What your plug-in test suites really test: an integration perspective on test suite understanding

Software architectures such as plug-in and service-oriented architectures enable developers to build extensible software products, whose functionality can be enriched by adding or configuring components. A well-known example of such an architecture is Eclipse, best known for its use to create a series of extensible IDEs. Although such architectures give users and developers a great deal of flexibility to create new products, the complexity of the built systems increases. In order to manage this complexity developers use extensive automated test suites. Unfortunately, current testing tools offer little insight in which of the many possible combinations of components and components configurations are actually tested. The goal of this paper is to remedy this problem. To that end, we interview 25 professional developers on the problems they experience in test suite understanding for plug-in architectures. The findings have been incorporated in five architectural views that provide an extensibility perspective on plug-in-based systems and their test suites. The views combine static and dynamic information on plug-in dependencies, extension initialization, extension and service usage, and the test suites. The views have been implemented in ETSE, the Eclipse Plug-in Test Suite Exploration tool. We evaluate the proposed views by analyzing eGit, Mylyn, and a Mylyn connector.     

Rapid Determination of Trace Elements in Macedonian Grape Brandies for Their Characterization and Safety Evaluation

A graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) was used for determination of trace elements (Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in “rakija” samples, a grape brandy traditionally produced in Republic of Macedonia by distillation of grape pomace or wine, for characterization and safety evaluation. Cd, Pb, Cr, and Ni were determined directly, while Cu, Fe, Mn, and Zn were quantified after appropriate dilution. The calibration curves of all elements were linear with correlation coefficients (R ²) ranging from 0.9995 to 0.9998. The accuracy of the method was checked with a standard addition method showing good repeatability and reproducibility (relative standard deviation (RSD) <10 %). Relationship between several metal concentrations (Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn) in brandies and distillation system (homemade/industrial) on one side and aging mode (oak barrels/oak chips) on the other side were demonstrated. Two homemade brandies showed Cu, Fe, and Zn concentrations higher than industrial distillates and thus were found to be not safe for consumption because of Cu and Zn over the maximum allowed values. For the industrially produced brandies, Mn was identified to be a suitable marker related to aging with oak chips regardless variety, while Cu a marker for the influence of oak chip type. Principal component analysis applied on the content of elements clearly showed a good separation in terms of distillation and aging method.     

Syneresis and rheology mechanisms of a latex-HEUR associative thickener system

This study focuses on the phase behavior, rheology, and interactions of polymer latex particles and a hydrophobically modified ethoxylated urethane (HEUR) associative thickener in water. At constant 0.25 latex particle volume fraction, increasing HEUR caused stable, followed by phase separated (syneresis), and stable mixtures as HEUR concentration increased from 0% to 2.0% (by weight) in the latex-thickener aqueous mixture. The mixtures that underwent syneresis were flocculated. The relationship between the flocculation behavior and the composition of the latex-HEUR mixtures is consistent with previous work reported by other investigators. However, detailed rheological data on systems like these that have undergone syneresis have not been reported. This paper presents detailed viscosity vs shear rate data and correlates viscosity trends with the both flocculation and syneresis behavior. The stable latex-HEUR mixtures at low HEUR levels show Newtonian or shear-thinning viscosity with well-defined low-shear Newtonian plateaus. As HEUR level is increased to levels at which syneresis is observed, erratic rheological profiles with shear thinning as well as thickening are observed. This type of shear thickening has been attributed to bridging flocculation by other investigators. When HEUR level is further increased to levels at which no syneresis is observed, low-shear Newtonian plateaus re-appeared, albeit at higher viscosities. Detailed analysis of syneresis and shear-thickening behavior of a latex-HEUR mixture containing 0.5% (by weight) HEUR showed two shear-thickening regions, one between 0.1 and 0.5 s^?1 shear rate range and another between 30 and 100 s^?1 shear rate range. Molecular weight distribution (MWD) of the HEUR thickener indicates that the two shear-thickening regions are related to the bi-modal nature of the thickener’s MWD.     

Qualitative detection of Mg content in a leaf of Hedera helix by using X-ray radiation from a laser plasma source

In this article, a method to reveal the presence of Mg content inside the different parts of leaves of Hedera helix is presented. In fact a sample of a Hedera helix's leaf, commonly characterized by a green and a white side, is analyzed under X-ray radiation. The presence of two zones with different colors in the Hedera helix's leaf has not been explained. In this connection, there are presently three hypotheses to explain the characteristic double-color appearance of the leaf. The first hypothesis suggests a different cytoplasmic inheritance of chloroplasts at the cell division, the second a different allelic composition, homozygote and heterozygote, between the two zones, and finally the third the action of a virus which changes the color properties in the Hedera's leaves. The resulting effect is a different content of "something" between the green and the white side. We utilized X-ray radiation, obtained from a plasma source with a Mg target, to image Hedera helix leaves and we found that the green side of the leaf is highlighted. We may suppose that the reason why the X-rays from a Mg plasma source, allow us to pick up the green side is probably due to the greater presence of the amount of Mg (from chlorophyll or other complexes and/or salts) in the two sides, green and white, of the leaf.     

Quantitative proteomics for investigating psychiatric disorders

The underlying pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders remains elusive. The use of quantitative proteomics to investigate disease-specific protein signatures holds great promise to improve the understanding of psychiatric disorders and identify relevant biomarkers. In this review, we discuss quantitative proteomic approaches for elucidating molecular mechanisms of psychiatric disorders, i.e. anxiety, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression, by studying specimens from animal models and patients. We present gel-based, label-free and stable isotope-labeling methodologies and evaluate their strengths and limitations in the context of psychiatric research, with a focus on (15)N metabolic labeling of live animals due to its increased accuracy and potential for future applications. We also review biomarker candidate validation methods and present quantitative proteomic studies from the literature that aim to disentangle the molecular pathobiology of psychiatric disorders and identify candidate biomarkers. Finally, we explore the applicability of implementing proteomic methods as a routine diagnostic tool in the clinical laboratory.     

Machine learning in digital games: a survey

Artificial intelligence for digital games constitutes the implementation of a set of algorithms and techniques from both traditional and modern artificial intelligence in order to provide solutions to a range of game dependent problems. However, the majority of current approaches lead to predefined, static and predictable game agent responses, with no ability to adjust during game-play to the behaviour or playing style of the player. Machine learning techniques provide a way to improve the behavioural dynamics of computer controlled game agents by facilitating the automated generation and selection of behaviours, thus enhancing the capabilities of digital game artificial intelligence and providing the opportunity to create more engaging and entertaining game-play experiences. This paper provides a survey of the current state of academic machine learning research for digital game environments, with respect to the use of techniques from neural networks, evolutionary computation and reinforcement learning for game agent control.     

Acoustic Risk Management

Modern civilization moves ahead with strong economical growth. Using a large number of new technologies and new machines in working procedures brings a proportional growth of noise and vibration. Noise and vibration have become an essential part of active safety measures because they are endangering the health of the employee as well as the public. Preventive solutions are ensured in new legislation and standards too. They facilitate high levels of unification of safety requirements for machines as well as the working environment from the acoustics point of view. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Deformation measurement with object-induced dynamic phase shifting

A simple, yet powerful, means of computing the phase of fringe patterns depicting dynamic phenomena is presented. It is shown that the basic principle of the phase-shifting methods can be extended to the case of dynamic situations. The crux is to recognize that the phenomenon under examination can itself provide the necessary incremental phase shifts. This new method possesses a very wide range of applications in the field of deformation measurement.     

Homopolyesters of modified N-(hydroxyphenyl) trimellitic acid imides

Polycondensation reactions of N-(3-acetoxyphenyl) trimellitic acid imide and N-(2-methyl-4-acetoxyphenyl) trimellitic acid imide were carried out in bulk or in the inert reaction medium Marlotherm-S® under various reaction conditions. All synthesized homopoly(ester imide)s are insoluble in common organic solvents, not meltable and highly crystalline. The thermostability of the synthesized polyesters is very high and comparable with that of the polyester on the basis of N-(4-acetoxyphenyl) trimellitic acid imide. But also the modified monomer units do not lower the melting temperature range, in which the polyester could be processed from the melt. The average degree of polycondensation depends mainly on reaction temperature and reaction time. Shifts of $$\nu _{c ‐ c_{ar} }$$ in the FTIR spectra allow to identify various substituted monomer units also in copolyesters.     

Black Phosphorus Nanoparticles Potentiate the Anticancer Effect of Oxaliplatin in Ovarian Cancer Cell Line

During the past few years, growing attention has been paid to black phosphorus (BP) and its unique optical, electrical, and catalytic properties. Furthermore, BP has proven to be biocompatible and biodegradable; qualities that present new opportunities for its utilization in the field of life sciences. However, despite all its suitable properties and applicability, its utilization in biomedicine is still in its infancy. This study reports on the synthesis of black phosphorus nanoparticles (BP NPs) and exploration of thier applicability in targeted drug delivery. BP NPs are loaded with platinum agents—cisplatin and oxaliplatin—and subjected to in vitro evaluation of targeted drug delivery. The BP NPs are not only able to load the investigated platinum derivatives on their surfaces, but also to transfer the therapeutic cargo to target specific tissue and to combine their effect with oxaliplatin, which leads to further potentiation of the anticancer effect.