Abstract: A medium composition for porcine pluripotent stem cells, containing bFGF, activin A, CHIR99021 and IWR-1 is disclosed. The composition is prepared from specific ingredients, excluding non-specific ingredients, thereby facilitating quality control, and thus is suitable for the study of porcine pluripotent stem cells. Also disclosed is a method for culturing, maintaining and preserving porcine pluripotent stem cells having the ability to form teratomas, by using the composition.

Abstract: A hybrid propulsion system includes a housing, at least two electrodes, a solid-grain fuel material, a combustion chamber, an oxidizer port, and a nozzle. The housing has a first end and a second end and defines a cavity. The electrodes extend into the cavity. The fuel material is free of an oxidizer and is positioned in the cavity. The fuel material has a combustion surface and is exposed to the electrodes. The combustion chamber is defined between the combustion surface and the second end. The oxidizer port provides a flow of oxidizer to the combustion chamber. The nozzle is positioned at the second end. Combustion of the fuel material in the combustion chamber may be dominated by radiative heat transfer. Combustion of the fuel material in the combustion chamber may generate thrust of no more than 5 N at an oxidizer flow rate of no more than 5 g/s.

Abstract: Energy conversion systems that may employ control grid electrodes, acceleration grid electrodes, inductive elements, multi-stage anodes, and emissive carbon coatings on the cathode and anode are described. These and other characteristics may allow for advantageous thermal energy to electrical energy conversion.

Abstract: In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a phased array antenna system includes a first portion carrying an antenna lattice including a plurality of antenna elements, wherein the plurality of antenna elements are arranged in a first configuration, a second portion carrying a beamformer lattice including a plurality of beamformer elements, wherein the plurality of beamformer elements are arranged in a second configuration different from the first configuration, and a third portion disposed between the first portion and the second portion carrying at least a portion of a mapping including a first plurality of mapping traces on a first surface providing at least a portion of the electrical connection between the plurality of antenna elements and the plurality of beamformer elements, wherein each of the plurality of antenna elements are electrically coupled to one of the plurality of beamformer elements.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides an exhaust assembly for an aerostat, including a valve base (2) provided with a valve port (1), and a valve cover (3) that selectively covers the valve port (1), and further including: a motor driving mechanism and a transmission mechanism that are arranged on the valve base (2). The motor driving mechanism propels the transmission mechanism to drive the valve cover (3) to selectively cover the valve port (1). When the valve cover (3) is in a position where the valve port (1) is open, the valve cover (3) is arranged at an angle with respect to a plane at which the valve port (1) is located. A purpose of the present disclosure is to provide the exhaust assembly that is for an aerostat and whose exhausting pressure can be flexibly adjusted, and an aerostat provided with the exhaust assembly.

Abstract: A lightweight spacecraft dispenser, which consists of a material made from composite materials, and of a ring structure with several payload ports. The ring structure has a surface that extends between opposite ends of the ring structure and that is at least partially spherical. The surface can be completely spherical or partially spherical between the opposite ends.

Abstract: A method and a device for treating dental caries using microwave energy applied directly to teeth at frequencies that are lethal to the bacteria in caries, without being destructive to tooth tissues. The method and a device will have a significant economic and health impact, leading to a reduction in traditional surgical interventions, as well by improving access to care for those with health disparities.

Abstract: An apparatus for driving a drillable drill bit of a drilling assembly and a method of manufacturing of the apparatus for driving the drillable drill bit is provided. The apparatus employs a drilling assembly that includes one of a casing string or a tubular string suspendable in a borehole and a drill pipe housed within one of the casing string or the tubular string. The drillable drill bit is fixed at the bottom of the drill pipe. The drilling assembly further includes a plurality of motors mounted circumferentially on the one of casing string or tubular string, wherein the plurality of motors is attached to wall of the one of casing string or tubular string and are partially outside the one of casing string or tubular string in the borehole, and the plurality of motors are configured to drive the drillable drill bit.

Abstract: A monolithic multijunction solar cell having exactly four subcells, an uppermost first subcell having a layer made up of a component having the elements AlInP, and the lattice constant a1 of the layer being between 0.572 nm and 0.577 nm, and the indium content being between 64% and 75%, and the Al content being between 18% and 32%, and the third subcell having a layer made up of a compound having at least the elements GaInAs, and the lattice constant of the layer being between 0.572 and 0.577, and the indium content of the layer being greater than 17%, and the second subcell comprising a layer including a compound which has at least the elements GaInAsP, the layer having an arsenic content between 22% and 33% and an indium content between 52% and 65%. and the lattice constant a2 being between 0.572 and 0.577.

Abstract: Calibration of a hexapod structure includes measuring a head pose of the hexapod structure relative to a base of the hexapod structure. Calibration of the hexapod structure also includes for each strut, independently increasing a length of each strut by a predefined amount from an original length and repeating the measuring of the head pose relative to the base. Calibration of the hexapod structure further includes for each strut, independently decreasing a length of each strut by a predefined amount from the original length and repeating the measuring of the head pose relative to the base. Additionally, calibration of the hexapod structure includes moving each strut back to the original length, and estimating joint errors for each strut prior to calibrating of the hexapod structure.

Abstract: A product display merchandiser comprises a tray having a product supporting surface; a first sidewall adjacent a first side of the tray; a second sidewall adjacent a second side of the tray; and a bracket configured to detachably mount the product display merchandiser to a support. The product display merchandiser is further configured with at least one of the following: the first and second sidewalls each having a respective sidewall vertical portion with a rear edge that is angled away from a rear of the product display merchandiser; the bracket having a tray-supporting portion that is oriented at an acute angle with respect to a support-engaging portion; and/or the bracket having at least two types of engagement members for mounting the product display merchandiser to either of at least two types of supports.

Abstract: A shelf management system is disclosed having a tray defining a first mating structure and a second mating structure, a shelf management component having a spring biased pusher connected thereto and movable between a first position wherein the pusher is extended to a rear of the shelf management component and a second position wherein the pusher is retracted to a front of the shelf management component, and an interstitial member positioned between the shelf management component and the tray to secure the shelf management component to the tray and hinder lateral movement of the shelf management component with respect to the tray. Improved components of the shelf management system are also disclosed as are methods relating to same.

Abstract: A supercritical water oxidation-flame piloted vortex reactor has a hydrothermal flame produced within the interior of the reactor fed by a fuel including a waste water stream, and has a subcritical wash stream, including water below its critical point, that creates an upward helical flow in the material within the reactor. The hydrothermal flame and upward helical flow produce within the reactor a supercritical core region, a subcritical outer region around the core region, and a transcritical intermediate region between them. The upward helical flow serves to transfer precipitated ionic compounds out of the supercritical core region, through the transcritical intermediate region, and into the subcritical outer region where they re-dissolve. A processed flow, including purified water, is removed from an upper portion of the supercritical core region by an aspirator.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods for creating cast metal objects in space and other environments. Molds are created using additive manufacturing and are injected with a castable metal having a melting point lower than a mold melting point. In some aspects, the additive manufacturing device and the metal casting unit are contained in the same unit.

Abstract: A method of encoding fixed length data bit strings includes receiving and sequentially encoding a sequence of data bit strings. For a data bit string immediately following a preceding data bit string, this includes obtaining a reference bit string, and a mask bit string and a tracking bit string as present at the end of a previous encoding of the preceding data bit string, identifying bits that differ form corresponding bits in the reference bit string, determining, as unpredictable bits, all those bits in the data bit string that are indicated as not predictable by the mask bit string and are not in bit positions indicated by the tracking bit string, generating a sequence of position indicators, generating an encoded data packet that includes representations of values of the unpredictable bits and the sequence of positon indicators, and periodically updating the mask bit string and the tracking bit string.

Abstract: A spacecraft, reconfigurable from a launch configuration to an on-orbit configuration, includes a main body structure, a manipulator, a first deployable rigid reflector and an attachment arrangement, including at least one hold-down assembly (HDA). In the launch configuration, the HDA is in a fully engaged configuration such that the attachment arrangement mechanically attaches the first reflector with the spacecraft main body structure and prevents relative motion between the first reflector and the spacecraft main body. Reconfiguring the spacecraft from the launch configuration to the on-orbit configuration includes (i) actuating the HDA from the fully engaged configuration to a partially engaged configuration; (ii) grasping and moving the first reflector, with the manipulator, a distance in the first direction; and (iii) moving the first reflector from a first position proximate to the attachment arrangement to a second position proximate to a deployed position associated with the on-orbit configuration.

Abstract: A product display merchandiser comprising a base configured to be coupled to a shelving unit, a tray defined by at least one sidewall, wherein the tray is movable relative to the base, a lens positioned at a front end of the tray, and a lighting element configured to illuminate the lens. A retrofitting system comprising a light pipe and a body for connecting the light pipe to a merchandiser.

Abstract: A measurement arrangement for measuring process and structure parameters of a fiber composite material along a measuring path includes a fiber material, a matrix material which surrounds the fiber material at least in regions, and an electrical sensor element that includes at least two signal transmission lines twisted together and aligned along the measuring path in and/or at the fiber material such that the signal transmission lines are surrounded at least in portions by the matrix material, wherein the electrical sensor element is configured to measure the process and structure parameters on the basis of the behavior of electromagnetic signals that are fed into the signal transmission lines.

Abstract: A spacecraft includes a power train that includes a solar array, an electric propulsion subsystem, and a power conversion module. The power conversion module receives power from the solar array at a voltage, Vi; and delivers power to the electric propulsion subsystem at a voltage, Vo. The spacecraft is configured to operate at a varying distance, D, from the sun within the range of Dmin to Dmax, Dmax being at least 1.3×Dmin. The solar array is configured to deliver power to the power conversion module at a voltage approximately equal to Vo when the spacecraft is proximate to Dmax.

Abstract: A directional coupler (100) comprises two hollow bodies (200, 201) forming two waveguide portions. Each hollow body has an open end arranged at a first side (10) of the hollow body and another open end arranged at a second side (20) of the hollow body opposite to the first side in a longitudinal direction (30) of the hollow body. The hollow body has a first cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. A second cross section along the longitudinal direction defines a first plane of propagation of the electric field. The two waveguide portions have a common wall along the longitudinal direction (30) forming a septum (400) between the two waveguide portions on a second plane orthogonal to the first plane. The septum has an aperture (410) for coupling the two waveguide portions. The aperture has a shape comprising a part (420) slanted with respect to the longitudinal direction.