Abstract: In a ray tracer, to prevent any long-running query from hanging the graphics processing unit, a traversal coprocessor provides a preemption mechanism that will allow rays to stop processing or time out early. The example non-limiting implementations described herein provide such a preemption mechanism, including a forward progress guarantee, and additional programmable timeout options that can be time or cycle based. Those programmable options provide a means for quality of service timing guarantees for applications such as virtual reality (VR) that have strict timing requirements.

Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed herein for recommending an educational course to a user, and may comprise receiving data records associated with availability of a plurality of educational courses at one or more institutions; receiving educational course data and educational course focus data associated with the user; receiving prior user data records comprising prior user educational course data and prior user educational course focus data; determining index scores for each of the plurality of educational courses based upon a similarity between the educational course data and prior user educational course data, and based upon a similarity between the educational course focus data and prior user educational course focus data; and providing a recommended educational course from the plurality of educational courses to the user based upon the determined index scores.

Abstract: A method for presenting pre-approved and pre-underwritten offers to a customer may include: receiving targeting criteria based on at least one of current accounts with the financial institution, assets, creditworthiness, and credit risk for an offer for a financial product; identifying a target population of customers for the offer by applying the targeting criteria to a population of customers; reviewing each customer in the target population for underwriting for the financial product based on inferred income for each customer and accounts that each customer has with the financial institution, wherein the underwriting is performed before the financial product is offered; determining a channel to present the offer to one of the customers that passed underwriting; communicating the offer to the customer over the selected channel; and providing an accepted offer to a fulfilment engine, wherein the fulfilment engine initiates an account opening for the financial product.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed selectively generating and storing hashed reference signatures. An example method disclosed herein determining whether watermark coverage of a first media segment satisfies a dropout constraint, the first media segment corresponding to a first monitoring time interval of a media source feed and, when the watermark coverage of the first media segment does not satisfy the dropout constraint hashing first media signatures associated with the first media segment to generate corresponding first hashed signatures and generating first reference data for the first media segment, the first reference data including the first hashed signatures and the first media signatures. The example method further includes, when the watermark coverage of the first media segment satisfies the dropout constraint, generating second reference data for the first media segment, the second reference data including the first media signatures.

Abstract: A permanent split capacitor (PSC) motor includes a stator defining an axis of rotation and a rotor disposed adjacent the stator. The stator includes a start winding, a capacitor electrically coupled in series with the start winding, a first plurality of windings, and a second plurality of windings. The motor includes first and second sets of electrical leads connected respectively to the first plurality of windings and to the second plurality of windings, the first plurality of windings and the second plurality of windings respectively configurated to rotate the motor respectively at a first and second rotational speeds of the motor when mounted respectively to the first machine and to the second machine.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed to optimize reference signature matching using watermark matching. An example disclosed herein includes selecting first unhashed reference signatures to evaluate for a second time segment of monitoring data based on watermark coverage of a first time segment of the monitoring data, the monitoring data obtained from a meter monitoring media presented by a media device and comparing the first unhashed reference signatures with first unhashed monitored signatures from the second time segment of the monitoring data.

Abstract: In some embodiments, the systems and methods built in accordance with the present disclosure may analyze audience engagement with a presentation displayed during a meeting and provide feedback to a presenter during and/or after the presentation. In some embodiments, the provided feedback may include determining metrics indicative of participant engagement levels. Participant engagement levels may then be used to adjust meetings in real-time and/or after the meeting has ended. In some embodiments, the system may include a hybrid configuration where a subset of the presenters, participants and moderators are physically present in the same environment. In some embodiments, the system may include a fully virtual configuration where all of the presenters, participants and moderators are physically remote from each other.

Abstract: Example motor assemblies for architectural coverings are described herein. An example motor assembly includes a motor, a first switch to trigger the motor to retract an architectural covering, a second switch to trigger the motor to extend the architectural covering, and an actuator positioned to activate the first switch when the actuator is rotated in a first direction and to activate the second switch when the actuator is rotated in a second direction. Also described herein are example lever actuators for motor assemblies of architectural coverings. An example lever actuator detaches from the motor assembly to prevent excess force on the motor assembly that could otherwise detrimentally affect the motor assembly.

Abstract: A frac-ball for use with a well casing segmentation device and a method of controlling fluid flow through a well casing segmentation device are provided. The frac-ball includes a body having a shell configuration defined by one or more walls, with each wall having an exterior surface and an interior surface. The interior surfaces define an enclosed interior cavity. One or more structurally weakened regions are disposed in the one or more walls.

Abstract: Embodiments herein relate to a medical device for treating a cancerous tumor, including an electric field generating circuit configured to generate one or more electric fields at or near a site of the cancerous tumor and control circuitry in communication with the electric field generating circuit. The medical device includes one or more supply wires in electrical communication with the electric field generating circuit and one or more supply electrodes. The supply electrodes are configured to deliver an electric field at or near the site of the cancerous tumor. The medical device can include one or more sensing wires in electrical communication with the control circuitry and one or more sensing electrodes. The sensing electrodes can be configured to measure an impedance of the cancerous tumor at at least two different electric field strengths. Other embodiments are also included herein.

Abstract: Example motor assemblies for architectural coverings are described herein. An example architectural covering assembly includes an architectural covering movable between an upper limit position, a lower limit position, and a transition limit position between the upper limit position and the lower limit position. The example architectural covering assembly also includes a motor, a consumer touchpoint, and an architectural covering controller. In response to detecting a first gesture at the consumer touchpoint, the architectural covering controller is to activate the motor to move the architectural covering to the transition limit position and stop, and in response to detecting a second gesture at the consumer touchpoint, different from the first gesture, the architectural covering controller is to activate the motor to move the architectural covering through the transition limit position and to the upper limit position or the lower limit position.

Abstract: In a ray tracer, to prevent any long-running query from hanging the graphics processing unit, a traversal coprocessor provides a preemption mechanism that will allow rays to stop processing or time out early. The example non-limiting implementations described herein provide such a preemption mechanism, including a forward progress guarantee, and additional programmable timeout options that can be time or cycle based. Those programmable options provide a means for quality of service timing guarantees for applications such as virtual reality (VR) that have strict timing requirements.

Abstract: In some embodiments, the systems and methods built in accordance with the present disclosure may analyze audience engagement with a presentation displayed during a live meeting and may provide feedback to a presenter during and/or after the presentation. In some embodiments, the provided feedback may include determining one or more metrics indicative of participant engagement levels. Participant engagement levels may then be used to adjust live meetings in real-time and/or after the live meeting has ended. A system may include one or more presenter computing devices, one or more participant computing devices and a server system including a data analytics module configured to determine metrics indicative of participant engagement levels.

Abstract: An effector includes a tubular body having a proximal end and a distal end. The effector includes a plug or closure at the distal end of the tubular body; an active electrode at the distal end of the body; an insulator on the body; and one or more return electrodes on the insulator. The body dissipates heat generated by the one or more return electrodes from the distal end of the body to the proximal end of the body.

Abstract: Systems and methods for facilitating the sharing of user-generated content of a virtual space are presented herein. The user-generated content may be shared between users of different computing platforms. The computing platforms may be of different platform types. The user-generated content may be shared through platform type-specific conversions of the information that defines the user-generated content. The processing cost and/or other cost information may be determined and/or estimated.

Abstract: An example storage unit for a Universal Serial Bus drive can include: a casing integrated with a Universal Serial Bus data interface; a memory chip; a connector that couples the memory chip to the casing; and opposing tines extending from the connector, the opposing tines being flexible to allow the storage unit to be inserted and retained in an outer casing.

Abstract: A topical composition includes a nanoemulsion of a plurality of hydrophobic particles having a hydrophilic coating therein. The hydrophobic particles are derived from the same or different hydrophobic material and each hydrophobic particle has a melting point below the melting point of the respective hydrophobic material. The hydrophobic particles comprise a mean particle size of less than about 10 nm, and the nanoemulsion further includes one or more pharmaceutically active agents.

Abstract: A device for in-situ, dynamic repair of a railroad can include two connected machines. A first one of machines can be a track lifting unit that can clamp the rails of the railroad and lift the track in its entirety out of its track bed. The first machine also can plow ballast away from and/or toward the rails, and level the track bed for the rails before they are lowered. In addition, the track lifting unit can remove selected railroad ties. The second machine can include a power unit that can provide hydraulic, pneumatic and electrical power to both machines. The power unit also can provide track stabilization by settling ballast and can free debris from the railroad while it is raised.

Abstract: Implementations are disclosed herein for enhancing swizzling technology. In at least one implementation, functions are hooked by modifying their machine code implementations to jump to a central callback function. The central callback function may then route to other target functions that serve to replace the hooked functions. In another implementation, the machine code implementations are modified to jump to intermediate functions. The intermediate functions invoke dispatch functions that can call into a central callback function. The central callback function may return to the hooked functions.

Abstract: A system to store food products within a heated compartment is provided. The system includes an enclosure that receives stacked trays, and an elevator to lift trays to a position to receive a plurality of food products from a conveyor or another source. A fork may be provided that receives a cooked food product thereon and rotates to allow the cooked food product to fall into the positioned tray while being maintained in a horizontal manner. A shuttle moves a full tray into a heated compartment, which moves trays therewithin to organize them for future use within a restaurant operation.