Abstract: In a method of operating a data network comprising a plurality of interconnected nodes (30) each of which is operable to perform one or more services upon receiving a suitable request for a service, one or more user devices (10) connected to the network can issue requests (12,14) for a service to be carried out by a node or nodes within the network. The method comprises: operating a virtual mechanism (50) in which a plurality of different types of elements (61,65,66,67) are represented, each element obeying a set of rules associated with the respective type of the element, the respective set of rules specifying how the element behaves, wherein each element has a location property which may be correlated to one or more nodes or node locations, the method further comprising analysing the virtual mechanism (50) and selecting one or more services to be offered by each node (30) in the network based on the analysis of the virtual mechanism.

Abstract: A method of automatically distributing data messages to members of a user community involves selecting, from a list of distribution rules, a rule which meets certain criteria in terms of message distribution characteristics. The selected rule determines which members of the user community will receive the message and when. For example, in a first round, a first subset of the user community receive the message and each is prompted to provide feedback data in relation to the message, for example to say that the message is offensive, already answered or if there is someone else who can deal with the message. This feedback data is applied to the selected distribution rule to determine to whom the message is sent in the next round. The process continues over a number of rounds until a termination criterion is met.

Abstract: Methods and systems for allocating a network resource such as bandwidth between a plurality of network applications, comprising steps of obtaining, for each of said plurality of network applications, parameters defining a quality function indicative of quality of service obtainable as a function of the amount of said network resource available to that network application; and dividing a total available amount of said network resource into respective individual allocations to allocate to each respective network application such as to maximise a combined quality measure derived from a weighted sum of said quality functions.

Abstract: A virtual network has a plurality of nodes. Each node has the capability to provide a service to another node. Each node maintains a list for storing entries each representing a link to another node; each entry contains the address of the other node and a label identifying a service that that other node may provide. Each node also has a store for storing messages received from other nodes, these messages serving to propose a link and containing the identity of the node originating the message, a label identifying a service that that other node may provide and a label identifying a service that that other node requires. When a node needs a service that it is not itself able to provide, it searches the link list for a link having a label that matches the service needed, and in the event that such a link is found it transmits to the node identified by the link a message requesting the service.

Abstract: The present invention relates generally to a method for the generation of a substantially homogenous population of undifferentiated cells. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method for isolating a substantially homogenous population of stem cells, and in particular, mammary stem cells (MaSCs). The MaSCs of the present invention are isolated on the basis of differential levels of proteins present on their cell surface. The MaSCs of the present invention are particularly useful as targets for identifying agents which modulate MaSC survival, self-renewal, proliferation and/or differentiation in both normal and diseased tissue such as, but not limited to, tumor tissue, and, also as source of tissue for the regeneration, replacement and/or augmentation of tissue damaged and/or lost after disease or injury.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the location or identification of a waveguide, in particular where a disturbance is applied to the optical waveguide. This is achieved by: (a) monitoring the waveguide at a first location to sense a disturbance along the waveguide; (b) causing a disturbance to the waveguide at a second location; (c) transmitting a sensor signal to the second location; and, (d) inferring, from the sensor signal, the presence or identity of the waveguide at the second location.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention are concerned with a method of, and apparatus for, identifying types of network behaviour for use in identifying aberrant network behaviour. In particular, embodiments are concerned with identifying email viruses. The method comprises the steps of: collecting data representative of network traffic that has travelled over a network; training a classification means to recognise a plurality of network behaviour types from the collected data; and for unseen data travelling over the network, classifying the unseen data into one of the defined network behaviour types.

Abstract: A browsing process is driven by user interaction. The user is presented with a selection of items 511, 512, . . . etc from a range. The user can give inputs representing interest in one or other of the items displayed. The inputs represent rewards, which are distributed to attribute data items or “keywords” associated with the display items. These keywords are transparent to the user, but represent characteristics of the display items with which they are associated. The browsing system selects items for display according to a probabilistic function weighted to favour those having the keywords which have accrued the highest number of rewards, these being the display items having the most keywords in common with display items previously rewarded by the user during the browsing session. Partial or negative weightings may also be applied to the keyword associations, which are also taken into account in the selection process.

Abstract: An information processing system includes: a first data pool containing information in the form of data items; a plurality of processing elements disposed within the first data pool for processing data items; and a system controller arranged to control the processing elements to take selectively at least one data item from a plurality of data items in the first data pool of the processing elements is arranged to perform, autonomously and asynchronously, a respective operation on its selected at least one data item and produce a resultant data item, and to place the resultant data item into the first data pool. In a preferred embodiment, a second data pool is separated from the first data pool by a boundary and a transfer mechanism governs transfer of data items between the data pools.

Abstract: A method of forming a template of an image of an object includes the steps of: detecting occurrences of at least one feature type within the image which meet a respective criterion; for each such occurrence, determining a feature position which is a point within the image at which the occurrence of the feature type is to be considered as being located; and constructing a structural mesh of links between the feature positions. A method is also disclosed of forming a template derived from a plurality of templates formed from respective images of different members of the class of objects and combining the templates to form a generalized template. In particular the templates are combined using a genetic algorithm. The invention provides a method of forming a template from one or more images which does not rely on a priori assumptions about the salient features of the object for which a template is to be obtained.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for forming an interpolated image corresponding to a given temporal distance ratio between a first and a second image including respectively, a first image in which the first and second images include a first and a second 3-D shape model of an object having respective shading values and that there is a 3-D motion vector defining the transformation between the first and the second 3-D shape models. The method includes: a) adjusting the interpolation 3-D motion vector (Vab) to obtain an interpolation 3-D motion vector (vi); b) forming an interpolation 3-D shape model (Mi) from the interpolation 3-D motion vector (Vi) and either the first or the second 3-D shape model (Ma,Mb); and c) forming an interpolation image from the interpolation 3-D shape model and the image shaping values from the first and second 3-D shape models.