Abstract: The present invention relates to the synthesis of a novel compound, in which liquid hydrazine and the derivatives thereof react with excess carbon dioxide to enable the carbon dioxide to chemically bond to the hydrazine and the derivatives thereof. To this end, high-pressure carbon dioxide is used to synthesize hydrazine and the derivatives thereof to which the carbon dioxide is bonded in a pure form with no water and no by-product. Furthermore, the present invention provides a method for utilizing the above-described compounds by reacting the compounds with carbonyl compounds.

Abstract: This document describes a process/strategy for age hardening nickel based alloys to create desirable properties with reduced energy expenditure. The inventive process introduces isolated atom nucleation sites to accelerate the nucleation rate by approximately 36 times, thereby permitting age hardening to occur in significantly less time and with significantly less energy expenditure.

Abstract: Single crystals are described that contain several regimes within the crystal that perform different functions related to the enhanced performance of a laser gain medium. At least one regime of the single crystals can be utilized to suppress amplified spontaneous emission and parasitic oscillation in a laser gain medium. A single crystal can include core and cladding regions, the cladding region providing amplified spontaneous emission suppression. The core region of the crystal can include as dopant one or more ions that take part in the lasing when suitably pumped. The amplified spontaneous emission suppression region can include as dopant one or more ions that can prevent additional spontaneous emission that can to depletion of the upper laser states, thus reducing laser performance including one or more ions that absorb spontaneously emitted photons and/or a higher concentration of the active lasing ions of the core.

Abstract: A novel method for real-time small-signal stability analysis for power electronic-based components in a power system. The method may be used to monitor a power system in real-time by perturbing the source side of an electronic-based component of the power system using a shunt current injection of about 0.5 to 1 percent of a nominal current of the power system at the source side, and perturbing the load side of the power electronic-based component by varying the voltage at the load side. Time-domain results of the perturbations may be transferred to frequency-domain results and the stability of the power system may be monitored by obtaining a Nyquist contour and employing Generalized Nyquist Criterion or unit circle criterion.

Abstract: A high-energy, high-power, burst-mode laser is disclosed. The laser comprises a master oscillator, which generates a signal. The signal may be a continuous signal or a pulsed signal. The master oscillator optically couples to a pulse picker that creates a train of pulses from the signal, and the spacing between the pulses of the train of pulses ranges from ten nanoseconds to one millisecond. The pulse picker is optically coupled to a first diode-pumped amplifier that amplifies the train of pulses to create a first amplified pulse train.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention are directed toward attenuation correction of radar data. Atmospheric attenuation is a function of atmospheric water drop size and temperature. A number of different theoretical models are available to mathematically describe the particle drop shape that influences attenuation estimation. Each of these models has proven effective in different scenarios. It can be difficult, however, to predict which theoretical model to use. The total differential phase gives an idea of the attenuation, but it depends on the model. Moreover, the total attenuation along a rain path must be apportioned to different parts of the radar path in order to correct for attenuation along a radar path. Embodiments of this invention allows for a system to apportion the attenuation to different parts of the radar beam. Embodiments of the invention also allow for optimization of a number of different theoretical models for both drop size and temperature.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to methods for delaying a plant development process comprising exposing a plant or plant part to one or more bacteria or enzymes. In specific embodiments, the one or more bacteria are selected from the group consisting of Rhodococcus spp., Pseudomonas chloroaphis, Brevibacterium ketoglutamicum, and a mixture comprising any combination of these bacteria. Apparatuses for delaying a plant development process comprising a catalyst that comprises one or more of the above bacteria.

Abstract: A fluid flow-powered generator and a method for using the same are described herein. The generator has a rotatable frame, with a first wing and a second wing. The first wing and second wing are pivotally mounted to the frame to allow the angle of attack to be adjusted. A controller is also provided to direct adjustment of the angle of attack of the first wing and the second wing in a coordinated manner while the fluid flow-powered generator is in use. In certain embodiments, the fluid flow-powered generator is operable as an oscillating generator and in other embodiments, the fluid flow-powered generator is operable as a rotating generator. The rotating generator can be arranged along a horizontal axis or a vertical axis. Additionally, certain horizontally oriented generators may be operated as either oscillating generators or rotating generators.

Abstract: A bulk polymer composite comprising a thiol-ene polymer matrix, or the corresponding polymers derived from a phosphinyl, selenol, or arsinyl monomer, and metal oxide nanoparticles dispersed within said matrix, said nanoparticles being bonded to polymer molecules contained in the matrix. Terpolymers that further comprise repeat units derived from a molecular metal oxide cluster, and composites in which such terpolymers function as a matrix for metal oxide nanoparticles are also disclosed.

Abstract: A lipophilic starch is provided along with methods of making the same. The starch is prepared by modifying the starch with an organic acid anhydride reagent, such as octenyl succinic anhydride, drying the modified starch to a moisture content of less than 15% by weight, and then heat treating the dried starch at a temperature of at least 100° C. for at least one minute.

Abstract: The present invention provides a system to ensure that distributed resources of a power distribution system remain connected to the circuitry of the power distribution system when a fault occurs at a distributed resource node to assist in identifying the location of the fault by continuing to inject current from the distributed resources into the distribution system, wherein at least one of the distributed resources comprises a controllable voltage source converter.

Abstract: New methods for synthesizing boron-modified silazanes, their use as polymer-derived ceramic precursors, and polymer-derived ceramics and composites formed therefrom are disclosed. The polymeric ceramic precursors comprise a boron-modified silazane that is a room temperature liquid-phase polymer comprising a backbone having recurring monomeric repeat units comprising boron-nitrogen bonds. Nanocomposites comprising polymer-derived ceramics and carbon nanotubes are also disclosed.

Abstract: The cascaded multilevel inverter is considered to be a promising topology alternative for low-cost and high-efficiency photovoltaic (PV) systems. However, the leakage current issue, resulting from the stray capacitances between the PV panels and the earth, remains a challenge in the photovoltaic cascaded multilevel inverter application. The present invention presents leakage current suppression solutions for the PV cascaded multilevel inverter by introducing properly arranged and designed passive filters. The embodiments of the invention do not include an active semiconductor device, and as such, the leakage current suppression techniques of the present invention retain the simple structure of the cascaded inverter and do not complicate the associated control system.

Abstract: Photobioreactors according to embodiments of the present invention deliver nutrient gas intermittently to the photobioreactor media. In some embodiments, one or more gases are delivered according to a duty cycle or timing pattern. According to some embodiments, algae is grown in a photobioreactor using intermittent introduction of carbon dioxide. In other embodiments, carbon dioxide is supplied to algae grown in a photobioreactor in whole or in part from a head space above the media of the photobioreactor.

Abstract: A light-induced diode-like response in multi-layered MoSe2 field-effect transistors resulting from a difference in the size of the Schottky barriers between drain and source contacts, wherein each barrier can be modeled as a Schottky diode but with opposite senses of current rectification, wherein the diode response results from the light induced promotion of photo-generated carriers across the smaller barrier. The sense of current rectification can be controlled by the gate voltage which is able to modulate the relative amplitude between both barriers, yielding a photovoltaic response.

Abstract: Described herein are small peptide domains and consensus sequences that bind small target molecules of industrial importance, e.g., metals such as nickel, ? carotene, and isoflavones such as genistein. Also described are fusion proteins containing such binding domains fused to proteins or to peptide domains like GST or CBD that bind other ligands and can be used to immobilize the target binding domain on a support. One class of fusion proteins that is useful in industrial settings are fusions that contain concatemers of target binding domains, which increases the binding equivalents per molecule.

Abstract: Provided is a device having one or more lipid multilayer arrays of lipid multilayer structures on a substrate. Each lipid multilayer structure encapsulates an encapsulated material that may be delivered to a cell that is in contact with the lipid multilayer structure to determine the cellular response of the cell to the encapsulated material.

Abstract: In a composition aspect of the invention, a nanoparticle coating comprises repeating polyacrylic acid monomers covalently bound together in an aliphatic chain having a plurality of carboxylic acid functional groups and modified carboxylic acid functional groups extending therefrom. A first portion of the modified carboxylic acid functional groups are modified by a PEG oligomer having a terminal methoxy functional group and a second portion of the modified carboxylic acid functional groups are modified by a PEG oligomer having at least one terminal sulfur moiety.

Abstract: Methods for managing visceral pain in mammalian subjects are described, in which a NK-1 receptor antagonist is administered to the subject before, during or after administration of general anesthesia. The methods and uses of NK-1 receptor antagonists described herein provide improved visceral pain management and MAC reduction when used with volatile anesthetics for general anesthesia.