Abstract: A gift exchange platform assigns gifts to individuals in a network of businesses. Each of the businesses offers a set of gifts available for assigning by other businesses or individuals. The gift assignment system receives the set of offered gifts and gift transaction data describing the gifts in a time interval. A fairness score for each business is calculated based on the comparison of the inbound and outbound scores of the business reflecting the value provided by the business and received by the business of gifts. A request is received from a business, individual or an automated gift system to assign a gift to an individual. A gift and a gift offering business are assigned to an individual based on the fairness score of the assigned business. The gift assignment further accounts for an expected value of an individual to the business on redemption of the gift by the individual.

Abstract: A gift exchange platform assigns gifts to individuals in a network of businesses. Each of the businesses offers a set of gifts available for assigning by other businesses or individuals. The gift assignment system receives the set of offered gifts and gift transaction data describing the gifts in a time interval. A fairness score for each business is calculated based on the comparison of the inbound and outbound scores of the business reflecting the value provided by the business and received by the business of gifts. A request is received from a business, individual or an automated gift system to assign a gift to an individual. A gift and a gift offering business are assigned to an individual based on the fairness score of the assigned business. The gift assignment further accounts for an expected value of an individual to the business on redemption of the gift by the individual.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for administering a bidding language for online advertising. In one example, the method includes providing an expressive bidding language that allows an advertiser to specify an ad campaign in a tree structure, receiving the ad campaign that is written in the expressive bidding language, translating the ad campaign into scripts, and using the scripts to access appropriate inventory from an ad inventory database.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for administering a bidding language for online advertising. In one example, the method includes providing an expressive bidding language that allows an advertiser to specify an ad campaign in a tree structure, receiving the ad campaign that is written in the expressive bidding language, translating the ad campaign into scripts, and using the scripts to access appropriate inventory from an ad inventory database.

Abstract: Each bid received via a computer network is an offer for the right to cause at least one advert associated with the bid to be output to at least one device that is part of the computer network or in communication with the computer network in response to the bid being allocated one or more user events. At a time t, at least one rule or decision variable for allocating user events to bids is determined based on bids received before time t and an estimate of bids, user events or user activity occurring after time t. Based on information or data regarding a user event received from one of the devices after time t, the user event is allocated to at least one bid based on the at least one rule or decision variable and the at least one word, term, phrase or string of characters of the bid.

Abstract: The present invention relates generally to novel, selectable hybrid polypeptides useful as agents for the treatment and prevention of metabolic diseases and disorders which can be alleviated by control plasma glucose levels, insulin levels, and/or insulin secretion, such as diabetes and diabetes-related conditions. Such conditions and disorders include, but are not limited to, hypertension, dyslipidemia, cardiovascular disease, eating disorders, insulin-resistance, obesity, and diabetes mellitus of any kind, including type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes.

Abstract: In an on-line ad auction, bids for the right to display at least one advert on a display of a computer of a computer network in response to the bid being allocated a query received from the computer are received via a computer network. At a time t, at least one rule or decision variable for allocating queries to bids is determined based on the bids received before time t and an estimate of at least one of: an estimate of queries to be received after time t; an estimate of events to occur in response to the display of adverts after time t; and/or an estimate of bids to be received after time t. After time t, a query received from the computer is allocated to at least one of the received bids based on the at least one rule or decision variable.

Abstract: The present invention provides novel Pancreatic Polypeptide Family (“PPF”) polypeptides and methods for their use.

Abstract: The present invention relates generally to novel, selectable hybrid polypeptides useful as agents for the treatment and prevention of metabolic diseases and disorders which can be alleviated by control plasma glucose levels, insulin levels, and/or insulin secretion, such as diabetes and diabetes-related conditions. Such conditions and disorders include, but are not limited to, hypertension, dyslipidemia, cardiovascular disease, eating disorders, insulin-resistance, obesity, and diabetes mellitus of any kind, including type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes.

Abstract: The present invention relates to novel Pancreatic Polypeptide Family (“PPF”) polypeptides. The PPF polypeptides of the invention generally include at least two PPF motif, have at least 50% sequence identity to PYY (3-36) over its length and will generally retain, at least in part, a biological activity of a PP, PYY or NPY. Preferred PPF polypeptides of the invention are those having a potency in one of the assays described herein (preferably food intake, gastric emptying, pancreatic secretion, or weight reduction assays) which is greater than the potency of PP, NPY, PYY, or PYY(3-36) in that same assay. In one aspect, the PPF polypeptides of the invention include novel PYY analog polypeptides. In another aspect, the PPF polypeptides of the invention include PPF chimeric polypeptides including a fragment of a PP family polypeptide linked to a second PP family polypeptide, wherein each of the first and second fragments includes a PPF motif.

Abstract: The Location Enhanced Information Deliver System Architecture (LEIA) customizes the information that is displayed to an information recipient based on optimizing a match between information purveyors, such as advertisers, and the information recipients who are local to an information delivery system. The present location enhanced information delivery system presents the information most suited to the real current audience, as measured by location information systems, rather than to a static predicted audience. While the preferred embodiment discloses a beaconing-style wireless technology, the system concept is easily extensible both to other location-information systems, such as license-plate scanning with cameras, and to utilizing the location-information for private displays of information in addition to public displays of information.

Abstract: A method and system of offering reduced cost telecommunication services to a consumer while simultaneously providing multimedia promotional content to the consumer. A method and system of distributing multimedia content to at least one terminal offering telephony or internet connection services. Video and audio output devices, such as a display screen and terminal speakers, are provided for presenting multimedia promotional content to the consumer. Data input devices are also provided so the consumer may interact with the system to request further information. Promotional contents are centrally managed at one or several centralized locations and distributed to the terminals periodically or as needed. Promotional contents distributed to each terminal may be customized based on the location of the terminal or the usage statistics of the terminal, among several other factors.

Abstract: In a combinatorial exchange, a set of rules can be input for processing of bids received in connection with the exchange. At least one bid can be received from each of a plurality of exchange participants and a desired exchange objective can be defined. A determination can be made as a function of a subset of the rules if an allocation of the bids exists that is optimal for the type of exchange being conducted. If the desired exchange objective is not satisfied, the step of determining an allocation is repeated utilizing a different subset of rules each time until the desired exchange objective is satisfied.