Abstract: Apparatus and methods for manufacturing compostable, biodegradable drink straws from polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) material are disclosed herein. Such apparatus may include a hopper that contains raw PHA material, an extruder that receives the raw PHA material from the hopper and produces extruded PHA material, one or more waters baths that cool the extruded PHA material, a puller that pulls a tubular stream of PHA material through the system, and a cutter that is configured to cut the stream of PHA material into finished straws. The finished straws may be soil- and marine-biodegradable, as well as home- and industrial-compostable.

Abstract: A packet-filtering device may receive packet-filtering rules configured to cause the packet-filtering device to identify packets corresponding to network-threat indicators. The packet-filtering device may receive packets and, for each packet, may determine that the packet corresponds to criteria specified by a packet-filtering rule. The criteria may correspond to one or more of the network-threat indicators. The packet-filtering device may apply an operator specified by the packet-filtering rule. The operator may be configured to cause the packet-filtering device to either prevent the packet from continuing toward its destination or allow the packet to continue toward its destination.

Abstract: A computerized method has the steps of: generating an input computational graph (CG) for representing a neural architecture, and performing a plurality of optimization steps for at least one iteration to obtain a modified neural architecture represented by a modified CG, for obtaining a neural network for use in one or more computing devices. The optimization steps include: identifying one or more subgraphs from the input CG, obtaining the modified CG by replacing the identified one or more subgraphs with one or more replacement subgraphs, respectively, evaluating one or more metrics of a modified neural-network architecture represented by the modified CG, and based on the evaluation, selecting the modified CG or the input CG. When the optimization steps are performed for multiple iterations, the selected CG obtained in one iteration is used as the input CG for a next iteration.

Abstract: Inventory at a remote location may be verified by transmitting a security key associated with uniquely identifying object identification information from a verification server to a client machine at the remote location. The security key may then be used to generate a multi-view interactive digital media representation (MVIDMR) of the object that includes a plurality of images captured from different viewpoints. The MVIDMR may then be transmitted to the verification server.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods for manufacturing compostable, biodegradable drink straws from polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) material are disclosed herein. Such apparatus may include a hopper that contains raw PHA material, an extruder that receives the raw PHA material from the hopper and produces extruded PHA material, one or more waters baths that cool the extruded PHA material, a puller that pulls a tubular stream of PHA material through the system, and a cutter that is configured to cut the stream of PHA material into finished straws. The finished straws may be soil- and marine-biodegradable, as well as home- and industrial-compostable.

Abstract: A method of correcting mass spectral data comprises making calibration measurements at one or more calibration times using calibrants which have known mass to charge ratio (m/z) values or previously mass measured mass to charge ratio (m/z) values, making a list of intrinsic components which are present during more than one acquisition periods, wherein the components have mass to charge ratio (m/z) values that were not present or observed during or close to the one or more calibration times, and utilising the list to calculate a mass or mass to charge ratio (m/z) correction factor for one or more acquisition periods which are not close or adjacent in time to an acquisition period containing a directly calibrated mass to charge ratio (m/z) value.

Abstract: A method of correcting mass spectral data comprises making calibration measurements of first intrinsic components (A, B, C) at one or more calibration times (t1) using calibrants which have known mass to charge ratio (m/z) values or previously mass measured mass to charge ratio (m/z) values, making a list of second intrinsic components (D, E, F) which are present during more than one acquisition periods, wherein the second intrinsic components have mass to charge ratio (m/z) values that were not present or observed during or close to the one or more calibration times (t1) but which do overlap in time with the first intrinsic components (A, B, C), and utilising the list to calculate a mass or mass to charge ratio (m/z) correction factor for one or more acquisition periods which are not close or adjacent in time to an acquisition period containing a directly calibrated mass to charge ratio (m/z) value.

Abstract: Sensor assemblies and systems comprise a housing configured with an electrical sensor device retained therein to protect the sensor device. The housing may include display indicia relating to some aspect of the sensor assembly. The electrical sensor device include electrical components useful for the purpose of monitoring and transmitting desired data relating to operating parameters/conditions of the dynamic article that the sensor assembly is attached with. The data is transmitted wirelessly from the electrical sensor device. The housing is removably attached with a retaining member that is also attached with the dynamic article or an element connected thereto. A receiver external from the dynamic article receives the data to determine such operating parameter/or conditions, when the dynamic article is a vehicle tire, as outside diameter, tread depth, pressure, radial load, vehicle camber and/or toe alignment variations, and tire/vehicle location, which may be stored.

Abstract: A packet-filtering device may receive packet-filtering rules configured to cause the packet-filtering device to identify packets corresponding to network-threat indicators. The packet-filtering device may receive packets and, for each packet, may determine that the packet corresponds to criteria specified by a packet-filtering rule. The criteria may correspond to one or more of the network-threat indicators. The packet-filtering device may apply an operator specified by the packet-filtering rule. The operator may be configured to cause the packet-filtering device to either prevent the packet from continuing toward its destination or allow the packet to continue toward its destination.

Abstract: A method and system for generating neural architectures to perform a particular task. An actor neural network, as part of a continuous action reinforcement learning (RL) agent, generates a randomized continuous actions parameters to encourage exploration of a search space to generate candidate architectures without bias. The continuous action parameters are discretized and applied to a search space to generate candidate architectures, the performance of which for performing the particular task is evaluated. Corresponding reward and state are determined based on the performance. A critic neural network, as part of the continuous action RL agent, learns a mapping of the continuous action to a reward using modified Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient (DDPG) with quantile loss function by sampling a list of top performing architectures. The actor neural network is updated with the learned mapping.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is an assembly for an aerosol provision device for heating aerosol-generating material to volatilize at least one component of the aerosol-generating material. The assembly can include a heating zone for receiving aerosol-generating material to be heated, a structure, and at least one continuous electrically conductive path supported by the structure and configured to perform a first function of detecting temperature of the heating zone on the basis of an electrical resistance of the at least one path and/or a second function of heating the heating zone by resistance heating. The at least one path extends along at least two distinct portions of the structure. The at least one path can include a multiplicity of turns within each of the at least two distinct portions of the structure. The at least two distinct portions of the structure are offset from each other by a gap which is substantially free of the at least one path.

Abstract: A packet-filtering device may receive packet-filtering rules configured to cause the packet-filtering device to identify packets corresponding to network-threat indicators. The packet-filtering device may receive packets and, for each packet, may determine that the packet corresponds to criteria specified by a packet-filtering rule. The criteria may correspond to one or more of the network-threat indicators. The packet-filtering device may apply an operator specified by the packet-filtering rule. The operator may be configured to cause the packet-filtering device to either prevent the packet from continuing toward its destination or allow the packet to continue toward its destination.

Abstract: Sensor assemblies and systems comprise a housing configured with an electrical sensor device retained therein to protect the sensor device. The housing may include display indicia relating to some aspect of the sensor assembly. The electrical sensor device include electrical components useful for the purpose of monitoring and transmitting desired data relating to operating parameters/conditions of the dynamic article that the sensor assembly is attached with. The data is transmitted wirelessly from the electrical sensor device. The housing is removably attached with a retaining member that is also attached with the dynamic article or an element connected thereto. A receiver external from the dynamic article receives the data to determine such operating parameter/or conditions, when the dynamic article is a vehicle tire, as outside diameter, tread depth, pressure, radial load, vehicle camber and/or toe alignment variations, and tire/vehicle location, which may be stored.

Abstract: A method of separating ions is disclosed comprising: providing an ion separation device comprising a plurality of electrodes; providing a gas flow (5) so as to urge ions in a first direction along the device; applying voltages to said electrodes so that a plurality of travelling potentials (4) urge the ions in a second opposite direction; and varying at least one operational parameter of the travelling potentials (4) as a function of position along the device such that ions of different mobility or mass to charge ratio become trapped at different locations along the device.

Abstract: Networks, systems, and methods as disclosed herein include a parent system connected via data communication to one or more child systems, wherein the one or more child systems are located at a source of behind-the-meter (BTM) energy to perform a computational task assigned to the child system by the parent system using the BTM energy. The child system performs the computational task when the BTM energy available exceeds an amount for performing a primary task at the source of the BTM energy. The parent system may be located remote from the source of the BTM energy. The parent system may be at a source of BTM energy that may be the same or different as the source of BTM energy where the child system is located. The BTM energy may be provided by stationary and/or moving energy sources.

Abstract: A packet-filtering device may receive packet-filtering rules configured to cause the packet-filtering device to identify packets corresponding to network-threat indicators. The packet-filtering device may receive packets and, for each packet, may determine that the packet corresponds to criteria specified by a packet-filtering rule. The criteria may correspond to one or more of the network-threat indicators. The packet-filtering device may apply an operator specified by the packet-filtering rule. The operator may be configured to cause the packet-filtering device to either prevent the packet from continuing toward its destination or allow the packet to continue toward its destination.

Abstract: A packet-filtering device may receive packet-filtering rules configured to cause the packet-filtering device to identify packets corresponding to network-threat indicators. The packet-filtering device may receive packets and, for each packet, may determine that the packet corresponds to criteria specified by a packet-filtering rule. The criteria may correspond to one or more of the network-threat indicators. The packet-filtering device may apply an operator specified by the packet-filtering rule. The operator may be configured to cause the packet-filtering device to either prevent the packet from continuing toward its destination or allow the packet to continue toward its destination.

Abstract: A packet-filtering device may receive packet-filtering rules configured to cause the packet-filtering device to identify packets corresponding to network-threat indicators. The packet-filtering device may receive packets and, for each packet, may determine that the packet corresponds to criteria specified by a packet-filtering rule. The criteria may correspond to one or more of the network-threat indicators. The packet-filtering device may apply an operator specified by the packet-filtering rule. The operator may be configured to cause the packet-filtering device to either prevent the packet from continuing toward its destination or allow the packet to continue toward its destination.