A Cost Benefit Model for Systematic Software Reuse

Information systems development is typically acknowledged as an expensive and lengthy process, often producing code that is of uneven quality and difficult to maintain. Software reuse has been advocated as a means of revolutionizing this process. The claimed benefits from software reuse are reduction in development cost and time, improvement in software quality, increase in programmer productivity, and improvement in maintainability. Software reuse does incur undeniable costs of creating, populating, and maintaining a library of reusable components. There is anecdotal evidence to suggest that some organizations benefit from reuse. However, many software developers practicing reuse claim these benefits without formal demonstration thereof. There is little research to suggest when the benefits are expected and to what extent they will be realized. For example, does a larger library of reusable components lead to increased savings? What is the impact of search effectiveness when evaluating reuse? This research seeks to address these questions. It represents the first step in a series wherein the effects of software reuse on overall development effort and costs are modeled with a view to understanding when it is most effective

Seed-borne pathogens and the bean weevil (Acanthoscelides obtectus) in bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) seed and their effect on seed germination and vigour.

Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2003.Two semi-selective media, MT and MSP, were compared for their ability to recover cells of the bacteria Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. phaseoli (Xap) and Pseudomonas syringae pv. phaseolicola (Psp), the causal organisms of bean common and halo blights respectively. Isolates Sx70 and Sp75 (for Xap and Psp respectively) were plated on the media by dilution plating. Greater number of Xap colonies on MT than on MSP was obtained, but the number of Psp colonies was not significantly different on the two media. Four media, XCP1, MT, MT(new), and TSM were also compared for the number of contaminants and Xap colonies grown on them, using data obtained from ISTA/ISHI Comparative test for Xap (2002), which was conducted at the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) in Roodeplaat, north of Pretoria. In most cases, the number of colonies was similar in XCPI, MT, MT(new), but bigger in TSM. The number of contaminants was smaller in MT than in MT(new). Bean plants (Phaseolus vulgaris), variety PAN 146, were grown and inoculated with the bacteria Xap and Psp, and two virus isolates of bean common mosaic virus (BCMV). Uninoculated controls were also grown. Germination and vigour tests were conducted on the seeds harvested from these plants. Germination was significantly lower for seeds harvested from Psp inoculated plants, while seed vigour was reduced both for seeds harvested from Psp and Xap inoculated plants. Neither germination nor vigour was affected for seeds from BCMV inoculated plants. Late and early matured seeds from the BCMV inoculated plants were compared for the virus transmission and emergence. There was greater virus transmission and reduced emergence in the late matured seeds than in the early matured ones. Seeds harvested from Psp and BCMV inoculated plants and uninoculated controls were unexpectedly found to be infested with the bean weevil (Acanthoscelides obtectus (Say)). The BCMV infected batch of seeds appeared to repel weevil attack, whereas 25% of the uninfected batch of seeds were attacked

A Semantic Map for Evaluating Creativity

We present a semantic map of words related with creativity. The aim is to empirically derive terms which can be used to rate processes or products of computational creativity. The words in the map are based on association studies performed by human subjects and augmented with words derived from the literature (based on human raters). The words are used in a card sorting study to investigate the way they are categorized by human subjects. The results are arranged in a heat map of word relations based on a hierarchical cluster analysis. The cluster analysis and a principal component analysis provide a set of five to six clusters of items related to each other, and as clusters related to creativity. These clusters could form a basis for scales used to rate aspects of computational creativity

Exploratory randomised trial of face-to-face and mobile phone counselling against usual care for tobacco cessation in Indian primary care: a randomised controlled trial protocol for project CERTAIN

INTRODUCTION: Despite widespread use of smokeless tobacco products by people within the Indian subcontinent, there is little awareness among Indians of its health hazards when compared with smoked tobacco. We hypothesise that mobile phone counselling will be feasible and effective for smokeless tobacco cessation intervention in India. This paper presents the protocol of the development and conduct of an exploratory trial before progression to a full randomised controlled trial. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: An exploratory randomised controlled trial will be conducted in urban primary health centres in the state of Odisha, India. A total of 250 smokeless tobacco users will be recruited to the study (125 in each arm). Participants in the intervention arm will receive routine care together with a face-to-face counselling intervention followed by advice and reminder mobile messages. The control arm will receive routine care, delivered by a primary care physician based on 'Ask' and 'Advice'. All participants will be followed up for 3 months from the first counselling session. The primary outcome of this trial is to assess the feasibility to carry out a full randomised controlled trial. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approvals were obtained from the Institutional Ethics Committee of Public Health Foundation of India, Health Ministry's Screening Committee, Odisha State Ethics Board and also from University College London Research Ethics Committee, UK. The study findings will be published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: CTRI/2019/05/019484