In this report, we point out a serious security flaw in Microsoft Word and Excel. The stream cipher RC4 [9] with key length up to 128 bits is used in Microsoft Word and Excel to protect the documents. But when an encrypted document gets modified and saved, the initialization vector remains the same and thus the same keystream generated from RC4 is applied to encrypt the different versions of th...

The Abstract Sifter is a Microsoft Excel based application that enhances existing search capabilities of PubMed. The Abstract Sifter assists researchers to search effectively, triage results, and keep track of articles of interest. The tool implements an innovative "sifter" functionality for relevance ranking, giving the researcher a way to find articles of interest quickly. The tool also gives...

We describe the design and use of the spreadsheet optimizer that is bundled with Microsoft Excel. We explain why we and Microsoft made certain choices in designing its user interface, model processing, and solution algorithms for linear, nonlinear and integer programs. We describe some of the common pitfalls encountered by users, and remedies available in the latest version of Microsoft Excel. ...

The aim of this paper is to review a published paper, ‘Using computer software packages to enhance the teaching of Engineering Management Science: Part 1 –Critical path networks’. Excel in Microsoft Office 2007 was discovered to be able to solve critical path network problems with some programming. The capabilities of the two previously evaluated packages, Microsoft Project 2007 and Quantitativ...

The ability to visualize location and time information on satellite-generated maps using geographic information systems (GIS) such as Google Earth has enabled researchers with limited mapping expertise to use GIS for a wide range of applications. GIS holds special benefits for research in historical geography involving visualization of events and time-based changes in geographical information. ...

A critical component essential to good research is the accurate and efficient collection and preparation of data for analysis. Most medical researchers have little or no training in data management, often causing not only excessive time spent cleaning data but also a risk that the data set contains collection or recording errors. The implementation of simple guidelines based on techniques used ...

The difficulties encountered by students of all ages in understanding probability and randomness have been widely documented. This paper describes an attempt to teach probability concepts at secondary school level using widely available spreadsheet software. The 10PLUS (Ten Probability Lessons Using Spreadsheets) project seeks to improve students’ grasp of randomness and elementary probability ...