Abstract: An aluminum alloy including additions of scandium, zirconium, erbium and, optionally, silicon.

Abstract: An integrated optofluidic system for trapping and transporting particles for analysis is provided comprising a planar substrate; a microfluidic channel; and a waveguide integrated with the channel. A microsphere particle in the integrated optofluidic system can act as a cavity, allowing light to circulate many thousands of times around the circumference of the microsphere. Optical trapping and transport is used for nanoscale positioning to excite the microsphere resonances. Sensitive measurements on molecules can be accomplished by monitoring changes in whispering gallery modes (WGMs) that propagate around the circumference of the microsphere. By using a broadband or supercontinuum light source, a microsphere can be trapped and many WGM resonances can be excited through the visible and near-infrared wavelengths simultaneously. After the resonances are measured using the waveguide transmission, the microsphere can be freed by decreasing the optical power and the process repeated with a different microsphere.

Abstract: An organic, spin-dependent magnetic field sensor (10) includes an active stack (12) having an organic material with a spin-dependence. The sensor (10) also includes a back electrical contact (14) electrically coupled to a back of the active stack (12) and a front electrical contact (16) electrically coupled to a front of the active stack (12). A magnetic field generator (18) is oriented so as to provide an oscillating magnetic field which penetrates the active stack (12).

Abstract: Reconstruction of cardiac information representing a complex rhythm disorder is facilitated by assigning activation onsets to non-discernible beats in low confidence signals based upon time associations relative to activation onsets in adjacent high confidence signals.

Abstract: The invention features compositions and methods that are useful for precisely determining the amount of one or more analytes present in a sample. In one aspect, the invention provides a composition for measuring the abundance of one or more target analytes in a sample, where the composition contains a set of detection units for each analyte fixed to a substrate (e.g., a membrane, bead, filter, chip, polymer-based film or glass slide, or other printable surface), where each detection unit contains a discrete amount of a capture agent that specifically binds the target analyte, and the amount of capturing agent varies over the set to form a concentration gradient.

Abstract: The present invention provides a fibromodulin (FMOD) reprogrammed (FReP) cell and a method of making therefor, a culture medium therefor, and a supernatant thereof, and methods of making and using these.

Abstract: A method of treating natural gas to remove contaminants is described. An input natural gas is mixed with water causing formation of CO2 hydrates and CH4 hydrates. A natural gas having a reduced CO2 concentration, and a water-hydrate mixture comprising the CO2 hydrates and CH4 hydrates, is output. The water-hydrate mixture is exposed to CO2 gas forming a CO2—CH4 gas mixture and a residual hydrate mixture. The CO2—CH4 gas mixture is recycled to remove CH4. The residual hydrate mixture is treated to produce H2O which can be recycled for use in forming the water-hydrate mixture, and gaseous CO2 for use in use in stripping CH4 from the CH4 hydrates of the water-hydrate mixture.

Abstract: An inputting fingertip sleeve includes a sleeve and an inputting end. The sleeve is configured to receive a finger. The sleeve includes at least one opening. The inputting end is located on the sleeve. The inputting end includes a supporter and a conductive layer. The conductive layer is located on a surface of the supporter. The conductive layer includes a carbon nanotube structure and a conductive layer. The carbon nanotube structure includes a plurality of carbon nanotubes. The conductive material is coated on a surface of each carbon nanotube to form a coating layer.

Abstract: Methods and compositions for treating a mental condition in a subject in need thereof, includes administering to a subject in need thereof an effective amount of a CDD-102A compound [5-(3-ethyl-1,2,4-oxadiazol-5-yl)-1,4,5,6-tetrahydropyrimidine], or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or hydrate thereof pharmaceutically acceptable salt or hydrate thereof.

Abstract: A method of growing high-quality, group-III nitride, bulk single crystals. The group III-nitride bulk crystal is grown in an autoclave in supercritical ammonia using a source material or nutrient that is a group III-nitride polycrystals or group-III metal having a grain size of at least 10 microns or more and a seed crystal that is a group-III nitride single crystal. The group III-nitride polycrystals may be recycled from previous ammonothermal process after annealing in reducing gas at more then 600° C. The autoclave may include an internal chamber that is filled with ammonia, wherein the ammonia is released from the internal chamber into the autoclave when the ammonia attains a supercritical state after the heating of the autoclave, such that convection of the supercritical ammonia transfers source materials and deposits the transferred source materials onto seed crystals, but undissolved particles of the source materials are prevented from being transferred and deposited on the seed crystals.

Abstract: The use of the electride form of 12CaO-7Al2O3, or C12A7, as a low work function electron emitter in a hollow cathode discharge apparatus is described. No heater is required to initiate operation of the present cathode, as is necessary for traditional hollow cathode devices. Because C12A7 has a fully oxidized lattice structure, exposure to oxygen does not degrade the electride. The electride was surrounded by a graphite liner since it was found that the C12A7 electride converts to it's eutectic (CA+C3A) form when heated (through natural hollow cathode operation) in a metal tube.

Abstract: A multi-force sensing instrument includes a tool that has a tool shaft having a distal end and a proximal end, a strain sensor arranged at a first position along the tool shaft, at least one of a second strain sensor or a torque-force sensor arranged at a second position along the tool shaft, the second position being more towards the proximal end of the tool shaft than the first position, and a signal processor configured to communicate with the strain sensor and the at least one of the second strain sensor or the torque-force sensor to receive detection signals therefrom. The signal processor is configured to process the signals to determine a magnitude and position of a lateral component of a force applied to the tool shaft when the position of the applied force is between the first and second positions.

Abstract: Provided is a composition for inducing tumor cell senescence and a method for inducing tumor cell senescence using the same. The composition can inhibit a PAPSS2 gene in a tumor cell to thereby induce senescence of the tumor cell, and if the composition is used concurrently with irradiation of the tumor cell, the composition can improve the sensitivity of the tumor cell to radiation.

Abstract: A capacitive microphone and method of fabricating the same are provided. One or more holes can be formed in a first printed circuit board (PCB). A diaphragm can be surface micro-machined onto an interior surface of the first PCB at a region having the one or more holes. Interface electronics can also be interconnected to the interior surface of the PCB. One or more spacer PCBs can be attached to a second PCB to the first PCB, such that appropriate interconnections between interconnect vias are made. The second PCB and first PCB with spacers in between can be attached so as to create a cavity in which the diaphragm and interface electronics are located.

Abstract: The present invention provides pharmaceutical compositions in the form of relatively high molecular weight biocompatible polymers such as polyethylene glycol, optionally supplemented with a protective polymer such as dextran and/or essential pathogen nutrients such as L-glutamine. Also provided are methods for preventing or treating gut-derived sepsis attributable to intestinal pathogens such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa by administering high molecular weight polyethylene glycol as well as methods for monitoring the administration of high molecular weight polyethylene glycol, such as in methods of preventing, ameliorating or treating microbe-induced epithelial disorders, as exemplified by gut-derived sepsis. Frequently, gut-derived sepsis arises as a complication in mammals recovering from surgical intervention or suffering from a disease or disorder, providing indications of suitable animals to receive preventative treatment.

Abstract: A method of image processing using a cellular simultaneous recurrent network (CSRN) is provided. In particular, the method includes a processor that sets initial parameters of the CSRN and generates a target image based on the initial parameters. Then, a training process is executed to learn an image processing task. The training process performs an image processing task on one of a plurality of sub-images of an input image and then the sub-image is stored after the training process. The training process is then repeated until the image processing task has been performed on each of the plurality of sub-images of the input image. Once the training process is complete, an image transformation is performed on the input image and an output image is displayed based on the transformed input image.

Abstract: A tool hard film that is to be disposed as coating on a surface of a tool, the tool hard film being a TiCrMoWV oxycarbide, oxynitride, or oxycarbonitride having a phase with a NaCl-type crystal structure as a main phase, the oxycarbide, oxynitride, or oxycarbonitride having fine crystals due to introduction of oxygen.

Abstract: A method, image processing apparatus, and computer readable medium for image enhancement are provided. In the method, a low-resolution image is received and upscaled to generate an upscaled image having first pixels. Edge detection is performed on the upscaled image to obtain edge information of the first pixels. Each piece of the edge information includes an edge direction and an edge intensity, and each of the edge directions includes a horizontal and vertical component having a constant summation. A non-edge region of the upscaled image is enhanced to generate a high-resolution detail image; based on unsharp masking sharpening methods, an edge region of the low-passed upscaled image is enhanced according to the horizontal and vertical components of the edge directions to generate a high-resolution edge image. Image fusion is performed on the high-resolution edge image and the high-resolution detail image according to the edge intensities to generate a super-resolution image.

Abstract: An amino acid conjugate of a cyclic or acyclic nucleoside phosphonate is provided. In some cases, the amino acid conjugate is a tyrosine alkyl amide phosphonate ester conjugate of a cyclic or acyclic nucleoside phosphonate, and is useful as an antiviral compound. In certain cases, the tyrosine conjugate includes a long chain alkyl group on the carboxamide group of the tyrosine residue. In a method of preparing an acyclic tyrosine conjugate, a tert-butyloxycarbonyl (Boc) protected tyrosine residue containing a long chain alkyl group is reacted with an acyclic nucleoside phosphonate mono-ethyl ester in the presence of benzotriazol-1-yl-oxytripyrrolidinophosphonium hexafluorophosphate to produce a Boc-protected nucleoside phosphonate di-ester, and the di-ester is deethylated and deprotected to produce the tyrosine conjugate. Methods of inhibiting viral replication and methods of treating a viral infection using the amino acid conjugate are also provided.

Abstract: A planar motor includes a base provided with at least one stator, a mover provided on a top portion of a planar object to be placed on a top portion of the base, and moving according to a magnetic field generated by the stator, a mover support connected to the mover, supporting the mover from the planar object, and moving the mover according to a force of the magnetic field, and a controller supplying a control current to the stator to control location of the mover.