Abstract: Electrode controlled hybridization is used to change local pH and selectively assemble oligonucleotide complexes on the surface of a microelectrode array. The oligonucleotide complexes have sticky ends that provide locations for subsequent oligonucleotide complexes to hybridize. The order in which specific oligonucleotide complexes are joined together encodes information. Controlled activation of individual electrodes in the microelectrode array creates negative voltages that reduces a buffer solution and raises the pH in proximity to the electrodes. At higher pH levels double-stranded oligonucleotides de-hybridize. Nicks between oligonucleotide complexes and oligonucleotides anchored to the microelectrode array are closed creating covalent attachments. De-hybridized single-stranded oligonucleotides are removed leaving only the oligonucleotides connected to microelectrode array.

Abstract: Photon generating substrates for light-directed oligonucleotide synthesis are disclosed. Light is generated within a solid-state stack that supports growing oligonucleotides. The light may be generated by microLEDs, a pass-through liquid crystal panel, or an LCoS system. Light passes through a transmissive layer on which growing oligonucleotides are attached. Patterning of the light is controlled by selective activation of the microLEDs or by selective control of the transparency of a liquid crystal layer. Photolabile blocking groups are selectively removed by exposure to patterned light emitted from the photon generating substrate.

Abstract: Electrode controlled hybridization is used to change local pH and selectively assemble oligonucleotide complexes on the surface of a microelectrode array. The oligonucleotide complexes have sticky ends that provide locations for subsequent oligonucleotide complexes to hybridize. The order in which specific oligonucleotide complexes are joined together encodes information. Controlled activation of individual electrodes in the microelectrode array creates negative voltages that reduces a buffer solution and raises the pH in proximity to the electrodes. At higher pH levels double-stranded oligonucleotides de-hybridize. Nicks between oligonucleotide complexes and oligonucleotides anchored to the microelectrode array are closed creating covalent attachments. De-hybridized single-stranded oligonucleotides are removed leaving only the oligonucleotides connected to microelectrode array.

Abstract: Photon generating substrates for light-directed oligonucleotide synthesis are disclosed. Light is generated within a solid-state stack that supports growing oligonucleotides. The light may be generated by microLEDs, a pass-through liquid crystal panel, or an LCoS system. Light passes through a transmissive layer on which growing oligonucleotides are attached. Patterning of the light is controlled by selective activation of the microLEDs or by selective control of the transparency of a liquid crystal layer. Photolabile blocking groups are selectively removed by exposure to patterned light emitted from the photon generating substrate.

Abstract: The melting temperature of double-stranded polynucleotides is used to create temperature-sensitive tags for tracking the exposure of food items to high temperatures. Once a food item is exposed to a temperature that exceeds the melting temperature of the double-stranded polynucleotides, the two strands melt and then reanneal in a different conformation. This change in conformation can be detected by fluorophores attached to one of the polynucleotide strands. The double-stranded polynucleotides may be applied directly to food items as an edible tag. Alternatively, a tag that includes a substrate with bound polynucleotides may be attached like a sticker to the food items. This provides an economical and small device for determining if individual food items were exposed to temperatures that could negatively affect quality or safety.

Abstract: Examples are disclosed that relate to using natural language processing (NLP) to determine a recipe for a chemical synthesis described in a text to create a life cycle inventory (LCI). One example provides a method comprising receiving an input of a text from a publication comprising a description of a chemical product, and analyzing the text using NLP to determine a recipe for the chemical synthesis, the recipe comprising and action and action metadata, the action metadata comprising a reactant. The method further discloses obtaining LCI information for the reactant, determining an energy utilized for the action, and creating an estimate of an environmental impact for the product.

Abstract: Recycling information is associated with objects through the use of molecular tags. The recycling information may describe the type of material that the object is made from as well as provide instructions for recycling. The molecular tags may be polynucleotides or other types of molecules including inorganic molecules. The molecular tags may be embedded within the object or attached to the surface of the object. At the end of the object's life, the molecular tags are read and the recycling information is used to appropriately recycle the object.

Abstract: A computing system is provided. The computing system comprises a processor, and memory comprising instructions executable by the processor to receive a chemical structure input, obtain retrosynthetic step data based on the chemical structure input, determine a chemical structure of a primary chemical in the retrosynthetic step data, the primary chemical being a chemical used as a starting material in a retrosynthetic step, when the structure of the primary chemical is not available in a life-cycle inventory (LCI), input the primary chemical into a trained proxy chemical selection model to select a proxy chemical for which an LCI is available, and obtain proxy chemical LCI data to include in an estimated LCI for a life cycle assessment (LCA).

Abstract: Polynucleotides used for encoding information are synthesized with universal base analogs that participate in pi-stacking interactions but do not form Watson-Crick hydrogen bonds with other bases. The universal base analogs may have pyrrole-based bases such as 5-nitroindole (5NI). Inclusion of the universal base analogs in the polynucleotides prevents polymerase-based amplification such as PCR. However, the non-amplifiable polynucleotides are able to hybridize to complementary strands and the sequences may be read by nanopore sequencing. The polynucleotides may be used as molecular taggants to label items for the prevention of forgery. The ability of polynucleotides collected from an item to hybridize with known sequences can be used to establish authenticity of an item. Alternatively, the polynucleotides may be used to encode digital data in a read-only molecule that cannot be readily copied.

Abstract: Large numbers of polynucleotides with random sequences are used collectively as a molecular anti-counterfeiting tag. The polynucleotides are sequenced, placed on an item, and the sequences stored in an electronic record. Authenticity is determined by collecting the polynucleotides from a labeled item, sequencing those polynucleotides, and comparing the sequence to that stored in the electronic record. The number of polynucleotides used as the tag may be adjusted by aliquoting the original batch of randomly synthesized polynucleotides. Complexity of the polynucleotide tags may be increased by assembling individual polynucleotides from multiple dilutions to create longer assembled polynucleotides. Even if the sequences of the polynucleotides are known, the complexity of the tag can make the forgery of the tag itself technically difficult and prohibitively expensive.

Abstract: Electrode controlled hybridization is used to change local pH and selectively assemble oligonucleotide complexes on the surface of a microelectrode array. The oligonucleotide complexes have sticky ends that provide locations for subsequent oligonucleotide complexes to hybridize. The order in which specific oligonucleotide complexes are joined together encodes information. Controlled activation of individual electrodes in the microelectrode array creates negative voltages that reduces a buffer solution and raises the pH in proximity to the electrodes. At higher pH levels double-stranded oligonucleotides de-hybridize. Nicks between oligonucleotide complexes and oligonucleotides anchored to the microelectrode array are closed creating covalent attachments. De-hybridized single-stranded oligonucleotides are removed leaving only the oligonucleotides connected to microelectrode array.

Abstract: Photon generating substrates for light-directed oligonucleotide synthesis are disclosed. Light is generated within a solid-state stack that supports growing oligonucleotides. The light may be generated by microLEDs, a pass-through liquid crystal panel, or an LCoS system. Light passes through a transmissive layer on which growing oligonucleotides are attached. Patterning of the light is controlled by selective activation of the microLEDs or by selective control of the transparency of a liquid crystal layer. Photolabile blocking groups are selectively removed by exposure to patterned light emitted from the photon generating substrate.