Abstract: A liquid desiccant regenerator configured to produce a first output stream with a higher concentration of a liquid desiccant than a first input stream. The regenerator also produces a second output stream with a lower concentration of the liquid desiccant than a second input stream. Regeneration of the liquid desiccant in the liquid desiccant regenerator decreases a temperature of the liquid desiccant regenerator. The system includes an air contactor coupled to the first output stream and exposing an input air stream to the first output stream. The first output stream absorbs water from the input air stream to form at least one diluted output desiccant stream. A heat pump of the system is thermally coupled to move the heat from the first output stream to the liquid desiccant regenerator. The heat moved to the liquid desiccant regenerator increases an efficiency of the liquid desiccant regenerator.

Abstract: A method for securing a plurality of compute nodes includes authenticating a hardware architecture of each of a plurality of components of the compute nodes. The method also includes authenticating a firmware of each of the plurality of components. Further, the method includes generating an authentication database comprising a plurality of authentication descriptions that are based on the authenticated hardware architecture and the authenticated firmware. Additionally, a policy for securing a specified subset of the plurality of compute nodes is implemented by using the authentication database.

Abstract: A composition of matter includes a solid resin powder containing one or more polymer precursors in a range of 80-99.99 wt % polymer precursor and the thermal initiator in a range of 0.001 to 20 wt % of thermal initiator. A composition of matter includes a solid resin powder containing polymer precursors comprising two components in a combination and a thermal intiator, wherein the combination comprises one of a solid epoxy with one of solid amine or anhydride, a powder resin containing both epoxy and one of either amine or anhydride, or two powder resins wherein one contains epoxy and one contains one of either amine or anhydride.

Abstract: A system includes an electrochemical regenerator configured to receive a first solution having a first salt concentration and output a second solution having a second salt concentration lower than the first salt concentration and a third solution having a third salt concentration higher than the first salt concentration. The first and second solutions are sent to first and second reservoirs respectively absorb and emit heat in response to a phase change of one of the solutions. The absorption or emission of heat can be used in a heat pump system.

Abstract: A composition of matter includes macroparticles comprising particles of one or more continuous phase matrix materials and functionalized microparticles contained at least partially in the one or more matrix material. A method of manufacturing includes producing macroparticles comprising a continuous phase thermoset matrix material mixed with a thermal initiator, depositing a layer of the matrix material onto a powder bed, applying a focused heat source to the layer of matrix material to selectively cure portions of the layer, repeating the depositing and applying until a final shape is formed, and removing uncured powder from the final shape.

Abstract: An Inventory Management and Delivery System (IMDS system) manages product items within a climate-controlled enclosure (e.g., beverage case) in an automated manner using a product loading (ingestion) subsystem to convey product items into the enclosure's climate-controlled environment and utilizes two gantry robots and an articulated robot to perform all backstocking/storage and delivery/restocking operations. Product items are ingested on standardized crates to simplify backstocking/retrieval of various product types from an array of storage locations using the first (backstocking) gantry robot. During restocking operations, the required crates are retrieved from storage and individual items are extracted and by the articulated robot and transferred to the second (delivery) gantry robot. The second gantry robot utilizes a simplified channel-type delivery mechanism to deliver each product item to its associated display shelf location.

Abstract: An electrochemical system has a first reservoir receiving a feed stream. The feed stream includes a solvent and a solute different than the salt. A second reservoir receives a brine stream with a higher salt concentration higher than the feed stream. Electrodes contact a loop of redox-active electrolyte material causing reversible redox reactions. The reactions cause the loop to accept a first ion from the salt in the first reservoir and drive a second ion into the brine stream in the second reservoir. Three ionic exchange membranes of alternating type define the first and second reservoirs. A concentrate stream is output from the first reservoir, the concentrate stream having a second solute concentration greater than the first solute concentration.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing includes producing a powder resin comprising a polymer precursor and a thermal initiator, packing a fiber structure with the powder resin, resulting in a resin-packed structure, and heating the resin-packed structure to a curing temperature high enough to melt and cure the resin-packed structure to form a final structure.

Abstract: Described embodiments generally relate to a method of determining parameters of VTI anisotropy of a subsurface shale formation.

Abstract: A liquid desiccant regenerator configured to produce a first output stream with a higher concentration of a liquid desiccant than a first input stream. The regenerator also produces a second output stream with a lower concentration of the liquid desiccant than a second input stream. Regeneration of the liquid desiccant in the liquid desiccant regenerator decreases a temperature of the liquid desiccant regenerator. The system includes an air contactor coupled to the first output stream and exposing an input air stream to the first output stream. The first output stream absorbs water from the input air stream to form at least one diluted output desiccant stream. A heat pump of the system is thermally coupled to move the heat from the first output stream to the liquid desiccant regenerator. The heat moved to the liquid desiccant regenerator increases an efficiency of the liquid desiccant regenerator.

Abstract: A system comprises an electrodialysis apparatus, which includes first and second reservoirs, wherein a salt concentration in the first reservoir reduces below a threshold concentration and salt concentration in the second reservoir increases during an operation mode. A first electrode comprises a first solution of a first redox-active electrolyte material, and a second electrode comprises a second solution of a second redox-active electrolyte material. In a first reversible redox reaction between the first electrode and first electrolyte material at least one ion is accepted from the first reservoir, and in a second reversible redox reaction between the second electrode and second electrolyte material at least one ion is driven into the second reservoir. A first type of membrane is disposed between the first and second reservoirs, and a second type of membrane, different from the first type, is disposed between the respective electrodes and reservoirs.

Abstract: A system to electrohydrodynamically pattern a material includes a first electrode having a first voltage, a second electrode having a second voltage that is different from the first voltage, one or more materials to be patterned residing between the first electrode and the second electrode, a gap between at least one surface of at least one of the materials to be patterned and one of the first or second electrodes, at least one patterning material in the gap, wherein the patterning material is a material other than air, and at least one filling material filling any remainder of the gap.

Abstract: A method of three-dimensional manufacturing including depositing a layer of powder in a powder bed, the layer comprising particles of at least a first component of a two-component reactive material, dispensing a first solution containing at least one of a solvent and a second component of the two-component reactive material the solvent selected to cause the two components to form one or more cross-linked regions of a three-dimensional object, iterating the depositing and dispensing to form subsequent layers of the three-dimensional object until the object is formed, and removing any unwanted particles from the object. A three-dimensional manufacturing system has a powder bed to hold layers of particles, and one or more print heads positioned to dispense liquid onto the powder bed to cause the particles for form one or more cross-linked regions in layers of a solid object.

Abstract: A liquid desiccant regenerator configured to produce a first output stream with a higher concentration of a liquid desiccant than a first input stream. The regenerator also produces a second output stream with a lower concentration of the liquid desiccant than a second input stream. Regeneration of the liquid desiccant in the liquid desiccant regenerator decreases a temperature of the liquid desiccant regenerator. The system includes an air contactor coupled to the first output stream and exposing an input air stream to the first output stream. The first output stream absorbs water from the input air stream to form at least one diluted output desiccant stream. A heat pump of the system is thermally coupled to move the heat from the first output stream to the liquid desiccant regenerator. The heat moved to the liquid desiccant regenerator increases an efficiency of the liquid desiccant regenerator.

Abstract: A dryer system includes an electrodialytic regenerator that comprises a first channel that dilutes a first stream of liquid desiccant and a second channel that concentrates a second stream of the liquid desiccant. An air-liquid interface is in fluid communication with the second stream of the liquid desiccant and an input air stream and exposes the second stream of the liquid desiccant to the input air stream. The absorption of the water from the input air stream creates a dehumidified air stream. The system includes a heat transfer element in thermal communication with the air-liquid interface. The heat transfer element carries latent heat generated from the absorption of the water from the input air stream. The system includes a drying chamber coupled to receive the dehumidified air stream and the heat.

Abstract: A system comprises an electrodialysis apparatus, which includes first and second reservoirs, wherein a salt concentration in the first reservoir reduces below a threshold concentration and salt concentration in the second reservoir increases during an operation mode. A first electrode comprises a first solution of a first redox-active electrolyte material, and a second electrode comprises a second solution of a second redox-active electrolyte material. In a first reversible redox reaction between the first electrode and first electrolyte material at least one ion is accepted from the first reservoir, and in a second reversible redox reaction between the second electrode and second electrolyte material at least one ion is driven into the second reservoir. A first type of membrane is disposed between the first and second reservoirs, and a second type of membrane, different from the first type, is disposed between the respective electrodes and reservoirs.

Abstract: An electrochemical system has a first reservoir receiving a feed stream. The feed stream includes a solvent and a solute different than the salt. A second reservoir receives a brine stream with a higher salt concentration higher than the feed stream. Electrodes contact a loop of redox- active electrolyte material causing reversible redox reactions. The reactions cause the loop to accept a first ion from the salt in the first reservoir and drive a second ion into the brine stream in the second reservoir. Three ionic exchange membranes of alternating type define the first and second reservoirs. A concentrate stream is output from the first reservoir, the concentrate stream having a second solute concentration greater than the first solute concentration.

Abstract: A robotic work cell uses an object separating mechanism to disperse bulk objects into a 2D arrangement on a horizontal surface and uses a vision system to generate pick-up (positional) data and rotational orientation data for each sequentially selected target object of the 2D arrangement. A pick-and-place robot mechanism uses the positional data to pick-up each target object and uses the rotational orientation data to reorientate the target object during transfer to a designated hand-off location. A carousel-type robotic end-tool disposed on a 4-axis object-processing robot mechanism rotates a gripper mechanism around a vertical axis to move the target object from the hand-off location to a designated processing location, where an associated processing device performs a desired process (e.g., label application) on the target object. In one embodiment the gripper mechanism is selectively rotatable around a horizontal axis to facilitate processing on opposing surfaces of the target object.

Abstract: A system and method utilize one or more fans each having fan blades. The fan blades have a desiccant material on an outer surface. The desiccant material is operable to adsorb airborne moisture in an ambient airflow and desorb moisture in a heated airflow. The fan blades are operable to drive one or both of the ambient airflow and heated airflow via rotation of the fan.

Abstract: A method of three-dimensional manufacturing including depositing a layer of powder in a powder bed, the layer comprising particles of at least a first component of a two-component reactive material, dispensing a first solution containing at least one of a solvent and a second component of the two-component reactive material the solvent selected to cause the two components to form one or more cross-linked regions of a three-dimensional object, iterating the depositing and dispensing to form subsequent layers of the three-dimensional object until the object is formed, and removing any unwanted particles from the object. A three-dimensional manufacturing system has a powder bed to hold layers of particles, and one or more print heads positioned to dispense liquid onto the powder bed to cause the particles for form one or more cross-linked regions in layers of a solid object.