Abstract: A method and system of controlling a power converter operatively coupled with an electric grid, includes: operating the power converter in a direct power control mode with a dynamic switching table, the dynamic switching table including a group of converter space vectors and switching rules associated with the grid voltage and the dc-link voltage of the power converter; detecting abnormalities in the grid voltage and/or the converter dc-link voltage due to a grid fault event relative to their nominal operating conditions; determining a group of crossover angles for a group of converter vectors including the nearest three vectors to a grid voltage vector location inside a hexagonal space vector diagram; dynamically selecting a proper vector based on algorithmic feedforward of the group of crossover angles to dynamically construct the dynamic switching table; and controlling an output power of the power converter.

Abstract: A method and system of controlling a power converter coupled between a power generator and an electric grid. The method comprises detecting a grid disturbance voltage dip event while the power converter operates in a first phase locked loop (PLL) control mode that establishes a state of synchronization with the electric grid, the power converter electrically coupled to either motor drive inverter or grid-tie inverter, detecting a loss of the state of synchronization with the electric grid in conjunction with progressive charge depletion from a charged state of the dc-link capacitors, switching the converter to a diode mode of operation, switching from the first PLL control mode to a second PLL control mode of operation of the power converter, and re-establishing the state of synchronization to timely pre-empt progressive depletion of charge from the dc-link capacitors while under the second PLL control mode of operation of the power converter.

Abstract: This invention relates to methods and devices for timing synchronization. The invention has particular application where timing is being carried out over packet networks using, for example, the IEEE 1588 Precision Time Protocol (PTP). Embodiments of the invention make use of estimated forward and reverse path delay asymmetries directly in the estimation algorithm (for example a Kalman filter). This can allow the variation in the timestamps which have been compensated for the delay asymmetry to be significantly reduced, which can reduce the complexity of the phase offset estimation algorithm.

Abstract: The plant water Anomalous Phase sensor can determine moisture levels in plant leaves, stems and wood. The sensors described include several embodiments of the sensor, all of which estimate moisture levels by determining changes in the phase spectrum of an anomalous-phase resonator. Two embodiments include a planar transmitting antenna array with two slightly detuned patch antennas and a detector. In a first embodiment, the detector is a dipole antenna centered and out of plane with the transmitting antenna array. In a second embodiment, the detector is a singular rectangular patch antenna coplanar with the transmitting antenna array. The third embodiment is similar to the second embodiment, but is formed on a flexible substrate, so that the sensor can be wrapped about a twig, branch or other plant structure, in a non-coplanar arrangement. To compensate for temperature affects, a reference sensor may be integrated with an active sensor.

Abstract: A method for designating a class of data content for determining how the content will be handled by a content delivery network (CDN) into one of: a transport designation by which content is transported from an entrance node to one or more edge nodes; a caching designation by which the content is stored at one or more edge nodes; and a hybrid designation by which content is stored at a node in the CDN for subsequent transport to one or more edge nodes in the CDN, the method comprising: determining a set of one or more transport designation options; determining a set of one or more caching designation options; determining a set of one or more hybrid designation options; determining a normalised measure resource requirement for each of the transport, caching and hybrid designation options; and selecting one designation option for the class of content from all of the transport, caching and hybrid designation options by an optimisation function for selecting the designation option based on the determined normalise

Abstract: The educational system for teaching mechanical failure includes first and second specimen pieces. The first and second specimen pieces are adapted to be magnetically joined to one another at a selected magnitude of magnetic force. A linear force measuring device, such as a load cell, is secured to the first specimen piece and a support frame. A linear actuator is secured to the support frame and the second specimen piece to selectively apply a separation force to the first and second specimen pieces. In use, a user may increase a magnitude of the separation force until the first and second specimen pieces separate from one another. The measured separation force when the first and second specimen pieces separate from one another is representative of a required force to cause mechanical failure.

Abstract: A therapeutic combination of drugs for the treatment of a liver cancer includes safranal or a pharmaceutically acceptable pro-drug thereof, and sorafenib. In representative embodiments, the pro-drug is selected from the group of a safranal salt, hydrate, hemiacetal, acetal, thioacetal, silylether, tautomer, isomer, and combinations thereof. The safranal and the sorafenib may be compounded together in a same unitary pharmaceutical composition including both compounds. Alternatively, the safranal and the sorafenib may be provided in the form of separate pharmaceutical compositions.

Abstract: The invention relates to short RVG derived peptides for use in delivering therapeutic agents across the blood brain barrier and to target cells, for example those cells in the central nervous system. The invention provides method and compositions to treat diseases, such as neurodegenerative diseases, with therapeutic agents associated with targeting peptides.

Abstract: This invention relates to methods and systems for controlling appliances, particularly climate control appliances such as air conditioning units used in buildings. Embodiments of the invention provide methods and systems which provide a framework of semi-autonomous sensors and actuators which can achieve climate control without the need for centralised or explicit coordination. In certain embodiments, the climate control system is capable of identifying suitable pairings of sensors and actuators and taking into account actions of other actuators. The embodiments have particular application in buildings where large numbers of individual sensors and actuators are deployed in an ad-hoc or unplanned manner over time, but can communicate with each other. The embodiments of the invention can provide improved efficiency, reduced infrastructure costs, improved flexibility and can be deployed across multiple sites.

Abstract: A method of treating or preventing a bacterial infection in an animal comprises administering to the animal an effective amount of an antibacterial peptide, the antibacterial peptide being derived from degraded date pits which are degraded by solid state degradation by a fungus, Trichoderma reesei. The antibacterial peptide has a molecular mass of less than 10 kDa and an amino acid sequence including (a) SEQ ID NO:4 or (b) SEQ ID NO:6. The bacterial infection is caused by a Gram-positive bacteria or a Gram-negative bacteria, for example, a Salmonella species, a Campylobacter species, a Shigella species, an Escherichia species, a Pseudomonas species, and a Staphylococcus species.

Abstract: The method of recycling carbon fiber prepreg waste and transparent thermoplastic waste includes shredding of a volume of transparent thermoplastic waste and a volume of carbon fiber prepreg waste, where the carbon fiber prepreg waste includes a colored backing film. The colored backing film may have a plurality of colors associated therewith, yielding a mixture of multi-colored shreds. A mold is filled with the shredded volume of transparent thermoplastic waste, and the mold is inserted and compressed in a hot press. The shredded volume of transparent thermoplastic waste is cured in the hot press to produce a transparent sheet. The shredded volume of carbon fiber prepreg waste is then heated, such as, for example, with hot air, and then spread on the transparent sheet. The heated, shredded volume of carbon fiber prepreg waste and the transparent sheet are hot pressed to form a colored sheet with a transparent protective layer.

Abstract: The porous silicon nanowire photovoltaic cell includes a first electrode, an n-type silicon layer, and a second electrode, which is formed from a transparent electrode with at least one metal contact. An array of porous silicon nanowires is sandwiched between the second electrode and the n-type silicon layer. Each of the porous silicon nanowires is formed from a porous n-type silicon core coated with a layer of p-type silicon. Empty spaces between the porous silicon nanowires of the array may be filled with indium tin oxide, thus forming a photoactive region formed from the array of porous silicon nanowires embedded in indium tin oxide. An up-conversion layer is sandwiched between the first electrode and the n-type silicon layer. Any suitable type of up-conversion material may be used for the up-conversion layer, such as NaYR4:Er—Yb or the like. Alternatively, the up-conversion layer may be replaced by a down-conversion layer.

Abstract: The present invention describes thymoquinone compounds formula (I): (i) These compounds have been identified as being useful in the treatment of cancer.

Abstract: This invention relates to methods and systems for estimating offset, skew and drift. Embodiments of the invention relate to methods and systems which allow these relationships between a slave clock and a master clock to be estimated based on the exchange of timestamped messages between the master and the slave. Further embodiments of the invention set out uses of these estimates to synchronize a local clock in a slave to a master and to steer the slave clock to stay aligned to the master clock when the master clock is temporarily unavailable or the communication path between slave and master is temporarily unavailable.

Abstract: The method of synthesizing magnetite/maghemite core/shell nanoparticles is a modified co-precipitation method for producing iron oxide (Fe3O4/?-Fe2O3) nanoparticles that allows for production of the Fe3O4/?-Fe2O3 core/shell nanoparticles with a desired shell thickness ranging between about 1 nm to 5 nm for biomedical and data storage applications. Aqueous solutions of ferric and ferrous salts are mixed at room temperature and pH of the mixture is raised to 10. The mixture is then heated at 80° C. for different lengths of time at atmospheric pressure to adjust particle size, and the precipitate is dried at 120° C. in vacuum. Oxidation in an oxygen atmosphere for different lengths of time is used to adjust the thickness of the ?-Fe2O3 shell.

Abstract: The present invention describes the use of the Chinese medicinal compounds ginsenoside RB1, dihydromyricetin and salvianohc acid B, for use in diagnosing, monitoring and treating synucleinopathies, such as Parkinson's disease, in patients.

Abstract: The robotic gripping assist (“RGA”) provides a user with additional grip strength by supporting and forcefully pushing a user's fingers and hand to a gripping position. A motor, controller, and power source are supported on a user's forearm and act as a source for the forced movement. A bending member is worn on the back of a user's hand. The motor draws in or lets out wires that cause the bending member to bend or straighten. By bending the bending member, through rotating the motor in a first direction, the attached fingers of the user are forced into a gripping position. The fingers are moved to a non-gripping position by rotating the motor in the opposite direction.

Abstract: This invention relates to methods and systems for optimizing network catchment areas, in particular based on completion times of the customer premises. Embodiments of the invention aggregate different customer premises to form demarcated catchment areas by minimizing the overall weighted cost function comprising the distance and completion time within each catchment area, while also considering practical constraints. Embodiments of the invention allow network planners to specify their preferences of distance against time to produce cost-effective network schemes for very large numbers of customer premises and form network catchment areas without any overlapping.

Abstract: Method and system (100) for characterizing lipid content in microalgae are disclosed. An input signal is transmitted to a resonator cavity (102) containing a sample microalgal suspension and a frequency response curve is obtained. Subsequently, a set of sample parameters is determined based on a Gaussian distribution modelling of the frequency response curve. An amount of lipid content in the sample microalgal suspension is determined based on correlation between the sample parameters and a set of reference parameters, wherein the reference parameters correspond to specific amounts of lipid content.

Abstract: The toothpaste cap with dental care tools includes a cap for sealing an open end of a squeezable tube dispenser. The cap is formed as a hollow body having a closed upper end and an open lower end. A cylindrical retaining member is mounted, substantially centrally, to a lower face of the closed upper end within the hollow body. The cylindrical retaining member is adapted for releasably receiving and sealing a spout of a squeezable tube dispenser. The cap can have a first sidewall having a flat planar contour and a second sidewall having an arcuate contour. The flat, planar first sidewall of the hollow body is adapted for pressing against the squeezable tube dispenser to selectively manually manipulate contents thereof. Alternatively, the cap can have a substantially cylindrical sidewall and a squeezing member attached to an exterior surface thereof.