Abstract: Thermal delivery devices, systems, and/or methods are used to cool and/or to heat a portion of a subject for a purpose of inducing a desired and/or intended outcome in that subject. The subject may be an animal, such as, a vertebrate, a mammal, a primate, and/or a human. Examples of the portion to be thermally treated may be a face, a forehead, a head, a hand, a body, or other portion of the subject. The cooling and/or the heating of the portion (e.g., the face) may be sufficient to induce the desired and/or the intended outcome in that subject. The desired and/or intended outcome may relate to: release of at least one type of neurotransmitter; trigeminal nerve stimulation; (indirect) vagus nerve stimulation; transdermal drug delivery; bypass of the blood-brain-barrier (BBB); aesthetic medicine; cardiovascular; dermatological; ears, nose, and throat (otolaryngological); ophthalmological; neurological; psychological; endocrinological; and/or rheumatological benefits to that subject.

Abstract: Face soaking devices (devices) may include a vessel and a vessel neck gasket. The vessel may be configured to hold a liquid to submerge a face of a user or a portion thereof. The vessel neck gasket may be (removably) joined to the vessel. The vessel neck gasket may be configured to comfortably accommodate a portion of the user's neck. The devices may include a breathing apparatus that may be in removable contact with: the vessel, with a head rest subassembly, and/or with the user. The breathing apparatus may be configured to permit the user to breathe while the user's face may be submerged within the liquid. When the vessel may be filled with the liquid to at least a sufficient level, the user may soak the face or the portion thereof, such that the skin being soaked receives a benefit.

Abstract: In some embodiments, a face soaking device may have a vessel, a vessel neck gasket, and a breathing apparatus. The vessel may be configured to hold a liquid to submerge a face of a user or a portion thereof. The vessel neck gasket may be (removably) joined to the vessel. The vessel neck gasket may be configured to comfortably accommodate a front portion of the user's neck. The breathing apparatus may be in removable contact with: the vessel, with a head rest subassembly, and/or with the user. The breathing apparatus may be configured to permit the user to breathe while the user's face may be submerged within the liquid. When the vessel may be filled with the liquid to at least a sufficient level, the user may soak the face or the portion thereof, such that the skin being soaked receives a benefit.

Abstract: In some embodiments, a face soaking device may have a vessel, a vessel neck gasket, and a breathing apparatus. The vessel may be configured to hold a liquid to submerge a face of a user or a portion thereof. The vessel neck gasket may be (removably) joined to the vessel. The vessel neck gasket may be configured to comfortably accommodate a front portion of the user's neck. The breathing apparatus may be in removable contact with: the vessel, with a head rest subassembly, and/or with the user. The breathing apparatus may be configured to permit the user to breathe while the user's face may be submerged within the liquid. When the vessel may be filled with the liquid to at least a sufficient level, the user may soak the face or the portion thereof, such that the skin being soaked receives a benefit.

Abstract: The disclosed embodiments disclose techniques for maintaining global name consistency for a distributed filesystem. Two or more cloud controllers collectively manage distributed filesystem data that is stored in one or more cloud storage systems; the cloud controllers ensure data consistency for the stored data, and each cloud controller caches portions of the distributed filesystem. During operation, a cloud controller receives a client request to perform a namespace operation upon a filesystem object. The cloud controller contacts the cloud controller that manages (“owns”) the portion of the global namespace for the distributed filesystem that includes the filesystem object. This second cloud controller ensures the consistency of the filesystem object across the distributed filesystem during the namespace operation.

Abstract: Face soaking devices (devices) may include a vessel and a vessel neck gasket. The vessel may be configured to hold a liquid to submerge a face of a user or a portion thereof. The vessel neck gasket may be (removably) joined to the vessel. The vessel neck gasket may be configured to comfortably accommodate a portion of the user's neck. The devices may include a breathing apparatus that may be in removable contact with: the vessel, with a head rest subassembly, and/or with the user. The breathing apparatus may be configured to permit the user to breathe while the user's face may be submerged within the liquid. When the vessel may be filled with the liquid to at least a sufficient level, the user may soak the face or the portion thereof, such that the skin being soaked receives a benefit.

Abstract: Face soaking devices (devices) and methods of use are described and disclosed. In some embodiments the device may comprise a vessel and a vessel neck gasket. The vessel may be configured to hold a liquid to submerge a face of a user or a portion thereof. The vessel neck gasket may be (removably) joined to the vessel. The vessel neck gasket may be configured to comfortably accommodate a portion of the user's neck. In some embodiments, the device may comprise a breathing apparatus that may be in removable contact with: the vessel, with a head rest subassembly, and/or with the user. The breathing apparatus may be configured to permit the user to breathe while the user's face may be submerged within the liquid. When the vessel may be filled with the liquid to at least a sufficient level, the user may soak the face or the portion thereof, such that the skin being soaked receives a benefit.

Abstract: The disclosed embodiments disclose techniques for sending interim notifications to clients of a distributed filesystem. Two or more cloud controllers collectively manage distributed filesystem data that is stored in one or more cloud storage systems; the cloud controllers ensure data consistency for the stored data, and each cloud controller caches portions of the distributed filesystem. During operation, a cloud controller receives a client request to perform a namespace operation upon a filesystem object. The cloud controller determines that it will need to contact at least one of another peer cloud controller or a cloud storage system to service the request, and sends an interim notification to the client to notify the client that the request is pending.

Abstract: The disclosed embodiments disclose techniques for optimizing caching performance for a distributed filesystem. Two or more cloud controllers collectively manage distributed filesystem data that is stored in one or more cloud storage systems; the cloud controllers ensure data consistency for the stored data, and cloud controllers cache portions of the distributed filesystem on hard drives with rotating disk platters. The outside portions of these disk platters have higher I/O bandwidth than the inside portions of the disk platters. During operation, a cloud controller determines that a hot subset of cached data is likely to be accessed frequently by clients, and stores this hot subset to an outside portion of a disk platter. The cloud controller further determines that a cold subset of cache data is less likely to be accessed by clients, and stores the cold subset on an inside portion of a disk platter.

Abstract: The disclosed embodiments disclose techniques for managing opportunistic locks in a distributed filesystem. Two or more cloud controllers collectively manage distributed filesystem data that is stored in the cloud storage systems; the cloud controllers ensure data consistency for the stored data, and each cloud controller caches portions of the distributed filesystem. During operation, a client sending a request to access a file from a cloud controller also requests an opportunistic lock for the file. If there are no other outstanding client accesses on the other cloud controllers that preclude the requested opportunistic lock, the cloud controller grants the client file access and the opportunistic lock.

Abstract: The disclosed embodiments disclose techniques for managing consistency for a file in a distributed filesystem. Two or more cloud controllers collectively manage distributed filesystem data that is stored in the cloud storage systems; the cloud controllers ensure data consistency for the stored data, and each cloud controller caches portions of the distributed filesystem. During operation, a cloud controller receives from a client a request to access the file. The cloud controller determines a level of consistency that is associated with the file, and then uses this level of consistency to determine whether to communicate with a peer cloud controller when handling the request.

Abstract: The disclosed embodiments disclose techniques for facilitating access to a remote cloud service via a cloud controller for a distributed filesystem. Two or more cloud controllers collectively manage distributed filesystem data that is stored in the cloud storage systems; the cloud controllers ensure data consistency for the stored data, and each cloud controller caches portions of the distributed filesystem. During operation, a cloud controller detects a request from a co-located client to access a network address that is in the same subnet of their local network. The cloud controller determines that the network address is associated with the remote cloud service (which executes in a cloud storage environment) and forwards the request to the remote cloud service.

Abstract: The disclosed embodiments disclose techniques that facilitate of avoiding client timeouts in a distributed filesystem. Multiple cloud controllers collectively manage distributed filesystem data that is stored in one or more cloud storage systems; the cloud controllers ensure data consistency for the stored data, and each cloud controller caches portions of the distributed filesystem in a local storage pool. During operation, a cloud controller receives from a client system a request for a data block in a target file that is stored in the distributed filesystem. Although the cloud controller is already caching the requested data block, the cloud controller delays transmission of the cached data block; this additional delay gives the cloud controller more time to access uncached data blocks for the target file from a cloud storage system, thereby ensuring that subsequent requests of such data blocks do not exceed a timeout interval on the client system.

Abstract: The disclosed embodiments disclose techniques for transferring and caching a cloud file in a cloud controller. Two or more cloud controllers collectively manage distributed filesystem data that is stored in one or more cloud storage systems; the cloud controllers cache and ensure data consistency for the stored data. During operation, a cloud controller receives a client request for a data block of a target file that is stored in the distributed filesystem but not currently cached in the cloud controller. The cloud controller initiates a request to a cloud storage system for a cloud file containing the requested data block. While receiving the cloud file from the cloud storage system, the cloud controller uses a set of block metadata in the portion of the cloud file that has already been received to determine the portions of the cloud file that should be downloaded to and cached in the cloud controller.