3,880 research outputs found
An Empirical Study of a Software Maintenance Process
This paper describes how a process support tool is used to collect metrics about a major upgrade to our own electronic retail system. An incremental prototyping lifecycle is adopted in which each increment is categorised by an effort type and a project component. Effort types are Acquire, Build, Comprehend and Design and span all phases of development. Project components include data models and process models expressed in an OO modelling language and process algebra respectively as well as C++ classes and function templates and build components including source files and data files. This categorisation is independent of incremental prototyping and equally applicable to other software lifecycles. The process support tool (PWI) is responsible for ensuring the consistency between the models and the C++ source. It also supports the interaction between multiple developers and multiple metric-collectors. The first two releases of the retailing software are available for ftp from oracle.ecs.soton.ac.uk in directory pub/peter. Readers are invited to use the software and apply their own metrics as appropriate. We would be interested to correspond with anyone who does so
Long and short-term variability of aggregate size distribution in tillage and chemical fallow
Non-Peer ReviewedSize distribution of aggregates is one of the most important factors which affect soil erodibility with respect to wind erosion. A long-term study was established in 1968 to investigate the influence of tillage and chemical fallow systems on aggregate size distribution. The cropping systems involved fallow with
herbicides only, herbicides in combination with one or two tillage operations, and tillage alone. Significant differences in aggregate size distribution were found between years during the period between 1968 and 1986. It was clear that in some years Melfort soils were highly erodible. In 1991, aggregate size distribution was measured at 5 times during the fallow season in order to evaluate the effects of the different cropping systems, determine aggregate size distribution with depth, and to compare variability over the long and short term. The percentage of aggregates at the surface in the 0 to 0.5 mm size fraction decreased after tillage with a double disk, and increased with time thereafter despite further cultivation with a field
cultivator, but remained relatively constant under chemical fallow. During the period of this study it was clear that there were two distinct sources of variability in soil erodibility. Both sources of variability should be taken into account if soil erodibility is to be predicted over the long term
Polarized Photoproduction of Heavy Quarks in Next-to-Leading Order
The results of a next-to-leading order calculation of heavy quark production
in longitudinally polarized photon-nucleon collisions are presented. At c.m.
energy GeV, for , cross sections
differential in the transverse momentum and rapidity of the charmed quark
and the corresponding asymmetries are presented; also, as functions of
, integrated cross sections, -factors and the corresponding
asymmetries are given. Errors in the asymmetries are estimated and the
possibility to distinguish between three scerarios differing essentially in the
polarized gluon distribution is discussed.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figure
Northern Ellesmere Island, 1953 And 1954
Account of the Ellesmere Ice Shelf Expeditions, organized by the Defence Research Board and Geological Survey of Canada. On reconnaissance Apr.-Aug. 1953, G.F. Hattersley-Smith and R.G. Blackadar made glaciological and geological observations west from Alert to Markham Bay (including Ross River and Feilden Peninsula), east to Cape Sheridan, and southwest along Wood River toward the United States Range. In 1954 (Apr.-Sept.), G.F. Hattersley-Smith, E.W. Marshall, A.P. Crary, and R.L. Christie made their main base on the ice shelf at Ward Hunt Island (83 05 N, 75 W), from which trips were made east to Cape Albert Edward and Cape Columbia, and west to Kruger Island on the edge of Nansen Sound, completing glaciological and geological reconnaissance of the north coast of Ellesmere. On the ice shelf near the Ward Hunt Island base, geological, geophysical, glaciological and oceanographic investigations, survey and leveling work, and meteorological observations were carried on. Reports are made on the glaciological work by G.F. Hattersley-Smith; geophysical and oceanographic studies, by A.P. Crary; and geological observations, 1954, by R.L. Christie. New place names (11) submitted to the Canadian Board on Geographical Names, also records and relics recovered from cairns of earlier expeditions, are reported. The account is introduced by a useful summary of parties visiting Northern Ellesmere 1876-1951, and of work on ice island T-3
Petrography and Geochemistry of Metals in Almahata Sitta Ureilites
Ureilites are ultramafic achondrites, predominantly composed of olivine and pyroxenes with accessory carbon, metal and sulfide. The majority of ureilites are believed to represent the mantle of the ureilite parent body (UPB) [1]. Although ureilites have lost much of their original metal [2], the metal that remains retains a record of the formative processes. Almahata Sitta is predominantly composed of unbrecciated ureilites with a wide range of silicate compositions [3,4]. As a fall it presents a rare opportunity to examine fresh ureilite metal in-situ, and analyzing their highly siderophile element (HSE) ratios gives clues to their formation. Bulk siderophile element analyses of Almahata Sitta fall within the range observed in other ureilites [5]. We have examined the metals in seven ureilitic samples of Almahata Sitta (AS) and one associated chondrite fragment (AS#25)
A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial investigating the effects of an Ocimum tenuiflorum (Holy Basil) extract (HolixerTM) on stress, mood, and sleep in adults experiencing stress
Background: In Ayurveda, Ocimum tenuiflorum (Holy Basil) is referred to as “the elixir of life” and is believed to promote longevity and general wellbeing. Although limited, there are clinical trials to suggest Ocimum tenuiflorum has anti-stress effects.
Purpose: Examine the effects of a standardized Ocimum tenuiflorum extract (HolixerTM) on subjective and objective measures of stress and sleep quality in adults experiencing stress.
Study design: Two-arm, parallel-group, 8-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry trial registration number ACTRN12621000609853.
Methods: One hundred volunteers aged 18–65 years received either 125 mg of Ocimum tenuiflorum twice daily or a placebo. Outcome measures included the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) (primary outcome measure), Profile of Mood States, Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS), Restorative Sleep Questionnaire, and the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System-29. Sleep quality was also assessed using a wrist-worn sleep tracker (Fitbit), and stress changes were examined by measuring between-group differences in hair cortisol and stress responses after exposure to an experiment stress procedure known as the Maastricht Acute Stress Test (MAST).
Results: Compared to the placebo, Ocimum tenuiflorum supplementation was associated with greater improvements in PSS (p = 0.003) and AIS (p = 0.025) scores; and at week 8, concentrations in hair cortisol were also lower (p = 0.025). Moreover, Ocimum tenuiflorum supplementation was associated with a buffered stress responses after exposure to the MAST as demonstrated by significantly lower concentrations in salivary cortisol (p = 0.001), salivary amylase (p = 0.001), systolic (p = 0.010) and diastolic (p = 0.025) blood pressure, and subjective stress ratings (p < 0.001). Ocimum tenuiflorum supplementation was well-tolerated with no reports of major adverse effects.
Conclusion: The results from this trial suggest that 8 weeks of supplementation with an Ocimum tenuiflorum extract (HolixerTM) may reduce objective and subjective measures of stress, and improve subjective measures of sleep quality. However, further research using gold-standard objective sleep measures will be required to substantiate the sleep-related findings
Lunch and selectivity in memory and attention
Background: Research in industrial settings and in the laboratory suggests that performance declines in the post-lunch period. Some evidence suggests that this post-lunch dip is due to the consumption of a meal, whereas other studies show that it reflects endogenous rhythms. The post-lunch dip is modified by factors such as personality, gender, meal type, and the nature of the task carried out. The present study examined whether the performance of tasks involving selectivity in memory and attention is impaired in the afternoon and whether this depends on consuming lunch. Method: A parallel-group design was used. One hundred and twenty university students (50% male) participated in the study. Baseline measurements were taken between 9.30 and 11.30 am. Volunteers were then assigned to one of five groups: (1) Pre-lunch testing, (2) Early afternoon post-lunch testing, (3) Early afternoon post- no lunch testing, (4) Late afternoon post-lunch testing, and (5) Late afternoon post- no lunch testing. In each session, cardiovascular measures were taken, mood was rated before and after the performance tests and tests measuring selectivity in memory and attention were carried out. Results: Heart rate was significantly higher after the consumption of lunch. At the start of the test session, mood ratings were less positive in the early afternoon if lunch was missed. At the end of the test session, consumption of lunch led to a more negative mood in the late afternoon, whereas those who fasted had a more negative mood in the early afternoon. None of the tasks measuring selectivity in memory and attention showed significant differences between the late morning and early afternoon. Similarly, the performance of these tasks showed no differences between lunch and no lunch conditions. Conclusion: The present study showed little evidence of performance of selective attention and memory tasks varying as a function of time of day or consumption of lunch. In contrast, pulse rate was influenced by lunch, and hedonic tone varied with the time of day, a finding that depended on when mood was measured and whether lunch had been consumed
Postglacial Sea-Level History and Coastline Change at Port au Choix, Great Northern Peninsula, Newfoundland
Polarimetric Observations of 15 AGNs at High Frequencies
Original paper can be found at: http://www.astrosociety.org/pubs/cs/328.html--Copyright Astronomical Society of the PacificWe have obtained total and polarized intensity images of 15 AGNs with the VLBA at 7 mm at 17 epochs from 25/26 March 1998 to 14 April 2001. The VLBA observations are accompanied at many epochs by simultaneous mea- surements of polarization at 1.35/0.85 mm as well as less frequent simultaneous optical polarization measurements. We discuss the similarities and complexities of polarization behavior at different frequencies along with the VLBI properties
The feasibility and efficacy of a brief integrative treatment for adults with depression and/or anxiety: A randomized controlled trial
The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy and suitability of a brief integrative intervention, Personalized Integrative Therapy (PI Therapy), for the treatment of adult depression and/or anxiety. In this 6-week, 3-arm, parallel-group, randomized trial, PI Therapy delivered alone or with nutritional supplements (PI Therapy + Supps) was compared to cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) in 48 adults with depression and/or anxiety. All treatments were delivered as a 1-day workshop plus 6 weeks of reminder phone text messages to reinforce topics and skills covered in the workshop. Affective symptoms decreased significantly and to the same extent in all 3 conditions. At the end of treatment, 33% to 58% of participants reported levels of depressive symptoms in the normal range, and 50% to 58% reported nonclinical levels of anxiety. Compared to CBT and PI Therapy, PI Therapy + Supps was associated with significantly greater improvements in sleep quality. These findings suggest that a brief integrative intervention with or without supplements was comparable to CBT in reducing affective symptoms in adults with depression and/or anxiety. However, sleep quality improved only in the PI Therapy + Supps condition. These findings will require replication with a larger cohort
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