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: 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: 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: 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: 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 for treating a metal material to make a surface portion hydrophobic. The method includes oxidizing an untreated surface portion of the metal material to form an oxidized surface portion. The untreated surface portion has metal atoms. The oxidizing step forming bonds between the metal atoms and oxygen atoms. The method further includes doping the oxidized surface portion with a liquid containing a fluorine-containing salt to form a fluorinated surface portion. The doping step forming bonds between fluorine atoms and at least a portion of the metal atoms and the oxygen atoms. The fluorinated surface portion is hydrophobic.

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.

Abstract: An automated method and system for stacking and loading wrapped or unwrapped facemasks into a carton in a facemask production line includes conveying individual wrapped facemasks in a continuous stream to a stacking location. At the stacking location, the facemasks are deposited into a vertical accumulator such that the facemasks are stacked in the accumulator. Upon reaching a predetermined fill level of facemasks in the accumulator, a bottom retainer in the accumulator is opened such that the stacked facemasks drop into a carton placed below the accumulator. Upon opening the bottom retainer, a mid-level retainer is actuated in the accumulator that captures facemasks that continue to be deposited into the accumulator at an intermediate height above the bottom retainer. The bottom retainer is closed after the stacked facemasks drop into the carton, and the mid-level retainer is then opened such that the facemasks captured by the mid-level retainer drop onto the bottom retainer.

Abstract: Systems and techniques for voice enabled assistant for community demand fulfillment are described herein. A community of user devices may be identified that are registered with a voice-based supply and demand matching service. A supply of an item may be determined based on first user audio collected from a first user device of the community of user devices. A demand for the item may be determined based on second user audio collected from a second user device of the community of user devices. An indication of the supply may be transmitted to a user of the second user device.

Abstract: A computational method for simulating the motion of elements within a multi-element system using a neural network force field (NNFF). The method includes receiving a combination of a number of rotationally-invariant features and a number of rotationally-covariant features of a local environment of the multi-element system; and predicting a force vector for each element within the multi-element system based on the combination of the number of rotationally-invariant features, the number of rotationally-covariant features, and the NNFF, to obtain a simulated motion of the elements within the multi-element system.

Abstract: Systems and techniques for automated voice assistant personality selector are described herein. A task may be identified that is to be completed by a user of a voice-enabled virtual assistant. A response may be output in connection with the task using a default personality for the voice-enabled virtual assistant selected based on the task. A task completion checkpoint may be determined for the task. It may be identified that the task completion checkpoint has not been reached. A personality profile of the user may be compared to personality data of a set of voice-enabled virtual assistant profiles corresponding to respective members of a set of available voice personalities for the voice-enabled virtual assistant. An escalation personality may be selected for the voice-enabled virtual assistant based the comparison and the task. Commands for facilitating user completion of the task may be transmitted via the voice-enabled virtual assistant using the selected escalation personality.

Abstract: A desalination device includes a container, first and second electrodes, an anion exchange membrane (AEM), and a power source. The container contains saline water that has an elevated concentration of dissolved salts. The AEM separates the container into first and second compartments into which the first and second electrodes, respectively, are arranged. The AEM has a continuous porous structure and a plurality of negatively-charged oxygen functional groups coupled to the porous structure. The power source is configured to selectively apply a voltage to one of the first and second electrodes. The AEM has a selective permeability when the voltage is applied such that cations in the saline water solution have a first diffusion rate d1 therethrough and anions in the saline water solution have a second diffusion rate d2 therethrough. The first diffusion rate d1 is less than the second diffusion rate d2 and greater than or equal to zero.

Abstract: A water softening device includes a container configured to contain water, first and second electrodes arranged in fluid communication with the water, and a power source. The first electrode includes a conversion material that has a first composition and a second composition coexisting with the first composition. The first composition includes calcium ions bonded thereto and the second composition includes sodium ions bonded thereto. The power source supplies current in a first operating state such that the second composition exchanges sodium ions for calcium ions in the water to generate a soft water solution. The first and second electrodes are connected in a second operating state such that the first composition exchanges calcium ions for sodium ions in the water to generate a wastewater solution. The conversion material undergoes a reversible conversion reaction to convert between the first and second compositions within the water stability window.

Abstract: A desalination battery includes a first electrode, a second electrode, an intercalation compound contained in the first electrode, a container configured to contain a saline water solution, and a power source. The intercalation compound includes at least one of a metal oxide, a metalloid oxide, a metal oxychloride, a metalloid oxychloride, and a hydrate thereof with each having a ternary or higher order. The first and second electrodes are configured to be arranged in fluid communication with the saline water solution. The power source is configured to supply electric current to the first and second electrodes in different operating states to induce a reversible intercalation reaction within the intercalation compound. The intercalation compound reversibly stores and releases target anions from the saline water solution to generate a fresh water solution in one operating state and a wastewater solution in another operating state.

Abstract: A device for removing chloride-containing salts from water includes a container configured to contain saline water, a first electrode arranged in fluid communication with the saline water, and a power source. The first electrode includes a conversion material that is substantially insoluble in the saline water and has a composition that includes at least two or more of aluminum, chlorine, copper, iron, oxygen, and potassium. The composition varies over a range with respect to a quantity of chloride ions per formula unit. The power source supplies current to the first electrode in a first operating state so as to induce a reversible conversion reaction in which the conversion material bonds to the chloride ions in the saline water to generate a treated water solution. The conversion material dissociates the chloride ions therefrom into the saline water solution in a second operating state to generate a wastewater solution.