Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for conditioning a soot-containing syngas stream in a single integrated apparatus containing a scrubbing vessel wherein particulate matter is decoupled from the waste water stream.

Abstract: A pneumatically inflatable toilet comprises an inflatable chamber having a shape including a bowl portion for receiving human waste and a rim portion surrounding the bowl portion on which a human can be seated. An inflation port may be configured to engage with a compressed gas cartridge and coupled to the inflatable chamber to provide a gas passageway from the compressed gas cartridge to an interior portion of the inflatable plastic chamber to allow the inflatable chamber to be inflated by the compressed gas cartridge. The inflatable chamber has: a stowed position, in which gas is substantially absent from the inflatable chamber; and a deployed position in which the inflatable chamber is inflated for use.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for conditioning a soot-containing syngas stream in a single integrated apparatus containing a scrubbing vessel wherein particulate matter is decoupled from the waste water stream.

Abstract: Body-mountable devices are provided to detect the presence or status of a tumor in a body by detecting probes associated with circulating cells of the tumor that travel to subsurface vasculature of the body. The probe enters a tumor and associates with cells of the tumor before the cells metastasize. A wearable body-mountable device can be worn for a protracted period of time to detect the probe associated with circulating tumor cells in the vasculature at low concentrations and/or at low rates. A body-mounted device could detect the presence of such released, tumor-cell-associated probes to determine a presence or status of a tumor in the body.

Abstract: Contiguity information is important to achieving high-quality de novo assembly of mammalian genomes and the haplotype-resolved resequencing of human genomes. The methods described herein pursue cost-effective, massively parallel capture of contiguity information at different scales.

Abstract: A light source emits light into a first portion of a living body. Functionalized particles within the body are configured to specifically bind to a target analyte, and upon receiving the emitted light, undergo a reaction that separates a detectable label from the functionalized particle. A sensor device is configured to detect a response signal from a second portion of the living body that is indicative of an abundance of the detectable label in the second portion. A control system uses the sensor device to obtain sensor data indicative of the response signal from the second portion of the living body detected by the sensor device during a measurement interval, and determines a presence or absence of the target analyte within the first portion of the living body based in part on the obtained data.

Abstract: Retrieving data records from a database is provided. A query is received by a database access API requesting a number of data records stored in the database. A parallel batch processor is created for data transmittal, and the parallel batch processor is returned to a client program. A next data record responsive to the query is requested, and the next data record is removed from a list of records. The next data record is then provided from the parallel batch processor to the client program.

Abstract: Described herein are systems and methods for aggregating, parsing, and annotating regulatory context for use in resolving transactional inquiries. In one embodiment, a method comprises: aggregating documents from a plurality of data sources and storing the aggregated documents in a document database; selecting a first document from the document database; extracting regulatory content from the first document; parsing the regulatory content into a structured data object; identifying a substantively-relevant portion of the regulatory content in the structured data object; generating an annotation associated with the substantively-relevant portion; storing the generated annotation in an annotation database; and generating a domain-specific data structure for resolving transactional inquiries based on the annotation database.

Abstract: Described herein are systems and methods for aggregating, parsing, and annotating regulatory context for use in resolving transactional inquiries. In one embodiment, a method comprises: aggregating documents from a plurality of data sources and storing the aggregated documents in a document database; selecting a first document from the document database; extracting regulatory content from the first document; parsing the regulatory content into a structured data object; identifying a substantively-relevant portion of the regulatory content in the structured data object; generating an annotation associated with the substantively-relevant portion; storing the generated annotation in an annotation database; and generating a domain-specific data structure for resolving transactional inquiries based on the annotation database.

Abstract: Performing a distributed database transaction using parallel writes to a distributed append-only database system is provided. A central database and a plurality of distributed databases, also known as “shards”, may be used. A request made to implement a distributed transaction, requiring updates to one or more shards, results in a monotonically increasing identification (ID) number being assigned to a change set. The request and change set may be registered at the central database. Once the change set is completely written to all of the appropriate shards, the change set is marked as completed in the central database. After write completion, a change set ID boundary at the central database is advanced to indicate the current fully changed status of the distributed database.

Abstract: Contiguity information is important to achieving high-quality de novo assembly of mammalian genomes and the haplotype-resolved resequencing of human genomes. The methods described herein pursue cost-effective, massively parallel capture of contiguity information at different scales.

Abstract: A quick-release attachment point for fall protection. It includes a body portion, a retaining member, a capturing and releasing mechanism, a remote control module, and an energy source. The body portion, and the retaining member in a normal position thereof, together form a closed aperture for capturing a D-ring attachment point or other article of attachment hardware. The capturing and release mechanism is operated through the remote control module to free the retaining member so that it can move, in response to energy provided by the energy source, in a direction away from the normal operating position and in an amount such that it no longer closes the aperture, so that the article can escape from the apparatus.

Abstract: Methods are provided to identify spatially and spectrally multiplexed probes in a biological environment. Such probes are identified by the ordering and color of fluorophores of the probes. The devices and methods provided facilitate determination of the locations and colors of such fluorophores, such that a probe can be identified. In some embodiments, probes are identified by applying light from a target environment to a spatial light modulator that can be used to control the direction and magnitude of chromatic dispersion of the detected light; multiple images of the target, corresponding to multiple different spatial light modulator settings, can be deconvolved and used to determine the colors and locations of fluorophores. In some embodiments, light from a region of the target can be simultaneously imaged spatially and spectrally. Correlations between the spatial and spectral images over time can be used to determine the color of fluorophores in the target.

Abstract: Improving the efficiency of distributed database systems in providing geographically related information is provided by generating a data object identifier (ID) in association with geographical data. A geographical data object is received for storage in the distributed database system. A grid ID is generated based on spatial information contained in the geographical data object, a shardlet ID is generated indicating a shardlet location in a given shard on which the geographical data object is stored, and a sequence ID is generated indicating data placement within the shardlet location. The data object ID is assigned to the geographical data object, the data object ID comprising the grid ID, the shardlet ID, and the sequence ID.

Abstract: Body-mountable devices are provided to detect the presence or status of a tumor in a body by detecting one or more properties of a probe located in subsurface vasculature of the body. A wearable body-mountable device can be worn for a protracted period of time to detect a probe in the vasculature at low concentrations and/or at low rates. A body-mountable device can detect properties of the probe that are indicative of whether the probe has interacted with a tumor of the body and determine the presence or status of a tumor in the body based on such detected properties. Additionally or alternatively, the probe could be introduced into the body as a probe aggregate and released from if the probe aggregate is absorbed by a tumor. The presence of released probes could be detected to determine a presence or status of a tumor in the body.

Abstract: A flexible chimney liner is presented having a corrugation profile with an sheet strip width of about 110 mm to about 120 mm, preferably about 114 mm and a pitch of about 45 mm to about 55 mm, preferably about 50 mm.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for conditioning a soot-containing syngas stream in a single integrated apparatus containing a scrubbing vessel wherein particulate matter is decoupled from the waste water stream.

Abstract: Provided is a single repository for capturing, connecting, sharing, and visualizing information based on a geographic location, for example. Provided is a schema, repository, index, and APIs for any information, place, entity, attribute, service or person that can be referenced geographically. A system to provide real time image data includes an input component that receives image data associated with a specific geographic area, a splitter component that splits the image data into at least two quadrants, and a storage component that stores at least a portion of the at least two quadrants. Also provides is on-line or real-time advertising based on a user's mapped location and/or a user preference.