A Comparison of Baccalaureate Programs in Information Technology with Baccalaureate Programs in Computer Science and Information Systems

Introduction A number of universities have recentlystarted to add baccalaureate programs inInformation Technology(IT)to their existingprograms in Computer Science(CS)and(Management)Information Systems(IS).Whilesome have welcomed this development,othersare less accommodating.The argument that ITbaccalaureate programs are not sufficiently distinctis most often heard from faculty in programs inComputer Science(CS)and(Management)Information Systems(IS).The argument isoften two-fold.First…     

A Substitution Based Model for the Implementation of PROLOG——The Design and Implementation of LPROLOG

Since PROLOG has been chosen as the Fifth Generation Computer's Kernal Language,it ispresently one of the hottest topics among computer scientists all over the world.Recently,theimplementation technique and the application of PROLOG have been developed rapidly.In thispaper,a new implementation scheme for PROLOG is proposed.The scheme is based on thesubstitution of instantiated veriable values.It has many advantages,such as a higher runningspeed,less main memory requirement,and easier to be implemented.The scheme has beenimplemented by the authors on IBM4341.     

Rank Reliability Assessment of the Technical Object at Early Design Stage with Limited Operational Data —A Case Study

Construction conception of an object requires multi-criterion analysis. In such a case, reliability analysis gives rough information on availability and fulfillment of main functions. In the paper, the analysis of drive system in river barge pusher is presented. It consists of Reliability Block Diagram (RBD) analysis of various composition of the system and Markov analysis based on prior estimated operational data.     

A hierarchical—multilevel approach to the development and ranking of systems in the tanning industry

Large-scale, complex systems arise in the design, modeling and planning of many resource allocation problems in the areas of water resources management, energy production and distribution, industrial production, health delivery and landscaping of new cities, to mention a few. This paper applies a hierarchical—multilevel approach to the design and modeling of plant operations in the tanning industry; the decomposition of the overall system into “independent” subsystems that address plant operations, hide collection itineraries, and waste water treatment options; the development of alternative regional plant systems and the selection of a preferred system. Each system is evaluated with regards to specified multiple criteria and compared with the other candidate systems as the preferences of a decision-maker are brought into the analysis.     

Application of advanced control methods in the pulp and paper industry — A survey

Digital computers have been used for process control in the pulp and paper industry for more than 20 years. This paper reviews the applications of advanced control methods to pulp and paper unit process control reported during the last decade. Modern control theory and adaptive control theory are most often applied to paper machine and headboxes. However a large number of reports deal only with simulated or laboratory scale processes. Indeed very few industrial applications are reported. Some of the reasons for this are analyzed and future trends briefly discussed.     

Information technology and accounting in the accomplishment of public policy — A cautionary tale

Information and accounting technologies are increasingly being applied in public policy practice. In American health care organizations, for instance, millions have been spent on new automated information systems that track resource usage, output levels, assign costs to Diagnosis-Related-Groups and calculate profitability and productivity. It is not obvious, however, that such use of these technologies will necessarily lead to “better” health outcomes. The health sector has historically entrenched concepts of disease and the roles of the doctor, hospital and state in health provision. This agenda has, in turn, influenced the rules for the compilation of records that are the primary input into information systems. In the absence of a fundamental restructuring of this agenda, it is likely that information and accounting technologies will not solve problems, merely rearrange and manage them within pre-existing parameters.     

A comparison of muscle activity in using touchscreen smartphone among young people with and without chronic neck–shoulder pain

This study aimed to examine differences in muscle activity between young people with and without neck–shoulder pain (n = 20 in each group), when they performed texting on a smartphone. Texting was compared between using both hands (‘bilateral texting’) and with only one hand (‘unilateral texting’). Texting tasks were also compared with computer typing. Surface electromyography from three proximal postural muscles and four distal hand/thumb muscles on the right side was recorded. Compared with healthy controls, young people with neck–shoulder pain showed altered motor control consisting of higher muscle activity in the cervical erector spinae and upper trapezius when performing texting and typing tasks. Generally, unilateral texting was associated with higher muscle loading compared with bilateral texting especially in the forearm muscles. Compared with computer typing, smartphone texting was associated with higher activity in neck extensor and thumb muscles but lower activity in upper and lower trapezius as well as wrist extensors.     

Behavioural data in the design of ergonomic computer terminals and workstations—a case study

Abstract

Manufacturers of office automation equipment, in their design of ergonomic computer terminals and office furniture, are encountering needed design data which is sometimes weak, absent, erroneous or inapplicable to the office-worker situation under consideration. In some instances, office automation manufacturers simply follow standards. In others, manufacturers make assumptions as to the best design, and in others, design decisions were based on testing results and conclusions.This paper reviews the ergonomic tools and features incorporated into the design of one office automation manufacturer's terminals and workstations. The short fall of applicable design data relevant to comfort versus extremes of motion in biomechanics, to keyboard home row height and slope angle to viewing distance, as well as to reverse video and surface colour are presented, along with the design resolution of these parameters. Further, certain aspects of posture recently published are discussed.     

A linear model to predict with a multi‐spectral radiometer the amount of nitrogen in winter wheat

The objective was to develop an optimal vegetation index (VI_opt) to predict with a multi‐spectral radiometer nitrogen in wheat crop (kg[N] ha^?1). Optimality means that nitrogen in the crop can be measured accurately in the field during the growing season. It also means that the measurements are stable under changing light conditions and vibrations of the measurement platform. Different fields, on which various nitrogen application rates and seeding densities were applied in experimental plots, were measured optically during the growing season. These measurements were performed over three years. Optical measurements on eight dates were related to calibration measurements of nitrogen in the crop (kg[N] ha^?1) as measured in the laboratory. By making combinations of the wavelength bands, and whether or not the soil factor was taken into account, numerous vegetation indices (VIs) were examined for their accuracy in predicting nitrogen in wheat. The effect of changing light conditions in the field and vibrations of the measurement platform on the VIs were determined based on tests in the field. VI_opt ((1+L)?(R ² _NIR+1)/(R _red+L) with L = 0.45), the optimal vegetation index found, was best in predicting nitrogen in grain crop. The root mean squared error (RMSE), determined by means of cross‐validation, was 16.7 kg[N] ha^?1. The RMSE was significantly lower compared to other frequently used VIs such as NDVI, RVI, DVI, and SAVI. The L‐value can change between 0.16 and 1.6 without deteriorating the RMSE of prediction. Besides being the best predictor for nitrogen, VI_opt had the advantage of being a stable vegetation index under circumstances of changing light conditions and platform vibrations. In addition, VI_opt also had a simple structure of physically meaningful bands.     

Coastline evolution monitoring and estimation—a case study in the region of Nouakchott,Mauritania

Since the construction of a harbour, Port de l'Amitié, an important importation gate for Nouakchott, northwestern Africa in 1987, the previous coast dynamic equilibrium has been destroyed and thus a significant littoral geomorphologic change has occurred, which has produced a severe degradation of the littoral and urban environment. This research is focused on coastline evolution monitoring and its potential change estimation by remote sensing techniques using multi‐temporal Satellite pour l'Observation de la Terre (SPOT) images and Markov chain analysis. It is the objectives of the study to measure and estimate the coastal current hydrodynamics, coastline evolution rates, harbour life‐span and to provide useful reference for the local authorities to make decisions for their future coastal management. The results show that the north beach of the harbour has extended by 0.92 km² (92 ha) from 1989 to 2001 and the accretion will probably reach its maximum limit in about 13 years±6 months (in 2014–2015) while the harbour will gradually arrive at the end of service. The south sandbar has been eroded by 1.34 km² (134 ha) and the coastline has retreated landwards by 362 m at the maximum point. Another 0.91 km² of land will be eroded in the next 10 years from 2001 to 2011. This erosion has caused several inundations to the suburb and urban areas, provoking a deterioration of the urban environment.     

SHEARCALC—a computer program for the calculation of volume change and mass transfer in a ductile shear zone

SHEARCALC was created to automate mass balance calculations in an alteration zone. The program can be most successfully applied to ductile shear zones, where an undeformed wall rock is transformed into a fine-grained mylonite via several protomylonitic stages. The program was written in Visual Basic 6.0 and offers numerous features typical for Windows™ applications to increase the user friendliness. SHEARCALC consists of an input part for entering sample names, specific weights and chemical data of the investigated rocks as well as for selecting immobile elements and scaling factors for an appropriate display of the data in the isocon diagram. In the calculation part, the slope of the isocon and related volume changes between two specific stages of alteration are computed. Additionally, gains and losses of the main elements during deformation are expressed by respective mass transfer equations. As a special feature, SHEARCALC contains an extensive diagram section, where the user can select between three chart types. Besides the classical isocon diagram, mass changes of elements are also displayed in specific two- or three-dimensional bar charts. Element behaviour along a transsect through the shear zone is documented by two- or three-dimensional profile graphs. SHEARCALC is a stand-alone application adapted to modern Windows™ operating systems and therefore differs from many available programs in the geoscience which only run in DOS mode.     

Postfix — a secure alternative to Sendmail: A new frontier in the reaim of free mailers

It is now widely recognized that Sendmail, the most widely used UNIX mailer, has certain security gaps, many of which are discovered and reported on a daily basis by researchers and users. One such researcher is Wietse Venema. Venema is a programmer and inventor of numerous irreplaceable tools for UNIX administrators. Examples include SATAN (created together with the equally well known researcher, Dan Farmer) and TCPWrappers, of note recently for allegedly having been illicitly distributed with a Trojan horse inside by a group of malicious hackers. For some time now, Venema has been pointing out to the scientific community just why Sendmail will never be completely secure. Naturally, criticism of a product should be accompanied by suggestions — or better yet — alternatives. Thus, Venema, during his time with the T.J. Watson research laboratories, was driven to launch the Postfix project (a.k.a. Vmailer or Secure Mailer) under the auspices of IBM. As Venema says, there is a dual objective: to give the user an alternate Mail Transfer Agent (MTA) to Sendmail while creating a secure mailer like the well-known Qmail, another program in this category, created by Dan Bernstein.     

Design and evaluation of a device worn for fall detection and localization: Application for the continuous monitoring of risks incurred by dependents in an Alzheimer’s care unit

The Homecare project, which is part of a research project funded by the French National Research Agency (ANR), aims to define a new multi-sensor monitoring system for the elderly with cognitive disabilities in a care unit. Two subjects were recruited to participate to experimental trials. The main objective of this project is to design and test a complete monitoring system at a real site. It is a new clinical and technical approach which is complex to implement: Homecare is intended to propose a possible technical solution, demonstrate its feasibility and illustrate its use working at a protected site. The system consists of a motion sensor network deployed on the ceiling to monitor motion and an electronic patch worn by the subjects to identify them and detect falls. In order to locate tagged subjects inside the care unit, a network of anchor points is used. From these positions and movement data, an analysis algorithm detects an abnormal situation and alerts the nursing staff in real time. A Web application allows the medical staff to access movements and alarms. The complete monitoring system has been functioning for several months and continuously monitors two patients around the clock. In this paper, we present the implementation of the system, the method of localization inside the care unit, and the characterization of the fall detector, and we show certain results relating to activity data.     

How I deciphered a Robert E. Lee letter—and a note on the power of context in short polyalphabetic ciphers

We decrypt a message from Robert E. Lee, which is possibly too short for efficient analysis by classical cryptanalytic techniques, by exploiting the mistake of not encrypting the full contents of the message.     

Simulation of soil chemistry and nutrient availability in a forested ecosystem of southern Quebec — I. Reconstruction of the time-series files of nutrient cycling using the Makedep model

The Makedep model is used to reconstruct the time-series input files of deposition, forest growth, uptake and litterfall needed to run the dynamic biogeochemical model SAFE. The amounts and timing of N made available for tree growth is what determines most of the model output. In this paper, the sensitivity of Makedep to various amounts and timing of N availability, including increased supplies of N prior to air pollution assuming increased biological N₂ fixation, was assessed in a small hardwood stand of southern Quebec. The scenarios of N cycling were validated for burned and unburned conditions based on the simulated tree growth and N leaching rates as well as the model’s ability to recreate the trends in atmospheric deposition of major ions in northeastern North America. The N leaching rates were calculated as the residual component of all simulated processes acting as sources and sinks of N. The N availability scenarios that subtracted/added 5 mmol m⁻² yr⁻¹ of NH₄ in the unburned and burned conditions, respectively, recreated N leaching rates and tree biomass with the most precision. Modifying the amounts of N made available prior to air pollution was also necessary for the trees to grow to reasonable values before 1900. Historical trends of deposition were linked to the changes in the continental emissions in northeastern North America. Observational data for 30 years at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, New Hampshire, showed convergent trends for most ions with the deposition trends simulated with Makedep.     

Modelling the impacts of crowds on occupants in the built environment—A static,rule-based approach to human perception and movement

A building occupant’s experiences are not passive responses to environmental stimuli, but are the results of multifaceted, prolonged interactions between people and space. We present a framework and prototype software tool for logically reasoning about occupant perception and behaviour in the context of dynamic aspects of buildings in operation, based on qualitative deductive rules. In particular, we focus on the co-presence of different user groups and the resulting impact on perceptual and functional affordances of spatial layouts by utilising the concept of spatial artefacts. As a first proof of concept of our approach, we have implemented a prototype crowd analysis software tool in our new system ASP4BIM, developed specifically to support architectural design reasoning in the context of public-facing buildings with complex signage systems and diverse intended user groups. We evaluate our prototype on the Urban Sciences Building at Newcastle University, a large, state-of-the-art living laboratory and multipurpose academic building. Our findings are that the ASP4BIM-based prototype supports a range of novel query services for formally analysing the impacts of crowds on pedestrians that are logically derived through the use of qualitative deductive rules, that complements other powerful crowd analysis approaches such as agent-based simulation.