Abstract: Neurosupportive materials that possess strong tissue adhesion were synthesized by photocrosslinking two polymers, gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) and methacryloyl-substituted tropoelastin (MeTro). The engineered materials exhibited tunable mechanical properties by varying the GelMA/MeTro ratio. In addition, GelMA/MeTro hydrogels exhibited 15-fold higher adhesive strength to nerve tissue ex vivo compared to traditionally used fibrin-based materials. Furthermore, the composites were shown to support Schwann cell (SC) viability and proliferation, as well as neurite extension and glial cell participation in vitro, which are essential cellular components for nerve regeneration. Finally, subcutaneously implanted GelMA/MeTro hydrogels exhibited slower degradation in vivo compared with pure GelMA, indicating its potential to support the growth of slowly regenerating nerves.

Abstract: Hybrid nanopores, comprising a protein pore supported within a solid-state membrane, which combine the robust nature of solid-state membranes with the easily tunable and precise engineering of protein nanopores. In an embodiment, a lipid-free hybrid nanopore comprises a water soluble and stable, modified portal protein of the Thermus thermophilus bacteriophage G20c, electrokinetically inserted into a larger nanopore in a solid-state membrane. The hybrid pore is stable and easy to fabricate, and exhibits low peripheral leakage, allowing sensing and discrimination among different types of biomolecules.

Abstract: The disclosed systems and methods provide a systematic approach to analyzing an individual's lifestyle factors (e.g., foods consumed by the individual) that contribute to the individual's current or potential for disease, and taking further action based on that analysis. One example embodiment is a machine learning system that includes a food composition layer, chemical compounds layer, and disease layer. The food composition layer provides representations of chemical compounds of foods consumed or to be consumed by the individual. The chemical compounds layer is coupled to the food composition layer by links and filters the representations of the chemical compounds based on genetic or metabolic information of the individual, resulting in representations of personalized filtered chemical compounds.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a steel material for hot stamping with ultra-fine grains and a process of making the same, a hot stamping process and a hot stamped component. The steel material for hot stamping comprises the following components by weight: 0.27 to 0.40% of C; 0.2 to 3.0% of Mn; 0.11 to 0.4% of V; 0 to 0.8% of Si; 0 to 0.5% of Al; 0 to 2% of Cr; 0 to 0.15% of Ti; 0 to 0.15% of Nb; 0 to 0.004% B; a total of less than 2% of Mo, Ni, Cu and other alloying elements that are beneficial to improving the hardenability, and other impurity elements. After hot stamping or equivalent heat treatment, the steel material or the formed component of the present invention can achieve a yield strength of 1300 MPa to 1700 MPa, a tensile strength of 1800 to 2200 MPa, and an elongation of 6 to 9% after direct hot stamping quenching and without tempering, which properties cannot be achieved by a material with a composition in the prior art in the situation of direct quenching (no tempering).

Abstract: Tunable delay circuit devices have an input port, an output port, at least three parallel paths connecting the input port and the output port, on each path, an input switch and an output switch, and on each path, a plurality of shunt resonant tanks connected between the input switch and the output switch, each shunt resonant tank periodically chargeable from the input port and dischargeable to the output port by operation of the input switch and the output switch.

Abstract: A reconfigurable implantable system for ultrasonic power control and telemetry includes a charging device that includes an ultrasonic transducer to transmit and receive ultrasonic signals transmitted through a biological body, and a signal generator to drive the ultrasonic transducer to transmit an ultrasonic charging signal through the biological body. The system further includes an implantable device configured to communicate wirelessly with the charging device through the biological body via an ultrasonic communication link between the implantable device and the charging device. An implantable ultrasonic transducer receives the ultrasonic charging signal from the charging device and transmits ultrasonic signals through the biological body. A power unit coupled to the ultrasonic transducer harvests energy from the received ultrasonic charging signal when the implantable device is in an energy harvesting mode.

Abstract: Devices, systems, and methods can be used for the automated production of dendritic cells (DC) from dendritic cell progenitors, such as monocytes obtained from peripheral blood, and the automated generation of immunotherapeutic products from those dendritic cells, all within a closed system. The invention makes it possible to obtain sufficient quantities of a subject's own DC for use in preparing and characterizing vaccines, for activating and characterizing the activation state of the subject's immune response, and to aid in preventing and/or treating cancer or infectious disease.

Abstract: Ultrasensitive, miniaturized, and inexpensive ion and ionizing radiation detection devices are provided. The devices include an insulating substrate, metallic contact pads disposed on a surface of the substrate, and a strip of an ultrathin two-dimensional material having a thickness of one or a few atomic layers. The strip is in contact with the contact pads, and a voltage is applied across the two-dimensional sensor material. Individual ions contacting the two-dimensional material alter the current flowing through the material and are detected. The devices can be used in a network of monitors for high energy ions and ionizing radiation.

Abstract: A distributed wireless radio frequency-based charging system includes hardware and software platforms. The hardware platform includes adaptive energy harvesters and programmable energy transmitters. The software platform manages the hardware profiles, resources (e.g., energy waveforms and transmission powers), schedules the beams of the energy transmitters, and switches between modes of wireless charging and data access point. This allows the energy transmitters to be configured adaptively based on the ambient energy availability, energy needs and number of energy-requesting devices in the network. Under the software control, the energy transmitters can cooperatively form focused beams of energy and power for transmission to energy harvesters in the energy-receiving devices, such as sensors, Internet of Things (IoT) enabled appliances, and mobile/wearable equipment.

Abstract: The invention provides a device, method, and system for high throughput detection of nucleic acid expression in individual cells. Cells are encapsulated in aqueous microdroplets which are merged with a biocompatible matrix, allowing on-chip fluorescence in situ hybridization on both adherent and non-adherent cells. The invention also provides multiplexed detection of nucleic acids, proteins, and cellular activity. The device and methods can be used to assess cellular interactions and to test the effects of antitumor agents.

Abstract: A nanomechanical magnetoelectric antenna includes a thin film heterostructure that has a magnetic element and a piezoelectric element. The heterostructure is suspended on a substrate and is capable of resonating at acoustic resonance frequencies. In the transmission mode of the antenna, oscillating mechanical strain produced by voltage-induced acoustic waves is transferred to the thin film heterostructure through strain mediated magnetoelectric coupling. This gives rise to magnetization oscillation or magnetic current that radiates electromagnetic waves at the acoustic resonance frequencies. In the receiving mode, the heterostructure senses magnetic components of electromagnetic waves arriving at the antenna, converting these into a piezoelectric voltage output.

Abstract: The invention relates to a computer-implemented method, a corresponding a computer program product and a corresponding apparatus for distributing cached content in a network, the computer-implemented method comprising: collecting statistics regarding requests made and paths taken by the requests from source nodes to server nodes via intermediate nodes, the source nodes, intermediate nodes, and server nodes interconnected by edges having queues with respective queue sizes associated therewith, the requests including indications of content items to be retrieved; storing the content items at the server nodes; caching, by the intermediate nodes, the content items up to a caching capacity; and performing caching decisions that determine which of the content items are to be cached at which of the intermediate nodes, based upon costs that are monotonic, non-decreasing functions of the sizes of the queues.

Abstract: An ultra-miniaturized, low-cost, and maintenance-free chemical sensor is capable of continuously monitoring the concentration of specific volatile organic compound (VOC) vapors released from crop plants and green plants under distress from pests or disease. The sensor is based on micromechanical structures and relies on the mechanical actuation induced by the chemical interaction between the VOCs and materials in the microstructure to passively generate a wake-up bit when the concentration of VOCs exceeds a predetermined value. The sensor does not consume power while in standby mode (i.e., when certain VOC vapors are not present), and wirelessly communicates the location of impending outbreaks upon detection of a predetermined concentration of certain VOC vapors.

Abstract: Provided herein are compounds that are able to bind metal ions (e.g., free metal ions or metal ions bound to low affinity ligands) in a sample or subject. Also provided herein are methods of using the compounds for chelating metal ions and for the treatment of diseases associated with abnormal levels of metal ions. Methods of preparing the compounds and pharmaceutical compositions are also provided.

Abstract: Embodiments include a unified framework for minimizing congestion-dependent network cost by jointly optimizing forwarding and caching strategies that account for link congestion between neighboring nodes. As caching variables are integer-constrained, the resulting optimization problem is a non-deterministic polynomial time (NP)-hard problem. Embodiments relax the optimization problem, where caching variables are real-valued. Embodiments include optimality conditions for the relaxed problem. Embodiments include an adaptive and distributed joint forwarding and caching method, based on a conditional gradient method. Embodiments elegantly yield feasible routing variables and integer caching variables at each iteration, and can be implemented in a distributed manner with low complexity and overhead. Over a wide range of network topologies, simulation results show that embodiments have significantly better delay performance in the low to moderate request rate regions.

Abstract: Adaptive RF filters based on modulated resonators are provided. The filter architecture is based on time-interleaved commutation of passive RF resonators. The architecture can behave as a two-port filter network, with a fully tunable instantaneous filter bandwidth. The filters are applicable as miniaturized, environment-aware RF signal processing components and can be used in mobile communications.

Abstract: Multi-solid waste activated concretes with high-silicon iron ore tailings and preparation methods thereof are disclosed. In at least some embodiments, the concrete is prepared from raw materials including 360-380 kg/m3 of a cement, 30-40 kg/m3 of fly ash, 30-40 kg/m3 of a modified ultrafine sand of high-silicon iron ore tailings, 930-950 kg/m3 of a waste stone of tailings, 870-930 kg/m3 of a fine sand of tailings, 160-170 kg/m3 of water, and 4-8 kg/m3 of an additive.

Abstract: Ion-doped two-dimensional nanomaterials are made by inducing electronic carriers (electrons and holes) in a two-dimensional material using a captured ion layer at the surface of the material. The captured ion layer is stabilized using a capping layer. The induction of electronic carriers works in atomically-thin two-dimensional materials, where it induces high carrier density of at least 1014 carriers/cm2. A variety of novel ion-doped nanomaterials and p-n junction-based nanoelectronic devices are made possible by the method.

Abstract: A multiplexed digital detection platform embodiment for molecular species in solution is based on a single-molecule immunochemistry, and/or aptamer chemistry, on color-barcoded beads. Beads that capture molecular species from a complex sample using selective binders are exposed to a test sample, and the captured molecular species is tagged using second affinity probes that are linked to photocleavable nucleic acid particles. In the embodiment, the beads are then introduced to a counter system that comprises a microcavity/nanopore device. Once a bead is captured by the micropore, nucleic acid particles, e.g., reporter nucleic acid nanoparticles (rNANPs), are released using photocleavage, and are detected by the nanopore. Each electrical spike that is uniquely produced by the nucleic acid nanoparticle is counted as a single molecular species, and the total count represents the overall number of molecular species in the sample. Various molecular species can be detected at the same time.

Abstract: Compounds are provided which bind to an allosteric site on the mammalian alpha-7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (alpha-7 nAChR) and act as positive allosteric modulators with or without allosteric agonist activity. The compounds are useful in diagnosing, preventing, or treating a variety of disorders involving cognition, learning, memory, neurodegeneration, drug addiction, inflammation, chronic pain, and neuropathic pain. The compounds also can be used to enhance memory and learning in normal individuals.