Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure include a system for turbo-compression cooling. The system may be aboard a marine vessel. The system includes a power cycle and a cooling cycle. The power cycle includes a first working fluid, a waste heat boiler configured to evaporate the working fluid, a turbine, and a condenser. The condenser condenses the working fluid to a saturated or subcooled liquid. The cooling cycle includes a second working fluid, a first compressor configured to increase the pressure of the second working fluid, a condenser configured to condense the second working fluid to a saturated or subcooled liquid after exiting the first compressor, an expansion valve, and an evaporator. The turbine and first compressor are coupled one to the other. The waste heat boiler receives waste heat from engine jacket water and lubricating oil from a ship service generator. The evaporator cools water in a shipboard cooling loop.

Abstract: The present invention provides compositions comprising chimeric polypeptides that bind to free ubiquitin proteins or free ubiquitin-like proteins with high affinity, as well as chimeric polypeptides that bind to both free and conjugated ubiquitin proteins or free and conjugated ubiquitin-like proteins, and methods of using the chimeric polypeptides to determine the amount of free or total ubiquitin or free or total ubiquitin-like proteins in various types of samples.

Abstract: The invention provides a metallopolymer coordination network comprising one or more coinage or similar metals and in some embodiments, a glyme or glyme-equivalent. The composition has an amorphous polymer network that is significantly stronger than previously reported supramolecular hydrogels synthesized without glyme. Glyme chain length and water content strongly influence the mechanical, electronic, and optical behavior of the network.

Abstract: A new solvent-based method is presented for making low-cost composite graphite electrodes containing a thermoplastic binder. The electrodes, termed thermoplastic electrodes (TPEs), are easy to fabricate and pattern, give excellent electrochemical performance, and have high conductivity (1500 S m?1). The thermoplastic binder enables the electrodes to be hot embossed, molded, templated, and/or cut with a CO2 laser into a variety of intricate patterns. These electrodes show a marked improvement in peak current, peak separation, and resistance to charge transfer over traditional carbon electrodes. The impact of electrode composition, surface treatment (sanding, polishing, plasma treatment), and graphite source were found to impact fabrication, patterning, conductivity, and electrochemical performance. Under optimized conditions, electrodes generated responses similar to more expensive and difficult to fabricate graphene and highly oriented pyrolytic graphite electrodes.

Abstract: A subsurface monitoring system and method is provided that includes a sensor array and a monitoring system in communication with the array. The sensor array may include several sensors, such as subsurface temperature sensors, water-level sensors, and oxidation reduction potential sensors may be disposed in a vertical and/or horizontal fence through the subsurface of the monitored site. The sensor array may measure, collect, and analyze the subsurface conditions and provide the measurements to a monitoring system. The monitoring system may provide access the measurements via a user interface for analysis of the measurements. In addition, the monitoring system may process the measurements to generate one or more graphs of information for better understanding of the conditions of the subsurface of the monitored site.

Abstract: The invention provides novel compounds and methods that are useful in promoting reactions that proceed through an oxidative quenching pathway. In certain embodiments, the reactions comprise atom transfer radical polymerization.

Abstract: Systems and methods for generating and tracking molecular digital signatures to ensure authenticity and integrity of NA molecules are disclosed. In some embodiments, a NA authentication system includes a NA authentication device coupled to one or more user devices. Methods for generating a signed NA sequence, validating a signed NA sequence, and detecting/correcting potential errors within a user allowable limit using a NA authentication system are disclosed.

Abstract: Accurate measurements of the sound pressure level require regular calibration of the microphone. Closed-coupler calibration devices are designed to work with laboratory and working standard microphones, but there are numerous microphones with dimensions that do not fit a standard coupler. For example, micro-electro-mechanical system microphones are very small and widely used due to their size, performance, and cost. Described herein is an acoustical coupler that can accommodate microphones of arbitrary cross-sectional shape. The coupler utilizes a flexible membrane that adapts to the shape of the microphone. In contrast to a rigid enclosure, the permeability of the membrane creates an open system that reduces the sensitivity to fit. The precision and accuracy of the device is demonstrated by calibrating a small, oddly shaped microphone using the substitution method.

Abstract: Biodegradable polymers with advantageous physical and chemical properties are described, as well as methods for making such polymers. In one embodiment, a new chemical synthesis route to technologically important biodegradable poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (P3HB) with high isotacticity and molecular weight required for a practical use is described. The new route can utilize racemic eight-membered cyclic diolide (rac-DL), meso-DL, or a rac-DL and meso-DL mixture, derived from bio-sourced dimethyl succinate, and enantiomeric (R,R)-DL and (S,S)-DL, optically resolved by metal-based catalysts. With a stereoselective racemic molecular catalyst, the ROP of rac-DL under ambient conditions produces rapidly P3HB with essentially perfect isotacticity ([mm]>99%), high crystallinity and melting temperature (Tm=171° C.), as well as high molecular weight and low dispersity (Mn=1.54×105 g/mol, Ð=1.01).

Abstract: A method may include predicting an acceleration event of a vehicle. The method may further include predicting a maximum speed of the predicted acceleration event. The method may also include determining an engine start time based on the predicted maximum speed. The method may still further include starting an engine of the vehicle at the engine start time.

Abstract: The disclosure provides helix grafted proteins, methods of producing helix grafted proteins and methods of use of helix grafted proteins as inhibitors of protein-protein interactions involved in disease pathogenesis.

Abstract: A method of making a laser mirror in which a mirror substrate has at least a one micron size nodular defect includes depositing a planarization layer over the mirror substrate and the nodular defect, depositing a layer of silicon dioxide over the planarization layer, and etching away a portion of the layer of silicon dioxide. The method also includes thereafter, depositing a layer of hafnium dioxide over the layer of silicon dioxide and repeating the steps of depositing a layer of silicon dioxide, etching away a portion of the layer of silicon dioxide, and depositing a layer of hafnium dioxide until the nodular defect is reduced in size a predetermined amount.

Abstract: A subsurface monitoring system and method is provided that includes a sensor array and a monitoring system in communication with the array. The sensor array may include several sensors, such as subsurface temperature sensors, water-level sensors, and oxidation reduction potential sensors may be disposed in a vertical and/or horizontal fence through the subsurface of the monitored site. The sensor array may measure, collect, and analyze the subsurface conditions and provide the measurements to a monitoring system. The monitoring system may provide access the measurements via a user interface for analysis of the measurements. In addition, the monitoring system may process the measurements to generate one or more graphs of information for better understanding of the conditions of the subsurface of the monitored site.

Abstract: Multiple deflections of a structural member (SM) can be measured at multiple locations thereof, which deflections can be used to monitor changes in stiffness over time, using an antenna to measure the resonant frequencies at different harmonic frequency numbers of a predetermined radio frequency spectrum. The antenna includes a plurality of coils providing at least a first coil region that has a maximum sensitive to a first resonant frequency harmonic number and a second coil region spaced from the first coil region and that has a maximum sensitivity to a second resonant frequency harmonic number that is different from the first predetermined resonant frequency harmonic number. Using different harmonic resonant frequency numbers, deflections at multiple regions of the SM can be determined concurrently using a single antenna.

Abstract: The invention provides a metallopolymer coordination network comprising one or more coinage or similar metals and a glyme or glyme-equivalent. The composition has an amorphous polymer network that is significantly stronger than previously reported supramolecular hydrogels synthesized without glyme. Glyme chain length and water content strongly influence the mechanical, electronic, and optical behavior of the network.

Abstract: Described herein are embodiments of a system comprising an underground sensor network that measures soil moisture by quantifying how changes in soil water content affect the attenuation of radio signals between buried sensor nodes. Also disclosed herein are methods of using the described system for measuring soil moisture and using the measurement for various control aspects including for example controlling irrigation in agricultural and urban settings.

Abstract: A subsurface monitoring system and method is provided for measuring a rate of change in an amount of a reactive material within a subsurface formation using measurements of thermal parameters at one or more positions within the subsurface without the need for background correction which may lead erroneous calculations and require additional monitoring equipment. The measured thermal parameters may be used to determine the heat generated by the degradation of the reactive material. The method may include measuring a first temperature near the surface of a subsurface region and a second temperature further from the surface. In some instances, an estimated location of a planar subsurface heat source/sink due to exothermic degradation reactions within the subsurface may be selected. With the derived thermal parameters and the estimated location of the subsurface heat source/sink, change rates for the reactive materials in the subsurface region may be determined or estimated.

Abstract: The present application provides detectable compounds useful for identifying compounds that bind (e.g., inhibit) MmpL3. Methods of identifying compounds that bind and/or inhibit MmpL3 are also provided.

Abstract: A well plate for measuring an analyte in a sample is disclosed. The well plate includes at least a first, a second, and a third electrode. The first electrode has a higher sensitivity to a first analyte than the second and third electrodes. The second electrode has a higher sensitivity to a second analyte than the first and third electrodes.

Abstract: A limb sparring system for replacing a portion of a radius, the radius being adjacent to an ulna, the system comprising a cutting guide including a cut guiding portion for guiding a saw when making a predetermined cut in the radius to excise the portion of the radius, an opposed ulnar mounting portion mountable to the ulna, and a linking portion extending therebetween; and an endoprosthesis configured for replacing the portion of the radius after the portion of the radius has been excised. When the cutting guide is operatively mounted to the radius and ulna, the cut guiding portion and the ulnar mounting portion engage respectively the radius and the ulna in a predetermined spatial relationship relative thereto.