Abstract: A methanol synthesis plant comprising: a feed pretreating section operable to pretreat a feed stream; a synthesis gas (syngas) generation section comprising one or more reactors operable to produce a syngas synthesis product stream comprising synthesis gas from the feed stream; a methanol synthesis section comprising one or more methanol synthesis reactors operable to produce a synthesis product comprising methanol; and/or a methanol purification section operable to remove at least one component from the synthesis product to provide a purified methanol product; wherein the methanol synthesis plant is configured such that, relative to a conventional methanol synthesis plant, more of the net energy required by the methanol synthesis plant, the feed pretreating section, the syngas generation section, the methanol synthesis section, the methanol purification section, or a combination thereof, is provided by a non-carbon based energy source, a renewable energy source, and/or electricity.

Abstract: An olefin synthesis plant comprising: a feed pretreatment section configured to pretreat a feed stream; a pyrolysis section comprising one or more pyrolysis reactors configured to crack hydrocarbons in the feed stream in the presence of a diluent to produce a cracked gas stream; a primary fractionation and compression section configured to provide heat recovery from and quenching of the cracked gas stream; remove a component from the cracked gas stream; and compress the cracked gas stream, thus providing a compressed cracked gas stream; and/or a product separation section configured to separate a product olefin stream from the compressed cracked gas stream, wherein the olefin synthesis plant is configured such that, relative to a conventional olefin synthesis plant, more of the energy and/or the net energy required by the olefin synthesis plant and/or one or more sections thereof, is provided by a non-carbon based and/or renewable energy source and/or electricity.

Abstract: According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a toll-free telecommunications validation system determines a confidence value that an incoming phone call to an enterprises' toll-free number is originating from the station it purports to be, i.e.

Abstract: A methanol synthesis plant comprising: a feed pretreating section operable to pretreat a feed stream; a synthesis gas (syngas) generation section comprising one or more reactors operable to produce a syngas synthesis product stream comprising synthesis gas from the feed stream; a methanol synthesis section comprising one or more methanol synthesis reactors operable to produce a synthesis product comprising methanol; and/or a methanol purification section operable to remove at least one component from the synthesis product to provide a purified methanol product; wherein the methanol synthesis plant is configured such that, relative to a conventional methanol synthesis plant, more of the net energy required by the methanol synthesis plant, the feed pretreating section, the syngas generation section, the methanol synthesis section, the methanol purification section, or a combination thereof, is provided by a non-carbon based energy source, a renewable energy source, and/or electricity.

Abstract: A method, computer program product, and computer system are provided for testing drives in a redundant array of independent disks (RAID) array. The method includes: mirroring data from a selected drive to be tested in a RAID array to spare storage space in the RAID array; and, once the data is successfully mirrored, testing the selected drive to identify a preemptive failure of the selected drive. The RAID may be a traditional RAID (TRAID) array and the spare space may be a spare physical drive independent of array drive members. The RAID array may alternatively be a distributed RAID (DRAID) array and the spare space may be spare capacity spread through the array drive members.

Abstract: A smoking article and a method for making a smoking article are provided.

Abstract: A smoking article and a method for making a smoking article are provided.

Abstract: In response to a query to a database, the identity of a slave machine which stores the requested data is resolved, and the query is parsed to identify one or more shards at the slave machine. Each shard corresponds to a partition of the requested data stored at the slave, and rows inside of the shard are respectively assigned a fixed-size local ID. Tasks corresponding to each shard are placed into a thread pool, and the threads are processed using the respective local IDs to obtain the requested data.

Abstract: A robotic vehicle can include a plurality of motors coupled to a plurality of gearboxes, each gearbox of the plurality of gearboxes configured to be rotated, a plurality of nested driveshafts coupled to the plurality of gearboxes and including at least a first driveshaft and a second driveshaft, and a plurality of appendages operably coupled to the plurality of gearboxes. A particular appendage of the plurality of appendages can be configured to be rotated in response to a rotational motion of the first driveshaft. The robotic vehicle can include a plurality of wheels coupled to the plurality of appendages and configured to rotate about a plurality of wheel axles. Each wheel of the plurality of wheels can be configured to cause the robotic vehicle to be transported across a contacting surface in response to the rotational motion of the second driveshaft.

Abstract: Embodiments of a data encryption and/or decryption technique are disclosed. In accordance with one example embodiment, a method may include enciphering a message, based at least in part, on a hierarchical symbol assignment system, and modifying an enciphering key signal value to modify a level of security of enciphering.

Abstract: A smoking article and a method for making a smoking article are provided.

Abstract: Smoking articles and a method for making a smoking article are provided.

Abstract: In response to a query to a database, the identity of a slave machine which stores the requested data is resolved, and the query is parsed to identify one or more shards at the slave machine. Each shard corresponds to a partition of the requested data stored at the slave, and rows inside of the shard are respectively assigned a fixed-size local ID. Tasks corresponding to each shard are placed into a thread pool, and the threads are processed using the respective local IDs to obtain the requested data.

Abstract: A robotic vehicle can include a plurality of motors coupled to a plurality of gearboxes, each gearbox of the plurality of gearboxes configured to be rotated, a plurality of nested driveshafts coupled to the plurality of gearboxes and including at least a first driveshaft and a second driveshaft, and a plurality of appendages operably coupled to the plurality of gearboxes. A particular appendage of the plurality of appendages can be configured to be rotated in response to a rotational motion of the first driveshaft. The robotic vehicle can include a plurality of wheels coupled to the plurality of appendages and configured to rotate about a plurality of wheel axles. Each wheel of the plurality of wheels can be configured to cause the robotic vehicle to be transported across a contacting surface in response to the rotational motion of the second driveshaft.

Abstract: Devices, systems, and methods for articulating elongate flexible structures such as catheters optionally include an array of fluid-expandable bodies such as balloons. The array can be formed using separate strings of balloons formed along single-lumen balloon tube material. The balloon strings can be twisted together to form a multi-channel bundle, or the balloon strings may be circumferentially separated, each extending axially. Regardless, the balloons along a common lumen may be aligned so as to bend the catheter in a desired lateral direction. The fluid-expandable bodies may include an elastomeric bladder with a fiber braid so that inflation of the bladder shortens the assembly and applies axial tension to articulate the catheter. The elongate flexible structures may be pre-biased so as to form a bend when in a relaxed configuration, with the structures being articulatable from the bend.

Abstract: A smoking article and a method for making a smoking article are provided.

Abstract: Devices, systems, and methods for articulating elongate flexible structures such as catheters optionally include an array of fluid-expandable bodies such as balloons. A user may alter a bend characteristic of the flexible structure by manually moving a handle of a pump. The pump may induce a flow of inflation fluid into a subset of the expandable bodies, and the resulting expansion can change a bend characteristic of the flexible structure. The pump may comprise a threaded syringe pump, one or more balloon that is manually compressed by movement of the handle (so that the balloon acts as a displacement pump), a multi-axis displacement pump (optionally with laterally offset piston-cylinder assemblies coupled to the handle to induce laterally offset bending of the flexible structure), or the like, providing easily-modulated articulation with a low-cost, light-weight, and/or at least partially disposable user interface.

Abstract: Smoking articles and a method for making a smoking article are provided.

Abstract: Graph-based detection systems and techniques are provided to identify potential malicious lateral movement paths. System and security events may be used to generate a network connection graph and detect remote file executions and/or other detections, for use in tracking malicious lateral movement across a computer network, such as a compromised computer network. Lateral movement determination across a computer network may be divided into two subproblems: forensic analysis and general detection. With forensic analysis, given a malicious node, possible lateral movement leading into or out of the node is identified. General detection identifies previously unknown malicious lateral movement on a network using a remote file execution detector, and/or other detectors, and a rare path anomaly detection algorithm.

Abstract: This invention relates to processes for obtaining a plurality of biomass measurements from one or more biological medium and to biomass sensing probes (1) for use in such methods.