Abstract: Implementations described and claimed herein provide systems and methods for a configurable optical peering fabric to dynamically create a connection between participant sites without any physical site limitations or necessity of specialized client and network provider equipment being located within such a facility. Client sites to a network may connect to a configurable switching element to be interconnected to other client sites in response to a request to connect the first client site with a second site, also connected to network, via the switching element. A request may trigger verification of the requested and, upon validation, transmission of an instruction to the switching element to enable the cross connect within the switching element. The first site and the second site may thus be interconnected via the switching element in response to the request, without the need to co-locate equipment or to manually install a jumper between client equipment.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to initiating and completing peer to peer payments or peer to merchant payments initiated by financial cards and cameras of mobile devices. In some embodiments, the disclosed systems and methods may provide an accurate determination of parties involved in a peer to peer transaction, be useable with hardware and software that users are already in possession of, and securely initiate a peer to peer transaction. The disclosed systems may include a server communicatively coupled to a mobile device by a network. The server may receive an image of one or more financial cards, retrieve account information for each financial card in the received image, generate a proposed transaction based on the retrieved account information, transmit the proposed transaction to the mobile device, receive approval for the proposed transaction and initiate a payment or a transfer to an account based on the retrieved account information.

Abstract: Techniques and apparatuses for improved weather forecasting using satellite data are described in this publication. The conventional predictions that are utilized for the generation of weather forecasts are commonly based on large-scale weather formations. Such formations are typically directed to large geographical regions of a state, province, or country, and thus may not be accurate for smaller geographical regions. The disclosed techniques and apparatuses utilize satellite data for a macro-location, and mobile-sensor data from mobile devices within that macro-location, to provide improved macro-location weather forecasting.

Abstract: A load control system may include control devices capable of being associated with each other at one or more locations for performing load control. Control devices may include control-source devices and/or control-target devices. A location beacon may be discovered and a unique identifier in the location beacon may be associated with a unique identifier of one or more control devices. Upon subsequent discovery of the location beacon, the associated load control devices may be controlled. The beacons may be communicated via radio frequency signals, visible light communication, and/or audio signals. The visible light communication may be used to communicate other types of information to devices in the load control system. The visible light communication may be used to identify link addresses for communicating with load control devices, load control instructions, load control configuration instructions, network communication information, and/or the like.

Abstract: In this invention we introduce the concept of energy injection in a resonant circuit with initial conditions which is part of almost all of the present topologies. The patent will present in details several methods of energy injection in a resonant circuit with initial conditions and how it is applies to different topologies. The patent presents also a simple and economical method of driving the clamp switch in a flyback topology operating in discontinuous mode and a bias circuit in a flyback topology wherein the output voltage varies over a large range.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods, implants and systems for treatment of mitral valve prolapse by subannular fixation of the prolapsed mitral valve. The disclosure relates generally to the field of heart valve repair devices, methods and kits and more specifically to trans catheter methods and devices for insertion of tethers and anchors to the mitral valve leaflets for reduction the prolapsed mitral valve and subannular fixation of the prolapsed leaflet to treat mitral valve regurgitation.

Abstract: This specification is generally directed to techniques for automatically transitioning applications—especially those that enable exchange of messages between users—into and/or out of a private state based on a variety of signals associated with the messages and/or the participants themselves. In various implementations, an ongoing message exchange thread between two or more participants operating two or more respective message exchange clients may be examined. Based at least in part on the examining, a likelihood may be determined that message(s) directed by one of the participants to another of the participants as part of the ongoing message exchange thread would be deemed private by at least a given participant of the two or more participants. A determination may be made of whether the determined likelihood satisfies one or more thresholds, and in response, one or more of the message exchange clients may be transitioned into a private state.

Abstract: A limited purpose account can be provided to a legitimate user to avoid some types of anti-abuse mechanisms from being triggered when the user connects to an identity verifier using a username known to belong to a limited purpose account. A limited purpose account is an account in which certain privileges of ordinary use are disabled or curtailed. A limited purpose account may be an account that can only be used with a limited number of applications or for a limited amount of time, thus reducing the ability of the limited purpose user to gain unauthorized access to resources. The operating system can reset itself to a previous state when the account is disconnected or when the device is turned off.

Abstract: An expandable accessory for attachment to a mobile electronic device. The expandable accessory includes a base, a membrane, and a button coupled to the membrane opposite the base. The membrane includes a plurality of linear wall segments. The membrane is movable between a collapsed position and an expanded position, and when the membrane is in the expanded position, the plurality of linear wall segments are arranged in a common conical plane.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods for lysis of cells that combine three lysis steps—(1) heat, (2) detergent and (3) base—into a single step and that can be completed in a short period of time, e.g., a few minutes. The methods combine a normally incompatible detergent and base lysis, allow for simplified removal of detergent after lysis, and importantly, limits damage to DNA, such as shearing, that typically results from separate application of conventional lysis methods, yielding improved quality and quantities of genomic DNA (gDNA).

Abstract: Disclosed are systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable media for improved data transmissions using puncturing and error correction encoding. A decoder receives an encoded data input that includes a set of individual values. The decoder performing a puncturing of the encoded data input, yielding a punctured encoded data input that includes a subset of the individual values from the set of individual values. The decoder determines whether the punctured encoded data input maps to any predetermined data outputs from a set of predetermined data outputs, and in response to determining that the punctured encoded data input maps to a predetermined data output from the set of predetermined data outputs, the decoder determines that the encoded data input corresponds to the predetermined data output.

Abstract: A low voltage drive circuit (LVDC) includes a digital to digital converter that converts transmit digital data into a digital input signal, wherein the transmit digital data is synchronized to a clock rate of a host device and the digital input signal is synchronized to a clock rate of a bus to which the LVDC is coupled. An output limited digital to analog is converter converts the digital input signal into analog outbound data by generating a DC component and converting the digital input signal into an oscillating component at a first frequency, wherein magnitude of the oscillating component is limited to a range that is less than a difference between magnitudes of power supply rails of the LVDS, and wherein the oscillating component and the DC component are combined to produce the analog outbound data.

Abstract: Various implementations include a wearable foot garment that includes a forefoot portion, a midfoot portion, and an ankle portion. The midfoot portion includes two high compression zones and a reduced compression zone between the high compression zones. The first high compression zone is configured for providing compression in a radially inward direction toward the wearer's foot adjacent a proximal end of the wearer's plantar aponeurosis. The second high compression zone is configured for providing compression in a radially inward direction toward the wearer's foot adjacent distal ends of metatarsals of the wearer. The compressive strength in the high compression zones is greater than the compressive strength in the reduced compression zone. In some implementations, the ankle portion and midfoot portion define a heel opening, and the forefoot portion includes a plantar surface area on which an adhesive film is disposed for increasing the friction contact of the forefoot portion.

Abstract: Described herein are biological devices and methods for using the same to produce carbo sugars. The biological devices include microbial cells transformed with a DNA construct containing genes for producing a cellulose synthase and galactomannan galactosyltransferase. In some instances, the biological devices also include a gene for lipase. Methods for altering the viscosity of petroleum oil using the carbo sugars are also described herein. Finally, methods for degreasing or decontaminating water mixed with petroleum oil or other fatty substances or a surface coated with petroleum oil or other fatty substances using the carbo sugars are described herein.

Abstract: Techniques for managing snapshots of a storage object in a data storage system based on the data churn delta between the latest snapshot and the current data of the storage object. The techniques include, having specified minimum and maximum data loss tolerances for a parent object, creating successive snapshots of the parent object, each snapshot being created at a scheduled time interval or a time when the minimum data loss tolerance has been reached/exceeded. The techniques include obtaining the total data churn between the latest snapshot and the parent data, and determining whether the total data churn has reached or exceeded the maximum data loss tolerance. The techniques include, having determined that the total data churn has reached or exceeded the maximum data loss tolerance, retaining only those snapshots that have not exceeded the maximum data loss tolerance, and discarding all snapshots that have exceeded the maximum data loss tolerance.

Abstract: The invention relates, generally, to porous absorbent materials which are suitable for packing antrums or other cavities of the human or animal body. More particularly, it relates to hydrophilic biodegradable foams, which may be used e.g. in the form of a plug or tampon, for instance for controlling bleeding, wound closure, prevent tissue adhesion and/or support tissue regeneration. The invention provides an absorbent foam, suitable for packing antrums or other cavities of the human or animal body, comprising a biodegradable synthetic polymer, which polymer preferably comprises —C(O)—O— groups in the backbone of the polymer, for instance polyurethane and/or polyester units combined with polyethers.

Abstract: An assembly includes a series of support structures. Each of the support structures includes a base, a top plate having a continuous surface area, and a connector coupling the base to the top plate. The connector assumes a compressed position when under load from an object. The support structures that are in an extended position provide a lateral retention force to the object.

Abstract: A laminate comprising a first ply, a second ply, and a third ply which sandwiching the second ply between the first ply and the third ply. The laminate further includes a first plurality of interfacial modifiers arranged between opposing faces of the first ply and the second ply. The first plurality of interfacial modifiers are arranged in a first pattern. The laminate includes a second plurality of interfacial modifiers arranged between opposing faces of the second ply and the third ply such that the first plurality of interfacial modifiers and the second plurality of interfacial modifiers are arranged on opposite faces of the second ply. The second plurality of interfacial modifiers are arranged in a second pattern. The first pattern and the second pattern are configured to increase crack growth resistance of the laminate by selectively toughening portions of the laminate to control propagation of interfacial cracks within the laminate.

Abstract: An editing tool is described which has a memory storing a neural network having been trained to compute a change representation from pairs, each pair comprising a representation of a first version of a content item and a second version of the content item, and for each of the change representations, predict an updated content item from the change representation and the first version of the content item. The editing tool has a processor configured to receive an input content item and to compute an updated version of the input content item according to a change representation, using the neural network.

Abstract: An adjustable chair support system includes a first seat back support member spaced from a second seat back support member, and a seat back tensioning assembly extending between the first and second seat back support members, the seat back tensioning assembly includes a carrier, an adjustable tension member coupled to the carrier, and a cable, wherein the cable extends between the first and second seat back support members a plurality of times, and wherein the adjustable tension member is configured to adjust a tension of the cable.