Abstract: A thermoset and method of making such by crosslinking a mixture of a polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane having pendent siloxane groups or unsaturated carbon bonds and a siloxylcarborane compound having unsaturated carbon bonds.

Abstract: An electromagnetic rail gun launcher for launching an armature attached to a projectile includes a barrel, having a bore, and a body that includes a pair of main rails, a first pair of augmenting rails one of each lying outboard of and coextending with each of one of the main rails from the breech to the muzzle, a second pair of augmenting rails one of each lying outboard of and coextending with one of each of the first pair of augmenting rails, a first pair of electrically-conducting crossovers proximate to the breech and a second pair of electrically-conducting crossovers proximate to the muzzle and connected in series when the armature is positioned in the bore with power provided to the launcher. The exit speed of the projectile from the launcher is controlled by controlling the current to the launcher.

Abstract: A non-periodic reflection beamsplitter or reflector for use in an interferometer. The interferometer employs non-periodic reflectors or a non-periodic beamsplitter in order to produce interference patterns to analyze. The non-periodic reflectors or beamsplitters may be concentrically arranged reflectors having equal area. The beamsplitter consists of two adjacent non-periodic structures having complementary reflection and transmission patterns.

Abstract: A device having a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and an ion-conducting electrolyte in contact with both electrodes. Each electrode has a metal, a metal oxide, a hydrous metal oxide, alloy thereof, or mixture thereof, however, the electrodes are different such materials. The positive electrode is capable of storing and donating ions and electrons and reducing oxygen. The negative electrode is capable of storing and donating ions and electrons and oxidizing hydrogen. The electrolyte permits transport of oxygen and hydrogen. The device can charge using ambient hydrogen and oxygen. It can be discharged as an electrochemical capacitor or be operated in a fuel cell mode.

Abstract: A system and computer implemented method for determining and displaying vector acoustic intensity fields based on signals from a rigid spherical array of acoustic sensors within a volume external to the array. The method includes a propagator with a ratio of Green's functions for the location within the volume and for the spherical array radius, and a Tikhonov regularization filter that uses the Morozov discrepancy principle on the measured noise variance and Fourier coefficients of the measured partial pressures with respect to reference accelerometer or microphone measurements.

Abstract: This disclosure describes a semiconductor device that can be used as a mixer at RF frequencies extending from a few tens of GHz into the THz frequency range. The device is composed of narrow bandgap semiconductors grown by solid source molecular beam epitaxy. The device can comprise a GaSb substrate, a AlSb layer on the GaSb substrate, a In0.69Al0.31As0.41Sb0.59 layer, on the AlSb layer and wherein the In0.69Al0.31As0.41Sb0.59 comprises varying levels of Te doping, a In0.27Ga0.73Sb layer on the In0.69Al0.31As0.41 Sb0.59 layer, wherein the In0.27Ga0.73Sb layer is Be doped, wherein the first section of the In0.69Al0.31As0.41Sb0.59 layer has is Te doped, wherein the second section of the In0.69Al0.31As0.41Sb0.59 layer has a grade in Te concentration, and wherein the third section of the In0.69Al0.31As0.41Sb0.59 layer is Te doped.

Abstract: Systems and methods for transitioning an aircraft between helicopter and fixed wing flight modes are provided. In one embodiment, an aircraft comprises a plurality of wings each having a spar and a flap; a flap actuator configured to move the flap with respect to the spar; and a center section rotatably coupled to each spar. The center section includes at least one spar actuator configured to rotate at least one of the wings about a rotational axis of the spar when the aircraft transitions between helicopter and fixed wing flight modes.

Abstract: A system and method for converting a pulsed beam of irradiation from a laser operating at a first wavelength to a pulsed beam of irradiation at a second, Stokes, wavelength. The system includes two Raman cells filled with the same Raman-active gas. The second cell receives a backward-propagating Stokes pulse beam from the first Raman cell, with the backward-propagating Stokes pulsed beam entering the second Raman cell in a direction opposite to the direction of travel of the incoming laser pulses at the first wavelength. The second Raman cell generates a high intensity output pulsed beam at the second, Stokes, wavelength. The system can produce a high intensity eye-safe pulsed beam.

Abstract: A method and system of analyzing signal-vector data from first order sensors including providing a training data set, adjusting the training data set using a background adjustment technique, normalizing and transforming the training data set into wavelet coefficients, using an automated analysis of variance feature selection technique and a pattern recognition technique to classify the training data set. The method and system may also include performing these operations on an unknown sample data set collected under unknown conditions and comparing the unknown sample data set to the classification model to provide an identity of the unknown conditions associated with the unknown sample data set. The present invention is also directed to a computer system for analyzing signal-vector data according to this method and a sensing system that includes a sensor and a microprocessor on which is stored a classification model for real-time sensing of unknown sample data sets.

Abstract: A method and system for particle entrained fluid sampling, capable of sampling a high pressure and/or high flow rate fluid flow system using a pressure intensifier for applying pressure or suction to the fluid sample in the fluid sampling system operatively connected to a sample extractor and a sample analysis device. The pressure intensifier for applying pressure or suction is adjustable to provide control over the sample flow in the fluid sampling system. The fluid sampling system of the present invention may be particularly applicable to monitoring the condition of hydraulic and lubrication systems.

Abstract: A gate after diamond transistor and method of making comprising the steps of depositing a first dielectric layer on a semiconductor substrate, depositing a diamond particle nucleation layer on the first dielectric layer, growing a diamond thin film layer on the first dielectric layer, defining an opening for the gate in the diamond thin film layer, patterning of the diamond thin film layer for a gate metal to first dielectric layer surface, etching the first dielectric layer, depositing and defining a gate metal, and forming a contact window opening in the diamond thin film layer and the first dielectric layer to the ohmic contact.

Abstract: A method comprising arranging a first heating element on a first liquid crystal elastomer, arranging a first layer of thermal paste on the first heating element, and arranging a second liquid crystal elastomer on the first layer of thermal paste.

Abstract: Compounds having the formulas below. R is an aromatic-containing group. Each M is an alkali metal. Each m is a positive integer. The value of n is a positive integer. The value p is 0 or 1. If p is 0 then n is 1. A thermoset made by curing a composition containing the below phthalonitrile monomers. A method of reacting a diphenyl acetylene compound with an excess of an aromatic diol in the presence of an alkali metal carbonate to form the above oligomer. A method of reacting a phenoxyphthalonitrile with an acetylene compound to form the phthalonitrile monomer below.

Abstract: A method for providing a more accurate synthetic profiles of temperature, salinity and sound speed of the ocean over an area of interest is provided by using a value of the mixed layer depth in addition to values of surface temperature and surface height in an ocean modeling system such as the Modular Ocean Data Assimilation System (MODAS) system developed for the U.S. Navy. The method of the present invention compares the predicted or observed mixed layer depth for the area of interest, for example, as obtained from remote sensing or upper ocean modeling, to a mixed layer depth estimated from an initial synthetic profile, and determines which is deeper, termed the reference mixed layer depth. The method then derives a modified temperature and salinity synthetic profile by setting the temperature and salinity equal to the surface values at depths less than or equal to the reference mixed layer depth and using an algorithm to estimate temperature and salinity at depths below the reference mixed layer depth.

Abstract: A computer-implemented biological sequence identifier (CIBSI) system and method for selecting a subsequence from biological sequence data according to at least one selection parameter. The at least one selection parameter corresponds to a likelihood of returning a meaningful result from a similarity search.

Abstract: A compound having the formula below. Each R is methyl or phenyl; R2 comprises one or more of silane, siloxane, and aromatic groups; n is a nonnegative integer; and m is 1 or 2. The dashed bond is a single bond and the double dashed bond is a double bond, or the dashed bond is a double bond and the double dashed bond is a triple bond. A polymer made by a hydrosilation reaction of a polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane having pendant siloxane groups with an acetylene- and silicon-containing compound having at least two vinyl or ethynyl groups, and a crosslinked polymer thereof. The reaction occurs between the pendant siloxane groups and the vinyl or ethynyl groups.

Abstract: Embodiments include systems and methods of estimating at least one state of a modeled dynamic system. In particular, in one embodiment, an observer such as an extended Kalman filter is used to estimate the state of a modeled dynamic system. A covariance matrix associated with state variables of the observer is periodically checked for compliance with a specified condition, e.g., positive definiteness. If the matrix deviates from the specified condition, the matrix is set to a specified value.

Abstract: An electrically active particle is disclosed, having a virus scaffold. Nanoparticles are bonded to the surface of the virus, and the nanoparticles are connected to each other by, molecular wires.

Abstract: A device consisting of a low-RPM motor wherein the motor spins a flat disk, a peg is attached to the disk, a stationary spring armature wherein the peg can activate the stationary spring armature as the disk rotates, and a tube containing beads in a fluid positioned in a top plate wherein the spring armature can contact the tube. This device can further include a soft closed-cell foam top mounted on the top plate wherein the tube is inserted and maintained by the foam in such a way as to allow for slight motion of the tube induced by the contact by the spring armature.

Abstract: A convective heat transfer system for use with a fluid with particles, including a fluid channel having a wall and being capable of transferring the fluid, and a field emitter operable to emit a time-varying field into the fluid channel such that, when the fluid is in the channel, the time varying field affects a portion of the particles to change the rate of heat transfer between the channel and the fluid. The fluid can be a slurry with suspended field reactive particles. The system can include a plurality of field emitters located along the walls of the fluid channel, to vary the field and manipulate the distribution of the particles within the slurry, thereby changing the heat transfer characteristics of the system. The field can be an electric field or a magnetic field. The fluid channel can be disposed in a heat transfer system.