A clustering based technique for large scale prioritization during requirements elicitation

We consider the prioritization problem in cases where the number of requirements to prioritize is large using a clustering technique. Clustering is a method used to find classes of data elements with respect to their attributes. KMeans, one of the most popular clustering algorithms, was adopted in this research. To utilize k-means algorithm for solving requirements prioritization problems, weights of attributes of requirement sets from relevant project stakeholders are required as input parameters. This paper showed that, the output of running k-means algorithm on requirement sets varies depending on the weights provided by relevant stakeholders. The proposed approach was validated using a requirement dataset known as RALIC. The results suggested that, a synthetic method with scrambled centroids is effective for prioritizing requirements using k-means clustering

Compatibility of radial, Lorenz and harmonic gauges

We observe that the radial gauge can be consistently imposed \emph{together} with the Lorenz gauge in Maxwell theory, and with the harmonic traceless gauge in linearized general relativity. This simple observation has relevance for some recent developments in quantum gravity where the radial gauge is implicitly utilized.Comment: 9 pages, minor changes in the bibliograph

Many-nodes/many-links spinfoam: the homogeneous and isotropic case

I compute the Lorentzian EPRL/FK/KKL spinfoam vertex amplitude for regular graphs, with an arbitrary number of links and nodes, and coherent states peaked on a homogeneous and isotropic geometry. This form of the amplitude can be applied for example to a dipole with an arbitrary number of links or to the 4-simplex given by the compete graph on 5 nodes. All the resulting amplitudes have the same support, independently of the graph used, in the large j (large volume) limit. This implies that they all yield the Friedmann equation: I show this in the presence of the cosmological constant. This result indicates that in the semiclassical limit quantum corrections in spinfoam cosmology do not come from just refining the graph, but rather from relaxing the large j limit.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figure

Analyzing requirements of knowledge management systems with the support of agent organizations

Knowledge Management (KM) is considered by many organizations a key aspect in sustaining competitive advantage. Designing appropriate KM processes and enabling technology face considerable risks, as they must be shaped to respond to specific needs of the organizational environment. Thus, many systems are abandoned or fall into disuse because of inadequate understanding of the organizational context. This motivates current research, which tends to propose agent organizations as a useful paradigm for KM systems engineering. Following these approaches, organizations are analyzed as collective systems, composed of several agents, each of them autonomously producing and managing their own local data according to their own logic, needs, and interpretative schema, i.e. their goals and beliefs. These agents interact and coordinate for goal achievement defining a coherent local knowledge system. This paper presents a novel methodology for analyzing the requirements of a KM system based on an iterative workflow where a pivotal role is played by agent-oriented modeling. Within this approach, the needs for KM systems are traced back to the organization stakeholders’ goals. A case study is used to illustrate the methodology. The relationship of this work with current studies in agent organizations and organizational knowledge management is also discussed. Differently from other works, this methodology aims at offering a practical guideline to the analyst, pointing out the appropriate abstractions to be used in the different phases of the analysis

Physical interaction between MYCN oncogene and polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) in neuroblastoma: Functional and therapeutic implications

This article is made available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund. © 2013 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.CLU (clusterin) is a tumor suppressor gene that we have previously shown to be negatively modulated by the MYCN proto-oncogene, but the mechanism of repression was unclear. Here, we show that MYCN inhibits the expression of CLU by direct interaction with the non-canonical E box sequence CACGCG in the 5′-flanking region. Binding of MYCN to the CLU gene induces bivalent epigenetic marks and recruitment of repressive proteins such as histone deacetylases and Polycomb members. MYCN physically binds in vitro and in vivo to EZH2, a component of the Polycomb repressive complex 2, required to repress CLU. Notably, EZH2 interacts with the Myc box domain 3, a segment of MYC known to be essential for its transforming effects. The expression of CLU can be restored in MYCN-amplified cells by epigenetic drugs with therapeutic results. Importantly, the anticancer effects of the drugs are ablated if CLU expression is blunted by RNA interference. Our study implies that MYC tumorigenesis can be effectively antagonized by epigenetic drugs that interfere with the recruitment of chromatin modifiers at repressive E boxes of tumor suppressor genes such as CLU.SPARKS, The Neuroblastoma Society, a Wellcome Trust grant (to A. S.), and the Italian Association for Cancer Research

Summary of the CMS Discovery Potential for the MSSM SUSY Higgses

This work summarises the present understanding of the expected MSSM SUSY Higgs reach for CMS. Many of the studies presented here result from detailed detector simulations incorporating final CMS detector design and response. With 30 fb-1 the h -> gamma,gamma and h -> bb channels allow to cover most of the MSSM parameter space. For the massive A,H,H+ MSSM Higgs states the channels A,H -> tau,tau and H+ -> tau,nu turn out to be the most profitable ones in terms of mass reach and parameter space coverage. Consequently CMS has made a big effort to trigger efficiently on taus. Provided neutralinos and sleptons are not too heavy, there is an interesting complementarity in the reaches for A,H -> tau,tau and A,H -> chi,chi.Comment: 19 pages, 27 figure

Correction to: Analysing app reviews for software engineering: a systematic literature review (Empirical Software Engineering, (2022), 27, 2, (43), 10.1007/s10664-021-10065-7)

The original version of this article, unfortunately, contained mistakes. The surname of the first author, Jacek Dąbrowski, was misspelled throughout the online version of the article as “Dębrowski.” The surname, however, is correct in the PDF version. The original article has been corrected

DC and AC Electrical Characterization of Stacks of HTS Tapes

Today the Bi-2223 tape represents a suitable candidate for the use in various HTS devices. The LHC current leads use Bi-2223 tapes soldered together in short lengths, forming stacks of rugged HTS conductors. Critical current and AC loss measurements were performed on BSCCO stacks, in the temperature range of 65 K and 77 K and in magnetic fields of up to 0.5 T. The experimental results reported in this paper give a broad description of the stacks behavior in the range of current and field values of practical interest, and provide design parameters for the optimization of current leads operating both in DC and pulsed conditions

Using Hypervideo to support undergraduate students' reflection on work practices: a qualitative study

Abstract According to several exploratory studies, the HyperVideo seems to be particularly useful in highlighting the existing connections between the school-based and the work-based contexts, between authentic work situations and theoretical underpinnings. This tool and its features, in particular, the video annotation, seems to constitute an instrument which facilitates the students' reflection on work-practices. Even though several researchers have already studied the efficacy of HyperVideo, studies concerning the qualitative differences between a reflection process activated with or without its use are still missing. Therefore, the present contribution is focused on the reflective processes activated by two groups of students engaged in a higher education course while they carry out a reflective activity on work practices using the HyperVideo or not. The aim is to investigate wether the HyperVideo can be useful for students to foster the connection between theoretical concepts and work practices. Through multi-step qualitative analysis which combined Thematic Qualitative Text Analysis and Grounded Theory, a sample of reflective reports drafted by a group of students who employed HiperVideo to make a video-interview on a work-practice and to reflect on it (Group A) was compared with a sample of reflective reports drafted by a group who did not use it to complete the same task (Group B). The results emerging from the comparison of the coding frequencies between the two groups show that HyperVideo can support the reflective processes of students, better connecting theory and professional practice

Asymptotics of LQG fusion coefficients

The fusion coefficients from SO(3) to SO(4) play a key role in the definition of spin foam models for the dynamics in Loop Quantum Gravity. In this paper we give a simple analytic formula of the EPRL fusion coefficients. We study the large spin asymptotics and show that they map SO(3) semiclassical intertwiners into $SU(2)_L\times SU(2)_R$ semiclassical intertwiners. This non-trivial property opens the possibility for an analysis of the semiclassical behavior of the model.Comment: 14 pages, minor change