Abstract: An integrated medical bite block is engaged by a user's teeth and installed into the user's mouth. The bite block includes a through passageway, an upper grove, and a lower grove. The through passageway is penetrating through the bite block. One end of the through passageway comprises an inlet opening, the other end comprises an oral opening. The oral opening is connected with the user's mouth. An upper surface of the bite block provides the upper grove configured for receiving one or more upper teeth (maxillary teeth) of the user, and a lower surface of the bite block provides a lower grove configured for receiving one or more lower teeth (mandibular teeth) of the user. One distance between the lower grove and the oral opening is greater than the other distance between the upper grove and the oral opening, thereby the invention serves to extend forward the mandible and reposition a malposition between the mandible and the maxilla of the user.

Abstract: The disclosure provides a centrifugal microfluidics control system and a method configuring the same. The system may comprise a centrifugal tube; a centrifugal unit for accommodating the centrifugal tube and providing a centrifugal force to the centrifugal tube; a control unit fixed in bottom of the centrifugal tube; and a microfluidic supporting unit coupled to the control unit in the centrifugal tube. The control unit may change an orientation of the microfluidic supporting unit to change a direction of the centrifugal force applied to the microfluidic supporting unit.

Abstract: Systems and methods for biosignal acquisition, and in particular, electrocorticography signal acquisition, are disclosed for small area, low noise recording and digitization of brain signals from electrode arrays.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to compositions comprising at least one layer or at least two layers, each layer comprising a substantially two-dimensional array of crystal cells, having first and second surfaces, each crystal cell having the empirical formula of Mn+1Xn, where M, X, and n are described in the specification, and devices incorporating these compositions.

Abstract: An encoding apparatus is an encoding apparatus for encoding a time-series signal for each of predetermined time sections in a frequency domain, wherein a parameter ? is a positive number, the parameter ? corresponding to a time-series signal is a shape parameter of generalized Gaussian distribution that approximates a histogram of a whitened spectral sequence, which is a sequence obtained by dividing a frequency domain sample sequence corresponding to the time-series signal by a spectral envelope estimated by regarding the ?-th power of absolute values of the frequency domain sample sequence as a power spectrum, and any of a plurality of parameters ? is selective or the parameter ? is variable for each of the predetermined time sections; and the encoding apparatus comprises an encoding portion encoding the time-series signal for each of the predetermined time sections by an encoding process with a configuration identified at least based on the parameter ? for each of the predetermined time sections.

Abstract: Systems and methods for improved data transmission utilizing a communication facilitator are described in accordance with embodiments of the invention. One embodiment includes a plurality of nodes, that each comprise: a transmitter; a receiver; and an encoder that encodes message data for transmission using a plurality of codewords; a cooperation facilitator node comprising: a transmitter; and a receiver; wherein the nodes are configured to transmit data parameters to the cooperation facilitator; wherein the cooperation facilitator is configured to generate cooperation parameters based upon the data parameters received from the nodes; wherein the cooperation facilitator is configured to transmit cooperation parameters to the nodes; and wherein the encoder in each of the nodes selects a codeword from the plurality of codewords based at least in part upon the cooperation parameters received from the communication facilitator and transmit the selected codeword via the multiple access channel.

Abstract: CRYSTAL “Cognitive radio you share, trust and access locally” (CRYSTAL) is a virtualized cognitive access point that may provide for combining multiple wireless access applications on a single hardware platform. Radio technologies such as LTE, WiMax, GSM, and the like can be supported. CRYSTAL platforms can be aggregated and managed as a cloud, which provides a model for access point sharing, control, and management. CRYSTAL may be used for scenarios such as neighborhood spectrum management. CRYSTAL security features allow for home/residential as well as private infrastructure implementations.

Abstract: The invention relates to a bistable piezoelectric cantilever-based vibration energy harvester that increases the energy harvested over a broad frequency of vibrations by introducing bistability to the cantilever through use of two repelling magnets, one mounted on the cantilever and one at a location facing the first. This increases the amplitude and velocity of cantilever vibration, hence harvested power, while nonlinearity makes the system efficient over almost the entire range of frequencies, lower than the natural resonant frequency of the linear version without the magnets. Such improved performance is seen while the cantilever remains in the bistable mode.

Abstract: A reactor comprises a reactor vessel defining a confined reactor volume, a support assembly extending about a periphery of the confined reactor volume, a basket positioned within the reactor vessel and supported by the support assembly, the basket having an interior surface and an exterior surface, a downflow zone being defined between the exterior surface of the basket and an interior surface of the confined reactor volume, an inlet screen positioned adjacent to one end of the interior surface and an outlet screen positioned adjacent to an opposite end of the interior surface, an upflow zone defined between the inlet screen and outlet screen, the inlet screen and the outlet screen containing a quantity of particulate catalyst, and a circulating device positioned above said upflow zone and configured to continuously circulate fluid upwardly though said upflow zone and downwardly through said downflow zone, the support assembly and the basket configured to promote the formation of a fluid vortex within a porti

Abstract: Apparatus and method estimate a position of a movable stage. The apparatus comprises: a stator comprising 2D array of sensors arranged relative to one another to provide a plurality of stator-Y oriented sensor columns and a plurality of stator-X oriented sensor rows; a movable stage comprising a first Y-magnet array comprising a plurality of first magnetization segments generally linearly elongated in a stage-Y direction, each first magnetization segment having a stage-Y direction length, Lyy, and a magnetization direction generally orthogonal to the stage-Y direction, the magnetization directions of the plurality of first magnetization segments exhibiting a first magnetic spatial period over ?x a stage-X direction width, Wyx, of the first magnet array; and a controller connected to receive information based on an output from each of the sensors and configured to use the information to determine a stator-X direction position of the movable stage.

Abstract: The present invention relates to peptides having one or more stable, internally-constrained HBS ?-helices, where the peptide is capable of interacting with Ras and related proteins.

Abstract: The disclosure relates generally to neurodegenerative disorders and more specifically to a group of presenilin/G-protein/c-src binding polypeptides and methods of use for modulating signaling and progression of Alzheimer's disease.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the field of cognitive function. More specifically, the present invention provides compositions and methods useful for assessing cognitive dysfunction/function in Alzheimer's disease and other diseases of cognition. In one embodiment, the method comprises the steps of (a) reducing heterocomplexes comprising NPTX1 and NPTX2 present in a biological sample obtained from the patient into NPTX1 and NPTX2 monomers; (b) covalently modifying the thiol groups of the NPTX1 and NPTX2 monomers to prevent re-formation of NPTX1/NPTX2 heterocomplexes; (c) detecting NPTX2 in the sample; and (d) assessing cognitive function in the patient by comparing NPTX2 detected in the sample to a control.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method comprising imaging a network section through which flow occurs; where the flow is selected from a group consisting of fluid, electrons, protons, neutrons and holes; partitioning the image into sub-regions based on metabolic need and function; where each region comprises one or more sources and one or more sinks; where the flow emanates from the source and exits into the sinks; performing a Delaunay triangulation tessellation on one or more sub-regions by connecting one or more sources and one or more sinks; where the Delaunay triangulations maximize the minimum angle of all the angles of the triangles in the triangulation; generating a Voronoi diagram from the Delaunay triangulation by subdividing the sub-regions into Voronoi cells, where each Voronoi cell contains exactly one sink or one source; and where the intersections of Voronoi cells are Voronoi cell vertices; locating a sink endpoint centroid; connecting a source to a nearest Voronoi cell vertex; connecting at least one si

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a porous material having a surface that is concurrently both superhydrophilic (having a first apparent advancing dynamic contact angle of less than or equal to about 5° for water) and oleophobic (having a second apparent advancing dynamic contact angle of greater than or equal to about 90°) or superoleophobic (a second apparent advancing dynamic contact angle of greater than or equal to about 150° for oil). Such materials can be used in a separator device to separate a liquid-liquid mixture of immiscible components (e.g., oil and water) or miscible components (e.g., alcohols). Separation apparatus incorporating such materials and methods of making and using these materials are also provided.

Abstract: A low power voltage regulator includes a weighted transistor array having a plurality of transistor switches with a total conductance of G, corresponding to bits from a MSB to LSB. A transistor switch corresponding to the MSB has a conductance of G/2 and remaining bits have a consecutive descending conductance of G/2N to the LSB, and search time takes a low number of cycles by starting with the MSB. A redundant LSB transistor switch has the same G/2N conductance of the LSB. The redundant LSB is used to correct steady-state errors, and a proportional derivative controller compensates output voltage. The compensation in a method eliminates an output pole of the voltage regulator to provide a stable voltage regulator operation irrespective of load current, load capacitance, or sampling frequency. Voltage can be regulated via the additional LSB below the resolution limit via pulse width modulation.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of treating pleural abnormalities in a subject in need thereof, comprising the steps of: (a) attaching a biodegradable polymeric membrane onto a pleural wound to elicit fibronectin from fibroblasts to cause fibrous adhesion; and (b) securing the membrane with securement products, including sutures, staples, and sealants. The present invention also relates to a biodegradable adhesion membrane used for treating pleural abnormalities, comprising: a biodegradable base material selected from the group consisting of polycaprolactone (PCL), polylactic acid or polylactide (PLA), polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), poly(ethylene adipate), poly(butylene adipate) (PBA), chitosan, hyaluronic acid, and polyglycolic acid (PGA); wherein the thickness of the membrane is 0.1-1 mm.

Abstract: An electrolyte for a dye-sensitized solar cell is disclosed. The electrolyte includes a solvent being one selected from a group consisting of gamma-butyrolactone (gBL), propylene carbonate (PC) and 3-methoxypropionitrile (MPN), and a polymer mixed with the solvent to form an electrolyte solution, wherein when the solvent is one of gBL and PC, the polymer is one selected from a group consisting of polyacrylonitrile (PAN), polyvinyl acetate (PVA), poly(acrylonitrile-co-vinyl acetate) (PAN-VA) and a combination thereof; and when the solvent is MPN, the polymer includes one of a mixture of poly(ethylene oxide (PEO) and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), and a mixture of PEO and polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA).

Abstract: The present invention proposes an apparatus and a method capable of forming M*N number of beams by a base station, which supports signal transmission/reception of the macro service area in heterogeneous networks in which a macro service area is formed with the M*N number of beams through a two-dimensional arrangement simultaneously considering the horizontal dimension and the vertical dimension and at least one small service is formed in the macro service area. To this end, at least one interference prediction beam formed to transmit signals interfering in transmission signals in at least one small service area from among the signals to be transmitted by the M*N number of beams is selected, and each of the M*N number of beams is formed in consideration of the inter-cell interference in at least one small service area due to the signals to be transmitted by at least one selected interference prediction beam.