Abstract: An electrical resistance heating element for a heating device, with at least one flow canal through which the gaseous medium is able to flow from a canal inlet side to a canal outlet side of the resistance heating element, and with at least one heating resistor that extends essentially in the direction of the flow canal, with the medium flowing past the heating resistor and being heated in the process. The heating resistor is rod-shaped and produced from an electrically conductive ceramic material. The electrical resistance heating element is intended for installation in a heating tube into which air, for example, is blown at one end. The heated flow of air exits from the other end of the heating tube.

Abstract: The present invention provides mammalian GPR39 gene, its coded products, and the uses in regulating appetite and pain sensitivity. A pharmaceutical composition and a health product comprising GPR39 protein are also provided. The health product and the pharmaceutical composition for suppressing appetite or decreasing pain sensitivity comprise a safe and efficient amount of antagonists of mammalian GPR39 protein (for example, 0.01-99%) and a bromatologically or pharmaceutically acceptable carrier in a suitable amount (for example 1-99.99 wt %).

Abstract: A device and a process for processing and/or joining work pieces via laser radiation, with an effective power laser and a pilot target laser that emit laser beams of different wavelengths, with the laser beams being directed at the work pieces by laser optics. Regarding the laser beams, by the laser optics that comprise at least one diffractive optical element (DOE) as a masking system, the beam pattern of the pilot target laser is adjusted to match the beam pattern of the effective laser beam. This is accomplished preferably by removing the pilot laser beam from the effective laser beam for part of the path length by dichroic mirrors, and by expanding the diverging pilot laser beam on said part of the path length by deflecting mirrors whose distance from the dichroic mirrors is variable.

Abstract: The invention concerns a laser assembly for processing or joining work pieces by means of electromagnetic radiation, with a laser source that emits a laser beam, and an electronic masking system for the work pieces that succeeds the laser source. The masking system images the passing laser beam on the work pieces in a pattern that is randomly selectable. As masking system, a phase modulation array with preferably a common pixel size >4 ?m is used, and also a laser source with a high beam quality of the laser beam that together permit the sharp imaging of patterns with a line width <2 mm on the work pieces.

Abstract: A security device for the identification or authentication of goods is described. It comprises a stochastic pattern comprising structures having an average lateral structure size d and arranged such that an image of at least a part of the security device, when treated through 2D Fourier transformation and calculation of a corresponding Power Spectrum Density, may lead to a peak, in a spatial-frequency domain, having a position in this domain correlated to d and a size distribution value w which, when inverted, is correlated to a size distribution of the structures. The value w according to the invention is smaller than 2/d, so that when directing a coherent light beam on at least part of the structures a ring-shaped scattering speckle pattern is formed, on the basis of which d and w may be calculated to implement identification or authentication of the device.

Abstract: A stable eukaryotic cell line that expresses hERG and exhibits a stable current under electrophysiological test conditions is provided.

Abstract: The invention relates to the cloning of the human interleukin-1&agr; gene, its engineering into suitable expression vectors, hosts transformed with such expression vectors, and production of biologically active recombinant human interleukin-1&agr;.

Abstract: The invention relates to the cloning of the human IL-1 gene, its engineering into suitable expression vectors, transformation of host organisms with such expression vectors and production of biologically active recombinant human IL-1 by culture of such transformed cells. Additionally, the invention relates to the isolation and use of the resulting recombinant human IL-1 polypeptides.

Abstract: This invention relates to substantially pure Interleukin-12 receptor cDNAs and protein and uses therefore. The Interleukin-12 receptor is shown to be a member of the cytokine receptor superfamily and has a high homology to human gp130.