Abstract: A circumferential retractor system is provided that includes a circumferential retractor and a flexible retainer. The circumferential retractor and retainer retracts and protects a patient's body opening, providing access into a patient.

Abstract: A hybrid electric propulsor equipped with a hydraulic coupling is provided. In one aspect, a propulsor includes a gas turbine engine and an electric machine operatively coupled thereto. The gas turbine engine includes a fan spool and a core spool. The electric machine is operatively coupled with the fan spool. A hydraulic coupling defines a sealed volume in which hydraulic transmission fluid is provided. The hydraulic coupling encases at least a portion of the fan spool and at least a portion of the core spool. The hydraulic coupling hydraulically couples the fan spool and the core spool and allows for power transmission between the fan spool and the core spool.

Abstract: A method of cementing a wellbore includes injecting into the wellbore a non-aqueous fluid; injecting into the wellbore a cement slurry and a non-ionic surfactant composition after injecting the non-aqueous fluid; and allowing the cement slurry to set, wherein the non-ionic surfactant composition comprises an alkyl end-capped ethoxylated fatty alcohol, a chain extended non-ionic surfactant, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing.

Abstract: Systems and methods for heteroaromatic silicon fluoride compounds as radiopharmaceuticals with theranostic properties are described. The theranostic heteroaromatic silicon fluoride compounds can be conjugated with various disease binding ligands and/or chelators for imaging and therapeutic applications.

Abstract: A method and computer programmes for the management of vehicle fleets are proposed. The method comprises the obtaining of data concerning the state and the operation of each of a plurality of vehicles of a particular type in a vehicle fleet; detecting an anomalous average fuel consumption over a certain period in at least one first vehicle of said vehicle fleet on the basis of analysis of the data received; determining and accounting for the cause of said anomalous average fuel consumption detected by means of the implementation of an explainable artificial intelligence algorithm that takes into account different parameters of the first vehicle, including parameters concerning: the driving behaviour of the first vehicle over a set period of time, the state of the first vehicle and a number of meteorological and environmental elements, and deducing the influence of each of the parameters.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a programmable multicore photonic integrated circuit comprising at least one programmable photonic modules or cores, and/or other photonic units like specific high performance blocks, capable of implementing multipurpose signal processing, by the appropriate programming of its resources, routing within the circuits and the blocks to achieve multifunctional operation and the selection of its input and output ports. The invention also relates to a scalable programmable photonic integrated circuits arranged in a modular multicore approach to increase the processing power of the overall system and/or adding a multitude of functionalities enabled by complex photonics circuitry and parallelization as well as the related operation methods.

Abstract: A method and computer programmes for the management of vehicle fleets are proposed. The method comprises the obtaining of data concerning the state and the operation of each of a plurality of vehicles of a particular type in a vehicle fleet; detecting an anomalous average fuel consumption over a certain period in at least one first vehicle of said vehicle fleet on the basis of analysis of the data received; determining and accounting for the cause of said anomalous average fuel consumption detected by means of the implementation of an explainable artificial intelligence algorithm that takes into account different parameters of the first vehicle, including parameters concerning: the driving behaviour of the first vehicle over a set period of time, the state of the first vehicle, and a number of meteorological and environmental elements.

Abstract: An optical absorbance spectrometer including a sample housing configured to hold a sample, a light source configured to emit broadband light into the sample housing, one or more reflectors configured to reflect the light such that the light passes through a sample holding volume of the sample housing multiple times, and a sensor arranged to receive the light from the sample housing, after the reflections. The sensor comprises a plurality of detectors configured to detect the intensity of the received light at multiple different wavelengths.

Abstract: An induction cooktop apparatus includes an inductor, an insulating layer unit electrically insulating the inductor, and a detection coil for object recognition, said detection coil connected to the insulating layer.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a solution for a floating wind platform made of reinforced concrete for mass production, characterized by a geometric design providing a hydrostatic natural prestressing to the concrete, causing it to work under compression. The structural response of the platform for working in the most effective mode is improved, and the occurrence of fractures or cracks in the concrete is prevented, which reduces permeability and allows for reducing the rebar to be contained in the structure, also increasing operational safety. Furthermore, the invention has a system for anchoring the mooring lines to the structure in the form of a truss made of reinforced concrete which evenly distributes mooring stresses, minimizing prestressing in the high area of the platform, and increasing the area for distributing shear forces due to the change in section between the platform and the tower of the wind turbine.

Abstract: The invention relates to novel compounds for use as inhibitors of NLRP3 inflammasone production, wherein such compounds are as defined by compounds of formula (I) and wherein the integers R1, R2 and R3 are defined in the description, and where the compounds may be useful as medicaments, for instance for use in the treatment of a disease or disorder that is associated with NLRP3 inflammasome activity.

Abstract: A gas turbine engine having a bearing housing with a housing cavity and a shaft rotating about a rotation axis. One or more bearings support the shaft. A housing supporting the bearing and defining a chamber axially adjacent to the bearing. A seal assembly is in the housing between the chamber and an exterior of the chamber. The seal assembly includes a seal supported by the housing and surrounding the shaft so as to define an annular gap between an inner surface of the seal and an outer surface associated to the shaft, the gap defining a part of a sealing path of the seal assembly for air to flow from said exterior into the chamber. An impeller rotates with the shaft and located radially inward of the gap relative to the rotation axis, the impeller oriented to drive oil toward the bearing.

Abstract: A system and method for maintenance and supplying of a fleet of multifunction peripheral devices includes two or more networked devices including a decision engine. Devices discover one another and one device is designated as a server. The server creates a virtual lobby accessible by other devices and its decision engine is enabled. The server invites other devices into its virtual lobby, and these devices join the lobby in response. Devices provide their device state information to the lobby. The enabled decision engine generates recommendations for consumable replenishment, device servicing or device configuration, relaying the recommendations to a system administrator's tablet or smartphone. The administrator may accept, reject, modify or implement received suggestions. Consumable supplies or servicing recommendations can be done automatically if enabled. Administrator actions are fed back to the server for machine learning to improve future suggestions.

Abstract: A workspace system includes different base components, different accessory interfaces and different accessories. Different accessory interfaces may be fixed to different base components, and different accessories may be releasably engaged by different, or the same accessory interfaces. The same accessories may be engaged by different accessory interfaces. The base components and accessories may be reconfigured to define different workspaces. Methods of assembling and reconfiguring the workspaces are also provided.

Abstract: System for detecting the movement conditions of the leaf (2) closing a barrier, this leaf being able to occlude a delimited opening or passage and in which the leaf itself is moved by a motor (5) whose rotation shaft (R1) is associated with a motion transmission mechanism to this leaf. On said motor is present a first device for measuring the rotation of said rotation shaft (R1), and at least a second measuring device is associated with at least a second rotation shaft (R2), said second rotation shaft being connected to the first shaft by means of a reduction gear (8), whose reduction ratio is non-integer.

Abstract: A surface defect inspection assembly that includes translation means configured to move a part in an advance direction in a first axis. The assembly also includes a structure that supports at least one mobile inspection head that is used for inspecting the surface of the part. The mobile inspection head including a light emitter configured to emit at least one light profile on the part and means for receiving the light reflected by the part. The assembly also includes a control unit that is configured to process the reflected light and to determine if a detect exists in the surface of the part. The control unit is additionally configured to activate one or more motors to move the mobile inspection head in response to the light reflected by the part while the translation means is moved in the advance direction, orienting the light profile towards the part.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a directional photonic coupler (1) with independent tuning of the coupling factor and phase difference. The coupler comprises: two waveguides (4, 5), with respective propagation constants “?1, ?2”, on which phase shifters (6, 7) configured to modify the propagation coefficients are located. Both phase shifters are configured such that, by independent modification (differential or unique) of the propagation coefficients, the power coupling factor (K) between an input signal (2a or 2b) and the output signals (3b and 3a) is tuned, and by equal and simultaneous modification of the propagation coefficients, the common phase difference of the optical output signals (3 a, 3b) is tuned. A third phase shifter (15) can be used to retune the phase difference at the input/output of one of the waveguides. The coupler is of particular interest in PIC circuits, coupled resonators, Mach-Zehnder interferometers and mesh structures.

Abstract: Image sensor modules include primary high-resolution imagers and secondary imagers. For example, an image sensor module may include a semiconductor chip including photosensitive regions defining, respectively, a primary camera and a secondary camera. The image sensor module may include an optical assembly that does not substantially obstruct the field-of-view of the secondary camera. Some modules include multiple secondary cameras that have a field-of-view at least as large as the field-of-view of the primary camera. Various features are described to facilitate acquisition of signals that can be used to calculate depth information.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an integrated photonic and quantum system carried out by the combination and interconnection of Programmable Photonics Processing Blocks, implemented over a photonic chip that is capable of implementing one or multiple, simultaneous quantum and classical circuits with optical feedback paths and/or linear multiport transformations, by the appropriate programming of its resources and the selection of its input and output ports. The invention also relates to a quantum field-programmable photonic gate array (Q-FPPGA) comprising at least one programmable circuit based on tunable beam-splitters with independent coupling and phase-shifting configuration and peripheral high-performance building blocks enabling classical and quantum operations.

Abstract: An optoelectronic module including a light emitter to generate light to be emitted from the module; a plurality of spatially distributed light sensitive elements arranged to detect light from the emitter that is reflected by an object outside the module; and one or more dedicated spurious-reflection detection pixels.