The invention directly measures the daily crop water demand from an entire field. (more...)

Rapid, efficient, and low cost detection and identification of microorganisms including pathogenic bacteria, viruses, and fungi is a challenge facing plant and animal health. Current technologies such as Q-PCR rely on multiple assays and amplification methods to identify bacteria and viruses. Traditional optical detection methods also require fluorescent markers. These multiple independent steps and tests increase the processing time and cost for detection and identification. Researchers at the University of California, Davis, have developed a technique that uses nanotechnology to electrically detect and identify bacterial and viral RNA sequences without the necessity of using enzymatic amplification methods or fluorescent markers. In cases where microbe densities are particularly low, the technique provides additional sensitivity that allows for the target molecules to be detected in small quantities. Furthermore, the technique may be scaled into large multiplexed arrays for high-throughput and rapid screening. The implementation is further able to differentiate closely related variants of a given bacterial or viral species or strain. This technique addresses the need for a quick, efficient, and inexpensive bacterial and viral detection and identification system. (more...)

Disinfection of water, plants, skin and wounds is critical for public health, horticulture, and medicine.  Current disinfection methods are relatively expensive, large in size and complexity, and typically require toxic chemicals. Plasma-generated reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) in air or other gases at or near room temperature are known to have antimicrobial and other biological and materials processing activity through direct interactions or indirectly via liquid phase applications.  However, these methods currently have serious limitations to broader applications.To address this challenge, University of California investigators have developed improved antimicrobial atmospheric pressure plasmas.  These new antimicrobial atmospheric pressure plasmas significantly enhance the efficacy of currently available systems by combining these species with a separate source of photons. In particular, ultraviolet (UV) photons have been shown by the investigators to greatly increase the antimicrobial effectiveness of plasma-generated ROS/RNS.  These antimicrobial atmospheric pressure plasmas can be used for water, surface, skin and wound disinfection.  The improved antimicrobial atmospheric pressure plasmas create chemically active species in gases or standard atmospheric pressure plasmas with photons, such ultraviolet wavelengths.  These improved antimicrobial atmospheric pressure plasmas combines the open-gas atmospheric pressure plasma to generate radicals and other reactive species with separate photon sources, such as LEDs, to generate UV and visible wavelength photons to interact synergistically with the chemical radicals.  This combination results in novel power and control for important applications exploiting reactive chemical species. Additionally, these improved antimicrobial atmospheric pressure plasmas use relatively inexpensive and simple devices, relatively small amounts of electricity, air and water. The chemical species created are relatively innocuous.  (more...)

Researchers at the University of California, Irvine have developed a novel, label-free imaging and evalution method that enables users to track cell metabolism in vivo.The technique is a novel phasor approach to Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy (FLIM), a multi-photon microscopy technique that excites cells and then detects their fluorescence activity over time. In this approach, the data from these images is transformed mathematically into a phasor representation. The subsequent analysis identifies, locates, and calculates the concentration of important metabolic cell components, such as: collagen, FAD, free and bound NADH, retinol, and retinoic acid.Overall, this novel method provides a straightforward and quantitative interpretation of the physiological processes occurring in tissues. It enables users to visualize cellular metabolism and retinoid gradients, distinguish between the unique metabolic states of cells, and map their level of differentiation. (more...)

Researchers at the University of California, Irvine have developed a novel method for capturing cellular resolution images of biological tissue at depths of up to several millimeters. Conventional fluorescence detection methods utilize microscope objectives for emission light collection, a less effective approach that is only capable of imaging up to one millimeter deep.To improve upon this standard, the UC researchers minimized light losses by optimizing the system’s excitation and detection optics. (more...)

Researchers at the University of California, Irvine have developed a CD microfluidic device that is capable of blood plasma separation of 2 mL of undiluted blood samples. A technician would pipette into the CD device the blood sample for separation. The device is then rotated at high frequencies in order to separate the plasma from the blood. As the frequency of rotation for the CD device is decreased, a siphon valve is primed due to the low frequency of rotation; and the plasma is separated into a collection chamber. (more...)

The efficiency of conventional separation methods such as centrifugation, filtration or sedimentation is generally poor and energy consumption is high when the target solids are small, have a density similar to that of the fluid phase and are fragile. To address some of the deficiencies of conventional separation methods, researchers at UC Davis have invented a new device for separating solids from liquid or air that is based on biomimetic concepts. This new device uses fluid dynamics principles to overcome some of the deficiencies of conventional methods and provides an economical and effective alternative for the separation of difficult to remove particles. Details of the device such as dimensions, shape and structures can be modified to achieve optimum performance with particles of different size and specific gravity. The device can be scaled up or down depending on the amount of fluid to be treated hence can be used in diverse settings. (more...)

Cotton genes modified to enhance cotton yield and production (more...)

While ease of genetic manipulation has traditionally favored the use of bacteria for commercial-scale production of recombinant proteins, differences between prokaryotes and eukaryotes in their post-translational protein processing and the difficulties of recovering and purifying proteins from bacteria has spurred interest in using plants as an alternative. However, the high cost and low yield of recombinant proteins produced in plants, and, in some systems, the further difficulties with post-translational protein processing, contamination, and/or purification have slowed the progress of producing therapeutic and other beneficial proteins in plants. Researchers working at the University of California have developed a family of inventions that offer commercially-viable plant systems for the expression, secretion, and recovery of recombinant proteins. In contrast to previously-used plant systems, the UC systems employ alpha amylase promoters and signal peptide sequences that allow for more precise control of expression and much higher ultimate yields. These UC inventions include: Rice DNA sequences that can be used for metabolically-regulated or hormonally-regulated recombinant protein expression and secretion from germinating seeds; Additional rice DNA sequences that allow for regulated recombinant protein expression in plant cells in response to sugar depletion or deprivation; Rice signal peptide DNA sequences that can be used for secretion of recombinant proteins from monocotyledonous plants and cell cultures; and Sugar-beet DNA sequences that can be used for expression of recombinant proteins in dicotyledonous plants and cell cultures. Additional Patented Technologies from this Inventor UC Case No. 1998-287, "DNA Sequences Capable of Expressing Foreign Proteins and Metabolites in Dicotyledonous Plants and Cell Culture" U.S. Patent 7,045,681 issued on 16 May, 2006 UC Case No. 1997-229, "Sugar-Regulatory Sequences in Alpha-Amylase Genes" U.S. Patent 6,919,493 issued on 19 Jul, 2005 U.S. Patent 6,680,425 issued on 20 Jan, 2004 U.S. Patent 6,048,973 issued on 11 Apr, 2000 UC Case No. 2002-416, "Production of Mature Proteins in Plants" U.S. Patent 6,066,781 issued on 23 May, 2000 (more...)

Identification and sequence of promoter and gene regions in wheat responsible for the vernalization response in temperate cereals (more...)

Apparatus used for precision harvesting and analysis techniques for orchard crops (more...)

New approach to introduction of resistance to Pierce's disease in grapevine, based on identification of an important gene (hemagglutinin) in the pathogen (Xylella fastidiosa) that causes Pierce's disease (more...)

Spray Deposition Sensor for Sensing Deposition of Liquid on an Exterior Surface (more...)

Bifidobacterial Gene Sequences Required for Catabolism of Milk Oligosaccharides (more...)

Pathogen Resistance in Plants (more...)

Innate immunity is the first line of defense against pathogen attack. A plant or animal's innate immune system is triggered only when its pathogen (or pattern) recognition receptors (PRRs) recognize pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs). While PRRs play a significant role in triggering innate immunity in plants and animals, the PAMPs recognized by the receptors have not been well characterized. Researchers at the University of California, Davis have discovered a short peptide produced by a bacterial pathogen that induces rice innate immunity. Recognition of this peptide by the rice XA21 PRR triggers immunity to normal virulent pathogens. (more...)