Abstract: A process for increasing digestion efficiency of lignocellulosic material in a treatment vessel includes providing lignocellulosic material comprising lignocellulosic biomass, providing an alkyl polyglycoside, an alkoxylated alcohol, and a white liquor comprising sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfide, combining the lignocellulosic material, the alkyl polyglycoside, the alkoxylated alcohol, and the white liquor to form a mixture, and heating the mixture in the treatment vessel to a temperature of from about 125° C. to about 185° C. to digest at least a portion of the lignocellulosic material. The alkyl polyglycoside and the alkoxylated alcohol are present in the mixture in a weight ratio of actives from about 5:95 to about 95:5, respectively. The mixture is free of added surfactants that are not the alkyl polyglycoside and/or the alkoxylated alcohol. The process has increased digestion efficiency as compared to a process that does not utilize a combination of the alkyl polyglycoside and the alkoxylated alcohol.

Abstract: Systems and methods for determining a reparability of a vehicle are provided. In some embodiments, vehicle data is obtained, and a list of variables is generated from the obtained data. A machine learning algorithm may then be trained to generate a reparability metric by: (i) generating correlation metrics between the variables and costs to repair the vehicle, (ii) removing variables with correlation metrics below a threshold, and (iii) training the machine learning algorithm based upon unremoved variables.

Abstract: Systems and methods for building a vehicle data repository (VDR) are provided. In some embodiments, the VDR is constructed by adding standardized build sheets to it. The standardized build sheets may be constructed by selecting data from various data sources (e.g., original equipment manufacturer (OEM) databases, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) databases, Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) databases, and/or Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) databases). Furthermore, a common ontology may be created and applied to the various data sources to aide in the selection of data between the data sources to construct the standardized build sheets.

Abstract: Provided herein are drug implants comprising a therapeutically active agent for the treatment of disease in a subject. In some cases, the drug implant may comprise a polymer matrix and a therapeutically active agent disposed therein. Additionally, provided are methods for manufacturing the drug implants and methods of treating diseases with the implants. In some cases, the drug implant may comprise bicalutamide, e.g., for use in the treatment of prostate cancer.

Abstract: A system, having: an RF power source; an RF matching network electrically coupled to the RF power source; an impedance matching circuit electrically coupled to the RF matching network, wherein the impedance matching circuit has a first adjustable capacitor connected in series with the RF matching network and a second adjustable capacitor connected in parallel with the first capacitor; and an inductive process load electrically coupled to the impedance matching circuit.

Abstract: A faceplate of a showerhead has a bottom side that faces a plasma generation region and a top side that faces a plenum into which a process gas is supplied during operation of a substrate processing system. The faceplate includes apertures formed through the bottom side and openings formed through the top side. Each of the apertures is formed to extend through a portion of an overall thickness of the faceplate to intersect with at least one of the openings to form a corresponding flow path for process gas through the faceplate. Each of the apertures has a cross-section that has a hollow cathode discharge suppression dimension in at least one direction. Each of the openings has a cross-section that has a smallest cross-sectional dimension that is greater than the hollow cathode discharge suppression dimension.

Abstract: A foil displacement system includes one or more foils that can be deployed and stowed. When deployed, each foil can exert downforce or uplift depending on its orientation. For example, each foil may be positioned to have an angle of attack that creates a downward force effectively transmitted to the hull to pull the hull deeper within the water to, for example, create a larger wake. Use of the foil displacement system can enhance or replace the use of a ballast tank system, can be integrated into a new boat or retrofitted to existing boats, can be electronically or manually positioned, can enhance activities such as wake surfing, wake boarding, water skiing or other similar or related water sports.

Abstract: A computer implemented method for providing insurance comprises receiving a plurality of vehicle data including a start point, an end point and a frequency value. The method further comprises analyzing the plurality of vehicle data to determine a driving route associated with the vehicle. The method also comprises determining, based on the frequency value, that the driving route is a common driving route and a risk level of the common driving route. The method further comprises processing one or more insurance options, including pricing and underwriting, based at least in part on the risk level of the common driving route.

Abstract: An electrical connector assembling machine includes a connector strip feed unit including a connector strip feeding device configured to index a connector strip through a feed track in successive feed strokes and a contact loading assembly to load contacts in the connector strip. The electrical connector assembling machine includes a contact bending assembly positioned downstream of the contact loading assembly. The contact bending assembly includes a roller and a bending actuator holding the roller. The bending actuator moves the roller in an actuation direction to engage and bend ends of the contacts. The roller rolling along the contacts to bend the ends of the contacts.

Abstract: A fishing line spooler configured to engage a shaft of a fishing rod. The fishing line spooler includes a clamp selectively securable to the shaft of the fishing rod and a mounting shaft. The mounting shaft receives a fishing line supply spool along its length. The supply spool is configured to rotate around the mounting shaft. The mounting shaft is selectively mountable to the clamp in a first orientation or a second orientation. In the first orientation, the mounting shaft is secured to the clamp parallel to the longitudinal axis of the fishing rod and feeds a spinning reel. In the second orientation, the mounting shaft is secured to the clamp perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the fishing rod and feeds a casting reel.

Abstract: A gripping attachment (10) is disclosed which facilitates the handling of a medication bottle (12). The medication bottle includes a container (14) having a cylindrical wall (16) extending parallel to a longitudinal axis. The container is closed at one end by a base wall (18) and has an opposed open end. The container receives a cap (20) on the open end to enclose the container. The gripping attachment comprises a sleeve portion (22) having a sleeve wall (24) defining an internal, cylindrical surface configured to removably attach to the container wall. The gripping attachment further comprises a leverage component connected to the sleeve portion to facilitate gripping the sleeve portion.

Abstract: Provided herein are drug implants comprising enzalutamide for the treatment of disease in a subject. In some cases, the drug implant may comprise a polymer matrix and enzalutamide disposed therein. Additionally provided are methods for manufacturing the drug implants and methods of treating diseases with the implants. In some cases, the drug implant may be used for the treatment of a proliferative disease of the prostate.

Abstract: In one aspect, a computer-implemented method includes receiving signals corresponding to wavelengths of light detected by an optical sensor placed in proximity to a patient's body, and for each received signal: separating the signal into an AC signal and a DC signal; separating the AC signal into component signals; analyzing the component signals through a fractional phase transformation to identify a desired component signal and harmonic signals associated with the desired component signal; smoothing the desired component signal, the harmonic signals, and the DC signal; and combining the smoothed desired component signal, the smoothed harmonic signals, and the smoothed DC signal to generate a modulation signal. A modulation ratio signal is generated based on the modulation signals derived from the signals, and a peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2) of the patient's body is determined based on the modulation ratio signal.

Abstract: A battery pack for an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle may include a housing, a stack of battery cells disposed within the housing, and a cooling subassembly. The housing typically holds the cell stack together, and the cooling subassembly typically cools the cell stack to prevent damage to the battery cells and to maintain the performance of the battery cells. The cooling subassembly may include a cold plate defining a liquid flow channel and one or more thermoelectric devices (TEDs) that are operable to cool the cell stack when current is supplied thereto. Heat spreaders may be employed within the battery pack, and exemplary configurations of components to thermally and mechanically couple the cooling subassembly are described.

Abstract: A semiconductor die includes a substrate, a first passivation layer over the substrate, and a second passivation layer over the first passivation layer and the substrate. The substrate has boundaries defined by a substrate termination edge. The first passivation layer is over the substrate such that it terminates at a first passivation termination edge that is inset from the substrate termination edge by a first distance. The second passivation layer is over the first passivation layer and the substrate such that it terminates at a second passivation termination edge that is inset from the substrate termination edge by a second distance. The second distance is less than the first distance such that the second passivation layer overlaps the first passivation layer.

Abstract: A system includes a user equipment (UE) traveling at least at a predetermined velocity. The UE is in RRC_INACTIVE state since time T. The system further includes at least a first base station and a second base station. The first base station receives an RRC_INACTIVE state message from the UE. The RRC_INACTIVE state message includes a location and a velocity of the UE, and a time-lapse, which is an elapsed duration since T. In response to a paging message from a core network, the first base station predicts a location of the UE. In response to the UE being within range of the first base station, the first base station sends the paging message to the UE. In response to the UE being within range of the second base station, the first base station sends a request to the second base station to send the paging message to the UE.

Abstract: An electrical connector assembling machine includes a connector strip feed unit including a connector strip feeding device configured to index a connector strip through a feed track in successive feed strokes and a contact loading assembly to load contacts in the connector strip. The electrical connector assembling machine includes a contact bending assembly positioned downstream of the contact loading assembly. The contact bending assembly includes a roller and a bending actuator holding the roller. The bending actuator moves the roller in an actuation direction to engage and bend ends of the contacts. The roller rolling along the contacts to bend the ends of the contacts.

Abstract: A docking station for a mobile cleaning robot can include a base and a canister. The base can be configured to receive at least a portion of the mobile cleaning robot thereon. The base can include an electrical power interface configured to provide electrical power to the mobile cleaning robot. The canister can be connected to the base and can be located at least partially above the base. The canister can include a debris bin to receive debris from the mobile cleaning robot.

Abstract: A method of facilitating on-demand wireless connectivity and data pooling with a vehicle platoon. The method includes detecting a potential host vehicle within a predetermined radius from the requesting vehicle; sending a request message to the potential host vehicle requesting to join the potential host vehicle in a vehicle platoon and to execute an application (APP) by utilizing the vehicle platoon's mobile edge computing (MEC) capabilities; sending a reply message by the host vehicle to join the potential host vehicle in the vehicle platoon; joining the potential host vehicle, by the requesting vehicle, in the vehicle platoon; and wirelessly transmitting to the potential host vehicle in the utilization of the host vehicle's MEC capabilities by pooling the APP data. The vehicle platoon is configured with an advance driver assisted system (ADAS) wireless communications, and MEC capabilities. A MEC module is disposed in at least one of the platoon vehicles.

Abstract: A system for processing optical fiber includes a draw furnace, a fiber conveyance pathway extending between an upstream end positioned at the draw furnace and a downstream end positioned opposite the upstream end, where optical fiber is conveyed along the fiber conveyance pathway from the upstream end to the downstream end in a fiber conveyance direction, a muffle in communication with the draw furnace and positioned downstream of the draw furnace, a second cooling device annularly surrounding the fiber conveyance pathway downstream from the draw furnace, the second cooling device including one or more second cooling device heating elements and a first cooling device positioned between the draw furnace and the second cooling device, wherein the first cooling device directs a fluid to contact the optical fiber.