Abstract: Systems and methods for aggregating user data and targeting content to users are described. User data is collected through quizzes and users are associated with a particular fictional or nonfictional character profile based on the user-submitted information. The user data associated with each character profile is aggregated to identify and recommend content for the user, such as television shows, news feed, web pages, promotions, advertisements, and the like. The invention can be used in connection with fan sites or other topic-specific sites that are associated with the character of the character profile.

Abstract: Systems and methods for providing an online interactive digital media timeline are described. Users can access a library of dated content that includes television episodes, music videos, music clips, news information, movies and the like. Users are able to generate a personalized scrapbook or timeline by adding content from the library to their scrapbook or timeline. A representation of the selected content may be displayed in the scrapbook or time machine and linked to the actual content. Users can search the metadata of the content to identify content to add or the user may be presented with default content that is the most influential, top selling, and/or most discussed content. Users can also identify content to add to their scrapbook or timeline by searching content by year.

Abstract: The present invention is an ASIC-controlled alarm unit. The ASIC circuit performs all the necessary control functions to provide audible and visual signaling when used with external horn and strobe circuits.

Abstract: Load mounting systems for vehicles and methods of securing loads are provided. A load mounting system for a vehicle generally includes a support assembly configured for supporting a load, wherein the support assembly has a first end and a second end, the first end being mountable to a frame of a vehicle at one or more support assembly mounting locations along the frame. The system further includes at least one retaining device configured for securing the load on the support assembly, the at least one retaining device being coupleable to the first and second ends of the support assembly, wherein the at least one retaining device is coupleable to the first end of the support assembly at a different location than the support assembly mounting locations along the frame.

Abstract: The present invention is an ASIC-controlled alarm unit. The ASIC circuit performs all the necessary control functions to provide audible and visual signaling when used with external horn and strobe circuits.

Abstract: The present invention concerns methods and compositions for synthesizing a polypeptide using kinetically controlled reactions involving fragments of the polypeptide for a fully convergent process. In more specific embodiments, a ligation involves reacting a first peptide having a protected cysteyl group at its N-terminal and a phenylthioester at its C-terminal with a second peptide having a cysteine residue at its N-termini and a thioester at its C-termini to form a ligation product. Subsequent reactions may involve deprotecting the cysteyl group of the resulting ligation product and/or converting the thioester into a thiophenylester.

Abstract: A method of producing propagation-defective Vesicular Stomatitis Virus (VSV) in a cell culture is provided. The method involves introducing a plasmid vector encoding an optimized VSV G gene into a cell; expressing VSV G protein from the optimized VSV G gene; and introducing a propagation-defective VSV into the cell expressing the VSV G protein encoded by the optimized VSV G gene. The method further includes growing the cells in culture; and recovering the propagation-defective VSV from the culture.

Abstract: A method of producing propagation-defective Vesicular Stomatitis Virus (VSV) is provided. The method involves providing a cell that includes an optimized VSV G gene, wherein expression of VSV G protein from the optimized VSV G gene is inducible; and inducing the cell to express VSV G protein from the optimized VSV G gene. The method also involves infecting the induced cell with an attenuated VSV; growing the infected cells in culture; and recovering attenuated VSV from the culture.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method for recombinantly producing, via rescue of mumps virus, a nonsegmented, negative-sense, single-stranded RNA virus, and immunogenic compositions formed therefrom. Additional embodiments relate to methods of producing the mumps virus as an attenuated and/or infectious virus. The recombinant viruses are prepared from cDNA clones, and, accordingly, viruses having defined changes, including nucleotide/polynucleotide deletions, insertions, substitutions and re-arrangements, in the place of the genome are obtained.

Abstract: In some embodiments, the invention involves a framework for using virtualization technology to efficiently support a domain-specific run-time environment. In at least one embodiment, a framework is utilized to take advantage of virtualization technology (VT) to partition performance critical and non-performance critical tasks of the same domain-specific application. An embodiment of the invention utilizes a general-purpose operating system to execute non-performance critical aspects of a domain, and uses a privileged VT-root mode to execute performance critical aspects of the domain. Another embodiment uses one or more guest VMs to execute the performance critical aspects of the domain-specific run-time environment. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Abstract: Techniques for detecting defects on semiconductor wafers are described. The techniques involve a parallel processing system wherein a data distribution system contains data distribution nodes that are interconnected by multiple data transfer paths. This configuration allows data collected by any of the detectors to be routed to any one of a plurality of processing nodes. This in turn allows a variety of defect analysis algorithms to be implemented.

Abstract: The present invention concerns methods and compositions for synthesizing a polypeptide using kinetically controlled reactions involving fragments of the polypeptide for a fully convergent process. In more specific embodiments, a ligation involves reacting a first peptide having a protected cysteyl group at its N-terminal and a phenylthioester at its C-terminal with a second peptide having a cysteine residue at its N-termini and a thioester at its C-termini to form a ligation product. Subsequent reactions may involve deprotecting the cysteyl group of the resulting ligation product and/or converting the thioester into a thiophenylester.

Abstract: In an embodiment, a method is provided. The method of this embodiment provides directing one or more packets to a first processor of a plurality of processors based, at least in part, on a flow associated with the one or more packets; and receiving from one of the plurality of processors a signal indicating a request to redirect one or more subsequent packets associated with the one processor to one or more other processors of the plurality of processors.

Abstract: Source code includes a directive to indicate data structures of related data to a compiler. The compiler associates the related data to the same one of multiple processors in a multiprocessor environment. The compiler searches the source code for locks associated with the related data, and generates executable code that is modified with respect to locks written in the source code. The compiler may replace or remove locks written in the source code to protect access to the related data, resulting in an executable program that does not include the locks.

Abstract: Instructions may be optimized for execution on parallel architectures. In one embodiment, the invention includes parsing a code sequence into an internal representation of the sequence, finding an input channel in the internal representation, finding a put to the input channel in the internal representation, finding a get to the input channel in the internal representation, replacing the input channel with a temporary variable, replacing the put with a first function call to the temporary variable, and replacing the get with a second function call to the temporary variable. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Abstract: Disclosed is an apparatus for analyzing a plurality of image portions of at least a region of a sample. The apparatus includes a plurality of processors arranged to receive and analyze at least one of the image portions, and the processors being arranged to operate in parallel. The apparatus also includes a data distribution system arranged to receive image data, select at least a first processor for receiving a first image from the image data, select at least a second processor for receiving a second image from the image data, and output the first and second image portions to their selected processors.

Abstract: A system, method, and apparatus are arranged to enable loading of an application, such as a game application, prior to a formal release date of the application. An end-user is provided components of the application either over a network, CD, DVD, or the like. At least one component of the application is encrypted. The end-user may register with an application provider. At a pre-defined time, such as a release date for the application, a decryption key is made available to the end-user. The decryption key may be employed to decrypt the encrypted component(s) of the application, such that the application may be readied for execution. In addition, bug fixes, additions, or the like, may also be pre-loaded to release of the application, thereby ensuring that the end-user has the most current application configuration.

Abstract: A system, apparatus, method and article to perform dynamic service management for multicore processors are described. The apparatus may include, for example, a processing device having multiple types of processors to process packets. A service manager may dynamically assign executable files for multiple services to the multiple types of processors during execution of the executable files based on packets processed for each service. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Abstract: A system, apparatus, method and article to monitor path statistics are described. The apparatus may include a channel implementation apparatus to implement one or more tagging channels and one or more counting channels along one or more paths capable of being traversed by a packet and a path counter to store path statistics associated with a path traversed by the packet according to a tag value associated with said packet. The tag value may be updated when the packet traverses a tagging channel, and the tag value may be read when the packet traverses a counting channel. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Abstract: In general, in one aspect, the disclosure describes a method of automatically inserting into a first thread instructions that relinquishes control of a multi-tasking processor to another thread will be concurrently sharing the processor.