Abstract: A stereotactic system for positioning a device relative to a spine includes a first frame with an attached first pedicle screw, a second frame with an attached second pedicle screw, and a platform for mounting the device. The lower parts of the frames are horizontally spaced apart, and attachable to the spine by the pedicle screws. The platform is attached to the upper parts of the frames and supported by the frames above the spine. The platform is slidably attached to the upper parts of the frames to adjust a longitudinal position of the platform relative to the frames. The platform is pivotally attached to the upper parts of the frame to adjust a horizontal distance between the lower parts of the frames, while maintaining a constant orientation of the platform.

Abstract: A filter for mimicking regional lung deposition is provided that includes filter layers of fibrous filter material stacked coaxially and an outer ring portion encircling the fibrous filter material and securing the filter layers together. The fibrous filter material is formed for fibers having a fiber diameter, and the filter has a tunable filter efficiency. A regional lung deposition system capable of measuring constant flow or variable flow is provided that includes a throat simulation device, a filter housing downstream of and in fluid communication with the throat simulation device, a breath simulator downstream of and in fluid communication with the filter housing, and a an above-referenced filter positioned within the filter housing. Also provided is a filter housing for use in the regional lung deposition system that includes a conical housing having a small inner diameter at a first end and a large inner diameter at a second end.

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 computer-implemented method for adaptive near-field data acquisition during a sampling process; it includes measuring at least one of an amplitude and phase of a field using one or more probes, wherein the measuring is performed at a plurality of points; selecting, for each point of the plurality of points, a set of neighboring points; calculating a field variation to determine the presence of a strongly varying near-field pattern; for each location corresponding to each point of the plurality of points where a varying near-field pattern is determined after the calculating of the field variation, inserting one or more new points; and for each of said one or more new points, calculating a field variation to obtain a higher near-field resolution for said each location where a near-field variation is determined.

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 for controlling an inverter, and in particular a double stage inverter, for implementing a model of a synchronous generator is provided including implementing a rotor inertia using an intermediate dc-link capacitor without duplicating the emulated inertia in the controller, simulating the rotor speed based on a measured voltage of the dc-link capacitor, while allowing the voltage to change in a defined range, and mapping the changing voltage of the dc-link capacitor into the inverter as an internal frequency. A system for connecting a power generator to a power grid is also provided including a control device for an inverter, the control device implementing a model of a synchronous generator. The control device including a computer processor in electrical communication with a storage device with instructions stored thereon, that when executed on the computer processor, perform the method for controlling an inverter for implementing a model of a synchronous generator.

Abstract: There is described herein a nanomotor system and methods of use.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides an immunogenic composition comprising: a) i) a hepatitis C virus (HCV) heterodimeric polypeptide that includes HCV E1 and E2 polypeptides; ii) an HCV E1 polypeptide; or iii) an HCV E2 polypeptide; b) a polypeptide (also referred to herein as a “T-cell epitope polypeptide” or an “HCV T-cell epitope polypeptide”) comprising T-cell epitopes (e.g., CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell epitopes that are conserved among some HCV genotypes and that are presented through one or multiple HLA alleles common within the human population) 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.

Abstract: Beta-hydroxybutyric acid-based radiopharmaceuticals, pharmaceutical compositions comprising same, methods for preparing same, and methods of using same for diagnostic imaging and non-imaging tracer studies are provided.

Abstract: An internal parallelization based active neutral point clamped (IP-ANPC) converter is provided having a low switching frequency (LSF) part and a plurality of high switching frequency (HSF) modules. The HSF modules are connected in parallel and the converter is modular. The converter provides the benefits of modularity, improved reliability and efficiency, interleaving operation, and reasonable utilization of wide band gap (WBG) devices. A logic based flying capacitor voltage balancing scheme is also provided. The balancing scheme includes naturally balancing the voltage of the converter with phase shift pulse width modulation and redundantly balancing the voltage of the converter with redundant switching states.

Abstract: An improved method of recovering oil from a depleted oil reservoir wherein the oil is embedded in an underground matrix adjacent the depleted oil reservoir. The method 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 improvement including 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 method of quantifying a viscoelastic effect of a polymer on residual oil saturation (S or) including calculating an extensional capillary number (Nce) using flux, pore-scale apparent viscosity, and interfacial tension to account for the polymer's viscoelastic forces that are responsible for Sor reduction. The polymer is used polymer flooding during enhanced oil recovery. An extensional capillary number is calculated for a plurality of polymer materials, which are then compiled in a database. Also provided is a reservoir simulator for predicting the Sor reduction potential of the viscoelastic polymer, which includes a database of calculated extensional capillary numbers for a plurality of polymers. The database includes a curve generated from the calculated extensional capillary numbers for a plurality of polymers properties, flux rates, formation nature, oil viscosities, and rheological behaviors.

Abstract: CsChrimson light-activated ion channel polypeptides, their encoding polynucleotides, and variants thereof are provided. Methods of introducing and using CsChrimson light activated ion channels and variants thereof for to alter cell activity and function are also provided.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides heterodimeric polypeptides comprising: 1) a variant hepatitis C virus (HCV) E2 polypeptide and an HCV E1 polypeptide; 2) a variant HCV E1 polypeptide and an HCV E2 polypeptide; or 3) a variant HCV E1 polypeptide and a variant HCV E2 polypeptide, where the variant HCV E2 polypeptide and/or the HCV E1 polypeptide comprises one or more T cell epitopes, present in an HCV polypeptide other than an HCV E1 polypeptide or an HCV E2 polypeptide. The present disclosure provides nucleic acids encoding a polyprotein that includes E1 and variant E2, E2 and variant E1, or variant E2 and variant E1. The present disclosure provides a method of producing an E1/E2 heterodimer of the present disclosure. The present disclosure provides a method of inducing an immune response in an individual. The present disclosure provides variant E2 polypeptides and variant E1 polypeptides; and nucleic acids encoding same.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides immunogenic compositions comprising: a) hepatitis C virus (HCV) E1E2 heterodimers, HCV E2, or HCV E1; and b) an adjuvant, where the adjuvant is a cyclic dinucleotide or an archaeosome. The present disclosure provides methods of inducing an immune response in an individual to HCV, the methods comprising administering to an individual an effective amount of an immunogenic composition of the present disclosure.

Abstract: A method of modeling an equivalent wind turbine generator (WTG) system for a wind farm having a plurality of WTG units includes determining an impact factor of each WTG unit of the plurality of WTG units, determining an equivalent single WTG unit model parameters of the wind farm based on the impact factor of each WTG unit, and determining an effective wind speed of the wind farm to use as the equivalent WTG input wind speed. The method produces a model of static and/or dynamic wind farm behavior. Additionally, a software configured to execute a method of modeling an equivalent wind turbine generator (WTG) system for a wind farm having a plurality of WTG units.

Abstract: Gels made from oat proteins include partially hydrolysed oat protein, or oat protein and an organic acid or acidulant, or oat protein and inulin.

Abstract: Provided herein are variants of an archaerhodopsin useful for application such as optical measurement of membrane potential. The present invention also relates to polynucleotides encoding the variants; nucleic acid constructs, vectors, cells comprising the polynucleotides, and cells comprising the polypeptides; and methods of using the variants.

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: Amylin receptor antagonists capable of binding to the amylin receptor and inhibiting activity of amylin or amyloid-beta protein are provided. The amylin receptor antagonists can be administered in the form of pharmaceutical compositions or the like. Methods for preparing and using the amylin receptor antagonists for treating, preventing, or ameliorating Alzheimer's disease are also provided.