Abstract: A method of increasing operational efficiency of a power plant includes determining an average rate of accumulation of scale-forming compounds in a cooling water source, directing water from the cooling water source having a first concentration of scale forming compounds through a treatment system to produce a treated water having a lower concentration of scale-forming components than the first concentration by operating the treatment system with operating parameters selected such that a rate of removal of the scale-forming components from the water in the treatment system is greater than the average rate of accumulation of the scale-forming components, directing the treated water back into the cooling water source, and circulating water including the treated water from the cooling water source through a cooling system of the power plant.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a system for vertical deployment of leaching lines onto a slope of a mine leach pad. The system includes an elevated guidewire having a first end disposed at a top of the slope and a second end disposed at a bottom of the slope; the elevated guidewire being elevated above a surface of the slope; a deployment apparatus moveably coupled to the elevated guidewire and having one or more attachment mechanisms disposed thereon; and one or more leaching lines coupled to the attachment mechanisms; wherein movement of the deployment mechanism from the top of the slope to the bottom of the slope pulls the one or more leaching lines down the slope and deploys the one or more leaching lines vertically onto the surface of the slope.

Abstract: Orthogonal IL-21 receptors and orthogonal IL-21 cytokines are described. The IL-21 receptor-cytokine pairs may include an orthogonal interleukin-21 receptor ? chain (“ortho-IL-21R?”) that has impaired binding to native interleukin-21 cytokine (“IL-21”) and an orthogonal IL-21 cytokine (“ortho-IL-21”) that has impaired binding to native IL-21R?, wherein the ortho-IL-21R? binds to the ortho-IL-21. The IL-21 receptor-cytokine pair may activate IL-21 signaling. Cells engineered to express the orthogonal IL-21 receptors are also described, as well as methods for using such cells for treatment of various diseases and disorders.

Abstract: An electrical module rotisserie assembly for battery module handling and mechanical and electrical testing. The electrical module rotisserie assembly includes a rotatable frame structure with various sliders and insulated joints to provide an adjustable platform to fit any size electrical module and permit access to any surface of the electrical module for various testing and validation activities in an electrically-isolated manner. A plurality of modular adjustable hold down clamps secure the electrical module to the rotatable structure and slide along the structure to accommodate different electrical modules that may have different mounting formats. These adjustable hold down clamps benefit from polymer module pins that may be customized to fit any electrical module design and create electrical isolation for sensitive electrical testing.

Abstract: In some embodiments, a lighting assembly including at least one light-emitting device positioned within a housing is disclosed, wherein the housing is designed to allow an ambient environment to pass into the housing and transfer heat from the at least one light-emitting device. The light-emitting area of the light-emitting device may be sealed from the ambient environment. In some embodiments, the housing may include at least one recess, port, or other opening configured to allow a liquid or gas to promote heat transfer from the light-emitting device. In some embodiments, a vehicle, a marine system, or other systems may include at least one lighting assembly as contemplated herein.

Abstract: A stethoscope and binaural assembly are disclosed herein. The stethoscope includes a stethoscope chestpiece assembly and a binaural assembly including a first ear tube, a second ear tube, and an acoustic tube connected to the first and second ear tubes, the first ear tube being flexibly connected to the second ear tube by at least one spring member disposed inside the acoustic tube, a portion of the at least one spring member being located proximate to a sound transmission junction of the acoustic tube, the binaural assembly further including a junction blockage prevention member, the junction blockage prevention member configured to prevent one or more internal sound passageways of the sound transmission junction of the acoustic tube from becoming blocked or partially blocked by the at least one spring member when the first and second ear tubes are flexed outwardly away from one another by a user.

Abstract: The present invention discloses medical systems and methods adapted for the delivery of various medical components such as microwave antennas within or on a body for performing one or more medical procedures. Several embodiments herein disclose medical systems comprising a combination of one or more medical components and one or more elongate steerable or non-steerable arms that are adapted to mechanically manipulate the one or more medical components. Several embodiments of microwave antennas are disclosed that comprise an additional diagnostic or therapeutic modality located on or in the vicinity of the microwave antennas.

Abstract: Augmented reality apparatus and methods of use are provided with secure persistent digital content linked to a location coordinates. More specifically, the present invention links a physical location with digital content to enable a user interface with augmented reality that combines aspects of the physical area with location specific digital content. According the present invention, digital content remains persistent with a location even if visual aspects of the location change. Access to the digital content constrained to Agents physically located in an area of digital content interaction based upon location coordinates of the Agent.

Abstract: Techniques for polluting phishing campaign responses with content that includes fake sensitive information of a type that is being sought in phishing messages. Embodiments disclosed herein identify phishing messages that are designed to fraudulently obtain sensitive information. Rather than simply quarantining these phishing messages from users' accounts to prevent users from providing “real” sensitive information, embodiments disclosed herein analyze these phishing messages to determine what type(s) of information is being sought and then respond to these phishing messages with “fake” sensitive information of these type(s). For example, if a phishing message is seeking sensitive credit card and/or banking account information, some fake information of this type(s) may be generated and sent in response to the phishing message. In various implementations, a natural language processing (NLP) model may be used to analyze the phishing message and/or generate a response thereto.

Abstract: Systems and methods are described herein for coordinating transcoders. Content may be received from different sources to be transcoded. Each transcoder of a plurality of transcoders may send data associated with content to each other to coordinate the plurality of transcoders. The data may indicate timing information for the encoded content and features of the content such as, for example, color, frame similarity, or frame type. The transcoders, while outputting encoded content, may coordinate either directly or via a broker. The transcoders may coordinate in order to synchronize their output so that frames, that may be received by each transcoder at different times, are aligned based on the timing information. The coordination and synchronization may improve error resilience. In the case of a transcoder/encoder or a site failure, there may be a seamless transition to a different transcoder/encoder and no reduction in performance because of the time alignment.

Abstract: A system includes a vehicle image capture system having a support structure, a telescoping hollow support beam, a second hollow support beam, a securing device, a support beam mount, a memory device storing instructions, and one or more processors configured to execute instructions to perform the steps of a method to position the vehicle image capture device and capture an image of a vehicle interior. The telescoping hollow support beam may include an outer telescoping component and an inner telescoping component attached by the securing device, and the second hollow support beam may be attached to the telescoping hollow support beam by the support beam mount. The system may further include a battery component, one or more positional sensors, and one or more electromechanical motors to adjust the position of one or more components of the system to capture a centered image of a vehicle interior.

Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods to accurately and precisely align a visualized axis with one or more objects in an image field during a procedure using an imager based positioner system attached to an electronic positioning device are described. Specific methods of implanting guide pins into a first pedicle and a second pedicle of a vertebrae of a patient through a lumen of a trocar to a target of interest are also described.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to circuits, systems, and methods of operation for a memory device. In an example, a memory device includes a plurality of memory cells, each memory cell having a variable impedance that varies in accordance with a respective data value stored therein; and a read circuit configured to read the data value stored within a selected memory cell based upon a variable time delay determination of a signal node voltage change corresponding to the variable impedance of the selected memory cell.

Abstract: A dataset is represented by an ordered set of B+ trees, with each snapshot of the dataset being represented by an immutable B+ tree. An ordering of B+ trees in the ordered set logically arranges those B+ trees into layers, with the mutable B+ tree representing the current state of the dataset being logically arranged as an upper layer, and with immutable B+ trees representing snapshots of the dataset being progressively arranged as lower layers with the oldest snapshot being a lowest layer. A snapshot deletion includes merging the snapshot's corresponding B+ tree with its highest neighbor B+ tree.