Abstract: Archaeal lipid adjuvants are synthesized by chemically coupling various carbohydrates or anionic polar groups to the free hydroxyl(s) of archaeal lipid cores. Chemically stable lipid cores such as saturated archaeol and caldarchaeol are obtained from appropriate Archaea. Archaeosome lipid vesicles are formulated from the synthetic lipids selected to serve as antigen carriers that target antigen-presenting cells and promote an appropriate immune response to the antigen.

Abstract: A method of synthesizing colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals involves contacting a source of at least one semi-conductor cation element (Group 11-14, more preferably Group 12-14, more preferably 12 or 14, more preferably Cd, Zn, Hg or Pb, most preferably Cd) with a source of at least one Group 15, or 16 element in the presence of a ligand forming compound containing a carboxylic acid moiety in a reaction medium comprising a solvent that is substantially noncoordinating with respect to the at least one cation, the ligand forming compound and the source of at least one cation element having a molar ratio of 1:1 or less. The cation element source is preferably bonded to two low carbon acids. Some of the low carbon acids are substituted with the ligand forming compound to produce a cation precursor that is more soluble in the noncoordinating solvent.

Abstract: A modified Family 11 xylanase enzyme comprising cysteine residues at positions 99 and 118 to form an intramolecular disulfide bond is provided. The modified xylanase is produced by substitution of an amino acid at position 99, 118 or both positions 99 and 118 with a cysteine to produce the intramolecular disulfide bond. Xylanases of the invention display improved thermophilicity, alkalophilicity or thermostability relative to wild-type xylanases. Such xylanases find use in a variety of applications in industry that require enzyme activities at temperatures and/or pH values above that of the native enzyme.

Abstract: Compounds of Formula (I): (formula (I)) where: X1 and X2 are the same or different and each is independently Cl, Br, I, a substituted or unsubstituted aryl group or a substituted or unsubstituted heteroaryl group; and, Y is O, S, Se, NR1, R1C—CR2 or R1C?CR2, wherein R1 and R2 are the same or different and are each independently H or an organic group, are useful as monomers to produce oligomers or polymers that are useful in organic electronic devices.

Abstract: Provided are immunogenic compositions and methods for eliciting an immune response against B. anthracis and other bacteria that contain 3-methyl-3-hydroxybutyrate- or 3-hydroxybutryate-substituted saccharides. Conjugates of 3-methyl-3-hydroxybutyrate- or 3-hydroxybutryate-substituted saccharides elicit an effective immune response against B. anthracis spores in mammalian hosts to which the conjugates are administered.

Abstract: Methods for preparing an oligosaccharide—protein carrier immunogenic conjugate or a polysaccharide—protein carrier immunogenic conjugate. The methods include obtaining an oligosaccharide or polysaccharide having a KDO moiety located at the terminal reducing end of the oligosaccharide or polysaccharide that includes a carbonyl functional group; and reacting the carbonyl functional group of the KDO moiety with an aminooxylated protein carrier molecule resulting in a conjugate that includes a covalent oxime bond between the oligosaccharide and the protein carrier or the polysaccharide and the protein carrier.

Abstract: An end plunger for end feeding during a hydroforming process (such as tube hydroforming) has at least one releasable seal. The effect of the releasable seal is that it avoids pressurizing the blank in a nip area, thereby reducing friction and wear, and allowing increased end feeding with a given end feeding force. The releasable seal may be actuable, for sealing or releasing. The plunger may be modular or monolithic. A kit and method may incorporate the end plunger.

Abstract: A process for producing cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) involves providing a cellulosic material, contacting the cellulosic material with an inorganic persulfate at an elevated temperature to produce CNCs, and recovering the CNCs. The process permits one-step production of CNCs from vegetative biomasses such as flax and hemp. Cellulose nanocrystals produced by the process with carboxylic groups are more uniform and have higher aspect ratios than CNCs produced by prior art processes.

Abstract: Cancer marker sets consisting of particular genes differentially expressed in tumours provide improved accuracy of predicting effectiveness of paclitaxel or paclitaxel-like drug treatment against a cancer. These sets are further useful for screening drug candidates for paclitaxel-like cancer treatment activity. The cancer marker sets may be used in a clinical setting to provide information about the likelihood that a cancer patient would or would not respond to paclitaxel or paclitaxel-like drug treatment.

Abstract: A solid ionic electrolyte having an organic plastic crystal solvent (e.g. succinonitrile) doped with lithium bioxalato borate salt (LiBOB) may be used in an electrochemical device. Electrochemical devices are disclosed having a cathode, an anode, and a solid ionic electrolyte having a neutral organic plastic crystal solvent doped with LiBOB alone or in combination with another lithium salt. Such devices have a stable electrolyte interface over a broad potential window combined with high energy density delivery capacity and, in one example, the favorable properties of a neutral organic plastic crystal matrix such as succinonitrile.

Abstract: A blood lipid lowering agent that functions through a same mechanism as berberine (e.g. berberine, one or more pharmacologically acceptable salts of berberine or a mixture thereof) and a blood lipid lowering agent that functions through a different mechanism than berberine (e.g. phytosterols, phytostanols, esters thereof or mixtures thereof) act synergistically to improve blood lipid profiles, for example, lowering total cholesterol, LDL-C or nonHDL-C, and triglyceride, and increasing the ratio of HDL-C to nonHDL-C. The two may be used in combination to treat or reduce the chance of contracting cardiovascular disease, hyperlipidemia, atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, angina, cerebrovascular disease, stroke, overweight or obesity, diabetes, insulin resistance, hyperglycemia, hypertension, arrhythmia, diseases of the central nervous system, diseases of the peripheral nervous system and/or inflammation.

Abstract: A technique for protecting a structure from an impact with ice involves providing a horizontal spall initiator extending from the wall a distance of 1 to 10 cm, the horizontal spall initiator being resilient to the ice impact, and formed by blade segments having a blade width less than ½ a thickness of an expected hard zone of the ice; and situating the horizontal spell initiator at an elevation of the expected hard zone. Situating the horizontal spall initiator at an elevation of the hard zone may involve providing an elevation control mechanism (e.g. buoyancy, mechanical, or hydrodynamic), or may involve a panel with a plurality of horizontal spell initiators at respective elevations. The horizontal spell initiator may be driven.

Abstract: A method for producing a multilayer tissue phantom involves successively forming at least two layers, each layer formed by depositing a viscous flowable material over a supporting element or over a previously formed layer of the phantom supported by the supporting element, selectively redistributing the material while material is solidifying to control a thickness distribution of the layer, and allowing the material to solidify sufficiently to apply a next layer. The supporting element supports the material in 2 or 3 directions and effectively molds a lumen of the tissue. The neighboring layers are of different composition and of chosen thickness to provide desired optical properties and mechanical properties of the phantom. The phantom may have selected attenuation and backscattering properties to mimic tissues for optical coherence tomography imaging.

Abstract: Method for assessing the patency of a patient's blood vessel, advantageously during or after treatment of that vessel by an invasive procedure, comprising administering a fluorescent dye to the patient; obtaining at least one angiographic image of the vessel portion; and evaluating the at least one angiographic image to assess the patency of the vessel portion. Other related methods are contemplated, including methods for assessing perfusion in selected body tissue, methods for evaluating the potential of vessels for use in creation of AV fistulas, methods for determining the diameter of a vessel, and methods for locating a vessel located below the surface of a tissue.

Abstract: A new method of making sky-LOSA measurements (Line-Of-Sight Attenuation measurements of sky-light) of soot mass flux in atmospheric plumes has been developed which enables accurate measurements in the presence of in-scattered light from the sky and sun.

Abstract: Nucleic acid molecules from Cannabis sativa (cannabis, hemp, marijuana) have been isolated and characterized, and encode polypeptides having aromatic prenyltransferase activity. Specifically, the enzyme, CsPT1, is a geranylpyrophosphate olivetolate geranyltransferase, active in the cannabinoid biosynthesis step of prenylation of olivetolic acid to form cannabigerolic acid (CBGA). Expression or over-expression of the nucleic acids alters levels of cannabinoid compounds. The polypeptides may be used in vivo or in vitro to produce cannabinoid compounds.

Abstract: Existing statistical machine translation machines presently require the availability of a given source language text and an equivalent target language text and from target text to train a translation system. The invention proposes training a statistical machine translation system, more specifically it proposes a computer means and method for training a statistical machine translation system using unilingual source language information. The translation system relies on translations with confidence scores calculated as a posterior probability based on the similarity of a good translation hypothesis in an N-best list generated for a source sentence with N?1 other hypotheses in the said N-best list.

Abstract: Producing high temperature coatings on ceramics using a high enthalpy air plasma spray torch and supplying in at least 3 passes to deposit the coating is advantageous for spraying high temperature ceramics while avoiding formation of undesirable phases, if the stand off distance is chosen such that a width of a bead produced from a single spray pass on the substrate at ˜800° C. is less than 70% of a diameter of a plume of the torch at the stand off, and neither assisted heating, nor forced cooling, nor subsequent heat treatment is used. The rapid cooling endemic to thermal spray that leads to amorphous, metastable and other undesirable phases of alkaline earth aluminosilicate (e.g., barium-strontium aluminosilicate (BSAS)), rare earth silicates (RESs), mullite, etc. can be mitigated sufficiently by the close stand off and high enthalpy torch to provide highly crystalline and stable phase coatings.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to the isolation, purification, and characterization of a diacylglycerol acyltransferase 2 (DGAT2), and genes encoding DGAT2, from algae. DGAT2 can incorporate very long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids into triacylglycerol more efficiently than DGAT1. The disclosure concerns methods of regulating seed oil content, fatty acid synthesis and fatty acid composition using the DGAT2 gene and to tissues and plants transformed with the gene. The disclosure also relates to transgenic plants, plant tissues and plant seeds having a genome containing an introduced DNA sequence of the disclosure, and a method of producing such plants and plant seeds.

Abstract: A novel lipoteichoic acid (LTA) was isolated from C. difficile, the structure of which is illustrated below wherein n is an integer between 1 and 20, R3 and R4 are independently selected from C 14:0, C 16:0, C 16:1, C 18:0 or C18:1 fatty acid or any combination thereof wherein one of COR3 or COR4 may be replaced by H. Further described are conjugates comprising the novel LTA and vaccines produced using the isolated LTA and the LTA conjugates. The invention also encompasses methods of conferring immunity against C. difficile comprising administering a vaccine of the invention, and methods of detecting C. difficile using the isolated LTA of the invention.