Abstract: The invention relates to an ultrasound contrast agent (UCA) comprising an outer shell and a gas core. The gas core is filled with oxygen, and the outer shell comprises a first surfactant and a second surfactant. The invention also relates to a method of making an oxygen-filled UCA and delivering oxygen to a local area of a subject's body. The method comprises injecting a composition comprising an oxygen-filled UCA of the invention into the subject's body; directing ultrasound radiation to the local area in an intensity sufficient to rupture the UCA.

Abstract: In one embodiment, the present invention is a method for producing microfibers comprising the steps of: (a) providing a base material; (b) forming the base material in a ring; (c) gripping opposing ends of the ring; (d) flipping one of the opposing ends relative to the other of the opposing ends, forming an upper portion and a lower portion; (e) folding the upper portion onto the lower portion; (f) stretching the folded upper and lower portions; and (g) repeating steps (d)-(f) as desired.

Abstract: The present invention provides compounds useful for treating, ameliorating or preventing a disease or disorder that is caused, induced or characterized by abnormal reduction in glutamate transporter activity or abnormal increase in extracellular CNS glutamate concentration in a subject. In certain embodiments, the compound stimulates a glutamate transporter.

Abstract: Typical commercial surface treatments for continuous carbon fibers are often unavailable for discontinuous fibers. As such, there is little variety of chopped fiber surfaces leading to non-ideal coating solutions which result in poor interfacial compatibility between fibers and a composite matrix. A method of applying a highly effective coating using a high throughput technique for chopped carbon fibers. The method provides the ability to tune both the coating thickness and chemical functionality using processing parameters. The coatings are evaluated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) for uniformity and composition. Using this technique, thermoplastic composites are highlighted showing an increase in interfacial shear strength (IFSS) of 25 MPa. This process shows promise for increasing the throughput of surface treatment of chopped fiber on the industrial scale.

Abstract: The framework herein may be called outcome-based ventilation (OBV) for evaluating ventilation rates (VR) in commercial buildings and using a system to make informed control decisions based on the resultant indoor air quality (IAQ) and energy consumption outcomes. A ventilation control system includes a ventilation system that provides air circulation to a building and a controller that controls the ventilation system based on input that include a current ventilation rate. The system also includes an optimization system that drives the controller based on factors like building and pollution transport models, scientific estimates of ventilation impacts on productivity, sick leave, and health, user preference parameters, and weather, pollution, and price forecasts.

Abstract: Information about an image's source camera model is important knowledge in many forensic investigations. In this paper the system(s) pro-pose a system that compares two image patches to determine if they were captured by the same camera model. To do this, the system(s) first train a CNN based feature extractor to output generic, high level features which encode information about the source camera model of an image patch. Then, the system(s) learn a similarity measure that maps pairs of these features to a score indicating whether the two image patches were captured by the same or different camera models. The system(s) show that the proposed system accurately determines if two patches were captured by the same or different camera models, even when the camera models are unknown to the investigator. The system(s) also demonstrate the utility of this approach for image splicing detection and localization.

Abstract: One aspect of the invention provides a method for reducing inflammation in a patient including locally administering a composition comprising a complex comprising octadecylamine surface-functionalized nanodiamonds with dexamethasone bound to octadecylamine. Another aspect of the invention provides a method for reducing inflammation in a patient comprising locally administering a composition including octadecylamine surface-functionalized nanodiamonds, wherein no therapeutic agent is bound to the nanodiamonds.

Abstract: In one aspect, the invention provides a composition comprising at least one monocyte comprising an agent that increases monocyte homing to a site of injury, and an effective amount of a drug. In another aspect, the invention provides a method of using the composition to deliver a drug to a site of injury.

Abstract: Manufacturing lightweight aggregate (LWA) by a sintering technique requires a delicate balance among three conditions: forming sufficient amount of molten liquid phase during sintering; reaching an appropriate viscosity for solid-liquid suspension; and emitting sufficient amount of gas that can be entrapped by the liquid phase to form pores. LWAs were made from low-calcium and high-calcium Waste Coal Combustion Ash (W-CCA) including fly ash and bottom ash. A mass fraction of at least 40% liquid phase for fly ash and 50% for bottom ash is required for a successful entrapment of emitted gaseous phases during sintering. Larger pores were observed in the microstructure of LWA samples made using high-calcium W-CCA in comparison to low-calcium W-CCA. This result was mainly attributed to the high-calcium samples forming liquid phases with lower viscosity values and emitting higher amounts of gaseous phase during sintering than did the low-calcium samples.

Abstract: The present invention provides compounds useful for treating or preventing an IL-1R-mediated disease or disorder. In certain embodiments, the disease or disorder comprises scleroderma.

Abstract: One aspect of the invention provides a computer-implemented method of predicting whether a wound will heal or will not heal. The computer-implemented method includes: training a machine-learning algorithm utilizing at least: gene-expression values for at least m genes from a first clinical encounter for each of a plurality of training subjects; and a clinical diagnosis of a wound for each of the associated training subjects at a second, temporally later clinical encounter; and applying the previously trained machine-learning algorithm to gene-expression values for a corresponding set of m genes from a new subject having a wound; and presenting a prediction of whether the wound will heal generated by the previously trained artificial neural network machine-learning algorithm.

Abstract: On-chip wireless links offer improved network performance due to long distance communication, additional bandwidth, and broadcasting capabilities of antennas. A Through-Silicon Via (TSV)-based antenna design called TSV_A establishes multi-band wireless communication through the silicon substrate medium with only a 3 dB loss over a 30 mm on-chip distance. Simulation results show an improvement in network latency up to ˜13% (average improvement of ˜7%), energy-delay improvements of ˜34% on average, and an improvement in throughput up to ˜34% (average improvement).

Abstract: A piezoelectric plate sensor comprising a piezoelectric layer; two electrodes; and an insulation layer. The insulation layer is produced by soaking the piezoelectric layer and two electrodes in a mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane solution with an amount of water from 0.1 v/v. % to about 1 v/v % and at pH from about 8 to about 150 for a period from about 8 to about 15 hours, and the mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane solution has a concentration of mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane from about 0.01 v/v % to about 0.5 v/v %. A method of detecting a biomolecule in a sample using the piezoelectric plate sensor in particular, that of detecting a genetic marker with PCR sensitivity and specificity without the need of DNA isolation or amplification is also provided. The piezoelectric plate sensor may be used to diagnose various diseases including breast cancer, myocardial infarction, diarrhea, Clostridium difficile infection, and hepatitis B infection.

Abstract: An aligned film having first and second faces opposed to each other, the aligned film having (a) a plurality of layers aligned non-parallel to the first and second faces between the faces of the aligned film, each layer having a crystal lattice represented by: Mn+1Xn (wherein M is at least one metal of Group 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7; X is a carbon atom, a nitrogen atom, or a combination thereof; and n is 1, 2, or 3), each X is positioned within an octahedral array of M, and at least one of two opposing surfaces of each said layer have at least one modifier or terminal T selected from a hydroxy group, a fluorine atom, an oxygen atom, and a hydrogen atom; and (b) magnetic nanoparticles carried on a layer surface and/or between two adjacent layers of the plurality of layers.

Abstract: The invention relates to an ultrasound contrast agent (UCA) comprising an outer shell and a gas core. The gas core is filled with oxygen, and the outer shell comprises a first surfactant and a second surfactant. The invention also relates to a method of making an oxygen-filled UCA and delivering oxygen to a local area of a subject's body. The method comprises injecting a composition comprising an oxygen-filled UCA of the invention into the subject's body; directing ultrasound radiation to the local area in an intensity sufficient to rupture the UCA.

Abstract: The present invention(s) is directed to novel conductive Mn+1Xn(Ts) compositions exhibiting high volumetric capacitances, and methods of making the same. The present invention(s) is also directed to novel conductive Mn+1Xn(Ts) compositions, methods of preparing transparent conductors using these materials, and products derived from these methods.

Abstract: The method and system is called I-FAR: Interactive, Facet-based Architecture Recovery. Inspired by the idea that each system feature, pattern, or concern may have its own design space, the method defines a “facet” as a set of files that have one primary purpose, such as the implementation of a feature or the management of a cross-cutting concern such as performance, security, logging, etc.

Abstract: There are several approaches to encrypting circuits: combination logic encryption, encrypted gate topologies, transmission gate topologies, and key expansion of gate topologies. One of the approaches provides a circuit having a gate topology comprising a logic gate with integrated key transistors, where the key transistors comprise at least a PMOS stack and an NMOS stack. The PMOS stack comprises a first PMOS switch and a second PMOS switch, where the first and the second PMOS switches have sources to a voltage source and drains that serve as a source to a third PMOS switch. The NMOS stack comprises a first NMOS switch and a second NMOS switch, where the first and the second NMOS switches have sources to ground and drains that serve as a source to a third NMOS switch. Each of the above approaches may encrypt a circuit with certain advantages in delay and power consumption.

Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to methods for scrubbing low levels of urea from aqueous solutions such as a dialysate from dialysis, and including blood and blood products, and devices capable of employing these methods.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of inhibiting, suppressing or preventing levodopa-induced dyskinesia in a patient suffering from Parkinson's Disease, comprising the step of administering to the patient a pharmaceutical composition comprising at least one compound of the invention. The present invention further provides a method of inhibiting, suppressing or preventing Parkinson's Disease in a patient, comprising the step of administering to the patient a pharmaceutical composition comprising at least one compound of the invention.