Abstract: A method for synthesizing a protein of interest within a plant or a portion of a plant is provided. The method involves treating the plant to increase secondary leaf biomass production, followed by introducing one or more than one nucleic acid sequence encoding a protein of interest operatively linked with a regulatory region that is active in the plant, into the plant. The plant is then maintained under conditions that permit the nucleic acid sequence encoding the protein of interest to be expressed in the plant or the portion of the plant. Optionally, the plant or portion of the plant may be harvested and the protein of interest extracted.

Abstract: A spatial parallel mechanism comprises a platform. Three or more legs configured for extending from a base or ground to the platform, each leg has a distal link, one or more distal joint providing one rotational degree of freedom (DOF) about a distal rotational axis, the distal joint connecting a distal end of the distal link to the platform. A proximal joint provides at least two rotational DOFs at the proximal end of the distal link. Assemblies of joints and links provide DOFs to each said leg between the proximal joint and the base or ground. The distal rotational axes of the three legs are parallel to one another.

Abstract: A light-inducible intracellular protein aggregation system is described herein, which provides invaluable tools to study the role of protein aggregates in proteinopathies and to screen for novel therapeutic compounds. The system generally comprises a cell expressing an alpha-synuclein polypeptide or another proteopathic polypeptide that self-aggregates under pathogenic conditions, operably linked to a photoactivatable polypeptide. Illumination of the photoactivatable polypeptide with light having a wavelength sufficient for photoactivation triggers irreversible accumulation of intracellular protein aggregates comprising the alpha-synuclein polypeptide or proteopathic polypeptide. The intracellular protein aggregates can be made to accumulate in real-time during the illumination, thereby enabling spatiotemporal control of protein aggregation.

Abstract: Mid-infrared-transparent optical fiber products with enhanced resistance to OH diffusion are disclosed, which may be used fiber laser oscillator and amplifiers systems. In one embodiment, an optical fiber product may include optical fiber configured for propagation of mid-infrared radiation toward a light-radiating endface of or coupled to the optical fiber, and a diffusion barrier disposed on the light-radiating endface and configured for allowing the mid-infrared radiation emanating from the light-radiating endface to pass therethrough and for preventing OH diffusion therethrough toward the light-radiating endface.

Abstract: An optical fiber comprises a core having an elliptical cross section and a cladding having a circular cross section. The core has an aspect ratio between 2 and 40. The core and the cladding have a common central axis with the core being enclosed by the cladding. The difference of a refractive index of the cladding to a refractive index of the core is between 1×10?2 and 1.5×10?1. A trench is located between the core and the cladding. The trench has a uniform width and encircles the core. The refractive index of the trench is lower than the refractive index of the cladding.

Abstract: Mid-infrared-transparent optical fiber products with enhanced resistance to OH diffusion are disclosed, which may be used fiber laser oscillator and amplifiers systems. In one embodiment, an optical fiber product may include optical fiber configured for propagation of mid-infrared radiation toward a light-radiating endface of or coupled to the optical fiber, and a diffusion barrier disposed on the light-radiating endface and configured for allowing the mid-infrared radiation emanating from the light-radiating endface to pass therethrough and for preventing OH diffusion therethrough toward the light-radiating endface.

Abstract: A method for the synthesis of specialized pro-resolving mediators, structural isomers thereof and analogs thereof is disclosed herein. The method comprises reacting a compound of the formula (I): wherein R1 is alkyl(C?12), cycloalkyl(C?12), alkenyl(C?12), alkylidene(C?12), alkynyl(C?12), aryl, aralkyl, heteroaryl or heteroaralkyl; and X1, X2 and X3 are each independently hydroxy or OP, wherein P is a hydroxy protecting or hydroxy activating group; with a reducing agent under conditions sufficient to produce a compound of the formula (II): wherein: R1, X1, X2 and X3 are as defined above. Novel protectins, more specifically novel structural isomers and analogs of PD1 and PDX are also disclosed.

Abstract: Methods and compositions are provided for the use of anti-CRISPR (ACR) proteins in plants, including modulation of Cas endonuclease activity, improvement of frequency of homologous recombination, control of Cas endonuclease activity during various cell cycles, spatial and/or temporal regulation of Cas endonuclease activity in plants, usage in gene activation or repression, as well as reduction of off-target polynucleotide cleavage.

Abstract: The present description relates to methods for clinically assessing Parkinson's disease in a subject using protein biomarkers of erythrocyte-derived extracellular vesicles (EEV).

Abstract: There is described a wearable respiration sensor generally having a stretchable substrate to be worn around a user's torso; and a dipole antenna having two flexible conductive elements extending in opposite directions from a center, relative to a dipole axis, and being secured to the stretchable substrate, each of the two flexible conductive elements having a proximate end near the center, a distal end away from the center, and a curved portion curving away from and back towards the dipole axis between the proximate end and the distal end, the two flexible conductive elements being in a point reflection symmetry relative to one another relative to said center in a manner that, when the stretchable substrate is stretched along the dipole axis, the curved portions of the two flexible conductive elements are flattened and the distal ends are moved away from one another.

Abstract: An optical fiber configured to improve the pump conversion efficiency of an L-band fiber amplifier which uses the multimode pump source. By directly absorbing multimode light including 915 nm, an active fiber core region co-doped with both erbium and ytterbium can provide gain to the L-band signals via stimulated emission. The unwanted C-band amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) light generate from this active fiber core region can be absorbed by another active fiber core region doped with erbium, then provides additional gain to the L-band signals. Active regions and cladding can be configured to match a given spatial mode of the optical signal. Signal-pump combiners with end-coupling or side coupling can be used.

Abstract: A process for the linear synthesis of a gram-positive class II bacteriocin or a variant thereof is disclosed herein. The process comprises the stepwise addition of selected amino acids to a solid support; pseudoproline positioning and reopening; and cleavage of the gram-positive class II bacteriocin or the variant thereof from the solid support to provide a linear gram-positive class II bacteriocin or variant thereof; and in situ disulfide bond formation. Various applications and uses of the synthetic bacteriocins are also disclosed. The synthetic process can also be used to synthesize variants of bacteriocins by the selective substitution of one or more amino acids and/or additions and/or deletions of selected amino acids.

Abstract: The invention relates to anti-CRISPR genes and anti-CRISPR proteins, and their uses in various biotechnology applications.

Abstract: The present description relates to the use of a SRSF3 agent for regulating the function of a myeloid cell, such as a microglial cell and/or monocyte, for treating neurological conditions, cancers, bacterial infections and viral infections wherein the SRSF3 agent inhibits expression or function of SRSF3.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an attenuated virus strain derived from a human metapneumovirus strain comprising the genome sequence represented by sequence SEQ ID NO. 1, said attenuated strain comprising one or more genetic modifications of said sequence SEQ ID NO. 1 attenuating the virulence of said strain.

Abstract: Provided herein are synthetic analogs of withanolide natural products and their pharmaceutical uses in treating neurodegenerative diseases.

Abstract: There is described an optical phase modulator generally having a substrate; a waveguide mounted to the substrate and extending along a path of the substrate, the waveguide having a first series of phase shift units distributed along the waveguide, each phase shift unit having two Bragg gratings being spaced apart from one another along the path and a cavity between the two spaced-apart Bragg gratings; and a modulation circuit configured for driving a length of the series of phase shift units of the waveguide in accordance with a modulation signal thereby modulating a refractive index of the waveguide to induce a phase shift to an optical signal propagating along the waveguide.

Abstract: A method of increasing the yield, stability, or both of an acid sensitive protein in a plant is provided. The method comprises introducing a first nucleic acid and a second nucleic acid into the plant, or portion of the plant. The first nucleic acid comprises a first regulatory region active in the plant and operatively linked to a nucleotide sequence encoding the acid sensitive protein. The second nucleic acid comprises a second regulatory region active in the plant and operatively linked to a nucleotide sequence encoding a channel protein, for example but not limited to a proton channel protein. The plant or portion of the plant is incubated under conditions that permit the expression of the nucleic acids, thereby increasing the yield of the acid sensitive protein when compared to the yield of the acid sensitive protein produced in the plant or portion of the plant produced under the same conditions, and in the absence of the proton channel protein.

Abstract: A method for determining a threshold for spike detection in a noisy signal in real-time is provided. The method includes estimating a current variability of noise in the noisy signal according to a measured instantaneous value and a window of previous instantaneous values using a sigma-delta control loop, determining the threshold based on the estimated variability of the noise; and repeating the steps to update the estimate of the variability of the noise and adjust the threshold in real-time as the noisy signal changes. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for executing the method on a processing unit, and a low-power digital system implementing the method are also provided.

Abstract: There is described a cellular behaviour monitoring device for monitoring changes in behaviour of cells contained in a sample. The device generally has a well plate with a sample receiving well recessed therein. A filter membrane extends across the well plate and hermetically covers the sample receiving well. The filter membrane has nutrient-permeable and cell-impermeable pores extending through the filter membrane. The device has an electrode layer extending across the filter membrane. The electrode layer has a substrate and behaviour monitoring electrodes spaced-apart from one another in a region of the substrate, with the region being aligned with the sample receiving well. The electrode layer has nutrient-permeable apertures distributed across the region, with at least some of pores are aligned with at least some of the apertures to allow fluid communication therebetween, and nutrient exchange between the sample receiving well and a surrounding environment.