Abstract
As new standards for technology specifications related to XML are unveiled, and stable tools to implement them become available, the widespread usage of XML as an universal format for data exchange between heterogeneous systems (using the Internet), will increasingly become a reality. Therefore, in order to deal efficiently with the large amounts of XML data that will be generated in the near future it is imperative to find efficient alternatives for the storage and management of this special kind of data. For that matter, object-oriented databases seem to be a good alternative. In this paper, we begin with an analysis of the different alternatives available to store and manage XML data. After that, we concentrate our attention on the Object-Oriented (OO) database approach and, in that context, we present a first set of rules that allow the translation from a simple database schema specified in ODL (Object Definition Language) into a schema specified in XML-SCHEMA. In the near future we intend not only to expand this set with new rules that will handle other, more complex, OO modeling constructs, but also to create another set Of transformation rules to work the other way round (i. e. from XML-SCHEMA to ODL). Our aim is to cover all the possible modeling situations one may come across in OO database schemas specified in ODL.

Abstract
The XML (eXtensible Mark-up Language), proposed by the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) as the new standard for data representation and exchange in the Internet, is a document mark-up (meta) language that seems adequate to the needs of today's World Wide Web. With the proliferation of XML documents in the Web, it is necessary to store and query them efficiently. In this article, it is our purpose to investigate the different approaches currently available to the storage and management of XML data. Moreover, we intend to analyse the main characteristics of some of the XML query languages, which have been proposed both by the Database and Internet communities, namely XML-QL, XQL, Quilt, and Xquery. The latter has been proposed by the W3C Query Working Group with the purpose of providing a standard for a XML query language. We believe that a query language such as Xquery will certainly accelerate the utilization of XML as an alternative approach to data storage, since it will make possible to interrogate, efficiently and in unpredictable ways (queries ad hoc), XML documents.

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The eXtreme Processing Platform (XPP) is a unique reconfigurable computing (RC) architecture supported by a complete set of design tools. This paper presents the XPP Vectorizing C Compiler XPP-VC, the first high-level compiler for this architecture. It uses new mapping techniques, combined with efficient vectorization. A temporal partitioning phase guarantees the compilation of programs with unlimited complexity, provided that only the supported C subset is used. A new loop partitioning scheme permits to map large loops of any kind. It is not constrained by loop dependences or nesting levels. To our knowledge, the compilation performance is unmatched by any other compiler for RC. Preliminary evaluations show compilation times of only a few seconds from C code to configuration binaries and performance speedups over standard microprocessor implementations. The overall technology represents a significant step toward RC architectures which are faster and simpler to program.

Abstract
Computerized analysis of rat gait is becoming an invaluable technique used by some peripheral nerve investigators for the evaluation of function. In this article we describe the use of a biomechanical model of the foot and ankle that allows a quantitative assessment and description of the ankle angle, reflecting plantarflexion and dorsiflexion during the stance phase of gait. Kinematic data of 144 trial walks from 36 normal rats were recorded with a high-speed digital image camera at 225 images per second. The ankle angular changes associated with the specific temporal events of foot placement on the ground through the stance phase were assessed. The information obtained was used to propose a new subdivision of the stance phase in the rat into three major components. This approach will provide a helpful research tool to analyze gait data that rely on the accurate determination of spatiotemporal foot events. (C) 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.