A similarity metric for the inputs of OO programs and its application in adaptive random testing

Random testing (RT) has been identified as one of the most popular testing techniques, due to its simplicity and ease of automation. Adaptive random testing (ART) has been proposed as an enhancement to RT, improving its fault-detection effectiveness by evenly spreading random test inputs across the input domain. To achieve the even spreading, ART makes use of distance measurements between consecutive inputs. However, due to the nature of object-oriented software (OOS), its distance measurement can be particularly challenging: Each input may involve multiple classes, and interaction of objects through method invocations. Two previous studies have reported on how to test OOS at a single-class level using ART. In this study, we propose a new similarity metric to enable multiclass level testing using ART. When generating test inputs (for multiple classes, a series of objects, and a sequence of method invocations), we use the similarity metric to calculate the distance between two series of objects, and between two sequences of method invocations. We integrate this metric with ART and apply it to a set of open-source OO programs, with the empirical results showing that our approach outperforms other RT and ART approaches in OOS testing

PHF8 and REST/NRSF co-occupy gene promoters to regulate proximal gene expression

Chromatin regulators play an important role in the development of human diseases. In this study, we focused on Plant Homeo Domain Finger protein 8 (PHF8), a chromatin regulator that has attracted special concern recently. PHF8 is a histone lysine demethylase ubiquitously expressed in nuclei. Mutations of PHF8 are associated with X-linked mental retardation. It usually functions as a transcriptional co-activator by associating with H3K4me3 and RNA polymerase II. We found that PHF8 may associate with another regulator, REST/NRSF, predominately at promoter regions via studying several published PHF8 chromatin immunoprecipitation-sequencing (ChIP-Seq) datasets. Our analysis suggested that PHF8 not only activates but may also repress gene expression

AgentVerse: Facilitating Multi-Agent Collaboration and Exploring Emergent Behaviors in Agents

Autonomous agents empowered by Large Language Models (LLMs) have undergone significant improvements, enabling them to generalize across a broad spectrum of tasks. However, in real-world scenarios, cooperation among individuals is often required to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of task accomplishment. Hence, inspired by human group dynamics, we propose a multi-agent framework \framework that can collaboratively and dynamically adjust its composition as a greater-than-the-sum-of-its-parts system. Our experiments demonstrate that \framework framework can effectively deploy multi-agent groups that outperform a single agent. Furthermore, we delve into the emergence of social behaviors among individual agents within a group during collaborative task accomplishment. In view of these behaviors, we discuss some possible strategies to leverage positive ones and mitigate negative ones for improving the collaborative potential of multi-agent groups. Our codes for \framework will soon be released at \url{https://github.com/OpenBMB/AgentVerse}.Comment: Work in progres

Dual-mode of insulin action controls GLUT4 vesicle exocytosis

Insulin releases an intracellular brake and promotes fusion pore expansion to translocate GLUT4 vesicles, and switches vesicle trafficking between distinct exocytic circuits

Numerical Analysis and Poromechanics Calculation for Saturated Mortar Involved with Sub-Freezing Temperature

The individual coupling processes of two-phase materials are controlled to some extent by damage theory. However, the existing theory is not sufficient to explain the effect of pore pressure on mortar materials under freeze-thaw action. In order to predict the resistance of saturated mortars during rapid cooling and to describe the physical behavior of the pore structure, the authors derived in detail the governing equations of saturated mortars during freezing in the framework of the pore elasticity theory and analyzed the sensitivity of physical parameters to the influence of temperature stresses by means of stress-strain calculations. In addition, the effects of phase change and latent heat of freezing on the local thermodynamic equilibrium are considered, and a mathematical model is established for quantitatively simulating the temperature distribution of the specimen. This model is reformulated and extended in the current work to intuitively reveal the effect of concrete dimensions on the temperature hysteresis effect. The results of the numerical model calculations show that during the freezing process, for the specimen with dimensions of 50 mm × 50 mm × 50 mm and a water-cement ratio of 0.6, the maximum temperature difference from center to surface is 10 °C, the maximum vertical strain on the surface is 4.27 × 10−4, and the maximum pore water pressure at the center of the specimen is 76 MPa. The model calculation results present a similar pattern to the physical interpretation and reference results, thus effectively evaluating the freezing damage process of saturated mortar

Application of Spatiotemporal Hybrid Model of Deformation in Safety Monitoring of High Arch Dams: A Case Study

As an important feature, deformation analysis is of great significance to ensure the safety and stability of arch dam operation. In this paper, Jinping-I arch dam with a height of 305 m, which is the highest dam in the world, is taken as the research object. The deformation data representation method is analyzed, and the processing method of deformation spatiotemporal data is discussed. A deformation hybrid model is established, in which the hydraulic component is calculated by the finite element method, and other components are still calculated by the statistical model method. Since the relationship among the measuring points is not taken into account and the overall situation cannot be fully reflected in the hybrid model, a spatiotemporal hybrid model is proposed. The measured values and coordinates of all the typical points with pendulums of the arch dam are included in one spatiotemporal hybrid model, which is feasible, convenient, and accurate. The model can predict the deformation of any position on the arch dam. This is of great significance for real-time monitoring of deformation and stability of Jinping-I arch dam and ensuring its operation safety

Administrative Model for Profiling Hospital Performance on Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery: Based on the Chinese Hospital Quality Monitoring System

Background We aimed to develop an administrative model to profile the performance on the outcomes of coronary artery bypass grafting across hospitals in China. Methods and Results This retrospective study was based on the Chinese Hospital Quality Monitoring System (HQMS) from 2016 to 2020. The coronary artery bypass grafting cases were identified by procedure code, and those of 2016 to 2017 were randomly divided into modeling and validation cohorts, while those in other years were used to ensure the model stability across years. The outcome was discharge status as “death or withdrawal,” and that withdrawal referred to discharge without medical advice when patients were in the terminal stage but reluctant to die in the hospital. Candidate covariates were mainly identified by diagnoses or procedures codes. Patient‐level logistic models and hospital‐level hierarchical models were established. A total of 203 010 coronary artery bypass grafts in 699 hospitals were included, with 60 704 and 20 233 cases in the modeling and validation cohorts and 40 423, 42 698, and 38 952 in the years 2018, 2019, and 2020, respectively. The death or withdrawal rate was 3.4%. The areas under the curve were 0.746 and 0.729 in the patient‐level models of modeling and validation cohorts, respectively, with good calibration and stability across years. Hospital‐specific risk‐standardized death or withdrawal rates were 2.61% (interquartile range, 1.87%–3.99%) and 2.63% (interquartile range, 1.97%–3.44%) in the modeling and validation cohorts, which were highly correlated (correlation coefficient, 0.96; P<0.001). Between‐hospital variations were distinguished among hospitals of different volumes and across years. Conclusions The administrative model based on Hospital Quality Monitoring System could profile hospital performance on coronary artery bypass grafting in China

Impact of High Lipoprotein(a) on Long‐Term Survival Following Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting

Background Lipoprotein(a) is a possible causal risk factor for atherosclerosis and related complications. The distribution and prognostic implication of lipoprotein(a) in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting remain unknown. This study aimed to assess the impact of high lipoprotein(a) on the long‐term prognosis of patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting. Methods and Results Consecutive patients with stable coronary artery disease who underwent isolated coronary artery bypass grafting from January 2013 to December 2018 from a single‐center cohort were included. The primary outcome was all‐cause death. The secondary outcome was a composite of major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events. Of the 18 544 patients, 4072 (22.0%) were identified as the high‐lipoprotein(a) group (≥50 mg/dL). During a median follow‐up of 3.2 years, primary outcomes occurred in 587 patients. High lipoprotein(a) was associated with increased risk of all‐cause death (high lipoprotein(a) versus low lipoprotein(a): adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.31 [95% CI, 1.09–1.59]; P=0.005; lipoprotein(a) per 1‐mg/dL increase: aHR, 1.003 [95% CI, 1.001–1.006]; P=0.011) and major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (high lipoprotein(a) versus low lipoprotein(a): aHR, 1.18 [95% CI, 1.06–1.33]; P=0.004; lipoprotein(a) per 1‐mg/dL increase: aHR, 1.002 [95% CI, 1.001–1.004]; P=0.002). The lipoprotein(a)‐related risk was greater in patients with European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation <3, and tended to attenuate in patients receiving arterial grafts. Conclusions More than 1 in 5 patients with stable coronary artery disease who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting were exposed to high lipoprotein(a), which is associated with higher risks of death and major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events. The adverse effects of lipoprotein(a) were more pronounced in patients with clinically low‐risk profiles or not receiving arterial grafts