Improving the Requirements Engineering Process: a process oriented approach

The Requirements Engineering (RE) process plays an important role in the software development process. In order to produce quality software greater attention must be given to the improvement of RE process. In this paper five key process areas (KPAs) have been identified from the research literature in order to improve the RE process. Firstly to support a goal-based approach in the RE process; secondly to support the incremental and cyclical behaviours in the RE process; thirdly to encourage stakeholders involvement in the RE process; fourthly, to support the management of RE process and fifthly to define a planning phase for the RE process. This research project aims to show that better results will follow when the RE process supports these five KPAs. To address these KPAs, a requirement elicitation, analysis and validation method (REAVM) is proposed. A case study has been conducted in order to test and evaluate the REAVM in the real world environment

A framework for assisting the design of effective implementation strategies for software process improvement

University of Technology Sydney. Faculty of Information Technology.This research addresses issues relating to the implementation of software process improvement (SPI) initiatives. A number of advances have been made in the development of software process improvement (SPI) standards and models, e.g. Capability Maturity Model (CMM), more recently CMMI, and ISO's SPICE. However, these advances have not been matched by equal advances in the adoption of these standards and models in software development which has resulted in limited success for many SPI efforts. The current problem with SPI is not a lack of standards or models, but rather a lack of an effective strategy to successfully implement these standards or models. Despite the importance of the SPI implementation process, little empirical research has been carried out on developing ways in which to effectively implement SPI initiatives. I have focused on SPI implementation issues and designed three individual components in order to assist SPI practitioners in the design of effective SPI implementation initiatives. I have combined individual components under one SPI implementation framework (SPI-IF) using a bottom-up approach. The framework is based on results drawn from the SPI literature and an empirical study I have carried out. In the design of SPI-IF, the concept of critical success factors (CSFs) is used and extended. Thirty-four CSF interviews were conducted with Australian practitioners. In addition, 50 research articles (published experience reports and case studies) were selected and analysed in order to identify factors that play positive or negative roles in SPI implementation. The SPI-IF has three components: SPI implementation factors component, assessment component and implementation component. It provides a practical structure with which to assess and implement SPI implementation initiatives. In order to evaluate the software process improvement implementation framework, two practical evaluations were undertaken: three case studies and an expert panel review process. The case study method was used because this method provides valuable insights for problem solving, evaluation and strategy in the real world environment. An "expert panel review" process was also conducted in order to seek the opinions of SPI experts about the structure and components of the SPI-IF. In order to provide more confidence in this study, three separate case studies were conducted at different companies. The results of the case studies showed that the SPI-IF is not only significant in the theoretical sense but also significant in a real world environment. Successful completion of the three case studies demonstrates the use of the SPI-IF in the real world environment. All the participants who used the SPI-IF were fully satisfied with the assessment results and overall performance of the framework. The results of the expert panel review process showed that the SPI experts' general impression about 'ease of learning', 'user satisfaction' and 'structure of the SPI-IF' was positive. Overall, the experts were fully satisfied with the different components of SPI-IF. All the experts considered this piece of work as useful for the SPI practitioners. They have also confirmed the SPI-IF as a valuable framework that has the potential to assist SPI practitioners in the design of SPI implementation initiatives

Motivators of adopting social computing in global software development: Initial results

context: Real-time collaboration is critical for developing high quality software systems at low cost in a geographically distributed Global Software Development (GSD) environment. It is anticipated that emerging Social Computing tools can play an important role in facilitating realtime effective collaboration among teams working in the GSD. Objective: The objective of this research paper is to identify motivators for adopting social computing in GSD organizations. Method: We adopted a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) approach by applying customized search strings derived from our research questions. Results: We have identified factors such as real-time communication and coordination, information sharing, knowledge acquisition and expert feedback as key motivators for adoption of social computing in GSD. Conclusion: Based on the SLR results, we suggest that GSD organizations should embrace social computing as a tool for real-time collaboration between distributed GSD teams. The results of this initial study also suggest the need for developing the social computing strategies and policies to guide the effective social computing adoption by GSD teams

Effects of Stretching and Positional Release on Calf Muscle Pain in Post- Natal Females

AbstractObjective: To determine the effects of stretching and positional release on calf muscle pain in postnatalfemales.Methodology: The quasi-experimental study was conducted on a sample of 40 subjects from October2022 to February 2023 at Arif Memorial Teaching Hospital Lahore. Non probability samplingtechnique was used. These subjects were allocated non-randomly in Group A and Group B. Stretchingwas performed on subjects of group A and positional release was performed on group B. The groupswere assessed before and after treatment by a numeric pain rating scale and ankle dorsiflexion Range,while SPSS V. 21 was used for pretest post-test comparison using paired sample t test at P value <0.05.Results: The study comprised females with a mean age±sd of participants is 26.00±4.38 years. The preand post values on Numeric pain rating scale were 8.00±1.28, 2.47±1.33 respectively. While thedorsiflexion angle pretest was 6.53±1.280 and post-test was 12.53±2.780. There was significant differencein pre and post values and p value≤0.05, which show that the results were significant. Both stretchingand positional release were effective for postnatal calf pain. But results showed that Stretching wasmore effective than positional release.Conclusion: The study concluded that stretching is more effective in reducing calf muscle pain inpost-natal females compared to positional release.Keywords: Ankle dorsiflexion, Calf muscle tightness, Females, post-natal care, Positional release,Stretching, pain

Nitrogen Cycling Dynamics: Investigating Volatilization and its Interplay with N2 Fixation

The nitrogen cycle is the biogeochemical cycle by which nitrogen is converted into multiple chemical forms as it circulates among atmospheric, terrestrial, and marine ecosystems, the conversion of nitrogen can be carried out through both biological and physical processes. Important processes in the nitrogen cycle include fixation, ammonification, nitrification, and denitrification. The majority of Earth\u27s atmosphere (78%) is atmospheric nitrogen, making it the largest source of nitrogen. However, atmospheric nitrogen has limited availability for biological use, leading to a scarcity of usable nitrogen in many types of ecosystems. The nitrogen cycle is of particular interest to ecologists because nitrogen availability can affect the rate of key ecosystem processes, including primary production and decomposition. Human activities such as fossil fuel combustion, use of artificial nitrogen fertilizers, and release of nitrogen in wastewater have dramatically altered the global nitrogen cycle. Human modification of the global nitrogen cycle can negatively affect the natural environment system and also human health. Volatilization and its Relationship to N2 fascination in Nitrogen Cycle in agriculture field is discuss in this paper

Empirical Investigation of Critical Requirements Engineering Practices for Global Software Development

There is a need to identify requirements engineering (RE) practices that are important to global software development (GSD) project success. The objective of this paper is to report our recent empirical study results which aimed to identify the RE practices that are important to GSD projects. This study used an online survey questionnaire to elicit data from 56 RE experts of GSD projects. The survey included 66 RE practices identified by Sommerville et al. for non-GSD projects. The participants were asked to rank each RE practice on a four-point scale to determine the degree of importance of each practice in the context of GSD projects. This research identified a set of six key RE practices that mainly focuses on GSD project stakeholders, scope, standards and requirements traceability management. One common theme that is evident from the RE experts' feedback analysis is the standardization of requirements documents to reduce requirements inconsistencies and improve communication in diverse and distributed GSD project environments Our results show that not all 66 RE best practices are important for GSD projects. We believe that a good understanding of the identified RE practices is vital in developing and implementing the situation-specific RE processes for GSD projects.Qatar University - grant No. IRCC-2021-010

Dynamic Evaluation of Desiccant Dehumidification Evaporative Cooling Options for Greenhouse Air-Conditioning Application in Multan (Pakistan)

This study provides insights into the feasibility of a desiccant dehumidification-based Maisotsenko cycle evaporative cooling (M-DAC) system for greenhouse air-conditioning application. Conventional cooling techniques include direct evaporative cooling, refrigeration systems, and passive/active ventilation. which are commonly used in Pakistan; however, they are either not feasible due to their energy cost, or they cannot efficiently provide an optimum microclimate depending on the regions, the growing seasons, and the crop being cultivated. The M-DAC system was therefore proposed and evaluated as an alternative solution for air conditioning to achieve optimum levels of vapor pressure deficit (VPD) for greenhouse crop production. The objective of this study was to investigate the thermodynamic performance of the proposed system from the viewpoints of the temperature gradient, relative humidity level, VPD, and dehumidification gradient. Results showed that the standalone desiccant air-conditioning (DAC) system created maximum dehumidification gradient (i.e., 16.8 g/kg) and maximum temperature gradient (i.e., 8.4 °C) at 24.3 g/kg and 38.6 °C ambient air conditions, respectively. The DAC coupled with a heat exchanger (DAC+HX) created a temperature gradient nearly equal to ambient air conditions, which is not in the optimal range for greenhouse growing conditions. Analysis of the M-DAC system showed that a maximum air temperature gradient, i.e., 21.9 °C at 39.2 °C ambient air condition, can be achieved, and is considered optimal for most greenhouse crops. Results were validated with two microclimate models (OptDeg and Cft) by taking into account the optimality of VPD at different growth stages of tomato plants. This study suggests that the M-DAC system is a feasible method to be considered as an efficient solution for greenhouse air-conditioning under the climate conditions of Multan (Pakistan)

Corrigendum: Probiotics: mechanism of action, health benefits and their application in food industries

In the published article, there was an error in affiliation 2. Instead of “UniLaSalle, Transformations and Agroressources Research Unit, Mont-Saint-Aignan, France”, it should be “UniLaSalle, Univ. Artois, ULR7519 - Transformations & Agro-resources, Normandie Université, Mont-Saint-Aignan, France.” The authors apologize for this error and state that this does not change the scientific conclusions of the article in any way. The original article has been updated

Probiotics: mechanism of action, health benefits and their application in food industries

Probiotics, like lactic acid bacteria, are non-pathogenic microbes that exert health benefits to the host when administered in adequate quantity. Currently, research is being conducted on the molecular events and applications of probiotics. The suggested mechanisms by which probiotics exert their action include; competitive exclusion of pathogens for adhesion sites, improvement of the intestinal mucosal barrier, gut immunomodulation, and neurotransmitter synthesis. This review emphasizes the recent advances in the health benefits of probiotics and the emerging applications of probiotics in the food industry. Due to their capability to modulate gut microbiota and attenuate the immune system, probiotics could be used as an adjuvant in hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, cancer, and gastrointestinal diseases. Considering the functional properties, probiotics are being used in the dairy, beverage, and baking industries. After developing the latest techniques by researchers, probiotics can now survive within harsh processing conditions and withstand GI stresses quite effectively. Thus, the potential of probiotics can efficiently be utilized on a commercial scale in food processing industries