bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Solid Oxide Fuel Cell System Development in VTT
Authors: Kiviaho Jari , Halinen Matias , Noponen Matti , Saarinen Jaakko , Simell Pekka , Rosenberg Rolf
Published: November 2007

The Finnish solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) project (FINSOFC) was initiated in 2002 as a five-year project. It forms the core of the publicly funded SOFC research in Finland. The purpose of the project is to support the industry in its development of SOFC systems and components and other possible SOFC-based business to be created in the future. The project is coordinated by the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland in cooperation with universities and industrial enterprises. The project is executed in close cooperation with several European partners both bilaterally and within Real-SOFC. The focus is to construct and run a natural gas-fueled 5kWe SOFC power plant demonstration connected to heat and electricity grids. The power plant demonstration contains a stack and all BOP components from fuel processing to power conditioning and grid connections. The aim is also to thoroughly understand the behavior of the system. The subprojects needed to do this are (i) fuel processing, (ii) testing of fuel cells and stacks, (iii) construction of a 5kWe power station demonstration, and (iv) system modeling.
Continous Operation of Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Regenerative Fuel Cell System for Energy Storage
Authors: Chang Bei-jiann , Garcia Christopher P. , Johnson Donald W. , Bents David J. , Scullin Vincent J. , Jakupca Ian J.
Published: November 2007

NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) has recently demonstrated a polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) based regenerative fuel cell system (RFCS) that operated for five contiguous back-to-back 24h charge/discharge cycles over a period of 120h. The system operated continuously at full rated power with no significant reactant loss, breakdowns, or degradations from June 26 through July 1, 2005. It demonstrated a closed-loop solar energy storage system over repeated day/night cycles that absorbed solar electrical power profiles of 0–15kWe and stored the energy as pressurized hydrogen and oxygen gas in charge mode, then delivered steady 4.5–5kWe electrical power with product water during discharge mode. Fuel cell efficiency, electrolyzer efficiency, as well as system round-trip efficiency were determined. Individual cell performance and the spread of cell voltages within the electrochemical stacks were documented. The amount of waste heat dissipated from the RFCS was also reported. The RFCS demonstrated fully closed-cycle operation without venting or purging, thereby conserving reactant masses involved in the electrochemical processes. Smooth transitions between the fuel cell mode and electrolyzer mode were repeatedly accomplished. The RFCS is applicable to NASA’s lunar and planetary surface solar power needs, providing lightweight energy storage for any multikilowatt-electrical application, where an environmentally sealed system is required.
Systematic Experimental Analysis of a Direct Methanol Fuel Cell
Authors: Casalegno A. , Marchesi R. , Rinaldi F.
Published: November 2007

Different studies are carried out to compare the performances of different fuel cell constructive materials and operating conditions. In this work, a methodology for the characterization of DMFC experimental results in term of uncertainty and repeatability and for a systematic analysis of operating condition influence on performance is presented. The measurement system (composed of calibrated instruments) and experimental and data elaboration procedures are described. Experimental results, characterized by uncertainty and repeatability, are discussed for different operating conditions: fuel cell temperature, anode flow rate, and methanol concentration. The influence of operating condition history on performance is observed. It arises also from accumulation, both of methanol and carbon dioxide at the anode side; consequently, the operating condition history has to be considered in evaluating direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) performances and repeatability of measurements. This work confirms that to compare experimental performances of fuel cells, the measurements shall be characterized by traceability, repeatability, reproducibility, and uncertainty.
Rise and Fall of Species Occupancy in Cenozoic Fossil Mollusks
Authors: Foote Michael , Crampton James S. , Beu Alan G. , Marshall Bruce A. , Cooper Roger A. , Maxwell Phillip A. , Matcham Iain
Published: November 2007

In the time between speciation and extinction, a species' ecological and biogeographic footprint—its occupancy—will vary in response to macroecological drivers and historical contingencies. Despite their importance for understanding macroecological processes, general patterns of long-term species occupancy remain largely unknown. We documented the occupancy histories of Cenozoic marine mollusks from New Zealand. For both genera and species, these show a distinct pattern of increase to relatively short-lived peak occupancy at mid-duration, followed by a decline toward extinction. Thus, species at greatest risk for extinction are those that have already been in decline for a substantial period of time. This pattern of protracted rise and fall stands in contrast to that of incumbency, insofar as species show no general tendency to stay near maximal occupancy once established.
Three-Dimensional Splay Fault Geometry and Implications for Tsunami Generation
Authors: Moore G. F. , Bangs N. L. , Taira A. , Kuramoto S. , Pangborn E. , Tobin H. J.
Published: November 2007

Megasplay faults, very long thrust faults that rise from the subduction plate boundary megathrust and intersect the sea floor at the landward edge of the accretionary prism, are thought to play a role in tsunami genesis. We imaged a megasplay thrust system along the Nankai Trough in three dimensions, which allowed us to map the splay fault geometry and its lateral continuity. The megasplay is continuous from the main plate interface fault upwards to the sea floor, where it cuts older thrust slices of the frontal accretionary prism. The thrust geometry and evidence of large-scale slumping of surficial sediments show that the fault is active and that the activity has evolved toward the landward direction with time, contrary to the usual seaward progression of accretionary thrusts. The megasplay fault has progressively steepened, substantially increasing the potential for vertical uplift of the sea floor with slip. We conclude that slip on the megasplay fault most likely contributed to generating devastating historic tsunamis, such as the 1944 moment magnitude 8.1 Tonankai event, and it is this geometry that makes this margin and others like it particularly prone to tsunami genesis.
High-Performance Carbon Nanotube Fiber
Authors: Koziol Krzysztof , Vilatela Juan , Moisala Anna , Motta Marcelo , Cunniff Philip , Sennett Michael , Windle Alan
Published: November 2007

With their impressive individual properties, carbon nanotubes should form high-performance fibers. We explored the roles of nanotube length and structure, fiber density, and nanotube orientation in achieving optimum mechanical properties. We found that carbon nanotube fiber, spun directly and continuously from gas phase as an aerogel, combines high strength and high stiffness (axial elastic modulus), with an energy to breakage (toughness) considerably greater than that of any commercial high-strength fiber. Different levels of carbon nanotube orientation, fiber density, and mechanical properties can be achieved by drawing the aerogel at various winding rates. The mechanical data obtained demonstrate the considerable potential of carbon nanotube assemblies in the quest for maximal mechanical performance. The statistical aspects of the mechanical data reveal the deleterious effect of defects and indicate strategies for future work.
A Company with Great Impact
Authors: Simmons Anna E.
Published: November 2007

Burroughs Wellcome & Co.
. Knowledge, Trust, Profit and the Transformation of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, 1880-1940.
By Roy Church and E. M. Tansey
. Crucible Books, Lancaster, UK, 2007. 592 pp. Paper, $39.99, £19.99. ISBN 9781905472079.

The authors describe the history of the British pharmaceutical firm from its 1880 origin through the establishment of the Wellcome Trust.
Engineering Entropy-Driven Reactions and Networks Catalyzed by DNA
Authors: Zhang David Yu , Turberfield Andrew J. , Yurke Bernard , Winfree Erik
Published: November 2007

Artificial biochemical circuits are likely to play as large a role in biological engineering as electrical circuits have played in the engineering of electromechanical devices. Toward that end, nucleic acids provide a designable substrate for the regulation of biochemical reactions. However, it has been difficult to incorporate signal amplification components. We introduce a design strategy that allows a specified input oligonucleotide to catalyze the release of a specified output oligonucleotide, which in turn can serve as a catalyst for other reactions. This reaction, which is driven forward by the configurational entropy of the released molecule, provides an amplifying circuit element that is simple, fast, modular, composable, and robust. We have constructed and characterized several circuits that amplify nucleic acid signals, including a feedforward cascade with quadratic kinetics and a positive feedback circuit with exponential growth kinetics.
Melatonin Suppresses Nighttime Memory Formation in Zebrafish
Authors: Rawashdeh Oliver , de Borsetti Nancy Hernandez , Roman Gregg , Cahill Gregory M.
Published: November 2007

Memory processes are modulated by the biological clock, although the mechanisms are unknown. Here, we report that in the diurnal zebrafish both learning and memory formation of an operant conditioning paradigm occur better during the day than during the night. Melatonin treatment during the day mimics the nighttime suppression of memory formation. Training in constant light improves nighttime memory formation while reducing endogenous melatonin concentrations. Treatment with melatonin receptor antagonists at night dramatically improves memory. Pinealectomy also significantly improves nighttime memory formation. We adduce that melatonin is both sufficient and necessary for poor memory formation during the night.
Transgenerational Plasticity Is Adaptive in the Wild
Authors: Galloway Laura F. , Etterson Julie R.
Published: November 2007

Plants exhibit adaptive responses to light, but it is not known whether parental plants transmit environmental cues that elicit adaptive responses in offspring. We show that offspring life history (annual versus biennial) is influenced by the maternal light environment (understory versus light gap). This transgenerational plasticity is adaptive when offspring are grown in their maternal light environment, where seeds typically disperse. Projections of population growth show that plants that are appropriately cued for their light environment through maternal effects have 3.4 times greater fitness than otherwise. Transgenerational plasticity has evolved in response to natural variation in light and provides a flexible mechanism by which sedentary organisms cope with heterogeneous environments.
Hurricane Katrina's Carbon Footprint on U.S. Gulf Coast Forests
Authors: Chambers Jeffrey Q. , Fisher Jeremy I. , Zeng Hongcheng , Chapman Elise L. , Baker David B. , Hurtt George C.
Published: November 2007

Hurricane Katrina's impact on U.S. Gulf Coast forests was quantified by linking ecological field studies, Landsat and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image analyses, and empirically based models. Within areas affected by relatively constant wind speed, tree mortality and damage exhibited strong species-controlled gradients. Spatially explicit forest disturbance maps coupled with extrapolation models predicted mortality and severe structural damage to ~320 million large trees totaling 105 teragrams of carbon, representing 50 to 140% of the net annual U.S. forest tree carbon sink. Changes in disturbance regimes from increased storm activity expected under a warming climate will reduce forest biomass stocks, increase ecosystem respiration, and may represent an important positive feedback mechanism to elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide.
The Universal Darwinism of Disease
Authors: Krakauer David C.
Published: November 2007

Dynamics of Cancer
. Incidence, Inheritance, and Evolution.
By Steven A. Frank
. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, 2007. 392 pp. $99.50, £59.95. ISBN 9780691133652. Paper, $39.50, £23.95. ISBN 9780691133669. Princeton Series in Evolutionary Biology.

The author combines molecular, demographic, and evolutionary analyses to examine genetic and environmental influences on the age of onset.
Rev-erbα, a Heme Sensor That Coordinates Metabolic and Circadian Pathways
Authors: Yin Lei , Wu Nan , Curtin Joshua C. , Qatanani Mohammed , Szwergold Nava R. , Reid Robert A. , Waitt Gregory M. , Parks Derek J. , Pearce Kenneth H. , Wisely G. Bruce , Lazar Mitchell A.
Published: November 2007

The circadian clock temporally coordinates metabolic homeostasis in mammals. Central to this is heme, an iron-containing porphyrin that serves as prosthetic group for enzymes involved in oxidative metabolism as well as transcription factors that regulate circadian rhythmicity. The circadian factor that integrates this dual function of heme is not known. We show that heme binds reversibly to the orphan nuclear receptor Rev-erbα, a critical negative component of the circadian core clock, and regulates its interaction with a nuclear receptor corepressor complex. Furthermore, heme suppresses hepatic gluconeogenic gene expression and glucose output through Rev-erbα–mediated gene repression. Thus, Rev-erbα serves as a heme sensor that coordinates the cellular clock, glucose homeostasis, and energy metabolism.
Evidence of HPV16 integration in low- and high-grade cervical lesions that regress demonstrated by multiple displacement amplification and Southern blot hybridisation
Authors: Evans M F , Adamson C Stewart-Crawford , Cooper K
Published: November 2007

The prevalence and significance of human papillomavirus (HPV) integration among different grades of cervical lesions is uncertain. In this study, HPV physical status was examined by the combination of multiple displacement amplification (MDA) with Southern blot hybridisation (SBH). DNA extracts from 95 cervical cytology samples (NILM, ASC-US, LSIL, ASC-H, HSIL) were subject to whole genome amplification by MDA followed by SBH with [α-32P]-labelled HPV probes. Mixed HPV16 episomal/integrant sequences were detected in three ASC-US patients (two diagnosed with benign changes and one with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN)2/3 after biopsy follow-up), one ASC-H patient with CIN2/3 histological diagnosis, and one HSIL patient with benign changes. Additional follow-up cytological data available for three of these patients demonstrated series of lesion-free samples. The data support the view that integration can occur in low-grade lesions and that lesions with mixed episomal/integrant HPV can regress.
An immunohistochemical and morphological analysis of post-chemotherapy ovarian carcinoma
Authors: Miller K , Price J H , Dobbs S P , McClelland R H , Kennedy K , McCluggage W G
Published: November 2007

Aims:

Traditional management of advanced ovarian carcinoma is surgical debulking followed by chemotherapy; however, there is an increasing tendency for neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by surgery. The morphology of ovarian carcinoma following chemotherapy often differs markedly from native tumour. This study aimed to compare the immunophenotype of post-chemotherapy ovarian carcinomas with that of untreated tumour.

Methods:

Post-chemotherapy ovarian carcinomas (n = 16) were stained with a range of antibodies. In six cases, pre-chemotherapy core biopsies were also stained; all were high-grade serous carcinomas. Antibodies used in the study were CK7, CA125, WT1, ER, PR, p53, p16, p63 and MIB1.

Results:

In eight post-treatment cases, there was minimal or no morphological response to chemotherapy, and in eight there was a significant response (in two additional cases, no residual tumour was identified). All pre-chemotherapy biopsies showed diffuse positivity of the tumour cells with CK7, CA125 and WT1. ER, p53 and p16 were diffusely positive in five, four and three cases respectively. One case was focally PR positive, and all were p63 negative. MIB1 staining was high; all but one case exhibited a proliferation index of >60%. Post-chemotherapy tumours exhibited a similar immunophenotype: diffuse positivity with CK7 in all cases and with CA125, WT1, ER, p53 and p16 in the majority, an immunophenotype in keeping with a serous carcinoma. All were negative with p63, and all but two with PR. The MIB1 proliferation index was lower in those cases exhibiting a significant morphological response, and p53 was less likely to be positive in cases with minimal or no response.

Conclusions:

The immunophenotype of post-chemotherapy ovarian carcinomas is very similar to that of native untreated tumours, illustrating that CK7, CA125, WT1, ER, p53 and p16 may be of value in identifying residual tumour cells and in subtyping the neoplasm if a pre-chemotherapy biopsy has not been obtained.
Bioprospecting highly diverse endophytic Pestalotiopsis spp. with antibacterial properties from Maytenus ilicifolia, a medicinal plant from Brazil
Authors: Gomes-Figueiredo Josiane , Pimentel Ida C. , Vicente Vânia A. , Pie Marcio R. , Kava-Cordeiro Vanessa , Galli-Terasawa Lygia , Pereira José O. , de Souza Antonia Q.L. , Glienke Chirlei
Published: November 2007

Thirteen endophytic fungal strains of the genus Pestalotiopsis were isolated from the medicinal plant Maytenus ilicifolia Mart. ex. Reiss (commonly known as “espinheira santa”) and their antimicrobial properties were investigated. Two isolates were successful in inhibiting the growth of the tested microorganisms ( Escherichia coli , Klebsiella pneumoniae , Micrococcus luteus , Staphylococcus aureus , and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)) using the technique of bioautographic thin-layer chromatography (TLC) agar overlay assay. An analysis based on a polyphasic approach integrating taxonomic information, morphological traits, RAPD markers, and the sequencing of the ITS1–5.8S–ITS2 of the rDNA led to the assignment of the isolates as belonging to the species Pestalotiopsis microspora , Pestalotiopsis vismiae , and Pestalotiopsis leucothoes . Therefore, the present study presents a new approach to the study of endophytic fungi of the genus Pestalotiopsis.
Phylogenetic analysis of norovirus isolates involved in some Canadian gastroenteritis outbreaks in 2004 and 2005
Authors: Lamhoujeb Safaa , Charest Hugues , Fliss Ismail , Ngazoa Solange , Jean Julie
Published: November 2007

Noroviruses are recognized as the most common cause of nonbacterial gastroenteritis worldwide. In this study, we investigated the molecular epidemiology of noroviral isolates in Canada from 2004 to 2005 by sequencing the RNA polymerase gene and capsid N-terminal/shell (N/S) domain. Norovirus genogroups I and II were thus found to have co-circulated in Canada during the studied period, with a higher incidence of genogroup II (95.7%). The GII-4 or Lordsdale subgroup was the predominant genotype, suggesting that norovirus genogroup II is the major cause of viral gastroenteritis in Canada, as it is in many other countries. Phylogenetic analyses of the RNA polymerase gene and the capsid N/S domain indicated different genotypes for 2 strains, suggesting probable genetic recombination. Sequencing of the norovirus polymerase gene may reflect actual classification but should be supported by sequence information obtained from the capsid gene.
Expression and characterization of a metalloprotease from aVibrio parahaemolyticusisolate
Authors: Luan Xiaoyan , Chen Jixiang , Zhang Xiao-hua , Li Yun , Hu Guobin
Published: November 2007

The extracellular zinc metalloprotease from Vibrio parahaemolyticus (VPM) is a putative virulence factor for host infection. It is synthesized from the vpm gene of V. parahaemolyticus as a polypeptide of 814 amino acids with an estimated molecular mass of 89 833 Da, containing a zinc metalloprotease HEXXH consensus motif. To investigate the enzymatic properties of V. parahaemolyticus metalloprotease, the mature vpm gene was overexpressed in Escherichia coli , and the recombinant protein (rVPM) was purified by a His-binding metal affinity column (>95% purity). The activity of the recombinant protease produced in E. coli was examined by gelatin activity staining and proteolytic activity assays using gelatin and azocasein as substrates. rVPM showed maximum activity at about 37 °C and pH 8. The cytotoxicity against flounder gill cells and fish pathogenicity indicated a potential role in pathogenesis.
Identification of a fibronectin-binding protein of Treponema lecithinolyticum by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and ligand binding assay
Authors: Lee Hae-Ri , Choi Bong-Kyu
Published: November 2007

Treponema lecithinolyticum is associated with periodontitis and endodontic infections. As a critical early step in the infection process, fibronectin-binding protein (Fbp) is known to be involved in the adhesion of bacteria to cell surfaces for colonization and, hence, is considered to be a virulence factor. In this study, we identified an Fbp from the T. lecithinolyticum cell surface with a molecular mass of about 52 kDa by using 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis followed by a ligand binding assay. As T. lecithinolyticum is capable of binding to soluble and immobilized fibronectin, this Fbp may contribute to bacterial attachment to host cells.
Yersinia genome diversity disclosed by Yersinia pestis genome-wide DNA microarray
Authors: Wang Xiaoyi , Han Yanping , Li Yanjun , Guo Zhaobiao , Song Yajun , Tan Yafang , Du Zongmin , Rakin Alexander , Zhou Dongsheng , Yang Ruifu
Published: November 2007

The genus Yersinia includes 11 species, 3 of which ( Y. pestis , Y. pseudotuberculosis , and Y. enterocolitica ) are pathogenic for humans. The remaining 8 species ( Y. frederiksenii , Y. intermedia , Y. kristensenii , Y. bercovieri , Y. mollaretii , Y. rohdei , Y. ruckeri , and Y. aldovae ) are merely opportunistic pathogens found mostly in the environment. In this work, the genomic differences among Yersinia were determined using a Y. pestis-specific DNA microarray. The results revealed 292 chromosomal genes that were shared by all Yersinia species tested, constituting the conserved gene pool of the genus Yersinia. Hierarchical clustering analysis of the microarray data revealed the genetic relationships among all 11 species in this genus. The microarray analysis in conjunction with PCR screening greatly reduced the number of chromosomal genes (32) specific for Y. pestis to 16 genes and uncovered a high level of genomic plasticity within Y. pseudotuberculosis, indicating that its different serotypes have undergone an extensively parallel loss or acquisition of genetic content, which is likely to be important for its adaptation to changes in environmental niches.
Quantitative PCR for detection and discrimination of the bloodborne pathogen Staphylococcus epidermidis in platelet preparations using divIVA and icaA as target genes
Authors: Mastronardi Cherie Cameron , Ramírez-Arcos Sandra
Published: November 2007

Bacterial contamination of blood components is the major microbiological cause of transfusion-associated morbidity, with Staphylococcus epidermidis being the most frequently isolated organism from contaminated platelet preparations (PPs). We have recently shown that S. epidermidis forms biofilms during platelet storage, which might account for reported missed detection during routine screening. In this study, we developed a highly sensitive and specific multiplex quantitative PCR (QPCR) assay to detect S. epidermidis in PPs at levels of 102–103 cfu/mL. A specific primer pair and hydrolysis probe were designed to amplify an internal region of the cell division divIVA gene that is unique to S. epidermidis. In addition, an internal sequence of the virulence gene icaA, which is involved in the synthesis of the S. epidermidis biofilm matrix, was selected to allow for differentiation of potentially biofilm-forming S. epidermidis isolates. A conserved region of the 8 alleles of the HLA-DQα1 locus present in residual white blood cells in PPs was selected as an internal control for the assay. The specificity of this assay was confirmed, as other staphylococcal species that were tested with the optimized parameters were not detected. This QPCR assay could be adaptable for the detection of other bloodborne bacterial pathogens.
Fluoroquinolone resistance ofSerratia marcescens: sucrose, salicylate, temperature, and pH induction of phenotypic resistance
Authors: Begic Sanela , Worobec Elizabeth A.
Published: November 2007

Serratia marcescens is a nosocomial agent with a natural resistance to a broad spectrum of antibiotics, making the treatment of its infections very challenging. This study examines the influence of salicylate, sucrose, temperature, and pH variability on membrane permeability and susceptibility of S. marcescens to norfloxacin (hydrophilic fluoroquinolone) and nalidixic acid (hydrophobic quinolone). Resistance of wild-type S. marcescens UOC-67 (ATCC 13880) to norfloxacin and nalidixic acid was assessed by minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) assays after growth in the presence of various concentrations of sucrose and salicylate and different temperatures and pH values. Norfloxacin and nalidixic acid accumulation was determined in the absence and presence of (i) carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP), a proton-motive-force collapser, and (ii) Phe-Arg β-naphthylamide (PAβN), an efflux pump inhibitor. Accumulation of norfloxacin decreased when S. marcescens was grown in high concentrations of salicylate (8 mmol/L) and sucrose (10% m/v), at high temperature (42 °C), and at pH 6, and it was restored in the presence of CCCP because of the collapse of proton-gradient-dependent efflux in S. marcescens. Although nalidixic acid accumulation was observed, it was not affected by salicylate, sucrose, pH, or temperature changes. In the absence of PAβN, and either in the presence or absence of CCCP, a plateau was reached in the nalidixic acid accumulation for all environmental conditions. With the addition of 20 mg/L PAβN nalidixic acid accumulation is restored for all environmental conditions, suggesting that this quinolone is recognized by a yet to be identified S. marcescens pump that does not use proton motive force as its energy source.
Comparison of performance of enhanced morpheme-based language model with different word-based language models for improving the performance of Tamil speech recognition system
Authors: Saraswathi S. , Geetha T. V.
Published: November 2007

This paper describes a new technique of language modeling for a highly inflectional Dravidian language, Tamil. It aims to alleviate the main problems encountered in processing of Tamil language, like enormous vocabulary growth caused by the large number of different forms derived from one word. The size of the vocabulary was reduced by, decomposing the words into stems and endings and storing these sub word units (morphemes) in the vocabulary separately. A enhanced morpheme-based language model was designed for the inflectional language Tamil. The enhanced morpheme-based language model was trained on the decomposed corpus. The perplexity and Word Error Rate (WER) were obtained to check the efficiency of the model for Tamil speech recognition system. The results were compared with word-based bigram and trigram language models, distance based language model, dependency based language model and class based language model. From the results it was analyzed that the enhanced morpheme-based trigram model with Katz back-off smoothing effect improved the performance of the Tamil speech recognition system when compared to the word-based language models.
Developing lexicographic sorting
Authors: Hussain Sarmad , Gul Sana , Waseem Afifah
Published: November 2007

Collation or lexicographic sorting is essential to develop multilingual computing. This paper presents the challenges faced in developing collation sequence for a language. The paper discusses both theoretical linguistic and practical standardization and encoding related considerations that need to be addressed for languages for which relevant standards and/or solutions have not been defined. The paper also defines the process, by giving the details of the procedure followed for Urdu language, which is the national language of Pakistan and is spoken by more than 100 million people across the world. The paper is oriented towards organizations involved in developing and using collation standards and the localization industry, and not focused on theoretical issues.
Correcting the EDF protocol in Ada 2005
Authors: Zerzelidis A. , Burns A. , Wellings A. J.
Published: November 2007

Earliest Deadline First (EDF) dispatching has been introduced into the Ada 2005 definition. Included in this definition is support for Baker's protocol for preemption level control over access to protected objects. Unfortunately the current model fails to implement all the situations covered by Baker's approach. A counter example is provided that illustrates this deficiency with the language as currently defined. A minor change to the language definition is proposed that removes the flaw.
Integrating OOP and tasking
Authors: Wellings A. J. , Burns A.
Published: November 2007

Ada 2005 has provided limited integration between its object-oriented programming and tasking facilities. The compromise has been to allow tasks and protected types to support interfaces but not inheritance. Whilst the language supports timed/conditional entry calls and the select-thenabort statement using interfaces, it does not allow the target of a requeue statement to be determined via an interface. This paper argues that this design decision needlessly limits the expressive power of the language. A motivating example is used to illustrate the case, and the semantics of the proposed language extension are discussed.
Programming execution-time servers in Ada 2005
Authors: Burns A. , Wellings A. J.
Published: November 2007

Much of the research on scheduling schemes is prevented from being used in practice by the lack of implementations that provide the necessary abstractions. An example of this lack of provision is the support of execution-time servers, these important building blocks are not generally available to the system developer. In this paper, we show how new Ada 2005 mechanisms can be used to construct various execution-time servers. We also outline the different server types that could form part of a library of real-time utilities for Ada.
Beyond Ada 2005
Authors: Wellings A. J. , Burns A.
Published: November 2007

Ada 2005 has added no new facilities to support applications that want to run on multiprocessor systems. Following the example set by Ada 95, the language facilitates multiprocessor implementations but provides no direct support for an application-controlled mapping of tasks to processors. Such partitioning is often required to obtain feasible real-time systems. This paper argues that multiprocessors systems are becoming so prevalent that the current position is no longer tenable. A proposal for minimal support is presented.
Introduction
Authors: Brosgol Ben , Aldea Mario
Published: November 2007

The main goals of this session were to:

• consider whether a new binding between Ada and POSIX is needed/desirable

• look at current efforts to update POSIX and "Real-Time Java" in terms of impact on or "lessons learned" for Ada
The many faces of microprogramming
Authors: Haavind Robert C.
Published: November 2007

This is the twentieth anniversary of "microprogramming," a term coined by M. V. Wilkes of Cambridge University, England to describe a method he proposed for a more orderly approach to the design of the control sections of computers. During these twenty years the techniques of microprogramming have served engineers well. For systems designers at IBM it provided a tool to produce the most successful family of computers in history --- the 360's.
CAI in Japan
Authors: Harashima Akira
Published: November 2007

The study of CAI in Japan is still in its infancy. Electronic companies which produce computers have developed various kinds of hardware which enable various kinds of programs for CAI to now be in use in technical training and drill programs. However, criticism of the use of computers in science education still exists, with the effect that continuing hesitation may be noticed on the part of educators to adopt CAI in science education. This hesitation seems to be based upon the feeling of many educators that, since CAI programming has not yet been fully developed, too premature use of computers in science education might cause some undesirable effects on the students.
Federal law protecting your right to privacy
Authors: Poage James
Published: November 2007

Privacy, like security, is something everyone wants. Asked to define privacy, people usually settle for "the right to be left alone." However, a little reflection reveals that it is nearly impossible to be left alone in a highly organized, complex society that offers security. If people want Social Security they must be willing to reveal personal data such as age, sex, marital status and income. If people wish life insurance they must reveal medical data as well as their credit rating. If people wish to legally operate a motor vehicle they must reveal identifying information and mailing address. In these, as in almost all cases, an individual gives up some personal information, some piece of personal privacy, in order to obtain some benefit from "the system."
The computer in teaching
Authors: Bork Alfred M.
Published: November 2007

The following remarks were made by the author at the SIGUCC meeting which followed immediately upon the Fourth Conference on Computers in Undergraduate Curricula, held in Claremont in June.
Informational report on an international workshop on the use of the computer in the teaching of secondary school subjects
Authors: Bork Alfred
Published: November 2007

GNOSIS is a system which makes it very simple for a teacher to produce a computerized lesson. The teacher compiles a lesson containing texts and questions and expected answers to the questions. The teacher can check the student results and adjust the lesson according to the student's achievements, e.g., by prescribing remedial sections for students with difficulties. The teacher can also react in special ways to different expected and unexpected false answers to questions, e.g., by appropriate hints followed by a repetition of the wrongly answered question. Unexpected false answers are saved when a student takes a lesson, and later sent to the teacher to help him improve the lesson. GNOSIS is written in ALGOL for the DEC-system 10 computer, but is probably not too difficult to transfer to another computer which has an ALGOL or preferably a SIMULA compiler.
Development of some new functions in APL for computer aided individualized instruction
Authors: Schmidt Ken , Vijay Mohan M.
Published: November 2007

A recent objective in the Mechanical Engineering Department of the University of Manitoba has been to show the viability of using CAI, complete with visual aids, to administer a course in thermodynamics (1).
Towards a flexible global sensing infrastructure
Authors: Fok Chien-Liang , Roman Gruia-Catalin , Lu Chenyang
Published: November 2007

Wireless sensor networks can potentially become larger, more prevalent, and interconnected via the Internet, forming a global sensing infrastructure that serves many users. In order to realize this and maximize its utility, it is necessary to develop a software architecture that enables new components to be integrated, multiple applications to share the same sensing substrate, and the integration of sensor and IP networks. We propose one such architecture that encodes applications as malleable, platform-independent, high-level mobile scripts. Multiple users are supported by allowing these scripts to execute concurrently, while flexibility is achieved by having them invoke platform-specific services. Services provide reusable functional capabilities that may vary across platforms and environmental conditions. They are platform-specific and may be discovered and redeployed on-demand at runtime. Service provision allows applications to exploit whatever computational capabilities are available, and new services to be added in response to changing application needs, resource availability, or environmental conditions. Our approach allows applications to function in diverse settings by employing dynamic rebinding of mobile scripts to different services as they execute over extended intervals across different types of networks.
A state-based language for sensor-actuator networks
Authors: Arora Anish , Gouda Mohamed , Hallstrom Jason O. , Herman Ted , Leal William M. , Sridhar Nigamanth
Published: November 2007

This paper introduces a language design for sensor-actuator networks. The main features are communication by a soft-state abstraction and behavior control by periodic rule evaluation. These features enable a state-based, rather than event-based, style of programming. Dynamic changes to network configuration and failures of components are automatically handled by this approach. The design choices target applications which experience low-to-moderate rates of sensor input and which do not require extreme, low-latency sensor processing and actuation. Coordinated actuation is concisely expressed in this language.
A distributed, utility-based architecture for task assignment in tactical WSNS
Authors: Zhu Kangyuan , Patek Stephen D.
Published: November 2007

This paper develops an architecture for task assignment in wireless sensor networks in support of tactical operations. Our approach is based on a mathematical framework, which, based on multi-attribute utility theory, allows mobile end-users to easily express the value (utility) that they would attach to sensor information based on features associated with the data. We have applied the utility-based architecture framework in the design of a distributed task assignment algorithm for a simple pursuit-evasion (patrol) scenario. Simulation studies based on this scenario show that in terms of mission-level objectives utility-based task assignment can significantly improve upon a baseline solution, in which each sensor indiscriminately reports all data to all available users.
Preliminary report on a practical type inference system for common Lisp
Authors: Beer Randall D.
Published: November 2007

While the combination of dynamic typing and generic functions in Lisp have always presented a challenge to optimizing Lisp compilers for stock hardware, the situation has never been more difficult than in Common Lisp [7]. For example, one may add any of eight distinct primitive types of numbers in any combination using the single function+. While the overhead of sorting this type information out at run-time may be largely alleviated by the use of special-purpose hardware or microcode, the problem remains critical for implementations running on conventional general-purpose computers. Indeed, this situation played a crucial role in at least one wide-ranging critique of Common Lisp [2].
The key of Lisp
Authors: Ennis Susan
Published: November 2007

When asked to do this department, I didn't quite catch the fact that I would be required to produce two columns before I could expect some 'letters to the editor'. I do hope that there are some out there because there isn't much here that I haven't talked about before.
A special issue on "Garbage"
Authors: White Jon L.
Published: November 2007

In this issue of Lisp Pointers, we are featuring two articles on memory management for Lisp systems:
Overview of Garbage Collection in Symbolic Computing
by Timothy McEntee is an excellent short tutorial on the current state of garbage collecting techniques; and
Address/Memory Management for a Gigantic LISP Environment, or GC Considered Harmful
by JonL White proposes a novel technique for use in large virtual memories that abandons the notion of "collecting" garbage and focuses instead on the problem of maintaining a relatively small working set. Both of these articles have appeared elsewhere, in forums with very limited distribution, and so are being reprinted here. The first article originally appeared in longer form in the Texas Instruments Engineering Journal, which is primarily distributed to TI employees; the second article originally appeared in the historic 1980 Lisp Conference. [Since 1982, the biennial Lisp Conferences have enjoyed ACM sponsorship, and the proceedings are more widely distributed.]
Programming environments
Authors: Foderaro John
Published: November 2007

We continue our survey of Common Lisps with a report on the environment of Extended Common Lisp from Franz Inc. of Berkeley, California. Our previous surveys were for Lisps on dedicated Lisp Machines. Extended Common Lisp is designed for general purpose machines. I wish to thank David Margolies of Franz Inc. for completing the survey.
Lisp, second edition
Authors: Weinreb Daniel
Published: November 2007

Winston and Horn's
Lisp
is a textbook on symbolic computation and the Lisp language. It was originally published in 1981, based on a set of course notes developed for the introductory course in artificial intelligence at MIT.
Lisp implementations
Authors: van Roggen Walter
Published: November 2007

There's a lot more to describing Lisp implementations than providing a list of features. One such aspect I'd like to gather information on is performance.
Windows to the future
Authors: Kimbrough Kerry
Published: November 2007

This article traces the development of the next generation of window system standards, such as the X Window System. A short program using CLX, the Common Lisp interface to X, is shown with extensive annotations.
Programming environments
Authors: Foderaro John
Published: November 2007

We continue our survey of Common Lisps with a report on the Lucid Common Lisp Development Environment. Our previous surveys were for Lisps on dedicated Lisp Machines and for Franz Inc.'s Extended Common Lisp.
Common EVAL
Authors: Lieberman Henry , Fry Christopher
Published: November 2007

We propose that the Common Lisp standard be extended by adding to the language specification a short program, itself written in Common Lisp, to implement the EVAL function. We call this
Common
EVAL. The interpreters for every correct implementation of Common Lisp would be required to match the semantics of Common EVAL on valid Common Lisp expressions. It should treat other expressions as errors or as implementation dependent extensions.

There are three cogent reasons for including a Common EVAL in the standard: First, since EVAL definitively specifies the behavior of Lisp programs, Common EVAL would insure uniformity of program semantics across implementations. Second, it would aid validation efforts, since the behavior of a particular implementation could always be compared to the behavior of Common EVAL. Third, it would facilitate the creation of debuggers and other program-manipulating programs that could be ported across Common Lisp implementations.
(algorithms)
Authors: Curtis Pavel
Published: November 2007

This issue's installment of (algorithms) is an article by Philip Greenspun and James J. Little from MIT on an elegant little recursive algorithm for rendering infinite surfaces with hidden-line removal. The source code for the algorithm appears on two pages at the end of the article. It is written in Symbolics Common Lisp, but uses almost nothing that is not also in standard Common Lisp, so it should be easy to get it running on any convenient implementation.
Readings in scheme
Authors: Yigit Ozan S.
Published: November 2007

This is the first edition of
Readings in Scheme
, an irregular column featuring a comprehensive bibliography on Scheme. The core of this bibliograpy was shamelessly snarfed from [56], and has been growing ever since, thanks to further additions by Dan Friedman, Ken Dickey and Mark MacLennan.
Readings in Scheme
Authors: Yigit Ozan S.
Published: November 2007

In this edition of
Readings in Scheme
, there are twelve additions to the bibliography. Although there are also some corrections, I have chosen to include only the additions, rather than a complete re-print of the bibliography. Another complete re-print will take place sometime next summer. By then, I expect the bibliography to double in size.
Manipulating sets in common Lisp
Authors: Eliot Christopher R.
Published: November 2007

Sets are fundamental theoretical elements and yet Common Lisp does not provide any comprehensive representation for them. Several representations for sets are available, but they have serious problems. This paper defines a small family of primitive operations and uses them to evaluate existing Common Lisp set representations. This analysis characterizes how well sets are supported and suggests how the current situation could be improved.
Query-io
Authors: Dussud Patrick
Published: November 2007

This article introduces closures, a powerful feature of Common Lisp that allows you to write succinct code.
Determining the coverage of a test suite
Authors: Waters Richard C.
Published: November 2007

The value of a suite of test cases depends critically on its
coverage.
Ideally a suite should test every facet of the specification for a program and every facet of the algorithms used to implement the specification. Unfortunately, there is no practical way to be sure that complete coverage has been achieved. However, something should be done to assess the coverage of a test suite, because a test suite with poor coverage has little value.
Foreign functions and common Lisp
Authors: Sexton Harlan
Published: November 2007

The language Common Lisp is a standard dialect of Lisp which has been implemented on a wide range of machines by a variety of commercial and academic groups. One serious flaw in the Common Lisp standard, at least to many Common Lisp users on "general-purpose" hardware,
1
is the lack of an defined foreign function interface, or FFI. The subject of this note is a discussion of FFI's for three different Common Lisp systems on engineering workstations and some thoughts on what foreign function interfaces ought to look like.
Query-io
Authors: Dussud Patrick
Published: November 2007

We had a network server running in background exchanging ASCII strings with its remote clients. These strings included decimal numbers. When someone using the Lisp Listener on that machine set *print-base* to 16, the background server started sending base 16 numbers to its clients which created errors.
How robust are gossip-based communication protocols?
Authors: Alvisi Lorenzo , Doumen Jeroen , Guerraoui Rachid , Koldehofe Boris , Li Harry , van Renesse Robbert , Tredan Gilles
Published: November 2007

Gossip-based communication protocols are often touted as being robust. Not surprisingly, such a claim relies on assumptions under which gossip protocols are supposed to operate. In this paper, we discuss and in some cases expose some of these assumptions and discuss how sensitive the robustness of gossip is to these assumptions. This analysis gives rise to a collection of new research challenges.