Abstract: Solid-state polymer electrolyte systems and methods of making the same are disclosed. The solid-state polymer electrolyte can be a multi-segmented polymer that includes two high-contrast segments. The high-contrast segments can be, respectively, soft segments and one or more hard segments. Batteries with a solid-state polymer electrolyte system is also disclosed.

Abstract: The invention features an optical medium for calibrating UV absorbance detectors, methods for making such an optical medium, and methods for calibrating UV absorbance detectors using such a medium. The optical calibration medium includes a gel-sol silica glass monolith with a rare-earth dopant therein. The rare-earth dopant exhibits at least one spectral feature in at least the far UV range. The constituents of the gel-sol silica glass monolith are selected so the rare-earth doped sol-gel glass monolith exhibits a transmittance in the far UV range so each distinct spectral feature of the rare-earth dopant in the far UV range is discernable. In a specific embodiment, the rare-earth dopant includes atoms of erbium, having spectral features in a range from about 190 nm to about 650 nm and a distinguishable far UV spectral feature at about 257 nm.

Abstract: Bidirectional communications between an alarm loop, comprising one or more alarm transmitters, and a remote receiver is provided through a digital transmission facility by a pair of interface units (201,301). Each interface unit, disposed at an end of the digital transmission facilities, provides encoding and decoding of signals to and from the alarm receiver. For greater reliability, each interface unit (601,701) can be adapted to select signals received from different digital transmission facilities.