Abstract: Rigid-rod copolymer compositions incorporating PBO (poly(p-phenylenebenzobisoxazole)), DiOH-PBO (poly(2,5-dihydroxy-1,4-phenylenebenzobisoxazole), DiOH-PBI (poly(2,5-dihydroxy-1,4-phenylenebenzobisimidazole)), DiOH-PyBI (poly(2,5-dihydroxy-1,4-phenylenepyridobisimidazole), PBZT (poly(p-phenylenebenzobisthiazole)) and its corresponding dihydroxy analogues attached to a flexibilizing hexafluoroisopropylidene linkage are described. Also described are their fabrication into fibers by a dry jet wet spinning technique and the measured fiber mechanical properties. The copolymer compositions are highly flame-resistant and have potential utility for fire-protective clothing.

Abstract: A coplanar waveguide (CPW) square-ring slot antenna for use in wireless communication systems is miniaturized and reconfigurable by the integration of ferroelectric (FE) BST (barium strontium titanate) thin film varactors therein. The slot antenna device includes a sapphire substrate, top and bottom metal layers, and a thin ferroelectric BST film layer, where the FE BST varactors are integrated at the back edge of the antenna on the top metal layer.

Abstract: Fuel compositions containing an isomerized component of a single carbon number may contain at least 97 wt. %, based on the total weight of the fuel composition, of an isomerized component consisting of aliphatic paraffin isomers all having the formula CnH2n+2, where 10?n?22 and n has the same value for each aliphatic paraffin isomer in the isomerized component. The fuel compositions have a normal alkane content of less than 10 wt. %, based on the total weight of the fuel composition. Methods for preparing the fuel compositions include hydroisomerizing a normal alkane starting material to form an isomerized mixture and subsequently removing remnant normal alkanes from the isomerized mixture by solvent dewaxing and/or distillation. Some of the fuel compositions may have freezing points at or below ?47° C., making them amenable for use a surrogate fuels in the place of JP-8.

Abstract: Smart aerospace structures are described herein utilizing a deactivated RFID tag including an IC and an electrical by-pass. The electrical by-pass is conductive and the electrical by-pass is in parallel with the IC such that the deactivated RFID becomes activated upon an abnormal condition, such as an improper clamp installation, a clamp failure, an impact, a thermal event or a crack.

Abstract: A method of growing carbon nanomaterials on a substrate wherein the substrate is exposed to an oxidizing gas; a seed material is deposited on the substrate to form a receptor for a catalyst on the surface of said substrate; a catalyst is deposited on the seed material by exposing the receptor on the surface of the substrate to a vapor of the catalyst; and substrate is subjected to chemical vapor deposition in a carbon containing gas to grow carbon nanomaterial on the substrate.

Abstract: Special polarization states are generated that have unique focusing properties that may be used to create extremely strong longitudinal fields. Combined with surface plasmon excitation, these polarization states can be used in apertureless near-field scanning optical microscopy systems. A radially polarized beam is directed into a plasmon-generating optical fiber comprising a metal coated, tapered, apertureless tip. The apertureless tip excites surface plasmon waves and direct the surface plasmon waves to the tip when a radially polarized beam propagates along the plasmon-generating optical fiber. An objective lens collects the near field optical signals from a sample positioned adjacent to the apertureless. Potential spatial resolution of the apertureless NSOM could reach beyond 10 nm. Such strong field enhancement allows the development of a reliable nano-Raman system that can measure mechanical as well as chemical compositions of samples with resolution beyond 10 nm.

Abstract: Tunable light sources having a single optical parametric generation (OPG) source that results in an amplified, narrow bandwidth seed beam and methods of tuning therewith are disclosed. The tunable light source may include a polarization rotator to rotate a pump beam before a first pass through an OPG, and a linear-to-circular polarization device to polarize the pump beam directed back toward the OPG for a second pass therethrough. Alternately, the tunable light source may include an OPG source through which a pump beam passes only in the first direction, a separator that separates a signal beam from the pump beam exiting from the OPG, a narrowband wavelength filter that receives the signal beam and generate a seed beam, and a reflecting surface that directs the seed beam back through the OPG (opposite the first direction) to seed the back part of the pulse of the pulse laser.

Abstract: Metal-free fuel cell cathodes having a catalytic layer of vertically-aligned, nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes (VA-NCNTs) are provided. The fuel cell cathodes comprise a cathode body, a binder layer attached to an outer surface of the cathode body, and the catalytic layer, which is supported by the binder layer. The binder layer may comprise a composite of a conductive polymer and doped or undoped nonaligned carbon nanotubes. In a method for forming the fuel cell cathodes, the VA-NCNTs may be formed by pyrolysis of a metalorganic compound and integration of the nanotubes with nitrogen. The binder layer is applied, and the resulting supported nanotube array may be attached to the cathode body. Fuel cells comprising the fuel cell cathodes are provided. The fuel cell cathodes comprising VA-NCNTs demonstrate superior oxygen-reduction reaction performance, including for electrocatalytic activity, operational stability, tolerance to crossover effects, and resistance to CO poisoning.

Abstract: System and method of providing improved signal compression using frame decimation through frame simplification and generating an encoded bitstream of video frames therefrom are disclosed. The encoding method comprises zeroing a difference frame generated by an encoder by using a feedback loop that injects a reconstructed frame, generated by the encoder of the difference frame, as a next frame of the video frames to be processed by the encoder. The encoding system comprises an input configured to provide a stream of video frames; a first process configured to generate a difference frame, and a second process configured to generate a reconstructed frame. A feedback loop of the system is configured to inject a generated reconstructed frame from the second process of a generated difference frame from the first process as a next frame of the video frames in the stream to be processed into the encoded bitstream by the encoding system.

Abstract: A method and system for the preferential growth of semiconducting vertically-aligned single-walled carbon nanotubes (VA-SWNTs) is provided. The method combines the use of plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition at low pressure with rapid heating. The method provides a high yield of up to approximately 96% semiconducting SWNTs in the VA-SWNT array. The as-synthesized semiconducting SWNTs can be used directly for fabricating field effect transistor (FET) devices without the need for any post-synthesis purification or separation.

Abstract: A system for processing an image includes a non-transitory memory component storing a set of executable instructions, and a scalable tile processing device. The executable instructions cause the system to receive image data, partition the image data into tiles, transmit a tile to the scalable tile processing device, receive an encoded bit stream corresponding to the transmitted tile from the tile processing device, output compressed image data including the encoded bit stream, receive the compressed image data, decode the compressed image data to generate a plurality of decoded code blocks, and output decompressed image data including the plurality of decoded code blocks. The scalable tile processing device receives the tile including tile image data, wavelet transforms, quantizes, segments, and encodes the tile image data to generate a plurality of encoded code blocks, and transmits an encoded bit stream including the plurality of encoded code blocks to the system.

Abstract: A system for processing an image includes a non-transitory memory component storing a set of executable instructions, and a scalable tile processing device. The executable instructions cause the system to receive image data, partition the image data into tiles, transmit a tile to the scalable tile processing device, receive an encoded bit stream corresponding to the transmitted tile from the tile processing device, output compressed image data including the encoded bit stream, receive the compressed image data, decode the compressed image data to generate a plurality of decoded code blocks, and output decompressed image data including the plurality of decoded code blocks. The scalable tile processing device receives the tile including tile image data, wavelet transforms, quantizes, segments, and encodes the tile image data to generate a plurality of encoded code blocks, and transmits an encoded bit stream including the plurality of encoded code blocks to the system.

Abstract: A system for processing an image includes a an image data input port, a compressed image data output port or a compressed image data storage node, a non-transitory memory component storing a set of executable instructions, and a scalable tile processing device. The executable instructions cause the system to receive image data, partition the image data into tiles, transmit a tile to the scalable tile processing device, receive an encoded bit stream corresponding to the transmitted tile from the tile processing device, and output compressed image data including the encoded bit stream. The scalable tile processing device receives the tile including tile image data, wavelet transforms, quantizes, segments, and encodes the tile image data to generate a plurality of encoded code blocks, and transmits an encoded bit stream including the plurality of encoded code blocks to the system.

Abstract: A polymer-carbon nanotube composite film is provided for use as a sensor for detecting chemical vapors. The composite film is formed by coating perpendicularly-aligned carbon nanotubes with a polymer selected from poly(vinyl acetate), poly(isoprene), or blends thereof. The sensor may be formed by attaching at least two electrodes to the polymer-carbon nanotube composite film. The sensor may be used in any applications where the sensor is capable of detecting a change in conductivity in the composite.

Abstract: A polymer-carbon nanotube composite film is provided for use as a sensor for detecting chemical vapors. The composite film is formed by coating perpendicularly-aligned carbon nanotubes with a polymer selected from poly(vinyl acetate), poly(isoprene), or blends thereof. The sensor may be formed by attaching at least two electrodes to the polymer-carbon nanotube composite film. The sensor may be used in any applications where the sensor is capable of detecting a change in conductivity in the composite.

Abstract: A system for processing an image includes a non-transitory memory component storing a set of executable instructions, and a scalable tile processing device. The executable instructions cause the system to receive image data, partition the image data into tiles, transmit a tile to the scalable tile processing device, receive an encoded bit stream corresponding to the transmitted tile from the tile processing device, output compressed image data including the encoded bit stream, receive the compressed image data, decode the compressed image data to generate a plurality of decoded code blocks, and output decompressed image data including the plurality of decoded code blocks. The scalable tile processing device receives the tile including tile image data, wavelet transforms, quantizes, segments, and encodes the tile image data to generate a plurality of encoded code blocks, and transmits an encoded bit stream including the plurality of encoded code blocks to the system.

Abstract: A system for processing an image includes a an image data input port, a compressed image data output port or a compressed image data storage node, a non-transitory memory component storing a set of executable instructions, and a scalable tile processing device. The executable instructions cause the system to receive image data, partition the image data into tiles, transmit a tile to the scalable tile processing device, receive an encoded bit stream corresponding to the transmitted tile from the tile processing device, and output compressed image data including the encoded bit stream. The scalable tile processing device receives the tile including tile image data, wavelet transforms, quantizes, segments, and encodes the tile image data to generate a plurality of encoded code blocks, and transmits an encoded bit stream including the plurality of encoded code blocks to the system.

Abstract: A system for processing an image includes a non-transitory memory component storing a set of executable instructions, and a scalable tile processing device. The executable instructions cause the system to receive image data, partition the image data into tiles, transmit a tile to the scalable tile processing device, receive an encoded bit stream corresponding to the transmitted tile from the tile processing device, output compressed image data including the encoded bit stream, receive the compressed image data, decode the compressed image data to generate a plurality of decoded code blocks, and output decompressed image data including the plurality of decoded code blocks. The scalable tile processing device receives the tile including tile image data, wavelet transforms, quantizes, segments, and encodes the tile image data to generate a plurality of encoded code blocks, and transmits an encoded bit stream including the plurality of encoded code blocks to the system.

Abstract: A lithium-air cell is provided which incorporates a cathode comprised of a lithium aluminum germanium phosphate (LAGP) glass-ceramic material for facilitating an oxygen reduction reaction. The lithium-air cell further includes a lithium anode and a solid electrolyte which may be in the form of a membrane comprising LAGP glass-ceramic and/or polymer ceramic materials.

Abstract: A test structure for polymer characterization over a wide frequency range, temperature range and under an applied DC electric field is disclosed. A high resistivity silicon substrate is topped by an adhesion layer. A polymer thin-film is deposited on a patterned metal1 layer which is deposited on top of the adhesion layer. A top metal2 layer is deposited on the polymer thin-film and patterned to form a CPW transmission line. A single bias voltage is applied to the center conductor of the CPW transmission line on metal2 and influences dielectric properties of the polymer. The dielectric permittivity and the loss-tangent of the polymer can be derived as functions of electric field and temperature by measuring the swept frequency scattering parameters and matching the experimental frequency response to the modeled frequency response. The electrical conductance properties of the polymer can be accurately characterized using the test structure over a wide temperature range.