30 research outputs found
Requirements Prioritization Based on Benefit and Cost Prediction: An Agenda for Future Research
In early phases of the software cycle, requirements
prioritization necessarily relies on the specified
requirements and on predictions of benefit and cost of
individual requirements. This paper presents results of
a systematic review of literature, which investigates
how existing methods approach the problem of
requirements prioritization based on benefit and cost.
From this review, it derives a set of under-researched
issues which warrant future efforts and sketches an
agenda for future research in this area
-ilities Tradespace and Affordability Project – Phase 3
One of the key elements of the SERC’s research strategy is transforming the practice of systems engineering and associated management practices – “SE and Management Transformation (SEMT).” The Grand Challenge goal for SEMT is to transform the DoD community’s current systems engineering and management methods, processes, and tools (MPTs) and practices away from sequential, single stovepipe system, hardware-first, document-driven, point- solution, acquisition-oriented approaches; and toward concurrent, portfolio and enterprise- oriented, hardware-software-human engineered, model-driven, set-based, full life cycle approaches.This material is based upon work supported, in whole or in part, by the U.S. Department of Defense through the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (ASD(R&E)) under Contract H98230-08- D-0171 (Task Order 0031, RT 046).This material is based upon work supported, in whole or in part, by the U.S. Department of Defense through the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (ASD(R&E)) under Contract H98230-08- D-0171 (Task Order 0031, RT 046)
Some Preservation Techniques for (Deep Water) Coral Samples for Subsequent Molecular Studies: A Special Supplement from Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute
Around the time that the thirteen original Atlantic colonies were fighting for independence from Britain, there existed little agreement among naturalists as to the nature of corals. Were they inanimate (stones), plants, animals, or intermediate between the latter two (zoophytes)? This diversity of definition and opinions undoubtedly produced considerable confusion and disagreement among naturalists interested in such things. The symbiotic nature of algal cells in the tissues of some corals was also not well understood. It was not until the Darwinian period in the nineteenth century that little doubt remained, and therefore it was generally agreed, that corals were actually animals - heterotrophic living organisms that prey on other organisms for nutrition and do not produce their own food.
In the past fifty years the basic goals and tenets of deep-sea coral collection, curation, and taxonomy have changed little. On the other hand, the techniques and tools of this particular avenue of research have changed significantly. Regarding the collection of material in the field, some aspects remain fundamentally the same. The use of research vessels, bottom trawls, and naturalist\u27s dredges are still frequently used for deep water research. In shallow water collecting, improvements in SCUBA diving equipment and new innovations, such as Trimix gas and Nitrox diving, have allowed divers to work at greater depths with longer bottom times. Pressure independent dive suits have permitted researchers to attain depths not possible in traditional wet or dry suits. In the past four decades, advances in optics, electronics, and robotic technology have allowed for a rapid sophistication and broader scope of possibilities regarding manned submersibles, remotely operated vehicles (ROV\u27s), and more recently, autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV\u27s). Great strides have been made since the early 1990\u27s in the technological aspects of the collection and photography of the deep water benthos.
Concerning the techniques and tools of research in the laboratory, the scanning electron microscope has for several decades provided a valuable tool for documenting surface details of sclerites. Newer electron microscopes and digital technology have negated the necessity of using photographic film and images can now be unloaded directly on to computers for processing. Relatively recently, the fields of phylogenetics, molecular biology, and natural products biochemistry have been applied to more traditional modes of research in the field of octocoral systematics.
This document on deep-sea coral collection protocols stands as a valuable resource, because it provides a standardized procedure for researchers during a time of rapidly changing technology regarding exploration of the deep-sea benthos. Stated another war, the protocols give us an instruction manual for research procedures in deep-sea benthic fieldwork. Technological improvements coupled with workable field-tested procedures (such as provided by the present volume) can in the long run, only help to expand and improve our base of knowledge concerning octocoral diversity.
The synthesis of results from research endeavors both old and new, and opportunities allowed by a constantly improving technological scene, provide for a positive potential for the future in the fields of octocoral diversity and systematics
Cost benefit analysis of space communications technology. Volume 2: Final report
For abstract, see preceding accession
International river basin management : a case study of the Okavango River Basin.
Thesis (M.Env.Dev.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2002.This dissertation reviews the principles of International River Basin Management and their
application by the governments of Angola, Botswana and Namibia. The dissertation deals with the
issues popularised by governments, water planners and international agencies that the twenty-first
century's conflicts will be fought over water. Increasingly this concern is being used to justify new
water-supply dams and river diversion projects. This is especially so in arid Southern Africa, the
focus of this dissertation, where numerous major international water transfers are underway and
many more are being planned. While Namibia's growing thirst is a serious problem, the story is more
complicated than just too many basin states putting their straws into one glass. The growing conflicts
over the Okavango's water use raise broader questions about ownership of common resources, and
equity of access to those resources.
Most southern African countries depend on primary natural resources to sustain economies and their
people. The environmental issues are remarkably similar in countries within the region, and the
economic, social and political fortunes of the individual countries are intertwined. Furthermore, the
ways in which resources are being managed are similar and thus cause for common concern. In
general, the ability of countries in the region to achieve sustainable development depends not on
national policies but also on the commitment of neighbours to practice sound environmental
management. This is because activities in one country can easily cause impacts on a neighbour and
possibly result in "downstream" opportunity costs.
This case study of the Okavango River Basin, a river facing prospective developments from riparian
states Angola, Botswana and Namibia, attempts to find sustainable solutions to solving international
resource conflict. In addition to outlining the possible future threats to the Okavango River, this
study proclaims a number of recommendations in the way of declaring alternatives to Namibia's
plans to extract water from the Okavango River. One such recommendation is the encouragement of
Water Demand Management as an alternative to water transfer by Namibia. This management
strategy is aimed at optimising the use of available water rather than developing new or extended
supplies and as a result it has a vital role to play since it contributes to sustainable development rather than over exploitation of limited natural resources. The majority of large rivers in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) are shared by
three or more countries, and as the region's water resources come under growing development
pressure, the importance of establishing effective national and regional methods and institutions for
sustainably managing these resources will increase greatly. From economic, ecological and human
welfare perspectives, the Okav,ango River Basin is arguably one of the most important transboundary
natural resources (TBNR) in the region. Owing to the basin's remoteness and history of conflict, the
Okavango was spared much of the destructive developments that rivers in the region have suffered.
As a result, the relatively pristine Okavango ecosystem continues to provide significant benefits to
the region much as it has done for centuries. As we approach the new millennium, however, it is
clear that the health of the Okavango River Basin is threatened as riparian states increasingly turn to
the Okavango to support their growing populations and economies
A Conceptual Framework to Support Digital Transformation in Manufacturing Using an Integrated Business Process Management Approach
Digital transformation is no longer a future trend, as it has become a necessity for businesses to grow and remain competitive in the market. The fourth industrial revolution, called Industry 4.0, is at the heart of this transformation, and is supporting organizations in achieving benefits that were unthinkable a few years ago. The impact of Industry 4.0 enabling technologies in the manufacturing sector is undeniable, and their correct use offers benefits such as improved productivity and asset performance, reduced inefficiencies, lower production and maintenance costs, while enhancing system agility and flexibility. However, organizations have found the move towards digital transformation extremely challenging for several reasons, including a lack of standardized implementation protocols, emphasis on the introduction of new technologies without assessing their role within the business, the compartmentalization of digital initiatives from the rest of the business, and the large-scale implementation of digitalization without a realistic view of return on investment. To instill confidence and reduce the anxiety surrounding Industry 4.0 implementation in the manufacturing sector, this paper presents a conceptual framework based on business process management (BPM). The framework is informed by a content-centric literature review of Industry 4.0 technologies, its design principles, and BPM method. This integrated framework incorporates the factors that are often overlooked during digital transformation and presents a structured methodology that can be employed by manufacturing organizations to facilitate their transition towards Industry 4.0
On the Hallowed Hill: An Analysis of the Historic Cemeteries within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Though a number of authors have stressed the importance of using cemetery data to study culture change through time, most of the available studies in this regard have been general in nature and completed without statistical analysis. Few studies have concentrated specifically on small, rural cemeteries, and fewer still have concentrated on regions outside of New England. The southern Appalachian Mountains are but one of the many regions that has yet to be studied in-depth. This thesis is an attempt to bridge some of the aforementioned gaps. Historic cemetery data collected in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will be analyzed to examine hypotheses about the way headstones differ between age groups and genders through time. It is hypothesized that stones will increase in size and possess more intricate detail through time, a result of increasing modernity and improved access to goods and services. It is also hypothesized that stones will display differences in status between genders and age groups. The data indicate that stones have become larger and more ornate through time, that there is little difference between how men and women were treated in death, that religious faith has remained more or Jess constant for the past century and a half, that stones tend to display less personalized information in recent years, and that children under the age of five often possess more personal information, including kin terms, on their stones
Impact estimation: IT priority decisions
Given resource constraints, prioritization is a fundamental process within systems
engineering to decide what to implement. However, there is little guidance about this
process and existing IT prioritization methods have several problems, including
failing to adequately cater for stakeholder value. In response to these issues, this
research proposes an extension to an existing prioritization method, Impact
Estimation (IE) to create Value Impact Estimation (VIE). VIE extends IE to cater for
multiple stakeholder viewpoints and to move towards better capture of explicit
stakeholder value. The use of metrics offers VIE the means of expressing stakeholder
value that relates directly to real world data and so is informative to stakeholders and
decision makers. Having been derived from prioritization factors found in the
literature, stakeholder value has been developed into a multi-dimensional, composite
concept, associated with other fundamental system concepts: objectives,
requirements, designs, increment plans, increment deliverables and system contexts.
VIE supports the prioritization process by showing where the stakeholder value
resides for the proposed system changes. The prioritization method was proven to
work by exposing it to three live projects, which served as case studies to this
research. The use of the extended prioritization method was seen as very beneficial.
Based on the three case studies, it is possible to say that the method produces two
major benefits: the calculation of the stakeholder value to cost ratios (a form of ROI)
and the system understanding gained through creating the VIE table