Software component certification

Although the stringent requirements of some critical applications may require independent certification, the authors see software developer self-certification as a viable alternative in many other cases. They accept that using software certification laboratories (SCLs) may work well for certain software distribution models, but they cannot be applied to all types of software development. The approach has several drawbacks. For example, an SCL may work well for larger software houses that ship mass-marketed software applications to the public, but it is less satisfactory for smaller developers who make reusable components or safety-critical software or for developers who belong to the freeware community     

A theory of bunches

A bunch is a simple data structure, similar in many respects to a set. However, bunches differ from sets in that the data is not packaged up or encapsulated, and in particular in that a bunch consisting of one element is the same as that element. Bunches are attractive for handling nondeterminacy and underspecification, by which is meant that for any particular input to the program or specification, the associated output is not fully determined. The acceptable outputs for any given input can be described by a bunch. This approach nicely generalises traditional single-output programs and specifications. We present a formal theory of bunches. It includes an axiomatisations of boolean and function types whose behaviour is well-known to be complicated by the presence of nondeterminacy. The axiomatisation of the booleans preserves most of the laws of classical predicate calculus. The axiomatisation of functions accommodates higher-order functions in all their generality, while avoiding the dangers of inconsistency when functions and nondeterminacy intermix. Our theory is presented as a Hilbert-style system of axioms and inference rules for a small specification language. We prove consistency. Received: 23 December 1998 / 2 November 1999     

A high-field adiabatic fast passage ultracold neutron spin flipper for the UCNA experiment

The UCNA collaboration is making a precision measurement of the β asymmetry (A) in free neutron decay using polarized ultracold neutrons (UCN). A critical component of this experiment is an adiabatic fast passage neutron spin flipper capable of efficient operation in ambient magnetic fields on the order of 1 T. The requirement that it operate in a high field necessitated the construction of a free neutron spin flipper based, for the first time, on a birdcage resonator. The design, construction, and initial testing of this spin flipper prior to its use in the first measurement of A with UCN during the 2007 run cycle of the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center's 800 MeV proton accelerator is detailed. These studies determined the flipping efficiency of the device, averaged over the UCN spectrum present at the location of the spin flipper, to be ε=0.9985(4).     

The effect of grain size and retained austenite on the ductile-brittle transition of a titanium-gettered iron alloy

The effect of microstructural changes on the ductile-brittle transition temperature (DBTT) was studied in a titanium-getter ed Fe-8Ni-2 Mn-0.15 Ti alloy. A fairly strong grain size dependence of the transition temperature, 8°C/mm^?1/2, was found. Grain size refinement from 38 μm (ASTM #6.5) to 1.5 μm (ASTM #15.5) through a four-step thermal treatment lowered the transition temperature by 162°C. A small amount of retained austenite was introduced into this grain-refined microstructure, and the transition temperature was reduced by an additional 120 ~ 150°C. The reduction of the DBTT due to retained austenite was smaller when the austenite was in a large-grained structure (64°C). The distribution and stability of retained austenite were also studied.     

Uncovering a User’s Hidden Tracks

Uncovering a computer user’s past activities is one of the most common tasks for a computer forensics investigator. Often, this task is straightforward and can be accomplished primarily through a detailed analysis of the relevant data and application files present on a system. However, a tremendous amount of information can also be discovered which might otherwise be thought lost or hidden. By discovering data on a computer which a suspect has tried to hide or destroy, or by uncovering information in the depths of the operating system (or even in areas no longer used by the operating system) an investigator may be able to gain vital evidence. This article describes some of the methods used by investigators to uncover these types of data on Windows systems.     

An Adaptive Policy-Based Framework for Network Services Management

This paper presents a framework for specifying policies for the management of network services. Although policy-based management has been the subject of considerable research, proposed solutions are often restricted to condition-action rules, where conditions are matched against incoming traffic flows. This results in static policy configurations where manual intervention is required to cater for configuration changes and to enable policy deployment. The framework presented in this paper supports automated policy deployment and flexible event triggers to permit dynamic policy configuration. While current research focuses mostly on rules for low-level device configuration, significant challenges remain to be addressed in order to:a) provide policy specification and adaptation across different abstraction layers; and, b) provide tools and services for the engineering of policy-driven systems. In particular, this paper focuses on solutions for dynamic adaptation of policies in response to changes within the managed environment. Policy adaptation includes both dynamically changing policy parameters and reconfiguring the policy objects. Access control for network services is also discussed.     

A Filter Flow Visual Querying Language and Interface for Spatial Databases

In this paper a visual approach to querying in spatial databases is presented. A filter flow methodology is used to consistently express different types of queries in these systems. Filters are used to represent operations on the database and pictorial icons are used throughout the language for filters, operators and spatial relations. Different granularities of the relations are presented in a hierarchical fashion for spatial constraints. The language framework and functions are described and examples are used to demonstrate its capabilities in representing different levels of queries, including spatial joins and composite spatial joins. Here, the primary focus is on the query language itself but an overview of the implemented interface of the language is also provided.     

The effect of precipitation of Mg2Al3 and of MnAl6 on texture evolution during isothermal annealing and subsequently on formability of CC AA5182 Al alloy

Continuous cast (CC) AA5182 Al alloy with the precipitation of Mg₂Al₃ and of MnAl₆ was cold rolled to 70% reduction and then isothermally annealed in a salt bath at three temperatures (316, 343, and 371 °C) for different times. Texture evolution during recrystallization was investigated. It was found that the recrystallization textures of the material with intense Mg₂Al₃ precipitation along the grain boundaries exhibited weaker Cube, Goss and R/β fiber components than those of the material with the more uniform fine MnAl₆ precipitates. The opposite was true in the cold rolled condition, i.e. the material with MnAl₆ precipitation had weaker Cube, Goss, and R/β fiber components in the cold rolled condition than the material with intense Mg₂Al₃ precipitation. Thus, recrystallization textures of material with Mg₂Al₃ precipitation were weaker than material with MnAl₆ precipitation. This is due to the fact that large Mg₂Al₃ particles favor the nucleation of randomly oriented grains. When subjected to formability tests, the material with prior Mg₂Al₃ precipitation displayed a lower anisotropy in tensile yield strength, ultimate tensile strength, elongation, and strain hardening exponent than material with prior MnAl₆ precipitation. This is in accord with the texture results which indicated that the recrystallization textures of material with an initial Mg₂Al₃ precipitation were closer to those of a perfectly random sample than those of material with an initial MnAl₆ precipitation. On the other hand, the elongation and Olsen values were lower and the surface quality after bending tests was worse for material with Mg₂Al₃ precipitation. This is due to the non-uniform distribution of Mg₂Al₃ particles which precipitated primarily along the grain boundaries and caused an earlier formation and coalescence of the microvoids around the grain boundary precipitates. The forming limit diagrams (FLD) correlated well with the tensile, Olsen and bending results.     

Neighborhood Cohesion as a Buffer Against Hostile Maternal Parenting.

This study explored the moderating effects of children's neighborhoods on the link between hostile parenting and externalizing behavior. Participants were 1st- or 2nd-grade children in an urban northeastern community. Children were administered the Parenting and Neighborhood scales of the Child Puppet Interview, and mothers completed questionnaires on neighborhood quality and parenting practices. Census tract measures of neighborhood quality and teachers' reports of children's externalizing behavior also were obtained. Results indicated that children's and mothers' perceptions of neighborhood involvement-cohesion buffered the link between hostile parenting and externalizing problems. Children's externalizing behavior was unrelated to census tract variables. Findings highlight the protective effect of neighborhood social cohesion and the utility of including young children's perspectives in research on neighborhoods and families. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)