Abstract: A locally gated graphene nanostructure is described, along with methods of making and using the same. A graphene layer can include first and second terminal regions separated by a substantially single layer gated graphene nanoconstriction. A local first gate region can be separated from the graphene nanoconstriction by a first gate dielectric. The local first gate region can be capacitively coupled to gate electrical conduction in the graphene nanoconstriction. A second gate region can be separated from the graphene nanoconstriction by a second gate dielectric. The second gate region can be capacitively coupled to provide a bias to a first location in the graphene nanoconstriction and to a second location outside of the graphene nanoconstriction. Methods of making and using locally gated graphene nanostructures are also described.

Abstract: Treatment and mitigation or reduction of noise effects in noisy image data and data sets is described. Various aspects include treatment of noisy data with brushlet transforms and thresholding operations along with a favorable sequence of spatial and temporal processing and thresholding. Hard and minimax thresholding operators mitigate the noise in the image data. In medical applications this can be useful in removing noise that impairs diagnosis and treatment of patient conditions. In one application, cardiac function is better studied and understood through improved imaging of the heart and cardiac structures. In an exemplary case, a favorable sequence including spatial filtering using a brushlet filter, spatial thresholding of brushlet coefficients, then temporal filtering (first in the time domain then in the frequency domain) and thresholding of temporal coefficients yields an acceptable denoised image data set.

Abstract: The disclosed subject matter relates to systems and methods for preparing epitaxially textured polycrystalline films. In one or more embodiments, the method for making a textured thin film includes providing a precursor film on a substrate, the film includes crystal grains having a surface texture and a non-uniform degree of texture throughout the thickness of the film, wherein at least a portion of the this substrate is transparent to laser irradiation; and irradiating the textured precursor film through the substrate using a pulsed laser crystallization technique at least partially melt the film wherein the irradiated film crystallizes upon cooling to form crystal grains having a uniform degree of texture.

Abstract: The invention is directed to methods of treating movement disorders by administering an effective amount of the compound of formula (I) to patients in need thereof. More particularly, the invention is directed to a method for treating myoclonus including administering to a patient a compound of formula (I), wherein the myoclonus is not alcohol responsive essential myoclonus with dystonia. In some embodiments, the myoclonus is posthypoxic myoclonus. The invention is also directed to a method for treating dystonia, essential tremor cerebellar tremor, a tic, or chorea, including administering to a patient a compound of formula (I).

Abstract: The present invention provides for antimicrobial medical articles prepared by a method comprising treating a surface of the medical article with a solution consisting essentially of one or more solvents and a mixture of chlorhexidine free base and a water-soluble chlorhexidine salt, at a weight/weight ratio of between about 1:1 to about 1:5, wherein the combined concentration of chlorhexidine free base and a water-soluble salt of chlorhexidine is about 2% (w/v) or greater. In alternative embodiments, the antimicrobial medical articles may be treated with a similar solution in which the concentrations of chlorhexidine free base and a water-soluble salt of chlorhexidine are each about 0.20 percent (w/v). Other embodiments include those in which the solvent comprises methanol, or the treatment solution further comprises a silver salt, one or more organic acids, an anti-inflammatory agent, and a hydrogel.

Abstract: The disclosed subject matter relates to the use of laser crystallization of thin films to create epitaxially textured crystalline thick films. In one or more embodiments, a method for preparing a thick crystalline film includes providing a film for crystallization on a substrate, wherein at least a portion of the substrate is substantially transparent to laser irradiation, said film including a seed layer having a predominant surface crystallographic orientation; and a top layer disposed above the seed layer; irradiating the film from the back side of the substrate using a pulsed laser to melt a first portion of the top layer at an interface with the seed layer while a second portion of the top layer remains solid; and re-solidifying the first portion of the top layer to form a crystalline laser epitaxial with the seed layer thereby releasing heat to melt an adjacent portion of the top layer.

Abstract: Endovascular intervention methods entail creating a temporary capillary block in the vasculature of at least a portion of a patient's organ, such as a hemisphere of the patient's brain, the capillary block essentially blocking blood flow through capillaries in the portion of the patient's organ, and performing the endovascular intervention. Distal embolism protection devices include a blood pump and at least one of a centrifuge element, a dialysis element, a cooling element, and a filtration element. The blood pump is generally capable of drawing blood from a patient's vein, circulating the blood through each of the elements so that a characteristic of a blood component may be manipulated therewith, and perfusing the modified blood into a patient's artery. A capillary block is thereby created in the vasculature of at least a portion of a patient's organ with manipulated blood components.

Abstract: A new class of reagents and method of use of the reagents in the reaction of the reagents with electrophilic compounds. The invention in one embodiment is directed to a method for the formation of an alcohol of the formula (I). The method includes reacting a reagent of the formula (II) with an aldehyde of the formula R10CHO to form the alcohol. X3 is one of O and C(R4)(R5). Each of X1 and X2 is independently O or N—R. Each of Ca and Cb is independently an achiral center, an (S) chiral center or an (R) chiral center. Ra and Rb are (i) each independently C1-10 alkyl, C6-10 aryl or C3-9 heteroaryl, or (ii) taken together to form a C3—C4 alkylene chain which together with Ca and Cb forms a 5-membered or 6-membered aliphatic ring. Rc and Rd are each independently hydrogen, C1-10 alkyl, C6-10 aryl or C3-9 heteroaryl. R is C1-10 alkyl, C6-10 aryl or C3-9 heteroaryl.

Abstract: Devices for generating a laser beam are disclosed. The devices include a silicon micro ring having at least one silicon optical waveguide disposed at a distance from the micro ring. The radius and the cross-sectional dimension of the microring, the cross-sectional dimension of the waveguide, and the distance between the micro ring and the waveguide are determined such that one or more pairs of whispering gallery mode resonant frequencies of the micro ring are separated by an optical phonon frequency of silicon. Methods of manufacturing a lasing device including a silicon micro ring coupled with a silicon waveguide are also disclosed.

Abstract: Methods, media, and means for forming asynchronous logic networks are provided. In some embodiments, methods for forming an asynchronous logic network are provided. The methods include: receiving a logic network including vertices and signals, wherein the vertices include vertices with multiple output signals; determining a set of signals of the signals included in the logic network to be covered; selecting at least one vertex in the logic network to cover each signal in the set of signals; replacing the at least one selected vertex with a robust vertex; and replacing at least one non-selected vertex with a relaxed vertex.

Abstract: The present invention provides for methods, systems and materials that may be used to identify and select proteins that are amenable to crystallization. While previous methods of screening proteins for crystallization required at least microgram quantities of purified protein, the inventive method can be practiced using nanogram quantities of unpurified protein.

Abstract: Systems and methods for digital detection of an analog tomographic signal are described. The methods include receiving an amplitude-modulated analog signal containing tomographic information, the analog signal having a modulation frequency, f?i; and converting the analog signal into a digital signal at a sampling frequency, fs, to produce a number of samples, K. The digital signal is multiplied by an in-phase reference signal to obtain an in-phase signal component, the in-phase reference signal having the frequency, f?i; and the digital signal is multiplied by a quadrature reference signal to obtain a quadrature signal component, the quadrature reference signal having the frequency, f?i. The in-phase signal component and the quadrature signal component are passed through the K-point averaging filter. A signal amplitude is computed based on the filtered in-phase signal component and the filtered quadrature signal component, the signal amplitude being representative of the tomographic information.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods for designing oligonucleotides that can detect/identify any unknown or known virus of a particular taxon. Also provided are methods to establish, implement and validate bioinformatics tools and databases to support microarray design. The invention also provides specialized arrays for detection and speciation of select viral agents and viruses as well as a set of oligonucleotides that can detect/identify any unknown or known virus of a particular taxon.

Abstract: A compound having the structure of the formula (genus of compound 1 excluding Tashironin or Debenzoyltashironin) wherein, R1 is H or Bz when no more than three of R8, R9, R10 and R11 are H, or R1 is Bn, (C1-C4) alkyl, or CF3; R2 is H, (C1-C4) alkyl, halide, OC(O)(C1-C4)alkyl, OC(O)Ph, or OCF3; R3 is p-toluene sulfonyloxy, methane sulfonyloxy, C(O)(C1-C4)alkyl, or OC(O)(C1-C4)alkyl, bond ? is a single bond, and bond ? is a double bond or R3 is O, bond ? is a double bond and bond ? is a single bond; R4 is H, I, Br, Cl, Si(CH3)3, (C1-C4)alkyl, or OCF3; R5 is OH, OSi(CH3)3, O(C1-C4) alkyl, or OCF3, and bond ? is a single bond, or R5 is O and bond ? is a double bond; R6 is H, (C1-C4) alkyl, or CF3; R7 is H, OH, (C1-C4)alkyl, CH2OBn, CH2O(C1-C4)alkyl, CH2OH, halide, CH2OCF3 or OCF3 and bond ? is a single bond, or R7 is CH2 and bond ? is a double bond; R8, R9, and R10 are each independently H, (C1-C4)alkyl, halide, OH, or OCF3; R11 is H, (C1-C4)alkyl, halide, OH, or OCF3 and bond ? is a single bond; R12 is H, (

Abstract: The present invention provides compositions and methods for the following: preventing and treating heart failure; preventing heart failure in a patient with a pre-heart failure condition; treating and preventing heart failure with ischemic and non-ischemic causes; treating and preventing heart failure in a subject status post myocardial infarction; reversing damage to the heart following myocardial infarction; by administering to a subject an effective amount of an adrenergic beta-agonist either alone or in combination with an effective amount of an adrenergic beta-1 antagonist. FIG. 1 is a bar graph representing relative infarct sizes, as expressed as a percentage of left ventricular circumference.

Abstract: An apparatus for the repair of a cardiovascular valve has leaflets comprising a grasper capable of grabbing and co-apting the leaflets of the valve. In a preferred embodiment the grasper has jaws that grasp and immobilize the leaflets, and then a fastener is inserted to co-apt the leaflets. The apparatus is particularly useful for repairing mitral valves to cure mitral regurgitation.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a method for depositing unpatterned or selectively patterned nanoparticle films of controlled thickness on the respective film deposition surface of each of a pair of electrodes. In the present method, a pair of electrodes, each having a conducting film deposition surface, are immersed in a non-conducting nonpolar solvent in which nanoparticles, each having ligands attached thereto, are suspended. A voltage is applied to the pair of electrodes thereby causing films of the nanoparticles to deposit on the respective film deposition surface of each of the pair of electrodes. The nanoparticle films formed by the present method may be unpatterned or they may be patterned by patterning the conducting film deposition surface of at least one electrode of the pair of electrodes. The nanoparticle films formed according to the method of the present invention are useful as layers in electronic devices.

Abstract: This invention provides a method of generating a subtracted cDNA library of a cell comprising: a) generating a cDNA library of the cell; b) isolating double-stranded DNAs from the cDNA library; c) releasing the double-stranded cDNA inserts from the double-stranded DNAs; d) denaturing the isolated double-stranded cDNA inserts; e) hybridizing the denatured double-stranded cDNA inserts with a labelled single-stranded nucleic acid molecules which are to be subtracted from the cDNA library; and f) separating the hybridized labeled single-stranded nucleic acid molecule from the double-stranded cDNA inserts, thereby generating a subtracted cDNA library of a cell. This invention also provides different uses of the subtracted library.

Abstract: Protein hydrogel monomers incorporating bio-active proteins and methods for producing the same are provided. In some embodiments, the disclosed subject matter includes a protein hydrogel monomer including a bio-active protein and two alpha helices that are adapted to interact with alpha helices on other monomers to form coiled-coil junctions.

Abstract: The invention provides a system and method for integrating multimedia descriptions in a way that allows humans, software components or devices to easily identify, represent, manage, retrieve, and categorize the multimedia content. In this manner, a user who may be interested in locating a specific piece of multimedia content from a database, Internet, or broadcast media, for example, may search for and find the multimedia content. In this regard, the invention provides a system and method that receives multimedia content and separates the multimedia content into separate components which are assigned to multimedia categories, such as image, video, audio, synthetic and text. Within each of the multimedia categories, the multimedia content is classified and descriptions of the multimedia content are generated. The descriptions are then formatted, integrated, using a multimedia integration description scheme, and the multimedia integration description is generated for the multimedia content.