On top management support for software cost estimation

Inaccurate software cost estimates continue causing project overruns and hurting firms’ economy. This thesis addresses the problem by focusing on top management role in applying estimation methodologies successfully in organisations. The research questions are 1) How does top management support software cost estimation, and 2) What are the impacts of top management support for creating a good cost estimate for a software project? Three empirical studies, one quantitative and two qualitative, were conducted to address the research questions. The studies identified practices, through which top management is involved in cost estimation, and collected evidence on the impact of practices on estimation success. The quantitative study is based on views of 114 Finnish software professionals, and the quantitative studies are based on in-depth findings from three Finnish software producing companies and projects. The results show that top management support for estimation is mostly indirect. Management focuses on creating a successful environment for estimation instead of hands-on participation.The key factors of top management support include adequate resources, demonstrating the importance of estimation and seeking realism. This indirect role is enough for successful estimation.On the other hand, the results provide evidence that top management may negatively impact estimation. For example, unclear expectations may cause the project team to aim for the wrong outcome, expressed expectations may bias estimation and interpreting estimates as commitments may decrease estimators’ motivation and cause them to give high estimates. The practical implication is that top management should avoid direct participation in software estimation and focus on sustaining a supportive and unbiased environment. By doing this, many projects should be able to avoid failures hurting firms’ competitiveness. From the research perspective, the results provide evidence that people-related perspectives are an important factor in software estimation, implying that a shifting focus from methodologies toward managerial topics is justified.Epätarkat ohjelmistoprojektien kustannusarviot johtavat suunnitelmien ylittymiseen ja rasittavat yritysten taloutta. Tämä väitöskirja keskittyy ylimmän johdon rooliin arviointimenetelmien menestyksekkäässä soveltamisessa organisaatioissa. Väitöskirjan tutkimuskysymykset ovat 1) kuinka ylin johto tukee ohjelmistojen kustannusarviointia ja 2) mitä vaikutuksia johdon tuella hyvän kustannusarvion laatimiseksi on ohjelmistoprojektille? Väitöskirjan tulokset perustuvat yhteen määrälliseen ja kahteen laadulliseen tutkimukseen. Tutkimukset tunnistivat tapoja, joilla johto osallistui kustannusarviointiin sekä keräsi näyttöä osallistumiskäytänteiden vaikutuksista arvioinnin onnistumiseen. Määrällinen tutkimus pohjautuu 114 suomalaisen ohjelmistoammattilaisen näkemyksiin, kun taas laadulliset tutkimukset pohjautuvat löydöksiin kolmen suomalaisen ohjelmistoyrityksen toteuttamista kolmesta ohjelmistoprojektista. Tulokset osoittavat, että ylimmän johdon tuki arvioinnille on pääasiallisesti epäsuoraa. Johto keskittyy hyvien edellytysten luomiseen sen sijaan, että osallistuisi arviointiin henkilökohtaisesti. Tärkeimpiin tapoihin tukea arviointia kuuluvat mm. riittävien resurssien varmistaminen ja realististen arvioiden tavoittelu. Yllä kuvattu epäsuora osallistuminen on riittävää arvioinnin onnistumiseksi. Toisaalta johdon toimet voivat myös vaikuttaa arviointiin negatiivisesti. Esimerkiksi epäselvät tavoitteet saattavat johtaa väärien asioiden tavoitteluun, johdon esittämät odotukset voivat vääristää arvioinnin tuloksia ja arvioiden tulkitseminen lupauksiksi voi laskea arvioitsijoiden motivaatiota ja johtaa perusteettoman korkeiden arvioiden antamiseen. Esitettyjen tulosten perusteella johdon pitäisi välttää suoraa osallistumista arviointiin ja keskittyä arviointia tukevan ilmapiirin luomiseen. Näillä toimilla useat projektit voisivat todennäköisesti välttää yrityksille vahingolliset epäonnistumiset. Tutkimusnäkökulmasta tulokset osoittavat, että inhimilliset tekijät ovat merkittävässä roolissa kustannusarvioinnissa, ja lisäpanostukset johtamisnäkökulmien tutkimiseen ovat perusteltuja

SURADNIČKO UČENJE I STRATEGIJE PODRŠKE U VRTIĆU

In our article we examined the characteristics of cooperative learning and support strategies in the kindergarten system. A typical feature of active learning is constant creation of favourable environments that stimulate learning. An encouraging environment is a type of environment where positive social interactions and mutual trust are prevalent. In such environments children develop social skills and competences that significantly influence a child’s development. Such conditions in the kindergartens are created by adults who try to identify special interests and skills of individual children and offer them adequate motivation and initiative for cooperative learning. Educators support cooperative learning of children in the kindergarten through special support strategies, such as organizing the space and the environment, establishing an atmosphere of positive social interaction, encouraging child’s activities and thinking about and considering their interests and initiatives.U svojem smo radu istražile značajke suradničkog učenja i strategija podrške u vrtiću. Tipično svojstvo aktivnog učenja jest konstantno stvaranje pogodnog okruženja koje potiče učenje. Stimulirajuće okružje jest okružje u kojem prevladavaju pozitivne društvene interakcije i međusobno povjerenje. U takvom okruženju djeca razvijaju socijalne vještine i kompetencije, što znatno utječe na njihov razvoj. Takve uvjete u vrtiću stvaraju odrasli ljudi koji teže prepoznati specifične interese i vještine svakog djeteta, te im pružaju odgovarajući poticaj i inicijativu za suradničko učenje. Odgajatelji podržavaju suradničko učenje djece kroz posebne strategije podrške, npr. uređujući prostor i okružje, uspostavljajući ozračje pozitivne socijalne interakcije, ohrabrujući dječje aktivnosti te razmatrajući njihove interese i inicijative i promišljajući o istima

Koncepcja edukacyjna Reggio Emilia

Artykuł recenzowany / peer-reviewed articleArtykuł prezentuje koncepcję edukacyjną Reggio Emilia. Propozycja tej szkoły pojawiła się w północnych Włoszech w latach sześćdziesiątych ubiegłego wieku. Tekst uwypukla zwłaszcza rolę przestrzeni i znaczenie komunikacji w omawianej koncepcji edukacyjnej. W ujęciu tej propozycji dydaktycznej szczególne miejsce odgrywa środowisko, określane mianem „trzeciego nauczyciela”. Środowisko, któremu ta propozycja edukacyjna przypisuje szczególną rolę, zapewnia wszystkim zainteresowanym stronom możliwości wielu interakcji i rozmaite sposoby wzajemnej komunikacji. Koncepcja Reggio Emila umożliwia ponadto realizację dydaktycznej zasady pedagogiki słuchania. Idea udziału tej zasady w procesie wychowania przedszkolnego, z uwagi na istotne procesy autonomizacji i indywidualizacji, odgrywa w koncepcji Reggio Emilia kluczową rolę

SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN ACADEMICS: THE PARADIGM OF LEGAL EVALUATION IN LITHUANIA

The article focuses on the insights` analysis of the nowadays relevant social problems, related to sexual harassment in the academics, its legal evaluation in Lithuania. It is discussed, whether sexual harassment situations, that could be faced or happened in academics, could be seen as the ethic, moral violations or even more – criminal deeds. The authors go into deep and analyse the relationships between culprit and victim as they are not equal as such in the academic community. They have vertical relations, for instance, a lecturer and a student, etc. Then the principal question is raised – whether the guilty of the culprit should be proved / argued using presumption of innocence or there is a converse – the words and emotions of a victim take the prior place to incriminate a culprit. Another one question should be seen as the relevant one – does the legal situation change if there are enough assumptions to say “a culprit intended to have intimate relations with the victim”? It is also argued, that one of the biggest problems to uncover the situation’s real face is time of victim’s keeping silence as a victim, usually, is depending on culprit’s will (for instance, the lecturer and the student still have educational relations)

Positive selection on the nonhomologous end-joining factor Cernunnos-XLF in the human lineage

BACKGROUND: Cernunnos-XLF is a nonhomologous end-joining factor that is mutated in patients with a rare immunodeficiency with microcephaly. Several other microcephaly-associated genes such as ASPM and microcephalin experienced recent adaptive evolution apparently linked to brain size expansion in humans. In this study we investigated whether Cernunnos-XLF experienced similar positive selection during human evolution. RESULTS: We obtained or reconstructed full-length coding sequences of chimpanzee, rhesus macaque, canine, and bovine Cernunnos-XLF orthologs from sequence databases and sequence trace archives. Comparison of coding sequences revealed an excess of nonsynonymous substitutions consistent with positive selection on Cernunnos-XLF in the human lineage. The hotspots of adaptive evolution are concentrated around a specific structural domain, whose analogue in the structurally similar XRCC4 protein is involved in binding of another nonhomologous end-joining factor, DNA ligase IV. CONCLUSION: Cernunnos-XLF is a microcephaly-associated locus newly identified to be under adaptive evolution in humans, and possibly played a role in human brain expansion. We speculate that Cernunnos-XLF may have contributed to the increased number of brain cells in humans by efficient double strand break repair, which helps to prevent frequent apoptosis of neuronal progenitors and aids mitotic cell cycle progression. REVIEWERS: This article was reviewed by Chris Ponting and Richard Emes (nominated by Chris Ponting), Kateryna Makova, Gáspár Jékely and Eugene V. Koonin

Are chain-complete posets co-wellpowered?

We show that the category $\mathbf{CPO}$ of chain-complete posets is not co-wellpowered but that it is weakly co-wellpowered. This implies that $\mathbf{CPO}$ is nearly locally presentable.Comment: 6 page

Communication technology in the home environment of four-year-old children (Slovenia)

Hoy en día, no podemos ignorar el hecho de que los niños pequeños están demasiado expuestos a las tecnologías. Solo una acción rápida y una actitud positiva por parte de los adultos puede prevenir consecuencias potencialmente negativas, y preparar a los chicos para una vida donde el uso de tecnologías de la comunicación (TIC) es necesario para el éxito social del individuo. Creemos que resulta importante estudiar la relación de la infancia con las TIC en casa, porque estamos seguros de que las TIC ejercen un gran impacto sobre el desarrollo temprano de los niños. Este artículo representa el acceso infantil a las tecnologías de la información y comunicación, su uso en casa, la influencia del uso por parte de los niños de las TIC en su desarrollo de competencias y la relación del niño con las TIC en el hogar. Los datos se recopilaron con la ayuda de 130 padres que rellenaron un cuestionario y nos proporcionaron sus opiniones sobre sus hijos de cuatro años y su uso de las TIC en el hogar. Los resultados fueron analizados con un programa por ordenador SPSS. Nos dimos cuenta de que los niños de cuatro años regularmente encuentran TIC en su entorno familiar. Además, estuvimos también interesados por si había diferencias según el sexo de los chicos y el nivel educativo de los padres. Además, presentamos las opiniones de los padres como propuestas para un posterior estudio de este tema.Nowadays, we cannot ignore the fact that young children are over flooded with technologies. Only a proper action and a positive attitude from adults can prevent potential negative consequences, and prepares the child for a life where the usage of communication technologies (ICTs) is necessary for an individual’s social success. This article represents the child’s access to information-communication technology, its usage at home, the influence of child’s ICTs usage on his or hers development of competences, and the child’s relation with the ICTs at home. The data was gathered with the help of 130 parents who filled out a questionnaire and provided us with their opinions about their four-year-old children and their usage of ICTs at home. We found out that four-year-old children in their home environment regularly encounter ICTs. Besides that, we were also interested whether there exist differences accord­ing to the child’s gender and the parents’ level of education. Moreover, we present parents’ opinions at suggestions for further studying of this issue

Crypton transposons: identification of new diverse families and ancient domestication events

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>"Domestication" of transposable elements (TEs) led to evolutionary breakthroughs such as the origin of telomerase and the vertebrate adaptive immune system. These breakthroughs were accomplished by the adaptation of molecular functions essential for TEs, such as reverse transcription, DNA cutting and ligation or DNA binding. <it>Cryptons </it>represent a unique class of DNA transposons using tyrosine recombinase (YR) to cut and rejoin the recombining DNA molecules. <it>Cryptons </it>were originally identified in fungi and later in the sea anemone, sea urchin and insects.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Herein we report new <it>Cryptons </it>from animals, fungi, oomycetes and diatom, as well as widely conserved genes derived from ancient <it>Crypton </it>domestication events. Phylogenetic analysis based on the YR sequences supports four deep divisions of <it>Crypton </it>elements. We found that the domain of unknown function 3504 (DUF3504) in eukaryotes is derived from <it>Crypton </it>YR. DUF3504 is similar to YR but lacks most of the residues of the catalytic tetrad (R-H-R-Y). Genes containing the DUF3504 domain are potassium channel tetramerization domain containing 1 (<it>KCTD1</it>), <it>KIAA1958</it>, zinc finger MYM type 2 (<it>ZMYM2</it>), <it>ZMYM3</it>, <it>ZMYM4</it>, glutamine-rich protein 1 (<it>QRICH1</it>) and "without children" (<it>WOC</it>). The <it>DUF3504 </it>genes are highly conserved and are found in almost all jawed vertebrates. The sequence, domain structure, intron positions and synteny blocks support the view that <it>ZMYM2</it>, <it>ZMYM3</it>, <it>ZMYM4</it>, and possibly <it>QRICH1</it>, were derived from <it>WOC </it>through two rounds of genome duplication in early vertebrate evolution. <it>WOC </it>is observed widely among bilaterians. There could be four independent events of <it>Crypton </it>domestication, and one of them, generating <it>WOC</it>/<it>ZMYM</it>, predated the birth of bilaterian animals. This is the third-oldest domestication event known to date, following the domestication generating telomerase reverse transcriptase (<it>TERT</it>) and <it>Prp8</it>. Many <it>Crypton</it>-derived genes are transcriptional regulators with additional DNA-binding domains, and the acquisition of the DUF3504 domain could have added new regulatory pathways via protein-DNA or protein-protein interactions.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p><it>Cryptons </it>have contributed to animal evolution through domestication of their YR sequences. The DUF3504 domains are domesticated YRs of animal <it>Crypton </it>elements.</p