Abstract: The present invention enables a user to share his/her listening experience selectively with others without sharing headphones and without disturbing others who do not want to listen. In a preferred embodiment, a first listener can accomplish this by storing in a Portable Electronic Device or similar device a library of listening experiences, listening to one of the listening experiences, and while listening to that one listening experience streaming the one listening experience to at least one other Portable Electronic Device or similar device. A second listener at the other Portable Electronic Device can then listen to the same listening experience as the first listener at the same time. It is expected that the listening experiences will typically be songs or other music but the invention may be practiced with any type of audio content. The first listener may also create a playlist of the listening experiences in the library and make the playlist available to others.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer-storage media, for a device with improved ambient temperature detection. In some implementations, a device includes a housing that forms an interior space, and the housing includes an exterior surface, a pass-through region that defines a through-hole between the interior space to the exterior surface, and a recess at the exterior surface adjacent to the pass-through hole. The device includes a printed circuit board disposed within the interior space of the plastic housing.

Abstract: A measurement apparatus for measuring a laser focus spot size, which includes a two-dimensional image detector and an imaging system which forms a magnified image of a focus spot located an object plane onto the image detector. The imaging system includes at least an objective lens. A sealed liquid container is secured over a part of the objective lens such as the optical surface of the objective lens is immersed in the liquid (e.g. water) within the container. The liquid container has a window through which the laser beam enters. An image processing method is also disclosed which processes the image obtained by the image detector to obtain the focus spot size while implementing an algorithm that corrects for the effect of ambient vibration.

Abstract: A coke product configured to be used in foundry cupolas to melt iron and produce cast iron products is disclosed herein. In some embodiments, the coke product has a Coke Reactivity Index (CRI) of at least 30% and an ash fusion temperature (AFT) less than 1316° C. Additionally or alternatively, the coke product can comprise (i) an ash content of at least 8.0%, (ii) a volatile matter content of no more than 1.0%, (iii) a Coke Strength After Reaction (CSR) of no more than 40%, (iv) a 2-inch drop shatter of at least 90%, and//or (v) a fixed carbon content of at least 85%.

Abstract: A method for producing renewable diesel includes introducing a primary feedstock comprising biologically-derived triglycerides with catalyst poisons into a first reaction chamber and hydrolyzing the primary feedstock within the first reaction and liquid-liquid extraction chamber for at least an hour such that the reacted triglycerides are separated into an aqueous solution comprising glycerol and catalyst poisons, and an intermediate feedstock comprising free fatty acids and catalyst poisons. The method also includes distilling the intermediate feedstock to separate the intermediate feedstock into a purified intermediate stream and a lower volume bottom stream containing unreacted triglyceride, diglyceride, monoglyceride, FFA and catalyst poisons. The method also includes combining the purified intermediate feedstock with a hydrogen stream and converting, in a second reaction chamber comprising a metallic catalyst bed, the purified intermediate feedstock into a product comprising long-chain alkanes.

Abstract: A storage holder for receiving a plurality of condiment bottles includes a base seat defining a receiving space having an upper opening, and a plurality of carrying units removably engaged with the base seat and mounted in the receiving space to partition the receiving space into a plurality of receiving compartments which are arranged in a front-rear direction. Each carrying unit is configured for a plurality of the condiment bottles to be mountable thereon and arranged in a left-right direction so as to conveniently store and get access to the condiment bottles.

Abstract: The present technology is generally directed to systems and methods for removing mercury from emissions. More specifically, some embodiments are directed to systems and methods for removing mercury from exhaust gas in a flue gas desulfurization system. In one embodiment, a method of removing mercury from exhaust gas in a flue gas desulfurization system includes inletting the gas into a housing and conditioning an additive. In some embodiments, conditioning the additive comprises hydrating powder-activated carbon. The method further includes introducing the conditioned additive into the housing and capturing mercury from the gas.

Abstract: A system and method for repairing a coke oven having an oven chamber formed from ceramic bricks. A representative system includes a insulated enclosure insertable into the oven chamber and includes removable insulated panels that define an interior area for workers to work in. The insulated enclosure is movable between an expanded configuration and a compact configuration and moving the enclosure to the expanded configuration will decrease the distance between the insulated enclosure and the walls of the oven chamber. Removing the panels exposes the ceramic bricks and allows workers within the interior area to access and the bricks and repair the oven chamber while the oven chamber is still hot. A loading apparatus lifts and inserts the insulated enclosure into the oven chamber. The insulated enclosure can be coupled to additional insulated enclosures to form an elongated interior area.

Abstract: A coke oven includes an oven chamber configured to support and heat a coal bed, a castable slab below the oven chamber, and a foundation supporting the heat recovery oven. One or more beams are positioned between the castable slab and the foundation. The beams extend from a first end of the oven chamber to a second end of the oven chamber, forming a plurality of air gaps between the castable slab and the foundation. Heat from the oven chamber is dissipated by the one or more beams.

Abstract: A method of treating a cataractous lens of a patient's eye includes generating a light beam, deflecting the light beam using a scanner to form a treatment pattern, delivering the treatment pattern to the lens of the patient's eye to create a plurality of cuts in the form two or more different incisions patterns within the lens to segment the lens tissue into a plurality of patterned pieces, and mechanically breaking the lens into a plurality of pieces along the cuts. A first incision pattern includes two or more crossing cut incision planes. A second incision pattern includes a plurality of laser incision each extending along a first length between a posterior and an anterior surface of the lens capsule.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for correcting finite floating-point numerical simulation and optimization. Defining a loss function within a simulation space composed of a plurality of voxels each having an initial degree of freedom, the simulation space encompassing one or more interfaces of the component; defining an initial structure for the one or more interfaces in the simulation space; calculating, using a computer system with a finite floating-point precision, values for an electromagnetic field at each voxel using a finite-difference time domain solver to solve Maxwell's equations; and determining, for each voxel, whether to increase a respective numerical precision of respective values representing behavior of the electromagnetic field at the voxel above a threshold precision by the computer system and, in response, assigning one or more additional degrees of freedom to the voxel.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer-storage media, for underwater camera biomass prediction aggregation. In some implementations, an exemplary method includes obtaining images of fish captured by an underwater camera; providing data of the images to a trained model; obtaining output of the trained model indicating the likelihoods that the biomass of fish are within multiple ranges; combining likelihoods of the output based on one or more ranges common to likelihoods of two or more fish to generate a biomass distribution; and determining an action based on the biomass distribution.

Abstract: A laser scanning method for forming a Fresnel type gradient index lens in an intraocular lens IOL. The radial profile of the desired optical pathlength (OPL) difference to be achieved in the IOL has multiple zones, each zone ramping from unchanged OPL to one wave, and stepping down to zero. To form a zone of a predefined OPL difference profile, the laser beam is scanned in multiple passes; in each pass, the laser beam is scanned in concentric circles of varying radii covering all or a part of the zone, with laser energy ramping up (along the radius) to a maximum allowed energy and staying at that energy. The ramp up region, which is dependent on the predefined OPL difference profile and the maximum allowed energy, is short, and most part of the pass is scanned at the maximum allowed energy.

Abstract: This disclosure describes a system and method for generating images by performing TEM surveys using pre-existing infrastructure such as transmission lines, or power lines, and naturally occurring transients such as lightning strikes or load switching. A relatively inexpensive sensor array can be installed on overhead power lines (e.g., electrical transmission or sub-transmission lines) which can detect transients in the overhead power lines. Transients in the overhead power lines can cause the power lines to emit pulses of electromagnetic (EM) radiation, which propagate into the earth's subsurface. This sudden change in electromagnetic field in the subsurface can induce eddy currents, which in turn emit return EM radiation that can propagate back to the overhead power line and induce secondary voltage and current transients. The magnitude of these secondary transients, and their time delay from the original transient are influenced by the properties of the subsurface in which the eddy currents formed.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a closed loop aptamer development system that identifies one or more aptamers observed experimentally and implements machine-learning models to identify other aptamers not observed experimentally. Particularly, aspects of the present disclosure are directed to receiving a query concerning one or more targets, acquiring a library of aptamers that potential satisfy the query, identifying a first set of aptamers from the library of aptamers that substantially or completely satisfy the query, obtaining sequence data for the first set of aptamers, generating, by a prediction model, a third set of aptamers derived from the sequence data for the first set of aptamers, validating the third set of aptamers that substantially or completely satisfy the query, and upon validating the third set of aptamers and in response to the query, providing the third set of aptamers as a result to the query.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for designing a multimodal photonic component. In one aspect, a method includes defining a loss function within a simulation space including multiple voxels and encompassing features of the multimodal photonic component. The loss function corresponds to a target output mode profile for an input mode profile, where the target output mode profile includes a relationship between a set of operating conditions and one or more supported modes of the multimodal photonic component at a particular operative wavelength. The initial structure is defined for one or more features, where at least some of the voxels corresponding to features have a dimension smaller than a smallest operative wavelength of the multimodal photonic component, and values for structural parameters for the features are determined so that a loss according to the loss function is within a threshold loss.

Abstract: A bumper assembly includes a retention member, a front-loaded component, and a bumper shell. The retention member includes a plurality of retaining features. The front-loaded component includes a plurality of receiving members. The bumper shell is positioned substantially between the retention member and the front-loaded component. The plurality of retaining features are coupled to the plurality of receiving members such that the retention member and the front-loaded component engage the bumper shell.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for designing a dispersive optical component includes: (i) defining a loss function within a simulation space composed of multiple voxels, the simulation space encompassing optical interfaces of the component, the loss function corresponding to a target dispersion profile for the component including a relationship between a scattering angle and a wavelength of an incident electromagnetic field for different operative wavelengths; (ii) defining an initial structure for the optical interfaces, at least some of the voxels corresponding to each optical interface having a dimension smaller than a smallest operative wavelength of the component; and (iii) determining, using a computer system, a structure for each optical interface using a finite-difference time domain solver to solve Maxwell's equations so that a loss determined according to the loss function is above a specified threshold.