A survey of software development practices in the New Zealand software industry

We report on the software development techniques used in the New Zealand software industry, paying particular attention to requirements gathering. We surveyed a selection of software companies with a general questionnaire and then conducted in-depth interviews with four companies. Our results show a wide variety in the kinds of companies undertaking software development, employing a wide range of software development techniques. Although our data are not sufficiently detailed to draw statistically significant conclusions, it appears that larger software development groups typically have more well-defined software development processes, spend proportionally more time on requirements gathering, and follow more rigorous testing regimes

Makes Sense to Me: How Moderate, Targeted Federal Tort Reform Legislation Could Solve the Nation\u27s Asbestos Litigation Crisis

During the three decades he spent working as a machinist for the United States Navy, Henry Plummer suffered continuous exposure to the asbestos used in the insulation, gaskets and pipe coverings of warships. In late 1999, a biopsy confirmed that he had developed mesothelioma, a gruesome type of cancer that kills all those who contract it and is caused only by asbestos. In an effort to combat his cancer, Mr. Plummer embarked on a long, painful course of treatments that included chemotherapy and the removal of his left lung in April 2000. In early 2001, however, Mr. Plummer\u27s doctor informed him that new tumors had emerged, this time in his right lung. He was subsequently placed on a ventilator and died in October 2001. Before his death, Mr. Plummer retained an attorney and filed a lawsuit against more than twenty makers of asbestos products. Several defendants settled before trial, and a jury awarded Mr. Plummer a 3.1 million verdict against one specific defendant, AC&S. Before Mr. Plummer\u27s widow received any money, however, several of the settling defendants, including Owens-Corning and Fibreboard, filed for bankruptcy protection. Faced with the threat that AC&S would do the same, Mrs. Plummer agreed to settle her claim confidentially for an amount substantially less than the trial award. After paying her attorney\u27s thirty-three percent of the award in addition to other expenses associated with the trial and her husband\u27s illness, Mrs. Plummer will be left with less than 1 million?--a substantial sum of money, but certainly not one commensurate with the injury her husband suffered as a result of his exposure to asbestos. Unlike Henry Plummer, James Curry was not continually exposed to asbestos over a period of decades. Instead, his job only called for him to occasionally handle asbestos-containing products. Also unlike Mr. Plummer, Mr. Curry was not so unfortunate as to contract mesothelioma. Instead, Mr. Curry and his co-plaintiffs alleged only that they suffered from mild asbestosis, a nonmalignant (although, in particularly severe cases, fatal) respiratory tract condition caused by inhaling asbestos fibers, and resulting lung abnormalities such as scars, marks, opacities, and other imperfections in the lungs that show up in X-rays. \u27 Rather than losing one lung to asbestos-related cancer and having his other lung infested with tumors that would ultimately claim his life, a 65 year- old Mr. Curry was still able to enjoy a daily three to four mile walk when his suit went to trial. In fact, Mr. Curry\u27s alleged asbestos injuries were so slight that four different doctors testified at trial that he suffered from no asbestos-related condition whatsoever. \u27 These facts, however, did not stop a Mississippi jury from awarding $150 million to Mr. Curry and his five similarly situated co-plaintiffs in October 2001. Ironically, the jury ordered that sixty percent of the award given to Mr. Curry and his co-plaintiffs be paid by AC&S-the same company against which Mrs. Plummer was forced to settle her claim out of fear that the company would file for bankruptcy protection. The jury came to this decision despite the fact that AC&S, which is based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, never had offices in Mississippi, never performed contracts at any of the sites where the plaintiffs worked, and sold few asbestos-containing products anywhere. Unfortunately, the cases of Mr. Plummer and Mr. Curry are not aberrations. Instead, they provide a paradigmatic illustration of some of the tremendous shortcomings of the current asbestos claims resolution process. These shortcomings are the result of a tangled web of interrelated problems. Plaintiffs such as Mr. Curry, who have little if any physical impairment, are now responsible for eighty percent or more of all new and pending asbestos claims. The increasing volume of claims filed by unimpaired plaintiffs is clogging the dockets of courts across the country, especially in certain jurisdictions seen as being particularly hospitable to asbestos plaintiffs. In order to deal with these massive numbers of claims, courts are increasingly forced to implement various procedural shortcuts, most notably mass consolidation of asbestos claims. This approach has had the unforeseen and harmful side effect of encouraging more asbestos claims by unimpaired plaintiffs. The result is the creation of a vicious cycle: judges feel forced to turn to aggregation to deal with the overwhelming numbers of claims being filed, particularly by unimpaired plaintiffs, but their willingness to aggregate cases only serves to encourage more filings, often by unimpaired plaintiffs

Particle image velocimetry applied to internal combustion engine in-cylinder flows

Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) is now emerging as a powerful tool for the investigation of unsteady fluid mechanics. At the same time, the study and optimisation of in-cylinder flow processes in automotive Internal Combustion (IC) engines is of increasing importance in the design of improved combustion systems with lower emissions and favourable power and efficiency characteristics. This thesis describes the development and application of PIV as a routine diagnostic tool for the investigation of in-cylinder flows in a production geometry single cylinder research engine exhibiting "barrel swirl" or "tumbling" in-cylinder fluid motion. The work has involved the design and installation of a complete PIV engine facility, based around a four-valve, four-stroke Rover research engine equipped with piston crown optical access and a glass cylinder liner. Novel techniques for the on-line monitoring of important experimental parameters have been developed which permit the reliable acquisition of high spatial resolution PIV data from both horizontal and vertical measurement planes within the engine cylinder. A novel optical correction technique has been developed to control the severe particle image degradation which was experienced when imaging vertical planes within the glass cylinder. A simple means for selection of an appropriate corrective lens for this application is described, together with an experimental evaluation of the lens performance. A representative set of PIV images and data from both horizontal and vertical planes are then presented. These have been selected from a comprehensive set of flow mapping experiments in the motored engine. The data are discussed with reference to the work of others in engines of similar geometry and have shed new light on the detailed processes involved in the formation and breakdown of barrel swirl. Initial PIV measurements ahead of a flame under part load, skip fired conditions have also been made in the engine. This has demonstrated the possibility of investigating incylinder flow behaviour under conditions approaching those in a fully firing, production geometry optical engine. Finally, limitations in the PIV technique employed in this work and methods of overcoming them are described and the prospects for further work are discussed

“Wait and See” Approach to the Emergency Department Cardioversion of Acute Atrial Fibrillation

Objective. Acute atrial fibrillation often spontaneously resolves. This study aimed to investigate the outcomes and satisfaction of an evidence-based ED protocol employing a “wait and see” approach. Methods. A prospective observational cohort study of adult patients presenting to the Emergency Department with stable acute atrial fibrillation was performed. Patients were excluded if they were considered to be unstable, need hospitalization, or poor candidates for ED procedural sedation. Routine care was provided on the index visit, and suitable candidates were discharged and asked to return to the ED the following day for possible electrical cardioversion. Outcome measures included spontaneous reversion to sinus rhythm, success of cardioversion, length of stay, adverse event and return visits for AF within 30 days, and patient satisfaction. Results. Thirty five patient encounters were analysed over a 21-month period. Twenty two of the 35 patients (63%) had spontaneous resolution of atrial fibrillation upon presentation for potential cardioversion. All of the remaining patients underwent successful cardioversion to normal sinus rhythm without significant adverse events recorded. No patients required hospitalization. Three patients (9%) returned to the ED within 30 days for recurrence of atrial fibrillation. All patients were reported to be “very satisfied” with this approach. Conclusion. A “wait and see” approach to the ED electrical cardioversion of atrial fibrillation showed that almost two-thirds of patients had spontaneous resolution without requiring cardioversion or observation in the ED or hospital. All patients were successfully reverted to normal sinus rhythm and had a high degree of satisfaction

Falling into It: Novice TESOL Teacher Thinking

The authors conducted a qualitative study in order to understand the preconceptions novice TESOL teachers might have about teaching English language. Long interviews were conducted with nine students (six native English Speakers and three non-native speakers (NNS)) enrolled in one of two courses offered in a TESOL teacher education program. None of the participants had experience as an in-service teacher. Inductive analysis of tape transcripts suggested the presence of several conceptual themes discussed in the teacher thinking literature. Findings suggest that novice TESOL teachers, like their more experienced counterparts, have a system of metaphors to conceptualize teaching. The apprenticeship of observation, a notion in teacher thinking that suggests a powerful influence of previous experience in schooling on teachers, was reflected in NNS’ sensitivity to the norms of teaching in their country of origin; native English speakers, however, exhibited a relative lack of reflection on their experiences in the language classroom. Both NNS and NS participants expressed a presentistic outlook, borne perhaps, of the socio-political complexities of English language teaching. Novice TESOL teacher thinking also appears to exhibit evolving cognitive foundation that weaves folklinguistic adaptations of expert systems into their approach to teaching. Many participants spoke in the language of constructivism or made reference to terms discussed in SLA research literature. In conclusion, the researchers suggest that this preliminary evidence of metaphors, apprenticeship of observation, presentism, and adaptations of expert systems, constructs a preliminary framework for describing novice TESOL teacher thinking

Alternate endings: using fiction to explore design futures

Design research and practice within HCI is inherently oriented toward the future. However, the vision of the future described by HCI researchers and practitioners is typically utility-driven and focuses on the short term. It rarely acknowledges the potentially complex social and psychological long-term consequences of the technology artefacts produced. Thus, it has the potential to unintentionally cause real harm. Drawing on scholarship that investigates the link between fiction and design, this workshop will explore “alternate endings” to contemporary HCI papers. Attendees will use fictional narratives to envision long-term consequences of contemporary HCI projects, as a means for engaging the CHI community in a consideration of the values and implications of interactive technology

HCMV activation of ERK-MAPK drives a multi-factorial response promoting the survival of infected myeloid progenitors

Viral binding and entry provides the first trigger of a cell death response and thus how human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) evades this – particularly during latent infection where a very limited pattern of gene expression is observed – is less well understood. It has been demonstrated that the activation of cellular signalling pathways upon virus binding promotes the survival of latently infected cells by the activation of cell encoded anti-apoptotic responses. In CD34+ cells, a major site of HCMV latency, ERK signalling is important for survival and we now show that the activation of this pathway impacts on multiple aspects of cell death pathways. The data illustrate that HCMV infection triggers activation of pro-apoptotic Bak which is then countered through multiple ERK-dependent functions. Specifically, ERK promotes ELK1 mediated transcription of the key survival molecule MCL-1, along with a concomitant decrease of the pro-apoptotic BIM and PUMA proteins. Finally, we show that the elimination of ELK-1 from CD34+ cells results in elevated Bak activation in response to viral infection, resulting in cell death. Taken together, these data begin to shed light on the poly-functional response elicited by HCMV via ERK-MAPK to promote cell survival