Abstract: A system and method for authorizing a direct debit transaction is provided. A remotely accessible server receives a request from a clearing entity to conduct a direct debit transaction against a financial account of a consumer on behalf of a merchant, and checks whether the consumer has previously approved a debit against the account on behalf of the merchant. If the consumer has previously approved a debit on behalf of the merchant, an authorization message is generated and transmitted to the clearing entity. If the consumer has not previously approved a debit on behalf of the merchant, an electronic prompt is generated to an electronic device of the consumer requesting the consumer to approve or deny the debit. In response to the consumer indicating approval, a debit authorization message is generated and transmitted to the clearing entity, and a database is updated to indicate approval by the consumer.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of assessing the condition of a duct along which a gas is flowing. The method comprises producing one or more sensor carrying elements, wherein the elements are formed to have selected parameters; introducing the sensor carrying elements into the flowing gas; and selecting the parameters of the sensor carrying elements such that the elements are transported along the duct by saltation. The present invention also relates to a method of reducing leakage through a leak in the duct.

Abstract: A system and method for authorizing a direct debit transaction is provided. A remotely accessible server receives a request from a clearing entity to conduct a direct debit transaction against a financial account of a consumer on behalf of a merchant, and checks whether the consumer has previously approved a debit against the account on behalf of the merchant. If the consumer has previously approved a debit on behalf of the merchant, an authorization message is generated and transmitted to the clearing entity. If the consumer has not previously approved a debit on behalf of the merchant, an electronic prompt is generated to an electronic device of the consumer requesting the consumer to approve or deny the debit. In response to the consumer indicating approval, a debit authorization message is generated and transmitted to the clearing entity, and a database is updated to indicate approval by the consumer.

Abstract: An apparatus for repairing a sheath of a pipe includes a sleeve adapted to surround the pipe, at least two circumferential seals between the surface of the pipe and a pressure source for forcing a sealing solution against the surface of the pipe between the two circumferential seals. The apparatus is arranged such that the sleeve is spaced from the outer sheath of the pipe to form a sealed annulus and a sealing solution is introduced into the sealed annulus.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of assessing the condition of a duct along which a gas is flowing. The method comprises producing one or more sensor carrying elements, wherein the elements are formed to have selected parameters; introducing the sensor carrying elements into the flowing gas; and selecting the parameters of the sensor carrying elements such that the elements are transported along the duct by saltation. The present invention also relates to a method of reducing leakage through a leak in the duct.

Abstract: The present invention provides an apparatus for repairing the outer sheath of a pipe, said apparatus comprising a sleeve (12) adapted to surround the pipe, sealing means (16) for establishing at least two circumferential seals between the surface of the pipe and means (17, 18) for forcing a sealing solution against the surface of the pipe between the two circumferential seals, the arrangement being such that in use the sleeve is spaced from the outer sheath of the pipe to form a sealed annulus therebetween and a method of repairing an outer sheath of a pipe, said method comprising the steps of mounting a sleeve over the pipe to provide an annulus therebetween, securing the sleeve in place around the pipe, providing two circumferential seals between the sleeve and the pipe and forcing a sealing solution against the surface of the pipe between the two circumferential seals to form a pressure seal between the circumferential seals and sealing the annulus between the pipe and the sleeve.

Abstract: A nucleic acid encoding a promoter and comprising a nucleic acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:1, fragments and/or variants thereof, for use in gene therapy derived from the Herpesvirus saimiri (HVS) ORF73 (ECLFI) gene. The invention also includes a gene therapy system and an HVS vector system including the promoter.

Abstract: The present invention provides a computer system comprising a plurality of computers, each capable of running a given software application, and a server. A transaction arrangement is operable between each computer and the server for activating and deactivating a license for the given software application selectively at each computer. In the preferred embodiment, each computer comprises an application store for storing a copy of the given software application, and a license store for storing details of the license including license rights. The server comprises a data store for storing a serial code for the given software application, a data store for storing an identification code for any computer where the license is activated, and data store containing details of the license rights allocated to each computer.

Abstract: The invention described here consists of an algorithmic method called ps13 that reliably computes the correct pitch names (e.g., C♯4, B♭5 etc.) of the notes in a passage of tonal music, when given only the onset-time and MIDI note number of each note in the passage. The ps13 algorithm has been shown to be more reliable than previous algorithms, correctly predicting the pitch names of 99.33% of the notes in a test corpus containing 1729886 notes and consisting of 1655 movements from works by 9 baroque and classical composers. This was shown to be significantly greater than the percentage of notes in the same large corpus spelt correctly by the algorithms of Temperley, Cambouropoulos and Longuet-Higgins. ps13 is faster than the algorithms of Temperley and Cambouropoulos and requires less information in its input than Temperley's algorithm.

Abstract: This invention provides methods for pattern discovery, pattern matching and data compression in multidimensional numerical datasets. The invention can usefully be applied in any domain in which information represented in the form of multidimensional datasets needs to be retrieved, compared, analysed or compressed. Such domains include 2D images, audio and video data, biomolecular data, seismic, meteorological and financial data. There already exist methods for pattern discovery, pattern matching and data compression but these methods have been designed for processing data represented as strings and there are many domains in which data cannot be appropriately represented using strings. In such domains, existing data-processing methods are not effective. In many of the domains in which strings cannot be effectively used to represent information (e.g., audio and video data), the data can be represented using multidimensional numerical datasets. The present invention provides methods for processing such datasets.

Abstract: Method and system for obtaining and using observed market rates in estimating suitable market-based compensation for one or more jobs. Each observed market rate is assigned a job family and a combination of a job category and a job level of responsibility (C/L). Median market rates and average market rates are observed for different job families and are combined in a novel way to produce job family factors and C/L factors that, when multiplied together accurately reflect market rates for that job, even for a combination of job family and job C/L that is not represented in the data.