Using a Class-Wide, Semester-Long Project to Teach Software Engineering Principles

A senior-level, project-based Software Engineeringcourse taught at the University of Central Arkansas serves asthe capstone course for the Computer Science Program andintroduces students to the theory, tools, and techniques used tobuild large-scale software systems in a project-driven setting.Foundational to the course is the use of a class-wide, semesterlongcourse project to emphasize the theoretical aspects of thesoftware process and the system used for scoring studentperformance on the project. One project is selected for theentire class with students divided into teams of four to sixstudents to support different functional requirement areas. Amilestone-driven approach is used following a modifiedversion of the Unified Process for project development.Student scores on the project are divided into a group score,assignable via a rubric-like grade sheet, and an individualscore which is determined by the individual’s effort asassigned using the task-management tool, Issue-Tracker.Experiences gained and lessons learned in teaching the courseare provided as a guide for those wishing to follow a similarapproach to teaching Software Engineering in the future

Design for manufacture : a methodology to evaluate an aircraft design in order to ensure its manufacturability

The aim of the research is to develop a methodological analysis of problems in the area of design for manufacture in low volume high complex products found in the writer’s workplace. The majority of research in this area has been around high volume products, such as automotive products and little consideration has been given to designing complex products from industries like aircraft manufacture. This research evaluates design for manufacture (DFM) information in the design lifecycle (DLC). The author’s research introduces a unique DLC process, one which structures decisions and data transfer through the DLC. The research also looks at current academic work and introduces industrial issues present in today’s environment. It is crucial to the design of a product to select the appropriate design environment in which it operates, as it will structure the way the engineering activities are established and developed. It is also important for the organisation to decide on the environment in which the design definition should evolve. Therefore the research reviews the different design definition environments, these were carefully analysed by the author. The evaluation of a design to ensure its manufacturability is a major element in the research, a review of previous work has highlighted that within current publications there has been little work in this area. The research has developed a methodology to evaluate the robustness of a design. It not only looks at the engineering design but also evaluates its adherence to customer requirements and the effect on cost for the overall product life-cycle. It also considers industrial needs for a reduction in the length of design life-cycle, while ensuring a reduction in manufacturing costs. There are two main contributors to this, firstly the use of key characteristics and secondly, the ability to control the manufacturability of a design. The author has developed a novel software tool enabling efficient evaluation of a design. The author discusses his contribution to existing knowledge in three main areas of the research. The most significant being the introduction of a tool to evaluate a design early in the design life-cycle to ensure manufacturability. To validate the research the author introduces the reader to three experimental phases. He validates his methodology by analysing the design of various aircraft assemblies discussing his findings of how manufacturable the designs are. This leads to the conclusion that the author’s research adds substantial knowledge to the area of design for manufacture.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Efficient implementation of envelope analysis on resources limited wireless sensor nodes for accurate bearing fault diagnosis

With the fast development of electronics and wireless communication technologies in recent years, intelligent wireless sensor nodes are becoming increasingly popular in the online machinery condition monitoring systems. They bring a number of benefits, such as reduced investment on the installation and maintenance of expensive communication cables, ease of deployment and upgrading. For the condition monitoring of dynamic signals, distributed computation on wireless sensor nodes is getting popular with wireless sensor nodes becoming more computation powerful and power efficient. As a widely recognised algorithm for bearing fault diagnosis, envelope analysis has been previously proved suitable for being embedded on the wireless sensor nodes to effectively extract fault features from common machinery components such as bearings and gears. As a continuation, this paper studies into several envelope detection methods, including Hilbert transform, spectral correlation, band-pass squared rectifier and short-time RMS. Regarding to the fact that only low frequency components in the bearing envelope is of interest, spectral correlation can be simplified for fast calculation and short-time RMS method can be considered as a simplified band-pass squared rectifier, in which partial aliasing is allowed. Thereafter, spectral correlation and short-time RMS are employed to speed up the calculation of envelope analysis on a wireless sensor node, which thereafter provides the potential to reduce power consumption of wireless sensor nodes. The computation speed comparison shows that the spectral correlation method and short-time RMS can speed up the computation speed by more than two times and five times in comparison with the Hilbert transform method. The simulation study shows that spectral correlation and short-time RMS based methods achieves similar level of accuracy as Hilbert transform. Furthermore, the experimental study shows that spectral correlation and short-time RMS based methods can well reveal the simulated three types of bearing faults while with the computation speed significantly improved

Age- and Concentration-Dependent Elimination Half-Life of 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin in Seveso Children

OBJECTIVE: Pharmacokinetic and statistical analyses are reported to elucidate key variables affecting 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) elimination in children and adolescents. DESIGN: We used blood concentrations to calculate TCDD elimination half-life. Variables examined by statistical analysis include age, latency from exposure, sex, TCDD concentration and quantity in the body, severity of chloracne response, body mass index, and body fat mass. PARTICIPANTS: Blood was collected from 1976 to 1993 from residents of Seveso, Italy, who were < 18 years of age at the time of a nearby trichlorophenol reactor explosion in July 1976. RESULTS: TCDD half-life in persons < 18 years of age averaged 1.6 years while those ≥18 years of age averaged 3.2 years. Half-life is strongly associated with age, showing a cohort average increase of 0.12 year half-life per year of age or time since exposure. A significant concentration-dependency is also identified, showing shorter half-lives for TCDD concentrations > 400 ppt for children < 12 years of age and 700 ppt when including adults. Moderate correlations are also observed between half-life and body mass index, body fat mass, TCDD mass, and chloracne response. CONCLUSIONS: Children and adolescents have shorter TCDD half-lives and a slower rate of increase in half-life than adults, and this effect is augmented at higher body burdens. RELEVANCE: Modeling of TCDD blood concentrations or body burden in humans should take into account the markedly shorter elimination half-life observed in children and adolescents and concentration-dependent effects observed in persons > 400–700 ppt

Plasma and Fecal Metabolite Profiles in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Background: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition with hallmark behavioral manifestations including impaired social communication and restricted repetitive behavior. In addition, many affected individuals display metabolic imbalances, immune dysregulation, gastrointestinal (GI) dysfunction, and altered gut microbiome compositions. Methods: We sought to better understand non-behavioral features of ASD by determining molecular signatures in peripheral tissues through mass spectrometry methods (LC/MS and DMS-MS) with broad panels of identified metabolites. Herein, we present the global metabolome of 231 plasma and 97 fecal samples from a large cohort of children with ASD and typically developing (TD) controls. Results: Differences in amino acid, lipid, and xenobiotic metabolism discriminate ASD and TD samples. Our results implicate oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction, hormone level elevations, lipid profile changes, and altered levels of phenolic microbial metabolites. We also reveal correlations between specific metabolite profiles and clinical behavior scores. Furthermore, a summary of metabolites modestly associated with GI dysfunction in ASD are provided, and a pilot study of metabolites that can be transferred via fecal microbial transplant into mice were identified. Conclusions: These findings support a connection between metabolism, GI physiology, and complex behavioral traits, and may advance discovery and development of molecular biomarkers for ASD

Expert consensus and recommendations on safety criteria for active mobilization of mechanically ventilated critically ill adults

Introduction: The aim of this study was to develop consensus recommendations on safety parameters for mobilizing adult, mechanically ventilated, intensive care unit (ICU) patients. Methods: A systematic literature review was followed by a meeting of 23 multidisciplinary ICU experts to seek consensus regarding the safe mobilization of mechanically ventilated patients. Results: Safety considerations were summarized in four categories: respiratory, cardiovascular, neurological and other. Consensus was achieved on all criteria for safe mobilization, with the exception being levels of vasoactive agents. Intubation via an endotracheal tube was not a contraindication to early mobilization and a fraction of inspired oxygen less than 0.6 with a percutaneous oxygen saturation more than 90% and a respiratory rate less than 30 breaths/minute were considered safe criteria for in- and out-of-bed mobilization if there were no other contraindications. At an international meeting, 94 multidisciplinary ICU clinicians concurred with the proposed recommendations. Conclusion: Consensus recommendations regarding safety criteria for mobilization of adult, mechanically ventilated patients in the ICU have the potential to guide ICU rehabilitation whilst minimizing the risk of adverse events

Search for the lepton-flavor-violating decays Bs0→e±μ∓ and B0→e±μ∓

A search for the lepton-flavor-violating decays Bs0→e±μ∓ and B0→e±μ∓ is performed with a data sample, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.0  fb-1 of pp collisions at √s=7  TeV, collected by the LHCb experiment. The observed number of Bs0→e±μ∓ and B0→e±μ∓ candidates is consistent with background expectations. Upper limits on the branching fractions of both decays are determined to be B(Bs0→e±μ∓)101  TeV/c2 and MLQ(B0→e±μ∓)>126  TeV/c2 at 95% C.L., and are a factor of 2 higher than the previous bounds