Abstract: A system and method in a virtual universe (VU) system for identifying spam avatars based upon the avatars' multimedia characteristics may have a table that stores multimedia characteristics of known spam avatars. It further may have an analysis unit that compares the multimedia characteristics of avatars against the multimedia characteristics of known spam avatars to determine if the avatar has known spam avatar characteristics. It may further have a scoring system to calculate a spam score based upon the similarities of the comparison and identifying the avatar as a spam avatar based upon the calculated spam score. It may further compare the calculated spam score with a spam score threshold wherein the avatar is identified as a spam avatar if the calculated spam score is equal to or greater than the calculated spam score. Multimedia characteristics include graphics, audio, movement, interactivity, voice, etc.

Abstract: A virtual universe system has a system and method for identifying spam avatars based upon the avatar's behavior characteristics through the use of Turing tests. The system may provide a Turing test unit for performing Turing tests and an analysis unit that compares the behavior characteristics of new or newly changed avatars against the behavior characteristics of known spam avatars to determine if the avatar has known spam avatar characteristics. It may further have a scoring system to calculate a spam score based upon similarities of the comparison and identifying the avatar as a spam avatar based upon the calculated spam score. It may further compare the calculated spam score with a spam score threshold wherein the avatar is identified as a spam avatar if the calculated spam score is equal to or greater than the calculated spam score.

Abstract: Systems and methods for advertising, and, more particularly, systems and methods for managing ephemeral locations in a virtual universe. A method for managing ephemeral locations in a virtual universe (VU) includes causing a computer infrastructure to: render an ephemeral location upon a triggering in the VU; teleport a VU user avatar to the ephemeral location; permit the user avatar to interact in the ephemeral location; teleport the user avatar out of the ephemeral location; and un-render the ephemeral location.

Abstract: For distributed processing using forecasted location-based IoT device clusters, at a central IoT device, a data source that is to be used and a duration for processing a workload is determined. A set of IoT devices operating within a threshold distance from the data source at a first time is selected. A first subset of the IoT devices is selected to form a cluster of IoT devices where each IoT device satisfies a clustering condition. A second subset of the first subset is selected to form a sub-cluster of IoT devices where a forecasted travel path of a member IoT device in the second subset keeps the member within the threshold distance from the data source for the duration. A lightweight application is configured at a first IoT device in the second subset which enables the first IoT device to participate in the sub-cluster and process the workload.

Abstract: A method and associated systems for optimizing a computing platform. A processor joins sets of configurable parameters into groups that each identifies a configuration of the computing environment or of a component or subsystem of the computing environment. The processor generates a set of variations of each group, where each variation identifies a candidate configuration of the component, subsystem, or platform, and where each candidate configuration identifies a distinct set of values of the group of parameters associated with that component, subsystem, or platform. Each configuration of this first generation of configurations undergoes a massively parallel iterative procedure that generates a next generation of configurations by performing operations upon the first generation that are similar to those of a natural-selection process.

Abstract: An approach for replacing one program code library (or method(s) thereof) with another program code library (or method(s) thereof) during execution is provided. Specifically, an annotation (e.g., comprising a runtime optimization request and associated performance/measurement criteria) within a program code file will be detected, analyzed, and used to monitor/assess the performance of a running set of methods of the program code file or the like (e.g., a set of initial/original methods). As this is occurring, a set of substitute methods will be identified from a program code library (e.g., based on similarities to the original set of methods) and likewise monitored/assessed. Based on the monitored performance, one or more alternate method(s) may be substituted for the original method(s) in the program code file. Such a capability allows for methods to be evaluated during runtime, and for performance to be optimized by utilizing the highest performing methods.

Abstract: An approach is provided for determining social influence. Measurements of social reach of social media content are determined. The content is being sent by mobile devices during an ongoing event that involves multiple individuals using social media via the mobile devices. The measurements of social reach include a rate of proliferation of the social media content. Social context features of the mobile devices during the event are determined. The social context features include geographic locations of the mobile devices at times at which the mobile devices send the social media content. A Rayleigh distribution is generated based on the measurements of social reach and the social context features. Based on the Rayleigh distribution, scores indicating respective social influences of the individuals are determined.

Abstract: Approaches for monitoring performance in a networked environment are provided. An approach includes monitoring, using a first metric, performance of a first host running a virtual machine. The approach also includes determining, using a computer device, a second metric based on the virtual machine being migrated from the first host to a second host, wherein the second metric is a function of: (i) the first metric and (ii) a comparison of the first host and the second host. The approach further includes monitoring, using the second metric, performance of the second host running the virtual machine.

Abstract: A method and associated systems for using analytics to optimize performance of a messaging system via topic migration to alternate delivery methods. A messaging system delivers messages organized into topics to users by any of several message-delivery mechanisms, such as a publish/subscribe push mechanism and an HTTP polling pull mechanism. A processor analyzes characteristics of messages associated with a particular topic and delivered by a first delivery mechanism, and if it finds that those characteristics render the first delivery mechanism an inefficient or expensive way to deliver those messages, it determines whether a second mechanism would be more efficient or less expensive. If so, the messaging system then migrates all messages associated with the topic to the second mechanism, regardless of an identity or other characteristic of a user that receives messages associated with the topic.

Abstract: A method and associated systems for using methods of DNA computing to implement an operation of a natural-language processing (NLP) system. A processor translates components of a slot grammar of the NLP system and an input filler vocabulary into listings of sequences of nucleotides. These sequences are encoded into a set of nucleotide chains, which are then allowed to chemically interact with each other such that the chains automatically bond in ways that are analogous to the way that a traditional computerized NLP system would use inferences and contextual information to fill slots of the slot grammar with tokens of the filler vocabulary. The resulting DNA molecules are extracted and information encoded into sequences of nucleotides comprised by the extracted molecules is decoded to yield a set of all possible strings that may generated by filling slots of the slot grammar with tokens of the vocabulary.

Abstract: A virtual universe system has a system and method for identifying spam avatars based upon the avatar's behavior characteristics through the use of Turing tests. The system may provide a Turing test unit for performing Turing tests and an analysis unit that compares the behavior characteristics of new or newly changed avatars against the behavior characteristics of known spam avatars to determine if the avatar has known spam avatar characteristics. It may further have a scoring system to calculate a spam score based upon similarities of the comparison and identifying the avatar as a spam avatar based upon the calculated spam score. It may further compare the calculated spam score with a spam score threshold wherein the avatar is identified as a spam avatar if the calculated spam score is equal to or greater than the calculated spam score.

Abstract: Approaches for monitoring performance in a networked environment are provided. An approach includes monitoring, using a first metric, performance of a first host running a virtual machine. The approach also includes determining, using a computer device, a second metric based on the virtual machine being migrated from the first host to a second host, wherein the second metric is a function of: (i) the first metric and (ii) a comparison of the first host and the second host. The approach further includes monitoring, using the second metric, performance of the second host running the virtual machine.

Abstract: An approach for responding to a threat in a networked computing environment (e.g., a cloud computing environment) is provided. In an embodiment, a set of associations to a virtual machine (VM) instance are established, each association indicating a relationship between the VM instance and a related VM instance. Each of the associations in the set of associations is assigned a strength attribute. When a threat is detected in a VM instance, a first preventative measure is performed on a first related VM instance, the strength of which is determined based on the strength attribute that corresponds to the association between the VM instance and the first related VM instance. A second preventative measure is performed on a second related VM instance, the strength of which is based on the strength attribute that corresponds to the association between the VM instance and the second related VM instance.

Abstract: A system and method in a virtual universe (VU) system for identifying spam avatars based upon the avatars' multimedia characteristics may have a table that stores multimedia characteristics of known spam avatars. It further may have an analysis unit that compares the multimedia characteristics of avatars against the multimedia characteristics of known spam avatars to determine if the avatar has known spam avatar characteristics. It may further have a scoring system to calculate a spam score based upon the similarities of the comparison and identifying the avatar as a spam avatar based upon the calculated spam score. It may further compare the calculated spam score with a spam score threshold wherein the avatar is identified as a spam avatar if the calculated spam score is equal to or greater than the calculated spam score. Multimedia characteristics include graphics, audio, movement, interactivity, voice, etc.

Abstract: A method and system for authenticating a user to a target server. A request is received from a user computer system to authenticate the user for access to a target server at level N of N levels (N?2). Each record of a stored authentication plan associated with the user has authentication records each having information relating to authentication of the user for access to N?1 target servers at respective levels 1 through N?1. Each record of a received current authentication plan for the user has authentication records each having current information relating to authentication of the user for access to the N?1 target servers at respective levels 1 through N?1. It is determined that there is at least a partial match between the stored and current authentication plans, and in response, the user is authenticated for access to the target server at level N.

Abstract: A system for indicating a speaker is likely to be misunderstood by at least one listener from a group of listeners. The system includes a computer interface configured to receive lexicon information from the group of listeners. The lexicon information includes words encountered by each of the listeners from the group of listeners and a word count associated with each of the words. A computer with at least one central processing unit is configured to determine when the word count corresponding to a spoken word from the speaker is below a threshold count. A transducer coupled to the computer is configured to signal the speaker that the spoken word has likely been misunderstood by the listener when the word count corresponding to the spoken word is below the threshold count.

Abstract: A system and method of decreasing server loads and, more particularly, to decrease server load by automatically determining subgroups based on object interactions and computational expenditures. The system includes a plurality of servers; a subgroup optimization module configured to segment a plurality of objects into optimal subgroups; and a server transfer module configured to apportion one or more of the optimal subgroups between the plurality of servers based on a load of each of the plurality of servers. The method includes determining a relationship amongst a plurality of objects; segmenting the objects into optimized subgroups based on the relationships; and apportioning the optimized subgroups amongst a plurality of servers based on server load.

Abstract: A message delivery system includes a plurality of smart devices associated with a person. Each smart device includes the person's contact information and a wireless transceiver for communicating with each of the other smart devices and communicating messages directed to the person. A message handling module having stored codes executable by a processor is embedded within one of the smart devices to receive current device status of each of the smart devices and to determine a chosen smart device to receive a current message directed to the person based on criteria including the current device status.

Abstract: Systems and methods for advertising, and, more particularly, systems and methods for managing ephemeral locations in a virtual universe. A method for managing ephemeral locations in a virtual universe (VU) includes causing a computer infrastructure to: render an ephemeral location upon a triggering in the VU; teleport a VU user avatar to the ephemeral location; permit the user avatar to interact in the ephemeral location; teleport the user avatar out of the ephemeral location; and un-render the ephemeral location.

Abstract: A feedback application may be executing on a data processing system to transmit a screen update to at least two computers. The feedback application receives an indication of completion from a first computer, in response to transmitting the screen update. The feedback application updates a completion gauge to indicate a partial completion among participants, in response to receiving the indication of completion from the first computer. The feedback application receives a second indication of completion from a second computer, in response to transmitting the screen update. The feedback application updates the completion gauge to indicate a completion among participants, in response to receiving the indication of completion from the second computer.