Abstract: A memory array comprising strings of memory cells comprises laterally-spaced memory blocks individually comprising a vertical stack comprising alternating insulative tiers and conductive tiers directly above a conductor tier. Strings of memory cells comprise channel-material strings that extend through the insulative tiers and the conductive tiers. The channel-material strings directly electrically couple to conductor material of the conductor tier. Below the stack, an insulating tier is directly above the conductor tier and a metal-material tier is directly above the insulating tier. Conductive rings extend through the metal-material tier and the insulating tier to conductor material of the conductor tier. The conductive rings individually are around individual horizontal locations directly above which are individual of the channel-material strings. The channel-material strings directly electrically couple to the conductor material of the conductor tier through the insulating tier by the conductive rings.

Abstract: A method used in forming a memory array comprising strings of memory cells comprises forming a lower portion of a stack that will comprise vertically-alternating conductive tiers and insulative tiers. The stack comprises laterally-spaced memory-block regions. The lower portion comprises multiple lower of the conductive tiers and multiple lower of the insulative tiers. The lower insulative tiers comprise insulative material. The lower conductive tiers comprise sacrificial material that is of different composition from that of the insulative material. The sacrificial material is replaced with conducting material. After the replacing of the sacrificial material, the vertically-alternating conductive tiers and insulative tiers of an upper portion of the stack are formed above the lower portion. The upper portion comprises multiple upper of the conductive tiers and multiple upper of the insulative tiers. The upper insulative tiers comprise insulating material.

Abstract: A protrusion on a container neck is provided. The protrusion is configured to interface with hinged, tethered closures to bias the body of the closure away from the container neck.

Abstract: A nuclear reactor comprises a pressure vessel containing a nuclear reactor core. A reactor core cooling system comprises a standpipe including a plurality of orifices in fluid communication with a refueling water storage tank (RWST) to drain water from the RWST into the standpipe, and an injection line configured to drain water from the standpipe to the pressure vessel. In some embodiments the standpipe is disposed in the RWST, while in other embodiments the standpipe is disposed outside of the RWST and cross-connection pipes connect the plurality of orifices with the RWST. The reactor core cooling system may further comprise a valve configured to control flow through one orifice of the plurality of orifices in fluid communication with the RWST based on water level in the standpipe. The valve may comprise a float valve having its float disposed in the standpipe.

Abstract: Devices and systems for bus duct, busbars, and busways for high-amperage applications are described. An example assembly may include a first conductor assembly. The assembly also includes two or more electrical bar trunks. The two or more electrical bar trunks are each either a distribution bar or a transportation bar. The two or more electrical bar trunks are electrically connected to the first conductor assembly at a first end of each of the two or more electrical bar trunks. The assembly further includes a second conductor assembly. Each of the two or more electrical bar trunks are electrically connected to the second conductor assembly at a second end of each of the two or more electrical bar trunks.

Abstract: Disclosed is a smart mailbox receptacle and drone docking station for deposit of items/goods delivered by a robot, drone by landing or tethering packages, or courier each to a secured receptacle. Items can be delivered to a receptacle at a curb, mailbox, post, or porch. Features include communication systems between the station and drone; security; hot and cold temperature control and preservation of the goods before and after delivery; battery charging and exchange station; a collector to identify explosive materials, anthrax, etc.; ultraviolet system to eradicate disease, virus and harmful materials; an ozone applicator to eradicate disease, virus and harmful materials; weather monitoring; tag and track of vehicles and packages; facial recognition camera and software for pets and humans; and local two-way speakers; LED lights that strobe flash, and a flood light.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices for a seat cooling system. The seat cooling system includes a fan configured to pull air through a seat in an inward flow direction and to push air through the seat in an outward flow direction and an electronic control unit (ECU) connected to the fan. The ECU is configured to control an HVAC device to direct conditioned air into a cabin of a vehicle. The ECU can be further configured to control the fan to pull at least a portion of the conditioned air through the seat in the inward flow direction when an internal temperature of the vehicle is greater than a first temperature threshold and control the fan to push at least a portion of the conditioned air through the seat in the outward flow direction when the internal temperature of the vehicle is less than a second temperature threshold.

Abstract: A system is provided with a set of removable battery packs and a set of power tools each including a motor, a controller, and a battery receiving portion. For each power tool, the controller is configured to identify a type of battery pack coupled to the battery receiving portion and set a conduction band associated with phases of the motor or an advance angle by which phases of the motor are shifted based on the identified type of the battery pack.

Abstract: An electrically inactive betavoltaic battery, an electrically active betavoltaic battery, and methods of making the same are provided. In implementations, a method of making an electrically active betavoltaic battery includes: providing an electrically inactive betavoltaic battery device having one or more diodes incorporating a semiconductor material layer having a stable non-radioactive isotope; and irradiating the electrically inactive betavoltaic battery device with thermal neutrons, thereby causing the conversion of at least a portion of the stable non-radioactive isotope to a radionuclide and creating the electrically active betavoltaic battery, wherein the semiconductor material layer acts as both an electron emitter and an electron absorber simultaneously.

Abstract: A time varying laser which can operate by taking advantage of transitions between time varying quasi-energy levels which are present in the driven system is disclosed. This can allow for laser operation at frequencies which are new, compared to the operation of the laser in absence of time-modulation. It can also allow for a novel mode of operation in which the system provides gain at multiple frequencies simultaneously, in a coherent fashion which is fundamentally different from multi-mode behavior in conventional lasers. Additionally, in systems with sufficiently strong modulation, these principles can lead to lasers which produce gain even in the thermodynamic ground state of the system, leading to a new form of lasing without inversion (LWI). In addition, these techniques have the potential to be used to create lasers at high frequencies (UV-Xray) which have been difficult to achieve via conventional laser mechanisms.

Abstract: A machine includes an engine that includes a plurality of cylinders, one or more controllers, and a monitoring and reporting module. The monitoring and reporting module receives, from the one or more controllers, and via a first data link of the machine, cylinder pressure data associated with the plurality of cylinders and stores the cylinder pressure data in a data structure. The monitoring and reporting module receives, from the one or more controllers, and via a second data link of the machine, operational information associated with the engine and determines, based on the operational information, that one or more trigger criteria are satisfied. The monitoring and reporting module generates, based on determining that the one or more trigger criteria are satisfied, a data file that includes a portion of the cylinder pressure data and transmits the data file to a device not included in the machine.

Abstract: In one aspect, an elongated lighting module includes plural colors of LEDs that flash in a cyclical sequence to provide multi-spectral illumination. Several such modules can be arranged end-to-end to span a conveyor system that transports a stream of plastic waste items in a recycling center, enabling capture of differently-illuminated image frames depicting the items. Each module may include N LEDs of a first color (e.g., red) and M LEDs of a second color (e.g., blue), where N and M are different. Drive circuitry can be simplified by configuring the LEDs in strings of common colors, but with different counts. Electrical noise due to switching transients can be reduced by operating the LEDs at a low current when not being flashed. A great variety of other features and arrangements are also detailed.

Abstract: A helmet liner has a central spine, a front panel, and a plurality of arms. First and second side rails each form at least one track. Each of the arms are integrated with the at least one track on one of the first or second side rails. The first end of first and second side rails is secured to the front panel. The second end of each of the first and second side rails forms a cable return channel.

Abstract: A memory controller and a physical interface layer may accommodate multiple memory types. In some examples, the memory controller and/or PHY may include a register that includes operating parameters for multiple operating modes. Different operating modes may be compatible with different memory types. In some examples, the memory controller and physical interface may be included in a system for testing multiple memory types. The system may provide multiple interfaces for communicating with the memory. The different communication types may be used for performing different tests and/or simulating different types of devices that may utilize the memory.

Abstract: A surgical system for ablating a tissue, the system comprising: (a) an ablation mechanism comprising a first electrode and an opposed second electrode, wherein the ablation mechanism is configured to receive a tissue between the first electrode and the second electrode, and wherein at least one of the first electrode and the second electrode is movable to allow the first electrode and the second electrode to accommodate variable tissue thicknesses therebetween; and (b) a clamping mechanism configured to release and apply clamping pressure to the tissue between the first electrode and the second electrode, where the ablation mechanism is configured to automatically individually adjust at least one of an ablation energy output of the first electrode and an ablation energy output of the second electrode to accommodate variable tissue thicknesses between the first electrode and the second electrode.

Abstract: A personal area network that includes a wearable electronic device, a system and methods of using the personal area network that includes a wearable electronic device. The wearable electronic device can act as an aggregator of the data that is being acquired by the one or more sensors and from other devices that are within wireless signal range of the personal area network in order to send some or all of the data over a wireless low power wide area network to remote locations within a larger network for subsequent processing, user notification, analysis of location-determination, contact tracing or the like. Data may flow in a bidirectional manner between the wearable electronic device and at least some of the other devices within the personal area network. In one form, the aggregated data may be used to provide information related to one or more operational parameters of an industrial asset and, if necessary, take control-based action in order to adjust one or more such operational parameters.

Abstract: An adaptive surface texturing method is provided for use with a part formed of ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) to be coated with an environmental barrier coating (EBC). The method includes coating a CMC surface of the part with an initial coating, determining a contour and an undulation pattern of the CMC surface and designing a texturing pattern to follow the contour and the undulation pattern and to be formed in the initial coating based on a thickness of the initial coating and an average particle size of a slurry of the EBC.

Abstract: A cable assembly is disclosed. The cable assembly includes a printed circuit board (PCB) including a plurality of alternating ground pads and groups of signal pads, and a cable comprising a plurality of spaced apart differential pairs. Each differential pair defines a stripped section and an unstripped section, and the stripped sections terminate at corresponding signal pads of a corresponding group of signal pads of the PCB. An electrically conductive shield includes a cover portion disposed on and covering at least a portion of the unstripped sections of the insulated conductors and a plurality of spaced apart walls. Each wall is disposed between the stripped sections of the insulated conductors of two adjacent differential pairs and extending from the cover portion to, and making electrical contact with, a corresponding ground pad disposed between the groups of signal pads corresponding to the adjacent differential pairs.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method may receive an authorization request from a first device to access a resource. The method may validate, using a localhost listener, the authorization request by verifying an origin header of the authorization request based on a plurality of Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) in a trusted domain. In response to determining the authorization request is valid, the method may obtain a credential associated with the authorization request from a second device and validate proximity of the first device and the second device. In response to determining the first device is co-located with the second device, the method may approve the authorization request.

Abstract: A method used in forming a memory array comprising strings of memory cells comprises forming a stack comprising vertically-alternating first tiers and second tiers comprising laterally-spaced memory-block regions having horizontally-elongated trenches there-between. Two of the first tiers have different vertical thicknesses relative one another. Channel-material strings of memory cells extend through the first tiers and the second tiers. Through the horizontally-elongated trenches, first conductive material is formed in void space in the two first tiers. The first conductive material fills the first tier of the two first tiers that has a smaller of the different vertical thicknesses in individual of the memory-block regions. The first conductive material less-than-fills the first tier of the two first tiers that has a larger of the different vertical thicknesses in the individual memory-block regions.