Abstract: A method of forming a polyolefin-carbon nanomaterial composite which contains oriented electrically conductive pathways. The method involves milling a polyolefin with particles of a carbon nanomaterial, molding to form a composite plate, and subjecting the composite plate to an AC voltage. The AC voltage forms oriented electrically conductive pathways by partial dielectric breakdown of the composite. The presence of the oriented electrically conductive pathways gives the polyolefin-carbon nanomaterial electrical and thermal conductivity higher than the polyolefin alone.

Abstract: Batteries having a metal interlayer that acts as an ion conductor are provided, as well as methods of forming the same. The metal interlayer can include, for example, palladium, platinum, iridium, rhodium, ruthenium, osmium, gold, silver, or a combination thereof, and can act as a conductor while also inhibiting the transport of other species that would produce byproduct films and cause capacity degradation in the battery.

Abstract: A sensor for detecting non-hazardous and especially hazardous gases and/or vapors comprises a liquid crystal cell generally having a standard substrate and a conductive electrode layer thereon. An alignment layer is desirably located on the electrode layer and contains one or more types of metal nanoparticles that cover at least a portion of the alignment layer. The nanoparticles contain at least one type of ligand thereon that is capable of sensing a specific type of non-hazardous or hazardous gas. The sensor is very sensitive and can detect the gases or vapors contained within air, or the like, up to 1 part per million.

Abstract: A method of preparing a polymer-sand nanocomposite for water shutoff. The method includes applying a surface polymerization to sand particles. The surfaced polymerization formed by combining a polymerization initiator dissolved in a solvent with the sand particles to form a precursor sand mixture, combining a co-monomer and additional polymerization initiator in the presence of graphene, where the graphene is not functionalized, to form a precursor polymer mixture, and combining the precursor sand mixture and the precursor polymer mixture to form a sand-copolymer-graphene nanocomposite. The method further includes drying the sand-copolymer-graphene nanocomposite, preparing a polymer hydrogel, and combining the polymer hydrogel and the sand-copolymer-graphene nanocomposite to crosslink the components and form the polymer-sand nanocomposite.

Abstract: A method for sludge dewatering using kitchen waste to synergistically enhance a coupling of an anaerobic biological acidification and a low-temperature hydrothermal of excess sludge is disclosed. The method includes the following steps: first, uniformly mixing the excess sludge from a sewage treatment plant and the kitchen waste for an anaerobic biological acidification reaction at 36.5-37.5° C. for 2-4 days; then, concentrating the acidified mixture by centrifugation at a speed of 3000-5000 rpm for 5-10 min; performing a low-temperature thermal hydrolysis treatment on a residue obtained after removing a supernatant for 15-30 min at 100-140° C.; and after the thermal hydrolysis treatment is finished, cooling and dewatering to obtain a dewatered sludge cake and a dewatered filtrate. The new method realizes high-efficiency sludge dewatering and innocuous utilization of dewatered filtrate and sludge cake without adding chemical reagents and effectively avoids generating hardly-degradable chemical oxygen demand.

Abstract: This disclosure provides an UAV path planning method and device guided by the safety situation, UAV and storage medium, the method comprising: acquiring the image in the front view of the UAV, determining the type(s) of obstacle(s) and threat degree corresponding to each area, obtaining the coordinates of the obstacle(s) relative to the UAV in each area in the front view of the UAV and the distance from the obstacles in each area to the UAV, calculating the safety situation of each area according to the threat degree and distance corresponding to each area, calculating the cost data corresponding to each area according to the distance from each area to the target location and the safety situation of each area, determining the flight direction of the UAV according to the area with the minimum cost data.

Abstract: An ophthalmic composition or dosage form can include a therapeutically effective amount of a cross-linking agent and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. The composition or dosage form can be used to treat an ophthalmic condition by administering a therapeutically effective amount of the composition to an eye of a subject during a treatment period.

Abstract: A smart parking lot system for charging electric vehicles (EVs) includes a charger unit, a switching unit, an interface unit, and a control unit. The charger unit includes m chargers, the switching unit includes matrix switch elements S(i,j) configured to switch a connection between an i-th input port and a j-th output port according to a control signal specifying an address (i,j) and a switching state. An interface unit includes n interface ports to be connected with EVs parked for charging. Each of the m chargers is connected with one of m input ports of the matrix switch, respectively. Each of the n interface ports is connected with one of n output ports of the matrix switch, respectively. The control unit is configured to provide for the EV connected with an interface port, accessibilities to at least two chargers with different output power levels, when available.

Abstract: Systems and methods of communicating using asymmetric polar codes are provided which overcome the codeword length constraints of systems and methods of communicating that use traditional polar codes. Used herein, asymmetric polar codes refers to a polarizing linear block code of any arbitrary length that is constructed by connecting together constituent polar codes of unequal length. Asymmetric polar codes may be known by other names. In comparison to conventional solutions for variable codeword length, asymmetric polar codes may provide more flexibility, improved performance, and/or reduced complexity of decoding, encoding, or code design. The system and method provide a flexible, universal, and well-defined coding scheme and to provide sound bit-error correction performance and low decoding latency (compared with current length-compatible methods which can be used with current hardware designs).

Abstract: Charged polypeptides, their conjugates, and fusion proteins comprising such polypeptides are disclosed. Inclusion of such a polypeptide in a fusion protein increases the protein's properties such as stability and circulation half-life, which results in a better therapeutic efficacy compared to an active protein alone. Thus, a fusion protein or a conjugate of the disclosure can be useful in developing a protein or peptide drug, treating or preventing diseases, disorders, or conditions, or improving a subjects health or wellbeing.

Abstract: A method of forming a polyolefin-perovskite nanomaterial composite which contains oriented electrically and thermally conductive pathways. The method involves milling a polyolefin with particles of a perovskite nanomaterial, molding to forma composite plate, and subjecting the composite plate to an AC voltage. The AC voltage forms oriented electrically and thermally conductive pathways by partial dielectric breakdown of the composite. The presence of the oriented electrically and thermally conductive pathways gives the polyolefin-perovskite nanomaterial electrical and thermal conductivity and dielectric permittivity higher than the polyolefin alone.

Abstract: Compositions for inhibiting the binding between ACE2 and SARS-CoV-2 spike S1 are disclosed. Methods of treating COVID-19 are disclosed. Methods of making an in vivo model of COVID-19 are also disclosed.

Abstract: This application provides a method for generating an animation expression and an electronic device. The method for generating an animation expression includes: obtaining an initial three-dimensional mesh, where a vertex in the initial three-dimensional mesh is used to represent an expression feature of a face; transforming the initial three-dimensional mesh to obtain a target three-dimensional mesh, where a topological structure of the target three-dimensional mesh is the same as a topological structure of a basic blendshape; determining a personalized blendshape fitting the face based on the basic blendshape; determining personalized blendshape coefficients based on the target three-dimensional mesh and the personalized blendshape; and generating the animated expression based on the personalized blendshape coefficients.

Abstract: A holographic display apparatus capable of providing an expanded viewing window and a display method are provided. The holographic display apparatus includes an image processor configured to provide computer generated hologram (CGH) data to a spatial light modulator, wherein the image processor is further configured to generate a hologram data array comprising information of the holographic image to be reproduced at the first resolution or a resolution less than the first resolution, perform an off-axis phase computation on the hologram data array at the second resolution, and then, generate the CHG data at the first resolution.

Abstract: A positioning splint for safely and securely positioning a pediatric patient into a lithotomy position. The splint comprises a toroid, wedge-shaped splint having an anterior and posterior jaw which is attached to shoulder straps or a jacket/vest that holds the splint in place during use. The wedge splint and shoulder attachments are padded. The wedge splint may have a disposable covering. Methods of using the splint to position a patient for urinary catheterization as well as for other procedures, exams and surgeries requiring unobstructed access to the perineal and anorectal areas. Additional wrist/hand and ankle/leg straps are used for conscious patients who are uncooperative or incompetent patients or in the case of a patient with involuntary movement disorders.

Abstract: The present disclosure belongs to the technical field of plant genetic engineering, and discloses a gene for controlling the rice grain number per panicle and its use. Nucleotide sequence of OsCKX11 is SEQ ID NO. 1, nucleotide sequence for coding protein region is SEQ ID NO. 2, amino acid sequence of the encoded protein is SEQ ID NO. 3. The disclosure constructs an OsCKX11-knocked-out vector using CRISPR/Cas9, and identifies multiple independent homozygous lines through PCR amplification and sequencing methods, and provides a mutant in which specific knockout of gene OsCKX11 of the rice leads to an increase in cytokinin levels and an increase in grain number per panicle. Based on the biological function of OsCKX11 to increase the rice grain number per panicle, methods such as gene editing, natural allele replacement, RNA interference, or molecular assisted breeding can be used to improve existing rice varieties.

Abstract: The present disclosure associates to a modified and expressed virus-like particles. Particularly, the virus-like particle is capable of eliciting immune response in a mammal upon administrating a pharmaceutically efficient dosage to the mammal. The virus-like particle comprises a modified form of M and E structural proteins of flavivirus. Further, the virus-like particle comprises an amino acids sequence substantially corresponding to a sequence setting forth in SEQ ID NO. 1, SEQ ID NO. 2, SEQ ID NO. 3 or SEQ ID NO. 4, wherein conserved and internally located His at multiple positions of the M and E proteins are substituted with uncharged residues, and other secretion-enhancing substitutions are introduced.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides resonator networks adapted to a variety of applications. The networks include fluorophores, quantum dots, dyes, plasmonic nanorods, or other optical resonators maintained in position relative to each other by a backbone (e.g., a backbone composed of DNA). The networks may exhibit optical absorption and re-emission according to specified temporal decay profiles, e.g., to provide temporally-multiplexed labels for imaging or flow cytometry. The networks can include resonators that exhibit a dark state, such that the behavior of the network can be modified by inducing the dark state in one or more resonators. Such networks could be configured as logic gates or other logical elements, e.g., to provide multiplexed detection of analytes by a single network, to permit the temporal decay profile of the network to be adjusted (e.g., to use the networks as a controllable random number generator), or to provide other benefits.

Abstract: A method of preparing a polymer composite includes dispersing a nanosheet filler within a polymer matrix by dissolving a monomer in water to form a first solution, dispersing the nanosheet filler in an organic solvent in the presence of an emulsifying agent to form a second solution, combining the first solution and the second solution, and adding a polymerization initiator to initiate a polymerization reaction of the monomer to form a polymer composite precursor comprising the nanosheet filler dispersed in the polymer matrix. The method further includes quenching the polymerization reaction and then filtering, washing, grinding, and drying the polymer composite precursor to form the polymer composite. A method of preparing a polymer composite hydrogel for water shutoff applications and the associated method of forming a barrier to shut off or reduce unwanted production of water in a subterranean formation utilizing the polymer composite hydrogel is also provided.

Abstract: Amphiphilic biopolymers have been synthesized by grafting lignin onto PLGA to form graft polymers, which can then be further assembled into polymeric nanoparticles without a requirement for surfactants. The nanoparticles have a typical diameter of 75 nm. The nanoparticles may be used, for example, for drug delivery, including efficient and effective drug delivery against cancers such as triple negative breast cancers.