Abstract: Soil maps are rarely used for the elaboration of road layouts, and there are no known algorithms that incorporate soil information dynamically. The best way to incorporate this knowledge of soils is to interpret the soil maps into a derived (interpreted) map known as the “road, pipelines and operational locations aptitude map”. This study generated an innovative algorithm that incorporates soil aptitude maps for road layouts, pipeline lines and escape routes. The novelty of the algorithm is that this aptitude information (interpreted from a map of soil classes) is collated together with relief and hydrography information. Thus, it is hypothesized that, in addition to the characteristics of the relief and proximity of watercourses, the soil map can help the decision-maker to unveil regions with serious problems that increase the costs of construction and maintenance of roads, pipelines, escape routes and operating locations.

Abstract: New soybean varieties designated ‘21787372’, ‘21782295’, ‘21782273’, ‘21781564’, ‘21781566’, ‘21781287’, ‘21798709’, ‘21799943’, ‘21799932’, ‘21799142’, ‘21799952’, ‘21799081’, ‘21800259’, ‘22148380’, ‘22148379’, ‘22158650’, ‘22158651’, ‘22158652’, ‘22148494’, ‘22151827’, ‘22151311’, ‘22151333’, ‘22151340’, ‘22158985’, ‘22158988’, ‘22149902’, ‘22159297’, ‘22151569’, ‘22149937’, ‘22159355’, ‘22151686’, ‘22151688’, ‘22225582’, and ‘22251930’ are soybean varieties exhibiting stability and uniformity.

Abstract: A system used in monitoring one or more operating parameters of a coolant-fluid cooled industrial installation includes one or more an acoustic sensors positioned to receive and sense one or more acoustic signals in an installation coolant-fluid flow. The acoustic sensor assembly operates to emit and sense acoustic signals at frequency ranges above and/or below the background noise frequency ranges which are associated with the normal industrial installation operation. Output data signals representative of sensed acoustic signals are compared to target frequency profiles predetermined as representing an acoustic frequency associated with a predetermined installation operating parameter or event.

Abstract: A washing agent dispensing unit has a dispenser body (11), designed for mounting at a through-opening of a mounting wall of a dishwasher tank. The dispenser body (11) has a rear body part (11?) and a front body part (11?) which has a greater perimeter encumbrance than the rear body part (11?). The dispenser body (11) has, at a peripheral profile of the rear body part (11?), first fixing elements (16), for fixing the dispenser body (11) with respect to an inner side of the mounting wall (5). The dispensing unit (10) further comprises a covering element (30), configured to cover at least partially a peripheral profile of the front body part (11?), and between the covering element (30) and at least one of the peripheral profile and the upper face of the front body part (11?) second fixing elements are provided (17, 18, 34, 35, 36), for fixing the covering element (30) to the front body part (11?).

Abstract: Example optical devices having a Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) with improved linearity are presented. An example optical device may include an MZI and a microring resonator (MRR) optically coupled to any one of a first optical waveguide arm or a second optical waveguide arm, where the MRR is operable in a resonance state and in an off-resonance state during operation of the optical device. The MZI includes a length difference between the first optical waveguide arm and the second optical waveguide arm thereby achieving a quarter-period phase delay between optical signals of the first optical waveguide arm and the second optical waveguide arm such that a superlinear transmission region of the microring resonator is aligned with peaks of an optical output of the MZI improving linearity of the optical output of the MZI.

Abstract: A device to support dermatological diagnosis for recognition and evaluation of a skin lesion, includes a vision module including a sensor for acquiring an image of the skin lesion; a spectroscopy module including a spectroscope for acquiring a spectral response of the skin lesion in a visible and infrared band; an electronic control unit configured for storing data acquired by said modules, including images acquired by said vision module and spectral responses acquired by said spectroscopy module, for sending said acquired data to an external processing system for processing by an internal processing system (SI), for receiving an objective evaluation result of the skin lesion processed by said processing system, as a result of integration of the acquired data performed by said processing system and for showing said objective evaluation result on a display screen.

Abstract: An ultrasonic sensing system including a plurality of ultrasonic transducers for placement on a human body proximate a blood vessel, a hardware controller for controlling operation of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers, and a digital processing module for processing the reflected ultrasonic signals. The plurality of ultrasonic transducers includes a first subset of ultrasonic transducers, wherein the ultrasonic transducers of the first subset are arranged linearly and a second subset of ultrasonic transducers, wherein the ultrasonic transducers of the second subset are arranged linearly, wherein the first subset of ultrasonic transducers is positioned parallel to the second subset of ultrasonic transducers at a fixed separation distance.

Abstract: A wearable system for cardiovascular monitoring including an ultrasonic sensor module, a data storage unit, a processing unit, and a connection cable assembly for communicatively coupling the ultrasonic sensor module to the processing unit is described. The ultrasonic sensor module includes at least one array of ultrasonic transducers and at least one pre-amplification device coupled to the at least one array of ultrasonic transducers, the ultrasonic sensor module for placement on a human body proximate a blood vessel for performing cardiovascular monitoring.

Abstract: Methods, systems and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media. According to one aspect, there is provided a method comprising: receiving a new input; processing the new input using an encoder neural network to generate a feature vector representing the new input; and generating a coded representation of the feature vector using a sequence of vector quantizers that are each associated with a respective codebook of code vectors, wherein the coded representation of the feature vector identifies a plurality of code vectors, including a respective code vector from the codebook of each vector quantizer, that define a quantized representation of the feature vector.

Abstract: In a method of automatic alignment of a transversal ultrasound array, a plurality of instances of an ultrasonic scanning operation directed towards a target using an array of ultrasonic transducers is performed, wherein each instance of the plurality of instances of the ultrasonic scanning operation comprises a different sub-array of ultrasonic transducers of the array of ultrasonic transducers, and wherein each instance of the ultrasonic scanning operation transmits an ultrasonic signal and receives at least one reflected ultrasonic signal. At least one property is determined for each of the at least one reflected ultrasonic signal of each instance of the ultrasonic scanning operation. An ultrasonic transducer of the array of ultrasonic transducers is selected as exhibiting alignment with the target based at least in part on the at least one property for each of the at least one reflected ultrasonic signal of each instance of the ultrasonic scanning operation.

Abstract: The present invention pertains to electrode-forming compositions, comprising an electro-active material and a VDF based polymer comprising at least 70% by moles of recurring units derived from VDF, less than 0.9% by moles of recurring units derived from monomers comprising a functional group selected from carbonylic, carboxylic, sulfonic, sulfinic, phosphonic, hydroxy, —SH, ester or mixtures thereof, having a TM between 130° C. and 180° C. and comprising less than 700 mmoles/kg of chain ends —CF2H and —CF2CH3. The composition has good adhesion and is physically stable over time. The invention also relates to the use of said electrode-forming compositions in a process for the manufacture of electrodes, to said electrodes and to electrochemical devices such as secondary batteries comprising said electrodes.

Abstract: A mechanical end-effector for minimally invasive surgery (MIS) equipped with a mechanochromic indicator for providing the surgeon with visual indication of the force applied upon a tissue is disclosed. The indicator includes a polymeric matrix functionalized with mechanochromic molecules, wherein a prepolymer/curing agent weight ratio used for preparing the matrix is in the range 1:1-15:1 and the percentage by weight of the mechanochromic molecules in the matrix is in the range 0.1-5%.

Abstract: One embodiment provides a power semiconductor device that includes a semiconductor body. A source region of a first conductivity type is disposed at a top side the semiconductor body. A channel region of a second conductivity type is disposed in the semiconductor body below the source region and a drift region of the first conductivity type is disposed in the semiconductor body below the channel region. A trench extends from the top side through the source region and through the channel region and ending in the drift region. As seen in a top view of the top side, the trench comprises a plurality of branch-offs. A gate electrode is disposed within the trench and a shield region of the second conductivity type is located at least partially below a branch-off of the trench.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to compounds of Formula (I) as allosteric chromenone inhibitors of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) useful in the treatment of diseases or disorders associated with PI3K modulation, Formula (I): or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof wherein R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R7, and R8, are as defined herein. The disclosure also relates to methods of making and using compounds of Formula (I) or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof.

Abstract: A thermal enclosure assembly for a vehicle includes a container disposed in a compartment of the vehicle that selectively couples with a wall of the compartment. The container is movable between a retracted position and an extended position. A tray couples with the wall and pivots between a folded position and an unfolded position to selectively enclose the container with the wall. The container is configured to move between the retracted position and the extended position when the tray is in the unfolded position.

Abstract: A method of implementing a stretched single optical communication span includes receiving one or more optical signals from an optical fiber span having high loss; adding a pilot signal to the one or more optical signals, subsequent to the receiving; and amplifying the one or more optical signals and the pilot signal with a pre-amplifier that is an Erbium Doped Fiber Amplifier (EDFA). Advantageously, the stretched single span operates below a Hazard 1M environment. A node in a stretched single optical communication span includes an optical multiplexer connected to an optical fiber span having high and a pilot signal, and configured to output a combination of one or more optical signals from the optical fiber span and the pilot signal; and a pre-amplifier that is an EDFA configured to receive the output of the optical multiplexer and provide amplification of the one or more optical signals and the pilot signal.

Abstract: Embodiments include methods for a source donor centralized unit (CU) in an integrated access backhaul (IAB) wireless network. Such methods include determining that traffic between the source donor CU and a top-level IAB node in the wireless network needs to be offloaded to a target donor CU in the wireless network. Such methods include sending, to one or more descendant nodes of the source donor CU, a first indication that at least one configuration for traffic between the source donor CU and at least one IAB node is suspended, in association with migration of the top-level IAB node from the source donor CU to the target donor CU. Other embodiments include complementary methods for a target donor CU and for an IAB node, as well as CUs and IAB nodes configured to perform such methods.

Abstract: A vehicle door includes an inner panel having an upper edge and a lower edge, a door trim panel having an upper edge portion and a lower edge portion, and an upper panel connected to the upper edge portion of the door trim panel. The upper panel includes an upper edge section and a lower edge section, and a crack initiator extending between the upper edge section and the lower edge section. A belt bracket connects the upper panel and the inner panel. The belt bracket includes a first dual pin member and a second dual pin member spaced from the first dual pin member. The first dual pin member and the second dual pin member connect the upper panel with the inner panel.

Abstract: A reprovisionable spacecraft and reprovisioning subassemblies for mating with a reprovisionable spacecraft are both described. The reprovisionable spacecraft has one or more mechanical, thermal, data, and or electrical mating interfaces for attaching, powering, and communicating with a reprovisioning subassembly, which for one embodiment is a self-contained thruster unit. The self-contained thruster unit preferably comprises a fuel tank, control electronics, and a thruster assembly. Alternately, a reprovisioning subassembly can comprise a fuel tank and control electronics, a fuel tank, or a thruster. Also, a reprovisionable spacecraft may be carried into orbit without reprovisioning subassemblies attached, and then deployed after reprovisioning subassemblies have been attached to their respective mating interfaces. Reprovisioning utilizing a self-contained thruster unit or tank eliminates the large risk associated with refueling satellites in space.

Abstract: Provided herein are novel sugar derivatives which are intermediates for preparing senolytic agents that selectively kill senescent cells associated with numerous pathologies and discases. including age-related pathologies and discases.