Abstract: A method includes a sender device operated by a sender receiving a receiver address associated with a receiver. The sender device prompts the sender to interact a card comprising a processor and a memory storing a sender public key and a sender private key of a sender public-private key pair associated with a blockchain network, the card held by the sender. The sender device transmits interaction data including the receiver address, a sender address of the sender, and a value to the card. The processor of the card retrieves the sender private key and signs the interaction data to produce signed interaction data. The sender device receives the signed interaction data and the sender public key. The sender device transmits the interaction data and the signed interaction data to the blockchain network. The blockchain network records the interaction data and the signed interaction data in a block of a blockchain.

Abstract: A system and method are described that enables mobile devices (e.g. including but not limited to a mobile phone or the like), to intercept and respond to contactless card authentication requests, allowing mobile devices to be used in place of contactless cards. Enabling mobile phone devices to emulate contactless cards decreases issues related to lost or damaged cards, enabling a single device to be used to provide tokens related to multiple different contactless cards, and leverages functionality of the mobile device to provide dual-factor authentication.

Abstract: An apparatus configured to provide portioned instances of a compressible material includes a channel assembly, a gas source, a cutting assembly, and a discharge assembly. The channel assembly holds a bulk instance of the material extending through upper and lower channels of a continuous channel. The gas source supplies gas to compress the bulk instance. The cutting assembly moves in relation to the channel assembly to isolate the upper and lower channels, severing upper and lower material portions of the bulk instance. The discharge assembly directs gas to impinge on a lower face of the cutting assembly to discharge the lower material portion as a portioned instance. The channel assembly may be moveable, where operation of the gas source, cutting assembly, and/or discharge assembly are based on moving the channel assembly between various positions. The gas supply may be controlled based on a determined property of the portioned instance.

Abstract: Safety valves and methods of operating the same. An example safety valve includes a first piston disposed within a safety valve body. The first piston forms a first seal with the interior of the safety valve body. The first piston, the interior of the safety valve body, and the first seal define two chambers within the safety valve separated by the first seal. The first chamber is a control line pressure chamber disposed uphole of the first seal, and the second chamber is a fluid compression chamber disposed downhole of the first seal. The control line pressure chamber is pressurized to translate the first piston downhole in an axial direction. A second seal is formed with an annulus outside of and adjacent to the safety valve. A biasing mechanism translates the second piston uphole in the axial direction. A fluid volume chamber is fluidically connected to the fluid compression chamber.

Abstract: An aerosol-generating device includes a housing that defines a capsule-receiving cavity, a lid configured to close the housing, and a replaceable mouthpiece coupleable to the lid such that air entering the housing and drawn through the capsule-receiving cavity exits out of the mouthpiece. The lid may be fixedly coupled to the housing at a first point and releasably coupleable to the housing at a second point. The capsule-receiving cavity may have a first end having a first width, and a second end have a second width that is different from the first width. The capsule-receiving cavity may be tapered between the first end and the second end. The mouthpiece may be coupleable to the first end. One or more alignment member may be disposed at or towards the second end. The alignment members may include seals and/or electrical connections and/or flat surfaces and/or angled surfaces.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method includes: receiving a first request to certify a resource for a cloud computing environment, the resource including one or more of: a machine image, a container image, or an infrastructure component; determining one or more matching vulnerability scanning vendors among a plurality of vulnerability scanning vendors based at least in part on one or more properties associated with the first request; transmitting the first request to the one or more matching vulnerability scanning vendors, the one or more matching vulnerability scanning vendors having access to the resource; receiving a first preliminary result associated with the first request from the one or more matching vulnerability scanning vendors; performing a first evaluation of the first preliminary result based on one or more predetermined certification factors; generating a first certification result based on the first evaluation; and transmitting the first certification result to a source of the first request.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a composition comprising a cementitious material, a pozzolanic material, aplite, and an aqueous fluid. Also disclosed herein is a method of servicing a wellbore penetrating a subterranean formation, comprising: placing the composition into the wellbore; and allowing the composition to form a set cement. The composition can develop suitable mechanical properties and permeability after setting in a wellbore and be expansive.

Abstract: Provided is a data protection system that operates to shield private data from detection or communication over a network. In an embodiment, the system includes a shielding device that, when active, provides a shielding output that shields, e.g., obscures, detection of private data by sensors of smart devices. The shielding may be selectively activated such that active sensors of the smart devices may operate or detect environmental events normally during times outside of the shielding. A data protection tool of the system may remove or shield private data generated by a user device, e.g., by modifying captured image data.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for measuring corrosion damage in a sample while under a bending load at a desired temperature and pressure to simulate production environments and accelerate hydrogen attack on the sample undergoing hoop stress, axial stress, and/or tensile stress, while controlling the exposure rate to hydrogen and increasing the safety of using pressurized hydrogen.

Abstract: An objective of an endoscope can be evaluated by collecting a series of differently focused images and digitally stitching them together to obtain a final image for the endoscope that can be then evaluated. Movable optics and/or a camera can be used to collect the series of differently focused images. Image processing algorithms can be used to evaluate the collected images in terms of image sharpness and identify the areas at which each image is in relatively good focus. Once the areas of good focus are identified, the image processing algorithms can extract the areas of good focus. The digital stitching algorithms can be used to assemble the extracted areas of good focus to form a final image where most of the target scene should be in focus. The final image is then reviewed to determine the acceptability of the objective.

Abstract: Disclosed are a system, apparatus and techniques for evaluating a dataset to confirm that the data in the dataset satisfies a data quality metric. A machine learning engine or the like may evaluate text strings within the dataset may be of arbitrary length and encoded according to an encoding standard. Data vectors of a preset length may be generated from the evaluated text strings using various techniques. Each data vector may be representative of the content of the text string and a category may be assigned to the respective data vector. The category assigned to each data vectors may be evaluated with respect to other data vectors in the dataset to determine compliance with a quality metric. In the case that a number of data vectors fail to meet a predetermined quality metric, an alert may be generated to mitigate any system errors that may result from unsatisfactory data quality.

Abstract: Systems and methods of the present disclosure enable intelligent dynamic caching of data by accessing an activity history of historical electronic activity data entries associated with a user account, and utilizing a trained entity relevancy machine learning model to predict a degree of relevance of each entity associated with the historical electronic activity data entries in the activity history based at least in part on model parameters and activity attributes of each electronic activity data entry. A set of relevant entities are determined based at least in part on the degree of relevance of each entity. Pre-cached entities are identified based on pre-cached entity data records cached on the user device, and un-cached relevant entities from the set of relevant entities are identified based on the pre-cached entities. The cache on the user device is updated to cache the un-cached entity data records associated with the un-cached relevant entities.

Abstract: Rate of rancid flavor development in oil-based sauces and dressings can be slowed down by addition of a mixture containing sequestering agents for dissolved oxygen and heavy metal ions that are derived from vinegar and fruit juices. The types and proportions of the components of the mixture are chosen to promote a balance of flavor and color neutrality and adequacy of sequestering both heavy metal ions and dissolved oxygen. The mixture is effective in retarding development of rancid flavor moieties of hydroperoxides and hexanal, similar to a commonly-used chemical sequestrant, ethylene diamine tetra acetate (EDTA).

Abstract: The method includes receiving, in an interaction by a switch computer from a second device, data associated with a machine readable code generated by a first application on a first device and provided by a first device to a second application on the second device. The method also includes determining, by the switch computer, a first server computer associated with a first application, transmitting the data associated with the machine readable code and the interaction data to the first server computer, which processes the data associated with the machine readable code and the interaction data, determining, by the switch computer, a second server computer associated with the second application, and transmitting, by the switch computer, a communication to the second server computer. The communication informs the second server computer that the first server computer processed the data associated with the machine readable code and the interaction data.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are system, method, and computer program product embodiments for automatically failing over all services operating on a primary region to a secondary region upon detection or notification of a fault in the primary region. When a fault exists on the primary region, the method traverses each cluster containing services operating on the primary region and prepares an input file including a list of service names identifying each service operating on the primary region. Referencing the input file, the method fails over each service from the primary region to the secondary region by modifying a service weight corresponding to each service. This failover process of services may be done simultaneously with failing over any databases corresponding to the failed-over services from the primary region to the secondary region. The method may also introduce a sleep time after modifying each service weight to avoid any potential throttling issues.

Abstract: A method and system for a pipeline inspection gauge. The method may include disposing a pipeline inspection gauge in a pipeline. The pipeline inspection gauge may comprise one or more modules attached to each other and an orifice. The pipeline inspection gauge may further include a generator disposed within at least one of the one or more modules, a turbine connected to the generator through a shaft, and at least four wheels connected to an outer surface of at least one of the one or more modules. The method may further include moving the pipeline inspection gauge using an at least partially opened orifice, wherein force from fluid flow in the pipeline is transferred through the orifice to the pipeline inspection gauge to create movement and creating a positive pressure pulse by closing the at least partially opened orifice.

Abstract: Methods for treating a subject with cancer, including administering to the subject an effective amount of an inhibitor of DNAse1L3 and an effective amount of radiation therapy are provided. In some examples, the methods involve enhancing or inducing response of tumor-associated immune cells in the subject, including administering to the subject an effective amount of radiation therapy, and administering to the subject an effective amount of an inhibitor of DNAse1L3, thereby enhancing or inducing the response of tumor-associated immune cells in the subject. In some examples, the tumor-associated immune cells comprise dendritic cells or macrophages.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods and systems for capturing a large collection of downhole fluid samples and, more particularly, disclosed are methods and systems for using at least two hydraulic pressure lines to alternatingly actuate hydraulic valves disposed in an interlinked series to obtain any large collection of hydraulically actuated components to be energized in sequence. A large collection of downhole fluid samples may be defined as any number of downhole fluid samples wherein the number of downhole fluid samples is larger than the number of actuators.

Abstract: The present disclosures presents system and methods for blockchain based payment networks. One such method comprises preparing, by a payment network, a request to complete a transaction from an digital currency account associated with a payer digital wallet for entry on a blockchain ledger, wherein the request to complete the transaction includes an amount and a payee address associated with a flat currency account; sending the request to complete the transaction to the blockchain ledger; approving the request to complete the transaction; and adjusting a balance of the payer digital wallet and a balance of the fiat currency account in response to approval of the request to complete the transaction by writing the transaction comprising the amount and the payee address to the blockchain ledger, wherein a value of the digital currency substantially matches a value of the fiat currency.

Abstract: Provided is a computer-implemented method for implementing a blockchain-based rewards network. The method includes establishing a blockchain network including administrative nodes, client nodes, and entity nodes, maintaining a distributed ledger on at least a portion of the administrative nodes of the blockchain network, receiving, from a plurality of entities, rewards data including a plurality of offers, each offer of the plurality of offers corresponding to at least one entity identifier, publishing the rewards data to the distributed ledger, querying the distributed ledger based on at least one entity identifier received from a client node, and determining, based on the distributed ledger, at least one offer corresponding to the at least one entity identifier received from the client node.