Abstract: Disclosed herein are compositions comprising purified nanoparticles and methods of generating and using the same, preferably a composition comprising purified nanodiamonds, wherein the diamond nanocrystals have a size distribution equal to or between 1 and 10 nm and a method of purifying the composition comprising nanoparticles, preferably nanodiamonds, comprising: centrifuging at least two tubes comprising a first sample comprising nanoparticles, preferably nanodiamonds, to create a density gradient, wherein the at least two tubes are tilted at least 45°; and collecting a second composition containing purified nanoparticles, preferably nanodiamonds.

Abstract: An operational transconductance amplifier includes a fully-differential amplifying circuit, a bias driving circuit, and a common mode feedback circuit. The fully-differential amplifying circuit is configured for receiving a differential input voltage and providing a differential output voltage. The fully-differential amplifying circuit includes a plurality of diffusor-differential-pair circuits. The bias driving circuit is configured for providing at least one first bias current to drive the fully-differential amplifying circuit and adjust the transconductance of the transconductance amplifier. The common mode feedback circuit is configured for stabilizing the differential output voltage. An operational transconductance amplifier-capacitor (OTA-C) filter and a high order filter are disclosed herein as well.

Abstract: A balun device is disclosed herein. The balun device is configured to transform a single-ended signal into a differential signal. The balun device includes a first and a second output port, an input port, and a matching circuit. The first output port includes a first output terminal. The second output port includes a second output terminal. The input port includes an input single-ended signal terminal and an input single-ended reference terminal. The input single-ended reference terminal is connected to the second output terminal, and the input single-ended signal terminal is configured to receive the single-ended signal which is relative to the input single-ended reference terminal. The matching circuit is connected to the first output port, the second output port and the input port and configured to transform the single-ended signal into the differential signal outputted between the first and the second output port with lowpass, highpass, or bandpass response.

Abstract: A novel polishing pad is described. The polishing pad includes a base plate, a main polishing body, a plurality of metal bottom portions, a positive electrode conductive wire and a negative electrode conductive wire. The main polishing body made from a non-conductive material and disposed on the base plate includes a plurality of cavities thereon. The metal bottom portions are disposed in the cavities with each of the cavities having one of the metal bottom portions therein. The positive electrode conductive wire electrically is connected to a positive electrode of a power supply. The negative electrode conductive wire electrically is connected to a negative electrode of the power supply. The positive electrode conductive wire and the negative electrode conductive wire alternatively pass through the base plate and connect to the metal bottom portions respectively.

Abstract: A memristor-based oscillator can be fully implemented without any reactance element.

Abstract: An illumination apparatus includes a frame, an optical base plate, a light source and an optical film. The optical base plate is disposed in the frame and has a first protrusion portion at the center of the optical base plate. The first protrusion portion has at least a reflective surface and a top surface, which are connected with each other. The light source is disposed in the frame and located adjacent to the periphery of the optical base plate. The light source is disposed corresponding to the reflective surface and has a plurality of light-emitting elements. Each light-emitting element has an optical axis direction, and the optical axis directions extend toward the first protrusion portion. The optical film is disposed at the frame, and the first protrusion portion of the optical base plate protrudes toward the optical film.

Abstract: Disclosed is a dual-targeted therapeutic peptide for nasopharyngeal carcinoma formed by covalently linking a targeted therapeutic peptide for nasopharyngeal carcinoma, a peptide linker and a targeted therapeutic peptide with an ?-helical structure for nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Also disclosed is a nanoparticle containing the peptide. The peptide and the nanoparticle can be used to treat nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Abstract: Methods and systems for producing one or more alkanes from biomass by hydrodeoxygenation are disclosed. Biomass may be converted to one or more alkanes by heating the biomass with a catalyst mixture that includes a noble metal and at least one of a transition metal and derivative thereof. The catalyst mixture may further include a solid acid. Heating may be performed at a single temperature and pressure.

Abstract: A nonvolatile logic gate circuit based on phase change memories, including a first phase change memory, a second phase change memory, a first controllable switch element and a first resistor, wherein a first end of the first phase change memory serves as a first input end of an AND gate circuit, a first end of the second phase change memory serves as a second input end of the AND gate circuit, a first end of the first controllable switch element is connected to a second end of the first phase change memory, a second end of the first controllable switch element is grounded; one end of the first resistor is connected to the first end of the second phase change memory, the other end of the first resistor is grounded; and the first end of the second phase change memory serves as an output end of the AND gate circuit.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a composite is disclosed. The method includes steps of (a) providing a powder in a first weight ratio, a graphene oxide in a second weight ratio, a first modifying agent having a first electric charge, and a second modifying agent having a second electric charge; (b) reacting the first modifying agent with the powder so that a surface of the powder has the first electric charge; (c) reacting the second modifying agent with the graphene oxide so that a surface of the graphene oxide has the second electric charge; and (d) mixing the powder having the first electric charge and the graphene oxide having the second electric charge to form a composite, wherein the first and the second electric charges are of opposite electrical polarities.

Abstract: The invention discloses an on-line laser processing vehicle for a rail, including a chassis, a vehicle body, a steer-control chamber and a container; the steer-control chamber includes a console, a CCD monitoring system and a drive-switching operating system; a dual driving system and switching mechanism, which with a process-operation driving system, a conventional operation driving system and a switching mechanism, is disposed in the container; the process-operation driving system operates to provide driving power for the laser processing vehicle during laser processing, and precisely controls moving speed and distance of the laser processing vehicle; the switching mechanism operates to implement switching between the conventional operation driving system and the process-operation driving system.

Abstract: Hybrid buck converters that incorporate switching converter and auxiliary linear regulators are described. The auxiliary linear regulators are automatically activated during load transients to source or sink large currents to the output to achieve fast transient responses and are automatically deactivated during steady states to maintain high power efficiencies. With the proposed control scheme of automatic loop transition between linear and switching regulation loops, the power management interface design is simplified while the transient response performances are improved without compromising the power efficiencies.

Abstract: A supported catalyst for olefin polymerization, a preparation method and use thereof. The catalyst comprises a porous carrier A, a magnesium-containing carrier B, and a supported active component containing a transitional metal of titanium. The catalyst is a highly efficient Ziegler-Natta titanium-based catalyst having a composite support formed by a magnesium compound and a silicon compound, wherein the raw material for the magnesium compound may be any soluble magnesium salt. The supported catalyst may be used for preparing olefin homopolymers or olefin copolymers. According to the present invention, the molecular weight, molecular weight distribution of the olefin homopolymer or olefin copolymer as well as the contents and distribution of the comonomers may be adjusted conveniently by means of changing the factors such as types and amounts of organometallic co-catalyst and molecular weight regulator.

Abstract: Provided is sub-block motion estimation that includes a full search with a reduced search area around a motion vector predictor. Also provided are a single (or unified) motion vector predictor and a function similar to a rate-distortion cost function. Also provided is a scanning order that can reduce or substantially eliminated redundant data loading and/or that can achieve different data re-use ratio. Further, provided herein is a reconfigurable multi-resolution motion vector re-use hardware architecture based on a single motion vector predictor and a function similar to a rate-distortion cost function. Further, through utilization of the disclosed aspects, only a small number of past motion vectors are propagated and the disclosed aspects can be reconfigured for video with different spatial resolution.

Abstract: Embodiments of solar panel cleaning apparatuses, solar panel cleaning systems, and solar panel cleaning methods are disclosed. In certain embodiments, the disclosed solar panel cleaning apparatuses, systems and methods do may not require any water or other cleaning liquids in the whole cleaning process, which makes them prominent well suited in for water-deficit environments such as deserts. In one embodiment, the solar panel cleaning apparatus comprises one or more rotatable brushes each having a rotational axis and a drive configured to move each of the one or more rotatable brushes in a direction that is not perpendicular to the rotational axis. The solar panel cleaning apparatus is may be configured such that the angle of the rotational axis of at least one of the one or more rotatable brushes is adjustable relative to the direction of travel.

Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method for conveying an assembly along a track. A rail can include a first planar side, a second planar side, and a third planar side. The first, second, and third planar sides can be arranged to form at least two acute angles. A carriage assembly can include a drive wheel and at least two roller sets. The drive wheel can be configured to contact the first planar side and is configured to translate the carriage assembly along the rail. The at least two roller sets can be configured to contact the two other sides to maintain the carriage in contact with the rail.

Abstract: A polyester/glyoxalated polyvinyl alcohol semi-interpenetrating polymer network hot-melt adhesive and preparation method therefore, mainly includes the steps of: 1) transesterification of certain amounts of dimethyl terephthalate and another dibasic ester with 1,4-butanediol and other diols in the presence of an organotin catalyst under a nitrogen atmosphere in a reactor, completed upon the amount of distillation of a monohydric alcohol byproduct reaching greater than 95% of the theoretical amount; 2) after the temperature is maintained for a period of time, adding in a stabilizer and a polycondensation catalyst and incrementally increasing the temperature to trigger a polycondensation reaction under a reduced pressure to produce particles of a copolymer, and freezing and pulverizing the copolymer particles to produce a powder of a copolyester; 3) uniformly blending a polyvinyl alcohol/glyoxal mixture with the powder produced in step 2) at ambient temperature to produce the target product.

Abstract: An embodiment of a fractal fixed capacitor comprises a capacitor body in a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) structure. The capacitor body has a first plate with a fractal shape separated by a horizontal distance from a second plate with a fractal shape. The first plate and the second plate are within the same plane. Such a fractal fixed capacitor further comprises a substrate above which the capacitor body is positioned.

Abstract: A method and video sensor for precipitation microphysical features measurement based on particle image velocimetry. The CCD camera is placed facing towards the light source, which forms a three-dimensional sampling space. As the precipitation particles fall through the sampling space, double-exposure images of precipitation particles illuminated by pulse light source are recorded by CCD camera. Combined with the telecentric imaging system, the time between the two exposures are adaptive and can be adjusted according to the velocity of precipitation particles. The size and shape can be obtained by the images of particles; the fall velocity can be calculated by particle displacement in the double-exposure image and interval time; the drop size distribution and velocity distribution, precipitation intensity, and accumulated precipitation amount can be calculated by time integration.

Abstract: A method for preparing a material composition comprising a hollow transition metal oxide nanoparticle supported upon a carbon material support includes a solution impregnation process step, followed by a thermal reduction process step and finally a thermal oxidation process step. The material composition, an electrode and an electrical component such as but not limited to a battery are all predicated at least in-part upon the material composition prepared in accord with the foregoing method. The foregoing material composition, electrode, battery and method may ultimately provide a LIB with enhanced performance.