A framework to improve the architecture quality of software intensive systems

Over the past decade, the amount and complexity of software for almost any business sector has increased substantially. Unfortunately, the increased complexity of software in the systems to be built has often lead to a significant mismatch between the planned and the implemented products. One common problem is that system-wide quality attributes such as safety, reliability, performance, and modifiability are not sufficiently considered in software architecture design. Typically, they are addressed in an ad-hoc and unstructured fashion. Since rationales for architectural decisions are frequently missing, risks associated with those decisions can be neither identified, nor mitigated in a systematic way. Consequently, there is a high probability that the resulting software architecture fails to meet business goals and does not allow the building of an adequate system. This work presents QUADRAD, a framework for Quality-Driven Architecture Development. QUADRAD is capable of improving architecture quality for software-intensive systems in a systematic way. It supports the development of architectures that are optimized according to their essential quality requirements. Such architectures permit the building of systems that are better aligned to the principal market needs and business goals. QUADRAD is complemented by the Architecture Exploration Tool (AET), which supports architecture evaluations and helps in documenting the fundamental design decisions of an architecture. QUADRAD has been validated in three industrial projects. For each of these projects the architecture quality could be significantly increased. The results confirm the hypothesis of this work and demonstrate how critical problems in the transition from requirements to architecture design can be mitigated

An Agile Process Model for Product Derivation in Software Product Line Engineering

Software Product Lines (SPL) and Agile practices have emerged as new paradigms for developing software. Both approaches share common goals; such as improving productivity, reducing time to market, decreasing development costs and increasing customer satisfaction. These common goals provide the motivation for this research. We believe that integrating Agile practices into SPL can bring a balance between agility and formalism. However, there has been little research on such integration. We have been researching the potential of integrating Agile approaches in one of the key SPL process areas, product derivation. In this paper we present an outline of our Agile process model for product derivation that was developed through industry based case study research

Zur Zersplitterung des sozialen Konflikts in Westeuropa: eine Typologie nicht-normierter Kämpfe um Arbeit

Der Artikel untersucht die Protestwelle in Westeuropa seit der Finanz- und Wirtschaftskrise 2008/09. Wir vertreten die These, dass diese Auseinandersetzungen ein Anzeichen dafür sind, dass der soziale Konflikt in Westeuropa zunehmend aufsplittert; es treten vermehrt 'nicht-normierte Sozialkonflikte' auf, die in ihrer Erscheinungsform manchmal eher an vergangene Epochen wie die Hochphase der Industrialisierung im 19. Jahrhundert oder klassische Brot- und Butterkonflikte im späten 18. Jahrhundert erinnern. Als theoretische Prämisse gehen wir davon aus, dass die "Institutionalisierung des Klassenkonflikts" (Geiger), die sich in der Nachkriegsära vollzogen hatte, heute erodiert. Die nicht-normierten Sozialkonflikte, die einen engen Bezug zur Arbeitswelt haben, stellen wir anhand einer Typologie dar: (a) politische Massenproteste und -streiks, (b) wilde Betriebskonflikte und (c) städtische Unruhen. Mit Hilfe einer Datenbank zu Protestereignissen (JenaConDa, n=5521) arbeiten wir die Ausprägung dieser Konflikte in der EU im letzten Jahrzehnt heraus. Wir gehen auch darauf ein, warum es bisher zu keiner größeren Welle von nicht-normierten Protesten in Deutschland kam und schließen mit einem Plädoyer dafür, dass die Arbeitssoziologie dem Thema Konflikte wieder eine größere Aufmerksamkeit widmen sollte.The article analyzes the recent cycle of protest in Western Europe since the financial and economic crises in 2008/09. We state that these protests symbolize the increasing fragmentation of social conflicts. As a result, there is a growing number of 'non-institutionalized social conflicts', which remind on former epochs of capitalism like 19th century industrialization or food riots in late 18th century. On a theoretical level, we argue that the former "institutionalization of class struggle" (Geiger), which was established in the postwar period, erodes nowadays. The emerging non-institutionalized social conflicts are related to the working environment and classified into three categories: (a) mass protests and political strikes, (b) plant occupations and (c) urban riots. We then characterize these conflicts by using quantitative data of protest incidents (JenaConDa, n=5521) during the last decade. Additionally, we explain why there has not been a wave of non-institutionalized protests in Germany yet. Finally, we argue that social conflicts deserve greater attention in labor studies

Extensive Basal Level Activation of Complement Mannose-Binding Lectin-Associated Serine Protease-3: Kinetic Modeling of Lectin Pathway Activation Provides Possible Mechanism

Serine proteases (SPs) are typically synthesized as precursors, termed proenzymes or zymogens, and the fully active form is produced via limited proteolysis by another protease or by autoactivation. The lectin pathway of the complement system is initiated by mannose-binding lectin (MBL)-associated SPs (MASP)-1, and MASP-2, which are known to be present as proenzymes in blood. The third SP of the lectin pathway, MASP-3, was recently shown to be the major activator, and the exclusive "resting blood" activator of profactor D, producing factor D, the initiator protease of the alternative pathway. Because only activated MASP-3 is capable of carrying out this cleavage, it was presumed that a significant fraction of MASP-3 must be present in the active form in resting blood. Here, we aimed to detect active MASP-3 in the blood by a more direct technique and to quantitate the active to zymogen ratio. First, MASPs were partially purified (enriched) from human plasma samples by affinity chromatography using immobilized MBL in the presence of inhibitors. Using this MASP pool, only the zymogen form of MASP-1 was detected by Western blot, whereas over 70% MASP-3 was in an activated form in the same samples. Furthermore, the active to zymogen ratio of MASP-3 showed little individual variation. It is enigmatic how MASP-3, which is not able to autoactivate, is present mostly as an active enzyme, whereas MASP-1, which has a potent autoactivation capability, is predominantly proenzymic in resting blood. In an attempt to explain this phenomenon, we modeled the basal level fluid-phase activation of lectin pathway proteases and their subsequent inactivation by C1 inhibitor and antithrombin using available and newly determined kinetic constants. The model can explain extensive MASP-3 activation only if we assume efficient intracomplex activation of MASP-3 by zymogen MASP-1. On the other hand, the model is in good agreement with the fact that MASP-1 and -2 are predominantly proenzymic and some of them is present in the form of inactive serpin-protease complexes. As an alternative hypothesis, MASP-3 activation by proprotein convertases is also discussed

Mannan-binding lectin and procalcitonin measurement for prediction of postoperative infection

INTRODUCTION: Postoperative infection is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. We investigated two serum markers for their ability to identify patients at risk for postoperative infection. Mannan-binding lectin (MBL) is a central molecule of the innate immune system and MBL deficiency is known to predispose to infection. Procalcitonin (PCT) is a sensitive marker for bacterial infection. METHODS: We investigated 162 patients undergoing elective surgery for cancer of the gastrointestinal tract. Patients were classified as having no complications (group A), having infection for unknown reason (group B) or having sepsis after events like aspiration or anastomotic leakage (group C). Analysis was done pre- and postoperatively for serum levels of MBL, PCT and C-reactive-protein. DNA was preoperatively sampled and stored and later analysed for genetic polymorphisms of MBL. RESULTS: The preoperative serum levels of MBL were significantly lower in group B patients than in group A patients (1332 ± 466 ng/ml versus 2523 ± 181 ng/ml). PCT measured on day one post-surgery was significantly higher in group B patients than in group A (3.33 ± 1.08 ng/ml versus 1.38 ± 0.17 ng/ml). Patients with an aberrant MBL genotype had a significantly higher risk of postoperative infections than wild-type carriers (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Preoperative MBL and early postoperative PCT measurement may help identify patients at risk for postoperative infection

A universal communication framework and navigation control software for mobile prototyping platforms

In our contribution we would like to describe two new aspects of our low-cost mobile prototyping platform concept: a new hardware communication framework as well as new software features for navigation and control of our mobile platform. The paper is an extension of the ideas proposed in REV2009 [1] and is based on the therein used hardware platform and the monitoring and management software. This platform is based on the Quadrocopter concept – autonomous flying helicopter-style robots – and includes additional off-the-shelf parts. This leads to a universal mobile prototyping platform for communication tasks providing both mobile phone and WiFi access. However, the platform can provide these functions far more quickly than a technician on the ground might be able to. We will show that with our concept we can easily adapt the platform to the individual needs of the user, which leads to a very flexible and semi-autonomous system

Mobile prototyping platforms for remote engineering applications

This paper describes a low-cost mobile communication platform as a universal rapid-prototyping system, which is based on the Quadrocopter concept. At the Integrated Hardware and Software Systems Group at the Ilmenau University of Technology these mobile platforms are used to motivate bachelor and master students to study Computer Engineering sciences. This could be done by increasing their interest in technical issues, using this platform as integral part of a new ad-hoc lab to demonstrate different aspects in the area of Mobile Communication as well as universal rapid prototyping nodes to investigate different mechanisms for self-organized mobile communication systems within the International Graduate School on Mobile Communications. Beside the three fields of application, the paper describes the current architecture concept of the mobile prototyping platform as well as the chosen control mechanism and the assigned sensor systems to fulfill all the required tasks