Abstract: Described are methods and therapeutic compositions and combinations for treating and/or preventing medical conditions, by application of non-thermal plasma to the skin. Also described are methods and compositions for treating and/or preventing various medical conditions, by application of non-thermal plasma to the skin, followed by topical application of a therapeutic composition.

Abstract: A machine and method for washing fabric articles adaptively fills a wash basin with water based on a time period between rotation reversal of the wash basin and a load present in the wash basin.

Abstract: A method of forming a strengthened component includes providing a duct body having an interior surface and an exterior surface forming a fluid passageway. The method also includes forming an attachment structure over at least a portion of the exterior surface of the duct body, where the attachment structure can include a metallic layer.

Abstract: A structure with a support assembly having an upper surface spaced above a lower surface, a module removably supported by the upper surface of the support assembly, and an access system that is configured to allow a person adjacent the lower surface of the support assembly to move vertically upward adjacent the upper surface of the support assembly. The module at least partially encloses an interior space that is accessible through an opening in the module. The module is not permanently joined to the support assembly, and there is an accessible volume of space positioned below the module. The access system is positioned in a corner of a parking lot, the module extends laterally outward from the access system, and the module is positioned above at least one parking space in the parking lot.

Abstract: Illumination devices characterized in that they include one or more light sources disposed within a housing attached to a clip adapted to receive a portion of a wearer's headdress, for example a chin strap or bill of a cap. An upper surface of the clip may be shaped to be worn under the wearer's chin and may also include a groove adapted to facilitate attachment of the illumination device to nylon or other strap-like webbing. One or more of the light sources is operable by a switch mounted on an opposite side of the housing from the clip when the clip is in a closed position, that is, when the clip rests on an upper surface of the housing. In addition to light sources, the illumination device may further include one or more imaging devices, e.g., a camera, and/or audio communication devices, e.g., a microphone.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing includes producing a gradient coil assembly having one or more cooling channels for a magnetic resonance imaging system by a process that includes printing a cooling channel template having a first end, a second end, and a hollow passage extending between the first end and the second end, disposing a dielectric material over at least a portion of the cooling channel template to generate a dielectric layer having the cooling channel template, and removing the cooling channel template from the dielectric layer to thereby produce the one or more cooling channels within the dielectric layer such that the one or more cooling channels have a pattern corresponding to a geometry of the cooling channel template.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for multi-site time series data analysis. An exemplary method comprises obtaining a plurality of vectors over a period of time, wherein each vector comprises a local health score from each of a plurality of distributed sites that perform operational analytics on time-series data; determining a distribution of the vectors during a training phase; and calculating a global health score for the plurality of distributed sites for a given vector during a prediction phase based on a distance of the given vector from a center of mass of the distribution. Feedback is optionally provided to individual sites, such as an indication of a local health score of an individual site relative to the global health score, and adjustments to thresholds and/or parameters used by the individual site.

Abstract: A system may include a light source. A converter may be configured to convert an AC voltage to a DC operating voltage during normal operation. A power backup device may be coupled to the converter. A current source may have a first terminal configured to receive the DC operating voltage during regular operation and a second terminal configured to provide a pulse-width modulated (PWM) signal to an anode end of the light source. A switching device may have a first connecting terminal coupled to the anode end of the light source, a second connecting terminal coupled to the power backup device, and a control terminal coupled to the converter. The switching device may be configured to open a switch between the first connecting terminal and the second connecting terminal during normal operation and close the switch upon detecting an interruption of the DC operating voltage at the control terminal.

Abstract: A heat sealing packaging machine and method for assembling that includes a package platform for supporting a package, a film carriage carrying a supply of film material, a sealing platform adjacent the package platform and including a conveyor for laterally moving the package to be sealed to a shrink tunnel. The carriage is laterally movable to adjust the position of the film material and a lifting mechanism raises and lowers the sealing platform and the shrink tunnel. The shrink tunnel is laterally movable with respect to the sealing platform and includes a latch mechanism for locking a lateral position of the shrink tunnel.

Abstract: A thermal management system for a vehicle includes a controller. The controller pre-heats a coolant in a power electronics loop via heat transfer between the coolant and an electronic component in response to an ambient temperature being less than a threshold and a coolant temperature being less than a battery temperature. The controller also pumps the coolant through a battery loop in response to the coolant temperature exceeding the battery temperature.

Abstract: A tissue fixation apparatus can include a flexible construct and an elongated locking member. The flexible construct can include at least two adjustable loops and tensioning members. The two adjustable loops can be configured to pass through the first tissue, and to be spaced apart along an outer surface of the first tissue in a first direction. The tensioning members can extend from the two adjustable loops, and can be configured to reduce the two adjustable loops from a first size to a second size. The flexible construct can be attached to the second tissue by an anchor. The locking member can be configured to be received within the two adjustable loops at the first size, and to engage the two adjustable loops at the second size.

Abstract: The present teachings provide one or more surgical implements for repairing damaged tissue, such as in the case of a spinal fixation procedure. A bone anchor is provided. The anchor can include a bone fastener. The bone fastener can include a head and a second end adapted to engage an anatomy. The bone fastener can extend along a longitudinal axis. The anchor can also include a coupling arrangement coupled to the head of the bone fastener so that the bone fastener is rotatable about the longitudinal axis to define a first plane of motion. The anchor can further include a saddle, which can be coupled to the coupling arrangement. The saddle can be movable relative to at least one of the bone fastener and the coupling arrangement to define a second plane of motion.

Abstract: A mounting device or bracket for paneled building surfaces is disclosed. The mounting bracket includes an upper wall in the form of a flat surface for supporting various types of attachments. An elongated mounting slot extends through the upper wall, and the mounting bracket includes an elongated nut receptacle that is positioned below this elongated mounting slot. With an attachment being positioned on the upper wall, an attachment fastener may be directed through the attachment, then through the elongated mounting slot, and then may be threadably engaged with a nut that is positioned within and movable along the nut receptacle in its elongated dimension. The elongated configuration of the mounting slot and nut receptacle provides adjustability for the position of the attachment fastener relative to the mounting bracket, including after the mounting bracket has already been installed on the building surface.

Abstract: A monopropellant rocket engine in which nitrous oxide is the propellant includes a catalyst bed on an end of a diverging combustion chamber to inject a first flow of monopropellant to ignite the monopropellant, followed by a series of additional monopropellant injections along the diverging combustion chamber where the previously injected monopropellant decomposes to be used to ignite the downstream injected monopropellant. When all monopropellant has been decomposed, the monopropellant is passed through a throat and nozzle to produce thrust. A control valve is used to regulate an amount of monopropellant injected at each point in order to regulate an amount of thrust.

Abstract: A universal mechanism is utilized for data rebalancing in a scaled-out data storage cluster. A value (l) representing a number of erasure coded fragments of each data portion that are to be moved to a newly added node can be calculated. Initially, the number of erasure coded fragments moved per data fragment is determined based on the greatest integer that is less than or equal to l and remainders are accumulated. When accumulated reminders equal or exceed l, the number of erasure coded fragments moved per data fragment is determined based on the lowest integer that is greater than or equal to l. A value of accumulated reminders is then decreased by l. Accordingly, system-level imbalances can be avoided and data availability, data robustness, and/or overall system performance can be increased.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to examples of reducing memory write operations using coalescing memory buffers. In one example implementation according to aspects of the present disclosure, a method comprises computing a difference between a current state of data of at least one block of a storage device to which data is to be written and a state that would result from a write operation. The method further comprises populating at least one coalescing memory buffer with difference information associated with the difference and to be used to update an associated block of the storage device.