Abstract: A valve includes a valve body, a sleeve within the valve body and a rotatable valve element that has one portion within the sleeve to control flow of media through the valve and another portion extending from the valve body and coupled to an actuator that rotates the valve element. The valve element is rotatable to a first position to flow media to one port and to a second position to flow media to another port. The sleeve has a pair of side openings. Each side opening has an angled perimetrical edge and is aligned with a corresponding port member. A half dovetail shaped groove is formed by the angled perimetrical edge of each side opening, the corresponding port and the valve body. A seal is lodged within each groove to form a seal that exhibits reduced unswept volume and which wipes debris off the valve element as it rotates.

Abstract: A method is provided to form a dust mitigation coating that also mitigates or repels water, ice, and other liquids. Techniques to coat the surfaces of equipment and items with these dust, liquid, and ice mitigation coatings, minimize or eliminate mission problems caused by dust, liquid, or ice accumulation, particularly in outer space or on another planetary body or moon. Further, the dust mitigation coatings exhibit a Lotus-like effect, making the coated surfaces ultra-hydrophobic. The present invention is also directed to techniques for improving the functioning of terrestrial-based equipment and systems where dust, liquid, or ice accumulation is a problem, such as in hospitals and other health contexts, to prevent contamination.

Abstract: A disclosed system, method and computer readable storage medium includes mechanism for controlling cascade price movements in an electronic trading system. Price limits control the prices at which traders can place orders. An upper price limit prevents traders from placing orders above the upper limit and a lower price limit prevents traders from placing orders below the lower limit. The gap between the upper limit and the indicative marked price as well as the gap between lower limit and the indicative market price is controlled so as to cause a breaking effect on very rapidly changing market price.

Abstract: Provided are synthetic dendrimer calibrants for mass spectrometry. The calibrants are distinguished by their relative case and rapidity of synthesis, comparatively low cost, long shelf life, high purity, and amenability to batch synthesis as mixtures. The latter characteristic enables parallel preparation of higher molecular weight compounds displaying useful distributions of discrete molecular weights, thereby providing multi-point mass spectrometry calibration standards. Methods of making, tuning and using said calibrants are provided.

Abstract: An apparatus for inspecting a surface includes a housing and a probe. The housing includes a light source to direct light along a longitudinal axis and a shutter to selectively allow light to pass through to the probe. The probe includes a body portion and a head portion. The head portion of the probe includes a collector to detect photoelectrons emitted from the surface in response to light from the light source impinging on the surface. A proximal portion of the head portion moves relative to a distal portion of the head portion to allow for variations in angle relative to the surface.

Abstract: An inlet or primary particle size fractionator for a direct-reading PM2.5 mass sensor described herein may remove atmospheric particles of a given size, such as particles greater than the inlet cut point (e.g., having a 10 ?m AD cut point) and may transport particles less than the cut point to a mass sensing element or a secondary particle size fractionator (e.g., having a 2.5 ?m AD cut point). The inlet may have a flow rate range of between 1 mL/min and 50 mL/min (or higher flow rates depending on the application). The inlet may include a virtual impactor (VI), real impactor, cyclone, or virtual cyclone (VC). A sensing element may measure particle mass below the primary particle size fractionator (e.g., 2.5 ?m AD particles with a 10 ?m AD cut point inlet) and/or between the size range of the primary and secondary particle size fractionators (e.g., between 2.5 ?m and 10 ?m AD, or coarse particles).

Abstract: In at least one aspect, a small satellite includes a cylindrical body, a predetermined payload volume, a payload adapter ring mechanical interface for interchangeably mechanically coupling to a launch vehicle payload adapter ring, an electrical interface specifying a set of electrical specifications for interchangeably electrically coupling to the launch vehicle payload adapter ring, a specified center of gravity location and specified frequency response, where the predetermined payload volume, payload adapter ring mechanical interface, electrical interface, specified center of gravity location, and frequency response range allow the small satellite to be interchanged with other small satellites when coupling to the launch vehicle.

Abstract: A system for measuring a heat response of a cell during a thermal runaway event includes a housing. An insulation is positioned within the housing. A calorimeter is positioned within the insulation and the housing. The calorimeter is configured to have the cell positioned therein. The calorimeter is configured to measure a temperature increase of the cell, one or more components of the calorimeter, or a combination thereof during the thermal runaway event of the cell. A total energy yield of the thermal runaway event is configured to be determined based at least partially upon the temperature increase. A ratio is configured to be determined based at least partially upon the temperature increase. The ratio includes energy released through a casing of the cell during the thermal runaway event vs. energy released through ejecta material from the cell during the thermal runaway event.

Abstract: Provided are an apparatus and a method for removing noise for observation information of a weather radar, and more particularly, an apparatus and a method for removing noise for observation information of a weather radar capable of separating and removing second trip echoes corresponding to noise from precipitation echoes by simulating the reflectivity of the second trip echoes caused by a distance folding phenomenon shown in weather observation information generated using a weather radar. According to the present invention, in order to remove the second trip echo that occurs in the observation information measured in the volume observation radius during weather observation by setting the weather radar as the volume observation radius where the second trip echo occurs, the weather radar is set as a long-range observation radius in which a second trip echo exceeding the volume viewing radius does not occur.

Abstract: A microsensor and its method of manufacture are disclosed based on templated metal or metal oxide nanostructures. The microsensor includes an electrode that in one embodiment may be configured as a first sawtooth patterned electrode having a series of first peaks and first valleys and a second electrode that by be configured as a second sawtooth patterned electrode having a series of second peaks and second valleys where the second peaks generally align with the first peaks of the first electrode. A plurality of templated metal or metal oxide nanostructures connect on one side to the first electrode and on another side to the second electrode, where an electrical property of the microsensor changes in response to exposure to an environment to be monitored.

Abstract: Various embodiments provide multi-layered self-healing materials, capable of repairing puncture damage. The multi-layered self-healing materials, capable of repairing puncture damage of the various embodiments may be constructed by sandwiching a reactive (e.g., oxygen sensitive) liquid monomer formulation between two solid polymer panels, such as a polymer panel of Barex 210 IN (PBG) serving as the front layer panel and a polymer panel of Surlyn® 8940 serving as the back layer panel. The various embodiments may provide methods to produce multi-layered healing polymer systems. The various embodiments may provide a two-tier, self-healing material system that provides a non-intrusive capability to mitigate mid to high velocity impact damage in structures.

Abstract: A method for streaming sensor data from a set of radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags includes determining an initial communication approach to be performed with respect to each RFID tag. The method also includes managing access to the RFID tag by refining the initial communication approach based on records of successes and failures of the initial communication approach. A radio-frequency identification (RFID) system is also disclosed, the system comprising one or more processors and a memory system comprising one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, causes the system to perform operations for streaming sensor data from one or more RFID tags to one or more RFID readers.

Abstract: A hybrid fuel grain is a solid homogenous mixture consisting of paraffin, thermoplastic adhesive, and black dye. A homogenous mixture of the three ingredients is heated in a preheated cast. The cast with the homogenous mixture therein in is placed in an oven. The temperature of the oven is reduced to a selected ambient temperature in accordance with a cooling schedule that comprises a two-step cooling process repeated until the selected ambient temperature is achieved.

Abstract: A magnetostrictive alternator configured to convert pressure waves into electrical energy is provided. It should be appreciated that the magnetostrictive alternator may be combined in some embodiments with a Stirling engine to produce electrical power. The Stirling engine creates the oscillating pressure wave and the magnetostrictive alternator converts the pressure wave into electricity. In some embodiments, the magnetostrictive alternator may include aerogel material and magnetostrictive material. The aerogel material may be configured to convert a higher amplitude pressure wave into a lower amplitude pressure wave. The magnetostrictive material may be configured to generate an oscillating magnetic field when the magnetostrictive material is compressed by the lower amplitude pressure wave.

Abstract: A plurality of shape memory alloy tubes (SMTs) of one or more shape memory alloy (SMA) types is configured as an element in a rotary actuator system in a nested manner. In various configurations, the nested SMTs provide one or more modes of multiplication (torque output or angular displacement), rotation reversibility and bias loading. The innovation provides for leveraging the modes for reductions in the rotary actuator system size, weight, or complexity or combinations thereof, or providing improved and more stable actuation capabilities in a given envelope.

Abstract: A three-dimensional image quality indicator suitable for assessing the quality of a CT scan includes a pyramidal structure having a base, an apex, and a plurality of triangular faces extending from the base to the apex; at least two grooves in each triangular face, each groove tapering from a wide end at the base to a narrow end at the apex; and a land between each pair of adjacent grooves in each triangular face, each land tapering from the base to the apex. When a two-dimensional slice is taken in a plane parallel to the base of the pyramidal structure, the grooves are observable at the edges of the structure. The smallest observable groove width provides a measure of CT resolution.

Abstract: The process to fabricate a polymer film includes baking a cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) and a silicon wafer at a predefined temperature. The process also includes attaching a plastic tape frame to the silicon wafer and submerging the COC and the plastic tape frame within water allowing one or more ultra-thin sheets of COC film to be peeled off.

Abstract: Space-time coded massive (STCM) and space-frequency coded (SFC) massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless communication systems and methods of making and using the same are disclosed. The STCM-MIMO system utilizes two massive MIMO antenna arrays that transmit data over two or more channel vectors to a user with at least one receive antenna. This configuration permits the system to use the asymptotic orthogonal qualities of massive MIMO pre-coding to eliminate the interference from other users' channel vectors and signals. The system also maintains the diversity of space-time codes to recover lost data through treating each transmitting massive MIMO array similarly to a 2×1 Alamouti space-time code. The STCM-MIMO wireless system can significantly outperform those using space-time coding techniques only. The SFC massive MIMO wireless system may be similar to the STCM-MIMO wireless system, except for the encoder block.

Abstract: A high data rate signal combiner (HDRSC), including: a first analog to digital converter (ADC) configured to convert a first radio frequency (RF) signal from a first antenna into a first digital signal; a second ADC configured to convert a second RF signal from a second antenna into a second digital signal; a first circular buffer configured to store the first digital signal from the first ADC; a second circular buffer configured to store the second digital signal from the second ADC; a cross-correlator configured to cross correlate the first digital signal and the second digital signal; a lag peak search circuit configured to determine the location of a peak in the output of the cross-correlator; a vector adder circuit configured to combine the first digital signal and the second digital signal with a delay on one of the first signal and the second digital signal based upon the location of the peak in the output of the cross-correlator; and a digital to analog converter (DAC) configured to convert the combin

Abstract: A method and system for optical communication with between a device and a remote station include passing light incoming from the remote station and outgoing to the remote station through a lens system and an aperture of the device, for example the lens system comprising a Plössl lens or a double-Gauss lens. The method and device include receiving the incoming light at an optoelectronic assembly that has an array of VCSELs, an array of microlenses, and a plurality of photodetectors configured to generate an output signal in response to detected light. The VCSELs may be arranged in clusters for simultaneous emission, and multiple clusters may also be activated for simultaneous emission.