Abstract: A system and method for treating a deposition reactor are disclosed. The system and method remove or mitigate formation of residue in a gas-phase reactor used to deposit doped metal films, such as aluminum-doped titanium carbide films or aluminum-doped tantalum carbide films. The method includes a step of exposing a reaction chamber to a treatment reactant that mitigates formation of species that lead to residue formation.

Abstract: A display may have a pixel array such as a liquid crystal pixel array. The pixel array may be illuminated with backlight illumination from a direct-lit backlight unit. The backlight unit may include an array of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) on a printed circuit board. The display may have a notch to accommodate an input-output component. Reflective layers may be included in the notch. The backlight may include a color conversion layer with a property that varies as a function of position. The light-emitting diodes may be covered by a slab of encapsulant with recesses in an upper surface.

Abstract: Detecting analytes using proximity-induced tagmentation, strand invasion, restriction, or ligation is provided herein. In some examples, detecting an analyte includes coupling a donor recognition probe to a first portion of the analyte. The donor recognition probe includes a first recognition element specific to the first portion of the analyte, a first oligonucleotide corresponding to the first portion, and a transposase coupled to the first recognition element and the first oligonucleotide. An acceptor recognition probe is coupled to a second portion of the analyte. The acceptor recognition probe includes a second recognition element specific to the second portion of the analyte and a second oligonucleotide coupled to the second recognition element and corresponding to the second portion. The transposase is used to generate a reporter polynucleotide including the first and second oligonucleotides. The analyte is detected based on the reporter including comprising the first and second oligonucleotides.

Abstract: A multi-phase buck-boost converter includes a first half-bridge circuit, a second half-bridge circuit, a third half-bridge circuit, and a control circuit. The first half-bridge circuit is coupled to a first inductor terminal. The second half-bridge circuit is coupled to a second inductor terminal. The third half-bridge circuit is coupled to a third inductor terminal, a system voltage terminal, and a battery terminal. The control circuit is coupled to the first half-bridge circuit, the second half-bridge circuit, and the third half-bridge circuit. The control circuit is configured to transition the first half-bridge circuit, the second half-bridge circuit, and the third half-bridge circuit from operation in a buck mode to operation in a buck-boost mode based on an off-time of the first half-bridge being less than a particular time.

Abstract: A method for programming and controlling of a plurality of slave devices serially connected in a daisy chain configuration using a master device includes assigning a unique slave address to each slave device in the plurality of slave devices by sending an initialization data packet from the master device serially through the plurality of slave devices; storing, in each of the plurality of slave devices, the assigned slave address; defining a data packet; and transmitting the data packet serially to one or more of the plurality of slave devices. The data packet has a target slave address, a read/write command, a start address, and optionally a register address and an increment value.

Abstract: A bipolar electrosurgical device including an outer shaft, an inner shaft, first and second electrode surfaces, and an irrigation channel. The outer shaft defines a lumen, a proximal end and a distal end forming a cutting window. The inner shaft is rotatably disposed within the outer shaft, and defines a distal portion forming a cutting tip. The cutting tip and the cutting window combine to define a cutting implement. The first and second electrode surfaces are electrically isolated, and are formed at the cutting implement. The irrigation channel extends parallel to the outer shaft, and terminates in at least one outlet port. The outlet port is proximally spaced from the cutting window and is located radially outside of the outer shaft. Fluid (e.g., saline) is emitted at the exterior surface of the device near the cutting window and is readily present for interacting with the electrode surfaces.

Abstract: An engine component comprises one or more thermal barrier coatings applied to one or more areas of the engine component. The thermal barrier coatings reduce the temperature rate of change of the areas to which the thermal barrier coating is applied. Reducing the temperature rate of change can help reduce lattice structure damage caused by different temperatures in different areas of the engine component. The thermal barrier coating can be applied as a monolithic layer on a surface of the engine component or can be applied in different areas using patterns. The patterns allow for the tuning of the performance characteristics (temperature rate of change) of the areas of the engine component and can help reduce defect propagation, such as cracks, in the thermal barrier coating from one area of the thermal barrier coating to other areas of the thermal barrier coating.

Abstract: The digital amplification methods and kits provide the ability to estimate the fetal fraction of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) in a maternal sample, e.g., plasma or serum, by analysis of target sites that are differentially methylated in fetal and maternal cfDNA.

Abstract: A method and structures are used to fabricate a nanosheet semiconductor device. Nanosheet fins including nanosheet stacks including alternating silicon (Si) layers and silicon germanium (SiGe) layers are formed on a substrate and etched to define a first end and a second end along a first axis between which each nanosheet fin extends parallel to every other nanosheet fin. The SiGe layers are undercut in the nanosheet stacks at the first end and the second end to form divots, and a dielectric is deposited in the divots. The SiGe layers between the Si layers are removed before forming source and drain regions of the nanosheet semiconductor device such that there are gaps between the Si layers of each nanosheet stack, and the dielectric anchors the Si layers. The gaps are filled with an oxide that is removed after removing the dummy gate and prior to forming the replacement gate.

Abstract: DCAF15 is a substrate recognition (adaptor) protein of E3 ubiquitin ligase. Disclosed herein are compounds that recruit ubiquitin ligase CRL4DCAF15, to a target RNA recognition motif (RRM), causing its degradation. Also disclosed herein are compositions and methods of use in treating associated disorders and diseases.

Abstract: The invention encompasses components from microbial cells which are useful for antibody production, including peptides, polypeptides comprising these peptides, polynucleotides which encode these peptides or polypeptides, and antibodies directed to these peptides, polypeptides, or polynucleotides. The invention also encompasses to expression vectors and host cells for producing these peptides, polypeptides, polynucleotides, and antibodies. The invention further encompasses methods and compositions, especially vaccine compositions, for detecting, targeting, and inhibiting microbial cells, especially methanogen cells, using one or more of the disclosed peptides, polypeptides, polynucleotides, antibodies, expression vectors, and host cells.

Abstract: Provided are methods for generating future maneuver parameters in a planner, which include receiving at least one first set of parameters associated with one or more previous maneuvers of a vehicle and at least one second set of parameters associated with a maneuver goal of the vehicle, generating, using the first and second sets of parameters, a future maneuver parameter corresponding to a future maneuver of the vehicle, training at least one data model by comparing the generated future maneuver parameter to one or more reference maneuver parameters, generating, based on training, a corrected future maneuver parameter. The corrected future maneuver parameter includes a future maneuver of the vehicle and a correction to the future maneuver of the vehicle. The first set of parameters includes the generated corrected future maneuver parameter, which is used to correct at least one first parameter. The training is executed using the corrected first parameter.

Abstract: Semiconductor devices having air gap spacers that are formed as part of BEOL or MOL layers of the semiconductor devices are provided, as well as methods for fabricating such air gap spacers. For example, a method comprises forming a first metallic structure and a second metallic structure on a substrate, wherein the first and second metallic structures are disposed adjacent to each other with insulating material disposed between the first and second metallic structures. The insulating material is etched to form a space between the first and second metallic structures. A layer of dielectric material is deposited over the first and second metallic structures using a pinch-off deposition process to form an air gap in the space between the first and second metallic structures, wherein a portion of the air gap extends above an upper surface of at least one of the first metallic structure and the second metallic structure.

Abstract: Wearable spectroscopy systems and methods for identifying one or more characteristics of a target object are described. Spectroscopy systems may include a light source configured to emit light in an irradiated field of view and an electromagnetic radiation detector configured to receive reflected light from a target object irradiated by the light source. One or more processors of the systems may identify a characteristic of the target object based on a determined level of light absorption by the target object. Some systems and methods may include one or more corrections for scattered and/or ambient light such as applying an ambient light correction, passing the reflected light through an anti-scatter grid, or using a time-dependent variation in the emitted light.

Abstract: Fine feature formation techniques for printed circuit boards are described. In one embodiment, for example, a method may comprise fabricating a conductive structure on a low density interconnect (LDI) printed circuit board (PCB) according to an LDI fabrication process and forming one or more fine conductive features on the LDI PCB by performing a fine feature formation (FFF) process, the FFF process to comprise removing conductive material of the conductive structure along an excision path to form a fine gap region within the conductive structure. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Abstract: Weather-resistant light emitting diode (LED) assemblies, which prevent water and moisture from entering the LED assemblies, which may be integrated to form a display, so that images may be displayed on the display are provided. A waterproof light emitting diode (LED) assembly including an LED tile including one or more LED boards; and a power box, wherein each LED board includes an array of LEDs, and the LED tile and the power box are connected through a plurality of waterproof connector assemblies is provided. Each waterproof connector assembly comprises a waterproof connector plug and waterproof connector socket having an O-ring, wherein the waterproof connector having the O-ring cooperatively interfacing with the waterproof connector plug seals the waterproof connector assembly. A waterproof LED panel including a plurality of waterproof LED assemblies mounted on a LED panel frame is also provided.

Abstract: A simulation management service receives a request to perform reinforcement learning for a robotic device. The request can include computer-executable code defining a reinforcement function for training a reinforcement learning model for the robotic device. In response to the request, the simulation management service generates a simulation environment and injects the computer-executable code into a simulation application for the robotic device. Using the simulation application and the computer-executable code, the simulation management service performs the reinforcement learning within the simulation environment.

Abstract: A computing system can receive utilization data from computing devices of requesting users. The system can process the utilization data by (i) executing a transit monitoring engine on the utilization data to detect a cluster of requesting users currently being transported by a third-party transit vehicle to an arrival location of the third-party transit vehicle, and (ii) executing a transport coordination engine on the utilization data to determine, for each requesting user in the cluster, an intent of the requesting user corresponding to a probability that the requesting user will utilize the transport service upon arrival at the arrival location of the third-party transit vehicle.

Abstract: An LED system includes an LED array, a plurality of driver circuits, a power supply, a bus and a feedback circuit. Each of the plurality of driver circuits is connected to and driving one of a plurality of LED subarrays in the LED array. Each of the plurality of driver circuits includes a comparator circuit, a local voltage register, and a global voltage register. The comparator circuit determines, as a local minimum voltage, a lowest voltage in the corresponding LED subarray. The global minimum voltage is determined by comparing all the local minimum voltages. The feedback circuit provides the power supply with a feedback signal reflecting the global minimum voltage and causes the power supply to adjust the voltage output to the LED array.