Abstract: The present invention is directed to the use of microfluidics in the preparation of cells and compositions for therapeutic uses.

Abstract: Described herein is a novel, highly efficient system to remove erythrocytes and purify leukocytes would raise the quality of UCB and other transplant grafts, thereby significantly improving patient outcomes.

Abstract: Disclosed is a design and implementation of a Wi-Fi based network (e.g., roadside hotspot network designed to operate at vehicular speeds and picocell, meter-sized, cells). The disclosed access points (APs) make delivery decisions to the vehicular clients they serve at millisecond-level granularities, exploiting path diversity in roadside networks. In order to accomplish this, buffer management algorithms are employed that allow participating APs to manage each other's queues, rapidly quenching each other's transmissions and flushing each other's queues. An example embodiment of the disclosed approach employs an eight-AP network alongside a nearby road, and was evaluated with mobile clients moving at up to 25 mph. Depending on mobility speed, the disclosed approach achieves a 2.4-4.7 times TCP throughput improvement over a baseline fast handover protocol that captures the state of the art in Wi-Fi roaming, the IEEE 802.11k and 802.11r standards.

Abstract: Immunogenic compositions and prophylactic or therapeutic vaccines for use in protecting and treating against human cytomegalovirus (CMV) are disclosed. Subunit vaccines comprising a human CMV protein complex comprising pUL128 or pUL130, and nucleic acid vaccines comprising at least one nucleic acid encoding a CMV protein complex comprising pUL128 or pUL130 are described. Also disclosed are therapeutic antibodies reactive against a CMV protein complex comprising pUL128 or pUL130, as well as methods for screening compounds that inhibit CMV infection of epithelial and endothelial cells, methods for immunizing a subject against CMV infection, methods for determining the capability of neutralizing antibodies to inhibit CMV infection of cell types other than fibroblasts, and methods of diminishing an CMV infection.

Abstract: A protein construct including a gene encoding a light-sensitive protein fused to at least one of either a low complexity sequence, an intrinsically disordered protein region (IDR), or a repeating sequence of a linker and another gene encoding a light-sensitive protein. Among the many different possibilities contemplated, the protein construct may also advantageously include cleavage tags. This protein construct may be utilized for a variety of functions, including a method for protein purification, which requires introducing the protein construct into a living cell, and inducing the formation of clusters by irradiating the construct with light. The method may also advantageously include cleaving a target protein from an IDR, and separating the clusters via centrifuge. A kit for practicing in vivo aggregation or liquid-liquid phase separation is also included, the kit including the protein construct and a light source capable of producing a wavelength that the light-sensitive protein will respond to.

Abstract: Various embodiments comprise systems, methods, architectures, mechanisms, apparatus, and improvements thereof for in-memory computing using charge-domain circuit operation to provide energy efficient, high speed, capacitor-based in-memory computing. Various embodiments contemplate controlling input signal presentation within in-memory computing structures/macros in accordance with predefined or dynamic switch selection criteria to reduce energy consumption associated with charging and/or discharging summing capacitors during reset and evaluation operating modes of multiplying bit-cells (M-BCs).

Abstract: A system and method for reversibly controlling clustering of proteins around an engineered multivalent nucleus is disclosed. The system and method utilize clustering, which may be controlled by light activation or deactivation. The system and method enable the spatiotemporal control of protein supramolecular assemblies, including liquid-like droplets under some conditions, and solid-like gels under other conditions. The system and method can be utilized for segregating or locally concentrating desired proteins and/or RNA in cells or cell lysate, which may be useful for protein purification purposes, or for assembling single or multiple membraneless bodies within specific sub-regions of the cells. These synthetically assembled bodies may recruit both transgenic and endogenic proteins and other biomolecules, thus can be linked to affect and even trigger a plethora of cellular processes, including both physiological and pathological (e.g., protein aggregation) processes.

Abstract: Disclosed is a system and method for shaped incoherent light for control (SILC). More particularly, disclosed is a method for controlling the evolution of photo-responsive systems (including chemical species, biochemical species or material compounds) using a device capable of producing shaped incoherent light for such control. The disclosed device integrates a polychromatic incoherent source in an adaptive feedback control loop.

Abstract: Methods, devices, and systems are described for storing and transferring quantum information. An example device may comprise at least one semiconducting layer, one or more conducting layers configured to define at least two quantum states in the at least one semiconducting layer and confine an electron in or more of the at least two quantum states, and a magnetic field source configured to generate an inhomogeneous magnetic field. The inhomogeneous magnetic field may cause a first coupling of an electric charge state of the electron and a spin state of the electron. The device may comprise a resonator configured to confine a photon. An electric-dipole interaction may cause a second coupling of an electric charge state of the electron to an electric field of the photon.

Abstract: Janus particles, including biodegradable, biocompatible, anisotropic, amphiphilic Janus nanocolloids, and their use in stabilizing emulsions and cleansing are described.

Abstract: According to various embodiments, an all-optical thresholder device is disclosed. The all-optical thresholder device includes a Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) coupled to a Mach-Zehnder coupler (MZC). The MZI includes at least one microring resonator (MRR) and a first tunable element, where the MRR further includes a second tunable element. The MZC includes a third tunable element. The first, second, and third tunable elements are configured to control biases of the all-optical thresholder device to achieve a desired power transfer function.

Abstract: Various embodiments comprise systems, methods, architectures, mechanisms or apparatus for providing programmable or pre-programmed in-memory computing operations.

Abstract: A system and method for modulating stress granule assembly, utilizing a protein construct that has a cell penetrating protein fused to one or more proteins that can bind with an NTF2-like domain of a G3BP protein. By configuring the protein construct with an appropriate number of proteins that being with NTF2-like domains, stress granule assembly can be upregulated or downregulated as needed to treat patients.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is an all-digital phase and timing correction procedure for coherent averaging in dual-comb and multiheterodyne spectroscopy—applicable to any dual-comb spectroscopy setup. It can account for large frequency/phase instabilities of the used sources, yielding a significant reduction of the noise pedestal and an increase in signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the radio frequency (RF) beat notes. This technique is computationally efficient and can be conveniently implemented either as a post-processing algorithm or in a real-time data acquisition and processing platform without the necessity of adding any additional optical elements to the dual-comb spectroscopy system. By implementing this technique, the performance of any comb- or comb-like-source-based DCS system with a sufficient degree of mutual coherence between the optical modes can be improved in terms of SNR and number of spectroscopically-usable RF beat notes.

Abstract: Hydrophilic molecules such as biologics, which can include peptides, proteins, and other biologically-derived materials, can be used as therapeutic agents in medical applications. They can face administration challenges because of poor membrane permeability and rapid clearance from the blood stream. Methods for the formation of a core-shell-brush nanoparticle from an A-B-C triblock copolymer are set forth. A hydrophilic core can contain the biologic and the C Block of the copolymer. The shell can be comprised of the precipitated B Block, and the A Block can form a stabilizing brush layer. The particles can be assembled by sequential precipitations under defined mixing conditions. Presented herein are methods to tune release based on process parameters during particle assembly and triblock characteristics.

Abstract: Waveguides and electromagnetic cavities fabricated in hyperuniform disordered materials with complete photonic bandgaps are provided. Devices comprising electromagnetic cavities fabricated in hyperuniform disordered materials with complete photonic bandgaps are provided. Devices comprising waveguides fabricated in hyperuniform disordered materials with complete photonic bandgaps are provided. The devices include electromagnetic splitters, filters, and sensors.

Abstract: Disclosed is a virtual rating device that associate online ratings with differential time costs by endowing the graphical user interface that solicited ratings from the users with “physics,” including an initial (default) slider position and friction. When ratings are associated with differential time cost, scores correlated more strongly with objective service quality. The differential time costs optimize information when proportional to the deviation from the median score. Correlations between subjective rating scores and objective service performance can be further improved by boosting time costs for reporting extreme scores. The disclosed device lowers the sample size (and therefore costs) required for obtaining reliable, averaged crowd estimates. The disclosed device improves information quality in online rating and feedback systems. By endowing a rating widget with virtual friction to increase the time cost for reporting extreme scores, one can obtain a more reliable crowd estimates of quality.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are a spherical-motion average radiant temperature sensor (SMART Sensor) system which can be used in various applications, including but not limited to, informing or controlling HVAC systems in buildings, locating and tracking people or objects, and detecting the release of gases. The system may optionally include the use of sensors other than a non-contacting temperature sensor to improve calculations and determinations made by the system.

Abstract: The invention relates to compositions comprising Quorum-Sensing (QS) modulating molecules attached to a surface via a linker. This QS modulator attached surface can then be used to modulate QS, biofilm production, biofilm streamer production and/or virulence factor production. The length of the linker that attaches the QS modulating molecule to the surface as well as the surface coverage density impact QS modulation on surfaces. These QS modulator attached surfaces can be used to treat areas known to contain human pathogens notorious for causing hospital-acquired infections as well as fatal infections that occur outside of health care settings. Other surfaces that can be coated according to embodiments of the invention include abiotic materials, such as intravenous catheters, implants, medical devices, and cooling towers. Preferred microorganisms that can be treated with the compositions of the invention include, but are not limited to S. aureus and/or P. aeruginosa.

Abstract: According to various embodiments, a method for generating one or more optimal neural network architectures is disclosed. The method includes providing an initial seed neural network architecture and utilizing sequential phases to synthesize the neural network until a desired neural network architecture is reached. The phases include a gradient-based growth phase and a magnitude-based pruning phase.