Abstract: A directed vapor deposition (DVD) method and system for applying at least one bond coating on at least one substrate for thermal barrier coating systems. To overcome the limitations incurred by conventional methods, the DVD system uses an electron beam directed vapor deposition (DVD) technique to evaporate and deposit compositionally and morphologically controlled bond coats at high rate. The present DVD system uses the combination of an electron beam and a combined inert gas/reactive gas carrier jet of controlled composition to create engineering films. In this system, the vaporized material can be entrained in the carrier gas jet and deposited onto the substrate at a high rate and with high materials utilization efficiency. The velocity and flux of the gas atoms entering the chamber, the nozzle parameters, and the operating chamber pressure can all be significantly varied, facilitating wide processing condition variation and allowing for improved control over the properties of the deposited layer.

Abstract: Visible-light communication (VLC) is an optical wireless communication technique that uses light emitting diodes (LEDs) or other optical sources to transmit information to a user equipment (UE) device. An optically-based location determination approach, such as using VLC infrastructure, can meet a desire for location-based services where use of VLC can provide a solution to an indoor localization or navigation problem. A fingerprinting approach can include use of an optical received signal strength (RSS) or other information (e.g., an image of a scene) to generate a spatial fingerprint map of an area. A later-received RSS on the UE device and the prior-generated fingerprint map representative of RSS can be received, and a fingerprint map and RSS observations can be provided as inputs to a Bayesian filter, such as an Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) or a Particle Filter, to provide an estimated position for the UE device.

Abstract: The present invention provides compositions and methods for regulating arterial tone based on the discovery herein of novel expression and regulation of hemoglobin alpha and cytochrome B5 reductase 3 and the effects on NO and NOS.

Abstract: The invention relates to a methods and systems for determining an insulin dosing recommendation. The invention employs Linear Quadratic methodology to determine the insulin dosing recommendation based on a patient's present physiological state, which is estimated by an adaptive filter methodology employing a dynamic model, which utilizes real-time measurements of blood glucose concentration.

Abstract: The application discloses compositions and methods for preventing and treating diabetic retinopathy. It is disclosed herein that an inhibitor of microRNA-let-7b administered to the eye of a subject in need thereof is useful for preventing and treating several problems associated with diabetic retinopathy and plays a role in vasculature stabilization, increasing retinal thickness, reducing retinal capillary dropout, diminishing microvascular leakage, preventing or treating hyperproliferation of microvascular cells, and stabilizing aberrant neovascularization. The invention includes the use of various kinds of inhibitors of microRNA-let-7b, including, but not limited to, an antagomir of miRNA-let-7b. A useful compound of the invention can be administered into the eye, including intravitreally. A useful antagomir is Dy547-mA(*)mA(*)mCmCmAmCmAmCmAmAmCmCmUmAmCmUmAmCmCmU(*) mC(*)mA (*)(3?-Chl).

Abstract: A smart water heater system (SWHS) for a domestic water system having a plurality of fixtures has a water tank having a cold water inlet and a heat source configured to heat the cold water. The SWHS may also have a mixing valve to blend cold water with the hot water to produce blended water, wherein the blended water is directed to the domestic water system. The SWHS may have a controller in communication with the mixing valve configured to identify which fixture is being used when the domestic water system is drawing water from the water tank, determine an average water temperature utilized by each fixture, and adjust the mixing valve based on which fixture is identified such that a temperature of the blended water is generally equal to the average water temperature for the identified fixture.

Abstract: An air-inlet duct includes an outer wall, an inner wall, and a splitter. The splitter cooperates with the outer wall to establish a particle separator which separates particles entrained in an inlet flow moving through the air-inlet duct to provide a clean flow of air to a compressor section of a gas turbine engine.

Abstract: The present application discloses a previously unknown function of CD24 expressed on a subset of dendritic cells. The invention encompasses regulating CD24 on these cells to regulate erythropoiesis, induce EPO production and levels, increase RBC levels, and to treat, for example, stress-mediated erythropoiesis. The compositions and methods of the invention are useful, for example, in treating anemia.

Abstract: Provided is a method and system for delivering a diagnostic agent to a site in the brain of a subject for imaging at least a portion of the brain site on a medical imaging system. The method and system includes a catheter device with associated lumens having diagnostic agent ports for delivering the diagnostic agent (e.g., infusate) through the lumens and advancing the diagnostic agent so as to exit out from the lumens to at least a portion of the brain site and while sealing a portion of the brain site thereby preventing the exited diagnostic agent from travelling proximally beyond the sealing location, and at the same time imaging at least a portion of the brain site during at least a portion of the sealing duration so that the brain site can be visualized on a medical imaging system. The diagnostic agent (infusate) is able to highlight borders and internal patterns of the deep structures of the brain thereby enabling direct targeting.

Abstract: An emission can be obtained from a sample in response to excitation using a specified range of excitation frequencies. Such excitation can include generating a specified chirped waveform and a specified downconversion local oscillator (LO) frequency using a digital-to-analog converter (DAC), upconverting the chirped waveform via mixing the chirped waveform with a specified upconversion LO frequency, frequency multiplying the upconverted chirped waveform to provide a chirped excitation signal for exciting the sample, receiving an emission from sample, the emission elicited at least in part by the chirped excitation signal, and downconverting the received emission via mixing the received emission with a signal based on the specified downconversion LO signal to provide a downconverted emission signal within the bandwidth of an analog-to-digital converter (ADC). The specified chirped waveform can include a first chirped waveform during a first duration, and a second chirped waveform during a second duration.

Abstract: Ritanserin is shown to be an inhibitor of diacylglycerol kinase alpha (DGK?) and to be cytotoxic to glioblastoma and melanoma cells. Ritanserin treatment also provides chemo- and radiosensitization in cancer cells, prolonged survival in mouse models of glioblastoma, decreased melanoma tumor burden in mice, and shows synergistic cytotoxic effects with temozolomide and chloroquine, both singly and in combination. DGK? inhibition with ritanserin shows particular toxicity to the treatment-resistant mesenchymal subtype in glioblastoma and other cancers.

Abstract: A device and related method that provides a two-phase heat transfer device with a combination of enhanced evaporation and increase cooling capacity. A recess topology is used to increase suction of working fluid toward a heat source. A non-wetting coating or structure may be used to keep working fluid away from the spaces between elongated members of an evaporator and a wetting coating or structure may be used to form thin films of working fluid around the distal regions of elongated members. The devices and method described herein may be used to cool computer chips, the skin of a hypersonic flying object, a parabolic solar collector, a turbine engine blade, or other heat sources that require high heat flux.

Abstract: An anti-C3d antibody or antibody fragment; method for use thereof to kill cancer cells; and related methods and compositions.

Abstract: A method of forming a spectral selective coating is disclosed. The method may include providing particles on a substrate, wherein the particles include submicron particles. The method may farther include sintering the particles under atmospheric pressure to form a sintered layer an the substrate and texturing the sintered layer to provide a submicron surface roughness height on the sintered layer.

Abstract: A method for analysis of cardiac rhythms, based on calculations of entropy and moments of interbeat intervals. An optimal determination of segments of data is provided that demonstrate statistical homogeneity, specifically with regard to moments and entropy. The invention also involves calculating moments and entropy on each segment with the goal of diagnosis of cardiac rhythm. More specifically, an absolute entropy measurement is calculated and provided as a continuous variable, providing dynamical information of fundamental importance in diagnosis and analysis. Through the present invention, standard histograms, thresholds, and categories can be avoided.

Abstract: Clostridium difficile is the most common hospital acquired pathogen in the United States, and infection is in many cases fatal. Toxins A and B are its major virulence factors, but increasingly a third toxin may be present, known as C. difficile transferase (CDT). An ADP-ribosyltransferase that causes actin cytoskeletal disruption, CDT is typically produced by the major, hypervirulent strains and has been associated with more severe disease. It is disclosed herein that CDT enhances the virulence of two PCR-ribotype 027 strains in mice. The toxin induces pathogenic host inflammation via a novel Toll-like Receptor 2 (TLR2) dependent pathway, resulting in the suppression of a protective host eosinophilic response. Finally, it is disclosed that restoration of TLR2 deficient eosinophils is sufficient for protection from a strain producing CDT. These findings offer an explanation for the enhanced virulence of CDT-expressing C.

Abstract: In one aspect, the disclosed technology relates to a method which, in one example embodiment, includes acquiring magnetic resonance imaging data for a plurality of images of the heart of a subject during free breathing of the subject. The method also includes generating an additional plurality of images with high tissue-blood contrast over the region of interest, and selecting a subset of images from the plurality of images, based upon a pre-determined quality metric of image similarity, to be used for non-rigid image registration. The method also includes aligning the subset of images by non-rigid image registration using a combination of the plurality of images and the additional plurality of images, and creating a parametric map from the aligned images.

Abstract: A flexible electrode comprises an activated cotton textile composite comprising activated carbon fibers, nickel sulfide nanoparticles and graphene and a process for making the flexible electrode. The process may comprise preparing a cotton textile containing Ni(NO3)2. Then, the cotton textile containing Ni(NO3)2 may be heated at a first temperature to produce an activated cotton textile composite comprising activated carbon fibers, nickel nanoparticles and graphene. The activated cotton textile composite may be then treated with sulfur to produce an activated cotton textile composite comprising activated carbon fibers, nickel sulfide nanoparticles and graphene. The nickel sulfide particles may be NiS2 nanoparticles in a form of nanobowls, and distributed on a surface and inside the activated carbon fibers. The activated carbon fibers and the nickel sulfide nanoparticles may be coated with graphene.

Abstract: Systems and methods for relocating executable instructions to arbitrary locations are described, in which the relocation of the instructions may be arbitrary or random, and may operate on groups of instructions or individual instructions. Such relocation may be achieved through hardware or software, and may use a virtual machine, software dynamic translators, interpreters, or emulators. Instruction relocation may use or produce a specification governing how to relocate the desired instructions. Randomizing the location of instructions provides defenses against a variety of security attacks. Such systems and methods may provide many advantages over other instruction relocation techniques, such as low runtime overhead, no required user interaction, applicability post-deployment, and the ability to operate on arbitrary executable programs.

Abstract: A system and related method that provides, but is not limited thereto, a thin structure with unique combination of thermal management and stress supporting properties. An advantage associated with the system and method includes, but is not limited thereto, the concept providing a multifunctional design that it is able to spread, store, and dissipate intense thermal fluxes while also being able to carry very high structural loads. An aspect associated with an approach may include, but is not limited thereto, a large area system for isothermalizing a localized heating source that has many applications. For example it can be used to mitigate the thermal buckling of ship deck plates, landing pad structures, or any other structures subjected to localized heating and compressive forces.