Abstract: Systems and methods of communicating using asymmetric polar codes are provided which overcome the codeword length constraints of systems and methods of communicating that use traditional polar codes. Used herein, asymmetric polar codes refers to a polarizing linear block code of any arbitrary length that is constructed by connecting together constituent polar codes of unequal length. Asymmetric polar codes may be known by other names. In comparison to conventional solutions for variable codeword length, asymmetric polar codes may provide more flexibility, improved performance, and/or reduced complexity of decoding, encoding, or code design. The system and method provide a flexible, universal, and well-defined coding scheme and to provide sound bit-error correction performance and low decoding latency (compared with current length-compatible methods which can be used with current hardware designs).

Abstract: A method for assessing a cancer status of biological tissue includes the steps of: obtaining a Raman spectrum indicating a Raman spectroscopy response of the biological tissue, the Raman spectrum captured using a fiber-optic probe of a fiber-optic Raman spectroscopy system; inputting the Raman spectrum into a boosted tree classification algorithm of a computer program, and using the boosted tree classification algorithm for comparing, in real-time, the captured Raman spectrum to reference data and assessing the cancer status of the biological tissue based on said comparison, the reference data being previously determined based on a set of reference Raman spectra indicating Raman spectroscopy responses of reference biological tissues wherein each of the reference biological tissues is associated with a known cancer status; and generating a real-time output indicating the assessed cancer status of the biological tissue,

Abstract: Method and system for predicting labels for nodes in an observed graph, including deriving a plurality of random graph realizations of the observed graph; learning a predictive function using the random graph realizations; predicting label probabilities for nodes of the random graph realizations using the learned predictive function; and averaging the predicted label probabilities to predict labels for the nodes of the observed graph.

Abstract: Disclosed are pharmaceutical salts and co-crystals of pentoxifylline, clonidine and linsidomine with caffeic acid, protocatechuic acid or ?-lipoic acid, and method for preparing thereof. Also disclosed are topical compositions comprising said salts or co-crystals and use thereof for treating pain.

Abstract: Methods for enhancing the activity of an ion transporter in a cell and/or treating a channelopathy in a subject based on the administration or use of an effective amount of a fenretinide compound (fenretinide, a fenretinide analog, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof) and/or zinc are described. The methods are useful for restoring or increasing the cell surface expression of an ion transporter such as the Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR) that is mutated or defective. The fenretinide compound and/or zinc may be used in combination with ion transporter modulators, e.g., CFTR modulators, to further enhance the cell surface expression and activity of the ion transporter.

Abstract: Solid state sources offers potential advantages including high brightness, electricity savings, long lifetime, and higher color rendering capability, when compared to incandescent and fluorescent light sources. To date however, many of these advantages, however, have not been borne out in providing white LED lamps for general lighting applications. The inventors have established that surface recombination through non-radiative processes results in highly inefficient electrical injection. Exploiting in-situ grown shells in combination with dot-in-a-wire LED structures to overcome this limitation through the effective lateral confinement offered by the shell the inventors have demonstrated core-shell dot-in-a-wire LEDs, with significantly improved electrical injection efficiency and output power, providing phosphor-free InGaN/GaN nanowire white LEDs operating with milliwatt output power and color rendering indices of 95-98.

Abstract: Method or system for reinforcement learning that simultaneously learns a DR distribution ? while optimizing an agent policy ? to maximize performance over the learned DR distribution; method or system for training a learning agent using data synthesized by a simulator based on both a performance of the learning agent and a range of parameters present in the synthesized data.

Abstract: InGaN offers a route to high efficiency overall water splitting under one-step photo-excitation. Further, the chemical stability of metal-nitrides supports their use as an alternative photocatalyst. However, the efficiency of overall water splitting using InGaN and other visible light responsive photocatalysts has remained extremely low despite prior art work addressing optical absorption through band gap engineering. Within this prior art the detrimental effects of unbalanced charge carrier extraction/collection on the efficiency of the four electron-hole water splitting reaction have remained largely unaddressed. To address this growth processes are presented that allow for controlled adjustment and establishment of the appropriate Fermi level and/or band bending in order to allow the photochemical water splitting to proceed at high rate and high efficiency. Beneficially, establishing such material surface charge properties also reduces photo-corrosion and instability under harsh photocatalysis conditions.

Abstract: A technique for separating components of a microfluid, comprises a self-intersecting micro or nano-fluidic channel defining a cyclic path for circulating the fluid over a receiving surface of a fluid component separating member; and equipment for applying coordinated pressure to the channel at a plurality of pressure control areas along the cyclic path to circulate the fluid over the receiving surface, applying a pressure to encourage a desired transmission through the separating member, and a circulating pressure to remove surface obstructions on the separating member. The equipment preferably defines a peristaltic pump. Turbulent microfluidic flow appears to be produced.

Abstract: There is described a device for generating electromagnetic field oscillation in a RF device or cavity. The device generally has a photo-diode configured for receiving a laser pulse train and emitting a first electrical signal based thereon, the first electrical signal having a plurality of frequencies; and a harmonics selector configured to output a second electrical signal having one or more frequency of the first electrical signal, the one or more frequency being selected in a manner for the output to generate the electromagnetic field oscillation in the RF device or cavity.

Abstract: There is provided a method comprising, at a data receiver, receiving a channel codeword from a data sender over a noisy data channel, generating a plurality of candidate error patterns, the plurality of candidate error patterns comprising a plurality of one-bit error patterns and a plurality of multiple-bit error patterns generated from the plurality of one-bit error patterns, evaluating the plurality of candidate error patterns for codebook membership, based on the channel codeword, and outputting an estimated codeword when a codebook membership constraint is satisfied for a given candidate error pattern.

Abstract: It is provided an achiral, non-nucleosidic backbone for phosphoramidites that can be inserted with high yields in nucleic acid strands and sequence-controlled oligo(phosphodiester)s through solid phase synthesis (SPS) using a DNA synthesizer. From this backbone, platforms with useful chemical handles were synthesized, further functionalized, transformed into phosphoramidites and attached to nucleic acid strands and sequence-controlled oligo(phosphodiester)s. The backbone is based on a tertiary amine with a 3-6 carbon spacer between the central nitrogen and the two external hydroxyls. The spacer has been optimized to increase coupling yields and stability.

Abstract: The present disclosure concerns aptamers which specifically bind to Legionella pneumophila which can be used to detect the presence of Legionella pneumophila in a sample.

Abstract: A delivery system and method for radiation shielded brachytherapy has a drive assembly, and a plurality of shield assemblies, pivotally mounted to the drive assembly, each having a tubular body defining an outer surface and a bore longitudinally extending between opposite ends of the tubular body. Each of the shield assemblies has radiation shielding material extending about a circumferential portion of the tubular body and disposed between the outer surface and the cavity. An interlocking system is operatively mounted to the rotating assembly, and engages a group of the plurality of shield assemblies. The interlocking system is configured for transmitting a rotational input received from a driving mechanism to the group of shield assemblies, for synchronously rotating each shield assembly of the group about their respective longitudinal axis.

Abstract: There is provided herein a method for preparing a graphene oxide (GO) hydrogel. The method comprises the steps of adding vitamin C (VC) to a dispersion GO in a ratio GO:VC varying from 1:50 to 1:300; and incubating at a temperature above 45° C., preferably at 95° C. the dispersion for a time sufficient for a porous hydrogel to be self-assembled from the dispersion. CNPs can also be added to the hydrogel in a ratio GO:CNPs from 4:1 to 1:1. There is also provided the hydrogel so obtained and its use for removing contaminants from a fluid. The hydrogel can also be used as a filter for such decontamination.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer readable media for utilizing brain structural characteristics for predicting a diagnosis of a neurobehavioral disorder are disclosed. One method for utilizing brain structural characteristics for predicting a diagnosis of a neurobehavioral disorder includes receiving brain imaging data for a human subject of at least one first age. The method also includes determining, from the brain imaging data, measurements of brain structural characteristics of the human subject and inputting the brain structural characteristics into a model that predicts, using the measurements of the brain structural characteristics, a diagnosis of a neurobehavioral disorder at a second age greater than the at least one first age.

Abstract: There is described a computer-implemented method of performing medical treatment outcome assessment or medical condition diagnostic. The method generally has receiving a three-dimensional (3D) anatomical image representing a region of a body of a patient; generating a 3D invariant image by processing the 3D anatomical image based on an isophote structure invariant entity (e.g., mean curvature of isophotes, Gaussian curvature of isophotes); using an image processing unit, processing the 3D invariant image and generating an output based on said processing, the output being either: medical treatment outcome data indicative of an outcome assessment of a treatment received by said patient; or medical condition diagnostic data indicative of a diagnostic of a medical condition of said patient.

Abstract: It is provided novel anti-galactofuranose antibodies and their use for diagnosis of and/or treating aspergillosis, and for the design of chimeric antigen receptor T-cells, wherein single chain variable fragment of the antibodies, such as a heavy chain variable region or a light chain variable region, is fused via a spacer and a transmembrane domain to a signaling endodomain to generate an expression cassette that will be integrated into a T cell.

Abstract: The apparatus for making a nanopore in a membrane generally has an electrode configured to connect to one of two opposing surfaces of the membrane; a conductive tip configured to contact a location of the other one of the two opposing surfaces of the membrane; and a voltage source electrically connected between the electrode and the conductive tip and operable to generate an electric potential across the membrane, the electric potential locally removing material of the membrane at the location to make the nanopore.

Abstract: Systems and methods of communicating using asymmetric polar codes are provided which overcome the codeword length constraints of systems and methods of communicating that use traditional polar codes. Used herein, asymmetric polar codes refers to a polarizing linear block code of any arbitrary length that is constructed by connecting together constituent polar codes of unequal length. Asymmetric polar codes may be known by other names. In comparison to conventional solutions for variable codeword length, asymmetric polar codes may provide more flexibility, improved performance, and/or reduced complexity of decoding, encoding, or code design. The system and method provide a flexible, universal, and well-defined coding scheme and to provide sound bit-error correction performance and low decoding latency (compared with current length-compatible methods which can be used with current hardware designs).