Abstract: A grenade round 10 comprises a projectile 12, a case 14 and a high-low propellant propulsion system 16. The system 16 includes a propellant chamber assembly 30 for holding a propelling charge 32. The assembly 30 comprises a chamber body insert 38 which defines an internal cavity and a base plate insert 42 which closes off the internal cavity. The insert 38 is screwed into the case, while the insert 42 is screwed into the insert 38. The insert 42 defines a circumferential flange 60 which extends beyond and abuts a rim formation of the insert 38. The inserts define a high strength housing for the propelling charge which is able to withstand the high pressures resulting from combustion of the propelling charge. The flange provides a relatively large area for dissipation of energy resulting from combustion of the propelling charge, into the interface between the base plate insert and the case.

Abstract: In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, systems and methods for determining a dynamic effective elastic modulus of a composite slickline or wireline cable are provided. A system for estimating the effective elastic modulus (or change thereof) may include a sensing head assembly, a vibration generator, a pair of pulleys, and an optical-based signal processing assembly. The system may detect a resonant frequency of a section of the composite cable held between the two pulleys and estimate the effective elastic modulus based on the detected resonant frequency variation. Adjustments for weight and length of the cable extending into the wellbore may be made as well to determine the dynamic elastic modulus of the cable. The opto-mechanical integrated system described below may enable real-time elastic modulus determination.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method and system for authenticating identification of a customer during interaction with a company representative. Data is received and stored relating to the customer at a computer. The data includes one or more identification attributes associated with the customer and one or more authentication data attributes associated with the customer. An interaction is commenced between the customer and the company representative. Captured is one or more identification attributes and authentication data attributes relating to customer from the interaction between the customer and the company representative. The customer is identified by matching a captured identification attribute with a stored identification attribute. The customer is authenticated by matching a captured authentication data attribute with a like stored authentication data attribute associated with the identified customer.

Abstract: Various embodiments of systems, methods, and computer programs are disclosed for providing real-time resources to participants in an audio conference session. One embodiment is a method for providing real-time resources to participants in an audio conference session via a communication network. One such method comprises: a conferencing system establishing an audio conference session between a plurality of computing devices via a communication network, each computing device generating a corresponding audio stream comprising a speech signal; and in real-time during the audio conference session, a server: receiving and processing the audio streams to determine the speech signals; extracting words from the speech signals; analyzing the extracted words to determine a relevant keyword being discussed in the audio conference session; identifying a resource related to the relevant keyword; and providing the resource to one or more of the computing devices.

Abstract: A system and method provide rewards or loyalty incentives to card member customers. The system includes an enrolled card member customer database, an enrolled merchant database, a participating merchant offer database and a registered card processor. The enrolled card member customer database includes transaction accounts of card member customers enrolled in a loyalty incentive program. The enrolled merchant database includes a list of merchants participating in the loyalty incentive program. The participating merchant offer database includes loyalty incentive offers from participating merchants. The registered card processor receives a record for charge for a purchase made with an enrolled merchant by an enrolled card member customer and uses the record of charge to determine whether the purchase qualifies for a rebate credit in accordance with a discount offer from the enrolled merchant.

Abstract: A method and system for identifying personal context of a user having a portable mobile communication device at a particular location for deriving social interaction information of the user, wherein the user within a predefined range is identified using personal context of the user at the particular location and the identified personal context of the user is assigned with the confidence value. Further the current location information of the user within the particular location is obtained by fusing assigned confidence value. Further the proximity of the user in the current location is estimated by finding the accurate straight line distance between users. Further the two users having similar current location information at the particular location are grouped together with the predefined density criteria. Finally the social interaction information of the user is derived by multimodal sensor data fusion at the fusion engine and represented using a human network graph.

Abstract: A system and method for implementing a server-based speech recognition system for multimodal automated interaction in a vehicle includes receiving, by a vehicle driver, audio prompts by an on-board human-to-machine interface and a response with speech to complete tasks such as creating and sending text messages, web browsing, navigation, etc. This service-oriented architecture is utilized to call upon specialized speech recognizers in an adaptive fashion. The human-to-machine interface enables completion of a text input task while driving a vehicle in a way that minimizes the frequency of the driver's visual and mechanical interactions with the interface, thereby eliminating unsafe distractions during driving conditions. After the initial prompting, the typing task is followed by a computerized verbalization of the text. Subsequent interface steps can be visual in nature, or involve only sound.

Abstract: A hosts file manager is provided that displays a user interface with a list of selectable server groups. The list may comprise, for example, identifications server groups. Each server group corresponds to an IP address, and the hosts file manager has access to such IP address data. A user selection of a first server group may be made and received via said user interface. A computer's hosts file may then be modified to correlate a hostname with an IP address of the selected server group.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method and system for managing transaction card accounts involves enabling a transaction card account by a card issuer for use with pre-defined categories of providers of goods/services and goods/services sold and issuing a transaction card and establishing an associated pre-qualified category card account. Upon receiving data for a transaction with the transaction card at a transaction terminal by a processing platform of the card issuer via a card association processing network, the category of the provider and goods/services is interrogated to determine whether or not the transaction can be posted on the pre-qualified category card account of the cardholder, and the transaction is approved and posted to the pre-qualified category card account if the transaction falls within the pre-qualified category of the cardholder.

Abstract: A liner assembly (100) includes a drill string (120) to drill a borehole (105) in a formation (110). The liner assembly further includes a liner assembly releasably coupled to the drill string to move with the drill string in the borehole while the drill string drills, and to be released from the drill string in the borehole after the drill string drills to a depth.

Abstract: Provided is a device for iontophoretic delivery of a drug to or into a tissue, including an arrangement that prevents operation of the device at a current density that is higher than a predetermined value, the arrangement including first means responsive to a first data item, indicative of the surface area through which the current is to pass, as to set the maximal current allowed at the surface area indicated by the data item. Also provided is a method for iontophorectivally administering drug to or into a tissue, including determining a maximal allowed level of current density and preventing application of current density above the maximal allowed level.

Abstract: Disclosed are a method and a system for monitoring one or more activities offered by a software application in a computer network. The method comprises monitoring a response time for one or more activities. The one or more activities are performed by a software application. The method further comprises comparing the response time of the one or more activities with a corresponding pre-defined threshold time. The method also comprises detecting a faulty activity of the one or more activities based on the comparison. The method further comprises highlighting a code snippet corresponding to the faulty activity in a source code of the software application.

Abstract: Systems and methods for determining whether mechanical fatigue exists in a downhole cable using thermally-induced acoustic waves are disclosed herein. A cable fatigue monitoring system includes a thermal source, one or more light sources, one or more photodetector arrays, and a computing system comprising a processor, a memory, and a cable distortion module. The cable distortion module is operable to generate acoustic waves in a cable using the thermal source, direct light from the one or more light sources toward the cable, detect light from the one or more light sources transmitted past the cable at the one or more photodetector arrays, and determine, based on the detected light transmitted past the cable, whether a change in velocity of the acoustic waves has occurred in the cable.

Abstract: An action oriented social collaboration system monitors users' interactions with computer software applications. The system provides the interactions to a social networking system. The system publishes the interactions data to a social networking/collaboration interface viewable by members of a group, such as a project team. The system not only publishes data corresponding to a user's interactions with the computer software application, but also publishes the user's interactions with the computer software application to interfaces corresponding to other project team members as well.

Abstract: In some embodiments, an apparatus and a system, as well as a method and an article, may operate to receive gamma ray measurements from a gamma ray detector; to generate a spectrum based on the gamma ray measurements, the spectrum including channels and count rates for the channels, wherein a channel number of a channel corresponds to energy values associated with the gamma ray measurements; to generate a ratio of total counts in a first window of the spectrum to total counts in a second window of the spectrum, the first window including a first set of channels starting at a low threshold channel and the second window including a second set of channels; and to adjust a gain of the gamma ray detector responsive to a determination that the ratio is different from a desired ratio. Additional apparatus, systems, and methods are disclosed.

Abstract: A method including receiving, at a first system from a first entity, a request comprising a merchant identifier. The method also includes determining, at the first system, using the merchant account database, first information comprising an account identifier of a second account of the merchant maintained by a second financial institution. The method additionally includes sending the first information from the first system to the first financial institution. The method further includes receiving, at the first system from the first financial institution, payment information regarding a deposit to be made in the second account from the first account to pay the merchant for one or more items to be purchased from the merchant by the consumer for the payment amount.

Abstract: A dynamic banner may be displayed in a merchant check out page sourced from a merchant server that may be customized to a particular user and/or merchant. The dynamic banner may be provided by a transaction account provider server and may invite the user to select an offer. In response to the user's interaction with the offer, the characteristics of the merchant check out page may be changed, for example, a product may be discounted, and/or a new transaction account may be issued to the user by the transaction account provider server and used to complete the checkout process via cross document messaging and cross domain scripting. In this manner, the merchant server and the transaction account provider server may interact with a user within a single web page.

Abstract: Compositions and methods for the treatment of Chlamydial infection are disclosed. The compositions provided include polypeptides that contain at least one antigenic portion of a Chlamydia antigen and DNA sequences encoding such polypeptides. Pharmaceutical compositions, vaccines and diagnostic kits are also disclosed.

Abstract: An electronic smoking article includes a liquid supply including liquid material, a heater operable to heat the liquid material to a temperature sufficient to vaporize the liquid material and form an aerosol, a wick in communication with the liquid material and in communication with the heater such that the wick delivers the liquid material to the heater, at least one air inlet operable to deliver air to a central air passage upstream of the heater, and a mouth end insert having at least two diverging outlets.