Abstract: Provided herein are chimeric receptors, engineered cells and pharmaceutical compositions for enhancement of long-term clearance of protein aggregates in the central nervous system via phagocytosis or engulfment. Further provided herein are methods of treatment of subjects suffering from, or diagnosed with, a neurodegenerative disease by administering these receptors, modified cells, and/or pharmaceutical compositions. Administration of one or more, or a plurality of these modified cells, to a subject may provide treatment of a neurodegenerative disease such as Alzheimer's Disease (AD) or Parkinson's Disease (PD). Advantageously, the modified cells, pharmaceutical compositions, and methods of the present disclosure meet existing needs in the art by providing clearance of accumulations of protein aggregates in brain tissue in PD and AD pathologies.

Abstract: Bacterial pathogens have evolved means to succeed as pathogens by infecting without recognition by receptors triggering innate immunity, by suppressing induction of immunity and by inducing immune responses to antigens that confer no protectives immunity. Embodiments described herein circumvent these abilities in Salmonella so as to provide a vector system that induces maximal protective immune responses. Another major problem in using live attenuated bacterial vaccine vectors is the accumulation of attenuating mutations that confer a virulence and safety but which decrease the ability of the vaccine to invade cells in the MALT to colonize and persist in internal effector lymphoid tissues.

Abstract: The present disclosure describes various embodiments of systems, apparatuses, and methods for drone-based administration of remotely located devices. One such method comprises deploying an unmanned aerial vehicle from a base station, wherein the base station assigns a maintenance order to the unmanned aerial vehicle for servicing of a remote device, traveling, by the unmanned aerial vehicle, to the location of the remote device, authenticating, by the unmanned aerial vehicle, a valid identification of the remote device; upon the remote device being authenticated by the unmanned aerial vehicle, servicing the remote device by at least charging a power supply of the remote device and transferring contents of a device log to the unmanned aerial vehicle; and after completing the servicing of the remote device; returning to the base station and transferring contents of the device log to the base station.

Abstract: A particle portal imaging (PPI) system and method are provided that can be used to provide a “beam's eye view” of a patient's anatomy as a charged particle beam is delivered to a target region of the patient's body. The PPI system is capable of performing real-time image acquisition and in-situ dose monitoring using at least exit neutrons generated within the patient. The PPI system can perform charged particle treatment (PT) monitoring to monitor the particle beam being used for PT.

Abstract: The present disclosure is related to compositions and methods useful in treating heart conditions. The disclosed compositions and methods are based on gene therapies comprising a recombinant AAV vector for delivering two or more transgenes into the heart of a subject, wherein the transgenes encode an S100A1 protein and a cardiac Apoptosis Repressor with caspase recruitment Domain (cARC) apoptotic inhibitor, respectively. In various embodiments, the compositions and methods disclosed herein comprise vectors comprising S100A1 and/or cARC cDNA sequences that are codon-optimized for expression in humans. In various embodiments, the compositions and methods disclosed herein comprise vectors with improved packaging efficiencies. In some aspects, targeting multiple sources of one or more heart conditions can provide synergistic benefits during treatment.

Abstract: Provided herein, in some embodiments, are nucleic acid constructs encoding therapeutic proteins of interest comprising one or more alternatively-spliced exons that regulate the expression of therapeutic proteins of interest. Such constructs may in some embodiments be useful for delivery in a recombinant viral vector.

Abstract: The present invention relates to recombinant cyanobacterial cells for the production of a chemical compound of interest. In particular, the present invention relates to genetic modifications that introduce one or more heterologous phosphopantetheinyl transferases (PPTases) into a cyanobacterial cell. These cells can, optionally, further comprise heterologous carrier protein and nucleic acid constructs that provide the cyanobacterial cells with the capability of producing chemicals of interest or compounds of interest, such secondary metabolites polyketides, nonribosomal peptides and their hybrids, the three major families of bioactive natural products, of cyanobacteria and other bacterial phyla, secondary metabolites analogs, and unnatural compounds.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are unique adjuvant compositions comprising an attenuated derivative of a bacterial pathogen that undergoes lysis in vivo. In exemplary embodiments, the bacterial pathogen is a Salmonella spp. Also disclosed are methods for enhancing an immune response using the adjuvants disclosed herein.

Abstract: The instant invention relates to seaweed extract compositions, processes for isolation, isolated active agents, and methods of treating disease, disorders and conditions in a subject, including, reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated diseases and diseases mediated through the activation of the Nrf2-ARE (antioxidant response element) pathway, including proliferative diseases and disorders, Alzheimer's disease, stroke, and certain diseases and disorders of aging and associated with aging and exposure, by use of the extracts, compounds, and compositions thereof.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a composition comprising a biologically active agent; a base oil; an additional oil that is soluble in the base oil with a partition coefficient for the biologically active molecule that is at least twice that of the base oil; where the base oil and the additional oil are present in the composition in an amount effective to reduce the amount of the biologically active agent in an aqueous phase to less than 80 wt % of the amount with just the base oil present in an otherwise identical composition at the same total oil loading; a non-ionic surfactant; and water.

Abstract: Described herein are various embodiments of a valve that may be opened and closed using a thixotropic or “stress yield” material, or other material that temporarily changes phase upon application of energy to the material. More particularly, some embodiments may include a valve that is opened and closed using a granular gel that is a temporary phase change material.

Abstract: Described herein are injectable composite inks composed of a hydrogel continuous phase with a plurality of microgels present within the hydrogel continuous phase. The inks described herein have unique chemical and physical properties that enable them to be printed into a number of different types of articles. The articles produced by the injectable composite inks have numerous medical applications.

Abstract: The disclosure provides methods of treating obesity, reducing weight, or preventing weight gain using a combination therapy of GDF15 polypeptide and a myostatin inhibitor (e.g., a myostatin propeptide).

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to compositions and methods for treatment of degenerative conditions of large weight-bearing joints, such as osteoarthritis, by intra-articular delivery of a codon-modified IL-1Ra encoding gene.

Abstract: Provided are compositions and methods of treating cell proliferative disorders, especially cancer. Also provided are methods for assessing and monitoring cell proliferative processes and processes for amelioration of cell proliferative disorders, especially cancer.

Abstract: Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide a scan-based architecture for register-transfer-level (RTL) or gate-level designs that improves the security of scan chain-based design-for-testability (DFT) structures. In various embodiments, the scan-based architecture includes invisible scan chains that are hidden in such a way that an attacker cannot easily identify or locate the invisible scan chains for exploitation and revealing internal secure information of the design. The invisible scan chains are dynamically configurable into a scan chain with select flip-flops, such that scan paths of the invisible scan chains may be different between different designs, chips, or testing operations. Various embodiments further employ key-based obfuscation by combining a scan control finite state machine with existing state machines within a design, which improves design security against unauthorized use and increases confidentiality.

Abstract: In one aspect, the disclosure relates to methods for preparation of terpene and terpene-like molecules. In a further aspect, the disclosure relates to the products of the disclosed methods, i.e., terpene and terpene-like molecules prepared using the disclosed methods. Intermediates for the synthesis of a wide variety of terpenoids are ?-allyl Knoevenagel adducts or quasi ?-allyl Knoevenagel adducts are disclosed. In various aspects, methods of preparing terpenoids through these intermediates are disclosed. The methods can comprise ?-alkylation of an allylic electrophile followed by ring-closure metathesis to a polycyclic terpenoid structure. In a further aspect, the disclosure pertains to terpenoid frameworks, and compounds prepared via disclosed oxidation and substitution reactions on the disclosed terpenoid frameworks. This abstract is intended as a scanning tool for purposes of searching in the particular art and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure.

Abstract: The present disclosure describes systems, apparatuses, and methods for obfuscation-based intellectual property (IP) watermark labeling. One such method comprises identifying, by one or more computing processors, a specific net within an integrated circuit design that is likely to be used in a malicious attack; and adding additional nets to the integrated circuit design that add additional logic states to a finite state machine present in the integrated circuit design. The additional logic states comprise watermarking states for performing authentication of the integrated circuit design, in which a watermark digest can be captured upon application of secret key inputs to the additional nets. Other methods, systems, and apparatuses are also presented.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to macrocyclic peptides and pharmaceutical compositions thereof. The disclosure further relates to pharmaceutical compositions for modulating opioid receptor activity. The macrocyclic tetrapeptides provided herein are useful in treating diseases or disorders relating to the activity of one or more opioid receptors, such as neurological disorders.

Abstract: Provided herein are modified recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) capsid proteins, such as modified rAAV1, rAAV5, and rAAV6 capsid proteins, rAAV particles comprising such capsid proteins, nucleic acid molecules encoding such capsid proteins, as well as compositions, kits and methods of use thereof.