Abstract: The present invention employs three decoupled hardware mechanisms: read and write signatures, which summarize per-thread access sets; per-thread conflict summary tables, which identify the threads with which conflicts have occurred; and a lazy versioning mechanism, which maintains the speculative updates in the local cache and employs a thread-private buffer (in virtual memory) only in the rare event of an overflow. The conflict summary tables allow lazy conflict management to occur locally, with no global arbitration (they also support eager management). All three mechanisms are kept software-accessible, to enable virtualization and to support transactions of arbitrary length.

Abstract: “A computer-implemented method and system (“Legion”) for capturing and outsourcing an existing graphical user interface (“GUI”) of an application to a crowd for their collaborative real-time control using an input device are provided. A crowd refers to a dynamic pool of one or a plurality of anonymous worker of varying skill level and/or reliability. The pool is dynamic because workers are able to come and go at their leisure and no specific worker can be relied upon to be available at a given time or to continue working on a job for a specific amount of time. Mediation strategies for integrating the input of multiple crowd workers in real-time is also provided.

Abstract: The present invention employs three decoupled hardware mechanisms: read and write signatures, which summarize per-thread access sets; per-thread conflict summary tables, which identify the threads with which conflicts have occurred; and a lazy versioning mechanism, which maintains the speculative updates in the local cache and employs a thread-private buffer (in virtual memory) only in the rare event of an overflow. The conflict summary tables allow lazy conflict management to occur locally, with no global arbitration (they also support eager management). All three mechanisms are kept software-accessible, to enable virtualization and to support transactions of arbitrary length.

Abstract: Enhancement of the supercontinuum generation performance of a highly-nonlinear optical fiber (HNLF) is accomplished by incorporating at least one Bragg grating structure in the HNLF. The Bragg grating results in reflecting a core-guided signal into signal which also remains core-guided. The supercontinuum radiation generated by such an arrangement will exhibit a substantial peak in its energy at the grating resonance of the Bragg grating and a region of increased radiation in a narrow wavelength band on the long wavelength side of the peak. A number of such Bragg gratings may be formed so as to “tailor” the enhancements provided in the supercontinuum radiation. Various, well-known Bragg grating modifications (tuning, chirped, blazed, etc.) may also be used in the inventive structure to enhance the generated supercontinuum.

Abstract: Disclosed are compositions and methods for treating, reducing or preventing diseases and infections caused by pneumococci. The methods and compositions rely on the use of a CPS-containing composition (e.g., a CPS teichoic acid polymer preparation) of S. pneumoniae and an adjuvant, which may be chemically conjugated or simply admixed. The methods and compositions are particularly useful against nasopharyngeal colonization and invasive disease due to encapsulated pneumococci.