Abstract: The present invention is generally related to systems and methods for producing droplets. The droplets may contain varying species, e.g., for use as a library. In some cases, at least one droplet is used to create a plurality of droplets, using techniques such as flow-focusing techniques. In one set of embodiments, a plurality of droplets, containing varying species, can be divided to form a collection of droplets containing the various species therein. A collection of droplets, according to certain embodiments, may contain various subpopulations of droplets that all contain the same species therein. Such a collection of droplets may be used as a library in some cases, or may be used for other purposes.

Abstract: The invention broadly provides an implantable medical device comprising a liquid rope coil scaffold. The implant may consist essentially of the scaffold, where the scaffold is the implant and pores in the scaffold may incorporates one or more agents (i.e. drugs, growth factors), or the scaffold may comprise only part of the medical device, for example an implant that is partly or fully covered with a layer of the scaffold. The porosity of the scaffold may be tailored to suit the application, for example a porosity that is tailored to hold and release drug or biological molecules in vivo, a porosity to provide a surface roughness that is conducive to promotion of in-vivo bio-integration (for example vascularisation) or prevention of fibrosis, or a porosity that provides structural strength. The scaffold may be essentially tubular, or may be provided as a planar structure, or may be any shape and can be used to coat, fully or partially any shape or size of medical implant.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods for generating SC-? cells, and isolated populations of SC-? cells for use in various applications, such as cell therapy.

Abstract: Methods and devices are disclosed for non-invasive optogenetic stimulation of autonomic efferent fibers to regulate glucose metabolism in the liver and brown adipose tissue and to treat metabolic disorders.

Abstract: A composition including a particle including a crosslinked matrix, prepared from a liquid droplet including a formulation including a polymer, the gelled particle having an average diameter of less than 250 pm, is provided herein. A method of printing the composition including releasing the liquid droplet into a fluid including an aerosol including a crosslinking agent and contacting the liquid droplet with the fluid is further provided. A device configured to introduce an aerosol including a crosslinking agent to a droplet of a formulation including a polymer as the droplet passes through the aerosol including the crosslinking agent is further provided.

Abstract: A method of enhancing sperm fertility is described herein. The method includes contacting sperm with hydroxyurea. A composition is disclosed that includes sperm, hydroxyurea, and a buffer. Methods, kits, and compositions for enhancing sperm fertility are also provided.

Abstract: A solution blow spin device includes a syringe pump assembly, an airbrush adapter, and a handle base. The syringe pump assembly, airbrush adapter, and handle base are reversibly coupled to one another and configured to work in tandem to address wound dressing using a polymer solution and autologous skin cell suspension co-spray. The airbrush adapter includes multiple nozzles for deposition of multiple solutions sequentially or simultaneously in order to improve would dressing efficacy. The syringe pump assembly includes multiple syringes holding the multiple solutions, and the syringes can be emptied by individually addressable lead screws configured to translate blocks to depress syringe plungers when the lead screws are rotated via corresponding actuators.

Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosure include methods and compositions for in situ cardiac cell regeneration, including transdifferentiation of cardiac cells to cardiomyocytes. In particular embodiments, in situ cardiac cell regeneration encompasses delivery of p63-TID and one or both of Hand2 and myocardin, and in specific embodiments further includes one or more of Gata4, Mef2c, and Tbx5, and/or one or more of ETV2 and VEGF. In specific aspects of the disclosure, adult cardiac fibroblasts are reprogrammed into cardiomyocytes using viral vectors that harbor p63-TID and one or both of the transcription factors Hand2 and myocardin.

Abstract: The presently disclosed invention relates to products and methods of treating cancer in a patient comprising administering to the patient a pharmaceutically therapeutic dose of a chemotherapeutic, or any pharmaceutically acceptable salt, solvate, or prodrug thereof, conjugated to a nanocarrier. According to a further embodiment, the chemotherapeutic has a primary (1°) amine (—NH2) group in within a pharmaceutical structure of the chemotherapeutic structure. According to a further embodiment, the chemotherapeutic is one of a platinum-based pharmaceutical and an Anthracycline family pharmaceutical. According to a further embodiment, the chemotherapeutic is one of gemcitabine, methotrexate, cisplatin, oxaliplatin, doxorubicin, daunorubicine, idarubicine, and epirubicine. According to a further embodiment, the chemotherapeutic is either attached to the nanocarrier by means that includes covalent bonds or is attached by means that does not included covalent bonds.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is an inverse photonic structure comprising a first component comprising air holes or colloidal particles; and a metal oxide matrix comprising metal oxide nanocrystals, wherein the metal oxide nanocrystals comprise at least one of: a transition metal, titania, zirconia, alumina, iron oxide, zinc oxide, tin oxide, beryllia, a noble metal oxide, platinum group metal oxides, hafnia, molybdenum oxide, tungsten oxide, rhenium oxide, tantalum oxide, niobium oxide, vanadium oxide, chromium oxide, scandium oxide, yttria, lanthanum oxide, ceria, a rare earth oxide, thorium oxide, uranium oxide, other rare earth oxides, or a combination thereof, wherein the inverse photonics structure is crack-free for at least 10,000 repeat units of the first component.

Abstract: Low molecular weight molecules able to penetrate cells and tissues and having high specificity and affinity for the surfaces of proteins. Methods of making same, pharmaceutical compositions comprising same, and methods of treating cancers, infectious diseases, and diseases and disorders associated with aberrant protein expression using same. A method for selecting a therapeutic peptide for binding to an isolated and/or purified protein of interest by screening a phage display library containing phage particles with phage display peptides which have at least one APBA modified cysteine residue. The APBA modified cysteine residues bind to surface lysine residues on the isolated and/or purified protein of interest by dynamic covalent conjugation to form iminoboronates.

Abstract: A method is directed to separating contaminants from mammalian cells in an aqueous multiphase system, and includes loading a container with a liquid having a top liquid phase and a bottom liquid phase. A cover medium is inserted in the container with a mixture of cultured mammalian cells and contaminants. The container is incubated and centrifuged for respective periods of time. In response to the centrifuging, the cells are separated from the contaminants in accordance with the respective density of the cells, the contaminants, and each liquid phase, resulting in the cells being located at a liquid-to-liquid interface between the top liquid phase and the bottom liquid phase and the contaminants being located at the bottom of the container.

Abstract: A surgical guidance system has two cameras to provide stereo image stream of a surgical field; and a stereo viewer. The system has a 3D surface extraction module that generates a first 3D model of the surgical field from the stereo image streams; a registration module for co-registering annotating data with the first 3D model; and a stereo image enhancer for graphically overlaying at least part of the annotating data onto the stereo image stream to form an enhanced stereo image stream for display, where the enhanced stereo stream enhances a surgeon's perception of the surgical field. The registration module has an alignment refiner to adjust registration of the annotating data with the 3D model based upon matching of features within the 3D model and features within the annotating data; and in an embodiment, a deformation modeler to deform the annotating data based upon a determined tissue deformation.

Abstract: The present invention is generally related to systems and methods for producing a plurality of droplets. The droplets may contain varying species, e.g., for use as a library. In some cases, the fluidic droplets may be rigidified to form rigidified droplets (e.g., gel droplets). In certain embodiments, the droplets may undergo a phase change (e.g., from rigidified droplets to fluidized droplets), as discussed more herein. In some cases, a species may be added internally to a droplet by exposing the droplet to a fluid comprising a plurality of species.

Abstract: A method for monitoring the production of a material such as graphene in a liquid dispersion in real time, comprises supplying the liquid dispersion to a fluid gap defined between a first layer and an opposed second layer, wherein the first layer is light-transmissive and wherein the second layer has a diffusely reflective surface facing the first layer. The diffusely reflective surface is illuminated with light from a light source and light reflected from the diffusely reflective surface is detected at an associated photodetector. A light path from the light source to the photodetector comprises the light passing through the transmissive layer towards the diffusely reflective surface through the fluid gap, reflecting off the diffusely reflective surface and passing back through the fluid gap towards and onwards through the transmissive layer.

Abstract: The present invention discloses an adjusting apparatus for improving an anti-cavitation effect of a water pump. The adjusting apparatus comprises a centrifugal impeller (10), a volute (20), an adjusting device (30), a jet device (40), a pressure and/or flow monitoring device, and a controller. The centrifugal impeller comprises a rear side labyrinth seal (15) and a front side labyrinth seal (16), and the volute comprises a first sealing portion (21), a first pressure adjusting cavity (22), a second sealing portion (23) and a second pressure adjusting cavity (24), where the position of the first sealing portion is provided with the first pressure adjusting cavity, the position of the second sealing portion is provided with the second pressure adjusting cavity, the second pressure adjusting cavity is in communication with the first pressure adjusting cavity through the first pipeline.

Abstract: Articles and methods involving fluidic devices are generally provided. In some embodiments, a fluidic device comprises a first layer comprising a central region in fluidic communication with an environment external to the fluidic device. The first layer may also comprise a first channel and a second channel in fluidic communication with the central region and extending radially outwards therefrom. The first and second channels may comprises first and second sample regions from which first and second samples can be removed from the fluidic device. In some embodiments, a fluidic device comprises a first layer and a second, filtration layer configured to separate blood cells from plasma positioned between the environment external to the fluidic device and the first layer.

Abstract: A method of acoustophoretic printing comprises generating an acoustic field at a first end of an acoustic chamber fully or partially enclosed by sound-reflecting walls. The acoustic field interacts with the sound-reflecting walls and travels through the acoustic chamber. The acoustic field is enhanced in a chamber outlet at a second end of the acoustic chamber. An ink is delivered into a nozzle positioned within the acoustic chamber. The nozzle has a nozzle opening projecting into the chamber outlet. The ink travels through the nozzle and is exposed to the enhanced acoustic field at the nozzle opening, and a predetermined volume of the ink is ejected from the nozzle opening and out of the acoustic chamber.

Abstract: Disclosed are compositions, devices, kits, and methods for treatment of Enterobacteriaceae infection. Aspects of the present disclosure are directed to bacteriophage compositions comprising one or more of ES17, ES19, HP3, HP3.1, and HP3.2. Certain aspects of the disclosure are directed to compositions comprising (a) bacteriophage ES17 or bacteriophage ES19, (b) bacteriophage HP3, and (c) bacteriophage HP3.1. Also disclosed are compositions comprising bacteriophage HP 3.2. Further disclosed are devices and kits comprising such compositions and methods for use of such compositions in treatment and prevention of pathogenic E. coli infection.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods and compositions for modulating immune responses by using decoy molecules to bind to soluble or other ligands. In specific embodiments, the decoy molecules comprise a domain that binds to a target immunosuppressive ligand and another domain that releases immunostimulatory signals when activated. In specific embodiments, the decoy molecules are soluble and are secreted by transgenic T cells at a tumor site, such as upon antigen engagement, and they protect the transgenic cells themselves and also bystander (e.g., non-modified) endogenous immune cells.