Abstract: The present invention relates to immunoglobulin single variable domains that bind MIF and more in particular to polypeptides that comprise or essentially consist of one or more such immunoglobulin single variable domains; to nucleic acids encoding such polypeptides; to methods for preparing such polypeptides; to compositions and in particular to pharmaceutical compositions that comprise such polypeptides, for prophylactic, therapeutic or diagnostic purposes.

Abstract: The present application relates to tumor-associated dendritic cell (TADC) preparations and their use in treatment of tumor metastasis.

Abstract: A method for determining characteristics of a structure is disclosed. The method comprises repetitively irradiating the structure with a transient continuous wave electromagnetic radiation and capturing as a function of time a transient part of the reflection or transmission of the transient continuous wave electromagnetic radiation reflected at or transmitted through the different interfaces of layer-based structure. The method furthermore comprises deriving from the transient part of the reflected or transmitted transient continuous wave electromagnetic radiation as function of time information regarding different contributions in the transient part of the reflected or transmitted transient continuous wave electromagnetic radiation stemming from the reflections at different interfaces of the structure and determining from said information at least geometric information and/or electromagnetic properties of the one or more materials of the structure. A corresponding system also is claimed.

Abstract: A detector device for detection of electromagnetic radiation impinging on a substrate and generating pairs of majority and minority charge carriers in the substrate, comprises at least one minority charge detection structure for, in a first mode, injecting a majority current so as to create an electric field for directing minority charge carriers towards the at least one minority charge detection structure for detecting minority charge carriers generated in the substrate; two or more minority charge removal structures per minority charge detection structure for, in a second mode, injecting a majority current so as to create an electric field, for draining minority charge carriers towards the two or more minority charge removal structures, away from the associated charge detection structure; and at least one substrate majority charge current sink for extracting the injected majority current.

Abstract: The present invention relates to nucleic acid regulatory elements that are able to enhance muscle-specific expression of genes, in particular expression in cardiac muscle and/or skeletal muscle, methods employing these regulatory elements and uses of these elements. Expression cassettes and vectors containing these nucleic acid regulatory elements are also disclosed. The present invention is particularly useful for applications using gene therapy, more particularly muscle-directed gene therapy, and for vaccination purposes.

Abstract: A modular management system for balancing, testing and protecting rechargeable energy storage cells connected in series. Different energy storage cell technologies can be connected in the same battery pack and they can be completely balanced by using one or both of two balancing modes. In addition, the modular management system includes bidirectional and unidirectional switches optionally connected to a single ohmic device such as a resistor to efficiently execute a Dual Function Process (DFP) (i.e., passive/active balancing, and testing mode for SoH/SoC estimation) preferably without using any extra or external components (i.e., capacitor or inductor or DC/DC converter or power supply). The systems and methods decrease the balancing time, energy loss, heat loss and complexity needed to monitor, protect and balance energy storage cell systems such as battery systems, and thus decreasing the overall cost.

Abstract: The current invention concerns a device and a method for transmitting torque. The device may comprise an elongated and bendable torque transmission member, e.g. a cable, and a hinge element along which the member is guided via one or more guide pulleys. The hinge element may comprise a first and a second base element hingedly attached and comprising a first hinge axis. The first element may comprise a first guide pulley with pulley rotational axis in essence perpendicular to the first hinge axis. The second element may comprise a second guide pulley with pulley rotational axis in essence perpendicular to the first hinge axis. The positions of the first guide pulley in the first element and the second guide pulley in the second element may be configured to guide a portion of the member in essence coaxial to the hinge axis. In a preferred embodiment, the device is a wearable robot, e.g. an exoskeleton.

Abstract: The invention relates to a bifunctional modified biopolymer based polymer, comprising at least one polymer chain comprising n first functional groups and m second functional groups. The first functional groups comprise groups able of being radically cross-linked following a free radical chain- growth polymerisation. The second functional groups comprise groups able to thiol-ene crosslinking. Preferred bifunctional modified biopolymer based polymers comprise bifunctional modified gelatin and bifunctional modified collagen. The invention further relates to a method to prepare such a bifunctional modified biopolymer based polymer and to a method to prepare a hydrogel starting from such bifunctional modified biopolymer based polymer. Furthermore the invention relates to hydrogels obtainable starting from such bifunctional modified biopolymer based polymers and to the use of such hydrogels.

Abstract: The invention relates to mutant forms of CsgG. The invention also related to analyte detection and characterisation using CsgG.

Abstract: The disclosed technology generally relates to semiconductor devices, and more particularly to semiconductor devices having a stacked arrangement, and further relates to methods of fabricating such devices. In one aspect, a semiconductor device comprises a first memory device and a second memory device formed over a substrate and at least partly stacked in a vertical direction. Each of the first and second memory devices has a plurality of vertical transistors, wherein each vertical transistor has a vertical channel extending in the vertical direction.

Abstract: The present invention relates to novel protein pores and their uses in analyte detection and characterisation. The invention particularly relates to an isolated pore complex formed by a CsgG-like pore and a modified CsgF peptide, or a homologue or mutant thereof, thereby incorporating an additional channel constriction or reader head in the nanopore. The invention further relates to a transmembrane pore complex and methods for production of the pore complex and for use in molecular sensing and nucleic acid sequencing applications.

Abstract: Provided is a method of characterising a polynucleotide using a transmembrane pore, wherein the pore is a double pore comprising a first Csg G pore, or a homologue thereof, and a second CsgG pore, or a homologue thereof.

Abstract: The invention relates to polypeptides, in particular polypeptides comprising an immunoglobulin domain, binding to human Programmed Death Ligand-1 (huPDL1) and to applications of such polypeptides such as for use as a medicament or for use as diagnostic agent, for example as an immunotracer.

Abstract: The present invention relates to nucleic acid expression cassettes and vectors containing liver-specific regulatory elements and codon-optimized factor IX or factor VIII transgenes, methods employing these expression cassettes and vectors and uses thereof. The present invention is particularly useful for applications using liver-directed gene therapy, in particular for the treatment of hemophilia A and B.

Abstract: A device and a method for actuating a joint of a human, an animal or a robot are disclosed. An elongated, lengthwise flexible and torsionally elastic body is provided for transmitting torque. Based at least in part on torsional deformation information of the body, torque is transmitted via the body. In an embodiment, a flexible drive shaft is provided, whereby the flexible drive shaft comprises said body. Furthermore, use of a flexible drive shaft as compliant element and as torque transmission element in a rotary actuator for actuating a mechanical joint is disclosed. In addition, use of a flexible drive shaft for determining an impedance of a joint of a human or an animal is also disclosed.

Abstract: The present invention in general relates to an improved RNA transcription vector, which is very suitable for the production of mRNA for in vivo therapeutic purposes. The improvements in the vector in particular reside in the presence of a transcription enhancer and a nuclear retention element.

Abstract: The invention pertains to a computer-implemented method for compensating motion for a digital holographic video stream, the method comprising: obtaining (1010) a sequence of frames representing consecutive holographic images of a scenery; obtaining (1020) translation and rotation vectors describing a relative motion of at least one object in said scenery between a pair of frames from among said sequence of frames; and applying (1030) an affine canonical transform to a first frame of said pair of frames so as to obtain a predicted frame, said affine canonical transform representing said translation and rotation vectors. The invention also pertains to a computer program product and to an apparatus for compensating motion for a digital holographic video stream.

Abstract: The present invention relates to nucleic acid regulatory elements that are able to enhance diaphragm-specific expression of genes, in particular expression in diaphragm as such, or in combination with expression in cardiac muscle and/or skeletal muscle, methods employing these regulatory elements and uses of these elements. Expression cassettes and vectors containing these nucleic acid regulatory elements are also disclosed. The present invention is particularly useful for applications using gene therapy, more particularly diaphragm-directed gene therapy, and for vaccination purposes.

Abstract: The present invention in general relates to an improved RNA transcription vector, which is very suitable for the production of mRNA for in vivo therapeutic purposes. The improvements in the vector in particular reside in the presence of a transcription enhancer and a nuclear retention element.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to an antibody that can protect against ETEC infection in a passive immunization set up. More specifically, it relates to a VHH grafted on an IgA scaffold and produced in plant seeds. When the seeds are given in food or feed, the subject is protected against ETEC infection.