Structured software development with the IPIDDDT method - A lean method for small agile organizations

A software development process is a predetermined sequence of steps to create a piece of software. A software development process is used, so that an implementing organization could gain significant benefits. The benefits for software development companies, that can be attributed to software process improvement efforts, are improved predictability in the development effort and improved quality software products. The implementation, maintenance, and management of a software process as well as the software process improvement efforts are expensive. Especially the implementation phase is expensive with a best case scenario of a slow return on investment. Software processes are rare in very small software development companies because of the cost of implementation and an improbable return on investment. This study presents a new method to enable benefits that are usually related to software process improvement to small companies with a low cost. The study presents reasons for the development of the method, a description of the method, and an implementation process for the method, as well as a theoretical case study of a method implementation. The study's focus is on describing the method. The theoretical use case is used to illustrate the theory of the method and the implementation process of the method. The study ends with a few conclusions on the method and on the method's implementation process. The main conclusion is that the method requires further study as well as implementation experiments to asses the value of the method.

Memory as acquaintance with the past: some Lessons from Russell, 1912-1914

Russell's theory of memory as acquaintance with the past seems to square uneasily with his definition of acquaintance as the converse of the relation of presentation of an object to a subject. We show how the two views can be made to cohere under a suitable construal of 'presentation', which has the additional appeal of bringing Russell's theory of memory closer to contemporary views on direct reference and object-dependent thinking than is usually acknowledged. The drawback is that memory as acquaintance with the past falls short of fulfilling Russell's requirement that knowledge by acquaintance be discriminating knowledge - a shortcoming shared by contemporary externalist accounts of knowledge from memory.

Measuring Processes of a New Packaging Solutions with the Balanced Scorecard, case DigiCup

The aim of this study was to create a Balanced Scorecard to the DigiCup solution. The first goal was to create process descriptions to the few critical processes. The second goal was to define appropriate measurements, according to customer survey as well as following the Balanced Scorecard process description, to manage the critical success factors. The overall goal of this study was to create a performance measurement system for the solution which guides the operation towards continuous improvement. This study was conducted by using both qualitative and quantitative methods, and the analysis was done by using a case study method. The material was gathered from the current customers, the management and the employees using structured, semi-structured and open group and individual interviews. The current customers were divided into retailers and direct customers of the DigiCup solution. The questions which the customers were asked were related to the information about interviewee, company, business strategy, market, satisfaction survey and future requirements. The management defined the strategy and took part in specifying the perspectives, objectives and measurements to the Balanced Scorecard of the DigiCup solution. The employees participated into the choosing of the metrics. The material consisted from altogether sixteen interviews. At the beginning of the study the product development, the order-delivery as well as the printing processes was chosen to be the critical processes of the DigiCup solution. These processes were concentrated on already in the literature review while trying to find the characteristics of these processes as well as the critical success factors and the appropriate measurements, which could be utilized when creating the Balanced Scorecard to the DigiCup solution according to the customer survey. The appropriate perspectives, objectives and measurements were found to the DigiCup solution. The chosen measures works as a basis for the development of IT-reporting tool. As a conclusion it can be stated that when discussing a new business, where the objectives are changing according to which development’s phases the company is in, the measurement should be updated often enough.

The Peace and Security Council of the African Union : its relationship with the United Nations, African Union and sub-regional mechanisms

Avhandlingen undersöker den Afrikanska Unionens freds- och säkerhetsråd och dess roll i framhävandet och upprätthållandet av fred, säkerhet och stabilitet i Afrika. Detta freds- och säkerhetsråd etablerades formellt 2004 och opererar under den Afrikanska Unionen (AU) som å sin sida upprättades 2002. Den Afrikanska Unionens freds- och säkerhetsråds roll i framhävandet av fred, säkerhet och stabilitet gör rådet till en hörnsten inom ramen för konfliktförebyggande och -hantering, samt konfliktlösning på den afrikanska kontinenten. Den Afrikanska Unionens freds- och säkerhetsråd spelar också en högst viktig roll i implementeringen av ansvaret att beskydda civilbefolkningen i konfliktsituationer. För uppfyllandet av sitt mandat att framhäva och upprätthålla fred, säkerhet och stabilitet i Afrika krävs det att freds- och säkerhetsrådet samarbetar med andra institutioner och mekanismer som handhar internationella och regionala freds- och säkerhetsärenden. Avhandlingen analyserar tre dimensioner av denna typ av relationer som freds- och säkerhetsrådet bör etablera med dessa organ och mekanismer för att kunna utföra sitt mandat effektivt. Först analyseras relationen mellan Afrikanska Unionens freds- och säkerhetsråd och Förenta Nationernas säkerhetsråd som också beskrivs i artikel 17 (1) i protokollet som förde till etablerandet av AU:s freds- och säkerhetsråd. Analysen understryker FN:s säkerhetsråd som det organ som bär det primära ansvaret i förhållande till fred och säkerhet, medan AU:s freds- och säkerhetsråd fungerar som en kompletterande komponent i sin roll som ett regionalt organ. Avhandlingen fortsätter med att analysera förhållandet mellan AU:s freds- och säkerhetsråd och andra organ inom AU, samt andra relevanta institutioner som framgår av artikel 10, 18 (1), 19 och 20 i protokollet för rådets etablerande. Avhandlingen diskuterar i detalj hur samarbetet mellan AU:s freds- och säkerhetsråd och dessa institutioner och organ kunde förstärkas till fördel för effektivt framhävande och upprätthållande av fred och säkerhet i Afrika. Slutligen analyserar avhandlingen samarbetet mellan AU:s freds- och säkerhetsråd och sub-regionala mekanismer etablerade under regionala ekonomiska gemenskaper som beskrivs i artikel 16 i protokollet för etablerandet av rådet. Avhandlingen diskuterar i detalj rollen för de sub-regionala mekanismerna i den afrikanska freds- och säkerhetsarkitekturen. Avhandlingen diskuterar vidare förhållandet mellan de sub-regionala mekanismerna och den afrikanska stand-by styrkan ASF och förutsättningarna för detta arrangemang att bemöta afrikanska konflikter. Avhandlingen fokuserar också på en harmoniserings- och samarbetsprocess i förhållande till de sub-regionala mekanismerna, de regionala ekonomiska gemenskaperna och den Afrikanska Unionens freds- och säkerhetsråd. Kort sagt beskriver avhandlingen hur förhållandet mellan AU:s freds- och säkerhetsråd och de ovan nämnda organ och mekanismer har en faktisk och potentiell möjlighet att effektivt bidra till fred, säkerhet och stabilitet i Afrika. Avhandlingen identifierar utmaningarna kring att göra detta till ett fungerande förhållande samtidigt som den genererar både generella och specifika rekommendationer om hur dessa utmaningar bäst kan bemötas. Några av dessa utmaningar utgörs av följande aspekter: konflikten mellan AU:s och FN:s reglemang i bemötandet av freds- och säkerhetsutmaningar; de olika metoderna i FN och AU vid implementeringen av principen av universell jurisdiktion; konflikten mellan de olika mandaten som AU:s freds- och säkerhetsråd och FN:s säkerhetsråd har i förhållande till implementeringen av principen om intervention; och konflikten mellan lagarna och metoderna i förhållande till AU:s freds- och säkerhetsråd och de regionala mekanismerna. En av de huvudsakliga rekommendationerna i avhandlingen i bemötandet av de ovan nämnda utmaningarna är att harmonisera de olika systemen för att försäkra att det föreligger ett samordnat bemötande av konflikter i Afrika. Efter att ha identifierat luckorna i AU:s freds- och säkerhetsprotokoll med speciell fokus på förhållandet mellan rådet och de relevanta organen och mekanismerna rekommenderar avhandlingen ett antal tillägg och modifieringar till instrumentet ifråga för att effektivera, stärka och upprätthålla detta förhållande. Avhandlingen föreslår att dessa tillägg och modifieringar skulle företas under 2014 då detta år markerar 10 år efter att AU:s freds- och säkerhetsråd etablerades. Idén bakom detta företagandet ligger i att 10 år torde vara en tillfredställande tidsperiod för att mäta hur freds- och säkerhetsrådet har fungerat och hur dess förhållande med de relevanta institutionerna och mekanismerna kunde förbättras. Avhandlingen representerar den bredaste och nyaste studien inom ramen för artikel 16, 17, 18, 19 och 20 i protokollet för AU:s freds- och säkerhetsråd och introducerar ett innovativt bemötande av utmaningar till fred, säkerhet och stabilitet på den afrikanska kontinenten. Avhandlingen bidrar till teorin och praxisen i AU:s freds- och säkerhetsråd vilket kan vara av intresse för både forskare och praktiker i folkrätt såväl som i internationella freds- och säkerhetsstudier, speciellt i Afrika.

Georeferenced database generation with the purpose of hydrologic molding in reservoirs of the hydrographic basin of Jaguaribe river in the state of Ceará, Brazil

The edafoclimatic conditions of the Brazilian semiarid region favor the water loss by surface runoff. The state of Ceará, almost completely covered by semiarid, has developed public policies for the construction of dams in order to attend the varied water demand. Several hydrological models were developed to support decisive processes in the complex management of reservoirs. This study aimed to establish a methodology for obtaining a georeferenced database suitable for use as input data in hydrological modeling in the semiarid of Ceará. It was used images of Landsat satellite and SRTM Mission, and soil maps of the state of Ceará. The Landsat images allowed the determination of the land cover and the SRTM Mission images, the automatic delineation of hydrographic basins. The soil type was obtained through the soil map. The database was obtained for Jaguaribe River hydrographic basin, in the state of Ceará, and is applicable to hydrological modeling based on the Curve Number method for estimating the surface runoff.

Software for calculation of reservoir active capacity with the sequent-peak algorithm

It is presented a software developed with Delphi programming language to compute the reservoir's annual regulated active storage, based on the sequent-peak algorithm. Mathematical models used for that purpose generally require extended hydrological series. Usually, the analysis of those series is performed with spreadsheets or graphical representations. Based on that, it was developed a software for calculation of reservoir active capacity. An example calculation is shown by 30-years (from 1977 to 2009) monthly mean flow historical data, from Corrente River, located at São Francisco River Basin, Brazil. As an additional tool, an interface was developed to manage water resources, helping to manipulate data and to point out information that it would be of interest to the user. Moreover, with that interface irrigation districts where water consumption is higher can be analyzed as a function of specific seasonal water demands situations. From a practical application, it is possible to conclude that the program provides the calculation originally proposed. It was designed to keep information organized and retrievable at any time, and to show simulation on seasonal water demands throughout the year, contributing with the elements of study concerning reservoir projects. This program, with its functionality, is an important tool for decision making in the water resources management.

Building object-oriented software with the D-Bus messaging system

Object-oriented programming is a widely adopted paradigm for desktop software development. This paradigm partitions software into separate entities, objects, which consist of data and related procedures used to modify and inspect it. The paradigm has evolved during the last few decades to emphasize decoupling between object implementations, via means such as explicit interface inheritance and event-based implicit invocation. Inter-process communication (IPC) technologies allow applications to interact with each other. This enables making software distributed across multiple processes, resulting in a modular architecture with benefits in resource sharing, robustness, code reuse and security. The support for object-oriented programming concepts varies between IPC systems. This thesis is focused on the D-Bus system, which has recently gained a lot of users, but is still scantily researched. D-Bus has support for asynchronous remote procedure calls with return values and a content-based publish/subscribe event delivery mechanism. In this thesis, several patterns for method invocation in D-Bus and similar systems are compared. The patterns that simulate synchronous local calls are shown to be dangerous. Later, we present a state-caching proxy construct, which avoids the complexity of properly asynchronous calls for object inspection. The proxy and certain supplementary constructs are presented conceptually as generic object-oriented design patterns. The e ect of these patterns on non-functional qualities of software, such as complexity, performance and power consumption, is reasoned about based on the properties of the D-Bus system. The use of the patterns reduces complexity, but maintains the other qualities at a good level. Finally, we present currently existing means of specifying D-Bus object interfaces for the purposes of code and documentation generation. The interface description language used by the Telepathy modular IM/VoIP framework is found to be an useful extension of the basic D-Bus introspection format.

Monte Carlo Hypothesis Testing with The Sharpe Ratio

The purpose of this master thesis was to perform simulations that involve use of random number while testing hypotheses especially on two samples populations being compared weather by their means, variances or Sharpe ratios. Specifically, we simulated some well known distributions by Matlab and check out the accuracy of an hypothesis testing. Furthermore, we went deeper and check what could happen once the bootstrapping method as described by Effrons is applied on the simulated data. In addition to that, one well known RobustSharpe hypothesis testing stated in the paper of Ledoit and Wolf was applied to measure the statistical significance performance between two investment founds basing on testing weather there is a statistically significant difference between their Sharpe Ratios or not. We collected many literatures about our topic and perform by Matlab many simulated random numbers as possible to put out our purpose; As results we come out with a good understanding that testing are not always accurate; for instance while testing weather two normal distributed random vectors come from the same normal distribution. The Jacque-Berra test for normality showed that for the normal random vector r1 and r2, only 94,7% and 95,7% respectively are coming from normal distribution in contrast 5,3% and 4,3% failed to shown the truth already known; but when we introduce the bootstrapping methods by Effrons while estimating pvalues where the hypothesis decision is based, the accuracy of the test was 100% successful. From the above results the reports showed that bootstrapping methods while testing or estimating some statistics should always considered because at most cases the outcome are accurate and errors are minimized in the computation. Also the RobustSharpe test which is known to use one of the bootstrapping methods, studentised one, were applied first on different simulated data including distribution of many kind and different shape secondly, on real data, Hedge and Mutual funds. The test performed quite well to agree with the existence of statistical significance difference between their Sharpe ratios as described in the paper of Ledoit andWolf.

Jejunum and ileum blunt trauma: what has changed with the implementation of multislice computed tomography?

OBJECTIVE: to evaluate the impact of the new technology of multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) in improving the accuracy and early diagnosis of BSBI.METHODS: patients with blunt small bowel injuries (BSBI) grade> I were identified retrospectively and their CT scans reviewed by an experienced radiologist. Clinical and tomographic findings were analyzed and patients grouped as "pre-MDCT" and "post-MDCT", according to the time of implementation of a 64-slice MDCT.RESULTS: of the 26 patients with BSBI 16 had CT scans. Motor vehicle collision (62.5%) was the most frequent mechanism of injury. In the pre-MDCT period, five of the 13 patients (38.5%) had abdominal CT, and in the post-MDCT, 11 of 13 patients (84.6%) had the exam. During pre-MDCT, all CT scans were abnormal with findings of pneumoperitoneum (60%), free fluid (40%) and bowel wall enhancement (20%). In the post-MDCT group, all exams but one were abnormal and the most frequent findings were free fluid (90.9%), bowel wall enhancement (72.7%), and pneumoperitoneum (54.5%). However, the rate of delayed laparotomy did not change. The mortality rate in both groups were similar, with 20% during pre-MDCT and 18.2% during post-MDCT.CONCLUSION: the use of MDCT in abdominal trauma in our service has increased the sensibility of the diagnosis, but has had no impact on outcome so far.

Factors associated with the onset of hypertension in women of 50 years of age or more in a city in Southeastern Brazil

PURPOSE:To evaluate factors associated with hypertension in Brazilian women of 50 years of age or more.METHODS:A cross-sectional population based study using self-reports. A total of 622 women were included. The association between sociodemographic, clinical and behavioral factors and the woman's age at the onset of hypertension was evaluated. Data were analyzed according to cumulative continuation rates without hypertension, using the life-table method and considering annual intervals. Next, a Cox multiple regression analysis model was adjusted to analyze the occurrence rates of hypertension according to various predictor variables. Significance level was pre-established at 5% (95% confidence level) and the sampling plan (primary sampling unit) was taken into consideration.RESULTS:Median age at onset of hypertension was 64.3 years. Cumulative continuation rate without hypertension at 90 years was 20%. Higher body mass index (BMI) at 20–30 years of age was associated with a higher cumulative occurrence rate of hypertension over time (coefficient=0.078; p<0.001). Being white was associated with a lower cumulative occurrence rate of hypertension over time (coefficient= -0.439; p=0.003), while smoking >15 cigarettes/day was associated with a higher rate over time (coefficient=0.485; p=0.004).CONCLUSION:The results of the present study highlight the importance of weight control in young adulthood and of avoiding smoking in preventing hypertension in women aged ≥50 years.

Relationship of intestinal histology with the resistance to Trichostrongylus colubriformis infection in three breeds of sheep

The study was carried out to evaluate the relationship of inflammatory intestinal cells with the resistance to Trichostrongylus colubriformis infections in three breeds of sheep (Santa Ines, Suffolk and Ile de France), naturally infected. Mast cells, eosinophils, and globule leucocytes were enumerated in intestinal mucosa. Histamine concentration was estimated in intestinal tissue samples and the length of male and female specimens were determined. The three breeds of sheep showed similar cellular response in the small intestine mucosa (P>0.05). There was extensive variation among sheep in the parasitological and inflammatory cell variables, even in lambs of the same breed. In general, animals presenting less inflammatory cells had a larger worm burden, higher fecal egg counts, and larger T. colubriformis worms. The inflammatory cells possibly impaired the parasite's establishment, development, and survival.

Factors associated with the prevalence of Otodectes cynotis in an ambulatory population of dogs

The objective was to evaluate the factors associated with the prevalence of Otodectes cynotis infestations in dogs assisted at the Dermatology Service of the Veterinary Hospital, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro. A total of 250 dogs were examined through direct smear of ear samples using a stereoscopic microscope, for the parasitological diagnostic. All dog owners were interviewed and data regarding the animals and their environments were individually recorded. Mite infestation was observed in 15 animals, with a prevalence of 6%. The variables were tested regarding their association with the mites, using the χ2 test and, when appropriate, the Fisher exact test. There were no evidences that age (p = 0,20), sex (p = 0,31), breed (p = 0,50), shape of ear (p = 0,66), type (p = 0,19) and length of hair (p = 0,14) and contact with other animals (p = 0,06) could act as potential risk factors for O. cynotis infestation. However, living environment (p = 0,03) and frequency of environmental cleaning (p = 0,005) may facilitate the infestation. The occurrence of pruritus was associated to the presence of mites (p<0,001), suggesting to be an effect of the parasitism.

Identification of the recently described new type of bovine papillomavirus (BPV-8) in a Brazilian beef cattle herd

Bovine papillomavirus type 8 (BPV-8) was first detected and described in teat warts as well as in healthy teat skin from cattle raised in Japan. The entire viral genome was sequenced in 2007. Additionally, a variant of BPV-8, BPV-8-EB, was also identified from papillomatous lesions of a European bison in Slovakia. In Brazil, despite the relatively common occurrence of BPV infections, the identification and determination of viral types present in cattle is still sporadic. The aim of this study is to report the occurrence of the recently described BPV-8 in Brazil. The virus was identified in a skin warts obtained from a beef cattle herd located in Parana state, southern Brazil. The papilloma had a macular, non-verrucous gross aspect and was located on the dorsal thorax of a cow. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed using generic primers for partial amplification of L1 gene. The obtained amplicon (480bp) was cloned and two selected clones were sequenced. The nucleotide sequence was compared to existing papillomaviral genomic sequences, identifying the virus as BPV type 8. This study represents the first report of BPV-8 occurrence in Brazil, what suggests its presence among Brazilian cattle.

Risk factors associated with the frequency of antibodies against Babesia bovis and Babesia bigemina in cattle in southern Mozambique

The study aimed to evaluate the risk factors associated with the frequency of IgG antibodies against Babesia bovis and B. bigemina in cattle in southern Mozambique. Eight hundred and nine serum samples were collected from cattle in three provinces namely Maputo, Gaza and Inhambane, and tested by indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (i-ELISA) to assess the humoral immune response towards B. bovis and B. bigemina. The chi-square test at 5% significance was used to determine whether there was an association between gender, age and geographic origin of seropositive animals. The overall prevalence was 78.8% (548/695) for B. bovis and 76.0% (528/695) for B. bigemina. The origin of the animals showed a significant association (p<0.05) with seropositivity to both agents, while gender and age was not associated (p>0.05). Maputo province had the highest rate of positive animals, with 93.7% (118/126) for B. bovis and 97.6% (123/126) for B. bigemina. In Gaza province 77.3% (321/415) of the animals were positive for B. bovis and 67.5% (280/415) for B. bigemina, while in the province of Inhambane the levels of seropositivity were 70.8% (109/154) and 81.2% (125/154) for B. bovis and B. bigemina respectively. In the present study, the frequency of cattle positive for B. bovis and B. bigemina was shown to increase among older age groups, suggesting that infection and re-infection persisted even after the primary infection. Thus, this region is considered to be in a state of enzootic stability with regards to B. bovis and B. bigemina.