No abstract

Path-oriented Random Testing (PRT) aims at generating a uniformly spread out sequence of random test data that execute a single control flow path within a program. The main challenge of PRT lies in its ability to build efficiently such a test suite in order to minimize the number of rejects (test data that execute another control flow path). We address this problem with an original divide-and-conquer approach based on constraint reasoning over finite domains, a well-recognized Constraint Programming technique. Our approach first derives path conditions by using backward symbolic execution and computes a tight over-approximation of their associated subdomain by using constraint propagation and constraint refutation. Second, a uniform random test data generator is extracted from this approximated subdomain. We implemented this approach and got experimental results that show the practical benefits of PRT based on constraint reasoning. On average, we got a two-order magnitude CPU time improvement over standard Random Testing on a set of paths extracted from classical benchmark programs.

Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) catalyzes the degradation of catecholamines and could therefore play a role in the etiology of schizophrenia. Moreover, microdeletions including the COMT locus have been found in schizophrenics presenting typical features of the velo-cardio-facial syndrome. In the present work, five single-strand conformation polymorphisms were detected in exons of the COMT gene. The linkage disequilibria between the polymorphisms were estimated, and the genotypic frequencies were calculated on a sample of 126 to 137 schizophrenics and 136 to 140 controls, depending on the marker. Patients and controls were matched for ethnicity and geographical origin. A trend toward association was found between schizophrenia and (i) genotype 11 of the Pml I polymorphism (p = 0.034; OR = 1.82); (ii) haplotype 1-2 for the Pml I and Bcl I polymorphisms (p = 0.022; OR = 1.75). The Pml I polymorphism is in complete linkage disequilibrium with the common Met-->Val(158) substitution, which affects the activity of the enzyme. This finding suggests a possible minor effect of COMT in a multifactorial threshold model of vulnerability to schizophrenia.