July 19, 2002 -- Volume 1, Number 12
Table of Contents | Printable version
Research

GSC-IS Version 2.0 [.pdf]
http://smartcard.nist.gov/gscis.html
The Government Smart Card-Interoperability Specification (GSC-IS) was released June 27, 2002. Developed in part by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, it provides an overview of the GSC architecture and discusses "solutions to a number of the interoperability problems associated with smart card technology." The main sections of the document offer details about the GSC architectural model, access control model, basic services interface, virtual card edge interface, card capabilities container, container naming, and container data models. There are also examples of Java and C code in the appendixes. [CL]
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Commission on the Future of the United States Aerospace Industry: Interim Report #3 [.pdf]
http://www.aerospacecommission.gov/ir3final.pdf
This is the third in a series of reports issued by the Commission on the Future of the United States Aerospace Industry. These government documents identify industry and national security issues that require immediate attention; however, the scope of this report is space infrastructure, aerospace industrial base, and the 21st century aerospace workforce. After a brief background and some discussion, the commission makes several recommendations in each of these areas. Two appendixes raise concerns about current design and production trends for solid rocket motors and advanced, high-performance aircraft. [CL]
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Applied Soft Computing: Elsevier Science [.pdf]
http://www.elsevier.com/locate/asoc/
Debuting in March 2001, Applied Soft Computing is the official, online journal of the World Federation on Soft Computing. The journal focuses on "Fuzzy Logic, Neural Networks, Evolutionary Computing, Rough Sets and other similar techniques to address real world complexities." Applications of soft computing are very diverse, ranging from pattern recognition to telecommunications. The most recent issue has five articles, in which genetic programming is a prevalent topic. Access to full online text articles will be free until December 31, 2002. [CL]
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Orbital Debris Research at Johnson Space Center [.pdf]
http://sn-callisto.jsc.nasa.gov/index.html
NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC) operates this Web site about their work in orbital debris research. In the past four decades of space exploration, many satellites and other manmade objects have accumulated around the Earth. Extensive information is offered here, grouped into sections for measurement, modeling, protection, and mitigation. For example, a downloadable report about the new NASA orbital debris engineering model was released in May 2002. For a general overview of orbital debris and a few examples, there is a frequently asked questions section that addresses many common issues. [CL]
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Journal of Integer Sequences [.pdf, .ps, .dvi, .tex]
http://www.math.uwaterloo.ca/JIS/
Trying to find patterns in numbers is one of the greatest challenges in mathematics. Some researchers make it their primary area of investigation, perhaps with entire projects devoted to developing algorithms for the task. The Journal of Integer Sequences is a collection of papers written by people such as these, whose work focuses on this or a related topic. Readers will find detailed discussions of factorization methods, proofs, and theories in the published papers. Mathematicians can submit their original papers for possible inclusion in the journal. Issues dating back to 1998 can be viewed online. [CL]
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IBM Research News [.pdf, .mpg]
http://www.research.ibm.com/resources/news/20020611_millipede.shtml
On June 11, 2002, researchers at IBM "demonstrated a data storage density of a trillion bits per square inch -- 20 times higher than the densest magnetic storage available today." The project, called Millipede, uses a technique analogous to punch cards to store data, as opposed to traditional methods of magnetic storage. Although it will not likely be used in commercial applications in the near future, the implications of this achievement in nanotechnology are great. This news release gives a brief summary of the findings of the team. A much more detailed technical paper is given via a link on the page, as are several images and animations that show different portions of the Millipede chip. [CL]
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The Mathematics Preprint Server [.pdf]
http://www.mathpreprints.com/math/Preprint/show/
The Mathematics Preprint Server was launched in May 2001 by Elsevier Science. Anyone can use the site and its free, downloadable research papers and progress reports submitted by others in the math community. Authors, however, must fill out a short online registration form to post their work. Browseable by various topic, articles are categorized under the three main headings -- pure mathematics, applied mathematics, and statistics. Users can rank the articles or post comments about them in individual discussion threads. This site is an excellent tool for finding and distributing current research. [CL]
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Electronic Journal of Geotechnical Engineering
http://geotech.civen.okstate.edu/ejge/index.htm
The Electronic Journal of Geotechnical Engineering (EJGE) is an award winning publication maintained on the Geotech Web server at Oklahoma State University. The journal has been released annually since it was first published in 1996, and the current volume is well underway. With ten full text papers and four more soon to be added, there is a lot of diversity in EJGE content. Authors come from many countries around the world, providing insights into their work and research. Some topics include analyses of laterally loaded piles and performance of clay in earth dams. [CL]
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