170 research outputs found
Process Efficiency - Adapting Flow to the Agile Improvement Effort
In Scrum, we measure performance using velocity. However, the velocity of one team cannot be compared to the velocity of another, since it is a relative measure that is only of meaning to the team using it. So can we objectively measure the performance of teams? Measuring Value Added Time as a percentage of Total Time is a metric that is used in Lean Manufacturing to help get a better understanding of production processes and optimize those processes. This paper introduces an adaptation of this metric to the Agile environment. Giving teams an objective insight into their efficiency helps them optimize their efficiency and compare themselves to other teams. This adapted metric is called Process Efficiency and is comparable across teams, technologies, and domains of practice
Better Scrum through Essence
We live at an exciting time where software has become a dominant aspect of our everyday life. Although software provides opportunities for improving various aspects of our society, it also presents many challenges. One of them is development, deployment and sustaining of high quality software on a broad scale. While agile methods (Scrum being one of the most prominent examples) ease the process, their popularity deteriorates the clarity and simplicity they were once meant to bring into software development. This article explores the synergy of Scrum and Essence, a domain model of software engineering processes, intending to become a common ground for software development methods, bringing clarity into the composition of methods from individual practices. This short communication motivates the interplay of Scrum and Essence, being accompanied with a set of videotutorials and 21 Scrum Essential cards to further guide more effective team's way of working
Direct Measurement of the Quantum Wavefunction
Central to quantum theory, the wavefunction is the complex distribution used
to completely describe a quantum system. Despite its fundamental role, it is
typically introduced as an abstract element of the theory with no explicit
definition. Rather, physicists come to a working understanding of the
wavefunction through its use to calculate measurement outcome probabilities via
the Born Rule. Presently, scientists determine the wavefunction through
tomographic methods, which estimate the wavefunction that is most consistent
with a diverse collection of measurements. The indirectness of these methods
compounds the problem of defining the wavefunction. Here we show that the
wavefunction can be measured directly by the sequential measurement of two
complementary variables of the system. The crux of our method is that the first
measurement is performed in a gentle way (i.e. weak measurement) so as not to
invalidate the second. The result is that the real and imaginary components of
the wavefunction appear directly on our measurement apparatus. We give an
experimental example by directly measuring the transverse spatial wavefunction
of a single photon, a task not previously realized by any method. We show that
the concept is universal, being applicable both to other degrees of freedom of
the photon (e.g. polarization, frequency, etc.) and to other quantum systems
(e.g. electron spin-z quantum state, SQUIDs, trapped ions, etc.). Consequently,
this method gives the wavefunction a straightforward and general definition in
terms of a specific set of experimental operations. We expect it to expand the
range of quantum systems scientists are able to characterize and initiate new
avenues to understand fundamental quantum theory
Oncostatin M Promotes Mammary Tumor Metastasis to Bone and Osteolytic Bone Degradation
Oncostatin M (OSM) is an interleukin-6 (IL-6) family cytokine that has been implicated in a number of biological processes including inflammation, hematopoiesis, immune responses, development, and bone homeostasis. Recent evidence suggests that OSM may promote breast tumor invasion and metastasis. We investigated the role of OSM in the formation of bone metastases in vivo using the 4T1.2 mouse mammary tumor model in which OSM expression was knocked down using shRNA (4T1.2-OSM). 4T1.2-OSM cells were injected orthotopically into Balb/c mice, resulting in a greater than 97% decrease in spontaneous metastasis to bone compared to control cells. Intratibial injection of these same 4T1.2-OSM cells also dramatically reduced the osteolytic destruction of trabecular bone volume compared to control cells. Furthermore, in a tumor resection model, mice bearing 4T1.2-OSM tumors showed an increase in survival by a median of 10 days. To investigate the specific cellular mechanisms important for OSM-induced osteolytic metastasis to bone, an in vitro model was developed using the RAW 264.7 preosteoclast cell line co-cultured with 4T1.2 mouse mammary tumor cells. Treatment of co-cultures with OSM resulted in a 3-fold induction of osteoclastogenesis using the TRAP assay. We identified several tumor cell–induced factors including vascular endothelial growth factor, IL-6, and a previously uncharacterized OSM-regulated bone metastasis factor, amphiregulin (AREG), which increased osteoclast differentiation by 4.5-fold. In addition, pretreatment of co-cultures with an anti-AREG neutralizing antibody completely reversed OSM-induced osteoclastogenesis. Our results suggest that one mechanism for OSM-induced osteoclast differentiation is via an AREG autocrine loop, resulting in decreased osteoprotegerin secretion by the 4T1.2 cells. These data provide evidence that OSM might be an important therapeutic target for the prevention of breast cancer metastasis to bone
- …