(Press-News.org) IMDEA Software researchers Facundo Molina, Juan Manuel Copia and Alessandra Gorla present FIXCHECK, a novel approach to improve patch fix analysis that combines static analysis, randomized testing and large language models. Their innovations, embodied in the paper: "Improving Patch Correctness Analysis via Random Testing and Large Language Models" were presented at the International Conference on Software Testing, Verification and Validation (ICST 2024).
Context
Generating patches that fix software defects is a crucial task in the maintenance of software systems. Typically, software defects are reported via test cases, which unveil undesirable behaviors in the software.
In response to these defects, developers create patches that must undergo validation before being committed to the codebase, ensuring that the test provided no longer exposes the defect. However, patches may still fail to effectively address the underlying bug or introduce new bugs, resulting in what is known as bad fixes or incorrect patches.
The detection of these incorrect patches can significantly impact the time and effort spent on bug fixes by developers and the overall maintenance of software systems.
The study
Automatic program repair (APR) provides software developers with tools capable of automatically generating patches for buggy programs. However, their use has uncovered numerous incorrect patches that fail to address the bug.
To tackle this problem, researchers at IMDEA Software have created FIXCHECK, a novel approach for improving the output of patch correctness analyses that combines static analysis, random testing and large language models (LLMs) to automatically generate tests to detect bugs in potentially incorrect patches. FIXCHECK employs a two-step process. The first step consists of generating random tests, obtaining a large set of test cases. The second step is based on the use of large language models, from which meaningful assertions are derived for each test case.
In addition, FIXCHECK includes a selection and prioritization mechanism that executes new test cases on the patched program and then discards or ranks these tests based on their probability of revealing bugs in the patch.
"The effectiveness of FIXCHECK in generating test cases that reveal bugs in incorrect patches was evaluated on 160 patches, including both developer-created patches and patches generated by RPA tools" states Facundo Molina, postdoctoral researcher at Institute IMDEA Software.
The results show that FIXCHECK can effectively generate bug detection tests for 62% of incorrect developer-written patches, with a high degree of confidence. In addition, it complements existing patch fix evaluation techniques by providing test cases that reveal bugs for up to 50% of incorrect patches identified by state-of-the-art techniques.
FIXCHECK represents a significant advance in the field of software repair and maintenance by providing a robust solution for automating test generation and detecting faults during software maintenance. This approach not only improves the effectiveness of patch validation, but also promotes wider adoption of automated program repair methods.
**This work was funded by the Madrid regional government program S2018/TCS-4339 (BLOQUES-CM) and by the Span- ish Governement MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/ERDF through grants TED2021-132464B-I00 (PRODIGY) and PID2022-142290OB-I00 (ESPADA). Those projects are co- funded by European Union ESF, EIE, and NextGeneration funds.
END
IMDEA Software creates FIXCHECK, a novel approach that improves automatic software repair by generating test cases revealing defects in 62% of incorrect patches
Researchers Facundo Molina, Juan Manuel Copia and Alessandra Gorla present a significant advance that not only improves the effectiveness of patch validation, but also promotes wider adoption of automated program repair methods.
2024-07-23
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
New car smell reaches toxic levels on hot days
2024-07-23
A study of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by new cars on hot summer days finds concerning levels of formaldehyde and other aldehydes. Consumers are familiar with—and even drawn to—the “new car smell” produced as VOCs from carpets, upholstery, and other interior materials in newly manufactured passenger vehicles. These VOCs can cause a range of health effects, including headaches, inflammation of the eyes, nose and throat, fatigue, irritability, dry cough, lung disease, and disorientation. Jianyin Xiong, Shaodan Huang, and colleagues sought to capture the levels of VOCs in the passenger cabins of new cars on ...
A promising new method uses light to clean up forever chemicals
2024-07-23
Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), nicknamed ‘forever chemicals,’ pose a growing environmental and health threat. Since the invention of Teflon in 1938, PFASs and perfluorinated polymers or PFs have been widely used for their exceptional stability and resistance to water and heat. These properties made them ideal for countless applications, from cookware and clothing to firefighting foam. However, this very stability has become a major problem. PFASs do not easily break down in the environment, leading ...
DIF-1(+3): Combating drug-resistant malaria parasites
2024-07-23
Malaria remains a serious health issue globally, especially in Africa. The disease is caused by protozoan parasites in the Plasmodium genus. In 2021, there were 247 million cases of malaria and 619,000 deaths reported worldwide. At present, the first line of treatment against malaria is artemisinin combination therapy (ACT) and the administration of artemisinin derivatives in combination with other drugs. After the introduction of ACTs in Africa, which accounts for more than 90% of the world’s malaria cases, the number of deaths due to malaria greatly declined in the mid-2000s. However, Plasmodium falciparum, the most virulent malaria parasite, is resistant to ACT and has been spreading ...
Can a World Cup run drive interest in a nation? New study finds evidence of the “flutie effect” off the field
2024-07-23
Nearly four decades ago, Boston College quarterback Doug Flutie launched a game-winning, mid-field touchdown pass to upset the University of Miami on the game’s final play—prompting a subsequent surge in applications to the school in what has been dubbed the “Flutie Effect.”
A team of NYU researchers has now found evidence of this effect beyond the gridiron—and athletic competition. During and after Morocco’s surprising run to the World Cup semi-finals in the fall 2022, online searches on non-sports topics related to Morocco increased ...
Data from largest clinical trial of pre-symptomatic Alzheimer’s disease now widely available
2024-07-23
Data from the Anti-Amyloid Treatment in Asymptomatic Alzheimer’s (A4) study, the first and largest clinical trial of pre-symptomatic Alzheimer’s disease, is now widely available to researchers studying the condition. The comprehensive dataset has already yielded key insights about Alzheimer’s disease, which affects nearly seven million people in the United States, and sharing the data opens avenues for further progress.
A4 researchers screened more than 7,500 people and enrolled 1,169 people with pre-symptomatic Alzheimer’s disease. This stage ...
Fruit fly post-mating behavior controlled by male-derived peptide via command neurons – study
2024-07-23
Scientists have succeeded in pinpointing the neurons within a female fruit fly’s brain that respond to signals from the male during mating.
Male fruit flies transfer a substance called a sex-peptide during mating in the seminal fluid together with sperm. This sex pheromone influences the female fly’s behaviour so she will start to lay eggs and be less inclined to mate further.
This is a common phenomenon in insects but until now, it was not known where in the nervous system the neurons are located that direct ...
NIH findings shed light on risks and benefits of integrating AI into medical decision-making
2024-07-23
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) found that an artificial intelligence (AI) model solved medical quiz questions—designed to test health professionals’ ability to diagnose patients based on clinical images and a brief text summary—with high accuracy. However, physician-graders found the AI model made mistakes when describing images and explaining how its decision-making led to the correct answer. The findings, which shed light on AI’s potential in the clinical setting, were published in npj ...
Expiring medications could pose challenge on long space missions
2024-07-23
DURHAM, N.C. -- Medications used by astronauts on the International Space Station might not be good enough for a three-year journey to Mars.
A new study led by Duke Health shows that over half of the medicines stocked in space -- staples such as pain relievers, antibiotics, allergy medicines, and sleep aids -- would expire before astronauts could return to Earth.
Astronauts could end up relying on ineffective or even harmful drugs, according to the study appearing July 23 in npj Microgravity, a Nature journal.
“It doesn’t necessarily mean ...
Study of urban moss raises concerns about lead levels in older Portland neighborhoods
2024-07-23
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Lead levels in moss are as much as 600 times higher in older Portland, Oregon, neighborhoods where lead-sheathed telecommunications cables were once used compared to lead levels in nearby rural areas, a new study of urban moss has found.
The findings raise concerns about lead exposure in pre-1960 neighborhoods where the cables were common and in some cases are still in place even though they are no longer in use, said Alyssa Shiel, an environmental geochemist at Oregon State University, and the study’s ...
Preclinical model offers new insights into Parkinson’s disease process
2024-07-23
A new preclinical model offers a unique platform for studying the Parkinson’s disease process and suggests a relatively easy method for detecting the disease in people, according to a new study led by Weill Cornell Medicine researchers.
In the study, published July 23 in Nature Communications, the researchers showed that knocking out a key component involved in protein transportation in the light-sensing rod cells of mice leads to the retinal accumulation of the aggregates of a protein called alpha-synuclein found in patients with Parkinson’s disease.
“This is a really unique model involving a pathology that seems more like human Parkinson’s than what we see in ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Transforming treatment outcomes for people with OCD
Damage from smoke and respiratory viruses mitigated in mice via a common signaling pathway
New software tool could help better understand childhood cancer
Healthy lifestyle linked to lower diverticulitis risk, irrespective of genetic susceptibility
Women 65+ still at heightened risk of cervical cancer caused by HPV
‘Inflammatory’ diet during pregnancy may raise child’s diabetes type 1 risk
Effective therapies needed to halt rise in eco-anxiety, says psychology professor
Nature-friendly farming boosts biodiversity and yields but may require new subsidies
Against the odds: Endometriosis linked to four times higher pregnancy rates than other causes of infertility, new study reveals
Microplastics discovered in human reproductive fluids, new study reveals
Family ties and firm performance: How cousin marriage traditions shape informal businesses in Africa
Novel flu vaccine adjuvant improves protection against influenza viruses, study finds
Manipulation of light at the nanoscale helps advance biosensing
New mechanism discovered in ovarian cancer peritoneal metastasis: YWHAB restriction drives stemness and chemoresistance
New study links blood metabolites and immune cells to increased risk of urolithiasis
Pyruvate identified as a promising therapeutic agent for ulcerative colitis by targeting cytosolic phospholipase A2
New insights into the clinical impact of IKBKG mutations: Understanding the mechanisms behind rare immunodeficiency syndromes
Displays, imaging and sensing: New blue fluorophore breaks efficiency records in both solids and solutions
Sugar, the hidden thermostat in plants
Personality can explain why some CEOs earn higher salaries
This puzzle game shows kids how they’re smarter than AI
Study suggests remembrances of dead played role in rise of architecture in Andean region
Brain stimulation can boost math learning in people with weaker neural connections
Inhibiting enzyme could halt cell death in Parkinson’s disease, study finds
Neurotechnology reverses biological disadvantage in maths learning
UNDER EMBARGO: Neurotechnology reverses biological disadvantage in maths learning
Scientists target ‘molecular machine’ in the war against antimicrobial resistance
Extending classical CNOP method for deep-learning atmospheric and oceanic forecasting
Aston University research: Parents should encourage structure and independence around food to support children’s healthy eating
Thunderstorms are a major driver of tree death in tropical forests
[Press-News.org] IMDEA Software creates FIXCHECK, a novel approach that improves automatic software repair by generating test cases revealing defects in 62% of incorrect patchesResearchers Facundo Molina, Juan Manuel Copia and Alessandra Gorla present a significant advance that not only improves the effectiveness of patch validation, but also promotes wider adoption of automated program repair methods.