Abstract: The present disclosure provides aerosol generating substrates and aerosol source members comprising aerosol generating substrates, as well as methods of manufacturing thereof. In an example implementation, an aerosol generating substrate may comprise a fibrous filler material, an aerosol forming material, and a plurality of heat conducting constituents, wherein the substrate is formed as a sheet, and wherein the heat conducting constituents are part of the sheet. The heat conducting constituents may be incorporated within the sheet, or may be formed on a surface of the sheet. In another example implementation, an aerosol source member may comprise a substrate portion formed of a collection of intermingled pieces cut from an aerosol substrate sheet. In addition, or alternatively, a substrate portion may be formed of a series of overlapping layers of an aerosol substrate sheet.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for determining a predicted structure of a protein that is specified by an amino acid sequence. In one aspect, a method comprises: obtaining a multiple sequence alignment for the protein; determining, from the multiple sequence alignment and for each pair of amino acids in the amino acid sequence of the protein, a respective initial embedding of the pair of amino acids; processing the initial embeddings of the pairs of amino acids using a pair embedding neural network comprising a plurality of self-attention neural network layers to generate a final embedding of each pair of amino acids; and determining the predicted structure of the protein based on the final embedding of each pair of amino acids.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides aerosol generating substrates and aerosol source members comprising aerosol generating substrates, as well as methods of manufacturing thereof. In an example implementation, an aerosol generating substrate may comprise a fibrous filler material, an aerosol forming material, and a plurality of heat conducting constituents, wherein the substrate is formed as a sheet, and wherein the heat conducting constituents are part of the sheet. The heat conducting constituents may be incorporated within the sheet, or may be formed on a surface of the sheet. In another example implementation, an aerosol source member may comprise a substrate portion formed of a collection of intermingled pieces cut from an aerosol substrate sheet. In addition, or alternatively, a substrate portion may be formed of a series of overlapping layers of an aerosol substrate sheet.

Abstract: A process of producing a composition comprising a copolymer of ethylene and one or more C4-C8 ?-olefins, may include copolymerizing the ethylene and the one or more C4-C8 ?-olefins in the presence of a procatalyst and an alkylaluminum cocatalyst. The procatalyst may be a Ti-containing Ziegler Natta procatalyst and the polymerization may include the procatalyst and the alkylaluminum cocatalyst in amounts such that a molar ratio of Al:Ti ranges from about 0.5 to about 50.0.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for training a neural network. A method includes: training a neural network having a plurality of network parameters to perform a particular neural network task and to determine trained values of the network parameters using an iterative training process having a plurality of hyperparameters, the method comprising: maintaining a plurality of candidate neural networks and, for each of the candidate neural networks, data specifying: (i) respective values of the network parameters for the candidate neural network, (ii) respective values of the hyperparameters for the candidate neural network, and (iii) a quality measure that measures a performance of the candidate neural network on the particular neural network task; and for each of the plurality of candidate neural networks, repeatedly performing additional training operations.

Abstract: An aerosol delivery device is provided that comprises a control body and an aerosol source member. The aerosol delivery device includes a resonant transformer comprising a resonant transmitter and a resonant receiver. The aerosol source member includes an inhalable substance medium at least a portion of which is positioned proximate the resonant transmitter. The resonant transmitter is configured to generate an oscillating magnetic field and induce an alternating voltage in the resonant receiver when exposed to the oscillating magnetic field, such that the alternating voltage causes the resonant receiver to generate heat and thereby vaporize components of the inhalable substance medium to produce an aerosol. In some implementations, the resonant receiver comprises part of the control body. In other implementations, the resonant receiver comprises part of the aerosol source member.

Abstract: An aerosol delivery device is provided that comprises a control body and an aerosol source member. In various implementations, the control body includes a housing with an opening defined in one end thereof. The aerosol delivery device also includes a resonant transformer comprising a resonant transmitter and a resonant receiver. The aerosol source member includes an inhalable substance medium, and defines a heated end and a mouth end, the heated end configured, when inserted into the opening of the housing, to be positioned proximate the resonant transmitter. The resonant transmitter is configured to generate an oscillating magnetic field and induce an alternating voltage in the resonant receiver when exposed to the oscillating magnetic field, such that the alternating voltage causes the resonant receiver to generate heat and thereby vaporize components of the inhalable substance medium to produce an aerosol.

Abstract: Aerosol delivery devices are disclosed herein. In one aspect, an aerosol delivery device may comprise a control body, a heating member, a control component, a power source, and a removable aerosol source member that includes an inhalable substance medium, the aerosol source member being configured to be inserted into the control body and defining a heated end and a mouth end, the heated end configured, when inserted into the control body, to be positioned proximate the heating member. In some implementations, the heating member may comprise a base heating member and a substrate heating member, wherein the base heating member is located in the control body and the substrate heating member is located in the aerosol source member. In some implementations, the heating member may comprise a flexible heating member that surrounds a heating cylinder located within a portion of the engaging end of the control body.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides aerosol generating substrates and aerosol source members comprising aerosol generating substrates, as well as methods of manufacturing thereof. In an example implementation, an aerosol generating substrate may comprise a fibrous filler material, an aerosol forming material, and a plurality of heat conducting constituents, wherein the substrate is formed as a sheet, and wherein the heat conducting constituents are part of the sheet. The heat conducting constituents may be incorporated within the sheet, or may be formed on a surface of the sheet. In another example implementation, an aerosol source member may comprise a substrate portion formed of a collection of intermingled pieces cut from an aerosol substrate sheet. In addition, or alternatively, a substrate portion may be formed of a series of overlapping layers of an aerosol substrate sheet.

Abstract: An aerosol delivery device is provided that comprises a control body and an aerosol source member. In various implementations, the control body includes a housing with an opening defined in one end thereof. The aerosol delivery device also includes a resonant transformer comprising a resonant transmitter and a resonant receiver, and a driver circuit configured to drive the resonant transformer. The aerosol source member includes an inhalable substance medium, and defines a heated end and a mouth end, the heated end configured, when inserted into the opening of the housing, to be positioned proximate the resonant transmitter. The driver circuit is configured to drive the resonant transmitter to generate an oscillating magnetic field and induce an alternating voltage in the resonant receiver when exposed to the oscillating magnetic field, such that the alternating voltage causes the resonant receiver to generate heat and thereby vaporize components of the inhalable substance medium to produce an aerosol.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing cigarette filter rods comprises providing a continuous supply of filter material in a direction of travel; forming the filter material into a continuous rod; and rotating a wheel in a vertical plane, in operable communication with the filter material such that a portion of the wheel contacts the filter material at a predetermined location, and such that general direction of travel of the rotating wheel and the filter material, when in contact, are in generally the same direction. The method also comprises providing a lower hopper in operable communication with the rotatable wheel; providing an upper hopper in operable communication with the lower hopper; and wrapping an overwrap material around the filter material. The method further comprises controlling speed of rotation of the wheel relative to feedback from an inspection system; and subdividing the continuous rod at pre-determined intervals.

Abstract: The present invention relates a system and method for analysis of telomere patterning. The method includes: capturing a dataset of telomere length using a measurement technique; determining component distributions of the dataset relating to telomere length; determining primary values between each of the component distributions, the primary values representing a pairwise assessment of a level of similarity between the component distributions; determining higher order values of at least one higher order assessment of each of the primary values; and outputting the primary values and the higher order values.

Abstract: An apparatus for providing rods for use in the manufacture of cigarette filter elements, each rod having individual objects placed at predetermined spaced intervals along the length thereof, comprises means for providing a continuous supply of rod filter material, a first hopper means for providing a reservoir for objects, and a second hopper means for providing a plurality of individual objects. The second hopper means is positioned to receive objects from the first hopper means. The apparatus also comprises a reciprocating screen means between the first hopper means and the second hopper means, means for positioning individual objects from the second hopper to within the supply of filter material at pre-determined spaced intervals, means for forming the filter material into a continuous rod having individual objects positioned at pre-determined spaced intervals within that rod, and means for subdividing the continuous rod at pre-determined intervals.

Abstract: A container adapted for storing a product is provided. The container includes a body having a bottom wall and a side wall. The bottom wall and the side wall define an internal storage compartment adapted for storage of a plurality of units of a product. The side wall has an outer peripheral surface. A rib structure is engaged with the body about the outer peripheral surface of the side wall and extends outwardly therefrom. A cover is configured to be removably engaged with the body. The cover includes a top wall and a peripheral flange having an inner surface. The inner surface is substantially smooth and is configured to interact with the rib structure when the cover is received over the outer peripheral surface of the side wall so as to form an interference fit.

Abstract: An inspection system and associated method are provided for inspecting a smoking article having a smokable rod and a filter element serially secured together by a tipping material circumscribing a longitudinal periphery of the filter element and a portion of a longitudinal periphery of the smokable rod adjacent to the filter element. A transport device is configured to transport individual as-formed smoking articles from a first to a second position such that the tipping material associated with each smoking article is accessible at least about the portion of the longitudinal periphery of the smoking article. An inspection device is configured to optically inspect each smoking article, at least about the portion of the longitudinal periphery of the smoking article having the tipping material, as the smoking article is transported between the first and second positions, and to automatically determine from the optical inspection whether the inspected smoking article is defective.

Abstract: Scale deposition on a heat transfer surface in a liquid system such as a heat exchanger is estimated by directing of small portion of the liquid flow through a test cell, consisting of a sensor positioned on and projecting through a conduit wall. The sensor consists of a conductive block containing a heater and having a heated wetted test surface that is flush with the inside of the conduit wall and in contact with the flow through the conduit. Within the conductive block are two temperature sensors which are at different distances from the heated wetted test surface and the heater. The periphery of the apparatus is designed to reduce heat flow through the periphery and allow greater heat flow through the heated wetted test surface. By comparing the temperature differential between the two temperature sensors to the differential when no scale is present, the presence of and amount of scale can be determined, based on reduced heat transfer through the heated wetted surface caused by the accumulated scale.

Abstract: An apparatus and associated method is provided for forming a rod for use in the manufacture of cigarette filter elements. A continuous supply of a filter material is formed into a continuous filter rod by a rod-forming unit. An object insertion unit is configured to insert a plurality of first objects and a plurality of second objects into the continuous filter rod. A rod-dividing unit is configured to subdivide the continuous filter rod, at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal axis thereof, into a plurality of filter rod portions such that each filter rod portion includes at least one first object and at least one second object disposed therein, with the first objects being different from the second objects.

Abstract: A cigarette includes lighting and mouth ends. It may include a smokable segment disposed at the lighting end. It also includes a mouth-end segment; an aerosol-generation system disposed between the lighting and mouth ends, which includes (i) a heat-generation segment adjacent the smokable segment, including a heat source and an insulation layer and (ii) an aerosol-generating segment including a substrate, which may include tobacco pellets and aerosol-forming material disposed in a substrate cavity between the heat generation segment and the mouth end; a piece of outer wrapping material that provides an overwrap around at least a portion of the aerosol-generating segment, the heat-generation segment, and at least a portion of the smokable segment and includes a foil strip laminated thereon; those segments being connected together by the overwrap to provide a cigarette rod; that is connected to the mouth-end segment using tipping material.

Abstract: A packaging system 100 includes a controller 102, an input device 104 in communication with the controller 102 that identifies one or more characteristics of the container, and a manual input device 106 in communication with the controller 102 that provides multiple input options for selection by a packer. The input options represent relative degrees to which a container is filled by one or more objects to be packaged. The controller 102 provides an output signal indicating a quantity of dunnage to dispense to the container based on the selected input option and the one or more identified characteristics of the container. Once the controller receives the container characteristics information, as well as the selected input option representing the relative degree to which the container is filled by the objects to be packaged, the controller can determine the number and lengths of dunnage strips that need to be provided to fill the remaining void in the container.

Abstract: An apparatus is disclosed for providing rods formed from a continuous supply of filter material for use in the manufacture of cigarette filter elements, each rod having individual objects placed at predetermined spaced intervals along the length thereof. The apparatus comprises a first hopper configured to provide a reservoir for objects, a second hopper positioned to receive objects from the first hopper, and a reciprocating screen disposed between the first hopper and the second hopper. The reciprocating screen defines a plurality of passageways therein, and the reciprocating screen is configured to facilitate transfer of the objects from the first hopper to the second hopper. The apparatus also comprises an object insertion unit in operable communication with the second hopper and configured to introduce a plurality of objects into engagement with the continuous supply of filter material.