Abstract: A maintenance system is disclosed for assisting in maintaining an automated carrier system for moving objects to be processed. The maintenance system includes a plurality of automated carriers that are adapted to move on an array of discontinuous standard track sections, each said automated carrier including a carrier body that is no larger in either a length or width direction that a standard track section, and an automated maintenance carrier that is adapted to move on the array of discontinuous track sections, said automated maintenance system including a maintenance body that is larger in at least one of a length or width direction than the standard track section.

Abstract: A storage, retrieval and processing system for processing objects is disclosed. The storage, retrieval and processing system includes a plurality of storage bins providing storage of a plurality of objects, where the plurality of storage bins is in communication with a bin conveyance system for moving selected storage bins to a storage bin processing location, a programmable motion device in communication with the bin processing location for receiving a selected storage bin from the plurality of bins, where the programmable motion device includes an end effector for grasping and moving a selected object out of a selected storage bin, and a plurality of destination bins in communication with the bin conveyance system for moving a selected destination bin from a destination bin processing location that is proximate the programmable motion device to the plurality of destination bins.

Abstract: A storage, retrieval and processing system is disclosed for processing objects. The system includes a plurality of bins including objects to be distributed by the processing system, said plurality of bins being provided in at least a partially generally circular arrangement, a programmable motion device that includes an end effector for grasping and moving any of the objects, said programmable motion device being capable of reaching any of the objects within the plurality of bins, and a plurality of destination containers for receiving any of the objects from the plurality of bins, said plurality of destination containers being provided in a region that is generally within the at least partially generally circular arrangement of the plurality of bins.

Abstract: A heat exchanger (2) comprising a duct (4) through which a first fluid (e.g. a coolant such as ram air) may flow, and one or more vanes (18) disposed within the duct (4) and configured to disrupt the flow of the first fluid through the duct (4). Each vane (18) comprises one or more flow channels (24) through which a second fluid (e.g. a fluid to be cooled, such as engine coolant) may flow so as to transfer heat between the first fluid flowing through the duct (4) and the second fluid flowing through the one or more flow channels (24). The flow channels (24) within the vanes (18) are separated from the duct (4) by a channel wall such that fluid cannot flow between the duct (4) and the flow channels (24).

Abstract: An information processing system, a computer readable storage medium, and a method for comparing training data with test data. The method can include collecting by a processor of a machine learning system, training data having meta-data information used for training the machine learning system, and test data lacking meta-data information. The method can further include training the machine learning system with the training data, extracting components of the machine learning system from analysis of the training data to provide a training data extraction, extracting components of the machine learning system from analysis of the test data to provide a test data extraction, performing at least a low-dimensional comparison of the training data extraction with the test data extraction using a statistical comparison technique, and generating meta-data information for the test data when the low-dimensional comparison meets or exceeds a predetermined threshold.

Abstract: A heat exchanger (2) comprising a duct (4) through which a first fluid (e.g. a coolant such as ram air) may flow, and one or more vanes (18) disposed within the duct (4) and configured to disrupt the flow of the first fluid through the duct (4). Each vane (18) comprises one or more flow channels (24) through which a second fluid (e.g. a fluid to be cooled, such as engine coolant) may flow so as to transfer heat between the first fluid flowing through the duct (4) and the second fluid flowing through the one or more flow channels (24). The flow channels (24) within the vanes (18) are separated from the duct (4) by a channel wall such that fluid cannot flow between the duct (4) and the flow channels (24).

Abstract: A turboprop-powered medium altitude long endurance aircraft, having a gas turbine engine; a heat scavenging device to scavenge heat from the gas turbine engine; and a heating device to use the scavenged heat to provide heating to the aircraft. The heat scavenging device may be placed on an engine casing and/or on or in an engine exhaust duct. The heating device may include a circulation path routed directly to a location in the aircraft where heating is to be performed, for example a leading edge of an engine support pylon or a leading edge of an engine-carrying wing. The heating device can include a heat exchanger.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for a turboprop-powered medium altitude long endurance (MALE) aircraft, having: a heat exchanger with a heat-storage material, for example a heat-storage wax; and an air recirculation path. The heat exchanger can be arranged to cool air recirculating around the air recirculation path which is arranged to provide cooling to the MALE aircraft, for example to an equipment bay. The heat-storage material may be cooled by ground-based cooling apparatus when the aircraft is on the ground and/or by ram air when the aircraft is in flight. The heat-storage material may have a melting point selected so as to be rendered solid during ground-based cooling and/or ram air cooling, and/or selected so as to undergo melting while cooling the air recirculating around the air recirculation path.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is provided to analyze social and content networks, to identify new relationships among users and content, and to more effectively link users to content. Embodiments of the invention also facilitate more relevant searches over both social and content data. One embodiment is directed to analyzing integrated social and content networks, and includes specifying a social network comprising multiple user nodes, and specifying a content network comprising multiple multimedia content nodes. Data elements associated with respective nodes of the user and content networks are analyzed, in order to detect a set of nodes comprising at least first and second user nodes and first and second content nodes, and to further detect at least three commonality links that join all the nodes of the set together. It is also determined whether a further link is a valid commonality link.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for a turboprop-powered medium altitude long endurance (MALE) aircraft, having: a heat exchanger with a heat-storage material, for example a heat-storage wax; and an air recirculation path. The heat exchanger can be arranged to cool air recirculating around the air recirculation path which is arranged to provide cooling to the MALE aircraft, for example to an equipment bay. The heat-storage material may be cooled by ground-based cooling apparatus when the aircraft is on the ground and/or by ram air when the aircraft is in flight. The heat-storage material may have a melting point selected so as to be rendered solid during ground-based cooling and/or ram air cooling, and/or selected so as to undergo melting whilst cooling the air recirculating around the air recirculation path.

Abstract: A turboprop-powered medium altitude long endurance aircraft, having a gas turbine engine; a heat scavenging device to scavenge heat from the gas turbine engine; and a heating device to use the scavenged heat to provide heating to the aircraft. The heat scavenging device may be placed on an engine casing and/or on or in an engine exhaust duct. The heating device may include a circulation path routed directly to a location in the aircraft where heating is to be performed, for example a leading edge of an engine support pylon or a leading edge of an engine-carrying wing. The heating device can include a heat exchanger.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for assisting in rating and filtering multimedia content, such as images, videos and sound recordings. One embodiment comprises a computer implemented method for rating the objectionability of specified digital content that comprises one or more discrete content items, wherein the method includes the step of moving the specified content to one or more filtering stages in a succession of filtering stages. After the specified content is moved to a given one of the filtering stages, a rating procedure is carried out to determine whether a rating can be applied to one or more of the content items, and if so, a selected rating is applied to each of the one or more content items. The method further comprises moving content items of the specified content to the next stage in the succession after the given stage, when at least one content item of the specified content remains without rating, after the rating procedure at the given stage.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is provided for automatically classifying a multimedia artifact based on scoring, and selecting the appropriate set of ontologies from among all possible sets of ontologies, preferably using a recursive routing selection technique. The semantic tagging of the multimedia artifact is enhanced by applying only classifiers from the selected ontology, for use in classifying the multimedia artifact, wherein the classifiers are selected based on the context of the multimedia artifact. One embodiment of the invention, directed to a method for classifying a multimedia artifact, uses a specified criteria to select one or more ontologies, wherein the specified criteria indicates the comparative similarity between specified characteristics of the multimedia artifact and each ontology.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for assisting in rating and filtering multimedia content, such as images, videos and sound recordings. One embodiment comprises a computer implemented method for rating the objectionability of specified digital content that comprises one or more discrete content items, wherein the method includes the step of moving the specified content to one or more filtering stages in a succession of filtering stages. After the specified content is moved to a given one of the filtering stages, a rating procedure is carried out to determine whether a rating can be applied to one or more of the content items, and if so, a selected rating is applied to each of the one or more content items. The method further comprises moving content items of the specified content to the next stage in the succession after the given stage, when at least one content item of the specified content remains without rating, after the rating procedure at the given stage.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is provided to analyze social and content networks, to identify new relationships among users and content, and to more effectively link users to content. Embodiments of the invention also facilitate more relevant searches over both social and content data. One embodiment is directed to analyzing integrated social and content networks, and includes specifying a social network comprising multiple user nodes, and specifying a content network comprising multiple multimedia content nodes. Data elements associated with respective nodes of the user and content networks are analyzed, in order to detect a set of nodes comprising at least first and second user nodes and first and second content nodes, and to further detect at least three commonality links that join all the nodes of the set together. It is also determined whether a further link is a valid commonality link.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention exploit the complementary and correlated information that is available across multiple channels of digital multimedia distribution, in order to ensure more efficient multimedia data access. One embodiment of the invention, directed to a method for generating a response to a specified request for information, is associated with multiple channels that are each adapted to carry and disseminate data content. The method comprises extracting data elements from each of the multiple channels, wherein each extracted data element pertains to one dimension of a plurality of correlation related dimensions. The method further comprises assigning each extracted data element to one of a plurality of correlation sets, wherein all the extracted data elements assigned to a particular set pertain to the same dimension, and each set is assigned data elements extracted from two or more different channels.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is provided for automatically classifying a multimedia artifact based on scoring, and selecting the appropriate set of ontologies from among all possible sets of ontologies, preferably using a recursive routing selection technique. The semantic tagging of the multimedia artifact is enhanced by applying only classifiers from the selected ontology, for use in classifying the multimedia artifact, wherein the classifiers are selected based on the context of the multimedia artifact. One embodiment of the invention, directed to a method for classifying a multimedia artifact, uses a specified criteria to select one or more ontologies, wherein the specified criteria indicates the comparative similarity between specified characteristics of the multimedia artifact and each ontology.

Abstract: Distributed resource discovery is an essential step for information retrieval and/or providing information services. This step is usually used for determining the location of an information or data repository which has relevant information. The most fundamental challenge is the usual lack of semantic interoperability of the requested resource. In accordance with the invention, a method is disclosed where distributed repositories achieve semantic interoperability through the exchange of examples and, optionally, classifiers. The outcome of the inventive method can be used to determine whether common labels are referring to the same semantic meaning.

Abstract: The present invention provides an elegant solution for processing multi-feature queries, which considers the differing access costs associated with each feature. Access cost is a critical factor in determining how individual features should be processed in terms of retrieving through sorted or random access, and, hence, in minimizing the overall query response time. The present invention operates dynamically during query processing and seeks to minimize the total query cost in terms of number of features retrieved and cost for access. It works by evaluating different combinations of feature access plans (sorted and random access) according to the number of retrieved features and forward access costs, and it selects the lowest cost plan. Experimental results on practical data show a significant speed-up in multi-features queries using the proposed solution.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for analyzing multimedia content to identify the presence of audio, visual and textual cues that together correspond to one or more high-level semantics are provided. The apparatus and method make use of one or more analysis models that are trained to analyze audio, visual and textual portions of multimedia content to generate scores associated with the audio, visual and textual portions with respect to various high-level semantic concepts. These scores are used to generate a vector of scores. The apparatus is trained with regard to relationships between audio, visual and textual scores to thereby take the vector of scores generated for the multimedia content and classify the multimedia content into one or more high-level semantic concepts. Based on the scores for the various audio, video and textual portions of the multimedia content, a level of certainty regarding the high-level semantic concepts may be generated.