Abstract: A method and apparatus for predicting a health benefit for an individual is provided. Outcomes from a first simulation on a set of simulated individuals reflecting a population are stored and used to determine a first risk function and corresponding cost values. Outcomes from a second simulation on a set of simulated individuals reflecting having a healthcare intervention are stored and used to determine a second risk function reflecting the intervention and corresponding cost values of the intervention. A benefit function is derived from the difference of the first and second risk functions. A cost function that describes the cost of the intervention is derived from the respective cost values. The derived benefit function and cost function are used to predict the corresponding benefit and cost of the healthcare intervention for a given individual. Individuals can be ranked by degree of expected benefit.

Abstract: Techniques are described for combining pieces of information from two sources. The techniques may be used to improve the performance, for example, of hash join operations that are parallelized using slaves distributed across multiple nodes. According to one technique, bitmap filtering operations are performed by the probe-phase producer slaves, rather than the probe-phase consumer slaves. To avoid having to merge separately built bitmap filter chunks, the left-hand rows may be sent to every probe-phase consumer slave. Alternatively, the merge operation may be avoided by distributing the rows of one source based on how the other source has been statically partitioned.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for remotely monitoring network traffic through a generic network. A first data packet, which indicates a first destination network element, is received. A second data packet, which contains at least a part of the first data packet, is generated. The second data packet indicates a second destination network element that is configured to monitor network traffic. The second destination network element differs from the first destination network element.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for authorizing a prepaid network service in a data network. A network end station issues a request for a prepaid network service. At a network node, such as a router serving as a gateway for selecting services, a determination is made about whether a user associated with the end station is authorized to access the prepaid network service. Network traffic from the end station is forwarded to a service provider only when the user is authorized to use the prepaid network service. Specific embodiments provide message flows among a mobile station, gateway support node, router, and authentication server that support providing prepaid services in a packet-switched network for mobile communication. In certain embodiments, a connection is held open for an end station while a prepaid quota value is refreshed at a portal, thereby reducing overhead and precluding the need to repeat user logon steps.

Abstract: Techniques are provided for automatically organizing and presenting photographs based on the date information associated with photographs. In one embodiment, a calendar-like user interface is provided. By interacting with the user-interface, the user can select specific dates. In response to the user's selections of the specific dates, the image organization tool displays all photographs that are associated with date information that falls within the specific dates.

Abstract: An approach is provided for fabricating probe elements for probe card assemblies. Embodiments of the invention include using a reusable substrate, a reusable substrate with layered probe elements and a reusable substrate with a passive layer made of a material that does not adhere well to probe elements formed thereon. Examples of probe elements include, without limitation, a cantilever probe element, a vertically-oriented probe element, and portions of probe elements, e.g., a beam element of a cantilever probe element. Probe elements, or portions of probe elements, may be formed using any of a number of electroforming or plating processes such as, for example, plating using masking techniques, e.g., using lithographic techniques such as photolithography, stereolithography, X-ray lithography, etc.

Abstract: A hybrid audio encoding technique incorporates both ABR, or CBR, and VBR encoding modes. For each audio coding block, after a VBR quantization loop meets the NMR target, a second quantization loop might be called to adaptively control the final bitrate. That is, if the NMR-based quantization loop results in a bitrate that is not within a specified range, then a bitrate-based CBR or ABR quantization loop determines a final bitrate that is within the range and is adaptively determined based on the encoding difficulty of the audio data. Excessive bitrates from use of conventional VBR mode are eliminated, while still providing much more constant perceptual sound quality than use of conventional CBR mode can achieve.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for performing automated alignment of probes of a probe card is provided. The desired horizontal location for a probe is compared with the actual horizontal position for the probe to determine a horizontal correction distance and a horizontal correction direction to correct a horizontal alignment for the probe. A first tool automatically corrects the horizontal alignment for the probe based on the horizontal correction distance and the horizontal correction direction. Upon determining that an actual vertical position of the probe is closer to the probe card than a desired vertical position, a second tool automatically changes the actual vertical position of the probe to the desired vertical position. Upon determining that the actual vertical position of the probe is farther from the probe card than the desired vertical position, a third tool automatically changes the actual vertical position of the probe to the desired vertical position.

Abstract: A mechanism for verifying system behavior includes: (1) A “constraint-based inference engine” and (2) a “constraint-based simulator.” The inference engine accepts logical/temporal/data dependencies describing a system implementation and automatically derives new logical/temporal/data dependencies describing the input/output (“black-box”) behavior of the system or other aspect of the system's behavior. This capability means that a “behavioral model” can be automatically extracted from a “structural model,” thereby supporting “encapsulation” and “information hiding.

Abstract: A mechanism is disclosed for assigning repeaters to signal paths in an integrated circuit design. The mechanism involves reserving, in a first metal layer of the integrated circuit design, metal tracks for routing signals. Access points to a plurality of repeaters are reserved in a second metal layer of the integrated circuit design. Each access point is associated with a particular repeater. The design may have other layers between the second metal layer and a region reserved for the repeaters. The number of repeaters may be based on the number of metal tracks that are available to route signals through the first region. Signal paths are assigned routes that comprise at least a portion of one or more of the metal tracks. A route from signal paths requiring a repeater to access points to a particular repeater is determined. Thus, the signal paths are assigned to a repeater.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for establishing adjacencies on a network, the method comprising, at a first node of the network, sending hello packets on the network and receiving hello packets from other nodes on the network on the basis of the received hello packets. The node then sends a link-state packet without adjacency information and without an overload bit set. The node then interrogates a link-state adjacency table and, when only one adjacency is listed in the link-state table, sends a further link-state packet with the adjacency information and the overload bit set. On convergence of a forward cache, the node sends a further link-state packet with adjacency information and without the overload bit set.

Abstract: A system and method for providing cooperative resource groups for high availability applications, such as cluster databases, is described. A cluster framework, including a plurality of nodes, is built. A plurality of cooperative resource groups is formed, each including a logical network address, at least one monitor and an application providing services and externally accessed using the logical network address. A plurality of resources is structured, each including a cluster service supporting the services provided by each application. A preferred node for execution is designated for each cooperative resource group and one or more possible nodes are provided as standby nodes for each other cooperative resource group. The services are restarted on a surviving node off a critical path of the preferred node upon an unavailability of the preferred node, while the logical network address is kept available on each possible node for the cooperative resource group.

Abstract: A method and apparatus implement time compression and expansion of audio data, with dynamic tempo change during playback. Dynamic changes in tempo are implemented at specific points in the audio signal corresponding to local minimums in the fade-in and fade-out characteristics of the compression/expansion scheme. An audio signal is marked to define temporal slices of audio data. Mark positions may be selected to minimize significant transient activity midway between consecutive marks. Fade-in and fade-out functions are associated with the leading side and trailing side, respectively, of each mark, creating a series of cross-fading “mounds” with peaks at each mark. When a tempo change is requested (e.g., a user selects a new tempo value in a user interface), the tempo change is delayed until the start of the next “mound” (i.e., the next fade-in). Thus, despite the tempo change, each mound uses a contiguous set of audio data, preventing the clicks and pops associated with skips in the audio’ data.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for managing work granules being executed in parallel. A task is evenly divided between a number of work granules. The number of work granules falls between a threshold minimum and a threshold maximum. The threshold minimum and maximum may be configured to balance a variety of efficiency factors affected by the number of work granules, including workload skew and overhead incurred in managing larger number of work granules. Work granules are distributed to processes on nodes according to which of the nodes, if any, may execute the work granule efficiently. A variety of factors may used to determine where a work granule may be performed efficiently, including whether data accessed during the execution of a work granule may be locally accessed by a node.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for densification of data is provided. A method and apparatus for including a construct for partitioning data within a DML statement is provided. The construct for partitioning data may not necessarily perform a densification of data, and the densification of data may not necessarily include a construct for partitioning data. In an embodiment, the syntax of an OUTER JOIN is extended to include a PARTITION BY construct that may be used for data densification.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for determining the size of a keeper transistor in a dynamic circuit is provided. A first portion of a dynamic circuit, comprising the keeper transistor, is analyzed to determine keeper current data that describes what size the keeper transistor would need to be to supply a specified amount of keeper current. A second portion of the dynamic circuit is analyzed, separate from the first portion, to determine an estimated amount of leakage current that passes through the PDN when the PDN is not actively discharging the dynamic node may be determined. The size for the keeper transistor that enables the keeper transistor, when activated, to produce an amount of keeper current that is substantially equal to the estimated amount of leakage current may be determined based on the analysis performed on the first and second portion.

Abstract: A printing device into which data conversion functionality may be installed is disclosed. According to one aspect, the printing device receives, through a first module, a command that is intended to cause the printing device to perform an action that is indicated by the command. The printing device determines whether a translation module, which contains logic for translating the command, is installed in the printing device. If the translation module is not installed in the printing device, then the printing device sends data, which indicates the command, directly from the first module to a second module. If the translation module is installed in the printing device, then the printing device invokes the logic to translate the command into one or more translated commands that will cause the printing device to perform the intended action, and sends the one or more translated commands to the second module.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for customizing a graphical user interface on a multifunctional peripheral is provided. User interface specification data is transmitted from a device to the multifunctional peripheral. User interface specification data defines a desired display and operation behavior for the user interface. Result data is received at the device from the multifunctional peripheral. Result data defines whether the user interface was updated to reflect the user interface specification data. Other aspects provide for copying the graphical user interface from a source multifunctional peripheral to a destination multifunctional peripheral, scheduling a point in time to update one or more graphical user interfaces to reflect the user interface specification data, and establishing a number of uses to apply the user interface specification data to the one or more user interfaces.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for modifying a subscription of a subscriber to a telecommunications service based on subscriber information and service information that are stored in a directory repository. A directory-enabled service selection framework is coupled to the directory repository for receiving stored information therefrom. The directory-enabled service selection framework receives a request to identify one or more services to which a subscriber is subscribed, based on a prior request to modify the subscription of the subscriber to the telecommunications service. A list is generated of the one or more services to which the subscriber is currently subscribed, based on group membership of the subscriber, one or more roles occupied by the subscriber, and authorization information associated with the subscriber that is stored in the directory repository.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for presenting and modifying data from a set of tables in a database is provided. A view that is defined is based on a set of one or more tables that may include relational tables or object tables. The view defines a presentation of data from the one or more tables as a set of objects that reside in the database. Data is read from the one or more rows of the tables based on the view, and is presented as a set of objects that reside in the database. An object id that is based on data from the one or more rows is generated and associated with each object presented. The view may specify which columns from the one or more tables contain values used to generate the object ids. A trigger may associated with the view. The set of objects presented may be presented as objects having an attribute that is a column object. Column objects include user specified object types, collection objects (e.g. nested tables and variable arrays), or references to objects.