Abstract: An apparatus including a uniplanar sonar head. The uniplanar sonar head includes at least one probe element being configured to output cooperatively a unipolar spiral probe signal. The uniplanar sonar head includes at least one reference element being configured to output a circular reference signal. The uniplanar sonar head includes an acoustic receiver comprising an input channel being configured to receive a reflected unipolar spiral probe signal and a reflected circular reference signal. The apparatus includes a plurality of amplifiers communicating with the at least one probe element, the at least one reference element, and the acoustic receiver. The apparatus includes a processor cooperating with the plurality of amplifiers. The apparatus includes a computer-readable medium storing instructions including a target-detection method, which includes determining an angular position of the target based on the plurality of acoustic echoes received via the input channel.

Abstract: A method of removing nuclear isobars from a mass spectrometric technique comprising directing ions, decelerating the ions, neutralizing a first portion of the ions, creating residual ions and a second portion of the ions, reionizing a selective portion of the ions, re-accelerating the selective reionized portion of ions, and directing the reionized portion of ions to a detector. An apparatus to remove nuclear isobars comprising a deceleration lens, an equipotential surface, an electron source to neutralize a portion of the ion beam, a deflector pair, a tunable resonance ionization laser for selective resonant reionization, and an acceleration lens.

Abstract: A composition having a gadolinium-, samarium-, or lanthanum-substituted porous cerium oxide and copper or gold nanoparticles. The composition can be exposed to electromagnetic radiation to form reactive oxygen species in the composition to decompose organophosphonate compounds. The composition may be made by forming a mixture of a cerium salt; a gadolinium, samarium, or lanthanum salt; and an epoxide; forming gel from the mixture; and drying the gel to form an aerogel, a xerogel, or an ambigel. Copper or gold nanoparticles are added or formed at any point in the method.

Abstract: A method of producing purified FMDV VLPs, comprising contacting cells containing FMDV VLPs with a lysis buffer and allowing the cells to lyse, the lysis buffer comprising 10-20 mM Tris-HCl, 150-200 mM NaCl, 3 mM MgCl2, and 1% Triton X-100, wherein the lysis buffer does not contain EDTA; centrifuging a solution; and removing a supernatant from the solution, the supernatant containing the purified FMDV VLPs.

Abstract: Disclosed is a composition having nanoparticles or particles of a refractory metal, a refractory metal hydride, a refractory metal carbide, a refractory metal nitride, or a refractory metal boride, an organic compound consisting of carbon and hydrogen, and a nitrogenous compound consisting of carbon, nitrogen, and hydrogen. The composition, optionally containing the nitrogenous compound, is milled, cured to form a thermoset, compacted into a geometric shape, and heated in a nitrogen atmosphere at a temperature that forms a nanoparticle composition comprising nanoparticles of metal nitride and optionally metal carbide. The nanoparticles have a uniform distribution of the nitride or carbide.

Abstract: Provided herein are methods and apparatus for characterizing high aspect ratio (HAR) structures of fabricated or partially fabricated semiconductor devices. The methods involve using small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) to determine average parameters of an array of HAR structures. In some implementations, SAXS is used to analyze symmetry of HAR structures in a sample and may be referred to as tilted structural symmetry analysis-SAXS (TSSA-SAXS) or TSSA. Analysis of parameters such as tilt, sidewall angle, bowing, and the presence of multiple tilts in HAR structures may be performed.

Abstract: Making alkali metal vapor cells includes: providing a preform wafer that includes cell cavities in a cavity layer; providing a sealing wafer having a cover layer and transmission apertures; disposing a deposition assembly on the sealing wafer; disposing an alkali metal precursor in the deposition assembly; disposing the sealing wafer on the preform wafer; aligning the transmission apertures with the cell cavities; subjecting the alkali metal precursor to a reaction stimulus; producing alkali metal vapor in the deposition assembly; communicating the alkali metal vapor to the cell cavities; receiving, in the cell cavities, the alkali metal vapor from the transmission apertures; producing an alkali metal condensate in the cell cavity; moving the sealing wafer such that the cover layer encapsulates the alkali metal condensate in the cell cavities; and bonding the sealing wafer to the preform wafer to make individually sealed alkali metal vapor cells in the preform wafer.

Abstract: In an example involving a transaction conducted between a first party using a user mobile-identification-credential device (UMD) and a second party using a relying party system (RPS), RPS receives a request from UMD for transfer of an item, requests identification information of the first party from UMD, receives, based on consent of the first party, some or all user ID information associated with a mobile identification credential (MIC) which UMD received from an authorizing party system (APS), receives verification of the received user ID information, uses the verified user ID information to verify or not verify an identity of the first party, grants the request to transfer the item in exchange for payment or another item to be transferred from the first party to the second party when the identity of the first party is verified, and denies the request when the identity of the first party is not verified.

Abstract: This disclosure concerns a method of making a ligand for Quantum Dot functionalization, a method of making a functionalized Quantum Dot (QD) with a ligand, and a method of making a transparent luminescent quantum dot thiol-yne nanocomposite with tailorable optical, thermal, and mechanical properties. The prepolymer solution and functionalized Quantum Dot can be used in additive manufacturing.

Abstract: An optical apparatus and method of using same. The optical apparatus includes a vortex optical isolator including an axis. The vortex optical isolator includes a first amplitude mask defining a first limiting aperture and aligned with the axis. The first limiting aperture includes a first radius. The vortex optical isolator includes a first lens aligned with the axis. The vortex optical isolator includes a vortex phase mask aligned with the axis. The vortex optical isolator includes a second lens aligned with the axis. The vortex optical isolator includes a second amplitude mask defining a second limiting aperture aligned with the axis. The second limiting aperture includes a second radius sufficiently smaller than the first radius so as to block reverse light traveling through the optical apparatus. The apparatus includes a standard light source configured to transmit forward light through the vortex optical isolator.

Abstract: An optical refraction barometer measures pressure based on refractivity changes and includes: an optical light source; an optical frequency controller; a first optical phase controller; a first polarization controller; an electronic reference arm in optical communication with the first polarization controller; a second optical phase controller in optical communication with the optical frequency controller; a second polarization controller in optical communication with the second optical phase controller; an electronic sample arm in optical communication with the second polarization controller and in electrical communication with the second optical phase controller; a second sideband frequency generator; a mixer in electrical communication with the detector and the second sideband frequency generator; and a first sideband frequency generator in electrical communication with the mixer; and a dual fixed length optical cavity refractometer.

Abstract: Provided is a process including: initializing a data block matrix; making supra-diagonal nodes that include at most one more node than sub-diagonal nodes; making a hash nodes with a hash sequence length that is proportional to a number of nodes in the row or column of nodes in which the hash node is arranged; and writing data blocks in nodes of the data block matrix such that a number of data blocks in nodes in the data block matrix is less than (N2?N) for N number of nodes in the data block matrix, wherein the data block matrix has dispersed data blocks.

Abstract: An explosive threat mitigation unit (TMU) stands ready to receive a suspected bomb, enclose it, and contain the explosion if one occurs. An operator protects bystanders and surroundings by putting the suspected bomb in a TMU and then closing the TMU. If the bomb goes off, the TMU mitigates the effects of both the blast and the fragments. One variation has a container, a tube, a cap, and a door. The container includes an opening. The tube, arranged in the container, aligns with the opening. The cap slides through the opening and over the tube. The door slides into place to close the opening and enclose the cap within the container.

Abstract: A method of cleaving includes providing a substrate. Optionally, the substrate includes ?-gallium oxide, hexagonal zinc sulfide, or magnesium selenide. The substrate includes at least one natural cleave plane and a crystallinity. The substrate is cleaved along a first natural cleave plane of the at least one natural cleave plane. The cleaving the substrate along the first natural cleave plane includes the following. A micro-crack is generated in the substrate while maintaining the crystallinity adjacent to the micro-crack by generating a plurality of phonons in the substrate, the micro-crack comprising a micro-crack direction along the first natural cleave plane. The micro-crack is propagated along the first natural cleave plane while maintaining the crystallinity adjacent to the micro-crack. Optionally, generating a micro-crack in the substrate by generating a plurality of phonons in the substrate includes generating the plurality of phonons by electron-hole recombination.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods of making porous zinc electrodes. Taken together, the steps are: forming a mixture of water, a soluble compound that increases the viscosity of the mixture, an insoluble porogen, and metallic zinc powder; placing the mixture in a mold to form a sponge; optionally drying the sponge; placing the sponge in a metal mesh positioned to allow air flow through substantially all the openings in the mesh; heating the sponge in an inert atmosphere at a peak temperature of 200 to 420° C. to fuse the zinc particles to each other to form a sintered sponge; and heating the sintered sponge in an oxygen-containing atmosphere at a peak temperature of 420 to 700° C. to form ZnO on the surfaces of the sintered sponge. The heating steps burn out the porogen.

Abstract: Various embodiments of the present invention are directed towards a system and methods for generating three dimensional (3D) images with increased composite vertical field of view and composite resolution for a spinning three-dimensional sensor, based on actuating the sensor to generate a plurality of sensor axis orientations as a function of rotation of the actuator. The output data from the sensor, such as a spinning LIDAR, is transformable as a function of the actuator angle to generate three dimensional imagery.

Abstract: A quantum atomic receiving antenna includes: a probe laser; a coupling laser; an atomic vapor cell that includes: a spherically-shaped or parallelepiped-shaped atomic vapor space and Rydberg antenna atoms that undergo a radiofrequency Rydberg transition to produce quantum antenna light from probe light such that an intensity of the quantum antenna light depends on an amount of radiofrequency radiation received by the Rydberg antenna atoms, the quantum antenna light including a strength, direction and polarization of the radiofrequency radiation; and a quantum antenna light detector in optical communication with the atomic vapor cell.

Abstract: A liquid crystal-based non-mechanical beam steering device that permits steering in the mid-wave infrared and has a chalcogenide waveguide. The waveguide core, the subcladding, or both comprise a chalcogenide glass. The liquid crystal-based non-mechanical beam steering device has a tapered subcladding and a liquid crystal layer.

Abstract: Methods for detecting presence of one or more of Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Toxoplasma gondii, Moraxella catarrhalis, Escherichia coli, Shigella, Staphylococcus aureus, Pneumocystis jirovecii, Chlamydia trachomatis, Ureaplasma urealyticum, Ureaplasma parvum, Ureaplasma spp., Bartonella spp., Streptococcus agalactiae, and Neisseria meningitidis nucleic acids in a sample, such as a biological sample obtained from a subject, or an environmental sample, are provided. This disclosure also provides probes, primers, and kits for detecting one or more of Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Toxoplasma gondii, Moraxella catarrhalis, Escherichia coli, Shigella, Staphylococcus aureus, Pneumocystis jirovecii, Chlamydia trachomatis, Ureaplasma urealyticum, Ureaplasma parvum, Ureaplasma spp., Bartonella spp., Streptococcus agalactiae, and Neisseria meningitidis in a sample.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for feature detection such that users can apply advanced machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) without the need for a deep understanding of existing algorithms and techniques. Embodiments of the present disclosure provide systems and methods than enable easy access to a suite of machine learning algorithms and techniques, an intuitive interface for training an AI to recognize image features based on geometric “correct and refine” recursion, and real-time visualizations of training effectiveness.