Abstract: A system, method, and apparatus are provided for indexing and sequentially storing variable-length data in a manner that facilitates reverse reading. Each entry stored in a log file, database, or other repository includes a data record having a fixed number of keys, a key offset corresponding to each key, and size metadata identifying a size of the data record (and possibly the key offsets). Each key offset is an offset to another entry (e.g., the matching key offset of the entry) whose data record features the same value for the corresponding key. An index identifies, for each given value of each key, an index offset to a first entry (e.g., the most recently stored entry) that has the given value for that key. Retrieving records matching a particular key value therefore simply involves following the corresponding index offset and then some number of key offsets.

Abstract: A system, method, and apparatus are provided for facilitating reverse reading of sequentially stored variable-length data records. Each record is stored with accompanying size metadata that identifies the size or length of the record. Further, if the length of a given record is greater than a threshold (e.g., 127 bytes when the length is stored with variable-length quantity encoding), such that more than one byte (or other storage unit) is needed to store the record length, an additional byte (or other unit) is configured to store the size/length of the record length (e.g., the number of bytes required to store the record length). The most significant bit of the additional byte is set to 1, so that during reverse reading, the location and size of the record length value can be quickly determined.

Abstract: During a feedback technique, a system that provides a social network requests feedback regarding an initial connection strength associated with an edge between two nodes in the social graph, which are associated with an entity and a counterparty, respectively. Note that the social graph represents interactions among users of the social network. Based on the feedback, the system determines a directional asymmetry between revised connection strengths received from the entity and the counterparty. Then, the system performs a remedial action based on the determined directional asymmetry, such as adjusting the connection strength of the edge. In addition, the remedial action may include: feedback about an accuracy of the initial connection strength, estimating a power distance between the entity and the counterparty, and/or encouraging interaction between the entity and the counterparty.

Abstract: The disclosed embodiments provide a system for processing data. During operation, the system obtains a graph of a social network, wherein the graph includes a set of nodes representing users in the social network and a set of edges representing relationships between pairs of the users. Next, the system stores, on a single computer system, a static representation of the graph, wherein the static representation includes a first set of fixed-size blocks representing the nodes and the edges and a first index that maps a set of identifiers for the nodes and the edges to offsets of the first set of fixed-size blocks. The system then uses the static representation of the graph to process, by the single computer system, one or more queries of the graph.

Abstract: A social graph is divided into a series of partial graphs having limited hops and reference counts. For each of a plurality of nodes in the social graph, a partial graph for the node is created having a first degree list of nodes reachable in one hop and a second degree list of nodes reachable in two hops. Reference counts of how many paths exist between the node and each node reachable in two hops are also added to the second degree list. A global inverted index is maintained containing a list of all nodes in the social graph and for each node in the social graph a list of nodes that directly connect to the node. The partial graphs created for each of the plurality of nodes are distributed across a plurality of data servers. An index of which partial graphs are stored on which data servers is maintained.

Abstract: During a feedback technique, a system that provides a social network requests feedback regarding an initial connection strength associated with an edge between two nodes in the social graph, which are associated with an entity and a counterparty, respectively. Note that the social graph represents interactions among users of the social network. Based on the feedback, the system determines a directional asymmetry between revised connection strengths received from the entity and the counterparty. Then, the system performs a remedial action based on the determined directional asymmetry, such as adjusting the connection strength of the edge. In addition, the remedial action may include: feedback about an accuracy of the initial connection strength, estimating a power distance between the entity and the counterparty, and/or encouraging interaction between the entity and the counterparty.

Abstract: Automating techniques provide a way to create efficient test programs for characterizing semiconductor devices, such as those on a silicon die sample. Typically, test program creation is a drawn out process involving data entry for every test to be run as part of the test program. The described techniques improve test algorithm selection and automatically populate the test algorithm data in creating the test program. The automatic population may occur by accessing test structure, header, and test algorithm catalogs. The test structure catalog contains physical data for the test program, while the header catalog contains global parameter values. The test algorithm catalog has all of the various test algorithms that may be run in a given test, where these test algorithms may be in a template form and specific to any number of different test language abstractions. After test program creation, a validation process is executed to determine if the test program data is valid.