Towards a European master programme on global software engineering

This paper presents a European Master programme on global software engineering (SE), being put forward by four leading institutions from Sweden, UK, Netherlands and Italy. The Global SE European Master (GSEEM) programme aims to provide students with an excellence in SE based on sound theoretical foundations and practical experience, as well as prepare them to participate in global development of complex and large software systems. GSEEM has been designed with three noteworthy aspects: 1) Three specialization profiles in which the consortium excels: Software Architecting, Real-time Embedded Systems Engineering, and Web Systems and Services Engineering. 2) Two market-driven routes: "professional" to work as professionals, and "scientific" to continue the education towards research degrees. 3) An innovative concept of "shared modules", delivered together by multiple institutions. Four types of shared modules are foreseen: "parallel" twin modules which run remotely between universities, "shifted" modules which teach SE concepts incrementally with shifts in study locations and timeline ,"complementary" modules in which complementary SE concepts are taught in parallel through shared projects, and "common" modules which share the presentations and the project. The profiles realize "integrated knowledge" by complementing partial knowledge available at partner institutions. The paper explains how GSEEM achieves the objectives of educating global software engineers

Software architecture tool demonstrations

In this paper, we describe the short summary of the tool demonstrations session at WICSA/ECSA 2012. The session aimed to attract both tools in practice and research tools. We describe the targeted topics for the tool support, and report on the program. Copyright is held by author/owner(s)

The size of electron-hole pairs in pi conjugated systems

We have performed momentum dependent electron energy-loss studies of the electronic excitations in sexithiophene and compared the results to those from parent oligomers. Our experiment probes the dynamic structure factor S(q,omega)and we show that the momentum dependent intensity variation of the excitations observed can be used to extract the size of the electron-hole pair created in the excitation process. The extension of the electron-hole pairs along the molecules is comparable to the length of the molecules and thus maybe only limited by structural constraints. Consequently, the primary intramolecular electron-hole pairs are relatively weakly bound. We find no evidence for the formation of excitations localized on single thiophene units.Comment: RevTex, 3 figures, to appear in Physical Review Letter

Architecture-based testing and system validation: Workshop summary

This paper summarizes the workshop on Architecture-Based Testing and System Validation which was organized in conjunction with the 9th Working IEEE/IFIP Conference on Software Architecture. The main goal of the workshop was to bring together researchers and practitioners both from the architecture design and software testing community to enable architecture-based software testing. © 2011 IEEE

Ground state properties of ferromagnetic metal/conjugated polymer interfaces

We theoretically investigate the ground state properties of ferromagnetic metal/conjugated polymer interfaces. The work is partially motivated by recent experiments in which injection of spin polarized electrons from ferromagnetic contacts into thin films of conjugated polymers was reported. We use a one-dimensional nondegenerate Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) Hamiltonian to describe the conjugated polymer and one-dimensional tight-binding models to describe the ferromagnetic metal. We consider both a model for a conventional ferromagnetic metal, in which there are no explicit structural degrees of freedom, and a model for a half-metallic ferromagnetic colossal magnetoresistance (CMR) oxide which has explicit structural degrees of freedom. The Fermi energy of the magnetic metallic contact is adjusted to control the degree of electron transfer into the polymer. We investigate electron charge and spin transfer from the ferromagnetic metal to the organic polymer, and structural relaxation near the interface. Bipolarons are the lowest energy charge state in the bulk polymer for the nondegenerate SSH model Hamiltonian. As a result electrons (or holes) transferred into the bulk of the polymer form spinless bipolarons. However, there can be spin density in the polymer localized near the interface.Comment: 7 figure

Frenkel and charge transfer excitons in C60

We have studied the low energy electronic excitations of C60 using momentum dependent electron energy-loss spectroscopy in transmission. The momentum dependent intensity of the gap excitation allows the first direct experimental determination of the energy of the 1Hg excitation and thus also of the total width of the multiplet resulting from the gap transition. In addition, we could elucidate the nature of the following excitations - as either Frenkel or charge transfer excitons.Comment: RevTEX, 3 Figures, to appear in Phys. Rev.

Integrase Strand Transfer Inhibitor Use and Cancer Incidence in a Large Cohort Setting

Background: Limited data exist examining the association between incident cancer and cumulative integrase inhibitor (INSTI) exposure. Methods: Participants were followed from baseline (latest of local cohort enrollment or January 1, 2012) until the earliest of first cancer, final follow-up, or December 31, 2019. Negative binomial regression was used to assess associations between cancer incidence and time-updated cumulative INSTI exposure, lagged by 6 months. Results: Of 29 340 individuals, 74% were male, 24% were antiretroviral treatment (ART)-naive, and median baseline age was 44 years (interquartile range [IQR], 36-51). Overall, 13 950 (48%) individuals started an INSTI during follow-up. During 160 657 person-years of follow-up ([PYFU] median 6.2; IQR, 3.9-7.5), there were 1078 cancers (incidence rate [IR] 6.7/1000 PYFU; 95% confidence interval [CI], 6.3-7.1). The commonest cancers were non-Hodgkin lymphoma (n=113), lung cancer (112), Kaposi's sarcoma (106), and anal cancer (103). After adjusting for potential confounders, there was no association between cancer risk and INSTI exposure (≤6 months vs no exposure IR ratio: 1.15 [95% CI, 0.89-1.49], >6-12 months; 0.97 [95% CI, 0.71-1.32], >12-24 months; 0.84 [95% CI, 0.64-1.11], >24-36 months; 1.10 [95% CI, 0.82-1.47], >36 months; 0.90 [95% CI, 0.65-1.26] [P=.60]). In ART-naive participants, cancer incidence decreased with increasing INSTI exposure, mainly driven by a decreasing incidence of acquired immune deficiency syndrome cancers; however, there was no association between INSTI exposure and cancer for those ART-experienced (interaction P<.0001). Conclusions: Cancer incidence in each INSTI exposure group was similar, despite relatively wide CIs, providing reassuring early findings that increasing INSTI exposure is unlikely to be associated with an increased cancer risk, although longer follow-up is needed to confirm this finding

Epitaxial multilayers of alkanes on two-dimensional black phosphorus as passivating and electrically insulating nanostructures

© The Royal Society of Chemistry. Mechanically exfoliated two-dimensional (2D) black phosphorus (bP) is epitaxially terminated by monolayers and multilayers of tetracosane, a linear alkane, to form a weakly interacting van der Waals heterostructure. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and computational modelling show that epitaxial domains of alkane chains are ordered in parallel lamellae along the principal crystalline axis of bP, and this order is extended over a few layers above the interface. Epitaxial alkane multilayers delay the oxidation of 2D bP in air by 18 hours, in comparison to 1 hour for bare 2D bP, and act as an electrical insulator, as demonstrated using electrostatic force microscopy. The presented heterostructure is a technologically relevant insulator-semiconductor model system that can open the way to the use of 2D bP in micro-and nanoelectronic, optoelectronic and photonic applications

Mitochondrial physiology

As the knowledge base and importance of mitochondrial physiology to evolution, health and disease expands, the necessity for harmonizing the terminology concerning mitochondrial respiratory states and rates has become increasingly apparent. The chemiosmotic theory establishes the mechanism of energy transformation and coupling in oxidative phosphorylation. The unifying concept of the protonmotive force provides the framework for developing a consistent theoretical foundation of mitochondrial physiology and bioenergetics. We follow the latest SI guidelines and those of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) on terminology in physical chemistry, extended by considerations of open systems and thermodynamics of irreversible processes. The concept-driven constructive terminology incorporates the meaning of each quantity and aligns concepts and symbols with the nomenclature of classical bioenergetics. We endeavour to provide a balanced view of mitochondrial respiratory control and a critical discussion on reporting data of mitochondrial respiration in terms of metabolic flows and fluxes. Uniform standards for evaluation of respiratory states and rates will ultimately contribute to reproducibility between laboratories and thus support the development of data repositories of mitochondrial respiratory function in species, tissues, and cells. Clarity of concept and consistency of nomenclature facilitate effective transdisciplinary communication, education, and ultimately further discovery