Abstract: Compositions are provided for efficient uranium extraction, for example from wastewater, seawater, or other water sources. The compositions can include a functionalized porous organic polymer functionalized with one or more uranium binding moieties, e.g. having a plurality of amidoxime or amidrazone groups covalently attached thereto. The compositions can include covalent organic frameworks, porous aromatic frameworks, and various porous organic polymers, especially those having a hierarchical pore size distribution over a range of pore sizes. The compositions can have functional groups such as amidoxime or an amidrazone covalently attached thereto. The hierarchical pore size distribution can be determined based upon at least 60% of the pore sizes in the range of pore sizes having a pore volume of at least 0.01 cm3 g?1 in the pore size distribution at 77 K. Methods of making the compositions and methods of using the compositions are also provided.

Abstract: A method of treating neurodegenerative diseases using hUCB plasma is presented herein. hUCB plasma attenuated the hyperactive response (Group III) and potentiated the normal response in Group I ALS patients, but did not alter that of the non-responders to PHA (Group II). The elevated activity of caspase 3/7 observed in the MNCs from ALS patients was significantly reduced by hUCB plasma treatment. The ability of hUCB plasma to modulate the mitogen cell response and reduce caspase activity suggest that the use of hUCB plasma alone, or with stem cells, may prove useful as a therapeutic in ALS patients. hUCB plasma was shown to increase therapeutic efficacy of MNCs as well as decrease apoptosis of MNCs. The cytokine profile of hUCB plasma supports its usefulness as a sole therapeutic as well as an additive to MNCs.

Abstract: The present invention pertains to a strategy of selectively targeting oncolytic virotherapy, using either naturally occurring or genetically modified viruses by packaging them in mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). The present invention concerns MSCs, compositions comprising the MSCs, and methods of using the MSCs for treatment of cancer and for lysing or inducing apoptosis of cancer cells in vitro or in vivo.

Abstract: A non-contact respiratory monitoring system, method, and sensor are disclosed. The system includes a magnet and a sensor including a coil made of magnetic microwire. The magnetic microwire sensor coil is configured to detect motion of the magnet relative to the magnetic sensor coil. An alternating voltage across the magnetic microwire sensor coil is modified by a change in impedance of the magnetic microwire sensor coil caused by the change in the distance of the magnet from the magnetic microwire sensor coil. The non-contact respiratory monitoring method includes changing a distance of a magnet from a magnetic sensor coil. The sensor includes a coil composed of high quality melt-extracted amorphous microwire.

Abstract: Images of an insect are subjected to at least a first convolutional neural network to develop feature maps based on anatomical pixels at corresponding image locations in the respective feature maps. The anatomical pixels correspond to a body part of the insect. A computer calculates an outer product of the first feature map and the second feature map to form an integrated feature map. Extracting fully connected layers from respective sets of integrated feature maps and applying the fully connected layers to a classification network for identifying the genus and the species of the insect.

Abstract: A miniature pump including a first chamber, a second chamber, a deformable membrane provided within the second chamber that divides the second chamber into first and second sub-chambers, the second sub-chamber defining a reservoir configured to contain liquid to be dispensed, a passage that connects the first chamber to the first sub-chamber, and an outlet in fluid communication with the reservoir, wherein pressurized fluid within the first internal chamber flows through the passage and into the first sub-chamber to compress the deformable membrane and cause liquid contained within the reservoir to flow out from the reservoir through the outlet and wherein the deformable membrane does not generate significant restoring forces when it is deformed and, therefore, will not return to its initial undeformed shape unless the reservoir is refilled.

Abstract: Compositions and methods for inducing weight loss, fat loss, maintaining weight or fat loss, suppressing appetite, reducing calorie intake, reducing weight gain, decreasing feed efficiency, increasing metabolic inefficiency, increasing energy expenditure, increasing thermogenesis and/or resetting metabolic set are disclosed. The compositions have a therapeutically effective amount of a ketogenic supplement, e.g., a ketone diesters, such as R,S 1,3-butanediol diacetoacetate. Compositions of one or more beta-hydroxybutyrate, beta-hydroxybutyrate salt, and medium chain triglycerides are also disclosed.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a sensor unit includes an outer housing including a top plate and a base member that together define an interior space, the top plate being configured to directly receive and support the leg of the piece of furniture, a load cell provided within the interior space configured to measure forces imposed by the leg on the top plate, the load cell including a planar metal plate having a deformable element to which the top plate is mounted and a sensor element mounted to the planar metal plate at a location at which the deformable element extends from the remainder of the planar metal plate, and an internal platform provided within the interior space and associated with the base member that supports the planar metal plate of the load cell in a manner in which the deformable element of the planar metal plate is free to deform when a force is imposed by the leg on the top plate.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a fluid storage device includes a rigid outer housing that defines a septum cavity, a reservoir cavity, and a channel that extends between the two cavities, the outer housing further defining an outlet in fluid communication with the reservoir cavity, a septum provided within the septum cavity, the septum being made of an elastic polymer and facilitating refilling of the fluid storage device, and a thin, collapsible membrane that does not generate significant restoring forces when it is deformed as fluid is drawn from the reservoir cavity and, therefore, does not completely or partially return to its initial non-deformed shape even if the outlet of the device remains open after doses are administered.

Abstract: A new compromise-resilient and compact cryptographic tool is provided that ensures a breach-resilient authentication and integrity of system measurements in computer systems. The described methods are forward-secure digital signatures with signature and partial public key aggregation capabilities. The methods reduce the total space overhead of signature and public key storage. The methods offer a high space efficiency for systems who has relatively low state transitions, wherein the same message is continuously signed and then followed by different messages.

Abstract: A method for enhancement of spontaneous Raman scattering (SRS) from gases comprising a multimode blue laser diode which receives feedback from a near concentric bidirectional multipass cavity in such a way as to generate a circulating power of order 100 W for a sample volume of 10 mm3. The feedback, provided via a volume Bragg grating, reduces the laser bandwidth to 4 cm?1. Spectra of spontaneous Raman scattering from ambient atmospheric air, detected collinearly with the pump, were recorded with a limit of detection below 1 part-per-million.

Abstract: Examples of determining electronic component authenticity via electronic signal signature measurement are discussed. Reference pin identifiers corresponding to pins of a known authentic electronic component are determined. Measurement values corresponding to characteristics of pins of an electronic component are obtained, and pin identifiers based on the measurement values are generated. Accordingly, an indication that the electronic component is authentic can be provided based at least in part on a comparison of the pin identifiers and the reference pin identifiers.

Abstract: The present disclosure presents glucose sensing methods and systems. One such system comprises an electrospun-nanofibrous-membrane (ENFM)-based amperometric glucose sensor integrated on a silicon chip, in which the glucose sensor has a working electrode, a reference electrode, and a counter electrode, wherein the working electrode comprises an ENFM-based sensing electrode. The system further comprises a potentiostat circuit integrated on the silicon chip such that the potentiostat circuit comprises a voltage control unit to control a voltage difference between the working electrode and the reference electrode and a transimpedance amplifier to measure a current flow between the working electrode and the counter electrode, in which a strength of the current flow corresponds to an amount of glucose present in a sample of blood on the glucose sensor.

Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments for computing 2-body statistics on graphics processing units (GPUs). Various types of two-body statistics (2-BS) are regarded as essential components of data analysis in many scientific and computing domains. However, the quadratic complexity of these computations hinders timely processing of data. According, various embodiments of the present disclosure involve parallel algorithms for 2-BS computation on Graphics Processing Units (GPUs). Although the typical 2-BS problems can be summarized into a straightforward parallel computing pattern, traditional wisdom from (general) parallel computing often falls short in delivering the best possible performance. Therefore, various embodiments of the present disclosure involve techniques to decompose 2-BS problems and methods for effective use of computing resources on GPUs. We also develop analytical models that guide users towards the appropriate parameters of a GPU program.

Abstract: A DLDO has a configuration that mitigates performance degradation associated with limit cycle oscillation (LCO). The DLDO comprises a clocked comparator, an array of power transistors, a digital controller and a clock pulsewidth reduction circuit. The digital controller comprises control logic configured to generate control signals that cause the power transistors to be turned ON or OFF in accordance with a preselected activation/deactivation control scheme. The clock pulsewidth reduction circuit receives an input clock signal having a first pulsewidth and generates the DLDO clock signal having the preselected pulsewidth that is narrower that the first pulsewidth, which is then delivered to the clock terminals of the clocked comparator and the digital controller. The narrower pulsewidth of the DLDO clock reduces the LCO mode to mitigate performance degradation caused by LCO.

Abstract: Disclosed is a multiagent system with agents in communication with each other via a communication network. The agents have heterogeneous time-invariant dynamics such that all of the agents have a primary set of synchronization roles that are different from a secondary set of synchronization roles of a subset of the agents.

Abstract: A novel polymer optical waveguide and method of manufacturing is presented herein. A digitally manufactured process is described which utilizes a micro-dispensed UV optical adhesive as the contour guiding cladding, a fused deposition modeling technology for creating a core, and a subtractive laser process to finish the two ends of the optical interconnect. The optical waveguide can be printed directly on a circuit board in some embodiments. Alternatively, using a slightly modified process including a step to bond the optical fiber to the substrate, the optical interconnect can be manufactured on a flexible substrate.

Abstract: Described herein are Dendrilla membranosa compounds and derivatives thereof. Also described herein are formulations that can contain an amount of one or more Dendrilla membranosa compounds or derivatives thereof and a carrier. Also described herein are methods of administering one or more Dendrilla membranosa compound and/or derivative thereof or a formulation thereof to a subject in need thereof.

Abstract: A system and method of propagating signal links by using artificial neural networks using a relay link selection protocol to predict an optimal link or path, providing a reliable mechanism to meet 5G-new radio requirements. The artificial neural networks used in the method classify training and testing datasets into sufficient signal strengths and insufficient signal strengths, such that paths are evaluated for predicted propagation links, and such that the strongest propagation link can be selected. Specifically, a multilayer perceptron method is used to identify and characterize new link candidates using the path loss parameter or the received signal strength, such that optimal links can be selected and updated. To determine the sufficiency of a signal, a threshold energy strength is determined (for example, a threshold of ?120 dBm can be used; any energy strength below the threshold is considered a poor propagation and is classified as an insufficient signal).

Abstract: A system and method of adjusting a field of view in an imaging system includes transmitting light across a transmission optical path and defining a field of view encompassing both uniform and spatially tenuous target objects within the transmitted light. A sensor within a return optical path of reflected light from at least a portion of one of the target objects allows a data processing computer to compile an image from a series of data outputs from the sensor. The image is analyzed to determine a region of interest within the image and by dynamically adjusting the light source, the computer is configured to change the field of view of the light source such that the image includes a higher resolution and/or signal intensity for the region of interest. The region of interest may include at least one spatially tenuous target object.