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20180047 – A method for upgrading ferro-metallic ores via selective carbothermic reduction and smelting (SCRS) process is useful for concentrating and extracting metals from ore containing iron and other metals. The method beneficiates low grade metallic ores that contain iron and one or more metals (such as manganese (Mn), silicon (Si), calcium (Ca), aluminum (Al), barium (Ba), magnesium (Mg),... Read More
20180136 – The reverse time migration (RTM) is a simulation-based reconstruction technique that offers advantages over conventional methods such as Synthetic Aperture Focusing Technique (SAFT). RTM is capable of imaging boundaries and interfaces with steep slopes and bottom boundaries of inclusions and defects. However, RTM suffers from two primary bottlenecks: it is computationally costly and it... Read More
20160192 – A lightweight, secure and reliable method authenticates chip-unique signatures from integrated circuits to address electronics counterfeiting. The method, based on Physical Unclonable Function (PUF) authentication, uses a key (selected for authentication purposes) with a two-level finite-state machine (FSM) to correct erroneous bits in the authentication process that can be generated by... Read More
20180215 – This technique for controlling swarms of robotic units uses technical control algorithms based on Random Finite Set (RFS) theory. Using this method, each robotic device has a computing platform (i.e., an embedded processor) configured to apply the techniques to estimate local formation configuration and design a decentralized control policy, thus achieving a local, individualized... Read More
20170418 – Base editing is an exciting new genome engineering technology. C-to-T mutations in genomic DNA have been achieved using ribonucleoprotein complexes comprised of rat APOBEC1 single-stranded DNA deaminase, Cas9 nickase (Cas9n), uracil DNA glycosylase inhibitor (UGI), and guide (g)RNA. Here, we report the first real-time reporter system for quantification of APOBEC-mediated base editing... Read More
20170289 – A new sensor design features a three-dimensional (3D) metamaterial consisting of microcubes patterned with split-ring resonators (SRR). The SRR sensor consists of a polymer cube, with a gold “X” patterned on each side of the cube, and 3D splits at the corners between the “X” patterns. The 6 faces of the cube together to form an octagram split-ring resonator (OSRR). The sensor exhibits an... Read More
20180134 – This concept uses pseudo-random number generators (e.g., linear feedback shift registers, or LFSR) to generate input bit-streams for deterministic approaches of stochastic computing (SC). This high-quality down-sampling method generates pseudo-random—but accurate—stochastic bit streams, resulting in much better accuracy for a given number of input bits. The new techniques offer technical... Read More
20150354 – A micro-fabricated, layered graphene sensor detects formaldehyde gas based on an electrochemical method. A layer-by-layer method using poly(diallyldiamine chloride) (PDDA) immobilizes formaldehyde dehydrogenase to a single layer sheet of graphene, where an enzymatic reaction links formaldehyde to the graphene sheet, changing the graphene’s electrical resistance in proportion to... Read More
20130048 – A nanocomposite material comprised of polyhydroxalkanoate (PHA) biopolymers blended with graphene nanoparticles offers enhanced strength and elastic modulus for renewable and biodegradable plastics, rubbers and flexible packaging materials. Graphene adds strength to the materials while PHA adds desirable properties such as biodegradability, biocompatibility for medical applications, and... Read More
z09111 – A lightweight, biodegradable oil absorbent material created from corn stover shows desirable oil sorbency characteristics, making it an effective alternative to clay-based sorbents. Dust-free corn stover agglomerates are produced by a gentle agglomeration and rolling action using a novel, two part bonding system that forms a web onto which additional particles adhere and roll upon. The... Read More
20140082 – This technology, co-owned with Northwestern University, uses thin-film transistors that employ sorted semiconducting carbon nanotubes and local metal gate structures to tune the threshold voltages of both p-type and n-type devices to enable ultralow power CMOS logic. Furthermore, their input and output voltages are suitable for logic gate cascading, making these circuits ideal for... Read More
20180040 – Recombinant immune cells are genetically modified to express a heterologous high affinity IgG Fc receptor. The IgG Fc receptor is a chimeric construct. One iteration is referred to as hCD64/16a, created by cloning cDNAs of CD16a and CD64 from human peripheral blood leukocytes and fusing components of these two FcγR cDNAs to create a chimeric receptor. It consists of the extracellular... Read More
20140266 – A new, multi-purpose arm ergometer design improves patient access to exercise in many situations. The system was initially designed for patients lying supine in a hospital bed, providing upper extremity exercise for bedridden persons. The device uses a lightweight arm ergometer with a self-contained mobile frame that safely provides access to arm exercise. The device is mobile, for easy... Read More
20160346 – Targeted nucleases are used for the first time to optimize gene editing in primary human natural killer (NK) cells. The new method, which boasts never-before-seen efficiencies, includes a genome-edited primary NK cell, methods for editing a primary NK cell genome, and methods of administering a genome-edited primary NK cell. The primary NK cell may be rested or stimulated: it may be a... Read More
20150192 – A wearable, multi-sensor device incorporated into socks measures leg size, tissue elasticity, and lower leg water content to remotely monitor lower extremity edema. Calibration-free magnetic field sensors accurately measure leg size, thin-film force sensors measure tissue elasticity, and measuring the change in ultrasound speed detects tissue water content. The device provides fluid... Read More
20160205-20160379-20160380 – A disruptive new design methodology, polysynchronous stochastic circuits, recognizes that randomness is not required for stochastic computation. Instead, properly structured deterministic bit streams can be used with the same arithmetic logic. Information is encoded in the duty cycle of pulse-width modulated signals such that the value is digital but the information is analog in time.... Read More
20180115 – SmartLight is a 3D digital indoor localization system that uses light emitting diode (LED) lighting infrastructures for localization. The technology places the design complexity in the light source while simplifying the receiver, an approach that eases system deployment and calibration. In one configuration the light source includes a convex lens and an array of LEDs configured as a... Read More
20140327 – A material with high saturation magnetization with low magnetocrystalline anisotropy—and therefore low coercivity—is expressed as α″-Fe16(NxZ1-x)2 (Z= C, B, O). This first of its kind combination of magnetic properties results from adding carbon dopants to the interstitial position of an iron lattice, where saturation magnetization remains almost same, but magnetocrystalline anisotropy... Read More
20160018 – An adaptive image-based refocusing algorithm uses synthetic-aperture imaging data for safe and effective focused ultrasound in imaging and treating tissue abnormalities in complex media. The refocusing technology, designed for ultrasound arrays with transmit-receive capabilities, is well-suited for any imaging array with transmit-receive capability (in particular, for large-aperture... Read More
20160423 – A two-terminal memory device combines the spin Hall effect for switching/writing and unidirectional spin Hall magnetoresistance (USMR) for detection/reading. The memory device, with two-terminal write and read operations, acts like an MTJ but carries greater switching efficiency. To write, a strong pulse is applied across the device so that spins are generated by spin Hall effect in the... Read More
20150186 – A new material structure allows switching of perpendicular magnetization (using the spin Hall effect) without an externally applied magnetic field. This design for spin based memory and logic devices is compatible with current standard CMOS technology. It can be incorporated with low energy, nonvolatile memory and logic structures and provides an alternative means to write data stored in... Read More
20150029 – A new method for fabricating chip inductors uses chemical deposition to prepare soft magnet material (including iron, nitrogen, and carbon, boron, or oxygen) on different substrates. The multi-layer structures are made with chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and liquid phase epitaxy (LPE). With giant saturation magnetization, this method obtains an integrated inductance with ideal soft... Read More
20100207 – A newly designed magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) device features a fixed magnetic layer with magnetic anisotropy out of the film plane (e.g., a generally perpendicular magnetic anisotropy) with a tunnel barrier layer on one side of the fixed magnetic layer. A stack of bilayers with magnetic anisotropy outside the film plane is adjacent to a second side of the fixed magnetic layer. The... Read More
20140235 – A spin based logic device uses spin pumping and spin transfer torque (STT) nano-oscillator for its operation. The device includes a spin channel to transport a spin current, a nano-oscillator and a magnetoresistive device that receives the spin current from the nano-oscillator. The nano-oscillator includes a magnetization state that oscillates between two states in response to an input... Read More
z03149 – A new system uses delay costs to load balance in a wireless network. The method determines a delay cost for access points in the wireless network, where each point may have wireless nodes associated with it. When the delay costs are not equal, and when a difference in delay costs of two access points exceeds the cost to move a wireless node, the system determines an access point with the... Read More
z01003 – Circuit linearity is improved by canceling, in part or entirely, at least one significant harmonic from a primary circuit’s output by using an identical auxiliary circuit’s output. This novel method provides a primary circuit and at least one auxiliary circuit that is substantially functionally identical to the primary circuit. The technique cancels at least a portion (and preferably,... Read More
z03117 – A voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) using capacitive degeneration can overcome limitations of existing topologies. The design is comprised of an inductor capacitor LC tank coupled to a negative resistance cell. The capacitively emitter-degenerated topology is used with a cross-coupled MOS pair as the degeneration cell. The cross-coupled MOS pair contributes additional conductance and... Read More
20150339 – Polymeric materials containing polymerized GNA ligands deliver nucleic acids to the liver with low cytotoxicity. A series of cationic diblock glycopolymers derived from N-acetyl-D-galactosamine (GNA) target asialoglycoprotein (ASGP) receptors on hepatocytes in the liver. These easily produced polymers bind to nucleic acids to form nanoparticles that cells efficiently take up. This novel... Read More
20170154 – A site-specific patch, which attaches to the skin like an adhesive bandage, offers non-invasive transcranial focused ultrasound (tFUS) neuromodulation via dual-mode ultrasound array (DMUA) transducers. The DMUA transducer patch features lightweight transducers with a low-profile, layered structure of a 3D-printed lens (based on the treatment target and surface topography), thin polymer... Read More
z02093 – Ultrasound imaging using a dynamic nonlinear post-beamforming filter (e.g., based on a pth-order Volterra model) is capable of separating the linear and nonlinear components of image data (e.g., extracting the nonlinear components of the image data). The technique is applicable (but not limited) to both tissue and contrast agent nonlinearity. A system identification algorithm derives the... Read More
20170240 – A self-assembly process can build free-standing 3D, micro/nanoscale, hollow, polyhedral structures configured with a few layers of graphene-based materials (graphene and graphene oxide). The 3D structures have been further modified, without impacting their intrinsic properties, with metal patterns on their 3D surfaces. Coupling in all directions results in 3D plasmon hybridization on the... Read More
20170300 – A 3-dimensional metamaterial for orientation sensing features a perfectly anisotropic transmission response and can sense rotations along all three axes simultaneously. The technology, made from biocompatible materials, consists of micro-cubes patterned with split-ring resonators (SRRs). The sensor consists of a polymer cube with a gold patterned array of split ring resonators patterned... Read More
20180265-20180266 – An automated methodology provides detailed and reliable information from 3D models of corn canopies. High resolution images of corn stalks are collected and used to obtain 3D models of plants of interest. The 3D model focuses on maize in growth stages where the plants are still susceptible to treatment, and the 3D crop reconstructions provide measurements with a granularity and frequency... Read More
20180272-20180273 – The Guidebooks are not available for use by University of Minnesota students, faculty or staff. If you are affiliated with the University of Minnesota and would like a copy of the Guidebooks, contact Cheri Friedrich. Escape rooms are adventure activities that allow participants to solve hidden puzzles in collaboration with a group while “locked” in the same room. Healthcare escape... Read More
20170174 – A new absorbent technology simultaneously sorbs phosphate and phosphate-containing herbicides and pesticides (organophosphates, such as glyphosate-based herbicides) present in low concentrations typically found in agricultural runoff water. The technology is formed through hydrothermal carbonization of agricultural residues (e.g., corn stover), which results in a biomass-based hydrochar... Read More
20170160 – A manufacturing and delivery process design provides a medical device that can remedy heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. The device, a three-dimensional textile structure manufactured with a superelastic wire, is delivered and attached by catheter to the left ventricle of the heart, where the superelastic textile structure provides a radial outward force on the left... Read More
20180063 – A two-stage variational approach for segmenting 3D bone computed tomography (CT) data performs robustly with respect to thin cartilage interfaces. The method uses fracture mechanics in the second stage to remove fine-scale contact bridges that connect object contours generated in the first stage. This approach eliminates spurious contacts between individual segmentation regions based on... Read More
20180128 – Calculating survival data, common in medical applications, faces challenges in applying predictive data-analytic methods because survival times for censored observations are unknown. A new approach analyzes survival data as a binary classification problem and uses software based on SVM+/LUPI (support vector machine, learning using privileged information) to solve the problem. The SVM+... Read More
20170401-20180211 – Custom-designed gradient refractive index (GRIN) optics is used to shape the intensity profile of a laser beam. Instead of using a single refractive surface to transform the beam, as in a custom aspheric lens or diffractive optic, in a GRIN element, the refractive index changes continuously throughout the device. The spatial variation in refractive index is designed to compensate for the... Read More
20180024-20180086 – A new frontier in computing, opened in the last decade, uses unary encoding: the data is not packed, but complex computations such as Gamma correction and edge detection in an image can be performed using very simple logic. This new computing method provides a deterministic parallel bit shuffling network that uses a simple, deterministic thermometer encoding of data to achieve near optimal... Read More
20160364 – An electronic spintronic-based circuit device transmits a voltage from an input to an output in an energy efficient, fast and low-power manner. The device is comprised of an input ferroelectric (FE) capacitor and an output FE capacitor, each magnetically coupled to a ferromagnetic (FM) channel beneath the capacitors. When the input FE capacitor receives an input signal, it causes a... Read More
20180069 – An auto-injector injects molecules of interest (e.g., dye, mRNA, etc.) into single cells in intact tissue, enabling single cell resolution with increased yield. The technology uses a 3-axis micromanipulator and a custom pressure rig controlled by user input and computer vision feedback. Incoming pressure is downregulated to a desired pressure set in the interface and delivered to a glass... Read More
20140089 – The problem of cell-internal electromigration (EM) on signal interconnects within a standard cell is solved using this technology which efficiently characterizes EM characteristics of gates in a standard cell library, under all pin positions, based on a single circuit simulation and graph-based methods. The approach uses Joule heating effects to model and efficiently characterize... Read More
20110169 – An algorithm uses semidefinite programming (SDP) formulation for state estimation (SE) to find the optimum solution for power distribution and could be used to manage power grids. The improved SE algorithms, which provide greater reliability (e.g., decreased power interruption, greater resilience to malicious attacks) for a regional transmission organization (RTO) or smaller distribution... Read More
20150097 – Multi-band echo planar imaging (MB-EPI), a new approach to increase data acquisition efficiency and/or temporal resolution, can potentially overcome critical limitations of standard acquisition strategies for obtaining high-resolution, whole brain perfusion imaging using arterial spin labeling. While multiband may also introduce certain confounding effects, recent studies reveal that the... Read More
20140287 – A computer-aided diagnostic (CAD) tool, based on a novel predictive model for cancer detection from quantitative multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) data, uses magnetic resonance images to identify key markers of prostate cancer to aid in diagnosing and monitoring prostate cancer. The method, validated on histological prostate cancer tissue, requires the implementation of a multi-parametric MRI... Read More
20100155-20120287 – A dual mode ultrasound array system provides real-time 2D/3D displacement and strain imaging in the vicinity of a vessel to identify and localize the vessel walls. The system uses a real-time monitoring and feedback image control of the therapy based on imaging data acquired using the dual mode ultrasound array (DMUA) of transducer elements, and adaptive, real-time refocusing improves... Read More
20170385 – A growth approach for synthesizing lanthanum (La) doped barium tin oxide (BSO) shows high room-temperature conductivity and mobility. The synthesis method, called radical-based hybrid chemical beam approach, uses a chemical precursor for tin as a substitute for the solid tin source in a hybrid molecular beam epitaxy approach. The method produces highly transparent, highly reproducible and... Read More
20140121 – Multi-band SWIFT (MB-SWIFT) is a magnetic resonance pulse sequence that produces better diagnostic images by significantly increasing excitation and acquisition bandwidths, which reduces blurring, increases signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for fast relaxing spins, and allows imaging even without comprehensive shimming of the static magnetic field B0. This method is the first in the class of... Read More
20130136 – An IV line lifting device lifts and holds multiple IV lines and allows appropriate slack in the IV line to accommodate patient movement. The device clamps onto an IV pole, can be extended up or out, depending on the situation, and provides some different options for holding the IV lines (e.g., a spiral ring, a split ring or a notched separator). By keeping multiple IV lines suspended and... Read More
