Requirements Quick Notes

A short introduction to requirements and their role in system development. Includes industry definition of requirements, overview of basic requirements process including numbering of requirements, ties to testing, and traceability. An introduction to requirements quality attributes (correct, unambiguous, etc.) Includes references to requirements process, numbering, and quality papers

Lack of Attention to Singular (or Atomic) Requirements Despite Benefits for Quality, Metrics and Management

There are seemingly many advantages to being able to identify, document, test, and trace single or “atomic” requirements. Why then has there been little attention to the topic and no widely used definition or process on how to define atomic requirements? Definitions of requirements and standards focus on user needs, system capabilities or functions; some definitions include making individual requirements singular or without the use of conjunctions. In a few cases there has been a description of atomic system events or requirements. This work is surveyed here although there is no well accepted and used best practice for generating atomic requirements. Due to their importance in software engineering, quality and metrics for requirements have received considerable attention. In the seminal paper on software requirements quality, Davis et al. proposed specific metrics including the “unambiguous quality factor” and the “verifiable quality factor”; these and other metrics work best with a clearly enumerable list of single requirements. Atomic requirements are defined here as a natural language statement that completely describes a single system function, feature, need, or capability, including all information, details, limits, and characteristics. A typical user login screen is used as an example of an atomic requirement which can include both functional and nonfunctional requirements. Individual atomic requirements are supported by a system glossary, references to applicable industry standards, mock ups of the user interface, etc. One way to identify such atomic requirements is from use case or system event analysis. This definition of atomic requirements is still a work in progress and offered to prompt discussion. Atomic requirements allow clear naming or numbering of requirements for traceability, change management, and importance ranking. Further, atomic requirements defined in this manner are suitable for rapid implementation approaches (implementing one requirement at a time), enable good test planning (testing can clearly indicate pass or fail of the whole requirement), and offer other management advantages in project control

気管支喘息症例における末梢血白血球のロイコトリエンC4産生能とロイコトリエン受容体括抗薬プランルカストの効果に関する検討

The correlation between the efficacy of 4-weeks administration with pranlukast, leukotriene receptor antagonist, and LTs generation by peripheral leukocytes were evaluated in 18 patients with mild-persistent asthma. The efficacy of pranlukast administration was assessed by symptom, morning PEF and pulmonary function. Pranlukast were effective in 12/18(67%) patients. In those patients, LTC4 generation before pranlukast administration was significantly high, compared with that in pranlukast-ineffective patients. LTC4 generation decreased after 4-weeks administration with pranlukast in effective patients. In ineffective patients, however, LTC4 generation increased after 4-weeks administration. LTB4 had shown no significant difference between effective and ineffective patients before administration, and LTB4 decreased after 4-weeks in both groups. Proport ion of peripheral eosinophi Is in effective patients were higher than that in ineffective patients, however not significant. After 4-weeks, proportion of eosinophi Is was decreased in effective patients and increased in ineffective patients. These findings suggest that pranlukast is effective for patients with high LTC4 generation and has the effect to suppress the accumulation of eosinophils in such patients.軽症気管支喘息18例にロイコトリエン受容体桔抗薬プランルカストを4週間投与し，その効果と末梢血白血球からのLTC4，LTB4産生能の関係を検討した．プランルカストの効果は臨床症状，起床時ピークフロー値，肺機能の変化によって判定し，効果群，非効果群の2群に分類した．18例中12例（67％）の症例がプランルカスト投与により，臨床症状の軽減，ピークフロー値の増加，肺機能の改善が認められた．効果群におけるプランルカスト投与前のLTC4値は，非効果群のLTC4値に比較して有意に高値であった．4週間の投与後には 効果群ではLTC4値は減少し，非効果群では増加した．両群のLTB4値はプランルカスト投与前で有意な差は認められず，投与後には両群で減少した．投与前の好酸球分画は，効果群において非効果群に比べ高値であったが，有意な差は認められなかった．4週間の投与後，効果群においては好酸球は減少し，非効果群においては増加した．以上の結果より，プランルカストは末梢血白血球のLTC4産生能が高い症例において効果的であり，好酸球集積を抑制する作用を有すると考えられる

Atomic Requirements Quick Notes

Working paper on atomic requirements for systems development and the importance of singular, cohesive, individual requirements statements. Covers possible definitions of atomic requirements, and their characteristics. Atomic requirements improve many parts of the development process from requirements to testing and contracting

Proposal of RSS Extension for Security Information Exchange

Abstract Unauthorized access intended to distribute malware has been widely spread across the Internet and causing a lot of damage worldwide. In order to eliminate vulnerabilities that can be exploited by those malware and prevent unauthorized access, it is necessary to improve the way to distribute security information about computer software and hardware. In this paper, we examines how we can provide a more efficient security information distribution service for the security administrators that helps them reduce their workload related in gathering and grouping information from various sources and take care of vulnerabilities and incidents. We propose JVNRSS (JP Vendor Status Notes RSS) as a security information sharing and exchanging specification. Currently, JPCERT/CC and IPA (Information-technology Promotion Agency) are promoting a framework to handle vulnerability information in Japan. They offer JVN (JP Vendor Status Notes), a portal site to provide security information about the domestic computer software and hardware manufactured by the vendors participating in the framework. JVNRSS is one of the methods JVN has been using to distribute security information. JVNRSS is based on RSS 1.0 and uses the "<dc:relation>" field defined in the Dublin Core as a Relational ID to correlate security information issued by various sources. JVNRSS uses the reference URL specified in a security alert, for example, an URL of the Common Vulnerability Exposure, CERT Advisory, CERT Vulnerability Note, US-CERT Technical Alert and CIAC Bulletin. In this paper, firstly we will explain the specification and applications of JVNRSS. Secondly, we will introduce the result of our feasibility study on JVNRSS and lastly we will propose the RSS Extension for security information sharing through the Internet

An efficient and generic reversible debugger using the virtual machine based approach

The reverse execution of programs is a function where pro-grams are executed backward in time. A reversible debugger is a debugger that provides such a functionality. In this pa-per, we propose a novel reversible debugger that enables reverse execution of programs written in the C language. Our approach takes the virtual machine based approach. In this approach, the target program is executed on a special virtual machine. Our contribution in this paper is two-fold. First, we propose an approach that can address problems of (1) compatibility and (2) efficiency that exist in previous works. By compatibility, we mean that previous debuggers are not generic, i.e., they support only a special language or special intermediate code. Second, our approach provides two execution modes: the native mode, where the debuggee is directly executed on a real CPU, and the virtual ma-chine mode, where the debuggee is executed on a virtual machine. Currently, our debugger provides four types of trade-off settings (designated by unit and optimization) to consider trade-offs between granularity, accuracy, overhead and memory requirement. The user can choose the appro-priate setting flexibly during debugging without finishing and restarting the debuggee

Proposal of RSS Extension for Security Information Exchange

Abstract Unauthorized access intended to distribute malware has been widely spread across the Internet and causing a lot of damage worldwide. In order to eliminate vulnerabilities that can be exploited by those malware and prevent unauthorized access, it is necessary to improve the way to distribute security information about computer software and hardware. In this paper, we examines how we can provide a more efficient security information distribution service for the security administrators that helps them reduce their workload related in gathering and grouping information from various sources and take care of vulnerabilities and incidents. We propose JVNRSS (JP Vendor Status Notes RSS) as a security information sharing and exchanging specification. Currently, JPCERT/CC and IPA (Information-technology Promotion Agency) are promoting a framework to handle vulnerability information in Japan. They offer JVN (JP Vendor Status Notes), a portal site to provide security information about the domestic computer software and hardware manufactured by the vendors participating in the framework. JVNRSS is one of the methods JVN has been using to distribute security information. JVNRSS is based on RSS 1.0 and uses the "<dc:relation>" field defined in the Dublin Core as a Relational ID to correlate security information issued by various sources. JVNRSS uses the reference URL specified in a security alert, for example, an URL of the Common Vulnerability Exposure, CERT Advisory, CERT Vulnerability Note, US-CERT Technical Alert and CIAC Bulletin. In this paper, firstly we will explain the specification and applications of JVNRSS. Secondly, we will introduce the result of our feasibility study on JVNRSS and lastly we will propose the RSS Extension for security information sharing through the Internet

THE FRICTIONAL COEFFICIENTS IN TI-NB ALLOY

Objectives: To determine the frictional force (FF) of the novel, elastic, bendable titanium-niobium (Ti-Nb) alloy orthodontic wire in stainless steel (SS) brackets and to compare it with those of titanium-nickel (Ti-Ni) and titanium-molybdenum (Ti-Mo) alloy wires. Materials and Methods: Three sizes of Ti-Nb, Ti-Ni, and Ti-Mo alloy wires were ligated with elastic modules to 0.018-inch and 0.022-inch SS brackets. The dynamic FFs between the orthodontic wires and SS brackets were measured at three bracket-wire angles (0゜, 5゜, and 10゜) with an Instron 5567 loading apparatus (Canton, Mass). Results: FFs increased gradually with the angle and wire size. In the 0.018-inch-slot bracket, the dynamic FFs of Ti-Nb and Ti-Ni alloy wires were almost the same, and those of the Ti-Mo alloy wire were significantly greater (P<0.05). FF values were 1.5–2 times greater in the 0.022-inch-slot bracket than in the 0.018-inch-slot bracket, regardless of alloy wire type, and the Ti-Mo alloy wire showed the greatest FF. Scanning electric microscopic images showed that the surface of the Ti-Mo alloy wire was much rougher than that of the Ti-Ni and Ti-Nb alloy wires. Conclusion: These findings demonstrate that the Ti-Nb alloy wire has almost the same frictional resistance as the Ti-Ni alloy wire, although it has a higher elastic modulus

The role of digital rectal examination for diagnosis of acute appendicitis: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Digital rectal examination (DRE) has been traditionally recommendedto evaluate acute appendicitis, although several reports indicate its lack of utility for this diagnosis. No metaanalysis has examined DRE for diagnosis of acute appendicitis. Objectives: To assess the role of DRE for diagnosis of acute appendicitis. Data Sources: Cochrane Library, PubMed, and SCOPUS from the earliest available date of indexing through November 23, 2014, with no language restrictions. Study Selection: Clinical studies assessing DRE as an index test for diagnosis of acute appendicitis. Data Extraction and Synthesis: Two independent reviewers extracted study data and assessed the quality, using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies 2 tool. Bivariate random-effects models were used for the pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio, and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) as point estimates with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Main Outcomes and Measures: The main outcome measure was the diagnostic performance of DRE for diagnosis of acute appendicitis. Results: We identified 19 studies with a total of 7511 patients. The pooled sensitivity and specificity were 0.49 (95% CI 0.42-0.56) and 0.61 (95% CI 0.53-0.67), respectively. The positive and negative likelihood ratios were 1.24 (95% CI 0.97-1.58) and 0.85 (95% CI 0.70-1.02), respectively. The DOR was 1.46 (0.95-2.26). Conclusion and Relevance: Acute appendicitis cannot be ruled in or out through the result of DRE. Reconsideration is needed for the traditional teaching that rectal examination should be performed routinely in all patients with suspected appendicitis

気管支喘息患者における白血球ロイコトリエン産生能に対する不飽和脂肪酸食の効果に影響する因子

Dietary supplementation with perilla seed oil, a vegetable oil rich in α -lin- olenic acid, inhibits the generation of leukotrienes(LTs) by leucocytes in patients with bronchial asthma. We examined the factors that affect the suppression of LT generation by leucocytes with perilla seed oil-rich supplementation in patients with asthma, by comparing the clinical features of patients with asthma, whose generation of leukotriene (LT) C4 was suppressed by dietary supplementation with perilla seed oil (n-3 fatty acids) (group A), with those of patients who showed no suppression of LTC4 generation (group B). Group A showed a significant increase in the generation of LTB4 and L TC4 by leucocytes after corn oil-rich supplementation (n-6 fatty acids), and a significant decrease in the generation of LTB4 and LTC4 after perilla seed oil-rich supplementation (n-3 fatty acid). However, this was not observed in group B. The level of serum IgE and peak expiratory flow (PEF) in group A were significantly higher than in group B. Furthermore, the serum levels of LDL-cholesterol, β-lipoprotein and　phospholipid were significantly lower in group A than in group B. These results suggest that the clinical features differ between these two asthmatic populations with respect to suppression of LTB4 and LTC4 generation by n-3 fatty acids in perilla seed oil-rich supplementation.a-リノレン酸の豊富なエゴマ油の食事は気管支喘息患者の白血球ロイコトリエン(LT)産生能を抑制する｡気管支喘息患者の内,エゴマ油食によりLTC4の産生が抑制された群(A群)と抑制されない群(B群)の臨床データを比較することにより,気管支喘息患者の白血球ロイコトリエン産生能に影響する因子を検討した｡A群はコーン油(n-6系脂肪酸)の豊富な食事後,白血LTB4,LTC4の産生能が増加し,エゴマ油(n-3系脂肪酸)の豊富な食事後LTB4,LTC4の産生能が減少した｡これらの変化はB群では認められなかった｡A群のIgE値,ピークフロー(PEF)値はB群に比し,有意に高値であった｡またLDL-コレステロール,β-リポ蛋白,リン脂質はA群ではB群に比し,有意に低値であった｡これらの結果はエゴマ油の豊富な食事のn-3系脂肪酸によるLTB4,LTC4の産生能の抑制に関して2群の気管支喘息患者群間に臨床データの相違があることを示唆している