bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Highly Efficient Tandem Affinity Purification of Trypanosome Protein Complexes Based on a Novel Epitope Combination
Authors: Schimanski Bernd , Nguyen Tu N. , Günzl Arthur
Published: November 2005

Tandem affinity purification (TAP) allows for rapid and efficient purification of epitope-tagged protein complexes from crude extracts under native conditions. The method was established in yeast and has been successfully applied to other organisms, including mammals and trypanosomes. However, we found that the original method, which is based on the TAP tag, consisting of a duplicate protein A epitope, a tobacco etch virus protease cleavage site, and the calmodulin-binding peptide (CBP), did not yield enough recovery of transcription factor SNAPc (for small nuclear RNA-activating protein complex) from crude trypanosome extracts for protein identification. Specifically, the calmodulin affinity chromatography step proved to be inefficient. To overcome this problem, we replaced CBP by the protein C epitope (ProtC) and termed this new epitope combination PTP tag. ProtC binds with high affinity to the monoclonal antibody HPC4, which has the unique property of requiring calcium for antigen recognition. Thus, analogous to the calcium-dependent CBP-calmodulin interaction, ProtC-tagged proteins can be released from immobilized HPC4 by a chelator of divalent cations. While this property was retained, epitope substitution improved purification in our experiments by eliminating the inefficiency of calmodulin affinity chromatography and by providing an alternative way of elution using the ProtC peptide in cases where EGTA inactivated protein function. Furthermore, HPC4 allowed highly sensitive and specific detection of ProtC-tagged proteins after protease cleavage. Thus far, we have successfully purified and characterized the U1 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein particle, the transcription factor complex TATA-binding protein related factor 4 (TRF4)/SNAPc/transcription factor IIA (TFIIA), and RNA polymerase I of
Trypanosoma brucei
.
55 YEARS OF THE SHELL MODEL: A CHALLENGE TO NUCLEAR MANY-BODY THEORY
Authors: TALMI IGAL
Published: November 2005

Shell model calculations of nuclear energies and wave functions of nucleons outside closed shells interacting by effective two-body forces yield good agreement with much experimental data. Many attempts have been made to calculate nuclear energies ab initio, by starting from some form of an interaction between free nucleons. Recent results of such calculations claim to obtain reasonable agreement with measured energies. These results, however, are obtained for wave functions which are very complicated. It is difficult to see how such wave functions are consistent with independent nucleon motion, the very essence of the shell model. In some of those calculations, 3-body interactions play a very important role. This is puzzling since nuclear energies are accurately obtained in shell model calculations by using only effective two-body interactions. In this paper, some examples of simple shell model calculations are reviewed. They exhibit good agreement with experiment and the apparent absence of the need for effective 3-body interactions.
A NOTE ON NON-COMMUTATIVITY AND MASS GENERATION
Authors: SIDHARTH B. G.
Published: November 2005

We argue that it is the effect of non-commutative geometry of spacetime that leads to the generation of mass, thus pleasingly complementing earlier results.
AN ULTRA HIGH ENERGY DIRAC EQUATION
Authors: SIDHARTH B. G.
Published: November 2005

Violations in Lorentz symmetry at very high energies are being discussed by Glashow, Coleman, the author and others. The motivation comes from certain observed events pertaining to ultra high energy cosmic rays, and also from theoretical quantum gravity studies, which require a discrete spacetime at the Planck scale. We examine the modification to the usual energy momentum relation, and in light of this, deduce a modified Dirac equation and examine some consequences.
STUDY OF ΛN FORCE RANGE FROM AN ANALYTICAL EXPRESSION FOR THE Λ-NUCLEUS FOLDED POTENTIAL
Authors: NEELOFER NASRA , RAHMAN KHAN M. Z. , SUHAIL M. A.
Published: November 2005

An analytical expression is obtained for the Λ-nucleus potential in the folding model for a finite range of the ΛN force. The effect of ΛN force range on the Λ-binding energy of medium and heavy nuclei is studied. However, more reliable information on ΛN force range may be obtained from the study of light hypernuclei.
NEAR-FIELD SCANNING OPTICAL MICROSCOPE WITH THE APPLICATION OF SURFACE PLASMA RESONANCE (SPR)
Authors: ZHANG TIANHAO , FANG ZHEYU , ZHENG JIANYA , GAO LIMO , YIN MEIRONG , WU XUE , JIA FENG
Published: November 2005

The NSOM based on surface plasma resonance (SPR) technique is established. A new Kretschmann type of SPR is designed. The plasma with a gradient of thickness is fabricated using prism covered by gold film. The curve of SPR depending on the angle of incident beam is measured. The image of gold film on plasma is obtained at the SPR situation using this NSOM based on SPR technique. The experimental result indicates that the signal intensity, S/N ratio, and the resolution for NSOM are greatly improved based on this type of technique.
MIGRATION ENTHALPY OF THERMAL VACANCIES BY POSITRON SPECTROSCOPY
Authors: BADAWI EMAD A.
Published: November 2005

The trapping of positrons at vacancy site in some materials provide a new and sensitive method for the equilibrium determination of point defect migration enthalpy. Data are presented for commercial Al–Mg alloys and fitted to a model allowing presentation in the form of Arrhenius plots, hence the migration enthalpy [Formula: see text] can be determined by positron annihilation lifetime technique (PALT). The results show that as the concentration of Mg increases the value of [Formula: see text] increases too.
DIAMOND DEPOSITION ON WC/Co ALLOY WITH A MOLYBDENUM INTERMEDIATE LAYER
Authors: LIU SHA , YU ZHI-MING , YI DAN-QING
Published: November 2005

It is known that in the condition of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) diamond process, molybdenum is capable of forming carbide known as the "glue" which promotes growth of the CVD diamond, and aids its adhesion by (partial) relief of stresses at the interface. Furthermore, the WC grains are reaction bonded to the Mo 2 C phase. Therefore, molybdenum is a good candidate material for the intermediate layer between WC–Co substrates and diamond coatings. A molybdenum intermediate layer of 1–3 μm thickness was magnetron sputter-deposited on WC/Co alloy prior to the deposition of diamond coatings. Diamond films were deposited by hot filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD). The chemical quality, morphology, and crystal structure of the molybdenum intermediate layer and the diamond coatings were characterized by means of SEM, EDX, XRD and Raman spectroscopy. It was found that the continuous Mo intermediate layer emerged in spherical shapes and had grain sizes of 0.5–1.5 μm after 30 min sputter deposition. The diamond grain growth rate was slightly slower as compared with that of uncoated Mo layer on the WC–Co substrate. The morphologies of the diamond films on the WC–Co substrate varied with the amount of Mo and Co on the substrate. The Mo intermediate layer was effective to act as a buffer layer for both Co diffusion and diamond growth.
FEASIBILITY OF Al/Al2O3 COMPOSITE PARTICLES PREPARED BY SEMI-SOLID MECHANICAL STIRRING METHOD
Authors: QIN X. H. , XIAO B. L. , DONG S. M. , JIANG D. L.
Published: November 2005

A discrete coating of aluminum particles on the surface of Al 2 O 3 particles was prepared by the semi-solid mechanical stirring method. Al 2 O 3 particles with an average diameter of 80 μm, preheated to about 300°C, were added to semi-solid pure aluminum to prepare a slurry by the mechanical stirring method. The volume fraction of Al 2 O 3 particles in the slurry was about 20%. As the ceramic particles were uniformly dispersed in the semi-solid aluminum, the temperature of the slurry decreased quickly, but the slurry continued to be stirred until all the slurry was converted into composite powder. The composite powder was then cooled down to room temperature in a steel block cooler in an argon atmosphere. The surface morphology and transverse sections of the composite powder were examined using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), electron probe X-ray microanalyser (EPMA), optical microscope and augur electron spectroscopy (AES). The results indicate that the composite powder was a mixture of Al/Al 2 O 3composite particles and pure aluminum powder in quasi-spherical shapes. A single layer of nano-, submicron- and micron-sized aluminum particles were coated on the surfaces of the Al 2 O 3 particles. The slurry could be converted into the composite powder resulting from faster solidification of liquid aluminum and mechanical stirring.
IN-SITU SYNTHETIC TiB2 PARTICULATE REINFORCED METAL MATRIX COMPOSITE COATING ON AA2024 ALUMINUM ALLOY BY LASER CLADDING TECHNOLOGY
Authors: XU JIANG , KAN YIDE , LIU WENJIN
Published: November 2005

In order to improve the wear resistance of aluminum alloy, in-situ synthesized TiB 2 and Ti 3 B 4 peritectic composite particulate reinforced metal matrix composite, formed on a 2024 aluminum alloy by laser cladding with a powder mixture of Fe -coated Boron, Ti and Al , was successfully achieved using 3-KW CW CO 2 laser. The chemical composition, microstructure and phase structure of the composite clad coating were analyzed by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), SEM, AFM and XRD. The typical microstructure of the composite coating is composed of TiB 2, Ti 3 B 4, Al 3 Ti , Al 3 Fe and α- Al . The surface hardness of cladding coating increases with the amount of added Fe -coated B and Ti powder which determines the amount of TiB 2 and Ti 3 B 4 peritectic composite particulate. The nanohardness and the elastic modulus at the interface of the TiB 2 and Ti 3 B 4 peritectic composite particulate/matrix were investigated using the nanoindentation technique. The results showed that the nanohardness and the reduced elastic modulus from the peritectic composite particulate to the matrix is a gradient distribution.
PREDICTION OF THE PROPERTY OF CORROSION RESISTANCE OF A SURFACE ALLOYED LAYER BY USING ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORKS
Authors: XU JIANG , LIU WENJIN , XU ZHONG
Published: November 2005

In this study, the potential of artificial neural network techniques to predict and analyze the properties of the corrosion resistance of a double glow alloyed layer is investigated. The input parameters of the neural network (NN) are: source voltage; workpiece voltage; working pressure; and the distance between source electrode and workpiece. These parameters have great effect on the properties of corrosion resistance of a double-glow alloyed layer. The output of the NN model are the corrosion results of a 200-hour immersion test in 20% H2SO4and 20% HCl solutions. The process parameter and corrosion results are then used as a training set for an artificial neural network (ANN). The model is based on a multiple-layer feed-forward neural network. The ANN model can predict the properties of the corrosion resistance of the alloyed layer regardless of whether the process parameter interacts or not. A very good performance of the neural network is achieved. The calculation results are in good agreement with the experimental results.
SEMICONDUCTING AMORPHOUS CAMPHORIC CARBON NITRIDE THIN FILMS
Authors: RUSOP M. , SOGA T. , JIMBO T. , UMENO M. , SHARON M.
Published: November 2005

Amorphous carbon nitride ( a-CN x) films have been deposited by pulsed laser deposition at 0.8 Torr nitrogen gas ambient with varying substrate temperature from 20 to 500°C. The effects of the substrate temperature and ambient nitrogen gas pressure on the surface morphology, composition, nitrogen content, structure, and electrical properties of the a-CN x thin films have been investigated. The deposited a-CN x films were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), UV-Visible transmittance, and four-probe resistance measurement. It is found that the amorphous structure of a-CN x films can be changed by the substrate temperature (ST) and the a-CN x films with high nitrogen content have relatively high electrical resistivity. Also, graphitization is found to cause the reduction of nitrogen content and changes in the bonding structure of nitrogen atoms in the films.
SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPE AND X-RAY DIFFRACTION STUDIES ON THE LATTICE CONSTANT OF SPIN-COATED Zn1-xMgxO THIN FILMS OF SOL-GEL METHOD
Authors: RUSOP M. , UMA K. , SOGA T. , JIMBO T.
Published: November 2005

ZnO and Zn 1-x Mg x O thin films were prepared on glass and silicon substrates by spin coating method using 2-methoxyethanol solution of zinc acetate dihydrate and magnesium acetate dihydrate stabilized by monoethanolamine. The effects of drying and annealing condition of structural and optical properties of the films were studied. It was found that the samples annealed at 650°C improves the crystallographic orientation of the ZnO films grown by the sol-gel process significantly. Two types of substrates were used to examine the substrate effects of the growth of Zn 1-x Mg x O thin films. In corning glass substrates, the lattice constant decreased by a little with increasing concentration of Mg , whereas in the case of silicon substrates, the lattice constant decreased rapidly with x when compared to the glass substrates. The optical band energy gaps of Zn 1-x Mg x O thin films were slightly increased with increasing concentration of Mg .
COMPARISON OF ISLAND FORMATION BETWEEN PULSED LASER DEPOSITION AND MOLECULAR BEAM EPITAXY: A KINETIC MONTE CARLO SIMULATION
Authors: TAN X. , ZHOU Y. C. , ZHENG X. J.
Published: November 2005

Based on a hexagonal lattice which includes deposition, dissociation, and diffusion, we performed a kinetic Monte Carlo model to explore thin film growth via pulsed laser deposition (PLD) and molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) within the submonolayer regime. First and second nearest-neighbor interactions calculated by the Morse potential are taken into account in this case. These simulations show that thin film deposition by PLD is markedly different from that by MBE. With PLD, as pulse duration decreases, the island density increases and the island size decreases. Similarly, at temperature T = 550 K , the scaling function for MBE is rather similar to that of the analytical prediction for a critical island size of i = 2, while the scaling function for PLD changes from an i = 1 behavior to an i = 0 behavior with the decrease in pulse duration.
HYPERBRANCHED ALIPHATIC POLYESTER GRAFTED SILICA NANOPARTICLES BY A FACILE ONE-POT METHOD
Authors: LIU PENG
Published: November 2005

Hyperbranched aliphatic polyester grafted silica nanoparticles (HAPE-SNs) have been prepared via the polycondensation of a AB2 monomer, 2, 2-bis(hydroxymethyl)propionic acid (bis-MPA) from the surface of the aminopropyl silica nanoparticles (APSNs) by a facile one-pot method catalyzed with p-toluenesulfonic acid (p-TSA). The product, HAPE-SN, is characterized by elemental analysis (EA), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy analysis and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) result shows that the HAPE-SNs have better dispersibility in organic solvent.
THE STABILITY OF SOLUTE CRYSTALLIZATION EQUILIBRIUM
Authors: ZHANG SHIMIN
Published: November 2005

Solute crystallization equilibrium contains a stable equilibrium and an unstable equilibrium. The system must get across an energy peak of unstable equilibrium first, and then get into an energy valley of stable equilibrium during the solute crystallization. When solution is diluted, the energy peak becomes high, and the energy valley becomes shallow, the solute crystallization becomes difficult and the dissolution of the crystallized product becomes easy; when solution is diluted to a certain extent, the energy peak and the energy valley combine into one, and crystallization of the solute becomes impossible.
THE EFFECT OF NITROGEN GAS FLOW RATE ON THE PROPERTIES OF TiN-COATED HIGH-SPEED STEEL (HSS) USING CATHODIC ARC EVAPORATION PHYSICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION (PVD) TECHNIQUE
Authors: MUBARAK ALI , HAMZAH ESAH BINTI , MOHD TOFF MOHD RADZI HJ. , HASHIM ABDUL HAKIM BIN
Published: November 2005

Cathodic arc evaporation (CAE) is a widely-used technique for generating highly ionized plasma from which hard and wear resistant physical vapor deposition (PVD) coatings can be deposited. A major drawback of this technique is the emission of micrometer-sized droplets of cathode material from the arc spot, which are commonly referred to as "macroparticles." In present study, titanium nitride ( TiN ) coatings on high-speed steel (HSS) coupons were produced with a cathodic arc evaporation technique. We studied and discussed the effect of various nitrogen gas flow rates on microstructural and mechanical properties of TiN -coated HSS coupons. The coating properties investigated in this work included the surface morphology, thickness of deposited coating, adhesion between the coating and substrate, coating composition, coating crystallography, hardness and surface characterization using a field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) with energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD) with glazing incidence angle (GIA) technique, scratch tester, hardness testing machine, surface roughness tester, and atomic force microscope (AFM). An increase in the nitrogen gas flow rate showed decrease in the formation of macro-droplets in CAE PVD technique. During XRD-GIA studies, it was observed that by increasing the nitrogen gas flow rate, the main peak [1,1,1] shifted toward the lower angular position. Surface roughness decreased with an increase in nitrogen gas flow rate but was higher than the uncoated polished sample. Microhardness of TiN -coated HSS coupons showed more than two times increase in hardness than the uncoated one. Scratch tester results showed good adhesion between the coating material and substrate. Considerable improvement in the properties of TiN -deposited thin films was achieved by the strict control of all operational steps.
Seeing the text
Authors: Bernhardt Stephen A.
Published: November 2005

The physical fact of the text, with its spatial appearance on the page, requires visual apprehension: a text can be seen, must be seen, in a process which is essentially different from the perception of speech. The written mode necessitates the arrangement of script or typeface, a process which gives visual cues to the verbal organization of the text. We might think of texts arranged along a continuum, from texts at one end which convey relatively little information visually, to texts at the opposite end which reveal substantial information through such visible cues as white space, illustrations, variation in typeface, and use of nonalphabetic symbols, such as numbers, asterisks, and punctuation. In terms of this continuum, an essay would fall well toward the nonvisually informative end. Certainly, paragraph indentation, margins, capitalization, and sentence punctuation provide some information to the reader, but such information is extremely limited, with most of the cues as to organization and logical relations buried within the text. At the other extreme of the continuum would be texts which display their structure, providing the reader/viewer with a schematic representation of the divisions and hierarchies which organize the text.
The principles of visual rhetoric and the rhetoric of visual principles
Authors: Girill T. R.
Published: November 2005

The basic insight of "Seeing the Text" is that as technical texts range through the continuum from the visually uninformative to those full of visible cues to their content, they change not just superficially but rather in linguistic and organizational ways that are very important rhetorically. Bernhardt advances this argument with a case study of a visually structured brochure, during which he appeals to four "laws of gestalt" to explain why the phrases, sentences, and subdivisions of the text have special "localized" features that improve their usefulness. Unfortunately, the graphics principles to which Bernhardt appeals are too vague (or sometimes insufficiently relevant) to do the explanatory job he assigns to them. A review of related work by Edward Tufte, Jill Larkin, and Herbert Simon, however, yields other principles of visual rhetoric (involving data-ink ratios and perceptual inferences) that are more relevant and specific, and that in fact entail just the localization features Bernhardt predicted. Thus, his claims about the pedagogic importance of appreciating visually informative text have been amply vindicated by parallel, independent studies on envisioning information effectively.
Storyboarding
Authors: Carney T. F.
Published: November 2005

Visually informative text is complex text. It involves complex typesetting in regard to typeface and font mixes, body-copy formatting, and page layout and grid design. It is much influenced by writing teams which are enabled by microcomputer technology. Its complex organization means moving from books produced by printers to books crafted by book designers. The advantage of visually informative text is that it results in complex documents, designed for reading by different kinds of readers. But such de-centred writing, when combined with complexity of format and subject matter, necessitates complex, multi-layered planning. The current advance organizers are inadequate for dealing with this level of complexity in the writing up process. What is needed is a more "advanced" advance organizer, one designed to assist writers who have to deal with writing assignments that are complex both because of their complicated construction and because of interactivity among their writers during their composition and development.
Embarking on trains of thought
Authors: Soderston Candace
Published: November 2005

Stephen A. Bernhardt's article "Seeing the Text" is timely and the principles he discusses for visual presentation apply as well to the newly-developing genre of electronic multimedia presentation. Localizing principles will be useful for chunking information for selective use by a variety of audiences for a variety of purposes. Intertextual cross-referencing and relationships are increasingly enabled in the new media but rhetorical principles for effective presentation of them are not fully developed. The attention of educators in communication skills must expand to the new media in order to develop principles for effective presentation.
Revisions
Authors: Bernhardt Stephen
Published: November 2005

It is a rare pleasure in academic publishing to have a piece noticed, discussed, and in this instance reprinted. Even rarer is to have a piece written for an academic audience gather attention from people in industry. So often, writing for academic journals is like shooting fireworks. If things go well, there is a brief flash, perhaps some oohs and ahs, and then darkness.
Comments on “The Role of Balloon Help” by David Farkas
Authors: Talburt John R.
Published: November 2005

My comments are aimed at two levels. The first is a direct response to Balloon Help as an online help facility, particularly from the standpoint of minimalism. The second is a more philosophical level relating to the changing face of computer documentation and the role of SIGDOC.
Psychology and information
Authors: Miller George A.
Published: November 2005

An aspect of the human use of information that has generally been overlooked in the automation of information services is the human tendency to locate information spatially. Computer-based systems do not necessarily assign any unique role to spatial tags, and so a feature of considerable importance for the organization of the user's memory seems to have been largely overlooked. The spatial dimension of human memory is discussed, and some suggestions are offered for exploiting it more effectively in the context of information retrieval services.
Working with the user in creating online information
Authors: Rubens Brenda Knowles
Published: November 2005

In his article, "Psychology and Information," George Miller makes a strong case for space as an organizing principle in any information system. While computer-based systems promise access to worlds of information, designers of these automated data bases must include users in the development process to create effective products that will provide familiar formats to users based on information models they understand.
Three implications of spatial access to online information
Authors: Girill T. R.
Published: November 2005

In his 1968 essay on "Psychology and Information," George Miller argues that online information-delivery systems can and should respond to the psychologically compelling desire of humans to locate information using spatial features and cues. This commentary draws on subsequent practice to critically examine three implications of Miller's claim---the payoff from virtual as well as real online spatial representation, the tough challenge of scaling up spatial schemes as information density rises, and the danger of using oversimplified assumptions about discourse structure to plan online spatial delivery tools.
A new reality of information organization and representation
Authors: Dehdashti Parto
Published: November 2005

George Miller's article allowed me to reflect on the progress of information organization and representation in this Information Age. Miller's vision of information seeking behavior and the spatial nature of memory in computer environments may have seemed unreachable 25 years ago, but today it is not a dream. Technological advances have brought about imaginative methods of access to information, raising a new question: Have we created new dilemmas about the organization of information and a new burden on our memory? The answer is manifold. I will attempt to briefly compare some recent developments with my bias about organization of information and locating information spatially. The examples provided refer to general computer use and searching library systems.
Object-oriented documentation
Authors: Sametinger Johannes
Published: November 2005

Object-oriented programming improves the reusability of software components. Extensive reuse of existing software enhances the importance of documentation. To increase productivity in documenting and to make the structure of documentation better suitable for object-oriented software systems, we suggest applying object-oriented technology to the documentation, too. This makes it possible to reuse documentation by extending and modifying it without making copies and without making any changes to the original documentation. Additionally, interests of various groups of readers (for example, reusers and maintenance staff) can be taken into account, and easy access to relevant information can be given.In this paper, we briefly describe a documentation scheme for object-oriented software systems. This scheme distinguishes among overview, external view, and internal view of both static and dynamic aspects of software components. Then we apply inheritance by simply reusing and extending existing documentation where appropriate, and enforce information hiding by providing an access control mechanism. This improves the reusability and accessibility of documentation. Additionally, we present an exemplary tool and relate our experience with object-oriented documentation.
The rhetoric of ethics compromised
Authors: Davis Michael
Published: November 2005

The title of Gregory Clark's article identifies it as a contribution to the field of technical communications ethics. Though I have written on business and professional ethics, including technical communications between engineers and managers, I know little about the ethics of technical communicators. My comments here are therefore necessarily those of an outsider, someone unaware of much that specialists in technical communications take for granted. I am bound to stumble. But perhaps I can also shed revealing light where I happen to fall. Because I believe criticism of Clark's article is likely to be more useful than praise, I shall keep the praise short (and leave it for last).
Professional ethics from an academic perspective
Authors: Clark Gregory
Published: November 2005

My work as a scholar and teacher during the seven years since I wrote "Ethics in Technical Communication: A Rhetorical Perspective" has been directed toward examining theories and histories of what I call the discourse of community. What I mean to describe by that term is the communication interaction people use to define and maintain the ground upon which they enact a variety of kinds of cooperation. Before I reflect on that essay in light of the four responses published here and what I have learned since I wrote it, I want to sketch the current state of my thinking about the discourse of community (see Clark 1994).
More comments about “object-oriented documentation”
Authors: Borland Russell
Published: November 2005

As mentioned in the last issue (Volume 18, Number 1, January 1994), we are publishing additional commentaries on a new article "Object-Oriented Documentation" by Johannes Sametinger, which appeared in that issue.
Comments on “object-oriented documentation” by Johannes Sametinger
Authors: Mehlenbacher Brad
Published: November 2005

It is no surprise that the forum for Johannes Sametinger's article is a journal published by the Association for Computing Machinery, an association committed to taking an integrated approach to the design of systems and of documentation. What better forum to explore the implications of an object-oriented approach for the design, management, and reuse of online documentation.
Isomorphism between OOP and documentation
Authors: Weiss Edmond H.
Published: November 2005

From the beginning, it was clear that computer programs would be easier to develop and maintain if they were divided into small, manageable chunks. Long listings of first and second generation programming languages were unreadable and impenetrable; limiting the size of the chunks (to, say, 50 statements) saves time and money.
The retreat from usability
Authors: Weiss Edmond H.
Published: November 2005

During the 1980s, developers and documentors collaborated on a joint mission: to make applications (and their manuals) as usable as possible: easy-to-learn, easy-to-operate, and therefore more useful. In recent years, however, developers have substantially retreated from this protective approach to users, placing a greater emphasis on flexibility, feature-richness, and customizability, none of which is consistent with the traditional, technical communicator's model of usability. New conceptions of software, and new expectations about users, may result in a "post-usability era," in which documentors will probably need to moderate their traditional rhetorical and pedagogical roles as protectors of users and advocates for the primacy of ease-of-use.
Response to “using contextual inquiry”
Authors: Kleimann Susan
Published: November 2005

Although supportive of the discussed methods, this response to "Using Contextual Inquiry to Learn About Your Audience" suggests that potential users of this method should consider the inherent limits on generalizability, an alternate method with many of the same strengths, and the challenges to validity that any workplace research encounters.
Using TEX for electronic publishing at I.P. Sharp Associates
Authors: Manson David
Published: November 2005

I.P. Sharp Associates has, for several years, been researching and developing systems for electronic publishing to meet needs internally as well as to provide the results to our customers, normally as part of a software system whose main function would be to do something other than text processing
per se.
We were seeking a system which had to:support a variety of input devices and output devices, from different vendors, and connected to different computers running under different operating systems, in different parts of the world---yet ensure that the output looked the same wherever it was produced. This is, incidentally, a non-trivial problem.
To see ourselves as others see us: evaluating software documentation
Authors: Lee Joan
Published: November 2005

Documentation is the window to a system. If it is clear, complete, correct and easy to use, it provides a good view of what is going on inside. In fact, the best documentation is a sliding glass door that gives not just a view, but easy access.
Using problem analysis to support decisions and planning in complex processes
Authors: Hallgren Chris
Published: November 2005

This paper presents theoretical and practical arguments for a new direction in task-based, computer documentation. It ar gues that common tasks that we document for users have grown in complexity to include many stages where decisions affect the outcome. The term "complex problem" is used to describe this scenario, in that users struggle to understand the obstacles to completion of a task, and the criteria for success at each stage.The design of information for "complex problems" is seen as needing to include Problem Analysis as a parallel activity to Task Analysis. This analysis can be used to highlight tasks for special attention in the information outline, when they are "seen" by the users as containing major challenges or problems. A definition of users in this context is also argued to confound the traditional view of audience analysis, in that so many different audiences use the same technology and encounter the same problems with many products. The biggest problem occurs when people learn to cope with particular technology in a superficial way, and then fail to transfer this knowledge to upgrades or new technology.The shift in documentation strategy recommended by this paper is summarized as adopting a "problem focus" by integrating the planning of tasks that involve complex problems in the stream of task steps. This involves the integration of the related tasks into the flow required for the whole solution. These arguments are developed in the Introduction and Background sections, and elements of the "problem-focused" style of information are demonstrated through examples from jobs I have had in areas that involve complex problems. Finally, the recommendations for this new approach are summarized in the Conclusion.
Complex problems
Authors: Elser Arthur G.
Published: November 2005

Technical communicators often document products that are used in complex technical and business domains. Traditional minimalist and task documentation works well for teaching the basic use of the tools, but at some point, many users need more information to help them make complex decisions about using the tool. We need to involve customers as partners on development teams to help design the product for ease of use and the documentation for ease of learning to use the tool for complex decision making. Researchers need to study how expert users integrate tools into their decision-making processes to provide the rationale and strategies for best documenting these complex uses of the tools.
What is text, really?
Authors: DeRose Steven J. , Durand David G. , Mylonas Elli , Renear Allen H.
Published: November 2005

THE WAY IN WHICH TEXT IS represented on a computer affects the kinds of uses to which it can be put by its creator and by subsequent users. The electronic document model currently in use is impoverished and restrictive. The authors argue that text is best represented as an ordered hierarchy of content object (OHCO), because that is what text really is. This model conforms with emerging standards such as SGML and contains within it advantages for the writer, publisher, and researcher. The authors then describe how the hierarchical model can allow future use and reuse of the document as a database, hypertext, or network.
Knowledge production from different worlds
Authors: Longo Bernadette
Published: November 2005

At the turn of the 20th century, technical writers in the United States were mostly engineers who both developed technology and wrote about it. During World War II, however, some engineers seeking to increase the efficiency of technology development separated their engineering from their communication tasks. This trend opened up a new occupation for non-engineering technical writers who communicated knowledge made by engineers. While this specialization may have allowed engineers to develop technology more efficiently, it also allowed non-scientists to give voice to scientific knowledge and by the 1970s created tensions between practitioners in scientific fields and liberal arts-trained technical writers. How could non-scientists give scientific knowledge its material form through communication? And did this arrangement between engineers and writers too often render engineers mute within their own professions? This paper traces a cultural history of technical writing practice in the United States and explores current trends in the academy which aim to prepare engineers more adequately for communicating about their work. Finally, this paper suggests that technical editors, as distinguished from traditional technical writers, can accommodate both an engineer's need to give voice to technology developments and a writer's contributions to shaping that voice into effective communication.
Bits, atoms, and the technical writer
Authors: Weiss Edmond H.
Published: November 2005

The STOP system required designers and writers to take responsibility for the actual, physical book to be received by the reader, rather than merely the "content" of the book. It was based on a rhetoric in which the creators of a book had to make it readable and accessible, to make the logical and physical book isomorphic. In modern parlance, STOP authors were responsible for
both
bits and atoms and would not think of them independently. In the 1990s, however, such notions are, apparently, incompatible with the conceptions of information architecture, in which "content" is conceived of as bits and authors cannot control the virtual messages extracted by their readers.
Assisting the “virtual” user
Authors: Ober John
Published: November 2005

The development of online assistance for remote users of computer-based systems depends upon the assumptions made about the barriers users face and about the available strategies for addressing them. Drawing from the domain of digital libraries and information discovery and retrieval, this commentary speculates about missed opportunities hidden by those assumptions. Critical questions about strategies to remove user barriers, to guide users past barriers, and to help educate users to anticipate and independently overcome barriers suggest transitions for online user assistance technologies that could take the form of "confusion recognizers," "assistance avatars," and "pedagogically aware" user interfaces.
Linda Flower and social cognition
Authors: Zimmerman Beverly B.
Published: November 2005

For three decades, Linda Flower has been one of the leading proponents of cognitive research in the area of writing. This paper reviews her contributions by first looking at her original cognitive process model and then by examining important aspects of her social cognitive theory of writing. Specifically the paper summarizes Flower's view of writing as an active constructive process, as a social and rhetorical act, as negotiated meaning, and as literate practice. Finally, the paper suggests theoretical implications and practical applications of Flower's work for documentation professionals.
Why icons cannot stand alone
Authors: Haramundanis Katherine
Published: November 2005

What is the point of this paper? That an icon is like a logogram, the type of object that was created at the start of the development of writing; therefore, when first seen, an icon cannot be expected to stand alone, without descriptive, supporting material supplied as written text.
Documentation for user-developed applications with high documentation requirements
Authors: Pierson J. K. , Forcht Karen A. , Moser Jorge
Published: November 2005

Nontraditional systems development by end users has become commonplace during the last decade. The roots of this phenomenon lie in the development of easy-to-use software tools, the widespread availability of computer power, and the increasing sophistication of computer users with primary job responsibilities outside the realm of software development.
Normalizing and optimising documentation
Authors: Tardy Jean E.
Published: November 2005

Applying the Data Base design principles of Normalization and Performance Optimisation to software documentation will yield a clear efficient and useful set of documents, listings and procedures. These "principles" of documentation, can be applied in a straightforward way to produce and manage software documentation; sometimes with revolutionary consequences.
Make room for ethnography in design!
Authors: Simonsen Jesper , Kensing Finn
Published: November 2005

Cultural analysis, especially in its ethnographic form/variant, has been applied for some years now within the Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW), the Human Computer Interaction (HCI), and the Participatory Design (PD) communities. These communities attract academics and practitioners who are concerned about the use-quality of computer based systems. Nevertheless, Bader and Nyce argue that cultural analysis "will probably not play a significant role in the development process at the least as it is presently defined." We argue that since the design and use of technology is socially constructed, cultural analysis will only play a role if its proponents strive to make room for it. The argument builds on our own experiences, being computer scientists who have integrated an ethnographic style of working with the design of computer based systems, and on the experiences of colleagues within the above mentioned communities. Some of us have gained our experience from projects in private and public organizations, and those of us also working in academia have included ethnographic techniques in our teaching. Such initiatives represent alternatives neglected by Bader and Nyce, whose assumptions seem to be that the role of cultural analysis is limited to assessments of a development process, to enlarging our understanding of the social nature of development and use, or to providing feedback to developers. We argue that ethnography can play a more proactive role within design. (Bader and Nyce use the terms 'cultural analysis' and 'ethnography'. In our argumentation we use only the term 'ethnography' with which we are most familiar.)
How do writers view usability information? A case study of a developing documentation writer
Authors: Sullivan Patricia A. , Porter James E.
Published: November 2005

As Dieli (1989) notes, writers sometimes have trouble focusing their concerns into questions that usability groups can test. As teachers of future documentation writers, we have observed that writers also have trouble turning the results of those usability tests into strategies for document revision. Our first investigation into these issues—see Sullivan & Porter (1990)—described a class of fifteen professional writing students employing usability information to write computer documentation. That study indicated that the writer's use of information is guided by that writer's rhetorical orientation, particularly his/her view of the audience/user. Though all the writers in the study conducted the same type of usability test (modeled after Atlas' “user edit”—see Atlas, 1981), they interpreted their test results in different ways.

This investigation continues the Sullivan & Porter (1990) study using a longitudinal case study of one professional writer, called “Max.” This follow-up study aims to probe how the writer's rhetorical orientation guides that writer's interpretation of usability test results.

We take a slightly uncommon view of usability. We have opted to focus on the writer's view of users' actions—both what is noticed and how it is interpreted. Typically, usability studies have examined the interaction between texts/systems and readers/users (see McDonald & Schvaneveldt, 1988; Ramey, 1988; Rubens & Rubens, 1988), subordinating the important variable of how the writer interprets and uses results. Although both Sullivan (March, 1985) and Schriver (1987) suggest that writers can be trained to successfully use user information in revising documents they do not author, usability studies still have not examined how writers view the findings from usability studies run
on their own work
.

Our study examines how, and to what degree, one writer's rhetorical orientation filters results from usability tests.

what is his rhetorical orientation?

what value does he place on, and how does he classify and apply, usability test information?
The role of indexing in technical communication
Authors: Northrop Mary Jane
Published: November 2005

The success of a technical document depends heavily on the index. The task of indexing a technical document often cannot begin until insufficient time remains to do a good job. However, for many users of the document, a good index is mandatory to its usability.

A good index is especially crucial for technical documents because readers tend to look up specific topics instead of reading the document from cover to cover. A poor index often frustrates readers and taints their view of the entire document.

To create a good index, you have to know what makes a good index, understand the indexing tools available, and follow the steps to producing a good index. Additionally, you must make many process decisions that affect the quality of the final index you produce. The skills and processes for creating a good index are similar to those required for most technical communication projects: methodical approach, knowledge of the users' needs, collaboration with colleagues, and testing.

This paper discusses how to create a good index and how to make decisions about using personal computer word-processing tools to create an index. It also discusses the feasibility of creating maintainable indexes using these tools.