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Apparatus for conducting and monitoring chemical reactions comprises a base and a thermal cycler mounted on the base. A plurality of heat-conducting receptacles are mounted on the thermal cycler and in heat-communication therewith. Each receptacle comprises an opaque body defining a bore having an open end, a first window, and a second window. A cartridge is removably mounted on the receptacles. The cartridge comprises a plurality of light-transmitting reaction vessels, and conduits connected to the reaction vessels for processing and transferring fluid. The reaction vessels are received in the bores of the receptacles through the open ends of the bores. A light emitter is mounted on the base for illuminating the reaction vessels through the first windows of the reaction vessels. A light detector is mounted on the base for selectively receiving and detecting light emitted from the reaction vessels through the second windows of the receptacles.

There is presently provided a stimulus-responsive polymer comprising a biodegradable polymer backbone and a stimulus-responsive pendant group attached to the biodegradable polymer backbone, wherein the biodegradable polymer backbone comprises a poly(amino ester) or a poly(amido amine), the poly(amido amine) optionally comprising a disulfide linkage in the backbone.

The present invention relates to a method for forming a catalyst comprising catalytic nanoparticles and a catalyst support, wherein the catalytic nanoparticles are embedded in the catalyst support, comprising forming the catalytic nanoparticles on carbon particle, dispersing the carbon particle in a solution comprising precursors of the catalyst support to form a suspension, heating the suspension to form a gel, subjecting the gel to incineration to form a powder, and sintering the powder to form the catalyst.

The present invention provides a process for making regular shaped particles of solid foam. A first mixture, comprising water, an acid, a surfactant and a hydrophobic material, is combined with a hydrolysable silicon species to form a second mixture. The second mixture is maintained under conditions and for a sufficient time to form regular shaped precursor particles. The second mixture is then aged at a temperature and for a time effective to produce the regular shaped particles of solid foam.

A method for forming hierarchical patterns on an article by nanoimprinting is disclosed. The method includes using a first mold to form a primary pattern on the article at a first temperature and a first pressure, the first temperature and the first pressure being able to reduce the elastic modulus of the article; and using a second mold to form a second pattern on the primary pattern at a second temperature that is below the article's glass transition temperature, the forming of the second pattern being at a second pressure.

The invention describes a nanocomposite particle comprising a nanoparticle having a surface comprising a silver salt, and at least one region of metallic gold on said surface. The invention also provides a nanocomposite material comprising said particles and processes for making the nanocomposite material, either by allowing gold in nanoparticles having a silver salt on the surface thereof to at least partially diffuse through the silver salt so as to form at least one region of metallic gold on said surface, or else by depositing metallic gold on the surfaces of nanoparticles having the silver salt on the surface thereof.

A process for making a particulate material comprising mesoporous particles having granules of a metal containing species in at least some of the pores thereof, said process comprising: allowing a compound of the metal to enter pores of hydrophobic mesoporous particles, said compound being thermally decomposable at a decomposition temperature to form a metal containing species and said particles being substantially thermally stable at said decomposition temperature; and heating the hydrophobic mesoporous particles having the compound in the pores thereof to the decomposition temperature so as to decompose the compound and to form the mesoporous particles having granules of the metal containing species in at least some of the pores thereof.

The wireless transmission of layered signals, in a described embodiment, uses multiple relay nodes (304) to implement cooperative diversity. The method includes: (i) receiving layered signals from a source node (300), (ii) receiving, from a destination node (302), a relay allocation parameter to implement a cooperative relay strategy with one or more other relay nodes (304), and (iii) relaying the layered signals to the destination node (302) using the cooperative relay strategy.

A modulator, a demodulator and a modulator-demodulator are provided. A modulator includes a first intermediate signal processing path adapted to route a first intermediate signal; a second intermediate signal processing path adapted to route a second intermediate signal; a first amplifier coupled into the first intermediate signal processing path; a second amplifier coupled into the second intermediate signal processing path; and a chopper circuit coupled into the first intermediate signal processing path; wherein the chopper circuit is adapted to process the first intermediate signal in dependence on first baseband data; wherein the first amplifier is adapted to amplify the first intermediate signal processed by the chopper circuit in dependence on second baseband data; and wherein the second amplifier is adapted to amplify the second intermediate signal in dependence on the second baseband data.

The apparatus for cell or tissue culture comprises a base plate (1), an intermediate face (2) and a top plate (3). The intermediate face (2) is removably sandwiched between the base plate (1) and the top plate (3). The base plate (1) has a circumferential wall (13), a base (14) and a top wall (16). The top wall (16) of the base plate (1) comprises a plurality of recesses (12) arranged in n lines, wherein n is an integer from 1 to about 25. Each line of recesses (12) ranges from a first recess to a last recess. Each recess has a circumferential recess wall (15), which has one recess inlet and one recess outlet (40, 41). The circumferential wall (13) comprises a number of 2 n ports (11). Each port (11) is coupled to a single line of recesses (12). The recesses (12) of each line of recesses are in fluid communication with (i) each other via the recess inlets and a recess outlets (40, 41) and (ii) with a first and a second port (11) of the 2 n ports, such that the first recess of each line of recesses is coupled to a first port and the last recess of each line of recesses is coupled to a second port. The intermediate face (2) has a plurality of recesses (21) arranged in m lines, fitted into the plurality of recesses (12) of the top wall (16) of the base plate (13). m is an integer from 1 to about 25 equal to or smaller than n. The recesses (21) of the intermediate face (2) have water permeability. The top plate (3) is reversibly sealed to the intermediate face (2) and the intermediate face (2) is reversibly sealed to the base plate (1). Thus the recesses (12) of the top wall (16) of the base plate (1) define culture chambers. Each culture chamber has a circumferential wall defined by the recess wall (15) and a removable top, which is defined by a portion of the top plate (3).