Abstract: An inventive energy harvesting apparatus may include a ferromagnetic material and/or a shape memory alloys to convert thermal energy to mechanical energy to electrical energy. The apparatus is subjected to a thermal gradient to cause beams to bend thus creating stress/strain in a piezoelectric material, or creating magnetic flux in a magnetic path. The charges created in this process can be transferred to electrical batteries.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method for treating and preventing hypertension by administering a therapeutically effective amount of an agent capable of reducing uric acid levels in a patient in need of such treatment. Additionally, the scope of the invention includes a method of treating coronary heart disease by administering a therapeutically effective amount of an agent capable of reducing uric acid levels in a patient in need of such treatment.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a gateway device, a network system and a data converting method using a plurality of network protocols different from each other. A gateway device includes a first communication controller connected to first device via a first bus in accordance with a first network protocol to exchange data with the first device in accordance with the first network protocol, a second communication controller connected to second device via a second bus in accordance with a second network protocol different from the first network protocol to exchange the data with the second device in accordance with the second network protocol, and a control unit interconverting the data in accordance with the first network protocol and the data in accordance with the second network protocol into each other so that the data is exchanged between the first device and the second device.

Abstract: A method of fabricating a semiconductor metamaterial is provided, comprising providing a sample of engineered microstructured material that is transparent to electromagnetic radiation and comprises one or more elongate, high aspect ratio voids, passing through the voids a high pressure fluid comprising a semiconductor material carried in a carrier fluid, and causing the semiconductor material to deposit onto the surface of the one or more voids of the engineered microstructured material to form the metamaterial. Many microstructured materials and semiconductor materials can be used, together with various techniques for controlling the location, spatial extent, and thickness of the deposition of the semiconductor within the microstructured material, so that a wide range of different metamaterials can be produced.

Abstract: A method for inducing T cell tolerance in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) comprising adding a suppressive composition to said cells.

Abstract: An electrode for an energy storage device containing a polyaminoquinoxaline compound of the following formula (1a) is provided as having a highly densified energy level and being small in size and light in weight. R1 and R2 independently represent a hydrogen atom, a hydroxyl group, a C1-C10 alkyl group, a C1-C10 alkoxy group or the like, R3 and R4 independently represent a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, a cyano group, a nitro group, an amino group, a C1-C10 alkyl group, a C1-C10 alkoxy group or the like, X1 represents —NH—R5—NH— or —NH—R6— wherein R5 and R6 independently represent a C1-C10 alkylene group, —C(O)CH2—, —CH2C(O)— or the like, and n is an integer of 2 or over.

Abstract: To provide a Ga2O3 compound semiconductor device in which a Ga2O3 system compound is used as a semiconductor, which has an electrode having ohmic characteristics adapted to the Ga2O3 system compound, and which can make a heat treatment for obtaining the ohmic characteristics unnecessary. An n-side electrode 20 including at least a Ti layer is formed on a lower surface of an n-type ?-Ga2O3 substrate 2 by utilizing a PLD method. This n-side electrode 20 has ohmic characteristics at 25° C. The n-side electrode 20 may have two layer including a Ti layer and an Au layer, three layers including a Ti layer, an Al layer and an Au layer, or four layers including a Ti layer, an Al layer, a Ni layer and an Au layer.

Abstract: A charge-neutral organometallic dendrimer is described, said dendrimer having the formula (I): CORE-[DENDRITE(-Q)a]n??(I) in which CORE represents a group of formula MXxYz, in which M represents a metal cation, x represents an integer of 1 or more, each X which may be the same or different represents a mono-, bi- or tri-dentate coordinating group, z represents 0 or an integer of 1 or more, and each Y which may be the same or different represents a coordinating group, the total of (b.x)+(c.

Abstract: A method for making a thermal interface material includes: providing a CNT array on a substrate; providing a first solution with organic matter and ferric ion; soaking the CNT array into the first solution for a period of time; dipping a second solution into the first solution to form a ferric salt deposit; taking out the CNT array, and then heating the CNT array in inert gas; and cooling and peeling off the CNT array from the substrate, and finally achieving a thermal interface material. The thermal interface material made by the present method has a high heat conducting efficiency.

Abstract: This invention provides tandem fluorescent protein construct including a donor fluorescent protein moiety, an acceptor fluorescent protein moiety and a linker moiety that couples the donor and acceptor moieties. The donor and acceptor moieties exhibit fluorescence resonance energy transfer which is eliminated upon cleavage. The constructs are useful in enzymatic assays.

Abstract: This invention provides molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) for the detection of analytes, methods for forming the MIPs and detecting the analyte using the MIPs. The MIP comprises templated sites which are formed using a mimic of the analyte such that a reporter compound can be selectively attached at the templated sites, thus providing a site selectively tagged and templated MIP.

Abstract: Gold is subjected to anodic oxidation in an aqueous solution of a carboxylic acid or carboxylate. The carboxylic acid can be selected from formic acid, acetic acid, propionic acid, lactic acid, oxalic acid, malonic acid, succinic acid, maleic acid, malic acid, tartaric acid, and citric acid. The carboxylate can be selected from salts of the above-described acids. A potential applied to a gold electrode can be in the range of about +1.5 to about 11 V with respect to a potential of a standard hydrogen electrode. Thereby, a uniform porous gold film having a pore size of several nanometers to several hundreds of nanometers is formed.

Abstract: MicroRNA genes are highly associated with chromosomal features involved in the etiology of different cancers. The perturbations in the genomic structure or chromosomal architecture of a cell caused by these cancer-associated chromosomal features can affect the expression of the miR gene(s) located in close proximity to that chromosomal feature. Evaluation of miR gene expression can therefore be used to indicate the presence of a cancer-causing chromosomal lesion in a subject. As the change in miR gene expression level caused by a cancer-associated chromosomal feature may also contribute to cancerigenesis, a given cancer can be treated by restoring the level of miR gene expression to normal. microRNA expression profiling can be used to diagnose cancer and predict whether a particular cancer is associated with an adverse prognosis. The identification of specific mutations associated with genomic regions that harbor miR genes in CLL patients provides a means for diagnosing CLL and possibly other cancers.

Abstract: A method of enhanced speciation of both positive and negatives species in an analyte is disclosed. The method can include producing a first analyte solution comprising an analyte composition and an effective amount of silver triflate, and analyzing the first analyte solution with an electrospray ionization mass spectrometer. The method can also include producing a second analyte solution comprising a portion of the analyte composition and an effective amount of a compound of formula I, and analyzing the second analyte solution with an electrospray ionization mass spectrometer. The compound of formula I is [NX+][OH?], where X is a linear, branched, or cyclic C1-C10 alkane; an aryl; a heterocyclic aromatic; or a heterocyclic moiety.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a novel method of treating vitiligo by using an excimer laser that emits light in the UVB range. The invention includes a method of incrementally increasing exposure of affected vitiligo areas with UVB laser light from an excimer laser to restore pigmentation to skin areas afflicted with vitiligo.

Abstract: The present invention provides methods for determining a prognosis of disease free or overall survival in a patient suffering from cancer. The methods generally involve determining a normalized expression level of an EMX2 gene product, which correlates with prognosis and likelihood of survival.

Abstract: The present invention is intended to develop a urine pretreatment agent, a urine pretreatment method, and a urinary protein quantitation method which reduce or cancel the influences of urine pH variations, cancel the influences of precipitates of urinary inorganic salts, and solubilize membrane proteins. The present invention provides: a urine pretreatment agent for urinary protein quantitation, comprising a buffer, a chelating agent, and a surfactant; a urine pretreatment method comprising a step of mixing 10 to 1000 parts by mass of the urine pretreatment agent of the present invention with 100 parts by mass of urine; and a urinary protein quantitation method comprising steps of: mixing 10 to 1000 parts by mass of the urine pretreatment agent of the present invention with 100 parts by mass of urine; and then measuring the protein concentration.

Abstract: A vacuum-arc device including: a consumable cathode including a first material having a defined active surface, a refractory anode including a second material, an inter-electrode volume, bounded partially by at least a portion of an inner wall of the cathode and by at least a portion of an inner wall of the anode, wherein at least a portion of the inner walls form a first chamber surrounding the inter-electrode volume, the chamber having at least one opening fluidly communicating between the inter-electrode volume and an a volume outside the chamber; a vacuum chamber, disposed around and communicating with the first chamber; an evacuation mechanism for evacuating the vacuum chamber; wherein the cathode is adapted, and the cathode and the anode are disposed, such that upon evacuating the vacuum chamber using the evacuation mechanism, ignition of an arc discharge between the cathode and the anode, and activation of a high-current power supply, a portion of the first material is liberated from the cathode, trans

Abstract: A method of assembling composite structures from objects in fluid includes providing a plurality of objects, each having a preselected size, shape, and spatial distribution of surface structural features characterizing a surface roughness; dispersing the objects into the fluid; and introducing a depletion agent. The depletion agent includes a plurality of particles having a size distribution preselected causing an attractive force arising from a depletion attraction between at least a first object and second object of the plurality in at least one relative position and orientation based on the preselected spatial distribution of surface structural features on the first and second objects, and the depletion attraction between the first and second objects forms at least one rigid bond or slippery bond at or proximate to respective surface portions based on the preselected spatial distribution of surface structural features on the first and second objects to form a two-object composite structure.

Abstract: Provided are a bismuth-based piezoelectric material whose insulation property is improved while its performance as a piezoelectric body is not impaired and a piezoelectric device using the piezoelectric material. The piezoelectric material includes a perovskite-type metal oxide represented by the following general formula (1): Bix(Fe1-yCoy)O3??(1) where 0.95?x?1.25 and 0?y?0.30, and a root mean square roughness Rq (nm) of a surface of the piezoelectric material satisfies a relationship of 0<Rq?25y+2 (0?y?0.30).