Abstract: A prosthetic system for implantation between upper and lower vertebrae having an upper joint component and a lower joint component. The joint is adapted for implantation within a disc space between the upper and lower vertebrae, allowing the upper and lower vertebrae to move relative to one another. The system further includes a bridge component extending posteriorly from the lower joint component and from the disc space, with the bridge component having a lower contact surface configured for engaging a resected bone surface of a pedicle of the lower vertebrae. The distal end of the bridge component comprises a connection component adapted to receive a fastener.

Abstract: An improved system and method for forecasting an inventory of online advertisement impressions for targeting profiles of attributes is provided. An index of advertisement impressions on display advertising properties may be built for a targeting profile of attributes from forecasted impression pools. Impression pools of advertisements sharing the same attributes and trend forecast data for web pages and advertisement placements on the web pages may be integrated to generate the forecasted impression pools. An index of several index tables may be generated from forecasted impression pools. A query may be submitted to obtain an inventory forecast of advertisement impressions for targeting profiles of attributes and the index may be searched to match forecasted impression pools for the targeted profile of attributes. Then the inventory forecast of advertisement impressions on display advertising properties may be returned as query results for the targeting profile of attributes.

Abstract: A method for allocating inventory in a networked environment includes receiving a request to purchase a number of display impressions, the request including targeting parameters and a frequency constraint corresponding to a maximum number of times the advertisement can be displayed to a user. The method also includes allocating the requested number of display impressions across a set of user samples, where the number of impressions allocated to any one user sample in the set of user samples is constrained by the frequency constraint. Allocation information that defines how the impressions are allocated among the user samples is stored to a user sample database.

Abstract: A method for processing data on a distributed computing environment is provided. Input data that is to be processed may be stored on an input storage module. Mapper code can be loaded onto a map module and executed. The mapper code can load a mapper executable file onto the map module from a central storage unit and instantiate the mapper executable file. The mapper code, then, can pass the input data to the mapper executable file. The mapper executable file can generate mapped data based on the input data and pass the mapped data back to the mapper code.

Abstract: An improved system and method for forecasting an inventory of online advertisement impressions for targeting profiles of attributes is provided. An index of advertisement impressions on display advertising properties may be built for a targeting profile of attributes from forecasted impression pools. Impression pools of advertisements sharing the same attributes and trend forecast data for web pages and advertisement placements on the web pages may be integrated to generate the forecasted impression pools. An index of several index tables may be generated from forecasted impression pools. A query may be submitted to obtain an inventory forecast of advertisement impressions for targeting profiles of attributes and the index may be searched to match forecasted impression pools for the targeted profile of attributes. Then the inventory forecast of advertisement impressions on display advertising properties may be returned as query results for the targeting profile of attributes.

Abstract: A method of balancing advertisement inventory allocation includes constructing a flow network of nodes having impressions connected to contracts through corresponding arcs such as to satisfy demand requests of the contracts; normalizing an impression value of each node to a predetermined cost range; setting a cost of each arc to each corresponding normalized value; iteratively performing a plurality of times: (a) sampling the nodes or the arcs to create sample nodes and arcs, each time starting from a different random seed; (b) optimally allocating impressions from the sample nodes to the contracts with a minimum-cost network flow algorithm; (c) separately allocating impressions from sample arcs of lowest cost before allocating those from sample arcs of higher cost; averaging allocations from iterations (b) to create a first allocation; averaging allocations from iterations (c) to produce a second allocation; and computing a weighted solution of the first and second allocations.

Abstract: A method for scaling advertisement inventory allocation includes constructing a flow network of nodes having impressions connected to contracts through corresponding arcs such as to satisfy demand requests of the contracts; (a) for each of the contracts: determining a probability distribution over the nodes eligible to supply forecasted impressions to the contract; drawing a plurality of sample nodes from the probability distribution to form a multiset, O, of nodes; (b) for each of the nodes within O: determining a subset of the contracts, H, that can be satisfied by receiving forecasted impressions from the node; weighting a number of forecasted impressions of the node, as a function of the subset of contracts in H, with the probability distribution of the node; and optimally allocating forecasted impressions from each multiset, O, of sample nodes to each corresponding contract during the time period by solving the flow network with a minimum-cost network flow algorithm.

Abstract: A system for advertisement inventory allocation is disclosed, including a database to store advertisement impressions. An indexer builds a plurality of index tables each associated with an attribute that is mapped to a plurality of the impressions. An impression matcher constructs a flow network including a plurality of nodes each containing impressions of at least one corresponding attribute projected to be available during a time period, a plurality of contracts each including specific requests for impressions that satisfy a demand profile during the time period, and a plurality of arcs to connect the plurality of nodes to the plurality of contracts that match the demand profile of each contract.

Abstract: A method for scaling inventory allocation includes mapping attributes to impressions through index tables; constructing a flow network of nodes each containing impressions of corresponding attributes projected to be available during a time period, contracts each including specific requests for impressions that satisfy a demand profile, and arcs to connect the nodes to the contracts that match the demand profiles of the contracts; sampling the arcs that flow into each contract at a sampling rate chosen to reduce the number of arcs to a fraction of the original arcs when the plurality of impressions that satisfy the contract is above a threshold number, the nodes corresponding to the sampled arcs being sampled nodes; and optimally allocating impressions from the sampled nodes to the contracts during the time period by solving the flow network with a minimum-cost network flow algorithm that maximizes delivery of the impressions from the sampled nodes to the contracts in a way that satisfies the corresponding dem

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a system and method for optimizing an advertisement plan for allocating advertisements to a contract in a network-based environment. The system and method includes determining a shadow price for an advertisement placement where the advertisement placement is associated with a user having defined characteristics. The system and method includes determining a contract price for the advertisement placement relative to a plurality of advertisement contracts for the user having the defined characteristics. The system and method includes determining an advertisement plan for allocating an advertisement to a given contract on the basis of the shadow price and the contract price. The system and method includes presenting a given advertisement associated with the given contract according to the advertisement plan on network-based output.