Abstract: A parking enforcement system configured to impair the view of a driver through a windshield of a vehicle is provided. The parking enforcement system includes a plurality of covering assemblies. Each of the covering assemblies has one or more suction assemblies configured for placement against a windshield of a vehicle. A pump assembly is configured for pneumatic communication with the one or more suction assemblies. The pump assembly is configured to develop a partial vacuum between the suction assemblies and the windshield. A release assembly is configured for pneumatic communication with the one or more suction assemblies. The release assembly has a servo motor configured to actuate release of the suction assemblies from the windshield.

Abstract: Described herein is an improved conversion of nitrous oxide (N2O) present as a by-product in a chemical process to NOx which can be further converted to a useful compound or material, such as nitric acid.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to compositions and methods for reducing lost circulation in drilling wells with compositions preferably comprising cross linked levan and calcium carbonate mixed with clay minerals such as kaolinite and other minerals blends or salts thereof.

Abstract: A method of cementing a wellbore includes injecting into the wellbore a non-aqueous fluid; injecting into the wellbore a cement slurry and a non-ionic surfactant composition after injecting the non-aqueous fluid; and allowing the cement slurry to set, wherein the non-ionic surfactant composition comprises an alkyl end-capped ethoxylated fatty alcohol, a chain extended non-ionic surfactant, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing.

Abstract: An articulable wrist for an end effector includes a distal linkage provided at a distal end of the articulable wrist, a proximal linkage provided at a proximal end of the articulable wrist, and a central channel cooperatively defined by the distal and proximal linkages and extending between the distal and proximal ends. A flexible member is arranged within the central channel, and one or more stiffening members are arranged within the flexible member and extend at least partially between the first and second ends. The stiffening members operate to increase a stiffness of the flexible member and the articulable wrist against bending.

Abstract: Provided in this disclosure is a dental filter including a chair-side trap for receiving particles removed from a patient during a dental procedure. The chair-side trap includes a basin for collecting the particles from the patient. The dental filter additionally includes a filter insert sized to be received and retained in the chair-side trap, for preventing the particles to flow outside the chair-side trap. The filter insert is a fabric material including a fine micron cloth that captures particles greater than 5 microns. The filter insert also includes sealed edges around the circumference of the filter insert, where the sealed edges are formed by fusing the fabric material.

Abstract: Developer and runtime environments supporting multi-modal input for computing systems are disclosed. The developer environment includes a gesture library of human body gestures (e.g., hand gestures) that a previously-trained, system-level gesture recognition machine is configured to recognize. The developer environment further includes a user interface for linking a gesture of the gesture library with a semantic descriptor that is assigned to a function of the application program. The application program is executable to implement the function responsive to receiving an indication of the gesture recognized by the gesture recognition machine within image data captured by a camera. The semantic descriptor may be additionally linked to a different input modality than the gesture, such as a natural language input.

Abstract: The invention relates to a system for providing access information to a service provider for a property comprising of an apartment or condo association and for a specific apartment within the apartment or condo association. The system utilizes a software system to schedule the access for the service provider and automated lock management access control to control the access to the property and the specific apartment.

Abstract: The present disclosure advantageously provides devices, systems, and methods for facility analytics. A computer-based method for determining electrical energy consumption for a building includes receiving static data for a plurality of electrical energy-consuming equipment (EECE) associated with the building, receiving dynamic data for each EECE, determining an electrical energy consumption value for each EECE over a predetermined time period, and determining a building electrical energy consumption value over the predetermined time period. The static data includes one or more performance attributes for each EECE, and the dynamic data includes measured performance data for each EECE over the predetermined time period. The electrical energy consumption value for each EECE is determined based on the performance attributes for each EECE and the measured performance data for each EECE. The building electrical energy consumption value is determined based on the electrical energy consumption value for each EECE.

Abstract: A system and method of nurturing one or more leads is provided. Initially, an indication that a lead has interacted with an ecommerce site may be received, where the indication includes information uniquely identifying the lead and one or more interactions with the ecommerce site. Contact information for the lead may be retrieved. The lead may then be qualified based on the information identifying one or more interactions with the ecommerce site. The lead may then be associated with at least one of a sales professional or sales group and a template may be selected based on the at least one of the sales professional or sales group. Accordingly, a communication message, which may be an email, may be sent to the lead utilizing the contact information and the selected template, where the communication message includes sender information associated with at least one of the sales professional or sales group.

Abstract: According to an aspect, a power supply system includes a power stage including a power switch and an inductor, a power supply controller connected to the power stage, a metering circuit configured to sense measured conditions of the power stage, and a system performance controller configured to be coupled to the power supply controller and the metering circuit. The system performance controller is configured to compute an energy conversion efficiency based on the measured conditions and select a value for a zero voltage switching (ZVS) control parameter that results in the energy conversion efficiency achieving a threshold condition. The ZVS control parameter indicates a magnitude of a reverse current through the inductor to discharge a parasitic capacitance of the power switch.

Abstract: A removeable band for confining a stack of cutlery pieces. The band can include a body having a first surface and a second surface that oppose one another, the body being an elongated strip of fiber-based material. A coating can be disposed on at least a portion of the first surface of the body, and an adhesive section can be disposed on at least a portion of the coating. The adhesive section can be configured to adhere to the second surface of the body when a first end and a second end of the body at least partially overlap to form a continuous band.

Abstract: In a data processing system having multiple production hosts, each with a backup agent, interfaced to a storage array and to a backup server, an array I/O priority engine on the storage array establishes and enforces I/O priorities for I/O backup and production communications with the array to ensure that backup does not consume a disproportionate CPU processing and array bandwidth load or disrupt more critical production processing.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for automatically predicting lexical sememes using a lexical dictionary, comprising inputting a word, retrieving the word's semantic definition and sememes corresponding to the word from an online dictionary, setting each of the retrieved sememes as a candidate sememe, inputting the word's semantic definition and candidate sememe, and estimating the probability that the candidate sememe can be inferred from the word's semantic definition.

Abstract: A repair system includes a scanning system configured for determining a contour of a void surface. The repair system also includes an additive manufacturing system configured for sequentially printing a plurality of individual layers each disposed on one another adjacent the void surface according to the contour. A method of repairing a substrate having a damaged portion defining a void and having the void surface is also disclosed.

Abstract: Disclosed is a shoe having a compressible lattice structure in a heel portion to facilitate rapid, easy donning and doffing of shoes. In example embodiments, the lattice structure includes a plurality of interconnected, overlapping, intersecting and/or woven ribs defining a plurality of apertures. The lattice structure has an open position in which the shoe opening is expanded to facilitate reception of a foot of an individual wearing the rapid-entry shoe, and a closed position in which the shoe opening is smaller to retain the foot within the rapid-entry shoe.

Abstract: A seatbelt retractor includes a spool elongated along an axis. The seatbelt retractor includes a cylinder supported in the spool and having a thread. The seatbelt retractor includes a torsion bar in the cylinder and having a thread engaged with the thread of the cylinder. The seatbelt retractor includes a stopper supported by the torsion bar at the thread of the torsion bar and spaced from the cylinder.

Abstract: Various embodiments for a traction element used with athletic shoes having a stud body with a metal insert that extends axially from the stud body and methods for manufacturing such traction elements are disclosed.

Abstract: A pressure swing adsorption (PSA) system and methods for controlling each PSA cycle performed by the PSA system to produce oxygen enriched gas during productive portions of a user breathing cycle, and to cease production of oxygen enriched gas during non-productive portions of the user breathing cycle, is provided. The PSA system synchronizes PSA cycle phases including adsorption and desorption phases with a user's individual inhalation and exhalation phases, on a breath by breath basis, such that each PSA cycle can be dynamically varied from a succeeding PSA cycle, in real time in response to variations in the user's breathing cycle. An oxygen delivery device including a breathing cycle sensor provides breathing cycle inputs to a controller for use with at least one algorithm to detect breathing flow phases during each user breath, and to synchronize each PSA cycle to the user's breathing flow phases, on a breath-by-breath basis.

Abstract: An infrastructure element includes a computer that includes a processor and a memory. The memory stores instructions executable by the processor such that the computer is programmed to classify a traffic condition of a road segment based on data received from an object detection sensor with a field of view including the road segment and that is communicatively connected to the computer. The computer is programmed to broadcast, to an area including the road segment, a vehicle-to-vehicle communication parameter, determined based on the classified traffic condition and specifying one or more of (i) a channel identifier, (ii) a transmission rate, (iii) a transmission power, or (iv) a message size.