Wilcoxon Rank Test Research Articles

LX-BBSCA: Laplacian biogeography-based sine cosine algorithm for structural engineering design optimization

<abstract> <p>In this paper, an ensemble metaheuristic algorithm (denoted as LX-BBSCA) is introduced. It combines the strengths of Laplacian biogeography-based optimization (LX-BBO) and the sine cosine algorithm (SCA) to address structural engineering design optimization problems. Our primary objective is to mitigate the risk of getting stuck in local minima and accelerate the algorithm's convergence rate. We evaluate the proposed LX-BBSCA algorithm on a set of 23 benchmark functions, including both unimodal and multimodal problems of varying complexity and dimensions. Additionally, we apply LX-BBSCA to tackle five real-world structural engineering design problems, comparing the results with those obtained using other metaheuristics in terms of objective function values and convergence behavior. To ensure the statistical validity of our findings, we employ rigorous tests such as the t-test and the Wilcoxon rank test. The experimental outcomes consistently demonstrate that the ensemble LX-BBSCA algorithm outperforms not only the basic versions of BBO, SCA and LX-BBO but also other state-of-the-art metaheuristic algorithms.</p> </abstract>

Impact Evaluation of a Resident-Driven Research Training Workshop in Idaho: A Feasibility Study.

Engagement in research activities is a critical component of clinical residency training. It is vital to build research capacity of residents to help interpret evidence-based medicine and design quality improvement projects. A mixed methods study was conducted to assess the impact of a 1-day research training workshop conducted at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Centre, Idaho in May 2022. The workshop was targeted to improve the research knowledge of current clinical residents of Internal Medicine and Family Medicine. Workshop comprised of expert presentations, with assessment of difference in knowledge with a pretest and post-test. The sessions were organized around the core competencies of Institute of Medicine. Suggestions were also gathered from the audience. A pretest and post-test based on 13 questions was administered to the participants to assess change in research-related knowledge. Comments and suggestions of the participants were also recorded. Wilcoxon rank test was applied to determine statistical difference across each question and cumulative knowledge score. Conventional content analysis was applied to explore the comments and feedback. The mean score of participants improved across all 12 questions. Statistically significant results were observed for the questions about types of studies qualifying as qualitative research. The cumulative score of participants increased in the post-test from 8.57 to 9.35. The participants gained new knowledge (94.3%), and felt more comfortable in application of research methods (74.3%). Encouraging feedback was obtained from the audience. They stated that they had benefited from the workshop and felt more prepared and motivated to indulge in scholarly activities. The study shows improvement in research-related knowledge of clinical residents attending a 1-day training workshop. We recommend inclusion of such workshops in the curriculum of residents for skill building and enhanced indulgence in research activities in order to prepare them as future leaders in quality improvement, health policy, and hospital administration.

Laser peripheral iridotomy in patients with acute primary angle closure

Background/Aim. Since glaucoma has a very high prevalence worldwide, it is important to examine additional treatment modalities, especially the prevention of its progression. The aim of the study was to determine the importance of laser peripheral iridotomy (LPI) in patients with acute primary angle closure (APAC) in preventing primary angle closure glaucoma progression and APAC in the fellow eye. Methods. The research included 40 patients and 80 eyes treated between 2017 and 2021, which was also the follow-up period in the study. In all patients, LPI was performed bilaterally on both the APAC-affected eye and the healthy fellow eye. The patients with an age range from 40 to 79 years who had the pupillary block in one eye were monitored. All patients underwent bilateral LPI, and the changes in angle width were monitored using gonioscopy. Intraocular pressure (IOP) measurements were made with an applanation tonometer and Vertical Cup/Disc ratio (Ver C/D rat) performing biomicroscopic examination with indirect ophthalmoscopy and +90 D lens. Results. All 40 patients underwent bilateral LPI. The angle width of the APAC-affected eye before treatment was 0.15 ? 0.36, and 1.20 ? 0.41 of the fellow eye. After 12 months, the measurements taken were 0.85 ? 0.36 for the affected eye and 1.90 ? 0.36 for the fellow eye (Wilcoxon rank test, p < 0.01 statistically significant difference). The mean value of IOP in the eye without progression of the disease before therapy was 53.6 ? 3.73 mmHg, while in the eye with progression, it was 60.10 ? 4.37 mmHg. After 12 months, it was 14.92 ? 1.22 mmHg in the eye without progression, while in the eye with disease progression, it was 23.40 ? 2.53 mmHg (independent samples t-test, p < 0.01). The change in the Ver C/D rat in the eye without progression was 0.40 ? 0.10, while in the eye with progression, it was 0.45 ? 0.05. After 12 months, it remained unchanged in the eye without progression, while in the eye with progression, it was 0.65 ? 0.06 (independent samples t-test, p < 0.01). Conclusion. Simultaneous LPI has been proven efficient in patients with APAC in both affected and fellow eyes.

Incidence and implications of atrial fibrillation in patients hospitalized for COVID compared to non-COVID pneumonia: A multicenter cohort study.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) has been reported to occur with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), but whether it is related to myocarditis or lung injury is unclear. The purpose of this study was to compare incident AF in patients with pneumonia/adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) with and without COVID. This retrospective multicenter cohort study from 17 hospitals (March 2020 to December 2021) utilizing the University of California COVID Research Data Set (CORDS) included patients aged ≥18 years with primary diagnosis of pneumonia or ARDS during hospitalization. Patients with a history of AF were excluded. All subjects had documented COVID test results. Cohorts were compared using the χ2 test for categorical variables and the Wilcoxon rank test for continuous variables. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to investigate the association between COVID and development of new AF. Of the 39,415 subjects, 12.2% had COVID. The COVID+ cohort consisted predominantly of younger males with more comorbidities. Incident AF was lower in the COVID+ group than in the non-COVID group (523 [10.85%] vs 4899 [14.16%]; odds ratio [OR] 0.74; P <.001), which remained significant after adjustment for demographics and comorbidities (OR 0.71; P <.001). Patients had normal cardiac troponin levels. AF was related to intensive care unit care, pressor support, and mechanical ventilation, and was associated with higher mortality (26.2% vs 10.21%; P <.001) and longer hospitalization (22.5 vs 15.1 days; P <.001) in the COVID+ group compared to the controls. Incident AF is lower in COVID+ compared to non-COVID pneumonia/ARDS patients and seems to be related to severity of illness rather cardiac injury. AF was associated with higher mortality and prolonged hospitalization.

The Effect of Yoga on Pain and Quality of Life in Primary Dysmenorrhea: A Cross Sectional Survey

Dysmenorrhea is a painful syndrome that accompanies the menstrual cycles. Objectives: The main objective of this research was to determine the effects of yoga exercises on pain and quality of life in female undergraduate students suffering from primary dysmenorrhea. Methods: After taking approval from Ethical review committee of Rawal Institute of Health Sciences, an observation type of cross-section survey was conducted in 470 young undergraduate female students of age between 17-26, suffering from primary dysmenorrhea. By non-probability sampling participants were divided into two groups. Group-1 was of those females who had active lifestyle and doing yoga exercises and group-2 were of those who had sedentary lifestyle and didn’t do any kind of exercise. To measure the outcome variables, EQ-5D-5L questionnaire was used to measure QoL &amp; NPRS to measure pain. Data were taken at baseline and after 12th week. Wilcoxon rank test was used for within group analysis and Mann Whitney U test was used to compare mean between groups. Data was analyzed in SPSS software version 21 along with Microsoft Excel 2019. Results: 21.16+2.66 &amp;22.27+2.53 was the Mean+SD of age of group-1 &amp; group-2 respectively. Between groups analysis revealed that p-value for NPRS was &lt;0.05 but was &gt;0.05 in quality of life. Conclusion: Yoga exercises are safer and easiest way to manage pain of primary dysmenorrhea in undergraduate females without any drug use.

An evaluation of an array of viruses and fungi in adult Lebanese patients presenting with various dental infections: A cross-sectional study

The role of bacteria in the pathogenesis of periodontitis, pericoronitis, and periapical infections has been well-established. However, the variation in the severity and prognosis of these lesions could suggest a potential role of other microorganisms, such as viruses and fungi. This study aims to evaluate the presence of adenovirus, human papillomavirus-16, Epstein-Barr virus, Candida, and non-Candida fungi in these infections. A cross-sectional study including 120 healthy adult patients presenting with dental infections requiring dental extractions were conducted to assess the prevalence and the relative quantity of viruses and fungi in saliva, infected, and healthy tissues using quantitative polymerase chain reaction tests. Samples were collected, and a categorical scale was used for the prevalence and a continuous scale for the relative quantification. Statistical analyses were performed using Chi-square for the prevalence and Wilcoxon rank test for the relative quantification. Except for the Epstein-Barr virus and Candida, the presence of viruses and fungi was significantly associated with dental infections. Adenovirus showed an association with pericoronitis, while human papilloma virus-16 exhibited an association with periapical infections. Non-Candida fungi, on the other hand, showed a positive association with all infected tissues and saliva as compared to healthy control lesions except for periapical infections. According to this study, viruses and fungi were found to be prevalent in dental infections. However, their associations with those infections vary depending on the types of viruses or fungi involved and the category of dental infections.

PENGARUH COUNTER PRESSURE TERHADAP NYERI PERSALINAN KALA I FASE AKTIF

Labor pain methods can be applied pharmacologically and non-pharmacologically. Labor pain is something that is commonly felt by pregnant women just before the birth process. But if it is not treated with proper pain management, it will cause other problems, one of which is anxiety. The aim of the study was to determine the Effectiveness of Counter Pressure on Pain Levels in Active Phase I Labor at Independent Midwife Practice (PMB) in Hasna Dewi, Pekanbaru City. This type of research is pre-experimental with two group pretest and posttest designs. The time of research was carried out in August-November 2022. The sample in this study was 10 respondents using a total sampling technique. The research instrument used a Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) questionnaire. Univariate and bivariate data analysis. The univariate results obtained pain before being given a moderate pain counter pressure with a percentage of 80.0%. pain after being given counter pressure pain decreased to mild pain with a percentage of 80.0%. Wilcoxon Rank Test results. There is an effect of counter pressure on the level of pain in the first active phase of labor with a P value of 0.002 &lt;0.05. So it can be concluded that there is an effect of counter pressure on the level of pain in the active phase of labor in the first stage. It is recommended for health workers to be able to use counterpressure to reduce pain in the first active phase of labor.

PENGARUH EFFLEURAGE MASSAGE TERHADAP NYERI PERSALINAN KALA I FASE AKTIF

Labor pain is something that is commonly felt by pregnant women just before the birth process. But if it is not treated with proper pain management, it will cause problems, one of which is the emergence of anxiety, stress, and feelings of worry. For this reason, it is necessary to have labor pain management, one of which is with Effleurage Massage. The study aimed to determine the effect of Effleurage Massage on Labor Pain during the Active Phase I in the Independent Midwife Practice (PMB) in Hasna Dewi, Pekanbaru City. This type of research is pre-experimental with two group pretest and posttest designs. The time of research was carried out in August-November 2022. The sample in this study was 10 respondents using a total sampling technique. The research instrument used a Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) questionnaire. Univariate and bivariate data analysis. Univariate results showed pain before being given effleurage massage moderate pain with a percentage of 90.0%. pain after being given effleurage massage pain decreased to mild pain with a percentage of 90.0%. The results of the Wilcoxon Rank Test showed that there was an effect of effleurage massage on pain in the active phase of the first stage of labor with a P value of 0.002 &lt;0.05. The conclusion is that there is an effect of effleurage massage on pain in the first active phase of labor. It is recommended for health workers to be able to use effleurage massage to reduce pain in the active phase of labor during the first stage.

Comparison of conventional and higher-resolution reduced-FOV diffusion-weighted imaging of breast tissue.

Reduced FOV-diffusion-weighted imaging (rFOV-DWI) allows for acquisition of a tissue region without back-folding, and may have better fat suppression than conventional DWI imaging (c-DWI). The aim was to compare the ADCs obtained with c-DWI bilateral-breast imaging with single-breast rFOV-DWI. Breasts of 38 patients were scanned at 3T. The mean ADC values obtained for 38 lesions, and fibro-glandular (N = 35) and adipose (N = 38) tissue ROIs were compared between c-DWI and higher-resolution rFOV-DWI (Wilcoxon rank test). Also, the ADCs were compared between the two acquisitions for an oil-only phantom and a combined water/oil phantom. Furthermore, ghost artifacts were assessed. No significant difference in mean ADC was found between the acquisitions for lesions (c-DWI: 1.08 × 10-3 mm2/s, rFOV-DWI: 1.13 × 10-3 mm2/s) and fibro-glandular tissue. For adipose tissue, the ADC using rFOV-DWI (0.31 × 10-3 mm2/s) was significantly higher than c-DWI (0.16 × 10-3 mm2/s). For the oil-only phantom, no difference in ADC was found. However, for the water/oil phantom, the ADC of oil was significantly higher with rFOV-DWI compared to c-DWI. Although ghost artifacts were observed for both acquisitions, they appeared to have a greater impact for rFOV-DWI. However, no differences in mean lesions' ADC values were found, and therefore this study suggests that rFOV can be used diagnostically for single-breast DWI imaging.

Shock-Driven Endotheliopathy in Trauma Patients Is Associated with Leucocyte Derived Extracellular Vesicles.

Endotheliopathy following trauma is associated with poor outcome, but the underlying mechanisms are unknown. This study hypothesized that an increased extracellular vesicle (EV) concentration is associated with endotheliopathy after trauma and that red blood cell (RBC) transfusion could further enhance endotheliopathy. In this post hoc sub study of a multicentre observational trial, 75 trauma patients were stratified into three groups based on injury severity score or shock. In patient plasma obtained at hospital admission and after transfusion of four RBC transfusions, markers for endotheliopathy were measured and EVs were labelled with anti CD41 (platelet EVs), anti CD235a (red blood cell EVs), anti CD45 (leucocyte EVs), anti CD144 (endothelial EVs) or anti CD62e (activated endothelial EVs) and EV concentrations were measured with flow cytometry. Statistical analysis was performed by a Kruskall Wallis test with Bonferroni correction or Wilcoxon rank test for paired data. In patients with shock, syndecan-1 and von Willebrand Factor (vWF) were increased compared to patients without shock. Additionally, patients with shock had increased red blood cell EV and leucocyte EV concentrations compared to patients without shock. Endotheliopathy markers correlated with leucocyte EVs (ρ = 0.263, p = 0.023), but not with EVs derived from other cells. Injury severity score had no relation with EV release. RBC transfusion increased circulating red blood cell EVs but did not impact endotheliopathy. In conclusion, shock is (weakly) associated with EVs from leucocytes, suggesting an immune driven pathway mediated (at least in part) by shock.

Sodium Hyaluronate Eye Drops for College Students with Computer Vision Syndrome in Indonesia

Highlight: Computer vision syndrome (CVS) that causes dry eyes becomes a health problem for college students. Sodium hyaluronate eyedrops can be used as one of the CVS therapy strategies for students suffering from CVS. Abstract: The use of computers and mobile devices is increasing. Computers and mobile devices help our daily work or study. However, prolonged use of them may cause computer vision syndrome (CVS). Nowadays, CVS becomes a health problem for everyone working with computers or mobile devices including college students because it causes dry eyes. It may disrupt reading, doing professional work, or using a computer which is important for college students to complete academic tasks. Sodium hyaluronate can be used to overcome the dry eye problem due to CVS. To assess the effectiveness of sodium hyaluronate eyedrops on students suffering from CVS, pre- and post-administration of sodium hyaluronate was measured for two weeks. Inclusion criteria for this study were college students aged 20-35 years, using a computer for &gt;2 hours a day, not using nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), not consuming drugs, or having a disease that affects tear production and bearing no pregnancy. Parameters assessed include tear break-up time using the Tear Break-Up Time (TBUT) test, tear production using the Schirmer I test, the number of clinically subjective symptoms, and Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) scores. Data were analyzed using student paired t-tests or Wilcoxon Rank Test. There were statistically significant differences before and after the TBUT (4.4 vs 6.7 seconds; p&lt;0.0001); the Schirmer I Test (4 vs 6 mm; p&lt;0.05), and the number of clinically subjective symptoms (3 vs 0 clinically subjective symptoms; p&lt;0.0001). The OSDI scores did not show statistical differences before and after administration of sodium hyaluronate (27 vs 21; p&gt;0.05), but there was a positive impact from moderate to mild dry eye. Sodium hyaluronate eyedrops can be used as one of the CVS therapy strategies for students suffering from CVS.

Developing and pilot testing a frailty-focused education and communication training workshop.

To describe development and pilot testing of a multi-modal frailty-focused education and communication training workshop for health care clinicians. Pilot testing was conducted via two workshops (#1:face-to-face [2019], #2:virtual [2020]). Participants: convenience sample of clinicians and students who volunteered. Workshop #1 included registered nurses working in an acute care and one medical student (N=14); #2: nursing students enrolled in an APRN program. Design: Pre/post observational study. Data analysis: descriptive statistics, paired t-tests and Wilcoxon rank test. Statistically significant increases in frailty knowledge (#1: p=0.02, d=0.44; #2: p=0.006, d=0.55) and self-reported competency with older adult interactions (#1: p<0.001, d=0.62; #2: p=0.001, d=0.63) were reported for both workshops. Post course evaluations of the workshop were positive, with scores ranging from 3.5-3.9 (range: 0-4) for increased understanding of the concept of frailty, communication to support health-related behavior, and best practice empathic communication skills. The FCOM workshop was successful. Participants gained knowledge and skills for use in working with older adults across the aging continuum from non-frail to frail. Our FCOM training workshop expands prior communication training on shared decision-making with frail individuals to a broader population of all older adults.

Mapping the multi-hazards risk index for coastal block of Sundarban, India using AHP and machine learning algorithms

Global climate change, climate extremes, and overuse of natural resources are all major contributors to the risk brought on by cyclones. In I West Bengal state of India, the Pathar Pratima Block frequently experiences a variety of risks that result in significant loss of life and livelihood. In order to govern coastal society, it is crucial to measure and map the multi-hazards risk status. To depict the multi-hazards vulnerability and risk status, no cutting-edge models are currently being applied. Predicting distinct physical vulnerabilities is possible using a variety of cutting-edge machine learning techniques. This study set out to precisely describe multi-hazard risk using powerful machine learning methods. This study involved the use of Analytic Hierarchical Analysis and two cutting-edge machine-learning algorithms - Random Forest and Artificial Neural Network, which are yet underutilized in this area. The multi-hazards risk was determined by taking into account six criteria. The southern and eastern regions of the research area are clearly identified by the multi-hazards risk maps as having high to extremely high hazards risk levels. Cyclonic hazards and embankment breaching are the main dominant factors among the multi-hazards. The machine learning approach is the most accurate model for mapping the multi-hazards risk where the ROC result of Random forest and artificial neural network is more than the conventional method AHP. Here RF is the most validated model than the other two. The effectiveness, root mean square error, true skill statistics, Friedman and Wilcoxon rank test, and area under the curve of receiver operating characteristic tests were used to evaluate the prediction capacity of newly constructed models. The RMSE values of 0.24 and 0.26, TSS values of 0.82 and 0.73, and AUC values of 88.20% and 89.10% as produced by RF and ANN models, respectively, were all excellent.

The Effectiveness Of Umbilical Cord Care With Topical Breast Milk On The Length Of Umbilical Cord Detachment In Newborns At The Yusniar Clinic Pangkalan Berandan In 2022

Umbilical cord that is not cared for properly can cause infection of the umbilical cord. The umbilical cord usually sheds 1 week after birth and the wound heals within 15 days. Wounds that have not healed are a pathway for germs to enter which result in infection, which can quickly lead to sepsis. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of topical breast milk treatment of the umbilical cord on the length of time for the release of the umbilical cord in newborns. This type of research uses a quasy experimental research design with a control group design. This research was conducted at the Yusniar Pangkalan Berandan Clinic. This research was conducted in August 2022. The population in this study were all newborns born at the Yusniar Clinic. The sample in this study were all newborns born in August - September 2022. The subject-taking technique used a total sampling of 40 people. Subjects were divided into two groups, an intervention group and a control group, each of which consisted of 20 people. The intervention group was given treatment with umbilical cord care using topical breast milk while the control group was treated with dry gauze. Then measurements are taken when the umbilical cord is released, quickly if it is released within 1-7 days and normal if it is released within 8-14 days. The type of data used in this study is primary data. Data collection is assisted by enumerators. Data analysis with the Wilcoxon rank test. The results of the study were obtained based on the duration of the release of the umbilical cord with topical ASI, the majority of normal umbilical cord discharge were 16 people (80%), and the minority of slow cord discharge was 1 respondent (5%). Based on the duration of the release of the umbilical cord with dry gauze, the majority of the release of the umbilical cord were slow, as many as 16 people (80%), and the minority of normal umbilical cord discharge were 4 respondents (20%). Based on the Mann Whitney test, the results obtained were a p value of 0.000. Treatment of the umbilical cord with topical breast milk was effective for the duration of the release of the umbilical cord in newborns. Umbilical cord care with topical breast milk is effective for the duration of umbilical cord discharge in newborns.

The Influence of Video-Based Health Education in Modifying Early Screening Efforts for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)

Introduction: Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is the most common causes of infertility in reproductive age women. The lack of knowledge about this disease causes PCOS is often late diagnosed. This study aims to determine the influence of health promotion in video-based learning form on young women’s knowledge, attitudes and behaviors in early screening efforts for PCOS. Methods: This is a pre-experimental study with one-group pretest-posttest design. The sample used was 261 female students in one of the senior high schools in Denpasar with a simple random sampling technique. The research instrument used is a questionnaire in which each variable, namely the knowledge, attitude, and the behavioral. The data was analyzed by using the Wilcoxon Rank Test. Results: There was a significant change between the provision of health promotion in the form of video-based learning form on young women’s knowledge, attitudes and behaviors related to the PCOS early screening in each variable, i.e. the knowledge variable p-value = 0.001, the attitude variable p-value &lt;0.001, and the behavior variable p-value &lt;0.001. Conclusion: There was an influence of health promotion in video-based learning form on young women’s knowledge, attitudes and behaviors related to the PCOS early screening.

Programa educativo de cáncer de mama en mujeres que acuden a quimioterapia en el contexto de la pandemia de COVID-19

IntroductionBreast cancer is the most important cause of cancer death in Mexico, so health literacy during the COVID-19 pandemic is very important to reduce morbidity and mortality. ObjectiveTo evaluate the effectiveness and satisfaction of an educational oncology program during the COVID-19 pandemic. Material and methodsQuasi-experimental study pre-post educational intervention (brief educational program), in 31 patients who underwent chemotherapy during the pandemic between April and July 2021, including COVID-19 education, therapeutic education in breast cancer and health promotion recommendations. Health literacy was analyzed using the Wilcoxon rank test for related samples. ResultsThe Wilcoxon test was statistically significant pre-post educational program (Z − 4,876, p < 0.001) with an increase from 70% to 83.3% of correct answers after the educational program and a satisfaction of 87.09%. ConclusionA brief educational program, implemented in a cancer hospital during the pandemic, is effective in increasing health literacy and is highly valued by the participants.

An interior search algorithm based on chaotic and crossover strategies for parameter extraction of polyphase induction machines

The accuracy of the extracted parameters is important for studying the polyphase induction motor performance and/or the motor control schemes. An investigated and improved interior search algorithm (IISA) is presented in this study for extracting the optimal values of estimated parameters of six-phase and three-phase induction motors. This investigation was carried out on two polyphase induction motors as experimental research cases, utilizing features of manufacturer's operation. The estimated parameters show the high capability regarding the performance of the desired IISA optimizer. The performance of the proposed IISA is compared with different modern optimization algorithms including the basic ISA, and other state-of-the-art approaches. Experimental verifications are validated on two polyphase induction motors, called six-phase and three-phase induction motors. The obtained results show that the proposed method is very competitive in extracting the unknown parameters of different induction motor models with a high degree of closeness to the experimental records. Moreover, various statistical tests, such as the Wilcoxon rank test, stability analysis, and convergence analysis, have been conducted to justify the performance of the proposed IISA. From all the analyses, it has been revealed that the proposed IISA is a competitive method compared to other popular state-of-the-art competitors and ISA variant with accurately identified parameters.

SCIPOG: Seeding and constraint support in IPOG strategy for combinatorial t-way testing to generate optimum test cases

Combinatorial t-way technique is efficient in generating test data and addressing the problem of combinatorial explosion. When constructing a test case, numerous literatures classified t-way strategies into two basic approaches as either One-test-at-a-time approach (OTAT) and One-parameter-at-a-time approach (OPAT). At least three major challenge groups can be encountered when creating test cases. The first one is provision of parameters seeding support that will improve the software quality. The second involves automatically obtaining data regarding parameter constraints and identifying interactions between systemcomponents. The last one is the execution speed and the test suite size. However, in all the existing OPAT t-way strategies, given that the system is loaded with this information, testing present-day software systems is made difficult or impossible. This study presents an effective combinatorial t-way test case generation strategy named Seeding and Constraint support in In-Parameter-Order Generalized (SCIPOG), to develop an improved paired testing approach. However, the study examines the present state-of-the-art and compares several OPAT strategies found in the literature. Moreover, experiments are discussed as part of this process to demonstrate the correctness of the implementation. When statistically analyzing the findings, two non-parametric tests—the Wilcoxon Rank and Friedman tests–were run. SCIPOG, however, produced competitive results. Finally, SCIPOG showed the efficiency of the two proposed methods, which are seeding and constraint support in IPOG strategy.

Variational Autoencoder Based Imbalanced COVID-19 Detection Using Chest X-Ray Images.

Early and fast detection of disease is essential for the fight against COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers have focused on developing robust and cost-effective detection methods using Deep learning based chest X-Ray image processing. However, such prediction models are often not well suited to address the challenge of highly imabalanced datasets. The current work is an attempt to address the issue by utilizing unsupervised Variational Auto Encoders (VAEs). Firstly, chest X-Ray images are converted to a latent space by learning the most important features using VAEs. Secondly, a wide range of well established data resampling techniques are used to balance the preexisting imbalanced classes in the latent vector form of the dataset. Finally, the modified dataset in the new feature space is used to train well known classification models to classify chest X-Ray images into three different classes viz., "COVID-19", "Pneumonia", and "Normal". In order to capture the quality of resampling methods, 10-folds cross validation technique is applied on the dataset. Extensive experimental analysis have been carried out and results so obtained indicate significant improvement in COVID-19 detection using the proposed VAE based method. Furthermore, the ingenuity of the results have been established by performing Wilcoxon rank test with 95% level of significance.

Use and repeatability of 3D light scanning to measure transverse dorsal profile size and symmetry in the thoracic region in horses

Equine epaxial muscle size, thoracolumbar profile and symmetry in horses is of clinical interest due to relationships with pain and pathology. Flexible-curve rulers have previously been used to gather reliable, objective measures of thoracic profile, however, 3D light-scanning offers a potential non-contact alternative method to estimate cross sectional area (CSA) of the region. 3D light-scans of the thoracic epaxial region were taken from ten endurance horses (7 geldings, 3 mares; 8±2 years). Total CSA of the combined epaxial musculature, using computer software, was calculated at scapula and T18 levels (depth: 15 cm). Intra and inter-rater (n=3) reliability of CSA measurements was assessed using Friedman’s analyses and post-hoc Wilcoxon rank tests (three repeated measures). Intraclass correlation estimates (ICC ± 95% confidence intervals (CI)) were calculated (mean-rating, absolute-agreement, 2-way mixedeffects model). Paired t-tests assessed differences between right and left areas. No significant differences existed for transverse plane-cuts (scapula, T18 P&gt;0.05) between light-scans. Right and left areas were significantly different at the withers (P=0.012) with the left side larger in 70% of scans, but no significant differences were found between sides at T18. No differences existed for different plane-cuts of the same horse (P=0.53; ICC: 0.76; CIs: 0.43-0.92). While reliability was reduced between all raters (P=0.02; ICC: 0.70; CIs: 0.56-0.82), no significant differences occurred between two different assessors experienced in using the software (P=0.88; ICC: 0.90; CIs: 0.82-0.95). Intra-rater reliability for assessing thoracic profile and inter-rater reliability ICC values with experienced analysts was interpreted as good/excellent. The results suggest 3D light-scanning is an objective, non-invasive method to record size and symmetry of the epaxial region in horses and warrants validity testing against current measurement methods such as the flexible-curve ruler.