Algorithm for finding all k nearest neighbors

A very simple algorithm for computing all k nearest neighbors in 2-D is presented. The method does not rely on complicated forms of tessellation, it only requires simple data binning for fast range searching. Its applications range from scattered data interpolation to reverse engineering.     

Yeast sequencing reports. Isolation and sequence analysis of a gene from the linear DNA plasmid pPAC1–2 of Pichia acaciae that shows similarity to a killer toxin gene of Kluyveromyces lactis

The toxin-encoding linear plasmid systems found in Pichia acaciae and Kluyveromyces lactis yeasts appear to be quite similar, both in function and structural organization. By Southern hybridization, a linear plasmid of P. acaciae, pPac1–2, was found to hybridize to the second open reading frame (ORF2) of K. lactis plasmid pGKL1, known to encode the α and β subunits of the K. lactis toxin. A 1·7 kbp segment of pPac1–2 DNA was cloned, sequenced and shown to contain four regions of strong homology to four similarly oriented regions of K. lactis ORF2. This 1·7 kbp fragment also contained an ORF of 1473 bp that could encode a protein of ～ 55·8 kDa. Like the α subunit gene of K. lactis ORF2, a very hydrophobic region occurs at the N-terminus, perhaps representing a signal sequence for transport out of the cell. Unlike K. lactis ORF2, however, the encoded polypeptide is much smaller and lacks a recognizable domain common to chitinases. The structure of a toxin that includes the translation product of this P. acaciae ORF would likely be quite different from that of the K. lactis toxin. Analysis of the upstream region of the P. acaciae ORF revealed an upstream conserved sequence identical to that found before ORFs 8 and 9 of pGKL2. A possible hairpin loop structure, as has been described for each of the four K. lactis pGKL1 ORFs, was found just upstream of the presumed start codon. The similarity of the promoter-like elements found in the linear plasmid genes of these diverse yeasts reinforces the idea of the existence of a unique, but highly conserved, expression system for these novel plasmids. The sequence has been deposited in the GenBank data library under Accession Number U02596.     

Component-Based is Architecture

Advances in distributed architectures and the Internet have had a strong influence on the use of component technologies. The authors discuss the organizational and technical requirements for an effective and economically viable component-based approach.     

The seismic kernel system — a large-scale exercise in fortran 77 portability

The portability of software has become a major commercial issue in recent times. Such portability does not come easily, as few if any computer languages are really portable in practice. An additional complicating factor, especially in the commercial environment, is that the resulting software must be efficient. This paper describes the design and successful implementation of a 500,000+ line portable FORTRAN 77 package for the processing of seismic data. The package exhibits demonstrably high efficiency on a wide variety of machines from minicomputers to the largest supercomputers. Experiences gained during this exercise throw much light on the integration of the various thought processes which occur during the software engineering cycle, especially the notion of locality.     

How Accurately Do Engineers Predict Software Maintenance Tasks?

Research shows considerable overlap among perfective, corrective, and adaptive maintenance tasks in software development projects. A case study involving two recent products provides further empirical evidence of this distribution and sheds light on how well programmers estimate both the type of maintenance necessary and the duration with some significant surprises     

Comparison of mainline and alternate approaches to fusion energy

The tokamak and tandem mirror concepts are compared with alternate confinement concepts using the criteria established in DOE/ET-0047, An Evaluation of Alternate Magnetic Fusion Concepts 1977. The concepts are evaluated and rated in each of three broad categories: confidence in physics and technology, and reactor desirability. The STARFIRE and MARS reactors are used as a basis for comparing the mainline tokamak and tandem mirror concepts with the alternate concepts evaluated in DOE/ET-0047. Two recent alternate concepts, theohmically heated toroidal experiment (OHTE) and thecompact reversed field pinch reactor (CRFPR), are also evaluated. Results indicate that the physics of the mainline tokamaks and tandem mirrors is better understood than that of most alternate concepts. Both mainline concepts rank near the middle for technology requirements, and both rank near or at the bottom when compared with the reactor desirability of alternate concepts.     

Wetting properties of homopolymers and copolymers of pentafluorostyrene and methylacrylate and homopolymer blends

Polypentafluorostyrene (PPFS), polymethylacrylate (PMA), and poly(pentafluorostyrene-co-methylacrylate), poly(PFS-co-MA) were prepared and the wetting characteristics of polymer blends of PPFS and PMA were compared with that of poly(PFS-co-MA) via contact angle measurements. The critical surface tension of polypentafluorostyrene was found to be 22.6 dyne/cm, which is comparable to the value reported for polytrifluoroethylene (22 dyne/cm). The critical surface tension of poly(PFS-co-MA) is not linearly related to its composition. The polymer blends of PPFS and PMA exhibit significant surface enrichment of the fluoropolymer. The harmonic-mean method¹ was employed to determine surface tensions of these polymers and many known polymers. It is found that the method produces useful surface tension data provided the contact angle values are derived from testing liquids of dissimilar polarity.     

Industrial agglomeration,geographic innovation and total factor productivity: The case of Taiwan

The paper analyses the impact of geographic innovation on total factor productivity (TFP) in Taiwan in 2001 using 242 four-digit standard industrial classification (SIC) industries. We compute TFP by estimating Translog production functions with K, L, E and M inputs, and measure the geographic innovative activity using both Krugman's Gini coefficients and the location Herfindahl index. We also consider the geographic innovation variable as an endogenous variable and use two stage least squares (2SLS) to obtain a consistent, albeit inefficient, estimator. The empirical results show a significantly positive effect of geographic innovation, as well as R&D expenditure, on TFP. These results are robust for the Gini coefficients and location Herfindahl index, when industrial characteristics and heteroskedasticity are controlled. Moreover the Hausman test shows that the geographic innovation variable should be treated as endogenous which supports the modern theory of industrial clustering regarding innovation spillovers within clusters.     

CEO's Corner

ABSTRACT

This article discusses adopting quality function deployment to develop an effective and efficient process measurement program. The project was conducted at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) in Norfolk, Virginia, over a 5-month period. The objective was to develop a measurement program for a software maintenance by identifying the critical metrics for the entire process. As a result, 23 quality metrics were developed for NUWC's process measurement program. Also discussed are the benefits achieved during the quality function deployment process.