Abstract: A microheater comprises an optical fiber including a rare earth-doped glass core surrounded by a glass cladding. The rare earth-doped glass core comprises a rare earth dopant at a concentration sufficient for luminescence quenching such that, when the rare earth dopant is pumped with light at an absorption band wavelength, at least about 90% of absorbed pump light is converted into heat.

Abstract: Provided are actuation devices, virtual reality devices formed from the actuation devices, and related virtual reality methods. The devices may comprise a plurality of spatially distributed actuators, each actuator configured for interacting with a biological skin surface; a wireless controller configured to receive operative command signals to control each of the actuators; and a wireless power system to power the actuators. Also provided are unique layouts of multiple interconnected devices to achieve large area coverage.

Abstract: As anode having an anode material, a current collector, a graphene-based material, and the graphene-based material covers the anode material.

Abstract: An apparatus for fabricating a hybrid tube includes a rotatable mandrel and a first housing configured to translate alongside the rotatable mandrel while dispensing a first strip to be helically wound about the mandrel. The first housing includes an angle adjustment mechanism to control a dispensation angle of the first strip. The apparatus also includes least one energy or adhesive source for bonding overlapping strip portions on the rotatable mandrel and forming the hybrid tube. The at least one energy or adhesive source is configured for translation alongside the rotatable mandrel.

Abstract: A redundant meter measurement system includes a first water sensor configured to measure a first set of water use data and a second water sensor configured to measure a second set of water use data. The system also includes a controller communicatively coupled to the first water sensor and the second water sensor. The controller is configured to receive the first set of water use data from the first water sensor and receive the second set of water use data from the second water sensor. The controller is also configured to store the first set of water use data and the second set of water use data as a collection of water use data. The controller is also configured to enable transmission of the collection of water use data to a remote device.

Abstract: Described herein is a method and system for controlling an interior-mounted permanent magnet (IPM) alternating-current (AC) electrical machine utilizing a space vector pulse-width modulated (SVPWM) converter operably connected between an electrical power source and the IPM AC electrical machine comprising three neural networks (NNs), including a controller NN operably connected to the SVPWM converter, a parameter estimator NN, and a flux-weakening and MTPA NN.

Abstract: A multi-modal heart diagnostic system is provided. The diagnostic system can monitor heart activity and assists a user or operator in performing echocardiography. The system can include a positioning device that is placed on a patient's chest. The positioning device can incorporate several multi-modal sensors. The multi-modal sensors can measure different parameters associated with an assessment of heart activity. The multi-modal sensors can also be used to provide information that can assist an operator in positioning the probe within the positioning device to capture an echocardiogram.

Abstract: This invention relates to methods of expanding T regulatory cells through OX40L and Jagged-1 induced signaling. The methods can be used for treating autoimmune diseases.

Abstract: A biosensor having a core/shell nanocomposite of TiO2/rGO formed by hydrothermally coating reduced graphene oxide (rGO) flakes on titanate nanowires.

Abstract: Provided herein are compositions and methods for the fermentative production of 2,3-butanediol (2,3-BDO), compositions and methods for making methyl ethyl ketone (MEK), and methods of inducing drought tolerance in plants.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides assay containers, sets of containers, portable diagnostic devices, methods of detecting target nucleic acid molecules in a sample, and methods of diagnosing infections, such as COVID-19 infections, in a subject.

Abstract: An embodiment may involve obtaining a three-dimensional image map of m surfaces within an environment, wherein the surfaces are associated with importance weights that represent how frequently the surfaces are expected to be touched; determining a set of n vantage points for a light source within the environment; calculating an m×n irradiance matrix for each of the surfaces when the light source is in each of the vantage points, wherein each entry in the m×n irradiance matrix is determined by: (i) rasterizing the three-dimensional image map, (ii) identifying a set of visible surfaces, and (iii) calculating an amount of light-based power that would reach each of the visible surfaces; determining a set of n dwell times for the vantage points; and providing instructions, to a disinfecting agent, to traverse at least a subset of the vantage points, pausing at and illuminating at least some.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides methods for accurately predicting the dynamics of symptom response to drugs or other interventions for the treatment of major depressive disorder or other psychological conditions. These methods can allow for a shortening of the time period necessary for the evaluation of a drug or other therapeutic intervention. These predictive methods are based on measured and/or self-reported symptom severity measures at two or more points in time. These measures are then discretized into symptom classes (e.g., low, moderate, severe) and the symptom classes are then applied to the predictive model to predict the progression of symptoms and/or the effectiveness of a drug or other therapeutic intervention.

Abstract: A method for separating sound sources includes digitizing acoustic signals from a plurality of sources with a plurality of microphone arrays, wherein each of microphone arrays includes one or more microphones, wherein at least one of the microphone arrays may be asynchronous to another one of the microphone arrays or may be moving with respect to another one of the microphone arrays. Spatial parameters are estimated of the digitized acoustic signals. The method includes estimating time-varying source spectra for the sources from the digitized acoustic signals as a function of the digitized acoustic signals and data received from at least one other microphone array. Source signals are estimated for one or more of the sources by filtering the digitized acoustic data digitized at the respective microphone array using the spatial parameters of the digitized acoustic data and the time-varying source spectra from all or a subset of the microphone arrays.

Abstract: An energetic composition and a method of unzipping polymer binders are disclosed, which includes localizing a heat feedback just near the reaction front by unzipping polymer binders employed to a nanothermite. The energetic composition includes an unzipping polymer binder employed to high load fuel and oxidizer particles.

Abstract: Miscanthus x giganteus is a widely recognized bioenergy crop that finds potential applications in a biorefinery for the production of a wide range of biofuels and biochemicals. This disclosure focuses upon the quantification of the total anthocyanin concentration in miscanthus. Hydrothermal pretreatment was studied for recovering anthocyanins in the pretreatment liquor. The optimized pretreatment conditions (170° C., 10 min) led to a recovery of 94.3±1.5% w/w of the total anthocyanin concentration and also improved the enzymatic digestibility of the biomass, allowing recovery of 70.6±0.5% w/w of glucose at the end of 72 h of enzymatic saccharification. The sugar monomers obtained after the enzymatic hydrolysis of the pretreated biomass could be used for the production of biofuels or biochemicals in an integrated biorefinery.

Abstract: A method for nanoscale tomographic infrared absorption imaging is provided, the method including: generating a first plurality of sets of probe measurements for a plurality of sample locations located across a surface of a sample, and measuring a magnitude and phase of a variation in displacement of the surface of the sample at the particular sample location at the second frequency, wherein the first frequency and the second frequency differ; and generating, based on the first plurality of sets of probe measurements, a three-dimensional tomographic map of absorption of infrared light at the first wavelength by the sample. Generating measurements for a particular location includes generating a first probe measurement by illuminating the sample with infrared light that varies at a first frequency and measuring a variation in displacement of the surface of the sample at the particular sample location at the first frequency.

Abstract: Disclosed are novel compounds that accumulate in Gram-negative bacteria. Also disclosed are method of antimicrobial treatment using the compounds.

Abstract: In an embodiment, a method for completing measurements for a uniform linear array from measurements from a sparse linear array is provided. The method includes: receiving a first set of measurements for a sparse linear array by a computing device; generating a second set of measurements for a uniform linear array from the first set of measurements by the computing device; and using matrix completion to determine values for a plurality of missing elements of the generated second set of measurements for the uniform linear array by the computing device.

Abstract: An apparatus comprising: a membrane with a first side, a second side, and a pore that extends through the membrane; a processing system including a processor; and a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising: electronic sensing of an electrical characteristic associated with a translocation of a test DNA through the pore, resulting in a sensed electrical characteristic; comparing the sensed electrical characteristic with a plurality of reference electrical characteristics, wherein each of the plurality of reference electrical characteristics is associated with a respective one of a plurality of reference features, and wherein the comparing results in a comparison result; and determining, based upon the comparison result, with which of the plurality of reference features a feature of the test DNA corresponds. Additional embodiments are disclosed.