Abstract: Toxin complexes and methods for preventing immune rejection of xenografts are provided. Cell toxins are coupled to carriers that display ligands which allow the complex to be recognized by antigen binding sites (i.e., specific B cell and T cell receptors) on the lymphocytes as the target cells responsible for the specific immune response. The toxin complexes interact with the specific receptors (antigen binding sites) on lymphocytes, and are internalized by these target cells. Once internalized, the toxin complex dissociates to release the cell toxin, which destroys the target cell. In one embodiment, the target cells are B lymphocytes and T lymphocytes, the antigen binding sites are anti-Gal B cell receptors and T cell receptors which interact with &agr;-gal epitopes displayed on an &agr;1-acid glycoprotein carrier. In other embodiments, the toxin complex is directed by the corresponding ligands to target cells responsible for autoimmune diseases in which the specificity of the autoantibodies is defined.

Abstract: Disclosed are attractants and lures for attracting and controlling the adult form of Diabrotica species, in particular northern corn rootworm, useful individually or in mixtures and in combination with insecticides and compulsive feeding stimulants, such as cucurbitacins.

Abstract: The present invention relates generally to peptide molecules and to derivatives, homologues, analogues and mimetics thereof capable of inducing or facilitating analgesia or partial analgesia alone or in combination with other analgesic molecules. The present invention also contemplates a method of inducing or facilitating analgesia or partial analgesia by the administration of a peptide or a derivative, homologue, analogue or mimetic thereof. The amino acid sequence of the peptide molecules of the present invention are derived from or based on amino acid sequences of snake venom toxins, and, in particular, &agr;-neurotoxins.

Abstract: The present application describes novel uses of ruthenium bipyridyls or palladium porphyrins as photo-activatable crosslinking agents. Crosslinking can be between any two molecules including peptides, proteins, or compounds. Crosslinking occurs in the presence of an electron donor such as ammonium persulfate, and requires only moderate intensity visible light. Crosslinking can be between peptides, polypeptides or lead candidate compounds to unknown target molecules. Reagents utilyzing ruthenium bipyridyls and palladium porphyrins crosslinkers for use in diagnostic and detection scenarios are also disclosed.

Abstract: A water soluble derivative of buckministerfullerene (C60) having antiviral and virucidal properties is used to inhibit human retroviral replication and infections. The derivatized fullerene is symmetrically substituted with polar organic moieties containing 1 to 20 carbon atoms and optionally further containing oxygen or nitrogen.

Abstract: Asymmetric derivatives of furamidines with one of the phenyl rings of furamidine replaced with a benzimidazole have been found by quantitative footprinting analyses to bind GC containing sites on DNA more strongly than to pure AT sequences. These compounds have been shown to bind in the minor groove at specific GC containing sequences of DNA in a highly cooperative manner as a stacked dimer. Compounds of the present invention find use in selectively binding mixed sequence DNA, and may also be used in methods of regulating gene expression, methods of treating opportunistic infections and cancer, as well as in methods of detecting certain sequences of DNA.

Abstract: C-4 substituted retinoic acid analogs, synthesis methods of C-4 substituted retinoic acid analogs and methods of using C-4 substituted retinoic acid analogs to treat various cancers and dermatological diseases and conditions. The C-4 substituted retinoic acid analogs include C-4 all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) and 13-cis retinoic acid (13-CRA) analogs. The C-4 substituted retinoic acid analogs inhibit all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) 4-hydroxylase activity, thereby inhibiting the catabolism of ATRA. The C-4 substituted retinoic acid analogs also have ATRA-mimetic activity. The preferred substitutions at C-4 are an azole group, a sulfur, oxygen, or nitrogen containing group, a pyridyl group, an ethinyl group, a cyclopropyl-amine group, an ester group, or a cyano group, or forms, together with the C-4 carbon atom, an oxime, an oxirane or aziridine group.

Abstract: The present invention provides methods of stimulating tissue growth, including islet cell growth, by administering GABA or a GABA agonist to act on GABAB receptors and GABAB-like receptors to activate cell replication.

Abstract: Stem cells from human sources can have a variety of useful applications in disease treatment and biotechnology. More particularly the umbilical cord matrix stem (UCMS) cell cultures of the invention have a variety of totipotent, pluriotent, or multipotent cells for a variety of end uses from a non-controversial, universally available, species-specific source. The technology can have application to any placental animal, including agricultural and laboratory animals and humans. The invention relates to isolating, culturing the stem cells, maintaining the stem cells, transforming the stem cells into useful cell types using genetic or other transformation technologies, stem cell and tissue banking and using untransformed or transformed cells in disease treatment.

Abstract: A method and system of imagewise etching the surface of a substrate, such as thin glass, in a parallel process. The substrate surface is placed in contact with an etchant solution which increases in etch rate with temperature. A local thermal gradient is then generated in each of a plurality of selected local regions of a boundary layer of the etchant solution to imagewise etch the substrate surface in a parallel process. In one embodiment, the local thermal gradient is a local heating gradient produced at selected addresses chosen from an indexed array of addresses. The activation of each of the selected addresses is independently controlled by a computer processor so as to imagewise etch the substrate surface at region-specific etch rates. Moreover, etching progress is preferably concurrently monitored in real time over the entire surface area by an interferometer so as to deterministically control the computer processor to image-wise figure the substrate surface where needed.

Abstract: A system and method for dynamic bandwidth allocation is provided. The method provides one or more nodes to compute a simple lower bound of temporally and spatially aggregated virtual time using per-ingress counters of packet (byte) arrivals. Thus, when information is propagated along the ring, each node can remotely approximate the ideal fair rate for its own traffic at each downstream link. In this way, flows on the ring rapidly converge to their ring-wide fair rates while maximizing spatial reuse.

Abstract: A vacuum deposition process for depositing powdered phosphor on fiber optic face plates, such as the output fiber optic window of gated image intensifiers. The process involves resistive heating vacuum deposition of a powdered phosphor, such as Zn, CD, (S) to a thickness of 7900 Angstroms, for example, after which it is annealed which promotes a columnar growth and makes the phosphor efficient. The thus annealed phosphor can then be directly overcoated with aluminum of a thinner coating than over a powdered phosphor produced by prior known methods due to the smoother surface produced by this process.

Abstract: This invention relates to seedlings which demonstrate better emergence characteristics when grown in darkness and improved seedling growth when grown under low-light levels. More specifically, the present invention relates to producing plant cells and whole plants which contain a nucleic acid sequence coding for the Coil domain as well as the sequence coding for the wildtype COP1 gene. The plants of this invention display unopened, compact leaves during seedling emergence in the darkness and reduced etiolation of seedings grown in low-levels after emergence. The invention further relates to plant breeding methods which enable the transfer of these desirable traits to wildtype plants.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an isolated cyclic peptide, theta defensin, having antimicrobial activity, and to theta defensin analogs. A theta defensin can have the amino acid sequence Xaa1-Xaa2-Xaa3-Xaa4-Xaa5-Xaa1-Xaa6-Xaa4-Xaa4-Xaa1-Xaa1-Xaa6-Xaa4-Xaa5-Xaa1-Xaa3-Xaa7-Xaa5, wherein Xaa1 to Xaa8 are defined; wherein Xaa1 can be linked through a peptide bond to Xaa8; and wherein crosslinks can be formed between Xaa3 and Xaa3, between Xaa5 and Xaa5, and between Xaa7 and Xaa7. For example, the invention provides a theta defensin having the amino acid sequence Gly-Phe-Cys-Arg-Cys-Leu-Cys-Arg-Arg-Gly-Val-Cys-Arg-Cys-Ile-Cys-Thr-Arg (SEQ ID NO:1), wherein the Gly at position 1 (Gly-1) is linked through a peptide bond to Arg-18, and wherein disulfide bonds are present between Cys-3 and Cys-16, between Cys-5 and Cys-14, and between Cys-7 and Cys-12. The invention also relates to antibodies that specifically bind a theta defensin and to isolated nucleic acid molecules encoding a theta defensin.

Abstract: Formation of solid-water detoxifying reagents for chemical and biological agents. Solutions of detoxifying reagent for chemical and biological agents are coated using small quantities of hydrophobic nanoparticles by vigorous agitation or by aerosolization of the solution in the presence of the hydrophobic nanoparticles to form a solid powder. For example, when hydrophobic fumed silica particles are shaken in the presence of IN oxone solution in approximately a 95:5-weight ratio, a dry powder results. The hydrophobic silica forms a porous coating of insoluble fine particles around the solution. Since the chemical or biological agent tends to be hydrophobic on contact with the weakly encapsulated detoxifying solution, the porous coating breaks down and the detoxifying reagent is delivered directly to the chemical or biological agent for maximum concentration at the point of need.

Abstract: An MR method and system of determining elements of the apparent diffusion coefficient tensor in a material with plurality of anisotropic structural units that can be too small to be resolved by direct imaging. MR data is acquired with MR system including pulse sequences, the sequences including imaging or spectroscopy pulse sequences with a series of embedded diffusion-sensitizing gradient waveforms with different gradient strength applied to the material. A nonlinear function of a b-value corresponding to the pulse sequence is defined and the acquired MR data is processed according to defined nonlinear function. Images/maps of the components of the tensor of apparent diffusion coefficients, corresponding to anisotropic structural units, based on the processed MR data, are created. A method of evaluating of the geometrical parameters of lung airways is also described.

Abstract: A single-stage converter improving the power factor is provided. The single-stage converter comprises a power factor improving unit, a bridge diode unit, a voltage smoothing condenser, a transformer circuit unit, and a main switch. The power factor improving unit is connected to a predetermined input power source, the bridge diode unit is located next to the power factor improving unit and provides a current path, the voltage smoothing condenser stores electric energy provided through the bridge diode unit, the transformer circuit unit is located between the bridge diode unit and the voltage smoothing condenser, and the main switch is connected to each of the bridge diode unit, the voltage smoothing condenser, and the transformer circuit unit and controls provision of voltage to the transformer circuit unit. Thus, the single-stage converter can improve the power factor of the input terminal.

Abstract: A method of expressing in vivo heart-specific fluorescence in transgenic line of zebrafish is developed, which provides a research model for studying heart-related gene functions and performing gene therapies in the future. The method comprises the following step. A fluorescent protein gene is integrated into the genome of a non-human eukaryotic animal. In a preferred embodiment, a gene encoding GFP is transferred into the genome of a zebrafish. The transgenic process comprises the following steps. Firstly, the genomic DNA of zebrafish larvae are extracted and cut with a restriction enzyme. Then, the DNA fragments are ligated with adaptors, Pad1 and PR-SpeI. After ligation, PCR is performed twice to amplify the target DNA fragment. The amplified fragment is subjected to gene sequencing steps for determing the nucleotide sequence, which is the 5′ region of zebrafish cmlc2 gene. Subsequently, a plasmid is constructed.

Abstract: The invention relates generally to compositions useful in altering the migration and/or proliferative activity of cells and to methods of using them. Reagents that can regulate cell migration and reorganization are useful in managing diseases in which cell migration and tissue remodeling play a role, including inhibiting vascular stenosis and restenosis that can result from endothelial injury. Migration-altering compositions include the proteins clusterin and gp38k and fragments thereof which retain the migration-altering activity, peptides derived from the proteins which possess the migration-altering activity, polyclonal, monoclonal and recombinant humanized antibodies directed against the proteins and fragments thereof and anti-sense oligonucleotides capable of binding clusterin and gp38k mRNAs.

Abstract: A separation apparatus and method for use in separating magnetic material from non-magnetic material that includes the use of a magnetic grid, e.g., a permanently magnetic grid, which defines a plurality of openings. The grid assists in preventing magnetic material from being transported to an overflow.