Abstract: The present invention provides a method for diagnosing an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), or predisposition to develop an ASD, in a subject, which comprises the step of investigating a set of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in a sample from the subject, wherein the number of SNPs in the set is such that the method can diagnose ASD with at least 70% accuracy. The invention also provides a kit for diagnosing an ASD, or predisposition to develop an ASD, in a subject, which comprises a plurality of primer pairs or probes capable of investigating such a set of SNPs in a sample from a subject, and a method for making such a kit.

Abstract: The present invention pertains to a system and method for performing remote object invocation. A object-oriented computing system includes a number of independent computing nodes that are interconnected via a communications link. The nodes represent client and/or server computers that do not share memory. Each node includes a number of domains having separate address spaces. Each domain includes one or more threads of execution that invoke one or more objects. The object's method can reside in the same domain as the requesting thread, in a different domain within the same node, or in a different domain in another node. A file descriptor is used to represent those objects whose methods reside in a different domain than the requesting thread. A file descriptor is a protected kernel entity that enables a thread to invoke an object. A thread can only access those objects for which it has received an associated file descriptor.

Abstract: The present invention pertains to a system and method for tracking object references in an object-oriented computing system including a number of independent computing nodes interconnected by a communications link. The reference counting mechanism tracks references to an object at three levels. At a first level, the server handler associated with an object is used to track local references to the object by other user applications within the same domain. At a second level, the inter-process communications facility (i.e., door facility) is used to track object references that are exported to different domains within the same node. At a third level, the kernel object request broker (ORB) is used to track object references that are exported outside the node. When all external object references are released, the ORB notifies the object's server handler of this occurrence. Similarly, the door facility notifies the object's server handler when all inter-domain references have been released.

Abstract: This invention provides apparatus for creating circulation of liquid in a vertical direction within a standing body of such liquid, using a gas bubble generator, without creating excessive turbulence at the surface of the liquid, thus avoiding the formation of foam. A preferred embodiment of this apparatus provides for a vertically extending stackpipe, a gas bubble generator at a lower portion of the stackpipe and means for delivering gas bubbles under pressure to the stackpipe, and, at the upper portion of the stackpipe adjacent the upper discharge opening, means designed to laterally divert a flow of liquid and entrained gas bubbles into a substantially horizontal direction, to cause separation of the gas and liquid and to discharge the gas to a location above the level of the surface of the body of liquid.