Abstract: Oleaginous yeast strains are used to hydrolyze biomass (e.g. wheat straw) that has been pretreated using dilute acid, in order to produce lipids. The lipids may be used as feedstock for producing biofuels.

Abstract: Semiconductor structures are provided comprising a substrate and a epitaxial layer formed over the substrate, wherein the epitaxial layer comprises B; and one or more element selected from the group consisting of Zr, Hf and Al and has a thickness greater than 50 nm. Further, methods for integrating Group III nitrides onto a substrate comprising, forming an epitaxial buffer layer of a diboride of Zr, Hf, Al, or mixtures thereof, over a substrate; and forming a Group III nitride layer over the buffer layer, are provided which serve to thermally decouple the buffer layer from the underlying substrate, thereby greatly reducing the strain induced in the semiconductor structures upon fabrication and/or operation.

Abstract: Embodiments of a continuous-flow injection reactor and a method for continuous material synthesis are disclosed. The reactor includes a mixing zone unit and a residence time unit removably coupled to the mixing zone unit. The mixing zone unit includes at least one top inlet, a side inlet, and a bottom outlet. An injection tube, or plurality of injection tubes, is inserted through the top inlet and extends past the side inlet while terminating above the bottom outlet. A first reactant solution flows in through the side inlet, and a second reactant solution flows in through the injection tube(s). With reference to nanoparticle synthesis, the reactant solutions combine in a mixing zone and form nucleated nanoparticles. The nucleated nanoparticles flow through the residence time unit. The residence time unit may be a single conduit, or it may include an outer housing and a plurality of inner tubes within the outer housing.

Abstract: The invention relates to methods of promoting the expression of pro-angiogenic factors and decreasing the expression of anti-angiogenic and fibrotic factors in a cell, as well as the treatment of cardiomyopathy and wounds.

Abstract: The invention provides methods for substituting polyaromatic hydrocarbons or polyheterocyclic compounds with perfluoroalkyl groups. The methods can include heating a polyaromatic hydrocarbon substrate or a polyheterocyclic compound substrate in the presence of a perfluoroalkyl iodide, typically in a closed system, wherein the heating is sufficient to bring both the polyaromatic hydrocarbons or polyheterocyclic compound, and the perfluoroalkyl iodide, into the gas phase, thereby allowing the substrate to react with the perfluoroalkyl iodide in the gas phase to form polyaromatic hydrocarbons or polyheterocyclic compounds having one or more perfluoroalkyl substituents. The methods allow for the creation of versatile libraries of novel perfluoroalkyl-containing derivatives that can serve as important building blocks and active components in biomedical, electronic, and materials applications.

Abstract: A new class of polyols derived from renewable resources, including polyglycerol and vegetable oils, the use of such polyols in polyurethane foams and cast resins, and methods for making the polyols and polyurethanes are provided.

Abstract: A process for producing a small-sized, lipid-based cochleates. Cochleates are derived from liposomes which are suspended in an aqueous two-phase polymer solution, enabling the differential partitioning of polar molecule based-structures by phase separation. The liposome-containing two-phase polymer solution, treated with positively charged molecules such as Ca2+ or Zn2+, forms a cochleate precipitate of a particle size less than one micron. The process may be used to produce cochleates containing biologically relevant molecules.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to reagents useful for generating immune responses to Mycobacterium tuberculosis and for diagnosing infection and disease in a subject that has been exposed to M. tuberculosis.

Abstract: A reactor system including a main reactor having a reaction vessel in operative communication with a solar concentrator for focusing sunlight onto the reaction vessel for providing waste management and removal is disclosed. The sunlight focused on the reactor vessel provides ultraviolet radiation that degrades organic pollutants within the reaction vessel and infrared radiation boils off the liquid within the reaction vessel, thereby allowing a steady state condition to be achieved in the reactor vessel. The main reactor is in communication with a condenser that receives the water vapor and other gases from the reactor vessel in which a phase separation operation occurs such that heavier water liquid phase is captured within a storage chamber and the gaseous phase is transported to a gas scrubber for filtering the lighter gaseous phase.

Abstract: The disclosure provides compositions in the form of cells exhibiting the phenotype of a mesenchymal stem cell and uses of such cells in the preparation of medicament and the treatment of an allergic reaction in an asthmatic subject. Also provided are methods of inducing tolerance to an allergen in an asthmatic subject and methods of assessing a non-asthmatic subject for amenability to allergy treatment by administering mesenchymal stem cells.

Abstract: A cine imaging filter and method of use that includes a denoising image-filter based on the Karhunen-Loeve transform along the temporal direction to take advantage of the high temporal correlation among images. The cine imaging filter may further include the application of a simple formula describing the quantitative noise reduction capabilities of the KLT filter as a function of eigenimage cutoff. Additionally, the filter may validate its accuracy in numerical simulation and in in-vivo real time cine images. Furthermore, exemplary embodiments of the cine imaging filter may employ a technique to automatically select the optimal eigenimage cutoff to maximize noise reduction with minimal effect on image information.

Abstract: The invention provides compounds of formula (I) wherein u, d, v, m, n, R1, W, X, Y, and Z have any values defined herein, as well as salts thereof. The compounds have activity as anti-proliferative agents.

Abstract: Zeolitic Imidazolate Frameworks (ZIFs) characterized by organic ligands consisting of imidazole ligands that are either essentially all 2-chloroimidazole ligands or essentially all 2-bromoimidazole ligands are disclosed. Methods for separating propane and propene with the ZIFs of the present invention, as well as other ZIFs, are also disclosed.

Abstract: One embodiment includes a phase-based analog-to-digital converter (ADC) system. The system includes a voltage-to-phase converter configured to convert an input voltage to a phase difference corresponding to a phase-delay with respect to an input clock signal that is based on a magnitude of the input voltage. The system also includes a phase-to-digital converter configured to convert the phase difference into a digital output signal having a digital value corresponding to a magnitude of the phase difference.

Abstract: A reconfigurable antenna that utilizes liquid metal to achieve dynamic antenna performance is disclosed. The reconfigurable antenna may utilize one or more liquid metal sections that can be variably displaced. Utilizing liquid metal may reduce certain undesirable effects associated with more conventional mechanical reconfigurable antennas including mechanical failure due to material fatigue, creep, and/or wear. Precise microfluidic techniques may be utilized in the design of a reconfigurable antenna that utilizes liquid metal. The reconfigurable antenna may utilize a circular Yagi-Uda array design and include movable parasitic director and reflector elements implemented using liquid metal (e.g., mercury (Hg)). The parasitic elements may be placed and rotated in a circular microfluidic channel around a driven antenna element utilizing a flow generated and controlled by a piezoelectric micropump.

Abstract: An automatic facial action coding system and method can include processing an image to identify a face in the image, to detect and align one or more facial features shown in the image, and to define one or more windows on the image. One or more distributions of pixels and color intensities can be quantified in each of the one or more windows to derive one or more two-dimensional intensity distributions of one or more colors within the window. The one or more two-dimensional intensity distributions can be processed to select image features appearing in the one or more windows and to classify one or more predefined facial actions on the face in the image. A facial action code score that includes a value indicating a relative amount of the predefined facial action occurring in the face in the image can be determined for the face in the image for each of the one or more predefined facial actions.

Abstract: The present invention provides intermediate compounds and synthetic methods that can be used to prepare complex cyclic compounds including macrolides. The invention also provides cyclic compounds that have useful biological properties such as antiinfective, antiinflammatory, or antitumor properties.

Abstract: A lithium-ion battery having an anode including an array of nanowires electrochemically coated with a polymer electrolyte, and surrounded by a cathode matrix, forming thereby interpenetrating electrodes, wherein the diffusion length of the Li+ ions is significantly decreased, leading to faster charging/discharging, greater reversibility, and longer battery lifetime, is described. The battery design is applicable to a variety of battery materials. Methods for directly electrodepositing Cu2Sb from aqueous solutions at room temperature using citric acid as a complexing agent to form an array of nanowires for the anode, are also described. Conformal coating of poly-[Zn(4-vinyl-4?methyl-2,2?-bipyridine)3](PF6)2 by electroreductive polymerization onto films and high-aspect ratio nanowire arrays for a solid-state electrolyte is also described, as is reductive electropolymerization of a variety of vinyl monomers, such as those containing the acrylate functional group.

Abstract: The invention relates to the field of polymers and olefin polymerization, and more specifically olefin metathesis polymerization. The invention provides regioregular alternating polymers and methods of synthesizing such polymers.

Abstract: The present invention includes compositions and methods related to the structure and function of the cellular polyadenylation and specificity factor 30 (CPSF 30) binding site on the surface of the influenza A non-structural protein 1 (NS1). Specifically, critical biochemical reagents, conditions for crystallization and NMR analysis, assays, and general processes are described for (i) discovering, designing, and optimizing small molecule inhibitors of influenza A (avian flu) viruses and (ii) creating attenuated influenza virus strains suitable for avian and human flu vaccine development.