Abstract: Disclosed herein are botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) polypeptides with a modified receptor binding domain of Clostridial botulinum serotype B (B-Hc), comprising one or more substitution mutations corresponding to substitution mutations in serotype B, strain 1, V1118M; Y1183M; E1191M; E1191I; E1191Q; E1191T; S1199Y; S1199F; S1199L; SI 20 IV; or combinations thereof. Specific combination mutations include E1 191M and S1199L, E1191M and S1199Y, E1191M and S1199F, E1191Q and S1199L, E1191Q and S 1199Y, or E 1191 Q and S 1199F. Other substitution mutations are also disclosed. Isolated modified receptor binding domains, chimeric molecules, pharmaceutical compositions, and methods of using the same are also disclosed.

Abstract: The present invention provides a molecular construct capable of fluorescent resonance energy transfer (FRET), comprising a linker peptide, and donor and acceptor fluorophore moieties, where the linker peptide is a substrate of a botulinum neurotoxin selected from the group consisting of synaptobrevin, syntaxin and SNAP-25, or a fragment thereof capable being cleaved by the botulinum neurotoxin, and separates the donor and acceptor fluorophores by a distance of not more than 10 nm, and where emission spectrum of the donor fluorophore moiety overlaps with the excitation spectrum of the acceptor fluorophore moiety; or where the emission spectra of the fluorophores are detectably different. Also provided are isolated nucleic acid expressing the construct, kits comprising said construct and cell lines comprising said nucleic acid. Further provided are methods of detecting a BoNT using the above described construct via FRET, and methods for detecting a BoNT using surface plasmon resonance imaging.

Abstract: A molecular construct comprises a donor label, an acceptor label, a linker peptide disposed between the donor and the acceptor, the linker having a cleavage site sequence, and a spacer between at least one of (a) the donor and the cleavage site sequence and (b) the acceptor and the cleavage site sequence. Preferably, the construct is selected from the group consisting of CFP-(SGLRSRA)-SNAP-25-(SNS)-YFP, and CFP-(SGLRSRA)-synaptobrevin-(SNS)-YFP. In preferred embodiments, the linker peptide is a substrate of a botulinum neurotoxin selected from the group consisting of synaptobrevin (VAMP), syntaxin and SNAP-25, or a fragment thereof that can be recognized and cleaved by the botulinum neurotoxin. Advantageously, the spacer increases the electronic coupling between the donor label and the acceptor label relative to a corresponding construct without the spacer.

Abstract: A molecular construct comprises a donor label, an acceptor label, a linker peptide disposed between the donor and the acceptor, the linker having a cleavage site sequence, and a spacer between at least one of (a) the donor and the cleavage site sequence and (b) the acceptor and the cleavage site sequence. Preferably, the construct is selected from the group consisting of CFP-(SGLRSRA)-SNAP-25-(SNS)-YFP (SEQ ID NO: 9), and CFP-(SGLRSRA)-synaptobrevin-(SNS)-YFP (SEQ ID NO: 10). In preferred embodiments, the linker peptide is a substrate of a botulinum neurotoxin selected from the group consisting of synaptobrevin (VAMP), syntaxin and SNAP-25, or a fragment thereof that can be recognized and cleaved by the botulinum neurotoxin. Advantageously, the spacer increases the electronic coupling between the donor label and the acceptor label relative to a corresponding construct without the spacer.

Abstract: A molecular construct comprises a donor label, an acceptor label, a linker peptide disposed between the donor and the acceptor, the linker having a cleavage site sequence, and a flexible peptide spacer between at least one of (a) the donor and the cleavage site sequence and (b) the acceptor and the cleavage site sequence. The cleavage site sequence is a protease cleavage site, and the flexible spacer peptide is positioned and dimensioned to facilitate an electronic hop between the donor and acceptor label.

Abstract: Surfactant compositions comprising an alkoxylate, a sulfate, or ether sulfate of a C10-C12 monounsaturated alcohol are disclosed. The alkoxylate, sulfate, or ether sulfate may derive from undecylenic acid or undecylenic alcohol. Compared with their saturated analogs, the monounsaturated alkoxylates, sulfates, and ether sulfates are less irritating, making them valuable for personal care, laundry, cleaners, and other household applications. Microscopy studies show that the alkoxylates, sulfates, and ether sulfates have favorable phase behavior over a wide range of actives levels, expanding opportunities for products with greater compaction. When combined with cationic surfactants, the alkoxylates, sulfates, and ether sulfates exhibit synergy, and they have improved solubility compared with their saturated analogs. The surfactants find value for the personal care, laundry and cleaning, emulsion polymerization, agricultural products, oilfield applications, and specialty foams industries.

Abstract: A shared signaling channel can be used in an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) communication system to provide signaling, acknowledgement, and power control messages to access terminals within the system. The shared signaling channel can be assigned to a predetermined number of sub-carriers within any frame. The assignment of a predetermined number of sub-carriers to the shared signaling channel establishes a fixed bandwidth overhead for the channel. The actual sub-carriers assigned to the channel can be varied periodically, and can vary according to a predetermined frequency hopping schedule. The amount of signal power allocated to the signaling channel can vary on a per symbol basis depending on the power requirements of the communication link. The shared signaling channel can direct each message carried on the channel to one or more access terminals. Unicast messages allow the channel power to be controlled per the needs of individual communication links.

Abstract: A method for booting to an operating system stored on a solid state drive. The method comprises the steps of (A) determining if a boot list has one or more entries, (B) pre-reading one or more logical block addresses of each of the entries from the boot list, (C) receiving a command from a host, (D) reading the command from a memory internal to the solid state drive if the command is in a cache area of the pre-read logical block addresses and (E) reading the command from a main portion of the solid state drive if the command is not in the cache.

Abstract: Provided are alkyl lactyllactate compositions that can be prepared from (1) lactide or alternatively lactic acid, and (2) a hydroxyl containing compound such as an alcohol, preferably a fatty alcohol or an alkoxylated alcohol, with (3) an acid catalyst. Preferably, the fatty alcohol contains from about 6 to 18 carbon atoms, such as lauryl alcohol. The alkyl lactyllactates can be used as surfactants, emulsifiers, skin feel agents, film formers, thickeners, rheological modifiers, etc., for personal care and other application areas. Compositions containing at least one alkyl lactyllactate are also provided. The compositions can further contain at least one surfactant.

Abstract: The present invention provides a molecular construct capable of fluorescent resonance energy transfer (FRET), comprising a linker peptide, and donor and acceptor fluorophore moieties, where the linker peptide is a substrate of a botulinum neurotoxin selected from the group consisting of synaptobrevin, syntaxin and SNAP-25, or a fragment thereof capable being cleaved by the botulinum neurotoxin, and separates the donor and acceptor fluorophores by a distance of not more than 10 nm, and where emission spectrum of the donor fluorophore moiety overlaps with the excitation spectrum of the acceptor fluorophore moiety; or where the emission spectra of the fluorophores are detectably different. Also provided are isolated nucleic acid expressing the construct, kits comprising said construct and cell lines comprising said nucleic acid. Further provided are methods of detecting a BoNT using the above described construct via FRET, and methods for detecting a BoNT using surface plasmon resonance imaging.

Abstract: A method for increasing performance of a recycle operation in a solid state drive, comprising the steps of (A) creating an empty physical-to-logical address map in a memory having a plurality of entry locations, (B) filling one of the plurality of entry locations with a physical page address associated with each data write operation to a block, where the block has a plurality of pages, (C) writing the physical-to-logical address map to a last of the plurality of pages during a write to a second to last page of the block and (D) initiating a recycle operation of the block by reading the address map to determine whether the pages contain valid data.

Abstract: A molecular construct comprises a donor label, an acceptor label, a linker peptide disposed between the donor and the acceptor, the linker having a cleavage site sequence, and a flexible peptide spacer between at least one of (a) the donor and the cleavage site sequence and (b) the acceptor and the cleavage site sequence. The cleavage site sequence is a protease cleavage site, and the flexible spacer peptide is positioned and dimensioned to facilitate an electronic hop between the donor and acceptor label.

Abstract: A waterproof optical fiber assembly includes an optical fiber connector mating with an optical fiber adapter. The optical fiber connector includes a fiber joining head, a sealing member, a sleeve, a housing, and a boot. The sleeve defines an annular groove for receiving the sealing member and two latching protrusions adjacent to the annular groove, the housing defines two unlocking grooves for the two latching protrusions, the fiber joining head is sleeved in the sleeve adjacent to the annular groove, the housing is fitted around an end of the sleeve away from the fiber joining head. The optical fiber adapter includes an assembling seat including a base board, a barrel, and two elastic arms.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) polypeptides with a modified receptor binding domain of Clostridial botulinum serotype B (B-Hc), comprising one or more substitution mutations corresponding to substitution mutations in serotype B, strain 1, V1118M; Y1183M; E1191M; E1191I; E1191Q; E1191T; S1199Y; S1199F; S1199L; SI 20 IV; or combinations thereof. Specific combination mutations include E1 191M and S1199L, E1191M and S1199Y, E1191M and S1199F, E1191Q and S1199L, E1191Q and S 1199Y, or E 1191 Q and S 1199F. Other substitution mutations are also disclosed. Isolated modified receptor binding domains, chimeric molecules, pharmaceutical compositions, and methods of using the same are also disclosed.

Abstract: The present invention provides a molecular construct capable of fluorescent resonance energy transfer (FRET), comprising a linker peptide, and donor and acceptor fluorophore moieties, where the linker peptide is a substrate of a botulinum neurotoxin selected from the group consisting of synaptobrevin, syntaxin and SNAP-25, or a fragment thereof capable being cleaved by the botulinum neurotoxin, and separates the donor and acceptor fluorophores by a distance of not more than 10 nm, and where emission spectrum of the donor fluorophore moiety overlaps with the excitation spectrum of the acceptor fluorophore moiety; or where the emission spectra of the fluorophores are detectably different. Also provided are isolated nucleic acid expressing the construct, kits comprising said construct and cell lines comprising said nucleic acid. Further provided are methods of detecting a BoNT using the above described construct via FRET, and methods for detecting a BoNT using surface plasmon resonance imaging.

Abstract: Synergistic surfactant blends are disclosed. In one aspect, the blend comprises an anionic surfactant and a metathesis-based cationic surfactant comprising a quaternized derivative. The quaternized derivative is a quaternized fatty amine, quaternized fatty amidoamine, imidazoline quat, or esteramine quat made from a metathesis-derived C10-C17 monounsaturated acid or its ester derivative. Also disclosed are synergistic surfactant blends comprising a cationic surfactant and a metathesisbased anionic surfactant comprising a sulfonated derivative. The sulfonated derivative is a fatty ester sulfonate, fatty acid sulfonate, sulfoestolide, fatty amide sulfonate, sulfonated fatty ester alkoxylate, imidazoline quat sulfonate, sulfonated amidoamine oxide, or sulfonated amidoamine betaine. The synergistic blends have a negative value or a reduced interfacial tension (IFT) when compared with an expected IFT value calculated from the individual surfactant components.

Abstract: Sulfate and sulfonate derivatives of unsaturated fatty alcohols, processes for making them, and methods of using them are disclosed. In one aspect, a monounsaturated fatty alcohol composition is made by reducing a metathesis-derived monounsaturated alkyl ester. The fatty alcohol composition is then converted to a sulfate or sulfonate derivative by one or more of alkoxylation, sulfation, sulfonation, and sulfitation. Of particular interest are the sulfate and ether sulfate derivatives.

Abstract: Unsaturated fatty alcohol alkoxylates, processes for making them, and methods of using them are disclosed. In one aspect, a monounsaturated fatty alcohol alkoxylate is made by reducing a metathesis-derived monounsaturated alkyl ester, followed by alkoxylation of the resulting monounsaturated alcohol. Microscopy reveals that the monounsaturated alkoxylates have isotropic and lamellar phases over a wider range of actives levels compared with their saturated analogs. This attribute expands formulating latitude for many end-use applications. The unsaturated fatty alcohol alkoxylates are valuable in, for example, agricultural solvents, nonionic emulsifiers for agricultural compositions, hard surface cleaners, laundry detergents, specialty foams, additives or surfactants for paints or coatings, and surfactant compositions for enhanced oil recovery.

Abstract: The present invention is based on the identification of synaptic vessel glycoprotein SV2 as the BoNT/A receptor and the further identification of various BoNT/A-binding fragments of SV2. The disclosure here provides new tools for diagnosing and treating botulism.

Abstract: A molecular construct comprises a donor label, an acceptor label, a linker peptide disposed between the donor and the acceptor, the linker having a cleavage site sequence, and a spacer between at least one of (a) the donor and the cleavage site sequence and (b) the acceptor and the cleavage site sequence. Preferably, the construct is selected from the group consisting of CFP-(SGLRSRA)-SNAP-25-(SNS)-YFP, and CFP-(SGLRSRA)-synaptobrevin-(SNS)-YFP. In preferred embodiments, the linker peptide is a substrate of a botulinum neurotoxin selected from the group consisting of synaptobrevin (VAMP), syntaxin and SNAP-25, or a fragment thereof that can be recognized and cleaved by the botulinum neurotoxin. Advantageously, the spacer increases the electronic coupling between the donor label and the acceptor label relative to a corresponding construct without the spacer.