Abstract: Described herein are quinoline compounds useful for, among other things, inhibition of the proteasome and for treatment of cancer and inflammation.

Abstract: A distributed sensing and control network includes a plurality of sensing/control nodes, each of the sensing/control nodes includes a sensor, a local controller, a local memory and a wireless transmitter/receiver. The local memory stores instructions for implementing a multiscale networking protocol for wireless transmissions. The multiscale networking protocol controls at least a first factor at a first timescale and at least a second factor at a second timescale, distinct from the first timescale. The at least a first factor includes an instantiated physical-ratio-K (PRK) interference model for wireless transmissions. The at least a second factor includes at least one of a channel assignment, a node transmission signal power control, a node transmission rate control, a real-time scheduling control, and a local signal map stored in the local memory.

Abstract: A sensor including a layer of amorphous selenium (a-Se) and at least one charge blocking layer is formed by depositing the charge blocking layer over a substrate prior to depositing the amorphous selenium, enabling the charge blocking layer to be formed at elevated temperatures. Such a process is not limited by the crystallization temperature of a-Se, resulting in the formation of an efficient charge blocking layer, which enables improved signal amplification of the resulting device. The sensor can be fabricated by forming first and second amorphous selenium layers over separate substrates, and then fusing the a-Se layers at a relatively low temperature.

Abstract: A home medication management system and method are provided comprise a home medication management device, a computing device associated with a user of medication management system, and a server in communication with the home medication management device and the computing device. The server comprises memory storing an application program interface (API) that is configured to manage the home medication of a patient including the registration of prescriptions, transmission of the registered prescriptions to the home medication management device, association of medications of the registered prescriptions with recesses of the home medication management device, presentation of alerts to the patient at scheduled times to take the medications based on the prescriptions, monitoring the patient for compliance with the alerts, determining whether the patient has taken the medication as scheduled, and presenting the determination to the user via the computing device.

Abstract: A method of constructing an electrical contact including a contact element positioned between a first contact member and a second contact member. The method includes defining a transmission line model to represent operation of the electrical contact. The transmission line model indicates a contact resistance and a specific contact resistivity along a length of the contact element. The method includes determining a current flow profile of the contact element. The current flow profile is determined based on a current distribution using the transmission line model. The method includes determining one of: (i) a material, (ii) a thickness, and (iii) a geometry of the contact element based on the contact resistance and the current flow profile of the transmission line model. The method includes constructing the contact element positioned between the first contact member and the second contact member with the at least one of (i) the material, (ii) the thickness, and (iii) the geometry.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to, among other things, agents that modulate the homophilic interaction between two CRACC polypeptides, methods for making such agents, and therapeutic applications in which the agents are useful. For example, the agents described herein are useful for modulating an immune response in a mammal. Also featured are screening methods for identifying additional agents capable of modulating the activation of an immune cell exposed to an antigen.

Abstract: Provided are an ORF7 deficient varicella virus, an vaccine comprising the virus and use thereof, as well as a method for the production the virus.

Abstract: Attenuated vaccines to protect vertebrate animals and people against tick-born rickettsial, Ehrlichia and Anaplasma species infections is disclosed. Also disclosed are methods to modify the organism to achieve the desired immunity through the modification of a novel genetic region involved in pathogenesis. These compounds represent a needed vaccine against an organism causing life-threatening febrile illness in humans and animals, and also represent the potential to develop new classes of drugs targeting the gene products of genes Ech_0379 and Ech_0230, and their homologs of other related rickettsial pathogens.

Abstract: Disclosed are a vehicle control unit (VCU) and an operation method thereof that calculate a speed variation of a vehicle based on input information, predict an average speed of the vehicle based on the calculated speed variation, generate a first speed profile based on the predicted average speed, and generate a second speed profile by applying speed noise information to the first speed profile.

Abstract: A voltage conversion system including a source configured to supply a voltage and a switch capacitor circuit electrically coupled to the source. The switch capacitor circuit is configured to switch between a discharging state and a charging state. The switching between the discharging state and the charging state produces a boost to the supplied voltage. The voltage conversion system includes a capacitor in the switch capacitor circuit configured to store charge during the charging state and drain charge during the discharging state. The voltage conversion system includes a switching arrangement having a plurality of switch pairs configured to supply a converted voltage to a load. The switch capacitor circuit and the switching arrangement are interfaced to produce a unified circuit.

Abstract: A method including producing an electronic circuit. The method can include providing a first circuit portion, a second circuit portion, a flying capacitor voltage comparator, an output switching circuit, an electronic circuit first output node, and/or an electronic circuit second output node. The electronic circuit first output node can be electrically coupled to a first gate terminal of a switching converter. The electronic circuit second output node can be electrically coupled to a second gate terminal of the switching converter. The method also can include electrically coupling a voltage sensor output terminal of the flying capacitor voltage comparator to the first circuit second input node of the first circuit portion and the second circuit second input node of the second circuit portion. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides methods of treating a human having a disease or disorder that would benefit from increasing platelet counts. The method involves inhibiting the enzyme activity of biliverdin IX? reductase (BLVRB) activity or inhibiting the expression of BLVRB gene.

Abstract: The present invention provides a process of producing a trifluoromcthoxylated aryl or trifluoromothoxylated heteroaryl having the structure: wherein A is an aryl or heteroaryl, each with or without substitution; and R1 is —H, -(alkyl), -(alkenyl), -(alkynyl), -(aryl), -(heteroaryl), -(alkylaryl), -(alkylheteroaryl), —NH-(alkyl), —N(alkyl)2, —NH-(alkenyl), —NH-(alkynyl) —NH-(aryl), —NH-(heteroaryl), —O-(alkyl), —O-(alkenyl), —O-(alkynyl), —O-(aryl), —O-(heteroaryl), —S-(alkyl), —S-(alkenyl), —S-(alkynyl), —S-(aryl), or —S-(heteroaryl), comprising: (a) reacting a compound having the structure: with a trifluoromethylating agent in the presence of a base in a first suitable solvent under conditions to produce a compound having the structure: and (b) maintaining the compound produced in step (a) in a second suitable solvent under conditions sufficient to produce the trifluoromethoxylated aryl or trifluormethoxylated heteroaryl having the structure:

Abstract: Activity-dependent gene pairs as therapeutic targets and methods and devices to identify the same are provided. The methods and devices allow transcriptome-wide analysis of regulatory long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), matched with differentially expressed protein-coding genes (mRNAs) and/or with other lncRNAs. The described methods and devices allow analysis of these activity-dependent gene pairs as therapeutic targets in a number of clinical conditions associated with altered electrical brain activity, including epilepsy.

Abstract: Provided herein are vaccine composition comprising an antigen conjugated to a capsid, wherein the capsid comprises wild type or native sequence. Provided herein are also vaccine composition comprising an antigen conjugated to a capsid, wherein said capsid comprises at least one mutation, such as a non-natural mutation. Such compositions are useful in the treatment and prevention of pathogenic infections, inflammatory diseases, and neurodegenerative disease, and cancer, among others.

Abstract: Apparatuses, systems, and methods for Raman spectroscopy are described. In certain implementations, a spectrometer is provided. The spectrometer may include a plurality of optical elements, comprising an entrance aperture, a collimating element, a volume phase holographic grating, a focusing element, and a detector array. The plurality of optical elements are configured to transfer the light beam from the entrance aperture to the detector array with a high transfer efficiency over a preselected spectral band.

Abstract: Embodiments of a method for synthesizing water-soluble metal oxide nanoparticles are disclosed. In one embodiment, the method includes heating a first reaction mixture at a predetermined temperature for a predetermined time duration with continuous stirring to obtain a second reaction mixture that comprises water-soluble metal oxide nanoparticles of a first size. The first reaction mixture includes a reactant and a polyol. The method further includes adding a first predetermined amount of the reactant to the second reaction mixture to obtain a third reaction mixture. The method further includes heating the third reaction mixture at the predetermined temperature for the predetermined time duration with continuous stirring to obtain a fourth reaction mixture comprising water-soluble metal oxide nanoparticles of a second size. The reactant is Fe(acac)3 and the polyol is diethylene glycol (DEG) for synthesizing water-soluble iron oxide nanoparticles.

Abstract: Herein reported are new tricyclic cytidine compounds, such as 8-diethylamino-tC (8-DEA-tC), that respond to DNA and/or RNA duplex formation with up to a 20-fold increase in fluorescent quantum yield as compared with the free nucleoside, depending on neighboring bases. This turn-on response to duplex formation is by far the greatest of any reported nucleoside analogue that can participate in Watson-Crick base pairing. Measurements of the quantum yield of 8-DEA-tC mispaired with adenosine and, separately, opposite an abasic site show that there is almost no fluorescence increase without the formation of correct Watson-Crick hydrogen bonds. Kinetic isotope effects from the use of deuterated buffer show that the duplex protects 8-DEA-tC against quenching by excited state proton transfer. DFT calculations provide a rationale for the observed photophysical properties that is dependent on duplex integrity and the electronic structure of the analogue.

Abstract: A system and method for automatically operating a camera includes a controller for controlling the movement of a robotically controlled camera. The controller includes a processor and a computer readable medium having instructions for controlling the camera. The system determines a task to be performed and, based on the determined task, determines a camera control scheme that corresponds to the task. The camera control scheme includes rules for controlling the camera. The system receives input parameters in the form of particular tools being used and the position and movement of the tools. The input parameters can be automatically determined by the controller via a video image produced by the camera. The controller will move the camera in response to particular movement of the tools and the particular rules of the determined control scheme that correspond to the particular movements.

Abstract: Katandin is a new blueberry variety of Vaccinium corymbosum from the Michigan State University breeding program. Is comprised of primarily Vaccinium corymbosum, with about 7% of its genes coming from V. darrowii, 4% from V. angustifolium and <1% from V. tenellum and V. ashei. It is a highly productive cultivar with excellent fresh fruit quality. It is well adapted to all northern highbush production areas. Canes are numerous, moderately branched and the fruit are well exposed. Its berries are large, have small, dry picking scars, medium blue color, good firmness and flavor. Katandin is characterized by high yields, high vigor and strong winter hardiness.