On the Effect of Semantically Enriched Context Models on Software Modularization

Many of the existing approaches for program comprehension rely on the linguistic information found in source code, such as identifier names and comments. Semantic clustering is one such technique for modularization of the system that relies on the informal semantics of the program, encoded in the vocabulary used in the source code. Treating the source code as a collection of tokens loses the semantic information embedded within the identifiers. We try to overcome this problem by introducing context models for source code identifiers to obtain a semantic kernel, which can be used for both deriving the topics that run through the system as well as their clustering. In the first model, we abstract an identifier to its type representation and build on this notion of context to construct contextual vector representation of the source code. The second notion of context is defined based on the flow of data between identifiers to represent a module as a dependency graph where the nodes correspond to identifiers and the edges represent the data dependencies between pairs of identifiers. We have applied our approach to 10 medium-sized open source Java projects, and show that by introducing contexts for identifiers, the quality of the modularization of the software systems is improved. Both of the context models give results that are superior to the plain vector representation of documents. In some cases, the authoritativeness of decompositions is improved by 67%. Furthermore, a more detailed evaluation of our approach on JEdit, an open source editor, demonstrates that inferred topics through performing topic analysis on the contextual representations are more meaningful compared to the plain representation of the documents. The proposed approach in introducing a context model for source code identifiers paves the way for building tools that support developers in program comprehension tasks such as application and domain concept location, software modularization and topic analysis

Applications of Multi-view Learning Approaches for Software Comprehension

Program comprehension concerns the ability of an individual to make an understanding of an existing software system to extend or transform it. Software systems comprise of data that are noisy and missing, which makes program understanding even more difficult. A software system consists of various views including the module dependency graph, execution logs, evolutionary information and the vocabulary used in the source code, that collectively defines the software system. Each of these views contain unique and complementary information; together which can more accurately describe the data. In this paper, we investigate various techniques for combining different sources of information to improve the performance of a program comprehension task. We employ state-of-the-art techniques from learning to 1) find a suitable similarity function for each view, and 2) compare different multi-view learning techniques to decompose a software system into high-level units and give component-level recommendations for refactoring of the system, as well as cross-view source code search. The experiments conducted on 10 relatively large Java software systems show that by fusing knowledge from different views, we can guarantee a lower bound on the quality of the modularization and even improve upon it. We proceed by integrating different sources of information to give a set of high-level recommendations as to how to refactor the software system. Furthermore, we demonstrate how learning a joint subspace allows for performing cross-modal retrieval across views, yielding results that are more aligned with what the user intends by the query. The multi-view approaches outlined in this paper can be employed for addressing problems in software engineering that can be encoded in terms of a learning problem, such as software bug prediction and feature location

An Evaluation Of Service Frameworks For The Management Of Service Ecosystems

A service ecosystem is a marketplace for trading services in which services are developed, published, sold and used. Service ecosystems have changed the way of service delivery and service consumption among actors/parties, who perform specific roles for the operation of the ecosystems. Such actors, being service providers, consumers, mediators and intermediaries, ensure the livelihood of the ecosystem. However, the role of the service infrastructure provider, one of the actors of the service ecosystem, is still not being explored sufficiently. The service infrastructure provider provides service infrastructures/frameworks upon which other actors of the service ecosystem operate. In this paper, an evaluation framework for the service framework is defined, which is based on the features that are required for a service ecosystem to thrive. The evaluation framework is used to evaluate three opensource service frameworks. The evaluation framework facilities the selection process of a service framework among the largely available ones

Migrating a Large Scale Legacy Application to SOA: Challenges and Lessons Learned

Abstract—This paper presents the findings of a case study of a large scale legacy to service-oriented architecture migration process in the payments domain of a Dutch bank. The paper presents the business drivers that initiated the migration, and describes a 4-phase migration process. For each phase, the paper details benefits of using the techniques, best practices that contribute to the success, and possible challenges that are faced during migration. Based on these observations, the findings are discussed as lessons learned, including the implications of using reverse engineering techniques to facilitate the migration process, adopting a pragmatic migration realization approach, emphasizing the organizational and business perspectives, and harvesting knowledge of the system throughout the system’s life cycle. I

Designing and Introducing a New Artificial Feeding Apparatus for Sand Fly Rearing

Background: Due to strict ethical rules, the risk of accidental disease transmission and the most importantly, inconven­ience regarding using of live animals, artificial feeding apparatus has been developed for colonization of haematophagous insects. Rearing of sandfly is more difficult than other haematophagous insects. Methods: In the current study, a new apparatus for membrane feeding of Phlebotomus papatasi was designed, made and compared with available apparatus in Sand Fly Insectary, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, in 2014. Results: In comparison to other apparatus designed for artificial feeding of other arthropods, our designed apparatus had the highest performance which after up to 1h, the majority of sand flies landed and took blood and among tested membranes, chicken skin was proved the most efficient membrane. Conclusion: Sand fly artificial feeding apparatus can be used at least for rearing of Ph. papatasi

Evaluation of susceptibility status of Phlebotomus papatasi, the main vector of zoonotic Cutaneous Leishmaniasis, to different WHO recommended insecticides in an endemic focus, Central Iran

Background: Among neglected zoonotic diseases, leishmaniases caused by Leishmania parasite through infected female sand fly bite, are a group of diseases found in 98 countries and territories representing a critical burden of disease worldwide. Vector management plays a crucial role in reducing the burden of vector-borne diseases by WHO’s global plan. The objective of the current study was to assess the susceptibility status of wild phlebotomine sand flies from Esfahan Prov- ince, central Iran, to the recommended insecticides by WHO. Methods: Sand flies were collected by mouth aspirator in Matin Abad desert Eco-resort and were tested using WHO adult mosquito test kit against Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) 4%, Deltamethrin 0.05%, Malathion 5% and Propoxur 0.1%. The number of knockdown sand flies were recorded during exposure time in ten minutes interval for DDT and Deltamethrin and they were allowed to recover for 24 hours. Knockdown Time50 (KD50) and KD90 were generated for them using Probit software. They were mounted and identified by valid keys. Results: Among the tested insecticides against female Phlebotomus papatasi, DDT, Deltame- thrin, and Malathion recorded the highest mortality rate of 100%, followed by Propoxur with 92.2% mortality for a one-hour exposure. For DDT, KD50 and KD90 were calculated 21.87 and 42.93 and for Deltamethrin, they were 23.74 and 56.50 minutes respectively. Total sand flies ex-posed with DDT and Deltamethrin shed their leg(s). Conclusion: It is concluded that Ph. papatasi from central Iran is susceptible to DDT, Deltame- thrin, Malathion, and Propoxur

Serologic Biomarkers in Pemphigus Monitoring: C-reactive Protein, Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor, and Prolactin Levels Versus Autoantibody Assays

Evaluation and monitoring of pemphigus vulgaris (PV) typically involve autoantibody detection by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and indirect immunofluorescence (IIF). We aimed to determine the levels of antipemphigus immunoglobulin (Ig) G autoantibodies using ELISA and IIF (as standard biomarkers), and compare it to prolactin, macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), and C-reactive protein (CRP) (as nonstandard biomarkers) to determine which of these non-standard biomarkers is appropriate for PV monitoring. The experiment was performed before and during therapy. Anti-Dsg immunoglobulin G autoantibodies were measured using ELISA and IIF (as standard biomarkers) versus prolactin, MIF, and CRP (nonstandard), before 1 and 3 months after the treatment. Before beginning the treatment, the severity of the disease was determined using the pemphigus disease area Index (PDAI). We enrolled 60 newly diagnosed patients with PV (32 men and 28 women; mean age=43.8±14.2 years). Before treatment, the levels of anti-Dsg1, anti-Dsg3, and IIF were high and had a significant relationship with PDAI. PDAI also had a connection with the levels of CRP and prolactin. The anti-Dsg1, anti-Dsg3, IIF, and CRP titers decreased in patients treated with conventional (prednisolone plus azathioprine) and rituximab therapy during and after treatment. In conclusion, anti-Dsg1, anti-Dsg3, and IIF autoantibody titers remain standard biomarkers for assessing disease activity, severity, and PV monitoring. The trend of CRP was similar to that of anti-Dsg1, anti-Dsg3, and IIF. Thus, CRP may be used for PV monitoring

Design and Evaluation of a Button Sensor Antenna for On-Body Monitoring Activity in Healthcare Applications

A button sensor antenna for on-body monitoring in wireless body area network (WBAN) systems is presented. Due to the close coupling between the sensor antenna and the human body, it is highly challenging to design sensor antenna devices. In this paper, a mechanically robust system is proposed that integrates a dual-band button antenna with a wireless sensor module designed on a printed circuit board (PCB). The system features a small footprint and has good radiation characteristics and efficiency. This was fabricated, and the measured and simulated results are in good agreement. The design offers a wide range of omnidirectional radiation patterns in free space, with a reflection coefficient (S11) of −29.30 (−30.97) dB, a maximum gain of 1.75 (5.65) dBi, and radiation efficiency of 71.91 (92.51)% in the lower and upper bands, respectively. S11 reaches −23.07 (−27.07) dB and −30.76 (−31.12) dB, respectively, with a gain of 2.09 (6.70) dBi and 2.16 (5.67) dBi, and radiation efficiency of 65.12 (81.63)% and 75.00 (85.00)%, when located on the body for the lower and upper bands, respectively. The performance is minimally affected by bending, movement, and fabrication tolerances. The specific absorption rate (SAR) values are below the regulatory limitations for the spatial average over 1 g (1.6 W/Kg) and 10 g of tissues (2.0 W/Kg). For both indoor and outdoor conditions, experimental results of the range tests confirm the coverage of up to 40 m

Global burden of 369 diseases and injuries in 204 countries and territories, 1990–2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background: In an era of shifting global agendas and expanded emphasis on non-communicable diseases and injuries along with communicable diseases, sound evidence on trends by cause at the national level is essential. The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) provides a systematic scientific assessment of published, publicly available, and contributed data on incidence, prevalence, and mortality for a mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive list of diseases and injuries. Methods: GBD estimates incidence, prevalence, mortality, years of life lost (YLLs), years lived with disability (YLDs), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) due to 369 diseases and injuries, for two sexes, and for 204 countries and territories. Input data were extracted from censuses, household surveys, civil registration and vital statistics, disease registries, health service use, air pollution monitors, satellite imaging, disease notifications, and other sources. Cause-specific death rates and cause fractions were calculated using the Cause of Death Ensemble model and spatiotemporal Gaussian process regression. Cause-specific deaths were adjusted to match the total all-cause deaths calculated as part of the GBD population, fertility, and mortality estimates. Deaths were multiplied by standard life expectancy at each age to calculate YLLs. A Bayesian meta-regression modelling tool, DisMod-MR 2.1, was used to ensure consistency between incidence, prevalence, remission, excess mortality, and cause-specific mortality for most causes. Prevalence estimates were multiplied by disability weights for mutually exclusive sequelae of diseases and injuries to calculate YLDs. We considered results in the context of the Socio-demographic Index (SDI), a composite indicator of income per capita, years of schooling, and fertility rate in females younger than 25 years. Uncertainty intervals (UIs) were generated for every metric using the 25th and 975th ordered 1000 draw values of the posterior distribution. Findings: Global health has steadily improved over the past 30 years as measured by age-standardised DALY rates. After taking into account population growth and ageing, the absolute number of DALYs has remained stable. Since 2010, the pace of decline in global age-standardised DALY rates has accelerated in age groups younger than 50 years compared with the 1990–2010 time period, with the greatest annualised rate of decline occurring in the 0–9-year age group. Six infectious diseases were among the top ten causes of DALYs in children younger than 10 years in 2019: lower respiratory infections (ranked second), diarrhoeal diseases (third), malaria (fifth), meningitis (sixth), whooping cough (ninth), and sexually transmitted infections (which, in this age group, is fully accounted for by congenital syphilis; ranked tenth). In adolescents aged 10–24 years, three injury causes were among the top causes of DALYs: road injuries (ranked first), self-harm (third), and interpersonal violence (fifth). Five of the causes that were in the top ten for ages 10–24 years were also in the top ten in the 25–49-year age group: road injuries (ranked first), HIV/AIDS (second), low back pain (fourth), headache disorders (fifth), and depressive disorders (sixth). In 2019, ischaemic heart disease and stroke were the top-ranked causes of DALYs in both the 50–74-year and 75-years-and-older age groups. Since 1990, there has been a marked shift towards a greater proportion of burden due to YLDs from non-communicable diseases and injuries. In 2019, there were 11 countries where non-communicable disease and injury YLDs constituted more than half of all disease burden. Decreases in age-standardised DALY rates have accelerated over the past decade in countries at the lower end of the SDI range, while improvements have started to stagnate or even reverse in countries with higher SDI. Interpretation: As disability becomes an increasingly large component of disease burden and a larger component of health expenditure, greater research and developm nt investment is needed to identify new, more effective intervention strategies. With a rapidly ageing global population, the demands on health services to deal with disabling outcomes, which increase with age, will require policy makers to anticipate these changes. The mix of universal and more geographically specific influences on health reinforces the need for regular reporting on population health in detail and by underlying cause to help decision makers to identify success stories of disease control to emulate, as well as opportunities to improve. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 licens

Size effect in wood : Characterization of mechanical properties using digital image correlation method

As a natural composite material, wood exhibits complex structural char-acteristics and diverse behavior under compression and tensile forces. Itsanisotropic nature results in mechanical properties that vary depending onthe load direction along its longitudinal, tangential, and radial grains. An im-portant property of anisotropic materials is the modulus of elasticity, whichrelates stress to strain and demonstrates directional variations.This study focuses on investigating the mechanical properties of pinewood,particularly stiffness, and deformation, in the longitudinal direction duringcompression, taking into account the effect of the sample size. The digitalimage correlation (DIC) method is utilized to measure deformation, an op-tical technique that involves tracking motion in DIC patterns. Wood, beinga renewable and natural composite resource, has been widely used as a con-struction material and for various other purposes for centuries. Its physicaland mechanical properties encompass a broad spectrum influenced by factorssuch as species, moisture content, density, and temperature.This research aims to analyze the size-dependent effects on deformation andstiffness in pine wood samples using the DIC method. Initially, three sam-ple sizes were compared, namely 10 × 10 × 10mm3, 20 × 20 × 20mm3, and25 × 25 × 100mm3 these were selected based on Afshar (2022) and Walley& Rogers (2022). However, the sample size of 20 × 20 × 20mm3 producedinsufficient results due to equipment limitations to test them under sufficientload. Among the remaining sample groups, nine specimens from each groupwere tested and compared in terms of stiffness and deformation. The exper-imental results did not provide statistically significant data supporting thepresence of a noticeable size effect between the dimensions of the samples10 × 10 × 10mm3 and 25 × 25 × 100mm3.Trä är ett förnybart och naturligt kompositmaterial och har i århundradenanvänts som byggmaterial och för olika ändamål. Dess fysikaliska och mekaniskaegenskaper omfattar ett brett spektrum som påverkas av faktorer som fuk-thalt, densitet och temperatur. Trä som ett naturligt kompositmaterial ochdess komplexa strukturella egenskaper visar varierande beteende vid tryckoch dragkrafter. Träets anisotropa natur gör att dess mekaniska egenskapervarierar beroende på belastningsriktning, längs dess längd, tangential ellerradial riktning. För anisotropa material är elasticitetsmodulen en viktig egen-skap som varierar längs de olika riktningarna. Vilket är ett samband mellanspänning och deformationen och visar riktningsvariationer.Den här studien syftar till att undersöka de mekaniska egenskaper hos furu.Den här studien undersöker storleks-effekt i materialet furus styvhet och de-formationen längs fiberriktning (längd) vid kompression med hjälp av DigitalImage Correlation (DIC). Metoden DIC är en optisk teknik som mäter de-formationen hos material med hjälp av spårningsmönster på materialet.För att se storleks effekten hos trä jämfördes initiellt tre provstorlekar, näm-ligen 10 × 10 × 10mm3, 20 × 20 × 20mm3, och 25 × 25 × 100mm3 dessa provs-torlekar valdes baserat på Afshar (2022) och Walley & Rogers (2022). Dockproducerade provstorleken 20 × 20 × 20mm3 otillräckliga resultat på grundav begränsningar i utrustningen för att testa dem under tillräcklig belast-ning. Bland de återstående provgrupperna testades och jämfördes nio provfrån varje grupp när det gäller styvhet och deformation. De experimentellaresultaten gav inte statistiskt signifikanta data som stödjer förekomsten aven märkbar storlekseffekt mellan dimensionerna hos proven 10 × 10 × 10mm3och 25 × 25 × 100mm3