Abstract: The present disclosure provides adeno-associated virus (AAV) virions with altered capsid protein, where the AAV virions exhibit greater infectivity of retinal cells, when administered via intravitreal injection, compared to wild-type AAV. The present disclosure further provides methods of delivering a gene product to a retinal cell in an individual, and methods of treating ocular disease.

Abstract: An example video encoder uses a self-adaptive dictionary that only depends on the block location, without requiring real time design/redesign of the dictionary. A mean-removed block may be directly represented using a redundant dictionary including all possible inter-prediction candidates with integer motion vectors (mean-removed). In general the dictionary may also contain some intra-prediction candidates and some pre-designed fixed dictionary atoms. The coefficients may be determined by minimizing the L0 norm of the coefficients subject to a constraint on the sparse approximation error. Using such a self-adaptive dictionary can lead to a very sparse representation, with significantly fewer non-zero coefficients than using the DCT transform on the prediction error. Some example embodiments consistent with the present invention use a modified orthogonal matching pursuit (“OMP”) algorithm to orthonormalize each new chosen atom with respect to all previously chosen and orthonormalized atoms.

Abstract: A capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT) is provided that includes a substrate, a bottom conductive layer disposed on a bottom surface of the substrate, a cavity disposed into a top surface of the substrate, a nonconductive layer disposed on the substrate top surface and on the cavity, a CMUT plate disposed on the nonconductive layer and across the cavity, a top conductive layer disposed on a top surface of the CMUT plate, a pressure control via that spans from the cavity to an ambient environment, and an active pressure controller connected to the pressure control via, wherein the active pressure controller is capable of actively varying a pressure differential across the CMUT plate.

Abstract: A system and a method provide a photovoltaic system which regenerates the output characteristics of the photovoltaic at different ambient condition with high precision under all environmental conditions. The photovoltaic system includes a photovoltaic array, a buck/boost converter, a DC link capacitor to connect the buck/booster converter to a load/inverter, an adaptive network-based fuzzy inference maximum power point tracking controller, a voltage control loop, a proportional integral controller to maintain the output voltage of the photovoltaic array to the reference voltage by adjusting the duty ratio of buck/boost converter.

Abstract: Described are mutant luciferases, nucleic acids that encode them, cells and animals expressing them, methods of use thereof, and kits.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are systems and method for segmentation and identification of structured features in images. According to an aspect, a method may include representing an image as a graph of nodes connected together by edges. For example, the image may be an ocular image showing layered structures or other features of the retina. The method may also include adding, to the graph, nodes adjacent to nodes along first and second sides of the graph. The added nodes may have edge weights less than the nodes along the first and second sides of the graph. Further, the method may include assigning start and end points to any of the added nodes along the first and second sides, respectively. The method may also include graph cutting between the start and end points for identifying a feature in the image.

Abstract: A system of topographic patterns for the prevention of bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation. The patterns may be provided on the surfaces of certain devices that are prone to bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation, such as urinary catheters. To reduce bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation, and to remove existing biofilms, the patterns are induced to transform from a first topography to a second topography. For example, the surface patterns may be formed from a shape memory polymer and then heated to transform the patterns from the first topography to the second topography to dislodge bacteria and prevent fouling.

Abstract: A quantitative gait training and/or analysis system includes a pair of footwear modules that may include a shank module and an independent processing module. Each footwear module may have a sole portion, a heel portion, a speaker, vibrotactile transducer and a wireless communication module. Sensors may permit the extraction of gait kinematics in real time and provide feedback from it. Embodiments may store data for later reduction and analysis. Embodiments employing calibration-based estimation of kinematic gait parameters are described.

Abstract: The disclosure provides a nitrilase from Arabis alpina, which belongs to genus Arabis, family brassicaceae. The disclosure further provides the encoding gene, vector, recombinant bacterial strain, and the application in the manufacturing of (S)-3-cyano-5-methylhexanoic acid. The wet resting cells containing nitrilase Aa-Nit can kinetically resolve racemic IBSN at 1.2 M with a 42% conversion rate in 15 hr and >99% ee value. The disclosure provides a regio- and stereoselective method for the preparation of (S)-3-cyano-5-methylhexanoic acid. This method provides an atom economical, mild, environmental friendly industrial method to manufacture (S)-3-cyano-5-methylhexanoic acid.

Abstract: A technique for treating diabetes that recognizes patient insulin sensitivity is a time-varying physiological parameter. The described techniques for treating diabetes include measuring interstitial fluid glucose concentration, reading insulin delivery data, determining patient insulin sensitivity based on the interstitial fluid glucose concentration and insulin delivery data, and a time-varying physiological parameter, and dispensing an insulin dose from an insulin delivery device based on the determined patient insulin sensitivity.

Abstract: In various embodiments of the invention we have used GaNAs alloy with few percent of nitrogen as an active component of a device that simultaneously emits light of two different photon energies. The electroluminescence is produced by applying an electric field to an intermediate band solar cell device with electrically blocked intermediate band.

Abstract: In one aspect, methods of promoting bone growth are described herein. In some embodiments, a method of promoting bone growth described herein comprises promoting cell differentiation or phenotype progression in a population of bone cells by providing a citrate-presenting composition to the population of bone cells. In some embodiments, the citrate-presenting composition is provided to the bone cells at a first stage of cell development selected to obtain a first cell differentiation or phenotype progression. Additionally, in some cases, a second citrate-presenting composition is further provided to the bone cells at a second stage of cell development selected to obtain a second cell differentiation or phenotype progression.

Abstract: Tandem electro-optic devices and active materials for electro-optic devices are disclosed. Tandem devices include p-type and n-type layers between the active layers, which are doped to achieve carrier tunneling. Low bandgap conjugated polymers are also disclosed.

Abstract: A photonic beamformer is disclosed and is configured to transmit or receive a plurality of RF input signals from a plurality of antennas. The beamformer receiver includes a plurality of optical modulators, each optical modulator being configured to modulate each of the RF input signals onto an optical carrier, each carrier having a different wavelength. The beamformer receiver also includes a plurality of optical amplifiers, each optical amplifier being configured to vary the optical power of one optical carrier based on a weighting input and generate a weighted optical carrier. The beamformer receiver also includes a plurality of multi-beam optical true-time delays (TTD), each TTD being configured to receive all of the weighted optical carriers and generate a plurality time delayed optical carriers.

Abstract: Provided are anisotropic conductive materials, electronic devices including anisotropic conductive materials, and/or methods of manufacturing the electronic devices. An anisotropic conductive material may include a plurality of particles in a matrix material layer. At least some of the particles may include a core portion and a shell portion covering the core portion. The core portion may include a conductive material that is in a liquid state at a temperature greater than 15° C. and less than or equal to about 110° C. or less. For example, the core portion may include at least one of a liquid metal, a low melting point solder, and a nanofiller. The shell portion may include an insulating material. A bonding portion formed by using the anisotropic conductive material may include the core portion outflowed from the particle and may further include an intermetallic compound.

Abstract: The subject invention provides the materials and methods for fabricating and using an electrochemical immunosensing device to detect a target antigen. In a preferred embodiment, the subject invention utilizes Camelid-derived, single-domain antibodies as the sensing agents immobilized onto the surface of the immunosensing device, more specifically, the working electrode of the immunosensing device. Furthermore, embodiments of the subject invention provide means for increasing the device's detection sensitivity by utilizing a working electrode optionally configured with an array of interdigitated electrodes.

Abstract: The invention aims to provide a relationship evaluation system capable of effectively evaluating a relationship of a node to a reference node in a relationship graph in which plural nodes are connected by links. A reference point node is selected based on selection information regarding the reference point node input from the selection information input unit. Based on the reference point node, a relationship graph becoming an evaluation target is extracted from the relationship graph database to create a virtual communication network based on the graph. In the virtual communication network, simulation is executed by sequentially propagating a virtual communication packet to adjacent nodes from a reference point node selected by the reference point node selection unit as propagation origin. The relationship of the node to the reference node is evaluated based on the content of the communication packet received at the node as a result of executing the simulation.

Abstract: Provided is a method of encoding an image, the method including determining a scanning sequence for transforming one or more sub-blocks included in a transformation block to be identical to a sequence of quantizing the one or more sub-blocks; determining a sub-block for transformation from among the one or more sub-blocks according to the determined scanning sequence; and performing transformation by applying one or more transformation matrixes with respect to the sub-block for transformation.

Abstract: Systems and methods for epicardial pacing are provided. For example, this document provides epicardial pacing using a percutaneously delivered bifurcated pacing lead that has multiple electrodes that are directionally insulated to prevent extracardiac stimulation, including prevention of phrenic stimulation. In addition, the devices, systems, and methods provided can be used for ablation, defibrillation, and/or defibrillation in combination with pacing.

Abstract: Disclosed is a new variety of Prunus persica named ‘Flat Delight One’. This new variety, which requires 450-500 chilling units of dormancy, is a low-acid, flat (pantao) peach tree of early season maturity, which produces white-fleshed fruit that are firm, attractively colored, and suitable for the local fresh fruit market and home garden use.