Abstract: A compound including a cell penetrating peptide (CPP), an elastin-like polypeptide (ELP), and a therapeutic peptide (TP) can be preferentially directed to a target site by applying hyperthermia. The compound can be useful for the treatment of tumors.

Abstract: A compound useful for treating subjects in need of therapy involving sigma receptors or for alleviation of affects resulting from drug abuse having the general formula I in which R1 can be a radical of an optionally substituted C-4 to C-7 N-containing heterocycle such as, for example, radicals of optionally substituted piperidines, optionally substituted piperazines, optionally substituted tetrahydropyridines, optionally substituted azepanes, tertiary amines (cyclic or acyclic), isoindoline-1,3-dione, or optionally substituted tetrahydroisoquinolones (aromatically substituted): R2,3,4,5,6 can each independently be any one or combinations of the following moieties, cyano, nitro, acyl, alkyl, amido, azido, isothiocyanate, isocyanate optionally substituted anilino, halogens, ethers, sulfonamides, thioacyl, nitro, aromatic, heterocyclic, olefinic, acetylene, deuterium, or tritium; Y can be either CH, CH2, O, S, OCH2, N—R, N—Ar, C—R, C—Ar; Z can be either H, O, S, S—R or NR.

Abstract: An apparatus for removing water vapor from a feed gas is provided that comprises a membrane housing, a membrane that divides a first pressure side and a second pressure side of the membrane housing, a feed gas inlet and outlet on the first pressure side, a sweep gas inlet and outlet on the second pressure side, a sweep gas flow regulator, and a pump. In some embodiments the feed gas can be at ambient pressure and a pressure drop across the membrane can be less than about 1 atm. In some embodiments the sweep gas can be a portion of the feed gas exiting the first pressure side. Some embodiments are part of air conditioning, drying, or water recovery systems. Additionally, some embodiments achieve dew points of less than 0° C. and dehumidification efficiencies of 200% to 600%.

Abstract: Compounds having the general formula II, III, or IV wherein R1 can be a radical of an optionally substituted C-4 to C-7 N-containing heterocycle or a radical of an optionally substituted cyclic or acyclic tertiary amine or isoindoline-1,3-dione: R2,3,4,5,6 can each independently be any one or combinations of the following moieties, cyano, nitro, acyl, alkyl, amido, azido, isothiocyanate, isocyanate, optionally substituted anilino, halogens, ethers, sulfonamides, thioacyl, nitro, aromatic, heterocyclic, olefinic, acetylene, deuterium, or tritium; Y can be either CH, CH2, O, S, OCH2, N—R, N—Ar, C—R, C—Ar; Z can be either H, O, S, S—R or NR.

Abstract: A method of ameliorating amphotericin treatment side effects in a mammal that comprises administering a therapeutically effective amount of a formulation that comprises a polyene active ingredient that includes amphotericin B, wherein the amphotericin B compound is present, in terms of polyene content, in an amount greater than 90%, and non-amphotericin B polyene compounds are present in an amount of no greater than 10%, and a pharmaceutically effective carrier; and administering a therapeutically effective amount of said formulation to a subject in need thereof.

Abstract: This invention relates generally to animal models of anxiety and depression. Specifically, this invention relates to an in vivo high utility, high-throughput model for screening anxiolytic/antidepressant drugs in fowl chicks with stress vulnerability. This new animal model utilizes an inexpensive avian model, measures spontaneous behaviors in very young animals, and is capable of detecting and/or differentiating a compound's anxiolytic and/or antidepressant effects. This new animal model is especially useful in detecting and/or differentiating a compound's anxiolytic and/or antidepressant effects in treatment-resistant subjects. Animal costs are less than 10% of rodent costs and the assay can be run in a high-throughput mode.

Abstract: The present invention, in one or more embodiments, comprises water-soluble derivatives of 3-n-pentadecylcatechol (poison ivy urushiol saturated congener) and/or 3-n-heptadecylcatechol (poison oak urushiol saturated congener) as compositions for the prevention and/or prophylactic treatment of contact dermatitis caused by poison ivy and poison oak. The present invention is also directed towards processes for making such compounds. Disclosed are compounds which are effective for tolerizing and desensitizing a subject against allergens contained in plants of the Anacardiaceae and Ginkgoaceae families comprising water soluble urushiol esters of general formula (I) Tolerizing and desensitizing mammals, including humans, to allergens contained in plants of the Anacardiaceae and Ginkgoaceae families is attained by administering a composition containing at least one water soluble urushiol ester compound.

Abstract: A device and method is provided for treating treat gastrointestinal disorders using electrical stimulation. In one advantageous form, the method uses mucosal EGG (mEGG) to analyze a patient's natural gastric electrical activity. The mEGG can be measured anywhere in the gastrointestinal tract. From the mEGG, one can determine whether a patient is a good candidate for gastrointestinal electrical stimulation. For example, analysis of the frequency, amplitude and a ratio of frequency to amplitude can be used to determine who should receive gastrointestinal electrical stimulation, and at what the various stimulation parameters should be. The present method can be used to treat various disorders relating to gastrointestinal electrical activity. Ideally, the gastric electrical stimulation is delivered at a desired frequency and amplitude to effectuate normalization of gastric electrical current/activity, thereby treating disorders associated with gastric electrical activity.

Abstract: A particle feeder is provided for feeding small particles at a uniform low feed rate. In some embodiments, the particle feeder includes a primary reservoir, a secondary reservoir, and a valve. The primary reservoir encloses an internal volume for holding particles and defining a hole through a bottom surface thereof. The valve includes a rod enclosed within and extending through the volume defined by the primary reservoir. The rod is movable between an open position, wherein particles can flow through the hole, and a closed position, wherein the rod blocks the hole. The actuator controls the movement of the rod between the open position and the closed position. The secondary reservoir has an internal volume, and a conduit for connecting the internal volume of the secondary reservoir with the internal volume of primary reservoir, such that particles can flow from the secondary reservoir into the primary reservoir.

Abstract: A multidomain plate acoustic wave device is provided having one or more single piezoelectric crystalline plates with differently polarized ferroelectric domains, where the domains have diverse directions of their axes of polarization. The device may consist of a multidomain plate acoustic wave transducer, a multidomain plate acoustic wave delay line, a multidomain plate acoustic wave rf filter, and any combination thereof. The differently polarized ferroelectric domains may comprise a collection of inversely or differently poled ferroelectric domains within a single piezoelectric medium. The medium may be any crystalline or ceramic plate with non-zero piezoelectric properties, in which the domains are created and embedded. In varying embodiments, the device includes electrodes oriented to generate an external rf field in various, respective directions, including in a direction normal to a basal plane of the device, or in a direction parallel to a length or a width of the device.

Abstract: A method and device is disclosed for reducing and controlling stuttering. The method involves tactile feedback of the stutterer's own speech to reducing stuttering. In one embodiment, the device may detect speech by audible or mechanical means, and the feedback may be produced by vibration mechanisms.

Abstract: An efficient hybrid encryption-coding algorithm is disclosed that requires using traditional encryption only for the first small amount of data. This amount of data, the first block, is determined by the traditional encryption algorithm to be applied on this first block. In this algorithm, all of the rest of the information will then be transmitted securely over the wireless channel, using network coding, without a need for using traditional encryption. Unlike the traditional and opportunistic encryption algorithms, the algorithm achieves higher data rates and less avalanche error effect, and, at the same time, it is as secure as traditional encryption algorithms. Assuming the additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel model employing our disclosed algorithm, we analyze its performance in terms of throughput and security level.

Abstract: Elastin-like polypeptide (ELP) serves as a vector for thermally-targeted delivery of therapeutics, including cytotoxic chemotherapeutic drugs such as doxorubicin. Examples of an ELP-based delivery vehicle can comprise: (1) a cell penetrating peptide, such as a Tat peptide, (2) ELP, and (3) the lysosomally degradable glycylphenylalanylleucylglycine (GFLG) (SEQ ID NO: 3) spacer and a cysteine residue (SEQ ID NO: 4) conjugated to therapeutic such as doxorubicin, or an analog thereof.

Abstract: Resveratrol has been reported to have hypolipidemic properties. We investigated whether resveratrol and its analogs: pterostilbene, piceatannol and resveratrol trimethyl ether, would activate the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPAR?) isoform. This nuclear receptor is proposed to mediate the activity of lipid-lowering drugs such as the fibrates. The four stilbenes and ciprofibrate (positive control) were evaluated for the activation of endogenous PPAR? in H4IIEC3 cells transfected with a luciferase gene reporter construct. Pterostilbene demonstrated the highest induction of PPAR?; the maximal response to pterostilbene was similar to that obtained with the hypolipidemic drug, ciprofibrate.

Abstract: We report the synthesis and characterization of four novel CCC—NHC pincer platinum(II) and palladium(II) complexes, which adopt a distorted square planar configuration. These complexes emit bright blue light in the solid state under UV irradiation with emissions that are stable in ambient atmosphere (O2 and H2O) for extended periods. We also report the synthesis and characterization of CCC—NHC pincer ligand nickel complexes, and solid state fluorescence spectra have been collected for two of the complexes reported. X-ray structural analysis of a representative compound exhibits a distorted square planar geometry. Finally, we report the synthesis and characterization of CCC—NHC pincer ligand complexes for abnormal carbens, triazole, and BIA.

Abstract: Resveratrol, a stilbenoid antioxidant found in grapes, wine, peanuts and other berries, has been reported to have hypolipidemic properties. Resveratrol and its three analogs (pterostilbene, piceatannol and resveratrol trimethyl ether) were evaluated for their effects on the activation of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPAR?) isoforms, a receptor shown to mediate the activity of lipid-lowering drugs such as the fibrates. The four stilbenes and ciprofibrate (positive control) were evaluated for the activation of endogenous PPAR? in H4IIEC3 cells. Pterostilbene demonstrated the highest induction of PPAR? demonstrating increases of 7- and 9-14 fold relative to control. The maximal responses to pterostilbene are similar to those obtained with the hypolipidemic drug, ciprofibrate; that is, pterostilbene acts as a PPAR? agonist, like that of the fibrate class, and is a more effective hypolipidemic agent than resveratrol.

Abstract: A method is provided for compressing data from a stream of values using one or many distinct memory addresses as workspace, each memory address containing one or many values. The method works by reading two contiguous data values, of length K and N bits, from the stream, as a memory address reference (MAR) and a symbol, respectively. If the symbol does not match any of the values in the memory address pointed to by MAR, the symbol replaces one of those values, and a MISS code, followed by the symbol, is appended to the compressed stream; otherwise, a HIT code is appended to the compressed stream, said code representing a function of the location where the matched value was found in the memory address. Advantageously, the workspace behaves analogous to a cache memory used in computer architecture, allowing hardware or software parallel implementations using content addressable memory or associative arrays.

Abstract: Compounds having the general formula III?, or IV? wherein R1 can be a radical of an optionally substituted C-4 to C-7 N-containing heterocycle or a radical of an optionally substituted cyclic or acyclic tertiary amine or isoindoline-1,3-dione: R2,4,5,6 can each independently be any one or combinations of the following moieties, cyano, nitro, acyl, alkyl, amido, azido, isothiocyanate, isocyanate, optionally substituted anilino, halogens, ethers, sulfonamides, thioacyl, nitro, aromatic, heterocyclic, olefinic, acetylene, deuterium, or tritium; Y is S; Z can be either H, O, S, S—R or NR where R groups can be either H, aryls, alkyls, or cycloalkyls; “n” can be 1 to 5 carbons in length and stereoisomers, functional analogs, and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof and wherein the moiety bridging R1 and N can be a substituted alkylene, optionally substituted alkenylene or optionally substituted alkynylene and where the alkylene group can include an inserted C3-C5 cycloalkyl group, aromatic, and heterocycli

Abstract: The present invention includes a method for delivering a medicament to a nail plate or nail bed that comprises providing a therapeutically effective amount of a medicament, etching the surface of the nail, and applying a medicament to the surface of the nail. A preferred embodiment of the present invention is directed to a method of treating a fungal infection of the fingernail or toenail. Also included in the present invention are the compositions (i.e., the etching compositions and/or the medicament compositions) used to treat the nail in accordance with the methods of the present invention.