Abstract: The present disclosure describes various embodiments of systems, apparatuses, and methods of monitoring wind and water properties. For one such weather monitoring system, a weather monitoring station comprises an upper mast section having an instrumentation package, wherein the instrumentation package includes an orientation sensor, communications circuitry, a wind velocity sensor, and a control unit that is configured to at least receive sensor data and transmit communication data via the communications circuitry. The weather monitoring station further includes at least one lower mast section that is coupled to the upper mast section, and an anchoring system that is coupled to the lower mast section, wherein the anchoring system includes at least one subsurface anchor for inserting into a ground surface within a littoral zone of a coastal area. Other systems, apparatuses, and methods are also provided.

Abstract: Disclosed are nanofluidic analytical devices. The devices employ a sample processing region that includes a plurality of fluidically connected sample handling elements that, in combination, affect a physical change on a sample introduced into the sample processing region. This physical change can include, for example, purification of an analyte of interest present in the sample, concentration of an analyte of interest present in the sample, chemical modification (e.g., cleavage and/or chemical derivatization) of an analyte of interest present in the sample, or a combination thereof. The analytical devices further include a nanochannel comprising a plurality of in-plane nanopores in series fluidically coupled to the sample processing region. The in-plane nanopores can be used to detect and/or analyze analyte(s) present in the sample following processing by the sample processing region. These analytical devices can advantageously provide for the label-free detection of single molecules.

Abstract: The present disclosure describes various embodiments of systems, apparatuses, and methods for large-scale processing of weather-related data. For one such system, the system comprises a database of weather-related data providing from at least one weather monitoring station and at least one processor for coordinating a data processing job for processing a set of input weather-related data from the database. Accordingly, the input data comprises sensor data from the at least one weather monitoring station positioned on an open shoreline during a hydrodynamic event, weather model data for the hydrodynamic event, and at least one of air-craft reconnaissance data or satellite reconnaissance data regarding the hydrodynamic event, wherein the at least one processor is configured to assimilate the input data and generate, using machine learning, an improved weather prediction model for the hydrodynamic event. Other systems, apparatuses, and methods are also provided.

Abstract: A method of preparing an acid neutralizing polymer powder (ANPP) includes preparing a first reaction product by contacting and reacting virgin polyamide powder material with tert-butoxide in a first aliquot of a polar aprotic solvent and preparing a mixture of an halogenated dialkylalkylamine to a second aliquot of the polar aprotic solvent. ANPP is prepared by mixing the first reaction product and the mixture for a period of time and at a temperature sufficient to produce the ANPP.

Abstract: The present invention provides compositions and a process for the preparation of porous bipolar plates with pore volume density and pore size that can result in high water uptake by the plates while providing the desired resistance against gas permeation. The combination of porogens (pore-forming agents) with specific types of graphite particles and polymer binders provides the desired characteristics. The porous bipolar plates have high electrical conductivity and flexural strength.

Abstract: Aspects of the invention include a porous and water-permeable electrode for electrocatalysis comprising: a porous and water-permeable reactive electrochemical membrane (“REM”) comprising: a porous and water-permeable support membrane; wherein the support membrane comprises a titanium metal; and an electrocatalytic coating on at least a portion of the metal support membrane, the electrocatalytic coating being a tin oxide bilayer comprising: a first layer adjacent to and directly contacting the metal support membrane; wherein the first layer comprises tin oxide doped with antimony; and a second layer adjacent to and directly contacting the first layer; wherein the second layer forms a surface of the REM such that the second layer is in direct contact with an aqueous solution when the REM is in contact with the aqueous solution; wherein the second layer comprises tin oxide doped with antimony and nickel or cerium. Preferably, the support membrane is formed of a titanium metal.

Abstract: Provided is a spinning disc with plasma discharges for the treatment of liquid. In one configuration, plasma is introduced to the surface of a liquid by a point-plane discharge, dielectric barrier discharge or as a plasma jet. This liquid exists as a thin film on the surface of the spinning disc. The thin liquid layer, as well as the enhanced mixing provided by the spinning disc, allow the plasma generated radicals to more easily interact with the contaminant.

Abstract: The present disclosure describes various embodiments of systems, apparatuses, and methods for large-scale processing of weather-related data. For one such system, the system comprises a database of weather-related data providing from a plurality of weather monitoring stations and a plurality of interconnected processors for coordinating a data processing job for processing a set of input weather-related data from the database. Accordingly, the input data comprises sensor data from an array of weather monitoring stations positioned on an open shoreline during a hydrodynamic event, weather model data for the hydrodynamic event, and at least one of air-craft reconnaissance data or satellite reconnaissance data regarding the hydrodynamic event, wherein the plurality of interconnected processors are configured to assimilate the input data and generate, using machine learning, an improved weather prediction model for the hydrodynamic event. Other systems, apparatuses, and methods are also provided.

Abstract: A system and method to authenticate users on a computing system using a free text behavioral biometric method by recording on the computer system a dataset for each user to be authenticated to create a user profile for each user to be authenticated, each data set comprising a plurality of free-text keystrokes entered by a respective user on a computer that is part of the computing system, and storing each user profile in the memory, subsequently collecting the keystrokes of a user to be authenticated as the user enters text on a keyboard connected to the computing system, creating a plurality of graphs based on the collection of keystrokes entered by the user and calculating n instance based tail area density (ITAD) metric, and then combining the ITAD metric for each graph duration into a single similarity score.

Abstract: According to various embodiments, there is provided a toner composition and a developer. The toner composition includes toner particles including a resin, a colorant; and a surface additive applied to a surface of the toner particles. The surface additive includes polyaniline doped strontium titanate (SrTiO3).

Abstract: According to various embodiments, there is provided a toner composition and a developer. The toner composition includes toner particles including a resin, a colorant, a charge control agent, and a surface additive applied to a surface of the toner particles. The surface additive includes strontium titanate (SrTiO3), silica (SiO2), silicon tetrachloride (SiCl4) and a charge control agent.

Abstract: A method of preparing an acid neutralizing polymer powder (ANPP) includes preparing a first reaction product by contacting and reacting virgin polyamide powder material with tert-butoxide in a first aliquot of a polar aprotic solvent and preparing a mixture of an halogenated dialkylalkylamine to a second aliquot of the polar aprotic solvent. ANPP is prepared by mixing the first reaction product and the mixture for a period of time and at a temperature sufficient to produce the ANPP.

Abstract: A method of preparing an acid reactive functionalized polyamide includes preparing a first reaction product by contacting and reacting virgin polyamide fabric material with tert-butoxide in a first aliquot of a polar aprotic solvent and preparing a second reaction product by adding an amine to a second aliquot of the polar aprotic solvent. A third reaction product is prepared by mixing the first reaction product and the second reaction product where the third reaction product is the acid reactive functionalized polyamide. The preparation of each respective reaction product is for a period of time and at a temperature sufficient to produce the respective reaction product.

Abstract: A method for measuring fracture characteristics of adhesive polymeric material comprises: (i) bonding a sample to a rigid substrate; (ii) cooling the sample from a first temperature to a second temperature such that thermally-induced stresses are generated within the sample, wherein the thermally-induced stresses generate an inward-growing three-dimensional spiral crack within the sample; (iii) detecting, by three or more AE piezoelectric sensors, mechanical transient waves generated during development of the inward-growing three-dimensional spiral crack within the sample and determining the accurate 3D geometry of the spiral using source location technique; (iv) visualizing the two-dimensional spiral cracking pattern deposited on a surface of the rigid substrate and measuring the precise width of the crack; (v) determining, using the detected mechanical waves and the visualized deposited sample, AE-based fracture characteristics of the sample; and (vi) reporting the determined one or more fracture characteri

Abstract: An electrical discharge plasma reactor system for treating a liquid, the reactor system including: a reactor chamber configured to hold the liquid and a gas; a discharge electrode disposed within the reactor chamber, wherein the discharge electrode is disposed within the gas; an opposing electrode disposed within the gas within the reactor chamber; one or more gas diffusers disposed within the liquid, wherein the one or more gas diffusers is configured to induce the generation of a layer of foam on a surface of the liquid in a plasma-contact region; and a power supply connected to the discharge electrode and/or the opposing electrode, the power supply configured to induce the discharge electrode and the opposing electrode to generate plasma in the plasma-contact region.

Abstract: A system and method for building a data structure for determining if multiple routing or forwarding tables yield the same or different forwarding behaviors. VeriTable uses a single tree/trie traversal to quickly check if multiple forwarding tables are forwarding equivalent, yield routing loops, or black holes. VeriTable also uses the Longest Prefix Matching rule for lookups, e.g., checking if route updates in control plane are consistent with the ones in forwarding plane. VeriTable can be applied to network-wide abnormality diagnosis of network problems, such as scalable and efficient forwarding loop detection and avoidance in the data plane of a network. In addition, VeriTable can be extended to handle incremental updates applied to the forwarding tables in a network.

Abstract: Methods, devices, and systems for monitoring a health parameter of a user. A portable monitoring device comprises a housing adapted to couple to a user proximate to the user's respiratory tract; a first audio sensor, disposed in the housing, is adapted to detect a breath sound of the user and create breath sound data; and a processor coupled to the first audio sensor transduces the breath sound data into a modified breath sound signal which is representative of a parameter of the user's breathing, and the processor is adapted to compare the parameter of the user's breathing to a predetermined parameter threshold.

Abstract: An electrode of an energy storage device and methods of fabrication are provided which include: pyrolyzing a carbon-containing precursor to form a stabilized-carbonized material; and annealing the stabilized-carbonized material to form a structurally-modified activated carbon material. The structurally-modified activated carbon material includes a tunable pore size distribution and an electrochemically-active surface area. The electrochemically-active surface area of the structurally-modified activated carbon material is greater than a surface area of graphene having at least one layer, the surface area of the graphene having at least one layer being about 2630 m2 g?1.

Abstract: The present invention provides compositions and a process for the preparation of porous bipolar plates with pore volume density and pore size that can result in high water uptake by the plates while providing the desired resistance against gas permeation. The combination of porogens (pore-forming agents) with specific types of graphite particles and polymer binders provides the desired characteristics. The porous bipolar plates have high electrical conductivity and flexural strength.

Abstract: This invention describes the self-assembly of meso(nano)porous silica particles from inorganic an inexpensive silica precursor, sodium silicate. The particles have a well defined shape, high surface area, and high uniformity of the pore size, the properties that are typically found for high quality mesoporous material synthesized from organic silica precursors. The disclosure illustrates a synthesis of hard spheres, discoids, and a mixture comprising discoids, gyroids and fibers, termed as origami.