Abstract: The precursor of a hydroprocessing catalyst is made by impregnating a metal oxide component comprising at least one metal from Group 6 of the Periodic Table and at least one metal from Groups 8-10 of the Periodic Table with an amide formed from a first organic compound containing at least one amine group, and a second organic compound containing at least one carboxylic acid group. Following impregnation heat treatment follows to form in situ generated unsaturation additional to that in the two organic compounds. The catalyst precursor is sulfided to form an active, sulfide hydroprocessing catalyst.

Abstract: An insulation system for beverage containers comprising: an inner container surrounding a plurality of cylindrical beverage containers contained in an inner container; a handle included in an inner container top panel; an outer container having a cavity defined in the outer container for receiving the inner container; a pair of lateral spacers disposed lengthwise along corresponding inner upper corners of the out container; an airspace defined between an inner container side panel and an external container side panel having a polygon cross-section; and, a handle access opening centrally defined in an outer container top panel allowing access to the handle of the inner container so that the beverage containers, inner container and out container can be transported using the handle wherein the width of the handle access opening is about one third the length of the outer panel top opening.

Abstract: A decorative device includes a wireless controller and a decoration. The wireless controller includes a memory, an interface, a mesh transceiver, and an electronic processor. The electronic processor is configured to receive an indication of a pairing input from the interface and control the mesh transceiver to form a mesh network with one or more mesh transceivers of a plurality of mesh transceivers. The electronic processor is also configured to receive an indication of a decorative control input from the interface and broadcast the decorative control input and a timing signal over the mesh network to synchronize one or more decorations of one or more decorative devices with the decoration.

Abstract: In an embodiment, interfacing a pipeline with two or more interfaces in a hardware processor includes providing a single pipeline in a hardware processor. The single pipeline presents at least two visible units. The single pipeline includes replicated architecturally visible structures, shared logic resources, and shared architecturally hidden structures. The method further includes receiving a request from one of a plurality of interfaces at one of the visible units. The method also includes tagging the request with an identifier based on the one of the at least two visible units that received the request. The method further includes processing the request in the single pipeline by propagating the request through the single pipeline through the replicated architecturally visible structures that correspond with the identifier.

Abstract: Cement compositions and processes for reducing air entrainment in a cement composition generally include mixing a hydraulic cement with a defoamer compositions including one or more organic acid ester polymers selected from an organic acid ester of polyethylene oxide polymer, an organic acid ester of polypropylene oxide polymer, and a mixture thereof. The compositions may further comprise an organic acid ester of an ethylene oxide-propylene oxide block copolymer.

Abstract: A device for determining the presence and/or quantity of one or more analytes in a sample of human body fluid has a container for receiving a sample of body fluid, with an interior that is delimited by a base and by a circumferential surface. It further comprises at least one test strip and a holding element for receiving and holding the one or more test strips. The holding element is designed such that it has a shape corresponding and adapted to the peripheral circumferential surface of the container. The device further comprises an elongate sampling element having an absorbent sampler that takes up the sample of body fluid and by means of which the sample of body fluid is transferred into the container. The sampling element can include an indicator strip for determining whether the amount of liquid sample sufficient for carrying out an assay.

Abstract: A bovine monitoring system may include a rumination sensor, a motion sensor, a posture sensor. The rumination sensor may detect chewing by sensing jaw motion. The motion sensor may detect motion. The posture sensor may detect orientation of the bovine asset through detection of gravitational acceleration, detection of gyroscopic rotation, or a combination of gravitational acceleration and gyroscopic rotation. Using the recorded rumination, motion, and posture sensors, the bovine asset monitoring system may identify aberrations in the estrous cycle or physical or mental health of the bovine assets. A bovine monitoring system may include a thermal scanning device to detect localized heating of the vulva area of the bovine asset, which may be used to identify aberrations in the estrous cycle or physical or mental health of the bovine assets.

Abstract: An occupancy-sensing apparatus a device control assembly including a detector configured to generate an image wherein the device control assembly includes one or more illumination sources configured to emit illumination including at least one wavelength of radiation measurable by the detector. The apparatus includes a controller communicatively coupled to the detector configured to detect occupants based on the image generated by the detector, wherein the controller is configured to determine an active state of the detected occupants, the activity state including at least one of a stationary state or moving state.

Abstract: A packaging system and method forms a bundled group of articles in an oriented arrangement, by applying a wrapping material to the articles via the bottoms of the articles while the oriented arrangement of articles is inverted and retained by a pallet. The wrapping material may be a sleeve of shrinkable material applied to the inverted end of the articles and shrunk to conform to the articles and form a base enclosing the bottoms of the articles. The articles are retained by the pallet in the oriented arrangement during the inverting, sleeving and bundling of the group of articles, to provide a bundled group including the articles securely contained by the shrunk wrapping in the oriented arrangement. The bundled group may include more than one type of article. The pallet may be configured to retain a top portion of the article, which may have an irregular or asymmetrical shape.

Abstract: The present invention is a bracelet that contains a cartridge holding a plurality of interior storage compartments that are each designed to hold one or more pills. A sliding door is used to withdraw the pills from any one compartment at a time. The bracelet comprises electronic components that enable it to activate a vibrating alarm at a prearranged time to remind the user to take her pills, and to track when the door has been opened to withdraw the pills, and to communicate the alarm and tracking information to an external electronic device, such as a mobile phone, via Bluetooth wireless communication.

Abstract: A video annotation interface includes a video pane configured to display a video, a video timeline bar including a video play-head indicating a current point of the video which is being played, a segment timeline bar including initial and final handles configured to define a segment of the video for playing, and a plurality of color-coded comment markers displayed in connection with the video timeline bar. Each of the comment markers is associated with a frame or segment of the video and corresponds to one or more annotations for that frame or segment made by one of a plurality of users. Each of the users can make annotations and view annotations made by other users. The annotations can include annotations corresponding to a plurality of modalities, including text, drawing, video, and audio modalities.

Abstract: Disclosed is a stacked array of a plurality of thin film batteries electrically connected in a staggered configuration, where the side edges of the array preferably generally conform to an interior surface of an electronic device or component thereof in order to save space. In an embodiment, the stacked array comprises at least one battery having a single surface in contact with a plurality of batteries. In another embodiment, a shaped array of a plurality of thin film batteries electrically are connected together, whereby a plurality of batteries are arranged in a single layer on a non-rectangular substrate adjacent to one another generally in the shape of the surface of the substrate. Additionally, a thin film battery is described having at least one via through the substrate and at least one other via through an insulation layer to provide electronic connection to the battery cell.

Abstract: A method for making proppant particles is provided. The method can include providing a slurry of ceramic raw material, the slurry containing a reactant including a polycarboxylic acid, and flowing the slurry through a nozzle in a gas while vibrating the slurry to form droplets. The method can also include receiving the droplets in a vessel containing a liquid having an upper surface in direct contact with the gas, the liquid containing a coagulation agent. The method can further include reacting the reactant with the coagulation agent to cause coagulation of the reactant in the droplets. The droplets can then be transferred from the liquid and dried to form green pellets. The method can include sintering the green pellets in a selected temperature range to form the proppant particles. In one or more exemplary embodiments, the reactant can be or include a PMA:PAA copolymer.

Abstract: A sealing assembly for sealing against a piece of oilfield equipment in a wellbore. The sealing assembly has a support housing and the support housing defines an inner wall and a port configured for fluid communication with the wellbore. Such inner wall defines a stop shoulder, and the support housing has a limit structure proximate one or both end(s). A sealing element is contained within the support housing. A ring is connected to the sealing element at one or both end(s). Each ring is configured for slidable movement along the inner wall of the support housing and further configured to float between the stop shoulder and the limit structure.

Abstract: Proppant particles formed from slurry droplets and methods of use are disclosed herein. The proppant particles can include a sintered ceramic material and can have a size of about 80 mesh to about 10 mesh and an average largest pore size of less than about 20 microns. The methods of use can include injecting a hydraulic fluid into a subterranean formation at a rate and pressure sufficient to open a fracture therein and injecting a fluid containing a proppant particle into the fracture, the proppant particle including a sintered ceramic material, a size of about 80 mesh to about 10 mesh, and an average largest pore size of less than about 20 microns.

Abstract: Novel systems and methods for interacting with a client device are described. The network-based systems and methods of the present teachings are capable of seeking feedback regarding individual performance and seeking information relating to work deliverable, such as assigning individuals tasks, conveying a “to-do list,” sharing an agenda between two or more users and managing goals of teams and/or individuals.

Abstract: Systems and methods thermal management of a directed energy weapon are provided. The system may include a controller module executable by a processor to determine a planned energy emission from a light-emitting diode (LED) of the directed energy weapon. The controller module may generate a cooling instruction to influence a temperature of the LED with a cooling fluid in response to the planned energy emission. The controller module may cause the cooling fluid to be applied to the LED in accordance with the cooling instruction prior to a start of the planned energy emission of the LED.

Abstract: A method, system, and computer program product provide a conversation agent to process natural language queries expressed by a user and perform commands according to the derived intention of the user. A natural language processing (NLP) engine derives intent using conditional random fields to identify a domain and at least one task embodied in the query. The NLP may further identify one or more subdomains, and one or more entities related to the identified command. A template system creates a data structure for information relevant to the derived intent and passes a template to a services manager for interfacing with one or more services capable of accomplishing the task. A dialogue manager may elicit more entities from the user if required by the services manager and otherwise engage in conversation with the user. In one embodiment, the conversational agent allows a user to engage in multiple conversations simultaneously.

Abstract: A medical system may include a shaft member and a structure physically coupled to the shaft member. A portion of the shaft member may be sized to be delivered through a bodily opening leading to a bodily cavity. The structure may include at least two flexible couplings, each flexible coupling extending transversely from an intermediate portion of a respective one of at least two elongate members of the structure. The flexible coupling extending transversely from the intermediate portion of a first one of the at least two elongate members forms at least a part of a first closed loop arranged to receive a portion of the flexible coupling of a second one of the at least two elongate members therethrough to limit a spacing between the intermediate portions of the first and the second ones of the at least two elongate members.

Abstract: At an electronic device with a touch-sensitive display, a remote camera control user interface may be displayed. In some examples, a user may provide input through a gesture at a location corresponding to the touch-sensitive display and/or through a rotation of a rotatable input mechanism to control a camera of an external device. Camera control may include control of the external device's camera features, including image capture, zoom settings, focus settings, flash settings, and timer settings, for example, and may also include access to the external device's library of previously captured images.