Abstract: The present disclosure provides an immunogenic composition comprising: a) a hepatitis C virus (HCV) heterodimeric polypeptide that includes HCV E1 and E2 polypeptides; b) a T-cell epitope polypeptide comprising a T-cell epitope present in an HCV protein other than E1 and E2; and c) a pharmaceutically acceptable excipient. The present disclosure provides a method of inducing an immune response, in an individual, to an HCV polypeptide. The present disclosure provides an immunogenic composition comprising: a) a polypeptide that comprises one or more T-cell epitopes present in an HCV protein other than E1 and E2; and b) a pharmaceutically acceptable excipient.

Abstract: There is described herein imidopiperidine compounds as inhibitors of human polynucleotide kinase phosphatase.

Abstract: A method for assessing the quality of a tip of a scanning probe microscope (SPM) includes recording an SPM image, extracting a plurality of images of dangling bonds from the SPM image, feeding the extracted images of dangling bonds into a convolution neural network one image at a time, analyzing each of the plurality of images of dangling bonds using the convolution neural network, assigning each of the plurality of images of dangling bonds one of a sharp tip status or a double tip status, and determining whether the number of the plurality of images of dangling bonds of the SPM image assigned the double tip status exceeds a predetermined threshold. A method of automatically conditioning a tip of a scanning probe microscope (SPM) during imaging of a sample and a method of mass-producing atomistic quantum dots, qubits, or particular atom orbital occupation are also provided.

Abstract: A system is provided for monitoring patients with dysphagia, or swallowing impairments, that monitors muscle movement during intensive swallowing exercises to provide adjuvant visual feedback from surface electromyography.

Abstract: A method for treating a wafer is provided with a portion of a semiconductor layer is selectively removed from the wafer so as to create an inactive region of the wafer surrounding a first active region of the wafer. The inactive region of the wafer has an exposed portion of an insulator layer, but none of the semiconductor layer. The first active region of the wafer includes a first portion of the semiconductor layer and a first portion of the insulator layer. At least one conductor is formed in contact with the first portion of the semiconductor layer, such that the conductor and the first portion of the semiconductor layer form a portion of an electrical circuit. The first active region of the wafer is selectively treated to remove a native oxide layer from the first portion of the semiconductor layer. A resulting wafer is also disclosed.

Abstract: The invention, in some aspects relates to compositions and methods for altering cell activity and function and the introduction and use of light-activated ion channels.

Abstract: A method of recovering oil embedded in an underground matrix adjacent a depleted oil reservoir includes injecting a mixture of polymeric material into the depleted oil reservoir through an injection borehole, applying a pressure to the mixture to free the oil from the matrix and move the oil towards a production well, and drawing the oil from the depleted oil reservoir through the production well. The method additionally includes modeling a shear thickening of the polymeric mixture and an onset of the shear thickening. The model can be incorporated into commercial numerical simulators for predicting the injectivity and recovery due to viscoelastic thickening independently and thereby assist in quick screening polymers for oil recovery applications.

Abstract: A wireless sensor is provided for use in near-to-zero or zero-power consumption applications. The sensor includes a sensing circuit, a modulator connected to the sensing circuit and configured to modulate an input signal using variations in input impedance produced by the sensing circuit to produce a modulated output signal, and a transmitting element such as an antenna to transmit the modulated output signal to a receiver. In some implementations, the sensor includes a pilot sequence generator that may be powered by a received signal from a transmitting node. The input signal is thus modulated by both pilot data and the input impedance. The input signal may be received from the transmitting node. Alternatively, a power source may be provided in the wireless sensor for generating the input signal and/or pilot data.

Abstract: It is provided novel anti-galactofuranose antibodies and their use for diagnosis of and/or treating aspergillosis, and for the design of chimeric antigen receptor T-cells, wherein single chain variable fragment of the antibodies, such as a heavy chain variable region or a light chain variable region, is fused via a spacer and a transmembrane domain to a signaling endodomain to generate an expression cassette that will be integrated into a T cell.

Abstract: A method for treating a wafer is provided with a portion of a semiconductor layer is selectively removed from the wafer so as to create an inactive region of the wafer surrounding a first active region of the wafer. The inactive region of the wafer has an exposed portion of an insulator layer, but none of the semiconductor layer. The first active region of the wafer includes a first portion of the semiconductor layer and a first portion of the insulator layer. At least one conductor is formed in contact with the first portion of the semiconductor layer, such that the conductor and the first portion of the semiconductor layer form a portion of an electrical circuit. The first active region of the wafer is selectively treated to remove a native oxide layer from the first portion of the semiconductor layer. A resulting wafer is also disclosed.

Abstract: A method for assessing the quality of a tip of a scanning probe microscope (SPM) includes recording an SPM image, extracting a plurality of images of dangling bonds from the SPM image, feeding the extracted images of dangling bonds into a convolution neural network one image at a time, analyzing each of the plurality of images of dangling bonds using the convolution neural network, assigning each of the plurality of images of dangling bonds one of a sharp tip status or a double tip status, and determining whether the number of the plurality of images of dangling bonds of the SPM image assigned the double tip status exceeds a predetermined threshold. A method of automatically conditioning a tip of a scanning probe microscope (SPM) during imaging of a sample and a method of mass-producing atomistic quantum dots, qubits, or particular atom orbital occupation are also provided.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides affinity tagged heterodimeric polypeptides comprising a hepatitis C virus (HCV) E1 polypeptide and an HCV E2 polypeptide, where one or both of the E1 and E2 polypeptides comprises an affinity tag. The present disclosure provides a method of producing an affinity tagged E1/E2 heterodimer of the present disclosure. The present disclosure provides methods of producing untagged HCV E1/E2 heterodimers. The present disclosure provides HCV E1/E2 heterodimers, compositions comprising same, and methods of inducing an immune response to HCV.

Abstract: Cryopreservation of endothelial cell monolayers is one of the major challenges in the cryopreservation of complex tissues. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) in suspension are available commercially and recently their post-thaw cell membrane integrity was significantly improved by cryopreservation in 5% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and 6% hydroxyethyl starch (HES). However, cryopreservation of cells in monolayers has been elusive. The exact mechanisms of damage during cell monolayer cryopreservation are still under investigation. Here, we show that a combination of different factors contribute to significant progress in cryopreservation of cell monolayers. The addition of 2% chondroitin sulfate to 5% DMSO and 6% HES and cooling at 0.2 or 1° C./min led to high membrane integrity (97.3±3.2%) immediately after thaw when HUVECs were cultured on a substrate with a coefficient of thermal expansion similar to that of ice.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a therapeutic antisense oligonucleotide which binds to exon 51 of the human dystrophin pre-mRNA to induce exon skipping, and conjugates and compositions thereof for the treatment of DMD.

Abstract: Described here is a composition comprising amphiphilic silica nanoparticles, wherein the silica nanoparticles are partially fluorinated. Also described here is a method for droplet-based assay, comprising dispersing at least one aqueous droplet in a continuous fluorous phase in a microfluidic channel, wherein at least one amphiphilic silica nanoparticle is absorbed to the interface of the continuous fluorous phase and the aqueous droplet, and wherein the silica nanoparticle is partially fluorinated. Further described here is a method for droplet-based assay, comprising dispersing at least one aqueous phase droplet in a continuous fluorous phase in a microfluidic channel, wherein the continuous fluorous phase comprises at least one partially fluorinated amphiphilic particle adsorbed to an interface of the continuous fluorous phase and the aqueous phase droplet, and wherein the aqueous phase droplet comprises at least one hydrophilic polymer adsorbed to the amphiphilic particle at the interface.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for seismic event localization includes: generating, with at least one processor, a vectorized snapshot matrix representing wave propagation data at a series of snapshots in time for a subterranean formation; computing a reduced orthonormal column basis matrix based on the vectorized snapshot matrix; constructing a reduced order wave propagation model based on the reduced orthonormal column basis matrix; receiving seismic data collected from a plurality of receivers at the subterranean formation; generating a time-domain coefficient matrix based on back propagation of the received seismic data and the reduced order wave propagation model; reconstructing time-reversed wavefield data based on the time-domain coefficient vector; and generating signals for outputting wavefield or seismic event location information based on the time-reversed wavefield data.

Abstract: An atomic orbital based memory storage is provided that includes a plurality of surface atoms forming dangling bonds (DBs) and a subset of the plurality of surface atoms passivated with spatial control to form covalent bonds with hydrogen, deuterium, or a combination thereof. The atomic orbital based data storage that can be rewritten and corrected as needed. The resulting data storage is also archival and capable of high data densities than any known storage as the data is retained in a binary storage or a given orbital being passivated or a dangling bond (DB). A method of forming and reading the atomic orbital data storage is also provided. The method including selectively removing covalent bonds to form dangling bonds (DBs) extending from a surface atom by hydrogen lithography and imaging the covalent bonds spatially to read the atomic orbital data storage.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method for isolating and amplifying a subject's mitochondrial deoxyribonucleic acid (mtDNA). The method comprises the steps of: isolating cell free deoxyribonucleic acid (cf-DNA) from a plasma sample obtained from the subject; and amplifying the mtDNA within the isolated cfDNA using a polymerase chain reaction with a first primer pair and a second primer pair. The first primer is selected from SEQ ID NO: 1 and SEQ ID NO: 2 and the second primer pair is selected from SEQ ID NO: 3 and SEQ ID NO: 4.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods and pharmaceutical compositions for treating and inhibiting conical vascularization including conical vascularization associated with viral infection, chemical injury, autoimmune conditions, and post-corneal transplantation or in subjects having a PAX6 mutation associated with conical vascularization. The methods and pharmaceutical compositions are utilized in administering treatment that results in increased concentration of FOXC1 in a subject's cornea in order to treat or inhibit corneal vascularization.

Abstract: A method of ultrasonically imaging an object includes providing a 2D array of bias-sensitive ultrasound transducer elements. Each ultrasound transducer element has first and second electrodes on first and second sides of the ultrasound transducer connected in plural first and second electrode strips. The plural first electrode strips are oriented at an angle to the plural second electrode strips. A biasing pattern is applied to a plurality of the second electrode strips and generating a series of transmit events in one or more first electrode strips. Return pulses are detected by measuring received signals from biased second electrode strips. For the series of transmit events, the second electrode strips are biased according to sequential biasing patterns of voltages that correspond to rows or columns of an invertible matrix. The measured received signals are processed to generate an image of the object.