Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 4015 Annual Report 2016 15 Methods, Apparatus, and Systems for Monitoring Transmission Systems Electrical transmission systems, pipelines and cell towers are all susceptible to damage. Many are in remote areas where monitoring may be quite difficult, dangerous, and expensive. This patent describes a sensing platform that includes a sensor and a transmitter that sends information to control rooms so problems can be monitored in real time and addressed quickly. A control system connected to the sensor produces output data based on output signals produced by the sensor. A transmitter associated with the control system transmits output data from the control system. Patent No. 9,398,352 Docket No.: B-566C1 - Grant Date: 2016-07-19 Inventors: Robert E Polk, John M Svoboda, Phillip B West, Gail L Heath, Clark L Scott Methods for Treating a Liquid Using Draw Solutions Decreasing water supplies throughout much of the industrialized world has necessitated new methods and systems for utilizing water that contains contaminants or impurities. Additionally, certain industries have a need for safer, more energy-efficient methods and systems for removing water from a target material or solute. Traditional purification methods include thermal flash evaporation and reverse osmosis (RO), a process in which water is separated from solutes through a membrane by application of pressure. Forward osmosis circumvents several of the deficiencies of RO by using a draw solution with a greater osmotic pressure than the feed liquid. The concentrated solution pulls the water through the membrane, leaving the contaminants behind, and the water can be extracted from the solution with low-grade heat. This patent relates to methods and draw solutions for treating a liquid using an N-cyclicalkyl-cycloalkylamine as a switchable polarity solvent. Patent No. 9,399,194 Docket No.: BA-808 - Grant Date: 2016-07-26 Inventors: Aaron D Wilson, Christopher J Orme Thermophilic and Thermoacidophilic Biopolymer- Degrading Genes and Enzymes from Alicyclobacillus Acidocaldarius and Related Organisms, Methods Existing biofuel production pretreatment requires high temperatures and specialized pressure vessels constructed for resistance to acid and high temperature and pressure thereby increasing costs associated with biomass utilization. These current systems can be expensive and generate significant waste products. The addition of acid stable and heat tolerant enzymes to the pretreatment process lessens the need for energy and expensive construction materials, and lowers waste generation. This patent describes the gene sequences and related proteins from Alicyclobacillus acidocaldarius that can be used for improved biofuel processing. Patent No. 9,404,134 Docket No.: BA-283ACIP1C2 - Grant Date: 2016- 08-02 Inventors: David N Thompson, William A Apel, Vicki S Thompson, David W Reed, Jeffrey A Lacey, Emily DeCrescenzo Henriksen