Abstract: Gas separation membrane compositions including at least one crosslinked polymer, gas separation membranes made of such compositions, methods for making such gas separation membranes, and methods of using such membranes to separate gases are described. In one embodiment, the crosslinked polymer includes polyarylene ethers (PAE).

Abstract: Supraparticle nanoassemblies are provided that comprise nanoparticle species and protein species, as well as methods for making such assemblies. A supraparticle may comprise a nanoparticle species with a first charge and an average particle size diameter of ?about 1 nm to ?about 100 nm. The supraparticle also comprises a protein species. The nanoparticle species and the protein species have the same charge and are assembled together without any intramolecular chemical bonding to form the supraparticle. The supraparticle may be a substantially round particle. In certain other aspects, a photoreactive supraparticle is provided, where the nanoparticle is reactive to energy or electromagnetic radiation, which in the presence of such energy or radiation enhances reactivity of the protein species in the supraparticle.

Abstract: The present inventions relates to a solid composition and an aqueous dispersion comprising nanoparticles of the anti-retroviral drugs lopinavir and ritonavir. The solid composition and aqueous dispersion additionally comprise a mixture of a hydrophilic polymer and a surfactant. The surfactant is selected from vitamin-E-polyethylene glycol-succinate (Vit-E-PEG-succinate), a polyoxyethylene sorbitan fatty acid ester, N-alkyldimethylbenzylammonium chloride, sodium deoxycholate, dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate, polyethyleneglycol-12-hydroxystearate, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), and a block copolymer of polyoxyethylene and polyoxypropylene, or a combination thereof. The hydrophilic polymer is suitably selected from polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), a polyvinyl alcohol-polyethylene glycol graft copolymer, a block copolymer of polyoxyethylene and polyoxypropylene, polyethylene glycol, hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (HPMC), and polyvinylpyrrolidone, or a combination thereof.

Abstract: A non-reciprocal acoustic device that accomplishes non-reciprocity via linear or angular-momentum bias. The non-reciprocal acoustic device includes an azimuthally symmetric or planar acoustical cavity (e.g., ring cavity), where the cavity is biased by imposing a circular or linear motion of a gas, a fluid or a solid medium filling the cavity. Acoustic waveguides are connected to the cavity or the cavity is excited from the surrounding medium. A port of this device is excited with an acoustic wave. When the cavity is biased appropriately, the acoustic wave is transmitted to one of the other acoustic waveguides while no transmission of the acoustic wave occurs at the other acoustic waveguides. As a result, linear non-reciprocity is now realized in acoustics without distorting the input signal or requiring high input power or bulky devices.

Abstract: Novel FXR agonists are disclosed, embodiments of a method of making the same, and of a composition comprising them are disclosed herein. Also disclosed are embodiments of a method of treating or preventing a metabolic disorder in a subject, comprising administering to a subject (e.g., via the gastrointestinal tract) a therapeutically effective amount of one or more of the disclosed compounds, thereby activating FXR receptors in the intestines, and treating or preventing a metabolic disorder in the subject. Additionally disclosed are embodiments of a method of treating or preventing inflammation in an intestinal region of a subject, comprising administering to the subject (e.g., via the gastrointestinal tract) a therapeutically effective amount of one or more of the disclosed compounds, thereby activating FXR receptors in the intestines, and thereby treating or preventing inflammation in the intestinal region of the subject.

Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments of a system or method for the transparent handling of real-time streaming application-level data. The disclosed embodiments permit the identification and modification of specified file patterns from within the live stateful data transactions across computer networks. The system includes a unidirectional in-line communications data stream handler, stream pattern detector, stream file modification processor, and memory management subsystem. Embodiments of the disclosure may include devices permitting incoming network data streams to be captured, processed, and selectively modified when implemented on a digital streaming network communications line. One embodiment of the system includes techniques for mitigation of malicious software directed against software based network connected systems. Other embodiments may make use of approaches for digital data hiding and covert channel obfuscation operations on digital multimedia files being transferred through the system.

Abstract: Provided are antimicrobial solutions comprising a glyceryl nitrate (e.g., glyeryl trinitrate) in combination with a chelator (e.g., citrate), a peroxide, a fatty acid, and/or an alcohol (e.g., ethanol). In various aspects these components may synergistically act to kill or reduce the growth of microbes, such as bacteria or fungi, present in a biofilm.

Abstract: The present invention provides a compound of formula (1), wherein R1, R2, R3, R4a, R4b, R5a and R5b are as defined in the description, which has an autotaxin inhibitory activity, a pharmaceutical composition comprising the compound as an active ingredient, and a method of prevention or treatment of a disease involving autotaxin, which is characterized by administering the compound.

Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments that facilitate automatically bridging the semantic gap in machine introspection. It may be determined that a program executed by a first virtual machine is requested to introspect a second virtual machine. A system call execution context of the program may be determined in response to determining that the program is requested to introspect the second virtual machine. Redirectable data in a memory of the second virtual machine may be identified based at least in part on the system call execution context of the program. The program may be configured to access the redirectable data. In various embodiments, the program may be able to modify the redirectable data, thereby facilitating configuration, reconfiguration, and recovery operations to be performed on the second virtual machine from within the first virtual machine.

Abstract: Polymers, including Polyesters and Polycarbonates comprising residue of bis-furan diol, which is produced from renewable furfural feedstock and methods of making and using of those polyesters and polycarbonates are described. The method includes reacting a bis-furan diol with a dicarboxylic acid in the presence of a carbodiimide to produce the bis-furan containing polymers. In certain embodiments, the dicarboxylic acid is succinic acid; the bis-furan diol is the 5,5?-(propane-2,2-diyl)bis(furan-2,5-diyl) dimethanol and the carbodiimide is of N,N-diisopropylcarbodiimide.

Abstract: Methods and systems for the isomerization and fermentation of xylose and hexose sugars using an immobilized enzyme system capable of sustaining two different pH microenvironments in a single vessel are disclosed. Bilayer particles are dispersed in a mixture comprising an ionic borate source and xylose. The bilayer particles have a first region with a first enzymatic activity comprising xylose isomerase and a pH of 6 or above, and a second region having a second enzymatic activity at an acidic pH.

Abstract: The present invention is generally directed to a new class of TPEs made from peptide terminated low Tg polymers and methods for making them. The middle block of these TPE is a telechelic polymer with a Tg that is below the intended service temperature of the TPE. The terminal peptide segments of these TPEs are short (from about 1 to about 10 amino acids long) and tend to from sheet type secondary structures through intermolecular hydrogen bonds, creating physical crosslinks between polymer chains. The dissimilarity of the peptide hard component and the elastomeric soft component results in very strong segregation between the microphase domains and a low plastic deformation for the resulting TPE. And since the Tm of the crystalline peptide phase can be adjusted, these new TPEs may be tailored to fit the intended service temperature and are melt-processable.

Abstract: A maneuverable feeding tube system can include: a feeding tube having an internal lumen and distal opening; a maneuverable tube having a flexible distal end being located within the internal lumen of the feeding tube such that the flexible distal end is associated with the distal opening of the feeding tube, wherein the flexible distal end includes one or more flex members; a control member operably coupled to a flexible distal end of the maneuverable tube and extending through the internal lumen of the feeding tube; and a port coupled to a proximal end of the feeding tube with the control member extending therethrough.

Abstract: African swine fever virus (ASFV) is the etiological agent of a contagious and often lethal viral disease of domestic pigs. Control of ASF has been hampered by the unavailability of vaccines. Experimental vaccines have been derived from naturally occurring, cell culture-adapted, or genetically modified live attenuated ASFVs; however, these vaccines are only successful when protecting against homologous viruses. Among viral genes reported to be involved in virulence are components of the multi gene family (MGF). Here we report the construction of a recombinant ?MGF virus derived from the highly virulent ASFV Georgia 2007 (ASFV-G) isolate. In vivo, ASFV-G ?MGF administered intramuscularly (IM) to swine at either 102 or 104 HAD50 are completely attenuated; the inoculated animals are completely asymptomatic. Animals infected with 102 or 104 HAD50 of ASFV-G ?MGF are protected against the presentation of clinical disease when challenged at 28 days post infection with the virulent parental strain Georgia 2007.

Abstract: Human antibodies, preferably recombinant human antibodies, both humanized and chimeric, which specifically bind to human OX40 are disclosed. Preferred antibodies have high affinity for OX40 receptor and activate the receptor in vitro and in vivo. The antibody can be a full-length antibody or an antigen-binding portion thereof. The antibodies, or antibody portions, are useful for modulating receptor activity, e.g., in a human subject suffering from a disorder in which OX40 activity is detrimental. Nucleic acids, vectors and host cells for expressing the recombinant human antibodies are provided, and methods of synthesizing the recombinant human antibodies, are also provided.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a class of organometallic catalysts for both hydrogenation and water oxidation. The synthesis and the use of these catalysts for hydrogenation, hydrogen production and water oxidation reactions is also disclosed.

Abstract: A medical tube which is highly flexible and has a very small diameter and a flexibility-variable mechanism having the medical tube are provided. The medical tube includes an interior tube and a plurality of annular segments of a cylindrical shape into which the interior tube is inserted. The medical tube is configured by sequentially connecting the plurality of annular segments while the interior tube is inserted inside of the plurality of annular segments. Each annular segment includes a fitting portion that allows any other annular segment to be fitted to the annular segment, and a fitted portion which may be fitted on the fitting portion of any other annular segment, which has a diameter that increases toward an end of the annular segment and includes at least one slit extending in a direction crossing a diametric direction.

Abstract: An automatic facial action coding system and method can include processing an image to identify a face in the image, to detect and align one or more facial features shown in the image, and to define one or more windows on the image. One or more distributions of pixels and color intensities can be quantified in each of the one or more windows to derive one or more two-dimensional intensity distributions of one or more colors within the window. The one or more two-dimensional intensity distributions can be processed to select image features appearing in the one or more windows and to classify one or more predefined facial actions on the face in the image. A facial action code score that includes a value indicating a relative amount of the predefined facial action occurring in the face in the image can be determined for the face in the image for each of the one or more predefined facial actions.

Abstract: Described herein are materials, methods, and kits enabling accurate and reproducible two-color reverse-transcription real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) for quality-controlled molecular diagnostic testing of samples that may contain degraded RNA. In certain aspects described herein are materials, methods, and kits for use in the molecular diagnostic testing of lung cancer in FFPE samples and/or fresh-frozen samples. Also described herein are materials and methods to control for inter-experimental variation occurring during two-color RT-qPCR amplification arising from variation in fluorescence specific activity, use of different thermocyclers, and inter-laboratory differences.

Abstract: Acoustic resonators are formed by injection molding or other process that allows the shape, size, orientation, and arrangement of each resonator to be customized. Customizing the features of the resonators allows their resonance frequency to be adjusted based on their intended deployment. A non-periodic or non-uniform arrangement of the resonators can increase the level of noise reduction compared to a periodic or uniform arrangement of the resonators. A chain guard includes a recess to receive a chain that supports a plurality of resonator rows or frames. In the stowed configuration, the chain guard pivots towards the row/frame to more compactly stow a panel of resonators.