Fault-based regression testing in a reactive environment

Regression testing is the process of retesting software after modification. Regression testing is a major factor contributing to the high cost of software maintenance. To control this cost, regression testing must be accomplished efficiently through effective reuse of test cases and judicious generation of new test cases.Fault-based testing focuses on the detection of particular classes of faults. RELAY is a fault-based testing technique that guarantees the detection of errors caused by any fault in a chosen fault classification. RELAY can be used as a regression testing technique to generate the test cases required to demonstrate that a modification is properly made. In addition, the information related to a test case chosen to detect a potential fault guides in choosing previously-selected test cases that should be reused, for a given modification.This paper presents the concepts behind RELAY and discusses how RELAY could be used as a regression testing technique. It also describes a testing environment that supports reactive regression testing as well as testing throughout the development lifecycle, which is based on integrating the RELAY model with other testing techniques

Mandating Environmental Liability Insurance

Plant cuticles are extracellular membranes covering aerial organs of plants, whose main functions rely on the protection against water loss, mechanical injury from the environment, attack of microorganism, and also regulation of gas exchange. Among the several constituents of plant cuticles, waxes are those that play an important role in their barrier properties. In order to enhance the mechanical properties of wax, NFC was applied in. In the project, mainly two kinds of methods were used to prepare wax-NFC composites. One way was wax and NFC were dissolved in toluene and casted to be a film, another way was to prepare NFC aerogel firstly, and then, impregnated the aerogel into wax liquid. After pressing it the structure was more compact. In order to characterize the properties of samples, SEM, XRD, TGA, DSC, Contact angle testing, tensile test and oxygen permeability methods were applied in

Can Active Labour Market Policy Work? Some Theoretical Considerations

Persistent high unemployment in Europe has led to renewed interest in Active Labour Market Policy. However, most existing theory suggests that its effects are ambiguous at best. We argue that job search assistance and wage subsidies are more appropriately modelled as a transition rather than the state-based approach of existing theory. This eliminates the ambiguity. We present two main models, one in which negative duration dependence in unemployment arises from state dependence, the other where it is due to heterogeneity. In both cases policy is unambiguously effective provided it is targeted on those who are, or are most likely to become, long-term unemployed. Some crude estimates suggest that Active Labour Market Policies could have a significant, though not spectacular, effect in reducing unemployment.

Ocular screening tests of elementary school children

This report presents an analysis of 507 abnormal retinal reflex images taken of Huntsville kindergarten and first grade students. The retinal reflex images were obtained by using an MSFC-developed Generated Retinal Reflex Image System (GRRIS) photorefractor. The system uses a 35 mm camera with a telephoto lens with an electronic flash attachment. Slide images of the eyes were examined for abnormalities. Of a total of 1835 students screened for ocular abnormalities, 507 were found to have abnormal retinal reflexes. The types of ocular abnormalities detected were hyperopia, myopia, astigmatism, esotropia, exotropia, strabismus, and lens obstuctions. The report shows that the use of the photorefractor screening system is an effective low-cost means of screening school children for abnormalities

Wage Subsidies for the Long Term Unemployed: A Search Theoretic Analysis

The persistence of mass unemployment in many OECD countries in the 1980s and 1990s has led to renewed interest in active labour market policies. We examine one such policy, a wage subsidy for employers hiring the long-term unemployed, using a search-theoretic framework. We assume that long-term unemployment leads to a loss of human capital, and that a subsidy can offset the consequent training costs faced by employers hiring the long-term unemployed. We argue that unemployment would be unambiguously reduced by such a policy. Furthermore, the often-made criticism of wage subsidies that they mainly lead to substitution, merely churning the unemployed, is misplaced. There are positive externalities to substitution that lead firms to open more vacancies, many of which in turn will be filled by the short-term unemployed.

Using meta-ethnography to understand the emotional impact of caring for people with increasing cognitive impairment.

The definitive version is available at www.blackwell-synergy.comThe majority of people with degenerative neurological conditions are cared for within their own families. Cognitive impairment can be a significant and increasing symptom of these conditions. In this article we report how a team of experienced researchers carried out a meta-ethnography of qualitative research articles focusing on the impact of caring for a loved one with cognitive impairment. We followed the seven-step process outlined by Noblit and Hare. Synthesized findings from 31 papers suggest emotional impact is complex and uncertain and varies from day to day. The benefit of using meta-ethnography is that the results represent a larger sample size and a reinterpretation of multiple studies can hold greater application for practice. The results of this study offer an opportunity for nurses to be aware of both the positive and negative sides of caring and being cared for. This knowledge can be used to discuss with patients and carers how best to prepare for decreasing cognition and still maintain a worthwhile quality of life

Setting up an acupuncture knee clinic under Practice Based Commissioning

Original article can be found at: http://www.acupunctureinmedicine.org.uk/index.shtmlThis paper outlines the setting up of a new service in primary care offering acupuncture to patients with severe osteoarthritis of the knee. The high volume clinic is funded under the Practice Based Commissioning initiative and is the first of its type in the UK. It would appear to offer a model for similar services elsewhere.Peer reviewe