Impact of Software Testing Techniques on Software Project Success through Regression Analysis

This study is intended to evaluate the effectiveness of software testing techniques for the success of software project. The research studies Functional Testing, Performance Testing and Regression Testing as critical factors and characterizes the importance of them for the acquisition of project milestones. Furthermore, the study aims to address if software testing techniques have significant effect on project success and does software testing techniques have significant relationship with each other. The study contributes to making polices by government, by providing a broad vision about effective testing techniques implementations in software houses and shows how management can boast the business and get the rewards of successful business. This study is focused to lead new techniques in enhancing project quality in IT sector of Pakistan. Moreover, this study will give an opportunity to management to pay more attention on quality assurance department to enhance their project success and finally their business growth

Impact of Software Testing Techniques on Software Project Success through Regression Analysis

This study is intended to evaluate the effectiveness of software testing techniques for the success of software project. The research studies Functional Testing, Performance Testing and Regression Testing as critical factors and characterizes the importance of them for the acquisition of project milestones. Furthermore, the study aims to address if software testing techniques have significant effect on project success and does software testing techniques have significant relationship with each other. The study contributes to making polices by government, by providing a broad vision about effective testing techniques implementations in software houses and shows how management can boast the business and get the rewards of successful business. This study is focused to lead new techniques in enhancing project quality in IT sector of Pakistan. Moreover, this study will give an opportunity to management to pay more attention on quality assurance department to enhance their project success and finally their business growth

Cell-to-Module Simulation Analysis for Optimizing the Efficiency and Power of the Photovoltaic Module

A 60-cell photovoltaic (PV) module was analyzed by optimizing the interconnection parameters of the solar cells to enhance the efficiency and increase the power of the PV module setup. The cell-to-module (CTM) losses and gains varied substantially during the various simulation iterations. Optimization was performed to inspect and augment the gain and loss parameters for the 60-cell PV module. The power and efficiency of the module were improved by refining several parameters, such as number of busbars, size of the contact pads, interconnected ribbon width, thickness of the core, and distance between the solar cells and strings, to obtain the maximum efficiency of 21.09%; the CTM efficiency achieved was 94.19% for the proposed strategy related to the common interconnection setup of the ribbon-based system. The CTM efficiency was improved by optimizing the geometrical, optical, and electrical parameters precisely, the power enhancement was up to 325.3 W, and a CTM power of 99.1% was achieved from a standard PV module with rectangular ribbon interconnections

Cell-to-Module Simulation Analysis for Optimizing the Efficiency and Power of the Photovoltaic Module

A 60-cell photovoltaic (PV) module was analyzed by optimizing the interconnection parameters of the solar cells to enhance the efficiency and increase the power of the PV module setup. The cell-to-module (CTM) losses and gains varied substantially during the various simulation iterations. Optimization was performed to inspect and augment the gain and loss parameters for the 60-cell PV module. The power and efficiency of the module were improved by refining several parameters, such as number of busbars, size of the contact pads, interconnected ribbon width, thickness of the core, and distance between the solar cells and strings, to obtain the maximum efficiency of 21.09%; the CTM efficiency achieved was 94.19% for the proposed strategy related to the common interconnection setup of the ribbon-based system. The CTM efficiency was improved by optimizing the geometrical, optical, and electrical parameters precisely, the power enhancement was up to 325.3 W, and a CTM power of 99.1% was achieved from a standard PV module with rectangular ribbon interconnections

Amino acid starvation sensing dampens IL-1β production by activating riboclustering and autophagy.

Activation of the amino acid starvation response (AAR) increases lifespan and acute stress resistance as well as regulates inflammation. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we show that activation of AAR pharmacologically by Halofuginone (HF) significantly inhibits production of the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin 1β (IL-1β) and provides protection from intestinal inflammation in mice. HF inhibits IL-1β through general control nonderepressible 2 kinase (GCN2)-dependent activation of the cytoprotective integrated stress response (ISR) pathway, resulting in rerouting of IL-1β mRNA from translationally active polysomes to inactive ribocluster complexes-such as stress granules (SGs)-via recruitment of RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) T cell-restricted intracellular antigen-1(TIA-1)/TIA-1-related (TIAR), which are further cleared through induction of autophagy. GCN2 ablation resulted in reduced autophagy and SG formation, which is inversely correlated with IL-1β production. Furthermore, HF diminishes inflammasome activation through suppression of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Our study unveils a novel mechanism by which IL-1β is regulated by AAR and further suggests that administration of HF might offer an effective therapeutic intervention against inflammatory diseases

Proposed model of the mechanism by which HF suppresses IL-1β expression.

<p>HF induces activation of the amino acid starvation sensor, GCN2, which triggers SG formation and autophagy. SG formation regulates IL-1β expression at mRNA level via translational silencers, TIA-1/TIAR and RBPs. Later, these SGs are cleared by autophagy. On the other hand, the activated autophagy process decreases ROS levels, thereby inhibiting inflammasome activation, leading to decrease in active caspase-1 and secretion of mature IL-1β. eIF2, eukaryotic initiation factor 2; GCN2, general control nonderepressible 2 kinase; GDP, guanosine diphosphate; GTP, guanosine triphosphate; HF, Halofuginone; IL-1β, interleukin 1β; RBP, RNA-binding protein; ROS, reactive oxygen species; SG, stress granule; TIA-1, T cell–restricted intracellular antigen-1; TIAR, TIA-1–related.</p

HF ameliorates LPS-induced production of IL-1β in macrophages by affecting mRNA stability and processing of mature IL-1β.

<p>(A–B) IL-1β production from LPS (500 ng/ml)-primed or -unprimed BMDMs treated with different concentrations of HF or MAZ1310 (control) for 6 h. ATP (5 mM) was added to the LPS-stimulated macrophage cultures for 30 min at the end of time point (<a href="http://www.plosbiology.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pbio.2005317#pbio.2005317.s014" target="_blank">S1 Data</a>). Statistical significance was determined by student <i>t</i> test. *<i>P</i> ≤ 0.05, **<i>P</i> ≤ 0.005, ***<i>P</i> ≤ 0.0005. (C) IL-1β production from LPS-primed macrophages stimulated with MSU (150 ug/ml), or ALU (200 ug/ml) for 6 h, or infected with <i>S</i>. <i>typhimurium</i> (MOI 10) in presence or absence of HF (<a href="http://www.plosbiology.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pbio.2005317#pbio.2005317.s014" target="_blank">S1 Data</a>). (D) IL-1β and caspase-1 (pro and active) expression by immunoblot analysis from LPS-primed BMDMs treated with HF as indicated; β-actin was used as loading control. (E) ROS levels detected by CM-H2DCFDA staining in macrophages treated with HF or LPS plus HF. (F, G) qRT-PCR analysis of mature IL-1β and pre–IL-1β mRNA levels in J774A.1 cells stimulated with LPS or LPS plus HF (<a href="http://www.plosbiology.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pbio.2005317#pbio.2005317.s014" target="_blank">S1 Data</a>). (H) Analysis of IL-1β mRNA levels by qRT-PCR in LPS-primed macrophages treated with Act-D for 2 h followed by HF treatment for an additional 2 h (<a href="http://www.plosbiology.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pbio.2005317#pbio.2005317.s014" target="_blank">S1 Data</a>). *<i>P</i> ≤ 0.05, **<i>P</i> ≤ 0.005, ***<i>P</i> ≤ 0.0005 were considered statistically significant. Data are representative of 1 of 3–4 independent experiments. Act-D, actinomycin-D; ALU, aluminum hydroxide; BMDM, bone marrow–derived macrophage; HF, Halofuginone; IL-1β, interleukin 1β; LPS, lipopolysaccharide; Lys., cell lysates; MOI, multiplicity of infection; MSU, monosodium urate; qRT-PCR, quantitative reverse transcription PCR; ROS, reactive oxygen species; Sup., culture supernatant.</p

HF attenuates LPS-induced IL-1β production through GCN2-dependent activation of PTR events such as riboclustering and SG formation.

<p>(A) Immunoblot analysis of GCN2 and eIF2-α phosphorylation in the lysates of macrophages treated or untreated with varying concentrations of HF for 3 h. (B) Confocal microscopy imaging of SGs, indicated by white arrows in macrophages stimulated with HF (20 nM) for 3 h; nuclei were stained with DAPI (blue). Scale bars, 10 μm. (C) Quantification of average number of SGs per cell, from 5 different fields taken from the results in panel B (<a href="http://www.plosbiology.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pbio.2005317#pbio.2005317.s014" target="_blank">S1 Data</a>). (D) Confocal microscopy imaging of SGs in WT (top) or GCN2^−/− MEFs (bottom). (E) Quantification of an average number of SGs per cell in WT or GCN2^−/− cells treated with HF (<a href="http://www.plosbiology.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pbio.2005317#pbio.2005317.s014" target="_blank">S1 Data</a>). (F, G) IL-1β (panel F) or TNF-α (panel G) levels by ELISA in the culture supernatants of WT or GCN2^−/− BMDMs primed with LPS for 3 h followed by HF treatment. ATP (5 mM) was added to the cultures for 30 min at the end of the experiment (<a href="http://www.plosbiology.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pbio.2005317#pbio.2005317.s014" target="_blank">S1 Data</a>). *<i>P <</i> 0.05, **<i>P <</i> 0.005. (H) J774A.1 macrophages were transfected with either control siRNA or GCN2 siRNA and stimulated with LPS (500 ng/ml) or LPS plus HF (20 nM); ATP (5 mM) was added to the cultures for 30 min at the end of the experiment. IL-1β (pro and active) forms were examined in the cell lysates and culture supernatants by immunoblotting. Data are representative of 1 of 3 similar experiments. BMDM, bone marrow–derived macrophage; eIF2, eukaryotic initiation factor 2; GCN2, general control nonderepressible 2 kinase; HF, Halofuginone; IL-1β, interleukin 1β; LPS, lipopolysaccharide; Lys, cell lysates; MEF, mouse embryonic fibroblast cell; PTR, post-transcriptional reprogramming; SG, stress granule; siRNA, small interfering RNA; Sup, culture supernatant; TIA-1, T cell–restricted intracellular antigen-1; TIAR, TIA-1–related; TNF, tumor necrosis factor; WT, wild-type.</p

HF mitigates the severity of DSS-induced colitis in mice.

<p>(A) Body weight (percentage of initial body weight) of mice (<i>n</i> = 5) (<a href="http://www.plosbiology.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pbio.2005317#pbio.2005317.s014" target="_blank">S1 Data</a>). (B) Quantification of IL-1β levels by ELISA in serum samples of the indicated mice (<a href="http://www.plosbiology.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pbio.2005317#pbio.2005317.s014" target="_blank">S1 Data</a>). **<i>P</i> ≤ 0.0015. (C) Visualization of rectal bleeding. (D) Visualization of typical colon length in control, HF-, DSS-, and DSS plus HF–treated mice. (E) Measurement of colon length (cm) (<a href="http://www.plosbiology.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pbio.2005317#pbio.2005317.s014" target="_blank">S1 Data</a>). (F) Visualization of mucosal epithelium erosion and crypt loss in colon sections (HE-stained) as indicated. (G) Immunoblot analysis of IL-1β levels in the large intestine tissue samples. (H) Densitometric analysis of pro–IL-1β levels from colon tissues of mice subjected to treatments as indicated (<i>n</i> = 4) (<a href="http://www.plosbiology.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pbio.2005317#pbio.2005317.s014" target="_blank">S1 Data</a>). β-actin was used as loading control. Data are representative of 1 of 3 separate experiments. DSS, dextran sulfate sodium; HE, hematoxylin–eosin; HF, Halofuginone; IL-1β, interleukin 1β.</p