Abstract: Provided herein are systems and methods for decentralized privacy preserving audits comprising receiving by a first local system, from an orchestrator system, instructions to perform a local audit; executing, by the first local system, in response to receiving the instructions to perform the local audit, a first local audit model epoch, wherein executing the first local audit model epoch comprises: analyzing information from one or more data sources from a local data set; receiving first input information from a second local system through a privacy preserving communication framework in response to requesting the first input information; determining whether information from the one or more data sources from the local data set is reconciled based on the first input information; and in accordance with a determination that the information from the one or more data sources from the local data set is not reconciled, executing a second local audit model epoch.

Abstract: A valve with an internal member is disclosed which allows exhaled carbon dioxide to escape from a breathing circuit when the circuit gas pressure drops below a threshold pressure. The valve operates by occluding one or more ports under a relatively high pressure and opening the one or more ports under a relatively low pressure. The internal member is attached to the body of the valve at two or more locations on the internal member. The internal member moves in a direction perpendicular to the gas flow through the valve.

Abstract: The invention relates to modified Dda helicases which can be used to control the movement of polynucleotides and are particularly useful for sequencing polynucleotides.

Abstract: An automated gate actuator system is provided for use in selectively opening and closing a gate that dispenses proppant from a proppant container during the course of a hydraulic fracturing operation. A lever arm is pivotally mounted for movement to place a drive gear in contact with a driven gear to open and close the gate. The gate may be remotely or autonomously actuated in this manner utilizing an electronic control triggered by human and/or sensor input.

Abstract: Systems, devices, and techniques are configured to detect disease from a biological sample. In one example, a diagnostic system includes a first housing portion defining an injection port, a first chamber configured to contain a first solution, a second chamber configured to contain a second solution, and a second housing portion defining at least one waste chamber configured to receive fluid from at least one of the first chamber or the second chamber. The system also includes a sliding panel comprising a sample chamber configured to contain a biological sample, wherein the sliding panel is positioned between the first housing portion and the second housing portion and configured to move the sample chamber to different positions corresponding to at least the first chamber and the second chamber of the first housing portion.

Abstract: The invention relates to mutant forms of lysenin. The invention also relates to analyte characterisation using the mutant forms of lysenin.

Abstract: Provided herein is a method of loading a motor protein onto a polynucleotide adapter. Also provided are polynucleotide adapters and kits comprising such adapters. The adapters find use in characterising analytes such as polynucleotides in methods in which the polynucleotide moves in respect of a nanopore.

Abstract: The invention relates to mutant forms of lysenin. The invention also relates to analyte characterisation using lysenin.

Abstract: A light-emitting system is provided which is removably attachable to headgear for personal illumination to enhance visibility of the user to others. The light-emitting system includes a housing that defines a receiving aperture and is configured to surround a portion of the headgear when the light-emitting system is removably attached to the headgear for use. The light-emitting system further includes at least one lens and a plurality of lighting elements coupled to the annular housing which are configured to selectively generate a halo or at least a partial halo of light that radiates outwardly away from the annular housing through the at least one lens to provide enhanced personal illumination.

Abstract: Systems and methods are described herein for repairing a block of pixels in image data that was encoding using a lossy type of compression. In one aspect, it may be determined that a first pixel block within a first frame of image data was encoded using lossy compression, where the first pixel block comprising a plurality of pixels. Next, it may be determined that the plurality of pixels in the first pixel block in a second frame of the image data are below a threshold difference as compared to the plurality of pixels within the first frame of the image data. Responsive to the determining, the first pixel block may be re-encoded in the second frame or a subsequent frame of the image data using lossless compression.

Abstract: Systems and methods are described herein for implementing a hybrid codec to compress and decompress image data using both lossy and lossless compression. In one example encoding process, it may be determined whether a first block of pixels of a frame of image data contains an edge. A type of compression by which to encode the first block may be selected based on that determination. The first block may be compressed using the selected type of compression. At least one second value associated with the first block of pixels may be set to indicate at least oof the compressed value or the type of compression used to compress the first block.

Abstract: A method of determining a characteristic of one or more processes for manufacturing features on a substrate, the method including: obtaining image data of a plurality of features on a least part of at least one region on a substrate; using the image data to obtain measured data of one or more dimensions of each of at least some of the plurality of features; determining a statistical parameter that is dependent on the variation of the measured data of one or more dimensions of each of at least some of the plurality of features; determining a probability of defective manufacture of features in dependence on a determined number of defective features in the image data; and determining the characteristic of the one or more processes to have the probability of defective manufacture of features and the statistical parameter.

Abstract: A proppant container facilitates the transportation of wet sand for use in a hydraulic fracturing operation. The container is mounted in a cradle that tips downward in arcuate motion for discharge or proppant through a top opening The tipping mechanism may be driven by a system of gears or a hydraulic ram.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for automatically generating a meeting summary is disclosed herein. Meeting audio is recorded and converted into a text-based transcript. Handwritten meeting notes are converted into notes text. The transcript and notes text are correlated to provide correlated meeting text. Meeting topics are determined from the correlated meeting text. A meeting summary is generated from the meeting topics.

Abstract: Provided herein is a method of characterising a target polynucleotide as it moves with respect to a nanopore using a motor protein. Also provided are polynucleotide adapters and kits comprising such adapters. The methods, kits and adapters find use in characterising polynucleotides, for example in sequencing.

Abstract: Methods of characterizing an analyte using a detector such as a nanopore and an enzyme are provided. One aspect features methods for characterizing a double-stranded polynucleotide using a detector, e.g., without using a hairpin connecting a template and a complement of the double-stranded polynucleotide. Another aspect features methods for characterizing an analyte using a tag-modified nanopore with increased sensitivity and/or higher throughput. Compositions and systems including, e.g., adaptors for attachment to double-stranded polynucleotides and tag-modified nanopores, which can be used in the methods are also provided.

Abstract: The invention relates to improving the movement of a target polynucleotide with respect to a transmembrane pore when the movement is controlled by a polynucleotide binding protein.

Abstract: A control device with a touch screen and motion sensors is held in one hand with the screen facing the user. Preferably, thumb motion of the hand holding the control device on the touch screen sensor of the control device is the input to control the motion and animations of an avatar, wherein the avatar motion is displayed on the control device touch screen or, in an embodiment, on an external display device. An important aspect of the present invention is tilting the control device, causing an angular rotation velocity, which can trigger a game event such as throwing, kicking, shooting or other action of the game.

Abstract: A method and system for generating synthetic images for use in a database is described. The database is used for delineation of features in real images, the method comprising the steps of: providing a delineated image acquired using a first scanner, defining a model related to the generation of synthetic images using a second scanner, processing the delineated image using the model to generate a synthetic image, mapping contours to the synthetic image to form a synthetic image-contour pair; repeating providing, defining and processing steps to generate a plurality of synthetic images and contour pairs for the database; using said database of synthetic images and contour pairs to optimise a contouring algorithm, where the optimised algorithm generates contours for the real images of the same type as the synthetic images; processing one or more further real images to contour and delineate features on the further real image using the algorithm.

Abstract: Distributed industrial process monitoring and analytics systems and methods are provided for operation within a process plant. A plurality of distributed data engines (DDEs) may be embedded within the process plant to collect and store data generated by data sources, such as process controllers. Thus, the data may be stored in a distributed manner in the DDEs embedded throughout the process plant. The DDEs may be connected by a data analytics network to facilitate data transmission by subscription or query. The DDEs may be configured as a plurality of clusters, which may further include local and centralized clusters. The local clusters may obtain streaming data from data sources and stream selected data to a data consumer. The centralized cluster may register the local clusters, receive data therefrom, and perform data analytic functions on the received data. The analyzed data may be further sent to a data consumer.