Abstract: A method for treating solid organic materials includes providing phagotrophic algae, providing solid organic material, combining the algae and the solid organic material, allowing the algae to grow by engulfing or uptaking the solid organic material, forming an algal product, and collecting the algal product. The method can also include a pretreatment step. The solid organic material can be waste activated sludge. A system for treating and disposing solid organic material is also provided.

Abstract: A biopesticide composition includes a solvent and a plurality of rhamnolipid complexes, each rhamnolipid complex including a rhamnolipid complexed with a cation. The biopesticide composition may include a slower-releasing rhamnolipid-based material and a faster-releasing rhamnolipid-based material. The biopesticide composition may be in the form of a coating or a pellet.

Abstract: Amino acid-based poly(ester urea)s (PEU) are emerging as a class of polymers that have shown promise in regenerative medicine applications. Embodiments of the invention relate to the synthesis of PEUs carrying pendent “clickable” groups on modified tyrosine amino acids. The pendent species include alkyne, azide, alkene, tyrosine-phenol, and ketone groups. PEUs with Mw exceeding 100k Da were obtained via interfacial polycondensation methods and the concentration of pendent groups was varied by copolymerization. The incorporation of derivatizable functionalities is demonstrated using 1H NMR and UV-Vis spectroscopy methods. Electrospinning was used to fabricate PEU nanofibers with a diameters ranging from 350 nm to 500 nm. The nanofiber matricies possess mechanical strengths suitable for tissue engineering (Young's modulus: 300±45 MPa; tensile stress: 8.5±1.2 MPa).

Abstract: A thermoset rubber composition includes a thermoset rubber having crystallized domains dispersed therein, the crystallized domains being formed of supramolecule building blocks forming a plurality of sheet-like structures through hydrogen bonding, the sheet-like structures interacting through non-covalent interactions to form the crystallized domains within the thermoset rubber. The supramolecular building blocks may be peptides, ?-peptides, aramid oligomers, and bis-ureas.

Abstract: A PIB-based polymer network includes at least one sulfur containing segment and at least two PIB polymer segments. The at least two PIB polymer segments each include a core and at least two polyisobutylene polymer chains extending therefrom. The at least one sulfur containing segment includes at least one sulfur atom that is located between any two polyisobutylene polymer chains from two different PIB polymer segments, so that the sulfur containing segment connects those two different PIB polymer segments together. The PIB-based polymer network is produced by the thiol-ene reaction in the presence of light or heat. The reaction products include at least two polyisobutylene polymer precursor moieties, each polyisobutylene polymer precursor moiety having at least two end group selected from the end groups —CH2—CH(CH3)?CH2, —CH2?C(CH3)2, and —CH2—CH?CH2; and at least one multi-functional thiol.

Abstract: In one or more embodiments, the present invention provides a method for forming allyl telechelic polyisobutylene polymers having well defined molecular weights and molecular weight distributions using living cationic polymerization under ideal temperature control using a mixture of polar and nonpolar refluxing solvents. The methods according to various embodiments of the present invention provide temperature control that approaches the ideal, i.e., the heat of polymerization is instantaneously absorbed by the medium and the temperature of the system remains unchanged. The heat generated during the exothermic polymerization of isobutylene is released as an increase in the rate of reflux, rather than the temperature, since the temperature is set by the boiling point of the system and does not change.

Abstract: A method of preparing a polymer is provided comprising preparing a Baylis-Hillman adduct by reacting an activated alkene with a carbon electrophile; and polymerizing the Baylis-Hillman adduct. The Baylis-Hillman reaction provides an efficient platform for the synthesis of densely functionalized monomers, from which polymers with multiple functional groups can be readily synthesized. It has been discovered that that Baylis-Hillman adducts are versatile monomers for both controlled radical and step-growth polymerizations.

Abstract: A method of using a paint sensor to observe stress distributions of a stressed substrate includes the steps of applying a composition including a paintable medium and a mechanoluminescence material to a substrate, allowing the composition to form a solid film on the substrate, allowing the substrate to be stressed following the formation of the solid film, and measuring the stress the substrate has undergone by determining the mechanoluminescence of the solid film. A composition for visualizing stress or crack distributions includes a paintable medium and a mechanoluminescence material dispersed therein.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to enzyme based methods for removing water insoluble non-starch polysaccharides (NSPs) and/or water soluble or insoluble oligosaccharides from soy products without significantly damaging the proteins contained therein This removal is facilitated by the enzymatic hydrolysis of poly- and oligomeric carbohydrates into monosaccharides and other water soluble sugars. The present invention provides for the production of three streams of useful materials. The first is an enriched protein material comparable to the known SPCs but without significant quantities of undigestible oligosaccharides and polysaccharides. The second is an SPI made from the soluble protein in the hydrolysate which is valuable for high-quality feed, food and industrial uses. The third is the soluble saccharides and hydrolyzed carbohydrates (releasing sugars) that can be converted by fermentation to various valuable bioproducts.

Abstract: A polyurea or polyurea-urethane elastomer comprises a soft polymer segment and a hard polymer segment, wherein the hard polymer segment includes polyurea groups in combination with H-bond accepting chain extenders (HACEs) to reduce the flow temperature (Tflow) while maintaining the excellent mechanical properties such that the resulting polyurea elatomer is rendered melt-processable.

Abstract: In various embodiments, the present invention provides an improved apparatus and method for quantification of fluid loss from a nominally closed system using a pressure decay with mass point leak rate analysis methodology, which avoids the need for repetitive testing due to test configuration incompatibilities and allows for real time analysis and test control based upon desired results. The novel apparatus and methods of the present invention utilize a control system to maintain a desired pressure differential across the test article throughout the test by automatically raising or lowering the downstream pressure as the fluid leaks through the test article. In various embodiments, the apparatus and method of the present invention improves the efficiency of existing test methods by shortening otherwise long test durations, right-sizing the amount of data collected, providing quantifiable and controllable measurement uncertainty, reducing statistical variance, and eliminating post-process data analysis.

Abstract: An apparatus for the production of electrospun fibers using an electrospinning solution comprising: at least one threaded rod having an exterior surface and having a longitudinal axis oriented vertically, a grounded collector, an electrospinning solution dispenser feeding electrospinning solution to the exterior surface of the threaded rod, and a high voltage power supply.

Abstract: A method for preparing composites of polymer and fly ash particles, wherein the fly ash particles contains heterogeneous compositions of carbon and metal oxides, the method including: the steps of mixing the fly ash particles and an aqueous coating solution, including: a coating component selected from the group consisting of monomers, oligomers, pre-polymers, polymers, and combinations thereof, and an aqueous solvent serving to dissolve the coating component; and, while performing the step of mixing, initiating polymerization or crosslinking or both polymerization and crosslinking of the coating component to at least partially coat the fly ash particles with polymer or a crosslinked polymer network that agglomerates the fly ash particles and coats the surface of the fly ash particles, wherein the polymer or crosslinked polymer network formed in the step of initiating is hydrophobic.

Abstract: Squaraine dyes are used to detect the presence of protein in a test sample, which is a substance that may contain protein. A squarine dye is placed in water, and in some instances joined with an aggregation agent, to create an aqueous dye solution. That dye solution is joined with a test sample. When the dye solution is joined with the test sample and the resultant test solution is excited by the application of photons, a resulting fluorescence or absence thereof reveals if protein was present in the test sample.

Abstract: A filter for the separation of oil and water from oil-water mixtures comprising a porous filter media, wherein the porous filter media has a zwitterionic polymer grafted or coated thereon. The zwitterionic polymers can be formed from zwitterionic monomers, the zwitterionic polymers having positive and negative charges in series on the same side chain; zwitterionic polymers formed from a mixture of cationic and anionic monomers, the zwitterionic polymers having positive and negative charges on two different side chains; and zwitterionic polymers formed from monomers with cationic-anionic pairs, the zwitterionic polymers having positive and negative charges in parallel on the same side chain.

Abstract: An oligoamide-modified elastomer includes an elastomer having oligoamide units grafted to the elastomer and forming a plurality of sheet-like structures through hydrogen bonding, the sheet-like structures interacting through non-covalent interactions to form crystalized domains within the elastomer.

Abstract: The present invention generally relates to alcohol-terminated polyisobutylene (FIB) compounds, and to a process for making such compounds. In one embodiment, the present invention relates to primary alcohol-terminated polyisobutylene compounds, and to a process for making such compounds. In still another embodiment, the present invention relates to polyisobutylene compounds that can be used to synthesize polyurethanes, to polyurethane compounds made via the use of such polyisobutylene compounds, and to processes for making such compounds. In yet another embodiment, the present invention relates to primary alcohol-terminated polyisobutylene compounds having two or more primary alcohol termini and to a process for making such compounds. In yet another embodiment, the present invention relates to primary terminated polyisobutylene compounds having two or more primary termini selected from amine groups or methacrylate group.

Abstract: A reduced shock breakaway set screw for use with medical implants and constructs for the spine having improved geometry of the groove area between the upper head portion and lower threaded portion of the set screw. The groove area of the set screw has circular and noncircular portions which in at least one embodiment comprise upper and lower radii separated by a flattened groove bottom. Other embodiments have apertures running between the groove area and an internal cylindrical bore and/or ridges or ribs running across the groove area. The improved geometry serves to slow down the fracturing process during shearing thereby increasing the proportion of energy dissipated as heat from plastic deformation of the material to the amount of energy released as kinetic energy from elastic deformation, thus reducing shock to the patient and physician without changing the preset break-off torque for the set screw.

Abstract: A method for the polymerization of ?-lipoic acid and ?-lipoic acid derivatives includes preparing an ?-lipoic formulation, exposing the ?-lipoic formulation to an aqueous phase and a gaseous phase at a gas/water interface, and allowing the ?-lipoic formulation to polymerize at the gas/water interface to form a poly(?-lipoic acid) polymer. The ?-lipoic formulation can be an ?-lipoic solution of an ?-lipoic solute and an organic solvent miscible with water, and can also be an ?-lipoic acid or oligomer or polymer thereof in liquid (typically melt) form.

Abstract: A thermal energy harvesting system includes a pair of shape memory sections formed of shape memory alloy (SMA) material that are each disposed within a tube. The shape memory sections are fixed in position at one end and are attached at another end to a rotating shaft that is in mechanical communication with a power generator. Fluid inlet valves are provided in each housing and are each controlled to alternatingly supply hot and cold fluid to the tubes to selectively heat and cool the shape memory sections. This results in the cyclical contraction and expansion of the shape memory sections, which causes oscillating rotation of the shaft that is converted by the power generator into electrical power.