Abstract: A device for refining ethanol is disclosed, which includes a fermentation unit, a low-pressure column, a medium-pressure column, a high-pressure column and a membrane separation unit. A method for refining ethanol is disclosed, which specifically includes the following steps: after fermenting the biomass feedstock, feeding fermented mash into a low-pressure column and a high-pressure column which are connected in parallel for refining, mixing two column top distillates, and feeding the mixed column top distillates into a medium-pressure column for further rectification; and purifying the refined ethanol vapor with higher purity obtained after rectification in the medium-pressure column by a membrane separation unit to obtain high-concentration ethanol product vapor.

Abstract: Reaction schemes involving acids and bases; reactors comprising spatially varying chemical composition gradients (e.g., spatially varying pH gradients), and associated systems and methods, are generally described.

Abstract: An apparatus and method produce, from a Gaussian laser pulse, a sequence of laser rings having a spatiotemporal configuration such that impingement of the laser rings on a surface of a nuclear material in a target assembly produces constructively interfering shock waves that converge on a focal region of the nuclear material, thereby producing sufficient pressures and temperatures to form tritium in the focal region. The temporal and/or spatial intervals between the concentric pulsed laser rings are adjusted to substantially match propagation times of impingement from one ring to the next in a shock propagation layer of the target assembly. A second laser or neutron tube may be used to create a cavitation bubble at the focus. In addition to the shock waves generated in the plane of the surface, through-plane shock waves can be generated to increase the overall shock pressure.

Abstract: Methods for growing an epitaxial layer are described herein. In some embodiments, an epitaxial layer is grown over a structure comprising a crystalline substrate and a mask. The mask can be patterned with a plurality of elongated domains that help may facilitate the growth of the epitaxial layer with a reduced number of defects on the crystalline substrate. The mask may also facilitate the separation of the epitaxial layer from the crystalline substrate to form a separated epitaxial layer that is freestanding. In some embodiments, the method for growing an epitaxial layer may allow for heteroepitaxy of compound semiconductors on elemental substrates with a reduced number of defects despite polarity and/or lattice mismatches.

Abstract: The invention provides for delivery, engineering and optimization of systems, methods, and compositions for manipulation of sequences and/or activities of target sequences. Provided are delivery systems and tissues of organ which are targeted as sites for delivery. Also provided are vectors and vector systems some of which encode one or more components of a CRISPR complex, as well as methods for the design and use of such vectors. Also provide dare methods of directing CRISPR complex formation in eukaryotic cells to ensure enhanced specificity for target recognition and avoidance of toxicity and to edit or modify a target site in a genomic locus of interest to alter or improve the status of a disease or a condition.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are metabolically engineered cells capable of producing carotenoids from acid whey.

Abstract: Some aspects of the present disclosure are related to modified electrodes, for example, for use in fuel cells. In some cases, the electrode may comprise a mixed-ionic-electronic-conducting (MIEC) oxide and a basic oxide. In some cases, the basic oxide may alter the electron density of the MIEC oxide and improve its catalytic performance, for example, like the oxygen reduction reaction. For instance, the catalytic performance of a MIEC oxide comprising a perovskite towards the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) may be improved by using a basic oxide comprising CaO and/or Li2O. Some aspects disclosed herein are directed to methods of preventing or treating chromia or silica poisoning of a MIEC oxide, wherein the method comprises treating the MIEC electrode with a basic oxide infiltrant.

Abstract: Described in various embodiments herein are tiled amplification nucleic acid detection systems and uses thereof. In some embodiments, the nucleic acids amplified and detected are cell free DNA (cfDNA).

Abstract: Various embodiments utilize selective sulfidation and/or desulfidation for such things as ore and concentrate cracking, metal separation, compound production, and recycling. Selective sulfidation can be used to selectively convert an oxide or other material in a feedstock to a sulfide or other sulfur-containing material, and selective desulfidation can be used to selectively convert a sulfide or other sulfur-containing material in a feedstock to an oxide or other material. In some cases, the material produced by such selective sulfidation/desulfidation of the feedstock can itself be novel and/or commercially valuable, while in other cases, such selective sulfidation/desulfidation can be followed by one or more processes to extract, isolate, or concentrate the converted material.

Abstract: A distance measurement device and method based on secondary mixing of inter-mode self-interference signals of optical frequency combs are provided, which relate to the field of high precision laser distance measurement technologies. A dual-comb light source emits a dual-comb laser into a detection optical module to obtain the inter-mode self-interference signals carrying the to-be-measured distance information. The detection optical module outputs the inter-mode self-interference signals into a generation, acquisition and calculation module of inter-mode self-interference secondary mixing signals to generate the inter-mode self-interference secondary mixing signals, to thereby achieve signal acquisition and obtain a distance measurement result.

Abstract: This invention relates to modified hydroxylases. The invention further relates to cells expressing such modified hydroxylases and methods of producing hydroxylated alkanes by contacting a suitable substrate with such cells.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides methods of collecting electron diffraction patterns from nanocrystals to obtain a three-dimensional structural model of a compound, as well as methods of identifying compounds and methods of determining polymorphic forms. In addition, the present disclosure provides methods of characterizing a first compound from a sample, as well as methods of screening compounds from a sample. The present disclosure also provides systems for characterizing a compound from a sample, which systems include modules for high-performance liquid chromatography, dispensing, and electron microscopy.

Abstract: A closed leak-free, diffusion-blocking one-way check valve is composed of a substrate having a flow passage through the substrate, the flow passage has a sealing surface between the substrate and a membrane preventing flow through the flow passage. A thin film having internal stress is disposed on the membrane which induces deformation of the membrane biasing the membrane resulting in the sealing surface in a closed orientation. A method for fabrication and pump utilizing the check valve are disclosed.

Abstract: The invention encompasses hydrogels, monomer precursors of the hydrogels, methods for the preparation thereof, and methods of use therefor. The linking of monomers can take place using non-radical, bioorthogonal reactions such as copper-free click-chemistry.

Abstract: A system and method provide a hybrid communication scheme that achieves high communication rates with post-quantum computational security guarantees. Messages to be securely communicated are first mixed using an individually secure encoding, such as a linear network code, and some of the encoded messages are further encrypted. The encrypted and unencrypted messages are sent via different communications channels. Each unencrypted message becomes almost as secure as the encrypted messages because of the pre-mixing, since decoding any one of the messages requires all of the messages, including the encrypted messages. Thus, a very few encrypted messages may be used, allowing the rate of communication to approach one as the number of channels increases. This is particularly beneficial when a classical public-key cryptosystem can only be used in part of the data transmitted or stored, in the presence of noisy channels, in distributed data storage, and other applications.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for estimating lung morphometry based on aerosol deposition characteristics using an imaging means such as a gamma camera to scan the lungs. An adaptive image threshold technique is used to determine the ratio of deposition in central to peripheral region of the lung (C/P ratio). The morphometric parameters such as length and diameter of distal lung airways (P8 and P9 respectively) and mean alveolar diameter (dalv) are determined from aerosol retention data and clearance data.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to fluoride ion batteries and structures of metal based electrode materials for various fluoride ion batteries. The structures of the metal based electrode materials comprise one or more shells or interfaces, enabling the electrodes to operate at room temperature with a liquid electrolyte.

Abstract: Provided is a living cell microbeam directional and quantitative irradiation imaging apparatus. The problem that qualitative analysis of the mechanism of action of biological cells irradiated cannot accurately study the mechanism of action of different irradiation doses on biological cells as the cell irradiation technology can be only used to perform qualitative irradiation on living biological cells is solved. The apparatus includes a vertical microbeam terminal, a living cell directional irradiation module, a wide-field microscopic module, a mode switching module, and a single-proton counting and radiation synchronous control module.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides cyclic silyl ethers of the formula: and salts thereof. The cyclic silyl ethers may be useful as monomers for preparing polymers. Also described herein are polymers prepared by polymerizing a cyclic silyl ether and optionally one or more additional monomers. The polymers may be degradable (e.g., biodegradable). One or more O—Si bonds of the polymers may be the degradation sites. Also described herein are compositions and kits including the cyclic silyl ethers or polymers; methods of preparing the polymers; and methods of using the polymers, compositions, and kits.

Abstract: The disclosure features compositions, systems, and methods for preparation and use of efficient RNA nuclear export of ribozyme-assisted circular RNA molecules (racRNAs). In embodiments, the methods involve characterizing a cell or tissue using racRNAs.