Global software development : the next RE frontier?

Requirements Engineers face an emerging set of challenges, which compound the traditional Requirements Engineering (RE) challenges (stakeholder identification, domain expertise, communication, analytic skills, problem solving, ...) that have arguably still not been fully addressed. This is the challenge of RE in the world of global software development, with requirements teams working in virtual mode (possibly on different continents), with the software having to operate in multiple contexts, addressing the needs of different cultures and legal jurisdictions, and having to build sales in different marketplaces. Further the need arises to specify software that is progressively enhanced through regular releases, rather than the “green field” specification of products.

This theoretical paper introduces these challenges, and presents an initial selection of theoretical models, drawn from many and varied source disciplines, which might be employed to gain insight into various features of RE in support of global software development. To illustrate the potential relevance of this selection of models, a longitudinal case study with a recently identified software developer, to follow the specification and subsequent roll-out of a future release of a software product for sale globally, is introduced. Features of the situation faced by that organisation are highlighted, to illustrate the potential relevance of the diverse models that have been identified.

Meta-analytic review of neurocognition in bipolar II disorder

Objective: The clinical distinction between bipolar II disorder (BD II) and bipolar I disorder (BD I) is not clear-cut. Cognitive functioning offers the potential to explore objective markers to help delineate this boundary. To examine this issue, we conducted a quantitative review of the cognitive profile of clinically stable patients with BD II in comparison with both patients with BD I and healthy controls.
Method: Meta-analytical methods were used to compare cognitive functioning of BD II disorder with both BD I disorder and healthy controls.
Results: Individuals with BD II were less impaired than those with BD I on verbal memory. There were also small but significant difference in
visual memory and semantic fluency. There were no significant differences in global cognition or in other cognitive domains. Patients with BD II performed poorer than controls in all cognitive domains.
Conclusion: Our findings suggest that with the exception of memory and semantic fluency, cognitive impairment in BD II is as severe as in BD I. Further studies are needed to investigate whether more severe deficits in BD I are related to neurotoxic effects of severe manic episodes on medial temporal structures or neurobiological differences from the onset of the illness.