Runtime visualisation of object-oriented software

Software is a complex and invisible entity, yet one which is core to modem life. The development and maintenance of such software includes one staple task, the need to understand the software at the implementation level. This process of program comprehension is difficult and time consuming. Yet, despite its importance, there remains very limited tool support for program comprehension activities. The results of this research show the role that runtime visualisation can play in aiding the comprehension of object-oriented software by highlighting both its static and dynamic structure. Previous work in this area is discussed, both in terms of the representations used and the methods of extracting runtime information. Building on this previous work, this thesis develops new representations of object-oriented software at runtime, which are then implemented in a proof of concept tool. This tool allowed the representations to be investigated on real software systems. The representations are evaluated against two feature-based evaluation frameworks. The evaluation focuses on generic software visualisation criteria, due to the lack of any specific frameworks for visualising dynamic information. The evaluation also includes lessons learnt in the implementation of a prototype visualisation tool. The object-oriented paradigm continues to grow in popularity and provides advantages to program comprehension activities. However, it also brings a number of new challenges to program comprehension due to the discrepancies between its static definition and its runtime structure. Therefore, techniques that highlight both the static definition and the runtime behaviour of object-oriented systems offer benefits to their comprehension. Software visualisation offers an approach to aid program comprehension activities through providing a means to deal with the size and complexity of the software and its invisible nature. This thesis highlights the generic issues that software visualisation faces, before focusing on how the visualisation of runtime information affects these issues. Many of the issues are compounded by the dynamic nature of the information to be visualised and the explosive growth in the volume of information that this dynamism can bring. Wider results of this research have allowed the proposal of the necessary concepts that should be considered in the design and evaluation of runtime visualisations. Software visualisation at runtime is still a relatively unexplored area and there remains many research challenges within it. This thesis aims to act as a first step to addressing these challenges and aims to promote interest and future development within this area

The Seekers Found: Radical Religion during the English Revolution – A study in their construction by themselves, their opponents and their historians

With the abolition of episcopacy from 1641, ecclesiastical hegemony evaporated and numerous religious groups emerged and filled this void. Each advocated a unique position and believed they alone had the model of the true church. A bewildering plurality of competing models ensued and the emergence of the Seekers was both a constituent of, and a reaction to, these developments. The Seekers were spiritualist Protestants who met in small voluntary, autonomous and usually uncoordinated groups, following the congregational model of the gathered churches. They were unorganised rather than disorganised in their corporate structure and withdrew from organised religion, to varying degrees. Their size and influence peaked in England during the period of Civil War and interregnum known as the English Revolution. They drew considerable attention from hostile contemporaries who described the Seekers as a sect to serve the authors’ own polemical purposes. They have attracted less interest from historians who have described them as a loose movement or an intermediate phase in a spiritual journey towards Quakerism. Both constructions are unsatisfactory, and this thesis contends that the evidence best supports the characterisation of a Seeker milieu containing a number of related, but separate and coherent, spiritualist positions regarding religious belief and practice. Historians have not acknowledged the significant role that disputes with Seekers played in shaping the identity of other contemporary religious groups. This thesis aims to correct this by considering evidence drawn principally from the printed exchanges between different religious groups over the nature of right religion. The argument is focused on the competing constructions of the Seekers by themselves and their opponents including Presbyterians, Independents, Baptists and Quakers. Key methodological problems have included anachronism regarding the definition of terms and what respective weight to give to the various accounts of Seekers when they disagree, as is often the case

Mechanical Demands of the Hang Power Clean and Jump Shrug: A Joint-level Perspective

The purpose of this study was to investigate the joint- and load-dependent changes in the mechanical demands of the lower extremity joints during the hang power clean (HPC) and the jump shrug (JS). Fifteen male lacrosse players were recruited from an NCAA DI team, and completed three sets of the HPC and JS at 30%, 50%, and 70% of their HPC 1-Repetition Maximum (1-RM HPC) in a counterbalanced and randomized order. Motion analysis and force plate technology were used to calculate the positive work, propulsive phase duration, and peak concentric power at the hip, knee, and ankle joints. Separate three-way analysis of variances were used to determine the interaction and main effects of joint, load, and lift type on the three dependent variables. The results indicated that the mechanics during the HPC and JS exhibit joint-, load-, and lift-dependent behavior. When averaged across joints, the positive work during both lifts increased progressively with external load, but was greater during the JS at 30% and 50% of 1-RM HPC than during the HPC. The JS was also characterized by greater hip and knee work when averaged across loads. The joint-averaged propulsive phase duration was lower at 30% than at 50% and 70% of 1-RM HPC for both lifts. Furthermore, the load-averaged propulsive phase duration was greater for the hip than the knee and ankle joint. The jointaveraged peak concentric power was the greatest at 70% of 1-RM for the HPC and at 30% to 50% of 1-RM for the JS. In addition, the joint-averaged peak concentric power of the JS was greater than that of the HPC. Furthermore, the load-averaged peak knee and ankle concentric joint powers were greater during the execution of the JS than the HPC. However, the loadaveraged power of all joints differed only during the HPC, but was similar between the hip and knee joints for the JS. Collectively, these results indicate that compared to the HPC the JS is characterized by greater hip and knee positive joint work, and greater knee and ankle peak concentric joint power, especially if performed at 30 and 50% of 1-RM HPC. This study provides important novel information about the mechanical demands of two commonly used exercises and should be considered in the design of resistance training programs that aim to improve the explosiveness of the lower extremity joints

ASSESSMENT OF DECELERATION ABILITY AND RELATIONSHIP TO APPROACH SPEED AND ECCENTRIC STRENGTH

The purpose of this study was to develop a method for assessing an athlete’s deceleration ability and investigate its relationship with acceleration distance, % maximum speed and eccentric strength. A Laveg LDM 300C was used to collect peak speed and distance of 9 male athletes in a 30m maximal sprint and acceleration-deceleration efforts within set distances of 5, 10, 15 and 20m. The ‘deceleration gradient’ derived from 10m and 5m peak speeds and stopping distances was found to exhibit a low association with eccentric strength of the quadriceps (R2 = 0.284) and hamstrings (R2 = 0.219). Equations were generated linking % maximum speed attained with acceleration distance (R2 = 0.961) and stopping distance (R2 = 0.851) which could help to set realistic conditions for acceleration-deceleration drills and to revise speed zones within match analysis applications

On SETAR non- linearity and forecasting

We consider the usefulness of the two-regime SETAR model for out-of-sample forecasting, and compare it with a linear AR model. A range of newly-developed forecast evaluation techniques are employed. Our simulation results show that time-series data need to exhibit a substantial degree of non-linearity before the SETAR model is favoured on some of these criteria. We find only weak evidence that a SETAR model of US GNP provides more accurate forecasts than a linear AR model

Conceptualizing Post-COVID-19 Malaysia’s Tourism Recovery: An Auto-Regressive Neural Network Analysis

The pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus (COVID-19) has significantly affected the tourism industry. Tourist destinations have adopted emergency measures and restrictions that have affected the mobility of individuals around the world. This study aims to analyze the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the tourism industry in Malaysia and its overall economic performance. This research used an extensive set of statistical tests, including a newly constructed Auto-Regressive Neural Network-ADF (ARNN-ADF) test, to determine if foreign visitor arrivals from 10 main source markets in Malaysia will revert to normal. Secondary data from various government published sources were used in this conceptual methodology technique for this study. Based on the research results and exploratory research of the literature, we listed in a synthesizing manner several measures to ensure the resilience of the tourism sector during the COVID-19 pandemic period. This research makes a significant contribution to the literature in terms of validating a new framework that emphasizes the effects of tourists that are largely transitory. In conclusion, this conceptual study will further help the authorities to take precautions and the best policy to be implemented in the future. Doi: 10.28991/esj-2021-SPER-10 Full Text: PD

Exploring Turnover Intentions and Work Engagement: A Mediation-Moderation Approach in the Malaysian Hospitality Industry

In the hospitality industry, staff turnover is a big problem. The aim of this paper is to explain how, using career construction theory (CCT), turnover intentions are linked to work engagement. An analysis of 36 independent star-rated hotels in Peninsular Malaysia finds that the root cause is orientation to happiness (OTH). OTH found a negative association between work engagement and employee attrition intentions in the report. Furthermore, perceived organizational support (POS) was established as a major boundary condition, with lower levels of POS resulting in a poorer mediated relationship. This study’s theoretical and practical results would benefit the hospitality industry.Dalam industri perhotelan, pergantian staf adalah masalah besar. Tujuan dari makalah ini adalah untuk menjelaskan bagaimana, dengan menggunakan teori konstruksi karir (CCT), niat berpindah terkait dengan keterlibatan kerja. Analisis terhadap 36 hotel bintang independen di Semenanjung Malaysia menemukan bahwa akar penyebabnya adalah orientasi pada kebahagiaan (OTH). OTH menemukan hubungan negatif antara keterlibatan kerja dan niat atrisi karyawan dalam laporannya. Selanjutnya, dukungan organisasi yang dirasakan (POS) ditetapkan sebagai kondisi batas utama, dengan tingkat POS yang lebih rendah menghasilkan hubungan mediasi yang lebih buruk. Hasil teoritis dan praktis studi ini akan menguntungkan industri perhotelan

Distribution of SR protein exonic splicing enhancer motifs in human protein-coding genes

Exonic splicing enhancers (ESEs) are pre-mRNA cis-acting elements required for splice-site recognition. We previously developed a web-based program called ESEfinder that scores any sequence for the presence of ESE motifs recognized by the human SR proteins SF2/ASF, SRp40, SRp55 and SC35 (). Using ESEfinder, we have undertaken a large-scale analysis of ESE motif distribution in human protein-coding genes. Significantly higher frequencies of ESE motifs were observed in constitutive internal protein-coding exons, compared with both their flanking intronic regions and with pseudo exons. Statistical analysis of ESE motif frequency distributions revealed a complex relationship between splice-site strength and increased or decreased frequencies of particular SR protein motifs. Comparison of constitutively and alternatively spliced exons demonstrated slightly weaker splice-site scores, as well as significantly fewer ESE motifs, in the alternatively spliced group. Our results underline the importance of ESE-mediated SR protein function in the process of exon definition, in the context of both constitutive splicing and regulated alternative splicing