Abstract: Engineered Streptococcus canis Cas9 (ScCas9) variants include an ScCas9 protein with its PID being the PID amino acid composition of Streptococcus pyogenes Cas9 (SpCas9)-NG, an ScCas9 protein having a threonine-to-lysine substitution mutation at position 1227 in its amino acid sequence (Sc+), and an ScCas9 protein having a threonine-to-lysine substitution mutation at position 1227 and a substitution of residues ADKKLRKRSGKLATE [SEQ ID No. 4] in position 365-379 in the ScCas9 open reading frame (Sc++). Also included are CRISPR-associated DNA endonucleases with a PAM specificity of 5?-NG-3? or 5?-NNG-3? and a method of altering expression of a gene product by utilizing the engineered ScCas9 variants.

Abstract: A method of generating an output trajectory of an ego vehicle is described. The method includes extracting high-level features from a bird-view image of a traffic environment of the ego vehicle. The method also includes generating, using an automaton generative network, an automaton including an automaton state distribution describing a behavior of the ego vehicle in the traffic environment according to the high-level features. The method further includes generating the output trajectory of the ego vehicle according to extracted bird-view features of the bird-view image and the automaton state distribution describing the behavior of the ego vehicle in the traffic environment.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods, compositions, reagents, systems, and kits to prepare and utilize branched multi-functional macromonomers, which contain a ring-opening metathesis polymerizable norbornene group, one or more reactive sites capable of undergoing click chemistry, and a terminal acyl group capable of undergoing a coupling reaction; branched multi-cargo macromonomers; and the corresponding polymers are disclosed herein. Various embodiments show that the macromonomers and polymers disclosed herein display unprecedented control of cargo loading of agents. These materials have the potential to be utilized for the treatment of diseases and conditions such as cancer and hypertension.

Abstract: Provided herein are branched poly(beta-amino esters) (PBAE) useful as vehicles for the delivery of therapeutic agents, such as nucleic acids. The disclosed polymers form stable compositions, and are suitable for the delivery of therapeutic agents via nebulization. Compositions of the disclosed polymers are capable of delivering therapeutic agents such as mRNA to lung epithelial cells.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods, compositions, reagents, systems, and kits to prepare materials with viscoelastic properties that respond to irradiation with light. Various embodiments show that bio-inspired histidine:transition metal ion complexes allow precise and tunable control over the viscoelastic properties of polymer networks containing these types of crosslinks pre and post-irradiation. These materials have the potential to aid biomedical materials scientists in the development of materials with specific stress-relaxing or energy-dissipating properties.

Abstract: The disclosed invention is related to a universal strand-specific protocol for the sequencing preparation of all classes of RNA. The protocol allows for sequencing for dozens to more than thousands of samples simultaneously. Specifically, the disclosed invention is a method for parallel sequencing target RNA from samples from multiple sources while maintaining source identification.

Abstract: The application relates to methods for compositions for identifying lncRNA loci associated with target genotypes or phenotypes, including desirable plant genotypes or phenotype. The application also relates to regulatory regions and genes associated with drug resistance, such as resistance to BRAF-inhibitors. Such regulatory regions and genes form the basis for methods for identifying resistance to BRAF-inhibitors, which is useful for improving disease prognosis, treatment, and likely outcomes. The regulatory regions and genes are also suitable targets for therapy in melanoma that is resistant to BRAF-inhibitors.

Abstract: A device for determining muscle condition of a region of tissue. The device comprises an electrical impedance myography (EIM) portable probe bearing an electrode array. The electrode array comprises excitation electrodes used to apply multi-frequency electrical signals to the region of tissue and pickup electrodes that are used to collect electrical signals resulting from the application of the multi-frequency electrical signals to the region of tissue. To improve accuracy and reproducibility of EIM measurements, the electrode array is reconfigurable to select different subsets of excitation and pickup electrodes so that the electrodes are oriented differently with respect to muscle fibers. Additional devices may be associated with the EIM probe to measure such parameters as temperature, moisture content of the region, quality of contact of electrodes of the electrode array with a surface of the region and pressure with which the EIM probe is applied to the region.

Abstract: Processes for optimizing the geometry of a blade for use in a propeller are disclosed. In one exemplary process, an optimization routine that generates new blade geometries based on structural parameters and calculates performance parameters of each blade geometry, including aerodynamic performance parameters, farfield acoustic parameters, and/or electrical power requirements to operate a propeller having the blade geometry, is performed. The optimization routine receives design parameters and weightings from a user and can use one or more surrogate algorithms to map a design space of the weighted values of the design parameters to find their local minima. The optimization routine then determines an optimized blade geometry using a gradient-based algorithm to generate new blade geometries to explore the minima until the weighted values of the design parameters converge at an optimized blade geometry representing the global minima of the design space.

Abstract: Described herein are a secure system for sharing private data and related systems and methods for incentivizing and validating private data sharing. In some embodiments, private data providers may register to selectively share private data under controlled sharing conditions. The private data may be cryptographically secured using encryption information corresponding to one or more secure execution environments. To demonstrate to the private data providers that the secure execution environment is secure and trustworthy, attestations demonstrating the security of the secure execution environment may be stored in a distributed ledger (e.g., a public blockchain). Private data users that want access to shared private data may publish applications for operating on the private data to a secure execution environment and publish, in a distributed ledger, an indication that the application is available to receive private data.

Abstract: Provided herein, in some aspects, are tools (e.g., methods, compositions and nucleic acids) for building genetic circuits in Bacteroides and Parabacteroides bacteria, as well as the bacteria containing the genetic circuits.

Abstract: In one aspect, a method to determine a capacity of a microgrid includes applying a current test load to the microgrid and measuring a current through an energy storage device, the current indicating a charging status of the energy storage device based on a current load being applied to the microgrid through activated power outlets being served by the microgrid and the current test load, the energy storage device being integrated with the microgrid. The method also includes, responsive to a determination that the measured current based on the current load being applied to the microgrid and the current test load indicates that the energy storage device is discharging, determining the capacity of the microgrid, wherein the capacity is the current load being applied to the microgrid through activated power outlets and a test load applied to the microgrid immediately preceding the current test load.

Abstract: An evaporatively cooled device and a system including the same. In some embodiments, the system includes an oligolayer conductive sheet; a superconductor; a tunneling barrier, between the oligolayer conductive sheet and the superconductor; and a bias circuit, configured to apply a bias voltage across the tunneling barrier, the bias voltage being less than a gap voltage of the superconductor and greater than one-half of the gap voltage of the superconductor.

Abstract: The invention provides for delivery, engineering and optimization of systems, methods, and compositions for manipulation of sequences and/or activities of target sequences. Provided are delivery systems and tissues or organ which are targeted as sites for delivery. Also provided are vectors and vector systems some of which encode one or more components of a SIN CRISPR complex, as well as methods for the design and use of such vectors. Also provided are methods of directing SIN CRISPR complex formation in eukaryotic cells to ensure enhanced specificity for target recognition and avoidance of toxicity and to edit or modify a target site in a genomic locus of interest to alter or improve the status of a disease or a condition.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are conjugated polymers comprising a polymer and an all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) prodrug covalently bound to the polymer by a hydrolysable linker L or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and methods of using same to treat certain disorders. In an embodiment, the conjugated polymer comprises poly (vinyl alcohol) covalently bound to ATRA through an ester linkage.

Abstract: The present application provides systems, methods and compositions used for targeted gene modification, targeted insertion, perturbation of gene transcripts, nucleic acid editing. Novel nucleic acid targeting systems comprise components of Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) systems and transposable elements.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are systems and methods for the injection of viscous fluids. For example, inventive systems and methods for injecting viscous fluids, such as concentrated drug formulations, via droplet lubrication are described.

Abstract: A magnetic device, including a hybrid core including a first magnetic material as a first flux path that carries a low-frequency flux component and a second magnetic material as a second flux path that carries a high-frequency flux component that is a higher frequency flux component than the low-frequency flux component, in which the hybrid core controls distribution of the low-frequency flux component and substantially separates the low-frequency flux component and the high-frequency component; and at least one set of winding turns. The hybrid core includes at least one air gap to provide control over inductance of the magnetic device.

Abstract: Described is the design, implementation, and evaluation of a robotic system configured to search for and retrieve RFID-tagged items in line-of-sight, non-line-of-sight, and fully-occluded settings. The robotic system comprises a robotic arm having a camera and antenna strapped around a portion thereof (e.g. a gripper) and a controller configured to receive information from the camera and (radio frequency) RF information via the antenna and configured to use the information provided thereto to implement a method that geometrically fuses at least RF and visual information. This technique reduces uncertainty about the location of a target object even when the object is fully occluded. Also described is a reinforcement-learning network that uses fused RF-visual information to efficiently localize, maneuver toward, and grasp a target object.

Abstract: Radar, lidar, and other active 3D imaging techniques require large, heavy sensors that consume lots of power. Passive 3D imaging techniques based on feature matching are computationally expensive and limited by the quality of the feature matching. Fortunately, there is a robust, computationally inexpensive way to generate 3D images from full-motion video acquired from a platform that moves relative to the scene. The full-motion video frames are registered to each other and mapped to the scene coordinates using data about the trajectory of the platform with respect to the scene. The time derivative of the registered frames equals the product of the height map of the scene, the projected angular velocity of the platform, and the spatial gradient of the registered frames. This relationship can be solved in (near) real time to produce the height map of the scene from the full-motion video and the trajectory.