Undergraduate software engineering education: the mark of a discipline

Undergraduate software engineering education is now well established in many countries, and many of these degree programs have received formal accreditation by the relevant country's professional body for computing. SE 2004 represents an enormous effort by numerous individuals across the discipline. Its quality has been clearly recognized by the sponsoring organizations. The developmental team confidently looks forward to the volume's use and to your participation in future evaluations and in the next phase of development. The volume provides usable results for those in emerging economies who wish to enter the software engineering community, and we know that individual project members and the participating national bodies are ready to assist.     

智能功率控制产品的设计

构建和维护合适的功率环境对系统的正确运行非常关键。对功率的控制和管理越来越受到重视，无论是简单的手持式便携设备，还是多服务器机架系统，都希望能够节省能耗、降低成本。     

A case study of regional catchment water quality modelling to identify pollution control requirements.

There are four ecologically important river catchments that contain candidate Special Areas of Conservation (cSACs) under the Habitats Directive in the Lake District National Park located in the North of England. These are the rivers Ehen, Kent, Derwent and Eden. For each cSAC, there are defined ecological criteria that include water quality targets to protect the designated species. Stretches of the riverine cSACs in each catchment are failing to meet these and other water quality targets. The Environment Agency commissioned a study of each catchment to provide the underpinning scientific knowledge to allow it to deliver its statutory obligations under the Habitats Directive. SIMCAT river water quality models were produced and used to predict the water quality impacts resulting from a number of water quality planning scenarios aimed at achieving full compliance with the Habitats Directive and other national and EEC water quality targets. The results indicated that further controls on effluent discharges will allow the majority of targets to be met but other sources of pollution will also need to be controlled. The outcome of the study also recognised that water quality improvements alone will not necessarily produce the required improvement to the ecological interest features in each cSAC.     

Creating a Student Centered Learning Environment at the University of Denver

A team of faculty members at the University of Denver changed the learning environment in key courses in the Department of Engineering from predominately teacher centered to student centered. Through this funded project new grading methods were implemented, classrooms were renovated and wired with studio layouts to facilitate learning, the Engineering Circuits Laboratory was rewired and instrumented for automated data acquisition and reporting, and two new pedagogical approaches were developed. At the onset of the project, six goals were established related to student learning. The introduction of industry standard hardware and software provided students with unprecedented hands‐on experience and project related activities stimulated faculty innovations in other current and future courses. Assessment results indicate that the new grading system improved the clarity of expectations for students before assignments were given resulting in increased reported motivation for learning in many courses. Even though course GPAs did not always reflect higher achievement on graded work, faculty members firmly believe that deeper understanding was achieved because more complex material was assimilated.     

General acid/base catalysis in the active site of Escherichia coli thioredoxin

Enzymic catalysts of thiol:disulfide oxidoreduction contain two cysteine residues in their active sites. Another common residue is an aspartate (or glutamate), the role of which has been unclear. Escherichia coli thioredoxin (Trx) is the best characterized thiol:disulfide oxidoreductase, and in Trx these three active-site residues are Cys32, Cys35, and Asp26. Structural analyses had indicated that the carboxylate of Asp26 is positioned properly for the deprotonation of the thiol of Cys35, which would facilitate its attack on Cys32 in enzyme-substrate mixed disulfides. Here, Asp26 of Trx was replaced with isologous asparagine and leucine residues. D26N Trx and D26L Trx are reduced and oxidized more slowly than is wild-type Trx during catalysis by E.coli thioredoxin reductase. Stopped-flow spectroscopy demonstrated that the cleavage of the mixed disulfide between Trx and a substrate is slower in the D26N and D26L enzymes. Buffers increase the rate of mixed disulfide cleavage in these variants but not in wild-type Trx. These results indicate that Asp26 serves as an acid/base in the oxidation/reduction reactions catalyzed by Trx. Specifically, Asp26 protonates (during substrate oxidation) or deprotonates (during substrate reduction) the thiol of Cys35. A similar role is likely filled by the analogous aspartate (or glutamate) residue in protein disulfide isomerase, DsbA, and other thiol:disulfide oxidoreductases. Moreover, these results provide the first evidence for general acid/base catalysis in a thiol:disulfide interchange reaction.     

In vitro cytotoxicity and DNA damage production in Chinese hamster ovary cells and topoisomerase II inhibition by 2-[2''-(dimethylamino)ethyl]-1, 2-dihydro-3H-dibenz[de,h]isoquinoline-1,3-diones with substitutions at the 6 and 7 positions (azonafides)

The p53 tumor suppressor gene encodes a phosphoprotein which when overexpressed can induce growth arrest at the G1 and G2/M phases of the cell cycle, promote differentiation and apoptosis. This paper demonstrates that p53 can associate with trk tyrosine kinase. Expression of a murine temperature-sensitive (ts) p53 mutant in PC12 cells overexpressing trk (a model system to analyse cellular differentiation and signal transduction induced by NGF) induces morphological changes in the absence of NGF stimulation at 32 degrees C but not at 37 degrees C. In cells differentiated by p53, trk, but not EGFr, was hyperphosphorylated on tyrosine. Furthermore trk was not phosphorylated when expressed in Saos-2 cells (human osteosarcoma cells that lack expression of both endogenous trk and p53) at either temperature. However, transfection of ts p53 into these cells induces trk phosphorylation at 32 degrees C in the absence of NGF stimulation. Association of trk and p53 can be detected in NIH3T3 and PC12 cells co-expressing trk and the ts p53 mutant, in NIH3T3 and PC12 cells transfected with trk alone, and in untransfected PC12 cells, showing that overexpressed and/or endogenous trk associates with endogenous, low levels of p53. These data suggest a novel function for p53 which involves the stimulation of signal transduction pathways (mediating morphological properties of cells), possibly through association with and hyperphosphorylation of trk.     

Partial cricotracheal resection with primary anastomosis in the pediatric age group

The traditional approach to severe subglottic stenosis (SGS) in the pediatric age group is laryngotracheal reconstruction (LTR). This approach may be complex and multistaged, with variable and unpredictable success rates in the individual patient. Excellent results have been reported in adults who had severe SGS and underwent partial resection of the cricoid and primary thyrotracheal anastomosis. This procedure has not been widely reported in infants and children. We report our experience with this procedure in 16 pediatric patients with grade III or IV SGS. Eleven patients had multiple previous LTR operations. The preoperative evaluation, surgical techniques, postoperative care, complications, and final results are described and discussed. Fourteen patients were decannulated after the procedure, 1 patient needed a second open procedure prior to decannulation, and 1 patient with concomitant bronchopulmonary dysplasia remains cannulated, for an overall 94% decannulation rate. Fourteen patients have no limitation of respiration, and 1 patient has moderate exercise intolerance. The results of this series suggest that partial cricotracheal resection with primary anastomosis is a relatively safe and effective procedure for pediatric patients with severe SGS.     

Electron-beam CT scanning for detection of coronary calcification and prediction of coronary heart disease

Electron-beam or ultrafast computerized tomographic (CT) scanning provides a convenient and sensitive means of detecting coronary calcification, which is an early index of atherosclerosis. The procedure has strong negative predictive power for the presence of coronary artery disease, but a limited ability to predict disease severity. However, preliminary indications are that it is as good or better than conventional risk factors in this respect. Although further validation is needed before electron-beam CT can be regarded as an established method of detecting presymptomatic coronary atherosclerosis, the procedure has potential in this context.     

Prognostic value of plasma atrial natriuretic factor, norepinephrine and epinephrine in acute myocardial infarction

Case reports from the United Kingdom (UK) in 1989 have suggested that the introduction of human insulin in 1985 was associated with an increased risk of sudden death in insulin-treated diabetic patients. If human insulin increases the risk of sudden death, the number of these should have increased during the period where human insulin was introduced. We therefore identified all cases of sudden death in Denmark in younger insulin-treated diabetic patients, age at death below 50 years. During this period the consumption of human insulin went from 0.2% to 70% of the total consumption in Denmark. The total number of cases fulfilling the inclusion criteria was 226, and the annual number of sudden deaths did not change during the study period (p = 0.14). The number of deaths due to hypoglycaemia and cases with unexplained cause of death also remained constant (test for trend: p = 0.44). Chronic alcohol abuse or acute alcohol intoxication was found in 50% of the 135 patients dying from hypoglycaemia, ketoacidosis or unknown cause of death (including found dead in bed), while this was the case in only 16% of the remaining 91 cases dying from other natural causes. We conclude that introduction of human insulin in Denmark was not followed by an increase in sudden deaths among younger insulin-treated diabetic patients.