Some aspects of error correction of programming languages

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.The thesis treats the problem of error correction in a context free language, and the design of an error correcting parser for the BASIC language. Two important things can be said about this thesis. First, it presents the problem of error correction in a context free language, and the existing results in the field. The concept of a context free language as a model for a programming language, and the definitions and results used later are presented or reviewed. A distance between two strings is defined and used to develop a “minimum distance error correcting parser”. Second, the thesis develops two global error correcting parsers. The first one is the top-down global error correcting parser, obtained by transforming Unger’s top-down parser into an error correcting one. Then the idea of Graham and Rhodes, of condensing the surrounding context of error, is extended, and a global simple precedence error correcting parser is obtained by analysing the whole content of the error, available from the input string. These parsers, and other known methods are then used to design and partially implement an error correcting parser for BASIC.Ministry of Learning and Education of Romani

Contemporary Japanese Literature in Its Transition Towards the New Postmodern Humanism: Haruki Murakami

Although Japan recorded no specific literary movement in the 1980s, in any classical sense of the term, we may say that today we are witnessing, in terms of our historical sensibility, a condensation of narrative viewpoints upon the present or, in other words, the transposition of the criteria of the present to another time, which is undoubtedly a consequence of the so-called “postmodern” will to reject grand narratives. This study aims to review and complete the inventory of the postmodern characteristics that specialisedliterature has identified in Haruki Murakami’s works, seen from the perspective of what the author of the present paper considers to be the “new postmodern humanism.”Čeprav v Japonska 80. letih 20. stoletja ni zabeležila nobenih specifičnih literarnih gibanj, v kakršnemkoli klasičnem pomenu besede, lahko rečemo, da smo danes, v smislu zgodovinske senzibilnosti priča kondenzaciji pripovednih pogledov na sedanjost, ali drugače rečeno, transpozicijo kriterija sedanjosti na drugi čas, ki je brez dvoma posledica tako imenovane »postmoderne« volje po zavrnitvi velikih pripovedi. Ta študija preučuje in dopolnjuje popis postmodernih značilnosti, ki jih je specializirana literatura identificirala v delih Harukija Murakamija, gledano iz stališča, ki ga avtor sam imenuje “novi postmoderni humanizem”

Soil pollution assessment in the Baia Mare area after partial closure of ore processing activities

The paper presents the assessment of the soil pollution with Cu, Pb and Zn in the Baia Mare area, historically polluted with metals resulted from mining and processing of non-ferrous ores. Despite the closure of mines and reducing the activity related to ore processing, Baia Mare is still a highly polluted site with Pb, Cu and Zn. The Tessier extraction scheme carried out on soil samples recently collected revealed the residual fraction as dominant for all three metals, followed by the reducible fraction bound to Fe and Mn oxides. The exchangeable fraction, considered as the most mobile fraction and that bound to carbonates, which can be mobilized under acidic conditions, were lower. The presence of the oxidisable metal fraction was also observed

Isolation of microsatellite loci in the Capricorn silvereye, Zosterops lateralis chlorocephalus (Aves : Zosteropidae)

The Capricorn silvereye (Zosterops lateralis chlorocephalus ) is ideally suited to investigating the genetic basis of body size evolution. We have isolated and characterized a set of microsatellite markers for this species. Seven out of 11 loci were polymorphic. The number of alleles detected ranged from two to five and observed heterozygosities between 0.12 and 0.67. One locus, ZL49, was found to be sex-linked. This moderate level of diversity is consistent with that expected in an isolated, island population

Characterization and assessment of potential environmental risk of tailings stored in seven impoundments in the Aries river basin, Western Romania

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to examine the potential environmental risk of tailings resulted after precious and base metal ores processing, stored in seven impoundments located in the Aries river basin, Romania. The tailings were characterized by mineralogical and elemental composition, contamination indices, acid rock drainage generation potential and water leachability of hazardous/priority hazardous metals and ions. Multivariate statistical methods were used for data interpretation. RESULTS: Tailings were found to be highly contaminated with several hazardous/priority hazardous metals (As, Cu, Cd, Pb), and pose potential contamination risk for soil, sediments, surface and groundwater. Two out of the seven studied impoundments does not satisfy the criteria required for inert wastes, shows acid rock drainage potential and thus can contaminate the surface and groundwater. Three impoundments were found to be highly contaminated with As, Pb and Cd, two with As and other two with Cu. The tailings impoundments were grouped based on the enrichment factor, geoaccumulation index, contamination factor and contamination degree of 7 hazardous/priority hazardous metals (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn) considered typical for the studied tailings. Principal component analysis showed that 47% of the elemental variability was attributable to alkaline silicate rocks, 31% to acidic S-containing minerals, 12% to carbonate minerals and 5% to biogenic elements. Leachability of metals and ions was ascribed in proportion of 61% to silicates, 11% to acidic minerals and 6% to the organic matter. A variability of 18% was attributed to leachability of biogenic elements (Na, K, Cl(-), NO(3)(-)) with no potential environmental risk. Pattern recognition by agglomerative hierarchical clustering emphasized the grouping of impoundments in agreement with their contamination degree and acid rock drainage generation potential. CONCLUSIONS: Tailings stored in the studied impoundments were found to be contaminated with some hazardous/ priority hazardous metals, fluoride and sulphate and thus presents different contamination risk for the environment. A long term monitoring program of these tailings impoundments and the expansion of the ecologization measures in the area is required

Assessing the bioavailability and translocation efficiency of mineral elements in Lycium barbarum species from R. Macedonia and R. China

Goji berries or wolfberries (Lycium barbarum L.) have been traditionally used as food and a medicinal plant. The interest in the chemical composition of goji berries has intensified because of an increased awareness of their possible health benefits. On the other hand, the toxic elements can also be interacting in the plant tissue through the bioavailable pathway of the root-soil system. The present work reports the results obtained by the proposed method for the simultaneous determination of metals (Na, Mg, K, Ca, Mn, Fe, Cu and Zn) and nonmetals (P and S) in goji berries by using inductively coupled plasma–optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), following digestion using a diluted oxidant mixture in a closed-vessel microwave oven. Determinations of Cr, As, Pb, Cd and Ni were realized using the graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometer (GFAAS). Mercury quantification was realized on the solid samples by the TDAAS method, with the automated direct mercury analyzer hydra-C. The obtained data for element contents reports the multi-element characterization of different plant parts, and variation in multi-elements content between Macedonian and Chinese species. Bioaccumulation and bioconcentration factor scores revealed the translocation efficiency of metals and nonmetals across the Lycium barbarum plant parts

Figures of Merit and Fundamental Processes in the Analysis of Ca from Liquid Samples Using an r.f. CCP Torch with Tubular and Ring Electrodes

A radiofrequency capacitively coupled Ar plasma, obtained with a molybdenum tubular electrode placed inside a quartz tube and one or two copper ring electrodes placed outside the tube, was used as spectral source for determination of atoms, ions and molecular radicals of calcium. A simultaneous spectrometer equipped with a photodiode array was used for detection of emission spectra. The atomization and ionization processes of Ca species were studied in the presence and absence of NaCl and H3PO4 matrix, with both single ring and two rings electrode torches. The limits of detection are 250 ng mL–1 for CaII 393 nm, 100 ng mL–1 for CaI 423 nm, 230 and 100 ng mL–1 for CaOH 555 nm and 622 nm. The recovery degree for certified plasma serum samples was 99.4 ± 4.4% and the RSD was between 3.8–4.9%. For 5 blood samples the RSD of Ca content is 2.9–4.4%