VoVo: a hybrid requirements prioritization technique in scrum-agile environment

Requirements prioritization is a crucial process in Requirements Engineering. However, selecting an appropriate technique in Scrum-Agile environment which can satisfy a quality factor such as scalability, effectiveness and efficiency can be difficult. Moreover, it becomes much more difficult if the stakeholders are distributed in different places and most of stakeholders tend to neglect this activity. This paper will proposed VoVo technique, a hybrid requirements prioritization technique which combined cumulative voting and Volere techniques. VoVo offers a structurally guided prioritization technique which can encourage user participation in prioritization process and also can mitigating the scalability issues especially in geographically distributed project. This hybrid technique is using two tiers prioritization process where in the first tier, the prioritization will be done by stakeholders while in the second tier requirementss will be prioritized by an experts usually a scrum master or project manager. The implemented VoVo has been evaluated through evaluation survey which addressed directly to scrum practitioners. Its suitability and effectiveness in managing and prioritizing requirements in Sprint Backlog will be measured based on testing and evaluation survey feedbacks. Hence, we conclude that VoVo technique is suitable to be used for managing and prioritizing requirements in Scrum project

Encouraging Optimal Aging through a Lifestyle Based on Islamic Psychospiritual Science

Ageing is an inevitable natural process that can give rise to concerns at both individual and societal levels if strategic planning is not in place to address the associated changes and ensure the well-being and satisfaction of this population. This article aims to explore the significance of healthcare for the elderly and the application of Islamic psychospiritual science in promoting healthy ageing by emphasizing lifestyle factors. The research employed a survey instrument administered to 307 randomly selected respondents, including elderly individuals and caregivers. The study was conducted across Malaysia from February 2022 to April 2022. The collected data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22 software. The study findings indicate that all the elements encompassing an Islamic psychospiritual lifestyle, including the physical, psychological, spiritual, and social aspects, hold great significance. The Cronbach's alpha (α) score for this study was calculated at 0.934, indicating a high level of internal consistency. The results of this study offer valuable insights for family members, caregivers, welfare organizations, nursing homes, and other entities involved in elderly care. These findings can guide the optimization of care aspects, particularly in light of the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Additionally, the study's outcomes can inform the development of modules or guidelines for elderly care, facilitating the caregiving process

OPTIMIZATION OF EDM SMALL HOLE DRILLING PROCESS USING TAGUCHI APPROACH

ABSTRACT Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) is a process used to remove or cut a material into desired shape through the action of spark discharge between the tool and work piece. The objective of this paper is to optimize the independent variables to achieve better accuracy in EDM small hole drilling by using Taguchi method. The L9 orthogonal array is employed to study the performance characteristics in drilling operations of mild steel (AS3679) as workpiece by using 1 mm copper (Cu) pipe electrode. Three drilling parameters namely, pulse off time, peak current and servo standard voltage are considered to optimize drilling hole diameter. The result concluded that use of greater pulse off time, greater peak current and medium servo standard voltage give the better hole diameter for the specific test range. Further study in this topic could consider different factor such as pulse on time, material removal rate (MRR) and coolants to investigate how these factors would affect hole diameter

The Role of Islamic Psychospiritual in Building Self-Resilience of Cancer Caregivers

The global community is increasingly recognizing the integration of health science with religion and spirituality. In Malaysia, the field of Islamic psychospiritual science, which combines psychology with spirituality and Islamic teachings, has garnered significant research attention, particularly in addressing the challenges faced by cancer caregivers. These caregivers, often referred to as "hidden patients," experience a range of difficulties including physical, emotional, spiritual, social, and financial burdens that adversely affect their quality of life. However, society tends to prioritize the health and well-being of the patients over that of the caregivers. In reality, caregivers place the needs of the patients above their own in all aspects. Spiritual, religious, and emotional distress are prevalent concerns for both patients and caregivers during the crisis of cancer, which is often associated with mortality. Hence, the objective of this article is to explore the role of Islamic psychospiritual knowledge in supporting cancer caregivers, specifically in addressing their spiritual, religious, and emotional well-being. The data collection process utilizes library methods based on key findings from previous studies, while data analysis is conducted using a thematic analysis approach. The findings of this study indicate that religious aspects emphasized in Islamic psychospiritual disciplines can enhance caregivers' resilience in effectively managing various cancer-related challenges, thereby improving their overall quality of life. Hence, the significance of the spiritual and religious dimension, which acts as a protective factor, should not be disregarded. Lastly, this article proposes the provision of spiritual and religious educational materials within medical settings as valuable resources for cancer caregivers to reinforce their own well-being

Therapeutic DNA vaccine induces broad T cell responses in the gut and sustained protection from viral rebound and AIDS in SIV-infected rhesus macaques.

Immunotherapies that induce durable immune control of chronic HIV infection may eliminate the need for life-long dependence on drugs. We investigated a DNA vaccine formulated with a novel genetic adjuvant that stimulates immune responses in the blood and gut for the ability to improve therapy in rhesus macaques chronically infected with SIV. Using the SIV-macaque model for AIDS, we show that epidermal co-delivery of plasmids expressing SIV Gag, RT, Nef and Env, and the mucosal adjuvant, heat-labile E. coli enterotoxin (LT), during antiretroviral therapy (ART) induced a substantial 2-4-log fold reduction in mean virus burden in both the gut and blood when compared to unvaccinated controls and provided durable protection from viral rebound and disease progression after the drug was discontinued. This effect was associated with significant increases in IFN-γ T cell responses in both the blood and gut and SIV-specific CD8+ T cells with dual TNF-α and cytolytic effector functions in the blood. Importantly, a broader specificity in the T cell response seen in the gut, but not the blood, significantly correlated with a reduction in virus production in mucosal tissues and a lower virus burden in plasma. We conclude that immunizing with vaccines that induce immune responses in mucosal gut tissue could reduce residual viral reservoirs during drug therapy and improve long-term treatment of HIV infection in humans

Syndromic Recognition of Influenza A Infection in a Low Prevalence Community Setting

BACKGROUND: With epidemics of influenza A virus infection, people and medical professionals are all concerned about symptoms or syndromes that may indicate the infection with influenza A virus. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: A prospective study was performed at a community clinic of a metropolitan area. Throat swab was sampled for 3-6 consecutive adult patients with new episode (<3 days) of respiratory tract infection every weekday from Dec. 8, 2005 to Mar. 31, 2006. Demographic data, relevant history, symptoms and signs were recorded. Samples were processed with multiplex real time PCR for 9 common respiratory tract pathogens and by virus culture. Throat swab samples were positive for Influenza A virus with multiplex real time PCR system in 12 of 240 patients. The 12 influenza A positive cases were with more clusters and chills than the other 228. Certain symptoms and syndromes increased the likelihood of influenza A virus infection. The syndrome of high fever plus chills plus cough, better with clustering of cases in household or workplace, is with the highest likelihood (positive likelihood ratio 95; 95% CI 12-750). Absence of both cluster and chills provides moderate evidence against the infection (negative likelihood ratio 0.51; 95% CI 0.29-0.90). CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Syndromic recognition is not diagnostic but is useful for discriminating between influenza A infection and common cold. In addition to relevant travel history, confirmatory molecular test can be applied to subjects with high likelihood when the disease prevalence is low

Short-Wavelength Spin Waves in Yttrium Iron Garnet Micro-Channels on Silicon

Yttrium iron garnet (YIG) has been widely used in spin wave studies thanks to its low Gilbert damping constant. However, most high-quality YIG films are grown on gadolinium gallium garnet (GGG) substrate, which makes it difficult to integrate with existing semiconductor technology. We show spin wave excitation in a nanometer-thick YIG micro-channel on silicon substrate. The YIG is grown by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) in high-purity oxygen followed by rapid thermal annealing at 800 degrees C after deposition. Using meander coplanar waveguides at submicrometer scale, spin waves with wavelength down to 1 mu m are excited. By measuring the linewidth of the spin wave reflection spectra, a Gilbert damping constant alpha = 1.9 x 10(-3) was obtained

Polymorphic Allele of Human IRGM1 Is Associated with Susceptibility to Tuberculosis in African Americans

An ancestral polymorphic allele of the human autophagy-related gene IRGM1 is associated with altered gene expression and a genetic risk for Crohn's Disease (CD). We used the single nucleotide polymorphism rs10065172C/T as a marker of this polymorphic allele and genotyped 370 African American and 177 Caucasian tuberculosis (TB) cases and 180 African American and 110 Caucasian controls. Among African Americans, the TB cases were more likely to carry the CD-related T allele of rs10065172 (odds ratio of 1.54; 95% confidence interval, 1.17–2.02; P<0.01) compared to controls. Our finding suggests that this CD-related IRGM1 polymorphic allele is also associated with human susceptibility to TB disease among African Americans