Abstract: A method for forming an assembly is provided. The method includes depositing a colloidal template onto a substrate, wherein the colloidal template is porous, depositing a metal layer onto and within the colloidal template, depositing a cap structure onto the colloidal template opposite of the substrate, and removing the colloidal template from between the substrate and the cap structure to form a metal inverse opal structure disposed therebetween. The method continues by depositing an electrical isolation layer in contact with the cap structure opposite the metal inverse opal structure, and attaching the electrical isolation layer to a cooling device.

Abstract: A method of forming an inverse opal structure along a substrate that includes depositing polymer spheres along the substrate and electroplating the substrate and spheres at a first current density to form a first solid metal layer such that the spheres are raised from the substrate. The method includes electroplating the substrate and the spheres at a second current density to diffuse metals from the substrate and deposit the metal about the spheres. The second current density is greater than the first current density. The method includes electroplating the substrate and spheres to form a second solid metal layer disposed over the spheres, and removing the spheres to form the inverse opal structure disposed between the first and second solid metal layers. The first and second solid metal layers define planar interface surfaces disposed over a porous structure of the inverse opal structure.

Abstract: A side wall of a vehicle bed can be configured to provide support against vertical loads, such as step loading, imposed on a lateral side wall of the bed. The bed can be defined in part by a first lateral side wall and a second lateral side wall. The first and/or second lateral side wall can include an inner wall member, an outer wall member, and a top protector. The top protector can being operatively connected to the inner and outer wall members. The top protector can define a top surface of the respective lateral side wall. The inner wall member can include a transverse portion that extends to an innermost end. The innermost end can be substantially adjacent to an inner side of the top protector. Thus, the inner and outer wall members can support the top protector across substantially its entire width.

Abstract: Dielectric resonators provide a building block for the development of low-loss resonant metamaterials because they replace lossy ohmic currents of metallic resonators with low-loss displacement currents. The spectral locations of electric and magnetic dipole resonances of a dielectric resonator can be tuned by varying the resonator geometry so that desired scattering properties are achieved.

Abstract: Vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication through short range communication techniques can be extended by sending messages from a host vehicle to a target vehicle using an intermediate vehicle. The host vehicle identifies road conditions which may be of interest to a target vehicle. An intermediate vehicle relays the message detailing the identified road conditions from the host vehicle to the target vehicle. The message can be rebroadcast by the intermediate vehicle to target vehicles in its communication range, or it can generate a new message to transmit the information to target vehicles.

Abstract: An automated pick and place apparatus includes a robotic arm having at least three degrees of freedom. An end effector is mounted to the robotic arm and includes a gripping device for gripping a target object. An actuator actuates the gripping device. An object alignment device is mounted to the robotic arm. The object alignment device includes a body having a base and an end face opposite the base. An alignment projection is slidingly received by the body within an opening and extending outwardly beyond the end face. The alignment projection has an extended configuration and a retracted configuration. A sensor detects when the alignment projection is in the retracted configuration and provides a signal to a processor.

Abstract: An archery training aid is provided including a body and a finger rest extending outward at an angle from a base. The finger rest can include a finger rest surface configured to engage one or more fingers of a hand. The base can be configured to be placed in engagement with a first lateral grip surface of a bow grip so that the finger rest surface is disposed at a first angle between 25° to 65°, inclusive, or between 30° and 50°, inclusive, relative to the first lateral grip surface. A related method of use is provided to impair or prevent bow torque imparted by an archer's hand on a bow.

Abstract: A container having a compactor and bin for waste is disclosed permitting on-premises and remote monitoring of the system and collection is disclosed. The system can also detect non-complaint materials placed therein and act thereon. Methods are further disclosed for inventorying identification tags for tracking packages, merchandise and tags disposed of.

Abstract: A window assembly heat transfer system is disclosed in which a window member has a selected transparency to monitored or sensed light wavelengths. One or more passages are provided in the window member for flowing a single-phase or two-phase heat transfer fluid, the passages being optically non-transparent to the monitored or sensed light wavelengths. A mechanism allows either evaporation or condensation of the fluid and/or balancing of a flow of the fluid within the passages. In one embodiment, the window assembly can be made by producing passages in a top surface of a first single plate, optionally producing passages in a bottom surface of a second single plate and bonding the top surface of the first plate to a bottom surface of a second single plate to form the window member with the passage or passages. In another embodiment, the window assembly can be made by providing a core around which the window member material is grown and thereafter removing the core to produce the passage or passages.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a measuring chamber, a working method of the measuring chamber, a chemiluminescence measurement method of the measuring chamber and a chemiluminescence detector. The measuring chamber includes a dark chamber, a first substrate nozzle, a photomultiplier detection component, a waste liquor adsorption needle component, a reaction cup turntable and a plurality of reaction cup processing stations; the reaction cup turntable is provided in the measuring chamber rotationally; and the plurality of reaction cup processing stations are sealed in a mutually light-isolated manner. When the instrument works, reaction cups in the reaction cup turntable are moved in the dark chamber; and after the reaction cups are moved to corresponding processing stations for processing the reaction cups, the plurality of different processing stations for processing, the reaction cups may simultaneously process the reaction cups moved to the corresponding reaction cup processing stations.

Abstract: A bladed solar thermal receiver for absorbing concentrated sunlight is disclosed. The receiver includes a plurality of panels arranged in a bladed configuration for absorbing sunlight. The bladed configurations can be radial or planar. The receiver design increases the effective solar absorptance and efficiency by providing a light trap for the incident solar radiation while reducing heat losses from radiation and convection.

Abstract: A nitrogen oxide absorbing unit, a nitrogen oxide absorbing liquid extraction line, a nitrogen oxide absorbing liquid heating/regenerating unit, a released gas line, and a regenerated liquid discharge line are provided. The nitrogen oxide absorbing unit is configured to absorb and remove nitrogen oxides in exhaust gas with nitrogen oxide absorbing liquid by introducing the exhaust gas containing nitrogen oxides and carbon dioxide. Through the nitrogen oxide absorbing liquid extraction line, the circulating nitrogen oxide absorbing liquid is extracted from a nitrogen oxide absorbing liquid circulation line. The nitrogen oxide absorbing liquid heating/regenerating unit is configured to obtain released gas containing at least nitrogen monoxide and carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide absorbing liquid regenerated liquid by subjecting the nitrogen oxide absorbing liquid to heating and regeneration treatment.

Abstract: A vehicle seat slide structure has a movable rail, a fixed rail supporting the movable rail, a slider interposed between the rails, a reinforcing plate fixed to the fixed rail and having a threaded hole having a female thread part, and a pin having a shaft portion, a neck portion, and a head portion. The fixed rail has a first through hole concentric with the threaded hole and having an inner diameter larger than a root diameter of the female thread part. The slider has a second through hole concentric with the first through hole and having an inner diameter larger than that of the first through hole. The shaft portion is inserted through the first through hole and has the male thread part screwed in the female thread part. The head portion supports a periphery part of the second through hole between the head portion and the fixed rail.

Abstract: System, methods, and other embodiments described herein relate to correcting the longitudinal position of a vehicle using mapped landmarks. One embodiment identifies, in stored map data, a mapped landmark that is within a predetermined distance from the vehicle; identifies one or more detected stationary objects that are within a predetermined distance from the mapped landmark; tracks the one or more detected stationary objects for at least a first predetermined time period; matches, with the mapped landmark, a particular object among the one or more tracked detected stationary objects; tracks the particular object for at least a second predetermined time period; calculates a longitudinal distance between the particular object and the mapped landmark; and corrects the longitudinal position of the vehicle based on the longitudinal distance.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for integrating a fluidized coking operation, a reverse osmosis operation, a coke gasification operation and/or processes for production of compounds from the synthesis gas generated during the coke gasification. Conventional FLEXICOKING™ processes may produce carbon dioxide emissions and low Joule Flexigas, as well as waste water containing metals and poor quality coke containing metals, which may be expensive to process, or may require sending to other facilities for further processing. The systems and methods described herein address these issues in an advantageous and economical manner, with improved carbon capture, waste upgrade and chemicals production, while providing high value ash (e.g., for recovery of metals such as vanadium, nickel, sodium, iron, and mixtures thereof) and upgraded coke streams.

Abstract: The present invention provides for a method to depolymerize a lignin comprising: (a) mixing a lignin, a chelator, and FeCl3 to produce a first solution, (b) optionally incubating the solution for a first suitable period of time, (c) introducing an oxidizing agent to the first solution to produce a second solution, and (d) optionally incubating the solution for a second suitable period of time; such that at least one aromatic ring of one lignin polymer is opened.

Abstract: A chemical processing system for removing carbon dioxide from a gas mixture using a multicomponent amine-based scrubbing solution includes a spectroscopic evaluation system with a liquid contact probe for spectroscopic investigation, an energy source connected with the liquid contact probe to provide the spectroscopic stimulation energy to the probe, a spectrometer connected with the liquid contact probe to detect the spectroscopic response energy to the probe and to output spectral data corresponding to the spectroscopic response energy, and a machine learning spectral data analyzer connected to the spectrometer for evaluation of the spectral data to determine a concentration value for each of water, amine component and captured carbon dioxide in the scrubbing solution, the machine learning spectral data analyzer being trained for each such component over a corresponding trained concentration range, and optionally over a trained temperature range to provide a temperature-compensated concentration value.

Abstract: Provided is a receiving device for a vehicle interior, having a receiving section for receiving objects in a receiving position of the receiving section, a base body in which the receiving section is arranged in a rest position of the receiving section, a drive unit for moving the receiving section from the rest position via an intermediate position into the receiving position, in which the receiving section projects from the base body, the drive unit applying a first drive force to the receiving section for moving from the rest position into the intermediate position and applying a second drive force to the receiving section for moving from the intermediate position into the receiving position, the first drive force being smaller than the second drive force, further comprising a damping device for applying a first damping force against said first driving force and a second damping force against said second driving force to said receiving portion, said second damping force being greater than said first dampin

Abstract: A vehicle D-ring attachment bracket assembly includes a vehicle D-ring attachment bracket having a first mounting hole, a second mounting hole, and a D-ring bolt hole positioned between the first and second mounting holes. The assembly also includes a first energy absorber attached to the attachment bracket. The first energy absorber includes a first energy absorber first hole positioned coaxially or substantially coaxially with the bracket first mounting hole, and a first energy absorber second hole positioned coaxially or substantially coaxially with the bracket second mounting hole.

Abstract: Techniques for growing crystalline calcium carbonate solids such that the crystalline calcium carbonate solids include a volume of 0.0005 mm3 to 5 mm3, include a slaker to react quicklime (CaO) and a low carbonate content fluid to yield a slurry of primarily slaked lime (Ca(OH)2); a fluidized-bed reactive crystallizer that encloses a solid bed mass and includes an input for a slurry of primarily slaked lime, an input for an alkaline solution and carbonate, and an output for crystalline calcium carbonate solids that include particles and an alkaline carbonate solution; a dewatering apparatus that includes an input coupled to the crystallizer and an output to discharge a plurality of separate streams that each include a portion of the crystalline calcium carbonate solids and alkaline carbonate solution; and a seed transfer apparatus to deliver seed material into the crystallizer to maintain a consistent mass of seed material.