Abstract: Electroplating of aluminum may be utilized to form electrodes for solar cells. In contrast to expensive silver electrodes, aluminum allows for reduced cell cost and addresses the problem of material scarcity. In contrast to copper electrodes which typically require barrier layers, aluminum allows for simplified cell structures and fabrication steps. In the solar cells, point contacts may be utilized in the backside electrodes for increased efficiency. Solar cells formed in accordance with the present disclosure enable large-scale and cost-effective deployment of solar photovoltaic systems.

Abstract: Provided herein are highly sensitive compositions and methods for detection of at least one specific nucleic acid molecule in a sample. The presence of a specific nucleic acid provides a positive indicator of a pathogenic agent, contaminant, non-canonical bases, and/or wild-type or mutated genes in a sample or a cell. Applications for which the compositions and methods are particularly well suited include point-of-care disease diagnosis or cellular RNA imaging.

Abstract: Provided herein are methods of tracking molecular dynamics in three dimensions. In some embodiments, the methods include introducing an incident light toward a second surface of a substrate to induce a plasmonic wave at least proximal to a first surface of the substrate. A population of particles is connected to the first surface of the substrate via one or more first biomolecules. In some embodiments, the methods also include detecting a change in position of the particles in the population along at least three dimensions over a duration from a change in intensity of the incident light reflected at an interface of the first surface of the substrate. Related systems and computer readable media are also provided.

Abstract: Various embodiments of a bio-inspired robot operable for detecting crack and corrosion defects in tubular structures are disclosed herein.

Abstract: Methods and systems are described for fabricating a component using 3D printing. A 3D printed piece is created including a body of the component, a support structure, and a first sacrificial interface region coupling the body of the component to the support structure. The body of the component is formed of a first metal or ceramic material and the first sacrificial interface region is formed at least partially of a second metal or ceramic material. The body of the component is then separated from the support structure by applying a chemical or electrochemical dissolution process to the 3D printed piece. Because the second metal or ceramic material is less resistant to the dissolution process than the first metal or ceramic material, the first sacrificial interface region at least partially dissolves, thereby separating the body of the metal component from the support structure, without dissolving the body of the component.

Abstract: A microelectromechanical device and method for neuroprosthetics comprises microactuators and microelectrodes. The microelectrodes are to be positioned in a nerve bundle and bonded with the microactuators through an interconnect. The position of each of the microactuators can be individually tuned through control signals so that the microelectrodes are implanted at desired positions in the nerve bundle. The control signals are transmitted to the microactuators and generated with a open-loop or closed-loop control scheme that uses signals acquired by the microelectrodes from the nerve bundle as feedback.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally devices for detecting analytes in a subject. More particularly, the present disclosure provides a biosensor array for detecting analytes in a subject. Embodiments of the present disclosure include a biosensor array comprising a plurality of sensor cells for detecting an analyte in a subject. In accordance with these embodiments, the plurality of sensor cells comprises at least one electrode, at least one antibody immobilized on a surface of the at least one electrode, and a biodegradable coating in contact with the at least one antibody.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides chips, devices and methods for sequencing a biomolecule. The biomolecule may be DNA, RNA. a protein, or a peptide. The chip comprises a substrate; a first and second fluid chamber; fluid channels connecting the first and second fluid chamber; a first and second electrode disposed on opposing sides of the central fluid channel and having a nanogap therebetween, wherein the width of the nanogap is modulated by confined electrochemical deposition; and a passivation layer disposed on top of the first and second electrodes and the fluid channel.

Abstract: Disclosed is a calcium salt, Ca(HMDS)2, where HMDS is the hexamethyldisilazide anion (also known as bis(trimethylsilyl)amide), enables high current densities and high coulombic efficiency for calcium metal deposition and dissolution. These properties facilitate the use of this salt in batteries based on calcium metal. In addition, the salt is significant for batteries based on metal anodes, which have higher specific energies than batteries based on intercalation anodes, such as LiC6. In particular, a calcium based rechargeable battery includes Ca(HMDS)2 salt and at least one solvent, the solvent suitable for calcium battery cycling. The at least one solvent can be diethyl ether, diisopropylether, methyl t-butyl ether (MTBE), 1,3-dioxane, 1,4-dioxane, tetrahydrofuran (THE), tetrahydropyran, glyme, diglyme, triglyme or tetraglyme, or any mixture thereof.

Abstract: Various embodiments of a four-step intra-LayBack handover protocol within a given gateway in an SDN-LayBack architecture are disclosed. The intra-LayBack handover reduces the signaling load by 60% in comparison with conventional LTE handover within a given serving gateway.

Abstract: A nanocatalyst including single atoms of platinum dispersed on a nanoscale metal oxide, and the nanocatalyst comprises 0.01 wt % to 1 wt % platinum. Preparing the nanocatalyst includes combining a solution comprising a nanoscale metal oxide and a compound containing a Group 10 metal to yield a mixture, aging the mixture for a length of time, filtering the mixture to yield a solid, washing the solid to eliminate water soluble anions, and calcining the solid to yield a nanocatalyst including single atoms or clusters of atoms of the Group 10 metal on the nanoscale metal oxide.

Abstract: A water-disinfecting apparatus includes a vessel with a cathode, an insert with a photoanode, an ultraviolet light source configured to be positioned in the insert, and a power source. The cathode forms an electrically conductive layer on an inner surface of the vessel. The photoanode is configured to be positioned in the cathode. The power source is configured to be operably coupled to the cathode, the photoanode, and the light source.

Abstract: An apparatus for cortical mapping and method for using same are disclosed. The apparatus comprises a ECoG electrodes array, a stimulation pad, a neural interface processor, and a computing device for mapping eloquent cortical regions of a subject's brain without using exogenous stimulation and with high resolution.

Abstract: A two-dimensional scalable high-power optical phased array architecture with beam steering is provided. The present disclosure is related to integrated optical transmitters wherein an array of antenna elements together with laser sources can transmit high-power optical signals. The optical transmitters can also beamform and steer the signal toward the desired direction. The architecture facilitates a simplified control of the delay tuning elements by using a single control signal for the entire row and single control signal for the entire column.

Abstract: A compact, low-power, high image rejection sideband separation receiver is provided. The receiver observes an input radio frequency (RF) signal of multiple spectral lines (spectral observation), then downconverts the signals to intermediate frequency (IF), and then separates the signals to be observed simultaneously in multiple channels. An embodiment is used to observe a signal (G-band) with two spectral lines and utilizes a two stage Weaver architecture to downconvert the signal's frequency, including a combination of mixers in the second stage that achieves the separation of two different channels.

Abstract: A system includes a plurality of test elements and a processor. The test elements are configured for execution of a motor task by an individual and generation of test data from trials of the motor task. The processor is configured to compute a motor test score from the test data to assess a potential neurological concern.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides for a novel hypoxia-targeting contrast agent for noninvasive detection of hypoxia using magnetic resonance imaging. Also disclosed is a process of preparing the novel hypoxia-targeting contrast agent, as well as methods of using the novel hypoxia-targeting contrast agent.

Abstract: A load management system for a solar photovoltaic (PV) system is disclosed. The load management system may include a PV array of solar modules, a plurality of loads configured to be powered by the PV array and switched on or off by a plurality of respective relays, a power sensor configured to measure an amount of power delivered from the PV array to the plurality of loads, and a controller coupled to the power sensor and the plurality of relays. The controller may be configured to determine a first power output of the PV array at a first time, switch a load, determine a second power output of the PV array at a second time, compare the first power output and the second power output, and based on the comparison, maintain the switched load or undo the switching of the load.

Abstract: Effective feature set-based high impedance fault (HIF) detection is provided. Systems, methods and devices described herein present a systematic design of power feature extraction for HIF detection and classification. For example, power features associated with HIF events are extracted according to when a fault happens, how long it lasts, and the magnitude of the fault. Complementary power expert information is also integrated into feature pools. In another aspect, a ranking procedure is deployed in a feature pool for balancing information gain and complexity in order to avoid over-fitting of features. In aspects described herein, a logic-based HIF detector implements HIF feature extraction. To determine when an HIF occurs, the HIF detector calculates different quantities, such as active power and reactive power, based on a voltage and current time series, and uses the derivative of these quantities to tell when there is a potential change due to HIF.

Abstract: A method for characterizing a melting transition in a semicrystalline polymer is disclosed. The method includes incorporating a fluorophore into the semicrystalline polymer, changing a temperature of the semicrystalline polymer to vary across a range of temperatures comprising a plurality of temperatures, and capturing an emission spectrum of the incorporated fluorophore at each temperature of the plurality of temperatures. The method also includes integrating each emission spectrum to determine a temperature-dependent integrated fluorescence intensity for the semicrystalline polymer, numerically differentiating the temperature-dependent integrated fluorescence intensity, and characterizing the melting transition of the semicrystalline polymer by identifying a stepwise change in value of the differentiated intensity. The semicrystalline polymer may be a thermoplastic.