Abstract: The present disclosure provides, inter alia, a recombinant engineered deubiquitinase (DUB) and methods for treating or ameliorating an inherited ion channelopathy, such as long QT syndrome, Brugada syndrome, or cystic fibrosis, in a subject. Further provided are methods for screening mutations causing such inherited ion channelopathies for a trafficking-deficient mutation that is treatable by the recombinant engineered DUB disclosed herein.

Abstract: Improved anti-HPV immunogens and nucleic acid molecules that encode them are disclosed. Immunogens disclosed include those having consensus HPV39 E6E7 and HPV45 E6E7. Pharmaceutical composition, recombinant vaccines comprising DNA plasmid and live attenuated vaccines are disclosed as well methods of inducing an immune response in an individual against HPV are disclosed.

Abstract: An iron-containing Chevrel phase material, contains iron and Mo6S8 clusters, in particular an iron-containing Chevrel phase material having a formula FexMo6S8, wherein 2?x?4. The iron-containing Chevrel phase provides an efficient catalyst for the electrochemical production of ammonia from water and nitrogen gas.

Abstract: Chemical looping reform methods comprising heating an oxygen carrier in the presence of a catalyst and plasma radicals to react the oxygen carrier with a fuel to provide a reduced oxygen carrier; and contacting the reduced oxygen carrier with water or carbon dioxide to produce hydrogen or carbon monoxide, respectively, and regenerate the oxygen carrier. The chemical looping reform methods are carried out at low temperatures such as from 150° C. to 1000° C., preferably from 150° C. to 500° C. Catalyst used in the chemical looping reform methods include a sintered rare earth metal oxide oxygen carrier and perovskite. Methods of preparing the catalyst are also provided.

Abstract: The disclosed subject matter relates to a cleavable microneedle for delivery of therapeutic agent, wherein the needle includes a longitudinal body having a detachable portion that comprises at least one therapeutic agent. The microneedle may be configured to administer the therapeutic agent to the inner ear of a subject. Also disclosed is a method for preparing a microneedle using two-photon polymerization lithography.

Abstract: Compositions and methods are provided for the identification of peptide sequences that are ligands for a T cell receptor (TCR) of interest, in a given MHC context.

Abstract: Provided are supramolecular polypseudorotaxane hydrogel compositions and 3-D structures capable of reversible 3-D structural deformation which include (a) a solvent; (b) an at least partially linear polymer, where the polymer further comprises groups capable of covalent crosslinking between the polymers; (ii) at least one first macrocyclic ring which forms a pseudorotaxane with a polymer in the polymer network; and (iii) at least one second macrocyclic ring that does not form the pseudorotaxane. The hydrogel composition has a viscosity which allows for 3-D printing of the hydrogel to form a 3-D structure, and a storage (elastic) modulus after crosslinking that allows for the 3-D structure to undergo reversible 3-D structural deformation upon change of solvent conditions. Also provided are methods of manufacturing the compositions and 3-D structures.

Abstract: Provided are methods and related devices for preparing a cell and tissue culture, including a hanging drop culture. Microwells are specially loaded with cell mixtures using a removable reservoir and forcing cells into the underlying microwells. The removable reservoir is removed and the cells partitioned into the individual microwells and covered by an immiscible layer of fluid. The microwells and immiscible layer is inverted and the cells in the microwells cultured. The microwells may have shape-controlling elements to control the three-dimensional shape of the culture.

Abstract: A bilayler metamaterial silencer allows substantial fluid through the apparatus, while mitigating the propagation of sound through the apparatus, and while providing a form factor that is significantly more compact than previously-known devices. Moreover, illustrative embodiments allow a designer to specify one or both of the frequency or frequencies at which the apparatus mitigates sound propagation, and/or the bandwidth around the frequency or frequencies at which the apparatus mitigates sound propagation.

Abstract: A method of reducing radiation dose for radiology imaging modalities and nuclear medicine by using a convolutional network to generate a standard-dose nuclear medicine image from low-dose nuclear medicine image, where the network includes N convolution neural network (CNN) stages, where each stage includes M convolution layers having K×K kernels, where the network further includes an encoder-decoder structure having symmetry concatenate connections between corresponding stages, downsampling using pooling and upsampling using bilinear interpolation between the stages, where the network extracts multi-scale and high-level features from the low-dose image to simulate a high-dose image, and adding concatenate connections to the low-dose image to preserve local information and resolution of the high-dose image, the high-dose image includes a dose reduction factor (DRF) equal to 1 of a radio tracer in a patient, the low-dose PET image includes a DRF of at least 4 of the radio tracer in the patient.

Abstract: Provided are aptamer-functionalized graphene sensors, capable of detecting various analytes, including toxins, at comparatively low concentrations. Also provided are methods of fabricating and using such aptamer-functionalized graphene sensors.

Abstract: The invention provides compositions and methods for the induction of cell death, for example, cancer cell death. Combinations of compounds and related methods of use are disclosed, including the use of compounds in therapy for the treatment of cancer and selective induction of apoptosis in cells. The disclosed drug combinations can have lower neurotoxicity effects than other compounds and combinations of compounds.

Abstract: Provided are fusion proteins including an amino acid sequence of an ectodomain of Spike protein of a coronavirus, such as SARS-CoV-2, joined to an amino acid sequence of a ferritin subunit polypeptide. Nanoparticles including such fusion proteins, with surface-exposed trimers of the ectodomain of the Spike protein of the coronavirus, are also provided. Also provided are nucleic acids and vectors encoding the fusion proteins, cells containing such nucleic acid and vectors, immunogenic compositions including the fusion proteins, the nanoparticles, or the vectors, as well as corresponding methods and kits.

Abstract: Biosensors capable of detecting certain biomarkers (e.g., platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB)), as well as methods of fabricating the same and methods of using the same, are provided. The biosensors can be disposable and/or label-free. Electrochemical bipolar exfoliation can be used to exfoliate, reduce, and deposit (in a single step) graphene nanosheets on a desired substrate (e.g., an electrode). Affinity aptamers can be immobilized on the graphene nanosheets disposed on the substrate.

Abstract: An immunotherapy delivery system includes a hydrogel with an immunomodulatory cargo including cells encapsulated in the hydrogel, a cell adhesion motif in the hydrogel configured to reversibly adhere to and release the cells, and an immunomodulatory cargo encapsulated in the hydrogel. The hydrogel includes a polymer non-covalently crossed-linked with a plurality of nanoparticles.

Abstract: Biosensors capable of detecting certain biomarkers (e.g., platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB)), as well as methods of fabricating the same and methods of using the same, are provided. The biosensors can be disposable and/or label-free. Electrochemical bipolar exfoliation can be used to exfoliate, reduce, and deposit (in a single step) graphene nanosheets on a desired substrate (e.g., an electrode). Affinity aptamers can be immobilized on the graphene nanosheets disposed on the substrate.

Abstract: Systems and methods for generating routes taking into consideration user preferences for scenery, in addition to or alternatively to time, distance, and/or cost are provided. User preferences for scenery during a trip from one location to another can be quantified and used to augment standard routing methods by giving weight to scenic quality. For example, a weighting triangle can be used, where a user chooses a balanced weighting of three factors, including scenic quality, before a route from the starting location to the destination is generated.

Abstract: Certain examples are directed to optical elements or devices that pass or process the light based on a set of connectable metasurface elements having been topology optimized. The connectable metasurface elements are independently optimized or designed to have each section having its own metasurface phase profile corresponding to a desired phase profile. In this way, such devices need not be designed or manufactured by importing a large number of results into simulation efforts, thereby realizing significant saving in terms of optimization time and computational power.

Abstract: A system for near-surface subsurface imaging for detecting and characterizing subsurface heterogeneities comprises a non-contact acoustic source that senses a plurality of acoustic waves that travel through a surface; an instrument that outputs probing electromagnetic signals through the surface that interact and are affected by scattered signals of the acoustic waves and further senses vibrational modes of a subsurface below the surface; an imaging device that dynamically generates a time sequence of images of properties of the acoustic waves and maps elastic wave fields of the acoustic waves; and a processor that analyzes dynamic multi-wave data of the images to quantify spatial variations in the mechanical and viscoelastic properties of the subsurface.

Abstract: Description and specifications of a new and distinct cultivar of blackberry plant named ‘APF-409T’ which originated from seed produced by a hand-pollinated cross of Arkansas selections ‘A-2504T’ (an unpatented breeding selection) x ‘APF-295T’ (an unpatented breeding selection) is provided. This new cultivar of blackberry plant can be distinguished by its excellent plant health, thornless canes, strong primocane-fruiting tendency, and early season of fruit ripening on both floricanes and primocanes.