Resource allocation and optimal release time in software systems

Software quality is directly correlated with the number of defects in software systems. As the complexity of software increases, manual inspection of software becomes prohibitively expensive. Thus, defect prediction is of paramount importance to project managers in allocating the limited resources effectively as well as providing many advantages such as the accurate estimation of project costs and schedules. This thesis addresses the issues of statistical fault prediction modeling, software resource allocation, and optimal software release and maintenance policy. A software defect prediction model using operating characteristic curves is presented. The main idea behind this predictor is to use geometric insight in helping construct an efficient prediction method to reliably predict the cumulative number of defects during the software development process. Motivated by the widely used concept of queue models in communication systems and information processing systems, a resource allocation model which answers managerial questions related to project status and scheduling is then introduced. Using the proposed allocation model, managers will be more certain about making resource allocation decisions as well as measuring the system reliability and the quality of service provided to customers in terms of the expected response time. Finally, a novel stochastic model is proposed to describe the cost behavior of the operation, and estimate the optimal time by minimizing a cost function via artificial neural networks. Further, a detailed analysis of software release time and maintenance decision is also presented. The performance of the proposed approaches is validated on real data from actual SAP projects, and the experimental results demonstrate a compelling motivation for improved software qualit

Sports Result Prediction Based on Machine Learning and Computational Intelligence Approaches: A Survey

In the current world, sports produce considerable statistical information about each player, team, games, and seasons. Traditional sports science believed science to be owned by experts, coaches, team managers, and analyzers. However, sports organizations have recently realized the abundant science available in their data and sought to take advantage of that science through the use of data mining techniques. Sports data mining assists coaches and managers in result prediction, player performance assessment, player injury prediction, sports talent Identification and game strategy evaluation. Predicting the results of sports matches is interesting to many, from fans to punters. It is also interesting as a research problem, in part due to its difficulty: the result of a sports match is dependent on many factors, such as the morale of a team (or a player), skills, coaching strategy, etc. So even for experts, it is very hard to predict the exact results of individual matches. The present study reviews previous research on data mining systems to predict sports results and evaluates the advantages and disadvantages of each system

Selected Metals in Canned Fish Consumed in Iran

Background: The presence of heavy metals in the environment could constitute a hazard to food security and public health. These can be accumulated in aquatic animals such as fish. Canned fish is consumed regularly in many countries. In this study, the levels of heavy metals Cu, Ni, Fe and Cr were evaluated in commercial canned fish products that are commonly consumed in Iran. The canned fish studied were longtail tuna, Kawakawa, Kilka and yellowfin tuna. Methods: Samples of four popular brands of canned fish in the Iranian market (yellowfin tuna, common Kilka, Kawakawa and longtail tuna) were analyzed for levels of Cu, Ni, Fe and Cr after wet digestion with acids using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Results: The mean concentrations for the metals in the different brands were: For Cu: 0.91, 0.73, 1.18 and 0.84 μg g-1 for brands A, B, C and D respectively. For Ni: 0.37, 0.19, 0.14 and 0.18 μg g-1 for brands A, B, C and D respectively; For Fe: 45.9, 34.0, 77.53 and 61.3 μg g-1 for brands A, B, C and D respectively. For Cr: 2.57, 3.24, 3.16 and 1.65 μg g-1 for brands A, B, C and D respectively. Significant differences were observed in the heavy metal levels between all of the different brands of canned fish evaluated in this study. Conclusion: The metal concentrations for the varieties of canned fishes were generally within the FAO/WHO, U.S. FDA and U.S. EPA recommended limits for fish except for Iron for which all different Brands exceeded the limit

Parenting styles, maladaptive coping styles, and disturbed eating attitudes and behaviors: a multiple mediation analysis in patients with feeding and eating disorders

Background Although preliminary studies support the roles of unhealthy parenting styles and maladaptive coping styles in increasing rates of disturbed eating attitudes and behaviors (EAB) and clinically significant feeding and eating disorders (FED), underlying mechanisms have not been well-recognized. This study aims to investigate the factors associated with disturbed EAB and the mediating roles of overcompensation and avoidance coping styles in the relationship between different types of parenting styles and disturbed EAB among patients with FED. Methods A total of 102 patients with FED in Zahedan, Iran, participating in this cross-sectional study (from April to March 2022) completed a sociodemographic information form and self-report measures of parenting styles, maladaptive coping styles, and EAB. Model 4 of Hayes’ PROCESS macro in SPSS was employed to identify and explain the mechanism or process that underlies an observed relationship between study variables. Results The results showed that authoritarian parenting style, overcompensation and avoidance coping styles, and female gender might be related to disturbed EAB. The overall hypothesis that overcompensation and avoidance coping styles mediated the effect of fathers’ and mothers’ authoritarian parenting styles on disturbed EAB was also supported. Conclusions Our findings highlighted the necessity of evaluating particular unhealthy parenting styles and maladaptive coping styles as the important possible risk factors in the development and maintenance of higher level of disturbance in EAB among patients with FED. However, more research is needed to explore individual, family, and peer risk factors for disturbed EAB among these patients