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This invention relates to a composite material comprising a core comprising an organosilica such as a polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) and a functionalized elastomeric polymer such as poly(n-butyl acrylate) bonded onto said core. The elastomer is preferably functionalised with an amine moiety. The present invention also relates to a polymer comprising a resin such as Bisphenol A diglycidylether (DGEBA) and the aforementioned composite material, and a method for making the composite material. The composite material can improve both the material strength and material toughness of the polymer into which it is mixed.

Isolated peptides and pharmaceutical compositions comprising isolated peptides that bind to retinoblastoma binding protein 4 (RBBp4) and block the Spalt-Like Transcription Factor 4 (SALL4)-RBBp4 interaction are described. Methods of inhibiting binding of SALL4 to RBBp4 and methods of treating a subject having a disorder mediated by a dysregulation of SALL4 are also described.

We describe the use of exosome such as mesenchymal stem cell exosomes in a method of promoting, restoring or enhancing homeostasis in an individual suffering from graft versus host disease (GVHD) or epidermolysis bullosa (EB). The homeostasis may comprise immune homeostasis such as maintenance of an immune response. The method may comprise administering a therapeutically effective amount of exosome to the individual.

The present invention relates to peptidomimetics of the formula (I) or (I)c wherein L1, L2, L3, R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, n, m, Q, X, Z1 and Z2 are defined as mentioned in the description and to salts and solvates of each of these compounds and to processes for the preparation thereof, compositions containing them and the uses of such compounds. It has been found that the compounds have a high microbicide activity and are suited to combat resistant bacteria, such as meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains, at very low concentrations.

Antimicrobial cationic polymers having one or two cationic polycarbonate chains were prepared by organocatalyzed ring opening polymerization. One antimicrobial cationic polymer has a polymer chain consisting essentially of cationic carbonate repeat units linked to one or two end groups. The end groups can comprise a covalently bound form of biologically active compound such as cholesterol. Other antimicrobial cationic polymers have a random copolycarbonate chain comprising a minor mole fraction of hydrophobic repeat units bearing a covalently bound form of a vitamin E and/or vitamin D2. The cationic polymers exhibit high activity and selectivity against Gram-negative and Gram-positive microbes and fungi.

Systems and methods for self-determining optical inspection of wire bonds of semiconductor components. The method is an automated optical wire bond inspection method that may include obtaining an image of a semiconductor component having wire bonds. The method may also include detecting a plurality of wire bonds on the semiconductor component image so that a wire between at least two of the plurality of detected wire bonds may be detected. Further, the method may include determining an inspection region of interest corresponding to at least one detected wire bond and at least one detected wire. The method may then include inspecting the detected wire bond along the region of interest.

Disclosed are methods of determining the likelihood of a subject having or developing a gastric cancer. The methods comprise measuring the expression level of at least one miRNA having at least 90% sequence identity with an miRNA as described herein in a non-cellular biofluid sample obtained from the subject, wherein differential expression of miRNA expression in the sample obtained from the subject, as compared to a control, may be indicative of the subject having gastric cancer and wherein the miRNA may be either an miRNA listed as �up-regulated� or an miRNA listed as �down-regulated�. Also disclosed is a method of determining the likelihood of a subject having or developing a stage of a gastric cancer.

The present application relates to the field of cancer, particularly that of cancers with high MDM4 protein levels (such as melanoma, breast, colon or lung cancers, glioblastoma, retinoblastoma, etc.). It is shown herein that direct and selective inhibition of MDM4, e.g., by antisense RNA, leads to growth inhibition of cancer cells and sensitization to chemo or targeted therapies. Also provided are simple ways of determining which patients are most amenable for such treatment by comparing specific transcript levels.

Systems and methods for scalably encoding and decoding coded data are presented. One exemplary method for scalably coding data includes classifying (304), based upon at least one predetermined criteria, each of the plurality of data received as either (i) perceptually relevant data or (ii) perceptually irrelevant data. The perceptually relevant data is scalably coded (306), and the perceptually irrelevant data is non-scalably coded (308). Subsequently, the scalably coded perceptually relevant data and the non-scalably coded perceptually irrelevant are combined (310) into a coded data stream for transmission.

The present invention is directed to methods for determining the activity of a promoter. The present invention further describes a method for determining the susceptibility of a subject to cancer and biomarkers for detecting cancer in a subject.