Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method of lead routing with a lead-management system including, in some embodiments, sending borrower information for a potential borrower from a database server of a lending platform to a database server of a brokering platform to supply buyer information for a potential buyer of real estate. The method also includes, in some embodiments, capturing real estate-buying criteria of the potential buyer. The method also includes, in some embodiments, matching the potential buyer with up to five licensed real-estate professionals associated with the brokering platform using at least in part some of the real estate-buying criteria. The method also includes, in some embodiments, notifying each real-estate professional of the up-to-five licensed real-estate professionals of the potential buyer by way of at least a text message sent by a web server of the brokering platform through an SMS gateway.

Abstract: A vertical farming system includes a storage structure having racks of storage shelves for housing plant-carrying containers. Mobile robots travel around the racks to transfer containers of plants to and from the storage shelves. Under direction of a central control system, one or more mobile robots may transport a container from a storage location to a workstation. Once there, care may be provided for the plant, including water and/or other nutrients, and data may be gathered on the plant. This may be done by an owner of the plant, or by an automated service robot positioned at the workstation. Data gathered on the plant, including for example photographs, may be sent by email or other communications schemes to an owner of the plant.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a method of achieving an integral number of sweeps within an ion beam. A substrate having a fiducial is placed on a wafer stage within the ion beam system. An energetic particle beam is generated within the ion beam system. The substrate is exposed to the energetic particle beam while the wafer stage with the substrate is rotated clockwise so that the fiducial of the substrate travels a sweep distance in a clockwise direction at a first speed and the fiducial of the substrate travels the same sweep distance in a counterclockwise direction at a second speed. The exposure of the substrate to the energetic particle beam is discontinued when the number of complete/full sweeps in the clockwise direction equals the number of complete/full sweeps in the counterclockwise direction.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for generating object predictions using a neural network. One of the methods includes receiving respective projections of a plurality of channels of input sensor data, wherein each channel of input sensor data represents different respective characteristics of electromagnetic radiation reflected off of one or more objects. Each of the projections of the plurality of channels of input sensor data are provided to a neural network subsystem trained to receive projections of input sensor data as input and to provide an object prediction as an output. At the output of the neural network subsystem, an object prediction that predicts a region of space that is likely to be occupied by an object is received.

Abstract: Systems and methods for determining whether to combine responses from multiple automated assistants. An automated assistant may be invoked by a user utterance, followed by a query, which is provided to a plurality of automated assistants. A first response is received from a first automated assistant and a second response is received from a second automated assistant. Based on similarity between the responses, a primary automated assistant determines whether to combine the responses into a combined response. Once the combined response has been generated, one or more actions are performed in response to the combined response.

Abstract: A method for data consolidation and preservation during backups of data stored in a source device from the source device to a target device is provided. The method is executed by the source device and includes: obtaining a first snapshot of the data and a second snapshot of the data; generating, in response to the obtaining, a first snapshot difference report using the first snapshot and the second snapshot; transmitting, in response to generating the first snapshot difference report, the first snapshot difference report to the target device to be stored with a backup copy of the data; and deleting, in response to transmitting the first snapshot difference report, the first snapshot.

Abstract: Aspects discussed herein may relate to techniques for authenticating a user using transaction-based authentication questions. The transaction-based authentication questions may be provided to the user. The user may provide audible responses to the transaction-based authentication questions that may be captured by a smart device, such as an always on listening device. Authentication of the user may be based on voice analysis of the audible responses to the transaction-based authentication questions and/or based on the answers to the transaction-based authentication questions.

Abstract: A dispenser for dispensing sheet product is provided. The dispenser includes a housing with an outlet through which sheet product is dispensed. A knife drum is rotatable with respect to the housing. A knife is movable between a retracted position within the knife drum and an extended position where the knife protrudes outside of the knife drum to cut the sheet product. A cam follower surface is fixed with respect to the housing. A cam follower is attached to the knife and operable to engage the cam follower surface and travel therealong to transition the knife between the retracted position and the extended position. A spring assembly biases the knife drum during rotation toward a predetermined position. The spring assembly comprises a first spring and a second spring. The spring assembly is attached at a single mount position that is fixed with respect to the housing.

Abstract: A device includes a servo controller that includes or that is coupled to memory. The memory stores multiple distinct disturbance control schemes. The servo controller is configured to select and implement one of the disturbance control schemes in response to receiving a command from a host. The servo controller can be implemented on a system on a chip.

Abstract: Power amplifier apparatuses and techniques for optimizing the design of power amplifiers are disclosed. In one aspect, a method for optimizing a power amplifier includes selecting a circuit topology for the power amplifier. The circuit topology includes one or more photoconductive switches and an impedance matching network including one or more parameter values representative of the impedance matching network or the photoconductive switches that can be adjusted. The method further includes selecting one or more optimization goals for the impedance matching network and the one or more photoconductive switches, and adjusting the one or more parameter values according to the one or more optimization goals. The one or more optimization goals include an efficiency at a particular power output.

Abstract: An outboard motor and methods of use thereof in general, includes a powerhead removeably affixed to the transom of a boat, and a gear case rotationally connected to a propeller shaft, the outboard motor including a telescopic drive shaft, the telescopic drive shaft having a first drive shaft section rotationally connected to the motor and a second drive shaft section rotationally connected to the gear case, and a telescopic drive shaft housing, the telescopic drive shaft housing configured to support the telescopic drive shaft internally therethrough, whereby the telescopic drive shaft and the telescopic drive shaft housing are configured to provide depth adjustment for the gear case and the propeller shaft, and thus enable the propeller to be raised and lowered during propulsion to improve propulsion efficiency.

Abstract: High purity hydrogen is produced by a steam reforming hydrogen production unit with at least one of a bayonet reactor for reforming steam and a hydrocarbon, a recuperative burner, and a regenerative burner such that the steam reforming unit produces little or no steam in excess of the steam reforming process requirements. High purity hydrogen is separated from the syngas exiting the reformer via a pressure swing adsorption unit and combined with high purity nitrogen from an air separation unit as feedstock to a Haber process ammonia synthesis unit. Compressors for the ammonia synthesis unit are driven by higher efficiency drivers than are possible using the low temperature steam conventionally exported from a steam reforming unit. Compression power requirements are reduced.

Abstract: A method for determining and providing alternative routes receives request data associated with a request from a user device. A first canonical route is determined from a plurality of canonical routes based on the request data. Each respective canonical route of the plurality of canonical routes satisfies at least one autonomy criteria associated with whether an autonomous vehicle can travel on the respective canonical route. First route data associated with the first canonical route is provided. Route identification data associated with identifying an alternative canonical route is received after providing the first route data associated with the first canonical route. A second canonical route is determined from the plurality of canonical routes based on the route identification data. Second route data associated with the second canonical route is provided for controlling travel of the autonomous vehicle on the second canonical route.

Abstract: An automotive power converter may be controlled by detecting a magnitude of current output by a phase leg of the automotive power converter, selecting a mutual off time for switches of the phase leg according to the magnitude, and generating pulse width modulation signals for the switches having the mutual off time to operate the switches to transfer power between a traction battery and electric machine.

Abstract: Procedures are disclosed to enable a wireless device to determine its alignment direction toward a base station or another device in 5G or 6G, using a “phased beam-alignment pulse”, which is a transmitted pulse having phase modulation that varies with angle. For example, the pulse may be transmitted spanning 360 degrees of angle, and may be phase modulated varying from 0 to 360 degrees of phase in the same angular range. A user device can receive the phased beam-alignment pulse and immediately determine, from the phase, the alignment angle toward the transmitter. In another embodiment, the transmitter transmits a uniform, non-directional pulse, and the receiver receives it using an antenna configured to impose an angle-dependent phase shift, thereby indicating the alignment direction. With either method, wireless entities can align their beams rapidly and efficiently, using just one or two resource elements, without complex encoding or time-consuming handshaking.

Abstract: A method of upcycling polymers to useful hydrocarbon materials. A catalyst with nanoparticles on a substrate selectively docks and cleaves longer hydrocarbon chains over shorter hydrocarbon chains. The nanoparticles exhibit an edge to facet ratio to provide for more interactions with the facets.

Abstract: A method to control an output component of an electronic system comprises (a) receiving a transmission from an input component of the electronic system, the transmission including a time stamp and at least one input signal; (b) storing content of the transmission including the time stamp and the at least one input signal; (c) selecting one of a plurality of noise-filtered signals based on the time stamp and on a reference time index, the selected one of the plurality of noise-filtered signals having a greatest signal-to-noise ratio among the noise-filtered signals defined at the reference time index; and (d) controlling an output component of the electronic system based in part on the selected noise-filtered signal.

Abstract: The disclosed techniques provide a computing device that displays video content within a comment section of a user interface. When users invoke a video display by selecting a link within a user interface comment section, a system can control a navigational position of a user interface to concurrently display the video and selected comments within the comment section. In one illustrative example, a system can display a user interface having a video display area and a comment section. The user interface may be positioned to show the comment section within a viewing area of a display device, and such a position may place the video display area outside of the viewing area. In such a scenario, when a system receives a user input indicating a selection of a comment displayed within the comment section, the system can generate a rendering of the video content for display within the comment section.

Abstract: A personal care system having a treatment device for applying a treatment to the skin or hair of a user is provided. The treatment device has a camera for taking an image of the skin. The system may include or be in communication with an application programming interface (API) that can process the image. The system or an associated API can recommend the use of treatment regimens or topical products according to information determined from the digital image of the skin.

Abstract: The present disclosure includes barrier devices for use in an apparatus used to form lapping plates. The barrier devices can contain liquid on the surface of the lapping plate platen. The present disclosure also involves related methods.