The effectiveness of refactoring, based on a compatibility testing taxonomy and a dependency graph

In this paper, we describe and then appraise a testing taxonomy proposed by van Deursen and Moonen (VD&M) based on the post-refactoring repeatability of tests. Four categories of refactoring are identified by VD&M ranging from semantic-preserving to incompatible, where, for the former, no new tests are required and for the latter, a completely new test set has to be developed. In our appraisal of the taxonomy, we heavily stress the need for the inter-dependence of the refactoring categories to be considered when making refactoring decisions and we base that need on a refactoring dependency graph developed as part of the research. We demonstrate that while incompatible refactorings may be harmful and time-consuming from a testing perspective, semantic-preserving refactorings can have equally unpleasant hidden ramifications despite their advantages. In fact, refactorings which fall into neither category have the most interesting properties. We support our results with empirical refactoring data drawn from seven Java open-source systems (OSS) and from the same analysis form a tentative categorization of code smells

The Classical Limit of Quantum Mechanics and the Fejer Sum of the Fourier Series Expansion of a Classical Quantity

In quantum mechanics, the expectation value of a quantity on a quantum state, provided that the state itself gives in the classical limit a motion of a particle in a definite path, in classical limit goes over to Fourier series form of the classical quantity. In contrast to this widely accepted point of view, a rigorous calculation shows that the expectation value on such a state in classical limit exactly gives the Fej\'{e}r's arithmetic mean of the partial sums of the Fourier series

Analysis of Bidirectional Associative Memory using SCSNA and Statistical Neurodynamics

Bidirectional associative memory (BAM) is a kind of an artificial neural network used to memorize and retrieve heterogeneous pattern pairs. Many efforts have been made to improve BAM from the the viewpoint of computer application, and few theoretical studies have been done. We investigated the theoretical characteristics of BAM using a framework of statistical-mechanical analysis. To investigate the equilibrium state of BAM, we applied self-consistent signal to noise analysis (SCSNA) and obtained a macroscopic parameter equations and relative capacity. Moreover, to investigate not only the equilibrium state but also the retrieval process of reaching the equilibrium state, we applied statistical neurodynamics to the update rule of BAM and obtained evolution equations for the macroscopic parameters. These evolution equations are consistent with the results of SCSNA in the equilibrium state.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figure

Biochemical Diagnosis of a Fatal Case of Günther’s Disease in a Newborn with Hydrops Foetalis

Peer Reviewe

Effect of Stretch Orientation and Rolling Orientation on the Mechanical Properties of 2195 Al-Cu-Li Alloy

Sheets of 2195 aluminum-lithium alloy were solution-treated at 507 A degrees C for 30 min. One set was stretched to 3-5% in the 0A degrees, 45A degrees, and 90A degrees angle with respect to the original rolling direction. Two other sets were rolled 6% reduction in thickness and 24% reduction in thickness in the 0A degrees, 45A degrees, and 90A degrees angle with respect to the original rolling direction. All specimens were aged at 143 A degrees C for 36 h. A second group of samples was rolled at 24 and 50% reduction in thickness after a solution treatment of 507 A degrees C for 1 h prior to aging at 190 A degrees C for 24 h. Tensile specimens were machined from each sheet at 0A degrees, 45A degrees, and 90A degrees angles to the original grain orientation. Tensile testing was used to determine the mechanical properties and anisotropic behavior of each condition. Rolling 6% reduction in thickness in the 45A degrees orientation yielded anisotropy of 7.6% in the yield strength

Use of Spectroscopic Techniques to Monitor Changes in Food Quality during Application of Natural Preservatives: A Review

Consumer demand for food of high quality has driven research for alternative methods of food preservation on the one hand, and the development of new and rapid quality assessment techniques on the other hand. Recently, there has been a growing need and interest in healthier food products, which has led to an increased interest in natural preservatives, such as essential oils, plant extracts, and edible films and coatings. Several studies have shown the potential of using biopreservation, natural antimicrobials, and antioxidant agents in place of other processing and preservation techniques (e.g., thermal and non-thermal treatments, freezing, or synthetic chemicals). Changes in food quality induced by the application of natural preservatives have been commonly evaluated using a range of traditional methods, including microbiology, sensory, and physicochemical measurements. Several spectroscopic techniques have been proposed as promising alternatives to the traditional time- consuming and destructive methods. This review will provide an overview of recent studies and highlight the potential of spectroscopic techniques to evaluate quality changes in food products following the application of natural preservatives

Adding instruments and workflow support to existing grid architectures

Many Grid architectures have been developed in recent years. These range from the large community Grids such as LHG and EGEE to single site deployments such as Condor. However, these Grid architectures have tended to focus on the single or batch submission of executable jobs. Application scientists are now seeking to manage and use physical instrumentation on the Grid, integrating these with the computational tasks they already perform. This will require the functionality of current Grid systems to be extended to allow the submission of entire workflows. Thus allowing the scientists to perform increasingly larger parts of their experiments within the Grid environment. We propose here a set of high level services which may be used on-top of these existing Grid architectures such that the benefits of these architectures may be exploited along with the new functionality of workflows

Carbon-Coated SnO2 Nanorod Array for Lithium-Ion Battery Anode Material

Carbon-coated SnO2 nanorod array directly grown on the substrate has been prepared by a two-step hydrothermal method for anode material of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). The structural, morphological and electrochemical properties were investigated by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and electrochemical measurement. When used as anodes for LIBs with high current density, as-obtained array reveals excellent cycling stability and rate capability. This straightforward approach can be extended to the synthesis of other carbon-coated metal oxides for application of LIBs

Involvement of mast cells in monocrotaline-induced pulmonary hypertension in rats

Background: Mast cells (MCs) are implicated in inflammation and tissue remodeling. Accumulation of lung MCs is described in pulmonary hypertension (PH); however, whether MC degranulation and c-kit, a tyrosine kinase receptor critically involved in MC biology, contribute to the pathogenesis and progression of PH has not been fully explored.Methods: Pulmonary MCs of idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH) patients and monocrotaline-injected rats (MCT-rats) were examined by histochemistry and morphometry. Effects of the specific c-kit inhibitor PLX and MC stabilizer cromolyn sodium salt (CSS) were investigated in MCT-rats both by the preventive and therapeutic approaches. Hemodynamic and right ventricular hypertrophy measurements, pulmonary vascular morphometry and analysis of pulmonary MC localization/counts/activation were performed in animal model studies.Results: There was a prevalence of pulmonary MCs in IPAH patients and MCT-rats as compared to the donors and healthy rats, respectively. Notably, the perivascular MCs were increased and a majority of them were degranulated in lungs of IPAH patients and MCT-rats (p < 0.05 versus donor and control, respectively). In MCT-rats, the pharmacological inhibitions of MC degranulation and c-kit with CSS and PLX, respectively by a preventive approach (treatment from day 1 to 21 of MCT-injection) significantly attenuated right ventricular systolic pressure (RVSP) and right ventricular hypertrophy (RVH). Moreover, vascular remodeling, as evident from the significantly decreased muscularization and medial wall thickness of distal pulmonary vessels, was improved. However, treatments with CSS and PLX by a therapeutic approach (from day 21 to 35 of MCT-injection) neither improved hemodynamics and RVH nor vascular remodeling.Conclusions: The accumulation and activation of perivascular MCs in the lungs are the histopathological features present in clinical (IPAH patients) and experimental (MCT-rats) PH. Moreover, the accumulation and activation of MCs in the lungs contribute to the development of PH in MCT-rats. Our findings reveal an important pathophysiological insight into the role of MCs in the pathogenesis of PH in MCT- rats