Build-Level Components in FLOSS Systems

As one of the often cited resources in Software Engineering, the modularization principle states that the coupling between modules should be minimised, while the cohesion within modules maximised. Apart from precisely defining what a module is, this principle should be challenged in empirical settings on two grounds: first, dynamically, to understand whether a module maintains or changes its behaviour over time; second, by encapsulating third-party modules, and observing how the system’s modules cope with the imported ones. This paper studies the evolution of the components of a Free/Libre/Open Source Software – FLOSS – system (MPlayer) which comprises its own modules and several imported, external modules. It studies whether all modules behave in a consistent way or different patterns are observed. It is found that few modules keep their behaviour throughout the life-cycle, and these often comprise the externally imported modules. The project’s own modules are instead prone to changes in their behaviour, most often by degrading their cohesion, therefore increasing the coupling with other modules

A Lower-Class Advantage in Face Memory

People remember what they deem important. In line with research suggesting that lower-class (vs. higher class) individuals spontaneously appraise other people as more relevant, we show that social class is associated with the habitual use of face memory. We find that lower-class (vs. higher class) participants exhibit better incidental memory for faces (i.e., spontaneous memory for faces they had not been instructed to memorize; Studies 1 and 2). No social-class differences emerge for faces participants are instructed to learn (Study 2), suggesting that this pattern reflects class-based relevance appraisals rather than memory ability. Study 3 extends our findings to eyewitness identification. Lower-class (vs. higher-class) participants’ eyewitness accuracy is less impacted by the explicit relevance of a target (clearly relevant thief vs. incidental bystander). Integrative data analysis shows a robust negative association between social class and spontaneous face memory. Preregistration (Studies 1 and 3) and cross-cultural replication (Study 2) further strengthen the results.Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences https://doi.org/10.13039/100000169Peer Reviewe

Undergraduate Research Opportunities in OSS

Using Open Source Software (OSS) in undergraduate teaching in universities is now commonplace. Students use OSS applications and systems in their courses on programming, operating systems, DBMS, web development to name but a few. Studying OSS projects from both a product and a process view also forms part of the software engineering curriculum at various universities. Many students have taken part in OSS projects as well as developers. At the University of Lincoln, under the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Scheme (UROS), undergraduate student researchers have the chance to work over the summer embedded within an existing research centre on a UROS project. Here two such projects within the Centre for Research in Open Source Software (CROSS) are described: Collaborative Development for the XO Laptop (CODEX) and Software Modularity in Open Source Software (SoMOSS) . The CODEX project focused on creating resources to support students undertaking software application development for the XO laptop, and the SoMOSS project focused on architectural studies of OSS instant messaging software. Both projects achieved successful research outcomes; more importantly, both student researchers benefited directly from the encouragement and concrete assistance that they received through interaction with the wider OSS research community. Both projects are ongoing and present further research opportunities for students

Radiocarbon evidence for the stability of polar ocean overturning during the Holocene

Funding: T.C. acknowledges support from the Strategic Priority Research Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDB40010200), Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (020614380116) and National Natural Science Foundation of China (41991325, 41822603 and 42021001). L.F.R. acknowledges support from the Natural Environment Research Council (NE/S001743/1, NE/R005117/1, NE/N003861/1 and NE/X00127X/1).Proxy-based studies have linked the pre-industrial atmospheric pCO2 rise of ∼20 ppmv in the mid- to late Holocene to an inferred increase in the Southern Ocean overturning and associated biogeochemical changes. However, the history of polar ocean overturning and ventilation through the Holocene remains poorly constrained, leaving important gaps in the assessment of the feedbacks between changes in ocean circulation and the carbon cycle in a warm climate state. The deep-ocean radiocarbon content, which provides a measure of ventilation, responds to circulation changes on centennial to millennial time scales. Here we present absolutely dated deep-sea coral radiocarbon records from the Drake Passage, between South America and Antarctica, and Reykjanes Ridge, south of Iceland, over the Holocene. Our data suggest that ventilation in the Antarctic circumpolar waters and North Atlantic Deep Water is surprisingly invariant within proxy uncertainties at our sampling resolution. Our findings indicate that long-term, large-scale polar ocean overturning has not been disturbed to a level resolvable by radiocarbon and is probably not responsible for the millennial atmosphere pCO2 evolution through the Holocene. Instead, continuous nutrient and carbon redistribution within the water column following deglaciation, as well as changes in land organic carbon stock, might have regulated atmospheric CO2 budget during this period.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Food consumption patterns in the Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada: a cross-sectional telephone survey

BACKGROUND: The demographics and lifestyles of Canadians are changing, thereby influencing food choices and food preparation in the home. Although different dietary practices are associated with increased risk of foodborne illness, our ability to evaluate food consumption trends and assess risks associated with foodborne illness is limited by lack of data on current eating habits and consumer food safety practices. The objective of this study was to describe, for the first time, the food consumption patterns in a Canadian-based population from a food safety perspective, in order to establish baseline data on actual food intake of individuals. METHOD: A cross-sectional telephone survey of 2,332 randomly selected residents of Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada (C-EnterNet pilot site) was conducted between November 2005 and March 2006. Food intake was assessed using a 7-day dietary recall method. RESULTS: Certain food items were consumed more than others among the same food groups, and consumption of many food items varied by gender and age. Specific foods considered high-risk for the transmission of certain enteric pathogens were significantly more likely to be consumed by males (i.e. unpasteurized juice, bean sprouts, and undercooked meat) and elderly individuals (i.e. undercooked eggs). The majority of households prepared and consumed most meals at home, allocating an average of 44 minutes to prepare a meal. CONCLUSION: Baseline data on actual food intake is useful to public health professionals and food safety risk assessors for developing communication messages to consumers and in foodborne outbreak investigations

The impact of albendazole treatment on the incidence of viral- and bacterial-induced diarrhea in school children in southern Vietnam: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Anthelmintics are one of the more commonly available classes of drugs to treat infections by parasitic helminths (especially nematodes) in the human intestinal tract. As a result of their cost-effectiveness, mass school-based deworming programs are becoming routine practice in developing countries. However, experimental and clinical evidence suggests that anthelmintic treatments may increase susceptibility to other gastrointestinal infections caused by bacteria, viruses, or protozoa. Hypothesizing that anthelmintics may increase diarrheal infections in treated children, we aim to evaluate the impact of anthelmintics on the incidence of diarrheal disease caused by viral and bacterial pathogens in school children in southern Vietnam.This is a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial to investigate the effects of albendazole treatment versus placebo on the incidence of viral- and bacterial-induced diarrhea in 350 helminth-infected and 350 helminth-uninfected Vietnamese school children aged 6-15 years. Four hundred milligrams of albendazole, or placebo treatment will be administered once every 3 months for 12 months. At the end of 12 months, all participants will receive albendazole treatment. The primary endpoint of this study is the incidence of diarrheal disease assessed by 12 months of weekly active and passive case surveillance. Secondary endpoints include the prevalence and intensities of helminth, viral, and bacterial infections, alterations in host immunity and the gut microbiota with helminth and pathogen clearance, changes in mean z scores of body weight indices over time, and the number and severity of adverse events.In order to reduce helminth burdens, anthelmintics are being routinely administered to children in developing countries. However, the effects of anthelmintic treatment on susceptibility to other diseases, including diarrheal pathogens, remain unknown. It is important to monitor for unintended consequences of drug treatments in co-infected populations. In this trial, we will examine how anthelmintic treatment impacts host susceptibility to diarrheal infections, with the aim of informing deworming programs of any indirect effects of mass anthelmintic administrations on co-infecting enteric pathogens.ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02597556 . Registered on 3 November 2015

Adjuvant therapy with antidepressants for the management of inflammatory bowel disease (Protocol)

This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (Intervention). The objectives are as follows: Primary objectives 1. To assess the efficacy and safety of antidepressants for managing anxiety and depression in IBD 2. To assess the efficacy and safety of antidepressants for managing quality of life in IBD Secondary objectives 1. To assess the efficacy and safety of antidepressants for managing disease activity in IB