Abstract: A computer-implemented process and system for the distribution of resources such as funds to not-for-profit (NFP) entities or other organizations. The system may include a resource accumulation module for acquiring and keeping track of resources, a resource division module for initially determining what to do with resources that have been acquired, an education module for teaching users about the entities or their respective causes, an evaluation module for determining whether a user is eligible to vote on the distribution of resources, and a voting module through which users may choose the resource recipients. In one embodiment, resources may be obtained at least in part from the commissions generated by real estate transactions. In addition, users and/or voters may include students around the world, and organizations may include various NFPs, also located around the world.

Abstract: A new file system is mounted to a mount point of an existing file system implemented in a computational system. A sentinel indicator is stored in the mount point. Prior to initiating an input/output (I/O) operation by a program, a determination is made by the program as to whether the sentinel indicator exists. In response to determining by the program that the sentinel indicator exists, the I/O operation is performed by the program. In certain alternative embodiments, in response to determining by the program that the sentinel indicator exists, the I/O operation is not performed by the program.

Abstract: A hot video prediction system is provided. A video comments database stores video comments submitted by a plurality of users. A user social network constructor establishes a user social network according to the video comments. When new comments of a new video are received, a hot video predictor uses the user social network to determine a similar theme between the new video and hot videos that have been hot for a period of time, and predicts whether the new video will become popular accordingly. A social network adaptor checks the prediction, and modifies the user social network accordingly.

Abstract: A method and a system are provided for managing metadata for occurrences of a recording. In one example, the system receives a recording. The recording includes computer readable media data. The system generates an internal identifier of the recording. The internal identifier is a signature that uniquely identifies the recording. The system then adds the internal identifier to metadata that are associated with at least one occurrence of the recording. The metadata are data that describe the recording.

Abstract: A comprehensive hazard evaluation system and method for chemicals and products. The system includes a memory and a processor. The memory stores the component make-up for each of a number of products. The memory also stores an environmental hazard score, an environmental health hazard score, and a physical hazard score for each component. A product hazard score is determined and stored based on the environmental hazard score, the environmental health hazard score, and the physical hazard score. The processor is operable to process user request and to display the product hazard score for at least one product on a display.

Abstract: Product-related information provided by brand owners is made available for inclusion in user-generated content. Users may include the product-related information in user-generated content, and receive payment for including the product-related information in their user-generated content based on metrics and rules for publishing the product-related information.

Abstract: A method for detection is presented. The method includes extracting data based upon one or more predefined rules. Further, the method includes preprocessing the extracted data based on the predefined rules to generate one or more rule groups. The method also includes instantiating one or more inference engines based on the generated rule groups. Additionally, the method includes processing the extracted data by a corresponding inference engine based on the predefined rules to generate processed data. Systems and computer-readable medium that afford functionality of the type defined by this method is also contemplated in conjunction with the present technique.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention relate to systems, methods, and computer storage media for geographically organizing the storage of data and hosted services in a distributed computing environment. An allocation constraint is utilized to identify and select a geo-region in which an affinity group that is comprised of a hosted service and/or data is to be physically stored. Additionally, a geo-domain within the geo-region is identified for hosting the hosted service and/or data of the affinity group. A stamp, such as a storage stamp or a computation stamp, is identified on the geo-domain for storing the hosted service and/or the data. The hosted service is stored in an identified computation stamp and the data is stored in an identified storage stamp. In an additional exemplary embodiment, the identification of a geo-domain involves analyzing resource information related to potential geo-domains within a geo-region.

Abstract: Digital content files may include media content, metadata uniquely identifying a transaction in which the content file was obtained, and a digital signature of at least a portion of the metadata. The metadata may include a distributor ID, a date and time of the transaction, an asset ID, a secure hash of the media content, a nonce, and one of a user ID, uniquely identifying a user who obtained the content file in the transaction, and a transaction ID uniquely identifying the transaction.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of adapting computer programs to user profiles, including providing a user with a questionnaire to determine at least one of the user's intelligence, personality, emotional state, computer experience, sensory skills, motor skills, education, and training; compiling a user profile based on data received from the questionnaire; modifying the computer programs used by the user based on the user's profile; and storing the user profile and the computer program modifications in a database for future utilization by the user. The modification of the computer programs includes modifying at least one of a user interface, workstation tools, input device and navigation, image presentation, analysis of information presented, and reporting.

Abstract: A system and method of making unstructured data available to structured data analysis tools. The system includes middleware software that can be used in combination with structured data tools to perform analysis on both structured and unstructured data. Data can be read from a wide variety of unstructured sources. The data may then be transformed with commercial data transformation products that may, for example, extract individual pieces of data and determine relationships between the extracted data. The transformed data and relationships may then be passed through an extraction/transform/load (ETL) layer and placed in a structured schema. The structured schema may then be made available to commercial or proprietary structured data analysis tools.

Abstract: A system and method of making unstructured data available to structured data analysis tools. The system includes middleware software that can be used in combination with structured data tools to perform analysis on both structured and unstructured data. Data can be read from a wide variety of unstructured sources. The data may then be transformed with commercial data transformation products that may, for example, extract individual pieces of data and determine relationships between the extracted data. The transformed data and relationships may then be passed through an extraction/transform/load (ETL) layer and placed in a structured schema. The structured schema may then be made available to commercial or proprietary structured data analysis tools.

Abstract: A system for managing media files having different format characteristics includes a transcoder, a content store, and a plurality of clients. The content store is capable of storing a media file in a first format. The clients are each associated with one or more media file formats and capable of playing media files to users. The transcoder is capable of receiving a request identifying a media file from a first client and, in response to receiving the request, retrieving the media file from the content store in a first format. The transcoder is also operable of modifying the media file from the first format to a second format associated with the first client and, while modifying the media file from the first format to the second format, transmitting a modified portion of the media file to the first client.

Abstract: A host controller maintains a hierarchy of labels representing distinct virtual machine parameters, allows a user to specify labels for virtual machines hosted by one or more servers coupled to the host controller, and stores the specified labels in association with respective virtual machines in a database that reflects relationships between the labels according to the hierarchy. The host controller then facilitates management of the virtual machines using the labels.

Abstract: A multimedia data publishing system including a server connected to a computer network and a plurality of host terminals connected to the computer network, where the server includes a database in which digital files are saved containing descriptors of multimedia pages, and a program for management of the database and of the exchanges with the host terminals, the host terminals being equipped with a random access memory for temporarily saving digital files downloaded from the database of the server, and navigation software for the visual representation of the pages relating to the descriptors of a downloaded file, wherein at least some digital files include descriptors of at least two visual representations of a given digital file.

Abstract: A landmark case identification system and method in which the user is presented with a set of the most relevant documents on a selected topic. This set, which is dynamic and asserted to be inclusive at any point in time, is presented to the user in a Virtual Digest and initially sorted by court/date order. The user has an option to resort the answer set using a Frequently Cited sort option, which causes the system to dynamically analyze the answer set for references between the documents. Landmark cases are identified by their peers in the domain as they will be referenced and relied upon most often. The user is presented with the resorted answer set, and information detailing how many other cases in the domain referenced them is now included.

Abstract: A method, system, and computer program product for performing remote monitoring of a patient during a routine checkup is provided. A local server is adapted for receiving instructions from a medical professional and processing the instructions into commands for remote broadcast. A network device is in remote communication with the local server. At least one modular diagnostic tool is communicable with the network device over a standardized communications link. The at least one modular diagnostic tool is operable by the medical professional based on a second portion of the commands for remote broadcast to obtain the diagnostic information. Upon a communications connection between the modular diagnostic tool and the network device, an automated process is executed to upload the diagnostic information from the modular diagnostic tool to the local server for collection and analysis.

Abstract: A database communication system is described herein that structures communications in a way that provides lower overhead tracking, statistics, semantics for closing a communication, and reliability. The system provides communication namespaces that organize communications by component, purpose, and instance, which allow database servers to implicitly create communication-related objects without central coordination. The database communication system enables group-based communications that streamline the development of complex distributed components and protocols by providing creation and management of communications namespaces, centralized cleanup support, and centralized monitoring. These features allow the system to be highly distributed, with no one single coordinator of operations, and still provide reliable communications. Thus, the system allows databases to be spread across multiple servers while keeping the burden on database server developers of managing communications between the servers low.

Abstract: Provided are techniques which offer an advantage of reduced time and reduced storage capacity required to calculate the feature value of AAC-format song data. A feature extraction unit includes: an MDCT coefficient extraction unit which extracts MDCT coefficients from AAC-format song data; a classification unit which locates the MDCT coefficients thus extracted by the MDCT coefficient extraction unit on Mel frequency regions so as to uniformly classify the MDCT coefficients into classes, the number of which is the same as that of a predetermined number of Mel filter banks; an integrating unit which extracts the MDCT coefficients classified by the classification unit by applying a predetermined window function, and integrates the MDCT coefficients thus extracted, in increments of the Mel filter banks; and a feature calculation unit which calculates the feature value by performing logarithmic cosine conversion of the integrated results obtained by the integrating unit.

Abstract: An analysis tool guides the selection of an external agent who will interact with a selected organizational actor. The analysis tool helps to minimize mismatches in personality and behavior between the external agents and actors in the business. As a result, there are fewer misunderstandings about project scope and requirements, there is better communication between individuals, and valuable deals are more frequently closed.

Abstract: A method performed by a computing system is described. The method involves receiving a deployment descriptor that specifies a persistence scope that is external to the computing system. The method also involves, as a consequence of the receiving, instantiating a plug-in for a database that is external to the computing system. The method also involves, over the course of a session, managing the persistence of the session's session state information in said database by, with program code provided by the plug-in, translating a first command that is not specific to the database into a second command that is specific to the database. The session state information comprises a plurality of attributes. The first command is to cause a process to be performed. The process is selected from the group consisting of: storing in the database one of the attributes; and, retrieving from the database one of the attributes.

Abstract: Events may be identified by storing information in response to activating an event stamp function. As a result of activating the event function, the information collected may immediately be compared to event information in a database. Alternatively, the information collected may later be compared to event information in a database. One or more candidates for the event of interest may be automatically or manually retrieved, and the user may decide whether a candidate event of the one or more candidates correspond to the event of interest. Alternatively, a purchase of an item related to the event may be automatically made in response to activating the event stamp.

Abstract: Enterprise confidential electronic data inventory systems, methods and/or computer program products include a database management system, method and/or computer program product that is configured to store identifying information for the confidential electronic data of the enterprise without storing the confidential electronic data itself. Querying of the identifying information for the electronic data of the enterprise that is stored may also be provided.

Abstract: Presenting of real-world situational data on a dynamically updateable user interface is provided for by providing a dynamically updateable user interface that includes dynamic objects having variable characteristics and that correspond to real-world objects, receiving situational data that corresponds to a status of the one or more real-world objects, and conforming the one or more variable characteristics to be consistent with the situational data such that an observer of the one or more dynamic objects is informed of a current status of a corresponding real-world situation.