Abstract: A method for electroless deposition of aluminum or an aluminum alloy on a substrate surface is provided. The method includes activating the surface of the substrate to be coated by applying a coating of a catalyst metal; preparing a mixture of urea (NH2CONH2) and anhydrous aluminum chloride (AlCl3) having a 2:1 molar ratio of AlCl3:NH2CONH2 to obtain a Lewis acid room temperature ionic liquid (RTIL) optionally containing an alloy metal salt; dissolving a hydride reducing agent in an aprotic anhydrous solvent to obtain a hydride solution; mixing the hydride solution and the AlCl3:NH2CONH2 RTIL to obtain an electroless Al solution; exposing the activated surface of the substrate to the electroless Al solution; and removing the electroless Al solution from the substrate surface; wherein upon exposure of the activated substrate surface to the electroless Al solution, an Al or Al alloy coating is obtained on the activated substrate surface.

Abstract: An array of transition metal tubular architectures, where the transition metal tubular architectures are comprised of a transition metal oxide, sulfide, or selenide, and wherein transition metal tubular architectures are less than 100 nm in length. The transition metal tubular architectures can be at least partially crystalline. Within the array of transition metal tubular architectures, at least 80% of the transition metal tubular architectures can be less than 100 nm in length.

Abstract: An array of transition metal tubular architectures, where the transition metal tubular architectures are comprised of a transition metal oxide, sulfide, or selenide, and wherein transition metal tubular architectures are less than 100 nm in length. The transition metal tubular architectures can be at least partially crystalline. Within the array of transition metal tubular architectures, at least 80% of the transition metal tubular architectures can be less than 100 nm in length.

Abstract: A natural liquid composition is provided for disinfectant, antibacterial or anticorrosion applications. The natural liquid composition is an electrospun solubilized composition of natural chitosan (CS) and an FDA approved polymer polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). Two fillers, citric acid (CA) and ascorbic acid (AA), added anti-corrosion property to the composite nanofiber solution without affecting the other properties (disinfectant and antibacterial) and have a final synergistic effect of all components together in a final solution form. Embodiment of the invention advances the art by providing a natural solution to overcome at least some of the problems with the currently used agents.

Abstract: A method of extraction of pure iron (III) oxide from bulk iron ore is provided that includes crushing and grinding, using a crushing machine, raw hematite ore, where a milled ore is formed, water-washing the milled ore by rinsing under continuous stirring conditions, dilute acid-washing the milled ore with diluted hydrochloric acid under continuous stirring conditions, immersing the dilute acid-washed milled ore in concentrated acid under the continuous stirring conditions, and applying heat, treating the heated and immersed milled ore with an alkali to form a precipitate, washing with water the precipitate to purify the precipitate, and drying the purified precipitate, and igniting the purified dry precipitate to extract a pure iron (III) oxide from a bulk iron ore.

Abstract: A method for electroless deposition of aluminum or an aluminum alloy on a substrate surface. The method includes activating the surface of the substrate to be coated by applying a coating of a catalyst metal; preparing a mixture of urea ((NH2CONH2) and anhydrous aluminum chloride (AlCl3) wherein a molar ratio of AlCl3:(NH2CONH2 is greater than 1:1 to obtain a Lewis acid room temperature ionic liquid (RTIL) optionally containing an alloy metal salt; dissolving a hydride reducing agent in an aprotic anhydrous solvent to obtain a hydride solution; mixing the hydride solution and the AlCl3:(NH2CONH2 RTIL to obtain an electroless Al solution; exposing the activated surface of the substrate to the electroless Al solution; and removing the electroless Al solution from the substrate surface; wherein upon exposure of the activated substrate surface to the electroless Al solution, an Al or Al alloy coating is obtained on the activated substrate surface.

Abstract: An array of transition metal tubular architectures, where the transition metal tubular architectures are comprised of a transition metal oxide, sulfide, or selenide, and wherein transition metal tubular architectures are less than 100 nm in length. The transition metal tubular architectures can be at least partially crystalline. Within the array of transition metal tubular architectures, at least 80% of the transition metal tubular architectures can be less than 100 nm in length.

Abstract: A scaffold having an opposing pair of half funicular trusses that are detachably or pivotably connected in the middle to establish a funicular arched truss is provided, where when in a detached or pivoted state, storage and transporting a plurality of the half funicular trusses is simplified.

Abstract: An infrared subwavelength metasurface lens implements slit width modulation focusing of infrared light into a subwavelength region located within a silicon substrate. The lens includes a metasurface deposited on a surface of the silicon substrate, where the metasurface has multiple discrete copper elements separated by uniformly distributed slits of different widths. The device may also implement refractive index modulation by filling different slits with silicon or air. The infrared subwavelength metasurface lens may be coupled with a thermoelectric generator to form a thermoelectric infrared harvesting device.

Abstract: This invention relates to an asymmetric composite membrane containing a polymeric matrix and carbon nanotubes within a single membrane layer, where the carbon nanotubes are randomly oriented within the polymeric matrix and the composite membrane is formed by phase inversion. This invention also relates to a method for producing the composite membrane which includes: coating a surface with a film of a polymer solution containing a polymeric matrix and carbon nanotubes dissolved in at least one solvent; immersing the coated surface in a non-solvent to affect solvent/non-solvent demixing resulting in phase inversion to form a carbon nanotube-containing membrane; and optionally, removing the carbon nanotube-containing membrane from the surface. The invention also relates to a desalination method using the composite membrane.

Abstract: A nano antenna for refractive index sensing is provided that includes a silica substrate, a gold nanodisk sensor element on a first side of the substrate, where the gold nanodisk sensor element includes a silica disk disposed on the substrate and a gold disk disposed on the silica disk, where a diameter of the gold disk is greater than a diameter of the silica disk, where a height of the silica disk is greater than a height of the gold disk, and a gold layer disposed on a second side of the substrate opposite the first side, where the gold layer covers an area as large as said gold nanodisk sensor element.

Abstract: A multi-tier cloud-metering framework for metering cloud resources is presented. The proposed framework is capable of relating metering indicator of distributed resources contributing to the same application and located at different architectural levels. Metering data is collected from the front-end, the cloud nodes and VMs, and propagated through the middle-tier of the metering architecture to be processed and stored at the back-end. The design of the metering framework adopts a service-oriented architecture which allow the processing of cloud metering objects CMOs using service processing over open web transport protocol. To be able to build the middle and back-end tier, a SOA based on IPIoE and BOSML is presented which allow full consolidation of cloud resources achieving scalability and reducing the amount of wasted resources due to cloud resources de-fragmentation.

Abstract: A drug eluting stent is provided that includes a Ni-free Ti-17Nb-6Ta stent, and Ti-17Nb-6Ta oxides nanotubes grown on an inner wall of the Ti-17Nb-6Ta stent, where the Ti-17Nb-6Ta oxides nanotubes are configured for holding and releasing drugs to enable enhanced endothelialization for better healing.

Abstract: An array of transition metal tubular architectures, where the transition metal tubular architectures are comprised of a transition metal oxide, sulfide, or selenide, and wherein transition metal tubular architectures are less than 100 nm in length. The transition metal tubular architectures can be at least partially crystalline. Within the array of transition metal tubular architectures, at least 80% of the transition metal tubular architectures can be less than 100 nm in length.

Abstract: The invention pertains to ligands that bind to CD81 and that inhibit or block Plasmodium attachment to CD81, compositions and methods for preventing, inhibiting or treating infection by Plasmodium and ligands that target a Plasmodium binding site on CD81 and methods of making and using them. A series of ligand binding sites on the large extracellular loop of the open conformation of CD81 have been identified. Several important sites were located in regions identified by mutational studies to be the site of Plasmodium binding. Ligands that recognize these sites were identified. Linking together two or three ligands that bind with low or moderate affinities to different structurally unique sites on a target protein were used to generate small molecule ligand conjugates that exhibit very high affinities to their CD81 targets. Hybrid ligand molecules were also designed using fragment-based drug design methods to generate analogs of the ligands that bind more tightly to the protein than the parent compounds.

Abstract: A gold nanoparticle-based assay for the detection of a target molecule, such as Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) RNA in serum samples, that uses positively charged gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) in solution based format. The assay has been tested on 74 serum clinical samples suspected of containing HCV RNA, with 48 and 38 positive and negative samples respectively. The developed assay has a specificity and sensitivity of 96.5% and 92.6% respectively. The results obtained were confirmed by Real-Time PCR, and a concordance of 100% for the negative samples and 89% for the positive samples has been obtained between the Real-Time PCR and the developed AuNPs based assay. Also, a purification method for the HCV RNA has been developed using HCV RNA specific probe conjugated to homemade silica nanoparticles. These silica nanoparticles have been synthesized by modified Stober method. This purification method enhanced the specificity of the developed AuNPs assay.

Abstract: The present invention provides a nano-particle based structure or composition for a combinational cancer therapy. The structure has a doxorubicin (DOX) physically loaded on core-shell silver polymeric nanoparticles (AgN-Ps) with a ratio of 3.3-5.5% doxorubicin to 1% silver to 2-10% polymer. This structure enhances the cellular uptake of DOX in comparison to the current conventional combination therapy. The DOX-loaded nano-particles result in an improved the therapeutic efficiency of DOX, and reduced its toxicity, which cannot occur in case of adding DOX and AgNPs.

Abstract: A gold nanoparticle-based assay for the detection of a target molecule, such as Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) RNA in serum samples, that uses positively charged gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) in solution based format. The assay has been tested on 74 serum clinical samples suspected of containing HCV RNA, with 48 and 38 positive and negative samples respectively. The developed assay has a specificity and sensitivity of 96.5% and 92.6% respectively. The results obtained were confirmed by Real-Time PCR, and a concordance of 100% for the negative samples and 89% for the positive samples has been obtained between the Real-Time PCR and the developed AuNPs based assay. Also, a purification method for the HCV RNA has been developed using HCV RNA specific probe conjugated to homemade silica nanoparticles. These silica nanoparticles have been synthesized by modified Stober method. This purification method enhanced the specificity of the developed AuNPs assay.

Abstract: Novel Zr-based metal-organic framework (MOF) chemosensors useful for detection, recognition, removal, and separation of heavy metals are provided. Also provided are methods for preparation of the chemosensors and processes for detection, recognition, removal, and separation of heavy metals using the chemosensors.

Abstract: In general the present disclosure relates to Nylon 6/montmorillonite clay nanocomposites with enhanced mechanical properties that have been prepared primarily by solution compounding. A major challenge in producing the Nylon 6/montmorillonite clay nanocomposites is associated with the exfoliation and dispersion of the clay particles within the polymer matrix. This disclosure presents compositions and methods for obtaining highly or fully exfoliated nylon 6/montmorillonite nanocomposites, not only for organically modified clays with known compatibility with nylon 6 (Cloisite 30B), but also for clays with low/no compatibility with nylon 6 (Cloisite 15A and Na+-MMT) through solution compounding.