Cost estimation in agile development projects

One of the key measures of the resilience of a project is its ability to reach completion on time and on budget, regardless of the turbulent and uncertain environment it may operate within. Cost estimation and tracking are therefore paramount when developing a system. Cost estimation has long been a difficult task in systems development, and although much research has focused on traditional methods, little is known about estimation in the agile method arena. This is ironic given that the reduction of cost and development time is the driving force behind the emergence of the agile method paradigm. This study investigates the applicability of current estimation techniques to more agile development approaches by focusing on four case studies of agile method use across different organisations. The study revealed that estimation inaccuracy was a less frequent occurrence for these companies. The frequency with which estimates are required on agile projects, typically at the beginning of each iteration, meant that the companies found estimation easier than when traditional approaches were used. The main estimation techniques used were expert knowledge and analogy to past projects. A number of recommendations can be drawn from the research: estimation models are not a necessary component of the process; fixed price budgets can prove beneficial for both developers and customers; and experience and past project data should be documented and used to aid the estimation of subsequent projects

Can a single-legged squat provide insight into movement control and loading during dynamic sporting actions in athletic groin pain patients?

Context: Chronic athletic groin pain (AGP) is common in field sports and has been associated with abnormal movement control and loading of the hip and pelvis during play. A single-legged squat (SLS) is commonly used by clinicians to assess movement control but whether it can provide insight into control during more dynamic sporting movements in AGP patients is unclear. Objective: To determine the relationships between biomechanical measures in a SLS and these same measures in a single-legged drop landing, single-legged hurdle hop and a cutting manoeuvre in AGP patients. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Biomechanics laboratory. Patients: Forty recreational field sports players diagnosed with AGP. Intervention: A biomechanical analysis of each individual’s SLS, drop-landing, hurdle hop and cut was undertaken. Main Outcome Measures: Hip, knee and pelvis angular displacement, and hip and knee peak moments. Pearson product moment correlations were used to examine relationships between SLS measures and equivalent measures in the other movements. Results: There were no significant correlations between any hip or pelvis measure in the SLS with these same measures in the drop landing, hurdle hop or cut (r range = 0.03 - 0.43, P > 0.05). Knee frontal and transverse plane angular displacement were related in the SLS and drop landing only, while knee moments were related in the SLS, drop-landing and hurdle hop (r range = 0.50 - 0.67, P < 0.05). Conclusion: For AGP patients, a SLS did not provide a meaningful insight into hip and pelvis control or loading during sporting movements that are associated with injury development. The usefulness of a SLS test in the assessment of movement control and loading in AGP patients is thus limited. The SLS provided a moderate insight into knee control while landing and therefore may be of use in the examination of knee injury risk

Athletic groin pain: a biomechanical diagnosis

Introduction: Chronic athletic groin pain is commonly experienced in a range of football codes including soccer (Holmich et al. 2014) and gaelic football (Murphy et al. 2012). Much debate surrounds the specific aetiology of AGP but several authors have implicated, at least in part, abnormal movement control and loading in and around the hip and pelvis during play (Rabe et al. 2010, Pizarri et al. 2008). Movement control during change of direction cutting is of particular interest as it is this dynamic movement that is frequently associated with groin pain development (Falvey et al. 2009). No previous studies have attempted to describe the key characteristics of cutting mechanics that may be prevalent in AGP populations, that is, what are the potential biomechanical diagnoses that exist in this cohort. Purpose: To describe the key characteristics of three dimensional cutting mechanics that exist within a large cohort of AGP patients. Methods: Four hundred (n = 400) recreational field sports players diagnosed with chronic athletic groin pain were recruited (mean ± SD: age, 27 ± 8 years; height, 1.80 ± 0.06m; mass, 81.9 ± 9.4 kg; time with groin pain, 66.2 ± 96.7 weeks). The study attained ethical approval and participants completed and signed an informed consent form before taking part. Participants underwent biomechanical testing before commencing rehabilitation. Testing involved three trials (both left and right side) of a change-of-direction cut. For the cut, participants ran as fast as possible for five meters toward a marker placed on the floor and performed an approximate 75° cut before running maximally to the finish. An eight camera 3D motion analysis system (Vicon - Bonita B10, UK), synchronized with two 40x60cm force platforms (AMTI – BP400600, USA), collected biomechanical data. Data analysis utilized the mean of each participant’s three trials on the symptomatic side, or for those with bi-lateral groin pain (n = 80), the side that was most symptomatic. A cluster analysis was undertaken using kinematic data as input (ankle, knee, hip, pelvis and trunk angles). Repeated measure ANOVAs with bonferroni post-hoc corrections were then used to determine between sub-group differences in biomechanical variables of interest. A significance level of (α = 0.05) was adopted. Results: Three distinct subgroups were created: C1 (containing 40% of participants), C2 (containing 15% of participants) and C3 (containing 45% of participants). C1 had significantly greater hip flexion and hip-pelvo-trunk rotation than C2 and C3. C3 and C2 had significantly greater hip-pelvo-trunk lateral side flexion than C1. C2 had significantly greater trunk flexion than both C1 and C3. Conclusion: Different sub-groups existed within the large cohort that exhibited distinctive cutting mechanics. Our findings may go some way toward identifying the potential cutting characteristics/diagnoses that exist in AGP patients. Rehabilitation specilaists may look to utilise such information when attempting to affect their patients cutting mechanics. Future studies are required to confirm the clinical relevance of the cutting characteristics/diagnoses identified herein. An examination of the effects of individualising groin rehabilitation programs based on a cutting mechanics assessment appears warrented. Given the inter-individual differences in cutting mechanics observed, caution is advised in the use of traditional group based analyses in future AGP biomechanical studies. This is due to the potential masking of significant findings when using heterogenous data (Bates 2005). Clustering techniques, such as employed here, may be useful in identifying homogenous sub-groups before undertaking more traditional statistical analyses

CAN A SINGLE LEG SQUAT SCREEN PROVIDE AN INSIGHT INTO NEUROMUSCULAR CONTROL DURING A SINGLE LEG DROP LANDING AND A RUNNING CUT

This study examined relationships between three dimensional (3D) pelvis, hip and knee biomechanical measures in a bodyweight single leg squat and those same measures in a drop landing and a pre-planned 75° cutting manoeuvre. 40 field sports players with chronic athletic groin pain were recruited. There were no significant (p > 0.05) correlations between hip and pelvis measures in the SLS and the equivalent measures in either the drop landing or cut. This suggests that a SLS screen may not be a valid test to identify those with abnormal hip and pelvis control in aggravating activities like landing and cutting. There were, however, significant correlations (p < 0.05) between knee measures in the SLS and drop landing which may be relevant to knee injury screening

Clinical and biomechanical outcomes of rehabilitation targeting intersegmental control in athletic groin pain:prospective cohort of 205 patients

Background: Clinical assessments and rehabilitation in athletic groin pain (AGP) have focused on specific anatomical structures and uniplanar impairments rather than whole body movement. Objective: To examine the effectiveness of rehabilitation that targeted intersegmental control in patients with AGP and to investigate post rehabilitation changes in cutting biomechanics. Methods: Two hundred and five patients with AGP were rehabilitated focusing on clinical assessment of intersegmental control, linear running and change of direction mechanics in this prospective case series. Hip and Groin Outcome Score (HAGOS) was the primary outcome measure. Secondary measures included pain-free return to play rates and times, pain provocation on squeeze tests and three-dimensional (3D) biomechanical analysis during a 110° cutting manoeuvre. Results: Following rehabilitation, patients demonstrated clinically relevant improvements in HAGOS scores (effect size (ES): 0.6–1.7). 73% of patients returned to play pain-free at a mean of 9.9 weeks (±3.5). Squeeze test values also improved (ES: 0.49–0.68). Repeat 3D analysis of the cutting movement demonstrated reductions in ipsilateral trunk side flexion (ES: 0.79) and increased pelvic rotation in the direction of travel (ES: 0.76). Changes to variables associated with improved cutting performance: greater centre of mass translation in the direction of travel relative to centre of pressure (ES: 0.4), reduced knee flexion angle (ES: 0.3) and increased ankle plantar flexor moment (ES: 0.48) were also noted. Conclusions: Rehabilitation focused on intersegmental control was associated with improved HAGOS scores, high rates of pain-free return to sporting participation and biomechanical changes associated with improved cutting performance across a range of anatomical diagnoses seen in AGP

Implementation of a Data Management Quality Management Framework at the Marine Institute, Ireland

Peer reviewed Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.The International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange of UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC-IODE) released a quality management framework for its National Oceanographic Data Centre (NODC) network in 2013. This document is intended, amongst other goals, to provide a means of assistance for NODCs to establish organisational data management quality management systems. The IOC-IODE’s framework also promotes the accreditation of NODCs which have implemented a Data Management Quality Management Framework adhering to the guidelines laid out in the IOC-IODE’s framework. In its submission for IOCE-IODE accreditation, Ireland’s National Marine Data Centre (hosted by the Marine Institute) included a Data Management Quality Management model; a manual detailing this model and how it is implemented across the scientific and environmental data producing areas of the Marine Institute; and, at a more practical level, an implementation pack consisting of a number of templates to assist in the compilation of the documentation required by the model and the manual.This work is part supported by the Irish Government and the European Maritime & Fisheries Fund as part of the EMFF Operational Programme for 2014-2020

The relationship between hop distance and control in ACLR patients

Introduction: While anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries account for less than 1% of all injuries in football, there is a significant morbidity associated with them (Ekstrand 2014). Professional footballers, for example, can take approximately 6.5 months before a return to team training following ACL repair (ACLR). In addition, the risk of re-injury is relatively high ranging from 6 to 27% (Shelbourne et al. 2014; Paterno et al. 2010). Following ACLR, rehabilitation specialists test muscular strength, power and movement control to assess rehabilitation progress and to inform return to play (RTP) decision making. Muscular strength is typically assessed using isokinetic testing (Fernandes et al. 2012), while power development can be assessed using a single leg hop for distance (Grindhem et al. 2011). Isokinetic strength and power performance are primary objective markers when assessing readiness to RTP following ACL injury, but the quality of movement control (a more qualitative assesment by the rehabilitator) is often overlooked. This may lead to an over reliance on performance outcome measures when assessing readiness to return to play without proper consideration being given to movement control. Purpose: To examine the relationship between hop distance and landing control in ALCLR patients for a single leg hop for distance. Methods: 30 multi directional field sports players 6 months post patellar tendon ACLR were recruited [mean ± SD: age 25.4 ± 2.3 years; height 182.3 ± 4.6cm; mass 80.7 ± 6.0 kg]. The study was approved by the Sport Surgery Clinic Hospital Ethics Committee and participants completed and signed an informed consent form before taking part. Participants undertook a warm-up which consisted of a 2 minute slow jog, body weight squats, vertical jumps, drop landings and lateral hops. Testing involved three single leg hops for distance on the operated limb. Pariticpants were instructed to bend the free leg behind at a 90 degree angle, undertake a horizontal hop for maximal distance, land and attempt to hold the landing for two seconds. Each hop movement was captured using high speed video and 3D motion capture cameras (Vicon). Hop distance was obtained from the horizontal distance travelled by a toe marker. The longest hop trial was selected for further analysis. Movement control on landing was assessed qualitatively using video playback in the sagital and frontal plane. Control was ranked on a scale of zero to five, each participant began with five points and one point was deducted for each of the following : loss of knee, pelvis and trunk control, poor load absorption and inability to maintain balance on landing for greater than two seconds. Participants were grouped into a ‘poor control’ group (0-2 score) and a ‘good control’ group (>3 score). An independent measures t-test (α = 0.05) was used to examine differences in jump distance between the groups. Results: 16 individuals were categorised as having poor control and 14 individuals as having good control. There was no significant difference (p = 0.79) in hop distance between the groups (Table 1). Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that hop distance (primarily a measure of lower extremity power production), and landing control, are distinct qualities. It is important therefore that rehabilitators evaluate dynamic movement control as a distinct return to play criteria in addition to the more commonly utilised performance outcome measures (e.g hop distance). An over reliance on performance outcomes may result in an athlete returning to sport with deficient movement control and in turn an increased risk of ACL re-injury or contralateral injury (Myer et al 2005, Hewett et al. 2013). The fact that over half of the athletes in this study demonstrated poor movement control on landing six months post ACLR surgery support the findings of Lee et al. (2014) who found that even after successful surgical reconstruction, the function of the knee during dynamic activities can be limited

ADAM22/LGI1 complex as a new actionable target for breast cancer brain metastasis

Background: Metastatic breast cancer is a major cause of cancer-related deaths in woman. Brain metastasis is a common and devastating site of relapse for several breast cancer molecular subtypes, including oestrogen receptor-positive disease, with life expectancy of less than a year. While efforts have been devoted to developing therapeutics for extra-cranial metastasis, drug penetration of blood–brain barrier (BBB) remains a major clinical challenge. Defining molecular alterations in breast cancer brain metastasis enables the identification of novel actionable targets.Methods: Global transcriptomic analysis of matched primary and metastatic patient tumours (n = 35 patients, 70 tumour samples) identified a putative new actionable target for advanced breast cancer which was further validated in vivo and in breast cancer patient tumour tissue (n = 843 patients). A peptide mimetic of the target's natural ligand was designed in silico and its efficacy assessed in in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo models of breast cancer metastasis.Results: Bioinformatic analysis of over-represented pathways in metastatic breast cancer identified ADAM22 as a top ranked member of the ECM-related druggable genome specific to brain metastases. ADAM22 was validated as an actionable target in in vitro, ex vivo and in patient tumour tissue (n = 843 patients). A peptide mimetic of the ADAM22 ligand LGI1, LGI1MIM, was designed in silico. The efficacy of LGI1MIM and its ability to penetrate the BBB were assessed in vitro, ex vivo and in brain metastasis BBB 3D biometric biohybrid models, respectively. Treatment with LGI1MIM in vivo inhibited disease progression, in particular the development of brain metastasis.Conclusion: ADAM22 expression in advanced breast cancer supports development of breast cancer brain metastasis. Targeting ADAM22 with a peptide mimetic LGI1MIM represents a new therapeutic option to treat metastatic brain disease

Reperfusion therapy for ST elevation acute myocardial infarction 2010/2011: current status in 37 ESC countries

Aims Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) is the preferred reperfusion therapy in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). We conducted this study to evaluate the contemporary status on the use and type of reperfusion therapy in patients admitted with STEMI in the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) member countries. Methods and results A cross-sectional descriptive study based on aggregated country-level data on the use of reperfusion therapy in patients admitted with STEMI during 2010 or 2011. Thirty-seven ESC countries were able to provide data from existing national or regional registries. In countries where no such registries exist, data were based on best expert estimates. Data were collected on the use of STEMI reperfusion treatment and mortality, the numbers of cardiologists, and the availability of PPCI facilities in each country. Our survey provides a brief data summary of the degree of variation in reperfusion therapy across Europe. The number of PPCI procedures varied between countries, ranging from 23 to 884 per million inhabitants. Primary percutaneous coronary intervention and thrombolysis were the dominant reperfusion strategy in 33 and 4 countries, respectively. The mean population served by a single PPCI centre with a 24-h service 7 days a week ranged from 31 300 inhabitants per centre to 6 533 000 inhabitants per centre. Twenty-seven of the total 37 countries participated in a former survey from 2007, and major increases in PPCI utilization were observed in 13 of these countries. Conclusion Large variations in reperfusion treatment are still present across Europe. Countries in Eastern and Southern Europe reported that a substantial number of STEMI patients are not receiving any reperfusion therapy. Implementation of the best reperfusion therapy as recommended in the guidelines should be encourage