Simple Program Research Articles

Visual Attention Patterns in Finding Source Code Defects

Existing research used visual effort metrics to determine the visual attention patterns of participants with varying skill levels while finding source code defects. While most of the findings of these studies agree on the results for fixation count metrics, there are differences in the results for fixation duration metrics. Therefore, there is a need for further investigations on the use of visual effort metrics to determine the difference in the visual effort of experts and novices between multiple programs. Thus, we aimed to identify the factors affecting the varying results on fixation duration metrics and validate the results on fixation count metrics. We used visual effort metrics to identify the visual attention patterns of high and low-performing students engaged in defect-finding tasks on multiple programs. We performed statistical tests on the total fixation count, fixation counts on the error lines, total fixation duration, and fixation duration on the error lines to determine the difference in the visual attention patterns between the groups. Among the fixation metrics used, only the total fixation duration metric revealed a significant difference between the high and low-performing students across all programs. High-performing students spent less time on simple programs with simple error types but spent more time on complex programs with logical and semantic error types. In contrast, low-performing students focused more attention on easy programs with one or more syntax errors compared to high-performing students. The results of this study could shed some light on the contrasting findings of previous studies regarding fixation duration. These findings suggest that visual attention patterns of high and low-performing students may vary on multiple programs. The amount of visual effort exerted by the group depends upon the program’s complexity, location of errors in the source code, type of errors injected, and the number of lines of code. This implies that the time spent finding the errors may be associated with the characteristics of the programs and the location and type of injected errors. Therefore, researchers must provide detailed information on these characteristics when describing differences in visual effort metrics between subjects engaged in bug-finding tasks.

218 Simple Blending of Gestation and Lactation Diets During the Transition Period Minimizes Losses in Back Fat Depth Around Parturition for Primi and Multiparous Sows

Abstract Fifty of each primiparous and multiparous sows were used to evaluate a blending feeding program using gestation and lactation diets during the transition period on sow back fat depth (BF), blood metabolites, and litter growth performance. Sows were randomly assigned to one of two feeding programs in a 2×2 factorial design (n = 25) from 104 ± 1 days of gestation: 1) a unique daily blend of standard gestation [0.58% standardized ileal digestible (SID) lysine and 2419kcal/kg NE] and lactation diets (0.95% SID lysine and 2507kcal/kg NE) until day 5 after farrowing to meet estimated daily SID lysine and net energy requirements (NRC, 2012; TRAN) or 2) approximately 2 kg per day of a standard lactation diet until farrowing (CON). Upon farrowing, sows on the CON feeding program received step-up access to the lactation diet according to a feeding curve. Five days after farrowing, both groups received ad libitum access to the lactation diet until weaning (20.0 ± 0.3 days). Sow body weight (BW) and BFwere measured on day 104 and 110 of gestation (BW only), after farrowing, and at weaning. Fasted blood samples were collected from sows at farrowing and weaning. Litters were standardized to 13 ± 1 piglets and were not provided creep feed. During gestation, TRAN sows consumed more feed than CON sows, which was especially evident for multiparous sows (2.95 vs. 2.13 ± 0.08kg/d for TRAN vs. CON; interaction and main effect; P < 0.05). During lactation, average daily feed intake was not influenced by feeding program but was greater for multi versus primiparous sows (5.98 vs. 4.20 ± 0.30kg; P < 0.001). At all time points, BW was greater for multi versus primiparous sows, regardless of feeding program (P < 0.05). During the gestation period, TRAN sows tended to have greater average daily gain (1.43 vs. 1.00±0.39kg/d; P=0.061) and had less back fat loss (-0.18 vs. -0.92 ± 0.37mm; P < 0.05) versus CON sows, regardless of parity. Only after farrowing, TRAN sows had greater BW and BF than CON sows, regardless of parity (221.5 vs. 215.5 ± 4.1kg and 17.0 vs. 16.3 ± 0.4mm; P < 0.05), but at weaning there were no feeding program-related differences in BW or BF. No feeding program-related differences were observed for litter characteristics, but litter birth weight and piglet BW at weaning were greater for multi versus primiparous sows (P< 0.01). Only after farrowing, serum BHBA (11.9 vs. 19.4 ± 7.8mmol/L) and NEFA (0.34 vs. 0.56 ± 0.10mmol/L) concentrations were less and serum glucose concentrations (4.4 vs. 3.9 ± 0.2mmol/L) were greater for TRAN versus CON sows (P < 0.05), regardless of parity. Therefore, a simple transition feeding program using standard gestation and lactation diets reduced energy mobilization by multi and primiparous sows in late gestation, with no impact on subsequent lactation performance.

Preventing autonomy loss with multicomponent geriatric interventions: A resource-saving strategy? Evidence from the SPRINT-T study

BackgroundThe objective of healthy aging strategies is to support interventions targeting autonomy loss prevention, with the assumption that these interventions are likely to be efficient by simultaneously improving clinical outcomes and saving costs. MethodsWe compare the economic impact of two interventions targeting frailty prevention in older European populations: a multicomponent intervention including physical activity monitoring, nutrition management, information and communications technology use and a relatively simple healthy aging lifestyle education program based on a series of workshops. Our sample includes 1,519 male and female participants from 11 European countries aged 70 years or older. Our econometric model explores trends in several outcomes depending on intervention receipt and frailty status at baseline. ResultsImplementing a multicomponent intervention among frail older people does not lead to a lower use of care and do not prevent quality of life losses associated with aging. However, it impacts older people's sense of priorities and interest in the future. We find no statistically significant differences between the two interventions, suggesting that the implementation of a multicomponent intervention may not be the most efficient strategy. The impact of the interventions does not differ by frailty status at baseline. ConclusionsOur results show the need to implement healthy aging strategies that are more focused on people's interests.

Towards a ROS2-based software architecture for service robots

This paper presents a scalable software architecture based on robot operating system 2 (ROS2) for service robots. ROS2 supports the data distribution service (DDS) protocol that provides benefits such as real-time operation and security and performance enhancements. However, ROS2 still lacks task management capabilities, essential for practical robotic applications consisting of multiple threads and processes. Moreover, integrating new devices into ROS2 requires additional development effort to create specific drivers for specific devices. The proposed software architecture addresses these drawbacks and provides a simple and user-friendly programming interface for easier integrating of various devices and existing ROS2 applications. Moreover, it is designed using python with multi-processing to avoid issues related to the python global interrupt lock (GIL). To verify the developed software architecture, an application for a custom-made service robot called the SeoulTech service robot (SSR) is implemented on a Jetson Xavier NX board with various features, such as ROS2 navigation and SLAM, text-to-speech (TTS), speech recognition, and face recognition.

Should I Stay or Should I Code? Of Collaboration and Do-It-Yourself Programming in Investigative Journalism

For journalists, numerous digital tools such as spreadsheets or web application are readily available for easy implementation. However, using programming to build or modify scripts has been an unexplored option for many journalists. Programming requires skills from the ICT professions, so when journalists find coding to be an efficient tool, do they stick with their old methods and ask ICT specialists for help, or do they learn to code themselves? This article is a qualitative study of the methodological reports pertaining to investigative projects nominated for the Norwegian journalism award SKUP. In these reports, programming has been used as a tool in 109 projects. The study examines which problems are solved using coding and the arguments for choosing this tool over simpler methods. It also looks at who performs the coding and how the editorial teams collaborate to reap the benefits of coding. The findings show that many journalists often find it difficult to collaborate with ICT specialists. They would therefore rather learn basic coding skills themselves. They follow a “do-it-yourself” philosophy and learn simple and open programming languages such as SQL, Python just well enough to achieve their goals.

The potential effect of walking on quantitative sensory testing, pain catastrophizing, and perceived stress: an exploratory study.

Studies suggest that a range of pain mechanisms, such as poor quality of sleep, perceived stress, pain catastrophizing or pain sensitivity, are likely to enhance clinical pain. Animal studies suggest that these pain mechanisms can be modulated by increasing physical activity, but human data are needed to support this hypothesis. This exploratory study aimed to investigate the changes in pain mechanisms after a simple self-directed walking program of 8-weeks. Additionally, this exploratory study investigated the interaction between changes over time in assessments of poor quality of sleep, perceived stress, pain catastrophizing or pain sensitivity and how these changes interacted with each other. This prospective cohort study included 30 healthy subjects who were assessed at baseline and 4- and 8-weeks after initiating the walking program (30min walking/day for 8weeks). Self-report outcomes included: Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS), the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Pressure pain thresholds, temporal summation of pain and conditioned pain modulation (CPM) were assessed using cuff algometry. Twenty-four subjects completed all the visits (age:42.2, SD: 14.9, 16 females). PCS and PSS significantly decreased at the 8-week's visit compared to baseline (p<0.05). No significant differences were seen for an improvement in quality of sleep (p=0.071) and pain sensitivity (p>0.075) when comparing the 8-week's visit to the baseline visit. Changes in pain mechanisms comparing baseline and 8-weeks data were calculated and regression analyses found that an improvement in PCS was associated with an improvement in CPM (R2=0.197, p=0.017) and that a higher adherence to the walking program was associated with a larger improvement in PCS (R2=0.216, p=0.013). The current exploratory study indicates that a simple self-directed walking program of 8-weeks can improve pain catastrophizing thoughts, perceived stress. Higher adherence to the walking program were associated with an improvement in pain catastrophizing and an improvement in pain catastrophizing was associated with an increase in conditioned pain modulation.

Effects of Game-Based Training Approach on Physical Abilities in Male Youth Volleyball Players

The study aimed to determine the effects of a game-based training approach on the physical abilities of male youth volleyball players. A two-way mixed design was used. Forty young male volleyball players (age: 15.49±1.36 years old; height: 175.50±0.02 cm; weight: 65.50±1.32 kg; experience: 3.39±1.27 years old) participated in this study. Participants were randomly assigned into two equal study groups, a Traditional Training Group (TTG; n = 20) and a Game-based Training Group (GTG; n = 20). TTG uses a traditional training program in which coaches coach athletes, give individual feedback, and perform technique-focused workouts. GTG follows a 12-week simple volleyball game-based training program. Before and after 12 weeks of training, both groups measured their agility, endurance, power, and speed. A two-way mixed design (2 × 2) ANOVA was used to compare the differences between subjects and repeated measure variables. All coefficients are considered significant at p ≤ .05. As a result, significant differences were found within-subject and between groups in male youth volleyball players’ physical abilities. In conclusion, the 12-week game-based training approach effectively improved the physical performances of male youth volleyball players. To support this notion, an additional study is necessary.

Relation between characteristic temperature and elution temperature in temperature programmed gas chromatography - part I: Influence of initial temperature and heating rate

The development of new analytical methods can save resources, time and costs if there are prediction tools like computer simulation which support the optimization process. In GC the distribution-centric 3-parameter model (K-centric model) is well established for prediction of retention factors k and retention times but laborious isothermal measurements for determination of the characteristic parameters are needed. For the most important parameter, the characteristic temperature Tchar, the search for simpler determination methods or even estimates is an interesting research topic.In this work the elution temperatures for 37 fatty acid methyl esters, 6 BTEXs and 40 other volatile substances are determined by measurements under variable heating rates, initial temperatures, constant pressure mode and constant flow mode. The relationship between the measured elution temperature and the characteristic temperature was investigated. The novel multivariate curve fit model presented in this study describes accurately the relation between the characteristic temperature Tchar and elution temperatures Telu under variable heating rates RT, respectively, and initial temperature Tinit conditions. The novel model shows good accordance to earlier estimation models and expands the prediction range, especially for high volatile compounds. The model is suitable for determination of Tchar by estimated Telu and vice versa. Predictions of retention times of simple temperature programs were also possible by using the model with relative deviations < 5% compared to measurements.

Enhancing Accounting Students' Competence through Information Technology-based Financial Reporting: A Community Engagement Initiative in Sidoarjo

&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; In this digital era, the demands for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) have led to the increasing need for accounting students to acquire additional hard skills in operating simple accounting programs like spreadsheets. To address this need, a community engagement program was conducted in partnership with a vocational school in Sidoarjo to provide training on information technology-based financial reporting. The methods included surveys, discussions, problem formulation, planning, demonstrations, and learning evaluation. The program aimed to enhance students' basic knowledge and expertise in accounting, enabling them to compete in the Industrial Revolution era. The outcome of the program showed significant improvement in students' ability to utilize spreadsheets for data processing and financial statement preparation. The success of this initiative highlights the importance of incorporating technology in accounting education to equip students with relevant skills for the modern job market.&#x0D; Highlight:&#x0D; &#x0D; Integration of Information Technology: The study highlights the increasing demand for accounting students to possess skills in utilizing information technology, particularly spreadsheets, for data processing and financial reporting.&#x0D; Community Engagement Approach: The research employs a community engagement initiative to address partners' problems, including surveys, counseling, and providing solutions to enhance students' competencies.&#x0D; Benefits for Accounting Students: The program's main benefit is the enhancement of basic knowledge and expertise of accounting students in Sidoarjo, empowering them to compete effectively in the modern era.&#x0D; &#x0D; Keyword: Information Technology, Accounting Education, Spreadsheet, Financial Reporting, Industrial Revolution&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D;

Study protocol for the ‘preventing functional decline in acutely hospitalised older patients (PREV_FUNC)’ study: effects of two multicomponent exercise programmes on physical function – a three-armed randomised controlled trial

IntroductionAcutely hospitalised older patients often live with frailty and have an increased risk of impaired physical function. Previous studies suggest that exercise might mitigate the risk of physical impairment; however,...

A win-win situation for environment and economy: Analysis of maximizing benefits in municipal sludge treatment plants

The huge cost (economic cost and environmental cost) of treating municipal sludge has caused enormous pressure on China. How to balance economic cost and environmental benefits in China's sludge treatment industry is an important issue that the government urgently needs to address. This article selects 9 types of municipal sludge treatment plants (MSTP) that can represent different treatment methods and scales in China, and attempts to help all provinces in China find the optimal solution for maximizing sludge treatment benefits (economic benefits and environmental benefits) under different constraints (economic constraints and environmental constraints). Firstly, this paper analyzes the economic and environmental costs and return of 9 types of MSTP. Secondly, we use the unguided Super-SBM model to combine the costs and return of 9 types of MSTP to measure the benefits of each plant. It has been found that under ideal conditions, medium Incineration treatment (IT) and large building material (BM) utilization are the most beneficial options for sludge treatment in China. Finally, we use a simple linear programming model to establish a constrained linear programming model for the environment and economy, substituting provinces that are divided into four categories under different constraint conditions into the model, and finding the optimal ratio for each type of province to build MSTP, in order to maximize benefits. Research has found that after adding constraints, the future development trend of municipal sludge treatment in China will mainly focus on small BM utilization and medium LA. This research result has universal applicability. As long as the constraints of this article are met, any country or province can adjust the construction proportion of municipal sludge treatment plants according to the research results of this article.

Simulation and analysis of ideal low pass filter response using MATLAB

Filters are the crucial element of many modern electronic systems used in control engineering, wireless communication systems, and embedded systems designs. Filters in one form or another, are considered an important subsystem in developing communication systems. The ideal filter cannot be designed through any electronic circuit and the only way is to realize using simulations tools like MATLAB. In this paper, the simulation and analysis of the ideal low pass filter is presented. The MATLAB software is used to generate and perform analysis of the step response of ideal low-pass filter (Si function) and impulse response of ideal low-pass filter (Sinc function) in time and frequency domains. The aim of the work is to provide engineering students an easier understanding of the filter design process in an appropriate way with the help of simple programming. Where, it is easy to generate signals and analyze the ideal low pass filter response. To verify achievement of learning objectives, a survey is conducted from 45 engineering students of electronic and telecommunication which elicited students’ observations and interest in the learning process. Overall about 75% of students gave positive feedback, which indicates that such type of experimentation had a significant impact on the student academic outcomes.

The Impact of the Zakat Calculator Application on Zakat and Waqf Management Study Program Students

Regarding the zakat calculator application using a programming language that can be used for smartphones/mobile phones with a simple program appearance according to the type of zakat you want to calculate so that it can be used by students. This application makes it easier for people, especially students, to carry out zakat calculation activities according to their types. From the system that has been implemented, the results of calculating zakat according to its type will be easier because the system used is a practical system in the form of a smartphone/cell phone application that can be easily accessed and the results can be accepted by the community, especially students. The zakat calculator application is an application that is applied to an Android smartphone which can help Muslims in calculating zakat that must be issued according to the regulations of Allah and His Messenger which can be used anytime, anywhere, and by anyone, besides that this application is also equipped with a menu feature in which there is an explanation of the history of zakat, zakat law, types of zakat, and mustahik zakat. This application uses the formula for calculating zakat assets and professional zakat which is applied to a coding program that will calculate the amount of zakat assets and professional zakat that must be issued by Muslims. This zakat calculation application can help Muslims in calculating zakat assets and professional zakat that must be issued and with the zakat alarm feature it can be used as a reference for reminders in paying zakat in a timely manner.

Research on the Development Trend of Artificial Intelligence Led by ChatGPT

The technological growth of artificial intelligence (AI) generally presents the characteristics from simple linearity to complex system. In the early days of AI, its basic idea was simple imperative programming. However, people soon found that it could not complete complex thinking work and could only be used in simple scenes such as data processing, video games and industrial automatic control. ChatGPT, which was born, opened the era of universal AI, which indicates that AI has extensive learning ability and reaches or exceeds the level of ordinary human beings in most fields. ChatGPT, as a new generation of AI technology, will profoundly affect human economic and social development. In the future, AI will almost bring changes and reconstruction to all walks of life. Under the background of deepening the supply-side structural reform, it is of great significance to promote the practical application of AI and continuously provide new kinetic energy for economic development. This paper analyzes the development opportunities and challenges of ChatGPT in AI industry, labor and employment, education, scientific research and other fields, and explores the development trend of AI led by ChatGPT.

Accurate prediction of gaseous isotopes Xe and Kr concentrations from the burnup of nuclear fuel using simple regression algorithm.

Mathematical techniques for modeling and simulating dangerous or complex systems, such as nuclear technology systems, often require high-performance computing to process and analyze available data. In this paper, simple and quick method to support studies and research related to nuclear fuel is presented. This reasonably simple method helps to predict different concentrations of actinides and fission products in nuclear fuels without the need for expensive specialized programs and highly-trained researchers. The great importance of this approach is the speed of predicting the components of nuclear fuel concentrations, which in turn leads to quick decision-making, such as the possibility of operating fuel at higher burnup values, predicting the amount of gases resulting from nuclear fission (which may accumulate and cause problems in nuclear fuel such as volume swells), and other important decisions in nuclear fuel technology. The predicted equations have been generalized for higher values of burnup and compared with comparable results from MCNP codes. The equations deduced in calculating the different concentrations of xenon and krypton isotopes resulting from fission in burnup of nuclear fuel showed very precise results with discrepancies (magnitude of an error between the data points and the corresponding predicted ones) less than 2%. The suggested method offers a great advantage for researchers, which are the use one of any simple or common computational programs available to most researchers and do not need much experience to deal with, such as MATLAB, Excel that are easy to use for regression analyses. In this paper, the advantages of the proposed method are explained along with the limitations of its use.

A knowledge-based simple education program for patients with epilepsy in Japan: Effects sustained after the program implementation

PurposeTo investigate the effects of an original education program on patients with epilepsy (PWE). The effects on knowledge about epilepsy, attitude to epilepsy, depression scales, and quality of life were investigated. MethodThirty-five PWE participated in a lecture-style educational program using an original knowledge-oriented textbook. All patients were administered a total of four rating scales: the Knowledge about Epilepsy Scale (KES), the Attitude toward Epilepsy Scale (AES), and the Japanese version of the Quality of Life in Epilepsy Inventory (QOLIE-31-P), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). The KES and AES of patients (pKES and pAES) were compared to those of medical students (St) and residents (Rd). ResultsAfter education, pKES improved and showed significant differences among pre-and post-education and six months later. Before education, pKES was inferior to St and Rd. However, after education, pKES changed and became superior to St and Rd. Six months later, the advantage was lost, but not significantly. PAES also improved after education, with significant differences before, after, and six months later after education. PAES was statistically inferior to St and Rd before education, but the difference disappeared after education, and the effect persisted after six months.The non-depressed (BDI < 20) and depressed groups (BDI ≧ 20) improved in the KES after education. About the AES, the non-depressive group has a statistical tendency, but not the depressive group. At six months, the depressed group's AES is significantly lower than the non-depressed group. ConclusionWhile correct knowledge about epilepsy can improve attitudes and perceptions of epilepsy in PWE, special measures are needed for PWE with depression.

Algorithmic schemes for non-smooth simple bilevel programming problem and simple MPEC problem

ABSTRACT This article continues our study on simple bilevel and simple MPEC problems. In this article, we focus on developing algorithms. We show how using the idea of a gap function one can represent a simple MPEC as a simple bilevel problem with non-smooth data. This motivates us first to develop an algorithm for a simple bilevel problem with non-smooth data and modify the scheme for the same to develop an algorithm for the simple MPEC problem. We also discuss how the simple bilevel formulation of a simple MPEC can help us in formulating a stopping criteria for the simple MPEC problem.

An optimization model of on-demand mobility services with spatial heterogeneity in travel demand

We propose an optimization model that predicts the required fleet size of on-demand mobility (ODM) services at various service levels for a range of demand patterns. Both customer waiting time and spatial heterogeneity in demand are considered when formulating the flow conservation equation for the system’s steady state. The demand–supply imbalance problem is solved through vehicle relocation. Vehicle relocation is reformulated into a simple linear programming problem, and the objective function is set to minimize the number of relocation vehicles. Furthermore, indicators were defined to more effectively explain the effects of spatial heterogeneity of travel demand on the required fleet size. The analysis results show that even among regions with the same average demand rate, the required fleet size may vary depending on the spatial demand pattern of origins and destinations. The higher the ratio of long-distance travel and the greater the need for vehicle relocation, the larger the fleet size required. Furthermore, the user travel time reduction effect is maximized at the minimum fleet size and then steadily decreases as fleet size increases. Cost minimization requires more vehicles than fleet size minimization. Cost minimization may be an advantageous goal for operation of an ODM service as a driverless vehicle service. The simultaneous consideration of both fleet size minimization and cost minimization provides a required fleet size range. Although the proposed model is simple and includes approximations, it helps provide insight into ODM service design and investment decision-making. Thus, the proposed model can be used by governments or agencies to design policy or operationally optimized services. Moreover, the model can serve as the basis for the practical implementation of planned services.

External Behavior of a Logic Program and Verification of Refactoring

AbstractRefactoring is modifying a program without changing its external behavior. In this paper, we make the concept of external behavior precise for a simple answer set programming language. Then we describe a proof assistant for the task of verifying that refactoring a program in that language is performed correctly.

Rule Induction in Knowledge Graphs Using Linear Programming

We present a simple linear programming (LP) based method to learn compact and interpretable sets of rules encoding the facts in a knowledge graph (KG) and use these rules to solve the KG completion problem. Our LP model chooses a set of rules of bounded complexity from a list of candidate first-order logic rules and assigns weights to them. The complexity bound is enforced via explicit constraints. We combine simple rule generation heuristics with our rule selection LP to obtain predictions with accuracy comparable to state-of-the-art codes, even while generating much more compact rule sets. Furthermore, when we take as input rules generated by other codes, we often improve interpretability by reducing the number of chosen rules, while maintaining accuracy.