Abstract: A receptacle for detecting a targeted substance is provided and may include at least one chamber configured to accommodate a reagent and a test swab. A first opening may be provided at a first end of the receptacle and a testing area may be provided at a second end of the receptacle. The receptacle may further include an image, readable by an image sensor, that is positioned a predetermined distance from the testing area and configured to facilitate alignment of the image sensor with the testing area for a colorimetric analysis of the targeted substance.

Abstract: Flexible polyurethane foams are prepared by reacting a polyisocyanate with a high equivalent weight polyol. At least a portion of the high equivalent weight polyol is a polyester containing hydroxymethyl groups. The polyester is prepared in a multi-step process from animal or vegetable fats, by recovering the constitutent fatty acids, hydroformylating carbon-carbon double bonds in the fatty acids and reducing to form hydroxymethyl groups, and then forming a polyester by reaction with an initiator compound.

Abstract: Polyols useful in the manufacture of polyurethanes are disclosed. The polyols are prepared by reacting a vegetable oil based (hydroxymethyl containing) monomer with a polyol, polyamine or aminoalcohol under vacuum.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for attenuating polarization errors in ring resonators of fiber optic gyros. A ring resonator is provided having first and second resonance frequencies and comprising an optical fiber coil having a hollow core and first and second ends, a light beam generator coupled to the optical fiber coil and configured to generate first and second counter-propagating beams in the hollow core, and a light recirculator coupled to the first and second ends of the optical fiber coil and configured to direct a first light beam exiting the first end of the optical fiber coil into the second end of the optical fiber coil. The first light beam is based on one of the first and second counter-propagating beams. The light recirculator comprises a first polarizing unit configured to reflect a first polarized component of the first light beam and further configured to extract a second polarized component of the first light beam.

Abstract: Polyols useful in the manufacture of polyurethanes are disclosed. The polyols are prepared by reacting a vegetable oil based (hydroxymethyl containing) monomer with a polyol, polyamine or aminoalcohol under vacuum.

Abstract: An aldehyde composition derived by hydroformylation of a transesterified seed oil and containing a mixture of formyl-substituted fatty acids or fatty acid esters having the following composition by weight: greater than about 10 to less than about 95 percent monoformyl, greater than about 1 to less than about 65 percent diformyl, and greater than about 0.1 to less than about 10 percent triformyl-substituted fatty acids or fatty acid esters, and having a diformyl to triformyl weight ratio of greater than about 5/1; preferably, greater than about 3 to less than about 20 percent saturates; and preferably, greater than about 1 to less than about 20 percent unsaturates.

Abstract: A business method and a system that focuses on offering, coordinating, fulfilling and delivering an array of knowledge and productivity services that corporate customers require in today's context, the knowledge/business service combinations representing of mission-critical services with intellectual knowledge embodied, the fulfillment of which is done for a cluster of clients located in large commercial office buildings, government buildings or universities. The method of the invention provides for pooling of the requirements of various end users for scale-advantaged efficiencies in the processing and service delivery, and sharing such economies of scale generated with the building owners/property managers, who provide the venue from which to operate and enable such pooling to take place, and also with the tenant occupants/users, thus creating a market pull.

Abstract: An error reducer for reducing rotation rate backscattering errors in a rotation sensor by adjusting amplitudes of bias phase modulators introduced phase changes or amplitudes of a backscatter phase modulator introduced phase change and bias phase modulator introduced phase changes.