Abstract: Disclosed is a method for manufacturing a functionalized separator having a zwitterionic coating thereon. The method includes preparing a porous separator; coating a linker on a surface of the porous separator; and chemically reacting zwitterions with the linker such the zwitterions are grafted to the linker on the surface of the separator. The zwitterions grafted to the linker acts as a monolayer to functionalize the surface of the separator. The functionalized separator may disallow elution of polysulfide compound in a lithium-sulfur battery. Further, the functionalized separator may increase ion conductivity of electrolyte of the lithium-sulfur battery and thus ensure high output characteristics.

Abstract: The present invention provides new compounds and compositions thereof that release carbon monoxide for the treatment of medical disorders that are responsive to carbon monoxide, for example, inflammatory, pain, and dermatological disorders.

Abstract: This invention discloses a bifunctional TGF-B/immune checkpoint fusion gene and protein with anti-inflammatory activity that represents a new class of therapy for Immune disorders, immune dysregulation, and autoimmune diseases. The bifunctional TGF-B/immune checkpoint fusion gene and protein include: (i) a TGF-B domain is selected from the group consisting of TGF-B1, TGF-B2, and TGF-B3, (ii) an immune checkpoint domain selected from the group of immune checkpoints consisting of PD-L1, PD-L2, and CTLA-4, (iii) a flexible peptide linker that links two TGF-B domains resulting in a dimeric TGF-B construct wherein the dimeric form of the TGF-B ligand is important for its binding and functional activity, and (iv) a rigid peptide linker, wherein the dimeric TGF-B ligand is linked to the immune checkpoint ligand. The functional domains of the fusion protein act in concert to maintain tolerance for self-antigens by stimulating regulatory cells and to regulate the activities of effector cells, respectively.

Abstract: The invention described herein provides antibodies to Zika virus. The novel polypeptides are useful alone or as portions of larger molecules, such as antibodies or antibody fragments, that can be used to treat or prevent infection of Zika virus.

Abstract: Provided herein are organic-inorganic hybrid-perovskites, including metal halide perovskites having a 1D crystal structure. The metal halide perovskites may be luminescent. The metal halide perovskites may include a dopant, including an emitter dopant. Methods of forming metal halide perovskites, and devices including the metal halide perovskites also are provided.

Abstract: A microfluidic detection system for micrometer-sized entities, such as biological cells, includes a detector component incorporating a plate with a plurality of opening, the plate separating two chambers, one in communication with a fluid source containing target entities bound to magnetic beads. The openings are sized to always permit passage of the magnetic beads therethrough into a lower one of the chambers and are further sized to always prevent passage of the target entities from the upper one of the chambers. The detector component further includes a magnet positioned to pull unbound magnetic beads through the openings and to capture target entities bound to magnetic beads on the surface of the plate. In a further feature, the microfluidic detection system is configured to pass target molecules through the plate to be bound to a functionalized surface of the lower chamber.

Abstract: A smart ventilation system which uses outdoor temperature and moisture to optimize control of the system. The main principle is to shift ventilation from time periods that have large indoor-outdoor temperature and moisture differences to periods when these differences are smaller, and their energy and comfort impacts are expected to be less. Fan flow rates are reduced when the outside temperature and moisture falls outside of optimum levels, yet overall air exchange is maintained to ensure chronic and acute exposure to pollutants remains relative to best practice. Online weather and smart thermostat data can be used as control inputs, so no specific measurement devices are needed to control ventilation fans.

Abstract: A cancer-specific trans-splicing ribozyme and a use thereof are disclosed. The trans-splicing ribozyme does not act on normal tissue, but is specifically expressed in cancer tissue. Therefore, it is very safe and has excellent expression efficiency at the post-transcription level, and thus can be effectively used in treatment of cancer.

Abstract: A bone repair system, kit and method for percutaneous repair of a bone segment containing a first bone segment and a second bone segment in a patient, each bone segment having a drill hole. The system comprises a longitudinal member configured to contact the first bone segment and the second bone segment and having at least one opening and cleats on the side adapted to contact the first bone segment and the second bone segment; a first fastener assembly configured to be disposed through the opening of the longitudinal member to hold the longitudinal member in place through the opening and the hole in the first bone segment; and a second fastener assembly configured to be disposed through the opening of the longitudinal member to hold the longitudinal member in place through the opening and the hole in the second bone segment.

Abstract: Dielectric super-junction transistors use combinations high dielectric relative permittivity materials and high-mobility materials. An associated electronic device includes a junction portion of a barrier layer adjacent a gate contact and a drain contact. A layered semiconductor device is configured with a junction dielectric permittivity that is greater than a channel dielectric permittivity in the channel layer. The junction portion has a dielectric structure that polarizes carriers within the junction portion such that excess charge on the gate is compensated by an opposite charge in the junction portion of the barrier layer proximate the gate. A sheet charge in the barrier layer is increased to form a depletion region with the channel layer that avoids a conductive parallel channel in the barrier layer to the drain contact.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to variant AAVrh.10 particles engineered to escape host neutralizing antibodies but retain or improve transduction efficiency, and their use as gene delivery vehicles.

Abstract: A method and system for determining temperature are provided. The method comprises using an x-ray source to irradiate a sample of a material with x-rays. Photon fluorescence produced by the sample in response to the x-ray irradiation is detected by a number of photon detectors. Based on the detected fluorescence a temperature of the sample is determined according to a predetermined relationship between photon fluorescence and temperature for the material.

Abstract: Provided are methods, apparatuses, and systems for tracking a pupil of an eye of a user with degraded iris authentication accuracy. In certain examples, an eye tracking device includes a camera adapted to capture an eye image of at least one eye of a user. The eye tracking device further includes an image processor adapted to defocus the eye image in order to generate a defocused eye image. The defocused eye image comprises reduced iris authentication accuracy. The eye tracking device further includes a tracking processor configured to detect a pupil in the defocused eye image and determine a gaze direction of the user based at least in part on one or more of the defocused eye image and the pupil.

Abstract: Various embodiments disclosed relate to solid catalysts that convert lignocellulosic material to monomer sugars that are suitable for fermentation. The solid catalysts include a transition metal complex attached to a magnetic bead, and can be physically separated from a fermentation mixture and reused several times.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are a glaucoma diagnosis method using a fundus image and an apparatus for the same. The glaucoma diagnosis method includes performing data amplification of generating multiple transformed images for an original fundus image based on a preprocessed image of the original fundus image, allowing multiple individual learning models of different types to be learned based on the multiple transformed images and generating a glaucoma determination model based on respective outputs of the learned multiple individual learning models, and diagnosing a class of glaucoma for the original fundus image based on the glaucoma determination model.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to the field of fusion proteins. In some aspects, the disclosure relates to artificial fusion proteins comprising cytochrome P450 enzymes linked to reductase enzymes and uses thereof. In some aspects, the disclosure relates to corn-pounds produced by artificial cytochrome P450 enzymes.

Abstract: A method for encoding image signal, according to the present invention, can: encode a partial block coefficient flag indicating whether a coefficient of a current partial block is a non-zero coefficient; encode a first flag indicating whether an absolute value of the coefficient is greater than 1, encode a second flag indicating whether the absolute value of the coefficient is greater than 2; encode the residual coefficients, which have not been encoded, on the basis of the first flag or the second flag in the current partial block; and encode a code for the coefficient of the current partial block.

Abstract: A method of CMP includes providing a slurry solution including ?1 per-compound oxidizer in a concentration between 0.01 M and 2 M with a pH from 2 to 5 or 8 to 11, and ?1 buffering agent which provides a buffering ratio ?1.5 that compares an amount of a strong acid needed to reduce the pH from 9.0 to 3.0 as compared to an amount of strong acid to change the pH from 9.0 to 3.0 without the buffering agent. The slurry solution is exclusive any hard slurry particles or has only soft slurry particles that have throughout a Vickers hardness <300 Kg/mm2 or Mohs Hardness <4. The slurry solution is dispensed on a hard surface having a Vickers hardness >1,000 kg/mm2 is pressed by a polishing pad with the slurry solution in between while rotating the polishing pad relative to the hard surface.

Abstract: The detection and assay of fissionable material is carried out on a container known or suspected to have a material with at least one fissionable isotope. The material is irradiated with neutrons from two or more different neutron sources. The fission rates inducted at each irradiation energy are acquired with at least one neutron detector. A multispectral active neutron interrogation analysis (MANIA) is carried out to compare the detected fission rates of the neutron spectra with calculated fission rates where an iterative algorithm is carried out on a system of linear equations to solve for the isotopic composition of one or more isotopes to determine the presence, identity, and quantities of fissionable isotopes in said container.

Abstract: A reliability based keyframe switching system adaptable to iterative closest point (ICP) includes a camera that captures frames; a matching device that determines corresponding pairing between the frames for an ICP operation to form a set of plural point-pairs; a transformation device that performs transformation estimation to estimate transformation that minimizes distances of the point-pairs, and determines whether the estimated transformation converges; and a reliability device that determines whether the ICP operation is reliable, and replaces a current keyframe with a new keyframe if the ICP operation is determined to be unreliable.