Un lenguaje de modelado para representar visualmente las decisiones de diseño arquitectónico y su rationale: Rationale

The architectural rationale is the set of reasons behind the decisions made when designing the architecture of a software system. Normally, this rationale remains in the minds of designers and others involved in the design. Therefore, the reasoning behind the decisions that underpin the architecture model may be lost if not properly documented, causing maintainability problems in the software. In practice, the rationale is not documented or is documented in the middle of the architectural descriptions, which makes it difficult to understand and support subsequent decisions, within the development and maintenance of software, which is more critical in the agile approach to development. To address this problem, this paper proposes a documentation approach that combines rationale modeling with a focus on decisions made in projects that use agile methods, to specify a language that provides the basis for the construction of a tool that we have called DRML (Decisions and Rationale Modeling Language). The language is evaluated to document the rationale in the framework of the Unique Indigenous Information System (SUIIN, for its acronym in Spanish) project, in the context of a public entity that within its processes has a work team made up of systems engineers focused on software development. This evaluation has established that the approach provides sufficient expressiveness to document the decisions and their rationale, however, it has limitations to scale the modeling for a large number of decisions and their relationships.El rationale arquitectónico es el conjunto de razones detrás de las decisiones tomadas al diseñar la arquitectura de un sistema de software. Normalmente, dicho rationale se queda en las mentes de los diseñadores y demás involucrados en el diseño. Por lo tanto, el razonamiento detrás de las decisiones que sustentan el modelo de arquitectura puede perderse si no se documenta adecuadamente, causando problemas de mantenibilidad en el software. En la práctica, el rationale no se documenta o se documenta en medio de las descripciones arquitecturales, lo cual dificulta su comprensión y apoyo a las decisiones posteriores, dentro del desarrollo y mantenimiento de software, lo cual resulta más crítico en el enfoque ágil de desarrollo. Para abordar este problema, en este trabajo se propone un enfoque de documentación que combina el modelado del rationale, con foco en las decisiones que se toman en proyectos que utilizan métodos ágiles, con el fin de especificar un lenguaje que fundamente las bases para la construcción de una herramienta que hemos denominado Decisions and rationale modeling language (DRML). El lenguaje es evaluado para documentar el rationale en el marco del proyecto “Sistema Único de Información Indígena (SUIIN)”, en el contexto de una entidad pública que dentro sus procesos tienen un equipo de trabajo conformado por ingenieros de sistemas, enfocados en el desarrollo de software. Dicha evaluación ha permitido establecer que el enfoque brinda la suficiente expresividad para documentar las decisiones y su rationale, sin embargo, presenta limitaciones para escalar el modelado para un número grande de decisiones y sus relaciones

Estado da arte: dessalinização por meio de tecnologias de membrana como alternativa ao problema de escassez de água doce

Considering the scarce availability of fresh water, the accelerated growth of population and the contamination of water resources, it is necessary to look for alternatives to take advantage of the brackish resources and water from the oceans. Numerous investigations in the field of desalination processes –emphasizing in the separation by membranes–, have allowed the potabilization of sea water in economically viable conditions and without major problems. The objective of this article is to compile the main advances worldwide regarding desalination processes. As a result of the analysis of the scientific evidence found, some future challenges are highlighted, which include: use of renewable energy sources in the processes, reduction in the use of chemical products; use of innovative materials for membranes, the search for more effective and profitable pretreatment solutions, and reduction of the total cost of water for the consumer.Teniendo en cuenta la poca disponibilidad de agua dulce, el acelerado crecimiento de la población y la contaminación del recurso hídrico, es necesario buscar alternativas para aprovechar los recursos salobres y el agua contenida en los océanos. Numerosas investigaciones en el campo de los procesos de desalinización –entre los cuales se resalta la separación por membranas– han permitido volver potable el agua de mar en condiciones económicamente viables, sin grandes dificultades. El objetivo de este artículo es recopilar los principales avances a nivel mundial sobre los procesos de desalinización. Como resultado del análisis de la evidencia científica encontrada, se resaltan algunos desafíos a futuro que incluyen: el uso de fuentes de energía renovable en los procesos, la reducción en el uso de productos químicos, el uso de materiales innovadores para las membranas, la búsqueda de soluciones de pretratamiento más efectivos y rentables, y la disminución del costo total del agua para el consumidor.Ao considerar a pouca disponibilidade de água doce, o acelerado crescimento da população e a contaminação do recurso hídrico, é preciso buscar alternativas para aproveitar os recursos salubres e a água contida nos oceanos. Numerosas pesquisas no campo dos processos de dessalinização —entre os quais se destaca a separação por membranas— permitiram tornar a água do mar potável em condições economicamente viáveis, sem grandes dificuldades. O objetivo deste artigo é reunir os principais avanços mundiais sobre os processos de dessalinização. Como resultado da análise da evidencia científica encontrada, destacam-se alguns dos desafios futuros, que incluem: o uso de fontes de energia renovável nos processos, a redução no uso de produtos químicos, o uso de materiais inovadores para as membranas, a busca por soluções de pré-tratamento mais efetivas e rentáveis e a diminuição do custo total da água para o consumidor

Evaluation of different bowel preparations for small bowel capsule endoscopy: a prospective, randomized, controlled study

To obtain an adequate view of the whole small intestine during capsule endoscopy (CE) a clear liquid diet and overnight fasting is recommended. However, intestinal content can hamper vision in spite of these measures. Our aim was to evaluate tolerance and degree of intestinal cleanliness during CE following three types of bowel preparation. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a prospective, multicenter, randomized, controlled study. Two-hundred ninety-one patients underwent one of the following preparations: 4 L of clear liquids (CL) (group A; 92 patients); 90 mL of aqueous sodium phosphate (group B; 89 patients); or 4 L of a polyethylene glycol electrolyte solution (group C; 92 patients). The degree of cleanliness of the small bowel was classified by blinded examiners according to four categories (excellent, good, fair or poor). The degree of patient satisfaction, gastric and small bowel transit times, and diagnostic yield were measured. RESULTS: The degree of cleanliness did not differ significantly between the groups (P = 0.496). Interobserver concordance was fair (k = 0.38). No significant differences were detected between the diagnostic yields of the CE (P = 0.601). Gastric transit time was 35.7 +/- 3.7 min (group A), 46.1 +/- 8.6 min (group B) and 34.6 +/- 5.0 min (group C) (P = 0.417). Small-intestinal transit time was 276.9 +/- 10.7 min (group A), 249.7 +/- 13.1 min (group B) and 245.6 +/- 11.6 min (group C) (P = 0.120). CL was the best tolerated preparation. Compliance with the bowel preparation regimen was lowest in group C (P = 0.008). CONCLUSIONS: A clear liquid diet and overnight fasting is sufficient to achieve an adequate level of cleanliness and is better tolerated by patients than other forms of preparation

Un lenguaje de modelado para representar visualmente las decisiones de diseño arquitectónico y su rationale

The architectural rationale is the set of reasons behind the decisions made when designing the architecture of a software system. Normally, this rationale remains in the minds of designers and others involved in the design. Therefore, the reasoning behind the decisions that underpin the architecture model may be lost if not properly documented, causing maintainability problems in the software. In practice, the rationale is not documented or is documented in the middle of the architectural descriptions, which makes it difficult to understand and support subsequent decisions, within the development and maintenance of software, which is more critical in the agile approach to development. To address this problem, this paper proposes a documentation approach that combines rationale modeling with a focus on decisions made in projects that use agile methods, to specify a language that provides the basis for the construction of a tool that we have called DRML (Decisions and Rationale Modeling Language). The language is evaluated to document the rationale in the framework of the Unique Indigenous Information System (SUIIN, for its acronym in Spanish) project, in the context of a public entity that within its processes has a work team made up of systems engineers focused on software development. This evaluation has established that the approach provides sufficient expressiveness to document the decisions and their rationale, however, it has limitations to scale the modeling for a large number of decisions and their relationships.El rationale arquitectónico es el conjunto de razones detrás de las decisiones tomadas al diseñar la arquitectura de un sistema de software. Normalmente, dicho rationale se queda en las mentes de los diseñadores y demás involucrados en el diseño. Por lo tanto, el razonamiento detrás de las decisiones que sustentan el modelo de arquitectura puede perderse si no se documenta adecuadamente, causando problemas de mantenibilidad en el software. En la práctica, el rationale no se documenta o se documenta en medio de las descripciones arquitecturales, lo cual dificulta su comprensión y apoyo a las decisiones posteriores, dentro del desarrollo y mantenimiento de software, lo cual resulta más crítico en el enfoque ágil de desarrollo. Para abordar este problema, en este trabajo se propone un enfoque de documentación que combina el modelado del rationale, con foco en las decisiones que se toman en proyectos que utilizan métodos ágiles, con el fin de especificar un lenguaje que fundamente las bases para la construcción de una herramienta que hemos denominado Decisions and rationale modeling language (DRML). El lenguaje es evaluado para documentar el rationale en el marco del proyecto “Sistema Único de Información Indígena (SUIIN)”, en el contexto de una entidad pública que dentro sus procesos tienen un equipo de trabajo conformado por ingenieros de sistemas, enfocados en el desarrollo de software. Dicha evaluación ha permitido establecer que el enfoque brinda la suficiente expresividad para documentar las decisiones y su rationale, sin embargo, presenta limitaciones para escalar el modelado para un número grande de decisiones y sus relaciones

Factores que impactan el direccionamiento estratégico en la Institución Educativa Rosa Lía Mafla de Jamundí

Introduction: A school becomes successful as long as its direction has been aligned with the educational participants (teachers-students, parents, community and productive sector), a very well developed plan and factors that influence the strategic direction such as leadership, institutional environment and empowerment.Objective: To identify the factors that impact on the strategic direction at Rosa Lia Mafla school from Jamundi-Valle. Justification: This thesis is mainly going to be focused on how to involve all institutional personnel in daily activities in different ways as well as how they get into internal processes being carried out in the institution. Method: Three techniques were implemented in order to gather information: surveys, interviews and observation. The type of investigation is exploratory since it is pretended to provide a general reference in regards to the strategic direction in order to come up with conclusions and suggestions, by taking into account key aspects by authors such as Ken Blanchard, Goleman, Idalberto, Chiavetano, Michel Porter among others. 12 teachers, 4 coordinators, a principal and a tutor were involved for this purpose. Conclusions: There should be a municipal educational policy which supports different processes since the presence of authorities is very important not only to impose regulations, but to guide, this is a suggested aspect by the ones who have been working on this thesis.Introducción. El éxito de una institución educativa, se logra partir de la alineación de la dirección con los agentes educativos (docentes-estudiantes- padres de familia, comunidad y sector productivo), el buen desarrollo de la planeación y factores que inciden en el direccionamiento estratégico: liderazgo, el clima organizacional y el empowerment. Objetivo. Identificar los factores que impactan el direccionamiento estratégico en la I.E Rosa Lía Mafla de Jamundí - Valle. Justificación. La importancia de este trabajo radica en el conocimiento de las diferentes maneras de cómo se motiva e involucra al personal en las actividades cotidianas y se articulan con los procesos internos que se dan dentro de la institución. Método. Se emplearon tres técnicas de recolección de información: encuestas, entrevistas y observación. El tipo de investigación es exploratoria, puesto que se busca proveer una referencia general respecto al direccionamiento estratégico desarrollado, y desde allí realizar conclusiones y sugerencias, teniendo presente aspectos claves planteados por autores como Ken Blanchard, Goleman, Idalberto Chiavenato, Michel Porter, entre otros. La muestra fue de 12 docentes, 4 coordinadores, 1 rector y 1 tutor. Conclusiones. Debería existir una política educativa municipal que apoye los diferentes procesos y exista de algún modo la autoridad no para imponer sino para guiar, aspecto sugerido por quienes lideran presente trabajo

Estado del arte: desalinización mediante tecnologías de membrana como alternativa frente al problema de escasez de agua dulce

Considering the scarce availability of fresh water, the accelerated growth of population and the contamination of water resources, it is necessary to look for alternatives to take advantage of the brackish resources and water from the oceans. Numerous investigations in the field of desalination processes –emphasizing in the separation by membranes–, have allowed the potabilization of sea water in economically viable conditions and without major problems. The objective of this article is to compile the main advances worldwide regarding desalination processes. As a result of the analysis of the scientific evidence found, some future challenges are highlighted, which include: use of renewable energy sources in the processes, reduction in the use of chemical products; use of innovative materials for membranes, the search for more effective and profitable pretreatment solutions, and reduction of the total cost of water for the consumer.Ao considerar a pouca disponibilidade de água doce, o acelerado crescimento da população e a contaminação do recurso hídrico, é preciso buscar alternativas para aproveitar os recursos salubres e a água contida nos oceanos. Numerosas pesquisas no campo dos processos de dessalinização —entre os quais se destaca a separação por membranas— permitiram tornar a água do mar potável em condições economicamente viáveis, sem grandes dificuldades. O objetivo deste artigo é reunir os principais avanços mundiais sobre os processos de dessalinização. Como resultado da análise da evidencia científica encontrada, destacam-se alguns dos desafios futuros, que incluem: o uso de fontes de energia renovável nos processos, a redução no uso de produtos químicos, o uso de materiais inovadores para as membranas, a busca por soluções de pré-tratamento mais efetivas e rentáveis e a diminuição do custo total da água para o consumidor.Teniendo en cuenta la poca disponibilidad de agua dulce, el acelerado crecimiento de la población y la contaminación del recurso hídrico, es necesario buscar alternativas para aprovechar los recursos salobres y el agua contenida en los océanos. Numerosas investigaciones en el campo de los procesos de desalinización –entre los cuales se resalta la separación por membranas– han permitido volver potable el agua de mar en condiciones económicamente viables, sin grandes dificultades. El objetivo de este artículo es recopilar los principales avances a nivel mundial sobre los procesos de desalinización. Como resultado del análisis de la evidencia científica encontrada, se resaltan algunos desafíos a futuro que incluyen: el uso de fuentes de energía renovable en los procesos, la reducción en el uso de productos químicos, el uso de materiales innovadores para las membranas, la búsqueda de soluciones de pretratamiento más efectivos y rentables, y la disminución del costo total del agua para el consumidor

A Coagulation Process Combined with a Multi-Stage Filtration System for Drinking Water Treatment: An Alternative for Small Communities

As set out in the Sustainable Development Goals, it is necessary to achieve universal and equitable access to safe drinking water services for all the world’s population. Appropriate water treatment alternatives for rural areas should be prioritised to achieve this goal. In this work, a simplified drinking water treatment system (SDWTS), which has great potential for application in small communities and rural areas, was evaluated on a pilot scale for turbidity and apparent colour removal using synthetic raw water. The SDWTS integrates Upflow Gravel Filter in Layers (UGFL) and Rapid Sand Filter (RSF) with previous coagulation. This evaluation was carried out using a 23 factorial experiment, with the factors: type of water, type of coagulant and flow. The factorial design showed that the SDWTS had the highest turbidity removal efficiencies (>98.7%) with type II (20 NTU) water and PACl coagulant, while flow rate had no significant effect on turbidity removal. Under optimal operating conditions (type II water, PACl and 1.0 m3/d), the SDWTS produces treated water that meets the standards required by Colombian regulations and World Health Organisation recommendations for drinking water, concerning the variables: turbidity, apparent colour, total coliforms, E. coli, pH, electrical conductivity and Al. The SDWTS maintained its capacity to produce potable water when evaluated with the increased operating flow (up to 3.0 m3/d) and raw water turbidity (up to 50 NTU). The SDWTS can be an efficient and innovative alternative for water treatment, and its implementation in small communities can contribute to equitable access to drinking water