Abstract: Compositions and methods for reducing the level of nornicotine and N?-nitrosonornicotine (NNN) in Nicotiana plants and plant parts thereof are provided. The compositions comprise isolated polynucleotides and polypeptides for cytochrome P450s that are involved in the metabolic conversion of nicotine to nornicotine in these plants. Expression cassettes, vectors, plants, and plant parts thereof comprising inhibitory sequences that target expression or function of the disclosed cytochrome P450 polypeptides are also provided. Methods for the use of these novel sequences to inhibit expression or function of cytochrome P450 polypeptides involved in this metabolic conversion are also provided. The methods find use in the production of tobacco products that have reduced levels of nornicotine and its carcinogenic metabolite, NNN, and thus reduced carcinogenic potential for individuals consuming these tobacco products or exposed to secondary smoke derived from these products.

Abstract: In a propulsion system, an electrohydrodynamic (EHD) body force is used to control the flow of a propellant through a micro channel, expansion slot, plenum chamber, or other flow region and thereby increase the specific impulse created by a propulsion system. In an embodiment, a plurality of electrodes are arranged and powered to create a plasma discharge, which can impart an EHD body force to a fluid. Various configurations of electrodes can be used to control the flow of the fluid into, out of, or through the flow region. In an embodiment, the use of EHD body forces can reduce, or substantially eliminate, shear forces on the surface of a plenum chamber, micro channel, or expansion slot of the propulsion system, resulting in a smooth flow of the propellant and increased thrust.

Abstract: The invention provides mechanically activated metal fuels for energetic material applications. An exemplary embodiment involves mechanically treating micrometer-sized particles of at least one metal with particles of at least one fluorocarbon to form composite particles containing the at least one metal and the at least one fluorocarbon.

Abstract: A dynamic spinal stabilization device for the treatment of high-grade spinal disorders is disclosed herein. The dynamic spinal stabilization device includes two or more screw assemblies, each of which include a pedicle screw and a head socket containing a curved internal track that limits the range of motion and center of rotation of the spinal segments stabilized using the device to the physiological levels of a nondegraded spinal segment.

Abstract: A vector for constitutively expressing a high level of a target protein, and more particularly a RepE mutant protein containing a deletion of 21 amino acids in the C-terminal region of a RepE protein and a vector for constitutively expressing a high level of a target protein, which comprises a gene encoding the mutant protein. The constitutive high-level expression vector can stably express a high level of a target protein. Also, the surface expression vector can express a target protein on the surface of recombinant microorganisms while constitutively expressing a high level of the target protein, and thus will be useful for construction of an antigen for vaccines.

Abstract: A catheter includes a catheter body having a temperature-controlled anchor element thereon that is configured to attach the catheter body to tissue by forming a congealed adherence layer between the anchor element and the tissue. An ablation element is connected to the catheter body and is configured to ablate tissue when the anchor element is attached to the tissue.

Abstract: A method for controlling the attachment and growth of cells on a surface of an article, the method comprising contacting the article with living tissue, living organisms, or with water in an aqueous system comprising living organisms wherein the article comprises a substratum having a surface and a film on the surface, the film comprising a network of a net positively charged composition and a net negatively charged composition, wherein the net positively charged composition comprises a net positively charged polyelectrolyte or the net negatively charged composition comprises a net negatively charged polyelectrolyte, and the net positively charged polyelectrolyte or the net negatively charged polyelectrolyte contain (i) a polymer repeat unit having at least two fluorine atoms, or (ii) a polymer repeat unit having a zwitterion group.

Abstract: A computer aided diagnostic system and automated method classify a brain through modeling and analyzing the shape of a brain cortex, e.g., to detect a brain cortex that is indicative of a developmental disorder such as ADHD, autism or dyslexia. A model used in such analysis describes the shape of brain cortices in terms of spherical harmonics required to delineate a unit sphere corresponding to the brain cortex to a model of the brain cortex.

Abstract: Provided are methods of treating ischemic disorders in a subject includes administering stromal cell derived factor-1 (SDF-1) to ischemic tissue of the subject.

Abstract: Welding wires and methods for welding metal work pieces using the welding wires are provided. The welding wires are composite materials comprising a metal alloy and high temperature nanoparticles dispersed in the metal alloy.

Abstract: The use of flagellin and flagellin related polypeptides for the protection of mammals from the effects of apoptosis is described.

Abstract: An architecture for a specialized electronic computer for high-speed data lookup employs a set of tiles each with independent logic elements lookup memory portions. The tiles may each comprise gate-array-like functional units that may be wired together by a multi-way switch for extremely low latency.

Abstract: Provided are an apparatus and method for enhancing an image using a color channel. A pre-processing unit generates an inverted image by inverting a luminance component estimated from a red (R) channel among color channels of a red, green, and blue (RGB) color space of an input image. A channel merging unit generates a merged luminance (L) channel by merging an L channel of an International Commission on Illumination (CIE) L*a*b* (CIELab) color space of the input image and the inverted image. A contrast enhancement unit enhances contrast by expanding a histogram of the merged L channel. A color restoration unit combines the merged L channel whose contrast has been enhanced and chromaticity components of the input image, and converts a resultant color image to the RGB color space, thereby generating a restored image.

Abstract: The present invention provides a robust and efficient process for reducing the cloud point of biodiesel fuel in which clathrates are formed from saturated fatty acid components as solvent is evaporated from a mixture of urea, methanol and fatty acid esters. The process speed can be fast, and is governed by the speed with which urea can be brought into clathrate forming contact with the fatty acid esters in the first instance, and then by the speed that solvent can be evaporated. Advantageously, substantially all of the solvent can be evaporated as pure solvent, which enhances process efficiencies and reduces cost. Additionally, substantially all of the urea can be used to form clathrates, further maximizing process efficiency.

Abstract: A system and method for layer-by-layer quantification of the remodeling of the human fovea comprises finding a fixed reference point in inner retina, measuring the thickness of the inner retina at the fixed reference point, for a range of finely sampled distances starting from the fixed reference point, measuring the thickness, comparing the measured thickness with a normative base and obtaining a plurality of curves, evaluating area for each curve and defining a distance from the fixed reference having highest sensitivity with respect to the fixed reference point compared to the normative base, displaying a 3D re-creation of foveal architecture-based color-coded picture in accordance with the measured thickness at each finely sampled distance, entering the measured thickness into a model having parameters, obtaining numerical solutions for each parameter, and defining percent change of the parameters for the patient versus the parameters for the control.

Abstract: Provided is a method of forming a voltage island for a 3D many-core chip multiprocessor, the method including setting the priority of a voltage zone based on the heat emission characteristic of the voltage zone; and forming a voltage island by using the priority.

Abstract: A computer aided diagnostic system and automated method diagnose lung cancer through modeling and analyzing the shape of pulmonary nodules. A model used in such analysis describes the shape of pulmonary nodules in terms of spherical harmonics required to delineate a unit sphere corresponding to the pulmonary nodule to a model of the pulmonary nodule.

Abstract: A method of generating the correlation function of a TMBOC(6,1,4/33) signal according to the present invention includes generating a signal delayed based on a phase delay ? with respect to a signal pulse train of a TMBOC(6,1,4/33)-modulated received signal, generating 12 partial correlation functions by performing the autocorrelation operation of the received signal and the delayed signal with respect to a total time T(0?t?T) , generating a sub-correlation function by performing an elimination operation of sixth and seventh partial correlation functions, and generating a main correlation function by summing results obtained by performing elimination operations between the remaining 10 partial correlation functions, excluding the sixth and seventh early partial correlation functions from the 12 partial correlation functions, and the sub-correlation function.

Abstract: The description relates to a seismic imaging technology technique for modeling a subsurface structure through waveform inversion in the Laplace domain. The seismic imaging system comprises a scaled gradient calculating unit calculating a scaled gradient, a modeling parameter updating unit updating the model parameters using the scaled gradient direction, and an iteration control unit controlling the scaled gradient calculating unit and the modeling parameter updating unit to repeat processing iteratively until a stopping criteria is met.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for managing a memory in a portable terminal including a main memory, a secondary memory, and a plurality virtual machines allocated by partitioning the main memory are provided. The method includes generating, by the virtual machines, monitoring information by monitoring access to the main memory and the secondary memory and swapping out with respect to the secondary memory; determining memory allocation amounts for each of the virtual machines by using the monitoring information; and allocating the main memory to the virtual machines in a partitioning scheme based on the determined memory allocation amounts.