Abstract: A video game character or avatar is generated using images of the player so that the on-screen avatar being controlled by the player appears like the player. Answers to a questionnaire or a psychological profile are provided by the player to determine characteristics that the player views as desirable, which are used to generate a final version of the avatar. Iterations of the avatar appearance are generated from the initial appearance to the final, more desirable appearance. Using the avatar, as play of the game proceeds the player's avatar begins as a character appearing like themselves and gradually becomes a character that is more as they would like to appear. The avatar increases the emotional impact of games by providing strong visual and psychological connections with the player. The avatar may instead begin from an initial character that does not appear similar to the player. The iterations may make the avatar gradually less appealing or with other changes in appearance, in some embodiments.

Abstract: A user is registered to use telecommunications services provided by a home service provider in a wired home network. When the user travels, the user may be provided with telecommunications services by another service provider operating in a wired visited fixed network. The user “attaches” himself/herself to the visited fixed network which includes nominating a telephone to which calls made to a user's personal number may be forwarded. The user is also assigned a prefix number which enables him/her to make calls from any phone in the visited fixed network.

Abstract: A light cover for protecting recessed lighting fixtures from exposure to fluid during painting or other ceiling treatments has a shield, sized to fit over a baffle and an outer trim of a recessed lighting fixture, and a mounting flange sized to fit within the baffle and frictionally engage the light cover to the baffle. The light cover has a handle located on the shield and the handle is used to engage the flange to the baffle to secure the light cover to the recessed lighting fixture prior to a ceiling treatment. The handle is also used to disengage the flange from the baffle to remove the light cover from the recessed lighting fixture after completion of a ceiling treatment.

Abstract: Provided is a method for online reorganization and increasing the page size of a DB2 object. A base table and related auxiliary table spaces are reorganized concurrently via a database utility, DB2 REORG utility. The database utility determines which auxiliary tables are related to the base table and automatically includes their respective auxiliary table in the same invocation of the utility. The reorganization is performed via allocated shadow data sets; page size of the allocated shadow data sets is dynamically updated during reorganization. The original data sets are switched with the newly built shadow data sets, and DB2 catalog values and control blocks are updated with new page size values.

Abstract: A base table and related auxiliary table spaces are reorganized concurrently via a database utility. The database utility determines which auxiliary tables are related to the base table and automatically includes their respective auxiliary table in the same invocation of the utility. The reorganization is performed via allocated shadow data sets. The original data sets are switched with the newly built shadow data sets including the LOB shadows.

Abstract: Simplicity of design is achieved for an electrohydrodynamic microfluidic mixer by applying an electric field substantially transverse to the flow direction and substantially orthogonal or normal to the interfacial plane between the fluids being mixed in the main channel. The electric field is wide enough to encompass substantially the entire depth of the main channel in the microfluidic mixer. In one exemplary embodiment, the electrohydrodynamic microfluidic mixer comprises a substrate, one main channel disposed on the substrate, first and second inlet channels disposed on the substrate and individually coupled to the main channel, and first and second electrodes disposed on opposite sides of the main channel for applying an electric field across the main channel substantially transverse to the flow direction in the main channel. Field uniformity across the desired cross-section of the main channel is achieved by having the electrode thickness be substantially equal to the main channel depth.

Abstract: The present invention provides a viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase pharmacophore which is characterized by binding to a conserved interface binding surfaces of a viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase.

Abstract: An automatic vehicle warning and control program is provided for determining if safety enhancing actions are appropriate. The on-line determination of an action that results in a preferred outcome (e.g., aircraft ejection) is made using a neural network controller. The neural network controller is trained off-line using appropriate preferred outcome data obtained via computer simulation or experimentation. Appropriate actions are established for all conceivable sets of vehicle conditions. On-line, the neural network controller uses actual sensed vehicle conditions to determine the appropriate action. Various actions can be performed based on the preferred outcome determination. Appropriate actions can include commanding audible and visual warnings, guidance cues, automatic vehicle control, and aircraft automatic ejection.