Abstract: The present invention is to provide a multipotent cell wherein the sufficient amount necessary can be stably and conveniently supplied with a minimum invasion, that will not cause rejection at the time of cell transplantation, that has a potential to differentiate into various cells such as mesenchymal cells including bone, cartilage, skeletal muscle and fat, endothelial cells, myocardial cells, neurons, mesenchymal cells, myocardial cells, endothelial cells, neurons induced to differentiate from the multipotent cell, and a therapeutic agent/treating method comprising these as active ingredient. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PMBC) are cultured on fibronectin-coated plastic plates for 7 to 10 days. The generating cell population with a fibroblast-like morphology is derived from circulating CD14+ monocyte, with a unique phenotype of CD14+CD45+CD34+ type I collagen+.

Abstract: The invention provides binding proteins that bind to misfolded or monomeric SOD1, and not to native homodimeric SOD1. The invention also includes methods of diagnosing, detecting or monitoring amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in a subject. In addition, the invention provides methods of identifying substances for the treatment or prevention of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and kits using the binding proteins of the invention.

Abstract: The invention provides a method for determining the outcome of treatment with an antidepressant medication in a patient. In particular, the invention provides a method of screening patients to identify those patients with a decreased risk of non-response to treatment with antidepressant medication by obtaining a sample of genetic material from the patients, and then assaying the sample for the presence of a genotype which is associated with a decreased risk of non-response to treatment with antidepressant medication. The genotype is characterized by a polymorphism in the genes HTR2A, GRIK4, BCL2, and a combination thereof.

Abstract: A high suction double-cell extractor includes an outer cell defining an outer chamber, and an open-ended inner cell defining an inner chamber. The inner chamber is bottle-shaped and has a neck. The high suction double-cell extractor also includes a vertical loading system for applying axial force on a soil specimen during extraction. The high suction double-cell extractor also includes a port for introduction of pressurized air supply into the outer and inner cells. The introduced pressurized air can apply cell pressure on the soil specimen during extraction. The high suction double-cell extractor also includes a relative humidity control system and a differential pressure detector system. The high suction double-cell extractor can be used to measure stress-dependent soil-water characteristics curve (SDSWCC) under various stress states three-dimensionally and more accurately, and under total suction up to 8,000 kPa.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a vortex-modulation based micromixer for enforced mass exchange. The micromixer of the present invention comprises a mixing chamber with grooves on one wall thereof and a special-shape barrier on another wall. As different fluids are injected into the mixing chamber respectively from two inlets of the micromixer, the grooves and barriers of the micromixer of the present invention create the constructive interferences to form the active-like agitation of the fluid. For every groove, the flux passed by can be increased via its high pressure gradient. Understandably, the mixing efficiency of the fluids can be greatly improved within a very short distance. At last, the outlet of the micromixer is located in the downstream of the mixing chamber and further is able to connect with other elements. The present invention is entirely a passive micromixer and no additional energy is required.

Abstract: The invention provides methods and compositions for modulating osteoclastogenesis and for treating bone diseases characterized by bone loss or a decrease in bone mass or density, by administering a compound or agent that modulates the adenosine A1 receptor, in particular, an inhibitor or antagonist of the A1 receptor.

Abstract: The present invention provides for methods of DNA methylation detection. The present invention provides for methods of generating and detecting specific electronic signals that report the methylation status of targeted DNA molecules in biological samples. Two methods are described, direct and indirect detection of methylated DNA molecules in a nano transistor based device. In the direct detection, methylated target DNA molecules are captured on the sensing surface resulting in changes in the electrical properties of a nano transistor. These changes generate detectable electronic signals. In the indirect detection, antibody-DNA conjugates are used to identify methylated DNA molecules. RNA signal molecules are generated through an in vitro transcription process. These RNA molecules are captured on the sensing surface change the electrical properties of nano transistor thereby generating detectable electronic signals.

Abstract: Hardware threading optimizes use of hardware resources in a dynamic workload environment. Unutilized hardware resources are dynamically borrowed to increase throughput performance and/or power savings by enabling parallel processing of application pipeline stages.

Abstract: Provided herein is a method for diagnosing and monitoring endometriosis in a subject by measuring levels of the ?-subunit of fibrinogen.

Abstract: A system and method of modeling a circulatory system including a regulatory mechanism parameter. In one embodiment, a regulatory mechanism parameter in a lumped parameter model is represented as a logistic function. In another embodiment, the circulatory system model includes a compliant vessel, the model having a parameter representing a change in pressure due to contraction of smooth muscles of a wall of the vessel.

Abstract: Techniques for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) including obtaining a plurality of MRI images acquired at different echo times subsequent to an excitation pulse applied to a sample which is being imaged, performing a curve-fitting for a specified variation in each pixel of the MRI images, and using fitted parameters for the specified variation in the MRI images to synthesize the MRI images to form an image at any echo time with reduced noise. Performing singular value decomposition to determine the types of variation in each pixel of the MRI images and using only the most significant variations to synthesize the MRI images to form an image with reduced noise.

Abstract: CDDO-compounds in combination with other chemotherapeutic agents induce and potentiate cytotoxicity and apoptosis in cancer cell. One class of chemotherapeutic agents include retinoids. Cancer therapies based on these combination therapies are provided. Also provided are methods to treat graft versus host diseases using the CDDO compounds.

Abstract: Modular plastic structural composites having a web section disposed along a horizontal axis and at least one flange section disposed along a horizontal axis parallel thereto and integrally molded to engage the top or bottom surface of the web section, wherein said composite is formed from a mixture of (A) high density polyolefin and (B) a thermoplastic-coated fiber material, polystyrene, or a combination thereof. Composites molded in the form of I-Beams and bridges constructed therefrom are also disclosed.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a slope control device capable of predicting uniform-current-sharing level and method thereof which can be applied in a redundancy or distributed power system for providing better uniform-current-sharing ability. The device comprises a high linearity transconductor circuit, a slope adjusting circuit and an incremental output voltage circuit. The invention applies either a transconductor parameter or a feedback resistor to increase the droop gain and therefore the current deviation between two power supply modules is reduced. The invention further raises the output voltage step by step to ensure that the output voltage meet the requirement of allowable minimum output voltage according to increment of load current.

Abstract: A vibration damped elevator system is provided that includes a damper or dampers attached to the elevator cable. The damping coefficients of the damper or dampers are chosen to provide optimum dissipation of the vibratory energy in the elevator cable. A method of determining the optimum placement of the damper or dampers and their respective damping coefficients is also provided.

Abstract: One object of the present invention is to provide polymers suitable for use as medical materials. The present invention provides a polymer useful as a medical material having the general formula -(A)l-(B)m-(C)n-??(I) in which A is derived from a non-ionic monomer; B is derived from a monomer containing a primary, secondary, tertiary or quaternary amine group; C is derived from a monomer containing an acid group; and l+m+n=100, 0<l, m, n<100.

Abstract: The object of this invention is to make possible the manufacturing of sheath-core type super microfilaments from sheath-core type filaments such as hollow filaments, optical filaments and conjugate filaments continuously and stably by a simple and convenient means without requiring any apparatus of high-accuracy and high-level, characterized in that original filaments delivered from sheath-core type filament supply means are heated by infrared beams and the heated sheath-core type filaments are drawn at 100 times or more by a tension provided by the own weight or under a tension of 1 MPa or less.

Abstract: A shape memory polymeric material has a glass transition temperature, Tg, exceeding room temperature and exhibits rubber modulus and elasticity derived substantially from physical crosslinks is prepared by blending components including one crystalline polymer and two amorphous polymers. Methods of preparing the polymeric materials and uses of the polymeric materials, for example, as smart medical devices, are also disclosed.

Abstract: The invention generally provides three-component molecular biosensors. The molecular biosensors are useful in several methods including in the identification and quantification of target molecules.

Abstract: Vaccine preparations for the prevention and treatment of bovine respiratory disease (BRD) and, in particular, its most severe form, termed “shipping fever”, are provided. The preparations comprise chimeric proteins comprising immunodominant epitopes of recombinant Mannheimia haemolytica outer membrane protein PlpE, and immunodominant epitopes of recombinant M. haemolytica leukotoxin.