Abstract: Bacterial resistance to antibiotics is increasing worldwide creating a global threat. Tuberculosis (TB), caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is a bacterial infectious disease that results in over one million deaths annually. The discovery outlined here involves a tablet composition for patient administration and subsequently a new paradigm in drug delivery vehicles in vivo and in vitro and is applied to existing TB antibiotics in order to increase their efficacy. The drug delivery system is a three component complex that is administered with the TB antibiotic or a combination of TB antibiotics. The components are a saccharide or saccharides, a transition metal ion or a combination of metal ions that can bind a nitrogen and/or oxygen atom(s), and a water soluble polymer capable of aggregating and enclosing the other constituents. The three component molecular delivery approach has demonstrated ability to overcome M. tuberculosis bacterial resistance to an existing antibiotic.

Abstract: An input-pattern aware reference generation system for a memory cell array having a plurality of word lines crossing a plurality of bit lines includes an input counting circuit, a reference array, and a reference word line control circuit. The input counting circuit receives the input signal of the memory cell array, discovers input activated word lines according to the input signal and generates a number signal representing a number of the input activated word lines. The reference array includes a plurality of reference memory cells storing a predetermined set of weights. The reference word line control circuit is electrically connected between the input counting circuit and the reference array. Moreover, the reference word line control circuit controls the reference array to generate a plurality of reference signals being able to distinguish candidates of the computational result of the bit lines in the memory cell array.

Abstract: The disclosure provides a cell culturing article. The cell culturing article includes a substrate having a surface, a hydrophilic copolymer layer positioned on the surface of the substrate, and a plurality of peptide chains individually conjugated to a surface of the hydrophilic copolymer layer. The hydrophilic copolymer layer is copolymerized by a plurality of polyvinyl alcohol units, a plurality of polyvinyl alcohol derivative units, and a plurality of units containing at least one carboxyl group. A method for manufacturing the cell culturing article, a method for culturing undifferentiated stem cells and a method for regulating stem cell differentiation are also provided herein.

Abstract: In certain aspects the methods comprise administering an inhibitor of hydrogen sulfide biosynthesis, a cystathionine-?-synthase (CBS) inhibitor, or a hydrogen sulfide neutralizing agent to a patient having a cancer associated with elevated production of hydrogen sulfide.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods to eliminate or reduce the peeling-off of epitaxial lifted-off thin film epilayers on secondary host substrates that allow for the fabrication of high yield ELO processed thin film devices. The methods employ patterned strain-relief trenches.

Abstract: According to some embodiments of the invention, a robot-assisted ultrasound system includes a first ultrasound probe, a robot comprising a manipulator arm having a tool end, and a second ultrasound probe attached to the tool end of the manipulator arm. The robot-assisted ultrasound system further includes a robot control system configured to control at least one of a position or a pose of the second ultrasound probe based on a contemporaneous position and pose of the first ultrasound probe, and an ultrasound processing and display system configured to communicate with at least one of the first and second ultrasound probes to receive and display an ultrasound image based on the first and second ultrasound probes acting in conjunction with each other.

Abstract: Described generally herein are tissue therapy devices, which may comprise a sealant layer and a suction apparatus. The sealant layer functions so as to create a sealed enclosure between it and the surface of a patient by forming, preferably, an airtight seal around an area of tissue that requires negative pressure therapy. The tissue therapy device may comprise a suction apparatus. The suction apparatus is typically in fluid communication with the sealant layer and functions so as to reduce the amount of pressure present underneath the sealant layer. The reduced pressure is self-created by the suction apparatus. Together the sealant layer and the suction apparatus preferably create a closed reduced pressure therapy system. Preferably, the pressure under the sealant layer is reduced by expanding the volume of the enclosure space and thereby decreasing the density of the air molecules under the sealant layer.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to progesterone derivatives and uses related thereto. In certain embodiments, the disclosure relates to compounds disclosed herein and uses for managing inflammation resulting from traumatic brain injury or stroke.

Abstract: Example embodiments associated with NMR fingerprinting are described. One example NMR apparatus includes an NMR logic that repetitively and variably samples a (k, t, E) space associated with an object to acquire a set of NMR signals that are associated with different points in the (k, t, E) space. Sampling is performed with t and/or E varying in a non-constant way. Sampling is performed in response to a fast imaging with steady state free precession (MRF-FISP) pulse sequence having an unbalanced gradient that dephases transverse magnetization. The NMR apparatus may also include a signal logic that produces an NMR signal evolution from the NMR signals, and a characterization logic that characterizes a resonant species in the object as a result of comparing acquired signals to reference signals. The unbalanced gradient in the MRF-FISP pulse sequence reduces sensitivity to B0 in homogeneity.

Abstract: Multi-layer integrated circuits having isolation cells for layer testing and related methods are disclosed. According to an aspect, an integrated circuit includes first and second layers that each have one or more electronic components. One or more electronic components of each layer can be electrically connected by a first via and a second via. The integrated circuit also includes an isolation cell operatively connected between the first via and the second via. The isolation cell is configured to controllably break electrical connection between the first via and the second via subsequent to testing of the at least one electronic component of the second layer. Example isolation cells include, but are not limited to, electronic fuses and tri-state flip-flops.

Abstract: Disclosed are a nanopipette provided with a membrane containing a saturated ion-sensitive material, a method for preparing the same, and an ion measuring apparatus comprising the same.

Abstract: Certain embodiments are direct to a vaccine composition comprising an immunizing amount of an Ehrlichia sonicate, wherein the Ehrlichia sonicate elicits a protective physiologic response. In certain aspects the Ehrlichia is one or more of E. canis, E. chaffeensis, E. muris, E. ruminantium, E. ewingii, and E. ovis.

Abstract: An actuator includes: an electrostatic actuation mechanism including a stationary electrode and a movable electrode; a first movable part driven by the electrostatic actuation mechanism; a first elastic support part that elastically supports the first movable part; an electret formed in at least one of the stationary electrode and the movable electrode; and a drive control unit that controls application of voltage to the electrostatic actuation mechanism. In the actuator a plurality of stable states are set in which the first movable part is positioned at a stable position at which an electrostatic force generated by the electret matches with an elastic force exerted by the first elastic support part or at a stable position near such stable position. By applying a voltage to the electrostatic actuation mechanism, the first movable part may be displaced from any stable position to another stable position.

Abstract: A compound having the following formula I: is disclosed. A method of preparing the compound of formula I is also disclosed.

Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a fin extending along a first direction over a substrate, and a gate structure extending in a second direction overlying the fin. The gate structure includes a gate dielectric layer overlying the fin, a gate electrode overlying the gate dielectric layer, and insulating gate sidewalls on opposing lateral surfaces of the gate electrode extending along the second direction. A source/drain region is formed in the fin in a region adjacent the gate electrode structure, and a stressor layer is between the source/drain region and the semiconductor substrate. The stressor layer includes GeSn or SiGeSn containing 1019 atoms cm?3 or less of a dopant, and a portion of the fin under the gate structure is a channel region.

Abstract: Disclosed is a high efficiency video coding (HEVC) encoding device including a candidate group updater configured to select a plurality of representative modes as a candidate group from among intra-prediction modes and update the candidate group using a plurality of minimum modes selected from the candidate group, the plurality of representative modes each representing a range where there is an optimal mode, and an optimal mode selector configured to select any one mode as an optimal mode from among a plurality of minimum modes selected from the updated candidate group.

Abstract: A method of assembling a floating wind turbine platform includes assembling a keystone having a hollow central cavity from pre-formed concrete sections, and assembling a plurality of buoyant bottom beams from pre-formed concrete sections. Each bottom beam is attached to, and extends radially outward of the keystone to define a base assembly. Each buoyant bottom beam includes a ballast chamber therein. The keystone is post-tensioned to each bottom beam along a longitudinal axis thereof. A center column is assembled upwardly and perpendicularly on the base assembly from pre-formed sections of the center column, the outer columns are assembled on a distal end of each bottom beam from pre-formed sections of the outer columns, and the center column and the outer columns are longitudinally post-tensioned to the base assembly. A tower is assembled on the center column from pre-formed sections, and a wind turbine is assembled on the tower.

Abstract: A method and a device for extracting local features of a 3D point cloud are disclosed. Angle information and the concavo-convex information about a feature point to be extracted and a point of an adjacent body element are calculated based on a local reference system corresponding to the points of each body element. The feature relation between the two points can be calculated accurately. The property of invariance in translation and rotation is possessed. Since concavo-convex information about a local point cloud is contained during extraction, the inaccurate extraction caused by ignoring concavo-convex ambiguity in previous 3D local feature description is resolved.

Abstract: The invention demonstrates that only 2% functional conductive polymer binder without any conductive additives was successfully used with a micron-size silicon monoxide (SiO) anode material, demonstrating stable and high gravimetric capacity (>1000 mAh/g) for ˜500 cycles and more than 90% capacity retention. Prelithiation of this anode using stabilized lithium metal powder (SLMP®) improves the first cycle Coulombic efficiency of a SiO/NMC full cell from ˜48% to ˜90%. This combination enables good capacity retention of more than 80% after 100 cycles at C/3 in a lithium-ion full cell. We also demonstrate the important connection between porosity and the loading of silicon electrodes. By employing a highly porous silicon electrode, a high areal capacity (3.3 mAh/cm2) is obtained. This method works well to achieve high loading of other high-capacity alloy anodes, the state-of-art graphite anode, as well as a high loading of positive electrodes for LIBs.

Abstract: Methods and devices are disclosed for panoramic video coding and decoding based on multi-mode boundary fill. If a predicted image block of a current image block is obtained by inter-frame prediction. The inter-frame prediction includes a boundary fill step of adaptively selecting a boundary fill method according to coordinates of a reference sample when the reference sample of a pixel in the current image block is outside the boundary of a corresponding reference image, to obtain a sample value of the reference sample. The panoramic video encoding and decoding method and device based on multi-mode boundary fill in the present invention make full use of the characteristic that horizontal image contents in a panoramic video are cyclically connected to optimize an image boundary fill method, such that the encoding can adaptively select a more reasonable boundary fill method according to the coordinates of a reference sample, thereby improving compression efficiency.