Fault Detection Effectiveness of Metamorphic Relations Developed for Testing Supervised Classifiers

In machine learning, supervised classifiers are used to obtain predictions for unlabeled data by inferring prediction functions using labeled data. Supervised classifiers are widely applied in domains such as computational biology, computational physics and healthcare to make critical decisions. However, it is often hard to test supervised classifiers since the expected answers are unknown. This is commonly known as the \emph{oracle problem} and metamorphic testing (MT) has been used to test such programs. In MT, metamorphic relations (MRs) are developed from intrinsic characteristics of the software under test (SUT). These MRs are used to generate test data and to verify the correctness of the test results without the presence of a test oracle. Effectiveness of MT heavily depends on the MRs used for testing. In this paper we have conducted an extensive empirical study to evaluate the fault detection effectiveness of MRs that have been used in multiple previous studies to test supervised classifiers. Our study uses a total of 709 reachable mutants generated by multiple mutation engines and uses data sets with varying characteristics to test the SUT. Our results reveal that only 14.8\% of these mutants are detected using the MRs and that the fault detection effectiveness of these MRs do not scale with the increased number of mutants when compared to what was reported in previous studies.Comment: 8 pages, AITesting 201

Nonlinear Deterministic Study of Seismic Microzoning of a City in North of Algeria

This paper presents also an overview of seismic microzonation studies of the city of Mohammadia-Algiers, which are important for a detailed ground movement modeling of urban cities. According to the seismic history of the city, one extraordinary earthquake event has been taken into consideration is Boumerdes earthquake (Algeria, May 21, 2003, magnitude Mw=6.5), that caused a huge damage. Thereby, the variability prediction of the seismic ground movement in a given built-up area, it is considered as an effective tool for planning appropriate urban development and understanding both seismic risk and damage pattern, caused by a strong movement event. We note that the shaking level is mainly described in terms of both maximum ground acceleration and visualized amplification by using response spectra. The study is carried out in two steps: - a detailed mapping of the geology and geotechnical properties of the area - numerical modeling of expected ground motions during earthquakes. A qualitative microzonation of the Mohammadia-Algiers city is presented, and it is discussed by comparing it to the historically reported damage of the 2003 Boumerdes earthquake. Finally, this study deals with the seismic microzonation map development, based on a SIG geological model

Malignant melanoma of the urethra: a rare histologic subdivision of vulvar cancer with a poor prognosis

Malignant melanoma of the urethra is a rare tumour that is difficult to diagnose and treat, resulting in a poor prognosis. In this paper, we present the case of a 65-year-old woman who was referred to a gynaecologist because of a urethral mass that mimicked a caruncle. The tumour was removed by local excision, and a pathological analysis revealed a malignant melanoma. Distal urethrectomy was performed after three months with no evidence of residual tumour. There was no evidence of disease at a six-year followup. In this paper, we compare the epidemiology, treatment, staging, and prognosis of vulvar cancer in general to malignant melanoma of the vulva in particular

Hunting for Pirated Software Using Metamorphic Analysis

In this paper, we consider the problem of detecting software that has been pirated and modified. We analyze a variety of detection techniques that have been previously studied in the context of malware detection. For each technique, we empirically determine the detection rate as a function of the degree of modification of the original code. We show that the code must be greatly modified before we fail to reliably distinguish it, and we show that our results offer a significant improvement over previous related work. Our approach can be applied retroactively to any existing software and hence, it is both practical and effective

Integrated surface-subsurface model to investigate the role of groundwater in headwater catchment runoff generation : a minimalist approach to parameterisation

This work was funded by NERC/JPI SIWA project (NE/M019896/1) and the European Research Council ERC (project GA 335910 VeWa). Numerical simulations were performed using the Maxwell High Performance Computing Cluster of the University of Aberdeen IT Service, provided by Dell Inc. and supported by Alces Software. Aquanty Inc. is acknowledged for support in providing HGS simulation software compatible with the Maxwell High Performance Computing Cluster. We would also like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments that improved the manuscript.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Oxygen Isotope Variations of Basaltic Lavas and Upper Mantle Rocks

This chapter summarizes the oxygen isotope geochemistry of terrestrial basalts and their mantle sources, including the conceptual framework for interpreting such data and the phenomenology of known variations. In particular, the first section outlines the motivations for and first-order results of oxygen isotope studies of terrestrial and lunar basalts over the last 30 years; the second section reviews oxygen isotopic fractionations among phases relevant for studying basalts and mantle rocks; the third summarizes variations in δ^(18)O of various crustal rocks that may contribute to the petrogenesis of basalts either as subducted source components or lithospheric contaminants; and the final and longest section describes observed oxygen isotope variations of major classes of terrestrial basalts and related mantle nodules with an emphasis on data generated within the last six years using laser-based fluorination techniques. In the interests of brevity, I do not describe in detail methods for oxygen isotope analysis or changes in δ^(18)O of volcanic rocks caused by sub-solidus alteration; however, these issues are important practical considerations for anyone studying oxygen isotope compositions of basalts and interested readers are directed to the following references: analytical methods: Sharp (1990), Mattey and Macpherson (1993), and Valley et al. (1995); basalt alteration: Muehlenbachs (1986), Alt (1993), and Staudigel et al. (1995)

Earthquakes: from chemical alteration to mechanical rupture

In the standard rebound theory of earthquakes, elastic deformation energy is progressively stored in the crust until a threshold is reached at which it is suddenly released in an earthquake. We review three important paradoxes, the strain paradox, the stress paradox and the heat flow paradox, that are difficult to account for in this picture, either individually or when taken together. Resolutions of these paradoxes usually call for additional assumptions on the nature of the rupture process (such as novel modes of deformations and ruptures) prior to and/or during an earthquake, on the nature of the fault and on the effect of trapped fluids within the crust at seismogenic depths. We review the evidence for the essential importance of water and its interaction with the modes of deformations. Water is usually seen to have mainly the mechanical effect of decreasing the normal lithostatic stress in the fault core on one hand and to weaken rock materials via hydrolytic weakening and stress corrosion on the other hand. We also review the evidences that water plays a major role in the alteration of minerals subjected to finite strains into other structures in out-of-equilibrium conditions. This suggests novel exciting routes to understand what is an earthquake, that requires to develop a truly multidisciplinary approach involving mineral chemistry, geology, rupture mechanics and statistical physics.Comment: 44 pages, 1 figures, submitted to Physics Report

A methodology for landscape characterisation based on GIS and spatially constrained multivariate analysis

Landscape is about the relationship between people and place and in 2000 was defined by the European Landscape Commission (ELC) as "an area as perceived by people whose character is the result of natural and human actions and interactions”. In the 70s the reason for studying the landscape was because of the necessity of attributing a value to it. Nowadays the motivations behind managing, conserving and enhancing the landscape is because the landscape is the place where people belong to and, consciously or not, recognise themselves. In addition, people identify different landscapes on the basis of the particular combinations of the elements in the landscape. As a consequence a landscape can be distinguished from another on the basis of its character which, according to the Landscape Character Assessment (LCA) guidance for England and Scotland (C. Swanwick and Land Use Consultant, 2002), is defined as “a distinct, recognisable and consistent pattern of elements in the landscape that makes one landscape different from the other rather than better or worse”. This definition was the starting point of a PhD research project aimed at developing and implementing a methodology able to identify and quantify the character of the Scottish landscape through the application of GIS and statistics. The reason for doing this research was to provide the landscape architects and practitioners with a tool that could help them to define the landscape character types in a more consistent, objective, and scientifically robust way. One of the objectives of the research was to identify the spatial patterns formed by the landscape elements by taking into account the influence of the spatial location. The first law of geography, which states that "everything is related to everything else but near things are more related than distant ones" (W Tobler, 1970), was transposed in the assumption of the presence of spatial autocorrelation amongst the data which contributes to form spatial patterns within the data. Since landscape comprises of many elements, data were also multivariate, thus the analysis required a method of calculation able to deal simultaneously with multivariate and spatial autocorrelation issues. MULTISPATI-PCA, a spatially constrained Principal Component Analysis, was the statistical technique applied for the analysis of the data whose results showed that it was possible to detect the spatial structure of the data and that each spatial pattern corresponded to a distinct landscape. Despite their importance in forming the character of the landscape, aesthetic and perceptual aspects were not inlcuded in MULTISPATI-PCA analysis. It was preferred to test the technique only on data that were quantifiable in a more objective way. Perhaps taking into account the human perception of the landscape can be the starting point for future investigation

Geological risk assessment of Amtoudi Agadir in southern Morocco: a key case for sustainable cultural heritage

Medieval fortified granaries known as “agadirs” are very common in southern Morocco, being catalogued as world cultural heritage by United Nations. These Berber buildings (made of stones and tree trunks) usually located on rocky promontories, constitute historical testimonials related to the origin of Morocco, and, as tourist attractions, have a positive impact on the local economy. The sustainability of these ancient monuments requires geological-risk evaluations of the massif stability under the agadir with the proposal of stabilization measures, and an architectonic analysis with appropriate maintenance of the structural elements. An interdisciplinary study including climate, seismicity, hydrology, geology, geomorphology, geotechnical surveys of the massif, and diagnosis of the degradation of structural elements have been performed on the Amtoudi Agadir, selected as a case study. The main findings from this study are that the prevalent rocks used for construction (coming from the underlying substratum) are good-quality arkosic sandstones; the SW cliffs under the agadir are unstable under water saturation; some masonry walls are too thin and lack interlocking stones and mortar; and failures in the beams (due to flexure, fracture, and exhaustion in the resistance due to insect attacks or plant roots) are common. The basic risk assessment of ancient buildings of cultural heritage and their geologic substratum are needed especially in undeveloped areas with limited capacity to implement durable conservation policies. Therefore, recommendations have been provided to ensure the stability and maintenance of this important archaeological site.This research was supported by Urbino University found (Resp. F. Guerrera); by CGL2011-30153-CO2-02 and CGL2012-32169 research project (Spanish Ministry of Education and Science); and by research groups and projects of the Generalitat Valenciana from Alicante University (CTMAIGA)

Digital image processing for automatic lithological mapping using Landsat TM imagery

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