Abstract: Methods and systems for enabling access to listing performance data, used in conjunction with a search engine to order search results, are described. Consistent with some embodiments, a listing performance data engine module processes API commands received from client computing systems. The data engine module processes the API commands to identify and communicate relevant listing performance data that is used by a listing performance algorithm to assign a listing performance score to item listings satisfying a search request. The listing performance data provides sellers who have items listed for sale an insight as to how their item listings are performing in comparison to other item listings.

Abstract: Among other things, a central server maintains information representative of requests communicated through the Internet from devices at request locations. Each of the requests represents a proposed reservation for services to be managed by devices at delivery locations.

Abstract: A system and method for a service level application are described. The service level application receives authentication data from a client seeking access to establish an account in an online marketplace. The service level application identifies a source of truth corresponding to the authentication data and verifies the authentication data with the corresponding source of truth. The service level application determines an access level tier to the online marketplace for the client based on the source of truth.

Abstract: A method and system for interrupting interconnected processes are described. An interconnected process is a process that cannot progress unless another process is complete. A Supplier Information Management (SIM) computer is logically positioned between an accounts receivable computer and an accounts payable computer. The accounts receivable computer can use the SIM computer to perform business tasks that are processes interconnected with a profile management process. The profile management process ensures that the SIM computer has complete and up to date information about an entity using the accounts receivable computer. If the SIM computer does not have complete and up to date information, the processes corresponding to business processes are interrupted until such information is provided by the accounts receivable computer.

Abstract: A request for information relating to a commodity is sent to a server using a client computer. The requested commodity information is received at the client computer and rendered on a display. A client action with respect to the commodity information is detected, and, using the client computer, a determination is made whether communication with the server is required to respond to the client action and, if the communication is not necessary, responding to the client action without communicating with the server regarding the response.

Abstract: This disclosure describes various processes for collecting information about users from sources other than catalog activity data. This information can be used to generate recommendations for users with activity data deficiencies. Some example sources for this supplemental data include collaborative content sites, such as social networking sites. Social networking sites typically allow users to engage in conversations with other users through text, audio, and/or video. Conversation data collected from these sites or from other sources can be analyzed to infer user interests. A recommendation process (or other application) can use the inferred interests to supplement or take the place of catalog activity data.

Abstract: In some embodiments of methods and systems of purchasing products via a subscription mechanism, a method comprises, presenting a subscription mechanism corresponding to a first user, wherein the subscription mechanism is associated with a set of products. In many embodiments, the method further comprises receiving a notification from a second user selecting the subscription mechanism corresponding to the first user, determining that one or more conditions are satisfied, and causing at least a portion of the set of products associated with the subscription mechanism to be purchased by the second user. Other embodiments also are disclosed herein.

Abstract: A system and method is provided for using information broadcast by devices and resources in the immediate vicinity of a mobile device, or by sensors located within the mobile device itself, to ascertain and make a determination of the immediate environment and state of the mobile device. The sensor data is then used to identify situational profiles to target and determine the relevance of apps, advertisements, content, and recommendations.

Abstract: An electronic invoicing system performs an integrated method of processing both purchase order based electronic invoices and electronic invoices not associated with a purchase order or transaction receipt. A portal is provided by the system. The portal has respective views for a supplier submitting non-PO based type electronic invoices not associated with a purchase order or transaction receipt, and a user of an enterprise submitting and/or reviewing non-PO based type electronic invoices not associated with a purchase order or transaction receipt. An administrator of the enterprise configures electronic invoice types and processing parameters specific to said electronic invoice types not associated with a purchase order or transaction receipt. A submitted non-PO based type electronic invoice of a configured electronic invoice type is processed in accordance with the processing parameters configured by the administrator for that electronic invoice type.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a processor configured to execute a process including: acquiring purchase propriety information and purchase condition information of software by unit of an account or a device before receiving a purchase request of the software, determining propriety of the purchase request based on the acquired purchase propriety information and purchase condition information when the purchase request of the software is received, and transmitting the purchase request when the purchase request is determined to be valid.

Abstract: Various examples of methods and systems for combining online order with additional purchase during pickup of the online order are described. In one implementation, a method may receive a first order to purchase at least a first item from a user via a first channel. The method may also receive a second order to purchase at least a second item from the user via a second channel different from the first channel. The method may further process the first order and the second order in a single transaction.

Abstract: A computing device is enabled to be networked into a delivery and authentication system. The user may geo-fence their property further marking points of interest with a drop down marker being displayed on a mobile device and on a map. POIs may be established for drone delivery systems. Large drones may be enabled with an open area to allow for smaller drones to fit into the large drone. The large drone may include in a loading bay the various other smaller drones. Upon reaching a specific destination the large drone may be enabled to open a transport bay and release the smaller drones for last mile delivery.

Abstract: A method of delivering advertising in an online environment includes determining a context of a user operating a client computer to interact with an e-commerce website, where the determined context representing an intent of the user to locate a product for purchase, defining a relation between one or more of a plurality of advertisements and the product based on at least one of a plurality of relevance types, and displaying, to the user, at least one of the advertisements having the relation to the product.

Abstract: A number of enhancements for financial services devices are provided. Financial services devices, as used herein, may include drive-up type financial services devices. These enhancements include user interface improvements as well as increasing functionality of the financial services device. Specific application of the enhancements include drive up financial services devices. The enhancements may include improved ergonomics for customer interaction and multiple display screens, as well as sensors for detection of a customer's vehicle.

Abstract: An evaluation device according to the present application includes an acquisition unit and an evaluation unit. The acquisition unit acquires information related to an enterprise among information which is based on user behavior on a communication network. The evaluation unit evaluates credit of the enterprise based on the information acquired by the acquisition unit. For example, the acquisition unit acquires, as the information which is based on user behavior on the communication network, information transmitted from a user in utilization of a service which is provided by various websites and which is related to the enterprise.

Abstract: A system and method for automated securities trading is provided. The system includes a lead trader account database, a follower account database, and a trade determination system. Trade information is received from a lead trader and a listing of followers for the lead trader is retrieved from the lead account database. For each follower, their account at the follower account database is accessed to confirm that they desire to participate in the lead trader's trade and that they have enough funds to do so. The lead trader and follower's traders are then grouped together and traded as a single trade. The traded shares are then provided to the lead trader and followers at the average price of the trade.

Abstract: System and method for aggressively trading a spread trading strategy in an electronic environment are provided herein. According to the example embodiments, a trader may configure the automated trading tool to trade as aggressively as possible by leaning on a price without an associated quantity. This allows a trader to possibly obtain a more profitable price as well as get filled faster. Traders submit an order for a spread and the automated trading tool calculates the quote order price based on a defined level of aggressiveness, the leaned on price, and the desired spread price. Based on the level of defined aggressiveness and the gap in the market, the automated trading tool may lean on a mildly, moderately, or extremely aggressive price.

Abstract: Systems and methods are presented for providing a psychological analysis of financial products in an investor's financial portfolio. In some example embodiments, a method is presented. The method may include accessing, in a device comprising one or more processors, a psychometric data of a financial product, the psychometric data quantifying a decision-making tendency used in managing the financial product.

Abstract: A computer device and method for processing loss related data to detect and initiate insurance claim events. Data is received from one or more sensor devices relating to insured property. Analysis is performed on the received data to determine one or more claim events regarding the insured property. An insurance policy, other product, or service contract associated with the insured property is received and analyzed to determine coverage for the insured property as prescribed by the insurance policy, other product, or service contract. Predefined business rules are applied using the determined one or more claim events and the determined coverage to determine if the insurance policy, other product, or service contract supports a claim regarding the one or more claim events. Notification of the claim is provided if it is determined supported by the insurance policy, other product, or service contract.

Abstract: Methods and systems for assigning damage to a property to causes of loss are provided. A smart home controller and/or an insurance provider remote processor (or server) may generate a time sequence of events for damage associated with an insure-related event. The time-sequence of events may be analyzed to identify causes of loss associated with damage to the property. The smart home controller or insurance provider remote processor may further analyze the time-sequence of event to determine a portion of the overall damage associated with each cause of loss. Subsequently, according to certain aspects, the smart home controller or insurance provider remote processor may automatically generate a prepopulated insurance claim for damage associated with the insurance-related event, and/or transmit the automatically prepared insurance claim to an insured for their review, approval, and/or modification, such as via wireless communication to a mobile device associated with the insured.

Abstract: Methods and systems for determining collision risk associated with operation of autonomous vehicles using autonomous communication are provided. According to certain aspects, autonomous operation features associated with a vehicle may be determined, including features associated with autonomous communication between vehicles or with infrastructure. This information may be used to determine collision risk levels for a plurality of features, which may be based upon test data regarding the features or actual collision data. Expected use levels and autonomous communication levels may further be determined and used with the collision risk levels to determine a total collision risk level associated with operation of the vehicle. The autonomous communication levels may indicate the types of communications, the levels of communication with other vehicles or infrastructure, or the frequency of autonomous communication.

Abstract: Automated provisioning, according to one example embodiment, enables a mutual customer to establish an intelligent and automated connection between an accounting software system and their financial institution. For example, this might be achieved by allowing a financial institution customer to make feeds from their bank accounts available to the accounting software system within financial internet software (e.g., hosted and operated by the customer's financial institution). Once a customer selects the bank account(s) they want to share with the accounting software system, they are passed along to the accounting software system to link the selected bank account with an account they have set up in the accounting software system.

Abstract: Generally discussed herein are methods, systems, and apparatuses for managing administrators of respective company profile pages. A method can include determining the company profile page is an auto-created company profile page, prompting one or more users with a profile that indicates the user currently works for a company associated with the company profile page to become the administrator of the company profile page, in response to a user of the one or more users responding affirmatively to the prompt, prompting the user for information regarding the company, and assigning administrator rights to the user in response to receiving sufficient information about the company from the user.

Abstract: A method is provided for processing data to establish lifecycle threads in the development of a structural product. The method includes defining a source lifecycle thread from process-related information for development of the structural product, and defining and matching a target lifecycle thread to the source lifecycle thread. The process, and source and target lifecycle threads are expressible as respectively a network and sub-networks of tasks described by a plurality of attributes. For defining either or each of the source lifecycle thread or target lifecycle thread, the method includes at least receiving user selection of an attribute of the plurality of attributes as user-selected criteria, performing a cluster analysis according to the user-selected criteria to produce a plurality of clusters of candidate tasks from the plurality of tasks, and selecting tasks from the plurality of clusters of candidate tasks for the source/target lifecycle thread.

Abstract: A method of critical peak pricing (CPP) demand response (DR) event implementation includes performing an initial CPP participant selection assessment. The method includes generating an initial CPP participant selection and an estimated CPP curtailment based on the initial CPP participant selection assessment. The method includes calculating a reduced day-ahead demand. The method includes evaluating the reduced day-ahead demand. The method includes submitting an energy bid to a market server. The method includes forecasting a revised real time price. The method includes performing a final CPP participation selection assessment. The method may include generating a final CPP participant selection to include the CPP participants having accumulated individual participant revenue effects up to the reduced day-ahead demand. The method includes communicating CPP event notifications to each of the CPP participants in the final CPP participant selection.

Abstract: A user selection of one or more of a plurality of content is received. The selected content is encrypted by a first encryption key that is remote and unknown to the distribution server. Payment information associated with the user selection is also received and verified. The selected content from is retrieved from a remote database. The first encryption key corresponding to the selected content to decrypt the encrypted content corresponding to the user selection is obtained. Decryption is performed by a hardware-based engine of the distribution server that is isolated from a host processor of the distribution server. The content corresponding to the user selection is encrypted according to a second encryption key that is known to the distribution server.

Abstract: A system for predicting and prescribing actions for impacting policymaking outcomes may include at least one processor configured to access first information scraped from the Internet to identify, for a particular pending policy, information about a plurality of policymakers slated to make a determination on the pending policy. The processor may parse the scraped first information to determine an initial prediction relating to an outcome of the pending policy. The processor may access second information to identify an action likely to change at least one of the initial prediction and the propensity of at least one policymaker, to thereby generate a subsequent prediction corresponding to an increase in a likelihood of achieving the desired outcome. The processor may display to the system user a recommendation to take the action in order to increase the likelihood of achieving the desired outcome.

Abstract: Disclosed is a system whereby it is possible to verify the safety of a person even if the person is not aware that the person is being searched for as a missing person. In this system, each verification requesting person who is searching for another person registers, in a database of a portal server (4), a set comprising a feature value of the face of the searched-for person and personal information (e.g., telephone number) about the searched-for person or the verification requesting person. A field server (2) constantly compares feature values of captured face images with the database, and if a close match is found between the feature value of a captured face image and the stored feature value of the face of a person, the field server (2) presents the registered personal information associated with that person to the person from which the captured face image was derived and requests verification from the latter person.

Abstract: Display enhancement improves performance of constrained display devices such as electrophoretic displays (EPDs). With display enhancement, a display controller rapidly writes area updates to the display, while a union of the area updates is maintained. Area updates which the display controller cannot present are discarded, while the union provides a representation of what area on the screen has been affected. A repair operation takes place which generates an area update encompassing the areas which may have been affected.

Abstract: Differential modulation schemes encode a data channel within host signal or noisy environment in a manner that is robust, flexible to achieve perceptual quality constraints, and provides improved data capacity. Differential arrangements enable a decoder to suppress host signal or other background signal interference when detecting, synchronizing and extracting an encoded data channel. They also enable the incorporation of implicit or explicit synchronization components, which are either formed from the data signal or are complementary to it.

Abstract: A technique to share execution resources. In one embodiment, a CPU and a GPU share resources according to workload, power considerations, or available resources by scheduling or transferring instructions and information between the CPU and GPU.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer-readable media for disaggregated graphics asset delivery for virtualized graphics are disclosed. A virtual compute instance with attached virtual GPU is provisioned in a multi-tenant provider network. The virtual compute instance is implemented using a physical compute instance, and the virtual GPU is implemented using a physical GPU. An application comprising identifiers of graphics assets is executed on the virtual compute instance. Executing the application comprises sending graphics instructions and the identifiers from the virtual compute instance to the virtual GPU. The graphics assets are obtained by the virtual GPU from a graphics asset repository using the identifiers. The graphics instructions are executed on the virtual GPU using the graphics assets corresponding to the identifiers.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer-readable media for disaggregated graphics asset management for virtualized graphics are disclosed. A virtual GPU attached to a virtual compute instance is provisioned in a multi-tenant provider network. The virtual compute instance is implemented using a physical compute instance, and the virtual GPU is implemented using a physical GPU. A plurality of graphics assets are added to a graphics asset repository. The graphics assets are associated with corresponding identifiers and access restrictions in the graphics asset repository. One or more graphics instructions are executed on the virtual GPU using one or more graphics assets corresponding to one or more identifiers associated with the graphics instructions. The one or more graphics assets are obtained by the virtual GPU from the graphics asset repository using the one or more identifiers.

Abstract: An electronic apparatus includes a locking unit to selectively lock a physical connection with an external apparatus and a control unit to control an operation mode of the electronic apparatus, according to a connection state with the external apparatus, in which the control unit controls the locking unit to lock the connection with the external apparatus, when the electronic apparatus is in an operation mode of using a graphic processing unit of the external apparatus.

Abstract: Methods for preprocessing pixel data using a Direct Memory Access (DMA) engine during a data transfer of the pixel data from a first memory (e.g., a DRAM) to a second memory (e.g., an SRAM) are described. The pixel data may derive from a color camera or a depth camera in which individual pixel values are not a multiple of eight bits. In some cases, the DMA engine may perform a variety of image processing operations on the pixel data prior to the pixel data being written into the second memory. In one embodiment, the DMA engine may be configured to determine whether one or more pixels corresponding with the pixel data may be invalidated or skipped based on a minimum pixel value threshold and a maximum pixel value threshold and to embed pixel skipping information within unused bits of the pixel data.

Abstract: A texture cache architecture includes a first texture cache to store compressed texel data and a second texture cache to store decompressed texel data. A controller schedules accesses to access texel data from the first or second texture cache. The second texture cache permits decompressed texel data to be reused for more than one texel access request.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for masking an item among a plurality of items displayed on a touchscreen terminal, the method being such that it has, following an action (300) by a user, steps of display (301) of a masking symbol associated with an item at a first location; of detection (302) of contact with the screen on a non-masked item; of continuous movement (303) of the masking symbol on the item in correlation with movement of the contact detected on the screen and of masking of that portion of the item that is situated between the masking symbol and the first location; and of masking (304) of the whole of the item when the masking symbol is at a second location and the contact is no longer detected. The invention likewise relates to a device and a terminal that implement this method.

Abstract: A privacy image generation system may use a light field camera that includes an array of cameras or an RGBZ camera(s)) is used to capture images and display images according to a selected privacy mode. The privacy mode may include a blur background mode and a background replacement mode and can be automatically selected based on the meeting type, participants, location, and device type. A region of interest and/or an object(s) of interest (e.g. one or more persons in a foreground) is determined and the privacy image generation system is configured to clearly show the region/object of interest and obscure or replace the background according to the selected privacy mode. The displayed image includes the region/object(s) of interest clearly shown (e.g. in focus) and any objects in a background of the combined image shown having a limited depth of field (e.g. blurry/not in focus) and/or the background replaced with another image and/or fill.

Abstract: The invention provides an image shooting apparatus and an image shooting method that obtain a recovered image with high precision by using an optimal point spread function (PSF) without deriving an image shooting distance of a photographed object, an image shooting program, and a recording medium that records the image shooting program.

Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to a computer system designed to (i) receive a series of images as input; (ii) compute a number of metrics derived from focus features and color separation features within the images; and (iii) evaluate the metrics to return (a) an identification of the most suitable z-layer in a z-stack, given a series of z-layer images in a z-stack; and/or (b) an identification of those image tiles that are more suitable for cellular based scoring by a medical professional, given a series of image tiles from an area of interest of a whole slide scan.

Abstract: A method of mitigating noise in source image data representing pixels of a 3-D image. The “3-D image” may be any type of 3-D image, regardless of whether the third dimension is spatial, temporal, or some other parameter. The 3-D image is divided into three-dimensional chunks of pixels. These chunks are apodized and a three-dimensional Fourier transform is performed on each chunk, thereby producing a three-dimensional spectrum of each chunk. The transformed chunks are processed to estimate a noise floor based on spectral values of the pixels within each chunk. A noise threshold is then determined, and the spectrum of each chunk is filtered with a denoising filter based on the noise threshold. The chunks are then inverse transformed, and recombined into a denoised 3-D image.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to an image processing apparatus and an image processing method whereby a point spread function can be estimated with high precision. An exclusion unit excludes a repetitive pattern from a degraded image. An estimation unit estimates a point spread function by use of the degraded image from which the repetitive pattern has been excluded by the exclusion unit. The present disclosure can be applied to, for example, an image processing apparatus or the like that estimates a point spread function (PSF) from a degraded image and that performs a blind deconvolution using the point spread function to generate a restored image from the degraded image.

Abstract: An image processing system and method for determining an intrinsic color component of one or more objects for use in rendering the object(s) is described herein. One or more input images are received, each representing a view of the object(s), wherein values of each of the input image(s) are separable into intrinsic color estimates and corresponding shading estimates. A depth image represents depths of the object(s). Coarse intrinsic color estimates are determined using the input image(s). The intrinsic color component is determined by applying bilateral filtering to the coarse intrinsic color estimates using bilateral filtering guidance terms based on depth values derived from the depth image.

Abstract: A method is provided for identifying an image type. The method includes acquiring a histogram of a channel in a preset color space of an image to be identified, calculating a ratio between a quantity of pixels of a gray-scale value and a quantity of pixels of an adjacent gray-scale value in the channel according to the histogram, and determining a type of the image according to the ratio.

Abstract: Methods and systems for detecting anomalies in images of a specimen are provided. One system includes one or more computer subsystems configured for acquiring images generated of a specimen by an imaging subsystem. The computer subsystem(s) are also configured for determining one or more characteristics of the acquired images. In addition, the computer subsystem(s) are configured for identifying anomalies in the images based on the one or more determined characteristics without applying a defect detection algorithm to the images or the one or more characteristics of the images.

Abstract: The invention is a system designed to assist a hospital pharmacy in the compounding of medications comprising hazardous drugs. The system comprising: a safety cabinet, at least two robotic arm assemblies configured to simultaneously move vials and syringes within the safety cabinet, a plurality of cameras each installed at a specific location in the safety cabinet or on the robotic arm assemblies, and a processor. Each of the cameras is dedicated to provide real time digital images of the stage of the preparation process carried out at its location. Dedicated software and algorithms in the system processor allow almost all steps in the compounding process to be carried out automatically by the robotic arm assemblies without intervention by the operator or a supervisor and the cameras and imaging process algorithms are adapted to provide real-time feedback control of all stages of the compounding process.

Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes a report acquisition unit adapted to acquire report information including a region of interest in a medical image and comment information associated with the region of interest, a related region acquisition unit adapted to acquire a region related to the region of interest in the medical image, a determination unit adapted to determine a display position of a display region of the comment information so as not to make the display region of the comment information overlap the related region, and a display control unit adapted to display the medical image including the comment information so that the comment information is displayed at the determined display position of the display region on a display unit.

Abstract: A structure-preserving composite model for skin lesion segmentation includes partitioning a dermoscopic image into superpixels at a first scale. Each superpixel is a vertex on a graph defined by color coordinates and spatial coordinates, and represents a number of pixels of the dermoscopic image according to the first scale. Further, constructing a plurality of k background templates by k-means clustering selected ones of the superpixels in space and color. Additionally, generating sparse representations of the plurality of superpixels based on the plurality of background templates. Also, calculating a reconstruction error for each superpixel by comparison of its sparse representation to its original color coordinates and spatial coordinates. Furthermore, outputting a confidence map that identifies each pixel of the dermoscopic image as belonging or not belonging to a skin lesion, based on the reconstruction errors of the representative superpixels.

Abstract: A quantitative method for nuclear medicine heart image and an electronic device are provided. The method is adapted for multi-pinhole SPECT images or SPECT/CT images. The method includes a radionuclide physical decay correction, a scatter correction, a geometry distortion correction, a data truncation compensation, a tissue attenuation correction, an image space resolution recovery, a noise removal, a pixel value conversion, a myocardial blood flow quantitative calculation, an intra-scan patient movement correction and a blood flow condition evaluation. Accordingly, a quantitative SPECT reconstructed image of a heart is obtained, and an absolute quantization of the myocardial blood flow is calculated to measure the myocardial blood flow quantitatively according to the quantitative SPECT reconstructed image.

Abstract: To prevent unwanted exposure of a specimen with excitation light despite magnification switching, a microscope of the present invention includes: a detection optical system that detects fluorescence emitted from the specimen; a light-sheet illumination optical system, serving as an excitation light source, that causes planar excitation light to be incident along a direction intersecting an optical axis of the detection optical system; and a control section that, when the magnification of the detection optical system is raised, controls the light-sheet illumination optical system so as to reduce a radiation width of the excitation light made incident on the specimen by the light-sheet illumination optical system.