Abstract: A flying insect trap, including a housing for holding insect-killing liquid and a basket removably mounted within the housing. The basket comprises a plurality of holes, and the housing and basket are arranged so that a portion of the insect-killing liquid within the housing can pass through the holes into the interior of the basket. Each of the housing and the basket comprises at least one opening, such that a flying insect can travel from outside the housing through the at least one openings of the housing and the basket to the interior of the basket. The basket is arranged so that when the housing is holding insect-killing liquid and there are one or more insect corpses in the insect-killing liquid within the basket, when the basket is removed from the housing, the one or more insect corpses remain within the basket and are removed from the housing.

Abstract: A system configured to facilitate verification of a customer's identity to a financial service provider by issuing an identity assertion to the service provider is provided. The system comprises an identity provider configured to store customer information and to verify the customer's identity, and to generate the identity assertion asserting at least some of the information based on a request from the service provider, the assertion comprising an encrypted portion; and a customer identity manager associated with the customer and configured to communicate with the service provider and the identity provider to facilitate providing the assertion to the service provider. The system further comprises an identity summarization engine configured to reason over a customer record and a policy in order to selectively determine which information in the customer record is to be provided in the assertion to the service provider, and in what form.

Abstract: Systems and methods for preparing encapsulant-containing polymer capsules and fibers, as well as the encapsulant-containing polymer capsules and fibers and composites including the same are described. In one example, forming a plurality of encapsulant-containing polymer capsules includes preparing a mixture comprising a polymer, a solvent, an encapsulant, and a polymer that is soluble in the solvent, and removing some of the solvent from the mixture to yield the plurality of polymer capsules. Each polymer capsule include a shell formed of the polymer and contains the encapsulant. In another example, forming a plurality of polymer fibers containing an encapsulant includes providing the mixture to an electrospin apparatus and electrospinning the mixture to yield the plurality polymer fibers, where each polymer fiber defines a hollow core that contains the encapsulant.

Abstract: A zwitterionic material includes a substrate including a first polymer, and a second polymer bonded to the first polymer. The second polymer includes a zwitterionic component. Making the zwitterionic material includes coating a polymerizable material on a substrate, and polymerizing the polymerizable material, thereby bonding a second polymer to the substrate, wherein the second polymer comprises the zwitterionic component. The substrate includes the first polymer, and the polymerizable material includes the zwitterionic component.

Abstract: Synthesizing a bis-alkyl terephthalamide includes combining a polymeric material including a polyethylene terephthalate with an alkylamine and a reaction mediator to yield a mixture, heating the mixture to yield a heterogeneous mass, and isolating the bis-alkyl terephthalamide from the heterogenous mass. The reaction mediator includes ethylene glycol. Modifying a polymeric material includes combining the polymeric material with a bis-alkyl terephthalamide to yield a mixture, heating the mixture, and extruding the mixture to yield a modified polymeric material. A modified polymeric material includes a polymeric material and a surface modifier including bis-alkyl terephthalamide, wherein the modified polymeric material includes 0.1 wt% to 10 wt% of the bis-alkyl terephthalamide.

Abstract: A phosphonium-based polymeric ionic liquid for moisture-swing direct air capture of carbon dioxide is disclosed. The polymeric ionic liquid comprises a styrene-based backbone and phosphonium groups covalently bonded to the backbone, each substituted with methyl, and bicarbonate counterions associated with the phosphonium groups. The polymeric ionic liquid adsorbs carbon dioxide under cyclic wet-dry conditions and exhibits a capture capacity of at least 500 ?mol per gram. Methods of producing the polymeric ionic liquid and methods of capturing carbon dioxide using alternating humidity cycles are also disclosed.

Abstract: Methods and systems synchronize data between multiple applications and devices. A method comprises determining a set of data locations of a first document format of a first document generated by a first application, transmitting a first application synching configuration comprising the set of data locations to a synching server; and responsive to determining a changed value at a data location, transmitting a first notification, comprising the changed value and one or more of: (i) the data location; and (ii) a corresponding data location of a second document format of the second document generated by a second application, to the synching server.

Abstract: Depolymerizing a polyester material to yield a terephthalamide includes combining the polyester material, an alkylamine, and a mediator to yield a reaction mixture, heating the reaction mixture, and maintaining a reaction for a reaction time to yield the terephthalamide. In one example, the mediator is ethylene glycol. Preparing a modified asphalt binder includes combining the terephthalamide with an asphalt binder to yield a modified asphalt binder precursor and heating the modified asphalt binder precursor to yield a modified asphalt binder.

Abstract: A membrane for active CO2 pumping and method for making the same is disclosed. The membrane includes a first polymer that is hydrophobic and unfunctionalized, and a second polymer having DAC functionalities. The membrane has a charged functionality gradient extending between two compositions. CO2 is pumped continuously through the membrane by the charged functionality gradient when a moisture gradient is maintained across the membrane such that one side is drier than the other. The method for making the membrane includes dissolving the first and second polymers into first and second solutions, respectively, which are applied to a substrate as sprays to form first and second layers and a plurality of layers in between, while modifying a flow rate for the first and second solutions such that the layers together form the charged functionality gradient. The first and second polymers may be Udel polysulfone and PAES-co-QAPAES(50)[I], respectively.

Abstract: A computer-based system, method, and computer program product for permissioning private transactions on a public network. The system and method including a blockchain privacy network having a computer processor configured to execute a policy enforcement computing system by using at least one compliance zero-knowledge proof, enforcing compliance of a private transaction on a blockchain network with a predefined policy. The system and method controlling an identity by issuing a decentralized private credential (DPC) to a verified user, integrating an identity assertion into the decentralized private credential (DPC), the identity assertion associated with the verified user, and verifying the identity assertion by using a verification zero-knowledge proof.

Abstract: A continuous CO2 capture system, method, and device are disclosed. The device includes a CO2 pump membrane including a moisture-swing material, and a cavity having a first fluid. The CO2 pump membrane separates the first fluid from a second fluid, the fluids creating a water concentration gradient across the membrane and transport of water through the membrane. The water concentration gradient creates a carbon concentration gradient across the membrane that decreases moving from outside the cavity to inside the cavity. As water is continuously transported from the first fluid to the second fluid through the CO2 pump membrane because of the water concentration gradient, carbon dioxide is continuously captured from the second fluid by the moisture-swing material of the CO2 pump membrane and continuously pumped along the carbon concentration gradient across the CO2 pump membrane and into the first fluid within the cavity.

Abstract: An additive-modified membrane includes a functionalized siloxane and an additive that modifies the structure of the functionalized siloxane. The functionalized siloxane is cross-linked. The additive-modified membrane is configured to capture gas molecules, the additive increases a solubility of the gas molecules in the additive-modified membrane, and increasing the solubility of the gas molecules in the additive-modified membrane includes increasing the permselectivity of the additive-modified membrane. A CO2 capture system including the additive-modified membrane in contact with a CO2 absorbent is configured to capture CO2 from an atmosphere.

Abstract: A controlled environment system for standardizing initial conditions in CO2 sorbent characterization is disclosed. The system includes an enclosure that is sealable and a humidity control subsystem having a vessel inside the enclosure, with the vessel containing a saturated salt solution. The system also includes a gas control subsystem having a CO2 sensor within the enclosure and an electric valve through which the interior of the enclosure is in fluidic communication with a gas supply. The system includes a microcontroller communicatively coupled to the CO2 sensor and the electric valve, and configured to function in a gas control-feedback loop, driving the electric valve in response to the CO2 sensor. The saturated salt solution is chosen and the gas control-feedback loop of the gas control subsystem is configured such that a characterization loading condition is established and maintained within the interior of the enclosure while the enclosure is sealed.

Abstract: A modified textile sorbent (MTS) material for direct capture of atmospheric CO2, and method for producing the same is disclosed. The MTS material includes a woven material and a sorbent polymer immobilized within the woven material, with the sorbent polymer having a plurality of swing-responsive moieties that respond to at least one of a temperature swing, a pressure swing, and a moisture swing. The method for producing a MTS material includes mixing a monomer of a sorbent polymer, in solution, with a woven material such that the monomer is impregnated into the woven material. The method also includes immobilizing the sorbent polymer within the woven material by polymerizing the monomer that is impregnated into the woven material. and substituting a counterion of the sorbent polymer with a swing-responsive moiety. The monomer is one of styrene-based, acrylate-based, methacrylate-based, silicone-based, or polysulfone-based.

Abstract: Synthesizing zwitterionic-functionalized polysulfone copolymer includes reacting bisphenol A, 2,2?-diallyl bisphenol A, and 4,4?-difluorodiphenyl sulfone to yield a poly(arylene ether sulfone) polymer including allyl groups, modifying the allyl groups to yield a poly(arylene ether sulfone) polymer including tertiary amine groups, and modifying the tertiary amine groups to yield a copolymer including poly(aryl ether sulfone) and sulfobetaine arylene ether sulfone, wherein the sulfobetaine arylene ether sulfone is bonded to the poly(arylene ether sulfone) backbone. A zwitterionic-functionalized polysulfone copolymer includes poly(arylene ether sulfone) and sulfobetaine arylene ether sulfone. The sulfobetaine arylene ether sulfone is bonded to the poly(arylene ether sulfone) backbone, and a relative number average molecular weight of the zwitterionic-functionalized polysulfone copolymer is typically in a range of about 80 kDa to about 165 kDa.

Abstract: A hydraulic apparatus including an electronically commutated machine having a plurality of working chambers which are controlled on each cycle of working chamber volume to carry out active or inactive cycles of working chamber volume allows only a plurality of defined fractions of cycles to be active cycles to avoid generating frequencies of active cycles which cause low frequency resonances. The demand signal may be quantised into fractions m/n where n is an integer below a threshold selected to avoid repeating patterns of active cycles of more than a cut-off length.

Abstract: An enhanced capture structure is disclosed, including a sorbent structure having a CO2 sorbent material. The capture structure also includes a plurality of barriers extending outward from the sorbent structure, each sized and positioned such that as an airflow passes along the sorbent structure, a high pressure region forms proximate the sorbent structure on a first side of the barrier facing into the airflow and a low pressure region forms proximate the sorbent structure on a second side of the barrier facing away from the airflow. The barriers on one side of the sorbent structure are staggered with respect to barriers on the other side such that a plurality of high and low pressure regions are formed, each high pressure region being formed opposite a low pressure region on the other side of the structure, creating a pressure differential that promotes CO2 mass transfer into the sorbent material via convection.

Abstract: An asphalt modifier includes bitumen, polyolefin particles, and one or more alkyl terephthalamides. Preparing an asphalt modifier includes combining one or more alkyl terephthalamides, polyolefin particles, and bitumen, and dispersing the polyolefin particles in the bitumen to yield the asphalt modifier. Digesting polyethylene terephthalate includes combining polyethylene terephthalate with an alkylamine or carboxyalkylamine to yield a reaction mixture, and heating the reaction mixture to a temperature between about 20° C. and about 300° C. to yield an alkyl terephthalamide.

Abstract: A method for fabricating a layered sorbent film is disclosed. The method includes forming a first sorbent layer by adhering a particulate sorbent material to a first adhesive surface of an adhesive film, the adhesive film further including a second adhesive surface coupled to a sacrificial liner. The method also includes removing the sacrificial liner from the adhesive film by exposure to a release medium, uncovering the second adhesive surface, and then forming a second sorbent layer by adhering the particulate sorbent material to the uncovered second adhesive surface. The method may also include separating a first release liner from the first adhesive surface of the adhesive film, uncovering the first adhesive surface. The sacrificial liner may be sufficiently rigid that while the sacrificial liner is coupled to the second adhesive surface, the first release liner may be removed from the adhesive film without causing mechanical damage.

Abstract: Octaaminonaphthalene and a method of synthesizing octaaminonaphthalene are described. A two-dimensional coordination polymer and a method of synthesizing the two-dimensional coordination polymer are described. The two-dimensional coordination polymer includes ligands including anchorage sites, and metal linkers, each metal linker including a metal and an organic moiety. Each metal linker is coupled to two ligands via the anchorage sites. Synthesizing the two-dimensional coordination polymer includes contacting a first liquid precursor with a second liquid precursor at an interface, reacting the metal linker and the water-soluble ligand to yield a two-dimensional coordination polymer at the interface, and removing the two-dimensional coordination polymer from the interface.