Abstract: A high-throughput screening system is provided for optimizing the conditioning of patient-specific mesenchymal stem cells using a combinatorial set of biochemical factors, pharmacological inhibitors, and biomechanical forces. Also provided are generalized conditions for performing such conditioning. Cells made by these methods are also provided, in addition to cells having a mixed endothelial cell/pericyte phenotype. These cells produce angiogenic growth factors and induce vascularization following implantation.

Abstract: A quad-polymer composition includes monomers of (a) acrylonitrile, (a) vinylimidazole, (c) methyl acrylate and (d) either acrylic acid or itaconic acid. Such quad-polymer compositions may be used to form fibers (such as by melt spinning) that may then be annealed, stabilized, and/or carbonized to produce carbon fibers. The quad-polymer composition may be used for supercapacitors, lithium battery electrodes once carbonized, and as synthesized, it may be used for wound healing fibers, fabrics, coatings, and films, and anti-bacterial/anti-microbial fibers, fabrics, coatings and films. The carbon fibers formed from the quad-polymer composition may be used for the fiber composites for automobile, aerospace structures, marine structures, military equipment/parts, sporting goods, robotics, furniture, and electronic parts.

Abstract: Provided herein are compositions comprising caveolin-1 (Cav-1) peptides. Further provided are methods of using the Cav-1 peptides for the treatment of lung infections or acute or chronic lung injury, particularly lung fibrosis.

Abstract: The innate immune sensing STING pathway has emerged as a potential therapeutic target to boost antitumor immune responses. STING resides in the cytoplasm, and its agonists, such as cGAMP, are dinucleotides that are difficult to deliver intracellularly. Disclosed herein is a microbubble-based platform (Microbubble (MB)-assisted UltraSound (US)-guided Immunotherapy of Cancer (MUSIC)) that can be used for targeted activation of STING, such as for treatment of primary and metastatic tumors.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides methods and compositions for the treatment of tauopathies, such as, for example, Alzheimer's Disease or FTDP-17. The methods and compositions of the present disclosure comprise isolated nucleic acid molecules, rAAV vectors and rAAV viral vectors comprising polynucleotide sequences encoding for artificial micro RNAs (amiRNAs) directed against MAPT.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure include methods and compositions related to CD70-targeting polypeptides. In certain aspects, anti-CD70 antibodies are disclosed. In some aspects, disclosed are chimeric receptors engineered to bind to CD70. Also disclosed are immune cell engagers comprising a CD70-binding region and one or more immune cell binding regions. Cells (e.g., NNK cells, T cells) expressing CD70-targeting peptides are described. Also described are therapeutic methods using polypeptides of the disclosure.

Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to antibodies binding to PD-L2 and methods of using such antibodies to treat cancers, such as those that express or overexpress PD-L2.

Abstract: Methods for producing and screening for antibodies that specifically bind to glycosylated immune checkpoint proteins (ICPs) relative to non-glycosylated ICPs are provided. Such antibodies recognize specific epitopes of glycosylated ICPs and can prevent or block the binding of a glycosylated ICP with its ligand, such as another ICP, and can inhibit the interactions between the two proteins that can lead to immunosuppression, as exemplified by the human PD-L1/PD-1 interaction. By way of specific example, human PD-L1 and PD-1 polypeptides comprising glycosylated amino acid residues within their extracellular domains are provided for generating anti-glycosylated PD-L1 or anti-glycosylated PD-1 antibodies that specifically bind PD-L1 or PD-1, respectively, and inhibit the PD-L1/PD-1 interaction. The antibodies produced and selected by the methods are especially useful as cancer therapeutics for disrupting, blocking, or neutralizing the ICP system and specific ICP interactions therein.

Abstract: A magnetic tunnel junction device is disclosed comprising a first device layer comprising a material having a magnetic moment; a second device layer comprising a material having a magnetic moment, e.g., wherein the magnetic moment of the material of the second device layer is different from that of the material of the first device layer; and a barrier layer, e.g., tunnel barrier, having a first interface to the first device layer comprising predominantly of a scandium nitride (ScN) material and having a second interface to the second device layer comprising predominantly of a scandium nitride (ScN) material.

Abstract: A thin film molecular memory is provided that satisfies criteria needed to make a molecular spintronic device, based on spin crossover complexes, competitive with silicon technology. These criteria include, device implementation, a low coercive voltage (less than 1V) and low write peak currents (on the order of 104 A/cm2), a device on/off ratio >10, thin film quality, the ability to “lock” the spin state (providing nonvolatility), the ability to isothermally “unlock” and switch the spin state with voltage, conductance change with spin state, room temperature and above room temperature operation, an on-state device resistivity less than 1 ?·cm, a device fast switching speed (less than 100 ps), device endurance (on the order of 1016 switches without degradation), and the ability of having a device with a transistor channel width of 10 nm or below.

Abstract: Actuators (artificial muscles) comprising twisted polymer fibers generate tensile actuation when powered thermally. In some embodiments, the thermally-powered polymer fiber tensile actuator can be incorporated into an article, such as a textile or garment.

Abstract: Methods for fabricating coiled polymer fibers and yarns (high-spring-index coiled fibers and yarns). Methods include inserting twist separately into individual fibers or yarns, plying the fibers or yarns by inserting plying twist, setting the ply structure without permanently binding together the fibers or yarns of different plies so that the ply structure is substantially stable against untwist when torsionally untethered, and then unwrapping the plied fibers or yarns so that a high-spring-index fiber or yarn can be obtained. In some embodiments, the unwrapped fibers or yarns are further set so that these are further stabilized. The methods can eliminate the need for a mandrel, and can be quickly applied for applications where high-spring-index thermally-driven artificial muscles are presently employed, such as for presently commercialized comfort-adjusting jackets.

Abstract: Described herein are compositions, kits, and methods for potent delivery to a cell of a subject. The cell can be of a particular cell type, such as a basal cell, a ciliated cell, or a secretory cell. In some cases, the cell can be a lung cell of a particular cell type. Also described herein are pharmaceutical compositions comprising a therapeutic or prophylactic agent assembled with a lipid composition. The lipid composition can comprise an ionizable cationic lipid, a phospholipid, and a selective organ targeting lipid. Further described herein are high-potency dosage forms of a therapeutic or prophylactic agent formulated with a lipid composition.

Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosure encompass methods and compositions that enhance adoptive cell therapy by preventing or at least reducing on-target off-tumor effects of adoptive cell therapy. The disclosure concerns an immune effector cells of any type that are engineered to express two separate chimeric molecules: an activating chimeric antigen receptor that activates the immune effector cell through costimulatory domains following binding to a first antigen, and an inhibitory chimeric antigen receptor that inhibits cell-mediated activation upon binding to a second antigen. In specific cases, the inhibitory chimeric antigen receptor prevents fratricide and exhaustion by inhibiting activation of the cell through the activating chimeric antigen receptor when the inhibitory chimeric antigen receptor binds a particular antigen, including one adopted by sibling engineered immune effector cells through trogocytosis.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method, system and computer program product for compressing video. A set of video frames is partitioned into two subsets of different types of frames, a first type and a second type. The first type of frames of videos is compressed to generate a first representation by a first stage encoder. The first representation is then decoded to reconstruct the first type of frames using a first stage decoder. The second type of frames of video is compressed to generate a second representation that only contains soft edge information by a second stage encoder. A generative model corresponding to a second stage decoder is then trained using the first representation and the reconstructed first type of frames by using a discriminator employed by a machine learning system. After training the generative model, it generates reconstructed first and second types of frames using the soft edge information.

Abstract: The present invention includes a composition and method of modulating a dysregulated gut-derived inflammation following a thermal injury comprising: identifying a mammal in need of treatment for the dysregulated gut-derived inflammation following the thermal injury; and providing the mammal with a recombinant Cystatin 9 (CST9) and Cystatin C (CSTC) in a synergistic amount sufficient to restrain or prevent a life-threatening, unrestrained systemic dysregulated gut-derived inflammation in the mammal caused by the thermal injury.

Abstract: The present invention provides compositions comprising aligned fibers of electrospun PNIPAAm and poly (?-caprolactone) (PCL) (denoted PNIPAAm/PCL fibers). The PNIPAAm/PCL compositions enable enhanced growth and detachment of intact anisotropic cell sheets. The compositions do not require chemical modification or resource-intensive techniques, thus saving time and expense, and have the potential to generate tissue-specific, aligned cell sheets for transplant studies.

Abstract: A novel high torque density double stator permanent magnet electric machine is provided. An outer stator is provided which has complex teeth and optionally can have windings every tooth or every other tooth. A rotor is provided having a plurality of magnet receivers, each with a complex topology. Magnets are provided in the rotor which are tangentially magnetized with alternating polarities and a complex topology to increase torque density. An inner stator is provided having a plurality of teeth with complex topologies. Windings are provided around every tooth or every other tooth, alternatively. Air-gaps are provided between the outer stator and the rotor and between the rotor and inner stator. The air-gap between the inner stator and the rotor is smaller than the air-gap between the outer stator and the rotor. A lower current density in certain windings improves thermal response without comprising average torque.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure pertain to methods of monitoring an environment for the presence of a solvent by: (i) exposing the environment to a luminescent compound, where the relative luminescence emission intensity of the luminescent compound changes upon interaction with the solvent; and (ii) monitoring a change in the relative luminescence emission intensity of the luminescent compound, where the absence of the change indicates the absence of the solvent from the environment, and where the presence of the change indicates the presence of the solvent in the environment. The luminescent compounds include a phosphorous atom with one or more carboxyl groups, where the carboxyl groups are coordinated with one or more metallic ions (e.g., lanthanide ions and yttrium ions). The present disclosure also pertains to sensors for monitoring an environment for the presence of a solvent, where the sensors include one or more of the aforementioned luminescent compounds.

Abstract: Provided herein are split reporter systems for detecting poly-ADP ribose polymerase activity in living systems. In some aspects, the split reporter systems comprise a first fusion protein comprising a first fragment of a reporter protein functionally linked to a first poly-ADP ribose binding moiety; and a second fusion protein comprising a second fragment of the reporter protein functionally linked to a second poly-ADP ribose binding moiety wherein the first and second fragments of the reporter protein are each non-functional and capable of recombining, optionally in the presence of a substrate, to form a functional reporter protein capable of producing a detectable signal. Also provided are methods of use thereof.