Quality measurement and the utilisation of measurement results in a software development process

The research topic of the thesis is quality measurement and the utilisation of measurement results in a software development process of a large switching system. The first problem studied, the utilisation, means that measurement results are poorly analysed; data is collected, but not enough conclusions are drawn about how that experience data could help in the planning and execution of software development projects. So, the problem is how to learn more about the collected material. The second research problem is further development of measurements from the point of view of the utilisation. We think this is because the existing metrics have too much focused on later phases instead of using purposeful driving metrics for controlling the process towards high final quality in early phases. The main objectives of this study are to examine the coupling of existing quality metrics to design practices, to generate new quality indicators, and to develop the utilisation of measurement results further. Basically, the study aims at finding out relationships between post-release measurement results and the driving attributes. It also aims at making proposals for methods to improve and introduce new measures; and to create a utilisation model for better use of measurement results. Research methods involve both empirical research and constructive design of models for measurement processes and utilisation. We apply statistical methods to sixteen data sets gathered from real software modules; and discuss correlation in the light of nineteen case studies. Eleven stated hypotheses are tested by their evidence based on the statistical analyses of the material collected during the 1990's from industrial projects. Generation of process and utilisation models is based on constructive modelling, on experience of good practices, and on adoption of elements from modern measurement theory as well as from goal- and attribute-oriented approaches. First, the results contribute to enhancement of empirical knowledge regarding implementation, problems, obstacles as well as lessons learnt on utilisation of measurements in an industrial environment. As a second result, the study provides analysed test results for each of the eleven hypotheses. A new result worth mentioning is a conclusion that 70-80 % of individual modules, which have been faultless in Function Test, are also faultless in System Test and during their first 6 months after delivery. Furthermore, the thesis presents an improved measurement framework including a renewed measurement process. The process is composed of four parts for planning, definition, performing - and especially - for utilising measurements. The thesis has also resulted in a novel utilisation model that can be used to improve the use of measurement results. Finally, we present a supplementary result that requires further research and validation. In particular, we have constructed a six-level measurement utilisation capability model.reviewe

The Identity Problem for Matrix Semigroups in SL2(Z) is NP-complete

In this paper, we show that the problem of determining if the identity matrix belongs to a finitely generated semigroup of $2\times 2$ matrices from the modular group $\text{PSL}_2(\mathbb Z)$ and thus the Special Linear group $\text{SL}_2(\mathbb Z)$ is solvable in $\mathbf{NP}$. From this fact, we can immediately derive that the fundamental problem of whether a given finite set of matrices from $\text{SL}_2(\mathbb Z)$ or $\text{PSL}_2(\mathbb Z)$ generates a group or free semigroup is also decidable in $\mathbf{NP}$. The previous algorithm for these problems, shown in 2005 by Choffrut and Karhum\"aki, was in \EXPSPACE mainly due to the translation of matrices into exponentially long words over a binary alphabet $\{s,r\}$ and further constructions with a large nondeterministic finite state automaton that is built on these words. Our algorithm is based on various new techniques that allow us to operate with compressed word representations of matrices without explicit expansions. When combined with the known $\mathbf{NP}$-hard lower bound, this proves that the membership problem for the identity problem, the group problem and the freeness problem in $\text{SL}_2(\mathbb Z)$ are $\mathbf{NP}$-complete

Acceptance Ambiguity for Quantum Automata

We consider notions of freeness and ambiguity for the acceptance probability of Moore-Crutchfield Measure Once Quantum Finite Automata (MO-QFA). We study the distribution of acceptance probabilities of such MO-QFA, which is partly motivated by similar freeness problems for matrix semigroups and other computational models. We show that determining if the acceptance probabilities of all possible input words are unique is undecidable for 32 state MO-QFA, even when all unitary matrices and the projection matrix are rational and the initial configuration is defined over real algebraic numbers. We utilize properties of the skew field of quaternions, free rotation groups, representations of tuples of rationals as a linear sum of radicals and a reduction of the mixed modification Post\u27s correspondence problem

Binary (generalized) Post Correspondence Problem

AbstractWe give a new proof for the decidability of the binary Post Correspondence Problem (PCP) originally proved in 1982 by Ehrenfeucht, Karhumäki and Rozenberg. Our proof is complete and somewhat shorter than the original proof although we use the same basic idea

Positivity of second order linear recurrent sequences

AbstractWe give a decision method for the Positivity Problem for second order recurrent sequences: it is decidable whether or not a recurrent sequence defined by un=aun-1+bun-2 has only nonnegative terms

Another approach to the equivalence of measure-many one-way quantum finite automata and its application

In this paper, we present a much simpler, direct and elegant approach to the equivalence problem of {\it measure many one-way quantum finite automata} (MM-1QFAs). The approach is essentially generalized from the work of Carlyle [J. Math. Anal. Appl. 7 (1963) 167-175]. Namely, we reduce the equivalence problem of MM-1QFAs to that of two (initial) vectors. As an application of the approach, we utilize it to address the equivalence problem of {\it Enhanced one-way quantum finite automata} (E-1QFAs) introduced by Nayak [Proceedings of the 40th Annual IEEE Symposium on Foundations of Computer Science, 1999, pp.~369-376]. We prove that two E-1QFAs $\mathcal{A}_1$ and $\mathcal{A}_2$ over $\Sigma$ are equivalence if and only if they are $n_1^2+n_2^2-1$-equivalent where $n_1$ and $n_2$ are the numbers of states in $\mathcal{A}_1$ and $\mathcal{A}_2$, respectively.Comment: V 10: Corollary 3 is deleted, since it is folk. (V 9: Revised in terms of the referees's comments) All comments, especially the linguistic comments, are welcom

Enempää en mielestäni voisi ymmärtää : luokanopettajien näkemyksiä ja kokemuksia sosioemotionaalisesta tuesta yleisopetuksessa

Tutkimus käsittelee sosioemotionaalista tukea yleisopetuksen opetusryhmässä: tukea tarvitsevia oppilaita, tuen sisältöjä ja tuloksellisuutta. Tarkoituksena on avata luokanopettajien näkemyksiä, jotka ohjaavat heidän toimintaansa käytännön opetustyössä. Tavoitteena on myös lisätä ymmärrystä aiheeseen liittyvien näkökulmien moninaisuudesta sekä mahdollisuuksista kehittää inklusiivisia opetusjärjestelyjä. Teoriaosuudessa aihetta pohjustetaan luomalla katsaus sosioemotionaalisen kompetenssin ja vaikeuksien määrittelyn haasteisiin, käytettyjen käsitteiden moninaisuuteen ja merkityksiin sekä oppilaan tukeen ja sen historialliseen kontekstiin inkluusiopyrkimysten haasteiden ymmärtämiseksi. Aihetta lähestytään monimetodisesti, sekä fenomenografisella tutkimusotteella että määrällisin menetelmin. Tutkimuksen kohderyhmänä ovat perusopetuksen vuosiluokilla 1–6 toimivat luokanopettajat, joiden oppilaista ainakin yhden on määritelty tarvitsevan tehostettua tai erityistä tukea sosioemotionaalisin perustein. Tutkimukseen osallistui 55 luokanopettajaa eri puolilta Suomea. Aineisto kerättiin kahtena ajankohtana, vuoden 2012 kevätlukukauden alussa ja lopussa, internet-pohjaisilla kyselylomakkeilla, jotka sisältävät sekä laadullisia että määrällisiä osioita. Tutkimuksessa sosioemotionaalista tukea lähestytään positiivisista lähtökohdista. Keskeisenä teoreettisena mallina on Rose-Krasnorin ja Denhamin (2009) sosioemotionaalisen kompetenssin malli. Yleisesti ottaen luokanopettajat arvioivat tukea tarvitsevien oppilaidensa sosioemotionaaliset taidot, erityisesti itsesäätelykyvyn taidot, heikoiksi. Tuen tarpeen määrittely osoittautui kontekstisidonnaiseksi: tehostetun ja erityisen tuen oppilaiden taidoissa tai vaikeuksissa ei voitu osoittaa olevan systemaattista tasoeroa. Tuen suunnitelmallisuus on vähäistä. Erityisiä interventio-ohjelmia ja koulussa yhteisesti sovittuja toimintamalleja käytetään vain vähän. Sosioemotionaalinen tuki nähdään enimmäkseen opettajan toimenpiteiksi, jotka kohdistuvat yksittäiseen oppilaaseen ongelmatilanteissa. Käyttäytymisen ja tunne-elämän taitojen opettamista pidetään kuitenkin erittäin tärkeänä, vaikka sitä toteutetaan vähän ja sen ei katsota tuottavan tulosta. Tuen tuloksellisuuden avaintekijöinä nähdään riittävä henkilöstöresursointi, opettajan oppilaslähtöinen asennoituminen ja tietoinen hyvän suhteen rakentaminen oppilaaseen sekä kodin tuki ja yhteistyö. Vaikka suurin osa vastaajista kertoi kokeneensa haasteita ja huolia tukea tarvitsevan oppilaan opettamisessa, useimmat kuitenkin pitävät kokemusta kaiken kaikkiaan myönteisenä ja opetusjärjestelyjä oppilaalle oikeana ratkaisuna. Luokanopettajien henkilökohtaiset kokemukset sosioemotionaalista tukea tarvitsevan oppilaansa opettamisesta ovat myönteisempiä kuin heidän inkluusioasenteensa yleisellä tasolla.‘I don’t think I could understand more’: Class teachers’ conceptions and experiences of social-emotional support in regular education classrooms The study deals with social-emotional support in regular education classrooms, focusing on pupils in need of support and the contents and effectiveness of support. The aim of the study is to shed light on class teachers’ conceptions that direct their teaching practices. Another aim is to increase understanding of the diversity of approaches to the theme and the possibilities to develop inclusive teaching arrangements. The diversity is introduced by reviewing the challenges in defining social-emotional competency and problems, variations in the terms used and their meanings, and support for learners with its historical context in order to better understand the challenges in inclusive endeavours. The theme is explored with a multimethod approach using both phenomeno-graphic research approach and quantitative methods. The target group is Finnish class teachers who are working in basic education in grades 1–6 and whose classroom include at least one pupil defined as having intensified or special support needs for social-emotional reasons. Fifty-five class teachers from different regions of Finland participated in the study. Data were collected in the beginning and the end of the 2012 spring term using Internet-based survey questionnaires with both qualitative and quantitative questions. In this study social-emotional support is approached with a positive perspective. A central theoretical model is Rose-Krasnor and Denham’s (2009) model of social-emotional competence. In general, class teachers report that pupils in need of support have low social-emotional skills, especially self-regulation skills. Defining needs for support appears to be context dependent as there are no systematic differences in the levels of skills or difficulties between pupils receiving intensified and special support. Class teachers don’t apply the forms of support in a systematic way. Specific intervention programmes and commonly agreed-upon procedures are little used. Social-emotional support is mostly seen to consist of teacher’s actions focused on individual pupils in problem situations. Teaching emotional and behavioural skills is considered to be important, although it is carried out by only few, and it is not perceived to be effective. Sufficient human resources, building good relationships with pupils intentionally and co-operation with home are seen as the key factors in successful support. Although most participants report facing challenges in teaching the pupils in need of support, most consider the overall experience to be positive and the settings to be the right solutions for the pupils. Class teachers’ personal experiences working with pupils in need of social-emotional support are more positive than their attitudes towards inclusion in general