Abstract: A method and apparatus for dynamic rotation of streaming protocols are disclosed. In the method and apparatus, a first portion of content is streamed to a client device in accordance with a first content delivery protocol. Further, information indicating client device attributes, network conditions or usage conditions is received. A plurality of content delivery protocols including the first content delivery protocol are evaluated based at least in part on the received information to identify a content delivery protocol for streaming the a second portion of the content.

Abstract: A service management system prepares computing resources for use before a client requests the resource. For example, a service management system of a provider may restore an operating system image to a volume. The service management may then assign a processing resource to the volume to form a virtual machine. The service management system may cause the processing resource to finish preparation of the operating system on the volume. The service management system may disconnect the resulting staged volume from the processing resource. The staged volume may remain active in the low-latency data store and be added to a list of available staged volumes having the operating system. When a client requests a virtual machine having an operating system, the service management system may determine that the client receives the staged volume as part of the virtual machine to avoid the start-up costs of preparing a volume.

Abstract: A streaming source sends streaming content to a display device. A camera captures images of the display device playing the streaming content and/or a user's interaction with the display device along with the displayed response to the user's interaction. The captured content is analyzed to determine, for example, image quality characteristics of the displayed content, a user experience associated with the displayed content or whether the displayed content matches an expected outcome associated with testing input. Information determined from the analysis of the captured content may be used to adjust characteristics of the streaming content, such as streaming parameters at the streaming source or configuration of the display device. A testing system may analyze the captured content to evaluate performance of the streaming system. Results of the testing may be sent to a data store and/or used to mitigate a poor user experience such as poor image quality.

Abstract: A firearm training system includes a device body simulating a firearm and a releasable magazine accessory. The magazine accessory is retained within a receptacle formed within a handle of the device body by a pair of catches and two springs that provide opposing forces on the magazine accessory. The firearm training system also includes an improved trigger assembly that reduces breakage of the trigger under repetitive trigger pulls.

Abstract: Systems and methods are presented for accessing an application available from a data center of a program execution service. The metadata associated with a user computing device may be used to determine whether the user computing device is authorized to access the application through a virtual desktop instance. At least a portion of the application may be executed by the virtual desktop instance and provided to the user. Applications may be purchased, licensed, or rented by a user.

Abstract: A birch sap beverage having an extended shelf life and process for the manufacture thereof in which a birch sap is adjusted to a standard pre-determined Brix value and then subjected to either (a) ultra-high temperature (UHT) pasteurization followed with aseptic packaging or (b) packaging followed by UHT. Additional birch sap products having extended shelf life are also disclosed and claimed.

Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to epitope-tagged antibodies, as well as methods of employing the epitope-tagged antibodies for detecting one or more targets in a biological sample, e.g. a tissue sample.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are antibody-nanoparticle conjugates that include two or more nanoparticles (such as gold, palladium, platinum, silver, copper, nickel, cobalt, iridium, or an alloy of two or more thereof) directly linked to an antibody or fragment thereof through a metal-thiol bond. Methods of making the antibody-nanoparticle conjugates disclosed herein include reacting an arylphosphine-nanoparticle composite with a reduced antibody to produce an antibody-nanoparticle conjugate. Also disclosed herein are methods for detecting a target molecule in a sample that include using an antibody-nanoparticle conjugate (such as the antibody-nanoparticle conjugates described herein) and kits for detecting target molecules utilizing the methods disclosed herein.

Abstract: Systems and methods are presented for automatically selecting a data center that can communicate with a user computing system over a connection that provides reduced or minimal latency. In some cases, the system can select the data center based on the calculation of one or more latency factors that correlate, at least in part, to the latency of a communication channel between the data center and the user computing system. Further, the selected data center may be identified from a set of data centers that include one or more computing resources the user has identified as desiring to access.

Abstract: It may be determined that a cloud desktop should be migrated from a current region. A destination region to which the cloud desktop will be migrated can be identified. A data volume of the cloud desktop may be copied from the current region to the destination region. The data volume at the current region and the data volume at the destination region may be maintained in sync during the copying. Upon completion of the copying, a current user session associated with the cloud desktop at the current region may be frozen, a current memory and processor state of the current user session may be copied to the destination region, and a second cloud desktop instance at the destination region may be started using the copied data volume and current memory and processor state. The current user session may be connected to the second cloud desktop instance.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are antibody-nanoparticle conjugates that include two or more nanoparticles (such as gold, palladium, platinum, silver, copper, nickel, cobalt, iridium, or an alloy of two or more thereof) directly linked to an antibody or fragment thereof through a metal-thiol bond. Methods of making the antibody-nanoparticle conjugates disclosed herein include reacting an arylphosphine-nanoparticle composite with a reduced antibody to produce an antibody-nanoparticle conjugate. Also disclosed herein are methods for detecting a target molecule in a sample that include using an antibody-nanoparticle conjugate (such as the antibody-nanoparticle conjugates described herein) and kits for detecting target molecules utilizing the methods disclosed herein.

Abstract: Systems and methods to increase battery life in and identify misuse of a wireless device using environmental sensors are provided. Some methods can include identifying times during which at least one of a transceiver or a sensing device in the wireless device is operating outside of a low power sleep state, instructing a thermal sensing device in the wireless device to measure ambient temperatures of the wireless device during the identified times, recording the measured ambient temperatures and the identified times in a memory device of the wireless device, identifying a service time of the wireless device corresponding to the identified times, and using the recorded ambient temperatures or the identified service time to optimize the battery life of the wireless device or to identify the misuse of the wireless device.

Abstract: A method for performing a multiplexed diagnostic assay, such as for two or more different targets in a sample, is described. One embodiment comprised contacting the sample with two or more specific binding moieties that bind specifically to two or more different targets. The two or more specific binding moieties are conjugated to different haptens, and at least one of the haptens is an oxazole, a pyrazole, a thiazole, a nitroaryl compound other than dinitrophenyl, a benzofurazan, a triterpene, a urea, athiourea, a rotenoid, a coumarin, a cyclolignan, a heterobiaryl, an azo aryl, or a benzodiazepine. The sample is contacted with two or more different anti-hapten antibodies that can be detected separately. The two or more different anti-hapten antibodies may be conjugated to different detectable labels.

Abstract: A schedule may be determined. The schedule may include a shutdown time and a startup time. At the shutdown time, user data for a first virtual desktop instance for a virtual desktop may be saved and the first virtual desktop instance may be shut down. At the startup time, a second virtual desktop instance for the virtual desktop may be started up with the saved user data. The shutdown and startup of a virtual desktop instance may be based on rules or logic for an individual or an organization.

Abstract: Systems and methods to increase battery life in and identify misuse of a wireless device using environmental sensors are provided. Some methods can include identifying times during which at least one of a transceiver or a sensing device in a wireless device is operating outside of a low power sleep state, instructing a thermal sensing device in the wireless device to measure ambient temperatures of the wireless device during the identified times, recording the measured ambient temperatures and the identified times in a memory device of the wireless device, identifying a service time of the wireless device corresponding to the identified times, and using the recorded ambient temperatures or the identified service time to optimize a life of a battery of the wireless device or to identify misuse of the wireless device.

Abstract: A streaming source sends streaming content to a display device. A camera captures images of the display device playing the streaming content and/or a user's interaction with the display device along with the displayed response to the user's interaction. The captured content is analyzed to determine, for example, image quality characteristics of the displayed content, a user experience associated with the displayed content or whether the displayed content matches an expected outcome associated with testing input. Information determined from the analysis of the captured content may be used to adjust characteristics of the streaming content, such as streaming parameters at the streaming source or configuration of the display device. A testing system may analyze the captured content to evaluate performance of the streaming system. Results of the testing may be sent to a data store and/or used to mitigate a poor user experience such as poor image quality.

Abstract: A firearm training system includes a device body simulating a firearm and a releasable magazine accessory. The magazine accessory is retained within a receptacle formed within a handle of the device body by a pair of catches and two springs that provide opposing forces on the magazine accessory. The firearm training system also includes an improved trigger assembly that reduces breakage of the trigger under repetitive trigger pulls.

Abstract: A method for performing a multiplexed diagnostic assay, such as for two or more different targets in a sample, is described. One embodiment comprised contacting the sample with two or more specific binding moieties that bind specifically to two or more different targets. The two or more specific binding moieties are conjugated to different haptens, and at least one of the haptens is an oxazole, a pyrazole, a thiazole, a nitroaryl compound other than dinitrophenyl, a benzofurazan, a triterpene, a urea, a thiourea, a rotenoid, a coumarin, a cyclolignan, a heterobiaryl, an azo aryl, or a benzodiazepine. The sample is contacted with two or more different anti-hapten antibodies that can be detected separately. The two or more different anti-hapten antibodies may be conjugated to different detectable labels.

Abstract: A streaming source sends streaming content to a display device. A camera captures images of the display device playing the streaming content and/or a user's interaction with the display device along with the displayed response to the user's interaction. The captured content is analyzed to determine, for example, image quality characteristics of the displayed content, a user experience associated with the displayed content or whether the displayed content matches an expected outcome associated with testing input. Information determined from the analysis of the captured content may be used to adjust characteristics of the streaming content, such as streaming parameters at the streaming source or configuration of the display device. A testing system may analyze the captured content to evaluate performance of the streaming system. Results of the testing may be sent to a data store and/or used to mitigate a poor user experience such as poor image quality.

Abstract: A proximity detection method is described that utilizes enzymatic biotinylation to detect targets in a sample, particularly formalin fixed paraffin embedded samples using automated staining platforms. One disclosed embodiment comprises contacting the sample with a first conjugate comprising a biotin ligase and a first specific binding moiety that binds proximally to the first target; contacting the sample with a second conjugate comprising a biotin ligase substrate and a second specific binding moiety that binds proximally to the second target; subjecting the sample to conditions that allow biotinylation of the biotin ligase substrate by the biotin ligase when the first target and the second target have a proximal arrangement; and detecting biotinylation of the biotin ligase substrate. The conditions that allow biotinylation of the substrate include addition of biotin and ATP. The method also may comprise contacting the sample with a streptavidin-enzyme conjugate. Signal amplification also can be used.