Auto-coding UML statecharts for flight software

Statecharts have been used as a means to communicate behaviors in a precise manner between system engineers and software engineers. Handtranslating a statechart to code, as done on some previous space missions, introduces the possibility of errors in the transformation from chart to code. To improve auto-coding, we have developed a process that generates flight code from UML statecharts. Our process is being used for the flight software on the Space Interferometer Mission (SIM)

The Evolution of Internet Legal Regulation in Addressing Crime and Terrorism

Internet regulation has evolved from self-regulation to the criminalization of conduct to state control of information available, accessed and submitted. Criticism has been leveled at the different forms of state control and the methods employed to enforce state control. After the terrorist attack on the USA on 11 September 2001, governments justify Internet state control as a law enforcement and national security tool against the abuse and misuse of the Internet for the commission of serious crimes, such as phishing, child pornography; terrorism and copyright infringement. Some Internet users and civil rights groups perceive state control as an abomination which results in an unjustifiable infringement of civil rights. Since countries worldwide are focusing attention on the control of information on the Internet, the debate in respect of state control and the consequences of state control is relevant on a global level as it impacts on all Internet-connected countries. Keywords: legal regulation, legal evolution, Internet, Internet state control, crime, terroris

The prosecution’s duty to disclose: more reason to litigate?

Pursuant to the finding of the constitutional court in Shabalala v Attorney-General of Transvaal (1995 2 SACR 761 (CC)) that the blanket docket privilege in criminal cases as enunciated in R v Steyn (1954 1 SA 324 (A)) was inconsistent with the right to a fair trial as guaranteed by the 1993 constitution (interim constitution), courts have been called upon to adjudicate on a number of questions that arose in relation to the prosecution’s duty to disclose. This was to be expected, as the constitutional court emphasized that, should the state object to disclosure, each individual case had to be decided on its own merits with reference to the guidelines provided in this regard by the constitutional court (par 55). In this contribution the initial objections raised in the Shabalala case in support of the privilege against disclosure are again briefly considered and evaluated, where possible with the knowledge of hindsight, to establish whether or not the notions that informed the objections indeed manifested themselves to the detriment of the criminal justice system. Consideration is given to the state’s approach to disclosure, the duty to disclose as interpreted by the courts in two recent decisions and the question is posed to what extent, if at all, the prosecution’s duty to disclose is utilized for purposes other than to ensure a fair trial. The extent to which the Criminal Procedure Act 51 of 1977 (the act) and the Promotion of Access to Information Act 2 of 2000 (PAIA) contain provisions, in addition to the state’s duty to disclose, to assist an accused person to obtain sufficient information in order to advance his case is also considered

A South African perspective on mutual legal assistance and extradition in a globalized world

This contribution focuses on the modalities of mutual legal assistance and extradition from a South African perspective. The question is posed whether South Africa has succeeded to establish the required framework as a fully fledged member of the international community to make a positive contribution in the fields of mutual legal assistance and extradition subsequent to its international political isolation during the apartheid era. Although the international community derives substantial benefit from a borderless global world, it has as a result also to deal with the negative impact of globalization on international crime. Physical and/or electronic crimes are increasingly committed across borders and may be described as borderless, but law enforcement (combating, investigation and prosecution of crime) is still very much confined to the borders of a state. Criminal networks have taken advantage of the opportunities resulting from the dramatic changes in world politics, business, technology, communications and the explosion in international travel and effectively utilize these opportunities to avoid and hamper law enforcement investigations. As a sovereign state has control over its own territory it also implies that states should not interfere with each other’s domestic affairs. The correct and acceptable procedure would be for a state (requesting state) to apply to another state (requested state) for co-operation in the form of mutual legal assistance regarding the gathering of evidence and/or extradition of the perpetrator. Co-operation between states are governed by public international law between the requesting and requested state and the domestic law of the requested state. The South African legislature has increasingly provided for extraterritorial jurisdiction of South African courts in respect of organized crime and terrorism. It does however appear that existing criminal justice responses are experiencing challenges to meet the demands of sophisticated international criminal conduct. Mutual legal assistance and extradition provisions may show that the world is becoming smaller for fugitives and criminals, but the processes are far from expeditious and seamless. An overview of the South African law pertaining to mutual legal assistance and extradition indicates that the South African legislative framework and policies as well as international treaties make sufficient provision to render international assistance in respect of mutual legal assistance and extradition. The role of the courts in upholding the rule of law and protecting the constitutionally enshrined bill of rights, is indicative of the important function that the judiciary fulfills in this regard. It is important that extradition is not only seen as the function of the executive as it also involves the judiciary. It appears that South Africa has displayed the necessary commitment to normalize its international position since 1994 and to fulfill its obligations in a globalized world by reaching across borders in an attempt to address international criminal conduc

Origin of four Upper Pennsylvanian (Missourian) cyclothems in the subsurface of western Kansas : application to search for accumulation of petroleum

Ph.D. University of Kansas, Geology 1985 xviii, 506 leaves : illustrations, maps ; 28 cm. + portfolio ([18] folded leaves of plates : charts, maps).Thin, widespread, carbonate-dominated cyclothems of the Lansing, and Kansas City groups were deposited across Kansas during the Missourian on a gently tilted shelf bordering the rapidly subsiding Anadarko basin. The possible causes of this cyclothemic sedimentation are re-evaluated based upon a comparison of the stratigraphy, sedimentology, and diagenesis of four, similar, successive cyclothems over a wide area in the subsurface of western Kansas using cores, cuttings, and wireline logs. The observations and interpretations are used to evaluate the distribution of petroleum reservoirs in these cyclothems. The four cyclothems are characterized by rapid transgression and relatively slow regression of the sea across a gently tilting shelf. A thin, basal transgressive carbonate is overlain by marine shale, representing maximum inundation by the sea. The marine shale completely covered the study area but for local areas over the more significant positive areas of the shelf and in one of the cyclothems, the I-Zone. The black organic-rich facies in the marine shale covers much of the southern two-thirds of the shelf excluding portions of the structurally positive areas and again in the I-Zone. The anoxic bottom conditions that brought on the deposition of the black shale resulted primarily from the combination of stagnant bottom waters due to a thermocline and scavenging of oxygen by large amounts of terrestrial organic matter. Progressive, contemporaneous, epeirogenic deformation of the shelf significantly affected sedimentation and diagenesis in these cyclothems. These changes included varying but generally less subsidence over previously active structures such as the Central Kansas and Cambridge uplifts and increased subsidence along portions of the shelf closest to the Anadarko basin, most active during deposition of the earliest two cyclothems. These epeirogenic adjustments were however secondary in importance to a rapidly fluccuating sea level in controlling the formation of the cyclothems. Periodic changes in eustatic sea level due to continental Gondwana glaciation are deemed most plausible for producing the rhythmic flooding and subaerial exposure of the broad, gently-dipping shelf

Paleotectonic control of reservoir facies

The basement structural fabric of the Paradox basin affected sedimentary facies throughout Phanerozoic time. Continental-scale basement wrench-fault zones were rejuvenated repeatedly throughout the Paleozoic. The Paradox pull-apart evaporite basin was formed along the northwest-southeast-trending Paradox-Wichita lineament in Middle Pennsylvanian time, facilitated by basement faults of the northeast-southwest-trending Colorado lineament. Structurally controlled shoaling conditions, formed by reactivation of basement faults, fostered marine sandstone reservoirs in Late Devonian time, crinoidal buildups in the Early Mississippian, and phylloid-algae mounds in Middle Pennsylvanian time. Apparently similar basement wrench-fault zones are present in Kansas. The midcontinent rift system is a north-northeast-south-southwest-trending fault zone that was reactivated during the Paleozoic. Northwest-southeast-trending faults along the Central Kansas-Bourbon arch complex appear to have offset structures of the midcontinent rift. Both trends are interpreted to be continental-scale conjugate wrench-fault zones with sinistral displacement along the midcontinent rift and dextral displacement along the Central Kansas-Bourbon arch complex. Stratigraphic relationships suggest repeated reactivation before Pennsylvanian uplift and erosion along the major structures. In both regions major structural lineaments are associated with smaller-scale fault patterns. Reactivation of these structures through time created paleotectonic trapping conditions at several stratigraphic intervals. Evidence is accumulating in Kansas that tectonically controlled paleotopography and paleobathymetry are major predictable factors in reservoir localization. Recognition of reactivated basement structural fabrics can provide* significant constraints on reservoir characterization and modeling

Paleotectonic control of reservoir facies

The basement structural fabric of the Paradox basin affected sedimentary facies throughout Phanerozoic time. Continental-scale basement wrench-fault zones were rejuvenated repeatedly throughout the Paleozoic. The Paradox pull-apart evaporite basin was formed along the northwest-southeast-trending Paradox-Wichita lineament in Middle Pennsylvanian time, facilitated by basement faults of the northeast-southwest-trending Colorado lineament. Structurally controlled shoaling conditions, formed by reactivation of basement faults, fostered marine sandstone reservoirs in Late Devonian time, crinoidal buildups in the Early Mississippian, and phylloid-algae mounds in Middle Pennsylvanian time. Apparently similar basement wrench-fault zones are present in Kansas. The midcontinent rift system is a north-northeast-south-southwest-trending fault zone that was reactivated during the Paleozoic. Northwest-southeast-trending faults along the Central Kansas-Bourbon arch complex appear to have offset structures of the midcontinent rift. Both trends are interpreted to be continental-scale conjugate wrench-fault zones with sinistral displacement along the midcontinent rift and dextral displacement along the Central Kansas-Bourbon arch complex. Stratigraphic relationships suggest repeated reactivation before Pennsylvanian uplift and erosion along the major structures. In both regions major structural lineaments are associated with smaller-scale fault patterns. Reactivation of these structures through time created paleotectonic trapping conditions at several stratigraphic intervals. Evidence is accumulating in Kansas that tectonically controlled paleotopography and paleobathymetry are major predictable factors in reservoir localization. Recognition of reactivated basement structural fabrics can provide* significant constraints on reservoir characterization and modeling

A South African perspective on mutual legal assistance and extradition in a globalized world

This contribution focuses on the modalities of mutual legal assistance and extradition from a South African perspective. The question is posed whether South Africa has succeeded to establish the required framework as a fully fledged member of the international community to make a positive contribution in the fields of mutual legal assistance and extradition subsequent to its international political isolation during the apartheid era. Although the international community derives substantial benefit from a borderless global world, it has as a result also to deal with the negative impact of globalization on international crime. Physical and/or electronic crimes are increasingly committed across borders and may be described as borderless, but law enforcement (combating, investigation and prosecution of crime) is still very much confined to the borders of a state. Criminal networks have taken advantage of the opportunities resulting from the dramatic changes in world politics, business, technology, communications and the explosion in international travel and effectively utilize these opportunities to avoid and hamper law enforcement investigations. As a sovereign state has control over its own territory it also implies that states should not interfere with each other’s domestic affairs. The correct and acceptable procedure would be for a state (requesting state) to apply to another state (requested state) for co-operation in the form of mutual legal assistance regarding the gathering of evidence and/or extradition of the perpetrator. Co-operation between states are governed by public international law between the requesting and requested state and the domestic law of the requested state. The South African legislature has increasingly provided for extraterritorial jurisdiction of South African courts in respect of organized crime and terrorism. It does however appear that existing criminal justice responses are experiencing challenges to meet the demands of sophisticated international criminal conduct. Mutual legal assistance and extradition provisions may show that the world is becoming smaller for fugitives and criminals, but the processes are far from expeditious and seamless. An overview of the South African law pertaining to mutual legal assistance and extradition indicates that the South African legislative framework and policies as well as international treaties make sufficient provision to render international assistance in respect of mutual legal assistance and extradition. The role of the courts in upholding the rule of law and protecting the constitutionally enshrined bill of rights, is indicative of the important function that the judiciary fulfills in this regard. It is important that extradition is not only seen as the function of the executive as it also involves the judiciary. It appears that South Africa has displayed the necessary commitment to normalize its international position since 1994 and to fulfill its obligations in a globalized world by reaching across borders in an attempt to address international criminal conduct.     &nbsp