Abstract: A multi-stage process for reducing the production of a Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil from Distressed Fuel Oil Materials (DFOM) involving a pre-treatment process that transforms the DFOM into Feedstock HMFO which is subsequently sent to a Core Process for removing the Environmental Contaminates. The Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil complies with ISO 8217 for residual marine fuel oils and has a sulfur level has a maximum sulfur content (ISO 14596 or ISO 8754) between the range of 0.05 mass % to 1.0 mass. A process plant for conducting the process is also disclosed.

Abstract: A smoking pipe is disclosed. Example embodiments are directed to a smoking pipe having a bowl where tobacco would be inserted to be smoked, the bowl being a separate piece or part that gets pressed, threaded, or magnetized into or onto a machined body, stem, or smoke chamber of the smoking pipe. The smoking pipe can have a body, stem, or smoke chamber that gets hollowed out by a machining process to allow maximum smoke expansion and superior performance. Example embodiments can include a bowl, a stem, body, or smoke chamber, a mouth piece or receiving portion, and a carburetor to allow fresh air to clear the smoke chamber. The smoking pipe may have or may not have a 5.725 degree taper machined into the inside diameter of the carburetor hole to allow other smoking attachments to be inserted into the carburetor hole.

Abstract: A multi-stage process for reducing the environmental contaminants in an ISO8217 compliant Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil involving a core desulfurizing process and a ultrasound treatment process as either a pre-treating step or post-treating step to the core process. The Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil complies with ISO 8217 for residual marine fuel oils and has a sulfur level has a maximum sulfur content (ISO 14596 or ISO 8754) between the range of 0.05 mass % to 1.0 mass. A process plant for conducting the process is also disclosed.

Abstract: A system shares I/O load between controllers in a high availability system. For writes, a controller determines based on one or more factors which controller will flush batches of data from write-back cache to better distribute the I/O burden. The determination occurs after the local storage controller caches the data, mirrors it, and confirms write complete to the host. Once it is determined which storage controller will flush the cache, the flush occurs and the corresponding metadata at a second layer of indirection is updated by that determined storage controller (whether or not it is identified as the owner of the corresponding volume to the host, while the volume owner updates metadata at a first layer of indirection). For a host read, the controller that owns the volume accesses the metadata from whichever controller(s) flushed the data previously and reads the data, regardless of which controller had performed the flush.

Abstract: A method by one or more computing devices for detecting application user anomalies in audit logs of database operations performed on one or more databases. The method includes obtaining a first audit log of database operations, wherein the first audit log indicates (1) which application users of an application caused which of the database operations to be performed and (2) which functions of the application caused which of the database operations to be performed, generating, for each of the application users indicated in the first audit log, a profile of that application user that indicates which of the functions that application user is expected to touch, and detecting an anomaly in response to a determination that a second audit log indicates that an application user touched a function that is not one of the functions indicated in the profile of the application user.

Abstract: A multi-stage process for reducing the production of a Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil from Distressed Fuel Oil Materials (DFOM) involving a pre-treatment process that transforms the DFOM into Feedstock HMFO which is subsequently sent to a Core Process for removing the Environmental Contaminates. The Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil complies with ISO 8217 for residual marine fuel oils and has a sulfur level has a maximum sulfur content (ISO 14596 or ISO 8754) between the range of 0.05 mass % to 1.0 mass. A process plant for conducting the process is also disclosed.

Abstract: A method for quantitatively measuring a physical characteristic of a material includes applying a force to a material sample according to an interrogation profile comprising a set of one or more interrogation parameters. The method further includes measuring a displacement over time of the material sample that occurs as a result of applying the force according to the interrogation profile. The method further includes using the interrogation profile and the measured displacement over time of the material sample to derive a quantitative value of a physical characteristic of the material sample.

Abstract: A multi-stage process for the production of an ISO8217 compliant Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil from ISO 8217 compliant Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil involving a core process under reactive conditions in a Reaction System composed of one or more reaction vessels, wherein one or more of the reaction vessels contains one or more catalysts in the form of a structured catalyst bed and is operated under reactive distillation conditions. The Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil has a sulfur level has a maximum sulfur content (ISO 14596 or ISO 8754) between the range of 0.05 mass % to 1.0 mass. A process plant for conducting the process for conducting the process is disclosed.

Abstract: A multi-stage process for the production of an ISO 8217 compliant Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil from ISO 8217 compliant Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil involving a Reaction System composed of one or more reactor vessels selected from a group reactor wherein said one or more reactor vessels contains one or more reaction sections configured to promote the transformation of the Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil to the Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil. The Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil has a Environmental Contaminate level has a maximum sulfur content (ISO 14596 or ISO 8754) between the range of 0.05 mass % to 1.0 mass. A process plant for conducting the process for conducting the process is disclosed that can utilize a modular reactor vessel.

Abstract: A direct fire weapon system training and firing aid comprising a shoulder bar attachment for elevating and/or traversing a direct fire weapon system is disclosed. It may have an elongate arm for attachment to the weapon system and extending in a generally rearward direction from the weapon system. Once coupled to a weapon system, it gives a user a stable method of supporting and moving the weapon system, allowing the user to quickly elevate and traverse the weapon system by giving the user an additional point of contact, for example at the shoulder or under the arm, to support and stabilize the weapon system.

Abstract: A method for detecting anomalies in audit logs of database operations performed on databases. The method includes obtaining a first audit log of database operations performed on one or more databases, generating, for each of a plurality of attribute values associated with a designated attribute appearing in the first audit log, a profile of that attribute value that indicates expected attribute characteristics of one or more attributes when that attribute value is associated with the designated attribute, obtaining a second audit log of further database operations performed on the one or more databases, and detecting an anomaly responsive to a determination that a log entry in the second audit log includes an attribute value associated with the designated attribute but attributes in the log entry deviate from the expected attribute characteristics of the one or more attributes indicated by the profile of the attribute value associated with the designated attribute.

Abstract: A multi-stage process for the production of an ISO8217 compliant Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil from ISO 8217 compliant Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil involving a core process under reactive conditions in a Reaction System composed of one or more reaction vessels, wherein one or more of the reaction vessels contains one or more catalysts in the form of a structured catalyst bed and is operated under reactive distillation conditions. The Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil has a sulfur level has a maximum sulfur content (ISO 14596 or ISO 8754) between the range of 0.05 mass % to 1.0 mass. A process plant for conducting the process for conducting the process is disclosed.

Abstract: A weapon training and firing aid comprising a shoulder bar attachment for elevating and/or traversing a weapon mount is disclosed. A weapon training and firing aid may have an elongate arm for attachment to a weapon mount and extending in a generally rearward direction from the weapon mount. A weapon training and firing aid, once coupled to a weapon mount, gives a user a stable method of supporting and moving the weapon, allowing the user to quickly elevate and traverse the weapon mount by giving the user an additional point of contact, for example at the shoulder or under the arm, to support and stabilize the weapon mount.

Abstract: A multi-stage device for reducing the environmental contaminants in an ISO8217 compliant Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil involving a core desulfurizing process and an ionic liquid extraction desulfurizing process as either a pre-treating step or post-treating step to the core process. The Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil is compliant with ISO 8217 for residual marine fuel oils and has a sulfur level has a maximum sulfur content (ISO 14596 or ISO 8754) between the range of 0.05% wt. to 0.5% wt.

Abstract: A multi-stage process for the production of an ISO 8217 compliant Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil from ISO 8217 compliant Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil involving a Reaction System composed of one or more reactor vessels selected from a group reactor wherein said one or more reactor vessels contains one or more reaction sections configured to promote the transformation of the Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil to the Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil. The Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil has a sulfur level has a maximum sulfur content (ISO 14596 or ISO 8754) between the range of 0.05 mass % to 1.0 mass. A process plant for conducting the process for conducting the process is disclosed that can utilize a modular reactor vessel contained within a frame work based on ISO 40 foot or ISO 20 foot container dimensions.

Abstract: A system for in-service defragmentation may identify optical signals having wavelengths within a first predefined optical wavelength band for transition from a current channel to an alternate channel within the first band and may determine directions and amounts by which to move the wavelengths. The identified wavelengths in the first band may be slowly and deliberately drifted by the determined amounts, using multiple incremental adjustments, and converted to corresponding wavelengths in a second predefined optical wavelength band for transmission. During the transitions, the drifting optical signals in the second band may be combined with optical signals remaining in their current channels in the first band for transmission. Once the wavelength transitions are complete, the transitioned optical signals may be transmitted on their alternate channels in the first band. Collections of wavelength transitions that do not cross each other may be identified and may be performed substantially in parallel.

Abstract: A process for reducing the environmental contaminants in a ISO 8217 compliant Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil, the process involving: mixing a quantity of the Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil with a quantity of Activating Gas mixture to give a feedstock mixture; contacting the feedstock mixture with one or more catalysts to form a Process Mixture from the feedstock mixture; separating the Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil liquid components of the Process Mixture from the gaseous components and by-product hydrocarbon components of the Process Mixture and, discharging the Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil. The Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil is compliant with ISO 8217 for residual marine fuel oils and the sulfur and Specific Contaminants have concentration less than 0.5 wt %., wherein the Specific Contaminates are selected from the group consisting of: vanadium, sodium, aluminum, silicon, calcium, zinc, phosphorus, nickel, iron and combinations thereof.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method may be provided for analyzing and disseminating medical information. The method may include steps performed by one or more processors including, receiving a plurality of patient medical data; aggregating the plurality of patient medical data, wherein access to patient private health information is restricted; receiving a query for medical information; analyzing the aggregated medical data based on the query; producing a result of the query based on the analyzing of the aggregated medical data; and transmitting the result of the query.

Abstract: A method includes: storing a first data extent on a physical medium, wherein the physical medium is divided into a plurality of storage blocks, wherein each of the storage blocks has a size that is different than a size of the first data extent, further wherein the first data extent is stored to a first block of the plurality of storage blocks; generating a descriptor for the first data extent, wherein the descriptor indicates that the first data extent starts within the first block of the plurality of blocks and indicates an offset from the beginning of the first block at which the first data extent starts; and storing the descriptor within the first block.

Abstract: A system for tracking metadata changes and recovering from system interruptions. With host I/O, corresponding metadata incremental changes are aggregated and stored in a write-ahead log before being performed to their in-memory buffers. As those buffers are flushed, checkpoints are created and stored in the log. As the log wraps to the start, older entries are overwritten after they are freed from any remaining dependencies by newer checkpoints. If metadata entities have not created new checkpoints, they are instructed to in order to free up space for new aggregated batches and checkpoints. After an interruption, the wrap point is located in the log. From the wrap point, the log is scanned backwards to provide checkpoints to metadata entities. The log is then scanned forwards to perform changes specified by aggregated batches. The metadata entities' volatile memory states are recovered to what they were before the interruption.