Abstract: Anti-VEGF antibodies and variants thereof, including those having high affinity for binding to VEGF, are disclosed. Also provided are methods of using phage display technology with naive libraries to generate and select the anti-VEGF antibodies with desired binding and other biological activities. Further contemplated are uses of the antibodies in research, diagnostic and therapeutic applications.

Abstract: A surface of a melt polymerization reactor system having residual reaction components of a melt polymerization reaction thereon can be cleaned by introducing a cleaning agent having a phenolic compound to the polymerization reactor system and into contact with the surface of the melt polymerization reactor system having the residual reaction components of a melt polymerization reaction thereon. The residual reaction components of the melt polymerization reaction include polycarbonate oligomers or polymers or their degradation products. Further, the cleaning agent is maintained in contact with the surface for a period of time and at a temperature sufficient to substantially remove the residual reaction components from the surface.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to methods and means for making and using Angpt13 polypeptides. The invention specifically concerns the use of Angpt13 polypeptides in inducing liver regeneration and angiogenesis. Further methods include the use of Angpt13 polypeptides in the diagnosis and treatment of liver disease. Also provided herein are antibodies which bind to the polypeptides of the present invention.

Abstract: The invention relates to the use of IL-15 or active variants thereof and/or IL-15 activity enhancing compounds for the manufacture of a pharmaceutical composition for manipulating memory cells of the immune system, such as manipulating viability and/or responsiveness of said memory cells. The IL-15 activity enhancing compound is for example lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The invention further relates to the use of IL-15 inhibiting or eliminating compounds for the manufacture of a pharmaceutical composition for manipulating memory cells of the immune system. Such inhibiting or eliminating compounds are for example anti-IL-15 antibodies, anti-IL-15R? antibodies, fragments of these antibodies, e.g. the Fab or F(ab?)2 fragment, soluble IL-15R?, fusion proteins consisting of soluble IL-15R?, and Fc fragment, compounds, e.g. peptides, binding and/or inhibiting functional IL-15 receptor, IL-15 antisense oligonucleotides.

Abstract: A method of improving the lighting conditions of a real scene or video sequence. Digitally generated light is added to a scene for video conferencing over telecommunication networks. A virtual illumination equation takes into account light attenuation, lambertian and specular reflection. An image of an object is captured, a virtual light source illuminates the object within the image. In addition, the object can be the head of the user. The position of the head of the user is dynamically tracked so that an three-dimensional model is generated which is representative of the head of the user. Synthetic light is applied to a position on the model to form an illuminated model.

Abstract: The large volume reactor 10 or a thin film evaporator 10? comprises a housing 12 enclosing a reactor chamber 14. A reactor rotor driven about an axis of rotation is located in the reactor chamber 14. The housing 12 comprises a reactor chamber inlet opening 22 and a product outlet 24. A premixing unit 30 is located adjacent the reactor chamber inlet opening 22, which is configured to mix a starting material fed through one or more product inlet openings 66, 68, 68? to form a prepared substance which is fed directly to the reactor chamber 14.

Abstract: The invention relates to an electrical system for a ship, comprising generators, electrical consumers, such as electric motors, and an on-board power supply system with switchgears etc. as the components of the system. The electrical system is further characterized in that supplies sufficient electrical energy in all operating states of the ship and that the system components are automatically controlled by digitized standard modules.

Abstract: The invention relates to the use of creatine or creatine salts as a fat substitute to be given to breeding animals and feeder animals. The creatine or creatine salts are used as a substitute for flesh meal, fish meal and/or antimicrobial performance enhancers, growth hormones as well as anabolic agents.

Abstract: A polyurethane adhesive which is useful in bonding porous and non-porous surfaces is provided. The adhesive is especially useful in bonding windshield glass into automotive frames under a variety of environmental conditions, particularly in after market windshield replacement applications. The polyurethane includes at least one urethane prepolymer which is based on at least one thermoplastic polyol. In one embodiment, the urethane prepolymer may be formed from one or more polyisocyanates, one or more polyetherpolyols and one or more thermoplastic polyesterpolyols, wherein the prepolymer has a free isocyanate content of from about 0.6 to about 3.5% by weight, based on the weight of the polyurethane. In another embodiment, a one-part adhesive composition is provided which includes an isocyanate-functional and thermoplastic polyurethane prepolymer having a free isocyanate content of from about 0.6 to about 3.

Abstract: A composite material and a base plate made of this composite material for mounting electrical components and for connecting these components to a cooling device is disclosed. In one embodiment, the composite material includes a matrix material and fibers embedded therein. The fibers have in this case an anisotropic, directionally optimized distribution in the matrix material, so that heat occurring in a locally confined area can be effectively distributed and dissipated. The material of the fibers includes SiC, highly graphitized carbon or diamond. The fibers are arranged in the matrix material in various fiber levels, the fibers in the upper fiber levels being oriented predominantly horizontally in relation to a reference area and the fibers in the lower fiber levels being oriented predominantly vertically in relation to the reference area.

Abstract: An interactive communication system including a web-based content brokerage engine for the matching of meta data to audio content and audio+video content, for the encoding of such meta data into the audio-band or video-band channel of the specified audio content and audio+video content with such resulting encoded content being capable of further dissemination through any traditional distribution system. Following such dissemination, the encoded content is played on a playback console, such as a radio, television, or related peripheral content playback device. A device connected to or incorporated within the playback console, both extracts the encoded meta data from the encoded content and transmits the resulting decoded meta data and related information via an attached short-range wireless transceiver to a target device (e.g. a short-range wireless enabled cellular phone).

Abstract: A microfluidic arrangement (1) for the optical detection of fluids is provided, comprising a microfluidic device (2) having at least one first channel (3) with an opening (4) which is in fluid communication with an optical detection unit (6) of an optical device (5); the microfluidic device (2) being operatively detachably coupled with the optical device (5) whereby an extension of the part (7,7?) of relevance of the optical detection path (17) is provided. A method for detecting fluids using the arrangement of the present invention is provided.

Abstract: A novel lamp socket finding application with a type of increased protection, has a housing part (13) in which a one-piece elastomer sealing sleeve (20) is preferably rotatably held. The sealing sleeve (20) is at its lamp-side end preferably slightly radially compressible, while it is stiffer in the axial direction. As a result, it yields inward when axially pressed by the frustoconical inner side of the housing part (13). The one-piece construction of the sealing sleeve (20) from a single material, on the one hand, ensures a simple manufacture and, on the other hand, prevents a faulty mounting caused by slipped seals or the like.

Abstract: A pressure sensor for static and/or dynamic pressure measurement of a liquid, flowable, or gaseous medium is described, with a housing (2) and with a pressure measuring cell (3), on the side facing the medium an opening (4) being formed through which one side (5) of the pressure measuring cell (3) is directly or indirectly in contact with the medium to be monitored, and the pressure measuring cell (3) converting the pressure to be monitored into a proportional measurement signal by means of an electromechanical converter. The pressure sensor as claimed in the invention can have both a small outside diameter and can also be economically produced by the housing (2) sitting on the pressure measuring cell (3) and the housing (2) and the pressure measuring cell (3) being connected to one another on the face side so that the pressure measuring cell (3) is at least in part a component of the outer surface of the pressure sensor (1) and thus is not surrounded by the housing (2).

Abstract: Dispersion powders stabilized include a protective colloid. The protective colloid includes at least one polyvinyl alcohol having a Höppler viscosity ?1 of not more than 3 mPas and at least one polyvinyl alcohol having a Höppler viscosity ?2 of from 4 mPas to 25 mPas. The weighted Höppler viscosity ?w of the protective colloid is not more than 6 mPas.

Abstract: A process for preparing polymer dispersions stabilized by polyvinyl alcohol includes a step of emulsion polymerization. The polymerization occurs such that at least 60% of the total conversion occurs at a temperature from 100° C. to 140° C.

Abstract: A process is described for preparing polyisobutene having a content of terminal vinylidene groups of at least 75 mol % by polymerizing isobutene or isobutenic hydrocarbon mixtures in the liquid phase in the presence of a boron trifluoride complex catalyst of the composition (BF3)a.L1b.L2c.L3d where L1 is water, a primary C1–C5-alkanol and/or a secondary C3–C5-alkanol, L2 is at least one aldehyde and/or one ketone, L3 is an ether having at least 5 carbon atoms, a secondary alkanol having at least 6 carbon atoms, a primary alkanol having at least 6 carbon atoms and/or a tertiary alkanol, the b:a ratio is in the range from 0.9 to 3.0, the c:a ratio is in the range from 0.01 to 0.5, and the d:a ratio is in the range from 0 to 1.0.

Abstract: The invention relates to a procedure for computing the Cholesky decomposition of a positive definite matrix into a product of a lower and an upper triagonal matrix having a dimension of L in a multi-channel procedure, wherein: the computation is performed in a parallel multi-processor system comprising a number P of processor modules; each processor module p computes the entries of a set R of rows of the lower triagonal matrix with R=L/P, whereby a given row j is assigned to a processor module p such that j=p+(r?1)·P with r=1, . . . , R and p=1, . . . , P; the entries of the lower triagonal matrix are obtained by means of an iteration process over the columns i, with i=1, . . .

Abstract: A novel immunodeficiency virus is disclosed which has the designation MVP-5180/91 and which has been deposited with the European Collection of Animal Cell Cultures (ECACC) under No. V 920 52 318. The characteristic antigens which can be obtained from it and which can be employed for detecting antibodies against retroviruses which are associated with immunodeficiency diseases are also disclosed, as are the DNA and amino acid sequences of the virus.