Automatic Software Test Data Generation for Spanning Sets Coverage Using Genetic Algorithms

Software testing takes a considerable amount of time and resources spent on producing software. Therefore, it would be useful to have ways to reduce the cost of software testing. The new concepts of spanning sets of entities suggested by Marré and Bertolino are useful for reducing the cost of testing. In fact, to reduce the testing effort, the generation of test data can be targeted to cover the entities in the spanning set, rather than all the entities in the tested program. Marré and Bertolino presented an algorithm based on the subsumption relation between entities to find spanning sets for a family of control flow and data flow-based test coverage criteria. This paper presents a new general technique for the automatic test data generation for spanning sets coverage. The proposed technique applies to the algorithm proposed recently by Marré and Bertolino to automatically generate the spanning sets of program entities that satisfy a wide range of control flow and data flow-based test coverage criteria. Then, it uses a genetic algorithm to automatically generate sets of test data to cover these spanning sets. The proposed technique employed the concepts of spanning sets to limit the number of test cases, guide the test case selection, overcome the problem of the redundant test cases and automate the test path generation

Co‐sputtering of A Thin Film Broadband Absorber Based on Self‐Organized Plasmonic Cu Nanoparticles

The efficient conversion of solar energy to heat is a prime challenge for solar thermal absorbers, and various material classes and device concepts are discussed. One exciting class of solar thermal absorbers are plasmonic broadband absorbers that rely on light absorption thanks to plasmonic resonances sustained in metallic nanoparticles. This work focuses on Cu/Al$_2$O$_3$ plasmonic absorbers, which consist of a thin film stack of a metallic Cu-mirror, a dielectric Al$_2$O$_3$ spacer, and an Al$_2$O$_3$/Cu-nanoparticle nanocomposite. This work explores two preparation routes for the Al$_2$O$_3$/Cu-nanoparticle nanocomposite, which rely on the self-organization of Cu nanoparticles from sputtered atoms, either in the gas phase (i.e., via gas aggregation source) or on the thin film surface (i.e., via simultaneous co-sputtering). While in either case, Cu-Al$_2$O$_3$-Al$_2$O$_3$/Cu absorbers with a low reflectivity over a broad wavelength regime are obtained, the simultaneous co-sputtering approach enabled better control over the film roughness and showed excellent agreement with dedicated simulations of the optical properties of the plasmonic absorber using a multi-scale modeling approach. Upon variation of the thickness and filling factor of the Al$_2$O$_3$/Cu nanocomposite layer, the optical properties of the plasmonic absorbers are tailored, reaching an integrated reflectance down to 0.17 (from 250 to 1600 nm)

Impact of opioid-free analgesia on pain severity and patient satisfaction after discharge from surgery: multispecialty, prospective cohort study in 25 countries

Background: Balancing opioid stewardship and the need for adequate analgesia following discharge after surgery is challenging. This study aimed to compare the outcomes for patients discharged with opioid versus opioid-free analgesia after common surgical procedures.Methods: This international, multicentre, prospective cohort study collected data from patients undergoing common acute and elective general surgical, urological, gynaecological, and orthopaedic procedures. The primary outcomes were patient-reported time in severe pain measured on a numerical analogue scale from 0 to 100% and patient-reported satisfaction with pain relief during the first week following discharge. Data were collected by in-hospital chart review and patient telephone interview 1 week after discharge.Results: The study recruited 4273 patients from 144 centres in 25 countries; 1311 patients (30.7%) were prescribed opioid analgesia at discharge. Patients reported being in severe pain for 10 (i.q.r. 1-30)% of the first week after discharge and rated satisfaction with analgesia as 90 (i.q.r. 80-100) of 100. After adjustment for confounders, opioid analgesia on discharge was independently associated with increased pain severity (risk ratio 1.52, 95% c.i. 1.31 to 1.76; P < 0.001) and re-presentation to healthcare providers owing to side-effects of medication (OR 2.38, 95% c.i. 1.36 to 4.17; P = 0.004), but not with satisfaction with analgesia (beta coefficient 0.92, 95% c.i. -1.52 to 3.36; P = 0.468) compared with opioid-free analgesia. Although opioid prescribing varied greatly between high-income and low- and middle-income countries, patient-reported outcomes did not.Conclusion: Opioid analgesia prescription on surgical discharge is associated with a higher risk of re-presentation owing to side-effects of medication and increased patient-reported pain, but not with changes in patient-reported satisfaction. Opioid-free discharge analgesia should be adopted routinely

Solar Aluminum Kitchen Foils with Omnidirectional Vivid Polarizonic Colors

To meet the need to the “customized eco‐friendly” design of flexible solar materials in vivid colors, here, the solar kitchen foils are devised which are selective, omnidirectional, and colored. The experimental and simulation results enable drawing the roadmap of the fabrication of glowing, colored flat foils for diverse energy, packaging, and decoration purposes. A new gold‐free golden foil, i.e., mimicking gold optically and visually, is designed as a prototype for the sustainable fabrication of advanced colored foils with glowing colors, e.g., golden with no need to neither hazardous anodization nor dying processes. The solar foil performs based on the newly developed concept of the polarizonic interference allowing production of omnidirectional structural colors by a disordered plasmonic nanocomposite. As the specific highlight, selective reflective coloration by plasmonic dipoles in a hybrid dielectric host, i.e., the building block of ultrathin solar absorbers with tailored, vivid colors, on an aluminum foil is demonstrated. In terms of the production technique, the applied sputtering technique is simple, versatile, cost‐effective, and compatible with the industrial packaging, decoration, and solar absorber manufacturing processes. Thus, it holds great promise for creation of advanced, flexible, colored solar absorbers in a simple, scalable, and sustainable fashion

Broadband anti-reflective coating based on plasmonic nanocomposite

We report on the fabrication, the characterization, and the optical simulation of a gold-silica nanocomposite and present its integration into a broadband anti-reflective coating (ARC) for a silicon substrate. The two-layer ARC consists of a nanocomposite (randomly distributed gold cluster in a silica matrix) and a pure silica film. We capitalize on the large refractive index of the composite to impose an abrupt phase change at the interface of the coating to diminish the light reflection from the substrate through the ultrathin nanocoating. The average reflectivity of the silicon can be reduced by such a coating to less than 0.1% in the entire visible spectrum. We experimentally and numerically prove that percolated nanocomposites with an overall thickness of 20 nm can provide anti-reflectivity up to near infrared (NIR). The ARC bandwidth can be shifted more than 500 nm and broadened to cover even the NIR wavelength by changing the volume filling fraction of the gold clusters. The angular sensitivity of thinultrathin antireflective coating is negligible up to 60°. The present ARC could find applications in thermo-photovoltaics and bolometers.Peer reviewe

Broadband Anti-Reflective Coating Based on Plasmonic Nanocomposite

We report on the fabrication, the characterization, and the optical simulation of a gold–silica nanocomposite and present its integration into a broadband anti-reflective coating (ARC) for a silicon substrate. The two-layer ARC consists of a nanocomposite (randomly distributed gold cluster in a silica matrix) and a pure silica film. We capitalize on the large refractive index of the composite to impose an abrupt phase change at the interface of the coating to diminish the light reflection from the substrate through the ultrathin nanocoating. The average reflectivity of the silicon can be reduced by such a coating to less than 0.1% in the entire visible spectrum. We experimentally and numerically prove that percolated nanocomposites with an overall thickness of 20 nm can provide anti-reflectivity up to near infrared (NIR). The ARC bandwidth can be shifted more than 500 nm and broadened to cover even the NIR wavelength by changing the volume filling fraction of the gold clusters. The angular sensitivity of thin ultrathin antireflective coating is negligible up to 60°. The present ARC could find applications in thermo-photovoltaics and bolometers

Plasmonic Metaparticles on a Blackbody Create Vivid Reflective Colors for Naked-Eye Environmental and Clinical Biodetection

Plasmonic dipoles are famous for their strong absorptivity rather than their reflectivity. Here, the as‐yet unknown specular reflection and the Brewster effect of ultrafine plasmonic dipoles, metaparticles, are introduced and exploited as the basis of new design rules for advanced applications. A configuration of “Plasmonic metaparticles on a blackbody” is demonstrated and utilized for the design of a tailored perfect‐colored absorber and for visual detection of environmental dielectrics that is not readily done by extinction plasmonics. Moreover, the Plasmonic Brewster Wavelength (PBW) effect is introduced as a new platform for the naked‐eye and bulk biodetection of analytes. The technique operates based on slight changes of molecular polarizability which is not detectable via conventional plasmon resonance techniques. As a specific highlight, the clinical applicability of the PBW method is demonstrated while addressing the transduction plasmonic techniques' challenge in detection of bulk refractive index changes of the healthy and diseased human serum exosomes. Finally, the sputtering‐based fabrication method used here is simple, inexpensive, and scalable, and does not require the sophisticated patterning approach of lithography or precise alignment of light coupling for the biodetection

Efficacy of nondiuretic pharmacotherapy for improving the treatment of congestion in patients with acute heart failure: a systematic review of randomised controlled trials

Diuretic therapy is the mainstay during episodes of acute heart failure (AHF). Diuretic resistance is often encountered and poses a substantial challenge for clinicians. There is a lack of evidence on the optimal strategies to tackle this problem. This review aimed to compare the outcomes associated with congestion management based on a strategy of pharmacological nondiuretic-based regimens. The PubMed, Cochrane Library, Scopus, and ScienceDirect databases were systematically searched for all randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of adjuvant pharmacological treatments used during hospitalisation episodes of AHF patients. Congestion relief constitutes the main target in AHF; hence, only studies with efficacy indicators related to decongestion enhancement were included. The Cochrane risk-of-bias tool was used to evaluate the methodological quality of the included RCTs. Twenty-three studies were included; dyspnea relief constituted the critical efficacy endpoint in most included studies. However, substantial variations in dyspnea measurement were found. Tolvaptan and serelaxin were found to be promising options that might improve decongestion in AHF patients. However, further high-quality RCTs using a standardised approach to diuretic management, including dosing and monitoring strategies, are crucial to provide new insights and recommendations for managing heart failure in acute settings

Photoswitchable molecular dipole antennas with tailored coherent coupling in glassy composite

Here, we introduce the first experimental proof of coherent oscillation and coupling of photoswitchable molecules embedded randomly in a polymeric matrix and acting cooperatively upon illumination with UV light. In particular, we demonstrate the specular reflection and Brewster phenomenon alteration of photochromic molecular dipole antennas. We successfully demonstrate the concept of Brewster wavelength, which is based on the dipolar interaction between radiating dipoles and the surrounding matrix possessing a net dipole moment, as a key tool for highly localized sensing of matrix polarity. We also introduce the concept of ‘tailored molecular photonic coupling’while highlighting the role of interferences for the design of optically active media by adjusting the photonic response of the medium with the real and imaginary refractive index of photoswitchable molecules in the ‘ON’state. Our results enhance our â€