Abstract: A 2D image-guided surgical robot system for distal locking operations includes surgical image acquisition equipment, a robot arm, a robot end effector attached to the robot arm, and a remote operation workstation. To perform a distal locking operation, the position of the image acquisition device is adjusted to obtain a round outline of a lockhole in the image. A distortion correction is performed. The position of the target lockhole is assigned by a user through the GUI of the remote operation workstation, and the remote operation workstation calculates a robot motion quantity using image feedback control law and moves the robot accordingly. The “image-and-move” procedure is repeated several times until the drill guide is accurately aligned to the lockhole, then the distal locking operation is accomplished by first drilling a guide hole using a guide wire through the drill guide, and then screwing a locking screw through the guide hole.

Abstract: A device for occlusion of a body lumen comprises an implantable occlusion apparatus (3) operably attached to an elongated catheter member (4) configured for transluminal delivery and deployment of the occlusion apparatus in the body lumen. The occlusion apparatus comprises a radially expansible element (5) detachably attached to the elongated catheter member, and adjustable between a contracted orientation suitable for 10 transluminal delivery and a deployed orientation configured to occlude the body lumen, an energy delivery element (6, 14, 21) configured to deliver energy to surrounding tissue to heat the tissue, and a sensor (7) configured to detect a parameter of the wall of the body lumen. The energy delivery element (6, 14, 21) and sensor (7) are axially movable independently of the radially expansible element whereby, in use, the energy delivery 15 element and sensor can be transluminally retracted leaving the radially expansible element in-situ occluding the body lumen.

Abstract: An apparatus for treating clubfoot is provided that includes a pair of vertically stacked and parallel cross bars that are connected to shoe attachment member via four hinges to define a parallelogram shaped gap therebetween. As the user raises a knee, one shoe attachment member can be displaced via the hinges (primarily in the y-axis or anterior/superior plane) relative to the other shoe attachment member, while the distance between the crossbars remains constant.

Abstract: An electrocardiograph (ECG) signal detection and positioning method based on weakly supervised learning is provided. A deep learning model mainly includes a multi-scale feature extraction module, a self-attention encoding module, and a classification and positioning module. An extracted original ECG signal is denoised and segmented to obtain a fixed-length pure ECG signal segment. In the convolutionally-connected multi-scale feature extraction module, a channel local attention (CLA) layer is introduced, and a PReLU activation function is used to achieve a better local information extraction capability. The self-attention encoding module is introduced to establish an association between a local feature and a global feature. The classification and positioning module is introduced to output a general location of an abnormal signal. A fusion module enables the model to map a local predicted value onto a global predicted value, and model parameters are trained on a weakly annotated dataset.

Abstract: A soil layer extractor tool used in a system for obtaining a soil sample, dispensing liquid into the soil sample, collecting the resulting leachate, and extracting a soil layer from the obtained soil sample. The soil layer extractor tool includes a base, a holder for a sample tube, and crane for lifting walls of the sample tube to expose a soil sample within the sample tube. The base includes a lower base portion and upper base portion joined in sliding relation. Vertical posts are mounted on the upper base portion, and extractor blades are mounted on the vertical posts for extracting a soil layer. The extractor blades include a lower blade and upper blade, and a vertical blade positioned therebetween. A soil layer is extracted by a sliding movement pushing the extractor blades into the exposed soil sample thus removing a soil layer from sample contained in the sample tube.

Abstract: The present invention belongs to the field of genetic engineering, and particularly relates to a genetically engineered dual-targeting chimeric antigen receptor. The present invention provides a genetically engineered dual-targeting chimeric antigen receptor and a host cell thereof in response to up-regulated expression of PD-L1 in tumor cells and immune cells after these cells are exposed to malignant serosal cavity effusion. The dual-targeting chimeric antigen receptor provided by the present invention competitively binds to PD-L1 to transform an inhibition signal of PD-L1 into an activation signal and to enhance the killing activity of T cells; meanwhile, 4-1BB introduced downstream thereof can promote proliferation and survival of T cells. In addition, the present invention also discloses a host cell expressing the above dual-targeting antigen receptor and a use thereof in preventing or treating solid tumors.

Abstract: Self-healing, hydrophobic composites and related methods are provided. A method of repelling water may comprise forming a layer of a self-healing, hydrophobic composite comprising a porous network of entangled polymer fibers and a hydrophobic phase change material infused throughout the network, on a surface of a substrate to form a treated surface; and exposing the treated surface to water, wherein the treated surface exhibits a native water droplet contact angle which is greater than that of an untreated surface without the layer of the composite.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure provides a method and device for constructing a multi-dimensional coupled vibration identification model for a roll system of a strip mill, the method comprising: performing preprocessing, signal decomposition, and reconstruction of the multi-dimensional data for the roll system of the strip mill monitored through technical monitoring by multiple sensors during a working process of the strip mill, and performing feature extraction of the reconstructed data using a wavelet packet energy approach; obtaining an initial multi-dimensional coupled vibration feature local identification model for the roll system of the strip mill based on Support Vector Machine (SVM) by using a Gaussian radial basis function as a kernel function of the SVM model; and training the initial multi-dimensional coupled vibration feature local identification model for the roll system of the strip mill using a multi-source heterogeneous information fusion approach based on the feature vector to obtain t

Abstract: Biosensors for detection terephthalic acid (TPA) and methods of their use are provided. The biosensors include a nucleic acid encoding a TphR protein, a promoter regulated by TPA, and a reporter operably linked to the promoter. Vectors and host cells including the biosensors are also provided.

Abstract: Described herein are novel ?- and ?-propargyl carboxylic acids and esters. The novel compositions are antagonists of CSE and may be used to modulate of the activity of the carotid body, therefore providing therapeutic benefits for sleep-related breathing disorders and related conditions.

Abstract: According to some embodiments, systems and methods are provided for revoking one or more of a plurality of entities in a vehicular public-key infrastructure. The systems and methods balance privacy and efficiency by distributing activation codes according to various approaches, including a direct request approach, a fixed-size subset approach, and a variable-size subset approach.

Abstract: Wood template-supported phase change material (PCM) composite having thermal energy storage applications. A wood template-supported PCM may include a wood template that has had at least a portion of its xylan and/or lignin removed and saturated with a PCM. The PCM may be stabilized with a cross linkable network for improved infiltration into the wood template. The wood template-supported PCM composite may be formed by extracting xylan and/or lignin from the wood to create a wood template, densifying at least a portion of the wood template, and inserting a PCM into the wood template.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a nitride semiconductor device includes formation of a gate insulation film above a nitride semiconductor layer. The formation of the gate insulation film includes formation of silicon oxynitride film in contact with a surface of the nitride semiconductor layer. The formation of the silicon oxynitride film includes oxidation of a film source material having both of silicon and nitride in a molecule to form the silicon oxynitride film.

Abstract: A packaging material for the non-destructive detection of food quality, a preparation method of the packaging material, and a detection method using the packaging material are provided. The packaging material includes a film material covering the outside of the food, where the film material includes a flexible base layer, an adhesive layer, a transparent conductive layer, and a nanostructured layer which are sequentially stacked from the outer side to the inner side. The flexible base layer is a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) layer. The adhesive layer is a polyimide (PI) layer. The transparent conductive layer is an indium tin oxide (ITO) layer. The nanostructured layer is a silver nanoparticles layer. The preparation method includes spin-coating and curing PI on PDMS, sputtering ITO, self-assembling silver nanoparticles on the transparent conductive layer, and etching according to a pattern.

Abstract: A non-invasive glucose sensor used for glucose detection in a subject is provided. The sensor includes a long channel source to excite a first location of a skin and a long channel detector to detect near infrared (NIR) energy emitted from the first location of the skin. A short channel source excites a second location of the skin and a short channel detector detects NIR energy emitted from the second location of the skin. The sensor further includes a long channel processor to process a long channel electrical signal into a glucose spectroscopic data and a short channel processor to process a short channel electrical signal into a background spectroscopic data. The sensor includes a spectroscopic processor to subtract the background spectroscopic data from the glucose spectroscopic data, and thereby to produce data indicative of a quantity of glucose present in the subject's blood.

Abstract: An imaging system comprises an excitation light source, a directing element positioned to direct light from the excitation light source toward a sample, a detector configured to measure incoming light from the sample, a filter cavity positioned between the sample and the detector, a first filter configured to be inserted into the filter cavity, a sine filter configured to be inserted into the filter cavity, and a processing unit communicatively connected to the detector, configured to receive image data from the detector to form an image. Methods of constructing a hyperspectral image of a sample are also described.

Abstract: A method and system for mitigating low-frequency oscillations of a power system network (PSN). The method includes receiving multiple data sets from the PSN, comprising values of terminal voltage, a real power, and a reactive power. The method further employs the multiple data sets to a fuzzy c-means clustering technique, a deep learning technique and a whale optimization algorithm to generate a pair of parameter values for a power system stabilizer controlling a steady-state of the power system network.

Abstract: A nanomedicinal composition comprising a nanocarrier and an antioxidant. The nanocarrier contains a metal organic framework and a porous silicate and/or aluminosilicate matrix. The antioxidant is disposed in the pores and/or on the surface of the nanocarrier by a solution phase impregnation process. The nanomedicinal composition is used in a method of treating Blastocystis infection.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process for fabricating complex mechanical shapes, and in particular to fabricating complex mechanical shapes using a pressure-assisted sintering technique to address problems relating to variations in specimen thickness and tooling, or densification gradients, by 3-D printing of a polymer model that is surrounded by and filled with sintering powder material, wherein the 3-D polymer model decomposed into a graphite interface layer and facilitates release of the cast, e.g. metal, metal-alloy, ceramic, etc., manufactured item.

Abstract: The disclosure provides a cancer vaccine composition comprising inactivated cancer cells and an adjuvant, wherein the inactivated cancer cells are incapable of replication. Also provided is a method for producing a cancer vaccine composition, the method comprising contacting cancer cells with light (e.g., UV light) in the presence of a photosensitizer (e.g., riboflavin).