Abstract: The invention includes a mutant Taq polymerase, which can significantly extend and amplify a target sequence where the extension conditions are time limited to as little as one second. The mutant Taq polymerase, or a biologically active fragment thereof, has one or more substitutions differing from the wild type as shown in Table I.

Abstract: An optical system and an optical camera working at a far-infrared waveband are provided, the optical system along the optical axis from the objection side to the image side includes: a metalens and a spherical lens; the metalens is configured to correct higher-order residual wavefront aberrations; the spherical lens is configured to correct lower-order primary wavefront aberrations; the metalens and the spherical lens are configured to correct aberrations; an absolute value of the curvature radius of an objection-side surface towards the objection side for the spherical lens is greater than an absolute value of the curvature radius of an image-side surface towards the image side for the spherical lens; the optical system satisfies the following condition: 0.83?f/D?0.92; where f is an effective focal length of the optical system, and D is the entrance pupil diameter of the optical system.

Abstract: A battery carrier apparatus includes a carrier housing, a plurality of compartments, at least one wheel, a control circuit and a status monitoring circuit. The carrier housing is configured to hold multiple battery modules. The plurality of compartments are disposed within the carrier housing. Each compartment is configured for detachably installing a respective battery module. The compartments provide secure housing for the battery modules. At least one wheel is disposed on the carrier housing. The wheel facilitates movement of the carrier housing allowing for transportation of the carrier housing. The control circuit is responsible for managing an operation of the battery modules installed in the compartments. The status monitoring circuit is coupled to the control circuit. The status monitoring circuit detects a status of the installed battery modules and communicates the status to the control circuit for determining a control behavior to manage the battery modules accordingly.

Abstract: An improved method of site directed mutagenesis on plasmids by PCR is described, where at least two mutations are added to the parts of the plasmid DNA by site direct mutagenesis. One mutation is an intended mutation, and the other mutation changes the function of the mutated plasmid from the function of the template plasmid. The functional change is one to allow reduction of the retention of non-integrated template DNA, even in the absence of wild type template digestion with DpnI.

Abstract: A method may include receiving input for a multiwell structure and subsurface target locations, where the multiwell structure includes slots; generating, based at least in part on the input, a position for the multiwell structure, slot-well assignments for the slots, and well trajectories, where each of the well trajectories extends from an assigned one of the slots to one or more of the subsurface target locations; and outputting a set of specifications for the position for the multiwell structure, the well trajectories, and an order for drilling the well trajectories.

Abstract: The invention includes a mutant Taq polymerase, which can effectively amplify a target sequence under conditions of salt concentration(s) similar to body fluids, including blood, serum or plasma preserved with sodium citrate. The mutant Taq polymerase, or a biologically active fragment thereof, has one or more substitutions differing from the wild type as shown in Table I.

Abstract: Provided are a class of compounds, a stereoisomer, an optical isomer, a pharmaceutically acceptable salt, a prodrug, a solvate (for example, a hydrate) or an isotope derivative thereof. The compounds have a tri-heterocyclic structure (for example, the structure represented by formula (A)), which is a novel structure, thereby providing a new direction for the development of SOS1 inhibitor drugs. In-vitro enzyme activity inhibition activity studies show that the compounds have a relatively strong inhibition effect on SOS1 and can be used as a prospective compound for preventing and/or treating SOS1-mediated diseases. Moreover, said compounds also exhibit significant inhibitory activity on NCI-H358 cell proliferation. Furthermore, a specific synthesis method is provided. The synthesis method is simple in process, convenient to operate and beneficial to large-scale industrial production and use.

Abstract: A crack self-healing functionally gradient material for ceramic cutting tools and a preparation method thereof. The material for ceramic cutting tools has a symmetrical gradient structure, and based on the percentage by mass, components of each layer include 50%-80% of Ti(C7,N3), 25%-5% of (W7,Ti3)C and 20%-0% of TiSi2; contents of components of layers that are symmetrical relative to a central layer are the same and a thickness is symmetrically distributed; a content of Ti(C7,N3) gradually increases from the surface layer to the central layer, contents of (W7,Ti3)C and TiSi2 gradually decrease by 5% from the surface layer to the central layer, and the contents of Ni and Mo gradually increase from the surface layer to the central layer.

Abstract: Automatic terrain evaluation of landing surfaces, and associated systems and methods are disclosed herein. A representative method includes receiving a request to land a movable object and, in response to the request, identifying a target landing area on a landing surface based on at least one image of the landing surface obtained by the movable object. The method can further include directing the movable object to land at the target landing area.

Abstract: A formulation, comprising erythropoietin, a buffer ingredient, a surfactant and an osmotic pressure regulator. The present invention also relates to a method for preparing the formulation and the use of the formulation. The formulation is safe and stable and has a long validity period, and the preparation method is simple and easy to implement.

Abstract: A semiconductor structure is disclosed. The semiconductor structure includes a staircase structure disposed over a substrate. The staircase structure includes a plurality of layer stacks, where each layer stack is made of a first material layer over a portion of a second material layer. The staircase structure further includes a plurality of landing pads, where each landing pad is disposed over another portion of the second material layer of a respective layer stack.

Abstract: Disclosed are Taq DNA polymerase mutants which exhibit enhanced efficiency in qPCR compared to the wild type Taq DNA polymerase. Such mutants include: V62S, V64S, A70F, F73A, A77F, P253G, E255K, D257R, A259F, A271F, L288S, E289K, S357I, L361S, L376S, P382G, T385I, G418P, R419D, E421K, L461S, A472F, E497K, L498S, E524K, D551R, R556D, S679I, L789S, E189K/E507K/E742K (See Sequence Listing Guide for the mutants' amino acid and protein sequences).

Abstract: Taq DNA polymerase mutants exhibiting reverse transcriptase activity compared to wild type polymerase were engineered, characterized, and selected via polymerase chain reactions visualized via electrophoresis on agarose gels. Initial screening was followed up with probe-based qualitative, real-time PCR (qPCR) with a typical reverse transcription cycling protocol to detect specified ribonucleic acid (RNA) target sequences. The engineered variants can render robust cDNA from RNA target substrates and amplify that cDNA under standard reaction conditions without the assistance of added reverse transcriptase enzymes.

Abstract: Disclosed is a novel T7 DNA ligase mutant with the mutation R129D, that had higher specificity toward cohesive end-ligation even in the presence of polyethylene glycol. Controlling the composition of final ligation products is important and thus, a variant which improves the specificity of T7 DNA ligase to cohesive ends will generate more reliable results.

Abstract: Disclosed is using a TEV protease (wild type or mutant) suited for removal from a reaction mixture, wherein the TEV protease displays a dual affinity tag including a chitin binding domain (CBD) tag and a histidine tag, preferably where the CBD tag precedes the N-terminus of the protease and the CBD tag is preceded by the histidine tag, which is preferably a 6-mer histidine tag; and optionally further including linkers, preferably Gly-Ser linkers, and more preferably a 6-mer Gly-Ser linker, between the tags. A linker, also preferably a Gly-Ser linker, can also follow the CBD tag and precede the protease portion. In certain embodiments, no such linkers are present and in other embodiments, only one such linker is present.

Abstract: Computing platforms and related methods for providing accessible user interfaces are disclosed. An example apparatus includes a display controller to a display controller to sample a region of a display frame associated with a location of a touch on a display screen of a user device and logic circuitry to, after a Basic Input Output System (BIOS) is operational in the user device and prior to loading of an operating system of the user device, identify content in the display region and cause at least one output device to generate an output representative of the content, the output including at least one of an audible output or a haptic output.

Abstract: Compositions and methods are provided for enzymes with altered properties that involve a systematic approach to mutagenesis and a screening assay that permits selection of the desired proteins. Embodiments of the method are particularly suited for modifying specific properties of restriction endonucleases such as star activity. The compositions includes restriction endonucleases with reduced star activity as defined by an overall fidelity index improvement factor.

Abstract: Methods and compositions are provided for engineering mutant enzymes with reduced star activity where the mutant enzymes have a fidelity index (FI) in a specified buffer that is greater than the FI of the non-mutated enzyme in the same buffer.

Abstract: Disclosed are Taq DNA polymerase mutants which exhibit enhanced efficiency in qPCR compared to the wild type Taq DNA polymerase. Such mutants include: V62S, V64S, A70F, F73A, A77F, P253G, E255K, D257R, A259F, A271F, L288S, E289K, S357I, L361S, L376S, P382G, T385I, G418P, R419D, E421K, L461S, A472F, E497K, L498S, E524K, D551R, R556D, S679l, L789S, E189K/E507K/E742K (See Sequence Listing Guide for the mutants' amino acid and protein sequences).

Abstract: Either wild type or mutant Serratia marcescens Nuclease (“SMN”) is engineered to display a C-terminal Chitin Binding Domain (CBD-tag), followed, at the C-terminus side of the CBD-tag, by a poly-histidine tag (His-tag), where the His-tag is preferably a 6-mer and preferably is preceded by a Gly-Ser linker, thereby generating a recombinant SMN protein that retains dual affinity tags (a CBD-tag and a His-tag) at the C-terminus, to make it easily removed from a reaction solution following digestion of nucleic acids in the reaction mixture. It can also be used for binding SMN to a solid support for use in nucleic acid digestion in a sample contacted with the solid support.