Abstract: In a method of facilitating flight operations, a payload is coupled to a spacecraft via a payload interface. The relative alignment of the payload and the spacecraft is dynamically adjusted (e.g., for thrust alignment) while the payload remains coupled to the spacecraft.

Abstract: A baseboard radiator (10) for use in perimeter heating has a heating coil (11), a chassis (25) and a cover (23). The heating coil (11) has at least one fin (12), defining a front edge (13), a rear edge (14), an upper edge (15) and a lower edge (16) of the heating coil (11). The lower edge (16) has front (21) and rear (22) notches formed therein. The chassis (25) engages with the rear notch (22) and extends from the lower edge (16) over the rear edge (14) and the upper edge (15). The chassis (25) is further adapted for mounting the radiator (10) on a wall (28). The cover (23) engages with the front notch (21) and extends from the lower edge (16) over the front edge (13) and the upper edge (15) to engage between the chassis (25) and the wall (28).

Abstract: A microfluidic centrifuge is provided that includes a microfluidic disc having a pair of through holes that include a first through hole and a second through hole, where the pair of through holes are disposed symmetric and proximal to a central axis of the microfluidics disc, where the microfluidics disc includes a sealable input port and a sealable output port, where the sealable input port and the sealable output port are connected by a microfluidics channel, and a pair of tethers disposed through the pair of through holes that are disposed to twist about each other for unwinding where the tether unwinding is disposed to interact with the through holes, where the microfluidics disc rotates about the central axis.

Abstract: A system for coupling a shroud to a case associated with a gas turbine engine and a gas turbine engine including such a system includes the case defining a bore and the shroud retained within the case. The shroud defines a pocket. The system includes a pin received through the bore and at least partially positioned within the pocket. The pin has a perimeter. The system includes a load spreader including a first side and a second side opposite the first side. The first side is interconnected to the second side by a flexible portion. The first side, the second side and the flexible portion are received about a portion of the perimeter of the pin, and the load spreader is configured to transmit at least one of an axial point load and a circumferential point load from the pin over a surface of the shroud.

Abstract: A baseboard radiator (10) for use in perimeter heating has a heating coil (11), a chassis (25) and a cover (23). The heating coil (11) has at least one fin (12), defining a front edge (13), a rear edge (14), an upper edge (15) and a lower edge (16) of the heating coil (11). The lower edge (16) has front (21) and rear (22) notches formed therein. The chassis (25) engages with the rear notch (22) and extends from the lower edge (16) over the rear edge (14) and the upper edge (15). The chassis (25) is further adapted for mounting the radiator (10) on a wall (28). The cover (23) engages with the front notch (21) and extends from the lower edge (16) over the front edge (13) and the upper edge (15) to engage between the chassis (25) and the wall (28).

Abstract: A system for coupling a shroud to a case associated with a gas turbine engine and a gas turbine engine including such a system includes the case defining a bore and the shroud retained within the case. The shroud defines a pocket. The system includes a pin received through the bore and at least partially positioned within the pocket. The pin has a perimeter. The system includes a load spreader including a first side and a second side opposite the first side. The first side is interconnected to the second side by a flexible portion. The first side, the second side and the flexible portion are received about a portion of the perimeter of the pin, and the load spreader is configured to transmit at least one of an axial point load and a circumferential point load from the pin over a surface of the shroud.

Abstract: A flow and pressure stabilization device includes a housing; a first fluid chamber; a gas chamber; a deformable bladder that separates the first fluid chamber from the gas chamber, the deformable bladder comprising a longitudinally protruding portion shaped such that, when a pressure in the gas chamber is greater than a pressure in the first fluid chamber, the longitudinally protruding portion extends toward the first fluid chamber; and a valve in fluid communication with a fluid outlet, the valve including: a second fluid chamber in fluid communication with the first fluid chamber; a fluid port in fluid communication with the fluid outlet; and a deformable diaphragm positioned adjacent to and biased toward the fluid port.

Abstract: A method for separating at least two dissimilar materials includes providing an electrode having a contact surface, placing the contact surface in contact with at least one material of the at least two dissimilar materials; and sliding the contact surface across and in contact with the at least one material of the at least two dissimilar materials while applying electrosurgical currents via the contact surface to thereby separate the at least two dissimilar materials.

Abstract: A method for treating surface tissue of a patient includes: providing an electrode having a contact surface, wherein the contact surface has a curved profile; placing the contact surface in contact with surface tissue of the patient; and sliding the contact surface across and in contact with the surface tissue while applying electrosurgical currents to the surface tissue via the contact surface to thereby vaporize and ablate the surface tissue and form a treated band of the surface tissue.

Abstract: A refrigerator storage system is described. The refrigerator storage system comprises a display having a home screen and a processor coupled to the display. The processor is configured to display at least one widget that provides an operation on the display, wherein the at least one widget comprises an interface portion providing direct access to a feature of the widget, wherein the direct access to the feature of the widget is provided from the home screen.

Abstract: A pressure fluctuations mitigation system for an industrial flow operation is provided. The system includes a bellows assembly positioned within a pressure vessel. The bellows assembly can include two segments that are joined with a center ring to form a seal that allows the bellows assembly performs as would a unitary bellows structure. The bellows assembly encloses an internal space that is fluidically isolated from the interior space of the pressure vessel. The bellows assembly has a corrugated sidewall that extends along a longitudinal axis from a first collar portion to a second collar portion. The sidewall has a hollow cylindrical shape and is made of polytetrafluoroethylene. The sidewall has an outer diameter of more than 18 inches.

Abstract: Systems and methods are presented by which a contractor can initiate a proposed variation to a project contract and request payments against the proposed variation even before the variation is approved by the other party to the project contract. A data structure representative of proposed variation is generated and maintained as the proposed variation is reviewed, approved, and elevated to become part of the actual budget for the project. Because the same data structure is maintained throughout the process and after the proposed variation is approved, payment requests, payments, and any other actions taken against the data structure before the proposed variation is approved are automatically linked to the actual budget after approval and, thereby, are recognized and processed by external accounting systems as though the variations were created by the other party to the contract.

Abstract: A pressure fluctuations mitigation system for an industrial flow operation is provided. The system includes a bellows assembly positioned within a pressure vessel. The bellows assembly can include two segments that are joined with a center ring to form a seal that allows the bellows assembly performs as would a unitary bellows structure. The bellows assembly encloses an internal space that is fluidically isolated from the interior space of the pressure vessel. The bellows assembly has a corrugated sidewall that extends along a longitudinal axis from a first collar portion to a second collar portion. The sidewall has a hollow cylindrical shape and is made of polytetrafluoroethylene. The sidewall has an outer diameter of more than 18 inches.

Abstract: A retention and control system includes a rotor configured to rotate about an axis. A shroud ring has a peripheral groove and surrounds the rotor with a clearance defined between the rotor and the ring. A support ring engages the shroud ring in the peripheral groove and axially locates the shroud ring. The support ring includes a series of tabs, each with an aperture, projecting radially outward from the support ring. A retention spring engages the support ring radially outward from the shroud ring and includes a series of openings, one of which registers with each of the apertures. An alignment pin extends through each of the registered openings and apertures to locate the support ring and the engaged shroud ring concentrically with the turbine about the axis.

Abstract: A flow and pressure stabilization device includes a housing; a first fluid chamber; a gas chamber; a deformable bladder that separates the first fluid chamber from the gas chamber, the deformable bladder comprising a longitudinally protruding portion shaped such that, when a pressure in the gas chamber is greater than a pressure in the first fluid chamber, the longitudinally protruding portion extends toward the first fluid chamber; and a valve in fluid communication with a fluid outlet, the valve including: a second fluid chamber in fluid communication with the first fluid chamber; a fluid port in fluid communication with the fluid outlet; and a deformable diaphragm positioned adjacent to and biased toward the fluid port.

Abstract: A retention and control system includes a rotor configured to rotate about an axis. A shroud ring has a peripheral groove and surrounds the rotor with a clearance defined between the rotor and the ring. A support ring engages the shroud ring in the peripheral groove and axially locates the shroud ring. The support ring includes a series of tabs, each with an aperture, projecting radially outward from the support ring. A retention spring engages the support ring radially outward from the shroud ring and includes a series of openings, one of which registers with each of the apertures. An alignment pin extends through each of the registered openings and apertures to locate the support ring and the engaged shroud ring concentrically with the turbine about the axis.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer readable media for backing up and restore a deployment on a cloud computing platform are described. A deployment on a cloud computing platform includes a set of virtual machines and corresponding disks. A deployment may include multiple subunits designated as deployment jobs. A respective job specification file specifies respective resources used by each deployment job. The resources include various scripts specifying actions to take before, during, and after a backup. A backup orchestrator, upon receiving a backup request for the deployment, executes the scripts in a pre-specified sequence ordered by script type. When a particular type of scripts executes, the corresponding script for each deployment job, if specified in the specification file to correspond to that type, executes. When all scripts of a particular type finish execution, scripts having a next type execute. Accordingly, the operations of backing up multiple deployment jobs are synchronized and orchestrated.

Abstract: A flow and pressure stabilization device comprises a housing; a first fluid chamber; a gas chamber; a deformable bladder that separates the first fluid chamber from the gas chamber and at least partially defines a volume of the first fluid chamber; a second fluid chamber in fluid communication with the first fluid chamber via a fluid passage; and a variable flow valve in fluid communication with the second fluid chamber, the variable flow valve comprising: a fluid port in fluid communication with a fluid outlet; a deformable diaphragm positioned adjacent the fluid port, the diaphragm at least partially defining a volume of the second fluid chamber; and an outflow control button coupled to the diaphragm and extending at least partially into the fluid port, the outflow control button comprising an at least partially tapered surface.