Software modelers refactor their design models to improve design quality while preserving essential functional properties. Tools that allow modelers to check whether their refactorings preserve specified essential behaviors are needed to support rigorous model evolution. In this paper we describe a rigorous approach to analyzing design model refactorings that involve changes to operation specif...

In the world of software systems, the process of evolving is an essential one. If this process represents no challenge on small systems, it becomes unbearable if the size of the system exceeds a certain limit. Therefore, the need arises for software tools that can carry out the necessary transformations automatically. This paper addresses the possibility to detect spots within an object-oriente...

Factory farming continues to grow around the world as a low-cost way of producing animal products for human consumption. However, many of the practices associated with intensive animal farming have been criticized by public health professionals and animal welfare advocates. The aim of this essay is to raise three independent moral concerns with factory farming, and to explain why the practices ...

The ability of hardness discrimination in 11 implant denture wearers was compared with those in 10 bridge wearers and 11 normal dentate subjects. The hardness discrimination was tested using silicone rubber blocks having rubber hardness that ranged at intervals of 10 degrees from 30 degrees to 70 degrees. Using a rubber block with rubber hardness of 50 degrees as a standard, the ability of disc...

Changing the visual body appearance by use of as virtual reality system, funny mirror, or binocular glasses has been reported to be helpful in rehabilitation of pain. However, there are interindividual differences in the analgesic effect of changing the visual body image. We hypothesized that a negative body image associated with changing the visual body appearance causes interindividual differ...

Useful lifetime evaluation of chevron rubber spring was very important in design procedure to assure the safety and reliability. It is, therefore, necessary to establish a suitable criterion for the replacement period of chevron rubber spring. In this study, we performed characteristic analysis and useful lifetime prediction of chevron rubber spring. Rubber material coefficient was obtained by ...

Natural rubber (cis-1,4-polyisoprene) is an isoprenoid compound produced exclusively in plants by the action of rubber transferase. Despite a keen interest in revealing the mechanisms of rubber chain elongation and chain length determination, the molecular nature of rubber transferase has not yet been identified. A recent report has revealed that a 24 kDa protein tightly associated with the sma...

Rubber is the most widespread smallholder tree crop in South-East Asia. Although initially large estates planted the bulk of the region’s rubber, smallholders soon captured most of the production. Currently, Indonesia’s rubber plantations cover 3.4 million ha, of which smallholders account for more than 75% (BPS, 1999). In peninsular Malaysia, the area in rubber has declined since the 1970s, bu...

introduction: occupational exposure to excessive noise is commonly encountered in a large number of industries in iran. this study evaluated the hearing threshold and hearing loss in meybod tile factory workers. methods: this cross-sectional study included 371 tile factoryworkers during summer and autumn of 2005. current noise exposure was estimated using sound level meter .a specially formatte...