Robert M. Siegfried

Student Attitudes on Software Piracy and Related Issues of Computer Ethics

Software piracy is older than the PC and has been the subject of several studies, which have found it to be a widespread phenomenon in general, and among university students in particular. An earlier study by Cohen and Cornwell from a decade ago is replicated, adding questions about downloading music from the Internet. The survey includes responses from 224 students in entry-level courses at two schools, a nondenominational suburban university and a Catholic urban college with similar student profiles. The study found that there has been few if any changes in student opinions regarding the unauthorized duplication of copy- righted materials. Students generally felt that copying commercial software and downloading music from the Internet was acceptable and found that there was no significant correlation between student attitudes and their school’s religious affiliation or lack thereof. Additionally, the study found that a small but significant percentage of respondents considered the other questionable behaviors as ethically acceptable. Finally, the reasons for these attitudes are discussed as well as what colleges can do to correct the situation.

A scripting language to help the blind to program visually

Computer programming, a career path that has been accessible to the blind, has changed in recent years as more systems use graphical user interfaces. These changes make it more difficult for the blind to work productively as programmers. Visual Basic, a RAD programming language that stores forms in text format, requires a great deal of information to be specified. A scripting language is introduced which simplifies the task and allows blind programmers to specify forms in a much simpler fashion. An example and a formal grammar are included.

Extending a scripting language for visual basic forms

A prototype scripting language was introduced in 2002 to assist the blind in creating forms for Visual Basic programs in a much simpler fashion; currently, creating these forms are particularly difficult for the blind and visually impaired. The language is expanded to include the Visual Basic objects that were omitted from the original grammar for the scripting language. A second prototype of the compiler for the scripting language is now available online. An example and a formal grammar are included.

An Eddy-Current Study of Casting

Even though casting technology has a 5000-year history, the understanding and control of the process still has significance to current metal producers. Nondestructive evaluation is usually applied to finished or semifinished product; however, in casting, when the evaluation is moved to the point of production, the testing procedure can be incorporated into the casting control. The metallurgical impetus for such casting control and evaluation cannot be simply stated since the needs are process and product dependent. The main technical advantage of applying eddy-current analysis to the study of solidification is that eddy currents have a reasonable sensitivity to continuous and discontinuous conductivity changes. A drawback in the examination of the liquid-solid interfaces is that the eddy-current signals are integrated over a substantial volume, which averages out detailed information such as dendrite structure. To successfully use the technique of eddy-current analysis, one must utilize postmortem metallographic examination of specimens for standards and detailed mathematical modeling of the solidification response, which cover probable morphologies. Laboratory measurements of freezing of a Pb-20Sn alloy demonstrate that directional solidification can be identified. Finally, two techniques of data analysis for processing eddy-current signals are presented and discussed.

Eddy current measurements in steel processing

This effort includes a discussion of the physical and analytical techniques of eddy current measurment, a discussion of measurements made upon a steel continuous caster, and a discussion of how one would use this knowledge to improve casting practice.