Abstract: An improved extruder apparatus is disclosed and which includes a cylindrical barrel having a feed end and a discharge end, the feed end having an inlet in fluid communication with a hopper. The extruder screw is mounted in the cylindrical barrel, and the screw has an outer surface having one or more helical flights mounted thereon, wherein the inlet end of the cylindrical barrel has a support frame mounted thereto, wherein an upper surface of the support frame is connected to a throat of a hopper, wherein an insert is mounted to the support frame and has a lower end which extends down into the cylindrical barrel, wherein the insert has an internal passageway having a first opening on the lower end and a second opening upstream of the screw for relieving the pressure.

Abstract: The present invention relates generally to the field of antibody detection, and in particular relates to methods involving the detection of autoantibodies relating to lung cancer in a sample comprising patient bodily fluid. In particular, the present invention relates to a method of detecting lung cancer in a mammalian subject by detecting three or more autoantibodies in a test sample, wherein three of the autoantibodies are immunologically specific for the tumour marker antigens p53, SSX1, and either p62 or KOC. The invention also relates to in vitro methods of determining an autoantibody profile, methods of diagnosing and treating lung cancer, methods of predicting response to a lung cancer treatment, use of a panel of three or more tumour marker antigens for the detection of lung cancer, and kits for the detection of autoantibodies.

Abstract: An improved extruder apparatus is disclosed and which includes a cylindrical barrel having a feed end and a discharge end, the feed end having an inlet in fluid communication with a hopper. The extruder screw is mounted in the cylindrical barrel, and the screw has an outer surface having one or more helical flights mounted thereon. wherein the inlet end of the cylindrical barrel has a support frame mounted thereto, wherein an upper surface of the support frame is connected to a throat of a hopper, wherein an insert is mounted to the support frame and has a lower end which extends down into the cylindrical barrel, wherein the insert has an internal passageway having a first opening on the lower end and a second opening upstream of the screw for relieving the pressure.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of detecting liver cancer in a mammalian subject by detecting an antibody in a test sample comprising a bodily fluid from the mammalian subject, wherein the antibody is an autoantibody immunologically specific for a tumour marker protein selected from the group consisting of MMP9, AIF1, EpCAM and CDKN1B, which method comprises contacting the test sample with a tumour marker antigen selected from the group consisting of MMP9, AIF1, EpCAM and CDKN1B and determining the presence or absence of complexes of the tumour marker antigen bound to autoantibodies present in the test sample where the presence of said complexes is indicative of the presence of liver cancer.

Abstract: According to an example, a provisioning management system receives an infrastructure code definition including a description of computing infrastructure, and determines, based on the infrastructure code definition, configuration instructions usable by computer resource management systems for provisioning the computing infrastructure. The configuration instructions are provided to the computer resource management systems to facilitate the provisioning of the computing infrastructure.

Abstract: According to an example, a provisioning management system receives an infrastructure code definition including a description of computing infrastructure, and determines, based on the infrastructure code definition, configuration instructions usable by computer resource management systems for provisioning the computing infrastructure. The configuration instructions are provided to the computer resource management systems to facilitate the provisioning of the computing infrastructure.

Abstract: The present invention generally relates to the field of antibody detection, and in particular relates to assays for the detection of antibodies in a sample comprising patient bodily fluid. The invention provides a method of detecting an antibody in a test sample comprising a bodily fluid from a mammalian subject, wherein the test sample is contacted with a plurality of different amounts of an antigen specific for the antibody, the amount of specific binding between the antibody and the antigen is detected and the presence or absence of antibody is determined based upon the amount of specific binding between the antibody and the antigen and a secondary curve parameter arising from a curve of the amount of specific binding versus the amount of antigen for each amount of antigen used.

Abstract: Piezoelectric transducer arrays enhanced with flexoelectric effects and a method thereof is disclosed. The array can include an ultrathin piezoelectric ring that includes embedded rings. Adjacent ring transducers can be completely separated from each other on a supporting substrate. The supporting substrate can have cavities to support the transducer array. Additionally, such an array can include electrodes attached to the rings.

Abstract: A method and a device are disclosed including software components that are executed on a computing device to enable finding, adding, and sending messages to users within a social network. In various embodiments, a requesting user may request finding, adding, and/or sending messages to one or more other users in a social network, the other users presently being on one or more contact lists associated with the requesting user. The requesting user's contact list may be used to verify that he knows the other users and respond to the requesting user's request based on the requesting user's own contact list, without supplying additional information from the other users. In various embodiments, the requesting user's contact list may be partitioned into two sections, one section including the other users who are also in the social network and the other including the other users who are not in the social network.

Abstract: A method and a device are disclosed including software components that are executed on a computing device to enable multimedia communications. A message card constituting an integrated messaging unit is used to transmit and receive multimedia data between two or more computing devices. The card may contain text, picture, animation, sound, video, metadata, and other messaging data and information, some of which may be encapsulated in software stickers embedded in the message card. The cards may be stacked, stored, searched for, modified, augmented with stickers, and the like. The stickers may have various looks and functions including providing a message, animation, video, picture, hologram, be peeled off, be scratched to reveal content, detect movement of the computing device, detect finger tapping, show emotions, provide quick reply to messages, and the like. The looks, contents, and behaviors of the message cards and/or the stickers may be programmable by the user.

Abstract: A method and a device are disclosed including software components that are executed on a computing device to enable multimedia communications. A message card constituting an integrated messaging unit is used to transmit and receive multimedia data between two or more computing devices. The card may contain text, picture, animation, sound, video, metadata, and other messaging data and information, some of which may be encapsulated in software stickers embedded in the message card. The cards may be stacked, stored, searched for, modified, augmented with stickers, and the like. The stickers may have various looks and functions including providing a message, animation, video, picture, hologram, be peeled off, be scratched to reveal content, detect movement of the computing device, detect finger tapping, show emotions, provide quick reply to messages, and the like. The looks, contents, and behaviors of the message cards and/or the stickers may be programmable by the user.

Abstract: An architecture for the storage, processing, and display of service desk performance metrics data for a service desk department may include a call management system (CMS), an issue tracking system, a performance metrics (PM) database, a PM database module, a PM display data module, and a PM client module. The PM database module may retrieve call statistics data from the call management system database and issue tracking data from the issue tracking system database, and store the data in the PM database. The PM client module may obtain call statistics data and issue tracking data from the PM database via the PM display data module. The PM client module may display the obtained call statistics data and issue tracking data in one or more user interface elements.

Abstract: Piezoelectric transducer arrays and methods of making the same are discussed. Such an array can include a piezoelectric film comprising a plurality of segments. Adjacent segments can be separated by trenches of a plurality of trenches in the piezoelectric film. Additionally, such an array can include a plurality of electrodes attached to the plurality of segments.

Abstract: An architecture for the storage, processing, and display of service desk performance metrics data for a service desk department may include a call management system (CMS), an issue tracking system, a performance metrics (PM) database, a PM database module, a PM display data module, and a PM client module. The PM database module may retrieve call statistics data from the call management system database and issue tracking data from the issue tracking system database, and store the data in the PM database. The PM client module may obtain call statistics data and issue tracking data from the PM database via the PM display data module. The PM client module may display the obtained call statistics data and issue tracking data in one or more user interface elements.

Abstract: An architecture for the storage, processing, and display of service desk performance metrics data for a service desk department may include a call management system (CMS), an issue tracking system, a performance metrics (PM) database, a PM database module, a PM display data module, and a PM client module. The PM database module may retrieve call statistics data from the call management system database and issue tracking data from the issue tracking system database, and store the data in the PM database. The PM client module may obtain call statistics data and issue tracking data from the PM database via the PM display data module. The PM client module may display the obtained call statistics data and issue tracking data in one or more user interface elements.

Abstract: An architecture for the storage, processing, and display of service desk performance metrics data for a service desk department may include a call management system (CMS), an issue tracking system, a performance metrics (PM) database, a PM database module, a PM display data module, and a PM client module. The PM database module may retrieve call statistics data from the call management system database and issue tracking data from the issue tracking system database, and store the data in the PM database. The PM client module may obtain call statistics data and issue tracking data from the PM database via the PM display data module. The PM client module may display the obtained call statistics data and issue tracking data in one or more user interface elements.

Abstract: The disclosure provides a bioreactor that allows steady-state oxygen gradients to be imposed upon in vitro culture systems. The bioreactor system of the disclosure has been applied to liver zonation and have shown that physiological oxygen gradients contribute to heterogeneity of tissue cultures in vitro.