Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer programs are presented for adding new features to a network service. A method includes receiving an image depicting an object of interest. A category set is determined for the object of interest and an image signature is generated for the image. Using the category set and the image signature, the method identifies a set of publications within a publication database and assigns a rank to each publication. The method causes presentation of the ranked list of publications at a computing device from which the image was received.

Abstract: Systems and methods for are provided for predicting impending failure of a database and preemptively initiating mitigating failover actions, for example by shedding connections or redirecting connection requests to an alternate database that can fulfill resources being requested. In an example embodiment, to detect a slow or unstable database, connection wait times are monitored over a rolling window of time intervals, a quantity of intervals in which at least one excessive wait time event occurred are counted during the time window, and if the quantity exceeds a threshold, the database is deemed unavailable, thereby triggering connection adjustments.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer storage media for processing search queries using relevance-based search refinement are provided. In response to a search query, search result items are displayed on a search interface along with selectable guidance attributes. The guidance attributes are an identified ranked set of characteristics of items based on historical user interactions of users interacting with the search result items provided in response to the search query. Upon selection of a guidance attribute, a guidance-attribute control having embedded selectable values is displayed. A selection of an embedded value is received to cause execution of an embedded-value search operation. A first embedded-value search operation is executed to identify a subset of the items using the selected value.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and articles of manufacture, including computer program products, are provided for image cleanup. In some embodiments, there is provide a method which may include subsampling a first image to a first level image of a multiscale transform; performing, based on a machine learning model, an identification of a foreground portion of the first level image and a background portion of the first level image; generating, based on the identification of the foreground portion and the background portion, a first mask; upscaling the first mask to a resolution corresponding to the first image depicting the foreground item; applying the upscaled first mask to the first image to form a second image depicting the foreground item; and providing the second image depicting the foreground item to a publication system. Related systems and articles of manufacture, including computer program products, are also provided.

Abstract: A method for compressing data in a local cache of a web server is described. A local cache compression engine accesses values in the local cache and determines a cardinality of the values of the local cache. The local cache compression engine determines a compression rate of a compression algorithm based on the cardinality of the values of the local cache. The compression algorithm is applied to the cache based on the compression rate to generate a compressed local cache.

Abstract: In various example embodiments, a system and method for managing media bandwidth usage are disclosed. One disclosed method includes determining a network connection state of a computing device, receiving a request that requests media content, altering the request to request a synthetic representation of the media content instead of the media content in response to the network connection state being one of a set of predefined network connection states and the media content violating one or more restrictions of the network connection state, and requesting the media content in response to a user selecting the synthetic representation.

Abstract: Technologies are shown for buyer initiated automatic seller account generation where a buyer client receives an identification of a purchase item, generates an item token corresponding to the purchase item, and provides the item token to a seller client. The seller client authenticates a seller user with an authentication service, such as a biometric authentication service, receives an authentication token corresponding to the seller user, and sends an account creation request with the item token and the authentication token to an account creation service. The account creation service receives the account creation request, sends a user information request to the authentication service with the authentication token and receives seller information for the seller user from the authentication service. The account creation service creates a seller user account using the seller information, commits a purchase transaction for the purchase item, and sends an item purchase confirmation to the buyer client.

Abstract: Various embodiments use a neural network to analyze images for aspects that characterize the images, to present locations of those aspects on the images, and, additionally, to permit a user to interact with those locations on the images. For example, a user may interact with a visual cue over one of those locations to modify, refine, or filter the results of a visual search, performed on a publication corpus, that uses an input image (e.g., one captured using a mobile device) as a search query.

Abstract: Technologies are disclosed herein for distributing information. The disclosed technologies determine an application element configured to receive information that is updated at a variable rate, the information pertaining to an object. Feature data is received that is associated with the object and data associated with use of the application element. The feature data includes a time horizon for the object and supplemental information associated with the object. Based on the feature data and the data associated with use of the application element, a first rate is predicted for sending the information about the object to the application element. The information is sent to the application element at the first rate.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer program products for identifying a candidate product in an electronic marketplace based on a visual comparison between candidate product image visual content and input query image visual content. Embodiments generate and store descriptive image signatures from candidate product images or selected portions of such images. A subsequently calculated visual similarity measure serves as a visual search result score for the candidate product in comparison to an input query image. Any number of images of any number of candidate products may be analyzed, such as for items available for sale in an online marketplace. Image analysis results are stored in a database and made available for subsequent automated on-demand visual comparisons to an input query image. The embodiments enable substantially real time visual based product searching of a potentially vast catalog of items.

Abstract: An experimentation platform controls testing of features by an application server. Based on a user identifier, the experimentation platform determines which feature should be provided, and the application server provides the corresponding version of a user interface. If the user behavior data shows that using a tested feature results in an improvement, the tested feature will be adopted. To determine whether or not an improvement is observed, a statistically significant amount of data is gathered. The experimentation platform gathers data regarding user behavior for the feature versions and, in response, adjusts the frequency at which each version is served. Providing the proposed version to an increased percentage of users decreases the total number of page serves required to gather statistically significant data. The experimentation platform may provide an updated projected time to completion of testing based on the changed percentage of users receiving the proposed version.

Abstract: In various example embodiments, a system and method for dynamically generating user interface elements and associated values are presented. An item listing and profile data are accessed. A set of user interface elements are dynamically generated based on the item listing and the profile data, with each user interface element configured to perform an action on the item listing. A set of values are dynamically determined, with each value being associated with a user interface element of the set of user interface elements. The set of user interface elements are then caused to be presented within the item listing.

Abstract: The disclosed technologies include receiving a request from a second computing device to verify ownership of a blockchain address. A challenge content is generated and sent to the requestor. A signature is received comprising a hash of the challenge content generated using a private key. A public key corresponding to the private key is obtained, and the signature is validated using the public key. In response to validating the signature, a characteristic is associated with a user associated with the blockchain address.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method includes determining a set of target listings, retrieving a seed image associated with the seed listing, the seed listing is categorized within a first item category, and generating a seed item feature vector for the seed image using a convolutional neural network (CNN) trained with images of items. The method also includes identifying a plurality of feature vectors associated with the first item category, comparing the seed item feature vector to the plurality of feature vectors using a k-nearest neighbors (kNN) algorithm, and generating a set of nearest neighbor listings to the seed listing. The method further includes storing the set of nearest neighbor listings as associated with the seed listing, selecting one or more nearest neighbor listings from the set of nearest neighbors, and presenting the one or more nearest neighbor listings as a recommendation to a user of the online e-commerce system.

Abstract: Technologies described reduce the amount of time between requesting content and receiving the requested content. In some embodiments, a client provides a search query. A search result page is generated and, prior to returning the search result page to the client, some or all of the search results are asynchronously pre-fetched and cached. The search query can include custom parameters that are also included in the pre-fetch requests. Web addresses in the search results page can be modified to indicate whether a prefetch operation was initiated. Once a user activates one of the search results, the responding web server uses the cached data while generating a response.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer program products for identifying a relevant candidate product in an electronic marketplace. Embodiments perform a visual similarity comparison between candidate product image visual content and input query image visual content, process formal and informal natural language user inputs, and coordinate aggregated past user interactions with the marketplace stored in a knowledge graph. Visually similar items and their corresponding product categories, aspects, and aspect values can determine suggested candidate products without discernible delay during a multi-turn user dialog. The user can then refine the search for the most relevant items available for purchase by providing responses to machine-generated prompts that are based on the initial search results from visual, voice, and/or text inputs. An intelligent online personal assistant can thus guide a user to the most relevant candidate product more efficiently than existing search tools.

Abstract: Software is increasingly being developed as a collection of loosely coupled applications. Loosely coupled applications exchange data by publishing data to and retrieving data from a data store, such as a database, a file located on a storage cluster, etc. Data produced by one application and consumed by another is referred to as a data dependency. In some embodiments, an application's data dependencies are identified by analyzing cached query plans associated with the application. Query plans include a hierarchical representation of a query, where non-leaf nodes represent commands and leaf nodes identify data dependencies. An application's data dependencies are identified by traversing the hierarchical representation of the query. Data dependencies consumed by the application are identified by finding leaf nodes that descend from a read command, while data dependencies produced by the application are identified by finding leaf nodes that descend from a write command.

Abstract: Systems and methods for multi-directional visual browsing on an electronic device are described. In example embodiments, a primary result and a peripheral result are determined. A display layout based on attributes associated with the primary result and the peripheral result is generated. The display layout is then formatted into instructions, which will cause a device to render the display layout. The instructions are transmitted to the client device.

Abstract: A system and method includes a first device with one or more processors coupled to a memory that executes instructions from the memory to perform the steps of receiving a request to begin a videogame; streaming video of the videogame to an audience; determine a popularity of the streaming video; and changing the videogame mechanics based on the popularity of the streaming video.

Abstract: Described are computing systems and methods configured to detect a small, but meaningful, anomaly within one or more metrics associated with a platform. The system displays visuals of the metrics so that a user monitoring the platform can effectively notice a problem associated with the anomaly and take appropriate action to remediate the problem. An operational visual includes a radar-based visual with a heatmap arranging metrics, and a node representing a state of the metrics. Moreover, the system uses an ensemble of unsupervised machine learning algorithms for multi-dimensional clustering of hundreds of thousands of monitored metrics. Via the visuals and the implementation of the machine learning algorithms, the described techniques provide an improved way of representing and simulating many metrics being monitored for a platform. Moreover, the techniques are configured to expose actionable and useful information associated with the platform in a manner that can be effectively interpreted.