Abstract: A crossbow includes a frame, a riser coupled to the frame, a first flexible limb, a second flexible limb, a third flexible limb, and a fourth flexible limb. A first cam assembly couples to the first flexible limb and the second limb and includes a first draw string journal, a first power cable journal, and a second power cable journal. A second cam assembly couples to the third flexible limb and the fourth flexible limb and includes a second draw string journal, a third power cable journal, and a fourth power cable journal. A draw string is received in the first draw string journal and the second draw string journal. Power cables cross over the center rail, above and below the draw string, and are received in the first power cable journal, the second power cable journal, the third power cable journal, and the fourth power cable journal, respectively.

Abstract: The disclosed technology is generally directed to the authentication of software. In one example of the technology, a private attestation key is stored in hardware. In some examples, during a sequential boot process a hash is calculated, in an order in which the software stages are sequentially booted, of each software stage of a plurality of software stages. The hashes of each software stage of the plurality may be cryptographically appended to an accumulation register. The accumulation register may be used to attest to validity of the software stages. The plurality of software stages may include a first bootloader, a runtime for a first core of a multi-core processor, and a runtime for a first execution environment for a second core of the multi-core processor.

Abstract: Intelligent agents (IA) for automatically generating responses to content within a communication session (CS) are disclosed. An IA is trained to target the responses to a user and the user's context within the CS. An IA receives CS content that includes natural language expressions encoding users' conversations and determines content features based on natural language models. The content features indicate intended semantics of the expressions. The IA identifies likely-relevant content to the targeted user, to generate a response for. Identifying such content includes determining a relevance of the content based on content features, a context of the CS, a user-interest model, and a content-relevance model. Identifying the likely-relevant content to respond to is based on the determined relevance of the content and relevance thresholds. Various responses to the identified portions of the content are automatically generated and provided based on a natural language response-generation model targeted to the user.

Abstract: A transmission assembly includes a cavity in a female U-joint having a groove that extends radially outward from an inner diameter thereof and bounded by three planar drive surfaces. A male U-joint member includes a drive end includes a longitudinal rectangular extension protruding radially outward from a periphery and positioned within the groove of the cavity. The drive end includes a longitudinal rectangular insert has a portion forming the extension positioned within the groove and retained within the drive end. The extension includes (1) opposing longitudinal sides, each forming a side crest disposed between a pair of angular side surfaces that extend axially from the side crest inward toward a center of the extension, and (2) a top side forming a top crest disposed between a pair of angular top surfaces that extend axially from the top crest downward toward the center of the extension.

Abstract: Among other things, an apparatus comprises quantum units; and couplers among the quantum units. Each coupler is configured to couple a pair of quantum units according to a quantum Hamiltonian characterizing the quantum units and the couplers. The quantum Hamiltonian includes quantum annealer Hamiltonian and a quantum governor Hamiltonian. The quantum annealer Hamiltonian includes information bearing degrees of freedom. The quantum governor Hamiltonian includes non-information bearing degrees of freedom that are engineered to steer the dissipative dynamics of information bearing degrees of freedom.

Abstract: A packet-filtering system configured to filter packets in accordance with packet-filtering rules may receive data indicating network-threat indicators and may configure the packet-filtering rules to cause the packet-filtering system to identify packets comprising unencrypted data, and packets comprising encrypted data. A portion of the unencrypted data may correspond to one or more of the network-threat indicators, and the packet-filtering rules may be configured to cause the packet-filtering system to determine, based on the portion of the unencrypted data, that the packets comprising encrypted data correspond to the one or more network-threat indicators.

Abstract: A virtual machine host may provide IPv4 connections to IPv4 virtual machine guests and map the connections to IPv6 networks. The IPv6 addressed exposed by the virtual machine host may be used in an IPv6 environment to communicate with the virtual machine guests, enabling various IPv6 connected scenarios for the IPv4 virtual machines. The virtual machine host may receive IPv6 communications, and translate those communications to IPv4 to communicate with the virtual machine guests. Similarly, the outbound IPv4 communications may be translated into IPv6 for communications to the IPv6 network.

Abstract: Techniques for streamlined secure deployment of cloud services in cloud computing environments are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a method can include in response to receiving an instruction to deploy a cloud service in the cloud computing system, creating a deployment subscription to resources in the cloud computing system, the deployment subscription being owned by the deployment service and instantiating one or more computing resources accessible by the deployment service in the cloud computing system in accordance with the created deployment subscription. The method also includes retrieving one or more components of an application corresponding to the cloud service based on a manifest with the instantiated one or more computing resources and installing the retrieved one or more components of the application in the cloud computing system in accordance with an installation sequence identified in the manifest.

Abstract: A LED assembly includes a baseplate and a diffuser. A circuit board connected to the baseplate has a first set of LEDs directed to emit light toward the diffuser. Additionally, a frame is attached to the baseplate and positioned to surround the circuit board. A flexible circuit with a second set of LEDs is attached to the frame, with the LEDs positioned to emit light predominantly perpendicular with respect to the first set of LEDs.

Abstract: A method and a server system for creating consistent snapshots in a distributed storage system are disclosed. The server system stores entities in databases that includes a production portion for storing current versions of entities and a backup portion for storing backup versions of modified entities, receives a request for a snapshot of a portion of the databases at a predefined snapshot time. In response to the request, the server system generates a snapshot of the databases, the snapshot including: a backup version of an entity retrieved from the backup portion and a current version of another entity retrieved from the databases and produces a response to the request based on the snapshot. When there are several backup portions, a backup portion may be used separately or in conjunction with other backup portions to provide required backup versions to generate a snapshot.

Abstract: A system, method and apparatus for creating an electric glow discharge includes a non-conductive housing having a longitudinal axis, a first opening aligned with the longitudinal axis, and a second opening aligned with the longitudinal axis and opposite the first opening, a first electrically conductive screen disposed proximate to the first opening of the housing and substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, a second electrically conductive screen disposed proximate to the second opening of the housing and substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, wherein the second electrically conductive screen separated from the first electrically conductive screen by a substantially equidistant gap, a non-conductive granular material disposed within the substantially equidistant gap, and the electric glow discharge is created whenever the first electrically conductive screen has a first polarity, the second electrically conductive screen has a second polarity, and an electrically conductive fluid

Abstract: Knife sharpener systems and methods are provided. In one exemplary embodiment, a knife sharpening system can include a housing configured to receive a knife blade at a proximal end thereof and a sharpening element movably mounted to the housing and configured to sharpen a cutting edge of a knife blade by moving relative to the housing along and against a cutting edge of a knife blade disposed in the housing. The knife sharpening system can include an access door pivotally coupled to a distal end of the housing and configured to allow access to the sharpening element to allow removal of at least a portion of the sharpening element.

Abstract: An apparatus for delivering digestible products to hatchling fowl includes a controller and a metered delivery mechanism, the metered delivery mechanism electrically coupled to the controller and configured to deliver a pre-defined quantity of digestible products to the container. The digestible product includes an edible and digestible semisolid material.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for selecting content for user devices specific to a particular user. The aspects generally relate to providing related content items to a particular user across multiple different user devices, such as mobile devices, tablet computers, desktop computers, and televisions. The selection of the content items for a particular user and the device to which the content items are to be sent are based one or more of the following factors: user history data, subject matter category duration, frequency duration adjustment, behavioral duration adjustment, and device prioritization.

Abstract: Techniques for generating a fused enhanced image. A first image is generated using a first camera of a first modality, and a second image is generated using a second camera of a second modality. Pixels that are common between the two images are identified. Textures for the common pixels are determined. A camera characteristic, which is linked to noise, is identified. A scaling factor is applied to the textures in the first image. A first saliency is determined using the scaled textures. A second saliency is determined using the textures from the second image. An alpha map is generated and reflects edge detection weights that have been computed for each one of the common pixels based on the two saliencies. Based on the alpha map, textures are merged from the common pixels to generate the fused enhanced image.

Abstract: A load control system may be provided including control devices and a system controller. The system controller may be configured to broadcast a service set identifier (SSID) and provide a wireless network connection to a network device. The system controller may provide a web page to the network device, wherein the web page may include an indication of target system controllers. The target system controllers may be used for configuring (e.g., associating) the control devices. The system controller may receive an indication of a target system controller selected to associate the control devices. The system controller may determine an address and port number of the target system controller identified by the network device. The system controller may provide, to the network device, the web page from the target system controller while the network device is connected to the system controller via the wireless network connection.

Abstract: Embodiments are directed toward a charging handle for a firearm. The charging handle preferably has a base, a shaft, a latch, and left and right levers pivotably coupled to the base by respective pivot pins and configured to disengage the latch from an upper receiver. The base preferably defines four substantially vertical mating surfaces. The entirety of each of the first and third mating surfaces contacts the left lever when pulled rearward. The entirety of each of the second and third mating surfaces contacts the right lever when pulled rearward. The third mating surface is preferably disposed at an acute angle to the first mating surface as measured forward and outward from the third mating surface. The fourth mating surface is preferably disposed at an acute angle to the second mating surface as measured forward and outward from the fourth mating surface. Accordingly, stress on the pivot pins is relieved.

Abstract: A method, system and computer-usable medium for identifying probability distributions. The identifying probability distributions includes receiving a stream of events, the stream of events comprising a plurality of events; extracting features from the plurality of events, at least some extracted features corresponding to interrelated events; identifying items of interest based upon the interrelated events; and, generating a distribution value based upon the items of interest.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to apparatus for measuring various characteristics of an indoor agriculture system. In one embodiment, a plug holder weight measurement system includes a plant plug holder disposed in a grow tower and one or more load cells positioned and configured to detect a weight of a plug holder. The load cells may be compression-type, tension-type, torsion-type, or beam-type load cells and each may be integrated into the grow tower.

Abstract: A pyrolytic graphite (PG) substrate and laser diode package includes a substrate body having a PG crystalline structure with a basal plane oriented at a pre-determined orientation angle as measured from a longitudinal axis of a heat generating material, such as a laser diode, mounted on a surface of the PG substrate, so that a coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of the PG substrate is substantially matched with a CTE of the material.