Abstract: An especially robust compound and its derivative metal complexes that are approximately one hundred-fold superior in catalytic performance to the previously invented TAML analogs is provided having the formula (I) wherein Y1, Y2, Y3 and Y4 are oxidation resistant groups which are the same or different and which form 5- or 6-membered rings with a metal, M, when bound to D; at least one Y incorporates a group that is significantly more stable towards nucleophilic attack than the organic amides of TAML activators; D is a metal complexing donor atom, preferably N; each X is a position for addition of a labile Lewis acidic substituent such as (i) H, deuterium, (ii) Li, Na, K, alkali metals, (iii) alkaline earth metals, transition metals, rare earth metals, which may be bound to one or more than one D, (iv) or is unoccupied with the resulting negative charge being balanced by a nonbonded counter-action; at least one Y may contain a site that is labile to acid dissociation, providing a mechanism for shortening compl

Abstract: There is provided a method of forming a 3-dimensional structure from a hydrogel, the process comprising the steps of: (a) placing a hydrogel polymerisation solution into a reaction vessel, and (b) allowing the hydrogel polymerisation solution to react without mixing for a period of time at ambient temperature, while introducing a polymerisation modulator to the reaction solution through a reaction solution/polymerisation modulator interface, wherein over the period of time, a modulation effect gradient is established in the reaction solution, where the modulation effect has a maximal value at the reaction solution/polymerisation modulator interface and a minimal value at a point furthest away from said interface. The said method additionally includes the use of physical constraint members such as wires and/or threads.

Abstract: A system and method configures permission settings for applications (“apps”) running on a computing device of a user. A data center generates at least one model of collective privacy preferences. The computing device is in communication with the data center via a communications network. The computing device comprises a processor that execute at least a first app that requests access to at least one permission of the computing device and a personal privacy assistant app. The personal privacy assistant app receives the at least one model from the one or more servers of the data center; collects information about the user; identifies at least one recommended permission setting for the first app based on the at least one model and such that the recommended permission setting is user-specific; and configures the computing device to implement the received at least one user-specific recommended permission setting.

Abstract: Embodiments are provided to recognize features and activities from an audio signal. In one embodiment, a model is generated from sound effect data, which is augmented and projected into an audio domain to form a training dataset efficiently. Sound effect data is data that has been artificially created or from enhanced sounds or sound processes to provide a more accurate baseline of sound data than traditional training data. The sound effect data is augmented to create multiple variants to broaden the sound effect data. The augmented sound effects are projected into various audio domains, such as indoor, outdoor, urban, based on mixing background sounds consistent with these audio domains. The model is installed on any computing device, such as a laptop, smartphone, or other device. Features and activities from an audio signal are then recognized by the computing device based on the model without the need for in-situ training.

Abstract: A method for the efficient placement of electric vehicle chargers in a target area couples vehicle dynamics and battery dynamics modeling with environmental factors to accurately incorporate the impact that the environment has on the range of the battery into the placement of the chargers by simulating trips of fleets of electric vehicles. The vehicles can be of various types, for example, motorcycles, cars, trucks or aircraft, and will each have their battery state of charge monitored as they traverse a simulated trip through the target area.

Abstract: A system for applying a neural network to an input instance. The neural network includes an optimization layer for determining values of one or more output neurons from values of one or more input neurons by a joint optimization parametrized by one or more parameters. An input instance is obtained. The values of the one or more input neurons to the optimization layer are obtained and input vectors for the one or more input neurons are determined therefrom. Output vectors for the one or more output neurons are computed from the determined input vectors by jointly optimizing at least the output vectors with respect to the input vectors to solve a semidefinite program defined by the one or more parameters. The values of the one or more output neurons are determined from the respective computed output vectors.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method for performing blind deconvolutions of blurred images. The method approximates the proximal operators for the data fidelity term and the prior term of a minimization function using trained neural networks and solves the minimization using iterations of the Douglas-Rachford algorithm.

Abstract: An energy optimized imaging system that includes a light source that has the ability to illuminate specific pixels in a scene, and a sensor that has the ability to capture light with specific pixels of its sensor matrix, temporally synchronized such that the sensor captures light only when the light source is illuminating pixels in the scene.

Abstract: A method of forming a microneedle array can include forming a sheet of material having a plurality of layers and micromilling the sheet of material to form a microneedle array. At least one of the plurality of layers can include a bioactive component, and the microneedle array can include a base portion and plurality of microneedles extending from the base portion.

Abstract: A MEMS/NEMS actuator based on a phase change material is described in which the volumetric change observed when the phase change material changes from a crystalline phase to an amorphous phase is used to effectuate motion in the device. The phase change material may be changed from crystalline phase to amorphous phase by heating with a heater or by passing current directly through the phase change material, and thereafter quenched quickly by dissipating heat into a substrate. The phase change material may be changed from the amorphous phase to a crystalline phase by heating at a lower temperature. An application of the actuator is described to fabricate a phase change nano relay in which the volumetric expansion of the actuator is used to push a contact across an airgap to bring it into contact with a source/drain.

Abstract: A method for synthesizing a thermally conductive and stretchable elastomer composite comprises mixing liquid metal and soft material (e.g., elastomer) in a centrifugal or industrial shear mixer under conditions such that the liquid metal forms microscale liquid metal droplets that are dispersed in the soft elastomer. Liquid metal-embedded elastomers, or “LMEEs,” formed in this manner dramatically increase the fracture energy of soft materials up to 50 times over an unfilled polymer. This extreme toughening is achieved by means of (i) increasing energy dissipation, (ii) adaptive crack movement, and (iii) effective elimination of the crack tip. Such properties arise from the deformability and dynamic rearrangement of the LM inclusions during loading, providing a new mechanism to not only prevent crack initiation, but also resist the propagation of existing tears for ultra-tough, highly functional soft materials.

Abstract: Provided herein are small molecule-inhibitors of site-specific O-glycosylation and the identification of such using cell-based fluorescent biosensors. Also provided herein are methods of treating kidney disease and cancer, such as breast cancer.

Abstract: An efficient fabrication technique, including an optional design step, is used to create highly customizable wearable electronics. The method of fabrication utilizes rapid laser machining and adhesion-controlled soft materials. The method produces well-aligned, multi-layered materials created from 2D and 3D elements that stretch and bend while seamlessly integrating with rigid components such as microchip integrated circuits (IC), discrete electrical components, and interconnects. The design step can be used to create a 3D device that conforms to different-shaped body parts. These techniques are applied using commercially available materials. These methods enable custom wearable electronics while offering versatility in design and functionality for a variety of bio-monitoring applications.

Abstract: A method of compositional feature representation learning for video understanding is described. The method includes individually processing a sequence of video frames received as an input of a feature map network to generate a plurality of feature maps. The method also includes binding the plurality of feature maps to a fixed set of slot variables using an attention model according to a motion segmentation signal. The method further includes combining slot states corresponding to the fixed set of slot variables into a combined feature map. The method also includes decoding the combined feature map to form a reconstructed sequence of video frames, in which objects discovered in the reconstructed sequence of video frames are identified.

Abstract: A method for the efficient management of a fleet of electric vehicles in a target area couples vehicle dynamics and battery dynamics modeling with environmental factors to accurately incorporate the impact that the environment has on the range of the battery into the placement of the chargers by simulating trips of fleets of electric vehicles. The vehicles can be of various types, for example, motorcycles, cars, trucks or aircraft, and will each have their battery state of charge monitored as they traverse a simulated trip through the target area.

Abstract: Described herein are novel divalent nucleobases that each bind two nucleic acid strands, matched or mismatched when incorporated into a nucleic acid or nucleic acid analog backbone (a genetic recognition reagent, or genetic recognition reagent). In one embodiment, the genetic recognition reagent is a peptide nucleic acid (PNA) or gamma PNA (?PNA) oligomer. Uses of the divalent nucleobases and monomers and genetic recognition reagents containing the divalent nucleobases also are provided.

Abstract: A micromechanical sensor comprising a nucleic acid or nucleic acid analog nanostructure, such as a DNA origami or tiled structure, sensor spring and fluorophores arranged in FRET pairs in the sensor spring is provided, as well as methods of using the micromechanical sensor.

Abstract: A statistical, cationic-functionalized norbornene copolymer is formed by a process including performing a vinyl addition polymerization in the presence of a metal catalyst of a first norbornene monomer substituted with a first alkyl group and at least a second norbornene monomer substituted with a second alkyl group, to form an intermediate norbornene copolymer. The second alkyl group includes a substituent which undergoes a substitution reaction with a precursor of a cationic group. The process further includes adding the precursor for the cationic group to the intermediate norbornene copolymer to form the cationic functionalized norbornene copolymer. The cationic group has a volume of 0.25 cm3/mol or greater (for example, a phosphonium group or an imidazolium group).

Abstract: Systems and techniques for facilitating hand activity sensing are presented. In one example, a system obtains, from a wrist-worn computational device, hand activity data associated with a sustained series of hand motor actions in performance of a human task. The system also employs a machine learning technique to determine classification data indicative of a classification for the human task.

Abstract: A system and computer implemented method for learning rules from a data base including entities and relations between the entities, wherein an entity is either a constant or a numerical value, and a relation between a constant and a numerical value is a numerical relation and a relation between two constants is a non-numerical relation. The method includes: deriving aggregate values from said numerical and/or non-numerical relations; deriving non-numerical relations from said aggregate values; adding said derived non-numerical relations to the data base; constructing differentiable operators, wherein a differentiable operator refers to a non-numerical or a derived non-numerical relation of the data base, and extracting rules from said differentiable operators.