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The present invention relates to a method of forming polymer substrate with variable refractive index sensitivity, the method comprising the steps of: (a) contacting a metal-coated patterned mold with a polymer substrate at a temperature sufficient to deform said polymer substrate to thereby deposit a patterned mask of a metal film on the polymer substrate; and (b) etching away portions of said polymer substrate not covered by said patterned mask under conditions to form a region of variable refractive index sensitivity on said polymer substrate.

An optical converter and a method of manufacturing the optical converter are provided. The optical converter may include a signal receiving portion configured to receive an optical signal from an optical fiber which can be coupled to the optical converter, a signal output portion configured to output the optical signal received by the signal receiving portion, and a signal coupling portion being disposed between the signal receiving portion and the signal output portion and being configured to couple the optical signal received by the signal receiving portion into the signal output portion. The signal output portion may include a waveguide element having at least one tapered end section, and being partially or wholly surrounded by the signal coupling portion. The at least one tapered end section may be configured to couple the optical signal from the signal coupling portion into the waveguide element and the waveguide element may be configured to output the optical signal.

There is provided a barrier layer comprising silicate chemically coupled to a polymer matrix. There is also provided a process for making the barrier layer and uses thereof.

Scaffold comprises a polymer defining macropores and comprising hydroxypropylcellulose partially substituted by a substituent comprising a self-crosslinkable group, which is crosslinked through the self-crosslinkable group. The macropores have an average pore size larger than 50 microns and are at least partially interconnected. In one method, bicontinuous emulsion comprising a continuous aqueous phase and a continuous polymer phase is formed. The polymer phase comprises hydroxypropylcellulose partially substituted by a substituent comprising a self-crosslinkable group, and is crosslinked through the self-crosslinkable group to form a polymer defining at least partially interconnected pores. In another method, phase separation is induced in a solution comprising a polymer precursor and water to form a bicontinuous emulsion comprising a continuous polymer phase and a continuous aqueous phase. The polymer precursor comprises a self-crosslinkable group and is crosslinked through the self-crosslinkable group in the emulsion to form a polymer defining at least partially interconnected macropores.

Various embodiments provide a method for processing a stimulation signal. The method may include monitoring an output voltage on an electrode, the electrode being provided with the stimulation signal; determining whether the output voltage is lower than a threshold voltage; if it is determined that the output voltage is lower than the threshold voltage, modifying the waveform of the stimulation signal; and providing the modified stimulation signal to an object via the electrode.

The present invention refers to a conjugate comprising a nanoparticle and at least one oligonucleotide analog, wherein the at least one oligonucleotide analog is a phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligo (PMO) or a derivative thereof that is covalently coupled to the nanoparticle, methods for detecting a target nucleic acid using the conjugate and a kit comprising the conjugate.

A hard coating composition including at least the following components (A) to (E): Component (A): A poly(methyl)glycidyl ether compound derived from a chain aliphatic polyol or a chain aliphatic polyether polyol, which may or may not contain a hydroxyl group, Component (B): A silsesquioxane compound containing a cationic polymerizable group, Component (C): A silicate compound, Component (D): A silane compound containing a cationic polymerizable group, or a partial condensed compound thereof, or a mixture thereof, and Component (E): A cationic photopolymerization initiator, wherein the composition includes 5 to 40 parts by weight of the component (A), 60 to 95 parts by weight of the total of the components (B), (C) and (D), and 0.1 to 10 parts by weight of the component (E), each based on 100 parts by weight of the total of the components (A) to (D).

A phase shift keying transmitter circuit that includes: a variable frequency conversion stage adapted to receive a first data signal, wherein the variable frequency conversion stage comprises a plurality of frequency modulating elements, wherein the first data signal controls the number of the plurality of frequency modulating elements that are operated so as to control an operating frequency of the variable frequency conversion stage; and an output stage configured to switch between one of two possible outputs, the signals provided by one of the two possible outputs having an opposite polarity to the other, wherein the output stage is configured to receive a second data signal to control the switching between the two possible outputs, wherein the output stage is coupled to the variable frequency conversion stage and wherein the switching between the two possible outputs changes the phase of a signal from the variable frequency conversion stage by 180�.

A blood clotting substrate and device which has a plurality of oxygen plasma-treated polypropylene pillars extending from the surface of a polypropylene film.

The invention relates to a method of preventing, inhibiting, arresting or reversing tumorigenesis in a cell as well as a method of inducing apoptosis in a tumor cell. The method includes increasing the amount and/or the activity of a DACT protein, or a functional fragment thereof, in the cell. Also provided is a pharmaceutical composition that comprises a compound of general formula (I), wherein A is CH or N, R1, R4 and R5 are independent from each other H, an aliphatic group, an alicyclic group, an aromatic group, an arylaliphatic group, and an arylalicyclic group comprising 0-3 heteroatoms. The heteroatoms may be N, O, S, or Si. R4 and R5 may optionally be linked so as to define an aliphatic hydrocarbyl bridge. R2 is H or a halogen such as F, Cl, Br or L. R3 is H, F, Cl or an aliphatic or arylaliphatic group that includes 1-8 main chain carbon atoms and 0-3 heteroatoms. The pharmaceutical composition also comprises a histone deacetylase inhibitor.