| Los Alamos National Security, LLC Patent applications |
| Patent application number | Title | Published |
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| 20120112069 | FIBER OPTICAL ASSSEMBLY FOR FLUORESCENCE SPECTROMETRY - System is provided for detecting the presence of an analyte of interest in a sample, said system comprising an elongated, transparent container for a sample; an excitation source in optical communication with the sample, wherein radiation from the excitation source is directed along the length of the sample, and wherein the radiation induces a signal which is emitted from the sample; and, at least two linear arrays disposed about the sample holder, each linear array comprising a plurality of optical fibers having a first end and a second end, wherein the first ends of the fibers are disposed along the length of the container and in proximity thereto; the second ends of the fibers of each array are bundled together to form a single end port. | 05-10-2012 |
| 20120103807 | ELECTROCHEMICAL APPARATUS COMPRISING MODIFIED DISPOSABLE RECTANGULAR CUVETTE - Electrochemical apparatus includes a disposable rectangular cuvette modified with at least one hole through a side and/or the bottom. Apparatus may include more than one cuvette, which in practice is a disposable rectangular glass or plastic cuvette modified by drilling the hole(s) through. The apparatus include two plates and some means of fastening one plate to the other. The apparatus may be interfaced with a fiber optic or microscope objective, and a spectrometer for spectroscopic studies. The apparatus are suitable for a variety of electrochemical experiments, including surface electrochemistry, bulk electrolysis, and flow cell experiments. | 05-03-2012 |
| 20120103404 | QUANTUM DOT SENSITIZED SOLAR CELL - Photoelectrochemical solar cells (PECs) consisting of a photoanode were prepared by direct deposition of independently synthesized CdSe nanocrystal quantum dots (NQDs) onto a nanocrystalline TiO | 05-03-2012 |
| 20120088187 | NON-PRECIOUS FUEL CELL CATALYSTS COMPRISING POLYANILINE - A method of producing a catalyst suitable for use in a membrane electrode assembly involves providing a mixture comprising a polyaniline precursor and a catalyst support; adding to said mixture an oxidant and a compound comprising a transition metal; agitating said mixture sufficiently to result in polyaniline polymerization; drying the mixture; heating the dried mixture in an inert atmosphere at a temperature of from about 400° C. to about 1000° C.; leaching the mixture with an acid solution; heating the resulting mixture in an inert atmosphere at a temperature of from about 400° C. to about 1000° C. The second heating improves the performance of the catalyst. | 04-12-2012 |
| 20120078876 | Method of Recommending Items to a User Based on User Interest - Although recording of usage data is common in scholarly information services, its exploitation for the creation of value-added services remains limited due to concerns regarding, among others, user privacy, data validity, and the lack of accepted standards for the representation, sharing and aggregation of usage data. A technical, standards-based architecture for sharing usage information is presented. In this architecture, OpenURL-compliant linking servers aggregate usage information of a specific user community as it navigates the distributed information environment that it has access to. This usage information is made OAI-PMH harvestable so that usage information exposed by many linking servers can be aggregated to facilitate the creation of value-added services with a reach beyond that of a single community or a single information service. | 03-29-2012 |
| 20120077960 | FLUOROBODIES: INTRINSICALLY FLUORESCENT BINDING LIGANDS - Binding ligands with intrinsic fluorescence (“fluorobodies”), fluorobody libraries, and methods of preparing fluorobodies are provided. In one aspect, the invention provides fluorobodies generated from a highly stable, artificial fluorescent protein, eCGP123 and derivatives thereof. | 03-29-2012 |
| 20120077266 | HIGHLY THERMOSTABLE FLUORESCENT PROTEINS - Thermostable fluorescent proteins (TSFPs), methods for generating these and other stability-enhanced proteins, polynucleotides encoding such proteins, and assays and method for using the TSFPs and TSFP-encoding nucleic acid molecules are provided. The TSFPs of the invention show extremely enhanced levels of stability and thermotolerance. In one case, for example, a TSFP of the invention is so stable it can be heated to 99° C. for short periods of time without denaturing, and retains 85% of its fluorescence when heated to 80° C. for several minutes. The invention also provides a method for generating stability-enhanced variants of a protein, including but not limited to fluorescent proteins. | 03-29-2012 |
| 20120073956 | METHOD OF PREPARATION OF URANIUM NITRIDE - Method for producing terminal uranium nitride complexes comprising providing a suitable starting material comprising uranium; oxidizing the starting material with a suitable oxidant to produce one or more uranium(IV)-azide complexes; and, sufficiently irradiating the uranium(IV)-azide complexes to produce the terminal uranium nitride complexes. | 03-29-2012 |
| 20120070764 | NON-PRECIOUS METAL CATALYSTS - Catalyst comprising graphitic carbon and methods of making thereof; said graphitic carbon comprising a metal species, a nitrogen-containing species and a sulfur containing species. A catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction for an alkaline fuel cell was prepared by heating a mixture of cyanamide, carbon black, and a salt selected from an iron sulfate salt and an iron acetate salt at a temperature of from about 700° C. to about 1100° C. under an inert atmosphere. Afterward, the mixture was treated with sulfuric acid at elevated temperature to remove acid soluble components, and the resultant mixture was heated again under an inert atmosphere at the same temperature as the first heat treatment step. | 03-22-2012 |
| 20120068383 | MATERIAL FABRICATION USING ACOUSTIC RADIATION FORCES - Apparatus and methods for using acoustic radiation forces to order particles suspended in a host liquid are described. The particles may range in size from nanometers to millimeters, and may have any shape. The suspension is placed in an acoustic resonator cavity, and acoustical energy is supplied thereto using acoustic transducers. The resulting pattern may be fixed by using a solidifiable host liquid, forming thereby a solid material. Patterns may be quickly generated; typical times ranging from a few seconds to a few minutes. In a one-dimensional arrangement, parallel layers of particles are formed. With two and three dimensional transducer arrangements, more complex particle configurations are possible since different standing-wave patterns may be generated in the resonator. Fabrication of periodic structures, such as metamaterials, having periods tunable by varying the frequency of the acoustic waves, on surfaces or in bulk volume using acoustic radiation forces, provides great flexibility in the creation of new materials. Periodicities may range from millimeters to sub-micron distances, covering a large portion of the range for optical and acoustical metamaterials. | 03-22-2012 |
| 20120068071 | FLUORESCENT SINGLE WALLED NANOTUBE/SILICA COMPOSITE MATERIALS - Fluorescent composites of surfactant-wrapped single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) were prepared by exposing suspensions of surfactant-wrapped carbon nanotubes to tetramethylorthosilicate (TMOS) vapor. Sodium deoxycholate (DOC) and sodium dodecylsulphate (SDS) were the surfactants. No loss in emission intensity was observed when the suspension of DOC-wrapped SWNTs were exposed to the TMOS vapors, but about a 50% decrease in the emission signal was observed from the SUS-wrapped SWNTs nanotubes. The decrease in emission was minimal by buffering the SDS/SWNT suspension prior to forming the composite. Fluorescent xerogels were prepared by adding glycerol to the SWNT suspensions prior to TMOS vapor exposure, followed by drying the gels. Fluorescent aerogels were prepared by replacing water in the gels with methanol and then exposing them to supercritical fluid drying conditions. The aerogels can be used for gas sensing. | 03-22-2012 |
| 20120064341 | CARBON NANOTUBE/METAL CARBIDE COMPOSITES WITH ENHANCED PROPERTIES - Composite structures of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and metal carbides include a helical nanotube/carbide composite fiber, and a film. The composite fiber was prepared by pulling/twisting carbon nanotubes from an array of nanotubes to form an as-spun fiber and soaking it a metal precursor solution, and then heating it under a reducing atmosphere with a carbon source. The composite fiber had a higher tensile strength, a higher conductivity, and a higher tensile modulus than the as-spun fiber. A composite structure in the form of parallel ribbons of aligned carbon nanotubes embedded in a film of NbC showed an enhanced conductivity along the CNT axial direction, and improved superconducting properties. The enhanced upper critical field of NbC/CNT suggested that the inclusion of CNTs in the NbC matrix reduced the coherence length of the NbC. Nanomechanical testing also demonstrated the potential for enhanced fracture toughness of NbC/CNT composites. | 03-15-2012 |
| 20120058323 | Control of Strain Through Thickness in Epitaxial Films Via Vertical Nanocomposite Heteroepitaxy - A two-dimensional vertical heteroepitaxial strain controlled composite is grown. The strain-controlling phase can be benign in all other respects so that the functional properties of the parent phase are unchanged, improved/enhanced, and/or manipulated. The new composite is advantageous because there is no need for expensive specialized crystals and because there are no thickness limitations. | 03-08-2012 |
| 20120057616 | Dynamical/Tunable Electromagnetic Materials and Devices - A composite material that is responsive to either electromagnetic or thermal radiation. The composite has a controllable structure that is either dynamically or tunably responsive to such radiation and comprises a metamaterial. Sensors, such as a bolometer, that incorporate the composite are also described. | 03-08-2012 |
| 20120055853 | Apparatus For Separating Particles Utilizing Engineered Acoustic Contrast Capture Particles - An apparatus for separating particles from a medium includes a capillary defining a flow path therein that is in fluid communication with a medium source. The medium source includes engineered acoustic contrast capture particle having a predetermined acoustic contrast. The apparatus includes a vibration generator that is operable to produce at least one acoustic field within the flow path. The acoustic field produces a force potential minima for positive acoustic contrast particles and a force potential minima for negative acoustic contrast particles in the flow path and drives the engineered acoustic contrast capture particles to either the force potential minima for positive acoustic contrast particles or the force potential minima for negative acoustic contrast particles. | 03-08-2012 |
| 20120055264 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR NONINVASIVE PARTICLE DETECTION USING DOPPLER SPECTROSCOPY - An apparatus and method for noninvasively detecting the presence of solid particulate matter suspended in a fluid flowing through a pipe or an oil and gas wellbore are described. Fluid flowing through a conduit containing the particulate solids is exposed to a fixed frequency (>1 MHz) of ultrasonic vibrations from a transducer attached to the outside of the pipe. The returning Doppler frequency shifted signal derived from the scattering of sound from the moving solid particles is detected by an adjacent transducer. The transmitted signal and the Doppler signal are combined to provide sensitive particulate detection. The magnitude of the signal and the Doppler frequency shift are used to determine the particle size distribution and the velocity of the particles. Measurement of the phase shift between the applied frequency and the detected Doppler shifted may be used to determine the direction of motion of the particles. | 03-08-2012 |
| 20120055262 | INTEGRATED ACOUSTIC PHASE SEPARATOR AND MULTIPHASE FLUID COMPOSITION MONITORING APPARATUS AND METHOD - An apparatus and method for down hole gas separation from the multiphase fluid flowing in a wellbore or a pipe, for determining the quantities of the individual components of the liquid and the flow rate of the liquid, and for remixing the component parts of the fluid after which the gas volume may be measured, without affecting the flow stream, are described. Acoustic radiation force is employed to separate gas from the liquid, thereby permitting measurements to be separately made for these two components; the liquid (oil/water) composition is determined from ultrasonic resonances; and the gas volume is determined from capacitance measurements. Since the fluid flows around and through the component parts of the apparatus, there is little pressure difference, and no protection is required from high pressure differentials. | 03-08-2012 |
| 20120055253 | METHOD FOR NONINVASIVE DETERMINATION OF ACOUSTIC PROPERTIES OF FLUIDS INSIDE PIPES - A method for determining the composition of fluids flowing through pipes from noninvasive measurements of acoustic properties of the fluid is described. The method includes exciting a first transducer located on the external surface of the pipe through which the fluid under investigation is flowing, to generate an ultrasound chirp signal, as opposed to conventional pulses. The chirp signal is received by a second transducer disposed on the external surface of the pipe opposing the location of the first transducer, from which the transit time through the fluid is determined and the sound speed of the ultrasound in the fluid is calculated. The composition of a fluid is calculated from the sound speed therein. The fluid density may also be derived from measurements of sound attenuation. Several signal processing approaches are described for extracting the transit time information from the data with the effects of the pipe wall having been subtracted. | 03-08-2012 |
| 20120055239 | MULTIPHASE FLUID CHARACTERIZATION SYSTEM - A measurement system and method for permitting multiple independent measurements of several physical parameters of multiphase fluids flowing through pipes are described. Multiple acoustic transducers are placed in acoustic communication with or attached to the outside surface of a section of existing spool (metal pipe), typically less than 3 feet in length, for noninvasive measurements. Sound speed, sound attenuation, fluid density, fluid flow, container wall resonance characteristics, and Doppler measurements for gas volume fraction may be measured simultaneously by the system. Temperature measurements are made using a temperature sensor for oil-cut correction. | 03-08-2012 |
| 20120040100 | SOLUTION DEPOSITION PLANARIZATION METHOD - A process for planarizing a substrate involves applying a coating of a first solution of yttrium oxide precursor to a rough substrate surface and heating to remove solvent and convert the yttrium oxide precursor to yttrium oxide. This is repeated with the first solution and then with the second solution. A final surface roughness less than 1 nm RMS may be obtained. In addition, a process for preparing a layered structure includes solution deposition planarization of a rough substrate using different concentrations of metal oxide precursor to provide a metal oxide surface having a surface roughness, and then depositing MgO by IBAD (ion beam assisted deposition). A benefit of a better in plane MgO texture was observed for lower molarities, and when two solutions of different concentrations was employed for coating the rough substrate prior to IBAD-MgO. | 02-16-2012 |
| 20120034396 | METHOD TO MANUFACTURE BIT PATTERNED MAGNETIC RECORDING MEDIA - A method to increase the storage density on magnetic recording media by physically separating the individual bits from each other with a non-magnetic medium (so-called bit patterned media). This allows the bits to be closely packed together without creating magnetic “cross-talk” between adjacent bits. In one embodiment, ferromagnetic particles are submerged in a resin solution, contained in a reservoir. The bottom of the reservoir is made of piezoelectric material. | 02-09-2012 |
| 20120033212 | LASER INDUCED BREAKDOWN SPECTROSCOPY INSTRUMENTATION FOR REAL-TIME ELEMENTAL ANALYSIS - A backpack laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy LIBS system to provide rapid in-field elemental analysis of environmental samples important to the safeguarding of special nuclear materials. | 02-09-2012 |
| 20120032576 | PHOTO-STIMULATED LOW ELECTRON TEMPERATURE HIGH CURRENT DIAMOND FILM FIELD EMISSION CATHODE - An electron source includes a back contact surface having a means for attaching a power source to the back contact surface. The electron source also includes a layer comprising platinum in direct contact with the back contact surface, a composite layer of single-walled carbon nanotubes embedded in platinum in direct contact with the layer comprising platinum. The electron source also includes a nanocrystalline diamond layer in direct contact with the composite layer. The nanocrystalline diamond layer is doped with boron. A portion of the back contact surface is removed to reveal the underlying platinum. The electron source is contained in an evacuable container. | 02-09-2012 |
| 20120031644 | ULTRACONDUCTING ARTICLES - Ultraconducting devices and methods of making thereof, said ultraconducting devices comprising continuous, aligned carbon nanotubes and a metallic matrix which substantially surrounds the carbon nanotubes. | 02-09-2012 |
| 20120001631 | ULTRA-LOW FIELD NUCLEAR MAGNETIC RESONANCE METHOD TO DISCRIMINATE AND IDENTIFY MATERIALS - An ultra-low field (ULF) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and/or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system can be used for rapid identification and discrimination of materials, e.g., liquid in opaque containers and/or materials in or on human bodies. The system utilizes the ability of ULF NMR/MRI to measure NMR parameters in magnetic fields that can be easily changed in field strength and orientation. | 01-05-2012 |
| 20110301354 | EXPLOSIVE COMPLEXES - Lead-free primary explosives of the formula [M | 12-08-2011 |
| 20110301328 | POLYVALENT VACCINE - The present invention relates, in general, to an immunogenic composition (e.g., a vaccine) and, in particular, to a polyvalent immunogenic composition, such as a polyvalent HIV vaccine, and to methods of using same. The invention further relates to methods that use a genetic algorithm to create sets of polyvalent antigens suitable for use, for example, in vaccination strategies. | 12-08-2011 |
| 20110293820 | METAL-POLYMER COMPOSITES COMPRISING NANOSTRUCTURES AND APPLICATIONS THEREOF - Metal-polymer composites, and methods of making and use thereof, said composites comprising a thermally-cured dense polyaniline substrate; an acid dopant; and, metal nanostructure deposits wherein the deposits have a morphology dependent upon the acid dopant. | 12-01-2011 |
| 20110282039 | METHOD OF SYNTHESIS OF ANHYDROUS THORIUM(IV) COMPLEXES - Method of producing anhydrous thorium(IV) tetrahalide complexes, utilizing Th(NO | 11-17-2011 |
| 20110281204 | PREPARATION OF SUPPORTED ELECTROCATALYST COMPRISING MULTIWALLED CARBON NANOTUBES - A process for preparing a durable non-precious metal oxygen reduction electrocatalyst involves heat treatment of a ball-milled mixture of polyaniline and multiwalled carbon nanotubes in the presence of a Fe species. The catalyst is more durable than catalysts that use carbon black supports. Performance degradation was minimal or absent after 500 hours of operation at constant cell voltage of 0.40 V. | 11-17-2011 |
| 20110278040 | ELASTIC CONDUCTOR - Elastic conductors made of ribbons of aligned carbon nanotubes embedded in a matrix of poly(dimethylsiloxane) exhibit a stabilized resistance after several cycles of stretching and releasing. The elastic conductors were prepared by drawing a ribbon of carbon nanotubes from an aligned array of carbon nanotubes and positioning on cured poly(dimethylsiloxane). After providing each end of the ribbon with an electrode, a film of uncured poly(dimethylsiloxane) was cast on the ribbon and electrodes. After curing the film an elastic conductor was produced. The electrical resistance of this elastic conductor became stable after a few cycles of stretching and releasing to strains up to 100%. | 11-17-2011 |
| 20110275008 | ANION EXCHANGE POLYMER ELECTROLYTES - Solid anion exchange polymer electrolytes include chemical compounds comprising a polymer backbone with side chains that include guanidinium cations. | 11-10-2011 |
| 20110272674 | ORGANIC THIN FILM DEVICES WITH STABILIZED THRESHOLD VOLTAGE AND MOBILITY, AND METHOD FOR PREPARING THE DEVICES - Organic thin film devices that included an organic thin film subjected to a selected dose of a selected energy of ions exhibited a stabilized mobility (μ) and threshold voltage (VT), a decrease in contact resistance R | 11-10-2011 |
| 20110272272 | METHOD OF PRODUCING MOLYBDENUM-99 - Method of producing molybdenum-99, comprising accelerating ions by means of an accelerator; directing the ions onto a metal target so as to generate neutrons having an energy of greater than 10 MeV; directing the neutrons through a converter material comprising technecium-99 to produce a mixture comprising molybdenum-99; and, chemically extracting the molybdenum-99 from the mixture. | 11-10-2011 |
| 20110269985 | ISOTOPICALLY LABELED COMPOSITIONS AND METHOD - Compounds having stable isotopes | 11-03-2011 |
| 20110266491 | NON-AQUEOUS LIQUID COMPOSITIONS COMPRISING ION EXCHANGE POLYMERS - Compositions, and methods of making thereof, comprising from about 1% to about 5% of a perfluorinated sulfonic acid ionomer or a hydrocarbon-based ionomer; and from about 95% to about 99% of a solvent, said solvent consisting essentially of a polyol; wherein said composition is substantially free of water and wherein said ionomer is uniformly dispersed in said solvent. | 11-03-2011 |
| 20110260119 | NITROGEN-DOPED CARBON-SUPPORTED COBALT-IRON OXYGEN REDUCTION CATALYST - A Fe—Co hybrid catalyst for oxygen reaction reduction was prepared by a two part process. The first part involves reacting an ethyleneamine with a cobalt-containing precursor to form a cobalt-containing complex, combining the cobalt-containing complex with an electroconductive carbon supporting material, heating the cobalt-containing complex and carbon supporting material under conditions suitable to convert the cobalt-containing complex and carbon supporting material into a cobalt-containing catalyst support. The second part of the process involves polymerizing an aniline in the presence of said cobalt-containing catalyst support and an iron-containing compound under conditions suitable to form a supported, cobalt-containing, iron-bound polyaniline species, and subjecting said supported, cobalt-containing, iron bound polyaniline species to conditions suitable for producing a Fe—Co hybrid catalyst. | 10-27-2011 |
| 20110258361 | PETAFLOPS ROUTER - Disclosed is a method and system for performing operations on at least one input data vector in order to produce at least one output vector to permit easy, scalable and fast programming of a petascale equivalent supercomputer. A PetaFlops Router may comprise one or more PetaFlops Nodes, which may be connected to each other and/or external data provider/consumers via a programmable crossbar switch external to the PetaFlops Node. Each PetaFlops Node has a FPGA and a programmable intra-FPGA crossbar switch that permits input and output variables to be configurably connected to various physical operators contained in the FPGA as desired by a user. This allows a user to specify the instruction set of the system on a per-application basis. Further, the intra-FPGA crossbar switch permits the output of one operation to be delivered as an input to a second operation. By configuring the external crossbar switch, the output of a first operation on a first PetaFlops Node may be used as the input for a second operation on a second PetaFlops Node. An embodiment may provide an ability for the system to recognize and generate pipelined functions. Streaming operators may be connected together at run-time and appropriately staged to allow data to flow through a series of functions. This allows the system to provide high throughput and parallelism when possible. The PetaFlops Router may implement the user desired instructions by appropriately configuring the intra-FPGA crossbar switch on each PetaFlops Node and the external crossbar switch. | 10-20-2011 |
| 20110248163 | IMAGING BASED ON COSMIC-RAY PRODUCED CHARGED PARTICLES - Techniques, apparatus and systems for obtaining tomographic images of a volume of interest by using charged particle tomography detection systems. | 10-13-2011 |
| 20110247419 | TIME REVERSAL ACOUSTIC NONCONTACT SOURCE - The present invention provides a flexible noncontact source of wave energy through the use of time reversal. In the preferred embodiment a differential laser vibrometer is employed to measure the vibration of a sample surface. Thus, the time reversal noncontact source can be configured to provide an out of plane vibration source or an in plane vibration source, or any combination of the two. | 10-13-2011 |
| 20110245464 | HIGHLY THERMOSTABLE FLUORESCENT PROTEINS - Thermostable fluorescent proteins (TSFPs), methods for generating these and other stability-enhanced proteins, polynucleotides encoding such proteins, and assays and method for using the TSFPs and TSFP-encoding nucleic acid molecules are provided. The TSFPs of the invention show extremely enhanced levels of stability and thermotolerance. In one case, for example, a TSFP of the invention is so stable it can be heated to 99° C. for short periods of time without denaturing, and retains 85% of its fluorescence when heated to 80° C. for several minutes. The invention also provides a method for generating stability-enhanced variants of a protein, including but not limited to fluorescent proteins. | 10-06-2011 |
| 20110239006 | ADAPTIVE REAL-TIME METHODOLOGY FOR OPTIMIZING ENERGY-EFFICIENT COMPUTING - Dynamic voltage and frequency scaling (DVFS) is an effective way to reduce energy and power consumption in microprocessor units. Current implementations of DVFS suffer from inaccurate modeling of power requirements and usage, and from inaccurate characterization of the relationships between the applicable variables. A system and method is proposed that adjusts CPU frequency and voltage based on run-time calculations of the workload processing time, as well as a calculation of performance sensitivity with respect to CPU frequency. The system and method are processor independent, and can be applied to either an entire system as a unit, or individually to each process running on a system. | 09-29-2011 |
| 20110231116 | DETERMINING EFFECTS OF TURBINE BLADES ON FLUID MOTION - Disclosed is a technique for simulating wind interaction with wind turbines. A turbine blade is divided into radial sections. The effect that each of these radial sections has on the velocities in Eulerian computational cells they overlap is determined. The effect is determined using Lagrangian techniques such that the calculations need not include wind components in the radial direction. A force on each radial section of turbine blade is determined. This force depends on the axial and azimuthal components of the fluid flow in the computational cell and the geometric properties of the turbine blade. The force on the turbine blade is fed back to effect the fluid flow in the computational cell for the next time step. | 09-22-2011 |
| 20110217780 | TRANSGENIC ALGAE ENGINEERED FOR HIGHER PERFORMANCE - The present disclosure relates to transgenic algae having increased growth characteristics, and methods of increasing growth characteristics of algae. In particular, the disclosure relates to transgenic algae comprising a glutamine phenylpyruvate transaminase transgene and to transgenic algae comprising a glutamine phenylpyruvate transaminase transgene and a glutamine synthetase | 09-08-2011 |
| 20110189504 | PREPARATION OF METAL CARBIDE FILMS - A coating solution including a polymer and a metal selected from scandium, yttrium, titanium, zirconium, hafnium, vanadium, niobium, tantalum, chromium, molybdenum, tungsten, boron, aluminum and silicon can be deposited on a substrate and then exposed at elevated temperature to a reducing atmosphere including a gaseous carbon source. Solvent evaporates and the polymer decomposes and a metal carbide film forms on the substrate. Metal carbide films of titanium carbide, vanadium carbide, niobium carbide, tantalum carbide, tungsten carbide, silicon carbide, and several mixed carbides were prepared. X-Ray diffraction patterns of metal carbide films provide evidence of a highly ordered structure and excellent alignment with the substrate. A composite film of niobium carbide and carbon nanotubes was also prepared. | 08-04-2011 |
| 20110165684 | COATING FOR LEAK DETECTION AND METHOD - A coating is used to detect a fluid leak. | 07-07-2011 |
| 20110160461 | EXPLOSIVE COMPLEXES - Lead-free primary explosives of the formula [M | 06-30-2011 |
| 20110150915 | POLYVALENT VACCINE - The present invention relates, in general, to an immunogenic composition (e.g., a vaccine) and, in particular, to a polyvalent immunogenic composition, such as a polyvalent HIV vaccine, and to methods of using same. The invention further relates to methods that use a genetic algorithm to create sets of polyvalent antigens suitable for use, for example, in vaccination strategies. | 06-23-2011 |
| 20110146769 | PHOTOVOLTAIC DEVICE COMPRISING COMPOSITIONALLY GRADED INTRINSIC PHOTOACTIVE LAYER - Photovoltaic devices and methods of making photovoltaic devices comprising at least one compositionally graded photoactive layer, said method comprising providing a substrate; growing onto the substrate a uniform intrinsic photoactive layer having one surface disposed upon the substrate and an opposing second surface, said intrinsic photoactive layer consisting essentially of In | 06-23-2011 |
| 20110140074 | ROOM TEMPERATURE DISPENSER PHOTOCATHODE - Self-healing photocathode device comprising a photoemissive multi-alkali semiconductor comprising a multi-alkali antimonide having the formula A | 06-16-2011 |
| 20110140001 | HIGH THROUGHPUT FIBER OPTICAL ASSEMBLY FOR FLUORESCENCE SPECTROMETRY - System for high-throughput detection of the presence of an analyte of interest in a sample, said system comprising a multi-well plate sample container; an automated means for successively transporting samples from the multi-well plate sample container to a transparent capillary contained within a sample holder; an excitation source in optical communication with the sample, wherein radiation from the excitation source is directed along the length of the capillary, and wherein the radiation induces a signal which is emitted from the sample; and, at least one linear array comprising: a proximal end disposed in proximity to the sample holder and a single end port distal from the proximal end; a plurality of optical fibers extending from the proximal end to the end port and having a first end and a second end, wherein the first ends of the individual optical fibers are arranged substantially parallel and adjacent to one another, and wherein the second ends of the optical fibers form a non-linearly arranged bundle, and wherein the plurality of optical fibers transmits the fluorescent signal from the proximal end to the end port; and an end port assembly optically coupled to the end port, the end port assembly comprising a single photo-detector, wherein the photo-detector detects the fluorescent signal and converts the fluorescent signal into an electrical signal. | 06-16-2011 |
| 20110127164 | NON-INVASIVE ACOUSTIC TECHNIQUE FOR MIXING AND SEGREGATION OF FLUID SUSPENSIONS IN MICROFLUIDIC APPLICATIONS - The present invention includes an apparatus and corresponding method for fluid flow control in microfluidic applications. A microchamber, filled with a fluid, is in fluid contact with a flexible plate. A transducer is acoustically coupled to the flexible plate. A function generator outputs a signal to excite the transducer, which in turn induces drumhead vibration of the flexible plate, creating a flow pattern within the fluid filled microchamber. | 06-02-2011 |
| 20110105706 | ENERGY EFFICIENT SYNTHESIS OF BORANES - The reaction of halo-boron compounds (B—X compounds, compounds having one or more boron-halogen bonds) with silanes provides boranes (B—H compounds, compounds having one or more B—H bonds) and halosilanes. Inorganic hydrides, such as surface-bound silane hydrides (Si—H) react with B—X compounds to form B—H compounds and surface-bound halosilanes. The surface bound halosilanes are converted back to surface-bound silanes electrochemically. Halo-boron compounds react with stannanes (tin compounds having a Sn—H bond) to form boranes and halostannanes (tin compounds having a Sn—X bond). The halostannanes are converted back to stannanes electrochemically or by the thermolysis of Sn-formate compounds. When the halo-boron compound is BCl | 05-05-2011 |
| 20110100095 | Passive Glovebox Glove Leak Detector - A passive leak detector for a glovebox glove is disclosed. Pressure drop inside the glove is measured overnight to determine if there is a leak in the glovebox glove. Additionally, the glovebox is fire retardant and shields against radiation. | 05-05-2011 |
| 20110080804 | DEVICE AND METHOD FOR GENERATING A BEAM OF ACOUSTIC ENERGY FROM A BOREHOLE, AND APPLICATIONS THEREOF - In some aspects of the invention, a method of generating a beam of acoustic energy in a borehole is disclosed. The method includes generating a first acoustic wave at a first frequency; generating a second acoustic wave at a second frequency different than the first frequency, wherein the first acoustic wave and second acoustic wave are generated by at least one transducer carried by a tool located within the borehole; transmitting the first and the second acoustic waves into an acoustically non-linear medium, wherein the composition of the non-linear medium produces a collimated beam by a non-linear mixing of the first and second acoustic waves, wherein the collimated beam has a frequency based upon a difference between the first frequency and the second frequency; and transmitting the collimated beam through a diverging acoustic lens to compensate for a refractive effect caused by the curvature of the borehole. | 04-07-2011 |
| 20110066621 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MODELING AND ANALYZING COMPLEX SCENARIOS - An embodiment of the present invention includes a method for analyzing and solving possibility tree. A possibility tree having a plurality of programmable nodes is constructed and solved with a solver module executed by a processor element. The solver module executes the programming of said nodes, and tracks the state of at least a variable through a branch. When a variable of said branch is out of tolerance with a parameter, the solver disables remaining nodes of the branch and marks the branch as an invalid solution. The valid solutions are then aggregated and displayed as valid tree solutions. | 03-17-2011 |
| 20110065018 | ANION EXCHANGE POLYMER ELECTROLYTES - Solid anion exchange polymer electrolytes and compositions comprising chemical compounds comprising a polymeric core, a spacer A, and a guanidine base, wherein said chemical compound is uniformly dispersed in a suitable solvent and has the structure: | 03-17-2011 |
| 20110062423 | TUNABLE TERAHERTZ RADIATION SOURCE - Terahertz radiation source and method of producing terahertz radiation, said source comprising a junction stack, said junction stack comprising a crystalline material comprising a plurality of self-synchronized intrinsic Josephson junctions; an electrically conductive material in contact with two opposing sides of said crystalline material; and a substrate layer disposed upon at least a portion of both the crystalline material and the electrically-conductive material, wherein the crystalline material has a c-axis which is parallel to the substrate layer, and wherein the source emits at least 1 mW of power. | 03-17-2011 |
| 20110062397 | ACTINIDE/BERYLLIUM NEUTRON SOURCES WITH REDUCED DISPERSION CHARACTERISTICS - Neutron source comprising a composite, said composite comprising crystals comprising BeO and AmBe | 03-17-2011 |
| 20110062345 | TRITIUM SENSOR AND METHOD - A tritium sensor and method are provided. The sensor involves the use of an electrode having a semiconductor coating that has properties selected to allow the passage of beta particles at the particular energy level for tritium through the semiconductor layer to a conductive electrode core and produce current. Current flow in the core can be measured by a current measuring device. The current flow can be correlated to the concentration of tritium in the gas surrounding the electrode to provide an indication of the amount of tritium present. The device can be used in a static system or a system in which the tritium containing gas flows. The apparatus provides real time readings of the tritium concentration in gas. | 03-17-2011 |
| 20110053890 | SYNTHETIC ANALOGS OF BACTERIAL QUORUM SENSORS - Bacterial quorum-sensing molecule analogs having the following structures: | 03-03-2011 |
| 20110049441 | NON-AQUEOUS LIQUID COMPOSITIONS COMPRISING ION EXCHANGE POLYMERS CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION - Compositions, and methods of making thereof, comprising from about 1% to about 5% of a perfluorinated sulfonic acid ionomer or a hydrocarbon-based ionomer; and from about 95% to about 99% of a solvent, said solvent consisting essentially of a polyol; wherein said composition is substantially free of water and wherein said ionomer is uniformly dispersed in said solvent. | 03-03-2011 |
| 20110046246 | ANION-CONDUCTING POLYMER, COMPOSITION, AND MEMBRANE - Anion-conducing polymers and membranes with enhanced stability to aqueous alkali include a polymer backbone with attached sulfonium, phosphazenium, phosphazene, and guanidinium residues. Compositions also with enhanced stability to aqueous alkali include a support embedded with sulfonium, phosphazenium, and guanidinium salts. | 02-24-2011 |
| 20110042585 | FIBER OPTICAL ASSEMBLY FOR FLUORESCENCE SPECTROMETRY - System and method for analyzing a sample for the presence of an analyte in a sample, the system comprising a sample holder for containing the sample; an excitation source in optical communication with the sample, wherein radiation from the excitation source is directed to the sample, and wherein the radiation induces a fluorescence signal; and at least one linear array comprising a proximal end disposed in proximity to the sample holder and an end port distal from the proximal end; a plurality of optical fibers extending from the proximal end to the end port and having a first end and a second end, wherein the first ends of the individual optical fibers are substantially coplanar and adjacent to one another, and wherein the second ends of the optical fibers form a non-linearly arranged bundle, and wherein the plurality of optical fibers transmits the fluorescent signal from the proximal end to the end port; and an end port assembly optically coupled to the end port, the end port assembly comprising a single photo-detector, wherein the photo-detector detects the fluorescent signal and converts the fluorescent signal into an electrical signal. | 02-24-2011 |
| 20110040110 | METHOD OF CARBON CHAIN EXTENSION USING NOVEL ALDOL REACTION - Method of producing C | 02-17-2011 |
| 20110040109 | METHOD OF CARBON CHAIN EXTENSION USING NOVEL ALDOL REACTION - Method of producing C | 02-17-2011 |
| 20110034600 | POLYMER-ASSISTED DEPOSITION OF FILMS AND PREPARATION OF CARBON NANOTUBE ARRAYS USING THE FILMS - Carbon nanotubes were prepared by coating a substrate with a coating solution including a suitable solvent, a soluble polymer, a metal precursor having a first metal selected from iron, nickel, cobalt, and molybdenum, and optionally a second metal selected from aluminum and magnesium, and also a binding agent that forms a complex with the first metal and a complex with the second metal. The coated substrate was exposed to a reducing atmosphere at elevated temperature, and then to a hydrocarbon in the reducing atmosphere. The result was decomposition of the polymer and formation of carbon nanotubes on the substrate. The carbon nanotubes were often in the form of an array on the substrate. | 02-10-2011 |
| 20110032522 | System and Method for Measuring Particles in a Sample Stream of a Flow Cytometer or the Like - A system and method for analyzing a particle in a sample stream of a flow cytometer or the like. The system has a light source, such as a laser pointer module, for generating a low powered light beam and a fluidics apparatus which is configured to transport particles in the sample stream at substantially low velocity through the light beam for interrogation. Detectors, such as photomultiplier tubes, are configured to detect optical signals generated in response to the light beam impinging the particles. Signal conditioning circuitry is connected to each of the detectors to condition each detector output into electronic signals for processing and is designed to have a limited frequency response to filter high frequency noise from the detector output signals. | 02-10-2011 |
| 20110030104 | Nucleic acids encoding plant glutamine phenylpyruvate transaminase (GPT) and uses thereof - Glutamine phenylpyruvate transaminase (GPT) proteins, nucleic acid molecules encoding GPT proteins, and uses thereof are disclosed. Provided herein are various GPT proteins and GPT gene coding sequences isolated from a number of plant species. As disclosed herein, GPT proteins share remarkable structural similarity within plant species, and are active in catalyzing the synthesis of 2-hydroxy-5-oxoproline (2-oxoglutaramate), a powerful signal metabolite which regulates the function of a large number of genes involved in the photosynthesis apparatus, carbon fixation and nitrogen metabolism. | 02-03-2011 |
| 20110030089 | Transgenic plants with enhanced growth characteristics - The invention relates to transgenic plants exhibiting dramatically enhanced growth rates, greater seed and fruit/pod yields, earlier and more productive flowering, more efficient nitrogen utilization, increased tolerance to high salt conditions, and increased biomass yields. In one embodiment, transgenic plants engineered to over-express both glutamine phenylpyruvate transaminase (GPT) and glutamine synthetase (GS) are provided. The GPT+GS double-transgenic plants of the invention consistently exhibit enhanced growth characteristics, with T0 generation lines showing an increase in biomass over wild type counterparts of between 50% and 300%. Generations that result from sexual crosses and/or selfing typically perform even better, with some of the double-transgenic plants achieving an astounding four-fold biomass increase over wild type plants. | 02-03-2011 |
| 20110024335 | Acoustic Concentration of Particles in Fluid Flow - An apparatus for acoustic concentration of particles in a fluid flow includes a substantially acoustically transparent membrane and a vibration generator that define a fluid flow path therebetween. The fluid flow path is in fluid communication with a fluid source and a fluid outlet and the vibration generator is disposed adjacent the fluid flow path and is capable of producing an acoustic field in the fluid flow path. The acoustic field produces at least one pressure minima in the fluid flow path at a predetermined location within the fluid flow path and forces predetermined particles in the fluid flow path to the at least one pressure minima. | 02-03-2011 |
| 20110006254 | PROCESS TO MAKE ELECTROCHEMICALLY ACTIVE/INACTIVE NANOCOMPOSITE MATERIAL - A process for making an first material/second material nanocomposite is disclosed. The process can include providing a precursor that contains an electrochemically active and an electrochemically inactive material. Thereafter, the precursor can be suspended in an aerosol gas to produce an aerosol and a plasma having a high field zone can be provided. The aerosol can be passed through the high field zone of the plasma and result in the vaporization of at least part of the precursor in the aerosol. The precursor that has been vaporized in the high field zone is subsequently removed therefrom and allowed to condense into an first material/second material nanocomposite with at least one electrochemically active material. | 01-13-2011 |
| 20110000282 | PASSIVE GLOVEBOX GLOVE LEAK DETECTOR - A passive leak detector for a glovebox glove is disclosed. Pressure drop inside the glove is measured overnight to determine if there is a leak in the glovebox glove. | 01-06-2011 |
| 20100324155 | PREPARATION OF INORGANIC FOAM - A solution of soluble metal, soluble polymer, and a suitable solvent is converted into a gel body having a surface area to volume ratio no greater than 10. The gel body is converted to inorganic foam. Foams of metal oxide, metal nitride foam, metal carbide foam, metal selenide, and elemental metal were prepared. Several of the foams are (a) molybdenum carbide and molybdenum nitride, (b) TiO, (c) copper selenide, (d) copper indium selenide, (e) molybdenum carbide, molybdenum nitride, and platinum, and (f) ruthenium dioxide. | 12-23-2010 |
| 20100322031 | SYSTEM FOR GENERATING A BEAM OF ACOUSTIC ENERGY FROM A BOREHOLE, AND APPLICATIONS THEREOF - In some aspects of the invention, a device, positioned within a well bore, configured to generate and direct an acoustic beam into a rock formation around a borehole is disclosed. The device comprises a source configured to generate a first signal at a first frequency and a second signal at a second frequency; a transducer configured to receive the generated first and the second signals and produce acoustic waves at the first frequency and the second frequency; and a non-linear material, coupled to the transducer, configured to generate a collimated beam with a frequency equal to the difference between the first frequency and the second frequency by a non-linear mixing process, wherein the non-linear material includes one or more of a mixture of liquids, a solid, a granular material, embedded microspheres, or an emulsion. | 12-23-2010 |
| 20100322029 | SYSTEM FOR GENERATING A BEAM OF ACOUSTIC ENERGY FROM A BOREHOLE, AND APPLICATIONS THEREOF - In some aspects of the invention, a device, positioned within a well bore, configured to generate and direct an acoustic beam into a rock formation around a borehole is disclosed. The device comprises a source configured to generate a first signal at a first frequency and a second signal at a second frequency; a transducer configured to receive the generated first and the second signals and produce acoustic waves at the first frequency and the second frequency; and a non-linear material, coupled to the transducer, configured to generate a collimated beam with a frequency equal to the difference between the first frequency and the second frequency by a non-linear mixing process, wherein the non-linear material includes one or more of a mixture of liquids, a solid, a granular material, embedded microspheres, or an emulsion. | 12-23-2010 |
| 20100319534 | GAS STORAGE AND SEPARATION BY ELECTRIC FIELD SWING ADSORPTION - Gases are stored, separated, and/or concentrated. An electric field is applied across a porous dielectric adsorbent material. A gas component from a gas mixture may be selectively separated inside the energized dielectric. Gas is stored in the energized dielectric for as long as the dielectric is energized. The energized dielectric selectively separates, or concentrates, a gas component of the gas mixture. When the potential is removed, gas from inside the dielectric is released. | 12-23-2010 |
| 20100317117 | SELECTIVE MEMBRANE EXTRACTION OF RADIOACTIVE ANALYTES - A membrane selectively extracted a radioactive analyte from a sample solution. The membrane was prepared as thin film, and includes a soluble extractant and a collodion matrix that disperse the extractant homogeneously throughout the membrane. A membrane was formed by applying a solution including collodion, an extractant, and an organic solvent onto a surface of an aqueous solution containing a radioactive analyte. After the membrane formed on the surface, it was removed and then analyzed. The analysis proved that the membrane extracted radioactive analyte from the solution in far greater amounts compared to a control membrane prepared without the extractant. | 12-16-2010 |
| 20100314549 | NEUTRON DETECTORS COMPRISING BORON POWDER - High-efficiency neutron detector substrate assemblies comprising a first conductive substrate, wherein a first side of the substrate is in direct contact with a first layer of a powder material comprising | 12-16-2010 |
| 20100301288 | PREPARATION OF NUCLEAR FUEL COMPOSITION AND RECYCLING - A composition is prepared by heating particles of a nuclear fuel material in a metal salt that decomposes below 1000° C. to form a metal oxide. Magnesium nitrate hexahydrate is an example of such a metal salt. A resulting composition includes the particles homogeneously dispersed in a matrix of magnesium oxide. After the composition is used in a nuclear reactor, the now spent composition is removed, cooled, and the matrix is dissolved away from the spent particles, which can be reused in another nuclear fuel composition. The recovered fuel particles also contain some fission products that provide a radiation barrier that discourages theft of the recovered fuel particles. | 12-02-2010 |
| 20100289060 | METHOD OF FABRICATING FREE-FORM, HIGH-ASPECT RATIO COMPONENTS FOR HIGH-CURRENT, HIGH-SPEED MICROELECTRONICS - Microelectronic structures and devices, and method of fabricating a three-dimensional microelectronic structure is provided, comprising passing a first precursor material for a selected three-dimensional microelectronic structure into a reaction chamber at temperatures sufficient to maintain said precursor material in a predominantly gaseous state; maintaining said reaction chamber under sufficient pressures to enhance formation of a first portion of said three-dimensional microelectronic structure; applying an electric field between an electrode and said microelectronic structure at a desired point under conditions whereat said first portion of a selected three-dimensional microelectronic structure is formed from said first precursor material; positionally adjusting either said formed three-dimensional microelectronic structure or said electrode whereby further controlled growth of said three-dimensional microelectronic structure occurs; passing a second precursor material for a selected three-dimensional microelectronic structure into a reaction chamber at temperatures sufficient to maintain said precursor material in a predominantly gaseous state; maintaining said reaction chamber under sufficient pressures whereby a second portion of said three-dimensional microelectronic structure formation is enhanced; applying an electric field between an electrode and said microelectronic structure at a desired point under conditions whereat said second portion of a selected three-dimensional microelectronic structure is formed from said second precursor material; and, positionally adjusting either said formed three-dimensional microelectronic structure or said electrode whereby further controlled growth of said three-dimensional microelectronic structure occurs. | 11-18-2010 |
| 20100288699 | PURIFICATION OF WATER FROM COOLING TOWERS AND OTHER HEAT EXCHANGE SYSTEMS - The amount of silica in cooling tower water is reduced by passing cooling tower water through a column of silica gel. | 11-18-2010 |
| 20100276579 | DYNAMIC RADIOACTIVE PARTICLE SOURCE - A method and apparatus for providing a timed, synchronized dynamic alpha or beta particle source for testing the response of continuous air monitors (CAMs) for airborne alpha or beta emitters is provided. The method includes providing a radioactive source; placing the radioactive source inside the detection volume of a CAM; and introducing an alpha or beta-emitting isotope while the CAM is in a normal functioning mode. | 11-04-2010 |
| 20100272622 | REGENERATION OF AMMONIA BORANE FROM POLYBORAZYLENE - Method of producing ammonia borane, comprising providing a reagent comprising a dehydrogenated material in a suitable solvent; and combining the reagent with a reducing agent comprising hydrazine, a hydrazine derivative, or combinations thereof, in a reaction which produces a mixture comprising ammonia borane. | 10-28-2010 |
| 20100270038 | Kerogen Extraction from Subterranean Oil Shale Resources - The present invention is directed to methods for extracting a kerogen-based product from subsurface (oil) shale formations, wherein such methods rely on fracturing and/or rubblizing portions of said formations so as to enhance their fluid permeability, and wherein such methods further rely on chemically modifying the shale-bound kerogen so as to render it mobile. The present invention is also directed at systems for implementing at least some of the foregoing methods. Additionally, the present invention is also directed to methods of fracturing and/or rubblizing subsurface shale formations and to methods of chemically modifying kerogen in situ so as to render it mobile. | 10-28-2010 |
| 20100267170 | ROBUST, SELF-ASSEMBLED, BIOCOMPATIBLE FILMS - The present invention provides a composite material including a substrate having an oxide surface, and, a continuous monolayer on the oxide surface, the monolayer including a silicon atom from a trifunctional alkyl/alkenyl/alkynyl silane group that attaches to the oxide surface, an alkyl/alkenyl/alkynyl portion of at least three carbon atoms, a polyalkylene glycol spacer group, and either a reactive site (e.g., a recognition ligand) or a site resistant to non-specific binding (e.g., a methoxy or the like) at the terminus of each modified SAM. The present invention further provides a sensor element, a sensor array and a method of sensing, each employing the composite material. Patterning is also provided together with backfilling to minimize non-specific binding. | 10-21-2010 |
| 20100264012 | ENRICHMENT OF LIGHT HYDROCARBON MIXTURE - Light hydrocarbon enrichment is accomplished using a vertically oriented distillation column having a plurality of vertically oriented, nonselective micro/mesoporous hollow fibers. Vapor having, for example, both propylene and propane is sent upward through the distillation column in between the hollow fibers. Vapor exits neat the top of the column and is condensed to form a liquid phase that is directed back downward through the lumen of the hollow fibers. As vapor continues to ascend and liquid continues to countercurrently descend, the liquid at the bottom of the column becomes enriched in a higher boiling point, light hydrocarbon (propane, for example) and the vapor at the top becomes enriched in a lower boiling point light hydrocarbon (propylene, for example). The hollow fiber becomes wetted with liquid during the process. | 10-21-2010 |
| 20100263090 | Plant Glutamine Phenylpyruvate Transaminase Gene and Transgenic Plants Carrying Same - The invention relates to transgenic plants exhibiting enhanced growth rates, seed and fruit yields, and overall biomass yields, as well as methods for generating growth-enhanced transgenic plants. In one embodiment, transgenic plants engineered to over-express glutamine phenylpyruvate transaminase (GPT) are provided. | 10-14-2010 |
| 20100255467 | ASSAYS FOR DETERMINING EXPOSURE TO MULTIWALLED CARBON NANOTUBES - Assays useful in determining exposure to multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are provided. In one aspect, the MWCNT exposure assays operate by detecting a significant increase in the expression levels and/or status of certain cytokines shown to be responsive to MWCNT exposure. | 10-07-2010 |
| 20100236780 | Controlling the Pressure within an Annular Volume of a Wellbore - A process is described for replacing at least a portion of the liquid within the annular volume of a casing system within a wellbore with a second liquid. The second liquid is preselected to provide a measure of control of the pressure within the annular volume as the fluid within the volume is being heated. | 09-23-2010 |
| 20100236614 | HYBRID PHOTOVOLTAICS BASED ON SEMICONDUCTOR NANOCRYSTALS AND AMORPHOUS SILICON - Semiconductor nanocrystals (NCs) are promising materials for applications in photovoltaic (PV) structures that could benefit from size-controlled tunability of absorption spectra, the ease of realization of various tandem architectures, and perhaps, increased conversion efficiency in the ultraviolet through carrier multiplication. The first practical step toward utilization of the unique properties of NCs in PV technologies could be through their integration into traditional silicon-based solar cells. Here, we demonstrate an example of such hybrid PV structures that combine colloidal NCs with amorphous silicon. In these structures, NCs and silicon are electronically coupled, and the regime of this coupling can be tuned by altering the alignment of NC states with regard to silicon band edges. For example, using wide-gap CdSe NCs we demonstrate a photoresponse which is exclusively due to the NCs. On the other hand, in devices comprising narrow-gap PbS NCs, both the NCs and silicon contribute to photocurrent, which results in PV response extending from the visible to the near-infrared. This work demonstrates the feasibility of hybrid PV devices that combine advantages of mature silicon fabrication technologies with the unique electronic properties of semiconductor NCs. | 09-23-2010 |
| 20100219827 | ULTRA-LOW FIELD NUCLEAR MAGNETIC RESONANCE AND MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING TO DISCRIMINATE AND IDENTIFY MATERIALS - Method comprising obtaining an NMR measurement from a sample wherein an ultra-low field NMR system probes the sample and produces the NMR measurement and wherein a sampling temperature, prepolarizing field, and measurement field are known; detecting the NMR measurement by means of inductive coils; analyzing the NMR measurement to obtain at least one measurement feature wherein the measurement feature comprises T1, T2, T1ρ, or the frequency dependence thereof; and, searching for the at least one measurement feature within a database comprising NMR reference data for at least one material to determine if the sample comprises a material of interest. | 09-02-2010 |
| 20100205856 | METHOD OF PRODUCING SYNTHETIC FUELS AND ORGANIC CHEMICALS FROM ATMOSPHERIC CARBON DIOXIDE - The present invention is directed to providing a method of producing synthetic fuels and organic chemicals from atmospheric carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide gas is extracted from the atmosphere, hydrogen gas is obtained by splitting water, a mixture of the carbon dioxide gas and the hydrogen gas (synthesis gas) is generated, and the synthesis gas is converted into synthetic fuels and/or organic products. The present invention is also directed to utilizing a nuclear power reactor to provide power for the method of the present invention. | 08-19-2010 |
| 20100202580 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR NEUTRON GENERATION USING LIQUID TARGETS - An apparatus and method for a beam target fusion neutron generator comprising a closed cycle flow generator having a continuous liquid phase flowing stream liquid target containing hydrogen isotopes where said stream has a continuously refreshed exposed surface and where said liquid target is high vacuum compatible at cryogenic temperatures; and an ion beam generator adapted to produce an ion beam and focused to direct said beam to bombard said flowing stream liquid target. The flowing stream liquid target can be a thin film curtain and said closed cycle flow generator can be a cryogenic liquid handling system having a heat exchanger adapted to maintain said liquid target at cryogenic temperatures and having a collection reservoir position to capture use target material for recycling. | 08-12-2010 |
| 20100186121 | Transgenic Plants with Enhanced Growth Characteristics - The invention relates to transgenic plants exhibiting dramatically enhanced growth rates, greater seed and fruit/pod yields, earlier and more productive flowering, more efficient nitrogen utilization, increased tolerance to high salt conditions, and increased biomass yields. In one embodiment, transgenic plants engineered to over-express both glutamine phenylpyruvate transaminase (GPT) and glutamine synthetase (GS) are provided. The GPT+GS double-transgenic plants of the invention consistently exhibit enhanced growth characteristics, with T0 generation lines showing an increase in biomass over wild type counterparts of between 50% and 300%. Generations that result from sexual crosses and/or selfing typically perform even better, with some of the double-transgenic plants achieving an astounding four-fold biomass increase over wild type plants. | 07-22-2010 |
| 20100170009 | Nucleic acids encoding plant glutamine phenylpyruvate transaminase (GPT) and uses thereof - Glutamine phenylpyruvate transaminase (GPT) proteins, nucleic acid molecules encoding GPT proteins, and uses thereof are disclosed. Provided herein are various GPT proteins and GPT gene coding sequences isolated from a number of plant species. As disclosed herein, GPT proteins share remarkable structural similarity within plant species, and are active in catalyzing the synthesis of 2-hydroxy-5-oxoproline (2-oxoglutaramate), a powerful signal metabolite which regulates the function of a large number of genes involved in the photosynthesis apparatus, carbon fixation and nitrogen metabolism. | 07-01-2010 |
| 20100163236 | Controlling the Pressure Within an Annular Volume of a Wellbore - A process is described for replacing at least a portion of the liquid within the annular volume of a casing system within a wellbore with a second liquid. The second liquid is preselected to provide a measure of control of the pressure within the annular volume as the fluid within the volume is being heated. | 07-01-2010 |
| 20100138205 | STOCHASTIC MOLECULAR BINDING SIMULATION - The invention provides methods of dynamically simulating molecular interactions between a target molecule and a plurality of ligand molecules. The ligand molecules may be presented in the model as a homogeneous set of identical ligands or as a heterogeneous set of different ligands, such as, for example, a set of structural variants of a ligand molecule. Typically, the ligand molecule will be a small organic compound, such as a drug or other small molecule, and the ligand will be a protein or a protein domain, a nucleic acid (i.e., DNA, RNA), or a biomolecular complex of proteins and/or nucleic acid molecules. Unlike all known molecular dynamics simulation methods, the invention provides ligand molecules to the simulation's interaction environment(s) in excess relative to the target molecule. | 06-03-2010 |
| 20100098211 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MEASURING ENRICHMENT OF UF6 - A system and method are disclosed for determining the enrichment of | 04-22-2010 |
| 20100096138 | Controlling the Pressure Within an Annular Volume of a Wellbore - A process is described for replacing at least a portion of the liquid within the annular volume of a casing system within a wellbore with a second liquid. The second liquid is preselected to provide a measure of control of the pressure within the annular volume as the fluid within the volume is being heated. | 04-22-2010 |
| 20100091275 | METAL-POLYMER COMPOSITES COMPRISING NANOSTRUCTURES AND APPLICATIONS THEREOF - Metal-polymer composites, and methods of making and use thereof, said composites comprising a thermally-cured dense polyaniline substrate; an acid dopant; and, metal nanostructure deposits wherein the deposits have a morphology dependent upon the acid dopant. | 04-15-2010 |
| 20100090697 | METHOD OF PERFORMING MRI WITH AN ATOMIC MAGNETOMETER - A method and apparatus are provided for performing an in-situ magnetic resonance imaging of an object. The method includes the steps of providing an atomic magnetometer, coupling a magnetic field generated by magnetically resonating samples of the object through a flux transformer to the atomic magnetometer and measuring a magnetic resonance of the atomic magnetometer. | 04-15-2010 |
| 20100088074 | MODELING OF THE RADIATION BELT MEGNETOSPHERE IN DECISIONAL TIMEFRAMES - The calculation of L* in the magnetosphere can be calculated with essentially the same accuracy as with a physics based model at many times the speed by developing a surrogate trained to be a surrogate for the physics-based model. The trained model can then beneficially process input data falling within the training range of the surrogate model. The surrogate model can be a feedforward neural network and the physics-based model can be the TSK03 model. | 04-08-2010 |
| 20100078422 | SMALL FOOTPRINT HEATER - A device for heating a biological sample, the device having a heating source comprising a semiconductor chip. A sample chamber, or other medium to be heated, is positioned adjacent the heating source, wherein the sample chamber is configured to house a biological sample at a predetermined temperature. A microcontroller is electrically coupled to the semiconductor chip and a sensor positioned inside, at, or near the sample chamber. The microcontroller supplies a load current to the heating source to generate heat from the heating source, and the sensor is coupled to the microcontroller to provide feedback for controlling the heat generated by the heating source. The device may also support different heating profiles that are software and/or hardware selectable | 04-01-2010 |
| 20100075339 | SURFACE-ENHANCED RAMAN SCATTERING (SERS) BASED NANOPARTICLE COMPOSITES - Nanoparticle composites and method of use thereof for simultaneously sensing and probing a biological system, comprising providing a nanoparticle composite comprising a nanoparticle comprising a core and a shell; a first ligand bound to the nanoparticle, said first ligand capable of sensing pH; a second ligand bound to the nanoparticle, said second ligand distinct from said first ligand and capable of binding to a target; and bringing the nanoparticle composite into contact with the biological system to produce a first and a second pH-dependent signal; and analyzing the first or the second signal by means of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy. | 03-25-2010 |
| 20100069675 | SYNTHESIS OF [1-13C]PYRUVIC ACID], [2-13C]PYRUVIC ACID], [3-13C]PYRUVIC ACID] AND COMBINATIONS THEREOF - The present invention is directed to the labeled compounds, | 03-18-2010 |
| 20100066357 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MEASURING CRITICAL CURRENT PROPERTIES OF A COATED CONDUCTOR - The transverse critical-current uniformity in a superconducting tape was determined using a magnetic knife apparatus. A critical current I | 03-18-2010 |
| 20100060894 | NANOSTRUCTURED METAL-POLYANILINE COMPOSITES AND APPLICATIONS THEREOF - Metal-polyaniline (PANI) composites are provided together with a process of preparing such composites by an electrodeless process. The metal of the composite can have nanoscale structural features and the composites can be used in applications such as catalysis for hydrogenation reactions and for analytical detection methods employing SERS. | 03-11-2010 |
| 20100055352 | METHOD OF FABRICATION OF FIBERS, TEXTILES AND COMPOSITE MATERIALS - A method of growing a plurality of free-standing structures comprises providing a plurality of free-standing structures, each free-standing structure having a first end coupled to a substrate, and a terminal end; providing at least one laser beam, the laser beam having a beam waste at a point proximate to the terminal end of the free-standing structure; and moving one of the plurality of freestanding structures or the beam waste to provide a growth zone proximate to the terminal end of each of the free-standing structures such that the free-standing structures grow into the growth zones by addition of decomposing precursor components. The growth rates of each of the free-standing structures are substantially the same. | 03-04-2010 |
| 20100039324 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PHASE FRONTS BASED ON SUPERLUMINAL POLARIZATION CURRENT - An apparatus and method for a radiation source involving phase fronts emanating from an accelerated, oscillating polarization current whose distribution pattern moves superluminally (that is, faster than light in vacuo). Theoretical predictions and experimental measurements using an existing prototype superluminal source show that the phase fronts from such a source can be made to be very complex. Consequently, it will be very difficult for an aircraft imaged by such a radiation to detect where this radiation has come from. Moreover, the complexity of the phase fronts makes it almost impossible for electronics on an aircraft to synthesize a rogue reflection. A simple directional antenna and timing system should, on the other hand, be sufficient for the radar operators to locate the aircraft, given knowledge of their own source's speed and modulation pattern. | 02-18-2010 |
| 20100029069 | GERMANIUM FILMS BY POLYMER-ASSISTED DEPOSITION - Highly ordered Ge films are prepared directly on single crystal Si substrates by applying an aqueous coating solution having Ge-bound polymer onto the substrate and then heating in a hydrogen-containing atmosphere. A coating solution was prepared by mixing water, a germanium compound, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, and polyethyleneimine to form a first aqueous solution and then subjecting the first aqueous solution to ultrafiltration. | 02-04-2010 |
| 20100026292 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MEASURING MAGNETIC ANISOTROPY OF A CONDUCTIVE WIRE OR TAPE - A method and apparatus for measuring the magnetic field anisotropy of critical currents in conductive wires and conductive tapes having lengths of at least one meter. In one embodiment, the method and apparatus are adapted to measure the magnetic field anisotropy of critical currents in superconducting wires and tapes. The apparatus includes a magnetic field generation assembly that is capable of generating a magnetic field. The magnetic field is orthogonal to a current passing through a conductive wire or conductive tape positioned on an axis of the assembly. The magnetic field generation assembly and magnetic field are rotatable about the axis. | 02-04-2010 |
| 20100009427 | Synthesis of fluorescent metal nanoclusters - Fluorescent metal nanoclusters were prepared. | 01-14-2010 |
| 20100003569 | CHALCOGEN CATALYSTS FOR POLYMER ELECTROLYTE FUEL CELL - A methanol-tolerant cathode catalyst and a membrane electrode assembly for fuel cells that includes such a cathode catalyst. The cathode catalyst includes a support having at least one transition metal in elemental form and a chalcogen disposed on the support. Methods of making the cathode catalyst and membrane electrode assembly are also described. | 01-07-2010 |
| 20090318575 | ANION-CONDUCTING POLYMER, COMPOSITION, AND MEMBRANE - Anion-conducing polymers and membranes with enhanced stability to aqueous alkali include a polymer backbone with attached sulfonium, phosphazenium, phosphazene, and guanidinium residues. Compositions also with enhanced stability to aqueous alkali include a support embedded with sulfonium, phosphazenium, and guanidinium salts. | 12-24-2009 |
| 20090302195 | NANOPHOSPHOR COMPOSITE SCINTILLATORS COMPRISING A POLYMER MATRIX - An improved nanophosphor composite comprises surface modified nanophosphor particles in a solid matrix. The nanophosphor particle surface is modified with an organic ligand, or by covalently bonding a polymeric or polymeric precursor material. The surface modified nanophosphor particle is essentially charge neutral, thereby preventing agglomeration of the nanophosphor particles during formation of the composite material. The improved nanophosphor composite may be used in any conventional scintillator application, including in a radiation detector. | 12-10-2009 |
| 20090297423 | ENERGY EFFICIENT SYNTHESIS OF BORANES - The reaction of halo-boron compounds (B—X compounds, compounds having one or more boron-halogen bonds) with silanes provides boranes (B—H compounds, compounds having one or more B—H bonds) and halosilanes. Inorganic hydrides, such as surface-bound silane hydrides (Si—H) react with B—X compounds to form B—H compounds and surface-bound halosilanes. The surface bound halosilanes are converted back to surface-bound silanes electrochemically. Halo-boron compounds react with stannanes (tin compounds having a Sn—H bond) to form boranes and halostannanes (tin compounds having a Sn—X bond). The halostannanes are converted back to stannanes electrochemically or by the thermolysis of Sn-formate compounds. When the halo-boron compound is BCl | 12-03-2009 |
| 20090274613 | Hydrogen Production Using Ammonia Borane - Hydrogen (“H | 11-05-2009 |
| 20090273781 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MONITORING OF GAS HAVING STABLE ISOTOPES - Gas having stable isotopes is monitored continuously by using a system that sends a modulated laser beam to the gas and collects and transmits the light not absorbed by the gas to a detector. Gas from geological storage, or from the atmosphere can be monitored continuously without collecting samples and transporting them to a lab. | 11-05-2009 |
| 20090250844 | METHOD OF FABRICATING METAL- AND CERAMIC- MATRIX COMPOSITES AND FUNCTIONALIZED TEXTILES - A method of manufacturing an article comprises providing a first sheet, wetting the first sheet with a liquid precursor to provide a first wet sheet, and irradiating the first wet sheet in a pattern corresponding to a first cross section of the article such that the liquid precursor is at least partially converted to a solid in the first cross section. A second sheet is disposed adjacent to the first sheet. The method further comprises wetting the second sheet with the liquid precursor to provide a second wet sheet, and irradiating the second wet sheet in a pattern corresponding to a second cross section of the article such that the liquid precursor is at least partially converted to a solid in the second cross section. In particular the liquid precursor may be converted to a metal, ceramic, semiconductor, semimetal, or a combination of these materials. | 10-08-2009 |
| 20090249797 | Thermoacoustic Refrigerators and Engines Comprising Cascading Stirling Thermodynamic Units - The present invention includes a thermoacoustic assembly and method for improved efficiency. The assembly has a first stage Stirling thermal unit comprising a main ambient heat exchanger, a regenerator and at least one additional heat exchanger. The first stage Stirling thermal unit is serially coupled to a first end of a quarter wavelength long coupling tube. A second stage Stirling thermal unit comprising a main ambient heat exchanger, a regenerator, and at least one additional heat exchanger, is serially coupled to a second end of the quarter wavelength long coupling tube. | 10-08-2009 |
| 20090236213 | ENRICHMENT OF LIGHT HYDROCARBON MIXTURE - Light hydrocarbon enrichment is accomplished using a vertically oriented distillation column having a plurality of vertically oriented, nonselective micro/mesoporous hollow fibers. Vapor having, for example, both propylene and propane is sent upward through the distillation column in between the hollow fibers. Vapor exits neat the top of the column and is condensed to form a liquid phase that is directed back downward through the lumen of the hollow fibers. As vapor continues to ascend and liquid continues to countercurrently descend, the liquid at the bottom of the column becomes enriched in a higher boiling point, light hydrocarbon (propane, for example) and the vapor at the top becomes enriched in a lower boiling point light hydrocarbon (propylene, for example). The hollow fiber becomes wetted with liquid during the process. | 09-24-2009 |
| 20090205828 | Production and Delivery of a Fluid Mixture to an Annular Volume of a Wellbore - The methods described herein generally relate to preparing and delivering a fluid mixture to a confined volume, specifically an annular volume located between two concentrically oriented casing strings within a hydrocarbon fluid producing well. The fluid mixtures disclosed herein are useful in controlling pressure in localized volumes. The fluid mixtures comprise at least one polymerizable monomer and at least one inhibitor. The processes and methods disclosed herein allow the fluid mixture to be stored, shipped and/or injected into localized volumes, for example, an annular volume defined by concentric well casing strings. | 08-20-2009 |
| 20090175410 | FLOW METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SCREENING CHEMICALS USING MICRO X-RAY FLUORESCENCE - Method and apparatus for screening chemicals using micro x-ray fluorescence. A method for screening a mixture of potential pharmaceutical chemicals for binding to at least one target binder involves flow separating a solution of chemicals and target binders into separated components, exposing them to an x-ray excitation beam, detecting x-ray fluorescence signals from the components, and determining from the signals whether or not a binding event between a chemical and target binder has occurred. | 07-09-2009 |
| 20090133878 | Controlling the Pressure Within an Annular Volume of a Wellbore - A process is described for replacing at least a portion of the liquid within the annular volume of a casing system within a wellbore with a second liquid. The second liquid is preselected to provide a measure of control of the pressure within the annular volume as the fluid within the volume is being heated. | 05-28-2009 |
| 20090126934 | Kerogen Extraction from Subterranean Oil Shale Resources - The present invention is directed to methods for extracting a kerogen-based product from subsurface (oil) shale formations, wherein such methods rely on fracturing and/or rubblizing portions of said formations so as to enhance their fluid permeability, and wherein such methods further rely on chemically modifying the shale-bound kerogen so as to render it mobile. The present invention is also directed at systems for implementing at least some of the foregoing methods. Additionally, the present invention is also directed to methods of fracturing and/or rubblizing subsurface shale formations and to methods of chemically modifying kerogen in situ so as to render it mobile. | 05-21-2009 |
| 20090110915 | UNIVERSAL NUCLEATION LAYER/DIFFUSION BARRIER FOR ION BEAM ASSISTED DEPOSITION - A method for a new universal nucleation-layer/diffusion barrier, which is based on amorphous films of Si—O and Si—N for ion-beam-assisted deposition (IBAD) process. Unlike other nucleation layers that were used in the past, this process works on a variety of substrates (glass, Hastelloy tape, Cu), with varying surface roughness, and with a wide range of thickness. In addition, this new material system of Si—O (and Si—N) is ideally suited for oxide (and nitride) based multilayer stacks. As importantly, the flexibility in nucleation layer thickness allows the nucleation layer to be an effective diffusion barrier, and to be grown at room temperature, while the IBAD layer and subsequent epitaxial layers can be grown much thinner than usual. | 04-30-2009 |
| 20090110848 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR HIGH-PRESSURE ATOMIC-BEAM LASER INDUCED DEPOSITION/ETCHING - A method for carrying out pulsed laser deposition is disclosed. The method comprises providing a target having a desired composition; irradiating the target with a pulsed laser beam to provide a plume of target material; and directing the plume in a desired direction by use of an inert carrier gas. The plume of target material is passed through an aperture to create an atomic beam. One or both of the plume or the atomic beam is irradiated to reduce the amount of agglomerated particles in the atomic beam. The atomic beam is directed onto a substrate to produce a deposition product. An apparatus for carrying out the method is also disclosed. | 04-30-2009 |
| 20090107758 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DETECTING EXPLOSIVES - A method and apparatus is provided for detecting explosives by thermal imaging. The explosive material is subjected to a high energy wave which can be either a sound wave or an electromagnetic wave which will initiate a chemical reaction in the explosive material which chemical reaction will produce heat. The heat is then sensed by a thermal imaging device which will provide a signal to a computing device which will alert a user of the apparatus to the possibility of an explosive device being present. | 04-30-2009 |
| 20090107593 | RDX EXPLOSIVE AND METHOD - A method for producing particulate RDX is provided. RDX is dissolved and then precipitated with the precipitated RDX being separated from the mixture of solvent and anti-solvent and dried. The RDX has an increased insensitivity, i.e., it is more resistant to shock or impact stimuli and has a morphology characterized by a smooth surface and small particle size as formed. | 04-30-2009 |
| 20090107290 | PLASMA-BASED REDUCTION OF TITANIUM OXIDES - A method for reducing titanium and other metal oxides to metal is disclosed. The method comprises providing a titanium or other metal oxide exposing the metal oxide to a non-thermal plasma, and reducing at least a portion of the titanium oxide to provide titanium metal. The non-thermal plasma may be formed using a first inert gas species, and a second reactive gas species. | 04-30-2009 |
| 20090107241 | METHOD FOR NON-CONTACT PARTICLE MANIPULATION AND CONTROL OF PARTICLE SPACING ALONG AN AXIS - One or more of the embodiments of the present invention provide for a method of non-contact particle manipulation and control of particle spacing along an axis which includes axial and radial acoustic standing wave fields. Particles are suspended in an aqueous solution, and this solution then flows into the cylindrical flow channel. While the solution flows through the flow channel, the outer structure of the flow channel is vibrated at a resonant frequency, causing a radial acoustic standing wave field to form inside the flow channel in the solution. These radial acoustic standing waves focus the particles suspended in the solution to the center axis of the cylindrical flow channel. | 04-30-2009 |
| 20090107138 | IN-LINE STIRLING ENERGY SYSTEM - A high efficiency generator is provided using a Stirling engine to amplify an acoustic wave by heating the gas in the engine in a forward mode. The engine is coupled to an alternator to convert heat input to the engine into electricity. A plurality of the engines and respective alternators can be coupled to operate in a timed sequence to produce multi-phase electricity without the need for conversion. The engine system may be operated in a reverse mode as a refrigerator/heat pump. | 04-30-2009 |
| 20090105986 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MAPPING AN AREA OF INTEREST - An apparatus and method are provided for mapping an area of interest using polar coordinates or Cartesian coordinates. The apparatus includes a range finder, an azimuth angle measuring device to provide a heading and an inclinometer to provide an angle of inclination of the range finder as it relates to primary reference points and points of interest. A computer is provided to receive signals from the range finder, inclinometer and azimuth angle measurer to record location data and calculate relative locations between one or more points of interest and one or more primary reference points. The method includes mapping of an area of interest to locate points of interest relative to one or more primary reference points and to store the information in the desired manner. The device may optionally also include an illuminator which can be utilized to paint the area of interest to indicate both points of interest and primary points of reference during and/or after data acquisition. | 04-23-2009 |
| 20090104076 | SAMPLE PREPARATION CARTRIDGE AND SYSTEM - A modular specimen preparation cartridge with a tubular body with the interior segmented by pressure sensitive membranes that will rupture or open when exposed to a threshold pressure forming a sequence of chambers. Bladders or capsules filled with reagents or other fluids that will release the contents of the capsules under applied pressure are contained in the chambers. Filters, temperature control elements, diagnostic test strips, or catalysts may also be in the chambers. The cartridge may be adapted to virtually any sample preparation and/or analysis protocols or to sample type. The cartridge may also be modular and capable of being coupled to other cartridges or storage containers. In one embodiment, the tubular body is compressible and external pressure causes the capsules to rupture releasing the contents into the chamber. In another embodiment, pressure is applied to membranes and reagent capsules through the use of a plunger advancing though the center of the body. | 04-23-2009 |
| 20090103086 | PORTABLE SAMPLE PREPARATION AND ANALYSIS SYSTEM FOR MICRON AND SUB-MICRON PARTICLE CHARACTERIZATION USING LIGHT SCATTERING AND ABSORPTION SPECTROSCOPY - There is provided a method and device for remote sampling, preparation and optical interrogation of a sample using light scattering and light absorption methods. The portable device is a filtration-based device that removes interfering background particle material from the sample matrix by segregating or filtering the chosen analyte from the sample solution or matrix while allowing the interfering background particles to be pumped out of the device. The segregated analyte is then suspended in a diluent for analysis. The device is capable of calculating an initial concentration of the analyte, as well as diluting the analyte such that reliable optical measurements can be made. Suitable analytes include cells, microorganisms, bioparticles, pathogens and diseases. Sample matrixes include biological fluids such as blood and urine, as well as environmental samples including waste water. | 04-23-2009 |
| 20090099998 | KNOWLEDGE-BASED MATCHING - A knowledge-based system and methods to matchmaking and social network extension are disclosed. The system is configured to allow users to specify knowledge profiles, which are collections of concepts that indicate a certain topic or area of interest selected from an. The system utilizes the knowledge model as the semantic space within which to compare similarities in user interests. The knowledge model is hierarchical so that indications of interest in specific concepts automatically imply interest in more general concept. Similarity measures between profiles may then be calculated based on suitable distance formulas within this space. | 04-16-2009 |
| 20090096545 | DYNAMIC FREQUENCY TUNING OF ELECTRIC AND MAGNETIC METAMATERIAL RESPONSE - A geometrically modifiable resonator is comprised of a resonator disposed on a substrate, and a means for geometrically modifying the resonator. The geometrically modifiable resonator can achieve active optical and/or electronic control of the frequency response in metamaterials and/or frequency selective surfaces, potentially with sub-picosecond response times. Additionally, the methods taught here can be applied to discrete geometrically modifiable circuit components such as inductors and capacitors. Principally, controlled conductivity regions, using either reversible photodoping or voltage induced depletion activation, are used to modify the geometries of circuit components, thus allowing frequency tuning of resonators without otherwise affecting the bulk substrate electrical properties. The concept is valid over any frequency range in which metamaterials are designed to operate. | 04-16-2009 |
| 20090095053 | AIRBORNE PARTICULATE DISCRIMINATOR - A method and apparatus for rapid and accurate detection and discrimination of biological, radiological, and chemical particles in air. A suspect aerosol of the target particulates is treated with a taggant aerosol of ultrafine particulates. Coagulation of the taggant and target particles causes a change in fluorescent properties of the cloud, providing an indication of the presence of the target. | 04-16-2009 |
| 20090094847 | INTEGRATED CALIBRATION SPHERE AND CALIBRATION STEP FIXTURE FOR IMPROVED COORDINATE MEASUREMENT MACHINE CALIBRATION - A method and apparatus for mounting a calibration sphere to a calibration fixture for Coordinate Measurement Machine (CMM) calibration and qualification is described, decreasing the time required for such qualification, thus allowing the CMM to be used more productively. A number of embodiments are disclosed that allow for new and retrofit manufacture to perform as integrated calibration sphere and calibration fixture devices. This invention renders unnecessary the removal of a calibration sphere prior to CMM measurement of calibration features on calibration fixtures, thereby greatly reducing the time spent qualifying a CMM. | 04-16-2009 |
| 20090091708 | PRESENTATION DEVICE FOR STEREOSCOPIC APPLICATIONS - The invention provides for a visual presentation device configured to control a single spot in a stereoscopic image environment. The present invention comprises a light source assembly configured to provide a plurality of visible light beams for pointing the visible light beams at an object; a liquid crystal cell assembly including a pair of optical shutters, the liquid crystal cell assembly selectively transmitting fields of a field sequential image in response to a drive signal wherein each of the visible light beams emitted from the light source assembly passes through a respective optical shutter; a receiver mounted adjacent the liquid crystal cell assembly for receiving a synchronization signal; and a drive module coupled to the liquid crystal cell assembly and the receiver for generating the drive signal in response to the synchronization signal and supplying the drive signal to the liquid crystal cell assembly. | 04-09-2009 |
| 20090072965 | FLEXIBLE, SCALABLE, SERVICE-ORIENTED SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE - A surveillance architecture having applications in a wide variety of surveillance-related applications is disclosed. This architecture can be used in various surveillance scenarios, including, but not limited to, chemical, biological, radiological surveillance and physical security, is highly scalable and allows for rapid, plug-and-play field data/sample acquisition and local and remote sharing of system resources. By design, the architecture also fosters fault tolerance and allows users to quickly deploy and establish ad hoc, semi-permanent, and permanent surveillance systems. Furthermore, the architecture's service-oriented approach allows for rapid, on-the-fly, plug-and-play integration and dynamic harvesting of heterogeneous surveillance technologies (e.g., sensors, handheld data acquisition devices, analytical instrumentation, and so forth). | 03-19-2009 |
| 20080310735 | ANOMALOUS CHANGE DETECTION IN IMAGERY - A distribution-based anomaly detection platform is described that identifies a non-flat background that is specified in terms of the distribution of the data. A resampling approach is also disclosed employing scrambled resampling of the original data with one class specified by the data and the other by the explicit distribution, and solving using binary classification. | 12-18-2008 |
