a backtracking search tool for constructing combinatorial test suites

Combinatorial testing is an important testing method. It requires the test cases to cover various combinations of parameters of the system under test. The test generation problem for combinatorial testing can be modeled as constructing a matrix which has certain properties. This paper first discusses two combinatorial testing criteria: covering array and orthogonal array, and then proposes a backtracking search algorithm to construct matrices satisfying them. Several search heuristics and symmetry breaking techniques are used to reduce the search time. This paper also introduces some techniques to generate large covering array instances from smaller ones. All the techniques have been implemented in a tool called EXACT (EXhaustive seArch of Combinatorial Test suites). A new optimal covering array is found by this tool.

Numerical simulation of thermal loading produced by shaped high power laser onto engine parts

Recently a new method for simulating the thermal loading on pistons of diesel engines was reported. The spatially shaped high power laser is employed as the heat source, and some preliminary experimental and numerical work was carried out. In this paper, a further effort was made to extend this simulation method to some other important engine parts such as cylinder heads. The incident Gaussian beam was transformed into concentric multi-circular patterns of specific intensity distributions, with the aid of diffractive optical elements (DOEs). By incorporating the appropriate repetitive laser pulses, the designed transient temperature fields and thermal loadings in the engine parts could be simulated. Thermal-structural numerical models for pistons and cylinder heads were built to predict the transient temperature and thermal stress. The models were also employed to find the optimal intensity distributions of the transformed laser beam that could produce the target transient temperature fields. Comparison of experimental and numerical results demonstrated that this systematic approach is effective in simulating the thermal loading on the engine parts. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Search for signature inversion in the pi i(13/2) circle times upsilon i1(3/2) bands in Au-182,Au-184,Au-186

Search for low-spin signature inversion in the pi i(13/2) circle times nu i(13/2) bands in odd-odd Au-182,Au-184,Au-186 has been conducted through the standard in-beam gamma-spectroscopy techniques. The experiments for Au-182 and 186Au have been performed in the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) via the Sm-152(Cl-35,5n)Au-182 and Yb-172(F-19,5n)Au-186 reactions, respectively. A study of Au-184 has been made using a multi-detector array GASP in LNL, Italy, via the Tb-159(Si-29,4n)Au-184 reaction. The pi i(13/2) circle times nu i(13/2) bands in these three nuclei have been identified and extended up to high-spin states. In particular, the inter-band connection between the pi i(13/2) nu i(13/2) band and the ground-state band in 184 Au has been established, leading to a firm spin-and-parity assignment for the pi i(13/2) circle times nu i(13/2) band. The low-spin signature inversion is found in the pi i(13/2) circle times nu i(13/2) bands in Au-182,Au-184,Au-186 according to our spin-assignment and the signature crossing observed at high-spin states.

Search for signature inversion in the pi i(13/2)circle times nu i(13/2) bands in Au-182,Au-184,Au-186

Search for low-spin signature inversion in the pi i(13/2) circle times nu i(13/2) bands in odd-odd Au-182,Au-184,Au-186 has been conducted through the standard in-beam gamma-spectroscopy techniques via the Sm-152(Cl-35,5n) Au-182, Yb-172(F-19,5n) (186)An, and Tb-159(Si-29,4n) (184)An reactions, respectively. The pi i(13/2) circle times nu i(13/2) bands in these three nuclei have been identified and extended up to high-spin states. In particular, the inter-band connection between the pi i(13/2) circle times nu i(13/2) band and the ground-state band in Au-184 has been established, leading to a firm spin-and-parity assignment for the pi i(13/2) circle times nu i(13/2) band. The low-spin signature inversion is found in the pi i(13/2) circle times nu i(13/2) bands according to our spin-assignment and-the signature crossing observed at high-spin states.

Search for beta-delayed fission of Ac-228

Radium was radiochemically separated from natural thorium. Thin Ra-228 ->beta Ac-228 sources were prepared and exposed to mica fission track detectors, and measured by an HPGe gamma-ray detector. The beta-delayed fission events of Ac-228 were observed and its beta-delayed fission probability was found to be (5 +/- 2)x10(-12).

SEARCH FOR THE BASIC REGULARITIES OF THE TRANSITION EMISSION OF EUROPIUM(II) ION IN COMPLEX FLUORIDES USING PATTERN-RECOGNITION

The relationship between structures of complex fluorides and spectral structure of Eu(II) ion in complex fluorides (AB(m)F(n)) is investigated by means of pattern recognition methods, such as KNN, ALKNN, BAYES, LLM, SIMCA and PCA. A learning set consisting of 32 f-f transition emission host compounds and 31 d-f transition emission host compounds and a test set consisting of 27 host compounds were characterized by 12 crystal structural parameters. These parameters, i.e. features, were reduced from 12 to 6 by multiple criteria for the classification of these host compounds as f-f transition emission or d-f transition emission. A recognition rate from 79.4 to 96.8% and prediction capabilities from 85.2 to 92.6% were obtained. According to the above results, the spectral structures of Eu(II) ion in seven unknown host lattices were predicted.