Abstract: A force sensing probe (100) for sensing snap-in and/or pull-off force of a liquid droplet (111) brought into and/or separated from contact with a hydrophobic sample surface (151), respectively, comprises: a sensing tip (101); a sensor element (102) connected to the sensing tip, capable of sensing sub-micronewton forces acting on the sensing tip in a measurement direction; and a droplet holding plate (104) having a first main surface (105) and a hydrophilic second main surface (106) connected via a peripheral edge surface (107), and being attached via the first main surface to the sensing tip (101) perpendicularly relative to the measurement direction for receiving and holding a liquid droplet (111) as attached to the second main surface; the droplet holding plate comprising an electrically conductive surface layer (115), the first and the second main surfaces and the peripheral edge surface being defined by the surface layer.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method of accelerating a flow velocity in a lateral-flow microfluidic chip in which an analysis time is not delayed while sequential reactions are possible in the lateral-flow microfluidic chip by accelerating a flow velocity in at least a section of a channel, it is easy to manufacture the microfluidic chip for applying the method, and it is possible to mass-produce the microfluidic chip, and more particularly, by increasing a vapor pressure around a specific channel, a flow velocity of a fluid in the corresponding channel is accelerated.

Abstract: The present invention provides novel compounds of Formula (I?) and (I), and pharmaceutically acceptable salts, solvates, hydrates, polymorphs, co-crystals, tautomers, stereoisomers, isotopically labeled derivatives, prodrugs, and compositions thereof. Also provided are methods and kits involving the inventive compounds or compositions for killing a microorganism (e.g., bacteria, fungi, viruses, protozoa, or multicellular parasites), the prevention and/or treatment of infectious diseases (e.g., infections by microorganisms, bacterial infection, cystic fibrosis infection, foreign body infection, urinary tract infection (UTI), or infections leading to biofilms), controlling and/or eradicating biofilms (e.g., bacterial biofilms), preventing biofilm formation, sterilizing a surface, and/or eradicating persister cells (e.g., in a subject in need thereof or in a subject involving a biofilm).

Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure provide an antenna system. The antenna system can include a dielectric substrate that has a top surface and a bottom surface covered by a ground plane, and four identical antenna elements symmetrically distributed on each corner of the bottom surface. Each antenna element can have a concentric-pentagonal-slot-based structure that is etched out of the ground plane, and includes an outer pentagonal slot and an inner pentagonal slot. Each side of the outer pentagonal slot can be parallel with a corresponding side of the inner pentagonal slot.

Abstract: A porous microsphere and a method for preparing the same includes the following steps. A copolymer having a vinylbenzyl chloride unit and a vinylbenzyl alcohol unit is dissolved in an organic solvent, and inorganic particles are dispersed in the organic solvent to form a mixed suspension. An aqueous solution containing a surfactant is provided. The mixed suspension is emulsified in the aqueous solution to form an emulsion. The emulsion is heated to evaporate the organic solvent to obtain inorganic-composite porous microspheres suspended in water. The copolymer in the formed porous microspheres can be further carbonized or removed to produce inorganic-based porous microspheres containing carbon or not containing carbon.

Abstract: Diagnostic assays and methods employ a dual-enzyme cascade system comprised of two enzymatic amplifiers and two molecular probes, by (a) incubating a target enzyme with a target enzyme substrate to liberate a thiol; (b) incubating the thiol with a disulfide inactivated amplification enzyme to activate the amplification enzyme in an interchange reaction of the thiol and the disulfide; and (c) incubating the activated amplification enzyme with an amplification enzyme substrate to generate an amplified signal.

Abstract: Embodiments described herein improve fuel economy by controlling a vehicle powertrain based on a predicted vehicle velocity. The vehicle velocity is predicted based on vehicle-to-vehicle data when a prediction horizon is a longer prediction horizon and the vehicle velocity is predicted based on historical drive cycle data when the prediction horizon is a shorter prediction horizon. A time duration of the shorter prediction horizon is shorter than the time duration of the longer prediction horizon. A plurality of drive cycles are established for both the longer and the shorter prediction horizons using a neural network. A shorter prediction horizon drive cycle uses nonlinear autoregressive exogenous model neural networks and the longer prediction horizon drive cycle uses two layer feedforward neural networks. The predicted vehicle velocity is determined from a similar drive cycle of the plurality of drive cycles of either the shorter and/or the longer prediction horizon drive cycles.

Abstract: A system and method for increasing the capacity of a Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) system at desired user's locations and reducing the capacity at locations, other than that of the desired user, while also providing secrecy. Knowing the channel coefficient between each transmitter and receiver antenna pair at the transmitter, the method of the present invention calculates the artificial signal that minimizes the Euclidean distance between the desired and received data symbols if the precoding/combining matrix pair from the set that has the minimum Euclidean distance to the singular value decomposition (SVD) of the channel matrix is used for transmission and reception. The artificial signal may be fed to the precoder, instead of the actual desired data symbols, or may be transmitted directly to reduce computational complexity, power consumption and processing delay if the hardware configuration allows.

Abstract: Many embodiments provide an implant power management unit (IPMU) that includes a reconfigurable active rectifier (AR) for wireless power transfer (WPT), where the AR is configurable to operate in a plurality of different modes of operation, an adaptive load control (ALC) unit that accommodates power delivery with load requirements, where the ALC unit is configured to control AR voltage based upon a desired value, control circuitry that is configured to enable a full bridge rectifier in a regular mode of operation of the AR, a feedback circuit that adaptively generates offset current to compensate for switch delays in at least one active NMOS diode, and a feedback circuit that adaptively generates offset current to compensate switch delays in at least one active PMOS diode.

Abstract: A fluid-driven actuator 100 is disclosed herein. In a specific embodiment, the fluid-driven actuator 100 comprises a bending actuator 200 including a first wall portion 201, a second wall portion 203 cooperating with the first wall portion 201 to define an undulating actuator profile. The bending actuator 200 also includes an inner fluid bladder 202 disposed between the first and second wall portions 201,203 and following the undulating actuator profile. The fluid-driven actuator 100 further comprises a restraint member 300 arranged to cooperate with the bending actuator 200 to produce a plurality of motions in response to fluid supplied to the inner fluid bladder 202. Methods of producing the fluid-driven actuator are also disclosed.

Abstract: The invention provides a strategy for site specific covalent modification of antibodies using a specialized targeting covalent heterobivalent ligand (cHBL), and corresponding design for a covalent heterobivalent inhibitor (cHBI) that can be used to prevent Immunoglobulin E (IgE) mediated allergic reactions triggered by drug molecules, according to one embodiment. These molecules contain four important components: (1) an IgE antigen binding site (ABS) ligand that can be a mimotope for the allergen protein, a small molecule, or a peptidomimetic, (2) an appropriate linker, which can be any flexible or rigid chemical linker, providing spacing between the ABS binder and the other moieties, (3) a nucleotide binding site (NBS) ligand, and (4) a reactive moiety to form a covalent link with an amino acid side chain of target IgE antibodies.

Abstract: Systems and methods for detecting placement of an object in a digital image are provided. The system receives a digital image and processes the digital image to generate one or more candidate regions within the digital image using a first neural network. The system then selects a proposed region from the one or more candidate regions using the first neural network and assigns a score to the proposed region using the first neural network. Lastly, the system processes the proposed region using a second neural network to detect an object in the proposed region.

Abstract: A pyridine based ionic liquid with a fluoride counter anion which catalyzes Fischer indole reaction and click chemistry. Methods of preparing the ionic liquid, and methods of utilizing the ionic liquid as a catalyst to synthesize indoles/indolenines and tetrazoles are also provided.

Abstract: A metal detector for buried and corroded pipeline is provided, comprising: a transmitting coil configured to transmit a detection signal to a pipeline; a frequency selection unit electrically connected to the transmitting coil for regulating a frequency of the detection signal; two receiving coils respectively and symmetrically disposed at two opposite sides of the transmitting coil for respectively receiving a reflected signal returned from the pipeline; an analog-digital conversion unit respectively and electrically connected to the two receiving coils for converting the reflected signal into a digital signal; and a control unit electrically connected to the analog-digital conversion unit. In the present disclosure, by comparing intensities of the reflected signals received by the two receiving coils, it can be efficiently and accurately determined whether corrosion has occurred to the pipeline.

Abstract: A compound, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or isomer thereof, of Formula I: wherein R is hydrogen, alkyl, substituted alkyl, alkenyl, or substituted alkenyl; R1 is hydrogen, alkoxy, or substituted alkoxy; R2 is hydrogen, alkyl, or substituted alkyl; and R3 is hydrogen, alkyl, or substituted alkyl.

Abstract: An oligomer-polymer is provided. The oligomer-polymer is obtained by the polymerization reaction of a compound containing an ethylenically unsaturated group and a nucleophile compound, wherein the nucleophile compound includes the compound shown in formula 1: A lithium battery including an anode, a cathode, an isolation film, an electrolyte solution, and a package structure is also provided, wherein the cathode includes the oligomer-polymer.

Abstract: A system and method for reducing the OFDM out-of-band emissions (OOBE) and Inter-Numerology Interference (INI) in a mixed-numerology OFDM-based system by utilizing a transmitter windowing operation that smooths the inherent rectangular pulse shape of the OFDM signals. The technique retains the main design of the OFDM receivers and provides backward compatibility for the existing OFDM-based systems. The guard band and the multi-window parameters that control the guard duration are jointly optimized regarding the numerology, the use case and the power offset between the users. To fully exploit and further increase the potential of adaptive guards, an interference-based scheduling algorithm is proposed as well.

Abstract: A method of making Co3O4 nanorods by thermal decomposition of a cobalt salt is described. A method of using Co3O4 nanorods as an electrocatalyst component to a porous carbon electrode is also described. The carbon electrode may be made of carbonized filter paper. Together, this carbon-supported Co3O4 electrode may be used for water electrolysis.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for converting biomass into a fuel additive, the method comprising: liquefying the biomass to form a liquor; neutralizing the liquor; precipitating lignin out of the liquor; extracting furfural (FF) and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) from the liquor; and hydrodeoxygenating (HDO) the extracted furfurals over a Cu—Ni/TiO2 catalyst. The catalyst for hydrodeoxygenating (HDO) furfural (FF) and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to methylated furans comprises copper-nickel (Cu—Ni) particles supported on titanium dioxide (TiO2), and wherein the copper-nickel particles form core-shell structures in which copper (Cu) is enriched at a surface of the catalyst.

Abstract: A desalination system that includes a plurality of evaporators that are fluidly connected in series, a primary compressor that is fluidly connected to the evaporators to provide a compressed vapor to the evaporators to run the desalination system, and a secondary compressor that is arranged in parallel relative to the primary compressor, wherein the secondary compressor extracts a portion of vapor from a first evaporator and/or one intermediate evaporator in the series and delivers the vapor to the first evaporator. Various combinations of embodiments of the desalination system are provided.