All The Claims

1. A computer accessible storage medium encoded with a plurality of instructions that, when executed:
calculate a first load of a first virtual machine on a first computer system, wherein the first load is calculated from one or more load factors associated with the first virtual machine, and wherein the first virtual machine is assigned to the first computer system for execution at the time the first load is calculated;
transmit the one or more load factors from the first computer system to a second computer system, wherein the second computer system is configured to calculate a second load of the first virtual machine on the second computer system from the one or more load factors, wherein the second load is an expected load of the first virtual machine on the second computer system if the first virtual machine is migrated to the second computer system; and
migrate the first virtual machine to the second computer system to be executed on the second computer system responsive to the first load exceeding the second load.
2. The computer accessible storage medium as recited in claim 1 wherein the instructions, when executed:
determine a first total load on the first computer system and a second total load on the second computer system; and
migrate one or more virtual machines from the first computer system to the second computer system responsive to the first total load exceeding the second total load.
3. The computer accessible storage medium as recited in claim 1 wherein the first virtual machine executes on the second computer system independent of the first computer system during use, even if the first virtual machine was initially launched on the first computer system.
4. The computer accessible storage medium as recited in claim 1 wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed, calculate the first load as a weighted combination of the load factors, and wherein the second load is calculated as a weighted combination of the load factors, wherein at least one of the weights differs between the first and second computer systems.
5. The computer accessible storage medium as recited in claim 1 wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed, select the second computer system to which the load factors are to be transmitted.
6. The computer accessible storage medium as recited in claim 5 wherein the selection is random.
7. A computer system comprising execution hardware configured to execute the plurality of instructions and the computer accessible medium as recited in claim 1 coupled to the execution hardware.
8. A cluster comprising a plurality of computer systems, wherein each of the plurality of computer systems is configured to execute one or more virtual machines, and wherein a first computer system of the plurality of computer systems is configured to:
calculate a first load of a first virtual machine on the first computer system, wherein the first load is calculated from one or more load factors associated with the first virtual machine, and wherein the first virtual machine is assigned to the first computer system for execution at the time the first load is calculated; and
transmit the one or more load factors from the first computer system to a second computer system of the plurality of computer systems;
and wherein the second computer system is configured to calculate a second load of the first virtual machine on the second computer system from the one or more load factors, wherein the second load is an expected load of the first virtual machine on the second computer system if the first virtual machine is migrated to the second computer system; and
wherein the first computer system is configured to migrate the first virtual machine to the second computer system to be executed on the second computer system responsive to the first load exceeding the second load.
9. The cluster as recited in claim 8 wherein the first computer system is configured to determine a first total load on the first computer system, and wherein the second computer system is configured to determine a second total load on the second computer system, and wherein the first computer system is configured to migrate one or more virtual machines from the first computer system to the second computer system responsive to the first total load exceeding the second total load.
10. The cluster as recited in claim 8 wherein the first virtual machine executes on the second computer system independent of the first computer system during use, even if the first virtual machine was initially launched on the first computer system.
11. The cluster as recited in claim 8 wherein first computer system is configured to calculate the first load as a weighted combination of the load factors, and wherein the second computer system is configured to calculate the second load as a weighted combination of the load factors, wherein at least one of the weights differs between the first and second computer systems.
12. The cluster as recited in claim 8 wherein the first computer system is configured to select the second computer system to which the load factors are to be transmitted.
13. The cluster as recited in claim 12 wherein the selection is random.
14. A method comprising:
calculating a first load of a first virtual machine on a first computer system, wherein the first load is calculated from one or more load factors associated with the first virtual machine, and wherein the first virtual machine is assigned to the first computer system for execution at the time the first load is calculated;
transmitting the one or more load factors from the first computer system to a second computer system;
calculating a second load of the first virtual machine on the second computer system from the one or more load factors, wherein the second load is an expected load of the first virtual machine on the second computer system if the first virtual machine is migrated to the second computer system; and
migrating the first virtual machine to the second computer system to be executed on the second computer system responsive to the first load exceeding the second load.
15. The method as recited in claim 14 further comprising:
determining a first total load on the first computer system and a second total load on the second computer system; and
migrating one or more virtual machines from the first computer system to the second computer system responsive to the first total load exceeding the second total load.
16. The method as recited in claim 14 wherein the first virtual machine executes on the second computer system independent of the first computer system during use, even if the first virtual machine was initially launched on the first computer system.
17. The method as recited in claim 14 wherein calculating the first load is performed as a weighted combination of the load factors, and wherein calculating the second load is performed as a weighted combination of the load factors, wherein at least one of the weights differs between the first and second computer systems.
18. The method as recited in claim 14 further comprising selecting the second computer system to which the load factors are to be transmitted.
19. The method as recited in claim 18 wherein the selecting is random.

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 device for controlled dispensing of product comprising:
(a) a front door;
(b) at least one display panel comprising a product receiving surface;
(c) at least one control arm having two ends, wherein a first end of the control arm is attached to the front door and wherein a second end of the control arm is attached to the display panel; and
(d) a spring urging the front door to a closed position;
wherein the control arm prevents movement of the display panel when the front door is opened, blocking access to additional product.
2. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is downwardly sloped so that gravity moves product toward the at least one display panel.
3. The device of claim 2, wherein the device further comprises a foot for elevating a rear portion of the device.
4. The device of claim 1, wherein the product receiving surface further comprises a concave surface.
5. The device of claim 1, further comprising a time delay mechanism, wherein a time delay is provided after a product is dispensed before the device will dispense a second product.
6. The device of claim 5, wherein the time delay mechanism comprises a second spring attached to the display panel.
7. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is configured to stack upon other devices.
8. The device of claim 1, wherein the device further comprises a locking mechanism that enables multiple devices to be secured together.
9. The device of claim 1, wherein the display panel pivots between a product receiving position and a product dispensing position, and wherein a product may be positioned on the product receiving surface when the display panel is in either position.

1. A method for characterizing specimen structure from diffusion anisotropy in magnetic resonance imaging without invoking the diffusion tensor formalism, comprising: collecting a plurality of high-angle resolution diffusion image data employing a diffusion-weighted stimulated echo spiral acquisition process; computing spherical diffusion variance in each voxel by a spherical harmonic transform of the diffusion data; identifying components in a plurality of compartments in the voxel, comprising at least three separate diffusion channels, wherein the diffusion channels are apportioned into direct sum subspaces representing isotropic, single fiber, and multiple fiber components, and wherein asymmetries produced by experimental artifacts fall into other undelineated channels impossible to reach by diffusion, thereby, providing direct means of noise reduction within said diffusion channels, and means for identifying artifactual effects; and determining magnitude and direction of diffusion by computing from the spherical harmonic transform magnitude and phase.
2. A method for characterizing multi-component magnetic resonance images of multidirectional crossed fibers in a specimen, comprising: obtaining a plurality of high angular diffusion-weighted image signals, each image obtained by applying a diffusion gradient pulse; employing a simple spherical harmonic transform algorithm to identify diffusion anisotropy based upon the variance of the estimated apparent diffusion coefficients as a function of measurement direction; and constructing computerized images of components within a voxel to determine magnitude and alignment of fibers.
3. A method as described in claim 2, wherein the diffusion gradient pulsing is in an icosahedron pattern.
4. A method as described in claim 4, wherein the icosahedron is obtained by a plurality of high angle tessellations upon a spherical representation of a specimen.
5. A method as described in claim 2, wherein the specimen is white matter in the mammalian body.
6. A method for analyzing diffusion data collected with magnetic resonance imaging of a specimen, comprising: applying a mathematical group theory to analyze spherical diffusion variance in diffusion-weighted image data collected, wherein said data are applied to a spherical harmonic transform; reducing data collected to a numerical algorithm, wherein the algorithm is easily implemented to characterize anisotropy in multifiber systems; identifying components in a voxel as isotropic, single fiber, or multiple fiber structures forming a plurality of at least three separate channels; and determining magnitude and direction of diffusion by computation from the transform magnitude and phase.
7. A spherical harmonic transform algorithm useful in characterizing diffusion anisotropy from signals collected by employing high-angle resolution magnetic resonance imaging, said transform derived from mathematical group theory based on symmetrical conformity.
8. A spherical harmonic transform algorithm as described in claim 7, wherein said algorithm is useful in the characterizing by determining the composition of a voxel in terms isotropic, single fiber, and multiple fiber channels.
9. A spherical harmonic transform algorithm as described in claim 8, wherein said algorithm is further useful in determining magnitude and orientation of a diffusion field.
10. A spherical harmonic transform algorithm as described in claim 8, wherein said algorithm is useful in determining the composition and orientation of fibers in white matter.
11. A computer program of a spherical harmonic transform algorithm useful in characterizing diffusion anisotropy from signals collected by employing high-angle resolution magnetic resonance imaging, said transform derived from mathematical group theory based on symmetrical conformity.
12. A method for analyzing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data, comprising:
representing MRI diffusion data of a body part as a summation of spherical harmonic functions; and
separating terms of the spherical harmonic functions to represent different diffusion effects including information on anisotropy in diffusion embedded in the MRI data while suppressing noise in extracted diffusion data contributed from non-diffusion effects.
13. The method as in claim 12, further comprising using coefficients of even-rank spherical harmonic functions to extract information on anisotropic diffusion effects within a voxel.
14. The method as in claim 13, wherein a single-fiber diffusion effect is described by
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15. The method as in claim 13, wherein a multiple-fiber diffusion effect is described by
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16. The method as in claim 13, wherein a sum of spherical harmonic functions of even orders
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17. The method as in claim 13, further comprising using coefficients of odd-rank spherical harmonic functions to extract information on MRI artifacts.
18. A method for analyzing magnetic resonance imaging (MU) data, comprising:
representing MRI data of a body part as a summation of spherical harmonic functions in three dimensions relative to unknown principal axes of diffusion in the body part; and
separating terms of the spherical harmonic functions to represent isotropic diffusion by a coefficient of a spherical harmonic function of a rank of zero and anisotropic diffusion effects by coefficients of even-rank spherical harmonic functions embedded in the MRI data.
19. The method as in claim 18, further comprising using coefficients of odd-rank spherical harmonic functions to extract information on MRI artifacts.
20. The method as in claim 18, further comprising using coefficients of even-rank spherical harmonic functions to compute a relative anisotropy index (RA) and a fractional anisotropy index (FA).
21. A method for processing MRI data, comprising:
constructing MRI images from high angular resolution diffusion data;
using gradient directions to determine measurement angles and spherical Voronoi areas in the MRI images;
computing spherical harmonic functions at specified gradient angles and integration measures from the spherical Voronoi areas;
computing a spherical harmonic transform for each voxel; and
using coefficients of the spherical harmonic transform to extract information on diffusion anisotropy.

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 method of performing a money transfer send transaction comprising:
receiving information at a staging terminal from a sender for a send transaction, including a proposed send amount;
responsive to the information from the sender received at the staging terminal, building a staging record for the send transaction, said staging record including compliance data responsive to the proposed send amount and to compliance rules;
receiving information from an agent provided by the sender to the agent, said information including a retrieval key to identify the staging record, a requested send amount and agent location information;
responsive to the requested send amount and the agent location information, identifying in the compliance rules at least one applicable compliance window;
testing the requested send transaction and compliance data in the staging record for consistency with the at least one applicable compliance window;
responsive to an affirmative test for consistency, prompting the agent to collect from the sender payment of the requested send amount and any transaction fee;
responsive to the agent’s confirmation of receipt of payment, preparing a send transaction record; and
providing to the agent a send transaction identifier for communication to the sender.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the compliance data is data that varies according to the amount of the send transaction and the compliance rules.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the compliance data is data elicited from the sender based on the proposed send amount.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the compliance data includes a compliance level code derived from data elicited from the sender based on the proposed send amount.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the compliance data includes a maximum send amount derived from data elicited from the sender based on the proposed send amount.
6. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing the agent instructions on identification procedures for the sender required by the compliance data, said identification procedures selected from those associated with two or more compliance windows based on the amount of the send transaction.
7. The method of claim 1 further comprising marking the send transaction record with a record retention indicator.
8. The method of claim 1 further comprising marking the staging record with an expiration date permitting its re-use until that date.
9. The method of claim 8 wherein the expiration date is empirically derived.
10. The method of claim 1 wherein the compliance data in the staging record and the compliance rules define a compliance level for at least one jurisdiction covering a range of send amounts.
11. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of testing the send amount for consistency is performed at a terminal of the agent, responsive to receipt at the terminal of a compliance window definition.
12. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of testing the send amount for consistency is performed in part at a terminal of the agent, responsive to an agent profile stored at the terminal.
13. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of testing the requested send amount for consistency is performed at a central computer to which the agent sends the requested send amount.
14. The method claim 1 wherein the compliance rules cover two or more jurisdictions and the compliance rules of each jurisdiction have two or more compliance windows for send transactions.
15. The method of claim 1, further comprising prompting the agent to examine sender credentials relative to the compliance data and to communicate the result of examining the sender credentials relative to the compliance data
16. A system for performing a money transfer send transaction comprising:
a processor configured to communicate with a staging terminal and at least one agent;
a program component for receiving information at the staging terminal from a sender for a send transaction, including a proposed send amount;
a program component responsive to the information from the sender received at the staging terminal, for building a staging record for the send transaction, said staging record including compliance data responsive to the proposed send amount and to compliance rules;
a program component for receiving information from an agent provided by the sender to the agent, said information including a retrieval key to identify a staging record, a requested send amount and agent location information;
a program component responsive to the requested send amount and the agent location information, for identifying in the compliance rules at least one applicable compliance window;
a program component for testing the requested send transaction for consistency with the at least one applicable compliance window;
a program component responsive to an affirmative test for consistency for prompting the agent to collect from the sender payment of the requested send amount and any transaction fee;
a program component responsive to the agent’s confirmation of receipt of payment for preparing a send transaction record; and
a program component for providing to the agent a send transaction identifier for communication to the sender.
17. The system of claim 16 wherein the compliance data is data that varies according to the amount of the send transaction and the compliance rules.
18. The system of claim 16 wherein the compliance data is data elicited from the sender based on the proposed send amount.
19. The system of claim 16 wherein the compliance data includes a compliance level code derived from data elicited from the sender based on the proposed send amount.
20. The system of claim 16 wherein the compliance data includes a maximum send amount derived from data elicited from the sender based on the proposed send amount.
21. The system of claim 16 further comprising providing the agent instructions on identification procedures for the sender required by the compliance data, said identification procedures selected from those associated with two or more compliance windows based on the amount of the send transaction.
22. The system of claim 16 further comprising marking the send transaction record with a record retention indicator.
23. The system of claim 16 further comprising marking the staging record with an expiration date permitting its re-use until that date.
24. The system of claim 23 wherein the expiration date is empirically derived.
25. The system of claim 16 wherein the compliance data in the staging record and the compliance rules define a compliance level for at least one jurisdiction covering a range of send amounts.
26. The system of claim 16 wherein the step of testing the send amount for consistency is performed at a terminal of the agent, responsive to receipt at the terminal of a compliance window definition.
27. The system of claim 16 wherein the step of testing the send amount for consistency is performed in part at a terminal of the agent, responsive to an agent profile stored at the terminal.
28. The system of claim 16 wherein the step of testing the requested send amount for consistency is performed at a central computer to which the agent sends the requested send amount.
29. The system claim 16 wherein the compliance rules cover two or more jurisdictions and the compliance rules of each jurisdiction have two or more compliance windows for send transactions.
30. The system of claim 16, further comprising prompting the agent to examine sender credentials relative to the compliance data and to communicate the result of examining the sender credentials relative to the compliance data.
31. A computer program stored in a machine readable medium for performing a money transfer send transaction comprising:
a program component for receiving information at a staging terminal from a sender for a send transaction, including a proposed send amount;
a program component responsive to the information from the sender received at the staging terminal, for building a staging record for the send transaction, said staging record including compliance data responsive to the proposed send amount and to compliance rules;
a program component for receiving information from an agent provided by the sender to the agent, said information including a retrieval key to identify a staging record, a requested send amount and agent location information;
a program component responsive to the requested send amount and the agent location information, for identifying in the compliance rules at least one applicable compliance window;
a program component for testing the requested send transaction for consistency with the at least one applicable compliance window;
a program component responsive to an affirmative test for consistency for prompting the agent to collect from the sender payment of the requested send amount and any transaction fee;
a program component responsive to the agent’s confirmation of receipt of payment for preparing a send transaction record; and
a program component for providing to the agent a send transaction identifier for communication to the sender.