Fragile base-class problem,problem?

The fragile base-class problem (FBCP) has been described in the literature as a consequence of “misusing” inheritance and composition in object-oriented programming when (re)using frameworks. Many research works have focused on preventing the FBCP by proposing alternative mechanisms for reuse, but, to the best of our knowledge, there is no previous research work studying the prevalence and impact of the FBCP in real-world software systems. The goal of our work is thus twofold: (1) assess, in different systems, the prevalence of micro-architectures, called FBCS, that could lead to two aspects of the FBCP, (2) investigate the relation between the detected occurrences and the quality of the systems in terms of change and fault proneness, and (3) assess whether there exist bugs in these systems that are related to the FBCP. We therefore perform a quantitative and a qualitative study. Quantitatively, we analyse multiple versions of seven different open-source systems that use 58 different frameworks, resulting in 301 configurations. We detect in these systems 112,263 FBCS occurrences and we analyse whether classes playing the role of sub-classes in FBCS occurrences are more change and–or fault prone than other classes. Results show that classes participating in the analysed FBCS are neither more likely to change nor more likely to have faults. Qualitatively, we conduct a survey to confirm/infirm that some bugs are related to the FBCP. The survey involves 41 participants that analyse a total of 104 bugs of three open-source systems. Results indicate that none of the analysed bugs is related to the FBCP. Thus, despite large, rigorous quantitative and qualitative studies, we must conclude that the two aspects of the FBCP that we analyse may not be as problematic in terms of change and fault-proneness as previously thought in the literature. We propose reasons why the FBCP may not be so prevalent in the analysed systems and in other systems in general.     

Measurement of losses in five piezoelectric ceramics between 2 and 50 MHz

Approximate formulas including losses to predict the electrical impedance of a thin unloaded piezoelectric plate around antiresonant frequencies of the thickness modes have been derived. To do so, a total loss factor is defined that includes both mechanical and electrical losses. Complex electrical impedance measurements on a lead metaniobate and four PZT-type materials between 2 and 50 MHz have been performed. The total loss factors were deduced from both the peak real impedance and from the -6 dB bandwidth of the real impedance peak. Results for fundamental and harmonic thickness modes on thin plates are discussed and the five materials are compared. It is found that for these piezoceramics the total loss factor is well approximated by a linear function of frequency. Finally, a frequency-dependent loss factor is included in the KLM equivalent circuit and it is shown that the theoretical impedance curves obtained with this model are in good agreement with measurements.     

Sex- and site-dependent variations in the thickness and mechanical properties of human skin in vivo

A new method for the in vivo characterization of the physical properties of skin is presented. This comprises an ultrasound device to measure the vertical displacement of the surface of the skin, as well as its thickness and that of the hypodermis under suction. In combination with this, a mathematical model is used to calculate the following skin parameters: Young's modulus, the initial stress and an index of non-elasticity. These parameters were evaluated from the volar forearm and the forehead of 30 male and 30 females, of similar ages (28 +/- 6-years-old). The sensitivity of the testing procedure, allowing the characterization of the mechanical parameters of the skin, easily differentiated these two sites, and in some cases, differences between women and men were demonstrated. The main results showed for both sexes that the thickness (P = 0.0001), Young's modulus (P = 0.0001), and the index of non-elasticity (P = 0.0001) were greater for the forehead than for the ventral forearm, but that the initial stress was lower (P = 0.0001). The results show that the skin is thicker, stiffer and less tense and elastic on the forehead than on the ventral forearm, suggesting structural differences between these two sites (collagen fibre network, elastic fibres, epidermis, stratum corneum, microvascularization, actinic damage, presence of sebaceous glands, etc.). It is hoped that this device will be useful for the evaluation of certain skin disorders (scleroderma, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, cutis laxa, oedema, etc.) and their therapy, as well as being a useful tool in skin ageing and cosmetic product assessment.     

Micro-emboli detection: an ultrasound Doppler signal processing viewpoint

Several studies have been carried out in the last twenty years on the characterization and detection of cerebral artery emboli. From the detection point of view, the existing methods are largely based on the classical Fourier analysis of which the well known limitations provide poor accuracy. This paper first recalls existing methods based on Fourier, Wigner-Ville and wavelet approaches. It then presents new emboli detection methods based on parametric signal processing approaches. The basic idea of these parametric methods is to compare the Doppler embolic signal to its autoregressive model. The detection principle consists in constructing a decision information which contains the signature of the micro-embolus being sought. The detection is finally evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Comparison between the new methods and classical approaches is performed using a realistic embolic signal simulation. Furthermore, to validate our theoretical study, we tested our new algorithms using in vivo signals. This comparison shows the significant inaccuracy of existing methods to detect micro-emboli.     

High resolution processing techniques for ultrasound doppler velocimetry in the presence of colored noise. Part I: Nonstationary methods

Real-time flow velocity measurement is a practical issue in industrial and biomedical applications. Because their good frequency resolution, parametric methods such as autoregressive (AR) modeling and time-frequency distributions (TFD) are generally preferred to Fourier analysis. However, these methods become highly inaccurate in the presence of colored noise. We review here the principal parametric and nonparametric techniques and show their limitations in the estimation of Doppler frequency in the presence of strong colored noise. Different solutions to overcome these limitations are then proposed and compared using synthetic Doppler signals with colored noise.     

Investigation of cross-coupling in 1-3 piezocomposite arrays

Plate waves inside the piezoelectric layer are much involved in the element cross-coupling in transducer arrays for medical imaging. In this work, such waves are analyzed in 1-3 piezocomposite materials on the basis of conventional guided modes formalism in which the piezocomposite is considered as a homogeneous medium. Cross-coupling measurements have been made on two different transducer arrays using a network analyzer and a laser interferometric probe. It is shown how the analysis in terms of symmetrical Lamb waves gives an interesting qualitative interpretation, explaining most of the cross-coupling amplitude variations with frequency. Results show that the 0th and 3rd symmetrical Lamb waves are mainly involved in coupling inside composite plates. The S₀ mode is responsible for the inter-element coupling, whereas the S₃ mode widens the effective width of the excited element     

Theoretical and experimental investigations of lateral modes in 1-3piezocomposites

Materials with a periodic microstructure show resonances caused by the elastic wave Bragg diffraction. This paper presents a simple approach to describe these resonances (called lateral resonances) in 1-3 piezoelectric composite materials which have a 2-D periodicity. Our model is based on the analysis of the propagation of transverse waves in a 2-D periodic medium of infinite thickness and takes into account the periodic and interfacial boundary conditions. This model predicts the displacement field vectors and frequencies of lateral resonances from which the phase velocity of lateral waves is determined. The theoretical and experimental variations of this velocity versus the ceramic rod width to pitch ratio are compared. It is shown that the first lateral mode frequency is maximum when the ceramic volume fraction is around 0.65. Theoretical predictions of the mechanical displacement at the composite surface are compared with measurements obtained by an interferometric laser technique. A good agreement is observed, showing that lateral waves are mainly vertically polarized     

Histological evaluation of natural coral skeleton as a grafting material in miniature swine mandible

Natural coral skeleton (NCS) has recently been proposed as a bone graft substitute that enhances bone formation. The present paper describes the effects of implanting NCS in bone cavities prepared in the mandibles of miniature pig, and compares these with the effects of two alloplastic materials; a tricalcium phosphate (TCP) and a porous hydroxyapatite (PHA). On 11 pigs, 5 × 5 mm windows were created through alveolar bone of the four mandibular incisors. Three cavities were filled with the various materials and the fourth was left unfilled. The animals were slaughtered at 0, 1, 2, 4, 12, 26 and 52 weeks post-operatively and the tissues were examined histologically. Healing completed at 26 weeks for NCS and TCP, and at 52 weeks for PHA. NCS granules provided surface for cell attachment and deposition of a distinguishable organic matrix two weeks post-operatively. This matrix developed to bone after four weeks. The granules gradually resorbed and were replaced by bone at 52 weeks. The excellent properties of NCS, biocompatibility, porosity and osteogenic effect make us suggest that it might be a suitable replacement for bone grafting.     

Synthesis and Electrochemical Properties of Carbon-Mixed LiEr_(0.02)Fe_(0.98)PO_4 Cathode Material for Lithium-ion Batteries

LiEr0.02Fe0.98PO4/C composite cathode was synthesized by a simple solution method with polyethylene glycol (PEG) as the reductive agent and carbon source. The effect of erbium doping on the electrochemical behavior of LiFePO4 was studied in this paper. The samples were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction and scanning electron microscopy and the electrochemical properties were investigated by the charge-discharge test. An initial discharge capacity of 149 mAh·g-1 was achieved for the LiEr0.02Fe0.98PO4/C composite cathode with a rate of 0.1 C. The electronic conductivity of Er doped LiFePO4/C was measured as 10-2 S·cm-1. The results indicated that erbium doping did not destroy the lattice structure of LiFePO4 and enlarge the lattice volume. These changes are beneficial to the improvement of the electrochemical performance of the LiFePO4 cathode.