Software industry experiments: a systematic literature review

There is no specialized survey of experiments conducted in the software industry. Goal: Identify the major features of software industry experiments, such as time distribution, independent and dependent variables, subject types, design types and challenges. Method: Systematic literature review, taking the form of a scoping study. Results: We have identified 10 experiments and five quasi-experiments up to July 2012. Most were run as of 2003. The main features of these studies are that they test technologies related to quality and management and analyse outcomes related to effectiveness and effort. Most experiments have a factorial design. The major challenges faced by experimenters are to minimize the cost of running the experiment for the company and to schedule the experiment so as not to interfere with production processes.

Testing JEFF-3.1.1 and ENDF/B-VII.1 Decay and Fission Yield Nuclear Data Libraries with Fission Pulse Neutron Emission and Decay Heat Experiments

The aim of this work is to test the present status of Evaluated Nuclear Decay and Fission Yield Data Libraries to predict decay heat and delayed neutron emission rate, average neutron energy and neutron delayed spectra after a neutron fission pulse. Calculations are performed with JEFF-3.1.1 and ENDF/B-VII.1, and these are compared with experimental values. An uncertainty propagation assessment of the current nuclear data uncertainties is performed.

Nitrous oxide emissions from European agriculture - an analysis of variability and drivers of emissions from field experiments

Nitrous oxide emissions from a network of agricultural experiments in Europe were used to explore the relative importance of site and management controls of emissions. At each site, a selection of management interventions were compared within replicated experimental designs in plot-based experiments. Arable experiments were conducted at Beano in Italy, El Encin in Spain, Foulum in Denmark, Logarden in Sweden, Maulde in Belgium CE1, Paulinenaue in Germany, and Tulloch in the UK. Grassland experiments were conducted at Crichton, Nafferton and Peaknaze in the UK, Godollo in Hungary, Rzecin in Poland, Zarnekow in Germany and Theix in France. Nitrous oxide emissions were measured at each site over a period of at least two years using static chambers. Emissions varied widely between sites and as a result of manipulation treatments. Average site emissions (throughout the study period) varied between 0.04 and 21.21 kg N2O-N ha−1yr−1, with the largest fluxes and variability associated with the grassland sites. Total nitrogen addition was found to be the single most important deter- minant of emissions, accounting for 15 % of the variance (using linear regression) in the data from the arable sites (p<0.0001), and 77 % in the grassland sites. The annual emissions from arable sites were significantly greater than those that would be predicted by IPCC default emission fac- tors. Variability of N2O emissions within sites that occurred as a result of manipulation treatments was greater than that resulting from site-to-site and year-to-year variation, highlighting the importance of management interventions in contributing to greenhouse gas mitigation

Reporting experiments to satisfy professionals information needs

Although the aim of empirical software engineering is to provide evidence for selecting the appropriate technology, it appears that there is a lack of recognition of this work in industry. Results from empirical research only rarely seem to find their way to company decision makers. If information relevant for software managers is provided in reports on experiments, such reports can be considered as a source of information for them when they are faced with making decisions about the selection of software engineering technologies. To bridge this communication gap between researchers and professionals, we propose characterizing the information needs of software managers in order to show empirical software engineering researchers which information is relevant for decision-making and thus enable them to make this information available. We empirically investigated decision makers? information needs to identify which information they need to judge the appropriateness and impact of a software technology. We empirically developed a model that characterizes these needs. To ensure that researchers provide relevant information when reporting results from experiments, we extended existing reporting guidelines accordingly.We performed an experiment to evaluate our model with regard to its effectiveness. Software managers who read an experiment report according to the proposed model judged the technology?s appropriateness significantly better than those reading a report about the same experiment that did not explicitly address their information needs. Our research shows that information regarding a technology, the context in which it is supposed to work, and most importantly, the impact of this technology on development costs and schedule as well as on product quality is crucial for decision makers.

Evaluating the reinforcement of inorganic fullerene-like nanoparticles in thermoplastic matrices by depth-sensing indentation

The reinforcing effect of inorganic fullerene-like tungsten disulfide (IF-WS2) nanoparticles in two different polymer matrices, isotactic polypropylene (iPP) and polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), has been investigated by means of dynamic depth-sensing indentation. The hardness and elastic modulus enhancement upon filler addition is analyzed in terms of two main contributions: changes in the polymer matrix nanostructure and intrinsic properties of the filler including matrix-particle load transfer. It is found that the latter mainly determines the overall mechanical improvement, whereas the nanostructural changes induced in the polymer matrix only contribute to a minor extent. Important differences are suggested between the mechanisms of deformation in the two nanocomposites, resulting in a moderate mechanical enhancement in case of iPP (20% for a filler loading of 1%), and a remarkable hardness increase in case of PPS (60% for the same filler content). The nature of the polymer amorphous phase, whether in the glassy or rubbery state, seems to play here an important role. Finally, nanoindentation and dynamic mechanical analysis measurements are compared and discussed in terms of the different directionality of the stresses applied.

Modelling experiments of the variations of the calving front position of Hansbreen, Svalbard

Hansbreen is a tidewater glacier in Svalbard, with grounded tongue, about 16 km in length and ca. 2.5 km in width at its tongue. The calving front position has shown, over the recent decades, a general retreating trend, often rather smooth but with some occasional abrupt changes. We apply a full-Stokes model of glacier dynamics, incorporating a crevasse-depth calving model, with the aim of reproducing the glacier front positions observed since 1936 and analyzing the sensitivity of the model to environmental parameters.

Definition of a support infrastructure for replicating and aggregating families of software engineering experiments

Experimental software engineering includes several processes, the most representative being run experiments, run replications and synthesize the results of multiple replications. Of these processes, only the first is relatively well established in software engineering. Problems of information management and communication among researchers are one of the obstacles to progress in the replication and synthesis processes. Software engineering experimentation has expanded considerably over the last few years. This has brought with it the invention of experimental process support proposals. However, few of these proposals provide integral support, including replication and synthesis processes. Most of the proposals focus on experiment execution. This paper proposes an infrastructure providing integral support for the experimental research process, specializing in the replication and synthesis of a family of experiments. The research has been divided into stages or phases, whose transition milestones are marked by the attainment of their goals. Each goal exactly matches an artifact or product. Within each stage, we will adopt cycles of successive approximations (generateand- test cycles), where each approximation includes a diferent viewpoint or input. Each cycle will end with the product approval.

Power absorption measurements during NMR experiments

The heating produced by the absorption of radiofrequency (RF) has been considered a secondary undesirable effect during MRI procedures. In this work, we have measured the power absorbed by distilled water, glycerol and egg-albumin during NMR and non-NMR experiments. The samples are dielectric and examples of different biological materials. The samples were irradiated using the same RF pulse sequence, whilst the magnetic field strength was the variable to be changed in the experiments. The measurements show a smooth increase of the thermal power as the magnetic field grows due to the magnetoresistive effect in the copper antenna, a coil around the probe, which is directly heating the sample. However, in the cases when the magnetic field was the adequate for the NMR to take place, some anomalies in the expected thermal powers were observed: the thermal power was higher in the cases of water and glycerol, and lower in the case of albumin. An ANOVA test demonstrated that the observed differences between the measured power and the expected power are significant.

Experiments with liquid bridges in simulated microgravity

A feature of stability diagrams of liquid bridges between unequal disks subjected to small axial gravity forces is that, for each separation of disks, there is a value of microgravity for which an absolute minimum volume limit is reached. The dependence of such microgravity values on the liquid bridge geometry has been experimentally checked by using the neutral buoyancy technique, experimental results being in complete agreement with theoretical ones. Analytical background assuring the experimental procedure used is presented, and a second order analytical expression for the equilirium interface is also calculated.