Abstract: The invention relates to renewable hydrocarbons, and more particularly to biomass-based diesel fuel produced in a process including hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of phenolic lipids. The process may generally include combining a phenolic lipid and a hydrocarbon diluent to provide a hydrocarbon-diluted phenolic lipid then subjecting the hydrocarbon-diluted phenolic lipid to hydrodeoxygenation in a reactor to provide a reactor effluent including a hydrodeoxygenated phenolic lipid. The hydrodeoxygenated phenolic lipid is separated from the reactor effluent.

Abstract: A centrifugal slurry pump impeller including a back shroud and a front shroud each with opposed inner and outer faces and an outer peripheral edge and a central axis, a plurality of pumping vanes extending between the inner main faces of the back and front shroud, each pumping vane including opposed main side faces, a leading edge in the region of the central axis and a trailing edge in the region of the outer peripheral edges of the back and front shrouds with a passageway between adjacent pumping vanes, each passageway including a blended region between each of the main side faces of the pumping vanes and the inner faces of the front and back shrouds wherein a surface of the inner face of at least one of the front and back shrouds includes a raised portion located between the blended regions of adjacent pumping vanes.

Abstract: A lift-assist device is disclosed including a seat frame. A seat base can be pivotally coupled to the front side of the frame and moveable between a depressed and extended position. The seat base and seat frame are positionable over the toilet such that a central aperture on the seat base is positioned over the toilet bowl of the toilet. A first arm support can be coupled to the first lateral side of the seat frame and a extends from the top side of the seat frame. A first arm can be pivotally coupled to the first arm support about a point located between a front end and a rear end of the first arm, the rear end of the first arm supporting the seat base. A biasing member can be connected to the seat frame, the biasing member configured to bias the seat base in the extended position.

Abstract: According to some exemplary embodiments described herein, a door lock may include a driveshaft operatively couplable to a bolt configured to move between an extended position and a retracted position to selective secure an associated door. The door lock may also include a transmission coupled to the driveshaft, where the driveshaft includes at least one gear configured to rotate with the driveshaft. The door lock may also include a magnetic encoder coupled to the transmission and configured to measure a position of the at least one gear. The magnetic encoder may include a diametrically polarized magnet coupled to the at least one gear.

Abstract: A pump assembly is presented including a motor housing holding an electric motor and a wet-end housing. The pump assembly also includes a heat transfer interface positioned between a front end of the motor housing and the wet-end housing. The heat transfer interface establishes a thermal conduction path between the motor housing and the wet-end housing so that, in use, a portion of heat generated by the motor is absorbed by the heat transfer interface and is dissipated in water circulating through the wet-end housing. In addition, or alternatively, another thermal conduction path may be established between the heat transfer interface and an electronic controller of the pump assembly so that heat generated by the controller is absorbed by the heat transfer interface and dissipated in water circulating through the wet-end housing.

Abstract: Provided are bioactive compositions and metabolites derived from Bacillus and particularly Bacillus megaterium cultures responsible for controlling pests as well as their methods of use for controlling pests. Further provided are pesticidal Bacillus megaterium strains.

Abstract: A dipole antenna structure that includes a sheet of metal that forms elements of a dipole antenna. The sheet of metal includes a first arm, and a second arm connected to the first arm, and formed substantially co-planar with, and non-parallel to, the first arm. The sheet of metal further includes at least one impedance matching element connected to the first arm and the second arm, where the at least one impedance matching element is formed in the sheet of metal at an angle relative to a plane that coincides with the substantially co-planar first and second arms.

Abstract: A computer-implemented system and method for tracking use of personally identifiable information by a computer asset of a firm. The method includes receiving one or more data elements associated with the computer asset, receiving an individual type associated with the one or more data elements, and determining whether the one or more data elements individually or as a combination constitute PII. In response to determining that the data elements constitute PII, the method includes determining whether enhanced data controls are necessary for the computer asset according to the one or more data elements that constitute the PII, determining a sensitivity of the PII, and recording the individual type, whether enhanced data controls are necessary, and the sensitivity of the PII in association with the computer asset in a database communicably coupled to the computer system.

Abstract: A system and method for monitoring the state of an individual. The method includes providing a stimulus to the individual, measuring a response to the provided stimulus, comparing the measured response to an expected response, and diagnosing one or more aspects of disease in accordance with the result of the comparison between the measured response and the expected response. The stimulus may be a predetermined test sequence, such as a visually displayed predetermined sequence of images, or may include observation of the physical response of the individual while performing one or more predetermined activities. Stored images or video of the individual responding to one or more test sequences may be stored in a lossy or lossless state, and thus security and de-identification may be provided to stored data. This stored data may also be de-identified in a manner to allow for the answering of the greatest number of future questions.

Abstract: A client updates a display of a user interface associated with a state-based client-server application in accordance with a client-side cache. The server supplies data for a new state and additional data for one or more subsequent states that possibly follow the new state if appropriate one or more operations are performed. When a client request is generated that indicates an operation that causes the application to transition to the new state, the client updates the display in accordance with the data that corresponds to the new state from the client-side cache, if available from the client-side cache. The new state data is available since the server has previously supplied the new state data.

Abstract: Systems and methods described herein provide a water meter assembly that includes a main case, which may be permanently situated in-line with a monitored piping system, and an interchangeable measuring element installed within the main case. The measuring element may include solid state ultrasonic components to measure fluid flow through the measuring element. Installation and/or replacement of the measuring element is enabled without removal of the main case and without additional calibration. One measuring element may be swapped out with another measuring element (e.g., a replacement or upgrade) without disconnecting from pipe sections to which the main case is attached. The measuring element cover includes an underside cavity and a bleed hole located at a high point of the underside cavity. The underside cavity releases entrapped air from the measuring channel through the bleed hole, after starting a fluid supply through the meter assembly.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a distributed computer system, which includes a plurality of computing devices. Each computing device includes a memory, a portion of a Blockchain, a transceiver, and a processor. The memory stores a plurality of data transaction requests. Each data transaction request corresponds to a block in the Blockchain and includes a cryptographic hash of a previous block, a timestamp, and transaction data. The transceiver receives a data transaction request from a subset of the plurality of computing devices. The processor determines whether the received data transaction request corresponds to at least one block in the portion of the Blockchain. The processor updates an internal record of the Blockchain, based on determining that the data transaction request corresponds to at least one block in the portion of the Blockchain. The processor then verifies the updated internal record of the Blockchain with a computing device in the subset.

Abstract: In an embodiment, a sample conditioning system includes a first valve subsystem, a controller, and a signal generator. The first valve subsystem includes a first electrically activated valve and a first timed switch in electrical communication with the first electrically activated valve, where the first timed switch is configured with a first time duration. The controller is configured to receive drilling data from a data source and, responsive to the drilling data satisfying a trigger associated with a timed sequence, cause the signal generator to apply a signal to at least the first timed switch. The signal causes the first timed switch to close for at least the first time duration and power the first electrically activated valve, the powered first electrically activated valve switching to allow air from a first air line to pass therethrough to a sample line.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for automatically analyzing handwritten text to determine a mismatch between a purported writer and an actual writer is disclosed. The method comprises receiving two samples of digitized handwriting each allegedly created by one individual and received and entered into a digital system by another. The method further comprises performing a series of feature extractions to convert the samples into two vectors of extracted features; automatically clustering a set of vectors such that the first vector and the second vector are assigned to the same cluster among multiple clusters, based on vector similarity; and automatically determining that a same individual being associated with both the first and second samples indicates a heightened probability that the individual fraudulently created both samples. Finally, the method comprises automatically transmitting a message to flag additional samples of digitized handwriting entered into a digital system as possibly fraudulent.

Abstract: An embodiment of the present invention may enable editing and deployment of software by including in an application container editable source code used to produce an application, and tools to edit and build the application, such as a code editor and a build tool to convert the source code to the executable application. The container may include an executable application which may execute in the environment on which the container is saved. A server in the container may control execution of the executable application and build the executable application. A remote user computer may communicate with the code editor to edit the source code, which in its updated version may be built to produce an updated version of the executable application. The server may stop execution of the existing executable application, and start execution of the updated version of the executable application.