Abstract: The concepts include a user support system in the form of a microphone, a visual display arranged in a vehicle cabin, and a controller. The controller includes an instruction set that is executable to receive, via the microphone, a voice-based request from a user, and employ a virtual assistant to determine a user interaction in real time and to determine a specific intent for the voice-based request, including capturing metadata. A user interaction routine determines a user interaction parameter associated with the virtual assistant based upon the voice-based request from the user. A user sentiment analysis routine determines a user satisfaction parameter associated with the virtual assistant based upon the voice-based request from the user. The controller responds in real-time to the voice-based request based upon the user satisfaction parameter and the user interaction parameter that are associated with the virtual assistant.

Abstract: A system and method for controlling metabolic enzymes or pathways in cells to produce a chemical above the levels of a wild-type strain is disclosed. The system utilizes cells, including yeasts, bacteria, and molds, having at least two genes capable of being controlled bi-directionally with light, where one gene is turned from off to on when exposed to light and another gene is turned from on to off when exposed to light, the two genes reversing when the light is turned off. Cells may utilize any number of sequences that benefit chemical production, including sequences that: encode for constitutive transcription of light-activated transcription factor fusions; encode for a metabolic enzyme; encode for a repressor; induce expression of metabolic enzymes; and an endogenous or exogenous activator expressed by a constitutive promoter, inducible promoter, or gene circuit.

Abstract: In various embodiments, a tunable optical surface includes a dielectric substrate layer with an array of elongated metal rails extending from the dielectric substrate parallel to one another and spaced from one another to form channels therebetween. The channels are etched deeper into the dielectric substrate to form extended-depth channels. The depth of each extended-depth channel is greater than the height of adjacent elongated metal rails. The dimensions of the elongated metal rails and the extended-depth channels therebetween may be subwavelength with respect to an operational bandwidth. A tunable dielectric material that has a tunable refractive index, such as liquid crystal, is positioned within the extended-depth channels between adjacent elongated metal rails.

Abstract: A system and method for controlling metabolic enzymes or pathways in cells to produce a chemical above the levels of a wild-type strain is disclosed. The system utilizes cells, including yeasts, bacteria, and molds, having at least two genes capable of being controlled bi-directionally with light, where one gene is turned from off to on when exposed to light and another gene is turned from on to off when exposed to light, the two genes reversing when the light is turned off. Cells may utilize any number of sequences that benefit chemical production, including sequences that: encode for constitutive transcription of light-activated transcription factor fusions; encode for a metabolic enzyme; encode for a repressor; induce expression of metabolic enzymes; and an endogenous or exogenous activator expressed by a constitutive promoter, inducible promoter, or gene circuit.

Abstract: Provided herein is an isolated fusion protein comprising a light-responsive domain and a heterologous peptide component. Exposure of the fusion protein to light induces a conformational change in the fusion protein that alters an activity of the fusion protein and the activity is a binding activity selected from an in vitro binding activity, an in vivo extracellular binding activity and an in vivo intracellular binding activity. Also provided are methods of using and identifying the fusion proteins.

Abstract: Disclosed is a technique for constructing optogenetic amplifier and inverter circuits utilizing transcriptional activator/repressor pairs, in which expression of the transcriptional activator or repressor, respectively, is controlled by light-controlled transcription factors. This system is demonstrated utilizing the quinic acid regulon system from Neurospora crassa, or Q System, a transcriptional activator/repressor system. This is also demonstrated utilizing the galactose regulon from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, or GAL System. Such optogenetic amplifier circuits enable multi-phase microbial fermentations, in which different light schedules are applied in each phase to dynamically control different metabolic pathways for the production of proteins, fuels or chemicals.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides genetic constructs comprising a recombinant internal ribosome entry site (IRES), which may be used as riboswitches to modulate translation of an operably-mRNA sequence encoding a protein of interest. In other aspects, the disclosure provides recombinant cells, methods, kits and systems that utilize the same, e.g., to provide a platform for modulating the expression of essentially any protein of interest in a eukaryotic cell.

Abstract: Provided herein is a system and method of optogenetically inducibly clustering metabolic enzymes for the production of chemicals using cell factories. More particularly, the described inducible protein clustering approach clusters metabolic enzymes by, e.g., a change in illumination conditions (either a switch from dark to light or from light to dark). Performing this clustering leads to an increase in the production of metabolites by the clustered enzymes. In some embodiments, a light-sensitive domain may be replaced with any inducible domain.

Abstract: Provided herein is an isolated fusion protein comprising a light-responsive domain and a heterologous peptide component. Exposure of the fusion protein to light induces a conformational change in the fusion protein that alters an activity of the fusion protein and the activity is a binding activity selected from an in vitro binding activity, an in vivo extracellular binding activity and an in vivo intracellular binding activity. Also provided are methods of using and identifying the fusion proteins.

Abstract: A service provider generates a customer key and a merchant key for facilitating efficient provision of assistance, by the merchant, with the customer's shopping and payment, via customer-merchant key coupling. When a customer approaches or enters a merchant's store the customer has signed up with, the user device carried by the customer wirelessly broadcasts a signal for the customer key unique to the merchant key. When the merchant server picks up the signal, the service provider communicates to the merchant server information in the user's profile including identifiers, shopping preferences, or the shopping history of the customer, subject to any user-created restrictions contained in the profile so that a sales clerk of the store may approach the customer to give recommendations, suggestions, or other assistance with shopping, based on the information.

Abstract: A system and method for controlling metabolic enzymes or pathways in cells to produce a chemical above the levels of a wild-type strain is disclosed. The system utilizes cells, including yeasts, bacteria, and molds, having at least two genes capable of being controlled bi-directionally with light, where one gene is turned from off to on when exposed to light and another gene is turned from on to off when exposed to light, the two genes reversing when the light is turned off. Cells may utilize any number of sequences that benefit chemical production, including sequences that: encode for constitutive transcription of light-activated transcription factor fusions; encode for a metabolic enzyme; encode for a repressor; induce expression of metabolic enzymes; and an endogenous or exogenous activator expressed by a constitutive promoter, inducible promoter, or gene circuit.

Abstract: A service provider generates a customer key and a merchant key for facilitating efficient provision of assistance, by the merchant, with the customer's shopping and payment, via customer-merchant key coupling. When a customer approaches or enters a merchant's store the customer has signed up with, the user device carried by the customer wirelessly broadcasts a signal for the customer key unique to the merchant key. When the merchant server picks up the signal, the service provider communicates to the merchant server information in the user's profile including identifiers, shopping preferences, or the shopping history of the customer, subject to any user-created restrictions contained in the profile so that a sales clerk of the store may approach the customer to give recommendations, suggestions, or other assistance with shopping, based on the information.

Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for running a product trend application on a user device to obtain personalized product trend information from a service provider when making in-store purchase decisions. The user may use the product trend application to specify product trend information for products in a product category, for products purchased from a specific store, and/or for products purchased over a specified time period. The user device may obtain and transmit its current location to the service provider, which may provide a list of stores in the vicinity of the user device for which the product trend information is available. The user may also use the product trend application to select how the product trend information is filtered and displayed. Advantageously, the user may tailor the product trend information to the requirements of the user, such as to find the most popular product in a product category.

Abstract: A service provider generates a customer key and a merchant key for facilitating efficient provision of assistance, by the merchant, with the customer's shopping and payment, via customer-merchant key coupling. When a customer approaches or enters a merchant's store the customer has signed up with, the user device carried by the customer wirelessly broadcasts a signal for the customer key unique to the merchant key. When the merchant server picks up the signal, the service provider communicates to the merchant server information in the user's profile including identifiers, shopping preferences, or the shopping history of the customer, subject to any user-created restrictions contained in the profile so that a sales clerk of the store may approach the customer to give recommendations, suggestions, or other assistance with shopping, based on the information.

Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for running a product trend application on a user device to obtain personalized product trend information from a service provider when making in-store purchase decisions. The user may use the product trend application to specify product trend information for products in a product category, for products purchased from a specific store, and/or for products purchased over a specified time period. The user device may obtain and transmit its current location to the service provider, which may provide a list of stores in the vicinity of the user device for which the product trend information is available. The user may also use the product trend application to select how the product trend information is filtered and displayed. Advantageously, the user may tailor the product trend information to the requirements of the user, such as to find the most popular product in a product category.

Abstract: A service provider generates a customer key and a merchant key for facilitating efficient provision of assistance, by the merchant, with the customer's shopping and payment, via customer-merchant key coupling. When a customer approaches or enters a merchant's store the customer has signed up with, the user device carried by the customer wirelessly broadcasts a signal for the customer key unique to the merchant key. When the merchant server picks up the signal, the service provider communicates to the merchant server information in the user's profile including identifiers, shopping preferences, or the shopping history of the customer, subject to any user-created restrictions contained in the profile so that a sales clerk of the store may approach the customer to give recommendations, suggestions, or other assistance with shopping, based on the information.

Abstract: A user can obtain a list of products previously purchased at a store where the user is presently shopping via the user's mobile device. The user can use this list to determine if any of the products previously purchased should again be purchased on the present shopping trip. For example, the user can choose from an app on the mobile device to view products purchased by location. A location based shopping list system can then determine at which store the user is shopping based upon a GPS location provided by the user's mobile device. The location based shopping list system can then return the list of product previously purchased at that store.

Abstract: A system according to an embodiment comprises one or more processors; and one or more memories adapted to store a plurality of machine-readable instructions which when executed by the processor(s) are adapted to cause the system to: receive online search information in connection with one or more desired items from a user device of a user, wherein the user device includes an application loaded in the user device from a server at a remote location; auto-synchronize the online search information to a mobile device of the user; and send an alert via the mobile device when the mobile device is in a proximity of a point of sale location of the one or more desired items associated with the online search information.

Abstract: The present invention relates to active polymorphs of 4-[2-(5-cyano-thiazol-2-ylamino)-pyridin-4-ylmethyl]-piperazine-1-carboxylic acid methylamide which inhibit, regulate and/or modulate tyrosine kinase signal transduction, compositions which contain these compounds, and methods of using them to treat tyrosine kinase-dependent diseases and conditions, such as angio-genesis, cancer, tumor growth, atherosclerosis, age related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, retinal ischemia, macular edema, inflammatory diseases, and the like in mammals.

Abstract: The present invention relates to salt forms of 4-[2-(5-cyano-thiazol-2-ylamino)-pyridin-4-ylmethyl]-piperazine-1-carboxylic acid methylamide which inhibit, regulate and/or modulate tyrosine kinase signal transduction, compositions which contain these compounds, and methods of using them to treat tyrosine kinase-dependent diseases and conditions, such as angio-genesis, cancer, tumor growth, atherosclerosis, age related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, retinal ischemia, macular edema, inflammatory diseases, and the like in mammals.