Abstract: The assistive hearing device implementations described herein assist hearing impaired users of the device by using automated speech transcription to generate text representing speech received in audio signals which can then be read in a synthesized voice tailored to overcome a user's hearing deficiencies. A speech recognition engine recognizes speech in received audio and converts the speech of the received audio to text. Once the speech is converted to text, a text-to-speech engine can convert the text to synthesized speech that can be enhanced and output in a voice that compensates for the hearing loss profiles of a user of the assistive hearing device. By transcribing received speech into text the assistive hearing device implementations described herein eliminate background noise from the audio signal. By converting the transcribed text into a synthesized voice that is easier to understand to hearing impaired persons, their hearing deficiencies can be remedied.

Abstract: A network can be explored to investigate exploitive behavior. For example, network sites may be actively explored by a honey monkey system to detect if they are capable of accomplishing exploits, including browser-based exploits, on a machine. Also, the accomplishment of exploits may be detected by tracing events occurring on a machine after visiting a network site and analyzing the traced events for illicit behavior. Alternatively, site redirections between and among uniform resource locators (URLs) may be explored to discover relationships between sites that are visited.

Abstract: The claimed subject matter provides a system or method for web crawling hidden files. An exemplary method comprises loading a web page with a browser agent, and executing any dynamic elements hosted on the web page using the browser agent to insert pre-determined values. A list of form controls may be retrieved from the web page using the browser agent, and the controls may be analyzed using a driver component. Form control values may be sent from the driver component to the browser agent, and an event may be submitted to the web page by the browser agent or scripted content may be run to trigger operations on the web page corresponding to the form control values. A URL may be generated for various form control values using a generalizer.

Abstract: Disclosed are a method and apparatus for producing sounds in a virtual world, as well as a sound card. The method comprises the steps of determining a spring mass model of an object in the virtual world based on a 3D model of the object; analyzing force components produced on the 3D model by a collision in the virtual world; and generating sounds produced by the collision according to the spring mass model and the force components. By considering sound material of the object in the virtual world, the method, apparatus, and sound card may produce sounds in the virtual world more vividly and in real time.

Abstract: Managing software performance debugging based on a distributed VM system is provided. In response to determining a debugging state of a software system running on a VM, a timing of a system clock of the VM is controlled. A data packet sent to the VM from another VM is intercepted, and an added system time and reference time that indicate when the packet was sent by the other VM is extracted from the packet. Based on the system and reference times, as well as a reference time of when the packet is intercepted, a timing at which the packet is expected to be received by the VM is calculated. The packet is forwarded to the VM as a function of a comparison of the timing at which the packet is expected to be received and a system time of the VM when the packet is intercepted.

Abstract: Managing software performance debugging based on a distributed VM system is provided. In response to determining a debugging state of a software system running on a VM, a timing of a system clock of the VM is controlled. A data packet sent to the VM from another VM is intercepted, and an added system time and reference time that indicate when the packet was sent by the other VM is extracted from the packet. Based on the system and reference times, as well as a reference time of when the packet is intercepted, a timing at which the packet is expected to be received by the VM is calculated. The packet is forwarded to the VM as a function of a comparison of the timing at which the packet is expected to be received and a system time of the VM when the packet is intercepted.

Abstract: The claimed subject matter provides a system or method for web crawling hidden files. An example method includes loading a web page with a browser agent, and executing any dynamic elements hosted on the web page using the browser agent to insert pre-determined values. A list of form controls may be retrieved from the web page using the browser agent, and the controls may be analyzed using a driver component. Form control values may be sent from the driver component to the browser agent, and an event may be submitted to the web page by the browser agent or scripted content may be run to trigger operations on the web page corresponding to the form control values. A URL may be generated for various form control values using a generalizer.

Abstract: A crowdsourcing data structuring system and method for capturing unstructured data from the Web and adding structure by placing the data in a document that is accessible by others in a cloud computing environment. Using crowdsourcing, the unstructured data is annotated, amended, and verified to add structure to the unstructured data. An anchor and update module convert the data to a pointer that links the document to the data at an information source and stores the pointer in the document rather than the data itself. The data displayed in the document is updated whenever the information source is updated. A contribution module allows users to add data to the document, a validation module allows users to determine the validity of the data linked to in the document, and an expert ranking module allows users to rank the expert or contributor of the data in the document.

Abstract: A method and system for utilizing the biometric factors reflected in the typing as a kind of physiological password, to create a rhythmic password specific to the user, and to authenticate based on the rhythmic password. The method includes providing an original training text to a user, receiving an input training text provided by the user according to the original training text, extracting rhythmic characteristic values between adjacent text units of the input training text, and generating a rhythmic password of the user based on the extracted rhythmic characteristic values between adjacent text units. The invention utilizes the rhythm of a user inputting text can bring multiple advantages, including enhanced security of the password, and saving the user's cost of memorizing the password.

Abstract: Embodiments of automated cloud service performance prediction are disclosed. The automated cloud service performance prediction includes extracting one or more dependency relationships for each web object in the webpage. The prediction further includes determining an original performance metric value and original timing information associated with a page loading of a webpage. The prediction also includes simulating a page loading of the webpage based on the adjusted timing information and the dependency relationships to estimate a new performance metric value associated with the simulated page loading of the webpage. The prediction additionally includes comparing the original performance metric value to the new performance metric value to determine whether the adjusted timing information increased or decreased the new performance metric value relative to the original performance metric value.

Abstract: An exemplary system for monitoring search spam and protecting against search spam includes a self-monitoring subsystem to uncover spam patterns and a self-protection subsystem to protect against spam by providing spam-related information to strengthen a relevance ranking algorithm. An exemplary architecture for monitoring search spam includes a first component to receive one or more spammer targeted keywords and to search, scan and analyze URLs based at least in part on the one or more spammer targeted keywords, a second component to receive one or more URLs from the first component and to verify one or more of these URLs as a spam URL and a third component to collect spammer targeted keywords associated with one or more spam URLs and to provide one or more of the spammer targeted keywords to the first component.

Abstract: An auto focus device comprises a focus panel and a focus controller. The focus panel comprises liquid crystal between a first light-transmissive conductive film and a second light-transmissive conductive film, and the focus controller is configured to apply a voltage between the two light-transmissive conductive films at the position of at least one pixel, so that the liquid crystal at the position will have an expected focal length. An auto focus method comprises: acquiring information on eyesight status of a user; acquiring information on posture of the user; calculating expected focal length of the liquid crystal between the two light-transmissive conductive films at the position of at least one pixel according to the acquired user information; selecting a voltage to be applied between the two light-transmissive conductive films at the position according to the expected focal length; and applying the voltage between the two light-transmissive conductive films at the position.

Abstract: The claimed subject matter provides a system or method for web crawling hidden files. An exemplary method comprises loading a web page with a browser agent, and executing any dynamic elements hosted on the web page using the browser agent to insert pre-determined values. A list of form controls may be retrieved from the web page using the browser agent, and the controls may be analyzed using a driver component. Form control values may be sent from the driver component to the browser agent, and an event may be submitted to the web page by the browser agent or scripted content may be run to trigger operations on the web page corresponding to the form control values. A URL may be generated for various form control values using a generalizer.

Abstract: The claimed subject matter provides a system or method for web crawling hidden files. An exemplary method includes loading a web page with a browser agent, and executing any dynamic elements hosted on the web page using the browser agent to insert pre-determined values. A list of form controls may be retrieved from the web page using the browser agent, and the controls may be analyzed using a driver component. Form control values may be sent from the driver component to the browser agent, and an event may be submitted to the web page by the browser agent or scripted content may be run to trigger operations on the web page corresponding to the form control values. A URL may be generated for various form control values using a generalizer.

Abstract: A nail polish curing device comprises: a lower part having a top surface and a reflective lower recess-defining surface that extends downwardly from the top surface and that defines a lower recess; an upper part disposed above the lower part and having a top wall, a bottom surface, and a reflective upper recess-defining surface that extends upwardly from the bottom surface and that defines an upper recess, the top wall being formed with a plurality of through-holes; a circuit board mounted on the top wall of the upper part; and a plurality of light emitting elements mounted on and electrically connected to the circuit board and extending respectively through the through-holes into the upper recess so as to emit light into the upper and lower recesses.

Abstract: Various technologies pertaining to exploratory suggestions are described herein. A computer-implemented graph is constructed, where the graph includes nodes that are representative of aspects and edges that are representative of associations between aspects. An aspect is representative of a sub-topic of a topic or a sub-task of a task. The computer-implemented graph is learned based upon content of search logs, and is used to output exploratory suggestions, where a user is exploring a topic or attempting to complete a multi-step task.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer-readable media for evaluating the quality of text within online advertisements using output from a language model are provided. The output from the language model may be used by a machine-learning algorithm to generate a quality score for an individual advertisement. The quality score may be used to filter out advertisements with poor text quality or to tax or penalize an advertisement within an online auction. The ad quality scores may also be used to rank or score advertisers that submit the ads. In one embodiment, the advertiser's quality score is combined with an individual ad's quality score to create a final score, which is used to evaluate the advertisement. The advertiser rank/score and ad quality score may be communicated to an advertiser as advertiser feedback.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for the network transmission and displaying of the computer graphics. The method and apparatus for processing three-dimensional model data includes: obtaining the mesh data for an original mesh model; constructing a derivative mesh model from the vertex data for the original mesh model by using a pre-defined mesh model construction algorithm; comparing the mesh data for the original mesh model with the mesh data for the derivative mesh model to obtain the error data for the derivative mesh model; transmitting the vertex data related to the original mesh model; and transmitting the error data for the derivative mesh model.

Abstract: Technologies described herein relate to receiving data from a social networking application, wherein the data is generated by a first individual, and executing an entity extraction algorithm to extract at least one entity from the received data. A hyperlink is displayed on a computing device utilized by a second individual, wherein the hyperlink is based at least in part upon the at least one entity, and the hyperlink is configured to direct the first individual to a search engine and is further configured to cause the search engine to execute a search that pertains to the at least one entity.

Abstract: A nail polish curing device comprises: a lower part defining a lower recess; an upper part pivoted to the lower part and defining an upper recess; a circuit board mounted on the upper part; and at least one light emitting element connected to the circuit board. The upper part is rotatable relative to the lower part between a first angular position, in which the upper and lower recesses overlap along a vertical direction and cooperate with each other to define an accommodating space for receiving a user's finger therein, and a second angular position, in which the upper and lower recesses do not overlap along the vertical direction, thereby facilitating insertion of a user's toe into an irradiating space between a bottom surface of the upper part and a reference surface.