Abstract: The invention provides a vaccine including an isolated Als protein family member having cell adhesion activity, or an immunogenic fragment thereof, with an adjuvant in a pharmaceutically acceptable medium. The invention also provides a method of treating or preventing hematogenously disseminated or mucocutaneous candidiasis. The method includes administering an immunogenic amount of a vaccine an isolated Als protein family member having cell adhesion activity, or an immunogenic fragment thereof, in a pharmaceutically acceptable medium. A method of treating or preventing disseminated candidiasis also is provided that includes administering an effective amount of an isolated Als protein family member having cell adhesion activity, or an functional fragment thereof, to inhibit the binding or invasion of Candida to a host cell or tissue.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a base pipe and a fluid control material. The base pipe includes openings, and the fluid control material is mounted to the pipe to control fluid communication through the openings of the pipe. The fluid control material has a permeability that may be changed to selectively control the communication of well fluid through the openings.

Abstract: The present invention provides therapeutic compositions and methods for treating and preventing fungal disease or conditions including mucormycosis. The therapeutic methods and compositions of the invention include antibody, antibody fragment, siRNA and vaccine compositions having or directed against a GRP78 polypeptide or an antigenic fragment of the polypeptide.

Abstract: The present invention provides therapeutic compositions and methods for treating and preventing fungal disease or conditions including mucormycosis. The therapeutic methods and compositions of the invention include vaccine compositions having an FTR polypeptide or an antigenic fragment of the polypeptide; a vector including a nucleotide sequence that is substantially complimentary to at least 18 contiguous nucleotides of FTR sequence; an antisense; a small interfering RNA or an antibody inhibitor of FTR. The vaccine compositions of the invention can further include an adjuvant.

Abstract: The invention is a sealing system, such as a packer, that is used in a wellbore to seal against an exterior surface, such as a casing or open wellbore. The sealing system includes a swellable material that swells from an unexpanded state to an expanded state thereby creating a seal when the swellable material comes into contact with a triggering fluid.

Abstract: The invention is a sealing system, such as a packer, that is used in a wellbore to seal against an exterior surface, such as a casing or open wellbore. The sealing system includes a swellable material that swells from an unexpanded state to an expanded state thereby creating a seal when the swellable material comes into contact with a triggering fluid.

Abstract: Well servicing methods and systems are described, in one embodiment comprising installing a tool in a wellbore, the tool comprising a base tubular having a plurality of openings and a longitudinal bore adapted to fluidly connect to a tubular; a jacket tubular having a second plurality of openings; and an open, lofty, three-dimensional, non-fines stopping fibrous filter medium between the base tubular and the jacket tubular; and installing a first packer upstream of the tool and a second packer downstream of the tool. In some embodiments a sealant precursor composition may be fixed to the fibers. The sealant precursor composition may be activated to form a seal by a triggering chemical composition. This abstract allows a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the disclosure. It may not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. 37 CFR 1.72(b).

Abstract: In one embodiment, the present invention includes a method of logging a rod-pumped well without removing the production string of tubing (30). The logging is accomplished with a soft-coated cable (100) or a soft-faced sleeve (130) which prevents abrasion or damage to a rod-pump barrel as a logging device or sonde (110) which is lowered into the production string of the rod-pumped well after removal of the sucker rods and the pump assembly without the need to remove the production string. The soft-coated cable or soft-faced sleeve allows logging without damage to the interior surface of the production tubing thereby eliminating scratching or grooving normally associated with previous wireline logging operations.

Abstract: Well servicing methods and systems are described, in one embodiment comprising installing a tool in a wellbore, the tool comprising a base tubular having a plurality of openings and a longitudinal bore adapted to fluidly connect to a tubular; a jacket tubular having a second plurality of openings; and an open, lofty, three-dimensional, non-fines stopping fibrous filter medium between the base tubular and the jacket tubular; and installing a first packer upstream of the tool and a second packer downstream of the tool. In some embodiments a sealant precursor composition may be fixed to the fibers. The sealant precursor composition may be activated to form a seal by a triggering chemical composition. This abstract allows a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the disclosure. It may not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. 37 CFR 1.72(b).

Abstract: A Candida albicans bloodstream infections cause significant morbidity and mortality in hospitalized patients. Filament formation and adherence to host cells are critical virulence factors of C. albicans. Multiple filamentation regulatory pathways have been discovered, however the downstream effectors of these regulatory pathways remain unknown. The cell surface protein, Als1p, is a downstream effector of the filamentation regulatory pathway and is regulated by Efg1p. Als1p mediates adherence to endothelial cells in vitro and is required for virulence. The blocking of adherence by the organism is described resulting from the use of a composition and method disclosed herein. Specifically, a pharmaceutical composition comprised of a gene product from the ALS1 gene family is administered as a vaccine to generate an immune response capable of blocking adherence of the organism.

Abstract: This invention is directed to multifunctional, context-activated protides that have two or more effectors with individually distinct biological functions and one or more corresponding activator sites that can each initiate or amplify the biological function of one or more effectors upon context-activation. The context-activated protides of the invention are useful in the diagnosis, prophylaxis, and therapy of a broad range of pathological conditions.

Abstract: An antenna structure is separately and independently formed with respect to a tubular adapted for long-term disposal within a wellbore. The antenna is adapted for easy and rapid deployment on the tubular. An independently formed ‘partial ring section’ (or arcuate shaped member) contains an antenna coil. In one embodiment, one or more of the independently formed partial ring sections is placed on the exterior of the tubular to form a well completion. In another embodiment, a plurality of partial ring sections are coupled to a spooled cable for rapid deployment of the antennas onto a tubular in the field. Another embodiment includes partial ring sections forming an antenna with multiple coils of differing orientation to provide directional sensitivity.

Abstract: A system and method for enhancing the reception of electromagnetic (EM) waves in a fixed downhole receiver of an EM telemetry system is provided. In one embodiment, slots are formed in a portion of an outer casing and an EM receiver is positioned within the outer casing so as to be aligned with the slots formed therein. In another embodiment, an inductive coupling arrangement is provided to transfer signals from an EM receiver mounted on the outside surface of an outer casing to a wireline that is attached to the outer surface of an inner casing, which is disposed within the outer casing. In yet another embodiment, an insulated gap is formed in the surface of the outer casing. An EM receiver, mounted on the outer surface of the inner casing, is positioned above the insulated gap of the outer casing. An electrical coupling mechanism is further provided to electrically couple the inner and outer conductors at a point above the EM receiver.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for producing a single logging-while-drilling (LWD) merged caliper from several indirect LWD borehole size measurements. The merging accounts for the varying validity of each input borehole size measurement as a function of the environment, the formation, and the borehole size itself. In one embodiment, the method includes obtaining a plurality of borehole size measurements from a plurality of LWD sensors and weighting each measurement with varying measurement confidence factors. One embodiment of the method includes determining a set of mathematical equations representative of the responses of the multiple sensors and solving the equation set to determine the borehole size. A computer encoded with instructions for weighting borehole size inputs and iteratively processing the weighted inputs to determine the merged caliper is also disclosed.

Abstract: An antenna structure is separately and independently formed with respect to a tubular adapted for long-term disposal within a wellbore. The antenna is adapted for easy and rapid deployment on the tubular. An independently formed ‘partial ring section’ (or arcuate shaped member) contains an antenna coil. In one embodiment, one or more of the independently formed partial ring sections is placed on the exterior of the tubular to form a well completion. In another embodiment, a plurality of partial ring sections are coupled to a spooled cable for rapid deployment of the antennas onto a tubular in the field. Another embodiment includes partial ring sections forming an antenna with multiple coils of differing orientation to provide directional sensitivity.

Abstract: A Candida albicans bloodstream infections cause significant morbidity and mortality in hospitalized patients. Filament formation and adherence to host cells are critical virulence factors of C. albicans. Multiple filamentation regulatory pathways have been discovered, however the downstream effectors of these regulatory pathways remain unknown. The cell surface proteins in the ALS group are downstream effectors of the filamentation regulatory pathway. Particularly, Als1p mediates adherence to endothelial cells in vitro and is required for virulence. The blocking of adherence by the organism is described resulting from the use of a composition and method disclosed herein. Specifically, a pharmaceutical composition comprised of a gene, gene product, or specific antibody to the ALS gene family is administered as a vaccine to generate an immune response capable of blocking adherence of the organism.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for producing a single logging-while-drilling (LWD) merged caliper from several indirect LWD borehole size measurements. The merging accounts for the varying validity of each input borehole size measurement as a function of the environment, the formation, and the borehole size itself. In one embodiment, the method includes obtaining a plurality of borehole size measurements from a plurality of LWD sensors and weighting each measurement with varying measurement confidence factors. One embodiment of the method includes determining a set of mathematical equations representative of the responses of the multiple sensors and solving the equation set to determine the borehole size. A computer encoded with instructions for weighting borehole size inputs and iteratively processing the weighted inputs to determine the merged caliper is also disclosed.

Abstract: A method for determining a desirable depth for drilling a horizontal well within an oil reservoir includes the steps of deploying a plurality of data sensors at discrete depths in a subsurface formation penetrated by a wellbore, gathering formation pressure data for the discrete depths using the data sensors, and determining the depth of a reservoir using the gathered formation pressure data. The depth within the reservoir may be determined by identifying from the gathered formation pressure data at least one depth whose corresponding formation pressure is suggestive of a reservoir. Once such a depth is identified, the wellbore itself or a lateral drainhole depending from the wellbore may be steered into the reservoir by maintaining the trajectory of the wellbore or drainhole at a substantially constant distance from a fluid contact within the reservoir.

Abstract: A well survey process for combining highly accurate well survey data with lower quality survey data in such manner that survey determination of overall borehole trajectory is improved. The inclination and/or azimuth of the wellbore path at each of the wellbore survey stations is acquired with a MWD tool or other survey instrument maintained stationary within the wellbore. Continuous survey measurements, for inclination and/or azimuth are taken during the drilling process and therefore less accurate due to significant drilling noise. Stationary survey measurement is more accurate but infrequently sampled, while continuous inclination and/or azimuth measurement is less accurate but more frequently sampled. The objective is to augment a conventional minimum radius of curvature approximation of the wellbore trajectory between the survey stations with whatever reliable information can be extracted from the continuous inclination and/or azimuth measurements.

Abstract: A system is disclosed for compensating well logs for adverse effects of the borehole and near borehole formation effects. The system is configured primarily for processing logging-while-drilling (LWD) density measurements, and includes means for generating a one-dimensional density log which is corrected for adverse effects of logging tool standoff and “dipping” beds penetrated by the borehole. The system is, however, applicable to any type of LWD or other type of logging system which requires borehole corrections, and which responds to variations in formation properties in a plane perpendicular to the borehole. The system can also be modified to include LWD apparatus using sensors that require no borehole corrections, and only require corrections for dipping beds. The system is ideally suited for logging equipment using two sensors, but can be modified for use with single sensor systems or systems using more than two sensors.