Abstract: A movable ballast system for an aircraft includes first and second ballast docks secured to the aircraft. The first ballast dock includes a first housing and a first ballast tray and a first stop plate secured within the first housing. The first ballast tray includes a plurality of channels. The second ballast dock is positioned aft of a CG of the aircraft and includes a second housing and a second ballast tray and a second stop plate secured within the second housing. The second ballast tray includes a plurality of channels. The movable ballast system includes a plurality of movable ballasts, each movable ballast of the plurality of movable ballasts being configured to fit within at least one channel of each of the plurality of channels of the first and second ballast trays.

Abstract: A movable ballast system for an aircraft includes first and second ballast docks secured to the aircraft. The first ballast dock includes a first housing and a first ballast tray secured within the first housing. The first ballast tray includes a plurality of channels. The second ballast dock is positioned aft of a CG of the aircraft and includes a second housing and a second ballast tray secured within the second housing. The second ballast tray includes a plurality of channels. The movable ballast system includes a plurality of movable ballasts, each movable ballast of the plurality of movable ballasts being configured to fit within at least one channel of each of the plurality of channels of the first and second ballast trays.

Abstract: A fuel cell first and second electrode catalyst layers and a polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) situated therebetween. A graphene-based material coated onto a first and/or second surface of the first and/or second electrode catalyst layers. The graphene-based material has a number of defects including a number of quad-vacancy (QV) defects formed by a vacancy of four adjacent carbon atoms in the graphene-based material. The number of QV defects are configured to mitigate dissolution of the first and/or second catalyst materials through the first and/or second surface of the first and/or second electrode catalyst layers.

Abstract: A method of decontaminating a lithium conducting ceramic oxide material. The method includes soaking the lithium conducting ceramic oxide material having a first thickness of surface contaminants in a first organic solvent containing an inorganic salt at an inorganic salt concentration to obtain a soaked lithium conducting ceramic oxide material. The method further includes rinsing the soaked lithium conducting ceramic oxide material in a second organic solvent to obtain a decontaminated lithium conducting ceramic oxide material having a second thickness of surface contaminants less than the first thickness of surface contaminants.

Abstract: A desalination battery includes a working intercalation electrode in a first compartment, a counter intercalation electrode in a second compartment, both compartments including saline water solution with an elevated concentration of dissolved salts, an ion exchange membrane arranged between the compartments, a voltage source arranged to supply voltage to the electrodes, and a sacrificial compound configured to neutralize charge within the first compartment at a predetermined voltage while being consumed by oxidation or reduction reactions upon an activation of the working electrode.

Abstract: An automated method and system for stacking and loading wrapped facemasks into a carton in a facemask production line include conveying individual wrapped facemasks to a delivery location adjacent to a rotary wheel, the rotary wheel conveyor having individual pick-up devices spaced around a circumference thereof. Each wrapped facemask is picked-up with a respective pick-up device on the rotary wheel conveyor and transported to a first carton staging area at a first location on the circumference of the rotary wheel. At the first staging area, the facemasks are released from the rotary wheel conveyor and deposited into a carton.

Abstract: Corrosion-resistant oxide films for use with proton exchange membrane fuel cells are described. Bipolar plates of proton exchange membrane fuel cells are subject to highly-acidic environments that can degrade the bulk material and associated properties of the bipolar plate leading to reduced proton exchange membrane fuel cell lifetimes. Materials, structures, and techniques for increasing the corrosion resistance of bipolar plates are disclosed. Such materials include substrates having a surface portion, which includes an Fe2O3 oxide layer having (110), (012), or (100) Fe2O3 surface facets configured to impart corrosion-resistance properties to the substrate.

Abstract: A method and system are provided for splicing a reserve nose wire to a running nose wire in a facemask production line. Prior to depletion of the running nose wire, a reserve nose wire is brought up to a transport speed in a conveying direction of the running nose wire. At or near a zero relative speed between the running nose wire and the reserve nose wire, a leading end of the reserve nose wire is introduced onto the running nose wire, and the two wires are spliced together. The running nose wire is then cut upstream of the splice location such that the reserve nose wire becomes a new running nose wire in the production line.

Abstract: A proton-exchange-membrane fuel cell bipolar plate includes a metal substrate having a bulk portion and a surface portion including an anticorrosive, conductive binary phosphide material having a formula (I): AxPy??(I), where A is an alkali metal, alkaline earth metal, transition metal, post-transition metal, or metalloid, x, y is each a number independently selected from 1 to 15, and the binary phosphide material is configured to impart anticorrosive and conductive properties to the metal substrate.

Abstract: A desalination battery cell includes a first compartment separated by an anion exchange membrane from a second compartment, each of the first and second compartments configured to contain a saline water solution having a concentration of dissolved salts c1 and having first and second intercalation host electrodes, respectively, arranged to be in fluid communication with the solution, a voltage source configured to supply electric current to the first and second intercalation host electrodes to release cations into the solution, and a controller programmed to adjust an amount of the electric current being supplied to change direction of anions, present in the solution, passing through the anion exchange membrane between the first and second compartments such that the first and second compartments alternately collect and disperse salt from the solution and the first and second compartments release desalinated water solution having a concentration c2 of dissolved salts and a brine solution having a concentration

Abstract: A method of applying a coating to a flow field plate of a fuel cell. The method includes applying a solution including a metal-containing precursor and a solvent to at least a portion of a surface of a flow field plate, and evaporating the solvent to form a coating on the at least the portion of the surface of the flow field plate.

Abstract: A computational method simulating the motion of elements within a multi-element system using a graph neural network (GNN). The method includes converting a molecular dynamics snapshot of the elements into a directed graph comprised of nodes and edges. The method further includes the step of initially embedding the nodes and the edges to obtain initially embedded nodes and edges. The method also includes updating the initially embedded nodes and edges by passing a first message from a first edge to a first node using a first message function and passing a second message from the first node to the first edge using a second message function to obtain updated embedded nodes and edges, and predicting a force vector for one or more elements based on the updated embedded edges and a unit vector pointing from the first node to a second node or the second node to the first node.

Abstract: A method and associated system for cutting and placing individual nose wires in a facemask production line include supplying a continuous wire from a supply source to a cutting station where the continuous wire is cut into individual nose wires having a defined length. The nose wires are then conveyed to a treatment station prior to being deposited onto a carrier web. At the treatment station, a surface treatment is performed on a side of the nose wires that results in an increased surface attachment of the nose wires to the carrier web.

Abstract: Systems and techniques for goal optimized process scheduler are described herein. A set of processes may be obtained from a plurality of process engines. Process data may be identified for each member of the set of processes. Goal data may be obtained for a goal. The goal data may indicate elements for attainment of the goal by completion of one or more processes of the set of processes. A process schedule may be generated for the set of processes based on the goal data. The process schedule may be optimized through removal of processes from the process schedule by comparison of the process data to the goal data. The optimized process schedule may include a linear organization of processes for attainment of the goal. An optimized process schedule workflow may be created for display on a user interface of a computing device.

Abstract: A method and system are provided for placing nose wires in a facemask production line. A supply of individual pre-cut nose wires are supplied to a dispenser in the production line. With the dispenser, the nose wires are metered at a defined spacing and orientation onto a running carrier web that is conveyed past the dispenser. The carrier web and nose wires deposited thereon are conveyed to a folding station wherein a binder web is folded over an edge of the carrier web such that the nose wires are encapsulated between the binder web and the carrier web.

Abstract: An anticorrosive and conductive substrate includes a bulk portion and a surface portion including a magnesium titanium material having a formula (I) TixMg1-xOy (I), where x is a number from 0 to ?1 and y is a number from 1 to ?2, and wherein at least about 50% of the magnesium titanium material has a cubic crystal structure, and wherein the magnesium titanium material is configured to impart anticorrosive and conductive properties to the substrate.

Abstract: A method of decontaminating a lithium conducting ceramic oxide material. The method includes soaking the lithium conducting ceramic oxide material having a first thickness of surface contaminants in a first organic solvent containing an inorganic salt at an inorganic salt concentration to obtain a soaked lithium conducting ceramic oxide material. The method further includes rinsing the soaked lithium conducting ceramic oxide material in a second organic solvent to obtain a decontaminated lithium conducting ceramic oxide material having a second thickness of surface contaminants less than the first thickness of surface contaminants.

Abstract: A desalination battery includes a container configured to contain a saline water solution having a first concentration c1 of dissolved salts; first and second intercalation hosts, arranged to be in fluid communication with the saline water solution, at least the first intercalation host including expanded graphite having a plurality of graphene layers with an interlayer spacing between the graphene layers in z-direction greater than 0.34 nm; and a power source configured to supply electric current to the first and second intercalation hosts such that the first and second intercalation hosts reversibly store and release cations and anions from the saline water solution located between the plurality of graphene layers to generate a fresh water solution having a second concentration c2 of dissolved salts and a brine solution having a third concentration c3 of dissolved salts within the container such that c3>c1>c2.

Abstract: An electrostatic charging air cleaning device having first and second pre-chargers. The first pre-charger is configured to generate a first corona discharge to electrostatically charge PM in the incoming air stream with a first charge to form a first exiting air stream exiting the first pre-charger. The second pre-charger is configured to generate a second corona discharge to electrostatically charge PM in the incoming air stream with a second charge to form a second exiting air stream exiting the second pre-charger. The device also includes a separator having apertures such that PM in the second exiting air stream passes through the separator to agglomerate with PM in the first exiting air stream to form agglomerated particles. The apertures are sized such that the agglomerated particles are larger than the apertures to preclude the agglomerated particles from reentering the second exiting air stream.

Abstract: A method of forming a collection electrode for an electrostatic charging air cleaning device. The method includes forming a slurry including a carbon black powder material, a polymeric binder material and a liquid solvent material. The method further includes applying the slurry to a substrate material. The method also includes curing the slurry to obtain a coating layer on the substrate material to form the collection electrode.