Abstract: A method, apparatus, and system for fabricating buckypaper or similar sheets of nanostructures having relatively high aspect ratios. A dispersion of nanostructures such as nanotubes is subjected to fluid dynamics/forces which promote alignment of their axes of elongation while in suspension in the flow. An agglomeration of better aligned nanostructures is isolated from the carrier fluid into a useable form. In the case of nanotubes, one form is buckypaper. One example of alignment forces is Taylor-Couette flow shear forces. One example of isolation is filtering the flowing dispersion to collect better aligned nanostructures across the filter into a sheet or film. The degree of alignment can produce anisotropic material properties that can be beneficially used in application of the sheet or film.

Abstract: An apparatus, method, and system for on-the-go soil nitrate level sensing, and optionally using the sensing to inform or instruct nitrogen fertilizer application across the field. In one form, the apparatus includes a soil sensing tool which carries a diamond ATR cell in combination with an FTIR field ruggedized spectrometer. The optical surface of the diamond ATR cell can be adjusted in pitch and depth to the soil. A processor is programmed to manipulate acquired spectra to derive a prediction of nitrate level for a given soil position in the field. This can be used to modulate a fertilizer applicator operation or coupled with georeference data collected simultaneously to generate a map of soil nitrate levels for the field, which can be used as a prescription for nitrogen fertilizer application.

Abstract: The disclosure provides for compositions and methods for preparation of meat substitutes containing clover hemoglobin. Even when oxidized, clover hemoglobin retains a red appearance, thereby avoiding common off-color events that plague other meat substitutes, such as those made using soybean hemoglobin.

Abstract: A baler having a compression system for forming a bale. The baler also has a feed system having a pack mode for accumulating the crop in a pre-compression chamber and a lift mode for conveying the crop to the compression system. The baler also has a sensor arrangement having at least one sensor generating a signal, the at least one sensor being coupled to the feed system. The signal corresponds to a crop load on the feed system. A control unit is configured to receive the signal from the sensor arrangement and initiate the lift mode based on at least the signal.

Abstract: A method is provided for treating a rare earth metal-bearing scrap material by melting an extractant selected from the group consisting of bismuth (Bi) and lead (Pb) and contacting the melted extractant and the scrap material at a temperature and time to recover at least one of the light rare earth metal content and the heavy rare earth metal content as a metallic extractant alloy, which can be subjected to vacuum distillation or sublimation to recover the rare earth metal(s). The method can be practiced to recover the light rare earth metal content and the heavy rare earth metal content concurrently in a one-step process or separately and sequentially in a two-step process.

Abstract: The present invention relates to relates to a method of optimizing a plastic composition formed from a plurality of resin feedstocks. A plurality of resin feedstocks are provided. The plurality of resin feedstocks are blended to form the plastic composition. One or more properties of the plastic composition, including radiation absorption, radiation transmission, gas evolution, radiation fluorescence, or melting properties, are measured. The ratio of the plurality of resin feedstocks being blended into the plastic composition is adjusted, based on said measuring, to form an optimized plastic composition. A system for performing the method is also disclosed.

Abstract: The present invention relates to tackifier compounds and methods of using the same. In various embodiments, the present invention provides a tackifier compound including independently substituted or unsubstituted fused rings A and B each independently chosen from (C5-C10)cycloalkyl and (C2-C10)heterocyclyl. Fused ring A is substituted with (R1)1-8 and fused ring B is substituted with —(OC(O)R?C(O)R2)1-8. At each occurrence R? is independently chosen from (C2-C10)alkanylene, (C2-C10)alkenylene, (C2-C10)alkynylene, C5-C20(arylene), and (C1-C20)heteroarylene, wherein R? is unsubstituted or substituted. At each occurrence R1 is independently selected from —OH, —OR3, and —OC(O)R?C(O)R2. At each occurrence R2 is independently chosen from —OH, —OR3, —NH2, —NHR3, and —NR32. At each occurrence R3 is independently chosen from (C1-C10)alkanyl, (C2-C10)alkenyl, (C2-C10)alkynyl, C5-C20(aryl), and (C1-C20)heteroaryl, wherein R3 is unsubstituted or substituted.

Abstract: In some examples, a method of forming alane (AlH3), the method comprising reacting one of: 1) a MAlH4, wherein M is an alkali metal; 2) alkali-metal hydride, MH; or 3) alkali-metal with one or more aluminum halides (AlX3, where X is a halogen), via a mechanochemical process, to form the alane, wherein the reaction is substantially solvent free and carried out in an environment with a temperature between approximately 250 K and approximately 330 K.

Abstract: Undercooled liquid metallic core-shell particles, whose core is stable against solidification at ambient conditions, i.e. under near ambient temperature and pressure conditions, are used to join or repair metallic non-particulate components. The undercooled-shell particles in the form of nano-size or micro-size particles comprise an undercooled stable liquid metallic core encapsulated inside an outer shell, which can comprise an oxide or other stabilizer shell typically formed in-situ on the undercooled liquid metallic core. The shell is ruptured to release the liquid phase core material to join or repair a component(s).

Abstract: A mutant Bacillus subtilis, which does not express a functional KASIIIA and/or KASIIIB, and method of making; a mutant Rhodospirillum rubrum, which does not express a functional PhaC1, PhaC2, and/or PhaC3, and method of making; method of characterizing substrate specificity of KASIII; method of making mutant KASIII with altered substrate specificity and/or altered level of activity and nucleic acid, vector, host cell/organism, and mutant KASIII; an in vitro, high-throughput spectrophotometric method of assaying KASIII activity; and materials and methods for using KASIII for production of bi-functional fatty acids and the materials so produced.

Abstract: Methods of inhibiting plant parasitic nematodes, methods of obtaining transgenic plants useful for inhibiting such nematodes, and transgenic plants that are resistant to plant parasitic nematodes through inhibition of plant nematode CLAVATA3/ESR (CLE) peptide receptor genes are provided. Methods for expressing genes at plant parasitic nematode feeding sites with plant nematode CLE peptide receptor gene promoters are also provided, along with nematode CLE peptide receptor gene promoters that are useful for expressing genes in nematode feeding sites as well as transgenic plants and nematode resistant transgenic plants comprising the promoters.

Abstract: The invention relates to a bistable piezoelectric cantilever-based vibration energy harvester that increases the energy harvested over a broad frequency of vibrations by introducing bistability to the cantilever through use of two repelling magnets, one mounted on the cantilever and one at a location facing the first. This increases the amplitude and velocity of cantilever vibration, hence harvested power, while nonlinearity makes the system efficient over almost the entire range of frequencies, lower than the natural resonant frequency of the linear version without the magnets. Such improved performance is seen while the cantilever remains in the bistable mode.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are embodiments of methods for encoding, decoding, and matching patterns in collections of signals. These methods use weighting functions to scale the signals. This scaling enables the use of signals of arbitrary duration, wherein the signals may include discrete sequences and spike trains. In the most general case, the signals can be represented using functionals, which extends the expressive power of the methods. Further disclosed herein are embodiments of a system that performs these methods.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) linearization system including a DAC, a summing buffer structure, an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), a calculation system, an error look-up table, and an adder. A combination of the DAC, the summing buffer structure, and the ADC sequentially provide first and second ADC output signals, both of which include DAC integral nonlinearity (INL). The calculation system calculates the DAC INL based on the first and second ADC output signals, the error look-up table provides a correction signal mapping to the calculated DAC INL, and the adder provides a calibrated digital input signal to the DAC based on the correction signal. The calibrated digital input signal ensures the DAC to generate an updated output signal with less nonlinearity and improved purity.

Abstract: A technique for forming a material including nanotwinned silver crystals in solid solution with a solute that exhibits enhanced strength and desirable electrical conductivity, as compared to coarse-grained material. Synthesis of nanotwinned silver alloy material is achieved by cooling of a substrate and co-deposition of silver and the solute. Controlling the processing conditions of synthesis allows for tailoring of the nanostructure and mechanical properties of the nanotwinned silver alloy material. A material including nanotwinned silver crystals in solid solution with a solute also is described.

Abstract: The invention provides multivalent surface-crosslinked micelle (SCM) particles, crosslinked reverse micelle (CRM) particles, and methods of making and using them. The SCM particles can be used, for example, to inhibit a virus or bacteria from binding to a host cell. The inhibition can be used in therapy for the flu, cancer, or AIDS. The CRM particles can be used, for example, to prepare metal nanoparticles or metal alloy nanoparticles, or they can be used in catalytic reactions.

Abstract: One aspect of the present invention relates to a method of modifying thermoplastic properties of lignin rich biomass to reduce agglomeration during any subsequent pyrolysis. The method comprises providing a lignin rich biomass and treating the lignin rich biomass with an alkali metal hydroxide or an alkaline earth metal hydroxide under conditions effective to reduce agglomeration, during any subsequent pyrolysis, compared to when the lignin rich biomass is not subjected to said treating. Also disclosed is a method of fast pyrolysis using the product of this method of modifying the thermoplastic properties of lignin rich biomass.

Abstract: A method of producing bi-functional fatty acids comprising introducing into a host cell or organism, which comprises one or more ?- or ?-1 functionalized acyl-CoAs, and expressing therein a KASIII, which can use one or more of the ?- or ?-1 functionalized acyl-CoAs as a substrate; a method of producing a ?-1 hydroxy branched fatty acid, a ?-1 branched fatty acid, or a combination thereof by culturing a mutant E. coli, which does not express a functional KASIII from the endogenous fabH gene and expresses a phaA and a phaB and a functional exogenous KASIII; and a mutant E. coli, a method of making the mutant, a culture comprising the mutant, and a composition comprising ?-1 hydroxy branched fatty acids, a ?-1 branched fatty acids, or a combination thereof obtained from the culture.

Abstract: Methods and systems for bridge damage detection using, for example, one or more strain range methods are provided. One exemplary embodiment provides a computer-implemented methods and systems for determining bridge damage from strain sensor data, for example, by collecting a batch of strain data from one or more sensor pairs. From the batch of strain data one or more sets of strain data may be extracted comprising a quasi-static response of the bridge under ambient traffic loads. A relationship may be established between the one or more sets of strain data extracted from the one or more sensor pairs by orthogonal regression. Bridge damage may be detected by generally isolating a damage indicator between the one or more sensor pairs by monitoring changes in a statistical Fshm value over time.

Abstract: This document provides vaccine delivery devices and methods for vaccinating an animal (e.g., a mammal). For example, vaccine delivery devices that include a container having one or more openings, a vaccine depot located within the container, and a diffusion barrier located within the container in a manner such that material (e.g., an antigenic vaccine component) within the vaccine depot must pass through the diffusion barrier before reaching one of the openings are provided.