Abstract: Techniques for using social networking information may include making a determination that content authored by a first party references a second party more than a specified number of times. An adjustment in affinity may be made between the first party and the second party in the social network in response to the determination. Making the adjustment in affinity may include modifying a social graph of at least the first party that is referenced by the social network in order to reflect the adjustment in affinity. Modifying the social graph includes creating a closer connection between the first party and the second party than had existed prior to the determination. In response to the adjustment in the affinity, promotion is adjusted, to the first party, of content in the social network that has a connection to the second party.

Abstract: Techniques for inferring social affinity may include the following operations: obtaining information derived from online activity of a first party, where the online activity includes searches initiated by the first party, and where the information specifies interaction of the first party with content accessed through the online activity; determining, based on the information, that an amount of the interaction of the first party with the content exceeds a threshold; following the determining, identifying a second party who provided the content; adjusting, in a social graph for the first party, an affinity of the second party to the first party based on the amount of the interaction with the content; and using the affinity to promote search results output to the first party that contain content that is provided by the second party.

Abstract: The technology described relates to reducing a backlog of pending URL crawls in view of a limited URL crawl capacity. This technology is useful for crawling URLs with low latency. Because of the limited crawl capacity, uncrawled URLs from crawl requests are entered into a backlog data structure of pending crawl requests. Various criteria are applied to the URL's that are requested to be crawled, so that less important URL crawls are rejected early from the backlog data structure. This early rejection tends to limit the backlog data structure to the more important pending URL crawls, and tends to keep the average latency low by quickly failing the less important requested URL crawls.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for processing (transporting) data, such as in a data warehouse system. In one embodiment, the data are received from a source and compared to data in a lookup cache comprising a subset of data from a first data set (e.g., a dimension table). Instances of the data not present in a lookup cache (that is, new data) are identified. Information corresponding to these instances are generated (e.g., a unique identifier is associated with each of these instances), and the first data set is updated accordingly. The lookup cache is then updated with the new data and the unique identifiers. Accordingly, the information (data) in the lookup cache and in the first data set are in synchronization. The lookup cache does not need to be rebuilt (e.g., to update a second data set such as a fact table).

Abstract: A digital subtraction angiography method useful for processing a mask and contrast series of two dimensional (2D) images acquired by rotational imaging of a selected volume of a body. The method reduces image artifacts caused by misregistration, and is unique in that for registration purposes it treats the acquired 2D images as a volume. The individual 2D images are stacked in a sequence so as to have the dimensions x, y and .theta.. A flexible volume registration is then performed to bring the mask and contrast volumes into a close match prior to subtraction.

Abstract: A process for background information recovery in an image including an image of a moving object, comprises the steps of identifying regions of moving objects relative to the background; deriving a moving constellation containing moving objects in a minimum circumscribing polygon; deriving partial background images associated with respective positions of the moving constellation; and combining ones of the partial background images.

Abstract: The digital subtraction angiography method useful for three dimensional (3D) imaging of a selected volume of a body comprises the following steps. Acquiring first and second 3D data sets representative of an image of substantially the same selected volume in the body, the first and second data sets being acquired at different times corresponding to a pre- and a post injection of a contrast medium, respectively. Determining common reference points for spatially corresponding subvolumes in the data sets. Comparing in a 3D spatial manner data in subvolumes of the second data set with data in corresponding subvolumes in the first data set in order to determine a new reference point in each of the subvolumes of the first data set which results in a best match of the spatial similarity of the data in the corresponding subvolumes of the second data set.