Abstract: Compositions comprising glycosyl hydrolase enzymes are provided, as are methods for their use to depolymerize hemicellulose, cellulose, lignin and pectin in biomass in order to produce products such as simple sugars. The enzymes, isolated from Aspergillus nidulans and Phanerochaete chrysosporium, were characterized, and synergistic mixtures of the enzymes were produced and used to generate simple sugars from biomass without the need to pretreat the biomass before digestion. The enzyme blends generally comprise two or more enzymes, which may be from the same fungus or from two different fungi, and are used for efficient and cost effective complete degradation of lignocelluloses. Applications of this technology include biofuel production.

Abstract: The present patent relates to a method for qualitative identification and quantitative prediction of thyroid hormone disrupting chemicals base on the interaction between thyroid hormone receptor and co-regulators (coactivator and corepressor). The method identifies chemicals as passive antagonists, active antagonists and agonists by means of co-regulator involved molecular dynamics simulations, and predicts the relative disrupting potencies by use of binding free energy, therefore, may be used for screening of thyroid hormone disruptors among environmental pollutants. Upon more comprehensive consideration of the functioning mechanism of thyroid hormone receptor, the present invention is able to sufficiently identify thyroid hormone disruptors as agonists and antagonists, and gives more accurate prediction of the disrupting potency.

Abstract: A hydrogen sensor can include a substrate, an Ohmic metal disposed on the substrate, a nitride layer disposed on the substrate and having a first window exposing the substrate, a Schottky metal placed in the first window and disposed on the substrate, a final metal disposed on the nitride layer and the Schottky metal and having a second window exposing the Schottky metal, and a polymethyl-methacrylate (PMMA) layer encapsulating the second window. The PMMA layer can fill the second window and be in contact with the Schottky metal.

Abstract: A beam steering system of a high-gain antenna includes an antenna configured to include a printed circuit board in which an antenna element is designed, and a ground plane, wherein the printed circuit board and the ground plane may be each adhered onto upper and lower surfaces of the antenna; a paraelectric material configured to be separated from the upper surface of the antenna with a predetermined distance and is divided into a plurality of cells, whose relative permittivity varies depending on a voltage applied to a pair of thin metallic conductor patches adhered to upper and lower surfaces of each cell; and a power supply unit configured to supply the voltage to the pair of thin metallic conductor patches which are each adhered to the upper and lower surfaces of the cell to face each other.

Abstract: A framework of cloud service for biological growth is disclosed. The framework of cloud service for biological growth includes a client end, a service provider, an expert end, and an equipment end. The client end has a biological cultivate area, a first processing unit, a first control module, and a first transceiver module. The service provider has a first database, a second processing unit, a data integration module, a web server, a data integration module, and a second transceiver module. The expert end has a second database, a third processing unit, a second monitoring module, a biological growth simulation module, and a third transceiver module. The equipment end has a third database, a fourth processing unit, and a fourth transceiver module.

Abstract: In some embodiments, a thermal energy storage system includes multiple thermal energy storage containers adapted to store thermal energy storage media, the containers having high emissivity inner surfaces that are adapted to radiate heat into the stored thermal energy storage media.

Abstract: A nanofluid composed of a base fluid and a solid nanocomposite particle, where the solid nanocomposite particle consists of a carbon nanotube and a metal oxide nanoparticle selected from the group consisting of Fe2O3, Al2O3, and CuO. The metal oxide nanoparticle is affixed inside of or to the outer surface of the carbon nanotube, and the solid nanocomposite particle is homogeneously dispersed in the base fluid. The heat transfer and specific heat capacity properties of the nanofluid are measured using differential scanning calorimetry and heat exchanger experiments with different nanocomposite concentrations and different metal oxide percent loadings.

Abstract: The invention provides compounds, compositions and therapeutic methods. The compounds and compositions can be used for the treatment of myotonic dystrophy. The compounds can selectively bind to CUG repeats in RNA, or to CTG repeats in DNA, and inhibit replication of the nucleic acids. RNA-targeted therapeutic agents for the treatment of myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) are described. In one embodiment, two bisamidinium ligands are linked using “click” chemistry to form a heterodimer that is a potent inhibitor of the MBNL1-rCUGexp complex (KI=25±8 nM), is relatively non-toxic to HeLa cells, dissolves nuclear foci, corrects >80% of the IR misregulated alternative splicing in DM1 model cells (1 ?M), and shows improvement of disease phenotypes in a DM1 Drosophila model.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods for imaging lumen-forming structures such as blood vessels using near-infrared fluorescence in the NIR-II region of 1000-1700 nm. The fluorescence is created by excitation of solubilized nano-structures that are delivered to the structures, such as carbon nanotubes, quantum dots or organic molecular fluorophores attached to hydrophilic polymers. These nanostructures fluoresce in the NIR-II region when illuminated through the skin and tissues. Fine anatomical vessel resolution down to ?30 ?m and high temporal resolution up to 5-10 frames per second is obtained for small-vessel imaging with up to 1 cm penetration depth in mouse hind limb, which compares favorably to tomographic imaging modalities such as CT and MRI with much higher spatial and temporal resolution, and compares favorably to scanning microscopic imaging techniques with much deeper penetration.

Abstract: The invention provides compositions and methods for adoptive T cell therapy in treating a variety of disorders including cancer, infections, and autoimmune disorders. In one embodiment, the invention provides a universal immune receptor (UnivIR) that comprises an extracellular label binding domain, a transmembrane domain, and a cytoplasmic domain or otherwise an intracellular domain.

Abstract: An online monitoring unit and a control circuit for ultra-wide voltage range applications are disclosed. Compared with a conventional online monitoring unit, present invention eliminates a need to reserve delay units, replaces flip-flops in the conventional online monitoring unit with a latch, and uses a transition detector with fewer transistors than that of a shadow latch in the conventional online monitoring unit, thereby reducing an area and a power consumption of the online monitoring unit significantly and improving an energy efficiency of online monitoring techniques. In addition, in the ultra-wide voltage range applications, a time borrowing property of the latch adopted by the present invention can be utilized to prevent a timing error caused by process-voltage-temperature (PVT) variations, thus enabling a minimization of a timing margin and ensuring a higher power efficiency. The present invention also discloses a control circuit for use with the online monitoring unit.

Abstract: Provided are a coating solution for a non-light-emitting organic semiconductor device having high carrier mobility that contains a compound represented by Formula (2) and a solvent having a boiling point of equal to or higher than 100° C., an organic transistor, a compound, an organic semiconductor material for a non-light-emitting organic semiconductor device, a material for an organic transistor, a method for manufacturing an organic transistor, and a method for manufacturing an organic semiconductor film. (In Formula (2), R11 and R12 each independently represent a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, an alkenyl group, an alkynyl group, or an alkoxy group and may have a substituent, and an aromatic portion in Formula (2) may be substituted with a halogen atom.

Abstract: The present invention provides compounds and compositions which are positive allosteric modulators of GABA-A receptors that selectively target the peripheral nervous system and organs of the body, and which do not pass through the blood-brain barrier. The compounds and compositions of the present invention are useful for treatment of diseases or disorders which are mediated by GABA-A neuronal activity, such as, for example, visceral pain, gut motility, irritable bowel syndrome, functional abdominal pain, functional idiopathic diarrhea, inflammatory bowel diseases, drug induced pain, bile salt malabsorption, lactase or other carbohydrate intolerance.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to X-ray imaging systems and methods. An exemplary system may comprise a distributed X-ray source arrangement, a fixed grating module, an X-ray detecting device, and a computer workstation. In one illustrative implementation, X-ray sources of the distributed incoherent X-ray source arrangement may sequentially generate and emit X-rays to an object to be detected. Further, for each exposure, the X-ray detecting device may receive the X-rays, wherein after a series of stepping exposures and corresponding data acquisitions, at each pixel of the X-ray detecting device, X-ray intensities are represented as an intensity curve; the intensity curve may be compared to an intensity curve in the absence of the object to be detected, and a pixel value at each pixel may be obtained from a variation of the intensity curves; and image information of the object to be detected may be obtained according to such pixel values.

Abstract: A system for using a smartpen as a tool for automatically assessing student learning that is simple and accurate. The system has a computer with at least one processor, a memory, a storage, and communications through a protocol, one or more than one smartpen in communication with the computer and a plurality of software modules having non-transitory instructions executable on the processor for at least a characterization module, for characterizing spatial and temporal organization of a student's work, and a machine learning module utilizing the spatial and temporal organization to assess student learning.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a low friction member having seaweed-type nanotubes, the nanotubes which protrude like seaweed on the surface of a base material being concentrated in the moving direction of a sliding member, thereby improving the fluidity of a liquid lubricant, thus enabling the effective reduction of surface friction. Such present invention comprises: a base material which has a plurality of dimples formed on the surface thereof so as to reduce friction occurring due to the surface contact of a sliding member; a fixing material which is filled inside the dimples; nanotubes which are buried in the fixing material and protrude to the outside by means of the surface processing of the fixing material; and a liquid lubricant which is coated on the surface of the base material, wherein, as the protruding nanotubes become concentrated in the moving direction of the sliding member, the fluidity of the liquid lubricant is improved, thereby enabling the effective reduction of surface friction.

Abstract: The present technology provides microfabricated filtration devices, methods of making such devices, and uses for microfabricated filtration devices. The devices may allow diffusion to occur between two fluids with improved transport resistance characteristics as compared to conventional filtration devices. The devices may include a compound structure that includes a porous membrane overlying a support structure. The support structure may define a cavity and a plurality of recesses formed in a way that can allow modified convective flow of a first fluid to provide improved diffusive transport between the first fluid and a second fluid through the membrane.

Abstract: This invention provides an apparatus for electrically stimulating a cell and a method for using the same. In particular, the apparatus of the invention comprises an array of electrodes and a controller for actuating individual electrodes.

Abstract: Exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate generally to the fields for indicating a location on an image in a multi-viewer display. In particular embodiments, the multi-viewer display may be a multi-viewer microscope.

Abstract: A method for imaging one dimension nanomaterials is provided. Firstly, one dimension nanomaterials sample, an optical microscope with a liquid immersion objective and a liquid are provided. Secondly, the one dimensional nanomaterials sample is immersed in the liquid. Thirdly, the one dimensional nanomaterials sample is illuminated by an incident beam to generate resonance Rayleigh scattering. Fourthly, the liquid immersion objective is immersed into the liquid to get a resonance Rayleigh scattering (RRS) image of the one dimensional nanomaterials sample. Fifthly, spectra of the one dimensional nanomaterials sample are measured to obtain chirality of the one dimensional nanomaterials sample.