract: The application discloses supported initiators for transition metal mediated living free radical and/or atom transfer polymerisation comprising an initiator moiety attached to a support via a selectively cleavable link, and their use to produce polymers.

Abstract: A gas injection moulding method comprising injecting a melt into a mould and injecting gas into the melt to form a gas cavity in the melt wherein the melt is cooled by use of injection gas cooled to below the external ambient air temperature and/or by a continuous flow of injection gas through the mould.

Abstract: An ion focussing and conveying device 10 comprises a plurality of electrodes 12 in series. Means is provided to apply a first alternating voltage waveform to each electrode 12, the phase of the alternating voltage in the first waveform is applied to each electrode 12 in the series being ahead of the phase of the first alternating voltage waveform applied to the preceding electrode 12 in the series by less than 180°, preferably by 90° or less, such that ions are focussed onto an axis of travel and impelled along the series of electrodes 12.

Abstract: An electrostatic transducer, such as a loudspeaker or microphone, comprises a multi-layer panel (1) incorporating an electrically insulating middle layer (2) sandwiched between first and second electrically conducting outer layers (3, 4). At least one of the layers has a profiled surface (6) where it contacts the surface of another of the layers. Furthermore a signal generator is provided for applying an alternating electrical voltage across the first and second layers (3, 4) to initiate vibration due to variation of the electrostatic forces acting between the layers, thereby serving as a loudspeaker (or for detecting variation of such electrostatic forces due to received vibration in the case of a microphone).