A Conversation with Robert V. Hogg

Robert Vincent Hogg was born on November 8, 1924 in Hannibal, Missouri. He earned a Ph.D. in statistics at the University of Iowa in 1950, where his advisor was Allen Craig. Following graduation, he joined the mathematics faculty at the University of Iowa. He was the founding Chair when the Department of Statistics was created at Iowa in 1965 and he served in that capacity for 19 years. At Iowa he also served as Chair of the Quality Management and Productivity Program and the Hanson Chair of Manufacturing Productivity. He became Professor Emeritus in 2001 after 51 years on the Iowa faculty. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics and the American Statistical Association plus an Elected Member of the International Statistical Institute. He was President of the American Statistical Association (1988) and chaired two of its winter conferences (1992, 1994). He received the ASA's Founder's Award (1991) and the Gottfried Noether Award (2001) for contributions to nonparametric statistics. His publications through 1996 are described in Communications in Statistics--Theory and Methods (1996), 2467--2481. This interview was conducted on April 14, 2004 at the Department of Statistics, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, and revised in the summer of 2006.Comment: Published at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/088342306000000637 in the Statistical Science (http://www.imstat.org/sts/) by the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org

A deliberative model for self-adaptation middleware using architectural dependency

A crucial prerequisite to externalized adaptation is an understanding of how components are interconnected, or more particularly how and why they depend on one another. Such dependencies can be used to provide an architectural model, which provides a reference point for externalized adaptation. In this paper, it is described how dependencies are used as a basis to systems' self-understanding and subsequent architectural reconfigurations. The approach is based on the combination of: instrumentation services, a dependency meta-model and a system controller. In particular, the latter uses self-healing repair rules (or conflict resolution strategies), based on extensible beliefs, desires and intention (EBDI) model, to reflect reconfiguration changes back to a target application under examination

Deep structures wet etched into lithium niobate using a physical mask

The present work is an investigation and characterization of a new technique for etching and masking Lithium niobate (LiNb03) to realize high aspect ratio trenches. LiNb03 is a single crystal optically clear (from 350 nm to 5 micometer wavelength), piezoelectric material. It is also inert to most reactants and has a high curie temperature (the temperature that a material loses its piezoelectric effect). These properties allow LiNb03 to be used as a sensor or actuator in harsh environments. To realize this actuator/sensor a multilevel lithium niobate deep etching technique is currently unavailable. The present work uses a chrome gold mask and a solution of hydrofluoric acid and nitric acid at 90 C to etch the LiNb03. The new wet etch method developed yields a an etch rate of 50 /micrometer per hour on the -z face and a 250 nm per hour on the +z face

‘Post-Los Angeles’ : the conceptual city in Steve Erickson’s Amnesiascope

Within Steve Erickson’s texts, we often find setting functioning as a conceptual vehicle, the result of which is the creation of works identifiable by a number of disorienting and tangential qualities. Emanating from such employment is the presence of a symbiotic relationship existent between protagonists and their environment. Not only does this manifest in terms of interpersonal relationships, with topography fluctuating in accordance with the state of these, but we also find it apparent internally, often reflective of individual character. It is worth considering, however, the various elements and influences that inform Erickson’s conceptual settings. The writer’s fifth novel, Amnesiascope (1996), arguably depicts the most arresting of these conceptual settings. Featuring an author surrogate as the text’s central character, we find notable associations with his home city that create a ‘post-Los Angeles’. My essay aims to explore the extent to which Erickson’s own biographic details and personal interests shape this particular setting, detailing its place in the wider context of his work, whilst also analysing how a range of themes manifest within the confines of such a carefully crafted milieu.peer-reviewe

Enhancing Project Management with Lean World Class Manufacturing in Construction

In construction, the goal of commercial projects is to turn a profit. This is achieved by minimizing inputs and maximizing outputs while building a product that meets the customer’s perception of value. Value is determined through pre-negotiated specifications, plans, and material quality. Even in U.S. military construction, the unit executing the construction wants to complete the task on time and on budget, which can be difficult to do. Studies on project completion showcase a surprisingly high rate of failure in reaching the aforementioned “on time, on budget” goal. It is important to understand the nuances and details of U.S. Army engineering and construction because the method used to test the viability of integrating Lean World Class Manufacturing (LWCM) into a construction project involved an Army Engineer Company. The purpose is to make a company more competitive in the marketplace; in the same way the Japanese automotive industry came to dominate American car manufacturers during the 1980s. This approach to manufacturing requires a firm’s complete dedication to the implementation of the philosophy. The objective of this research is to determine the economic viability of applying LWCM techniques to a traditional construction methodology using a real world construction project. Application of LWCM precepts to a U.S. military construction project during a training exercise proves beneficial when compared to a project that did not use them; however, definitive savings in time, labor, and material costs could not be obtained to definitively state a case for their economic viability in the private sector

Coconut cadang-cadang viroid and coconut tinangaja viroid

Coconut cadang-cadang viroid (CCCVd) causes the lethal cadang-cadang disease of coconut palm in the Philippines. Variants of CCCVd are associated with a foliar orange spotting syndrome of African oil palm, showing over 90% sequence identity to CCCVd from coconut, which are also mechanically transmissible, but still require testing for pathogenicity. Coconut tinangaja viroid causes the lethal tinangaja disease of coconut palm in Guam, has about 64% sequence identity to CCCVd, but differs from cadang-cadang in symptomatology. Neither disease is under control and their epidemiology is poorly understood. Viroid-like RNAs with sequence identity to CCCVd have been detected by molecular hybridization in palms and other monocotyledonous plants in many South East Asian and South Pacific countries. Their role in palm viroid epidemiology requires thorough investigatio