Abstract: Disclosed is a means for reducing side effects of an immune checkpoint regulator that is used as an anticancer drug or the like. A side-effect reducing agent according to the present invention comprises as an effective ingredient an anti-CD4 antibody having a high cytotoxic activity, or an anti-CD4 antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof which antibody or fragment comprises a cytotoxic component bound thereto. The anti-CD4 antibody is a human-type chimeric antibody, humanized antibody or human antibody against human CD4. The immune checkpoint regulator may be, for example, an anti-PD-L1 antibody, an antagonistic anti-CTLA-4 antibody, or an agonistic anti-OX40 antibody.

Abstract: Described are shape memory polymers and methods of making shape memory polymers and actuators from the shape memory polymers.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for treating a mammalian subject affected by prostate cancer comprising i) an oligonucleotide which reduces clusterin expression and ii) a Heat Shock Protein 90 (Hsp90) inhibitor each in an amount that when in combination with the other is effective to treat the mammalian subject. The present invention also provides pharmaceutical compositions comprising an amount of an oligonucleotide which reduces clusterin expression, and a Hsp90 inhibitor for use in treating a mammalian subject affected by prostate cancer. Also provided are oligonucleotides which reduce clusterin expression for use in combination with a Hsp90 inhibitor in treating a mammalian subject affected by prostate cancer, and a composition for treating a mammalian subject affected by prostate cancer comprising i) an oligonucleotide which reduces clusterin expression and ii) a Hsp90 inhibitor each in an amount that when in combination with the other is effective to treat the mammalian subject.

Abstract: A cloud-based radiation therapy treatment planning system (TPS). The TPS changes the clinical workflow of the radiotherapy treatment planning process, by increasing the mobility and computational power of the treatment planning software and hardware architecture. The system is divided into computational components. A user device includes a light and flexible user interface, while the server side entails a hospital relay server, and/or a graphics processing unit cluster server. The TPS computational architecture enables the computational power of a GPU-cluster server on a tablet, laptop, or smartphone.

Abstract: The subject matter described herein includes methods, systems, and computer readable media for combating mobile device theft with user notarization. One method includes providing a supplicant video notarization system application executable on a supplicant device for initiating an interactive video call between a supplicant and a notary as a condition to the supplicant accessing a protected electronic resource. The method further includes providing a notary video notarization system application executable on a notary device through which the notary receives the interactive video call and interacts with the supplicant via the interactive video call to confirm the identity of the supplicant and that video of the supplicant provided in the call is live.

Abstract: Methods and composition for tumor therapy, especially esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC), are described. For example, in certain aspects methods for determining Hedgehog and mTOR signaling pathway status to select patients for administering a combination therapy of Hedgehog and mTOR signaling inhibitors are described. Furthermore, the invention provides compositions that involve testing kits for determining signaling status.

Abstract: An object of the invention is to provide a peptide having a stabilized secondary structure. The present invention provides a peptide having a secondary structure stabilized by a crosslinked structure and containing at least one combination of a special amino acid of the formula (I): (wherein, (A) represents a single bond or a linking group having, in the main chain thereof, from 1 to 10 atoms; (B) represents a group containing at least one ? bond; (C) represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group which may be substituted with a substituent; and X represents a group substitutable by a substitution reaction with a sulfanyl group) and an amino acid having, in the side chain thereof, a sulfanyl group; and having the crosslinked structure formed through a thioether bond between the side chain of the special amino acid residue and the sulfanyl group.

Abstract: A stent delivery system may be used to position a stent in a body lumen. An endoscope may be positionable in the stent delivery system facilitating direct visual observation during placement of the stent. The stent delivery system may include a first conduit, wherein the endoscope is positionable. A second conduit, wherein the first conduit is positionable, may function to releasably position the stent in the body lumen during use. The stent delivery system may include a lock that functions to inhibit movement of the first conduit relative to the second conduit during use. Retraction of the distal end of the second conduit, relative to the first conduit and the stent, may deploy the stent in a body lumen. Indicia, visibly positioned on the proximal end of the stent delivery system, may function to facilitate determination of an extent of deployment of the stent during use.

Abstract: The present embodiments are directed to implantable electrode arrays having virtual electrodes. The virtual electrodes may improve the resolution of the implantable electrode array without the burden of corresponding complexity of electronic circuitry and wiring. In a particular embodiment, a virtual electrode may include one or more passive elements to help steer current to a specific location between the active electrodes. For example, a passive element may be a metalized layer on a substrate that is adjacent to, but not directly connected to an active electrode. In certain embodiments, an active electrode may be directly coupled to a power source via a conductive connection. Beneficially, the passive elements may help to increase the overall resolution of the implantable array by providing additional stimulation points without requiring additional wiring or driver circuitry for the passive elements.

Abstract: A non-synthetic, hydrophilic, biodegradable, biocompatible polysaccharide based non-toxic anti-adhesion hydrogel barrier is disclosed herein. The barrier of the present invention is formed by constructing a unique interpenetrating, crosslinked network with a unique porosity. Furthermore, the barrier of the present invention is comprised of tunable biopolymers for controllable mechanical robustness and degradation. The barrier of the present invention effectively reduces unwanted adhesions using non-synthetic components.

Abstract: A method of producing graphene by the electrochemical insertion of alkylammonium cations in a solvent into graphite is disclosed.

Abstract: A thermoelectric power generator for converting thermal energy into electrical energy. The thermoelectric power generator includes a heat exchanger configured to extract thermal energy from an exhaust gas stream. The heat exchanger includes fins in contact with a boundary of the heat exchanger, where the fins are directly connected to a first set of thermoelectric modules. A second set of thermoelectric modules are directly connected to the boundary of the heat exchanger. The first and second sets of thermoelectric modules are configured to convert the thermal energy to electrical energy. By eliminating the metal wall that previously existed between the thermoelectric modules and the fins, the thermoelectric power generator improves the heat transfer between the exhaust gas and the thermoelectric modules, eliminates the thermal fatigue failures at the bond between the metal wall and the thermoelectric modules as well as allows for a higher density of thermoelectric modules.

Abstract: A method for ultrasound diagnosis includes determining a first risk of malignancy based on a human assessment of a first set of features of one or more ultrasound images of a target; determining a second risk of malignancy based on an automatically extracted second set of features of the one or more ultrasound images; determining at least one overall risk value based on the first risk of malignancy and the second risk of malignancy; and characterizing the at least one overall risk value as one of a high confidence assessment or a low confidence assessment.

Abstract: Uses of pyrrolopyrimidines with anti-Mer tyrosine kinase activity as anti-infective agents, immunostimulatory and immunomodulatory agents, anti-cancer agents (including against MerTK?/? tumors and ITD and TKD mutant forms of Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)), and as adjunctive agents in combination with chemotherapeutic, radiation or other standard of care for neoplasms.

Abstract: Fabricating a nanofiber sheet, ribbon, or yarn by a continuous process that includes synthesizing a nanofiber forest in a furnace growth region on a substrate, wherein the nanofiber forest comprises a parallel array of nanofibers, and further includes drawing said nanofibers from the nanofiber forest to form a primary assembly that is the sheet, ribbon or yarn. The substrate continuously moves from the furnace growth region into a region where the nanofibers in the forest are drawn.

Abstract: The present invention relates to peptides that are able to bind to anti-PLA2R antibodies. The peptides comprise the amino acid sequence K-X1-X2-X3-X4-X5-K-X6-X7-X8-X9-X10-X11-X12-X13-K (SEQ ID NO:2), in which both X1 and X13 may be cysteine residues. The peptides may have a length of up to 60 amino acid residues, or as little as 31 amino acid residues. The peptides are useful in the prevention or treatment of kidney disease, and methods of preventing or treating kidney disease by providing a therapeutically effective amount of a peptide to a subject, as well as devices for extra corporeal treatment of a patient's blood, are all provided. The invention also provides methods of determining levels of anti-PLA2R antibodies in a subject, and pharmaceutical compositions comprising a peptide and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.

Abstract: Provided herein are telechelic polymers and methods for producing the same. In some embodiments, provided herein are compounds having the formula and methods for producing the same.

Abstract: This invention relates generally to the use of ITK (IL-2 inducible T-cell kinase) inhibitors for the treatment of patients who have melanoma or other solid tumors. Applicants demonstrate that ITK lentiviral small hairpin RNA knockdowns and a small molecule inhibitor can each decrease the proliferation and migration of melanoma cell lines and a small molecule inhibitor can be used to inhibit the growth of melanomas in vivo.

Abstract: A process for producing a VET-type zeolite is provided in which the use of a structure-directing agent is minimized and the environmental burden can be minimized. This process for producing a VET-type zeolite comprises (1) mixing a zinc source, an element M1 source, an alkali source, and water so as to result in a reaction mixture having a specific composition in terms of molar ratio, (2) using, as seed crystals, a VET-type zeolite which has an M1O2/ZnO ratio of 5-30 and adding the zeolite to the reaction mixture in an amount of 0.1-30 wt % relative to the M1O2 contained in the reaction mixture, and (3) heating the reaction mixture to which the seed crystals have been added, at 80-200° C. in a hermetically closed state. M1 represents silicon or a mixture of silicon and germanium.

Abstract: Reagent complexes have two or more elements, formally in oxidation state zero, complexed with a hydride molecule. Complexation with the hydride molecule may be evidenced by shifts to lower binding energies, of one or more electrons in each of the two or more elements, as observed by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The reagents can be useful for the synthesis of multi-element nanoparticles. Preparation of the reagents can be achieved by ball-milling a mixture that includes powders of two or more elements and a hydride molecule.