Rule‐base coverage analysis applied to test case selection

In this paper we discuss ways in which coverage analysis, obtained during execution of test cases over a rule‐base, can be used to highlight problems in both the test suite and the rule‐base, thereby pointing to areas in which we cannot guarantee or predict the system’s performance. In particular, we present a series of heuristics which use coverage information and meta‐knowledge about the larger population to select additional test cases from the population, in the event that the initial test set is incomplete. This forms the basis of an incremental approach to rule‐base testing which allows us to both increase completeness of the test set and improve coverage of the rule‐base, thereby increasing the kinds of cases for which the rule‐base has been executed during testing. We demonstrate this heuristic approach to test data selection using information generated by TRUBAC, a tool which implements the coverage analysis methods, applied to analyze a prototype system for diagnosis of rheumatological diseases.     

The good,the bad,and the algae: Perceiving ecosystem services and disservices generated by zebra and quagga mussels

Dreissenid (zebra and quagga) mussels are widely recognized as having strong, adverse ecological and economic impacts, e.g., biofouling and loss of water column primary production. We assessed perceptions and values associated with two less often considered ecological outcomes of dreissenid mussel influences on coastal ecosystems along Lake Ontario and the western St. Lawrence River in New York State. One, the generation of water clarity through filtration, we define as an ecosystem service; the other, the production of large amounts of nuisance algae (e.g., Cladophora and Microcystis) is defined as an ecosystem disservice. Surveys of business owners and homeowners quantified their preferences and the formation of values regarding these products of zebra mussel influence. Water clarity increased greatly, particularly in the eastern portion of Lake Ontario, and algal problems increased throughout. Businesses attributed increases and decreases in revenues associated with water clarity and algae; homeowners reported analogous changes in property values. Water clarity was positively associated, and algae negatively associated, with changes in revenues and property values. Threshold responses of costs as functions of filamentous algae were evident. Given the likely continued influx of invasive species due to human activities, further development of the ecosystem service concept should consider potential “goods” and “bads” of invasives and their influence on ecosystem and social system resiliency.     

Evidence for chemical defense in tropical green algaCaulerpa ashmeadii (Caulerpaceae: Chlorophyta): Isolation of new bioactive sesquiterpenoids

Results of field feeding preference studies with 12 species of tropical green algae of the genusCaulerpa showed thatC. ashmeadii was preferred least by herbivorous fishes. Chemical investigations ofC. ashmeadii demonstrated the presence of high concentrations of sesquiterpenoid metabolites. The chemical isolation and structural elucidation of five majorC. ashmeadii metabolites, as well as the results of field feeding preference, antimicrobial, and ichthyotoxicity assays demonstrating the biological activities of these metabolites are reported here.     

Perceived parental social support and academic achievement: An attachment theory perspective.

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 66(4) of Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (see record 2008-10478-001). This article, which appeared in the Personality and Individual Differences section was accepted for publication by Guest Editor Irwin Sarason. We wish to thank Professor Sarason for his help and to apologize for our oversight in not acknowledging this contribution.] Tested the extent to which parental social support predicted college GPA among undergraduates. A sample of 418 undergraduates completed the Social Provisions Scale—Parent Form (C. E. Cutrona; see record 1990-01422-001) and measures of family conflict and achievement orientation. American College Testing (ACT) Assessment Program college entrance exam scores (American College Testing Program, 1986) and GPA were obtained from the university registrar. Parental social support, especially reassurance of worth, predicted college GPA when controlling for academic aptitude (ACT scores), family achievement orientation, and family conflict. Support from parents, but not from friends or romantic partners, significantly predicted GPA. Results are interpreted in the context of adult attachment theory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Second derivative methods applied to implicit first- and second-order systems

A wide variety of methods have been proposed for solving implicit second-order systems of differential equations such as arise in structural and mechanical vibration analyses. Here we discuss a class of methods, based on second derivative formulae, some of which have previously been used by Enright.¹ We show them to have desirable analytic and implementation properties. We relate these methods to others recently proposed by Brusa and Nigro and by Serbin, showing that we obtain algorithms which have all the desirable properties of their methods and which can also be extended to classes of practical problems which were not considered by these other authors. Since implicit first-order systems are also important in practice, for example in finite element analyses of heat conduction problems, we demonstrate the efficient implementation of the second derivative formulae in this case too.     

Inventory of interpersonal problems: Psychometric properties and clinical applications.

Describes a new instrument, the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems (IIP), which measures distress arising from interpersonal sources. The IIP meets the need for an easily administered self-report inventory that describes the types of interpersonal problems that people experience and the level of distress associated with them before, during, and after psychotherapy. In Study 1, psychometric data are presented for 103 patients who were tested at the beginning and end of a waiting period before they began brief dynamic psychotherapy. On both occasions, a factor analysis yielded the same six subscales; these scales showed high internal consistency and high test–retest reliability. Study 2 demonstrated the instrument's sensitivity to clinical change. In this study, a subset of patients was tested before, during, and after 20 sessions of psychotherapy. Their improvement on the IIP agreed well with all other measures of their improvement, including those generated by the therapist and by an independent evaluator. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Testing models of school learning: Effects of quality of instruction, motivation, academic coursework, and homework on academic achievement.

Tested the influence of ability, time, quality of instruction, motivation, and academic coursework on students' achievement, controlling for relevant background variables. Structural equation models were analyzed with longitudinal data from a national sample of 25,875 high school students. Intellectual ability and academic coursework had direct effects on achievement, and homework had a smaller direct effect. The indirect effects of quality of instruction and motivation were stronger than their direct effects; quality affected motivation, which affected coursework. Supplemental analyses were consistent with the initial findings. Results support these variables as influences on school learning, and support the theories from which the variables were derived. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Production of a yogurt-like product from plant foodstuffs and whey. Substrate preparation and fermentation

A mixed substrate composed of soya milk, oat flour and dried cheese whey (82, 11 and 7% respectively) had a content of lactose and protein similar to that of milk used for yogurt manufacture. Heat treatment for 20 min at 80°C resulted in a viscosity similar to that of yogurt whilst removing coliform and mesophilic aerobic bacteria, moulds and yeasts. Fermentation with traditional yogurt bacteria did not increase viscosity further, and the final product had similar acidity and texture to yogurt. Acid development, carbohydrate consumption, proteolysis and starters counts were followed during fermentation. The fermentation profile of the mixed substrate was very similar to that of milk.     

Structure of human values: Testing the adequacy of the Rokeach Value Survey.

Examined the extent to which the 36 items of the Rokeach Value Survey (RVS) provide comprehensive and representative coverage of the value domain in 2 experiments. In Exp I, intensive semistructured interviews, based on the RVS, were conducted with 73 adults drawn from an electoral roll. Test–retest reliabilities were examined over 4 wks with 208 university students. In Exp II, factor structure was explored with 483 adults from the general population and with 688 university students. All Ss completed inventories of goal values, mode values, and social values. Data provide qualified support for the comprehensiveness of the instrument. The major weaknesses in sampling involved the facets of physical well-being and individual rights. Other areas not represented were thriftiness and carefreeness. The need for multi-item indices for value constructs is discussed, as are the advantages of a rating procedure over a ranking procedure from both psychometric and empirically valid perspective. An alternative instrument based on the work of Rokeach is proposed. (31 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)