Abstract: A resource management system is disclosed herein that quickly and dynamically tailors application resource provisioning to real-time application resource consumption. The resource management system may service application requests using resources selected from a pool of servers, the pool of servers including a mixture of virtual server resources and serverless instance resources. The serverless instance resource may comprise software objects programmed using a machine image reflecting one or more states of a virtual application server booted using application-specific program code. Supporting an application using serverless instances enables dynamic scaling of application resources to support real-time application servicing loads.

Abstract: A resource management system is disclosed herein that quickly and dynamically tailors application resource provisioning to real-time application resource consumption. The resource management system may service application requests using resources selected from a pool of servers, the pool of servers including a mixture of virtual server resources and serverless instance resources. The serverless instance resource may comprise software objects programmed using a machine image reflecting one or more states of a virtual application server booted using application-specific program code. Supporting an application using serverless instances enables dynamic scaling of application resources to support real-time application servicing loads.

Abstract: A resource management system is disclosed herein that quickly and dynamically tailors application resource provisioning to real-time application resource consumption. The resource management system may service application requests using resources selected from a pool of servers, the pool of servers including a mixture of virtual server resources and serverless instance resources. The serverless instance resource may comprise software objects programmed using a machine image reflecting one or more states of a virtual application server booted using application-specific program code. Supporting an application using serverless instances enables dynamic scaling of application resources to support real-time application servicing loads.

Abstract: Devices, systems, and methods are provided for an ultra-short throw projector. The projector may include an illuminator having an ellipsoidal reflector, a light emitting diode (LED) positioned inside of the ellipsoidal reflector, and a Fresnel lens positioned inside of the ellipsoidal reflector. The projector may include a circular transmissive liquid crystal display (LCD) and a three-element plastic projection lens positioned outside of the ellipsoidal reflector, wherein the circular transmissive LCD is positioned between the ellipsoidal reflector and the three-element plastic projection lens, wherein the ellipsoidal reflector reflects light emitted by the LED, wherein the Fresnel lens refracts light emitted by the LED, and wherein the three-element plastic projection lens projects the reflected light and the refracted light.

Abstract: A resource management system is disclosed herein that quickly and dynamically tailors application resource provisioning to real-time application resource consumption. The resource management system may service application requests using resources selected from a pool of servers, the pool of servers including a mixture of virtual server resources and serverless instance resources. The serverless instance resource may comprise software objects programmed using a machine image reflecting one or more states of a virtual application server booted using application-specific program code. Supporting an application using serverless instances enables dynamic scaling of application resources to support real-time application servicing loads.

Abstract: Some embodiments are directed to a radar imaging system that includes a radar transmitter configured to transmit radar at a target; an aperture including an array of physically independent airborne carriers, each of the carriers configured to receive radar echoes from the target; and a base station, which may be located at ground level, in communication with each of the airborne carriers to receive the radar echoes and determine an image of the target from the received radar echoes.

Abstract: Some embodiments are directed to a radar imaging system that includes a radar transmitter configured to transmit radar at a target; an aperture including an array of physically independent airborne carriers, each of the carriers configured to receive radar echoes from the target; and a base station, which may be located at ground level, in communication with each of the airborne carriers to receive the radar echoes and determine an image of the target from the received radar echoes.

Abstract: A speech processing system is provided for customizing speech parameters across speech applications in a networked environment. The speech processing system includes: a speech processing application residing on a first computing device, where the speech processing application is operable to capture customized speech parameters for a given user and communicate the customized speech parameters across a network; and an intermediary speech processor residing on a second computing device in the networked environment, where the intermediary speech processor adapted to receive the customized speech parameters and is operable to transform the customized speech parameters for use on a third computing device.

Abstract: A data processing implemented method and system and article of manufacture are provided for determining compatibility between a primary instance and a standby instance, the primary instance being characterized by a first log position indicator and a primary log chain fingerprint (FP-P) and the secondary instance being characterized by a second log position indicator and a secondary log chain fingerprint (FP-S); the FP-P and the FP-S each uniquely identifying a prescribed history of an associated data processing system.

Abstract: A log-shipping data replication system employs a primary server coupled to a standby server. In operation, the primary server concurrently flushes log data at the primary server and transmits the same log data from the primary server to the standby server. The primary server further transmits at least one buffer flush boundary indication to the standby server indicating the flushing status of the log data at the primary server. The standby server processes the log data as a function of receiving the log data from the primary server, and/or receiving the at least one buffer flush boundary indication from the primary server.

Abstract: A method and system are provided for providing a consistent reintegration of a failed primary instance as a new secondary instance with implementation of truncation of log records. Upon failure of a primary instance, a secondary instance may be reassigned as the new primary instance. Prior to reintegration, any portion of the database log of the failed primary that is after the log position of the new primary instance may be truncated, followed by a comparison of the log positions of both the new primary instance and the new secondary instance. In limited circumstances, the truncation of the log data generated by the failed primary instance after the point of failure is possible, and supports reintegration of the failed primary as a new secondary instance with limited overhead.

Abstract: A prosody modification system for use in text-to-speech includes an input receiving a sequence of prosodic data vectors Pn, measured at time Tn, which samples a sound waveform. A prosody data warping module directly derives new prosodic data vectors Qn from the original data vectors Pn using a function, which is controlled by warping parameters A0, . . . Ak, which avoids round-off errors in deriving quantized values, which has derivatives with respect to A0, . . . Ak, Pn, and Tn that are continuous, and which has sufficiently high complexity to model intentional prosody of the sound waveform, and sufficiently low complexity to avoid modeling micro-prosody of the sound waveform. The smoothness and simplicity of the function ensure that micro-prosodic perturbations and errors in measurement of Tn are transferred directly to the output Qn. The errors are thus reversed during re-synthesis and therefore eliminated, resulting in micro-prosodic perturbations being preserved during re-synthesis.

Abstract: A portable device, such as a cellular telephone, engages the user in a challenge-response sequence that is based on recognition of the user's utterance and also upon verification of the user's speech patterns or voiceprint. The challenge-response protocol presents the user with an unexpected challenge word, which the user is then requested to respond to. The system maintains a secure data store of challenge words which it adapts and augments as the user makes use of the portable device. The portable device provides the user with a convenient, single access point through which he or she can authenticate with a variety of disparate secure devices ranging from door locks, ATM machines, financial institutions and third-party business associates.

Abstract: An information notification system includes an input receiving activity information relating to a user activity category and/or environment information relating to a user environment category. A delivery module determines a manner of notification delivery based on the user activity category and the user environment category. An output communicates a notification to the user in accordance with the manner of delivery.

Abstract: A speaker authentication system includes an input receptive of user speech from a user. An extraction module extracts acoustic correlates of aspects of the user's physiology from the user speech, including at least one of glottal source parameters, formant related parameters, timing characteristics, and pitch related qualities. An output communicates the acoustic correlates to an authentication module adapted to authenticate the user by comparing the acoustic correlates to predefined acoustic correlates in a datastore.

Abstract: A new speaker provides speech from which comparison snippets are extracted. The comparison snippets are compared with initial snippets stored in a recorded snippet database that is associated with a concatenative synthesizer. The comparison of the snippets to the initial snippets produces required sound units. A greedy selection algorithm is performed with the required sound units for identifying the smallest subset of the input text that contains all of the text for the new speaker to read. The new speaker then reads the optimally selected text and sound units are extracted from the human speech such that the recorded snippet database is modified and the speech synthesized adopts the voice quality and characteristics of the new speaker.

Abstract: A speech processing system is provided for customizing speech parameters across speech applications in a networked environment. The speech processing system includes: a speech processing application residing on a first computing device, where the speech processing application is operable to capture customized speech parameters for a given user and communicate the customized speech parameters across a network; and an intermediary speech processor residing on a second computing device in the networked environment, where the intermediary speech processor adapted to receive the customized speech parameters and is operable to transform the customized speech parameters for use on a third computing device.

Abstract: A new speaker provides speech from which comparison snippets are extracted. The comparison snippets are compared with initial snippets stored in a recorded snippet database that is associated with a concatenative synthesizer. The comparison of the snippets to the initial snippets produces required sound units. A greedy selection algorithm is performed with the required sound units for identifying the smallest subset of the input text that contains all of the text for the new speaker to read. The new speaker then reads the optimally selected text and sound units are extracted from the human speech such that the recorded snippet database is modified and the speech synthesized adopts the voice quality and characteristics of the new speaker.

Abstract: An improved postcard for mailing and displaying a photograph and a blank for and method of making the same is disclosed herein. The postcard is made from the blank, which is folded and then secured together along outer edges thereof, by flaps formed in the blank. One of the flaps is left open so that a photograph may be inserted into a pocket formed in the postcard, so as to be seen through a transparent window secured to one side of a front portion of the formed postcard. After insertion of the photograph, the open side of the pocket is permanently sealed by the open flap, and the postcard may be sent through the mail. The postcard includes a triangular element held on a rear surface thereof, which triangular element is rotatable to an open position to support the postcard in an elevated or standing position, whereby the photograph may be easily viewed through the transparent window.