Abstract: The present invention is a system for improved access to liquid In a plastic container and lid assembly, to reduce time in pouring and eliminate dried liquid in the rim of the plastic container caused by pouring liquid over the rim of the plastic container. The invention uses two liquid-tight seals formed between a pour spout wall on the lid and a sealing channel on a plastic cap. Special structures are provided on the cap and the pour spout wall to form the liquid-tight seals when the cap is screwed onto the pour spout wall.

Abstract: The invention is directed to a loader with a grapple and a winch device, or a grapple and winch device combination configured to attach to a loader. The grapple has an upper grapple arm, a lower grapple arm, and a cavity formed between the upper and lower grapple arms. The winch device is housed within the cavity. The grapple and winch device are operable with a shared hydraulic actuation system, with the shared hydraulic actuation system comprising a separation of a hydraulic line to proportion the hydraulic pressure provided to the grapple and winch device.

Abstract: A model-based approach to determining an optimal configuration for a data center may use an environmental chamber to characterize the performance of various data center configurations at different combinations of temperature and altitude. Telemetry data may be recorded from different configurations as they execute a stress workload at each temperature/altitude combination, and the telemetry data may be used to train a corresponding library of models. When a new data center is being configured, the temperature/altitude of the new data center may be used to select a pre-trained model from a similar temperature/altitude. Performance of the current configuration can be compared to the performance of the model, and if the model performs better, a new configuration based on the model may be used as an optimal configuration for the data center.

Abstract: Provided are food products that have structures, textures, and other properties comparable to those of animal meat, and that may therefore serve as substitutes for animal meat. Also provided are processes for production of such ground meat-like food products.

Abstract: The invention includes apparatus and methods for a novel modular self-returning batting tee. In one preferred embodiment, a modular self-returning batting tee may have one or more extension arms that are compatible with a variety of different batting attachments and/or aids, and may further be secured to a receiver tube positioned within a flexible boot. This receiver tube may be coupled with a weighted base through a novel recoil joint. In this embodiment, when the tee is struck, such as may occur during batting practice, the extension arm may bend forward engaging the flexible boot and/or novel recoil joint and causing the extension arm to self-return to a pre-determined position.

Abstract: During a surveillance mode, the system receives present time-series signals gathered from sensors in the power transformer. Next, the system uses an inferential model to generate estimated values for the present time-series signals, and performs a pairwise differencing operation between actual values and the estimated values for the present time-series signals to produce residuals. The system then performs a sequential probability ratio test on the residuals to produce alarms having associated tripping frequencies (TFs). Next, the system uses a logistic-regression model to compute a risk index for the power transformer based on the TFs. If the risk index exceeds a threshold, the system generates a notification that the power transformer needs to be replaced. The system also periodically updates the logistic-regression model based on the results of periodic dissolved gas analyses for the transformer to more accurately compute the index for the power transformer.

Abstract: Methods and systems for manual and programmatic remediation of websites. JavaScript code is accessed by a user device and optionally calls TTS, ASR, and RADAE modules from a remote server to thereby facilitate website navigation by people with diverse abilities.

Abstract: A sports training device may take the place of cones to create the illusion of defenders and/or obstacles. The sports training device may be collapsible so that it is easy to transport and store when it is not in use. The sports training device may be formed as a cylindrical structure having a top portion formed of a taut material with a steel wire frame and a bottom portion attached to a weighted base. The sports training device also may include straps that may secure the sports training device when it is in a collapsed state. The sports training device may further include one or more handles to facilitate transport of the sports training device.

Abstract: A test voltage sample and hold circuitry is disclosed in a readout circuitry of an image sensor. This circuitry samples a voltage at demand value based on a ramp voltage shared by the ADC comparators of the readout circuitry. The value of the sampled voltage is controlled by a control circuitry which is able to predict and calculate at what time a ramp generator may carry the demand voltage value. The sampled voltage is held by a hold capacitor during readout of one row and is accessed during the next row by the control circuitry as test data to drive a device under test (DUT) which may be any portion of the image sensor to be tested. Measured data out of the DUT is compared with expected data. Based on the result of the comparison, a signal indicates the pass or fail of the self-test concludes a self-test of the DUT.

Abstract: A rectangular baler including a bale chamber having a plurality of walls including a movable wall section, an actuator for exerting a pressure on the movable wall section, a plunger for compressing crop material, and a control system configured to control the plunger to perform cyclic plunger strokes such that in each stroke the plunger force (F) exerted by the plunger on the crop material increases to reach a maximum plunger force (Fmax) to compress a newly inserted slice of crop material. The control system includes a first module to measure, at consecutive moments during a plunger stroke, a plurality of first values for the plunger force exerted by the plunger and/or for the pressure (Pd) in the actuator; and a control module to control at least one baling setting influencing the compressing of the crop material in the bale chamber as a function of the plurality of first values.

Abstract: The disclosed technology generally describes separating types of data chunks in a copy-on-write/MVCC B+ tree, chunk-based data storage system, and also allocating the sizes of leaf chunks to be smaller than that of other (e.g., internal and root node) chunks. By having leaf chunks separate from node chunks, the probability of having a fully reclaimable (without copying) chunk is increased. Similarly, by having smaller sized leaf chunks relative to node chunks, the probability of having a fully reclaimable (without copying) leaf chunks is increased. The technology thus facilitates more efficient garbage collection.

Abstract: The present invention is a duct assembly having a duct connector for use in ventilation. The duct connector has a lipped portion and a gasket secured to the duct connector. The gasket has a slot to receive the lipped portion of the duct connector. A duct assembly of the present invention may also have a handle to facilitate manipulation of the duct assembly. The handle also has a back stopper to protect a conduit installed to the duct assembly.

Abstract: Detecting whether a target utility device that includes multiple electronic components is genuine or suspected counterfeit by: performing a test sequence of energizing and de-energizing the target device and collecting electromagnetic interference (EMI) signals emitted by the target device; generating a target EMI fingerprint from the EMI signals collected; retrieving a plurality of reference EMI fingerprints from a database library, each of which corresponds to a different configuration of electronic components of a genuine device of the same make and model as the target device; iteratively comparing the target EMI fingerprint to the retrieved reference EMI fingerprints and generating a similarity metric between each compared set; and indicating that the target device (i) is genuine where the similarity metric for any individual reference EMI fingerprint satisfies a threshold test, and is a suspect counterfeit device where no similarity metric for any individual reference EMI fingerprint satisfies the test.

Abstract: The present application relates to methods for detecting a first allele of a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in a nucleic acid sequence under isothermal conditions using primers specific for said first allele, in particular using Loop mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), wherein the amplification of a second allele is prevented by using blocking primers.

Abstract: A system for interacting with a user includes a processor operatively coupled to a storage device having a data structure defining an odyssey map recorded therein. The data structure includes a plurality of different node types, each node being associated with an indication of node type, and further includes a route defined in terms of an ordered sequence of nodes including a current node, a through node, and a next node. In the embodiment, the traversal of the route by a user interacting with the plurality of nodes concludes with a presentation of a recommendation to the user. The data structure further includes instructions for presenting contents of a node via a human interface device.

Abstract: In a handrail including a carcass, a stretch inhibitor within the carcass, and a sliding layer bonded to the carcass, at least a portion of the carcass has a gas phase dispersed in a solid polymer matrix. The gas phase can reduce a density of the carcass by at least 5% or 10%, or about 15%, as compared to a density of the polymer matrix. The carcass can have a generally uniform distribution of gas bubbles in the polymer matrix, which can define a generally closed cell structure in the polymer matrix. The gas phase can be formed of particles of a syntactic foam dispersed in the polymer matrix. The handrail can further include a cover. The carcass and the cover can be formed of thermoplastic materials, and the cover can represent between 10 and 30% of the overall TPU required for the handrail.

Abstract: Methods and systems for managing, storing, and serving data within a virtualized environment are described. In some embodiments, a data management system may manage the extraction and storage of virtual machine snapshots, provide near instantaneous restoration of a virtual machine or one or more files located on the virtual machine, and enable secondary workloads to directly use the data management system as a primary storage target to read or modify past versions of data. The data management system may allow a virtual machine snapshot of a virtual machine stored within the system to be directly mounted to enable substantially instantaneous virtual machine recovery of the virtual machine.

Abstract: A cap including at least one panel and a brim having an opening in a shape of at least one of an advertisement, a logo, a design, a statement, a phrase, an emblem of a sports team, company, or organization.

Abstract: Methods and systems for manual and programmatic remediation of websites. JavaScript code is accessed by a user device and optionally calls TTS, ASR, and RADAE modules from a remote server to thereby facilitate website navigation by people with diverse abilities.

Abstract: Polarization-independent focusing is advantageously achieved by a multifocal system having a polarization beam splitter (PBS) to split an unpolarized light beam into two orthogonally linearly-polarized (LP) light beams. The two LP light beams are reflected by mirrors to travel in opposite directions and enter into a variable-focusing module at two ends thereof, respectively. The module includes waveplates to convert the LP light beams into two circularly-polarized (CP) light beams at both ends of an optical assembly. The optical assembly is formed with a stack of birefringent optical elements including at least one geometric phase lens and one polarization selector that may be electrically modulated to select the optical power in focusing the two CP light beams. Followed by the waveplates converting two focused CP light beams to two focused LP light beams and upon mirror reflection, the beams are finally recombined by the PBS to form one focused light beam.