CTGEN - a Unit Test Generator for C

We present a new unit test generator for C code, CTGEN. It generates test data for C1 structural coverage and functional coverage based on pre-/post-condition specifications or internal assertions. The generator supports automated stub generation, and data to be returned by the stub to the unit under test (UUT) may be specified by means of constraints. The typical application field for CTGEN is embedded systems testing; therefore the tool can cope with the typical aliasing problems present in low-level C, including pointer arithmetics, structures and unions. CTGEN creates complete test procedures which are ready to be compiled and run against the UUT. In this paper we describe the main features of CTGEN, their technical realisation, and we elaborate on its performance in comparison to a list of competing test generation tools. Since 2011, CTGEN is used in industrial scale test campaigns for embedded systems code in the automotive domain.Comment: In Proceedings SSV 2012, arXiv:1211.587

European Union Security Landscape Post-9/11: Necessary Protection or Unjustified Expansion of a Security Regime?

Focusing on changes to the third-pillar of the EU legal structure following 9/11, this paper provides analysis into legislative and policy changes in the European Union arising out of the events of September 11th. Following the attacks of 9/11, an unprecedented ex-pansion of the EU-level security capabilities took place within a relatively short amoun

Development of Mismatch Repair-Fluorescent Protein Fusion for Single Molecule Imaging

DNA mismatch repair (MMR) is an essential process for maintaining genome integrity. Defective MMR can lead to the hereditary cancer predisposition Lynch Syndrome, as well as 10-40% of related cancers1. MMR removes a mismatched DNA nucleotide and replaces it with the correct one2. This process involves the formation of a cascade of highly conserved MMR protein complexes on DNA3. These conserved proteins include the MutS and MutL proteins in Escherichia coli and their homologs in other organisms1. Knowing how the MutS and MutL homolog complexes interact with DNA and each other is crucial for understanding MMR. A powerful method for studying such interactions is single-molecule total internal reflection fluorescence (smTIRF) microscopy. To visualize MMR using smTIRF, individual proteins must be labeled with a fluorophore. Engineered fluorescent proteins that contain specific excitation and emission properties have been used in smTIRF. This project sought to establish useful fluorescent proteins to study MMR in vivo by identifying the far-red fluorescence spectrum of the fluorescent protein miRFP670 and constructing two fluorescent protein fusions: MutS-mTagBFP and MutS-mEos3.2. In preliminary studies, the emission spectrum of purified miRFP670 was obtained via spectrofluorimetry. The expression of MutS-mTagBFP was optimized and a purification protocol developed. MutS-mEos3.2, however, appeared to inhibit normal MutS function and was not pursued further.The Ohio State University's Second-year Transformational Experience Program (STEP) helped to fund this project.The Ohio State University's Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Inquiry helped to fund this projectNo embargoAcademic Major: Biolog

Integrated Module Testing and Module Verification

In this dissertation an integrated approach to formal module verification by model checking and module testing is described. The main focus lays on the verification of C functions. Specification-based testing and functional verification require a formalized module specification. For this purpose an annotation language as an extension of a pre-/post-condition syntax is developed and discussed. This annotation language allows the definition of logical conditions relating the program s pre-state to its post-state after executing the module. For requirements tracking a test case specification is developed. The correctness conditions can be refined by the introduction of auxiliary variables. Besides the specification of the module under test, the presented annotation language allows to model the behavior of external functions called by the module under test. By the specification of pre- and post-conditions as well as test cases, test data generation for both structural and functional testing is reduced to a reachability problem (as known from bounded model checking) within the module s control flow graph. These reachability problems are investigated using symbolic execution. The strength of symbolic execution is in its precision and its ability to reason about multiple program inputs simultaneously, but it also has limitations like aliasing or external function calls. These in turn are analyzed and new algorithms are developed which overtake most of the detected limitations. The expansion and selection strategies for test case selection are developed and described. They allow to minimize the size of investigated states and the number of generated test cases, while achieving maximal branch coverage. The developed algorithms and strategies are implemented in the test generator CTGEN, which generates test data for C1 structural coverage and for functional coverage. It also supports automated stub generation where the data returned by a stub during test execution depends on the specification provided by the user. CTGEN is evaluated and compared with competing tools and produces competitive results

Comparative Study of the Scholastic Ability, Scholastic Achievement and Activity Participation of Home Economics Students at South Dakota State College

The status of the professional home economist is dependent at least partially on the relative standing of the home economics student to other students. While it is recognized that additional factors influence the home economist’s status upon graduation, it is felt that certain knowledge concerning the background of the home economics student would provide valuable information basic to developing a better understanding of home economists and their professional. This study is designed primarily as an investigation of the students enrolled as home economics majors at South Dakota State College. It concerns comparative data of the home economics and the non-home economics students in terms of scholastic ability, scholastic achievement, and activity participation. It was found that the South Dakota State College home economics students compared favorably with the total student group in the college in terms of scholastic ability as measured by certain standardized tests and achievement in high school. The also compared favorably with the scholastic ability of non-home economics students. The home economics students compared favorably with the college enrollees in scholastic achievement as measured by marks indicating their attainment in core subjects and total subjects as well as their rank in the college graduating class. The pattern of activity participation by home economics women was shown to be similar to that of non-home economics women. The extent of high school and college group activity participation was found to compare favorably with non-home economics women. Some differences were noted in the degree and the type of cultural and social activity in the two groups

Racial Stacking of Black High School Quarterbacks as Dual-Threats

Since the turn of the millennium, Black quarterbacks have made a significant impression on the landscape of American football. While in previous decades Black quarterbacks were outright prevented from playing that position in the NFL and on certain college teams, in recent years this outright discrimination has seemingly ended. I sought to examine whether Black quarterbacks have achieved true equality with their White counterparts by analyzing the categorization of high school quarterback recruits as dual-threat or pro-style. Given the stereotypes that exist regarding Black athletic advantages, I hypothesized that Black quarterbacks would be more likely to be categorized as dual-threats, given the need for this type of quarterback to both pass and run the football and thus being a more athletic style of quarterback. I reviewed the football recruiting website Rivals.com\u27s rankings of the top dual-threat and pro-style quarterbacks in the classes from 2002 to 2023 to see if there are connections between race and a quarterback\u27s category. This revealed a statistically significant correlation between Black quarterbacks being labeled as dual-threats and White quarterbacks being labeled as pro-style. I then connect my findings with existing literature regarding the stacking of quarterbacks in certain positions based on their race, the history of Black quarterbacks, and public perceptions of Black athletes. My research indicates that Black quarterbacks are stacked in the dual-threat category, continue to be treated differently when compared to White quarterbacks, and are still perceived as inherently more athletic than their non-Black counterparts

Method of densifying an article formed of reaction bonded silicon nitride

A method of densifying an article formed of reaction bonded silicon nitride is disclosed. The reaction bonded silicon nitride article is packed in a packing mixture consisting of silicon nitride powder and a densification aid. The reaction bonded silicon nitride article and packing powder are sujected to a positive, low pressure nitrogen gas treatment while being heated to a treatment temperature and for a treatment time to cause any open porosity originally found in the reaction bonded silicon nitride article to be substantially closed. Thereafter, the reaction bonded silicon nitride article and packing powder are subjected to a positive high pressure nitrogen gas treatment while being heated to a treatment temperature and for a treatment time to cause a sintering of the reaction bonded silicon nitride article whereby the strength of the reaction bonded silicon nitride article is increased