Abstract: A method for forming a graphene-reinforced polymer matrix composite is disclosed. The method includes distributing graphite microparticles into a molten thermoplastic polymer phase; and applying a succession of shear strain events to the molten polymer phase so that the molten polymer phase exfoliates the graphite successively with each event until at least 50% of the graphite is exfoliated to form a distribution in the molten polymer phase of single- and multi-layer graphene nanoparticles less than 50 nanometers thick along the c-axis direction.

Abstract: A packaging material comprising a graphene-reinforced polymer matrix composite (G-PMC) is disclosed. The packaging material has improved barrier resistance to gas and liquid permeants. Also disclosed is a method of improving barrier resistance of a polymer to a permeant, the method comprising forming a graphene-reinforced polymer matrix composite within the polymer. The packaging material may be used for packaging food, drug, perfume, etc. and to make various containers.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a system for targeted gene editing and related uses.

Abstract: This invention relates to methods for analyzing nucleic acids. The disclosure provides methods of a primer-dependent amplification and detection method that is capable of amplifying and detecting in a sample as few as ten copies of at least one rare intended target sequence in the presence of abundant closely related unintended target sequences. Also provided are reaction compositions and kits for performing the methods.

Abstract: The present invention provides new classes of phenol compounds, including those derived from tyrosol and analogues, useful as monomers for preparation of biocompatible polymers, and biocompatible polymers prepared from these monomeric phenol compounds, including novel biodegradable and/or bioresorbable polymers. These biocompatible polymers or polymer compositions with enhanced bioresorbabilty and processibility are useful in a variety of medical applications, such as in medical devices and controlled-release therapeutic formulations. The invention also provides methods for preparing these monomeric phenol compounds and biocompatible polymers.

Abstract: An artificial feeding system for maintenance and growth of hematophagous insects is disclosed to comprise a blood-free diet formulation and a feeding device. The blood-free diet formulation comprises effective amounts of a protein source and a carbohydrate source, wherein the blood-free diet formulation is suitable for egg production and colony maintenance of hematophagous insects. The feeding device comprises a diet reservoir for receiving the blood-free diet formulation and a feeding platform for hematophagous insects to feed the blood-free diet formation from the diet reservoir.

Abstract: An apparatus, including: a scanning probe microscope head with a frame configured to fit within an insert of a cryostat, and a scanner, a probe and a sample holder all disposed within the frame; and a coarse motor assembly disposed within the frame and comprising: a positionable component; and coarse motors. The coarse motors are configured to move the positionable component relative to the frame along an X axis, a Y axis, and a Z axis. The apparatus further includes a universal electrical base connection with half of a plug/socket arrangement. The plug/socket arrangement is configured to provide electrical communication between the scanning probe microscope head and a base which has a second half of the plug/socket arrangement when the scanning probe microscope head is lowered onto the base.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides compounds which are useful for a number of catalytic transformations of organic molecules, non-limiting examples including dehydrogenation of alkanes. The present disclosure further relates to methods of preparing the compounds of the present disclosure.

Abstract: A method of generating a set of examples for explaining decisions made by a machine learning program, involving receiving a set of training data for training the program, and for given subsets of the training data, determining each of (a) a probability of a user correctly inferring a future decision of the program after observing the respective decisions of the program for the given subset of the training data, (b) a suitability of a size of the given subset, and (c) an average probability of the user correctly inferring a future decision of the program after observing the respective decisions of the program for an unspecified subset of the training data. The determinations (a), (b) and (c) are used to score each of the given subsets of training data, and a subset of training data is selected as the generated set of examples based on the scores.

Abstract: A user input system comprising a vibration motor, a sensor and a processor in communication with the sensor. The vibration motor is in contact with a surface and generates vibrations in the surface. The vibrations can be altered by a user touching the surface to create altered vibrations. The sensor is in contact with the surface and detects the altered vibrations. The processor receives and analyzes data corresponding to the altered vibrations. The processor determines, based on the analyzed data, whether a user's touch on the surface matches a stored vibration profile of the user.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the detection of nucleic acids sequences in situ using hybridization probes and generation of amplified hybridization signals, wherein background signal is reduced and sensitivity is increased.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are compounds of formula I: or a salt thereof and compositions comprising a compound of formula I or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. Also disclosed herein are methods for treating or preventing a bacterial infection in an animal comprising administering to the animal a compound of formula I or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, alone or in combination with a bacterial efflux pump inhibitor.

Abstract: Various embodiments comprise systems, methods, architectures, mechanisms or apparatus configured to separate particles of varying size within a fluid flow, or filter particles from a fluid flow, via an array of anchored-liquid drops or anchored-gas drops.

Abstract: The invention provides bipartite, dual-targeted inhibitors of bacterial RNA polymerase having the general structural formula (I): X-?-Y (I) wherein X is an moiety that binds to the Rif target of a bacterial RNA polymerase; Y is a moiety that binds to the bridge-helix N-terminus target of a bacterial RNA polymerase; and is a covalent bond or a linker. The invention also provides compositions comprising such compounds, methods of making such compounds, and methods of using said compounds. The invention has applications in control of bacterial gene expression, control of bacterial growth, antibacterial chemistry, and antibacterial therapy.

Abstract: A probe generates location signals, and has an electrode at a distal end which acquires from heart chamber surface positions electrical signals due to a conduction wave traversing the surface. A processor derives LATs from the electrical signals, calculates a first time difference between LATs at a first pair of positions and a second time difference between LATs at a second pair of positions. The processor calculates first and second LAT-derived distances as products of the first and second time differences with a conduction wave velocity, identifies an arrhythmia origin at a surface location where a first difference in distances from the location to the first pair of the positions is equal to the first LAT-derived distance, and a second difference in distances from the location to the second pair of the positions is equal to the second LAT-derived distance, and marks the origin on a surface representation.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a system for targeted gene editing and related uses. Also disclosed are related cells.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods of treating and identifying subjects with cancer that will respond to chemotherapy treatment. Exemplary methods can be used to treat or identify subjects with lung or colorectal cancer that will respond positively (or will not respond) to chemotherapy.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are systems and methods for identifying biomarkers. Biomarker identification can be achieved while increasing efficiency and decreasing data and computation complexity but maintaining accuracy. Such biomarker identification can be achieved by applying pathway enrichment analysis associated with differential gene expression and epigenomic regulation, such as DNA methylation.

Abstract: Computer vision systems and methods for acceleration of high-resolution mobile deep vision with content-aware parallel offloading are provided. The system allows for acceleration of deep vision applications running on mobile devices via offloading of machine learning computations on edge cloud infrastructure, and speeds up computation via parallel processing on the edge cloud, employing one or more of the following processes: recurrent region proposal prediction, region proposal centric frame partitioning, and resource-aware offloading to multiple processors. Mobile deep vision applications can utilize the systems and methods disclosed herein to accelerate application processing. The system offloads computation to multiple servers to minimize the end-to-end latency, and includes a high-resolution mobile deep vision task acceleration system that offloads computation to multiple (edge located) servers.

Abstract: Pharmaceutical compositions of the invention include substituted riluzole prodrugs useful for the treatment of cancers including melanoma, breast cancer, brain cancer, and prostate cancer through the release of riluzole. Prodrugs of riluzole have enhanced stability to hepatic metabolism and are delivered into systemic circulation by oral administration, and then cleaved to release riluzole in the plasma via either an enzymatic or general biophysical release process.