Abstract: Provided is a solvent borne tire ballast composition which includes in a solvent, a low molecular weight lignin in an amount of at least 5 weight % (or optionally, 10 or 15 or 20 weight %) to 30 or 40 or 50 weight % of the solids, and hemicellulose in an amount of at least 0.1 weight % (or optionally, 0.2 or 0.5 or 1.0 or 2.0 or 5.0 weight %) to 20 weight % (or 10 or 15 or 18 or 25 or 30 weight %) of the solids.

Abstract: A rod-pump control device is disclosed. The rod-pump control device uses AMP (current) measurements for electric units, fuel or air usage for gas units, and can use pressure for either unit. The AMP/fuel/air sensors work as the primary trigger to indicate a pump-off condition on an oil and gas well. These sensors can be used as stand-alone triggers or in conjunction with other sensors to more accurately monitor pump efficiency. When the pump-controller starts to indicate an inefficient pump condition, it will turn the pump off by removing power from the electric motor. For gas powered units, the controller will remove power to disengage an electric clutch or send a signal to an engine controller to stop. An adjustable algorithm will use percentage change of off time, dependent on actual run time compared to a user definable target time to keep the pump operating at peak efficiency.

Abstract: Airflow from a blower fan can be adjusted between a cooling air mode where cooling air flows freely to the ambient surroundings and a noise mode where the airflow is partially or fully restricted in order to produce different levels of soothing background noise. The airflow from the fan can be split or divided between varying degrees and combinations of unrestricted airflow, partially restricted airflow and fully restricted airflow to produce a wide range of cooling airflows into the ambient with or without the production of additional background noise. A perforated drum surrounds the fan to form a chamber within which airflow can resonate at various frequencies and amplify noise levels selected by rotating the drum around the fan.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to replication competent viral vectors for treating cell proliferative disorders. The disclosure further relates to the use of such replication competent viral vectors for delivery and expression of a heterologous nucleic acid in normal and diseased tissues and methods and compositions that facilitate such delivery and expression to tissues in vivo and in vitro. The disclosure further relates to replication competent retroviral vectors for these uses and in conjunction with methods and compositions that facilitate in vivo therapeutics.

Abstract: A method for playing a hold 'em card game with two hands provides a variant to a standard hold 'em card game by dealing four hole cards to a player, and splitting the hole cards into two sets of hole cards, with each set of hole cards being independently played, bet, raised, or folded in relation to the same community cards. An initial round of wagering occurs, followed by dealing four hole cards to each player. The hole cards are split into two sets of hole cards that are played independently of each other. There is another round of betting, before a turn and a river are also dealt. If the dealer's best of five hands exceeds a poker hand ranking of the player's, the player forfeits the wager. If the player's best of five hands exceeds the dealer's, the player receives an equal amount of units to the wager.

Abstract: A method for playing a hold 'em card game with two hands provides a variant to a standard hold 'em card game by dealing four hole cards to a player, with each set of hole cards being independently played, bet, raised, or folded in relation to the same community cards. An initial round of wagering occurs, followed by dealing four hole cards to each player. The hole cards are played independently of each other. There is another round of betting, before a turn and a river are also dealt. If the dealer's best of five hands exceeds a poker hand ranking of the player's, the player forfeits the wager. If the player's best of five hands exceeds the dealer's, the player receives an equal amount of units to the wager.

Abstract: Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a device that receives data from a machine-type communication (MTC) device located at a premises, determines an identifier for the MTC device; compares the identifier with a list of identifiers; and, responsive to determining that the MTC device is a listed device, transmits the data to a first network element remote from the premises. The device and the first network element do not receive data from devices at the premises generating human traffic communications (HTC). The first network element transmits the data to a second network element for aggregation and subsequent transmission to a cloud data facility comprising cloud storage. A data path from the device to the first network element, from the first network element to the second network element, and from the second network element to the cloud data facility forms a secure data path. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Abstract: A copolymer of ethylene and hydrolysable silane includes from 0.1 wt % to 5.0 wt % hydrolysable silane groups and has a Mz(abs)/Mw(abs) of less than or equal to 9.5; a ratio of Mz(abs)/Mw(abs) to polydispersity of less than or equal to 1.5; a polydispersity of 6.6 or greater; a Density×Polydispersity of 6.0 or greater; or an Amorphous Content at Room Temperature×Polydispersity of 360 or greater. Methods for forming a moisture-crosslinkable polymer composition include forming a copolymer of ethylene and hydrolysable silane at a polymerization temperature of greater than or equal to 180° C. to less than or equal to 400° C. at a pressure from 5,000 psi to 50,000 psi; and adding a silanol condensation catalyst to the copolymer of ethylene and hydrolysable silane.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are linear block copolymers of formula A-B-A? or A-B*B-A?, wherein blocks A and A? are polystyrene blocks, block B is a poly(conjugated diene) block and * is a coupling agent having a vinyl content of from 10-60 mol %. The block copolymers have a polystyrene content of from 20-35 wt. %, relative to the overall weight of the block copolymer, and a molecular weight of from 200,000-300,000 g/mol. The block copolymers can be used with a wide variety of asphalt grades, and are valuable for producing homogeneous polymer modified asphalt compositions having an effective combination of performance properties, such as acceptable viscosity, good elastic response to an applied stress, and a low non-recoverable creep compliance. The combination of vinyl content and polymerization technology allows a high solution concentration during polymerization without excessive processing viscosity.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of forming a chamber in a firearm wherein the chamber is adapted to fit a polymer ammunition cartridge comprising the steps of: providing a barrel blank; providing a reamer having the dimensions of the desired polymer ammunition cartridge, wherein the reamer comprising a reamer profile corresponding to an ammunition cartridge having a reduced neck height comprising: a shortened neck having a projectile aperture, wherein the shortened neck is reduced by 25-100% of the neck height of a standard cartridge neck; a shoulder extending from the shortened neck to a cartridge side wall; and wherein the cartridge side wall extends from the shoulder to the base to form an interior propellant chamber; wherein the base comprises an extraction ring, a primer recess positioned in the base in communication with the propellant chamber through a flash hole that extends from the primer recess into the propellant chamber; contacting the reamer with the barrel blank to form a reamed barrel

Abstract: The present invention relates to methods of diagnosing a kidney disorder in a patient, as well as methods of monitoring the progression of a kidney disorder and/or methods of monitoring a treatment protocol of a therapeutic agent or a therapeutic regimen. The invention also relates to assay methods used in connection with the diagnostic methods described herein.

Abstract: An implant delivery system comprises an elongate tubular member having a lumen, a tubular implant coaxially disposed within the lumen of the elongate tubular member, and a delivery assembly having a distal portion coaxially disposed within tubular implant. The delivery assembly comprises a delivery wire, an engaging bumper fixedly coupled to the delivery wire, a stopper bumper fixedly coupled to the delivery wire, and a floating element slidably coupled around the delivery wire and disposed between the bumpers, thereby limiting linear translation of the floating element therebetween. The floating element has an engaging portion configured to engage the engaging bumper when the delivery wire is axially translated relative to the elongate member in a first direction. The floating element is configured to radially expand outward to frictionally engage the implant when the engaging portion of the floating element engages the engaging bumper.

Abstract: A method and system for intelligently organizing one or more groups of relevant files may include retrieving a user data signal including user-specific data, analyzing the user data signal to identify a parameter relating to file relevance, identifying one or more relevant files in a storage medium based on the parameter at least one of a user category property, a lifecycle stage property, a relevant activity property, or an activity level property of one or more files in the storage medium, organizing the one or more relevant file into the one or more groups of relevant files, and providing for display data relating to the one or more groups of relevant files.

Abstract: A platform for unmanned traffic management (UTM) may include a compute system and infrastructure that standardizes and controls aviation data transmitted between service providers, where each service is abstracted from the platform through a service wrapper that enforces the preset data standards. The service wrappers enforce restrictions on the performance and configuration of data from the service provider. The service wrappers are customized to respective services (such as tracking, terrain, or weather), but provide a standard point of interface, security, and trust between the platform and any services directed to provide a similar function. Upon the request of a user or service providers to obtain aviation data, the UTM platform selects a service providing that aviation data, and provides connection data to the user while protecting the security and integrity of the data.

Abstract: A seal assembly can include a sealing component and a spring energizer located within a seal cavity or spring cavity of the sealing component. The sealing component provides an exterior surface for providing protection of the seal cavity and spring energizer from an external or contaminated environment, such as the atmosphere. The sealing component can have two distinct first and second sealing points. Each distinct first sealing point can have two discrete first sealing points and each second sealing point can have two discrete second sealing points. Part of the spring energizer can extend externally of the sealing component.

Abstract: A method of and system for visualizing a sound source is disclosed. The method may include analyzing an audio signal received by a sound transducer to determine a positional direction of the sound source, determining whether the positional direction of the sound source falls outside a field of view of a user, and in response to determining that the positional direction of the sound source falls outside the field of view of the user, rendering on a display unit a visual representation of the sound source. The visual representation of the source is rendered on a virtual surface at a location within the field of view of the user, the location corresponding to at least one of a distance of the source from the user and a positional direction of the source with respect to the user.

Abstract: Methods and systems for a software application for the marketing and sale of prescription drugs. Pharmaceutical companies must adapt to an ever changing, ever shrinking sales environment. Systems and methods described below may reach those targeted providers and provide every service that a human sales rep may provide. Discussed further below, the methods and systems provide video details, samples, co-pay cards, full product information, web page links, access to CE courses, Q and A links, printable insurance snapshot, product launch dates, virtual lunch and learn scheduling, partnered pharmacies, specialty pharmacies, convention links, printable and orderable detail literature and more.

Abstract: A method includes receiving text input data for conversion into synthesized speech and determining, using a hotword-aware model trained to detect a presence of a hotword assigned to a user device, whether a pronunciation of the text input data includes the hotword. The hotword is configured to initiate a wake-up process on the user device for processing the hotword and/or one or more other terms following the hotword in the audio input data. When the pronunciation of the text input data includes the hotword, the method also includes generating an audio output signal from the text input data and providing the audio output signal to an audio output device to output the audio output signal. The audio output signal when captured by an audio capture device of the user device, configured to prevent initiation of the wake-up process on the user device.

Abstract: Processing inputs to electronic list systems. Receiving, from a user device, a user input. Parsing the received user input for a minimum set of product data for querying a shopping service. Upon parsing a minimum set of product data for querying a shopping service, querying at least one shopping service using the parsed data. Receiving, from at least one queried shopping service, at least one product description responsive to the query. Presenting, via the user device, each received at least one product description to the user.

Abstract: Processes herein may be used to thermally crack various hydrocarbon feeds, and may eliminate the refinery altogether while making the crude to chemicals process very flexible in terms of crude. In embodiments herein, crude is progressively separated into at least light and heavy fractions. Depending on the quality of the light and heavy fractions, these are routed to one of three upgrading operations, including a fixed bed hydroconversion unit, a fluidized catalytic conversion unit, or a residue hydrocracking unit that may utilize an ebullated bed reactor.