Abstract: Disclosed are compositions and methods relating to prostate cancer. In particular, disclosed are bivalent targeting ligands that specifically bind prostate specific membrane antigen and gastrin-releasing peptide receptor. Bivalent binding agents disclosed herein can be used to image a tissue in a subject in need thereof and to diagnose prostate cancer in a subject in need thereof. Bivalent binding agents disclosed herein can be used to treat prostate cancer in a subject in need thereof.

Abstract: Provided are plants that express, or overexpress, a pPLAIII? protein. Constitutive or seed-specific expression of pPLAIII? protein in Arabidopsis increases seed oil content, the amount of C20 and C22 fatty acids, and the amount of C56, C58, and C60 triacylglycerols, effectively resulting in significantly higher oil yield per plant. Use of pPLAIII? is therefore an effective biotechnological tool to significantly increase plant yield, including oil, and the amount of high value long chain fatty acids in agricultural and horticultural crops, especially oilseed crops.

Abstract: This invention is broadly concerned with compositions and processes for oilfield applications. More specifically, this invention relates to novel polymer constructed packages that, when pumped into a petroleum well, provide tunable characteristics of transformation and delayed self-assembly with each other under reservoir conditions to yield strong, elastic, bulk gel materials. The compositions comprise a polymer, assembling agents, and optional additives used for the re-assembly stage are uniformly-distributed within the initial gel particles. The polymer particle packages absorb water and swell upon exposure to water, thus exposing the “assembling agents” that enable re-assembly. Both swelling and re-assembly are proportionally controlled via compositions to be tunable to allow functional dispersion and subsequent self-assembly under various reservoir conditions.

Abstract: The present invention provides a series of injectable bionanocomposites that may be delivered via injection to various tissue repair sites including myocardial infarction, intervertebral disc reconstruction, reconstruction of skeletal muscle, and musculoskeletal applications, urinary incontinence, adipose tissue engineering, and orthopedic applications such as osteoporosis, and meniscus and articular cartilage repair.

Abstract: Methods for protecting porcine fetuses from infection with Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus (PRRSV). The methods comprise breeding a female porcine animal with a male porcine animal. The female porcine animal comprises modified chromosomal sequences in both alleles of its CD163 gene, wherein the modified chromosomal sequences reduce the susceptibility of the female porcine animal to infection by PRRSV, as compared to the susceptibility to infection by PRRSV of a female porcine animal that does not comprise any modified chromosomal sequences in the alleles of its CD163 gene. The male porcine animal comprises at least one wild-type CD163 allele.

Abstract: Methods and systems for an integrated sensor network are described. In one embodiment, sensor data may be accessed from a plurality of motion sensors and a bed sensor deployed in a living unit for a first time period. An activity pattern for the first time period may be identified based on at least a portion of sensor data associated with the first time period. The activity pattern may represent a physical and cognitive health condition of a person residing in the living unit. Additional sensor data may be accessed from the motion sensors and the bed sensor deployed for a second time period. A determination of whether a deviation of the activity pattern of the first time period has occurred for the second time period may be performed. An alert may be generated based on a determination that the derivation has occurred. In some embodiments, user feedback is captured on the significance of the alerts, and the alert method is customized based on this feedback. Additional methods and systems are disclosed.

Abstract: System and method for determining real-time sag and shape information of an electrical power line based on strain distribution along a length of an optical fiber associated with the power line. An embedded fiber coupled to an overhead transmission line measures strain using the backscatter of an optical signal, the optical signal is then interrogated using an interferometer.

Abstract: A heat exchanging thermal liquid container system that comprises a main body at least partially defining a liquid reservoir structured and operable to retain a liquid, and a phase change material (PCM) liner comprising a PCM liner PCM having a selected melting temperature, and/or at least one PCM pod. Each of the at least one PCM pod(s) comprising a respective PCM pod PCM having a respective selected melting temperature. Wherein the PCM liner and/or the at least one PCM pod are disposable within the liquid reservoir such that when a liquid is disposed within the liquid reservoir the liquid will contact at least one of the PCM liner and the at least one PCM pod such that thermal energy can be exchanged between the liquid and the respective at least one of the PCM liner PCM and the at least one PCM pod PCM.

Abstract: An open-ended hollow coaxial cable resonator probe configured to receive an aerosol sample for analysis. A metal post shorts the resonator's inner and outer conductors. A metal plate is spaced apart from an open end of the resonator by a dielectric layer that contains the received aerosol sample. Interrogator circuitry coupled to the resonator transmits an electromagnetic wave within the resonator and generates an electric field at the open end of the resonator. The interrogator circuitry is responsive to the generated electric field for determining a resonance frequency and an impedance of the resonator when the aerosol sample is present in the dielectric layer and is configured to identify virus particles in the aerosol sample as a function of the determined resonance frequency and impedance. A portable aerosol analyzer comprises the open-ended hollow coaxial cable resonator and a mouthpiece through which a subject expels a breath sample into the open end of the resonator.

Abstract: The invention provides methods and compositions for treatment of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). In one aspect of the invention, a series of compositions comprising an antisense oligonucleotide targeting the Element 1 site on the SMN2 pre-mRNA and a Morpholino backbone is disclosed. In another aspect of the invention, a method of treating SMA patients by modulating the splicing of SMN2 pre-mRNA to increase the amount of full-length SMN is disclosed. Certain embodiments of the inventive method comprise administering an E1-targeting antisense oligonucleotide, such as Morpholino based antisense oligonucleotide, to a SMA subject.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to antimicrobial agents and compositions including the same. The antimicrobial agent can include a polypeptide or a peptidomimetic of the polypeptide. The polypeptide can have a net positive charge of at least about 3 at a pH of 7.0, and a hydrophobicity of greater than 25%.

Abstract: A metasurface integrated microbolometer having a sensing layer (e.g., SixGeyO1-x-y). The presence of the metasurface provides selectivity with respect to wavelength, polarization and angle-of-incidence. The presence of the metasurface into the microbolometer affects conversion of electromagnetic to thermal energy, thermal response, electrical integration of the microbolometer, and the tradeoff between resistivity and temperature coefficient of resistance, thereby allowing the ability to obtain a sensing with high temperature coefficient of resistance with lower resistivity values than that of films without the metasurface. The presence of the metasurface removes the need for a Fabry-Perot cavity.

Abstract: Systems and methods are described herein for determining that a patient has indications mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or early stage Alzheimer's disease (AD). Microperimetry is used to assess the functional integrity of the patient's retina. Optical Coherence Tomography is used to assess the structural integrity of the patient's retina. Reductions in the size and function of the patient's retina indicate that the patient may have MCI or early stage AD.

Abstract: A heat loss protection lid for a thermal liquid container system, wherein the heat loss protection lid comprises a central body, a liquid ingress opening formed within the central body, a liquid dispensing opening formed within one of a peripheral edge of the central body or a lip formed around the peripheral edge of the central body. and a concealed air intake hole.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a persistent data structure employed as a tree structure with a frequent pattern mining paradigm. The number of nodes in the tree structure scales linearly with respect to the number unique items within the itemsets associated with the nodes. With the disclosed pattern mining paradigm, compressed representations of maximal patterns may be mined with the goal of detecting a frequent maximal pattern covers in a top down approach. Thus, large patterns are detected before their subsets yielding a significant reduction in computation time. The persistent data structure is a dynamic data structure which may be updated to add or delete nodes or transactional information without the need for recreating the entire tree structure. Furthermore, the persistent data structure may be run by a computing system either locally or on a parallelized distributed computing architecture to increase operational performance.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a cutting guide is disclosed for use in a surgical procedure to removed damaged tissue from a patient and form a recipient site configured and dimensioned to receive a donor graft. The cutting guide includes a first aim that abuts a section of the damaged tissue to be removed, and a second arm including a hole and a slot that receives a cutting implement, the first arm and the slot defining a distance therebetween corresponding to a desired dimension of the recipient site. In another embodiment, a cutting guide is disclosed for use in forming a donor graft from donor tissue. The cutting guide includes a body that receives the donor tissue, and a shaping member that is rotatably secured to the body. The shaping member includes at least one vane that shapes the donor tissue so as to form the donor graft.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method of covalently crosslinking DNA strands. In certain aspects, the method comprises incubating a hybridized, double-stranded DNA polynucleotide (dsDNA), comprising a probe strand that comprises an abasic (Ap) residue and an at least partially complementary target strand that comprises a 2?-deoxyadenosine (dA) residue, wherein incubation occurs under conditions that allow for a covalent crosslinking reaction to occur between the Ap residue in the probe strand and the dA residue in the target strand.

Abstract: System and method for determining real-time sag and shape information of an electrical power line based on strain distribution along a length of an optical fiber associated with the power line. An embedded fiber coupled to an overhead transmission line measures strain using the backscatter of an optical signal, the optical signal is then interrogated using an interferometer.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and means to change fatty acid and ultimately triacylglycerol production in plants and algae. Methods of the invention comprise the step of altering the activity levels of the committed step for de novo fatty acid biosynthesis, acetyl-CoA carboxylases (ACCase). More specifically, methods of the invention directly enhance the activity of ACCase by down-regulating the biotin/lipoyl attachment domain containing (BADC) genes through biotechnology or selective breeding approaches.

Abstract: A reaction cell for a flow battery having flow channels positioned within a recess of a non-porous and non-brittle housing that is also a dielectric. Positioning the flow channels within the recess eliminates the need for end plates, gaskets, and insulators of conventional designs. A current collector and an electrode within the recess have areas approximately equal to the area of the recess such that they fit within the recess and maximize the contact area between them.