Abstract: A method comprising identifying a content item having stated facts and/or opinions which a user is unsure whether to trust; during a first time period, obtaining first content evaluations of the content item from first users, each first content evaluation evaluating a belief state of the stated facts and/or opinions; displaying the first content evaluations; during a second time period initiating later than the first time period, obtaining second evaluations from second users regardless of second user expertise, the second users defined as having hindsight and thus knowledge as to the belief state of the stated facts and/or opinions greater than the first users; generating and issuing expert scores for the first users based on the second evaluations; and elevating an influential characteristic of each first user having an expert score higher than a certain threshold when providing another evaluation during another time period.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for image retrieval. An image descriptor of a query image indicating a medical abnormality and non-image patient data may be received. For each of a plurality of candidate images stored in a database, an image descriptor of the candidate image and data about a medical abnormality known to be indicated by the candidate image may further be received. A similarity metric between the image descriptors of the query image and the candidate image may be determined for each candidate image. A first probability of the query image medical abnormality being the candidate image medical abnormality given the non-image patient data associated with the query image may be determined for each candidate image. A score may then be determined for each candidate image based on the determined similarity metric and the determined first probability. One or more of the candidate images may be retrieved from the database in accordance with the determined scores.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed relating to backing up skip list data structures to facilitate a subsequent recovery. In various embodiments, a computing system creates a checkpoint of a skip list including a plurality of key-value records that include pointers to others of the plurality of key-value records. Creating the checkpoint includes scanning the skip list to identify ones of the plurality of key-value records that are relevant to the checkpoint and storing the identified key-value records in a storage such that the identified key-value records include pointers modified to exclude ones of the plurality of key-value records that are not relevant to the checkpoint. The computing system can then recover the skip list based on the created checkpoint.

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: This disclosure relates to systems and methods for managing data associated with a user using a personalized cloud storage platform operating as a centralized repository for user data generated from a variety of sources and/or user devices. By centralizing the storage and/or management of personal data that would conventionally be confined between multiple information silos, embodiments of the systems and methods disclosed herein may improve the ability of a user to control their personal data, facilitate utilization of their personal data in a variety of ways not offered by services associated with the silos, and/or allow a user to centrally manage their personal data. Further embodiments disclosed herein allow a user to define one or more policies or other rules associated with personal data stored in their personal cloud.

Abstract: Techniques for generating an interactive visualization tool for building nested queries are disclosed. The interactive nested query visualization tool allows a user to observe, analyze, and modify query characteristics and attributes of a set of nested queries. A system displays an interactive visual depiction of a set of nested queries. Visual representations of the nested queries are positioned relative to each other based on the relationships between the nested queries. The system displays, simultaneously with the set of nested queries, editable fields for a selected query. The system modifies a functionality of a user interface based on which of the nested queries is selected.

Abstract: A method is provided for determining a social rank of a node in a social network, the social network including a plurality of nodes connected by relationship chains. The method includes determining a user corresponding to at least one of the plurality of nodes in the social network, determining a connection structure of the relationship chains between the plurality of nodes, and determining, according to the connection structure of the relationship chains between the plurality of nodes, a social rank of the user corresponding to the at least one of the plurality of nodes.

Abstract: Implementations include a schema stack management system that enables zero-downtime during execution of maintenance procedures on application systems having schema stacks including one or more customer-provided schema extensions.

Abstract: Systems and methods for textual replacement can include the determination of a visual intent, which can trigger an interface for selecting an image to replace visual descriptors. The visually descriptive terms can be identified, and an indicator can be provided to indicate the text replacement option may be initiated. An image can then be selected by a user to replace the visually descriptive terms.

Abstract: A graph processing engine is provided for executing a graph query comprising a parent query and a subquery nested within the parent query. The subquery uses a reference to one or more correlated variables from the parent query. Executing the graph query comprises initiating execution of the parent query, pausing the execution of the parent query responsive to the parent query matching the one or more correlated variables in an intermediate result set, generating a subquery identifier for each match of the one or more correlated variables, modifying the subquery to include a subquery aggregate function and a clause to group results by subquery identifier, executing the modified subquery using the intermediate result set and collecting subquery results into a subquery results table responsive to pausing execution of the parent query, and resuming execution of the parent query using the subquery results table.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for identifying related social media accounts of a social media platform, based on social media clients used to interact with the platform. The method includes obtaining a first dataset of information including, for each interaction between the accounts and the platform, the client used. The method also includes using the first dataset to generate a pruned dataset including accounts, clients, and numbers of interactions by using an unsupervised machine learning algorithm to identify and exclude outlier accounts and outlier clients. The method also includes normalizing the pruned dataset across accounts. The method also includes identifying a connected sub-component of the pruned dataset. The method also includes performing topic modeling of the sub-component to generate a matrix W associating the accounts of the sub-component with topics. The method also includes determining, using the matrix W, that a first account A is associated with a second account B.

Abstract: The present teaching relates to communication related to predictions. A communication chain is created with multiple chain units, each operating independently to provide prediction services related to a prompt with embedded information therein associated with predictions for the prompt to enable prediction services. A request is received for a requested operation related to a query prompt on one of prediction solicitation, prediction entry, verification entry, and prediction access. If a chain unit for the query prompt, the request is directed to the chain unit to perform the requested operation. If not, a new chain unit is created for the query prompt and the request is forwarded to the new chain unit to carry out the requested operation.

Abstract: An image retrieval system that enables high-accuracy image retrieval in a short time is provided. The image retrieval system includes a processing portion provided with a neural network. The neural network includes a layer provided with a neuron. The processing portion has a function of comparing query image data with a plurality of pieces of database image data, and extracting the database image data including an area with a high degree of correspondence to the query image data as extracted image data. The processing portion has a function of extracting data of the area with a high degree of correspondence to the query image data from the extracted image data, as partial image data. The layer has a function of outputting an output value corresponding to the features of the image data input to the neural network.

Abstract: A method including receiving an input and embedding the input into a first data structure that defines first relationships among images and texts. The method also includes comparing the first data structure to an index including a second data structure that defines second relationships among pre-determined texts and pre-determined images. The method also includes returning a subset of images from the pre-determined images. The subset includes those images in the pre-determined images for which matches exist between the first relationships and the second relationships.

Abstract: Technologies are described for retrieving documents using image representations in the documents and is based on intra-image features. The identification of elements within an image representation can allow for deeper understanding of the image representation and for better relating image representations based on their intra-image features. The intra-image features present in image representations can be used in searches. Search results can further be reranked to improve search results. For example, reranking can allow search results to conform to intra-image dominant image features.

Abstract: In one example method, a second memory stores data in a database, and the second memory is a memory independent of a first device and a second device. When determining that a database service needs to be switched, the first device may migrate a redo log of the database from a first memory of the first device to the second memory. The second device migrates the redo log from the second memory to a third memory of the second device, and the first device and the second device perform operating system status migration online.

Abstract: A method for retrieving an image is provided. The method comprises: acquiring a first matrix obtained by performing feature extraction on a sketch of a target item; acquiring a second matrix composed of word vectors of keywords in a keyword set corresponding to the target item; acquiring a third matrix set obtained by performing feature extractions on images in an image set respectively; determining, for a third matrix in the third matrix set, a comprehensive matching degree between an item presented in an image corresponding to the third matrix and the target item, based on a first matching degree between the first matrix and the third matrix and a second matching degree between the second matrix and the third matrix; and selecting a preset number of images from the image set based on the determined comprehensive matching degrees, and sending the selected images.

Abstract: A method for managing data replication includes: identifying data being used by an application programming interface (API), in which the data is stored in a source device; tagging the data based on a usage level of the data by the API; obtaining a predicted probability of the usage level of the data; making a first determination that the data is tagged as important data and the predicted probability of the usage level of the data is low; and replicating, based on the first determination, the data from the source device to a target device.

Abstract: A method includes a full node storing a blockchain and being one of a plurality of full nodes forming a blockchain network receiving a message comprising update image data and a smart contract identifier from a first user device. The full node can then determine stored image data associated with the smart contract identifier. The full node can also determine whether or not image comparison data based on received image data and stored image data is consistent with a smart contract associated with the smart contract identifier and can then generate an entry for a block of the blockchain, comprising at least the smart contract identifier, the updated image data, and image comparison data. The full node can generate the block of the blockchain and transmit the block to the plurality of full nodes. The plurality of full nodes respectively verify the block.

Abstract: Aspects described herein may relate to methods, systems, and apparatuses that partitions searchable content and distributes the segments across a plurality of processing nodes, which in turn further sub-partitions the partitions for processing by local search actor in order to increase the speed with which a search request from a user is processed. Processing nodes available to receive partitioned searchable content are registered with an external storage device. The external storage device also maintains a global results collector that compiles results from the partitions of searchable content. Respective local collector actors receive compiled results from local search actors for a processing node and the compiled results are sent to the global results collector for compiling for the plurality of processing nodes. Results of the user search request are then provided to the user.