Abstract: Provided by the inventive concept are aerogel foams as solid materials including hierarchical porosity created by a foam-like structure embedded in the skeletal framework of a regular aerogel, methods of preparing the same without the presence and/or use of added chemical foaming agents, prefabricated templates, supercritical fluids and/or sacrificial chemicals, and methods of using the same.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to wood template-supported phase change material (PCM) composites having thermal energy storage applications. A wood template-supported PCM composite may include a wood template that has had at least a portion of its xylan and/or lignin removed and saturated with a PCM. The PCM may be stabilized with a cross linkable network for improved infiltration into the wood template. The wood template-supported PCM composite may be formed by extracting xylan and/or lignin from the wood to create a wood template, densifying at least a portion of the wood template, and inserting a PCM into the wood template.

Abstract: An exemplary system, method, and computer-accessible medium for generating computed tomography (“CT”) image(s) of a subject(s) can be provided which can include receiving low dose CT imaging information for the subject(s), where the low dose CT imaging information can be based on a radiation dose of less than about 50 mAs, receiving a priori CT image data, and generating the CT image(s) based on the low dose CT imaging information and the a priori CT image data. A further CT images(s) can be generated based on the CT image(s) and the a priori CT image data. The a priori CT image data can include a set of Markov Random Field (MRF) coefficients derived from high dose or full dose CT image data.

Abstract: Superelastic conductive fibers, and more particularly, sheath-core fibers for superelastic electronics, sensors, and muscles, and a process for fabricating of highly stretchable sheath-core conducting fibers by wrapping fiber-direction-oriented conductive nanofiber sheets on stretched rubber fiber cores.

Abstract: A nanoporous aerogel comprising an acid-catalyzed, oxidatively aromatized PBO polymer. The nanoporous aerogel includes a benzoxazine moiety containing polybenzoxazine polymer with up-to six sites of cross-linking per unit is the product of the high yield, room temperature, and acid catalyzed synthesis method, as provided for herein. A method of producing the aerogel is providing that results in robust monoliths, oxidative aromatization, and conversion to nanoporous carbons for the provided aerogels. The PBO polymer may be co-generated as an interpenetrating network with a metal oxide network, wherein the PBO network serves as both a reactive template and as a sacrificial scaffold in the synthesis of the pure, nanoporous, monolithic metal aerogels, in an energy efficient method.

Abstract: An exemplary system, method, and computer-accessible medium for generating computed tomography (“CT”) image(s) of a subject(s) can be provided which can include receiving low dose CT imaging information for the subject(s), where the low dose CT imaging information can be based on a radiation dose of less than about 50 mAs, receiving a priori CT image data, and generating the CT image(s) based on the low dose CT imaging information and the a priori CT image data. A further CT images(s) can be generated based on the CT image(s) and the a priori CT image data. The a priori CT image data can include a set of Markov Random Field (MRF) coefficients derived from high dose or full dose CT image data.

Abstract: Superelastic conductive fibers, and more particularly, sheath-core fibers for superelastic electronics, sensors, and muscles, and a process for fabricating of highly stretchable sheath-core conducting fibers by wrapping fiber-direction-oriented conductive nanofiber sheets on stretched rubber fiber cores.

Abstract: A novel method of fabricating carbon nanotube sheet scrolled fiber and fiber tows (carbon, graphite, glass, natural polymer, synthetic polymer, metallic, silicon carbide, Kevlar, etc.) in composites with improved interfacial shear strength, compressive strength, yield strength, stiffness and toughness has been reported. Single or multiple layers of carbon nanotube sheet, with a bias/wrapping angle of 0° and 90°, has been scrolled around single fiber and fibers tows to improve the above mentioned mechanical properties of the matrix surrounding the fiber. Other common methods of growing CNTs directly on the fibers actually damage the fiber surface during the required precursor deposition and CNTs growth process. This demonstrated solid-state method overcomes such known problems. The CNTs sheet scrolled fiber is embedded into the polymer matrix exhibits significant (80%) increase in interfacial shear strength, compressive strength and toughness.

Abstract: A novel method of fabricating carbon nanotube sheet scrolled fiber and fiber tows (carbon, graphite, glass, natural polymer, synthetic polymer, metallic, silicon carbide, Kevlar, etc.) in composites with improved interfacial shear strength, compressive strength, yield strength, stiffness and toughness has been reported. Single or multiple layers of carbon nanotube sheet, with a bias/wrapping angle of 0° and 90°, has been scrolled around single fiber and fibers tows to improve the above mentioned mechanical properties of the matrix surrounding the fiber. Other common methods of growing CNTs directly on the fibers actually damage the fiber surface during the required precursor deposition and CNTs growth process. This demonstrated solid-state method overcomes such known problems. The CNTs sheet scrolled fiber is embedded into the polymer matrix exhibits significant (80%) increase in interfacial shear strength, compressive strength and toughness.

Abstract: The invention is directed to a porous, acoustic attenuating composition, wherein the composition comprises a nanostructured material and wherein the composition exhibits acoustic transmission loss ranging from 20 to 60 dB/cm thickness of the composition.

Abstract: A computer-based method for diagnosing a region of interest within an anatomical structure having the steps of receiving a 3D volumetric representation of the anatomical structure, and identifying at least one volume of interest and volume of normal of the anatomical structure. A first feature set can be generated based on a density, a gradient and a curvature of the volume of interest, and the first feature set can be compared to a second feature set to diagnose the region of interest to at least one a plurality of pathology types.

Abstract: A method of drying an aerogel is disclosed. The method includes washing the aerogel in acetone, washing the aerogel in pentane, and heating the aerogel in the presence of pentane. The aerogel is removed from the pentane and the heating continues.

Abstract: The apparatus for trimming sheet material includes a top knife and an opposing bottom knife for trimming sheet or web material passing between the top and bottom knives. The top knife defines a negative rake angle with a substantially vertical plane passing through a cutting edge of the bottom knife. The negative rake angle may be between about ?10° and ?30° and, more preferably, between about ?12° and ?20°. The top and bottom knives may be disk or block knives.

Abstract: A method for treating noise in low-dose computed tomography projections and reconstructed images comprises acquiring raw data at a low mA value, applying a domain specific filter in a sinogram domain of the raw data, and applying an edge preserving smoothing filter in an image domain of the raw data after filtering in the sinogram domain.

Abstract: The apparatus for trimming sheet material includes a top knife and an opposing bottom knife for trimming sheet or web material passing between the top and bottom knives. The top knife defines a negative rake angle with a substantially vertical plane passing through a cutting edge of the bottom knife. The negative rake angle may be between about −10° and −30° and, more preferably, between about −12° and −20°. The top and bottom knives may be disk or block knives.

Abstract: The apparatus for trimming sheet material includes a top knife and an opposing bottom knife for trimming sheet or web material passing between the top and bottom knives. The top knife defines a negative rake angle with a substantially vertical plane passing through a cutting edge of the bottom knife. The negative rake angle may be between about −10° and −30° and, more preferably, between about −12° and −20°. The top and bottom knives may be disk or block knives.