Towards a serious game to teach ISO/IEC 12207 software lifecycle process: an interactive learning approach

ISO/IEC12207 training is a key element to provide an ability to software development organizations for selecting a set of required processes, measuring the performance of these processes, and continuously improving them. Traditionally, such training is either performed by an expert individual to the software quality management personnel most likely in form of a seminar in a classroom environment. This may also be given by a suitability qualified professional, such as a registered auditor. However, software requirements are usually subject to change, and therefore such training is not enough to teach the substantial details of the entire standard. This has led to increased reports of complications, which demotivates organization to use this standard. To improve the quality of training, a 3D serious game was proposed for the software practitioners. The preliminary idea here is that the game employs 3D office landscape to provide a realistic virtual environment ensuring that the training will be based on real word like situations. Before building a prototype for our serious game, we consulted five industrial experts whose works are related with ISO standards. To give these practitioners an opportunity to explore the conceptual design and raise some potential problems, the semi-structured interview method was used. Based on the suggestions of experts, dynamics and mechanics of the proposed game were updated. Taken together, initial results suggest that a serious game for teaching ISO/IEC 12207 should be useful for individuals who are interested to learn more about the standard

The dynamics of root cap sloughing in Arabidopsis is regulated by peptide signalling

The root cap protects the stem cell niche of angiosperm roots from damage. In Arabidopsis, lateral root cap (LRC) cells covering the meristematic zone are regularly lost through programmed cell death, while the outermost layer of the root cap covering the tip is repeatedly sloughed. Efficient coordination with stem cells producing new layers is needed to maintain a constant size of the cap. We present a signalling pair, the peptide IDA-LIKE1 (IDL1) and its receptor HAESA-LIKE2 (HSL2), mediating such communication. Live imaging over several days characterized this process from initial fractures in LRC cell files to full separation of a layer. Enhanced expression of IDL1 in the separating root cap layers resulted in increased frequency of sloughing, balanced with generation of new layers in a HSL2-dependent manner. Transcriptome analyses linked IDL1-HSL2 signalling to the transcription factors BEARSKIN1/2 and genes associated with programmed cell death. Mutations in either IDL1 or HSL2 slowed down cell division, maturation and separation. Thus, IDL1-HSL2 signalling potentiates dynamic regulation of the homeostatic balance between stem cell division and sloughing activity

Phase I dose escalation study of BI 836826 (CD37 antibody) in patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma

BI 836826 is a chimeric immunoglobulin G1 antibody targeting CD37, a tetraspanin transmembrane protein predominantly expressed on normal and malignant B cells. This phase I, open-label study used a modified 3 + 3 design to evaluate the safety, maximum tolerated dose (MTD), pharmacokinetics, and preliminary activity of BI 836826 in patients with relapsed/refractory B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL; NCT01403948). Eligible patients received up to three courses comprising an intravenous infusion (starting dose: 1 mg) once weekly for 4 weeks followed by an observation period of 27 (Course 1, 2) or 55 days (Course 3). Patients had to demonstrate clinical benefit before commencing treatment beyond course 2. Forty-eight patients were treated. In the dose escalation phase (1-200 mg) involving 37 Caucasian patients, the MTD was 100 mg. Dose-limiting toxicities occurred in four patients during the MTD evaluation period, and included stomatitis, febrile neutropenia, hypocalcemia, hypokalemia, and hypophosphatemia. The most common adverse events were neutropenia (57%), leukopenia (57%), and thrombocytopenia (41%), and were commonly of grade 3 or 4. Overall, 18 (38%) patients experienced infusion-related reactions, which were mostly grade 1 or 2. Preliminary evidence of anti-tumor activity was seen; three patients responded to treatment, including one complete remission in a Korean patient with diffuse large B cell lymphoma. BI 836826 plasma exposure increased more than proportionally with increasing doses. BI 836826 demonstrated preliminary activity; the most frequent adverse events were hematotoxicity and infusion-related reactions which were manageable after amending the infusion schedule. Although BI 856826 will not undergo further clinical development, these results confirm CD37 as a valid therapeutic target in B cell NHL

Multi-tier Loyalty Programs to Stimulate Customer Engagement

Customers differ in their purchase behavior, profitability, attitude toward the firm, and so on. These differences between customers have led to numerous firms introducing multi-tier loyalty programs. A multi-tier loyalty program explicitly distinguishes between customers by means of hierarchical tiers (e.g. Silver, Gold, Platinum) and assigns customers to different tiers based on their past purchase behavior. Next, customers in different tiers are provided varying levels of tangible rewards and intangible benefits, which are potentially powerful instruments to stimulate customer engagement. In this chapter, we focus on the design and effectiveness of such multi-tier loyalty programs. Building on loyalty program and customer prioritization research, we discuss whether, why, and how multi-tier loyalty programs are effective (or not) in influencing customer behavior, thereby enhancing customer engagement and financial performance

Performance improvement of silicon solar cells by nanoporous silicon coating

In the present paper the method is shown to improve the photovoltaic parameters of screenprinted silicon solar cells by nanoporous silicon film formation on the frontal surface of the cell using the electrochemical etching. The possible mechanisms responsible for observed improvement of silicon solar cell performance are discussed.Исследовано улучшение фотоэлектрических параметров кремниевых солнечных элементов, полученных методом трафаретной печати, за счет образования слоя пористого кремния на фронтальной поверхности элемента. Рассмотрены возможные механизмы, ответственные за улучшение производительности кремниевой солнечной ячейки.Досліджено поліпшення фотоелектричних параметрів кремнієвих сонячних елементів, отриманих методом трафаретного друку, за рахунок утворення шару пористого кремнію на фронтальній поверхні елемента. Розглянуто можливі механізми, відповідальні за поліпшення продуктивності кремнієвого сонячного елемента