Using the SA-CMM as a Tool for Estimating the User and Management Costs for Software Acquisition Projects

The SA-CMM is based on the expectation that a mature organization and its project managers will do a thorough job of planning software acquisitions. Each key process area within the SA-CMM addresses a project management process that must take place as an adjunct to planning and managing the software acquisition project. This requires the allocation of resources to plan and oversee the acquisition activities. While software project cost estimation tools are becoming more precise in their ability to predict the costs associated with software production, few address the costs associated with acquisition planning, oversight and management. Such costs are considered “hidden.” This paper describes a methodology used and the research done to determine the effort expended by organizations in overseeing software acquisitions and the implications for predicting costs of proposed projects. A major goal of the research was to encourage a quantitative approach in collecting acquisition costs within an organization so that databases of completed projects can be used to forecast costs for future projects. Such a quantitative approach helps identify the true cost of the project which is essential to economic analysis techniques used in the decision making process for software projects. Although both the CMM and SA-CMM were used in the research as frameworks to assess software management processes, the SA-CMM was primarily used for assessing the acquisition processes and measuring their costs

Performance analysis of passive UHF RFID sensor tags on various materials

RFID (Radio Frequency Identification Technology), came into existence during the Second World War, when the military used this technology for IFF (Identification of Friend or Foe) purposes. In recent years RFID is used extensively. Wal-Mart the multinational retail enterprise have invested millions of dollars to replace their bar code system with RFID technology. The main advantage of using an RFID system is that it is simple, inexpensive, maintenance free, flexible and portable. The entire system consists of a reader, tag, IC, antennas and a controller. There can be numerous readers present in a particular area, and these readers network via a controller. However, it is vital to test the RFID system to ensure it performs optimally. The tags can be placed virtually on any material, but it is necessary to analyze how the tag will perform on the different materials under various environmental conditions. It should be possible for the tag to provide accurate results with changing environmental conditions, for instance, in the presence of moisture. Sensor tags provide a solution to this problem. Sensor tag is a type of RFID tag which can sense moisture, temperature or pressure levels and adjust the readings accordingly. Sensor code and RSSI code values are important factors determining the performance of the sensor tag. This thesis mainly focuses on the analysis of the performance of a sensor tag known as sensor dogbone tag on different materials under different environmental conditions using a reader (NordicID), which is specifically used to read sensor tags. A comparative study is made on the above conditions to determine the most suited position for the tag to be placed, in order to obtain results. The tag is placed on reference materials at constant read range and measurements are taken using a NordicID reader under various instances like, sunny outdoors, presence of moisture, embedded inside materials, enclosed inside a cardboard box etc. This thesis also offers an introduction to the RFID technology, its components and the communication of the RFID network

Detecção e ajuste de curvas em imagens digitais

A identificação e ajuste de curvas a partir de imagens digitalizadas é um problema relevante para diferentes propósitos como o estudo e pesquisa em ciências exatas e simulações. Este trabalho aborda o processo de extração de características de uma imagem para a identificação de uma curva e eixos, seguido do ajuste da curva identificada. Conseguindo como resultado final a fórmula matemática da função de ajuste assim como sua classe

Assessment of survival and cardiotoxicity of adjuvant trastuzumab among HER2 breast cancer patients in an oncology centre in Malaysia / Harissa H Hasbullah … [et al.]

Adjuvant trastuzumab has been used in human epidermal growth factor-2 (HER2) breast cancer to improve survival but with concern of cardiotoxicity. Our study is the first to review efficacy and toxicity of adjuvant trastuzumab in Malaysia. Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study on HER2 non metastatic breast cancer patients in University Malaya Medical Centre diagnosed between October 2006 and May 2011. Two cohorts were created based on whether or not they received adjuvant trastuzumab. Disease free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) for both groups were estimated using Kaplan Meier method and compared using Log rank test. Cox proportional hazards regression models analysed for potential covariates of age, tumour size and grade, node and estrogen receptor (ER) status. Trastuzumab cardiotoxicity was defined as left ventricular systolic dysfunction or heart failure with or without symptoms and graded using Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE 4.0). Results: 170 HER2 non metastatic breast cancer patients were identified. Thirty-three received trastuzumab and 136 did not. Median age was 53.4 ± 10.3 years old. Significantly more ER negative patients received trastuzumab. Four years DFS in ‘trastuzumab’ versus ‘no trastuzumab’ cohort was 90.9% vs 74.5% (p = 0.027). Four years OS was 91% vs 84.7% (p = 0.30) respectively. Majority tolerated trastuzumab with no toxicity. Five patients (15.2%) experienced cardiotoxicity (all grade I).Conclusions: Adjuvant trastuzumab significantly improved DFS in HER2 breast cancer. Treatment was well tolerated. With this we propose the justification for adjuvant trastuzumab in HER2 breast cancer in our population

Excitation of Radiative Polaritons by Polarized Broadband Infrared Radiation in Thin Oxide Films Deposited by Atomic Layer Deposition

This work contributes to the understanding of infrared radiation interaction with matter and its absorption for energy harvesting purposes. By exciting radiative polaritons in thin oxide filmswith polarized infrared radiation, a further evidence is collected that a link exists between radiative polaritons and the heat recovery mechanism hypothesized in previous research. In the voltage transient occurring when the infrared radiation is turned on, the observed time necessary to reach the maximum voltage and the voltage intensity versus angle of incidence exhibit a mismatch when generated by polarized and nonpolarized infrared radiation. The existence of collective charge oscillation modes in the semiconductor-based elements of the thermoelectric power generators supporting the heat recovery mechanism is suggested as the main source of the discrepancy

Comparison of trigger point injections versus traditional therapies in the management of post-surgical pain in patients who had anterior cervical surgery: A Retrospective Study

Introduction: The opioid epidemic has launched the United States into a public health crisis, resulting in a greater emphasis on non-opioid multimodal pain control methods. At our institution, postoperative posterior neck stiffness and myofascial pain is a common concern after anterior cervical discectomy and fusion or anterior cervical corpectomy with fusion surgery (hereinafter ACS), likely due to prolonged intraoperative positioning in neck extension. Studies have shown successful analgesic outcomes of trigger point injections with local anesthetic for generalized myofascial pain.1-2 This retrospective pilot study aimed to evaluate whether trigger point injections with bupivacaine decreases postsurgical pain compared with traditional therapies in patients undergoing ACS and thereby decrease the amount of opioid medication used. Methods: After IRB approval, we retrospectively reviewed medical records of all patients who received ACS from January 2019 to March 2020 at a single university hospital. We identified patients who received trigger point injections (TP) versus standard care (SC). We excluded patients if TP was performed \u3e3hr from surgery, in recovery for opioid use disorder, underwent a posterior approach, staged surgery, or sustained cervical trauma. The primary outcomes were pain control through the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and calculated oral morphine equivalents (OME) taken at 6, 12, and 24 hours post-operatively. Secondary outcomes included length of stay (LOS). Results: 137 patients received anterior cervical surgery (100 SC, 37 TP), 62 were excluded. A total of 75 (47 SC, 28 TP) patients were included in this study. The average OME at 6 hours significantly decreased when comparing SC vs TP (32 vs 22, p=0.025). There was no significant difference in average VAS at all time points and average OME at 12 and 24 hours (Table 1). 50% of patients were discharged by 18 hours. Discussion: Our results suggest that TP with bupivacaine significantly reduce opioid consumption within 6 hours of the postoperative period, without increasing overall pain level. There is an opportunity for TP to be included in non-opioid multimodal pain regimens for postoperative myofascial neck pain, especially during the opioid crisis. Limitations of this retrospective study were the small number of study participants, that many patients were discharged before 18 hours and some may have been on chronic pain therapy. The identified limitations will help inform our future investigations and design a prospective randomized control study

Genome-wide analysis of signal peptide functionality in Lactobacillus plantarum WCFS1

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Lactobacillus plantarum </it>is a normal, potentially probiotic, inhabitant of the human gastrointestinal (GI) tract. The bacterium has great potential as food-grade cell factory and for <it>in situ </it>delivery of biomolecules. Since protein secretion is important both for probiotic activity and in biotechnological applications, we have carried out a genome-wide experimental study of signal peptide (SP) functionality.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We have constructed a library of 76 Sec-type signal peptides from <it>L. plantarum </it>WCFS1 that were predicted to be cleaved by signal peptidase I. SP functionality was studied using staphylococcal nuclease (NucA) as a reporter protein. 82% of the SPs gave significant extracellular NucA activity. Levels of secreted NucA varied by a dramatic 1800-fold and this variation was shown not to be the result of different mRNA levels. For the best-performing SPs all produced NucA was detected in the culture supernatant, but the secretion efficiency decreased for the less well performing SPs. Sequence analyses of the SPs and their cognate proteins revealed four properties that correlated positively with SP performance for NucA: high hydrophobicity, the presence of a transmembrane helix predicted by TMHMM, the absence of an anchoring motif in the cognate protein, and the length of the H+C domain. Analysis of a subset of SPs with a lactobacillal amylase (AmyA) showed large variation in production levels and secretion efficiencies. Importantly, there was no correlation between SP performance with NucA and the performance with AmyA.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This is the first comprehensive experimental study showing that predicted SPs in the <it>L. plantarum </it>genome actually are capable of driving protein secretion. The results reveal considerable variation between the SPs that is at least in part dependent on the protein that is secreted. Several SPs stand out as promising candidates for efficient secretion of heterologous proteins in <it>L. plantarum</it>. The results for NucA provide some hints as to the sequence-based prediction of SP functionality, but the general conclusion is that such prediction is difficult. The vector library generated in this study is based on exchangeable cassettes and provides a powerful tool for rapid experimental screening of SPs.</p

Transforming Growth Factor-Beta: Selective Increase in Glycosaminoglycan Synthesis by Cultures of Fibroblasts From Patients With Progressive Systemic Sclerosis

Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) has been found in all cells examined thus far, and has been shown to play an important role in inflammation and connective tissue formation. We now report that TGF-beta, alone or in combination with epidermal growth factor (EGF), led to a preferential increase in glycosaminoglycan synthesis by cultures of dermal fibroblasts from patients with progressive systemic sclerosis (PSS) when compared with normal fibroblasts (p < 0.001). Transforming growth factor-beta increased collagen synthesis to the same extent in both PSS and normal fibroblasts, whereas EGF had no stimulatory activity on collagen synthesis. The addition of EGE to cultures incubated with TGF-beta led to a decrease in collagen synthesis compared with the effect seen with TGF-beta alone (p <0.02). These studies suggest that TGF-beta may play an important role in the accumulation of connective tissue seen in PSS and that the combined action of multiple growth factors may modulate the synthetic activity of human dermal fibroblasts

A supramolecular double sulfate salt with a lamellar type: crystal structures and thermal behavior

The synthesis of a series of supramolecular double sulfate salts using transition metals and the aromatic amine -methylbenzylamine afforded an unexpected hybrid lamellar structure type. (C8H12N)2[M(H2O)4(SO4)2].2H2O (M = Fe to Zn) crystallizes with a monoclinic structure (S.G. P21/n), with a significant interlamellar distance of more than 16 Å. While comparable to common clay materials, the crystal structure is actually supramolecular, in particular the mineral layer is built from hydrogen bonds only. The interlayer space is filled with aromatic amines that form chains through C-H***π interactions. The thermal study of all metal compounds has revealed a good stability of the filled compounds up to 200°C. The dehydration proceeds differently according to the metal incorporated into the structure. In particular, the stepped release of water modifies drastically the interlayer space, which is able to vary from 14.8 to 18.8 Å, in opposite way for the Zn-related compound compared to other metals