Abstract: The invention is directed towards a method and system for optically-based monitoring of chemicals of potential concern (COPCs), including mercury (Hg), methyl mercury (MeHg), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). It employs a multi-parameter statistical analysis model, such as partial least square regression (PLS regression), to identify combinations of predictors (e.g., optical, water quality, and physical properties) that have large covariance with the response values. The predictive model is validated against analytic samples from laboratories. The steps in the method are repeated until predictors, or parameters are selected that avoid over-fitting and which yield physically-based results.

Abstract: A system and method for image recognition registration of an athlete into a sporting event. The athlete is registered in the sporting event using image recognition technology. A digital commencement image of the athlete taken by a camera (106) as the athlete crosses a starting line. The digital commencement image is compared with a stored profile image of the athlete to identify the athlete and enter them into the event without the need for the athlete to pre-register for the particular event. Enhanced recognition techniques incorporating pattern recognition may be used to increase identity accuracy.

Abstract: A method for managing multiple software defined wide area network (SD-WAN) software versions includes providing a controller that defines an overall configuration for an SD-WAN and that creates configuration registries for individual SD-WAN appliances to implement their respective portions of the overall configuration. The controller generates, in an intermediate configuration language registry format, a first and second configuration registry for first and second SD-WAN appliance that respectively execute first and second versions of SD-WAN software. The controller respectively transmits the first and second configuration registries to the first and second SD-WAN appliances, which use the first and second configuration registries to configure themselves. The first and second SD-WAN appliances negotiate with each other for common SD-WAN features usable to implement configurations specified in the first and second configuration registries.

Abstract: An athlete tracking system and method for tracking an athlete during training sessions. The system includes a mobile tracking device wearable around a portion of the athlete's head, and a training log server for maintaining an athlete profile that includes a training record updatable by the athlete and a training plan supplied by a coach.

Abstract: A graphics processing unit (GPU) includes a packet management component that automatically aggregates data from input packets. In response to determining that a received first input packet does not indicate a send condition, and in response to determining that a generated output packet would be smaller than an output size threshold, the packet management component aggregates data corresponding to the first input packet with data corresponding to a second input packet stored at a packet buffer. In response to determining that a received third input packet indicates a send condition, the packet management component sends the aggregated data to a compute unit in an output packet and performs an operation indicated by the send condition.

Abstract: Systems and techniques are described for a centralized management system operating within a virtual machine which configures, monitors, analyzes, and manages an adaptive private network (APN) to provide a discovery process that learns about changes to the APN through a network control node (NCN) that is a single point of control of the APN. The discovery process automatically learns a new topology of the network without relying on configuration information of nodes in the APN. Network statistics are based on a timeline of network operations that a user selected to review. Such discovery and timeline review is separate from stored configuration information. If there was a network change, the changes either show up or not show up in the discovery process based on the selected time line. Configuration changes can be made from the APN VM system by loading the latest configuration on the APN under control of the NCN.

Abstract: An athlete tracking system and method for tracking an athlete during training sessions. The system includes a mobile tracking device wearable around a portion of the athlete's head, and a training log server for maintaining an athlete profile that includes a training record updatable by the athlete and a training plan supplied by a coach.

Abstract: A graphics pipeline reduces the number of tessellation factors written to and read from a graphics memory. A hull shader stage of the graphics pipeline detects whether at least a threshold percentage of the tessellation factors for a thread group of patches are the same and, in some embodiments, whether at least the threshold percentage of the tessellation factors for a thread group of patches have a same value that either indicates that the plurality of patches are to be culled or that the plurality of patches are to be passed to a tessellator stage of the graphics pipeline.

Abstract: A graphics pipeline reduces the number of tessellation factors written to and read from a graphics memory. A hull shader stage of the graphics pipeline detects whether at least a threshold percentage of the tessellation factors for a thread group of patches are the same and, in some embodiments, whether at least the threshold percentage of the tessellation factors for a thread group of patches have a same value that either indicates that the plurality of patches are to be culled or that the plurality of patches are to be passed to a tessellator stage of the graphics pipeline.

Abstract: Improvements to graphics processing pipelines are disclosed. More specifically, the vertex shader stage, which performs vertex transformations, and the hull or geometry shader stages, are combined. If tessellation is disabled and geometry shading is enabled, then the graphics processing pipeline includes a combined vertex and graphics shader stage. If tessellation is enabled, then the graphics processing pipeline includes a combined vertex and hull shader stage. If tessellation and geometry shading are both disabled, then the graphics processing pipeline does not use a combined shader stage. The combined shader stages improve efficiency by reducing the number of executing instances of shader programs and associated resources reserved.

Abstract: A system and method for image recognition registration of an athlete into a sporting event. The athlete is registered in the sporting event using image recognition technology. A digital commencement image of the athlete taken by a camera (106) as the athlete crosses a starting line. The digital commencement image is compared with a stored profile image of the athlete to identify the athlete and enter them into the event without the need for the athlete to pre-register for the particular event. Enhanced recognition techniques incorporating pattern recognition may be used to increase identity accuracy.

Abstract: Methods are provided for fabricating electrochromic devices that mitigate formation of short circuits under a top bus bar without predetermining where top bus bars will be applied on the device. Devices fabricated using such methods may be deactivated under the top bus bar, or may include active material under the top bus bar. Methods of fabricating devices with active material under a top bus bar include depositing a modified top bus bar, fabricating self-healing layers in the electrochromic device, and modifying a top transparent conductive layer of the device prior to applying bus bars.

Abstract: A firewall is described that is integrated in an input stage of a packet processing pipeline so that it recognizes and has access to internal information regarding the different services, such as conduit, intranet, Internet, local vs WAN, applications, and security zones, of a communication network, such as an adaptive private network (APN). The integrated firewall is able to dynamically access the service type, respond to the service type, and adjust the service type based on conditions in the network. Since application awareness and security functions are integrated, customers can set security policies on software applications. The integrated firewall also provides automatic detection of applications, classifies applications based on domain names, steers traffic to services according to software applications, reports on software applications in passthrough traffic, and provides analysis of traffic that does not match a software application so that a user can investigate and define custom applications.

Abstract: Techniques are described to automatically activate and deactivate standby backup paths in response to changing bandwidth requirements in an adaptive private network (APN). The APN includes one or more regular active wide area network (WAN) links in an active mode and an on-demand WAN link in a standby mode. The on-demand WAN link is activated to supplement the conduit bandwidth when an available bandwidth of the conduit falls below a pre-specified trigger bandwidth threshold and the conduit bandwidth usage exceeds a usage threshold of a bandwidth of the conduit that is being supplied by the active paths (BWc). The on-demand WAN link is deactivated to standby mode when an available bandwidth of the conduit is above the pre-specified trigger bandwidth threshold and the conduit bandwidth usage drops below the usage threshold of BWc techniques for adaptive and active bandwidth testing of WAN links in an APN are also described.

Abstract: Systems and techniques are described for a path maximum transmission unit (MTU) discovery method that allows the sender of IP packets to discover the MTU of packets that it is sending over a conduit to a given destination. The MTU is the largest packet that can be sent through the network along a path without requiring fragmentation. The path MTU discovery method actively probes each sending path of each conduit with fragmentation enabled to determine a current MTU and accordingly increase or decrease the conduit MTU. The path MTU discovery process is resilient to errors and supports retransmission if packets are lost in the discovery process. The path MTU discovery process is dynamically adjusted at a periodic rate to adjust to varying network conditions.

Abstract: Techniques are described to automatically activate and deactivate standby backup paths in response to changing bandwidth requirements in an adaptive private network (APN). The APN includes one or more regular active wide area network (WAN) links in an active mode and an on-demand WAN link in a standby mode. The on-demand WAN link is activated to supplement the conduit bandwidth when an available bandwidth of the conduit falls below a pre-specified trigger bandwidth threshold and the conduit bandwidth usage exceeds a usage threshold of a bandwidth of the conduit that is being supplied by the active paths (BWc). The on-demand WAN link is deactivated to standby mode when an available bandwidth of the conduit is above the pre-specified trigger bandwidth threshold and the conduit bandwidth usage drops below the usage threshold of BWc techniques for adaptive and active bandwidth testing of WAN links in an APN are also described.

Abstract: Improvements in the graphics processing pipeline that allow multiple pipelines to cooperate to render a single frame are disclosed. Two approaches are provided. In a first approach, world-space pipelines for the different graphics processing pipelines process all work for draw calls received from a central processing unit (CPU). In a second approach, the world-space pipelines divide up the work. Work that is divided is synchronized and redistributed at various points in the world-space pipeline. In either approach, the triangles output by the world-space pipelines are distributed to the screen-space pipelines based on the portions of the render surface overlapped by the triangles. Triangles are rendered by screen-space pipelines associated with the render surface portions overlapped by those triangles.

Abstract: An athlete tracking system and method for tracking an athlete during training sessions. The system includes a mobile tracking device wearable around a portion of the athlete's head, and a training log server for maintaining an athlete profile that includes a training record updatable by the athlete and a training plan supplied by a coach.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus to constrain a search are described. A selection of one or more items of a search result set by a user may be obtained. One or more attributes of the one or more selected items may be evaluated. One or more filters are identified based on the evaluated attributes.

Abstract: Systems and techniques, including special messages and state machines, are described that configures an intermediate site to dynamically trigger creation of and removal of a dynamic conduit between two sites based on usage that is tracked at the sites. The intermediate site providing WAN-to-WAN forwarding between the two sites, monitors throughput statistics on each local WAN link (LWL) associated with the two sites. If traffic between the two sites passes a configured first threshold or if LWL usage passes a configured second threshold, the intermediate site sends a message to the two sites to set up a dynamic conduit directly coupling the two sites. Busy lists are used to keep track of eligible site pairs. Once a dynamic conduit is set up between two sites, a grow technique tests the dynamic conduit increasing communication flows between the two sites each configured sampling period before putting the conduit in normal use.