Abstract: A coating apparatus (20) for forming a photoresist film on a substrate (21) includes a flat table (30), a nozzle unit (40), and a particle cleaning unit (50). The flat table is used for supporting the substrate. The nozzle unit is used for dispensing photoresist material on a top surface of the substrate. The particle cleaning unit is used for removing particles from the top surface before the photoresist material is coated thereon. The coating apparatus can timely clean the substrate before coating. The coating performance is improved, and the nozzle unit is protected from being scratched or damaged.

Abstract: An apparatus (20) for supporting a substrate (S2) includes a number of slats (28), a number of connecting blocks (24) separately positioned on the slats, and a number of soft sleeves (22) connected with the connecting blocks, respectively. Because top surfaces of the soft sleeves are shaped as annular, the force applied between the substrate and the soft sleeves is distributed, and is reduced at each contact point. The surface of the substrate is hardly if at all deformed by the soft sleeves, thereby reducing the risk of or even altogether preventing the formation of undulations. The quality of the pattern to be processed is improved.

Abstract: A glass substrate includes a two-dimensional barcode, which is provided on a peripheral region of a major surface of the glass substrate. A side of the two-dimensional barcode is oblique to a nearest side of the glass substrate. The two-dimensional barcode includes a reference line, and is for recording identification information of the glass substrate. If the two-dimensional barcode sustains partial damage at the nearest side of the glass substrate, there is a reasonable likelihood that only part of the side of the two-dimensional barcode will sustain damage. In such case, the risk of damage occurring to the reference line of the two-dimensional barcode is minimized. If the reference line remains intact, then the two-dimensional barcode can still be properly read.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to methods and compositions for determining the presence, absence, and/or amounts of one or more membrane-associated analytes in a sample. In accordance with the invention, binding compounds derivatized with releasable molecular tags specifically bind to selected membrane-associated analytes, after which the molecular tags are released upon activation of cleavage moieties, or sensitizers, anchored in the same membrane as the membrane-associated analytes. The released molecular tags are then identified by their distinct separation and detection characteristics.

Abstract: Abstract of the Disclosure The invention is directed to a new class of biomarker in patient samples comprising dimers of ErbB cell surface membrane receptors. In one aspect, the invention includes a method of determining the status of a disease or healthful condition by correlating such condition to amounts of one or more dimers of ErbB cell surface membrane receptors measured directly in a patient sample, in particular a fixed tissue sample. In another aspect, the invention includes a method of determining a status of a cancer in a specimen from an individual by correlating measurements of amounts of one or more dimers of ErbB cell surface membrane receptors in cells of the specimen to such status, including presence or absence of a pre-cancerous state, presence or absence of a cancerous state, prognosis of a cancer, or responsiveness to treatment.

Abstract: Abstract of the Disclosure The invention is directed to a new class of biomarker in patient samples comprising dimers of ErbB cell surface membrane receptors. In one aspect, the invention includes a method of determining the status of a disease or healthful condition by correlating such condition to amounts of one or more dimers of ErbB cell surface membrane receptors measured directly in a patient sample, in particular a fixed tissue sample. In another aspect, the invention includes a method of determining a status of a cancer in a specimen from an individual by correlating measurements of amounts of one or more dimers of ErbB cell surface membrane receptors in cells of the specimen to such status, including presence or absence of a pre-cancerous state, presence or absence of a cancerous state, prognosis of a cancer, or responsiveness to treatment.

Abstract: The invention is directed to a new class of biomarker in patient samples comprising dimers of ErbB cell surface membrane receptors. In one aspect, the invention includes a method of determining the status of a disease or healthful condition by correlating such condition to amounts of one or more dimers of ErbB cell surface membrane receptors measured directly in a patient sample, in particular a fixed tissue sample. In another aspect, the invention includes a method of determining a status of a cancer in a specimen from an individual by correlating measurements of amounts of one or more dimers of ErbB cell surface membrane receptors in cells of the specimen to such status, including presence or absence of a pre-cancerous state, presence or absence of a cancerous state, prognosis of a cancer, or responsiveness to treatment.

Abstract: The invention provides a method for determining the activation status of receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) pathways in either cell samples or patient samples by measuring receptor dimerization and relative amounts of protein-protein complexes or activated effector proteins that are characteristic of an RTK pathway. The invention also provides a method of using such status information to select patients responsive to pathway-specific drugs, and more particularly, to methods for measuring ErbB receptors and receptor complexes and using such information to select patients responsive to ErbB pathway-specific drugs. Preferably, methods of the invention are implemented by using sets of binding compounds having releasable molecular tags that are specific for multiple components of one or more complexes formed in RTK activation. After binding, molecular tags are released and separated from the assay mixture for analysis.

Abstract: Methods and systems for determining paths for flows within a multi-stage network made up of clusters of processing nodes. The flow paths may be determined without knowledge of whether or not packets of a particular flow will actually traverse specific ones of the clusters within the multi-stage network. In various implementations, the nodes of the multi-stage network may be coupled to one or more physical network switches through respective physical interfaces and a virtual connectivity grid superimposed thereon and configured through the use of a flow routing framework and system management framework to group the nodes into a number of clusters. The nodes of each cluster are configured to perform similar packet processing functions and the clusters are interconnected through virtual networks to which the nodes are communicatively coupled via virtual interfaces overlaid on top of the physical network interfaces.

Abstract: The invention provides methods and kits for detecting and/or measuring receptor homodimers on a cell surface membrane. In one aspect, the methods employ pairs of probes comprising binding compounds and a cleaving probe, such that at least one binding compound binds specifically to the same epitope of a membrane-bound analyte as the cleaving probe. The binding compound includes one or more molecular tags attached through a cleavable linkage, and the cleaving probe includes a cleavage-inducing moiety that can cleave the linkage when within a defined proximity thereto. Binding of the two probes to a homodimer of a cell surface molecules results in release of molecular tags from the binding compounds, providing a measure of formation of the homodimeric complex.

Abstract: Methods are provided for detecting the formation of complexes of molecules, especially proteins, in a sample, such as a cell or tissue lysate. In one aspect, a cleaving probe specific for a first protein in a complex and one or more binding compounds specific for one or more second proteins in a complex are provided. Upon binding, the cleaving probe is induced to generate an active species, such as singlet oxygen, that cleaves molecular tags attached to the binding compounds only in the local region of the cleaving probe. The released molecular tags are separated from the assay mixture and from one another to provide a readout that is related to the number and types of proteins present in the complex.

Abstract: The invention is directed to a new class of biomarker in patient samples comprising dimers of ErbB cell surface membrane receptors. In one aspect, the invention includes a method of determining the status of a disease or healthful condition by correlating such condition to amounts of one or more dimers of ErbB cell surface membrane receptors measured directly in a patient sample, in particular a fixed tissue sample. In another aspect, the invention includes a method of determining a status of a cancer in a specimen from an individual by correlating measurements of amounts of one or more dimers of ErbB cell surface membrane receptors in cells of the specimen to such status, including presence or absence of a pre-cancerous state, presence or absence of a cancerous state, prognosis of a cancer, or responsiveness to treatment.

Abstract: The invention is directed to a new class of biomarker in patient samples comprising heterodimers of Her cell surface membrane receptors. In one aspect, the invention includes a method of determining the status of a disease or healthful condition by correlating such condition to amounts of one or more heterodimers of ErbB, or Her, cell surface membrane receptors measured directly in a patient sample, in particular a fixed tissue sample. In another aspect, the invention includes a method of determining a status of a cancer in a specimen from an individual by correlating measurements of amounts of one or more heterodimers of ErbB cell surface membrane receptors in cells of the specimen to such status, including presence or absence of a pre-cancerous state, presence or absence of a cancerous state, prognosis of a cancer, or responsiveness to treatment.

Abstract: The invention is directed to a new class of biomarker in patient samples comprising dimers of cell surface membrane receptors. In one aspect, the invention includes a method of determining the status of a disease or healthful condition by correlating such condition to amounts of one or more dimers of cell surface membrane receptors measured directly in a patient sample, in particular a fixed tissue sample. In another aspect, the invention includes a method of determining a status of a cancer in a specimen from an individual by correlating measurements of amounts of one or more dimers of cell surface membrane receptors in cells of the specimen to such status, including presence or absence of a pre-cancerous state, presence or absence of a cancerous state, prognosis of a cancer, or responsiveness to treatment. Preferably, methods of the invention are implemented by using sets of binding compounds having releasable molecular tags that are specific for multiple components of one or more types of receptor dimers.

Abstract: Methods are provided for detecting formation of oligomeric complexes of molecules on the surface of cell membranes. These methods employ pairs of tagged probes and cleaving probes, each of which binds specificly to a cell surface molecule. The tagged probe includes a molecular tag that is linked to a first binding compound through a cleavable linkage, and the cleaving probe includes a second binding agent and a cleavage-inducing moiety that can cleave the linkage when within a defined proximity thereto. Binding of the two probes to cell surface molecules that have formed an oligomeric complex results in release of the molecular tag from the binding compound, providing a measure of formation of the complex.

Abstract: The present invention discloses methods for multiplexed cellular assays. The methods can be used for a simultaneous quantitation of transcription levels from multiple promoters, multiple drugs, or for monitoring effects on multiple protein-protein interactions. These methods make use of reporter gene constructs that couple a single reporter enzyme coding sequence with one or more promoter regions, and a set of probes that are subject to degradation by the reporter enzyme, producing a set of reporters that can be separated from each other by differences in their mobilities. Multiplexed assays are achieved by combining a set of cell populations, wherein each population contains a distinct reporter gene construct and a distinct probe. Various treatments are then carried out on the mixture of cells. Treatments that induce transcription from specific promoters will cause synthesis of the reporter enzyme in that particular cell population, leading to degradation of the corresponding probe.

Abstract: Methods are provided for detecting formation of oligomeric complexes of molecules on the surface of cell membranes. These methods employ pairs of tagged probes and cleaving probes, each of which binds specificly to a cell surface molecule. The tagged probe includes a molecular tag that is linked to a first binding compound through a cleavable linkage, and the cleaving probe includes a second binding agent and a cleavage-inducing moiety that can cleave the linkage when within a defined proximity thereto. Binding of the two probes to cell surface molecules that have formed an oligomeric complex results in release of the molecular tag from the binding compound, providing a measure of formation of the complex.

Abstract: Methods and compositions are provided for detection of analytes, such as cell surface moieties, preferably in multiplexed assays, such that multiple analytes can be assayed simultaneously. The methods employ analyte binding agents which are linked to oligonucleotide labels, which labels are then used for formation of cleavage structures and generation of detectable molecular tags. Preferably, multiple tags are generated per analyte binding event.