Abstract: The disclosure provides a method of using blood or fractions thereof, e.g., serum, obtained from a mammal subjected to liver surgery, for example, obtained following a partial hepatectomy, to increase the engraftment, proliferation and/or functionality of cells on a biocompatible scaffold.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a system for handling slides. The system includes a carrier having a linear engagement feature and a notch, a cartridge having a compartment configured to accept the carrier, and a cartridge positioning system with a platform configured to accept the cartridge and an actuator. The actuator has a rotary engagement feature configured to engage the linear engagement feature and a tab configured to interact with the notch when the carrier is accepted into the compartment and the cartridge is accepted onto the platform.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides apparatus and methods for handling slides. The apparatus includes a carrier comprising a retention hole and a cartridge having a case coupled to one or more separators that together define a plurality of compartments each configured to accept the carrier. At least one of the separators comprises a guide hole, with all guide holes are disposed on a first axis. The retention hole of the carrier is aligned with the first axis when the carrier is disposed in a seated position within one of the compartments. The cartridge also comprises a plurality of spacers each partially disposed within at least one of the guide holes.

Abstract: The invention provides a method to prepare a graft comprising a recellularized extracellular matrix of a mammalian liver, liver lobe or portion thereof, and a method of using the recellularized extracellular matrix of a mammalian liver, liver lobe or portion thereof.

Abstract: The disclosure provides for methods of sealing of decellularized and recellularized engineered organ grafts, thereby providing a reinforced (fortified) decellularized and recellularized engineered organ graft.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are compositions and methods to decellularize an isolated organ or portion thereof. Also disclosed herein are compositions and methods for treatment of disease utilizing a decellularized or recellularized organ. Also disclosed herein are methods of improving decellularization and/or recellularization of an isolated organ or portion thereof.

Abstract: A streamlined buyback solution may pre-calculate user data and pre-assess a user inventory, and then may present a buyback offer to a user based on user activity. A user trust assessment may determine the trust score for the user. The buyback assessment may identify items in the user inventory and determine assessed values and opportunity criteria for the items based on data from cost analysis and/or data from user behavior analysis. The opportunity criteria may be based on a model that is trained to analyze user patterns using a learning model. Based on the trust score, assessed values, and opportunity criteria, the user may be presented with a streamlined buyback offer allowing the user to apply the buyback offer value to discount a primary purchase order in a seamless transaction.

Abstract: A method of extracellular matrix (ECM) particle formation, and compositions produced by the method, are provided.

Abstract: The disclosure provides a method of using blood or fractions thereof, e.g., serum, obtained from a mammal subjected to liver surgery, for example, obtained following a partial hepatectomy, to increase the engraftment, proliferation and/or functionality of cells on a biocompatible scaffold.

Abstract: An apparatus for reconfiguring a high-voltage circuit. The apparatus has a planar substrate, a non-conductive arm comprising a first contact and a rotary actuator having a body fixed to the substrate and a rotatable element fixed to the arm. The actuator is configured to selectably rotate the arm between a first position and a second position relative to the substrate. The apparatus also has a second contact fixed to the substrate such that the first contact makes conductive contact with the second contact when the arm is in the first position. The apparatus has a breakdown voltage that is greater than or equal to 500V.

Abstract: Personal audio systems and methods are disclosed. A personal audio system includes a voice activity detector to determine whether or not an ambient audio stream contains voice activity, a pitch estimator to determine a frequency of a fundamental component of an annoyance noise contained in the ambient audio stream, and a filter bank to attenuate the fundamental component and at least one harmonic component of the annoyance noise to generate a personal audio stream. The filter bank implements a first filter function when the ambient audio stream does not contain voice activity, or a second filter function when the ambient audio stream contains voice activity.

Abstract: An apparatus may include a housing adapted for at least partial insertion into a concha bowl of a human ear, at least one speaker residing in or on the housing, a control system residing in or on the housing and a positioning element attached to the housing. The control system may be configured for controlling the speaker and configured for radio frequency (RF) communication. The positioning element may be configured to fit at least partially inside a concha of the human ear and may be configured to retain the housing at least partially within the concha bowl. The positioning element may include one or more wires Control System configured for communication with the control system. The one or more wires may be configured for at receiving and/or transmitting RF radiation. In some examples, the positioning element may be, or may include, a concha lock. The positioning element may include a loop antenna.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are recellularized livers prepared from decellularized liver extracellular matrices. Also disclosed herein are kits and systems comprising a recellularized liver as described herein. Also disclosed herein are methods of recellularizing livers from decellularized liver extracellular matrices.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides apparatus and methods for handling slides. The apparatus includes a carrier comprising a retention hole and a cartridge having a case coupled to one or more separators that together define a plurality of compartments each configured to accept the carrier. At least one of the separators comprises a guide hole, with all guide holes are disposed on a first axis. The retention hole of the carrier is aligned with the first axis when the carrier is disposed in a seated position within one of the compartments. The cartridge also comprises a plurality of spacers each partially disposed within at least one of the guide holes.

Abstract: An apparatus and method of generating personalized HRTFs. The system is prepared by calculating a model for HRTFs described as the relationship between a finite example set of input data, namely anthropometric measures and demographic information for a set of individuals, and a corresponding set of output data, namely HRTFs numerically simulated using a high-resolution database of 3D scans of the same set of individuals. At the time of use, the system queries the user for their demographic information, and then from a series of images of the user, the system detects and measures various anthropometric characteristics. The system then applies the prepared model to the anthropometric and demographic data as part of generating a personalized HRTF. In this manner, the personalized HRTF can be generated with more convenience than by performing a high-resolution scan or an acoustic measurement of the user, and with less computational complexity than by numerically simulating their HRTF.

Abstract: An induction coil driver card for a railroad switch consists of a main power supply, a control unit, at least one induction heating unit, and an interface driver. The main power supply is electrically connected to the at least one induction heating unit that is used to generate eddy current fields. The generated eddy current field excites the atoms within the railroad switch resulting in elevated temperatures. The power input to the induction heating unit is managed via the control unit. The interface driver allows the user to control the frequency ranges received by the induction heating unit by utilizing the control unit. The interface driver also allows the user to have remote access via a wireless cellular modem.

Abstract: Personal audio systems and methods are disclosed. A personal audio system includes a voice activity detector to determine whether or not an ambient audio stream contains voice activity, a pitch estimator to determine a frequency of a fundamental component of an annoyance noise contained in the ambient audio stream, and a filter bank to attenuate the fundamental component and at least one harmonic component of the annoyance noise to generate a personal audio stream. The filter bank implements a first filter function when the ambient audio stream does not contain voice activity, or a second filter function when the ambient audio stream contains voice activity.

Abstract: A heating device for removing snow or ice that accumulates in between a moving-point train track rail and a fixed train track rail consists of an induction coil, a holding case, and a mounting tray. The induction coil is positioned within the holding case which is then positioned on the mounting tray. For optimal performance, the mounting tray is positioned adjacent a planar bottom surface of both the fixed train track rail and the moving-point train track rail. The eddy current field of the induction coil excites the atoms within the steel which then results in elevated temperatures. The heat radiated from the fixed train track rail and the moving-point train track rail removes any accumulated snow or ice.

Abstract: Storage devices are connected to a Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) switch and form an input/output virtualization (IOV) replication cluster that can be exposed to a host processor via hardware root complex interconnecting the PCIe switch to the host processor. When a failed storage device is replaced with a new storage device, the new storage device can initiate a virtual root complex that connects to those storage devices containing data that was replicated on the failed storage device, to receive and copy the data on the new storage device. This replication process does not have to involve the hardware root complex or the host processor.