1. A method for producing magnetostrictive contraction, the method comprising:
applying longitudinally-axially directed tension to an elongate structure so that the magnetization of said elongate structure tends generally to be longitudinally-axially directed, said elongate structure being characterized by an elongate structure longitudinal axis;
while said longitudinally-axially directed tension is being applied to said elongate structure, applying a transversely directed magnetic field to said elongate structure so that said magnetization tends generally to be transversely directed, said transverse direction being relative to said longitudinal-axial direction;
said applying of said transversely directed magnetic field including conducting longitudinally-axially directed electrical current through at least one elongate electrical conductor, each said elongate electrical conductor being characterized by an elongate electrical conductor longitudinal axis, each said elongate electrical conductor being placed so that:
said elongate electrical conductor is one of exterior to said elongate structure and interior to said elongate structure;
said elongate electrical conductor longitudinal axis is one of parallel to said elongate structure longitudinal axis and coincident with said elongate structure longitudinal axis;
wherein longitudinally-axially directed magnetostrictive contraction of said elongate structure is associated with the directional change of said magnetization from said longitudinally-axially directed general tendency to said transversely directed general tendency.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one elongate electrical conductor includes at least one said elongate electrical conductor that is exterior to said elongate structure and that is characterized by a said elongate electrical conductor longitudinal axis that is parallel to said elongate structure longitudinal axis.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one elongate electrical conductor includes an elongate electrical conductor that is interior to said elongate structure and that is characterized by a said elongate electrical conductor longitudinal axis that is coincident with said elongate structure longitudinal axis.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one elongate electrical conductor includes at least one pair of said elongate electrical conductors that are each exterior to said elongate structure and that are each characterized by a said elongate electrical conductor longitudinal axis that is parallel to said elongate structure longitudinal axis, each said pair of said elongate electrical conductors being situated on opposite sides of said elongate structure and conducting said longitudinally-axially directed electrical current in opposite directions.
5. A method for effecting magnetostriction of an elongate magnetostrictive structure characterized by magnetization and a geometric longitudinal axis, the method comprising:
subjecting said elongate magnetostrictive structure to tensile stress along said geometric longitudinal axis so as to cause at least substantially all of the magnetization characterizing said elongate magnetostrictive structure to have an orientation at least approximately parallel with respect to the direction of said geometric longitudinal axis;
generating a magnetic field so as to cause at least substantially all of said magnetization characterizing said elongate magnetostrictive structure to have an orientation at least approximately parallel with respect to the direction of said magnetic field, at least substantially all of said magnetic field being at least approximately transverse with respect to the direction of said geometric longitudinal axis, said generating of said magnetic field being performed during a period in which said elongate magnetostrictive structure is being subjected to said tensile stress, said generating of said magnetic field thereby resulting in an at least approximately perpendicular shift in said orientation, said at least approximately perpendicular shift in said orientation being accompanied by magnetostrictive contraction of said elongate magnetostrictive structure, said magnetostrictive contraction of said elongate magnetostrictive structure being in the direction of said geometric longitudinal axis, wherein said generating of said magnetic field includes:
situating at least one elongate electrically conductive structure proximate said elongate magnetostrictive structure, each said elongate electrically conductive structure being characterized by a geometric electrically conductive longitudinal axis, each said geometric electrically conductive longitudinal axis being at least approximately parallel to said geometric longitudinal axis; and
conducting electrical current through said at least one elongate electrically conductive structure.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein:
said situating includes situating a pair of said elongate electrically conductive structures on opposite sides of said elongate magnetostrictive structures;
said conducting includes conducting electrical current in opposite directions through said pair of elongate electrically conductive structures.
7. A method for effecting magnetostriction of an elongate magnetostrictive structure characterized by magnetization and a geometric longitudinal axis, the method comprising:
subjecting said elongate magnetostrictive structure to tensile stress along said geometric longitudinal axis so as to cause at least substantially all of the magnetization characterizing said elongate magnetostrictive structure to have an orientation at least approximately parallel with respect to the direction of said geometric longitudinal axis;
generating a magnetic field so as to cause at least substantially all of said magnetization characterizing said elongate magnetostrictive structure to have an orientation at least approximately parallel with respect to the direction of said magnetic field, at least substantially all of said magnetic field being at least approximately transverse with respect to the direction of said geometric longitudinal axis, said generating of said magnetic field being performed during a period in which said elongate magnetostrictive structure is being subjected to said tensile stress, said generating of said magnetic field thereby resulting in an at least approximately perpendicular shift in said orientation, said at least approximately perpendicular shift in said orientation being accompanied by magnetostrictive contraction of said elongate magnetostrictive structure, said magnetostrictive contraction of said elongate magnetostrictive structure being in the direction of said geometric longitudinal axis, wherein said elongate magnetostrictive structure is hollow, and wherein said generating of said magnetic field includes:
situating at least one elongate electrically conductive structure inside said elongate magnetostrictive structure, each said elongate electrically conductive structure being characterized by a geometric electrically conductive longitudinal axis, each said geometric electrically conductive longitudinal axis being one of (i) at least approximately parallel to said geometric longitudinal axis and (ii) at least approximately coincident with said geometric longitudinal axis; and
conducting electrical current through said at least one elongate electrically conductive structure.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein a said elongate electrically conductive structure situated inside said elongate magnetostrictive structure is characterized by a said geometric electrically conductive longitudinal axis that is at least approximately coincident with said geometric longitudinal axis.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A polypeptide comprising a non-human peptide of interest and at least two chorionic gonadotrophin carboxy terminal peptides, wherein a first chorionic gonadotrophin carboxy terminal peptide of said at least two chorionic gonadotrophin carboxy terminal peptides is attached to an amino terminus of said non-human peptide of interest, and a second chorionic gonadotrophin carboxy terminal peptide of said at least two chorionic gonadotrophin carboxy terminal peptides is attached to a carboxy terminus of said non-human peptide of interest.
2. The polypeptide of claim 1, wherein the sequence of at least 1 of said at least two chorionic gonadotrophin carboxy terminal peptides comprises an amino acid sequence selected from sequences set forth in SEQ ID NO: 17 and SEQ ID NO: 18.
3. The polypeptide of claim 1, wherein at least 1 of said at least two chorionic gonadotrophin carboxy terminal peptides is truncated.
4. The polypeptide of claim 1, wherein said non-human peptide of interest is a GH peptide.
5. The polypeptide of claim 1, wherein said non-human peptide of interest is an EPO peptide.
6. The polypeptide of claim 1, wherein said non-human peptide of interest is selected from an interferon peptide and a GLP-1 peptide.
7. The polypeptide of claim 1, wherein said non-human peptide of interest is glycosylated.
8. The polypeptide of claim 1, wherein said non-human peptide of interest is non-glycosylated.
9. The polypeptide of claim 1, wherein at least 1 of said at least two chorionic gonadotrophin carboxy terminal peptides is glycosylated.
10. The polypeptide of claim 1, wherein at least 1 of said at least two chorionic gonadotrophin carboxy terminal peptides is attached to said non-human peptide of interest via a linker.
11. The polypeptide of claim 10, wherein said linker is a peptide bond.
12. The polypeptide of claim 1, further comprising a signal peptide.
13. The polypeptide of claim 12, wherein said signal peptide is as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 19.
14. The polypeptide of claim 1, wherein said polypeptide further comprises a third chorionic gonadotrophin carboxy terminal peptide attached in tandem to said second chorionic gonadotrophin carboxy terminal peptide.
15. A polynucleotide comprising a coding portion encoding a polypeptide, said polypeptide comprising a non-human peptide of interest and at least two chorionic gonadotrophin carboxy terminal peptides, wherein a first chorionic gonadotrophin carboxy terminal peptide of said at least two chorionic gonadotrophin carboxy terminal peptides is attached to an amino terminus of said non-human peptide of interest, and a second chorionic gonadotrophin carboxy terminal peptide of said at least two chorionic gonadotrophin carboxy terminal peptides is attached to the carboxy terminus of said non-human peptide of interest.
16. The polynucleotide of claim 15, wherein said polypeptide further comprises a third chorionic gonadotrophin carboxy terminal peptide attached in tandem to said second chorionic gonadotrophin carboxy terminal peptide.
17. The polynucleotide of claim 15, wherein said non-human peptide of interest is a GH peptide.
18. The polynucleotide of claim 15, wherein said non-human peptide of interest is an EPO peptide.
19. The polynucleotide of claim 15, wherein said non-human peptide of interest is selected from an interferon peptide and a GLP-1 peptide.
20. The polynucleotide of claim 15, wherein said non-human polypeptide further comprises a signal peptide.
21. The polynucleotide of claim 20, wherein the sequence of said signal peptide is as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 19.
22. A cell comprising the expression vector of claim 22.
23. A veterinary pharmaceutical composition comprising the expression vector of claim 22.
24. A method of treating or reducing the incidence associated with a growth, weight-related, or metabolic condition in a non-human subject, said method comprising administering to said subject a therapeutically effective amount of a polypeptide, said polypeptide comprising:
(a) a peptide of interest and (b) at least two chorionic gonadotrophin carboxy terminal peptides, wherein:
a first chorionic gonadotrophin carboxy terminal peptide of said at least two chorionic gonadotrophin carboxy terminal peptides is attached to an amino terminus of said peptide of interest, and a second chorionic gonadotrophin carboxy terminal peptide of said at least two chorionic gonadotrophin carboxy terminal peptides is attached to the carboxy terminus of said peptide of interest,
thereby treating said non-human subject having a growth, weight-related, or metabolic condition.
25. A method of administering a peptide of interest to a non-human subject in need thereof, comprising the step of attaching a first chorionic gonadotrophin carboxy terminal peptide to an amino terminus of said peptide of interest and a second chorionic gonadotrophin carboxy terminal peptide to the carboxy terminus of said peptide of interest, thereby generating an improved polypeptide for administration to said subject, thereby administering a peptide of interest to a subject in need thereof.
26. The method of claim 25, further comprising the step of attaching a third chorionic gonadotrophin carboxy terminal peptide in tandem to said second chorionic gonadotrophin carboxy terminal peptide.
27. The method of claim 25, wherein the sequence of at least one of said chorionic gonadotrophin carboxy terminal peptides comprises an amino acid sequence selected from the sequences as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 17-18.
28. The method of claim 25, wherein said peptide of interest is a GH peptide.
29. The method of claim 25, wherein said peptide of interest is an EPO peptide.
30. The method of claim 25, wherein said peptide of interest is selected from an interferon peptide and a GLP-1 peptide.
31. The method of claim 25, wherein said peptide of interest is glycosylated.
32. The method of claim 25, wherein said improved polypeptide further comprises a signal peptide.
33. The method of claim 32, wherein the sequence of said signal peptide is as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 19.