Approximate reasoning about the semantic effects of program changes

It is pointed out that the incremental cost of a change to a program is often disproportionately high because of inadequate means of determining the semantic effects of the change. A practical logical technique for finding the semantic effects of changes through a direct analysis of the program is presented. The programming language features considered include parametrized modules, procedures, and global variables. The logic described is approximate in that weak (conservative) results sometimes are inferred. Isolating the exact effects of a change is undecidable in general. The basis for an approximation is a structural interpretation of the information-flow relationships among program objects. The approximate inference system is concise, abstract, extensible, and decidable, giving it significant advantages over the main alternative formalizations. The authors' implementation of the logic records the justification for each dependency to facilitate the interpretation of results     

The Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth as a predictor of recidivism in a United Kingdom cohort of adolescent offenders with conduct disorder.

This prospective study examined the predictive validity of the Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth (SAVRY) and the Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version (PCL: YV) in 99 male adolescents who were assessed in custody and followed up 12 months post release. Outcome data on recidivism were based on official Home Office records. The base rates for violent and general recidivism, respectively, were 38.4% and 70.7%. The predictive validity of the SAVRY Risk Total and the SAVRY Risk Rating was moderate for both violent and general recidivism, but both showed incremental validity in predicting outcomes compared with the PCL: YV. Data are discussed in relation to the limited published international literature. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Peer relations among adolescents with female same-sex parents.

This study examined associations among family type (same-sex vs. opposite-sex parents), adolescent gender, family and relationship variables, and the peer relations of adolescents. Participants included 44 adolescents parented by same-sex female couples and 44 adolescents parented by opposite-sex couples, matched on demographic characteristics and drawn from a national sample. On both self-reported and peer-reported measures of relations with peers, adolescents were functioning well, and the quality of their peer relations was not associated with family type. Regardless of family type, adolescents whose parents described closer relationships with them reported higher quality peer relations and more friends in school and were rated as more central in their friendship networks. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cut order planning for apparel manufacturing

Cut order planning is the problem of planning the fabric cut for a set of apparel orders. A specified set of garments is ordered by the customer to be produced by a given date. Affiliated with this order is a set of garment sizes, and patterns for cutting each size. The fabric for cutting the order must be arranged on the cutting table in such a way as to minimize the cost of cutting the order. This plan must incorporate a partition of the pattern pieces to be arranged on top of the fabric layout. A mathematical model of the problem is developed and analyzed. On the basis of this analysis, solution approaches are developed that have been implemented on a desktop PC-based computer. Validated on representative industry problems, the approach is shown to be effective and versatile.     

Maximum a posteriori estimation of activation energies that control silicon self-diffusion

Self-diffusion in crystalline silicon is controlled by a network of elementary steps whose activation energies are important to know in a variety of applications in microelectronic fabrication. The present work employs maximum a posteriori (MAP) estimation to improve existing values for these activation energies, based on self-diffusion data collected at different values of the loss rates for interstitial atoms to the surface. Parameter sensitivity analysis shows that for high surface loss fluxes, the energy for exchange between an interstitial and the lattice plays the leading role in determining the shape of diffusion profiles. At low surface loss fluxes, the dissociation energy of large-atom clusters plays a more important role. Subsequent MAP analysis provides significantly improved values for these parameters.     

Effect of phytosterol structure on thermal polymerization of heated soybean oil

This study determined the effect of phytosterol structure, including the degree of unsaturation and the presence of an ethylidene group in the side chain, on the thermal polymerization of heated soybean oil. Indigenous tocopherols and phytosterols were removed from soybean oil by molecular distillation. Pure phytosterols were added back to the stripped soybean oil at concentrations of 0.5, 1.0, and 5 mg/g oil (0.05, 0.1, and 0.5 wt-%). These oils were heated at 180 °C over a period of 8 h, and triacylglycerol dimers and polymers, fatty acid composition, and residual phytosterol content were determined. None of the phytosterols prevented triacylglycerol dimer and polymer formation when used at 0.5 mg/g; however, phytosterols with two or more double bonds, regardless of the presence of an ethylidene group in the side chain, provided slight protection when added at 1 mg/g. Ergosterol addition at 5 mg/g reduced polymer formation by 16–20% compared to the control oil, but at this level none of the other phytosterols provided protection of any practical significance. Thus, under the conditions used for this heating study, the degree of phytosterol unsaturation was more important for its anti-polymerization activity than the presence of an ethylidene group.     

Chemical and Structural Changes in Manganese-Doped Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia Studied by Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy Combined with Electron Diffraction

Solid solution of manganese in yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) may occur in the electrolyte of solid oxide fuel cells. Possible changes in valence, coordination, and site occupancy of Mn in YSZ are of interest. Also, subsequent structural modification of the cubic YSZ, as well as the possible ordering of vacancies, has important consequences for the ionic conductivity. Electron energy loss spectroscopy was used to measure the O K and the Mn L edge of Mn in solid solution in a zirconia host lattice. The ratio Mn L ₃/ L ₂was determined for some manganese oxides and for Mn in solid solution. It is shown that the L ₃/ L ₂ratio does not simply reflect the oxidation state of the Mn ions in solid solution. Selected area diffraction experiments were also made in the TEM. This showed ordering of the cations and the anion vacancies at high doping levels. It is concluded that the number of O ions surrounding each Mn ion may be very important in interpreting the obtained L ₃/ L ₂ratio.