Abstract: The present disclosure is related to thermostable Y-family polymerases, in particular several novel Y-family polymerases and chimeras made therefrom, as well as methods of identifying other Y-family polymerases, methods of generating other chimeric Y-family polymerases, methods of amplifying ancient or damaged DNA, and methods of incorporating fluorescent or modified nucleotides into a DNA molecule.

Abstract: A system, method, and computer program product are used to make recurring loan payments (e.g., mortgage payments) through a transaction card account. Information is received at a transaction account system from a loan company system corresponding to an application received at the loan company system from a requester for a loan involving automatic debits to a transaction card account. A determination is made as to whether the requestor is eligible for the loan to be associated with a transaction card account. If not, the customer receives a communication of rejection. If eligible, a determination is made whether the transaction account system has stored therein a transaction card account of the requestor. If no, a transaction card account is opened for the requester and associated with the loan. If yes, the loan payment is associated with the transaction card account bill. Periodic debits to the transaction card account are automatically made that correspond to a recurring loan payment amount for the loan.

Abstract: A method, system and computer-usable medium are disclosed for managing purchase, billing, and payment transactions. A unique identifier of a consolidated purchase card account, issued by a service provider to a user, is accepted by a plurality of vendors as a proxy of the unique identifier of their own vendor-issued purchase card account. Purchase transactions resulting from acceptance of the consolidated purchase card account are processed to produce an individual billing statement for each vendor. The individual billing statements are aggregated into a consolidated billing statement by the service provider, which is then presented to the user on behalf of each vendor. The user reviews the consolidated billing statement and provides payment instructions to the service provider. The payment instructions are processed to pay funds from a funding account of the user to each respective vendor.

Abstract: A migration method using hybrid one-way and full-way (HOF) wave equation propagation. The HOF method extrapolates seismic wavefields in less complex media with a one-way wave equation propagator and extrapolates seismic wavefields in extremely complex media with a full-way wave equation propagator. For prestack depth migration, the HOF extrapolates source-side and receiver-side wavefields independently. Frequency-space domain and time-space domain imaging conditions are applied to the one-way and the full-way extrapolated wavefields, respectively. A suitable amplitude matching factor is introduced to combine the one-way and full-way images. The HOF method is a cost-effective migration that produces superior image quality with less noises and less computational resources.

Abstract: A formation tester tool can include a longitudinal probe drill collar having a surface, a formation probe assembly located within the probe drill collar, the formation probe assembly including a piston reciprocal between a retracted position and an extended position beyond the probe drill collar surface, the piston being slidingly retained within a chamber, a seal pad located at an end of the piston, the seal pad including an outer surface defining a partial cylindrical surface. The piston includes an outer surface having non-circular cross-sectional shape and the chamber includes an inner surface having a non-circular shape similar to the shape of the piston outer surface. The formation tester tool can include interchangeable draw down assemblies and a flow bore having a curving path.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for identifying a relationship between multiple interrelated applications running in a mainframe environment. A repository is created to store information describing the multiple interrelated applications from the mainframe environment. A target application among the multiple interrelated applications is identified, and a frequency and a dependency relationship between the application and the multiple interrelated applications is determined. The relationship is displayed via a user interface. The relationship may be used to identify a cause of a failure in a mainframe environment.

Abstract: Methods, systems and computer program products are provided for enabling access to mass transit systems using a financial transaction instrument including reading an identifier including financial payment information from the financial transaction instrument and determining whether the identifier is stored in a database. Access to a holder of the financial transaction instrument is provided based on the determining.

Abstract: A startup system for a solar boiler includes a main fluid circuit having a plurality of solar boiler panels for generating power from solar energy. An auxiliary fluid circuit is selectively connected in fluid communication with the main fluid circuit by a plurality of valves. An auxiliary boiler is operatively connected to the auxiliary fluid circuit. The valves connecting the auxiliary fluid circuit to the main fluid circuit are configured to be opened and closed to selectively place the auxiliary boiler in fluid communication with portions of the main fluid circuit to supply heat to the portions of the main fluid circuit in preparation to produce power from solar energy.

Abstract: Methods of inhibiting the corrosion of a metal surface contacted by an aqueous acid solution. The methods combine a corrosion inhibiting composition with the aqueous acid solution, wherein the corrosion inhibiting composition comprises a reaction product of an alpha,beta-unsaturated ketone with a primary or secondary amine. The metal surface is then contacted with the aqueous acid solution comprising the corrosion inhibiting composition, thereby inhibiting corrosion thereon.

Abstract: One or more classification algorithms are applied to at least one natural language document in order to extract both attributes and values of a given product. Supervised classification algorithms, semi-supervised classification algorithms, unsupervised classification algorithms or combinations of such classification algorithms may be employed for this purpose. The at least one natural language document may be obtained via a public communication network. Two or more attributes (or two or more values) thus identified may be merged to form one or more attribute phrases or value phrases. Once attributes and values have been extracted in this manner, association or linking operations may be performed to establish attribute-value pairs that are descriptive of the product. In a presently preferred embodiment, an (unsupervised) algorithm is used to generate seed attributes and values which can then support a supervised or semi-supervised classification algorithm.

Abstract: The present invention involves spending loyalty points over a computerized network to facilitate a transaction. With this system, a loyalty program participant is able to use an existing transaction card to purchase an item over a computerized network, while at the same time offsetting the cost of that transaction by converting loyalty points to a currency value credit and having the credit applied to the participant's financial transaction account. Currency credit from converted loyalty points may also be applied to stored value cards, online digital wallet accounts and the like. Further, currency credit may also be applied to other accounts to effect a gift or donation.

Abstract: Commercial size of spending wallet (“CSoSW”) is the total business spend of a business including cash but excluding bartered items. Commercial share of wallet (“CSoW”) is the portion of the spending wallet that is captured by a particular financial company. A modeling approach utilizes various data sources to provide outputs that describe a company's spend capacity. Marketing companies that sell lists compile those lists by searching one or more databases for names and/or businesses that match certain criteria. Those marketing companies can use the CSoW/CSoSW modeling approach to show predicted spend and/or revenues for each company on a list. This makes the list more valuable to list buyers.

Abstract: The invention concerns a method of distributing one or more digital vouchers to the communications device of a user comprising: identifying, based on a user input to the communications device (106), a plurality of digital vouchers; displaying on a display of said communications device an advertising link to each of said plurality of digital vouchers; and in response to a selection by said user of one or more of said advertising links, transmitting one or more digital vouchers corresponding to said selected links to said communications device.

Abstract: The content management application is an intranet application which provides a process for implementing changes to an internet website of a company by providing the company the ability to define and enforce a common style of page layout. The application can be accessed via a desktop browser and multiple users may access the application for multiple reasons at the same time. The application also dynamically generates new page designs and new component design with various people assigned to groups or teams enabling the continuous creation and processing of content. Once the content is created and reviewed, it is then launched onto the company's internet site for viewing by the internet users accessing the company's web page.

Abstract: At least one quasi-identifier attribute of a plurality of ranked attributes is selected for use in anonymizing a database. Each of the ranked attributes is ranked according to that attribute's effect on a database-centric application (DCA) being tested. In an embodiment, the selected quasi-identifier attribute(s) has the least effect on the DCA. The database is anonymized based on the selected quasi-identifier attribute(s) to provide a partially-anonymized database, which may then be provided to a testing entity for use in testing the DCA. In an embodiment, during execution of the DCA, instances of database queries are captured and analyzed to identify a plurality of attributes from the database and, for each such attribute identified, the effect of the attribute on the DCA is quantified. In this manner, databases can be selectively anonymized in order to balance the requirements of data privacy against the utility of the data for testing purposes.

Abstract: A new and distinct variety of Lagerstroemia (indica×fauriei) plant named ‘JD818’, characterized by its unique blooming time, dense, broad and spreading to weeping growth habit, fast growth rate and attractive lavender flowers is disclosed.

Abstract: A solution is provided for a method for a user to shop online in a three dimensional (3D) virtual reality (VR) setting by receiving a request at a shopping server to view a shopping location, having at least one store, and displaying the shopping location to the user's computer in a 3D interactive simulation view via a web browser to emulate a real-life shopping experience for the user. The server then obtains a request to enter into one of the stores and displays the store website to the user in the same web browser. The store website has one or more enhanced VR features. The server then receives a request to view at least one product and the product is presented in a 3D interactive simulation view to emulate a real-life viewing of the product.

Abstract: A new and distinct variety of Lagerstroemia (indica×fauriei) plant named ‘JD900’, characterized by its unique blooming time, dense, broad and spreading to weeping growth habit, fast growth rate and attractive light pink flowers which quickly change to white is disclosed.

Abstract: In one embodiment of the invention, a method to detect fraud includes a) receiving by the computer system from a source information regarding a plurality of played coupons for at least one game, wherein the plurality of played coupons comprises at least one first coupon; b) populating by the computer system a two-dimensional array for each played game from the received information, wherein the at least one two-dimensional array holds aggregated game statistics, c) storing by the computer system the at least one two-dimensional array with in a data structure; d) scanning, using the received information for the at least one first coupon, by the computer system the at least one data structure to identify at least one abnormal pattern; and e) generating, when the at least one abnormal pattern is identified, by the computer system an alert prior to a payout on the at least one first coupon.

Abstract: A new and distinct variety of Lagerstroemia (indica×fauriei) plant named ‘JD827’, characterized by its unique blooming time, dense, upright, broad, spreading to globose growth habit, fast growth rate and attractive Purple flowers is disclosed.