Abstract: A payment object service receives a request from a giver to associate a payment amount to an object. The request includes one or more images of the object and recipient information, which the payment object service uses to determine whether the association between these images and the information is unique. If the association is unique, the payment object service updates a database to associate the payment amount to the object and enable redemption of the payment amount. When the payment object service receives a request to redeem at least a portion of the payment amount, the payment object service may use one or more images and recipient information obtained from the request to verify that the images and information together correspond to the object. Once the redemption is complete, the payment object service may update the database to specify the current remaining payment amount.

Abstract: A passively, Q-switched laser operating at an eye safe wavelength of between 1.2 and 1.4 microns is described. The laser may operate at a lasing wavelength of 1.34 microns and use a gain element of Nd:YVO4 and a saturable absorber element of V:YAG. The position of the resonator axial mode spectrum relative to a gain peak of the gain element is controlled to yield desired characteristics in the laser output.

Abstract: A certificate manager allows a particular entity such as an individual computer system, computer application, or network service, to define a customized set of rules that are used to identify digital certificates that are trusted by the particular entity. When a digital certificate is presented to the entity, the certificate manager determines whether the digital certificate is trustworthy by examining the characteristics of the certificate such as the expiration of the certificate, the characteristics of the certificate authorities that signed the digital certificate, or the signing algorithms used to generate the digital signatures on the certificate. The certificate manager may be combined with trusted root CA stores, pinned certificate stores, and other certificate management systems to define a customized set of potentially trusted certificates based on the characteristics of the particular entity.

Abstract: Various techniques are provided for a burr detection system. In a certain example, a burr detection system can include a test piece holder configured to hold a test piece, a robot arm, a test fabric holder disposed on a first end of the robot arm and configured to hold a test fabric, a force sensor coupled to the robot arm and configured to output force data associated with a force required to move the test fabric when the test fabric is contacting the surface of the test piece, and a controller configured to receive the force data and determine based on the force data a possible presence of a burr within an area of the test piece force data. In certain other examples, related methods for detecting burrs are also provided.

Abstract: An imaging device may have a monochrome image sensor and a bi-chromatic image sensor. A beam splitter may split incident light between the two image sensors. The monochrome image sensor may have an array of broadband image sensor pixels that generate broadband image signals. The bi-chromatic image sensor may have an array of red and blue image pixels that generate red and blue image signals. The image sensors may be coupled to processing circuitry that performs processing operations on only the broadband image signals to produce monochrome images, or on the red, blue, and broadband image signals to produce color images. Processing operations used to produce color images may include chroma-demosaicking and/or point filter operations.

Abstract: A first computer is selected for testing. Information sent from a second computer system to the first computer is intercepted. The information is modified to be noncompliant with a communication protocol, thereby producing noncompliant information. A determination is made whether the first computer device has failed to provide a particular response to receipt of the noncompliant information, and an operation is performed based at least in part on the determination.

Abstract: The present invention encompasses embodiments in which a therapeutic antibody is conjugated to ?-1,6-glucan oligomers. Thus, the present invention includes, among other things, compositions including a therapeutic antibody conjugated to one or more ?-1,6-glucan oligomers. The present invention further includes, among other things, methods of making and/or using such ?-1,6-glucan conjugates. In certain embodiments, a ?-1,6-glucan conjugate of the present invention is useful as a therapeutic or in a method of therapy.

Abstract: Entities of an organization may have difficulties generating and remembering strong passwords. A password management service may generate passwords with high entropy and aid entities in remembering generated passwords. The password management service may generate a list of passwords based on a seed value provided by the entities. The entities may then select a password from the list of passwords to be used at the entities' password. Furthermore, the entities may be allowed to save the list of passwords to aid the entities in remembering their selected password from the list of passwords.

Abstract: An imaging device may have a monochrome image sensor and a bi-chromatic image sensor. A beam splitter may split incident light between the two image sensors. The monochrome image sensor may have an array of broadband image sensor pixels that generate broadband image signals. The bi-chromatic image sensor may have an array of red and blue image pixels that generate red and blue image signals. The image sensors may be coupled to processing circuitry that performs processing operations on only the broadband image signals to produce monochrome images, or on the red, blue, and broadband image signals to produce color images. Processing operations used to produce color images may include chroma-demosaicking and/or point filter operations.

Abstract: Embodiments include articles, authentication methods and apparatus, and article manufacturing methods. An article includes a substrate with a first luminescent taggant, and an extrinsic feature with a second luminescent taggant, which is positioned proximate a portion of the article surface. The first and second taggants produce emissions in overlapping emission bands as a result of exposure to excitation energy. Above the extrinsic feature, the substrate and extrinsic feature emissions combine in the overlapping emission band to produce “confounded” emissions that are distinguishable from the substrate emissions taken alone. An authentication system determines whether, in a region corresponding to a “substrate-only” region of an authentic article, emissions having first emission characteristics are detected in the overlapping emission band.

Abstract: A frequency resolved optical gating (FROG) system receives an ultrafast laser pulse as the “unknown wave” input to the system. The FROG system preferably generates a spectrogram (FROG trace) of the input pulse using a polarization gate, second harmonic generation or other FROG geometry. The system or method preferably analyzes the spectrogram using constrained outer products and principal component generalized projections to find characteristics of the unknown wave such as intensity and phase. Examples of constrained outer products include outer products that incorporate an external constraint such as spectral information or an internal constraint such as a relationship between the probe and gate components derived from the unknown wave.

Abstract: A first computer is selected for testing. Information sent from a second computer system to the first computer is intercepted. The information is modified to be noncompliant with a communication protocol, thereby producing noncompliant information. A determination is made whether the first computer device has failed to provide a particular response to receipt of the noncompliant information, and an operation is performed based at least in part on the determination.

Abstract: This invention relates to modifications of ?-1,6-D-glucans, e.g., structures according to Formula (I), and the ability of these compositions to modulate an immune response.

Abstract: Techniques for maintaining potentially compromised authentication information for a plurality of accounts may be provided. An individual piece of authentication information may be associated with one or more tags that indicate access rights with respect to requestors that also provide and maintain other potentially compromised authentication information. A subset of the potentially compromised authentication information may be determined based on the one or more tags in response to a request from a requestor for the potentially compromised authentication information. In an embodiment, the subset of the potentially compromised authentication information may be provided to the requestor.

Abstract: Various techniques are provided for a burr detection system. In a certain example, a burr detection system can include a test piece holder configured to hold a test piece, a robot arm, a test fabric holder disposed on a first end of the robot arm and configured to hold a test fabric, a force sensor coupled to the robot arm and configured to output force data associated with a force required to move the test fabric when the test fabric is contacting the surface of the test piece, and a controller configured to receive the force data and determine based on the force data a possible presence of a burr within an area of the test piece force data. In certain other examples, related methods for detecting burrs are also provided.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides computer-implemented systems and processes for determining and analyzing a user review status for a first item purchased or otherwise selected by a user; automatically and periodically monitoring review statutes for various alternative items, which may include competing, substitute, or replacement items relative to the first item; and generating an item recommendation based at least in part on a determination of which alternative items may be more positively rated than the first item. When a determination is made that an alternative item may be earning more positive feedback than the first item of interest, the system notifies the user that a possibly better item is available. Candidate alternative items may be identified based on the user's browsing history, groups of related items, or other sources. Candidate items may be weighted based on various attributes of the reviews, including average rating, number of ratings, number of reviews, and type.

Abstract: A method of cleaning calibration and other substrates that improves the correlation of measurements from calibration and product substrates and increases the useful life of the calibration substrates is herein disclosed. By exposing a calibration substrate to ultraviolet light, a reaction is triggered that results in the cleaning of the contaminants from the calibration substrate. For instance, monatomic oxygen is introduced to contaminants on the surface of a calibration substrate to remove the contaminants without inducing modifications in the substrate itself. Through the cleaning process, the temperature of the calibration substrate may be controlled to limit adverse effects caused by the overheating of the calibration substrate.

Abstract: Techniques for maintaining and updating authentication information for a plurality of accounts may be provided. In an example a first set of authentication information for the plurality of accounts may be maintained. A second set of authentication information that has been marked as potentially compromised may be received. A third set of authentication information may be generated based on the overlap between the first set of authentication information and the second set of authentication information. The first set of authentication information may be updated based at least in part on one or more security authentication protocols and the third set of authentication information.

Abstract: A first computer is selected for testing. Information sent from a second computer system to the first computer is intercepted. The information is modified to be noncompliant with a communication protocol, thereby producing noncompliant information. A determination is made whether the first computer device has failed to provide a particular response to receipt of the noncompliant information, and an operation is performed based at least in part on the determination.

Abstract: A sound classification system for a vehicle includes a plurality of microelectromechanical system (MEMS) microphones disposed at the equipped vehicle and sensing sounds emanating from exterior of the equipped vehicle. A sound processor is operable to process outputs of the MEMS microphones to classify a source of sensed sounds. The sound processor processes the outputs to determine the direction and distance of the source of the sensed sounds relative to the equipped vehicle. The MEMS microphones are one of (i) incorporated in respective ones of a plurality of exterior viewing cameras of the equipped vehicle and (ii) attached at a surface of at least one window of the equipped vehicle.