Abstract: Enabling quick feature delivery is essential for product success and is therefore a goal of software architecture design. But how may we determine if and to what extent an architecture is “good enough” to support feature addition and modification, or determine if a refactoring effort is successful in that features may be added more easily? The applications may use Feature Space and Feature Dependency, derived from a software project's revision history that capture the dependency relations among the features of a system in a feature dependency structure matrix (FDSM), using features as first-class design elements. The applications may also use a Feature Decoupling Level (FDL) metric that may be used to measure the level of independence among features.

Abstract: One embodiment of the invention provides a variable pitch impeller for a blood pump. The variable pitch impeller includes: a flexible polymer defining a plurality of blades extending from a first end to a second end, the blades having a resting non-zero pitch; an external shaft coupled to a first end of the flexible polymer; and an internal shaft received within the external shaft and coupled to the second end of the flexible polymer. The internal shaft and the external shaft are rotatable with respect to each other to achieve a blade pitch between about 0.0001° and about 2,880°.

Abstract: A system for performing slew-driven clock tree synthesis includes pair selection and cost metric definition considering physical distance for efficient sink clustering; slew and skew-aware merging point computation for routing; and slew and insertion slew-aware net splitting.

Abstract: The present invention encompasses a class of compounds known as splice modulating oligonucleotides (SMOs) that modulate pre-mRNA splicing, thereby affecting expression and functionality of a specific protein in a cell. The present invention further provides compositions and methods for modulating pre-mRNA splicing using a SMO of the invention to abrogate disease-causing mutations in a protein. Accordingly, the present invention provides compositions and methods of treating a subject at risk of, susceptible to, or having a disease, disorder, or condition associated with aberrant or unwanted target pre-mRNA expression or activity.

Abstract: An annealing process for treatment of an aluminum alloy of AA5XXX series which comprises steps of annealing the aluminum alloy at a first temperature of from about 350° C. to about 450° C. by a rate of temperature increase from about 0.1° C./s to about 0.5° C./s; and cooling down the annealed aluminum alloy to a temperature below 50° C. Aluminum alloys of the AA5XXX series treated by the annealing process of the present invention are also provided.

Abstract: The present invention includes compounds useful in preventing, treating or ameliorating Sigma-related disorders or diseases. The compounds of the invention may modulate cellular protein homeostasis, which includes: translation initiation, folding, processing, transport, and degradation (including ubiquitin selective autophagy) of proteins. The present invention also includes methods of preventing, treating or ameliorating a Sigma-related disorder or disease in a subject in need thereof, the method comprising administering to the subject an effective amount of a Sigma-modulating compound. The present invention also includes methods of preventing, treating or ameliorating a Sigma-related disorder or disease in a subject in need thereof, the method comprising administering to the subject an effective amount of a Sigma-modulating compound, further comprising administering an effective amount of a compound that inhibits the ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS) and/or autophagic survival pathways.

Abstract: In an effort to discover therapies for treating diseases caused by EBV, a novel screening assay for identifying compounds that reactivate EBV latent infection and a family of small molecules based on a tetrahydrocarboline backbone were discovered. Specifically, the compounds have the structure of the formula (I), wherein R1-R11 are defined herein and activate/reactivate EBV in a variety of cell types in a patient and are, therefore, useful in preventing or treating EBV-positive cancer, optionally with an anti-viral agent. In screening these compounds, novel compositions, EBV-positive cell lines, and methods are provided.

Abstract: The present invention provides compounds useful for treating or preventing a brain-related disease or disorder. The present invention further provides a method of treating or preventing a brain-related disease or disorder in a patient, comprising administering to the patient a pharmaceutical composition comprising at least one compound of the invention. The present invention further provides a method of modulating the activity of a monoamine transporter.

Abstract: This application relates to biologically compatible porous cartilage templates for in vitro and in vivo generation of bone with enhanced structural characteristics. Provided herein are compositions having an internal structure desirable for the generation and regeneration of bone, along with methods of preparation and use.

Abstract: One aspect of the invention provides an articulating device including: an inflatable elastic layer and a textile shell surrounding or impregnated within at least a portion of the inflatable elastic layer. The textile shell includes at least two regions having different material properties or knit patterns. The textile shell selectively constrains expansion of the inflatable elastic layer to produce controlled bending or torsion. Another aspect of the invention provides an articulating device including: an inflatable elastic layer and a textile shell surrounding or impregnated within at least a portion of the inflatable elastic layer. The textile shell has a curved profile and selectively constrains expansion of the inflatable elastic layer to produce controlled bending.

Abstract: The present invention provides drug delivery compositions that allow for immediate and/or sustained release of a therapeutic agent contained within the system. The present invention also provides drug delivery compositions that preserve the stability of the therapeutic agent contained within during the sustained release. The present invention further provides a method of treating, ameliorating, or preventing an inflammation-related disease or disorder in a subject using the compositions of the invention.

Abstract: A piezoelectric plate sensor comprising a piezoelectric layer; two electrodes; and an insulation layer. The insulation layer is produced by soaking the piezoelectric layer and two electrodes in a mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane solution with an amount of water from 0.1 v/v. % to about 1 v/v % and at pH from about 8 to about 150 for a period from about 8 to about 15 hours, and the mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane solution has a concentration of mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane from about 0.01 v/v % to about 0.5 v/v %. A method of detecting a biomolecule in a sample using the piezoelectric plate sensor in particular, that of detecting a genetic marker with PCR sensitivity and specificity without the need of DNA isolation or amplification is also provided. The piezoelectric plate sensor may be used to diagnose various diseases including breast cancer, myocardial infarction, diarrhea, Clostridium difficile infection, and hepatitis B infection.

Abstract: The present invention includes a construct that comprises at least one microbubble encapsulated within the aqueous core of a microcapsule. The present invention also includes a pharmaceutical composition comprising a construct comprising at least one microbubble encapsulated within the aqueous core of a microcapsule. The present invention further includes a method of imaging a tissue or organ in a subject, a method of delivering a therapeutic cargo to a tissue or organ in a subject, and a method of treating a disease or disorder in a subject.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for carrying out measurements on single cells, either one or many single cells at a time in order to characterize the cellular response to stimuli in a perfused liquid. The apparatus for performing the respirometry includes a double-barrel pipette probe.

Abstract: The present invention includes novel cyclic peptides, and methods of using the same. The present invention further includes novel cyclic peptides conjugated with a gold nanoparticle, and methods of using the same.

Abstract: A wearable device includes: at least one compliant region adapted and configured to be placed over a joint of a subject and at least two flexible but less compliant regions coupled to opposite ends of the compliant region. The device provides a wearable robotic device including a wearable and at least one actuator adapted and configured to move the flexible but less compliant regions relative to each other.

Abstract: One aspect of the invention provides a wearable device including: at least one compliant region adapted and configured to be placed over a joint of a subject and at least two flexible but less compliant regions coupled to opposite ends of the compliant region. Another aspect of the invention provides a wearable robotic device including a wearable device as described herein and at least one actuator adapted and configured to move the flexible but less compliant regions relative to each other.

Abstract: The system uses natural language to paths of a transition diagram via answer set programming system and provides: an approach for mapping events described in natural language sources to a logical formalism; and integration of Natural Language Processing and constraint-based reasoning inspired by Reasoning about Actions and Change. The system further uses (a) a non-trivial variant of IR in which sources include sequences of events, and queries are made about the state of the world after such events; (b) the extension of techniques for representing dynamic domains to increase the flexibility of the reasoning processes in the presence of uncertainty; (c) a formalization of the IR task based on action languages; (d) an automated IR procedure based on Answer Set Programming (ASP).

Abstract: The present invention is directed to compositions comprising at least one layer or at least two layers, each layer comprising a substantially two-dimensional array of crystal cells, having first and second surfaces, each crystal cell having the empirical formula of Mn+1Xn, where M, X, and n are described in the specification, and devices incorporating these compositions.

Abstract: A behavioral malware detection involves extracting features from prefetch files, wherein prefetch files; classifying and detecting benign applications from malicious applications using the features of the prefetch files; and quarantining malicious applications based on the detection.