Positive and nodal solutions for nonlinear nonhomogeneous parametric neumann problems

We consider a parametric Neumann problem driven by a nonlinear nonhomogeneous differential operator plus an indefinite potential term. The reaction term is superlinear but does not satisfy the Ambrosetti-Rabinowitz condition. First we prove a bifurcation-type result describing in a precise way the dependence of the set of positive solutions on the parameter λ > 0. We also show the existence of a smallest positive solution. Similar results hold for the negative solutions and in this case we have a biggest negative solution. Finally using the extremal constant sign solutions we produce a smooth nodal solution

Using Automatic Static Analysis to Identify Technical Debt

The technical debt (TD) metaphor describes a tradeoff between short-term and long-term goals in software development. Developers, in such situations, accept compromises in one dimension (e.g. maintainability) to meet an urgent demand in another dimension (e.g. delivering a release on time). Since TD produces interests in terms of time spent to correct the code and accomplish quality goals, accumulation of TD in software systems is dangerous because it could lead to more difficult and expensive maintenance. The research presented in this paper is focused on the usage of automatic static analysis to identify Technical Debt at code level with respect to different quality dimensions. The methodological approach is that of Empirical Software Engineering and both past and current achieved results are presented, focusing on functionality, efficiency and maintainabilit

Quantitative Assessment of the Impact of Automatic Static Analysis Issues on Time Efficiency

Background: Automatic Static Analysis (ASA) tools analyze source code and look for code patterns (aka smells) that might cause defective behavior or might degrade other dimensions of software quality, e.g. efficiency. There are many potentially negative code patterns, and ASA tools typically report a huge list of them even in small programs. Moreover, so far, little evidence is available about the negative impact on performance of code patterns identified by such tools. A consequence is that programmers cannot appreciate the benefits of ASA tools and tend not to include them in their workflow. Aims: Quantitatively assess the impact of issues signaled by ASA tools on time efficiency. Method: We select 20 issues and for each of them we set up two source code fragments: one containing the issue and the corresponding refactored version, functionally identical but without the issue. We set up three different platforms, isolated from network and other user programs, then we execute the code fragments, and measure the execution time of both code versions. Results: We find that eleven issues have an actual negative impact on performance. We also compute for each issue an estimation for the delay provoked by a single execution. Conclusions: We produce a set of issues with a verified negative impact on performance. They can be checked easily with an analysis tool and code can be refactored to obtain a provably more efficient code. We also provide the estimated delay cost of each issue in the environments where we conduct the tests. These results can be improved with the help of other researchers: repeating the tests in several platforms would make it possible to build up a wider benchmar

Cyclic (Noncyclic) ϕ-condensing operator and its application to a system of differential equations

We establish a best proximity pair theorem for noncyclic ϕ-condensing operators in strictly convex Banach spaces by using a measure of noncompactness. We also obtain a counterpart result for cyclic ϕ-condensing operators in Banach spaces to guarantee the existence of best proximity points, and so, an extension of Darbo’s fixed point theorem will be concluded. As an application of our results, we study the existence of a global optimal solution for a system of ordinary differential equations

From metric spaces to partial metric spaces

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Some new fixed point results in non-Archimedean fuzzy metric spaces

In this paper, we introduce the notions of fuzzy (α,β,ϕ)-contractive mapping, fuzzy α-φ-ψ-contractive mapping and fuzzy α-β-contractive mapping and establish some results of fixed point for this class of mappings in the setting of non-Archimedean fuzzy metric spaces. The results presented in this paper generalize and extend some recent results in fuzzy metric spaces. Also, some examples are given to support the usability of our results

EMPIRICAL ASSESSMENT OF THE IMPACT OF USING AUTOMATIC STATIC ANALYSIS ON CODE QUALITY

Automatic static analysis (ASA) tools analyze the source or compiled code looking for violations of recommended programming practices (called issues) that might cause faults or might degrade some dimensions of software quality. Antonio Vetro' has focused his PhD in studying how applying ASA impacts software quality, taking as reference point the different quality dimensions specified by the standard ISO/IEC 25010. The epistemological approach he used is that one of empirical software engineering. During his three years PhD, he's been conducting experiments and case studies on three main areas: Functionality/Reliability, Performance and Maintainability. He empirically proved that specific ASA issues had impact on these quality characteristics in the contexts under study: thus, removing them from the code resulted in a quality improvement. Vetro' has also investigated and proposed new research directions for this field: using ASA to improve software energy efficiency and to detect the problems deriving from the interaction of multiple languages. The contribution is enriched with the final recommendation of a generalized process for researchers and practitioners with a twofold goal: improve software quality through ASA and create a body of knowledge on the impact of using ASA on specific software quality dimensions, based on empirical evidence. This thesis represents a first step towards this goa