Abstract: A system may include a vehicle controller, comprising: a hardware platform, comprising a processor and a memory; and instructions encoded within the memory to: provide an autonomous vehicle control module with at least L4 vehicle control capability; select a semi-autonomous operating mode that uses a subset of the L4 vehicle control capability; and operate a vehicle in the semi-autonomous operating mode.

Abstract: A quantum computing device including a doubly controlled iX (CCiX) circuit. The CCiX circuit may be configured to, in a preparation stage, prepare a plurality of magic states. The CCiX circuit may be further configured to receive a plurality of input qubit states including a first control qubit state, a second control qubit state, and a target qubit state. In an execution stage, the CCiX circuit may be further configured to perform a CCiX operation on the target qubit state at least in part by performing a plurality of local joint measurements. At least a subset of the plurality of local joint measurements may be performed between the plurality of magic states and a plurality of auxiliary qubits. Performing the CCiX operation may further include performing a plurality of remote joint measurements of the input qubit states and a plurality of interface qubits included among the plurality of auxiliary qubits.

Abstract: A system and techniques to perform functions within a multiple banking system environment utilizing switchboard routing.

Abstract: A remote control device for controlling lighting devices may be configured to detect an excessive user interaction (e.g., a continued user interaction) and reduce a number of command messages that are being transmitted to prevent the lighting devices from producing undesirable visual effects. The remote control device may comprise a user interface (e.g., that may include a rotation portion, such as a rotary knob) and a processor configured to receive an indication of a user interaction via the user interface. The processor may periodically transmit command messages at a transmission frequency in response to a continued user interaction, where each of the command messages comprise a respective command for adjusting to a respective lighting level. The processor may also start a usage timer in response to receiving the indication of the user interaction, and decrease the transmission frequency in response to the usage timer exceeding a usage threshold.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a composite material housing for a battery pack for reducing or minimizing thermal runaway propagation. The composite material housing includes a polymeric structure defining an interior-facing surface and an exterior-facing surface. The polymeric structure includes a fire resistant material layer and a reinforcing material layer, where the fire resistant material layer defines an interior-facing surface, and the reinforcing material layer defines the exterior-facing surface. The composite material further includes a metallic layer disposed along the exterior-facing surface, where in a first operational mode the metallic layer contacts the exterior-facing surface and in a second operational mode, after exposure to a thermal load of greater than or equal to about 500° C., the metallic layer at least partially delaminates from the exterior-facing surface and forms one or more insulating air gaps that define a thermal barrier.

Abstract: This invention relates to a process for preparing a tart cherry extract composition by combining a tart cherry extract with a rosmarinic acid extract. Related compositions and methods are also provided.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a film includes forming a blend containing a renewable content starch, a renewable content mineral, and polyethylene, operating a mass flow hopper to maintain a consistent mass flow rate of the blend to a feed throat of an extruder, and operating the extruder with a screw speed and melt temperature based on the amount by weight of the starch and mineral within the blend. The melt is passed through a screen pack with a mesh rating based on the amount by weight of the starch and mineral within the blend, is passed through a die, and is cooled into a film. The film is nipped to a gauge such that the film can be formed into a bag.

Abstract: A computing system is provided, including a processor configured to, during a training phase, provide a training data set including a pre-transformation molecular graph and post-transformation energy parameter value representing an energy change in a molecular system following an energy transformation. The pre-transformation molecular graph includes a plurality of normal nodes fully connected by edges. The processor is configured to encode structural information including a three-dimensional Euclidean distance along an edge connecting a pair of the normal nodes in each molecular graph as learnable embeddings. The processor is configured to input the training data set to a transformer-based graph neural network to train the network to perform an inference at inference time.

Abstract: A forest fire retardant composition contains a retardant compound that includes a potassium salt. The potassium salt may include a potassium salt of an organic acid, a potassium salt of an inorganic acid, or mixtures thereof. The organic acid may include formic acid, acetic acid, propanoic acid, butanoic acid, lactic acid, oxalic acid, malic acid, gluconic acid, tartaric acid, uric acid, malic acid, or citric acid. The inorganic acid may include sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid, carbonic acid, or hydrochloric acid. The composition may be in the form of a dry concentrate, a liquid concentrate, or a final diluted product. The final diluted product is effective in suppressing, retarding, and controlling forest fires while exhibiting corrosion resistance and low toxicity.

Abstract: A computing device including a processor configured to receive an energy function of a combinatorial optimization problem. The processor may be further configured to compute an inverse temperature lower bound, which may include estimating a maximum change in the energy function between successive timesteps. The processor may be further configured to compute an inverse temperature upper bound, which may include estimating a minimum change in the energy function between successive timesteps. The processor may be further configured to compute the solution to the combinatorial optimization problem at least in part by executing a Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithm over the plurality of timesteps. An inverse temperature of the MCMC algorithm may be set to the inverse temperature lower bound during an initial timestep and may be set to the inverse temperature upper bound during a final timestep. The processor may be further configured to output the solution.

Abstract: There is includes a method and apparatus comprising computer code configured to cause a hardware processor or processors to perform intra prediction among a plurality of reference lines, to set a plurality of intra prediction modes for a zero reference line nearest to a current block of the intra prediction among non-zero reference lines, and to set one or more most probable modes for one of the non-zero reference lines.

Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure provide methods and apparatuses for video encoding/decoding. In some examples, an apparatus for video decoding includes receiving circuitry and processing circuitry. For example, the processing circuitry decodes prediction information of a current block in a current coding tree unit (CTU) from a coded video bitstream. The prediction information is indicative of an intra block copy mode. A size of the current CTU is smaller than a maximum size of a reference sample memory for storing reconstructed samples. The processing circuitry determines a block vector that points to a reference block in a same picture as the current block. The reference block has reconstructed samples buffered in the reference sample memory. Then, the processing circuitry reconstructs at least a sample of the current block based on the reconstructed samples of the reference block that are retrieved from the reference sample memory.

Abstract: Co-agent combinations and/or formulations herein unexpectedly display significantly better antimicrobial activity (e.g., more efficacy and/or more potency) against anaerobic pathogens not previously considered targets. With three or more co-agents, selected from a group of a fosfomycin, a diaminopyridine, a sulfonamide, a beta lactam antibacterial, a bacterial beta-lactamase inhibitor, a bacterial fosfomycin-modifying enzyme, and a bacterial peptidoglycan synthesis inhibitor, the therapeutic potential of the three or more co-agents is expanded by targeting a broader spectrum of pathogens. Co-agents, by unexpected synergistic action in an anaerobic environment, are now active and efficacious against difficult to treat pathogenic anaerobes (including anaerobes that cannot utilize oxygen and/or reside in an anaerobic environment, some being inhibited by oxygen), as well as pathogens considered resistant or intolerant to at least one of the co-agents when used singly in an anaerobic environment.

Abstract: A hollow fiber membrane bundle useful for manufacturing a wide variety of hollow fiber membrane modules having different flow configurations includes hollow fiber membranes arranged around a porous support tube, a cured resin tubesheet formed at first end of the bundle, and either a cured resin nub or a cured resin tubesheet formed at a second end of the bundle. The bore(s) of the hollow fiber membranes are open at a face of the tubesheet adjacent the first end of the bundle. The tubesheet has an annular structure that encapsulates the hollow fiber membranes and the porous support tube at the first end of the bundle but which does not completely block a bore of the porous support tube, wherein the collection tube has a plurality of orifices formed therein at least at positions adjacent the nub.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are new graft copolymers of dextran and polyacrylamide. The graft copolymers can include dextran, where the dextran is a backbone polymer including about 15 wt % to about 50 wt % of the graft copolymer; and polyacrylamide, where the polyacrylamide is a side chain polymer including about 50 wt % to about 85 wt % of the graft copolymer, based on the total weight of the graft copolymer, where the graft copolymer has a weight-average molecular weight from about 1,000,000 g/mol to about 1,500,000 g/mol. The graft copolymers of dextran and polyacrylamide can be used as friction reducers for well treatment fluids.

Abstract: A carrier for supporting a metallurgical vessel during a cleaning process of the vessel includes a base, a pallet, and a cradle. The base has a longitudinal axis along a length of the base. The pallet is coupled to the base between (i) a first position where a longitudinal axis of the pallet is at a first angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the base, and (ii) a second position where the longitudinal axis of the pallet is at a second angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the base, the second angle greater than the first angle. The cradle is disposed at the pallet and supports the vessel when positioned at the carrier for the cleaning process. Pivoting the pallet between the first position and the second position adjusts an angle of the longitudinal axis of the vessel relative to the longitudinal axis of the base.

Abstract: Disclosed are embodiments of apparatuses, systems and methods for detecting activities associated with theft of a substance flowing through the pipeline. Such activities are determined by correlating pipeline sensor signals to anomalistic reference signals characterizing activity(ies) known to be associated with theft of a substance flowing through a pipeline—e.g., formation of a hole within a tubular member of the pipeline, a liquid being pumped into the pipeline through a wall of a tubular member thereof, a metallic article (e.g., drill) coming into contact with a tubular member of the pipeline, and the like. Advantageously, fiber optic sensors are utilized for such monitoring of vibrations and other operating conditions in elongated tubular members making up the pipeline thereby enabling activities associated with theft of a substance from the pipeline to be effectively and inexpensively detected over extended lengths of pipelines.

Abstract: A computing system is provided, including a processor configured to, during a training phase, provide a training data set, including a pre-transformation molecular graph and post-transformation energy parameter value representing an energy change in a molecular system following an energy transformation. The pre-transformation graph includes a plurality of normal nodes connected by edges representing a distance and a bond between a pair of the normal nodes. The processor is further configured to encode structural information in each pre-transformation molecular graph as learnable embeddings, the structural information describing the relative positions of the atoms represented by the normal nodes. The structural information includes an edge encoding representing a type of bond between a pair of normal nodes in each pre-transformation molecular graph, and a spatial encoding representing a shortest path distance along the edges between a pair of normal nodes in each pre-transformation molecular graph.

Abstract: Described herein are aspherical hollow silica particles, processes for making aspherical hollow silica particles, and uses of aspherical hollow silica particles in sun care compositions. To form the aspherical hollow silica particles, deposition of a silica shell on a calcium carbonate template using a sol-gel chemistry is employed. Subsequent dissolution of the calcium carbonate template forms voids (e.g., a hollow interior) in the aspherical hollow silica particles.

Abstract: A method for extinguishing a flame and terminating thermal runaway in a device powered by a lithium ion battery. The disclosure also provides a system for extinguishing fires generated by lithium ion batteries exhibiting thermal runaway.