Abstract: A process for the co-precipitation of a substance with a stabilizer therefor, by a gas anti solvent process comprising introducing into a particle formation vessel a supercritical fluid pure or mixed with a modifier; and a solution comprising said substance and said stabilizer dissolved in a solvent; so as said solvent is extracted from the solution by said supercritical fluid and co-precipitation of the substance and stabilizer occurs. The process may be carried out using an apparatus, for example, shown in FIG. 1, comprising a particle formation vessel (22) and a nozzle (27) having a central orifice (39) serving to introduce a solution of the substance and a plurality of outer orifices (41) serving to carry a flow of supercritical fluid into the particle formation vessel (22), such that the solvent is extracted from the solution by the supercritical fluid and precipitation of micron sized particles of the substance/stabilizer occurs.

Abstract: The present invention provides a non-mouse, including human, pluripotential embryonic stem cell which can: (a) be maintained on feeder layers for at least 20 passages; and (b) give rise to embryoid bodies and multiple differentiated cell phenotypes in monolayer culture. The invention further provides a method of making a pluripotential embryonic stem cell comprising culturing germ cells and germ cell progenitors in a composition comprising a growth enhancing amount of basic fibroblast growth factor, leukemia inhibitory factor, membrane associated steel factor, and soluble steel factor to primordial germ cells under cell growth conditions, thereby making a pluripotential embryonic stem cell. Also provided are compositions useful to produce the pluripotent embryonic stem cells and methods of screening associated with the method of making the embryonic stem cell.

Abstract: Disclosed is a phage display system in which the molecules to be displayed (i.e., molecules of interest) are bound to dispensable capsid polypeptides such as SOC (small outer capsid) and HOC (highly antigenic outer capsid) polypeptides that are, in turn, bound to a surface lattice protein, such as those on the surface of a virion or polyhead. Also disclosed are methods of displaying a molecule of interest, methods of immunizing a patient by administering a displayed antigen, and methods of treating a patient who has a disorder associated with aberrent expression or activity of a biological molecule. In the latter instance, the method includes administering a displayed polypeptide, such as an immunoglobulin molecule or an enzyme, that is capable of specifically interacting with the aberrent biological molecule.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for the rapid simultaneous production of a plurality of single-stranded DNA circles having a predetermined size and nucleotide sequence using pre-designed hairpin oligonucleotides containing complementary sequences for directing ligation to form dumbbell-shaped monomers followed by heat denaturation to yield single-stranded DNA circles.

Abstract: The present invention provides methods of delivering nucleic acids to specific regions, tissues and cell types of the CNS. More particularly the invention provides methods of delivering nucleic acids to cells of the CNS such as cerebellar cells and ependymal cells. The invention also provides methods of delivering nucleic acids to cells of the lung such as alveolar cells using AAV5 vectors and particles.

Abstract: A system and method for controlling a print job in a printer, such as canceling the print job held in the printer. The system includes a printer having a processor that receives print jobs, including one or more print data swaths, from one or more host computers, and each print data swath includes at least a predefined group of characters. The system also has at least one host computer in communication with the printer and which selectively sends print jobs including print data and/or command data. The host computer further selectively sends a command which is a predetermined group of characters within the print data swath, and the command alters a function in the printer. The command is preferably a series of identical characters, such as NULL characters, and the command preferably causes the printer to enter a command mode to execute the commanded function.

Abstract: Discoveries are disclosed that show particular aspects of recombinant DNA technology can be used successfully to produce a hitherto unknown type of human Platelet-Derived Growth Factor (PDGF) receptor protein free of other PDGF receptors. These proteins can be produced from DNA segments in cells in various functional forms. These forms variously enable biochemical and functional studies of these novel receptors as well as production of antibodies. Means are described for determining the level of expression of genes for specific types of PDGF receptor proteins, for example, by measuring mRNA in cells with PDGF receptor type-specific DNA probes or by measuring antigen in biological samples with type-specific antibodies.

Abstract: The invention provides compositions and methods enabling the provision of plants showing an altered flowering behavior, and, particularly, genetically modified plants showing an early or delayed flower formation when compared to not correspondingly modified, but otherwise similar wild-type plants, as well as a tissue-specific promoter which may be utilized in a method for producing these genetically modified plants. The invention is based on the finding that the flowering behavior of plants may be influenced by enhancing the saccharose-cleaving activity specifically in the apical meristem of the plants. In this context, an enhancement of the saccharose-cleaving activity specifically in the apoplast of the apical meristem of plants results in an early flower formation whereas an enhancement of the saccharose-cleaving activity specifically in the cytoplasm of cells of the apical meristem leads to a delayed flower formation compared with corresponding not modified wild-type plants.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to an improved method for detecting a genetic marker in a biological sample comprising contacting the biological sample with a nucleic acid probe linked to a detectable moiety, whereby the detectable moiety can be detected by the presence of a chromogenic dye associated with the detectable moiety, obtaining a spectral image of the biological sample using brightfield microscopy, and detecting the presence of the chromogenic dye, thereby detecting the genetic marker in the biological sample.

Abstract: The present invention comprises methods and compositions for treating viral infection by inhibiting the activity of host cellular enzymes. More specifically, methods and compositions comprising casein kinase II inhibitors and various related compounds such as precursors, analogs, metabolites and hydrolysis products that inhibit cellular proteins and thus viral replication are provided.

Abstract: A method of enhancing the permeability of a biological membrane, including the skin or mucosa of an animal or the outer layer of a plant to a permeant is described utilizing microporation of selected depth and optionally one or more of sonic, electromagnetic, mechanical and thermal energy and a chemical enhancer. Microporation is accomplished to form a micropore of selected depth in the biological membrane and the porated site is contacted with the permeant. Additional permeation enhancement measures may be applied to the site to enhance both the flux rate of the permeant into the organism through the micropores as well as into targeted tissues within the organism.

Abstract: A system and method for extracting image information from a video frame for regions of a the video frame that likely are objects of interest in a scene. An initial region set is generated by comparing luminance image information and color image information of a video frame with luminance image information and color image information of a background image for the scene. A high confidence region set is generated comprising regions from the initial based upon edge information of the regions and edge information in the background image. A final region set is generated by combining one or more regions in the high confidence region set if such combinations satisfy predetermined criteria, including size, region proximity and morphological region dilation.

Abstract: The present invention provides a novel pattern recognition system that may be used to determine the likelihood that an unknown item belongs to a predefined class. The present invention provides improved functionality over prior art systems in that both feature parameters and confidence parameters are trained automatically from ground truth image data; large numbers of different attributes can be analyzed in the model, which yields more accurate modeling; relationships between different features can also be trained from ground truth data and represented in parametric form; there is insensitivity to feature noise; parameters are based exclusively on statistical information; the need for heuristic information is minimized; retraining is straightforward and fast; on-line updating of model parameters is possible; and the models created are accurate and reliable at predicting the match of an unknown item to the model.

Abstract: The present invention provides a user interface mechanism for adjusting the view of two-dimensional graphical plots so users can make compromises between the amount of detail that is presented on an electronic display and the range of data that can be within immediate view. It also provides a mechanism for controlling the subset of data that will be within view on an electronic display when the entire data plot exceeds the dimensions of the display. Finally, it provides a mechanism whereby a sliding lens may be selectively positioned over various portions of a graph, allowing the viewing of the graph at a selectable magnification.

Abstract: A multi-resolution background adaptation system and method wherein image information for a video frame is analyzed to update a background image in as great a resolution as possible. The video frame is partitioned into a plurality of cell levels, each cell level comprising at least one cell. Each cell is further partitioned into children cells for several hierarchical levels. Background image adaptation begins at the frame level and proceeds to lower cell levels of smaller cells when the lower cell levels are not substantially occluded by objects.

Abstract: This invention relates to a purified Helicobacter pylori vacuolating toxin and methods to use this toxin to produce protective antibodies against H. pylori infection. Antiserum to this antigen can be used to detect the toxin. Methods to detect anti-toxin antibodies determine the susceptibility of a patient to develop peptic ulcer disease, gastric carcinoma, or other clinical consequences of H. pylori infection.

Abstract: A system for optimizing the promotional sale of a product, a product segment, or a category which may take into account related products or competing products comprising means for generating a three-dimensional data structure corresponding to the sales history for a product, the data structure dimensions corresponding to an event type domain, a time domain, and a unit of measurement domain, means for populating the three-dimensional data structure, a neural network, means for training the neural network and means for applying sales objectives and constraints to the neural network.

Abstract: A purified IceA protein of Helicobacter pylori is provided. The protein is expressed as either an IceA 1 or an IceA 2 variant. A purified polypeptide fragment of the IceA protein is also provided. An antigenic fragment of IceA is provided. An isolated nucleic acid that encodes an IceA protein of H. pylori is provided. A nucleic acid that encodes an IceA 1 variant and a nucleic acid that encodes an IceA 2 variant is also provided. Fragments of the iceA gene are provided. A method of detecting the presence of an antibody against H. pylori in a sample is provided. The method comprises the following steps: a) contacting the sample with a purified IceA protein of H. pylori or a H. pylori-specific fragment thereof; and b) detecting the binding of the antibody in the sample to the protein or fragment, the detection of binding indicating the presence in the sample of antibodies against H. pylori.

Abstract: A builder, tester, and runtime integration system and method for a graphical touch user interface, such as a point-of-sale (POS) touch screen interface system, is provided. The system and method may include a builder tool to create and modify the graphical interface, a tester tool for testing the interface, and a run-time system for actually executing the interface logic. Because the interface may be designed, modified and tested external to the run-time system, the design and maintenance may be performed by a non-programmer without ever changing run-time code. Additionally, the builder and tester may be designed to be general-purpose, and the run-time code may be reusable.