Author: claimsbot

1. A computer storage medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors to perform acts comprising:
generating a first execution plan for a job that includes a plurality of tasks;
collecting statistics regarding operations performed in the plurality of tasks while the plurality of tasks are executed via parallel distributed execution;
generating a second execution plan for a recurring job, the second execution plan having at least one task in common with the first execution plan for the job; and
optimizing the second execution plan based at least on the statistics to produce an optimized execution plan, wherein the optimizing includes at least one of:
reducing a number of parallelisms for operations at a tail end of the job; or
replacing pair-wise joins of data with broadcast joins of data process by at least one of the operations.
2. The computer storage medium of claim 1, further comprising:
executing a plurality of further tasks specified in the optimized execution plan to generate execution results for the recurring job; and
outputting the execution results of the recurring job.
3. The computer storage medium of claim 2, further comprising:
collecting additional statistics regarding additional operations performed in the further tasks while the further tasks are executed via parallel distributed execution; and
optimizing the additional operations on-the-fly during the parallel distributed execution of the further tasks based at least on the additional statistics.
4. The computer storage medium of claim 1, wherein the generating the first execution plan includes translating a job script for the job into the first execution plan.
5. The computer storage medium of claim 1, wherein the collecting the statistics includes:
inserting collectors into a set of operations selected from the operations performed in the tasks;
receiving local statistical data from the collectors while the set of the operations are executed via parallel distributed execution; and
composing the local statistical data provided by the collectors into the statistics.
6. The computer storage medium of claim 5, further comprising selecting the set of operations from the operations performed in the task by ignoring at least one operation that produces a predictable result.
7. The computer storage medium of claim 5, wherein the optimizing includes matching the statistics captured by the collectors to expressions specified in the second execution plan based at least on hash values that represent locations of the collectors in a query graph of the first execution plan.
8. The computer storage medium of claim 1, wherein the statistics include a first number of distinctive values in a data table column and a second number of values that repeat over a predetermined fraction of rows in the data table column, and wherein the optimizing includes avoiding skewing in partitioning of operations in the recurring job based at least on the first number and the second number.
9. The computer storage medium of claim 8, further comprising:
estimating the first number via distributed hash sketching; and
estimating the second number by at least receiving frequency estimates obtained by each collector, totaling up the frequency estimates, and tallying up distinct values, wherein each frequency estimate is obtained by a corresponding collector through lossy counting of a subset of data observed by a task that is monitored by the corresponding collector.
10. The computer storage medium of claim 1, wherein the optimizing includes at least one of:
determining a sequence of operations based at least on operator selectivity and computation costs of the operations; or
determining a degree of parallelism for the operations, a number of partitions for the operations, or operations to fit into a particular task based at least on the computation costs of the operations and a size of data to be processed.
11. A computer-implemented method, comprising:
generating a first execution plan for a job that includes a plurality of tasks;
collecting statistics regarding operations performed in the plurality of tasks while the plurality of tasks are executed via parallel distributed execution;
optimizing a second execution plan for a recurring job based at least on the statistics to produce an optimized execution plan, the second execution plan having at least one task in common with the first execution plan, wherein the optimizing includes at least one of:
reducing a number of parallelisms for operations at a tail end of the job; or
replacing pair-wise joins of data with broadcast joins of data process by at least one of the operations;

executing a plurality of further tasks specified in the optimized execution plan to generate execution results for the recurring job; and
outputting the execution results of the recurring job.
12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, further comprising:
collecting additional statistics regarding additional operations performed in the further tasks while the further tasks are executed via parallel distributed execution; and
optimizing the additional operations on-the-fly during the parallel distributed execution of the further tasks based at least on the additional statistics.
13. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the collecting the statistics includes:
inserting collectors into a set of operations selected from the operations performed in the tasks;
receiving local statistical data from the collectors while the set of the operations are executed via parallel distributed execution; and
composing the local statistical data provided by the collectors into the statistics.
14. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the optimizing includes at least one of:
determining a sequence of operations based at least on operator selectivity and computation costs of the operations; or
determining a degree of parallelism for the operations, a number of partitions for the operations, or operations to fit into a particular task based at least on the computation costs of operations.
15. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the collecting the statistics includes:
selecting a set of operations from the operations performed in the tasks by ignoring at least one operation that produces a predictable result;
inserting collectors into the set of operations; and
receiving at least some of the statistics from the collectors.
16. A computing device, comprising:
one or more processors; and
a memory that includes a plurality of computer-executable components executed by the one or more processors, comprising:
a compiler that generates a first execution plan for a job that includes a plurality of tasks;
at least one job manager that collects statistics regarding operations performed in the plurality of tasks while the plurality of tasks are executed via parallel distributed execution; and
a compile-time optimizer that optimizes a second execution plan based at least on the statistics to produce an optimized execution plan, the second execution plan having at least one task in common with the first execution plan, wherein the compile-time optimizer is configured to perform at least one of:
reducing a number of parallelisms for operations at a tail end of the job; or
replacing pair-wise joins of data with broadcast joins of data process by at least one of the operations.
17. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the compiler generates the second execution plan for a recurring job that is similar to the job.
18. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the at least one job manager collects additional statistics regarding additional operations performed in further tasks of the second execution plan as the further tasks are executed via parallel distributed execution, and optimizes the additional operations on-the-fly during the parallel distributed execution of the further tasks based at least on the additional statistics.
19. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the at least one job manager collects the statistics by:
inserting collectors into a set of operations selected from the operations performed in the tasks;
receiving local statistical data from the collectors as the set of the operations are executed via parallel distributed execution; and
composing the local statistical data provided by the collectors into the statistics.
20. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the statistics include a first number of distinctive values in a data table column and a second number of values that repeat over a predetermined fraction of rows in the data table column, and wherein the compile-time optimizer is configured to:
avoid skewing in partitioning of operations in the recurring job based at least on the first number and the second number;
estimate the first number via distributed hash sketching; and
estimate the second number by at least receiving frequency estimates obtained by each collector, totaling up the frequency estimates, and tallying up distinct values, wherein each frequency estimate is obtained by a corresponding collector through lossy counting of a subset of data observed by a task that is monitored by the corresponding collector.

The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

1. A medication dispensing device, comprising:
a medication supply unit configured to supply solid medications in accordance with a prescription;
at least one storage unit configured to store and discharge the solid medications supplied by the medication supply unit in a predetermined amount for packaging;
a medication monitoring mount on which the solid medications are placed;
an imaging unit fixed above the medication monitoring mount and configured to capture a plurality of images of the solid medications, discharged in accordance with a dose based on the prescription, on the medication monitoring mount;
a counting unit configured to
count a quantity of the solid medications on the medication monitoring mount, by an image recognizing and processing means, based on each of the images captured by the imaging unit, and
compare the counted quantity of the solid medications with a quantity of solid medications corresponding to the dose based on the prescription.
2. The medication dispensing device of claim 1, further comprising a vibrating unit coupled to the medication monitoring mount and configured to vibrate the medication monitoring mount in a predetermined direction while the plurality of images is being captured.
3. The medication dispensing device of claim 2, wherein the vibrating unit is configured to vibrate the medication monitoring mount by reciprocating the medication monitoring mount in the predetermined direction.
4. The medication dispensing device of claim 2, wherein
the counting unit is configured to
set a largest quantity among the counted quantities as the quantity of the solid medications with regard to the dose based on the prescription.
5. The medication dispensing device of claim 2, wherein the medication monitoring mount includes a plurality of grooves extending along the predetermined direction.
6. The medication dispensing device of claim 1, comprising a plurality of the storage units, wherein
the storage units are aligned in a circular shape, constituting a partition-forming body,
the medication monitoring mount is positioned adjacent to an outer or inner periphery of the partition-forming body, and
the partition-forming body is configured to move each of the storage units to a position facing the medication monitoring mount, and
each of the storage units is configured to discharge the solid medications toward the medication monitoring mount when moved to the position facing the medication monitoring mount.
7. The medication dispensing device of claim 1, wherein the imaging unit is a single camera fixed above the medication monitoring mount.
8. A medication dispensing device, comprising:
a medication supply unit configured to supply medications in accordance with a prescription;
a storage unit configured to store and discharge the medications supplied by the medication supply unit in a predetermined amount for packaging;
a medication monitoring mount on which the medications are placed;
an imaging unit configured to capture a plurality of images of the medications on the medication monitoring mount; and
a counting unit configured to
count a quantity of the medications based on each of the images captured by the imaging unit, and
set a largest quantity among the counted quantities as the quantity of the medications with regard to the prescription.
9. A method of counting a quantity of medications, the method comprising:
discharging solid medications by a dose;
placing the discharged solid medications on a medication monitoring mount;
capturing a plurality of images of the solid medications on the medication monitoring mount;
counting a quantity of the solid medications on the medication monitoring mount based on each of the captured images to set a largest counted quantity among the counted quantities as the quantity of medications with regard to a prescription; and
comparing each of the counted quantities with a quantity of medications determined based on prescription data of the prescription.
10. A method of counting a quantity of medications, the method comprising:
discharging medications by a dose in accordance with a prescription;
placing the discharged medications on a medication monitoring mount;
capturing a plurality of images of the medications on the medication monitoring mount;
counting a quantity of the medications on the medication monitoring mount based on each of the captured images; and
setting a largest quantity among the counted quantities as the quantity of the medications with regard to the prescription.

What is claimed is:

1. A method for performing a transaction amongst a plurality of participants including a first participant and a second participant, wherein the first and second participants purchase products of a given type from a product supplier at first and second purchase prices, respectively, the first and second purchase prices being different from each other, the method comprising:
receiving a first transaction information from the first participant wishing to perform a transaction in connection with one or more products of the given type with another participant, the first transaction information including at least price information on the one or more products without providing information on the first purchase price associated with the first participant; and
receiving a second transaction information from the second participant agreeing to transact with the first participant based on the first transaction information, the second transaction information not providing information on the second purchase price associated with the second participant.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
displaying at least a portion of the first transaction information to the second participant, wherein the information displayed to the second participant provides a first transaction balance amount,
wherein the first transaction balance amount provides sufficient information to the second participant to determine a transaction price of the one or more products as realized by the second participant but insufficient for the second participant to determine the first purchase price associated with the first participant.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first transaction information is purchase information, the transaction price is a purchase price, and the first transaction balance amount is a wish-to-buy balance amount.
4. The method of claim 2, wherein the first transaction information is sales information, the transaction price is a sales price, and the first transaction balance amount is a wish-to-sell balance amount.
5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
storing the first transaction information in an information receiving unit that is accessible to the plurality of participants;
receiving a first information request from the second participant, the first request providing one or more search criteria; and
upon determining that the first transaction information satisfies the search criteria, providing at least a portion of the first transaction information to the second participant, wherein the information provided to the second participant is sufficient for the second participant to determine a transaction price of the one or more products as realized by the second participant but insufficient for the second participant to determine the first purchase price associated with the first participant.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein the information provided to the second participant includes a first transaction balance amount, wherein the second transaction information including an identifier specifying the first transaction information.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first transaction information is purchase information and the first transaction balance amount is a wish-to-buy balance amount.
8. The method of claim 6, wherein the first transaction information includes a wish-to-transact price, further comprising:
retrieving the first purchase price associated with the first participant; and
calculating the first transaction balance amount using the wish-to-transact price and the first purchase price.
9. The method of claim 6, further comprising:
receiving a consent to enter into a transaction agreement with the first participant from the second participant; and
deleting the first transaction information from the information receiving unit.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein a first agreement between the first participant and the product supplier and a second agreement between the second participant and the product supplier are formed in response to the receipt of the consent from the second participant.
11. The method of claim 9, wherein the one or more products have not yet been manufactured by a manufacturer.
12. A method for trading a transactional right for a product in a network environment having a plurality of participants and a product supplier, the method comprising:
receiving sales information from a first participant for a purchase right to a product of a given type being supplied by the supplier, the first participant having agreed to pay a first purchase price to the supplier for the one or more products in connection with the purchase right;
providing information on the sales information to a second participant, the information on the sales information being insufficient for the second participant to determine the first purchase price but sufficient to enable the second participant to determine a total purchase price for the product; and
receiving an acceptance of the purchase right from the second participant based on the information provided on the sales information to the second participant.
13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:
forming a purchase agreement between the second participant and the supplier based on the acceptance by the second participant.
14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:
receiving a request for sales information from the second participant, the request including one or more search criteria.
15. The method of claim 12, wherein the information provided on the sales information provides a wish-to-sale balance amount.
16. The method of claim 12, further comprising:
receiving purchase information from a third participant for a purchase right to a product of the given type being supplied by the supplier; and
providing information on the purchase information to a fourth participant who wishes to purchase a purchase right to a product of the given type, the information on the purchase information providing a wish-to-buy balance amount.
17. The method of claim 12, wherein the total purchase price is sum of purchase prices paid to the supplier and the first participant.
18. A system for trading a purchase right to a product of a given type, comprising:
a server system coupled to a plurality of clients via the network, the server system being associated with the product supplier and the clients being associated with product brokers, the server system including an information storage area including:
code for receiving sales information from a first client for a purchase right to a product of a given type being supplied by the supplier, wherein a first product broker associated with the first client has agreed to pay a first purchase price to the supplier for the one or more products in connection with the purchase right;
code for providing information on the sales information to a second client, the information on the sales information being insufficient for a second product broker of the second client to determine the first purchase price but sufficient to enable the second user to determine a total purchase price for the product; and
code for receiving an acceptance of the purchase right from the second product broker based on the information provided on the sales information.
19. A computer readable medium storing information relating to a method for performing a transaction amongst a plurality of participants including a first participant and a second participant, wherein the first and second participants purchase products of a given type from a product supplier at first and second purchase prices, respectively, the first and second prices being different from each other, the medium comprising:
code for receiving a first transaction information from the first participant wishing to perform a transaction in connection with one or more products of the given type with another participant, the first transaction information including at least price information on the one or more products without providing information on the first purchase price associated with the first participant; and
code for receiving a second transaction information from the second participant agreeing to transact with the first participant based on the first transaction information, the second transaction information not providing information on the second purchase price associated with the second participant.
20. The computer medium of claim 19, further comprising:
code for storing the first transaction information in an information receiving unit that is accessible to the plurality of participants;
code for receiving a first information request from the second participant, the first request providing one or more search criteria; and
code for, upon determining that the first transaction information satisfies the search criteria, providing at least a portion of the first transaction information to the second participant,
wherein the information provided to the second participant is sufficient for the second participant to determine a transaction price of the one or more products realized by the second participant but insufficient for the second participant to determine the first purchase price associated with the first participant.

The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

1. A vibrating element, comprising:
a vibrating body having frequency temperature dependency; and
a temperature characteristic correcting part provided on a surface of the vibrating body, the temperature characteristic correcting part having a temperature characteristic of at least one of a Young’s modulus and a thermal expansion coefficient and being expressed by a temperature characteristic curve, the temperature characteristic curve having at least one of an inflection point and an extremal value, wherein
a temperature of at least one of the inflection point and the extremal value is within an operating temperature range of the vibrating body, and
the vibrating body includes two kinds of the temperature characteristic correcting parts that have different temperatures of at least one of the inflection point and the extremal value from each other.
2. The vibrating element according to claim 1, wherein the temperature of at least one of the inflection point and the extremal value is a Neel temperature.
3. The vibrating element according to claim 1, wherein the temperature characteristic correcting part is made of one of Cr and a Cr alloy.
4. The vibrating element according to claim 1, wherein the temperature difference is generated by a difference of thickness of metal films constituting the temperature correcting parts.
5. The vibrating element according to claim 1, wherein the temperature characteristic correcting parts are made of one of an alloy and a metal mainly contained in the alloy, and
the temperature difference is generated by one of difference between a content rate of mainly-contained metal of the alloy and a content rate of other metal and difference between a thickness of the alloy and a thickness of the mainly contained metal of the alloy.
6. The vibrating element according to claim 1, wherein a main vibration of the vibrating body is a flexural vibration.
7. The vibrating element according to claim 1, wherein a main vibration of the vibrating body is a contour vibration.
8. The vibrating element according to claim 1, wherein an insulation film is interposed between the vibrating body and the temperature characteristic correcting part.
9. A vibrator, comprising: the vibrating element according to claim 1 and a package in which the vibrating element is mounted.
10. A vibrating element, comprising:
a vibrating body having frequency temperature dependency: and
a temperature characteristic correcting part provided on a surface of the vibrating body, the temperature characteristic correcting part having a temperature characteristic of at least one of a Young’s modulus and a thermal expansion coefficient and being expressed by a temperature characteristic curve, the temperature characteristic curve having at least one of an inflection point and an extremal value, wherein
a temperature of at least one of the inflection point and the extremal value is within an operating temperature range of the vibrating body, and
one vibrating body is bonded to an upper surface of the temperature characteristic correcting part formed on a surface of the other vibrating body so as to sandwich the temperature characteristic correcting part by two pieces of temperature characteristic correcting parts.