Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for embolizing an artery in a living subject using a catheter are disclosed. The catheter has a lumen and also has a balloon located near the distal end of the catheter. The distal end of the catheter is introduced into the artery, and the balloon is inflated to form a seal that prevents blood in the artery from flowing past the balloon. A mixture that includes embolic particles and contrast agent is injected through the lumen into the portion of the artery that is distally beyond the balloon. The subject's own blood or another fluid that contains platelets is injected through the lumen into the portion of the artery that is distally beyond the balloon. Subsequently, the balloon is deflated and the distal end of the catheter is withdrawn.

Abstract: A valet vault is described herein. The valet vault may be constructed with components that result in improved strength and prevent theft. In one example embodiment, the vault may comprise a service side, an attachment side, and four exterior sides, a lockable utility box, a secured storage area being accessible through a door where a hinged end of the door is pivotally connected to a door frame by at least one hinge, and a security plate substantially separating the secured storage area and the lockable utility box. The vault may comprise a catch/latch to stop the door. The vault may comprise an illuminatable sign that does not compromise the security of the secured storage area. The door may comprise reinforcements. The vault may be a podium or be coupled to a wall.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer programs are presented for managing audio files of a user to reduce latencies in play start times on local devices. The audio files are stored on cloud storage managed by a server. One method includes processing a plurality of audio files associated with a user, where the processing is configured to create audio snippet files from each of the plurality of audio files. The audio snippet files representing a beginning part of each of the plurality of audio files. The method also includes transmitting the audio snippet files to a client device and detecting a request from the client to begin playing a first audio file from the plurality of audio files of the user. The first audio file being stored on the cloud storage managed by the server.

Abstract: A dynamic transaction card that includes a transaction card having a number of layers, each of which may be interconnected to one another. For example, a dynamic transaction card may include an outer layer, a potting layer, a sensor layer that may detect and identify a card free fall and/or subsequent impact, which may trigger a microcontroller to send a mobile notification to a cardholder notifying the user that the card has been dropped, and/or may disable or deactivate the card and/or a user account associated with the card, a display layer (including, for example, LEDs, a dot matrix display, and the like), a microcontroller storing firmware, Java applets, and the like, an EMV chip, an energy storage component, one or more antenna (e.g., Bluetooth antenna, NFC antenna, and the like), a power management component, a flexible printed circuit board (PCB), a chassis, and/or a card backing layer.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for channel detection in an uplink shared control channel. In an exemplary embodiment, a method includes generating soft-combined bit streams for an acknowledgement (ACK) indicator, rank indicator (RI), and channel quality indicator (CQI) received in an uplink shared channel. The method also includes decoding the ACK, RI, and CQI soft-combined bit streams to generate Top-M decoded bit streams for each indicator, and generating Top-Q symbols for each indicator from the Top-M decoded bit streams for each indicator. The method also includes calculating metrics from the Top-Q symbols and uplink control information (UCI) symbols extracted from the uplink shared channel, combining the metrics to form a search space, and searching the search space to determine transmitted ACK, RI, and CQI bits.

Abstract: A host coupled to a storage system accesses secondary storage coupled to the storage system and to the host by determining if direct data access between the storage system and the secondary storage is operational, the host forwarding commands to the storage system to directly access the secondary storage in response to direct data access between the storage system and the secondary storage being operational, and the host generating modified commands to cause the host to directly access the secondary storage in response to direct data access between the storage system and the secondary storage not being operational. The secondary storage may be a cloud storage. The secondary storage may be a tape emulation unit. The host may directly access data of the tape emulation unit by accessing a storage device of the tape emulation unit. Commands on the host may be modified by a drivers layer on the host.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods, systems, and processes to improve extent map performance A request for a data block is received. In response to detecting a cache miss, a temporary table is searched for the data block. If the data block is not found in the temporary table, a base table is searched for the data block.

Abstract: Embodiments of neural interfaces according to the present invention comprise sensor modules for sensing environmental attributes beyond the natural sensory capability of a subject, and communicating the attributes wirelessly to an external (ex-vivo) portable module attached to the subject. The ex-vivo module encodes and communicates the attributes via a transcutaneous inductively coupled link to an internal (in-vivo) module implanted within the subject. The in-vivo module converts the attribute information into electrical neural stimuli that are delivered to a peripheral nerve bundle within the subject, via an implanted electrode. Methods and apparatus according to the invention incorporate implantable batteries to power the in-vivo module allowing for transcutaneous bidirectional communication of low voltage (e.g. on the order of 5 volts) encoded signals as stimuli commands and neural responses, in a robust, low-error rate, communication channel with minimal effects to the subjects' skin.

Abstract: A single-wire stylet may be constructed as an elongate single-wire, memory-metal alloy body with a generally cylindrical body profile, extending distally from a proximal end terminus, where embodiments include a polymeric distal tip member fixedly attached directly at a distal end of the single-wire body. At least one lengthwise portion of the single-wire body is at least partially in martensitic phase at operating temperatures at and below about 37° C. Where present, the polymeric distal tip member has a generally cylindrical body profile circumferentially bounded by an outer circumference substantially equal to or greater than that of the metal body. The polymeric distal tip member may be overmolded upon a distal-end tip length of an elongate single-wire, memory-metal alloy stylet body, where the distal end and/or discrete intermediate distal-portion length(s) that include martensitic-phase alloy and any polymeric member have greater flexibility than a proximal-most length of the alloy stylet body.

Abstract: A panel fastener is provided that has a head having a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface; an engagement feature on the first surface of the head, the engagement feature being configured to be engaged by a driving tool; a shank extending from the second surface of the head; a threaded portion extending from the shank, the threaded portion having first and second helical threads arranged in an intertwined manner; the first thread extending farther radially from the central axis than does the second thread; and the shank being located between the head and the threaded portion.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for reorganizing dynamically loadable namespaces (DLNs). In one exemplary embodiment, a method comprises the steps of, in response to a job submitted by an application, obtaining a DLN portion of a global single namespace of a file system, wherein the DLN is associated with the job and is maintained in a capacity tier of object storage of a storage system; obtaining one or more reordering directives from a user; rearranging one or more files in the DLN into a new directory hierarchy based on the one or more reordering directives to generate a reordered DLN; and dynamically loading the reordered DLN, including the metadata only for the reordered DLN, from the capacity tier of object storage into a performance tier of storage of the storage system for processing by the application. The reordered DLN is merged into the DLN following one or more modifications to the reordered DLN.

Abstract: Techniques are provided for resource allocation and provisioning in a multi-tier edge-cloud virtualization environment. An exemplary method comprises: obtaining an application request for processing a given data type in a multi-tier environment; processing application requests received within a decision window to allocate resources for virtual nodes to process the application requests received within the decision window, wherein the allocated resources for each virtual node is on a corresponding one of cloud resources and a given edge node; instantiating the allocated virtual nodes to process the application requests; and providing the application requests to the instantiated virtual nodes, wherein the instantiated virtual nodes obtain the data of the given data type from a data repository.

Abstract: A personal base station (PBS) having wireless video capability. The PBS authenticates a mobile device within range for cellular services, and authenticates the user for a level of service for cable television. The PBS operates in accordance with a dual-purpose subscriber identity system (SIS) includes a subscriber mobile identity component (SMIC) and a video security component (VSC) such that the cellular and television services can be authenticated. Mobile devices incorporating the disclosed innovations, as well as the PBS, can access video content from a cable television provider through any available broadband link, regardless of the mobile device's physical location.

Abstract: A virtual network interface controller (NIC) associated with a virtual machine in a cloud computing network is configured to support one or more network containers that encapsulate networking configuration data and policies that are applicable to a specific discrete computing workload to thereby enable the virtual machine to simultaneously belong to multiple virtual networks using the single NIC. The network containers supported by the NIC can be associated with a single tenant to enable additional flexibility such quickly switching between virtual networks and support pre-provisioning of additional computing resources with associated networking policies for rapid deployment. The network containers can also be respectively associated with different tenants so that the single NIC can support multi-tenant services on the same virtual machine.

Abstract: A collapsible packer for use in a well includes a deployment assembly, a retraction assembly and a sealing assembly extending between the deployment assembly and the retraction assembly. The deployment assembly may include a spring and a degradable stop configured to offset the force applied by the spring. The degradable stop can be manufactured from a material that dissolves when contacted by fluid in the well. The retraction assembly may by hydraulically or spring energized.

Abstract: A method, system and program product for remote scheduling of at least one job to run on a plurality of computers in a computer network. The job scheduler enables selection of a domain that includes at least a subset of the computers on which the job is to run. A list of computers in the selected domain is automatically generated. The computers on which the job is to run can be selected from the generated list of computers. A configuration file is created for storing an identification of the selected domain and the job to be run on the selected computers in the domain.

Abstract: To combat data theft and/or sabotage, a network-level security client may monitor and selectively apply security protocols to manage risk in data transfers within, incoming to, and outgoing from an organization's data network. This top-down approach may become increasingly difficult to maintain within a data network with numerous connected terminals, storage devices, and other devices, many of which may be attempting data transfers simultaneously. In the presently disclosed technology, connected data storage devices each include an endpoint security client embedded in data storage device firmware. The endpoint security clients each establish a security client connection with a network security client upon connection to a data storage network, monitor data transfers within the data storage network, and selectively apply security protocols to manage risk in data transfers, thereby decentralizing some aspects of data security within the organization's data network.

Abstract: A process for converting C2-5 alkanes to higher value C5-24 hydrocarbon fuels and blendstocks. The C2-5 alkanes are converted to olefins by thermal olefination, without the use of a dehydrogenation catalyst and without the use of steam. The product olefins are fed to an oligomerization reactor containing a zeolite catalyst to crack, oligomerize and cyclize the olens to the fuel products which are then recovered. Optionally, hydrogen and methane are removed from the product olefin stream prior to oligomerization. Further optionally, C2-5 alkanes are removed from the product olefin stream prior to oligomerization.

Abstract: Certain types of aggregation enclosures include cable input ports and downwardly angled cable output ports. A cover is pivotally coupled to the body so that the cover moves between an open position and a closed position. A modular component panel may be disposed within the enclosure. The component panel includes one or more distribution components (e.g., fiber distribution components or power distribution components) configured to connect at least a portion of an incoming cable to at least a portion of an outgoing cable.

Abstract: Particular embodiments may remove a condition check in the semantics for checking a high-precision data flag. This simplifies the semantics used in the encoding and decoding process. In this case, even if the high-precision data flag is not set, the value of the weighted prediction syntax element is set by the BitDepth variable. However, even if the BitDepth is not considered high-precision data, such as 8 bits, the range for the weighted prediction syntax element is still the same as the fixed value. For example, the syntax elements luma_offset_l0[i], luma_offset_l1[i], delta_chroma_offset_l0[i][j], and delta_chroma_offset_l1[i][j] use the variable BitDepth as described above whether the flag extended_precision_processing_flag is enabled and not enabled to indicate whether the bit depth is above a threshold.