Abstract: Embodiments are directed to tiered data store with persistent layers. A write tier in the file system for storing in a file system. A value for a performance metric that corresponds to write requests to the file system may be predicted based on characteristics of the write requests such that the performance metric may be determined based on a plurality of interactions with the write tier. The predicted value that exceeds a threshold value of the performance metric may be employed to cause performance of further actions, including: queuing a portion of the write requests in a memory buffer based on the predicted value and the threshold value; combining the queued portion of the write requests into s; storing the data segments in the write tier such that a measured value of the performance metric may be less than the threshold value.

Abstract: Described herein are ways to enhance communication device performance during the device's interaction with a voice response system. Embodiments of the communication device, such as a mobile telephone with a touch screen, do not have the conventional problems of the touch screens darkening when wanting illuminated screens and requiring a caller to endure undesired audio output while on hold for extended lengths of time, as non-limiting example problems. The invention may also be embodied as a voice response system, a method of its operation, a method of operating a telephone having a touch screen, and a non-transitory machine readable storage medium containing instructions that when executed cause the performance of such methods.

Abstract: A method of managing data transmission in a mesh-topology ad-hoc network. The method includes transmitting management information by a plurality of mobile stations of the network, selecting a mobile station to serve as a master, responsive to the transmitted management information, transmitting to the master requests for bandwidth, allocating bandwidth by the master, responsive to the requests and forwarding the bandwidth allocation to the mobile stations of the network.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for helping a user rest and sleep while in an upright sitting position on a seat by providing vertical and horizontal support to the user's upper body and head. The method consists of providing a seat add-on and fitting an adjustable vest (1-6) that can cling to the seat add-on at varying heights and relieve the load on the lower part of the spine, putting some of it on the armpits and some on the back ribs, and of providing a head support cushion (18-21) that enables the neck to relax while sustaining the head and neck in a vertical position. The seat add-on, the vest and the cushion in combination continuously support the seated user's upper body and head vertically and horizontally, to assist the user to rest and sleep in the vertical position.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for helping a user rest and sleep while in an upright sitting position on a seat by providing vertical and horizontal support to the user's upper body and head. The method consists of providing a seat add-on and fitting an adjustable vest that can cling to the seat add-on at varying heights and relieve the load on the lower part of the spine, putting some of it on the armpits and some on the back ribs, and of providing a head support cushion that enables the neck to relax while sustaining the head and neck in a vertical position. The seat add-on, the vest and the cushion in combination continuously support the seated user's upper body and head vertically and horizontally, to assist the user to rest and sleep in the vertical sitting position.

Abstract: A method determines the propagation delays between nodes in a network, the network including a plurality of nodes. The method includes recording by each one of the nodes the transmission time of a beacon-signal respective of the one of the nodes and the reception times of other beacon-signals respective of other nodes. The beacon signal and the other beacon signals are transmitted according to a forward transmission sequence, a reverse transmission sequence is determined according to the forward transmission sequence. The procedure of recording for beacon signals is repeated and transmitted according to the reverse transmission sequence, and a propagation delay is determined between each pair of communicating nodes according to a forward propagation delay and a reverses propagation delay respective of the each of pair of communicating nodes.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for helping a user rest and sleep while in an upright sitting position on a seat by providing vertical and horizontal support to the user's upper body and head. The method consists of providing a seat add-on and fitting an adjustable vest that can cling to the seat add-on at varying heights and relieve the load on the lower part of the spine, putting some of it on the armpits and some on the back ribs, and of providing a head support cushion that enables the neck to relax while sustaining the head and neck in a vertical position. The seat add-on, the vest and the cushion in combination continuously support the seated user's upper body and head vertically and horizontally, to assist the user to rest and sleep in the vertical sitting position.

Abstract: A method determines the propagation delays between nodes in a network, the network including a plurality of nodes. The method includes recording by each one of the nodes the transmission time of a beacon-signal respective of the one of the nodes and the reception times of other beacon-signals respective of other nodes. The beacon signal and the other beacon signals are transmitted according to a forward transmission sequence, a reverse transmission sequence is determined according to the forward transmission sequence. The procedure of recording for beacon signals is repeated and transmitted according to the reverse transmission sequence, and a propagation delay is determined between each pair of communicating nodes according to a forward propagation delay and a reverses propagation delay respective of the each of pair of communicating nodes.

Abstract: A method of managing data transmission in a mesh-topology ad-hoc network. The method includes transmitting management information by a plurality of mobile stations of the network, selecting a mobile station to serve as a master, responsive to the transmitted management information, transmitting to the master requests for bandwidth, allocating bandwidth by the master, responsive to the requests and forwarding the bandwidth allocation to the mobile stations of the network.

Abstract: The input of a computer executable process, is logically subdivided, without reading, into a plurality of partitions which are distributed to a plurality of processors in which respective subtasks including the reading of those partitions, are carried out. The method allows distribution of processing of a large amount of data to a plurality of processors cooperating in a way that the load imposed on each processor is proportional to its capacity to do the work.

Abstract: The log file maintained by a DBMS is used, possibly in conjunction with hardware that listens to the communication between a computer and the storage controller to create cache buffers and a locking mechanism that enable applications running on one computer system to consistently access the data maintained and updated by a different computer.

Abstract: The input of a computer executable process, is logically subdivided, without reading, into a plurality of partitions which are distributed to a plurality of processors in which respective subtasks including the reading of those partitions, are carried out. The method allows distribution of processing of a large amount of data to a plurality of processors cooperating in a way that the load imposed on each processor is proportional to its capacity to do the work.

Abstract: A change propagation method for a migration from a source table to a target table in a DBMS which uses the log file available in the DBMS for recovery from failures. From this log file a last data-independent key is derived to represent an immediate previous migration and a condense table is generated with records representing before and after images of a data row which has changed in the source table. For each source table in a migration definition files containing delete statements, update statements, an insert table and an ignore file are provided. A target table is updated based upon commands in an insert statement file generated from the migration statement, the ignore file, the source table and the insert table.

Abstract: A task, activated on one computer system is delegated to heterogeneous computer systems, the input of the task, residing on a shared device, read for that task through a function using heterogeneous read and the output of the task written by a function using heterogeneous write, back to the shared device.

Abstract: The log file maintained by a DBMS is used, possibly in conjunction with hardware that listens to the communication between a computer and the storage controller to create cache buffers and a locking mechanism that enable applications running on one computer system to consistently access the data maintained and updated by a different computer.

Abstract: An index of a relational database or an indexed sequential file is used in a method that does not depend on the implicit or explicit definition of ranges of a key formed as a binary number from concatenation of columns of a Table in the database. As long as not all relevant ranges of the key have been exhausted, the beginning of a next range is found and row identifiers are extracted from entries of the index, where the key belongs to that next range, until that next range is exhausted.

Abstract: An index of a relational database or an indexed sequential file is used in a method that does not depend on the implicit or explicit definition of ranges of a key formed as a binary number from concatenation of columns of a Table in the database. As long as not all relevant ranges of the key have been exhausted, the beginning of a next range is found and row identifiers are extracted from entries of the index, where the key belongs to that next range, until that next range is exhausted.

Abstract: Heterogeneous computer systems are computer systems with different storage architectures, computer systems with different central processing units (CPUs), computer systems with different disk organization methods, computer systems with different access methods, computer systems that use different controller interfaces etc. These systems share data so that every one of the said computer systems can access the data independently, not relying on services from the others. A single copy of the data is maintained, as opposed to replicated data that is used, in some cases to overcome the same needs. Every system has direct access to the shared data, through the use of emulators that enable applications on every system to use the desired interfaces to the data, disguised as the ordinary local interfaces. An example is the accessing an IBM mainframe's DB2 data base from a UNIX environment.