Abstract: A hand-held lift loop assembly tester apparatus and method tests peel strength of a heat seal connection between a lift loop patch and a bulk bag body as an indicator of shear strength of the connection and whether the bag will pass industry safety lifting requirements. A lifting platform of the hand loop tester is inserted between the patch and the bag body in an unsealed area and measures the amount of peel and thus the peel strength of the heat seal bond or connection at the edges or sides of the unsealed area. If the peel strength is adequate, this is a reliable indicator that the shear strength of the bond or connection is also adequate and that the bag will meet the current industry required 5 to 1 safety lifting requirements.

Abstract: An electrical box comprising an adjustable voltage divider may include a housing comprising an inner surface and ribs or threads integrally formed on the inner surface of the rectangular housing. A voltage divider plate may be disposed within the housing with vertical edges of the voltage divider plate extending along and held in place between the ribs or threads integrally formed on the inner surface of the housing, the voltage divider plate dividing the housing into a high voltage area and a low voltage area. The voltage divider plate area may comprise a plurality of horizontal guide lines vertically offset from each other, and a plurality of vertical guide lines horizontally offset from each other and intersecting the plurality of horizontal score lines. Upper outer corners of the voltage divider plate may be inwardly disposed from the vertical edges of the voltage divider plate.

Abstract: Innovations in encoder-side search ranges having horizontal bias or vertical bias are described herein. For example, a video encoder determines a block vector (“BV”) for a current block of a picture, performs intra prediction for the current block using the BV, and encodes the BV. The BV indicates a displacement to a region within the picture. When determining the BV, the encoder checks a constraint that the region is within a BV search range having a horizontal bias or vertical bias. The encoder can select the BV search range from among multiple available BV search ranges, e.g., depending at least in part on BV values of one or more previous blocks, which can be tracked in a histogram data structure.

Abstract: A banking pipeline for processing various transactions for multiple financial instruments is disclosed herein. The pipeline may have three distinct interpreters, a transaction interpreter, a rollup interpreter, and a rules interpreter. Different aspects of the transaction may be performed on separate interpreters and each interpreter may perform its aspect of the transaction before the next interpreter begins.

Abstract: For each audio pairing broadcast from an electronic device, reporting broadcasted pairing data including: broadcaster device group, broadcast data element, and broadcaster volume setting. For each reception, reporting received pairing data, including: receiver device group, received data element, and received signal score. Matching each received pairing data with zero or one instances of broadcasted pairing data based on a received data element matching the broadcast data element. For each broadcaster reporting a particular group and volume setting, identifying a received signal score value corresponding to a predetermined percentile of a density distribution of such scores matching broadcasters of the particular group. Determining, for each broadcaster of the group, a volume based on: the received signal score corresponding to the predetermined percentile and a reference received signal score.

Abstract: Rather than trying to call a gobbler and waiting for the gobbler to approach, the hunter instead attempts to seek a gobbler while holding a decoy. As the hunter comes within sight of the gobbler, he can slowly move (e.g., tilt and/or rotate) the decoy so that its fan moves in a manner that mimics movement of a real turkey. It has been found that the gobbler will often fixate on the decoy failing to notice the hunter even when he is not well camouflaged. In fact, the gobbler will often approach the decoy in an aggressive manner making it much less wary than in a typical hunt where a hunter is attempting to make calls that imitate a hen. When the hunter feels that the gobbler is fixated on the decoy, he can couple the decoy to his weapon thereby freeing both of his hands for operating his weapon.

Abstract: A connector assembly may include a distribution frame having an adjusting channel; and one or more distribution modules disposed and slidably moveable along the adjusting channel. Each of the one or more distribution modules may include an inlet connector to receive cooling liquid from a cooling liquid loop, a fluid blind mate connector to-connect the cooling liquid loop to one or more cold plates of a server chassis, and a guiding element having a guiding structure and configured to house the fluid blind mate connector. When the guiding element contacts with the server chassis, the guiding element causes the corresponding distribution module to move slightly to align the fluid blind mate connector with a server connector of the server chassis, such that the fluid blind mate connector connects with the server connector to distribute the cooling liquid to the server chassis.

Abstract: A system, method, and computer-readable medium are disclosed for performing an entity behavior cataloging operation. The entity behavior cataloging operation includes: identifying a security related activity, the security related activity being based upon an observable from an electronic data source; analyzing the security related activity, the analyzing identifying an event of analytic utility associated with the security related activity; generating entity behavior catalog data based upon the event of analytic utility associated with the security related activity; and, storing the entity behavior catalog data within an entity behavior catalog, the entity behavior catalog providing an inventory of entity behaviors for use when performing a security operation.

Abstract: An air purifying system for an indoor space includes a plurality of air purifying sites, each one of the plurality of air purifying sites configured to treat a sub-volume of the total volume of air in the indoor space, wherein each one of the plurality of air purifying sites includes a housing, an air inlet configured to direct treatment air having gaseous and non-gaseous components from the indoor space into the housing, a purifier carried within the housing, an air outlet configured to direct the treatment air that has passed through the purifier into the indoor space, and an air mover configured to move air between the air inlet and the air outlet, through the purifier, wherein the plurality of air purifying sites is configured to work cooperatively with a central air system of the indoor space.

Abstract: The present invention provides for a method of fermenting or saccharifying a biomass comprising: (a) (i) contacting a biomass comprising a polysaccharide, and an ionic liquid (IL) to form a first solution, or (ii) providing the first solution comprising the biomass and the IL, (b) contacting the first solution and carbon dioxide such that the first solution results in a lower pH, (c) introducing (i) an enzyme capable of enzymatically to breakdown at least one bond in the polysaccharide or a breakdown product of the polysaccharide, and/or (ii) a microorganism that capable of producing the enzyme and/or fermenting the polysaccharide or a breakdown product of the polysaccharide, such that the polysaccharide is at least partially broken down and the first solution is transformed into a second solution.

Abstract: A method of making a soft pretzel bite includes cutting a series of transverse slots on one lateral side of a dough strip, curling the transverse slotted dough strip into a respective rolled dough strip, exposing each transverse slot, and transversely cutting each rolled dough strip into dough bites. The method includes washing each dough bite in a caustic solution with the length of each transverse slot being sufficient for excess caustic solution to drain way from the dough bite. The dough bite is baked into a pretzel bite. Each transverse slot allows a volume of the pretzel bite to increase without being constrained by a pretzel skin formed around each transverse slot to aerate an interior of each pretzel bite.

Abstract: A mobile communication devices operates to: generate first control data to control an auxiliary device coupled to one of a plurality of home automation devices; establish a group of the plurality of home automation devices; generate second control data corresponding to the group to control the plurality of auxiliary devices associated with the group of the plurality of home automation devices; establish tasks, via user interaction with the graphical user interface, the tasks each having an associated action to be performed by one or more of the plurality of home automation devices; display a menu of the tasks; receive selection of a selected task; and generate third control data in response to selection of the selected task, transmits the third control data to the one or more of the plurality of home automation devices associated with the selected task to perform the associated action corresponding to the selected task.

Abstract: A power adapter configured to provide power to a load is described. The power adapter may comprise a first plurality of contact elements, wherein the first plurality of contact elements comprises a first contact element configured to receive a power signal and a second contact element configure to receive a ground signal; a recess comprising a second plurality of contact elements, wherein the recess is configured to receive a control attachment that may be removably coupled to the recess; a first switch having a first terminal for receiving the power signal, wherein the first switch is accessible by a user of the power adapter; and a second switch coupled to the first switch, wherein the second switch controls an application of the power signal to a third contact element of the first plurality of contact elements by way of the first switch.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are embodiments of composite hexagonal ferrite materials formed from a combination of Y phase and Z phase hexagonal ferrite materials. Advantageously, embodiments of the material can have a high resonant frequency as well as a high permeability. In some embodiments, the materials can be useful for magnetodielectric antennas.

Abstract: A lighting system includes a plurality of lighting system elements. The lighting system elements include a luminaire and a reporting device. The luminaire includes a light source to emit illumination light. The reporting device includes a reporting device network communication interface system for network communication, a reporting device processor, a reporting device memory, and reporting device programming in the reporting device memory. Execution of the reporting device programming causes the respective reporting device to collect a respective performance metric of a respective luminaire and submits a respective claim including the respective performance metric to one or more storage devices. A respective storage device validates a plurality of claims, including the respective claim. The storage device stores the subset or all of the plurality of claims in a block in at least one storage device of the one or more storage devices. The block includes a lighting value token.

Abstract: There is provided a system and method of cleaning surfaces of an enclosable environment of a contamination comprising a microbial and viral load. The method includes the steps of sealing the enclosable environment and placing water, and a solid or gel pack, into a container and generating a vortex the container by rotating an impeller. The agitation causes the solid or gel pack to release a gaseous cleaning agent. An air-borne spray exiting from the container spreads throughout the enclosable environment to contact the surfaces to be cleaned within the enclosable environment. The enclosable environment is maintained closed for an effective time period while the air-borne spray dwells on the surfaces to eliminate or substantially reduce the load of the contamination.

Abstract: Various aspects of the present disclosure are directed to a process for modifying an audio signal. For example, one process for modifying an audio signal is disclosed including the following steps: determining a compression parameter of the audio signal that should be modified; fractionizing the audio signal into different frequency bands; obtaining the values of the compression parameter for each frequency band; and compressing at least a part of the frequency bands as a function of the determined compression parameter. Various other embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to a device for modifying an audio signal.