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    GASSER: A Multi-Objective Evolutionary Approach for Test Suite Reduction

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    Regression testing is a practice that ensures a System Under Test (SUT) still works as expected after changes have been implemented. The simplest approach for regression testing is Retest-all, which consists of re-executing the entire Test Suite (TS) on the changed version of the SUT. Retest-all could be expensive in case a SUT and its TS grow in size and, if resources are insufficient, its application could be impracticable. A Test Suite Reduction (TSR) approach aims to overcome these issues by reducing the size of TSs, while preserving their fault-detection capability. In this paper, we introduce and validate an approach for TSR based on a multi-objective evolutionary algorithm, namely, Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA-II). This approach seeks to reduce TSs by maximizing both statement coverage and diversity of test cases of the reduced TSs, while minimizing the size of the reduced TSs. We named this approach Genetic Algorithm for teSt SuitE Reduction (GASSER). To assess GASSER, we conducted an experiment on 19 versions of four software systems from a public dataset - i.e. Software-artifact Infrastructure Repository (SIR). We compared GASSER with nine baseline approaches. The comparison was based on the size of the reduced TSs and their fault-detection capability. The most important take-away result is that GASSER, as compared with the baseline approaches, reduces more the size of the TSs with a non-significant effect on their fault-detection capability. The results of our empirical assessment suggest that the application of multi-objective evolutionary algorithms and, in particular, NSGA-II might represent a viable means to deal with TSR

    Gasser

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    Regression testing is an important activity that ensures a System Under Test (SUT) still works as expected after changes. Regression testing can be expensive in case of large Test Suites (TSs). Test Suite Reduction (TSR) approaches speed up regression testing by removing redundant test cases. These approaches can be classified as adequate or inadequate. Adequate approaches reduce TSs so that they completely preserve the test requirements (e.g., statement coverage) of the original TSs. Inadequate approaches produce reduced TSs that only partially preserve test requirements. An inadequate TSR approach is appealing when it leads to a higher reduction in TS size at the expense of a negligible loss in fault-detection capability. We defined an inadequate approach for TSR named GASSER (Genetic Algorithm for teSt SuitE Reduction). It is based on a multi-objective evolutionary algorithm, NSGA-II (Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II). GASSER seeks to reduce TSs by maximizing both the statement coverage and diversity of test cases, and minimizing the size of the reduced TSs. We implemented GASSER in a Java prototype of a supporting tool and named it as the approach, namely GASSER. In this tooldemo paper, we present such a tool prototype as well as the results of a preliminary empirical study to assess the validity of both the approach and the tool prototype. A screen-cast of GASSER in action is available at https://youtu.be/20Uf1ugEvAQ

    Preventing seroma formation after axillary dissection for breast cancer: a randomized clinical trial.

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    "Abstract. Background. Seroma formation after axillary dissection remains the most common early sequel to breast cancer surgery. Different surgical approaches have been performed to reduce seroma collection. Therefore, we aimed to assess the outcome of patients operated on using an ultrasound scalpel according to a standardized operative technique before accepting it as a routine procedure.. . Methods. A randomized controlled trial was designed to compare the outcome of patients undergoing breast surgery and axillary dissection using either standard scalpel blades, scissors, ligations, and electrocautery or the ultrasound scalpel only. Each arm of the trial consisted of 30 patients.. . Results. A statistically significant benefit in terms of axillary and chest wall drainage volume, the number of axilla seromas, intraoperative bleeding, and hospitalization stay was recorded in the harmonic scalpel group. No significant differences were found between the 2 groups in terms of operative time. Finally, no postoperative hematoma, wound infections, and chest wall seroma were observed.. . Conclusions. The use of the harmonic scalpel was shown to reduce the magnitude of seromas in axilla and hospitalization stay. The harmonic scalpel can be used alone in axillary dissection with a safe and effective hemostasis. Our results must be confirmed by larger series.. .

    SPIRITuS: a SimPle Information Retrieval regressIon Test Selection approach

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    Context:Regression Test case Selection (RTS) approaches aim at selecting only those test cases of a test suite that exercise changed parts of the System Under Test (SUT) or parts affected by changes. Objective:We present SPIRITuS (SimPle Information Retrieval regressIon Test Selection approach). It uses method code coverage information and a Vector Space Model to select test cases to be run. In a nutshell, the extent of a lexical modification to a method is used to decide if a test case has to be selected. The main design goals of SPIRITuS are to be: (i) easy to adapt to different programming languages and (ii) tunable via an easy to understand threshold. Method:To assess SPIRITuS, we conducted a large experiment on 389 faulty versions of 14 open-source programs implemented in Java. We were mainly interested in investigating the tradeoff between the number of selected test cases from the original test suite and fault detection effectiveness. We also compared SPIRITuS against well-known RTS approaches. Results:SPIRITuS selects a number of test cases significantly smaller than the number of test cases the other approaches select at the price of a slight reduction in fault detection capability. Conclusions:SPIRITuS can be considered a viable competitor of existing test case selection approaches especially when the average number of test cases covering a modified method increases (such information can be easily derived before test case selection takes place)

    Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis

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    The present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed

    Variations on the Author

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    “Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship

    Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis

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    We provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
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