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Interviews Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corp. (MCC) president, B.R. Inman. Discussion about the architectural approach of MCC; Information about various computer projects of the company; Integration of the results of the projects.

Analyzes the computer software protection. Differentiation between patentable inventions and copyrighted writings; Symposium on the software protection; Distinction between publicly funded software and privately developed software.

Focuses on the legislative bill concerning the Japanese Technical Literature Act of 1985 in the United States. Increase in the flow of science and engineering information; Reservations regarding the bill by the Department of Commerce; Efforts of the Japanese government to ensure the flow of scientific and technical literature.

Focuses on the technological and military feasibility of the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) of the United States government. Impact of SDI on US economy; Conference on commercializing SDI; Gap between government technology and marketplace as a deterrent in technological advancement.

Reports the adoption of computer inquiry III by the Federal Communications Commission in the United States. Reassessment of decisions in the face of AT&T divestiture and major changes in the marketplace; Examination of features of computer inquiry I and II; Reaffirmation of the computer inquiry III by the Computer and Business Equipment Manufacturers. Association.

The article focuses on computer crime legislation involving computer security in the U.S. Computer crime legislation often addresses issues involving computer security. Proponents of Federal computer crime legislation have argued that existing statutes are inadequate for either prosecution of crime or security and that more specific laws are needed. The Congress has responded by initiating legislation broadening its scope and authority. As a compromise measure to get a computer crime law passed before adjournment of the 98th Congress. Senate and House conferees agreed to include a provision in the Continuing Budget Resolution for fiscal year 1985 that provided limited Federal jurisdiction over certain government and government-related computer crimes. This law the Counterfeit Access Device and Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, was the first specific Federal computer crime bill passed into law. Several aspects of this law affect Federal computer security policy. First, some critics believe that the clause prohibiting abuse of a Federal computer, coupled with the uncertainty of what specifically constitutes "unauthorized access" and "knowingly discloses." might incriminate government whistle blowers.

Presents the author's opinions on the U.S. government policy regarding trade benefits to those developing countries that are violating copyright protections. Information on a report submitted by the International Intellectual Property Alliance, an organization representing trade associations, to the U.S. Trade Representative Office urging the U.S. government to suspend trade benefits to those countries that are violating copyright laws; Discussion on the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program related to duty-free imports; Information on countries which are the beneficiaries of the GSP program; Views on losses caused due to copyright infringements.

Reports on the proposal for a Tax Credit permanent legislation for investment in research and development. Details on the incremental tax credit of intangible expenditures; Significance of tax credit in maintaining commercial investments; Increase in the U.S. trade balance in high technology products.

Examines the status of the Japanese computer project and comparable American programs in Washington, D.C. Reference of the data on the 1984 Association of Computing Machinery annual conference; Allocation of funds for advance development of computers; Plans on capital investments for computers by the Japanese Ministry of International Trade and Industry.

Focuses on the issues related to computer policies in the United States. Assistance of the government in university research; Improvement of the information flow from the Federal laboratories to the industries; Emphasis of the Senate bill on the promotion of international trade.

The article focuses on the United States Department of Commerce's report "A Competitive Assessment of the United States Fiber Optics Industry," published in September 1984. The report expressed concern about the future of the U.S. fiber optics industry. Fiber optics technology allows information to be moved more economically and more effectively than ever before. This capability has made it a worldwide public policy issue. Telecommunications and the military dominate applications now, but computing is fast becoming another crucial application area. Fiber optics technology is currently being used in local area networking to connect mainframes and to link groups of workstations to a mainframe. The world market for fiber optic systems is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 30 percent, reaching approximately $3.2 billion by 1989. The governments of Japan and Western Europe are trying to counteract this advantage with targeting, which is government-sponsored fostering of a particular sector's development.

Reports on the effort of the Congress to curb trademark and patent violations in the United States. Concern on the threat of the counterfeit business to the economy; Proposal of legislation to protect intellectual property rights; Plan of the government to shorten software copyright protection.

Reports on the resolution submitted by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) to oppose the government's efforts to restrict the communication or publication of unclassified scientific research. Policies drafted by the government to control export and pose research contract constraints; Categories of university research under the Corson Report; Reasons behind the government's actions.

Features Austin, Texas-based Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corp (MCC). Goals of the company; Private companies that own MCC; Personnel recruitment policies of MCC; Research programs of the company.

This article focuses on the leadership initiatives of the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Advisory Committee for Advanced Scientific Computing Resources for large-scale scientific computing throughout the United States. Large-scale computational support activates scientific inquiry, which in turn leads to industrial applications. Industry is becoming increasingly dependent on computers to help design products that are competitive in world markets; industry's need for breakthroughs and trained manpower feeds scientific activity. The United States has a broad community of scientists and engineers engaged in computational activity, but it is scattered throughout universities, private industry, and national laboratories. The NSF initiative aims to promote cooperation and exchange of resources, drawing university research and advanced training into the mainstream. The Committee recommends that NSF give immediate priority to a national computer communication network, starting with universities and extending to industry and government laboratories.

Interviews Robert L. Park, executive director of the American Physical Society's Office of Public Affairs. Role of federal agencies in maintaining a balance between withholding technology from adversaries while fostering international trade; Impact of restrictions on the computer and business equipment industries seeking to compete in the international marketplace.

Outlines the measures taken by the United States' Executive Branch, General Accounting Office, Department of Defense, National Bureau of Standards, State governments and the private sector to cope with computer abuse. Protection of information stored in computers; Vulnerability of computers to abuse and misuse; Description of young students and others who gain illegal access to systems leading to the disruption of systems.

Reports on the developments in scientific communication in the United States. Attention to the interagency review of scientific communication and national security; Possibility of revisions to the Export Administration Act of 1979; Preparation of recommendations for control of unclassified but militarily sensitive technology, visas, scientific conferences and publication of scientific papers.

Information about several papers discussed at a conference on the development of automatic computing equipment is presented. The first session discussed Howard Hathaway Aiken's concrete achievements including the Marks I, II, III, and IV. Moreover, the second session discussed Aiken's influence on his students and members of his staff. Meanwhile, heated argument emerged about Aiken's bias view on programming languages and others.

Interviews James H. Burrows, director of the Institute for Computer Sciences and Technology at the National Bureau of Standards in the United States. Description of the research projects and publications of the Institute; Development of a communications network to monitor the storage of nuclear materials; Assistance of federal managers who deal with microcomputers.

Focuses on the Software Technology for Adaptable Reliable Systems program of the United States Department of Defense. Maintenance of U.S. leadership in computer technology for support of the agency's military systems; Program features; Estimated annual software expenditure of the agency.

Presents an interview with robotics researcher James Albus. Discussion about the feasibility of Japan's plans for a fifth generation of computers; Information about the major applications of robots and computer-controlled machines; Comments on reduction in manufacturing costs in robots and automation industries; Social implications of robots on employment.

Interviews Irving Luckom, head of the acquisition and development of data processing systems for the United States federal government and president of Tekeval Inc. Growth rate of microcomputer systems in 1983; Impact of the evolving technology on the government's acquisition process; Changes in government acquisition and development policy and procedures.

Presents an excerpt from an article and commentary by Paul Davis published in the July 1985 issue of the journal "SIAM News."

This article focuses on the speech of Erich Bloch, director of the National Science Foundation, at the 10th Annual AAAS Colloquium held in April 1985 in Washington D.C. The NSF has set budget priorities and created new programs to help meet the challenge to the U.S. research preeminence from foreign competitors. With a budget of $1.6 billion for the fiscal year beginning October 1, 1985 planned. NSF has become a major supporter of basic research in universities. In a year of enormous pressures to reduce or freeze federal spending, the NSF budget reflects a strong commitment to long-term research, for example, in engineering and biotechnology that will eventually bolster U.S. industry in the international marketplace. Closely linked with NSF's effort to strengthen the science and technology infrastructure is its perceived need to help talented young researchers. In fiscal year 1986, NSF expects to support about 3,200 postdoctoral researchers and some 11,000 graduate students. In concluding his remarks, Bloch discussed excellence as a major NSF goal. He expressed concern about universities bypassing the peer review system and seeking decisions on facilities through the political process.

Focuses on the legislative bills presented to the 98th U.S. Congress in relation to the computing community. Information on the bill on science and mathematics education; Description of the bill related export controls; Details of a comprehensive immigration reform bill; Discussion on the bill associated with joint research and development.

This article discusses the efforts of the U.S. government to improve the balance of trade. Office of Trade Information Services of the U.S. Department of Commerce has created a product line of Export Statistics Profiles (ESP) to encourage select American industries to compete in the international marketplace. The Profiles are currently targeted at some 33 industries, including business and office equipment, telecommunications systems, and computers and peripherals. The ESP were prepared from the official U.S. export statistics compiled by the Census Bureau, United Nations market-share reports covering estimated imports by all major nations, and the Commerce Department's own market-research analysis. The last is from information collected by the U.S. embassies and posts around the world. These statistics, are used to identify the behavioral characteristics of an industry in the marketplace and point out principals in each market and furnish specific trade leads. The profiles offers Export Market Brief, which is an overview of the industry's potential and leading export items.

Discusses the procedures involved in the United States Department of Defense's (DoD) computer procurement. Accusation against the DoD for wasting money through inaccurate inventory records and poor management of resources by leasing than purchasing computers; Criticism on DoD's propensity for costly leasing; Dod's preference to general sales agent price schedules than competitive acquisition.

Reports on United States President Ronald Reagan's proposed creation of a Cabinet-level Department of International Trade and Industry. Support for the proposal; Reagan's call on U.S. Congress to enact the plan into law in order to achieve a more coordinated approach to international trade; Plan to merge the U.S. National Bureau of Standards with the National Science Foundation.

The article focuses on the findings of the Panel on Scientific Communication and National Security, created in 1982 by the National Academy of Sciences, to study the issue of transfer of military sensitive U.S. technology to the Eastern Bloc countries. Dale Corson, President Emeritus of Cornell University, chaired the panel. The panel revealed that technology was not transferred from U.S. universities. The panel focused on scientific communication disseminated from research activity in universities and industrial and government laboratories. The report of the panel was endorsed by the University Forum of the U.S. Department of Defense.

This article reports on the increase in the total budget request by the United States National Science Foundation (NSF) for the fiscal year 1984. The total budget request is $1,292.3 million, an increase of 18 percent over the fiscal year 1983 level of $1,097.2 million. This total includes $1,250,7 million for research and related activities, and $39 million for science and engineering education. According to NSF Director Edward A. Knapp, the request takes a significant step in the direction of restoring the vitality, strength, and overall quality of the science and technology enterprise in the nation's universities and colleges, first by providing expanded levels of support for gifted researchers and graduate students and for research instrumentation. Second, it contains three Presidential initiatives, two designed to improve the quality of teaching in science and mathematics in secondary schools. The third is a cooperative program between government and the private sector to encourage the brightest young science and engineering faculty members to continue their academic research and teaching careers.

Focuses on the recommendations for computer hacking issues and possible solutions by the Association for Computing Machinery. Definition of a computer hacker; Deliberations on the extent of hacking; Promotion of legal and ethical use of the technology.