Abstract: An adjustable length strut includes two joints, a threaded rod extending between the joints, and a tube adapted to receive the threaded rod. An actuation mechanism with gear teeth extending radially outward of the strut axis is rotatably fixed to the threaded rod. A protrusion may be coupled to an end of the threaded rod by a rotatable collar, with the protrusion extending through a slot in the tube to mark the length of the strut. A modular attachment member may be adapted to be couple to the first joint and include a worm gear adapted to engage gear teeth of the actuation mechanism. The modular attachment member may include a radiofrequency identity tag mechanism adapted to be read by a tag reader of a tool, the tool adapted to couple to the attachment member to rotate the worm gear to increase or decrease the effective length of the strut.

Abstract: An external fixation frame for correcting a bone deformity includes a first fixation ring and a second fixation ring. A posterior adjustable length strut couples a posterior portion of the first fixation ring to a posterior portion of the second fixation ring and has universal joint. Medial and lateral adjustable length struts couples medial and lateral portions of the first fixation ring to medial and lateral portions of the second fixation ring respectively, each of the medial and lateral adjustable length struts including a constrained hinge joint. The fixation frame also includes a half ring hingedly coupled to the second fixation ring, and an anterior adjustable length strut coupling an anterior portion of the first fixation ring to the half ring.

Abstract: This present disclosure relates to processes and apparatuses for transforming feedstock with high levels of benzene into a low-benzene content product that is suitable for gasoline blending. The benzene rich reformate stream is split in a reformate splitter and the benzene in the benzene rich reformate is saturated in a benzene saturation unit and the gases like hydrogen and LPG are recovered.

Abstract: A bone implant includes a proximal end, a distal end, a first portion extending between the proximal and distal ends having a maximum and minimum portion height, and a second portion extending between the proximal and distal ends having a maximum and minimum portion height. The second portion is connected to the first portion at the proximal end and the distal end and at least one of the first portion and the second portion is moveable relative to the other of the first portion and the second portion so as to transition the bone implant between a relaxed state wherein the first and second portions are separated by a first distance and a contracted state wherein the first and second portions are separated by a second distance different from the first distance. At least one of the proximal end and the distal end have the minimum portion height.

Abstract: An improved method for coupling amino acids into peptides or peptidomimetics is disclosed that includes the steps of combining an amino acid, a carbodiimide, an activator additive, and a base at less than 1 equivalent compared to the amino acid to be activated; and carrying out the activation and coupling at a temperature greater than 30° C.

Abstract: Managing of constraint-based violations in a Product Data Management (PDM) environment is provided. A method for managing constraint-based violations associated with a product in a PDM system includes obtaining a set of constraints defined for a product from a product database. Constraints that are conflicting with requirement data associated with the product are determined from the set of constraints, and the constraints are grouped into a plurality of logical groups. Each of the logical groups is associated with an independent violation. One or more solutions corresponding to each independent violation are computed based on the logical groups, and conflicts between the constraints and the requirement data corresponding to each independent violation based on the corresponding one or more solutions are resolved.

Abstract: An apparatus for visual search and retrieval using sematic information is described herein. The apparatus includes a controller, a scoring mechanism, an extractor, and a comparator. The controller is to segment an incoming video stream into a plurality of activity segments, wherein each frame is associated with an activity. The scoring mechanism is to calculate a score for each segment, wherein the score is based, at least partially, on a classification probability of each frame. The extractor is to extract deep features from a highest ranked segment, and the comparator is to determine the top-K neighbors based on the deep features.

Abstract: Methods and systems for image registration using an intelligent artificial agent are disclosed. In an intelligent artificial agent based registration method, a current state observation of an artificial agent is determined based on the medical images to be registered and current transformation parameters. Action-values are calculated for a plurality of actions available to the artificial agent based on the current state observation using a machine learning based model, such as a trained deep neural network (DNN). The actions correspond to predetermined adjustments of the transformation parameters. An action having a highest action-value is selected from the plurality of actions and the transformation parameters are adjusted by the predetermined adjustment corresponding to the selected action. The determining, calculating, and selecting steps are repeated for a plurality of iterations, and the medical images are registered using final transformation parameters resulting from the plurality of iterations.

Abstract: A system for identifying an ideal airport security arrangement based on cost-effectiveness. The system storing a plurality of passenger wait times and receiving a personnel cost for each n for a transportation center. The system further receiving a plurality of transaction data entries and determining an average number of passengers of the transportation center based on at least the transaction data included in each received transaction data entry. The system identifying an average time-based value for passengers of the transportation center based on passenger income and calculating an operation cost for each n based on at least a combination of the respective personnel cost and passenger value as a product of the respective passenger wait time, average number of passengers, and average time-based value. The system determining an ideal number of security personnel based on the calculated operation cost for each n number of security personnel.

Abstract: For human body representation, bone length or other size characteristic that varies within the population is incorporated into the geometric model of the skeleton. The geometric model may be normalized for shape or tissue modeling, allowing modeling of the shape without dedicating aspects of the data-driven shape model to the length or other size characteristic. Given the same number or extent of components of the data-driven shape model, greater or finer details of the shape may be modeled since components are not committed to the size characteristic.

Abstract: A method and system for estimating individual propensity to use airport support services, comprising: receiving at least a first data element configured to store a specific primary account number and an addendum configured to store travel data; executing a query on a transaction database to identify a subset of transaction messages; identifying a projected level of needed airport support services propensity to use long-term parking based on at least the travel data; identifying an entity associated with needed airport support services associated with the travel transaction based on at least the travel data stored in the addendum included in the received transaction message; and transmitting the identified projected level of needed support services.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are systems and methods for manipulating the orientation of a plurality of bone fragments with respect to one another. A bone transport frame including first and second rings, a plurality of elongate struts, and a plurality of ring transport assemblies for orienting a first bone segment with respect to a second bone segment is disclosed. A third ring may be included in the bone transport frame for orienting a third bone segment with respect to the first and second bone segments. Manipulation of an adjustable member of the bone transport frame can transport a ring in either a proximal or distal direction with respect to other rings of the frame. Manipulation of another adjustable member of the bone transport frame can translate a central axis of one of the rings either toward or away from the central axes of the plurality of elongate struts.

Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure are directed to dynamically adjusting control plane policing throughput of low (or lower) priority control plane traffic to permit higher throughput. The drop rate for low or lower priority control plane traffic can be determined to be above a threshold value. The processor utilization can be determined to be operating under normal utilization (or at a utilization within a threshold utilization value). The control plane policing for control plane traffic for the low or lower class of service can be increased (or decreased) to permit lower class of service control traffic to be transmitted using higher class of service resources without adjusting the priority levels for the lower class of service control traffic.

Abstract: A protocol identifies and configures rings in a network topology automatically in order to simplify and quicken the actions that need to be performed in response to addition, deletion and shuffle of network nodes in that topology. Such rings do not need to be identified and configured manually. The protocol involves two separate sequentially performed phases. In the first phase, the protocol can automatically identify all rings that are present within a Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) topology. In the second phase, the protocol can automatically configure each node of each such ring in conformity with the Ethernet Ring Protection (ERP) protocol. After this ERP configuration has been performed, the failure of a link within the network will not require every network node to re-learn paths through the network; instead, the nodes that are required to re-learn such paths can be limited to those within the particular ring that contained the failed link.

Abstract: Exemplified methods and systems provide a graphical HMI having an interface that mitigate or prevent touch errors and/or inadvertent touches through the use of multiple touch inputs, at a graphical user interface, of a touch-screen input device, to trigger an associated user interface command. In some embodiments, the multiple touch inputs comprise an input at two locations, one in relative association, with a displayed interface command, to trigger the command.

Abstract: Exemplified herein is a system and method to accept password on a touch-screen HMI (human-machine interface) device. The system and method uses a combination of tactile gestures that are each received at predefined quadrants (or regions) or the touch-screen. The combination of such tactile gestures and quadrant information are used as an authentication sequence to allow or enable access to control screens that manages operations of a nearby subsystem.

Abstract: Exemplified herein is a system and method to accept password on a touch-screen HMI (human-machine interface) device. The system and method uses a combination of tactile gestures that are each received at predefined quadrants (or regions) or the touch-screen. The combination of such tactile gestures and quadrant information are used as a shortcut sequence to a user-interface (UI) function call, e.g., change zoom parameter of a presented screen of the display, navigate to a next presented screen, navigate to a previous presented screen.

Abstract: The present application provides methods and devices for collecting customer feedback. The methods comprise the steps of determining whether a received input string used to authenticate a payment instrument against which a transaction is charged contains customer feedback data, and extracting the customer feedback data in response to determining presence of the customer feedback data.

Abstract: A method for creating a graphical representation of data is performed at an electronic device having one or more processors and memory. The device receives a finite set of data points and calculates a respective conical distribution for each respective data point centered on the respective data point and based on a respective data value. Each conical distribution comprises a set of locations and a unique distribution value corresponding to each location. The device determines that a first data value of a first data point is less than a distribution value for a second data point. The distribution value has a location that corresponds to the first data point. Based on that determination, the device calculates an inverse conical distribution in a region around the first data point. The device combines the conical distributions and inverse conical distributions to display a data visualization that includes each of the data points.