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This introduction begins by posing the question that this Special Issue addresses and briefly considers historical precedents and why the issue is important. The discussion then moves on to the consideration of important milestones in the history of computing, up until the present time. A brief specification of the essential components of computational systems is then offered. The final section introduces the papers that are included in this volume. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper argues that the idea of a computer is unique. Calculators and analog computers are not different ideas about computers, and nature does not compute by itself. Computers, once clearly defined in all their terms and mechanisms, rather than enumerated by behavioral examples, can be more than instrumental tools in science, and more than source of analogies and taxonomies in philosophy. They can help us understand semantic content and its relation to form. This can be achieved because they have the potential to do more than calculators, which are computers that are designed not to learn. Today’s computers are not designed to learn; rather, they are designed to support learning; therefore, any theory of content tested by computers that currently exist must be of an empirical, rather than a formal nature. If they are designed someday to learn, we will see a change in roles, requiring an empirical theory about the Turing architecture’s content, using the primitives of learning machines. This way of thinking, which I call the intensional view of computers, avoids the problems of analogies between minds and computers. It focuses on the constitutive properties of computers, such as showing clearly how they can help us avoid the infinite regress in interpretation, and how we can clarify the terms of the suggested mechanisms to facilitate a useful debate. Within the intensional view, syntax and content in the context of computers become two ends of physically realizing correspondence problems in various domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the theory of conceptual metaphor, this paper discusses the formation and characteristics of conceptual metaphor in the computer field and its influence on human thinking. The functions of the human brain and the expressions and related concepts used to describe these functions are applied to the computer, thus conceptual metaphor concerning the computer come into being. Conceptual metaphor in the field of computer, which is not only of universality but also of systematization, reflects human’s cognition of the computer and also influences human’s thinking mode to cognize the world. The study of this kind of conceptual metaphor can deepen our understanding of computer science and widen the research field of metaphor cognitive function as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Will quantum computation become an important milestone in human progress? Passionate advocates and equally passionate skeptics abound. IEEE already provides useful, neutral forums for state-of-the-art science and engineering knowledge as well as practical benchmarks for quantum computation evaluation. But could the organization do more? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Desk design and computer display height can affect posture and muscle activation during computer use. Amplitudes of postural variables and muscle activity during computer use do not explain the results from epidemiological studies of musculoskeletal discomfort and disorders related to computer use. The purpose of this study was to assess variability of posture and muscle activity during work with two computer display heights and book/paper, in conjunction with a curved desk designed to provide forearm support and a traditional, straight desk. 18 male and 18 female participants performed 10-min tasks involving keying, mousing, reading and writing in six desk/display conditions. 3D posture and surface emg were assessed for the final 2 min of each task. The curved desk resulted in greater postural and muscle activity variation, suggesting an advantage of this supportive surface over the straight desk. There was little difference in variability associated with the two display heights. However, greater variability of posture and muscle activity was evident with the book/paper condition. Non-touch typists had greater neck flexion variation. The design of information technology tasks and workstations can influence the short term variation in posture and muscle activity. Variation is influenced independently of mean postures and muscle amplitudes and therefore needs to be considered to adequately assess the risk of musculoskeletal disorders. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Computer seeks submissions for an April 2012 special issue on interaction beyond the keyboard. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The history of computing is a fascinating story. The search for little known pioneers of automation, missed fathers of the computer, unfamiliar founders of computer science, or unrecognized creators of artificial intelligence, invites us to look at the past with an open mind. In this article, we provide a comprehensive examination of the almost unknown contribution of a Spanish pioneer in all those fields during the first two decades of the 20th century, the engineer and mathematician Leonardo Torres Quevedo (1852–1936). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An important branch of computer science is the development of artificial intelligence, which is an important direction for the development of artificial intelligence. Machine game is a complete knowledge game, that is, both parties involved are fully aware of the situation and status of both sides of the game at any time. The core idea of machine game is not complicated, in fact, the game tree node valuation process and the game tree search process combination. At any intermediate stage of the game, a game tree can be conceived on the stand of one of the parties to the game. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the history of the relations between computer science, information technology, and the art of dance. In the early years of computer choreography, scientists envisaged the development of visual displays and software tools to help in choreographic design. They used random number generators to create a variety of spatial displacements and body movements for the dancers—work that suggested that computer programs could be customized to suit the preferences of the individual choreographer. Such projections fell woefully short of what a large number of choreographers, computer scientists, digital artists, and professionals from different fields eventually achieved during the last half-century, not to mention what we might expect in the future. The convergence of dance creation and performance with advances in information science and technology constitutes a privileged ground on which to explore deep philosophical implications of our embodied mind. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, Horsman et al. (Proc R Soc Lond A 470:20140182, 2014) have proposed a new framework, Abstraction/Representation (AR) theory, for understanding and evaluating claims about unconventional or non-standard computation. Among its attractive features, the theory in particular implies a novel account of what is means to be a computer. After expounding on this account, I compare it with other accounts of concrete computation, finding that it does not quite fit in the standard categorization: while it is most similar to some semantic accounts, it is not itself a semantic account. Then I evaluate it according to the six desiderata for accounts of concrete computation proposed by Piccinini (Physical computation: a mechanistic account, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2015). Finding that it does not clearly satisfy some of them, I propose a modification, which I call Agential AR theory, that does, yielding an account that could be a serious competitor to other leading account of concrete computation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kripke’s argument against functionalism extended to physical computers poses a deep philosophical problem (not previously addressed in the literature) for understanding the standard view of what computers are. The problem puts into jeopardy the definition in the standard view that computers are physical machines for performing physical computations. Indeed, it is entirely possible that, unless this philosophical problem is resolved, we will never have a good understanding of computers and may never know just what they are. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Automation and emerging information technologies are being adopted by cytology laboratories to augment Pap test screening and improve diagnostic accuracy. As a result, informatics, the application of computers and information systems to information management, has become essential for the successful operation of the cytopathology laboratory. This review describes how laboratory information management systems can be used to achieve an automated and seamless workflow process. The utilization of software, electronic databases and spreadsheets to perform necessary quality control measures are discussed, as well as a Lean production system and Six Sigma approach, to reduce errors in the cytopathology laboratory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article aims to introduce computer scientists to the new field of bioinformatics. This area has arisen from the needs of biologists to utilize and help interpret the vast amounts of data that are constantly being gathered in genomic research--and its more recent counterparts, proteomics and functional genomics. The ultimate goal of bioinformatics is to develop in silico models that will complement in vitro and in vivo biological experiments. The article provides a bird's eye view of the basic concepts in molecular cell biology, outlines the nature of the existing data, and describes the kind of computer algorithms and techniques that are necessary to understand cell behavior. The underlying motivation for many of the bioinformatics approaches is the evolution of organisms and the complexity of working with incomplete and noisy data. The topics covered include: descriptions of the current software especially developed for biologists, computer and mathematical cell models, and areas of computer science that play an important role in bioinformatics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]