267 research outputs found
An Introduction to Slice-Based Cohesion and Coupling Metrics
This report provides an overview of slice-based software metrics. It brings together information about the development of the metrics from Weiserâs original idea that program slices may be used in the measurement of program complexity, with alternative slice-based measures proposed by other researchers. In particular, it details two aspects of slice-based metric calculation not covered elsewhere in the literature: output variables and worked examples of the calculations. First, output variables are explained, their use explored and standard reference terms and usage proposed. Calculating slice-based metrics requires a clear understanding of âoutput variablesâ because they form the basis for extracting the program slices on which the calculations depend. This report includes a survey of the variation in the definition of output variables used by different research groups and suggests standard terms of reference for these variables. Our study identifies four elements which are combined in the definition of output variables. These are the function return value, modified global variables, modified reference parameters and variables printed or otherwise output by the module. Second, slice-based metric calculations are explained with the aid of worked examples, to assist newcomers to the field. Step-by-step calculations of slice-based cohesion and coupling metrics based on the vertices output by the static analysis tool CodeSurfer (R) are presented and compared with line-based calculations
Examining the relationship between daily changes in support and smoking around a self-set quit date
This study was funded by the Swiss National Foundation (100014_124516). We would like to thank all students who helped with data collection.Peer reviewedPostprin
Effects of pre-steaming on the drying quality of rubberwood
In this study, the kiln drying yield of 30 mm Rubberwood (Hevea brasiliensis) furniture stocks with pre-steaming treatment was evaluated. The results revealed that pre-steaming increased the permeability of the wood, hence increasing the drying rate while reducing drying defects. It was found that the pre-steaming treatment should be included in the drying of Rubberwood in order to reduce the overall drying costs as well as improving its quality
Optimierung der Rechenleistung pro FlÀche von Prozessorarchitekturen durch Rekonfiguration von Funktionseinheiten
Viele eingebettete Systeme, wie Smartphones, PDAs, MP3-Player und zahlreiche weitere, werden zur Miniaturisierung, Kostenreduktion und Steigerung der Robustheit zunehmend als System-on-a-Chip, also auf nur einem StĂŒck Silizium, gefertigt. In solchen Systemen arbeiten sowohl Prozessoren und Speicher, wie auch mannigfaltige andere Peripherieeinheiten, welche spezialisierte Aufgaben des jeweiligen Einsatzgebietes des Systems ĂŒbernehmen. Einige dieser Einheiten sind jedoch nicht durchgĂ€ngig im Einsatz, wie beispielsweise ein GSM-Modulator bei Smartphones oder ein Hardware MPEG-Dekoder im PDA. Aufgrund der benötigten FlexibilitĂ€t und des einfacheren Entwurfsprozesses wird es zunehmend populĂ€rer, Systems-on-a-Chip mit Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), frei programmierbaren Logikbausteinen, zu realisieren. Aktuelle Bausteine erlauben dynamische partielle Rekonfiguration. Sie können also Teile ihrer Logik ersetzen, wĂ€hrend andere weiter in Betrieb bleiben. Die Ressourcen nicht aktiver Einheiten des Systems können somit dynamisch fĂŒr andere Zwecke benutzt werden. Diese Arbeit schlĂ€gt eine Prozessorarchitektur vor, deren Rechenleistung sich durch zeitlich variable Hinzunahme und Abgabe von zur VerfĂŒgung stehenden Ressourcen der programmierbaren Logik anpasst. ZusĂ€tzliche Ressourcen werden, um dies zu erreichen, durch zusĂ€tzliche Funktionseinheiten fĂŒr den Prozessor belegt. Deren Einbindung in die Berechnungen wird durch parallel ausfĂŒhrbare, den Prinzipien des Explicitly Parallel Instruction Computings genĂŒgende Instruktionen erreicht. Werden die belegten Ressourcen des Prozessors an anderer Stelle wieder benötigt, werden schrittweise Funktionseinheiten abgetreten, bis ein Minimum an Rechenleistung des Prozessors erreicht ist. Durch diesen Ansatz werden die zeitweise ungenutzten Ressourcen des Prozessors sinnvoll verwendet. Zudem bietet die vorgeschlagene Architektur die FĂ€higkeit, sich selbst an die auszufĂŒhrenden Berechnungen anzupassen und sie somit schneller auszufĂŒhren. Ziel dieser Arbeit ist es, eine solche Klasse neuer Prozessoren zu definieren, ihren möglichen Nutzen zu quantifizieren und ihre technische Umsetzbarkeit nachzuweisen. Die mögliche Beschleunigung durch eine solche Architektur wird durch simulative Zuordnung von Befehlen potentieller Traces von Programmen auf Funktionseinheiten ermittelt. Die technische Machbarkeit des Ansatzes wird durch prototypische Implementierungen der kritischen Elemente der Architektur, vor allem im Bereich der partiellen Rekonfiguration von FPGAs, gezeigt
Economic efficiency of mobile latent heat storages
In a pilot project an optimized mobile latent heat storage based on a system available on the market has been tested at Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology. Initially trials were conducted with the aim of optimizing the process of charging and discharging. A specifically constructed test rig at the incineration trials centre at the institute allowed charging and discharging procedures of the mobile latent heat storage with adjustable parameters. In addition an evaluation model was constructed to further optimize the heat exchanger systems. In conclusion the prototype of the mobile latent heat storage was tested in practical operation. The economic and technical feasibility of heat transportation was shown if not utilized waste heat is available
The 3-phase-model of dyadic adaptation to dementia: why it might sometimes be better to be worse
In the next years and decades, the number of old spousal dyads having to deal with the onset and progression of dementia in one partner will increase significantly. Existing research indicates that caregiving for an ill spouse is related to decreased caregiver well-being and high levels of caregiver stress. In this theoretical paper, we argue that three aspects deserve additional theoretical and empirical attention: (a) Some spousal caregivers seem to exhibit stable pattern of individual well-being, (b) dyads may be able to adapt their ways of supporting each other to maintain a maximum of dyadic autonomy, and (c) the progression of the dementia increasingly compromising the individual autonomy is likely to require different behaviors and skills of the dyad to achieve high levels of dyadic well-being. We suggest a 3-phase-model of dyadic adaptation to dementia-related losses of patients' individual autonomy and discuss adaptive processes in three phases of dementia that may allow stable levels of well-being in caregivers over time. Thereby, our model can integrate existing findings and theories and allows deriving areas of future researc
Same Difference: Detecting Collusion by Finding Unusual Shared Elements
Pam Green, Peter Lane, Austen Rainer, Sven-Bodo Scholz, Steve Bennett, âSame Difference: Detecting Collusion by Finding Unusual Shared Elementsâ, paper presented at the 5th International Plagiarism Conference, Sage Gateshead, Newcastle, UK, 17-18 July, 2012.Many academic staff will recognise that unusual shared elements in student submissions trigger suspicion of inappropriate collusion. These elements may be odd phrases, strange constructs, peculiar layout, or spelling mistakes. In this paper we review twenty-nine approaches to source-code plagiarism detection, showing that the majority focus on overall file similarity, and not on unusual shared elements, and that none directly measure these elements. We describe an approach to detecting similarity between files which focuses on these unusual similarities. The approach is token-based and therefore largely language independent, and is tested on a set of student assignments, each one consisting of a mix of programming languages. We also introduce a technique for visualising one document in relation to another in the context of the group. This visualisation separates code which is unique to the document, that shared by just the two files, code shared by small groups, and uninteresting areas of the file.Peer reviewe
Dementia caregiving in spousal relationships: a dyadic perspective
Objectives: The number of couples facing a dementia diagnosis for one partner of the spousal dyad increases.
Spousal caregiving can be a highly stressful experience associated with negative caregiver outcomes such as
depression and poorer immune function. However, surprisingly little is known about how the illness and the
required care effects patientâs well-being and relational changes experienced by afflicted couples. The aim of this
study was to provide a literature review on how the dyadic perspective is taken into account and on how dementia
effects both parts of the dyad.
Methods: In order to outline findings about individual and dyadic well-being of affected couples, we conducted a
literature search to review the three types of studies. First, studies focusing on one partnerâs perspective, usually
the perspective of the caregiver; second, studies including the caregiverâs and partially the care receiverâs view;
third, studies directly referring to both partnersâ perspectives.
Results: The majority of studies neglect the individual with dementia by exclusively assessing caregiver variables
or only indirectly including patientsâ characteristics. Very few studies embrace dyadic and relational variables to
execute how both partners experience the illness, spousal caregiving, and changes in the relationship. Despite the
arguable validity of self reports of individuals with dementia, some studies demonstrated the usefulness of
including both partnersâ perspectives.
Discussion: Results indicate the urgent need of integrating the perspective of the individual with dementia to
improve the understanding of the effects of dementia caregiving
The low-mass content of the massive young star cluster RCW 38
KM acknowledges funding by the Joint Committee of ESO/Government of Chile, and by the Science and Technology Foundation of Portugal (FCT), grant no. IF/00194/2015. Part of the research leading to these results has received funding from the European Research Council under the European Unionâs Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013)/ERC grant agreement no. [614922]. RJ acknowledges support from NSERC grants. JA acknowledges funding by the Science and Technology Foundation of Portugal (FCT), grant no. SFRH/BPD/101562/2014.RCWâ38 is a deeply embedded young (âŒ1âMyr), massive star cluster located at a distance of 1.7âkpc. Twice as dense as the Orion nebula cluster, orders of magnitude denser than other nearby star-forming regions and rich in massive stars, RCWâ38 is an ideal place to look for potential differences in brown dwarf formation efficiency as a function of environment. We present deep, high-resolution adaptive optics data of the central âŒ0.5 Ă 0.5âpc2 obtained with NACO at the Very Large Telescope. Through comparison with evolutionary models, we determine masses and extinction for âŒ480 candidate members, and derive the first initial mass function (IMF) of the cluster extending into the substellar regime. Representing the IMF as a set of power laws in the form dN/dM â Mâα, we derive the slope α = 1.60 ± 0.13 for the mass range 0.5â20âMâ,which is shallower than the Salpeter slope, but in agreement with results in several other young massive clusters. At the low-mass side, we find α = 0.71 ± 0.11 for masses between 0.02 and 0.5âMâ, or α = 0.81 ± 0.08 for masses between 0.02 and 1âMâ. Our result is in agreement with the values found in other young star-forming regions, revealing no evidence that a combination of high stellar densities and the presence of numerous massive stars affects the formation efficiency of brown dwarfs and very-low-mass stars. We estimate that the Milky Way galaxy contains between 25 and 100 billion brown dwarfs (with masses >0.03âMâ).Publisher PDFPeer reviewe
Optimizing the Wood Supply Chain: Concept and Methods
Traditional Wood Supply Chain Management has several shortcomings that limit the performance, like uncoordinated logistic operations. Thus we propose a Spatial Decision Support System that supports the operations planning within the Wood Supply Chain. The intended system comprises several aspects of GIScience and Operations Research. Among them there are Location Based Services and Web Services which both rely on standards. In order to solve the scheduling task within the Wood Supply Chain several theoretical models and solution methods originating from Operations Research are discussed. The architecture of the intended Spatial Decision Support System collects the concepts within one system
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