Abstract: A biometric status sensing media therapy system for the therapeutic care of a Consumer. The system has a media therapy device provided with a central processing unit, audio and/or visual input/output and wireless communications. The media therapy device is provided in wireless communication with a cloud computing and data storage resource. A collection of media files, transmitted to the media therapy device from the cloud computing and data storage resource for play by the media therapy device, is played by the media therapy device according to a pre-configured collection of rules based upon a time schedule and/or a biometric status of the consumer.

Abstract: The present invention pertains to genetically modified plants, particularly maize, sorghum and rice, with an all pistillate or all staminate phenotype and methods of the same. The survival of functional pistils in maize requires the action of the sk1 gene. SK1 encodes a glycosyltransferase (GT) that protects pistils from tasselseed-mediated cell death. sk1-dependent pistil protection at a developing floret gives rise to stamen arrest at the same floret, and so determines the pistillate floral fate. This is the first single gain-of-function gene known to control sexuality. The present invention further provides a direct strategy to extend hybrid technologies to related cereals such as sorghum and rice. Tasselseed and silkless genes represent major sex determination genes in maize, a pathway that permits the efficient production of hybrid seed and the associated benefits of heterosis-increased yield, resistance to pathogens, etc.

Abstract: A biometric status sensing media therapy system for the therapeutic care of a Consumer. The system has a media therapy device provided with a central processing unit, audio and/or visual input/output and wireless communications. The media therapy device is provided in wireless communication with a cloud computing and data storage resource. A collection of media files, transmitted to the media therapy device from the cloud computing and data storage resource for play by the media therapy device, is played by the media therapy device according to a pre-configured collection of rules based upon a time schedule and/or a biometric status of the consumer.

Abstract: A gas sensor of the type having a housing defining a chamber within which light is transmitted from a source to a detector through an optical path, includes internal mirror portions having part ellipsoidal shape. Light is transmitted from a source to a detector via the reflective portions. The detector is arranged to sense light only from a limited range of angles, such that only light transmitted through a defined optical path reflected off the two reflective portions from the source reaches the sensor. This ensures that there is a constant optical path from the source to the detector, which improves the signal to noise ratio of the device.

Abstract: A gas sensor comprises a body (1) on which is mounted an optical source (7) and a detector means (8) sensitive to light from the source. The body further comprises a channel (5) arranged to admit gas, the channel comprising an elongated groove having reflective surfaces defining a folded optical path for light from the source. The groove is arranged as a serpentine shape or spiral shape so that light from the source to detector travels around the groove being internally reflected within the shape.

Abstract: A garbage collector, making use of interior pointers, maintains a tree structure comprising a plurality of linked nodes (40-52), each node being representative of a memory allocation (a . . . g). For each known in-use interior pointer (P) the tree is searched to determine the memory allocation (c) to which the pointer points. That memory allocation (c) is noted as being unavailable for garbage collection release. Once all available in-use pointers have been searched for, the system releases those memory allocations which have not been noted as unavailable for release. Preferably, the tree is an AVL tree. The method is applicable to any memory allocation scheme, with no constraints on the size of memory allocations nor their positions in memory. The invention further extends to a method of garbage collection and to an operating system including a garbage collector.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of providing thread locking within a multi-threading object-oriented computer program. Each object (400, 500, 600) includes a reserved lock word which is initially set to zero to indicate that the object is unlocked. When the object is to be locked, the word is changed to a pointer (630) which points to a particular memory block (710) within a separate lock pool (700). That memory block contains all the necessary locking information for the object. When the object is to be unlocked, the pointer (630) is deleted, and the lock word set back to zero. The corresponding block (710) in the lock pool is then released, and may be reused for other locking information or for other data that may be required to be stored by the executing application.