Abstract: A number of illustrative variations may include a method of providing a reliable driving surface friction coefficient estimate.

Abstract: A scoring platform may obtain a set of measurements associated with a service metric, wherein the service metric is associated with a service of a network. The scoring platform may determine, based on the set of measurements, an aggregation score associated with the service metric. The scoring platform may determine a scope score associated with the set of measurements, wherein the scope score is based on a quantity of units associated with the set of measurements. The scoring platform may determine a service impact score associated with the service metric based on the aggregation score and the scope score, wherein the service impact score is representative of a contributive effect associated with the service metric. The scoring platform may perform an action associated with the service impact score to permit a source of interest associated with the service metric to be detected.

Abstract: A system for reducing product shortage durations in retail stores based on analysis of image data is provided. The system may comprise: a communication interface configured to receive image data from retail stores indicative of a product shortage of a product type relative to information describing a placement of products of a product type on a store shelf; and at least one processor configured to: analyze the image data to detect occurrences of product shortages of the product type in the retail stores and determine durations associated with the occurrences; identify a common factor contributing to the duration of part of the occurrences of the product shortages; determine an action, associated with the at least one common factor, for potentially reducing product shortage durations of future shortages of the product type in the retail stores; and provide information associated with the identified action to an entity.

Abstract: A seed depth device for an agricultural planter includes an electric motor. The seed depth device also includes an actuator driven by the electric motor and arranged to move to a home position. The seed depth device further includes a first stop proximate to the actuator when in the home position. The seed depth device yet further includes at least one controller including a computing processor and a computer readable storage medium configured to control the electric motor. The seed depth device also includes a seed depth auto-learn system at least in-part stored and executed by the at least one controller, the seed depth auto-learn system configured to learn the home position based at least in-part on the actuator stalling upon the first stop, wherein the seed depth auto-learn system is configured to move the actuator a prescribed distance away from the first stop to establish the home position.

Abstract: Photonic chip includes an external cavity (EC) optical circuit to provide wavelength-selective optical feedback to a length of active optical fiber. Light generated in the active optical fiber may be coupled from the EC circuit to a light processing circuit of the photonic chip, such as an optical modulator or an optical mixer. The EC circuits may include single-frequency and multi-frequency optical filters, which may include ring resonators, dual-ring resonators, and optical modulators to support multi-frequency lasers. The EC circuits may further include pump combiners and optical isolators.

Abstract: A cooktop appliance includes a gas burner, a user input configured to define a power setting of the gas burner, and a grate. The grate includes a sensor finger with a temperature sensor mounted thereto. The temperature sensor includes a first temperature probe extending above a top surface of the sensor finger and a second temperature probe positioned within the sensor finger. The cooktop appliance also includes a controller in communication with the temperature sensor. The temperature sensor is configured to transmit a first temperature measurement from the first temperature probe and a second temperature measurement from the second temperature probe to the controller. The controller is configured to determine a temperature of a cooking utensil positioned on the top surface of the sensor finger based on the power setting defined by the user input, the first temperature measurement, and the second temperature measurement.

Abstract: An insect trap connectable to an electrical wall outlet is provided that releasably receives a replaceable card for trapping insect to an adhesive material. A light bar emits light in a sideways direction rearward of the card while the fan blocks forward light to produce a glow that attract insects to the adhesive surface of the card. The card is supported in cantilever by the insect trap.

Abstract: The present invention pertains to a spark plug for an internal combustion engine, comprising a metal outer shell extending in a longitudinal direction from a proximal end to a distal tip end configured to be oriented towards a combustion chamber, said outer shell comprising a fixation portion for attachment of the spark plug to a metal sleeve of the internal combustion engine and arranged at a region proximal of the tip end, wherein the outer shell furthermore comprises a first contact surface arranged at a region distal of the fixation portion and configured to contact a distal end of the sleeve, when the spark plug is attached to the sleeve.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a process for the treatment of a feed comprising biomass, said process comprising at least the following steps: a) a step for drying said feed at a temperature in the range 20° C. to 180° C. for a period in the range 5 to 180 minutes, b) a step for torrefaction of the dried feed obtained from step a) in order to produce at least one solid torrefied biomass effluent, and c) a step for co-grinding the solid torrefied biomass effluent obtained from step b) in the presence of a second biomass feed in order to obtain a powder.

Abstract: Embodiments of systems and methods for supplying fuel, enabling communications, and conveying electric power associated with operation of a hydraulic fracturing unit of a plurality of hydraulic fracturing units are disclosed and may include a fuel line connection assembly configured to be connected to the first hydraulic fracturing unit and to supply fuel from a fuel source to a gas turbine engine connected to the hydraulic fracturing unit. A system also may include a communications cable assembly configured to be connected to the hydraulic fracturing unit and to enable data communications between the hydraulic fracturing unit and a data center or another hydraulic fracturing unit. A system further may include a power cable assembly configured to be connected to the hydraulic fracturing unit and to convey electric power between the hydraulic fracturing unit and a remote electrical power source or the plurality of hydraulic fracturing units.

Abstract: A hybrid-integrated series/parallel-connected photovoltaic diode array employs 10s-to-100s of single-wavelength III-V compound semiconductor photodiodes in an array bonded onto a transparent optical plate through which the array is illuminated by monochromatic light. The power-by-light system receiver enables high-voltage, up to 1000s of volts, optical transmission of power to remote electrical systems in harsh environments.

Abstract: An apparatus including circuitry configured for: controlling transmission from the apparatus to at least two user equipment within a communications system, wherein the circuitry is further configured for: controlling transmission of data signals for one of the at least two user equipment for a first slot of a direct transmission phase from the apparatus to the at least two user equipment within the communications system, such that: the one of the at least two user equipment is configured to receive and decode the data signals; and at least one other of the at least two user equipment is configured to receive and harvest energy from the data signals for relaying data signals to the one of the at least two user equipment for a cooperative transmission phase; controlling transmission of data signals for both the one of the at least two user equipment and at least one other of the at least two user equipment for a second slot of a direct transmission phase from the apparatus to the at least two user equipment wit

Abstract: Various example embodiments for supporting link-state flooding for a routing protocol based on use of a transport layer protocol are presented. Various example embodiments for supporting link-state flooding for a routing protocol based on use of a transport layer protocol may be configured to support use of routing protocol messages of the routing protocol to support establishment of transport layer connections of a transport layer protocol (e.g., use of adjacency messages of the routing protocol for identifying routers configured to support use of transport layer connections for supporting link-state flooding). Various example embodiments for supporting link-state flooding for a routing protocol based on use of a transport layer protocol may be configured to support use of transport layer connections to support communication of routing protocol messages of the routing protocol (e.g.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for test cycle optimization using contextual association mapping. In one aspect, a method includes obtaining an artifact that includes a collection of reference items, where each reference item includes a sequence of words, generating candidate tags from each of the reference items based on the sequences of words in the reference items, selecting a subset of the candidate tags as context tags based on an amount that the candidate tags appear in the reference items, obtaining a sample item that includes a sequence of words, identifying a subset of the context tags in the sequence of words in the sample item, and classifying a subset of the reference items as contextually similar to the sample item based the context tags that were identified.

Abstract: Systems and methods for operating hydraulic fracturing units, each including a hydraulic fracturing pump to pump fracturing fluid into a wellhead and an internal combustion engine to drive the hydraulic fracturing pump, may include receiving signals indicative of operational parameters. The systems and methods also may include determining an amount of required fracturing power sufficient to perform the hydraulic fracturing operation, determining an available power to perform the hydraulic fracturing operation and a difference between the available power and the required power, and controlling operation of the hydraulic fracturing units based at least in part on the power difference. When the power difference is indicative of excess power available, the system and methods may include causing at least one of the hydraulic fracturing units to idle, and when the power difference is indicative of a power deficit, increasing a power output of at least one of the hydraulic fracturing units.

Abstract: A printing system includes a printing device having an embedded digital front end (DFE) and at least one client device that sends print jobs to the printing device. The embedded DFE provides imposition functionality to define imposition settings for a job file. The DFE downloads the job file, a user interface, and an imposition engine to the client device. The client device uses the user interface to enter imposition settings and instructions that are applied to the job file. A visual representation can be made within the user interface to show the imposition setting. After imposition operations are complete, the client device uploads the imposed job file and an imposition template of the imposition settings to the DFE. The embedded DFE stores the imposed job file and the imposition template.

Abstract: A system for transdermal alcohol sensing to be worn near a skin surface of a user, including: an alcohol sensor; a microporous membrane; a housing coupled to the alcohol sensor and the membrane, defining a volume between the alcohol sensor and a first membrane side, and fluidly isolating the volume from a second membrane side opposing the first membrane side; an electronics subsystem electrically coupled to the alcohol sensor, operable to power and receive signals from the alcohol sensor; and a fastener operable to position the second membrane side proximal the skin surface.

Abstract: Systems and methods for classifying baseband signals include receiving, at a pre-processing stage of a neural network whose objective is modulation classification performance, a complex quadrature vector of interest including a plurality of samples of a baseband signal derived from a radio frequency signal of an unknown modulation type, providing the vector of interest to a plurality of FIR filters, each of which outputs a respective intermediate filtered version of the vector of interest, combining the outputs of two or more of the FIR filters to produce a filtered version of the vector of interest, including applying respective weightings to the outputs of the FIR filters, and providing the filtered version of the vector of interest to an analysis stage of the neural network for classification with respect to a plurality of known modulation types. The neural network may apply attention-based selection to learn the filters and respective weightings.

Abstract: The present invention provides a camera optical lens including, from an object side to an image side, a first lens, a second lens, a third lens, a third lens, a fourth lens, a fifth lens, a sixth lens, a seventh lens and a eighth lens. The first, third, fifth and seventh lens have positive refractive power, while the second, fourth, sixth and eighth lens have negative refractive power. The camera optical lens satisfies the following conditions: 0.70?f1/f?1.00; ?20.00?f4/f?3.50; and 2.30?f5/f?4.50; where f denotes a focal length of the camera optical lens, and f1, f4 and f5 respectively denote a focal length of the first lens, the fourth lens and the fifth lens. The camera optical lens in the present disclosure satisfies a design requirement of large aperture, wide angle and ultra-thinness while having good optical functions.

Abstract: CT and PET are registered, providing a spatial alignment to be used in attenuation correction for PET reconstruction. A model for machine learning is defined to generate a deformation field. The model is trained with loss based, in part, on the attenuation corrected PET data rather than or in addition to loss based on the uncorrected PET or the generated deformation field. Due to the nature of the mapping from CT to attenuation, a separate, pre-trained network is used to form the attenuation corrected PET data in training the model.