User testing and analysis di interfacce web e mobile per un merge di sistemi

Testing e Analisi di problemi di usabilità che potrebbero sorgere se due sistemi venissero integrati in un unico nuovo sistema.

Application of user-centered design in the development of an atomated/assisted testing system for self-service devices

Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) are sensitive self-service systems that require important investments in security and testing. ATM certifications are testing processes for machines that integrate software components from different vendors and are performed before their deployment for public use. This project was originated from the need of optimization of the certification process in an ATM manufacturing company. The process identifies compatibility problems between software components through testing. It is composed by a huge number of manual user tasks that makes the process very expensive and error-prone. Moreover, it is not possible to fully automate the process as it requires human intervention for manipulating ATM peripherals. This project presented important challenges for the development team. First, this is a critical process, as all the ATM operations rely on the software under test. Second, the context of use of ATMs applications is vastly different from ordinary software. Third, ATMs’ useful lifetime is beyond 15 years and both new and old models need to be supported. Fourth, the know-how for efficient testing depends on each specialist and it is not explicitly documented. Fifth, the huge number of tests and their importance implies the need for user efficiency and accuracy. All these factors led us conclude that besides the technical challenges, the usability of the intended software solution was critical for the project success. This business context is the motivation of this Master Thesis project. Our proposal focused in the development process applied. By combining user-centered design (UCD) with agile development we ensured both the high priority of usability and the early mitigation of software development risks caused by all the technology constraints. We performed 23 development iterations and finally we were able to provide a working solution on time according to users’ expectations. The evaluation of the project was carried out through usability tests, where 4 real users participated in different tests in the real context of use. The results were positive, according to different metrics: error rate, efficiency, effectiveness, and user satisfaction. We discuss the problems found, the benefits and the lessons learned in the process. Finally, we measured the expected project benefits by comparing the effort required by the current and the new process (once the new software tool is adopted). The savings corresponded to 40% less effort (man-hours) per certification. Future work includes additional evaluation of product usability in a real scenario (with customers) and the measuring of benefits in terms of quality improvement.

The relationship between listening and other language skills in International English Language Testing System

Listening comprehension is the primary channel of learning a language. Yet of the four dominant macro-skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing), it is often difficult and inaccessible for second and foreign language learners due to its implicit process. The secondary skill, speaking, proceeds listening cognitively. Aural/oral skills precede the graphic skills, such as reading and writing, as they form the circle of language learning process. However, despite the significant relationship with other language skills, listening comprehension is treated lightly in the applied linguistics research. Half of our daily conversation and three quarters of classroom interaction are virtually devoted to listening comprehension. To examine the relationship of listening skill with other language skills, the outcome of 1800 Iranian participants undertaking International English Language Testing System (IELTS) in Tehran indicates the close correlation between listening comprehension and the overall language proficiency.

A novel testing system for a Cycloidal drive

At present, for mechanical power transmission, Cycloidal drives are most preferred - for compact, high transmission ratio speed reduction, especially for robot joints and manipulator applications. Research on drive-train dynamics of Cycloidal drives is not well-established. This paper presents a testing rig for Cycloidal drives, which would produce data for development of mathematical models and investigation of drive-train dynamics, further aiding in optimising its design

Experimental investigation on lateral impact response of concrete-filled double-skin tube columns using horizontal-impact-testing system

This paper presents an experimental investigation on the lateral impact performance of axially loaded concrete-filled double-skin tube (CFDST) columns. These columns have desirable structural and constructional properties and have been used as columns in building, legs of off shore platforms and as bridge piers. Since they could be vulnerable to impact from passing vessels or vehicles, it is necessary to understand their behaviour under lateral impact loads. With this in mind, an experimental method employing an innovative instrumented horizontal impact testing system (HITS) was developed to apply lateral impact loads whilst the column maintained a static axial pre-loading to examine the failure mechanism and key response parameters of the column. These included the time histories of impact force, reaction forces, global lateral deflection and permanent local buckling profile. Eight full scale columns were tested for key parameters including the axial load level and impact location. Based on the test data, the failure mode, peak impact force, impact duration, peak reaction forces, reaction force duration, column maximum and residual global deflections and column local buckling length, depth and width under varying conditions are analysed and discussed. It is evident that the innovative HITS can successfully test structural columns under the combination of axial pre-loading and impact loading. The findings on the lateral impact response of the CFDST columns can serve as a benchmark reference for their future analysis and design.

Eddy current testing system with scanning probe head having parallel and normal sensing coils

An eddy current testing system consists of a multi-sensor probe, a computer and a special expansion card and software for data-collection and analysis. The probe incorporates an excitation coil, and sensor coils; at least one sensor coil is a lateral current-normal coil and at least one is a current perturbation coil.

Variability of anti-PF4/heparin antibody results obtained by the rapid testing system ID-H/PF4-PaGIA

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have shown that a low clinical pretest probability may be adequate for excluding heparin-induced thrombocytopenia. However, for patients with intermediate or high pretest probability, laboratory testing is essential for confirming or refuting the diagnosis. Rapid assessment of anti-PF4/heparin-antibodies may assist clinical decision-making. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the performance of rapid ID-H/PF4-PaGIA. In particular, we verified reproducibility of results between plasma and serum specimens, between fresh and frozen samples, and between different ID-H/PF4-polymer lots (polystyrene beads coated with heparin/PF4-complexes). PATIENTS/METHODS: The samples studied were 1376 plasma and 914 corresponding serum samples from patients investigated for suspected heparin-induced thrombocytopenia between January 2000 and October 2008. Anti-PF4/heparin-antibodies were assessed by ID-H/PF4-PaGIA, commercially available ELISAs and heparin-induced platelet aggregation test. RESULTS: Among 914 paired plasma/serum samples we noted discordant results (negative vs. low-titre positive) in nine instances (1%; 95%CI, 0.4-1.6%). Overall, agreement between titres assessed in plasma vs. serum was highly significant (Spearman correlation coefficient, 0.975; P < 0.0001). Forty-seven samples tested both fresh and after freezing/thawing showed a good agreement, with one discordant positive/negative result (Spearman correlation coefficient, 0.970; P < 0.0001). Among 1376 plasma samples we noted a strikingly variable incidence of false negative results (none - 82%; 95%CI, 66-98%), depending on the employed ID-H/PF4-polymer lot. Faulty lots can be recognized by titrating commercial positive controls and stored samples of HIT-patients. CONCLUSION: Laboratories performing the assay should implement stringent internal quality controls in order to recognize potentially faulty ID-H/PF4-polymer lots, thus avoiding false negative results.

Creation of a web application for smart park system and parking prediction study for system integration

In the last few years, we have observed an exponential increasing of the information systems, and parking information is one more example of them. The needs of obtaining reliable and updated information of parking slots availability are very important in the goal of traffic reduction. Also parking slot prediction is a new topic that has already started to be applied. San Francisco in America and Santander in Spain are examples of such projects carried out to obtain this kind of information. The aim of this thesis is the study and evaluation of methodologies for parking slot prediction and the integration in a web application, where all kind of users will be able to know the current parking status and also future status according to parking model predictions. The source of the data is ancillary in this work but it needs to be understood anyway to understand the parking behaviour. Actually, there are many modelling techniques used for this purpose such as time series analysis, decision trees, neural networks and clustering. In this work, the author explains the best techniques at this work, analyzes the result and points out the advantages and disadvantages of each one. The model will learn the periodic and seasonal patterns of the parking status behaviour, and with this knowledge it can predict future status values given a date. The data used comes from the Smart Park Ontinyent and it is about parking occupancy status together with timestamps and it is stored in a database. After data acquisition, data analysis and pre-processing was needed for model implementations. The first test done was with the boosting ensemble classifier, employed over a set of decision trees, created with C5.0 algorithm from a set of training samples, to assign a prediction value to each object. In addition to the predictions, this work has got measurements error that indicates the reliability of the outcome predictions being correct. The second test was done using the function fitting seasonal exponential smoothing tbats model. Finally as the last test, it has been tried a model that is actually a combination of the previous two models, just to see the result of this combination. The results were quite good for all of them, having error averages of 6.2, 6.6 and 5.4 in vacancies predictions for the three models respectively. This means from a parking of 47 places a 10% average error in parking slot predictions. This result could be even better with longer data available. In order to make this kind of information visible and reachable from everyone having a device with internet connection, a web application was made for this purpose. Beside the data displaying, this application also offers different functions to improve the task of searching for parking. The new functions, apart from parking prediction, were: - Park distances from user location. It provides all the distances to user current location to the different parks in the city. - Geocoding. The service for matching a literal description or an address to a concrete location. - Geolocation. The service for positioning the user. - Parking list panel. This is not a service neither a function, is just a better visualization and better handling of the information.

Development of a microgrid with renewable energy sources and electrochemical storage system integration

Beside the traditional paradigm of "centralized" power generation, a new concept of "distributed" generation is emerging, in which the same user becomes pro-sumer. During this transition, the Energy Storage Systems (ESS) can provide multiple services and features, which are necessary for a higher quality of the electrical system and for the optimization of non-programmable Renewable Energy Source (RES) power plants. A ESS prototype was designed, developed and integrated into a renewable energy production system in order to create a smart microgrid and consequently manage in an efficient and intelligent way the energy flow as a function of the power demand. The produced energy can be introduced into the grid, supplied to the load directly or stored in batteries. The microgrid is composed by a 7 kW wind turbine (WT) and a 17 kW photovoltaic (PV) plant are part of. The load is given by electrical utilities of a cheese factory. The ESS is composed by the following two subsystems, a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) and a Power Control System (PCS). With the aim of sizing the ESS, a Remote Grid Analyzer (RGA) was designed, realized and connected to the wind turbine, photovoltaic plant and the switchboard. Afterwards, different electrochemical storage technologies were studied, and taking into account the load requirements present in the cheese factory, the most suitable solution was identified in the high temperatures salt Na-NiCl2 battery technology. The data acquisition from all electrical utilities provided a detailed load analysis, indicating the optimal storage size equal to a 30 kW battery system. Moreover a container was designed and realized to locate the BESS and PCS, meeting all the requirements and safety conditions. Furthermore, a smart control system was implemented in order to handle the different applications of the ESS, such as peak shaving or load levelling.

The user query based learning system for lifetime prediction of metallic components

Real-World Data Mining Applications generally do not end up with the creation of the models. The use of the model is the final purpose especially in prediction tasks. The problem arises when the model is built based on much more information than that the user can provide in using the model. As a result, the performance of model reduces drastically due to many missing attributes values. This paper develops a new learning system framework, called as User Query Based Learning System (UQBLS), for building data mining models best suitable for users use. We demonstrate its deployment in a real-world application of the lifetime prediction of metallic components in buildings