Abstract: A method of making a polymer having the structure (I): wherein L is a linking group, R is a hydrocarbon group or a substituted-hydrocarbon group, and x is 2 or more, preferably from 2 to 100, more preferably from 2 to 50; and wherein each {Q} is an identical polymer block or contains a plurality of polymer blocks. The method comprises reacting a di-halo initiator with a selected monomer one or more times and then reacting the resulting moiety with a dithiol compound of the structure HS—R—SH.

Abstract: According to some embodiments, systems and methods are provided, comprising receiving a document at a template module; determining a pair of pixel coordinates for one or more data entry fields in the received document; determining whether the received document matches a stored template based on the determined pair of pixel coordinates; generating a first template when the received document does not match the stored template; applying one or more rules associated with one of the stored template and the first template to the received document; extracting one or more data elements from the received document based on the application of the one or more rules; and returning the extracted one or more data elements. Numerous other aspects are provided.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a substrate (16) with a ceramic thermal barrier coating (28, 32). The interface between layers of the coating contains an engineered surface roughness (12, 24) to enhance the mechanical integrity of the bond there between. The surface roughness is formed in a surface of a mold (10,20) and is infused by a subsequently cast layer of material (16, 28). The substrate may be partially sintered (76) prior to application of the coating layer(s) and the coated substrate and coating layer(s) may be co-sintered to form a fully coherent strain-free interlayer.

Abstract: There is a multi-caliber weapon system. The multi-caliber weapon system comprises: a frame body, with a front body portion, a middle body portion, and a rear body portion, and including: a plurality of frame flanges, each frame flange being coupled to an interior of the frame body and extending upwardly therefrom; a barrel, removably coupled to the front body portion of the frame body, including: a plurality of barrel rings, each barrel ring being disposed around a circumference of the barrel and spaced along a length of the barrel, wherein the barrel rings are disposed on the frame flanges; a chamber, removably coupled to the middle body portion of the frame body, and removably coupled to the barrel; and a bolt, removably coupled to rear body portion of the frame body, removably coupled to the chamber, and including: a bolt face, removably coupled to a front bolt portion.

Abstract: A humidification chamber (24, 50, 300, 400, 500, 600 or 700) for humidifying gases is provided comprising: a water tub that is configured to receive a volume of water; a gases inlet for receiving a flow of gases into an interior volume of the humidification chamber; and a gases outlet through which a humidified flow of gases may exit the interior volume of the humidification chamber. One or more fill apertures (120) are provided in fluid communication with the water tub such that the water tub can be filled with water through the one or more fill apertures. A sealing closure (850) is also provided and configured to be releaseably mounted on the humidification chamber (24, 50, 300, 400, 500, 600 or 700), the sealing closure (850) being configured to sealingly close each fill aperture (120) when the sealing closure (850) is mounted on the humidification chamber to resist gas and/or vapour escaping from the one or more fill apertures (120).

Abstract: Apparatus and method for storing data in a non-volatile memory (NVM), such as a flash memory in a solid-state drive (SSD). In some embodiments, a distributed storage space of the NVM is defined to extend across a plural number of regions of the NVM. A non-standard parity data set is provided having a plural number of data elements greater than or equal to the plural number of regions in the storage space. The data set is written by storing a first portion of the data elements and a first parity value to the plural number of regions and a remaining portion of the data elements and a second parity value to a subset of the plural number of regions. The regions can comprise semiconductor dies in a flash memory, and the distributed storage space can be a garbage collection unit formed using one erasure block from each flash die.

Abstract: The present disclosure involves the production of Waxy maize. Compositions and methods are provided for knocking out expression of the Waxy (Wx1) gene in maize by making double strand breaks at one or more target sites in an endogenous WX1 encoding sequence. Some methods employ one or more guide polynucleotides and a Cas endonuclease, wherein Cas endonuclease is guided by the one or more guide polynucleotides to recognize and introduce double strand breaks at specific target sites in and around the Wx1 gene. Also provided are compositions and methods for the production of Waxy maize plant cells, plant explants, seeds and grain.

Abstract: New and useful systems, apparatuses, and methods for providing negative-pressure therapy with instillation of topical treatment solutions are described. An apparatus may comprise an exudate container, a solution source, and a pneumatically-actuated instillation regulator. The instillation regulator may be coupled to the exudate container and to the solution source, and negative pressure from a negative-pressure source can actuate the instillation regulator. In some embodiments, a negative-pressure source may be configured for a negative-pressure interval and a venting interval, and the instillation regulator can be configured to draw instillation solution from the solution source during a negative-pressure interval and to instill the solution to a dressing during a venting interval.

Abstract: A rectifier assembly according to an example of the present disclosure includes, among other things, a first housing and a second housing extending along an assembly axis, the first housing surrounding a pair of electrical rings. At least one spring strip includes a first spring strip portion transverse to a second spring strip portion, the second spring strip portion to bias diodes against an inner periphery of the pair of electrical rings. The second housing includes at least one connection terminal for receiving a wire from an exciter rotor, the at least one connection terminal including a screw threaded area which receives a bolt holding the first spring strip portion. A generator and a method of assembling a rectifier assembly are also disclosed.

Abstract: The present disclosure is related to a case management application that may be utilized by a user to open a service case associated with a service event. The case management application may receive information associated with the service case and/or the user to provide a recommended action to address the service event. In some embodiments, the case management application may access a recommendation tool that includes a trend model that may be used by the case management application to determine the recommended action. A designer may be able to modify the recommendation tool and/or the trend model accessed by the case management application to adjust how the case management application determines a recommended action to provide to the user.

Abstract: A device for protecting an umbilical stump-catheter interface, includes: a shield having a wall that defines a cavity for accommodating an umbilical stump, wherein the shield further includes a base for attachment to a patient; and an opening at the shield for allowing an umbilical catheter to extend therethrough. A method for protecting an umbilical stump-catheter interface, includes: providing a device having a shield with a wall that defines a cavity for accommodating an umbilical stump, wherein the shield further includes a base for attachment to a patient, and wherein the device further includes an opening at the shield; shielding the umbilical stump from an environment using the shield; and accommodating an umbilical catheter using the opening at the shield.

Abstract: A drive system for a vehicle includes a first planetary gear set, a second planetary gear set, a third planetary gear set, a first electromagnetic device coupled to the first planetary gear set, a second electromagnetic device coupled to the second planetary gear set, and an output shaft coupled to the first planetary gear set. The third planetary gear set includes a sun gear, a ring gear, planetary gears coupling the sun gear to the ring gear, and a carrier rotationally supporting the planetary gears. The ring gear is directly coupled to the first planetary gear set and the second planetary gear set. The sun gear is directly coupled to the second planetary gear set.

Abstract: A wireless power transfer system is provided. The wireless power transfer system comprises a resonator comprising a capacitor. The capacitor comprises at least two active electrodes; and a passive electrode adjacent the active electrodes and configured to encompass the active electrodes to at least partially eliminate environmental influences affecting the active electrodes and to increase the overall capacitance of the system. The resonator further comprises at least one inductive coil electrically connected to the active electrodes, wherein the resonator is configured to extract power from a generated electric field via resonant electric field coupling.

Abstract: A biofilm sealant is provided imparting a residual biocidal property. The biofilm sealant is used to treat a surface to impart a film having a capacity to quickly kill bacteria and other germs for at least 24 hours after deposit of the film on a treated surface. The disinfectant formulation biofilm sealant comprises a polymer binder, wherein the polymer binder is an oxazoline homopolymer or an extended or a modified polymer based on an oxazoline homopolymer, and a biocidal compound.

Abstract: A method for optimizing a welding process to produce a weld joint having a predetermined strength includes measuring a plurality of melt layer thicknesses of weld joints for a plurality of sample assemblies formed by the welding process, measuring a plurality failure loads of weld joints for the plurality of sample assemblies, each of the measured plurality of failures loads being associated with one of the measured plurality of melt layer thicknesses, selecting a first failure load from the plurality of measured failure loads responsive to determining that the first failure load corresponds to a predetermined weld strength, and selecting a first melt layer thickness from the plurality of measured melt layer thicknesses that is associated with the selected first measured failure load.

Abstract: According to some embodiments, a medical instrument (for example, an ablation device) comprises an elongate body having a proximal end and a distal end, an energy delivery member positioned at the distal end of the elongate body, a first plurality of temperature-measurement devices carried by or positioned within the energy delivery member, the first plurality of temperature-measurement devices being thermally insulated from the energy delivery member, and a second plurality of temperature-measurement devices positioned proximal to a proximal end of the energy delivery member, the second plurality of temperature-measurement devices being thermally insulated from the energy delivery member.

Abstract: Techniques for providing annotations in a web browser or a native application herein include analyzing the structure of a webpage to determine a topology, constructing a model of the webpage based on the topology configured to automatically monitor the topology and to update the model based on detected changes to the webpage, extracting, from the model, a first text string from textual content of a first editable node, sending at least first portion of the first text string to a server to obtain annotations, detecting that the textual content of the first editable node has been modified by a second text string modifying at least a portion of the textual content, receiving the annotations from the server comprising suggestions for improving the first text string, updating the annotations to produce reconciled annotations by modifying the annotations, and rendering the reconciled annotations over the first editable node.

Abstract: An apparatus includes parallel delay lines, each exhibiting a delay; a first set of switches for each port of a first set of ports, each of which is to selectively couple a port of the first set of ports to first ends of the delay lines; a second set of switches for each port of a second set of ports, each of which to selectively couple a port of the second set of ports to second ends of the delay lines. A signal source generates a series of clock signals that are sequentially time delayed between the first set of switches and the second set of switches, where an input signal at one of the first or second sets of ports travels back and forth across the first and second sets of delay lines according to activation of the first set and second set of switches until being output.

Abstract: This invention generally relates to cationic oil-in-water emulsions that can be used to deliver negatively charged molecules, such as an RNA molecule. The emulsion particles comprise an oil core and a cationic lipid. The cationic lipid can interact with the negatively charged molecule thereby anchoring the molecule to the emulsion particles. The cationic emulsions described herein are particularly suitable for delivering nucleic acid molecules (such as an RNA molecule encoding an antigen) to cells and formulating nucleic acid-based vaccines.

Abstract: A method of providing gameplay experiences for users includes communicating with a plurality of game clients via a network, where each of the game clients is running a game application. The method further includes identifying a plurality of users of the game applications on the game clients, assigning each of the users to a team in a game instance, and assigning the users to one of a plurality of squads on the team. The method continues by initiating an activity mode in the game instance, where the activity mode includes assigning a different activity to each of the squads and tracking progress toward completion of each activity by users of the assigned squad. Upon satisfaction of the completion criteria of the activity mode, the method ends the activity mode and initiates an objective mode. The objective mode includes assigning an objective to the team.