Pengelompokan Tim Pengembang Berdasarkan Kriteria Perilaku Manusia dalam Kolaborasi Pengembangan Perangkat Lunak

Teknologi informasi merupakan bidang yang berkembang cukup pesat di akhir dekade ini. Hal tersebut ditandai dengan meningkatnya kebutuhan akan teknologi informasi. Salah satu bagian dari proyek teknologi informasi yang berkembang cukup pesat adalah proyek pengembangan perangkat lunak yang mempunyai ketidakpastian tinggi dengan tingkat kesuksesan yang rendah. Kualitas dan kecepatan proyek perangkat lunak sangat tergantung pada faktor sumber daya manusia. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengembangkan sebuah strategi dan kriteria dengan mengelompokkan perilaku tim pengembang sehingga metode kolaborasi yang akan dilakukan dapat disesuaikan dengan susunan tim yang terlibat dalam pengembangan perangkat lunak. Pengelompokan perilaku programmer dalam kolaborasi tim pengembang perangkat lunak dilakukan dengan menggunakan analisis kluster dengan melihat lima variabel, yaitu usia, gender, interaksi dan komunikasi, kondisi psikologis, dan pemrosesan informasi. Pengujian diambil dari 35 programmer yang berasal dari industri perangkat lunak yang terdapat di Bandung dengan menyebar kuisioner pada tim pengembang secara online maupun offline. Hasil pengolahan data dengan software SPSS menunjukkan bahwa terdapat tiga kluster perilaku programmer dalam kolaborasi tim pengembangan perangkat lunak. Dengan diketahuinya pengelompokan perilaku programmer diharapkan tim pengembang yang dibentuk dapat menghasilkan perangkat lunak dengan kualitas yang lebih baik

Real-time water allocation policies calculated with bankruptcy games and genetic programing

Abstract: Population growth coupled with increased urban and agricultural water use have exacerbated water shortages worldwide. Conflicts among water users frequently arise over scarce water. The application of conflict resolution methods has the potential to resolve such conflicts. Bankruptcy games is a branch of game theory applicable to problems dealing with conflict resolution. This study addresses water allocation to urban-industrial, agricultural, and environmental water uses downstream of the Zarrineh-roud dam, Iran, which diverts water from the Zarrineh-roud River, an important tributary to Lake Urmia. Lake Urmia has been severely stressed by reduction of its water inputs. Water allocation is posed in this study as a bankruptcy game in which the allocation to stakeholders is optimized with proportional (P), adjusted proportional, constrained equal award (CEA), and constrained equal losses methods. The CEA was chosen as the best allocation method based on performance criteria and the Bankruptcy Allocation Sustainability Index. Monthly, real-time, water allocation rule curves were calculated with genetic programming

Serum IL-33, a new marker predicting response to rituximab in rheumatoid arthritis

Background. Recent works have suggested a possible link between IL-33 and B-cell biology. We aimed to study in different cohorts and with an accurate ELISA assay the possible association between serum IL-33 detection and response to rituximab (RTX) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. Method. Serum IL-33, rheumatoid factor (RF), anti-citrullinated cyclic peptide antibodies (anti-CCP), high serum IgG level were assessed in 111 RA patients receiving a first course of 2 grams RTX (cohort 1) in an observational study and in 74 RA patients treated with the same schedule in routine care (cohort 2). Uni and multivariate analyzes identified factors associated with a European League Against Rheumatism response at 24 weeks. Results. At week 24, 84/111 (76%) and 54/74 (73%) patients reached EULAR response in the cohorts 1 and 2, respectively. Serum IL-33 was detectable in only 33,5% of the patients. In the combined cohorts, presence of RF or anti-CCP (OR 3.27, 95%CI [1.13-9.46]; p=0.03), high serum IgG (OR 2.32, 95%CI [1.01-5.33]; p=0.048) and detectable serum IL-33 (OR 2.40, 95%CI [1.01-5.72]; p=0.047) were all associated with RTX response in multivariate analysis. Combination of these 3 factors increased the likelihood to response to RTX. When serum IL-33 detection was added to seropositivity and serum IgG level, 100% of the patients with the 3 risk factors (corresponding to 9% of the population) responded to RTX (OR versus patients with none of the 3 risk factors = 29.61; 95% CI [1.30-674.79] p=0.034) Conclusion. Detectable serum IL-33 may predict clinical response to RTX, independently of and synergistically with autoantibodies and serum IgG level

Removal of Phenol from Steel Industry Wastewater by Using Electron Beam

In this study, degradation of phenol by electron beam irradiation in aqueous laboratory solutions and also in a wastewater of steel industry has been investigated. The standard solutions of phenol in the range of 5-22 kGy underwent electron irradiation and their concentrations before and after the exposure were measured using UV-Vis spectrophotometer at 460 nm. The concentration of phenol in the effluent before and after irradiation at 10 kGy was measured by GC/MS analysis. The effect of experimental parameters like absorbed dose and initial concentration on the efficiency removal was studied. According to the observations, with increasing absorbed doses the removal percentage increases and also in a constant dose by increasing the concentration the amount of removal gradually decreases. In the optimum dose,10 kGy, the removal percentages of phenol in the standard solution with concentration of 10 mg/L and in the wastewater of steel industry were 93.5% and 41%, respectively

Tourism Firms’ Vulnerability to Risk: The Role of Organizational Slack in Performance and Failure

This study explores the influence of political risk on firms in the tourism industry. It addresses a research gap regarding the impact of political risk on firm-level performance and failure and uncovers the role of organizational slack in this relationship. Firm-level political risk is estimated from 2002 to 2019 financial data for firms across six tourism sectors in a developed economy, the United States. Such risk is found to be significantly associated with firm performance and business failure. From the perspectives of the resource-based view and the threat-rigidity hypothesis, the results support the moderating effects of absorbed and unabsorbed slack on links between risk, performance, and business failure. Given that the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the tourism industry’s vulnerability, this study will be of interest to tourism firms seeking to improve business sustainability and resilience

Management of spine trauma in COVID-19 pandemic: A preliminary report

Background: COVID-19 was first identified in Iran in February 2020 and since then it spread rapidly through all over the country and soon after that it was reported as a pandemic. The current study presents a preliminary report of spine trauma management during COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A cross sectional study was designed to evaluate patients admitted for vertebral fractures with diagnosis of COVID-19 infection on February and March 2020. Analysis was made based on clinical and laboratory data along with the imaging findings from chest HRCT. Results: Seven patients with spine trauma including five males and two females ranging from 14 to 59 years were diagnosed for COVID-19 infection through CT-scan findings. Except one, all other patients were asymptomatic for COVID-19 at the time of admission. In three cases the COVID diagnosis was made the day after arrival and in others after 10, 14 and 35 days. Five patients were treated surgically among whom four were admitted to ICU soon after the surgery. The mean ICU stay for operated patients were eight days and the mean hospital stay was 22.6 days. Conclusion: Proper diagnosis of COVID-19 is the keystone to protect both patients and health care providers. During the pandemic all admitted patients should be screened for COVID-19 infection. Unnecessary procedures for spine trauma patients should be avoided in order to reduce complications related to surgery and to preserve ICU beds. © 2020 BY THE ARCHIVES OF BONE AND JOINT SURGERY

Effects of antioxidant supplementations on oxidative stress in rheumatoid arthritis patients

Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) play an important role in the pathogenesis of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) exposing these patients to oxidative stress. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of antioxidant supplementations on oxidative status and disease activity in RA patients. Forty nine RA patients (41 females, 8 males, age 48.78±12.54 years) participated in this randomized clinical trial. Patients were randomly divided into two groups to received antioxidant supplementations in combined with conventional treatment (Group I, n: 24) or conventional treatment only (group II, n: 25) for 12 weeks. Plasma concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA) and Total Antioxidant Capacity (TAC) were measured at the beginning of the study and after intervention in both groups. Disease activity was also measured before and after intervention using Rheumatoid Arthritis Disease Activity Index (RADAI). Supplementation with antioxidant yielded significantly decreased in plasma MDA concentration (p<0.0001) and disease activity (p<0.0001) and statistically increased in TAC levels (p<0.0001) in group I in comparison to group II after 12 weeks. This study indicates that antioxidant supplementations may play an important role in improving oxidative stress and decreasing disease activity in these patients. © 2010 Asian Network for Scientific Information

Refurbishment of public housing villas in the United Arab Emirates (UAE): energy and economic impact

© 2016, Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht. This study aims at assessing the technical and economic benefits of refurbishing existing public housing villas in the UAE. Four representative federal public housing villas built between 1980s and 2010s were modeled and analyzed. The Integrated Environmental Solutions-Virtual Environment (IES-VE) energy modeling software was used to estimate the energy consumption and savings due to different refurbishment configurations applied to the villas. The refurbishment technical configurations were based on the UAE’s Estidama green buildings sustainability assessment system. The refurbishment configurations include upgrading three elements: the wall and roof insulation as well as replacing the glazing. The annual electricity savings results indicated that the most cost-efficient refurbishment strategy is upgrading of wall insulation (savings up to 20.8 %) followed by upgrading the roof’s insulation (savings up to 11.6 %) and lastly replacing the glazing (savings up to 3.2 %). When all three elements were refurbished simultaneously, savings up to 36.7 % were achieved (villa model 670). The savings translated to CO2 emission reduction of 22.6 t/year. The simple and discounted payback periods for the different configurations tested ranged between 8 and 28 and 10 and 50 years, respectively

Physical activity, sedentary behaviours and dietary habits among Kuwaiti adolescents: gender differences

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