Abstract: A computer-implemented system and method for providing performance alerts in an online learning environment is provided. Education-related information for a user is monitored within an online learning environment and an assignment completed by the user is received. A score of the assignment is determined to be below passing level. Other assignments that are the same as the received assignment and are associated with below passing scores of the user are identified. A number of the received assignment and the same assignments is determined as common assignments. A predetermined threshold is applied to the number of common assignments and when the number of common assignments exceeds the predetermined threshold, access of the user to the online learning environment is blocked. An alert providing notice of the user's blocked access is delivered.

Abstract: A computer-implemented system and method for providing student enrollment alerts in an online learning environment is provided. A subscription threshold for an organization is determined for students enrolled in an online learning environment. The subscription threshold includes a number of subscriptions purchased by the organization. New enrollments for one or more of the students associated with the organization is received. A new enrollment alert is generated for each of the new enrollments and the alerts are delivered to an administrator of the online learning environment. A total number of the new enrollments are determined for the organization. The subscription threshold is applied to the number of new enrollments. A subscription alert is generated when the number of the new enrollments satisfies the subscription threshold.

Abstract: Methods and systems for automatically generating a list of keywords for an end user from very large amounts of text data. In an embodiment, a computer-implemented method includes a processor receiving a request from an end user device to generate a key word list, reading text data of a corpus of at least one domain, performing pre-processing of the text data of the corpus, and removing stop words. The process also includes generating, by the processor, a term document matrix, removing rare words, and identifying unigrams, bigrams and trigrams. The processor then performs a stemming process on the unigrams, bigrams and trigrams to form stem words, replaces each stem word with its highest frequency unigram to generate normalized unigrams, generates normalized bigrams and normalized trigrams based on the normalized unigrams, and generates a list of keywords comprising the normalized unigrams, the normalized bigrams, and the normalized trigrams.

Abstract: A process for annotating a video in real-time on a mobile device. The process may include creating one or more markers, allowing a user of the mobile device to annotate the video while one or more users within a group of users are annotating the streaming video in real-time. The process may include receiving a selection from the user for which he or she seeks to annotate within the video. The process further includes displaying a text box for a frame or range of frames selected by the user seeks for annotation, and receiving a submitted text box from the user and propagating the annotations within the submitted text box to one or more users within the group in real-time.

Abstract: A system and method to enable fine-grained, contextual annotations of streaming videos by one or more users, prioritizing the use of screen space on mobile devices by allowing users to draw or place threaded comments while utilizing a touch-based interface, reducing distractions caused by a* cluttered interface. By enabling the user to control annotations beginning at a particular timestamp within the streaming video, the present invention optimizes screen real estate on mobile devices efficiently. Contextual commenting is enabled using a combination of perspectives, which highlight the parts of the video being annotated, while dimming out the rest of the screen elements and flexible extension of a user's comments across one or many frames of the streaming video. Using a simple touch-based interface the present invention is intuitive and further enables the user to select the vicinity around which he or she wishes to increase sensitivity or have finer control.

Abstract: The present invention is generally directed to systems and methods of providing access to logs and/or history information for jobs that were processed or run on a cluster that was automatically terminated. In some embodiments, systems may include a persistence component, configured to save job history, configuration, and/or log files related to a cluster even after the cluster is terminated; a terminated job history server, configured to serve requests for logs and histories associated with jobs that ran on terminated clusters; and a cluster proxy, providing a proxy layer to redirect requests regarding terminated cluster job history, configuration, and/or log files to the terminated job history server. Methods may include directing by a cluster proxy a user request to a terminated job history server and providing, by the terminated job history server through access to a storage facility, access to logs and/or history information requested by the user.

Abstract: A computer-implemented system and method for providing student enrollment alerts in an online learning environment is provided. A subscription threshold for an organization is determined for students enrolled in an online learning environment. The subscription threshold includes a number of subscriptions purchased by the organization. New enrollments for one or more of the students associated with the organization is received. A new enrollment alert is generated for each of the new enrollments and the alerts are delivered to an administrator of the online learning environment. A total number of the new enrollments are determined for the organization. The subscription threshold is applied to the number of new enrollments. A subscription alert is generated when the number of the new enrollments satisfies the subscription threshold.

Abstract: A system and method for providing student performance alerts in an online learning environment is provided. An online learning environment is monitored. A score for a test taken by a student at a first time is received. One or more previous scores for previous tests taken by the student at previous times are obtained. The score is compared with one or more of the previous scores to determine a difference between the score and the one or more previous scores. A change threshold is applied to the difference and the difference is determined to be significant when the difference is outside the threshold. An alert for the significant difference is transmitted to one or more recipients associated with the student.

Abstract: A system and method for providing student performance alerts in an online learning environment is provided. An online learning environment is monitored. A score for a test taken by a student at a first time is received. One or more previous scores for previous tests taken by the student at previous times are obtained. The score is compared with one or more of the previous scores to determine a difference between the score and the one or more previous scores. A change threshold is applied to the difference and the difference is determined to be significant when the difference is outside the threshold. An alert for the significant difference is transmitted to one or more recipients associated with the student.

Abstract: A system and method for providing education-related alerts in an online learning environment is provided. An online learning environment including a plurality of users participating in online educational activities is monitored. An online database including event rules and education-related information for the online educational activities is maintained. An event occurring in the online learning environment is identified. The event satisfies at least one of the event rules. A benchmark is determined for the event. The benchmark includes at least one of information selected from and information indicated by the education-related information. An alert is generated for the event by selecting a template for the event and populating the template with the benchmark as the alert. The alert is provided to one or more of the users.

Abstract: In block based video compression, a frame is divided into blocks which define a tiling pattern. The tiling pattern is varied from frame-to-frame to prevent an accumulation of errors which tend to appear at tile edges and can increase over time when using block-based compression. In a preferred embodiment, a normal frame is padded by a border all around the normal frame size. The padding is operable to extend any blocks around the periphery of the image frame which might be smaller in dimension than the standard blocks, such as those within the interior of the frame, such that they can be treated by the block-based compression systems as full size blocks.

Abstract: In block based video compression, a frame is divided into blocks which define a tiling pattern. The tiling pattern is varied from frame-to-frame to prevent an accumulation of errors which tend to appear at tile edges and can increase over time when using block-based compression. In a preferred embodiment, a normal frame is padded by a border all around the normal frame size. The padding is operable to extend any blocks around the periphery of the image frame which might be smaller in dimension than the standard blocks, such as those within the interior of the frame, such that they can be treated by the block-based compression systems as full size blocks.

Abstract: In block based video compression, a frame is divided into blocks which define a tiling pattern. The tiling pattern is varied from frame-to-frame to prevent an accumulation of errors which tend to appear at tile edges and can increase over time when using block-based compression. In a preferred embodiment, a normal frame is padded by a border all around the normal frame size. The padding is operable to extend any blocks around the periphery of the image frame which might be smaller in dimension than the standard blocks, such as those within the interior of the frame, such that they can be treated by the block-based compression systems as full size blocks.

Abstract: A set different dither matrices is employed in a repetitive manner to accomplish elimination of contouring while at the same time not adding typical "dither graininess" to a digital video image. The matrices are specially chosen to result in a time-averaged zero dithering bias when applied frame-by-frame in a long sequence of frames.

Abstract: Two or more run-val mapping tables are selected to encode different subsets of video signals of a sequence of video signals. Each run-val mapping table is selected to map a particular set of run-val pairs to a corresponding set of run-val codes. Each run-val pair comprises a run and a vat, the run corresponding to a length of a run of video signals having value zero and the val corresponding to a video signal having a non-zero value. Each run-val mapping table is used to generate a different part of an encoded bitstream for the sequence of video signals. The encoded bitstream is then decoded using the two or more selected run-val mapping tables. In a preferred embodiment, the selected run-val mapping tables are explicitly identified in the bitstream.

Abstract: The efficiency of variable-length (VL) encoding data using a defined VL encoding table is characterized and one or more changes to one or more entries of the defined VL encoding table are determined that increase the efficiency of encoding the data. An updated VL encoding table is generated from the defined VL encoding table based on the changes. VL codes for the data are generated using the updated VL encoding table, and an encoded bitstream is generated from VL codes, wherein the encoded bitstream explicitly identifies the changes. For decoding, the changes are extracted from the encoded bitstream and an updated VL decoding table is generated from a defined VL decoding table corresponding to the defined VL encoding table, based on the changes. The VL codes in the encoded bitstream are decoded using the updated VL decoding table to generate a set of decoded data.

Abstract: One or more encoding parameters are controlled during the encoding of image data based on a decode processing rate. By taking decode processing into account during encoding, a decoding system will be able to keep up with the demands for decoding the resulting encoded bitstream. In one embodiment, encoding parameters used for video encoding may be changed iteratively to achieve a specified target decode processing rate, which can change from frame to frame.

Abstract: In block based video compression, a frame is divided into blocks which define a tiling pattern. The tiling pattern is varied from frame-to-frame to prevent an accumulation of errors which tend to appear at tile edges and can increase over time when using block-based compression. In a preferred embodiment, a normal frame is padded by a border all around the normal frame size. The padding is operable to extend any blocks around the periphery of the image frame which might be smaller in dimension than the standard blocks, such as those within the interior of the frame, such that they can be treated by the block-based compression systems as full size blocks.

Abstract: Sequential digital video frames are divided into two interleaved fields comprising even-numbered horizontal lines of pixels and odd-numbered lines horizontal lines of pixels respectively. The "even" field of a first standard frame is combined with the "odd" field of a second standard frame to form a first pseudo-interlaced frame of data for display; then the same odd field is combined with the even field of a third standard frame to form a second pseudo-interlaced frame of data for display, and so on throughout a continuing digital-video message. The data transmission rate needed is thus reduced by nearly a factor of two, or conversely, for a given data rate, nearly twice as much video information can be transmitted in the same time interval.

Abstract: Two or more run-val mapping tables are selected to encode different subsets of video signals of a sequence of video signals. Each run-val mapping table is selected to map a particular set of run-val pairs to a corresponding set of run-val codes. Each run-val pair comprises a run and a val, the run corresponding to a length of a run of video signals having value zero and the val corresponding to a video signal having a non-zero value. Each run-val mapping table is used to generate a different part of an encoded bitstream for the sequence of video signals. The encoded bitstream is then decoded using the two or more selected run-val mapping tables. In a preferred embodiment, the selected run-val mapping tables are explicitly identified in the bitstream.