Abstract: A flexible photovoltaic device is provided. The flexible photovoltaic device includes a flexible inorganic halide perovskite. The flexible inorganic halide perovskite is free of organic components, has a thickness of greater than or equal to about 1 ?m to less than or equal to about 1 nm, and has an average grain size of less than or equal to about 500 nm.

Abstract: A medication bottle includes an outer container wall, an inner container wall and a fluid, such as an aversive liquid, located between the walls. In another aspect, the fluid is located within separate compartments or channels located between the walls where the walls contact or are secured to each other. A further aspect provides a removeable cap including multiple sensors, at least one of which is a biometric sensor.

Abstract: Current oscillometric devices for monitoring central blood pressure (BP) maintain the cuff pressure at a constant level to acquire a pulse volume plethysmography (PVP) waveform and calibrate it to brachial BP levels estimated with population average methods. A physiologic method was developed to further advance central BP measurement. A patient-specific method was applied to estimate brachial BP levels from a cuff pressure waveform obtained during conventional deflation via a nonlinear arterial compliance model. A physiologically-inspired method was then employed to extract the PVP waveform from the same waveform via ensemble averaging and calibrate it to the brachial BP levels. A method based on a wave reflection model was thereafter employed to define a variable transfer function, which was applied to the calibrated waveform to derive central BP.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are bioluminescent indictors comprising a bioluminescent peptide split by a binding peptide capable of binding a ligand. The bioluminescent indicator bioluminesces upon binding of the binding peptide to its ligand to bring the regions of the bioluminescent peptide into such proximity that the indicator bioluminesces. The bioluminescent indicator may further comprise a leader domain and a transmembrane domain. The bioluminescent indicator acts as a biosensor that can detect and quantify a ligand without the need for an additional light source. Methods for imaging internal body structures are also presented.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to methods of forming a dihydrochalcone using electrocatalytic dehydrogenation. In particular, the disclosure relates to methods of forming a dihydrochalcone electrocatalytically hydrogenating (ECH) a reactant compound over a catalytic cathode in a reaction medium having a non-alkaline pH value, thereby forming a dihydrochalcone product; wherein the reactant compound has a structure according to Formula (I). The method can be used to prepare dihydrochalcone sweeteners, such as, for example, naringin dihydrochalcone and neohesperidin dihydrochalcone.

Abstract: A polishing apparatus is provided. Another aspect pertains to a self-leveling polishing apparatus for smoothing diamonds. Yet another aspect of the present system uses a ball and swivel joint in a diamond polishing machine. A further aspect employs a polishing apparatus including a diamond-holder, an elongated arm using gravity to apply downward polishing pressure of the diamond workpiece against a polishing wheel, and a sweeping transmission to cause the holder to radially move across the rotating polishing wheel.

Abstract: Systems and methods for energy storage and energy recovery are provided. An electrical-to-electrical energy storage system includes a thermochemical energy storage device, a blower, a compressor, a turbine, and an electrical generator. The TCES device includes a vessel, a porous bed, and a heater. The porous bed is disposed within an interior volume of the vessel. The porous bed comprises a reactive material. The reactive material is configured to release oxygen upon being heated to a reduction temperature, and generate heat when exposed to oxygen. The heater is in thermal contact with the reactive material. The blower is configured to remove oxygen from the interior volume. The compressor is configured to flow oxygen into the interior volume. The turbine is configured to receive a heated, oxygen-depleted gas from the interior volume. The generator is configured to be powered by the turbine to generate electricity.

Abstract: A control system for conducting an election may include a voter client configured to be used by a voter to cast a vote for a candidate, a registrar server, and a moderator server. The moderator server may be configured to obscure the identity of the voter. The registrar server may be configured to randomly assign a ballot to the obscured voter. The registrar server may be configured to encrypt the ballot. The moderator server may be configured to transmit the encrypted ballot to the voter client. The voter client may be configured to decrypt the encrypted ballot to recover the ballot. The voter client, in response to the voter selecting a desired candidate, may be configured to generate a ballot associated with a vote. The voter client may be configured to encrypt the ballot using a public key of the registrar server and a public key of the moderator server.

Abstract: A system and method for demodulation of a fiber optic interferometric sensor are provided. Another aspect pertains to a system and method employing a single laser to generate multiple quadratic wavelengths to demodulate fiber optic interferometric sensors with approximately sinusoidal fringes. Yet another aspect of the present system and method uses a single frequency laser which is split into multiple paths using a fiber optic coupler, with one path including an intensity modulator and another path including an acousto-optic modulator, whereafter the paths are recombined into a fiber which leads to an interferometric sensor, and the light reflected from the sensor is then directed to a photodetector. A further aspect employs a single frequency laser which is split into multiple paths, with the light in the paths being modulated at different frequencies, whereafter the paths are recombined into a fiber which leads to an interferometric sensor.

Abstract: The disclosure generally relates to omniphobic compatibilizers, which include a polymerization reaction product between a first vinyl monomer, optionally a second vinyl crosslinking monomer, and a functionalized omniphobic polymer. The functionalized omniphobic polymer can include two or more vinyl functional groups or at least one free radical initiator functional group such that the reaction product forming the omniphobic compatibilizer can be a vinyl or free-radical polymerization product. The omniphobic compatibilizer can be incorporated into a UV-curable or a non-UV-curable thermoset omniphobic composition. The UV-curable composition can be a crosslinked polymerization reaction product between the omniphobic compatibilizer, a third vinyl monomer, and a fourth polyvinyl crosslinking monomer. The non-UV-curable composition can be a crosslinked polymerization reaction product between the omniphobic compatibilizer, a first thermosetting component, and a second thermosetting component.

Abstract: An aortic aneurysm carries increasing risk of rupture with growing aneurysm diameter. This condition is typically asymptomatic, so screening and surveillance are essential. Ultrasound and other imaging methods are employed for such monitoring at high accuracy. However, these methods require an expert and are expensive. Aortic aneurysms are considerably under-detected at present and may become even more under-detected in the future as the disease prevalence increases with societal aging. This disclosure present devices that are convenient in use and cost for aortic aneurysm screening and surveillance.

Abstract: A system and method for identifying a subject using imaging are provided. In some aspects, the method includes receiving an image depicting a subject to be identified, and applying a trained Disentangled Representation learning-Generative Adversarial Network (DR-GAN) to the image to generate an identity representation of the subject, wherein the DR-GAN comprises a discriminator and a generator having at least one of an encoder and a decoder. The method also includes identifying the subject using the identity representation, and generating a report indicative of the subject identified.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to methods and related systems for precision crop modeling and management using the same. Precision crop modeling and management can be incorporated into various methods for growing plants such as crop plants and various methods for managing the growth of such plants in a particular field. The methods generally utilize in-season information relating to weather conditions actually experienced by the field to prepare mid-season, updated crop management plans. A crop management plan is determined using a crop model incorporating a variety of inputs and plant-specific material and energy balances to specify one or more grower-controlled management parameters. An updated plan for a given field can be followed by a grower to increase crop yield and/or optimize one or more other crop or field parameters.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to a brazing method for joining substrates, in particular where one of the substrates is difficult to wet with molten braze material. The method includes formation of a porous metal layer on a first substrate to assist wetting of the first substrate with a molten braze metal, which in turn permits joining of the first substrate with a second substrate via a braze metal later in an assembled brazed joint. Ceramic substrates can be particularly difficult to wet with molten braze metals, and the disclosed method can be used to join a ceramic substrate to another substrate. The brazed joint can be incorporated into a solid-oxide fuel cell, for example as a stack component thereof, in particular when the first substrate is a ceramic substrate and the joined substrate is a metallic substrate.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides, among other things, compounds, compositions, and methods useful in inhibiting bacteria, such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis. These compositions and methods find many uses in medicine and research, e.g., treating subjects afflicted with active or latent bacterial infections.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to microwave cavity plasma reactor (MCPR) apparatus and associated tuning and process control methods that enable the microwave plasma assisted chemical vapor deposition (MPACVD) of a component such as diamond. Related methods enable the control of the microwave discharge position, size and shape, and enable efficient matching of the incident microwave power into the reactor prior to and during component deposition. Pre-deposition tuning processes provide a well matched reactor exhibiting a high plasma reactor coupling efficiency over a wide range of operating conditions, thus allowing operational input parameters to be modified during deposition while simultaneously maintaining the reactor in a well-matched state.

Abstract: A method for generating a heart organoid is provided. The method includes forming a cellular aggregate of pluripotent stem cells, activating Wnt signaling in the cellular aggregate to cause the cellular aggregate to differentiate into a three-dimensional cardiac mesoderm, and inhibiting the Wnt signaling in the cardiac mesoderm to form the heart organoid. The heart organoid includes myocardial tissue, endocardial tissue defining at least one chamber, and epicardial tissue disposed on at least an outer surface of the myocardial tissue. The heart organoid beats. Heart organoids prepared in accordance with the method are also provided.

Abstract: A quantum dot microscope apparatus is provided. A further aspect employs a tilted or tapered end or tip on a microscopic probe. Another aspect of the present apparatus employs a probe including a quantum dot with only one tunneling lead connected to a power source. A manufacturing aspect includes creating a tapered or asymmetrically shaped specimen-facing end of a probe where a quantum dot is located on the end. A further manufacturing aspect includes using focused ion-beam milling to create a tip or end of a quantum dot microscope probe.

Abstract: A laser system and method include a self-referencing shaper. A self-referencing pulse shaper is provided in an embodiment. Another aspect of a laser system includes at least one beam splitter splitting a reference beam from a working beam and a test beam, a delay optic delaying a reference laser beam, an active shaper, an interferometer, and a programmable controller. In another aspect, a method includes splitting an input laser pulse into a reference pulse and a shaping pulse, controlling phase and amplitude of the shaping pulse with an adjustable pulse shaper, creating an optical delay of the reference pulse, comparing a test pulse and the reference pulse after the controlling and delay, the laser system characterizing the input laser pulse and monitoring the laser system's own dispersion in a self-referenced manner, and correcting an output working laser pulse by adjusting the pulse shaper based on the comparing step.

Abstract: ‘MSU 120’ is a new blueberry variety of Vaccinium corymbosum. ‘MSU 120’ is primarily Vaccinium corymbosum but is a complex hybrid with about 7.7% of its genes coming from V. darrowii, 6% from V. angustifolium, 1.7% from V. virgatum, and 0.2% from V. tenellum. It is a highly productive cultivar-with excellent fresh fruit quality. It is well adapted to all northern highbush production areas. Plants of ‘MSU 120’ are vigorous and upright, with numerous, moderately branched canes and well exposed fruit. Its berries are large, have small, dry picking scars, medium blue color, good firmness and flavor.