text:
An apparatus and method for assessing myocardial wall stress is disclosed. The method may be used in conjunction with electro-stimulatory therapy for preventing or reversing ventricular remodeling. In such therapy, one or more stimulatory pulses are delivered to the heart such that a stressed region of the myocardium is pre-excited relative to other regions, thereby subjecting the stressed region to a lessened preload and afterload during systole. The unloading of the stressed myocardium over time effects reversal of undesirable ventricular remodeling.
1. A cardiac rhythm management device, comprising:
sensing channels for sensing cardiac electrical activity at a plurality of myocardial sites;
pacing channels for delivering pacing pulses to one or more myocardial sites;
a controller for controlling the delivery of pacing pulses in accordance with a programmed pacing mode;
circuitry for measuring activation-recovery intervals at a plurality of myocardial sites indicative of myocardial wall stress; and,
circuitry for identifying one or more stressed myocardial sites based upon the measured activation-recovery intervals.
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circuitry for delivering pacing pulses to one or more ventricular sites in accordance with a programmed pacing mode; and
circuitry for switching a pulse output configuration and a pulse output sequence defining the pacing mode in order to pre-excite identified stressed ventricular sites.
12. A method for operating a cardiac rhythm management device, comprising:
sensing cardiac electrical activity at a plurality of myocardial sites;
delivering pacing pulses to one or more myocardial sites;
measuring activation-recovery intervals at a plurality of myocardial sites indicative of myocardial wall stress; and,
identifying one or more stressed myocardial sites based upon the measured activation-recovery intervals.
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This invention pertains to apparatus and methods for the diagnosis and treatment of heart disease and to devices providing electrostimulation to the heart such as cardiac pacemakers.
Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a clinical syndrome in which an abnormality of cardiac function causes cardiac output to fall below a level adequate to meet the metabolic demand of peripheral tissues. CHF can be due to a variety of etiologies with that due to ischemic heart disease being the most common. Inadequate pumping of blood into the arterial system by the heart is sometimes referred to as "forward failure," with "backward failure" referring to the resulting elevated pressures in the lungs and systemic veins which lead to congestion. Backward failure is the natural consequence of forward failure as blood in the pulmonary and venous systems fails to be pumped out. Forward failure can be caused by impaired contractility of the ventricles due, for example, to coronary artery disease, or by an increased afterload (i.e., the forces resisting ejection of blood) due to, for example, systemic hypertension or valvular dysfunction. One physiological compensatory mechanism that acts to increase cardiac output is due to backward failure which increases the diastolic filling pressure of the ventricles and thereby increases the preload (i.e., the degree to which the ventricles are stretched by the volume of blood in the ventricles at the end of diastole). An increase in preload causes an increase in stroke volume during systole, a phenomena known as the Frank-Starling principle. Thus, heart failure can be at least partially compensated by this mechanism but at the expense of possible pulmonary and/or systemic congestion.
When the ventricles are stretched due to the increased preload over a period of time, the ventricles become dilated. The enlargement of the ventricular volume causes increased ventricular wall stress at a given systolic pressure. Along with the increased pressure-volume work done by the ventricle, this acts as a stimulus for hypertrophy of the ventricular myocardium which leads to alterations in cellular structure, a process referred to as ventricular remodeling. Hypertrophy can increase systolic pressures but also decreases the compliance of the ventricles and hence increases diastolic filling pressure to result in even more congestion. It also has been shown that the sustained stresses causing hypertrophy may induce apoptosis (i.e., programmed cell death) of cardiac muscle cells and eventual wall thinning which causes further deterioration in cardiac function. Thus, although ventricular dilation and hypertrophy may at first be compensatory and increase cardiac output, the process ultimately results in both systolic and diastolic dysfunction. It has been shown that the extent of ventricular remodeling is positively correlated with increased mortality in CHF patients.
Disparate stresses in different areas of the heart are responsible for the undesirable remodeling discussed above. The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for acutely assessing myocardial wall stress at a local site by measuring the action potential duration at the site during systole, referred to herein as an activation-recovery interval. The invention may be incorporated into a cardiac rhythm management device having the capability of pacing and sensing multiple cardiac sites. Such a device may be programmed to measure activation-recovery intervals at one or more myocardial sites and identify stressed sites with a threshold criterion. The assessment of localized wall stress may then be used by a clinician in planning subsequent therapy. The device can also be programmed to deliver pacing pulses in a manner such that the stressed site or sites so identified are pre-excited relative to other myocardial regions during systole. Such pre-excitation serves to mechanically unload the stressed site and hence prevent or reverse myocardial remodeling.
Some form of cardiac pacing can often benefit CHF patients. For example, sinus node dysfunction resulting in bradycardia can contribute to heart failure which can be corrected with conventional bradycardia pacing. Also, some CHF patients suffer from some degree of AV block such that their cardiac output is improved by synchronizing atrial and ventricular contractions with dual-chamber pacing using a programmed AV delay time (i.e., atrial triggered ventricular pacing or AV sequential pacing). CHF patients may also suffer from conduction defects of the specialized conduction system of the heart (a.k.a. bundle branch blocks) so that a depolarization impulse from the AV node reaches one ventricle before the other. Stretching of the ventricular wall brought about by CHF can also cause slowed conduction of depolarization impulses through the ventricle. If conduction velocity is slowed in the left ventricle more than the right, for example, the contraction of the two ventricles during ventricular systole becomes uncoordinated which lessens pumping efficiency. The contraction of a single ventricle may also become uncoordinated due to intraventricular conduction defects. In these situations, cardiac output can be increased by improving the synchronization of right and left ventricular contractions with cardiac resynchronization pacing.
In multi-site resynchronization pacing, the atria or ventricles are paced at more than one site in order to affect a spread of excitation that results in a more coordinated contraction. Biventricular pacing is one example of multi-site pacing in which both ventricles are paced in order to synchronize their respective contractions. Multi-site pacing may also be applied to only one chamber. For example, a ventricle may be paced at multiple sites with pacing pulses in order to produce multiple waves of depolarization that emanate from the pacing sites. This may produce a more coordinated contraction of the ventricle and thereby compensate for intraventricular conduction defects that may exist.
Altering the coordination of ventricular contractions with multi-site pacing can also be used to deliberately change the distribution of wall stress experienced by the ventricle during the cardiac pumping cycle. The degree to which a heart muscle fiber is stretched before it contracts is termed the preload. The maximum tension and velocity of shortening of a muscle fiber increases with increasing preload. The increase in contractile response of the heart with increasing preload is known as the Frank-Starling principle. When a myocardial region contracts late relative to other regions, the contraction of those opposing regions stretches the later contracting region and increases the preload. The degree of tension or stress on a heart muscle fiber as it contracts is termed the afterload. Because pressure within the ventricles rises rapidly from a diastolic to a systolic value as blood is pumped out into the aorta and pulmonary arteries, the part of the ventricle that first contracts due to an excitatory stimulation pulse does so against a lower afterload than does a part of the ventricle contracting later. Thus a myocardial region that contracts later than other regions is subjected to both an increased preload and afterload. This situation is created frequently by the ventricular conduction delays associated with heart failure and ventricular dysfunction.
The heart's initial physiological response to the uneven stress resulting from an increased preload and afterload is compensatory hypertrophy in those later contracting regions of the myocardium. In the later stages of remodeling, the regions may undergo atrophic changes with wall thinning due to the increased stress. The parts of the myocardium that contract earlier in the cycle, on the other hand, are subjected to less stress and are less likely to undergo hypertrophic remodeling. The present invention makes use of this phenomena in order to effect reversal of remodeling by pacing one or more sites in a ventricle (or an atrium) with one or more excitatory stimulation pulses during a cardiac cycle with a specified pulse output sequence. The pace or paces are delivered in a manner that excites a previously stressed and remodeled region of the myocardium earlier during systole so that it experiences less afterload and preload. This pre-excitation of the remodeled region relative to other regions unloads the region from mechanical stress and allows reversal of remodeling to occur.
In another application of the invention, pre-excitation stimulation may be used to unload a stressed myocardial region that has been weakened by ischemia or other causes. Such regions of the myocardium may be particularly vulnerable to dilation and formation of aneurysms. An increased preload and afterload also requires an increased energy expenditure by the muscle which, in turn, increases its perfusion requirements and may result in further ischemia. Pre-excitation of an ischemic region may thus reduce the region's need for blood as well as reduce the mechanical stress to which the region is subjected during systole to reduce the likelihood of further dilation.
As detailed below, the present invention provides a means by which a pacemaker capable of multi-site sensing and pacing may identify stressed sites. The device may then be programmed to alter its pacing operation in a manner that reduces the stress to those sites.
1. Hardware Platform
Cardiac rhythm management devices such as pacemakers are usually implanted subcutaneously on a patient's chest and have leads threaded intravenously into the heart to connect the device to electrodes used for sensing and pacing. A programmable electronic controller causes the pacing pulses to be output in response to lapsed time intervals and sensed electrical activity (i.e., intrinsic heart beats not as a result of a pacing pulse). Pacemakers sense intrinsic cardiac electrical activity by means of internal electrodes disposed near the chamber to be sensed. A depolarization wave associated with an intrinsic contraction of the atria or ventricles that is detected by the pacemaker is referred to as an atrial sense or ventricular sense, respectively. In order to cause such a contraction in the absence of an intrinsic beat, a pacing pulse (either an atrial pace or a ventricular pace) with energy above a certain pacing threshold is delivered to the chamber.
The controller 10 controls the overall operation of the device in accordance with programmed instructions stored in memory, including controlling the delivery of paces via the pacing channels, interpreting sense signals received from the sensing channels, and implementing timers for defining escape intervals and sensory refractory periods. The sensing circuitry of the pacemaker detects a chamber sense, either an atrial sense or ventricular sense, when an electrogram signal (i.e., a voltage sensed by an electrode representing cardiac electrical activity) generated by a particular channel exceeds a specified detection threshold. Pacing algorithms used in particular pacing modes employ such senses to trigger or inhibit pacing, and the intrinsic atrial and/or ventricular rates can be detected by measuring the time intervals between atrial and ventricular senses, respectively.
The controller is capable of operating the device in a number of programmed pacing modes which define how pulses are output in response to sensed events and expiration of time intervals. Most pacemakers for treating bradycardia are programmed to operate synchronously in a so-called demand mode where sensed cardiac events occurring within a defined interval either trigger or inhibit a pacing pulse. Inhibited demand pacing modes utilize escape intervals to control pacing in accordance with sensed intrinsic activity such that a pacing pulse is delivered to a heart chamber during a cardiac cycle only after expiration of a defined escape interval during which no intrinsic beat by the chamber is detected. Escape intervals for ventricular pacing can be restarted by ventricular or atrial events, the latter allowing the pacing to track intrinsic atrial beats. Multiple excitatory stimulation pulses can also be delivered to multiple sites during a cardiac cycle in order to both pace the heart in accordance with a bradycardia mode and provide resynchronization of contractions to compensate for conduction defects.
The device shown in
2. Assessment of Myocardial Wall Stress
In order to assess local myocardial wall stress, the action potential duration during systole, also referred to herein as the activation-recovery interval, can be measured by a device such as shown in
The bandpass filters in
After measuring the activation-recovery interval at a plurality of myocardial sites, sites that are stressed may be identified with a specified threshold criterion applied to the activation-recovery interval. That is, a site is identified as stressed when its measured activation-recovery interval is below the specified threshold value. Because the cardiac action potential normally varies with heart rate, it may be desirable to measure activation-recovery intervals during intrinsic beats for the purpose of assessing myocardial stress only when the heart rate is within a specified range. Activation-recovery intervals can also be measured during paced beats while pacing pulses are delivered at a specified rate. In the case of a paced beat, the depolarization corresponds to an evoked response detected by the sensing channel, while the repolarization is similar to an intrinsic beat. Alternatively, the threshold criterion for assessing myocardial wall stress based upon the activation-recovery interval may be adjusted in accordance with the measured intrinsic heart rate or pacing rate.
Another technique that can be used to identify stressed sites is the phenomena of mechanical alternans. When oscillations in pulse pressure are detected in a patient, referred to as pulsus alternans it is generally interpreted by clinicians as a sign of left ventricular dysfunction. Localized alternations in local wall stress, as revealed by alternations in the activation-recovery interval, may similarly indicate that the site is subjected to increased stress. Stressed sites may therefore be identified by detecting oscillations in the measured activation-recovery interval either instead of, or in addition to, the threshold criterion for the activation-recovery interval discussed above.
Once one or more stressed sites are identified, the information may be communicated to an external programmer via a telemetry link and used by a clinician in planning further treatment. A wall stress parameter for each electrode site may be determined from the length of the activation-recovery interval as well as a parameter representing the average overall myocardial wall stress. As described below, the device may also be programmed to alter its pacing mode so as to mechanically unload one or more of the stressed sites.
3. Pacing to Unload Stressed Sites
One or more myocardial pacing sites identified as stressed may be mechanically unloaded during systole by delivering one or more pacing pulses in a manner such that the stressed site or sites are pre-excited relative to other regions of the myocardium. Such pacing subjects the stressed sites to a lessened preload and afterload during systole, thus reducing the wall stress. By unloading a myocardial region in this way over a period of time, reversal of undesirable myocardial remodeling may also be effected. Pre-excitation may also be applied to stressed regions of the myocardium that have been weakened by ischemia or other causes in order to prevent further dilation and/or promote healing.
Pacing for myocardial wall stress reduction may be delivered in accordance with a programmed bradycardia pacing mode and thus also provide therapy for bradycardia as well. Such pacing also may or may not include multi-site pacing for purpose of also providing cardiac resynchronization. therapy. What effects localized stress reduction is the pre-excitation of one or more myocardial regions relative to other regions during systole. This may be accomplished in certain situations with single-site pacing and in others with multi-site resynchronization pacing that also improves the pumping function of the heart. In the latter case, the pacing pulse output configuration and sequence that produces optimum resynchronization may or may not also deliver optimum therapy for reduction of myocardial wall stress.
In an exemplary embodiment, a device such as illustrated in
A more specific example is illustrated with reference to
In addition to pre-exciting selected sites in order to prevent or promote reversal of myocardial remodeling, such pre-excitation may also reduce the average wall stress of the heart and, consequently, its total workload. Such an effect may be desirable when the heart's blood supply is compromised due to coronary disease. As noted above, measurement of activation-recovery intervals at a plurality of sites can be used to compute an average wall stress parameter. The device may therefore be programmed to try different pacing output sequences and/or configurations, compute the average wall stress parameter for each, and then select the pulse output sequence and configuration that minimizes the parameter.
In the examples described above, the device is programmed to alter its pacing mode when a stressed site is identified by modifying the pulse output configuration and/or sequence to pre-excite the stressed site. Stress reduction pacing may be augmented where the pacing pulses are delivered in a demand mode by decreasing the escape interval used to pace the stressed site (e.g., the ventricular escape interval or the AV delay interval in the case of dual-chamber pacing). In another example, the device is configured with multiple sensing/pacing electrodes but is programmed to deliver neither bradycardia nor resynchronization pacing during normal operation. After a stressed site is identified, a pacing mode is initiated such that the stressed site is pre-excited in a timed relation to a triggering event that indicates an intrinsic beat has either occurred or is imminent such as immediately following the earliest detection of intrinsic activation elsewhere in the ventricle. Such activation may be detected from an electrogram with a conventional ventricular sensing electrode. An earlier occurring trigger event may be detected by extracting the His bundle conduction potential from a special ventricular sensing electrode using signal processing techniques.
Although the invention has been described in conjunction with the foregoing specific embodiments, many alternatives, variations, and modifications will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. Other such alternatives, variations, and modifications are intended to fall within the scope of the following appended claims.
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text:
End the war on drugs - Cambridge MP
Posted: December 10, 2012|
The "pointless" war on illegal drugs must come to an end, according to Cambridge's MP.
Julian Huppert is a member of the House of Commons' home affairs committee which today urged the Prime Minister to start a wide-ranging debate on drug policy – including the possibility of legalisation.
The panel said efforts to combat drugs barons worldwide had failed while there was not enough focus on helping users to break their habits.
It called on David Cameron to learn from the experience of Portugal, where possession of small amounts of drugs is not subject to criminal penalties, although the substances remain illegal, and of the US states of Washington and Colorado, where cannabis is being legalised.
Dr Huppert said the "hypocrisy" of the "pointless" war on drugs "must end".
He said: "The Government must focus on reducing the damage caused by drugs. That means far more emphasis on effective treatment than on criminal sanction."
In Portugal, problem drug use has dropped after users started being sent to commissions which arrange rehabilitation rather than courts and prisons.
On a visit to Cambridge, Mr Cameron said he did not support decriminalisation, arguing British drugs policy was "working".
He said: "Drugs use is coming down, the emphasis on treatment is absolutely right, and we need to continue with that to make sure we can really make a difference."

subset: commoncrawl


text:
The demonstration will be sponsored by Secretary of Defense William J. Perry
and Dr. Stephen C. Joseph, assistant secretary of defense for health affairs.
Secretary Perry will open the demonstration will brief remarks and a tour of
the exhibits beginning at 9 a.m. (EDT). The demonstration is open to the media
and the public.
The exhibits will highlight systems and technologies that will enhance medical
care on the battlefields of the future and extend the reach of medical
expertise to remote areas. These technologies are expected to become much more
widely applied in both military and civilian health care delivery, medical
training and education, and medical research. Telemedicine is expected to be a
major enabling technology in the re-engineering of health care delivery in the
United States.
News media should check in at the VIP tent at the lower parade field any time
throughout the day for press kits.


text: This is a picture taken locally of the moon on the 8th day of Lunar month or to the Chinese also known as Dong Zhi 冬至 or the Winter Solstice otherwise also known as "midwinter". It is a time when the Yang Qi starts to increase and the Yin Qi decrease until the . . . → Read More: Today Is Dong Zhi, Not The End oF The World


text:
Randy Clark, the man who was pivotal within the Vineyard Christian Fellowship during the past decade, has resigned from the movement. For most Christians, Clark is an unfamiliar name and face. Yet, despite his lack of fame, his direct influence upon the movement placed an indelible impression which is known to many familiar with modern day revivals and impartation services.
In the summer of 1993, Clark was pastor of the Vineyard Christian Fellowship in south St. Louis. He claims to have been emotionally, spiritually, and physically on the brink of burnout, but was invigorated after speaking to a colleague who had just returned from a conference led by self proclaimed "Holy Ghost bartender" Rodney Howard Browne.
Clark then personally attended a Howard Browne meeting in Tulsa, Okla., at Kenneth Hagin, Jr.'s Rhema Bible Church. He went in spite of his theological differences with Hagin because Clark claims, "The Lord spoke to me immediately, and said, 'You have a denominational spirit. How badly do you want to be touched afresh?'"
At a Vineyard regional meeting in Lake Geneva, Wis., Clark told of the Tulsa meeting. This forum allowed news of the phenomenon to reach a large and influential constituency within the movement. A short time later, John Arnott, pastor of the Airport Vineyard in Toronto, invited Clark to Toronto to transplant the new message. And, as they say, the rest is history.
Clark's sudden and unexpected resignation from the Vineyard came by way of an August 4 letter directed to his fellow Vineyard pastors. In the letter, Clark wrote, "It is what God has been doing and is continuing to do in my life that has brought about this process and decision to leave the Vineyard." He further said that he "was feeling a growing discomfort fitting in the Vineyard." Clark denied that his resignation was the result of past actions by Vineyard leaders which caused him grief. "My hurt occurred nearly five years ago. No, I am not leaving over the past," he stated.
Clark did acknowledge that some of his theological views caused estrangement from fellow movement members.
"I was told that my Arminian leanings were alienating me from about 70% of the Vineyards. ... More particularly my open view of God was alienating me from many Vineyards," he wrote in his letter. Clark revealed his association with open theist Greg Boyd, stating that he had invited Boyd to speak with him at two of his conferences over the past few years. But, Clark maintains, it has only been recently that he read Boyd's volume on the subject, so "I guess I was a case of guilt by association."
In his letter, Clark continued to stress experience over doctrine. In addressing the theological issues that were causing alienation, he wrote, "I thought those types of things were not big in the Vineyard, that what really mattered was whether or not we were ministering to the sick, the poor, the lost, the demonized, in the power of the Spirit and with the love of God; and that we were committed to planting churches; churches, which moved naturally in the supernatural without hype and/or manipulation."
Clark wrote his resignation was effective September 2001 and says his departure from the Vineyard has "been clearly called by God." He will be moving his recently established ministry, Global Awakening Apostolic Missions Network, to Harrisburg, Pa., where he plans to team up to form an Apostolic Center with Pastor Charles Stock. "There are supernatural reasons for going to Harrisburg. Suffice to say that there were many words to leave St. Louis and go to Harrisburg," Clark contends. These prophetic words are said to have come "through [his] own two oldest children" and "from other prophetic people," one of whom "had a divine visitation."
Clark first became a part of the Vineyard in September 1984. The movement grew under the direction and leadership of the late "power evangelism" guru John Wimber.
© 2002 - PFO. All rights reserved by Personal Freedom Outreach. This article
may not be stored on BBS or Internet sites without permission. Reproduction
is prohibited, except for portions intended for personal use and non-commercial
purposes. For reproduction permission contact: Personal Freedom Outreach, P.O.
Box 26062, Saint Louis, Missouri 63136.


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There is no right answer.
It depends on your expenses, monthly debt, current debt amount!
It seems like the more money I make, the more I spend. When I used to be a surgery resident, I made $34K/year. I was living large, money left over at the end of the month, now that I'm a doctor, living paycheck to paycheck!
Go for 6-figures, that should be a good reference point!
Instagram: @toofdocta
In the "old days" if you could have financed through Fannie May or Freddie Mac, you wouldn't even have had to have a job.
Owning a Lamborghini transcends the banality of economics.
This is just my take but I wouldn't (and haven't) buy any Lambo (or any similar car) unless I could afford to put down at least 2/3 of the cost of the car the day I bought it and have the same amount set aside for maintenance AND make enough money after all that to live well. What that means in real numbers will vary widely depending on where you live, what your other expenses are and what your definition of living well is. Some people would say that even this isn't enough. A lot of people think you should be able to buy the car outright and have the same set aside for maintenance AND own your home outright while having your retirement already taken care of. I think that is a bit anal but there are good arguments for this point of view as well.
Your monthly car budget should not exceed 10% of your take home pay. Lets say you can get into a new gallardo for 3K per month (this will cover a 200-220k car including financing), but you also need a daily driver lets say for 1K per month (70k mid level lux. Car). Then you should take home about 40k after taxes or about 70k Pre tax so about 840k gross per year for a new 2013 gallardo coupe basic model.
Don't buy one of these cars if don't make plenty of extra cash. There are hidden costs. I recommend buying new to take advantage of the warranty (36 mo).
The novelty of any and all luxury items disappears immediately if the cash burden of that item becomes severe.
13 Bentley GT coupe (daily driver )
08 G Spyder Blk/Tan (sold )
06 Range Rover (daily driver)
"One Biiilllllllion Dollars!!!!!"
Then you can also get the genus-Lamniformes equipped with the optional Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation device mounted above the cranium.
"The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter."
Winston Churchill
Thread of my purchase, delivery, and enjoyment:
I agree with most of what is written above. There is no single guideline. Depends on whether you are okay with debt or whether you are more comfortable with zero debt. No right answer.
I don't agree regarding buying new. You can buy a 1 year old car and save a huge amount in depreciation and still have two years of warranty coverage (or buy a 2 yo and have 1 year of warranty).
There can be hidden costs so have plenty on reserve for cost of ownership. Shop insurance carefully. There are HUGE differences in cost (and coverage).
One cost I never thought about before buying it was the cost of transporting for service since (so far) there is no one in my local area that I trust to work on it (other than simple stuff like brake pads). While it was under warranty the nearest dealer had a super cheap transport cost of $50 each way - but obviously nothing is "free" and their service wasn't exactly a great price, but more importantly I was disappointed by the service experience. Now that it's no longer in warranty my choice is to truck it to other dealers (which could be $1000-$1500 round trip) or drive it to a dealer or find an independent shop and pay transport or drive it there. These transport costs won't change our retirement - but depending on whether you have reliable service options nearby - be ready to put on the miles to drive it there or pay for transport (and then handle the stress of seeing you baby picked up by a truck - it can be nerve wracking).
Good luck
I just figure when you can pay cash and it doesn't hurt, then you must make enough to afford one. I much prefer to own rather than be owned.
2008 Gallardo Spyder Sold
2012 Gallardo Spyder
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February 21, 2015 by Brendan Patel
Here are five questions for UCLA Football during 2015 Spring Practice. Read More
February 16, 2015 by Tyler Brett
UCLA has seen some major shakeups on their defensive coaching staff this offseason which will impact their success in 2015. Read More
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Snoop Dogg actually wore a UCLA jersey during his son's decision on National Signing Day. Read More
Good thing Roquan Smith committed to UCLA because he couldn't even get Michigan's name right. Read More
There's a weird reason why five-star RB Soso Jamabo committed to the UCLA Bruins. Read More
February 4, 2015 by Connor Muldowney
Soso Jamabo, the nation's top RB, picks UCLA over Texas on Wednesday morning. Read More
January 3, 2015 by Brendan Patel
The Ucla Bruins beat the Kansas State Wildcats on Friday night, but proved that they still struggle to put four strong quarters of football together. Read More
January 2, 2015 by Michael Compton
QB Brett Hundley makes final game with the UCLA Bruins a memorable one. Read More
January 2, 2015 by Tim Letcher
Brett Hundley, quarterback for the UCLA Bruins, is headed to the NFL. And from his performance in his final game, he's got a long way to go before he can contribute at the next level. Read More
December 27, 2014 by Phillip Jacques
If the UCLA Bruins hope to win the Alamo Bowl, they need to ride the arm and legs of Brett Hundley. Read More
December 23, 2014 by Mark Boone
UCLA Bruins QB Brett Hundley's performance in the Alamo Bowl could silence his doubters for good or confirm that he's not ready for the NFL. Read More
December 18, 2014 by Jeff Hauser
The No. 11 Kansas State Wildcats and No. 14 UCLA Bruins have high-powered offenses to amaze in the 2015 Alamo Bowl. Here's a breakdown of five bold predictions for the game that you need to know. Read More
July 25, 2015 by Brendan Patel
Brett Hundley is no longer a Bruin, but UCLA football fans still have much to be excited for heading into the 2015 season. Read More
July 19, 2015 by Tyler Brett
With new defensive coordinator Tom Bradley in the mix, can UCLA finally break through and win a Pac-12 title? Read More
June 23, 2015 by Seth Lassen
After swinging a kettlebell at the coach, Diddy allegedly screamed that he was 'going to f**k him up.' Read More
June 22, 2015 by Seth Lassen
Diddy allegedly fought a coach who was yelling at his son during practice. Read More
May 18, 2015 by Brian Kalchik
A list of the top five UCLA Bruins football games in 2015. Read More
March 17, 2015 by Tyler Brett
UCLA is looking for a new quarterback in 2015. Why should veteran Jerry Neuheisel win the job? Read More


text:
Guide to the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of conditions from A to Z.
Coughing has a purpose. It's an important way to keep your throat and airway clear. Your vocal cords come together with force when you cough to propel foreign bodies or irritants away from the lungs. Sometimes a cough can become a chronic condition. Constant irritation and trauma to the voice box can cause a pattern of overreaction of the vocal folds and a more easily triggered cough response.
Chronic cough is usually defined as a cough that lasts for eight weeks or longer. When this occurs, it's important to evaluate and manage all the possible causes.
Chronic cough may be caused by any of the following:
Medication side effects
Lung issues such as asthma or COPD
Environmental allergies causing post-nasal drip
Gastroesophageal/Laryngopharyngeal Reflux
Swallowing problem
Evaluation for irritable larynx or chronic cough is a multidisciplinary task. Prior to evaluation for chronic cough, you may be asked to undergo evaluation by your primary care physician, a pulmonologist, an allergist, or a gastroenterologist to rule out cough related to the lungs, sinus or allergy issues, or reflux.
Treatment for chronic cough involves identifying the contributing factors and managing them with medication, lifestyle and behavioral changes. Your treatment team will discuss different treatments with you, including medicines that may suppress the trigger to cough. In addition, a speech language pathologist who has experience treating chronic cough will help you:
Identify and eliminate sources of chronic vocal cord irritation through vocal hygiene
Identify and control triggers for cough
Begin an exercise program to give you better control over breathing, voice, and coughing episodes
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text:
Roger McClanahan
Roger McClanahan, age 72, of Newport, passed away suddenly on Friday, July 19, 2013.
Roger was known and loved by all those who knew and loved him because he never met a stranger.
He was preceded in death by his loving wife of more than 30 years, Rhonda N. McClanahan; parents, Ira and Florence McClanahan; brothers, Gallie and Virgil McClanahan; and sister Ruth Church.
He is survived by his children, Roger (Lee) McClanahan, II, Becky Morgan and husband John, Tracy McClanahan Justus; sisters, Phyllis (Ed) Wampler and Juanita Rowe; brother, Herman (Sue) McClanahan; brothers-in-law, Jeff (Susan) Cooper, Tyrone (Karen) Cooper, Todd (Becky) Cooper; also other special family members Carolyn Snapp, Peachie Cody, Donnie (Betty) Williamson and Jack Williamson.
A celebration of life was Monday, July 22, 2013, at Wilsonville Baptist Church.
Family and friends may sign the guest register on line at: www.manesfuneralhome.com.
Manes Funeral Home in charge.


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The good news for Connecticut businesses is, the recession is easing. The bad news is, people who have stayed in their jobs throughout the bad economy due to economic fears of losing their incomes and not being able to support their families, and those that felt they were maltreated during the recession, are polishing up their resumes. Some experts believe that up to 80% of American workers are thinking about or are actually seeking new jobs. The negative impact to many companies may be considerable. From what we have seen in the past six months, employers have begun to implement programs to retain some of their most talented and key employees, including executives, managers, future leader and those who work on the front lines.
As turnover is rapidly increasing, many employers are preparing for additional employee turnover in the coming year. Once employers recognize that if key employee retention is a problem, even with an unemployment rate still hovering at 8%, the situation will intensify when more jobs become available in the marketplace as the economy continues to improve. Astute employers will implement those actions necessary to retain their key talent.
According to a survey completed OI Partners in Hartford:
Workers with the highest rates of turnover include operations and production workers, sales and marketing personnel, accounting and finance staff and information services.
Companies need to implement training programs, business coaching, enhanced benefits, financial incentives and well thought out succession plans, sooner rather than later to retain their top talent.
For those companies that will be filling vacated positions, it will be even more imperative that they hire "the right people for the right jobs" so that new employees' cultural fit and learning curves will be greatly enhanced.
Don't let your organization's workforce become your competitors' "catch of the day." Be prepared, don't let this inevitable scenario erode your bottom line.
We, as business coaches and mentors always need to remember that we often find ourselves having to be much more. It is too easy to forget, especially when implementing a proven methodology and/or process, that in order to be a great coach and mentor, we always need to make sure that the bi-product deliverales-CONFIDENCE-MOTIVATION-INSPIRARTION are always delivered...not just in every meeting, but in every minute of every meeting.
A client just sent me this casual email that served as an awesome reminder to me:
Subject: Thanks
"Just wanted to thank you again not only for lunch yesterday, but for all the help and support you have given me up to this point."
"While I am grateful for The Birch Group's help as a whole, and the institutional support they offer in support of you...the real value is in your company/individual expertise, passion and guidance."
"If you ever need a favor, professional or otherwise, please don't hesitate to ask."
"Now that I'm stabilized and nearly 'tooled and ready', I'm looking forward to working with you in a different capacity moving forward. Thanks again."
Strategic New Beacon Feb 2012 - Talent Optimization
Greetings Friends and Clients,
Welcome to the latest edition of our newsletter, The Strategic Beacon. We are excited about this month's informative edition, as it discusses U.S. Employment Projections and How to Create a Successful Multi-Generational Workforce, two very important topics in today's rapidly changing business climate. This edition also provides additional tips on creating a more effective and successful organization.
The past two months have been very busy for The Birch Group, particularly in regards to social media. Paul Mathews has spearheaded our efforts of making better use of social media and technology so that we can better reach and serve you, our clients and friends. A great amount of time was spent on our website which has been updated and revised significantly, and we are continually improving on and adding content. Our Blog postings have attracted many new visitors who find them pertinent and have contacted us for more information. We would hope that you will visit our website at www.thebirchgroup.com, peruse some of the new and improved tips/tools and provide feedback as to changes and enhancements, or maybe ideas as to things that might be able to assist everyone in this tumultuous business environment.
We would like to thank you for your continued support, business and friendship.
As always, your referrals are greatly appreciated.
University of Iowa study finds employee training might actually increase turnover---"Lack of advancement opportunities negates benefits of professional development programs."
Please follow the hyperlink to an article referring to a study from June 2011 at the University of Iowa. Just when you thought you heard everything… Although it is true that if an employee does not see any career advancement opportunities in the organization, and the market place for new employees changes dramatically from the buyer's market it is today, then employees will start picking their heads up and testing the marketplace. However in this marketplace, not many are looking to be the new person on the bottom rung in an organization.
When the economy shifts, any training, development and learning that employees received will be remembered and appreciated and should create new opportunities in the existing organization which ideally lines up with the newly acquired skills and better developed employees.
First of all, let us not forget that it was not employees who started the unbelievable lack of loyalty to their employers, it was the other was around. Call it right sizing, off-shoring, outsourcing, laying off…whatever you want. To me it is a lack of company loyalty and employees paying for bad business decisions made by employers. One of the fantastic changes that is coming out of this development, the genx ers and a lousy economy is that diversity, learning and development are really becoming important components of our compensations plans. This is fantastic.
To say that people would leave because they have no career opportunities is not a stretch at all, as a matter of fact, it is so obvious I am not sure why we call it a "finding in a study". Aren't the professional development programs designed to, among other things, provide new opportunities for growth within companies and organizations.
Furthermore, please let's not forget that I can find studies that I would actually call "studies" that prove GenY ers are more motivated by learning and professional development that from Salary. They still will need opportunity for growth of course. That takes care of itself. The motivated GenX ers, while they are seeking work and life balance, will develop and market their growing value propositions to the existing companies. Employees who did not grow and develop and take advantage of company offerings will lose opportunity and attrition out. Wallah-growth opportunities for fully developed genx ers who are familiar with and comfortable with their changing and growing value proposition. Who benefits? The company, the employees, the customers, the vendors and the shareholders. Who loses? The companies that do not pay for learning and development and the employees too lazy to take advantage of these offerings.
It has been proven that professional development costs usually return something like 500% ROI. I guess that is only if you do NOT work at University of Iowa.
© 2015 The Birch Group, LLC


text:
Tutorial Center
The Department of Biological Sciences established a tutorial center in 2000 after the completion of the Biological Sciences Building's comprehensive modernization, which provided both space for the center in Room BS 011 and networked computer equipment for student work stations. The center, which is located near the department's key teaching labs, is directed by a senior lecturer in the Department. The Director coordinates the peer tutors, who provide both walk-in and scheduled tutorial assistance for key courses in the biological sciences. For more information, contact Dr. Susan Gdovin.


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November 20, 2012
Cub Scouts and some family members from Ticonderoga Troup 72 had an outing to the nature trail at the Ticonderoga Elementary/Middle School recently. The scouts hiked the trail and learned about land stewardship, invasive species, woodland plants and animals, and other elements of the Adirondack ecosystem. The new interpretive signs provide information about what people see when they experience the trail.
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.


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Georgia's new school superintendent of the year, Dr. Michele Taylor, is described as a "practical dreamer" in the nomination submitted on her behalf. She dreams big dreams, then finds a practical way to make them happen, Calhoun City Schools board Chairwoman Amy Atkinson wrote in the application.
The judges evidently took Atkinson's evaluation and other endorsement letters from the Gordon County community to heart, because Taylor received the state's top honor a few days ago at the Georgia School Board Association's annual conference. She's now Georgia's representative for National School Superintendent of the Year, and finalists will be announced in January.


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A portal switch is provided that controls participation of merchants in on-line aggregators, such as portals, used for buying and selling goods and services. Merchants may enable or disable participation in an aggregator site by turning on or off software settings. When participation is enabled, the merchant's site makes its catalog entries and merchant profile available to the aggregator. By enabling or disabling the switch, the merchant actively expresses a willingness to participate in (or, conversely, a desire to be excluded from) the aggregator.
1. A computer-implemented method to permit a merchant to selectively participate in an aggregator, comprising:
(a) providing software recognized by the aggregator to the merchant;
(b) allowing the merchant, whose information has not been made available to the aggregator, to activate the software;
(c) activating the software by the merchant, said activating permitting participation in the aggregator by controlling a portal switch to permit users of the aggregator to connect to a merchant site to access merchant data including data available to the users only by accessing the merchant site from the aggregator through the portal switch;
(d) controlling the portal switch; and
(e) connecting to a merchant site.
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13. A portal switch, residing on a computer-readable medium, for selectively linking a computer associated with a merchant to an aggregator, the portal switch causing said computer to:
(a) enable the merchant to participate in said aggregator based on a setting of said portal switch selected by said merchant;
(b) exchange information between said computer and said aggregator based on the setting of said portal switch, wherein to participate in the aggregator, information regarding the merchant need not have been made available to the aggregator; and
(c) connect users of the aggregator to a merchant site to access merchant data through said portal switch, the portal switch enabling access to merchant data including data available to the users only through the portal switch.
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25. A portal switch, residing on a computer-readable medium, for selectively linking a computer associated with a merchant to an aggregator, the portal switch causing said computer to:
(a) enable the merchant to participate in said aggregator based on a setting of said portal switch selected by said merchant;
(b) exchange information between said computer and said aggregator based on the setting of said portal switch;
(c) enable the merchant to give permission to the aggregator to display data associated with the merchant to a user of the aggregator, wherein to participate in the aggregator, information regarding the merchant need not be made available to the aggregator; and
(d) connect users of the aggregator to a merchant site to access merchant data through said portal switch, the portal switch enabling access to merchant data including data available to the users only through the portal switch.
This application relates to the field of electronic commerce and more particularly to methods and systems which enable a merchant to control data provided to an online aggregator, such as a portal, for the purpose of selling goods and services.
Online shopping and online commerce is quickly becoming one of the top Internet activities. For example, a user can search on the Internet for a specific product and/or service and can receive a list of merchants who carry the item of interest or provide the respective service. For this purpose, the user typically uses a search engine, such as Yahoo™, or Excite™. Merchants may include individuals or organizations offering to buy, sell or exchange goods, services and information on the Internet.
With the proliferation of Web sites and Internet merchants, many of whom sell similar products, it has generally become increasingly difficult for a consumer to find a product or service. For this reason, aggregators, such as a portal or other entity aggregating product and server information, have been established as public or private providers of shopping services to consumers and organizations. Such aggregators typically have listings of goods and services, much like the yellow pages, which allow a consumer to comparison shop and find information about the goods and services at one location, such as a single Web site. These aggregators may use software, known as robots, to find and compare goods and services, and present the consumer, for example, with a best priced item.
Aggregators may focus on shopping information and activities that involve multiple merchants, such as consumer comparison shopping, virtual malls, and exchanges (e.g., classified advertising and formal requests for proposals). Aggregator sites may be open to the general public, or to membership sites serving a selected group of individuals and organizations.
Aggregators may utilize Web robots, software that enables a search through the Web's hypertext structure to retrieve documents on remote sites. Aggregators may help retrieve documents related to Web statistics (e.g., how many Web sites exist?), maintenance (e.g., are links oudated or "dead"?), updates of a database (Does my local copy of some software reflect changes made to some offsite, updated master software?), and search topics. An example of a search topic is the price of a certain commercial product. An aggregator may be used to determine the best price of a commercial product listed on the Internet, for example.
Individual merchants may contract with the aggregator to provide users with information about the merchant, to prominently advertise the merchant's products and services, and to also accept orders for the merchant's merchandise and arrange payment for orders received. A merchant having an Internet address may register with the provider of the search engine to have the merchant's universal resources locator (URL) prominently displayed in order to receive a large number of user visits, or "hits," to the merchant's Web site. The aggregator may also provide the merchants with a summary of on-line purchases and an audit trail. In order to be listed and conduct business with the aggregator, however, a merchant may have to enter into a longer-term contractual relationship with the aggregator and disclose confidential information, such as financial or business information, to the aggregator. The aggregator, on the other hand, without an agreement in place with the merchant may incur expenses with a) finding a merchant b) accessing the merchant's web site for appropriate data, c) determining how to interpret the available data and d) establishing that such data mining operations do not violate the copyright of the merchant. In addition, the aggregator may be limited to acquiring only that data which the merchant chooses to make publicly available. If the merchant is one with whom the aggregator would like to have an agreement, additional effort and time may be involved in signing a merchant up for service and manually or periodically updating the merchant's listing and uploading audit information to the merchant, such as the number of hits of the URL of the merchant.
It would therefore be desirable for an aggregator to have an automated means of acquiring a merchant, deciding whether or not to include a merchant in a service of the aggregator, and having permission to use the data of the merchant on the site of the aggregator in accordance with the specifications of the merchant, and what the aggregator has agreed.
To facilitate the use of aggregators, a portal switch may be introduced that allows a merchant of a commercial product, or service to have more control of the information made available to the aggregator.
More specifically, a computer-implemented method to permit a merchant to selectively participate in an aggregator is provided. The method includes providing software recognized by the aggregator to the merchant, and allowing the merchant, without having prior direct contact with the aggregator, to activate the software to permit participation in the aggregator.
The merchant may give permission to the aggregator to provide information associated with the merchant to a user of the aggregator. The method may further include allowing the aggregator to specify data transfer parameters to influence an exchange of information between a computer associated with the merchant and the aggregator. The method may further include providing the merchant with an encryption key to permit the aggregator to verify authenticity of said merchant. Allowing the merchant to activate the software may include allowing the merchant to set the portal switch to specify data transfer parameters, services and data that may be exchanged between the merchant and the aggregator. The merchant may be provided with an encryption key to permit the aggregator to verify authenticity of said merchant.
The step of allowing the merchant to set the portal switch to specify data transfer parameters, services and data may include allowing the merchant to set the portal switch to specify at least one of an upload option, a transfer format, a pricing option, a placement, a shopping option, a data distribution, and a data lifetime.
The transfer format may be at least one of a profile format, an ASCII text, an Excel™ spreadsheet, an interoperable catalogue format, a database exchange format, and an electronic data interchange. The upload option may include a transfer protocol for the data that may be exchanged by the merchant and the aggregator. The transfer protocol may be at least one of a hypertext transfer protocol, a file transfer protocol, an xmodem protocol, a standard query language, a simple mail transfer protocol, and an open database connectivity. The pricing option may allow the aggregator to display a price of goods or services of the merchant to a user of the aggregator. The data lifetime may specify a period of time during which data from the merchant may be displayed to a user of the aggregator. The placement may influence where data from the merchant may be displayed to a user of the aggregator.
Also presented below is a portal switch, residing on a computer-readable medium, for selectively linking a computer associated with a merchant to an aggregator. The portal switch may cause the computer to enable the merchant to participate in the aggregator based on a setting of the portal switch selected by the merchant, and exchange information between the computer and the aggregator based on the setting of the portal switch. To participate in the aggregator, no direct prior contact between the merchant and the aggregator may be necessary.
The portal switch may also include an encryption key to permit the aggregator to verify authenticity of the merchant. The aggregator may specify data transfer parameters to influence an exchange of information between the computer and the aggregator. An encryption key may be provided to permit the aggregator to verify authenticity of the merchant. The setting may specify data transfer parameters, services and data that may be exchanged between the computer and the aggregator. The data transfer parameters, services, and data may include an upload option, a transfer format, a pricing option, a placement, a shopping option, a data distribution, and a data lifetime. The transfer format may be at least one of a profile format, an ASCII text, an Excel™ spreadsheet, an interoperable catalogue format, a database exchange format, and an electronic data interchange.
The upload option may include a transfer protocol for the information exchanged between said computer and the aggregator. The transfer protocol may be at least one of a hypertext transfer protocol, a file transfer protocol, an xmodem protocol, a standard query language, a simple mail transfer protocol, and an open database connectivity. The pricing option may allow the aggregator to display a price of goods or services of the merchant to a user of the aggregator. The data lifetime may specify a period of time during which data from the merchant may be displayed to a user of the aggregator. The placement may influence where data from the computer associated with the merchant may be displayed to a user of the aggregator.
The portal switch may enable the merchant to give permission to the aggregator to display data associated with the merchant to a user of the aggregator. To participate in the aggregator, no direct prior contact between the merchant and the aggregator may be necessary.
The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention will be appreciated more fully from the following further description thereof, with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicate like elements; and wherein
Particular systems and methods will now be described wherein a merchant may enable (or disable) participation in an aggregator site by switching on or off as little as a single software setting, or switch. However, it will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the systems and methods described herein are suitable for other applications, including linking of Web sites with search engines, which previously required bilateral agreements between the merchant and the aggregator. Accordingly, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the systems and methods described herein are merely illustrative of the invention and not limiting in any way.
The content sources 450 may be listed by the aggregator 400. The merchant 380 and the aggregator 400 may have to negotiate to decide when, how often and in which manner to update the URL links and the contents of the respective sites. The merchant 380 may have no direct control over the type and prominence of the information content displayed to the user 200 by the aggregator 400. It may also happen that some data related to the goods and services of the merchant 380 are included in the aggregator's site without the merchant's explicit permission. These data may have been mined, for example, days, weeks, or months in the past using the Internet robots described above. Additionally, the aggregator 400, instead of storing these data, may retrieve information pertaining to the merchant 380 on demand in response to a user query, with or without the merchant's consent.
With reference now to
Users 20 may access merchant information via the aggregator 40, which allows a user 20 to search for a desired item. The users 20 may perform this search by either interrogating the aggregator catalog and data profile 44, which may contain a number of catalog and data profiles related to the merchants 38, or by searching directly the merchant databases 34, 35 of the servers 30, 31. Merchant databases 34, 35 may only be accessible to the user 20 via the aggregator 40 if the aggregator has entered into an arrangement with the merchant controlling the merchant B server 31, and if the aggregator 40 and merchant have established a portal-merchant link 33 through which data from the merchant B server 31 may be transmitted. For merchant servers 30, 31 and merchant databases 34, 35 accessed by the user 20, the aggregator 40 may maintain an aggregator log and database 46 containing auditing, server, and marketing information, such as the number of hits on a specific merchant Web site, and the time duration during which the Web site was viewed. To preserve confidentiality, this information may be combined so as to not reveal specific information about any one particular merchant.
Referring now to
The participants, i.e., the merchant 38 having a merchant B server and/or aggregator 40, in the operation of the portal switch may purchase the software for the portal switch 39 from an independent software vendor 60, from the aggregator 40 (in which case the software default settings may be preconfigured to the aggregator's default parameters for ease of use), or from a clearinghouse system (not shown). The clearinghouse system can be any system that actively searches, on the network 10 for example, for new portal switches, and stores information about them to better serve participating merchants and aggregators 40. The participants of the operation of the portal switch 39 may purchase information stored on an appropriate medium, such as a CD-ROM available off the shelf, or on the hard drive of a server from which the participants may download the information.
In one embodiment, the portal switch 39 may be supplied to the participating merchant having a merchant B server 31, by an independent software vendor 60. The independent software vendor 60 may also provide the software protocols of the portal switch 39 to the aggregator 40 through a prior agreement between the vendor 60 and aggregator 40. As discussed further below, the portal switch 39 may also include data tables with default values understood by the aggregator 40 for how and when catalog and profile information can be transferred. Participating merchants may change the default values of various individual settings to influence how their information is being, transferred, configured and displayed at the aggregator's site.
The portal switch 39 may be used with aggregators 40 that mine data over a time span, or with aggregators 40 that obtain information on demand in response to a query by a user 20. In either case, the portal switch 39 may control the flow of data accessible to a user 20 via the aggregator 40. For example, the portal switch 39 may dictate the type, frequency, and manner in which data is displayed to a user 20 who utilizes an aggregator 40 to obtain information about a particular product or service. The software controlling the portal switch 39 may reside in part or in whole at sites that include the merchant B database 35, the aggregator log and database 46, or both. Moreover, this software may run on a server operated by the aggregator 40, or on the merchant B server 31, or on both.
To be able to set options for the type, frequency, and presentation of the data supplied to the aggregator 40 by the merchant, the merchant may need to have access to a software key 62. This software key 62 allows the aggregator 40 to authenticate the merchant before engaging in any communication with the participating merchant. Conversely, the aggregator may have a key (not shown) which the merchant may use to authenticate the aggregator before engaging in communication. The merchant may choose and transmit the portal switch 39 settings by utilizing an Internet browser 61, as is detailed below.
Referring now to
As also indicated in
The transfer format may include ASCII text with comma-separated values, Excel™ spreadsheets, interoperable catalogue formats, database exchange formats, profile formats, and EDI (electronic data interchange). Transfer protocols may include hypertext transfer protocol (http), file transfer protocol (ftp), simple mail transfer protocol (smtp), open database connectivity (ODBC), standard query language (SQL) and responses, and various modem protocols, such as xmodem. Transfer control can either rest with the aggregator 40, wherein the aggregator 40 requests data from the merchant (pull), or with the merchant 38, wherein the merchant 38 voluntarily transfers data to the aggregator 40 (push). The transfer frequency may be selected so that data are transferred between the merchant 38 and the aggregator 40 on demand, at a defined time interval, or both.
The portal switch 39 may also perform format conversions, whereby the merchant's information can be displayed differently at the aggregator's site. For example, information about the merchant's goods and services may reside on the merchant B server 31 in the form of a spreadsheet, while the aggregator 40 displays the corresponding information as part of an aggregator's Web page. Other format conversion will be apparent to those skilled in the art.
The portal switch 39 may also enhance the security aspects of commercial transactions between the merchant 38 and the aggregator 40 by facilitating distribution of private/public keys for encrypting sensitive information, such as credit card numbers, and verifying the authenticity of a party. Most encrypted transactions use a combination of private keys, public keys, secret keys, hash functions, and digital certificates to achieve authentication (of sender and recipient), confidentiality, message integrity, and non-repudiation by either party. Each sender (the aggregator 40 or the merchant 38) and each recipient (the merchant 38 or the aggregator 40) has a private key, known only to him/her and a public key, which can be known by anyone. Each encryption/decryption process requires at least one public key and one private key, and both must be from the same party. In the present example, the merchant's public key/private key pair may be generated by or reside within the portal switch 39. The sender's and recipient's public keys may be validated (signed) by a certificate authority to produce a digital certificate. Encryption processes of this type are known in the art and enable, for example, the aggregator 40 to securely transmit confidential user information to the merchant and to verify the identity of the merchant.
As also seen in
Shown in
The software of the portal switch 39 may include an application, such as a Java application, that is distributed to the merchant. This application may be implemented as a Java applet in a web browser, interacting directly with an aggregator 40, or clearinghouse system that acts as a proxy. If a proxy is used, the Java application could run at the clearinghouse system on behalf of the merchant who may have an interface to the clearinghouse system. The information conveyed by the merchant 38 to the aggregator 40 could be stored (or a copy cached) at the clearinghouse system or aggregator 40. In such case, the merchant 38 may maintain a master copy of his application, preference, and keys locally. Normally, a Java application runs in an environment outside of a particular browser to allow it to interact with multiple web sites.
In systems where multiple merchants coexist, a central default location may contain files that can be used as templates to ease the merchant experiences. These templates may be copied to the merchant's home directory for customization. The participant identification may be partially filled out in such a system. The aggregator 40 and independent software vendor 60 may also maintain libraries of templates which may be accessed when appropriate.
Shown in
For rows such as 800, 801, 803, and 806, the merchant may type the relevant information in the provided fields. Where formatting of standard address portions (such as address, phone number, and e-mail in the contact row 804) may be required, the formats published in the P3P1.0 specification (Platform for Privacy Preferences) at http://www.w3.org/TR/P3P may be used. If Internet Explorer is used as a web form interface, automatic string completion may be used to facilitate data entry.
For access to the Dun & Bradstreet™ Web site, http://www.dnb.com, an agreement may be arranged to allow one-time access to a database. In one embodiment, any costs incurred as a result of arranging such an agreement may be paid by the independent software vendor 60 in an aggregate arrangement.
The participant, i.e., the merchant 38 and/or aggregator 40, may utilize an interface, such as one similar to the portal switch interface 79, to input the data represented in the access profiles table 820. The interface may provide listed options for the merchant 38 to choose, for example, to facilitate the merchant's task. In one embodiment, if the merchant 38 does not choose an option, some default options may be assumed.
Referring to
When a certificate is provided, the certificate may first be matched against information provided in the partner listname row 841. In one embodiment, when a certificate is provided, the certificate is first compared to the BLACKLIST and BLACKLISTEE data referred to in row 841, then against a partner table 840 explicitly containing the corresponding partner certificate. If no explicit match is found as a result of comparing these certificates, the certificate may be examined to see if it satisfies the conditions specified in the data corresponding to the certificate mask row 842 for each partner table provided, starting with BLACKLIST and BLACKLISTEE and so on through the partner tables ending with the DEFAULT partner table referred to in row 841. When the conditions for match are found, the certificate is assigned to that group. If not explicitly present, the certificate may be added to the implicit certificate list referred to in row 844 for the matching partner table.
Implicit certificates are a refinement so that a user can track who has actually been interacting with the site. BLACKLIST describes partners with which the participants do not wish to communicate. BLACKLISTEE describes partners that have blacklisted the participant, so that contact with those partners is not initiated by the BLACKLISTEE participant.
A similar set of lists may be provided by the independent software vendor 60 to define special purpose partner lists including clearinghouses, certificate authorities, and reflector sites, as well as lists advertising selected aggregators and merchants. Such preconfigured lists may help the participant to get started.
Some of the information provided by the participant for the participant identification and certificate options table, the access profiles table 820, and/or the partner table 840 may be information that the participant is willing to share with anyone, without the intervention of the portal switch 39. For example, if a web connected host sends a search string URL to the participant web site, addressing a search engine through Common Gateway Interface (CGI) or other active mechanism, the requestor receives back a page listing product information that matches that search string. The merchant may use tools known to one of ordinary skill in the art to translate portions of the merchant B database 35 into HyperText Markup Lanuage (HTML), which may then be accessed by other parties on port 80 with hypertext transfer protocol (http). In one embodiment, the storefront toolset provided with the Site Server Commerce Edition 3 product from Microsoft™ may be used.
The interpretation of the page listing may be performed with the help of the portal switch 39. The portal switch 39 may parse, and add supplemental information to the page listing information. For example, the portal switch 39 may add the availability and price of goods or services mentioned in the page listing. The format of the search string is specified in the query format referred to in row 825. An optional parse routine is listed in the parse format referred to in row 826, and the resulting data is described by the field data referred to in row 827. (The default field format may be as described above to provide a common language.)
After the portal switch software collects specifications of the participant's computer, the information may be verified with the interactive help of a reflector site. For each access profile, the portal switch software may ask that the reflector site send or receive a request and verify that the access path is available and correct.
In one embodiment, the application that is the portal switch 39 may have a unique port number associated with it. The aggregator 40 may invoke the portal switch 39 on the merchant B server 31, for example, by including the port number. For the portal switch access URL, the software may enter the portal switch operational process in a table such as the inet daemon's table and have calls to that TCP/IP or UCP port invoke the portal switch process. If the portal switch access URL is e-mail, then when mail is sent to that e-mail address, the portal switch 39 should be invoked to process it. In one embodiment, the participant is able to supply his own e-mail address and manually feed the portal switch e-mail message to the portal switch application.
When the portal switch access URL is declared, the initialization service may connect to that URL, and utilize a reflector to test whether a connection is present. A default reflector service may be maintained by the ISV or clearinghouse with known addresses.
Similarly, the independent software vendor 60 may have an arrangement with one or more certificate authorities (such as Verisign™) to manage certificates, or act as a certificate authority itself. A subscriber access code or "token" good for one use at such a certificate authority may be included in the package.
In one embodiment, the software may generate a public/private key pair, and create a self-signed X.509 certificate, using a package such as BSAFE produced by RSA™. This certificate is then registered with a certificate authority and the private key is secured with a password on a removable disk (or PC Card or SmartCard token) for the participant's protection (with a backup copy on a separate removable disk or token). In this manner, only the participant may have the original identity private key and the participant may be responsible for protecting it.
Referring now to
Another situation may arise where the portal switch 39 operates, but the merchant B server 31 is not turned on or connected to the network. The switch 39 will then request that information to be exchanged between the merchant and the aggregator 40 be queued, and wait to transmit the respective information until the merchant B server 31 is connected. For example, dial-up merchants may agree via the portal switch settings to perform or queue sales at the aggregator's site. However, the authoritative source for the merchant's catalogue and associated sales operations may remain at the merchant's site.
Referring now to
The merchant instals part or all of the portal switch 39 on his server 31, step 122, and may decide to activate the portal switch 39, step 124, to participate in an aggregator's Web site. It should be noted that the activation of the switch may be sufficient for the merchant's participation and that no prior arrangement, contractual or otherwise, may be required between merchant 38 and aggregator 40 to begin electronic commerce transactions. However, a contractual relationship between the merchant 38 and the aggregator 40 may, in addition, be implicit in the software license agreement between the merchant 38 and the independent software vendor 60.
By activating the switch in step 124, the merchant participates in the aggregator's Web site by, as discussed above with reference to
The merchant may deactivate the portal switch 39 at any time, thereby withdrawing from the aggregator's Web site/portal, step 118. From that time on, the aggregator 40 no longer has the permission of the merchant to collect or use data from the merchant's site, whether or not the aggregator is still able to collect and display data from the merchant's site. In addition, the aggregator 40 may still have access to any data stored on the aggregator catalog and data profile 44 and/or aggregator log and database 46 pertaining to the merchant 38. The merchant 38 may decide to reactivate the portal switch 39 at any time without prior negotiations with the aggregator 40, step 120, in which case the process returns to step 124. Otherwise, pending transactions, open invoices and the like may have to be handled manually or may have to wait until the next activation of the portal switch 39 by the merchant 38, step 130. Such details may be specified and incorporated as parameters in the switch settings (see FIGS. 5-8).
The software for the portal switch 39 may include a series of screens helping the merchant 38 and/or aggregator 40 to a) identify each other, and assert that identity publicly, either through self-assertion or with the digital signature of a certificate authority; b) identify the participant's (merchant and/or aggregator's) product or service data storage and retrieval system, its capabilities, access methods, and availability; c) create or verify descriptions of partners (merchants and/or aggregators) with whom one is willing to exchange information (as well as exclusion lists of unwanted partners); d) establish preferences and limits on data exchange with partners matching a particular description; e) and, optionally, register these preferences with a clearinghouse system.
When the initial parameters are set up, the software application for the portal switch 39 negotiates actual parameters between the participant and partners who meet the criteria set for data exchange and then enables or directs the data exchange process. In one embodiment of the invention, the "open" operation, the portal switch 39 may be used for the participant to tell other partners (other participants) how and when to access the participant's data and how to interpret the information received. The interfaces are freely available, with any access controls being applied by security mechanisms independent of the software of the portal switch 39. In "open" operation, partners access the portal switch 39 primarily for information about how to access data, but actually access the data through existing mechanisms. For easy access, the portal switch 39 may be available on a well-known TCP/IP or User Datagram Protocol (UDP) port registered with the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA). There may also be a default port associated with the portal switch 39 if none is explicitly supplied.
In a second embodiment of the invention, the "proxy" operation, software of the portal switch 39 may be used like the software of a proxy server, and to access data on behalf of the requesting participant. The proxy operation may allow finer-grained restrictions than the open operation. For example, the proxy operation may allow an external participant to access a database via Open DataBase Connectivity (ODBC), but limit the format of the SQL statements utilized by the external participant, or filter the information that is returned.
When invoked, the portal switch 39 may:
When the portal switch application is first loaded, data structures may be incomplete, or not yet initialized. To complete the data structures, the application may:
At each invocation, the user may want to change a table. Accordingly, the application may prompt the user to add, modify, or delete a table. Changes may be kept in temporary files and not moved to the permanent files until the participant key is present and the participant has confirmed the changes. When each file is moved, a digital Message Digest 5 (MD5) hash of the file may be made and digitally signed using RSA. The resulting signatures may be stored in a separate file, verify.dat. (These signatures may be used to verify that a given data file matches the configuration specified by the participant and has not been altered.)
In one embodiment, at the end of each configuration sequence, modified data in the access profile table 820 may be tested against the reflector site. This may be accomplished by replacing the partner list with the reflector site. (Optionally, a reflector or clearinghouse site might also check the matching parameters against a set of known sites to provide a return sample of what partners match the specifications.)
As another aid in testing, the participant may develop or modify an explicit set of partner tables 840 that describe partners that the participant may want a specific filter to include or exclude. The application may determine if the specified access profile is producing results that the participant finds satisfactory.
There are several methods by which a participating merchant 38 may contact an aggregator 40. The merchant 38 may determine which aggregator 40 may contact it through the profiling. To initiate contact, the portal switch application may send a copy of the preferences to a CLEARINGHOUSE. The CLEARINGHOUSE runs the templates against the certificates of known AGGREGATORS, and sends the merchant's certificate to those aggregators to inform them that the merchant is willing to exchange information with them. Alternatively, at the merchant's discretion, the merchant 38 may be notified of matching AGGREGATOR certificates. The clearinghouse may update these at a specified interval.
Another method by which a participating merchant 38 may contact an aggregator 40 is via a default port. A merchant 38 and aggregator 40 that use the default port can find each other by web-crawling, a technique which seeks out new sites and checks the default port to see if it is the contact method. In this method, one participant sends the other the originator's certificate via the default port.
Another method by which a participating merchant 38 may contact an aggregator 40 is through negotiation. Once one party, the initiator, has sent an introductory certificate to the other, negotiation may begin. The recipient first checks blacklists. If the initiator is on the recipients blacklist, the initiator's certificate is returned with a note that it should be added to the initiator's blacklistee list and that the initiator should cease soliciting the recipient. If the initiator is on the recipient's access profiles table 820 (or the DEFAULT access profile), then the recipient may return the recipient's certificate along with a copy of part or all of the access profile. The initiator site may select an access method from the list provided in the recipient's access profiles table 820. A modified access profile may be returned to the recipient indicating the method the initiator intends to use.
Access profiles may be negotiated with the help of an appropriate algorithm. To see if two parties are compatible, in an access pass, it may be confirmed that each party's certificate is explicitly listed in one of the partner profiles of the other party, or that it passes the access profile's filter criteria. The first matching profile may be used. If either party has blacklisted the other, the parties are not compatible. In a feature pass, a list of features, such as access method, and access format may be checked to see if the party's features are compatible. The highest item on the merchant's access profile that is also supported by the aggregator's profile may be chosen. If they are not compatible, another access profile may be checked, although the merchant 38 may be able to forbid this. If they are compatible, an access profile may be produced that agrees with both parties as an operational profile. The profile may be released to both parties as the agreed method of functioning. (If there are secondary agreements, they may be listed in the joint access profile as well.) The resulting access profile may be matched against known working (or non-functional) profiles. (These profiles may be generated by asking the merchant's portal switch to run them by a reflector switch, or manually maintained by the matching party.) Better matching algorithms may be used, or invented to make one clearinghouse better than another. Input to the matching algorithm are two lists of access profiles, one for the aggregator, and one for the merchant. (If the match takes place at one location or the other, the match may be between one access profile or access profile list submitted by the remote location and the local access profile list).
Data exchange between the merchant 38 and aggregator 40 may take place outside the portal switch 39, when for example, the data is publicly available. Participants or users that are informed through the portal switch 39 that their attentions are not desired may be asked to not perform data mining operations through a portal switch agreement. Data mining performed by these participants or users on public interfaces may amount to copyright infringement.
Data transfers may occur via pulling or pushing. The aggregator 40 may pull data from the merchant 38, either on a schedule or on demand. Pull actions may include queries against a structured database (e.g. ODBC), queries against a web search engine, and fetching a structured file (and parsing instructions or code). The merchant 38 may also periodically push data to the aggregator 40. Pushing actions may include the merchant transferring data to the aggregator 40 using email or ftp to transfer an Excel™ spreadsheet, or posting updates to a structured database on the aggregator 40. Although the same technologies may be used for push and pull, the distinction may refer to who initiates and controls the transfer of data.
Some interfaces may require better access control than the public interfaces provide. In such cases, the portal switch application may be extended to act as a proxy server, which may accept only connections approved by the portal switch 39. The portal switch 39 may determine who may access the proxy server. Additional proxy specific filters may be added to the appropriate access profiles table 820. For example, a database access proxy may limit access to the database, and specify the kinds of queries that may be made to that database. The database access proxy may also forbid access to specific tables, and control log ins to the database with a specific set of user privileges. This would allow ODBC to be used (a) without making a full web-accessible ODBC (the advantage being more security and reducing bugs), and (b) making a limited ODBC accessible through a firewall that is configured to forbid access to ODBC ports.
In one embodiment, Java may be used to write the software of the portal switch 39, since it may have desirable portability. Some or all of the portal switch 39 may be more easily written in "C" on an operating system platforms, such as Unix variants, to better influence the operating system's native networking code and interact with security software. The hardware and operating systems upon which the portal switch may run may include Sun™ workstations with Solaris™, Pentium™ PCs with Windows 95/98/2000™, Windows NT 4™, or Linux. On Solaris™, for example, the portal switch 39 may interact with security software such as tcp-wrapper, which controls access to specific ports by IP address, to open or close those ports to specified partners.
While the invention has been disclosed in connection with the preferred embodiments shown and described in detail, various modifications and improvements thereon will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the spirit and scope of the present invention is to be limited only by the following claims.
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Changing the world: DARPA's top inventions
- By David Cardinal on November 16, 2011 at 1:30 pm
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Virtual reality
The Aspen Movie Map was a groundbreaking virtual tour of the city of Aspen, Colorado. Developed by MIT in 1978 and 1979, funded by DARPA, it was a herculean effort to make what today would be a poor substitute for Google Maps and Street View. Made with an array of four gyroscopically-stabilized 16mm cameras mounted on a car, images were captured every 10 feet — as measured by a bicycle wheel trolled behind the car. The resulting images were painstakingly assembled into a navigable laserdisc, for viewing as an early prototype of virtual reality.
The project was funded for the purpose of building a tool to allow soldiers to quickly become familiar with new territory, as befitting DARPA's directive to only fund military-related efforts. One especially innovative feature of the resulting laserdisc was a full 3D map of the area generated using a "Quick and Dirty Animation System" (QDAS).


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Learn to manipulate emotion, mood, time of day, and location in a variety of shots, from interior spaces to outside landscapes, with color grading.
Color grading inspired by the color theory and techniques of the most famous artists in history.
"My biggest problem is figuring out what I want to watch next. Just when I think I'm all set, I find something ELSE that is fascinating." —John O.
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Luis Suarez is Sky Bet's 11/4 favourite for the Premier League Golden Boot after his hat-trick helped Liverpool to a 4-1 victory over West Brom on Saturday.
The Uruguayan took his tally for the season to six, two behind strike partner Daniel Sturridge after he too found the net in what was an impressive display from the Reds.
Suarez now heads the betting, despite 5/1 chance Robin van Persie scoring in Manchester United's come-from-behind 3-2 win against Stoke.
The 13/2 about Sturridge puts the Liverpool forward as Sky Bet's joint third favourite with Manchester City's Sergio Aguero - alongside Suarez on six goals.
Although the market centres around these four players, both Olivier Giroud and Romelu Lukaku continued their fine runs of form and can now be backed at 10/1 and 12/1 respectively.
There was little change to Sky Bet's title betting with Arsenal 9/2 and Liverpool still just in front of United, with the pair 7/1 and 9/1 respectively.
At the other end of the table, Cardiff are 9/4 for relegation after their 0-0 draw with 11/4 chances Norwich. That market continues to be headed by Crystal Palace at 1/12, with Sunderland the only other side trading at odds-on.
Fulham are 3/1 for the drop after they produced a lifeless display at Southampton, who ran out convincing 2-0 winners.
Saints are now just 18/1 for a top-four finish.
It was a result which piled further pressure on Martin Jol, who Sky Bet make 2/1 favourite to be the next Premier League manager out of a job.
There wasn't a winner in the £1million Soccer Saturday Super 6 game.
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It is always a challenging task for shelters to find a good home for their animals, but if they are under time pressure, the whole situation becomes a lot more difficult.
For 12 years the non-profit organization Kitty and Puppy Haven has helped 3000 puppies and kittens annually, particularly mistreated and traumatized ones. Unfortunately KPH lost the yearslong court case and now has to leave the residential area their shelter was located in due to pressure from neighbours and municipality. Relocating to new premises is the plan, but ideally all existing animals should find homes by 28th of February 2013, the due date for the closure set by the court.
Have a look at their gorgeous cats and dogs here and call the office on 011 440 24 04 for more info.


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The Big Sky International Comedy Competition is a 3 day event where select comedians from all over the U.S and Canada come to Billings, Montana. to perform for a cash prize and a chance to be seen in front of agents, managers, producers, club owners and casting directors.
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