December 1976 - Vol. 19 No. 12

The Computer Science and Engineering Research Study (COSERS) is briefly described. The motivation, organization, and schedule for this NSF supported study are given. For possible further reference, the subject area panel chairmen and the members of the Steering Committee are identified.

This paper describes the use of computer-aided analysis for the design and development of an integrated financial management system by the Navy Material Command Support Activity (NMCSA). Computer-aided analysis consists of a set of procedures and computer programs specifically designed to aid in the process of applications software design, computer selection and performance evaluation. There are four major components: Problem Statement Language, Problem Statement Analyzer, Generator of Alternative Designs, and Performance Evaluator. The statement of requirements was written in ADS (Accurately Defined Systems) and analyzed by a Problem Statement Analyzer for ADS. The ADS problem definition was supplemented with additional information in order to create a complete problem definition. The analyzed problem statement was translated to the form necessary for use by the SODA (Systems Optimization and Design Algorithm) program for the generation of alternative specifications of program modules and logical database structures.

A general waveform parsing system with application to structural pattern recognition of carotid pulse waves is described. The carotid arterial pulse wave is of medical importance because of variation in its structure induced by arterial aging and cardiovascular disease. The syntax-driven waveform analysis system has been applied with good results to these pulse waves to detect and measure structural variations. The waveform parsing system is modeled on a compiler-compiler system and allows the user to enter application specific information as data. It is thus general enough to be applicable to other waveforms.