The standard genetic code (SGC) is the cipher used by nearly all organisms to transcribe information stored in DNA and translate it into its amino acid counterparts. Since the early 1960s, researchers have observed that the SGC is structured so that similar codons encode amino acids with similar physiochemical properties. This structure has been hypothesized to buffer the SGC against transcription or translational error because single nucleotide mutations usually either are silent or impart minimal effect on the containing protein. We herein briefly review different theories for the origin of that structure. We also briefly review different computational experiments designed to quantify buffering capacity for the SGC. We report on computational Monte Carlo simulations that we performed using a computer program that we developed, AGCT. In the simulations, the SGC was ranked against other, hypothetical genetic codes (HGC) for its ability to minimize physiochemical distances between amino acids encoded by codons separated by single nucleotide mutations. We analyzed unappreciated structural aspects and neglected properties in the SGC. We found that error measure type affected SGC ranking. We also found that altering stop codon positions had no effect on SGC ranking, but including stop codons in error calculations improved SGC ranking. We analyzed 49 properties individually and identified conserved properties. Among these, we found that long-range non-bonded energy is more conserved than is polar requirement, which previously was considered to be the most conserved property in the SGC. We also analyzed properties in combinations. We hypothesized that the SGC is organized as a compromise among multiple properties. Finally, we used AGCT to test whether different theories on the origin of the SGC could explain more convincingly the buffering capacity in the SGC. We found that, without accounting for transition/transversion biases, the SGC ranking was modest enough under constraints imposed by the coevolution and four column theories that it could be explained due to constraints associated with either theory (or both theories); however, when transition/transversion biases were included, only the four column theory returned a SGC ranking modest enough that it could be explained due to constraints associated with that theory. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc) / The standard genetic code (SGC) is the cipher used almost universally to transcribe information stored in DNA and translate it to amino acid counterparts. Since the mid 1960s, researchers have recognized that the SGC is organized so that similar three-nucleotide RNA codons encode amino acids with similar properties; researchers consequently hypothesized that the SGC is structured to minimize effects from transcription or translation errors. This hypothesis has been tested using computer simulation. I briefly review results from those studies, complement them by analyzing unappreciated structural aspects and neglected properties, and test two theories on the origin of the SGC.

Developers build an entire software by writing quality code, the failure of which can risk organizational reputation, financial wellbeing, and even the lives and security of people. The ability to develop high quality code is therefore a key learning goal of foundational undergraduate computing programmes. However, how effective these undergraduate computing curriculums are in teaching software code quality is a matter of concern as this leads to raising the knowledge of future software developers. Right now, there is a lack of models to evaluate this effectiveness of undergraduate curriculum in providing the knowledge of software code quality to students.In this thesis, we suggest a model for evaluating the effectiveness of undergraduate curriculum in teaching software code quality, which we call ScQUc (Software Code Quality in Undergraduate Curriculum). Our goal is to raise the knowledge and awareness of teaching software code quality in education and make the undergraduate computing curriculum more software code quality centric.Due to the fact that there is a lack of models for evaluating the effectiveness of undergraduate curriculum in teaching software code quality, we had no closely related work to base our research on. We had to rely on other works related to code quality in programming courses that were indirectly connected to our research field. Hence, we dare infer that the ScQUc model was created from scratch.The research method used was qualitative and followed the frame of design science. Data collection was conducted via literature study and via interviews with two experts in the field. The interviewees were selected with the convenience sampling method enhanced with a predefined selection criterion. Data evaluation, on the other hand, was conducted using an evaluation model. The evaluation model included the following evaluation criteria: (1) interviewee credibility, (2) correctness, (3) flexibility, (4) usefulness and (5) experience. One round of interview was conducted with each of the interviewees which resulted in the improvement of the ScQUc model.The ScQUc model consists of a checklist of code quality characteristics and a sequence of activities to be conducted in order to evaluate the effectiveness of an undergraduate curriculum in teaching software code quality. The results of the evaluation of the ScQUc model inferred that the ScQUc model was correct and useful for the academia. Hence, we believe that the ScQUc model is a valid solution for evaluating the effectiveness of undergraduate curriculum in teaching software code quality. Still, however, the ScQUc model needs further evaluation and extension in form of specifications aiding deeper understanding of code quality, how to teach code quality, and to what extent to teach code quality. / Utvecklare bygger hela programvaran genom att skriva kvalitetskod, vars fel kan riskera organisatoriskt rykte, ekonomiskt välbefinnande och till och med människors liv och säkerhet. Förmågan att utveckla kod av hög kvalitet är därför ett viktigt inlärningsmål för grundläggande grundutbildningsprogram. Hur effektiva dessa läroplaner för grundutbildning är för att undervisa programkodkvalitet är emellertid en oro eftersom det leder till att kunskapen hos framtida programutvecklare ökar. Just nu saknas modeller för att utvärdera denna effektivitet i grundutbildningen för att ge studenterna kunskap om mjukvarukodkvalitet.I den här avhandlingen föreslår vi en modell för att utvärdera effektiviteten för grundutbildningen i undervisning av programkodkvalitet, som vi kallar ScQUc (Software Code Quality in Undergraduate Curriculum). Vårt mål är att öka kunskapen och medvetenheten om att undervisa programvarukodkvalitet i utbildningen och göra grundutbildningsberäkningen mer programvarukodkvalitet centrerad.På grund av bristen på modeller för att utvärdera effektiviteten i grundutbildningen i undervisning av programvarukodkvalitet, hade vi inget nära besläktat arbete att basera vår forskning på. Vi var tvungna att lita på andra verk relaterade till kodkvalitet i programmeringskurser som indirekt var kopplade till vårt forskningsområde. Därför drar vi slutsatsen att ScQUc-modellen skapades från grunden.Den använda metoden var kvalitativ och följde ramverket för designvetenskap. Datainsamlingen genomfördes genom litteraturstudie och genom intervjuer med två experter på området. Intervjuerna valdes med hjälp av metoden för provtagning av bekvämlighet förbättrad med ett fördefinierat urvalskriterium. Datautvärdering genomfördes å andra sidan med hjälp av en utvärderingsmodell. Utvärderingsmodellen inkluderade följande utvärderingskriterier: (1) intervjuarens trovärdighet, (2) korrekthet, (3) flexibilitet, (4) användbarhet och (5) erfarenhet. En intervjuomgång genomfördes med var och en av de intervjuade som resulterade i förbättringen av ScQUc-modellen.ScQUc-modellen består av en checklista med egenskaper för kodkvalitet och en sekvens av aktiviteter som ska genomföras för att utvärdera effektiviteten hos en grundutbildningsprogram i undervisning av programkodkvalitet. Resultaten av utvärderingen av ScQUc-modellen drar slutsatsen att ScQUc-modellen var korrekt och användbar för akademin. Därför tror vi att ScQUc-modellen är en giltig lösning för att utvärdera effektiviteten för grundutbildningen i undervisning av programvarukodkvalitet. Men ändå behöver ScQUc-modellen ytterligare utvärdering och utvidgning i form av specifikationer som hjälper djupare förståelse för kodkvalitet, hur man undervisar i kodkvalitet och i vilken utsträckning man ska lära ut kodkvalitet.

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Denna rapport har sitt ursprung i det kodefaktoriseringsarbete som utfärdats våren 2013 som examensarbete i dataingenjörsprogrammet vid Örebro Universitet. Arbetet utfärdades på Nethouse i Örebro, och hade stort fokus på koddesign och kodkvalitet. I rapporten diskuteras vilka faktorer som påverkar hur underhållbar och läsbar en kod är, men också hur man på ett rimligt sätt kan utvärdera och mäta kodkvalitet. Den teoretiska biten blandas med den praktiska, där läsaren introduceras för ett flertal metoder, och hur dessa sedan implementerades i det faktiska projektet som Nethouse tillhandahöll. / This report has its origins in the code refactoring work issued in spring 2013 as a Degree Project in the Computer Engineering Programme, at Örebro University. The work took place at Nethouse in Örebro, and had a major focus on code design, and code quality. The report discusses the factors that affect how maintainable and readable a code is, but also how to reasonably evaluate and measure code quality. The theory is mixed with the practical, where the reader is introduced to a variety of methods, and how these were then implemented in the actual project that Nethouse provided.

INTRODUCTION Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) for the first six months of an infant‟s life is recognized by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations Children‟s Fund (UNICEF) as the most effective and essential strategy for optimal growth and prevention of infant mortality. One of the factors that influences a mothers choice to exclusively breastfeed her child, is the marketing of breast milk substitutes. The International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes (ICMBS) was developed to promote, protect and support EBF. Although South Africa (SA) has voluntarily adopted the ICMBS in 1981 to help protect and promote EBF, the exclusive breastfeeding rates in SA remain very low (<8%). In a renewed attempt to protect and promote exclusive breastfeeding in SA, the code has been legislated in December 2012 to ensure compliance. AIM To assess the extent of ICMBS violations in health facilities in four Provinces in SA. DESIGN This was cross-sectional study. A purposive stratified cluster sample of eight to twelve health facilities was drawn in four Provinces (Gauteng, North-West, Free-State and Eastern Cape) in SA. Fixed structured interviews were conducted by trained fieldworkers with three health workers from each of the 40 health facilities to determine the extent of ICMBS violations as well as awareness of the ICMBS. The receipt of free gifts, free/low cost supplies/samples of formula milk, bottles or teats, and free materials or equipment from companies who sell breast-milk substitutes (BMS), infants foods/drinks and bottles or teats (violation of articles 6.2, 6.3, 6.6, 6.8, 7.3 and 7.4 of the ICMBS) were determined. RESULTS A total number of four violations were reported by four health workers from three of the 40 health facilities (7.5%). ICMBS violations were reported only in Gauteng Province with no violations in North West, Free State or Eastern Cape Province. All four violations involved the receipt of free gifts for personal use (including a pen, booklet, calendars and booklet/poster) from a BMS company (Nestlé), violating article 7.3 of the ICMBS. Health workers from four health facilities also reported the receipt of information materials and/or equipment for use in the facility, including leaflets, maternal and infant feeding product booklets and water bags from Nestlé. However, since the brand name of a product within the scope of the ICMBS was not visible on any of the materials or equipment, none of these gifts constituted a violation. In terms of ICMBS awareness, 46 health workers (38%), including the four health workers who received gifts, from 19 health facilities situated mainly in Eastern Cape and Gauteng Province were familiar with the ICMBS. CONCLUSIONS Violations were reported in 7.5% of health facilities, including the health facilities where health workers were aware of the code. Implementation and training of the ICBMS in health facilities is there for warranted. / MSc (Nutrition), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Introduction: Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) contributes towards reducing infant and young child mortality however global EBF rates are sub-optimal. One of the factors that influences a mothers‟ choice to exclusively breastfeed her child, is the marketing of breast milk substitutes. The International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes (ICMBS) was developed to promote, protect and support EBF. Although South Africa has adopted the ICMBS, the Code was only legislated in December 2012 to ensure compliance. Aim: To do a baseline assessment of the extent of ICMBS violations in the South African advertising media including magazines, newspapers, television (TV) and radio. Methods: In this cross-sectional study data were collected on multiple occasions. Data were collected by means of recording and/or screening daily broadcasts from four TV channels (SABC 1, 2, 3 and e.tv), nine commercial radio stations, 116 different magazines and 10 different newspapers for ICMBS violations. This study was done within a period of four months between November 2012 and January 2014. Violations pertaining to advertising media include advertising or promoting infant formula, other milk products marketed for children up to 36 months of age (e.g. growing-up milk or follow-on milk), foods for infants younger than six months, any other food or beverages marketed or represented to be suitable for the use as partial or total replacements of breast milk, and feeding bottles and teats to the general public (article 5.1 of the ICMBS). Results: A total number of 30 violations were identified from 117 baby product advertisements that were published in eight of the 169 screened magazines. No violations were found from advertisements on TV, radio or in newspapers. The majority of advertisements that violated article 5.1 of the ICMBS, were advertisements of feeding bottles (60%), followed by advertisements of growing-up milk (20%) and feeding teats (16.7%). Only one violation (3.3%) was an advertisement of infant food for infants younger than six months. Advertisements with violations were advertising baby products from 11 different companies. More than half of the violations (56.7%) were published in two editions from the same magazine, or inserts within that magazine, who‟s target group was pregnant women. Eight advertisements with violations (26.6%) were published in family magazines, three (10%) were published in baby magazines, and two (6.7%) were published in lifestyle magazines. Conclusion: According to the present baseline study, ICMBS violations were only found in a small percentage (4.7%) of magazines targeted mainly at pregnant women. However, although the present study included the majority of available South African magazines distributed in South Africa, not all the available newspapers, TV channels and radio stations were included in the sample size. The true extent of ICMBS violations in the South African advertising media may therefore be higher. It can also not be concluded that BMS companies use only magazines to advertise products pertaining to the scope of the ICMBS. A follow-up study need to determine the impact of legislating the Code on ICMBS violations in advertising media. / MSc (Nutrition), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

INTRODUCTION Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) for the first six months of an infant‟s life is recognized by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations Children‟s Fund (UNICEF) as the most effective and essential strategy for optimal growth and prevention of infant mortality. One of the factors that influences a mothers choice to exclusively breastfeed her child, is the marketing of breast milk substitutes. The International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes (ICMBS) was developed to promote, protect and support EBF. Although South Africa (SA) has voluntarily adopted the ICMBS in 1981 to help protect and promote EBF, the exclusive breastfeeding rates in SA remain very low (<8%). In a renewed attempt to protect and promote exclusive breastfeeding in SA, the code has been legislated in December 2012 to ensure compliance. AIM To assess the extent of ICMBS violations in health facilities in four Provinces in SA. DESIGN This was cross-sectional study. A purposive stratified cluster sample of eight to twelve health facilities was drawn in four Provinces (Gauteng, North-West, Free-State and Eastern Cape) in SA. Fixed structured interviews were conducted by trained fieldworkers with three health workers from each of the 40 health facilities to determine the extent of ICMBS violations as well as awareness of the ICMBS. The receipt of free gifts, free/low cost supplies/samples of formula milk, bottles or teats, and free materials or equipment from companies who sell breast-milk substitutes (BMS), infants foods/drinks and bottles or teats (violation of articles 6.2, 6.3, 6.6, 6.8, 7.3 and 7.4 of the ICMBS) were determined. RESULTS A total number of four violations were reported by four health workers from three of the 40 health facilities (7.5%). ICMBS violations were reported only in Gauteng Province with no violations in North West, Free State or Eastern Cape Province. All four violations involved the receipt of free gifts for personal use (including a pen, booklet, calendars and booklet/poster) from a BMS company (Nestlé), violating article 7.3 of the ICMBS. Health workers from four health facilities also reported the receipt of information materials and/or equipment for use in the facility, including leaflets, maternal and infant feeding product booklets and water bags from Nestlé. However, since the brand name of a product within the scope of the ICMBS was not visible on any of the materials or equipment, none of these gifts constituted a violation. In terms of ICMBS awareness, 46 health workers (38%), including the four health workers who received gifts, from 19 health facilities situated mainly in Eastern Cape and Gauteng Province were familiar with the ICMBS. CONCLUSIONS Violations were reported in 7.5% of health facilities, including the health facilities where health workers were aware of the code. Implementation and training of the ICBMS in health facilities is there for warranted. / MSc (Nutrition), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Introduction: Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) contributes towards reducing infant and young child mortality however global EBF rates are sub-optimal. One of the factors that influences a mothers‟ choice to exclusively breastfeed her child, is the marketing of breast milk substitutes. The International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes (ICMBS) was developed to promote, protect and support EBF. Although South Africa has adopted the ICMBS, the Code was only legislated in December 2012 to ensure compliance. Aim: To do a baseline assessment of the extent of ICMBS violations in the South African advertising media including magazines, newspapers, television (TV) and radio. Methods: In this cross-sectional study data were collected on multiple occasions. Data were collected by means of recording and/or screening daily broadcasts from four TV channels (SABC 1, 2, 3 and e.tv), nine commercial radio stations, 116 different magazines and 10 different newspapers for ICMBS violations. This study was done within a period of four months between November 2012 and January 2014. Violations pertaining to advertising media include advertising or promoting infant formula, other milk products marketed for children up to 36 months of age (e.g. growing-up milk or follow-on milk), foods for infants younger than six months, any other food or beverages marketed or represented to be suitable for the use as partial or total replacements of breast milk, and feeding bottles and teats to the general public (article 5.1 of the ICMBS). Results: A total number of 30 violations were identified from 117 baby product advertisements that were published in eight of the 169 screened magazines. No violations were found from advertisements on TV, radio or in newspapers. The majority of advertisements that violated article 5.1 of the ICMBS, were advertisements of feeding bottles (60%), followed by advertisements of growing-up milk (20%) and feeding teats (16.7%). Only one violation (3.3%) was an advertisement of infant food for infants younger than six months. Advertisements with violations were advertising baby products from 11 different companies. More than half of the violations (56.7%) were published in two editions from the same magazine, or inserts within that magazine, who‟s target group was pregnant women. Eight advertisements with violations (26.6%) were published in family magazines, three (10%) were published in baby magazines, and two (6.7%) were published in lifestyle magazines. Conclusion: According to the present baseline study, ICMBS violations were only found in a small percentage (4.7%) of magazines targeted mainly at pregnant women. However, although the present study included the majority of available South African magazines distributed in South Africa, not all the available newspapers, TV channels and radio stations were included in the sample size. The true extent of ICMBS violations in the South African advertising media may therefore be higher. It can also not be concluded that BMS companies use only magazines to advertise products pertaining to the scope of the ICMBS. A follow-up study need to determine the impact of legislating the Code on ICMBS violations in advertising media. / MSc (Nutrition), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 20-23, 2003 / Riviera Hotel and Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada / A radiolocation problem using DS-CDMA waveforms with array-based receivers is considered. It is assumed that M snapshots of N(s) Nyquist sample long data are available, with a P element antenna array. In the handshaking radiolocation protocol assumed here, data training sequences are available for all K users. As a result, the received spatial-temporal matrix R ∈ C^(MN(s)x P) is approximated by a sum of deterministic signal matrices S(k)^b ∈ C^(MN(s) N(s)) multiplied by unconstrained array response matrices A(k) ∈ C^(N(s)x P). The unknown delays are not estimated directly. Rather, the delays are implicitly approximated as part of the symbol-length long channel, and solutions sparse in the rows of A are thus sought. The resulting ML cost function is J = ||R - ∑(k=1)^K S(k)^bA(k)||(F). The Generalized Successive Interference Cancellation (GSIC) algorithm is employed to iteratively estimate and cancel multiuser interference. Thus, at the k-th GSIC iteration, the index p(k) = arg min(l ≠ p(1),...,p(k-1)) {min(A(l)) ||R^k-S(l)^bA(l)||(F)} is computed, where R^k = ∑(l=1)^(k-1) S(pl)^bÂ(pl). Matching pursuits is embedded in the GSIC iterations to compute sparse channel/steering vector solutions Â(l). Simulations are presented for DS-CDMA signals received over channels computed using a ray-tracing propagation model.