Regression testing is important but time consuming. Automating the testing have many benefits. It will save money for companies because they will not have to pay testers to manually test their applications. It will produce better software with less bugs as testing can be done more frequently so bugs will be found faster. This thesis has compared two techniques used to automate regression testing. The more traditional component level record and replay tools and Visual GUI testing tools that uses image recognition. Eight tools in total was tested and compared, four from each technique. The system under test for this project was a fat client application used by Trafikverket. After automating a test suite using all tools, it could be concluded that the component level record and replay had some advantages over visual GUI testing tools, especially when it comes to verifying the state of the system under test. The benefits of visual GUI testing tools comes from their independence from the system under test and that the technique more correctly mimics how a real user interacts with the GUI. / Regressionstestning är en viktig men tidskrävande del av mjukvaruutveckling. Att automatisera testningen har flera fördelar. Det sparar pengar för företag eftersom de inte behöver betala testare för att manuellt utföra testerna. Det resulterar i bättre mjukvara med färre buggar eftersom man kan testa oftare och därmed hitta buggar tidigare. Det här projektet har undersökt och jämfört två tekniker som kan användas för att automatisera regressionstestning och verktyg som använder dessa tekniker. Dels de traditionella verktygen som identifierar objekt på komponentnivå samt verktyg som istället använder sig av bildigenkänningför att identifiera objekt. Totalt testades och uvärderades åtta verktyg, fyra av varje tekniktyp. Systemet som testades under projektet är en skrivbordsapplikation som används av Trafikverket. After att ha automatiserat en testsekvens med varje verktyg kunde konstateras att verktygen som identifierar objekt på komponentnivå har flera fördelar över verktyg som enbart använder bildigenkänning. Detta gäller främst när det kommer till verifiering av systemets tillstånd. Den största fördelen med bildigenkänningsverktygen visade sig vara dess oberoende från systemet, samt att tekniken mer efterliknar en verklig användare.

Omega-3 Fortification of Marinara Sauce Hannah Collie, Mary Andreae, MS, RD, LDN, W. Andrew Clark, PhD, RD, LDN, Department of Rehabilitative Science, College of Clinical and Rehabilitative Health East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, Tennessee In westernized culture, there is a deficit of healthy fats in the average person’s diet. This is evidenced by many different conditions such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and chronic inflammatory issues. The “Mediterranean Diet” has been shown as an ideal way to combat these health issues.The diet promotes fish as a protein source and a way to consume essential polyunsaturated fatty acids. Due to location and trends, fish is less often a main component of the western diet.This study investigated ways to fortify a more commonly consumed food in western culture, marinara sauce, with flaxseed oil, walnut oil, and anchovies. These fortified marinara sauces were compared to a commercial sauce, Paul Newman’s Marinara for nutritional content. We hypothesize that adding omega-3 rich ingredients to a base marinara sauce recipe will significantly vary the fatty acid profile and increase the amount of omega-3 fatty acids as well as decrease the omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acid ratio. Sauces were prepared and analyzed for nutrient content using proximate analysis methods. Preparation included cooking and freeze drying the variants. Nutrient content tests performed included: bomb calorimetry, Kjeldahl protein analysis, Soxhlet fat analysis, ash inorganic analysis, FRAP Assay for antioxidant content, and gas chromatography to characterize fatty acid composition. Each variant sauce had a fatty acid profile that was unique. Two of the three variants showed a better omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acid ratio than the (control) Paul Newman’s sauce. Samples with the highest to lowest omega-6 to omega-3 ratio were respectively, flaxseed oil, Paul Newman’s commercial sauce, walnut oil, and anchovy. From gas chromatography, omega three fatty acid composition as a percentage of total fatty acids were approximately in the flaxseed oil variant, 21% in the Paul Newman’s sauce, 30% in the walnut oil variant, and 81% in the anchovy variant. Two of three variant sauces, walnut and anchovy, when compared to the commercial Paul Newman's sauce, showed more favorable omega-3 fatty acid content and lower omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acid ratios. Unexpectedly, the flaxseed oil variant had less omega three fatty acids and a higher omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acid ratio than the commercial sauce. In conclusion, simple additions of omega-3 ingredients to marinara sauce can decrease the omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acid ratio in the diet.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to assess the association between different adiposity indices, dental development and skeletal maturation in children and adolescents. METHODS: A total of 115 patients who presented to the orthodontic clinics at Boston University were examined for their height, weight, skeletal maturation, and 10 different adiposity indices. Statistical analysis included chi-square, ANOVA, and multiple ordinal regression models. RESULTS: In the sample (59% female, 41% male) the mean age was 14 years, (SD:2.5), height 160 cm (SD:11.9), weight 61 kg (SD:19.1), and ethnicity was 31% African Americans, 31% Hispanics, 27% Caucasians, and 9% Asians. The Pearson correlation coefficient showed SMI was significantly correlated with (by order of correlation strength) CVMI (P<.01), dental development according to Demirjian (P<.01), root completion (P<.01), eruption (P<.01), fat free mass (FFM) (P<.01), total body water (TBW) (P<.01), body adiposity index (BAI) (P<.01), BMI (P<.01), fat mass (P<.01), right subscapular skinfold (P<.01), BMI percentile (P<.01), fat percentage (P<.01), right triceps skinfold (P<.01), and waist/hip ratio (P<.01). For CVMI, it was significantly correlated in order of strength with SMI (P<.01), BMI % (P<.01), dental development (Demirjian) (P<.01), root completion (P<.01), eruption (P<.01), FFM (P<.01), TBW (P<.01), BAI (P<.01), waist/hip ratio (P<.01), BMI (P<.01), fat mass (P<.01) and right subscapular skinfold (P<.01). However, the Waist/Height ratio was not significantly related with either methods of skeletal assessment. Using the Chisquare test, we found that no adiposity index was statistically significant predictor of any dental outcome (i.e., dental development by Demirjian, root completion and eruption sequence) except for dental development (Demirjian) which was statistically significantly related with the waist/hip ratio. After controlling for other covariates (i.e., age and gender) for skeletal outcomes, all adiposity indices were statistically significant predictors for SMI including BMI percentile, BMI, BAI, fat percentage, fat mass, FFM, TBW, BIA, and waist/height ratio. CONCLUSIONS: Children and adolescents with increased adiposity values (i.e., BMI percentile, BMI, BAI, fat percentage, fat mass, FFM, TBW, BIA, and waist/height ratio), had higher probability of being skeletally more mature as measured by SMI. / 2021-08-22T00:00:00Z

OBJECTIVE: This cross-sectional study investigated insulin resistance (IR) variation across physical activity (PA) levels in U.S. adults. METHODS: MET-minutes were utilized to quantify PA using 2 methods: 4 categories were based on relative MET-minutes, and 5 were based on U.S. PA guidelines. IR was indexed using the homeostatic model assessment (HOMA). Effect modification was tested by dividing waist circumferences into sex-specific quartiles, and then evaluating the relationship between PA and HOMA-IR within each quartile separately. RESULTS: Relative PA was associated with HOMA-IR after controlling for demographic and demographic and lifestyle covariates (F = 11.5, P < 0.0001 and F = 6.0, P = 0.0012, respectively). Adjusting for demographic and demographic and lifestyle covariates also revealed relationships between guideline-based PA and HOMA-IR (F = 8.0, P < 0.0001 and F = 4.9, P = 0.0017, respectively). Controlling for waist circumference with the other covariates nullified the relationship between PA and HOMA-IR. Effect modification testing showed that when the sample was delimited to adults with extra-large waists (Quartile 4), relative (F = 5.6, P = 0.0019), and guideline-based PA (F = 3.7, P = 0.0098) and HOMA-IR were related. PA and HOMA-IR were not related within the other quartiles. CONCLUSION: High levels of PA may play a meaningful role in glucose and insulin metabolism in those with abdominal obesity, but not in adults with smaller waists.

<div> <div> <div> <p>Saliva influences chemical and textural sensations, yet details on sources of individual variability for these phenomena are still lacking. In this project, we investigated fatty sensations, dietary habits, and saliva’s emulsifying properties. Through a remote tasting and spitting protocol, participants were asked to rate sensory properties of fatty candies with varying concentrations of added linoleic acid (LA) as well as discriminate among fatty candies with/without LA and high/low fat ranch dressings. Additionally, participants swished and expectorated an oil/water mixture, and the expectorated emulsion was visually analyzed. Dietary habits were also assessed by 3-day dietary recalls. </p> <p>Linear mixed model was used to analyze sensory response, diet, and spit data. Sensory ratings of fatty candies indicate differences based on successful completion of either discrimination tasks. People who passed either discrimination tests (N=26 passed LA; N=22 passed high/low fat tests) rated higher “Fattiness” for the highest LA concentration. In contrast, people who failed the tests (N=36 failed LA; N=40 failed high/low fat tests) rated higher “Bitterness” with the highest LA concentration. Importantly, only 7 individuals overlapped in these two groups who passed the discrimination tasks. Lower total fat intake and larger expectorated fat layer were associated with higher “Bitterness,” particularly among those who passed the LA discrimination test and those who failed the high/low fat test. Moreover, lower protein and greater carbohydrate intake seemed to associate with the greater formation and stability of oral emulsions, particularly in individuals who failed the high/low fat discrimination task. Other factors such as total fat intake, medication usage, and BMI were mixed. In conclusion, sensory experience of fatty candies may vary based on the ability of an individual to sense the LA or fat content, and saliva’s ability to emulsify fat into water may vary with diet. </p> </div> </div> </div>

One of the major healthcare issues found almost worldwide, especially in the United States, is the obesity epidemic. Obesity is known to have deleterious effects on many body/organ systems. C1q TNF-related protein-3 (CTRP3) is effective at preventing high-fat diet-induced fatty liver. With these two factors taken into consideration, this study explores the possible effects of a high caloric diet on the muscle wall of the uterus, i.e., the myometrium, and how over-expression of CTRP3 may modify those effects. We hypothesize that consumption of excessive amounts of fat and sugar will have detrimental effects on the dual layers of the mouse myometrium. For this study, 17 mice were divided into 4 treatment groups: wild type/low fat diet, wild type/high fat diet, CTRP3-overexpressing/low fat diet, and CTRP3-overexpressing/high fat diet. The mice were placed on their respective diets at 7 weeks of age with a feeding duration of 12 weeks. At the conclusion of the feeding protocol, the female reproductive tissues were harvested and fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde and subsequently paraffin embedded. The uterine horns of each mouse were painstakingly paraffin embedded in a vertical position so that cross sections of the uterus could be obtained and measured. These 4µ sections were stained using standard H&E staining techniques and visualized under light microscopy. A randomization grid was utilized to determine measurement locations on the tissue. For each animal, 15 measurements were made of the outer longitudinal layer of the uterine horn, as well as 15 measurements of the inner circular layer, and 15 measurements of the thickness of the two layers combined. Two-way ANOVA was used to determine if any changes seen were statistically significant. At the time of the writing of this abstract, no appreciable differences have been found between the treatment groups, although there will be more data and final statistics completed before the presentation of our findings.

In westernized culture, there is a deficit of healthy fats in the average person’s diet. Decreased intake of omega-3 fatty acids has been correlated to many different conditions such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and chronic inflammatory issues. The “Mediterranean Diet” has been proposed as an ideal way to combat these issues. This diet promotes fish as a protein source and as a way to increase intake of essential polyunsaturated fatty acids. Due to location and dietary trends, fish is less often the main component of Northeast Tennessee's diet. This study investigated ways to fortify a more commonly consumed food in western culture, marinara sauce, with flaxseed oil, walnut oil, or anchovies. These fortified marinara sauces were compared to a commercial sauce, Paul Newman’s Marinara. We hypothesized that adding omega-3 rich ingredients to a base marinara sauce recipe will significantly vary the fatty acid profile and increase the amount of omega-3 fatty acids and decrease the omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acid ratio. Marinara sauces were prepared and analyzed using proximate analysis methods to evaluate each variant sauce for macronutrient distribution. Preparation included cooking, freeze-drying, and grinding the variants into a fine powder. The tests that we performed included: bomb calorimetry, Kjeldahl protein analysis, Soxhlet fat analysis, ash/mineral analysis, FRAP Assay of antioxidant content, and gas chromatography to characterize fatty acid profiles. The focus of our proximate analysis was investigating the fatty acid composition to answer our main research question. Other tests conducted allowed us to understand better the nutrient composition of the 3 variants for possible future studies. The three variants showed a better omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acid ratio than the Paul Newman’s sauce. Samples with the highest to lowest omega-6 to omega-3 ratio were Paul Newman's Marinara, Anchovies, Walnut Oil, Flaxseed Oil, respectively. Gas chromatography showed different concentrations of omega-3 fatty acids as (% area under the curve): flaxseed oil (32.42%), walnut oil (7.637%), anchovies (3.018%), and Paul Newman’s Marinara (1.599%). All three variant sauces, flaxseed oil, walnut oil, and anchovy, compared to the commercial Paul Newman's sauce, had better omega-3 fatty acid content and lower omega-6 to omega-3 ratio. In conclusion, simple additions of omega-3 ingredients to marinara sauce could decrease the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio in the diet.

Using morphometric and cytochemical techniques we have described changes taking place in the fat body cells during three different stages of development. The cell number remains constant at about 2200 cells during larval life and then decreases gradually and continuously throughout metamorphosis and the first 3 days of the adult stage until no more cells can be observed. Cell size increases rapidly during the larval period and decreases steadily during metamorphosis and adult stage. The size of the nuclei increases during the larval instars and decreases during the pupal interval. The change in nuclear size is correlated with the amount of DNA present throughout development implying the nuclear DNA is synthesized during the larval period and degraded gradually during metamorphosis. The cell size changes are due in large part to accumulation or loss of reserve substances: lipid droplets, glycogen deposits and protein granules. During metamorphosis the amount of lipid decreases slightly whereas glycogen experiences two loss cycles. The protein granules in the form of lysosomes continue to increase in amount during the first day of metamorphosis because of a short period of massive autophagy. Then the lysosomes decrease in amount throughout the remainder of metamorphosis. The lysosomes stain positively for lipofuscin.

We investigated the effects of dietary α-tocopherol and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) on ischemia-reperfusion injury and cardiac lipid composition. Rats were fed corn oil (CO) diets either deficient (CO - E) or supplemented (CO + E) with RRR-α-tocopherol (100 IU kg-1 diet), or butter oil (BO) diets either deficient (BO - E) or supplemented (BO + E) with RRR-α-tocopherol (100 IU kg-1 diet). Intact rat hearts were subjected to ischemia before reperfusion. Dietary RRR-α-tocopherol supplementation contributed to recovery of aortic output, cardiac output and diastolic pressure after ischemia-reperfusion. In contrast, the type of dietary fat did not influence most measures of cardiac recovery. RRR-α-tocopherol levels in cardiac tissues and plasma were significantly higher for rats fed the BO + E diet than for rats fed the CO + E diet. In contrast to plasma, PUFA in cardiac tissues were maintained at a high level even when rats were fed BO containing diets. Our results suggest that dietary RRR-α-tocopherol, but not dietary PUFA levels, modulate oxidative damage to intact rat hearts during ischemia-reperfusion.

C1q TNF-related protein-3 (CTRP3) is effective at preventing high-fat diet-induced fatty liver; Recent studies have shown that overexpression of C1q TNF-related protein-3 (CTRP3) in mice fed a high alcohol diet can protect the animal from developing fatty liver disease, and therefore may be a possible treatment for alcoholic fatty liver disease (ALD). However, the possible effects of overexpression of CTRP3 on other tissue has not been widely investigated. If overexpression of CTRP3 proves to be harmful to other tissues, its use as a treatment for ALD would come into question. This study utilized kidney tissue from mice that were fed a high fat diet for 13-14 weeks. The feeding started when the mice were 7 weeks old and continued for 9 weeks. The mice were divided into 4 categories: wild-type/low fat diet, wild-type/high fat diet, transgenic/low fat diet, and transgenic/high fat diet. The kidneys were harvested and fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde and subsequently paraffin embedded. Sections were cut at 4µ and stained using three different staining techniques: standard H&E, Periodic Acid Schiff (PAS), and Masson’s Trichrome Staining. These three methods were utilized to better visualize possible effects on the tissue, i.e. changes in connective tissue deposition or basement membrane thicknesses, etc. Light microscopic examination of the tissues to date has revealed abnormalities in some of the kidney tubules in the transgenic high fat diet group. These same abnormalities have not been observed in the other treatment groups. This study is still in its early stages and much more in-depth investigation is needed to determine which of the tubules of the nephron are affected, and what this effect is. If this study confirms that overexpression of CTRP3 coupled with a high fat diet is harmful to kidney tissues, the use of CTRP3 in the treatment of ALD would require careful monitoring of the patient’s diet.