Abstract: The present invention relates to a set of oligonucleotides comprising index sequences and wherein the set comprises a plurality of subsets of oligonucleotides with different index sequences, wherein the index sequences of a subset of oligonucleotides differ at least by a non-zero number of sequence changes from each other; and wherein the set comprises at least 2 hierarchical tiers of subsets, wherein index sequences of a higher tier subset are members of a lower tier subset, and wherein the index sequences of a lower tier subset differ by a lower minimum number of sequence changes from each other than the index sequences of a higher tier subset; and wherein the oligonucleotides are assigned to one or more subsets. The invention further relates to methods of generating and using such sets.

Abstract: A method for generating labelled amplification fragments of a nucleic acid template including the steps of providing a template nucleic acid, annealing at least one oligonucleotide primer to the template nucleic acid, elongating the at least one oligonucleotide primer in a template specific manner thereby creating an elongation product, wherein said elongating reaction stops when the elongation product reaches the 5? end of the template nucleic acid or a nucleic acid elongation stopper that is annealed to the template nucleic acid downstream of the elongation product, providing an adaptor nucleic acid that has an identification sequence on its 5? end, wherein the identification sequence does not hybridize to the elongation stopper when in contact thereto, and ligating the adaptor nucleic acid at its 5? end to the 3? end of the elongation product, thereby generating a labelled amplification fragment.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the field of transcriptomics and provides a method for the controlled identification and/or quantification of transcript variants in samples, comprising providing a reference set of artificial polynucleic acid molecules simulating transcript variants and adding said reference set as external control to samples comprising transcript variants. The present invention further provides such a reference set, as well as a method to produce such a reference set.

Abstract: The present invention provides a sensor array device with multiple sensor junctions which have been created through the assembly of two or more differently functionalized surfaces. The functionalizing of the prospective sensor junction areas with sensor compounds occurred when the different surfaces were physically separated from each other before the assembly of the sensor array. By these means, sensor junctions can be built smaller than conventional deposition techniques like printing and photolithography would allow for otherwise. As a consequence, each individual sensor junction contains two potentially different sensor compounds. The sensor array identifies and quantifies different biomolecules.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the field of transcriptomics and provides a method for the controlled identification and/or quantification of transcript variants in samples, comprising providing a reference set of artificial polynucleic acid molecules simulating transcript variants and adding said reference set as external control to samples comprising transcript variants. The present invention further provides such a reference set, as well as a method to produce such a reference set.

Abstract: We provide a sensor array device for the measurement of mixtures of organic compounds comprising an assembly of sensor half elements which have been functionalized through sensor compounds before the assembly. Each individual sensor of the array contains two sensor compounds which are bound at opposite sensor half elements. The molecular recognition is bi-functional. While the amount of sensor compounds increases linearly, the individual sensors increase with the second power.

Abstract: A method for the reduction of the complexity of nucleic acid pool(s), comprising: providing a sample with one or more nucleic acid molecules; cutting the nucleic acid molecules by a random and/or sequence independent cutting step thereby obtaining a pool of nucleic acid fragments; and amplifying one or more fragments of said nucleic acid molecules, wherein the one or more fragments constitute at least a fraction of all fragments of the nucleic acid molecules, wherein the amplified or amplifying one or more fragments of said fraction are divided into different subpools, and wherein the fragments of each subpool comprise a common nucleic acid feature.

Abstract: We provide a sensor array device for the measurement of mixtures of organic compounds comprising an assembly of sensor half elements which have been functionalized through sensor compounds before the assembly. Each individual sensor of the array contains two sensor compounds pounds which are bound at opposite sensor half elements. The molecular recognition is bi-functional. While the amount of sensor compounds increases linearly, the individual sensors increase with the second power.

Abstract: The present invention provides a sensor array device with multiple sensor junctions which have been created through the assembly of two or more differently functionalized surfaces. The functionalizing of the prospective sensor junction areas with sensor compounds occurred when the different surfaces were physically separated from each other before the assembly of the sensor array. By these means, sensor junctions can be built smaller than conventional deposition techniques like printing and photolithography would allow for otherwise. As a consequence, each individual sensor junction contains two potentially different sensor compounds. The sensor array identifies and quantifies different biomolecules.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for the reduction of the complexity of nucleic acid pool(s), comprising providing a sample with one or more nucleic acid molecules, cutting the nucleic acid molecules by a random and/or sequence independent cutting step thereby obtaining a pool of nucleic acid fragments, amplifying one or more fragments of said nucleic acid molecules, wherein the one or more fragments constitute at least a fraction of all fragments of the nucleic acid molecules, and wherein the amplified or amplifying one or more fragments of said fraction are divided into different sub-pools, and wherein the fragments of each subpool comprise a common nucleic acid feature.

Abstract: The present invention provides a strain gauge comprising a resistive layer. The resistive layer comprises metallic or semiconducting nanoparticles or aggregates thereof in which the nanoparticles or aggregates thereof are separated by insulating and/or semiconducting material.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for preparing stable sols of surface-modified nanoparticle aggregates. The methods involves the steps of: (i) producing a sol of nanoparticles; (ii) adding at least one functionalising agent to the sol of nanoparticles; (iii) allowing the nanoparticles and the at least one functionalising agent to react to form a sol of surface-modified nanoparticle aggregates; and (iv) purifying the sol of surface-modified nanoparticle aggregates to obtain a purified sol of surface-modified nanoparticle aggregates in which the aggregates are of a size range of about 4 nm in diameter and greater than about 10 &mgr;m in diameter.

Abstract: The present invention provides a strain gauge comprising a resistive layer. The resistive layer comprises metallic or semiconducting nanoparticles or aggregates thereof in which the nanoparticles or aggregates thereof are separated by insulating and/or semiconducting material.