Abstract: Photovoltaic devices, and methods of fabricating photovoltaic devices. The photovoltaic devices may include a first electrode, at least one quantum dot layer, at least one semiconductor layer, and a second electrode. The first electrode may include a layer including Cr and one or more silver contacts.

Abstract: Provided are compositions and methods for inhibiting extracellular matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) activity. Inhibition of extracellular MMP-2 activity can be useful for restricting extracellular matrix remodeling, tumor cell migration, cell invasion, and/or metastasis. The compositions comprise mutants of Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-2 (TIMP-2), where the tyrosine at position 62, 90 and/or 165 has been substituted with a non-phosphorylatable amino acid or with a phosphomimetic of phosphorylated tyrosine, and/or anti-Src antibodies. The method comprises delivering to an extracellular region of a tissue, a composition comprising a TIMP-2 mutant and/or an anti-Src antibody.

Abstract: The present invention provides an X-ray CT apparatus capable of obtaining a high-quality X-ray CT image by suppressing occurrence of an artifact. The X-ray CT apparatus including an X-ray imaging system including an X-ray irradiation unit and an X-ray detector, a rotating stage disposed between the X-ray irradiation unit and the X-ray detector, a rotation mechanism configured to relatively rotate the X-ray imaging system and the rotating stage about a rotation axis orthogonal to an optical axis of an X-ray that runs from the X-ray irradiation unit to the X-ray detector, and a load mechanism which is set on the stage and applies test force to a test piece includes an angle changing mechanism that tilts a bending tester to change the direction of the test force applied to the test piece by the bending tester from a direction orthogonal to the optical axis of the X-ray.

Abstract: Images may be altered based on ON-OFF visual pathway information processing. A process for generating altered images may include separating an original image into distinct images based on luminance values for each pixel of the pixels that form the original image. The distinct images may include a first and a second separated image, where each separated image includes distinct pixels. Additionally, the process may include determining a first luminance range for the first separated image based on the luminance value for each pixel forming the first separated image, and determining a second luminance range for the second separated image based on the luminance value for each pixel forming the second separated image. The process may also include adjusting visual parameters of the first and second separated images, and combining the adjusted, first and second separated images to generate the altered image.

Abstract: A method of verifying authenticity of a speculative load instruction is disclosed which includes receiving a new speculative source-destination pair (PAIR), wherein the source represents a speculative load instruction and the destination represents an associated destination virtual memory location holding data to be loaded onto a register with execution of the source, checking the PAIR against one or more memory tables associated with non-speculative source-destination pairs, if the PAIR exists in the one or more memory tables, then executing the instruction associated with the source of the PAIR, if the PAIR does not exist, then i) waiting until the speculation of the source instruction has cleared as being non-speculative, ii) updating the one or more memory tables, and iii) executing the instruction associated with the source, and if the speculation of the source instruction of the PAIR does not clear as non-speculative, then the source is nullified.

Abstract: Provided is a microorganism that is able to produce 2-phenylethanol at a high concentration, and a method of efficiently producing 2-phenylethanol by using a saccharide as a raw material. Provided is a coryneform bacterium transformant in which a shikimate pathway is activated, and further, a gene that encodes an enzyme having phenylpyruvate decarboxylase activity is introduced in such a manner that the gene can be expressed. Also provided is a 2-phenylethanol producing method that includes causing the coryneform bacterium transformant according to the present disclosure to react in water containing a saccharide.

Abstract: An accelerating cavity includes an electrically conductive cylindrical housing and a plurality of cells that are made of a dielectric material and have openings in respective central portions of the cells through which charged particles are allowed to pass. The cells are arranged inside the housing while being aligned in the axial direction of the central axis of the housing, and sandwiched by the housing in the axial direction of the central axis to be immobilized. The housing has grooves provided on portions thereof that support the respective cells and each having a depth that is one fourth of the wavelength of radio frequency waves for the acceleration mode that propagate through the cells.

Abstract: Temperature sensors, pressure sensors, methods of making the same, and methods of detecting pressures and temperatures using the same are provided. In an embodiment, the temperature sensor includes a ceramic coil inductor having a first end plate and a second end plate, wherein the ceramic coil inductor is formed of a ceramic composite that comprises carbon nanotubes or, carbon nanofibers, or a combination of carbon nanotubes and carbon nanofibers thereof dispersed in a ceramic matrix; and a thin film polymer-derived ceramic (PDC) nanocomposite disposed between the first and the second end plates, wherein the thin film PDC nanocomposite has a dielectric constant that increases monotonically with temperature.

Abstract: A method, processing system, and tracking system for monitoring person-object interactions in an environment is disclosed. In particular, software architecture is provided for processing tracking and event information provided by independent trackers to identify basic interactions between the people in the environment and objects or storage entities in the environment. Based on the identified person-object interactions, the software architecture can associate individual persons with object and storage entities, detect and infer outcomes of their basic interactions, infer higher-level interactions, and detect any anomalous interactions. The software architecture is advantageously highly modular, scalable, and decentralized, and is designed to be substantially domain agnostic, such that it can be used to automate a wide variety of human-centric applications that involve humans interacting with objects.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the technical field of natural medicines, and in particular to a triterpenoid compound with an effect of improving glucose and lipid metabolism disorders, and preparation and application thereof. A novel triterpenoid compound was obtained by separation from Momordica charantia L. for the first time in the present invention. Studies on a mouse primary hepatocyte model and a 3T3-L1 preadipocyte model show that the novel triterpenoid compound in the present invention has activity of regulating glucose and lipid metabolism, and after combination with known triterpenoid compound Momordicoside G, the activity of regulating glucose and lipid metabolism is significantly higher than that of a single compound at the same dose, indicating that the novel triterpenoid compound and a complex thereof in the present invention can be used to improve glucose and lipid metabolism disorders and provide a new way for diabetes treatment.

Abstract: The invention provides a class of polymeric materials being ABA tri-block or AB di-block, comprised of biodegradable segments and poly(propylene oxide) (PPO) segment and uses thereof.

Abstract: Provided are a plated steel sheet and a method for manufacturing same, the plated steel sheet comprising: a base steel sheet; a Zn—Mg—Al plating layer provided on at least one surface of the base steel sheet; and an Fe—Al inhibition layer provided between the base steel sheet and the Zn—Mg—Al plating layer. The plating layer comprises, by weight %, 4 to 10% of Mg and 5.1-25% of Al and the remainder being Zn and unavoidable impurities with respect to components not including iron (Fe) diffused from the base steel sheet. The plating layer comprises a 24-50% MgZn2 phase in phase fraction. In the MgZn2 phase, an Al single phase is present in the ratio of 1-30% relative to the cross-sectional area of the total MgZn2 phase.

Abstract: An error compensation circuit for analog capacitor memory circuits includes a first transistor and a second transistor with gates connected respectively to top and bottom of an analog memory capacitor to read a voltage charged in the analog memory capacitor; a first switch and a second switch connected respectively to the first transistor and the second transistor to select the voltage to read; a first capacitor and a second capacitor to charge an electric charge to compensate or refresh the analog memory capacitor according to on/off of the first switch and the second switch; and an input terminal connected to sources of the first transistor and the second transistor to apply the voltage to operate the circuit. Accordingly, it is possible to compensate for an unintended phenomenon of the analog capacitor memory or refresh a change in memory value caused by leakage.

Abstract: System, methods, and other embodiments described herein relate to a manner of training a depth prediction system using bounding boxes. In one embodiment, a method includes segmenting an image to mask areas beyond bounding boxes and identify unmasked areas within the bounding boxes. The method also includes training a depth model using depth losses from comparing weighted points associated with pixels of the image within the unmasked areas to ground-truth depth. The method also includes providing the depth model for object detection.

Abstract: A method and a device for encoding/decoding images are disclosed. The method for encoding images comprises the steps of: deriving a scan type of a residual signal for a current block according to whether or not the current block is a transform skip block; and applying the scan type to the residual signal for the current block, wherein the transform skip block is a block to which transform for the current block is not applied and is specified on the basis of information indicating whether or not transform for the current block is to be applied.

Abstract: A method for managing vehicle occupant profiles includes detecting an unidentified radio device associated with a vehicle occupant, and localizing the radio device to a seat position. The method further includes updating an available vehicle occupant profile of the vehicle occupant with the detected and localized at least one unidentified radio device when other identified radio devices associated to the vehicle occupant are detected and localized to the seat position occupied by the vehicle occupant, establishing a new vehicle occupant profile of the vehicle occupant with the detected and localized at least one unidentified radio device when no other identified radio devices associated to the vehicle occupant are detected and localized to the seat position occupied by the vehicle occupant, and assigning a probability value to the updated or established vehicle occupant profile.

Abstract: A flexible timepiece component, in particular for an oscillator mechanism or for a barrel of a horological movement, the component extending along a main plane (P) and including at least a part made of a composite material (1), the composite material (1) including a matrix (2) and a multitude of nanowires (3) distributed in the matrix (2), the nanowires (3) being juxtaposed, the matrix (2) including a material (4) for filling the interstices between the nanowires (3) to join them to each other, each nanowire (3) forming a solid one-piece tube, the nanowires (3) being disposed substantially parallel to an axis (A) substantially perpendicular to the main plane (P) of the component (6, 7).

Abstract: A capacitor-less low dropout regulator includes: a capacitor-less dual feedback loop unit including a plurality of feedback resistors, an error amplifier, and a transconductance cell to form a main loop passing through the error amplifier and a sub-loop passing through the gm cell without passing through the error amplifier; a dynamic compensation unit connected to a first main pole located at an output of the error amplifier and a second main pole located at an output of the gm cell to provide dynamic frequency compensation using a Miller effect to the first main pole and the second main pole according to a load current of the capacitor-less dual feedback loop unit; and a load current measurement unit configured to measure a load current of a third main pole formed at a load of the dual feedback loop unit to provide the load current to the dynamic compensation unit.

Abstract: A method for assisting a person to perform a task in a dynamic environment comprises a step of acquiring data on the dynamic environment, and of predicting at least one behavior of an object or event in the dynamic environment based on the acquired data. The method proceeds by determining a relevance measure of the at least one behavior of the object or event based on the prediction. Then a modulation signal is generated, wherein the modulation signal changes at least one signal parameter as a function of the determined relevance. The modulation signal is then used to modulate at least one directional stimulus signal, wherein the at least one modulated directional stimulus signal further depends on a direction of the predicted at least one behavior of the object or event with respect to the assisted person. The at least one modulated stimulus signal is then output to the assisted person.

Abstract: Embodiments herein include an attenuated live vaccine composition for protection against Neisseria spp. infection, the vaccine composition comprising an effective amount of Snodgras sella alvi (S. alvi), or an antigen component thereof, and methods for treating or preventing disease related to or aggravated by Neisseria gonorrhoea is provided.