Exploring Government Contractor Experiences Assessing and Reporting Software Development Status

Reports from academic, commercial, and government organizations have documented software-intensive system cost and schedule overruns for decades. These reports have identified lack of management insight into the software development process as one of many contributing factors. Multiple management mechanisms exist. However, these mechanisms do not support the assessment, and subsequent reporting, of software completion status. Additionally, the conceptual framework, based on industry standards, is limited in its relevance to this study due to an emphasis on what is needed while deferring implementation details. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore U.S. government contractors\u27 lived experiences of assessing and reporting software completion status with current measurement mechanisms. Twenty program or project managers responded to interview questions targeting positive and challenging experiences with current measurement mechanisms. Qualitative analysis of the experiential data was based on open and axial coding conducted on interview transcripts. Analysis indicated that costly resources are applied to metrics that do not provide the required level of management insight into completion status. These findings have positive social change implications for program managers, project managers, and researchers by documenting the need to develop relevant and cost-efficient status metrics to provide the critical insight required by management to reduce overruns

Model-based tool support for Tactical Data Links: an experience report from the defence domain

The Tactical Data Link (TDL) allows the exchange of information between cooperating platforms as part of an integrated command and control (C2) system. Information exchange is facilitated by adherence to a complex, message-based protocol defined by document-centric standards. In this paper, we report on a recent body of work investigating migration from a document-centric to a model-centric approach within the context of the TDL domain, motivated by a desire to achieve a positive return on investment. The model-centric approach makes use of the Epsilon technology stack and provides a significant improvement to both the level of abstraction and rigour of the network design. It is checkable by a machine and, by virtue of an MDA-like approach to the separation of domains and model transformation between domains, is open to integration with other models to support more complex workflows, such as by providing the results of interoperability analyses in human-readable domain-specific reports conforming to an accepted standard

Ceruloplasmin Deficiency Reduces Levels of Iron and BDNF in the Cortex and Striatum of Young Mice and Increases Their Vulnerability to Stroke

Ceruloplasmin (Cp) is an essential ferroxidase that plays important roles in cellular iron trafficking. Previous findings suggest that the proper regulation and subcellular localization of iron are very important in brain cell function and viability. Brain iron dyshomeostasis is observed during normal aging, as well as in several neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases, coincident with areas more susceptible to insults. Because of their high metabolic demand and electrical excitability, neurons are particularly vulnerable to ischemic injury and death. We therefore set out to look for abnormalities in the brain of young adult mice that lack Cp. We found that iron levels in the striatum and cerebral cortex of these young animals are significantly lower than wild-type (WT) controls. Also mRNA levels of the neurotrophin brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), known for its role in maintenance of cell viability, were decreased in these brain areas. Chelator-mediated depletion of iron in cultured neural cells resulted in reduced BDNF expression by a posttranscriptional mechanism, suggesting a causal link between low brain iron levels and reduced BDNF expression. When the mice were subjected to middle cerebral artery occlusion, a model of focal ischemic stroke, we found increased brain damage in Cp-deficient mice compared to WT controls. Our data indicate that lack of Cp increases neuronal susceptibility to ischemic injury by a mechanism that may involve reduced levels of iron and BDNF

Impaired Adaptive Cellular Responses to Oxidative Stress and the Pathogenesis of Alzheimer's Disease

As is generally true with other age-related diseases, Alzheimer's disease (AD) involves oxidative damage to cellular components in the affected tissue, in this case the brain. The causes and consequences of oxidative stress in neurons in AD are not fully understood, but considerable evidence points to important roles for accumulation of amyloid β-peptide upstream of oxidative stress and perturbed cellular Ca2+ homeostasis and energy metabolism downstream of oxidative stress. The identification of mutations in the β-amyloid precursor protein and presenilin-1 as causes of some cases of early onset inherited AD, and the development of cell culture and animal models based on these mutations has greatly enhanced our understanding of the AD process, and has greatly expanded opportunities for preclinical testing of potential therapeutic interventions. In this regard, and of particular interest to us, is the elucidation of adaptive cellular stress response pathways (ACSRP) that can counteract multiple steps in the AD neurodegenerative cascades, thereby limiting oxidative damage and preserving cognitive function. ACSRP can be activated by factors ranging from exercise and dietary energy restriction, to drugs and phytochemicals. In this article we provide an overview of oxidative stress and AD, with a focus on ACSRP and their potential for preventing and treating AD. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 14, 1519–1534