Abstract: A compound, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, having a structure of: wherein L is a cleavable linker group; X is a cargo moiety-containing group; and R1 and R2 are each independently hydrogen, alkyl, or substituted alkyl; or R1 and R2 together form a boronic ester ring or a substituted boronic ester group.

Abstract: Systems and methods of fabricating and functionalizing patterned nanowire probes that are stable under fluid reservoir conditions and have imageable patterns are provided. Additional embodiments possess functionalized molecular groups to collect content data of desired chemical species from a fluid reservoir in order to detect even highly dilute quantities of the desire chemical species in the reservoir. Optical imaging and deconstruction methods and systems are also provided that are capable of determining the distribution of nanowires of a particular pattern to determine the mixing between or leakage from fluid reservoirs.

Abstract: A dialog method carried out by a dialog system includes an agent that performs a dialog with a user. The dialog method carried out by the dialog system includes a speech receiving step in which the dialog system receives input of a user speech which is a speech of the user, a first presentation step in which when the dialog system cannot obtain any recognition result of a desired level corresponding to the user speech, the dialog system presents a speech which does not include any content words as a first agent speech which is a speech of the agent uttered immediately after the user speech and a second speech step in which the dialog system presents a speech generated or selected not based on the user speech as a second agent speech which is a speech of an agent uttered after uttering the first agent speech.

Abstract: This invention provides a fusion protein, the sequence of which, commencing at the N-terminus of the fusion protein, is identical to the sequence of amino acids in: (a) an extracellular domain of a human Notch1 receptor protein, followed by (b) an Fc portion of an antibody, wherein the extracellular domain of the human Notch1 receptor protein (i) commences with the amino acid present at the N-terminus of EGF-like repeat 10 and (ii) extends to and includes the C-terminal amino acid of EGF-like repeat 18 or 20. Also provided is a composition comprising the any of the fusion proteins of this invention and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, a method of treating a subject suffering from age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy, or cancer which comprises administering to the subject any of the compositions of this invention in an amount effective to treat the subject's cancer.

Abstract: The invention in some aspects relates to methods and compositions for assessing the effectiveness of miRNA inhibitors. In other aspects of the invention, methods and compositions for treating cholesterol related disorders are provided. In one aspect of the invention, miRNA inhibitors against miR-122 and rAAV-based compositions comprising the same are provided.

Abstract: A stand for a musical instrument, the stand comprising: a base; an upright having an upper end and extending upwardly from the base to the upper end; a member comprising a first end portion and a second end portion, the member being mounted on the upper end of the upright between the first end portion and the second end portion; an attachment fitting mounted on the first end portion and configured to releasably attach the musical instrument; and a counterweight mounted on the second end portion for balancing the weight of the musical instrument.

Abstract: The invention provides methods for treating fibrosis and/or cancer in a subject in need thereof. The methods include providing a composition comprising an inhibitor of IL-4/IL-13 receptor function and administering an effective amount of the composition to the subject to treat fibrosis and/or cancer.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a valve arrangement particularly, but not exclusively, for use in dampers to control compression and optionally rebound properties of a shock absorber wherein the valve arrangement comprising a valve body having a first and second fluid flow pathway for enabling fluid flow from an upstream to a downstream location and the valve arrangement further comprises a plurality of operational configurations for controlling the flow rate of fluid flow.

Abstract: A system for detecting fake information about a vehicle location may include a radio signal receiver configured to receive a radio signal from a communication system; a message receiver configured to receive the radio signal to generate a message and determine the message to generate information about a location of the communication system; a radio signal incident angle calculator configured to generate a radio signal incident angle; an azimuth calculator configured to generate a location information azimuth angle by use of the information about locations of the communication system and a receiving vehicle, and a fake vehicle generated by the communication system; and a location information fake detector configured to determine whether location information of the fake vehicle is faked by use of a difference value between an angle corresponding to a reference axis of the location information azimuth angle and the location information azimuth angle.

Abstract: Disclosed is a trajectory data processing method and system. The trajectory data processing method includes, in response to a smoothing instruction related to a trajectory of a moving object being generated by a web application server, identifying trajectory data associated with the trajectory, smoothing the trajectory by applying a selected algorithm to the trajectory data, and providing the web application server with a smoothed trajectory generated by the smoothing.

Abstract: An annealing process for treatment of an aluminum alloy of AA5XXX series which comprises steps of annealing the aluminum alloy at a first temperature of from about 350° C. to about 450° C. by a rate of temperature increase from about 0.1° C./s to about 0.5° C./s; and cooling down the annealed aluminum alloy to a temperature below 50° C. Aluminum alloys of the AA5XXX series treated by the annealing process of the present invention are also provided.

Abstract: Virtual redundancy for active-standby cloud applications is disclosed herein. A virtual machine (“VM”) placement scheduling system is disclosed herein. The system can compute, for each standby VM of a plurality of available standby VMs, a minimum required placement overlap delta to meet an entitlement assurance rate (“EAR”) threshold. The system can compute a minimum number of available VM slots for activating each standby VM to meet the EAR threshold. For each standby VM of a given application, the system can filter out any server of a plurality of servers that does not meet criteria. If a given server meets the criteria, the system can add the given server to a candidate list; sort, in descending order, the candidate list by the minimum required placement overlap delta and the number of available virtual machine slots; and select, from the candidate list of servers, a candidate server from atop the candidate list.

Abstract: A dental device includes a rounded flexible device configured to attach onto a head of a dental drill. The rounded flexible device has a first pair of opposing horizontal protrusions positioned at a first end of the rounded flexible device; a second pair of opposing horizontal protrusions positioned at a mid-portion of the rounded flexible device, wherein the first pair of opposing horizontal protrusions extend horizontally beyond the second pair of opposing horizontal protrusions; and a central vertical protrusion positioned at a second end of the rounded flexible device. The first pair and the second pair of opposing horizontal protrusions are configured to partially encircle the head of the dental drill, and the central vertical protrusion is configured to extend a length of a rotating drill bit of the dental drill.

Abstract: A method is provided for treating a rare earth metal-bearing scrap material by melting an extractant selected from the group consisting of bismuth (Bi) and lead (Pb) and contacting the melted extractant and the scrap material at a temperature and time to recover at least one of the light rare earth metal content and the heavy rare earth metal content as a metallic extractant alloy, which can be subjected to vacuum distillation or sublimation to recover the rare earth metal(s). The method can be practiced to recover the light rare earth metal content and the heavy rare earth metal content concurrently in a one-step process or separately and sequentially in a two-step process.

Abstract: The present invention provides a new therapeutic method for modeling neuronal responses. Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) emerge recently as alternative sources of primary brain cells to establish Alzheimer's disease (AD) models in vitro. While previous investigations demonstrate the potential of hiPSCs in modeling AD, the 2-D cultures used in these studies cannot fully recapitulate AD-associated neuropathology. 3-D cortical spheroids (forebrain-like structure) were derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells in a bioreactor culture, which can be used to recapitulate AD-associated neuropathology, to screen the therapeutic drugs and to predict neurotoxicity.

Abstract: The present invention provides methods for parenterally administering riluzole to subjects in need of treatment.

Abstract: Devices and methods for brachytherapy treatment are disclosed. One aspect is a poly(methyl methacrylate) apparatus for brachytherapy treatment at the vaginal apex. Another aspect is a poly(methyl methacrylate) apparatus for brachytherapy treatment in the distal two-thirds of the vagina. Another aspect is a poly(methyl methacrylate) apparatus for brachytherapy treatment of cancers that are offset from the vaginal apex. Other aspects include methods for guiding needles for treatment of cancers at the vaginal apex, in the distal two-thirds of the vagina, and that are offset from the vaginal apex.

Abstract: A method for image de-blurring includes estimating an intermediate image L by marking and constraining an edge region and a smooth region in an input image; estimating a blur kernel k by extracting salient edges from the intermediate image L, wherein the salient edges have scales greater than those of the blur kernel k; and restoring the input image to a clear image by performing non-blind deconvolution on the input image and the estimated blur kernel k. Imposing constraints on the edge region and the smooth region allows the intermediate image to maintain the edge while effectively removing noise and ringing artifacts in the smooth region. The use of the salient edges in the intermediate image L enables more accurate blur kernel estimation. Performing non-blind deconvolution on the input image and the estimated blur kernel k restores the input image to a clear image achieving desired de-blurring effect.

Abstract: Methods for extracting lithium from solutions containing lithium ions via reversible cation exchange with H+ are provided. The methods utilize metal oxide or metalloid oxide cation exchange materials having an active sublattice that preferentially bind Li+ cations, relative to both H+ and Na+, in a sample solution and preferentially bind H+, relative to Li+, in an acidic solution.

Abstract: A hydrogen fueling system and method comprises a container, a first tank, second tank, and third tank disposed within the container, and a nozzle coupled to the second tank and the third tank. One or more computer-readable storage media storing instructions executable by one or more processors may control flow of liquid hydrogen and hydrogen gas in the system, adjust temperature of the tanks, control pressure in the tanks, and transfer hydrogen gas from the second tank, the third tank, or a combination thereof to one or more target vessels. The system may also comprise flow control assemblies and flow control valves to manage the transfer of liquid hydrogen and hydrogen gas in the system.