Abstract: The present disclosure relates to an improved process for the synthesis of nanomaterials and composites from Zintl phases. The nanomaterials and composites are useful, for example, as ion storage materials.

Abstract: Disclosed are implementations, including a method that includes obtaining measurement samples relating to electrical operation of an electric motor drive providing power to an electric motor, deriving, based on the samples, instantaneous estimates for parameters characterizing speed and/or position of the motor according to an optimization process based on a cost function defined for the samples, and applying a filtering operation to the instantaneous estimates to generate filtered values of the motor's speed and/or position. The filtering operation includes computing the filtered values using the derived instantaneous estimates in response to a determination that a computed convexity of the cost function is greater than or equal to a convexity threshold value, and/or applying a least-squares filtering operation to the derived instantaneous estimates and using at least one set of previous estimates derived according to the optimization process applied to previous measurement samples.

Abstract: An immunogenic CD40-targeted trimeric MERS-CoV S1 fusion polypeptide as well as a corresponding polynucleotide encoding it and its use for safely inducing immune responses directed against MERS-CoV without inducing vaccine associated respiratory pathologies associated with non-targeted vaccines.

Abstract: A solar energy powered Stirling duplex cooler is presented which includes a Stirling engine and a Stirling cooler. The Stirling engine drives the Stirling cooler to produce cold temperatures for refrigeration or air conditioning. The Stirling duplex cooler includes a solar concentrator to focus high temperature solar radiation upon the Stirling engine expansion space. The Stirling duplex cooler further includes a thermal storage tank to receive and store heat rejected from the cooler expansion space. This stored heat is used to operate the cooler at night. A flywheel connected operatively to engine and cooler expansion space pistons and a crankshaft connected operatively to engine and cooler compression space pistons actuate the pistons to move a working fluid between the expansion and compression spaces.

Abstract: The disclosed technology includes device, systems, and methods for detecting an analyte using a biosensor. In some implementations, the biosensor may be a transdermal biosensor including a housing material, a nanocellulose material disposed within the housing material, an enzyme entrapped within the nanocellulose material that produces a chemical or biological product when exposed to a vapor or liquid, and a luminescent material within the nanocellulose material that emits visible light upon a chemical or biological reaction with the chemical or biological product.

Abstract: The invention provides for methods of treating alcohol abuse disorder.

Abstract: This document relates to devices and methods for delivering a fluid to the surfaces of the oropharynx and/or to the palatine tonsils.

Abstract: The present application relates generally to bio-adhesive components isolated from bio-oil prepared from animal waste, methods of preparation of the bio-adhesive components and uses thereof. Such uses include, but are not limited to, asphalt bio-binders, bio-adhesion promoters, asphalt bio-rejuvenators, asphalt bio-extenders, bio-asphalt as well as uses in roofing, soil stabilization, crack and joint sealing and flooring adhesives.

Abstract: A 15-level multilevel inverter circuit includes an outer circuit, an inner circuit, a polarity changing circuit and a computing device. The outer circuit and the inner circuit include a plurality of DC voltage supplies. Each DC voltage supply has a positive and a negative terminal. The outer circuit, the inner circuit and the polarity changing circuit include a plurality of unidirectional power switches. Each unidirectional power switch is a transistor with a diode connected in parallel to the transistor. The computing device is configured to provide control signals to the gates of the plurality of the unidirectional power switches of the outer circuit and the inner circuit to add or subtract the voltage of each of inner DC voltage supplies to form square waveforms approximating sinusoidal waveforms, and to the gates of the plurality of the unidirectional power switches of the polarity changing circuit to switch the polarity of the voltage.

Abstract: The present invention concerns methods of treating a disease such as leukemia in a subject by administering natural killer (NK) cells. In particular aspects, HLA-C1-licensed KIR2DL2/3 and KIR2DS2 NK cells are administered to a subject with an HLA-C genotype either homozygous or heterozygous for the C1 allele, or HLA-C2 licensed cells are administered to a subject with an HLA-C genotype homozygous for the C2 allele. In further aspects, the NK cells are genetically modified to express a chimeric antigen receptor and interleukin 15.

Abstract: The present invention generally provides methods to generate plants with high frequency of spontaneous haploid genome doubling for use in doubled haploid production. The invention relates to the BUBR1 nucleic acid and protein sequences identified, which are associated with spontaneous haploid genome doubling.

Abstract: Deep mutational scanning is a foundational tool for addressing functional consequences of large numbers of mutants, yet a more efficient and accessible method for construction of user-defined mutagenesis libraries is needed. Provided herein are nicking saturation mutagenesis, a single-day, single-pot saturation mutagenesis method using routinely prepped plasmid dsDNA as input substrate. Reproducibility and convenience of the method are demonstrated through validation by an external research laboratory.

Abstract: A buffer layer for protecting an organic layer during high-energy deposition of an electrically conductive layer is disclosed. Buffer layers in accordance with the present invention are particularly well suited for use in perovskite-based single-junction solar cells and double-junction solar cell structures that include at least one perovskite-based absorbing layer. In some embodiments, the buffer layer comprises a layer of oxide-based nanoparticles that is formed using solution-state processing, in which a solution comprising the nanoparticles and a volatile solvent is spin coated onto a structure that includes the organic layer. The solvent is subsequently removed in a low-temperature process that does not degrade the organic layer.

Abstract: Provided is a method of treating and/or preventing Wolfram Syndrome (WS)-related neurodegeneration (i.e. of Wolfram Syndrome-Associated Neuronal Degeneration), by increasing the expression and/or functional activity of p21. A method of screening for pharmacological agents useful in treating and/or preventing such conditions is also provided.

Abstract: The invention provides a photonic package system comprising at least two optical alignment pins integrated on a package substrate. A key feature of this invention is the addition of alignment structures within the package. When combined with the use of micro optics it enables a ‘fiber-less’ photonic package system that requires no physical connection between and optical fiber and the photonic package system.

Abstract: An 11 level boost active neutral point clamped (BANPC) inverter using four capacitors and a single DC voltage source to generate eleven voltage levels at load terminals with a voltage gain of 2.5. A minimum of switching elements are used. Gate pulses for the switches are generated using nearest level control pulse width modulation (NLC-PWM). The capacitors of the 11 level boost active neutral point clamped inverter are self-balancing.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a polymerase activity assay that produces a strong optical signal when a primer-template complex is extended to full-length product. The assay uses Cy3 as the molecular beacon and Iowa Black® RQ as the quencher. The signal-to-noise-ratio (STNR) of this donor-quencher pairing is ˜200-fold over background, which is considerably better than other donor-quencher pairs (STNRs ˜10-20-fold). The STNR allows for solution-based monitoring of polymerase activity. Because the sensor functions via Watson-Crick base pairing, the polymerase activity assay may also be used to evolve polymerases to accept xeno nucleic acids as substrates.

Abstract: A method for efficiently producing PHA comprising: inoculating PHA fermentation strains into a fermentation medium for fermentation under the condition of being capable of producing PHA through fermentation; subjecting the fermentation broth to a solid-liquid separation to obtain fermentation supernatant and thallus precipitate; breaking the cell walls of the thallus precipitate, and subjecting the wall-broken products to a plate and frame filtration to prepare PHA; pre-coating a filter cloth for the plate and frame filtration with a PHA layer; at least part of the water of the fermentation medium is PHA process wastewater. The method utilizes the PHA process wastewater as at least part of the water of the fermentation medium, and filters and separates the broken thallus with the plate and frame filtration equipment pre-coated with PHA layer to prepare PHA, thereby recycling the high-salt wastewater, reducing costs, and potentially separating PHA on a large scale for industrial production.

Abstract: A miniature electrode apparatus is disclosed for trapping charged particles, the apparatus including, along a longitudinal direction: a first end cap electrode; a central electrode having an aperture; and a second end cap electrode. The aperture is elongated in the lateral plane and extends through the central electrode along the longitudinal direction and the central electrode surrounds the aperture in a lateral plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction to define a transverse cavity for trapping charged particles.

Abstract: The present application discloses a spectroscopy probe for a Raman spectroscopy system, and methods for preparing filters for the probe. A method for forming an SERS substrate which can optionally be used with the probe is also described. The spectroscopy probe is formed using a double-clad optical fibre probe tip, the double-clad optical fibre (DCF) having a single mode core, multimode inner cladding, and outer cladding, and a micro-filter fixed to the distal end of the optical fibre probe tip. The micro-filter has a short pass or band pass filter configured to align with the DCF core to filter silica Raman background generated by laser excitation in the single mode core, and a long pass filter configured to suppress Rayleigh scattering from the sample while allowing Raman scattered wavelengths to be transmitted through the inner cladding.