Abstract: An expandable introducer includes a hub and a tubular sheath (121) coupled thereto. The tubular sheath (121) defines a central lumen (103). A circumference of the tubular sheath includes a full thickness region (162) having a first wall thickness (T2) and a reduced thickness region (161) having a second wall thickness (T1) smaller than the first wall thickness (T2). The reduced thickness region (162) is configured to be folded such that the tubular sheath includes an unexpanded, folded state and is configured to expand to an expanded, unfolded state in response to a device passing though the central lumen (103). A first outer diameter of the tubular sheath in the unexpanded, folded state is smaller than a second outer diameter of the tubular sheath in the expanded, unfolded state.

Abstract: Plasma and gas based optics may be used to direct light to a target that produces emission harmful to solid-state optics. In some cases, a shield having a hole, opening or separation for the light to pass may be employed to attenuate or block such harmful emission from the target thereby providing some protection for the solid-state optics. In some designs, the light incident on the target is not coaxial with light sources such as pump and/or seed sources providing beams incident on the plasma or gas based optics. In various designs, however, the plasma or gas based optic(s) is resistant to the emissions from the target.

Abstract: Methods and systems for providing multiple techniques to a customer premises equipment to acquire network connectivity. A method for acquiring an Internet Protocol (IP) lease includes sending, by a network device at a customer premises to a service provider system, a request for a preferred acquisition posture, where the network device is provisioned with multiple acquisition postures including the preferred acquisition posture, receiving, by the network device from the service provider system, a selected acquisition posture, attempting, by the network device, to acquire the IP lease using the selected acquisition posture, and operating, by the network device, using the acquired IP lease.

Abstract: Compact and portable, real-time or near real-time, in-line, on-line, at-line, or off-line reagentless detection, identification, and/or quantification spectroscopic methods and sensor systems provide detection and quantification of chemical and biological (CB) materials or analytes (whether harmful or beneficial) at trace quantities and concentrations (e.g., at less than 10 ppb, 10 ppt, or 10 ppq). Some embodiments detect trace volumes of materials of interest that were originally in water or another liquid wherein detection is enhanced by one or more of (1) liquid reduction or elimination, (2) overlaid multi-droplet deposition, (3) analyte spatial separation, and/or (4) creation and storage of analyte sample archives in a readily accessible manner for future re-examination.

Abstract: The present invention provides methods of preparing heteroaryl-ketone fused azadecalin glucocorticoid receptor modulators, and compositions having low impurity levels.

Abstract: This disclosure presents systems, methods, and apparatus for determining cluster efficiency during hydraulic fracturing, the method comprising: measuring acoustic vibrations in fracking fluid in a fracking wellhead, circulating fluid line, or standpipe of a well; converting the acoustic vibrations into an electrical signal in a time domain; recording the electrical signal to memory; analyzing the electrical signal in the time domain for a window of time and identifying two amplitude peaks corresponding to a fracture initiation; measuring a time between the two amplitude peaks; dividing the time by two to give a result; multiplying the result by a speed of sound in the fracking fluid to give a distance between the fracture initiation and a plug at an end of a current fracking stage of the well; and returning a location of the fracture initiation to an operator based on the distance between the fracture initiation and the plug.

Abstract: In some aspects, a method of using a virtual medical assistant to assist a medical professional, the virtual medical assistant implemented, at least in part, by at least one processor of a host device capable of connecting to at least one network is provided. The method comprises receiving free-form instruction from the medical professional, providing the free-form instruction for processing to assist in identifying from the free-form instruction at least one medical task to be performed, obtaining identification of at least one impediment to performing the at least one medical task, and inferring at least some information needed to overcome the at least one impediment.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to compositions and methods for producing a recombinant virus, e.g., a recombinant oncolytic adenovirus, using an A549 host cell.

Abstract: A process and system for effective treatment of a water stream containing dissolved metal contaminants. The process and system employ the electrocoagulation principle to enable precipitation of the dissolved metal contaminants and provide sufficient residence time for completion of the precipitation process so that flocs of the dissolved metal contaminants that can be easily separated are generated thereby resulting in effective treatment of the water stream.

Abstract: Pharmaceutical compositions and methods for treating osteoarthritis in a patient in need thereof comprising administering to the patient an effective dose of a pharmaceutically acceptable composition including a first therapeutic, wherein the first therapeutic includes one or more calcium channel regulators or pharmaceutically acceptable salts, solvates, esters, amides, clathrate, stereoisomers, enantiomers, prodrugs or analogs thereof, and at least a first portion of the first therapeutic is encapsulated in microspheres

Abstract: Compositions and methods for preventing or treating a disease or a disorder associated with dyslipidemia are provided. This includes prevention or treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and/or non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). The method comprises administering an effective amount of RRx-001, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, to the subject in need thereof to reduce at least one factor of the disease or the disorder, such as a hepatic steatosis score, a serum ALT level, a fibrosis marker, a serum AST level, a hepatic level of cholesterol, a hepatic level of triglycerides, insulin resistance, hyperinsulinemia, a serum NLRP3 level, an oxidative or inflammatory stress marker in the subject, and/or a marker associated with low-density lipoprotein (LDL). In some embodiments, the effective amount of RRx-001, or the pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, is administered in a pharmaceutical composition that includes a blood product and/or an agent.

Abstract: The present invention provides constructs comprising modified riboswitches to regulate expression of a transgene within a subject. Methods of treating a disease, specifically an eye disease, are also contemplated.

Abstract: Provided herein is a topical antibiotic composition that includes an external antibiotic agent, one or more pharmaceutically acceptable excipients, and at least one of a cannabinoid, terpene, and flavonoid. Also provided is a method that includes topically administering to a skin surface of a subject (e.g., human) the topical antibiotic composition.

Abstract: System, method, and apparatus for classifying fracture quantity and quality of fracturing operation activities during hydraulic fracturing operations, the system comprising: a sensor coupled to a fracking wellhead, circulating fluid line, or standpipe of a well and configured to convert acoustic vibrations in fracking fluid in the fracking wellhead into an electrical signal; a memory configured to store the electrical signal; a converter configured to access the electrical signal from the memory and convert the electrical signal in a window of time into a current frequency domain spectrum; a machine-learning system configured to classify the current frequency domain spectrum, the machine-learning system having been trained on previous frequency domain spectra measured during previous hydraulic fracturing operations and previously classified by the machine-learning system; and a user interface configured to return a classification of the current frequency domain spectrum to an operator of the fracking wellhead

Abstract: The present disclosure is directed toward systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable media for providing an autostaler mechanism that is purpose-built to prevent cloud computing systems from terminating certain processes or instances that would otherwise be terminated by autoscaling mechanisms. Specifically, the autostaler determines various criteria or parameters associated with a compute instance and further determines a state for the compute instance based on the parameters. For example, the autostaler designates a stale state for an instance based on determining computational requirements for the instance and/or based on comparing processes of the instance with a custom process list that defines processes which are stale-able and/or not stale-able. Indeed, the autostaler can designate a process that would otherwise be terminated by a cloud computing system as stale to persist the process and prevent its termination.

Abstract: A method of treating Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD), Substance Use Disorder (SUD), tobacco use, pain, or proinflammatory disorders comprising: providing a subject with an effective amount of a modified tetracycline or derivative thereof to ameliorate or eliminate the AUD, SUD, tobacco use, pain, or proinflammatory disorder, and wherein the modified tetracycline or derivative thereof has reduced binding to a microbial ribosome and has the formula: wherein R1 is acetyl, R2 is OH or acetyl, R3 is acetyl, R4 is H or acetyl, and R5 is acetyl.

Abstract: A cleaning device for an imaging instrument includes a tubular member sized to receive a shaft of an imaging instrument; a collar configured to be coupled to the shaft of the imaging instrument; a collar latching element movably coupled to the tubular member; and a tubular member anti-rotation feature configured to fix a relative rotational orientation between the tubular member and the collar.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates generally to the field of medical devices and establishing access to body passageways. In particular, the present disclosure relates to devices, systems and methods to facilitate entry of a guidewire or other endoscopic accessory tool into and/or through patient-specific anatomies. For example, the devices, systems and methods of the present disclosure may rotate a proximal end of a guidewire to transmit mechanical motion to the distal end of the guidewire to facilitate atraumatic access to tortuous or otherwise restricted anatomies.

Abstract: A coulter assembly for collecting soil samples from an agricultural field in one embodiment comprises an annular collection blade configured for penetrating soil to capture a sample, an annular cam ring configured for stationary mounting to a frame of an agricultural vehicle and comprising a cam track, a blade hub coupled to the blade for rotatably supporting the annular collection blade from the annular cam ring, and a movable sample collector mounted to the annular collection blade. The moveable sample collector is configured and operable for extracting a soil sample as the annular collection blade is rotated through the soil. The moveable sample collector in one embodiment comprises a piston mechanism including a cylinder and rod movably disposed therein which actuated by the annular cam ring to alternatingly open and close a collection end of the cylinder as the annular collection blade rotates through the soil.