Abstract: An offshore well system for a subsea well. The system includes a floating platform, an external riser and an internal riser nested within the external riser. A external riser tension device tensions the external riser. The drilling system also includes a surface wellhead system that includes a wellhead, a collet, and a flange assembly. The wellhead, collet, and flange assembly are assembled to establish a common bore for receiving the top of the internal riser. A gasket located between the top of the internal riser and an inner shoulder of the flange assembly seals between the wellhead system and the top of the internal riser. The surface wellhead system also retains the internal riser in tension with the wellhead, the internal riser extending above the wellhead into the collet.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for controlling fluid flow in a blowout preventer. In one embodiment, an apparatus for connecting fluid lines includes a socket fluid connector and a plug fluid connector. Each connector includes a flow channel. The plug fluid connector is detachably connectable to the socket fluid connector at a connection end of the plug and socket fluid connectors such that the flow channels align. Each of the socket and plug fluid connectors includes a check valve in the flow channel. The check valve is configured to prevent fluid flow through the connector flow channels while the plug and socket fluid connectors are not connected, and to enable bidirectional fluid flow through the connector flow channels while plug and socket fluid connectors are connected.

Abstract: Apparatus for determining whether a valve is fully opened or closed. In one embodiment a valve position translator includes a cam tube and a rod. The cam tube has a cylindrical wall. A first slot in the wall is disposed along a radial arc of the tube. A second slot in the wall extends from an end of the first slot at an angle acute to the first slot. The rod extends through the wall, and rotates the cam tube while moving linearly along the cam tube in the second slot and while moving in an arc in the first slot.

Abstract: A process is disclosed for integrating a steam methane reformer to produce hydrogen that is used for converting acetic acid and/or ethyl acetate to ethanol. The process may use a methane-containing stream obtained from a stranded natural gas or associated gas source. The process water from the hydrogenation reaction is used to saturate the methane-containing stream. The process water comprises water and oxygenates, wherein the maximum amount of oxygenates is less than or equal to 10 wt. %. Processes for integrating fuel sources, steam and electricity are also disclosed.

Abstract: A method of making a pump housing that is net-molded and immediately assumes its final shape and design specification without requiring more than de minimis secondary machining processes. The method utilizes molds and cores configured such that none of the fluid ports of the housing produced using the molds and cores have any intersecting geometry.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a vinyl acetate-ethylene copolymer emulsion and a paper coating composition based on the same. More specifically, the present invention relates to a vinyl acetate-ethylene copolymer emulsion based paper coating composition with low odor. The present invention also relates to processes for preparing the vinyl acetate-ethylene copolymer emulsion and the paper coating composition, and uses thereof.

Abstract: An aspect of the present disclosure provides enhanced control to users in the placement of tasks along timelines. In an embodiment, task data specifying details of multiple tasks scheduled along a timeline, is maintained. The tasks are displayed along the timeline. A candidate position is received for a first task along the timeline. In response, the task data is examined to identify a set of tasks scheduled in a time slice covering the candidate position, and data related to identified set of tasks is collected. The collected data is then sent for display, for example, in a viewport associated with the first task.

Abstract: Embodiments include systems and methods for generating an application code binary that exploits new platform-specific capabilities, while maintaining backward compatibility with other older platforms. For example, application code is profiled to determine which code regions are main contributors to the runtime execution of the application. For each hot code region, a determination is made as to whether multiple versions of the hot code region should be produced for different target platform models. Each hot code region can be analyzed to determine if benefits can be achieved by exploiting platform-specific capabilities corresponding to each of N platform models, which can result in between one and N versions of that particular hot code region. Navigation instructions are generated as part of the application code binary to permit a target machine to select appropriate versions of the hot code sections at load time, according to the target machine's capabilities.

Abstract: A method, system, and computer program product for of load balancing in a parallel map/reduce paradigm. The method commences by sampling a first set of input records, and forming a prospective load balancing assignment by assigning the first set of input records to the plurality of worker tasks based on a workload estimate for each of the worker tasks. To measure the prospective load balancing assignment, the method compares the workload variance over the plurality of worker tasks to a workload variance target, and also calculates a confidence level based on the sampled first set of input records. If the measured quality of the prospective load balancing assignment is not yet achieved, then the method samples additional input records; for example when the calculated workload variance is greater than the maximum workload variance target or when the calculated confidence level is lower than a confidence level threshold.

Abstract: Embodiments include systems and methods for calibrating effective clock path mismatches in a receiver circuit. For example, a serializer/deserializer (SERDES) circuit includes a data slicer that generates data sampler decisions by sampling an input signal according to a clocking signal, and an error slicer that generates error slicer samples by sampling the input signal according to the clocking signal. Each of the data slicer and error slicer has an associated clock path delay, and the delays are typically different (e.g., due to manufacturing differences). A calibrator performs iteratively shifted sampling and comparing of the data sampler decisions and the error slicer samples over a plurality of clocking locations to determine an effective clock path mismatch. The calibrator can then determine and apply a clocking offset to the data slicer and/or the error slicer to effectively shift data and error sampling, thereby compensating for the effective clock path mismatch.

Abstract: Described is an improved method, system, and computer program product for implementing an improved approach for a compensation system and related interfaces that avoids the problems of the prior approaches. According to some approaches, interfaces are provided that comprises multiple modes of compensation entry, in which data elements within the multiple modes are linked together in a coordinated way.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are processes for alcohol production by reducing ethyl acetate produced by hydrogenating acetic acid in the presence of a suitable catalyst. The product of the acetic acid hydrogenation is fed directly to a decanter to separate the hydrogenation product into an aqueous phase comprising water and ethanol and an organic phase comprising ethyl acetate. The organic phase is reduced with hydrogen in the presence of a catalyst to obtain a crude reaction mixture comprising the alcohol, in particular ethanol, which may be separated from the crude reaction mixture. Thus, ethanol may be produced from acetic acid through an ethyl acetate intermediate without an esterification step. This may reduce the recycle of ethanol in the hydrogenolysis process and improve ethanol productivity.

Abstract: A tool is provided for installing a mandrel in a wellhead assembly. The tool includes an assembly having multiple independently translatable and rotatable members. The tool includes an inner member disposed in an inner sleeve. The inner member may be disposed in a first position and second position, such that in the first position the inner sleeve freely rotates and in the second position rotation of the inner sleeve causes rotation of the inner member. An outer sleeve is disposed over the inner sleeve and may be coupled to a hold down ring. The inner member may be coupled to mandrel. The tool may be inserted into a wellhead assembly and the outer rotated to engage the hold down ring, the inner and outer sleeve may be translated axially to allow rotation of the inner member to disengage the tool from the mandrel.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to methods and systems of implementing a guaranteed SQL insert operation. In one embodiment, the method may include initiating an SQL insert operation for a database, receiving an SQL exception indicating that a failover for the database has occurred, and in response to the SQL exception, caching the SQL insert operation and caching the SQL insert operation as an SQL merge operation. The method further includes determining that a primary key is associated with the SQL insert operation, and in response to determining that a primary key is associated with the SQL insert operation, executing the SQL merge operation.

Abstract: A cloud computing environment having a plurality of computing nodes is described. The plurality of computing nodes may be organized into a plurality of clusters, each of the plurality of clusters including a cluster controller. A virtual computing environment is created on each of the plurality of computing nodes. Communication with the virtual computing environment is enabled. An authorization to service a launch plan is received from a user. The launch plan includes at least one instance to launch. Bandwidth information is requested from each of the cluster controllers of the plurality of clusters. A score is computed for each of the plurality of clusters that responded to the requested bandwidth information. The launch plan is assigned to a cluster from the plurality of clusters based on the computed scores.

Abstract: Provided is an amide ester that is useful as an intermediate manufacturing product for an aroma compound such as spilanthol or the like. Also provided is a spilanthol manufacturing method using said amide ester. High-purity spilanthol can be manufactured by reacting an amide ester represented by general formula (1) with a basic compound. (In the formula, R1 represents a C1-6 alkyl group or a phenyl group that may be substituted with a C1-4 alkyl group, a C1-4 alkoxy group, or a halogen atom; R2 represents a C1-8 hydrocarbon group; and the wavy lines represent cis configurations, trans configurations, or a mixture of the two configurations.

Abstract: A media drive includes drive side circuitry that, in response to a request to validate compressed data read from media, validates packets of the compressed data while compressed and, in response to detecting end of data on the media without having detected an unrecoverable corrupt one of the packets and without decompressing the compressed data, generates a message indicating that the compressed data read from the media has been validated.

Abstract: In certain embodiments, a hanger running tool includes an inner sleeve and an outer sleeve. The inner sleeve has a first mating surface configured to engage a second mating surface of a hanger to couple the inner sleeve to the hanger. The outer sleeve is disposed about the inner sleeve. The outer sleeve is configured to rotate about a common longitudinal axis with respect to the inner sleeve.

Abstract: Various techniques for providing a Web Service interface to an order management system are disclosed. In one embodiment, a Web Service interface receives a hierarchical property set, which includes properties being input to an order management system. The Web Service interface accesses mapping information, which associates a variable in a flat property set with a hierarchical property set path. The Web Service interface uses the mapping information to convert the hierarchical property set to the flat property set, based upon the mapping information, and then causes the order management system to process the flat property set. The Web Service interface can also use the same mapping information to convert a flat property set generated by the order management system into a hierarchical property set.

Abstract: A system and method for improving performance of join operations is disclosed. The method in one embodiment includes building a graph of vertices and edges, which represent the tables and join conditions for a particular database schema. The method then traverses the graph to find a set of candidate join operations. The method further includes selecting from the set of subset of join operations that makes the best use of a given amount of memory, which means finding a collection of denormalizations which when residing in memory provide the most benefit and the least cost for the given amount of memory. The method then deploys the denormalizations so that current queries in a query processing system can use them instead of actually performing the joins.