Designing systems engineering profiles for VSEs

To address the systems lifecycle needs of Very small entities, a set of standards and guides have been recently developed using the systems engineering lifecycle standard ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288 as the main framework. The systems engineering handbook, developed by the International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE), is used as the reference for the development of a set of systems engineering deployment packages. This short paper presents an overview of this new systems engineering standard and discusses certification scheme needs and future developments

Early stage adoption of ISO/IEC 29110 software project management practices: a case study

The ISO/IEC 29110 standard has at its core a Management and Engineering Guide [1] which are targeted at very small entities (enterprises, organizations, departments or projects) having up to 25 people [2], to assist them unlock the potential benefits of using standards which are specifically designed to address their needs. This paper discusses the role and structure of Project Management in the ISO/IEC 29110 standard and the design and development of project management support documentation. In particular this paper describes a case study of an early adopter of ISO/IEC 29110 project management practices and their experiences with implementing these in an industrial context

Recombinant Incretin-Secreting Microbe Improves Metabolic Dysfunction in High-Fat Diet Fed Rodents

peer-reviewedThe gut hormone glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1 and its analogues represent a new generation of anti-diabetic drugs, which have also demonstrated propensity to modulate host lipid metabolism. Despite this, drugs of this nature are currently limited to intramuscular administration routes due to intestinal degradation. The aim of this study was to design a recombinant microbial delivery vector for a GLP-1 analogue and assess the efficacy of the therapeutic in improving host glucose, lipid and cholesterol metabolism in diet induced obese rodents. Diet-induced obese animals received either Lactobacillus paracasei NFBC 338 transformed to express a long-acting analogue of GLP-1 or the isogenic control microbe which solely harbored the pNZ44 plasmid. Short-term GLP-1 microbe intervention in rats reduced serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides and triglyceride-rich lipoprotein cholesterol substantially. Conversely, extended GLP-1 microbe intervention improved glucose-dependent insulin secretion, glucose metabolism and cholesterol metabolism, compared to the high-fat control group. Interestingly, the microbe significantly attenuated the adiposity associated with the model and altered the serum lipidome, independently of GLP-1 secretion. These data indicate that recombinant incretin-secreting microbes may offer a novel and safe means of managing cholesterol metabolism and diet induced dyslipidaemia, as well as insulin sensitivity in metabolic dysfunction

Photocatalytic Activity Of Core/shell Semiconductor Nanocrystals Featuring Spatial Separation Of Charges

The present study investigates the photocatalytic activity of ZnSe/CdS core/shell semiconductor nanocrystals. These nanoparticles exhibit a spatial separation of photoinduced charges between the core and the shell domains, which makes them potentially viable for photocatalytic applications. Unfortunately, one of the excited charges remains inside the core semiconductor and thus cannot efficiently react with the external environment. Here, we explore this issue by investigating the mechanisms of hole extraction from the ZnSe core to the surface of the CdS shell. In particular, the effect of shell thickness in ZnSe/CdS core/shell nanocrystals on the ability of core-localized charges to perform oxidative reactions was determined. By using a combination of time-resolved spectroscopy and electrochemical techniques, we demonstrate that the use of hole-scavenging surfactants facilitates an efficient transfer of core-localized holes to the surface even in the case of shells exceeding 7 nm in thickness. These measurements further demonstrate that photoinduced holes can be extracted from the core faster than they recombine with shell-localized electrons, indicating that most of the absorbed energy in ZnSe/CdS nanocrystals can be used to drive catalytic reactions

Snow Buntings Maintain Winter-Level Cold Endurance While Migrating to the High Arctic

Arctic breeding songbirds migrate early in the spring and can face winter environments requiring cold endurance throughout their journey. One such species, the snow bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis), is known for its significant thermogenic capacity. Empirical studies suggest that buntings can indeed maintain winter cold acclimatization into the migratory and breeding phenotypes when kept captive on their wintering grounds. This capacity could be advantageous not only for migrating in a cold environment, but also for facing unpredictable Arctic weather on arrival and during preparation for breeding. However, migration also typically leads to declines in the sizes of several body components linked to metabolic performance. As such, buntings could also experience some loss of cold endurance as they migrate. Here, we aimed to determine whether free-living snow buntings maintain a cold acclimatized phenotype during spring migration. Using a multi-year dataset, we compared body composition (body mass, fat stores, and pectoralis muscle thickness), oxygen carrying capacity (hematocrit) and metabolic performance (thermogenic capacity – Msum and maintenance energy expenditure – BMR) of birds captured on their wintering grounds (January–February, Rimouski, QC, 48°N) and during pre-breeding (April–May) in the Arctic (Alert, NU, 82°). Our results show that body mass, fat stores and Msum were similar between the two stages, while hematocrit and pectoralis muscle thickness were lower in pre-breeding birds than in wintering individuals. These results suggest that although tissue degradation during migration may affect flight muscle size, buntings are able to maintain cold endurance (i.e., Msum) up to their Arctic breeding grounds. However, BMR was higher during pre-breeding than during winter, suggesting higher maintenance costs in the Arctic

Conserved regulatory motifs at phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase (PNMT) are disrupted by common functional genetic variation: an integrated computational/experimental approach

The adrenomedullary hormone epinephrine transduces environmental stressors into cardiovascular events (tachycardia and hypertension). Although the epinephrine biosynthetic enzyme PNMT genetic locus displays both linkage and association to such traits, genetic variation underlying these quantitative phenotypes is not established. Using an integrated suite of computational and experimental approaches, we elucidate a functional mechanism for common (minor allele frequencies > 30%) genetic variants at PNMT. Transcription factor binding motif prediction on mammalian PNMT promoter alignments identified two variant regulatory motifs, SP1 and EGR1, disrupted by G-367A (rs3764351), and SOX17 motif created by G-161A (rs876493). Electrophoretic mobility shifts of approximately 30-bp oligonucleotides containing ancestral versus variant alleles validated the computational hypothesis. Queried against chromaffin cell nuclear protein extracts, only the G-367 and -161A alleles shifted. Specific antibodies applied in electrophoretic gel shift experiments confirmed binding of SP1 and EGR1 to G-367 and SOX17 to -161A. The in vitro allele-specific binding was verified in cella through promoter reporter assays: lower activity for -367A haplotypes cotransfected by SP1 (p = 0.002) and EGR1 (p = 0.034); and enhanced inhibition of -161A haplotypes (p = 0.0003) cotransfected with SP1 + SOX17. Finally, we probed cis/trans regulation with endogenous factors by chromatin immunoprecipitation using SP1/EGR1/SOX17 antibodies. We describe the systematic application of complementary computational and experimental techniques to detect and document functional genetic variation in a trait-associated regulatory region. The results provide insight into cis and trans transcriptional mechanisms whereby common variation at PNMT can give rise to quantitative changes in human physiological and disease traits. Thus, PNMT variants in cis may interact with nuclear factors in trans to govern adrenergic activity

The impact of situational context on software process: a case study of a very small-sized company in the online advertising domain

A primary concern of software development is selecting a suitable methodology to implement a software project. However, this selection is affected by many factors, with evidence suggesting that a specific set of factors defines a specific situational context for a project. This situational context leads to a project-specific software process. In this paper, we report on our analysis of a very small-sized company’s current software process based on a reference framework that identifies the factors of a situational context. The outcome of our case study confirms the earlier findings that a software process is highly dependent on situational factors. The company has a suitable situational context (such as very small-sized, experienced, skilled, cohesive team with low turnover) to apply agile practices and its software process is more close to an agile rather than plan-driven approach. Moreover, the company is continuously adopting its software process to the situational factors changing from project to project and over time

Network analysis of the Viking Age in Ireland as portrayed in Cogadh Gaedhel re Gallaibh

Cogadh Gaedhel re Gallaibh (‘The War of the Gaedhil with the Gaill’) is a medieval Irish text, telling how an army under the leadership of Brian Boru challenged Viking invaders and their allies in Ireland, culminating with the Battle of Clontarf in 1014. Brian’s victory is widely remembered for breaking Viking power in Ireland, although much modern scholarship disputes traditional perceptions. Instead of an international conflict between Irish and Viking, interpretations based on revisionist scholarship consider it a domestic feud or civil war. Counterrevisionists challenge this view and a long-standing and lively debate continues. Here, we introduce quantitative measures to the discussions.We present statistical analyses of network data embedded in the text to position its sets of interactions on a spectrum from the domestic to the international. This delivers a picture that lies between antipodal traditional and revisionist extremes; hostilities recorded in the text are mostly between Irish and Viking—but internal conflict forms a significant proportion of the negative interactions too

FU19 Nephrops Grounds 2022 UWTV Survey Report and catch scenarios for 2023

This report provides the main results of the twelfth underwater television survey of the various Nephrops patches in Functional Unit 19. The survey was multi-disciplinary in nature collecting UWTV and other ecosystem data. In 2022 a total 42 UWTV stations were successfully completed. The mean density estimates varied considerably across the different patches. The 2022 raised abundance estimate showed a 4% decrease from the 2021 estimate and at 259 million burrows is below the MSY Btrigger reference point (430 million). Using the 2022 estimate of abundance and updated stock data implies catch in 2023 that correspond to the F ranges in the EU multi annual plan for Western Waters are between 302 and 338 tonnes (assuming that discard rates and fishery selection patterns do not change from the average of 2019–2021). One species of sea pen was observed; Virgularia mirabilis which has been observed on previous surveys of FU19. Trawl marks were observed at 12% of the stations surveyed

The Labadie, Jones and Cockburn Banks Nephrops Grounds (FU2021) 2022 UWTV Survey Report and catch scenarios for 2023

This report is embargoed unti the 1st November when it will be published in sync with ICES.This report provides the main results of the 2022 underwater television survey on the ‘Labadie, Jones and Cockburn Banks’ ICES assessment area; Functional Unit 2021. The 2022 annual survey was multi-disciplinary in nature collecting UWTV and other ecosystem data. A total of 92 UWTV stations were completed at 6 nm intervals over a randomised isometric grid design. The mean burrow density was 0.10 burrows/m2 compared with 0.12 burrows/m2 in the year 2021. The 2022 geostatistical abundance estimate was 1032 million, a 14% decrease on the abundance from 2021, with a CV of 5%, which is well below the upper limit of 20% recommended by SGNEPS 2012. Low to medium densities were observed throughout the ground. Using the 2022 estimate of abundance and updated stock data implies catch in 2023 that correspond to the ICES MSY approach of 1803 tonnes assuming that discard rates and fishery selection patterns do not change from the average of 2019–2021. One species of sea-pen (Virgularia mirabilis) was recorded as present at the stations surveyed. Trawl marks were observed at 20% of the stations surveyed