Abstract: The following description relates to a method of low temperature sintering a catalyst layer that formed on one side of a counter electrode using a laser. It is possible to prepare a counter electrode for a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) based on a flexible substrate easily because the method can be applied to a conducting substrate made of plastic materials as well as a conducting glass substrate.

Abstract: Disclosed is a buffer system for mining a deep seafloor mineral resource. The buffer system includes a hopper part that introduces and stores a crushed mineral resource to discharge the crushed mineral resource upward, a first pipe that communicates with an upper portion of the hopper part to introduce the mineral resource, a feeder part provided under the hopper part to discharge the mineral resources upward, a second pipe that communicates with the feeder part and lifts the mineral resource, a hydraulic part provided under the hopper part to convert power received from a surface boat into hydraulic power to operate at least one actuator and a driving motor to introduce the mineral resource into the first pipe, and a structure frame coupled to a lifting pipe to transmit an external load applied to the buffer system, and constituting an external frame of the buffer system to protect internal units.

Abstract: Method for concentrating and collecting small quantities of fetal nucleated red blood cells contained in the maternal blood. The method for concentrating and collecting nucleated red blood cells from the maternal blood comprises: (i) subjecting the maternal blood to a first density-gradient centrifugation and collecting a cell fraction containing nucleated red blood cells; (ii) treating the cell fraction containing nucleated red blood cells so as to selectively changes the density of the nucleated red blood cells from that of the white blood cells; and (iii) subjecting the treated cell fraction containing the nucleated red blood cells to a second density-gradient centrifugation so as to collect a fraction containing nucleated red blood cells.

Abstract: Provided is an apparatus for detecting a speech/non-speech section. The apparatus includes an acquisition unit which obtains inter-channel relation information of a stereo audio signal, a separation unit which separates each element of the stereo audio signal into a center channel element and a surround element on the basis of the inter-channel relation information, a calculation unit which calculates an energy ratio value between a center channel signal composed of center channel elements and a surround channel signal composed of surround elements, for each frame, and an energy ratio value between the stereo audio signal and a mono signal generated on the basis of the stereo audio signal, and a judgment unit which determines a speech section and a non-speech section from the stereo audio signal by comparing the energy ratio values.

Abstract: A variant Cel5a endoglucanase has increased thermostability, increased enzymatic activity and/or increased expression in a host, relative to wild type Cel5a. The improved variant Cel5a endoglucanase may be used to hydrolyze more cellulose at a higher temperature for a more efficient and cost-effective production of biofuels as compared to wild type Cel5a. A variant Cel5a endoglucanase is combined with variant Cel6a and variant Cel7a cellobiohydrolases resulting in more effective hydrolysis of cellulose.

Abstract: A method for reconstructing multiple images of a subject depicting multiple different contrast characteristics from medical image data acquired with a medical imaging system is provided. Multiple image data sets are acquired with one or more medical imaging systems and the image data sets used to estimate hyperparameters drawn from a prior distribution, such as a prior distribution of image gradient coefficients. These hyperparameters and the acquired image data sets are utilized to produce a posterior distribution, such as a posterior distribution of image gradients. From this posterior distribution, multiple images with the different contrast characteristics are reconstructed. The medical imaging system may be a magnetic resonance imaging system, an x-ray computed tomography imaging system, an ultrasound system, and so on.

Abstract: A system and method for controlling the operation of a particulate filter is disclosed. The objective of this control system is to manipulate the properties and spatial distribution of contaminant material accumulated in filters to reduce filter pressure drop and associated deleterious impacts of the contaminant material on filter performance.

Abstract: An assistance device includes a body having two wheels, and a pivotal device located in the body. Two transmission units are pivotably connected to the pivotal device by two shafts. A restriction unit includes a first link, a second link and a rail which is connected to the body. The first link has the first end pivotably connected to one of the two transmission units. The second link is pivotably connected to the other one of the two transmission units. A roller is connected to the first end of the second link and movable along the rail. A leg having a top end to which the second end of the first link is pivotably connected. The second end of the second link is pivotably connected between the top end and the lower end of the leg. The leg contacts against the ground to lift the body to climb stairs.

Abstract: A method for performing minimization of drive tests measurement data is disclosed. The network assigns a preamble dedicated to the reporting of the logged MDT measurement data, and configures multiple UE to report the logged MDT measurement data by using the paging message. The UEs perform the first random access procedure with the network to obtain the uplink resource and a dedicate indicator for performing the second random access procedure. The UEs perform the second random access procedure for transmitting the request message. The network transmits the response message with a scheduling plan according to the request message(s). The UE transmits the logged MDT measurement data according to the scheduling plan.

Abstract: Mycoplasma contamination of a known cell line is detected by collecting a Raman spectrum of a targeted volume within a sample, the targeted volume containing a known cell line of interest, obtaining a reference spectrum uniquely associated with the known cell line where the obtained reference spectrum is known to be free of mycoplasma and comparing, using a processing device, the reference spectrum to the collected spectrum. Mycoplasma is further detected by identifying whether there are unnatural molecular compositions within the collected spectrum based upon the comparison of the reference spectrum to the collected spectrum and providing an indication as to whether mycoplasma is detected in the collected Raman spectrum based upon whether unnatural molecular compositions are identified within the collected spectrum.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an amorphous adsorbent composition capable of purifying a gaseous hydrocarbon fraction and methods for synthesizing the composition. The composition is advantageously capable of filtering non-combustible contaminants for increasing the quality and heating value of a gaseous hydrocarbon such as methane. The composition comprises a zeolite based framework that is at least partially collapsed and capable of selectively adsorbing and desorbing gaseous components such as methane and carbon dioxide for purifying the gaseous hydrocarbon fraction.

Abstract: The present invention provides compounds, compositions and methods for dedifferentiating lineage committed mammalian cells into stem cells. The present invention also provides methods of inducing dedifferentiation of lineage committed mammalian cells into stem cells, which can be further differentiated into various lineage committed cells. Methods of identifying additional compounds useful for inducing dedifferentiation of lineage committed cells into stem cells are also provided.

Abstract: An adhesive structure is disclosed. The adhesive structure includes a first layer, a second layer, and a hybrid adhesive layer for adhering the first layer to the second layer. The hybrid adhesive layer includes two or more adhesive units made of different adhesive materials, and the two or more adhesive units are arranged in a planar pattern.

Abstract: Semiconductor structures and techniques are described which enable forming aluminum nitride (AIN) based devices by confining carriers in a region of AIN by exploiting the polar nature of AIN materials. Embodiments of AIN transistors utilizing polarization-based carrier confinement are described.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to particles (e.g., nanoparticles and microparticles) that display multiple functionalized surface domains in a controlled mosaic pattern. The disclosure also provides simple methods to create various particles that have multiple functionalized surface domains while allowing the use of a wide variety of diverse core structures. The multiple functionalized domains provide controllable particle binding and orientation, and controlled and sustained drug release profiles.

Abstract: A layout design method is provided for generating capacitor arrays being described in four steps: first, the wiring mode of unit capacitors is defined allowing the wire being connected to the upper plate to parallel that to the lower one, second, a capacitor array layout is designed with capacitors being distributed in Mh lines, Mh is the maximum of capacitors' lines, the line numbers of Class 1 to Class K capacitors are defined in the unilateral capacitor array, third, the wiring mode is set for capacitor array making sure the lengths of the wires to the upper and lower plates of unit capacitors are equal, at last, parasitic parameters are characterized in ways that verify the layout. A capacitor array is provided as well. By eliminating capacitance mismatching caused by parasitic capacitance, the method works to generate a well-matched capacitor array in an easy and efficient way.

Abstract: In exemplary implementations of this invention, two LCD screens display a multi-view 3D image that has both horizontal and vertical parallax, and that does not require a viewer to wear any special glasses. Each pixel in the LCDs can take on any value: the pixel can be opaque, transparent, or any shade between. For regions of the image that are adjacent to a step function (e.g., a depth discontinuity) and not adjacent to a sharp corner, the screens display local parallax barriers comprising many small slits. The barriers and the slits tend to be oriented perpendicular to the local angular gradient of the target light field. In some implementations, the display is optimized to seek to minimize the Euclidian distance between the desired light field and the actual light field that is produced. Weighted, non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) is used for this optimization.

Abstract: Provided are a semiconductor device and a method of fabricating the same. The semiconductor device includes: an active region provided on a substrate; an inlet channel formed as a single cavity buried in one side of the substrate; an outlet channel formed as a single cavity buried in the other side of the substrate; a micro channel array comprising a plurality of micro channels, wherein the plurality of micro channels are formed as a plurality of cavities buried in the substrate, and one end of the micro channel array is connected to a side of the inlet channel and the other end of the micro channel array is connected to a side of the outlet channel; and a micro heat sink array separating the micro channels from one another.

Abstract: Disclosed is an apparatus for monitoring hot waste water discharged from a power plant by using an airborne multispectral scanner system. The apparatus includes a first detector including a first image data collecting unit to obtain first image data and a liquid-phase nitrogen storing tank used to cool an image obtaining sensor, a second detector including a second image data collecting unit to obtain second image data, and a liquid-phase nitrogen storing tank used to cool an image obtaining sensor, a controller to process the first and second image data obtained by the first detector and the second detector, respectively, and an auxiliary liquid-phase nitrogen tank separated from the liquid-phase nitrogen storing tank. The auxiliary liquid-phase nitrogen tank complements liquid-phase nitrogen for cooling.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of separating and recovering iron from a waste non-ferrous slag, generated in a process for smelting of non-ferrous metals, including copper, zinc and lead, in which a reducing agent and a reaction catalyst are added to the crushed waste non-ferrous slag, and the mixture is subjected to a reduction reaction, thereby converting amorphous iron oxides, bound to alumina, calcium oxide, magnesium oxide, silica, and the like in the waste non-ferrous slag, to crystalline iron (Fe) and iron carbide (Fe2C); the resulting material is crushed to separate iron and iron carbide obtained by the reduction reaction from components such as alumina, calcium oxide, magnesium oxide, silica, and the like; the crushed material is separated into fractions by particle size; and the fractions are subjected to wet magnetic separation and dry magnetic separation to separate and recover magnetic iron concentrates from the fractions.