Original Test Research Articles

Physical and functional profile of ICU patients and correlation between functional scales (Physical function in ICU test – scored PFIT)

Abstract Background Each component of the original physical function ICU test (PFIT) had little clinical utility. Given the growing body of research on ICU strength and mobility, objective functional evaluations with great clinical usefulness are needed. Scoring the original PFIT improves clinical utility and research to compare ICU patient function and intervention responsiveness. Aim To evaluate the muscle strength and functional condition of ICU patients and link these procedures to the length of stay at Ain Shams University Hospital and outcome. Patients and methods The research included 40 patients who were admitted to the respiratory ICU either mechanically ventilated or not. Results There was high significant decrease in TLC; there was high significant increase in Hb, albumin, K, and Mg according to two assessment points. Most patients had a score of 3 of shoulder strength and knee strength but score 2 regarding Sit to stand assistance. There was high significant increase in PFIT-s in the second assessment. There was substantial enhancement in the second assessment compared with first assessment regarding different score results. Conclusion Based on the finding we conclude that, prolonged immobility during hospitalization results in loss of muscle strength and functional capacity. There was positive correlation between muscular strength and functional status, considering PFIT scales. The longer length of stay in ICU, the greater the loss of functional capacity in critical patients.

Development and application of the 2×350kN dual parallel excitation horizontal vibration test system

Vibration test is an important method to test the vibration environment during the launch and flight of spacecraft. With the development of China’s space industry, large spacecraft weighing more than 10 tons and diameter greater than 3 m are becoming more and more common. Key capabilities such as load bearing, table size, rated thrust and overturning moment of the original vibration test equipment can not meet the needs of large spacecraft development. Therefore, this paper develops a set of 2×350kN dual parallel excitation horizontal vibration test system which can carry out horizontal vibration test of large spacecraft. This paper introduces the structure and design method of the system, and analyzes the test results of the system. The technical indexes of the system all meet the design requirements. The system has been successfully applied to the vibration test simulation of large spacecraft such as the core module of the space station, which provides a better evaluation method for the ground test of large spacecraft in China.

Unifying Behavioral and Feature Modeling for Testing of Software Product Lines

Existing software product line (SPL) engineering testing approaches generally provide positive testing that validates the SPL’s functionality. Negative testing is commonly neglected. This research aims to unify behavioral and feature models of an SPL, enable testing before and after variability binding for domain-centric and product-centric testing, and combine positive and negative testing for a holistic testing view. This study suggests behavioral modeling with event sequence graphs (ESGs). This heterogeneous modeling strategy supports bottom-up domain testing and top-down product testing with the feature model. This new feature-oriented ESG test creation method generates shorter test sequences than the original ESG optimum test sequences. Statechart and original ESG test-generating methods are compared. Positive testing findings are similar. The Statechart technique generated 12 test cases with 59 events, whereas the ESG technique created six test cases with 60 events. The ESG technique generated 205 negative test cases with 858 events with the Test Suite Designer tool. However, the Conformiq Designer tool for the Statechart technique does not have a negative test case generation capability. It is shown that the proposed ESG-based holistic approach confirms not only the desirable (positive) properties but also the undesirable (negative) ones. As an additional research, the traditional ESG test-generating approach is compared to the new feature-oriented method on six SPLs of different sizes and features. Our case study results show that the traditional ESG test generation approach demonstrated higher positive test generation scores compare to the proposed feature-oriented test generation approach. However, our proposed feature-oriented test generation approach is capable of generating shorter test sequences, which could be beneficial for reducing the execution time of test cases compared to traditional ESG approach. Finally, our case study has also shown that regardless of the test generation approach, there has been found no significant difference between the Bottom-up and Top-down test strategies with respect to their positive test generation scores.

How the Two Child Abuse Cases Helped to Shape the Test of Originality of Photographic Works

The author intends to assess the approach to finding originality in photographic works in the courts of the United States of America and the approach developed by the Court of Justice of the European Union. The means through which such assessment is to be made are two cases, each decided in a respective jurisdiction; nonetheless they are connected via both factual and legal circumstances - both involving child abuse and a dispute regarding a copyright infringement in a photographic work. The article will thoroughly assess the legal circumstances of each case and describe the methods of identification of originality applied therein. Following the said assessment, an analysis of the possible merger of both methods will be conducted, with emphasis on the possible added value for the test of originality applied to photographic works within the copyright framework of the European Union. The author’s intention is to conduct a comparison between both approaches to highlight their individual advantages and disadvantages, with a final assessment of their possible joint application in cases involving copyright infringement of photographic works within the copyright framework of the European Union.

B-280 Sensitivity and Specificity of Beta-2 Transferrin Gel Electrophoresis With Immunofixation for Evaluating Nasal Cerebrospinal Fluid Leaks

Abstract Background Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) rhinorrhea usually presents as unilateral clear thin nasal drainage, is caused by a direct communication from the subarachnoid space to the sinonasal cavities and can lead to intracranial infection, pneumocephalus, or death. Diagnosing CSF rhinorrhea can be challenging. While the gold standard for CSF leak confirmation is surgical exploration, testing nasal fluid for beta-2 transferrin (B2Tf) via agarose gel electrophoresis followed by immunofixation (AGEI) remains the initial non-invasive CSF confirmatory test of choice. However, AGEI requires subjective interpretation of immune-stained protein bands. Multiple studies have reported high sensitivity and specificity of B2Tf AGEI (90–100%), but other studies have shown wider ranges from 70–100%. Due to small sample sizes and methodologic differences between studies, comparing results between studies is problematic. The purpose of this study was to assess the sensitivity and specificity of B2Tf AGEI in confirming or excluding CSF rhinorrhea in patients with unilateral clear thin nasal drainage, and to determine the inter-reviewer variability of AGEI interpretation. Methods This was a retrospective observational study of patients who had B2Tf AGEI performed on their unilateral clear nasal drainage from 2020 through 2022. A pathologist and four trained medical laboratory scientists conducted visual reviews of archived gels and their results were compared to the documented CSF rhinorrhea status. Results were also compared to the original test results documented in patients’ charts. Sensitivity and specificity, and inter-reviewer agreement were assessed for B2Tf AGEI confirming or excluding CSF rhinorrhea. The gold standard for confirming CSF rhinorrhea was surgical exploration. The gold standard for excluding CSF rhinorrhea included either negative surgical exploration or rhinorrhea resolution after medical therapy aimed at treating rhinitis or rhinosinusitis. Results Sensitivity and specificity varied for the five reviewers and documented test results, with sensitivities ranging from 65.0 to 86.0% (mean ± SD, 73.0 ± 5.7) and specificities from 61.4 to 88.6% (84.1 ± 11.0). The false positive rate was 8.7%, and false negative rate was 13.9%. Sensitivity and specificity for the documented test results ranging from 57.1 to 82.1% (mean ± SD, 72.1, 9.3) and specificities from 75.0 to 97.26% (91.6 ± 9.4). The abilities of the reviewers to reliability identify a CSF leak was moderate, with kappa statistics ranging from 0.313 to 0.646 (weighted average 62.2, 4.0). Two of the four reviewers demonstrated substantial to almost perfect agreement to the expert reviewer, with the other two demonstrating moderate agreement. Conclusions B2Tf AGEI demonstrated lower sensitivity and specificity than some previous reports, however this study had a larger sample size and very well-defined clinical standards for CSF and non-CSF rhinorrhea. While false results were present in 9 to 14% of cases, the test is non-invasive, and is helpful in stratifying patients into those more or less likely to have CSF rhinorrhea. There was also substantial inter-reviewer variability, highlighting the challenges of subjective interpretation of this testing modality. Larger prospective studies would be helpful to more accurately determine the diagnostic accuracy of B2Tf AGEI, as well as explore practices to help limit inter-reviewer variability.

An interpretable machine learning framework for diagnosis and prognosis of COVID-19.

Coronaviruses have affected the lives of people around the world. Increasingly, studies have indicated that the virus is mutating and becoming more contagious. Hence, the pressing priority is to swiftly and accurately predict patient outcomes. In addition, physicians and patients increasingly need interpretability when building machine models in healthcare. We propose an interpretable machine framework(KISM) that can diagnose and prognose patients based on blood test datasets. First, we use k-nearest neighbors, isolated forests, and SMOTE to pre-process the original blood test datasets. Seven machine learning tools Support Vector Machine, Extra Tree, Random Forest, Gradient Boosting Decision Tree, eXtreme Gradient Boosting, Logistic Regression, and ensemble learning were then used to diagnose and predict COVID-19. In addition, we used SHAP and scikit-learn post-hoc interpretability to report feature importance, allowing healthcare professionals and artificial intelligence models to interact to suggest biomarkers that some doctors may have missed. The 10-fold cross-validation of two public datasets shows that the performance of KISM is better than that of the current state-of-the-art methods. In the diagnostic COVID-19 task, an AUC value of 0.9869 and an accuracy of 0.9787 were obtained, and ultimately Leukocytes, platelets, and Proteina C reativa mg/dL were found to be the most indicative biomarkers for the diagnosis of COVID-19. An AUC value of 0.9949 and an accuracy of 0.9677 were obtained in the prognostic COVID-19 task and Age, LYMPH, and WBC were found to be the most indicative biomarkers for identifying the severity of the patient.

Clinical Neuropsychology of Bilingual Mexican American Adults: Effect of Language Proficiency and Dominance.

To assess the association between language proficiency and absolute dominance on language versus visual-perceptual formatted and executive versus delayed memory neuropsychological measures in bilingual adults. Data from 55 bilingual, conversationally fluent, neurologically intact, Mexican American, consecutive, adults tested in separate sessions in Spanish and English in a counterbalanced order were analyzed. Age, years of education, self-reported language proficiency, Woodcock-Muñoz Language Survey-Revised (WMLS-R) picture vocabulary measures of language proficiency, and dominance (absolute Spanish-English WMLS-R difference scores) were correlated with 11 measures from La Batería Neuropsicólogica en Español and its original English language tests. Self-reported and WMLS-R measures of language proficiency were significantly correlated in each language. Absolute language dominance was not significantly associated with any Spanish or English neuropsychological raw score. The WMLS-R language proficiency, but not age or years of education, was significantly correlated with language-formatted neuropsychological measures of California Verbal Learning Test delayed free recall number of words (both languages), letter fluency (both languages), delayed story memory (in English), and Stroop interference (Spanish). Linear regression models using age, years of education, and WMLS-R picture vocabulary scores as predictors were significant for all these measures excepting the last. The WMLS-R language proficiency was not significantly associated with raw scores on any visual-perceptual formatted measure. Monolingual neuropsychological test norms for language-formatted tests likely overestimate bilingual Mexican Americans' performance.

Adaptive Multiple Testing Procedure for Clinical Trials with Urn Allocation

This work combines the Urn allocation and O’Brien and Fleming multiple testing procedure to compare two treatments in clinical trials in a novel way. It is shown that this approach overcomes the constraints that previously made it challenging to apply the original adaptive design to clinical trials. The method provides unique flexibility, enabling trials to be stopped early if one treatment shows it is superior without compromising the efficiency of the original multiple testing procedure in terms of type I error rate and power. Experimental data and simulated case examples are used to illustrate the efficacy and robustness of this original approach and its potential for usage in a variety of clinical settings.

Development of a short version of the test of anticipatory solvency

BACKGROUND. The Test of anticipatory consistency was developed by V.D. Mendelevich based on the anticipatory concept of neurosogenesis. The technique has been used in numerous studies and has proven itself as a diagnostic tool. At the same time, the substantial volume of questions makes the current version time-consuming for the subjects.
 AIM. The purpose of this work was to create a short version suitable for screening studies of anticipation consistency.
 MATERIAL AND METHODS. The study involved 315 students and 96 patients treated in the departments of the Republican Clinical Psychiatric Hospital of academician V.M. Bekhterev and Central Clinical Hospital No. 18 with established diagnoses of the heading Neurotic, stress-related and somatoform disordersof the International Classification of Diseases of the 10th revision. The development of the test included three stages: the study of the psychometric indicators of the original test, the development of the stimulus material of the short version, the study of the reliability and validity of the short version. To assess convergent validity, adapted Russian-language versions of the questionnaires Methods of coping behaviorby R. Lazarus and Melbourne Decision-making Questionnairewere used.
 RESULTS. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed a sufficient level of agreement of compliance with the three-factor structure of the test: CFI=0.909; TLI=0.894; SRMR=0.0672; RMSEA=0.05 (CI 90% 0.03380.0648). The short version of the test has sufficient reliability: Kronbach =0.727, McDonald =0.742, the scales correlate with each other, individual statements correlate with their scales. The short version of the test correlates with the results of the original methodology, and retest reliability, criterion and convergent validity are confirmed.
 CONCLUSION. A short version is possible for use in screening studies of anticipation viability.

Deep learning-based multiscale CNN-based U network model for leaf disease diagnosis and segmentation of lesions in tomato

BackgroundThe advent of deep learning technologies has expanded the utilization of convolutional neural networks in diagnosing and segmenting plant leaf diseases. However, the segmentation of lesions, especially those with diverse sizes and shapes, often requires extensive pixel-level annotations. ObjectiveThis study aims to introduce a multiscale U-network for effective concurrent segmentation and diagnosis of tomato leaf lesions. MethodsOur model employs multi-scale residual modules to adapt dynamically to diseases that alter lesion size and shape. The Classifier and Bridge (CB) module is introduced to connect the disease feature extraction stage with the disease spot segmentation stage, providing crucial information about a specific lesion type. During the segmentation stage, the activation map of a specific class is deconvoluted using a combination of up-sampling and convolution. This deconvolution feature is fused with the low-level feature through a skip connection strategy. A limited number of pixel-level labels are used, and the binary cross-entropy loss function is applied for supervised training at each pixel point, directing the feature extraction network to focus on the lesion location. ResultsThe model was evaluated using an original test set and an interference test set simulating noise and light intensity changes. The multiscale U-network demonstrated an average pixel accuracy of approximately 99.2%, a resilience to brightness reduction by about 92.4%, and an ability to handle up to 0.98 salt and pepper noise at a rate of about 99.2%, showcasing its robustness against various image alterations. The GFLOPs for the proposed method was found to be approximately 3.13e+06, indicating its computational efficiency. ConclusionThe experimental results highlight the potential of the proposed multiscale U-network in effectively segmenting and identifying lesions in tomato leaf tissue. These findings suggest promising opportunities for applying this model in the broader field of agricultural disease management.

Large-Scale Mobile-Based Analysis for National Travel Demand Modeling

Mobile phones have achieved a high rate of penetration and gained great interest in the field of travel behavior studies. However, mobile phone data exploitation for national travel models has only been sporadically studied thus far. This work focuses on one of the most extensive cellular surveys of its kind carried out thus far in the world, which was performed for two years between 2018 and 2019 with the participation of the two largest cellular providers in Israel, as well as leading GPS companies. The large-scale cell phone survey covered half the population using cellphones aged 8+ in Israel and uncovered local and national trip patterns, revealing the structure of nationwide travel demand. The methodology consists of the following steps: (1) plausibility and quality checks for the data of the mobile operators and the GPS data providers; (2) algorithm development for trip detection, home/work location detection, location and time accuracy, and expansion factors; (3) accuracy test of origin–destination matrices at different resolutions, revisions of algorithms, and reproduction of data; and (4) validation of results by comparison to reliable external data sources. The results are characterized by high accuracy and representativeness of demand and indicate a strong correlation between the cellular survey and other reliable sources.

Inferring shape transformations in a drawing task.

Many objects and materials in our environment are subject to transformations that alter their shape. For example, branches bend in the wind, ice melts, and paper crumples. Still, we recognize objects and materials across these changes, suggesting we can distinguish an object's original features from those caused by the transformations ("shape scission"). Yet, if we truly understand transformations, we should not only be able to identify their signatures but also actively apply the transformations to new objects (i.e., through imagination or mental simulation). Here, we investigated this ability using a drawing task. On a tablet computer, participants viewed a sample contour and its transformed version, and were asked to apply the same transformation to a test contour by drawing what the transformed test shape should look like. Thus, they had to (i) infer the transformation from the shape differences, (ii) envisage its application to the test shape, and (iii) draw the result. Our findings show that drawings were more similar to the ground truth transformed test shape than to the original test shape-demonstrating the inference and reproduction of transformations from observation. However, this was only observed for relatively simple shapes. The ability was also modulated by transformation type and magnitude but not by the similarity between sample and test shapes. Together, our findings suggest that we can distinguish between representations of original object shapes and their transformations, and can use visual imagery to mentally apply nonrigid transformations to observed objects, showing how we not only perceive but also 'understand' shape.

All-Pass NGD FIR Original Study for Sensor Failure Detection Application

This paper deals with original design, implementation, test, and potential application of finite impulse response (FIR) with uncommon all-pass negative group delay (AP-NGD) circuit. The counterintuitive AP-NGD numerical circuit theory is established. Design method of first order AP-NGD circuit is introduced with respect to the specified time-advance. The first order difference equation was synthesized, designed, and implemented in STM32 Microcontroller Unit, and experimented to validate the AP-NGD characteristics. The AP-NGD FIR prototype was tested in the time-domain with Gaussian and arbitrary waveform sensored signals. Calculated and experimented results in very good agreement with the most significant time-advance -10 s ever experimented before are obtained. The potential industrial application of the NGD predictor for sensor fault diagnosis in real-time is described.

Comment on "Human-directed attachment behaviour in wolves suggests standing ancestral variation for human-dog attachment bonds".

In their recent paper, Hansen Wheat et al. (Ecology and Evolution, 2022, 12, e9299) claimed that hand raised 23-week-old wolves showed the same attachment behaviour towards their handler in the Strange Situation Test (SST) (Determinants of infant behavior, 1969, 4, 111) as dogs. At first glance, their results seem to contradict previous findings that domestication caused a unique change in social-affiliative behaviours in dogs (Animal Behaviour, 2005, 70, 1367). We argue that no persuading evidence was presented to claim that "wolves can show attachment behaviours towards humans comparable to those of dogs". When dealing with a behaviour system (Child Development, 1977, 48, 1184), the subjects' behaviour must meet consistent criteria (Behavioural and Brain Science, 1978, 3, 417), and a few behavioural preferences should not be used to claim the presence of an attachment system, especially, if the experiment violates basic assumptions of the original test. We believe the intriguing scientific question is whether the dog-owner relationship is qualitatively different from what could be observed in the wolf-hand raiser relation. Assessing all available data, our answer is still yes; dogs are unique in this respect.

Evaluating the sensitivity and specificity of dried blood spots for serological testing of HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B and C Elecsys assays on the Roche Cobas system

This study was performed to validate a dried blood spot (DBS) method for the serological screening of HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B and C. It included 250 paired DBS and serum samples and 116 unpaired DBS samples from 366 unique patients from two laboratories between 8 October and 2 November 2021. As determined by original test request, these were tested using a DBS method for HIV Ag/Ab (n=216), anti-treponemal Ab (n=166), hepatitis B sAg (n=100), and hepatitis C Ab (n=100) Elecsys assays on the Roche Cobas automated platform. Using the manufacturer's (serum) cut-off for reactivity ('positivity'), the sensitivity and specificity of DBS testing compared with serum were: for HIV Ag/Ab 100% and 100%, for anti-treponemal Ab 68.3% and 100%, for hepatitis B sAg 95.9% and 100%, and for hepatitis C Ab 84.0% and 100%, respectively. Adjusting the assay cut-off using receiver operator curve analysis increased sensitivity of DBS testing for anti-treponemal Ab to 90.0%, hepatitis B sAg to 97.9% and hepatitis C Ab to 94.0% whilst maintaining specificity of 98.8%, 100% and 100%, respectively. With optimisation of assay cut-off, DBS can perform comparably with serum for serological testing for HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B and C and may be a valuable tool in increasing access to testing in New Zealand.

The Behaviour of Hybrid Aluminium-Steel Resistance Spot Welded Joints in Case of Dynamic Loading

Hybrid joints between aluminium and steel are used sometimes in case of thin sheets for example for a car body. Resistance welding for this joining challenge is not frequently used, but the resistance welded joints basically have good mechanical properties. During resistance spot joining of these hybrid joints, fusion between the two materials cannot occur, but with the right technological parameters an intermetallic compound (IMC) appears in the joint line. The properties of the IMC have significant effect to the joint properties, because the researchers basically investigate this. The original static mechanical tests can show good, comparable results for the joint properties. If we see the dynamic tests basically really difficult to find results in case of spot welding of steels and joining of hybrid aluminium – steel joints. The aim of this paper to show the dynamic properties of these hybrid joints. During our investigation DP600 dual-phase steel was used as the steel part because this grade is frequently used in a car chassis. For the aluminium part, two types of aluminium were applied: non-heat treatable 5754-H22 alloy, and heat-treatable 6082-T6 alloy. The different aluminium alloys have different properties, so different technological parameter combinations were used. To test the resistance of hybrid joints against dynamic loading, instrumented impact tests were performed. This special impact test is considered as an impact-bending test, because the load is perpendicular to the welded point joint. Force – time diagrams of impact tests were shown too in this paper. The intermetallic compound is necessary for joint, but it is very brittle with very big hardness, but in case of dynamic testing this hardness has no significant effect, so these specimens show good result in case of dynamic loading. The two different aluminium – steel joints show different resistance against dynamic loading, and the fracture modes were different too.

Utilizing Dynamic Analysis in the Complex Design of an Unconventional Three-Wheeled Vehicle with Enhancing Cornering Safety

Current trends in the transportation industry prioritize competitive rivalry, compelling manufacturers to prioritize concepts such as quality and reliability. These concepts are closely associated with public expectations of safety, vehicle lifespan, and trouble-free operation. However, the public must recognize that a vehicle weighing several hundred kilograms, moving at a non-zero speed, only contacts the road surface through a few points (depending on the number of wheels), each no larger than a human palm. Therefore, it is imperative to operate the vehicle in a manner that optimizes the behavior of these contact points. There are situations where drivers find themselves requiring dynamic vehicle handling, often unpredictable with a high degree of uncertainty. Rapid changes in direction become necessary in these cases. Such maneuvers can pose a significant risk of rollover for three-wheeled vehicles. Hence, the vehicle itself should contribute to increased ride safety. This paper presents key findings from the development of an unconventional three-wheeled vehicle utilizing the delta arrangement. Rollover safety for three-wheeled vehicles is currently well-managed, thanks to the utilization of electronic or mechatronic systems in delta-type vehicles to enhance stability. However, these systems require additional components. In contrast, the proposed control system operates solely on a mechanical principle, eliminating operational costs, energy consumption, maintenance expenses, and similar factors. The study also explores the absence of equivalent suspension and steering systems for front-wheel steering. Such designs are lacking in both practical applications and theoretical realms. Analytical and simulation calculations are compared in this study, highlighting the effectiveness of the newly proposed control system in enhancing stability and safety compared to conventional front-wheel suspension systems. Simulation programs provide more realistic results than analytical calculations due to their ability to account for dynamic effects on vehicle components and passengers, which is practically unfeasible in analytical approaches. Furthermore, this study focuses on investigating the fatigue life of material frames subjected to dynamic loading, which is a crucial aspect of ensuring safety. It is essential to have various testing devices to examine the fatigue life of materials under both uniaxial and multiaxial loading conditions. However, obtaining experimental results for fatigue life measurements of specific materials, which can be directly applied to one’s research, poses significant challenges. Hence, the proposed testing device plays a vital role in measuring material fatigue life and advancing the development of unconventional transportation methods. The information about the original testing device aligns perfectly with the article’s emphasis on dynamic analysis. The ultimate objective of all these efforts is to put the vehicle into practical operation for commercial utilization.

Comparisons ofBlood Alcohol Concentrations between Initial Testing andReanalysis from Unopened Tubes Preserved with 0.25% NaF Following Refrigerated Storage up to 3.93 Years.

Few studies support the usage of <1% nominal sodium fluoride (NaF) to preserve ethanol in antemortem blood. Of these studies, several are limited by short study durations of 90 days or less, and there is limited research of authentic samples preserved with <1% NaF. In this retrospective analysis, data from initial and reanalysis testing of blood alcohol concentration (BAC) in antemortem blood collected in 6 mL gray-top tubes (providing 0.25% nominal NaF) has been compiled, to evaluate changes in ethanol concentration that occurred after periods of refrigerated storage. The time between initial and reanalysis was determined by court request(s), and ranged 0.30-3.93 years. In each case, a previously unopened tube was selected for reanalysis testing. Comparable BAC values were found from initial testing, with BACs ranging from 0.025 to 0.394 g/100 mL, and reanalysis testing, with BACs ranging from 0.021 to 0.393 g/100 mL. Ethanol changes ranged from -0.013 g/100 mL (decrease) to 0.008 g/100 mL (increase). BAC reanalysis values that increased (n = 6) were within the uncertainty of measurement (UM) from the initial BAC test, i.e., were not statistically or analytically significant. For BAC decreases (n = 29), four test values exceeded the UM of the original test, with BAC losses ranging from 0.004 to 0.011 g/100 mL (relative percent changes 6.5-16.0% loss). The average ethanol change was -0.004 g/100 mL, which is comparable to or less than ethanol losses from studies using 1% NaF preservative of varying temperature and storage duration.

Aflatoxicosis outbreak and its associated factors in Kiteto, Chemba and Kondoa Districts, Tanzania.

Tanzania had experienced hundreds of cases of aflatoxicosis in the districts of Kiteto, Chemba, and Kondoa for the three consecutive years since 2016. Cases may end up with liver cancer. Aflatoxin-induced liver cancer had resulted in the demise of roughly three persons per 100,000 in the country during the same year, 2016. We investigated to characterize the latest outbreak of 2019 and identify its risk factors. This case-control study enrolled all patients presented with acute jaundice of unknown origin and laboratory test results confirmed an acute liver injury with or without abdominal pain, distension, vomiting, or fever during the period of June to November 2019 and had epidemiological link with cases confirmed with Aflatoxin-B1-Lysine. Adjusted odds ratios (AOR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were used to identify independent factors associated with aflatoxicosis. We analyzed 62 cases with median age of 7 years (0.58-50 years) and 186 controls with median age of 24 years (range 0.42-55) with onset of symptoms ranging from 1st June 2019 to 16th July 2019. Case-parents had higher serum aflatoxin-B1-lysine adduct concentrations than did controls; 208.80 ng/mg (n = 45) vs. 32.2 ng/mg (n = 26); p<0.01. Storing foods at poor conditions (AOR 5.49; 95% CI 2.30-13.1), age <15 years (AOR 4.48; 95% CI 1.63-12.3), chronic illness (AOR 3.05; 95% CI 1.19-7.83) and being male (AOR 2.31; 95% CI 1.01-5.30) were significantly associated with the disease, whereas cleaning foods before milling decreased the risk of getting the disease by 88% (AOR 0.12; 95% CI 0.05-0.29). According to the results, the outbreak resulted from a globally highest-ever recorded aflatoxin-B1-lysine that originated from a common source. To prevent future outbreaks, it is crucial to store and clean food crops safely before milling. We recommend strict regulations and enforcement around aflatoxin levels in food products.

A uniqueness-based approach to provide descriptive JUnit test names

The descriptive naming of unit tests has always been a focal task in test maintenance. Previous work tried to use different methods to generate descriptive names for unit tests or provide suggestions to improve existing names, but they often neglected developers’ needs. Therefore, they are unlikely to be useful to provide descriptive test names for developers in real world. Based on a recent study that can identify uniqueness of JUnit tests, we propose a uniqueness-based name generation approach to generate descriptive test names that meet developers’ needs. Comparing with several alternative approaches, the generated name from our approach are preferred by professional developers, or at least at the same level of preference as the original test names.