Abstract: An event-guided auto-exposure (EG-AE) device leverages the high dynamic range and low latency properties of a dynamic vision sensor to guide the exposure setting of an active pixel sensor. The method utilizes physical connections of images and events to estimate the irradiance variations, which are fed into the EG-AE device for calculating the exposure setting. The method shows outstanding performance in tackling highly challenging lighting conditions and benefits multiple downstream applications, including visual tag detection and feature matching.

Abstract: A smart skin system includes tactile sensors that mimic the functions of human skin by sensing pressure, vibration and humidity simultaneously and generate electric signals as a result thereof; and a machine learning assisted data processor that interprets the electric signals from the sensors and quantitively perceives the stimulation in terms of pressure, vibration, and environmental humidity. The sensor structurally comprises (1) a single-ion conducting electrolyte, which provides contact electrification, serves as a hygroscopic layer and produces DC hygroelectric signals in response to humidity, (2) a gold electrode and (3) a separatable aluminum electrode as a counter triboelectrification layer that produces AC triboelectric signals in response to contact.

Abstract: An MR marker (501, 601, 803, 902) for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) guided intervention and method of fabricating same. The tracking device can be integrated with an MRI-guided robotic system to provide precise positional tracking of the interventional tools and robotic components, allowing safe operation inside the human body. The MR tracking device includes a plurality of stacked flexible printed circuit boards; a plurality of flat planar spirals comprised of a non-ferromagnetic material and directly disposed on a top surface and a bottom surface side of each flexible printed circuit board, a biocompatible, non-ferromagnetic material encapsulating the flexible printed circuit boards; and an adhesive bonding the flexible printed circuit boards. In another aspect, an orientation-independent device is provided including three or more markers (501, 601, 803, 902) in an array around a cylindrical substrate.

Abstract: A method for hybrid-domain reconstruction of MRI images includes the steps of (A) extracting null-subspace bases of a calibration matrix from k-space coil calibration data to calculate image-domain spatial null maps (SNMs) and (B) reconstructing multi-channel images by solving an image-domain nulling system formed by SNMs that contain both coil sensitivity and finite image support information, thus circumventing the masking-related procedure and demonstrating a robust reconstruction.

Abstract: A human balance sensor for assessing the risk of the user falling includes a transparent glass plate, a latex sheet located on the top surface of the glass plate, a light source located so as to inject light into edge of the glass plate and a high resolution camera located below the glass plate so as to capture light diffused from the glass plate when pressure is applied thereto by the user's foot. Based on the principle of Frustrated Total Internal Reflection (FTIR), when user stands with his feet on the glass plate a condition of total internal reflection is eliminated at pressure locations due to the pressure from the feet, and diffused light passes from the bottom surface of the glass plate and forms a haptic image of the contact area of the feet which can be analyzed over time to determine the user's ability to balance, and hence their risk of a fall.

Abstract: A chromic liquid capable of responding to and reproducing external optical color illumination is formed as a TiO2 colloid imbued with three sensitizing dyes. The dyes are (a) SQ2 (5-carboxy-2-[[3-[(2,3-dihydro-1,1-dimethyl-3-ethyl-1H-benzo[e]indol-2-ylidene)methyl]-2-hydroxy-4-oxo-2-cyclobuten-1-ylidene]methyl]-3,3-dimethyl-1-octyl-3H-indolium), (b) LEG4 (3-{6-{4-[bis(2?,4?-dibutyloxybiphenyl-4-yl)amino-]phenyl}-4,4-dihexyl-cyclopenta-[2,1-b:3,4-b?]dithiophene-2-yl}-2-cyanoacrylic acid) and (c) L0 (4-(diphenylamino) phenylcyanoacrylic acid). The liquid reproduces cyan, magenta and yellow color or a mixture thereof in response to exposure to illumination by light of various colors.

Abstract: An Al—Si coated press hardening component, wherein the Al—Si coating comprises a low-Al content ferrite layer with an Al content of less than 5 wt % and a thickness of greater than 5 ?m, and having a maximum bending angle of the Al—Si coated press hardening component is greater than 65°. The thickness of the tough low-Al content ferrite layer in the Al—Si coating after hot stamping, reaching 5-100 ?m, by improving the hot stamping process, so that the formation or propagation of cracks on the surface or the coating is effectively prevented, and the bendability of the pre-coated steel after hot stamping is improved. At the same time, the hot stamping process of the present invention can take into account or optimize the microstructure of the steel substrate to further improve the bendability and tensile property of the whole material.

Abstract: An electroconductive hydrogel is formed by hybrid assembly of polymeric nanofiber networks of conducting polymers that self-organize into highly connected 3D nanostructures with an ultralow threshold (˜1 wt %) for electrical percolation. A method for forming the electroconductive hydrogel comprises the steps of: dispersing aramid nanofibers (ANFs) in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO); conducting a solvent exchange with water to generate hydrogels with connective 3D fibrillar networks that serve as templates for the assembly of conducting polymers; incorporating polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) during the processing of the hydrogels to weld the fibrillar joints via hydrogen bonding; infiltrating monomers into the nano-porous hydrogels in an aqueous media; and polymerizing the hydrogels with added oxidants.

Abstract: A computer-implemented geometric processing method generates the design for a model of a dental prosthesis beginning with obtaining a blended prosthesis dataset for dental prostheses including natural tooth data and prosthesis tooth data designed by a technician. This dataset is preprocessed by generating a depth map with preprocessing so that the data is more suitable for deep learning (DL) so as to ensure generation of a smooth surface. An artificial intelligence neural network generation model with tooth feature loss is trained on the preprocessed dataset and is used to form a model of the prosthesis. Then the dental information associated with the dental model of dentition is used to generate a 3D dental prosthesis surface with a post-processing method to meet the requirement of the dental prosthesis. Finally, the rest of the dental prosthesis is completed to meet full function.

Abstract: An all-analog spiking neural network circuit including at least one ReRAM-crossbar synapse array that conducts multiply-accumulate operations in parallel and a spike response model (SRM) neuron circuit, which is built with complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology. The neuron circuits receive outputs from the ReRAM-crossbar synapse array and directly process the output currents from the ReRAM-crossbar synapse arrays to complete the multiply-accumulate operation and produce processed voltage spike trains.

Abstract: A method of measuring cross-correlation or similarity between input features and filters of neural networks using an RRAM-crossbar architecture to carry out addition/subtraction-based neural networks for in-memory computing. The correlation calculations use L1 norm operations of AdderNet. The RCM structure of the RRAM-cross bar has storage and computing collocated, such that processing is done in the analog domain with low power, low latency and small area. In addition, the impact due to the nonidealities of RRAM device can be alleviated by the implicit ratio-based feature of the structure.

Abstract: An asymmetric tetradentate metal complex of a N{circumflex over (?)}C{circumflex over (?)}C{circumflex over (?)}N comprising tetradentate ligand has a metal connected to binding sites which are connected to each other via three or four covalent bonds that can be either single or double bonds with bridging linkers reside between C{circumflex over (?)}C and C{circumflex over (?)}N moieties. These linkers result in three-dimension metal complexes with distorted square planar geometries. The four donor atoms coordinate to a metal center. Upon metal binding a 5-6-6 membered metallocycle is formed upon chelation including a first nitrogen donor bond, a first metal-carbon bond, a second metal-carbon bond, and a second nitrogen donor bond. The light emission from these metal complexes can be tuned by the ligand structure over the entire visible spectrum.

Abstract: The invention provides a radiotherapeutical or radiosurgical system comprising at least two high-intensity radiation sources configured to rotate around a common rotation axis and a ring-shaped imaging device. A three-source configuration is considered as the most cost-effective and will be used as an example for illustration. The configuration of these high-intensity radiation sources and use of a unique compact MLC for each of the radiation sources make it possible for the system to rapidly deliver high-conformal non-coplanar stereotactic radiation treatment in one gantry rotation without any couch rotation. Therefore the invention can deliver high precision and high-conformal non-coplanar stereotactic radiation treatment to any part of the body in an extremely short time (0.1-20 seconds), which may exhibit numerous advantages over the prior art, such as reduction of radiation damage to the circulating immune cells in blood and mitigation of patient motion-induced problems, among others.

Abstract: A chip placement method includes the steps of: (a) determining the order of placement of integrated circuit chips by the features of the chip modules, (b) generating pix-level masks from the status of the placed chips and the next two chips to be placed, (c) extracting local and global features from the masks by convolutional neural networks, and (d) selecting the placement position by merged features and a congestion threshold. The method is carried out by computer apparatus with a storage medium.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method of bonding two copper structures involving compressing a first copper structure with a second copper structure under a stress from 0.1 MPa to 50 MPa and under a temperature of 250° C. or less so that a bonding surface of the first copper structure is bonded to the bonding surface of the second copper structure. At least one of the bonding surface of the first copper structure and the bonding surface of the second copper structure have a layer of nanograins of copper having an average grain size of 5 nm to 500 nm. The layer of the nanograins of copper having a thickness of 10 nm to 10 ?m.

Abstract: A muscle-like actuator comprises a motor with a rotatable drive shaft and a string with a shear thickening fluid (STF) embedded therein. One end of the string is attached to the drive shaft and the other end is connected to a load to form a twisted string actuator (TSA). By controlling the speed and current of the motor, the characteristics of the actuator can be changed. Multiple strings may be located in a flexible soft tube to improve the mechanical properties of the actuator.

Abstract: A neurosurgical robotic system for bilateral stereotaxy that integrates intraoperative MRI guidance is provided. The robotic system can be implemented in regular diagnostic MRI facilities. Navigation for bilateral brain targets can be performed independently and simultaneously. The robotic system includes a plurality of manipulators, a needle guide (31), a needle (12) disposed within the needle guide (31); and a mounting base (39) with a plurality of screw holes for bone mounting.

Abstract: The present invention describes a method of preventing, ameliorating and/or treating disorders or diseases associated with the integrated stress response (ISR) involving the p-eIF2? pathway arising from various cellular stresses such as oxidative stress, hypoxia and ER stress, chronic or prolonged bio-mechanical stress. In one embodiment, the present invention provides a method which prevents or alleviates aberrant cell differentiation that is caused by the activation of the integrated stress response and thereby prevents or alleviates conditions, disorders or diseases resulting therefrom. In one embodiment, ISR-associated diseases subject to the present invention include but are not limited to skeletal disorders including disc degeneration, MCDS and other skeletal dysplasias, cancers, inflammatory diseases, diabetes, fibrosis, obesity and neurodegenerative diseases.

Abstract: A highly rigid tetradentate ligand is combined with a gold(III) ion as a thermally stable tetradentate gold(III) complex. The tetradentate gold(III) complex is a tetradentate gold(III) compound that can be used as a light-emitting material which can be used for fabricated of light-emitting devices such as an organic light-emitting diode (OLED). The tetradentate gold(III) compound can be deposited as a layer or a component of a layer using a solution-process or a vacuum deposition process. The luminescent tetradentate gold(III) compounds are robust and can provide electroluminescence (EL) with a high efficiency and brightness.

Abstract: Nitrogen-doped carbon-based catalyst sheets, methods for producing such carbon-based catalyst sheets, and their use as electrocatalysts in oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). A carbon-based catalyst comprising: carbon-based sheets, wherein the carbon-based sheets comprise nitrogen and a transition metal, and wherein the carbon-based sheets further comprise a plurality of micropores, mesopores, macropores, or combinations thereof.