Abstract: An e-vaping device may include a pre-vapor formulation tank configured to hold a pre-vapor formulation, an adaptor that includes a vaporizer assembly configured to vaporize the pre-vapor formulation, and a flavor insert positioned to receive vapors formed by the vaporizer assembly. The flavor insert may hold at least one flavorant. The tank, adaptor, and flavor insert may be a non-combustible vaping element that includes a channel into which the flavor insert may be inserted to be positioned to receive the vapors. The flavor insert and the vaporizer assembly may be at opposing ends of the channel. The flavor insert may be a detachable insert configured to be inserted into the tank element. The flavor element may be a tobacco element. The tobacco element may be at least a portion of a cigarette.

Abstract: A computing system may train an autoencoder to generate a first set of codes from a first set of thermal video images of activities of a user in an environment. The activities may represent routine behaviors of the user in the environment. The computing system may use an unsupervised machine-learning algorithm to categorize the first set of codes into a set of clusters. The computing system may use the autoencoder to determine a code representative of a second set of thermal video images of an activity in the environment. Based on the code not being associated with any cluster in the set of clusters, the computing system may determine that the code is an anomalous code. The computing system may perform an alert action based on the anomalous code.

Abstract: A conditions monitoring system may include a system controller. The controller may include a device processor and a non-transitory computer readable medium. The computer readable medium may include instructions executable by the device processor to perform the following steps: receiving positional data from a plurality of wearable devices of a plurality of associated wearers; receiving physical data regarding the wearers from the wearable devices; making a determination of a possible dangerous environmental condition based on the data received from the wearable devices, including the positional data and the physical data; and providing instructions to the wearable devices for the wearers to follow to avoid danger related to the dangerous environmental condition.

Abstract: Encryption is performed at the field level within a data object, in response to an encryption indicator. Encrypted fields are nulled or zeroed out and the encrypted values are stored in encryption metadata with a path identifying the locations of the encrypted fields. An encrypted data key is appended with a decryption identifier and stored in the encryption metadata. The encrypted data object may be reformatted while encrypted. The encrypted data key is extracted from the encryption metadata and the decryption identifier is used to identify a master key used to decrypt the encrypted data key. The data key is used to decrypt the encrypted values and the decrypted values are stored in the fields identified by the paths.

Abstract: A requestor and a responder may conduct secure communication by making API calls based on a secure multi-party protocol. The requestor may send a request data packet sent in a API request to the responder, where the request data packet can include at least a control block that is asymmetrically encrypted and a data block that is symmetrically encrypted. The responder may return a response data packet to the requestor, where the response data packet can include at least a control block and a data block that are both symmetrically encrypted. The requestor and the responder may derive the keys for decrypting the encrypted portions of the request and response data packets based on some information only known to the requestor and the responder. The secure multi-party protocol forgoes the need to store and manage keys in a hardware security module.

Abstract: A device may receive a merchant query including first merchant data associated with a first merchant. The first merchant data may be provided, as input, to a merchant matching model associated with a merchant data structure, the merchant matching model having been trained to determine a measure of confidence that input merchant data corresponds to an existing merchant in the merchant data structure. The device may receive, as output from the merchant matching model, a measure of confidence that the first merchant data corresponds to a second merchant, the second merchant being associated with second merchant data stored in the merchant data structure. The device may also determine, based on the measure of confidence, that the first merchant corresponds to the second merchant. Based on the determination, the device may obtain the second merchant data from the merchant data structure and perform an action based on the second merchant data.

Abstract: Auditing data containing sensitive data are stored in a data structure comprising data objects. Each data object comprises one or more pairs of a name and a value. Pairs that are flagged or identified as containing sensitive data are partially encrypted; the value is encrypted using an asymmetric key and the name corresponding to the encrypted value remains unencrypted. Some pairs that are not flagged or identified as containing sensitive data are left unencrypted. Unencrypted data may be stored in the partially encrypted auditing data as plain text. The auditing data may be analyzed to generate business metrics and identify application errors. The auditing data may also be queried, and data objects containing unencrypted pairs and/or partially encrypted pairs may be returned based on matching unencrypted names and/or values to the data query.

Abstract: A method for preparing a shelf stable spore-containing probiotic alimentary additive is disclosed, the method including providing a liquid slurry including spores from at least one spore-forming probiotic bacterial strain, a saccharide, and a humectant; and pasteurizing the liquid slurry to yield the alimentary additive. The alimentary additive may have a water activity (Aw) of less than about 0.7. The alimentary additive may have a pH from about 2.0 to 9.5. A plurality of the spores may remain in an un-germinated state and uniformly suspended for at least two months after the pasteurizing to yield a shelf stable spore-containing probiotic alimentary additive.

Abstract: A computing device establishes communication with a financial institution communication device, and receives an instruction for a user to perform an action to authenticate the user. The action includes providing user-provided data indicative of a location. The computing device determines first location information based on the user-provided data. The computing device also determines second location information using a location sensor. The computing device authenticates the used based on determining that the first location information correlates to the second location information.

Abstract: The subject disclosure provides for a mechanism implemented with neural networks through machine learning to predict wear and relative performance metrics for performing repairs on drill bits in a next repair cycle, which can improve decision making by drill bit repair model engines, drill bit design, and help reduce the cost of drill bit repairs. The machine learning mechanism includes obtaining drill bit data from different data sources and integrating the drill bit data from each of the data sources into an integrated dataset. The integrated dataset is pre-processed to filter out outliers. The filtered dataset is applied to a neural network to build a machine learning based model and extract features that indicate significant parameters affecting wear. A repair type prediction is determined with the applied machine learning based model and is provided as a signal for facilitating a drill bit operation on a cutter of the drill bit.

Abstract: In some embodiments, an apparatus can include a host board that has multiple connectors. Each connector from the multiple connectors removably connects to a unique compute device from multiple compute devices. The apparatus can further include a memory that stores a first firmware. The apparatus can further include a controller that is operatively coupled to the multiple connectors and the memory. The controller provides access to the first firmware by a compute device from the multiple compute devices when the compute device removably connects to the host board via a connector from the multiple connectors and when a circuit of the compute device disables access to the memory of the compute device to cause the compute device to continue a power-on cycle using the first firmware.

Abstract: An image of a check is captured by an imaging device and a digital image of the check on a replacement background may be created. The check may be placed on any background while the image of the check is being captured. The replacement background replaces, in the digital image, the background that the check is placed on while its image is being captured. The replacement background may comprise a predetermined image or color(s). The image of the check and the replacement background may be provided into a digital image file that may be transmitted to an institution system for deposit of the check into an account.

Abstract: Application-based point of sale systems in mobile operating systems. A first application may generate a first URL directed to a second application, a parameter of the first URL comprising an identifier of the first application. A mobile operating system (OS) may access the first URL to open the second application. The second application may receive, from a server, a virtual account number (VAN). The second application may initiate a server on a port and generate a second URL directed to the first application, a parameter of the second URL comprising the port. The OS may access the second URL to open the first application. The first application may establish a connection with the server using the specified port and receive the VAN from the second application via the connection. The first application may autofill the VAN to a form field of a payment form in the first application.

Abstract: Methods and systems for a browser extension application are disclosed. In some embodiments, a browser extension application is configured to receive from a browser extension server a regular expression configured to detect a plurality of fields in a web page and execute the regular expression to detect a transaction field in the web page and automatically populate the transaction field with stored data. The application is further configured to detect an unrecognized field in the web page, provide suggested transaction data, and detecting manual population of the unrecognized field with the suggested transaction data. The application is further configured to providing to the browser extension server an indication of the unrecognized field and receive from the browser extension server an updated regular expression configured to detect the unrecognized field in the web page.

Abstract: A device receives, from a user device, a communication associated with a support issue encountered by a user of the user device and assigns the communication to a position in a support queue based on when the communication is received, wherein the support queue includes data identifying positions of other communications received from other users, and data identifying when the other communications were received. The device processes data identifying the communication and historical communication data describing prior communications associated with the user, with a model, to determine an average time spent on hold by the user for the prior communications. The device modifies the position of the communication in the support queue based on the average time and performs one or more actions based on modifying the position of the communication in the support queue.

Abstract: Acoustic signatures can be used in connection with a voice-enabled computer system. An acoustic signature can be a specific noise pattern (or other sound) that is played while the user is speaking and that is mixed in the acoustic channel with the user's speech. The microphone of the voice-enabled computer system can capture, as recorded audio, a mix of the acoustic signature and the user's voice. The voice-enabled computer system can analyze the recorded audio (locally or at a backend server) to verify that the expected acoustic signature is present and/or that no previous acoustic signature is present.

Abstract: A workflow for fracturing a subterranean formation includes providing fracturing databases or models for the hydrocarbon wellbore, selecting one or more fracturing fluid systems for fracturing the subterranean formation based on the fracturing databases or models and recommending at least one of the one or more selected fracturing fluid systems for fracturing the subterranean formation. Additionally, a workflow controller for fracturing a subterranean formation includes a workflow processing unit having fracturing models or databases to determine functional aspects of one or more fracturing fluid systems to provide a fracturing fluid system recommendation for the subterranean formation, and a fracturing fluid delivery unit that applies the fracturing fluid system recommendation to the subterranean formation. A hydrocarbon wellbore fracturing system for a subterranean formation is also provided.

Abstract: A user may conduct a plurality of access requests with a plurality of resource provider computers. A processor server computer may determine whether resource provider computers store access data associated with the user in various ways, including detecting patterns in sets of a plurality of access requests conducted between the user and each of the plurality of resource provider computers. Upon detecting that access data has changed, the processor server computer may automatically send the updated access data to each of the identified resource provider computer.

Abstract: A device may receive images of an object and information identifying the object, process the images using an artificial intelligence technique to identify parts of the object that are depicted in the images, and receive information identifying a location of damage on the object and information regarding the damage on the object. The device may process the information identifying the location of damage to identify a damaged part of the object, identify images depicting the damaged part, and identify, in the images, a location of the damaged part. The device may generate a first content item for display at the location of the damaged part in the images and generate a second content item for display with the images based on user interaction with the first content item, where the second content item includes information based on the information regarding the damage on the object.

Abstract: A railroad tie plate placement system facilitates or enables a railroad crew to minimize interaction with railroad tie plates while placing railroad tie plates in a proper orientation on a railroad or railway track in preparation for insertion under a rail. Thus, the described railroad tie plate placement system reduces labor costs and decreases risk of injury while providing for consistent placement of tie plates.