VERSA: Verification, Execution and Rewrite System for ASCR

VERSA is a tool for the automated analysis of resource-bound real-time systems using the Algebra of Communicating Shared Resources (ACSR). This document serves as an introduction to the tool for beginning users, and as a reference for process and command syntax, examples of usage, and tables of operators, built-in functions and algebraic laws. Two detailed examples demonstrate the application of VERSA to cononical examples from the literature. This version of the VERSA user\u27s guide reflects the 95.09.10 version of the tool

Aso Oke: The Evolving Tradition of Hand-Woven Textile Design Among the Yoruba of South-Western Nigeria.

Aso oke is the name given to cloth woven for ceremonial use among the Yoruba-speaking people of south-western Nigeria. The thesis explores the production, distribution and consumption of this cloth through an account based on field research supplemented by archival and secondary sources. The first chapter suggests that the notion of tradition and its relation to both continuity and processes of change is a productive way of appreciating key aspects of the role of aso oke in Yoruba life. The following chapter looks at the history of weaving technology and of hand-woven textile design in the region. Following on from this the weavers' compound is documented as the currently dominant form of production organisation for aso oke, with the focus moving out from a single compound to a wider picture of weaving in Oyo and beyond. The growing movement of young women into aso oke weaving is discussed in the fourth chapter, after which an account is given of the fundamental importance of women cloth traders in promoting design change. In particular their recent role in stimulating an influx of Ewe weavers from Ghana to compete in the aso oke market, and the far-reaching impact of these developments on the design repertoire of Yoruba weavers is documented. The penultimate chapter covers the consumption of aso oke, moving from an account of historical controversies over issues such as cultural nationalism and the role of aso egbe or group dress, to an exploration of the use of the cloth in ceremonies in the 1990s. The conclusion highlights the continuing importance of individual and often idiosyncratic innovation throughout the production, distribution, and consumption of aso oke

Orthodoxy and the New Russia

This paper examines the contemporary phenomenon of the reemergence of the Orthodox Church not only as the leading religious institution of post-Soviet Russia, but also as a core marker of identity. The disappearance of the Soviet Union has produced a profound crisis of idemity in Russia. Traditional markers of identity, particularly the Orthodox Church, have assumed an importance hardly anticipated before the collapse of the USSR

A Compiler Project for Translating a C Subset to SPARC Assembly Language

We present a complete description of a project for a compiler that translates a subset of the C programming language to SPARC assembler language. The project is suitable for a one semester undergraduate course on compilers and interpreters based on the text of Aho, Sethi, and Ullman, and has been used successfully in that context at the University of Pennsylvania. Output that facilitate scoring, and checkpoints for monitoring the students\u27 progress are integral to the project description

VERSA: A Tool for the Specification and Analysis of Resource-Bound Real-Time Systems

VERSA is a tool that assists in the algebraic analysis of real-time systems. It is based on ACSR, a timed process algebra designed to express resource-bound real-time distributed systems. VERSA supports the analysis of real-time processes through algebraic rewriting, interactive execution, and equivalence testing. This paper begins by presenting a brief overview of the process algebra ACSR, its syntax, operational semantics, and equivalence relations. VERSA\u27S process and command syntax, its algebraic rewrite system, and its state-based analysis features are described fully. The presentation includes examples that illustrate the salient features of ACSR, and output from sample VERSA sessions that demonstrate the application of the tool to real-time systems analysis

Investigating speech and language impairments in delirium: a preliminary case-control study

<div><p>Introduction</p><p>Language impairment is recognized as as part of the delirium syndrome, yet there is little neuropsychological research on the nature of this dysfunction. Here we hypothesized that patients with delirium show impairments in language formation, coherence and comprehension.</p><p>Methods</p><p>This was a case-control study in 45 hospitalized patients (aged 65–97 years) with delirium, dementia without delirium, or no cognitive impairment (N = 15 per group). DSM-5 criteria were used for delirium. Speech was elicited during (1) structured conversational questioning, and (2) the "Cookie Theft" picture description task. Language comprehension was assessed through standardized verbal and written commands. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed.</p><p>Results</p><p>Delirium and dementia groups scored lower on the conversational assessment than the control group (p<0.01, moderate effect sizes (r) of 0.48 and 0.51, resp.). In the Cookie Theft task, the average length of utterances (i.e. unit of speech), indicating language productivity and fluency, distinguished patients with delirium from those with dementia (p<0.01, r = 0.50) and no cognitive impairment (p<0.01, r = 0.55). Patients with delirium performed worse on written comprehension tests compared to cognitively unimpaired patients (p<0.01, r = 0.63), but not compared to the dementia group.</p><p>Conclusions</p><p>Production of spontaneous speech, word quantity, speech content and verbal and written language comprehension are impaired in delirious patients compared to cognitively unimpaired patients. Additionally, patients with delirium produced significantly less fluent speech than those with dementia. These findings have implications for how speech and language are evaluated in delirium assessments, and also for communication with patients with delirium. A study limitation was that the delirium group included patients with co-morbid dementia, which precludes drawing conclusions about the specific language profile of delirium.</p></div