Abstract: The present invention is a DNA expression vector comprising: a toxP: a mutant toxO that blocks Fe-mediated regulation of gene expression; and a DNA sequence encoding a protein, wherein the toxP and the mutant toxO regulate expression of the DNA segment encoding the protein. It is preferred that DNA expression vectors of the present invention include DNA sequences encoding a signal peptide so that a protein expressed is attached to the signal peptide prior to processing. Novel proteins are produced off of the DNA expression vector of the present invention.

Abstract: Compositions and methods are provided for treating fibrosis in a mammal by administering a therapeutic dose of a pharmaceutical composition.

Abstract: Processes and materials to detect cancer from a biopsy are described. In some cases, cell-free nucleic acids can be sequenced, and the sequencing result can be utilized to detect sequences derived from a neoplasm. Detection of somatic variants occurring in phase can indicate the presence of cancer in a diagnostic scan and a clinical intervention can be performed.

Abstract: Coronavirus S ectodomain trimers stabilized in a prefusion conformation, nucleic acid molecules and vectors encoding these proteins, and methods of their use and production are disclosed. In several embodiments, the coronavirus S ectodomain trimers and/or nucleic acid molecules can be used to generate an immune response to coronavirus in a subject. In additional embodiments, the therapeutically effective amount of the coronavirus S ectodomain trimers and/or nucleic acid molecules can be administered to a subject in a method of treating or preventing coronavirus infection.

Abstract: The present invention relates to methods for secure computation and/or communication. Entangled photons (118) are generated such that each participating party receives a series of optical pulses. Each party has private information (110, 112) which are never transmitted through public or private communication channels. Instead, each party converts their respective private information (110, 112) into measurement bases via an encryption process (114, 116) which are then applied to the entangled photons (118). After the measurement process, e.g., quantum frequency conversion (122, 124), reference indices are announced (124, 126) so that computation can be performed (128) without revealing the private information directly or indirectly.

Abstract: Improved resolution of a time-varying optical measurement is provided with optical intensity modulator(s) having a bandwidth greater than that of the detector array(s). The modulator configuration can have high photon collection efficiency, e.g. by using polarization modulation to split the incident light into several time-gated channels.

Abstract: A traffic monitoring system has a controller and sensors placed in or on roads such that vehicles pass over or near the sensors, thereby casting shadows on the sensors as they pass. The sensors may be configured to detect the shadows, and a controller may be configured to determine any of a variety of information about the passing vehicles based on the detected shadows. For example, the controller may count the number of vehicles that pass, determine a speed of each passing vehicle, and determine a length of each passing vehicle. The sensors can be relatively inexpensive so that a relatively large number of sensors can be used to monitor a large area at a relatively low cost. In some embodiments, solar cells are used to power the sensors, and if desired, the solar cells may be used as the sensors for detecting the shadows of the vehicles being monitored.

Abstract: Compositions and methods are provided for the generation or treatment of chronic tympanic membrane perforation by modulation of HB-EGF activity.

Abstract: A yeast-containing dough that is used to form a leavened dough product having a desired degree of leavening is initially formed as two separate dough subcomponents that, when combined, leavens through a fermentation reaction process to form a dough having the desired degree of leavening. The first dough subcomponent includes a leavening activator, flour, salt and water, while the second dough component includes a biological leavening agent, flour, and water. When combined, the leavening agent reacts in the presence of the biological leavening activator through a fermentation process to form the dough having a desired degree of leavening, which can then be heated to a temperature exceeding a viability temperature of the leavening activator to terminate the fermentation process and form the leavened dough product. The dough can also be combined with at least one non-dough component to form the leavened dough product.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) specific to CD19, vectors encoding the same, and recombinant T cells comprising the CD19 CAR. The disclosure also includes methods of administering a genetically modified T cell expressing a CAR that comprises a CD19 binding domain.

Abstract: Disclosed are systems, methods, and other implementations, including a method for monitoring and managing battery performance that includes deriving a representation of diffusion overpotential behavior for a lithium-ion battery according to a discrete-time state-space approximation of a convolution-defined diffusion (CDD) model for the lithium-ion battery, and determining behavior of the lithium-ion battery according to the discrete-time state-space approximation of the convolution-defined diffusion (CDD) model for the lithium-ion battery.

Abstract: New synthetic methods to provide access to previously unexplored functionality at the C8 position of substituted imidazo[5,1-d][1,2,3,5]tetrazines of Formula I. Through synthesis and evaluation of a suite of compounds with a range of aqueous stabilities (from 0.5 to 40 hours), a predictive model for imidazotetrazine hydrolytic stability based on the Hammett constant of the C8 substituent was derived. Promising compounds were identified that possess activity against a panel of GBM cell lines, appropriate hydrolytic and metabolic stability, and brain-to-serum ratios dramatically elevated relative to TMZ, leading to lower hematological toxicity profiles and superior activity to TMZ in a mouse model of GBM.

Abstract: Embodiments of methods and/or systems for sorting digital information are disclosed. In one particular embodiment, samples of a portion of digital information are associated with prime numerals. Such digital information may then be sorted based upon combinations of such digital information. In another example embodiment, a portion or sub-portion of a collection of digital information is converted to at least one sorting value. It should be understood, however, that these are merely example implementations and that claimed subject matter is not limited in this respect.

Abstract: In certain aspects, the present invention provides methods for inducing a stable gene modification of a target nucleic acid via homologous recombination in a primary cell, such as a primary blood cell and/or a primary mesenchymal cell. In certain other aspects, the present invention provides methods for enriching a population of genetically modified primary cells having targeted integration at a target nucleic acid. The methods of the present invention rely on the introduction of a DNA nuclease such as a Cas polypeptide and a homologous donor adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector into the primary cell to mediate targeted integration of the target nucleic acid. Also provided herein are methods for preventing or treating a disease in a subject in need thereof by administering to the subject any of the genetically modified primary cells or pharmaceutical compositions described herein to prevent the disease or ameliorate one or more symptoms of the disease.

Abstract: Disclosed are devices, systems, apparatus, methods, products, and other implementations, including a method comprising obtaining, by a device, a combined sound signal for signals combined from multiple sound sources in an area in which a person is located, and applying, by the device, speech-separation processing (e.g., deep attractor network (DAN) processing, online DAN processing, LSTM-TasNet processing, Conv-TasNet processing), to the combined sound signal from the multiple sound sources to derive a plurality of separated signals that each contains signals corresponding to different groups of the multiple sound sources. The method further includes obtaining, by the device, neural signals for the person, the neural signals being indicative of one or more of the multiple sound sources the person is attentive to, and selecting one of the plurality of separated signals based on the obtained neural signals. The selected signal may then be processed (amplified, attenuated).

Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods, processes, compositions, and kits for generating bone graft materials for use at a site of bone defect that utilizes a composition which contains liposomal Wnt polypeptide, such as liposomal Wnt3a polypeptide, liposomal Wnt5a polypeptide, or liposomal Wnt10b polypeptide. Also disclosed herein are methods, processes, compositions, and kits for enhancing mammalian bone marrow cells that utilizes a composition which contains liposomal Wnt polypeptide, such as liposomal Wnt3a polypeptide, liposomal Wnt5a polypeptide, or liposomal Wnt10b polypeptide.

Abstract: A pro-fragrance delivery system based on a vitamin scaffold and a fragrant alcohol. The vitamin scaffold may be a vitamer of vitamin B6 or derivatives thereof. The pro-fragrance releases the fragrant alcohol by action of water at neutral pH.

Abstract: Gait, the walking pattern of individuals, is one of the important biometrics modalities. Most of the existing gait recognition methods take silhouettes or articulated body models as gait features. These methods suffer from degraded recognition performance when handling confounding variables, such as clothing, carrying and viewing angle. To remedy this issue, this disclosure proposes to explicitly disentangle appearance, canonical and pose features from RGB imagery. A long short-term memory integrates pose features over time as a dynamic gait feature while canonical features are averaged as a static gait feature. Both of them are utilized as classification features.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer readable media for model-based robust deep learning. In some examples, a method includes obtaining a model of natural variation for a machine learning task. The model of natural variation includes a mapping that specifies how an input datum can be naturally varied by a nuisance parameter. The method includes training, using the model of natural variation and training data for the machine learning task, a neural network to complete the machine learning task such that the neural network is robust to natural variation specified by the model of natural variation.

Abstract: In certain examples, methods and semiconductor structures are directed to an integrated circuit (IC) having a diamond layer section and a GaN-based substrate being monolithically integrated or bonded as part of the same IC. In a specific example, the GaN-based substrate includes GaN, AlxGayN (0<x<1; x+y=1) and a dielectric layer, and a diamond layer section which may include polycrystalline diamond. The IC includes: a GaN-based field effect transistor (FET) integrated with a portion of the GaN-based substrate, and a diamond-based FET integrated with a portion of the diamond layer section, the diamond FET being electrically coupled to the GaN-based FET and situated over or against a surface region of the GaN-based substrate.