Abstract: Various embodiments disclosed relate to guanidine- or guanidinium-containing clay or shale stabilizers for treatment of subterranean formations. In various embodiments, the present invention provides a method of treating a subterranean formation that can include placing a composition including a clay or shale stabilizer including at least one of a substituted guanidine group and a substituted guanidinium group in a subterranean formation.

Abstract: Systems and methods as described herein may include creating and monitoring workflows in a blockchain network. A workflow may be implemented by using a smart contract or the steps in the workflow may be recorded in a distributed ledger in a blockchain network. Completion of a workflow step may be verified by identifying a blockchain transaction executed by the workflow step performer assigned to the workflow step. The blockchain transaction is associated with encryption keys of the workflow step performer assigned to the workflow step. The completion of the execution of a workflow may be verified by determining whether the status of the last workflow step is complete, and identifying a blockchain transaction associated with encryption keys of the workflow step performer assigned to the last workflow step.

Abstract: In a snubbing operation, a method is used for determining when a wellbore should be circulated by comparing calculated torque and drag values from a clean wellbore against actual torque and drag values. In a more expansive application, for working a well, a method is used for optimizing performance of the drilling operation by comparing calculated torque and drag values from a clean well against actual torque and drag values.

Abstract: A device may perform a first authentication operation, associated with a contactless media device, using a first key. The first key may permit a security mode of the contactless media device to be modified. The device may cause the contactless media device to set the security mode to a first security mode that causes the contactless media device to secure at least one transmission from the contactless media device. The device may perform a second authentication operation, associated with the contactless media device, using a second key that permits information to be read from or written to the contactless media device. The device may read first secured information from or write second secured information to the contactless media device. The first secured information or the second secured information may be secured based on the security mode of the contactless media device being set to the first security mode.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a process for the purification of water. The process includes leading water laden with microorganisms and arsenic through an arsenic adsorption media followed by treating the resultant arsenic deficient water with a disinfectant releasing system to obtain water deficient of arsenic and viable microorganisms. The present disclosure also provides an apparatus for the purification of water using the afore-stated process.

Abstract: Apparatuses and methods for tamping the contents of a container are disclosed. An embodiment of an apparatus includes a tamp head for tamping the contents of the container; and a container support assembly structured and arranged to temporarily support the bottom surface of the container during tamping, the container support assembly comprising a support element having a protrusion extending upward from a substantially flat and horizontal upper surface, wherein the protrusion is sized and shaped to correspond to the size and shape of the bottom surface of the container.

Abstract: An aerosol-generating system may include a liquid storage portion, a vaporizer, and a pump. The liquid storage portion may be configured to store a liquid aerosol-forming substrate. The vaporizer may be configured to volatilize the liquid aerosol-forming substrate. The pump may be configured to pump air into the liquid storage portion so as to push out a volume of the liquid aerosol-forming substrate from the liquid storage portion and to supply the volume of the liquid aerosol-forming substrate to the vaporizer. A method for generating an aerosol may be performed with the system.

Abstract: An electronic account is provided to a customer to enable the customer to access electronic services, such as e-mail and electronic transactions. The electronic account links an electronic address of the customer to a physical address of the customer. Using the electronic account, electronic services can be provided to the customer at either the electronic or physical address, or both. The services can be both secure and non-secure and can be provided by any service provider, such as an online merchant, a government agency, or a bank.

Abstract: A method may include receiving image data representative of cash acquired via one or more image sensors, identifying a first currency depicted in the cash based on a plurality of images associated with a plurality of currencies, and determining a currency conversion rate between the first currency and a second currency. The method may also include generating a visualization representative of a currency value of the cash in the second currency based on the currency conversion rate and overlaying the visualization on the image data.

Abstract: The disclosed embodiments provide systems, methods, and techniques for managing merchandising cards. A merchandising card may be, for example, a gift card, loyalty card, or the like. Consistent disclosed embodiments, a system for managing merchandising cards may include one or more memory devices storing instructions and one or more processors configured to acquire, from a device over a network, a plurality of locations associated with the device, the device locations being acquired at different instances in time within a predetermined period of time. Additionally, the one or more processors may be configured to calculate an overall merchant confidence rating for a merchant using the device locations. Further, the one or more processors may be configured to, based on the overall merchant confidence rating, determine that the merchant matches a merchant that is associated with merchandising card, and send a reminder a user of the device.

Abstract: Wastewater or effluent treatment systems and methods that employ filtering skimmers and/or beaches for separating water from solids and/or other wastes are provided. In some embodiments, the systems include: at least one tank defined by a bottom wall and at least one side wall; a beach including a ramped surface disposed near a side wall of the tank, the ramped surface having a base end disposed at a first elevation relative to the bottom wall of the tank, and a top end opposite the base end at a second elevation relative to the bottom wall of the tank, the second elevation being greater than the first elevation; and a skimmer disposed in the tank that is configured to move material at a surface of the tank toward the beach, wherein (a) at least a portion of the skimmer, (b) at least a portion of the ramped surface of the beach, or (c) at least portions of both the skimmer and the ramped surface of the beach includes a filter material.

Abstract: Novel human interleukin-2 (IL-2) muteins or variants thereof are provided. In particular, provided are IL-2 muteins that have an increased binding capacity for IL-2R? receptor and a decreased binding capacity for IL-2R?c receptor, as compared to wild-type IL-2. Such IL-2 muteins are useful, for example, as IL-2 partial agonist and antagonists in applications where reduction or inhibition of one or more IL-2 and/or IL-15 functions is useful (e.g., in the treatment of graft versus host disease (GVHD) and adult T cell leukemia). Also provided are nucleic acids encoding such IL-2 muteins, methods of making such IL-2 muteins, pharmaceutical compositions that include such IL-2 muteins and methods of treatment using such pharmaceutical compositions.

Abstract: A method includes receiving, with one or more processors, biometric information of a first user. The method also includes determining, with the one or more processors, whether there is an indication that the first user is distracted based on the biometric information. The method further includes receiving, with the one or more processors, vehicle speed information. The method also includes determining, with the one or more processors, whether there is an indication that the first user is driving based on the vehicle speed information. The method further includes in response to determining that the first user is distracted and that the first user is driving, instructing, with the one or more processors, a mobile device associated with the first user to contact a second user or a call center.

Abstract: Methods, secure elements, validation entities, and computer program products for effecting secure communication of payment information to merchants for Internet-based purchases. Payment information for a user's real payment information is installed in a secure element of a computer, the payment information may comprise a pseudo PAN number for the portable consumer device provided by a validation entity. The secure element is shielded from the computer's operating system to thwart hacker attacks. The user accesses the secure element to make a purchase. In response, the secure element contacts the validation entity with the pseudo account number, and in response obtains dynamic payment information that the secure element can used to effect the payment. The dynamic payment information comprises an account number that is different from the pseudo PAN, and which has at least one difference which respect to the user's real payment information.

Abstract: A metal matrix composite tool includes a body having hard composite portion that includes reinforcing particles dispersed in a binder material. At least some of the reinforcing particles comprise a monolithic particle structure including a core having irregular outer surface features integral with the core.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for determining potentially undesirable voices, according to some embodiments, includes: receiving a plurality of audio recordings, the plurality of audio recordings comprising voices associated with undesirable activity, and determining a plurality of audio components of each of the plurality of audio recordings. The method may further comprise generating a multi-dimensional vector of audio components, from the plurality of audio components, for each of the plurality of audio recordings to generate a plurality of multi-dimensional vectors of audio components, and comparing audio components between the plurality of multi-dimensional vectors of audio components to determine a plurality of clusters of multi-dimensional vectors, each cluster of the plurality of clusters comprising two or more of the plurality of multi-dimensional vectors of audio components, wherein each cluster of the plurality of clusters corresponds to a blacklisted voice.

Abstract: A drilling apparatus including a housing having a housing bore, a proximal housing end, and a distal housing end, a driveshaft rotatably supported within the housing bore, a fixed first angular offset axially located between the proximal housing end and the distal housing end, and a variable second angular offset axially located between the proximal housing end and the distal housing end. The drilling apparatus may have a reduced stiffness section so that the drilling apparatus bends preferentially at the reduced stiffness section, and the variable second angular offset may be axially located at the reduced stiffness section.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods to evaluate a pipe structure taking buckling into account can be implemented in a variety of applications. Responses can be measured at a set of receivers of a tool in response to exciting the pipe structure with one or more electromagnetic signals transmitted from a set of transmitters of the tool. The set of receivers and the set of transmitters can be located within the pipe structure. Circuitry can be used to determine the presence of buckling of the pipe structure based on comparison of the measured responses with one or more forward models of the pipe structure. The pipe structure may be associated with a well site, such as, for example, a casing structure for a production well.

Abstract: Systems and methods for detecting and tracking a marker in real time is disclosed. Shape based segmentation of at least one object detected in a first frame from a sequence of frames is performed to define a region of interest (ROI) surrounding an object of interest corresponding to the marker. A marker detection model is dynamically trained based on sampling points from a plurality of pixels in and around the ROI. The marker is then tracked in real-time based on projected ROI in subsequent frames and the trained marker detection model. To optimize computation time required in classifying the pixels as marker pixels or non-marker pixels, the ROI is reduced to half its size, classification is performed on the reduced ROI and to improve accuracy, blob detection and classifying pixels along the boundary of the reduced ROI is performed by processing the ROI in original resolution.