Abstract: A dry adhesive includes a first plurality of fiber segments mechanically interlocked with a second plurality of fiber segments. A dry adhesive can include a first plurality of fibers mechanically interlocked with a second plurality of fibers or a single plurality of fibers having a first end region mechanically interlocked with a second end region. The fiber segments and fibers can be aligned, electrospun nanofibers. One or more continuous and scalable methods of making aligned fibers are also provided. One or more apparatuses are also provided.

Abstract: A method of enzyme-based processing of plant-based materials includes steps of providing a bulk amount of a plant-based material having a substantial amount of the cell walls in a physically-intact condition; providing an enzyme broth having an enzyme capable of breaking down the cell walls in the physically-intact condition; combining the bulk amount of the plant-based material with the enzyme broth; allowing the enzyme capable of breaking down the cell walls in the physically-intact condition to break down at least a portion of the cell walls in the physically-intact condition to thereby produce intact oil bodies, hydrolyzed carbohydrates, and intact protein bodies; collecting a first product including the intact oil bodies; collecting a second product including the hydrolyzed carbohydrates; and collecting a third product including the intact protein bodies.

Abstract: A method of operating a scanning thermal microscopy probe to model thermal contact resistance at an interface between a sample and a tip of the probe includes providing a sample to be measured; providing a scanning thermal microscopy probe including a tip; contacting the sample to be measured with the tip; and determining, with a model, a thermal conductivity (k) of the sample from a probe current (I) of the scanning thermal microscopy probe.

Abstract: A star block copolymer and a thermoplastic elastomer including plurality of the star block copolymers and a method of making both is taught. The star block copolymers of the present invention include a core component having a styrene oligomer wherein arms emanate from the core component and the arms are poly(isobutylene-block-styrene) diblock copolymers.

Abstract: In various embodiments, the present invention provides a functionalized thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) containing bulk incorporated or surface-grafted quaternary ammonium compounds (QAC)s for contact-killing of a variety of microbes, where the QACs are on the surface of TPU to provide a sterile surface material that prevents bacteria commonly involved in device-associated infections (DAIs) from proliferating. The functionalized TPUs of the present invention can be formed into a wide variety of 3-dimensional shapes, such as catheters, medical tubing, laryngeal or tracheal stents, sutures, prosthetics, wound dressings, and/or a coating for medical devices and contains the residue of either a QAC containing diol monomer or an alkene functional diol monomer, which then allows the TPU to be functionalized with a QAC containing disulfide or free thiol compound, to form a quaternary ammonium functionalized thermoplastic polyurethane compound having antimicrobial properties for use in medical devices.

Abstract: A permanent magnet machine includes a machine housing and a stator. The machine housing has an inner surface. The stator is disposed within the machine housing. The stator has a stator core having an exterior surface. At least one of the inner surface and the exterior surface defines a discontinuous region that is arranged to minimize points of contact between the inner surface and the exterior surface.

Abstract: A polyisobutylene-based polymer network comprising the thiol-ene reaction product of at least two thiol-terminated polyisobutylene precursor polymers and at least one multi-functional allyl-containing precursor moiety or polymer in the presence of light or heat. The at least two thiol-terminated polyisobutylene precursor polymers have at least two thiol end groups. When each polyisobutylene precursor polymer has only two thiol end groups then the allyl-containing precursor moiety or polymer has at least three functional groups, and wherein when the allyl-containing precursor moiety or polymer has two functional groups then each polyisobutylene precursor polymer has at least three thiol end groups.

Abstract: A multi-purpose imaging and display system includes a display; a detector coupled to the display and having a field of view; and a filter communicating with the detector. The field of view is imaged by the detector through the filter, the filter configured to be sensitive to a first frequency spectrum, so the detector displays only objects within the field of view on the detector that emit one or more frequencies within the first frequency spectrum. The detector and filter can work together in different operational states or modes for acquiring image data of a target object under investigation. A computing device can be included to process acquired image data, and communication interfaces can be employed to achieve networking of multiple systems. A peripheral interface allows a plurality of peripheral devices to be selectively added to tailor the data acquisition and display capabilities of the imaging and display system.

Abstract: In various embodiments, the present invention is directed to a PPF-based copolymer for 3D printing applications and methods for its making and use. These copolymers have a viscosity in a printable viscosity range and allow light transmittance at curing wavelengths. In various embodiments, a lower viscosity copolymers are obtained by substitution of a portion of maleic anhydride with succinic anhydride and then forming a poly(propylene fumarate-co-succinate) copolymer by the copolymerization of maleic anhydride and succinic anhydride with propylene oxide via Mg(BHT)2(THF)2 catalyzed ring opening copolymerization (ROCOP). Because of their lower viscosities, these copolymers require less, if any, diethyl fumarate (DEF) to prepare the 3D printing resin, while the mechanical properties can still be adjusted as with a PPF polymer prepared without the succinic anhydride.

Abstract: A functionalized polyurethane polymer is provided, the polymer defined by the formula where each R? is independently derived from a diisocyanate, where each R? represents the soft segment of the polymer, where n is the number of repeat units within the soft segment of the polymer, where m is the number of repeating mer units in the polymer, where each E is a pendant-functionalized amide unit chain extender, wherein the nitrogen atom of the amide group is part of the polymer backbone. A method for preparing the polymer is also provided.

Abstract: In various aspects, the present invention provides a degradable and resorbable novel phosphate functionalized amino acid-based poly(ester urea) adhesive and related methods for its synthesis and use. These adhesives are formed from phosphate functionalized PEU polymers and copolymers crosslinked using one or more divalent metal crosslinking agents. The phosphate functionalized amino acid-based poly(ester urea) adhesives of various embodiments of the present invention have been found particularly effective in bonding bone to either bone or metal and have demonstrated adhesive strengths on bone samples that were significant and comparable to commercially available poly(methyl methacrylate) bone cement.

Abstract: A coating composition is described that has good film forming and blocking properties in a composition that also has low or no VOCs. The coating compositions herein include functionalized urethane (meth)acrylate polymers that allow better film formation and particle coalescence while maintaining the low or no VOC levels. In one aspect, the coating compositions include functionalized polymers with a higher glass transition temperature (Tg) to aid in achieving good block resistance but a low minimum film forming temperature (MFFT) to achieve good particle coalescence and film formation all while being substantially free of co-solvents, coalescent aid and/or plasticizers.

Abstract: An optical imaging system to image a target object includes a light source configured to emit one or more light rays to illuminate the target object and an image detector configured to capture a three-dimensional topography image of the target object when emitted light is emitted from the target object in response to being illuminated by the light rays emitted by the light source. A fluorescence image detector captures a fluorescence image of the target object when fluorescence is emitted from the target object in response illumination by light rays emitted by the light source. A controller instructs the image detector to capture the 3D topography image and the fluorescence image detector to detect the fluorescence image of the target object intraoperatively and to co-register and simultaneously display intraoperatively the co-registered topography and fluorescence information to the user via a display.

Abstract: In one or more embodiments, the present invention is directed to an electrically conductive polymer composition comprising a conductive metal filler material comprising a plurality of metal particles and one or more carbon-based filler material substantially homogenously dispersed throughout a polymer matrix, wherein the aspect ratio of the one or more carbon-based filler material is at least ten times greater than the aspect ratio of the conductive metal filler material comprising a plurality of metal particles. In one or more embodiment, the carbon-based filler material will comprise at least one of carbon nanotubes, multi-walled carbon nanotubes and edge-functionalized graphene.

Abstract: An electrochemical storage device including a conductive material and an electrochemical storage device material held together by a covalently crosslinked binder matrix. A method of forming an electrode for an electrochemical storage device, the method including the steps of: mixing electrochemical storage device material, conductive material, linear polymer, and crosslinker with one or more solvents, the resultant mixture forming an electrode slurry, crosslinking the linear polymer with the crosslinker to thereby create a covalently crosslinked polymer network of the polymer and crosslinker, the crosslinked polymer network physically or chemically binding together the electrochemical storage device material and the conductive material.

Abstract: A method for treating an oil-containing medium including oil or grease or both oil and grease includes the steps of combining algae with an oil-containing medium and allowing the algae to engulf or uptake at least a portion of the oil or grease in the oil-containing medium. A mixture for treating oil or grease or both oil and grease includes an oil-containing medium including oil or grease or both oil and grease and phagotrophic algae that engulf or uptake at least a portion of the oil or grease in the oil-containing medium.

Abstract: An ionic liquid crystal elastomer composition includes a liquid crystal elastomer; and an ionic liquid.

Abstract: The present invention is generally directed to a reduced shock breakaway screw for use with medical implants and the like having improved solid wall geometry in the breakaway area between the upper and lower portions of the set screw. This 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 rebound.

Abstract: In various embodiments, the present invention is directed to a decentralized and secure method for developing machine learning models using homomorphic encryption and blockchain smart contracts technology to realize a secure, decentralized system and privacy-preserving computing system incentivizes the sharing of private data or at least the sharing of resultant machine learning models from the analysis of private data. In various embodiments, the method uses a homomorphic encryption (HE)-based encryption interface designed to ensure the security and the privacy-preservation of the shared learning models, while minimizing the computation overhead for performing calculation on the encrypted domain and, at the same time, ensuring the accuracy of the quantitative verifications obtained by the verification contributors in the cipherspace.

Abstract: Improved oxygen reduction reaction catalysts include octahedral nanoparticles of a platinum-copper-nickel alloy contacted by a secondary ionomer. The alloy can have a formula of Pt2CuNi, and the secondary ionomer can include an ionic liquid, 1-methyl-2,3,4,6,7,8-hexahydro-1H-pyrimido[1,2-a]pyrimidin-9-ium 1,1,2,2,3,3,4,4,4-nonafluorobutane-1-sulfonate ([MTBD][C4F9SO3]). The oxygen reductions catalysts have improved stability, as well as mass area and specific area comparted to competing catalysts.