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Software process improvement (SPI) is a knowledge- and learning-intensive activity that is critical in software development. The literature reveals several major knowledge-based antecedents, namely, exploration, exploitation, abso...
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Software process improvement (SPI) is a knowledge- and learning-intensive activity that is critical in software development. The literature reveals several major knowledge-based antecedents, namely, exploration, exploitation, absorptive capacity (AC) and knowledge sharing (KS), that are shown to be crucial for SPI. Since SPI is a gradual implementation program, from this perspective, the different roles and effects of these antecedents and how they are associated with various levels of progress in SPI success remain unknown. To address this gap, we propose a research model that combines the four antecedents to examine their comparative influence on successful SPI implementation. To reflect the different levels of SPI success, we employ capability maturity model integration (CMMI) maturities. A survey method is used to examine the model based on 413 CMMI-certified organizations in China. The results show that KS has the most explanatory power in contributing to SPI success at all maturity levels. In a further investigation of different maturities, we find that the dominant knowledge antecedents vary depending on distinct maturity levels. The rationale for the above findings, as well as the theoretical and practical implications and limitations of this study, are discussed and summarized.
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This paper describes a first-hand experience in Software Process Improvement within a Spanish Company which, since 2002, has been involved in an improvement programme led by our research group. We discuss the experience and the re...
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This paper describes a first-hand experience in Software Process Improvement within a Spanish Company which, since 2002, has been involved in an improvement programme led by our research group. We discuss the experience and the results of this improvement programme, as well as the lessons learned to deal with new future improvement initiatives in other companies of our environment.
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Software development is in constant change. New software development strategies, methods, processes, and tools are constantly introduced and taken in use. Simultaneously, the growth and importance of software has accelerated, and ...
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Software development is in constant change. New software development strategies, methods, processes, and tools are constantly introduced and taken in use. Simultaneously, the growth and importance of software has accelerated, and software has become a fundamental part of a whole range of different products. Software development strategies are changing as well: globally distributed software development, use of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS), and Open Source development are some examples of the latest tendencies. Ever-tightening competition has led to shortened lead-time requirements and variety of customised software versions targeted to divergent markets. Software development needs to be optimised to meet these challenges - without sacrificing quality. To keep abreast of change software process improvement (SPI) should develop, too, over time. Well-managed software development processes has become strategic core competency in many organisations, enabling high-class software development, quality estimation, control, and prediction. However, improving software development processes is demanding and complex task. Numerous software process improvement (SPI) methods in the market offer help and guidance, but unfortunately they only partially address factors found essential for achieving SPI success. This dissertation develops, presents and argues for the SPI methods embodying characteristics directing towards successful process improvement. As the results, the thesis extracts critical success factors for SPI initiatives using SPI lessons learnt. Furthermore, it incrementally develops and evaluates SPI methods, incorporating means to achieve the above-mentioned critical success factors. The research is based on several industrial case studies.
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Following the impact of droughts witnessed during the last decade there is an urgent need to develop a drought management strategy, policy framework, and action plan for Jordan. This study aims to provide a historical baseline usi...
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Following the impact of droughts witnessed during the last decade there is an urgent need to develop a drought management strategy, policy framework, and action plan for Jordan. This study aims to provide a historical baseline using the standardized precipitation index (SPI) and meteorological drought maps, and to investigate the spatial and temporal trends using long-term historical precipitation records. Specifically, this study is based on the statistical analysis of 38 years of monthly rainfall data, gathered from all 29 meteorological stations that cover Jordan. The Mann–Kendall test and linear regression analysis were used to uncover evidence of long-term trends in precipitation. Drought indices were used for calculating the meteorological SPI on an annual (SPI12), 6-months (SPI6), and 3-months basis (SPI3). At each level, every drought event was characterized according to its duration, interval, and intensity. Then, drought maps were generated using interpolation kriging to investigate the spatial extent of drought events, while drought patterns were temporally characterized using multilinear regression and spatial grouped using the hierarchical clustering technique. Both annual and monthly trend analyses and the Mann–Kendall test indicated significant reduction of precipitation in time for all weather stations except for Madaba. The rate of decrease is estimated at approximately 1.8 mm/year for the whole country. The spatial SPI krig maps that were generated suggest the presence of two drought types in the spatial dimension: Local and national. Local droughts reveal no actual observed trends or repeatable patterns of occurrence. However, looking at meteorological droughts across all time scales indicated that Jordan is facing an increasing number of local droughts. With a probability of occurrence of once every two years to three years. On the other hand, extreme national droughts occur once every 15 to 20 years and last for two or more consecutive years. Linear trends indicated significant increase in drought magnitude by time with a rate of 0.02 ( p < 0.0001). Regression analysis indicated that draught in Jordan is time dependent ( p < 0.001) rather than being spatially dependent ( p > 0.99). Hierarchical clustering was able to group national draughts into three zones, namely the northern zone, the eastern zone, and the southern zone. This study highlights the urgent need for a monitoring program to investigate local and national drought impacts on all sectors, as well as the development of a set of proactive risk management measures and preparedness plans for various physiographic regions.
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(1) Background Microbial transglutaminases (MTGase) catalyze protein crosslink. This is useful in the food industry to improve gelation, water holding capacity, and emulsifying capacity during foodstuff manufacturing. The producti...
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(1) Background Microbial transglutaminases (MTGase) catalyze protein crosslink. This is useful in the food industry to improve gelation, water holding capacity, and emulsifying capacity during foodstuff manufacturing. The production of MTGase in wild-type strains renders low yield and high costs of downstream purification, limiting its industrial applications. (2) Methods In this work, MTGase from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens BH072 (BaMTGase) has been heterologously expressed in Lactococcus lactis, using the signal peptide Usp45 to direct the secretion of recombinant BaMTGase out of the cell for easier purification. (3) Results In these conditions, MTGase was purified with a high yield (48.7 ± 0.2 mg/L) and high enzyme activity (28.6 ± 0.5 U/mg). Next, BaMTGase was tested for industrial applications. Recombinant BaMTGase and commercial MTGase were used for SPI solution crosslinking. BaMTGase formed a harder gel with higher water-holding capacity and a dense and smooth gel microstructure. (4) Conclusions This work provides an attractive food-grade cell factory for the food industry and offers a suitable chassis for MTGase production.
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Agriculture in hill and mountain ecosystems is predominantly rainfed with common occurrence of moisture stress. It is a natural disaster which evolves in time and its impacts last for a long time. In the present investigation, lon...
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Agriculture in hill and mountain ecosystems is predominantly rainfed with common occurrence of moisture stress. It is a natural disaster which evolves in time and its impacts last for a long time. In the present investigation, long-term monthly precipitation data for 40 years (1980–2019) were used for characterizing agricultural drought in Almora and Nainital districts of Uttarakhand in India. Different drought indices based on meteorological data like standard precipitation index (SPI), percentage of departure ( P $_{d}$) and percent of normal ( P $_{n}$) were used. Percentage of departure is calculated from deviation of monthly precipitation from the long-term average monthly precipitation. Percent of normal is calculated by dividing the precipitation by normal precipitation for time being considered. SPI values were calculated based on gamma distribution of long-term monthly precipitation data. The Pearson’s correlation coefficient between monthly percentage of departure and different SPI time scales (1, 3 and 6 months) were analyzed. SPI-1 (July and August) for both the stations showed very strong correlation with the corresponding monthly percentage of departure ( r ?> 0.97) than SPI-3 and SPI-6. Therefore, it is suggested that SPI as a stand-alone indicator should not be interpreted to identify drought in a hilly region. $\bf{Highlights}$ $\bullet$ Meteorological drought indices have been used to identify agricultural drought. $\bullet$ SPI-1 showed very strong correlation with percentage of departure. $\bullet$ Meteorological based SPI was well correlated with satellite based drought indices. $\bullet$Study suggest to use multiple drought indices for drought Identification.
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Agroforestry adoption as a drought adaptation option has an omnibus of opportunities for smallholder farmers in semi-arid regions. This study assessed the severity and frequency of drought and the determinants of agroforestry adop...
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Agroforestry adoption as a drought adaptation option has an omnibus of opportunities for smallholder farmers in semi-arid regions. This study assessed the severity and frequency of drought and the determinants of agroforestry adoption in Nakasongola District. The episodes were examined using the Standardised Precipitation Index (SPI) set at 3, 6 and 12 months timescales. A cross-sectional survey using semi-structured questionnaires, focus group discussions and key informants were adopted. A total of 200 farmers were randomly selected and studied. The adoption was determined using a binary logistic regression. The SPI results showed that the extreme drought years recorded were 1980, 1984, 1986, 1990, 1995, 1999 and 2000; while the wettest years were 2014, 2012, 2013, 2009 and 2010 as per the 3-time scales. The average return period of severe droughts was 4 years. ?The levels of agroforestry uptake were higher (85%) between July and June drought period. Agrisilviculture, agrosilvopastoral, silvopastoral and apiculture were the most adopted agroforestry systems by the farmers. The household age, level of education and income were the major significant determinants of agroforestry adoption (p<0.05) in adaptation to drought by the smallholder farmers. The potential benefits of agroforestry adoption included the provision of food, fodder, erosion control and soil fertility enrichment, however, the farmers were mainly constrained by inadequate funds, shortage of tree planting stock, limited extension services and information on agroforestry production. Thus, carrying out massive awareness campaigns on agroforestry practices is more likely to increase the uptake.
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