Implementing Agile practices in a large game development company

Abstract. Large game development companies working with complex projects need to find ways to work iteratively and adjust to changing requirements in order to succeed. To achieve this, many of them turn to Agile frameworks and practices. In this thesis, the purpose is to analyze how these large game development companies implement Agile working practices and what are the related benefits and challenges. The roles of human skills in the implementation process are also examined. This is done by conducting a single-case study of the Agile implementation process in a case company. The findings of the study indicate that the Agile implementation process in the case company follows a general change process structure, which consists of seven core activities: recognition and start, diagnosis, planning, implementation and review, sustaining change, learning, and managing people issues. During the implementation process, the most significant challenges the case company faced were connected to implementing Agile ways of leading development, such as Product Ownership and Products Backlog. In addition, the relationship of human skills and Agile implementation appears to be cyclical; while well-developed human skills such as support, communication, and conflict solving skills make the implementation process easier, properly implemented Agile practices may also improve human skills. This study contributes to Agile implementation research by expanding the knowledge of Agile implementation in large game development organizations and elaborating the connection between the implementation process and change management theory. The findings of the study can also help those implementing Agile in game companies to predict the structure of the process and anticipate the potential challenges of it.Tiivistelmä. Suurten ja monimutkaisten projektien parissa työskentelevien pelialan yritysten täytyy löytää tapoja työskennellä iteratiivisesti ja sopeutua muutoksiin menestyäkseen. Tästä syystä monet niistä kääntyvät ketterien menetelmien puoleen. Tässä diplomityössä tarkoitus on analysoida sitä, miten nämä yritykset ottavat käyttöön ketteriä menetelmiä ja mitä hyötyjä ja haasteita prosessiin liittyy. Myös inhimillisten taitojen rooleja käyttöönottoprosessissa tutkitaan. Tutkimuksessa perehdytään ketterien menetelmien käyttöönottoon kohdeyrityksessä yksittäistapaustutkimuksena. Tutkimuksen tulokset osoittavat, että kohdeyrityksessä ketterien menetelmien käyttöönottoprosessi mukailee yleisen muutosprosessin rakennetta, joka koostuu seitsemästä toiminnosta: muutostarpeen tunnistamisesta ja prosessin aloittamisesta, diagnosoinnista, suunnittelusta, käyttöönotosta ja arvioinnista, muutoksen ylläpitämisestä, oppimisesta ja ihmisiin liittyvien asioiden johtamisesta. Keskeisimmät kohdeyrityksen käyttöönottoprosessin aikana kohtaamat haasteet liittyivät ketterien menetelmien mukaisten johtamistapojen käyttöönottoon kuten tuoteomistajuuteen ja tuotteen tehtävälistoihin. Inhimillisten taitojen ja ketterien menetelmien käyttöönoton suhde puolestaan vaikuttaa sykliseltä; samalla kun hyvät inhimilliset taidot kuten tuki-, kommunikaatio-, ja konfliktienselvittelytaidot tekevät käyttöönottoprosessista helpomman, voivat ketterät menetelmät puolestaan kehittää inhimillisiä taitoja. Tämä tutkimus edistää ketterien menetelmien käyttöönottoon liittyvää tutkimusta kasvattamalla ymmärrystä menetelmien käyttöönotosta suurissa pelialan yrityksissä ja lisäämällä tietoa käyttöönottoprosessin ja muutoksenhallinnan teorian välisestä yhteydestä. Tutkimuksen tulokset voivat myös auttaa ketterien menetelmien käyttöönottoa pelialan yrityksissä johtavia henkilöitä ennakoimaan käyttöönottoprosessin kulkua ja siihen liittyviä haasteita

CDC logic verification in RTL design

Abstract. This bachelor’s thesis provides overview of the clock domain crossing verification in RTL design. Metastability problem and different synchronization methods are explained, and the CDC verification flow is introduced. The work is focused to discuss about different challenges in the CDC verification.CDC Logic Verification in RTL Design CDC logiikan tarkastaminen RTL suunnittellussa. Tiivistelmä. Tämä kandidaatintyö antaa yleiskatsauksen kelloalueylitysten verifiointiin RTL suunnittelussa. Metastabiilisuus ja erilaiset synkronointitavat selitetään sekä CDC verifiointiprosessi esitetään. Työ painottuu tarkastelemaan erilaisia haasteita CDC verifioinnissa

Ideating IDNA: Lessons and Limitations From Leeches in Legacy Collections

Indirect methods for conducting faunal inventories present great promise, and genomic inventories derived from environmental sources (eDNA) are improving. Invertebrate ingested DNA (iDNA) from terrestrial leeches in the family Haemadipsidae has shown potential for surveying vertebrates and biodiversity monitoring in protected areas. Here we present an initial, and critical, evaluation of the limitations and biases of current iDNA protocols for biodiversity monitoring using both standard and NGS barcoding approaches. Key findings include the need for taxon relevant multi-locus markers and reference databases. In particular, the limitations of available reference databases have profound potential to mislead and bias eDNA and iDNA results if not critically interpreted. Nevertheless, there is great potential for recovery of amplifiable DNA from gut contents of invertebrate museum specimens which may reveal both temporal patterns and cryptic diversity in protected areas with increased efficiency. Our analyses of ingested DNA (iDNA) from both freshly stored and previously collected (legacy) samples of terrestrial leeches successfully identified vertebrates from Myanmar, Australia and Madagascar and indicate the potential to characterize microbial communities, pathogen diversity and interactions at low cost

Genetic diversity and structure in the Endangered Allen Cays Rock Iguana,Cyclura cychlura inornata

The Endangered Allen Cays Rock Iguana (Cyclura cychlura inornata) is endemic to the Allen Cays, a tiny cluster of islands in the Bahamas. Naturally occurring populations exist on only two cays (<4 ha each). However, populations of unknown origin were recently discovered on four additional cays. To investigate patterns of genetic variation among these populations, we analyzed nuclear and mitochondrial markers for 268 individuals. Analysis of three mitochondrial gene regions (2,328 bp) and data for eight nuclear microsatellite loci indicated low genetic diversity overall. Estimates of effective population sizes based on multilocus genotypes were also extremely low. Despite low diversity, significant population structuring and variation in genetic diversity measures were detected among cays. Genetic data confirm the source population for an experimentally translocated population while raising concerns regarding other, unauthorized, translocations. Reduced heterozygosity is consistent with a documented historical population decline due to overharvest. This study provides the first range-wide genetic analysis of this subspecies. We suggest strategies to maximize genetic diversity during ongoing recovery including additional translocations to establish assurance populations and additional protective measures for the two remaining natural populations

Genome-wide population affinities and signatures of adaptation in hydruntines, sussemiones and Asian wild asses

Abstract The extremely rich palaeontological record of the horse family, also known as equids, has provided many examples of macroevolutionary change over the last ~55 Mya. This family is also one of the most documented at the palaeogenomic level, with hundreds of ancient genomes sequenced. While these data have advanced understanding of the domestication history of horses and donkeys, the palaeogenomic record of other equids remains limited. In this study, we have generated genome-wide data for 25 ancient equid specimens spanning over 44 Ky and spread across Anatolia, the Caucasus, Central Asia and Mongolia. Our dataset includes the genomes from two extinct species, the European wild ass, Equus hydruntinus, and the sussemione Equus ovodovi. We document, for the first time, the presence of sussemiones in Mongolia and their survival around ~3.9 Kya, a finding that should be considered when discussing the timing of the first arrival of the domestic horse in the region. We also identify strong spatial differentiation within the historical ecological range of Asian wild asses, Equus hemionus, and incomplete reproductive isolation in several groups yet considered as different species. Finally, we find common selection signatures at ANTXR2 gene in European, Asian and African wild asses. This locus, which encodes a receptor for bacterial toxins, shows no selection signal in E.?ovodovi, but a 5.4-kb deletion within intron 7. Whether such genetic modifications played any role in the sussemione extinction remains unknown.1 Introduction 2 Materials and methods 2.1 Samples 2.2 Ancient DNA extraction, library construction and sequencing 2.3 Read processing, trimming and alignment 2.4 Mitochondrial sequencing data processing 2.5 Genomic variation calling 2.6 Principal component analysis (PCA) 2.7 Neighbour-joining phylogeny, genetic continuity and population modelling 2.8 Ancestry modelling 2.9 Gene flow and signatures of introgression 2.10 Selection signatures 3 Results 3.1 Genome sequencing and species identification 3.2 Genetic structure and diversity 3.3 Selection and adaptive introgression 4 Discussio

A New Horned Crocodile from the Plio-Pleistocene Hominid Sites at Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania

BACKGROUND: The fossil record reveals surprising crocodile diversity in the Neogene of Africa, but relationships with their living relatives and the biogeographic origins of the modern African crocodylian fauna are poorly understood. A Plio-Pleistocene crocodile from Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania, represents a new extinct species and shows that high crocodylian diversity in Africa persisted after the Miocene. It had prominent triangular "horns" over the ears and a relatively deep snout, these resemble those of the recently extinct Malagasy crocodile Voay robustus, but the new species lacks features found among osteolaemines and shares derived similarities with living species of Crocodylus. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The holotype consists of a partial skull and skeleton and was collected on the surface between two tuffs dated to approximately 1.84 million years (Ma), in the same interval near the type localities for the hominids Homo habilis and Australopithecus boisei. It was compared with previously-collected material from Olduvai Gorge referable to the same species. Phylogenetic analysis places the new form within or adjacent to crown Crocodylus. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The new crocodile species was the largest predator encountered by our ancestors at Olduvai Gorge, as indicated by hominid specimens preserving crocodile bite marks from these sites. The new species also reinforces the emerging view of high crocodylian diversity throughout the Neogene, and it represents one of the few extinct species referable to crown genus Crocodylus

Cryptic Diversity of African Tigerfish (Genus Hydrocynus) Reveals Palaeogeographic Signatures of Linked Neogene Geotectonic Events

The geobiotic history of landscapes can exhibit controls by tectonics over biotic evolution. This causal relationship positions ecologically specialized species as biotic indicators to decipher details of landscape evolution. Phylogeographic statistics that reconstruct spatio-temporal details of evolutionary histories of aquatic species, including fishes, can reveal key events of drainage evolution, notably where geochronological resolution is insufficient. Where geochronological resolution is insufficient, phylogeographic statistics that reconstruct spatio-temporal details of evolutionary histories of aquatic species, notably fishes, can reveal key events of drainage evolution. This study evaluates paleo-environmental causes of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) based phylogeographic records of tigerfishes, genus Hydrocynus, in order to reconstruct their evolutionary history in relation to landscape evolution across Africa. Strong geographical structuring in a cytochrome b (cyt-b) gene phylogeny confirms the established morphological diversity of Hydrocynus and reveals the existence of five previously unknown lineages, with Hydrocynus tanzaniae sister to a clade comprising three previously unknown lineages (Groups B, C and D) and H. vittatus. The dated phylogeny constrains the principal cladogenic events that have structured Hydrocynus diversity from the late Miocene to the Plio-Pleistocene (ca. 0–16 Ma). Phylogeographic tests reveal that the diversity and distribution of Hydrocynus reflects a complex history of vicariance and dispersals, whereby range expansions in particular species testify to changes to drainage basins. Principal divergence events in Hydrocynus have interfaced closely with evolving drainage systems across tropical Africa. Tigerfish evolution is attributed to dominant control by pulses of geotectonism across the African plate. Phylogenetic relationships and divergence estimates among the ten mtDNA lineages illustrates where and when local tectonic events modified Africa's Neogene drainage. Haplotypes shared amongst extant Hydrocynus populations across northern Africa testify to recent dispersals that were facilitated by late Neogene connections across the Nilo-Sahelian drainage. These events in tigerfish evolution concur broadly with available geological evidence and reveal prominent control by the African Rift System, evident in the formative events archived in phylogeographic records of tigerfish

Geographic Distribution, Habitat, Reproduction, and Conservation Status of Crocodilians in the Americas

The chapter gives an introductory overview on the biology of the 11 species of crocodilians inhabiting the Americas. Geographical distribution is broadly discussed in the light of biogeographical and evolutionary origins. As a broad generalization, crocodilians are morphologically, genetically, and ecologically conservative and show a high dispersal ability, which together complicate the delimitation of species boundaries. Furthermore, distinct clades of crocodilians are a result of environmental selection for different adaptive characteristics. Gene flow occurs between clades, but distinct morphological varieties are sometimes a result of environmental filters. Thus, many taxa of crocodilians can be considered ecological species. Reproductive characteristics, such as nest-site choice and female reproductive output, influence reproductive success and thus population trends, so we discuss reproductive and habitat characteristics in the light of conservation genetics. Finally, the status of crocodilians is discussed both in terms of past hunting pressure and current conservation and management initiatives. In general, crocodilians can look after themselves if they have sufficient habitat, but some species are critically endangered by hunting, even though much of their original habitat remains intact. Conservation actions must be applied locally, taking into account threats and dispersal between source and sink populations. Given the difficulty of studying the dispersal of crocodilians by direct observation in most places in Latin America, the definition of effective management units will depend on genetic studies that can be linked to economic or conservation goals