Abstract: A spirometer includes a housing, a mouthpiece coupled to the housing, and a measurement unit. The measurement unit is configured to receive air expelled by a user, and generate an electrical quantity corresponding to a peak expiratory flow or a forced expiratory volume based on the expelled air. The spirometer also includes a processing module supported by the housing, and configured to receive the electrical quantity from the measurement unit, a display coupled to the measurement unit to display an indication of the peak expiratory flow or the forced expiratory volume, and an energy harvester. The energy harvester is coupled to the measurement unit and the processing module, and is configured to receive energy from one of a group consisting of the measurement unit and an energy sensor, store the received energy in an energy storage device, and transfer the energy to the processing module.

Abstract: A spirometer includes a housing, a mouthpiece coupled to the housing, and a measurement unit. The measurement unit is configured to receive air expelled by a user, and generate an electrical quantity corresponding to a peak expiratory flow or a forced expiratory volume based on the expelled air. The spirometer also includes a processing module supported by the housing, and configured to receive the electrical quantity from the measurement unit, a display coupled to the measurement unit to display an indication of the peak expiratory flow or the forced expiratory volume, and an energy harvester. The energy harvester is coupled to the measurement unit and the processing module, and is configured to receive energy from one of a group consisting of the measurement unit and an energy sensor, store the received energy in an energy storage device, and transfer the energy to the processing module.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer readable for providing smart underwater free space optical communications are provided. According to one aspect, a system for smart underwater free space optical communications is provided. The system includes a receiver. The receiver includes an optical detector array for detecting incident light under water. The receiver further includes a compound lens array located optically in front of the optical detector. The compound lens array includes lenses that steer incident light arriving at different angles to different portions of the optical detector array. A controller processes signals generated by the optical detector based on the incident light and controls an aspect of the underwater communications based on the steered incident light detected by the detector array.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer readable for providing smart underwater free space optical communications are provided. According to one aspect, a system for smart underwater free space optical communications is provided. The system includes a receiver. The receiver includes an optical detector array for detecting incident light under water. The receiver further includes a compound lens array located optically in front of the optical detector. The compound lens array includes lenses that steer incident light arriving at different angles to different portions of the optical detector array. A controller processes signals generated by the optical detector based on the incident light and controls an aspect of the underwater communications based on the steered incident light detected by the detector array.

Abstract: As typically embodied, the inventive method features bombardment of atomic nuclei with 3He ions in order to effect transmutation of atoms from a first atomic element to a second atomic element. Two notable inventive genres describe transmutation of: oxygen to nitrogen in an oxygen-containing target (e.g., including ZnO film); and, carbon to boron in a carbon-containing target (e.g., including SiC film). According to the former, transmutation of 16O to 15N occurs; more specifically, transmutation of 16O to 15O occurs via nuclear bombardment, and then transmutation of 15O to 15N occurs via decay by positron emission. According to the latter, transmutation of 12C to 11B occurs; more specifically, transmutation of 12C to 11C occurs via nuclear bombardment, and then transmutation of 11C to 11B occurs via decay by positron emission.

Abstract: An electronic device has an alloy layer containing magnesium oxide and at least one of zinc oxide and cadmium oxide and having a cubic structure on a substrate. The alloy layer may be directly on the substrate or, alternatively, one or more buffer layers may be between the alloy layer and the substrate. The alloy layer may be domain-matched epitaxially grown directly on the substrate, or may be lattice-matched epitaxially grown directly on the buffer layer. The cubic layer may also be used to form single and multiple quantum wells. Accordingly, electronic devices having wider bandgap, increased binding energy of excitons, and/or reduced density of growth and/or misfit dislocations in the active layers as compared with conventional III-nitride electronic devices may be provided.

Abstract: A robotic apparatus adapted for locomotion in an enclosed space such as a pipe includes a combination of articulated gripping and locomotive modules. Each gripping module includes an actuator mechanically linked to gripping members such that axial forces produced by the actuator are translated to radial forces in the gripping members, whereby the gripping members are caused to alternately hold and release the engagement of the robotic apparatus with surfaces of the enclosed space. Each locomotive module includes one or more actuators adapted to alternatively expand and contract the length of the locomotive module. The sequence of operations of the gripping and locomotive modules can be controlled such that the robotic apparatus can crawl through the enclosed space in an inchworm-like fashion and is capable of navigating turns and traversing inclines.

Abstract: An electronic device has an alloy layer containing magnesium oxide and at least one of zinc oxide and cadmium oxide and having a cubic structure on a substrate. The alloy layer may be directly on the substrate or, alternatively, one or more buffer layers may be between the alloy layer and the substrate. The alloy layer may be domain-matched epitaxially grown directly on the substrate, or may be lattice-matched epitaxially grown directly on the buffer layer. The cubic layer may also be used to form single and multiple quantum wells. Accordingly, electronic devices having wider bandgap, increased binding energy of excitons, and/or reduced density of growth and/or misfit dislocations in the active layers as compared with conventional III-nitride electronic devices may be provided.

Abstract: An electronic device has an alloy layer containing magnesium oxide and at least one of zinc oxide and cadmium oxide and having a cubic structure on a substrate. The alloy layer may be directly on the substrate or, alternatively, one or more buffer layers may be between the alloy layer and the substrate. The alloy layer may be domain-matched epitaxially grown directly on the substrate, or may be lattice-matched epitaxially grown directly on the buffer layer. The cubic layer may also be used to form single and multiple quantum wells. Accordingly, electronic devices having wider bandgap, increased binding energy of excitons, and/or reduced density of growth and/or misfit dislocations in the active layers as compared with conventional III-nitride electronic devices may be provided.

Abstract: Spatially localized radiation, preferably ultraviolet visible radiation, representing information is impinged onto a spatially localized area of a heterostructure comprising a ternary Group III-V Nitride semiconductor material. It has been found that the spatially localized optical radiation reversibly changes the properties of the heterostructure comprising ternary Group III-V Nitride semiconductor material in the spatially localized area, to thereby provide an optical memory. The stored information can be read from the memory by impinging blanket radiation, preferably ultraviolet radiation of the same frequency which was used to write the information, onto the heterostructure comprising ternary Group III-V Nitride semiconductor material including onto the spatially localized area thereof.