Abstract: The invention provides methods and compositions for recovering oil from stillage. The method comprises the addition of a surfactant and a microparticle comprising hydrophilic silica to a grain to ethanol stillage. The methods and compositions of the present invention release oil trapped in solid aggregates, increasing the total amount of oil extracted from the stillage.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for generating search results with higher relevancy. More specifically, the present invention provides a listing of narrowing or related search terms based upon the search term submitted by the user. The present invention effectively guides users to narrow their search by guiding users to select or click on highly related search terms. In one embodiment, the listing of the highly related search terms is generated in accordance with sales and/or click information, e.g., via scoring of search terms that is premised on sales and/or click information.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for generating search results with higher relevancy. More specifically, the present invention provides a listing of narrowing or related search terms based upon the search term submitted by the user. The present invention effectively guides users to narrow their search by guiding users to select or click on highly related search terms. In one embodiment, the listing of the highly related search terms is generated in accordance with sales and/or click information, e.g., via scoring of search terms that is premised on sales and/or click information.

Abstract: An automated toxicity assessment apparatus includes multiple sample plates each configured to hold test wells for holding a test solution comprising a test compound and a test organism. A dispense head holds dispense tips for dispensing test solutions into the test wells in one sample plate at each time. An electronic detector can capture an image of a test solution in one of test wells on a sample plate to establish a dose-response curve for the test organism. A carousal system rotates a first sample plate to a first position under the dispense head to allow the plurality of dispense tips to dispense solutions into the test wells on the first sample plate. The carousal system rotates the first sample plate to a second position to allow the electronic detector to capture an image of a test solution in the one of test wells on the first sample plate.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods and chemicals that can be used as fluorescent tracers in the treatment of raw water and/or industrial wastewater. The fluorescent tracers are certain chemicals discovered to have beneficial properties for such uses, particularly having little variance in fluorescence emission for conditions that are known to interfere with fluorescence emission. The fluorescent tracers comprise rhodamine dyes.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is provided for hosting within a search engine, large-scale heterogeneous repositories of searchable and navigable content. Customers of the hosting platform are customers wanting to outsource the management of their searchable content. Content domain experts from each customer independently define a taxonomy of categories and attributes for their structured content that form a hierarchical set of nodes (a directed graph) that are mapped to a common physical search engine infrastructure. The mapping algorithm that maps unique attributes across potentially very different subject domains onto the same physical infrastructure is introduced. Once the physical structure is created, the search engine can use it for searching or navigating just within one customer's domain or users can search across multiple customer domains.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for generating search results with higher relevancy. More specifically, the present invention provides a listing of narrowing or related search terms based upon the search term submitted by the user. The present invention effectively guides users to narrow their search by guiding users to select or click on highly related search terms. In one embodiment, the listing of the highly related search terms is generated in accordance with sales and/or click information, e.g., via scoring of search terms that is premised on sales and/or click information.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for generating search results with higher relevancy. More specifically, the present invention provides a listing of narrowing or related search terms based upon the search term submitted by the user. The present invention effectively guides users to narrow their search by guiding users to select or click on highly related search terms. In one embodiment, the listing of the highly related search terms is generated in accordance with sales and/or click information, e.g., via scoring of search terms that is premised on sales and/or click information.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for generating search results with higher relevancy. The present invention exploits the fact that users' choices on each given search term tend to converge to several products from several merchants, and all of the results are very relevant to the search term. In one embodiment, these results are used to decide the order of merchants for each search term. By learning the users' choices, especially from purchasing and/or clicking information, highly relevant and most popular products can be assigned a higher score or rank over text relevant only products.

Abstract: A method is provided for reporting and analyzing user search behaviors in a large scale heterogeneous search engine platform. Content repository managers want to understand how users search for content in their repository including what categories and attributes users are interested in, how users were referred to the site, and which searchable items were viewed. The method provides a low-cost alternative to OLAP and data warehouse solutions and exploits the scalability and user interface of a search engine. Furthermore, the taxonomy of the content repository needed for analysis is already known to the search engine, and need not be exported or represented in a different format required by another tool. Data analysis can be conducted interactively and in real-time.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is provided for hosting within a search engine, large-scale heterogeneous repositories of searchable and navigable content. Customers of the hosting platform are customers wanting to outsource the management of their searchable content. Content domain experts from each customer independently define a taxonomy of categories and attributes for their structured content that form a hierarchical set of nodes (a directed graph) that are mapped to a common physical search engine infrastructure. The mapping algorithm that maps unique attributes across potentially very different subject domains onto the same physical infrastructure is introduced. Once the physical structure is created, the search engine can use it for searching or navigating just within one customer's domain or users can search across multiple customer domains.

Abstract: A method is provided for responding to user search requests with suggested categories and attributes that have a high probability of being useful to the user for refining the search. The method is described in the context of a shared search engine platform in which multiple vertical domain repositories reside. The common search engine can search all of the repositories in a single search. The multiple vertical domain repositories can be heterogeneous in type, size, and semantics. Choosing search hints in the face of such diversity of content can be a challenge. The approach uses a “relative density” measure to determine which categories and attributes to recommend and overcomes the problem of repositories with more content dominating the chosen search terms that are returned to the user.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for generating search results with higher relevancy. More specifically, the present invention provides a determination whether a search term belongs to a particular category. Namely, properly associating a search term with the correct category will greatly enhance the generation of search results with higher relevancy.

Abstract: A framework and method to integrate a Search Service in an IM environment is provided. A Search Service is represented by one or more buddies or contacts of an IM user. An IM user performs inline search by adding a buddy representing a Search Service to a new or existing IM conversation, and inputting search query as a normal IM message. The Search Service sends the search results back as a regular IM message to all parties participating in the IM conversation. A Search Service implements and runs persistently one or more IM client simulators (SEIMCS) according to the communication and application protocol of an IM system. The Search Service defines one or more universally unique identifiers (UUIDs), registers one or more IM members with the UUIDs to an IM service. It logs in the defined IM members to the IM system and publishes these IM members.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for generating search results with higher relevancy. The present invention exploits the fact that users' choices on each given search term tend to converge to several products from several merchants, and all of the results are very relevant to the search term. In one embodiment, these results are used to decide the order of merchants for each search term. By learning the users' choices, especially from purchasing and/or clicking information, highly relevant and most popular products can be assigned a higher score or rank over text relevant only products.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for generating search results with higher relevancy. The present invention exploits the fact that users' choices on each given search term tend to converge to several products from several merchants, and all of the results are very relevant to the search term. In one embodiment, these results are used to decide the order of merchants for each search term. By learning the users' choices, especially from purchasing and/or clicking information, highly relevant and most popular products can be assigned a higher score or rank over text relevant only products.

Abstract: A method for providing an animated audio message includes wirelessly receiving indicia of an audio message and an image, and animating the image in association with the audio message to produce an animated audio message. A system for providing animated audio messages includes a wireless interface that can receive wireless communications that provide or identify an audio message and provide or identify an image. An animator is coupled to the wireless interface and can animate the image in accordance with the audio message to form an animated audio message. An animation interface is coupled to the animator and can transfer the animated audio message from the animator toward a desired destination.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for generating search results with higher relevancy. More specifically, the present invention provides a determination whether a search term belongs to a particular category. Namely, properly associating a search term with the correct category will greatly enhance the generation of search results with higher relevancy.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for generating search results with higher relevancy. More specifically, the present invention provides a listing of narrowing or related search terms based upon the search term submitted by the user. The present invention effectively guides users to narrow their search by guiding users to select or click on highly related search terms. In one embodiment, the listing of the highly related search terms is generated in accordance with sales and/or click information, e.g., via scoring of search terms that is premised on sales and/or click information.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for generating search results with higher relevancy. The present invention exploits the fact that users' choices on each given search term tend to converge to several products from several merchants, and all of the results are very relevant to the search term. In one embodiment, these results are used to decide the order of merchants for each search term. By learning the users' choices, especially from purchasing and/or clicking information, highly relevant and most popular products can be assigned a higher score or rank over text relevant only products.