Abstract: A method, for electronic face recognition using geodesic representations, of processing such a geodesic representation of a face having a mouth and being able to adopt open-mouthed or closed mouth states, so that the electronic recognition works regardless of whether the mouth in the representation is open or closed. The method comprises: identifying a mouth region within a face; applying a topological constraint to the mouth region, and representing the face with the constraint. The topological constraint is chosen to render the geodesic representation invariant to the mouth state being open or closed.

Abstract: The present invention provides methods of isolating of leader peptides capable of directing export of heterologous proteins from the bacterial cytoplasm. The methods rely on the screening of libraries of putative leader peptides or of leader peptide mutants for sequences that allow rapid export and thus can rescue a short-lived reporter protein from degradation in the cytoplasm. The mutant leader peptides identified herein are shown to confer significantly higher steady state levels of export not only for short-lived reporter protein but also for other stable, long-lived proteins. These leader peptides can be used to direct or enhance protein secretion. The present invention further discloses methods for the export of cytoplasmically folded protein via the Tat pathway. Proteins having disulfide bonds are first folded within the cytoplasm in suitable oxidizing mutant strains. Such cytoplasmically pre-folded proteins containing disulfide bonds are then exported via the Tat pathway.

Abstract: A method for providing a vertical comb drive. The method comprises: fabricating a device comprising rotor comb element, the rotor element comb comprising a main body and a plurality of substantially parallel extensions in a comb arrangement, and at least one of a plurality of stator comb elements, comprising a main body and a plurality of substantially parallel extensions in a comb arrangement, adapted to be interlaced with the rotor, all on a single layer of a substrate.

Abstract: A simplified and inexpensive method for the in-vitro identification, isolation and culture of human vasculogenic progenitor cells is provided. The method and the progenitor cells provided herein can be used for in-vitro vascular engineering, treatment of congenital and acquired vascular and hematological abnormalities, for evaluation and development of drugs affecting vasculo- and angiogenic processes, and for further investigation into tissue differentiation and development.

Abstract: A device for inducing motion on fluids or solids. The device comprising: a structure with a deformable sheet compressed to form a structural wave; and a actuator for actuating the deformable sheet and driving the structural wave in a predetermined manner.

Abstract: A method for deforming a plurality of shapes is described wherein each of the shapes comprises a set of parametric curves. The method comprises: providing a parametric surface, and forming a deformed shape for each of the shapes by performing a symbolic composition between the parametric surface and each parametric curve from the set of parametric curves comprising the shape being deformed. The parametric surface is defined by two parameters varying over a parametric domain, such that each of the parametric curves comprising the shapes lies in the parametric domain of the surface.

Abstract: A method of efficiently extracting the pull-in parameters of an electrostatically activated actuator. The actuator is modeled as an elastic element. For each of a plurality of deformations of the elastic element, a corresponding voltage is calculated. The highest such voltage is the pull-in voltage of the actuator. The corresponding deformation is the pull-in deformation of the actuator. Each deformation is defined by fixing a displacement of one degree of freedom of the elastic body and calculating corresponding equilibrium displacements of all the other degrees of freedom without the application of any external mechanical forces to ensure equilibrium. The actuator is altered to optimize whichever pull-in parameter is relevant to the desired application of the actuator.

Abstract: A virtual object for use in an object oriented environment; the virtual object comprising at least a user-sensible aspect and further comprising at least a functional aspect; the said user-sensible aspect being encapsulated as a user-sensible encapsulation, separately from the functional aspect, which is encapsulated as a functional encapsulation.

Abstract: A signal processing system adapted for sparse representation of signals is provided, comprising: (i) one or more training signals; (ii) a dictionary containing signal-atoms; (iii) a representation of each training signal using a linear combination of said dictionary's signal-atoms; (iv) means for updating the representation of the training signal; (v) means for updating the dictionary one group of atoms at a time, wherein each atom update may include all representations referring to said updated atom; and (vi) means for iterating (iv) and (v) until a stopping rule is fulfilled. The system uses the K-SVD algorithm for designing dictionaries for sparse representation of signals.

Abstract: A recombinant polypeptide and nucleic acid constructs capable of expressing the recombinant polypeptide are provided. The recombinant polypeptide comprises a chimeric polypeptide including an antigenic peptide being capable of binding a human MHC class I, a functional human ?-2 microglobulin and a functional human MHC class I heavy chain.

Abstract: A novel composition-of-matter, method of manufacturing thereof, and applications thereof as an adhesive, in a wide variety of different fields, and in particular, in the health care fields of medicine, dentistry, and veterinary science, for use by health care providers, such as medical, dental, and veterinary, surgeons, in procedures for reattaching or repairing body parts or components thereof, such as tissue, of (human or animal) subjects, especially under wet conditions, for example, involving adhesion of wet surfaces. The composition is comprised of a cross-linked form of a water miscible polymer, and at least one phloroglucinol type compound selected from the group consisting of: phloroglucinol, a derivative of phloroglucinol, and a polymer synthetically prepared from phloroglucinol or a derivative of phloroglucinol. An exemplary water miscible polymer is a naturally existing, or synthetically prepared, salt form of the carbohydrate alginic acid, such as sodium alginate, or alginic acid itself.

Abstract: The present invention provides an antiproliferative compound having a structural formula where X and Y independently are oxygen, nitrogen or sulfur; R1 is alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, heteroaryl, carboxylic acid, carboxylate, carboxamide, ester, thioamide, thiolacid, thiolester, saccharide, alkoxy-linked saccharide, amine, sulfonate, sulfate, phosphate, alcohol, ethers or nitriles; R2 and R3 are hydrogen or R4; R4 is methyl, benzyl carboxylic acid, benzyl carboxylate, benzyl carboxamide, benzylester, saccharide or amine; and R1 is alkenyl; where when Y is nitrogen, said nitrogen is substituted with R6, wherein R6 is hydrogen or methyl. Also provided are methods for treating a cell proliferative disease and for inducing apoptosis in a cell comprising administering this compound is also provided.

Abstract: A virtual object for use in an object oriented environment; the virtual object comprising at least a user-sensible aspect and further comprising at least a functional aspect; the said user-sensible aspect being encapsulated as a user-sensible encapsulation, separately from the functional aspect, which is encapsulated as a functional encapsulation.

Abstract: The present invention relates to targeted killing of a cell utilizing a chimeric polypeptide comprising a cell-specific targeting moiety and a signal transduction pathway factor. In a preferred embodiment, the signal transduction pathway factor is an apoptosis-inducing factor, such as granzyme B, granzyme A, or Bax.

Abstract: A logic circuit consists of a first transistor network and a complementary second transistor network connected at a central node. The central node serves as a first logic output. Each of the transistor networks is also connected to a respective root. A third transistor network is connected between an intermediate node of one of the transistor networks and the network's respective root. For a nonhomogeneous graft, the third transistor network has a complementary structure to the transistors between the intermediate node and the central node, is of the opposite transistor type as the given transistor network, and has equivalent inputs relative to the transistors between the intermediate node and the central node.

Abstract: The present invention provides cell permeable NF-?B inhibitors consist of a polypeptide derived from the p65 subunit of NF-?B and a protein transduction domain derived from antennapedia third helix sequence. The inhibitor suppressed NF-?B activation induced by TNF, LPS, IL-1, okadaic acid, PMA, H2O2 and cigarette smoke condensate. NF-?B-regulated reporter gene expression induced by TNF, TNFR1, TRADD, TRAF2, NIK, IKK and p65 was suppressed by the inhibitor. The inhibitor enhanced TNF- and chemotherapeutic agent-induced apoptosis. Overall these results demonstrate a NF-?B inhibitor that can selectively inhibit NF-?B activation induced by various inflammatory stimuli, downregulate NF-?B mediated gene expression and upregulate apoptosis.

Abstract: A method for depositing gold on a substrate is provided. By this aspect nucleation centers are bound, deposited or formed at one or more sites on the substrate, the substrate is then contacted with a treatment composition which comprises soluble gold-providing agent from which gold is deposited onto a nucleation center to yield gold metal deposits. The method of the invention may be used for a variety of image enhancing techniques as well as diagnostic and analyte detection techniques.

Abstract: A method and system for determining the subjective state of mind of a human subject presented with a test audible or visual stimulus. An electroencephalogram (EEG) recording unit is connected to the human subject, recording the subject's EEG when presented with one or more test stimuli. The recorded EEG signal is then transformed to a 3-D map in order to visualize the brain areas that were active when presenting the test stimuli. The given 3-D map of the test stimuli is then compared with reference 3-D maps of neutral and subjectively significant stimuli.

Abstract: Propargylamine, propargylamine derivatives including N-propargyl-1-aminoindan, enantiomers and analogs thereof, and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof, are useful for prevention or attenuation of anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of increasing the deposition of aerosolized drug in the respiratory tract of an individual or animal, comprising the step of administering said aerosolized drug in an air mixture containing up to about 10% carbon dioxide gas.