Abstract: A system is disclosed for distributing an ad to a user. The system may include and advertisement database for maintaining a plurality of advertisements, and a user profile database for maintaining a plurality of user profiles. The system may also include an advertisement server coupled with the advertisement database and the user profile database, the advertisement server operable to: receive a first set of information indicative of a user profile; receive a second set of information indicative of an ad property; receive a third set of information indicative of a plurality of advertisements; determine, based on the user profile, a user group for the user, the user group having an associated probability of an action in relation to an advertisement; select, based on the determined user group and the ad property, an advertisement from the plurality of advertisements for placement in the ad property; and deliver the selected advertisement at the ad property to the user.

Abstract: An improved system and method for optimizing online advertising auctions is provided by applying linear programming using special ordered sets. A linear programming model using special ordered sets of bids may first be created offline for the web page placements of advertisements for advertising campaigns. An expected number of impressions of advertisements for alternative bid levels may be determined for web page placements for advertising campaigns for a time period. Ordered sets of bid levels may be generated for web page placements of advertising campaigns and linear programming may be applied to determine optimal bid values for web page placements of advertising campaigns. Branching and cutting techniques may also be applied to the special ordered sets of bid values to rapidly obtain an optimal bid value for each special ordered set. Advertising campaigns may be updated with the optimal bid values for bidding in an online advertising auction.

Abstract: A window system wherein lower level screens display a reduced size iconic representation of a menu screen. The depression of determined keys or key combinations enables the user to scan the menu in an iconic representation as well as to select the window corresponding to the position of the cursor. The reduced size iconic menu representation may be associated with descriptive text. The system permits selection of new window without the necessity of returning to the menu at the next higher window level. Icons may also be provided to enable skipping of menu levels, to avoid the necessity of returning to a previous menu.

Abstract: Methods for quantifying the oil and water fractions of a fluid stream. A first method broadly includes making optical density (OD) measurements of the fluid stream by detecting photons of a first predetermined energy where the oil and water absorption characteristics are substantially identical (e.g., 1710 nm wavelength), and determining the oil and water fractions f.sub.o and f.sub.w according to OD.perspectiveto.f.sub.w .alpha..sub.w l+f.sub.o .alpha..sub.o l where .alpha..sub.w and .alpha..sub.o are related to the absorption coefficients of the oil and water at the predetermined energy, l is the path width of the fluid stream, and f.sub.w +f.sub.o =1. A second method which eliminates scattering effects utilizes the photons at the first predetermined energy and further utilizes photons of a second predetermined energy which is sufficiently close to the first predetermined energy such that the oil fraction is a linear function of the OD over the energy range.

Abstract: Waveform data obtained in a borehole by a tool having a sonic source and an array of sonic detectors is analyzed to obtain an image of formation features within several tens of feet of the borehole, such as fractures, bed boundaries and other boreholes. A value of background sonic slowness is derived from the data and used to determine the sonic energy transit time from the source to each detector via each point in a grid of points extending into the formation and along the borehole. The time for a particular detector/point pair is used to extract the amplitude of the waveform from that detector at that time relative to operation of the source. Such amplitudes for the same point and for different detectors and tool positions are cumulated. The final values for all points are plotted as a variable density display which provides the desired image.

Abstract: Techniques are described whereby measurements derived from acoustic investigations made from inside a borehole penetraing an earth formation are factorized into components with high depth resolution. In one embodiment travel times of an acoustic wave such as the compressional is factored into mud travel time and interval travel times through the earth formation. In another embodiment amplitude measurements of an acoustic wave are factored into components such as receiver gain, earth formation attenuation, and coupling effectiveness at the boundary between the borehole and the earth formation. In both embodiments an additional component can be factored out that is a function of transmitter to receiver spacings. A modified Gauss-Seidel iteration technique is described whereby iterations can rapidly converge with less sensitivity to large variations in the measurements. Factorization of receiver gains effectively enables calibration of the receivers during well logging.

Abstract: Disclosed are a process and a system for improving seismic returns and other signals representative of non-time varying series which have been degraded by interaction with unknown wavelets. Use is made of a sequence of two-term operators, each derived from the most recent version of the signal and each applied thereto to obtain the next version. The operators are selected such that their application tends to increase the entropy of the signal, and to remove the effects of the unknown wavelets and change the observed signal in a manner which tends to reveal the signal of interest.

Abstract: A novel method for determining and displaying the shear-velocity reflectivities of geologic formations is disclosed wherein a compression-wave common-depth-point seismic-data-gathering technique is utilized to produce both normal incidence compressional-velocity reflectivity sections and shear-velocity reflectivity sections for reflection points in given geologic formations. The subject method includes the gathering of common-depth-point information for a plurality of incidence angles, (theta) and estimating the linear coefficients (R.sub.pp,0 and R.sub.pp,1) of a linear function fitted to the amplitudes vs. sin.sup.2 (theta) measured for each point of reflection. The common-depth-point gather is conducted at angles of offset of less than 20-30 degrees such that assumptions concerning various elastic parameters: density, compressional wave velocity and shear-wave-velocity can be made which allow the application of linear fitting techniques to the gathered data.