Abstract: A system and method for using financial instruments to provide investment incentive to fund disaster mitigation projects and/or ecosystem restoration projects triggered by real world events detected at set points by sensors and analyzed by computing devices. The detection of events results in the computational analysis and determination of a characteristics of a resilience bond or ecosystem-service bond to be issued or returned to investors. Examples involve sensors used to detect events, including flood damage mitigation, earthquake damage mitigation, or air quality improvement. In one preferred embodiment of the disclosure an investor may make an initial payment into a financial instrument being a resilience bond used to fund a mitigation project, said financial instrument pays phases to the mitigation project developer at the completion of phases of the project that occur prior to the occurrence of a disaster.

Abstract: A method includes receiving a spoken utterance that includes a plurality of words, and generating, using a neural network-based utterance classifier comprising a stack of multiple Long-Short Term Memory (LSTM) layers, a respective textual representation for each word of the of the plurality of words of the spoken utterance. The neural network-based utterance classifier trained on negative training examples of spoken utterances not directed toward an automated assistant server. The method further including determining, using the respective textual representation generated for each word of the plurality of words of the spoken utterance, that the spoken utterance is one of directed toward the automated assistant server or not directed toward the automated assistant server, and when the spoken utterance is directed toward the automated assistant server, generating instructions that cause the automated assistant server to generate a response to the spoken utterance.

Abstract: An improved retention system for retaining fuel rods in a fuel assembly is disclosed. The retention system includes a plurality of first engagement surfaces on the bottom nozzle of a fuel assembly. There is at least one engagement surface for each fuel rod. A second engagement surface is formed on the bottom end plug of each fuel rod. The first and second engagement surfaces are configured for engagement with each other for axially and laterally retaining each fuel rod within the fuel assembly. Debris deflectors may also be provided to deflect debris from coolant channels surrounding the fuel rods.

Abstract: A method, fuel cell system and vehicle for maintaining compression via re-compression is provided. By recovering fuel cell stacks of the fuel cell system after a pre-determined time of operation and performing re-compression on each of the recovered fuel cell stacks, power generation capacity, active area pressure and seal force is recovered to address increased contact resistance and loss of fuel cell system power generation capacity as well as decreased seal force and increased risk of reactant gas and coolant leak.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to systems and method for deploying a fiber optic network. Distribution devices are used to index fibers within the system to ensure that live fibers are provided at output locations throughout the system. In an example, fibers can be indexed in multiple directions within the system. In an example, fibers can be stored and deployed form storage spools.

Abstract: An integrated controller, logic circuit and memory array (“CLM”) semiconductor device includes stacked controller, memory array logic circuit and memory array wafers, or individual dies diced therefrom, which together operate as a single, integrated semiconductor flash memory device. The memory array logic circuit dies and/or the memory array dies may be formed with full-thickness plated or filled vias connecting to bond pads on opposed surfaces of the dies. The bond pads of the respective stacked semiconductor dies may be aligned and affixed to each other to electrically and mechanically couple each of the semiconductor dies in the respective wafers together.

Abstract: A method of decoding image data is provided. The method may include generating a dequantized block of an image based on a coded bitstream; determining whether to use one from among an implicit method and an explicit method for selecting a hybrid transform kernel from among one or more hybrid transform kernel that are available for decoding the dequantized block, wherein the one or more hybrid transform kernel are available for decoding the dequantized block based on associations between prediction modes and sizes of blocks; selecting, by using the one from among the implicit method and the explicit method, the hybrid transform kernel from among the one or more hybrid transform kernel; and performing inverse transform coding of the dequantized block based on the selected hybrid transform kernel.

Abstract: Disclosed is a lighting control method and a lighting control device for a light source having LEDs, and a lighting device and includes acquiring the number of LEDs and a control curve for controlling changes in brightness and color of the light emitted from each LED over time, the control curve defines the same brightness cycle and color cycle for each LED, the brightness cycle indicates a brightness period and a brightness curve of the change in brightness over time within each period, determining a time offset on the control curve according to the number of LEDs and the brightness change period, determining the starting timings of the remaining LEDs on the control curve according to the starting timing of the first LED and the time offset, and controlling each LED from the starting timing on the control curve, to emit light according to the brightness and color determined.

Abstract: This document describes apparatuses and techniques for providing a flexible connector between a secondary circuit board and a main logic board with a permeability shield to increase impedance of the flexible connector to reduce antenna loss from an antenna via the flexible connector to the main logic board. For example, an apparatus includes a secondary circuit board supporting one or more control pads and an antenna. A flexible connector includes a plurality of conductive traces configured to electrically couple the one or more control pads of the secondary circuit board to a coupling on a main logic board. A permeability shield is configured to be disposed along one or more portions of the flexible connector. The permeability shield is configured to increase impedance of the flexible connector to reduce antenna loss of the antenna via the control pads and the flexible connector to the main logic board.

Abstract: Described is a method performed by a downloadable agent, the method comprising: collecting WAN performance infor-mation, wherein the downloadable agent is executable on a computing device coupled to a LAN of a broadband subscriber, wherein the LAN is coupled by another device to a WAN; and transmitting the WAN performance information to a machine; wherein the machine is operable to: store and analyze the performance information to generate an analysis result; and report the analysis result to at least one of the broadband subscriber and its service provider. Described is a corresponding system which comprises a database; and a server coupled to the database, the server operable to: receive WAN performance information from a downloadable agent; store the information in the database, analyze the information to generate an analysis result; and report the analysis result to at least one of the broadband subscriber and the broadband subscriber's service provider.

Abstract: A heater assembly for an electronic vaping device and a method of manufacturing the electronic vaping device are provided. The heater assembly includes a chimney cage extending longitudinally, a heater extending longitudinally within the chimney cage, a heater gauze positioned about an outer circumference of the heater, the chimney case positioned about an outer circumference of the heater gauze, and a cathode clip electrically connected to a first end portion of the heater.

Abstract: In a method, a visual hull is generated based on intersections of first 3D primitives of a plurality of first silhouettes with a bounding box of a 3D model. The first silhouettes are generated by projecting the 3D model onto planes perpendicular to a number of selected view directions of the 3D model. Each of the first 3D primitives is obtained by extruding a connected loop of a respective first silhouette along a view direction of the number of selected view directions that is associated with the respective first silhouette. A carved mesh is be generated based on subtractions of second 3D primitives derived from positive parts of the 3D model to carve out redundant structures from the visual hull. The positive parts are obtained based on fitting planes that slices the 3D model. A low-poly mesh sequence is generated based on progressive simplifications of the carved mesh.

Abstract: This document describes methods, devices, systems, and means for determining a joint-codebook for wireless communication with a user equipment, UE, by a base station in an active coordination set, ACS, in which a base station receives capability information from one or more other base stations in the ACS. The base station generates a joint-codebook for the ACS based on the received capability information and sends the joint-codebook to the one or more other base stations in the ACS. The base station and the other base stations in the ACS jointly-transmit the joint-codebook to the UE and receive Precoding Matrix Indicator, PMI, feedback from the UE. The base station and the other base stations in the ACS jointly-process downlink data for the UE using the PMI feedback and the joint-codebook and jointly-transmit the downlink data to the UE.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are related to devices and methods for communication. In one aspect, a device includes a first processor and a second processor. The first processor may be configured to generate a first set of packets associated with an application data unit in a first layer corresponding to content data. Each packet of the first set of packets may include a flag indicative of an association with the application data unit. The second processor may be configured to generate a second set of one or more packets in a second layer for transmission, in response to determining that the first set of packets is associated with the application data unit according to flags of the first set of packets. The second processor may be configured to schedule to transmit the second set of one or more packets in the second layer within a defined time period.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer readable media for controlling delivery of content are provided. In some embodiments, a system for controlling delivery of content is provided. The system includes processing circuitry configured to: transmit, to a server, a plurality of requests for blocks of the content; while at least some of the plurality of requests are still outstanding: detect a change of a service characteristic of a connection between the system and the server; determine a preferred number of outstanding requests; and cancel at least some of the requests from the plurality that are still outstanding based on the preferred number and a count of the requests from the plurality that are still outstanding.

Abstract: There is disclosed a method of operating an autonomous vehicle (AV), including: detecting an alert condition within the AV via data from an electronic sensor suite of the AV; based at least in part on detecting the alert condition, automatically initiating a call with another party; and communicatively coupling a passenger of the AV to the conference call, whereby the passenger can communicate with the other party via the conference call.

Abstract: A casing valve, comprising a first component configured to connect to a casing string, a second component configured to connect to the casing string, a mandrel disposed between the first component and the second component, the mandrel having a plurality of ports, a housing disposed outside of the mandrel, the housing having a plurality of ports, a piston disposed between the mandrel and the housing and configured to move in a first direction from a first position that forms a barrier between the ports of the mandrel and the ports of the housing to a second position that is adjacent to the ports of the mandrel and the ports of the housing and a dissolvable component configured to restrain the piston in the first position and to dissolve when exposed to a fluid to increase a lateral force on the piston.

Abstract: Bicycle suspension components are described herein. An example damper for a bicycle suspension component includes a damper body defining a chamber and a damper member disposed in the chamber. The damper member includes a piston having a first compression port and a bypass compression port. The damper member includes a first valve to control fluid flow through the first compression port and a second valve to control fluid flow through the bypass compression port. During a first portion of travel of the damper member during a compression stroke, the second valve is to open to enable fluid flow through the bypass compression port from a first chamber to a second chamber, and during a second portion of travel of the damper member during the compression stroke, the first valve is to open to enable fluid flow through the first compression port from the first chamber to the second chamber.

Abstract: Various aspects and embodiments are directed to a streamlined computer device and a graphical user interface that organizes interface elements into views of computer content for presentation to a user. Various views of digital media content permits users to easily and efficiently access various digital media content. Different views are used to provide an interface that is responsive to configurations of the device and responsive to activity being performed by the user. Aspects include permitting the user to maintain and manage digital media content libraries. According to some embodiments, the libraries comprise user digital media content and references digital media content. Functionality provided to a user can be tailored to the type of content displayed, accessed and/or managed. According to various aspects, methods and systems are provided for accessing and managing digital media libraries on a streamlined computing device with a plurality selectable I/O profiles.

Abstract: A lighting device, such as a light-emitting diode (LED) light source, may operate in an interim operable state to avoid and/or prevent undesirable characteristics in the light emitted by the lighting device (e.g., strobing and/or flickering of a brightness of the light and/or shifting or change of a color of the light). When operating in a normal state, the control circuit may determine if a measured value of a first operational characteristic (e.g., a forward voltage of an emitter of the lighting device) is outside of a range and operate in the interim operable state if the measured value of the first operational characteristic is outside of the range. When operating in the interim operable state, the control circuit may adjust a drive current for the emitter in response to a measured value of a second operational characteristic (e.g., a forward voltage of a detector of the lighting device).