Abstract: Disclosed herein is a composition having an insect repellent compound and a polymer that is miscible in the insect repellent compound at 23° C. Also disclosed herein is a method of: providing an insect repellent compound, providing a polymer that is miscible in the insect repellent compound at 23° C., and dissolving the polymer in the insect repellent compound to form a composition.

Abstract: An infrared detector and a method for forming it are provided. The detector includes absorber, barrier, and contact regions. The absorber region includes a first semiconductor material, with a first lattice constant, that produces charge carriers in response to infrared light. The barrier region is disposed on the absorber region and comprises a superlatice that includes (i) first barrier region layers comprising the first semiconductor material, and (ii) second barrier region layers comprising a second semiconductor material, different from, but lattice matched to, the first semiconductor material. The first and second barrier region layers are alternatingly arranged. The contact region is disposed on the barrier region and comprises a superlattice that includes (i) first contact region layers comprising the first semiconductor material, and (ii) second contact region layers comprising the second semiconductor material layer. The first and second contact region layers are alternatingly arranged.

Abstract: Methods of collecting liquid samples are disclosed. According to some embodiments, a portion of a sample collection film is unrolled from a first reel to a position adjacent a sample dispenser. A liquid sample is dispensed from the sample dispenser onto the portion of the sample collection film. After dispensing the liquid sample onto the portion of the sample collection film, the portion of the sample collection film is rolled onto a second reel. Related sample collection devices, films, and reels are also disclosed.

Abstract: A method for generating ultrawideband pulsed microwave signals from optical field ionization of a gas with an ultrashort laser pulse, where the amplitude and frequency of the signals can be controlled via the characteristics of the laser pulse and/or the gas. The center frequency of the spectrum of the microwave signal can be controlled by changing the laser pulse energy. The amplitude of the microwave signal can be controlled by changing the wavelength of the laser pulses. The amplitude and frequency of the microwave signal can be tuned by controlling the pressure of the gas medium. The location at which the microwave signal is generated can be controlled by controlling the location at which the laser pulse creates a plasma. Interference among microwave signals resulting from multiple laser-produced plasmas can be used to construct an ultrawideband microwave signal having a predetermined amplitude and frequency.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for a mechanical actuator based on a fiber optic platform. A material that is configured to be activated by light is incorporated into an optical fiber that serves as both an actuator and a power delivery network. This platform is adaptable to different materials, types of motions, and length scales and allows for precise delivery of photons to the material.

Abstract: A method of making chalcogenide based polymeric materials and converting those materials into optical fiber preforms and polymeric optical fibers. The preforms and fibers comprise chalcogenide elements and crosslinking moieties. These fibers can be used as optical waveguides at infrared wavelengths where other polymer fibers do not operate. The optical waveguides are ideally suitable for applications requiring the transmission of low-power infrared light, but may also be useful for transmitting high-power light at visible or infrared wavelengths.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for foreign object debris monitoring in an environment with a dynamic debris field, such as an environment for operating an aircraft. The debris monitoring technique includes generating a light beam and dispersing it to create a virtual witness plate, which is a two-dimensional sheet of light that covers a detection area. The technique also include detecting scattered light from the virtual witness plate caused by debris passing through it. A debris event may be generated based on the scattered light, indicating the presence of debris in the detection area.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a porous substrate having silver and optionally silver oxide and a silver sulfide coating. Also disclosed herein is a battery having a cathode, an anode, and a separator between the cathode and the anode. The cathode includes a substrate having silver and optionally silver oxide and a silver sulfide coating. Also disclosed herein is a method of submerging a substrate having silver and optionally silver oxide in a solution of elemental sulfur in dimethyl sulfoxide to form silver sulfide on the surface of the substrate.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides methods of performing light detection and ranging (LIDAR). According to some embodiments, a first data packet is generated, transmitted, and/or received to initiate transmission of a primary light signal to a remote target, and a first timestamp associated with the first data packet is generated. A second data packet is generated, received, and/or transmitted indicating reception of a reflected light signal, wherein the reflected light signal is a reflection of the primary light signal from the remote target. A second timestamp associated with the second data packet is generated, and a distance to the remote target is determined based on the first and second timestamps. Related LIDAR systems are also disclosed.

Abstract: A method of inducing expression of aquaporin-4 by providing a bioconjugate having a quantum dot bound to human erythropoietin and contacting human astrocytes with the bioconjugate, which induces expression of aquaporin-4. A composition having a bioconjugate having a quantum dot bound to human erythropoietin. A method of providing a quantum dot and forming a bioconjugate by depositing human erythropoietin onto the surface of the quantum dot.

Abstract: A hybrid capillary and mechanically pumped loop heat pipe (HLHP) includes a fluid loop having an evaporator thermally coupled to a heat load, a condenser thermally coupled to a heat sink, a reservoir, and one or more magnetically levitating pumps configured to pump fluid through the loop thereby improving heat transport capacity and system stability.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a composition having: a soft material having a shear modulus and a bulk modulus larger than the shear modulus and a plurality of encapsulated microbubbles within the soft material. The composition exhibits a discontinuous change in an acoustic property relative to an applied frequency. The composition may be used for wearable sensors, micromachines, medical devices, and metamaterials.

Abstract: An apparatus having a flow cell having a first port and a second port allowing for flow of an aqueous salt solution in a flow direction from the first port to the second port or from the second port to the first port; a first electrode positioned to be in contact with the aqueous salt solution; a second electrode positioned to be in contact with the aqueous salt solution and in an electrode direction from the first electrode that is orthogonal to the flow direction; and a magnetic field generator that generates a magnetic field in a magnetic direction that is orthogonal to the flow direction and orthogonal to the electrode direction. The electrodes may be charge-storage electrodes.

Abstract: Described herein is a chemoenzymatic route to produce the small molecule sebacic acid from the renewable feedstock, e.g. vegetable oil. In one embodiment, this involves treating the a starting material such vegetable oil with KMnO4, sodium thiocyanate, and acid to obtain sebacic acid. Yield could be improved by pretreating the starting material with a lipase and then with a linoleic acid isomerase obtained from Propionibacterium acnes to obtain trans-10, cis-12 conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). The sebacic acid can be further processed with lipase and 1-butanol to obtain dibutyl sebacate.

Abstract: A new, thermally stable conducting material, poly(3-amino-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxylate), can be used in a variety of applications such as thermoelectrics, electron acceptors in light-harvesting (photovoltaic) materials, and thermally stable conducting energetic materials. Related compounds include poly 3-amino-5-chloro-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxylate, poly 3-amino-5-bromo-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxylate, poly 3-amino-5-fluoro-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxylate, poly 3-amino-5-iodo-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxylate, poly 3, 5-diamino-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxylate, poly 3-amino-5-NHR1-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxylate, poly 3-amino-5-NR2-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxylate, or poly 3-amino-5-hydroxy-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxylate.

Abstract: Methods for synthesizing fibers having nanoparticles therein are provided, as well as preforms and fibers incorporating nanoparticles. The nanoparticles may include one or more rare earth ions selected based on fluorescence at eye-safer wavelengths, surrounded by a low-phonon energy host. Nanoparticles that are not doped with rare earth ions may also be included as a co-dopant to help increase solubility of nanoparticles doped with rare earth ions in the silica matrix. The nanoparticles may be incorporated into a preform, which is then drawn to form fiber. The fibers may beneficially be incorporated into lasers and amplifiers that operate at eye safer wavelengths. Lasers and amplifiers incorporating the fibers may also beneficially exhibit reduced Stimulated Brillouin Scattering.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for a hypergraph representation and transformation process enabling the cogeneration and analysis of multiple system attributes alongside system node relationships within real world data models. Embodiments of the present disclosure allow for the cogeneration of attribute embeddings, along with node embeddings, within a single, graph-based data set model. Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a higher level of accuracy in problem space representation compared to conventional systems and methods and help to reveal more complex relationships in real world problems.

Abstract: A bonded optical assembly comprising infrared-transparent materials. The assembly comprises two or more infrared transparent optical elements and a polymer comprising at least one chalcogenide element and crosslinking moieties between the infrared-transparent optical elements. The crosslinking moieties may be organic, inorganic, or both.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for downconverting high frequency subbands to a lower frequency band and recovering signals-of-interest. The system includes a controller, a signal generator, an optical source, a dual-drive mach zehnder modulator (DDMZM), a photodetector, and a dechipping/image (DI) rejector. The controller outputs chipping frequencies to the signal generator which generates local oscillator (LO) tones shifted by the respective chipping frequencies. The optical source outputs an optical signal to the DDMZM which has first and second arms and modulators. The first modulator receives a signal from a source and modulates it onto the optical signal propagating through the first arm to form a first modulated optical signal. The second modulator receives the shifted local oscillator tones and modulates them onto the optical signal propagating through the second arm to form a second modulated optical signal.

Abstract: A method that includes receiving a set of one or more images, each having one or more sets of pixels, receiving a ground truth value that a vertex point associated with a transition between two regions in a respective set of pixels, identifying a machine placement candidate vertex point for a first set of pixels, determining a set of one or more selected candidate features in the set of candidate features that maximizes an objective function that identifies an accuracy of the identified machine placement candidate vertex point compared to the respective ground truth for a respective set of pixels, updating a set of one or more basis features by adding the set of one or more selected candidate features that maximizes the objective function, and training a machine learning model based on the updated set of one or more basis features to identify additional vertex points for a transition.