Miller-Dieker lissencephaly syndrome (MDS) is a human developmental brain malformation caused by neuronal migration defects resulting in abnormal layering of the cerebral cortex. LIS1, the gene defective in MDS, encodes a subunit of brain platelet-activating factor (PAF) acetylhydrolase which inactivates PAF, a neuroregulatory molecule. We have isolated murine cDNAs homologous to human LIS1 and mapped these to three different chromosomal loci (Lis1, Lis3, Lis4). The predicted sequences of murine Lis1 protein and its human homolog LIS1 are virtually identical. In the developing mouse and human, Lis1 and LIS1 genes were strongly expressed in the cortical plate. In the adult mouse Lis1 transcripts were abundant in cortex and hippocampus. The direct correlation between cortical defects in MDS patients and Lis1 expression in the murine cortex suggest that the mouse is a model system suitable to study the mechanistic basis of this intriguing genetic disease.

Abstract. Bridging the gap between the specification of software requirements and actual execution of the behavior of the specified system has been the target of much research in recent years. We have created a natural language interface, which, for a useful class of systems, yields the automatic production of executable code from structured requirements. In this paper we describe how our method uses static and dynamic grammar for generating live sequence charts (LSCs), that constitute a powerful executable extension of sequence diagrams for reactive systems. We have implemented an automatic translation from controlled natural language requirements into LSCs, and we demonstrate it on two sample reactive systems.

Driving is an attention-demanding task, especially with children in the back seat. While most recommendations prefer to reduce children's screen time in common entertainment systems, e.g. DVD players and tablets, parents often rely on these systems to entertain the children during car trips. These systems often lack key components that are important for modern parents, namely, sociability and educational content. In this contribution we introduce PANDA, a parental affective natural driving assistant. PANDA is a virtual in-car entertainment agent that can migrate around the car to interact with the parent-driver or with children in the back seat. PANDA supports the parent-driver via speech interface, helps to mediate her interaction with children in the back seat, and works to reduce distractions for the driver while also engaging, entertaining and educating children. We present the design of PANDA system and preliminary tests of the prototype system in a car setting.

We examine how students work in scenario-based and objectoriented programming (OOP) languages, and qualitatively analyze the use of abstraction through the prism of the differences between the paradigms. The findings indicate that when working in a scenario-based language, programmers think on a higher level of abstraction than when working with OOP languages. This is explained by other findings, which suggest how the declarative, incremental nature of scenario-based programming facilitates separation of concerns, and how it supports a kind of programming that allows programmers to work with a less detailed mental model of the system they develop. The findings shed light on how declarative approaches can reduce the cognitive load involved in programming, and how scenario-based programming might solve some of the difficulties involved in the use of declarative languages. This is applicable to the design of learning materials, and to the design of programming languages and tools.

The computer game of quantum minesweeper is introduced as a quantum extension of the well-known classical minesweeper. Its main objective is to teach the unique concepts of quantum mechanics in a fun way. Quantum minesweeper demonstrates the effects of superposition, entanglement and their non-local characteristics. While in the classical minesweeper the goal of the game is to discover all the mines laid out on a board without triggering them, in the quantum version there are several classical boards in superposition. The goal is to know the exact quantum state, i.e. the precise layout of all the mines in all the superposed classical boards. The player can perform three types of measurement: a classical measurement that probabilistically collapses the superposition; a quantum interaction-free measurement that can detect a mine without triggering it; and an entanglement measurement that provides non-local information. The application of the concepts taught by quantum minesweeper to one-way quantum computing are also presented.