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: 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: 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: 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 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: 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: 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 solar energy conversion niobium oxynitride microcone and a method of the synthesis and use of niobium oxynitride microcones are provided. The material is useful for solar energy conversion, optics, photocatalysis, electrochromics, sensors and biomedical applications. According to one embodiment, Nb205 microcones are formed by anodization of (1M NaF and 1 wt. % HF electrolyte ?40 V ?20 min), they were annealed in ammonia gas to allow their doping with nitrogen. Nitridation of the micro cones shifts the absorption edge from 450 nm for the oxide form to 777 nm for the oxynitride form.

Abstract: A voltage regulator provides a regulated output voltage [108] from an input voltage [100] using control unit [106] to control a switched capacitor circuit [102] to periodically produce different output voltage levels Vx followed by a low pass filter [104] to give a regulated output voltage. Phase interleaving is used where the phases of different voltage levels are interleaved allowing for increased effective switching frequency and reduced switching losses. By controlling the average voltage on the flying capacitors, output voltage is regulated by modulating the resistance of the switches using a duty cycle. A control unit [106] is used to determine the operation region of the voltage regulator device and configure the switched capacitor circuit in each operation region. The controller contains a state machine that determines the switches configuration in each phase of a complete switching cycle.

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: The subject matter described herein includes a method for simplified computation of metrics of cross-correlations of binary codes and for using the metrics for signal processing applications. The method includes computing an outer product matrix based on a first code vector. The method further includes computing an outer product matrix based on at least one second code vector. The method further includes computing a metric of cross-correlations between the first code and the at least one second code vector using the outer product matrices. The method further includes using the metric to perform a signal processing operation.

Abstract: A gold nanoparticle-based colorimetric assay kit for hepatitis C virus RNA that detects unamplified HCV RNA in clinical specimens using unmodified AuNPs and oligotargeter polynucleotides that bind to HCV RNA. A method for detecting hepatitis C virus comprising contacting a sample suspected of containing hepatitis C virus with a polynucleotide that binds to hepatitis C virus RNA and with gold nanoparticles, detecting the aggregation of nanoparticles, and detecting hepatitis C virus in the sample when the nanoparticles aggregate (solution color becomes blue) in comparison with a control or a negative sample not containing the virus when nanoparticles do not aggregate (solution color remains red).

Abstract: Ligands that target the HCV-E2 binding site 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 E2 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. Identification and design of groups of compounds that bind to CD81 for use as therapeutics for treating patients infected by Hepatitis C virus and other viruses that interact with CD81.

Abstract: A gold nanoparticle-based colorimetric assay kit for nucleic acids from viral, bacterial and other microorganisms that detects unamplified or amplified polynucleotides in clinical specimens using unmodified AuNPs and oligotargeter polynucleotides that bind to a pathogen's nucleic acids. A method for detecting a pathogen comprising contacting a sample suspected of containing microbes with a polynucleotide that binds to pathogen nucleic acid and with gold nanoparticles, detecting the aggregation of nanoparticles, and detecting pathogen polynucleotides in the sample when the nanoparticles aggregate (solution color becomes blue) in comparison with a control or a negative sample not containing the virus when nanoparticles do not aggregate (solution color remains red).

Abstract: A method for interference-minimizing code assignment and system parameter selection for code division multiple access (CDMA) networks is disclosed. The method is performed at a base station or mobile station configured to operate in a CDMA radio network. The method includes receiving transmissions from user devices seeking to access the CDMA radio network. A spreading code is selected for a first user device seeking to access the network, using at least one cross-correlation parameter, to reduce multiple access interference between communications involving the first user device and other devices using the CDMA network. The method does not require knowledge of the active user codes or even the codebook from which these codes are assigned. Furthermore, it does not require knowledge of bit or chip epoch or the received powers of active users. However, the method can benefit from such knowledge in several ways, examples of which are disclosed.

Abstract: A gold nanoparticle-based colorimetric assay kit for hepatitis C virus RNA that detects unamplified HCV RNA in clinical specimens using unmodified AuNPs and oligotargeter polynucleotides that bind to HCV RNA. A method for detecting hepatitis C virus comprising contacting a sample suspected of containing hepatitis C virus with a polynucleotide that binds to hepatitis C virus RNA and with gold nanoparticles, detecting the aggregation of nanoparticles, and detecting hepatitis C virus in the sample when the nanoparticles aggregate (solution color becomes blue) in comparison with a control or a negative sample not containing the virus when nanoparticles do not aggregate (solution color remains red).

Abstract: Methods and systems for demodulating a multiuser signal using channel decoders for a multiple-access communication system are disclosed. According to one method, a signal containing information for a plurality of users in a multiple-access communication system employing spreading sequences is received. The received signal is despread using a signature sequence for each user to produce individual user signals having multiple-access interference (MAI). Channel estimates associated with each of the individual user received signals are determined. Each of the individual user signals are decoded using a channel decoder with a log-likelihood ratio (LLR) that accounts for the time-varying variance of the MAI in the individual user signals based on a model of the MAI including the channel estimates of the received signals of other users.