A Novel Coupling Pattern in Computational Science and Engineering Software

EPA Science Inventory

Computational science and engineering (CSE) software is written by experts of certain area(s). Due to the specialization,existing CSE software may need to integrate other CSE software systems developed by different groups of experts. Thecoupling problem is one of the challenges f...

Software Past, Present, and Future: Views from Government, Industry and Academia

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holcomb, Lee; Page, Jerry; Evangelist, Michael

2000-01-01

Views from the NASA CIO NASA Software Engineering Workshop on software development from the past, present, and future are presented. The topics include: 1) Software Past; 2) Software Present; 3) NASA's Largest Software Challenges; 4) 8330 Software Projects in Industry Standish Groups 1994 Report; 5) Software Future; 6) Capability Maturity Model (CMM): Software Engineering Institute (SEI) levels; 7) System Engineering Quality Also Part of the Problem; 8) University Environment Trends Will Increase the Problem in Software Engineering; and 9) NASA Software Engineering Goals.

Distributed agile software development for the SKA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wicenec, Andreas; Parsons, Rebecca; Kitaeff, Slava; Vinsen, Kevin; Wu, Chen; Nelson, Paul; Reed, David

2012-09-01

The SKA software will most probably be developed by many groups distributed across the globe and coming from dierent backgrounds, like industries and research institutions. The SKA software subsystems will have to cover a very wide range of dierent areas, but still they have to react and work together like a single system to achieve the scientic goals and satisfy the challenging data ow requirements. Designing and developing such a system in a distributed fashion requires proper tools and the setup of an environment to allow for ecient detection and tracking of interface and integration issues in particular in a timely way. Agile development can provide much faster feedback mechanisms and also much tighter collaboration between the customer (scientist) and the developer. Continuous integration and continuous deployment on the other hand can provide much faster feedback of integration issues from the system level to the subsystem developers. This paper describes the results obtained from trialing a potential SKA development environment based on existing science software development processes like ALMA, the expected distribution of the groups potentially involved in the SKA development and experience gained in the development of large scale commercial software projects.

Production of Reliable Flight Crucial Software: Validation Methods Research for Fault Tolerant Avionics and Control Systems Sub-Working Group Meeting

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dunham, J. R. (Editor); Knight, J. C. (Editor)

1982-01-01

The state of the art in the production of crucial software for flight control applications was addressed. The association between reliability metrics and software is considered. Thirteen software development projects are discussed. A short term need for research in the areas of tool development and software fault tolerance was indicated. For the long term, research in format verification or proof methods was recommended. Formal specification and software reliability modeling, were recommended as topics for both short and long term research.

The Computational Infrastructure for Geodynamics as a Community of Practice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hwang, L.; Kellogg, L. H.

2016-12-01

Computational Infrastructure for Geodynamics (CIG), geodynamics.org, originated in 2005 out of community recognition that the efforts of individual or small groups of researchers to develop scientifically-sound software is impossible to sustain, duplicates effort, and makes it difficult for scientists to adopt state-of-the art computational methods that promote new discovery. As a community of practice, participants in CIG share an interest in computational modeling in geodynamics and work together on open source software to build the capacity to support complex, extensible, scalable, interoperable, reliable, and reusable software in an effort to increase the return on investment in scientific software development and increase the quality of the resulting software. The group interacts regularly to learn from each other and better their practices formally through webinar series, workshops, and tutorials and informally through listservs and hackathons. Over the past decade, we have learned that successful scientific software development requires at a minimum: collaboration between domain-expert researchers, software developers and computational scientists; clearly identified and committed lead developer(s); well-defined scientific and computational goals that are regularly evaluated and updated; well-defined benchmarks and testing throughout development; attention throughout development to usability and extensibility; understanding and evaluation of the complexity of dependent libraries; and managed user expectations through education, training, and support. CIG's code donation standards provide the basis for recently formalized best practices in software development (geodynamics.org/cig/dev/best-practices/). Best practices include use of version control; widely used, open source software libraries; extensive test suites; portable configuration and build systems; extensive documentation internal and external to the code; and structured, human readable input formats.

Seven Processes that Enable NASA Software Engineering Technologies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Housch, Helen; Godfrey, Sally

2011-01-01

This slide presentation reviews seven processes that NASA uses to ensure that software is developed, acquired and maintained as specified in the NPR 7150.2A requirement. The requirement is to ensure that all software be appraised for the Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI). The enumerated processes are: (7) Product Integration, (6) Configuration Management, (5) Verification, (4) Software Assurance, (3) Measurement and Analysis, (2) Requirements Management and (1) Planning & Monitoring. Each of these is described and the group(s) that are responsible is described.

The TSO Logic and G2 Software Product

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davis, Derrick D.

2014-01-01

This internship assignment for spring 2014 was at John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC), in NASAs Engineering and Technology (NE) group in support of the Control and Data Systems Division (NE-C) within the Systems Hardware Engineering Branch. (NEC-4) The primary focus was in system integration and benchmarking utilizing two separate computer software products. The first half of this 2014 internship is spent in assisting NE-C4s Electronics and Embedded Systems Engineer, Kelvin Ruiz and fellow intern Scott Ditto with the evaluation of a newly piece of software, called G2. Its developed by the Gensym Corporation and introduced to the group as a tool used in monitoring launch environments. All fellow interns and employees of the G2 group have been working together in order to better understand the significance of the G2 application and how KSC can benefit from its capabilities. The second stage of this Spring project is to assist with an ongoing integration of a benchmarking tool, developed by a group of engineers from a Canadian based organization known as TSO Logic. Guided by NE-C4s Computer Engineer, Allen Villorin, NASA 2014 interns put forth great effort in helping to integrate TSOs software into the Spaceport Processing Systems Development Laboratory (SPSDL) for further testing and evaluating. The TSO Logic group claims that their software is designed for, monitoring and reducing energy consumption at in-house server farms and large data centers, allows data centers to control the power state of servers, without impacting availability or performance and without changes to infrastructure and the focus of the assignment is to test this theory. TSOs Aaron Rallo Founder and CEO, and Chris Tivel CTO, both came to KSC to assist with the installation of their software in the SPSDL laboratory. TSOs software is installed onto 24 individual workstations running three different operating systems. The workstations were divided into three groups of 8 with each group having its own operating system. The first group is comprised of Ubuntus Debian -based Linux the second group is windows 7 Professional and the third group ran Red Hat Linux. The highlight of this portion of the assignment is to compose documentation expressing the overall impression of the software and its capabilities.

The Effect of Software Features on Software Adoption and Training in the Audit Profession

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Hyo-Jeong

2012-01-01

Although software has been studied with technology adoption and training research, the study of specific software features for professional groups has been limited. To address this gap, I researched the impact of software features of varying complexity on internal audit (IA) professionals. Two studies along with the development of training…

Software Technology Transfer and Export Control.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-01-01

development projects of their own. By analogy, a Soviet team might be able to repeat the learning experience of the ADEPT-50 junior staff...recommendations concerning product form and further study . The posture of this group has been to consider software technology and its transfer as a process...and views of the Software Subgroup of Technical Working Group 7 (Computers) of the Critical Technologies Project . The work reported

Towards Archetypes-Based Software Development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Piho, Gunnar; Roost, Mart; Perkins, David; Tepandi, Jaak

We present a framework for the archetypes based engineering of domains, requirements and software (Archetypes-Based Software Development, ABD). An archetype is defined as a primordial object that occurs consistently and universally in business domains and in business software systems. An archetype pattern is a collaboration of archetypes. Archetypes and archetype patterns are used to capture conceptual information into domain specific models that are utilized by ABD. The focus of ABD is on software factories - family-based development artefacts (domain specific languages, patterns, frameworks, tools, micro processes, and others) that can be used to build the family members. We demonstrate the usage of ABD for developing laboratory information management system (LIMS) software for the Clinical and Biomedical Proteomics Group, at the Leeds Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Leeds.

Rule groupings: A software engineering approach towards verification of expert systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mehrotra, Mala

1991-01-01

Currently, most expert system shells do not address software engineering issues for developing or maintaining expert systems. As a result, large expert systems tend to be incomprehensible, difficult to debug or modify and almost impossible to verify or validate. Partitioning rule based systems into rule groups which reflect the underlying subdomains of the problem should enhance the comprehensibility, maintainability, and reliability of expert system software. Attempts were made to semiautomatically structure a CLIPS rule base into groups of related rules that carry the same type of information. Different distance metrics that capture relevant information from the rules for grouping are discussed. Two clustering algorithms that partition the rule base into groups of related rules are given. Two independent evaluation criteria are developed to measure the effectiveness of the grouping strategies. Results of the experiment with three sample rule bases are presented.

Student project of optical system analysis API-library development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ivanova, Tatiana; Zhukova, Tatiana; Dantcaranov, Ruslan; Romanova, Maria; Zhadin, Alexander; Ivanov, Vyacheslav; Kalinkina, Olga

2017-08-01

In the paper API-library software developed by students of Applied and Computer Optics Department (ITMO University) for optical system design is presented. The library performs paraxial and real ray tracing, calculates 3d order (Seidel) aberration and real ray aberration of axis and non-axis beams (wave, lateral, longitudinal, coma, distortion etc.) and finally, approximate wave aberration by Zernike polynomials. Real aperture can be calculated by considering of real rays tracing failure on each surface. So far we assume optical system is centered, with spherical or 2d order aspherical surfaces. Optical glasses can be set directly by refraction index or by dispersion coefficients. The library can be used for education or research purposes in optical system design area. It provides ready to use software functions for optical system simulation and analysis that developer can simply plug into their software development for different purposes, for example for some specific synthesis tasks or investigation of new optimization modes. In the paper we present an example of using the library for development of cemented doublet synthesis software based on Slusarev's methodology. The library is used in optical system optimization recipes course for deep studying of optimization model and its application for optical system design. Development of such software is an excellent experience for students and help to understanding optical image modeling and quality analysis. This development is organized as student group joint project. We try to organize it as a group in real research and development project, so each student has his own role in the project and then use whole library functionality in his own master or bachelor thesis. Working in such group gives students useful experience and opportunity to work as research and development engineer of scientific software in the future.

Report on the Third Workshop on Sustainable Software for Science: Practice and Experiences (WSSSPE3)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Katz, Daniel S.; Choi, Sou-Cheng T.; Niemeyer, Kyle E.; Hetherington, James; Löffler, Frank; Gunter, Dan; Idaszak, Ray; Brandt, Steven R.; Miller, Mark A.; Gesing, Sandra; Jones, Nick D.; Weber, Nic; Marru, Suresh; Allen, Gabrielle; Penzenstadler, Birgit; Venters, Colin C.; Davis, Ethan; Hwang, Lorraine; Todorov, Ilian; Patra, Abani; de Val-Borro, Miguel

2016-02-01

This report records and discusses the Third Workshop on Sustainable Software for Science: Practice and Experiences (WSSSPE3). The report includes a description of the keynote presentation of the workshop, which served as an overview of sustainable scientific software. It also summarizes a set of lightning talks in which speakers highlighted to-the-point lessons and challenges pertaining to sustaining scientific software. The final and main contribution of the report is a summary of the discussions, future steps, and future organization for a set of self-organized working groups on topics including developing pathways to funding scientific software; constructing useful common metrics for crediting software stakeholders; identifying principles for sustainable software engineering design; reaching out to research software organizations around the world; and building communities for software sustainability. For each group, we include a point of contact and a landing page that can be used by those who want to join that group's future activities. The main challenge left by the workshop is to see if the groups will execute these activities that they have scheduled, and how the WSSSPE community can encourage this to happen.

OAST Space Theme Workshop. Volume 3: Working group summary. 4: Software (E-4). A. Summary. B. Technology needs (form 1). C. Priority assessment (form 2)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1976-01-01

Only a few efforts are currently underway to develop an adequate technology base for the various themes. Particular attention must be given to software commonality and evolutionary capability, to increased system integrity and autonomy; and to improved communications among the program users, the program developers, and the programs themselves. There is a need for quantum improvement in software development methods and increasing the awareness of software by all concerned. Major thrusts identified include: (1) data and systems management; (2) software technology for autonomous systems; (3) technology and methods for improving the software development process; (4) advances related to systems of software elements including their architecture, their attributes as systems, and their interfaces with users and other systems; and (5) applications of software including both the basic algorithms used in a number of applications and the software specific to a particular theme or discipline area. The impact of each theme on software is assessed.

A comparison of time-shared vs. batch development of space software

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Forthofer, M.

1977-01-01

In connection with a study regarding the ground support software development for the Space Shuttle, an investigation was conducted concerning the most suitable software development techniques to be employed. A time-sharing 'trial period' was used to determine whether or not time-sharing would be a cost-effective software development technique for the Ground Based Shuttle system. It was found that time-sharing substantially improved job turnaround and programmer access to the computer for the representative group of ground support programmers. Moreover, this improvement resulted in an estimated saving of over fifty programmer days during the trial period.

Model Driven Engineering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaševic, Dragan; Djuric, Dragan; Devedžic, Vladan

A relevant initiative from the software engineering community called Model Driven Engineering (MDE) is being developed in parallel with the Semantic Web (Mellor et al. 2003a). The MDE approach to software development suggests that one should first develop a model of the system under study, which is then transformed into the real thing (i.e., an executable software entity). The most important research initiative in this area is the Model Driven Architecture (MDA), which is Model Driven Architecture being developed under the umbrella of the Object Management Group (OMG). This chapter describes the basic concepts of this software engineering effort.

Annotated bibliography of Software Engineering Laboratory literature

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morusiewicz, Linda; Valett, Jon D.

1991-01-01

An annotated bibliography of technical papers, documents, and memorandums produced by or related to the Software Engineering Laboratory is given. More than 100 publications are summarized. These publications cover many areas of software engineering and range from research reports to software documentation. All materials have been grouped into eight general subject areas for easy reference: The Software Engineering Laboratory; The Software Engineering Laboratory: Software Development Documents; Software Tools; Software Models; Software Measurement; Technology Evaluations; Ada Technology; and Data Collection. Subject and author indexes further classify these documents by specific topic and individual author.

Characterizing the scientific potential of satellite sensors. [San Francisco, California

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1984-01-01

Eleven thematic mapper (TM) radiometric calibration programs were tested and evaluated in support of the task to characterize the potential of LANDSAT TM digital imagery for scientific investigations in the Earth sciences and terrestrial physics. Three software errors related to integer overflow, divide by zero, and nonexist file group were found and solved. Raw, calibrated, and corrected image groups that were created and stored on the Barker2 disk are enumerated. Black and white pixel print files were created for various subscenes of a San Francisco scene (ID 40392-18152). The development of linear regression software is discussed. The output of the software and its function are described. Future work in TM radiometric calibration, image processing, and software development is outlined.

Framework Support For Knowledge-Based Software Development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huseth, Steve

1988-03-01

The advent of personal engineering workstations has brought substantial information processing power to the individual programmer. Advanced tools and environment capabilities supporting the software lifecycle are just beginning to become generally available. However, many of these tools are addressing only part of the software development problem by focusing on rapid construction of self-contained programs by a small group of talented engineers. Additional capabilities are required to support the development of large programming systems where a high degree of coordination and communication is required among large numbers of software engineers, hardware engineers, and managers. A major player in realizing these capabilities is the framework supporting the software development environment. In this paper we discuss our research toward a Knowledge-Based Software Assistant (KBSA) framework. We propose the development of an advanced framework containing a distributed knowledge base that can support the data representation needs of tools, provide environmental support for the formalization and control of the software development process, and offer a highly interactive and consistent user interface.

A new approach for instrument software at Gemini

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gillies, Kim; Nunez, Arturo; Dunn, Jennifer

2008-07-01

Gemini Observatory is now developing its next generation of astronomical instruments, the Aspen instruments. These new instruments are sophisticated and costly requiring large distributed, collaborative teams. Instrument software groups often include experienced team members with existing mature code. Gemini has taken its experience from the previous generation of instruments and current hardware and software technology to create an approach for developing instrument software that takes advantage of the strengths of our instrument builders and our own operations needs. This paper describes this new software approach that couples a lightweight infrastructure and software library with aspects of modern agile software development. The Gemini Planet Imager instrument project, which is currently approaching its critical design review, is used to demonstrate aspects of this approach. New facilities under development will face similar issues in the future, and the approach presented here can be applied to other projects.

Enhancing Collaborative Learning through Group Intelligence Software

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, Yin Leng; Macaulay, Linda A.

Employers increasingly demand not only academic excellence from graduates but also excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to work collaboratively in teams. This paper discusses the role of Group Intelligence software in helping to develop these higher order skills in the context of an enquiry based learning (EBL) project. The software supports teams in generating ideas, categorizing, prioritizing, voting and multi-criteria decision making and automatically generates a report of each team session. Students worked in a Group Intelligence lab designed to support both face to face and computer-mediated communication and employers provided feedback at two key points in the year long team project. Evaluation of the effectiveness of Group Intelligence software in collaborative learning was based on five key concepts of creativity, participation, productivity, engagement and understanding.

Scientific Software - the role of best practices and recommendations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fritzsch, Bernadette; Bernstein, Erik; Castell, Wolfgang zu; Diesmann, Markus; Haas, Holger; Hammitzsch, Martin; Konrad, Uwe; Lähnemann, David; McHardy, Alice; Pampel, Heinz; Scheliga, Kaja; Schreiber, Andreas; Steglich, Dirk

2017-04-01

In Geosciences - like in most other communities - scientific work strongly depends on software. For big data analysis, existing (closed or open source) program packages are often mixed with newly developed codes. Different versions of software components and varying configurations can influence the result of data analysis. This often makes reproducibility of results and reuse of codes very difficult. Policies for publication and documentation of used and newly developed software, along with best practices, can help tackle this problem. Within the Helmholtz Association a Task Group "Access to and Re-use of scientific software" was implemented by the Open Science Working Group in 2016. The aim of the Task Group is to foster the discussion about scientific software in the Open Science context and to formulate recommendations for the production and publication of scientific software, ensuring open access to it. As a first step, a workshop gathered interested scientists from institutions across Germany. The workshop brought together various existing initiatives from different scientific communities to analyse current problems, share established best practices and come up with possible solutions. The subjects in the working groups covered a broad range of themes, including technical infrastructures, standards and quality assurance, citation of software and reproducibility. Initial recommendations are presented and discussed in the talk. They are the foundation for further discussions in the Helmholtz Association and the Priority Initiative "Digital Information" of the Alliance of Science Organisations in Germany. The talk aims to inform about the activities and to link with other initiatives on the national or international level.

Reflecting Indigenous Culture in Educational Software Design.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fleer, Marilyn

1989-01-01

Discusses research on Australian Aboriginal cognition which relates to the development of appropriate educational software. Describes "Tinja," a software program using familiar content and experiences, Aboriginal characters and cultural values, extensive graphics and animation, peer and group work, and open-ended design to help young…

Annotated bibliography of software engineering laboratory literature

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Buhler, Melanie; Valett, Jon

1989-01-01

An annotated bibliography is presented of technical papers, documents, and memorandums produced by or related to the Software Engineering Laboratory. The bibliography was updated and reorganized substantially since the original version (SEL-82-006, November 1982). All materials were grouped into eight general subject areas for easy reference: (1) The Software Engineering Laboratory; (2) The Software Engineering Laboratory: Software Development Documents; (3) Software Tools; (4) Software Models; (5) Software Measurement; (6) Technology Evaluations; (7) Ada Technology; and (8) Data Collection. Subject and author indexes further classify these documents by specific topic and individual author.

Reuse of Software Assets for the NASA Earth Science Decadal Survey Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mattmann, Chris A.; Downs, Robert R.; Marshall, James J.; Most, Neal F.; Samadi, Shahin

2010-01-01

Software assets from existing Earth science missions can be reused for the new decadal survey missions that are being planned by NASA in response to the 2007 Earth Science National Research Council (NRC) Study. The new missions will require the development of software to curate, process, and disseminate the data to science users of interest and to the broader NASA mission community. In this paper, we discuss new tools and a blossoming community that are being developed by the Earth Science Data System (ESDS) Software Reuse Working Group (SRWG) to improve capabilities for reusing NASA software assets.

xSDK Foundations: Toward an Extreme-scale Scientific Software Development Kit

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Heroux, Michael A.; Bartlett, Roscoe; Demeshko, Irina

Here, extreme-scale computational science increasingly demands multiscale and multiphysics formulations. Combining software developed by independent groups is imperative: no single team has resources for all predictive science and decision support capabilities. Scientific libraries provide high-quality, reusable software components for constructing applications with improved robustness and portability. However, without coordination, many libraries cannot be easily composed. Namespace collisions, inconsistent arguments, lack of third-party software versioning, and additional difficulties make composition costly. The Extreme-scale Scientific Software Development Kit (xSDK) defines community policies to improve code quality and compatibility across independently developed packages (hypre, PETSc, SuperLU, Trilinos, and Alquimia) and provides a foundationmore » for addressing broader issues in software interoperability, performance portability, and sustainability. The xSDK provides turnkey installation of member software and seamless combination of aggregate capabilities, and it marks first steps toward extreme-scale scientific software ecosystems from which future applications can be composed rapidly with assured quality and scalability.« less

xSDK Foundations: Toward an Extreme-scale Scientific Software Development Kit

DOE PAGES

Heroux, Michael A.; Bartlett, Roscoe; Demeshko, Irina; ...

2017-03-01

Here, extreme-scale computational science increasingly demands multiscale and multiphysics formulations. Combining software developed by independent groups is imperative: no single team has resources for all predictive science and decision support capabilities. Scientific libraries provide high-quality, reusable software components for constructing applications with improved robustness and portability. However, without coordination, many libraries cannot be easily composed. Namespace collisions, inconsistent arguments, lack of third-party software versioning, and additional difficulties make composition costly. The Extreme-scale Scientific Software Development Kit (xSDK) defines community policies to improve code quality and compatibility across independently developed packages (hypre, PETSc, SuperLU, Trilinos, and Alquimia) and provides a foundationmore » for addressing broader issues in software interoperability, performance portability, and sustainability. The xSDK provides turnkey installation of member software and seamless combination of aggregate capabilities, and it marks first steps toward extreme-scale scientific software ecosystems from which future applications can be composed rapidly with assured quality and scalability.« less

The Computational Infrastructure for Geodynamics: An Example of Software Curation and Citation in the Geodynamics Community

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hwang, L.; Kellogg, L. H.

2017-12-01

Curation of software promotes discoverability and accessibility and works hand in hand with scholarly citation to ascribe value to, and provide recognition for software development. To meet this challenge, the Computational Infrastructure for Geodynamics (CIG) maintains a community repository built on custom and open tools to promote discovery, access, identification, credit, and provenance of research software for the geodynamics community. CIG (geodynamics.org) originated from recognition of the tremendous effort required to develop sound software and the need to reduce duplication of effort and to sustain community codes. CIG curates software across 6 domains and has developed and follows software best practices that include establishing test cases, documentation, and a citable publication for each software package. CIG software landing web pages provide access to current and past releases; many are also accessible through the CIG community repository on github. CIG has now developed abc - attribution builder for citation to enable software users to give credit to software developers. abc uses zenodo as an archive and as the mechanism to obtain a unique identifier (DOI) for scientific software. To assemble the metadata, we searched the software's documentation and research publications and then requested the primary developers to verify. In this process, we have learned that each development community approaches software attribution differently. The metadata gathered is based on guidelines established by groups such as FORCE11 and OntoSoft. The rollout of abc is gradual as developers are forward-looking, rarely willing to go back and archive prior releases in zenodo. Going forward all actively developed packages will utilize the zenodo and github integration to automate the archival process when a new release is issued. How to handle legacy software, multi-authored libraries, and assigning roles to software remain open issues.

Using Web Metric Software to Drive: Mobile Website Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tidal, Junior

2011-01-01

Many libraries have developed mobile versions of their websites. In order to understand their users, web developers have conducted both usability tests and focus groups, yet analytical software and web server logs can also be used to better understand users. Using data collected from these tools, the Ursula C. Schwerin Library has made informed…

Firing Room Remote Application Software Development & Swamp Works Laboratory Robot Software Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Garcia, Janette

2016-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is creating a way to send humans beyond low Earth orbit, and later to Mars. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) is working to make this possible by developing a Spaceport Command and Control System (SCCS) which will allow the launch of Space Launch System (SLS). This paper's focus is on the work performed by the author in her first and second part of the internship as a remote application software developer. During the first part of her internship, the author worked on the SCCS's software application layer by assisting multiple ground subsystems teams including Launch Accessories (LACC) and Environmental Control System (ECS) on the design, development, integration, and testing of remote control software applications. Then, on the second part of the internship, the author worked on the development of robot software at the Swamp Works Laboratory which is a research and technology development group which focuses on inventing new technology to help future In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) missions.

Data and Analysis Center for Software.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-06-01

can make use of it in their day- to -day activities of developing, maintaining, and managing software. The biblio- graphic collection is composed of...which refer to development, design, or programming approaches whicn view a software system component, or module in terms of its required or intended... practices " are also included In this group. PROCEDURES (I keyword) Procedures is a term used ambiguously in the literature to refer to functions

Current Practice in Software Development for Computational Neuroscience and How to Improve It

PubMed Central

Gewaltig, Marc-Oliver; Cannon, Robert

2014-01-01

Almost all research work in computational neuroscience involves software. As researchers try to understand ever more complex systems, there is a continual need for software with new capabilities. Because of the wide range of questions being investigated, new software is often developed rapidly by individuals or small groups. In these cases, it can be hard to demonstrate that the software gives the right results. Software developers are often open about the code they produce and willing to share it, but there is little appreciation among potential users of the great diversity of software development practices and end results, and how this affects the suitability of software tools for use in research projects. To help clarify these issues, we have reviewed a range of software tools and asked how the culture and practice of software development affects their validity and trustworthiness. We identified four key questions that can be used to categorize software projects and correlate them with the type of product that results. The first question addresses what is being produced. The other three concern why, how, and by whom the work is done. The answers to these questions show strong correlations with the nature of the software being produced, and its suitability for particular purposes. Based on our findings, we suggest ways in which current software development practice in computational neuroscience can be improved and propose checklists to help developers, reviewers, and scientists to assess the quality of software and whether particular pieces of software are ready for use in research. PMID:24465191

Current practice in software development for computational neuroscience and how to improve it.

PubMed

Gewaltig, Marc-Oliver; Cannon, Robert

2014-01-01

Almost all research work in computational neuroscience involves software. As researchers try to understand ever more complex systems, there is a continual need for software with new capabilities. Because of the wide range of questions being investigated, new software is often developed rapidly by individuals or small groups. In these cases, it can be hard to demonstrate that the software gives the right results. Software developers are often open about the code they produce and willing to share it, but there is little appreciation among potential users of the great diversity of software development practices and end results, and how this affects the suitability of software tools for use in research projects. To help clarify these issues, we have reviewed a range of software tools and asked how the culture and practice of software development affects their validity and trustworthiness. We identified four key questions that can be used to categorize software projects and correlate them with the type of product that results. The first question addresses what is being produced. The other three concern why, how, and by whom the work is done. The answers to these questions show strong correlations with the nature of the software being produced, and its suitability for particular purposes. Based on our findings, we suggest ways in which current software development practice in computational neuroscience can be improved and propose checklists to help developers, reviewers, and scientists to assess the quality of software and whether particular pieces of software are ready for use in research.

Systems biology driven software design for the research enterprise.

PubMed

Boyle, John; Cavnor, Christopher; Killcoyne, Sarah; Shmulevich, Ilya

2008-06-25

In systems biology, and many other areas of research, there is a need for the interoperability of tools and data sources that were not originally designed to be integrated. Due to the interdisciplinary nature of systems biology, and its association with high throughput experimental platforms, there is an additional need to continually integrate new technologies. As scientists work in isolated groups, integration with other groups is rarely a consideration when building the required software tools. We illustrate an approach, through the discussion of a purpose built software architecture, which allows disparate groups to reuse tools and access data sources in a common manner. The architecture allows for: the rapid development of distributed applications; interoperability, so it can be used by a wide variety of developers and computational biologists; development using standard tools, so that it is easy to maintain and does not require a large development effort; extensibility, so that new technologies and data types can be incorporated; and non intrusive development, insofar as researchers need not to adhere to a pre-existing object model. By using a relatively simple integration strategy, based upon a common identity system and dynamically discovered interoperable services, a light-weight software architecture can become the focal point through which scientists can both get access to and analyse the plethora of experimentally derived data.

Annotated bibliography of software engineering laboratory literature

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Groves, Paula; Valett, Jon

1990-01-01

An annotated bibliography of technical papers, documents, and memorandums produced by or related to the Software Engineering Laboratory is given. More than 100 publications are summarized. These publications cover many areas of software engineering and range from research reports to software documentation. This document has been updated and reorganized substantially since the original version (SEL-82-006, November 1982). All materials have been grouped into eight general subject areas for easy reference: the Software Engineering Laboratory; the Software Engineering Laboratory-software development documents; software tools; software models; software measurement; technology evaluations; Ada technology; and data collection. Subject and author indexes further classify these documents by specific topic and individual author.

Annotated bibliography of Software Engineering Laboratory literature

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morusiewicz, Linda; Valett, Jon

1993-01-01

This document is an annotated bibliography of technical papers, documents, and memorandums produced by or related to the Software Engineering Laboratory. Nearly 200 publications are summarized. These publications cover many areas of software engineering and range from research reports to software documentation. This document has been updated and reorganized substantially since the original version (SEL-82-006, November 1982). All materials have been grouped into eight general subject areas for easy reference: the Software Engineering Laboratory; the Software Engineering Laboratory: software development documents; software tools; software models; software measurement; technology evaluations; Ada technology; and data collection. This document contains an index of these publications classified by individual author.

Parallel Logic Programming and Parallel Systems Software and Hardware

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-07-29

Conference, Dallas TX. January 1985. (55) [Rous75] Roussel, P., "PROLOG: Manuel de Reference et d’Uilisation", Group d’ Intelligence Artificielle , Universite d...completed. Tools were provided for software development using artificial intelligence techniques. Al software for massively parallel architectures was...using artificial intelligence tech- niques. Al software for massively parallel architectures was started. 1. Introduction We describe research conducted

Nuclear and Particle Physics Simulations: The Consortium of Upper-Level Physics Software

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bigelow, Roberta; Moloney, Michael J.; Philpott, John; Rothberg, Joseph

1995-06-01

The Consortium for Upper Level Physics Software (CUPS) has developed a comprehensive series of Nine Book/Software packages that Wiley will publish in FY `95 and `96. CUPS is an international group of 27 physicists, all with extensive backgrounds in the research, teaching, and development of instructional software. The project is being supported by the National Science Foundation (PHY-9014548), and it has received other support from the IBM Corp., Apple Computer Corp., and George Mason University. The Simulations being developed are: Astrophysics, Classical Mechanics, Electricity & Magnetism, Modern Physics, Nuclear and Particle Physics, Quantum Mechanics, Solid State, Thermal and Statistical, and Wave and Optics.

Penn State University ground software support for X-ray missions.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Townsley, L. K.; Nousek, J. A.; Corbet, R. H. D.

1995-03-01

The X-ray group at Penn State is charged with two software development efforts in support of X-ray satellite missions. As part of the ACIS instrument team for AXAF, the authors are developing part of the ground software to support the instrument's calibration. They are also designing a translation program for Ginga data, to change it from the non-standard FRF format, which closely parallels the original telemetry format, to FITS.

A knowledge based software engineering environment testbed

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gill, C.; Reedy, A.; Baker, L.

1985-01-01

The Carnegie Group Incorporated and Boeing Computer Services Company are developing a testbed which will provide a framework for integrating conventional software engineering tools with Artifical Intelligence (AI) tools to promote automation and productivity. The emphasis is on the transfer of AI technology to the software development process. Experiments relate to AI issues such as scaling up, inference, and knowledge representation. In its first year, the project has created a model of software development by representing software activities; developed a module representation formalism to specify the behavior and structure of software objects; integrated the model with the formalism to identify shared representation and inheritance mechanisms; demonstrated object programming by writing procedures and applying them to software objects; used data-directed and goal-directed reasoning to, respectively, infer the cause of bugs and evaluate the appropriateness of a configuration; and demonstrated knowledge-based graphics. Future plans include introduction of knowledge-based systems for rapid prototyping or rescheduling; natural language interfaces; blackboard architecture; and distributed processing

The 2016 Bioinformatics Open Source Conference (BOSC).

PubMed

Harris, Nomi L; Cock, Peter J A; Chapman, Brad; Fields, Christopher J; Hokamp, Karsten; Lapp, Hilmar; Muñoz-Torres, Monica; Wiencko, Heather

2016-01-01

Message from the ISCB: The Bioinformatics Open Source Conference (BOSC) is a yearly meeting organized by the Open Bioinformatics Foundation (OBF), a non-profit group dedicated to promoting the practice and philosophy of Open Source software development and Open Science within the biological research community. BOSC has been run since 2000 as a two-day Special Interest Group (SIG) before the annual ISMB conference. The 17th annual BOSC ( http://www.open-bio.org/wiki/BOSC_2016) took place in Orlando, Florida in July 2016. As in previous years, the conference was preceded by a two-day collaborative coding event open to the bioinformatics community. The conference brought together nearly 100 bioinformatics researchers, developers and users of open source software to interact and share ideas about standards, bioinformatics software development, and open and reproducible science.

Educational Software Evaluation Form for Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kara, Yilmaz

2007-01-01

The purpose of the study was to develop an educational software evaluation form to provide an evaluation and selection instrument of educational software that met the requirements of some balance between mechanics, content and pedagogy that is user friendly. The subjects for the study comprised a group of 32 biology teachers working in secondary…

Applying Open Source Software in a Development Context: Expectations and Experiences. A Case Study of a University in Uganda

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van Reijswoud, Victor; Mulo, Emmanuel

2006-01-01

Over recent years the issue of free and open source software (FOSS) for development in less developed countries (LDCs) has received increasing attention. In the beginning the benefits of FOSS for lower developed countries was only stressed by small groups of idealists like Richard Stallman. Now, however, it is moving into the hands of large…

The ALMA Common Software as a Basis for a Distributed Software Development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raffi, Gianni; Chiozzi, Gianluca; Glendenning, Brian

The Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) is a joint project involving astronomical organizations in Europe, North America and Japan. ALMA will consist of 64 12-m antennas operating in the millimetre and sub-millimetre wavelength range, with baselines of more than 10 km. It will be located at an altitude above 5000 m in the Chilean Atacama desert. The ALMA Computing group is a joint group with staff scattered on 3 continents and is responsible for all the control and data flow software related to ALMA, including tools ranging from support of proposal preparation to archive access of automatically created images. Early in the project it was decided that an ALMA Common Software (ACS) would be developed as a way to provide to all partners involved in the development a common software platform. The original assumption was that some key middleware like communication via CORBA and the use of XML and Java would be part of the project. It was intended from the beginning to develop this software in an incremental way based on releases, so that it would then evolve into an essential embedded part of all ALMA software applications. In this way we would build a basic unity and coherence into a system that will have been developed in a distributed fashion. This paper evaluates our progress after 1.5 year of work, following a few tests and preliminary releases. It analyzes the advantages and difficulties of such an ambitious approach, which creates an interface across all the various control and data flow applications.

The 2006 NESCent Phyloinformatics Hackathon: A Field Report

PubMed Central

Lapp, Hilmar; Bala, Sendu; Balhoff, James P.; Bouck, Amy; Goto, Naohisa; Holder, Mark; Holland, Richard; Holloway, Alisha; Katayama, Toshiaki; Lewis, Paul O.; Mackey, Aaron J.; Osborne, Brian I.; Piel, William H.; Kosakovsky Pond, Sergei L.; Poon, Art F.Y.; Qiu, Wei-Gang; Stajich, Jason E.; Stoltzfus, Arlin; Thierer, Tobias; Vilella, Albert J.; Vos, Rutger A.; Zmasek, Christian M.; Zwickl, Derrick J.; Vision, Todd J.

2007-01-01

In December, 2006, a group of 26 software developers from some of the most widely used life science programming toolkits and phylogenetic software projects converged on Durham, North Carolina, for a Phyloinformatics Hackathon, an intense five-day collaborative software coding event sponsored by the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center (NESCent). The goal was to help researchers to integrate multiple phylogenetic software tools into automated workflows. Participants addressed deficiencies in interoperability between programs by implementing “glue code” and improving support for phylogenetic data exchange standards (particularly NEXUS) across the toolkits. The work was guided by use-cases compiled in advance by both developers and users, and the code was documented as it was developed. The resulting software is freely available for both users and developers through incorporation into the distributions of several widely-used open-source toolkits. We explain the motivation for the hackathon, how it was organized, and discuss some of the outcomes and lessons learned. We conclude that hackathons are an effective mode of solving problems in software interoperability and usability, and are underutilized in scientific software development.

Zebra: An advanced PWR lattice code

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cao, L.; Wu, H.; Zheng, Y.

2012-07-01

This paper presents an overview of an advanced PWR lattice code ZEBRA developed at NECP laboratory in Xi'an Jiaotong Univ.. The multi-group cross-section library is generated from the ENDF/B-VII library by NJOY and the 361-group SHEM structure is employed. The resonance calculation module is developed based on sub-group method. The transport solver is Auto-MOC code, which is a self-developed code based on the Method of Characteristic and the customization of AutoCAD software. The whole code is well organized in a modular software structure. Some numerical results during the validation of the code demonstrate that this code has a good precisionmore » and a high efficiency. (authors)« less

Randomized comparative evaluation of endoscopic submucosal dissection self-learning software in France and Japan.

PubMed

Pioche, Mathieu; Rivory, Jérôme; Nishizawa, Toshihiro; Uraoka, Toshio; Touzet, Sandrine; O'Brien, Marc; Saurin, Jean-Christophe; Ponchon, Thierry; Denis, Angélique; Yahagi, Naohisa

2016-12-01

Background and study aim: Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is currently the reference method to achieve an en bloc resection for large lesions; however, the technique is difficult and risky, with a long learning curve. In order to reduce the morbidity, training courses that use animal models are recommended. Recently, self-learning software has been developed to assist students in their training. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of this tool on the ESD learning curve. Methods: A prospective, randomized, comparative study enrolled 39 students who were experienced in interventional endoscopy. Each student was randomized to one of two groups and performed 30 ESDs of 30 mm standardized lesions in a bovine colon model. The software group used the self-learning software whereas the control group only observed an ESD procedure video. The primary outcome was the rate of successful ESD procedures, defined as complete en bloc resection without any perforation and performed in less than 75 minutes. Results: A total of 39 students performed 1170 ESDs. Success was achieved in 404 (70.9 %) in the software group and 367 (61.2 %) in the control group ( P  = 0.03). Among the successful procedures, there were no significant differences between the software and control groups in terms of perforation rate (22 [4.0 %] vs. 29 [5.1 %], respectively; P  = 0.27) and mean (SD) procedure duration (34.1 [13.4] vs. 32.3 [14.0] minutes, respectively; P  = 0.52). For the 30th procedure, the rate of complete resection was superior in the software group (84.2 %) compared with the control group (50.0 %; P  = 0.01). Conclusion: ESD self-learning software was effective in improving the quality of resection compared with a standard teaching method using procedure videos. This result suggests the benefit of incorporating such software into teaching programs. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Annotated bibliography of software engineering laboratory literature

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kistler, David; Bristow, John; Smith, Don

1994-01-01

This document is an annotated bibliography of technical papers, documents, and memorandums produced by or related to the Software Engineering Laboratory. Nearly 200 publications are summarized. These publications cover many areas of software engineering and range from research reports to software documentation. This document has been updated and reorganized substantially since the original version (SEL-82-006, November 1982). All materials have been grouped into eight general subject areas for easy reference: (1) The Software Engineering Laboratory; (2) The Software Engineering Laboratory: Software Development Documents; (3) Software Tools; (4) Software Models; (5) Software Measurement; (6) Technology Evaluations; (7) Ada Technology; and (8) Data Collection. This document contains an index of these publications classified by individual author.

Whole earth modeling: developing and disseminating scientific software for computational geophysics.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kellogg, L. H.

2016-12-01

Historically, a great deal of specialized scientific software for modeling and data analysis has been developed by individual researchers or small groups of scientists working on their own specific research problems. As the magnitude of available data and computer power has increased, so has the complexity of scientific problems addressed by computational methods, creating both a need to sustain existing scientific software, and expand its development to take advantage of new algorithms, new software approaches, and new computational hardware. To that end, communities like the Computational Infrastructure for Geodynamics (CIG) have been established to support the use of best practices in scientific computing for solid earth geophysics research and teaching. Working as a scientific community enables computational geophysicists to take advantage of technological developments, improve the accuracy and performance of software, build on prior software development, and collaborate more readily. The CIG community, and others, have adopted an open-source development model, in which code is developed and disseminated by the community in an open fashion, using version control and software repositories like Git. One emerging issue is how to adequately identify and credit the intellectual contributions involved in creating open source scientific software. The traditional method of disseminating scientific ideas, peer reviewed publication, was not designed for review or crediting scientific software, although emerging publication strategies such software journals are attempting to address the need. We are piloting an integrated approach in which authors are identified and credited as scientific software is developed and run. Successful software citation requires integration with the scholarly publication and indexing mechanisms as well, to assign credit, ensure discoverability, and provide provenance for software.

Toxmatch-a new software tool to aid in the development and evaluation of chemically similar groups.

PubMed

Patlewicz, G; Jeliazkova, N; Gallegos Saliner, A; Worth, A P

2008-01-01

Chemical similarity is a widely used concept in toxicology, and is based on the hypothesis that similar compounds should have similar biological activities. This forms the underlying basis for performing read-across, forming chemical groups and developing (Quantitative) Structure-Activity Relationships ((Q)SARs). Chemical similarity is often perceived as structural similarity but in fact there are a number of other approaches that can be used to assess similarity. A systematic similarity analysis usually comprises two main steps. Firstly the chemical structures to be compared need to be characterised in terms of relevant descriptors which encode their physicochemical, topological, geometrical and/or surface properties. A second step involves a quantitative comparison of those descriptors using similarity (or dissimilarity) indices. This work outlines the use of chemical similarity principles in the formation of endpoint specific chemical groupings. Examples are provided to illustrate the development and evaluation of chemical groupings using a new software application called Toxmatch that was recently commissioned by the European Chemicals Bureau (ECB), of the European Commission's Joint Research Centre. Insights from using this software are highlighted with specific focus on the prospective application of chemical groupings under the new chemicals legislation, REACH.

A Roadmap for Using Agile Development in a Traditional Environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Streiffert, Barbara; Starbird, Thomas; Grenander, Sven

2006-01-01

One of the newer classes of software engineering techniques is called 'Agile Development'. In Agile Development software engineers take small implementation steps and, in some cases, they program in pairs. In addition, they develop automatic tests prior to implementing their small functional piece. Agile Development focuses on rapid turnaround, incremental planning, customer involvement and continuous integration. Agile Development is not the traditional waterfall method or even a rapid prototyping method (although this methodology is closer to Agile Development). At the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) a few groups have begun Agile Development software implementations. The difficulty with this approach becomes apparent when Agile Development is used in an organization that has specific criteria and requirements handed down for how software development is to be performed. The work at the JPL is performed for the National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA). Both organizations have specific requirements, rules and processes for developing software. This paper will discuss some of the initial uses of the Agile Development methodology, the spread of this method and the current status of the successful incorporation into the current JPL development policies and processes.

A Roadmap for Using Agile Development in a Traditional Environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Streiffert, Barbara A.; Starbird, Thomas; Grenander, Sven

2006-01-01

One of the newer classes of software engineering techniques is called 'Agile Development'. In Agile Development software engineers take small implementation steps and, in some cases they program in pairs. In addition, they develop automatic tests prior to implementing their small functional piece. Agile Development focuses on rapid turnaround, incremental planning, customer involvement and continuous integration. Agile Development is not the traditional waterfall method or even a rapid prototyping method (although this methodology is closer to Agile Development). At Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) a few groups have begun Agile Development software implementations. The difficulty with this approach becomes apparent when Agile Development is used in an organization that has specific criteria and requirements handed down for how software development is to be performed. The work at the JPL is performed for the National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA). Both organizations have specific requirements, rules and procedure for developing software. This paper will discuss the some of the initial uses of the Agile Development methodology, the spread of this method and the current status of the successful incorporation into the current JPL development policies.

A NASA-wide approach toward cost-effective, high-quality software through reuse

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scheper, Charlotte O. (Editor); Smith, Kathryn A. (Editor)

1993-01-01

NASA Langley Research Center sponsored the second Workshop on NASA Research in Software Reuse on May 5-6, 1992 at the Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. The workshop was hosted by the Research Triangle Institute. Participants came from the three NASA centers, four NASA contractor companies, two research institutes and the Air Force's Rome Laboratory. The purpose of the workshop was to exchange information on software reuse tool development, particularly with respect to tool needs, requirements, and effectiveness. The participants presented the software reuse activities and tools being developed and used by their individual centers and programs. These programs address a wide range of reuse issues. The group also developed a mission and goals for software reuse within NASA. This publication summarizes the presentations and the issues discussed during the workshop.

Systems biology driven software design for the research enterprise

PubMed Central

Boyle, John; Cavnor, Christopher; Killcoyne, Sarah; Shmulevich, Ilya

2008-01-01

Background In systems biology, and many other areas of research, there is a need for the interoperability of tools and data sources that were not originally designed to be integrated. Due to the interdisciplinary nature of systems biology, and its association with high throughput experimental platforms, there is an additional need to continually integrate new technologies. As scientists work in isolated groups, integration with other groups is rarely a consideration when building the required software tools. Results We illustrate an approach, through the discussion of a purpose built software architecture, which allows disparate groups to reuse tools and access data sources in a common manner. The architecture allows for: the rapid development of distributed applications; interoperability, so it can be used by a wide variety of developers and computational biologists; development using standard tools, so that it is easy to maintain and does not require a large development effort; extensibility, so that new technologies and data types can be incorporated; and non intrusive development, insofar as researchers need not to adhere to a pre-existing object model. Conclusion By using a relatively simple integration strategy, based upon a common identity system and dynamically discovered interoperable services, a light-weight software architecture can become the focal point through which scientists can both get access to and analyse the plethora of experimentally derived data. PMID:18578887

The Synthetic Biology Open Language (SBOL) provides a community standard for communicating designs in synthetic biology.

PubMed

Galdzicki, Michal; Clancy, Kevin P; Oberortner, Ernst; Pocock, Matthew; Quinn, Jacqueline Y; Rodriguez, Cesar A; Roehner, Nicholas; Wilson, Mandy L; Adam, Laura; Anderson, J Christopher; Bartley, Bryan A; Beal, Jacob; Chandran, Deepak; Chen, Joanna; Densmore, Douglas; Endy, Drew; Grünberg, Raik; Hallinan, Jennifer; Hillson, Nathan J; Johnson, Jeffrey D; Kuchinsky, Allan; Lux, Matthew; Misirli, Goksel; Peccoud, Jean; Plahar, Hector A; Sirin, Evren; Stan, Guy-Bart; Villalobos, Alan; Wipat, Anil; Gennari, John H; Myers, Chris J; Sauro, Herbert M

2014-06-01

The re-use of previously validated designs is critical to the evolution of synthetic biology from a research discipline to an engineering practice. Here we describe the Synthetic Biology Open Language (SBOL), a proposed data standard for exchanging designs within the synthetic biology community. SBOL represents synthetic biology designs in a community-driven, formalized format for exchange between software tools, research groups and commercial service providers. The SBOL Developers Group has implemented SBOL as an XML/RDF serialization and provides software libraries and specification documentation to help developers implement SBOL in their own software. We describe early successes, including a demonstration of the utility of SBOL for information exchange between several different software tools and repositories from both academic and industrial partners. As a community-driven standard, SBOL will be updated as synthetic biology evolves to provide specific capabilities for different aspects of the synthetic biology workflow.

Software engineering laboratory series: Annotated bibliography of software engineering laboratory literature

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morusiewicz, Linda; Valett, Jon

1992-01-01

This document is an annotated bibliography of technical papers, documents, and memorandums produced by or related to the Software Engineering Laboratory. More than 100 publications are summarized. These publications cover many areas of software engineering and range from research reports to software documentation. This document has been updated and reorganized substantially since the original version (SEL-82-006, November 1982). All materials have been grouped into eight general subject areas for easy reference: (1) the Software Engineering Laboratory; (2) the Software Engineering Laboratory: Software Development Documents; (3) Software Tools; (4) Software Models; (5) Software Measurement; (6) Technology Evaluations; (7) Ada Technology; and (8) Data Collection. This document contains an index of these publications classified by individual author.

The 2016 Bioinformatics Open Source Conference (BOSC)

PubMed Central

Harris, Nomi L.; Cock, Peter J.A.; Chapman, Brad; Fields, Christopher J.; Hokamp, Karsten; Lapp, Hilmar; Muñoz-Torres, Monica; Wiencko, Heather

2016-01-01

Message from the ISCB: The Bioinformatics Open Source Conference (BOSC) is a yearly meeting organized by the Open Bioinformatics Foundation (OBF), a non-profit group dedicated to promoting the practice and philosophy of Open Source software development and Open Science within the biological research community. BOSC has been run since 2000 as a two-day Special Interest Group (SIG) before the annual ISMB conference. The 17th annual BOSC ( http://www.open-bio.org/wiki/BOSC_2016) took place in Orlando, Florida in July 2016. As in previous years, the conference was preceded by a two-day collaborative coding event open to the bioinformatics community. The conference brought together nearly 100 bioinformatics researchers, developers and users of open source software to interact and share ideas about standards, bioinformatics software development, and open and reproducible science. PMID:27781083

Avionics Simulation, Development and Software Engineering

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

During this reporting period, all technical responsibilities were accomplished as planned. A close working relationship was maintained with personnel of the MSFC Avionics Department Software Group (ED14), the MSFC EXPRESS Project Office (FD31), and the Huntsville Boeing Company. Accomplishments included: performing special tasks; supporting Software Review Board (SRB), Avionics Test Bed (ATB), and EXPRESS Software Control Panel (ESCP) activities; participating in technical meetings; and coordinating issues between the Boeing Company and the MSFC Project Office.

E-learning for Critical Thinking: Using Nominal Focus Group Method to Inform Software Content and Design.

PubMed

Parker, Steve; Mayner, Lidia; Michael Gillham, David

2015-12-01

Undergraduate nursing students are often confused by multiple understandings of critical thinking. In response to this situation, the Critiique for critical thinking (CCT) project was implemented to provide consistent structured guidance about critical thinking. This paper introduces Critiique software, describes initial validation of the content of this critical thinking tool and explores wider applications of the Critiique software. Critiique is flexible, authorable software that guides students step-by-step through critical appraisal of research papers. The spelling of Critiique was deliberate, so as to acquire a unique web domain name and associated logo. The CCT project involved implementation of a modified nominal focus group process with academic staff working together to establish common understandings of critical thinking. Previous work established a consensus about critical thinking in nursing and provided a starting point for the focus groups. The study was conducted at an Australian university campus with the focus group guided by open ended questions. Focus group data established categories of content that academic staff identified as important for teaching critical thinking. This emerging focus group data was then used to inform modification of Critiique software so that students had access to consistent and structured guidance in relation to critical thinking and critical appraisal. The project succeeded in using focus group data from academics to inform software development while at the same time retaining the benefits of broader philosophical dimensions of critical thinking.

E-learning for Critical Thinking: Using Nominal Focus Group Method to Inform Software Content and Design

PubMed Central

Parker, Steve; Mayner, Lidia; Michael Gillham, David

2015-01-01

Background: Undergraduate nursing students are often confused by multiple understandings of critical thinking. In response to this situation, the Critiique for critical thinking (CCT) project was implemented to provide consistent structured guidance about critical thinking. Objectives: This paper introduces Critiique software, describes initial validation of the content of this critical thinking tool and explores wider applications of the Critiique software. Materials and Methods: Critiique is flexible, authorable software that guides students step-by-step through critical appraisal of research papers. The spelling of Critiique was deliberate, so as to acquire a unique web domain name and associated logo. The CCT project involved implementation of a modified nominal focus group process with academic staff working together to establish common understandings of critical thinking. Previous work established a consensus about critical thinking in nursing and provided a starting point for the focus groups. The study was conducted at an Australian university campus with the focus group guided by open ended questions. Results: Focus group data established categories of content that academic staff identified as important for teaching critical thinking. This emerging focus group data was then used to inform modification of Critiique software so that students had access to consistent and structured guidance in relation to critical thinking and critical appraisal. Conclusions: The project succeeded in using focus group data from academics to inform software development while at the same time retaining the benefits of broader philosophical dimensions of critical thinking. PMID:26835469

Listening to the student voice to improve educational software.

PubMed

van Wyk, Mari; van Ryneveld, Linda

2017-01-01

Academics often develop software for teaching and learning purposes with the best of intentions, only to be disappointed by the low acceptance rate of the software by their students once it is implemented. In this study, the focus is on software that was designed to enable veterinary students to record their clinical skills. A pilot of the software clearly showed that the program had not been received as well as had been anticipated, and therefore the researchers used a group interview and a questionnaire with closed-ended and open-ended questions to obtain the students' feedback. The open-ended questions were analysed with conceptual content analysis, and themes were identified. Students made valuable suggestions about what they regarded as important considerations when a new software program is introduced. The most important lesson learnt was that students cannot always predict their needs accurately if they are asked for input prior to the development of software. For that reason student input should be obtained on a continuous and regular basis throughout the design and development phases.

Group Support Systems (GSS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hamel, Gary P.; Wijesinghe, R.

1996-01-01

Groupware is a term describing an emerging computer software technology enhancing the ability of people to work together as a group, (a software driven 'group support system'). This project originated at the beginning of 1992 and reports were issued describing the activity through May 1995. These reports stressed the need for process as well as technology. That is, while the technology represented a computer assisted method for groups to work together, the Group Support System (GSS) technology als required an understanding of the facilitation process electronic meetings demand. Even people trained in traditional facilitation techniques did not necessarily aimlessly adopt groupware techniques. The latest phase of this activity attempted to (1) improve the facilitation process by developing training support for a portable groupware computer system, and (2) to explore settings and uses for the portable groupware system using different software, such as Lotus Notes.

Delay Tolerant Networking on NASA's Space Communication and Navigation Testbed

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Sandra; Eddy, Wesley

2016-01-01

This presentation covers the status of the implementation of an open source software that implements the specifications developed by the CCSDS Working Group. Interplanetary Overlay Network (ION) is open source software and it implements specifications that have been developed by two international working groups through IETF and CCSDS. ION was implemented on the SCaN Testbed, a testbed located on an external pallet on ISS, by the GRC team. The presentation will cover the architecture of the system, high level implementation details, and issues porting ION to VxWorks.

AAS Publishing News: Astronomical Software Citation Workshop

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kohler, Susanna

2015-07-01

Do you write code for your research? Use astronomical software? Do you wish there were a better way of citing, sharing, archiving, or discovering software for astronomy research? You're not alone! In April 2015, AAS's publishing team joined other leaders in the astronomical software community in a meeting funded by the Sloan Foundation, with the purpose of discussing these issues and potential solutions. In attendance were representatives from academic astronomy, publishing, libraries, for-profit software sharing platforms, telescope facilities, and grantmaking institutions. The goal of the group was to establish “protocols, policies, and platforms for astronomical software citation, sharing, and archiving,” in the hopes of encouraging a set of normalized standards across the field. The AAS is now collaborating with leaders at GitHub to write grant proposals for a project to develop strategies for software discoverability and citation, in astronomy and beyond. If this topic interests you, you can find more details in this document released by the group after the meeting: http://astronomy-software-index.github.io/2015-workshop/ The group hopes to move this project forward with input and support from the broader community. Please share the above document, discuss it on social media using the hashtag #astroware (so that your conversations can be found!), or send private comments to julie.steffen@aas.org.

A process improvement model for software verification and validation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Callahan, John; Sabolish, George

1994-01-01

We describe ongoing work at the NASA Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) Facility to establish a process improvement model for software verification and validation (V&V) organizations. This model, similar to those used by some software development organizations, uses measurement-based techniques to identify problem areas and introduce incremental improvements. We seek to replicate this model for organizations involved in V&V on large-scale software development projects such as EOS and space station. At the IV&V Facility, a university research group and V&V contractors are working together to collect metrics across projects in order to determine the effectiveness of V&V and improve its application. Since V&V processes are intimately tied to development processes, this paper also examines the repercussions for development organizations in large-scale efforts.

A process improvement model for software verification and validation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Callahan, John; Sabolish, George

1994-01-01

We describe ongoing work at the NASA Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) Facility to establish a process improvement model for software verification and validation (V&V) organizations. This model, similar to those used by some software development organizations, uses measurement-based techniques to identify problem areas and introduce incremental improvements. We seek to replicate this model for organizations involved in V&V on large-scale software development projects such as EOS and Space Station. At the IV&V Facility, a university research group and V&V contractors are working together to collect metrics across projects in order to determine the effectiveness of V&V and improve its application. Since V&V processes are intimately tied to development processes, this paper also examines the repercussions for development organizations in large-scale efforts.

Closing gaps between open software and public data in a hackathon setting: User-centered software prototyping.

PubMed

Busby, Ben; Lesko, Matthew; Federer, Lisa

2016-01-01

In genomics, bioinformatics and other areas of data science, gaps exist between extant public datasets and the open-source software tools built by the community to analyze similar data types.  The purpose of biological data science hackathons is to assemble groups of genomics or bioinformatics professionals and software developers to rapidly prototype software to address these gaps.  The only two rules for the NCBI-assisted hackathons run so far are that 1) data either must be housed in public data repositories or be deposited to such repositories shortly after the hackathon's conclusion, and 2) all software comprising the final pipeline must be open-source or open-use.  Proposed topics, as well as suggested tools and approaches, are distributed to participants at the beginning of each hackathon and refined during the event.  Software, scripts, and pipelines are developed and published on GitHub, a web service providing publicly available, free-usage tiers for collaborative software development. The code resulting from each hackathon is published at https://github.com/NCBI-Hackathons/ with separate directories or repositories for each team.

Modern Physics Simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brandt, Douglas; Hiller, John R.; Moloney, Michael J.

1995-10-01

The Consortium for Upper Level Physics Software (CUPS) has developed a comprehensive series of Nine Book/Software packages that Wiley will publish in FY `95 and `96. CUPS is an international group of 27 physicists, all with extensive backgrounds in the research, teaching, and development of instructional software. The project is being supported by the National Science Foundation (PHY-9014548), and it has received other support from the IBM Corp., Apple Computer Corp., and George Mason University. The Simulations being developed are: Astrophysics, Classical Mechanics, Electricity & Magnetism, Modern Physics, Nuclear and Particle Physics, Quantum Mechanics, Solid State, Thermal and Statistical, and Wave and Optics.

Software Reuse Within the Earth Science Community

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marshall, James J.; Olding, Steve; Wolfe, Robert E.; Delnore, Victor E.

2006-01-01

Scientific missions in the Earth sciences frequently require cost-effective, highly reliable, and easy-to-use software, which can be a challenge for software developers to provide. The NASA Earth Science Enterprise (ESE) spends a significant amount of resources developing software components and other software development artifacts that may also be of value if reused in other projects requiring similar functionality. In general, software reuse is often defined as utilizing existing software artifacts. Software reuse can improve productivity and quality while decreasing the cost of software development, as documented by case studies in the literature. Since large software systems are often the results of the integration of many smaller and sometimes reusable components, ensuring reusability of such software components becomes a necessity. Indeed, designing software components with reusability as a requirement can increase the software reuse potential within a community such as the NASA ESE community. The NASA Earth Science Data Systems (ESDS) Software Reuse Working Group is chartered to oversee the development of a process that will maximize the reuse potential of existing software components while recommending strategies for maximizing the reusability potential of yet-to-be-designed components. As part of this work, two surveys of the Earth science community were conducted. The first was performed in 2004 and distributed among government employees and contractors. A follow-up survey was performed in 2005 and distributed among a wider community, to include members of industry and academia. The surveys were designed to collect information on subjects such as the current software reuse practices of Earth science software developers, why they choose to reuse software, and what perceived barriers prevent them from reusing software. In this paper, we compare the results of these surveys, summarize the observed trends, and discuss the findings. The results are very similar, with the second, larger survey confirming the basic results of the first, smaller survey. The results suggest that reuse of ESE software can drive down the cost and time of system development, increase flexibility and responsiveness of these systems to new technologies and requirements, and increase effective and accountable community participation.

The software development process at the Chandra X-ray Center

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Evans, Janet D.; Evans, Ian N.; Fabbiano, Giuseppina

2008-08-01

Software development for the Chandra X-ray Center Data System began in the mid 1990's, and the waterfall model of development was mandated by our documents. Although we initially tried this approach, we found that a process with elements of the spiral model worked better in our science-based environment. High-level science requirements are usually established by scientists, and provided to the software development group. We follow with review and refinement of those requirements prior to the design phase. Design reviews are conducted for substantial projects within the development team, and include scientists whenever appropriate. Development follows agreed upon schedules that include several internal releases of the task before completion. Feedback from science testing early in the process helps to identify and resolve misunderstandings present in the detailed requirements, and allows review of intangible requirements. The development process includes specific testing of requirements, developer and user documentation, and support after deployment to operations or to users. We discuss the process we follow at the Chandra X-ray Center (CXC) to develop software and support operations. We review the role of the science and development staff from conception to release of software, and some lessons learned from managing CXC software development for over a decade.

Technology User Groups and Early Childhood Education: A Preliminary Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parette, Howard P.; Hourcade, Jack J.; Blum, Craig; Watts, Emily H.; Stoner, Julia B.; Wojcik, Brian W.; Chrismore, Shannon B.

2013-01-01

This article presents a preliminary examination of the potential of Technology User Groups as a professional development venue for early childhood education professionals in developing operational and functional competence in using hardware and software components of a Technology toolkit. Technology user groups are composed of varying numbers of…

Developing visualisation software for rehabilitation: investigating the requirements of patients, therapists and the rehabilitation process

PubMed Central

Loudon, David; Macdonald, Alastair S.; Carse, Bruce; Thikey, Heather; Jones, Lucy; Rowe, Philip J.; Uzor, Stephen; Ayoade, Mobolaji; Baillie, Lynne

2012-01-01

This paper describes the ongoing process of the development and evaluation of prototype visualisation software, designed to assist in the understanding and the improvement of appropriate movements during rehabilitation. The process of engaging users throughout the research project is detailed in the paper, including how the design of the visualisation software is being adapted to meet the emerging understanding of the needs of patients and professionals, and of the rehabilitation process. The value of the process for the design of the visualisation software is illustrated with a discussion of the findings of pre-pilot focus groups with stroke survivors and therapists. PMID:23011812

Software development to support decision making in the selection of nursing diagnoses and interventions for children and adolescents1

PubMed Central

Silva, Kenya de Lima; Évora, Yolanda Dora Martinez; Cintra, Camila Santana Justo

2015-01-01

Objective: to report the development of a software to support decision-making for the selection of nursing diagnoses and interventions for children and adolescents, based on the nomenclature of nursing diagnoses, outcomes and interventions of a university hospital in Paraiba. Method: a methodological applied study based on software engineering, as proposed by Pressman, developed in three cycles, namely: flow chart construction, development of the navigation interface, and construction of functional expressions and programming development. Result: the software consists of administrative and nursing process screens. The assessment is automatically selected according to age group, the nursing diagnoses are suggested by the system after information is inserted, and can be indicated by the nurse. The interventions for the chosen diagnosis are selected by structuring the care plan. Conclusion: the development of this tool used to document the nursing actions will contribute to decision-making and quality of care. PMID:26487144

Marshall Space Flight Center Ground Systems Development and Integration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wade, Gina

2016-01-01

Ground Systems Development and Integration performs a variety of tasks in support of the Mission Operations Laboratory (MOL) and other Center and Agency projects. These tasks include various systems engineering processes such as performing system requirements development, system architecture design, integration, verification and validation, software development, and sustaining engineering of mission operations systems that has evolved the Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) into a leader in remote operations for current and future NASA space projects. The group is also responsible for developing and managing telemetry and command configuration and calibration databases. Personnel are responsible for maintaining and enhancing their disciplinary skills in the areas of project management, software engineering, software development, software process improvement, telecommunications, networking, and systems management. Domain expertise in the ground systems area is also maintained and includes detailed proficiency in the areas of real-time telemetry systems, command systems, voice, video, data networks, and mission planning systems.

Software development to support decision making in the selection of nursing diagnoses and interventions for children and adolescents.

PubMed

Silva, Kenya de Lima; Évora, Yolanda Dora Martinez; Cintra, Camila Santana Justo

2015-01-01

to report the development of a software to support decision-making for the selection of nursing diagnoses and interventions for children and adolescents, based on the nomenclature of nursing diagnoses, outcomes and interventions of a university hospital in Paraiba. a methodological applied study based on software engineering, as proposed by Pressman, developed in three cycles, namely: flow chart construction, development of the navigation interface, and construction of functional expressions and programming development. the software consists of administrative and nursing process screens. The assessment is automatically selected according to age group, the nursing diagnoses are suggested by the system after information is inserted, and can be indicated by the nurse. The interventions for the chosen diagnosis are selected by structuring the care plan. the development of this tool used to document the nursing actions will contribute to decision-making and quality of care.

Contingency theoretic methodology for agent-based web-oriented manufacturing systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Durrett, John R.; Burnell, Lisa J.; Priest, John W.

2000-12-01

The development of distributed, agent-based, web-oriented, N-tier Information Systems (IS) must be supported by a design methodology capable of responding to the convergence of shifts in business process design, organizational structure, computing, and telecommunications infrastructures. We introduce a contingency theoretic model for the use of open, ubiquitous software infrastructure in the design of flexible organizational IS. Our basic premise is that developers should change in the way they view the software design process from a view toward the solution of a problem to one of the dynamic creation of teams of software components. We postulate that developing effective, efficient, flexible, component-based distributed software requires reconceptualizing the current development model. The basic concepts of distributed software design are merged with the environment-causes-structure relationship from contingency theory; the task-uncertainty of organizational- information-processing relationships from information processing theory; and the concept of inter-process dependencies from coordination theory. Software processes are considered as employees, groups of processes as software teams, and distributed systems as software organizations. Design techniques already used in the design of flexible business processes and well researched in the domain of the organizational sciences are presented. Guidelines that can be utilized in the creation of component-based distributed software will be discussed.

Software Design Improvements. Part 2; Software Quality and the Design and Inspection Process

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lalli, Vincent R.; Packard, Michael H.; Ziemianski, Tom

1997-01-01

The application of assurance engineering techniques improves the duration of failure-free performance of software. The totality of features and characteristics of a software product are what determine its ability to satisfy customer needs. Software in safety-critical systems is very important to NASA. We follow the System Safety Working Groups definition for system safety software as: 'The optimization of system safety in the design, development, use and maintenance of software and its integration with safety-critical systems in an operational environment. 'If it is not safe, say so' has become our motto. This paper goes over methods that have been used by NASA to make software design improvements by focusing on software quality and the design and inspection process.

Vulnerability in Determining the Cost of Information System Project to Avoid Loses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haryono, Kholid; Ikhsani, Zulfa Amalia

2018-03-01

Context: This study discusses the priority of cost required in software development projects. Objectives: To show the costing models, the variables involved, and how practitioners assess and decide the priorities of each variable. To strengthen the information, each variable also confirmed the risk if ignored. Method: The method is done by two approaches. First, systematic literature reviews to find the models and variables used to decide the cost of software development. Second, confirm and take judgments about the level of importance and risk of each variable to the software developer. Result: Obtained about 54 variables that appear on the 10 models discussed. The variables are categorized into 15 groups based on the similarity of meaning. Each group becomes a variable. Confirmation results with practitioners on the level of importance and risk. It shown there are two variables that are considered very important and high risk if ignored. That is duration and effort. Conclusion: The relationship of variable rates between the results of literature studies and confirmation of practitioners contributes to the use of software business actors in considering project cost variables.

Agile methods in biomedical software development: a multi-site experience report.

PubMed

Kane, David W; Hohman, Moses M; Cerami, Ethan G; McCormick, Michael W; Kuhlmman, Karl F; Byrd, Jeff A

2006-05-30

Agile is an iterative approach to software development that relies on strong collaboration and automation to keep pace with dynamic environments. We have successfully used agile development approaches to create and maintain biomedical software, including software for bioinformatics. This paper reports on a qualitative study of our experiences using these methods. We have found that agile methods are well suited to the exploratory and iterative nature of scientific inquiry. They provide a robust framework for reproducing scientific results and for developing clinical support systems. The agile development approach also provides a model for collaboration between software engineers and researchers. We present our experience using agile methodologies in projects at six different biomedical software development organizations. The organizations include academic, commercial and government development teams, and included both bioinformatics and clinical support applications. We found that agile practices were a match for the needs of our biomedical projects and contributed to the success of our organizations. We found that the agile development approach was a good fit for our organizations, and that these practices should be applicable and valuable to other biomedical software development efforts. Although we found differences in how agile methods were used, we were also able to identify a set of core practices that were common to all of the groups, and that could be a focus for others seeking to adopt these methods.

Agile methods in biomedical software development: a multi-site experience report

PubMed Central

Kane, David W; Hohman, Moses M; Cerami, Ethan G; McCormick, Michael W; Kuhlmman, Karl F; Byrd, Jeff A

2006-01-01

Background Agile is an iterative approach to software development that relies on strong collaboration and automation to keep pace with dynamic environments. We have successfully used agile development approaches to create and maintain biomedical software, including software for bioinformatics. This paper reports on a qualitative study of our experiences using these methods. Results We have found that agile methods are well suited to the exploratory and iterative nature of scientific inquiry. They provide a robust framework for reproducing scientific results and for developing clinical support systems. The agile development approach also provides a model for collaboration between software engineers and researchers. We present our experience using agile methodologies in projects at six different biomedical software development organizations. The organizations include academic, commercial and government development teams, and included both bioinformatics and clinical support applications. We found that agile practices were a match for the needs of our biomedical projects and contributed to the success of our organizations. Conclusion We found that the agile development approach was a good fit for our organizations, and that these practices should be applicable and valuable to other biomedical software development efforts. Although we found differences in how agile methods were used, we were also able to identify a set of core practices that were common to all of the groups, and that could be a focus for others seeking to adopt these methods. PMID:16734914

A Stigmergy Approach for Open Source Software Developer Community Simulation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cui, Xiaohui; Beaver, Justin M; Potok, Thomas E

2009-01-01

The stigmergy collaboration approach provides a hypothesized explanation about how online groups work together. In this research, we presented a stigmergy approach for building an agent based open source software (OSS) developer community collaboration simulation. We used group of actors who collaborate on OSS projects as our frame of reference and investigated how the choices actors make in contribution their work on the projects determinate the global status of the whole OSS projects. In our simulation, the forum posts and project codes served as the digital pheromone and the modified Pierre-Paul Grasse pheromone model is used for computing developer agentmore » behaviors selection probability.« less

NASA Technology Transfer - Human Robot Teaming

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-12-23

Produced for Intelligent Robotics Group to show at January 2017 Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Highlights development of VERVE (Visual Environment for Remote Virtual Exploration) software used on K-10, K-REX, SPHERES and AstroBee projects for 3D awareness. Also mentions transfer of software to Nissan for their development in their Autonomous Vehicle project. Video includes Nissan's self-driving car around NASA Ames.

Facilitating the analysis of the multifocal electroretinogram using the free software environment R.

PubMed

Bergholz, Richard; Rossel, Mirjam; Dutescu, Ralf M; Vöge, Klaas P; Salchow, Daniel J

2018-01-01

The large amount of data rendered by the multifocal electroretinogram (mfERG) can be analyzed and visualized in various ways. The evaluation and comparison of more than one examination is time-consuming and prone to create errors. Using the free software environment R we developed a solution to average the data of multiple examinations and to allow a comparison of different patient groups. Data of single mfERG recordings as exported in .csv format from a RETIport 21 system (version 7/03, Roland Consult) or manually compiled .csv files are the basis for the calculations. The R software extracts response densities and implicit times of N1 and P1 for the sum response, each ring eccentricity, and each single hexagon. Averages can be calculated for as many subjects as needed. The mentioned parameters can then be compared to another group of patients or healthy subjects. Application of the software is illustrated by comparing 11 patients with chloroquine maculopathy to a control group of 7 healthy subjects. The software scripts display response density and implicit time 3D plots of each examination as well as of the group averages. Differences of the group averages are presented as 3D and grayscale 2D plots. Both groups are compared using the t-test with Bonferroni correction. The group comparison is furthermore illustrated by the average waveforms and by boxplots of each eccentricity. This software solution on the basis of the programming language R facilitates the clinical and scientific use of the mfERG and aids in interpretation and analysis.

The effects of exercise reminder software program on office workers' perceived pain level, work performance and quality of life.

PubMed

Irmak, A; Bumin, G; Irmak, R

2012-01-01

In direct proportion to current technological developments, both the computer usage in the workplaces is increased and requirement of leaving the desk for an office worker in order to photocopy a document, send or receive an e-mail is decreased. Therefore, office workers stay in the same postures accompanied by long periods of keyboard usage. In recent years, with intent to reduce the incidence of work related musculoskeletal disorders several exercise reminder software programs have been developed. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the exercise reminder software program on office workers' perceived pain level, work performance and quality of life. 39 healthy office workers accepted to attend the study. Participants were randomly split in to two groups, control group (n = 19) and intervention group (n = 20). Visual Analogue Scale to evaluate the perceived pain was administered all of the participants in the beginning and at the end of the study. The intervention group used the program for 10 weeks. Findings showed that the control group VAS scores remained the same, but the intervention group VAS scores decreased in a statistically significant way (p < 0.01). Results support that such exercise reminder software programs may help to reduce perceived pain among office workers. Further long term studies with more subjects are needed to describe the effects of these programs and the mechanism under these effects.

Medical device software: defining key terms.

PubMed

Pashkov, Vitalii; Gutorova, Nataliya; Harkusha, Andrii

one of the areas of significant growth in medical devices has been the role of software - as an integral component of a medical device, as a standalone device and more recently as applications on mobile devices. The risk related to a malfunction of the standalone software used within healthcare is in itself not a criterion for its qualification or not as a medical device. It is therefore, necessary to clarify some criteria for the qualification of stand-alone software as medical devices Materials and methods: Ukrainian, European Union, United States of America legislation, Guidelines developed by European Commission and Food and Drug Administration's, recommendations represented by international voluntary group and scientific works. This article is based on dialectical, comparative, analytic, synthetic and comprehensive research methods. the legal regulation of software which is used for medical purpose in Ukraine limited to one definition. In European Union and United States of America were developed and applying special guidelines that help developers, manufactures and end users to difference software on types standing on medical purpose criteria. Software becomes more and more incorporated into medical devices. Developers and manufacturers may not have initially appreciated potential risks to patients and users such situation could have dangerous results for patients or users. It is necessary to develop and adopt the legislation that will intend to define the criteria for the qualification of medical device software and the application of the classification criteria to such software, provide some illustrative examples and step by step recommendations to qualify software as medical device.

Earth Science Goes E-Commerce

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

Software packages commercially marketed by Agri ImaGIS allow customers to analyze farm fields. Agri ImaGIS provides satellite images of farmland and agricultural views to US clients. The company approached NASA-MSU TechLink for access to technology that would improve the company's capabilities to deliver satellite images over the Internet. TechLink found that software with the desired functions had already been developed through NASA's Remote Sensing Database Program. Agri ImaGIS formed a partnership with the University of Minnesota group that allows the company to further develop the software to meet its Internet commerce needs.

Sustaining Open Source Communities through Hackathons - An Example from the ASPECT Community

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heister, T.; Hwang, L.; Bangerth, W.; Kellogg, L. H.

2016-12-01

The ecosystem surrounding a successful scientific open source software package combines both social and technical aspects. Much thought has been given to the technology side of writing sustainable software for large infrastructure projects and software libraries, but less about building the human capacity to perpetuate scientific software used in computational modeling. One effective format for building capacity is regular multi-day hackathons. Scientific hackathons bring together a group of science domain users and scientific software contributors to make progress on a specific software package. Innovation comes through the chance to work with established and new collaborations. Especially in the domain sciences with small communities, hackathons give geographically distributed scientists an opportunity to connect face-to-face. They foster lively discussions amongst scientists with different expertise, promote new collaborations, and increase transparency in both the technical and scientific aspects of code development. ASPECT is an open source, parallel, extensible finite element code to simulate thermal convection, that began development in 2011 under the Computational Infrastructure for Geodynamics. ASPECT hackathons for the past 3 years have grown the number of authors to >50, training new code maintainers in the process. Hackathons begin with leaders establishing project-specific conventions for development, demonstrating the workflow for code contributions, and reviewing relevant technical skills. Each hackathon expands the developer community. Over 20 scientists add >6,000 lines of code during the >1 week event. Participants grow comfortable contributing to the repository and over half continue to contribute afterwards. A high return rate of participants ensures continuity and stability of the group as well as mentoring for novice members. We hope to build other software communities on this model, but anticipate each to bring their own unique challenges.

Crew Launch Vehicle (CLV) Avionics and Software Integration Overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Monell, Donald W.; Flynn, Kevin C.; Maroney, Johnny

2006-01-01

On January 14, 2004, the President of the United States announced a new plan to explore space and extend a human presence across our solar system. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) established the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD) to develop and field a Constellation Architecture that will bring the Space Exploration vision to fruition. The Constellation Architecture includes a human-rated Crew Launch Vehicle (CLV) segment, managed by the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), comprised of the First Stage (FS), Upper Stage (US), and Upper Stage Engine (USE) elements. The CLV s purpose is to provide safe and reliable crew and cargo transportation into Low Earth Orbit (LEO), as well as insertion into trans-lunar trajectories. The architecture's Spacecraft segment includes, among other elements, the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV), managed by the Johnson Space Flight Center (JSC), which is launched atop the CLV. MSFC is also responsible for CLV and CEV stack integration. This paper provides an overview of the Avionics and Software integration approach (which includes the Integrated System Health Management (ISHM) functions), both within the CLV, and across the CEV interface; it addresses the requirements to be met, logistics of meeting those requirements, and the roles of the various groups. The Avionics Integration and Vehicle Systems Test (ANST) Office was established at the MSFC with system engineering responsibilities for defining and developing the integrated CLV Avionics and Software system. The AIVST Office has defined two Groups, the Avionics and Software Integration Group (AVSIG), and the Integrated System Simulation and Test Integration Group (ISSTIG), and four Panels which will direct trade studies and analyses to ensure the CLV avionics and software meet CLV system and CEV interface requirements. The four panels are: 1) Avionics Integration Panel (AIP), 2) Software Integration Panel, 3) EEE Panel, and 4) Systems Simulation and Test Panel. Membership on the groups and panels includes the MSFC representatives from the requisite engineering disciplines, the First Stage, the Upper Stage, the Upper Stage Engine projects, and key personnel from other NASA centers. The four panels will take the results of trade studies and analyses and develop documentation in support of Design Analysis Cycle Reviews and ultimately the System Requirements Review.

Listening to the student voice to improve educational software

PubMed Central

van Wyk, Mari; van Ryneveld, Linda

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Academics often develop software for teaching and learning purposes with the best of intentions, only to be disappointed by the low acceptance rate of the software by their students once it is implemented. In this study, the focus is on software that was designed to enable veterinary students to record their clinical skills. A pilot of the software clearly showed that the program had not been received as well as had been anticipated, and therefore the researchers used a group interview and a questionnaire with closed-ended and open-ended questions to obtain the students’ feedback. The open-ended questions were analysed with conceptual content analysis, and themes were identified. Students made valuable suggestions about what they regarded as important considerations when a new software program is introduced. The most important lesson learnt was that students cannot always predict their needs accurately if they are asked for input prior to the development of software. For that reason student input should be obtained on a continuous and regular basis throughout the design and development phases. PMID:28678678

A view of software management issues

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Manley, J. H.

1985-01-01

The Software Development Environment (SDE) Panel addressed key programmatic, scope, and structural issues raised by its members and the general audience regarding the proposed software development environment for the Space Station program. The general team approach taken by this group led to a consensus on 18 recommendations to NASA mangament regarding the acquisition and definition of the SDE. This approach was keyed by the initial issues presentation given to the general audience. Additional issues (for a total of 23) were developed by the panelists in their first closed session from which key areas were selected and discussed in open session. These discussions led to key recommendations which are summarized and described.

Development of a monitoring network for lightning stokes accompanying the eruptions of the Northern group of volcanoes on Kamchatka peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mochalov, V. A.; Firstov, P. P.; Cherneva, N. V.; Sannikov, D. V.; Akbashev, R. R.; Uvarov, V. N.; Shevtsov, B. M.; Druzhin, G. I.; Mochalova, A. V.

2017-11-01

In the region of the Northern group of volcanoes in Kamchatka peninsula, a distributed network is being planned to monitor the VLF range electromagnetic radiation and to locate the lightning strokes. It will allow the researchers to register weaker electromagnetic pulses from lightning strokes in comparison to the World Wide Lightning Location Network. The hardware-software complex of the network under construction is presented. The capabilities of the available and the developing hardware and software to investigate natural phenomena associated with lightning activity are described.

Common characteristics of open source software development and applicability for drug discovery: a systematic review.

PubMed

Ardal, Christine; Alstadsæter, Annette; Røttingen, John-Arne

2011-09-28

Innovation through an open source model has proven to be successful for software development. This success has led many to speculate if open source can be applied to other industries with similar success. We attempt to provide an understanding of open source software development characteristics for researchers, business leaders and government officials who may be interested in utilizing open source innovation in other contexts and with an emphasis on drug discovery. A systematic review was performed by searching relevant, multidisciplinary databases to extract empirical research regarding the common characteristics and barriers of initiating and maintaining an open source software development project. Common characteristics to open source software development pertinent to open source drug discovery were extracted. The characteristics were then grouped into the areas of participant attraction, management of volunteers, control mechanisms, legal framework and physical constraints. Lastly, their applicability to drug discovery was examined. We believe that the open source model is viable for drug discovery, although it is unlikely that it will exactly follow the form used in software development. Hybrids will likely develop that suit the unique characteristics of drug discovery. We suggest potential motivations for organizations to join an open source drug discovery project. We also examine specific differences between software and medicines, specifically how the need for laboratories and physical goods will impact the model as well as the effect of patents.

A Validation Framework for the Long Term Preservation of High Energy Physics Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ozerov, Dmitri; South, David M.

2014-06-01

The study group on data preservation in high energy physics, DPHEP, is moving to a new collaboration structure, which will focus on the implementation of preservation projects, such as those described in the group's large scale report published in 2012. One such project is the development of a validation framework, which checks the compatibility of evolving computing environments and technologies with the experiments software for as long as possible, with the aim of substantially extending the lifetime of the analysis software, and hence of the usability of the data. The framework is designed to automatically test and validate the software and data of an experiment against changes and upgrades to the computing environment, as well as changes to the experiment software itself. Technically, this is realised using a framework capable of hosting a number of virtual machine images, built with different configurations of operating systems and the relevant software, including any necessary external dependencies.

High Energy Physics Forum for Computational Excellence: Working Group Reports (I. Applications Software II. Software Libraries and Tools III. Systems)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Habib, Salman; Roser, Robert

Computing plays an essential role in all aspects of high energy physics. As computational technology evolves rapidly in new directions, and data throughput and volume continue to follow a steep trend-line, it is important for the HEP community to develop an effective response to a series of expected challenges. In order to help shape the desired response, the HEP Forum for Computational Excellence (HEP-FCE) initiated a roadmap planning activity with two key overlapping drivers -- 1) software effectiveness, and 2) infrastructure and expertise advancement. The HEP-FCE formed three working groups, 1) Applications Software, 2) Software Libraries and Tools, and 3)more » Systems (including systems software), to provide an overview of the current status of HEP computing and to present findings and opportunities for the desired HEP computational roadmap. The final versions of the reports are combined in this document, and are presented along with introductory material.« less

High Energy Physics Forum for Computational Excellence: Working Group Reports (I. Applications Software II. Software Libraries and Tools III. Systems)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Habib, Salman; Roser, Robert; LeCompte, Tom

2015-10-29

Computing plays an essential role in all aspects of high energy physics. As computational technology evolves rapidly in new directions, and data throughput and volume continue to follow a steep trend-line, it is important for the HEP community to develop an effective response to a series of expected challenges. In order to help shape the desired response, the HEP Forum for Computational Excellence (HEP-FCE) initiated a roadmap planning activity with two key overlapping drivers -- 1) software effectiveness, and 2) infrastructure and expertise advancement. The HEP-FCE formed three working groups, 1) Applications Software, 2) Software Libraries and Tools, and 3)more » Systems (including systems software), to provide an overview of the current status of HEP computing and to present findings and opportunities for the desired HEP computational roadmap. The final versions of the reports are combined in this document, and are presented along with introductory material.« less

NanoDesign: Concepts and Software for a Nanotechnology Based on Functionalized Fullerenes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Globus, Al; Jaffe, Richard; Chancellor, Marisa K. (Technical Monitor)

1996-01-01

Eric Drexler has proposed a hypothetical nanotechnology based on diamond and investigated the properties of such molecular systems. While attractive, diamonoid nanotechnology is not physically accessible with straightforward extensions of current laboratory techniques. We propose a nanotechnology based on functionalized fullerenes and investigate carbon nanotube based gears with teeth added via a benzyne reaction known to occur with C60. The gears are single-walled carbon nanotubes with appended coenzyme groups for teeth. Fullerenes are in widespread laboratory use and can be functionalized in many ways. Companion papers computationally demonstrate the properties of these gears (they appear to work) and the accessibility of the benzyne/nanotube reaction. This paper describes the molecular design techniques and rationale as well as the software that implements these design techniques. The software is a set of persistent C++ objects controlled by TCL command scripts. The c++/tcl interface is automatically generated by a software system called tcl_c++ developed by the author and described here. The objects keep track of different portions of the molecular machinery to allow different simulation techniques and boundary conditions to be applied as appropriate. This capability has been required to demonstrate (computationally) our gear's feasibility. A new distributed software architecture featuring a WWW universal client, CORBA distributed objects, and agent software is under consideration. The software architecture is intended to eventually enable a widely disbursed group to develop complex simulated molecular machines.

Pilot/Vehicle display development from simulation to flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dare, Alan R.; Burley, James R., II

1992-01-01

The Pilot Vehicle Interface Group, Cockpit Technology Branch, Flight Management Division, at the NASA Langley Research Center is developing display concepts for air combat in the next generation of highly maneuverable aircraft. The High-Alpha Technology Program, under which the research is being done, is involved in flight tests of many new control and display concepts on the High-Alpha Research Vehicle, a highly modified F-18 aircraft. In order to support display concept development through flight testing, a software/hardware system is being developed which will support each phase of the project with little or no software modifications, thus saving thousands of manhours in software development time. Simulation experiments are in progress now and flight tests are slated to begin in FY1994.

Closing gaps between open software and public data in a hackathon setting: User-centered software prototyping

PubMed Central

Busby, Ben; Lesko, Matthew; Federer, Lisa

2016-01-01

In genomics, bioinformatics and other areas of data science, gaps exist between extant public datasets and the open-source software tools built by the community to analyze similar data types.  The purpose of biological data science hackathons is to assemble groups of genomics or bioinformatics professionals and software developers to rapidly prototype software to address these gaps.  The only two rules for the NCBI-assisted hackathons run so far are that 1) data either must be housed in public data repositories or be deposited to such repositories shortly after the hackathon’s conclusion, and 2) all software comprising the final pipeline must be open-source or open-use.  Proposed topics, as well as suggested tools and approaches, are distributed to participants at the beginning of each hackathon and refined during the event.  Software, scripts, and pipelines are developed and published on GitHub, a web service providing publicly available, free-usage tiers for collaborative software development. The code resulting from each hackathon is published at https://github.com/NCBI-Hackathons/ with separate directories or repositories for each team. PMID:27134733

Assessment Environment for Complex Systems Software Guide

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2013-01-01

This Software Guide (SG) describes the software developed to test the Assessment Environment for Complex Systems (AECS) by the West Virginia High Technology Consortium (WVHTC) Foundation's Mission Systems Group (MSG) for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD). This software is referred to as the AECS Test Project throughout the remainder of this document. AECS provides a framework for developing, simulating, testing, and analyzing modern avionics systems within an Integrated Modular Avionics (IMA) architecture. The purpose of the AECS Test Project is twofold. First, it provides a means to test the AECS hardware and system developed by MSG. Second, it provides an example project upon which future AECS research may be based. This Software Guide fully describes building, installing, and executing the AECS Test Project as well as its architecture and design. The design of the AECS hardware is described in the AECS Hardware Guide. Instructions on how to configure, build and use the AECS are described in the User's Guide. Sample AECS software, developed by the WVHTC Foundation, is presented in the AECS Software Guide. The AECS Hardware Guide, AECS User's Guide, and AECS Software Guide are authored by MSG. The requirements set forth for AECS are presented in the Statement of Work for the Assessment Environment for Complex Systems authored by NASA Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC). The intended audience for this document includes software engineers, hardware engineers, project managers, and quality assurance personnel from WVHTC Foundation (the suppliers of the software), NASA (the customer), and future researchers (users of the software). Readers are assumed to have general knowledge in the field of real-time, embedded computer software development.

Methods for cost estimation in software project management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Briciu, C. V.; Filip, I.; Indries, I. I.

2016-02-01

The speed in which the processes used in software development field have changed makes it very difficult the task of forecasting the overall costs for a software project. By many researchers, this task has been considered unachievable, but there is a group of scientist for which this task can be solved using the already known mathematical methods (e.g. multiple linear regressions) and the new techniques as genetic programming and neural networks. The paper presents a solution for building a model for the cost estimation models in the software project management using genetic algorithms starting from the PROMISE datasets related COCOMO 81 model. In the first part of the paper, a summary of the major achievements in the research area of finding a model for estimating the overall project costs is presented together with the description of the existing software development process models. In the last part, a basic proposal of a mathematical model of a genetic programming is proposed including here the description of the chosen fitness function and chromosome representation. The perspective of model described it linked with the current reality of the software development considering as basis the software product life cycle and the current challenges and innovations in the software development area. Based on the author's experiences and the analysis of the existing models and product lifecycle it was concluded that estimation models should be adapted with the new technologies and emerging systems and they depend largely by the chosen software development method.

Virtual airway simulation to improve dexterity among novices performing fibreoptic intubation.

PubMed

De Oliveira, G S; Glassenberg, R; Chang, R; Fitzgerald, P; McCarthy, R J

2013-10-01

We developed a virtual reality software application (iLarynx) using built-in accelerometer properties of the iPhone(®) or iPad(®) (Apple Inc., Cupertino, CA, USA) that mimics hand movements for the performance of fibreoptic skills. Twenty novice medical students were randomly assigned to virtual airway training with the iLarynx software or no additional training. Eight out of the 10 subjects in the standard training group had at least one failed (> 120 s) attempt compared with two out of the 10 participants in the iLarynx group (p = 0.01). There were a total of 24 failed attempts in the standard training group and four in the iLarynx group (p < 0.005). Cusum analysis demonstrated continued group improvement in the iLarynx, but not in the standard training group. Virtual airway simulation using freely available software on a smartphone/tablet device improves dexterity among novices performing upper airway endoscopy. © 2013 The Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland.

A near-infrared fluorescence-based surgical navigation system imaging software for sentinel lymph node detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ye, Jinzuo; Chi, Chongwei; Zhang, Shuang; Ma, Xibo; Tian, Jie

2014-02-01

Sentinel lymph node (SLN) in vivo detection is vital in breast cancer surgery. A new near-infrared fluorescence-based surgical navigation system (SNS) imaging software, which has been developed by our research group, is presented for SLN detection surgery in this paper. The software is based on the fluorescence-based surgical navigation hardware system (SNHS) which has been developed in our lab, and is designed specifically for intraoperative imaging and postoperative data analysis. The surgical navigation imaging software consists of the following software modules, which mainly include the control module, the image grabbing module, the real-time display module, the data saving module and the image processing module. And some algorithms have been designed to achieve the performance of the software, for example, the image registration algorithm based on correlation matching. Some of the key features of the software include: setting the control parameters of the SNS; acquiring, display and storing the intraoperative imaging data in real-time automatically; analysis and processing of the saved image data. The developed software has been used to successfully detect the SLNs in 21 cases of breast cancer patients. In the near future, we plan to improve the software performance and it will be extensively used for clinical purpose.

Instructional Support Software System. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McDonnell Douglas Astronautics Co. - East, St. Louis, MO.

This report describes the development of the Instructional Support System (ISS), a large-scale, computer-based training system that supports both computer-assisted instruction and computer-managed instruction. Written in the Ada programming language, the ISS software package is designed to be machine independent. It is also grouped into functional…

C-C1-04: Building a Health Services Information Technology Research Environment

PubMed Central

Gehrum, David W; Jones, JB; Romania, Gregory J; Young, David L; Lerch, Virginia R; Bruce, Christa A; Donkochik, Diane; Stewart, Walter F

2010-01-01

Background: The electronic health record (EHR) has opened a new era for health services research (HSR) where information technology (IT) is used to re-engineer care processes. While the EHR provides one means of advancing novel solutions, a promising strategy is to develop tools (e.g., online questionnaires, visual display tools, decision support) distinct from, but which interact with, the EHR. Development of such software tools outside the EHR offers an advantage in flexibility, sophistication, and ultimately in portability to other settings. However, institutional IT departments have an imperative to protect patient data and to standardize IT processes to ensure system-level security and support traditional business needs. Such imperatives usually present formidable process barriers to testing novel software solutions. We describe how, in collaboration with our IT department, we are creating an environment and a process that allows for routine and rapid testing of novel software solutions. Methods: We convened a working group consisting of IT and research personnel with expertise in information security, database design/management, web design, EHR programming, and health services research. The working group was tasked with developing a research IT environment to accomplish two objectives: maintain network/ data security and regulatory compliance; allow researchers working with external vendors to rapidly prototype and, in a clinical setting, test web-based tools. Results: Two parallel solutions, one focused on hardware, the second on oversight and management, were developed. First, we concluded that three separate, staged development environments were required to allow external vendor access for testing software and for transitioning software to be used in a clinic. In parallel, the extant oversight process for approving/managing access to internal/external personnel had to be altered to reflect the scope and scale of discrete research projects, as opposed to an enterpriselevel approach to IT management. Conclusions: Innovation in health services software development requires a flexible, scalable IT environment adapted to the unique objectives of a HSR software development model. In our experience, implementing the hardware solution is less challenging than the cultural change required to implement such a model and the modifications to administrative and oversight processes to sustain an environment for rapid product development and testing.

Ruggedized minicomputer hardware and software topics, 1981: Proceedings of the 4th ROLM MIL-SPEC Computer User's Group Conference

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1981-01-01

Presentations of a conference on the use of ruggedized minicomputers are summarized. The following topics are discussed: (1) the role of minicomputers in the development and/or certification of commercial or military airplanes in both the United States and Europe; (2) generalized software error detection techniques; (3) real time software development tools; (4) a redundancy management research tool for aircraft navigation/flight control sensors; (5) extended memory management techniques using a high order language; and (6) some comments on establishing a system maintenance scheme. Copies of presentation slides are also included.

[Development of integrated support software for clinical nutrition].

PubMed

Siquier Homar, Pedro; Pinteño Blanco, Manel; Calleja Hernández, Miguel Ángel; Fernández Cortés, Francisco; Martínez Sotelo, Jesús

2015-09-01

to develop an integrated computer software application for specialized nutritional support, integrated in the electronic clinical record, which detects automatically and early those undernourished patients or at risk of developing undernourishment, determining points of opportunity for improvement and evaluation of the results. the quality standards published by the Nutrition Work Group of the Spanish Society of Hospital Pharmacy (SEFH) and the recommendations by the Pharmacy Group of the Spanish Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (SENPE) have been taken into account. According to these quality standards, the nutritional support has to include the following healthcare stages or sub-processes: nutritional screening, nutritional assessment, plan for nutritional care, prescription, preparation and administration. this software allows to conduct, in an automated way, a specific nutritional assessment for those patients with nutritional risk, implementing, if necessary, a nutritional treatment plan, conducting follow-up and traceability of outcomes derived from the implementation of improvement actions, and quantifying to what extent our practice is close to the established standard. this software allows to standardize the specialized nutritional support from a multidisciplinary point of view, introducing the concept of quality control per processes, and including patient as the main customer. Copyright AULA MEDICA EDICIONES 2014. Published by AULA MEDICA. All rights reserved.

"Test" is a Four Letter Word

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pope, G M

2005-05-03

For a number of years I had the pleasure of teaching Testing Seminars all over the world and meeting and learning from others in our field. Over a twelve year period, I always asked the following questions to Software Developers, Test Engineers, and Managers who took my two or three day seminar on Software Testing: 'When was the first time you heard the word test'? 'Where were you when you first heard the word test'? 'Who said the word test'? 'How did the word test make you feel'? Most of the thousands of responses were similar to 'It was mymore » third grade teacher at school, and I felt nervous and afraid'. Now there were a few exceptions like 'It was my third grade teacher, and I was happy and excited to show how smart I was'. But by and large, my informal survey found that 'testing' is a word to which most people attach negative meanings, based on its historical context. So why is this important to those of us in the software development business? Because I have found that a preponderance of software developers do not get real excited about hearing that the software they just wrote is going to be 'tested' by the Test Group. Typical reactions I have heard over the years run from: 'I'm sure there is nothing wrong with the software, so go ahead and test it, better you find defects than our customers'. to these extremes: 'There is no need to test my software because there is nothing wrong with it'. 'You are not qualified to test my software because you don't know as much as I do about it'. 'If any Test Engineers come into our office again to test our software we will throw them through the third floor window'. So why is there such a strong negative reaction to testing? It is primitive. It goes back to grade school for many of us. It is a negative word that congers up negative emotions. In other words, 'test' is a four letter word. How many of us associate 'Joy' with 'Test'? Not many. It is hard for most of us to reprogram associations learned at an early age. So what can we do about it (short of hypnotic therapy for software developers)? Well one concept I have used (and still use) is to not call testing 'testing'. Call it something else. Ever wonder why most of the Independent Software Testing groups are called Software Quality Assurance groups? Now you know. Software Quality Assurance is not such a negatively charged phrase, even though Software Quality Assurance is much more than simply testing. It was a real blessing when the concept of Validation and Verification came about for software. Now I define Validation to mean assuring that the product produced does the right thing (usually what the customer wants it to do), and verification means that the product was built the right way (in accordance with some good design principles and practices). So I have deliberately called the System Test Group the Verification and Validation Group, or V&V Group, as a way of avoiding the negative image problem. I remember once having a conversation with a developer colleague who said, in the heat of battle, that it was fine to V&V his code, just don't test it! Once again V&V includes many things besides testing, but it just doesn't sound like an onerous thing to do to software. In my current job, working at a highly regarded national laboratory with world renowned physicists, I have again encountered the negativity about testing software. Except here they don't take kindly to Software Quality Assurance or Software Verification and Validation either. After all, software is just a trivial tool to automate algorithms that implement physics models. Testing, SQA, and V&V take time and get in the way of completing ground breaking science experiments. So I have again had to change the name of software testing to something less negative in the physics world. I found (the hard way) that if I requested more time to do software experimentation, the physicist's resistance melted. And so the conversation continues, 'We have time to run more software experiments. Just don't waste any time testing the software'! In case the concept of not calling testing 'testing' appeals to you, and there may be an opportunity for you to take the sting out of the name at your place of employment, I have compiled a table of things that testing could be called besides 'testing'. Of course we can embellish this by adding some good sounding prefixes and suffixes also. To come up with alternate names for testing, pick a word from columns A, B, and C in the table below. For instance Unified Acceptance Trials (A2,B7,C3) or Tailored Observational Demonstration (A6,B5,C5) or Agile Criteria Scoring (A3,B8,C8) or Rapid Requirement Proof (A1,B9,C7) or Satisfaction Assurance (B10,C1). You can probably think of some additional combinations appropriate for your industry.« less

Open Source software and social networks: disruptive alternatives for medical imaging.

PubMed

Ratib, Osman; Rosset, Antoine; Heuberger, Joris

2011-05-01

In recent decades several major changes in computer and communication technology have pushed the limits of imaging informatics and PACS beyond the traditional system architecture providing new perspectives and innovative approach to a traditionally conservative medical community. Disruptive technologies such as the world-wide-web, wireless networking, Open Source software and recent emergence of cyber communities and social networks have imposed an accelerated pace and major quantum leaps in the progress of computer and technology infrastructure applicable to medical imaging applications. This paper reviews the impact and potential benefits of two major trends in consumer market software development and how they will influence the future of medical imaging informatics. Open Source software is emerging as an attractive and cost effective alternative to traditional commercial software developments and collaborative social networks provide a new model of communication that is better suited to the needs of the medical community. Evidence shows that successful Open Source software tools have penetrated the medical market and have proven to be more robust and cost effective than their commercial counterparts. Developed by developers that are themselves part of the user community, these tools are usually better adapted to the user's need and are more robust than traditional software programs being developed and tested by a large number of contributing users. This context allows a much faster and more appropriate development and evolution of the software platforms. Similarly, communication technology has opened up to the general public in a way that has changed the social behavior and habits adding a new dimension to the way people communicate and interact with each other. The new paradigms have also slowly penetrated the professional market and ultimately the medical community. Secure social networks allowing groups of people to easily communicate and exchange information is a new model that is particularly suitable for some specific groups of healthcare professional and for physicians. It has also changed the expectations of how patients wish to communicate with their physicians. Emerging disruptive technologies and innovative paradigm such as Open Source software are leading the way to a new generation of information systems that slowly will change the way physicians and healthcare providers as well as patients will interact and communicate in the future. The impact of these new technologies is particularly effective in image communication, PACS and teleradiology. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

PINT, a New Pulsar Timing Software

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, Jing; Jenet, Fredrick A.; Ransom, Scott M.; Demorest, Paul; Van Haasteren, Rutger; Archibald, Anne

2015-01-01

We are presenting a new pulsar timing software PINT. The current pulsar timing group are heavily depending on Tempo/Tempo2, a package for analysis pulsar data. However, for a high accuracy pulsar timing related project, such as pulsar timing for gravitational waves, an alternative software is needed for the purpose of examing the results. We are developing a Tempo independent software with a different structure. Different modules is designed to be more isolated and easier to be expanded. Instead of C, we are using Python as our programming language for the advantage of flexibility and powerful docstring. Here, we are presenting the detailed design and the first result of the software.

Common characteristics of open source software development and applicability for drug discovery: a systematic review

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Innovation through an open source model has proven to be successful for software development. This success has led many to speculate if open source can be applied to other industries with similar success. We attempt to provide an understanding of open source software development characteristics for researchers, business leaders and government officials who may be interested in utilizing open source innovation in other contexts and with an emphasis on drug discovery. Methods A systematic review was performed by searching relevant, multidisciplinary databases to extract empirical research regarding the common characteristics and barriers of initiating and maintaining an open source software development project. Results Common characteristics to open source software development pertinent to open source drug discovery were extracted. The characteristics were then grouped into the areas of participant attraction, management of volunteers, control mechanisms, legal framework and physical constraints. Lastly, their applicability to drug discovery was examined. Conclusions We believe that the open source model is viable for drug discovery, although it is unlikely that it will exactly follow the form used in software development. Hybrids will likely develop that suit the unique characteristics of drug discovery. We suggest potential motivations for organizations to join an open source drug discovery project. We also examine specific differences between software and medicines, specifically how the need for laboratories and physical goods will impact the model as well as the effect of patents. PMID:21955914

Software project management tools in global software development: a systematic mapping study.

PubMed

Chadli, Saad Yasser; Idri, Ali; Ros, Joaquín Nicolás; Fernández-Alemán, José Luis; de Gea, Juan M Carrillo; Toval, Ambrosio

2016-01-01

Global software development (GSD) which is a growing trend in the software industry is characterized by a highly distributed environment. Performing software project management (SPM) in such conditions implies the need to overcome new limitations resulting from cultural, temporal and geographic separation. The aim of this research is to discover and classify the various tools mentioned in literature that provide GSD project managers with support and to identify in what way they support group interaction. A systematic mapping study has been performed by means of automatic searches in five sources. We have then synthesized the data extracted and presented the results of this study. A total of 102 tools were identified as being used in SPM activities in GSD. We have classified these tools, according to the software life cycle process on which they focus and how they support the 3C collaboration model (communication, coordination and cooperation). The majority of the tools found are standalone tools (77%). A small number of platforms (8%) also offer a set of interacting tools that cover the software development lifecycle. Results also indicate that SPM areas in GSD are not adequately supported by corresponding tools and deserve more attention from tool builders.

TeamWATCH: Visualizing development activities using a 3-D city metaphor to improve conflict detection and team awareness

PubMed Central

Ye, Xin

2018-01-01

The awareness of others’ activities has been widely recognized as essential in facilitating coordination in a team among Computer-Supported Cooperative Work communities. Several field studies of software developers in large software companies such as Microsoft have shown that coworker and artifact awareness are the most common information needs for software developers; however, they are also two of the seven most frequently unsatisfied information needs. To address this problem, we built a workspace awareness tool named TeamWATCH to visualize developer activities using a 3-D city metaphor. In this paper, we discuss the importance of awareness in software development, review existing workspace awareness tools, present the design and implementation of TeamWATCH, and evaluate how it could help detect and resolve conflicts earlier and better maintain group awareness via a controlled experiment. The experimental results showed that the subjects using TeamWATCH performed significantly better with respect to early conflict detection and resolution. PMID:29558519

Investigating of Memory - Colours of Intellectually Disabled Children and Virtual Game Addict Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sik Lányi, Cecília

We describe an investigation of memory colours. For this investigation Flash test software was developed. 75 observers used this test software in 4 groups: average elementary school children (aged: 8-9 years), intellectually disabled children (age: 9-15), virtual game addict university students (average age: 20) and university students who play with VR games rarely or never (average age: 20). In this pilot test we investigated the difference of memory colours of these 4 groups.

The Production Data Approach for Full Lifecycle Management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schopf, J.

2012-04-01

The amount of data generated by scientists is growing exponentially, and studies have shown [Koe04] that un-archived data sets have a resource half-life that is only a fraction of those resources that are electronically archived. Most groups still lack standard approaches and procedures for data management. Arguably, however, scientists know something about building software. A recent article in Nature [Mer10] stated that 45% of research scientists spend more time now developing software than they did 5 years ago, and 38% spent at least 1/5th of their time developing software. Fox argues [Fox10] that a simple release of data is not the correct approach to data curation. In addition, just as software is used in a wide variety of ways never initially envisioned by its developers, we're seeing this even to a greater extent with data sets. In order to address the need for better data preservation and access, we propose that data sets should be managed in a similar fashion to building production quality software. These production data sets are not simply published once, but go through a cyclical process, including phases such as design, development, verification, deployment, support, analysis, and then development again, thereby supporting the full lifecycle of a data set. The process involved in academically-produced software changes over time with respect to issues such as how much it is used outside the development group, but factors in aspects such as knowing who is using the code, enabling multiple developers to contribute to code development with common procedures, formal testing and release processes, developing documentation, and licensing. When we work with data, either as a collection source, as someone tagging data, or someone re-using it, many of the lessons learned in building production software are applicable. Table 1 shows a comparison of production software elements to production data elements. Table 1: Comparison of production software and production data. Production Software Production Data End-user considerations End-user considerations Multiple Coders: Repository with check-in procedures Coding standards Multiple producers/collectors Local archive with check-in procedure Metadata Standards Formal testing Formal testing Bug tracking and fixes Bug tracking and fixes, QA/QC Documentation Documentation Formal Release Process Formal release process to external archive License Citation/usage statement The full presentation of this abstract will include a detailed discussion of these issues so that researchers can produce usable and accessible data sets as a first step toward reproducible science. By creating production-quality data sets, we extend the potential of our data, both in terms of usability and usefulness to ourselves and other researchers. The more we treat data with formal processes and release cycles, the more relevant and useful it can be to the scientific community.

Landscape analysis software tools

Treesearch

Don Vandendriesche

2008-01-01

Recently, several new computer programs have been developed to assist in landscape analysis. The “Sequential Processing Routine for Arraying Yields” (SPRAY) program was designed to run a group of stands with particular treatment activities to produce vegetation yield profiles for forest planning. SPRAY uses existing Forest Vegetation Simulator (FVS) software coupled...

DTkid: Interactive Simulation Software for Training Tutors of Children with Autism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Randell, Tom; Hall, Martin; Bizo, Lewis; Remington, Bob

2007-01-01

Discrete-trial training (DTT) relies critically on implementation by trained tutors. We report three experiments carried out in the development of "DTkid"--interactive computer simulation software that presents "SIMon", a realistic virtual child with whom novice tutors can learn and practise DTT techniques. Experiments 1 and 2 exposed groups of…

Implementing Kanban for agile process management within the ALMA Software Operations Group

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reveco, Johnny; Mora, Matias; Shen, Tzu-Chiang; Soto, Ruben; Sepulveda, Jorge; Ibsen, Jorge

2014-07-01

After the inauguration of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), the Software Operations Group in Chile has refocused its objectives to: (1) providing software support to tasks related to System Integration, Scientific Commissioning and Verification, as well as Early Science observations; (2) testing the remaining software features, still under development by the Integrated Computing Team across the world; and (3) designing and developing processes to optimize and increase the level of automation of operational tasks. Due to their different stakeholders, each of these tasks presents a wide diversity of importances, lifespans and complexities. Aiming to provide the proper priority and traceability for every task without stressing our engineers, we introduced the Kanban methodology in our processes in order to balance the demand on the team against the throughput of the delivered work. The aim of this paper is to share experiences gained during the implementation of Kanban in our processes, describing the difficulties we have found, solutions and adaptations that led us to our current but still evolving implementation, which has greatly improved our throughput, prioritization and problem traceability.

New fully automated software for assessment of brachial artery flow- mediated dilation with advantages of continuous measurement.

PubMed

Ercan, Ertuğrul; Kırılmaz, Bahadır; Kahraman, İsmail; Bayram, Vildan; Doğan, Hüseyin

2012-11-01

Flow-mediated dilation (FMD) is used to evaluate endothelial functions. Computer-assisted analysis utilizing edge detection permits continuous measurements along the vessel wall. We have developed a new fully automated software program to allow accurate and reproducible measurement. FMD has been measured and analyzed in 18 coronary artery disease (CAD) patients and 17 controls both by manually and by the software developed (computer supported) methods. The agreement between methods was assessed by Bland-Altman analysis. The mean age, body mass index and cardiovascular risk factors were higher in CAD group. Automated FMD% measurement for the control subjects was 18.3±8.5 and 6.8±6.5 for the CAD group (p=0.0001). The intraobserver and interobserver correlation for automated measurement was high (r=0.974, r=0.981, r=0.937, r=0.918, respectively). Manual FMD% at 60th second was correlated with automated FMD % (r=0.471, p=0.004). The new fully automated software© can be used to precise measurement of FMD with low intra- and interobserver variability than manual assessment.

A new plan-scoring method using normal tissue complication probability for personalized treatment plan decisions in prostate cancer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Kwang Hyeon; Lee, Suk; Shim, Jang Bo; Yang, Dae Sik; Yoon, Won Sup; Park, Young Je; Kim, Chul Yong; Cao, Yuan Jie; Chang, Kyung Hwan

2018-01-01

The aim of this study was to derive a new plan-scoring index using normal tissue complication probabilities to verify different plans in the selection of personalized treatment. Plans for 12 patients treated with tomotherapy were used to compare scoring for ranking. Dosimetric and biological indexes were analyzed for the plans for a clearly distinguishable group ( n = 7) and a similar group ( n = 12), using treatment plan verification software that we developed. The quality factor ( QF) of our support software for treatment decisions was consistent with the final treatment plan for the clearly distinguishable group (average QF = 1.202, 100% match rate, n = 7) and the similar group (average QF = 1.058, 33% match rate, n = 12). Therefore, we propose a normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) based on the plan scoring index for verification of different plans for personalized treatment-plan selection. Scoring using the new QF showed a 100% match rate (average NTCP QF = 1.0420). The NTCP-based new QF scoring method was adequate for obtaining biological verification quality and organ risk saving using the treatment-planning decision-support software we developed for prostate cancer.

Scheduling System Assessment, and Development and Enhancement of Re-engineered Version of GPSS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Loganantharaj, Rasiah; Thomas, Bushrod; Passonno, Nicole

1996-01-01

The objective of this project is two-fold. First to provide an evaluation of a commercially developed version of the ground processing scheduling system (GPSS) for its applicability to the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) ground processing problem. Second, to work with the KSC GPSS development team and provide enhancement to the existing software. Systems reengineering is required to provide a sustainable system for the users and the software maintenance group. Using the LISP profile prototype code developed by the GPSS reverse reengineering groups as a building block, we have implemented the resource deconfliction portion of GPSS in common LISP using its object oriented features. The prototype corrects and extends some of the deficiencies of the current production version, plus it uses and builds on the classes from the development team's profile prototype.

Towards an Open, Distributed Software Architecture for UxS Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cross, Charles D.; Motter, Mark A.; Neilan, James H.; Qualls, Garry D.; Rothhaar, Paul M.; Tran, Loc; Trujillo, Anna C.; Allen, B. Danette

2015-01-01

To address the growing need to evaluate, test, and certify an ever expanding ecosystem of UxS platforms in preparation of cultural integration, NASA Langley Research Center's Autonomy Incubator (AI) has taken on the challenge of developing a software framework in which UxS platforms developed by third parties can be integrated into a single system which provides evaluation and testing, mission planning and operation, and out-of-the-box autonomy and data fusion capabilities. This software framework, named AEON (Autonomous Entity Operations Network), has two main goals. The first goal is the development of a cross-platform, extensible, onboard software system that provides autonomy at the mission execution and course-planning level, a highly configurable data fusion framework sensitive to the platform's available sensor hardware, and plug-and-play compatibility with a wide array of computer systems, sensors, software, and controls hardware. The second goal is the development of a ground control system that acts as a test-bed for integration of the proposed heterogeneous fleet, and allows for complex mission planning, tracking, and debugging capabilities. The ground control system should also be highly extensible and allow plug-and-play interoperability with third party software systems. In order to achieve these goals, this paper proposes an open, distributed software architecture which utilizes at its core the Data Distribution Service (DDS) standards, established by the Object Management Group (OMG), for inter-process communication and data flow. The design decisions proposed herein leverage the advantages of existing robotics software architectures and the DDS standards to develop software that is scalable, high-performance, fault tolerant, modular, and readily interoperable with external platforms and software.

An efficient, modular and simple tape archiving solution for LHC Run-3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murray, S.; Bahyl, V.; Cancio, G.; Cano, E.; Kotlyar, V.; Kruse, D. F.; Leduc, J.

2017-10-01

The IT Storage group at CERN develops the software responsible for archiving to tape the custodial copy of the physics data generated by the LHC experiments. Physics run 3 will start in 2021 and will introduce two major challenges for which the tape archive software must be evolved. Firstly the software will need to make more efficient use of tape drives in order to sustain the predicted data rate of 150 petabytes per year as opposed to the current 50 petabytes per year. Secondly the software will need to be seamlessly integrated with EOS, which has become the de facto disk storage system provided by the IT Storage group for physics data. The tape storage software for LHC physics run 3 is code named CTA (the CERN Tape Archive). This paper describes how CTA will introduce a pre-emptive drive scheduler to use tape drives more efficiently, will encapsulate all tape software into a single module that will sit behind one or more EOS systems, and will be simpler by dropping support for obsolete backwards compatibility.

NorthStar, a support tool for the design and evaluation of quality improvement interventions in healthcare.

PubMed

Akl, Elie A; Treweek, Shaun; Foy, Robbie; Francis, Jill; Oxman, Andrew D

2007-06-26

The Research-Based Education and Quality Improvement (ReBEQI) European partnership aims to establish a framework and provide practical tools for the selection, implementation, and evaluation of quality improvement (QI) interventions. We describe the development and preliminary evaluation of the software tool NorthStar, a major product of the ReBEQI project. We focused the content of NorthStar on the design and evaluation of QI interventions. A lead individual from the ReBEQI group drafted each section, and at least two other group members reviewed it. The content is based on published literature, as well as material developed by the ReBEQI group. We developed the software in both a Microsoft Windows HTML help system version and a web-based version. In a preliminary evaluation, we surveyed 33 potential users about the acceptability and perceived utility of NorthStar. NorthStar consists of 18 sections covering the design and evaluation of QI interventions. The major focus of the intervention design sections is on how to identify determinants of practice (factors affecting practice patterns), while the major focus of the intervention evaluation sections is on how to design a cluster randomised trial. The two versions of the software can be transferred by email or CD, and are available for download from the internet. The software offers easy navigation and various functions to access the content. Potential users (55% response rate) reported above-moderate levels of confidence in carrying out QI research related tasks if using NorthStar, particularly when developing a protocol for a cluster randomised trial NorthStar is an integrated, accessible, practical, and acceptable tool to assist developers and evaluators of QI interventions.

NorthStar, a support tool for the design and evaluation of quality improvement interventions in healthcare

PubMed Central

Akl, Elie A; Treweek, Shaun; Foy, Robbie; Francis, Jill; Oxman, Andrew D

2007-01-01

Background The Research-Based Education and Quality Improvement (ReBEQI) European partnership aims to establish a framework and provide practical tools for the selection, implementation, and evaluation of quality improvement (QI) interventions. We describe the development and preliminary evaluation of the software tool NorthStar, a major product of the ReBEQI project. Methods We focused the content of NorthStar on the design and evaluation of QI interventions. A lead individual from the ReBEQI group drafted each section, and at least two other group members reviewed it. The content is based on published literature, as well as material developed by the ReBEQI group. We developed the software in both a Microsoft Windows HTML help system version and a web-based version. In a preliminary evaluation, we surveyed 33 potential users about the acceptability and perceived utility of NorthStar. Results NorthStar consists of 18 sections covering the design and evaluation of QI interventions. The major focus of the intervention design sections is on how to identify determinants of practice (factors affecting practice patterns), while the major focus of the intervention evaluation sections is on how to design a cluster randomised trial. The two versions of the software can be transferred by email or CD, and are available for download from the internet. The software offers easy navigation and various functions to access the content. Potential users (55% response rate) reported above-moderate levels of confidence in carrying out QI research related tasks if using NorthStar, particularly when developing a protocol for a cluster randomised trial Conclusion NorthStar is an integrated, accessible, practical, and acceptable tool to assist developers and evaluators of QI interventions. PMID:17594495

The systematic evolution of a NASA software technology, Appendix C

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Deregt, M. P.; Dulfer, J. E.

1972-01-01

A long range program is described whose ultimate purpose is to make possible the production of software in NASA within predictable schedule and budget constraints and with major characteristics such as size, run-time, and correctness predictable within reasonable tolerances. As part of the program a pilot NASA computer center will be chosen to apply software development and management techniques systematically and determine a set which is effective. The techniques will be developed by a Technology Group, which will guide the pilot project and be responsible for its success. The application of the technology will involve a sequence of NASA programming tasks graduated from simpler ones at first to complex systems in late phases of the project. The evaluation of the technology will be made by monitoring the operation of the software at the users' installations. In this way a coherent discipline for software design, production maintenance, and management will be evolved.

Effectiveness of computer-aided diagnosis of colorectal lesions using novel software for magnifying narrow-band imaging: a pilot study.

PubMed

Tamai, Naoto; Saito, Yutaka; Sakamoto, Taku; Nakajima, Takeshi; Matsuda, Takahisa; Sumiyama, Kazuki; Tajiri, Hisao; Koyama, Ryosuke; Kido, Shoji

2017-08-01

 Magnifying narrow-band imaging (M-NBI) enables detailed observation of microvascular architecture and can be used in endoscopic diagnosis of colorectal lesion. However, in clinical practice, differential diagnosis and estimation of invasion depth of colorectal lesions based on M-NBI findings require experience. Therefore, developing computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) for M-NBI would be beneficial for clinical practice. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of software for CAD of colorectal lesions. In collaboration with Yamaguchi University, we developed novel software that enables CAD of colorectal lesions using M-NBI images. This software for CAD further specifically divides original Sano's colorectal M-NBI classification into 3 groups (group A, capillary pattern [CP] type I; group B, CP type II + CP type IIIA; group C, CP type IIIB), which describe hyperplastic polyps (HPs), adenoma/adenocarcinoma (intramucosal [IM] to submucosal [SM]-superficial) lesions, and SM-deep lesions, respectively. We retrospectively reviewed 121 lesions evaluated using M-NBI. The 121 reviewed lesions included 21 HP, 80 adenoma/adenocarcinoma (IM to SM-superficial), and 20 SM-deep lesions. The concordance rate between the CAD and the diagnosis of the experienced endoscopists was 90.9 %. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and accuracy of the CAD for neoplastic lesions were 83.9 %, 82.6 %, 53.1 %, 95.6 %, and 82.8 %, respectively. The values for SM-deep lesions were 83.9 %, 82.6 %, 53.1 %, 95.6 %, and 82.8 %, respectively.  Relatively high diagnostic values were obtained using CAD. This software for CAD could possibly lead to a wider use of M-NBI in the endoscopic diagnosis of colorectal lesions.

Development of advanced fermentor control applications for use in an industrial automation environment.

PubMed

Hamilton, Ryan; Tamminana, Krishna; Boyd, John; Sasaki, Gen; Toda, Alex; Haskell, Sid; Danbe, Elizabeth

2013-04-01

We present a software platform developed by Genentech and MathWorks Consulting Group that allows arbitrary MATLAB (MATLAB is a registered trademark of The MathWorks, Inc.) functions to perform supervisory control of process equipment (in this case, fermentors) via the OLE for process control (OPC) communication protocol, under the direction of an industrial automation layer. The software features automated synchronization and deployment of server control code and has been proven to be tolerant of OPC communication interruptions. Since deployment in the spring of 2010, this software has successfully performed supervisory control of more than 700 microbial fermentations in the Genentech pilot plant and has enabled significant reductions in the time required to develop and implement novel control strategies (months reduced to days). The software is available for download at the MathWorks File Exchange Web site at http://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/fileexchange/36866.

Designers' models of the human-computer interface

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gillan, Douglas J.; Breedin, Sarah D.

1993-01-01

Understanding design models of the human-computer interface (HCI) may produce two types of benefits. First, interface development often requires input from two different types of experts: human factors specialists and software developers. Given the differences in their backgrounds and roles, human factors specialists and software developers may have different cognitive models of the HCI. Yet, they have to communicate about the interface as part of the design process. If they have different models, their interactions are likely to involve a certain amount of miscommunication. Second, the design process in general is likely to be guided by designers' cognitive models of the HCI, as well as by their knowledge of the user, tasks, and system. Designers do not start with a blank slate; rather they begin with a general model of the object they are designing. The author's approach to a design model of the HCI was to have three groups make judgments of categorical similarity about the components of an interface: human factors specialists with HCI design experience, software developers with HCI design experience, and a baseline group of computer users with no experience in HCI design. The components of the user interface included both display components such as windows, text, and graphics, and user interaction concepts, such as command language, editing, and help. The judgments of the three groups were analyzed using hierarchical cluster analysis and Pathfinder. These methods indicated, respectively, how the groups categorized the concepts, and network representations of the concepts for each group. The Pathfinder analysis provides greater information about local, pairwise relations among concepts, whereas the cluster analysis shows global, categorical relations to a greater extent.

Collaborative Data Publication Utilizing the Open Data Repository's (ODR) Data Publisher

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stone, N.; Lafuente, B.; Bristow, T.; Keller, R. M.; Downs, R. T.; Blake, D.; Fonda, M.; Dateo, C.; Pires, A.

2017-01-01

Introduction: For small communities in diverse fields such as astrobiology, publishing and sharing data can be a difficult challenge. While large, homogenous fields often have repositories and existing data standards, small groups of independent researchers have few options for publishing standards and data that can be utilized within their community. In conjunction with teams at NASA Ames and the University of Arizona, the Open Data Repository's (ODR) Data Publisher has been conducting ongoing pilots to assess the needs of diverse research groups and to develop software to allow them to publish and share their data collaboratively. Objectives: The ODR's Data Publisher aims to provide an easy-to-use and implement software tool that will allow researchers to create and publish database templates and related data. The end product will facilitate both human-readable interfaces (web-based with embedded images, files, and charts) and machine-readable interfaces utilizing semantic standards. Characteristics: The Data Publisher software runs on the standard LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP) stack to provide the widest server base available. The software is based on Symfony (www.symfony.com) which provides a robust framework for creating extensible, object-oriented software in PHP. The software interface consists of a template designer where individual or master database templates can be created. A master database template can be shared by many researchers to provide a common metadata standard that will set a compatibility standard for all derivative databases. Individual researchers can then extend their instance of the template with custom fields, file storage, or visualizations that may be unique to their studies. This allows groups to create compatible databases for data discovery and sharing purposes while still providing the flexibility needed to meet the needs of scientists in rapidly evolving areas of research. Research: As part of this effort, a number of ongoing pilot and test projects are currently in progress. The Astrobiology Habitable Environments Database Working Group is developing a shared database standard using the ODR's Data Publisher and has a number of example databases where astrobiology data are shared. Soon these databases will be integrated via the template-based standard. Work with this group helps determine what data researchers in these diverse fields need to share and archive. Additionally, this pilot helps determine what standards are viable for sharing these types of data from internally developed standards to existing open standards such as the Dublin Core (http://dublincore.org) and Darwin Core (http://rs.twdg.org) metadata standards. Further studies are ongoing with the University of Arizona Department of Geosciences where a number of mineralogy databases are being constructed within the ODR Data Publisher system. Conclusions: Through the ongoing pilots and discussions with individual researchers and small research teams, a definition of the tools desired by these groups is coming into focus. As the software development moves forward, the goal is to meet the publication and collaboration needs of these scientists in an unobtrusive and functional way.

Analysis of High-Throughput ELISA Microarray Data

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

White, Amanda M.; Daly, Don S.; Zangar, Richard C.

Our research group develops analytical methods and software for the high-throughput analysis of quantitative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) microarrays. ELISA microarrays differ from DNA microarrays in several fundamental aspects and most algorithms for analysis of DNA microarray data are not applicable to ELISA microarrays. In this review, we provide an overview of the steps involved in ELISA microarray data analysis and how the statistically sound algorithms we have developed provide an integrated software suite to address the needs of each data-processing step. The algorithms discussed are available in a set of open-source software tools (http://www.pnl.gov/statistics/ProMAT).

Enhancing requirements engineering for patient registry software systems with evidence-based components.

PubMed

Lindoerfer, Doris; Mansmann, Ulrich

2017-07-01

Patient registries are instrumental for medical research. Often their structures are complex and their implementations use composite software systems to meet the wide spectrum of challenges. Commercial and open-source systems are available for registry implementation, but many research groups develop their own systems. Methodological approaches in the selection of software as well as the construction of proprietary systems are needed. We propose an evidence-based checklist, summarizing essential items for patient registry software systems (CIPROS), to accelerate the requirements engineering process. Requirements engineering activities for software systems follow traditional software requirements elicitation methods, general software requirements specification (SRS) templates, and standards. We performed a multistep procedure to develop a specific evidence-based CIPROS checklist: (1) A systematic literature review to build a comprehensive collection of technical concepts, (2) a qualitative content analysis to define a catalogue of relevant criteria, and (3) a checklist to construct a minimal appraisal standard. CIPROS is based on 64 publications and covers twelve sections with a total of 72 items. CIPROS also defines software requirements. Comparing CIPROS with traditional software requirements elicitation methods, SRS templates and standards show a broad consensus but differences in issues regarding registry-specific aspects. Using an evidence-based approach to requirements engineering for registry software adds aspects to the traditional methods and accelerates the software engineering process for registry software. The method we used to construct CIPROS serves as a potential template for creating evidence-based checklists in other fields. The CIPROS list supports developers in assessing requirements for existing systems and formulating requirements for their own systems, while strengthening the reporting of patient registry software system descriptions. It may be a first step to create standards for patient registry software system assessments. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Rule groupings: An approach towards verification of expert systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mehrotra, Mala

1991-01-01

Knowledge-based expert systems are playing an increasingly important role in NASA space and aircraft systems. However, many of NASA's software applications are life- or mission-critical and knowledge-based systems do not lend themselves to the traditional verification and validation techniques for highly reliable software. Rule-based systems lack the control abstractions found in procedural languages. Hence, it is difficult to verify or maintain such systems. Our goal is to automatically structure a rule-based system into a set of rule-groups having a well-defined interface to other rule-groups. Once a rule base is decomposed into such 'firewalled' units, studying the interactions between rules would become more tractable. Verification-aid tools can then be developed to test the behavior of each such rule-group. Furthermore, the interactions between rule-groups can be studied in a manner similar to integration testing. Such efforts will go a long way towards increasing our confidence in the expert-system software. Our research efforts address the feasibility of automating the identification of rule groups, in order to decompose the rule base into a number of meaningful units.

NASA-evolving to Ada: Five-year plan. A plan for implementing recommendations made by the Ada and software management assessment working group

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1989-01-01

At their March 1988 meeting, members of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Information Resources Management (IRM) Council expressed concern that NASA may not have the infrastructure necessary to support the use of Ada for major NASA software projects. Members also observed that the agency has no coordinated strategy for applying its experiences with Ada to subsequent projects (Hinners, 27 June 1988). To deal with these problems, the IRM Council chair appointed an intercenter Ada and Software Management Assessment Working Group (ASMAWG). They prepared a report (McGarry et al., March 1989) entitled, 'Ada and Software Management in NASA: Findings and Recommendations'. That report presented a series of recommendations intended to enable NASA to develop better software at lower cost through the use of Ada and other state-of-the-art software engineering technologies. The purpose here is to describe the steps (called objectives) by which this goal may be achieved, to identify the NASA officials or organizations responsible for carrying out the steps, and to define a schedule for doing so. This document sets forth four goals: adopt agency-wide software standards and policies; use Ada as the programming language for all mission software; establish an infrastructure to support software engineering, including the use of Ada, and to leverage the agency's software experience; and build the agency's knowledge base in Ada and software engineering. A schedule for achieving the objectives and goals is given.

Singularity: Scientific containers for mobility of compute.

PubMed

Kurtzer, Gregory M; Sochat, Vanessa; Bauer, Michael W

2017-01-01

Here we present Singularity, software developed to bring containers and reproducibility to scientific computing. Using Singularity containers, developers can work in reproducible environments of their choosing and design, and these complete environments can easily be copied and executed on other platforms. Singularity is an open source initiative that harnesses the expertise of system and software engineers and researchers alike, and integrates seamlessly into common workflows for both of these groups. As its primary use case, Singularity brings mobility of computing to both users and HPC centers, providing a secure means to capture and distribute software and compute environments. This ability to create and deploy reproducible environments across these centers, a previously unmet need, makes Singularity a game changing development for computational science.

Singularity: Scientific containers for mobility of compute

PubMed Central

Kurtzer, Gregory M.; Bauer, Michael W.

2017-01-01

Here we present Singularity, software developed to bring containers and reproducibility to scientific computing. Using Singularity containers, developers can work in reproducible environments of their choosing and design, and these complete environments can easily be copied and executed on other platforms. Singularity is an open source initiative that harnesses the expertise of system and software engineers and researchers alike, and integrates seamlessly into common workflows for both of these groups. As its primary use case, Singularity brings mobility of computing to both users and HPC centers, providing a secure means to capture and distribute software and compute environments. This ability to create and deploy reproducible environments across these centers, a previously unmet need, makes Singularity a game changing development for computational science. PMID:28494014

The 2017 Bioinformatics Open Source Conference (BOSC)

PubMed Central

Harris, Nomi L.; Cock, Peter J.A.; Chapman, Brad; Fields, Christopher J.; Hokamp, Karsten; Lapp, Hilmar; Munoz-Torres, Monica; Tzovaras, Bastian Greshake; Wiencko, Heather

2017-01-01

The Bioinformatics Open Source Conference (BOSC) is a meeting organized by the Open Bioinformatics Foundation (OBF), a non-profit group dedicated to promoting the practice and philosophy of Open Source software development and Open Science within the biological research community. The 18th annual BOSC ( http://www.open-bio.org/wiki/BOSC_2017) took place in Prague, Czech Republic in July 2017. The conference brought together nearly 250 bioinformatics researchers, developers and users of open source software to interact and share ideas about standards, bioinformatics software development, open and reproducible science, and this year’s theme, open data. As in previous years, the conference was preceded by a two-day collaborative coding event open to the bioinformatics community, called the OBF Codefest. PMID:29118973

The 2017 Bioinformatics Open Source Conference (BOSC).

PubMed

Harris, Nomi L; Cock, Peter J A; Chapman, Brad; Fields, Christopher J; Hokamp, Karsten; Lapp, Hilmar; Munoz-Torres, Monica; Tzovaras, Bastian Greshake; Wiencko, Heather

2017-01-01

The Bioinformatics Open Source Conference (BOSC) is a meeting organized by the Open Bioinformatics Foundation (OBF), a non-profit group dedicated to promoting the practice and philosophy of Open Source software development and Open Science within the biological research community. The 18th annual BOSC ( http://www.open-bio.org/wiki/BOSC_2017) took place in Prague, Czech Republic in July 2017. The conference brought together nearly 250 bioinformatics researchers, developers and users of open source software to interact and share ideas about standards, bioinformatics software development, open and reproducible science, and this year's theme, open data. As in previous years, the conference was preceded by a two-day collaborative coding event open to the bioinformatics community, called the OBF Codefest.

Collected software engineering papers, volume 7

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1989-01-01

A collection is presented of selected technical papers produced by participants in the Software Engineering Laboratory (SEL) during the period Dec. 1988 to Oct. 1989. The purpose of the document is to make available, in one reference, some results of SEL research that originally appeared in a number of different forums. For the convenience of this presentation, the seven papers contained here are grouped into three major categories: (1) Software Measurement and Technology Studies; (2) Measurement Environment Studies; and (3) Ada Technology Studies. The first category presents experimental research and evaluation of software measurement and technology; the second presents studies on software environments pertaining to measurement. The last category represents Ada technology and includes research, development, and measurement studies.

Collected software engineering papers, volume 6

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1988-01-01

A collection is presented of technical papers produced by participants in the Software Engineering Laboratory (SEL) during the period 1 Jun. 1987 to 1 Jan. 1989. The purpose of the document is to make available, in one reference, some results of SEL research that originally appeared in a number of different forums. For the convenience of this presentation, the twelve papers contained here are grouped into three major categories: (1) Software Measurement and Technology Studies; (2) Measurement Environment Studies; and (3) Ada Technology Studies. The first category presents experimental research and evaluation of software measurement and technology; the second presents studies on software environments pertaining to measurement. The last category represents Ada technology and includes research, development, and measurement studies.

UTChem - A Program for Ab Initio Quantum Chemistry

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yanai, Takeshi; Nakano, Haruyuki; Nakajima, Takahito

2003-06-18

UTChem is a quantum chemistry software developed by Hirao's group at the University of Tokyo. UTChem is a research product of our work to develop new and better theoretical methods in quantum chemistry.

Towards understanding software: 15 years in the SEL

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcgarry, Frank; Pajerski, Rose

1990-01-01

For 15 years, the Software Engineering Laboratory (SEL) at GSFC has been carrying out studies and experiments for the purpose of understanding, assessing, and improving software, and software processes within a production software environment. The SEL comprises three major organizations: (1) the GSFC Flight Dynamics Division; (2) the University of Maryland Computer Science Department; and (3) the Computer Sciences Corporation Flight Dynamics Technology Group. These organizations have jointly carried out several hundred software studies, producing hundreds of reports, papers, and documents: all describing some aspect of the software engineering technology that has undergone analysis in the flight dynamics environment. The studies range from small controlled experiments (such as analyzing the effectiveness of code reading versus functional testing) to large, multiple-project studies (such as assessing the impacts of Ada on a production environment). The key findings that NASA feels have laid the foundation for ongoing and future software development and research activities are summarized.

Gamification as a tool for enhancing graduate medical education.

PubMed

Nevin, Christa R; Westfall, Andrew O; Rodriguez, J Martin; Dempsey, Donald M; Cherrington, Andrea; Roy, Brita; Patel, Mukesh; Willig, James H

2014-12-01

The last decade has seen many changes in graduate medical education training in the USA, most notably the implementation of duty hour standards for residents by the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education. As educators are left to balance more limited time available between patient care and resident education, new methods to augment traditional graduate medical education are needed. To assess acceptance and use of a novel gamification-based medical knowledge software among internal medicine residents and to determine retention of information presented to participants by this medical knowledge software. We designed and developed software using principles of gamification to deliver a web-based medical knowledge competition among internal medicine residents at the University of Alabama (UA) at Birmingham and UA at Huntsville in 2012-2013. Residents participated individually and in teams. Participants accessed daily questions and tracked their online leaderboard competition scores through any internet-enabled device. We completed focus groups to assess participant acceptance and analysed software use, retention of knowledge and factors associated with loss of participants (attrition). Acceptance: In focus groups, residents (n=17) reported leaderboards were the most important motivator of participation. Use: 16 427 questions were completed: 28.8% on Saturdays/Sundays, 53.1% between 17:00 and 08:00. Retention of knowledge: 1046 paired responses (for repeated questions) were collected. Correct responses increased by 11.9% (p<0.0001) on retest. Differences per time since question introduction, trainee level and style of play were observed. Attrition: In ordinal regression analyses, completing more questions (0.80 per 10% increase; 0.70 to 0.93) decreased, while postgraduate year 3 class (4.25; 1.44 to 12.55) and non-daily play (4.51; 1.50 to 13.58) increased odds of attrition. Our software-enabled, gamification-based educational intervention was well accepted among our millennial learners. Coupling software with gamification and analysis of trainee use and engagement data can be used to develop strategies to augment learning in time-constrained educational settings. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

NASA's Software Safety Standard

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ramsay, Christopher M.

2005-01-01

NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) relies more and more on software to control, monitor, and verify its safety critical systems, facilities and operations. Since the 1960's there has hardly been a spacecraft (manned or unmanned) launched that did not have a computer on board that provided vital command and control services. Despite this growing dependence on software control and monitoring, there has been no consistent application of software safety practices and methodology to NASA's projects with safety critical software. Led by the NASA Headquarters Office of Safety and Mission Assurance, the NASA Software Safety Standard (STD-18l9.13B) has recently undergone a significant update in an attempt to provide that consistency. This paper will discuss the key features of the new NASA Software Safety Standard. It will start with a brief history of the use and development of software in safety critical applications at NASA. It will then give a brief overview of the NASA Software Working Group and the approach it took to revise the software engineering process across the Agency.

We Scrum Every Day: Using Scrum Project Management Framework for Group Projects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pope-Ruark, Rebecca

2012-01-01

Collaborative group projects have documented learning benefits, yet collaboration is challenging for students because the educational system values individual achievement. This article explores Scrum, an approach to framing, planning, and managing group projects used in Web-software development. Designed for multi-faceted projects, this approach…

Continuous integration and quality control for scientific software

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neidhardt, A.; Ettl, M.; Brisken, W.; Dassing, R.

2013-08-01

Modern software has to be stable, portable, fast and reliable. This is going to be also more and more important for scientific software. But this requires a sophisticated way to inspect, check and evaluate the quality of source code with a suitable, automated infrastructure. A centralized server with a software repository and a version control system is one essential part, to manage the code basis and to control the different development versions. While each project can be compiled separately, the whole code basis can also be compiled with one central “Makefile”. This is used to create automated, nightly builds. Additionally all sources are inspected automatically with static code analysis and inspection tools, which check well-none error situations, memory and resource leaks, performance issues, or style issues. In combination with an automatic documentation generator it is possible to create the developer documentation directly from the code and the inline comments. All reports and generated information are presented as HTML page on a Web server. Because this environment increased the stability and quality of the software of the Geodetic Observatory Wettzell tremendously, it is now also available for scientific communities. One regular customer is already the developer group of the DiFX software correlator project.

A Roadmap for using Agile Development in a Traditional System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Streiffert, Barbara; Starbird, Thomas

2006-01-01

I. Ensemble Development Group: a) Produces activity planning software for in spacecraft; b) Built on Eclipse Rich Client Platform (open source development and runtime software); c) Funded by multiple sources including the Mars Technology Program; d) Incorporated the use of Agile Development. II. Next Generation Uplink Planning System: a) Researches the Activity Planning and Sequencing Subsystem for Mars Science Laboratory (APSS); b) APSS includes Ensemble, Activity Modeling, Constraint Checking, Command Editing and Sequencing tools plus other uplink generation utilities; c) Funded by the Mars Technology Program; d) Integrates all of the tools for APSS.

Efficacy of a Newly Designed Cephalometric Analysis Software for McNamara Analysis in Comparison with Dolphin Software.

PubMed

Nouri, Mahtab; Hamidiaval, Shadi; Akbarzadeh Baghban, Alireza; Basafa, Mohammad; Fahim, Mohammad

2015-01-01

Cephalometric norms of McNamara analysis have been studied in various populations due to their optimal efficiency. Dolphin cephalometric software greatly enhances the conduction of this analysis for orthodontic measurements. However, Dolphin is very expensive and cannot be afforded by many clinicians in developing countries. A suitable alternative software program in Farsi/English will greatly help Farsi speaking clinicians. The present study aimed to develop an affordable Iranian cephalometric analysis software program and compare it with Dolphin, the standard software available on the market for cephalometric analysis. In this diagnostic, descriptive study, 150 lateral cephalograms of normal occlusion individuals were selected in Mashhad and Qazvin, two major cities of Iran mainly populated with Fars ethnicity, the main Iranian ethnic group. After tracing the cephalograms, the McNamara analysis standards were measured both with Dolphin and the new software. The cephalometric software was designed using Microsoft Visual C++ program in Windows XP. Measurements made with the new software were compared with those of Dolphin software on both series of cephalograms. The validity and reliability were tested using intra-class correlation coefficient. Calculations showed a very high correlation between the results of the Iranian cephalometric analysis software and Dolphin. This confirms the validity and optimal efficacy of the newly designed software (ICC 0.570-1.0). According to our results, the newly designed software has acceptable validity and reliability and can be used for orthodontic diagnosis, treatment planning and assessment of treatment outcome.

Earth Science Informatics Community Requirements for Improving Sustainable Science Software Practices: User Perspectives and Implications for Organizational Action

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Downs, R. R.; Lenhardt, W. C.; Robinson, E.

2014-12-01

Science software is integral to the scientific process and must be developed and managed in a sustainable manner to ensure future access to scientific data and related resources. Organizations that are part of the scientific enterprise, as well as members of the scientific community who work within these entities, can contribute to the sustainability of science software and to practices that improve scientific community capabilities for science software sustainability. As science becomes increasingly digital and therefore, dependent on software, improving community practices for sustainable science software will contribute to the sustainability of science. Members of the Earth science informatics community, including scientific data producers and distributers, end-user scientists, system and application developers, and data center managers, use science software regularly and face the challenges and the opportunities that science software presents for the sustainability of science. To gain insight on practices needed for the sustainability of science software from the science software experiences of the Earth science informatics community, an interdisciplinary group of 300 community members were asked to engage in simultaneous roundtable discussions and report on their answers to questions about the requirements for improving scientific software sustainability. This paper will present an analysis of the issues reported and the conclusions offered by the participants. These results provide perspectives for science software sustainability practices and have implications for actions that organizations and their leadership can initiate to improve the sustainability of science software.

DYNA3D Code Practices and Developments

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lin, L.; Zywicz, E.; Raboin, P.

2000-04-21

DYNA3D is an explicit, finite element code developed to solve high rate dynamic simulations for problems of interest to the engineering mechanics community. The DYNA3D code has been under continuous development since 1976[1] by the Methods Development Group in the Mechanical Engineering Department of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The pace of code development activities has substantially increased in the past five years, growing from one to between four and six code developers. This has necessitated the use of software tools such as CVS (Concurrent Versions System) to help manage multiple version updates. While on-line documentation with an Adobe PDF manualmore » helps to communicate software developments, periodically a summary document describing recent changes and improvements in DYNA3D software is needed. The first part of this report describes issues surrounding software versions and source control. The remainder of this report details the major capability improvements since the last publicly released version of DYNA3D in 1996. Not included here are the many hundreds of bug corrections and minor enhancements, nor the development in DYNA3D between the manual release in 1993[2] and the public code release in 1996.« less

Design and Implementation of Scientific Software Components to Enable Multiscale Modeling: The Effective Fragment Potential (QM/EFP) Method

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gaenko, Alexander; Windus, Theresa L.; Sosonkina, Masha

2012-10-19

The design and development of scientific software components to provide an interface to the effective fragment potential (EFP) methods are reported. Multiscale modeling of physical and chemical phenomena demands the merging of software packages developed by research groups in significantly different fields. Componentization offers an efficient way to realize new high performance scientific methods by combining the best models available in different software packages without a need for package readaptation after the initial componentization is complete. The EFP method is an efficient electronic structure theory based model potential that is suitable for predictive modeling of intermolecular interactions in large molecularmore » systems, such as liquids, proteins, atmospheric aerosols, and nanoparticles, with an accuracy that is comparable to that of correlated ab initio methods. The developed components make the EFP functionality accessible for any scientific component-aware software package. The performance of the component is demonstrated on a protein interaction model, and its accuracy is compared with results obtained with coupled cluster methods.« less

HEP Community White Paper on Software Trigger and Event Reconstruction: Executive Summary

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Albrecht, Johannes; et al.

Realizing the physics programs of the planned and upgraded high-energy physics (HEP) experiments over the next 10 years will require the HEP community to address a number of challenges in the area of software and computing. For this reason, the HEP software community has engaged in a planning process over the past two years, with the objective of identifying and prioritizing the research and development required to enable the next generation of HEP detectors to fulfill their full physics potential. The aim is to produce a Community White Paper which will describe the community strategy and a roadmap for softwaremore » and computing research and development in HEP for the 2020s. The topics of event reconstruction and software triggers were considered by a joint working group and are summarized together in this document.« less

HEP Community White Paper on Software Trigger and Event Reconstruction

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Albrecht, Johannes; et al.

Realizing the physics programs of the planned and upgraded high-energy physics (HEP) experiments over the next 10 years will require the HEP community to address a number of challenges in the area of software and computing. For this reason, the HEP software community has engaged in a planning process over the past two years, with the objective of identifying and prioritizing the research and development required to enable the next generation of HEP detectors to fulfill their full physics potential. The aim is to produce a Community White Paper which will describe the community strategy and a roadmap for softwaremore » and computing research and development in HEP for the 2020s. The topics of event reconstruction and software triggers were considered by a joint working group and are summarized together in this document.« less

The use of hypermedia to increase the productivity of software development teams

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Coles, L. Stephen

1991-01-01

Rapid progress in low-cost commercial PC-class multimedia workstation technology will potentially have a dramatic impact on the productivity of distributed work groups of 50-100 software developers. Hypermedia/multimedia involves the seamless integration in a graphical user interface (GUI) of a wide variety of data structures, including high-resolution graphics, maps, images, voice, and full-motion video. Hypermedia will normally require the manipulation of large dynamic files for which relational data base technology and SQL servers are essential. Basic machine architecture, special-purpose video boards, video equipment, optical memory, software needed for animation, network technology, and the anticipated increase in productivity that will result for the introduction of hypermedia technology are covered. It is suggested that the cost of the hardware and software to support an individual multimedia workstation will be on the order of $10,000.

76 FR 54800 - International Business Machines (IBM), Software Group Business Unit, Quality Assurance Group, San...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-02

... Machines (IBM), Software Group Business Unit, Quality Assurance Group, San Jose, California; Notice of... workers of International Business Machines (IBM), Software Group Business Unit, Optim Data Studio Tools QA... February 2, 2011 (76 FR 5832). The subject worker group supplies acceptance testing services, design...

Maintaining Quality and Confidence in Open-Source, Evolving Software: Lessons Learned with PFLOTRAN

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frederick, J. M.; Hammond, G. E.

2017-12-01

Software evolution in an open-source framework poses a major challenge to a geoscientific simulator, but when properly managed, the pay-off can be enormous for both the developers and the community at large. Developers must juggle implementing new scientific process models, adopting increasingly efficient numerical methods and programming paradigms, changing funding sources (or total lack of funding), while also ensuring that legacy code remains functional and reported bugs are fixed in a timely manner. With robust software engineering and a plan for long-term maintenance, a simulator can evolve over time incorporating and leveraging many advances in the computational and domain sciences. In this positive light, what practices in software engineering and code maintenance can be employed within open-source development to maximize the positive aspects of software evolution and community contributions while minimizing its negative side effects? This presentation will discusses steps taken in the development of PFLOTRAN (www.pflotran.org), an open source, massively parallel subsurface simulator for multiphase, multicomponent, and multiscale reactive flow and transport processes in porous media. As PFLOTRAN's user base and development team continues to grow, it has become increasingly important to implement strategies which ensure sustainable software development while maintaining software quality and community confidence. In this presentation, we will share our experiences and "lessons learned" within the context of our open-source development framework and community engagement efforts. Topics discussed will include how we've leveraged both standard software engineering principles, such as coding standards, version control, and automated testing, as well unique advantages of object-oriented design in process model coupling, to ensure software quality and confidence. We will also be prepared to discuss the major challenges faced by most open-source software teams, such as on-boarding new developers or one-time contributions, dealing with competitors or lookie-loos, and other downsides of complete transparency, as well as our approach to community engagement, including a user group email list, hosting short courses and workshops for new users, and maintaining a website. SAND2017-8174A

Open source software projects of the caBIG In Vivo Imaging Workspace Software special interest group.

PubMed

Prior, Fred W; Erickson, Bradley J; Tarbox, Lawrence

2007-11-01

The Cancer Bioinformatics Grid (caBIG) program was created by the National Cancer Institute to facilitate sharing of IT infrastructure, data, and applications among the National Cancer Institute-sponsored cancer research centers. The program was launched in February 2004 and now links more than 50 cancer centers. In April 2005, the In Vivo Imaging Workspace was added to promote the use of imaging in cancer clinical trials. At the inaugural meeting, four special interest groups (SIGs) were established. The Software SIG was charged with identifying projects that focus on open-source software for image visualization and analysis. To date, two projects have been defined by the Software SIG. The eXtensible Imaging Platform project has produced a rapid application development environment that researchers may use to create targeted workflows customized for specific research projects. The Algorithm Validation Tools project will provide a set of tools and data structures that will be used to capture measurement information and associated needed to allow a gold standard to be defined for the given database against which change analysis algorithms can be tested. Through these and future efforts, the caBIG In Vivo Imaging Workspace Software SIG endeavors to advance imaging informatics and provide new open-source software tools to advance cancer research.

BEARS: a multi-mission anomaly response system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roberts, Bryce A.

2009-05-01

The Mission Operations Group at UC Berkeley's Space Sciences Laboratory operates a highly automated ground station and presently a fleet of seven satellites, each with its own associated command and control console. However, the requirement for prompt anomaly detection and resolution is shared commonly between the ground segment and all spacecraft. The efficient, low-cost operation and "lights-out" staffing of the Mission Operations Group requires that controllers and engineers be notified of spacecraft and ground system problems around the clock. The Berkeley Emergency Anomaly and Response System (BEARS) is an in-house developed web- and paging-based software system that meets this need. BEARS was developed as a replacement for an existing emergency reporting software system that was too closedsource, platform-specific, expensive, and antiquated to expand or maintain. To avoid these limitations, the new system design leverages cross-platform, open-source software products such as MySQL, PHP, and Qt. Anomaly notifications and responses make use of the two-way paging capabilities of modern smart phones.

TVDG Staff Page

Science.gov Websites

Development, Maintenance & Operation - Computer Hardware & Software No Picture Jim Alessi - Group , Maintenance & Operation No Picture Bob Eich - Accelerator Operator No Picture Irv Feigenbaum (Retired

KEYNOTE 2 : Rebuilding the Tower of Babel - Better Communication with Standards

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-02-01

and a member of the Object Management Group (OMG) SysML specification team. He has been developing multi-national complex systems for almost 35 years...critical systems development, virtual team management, systems development, and software development with UML, SysML and Architectural Frameworks

A Computer-Managed Instruction Support System for Large Group Individualized Instruction.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Countermine, Terry; Singh, Jane M.

1977-01-01

The Pennsylvania State University College of Education's Instruction Support System (ISS) was developed to manage the logistical operation of large group individualized competency-based instruction. Software and hardware charting, operational procedures, and data from student opinion questionnaires are cited. (RAO)

Free software to analyse the clinical relevance of drug interactions with antiretroviral agents (SIMARV®) in patients with HIV/AIDS.

PubMed

Giraldo, N A; Amariles, P; Monsalve, M; Faus, M J

Highly active antiretroviral therapy has extended the expected lifespan of patients with HIV/AIDS. However, the therapeutic benefits of some drugs used simultaneously with highly active antiretroviral therapy may be adversely affected by drug interactions. The goal was to design and develop a free software to facilitate analysis, assessment, and clinical decision making according to the clinical relevance of drug interactions in patients with HIV/AIDS. A comprehensive Medline/PubMed database search of drug interactions was performed. Articles that recognized any drug interactions in HIV disease were selected. The publications accessed were limited to human studies in English or Spanish, with full texts retrieved. Drug interactions were analyzed, assessed, and grouped into four levels of clinical relevance according to gravity and probability. Software to systematize the information regarding drug interactions and their clinical relevance was designed and developed. Overall, 952 different references were retrieved and 446 selected; in addition, 67 articles were selected from the citation lists of identified articles. A total of 2119 pairs of drug interactions were identified; of this group, 2006 (94.7%) were drug-drug interactions, 1982 (93.5%) had an identified pharmacokinetic mechanism, and 1409 (66.5%) were mediated by enzyme inhibition. In terms of clinical relevance, 1285 (60.6%) drug interactions were clinically significant in patients with HIV (levels 1 and 2). With this information, a software program that facilitates identification and assessment of the clinical relevance of antiretroviral drug interactions (SIMARV ® ) was developed. A free software package with information on 2119 pairs of antiretroviral drug interactions was designed and developed that could facilitate analysis, assessment, and clinical decision making according to the clinical relevance of drug interactions in patients with HIV/AIDS. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Using Modern Methodologies with Maintenance Software

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Streiffert, Barbara A.; Francis, Laurie K.; Smith, Benjamin D.

2014-01-01

Jet Propulsion Laboratory uses multi-mission software produced by the Mission Planning and Sequencing (MPS) team to process, simulate, translate, and package the commands that are sent to a spacecraft. MPS works under the auspices of the Multi-Mission Ground Systems and Services (MGSS). This software consists of nineteen applications that are in maintenance. The MPS software is classified as either class B (mission critical) or class C (mission important). The scheduling of tasks is difficult because mission needs must be addressed prior to performing any other tasks and those needs often spring up unexpectedly. Keeping track of the tasks that everyone is working on is also difficult because each person is working on a different software component. Recently the group adopted the Scrum methodology for planning and scheduling tasks. Scrum is one of the newer methodologies typically used in agile development. In the Scrum development environment, teams pick their tasks that are to be completed within a sprint based on priority. The team specifies the sprint length usually a month or less. Scrum is typically used for new development of one application. In the Scrum methodology there is a scrum master who is a facilitator who tries to make sure that everything moves smoothly, a product owner who represents the user(s) of the software and the team. MPS is not the traditional environment for the Scrum methodology. MPS has many software applications in maintenance, team members who are working on disparate applications, many users, and is interruptible based on mission needs, issues and requirements. In order to use scrum, the methodology needed adaptation to MPS. Scrum was chosen because it is adaptable. This paper is about the development of the process for using scrum, a new development methodology, with a team that works on disparate interruptible tasks on multiple software applications.

Artificial intelligence against breast cancer (A.N.N.E.S-B.C.-Project).

PubMed

Parmeggiani, Domenico; Avenia, Nicola; Sanguinetti, Alessandro; Ruggiero, Roberto; Docimo, Giovanni; Siciliano, Mattia; Ambrosino, Pasquale; Madonna, Imma; Peltrini, Roberto; Parmeggiani, Umberto

2012-01-01

Our preliminary study examined the development of an advanced innovative technology with the objectives of--developing methodologies and algorithms for a Artificial Neural Network (ANN) system, improving mammography and ultra-sonography images interpretation;--creating autonomous software as a diagnostic tool for the physicians, allowing the possibility for the advanced application of databases using Artificial Intelligence (Expert System). Since 2004 550 F patients over 40 yrs old were divided in two groups: 1) 310 pts underwent echo every 6 months and mammography every year by expert radiologists. 2) 240 pts had the same screening program and were also examined by our diagnosis software, developed with ANN-ES technology by the Engineering Aircraft Research Project team. The information was continually updated and returned to the Expert System, defining the principal rules of automatic diagnosis. In the second group we selected: Expert radiologist decision; ANN-ES decision; Expert radiologists with ANN-ES decision. The second group had significantly better diagnosis for cancer and better specificity for breast lesions risk as well as the highest percentage account when the radiologist's decision was helped by the ANN software. The ANN-ES group was able to select, by anamnestic, diagnostic and genetic means, 8 patients for prophylactic surgery, finding 4 cancers in a very early stage. Although it is only a preliminary study, this innovative diagnostic tool seems to provide better positive and negative predictive value in cancer diagnosis as well as in breast risk lesion identification.

Developing multimedia software and virtual reality worlds and their use in rehabilitation and psychology.

PubMed

Sik Lányi, Cecília; Laky, Viktória; Tilinger, Adám; Pataky, Ilona; Simon, Lajos; Kiss, Bernadett; Simon, Viktória; Szabó, Júlianna; Páll, Attila

2004-01-01

The multimedia and virtual reality projects performed at our laboratory during the last ten years can be grouped into the following groups: 1) tutorial and entertainment programs for handicapped children, 2) rehabilitation programs for stroke patients and patients with phobias. We have developed multimedia software for handicapped children with various impairments: partial vision, hearing difficulties, locomotive difficulties, mental retardation, dyslexia etc. In the present paper we show the advantages of using multimedia software to develop mental skills in handicapped people and deal with the special needs of handicapped children. For the rehabilitation of stroke patients we have developed a computer-controlled method, which enables - contrary to methods used internationally - not only the establishment of a diagnosis, but also measurement of therapy effectiveness: 1) it enables us to produce a database of patients, which contains not only their personal data but also test results, their drawings and audio recordings, 2) it is in itself an intensive therapeutic test and contains tutorial programs. We are currently collecting test results. We have also developed some virtual worlds for treating phobias: a virtual balcony and a ten-story building with an external glass elevator as well as an internal glass elevator in the virtual Atrium Hyatt hotel. We have developed a virtual environment for treating claustrophobia too: a closed lift and a room where the walls can move. For specific phobias (fear of travelling) we have modelled the underground railway system in Budapest. For autistic children, we have developed virtual shopping software too. In this paper we present the advantages of virtual reality in the investigation, evaluation and treatment of perception, behaviour and neuropsychological disorders.

Virtual Platform for See Robustness Verification of Bootloader Embedded Software on Board Solar Orbiter's Energetic Particle Detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Da Silva, A.; Sánchez Prieto, S.; Polo, O.; Parra Espada, P.

2013-05-01

Because of the tough robustness requirements in space software development, it is imperative to carry out verification tasks at a very early development stage to ensure that the implemented exception mechanisms work properly. All this should be done long time before the real hardware is available. But even if real hardware is available the verification of software fault tolerance mechanisms can be difficult since real faulty situations must be systematically and artificially brought about which can be imposible on real hardware. To solve this problem the Alcala Space Research Group (SRG) has developed a LEON2 virtual platform (Leon2ViP) with fault injection capabilities. This way it is posible to run the exact same target binary software as runs on the physical system in a more controlled and deterministic environment, allowing a more strict requirements verification. Leon2ViP enables unmanned and tightly focused fault injection campaigns, not possible otherwise, in order to expose and diagnose flaws in the software implementation early. Furthermore, the use of a virtual hardware-in-the-loop approach makes it possible to carry out preliminary integration tests with the spacecraft emulator or the sensors. The use of Leon2ViP has meant a signicant improvement, in both time and cost, in the development and verification processes of the Instrument Control Unit boot software on board Solar Orbiter's Energetic Particle Detector.

Enhanced Recognition of Written Words and Enjoyment of Reading in Struggling Beginner Readers through Whole-Word Multimedia Software

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karemaker, Arjette; Pitchford, Nicola J.; O'Malley, Claire

2010-01-01

The effectiveness of a reading intervention using the whole-word multimedia software "Oxford Reading Tree (ORT) for Clicker" was compared to a reading intervention using traditional ORT Big Books. Developing literacy skills and attitudes towards learning to read were assessed in a group of 17 struggling beginner readers aged 5-6 years. Each child…

Non-Algorithmic Issues in Automated Computational Mechanics

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-04-30

Tworzydlo, Senior Research Engineer and Manager of Advanced Projects Group I. Professor I J. T. Oden, President and Senior Scientist of COMCO, was project...practical applications of the systems reported so far is due to the extremely arduous and complex development and management of a realistic knowledge base...software, designed to effectively implement deep, algorithmic knowledge, * and 0 "intelligent" software, designed to manage shallow, heuristic

Development of a software for quantitative evaluation radiotherapy target and organ-at-risk segmentation comparison.

PubMed

Kalpathy-Cramer, Jayashree; Awan, Musaddiq; Bedrick, Steven; Rasch, Coen R N; Rosenthal, David I; Fuller, Clifton D

2014-02-01

Modern radiotherapy requires accurate region of interest (ROI) inputs for plan optimization and delivery. Target delineation, however, remains operator-dependent and potentially serves as a major source of treatment delivery error. In order to optimize this critical, yet observer-driven process, a flexible web-based platform for individual and cooperative target delineation analysis and instruction was developed in order to meet the following unmet needs: (1) an open-source/open-access platform for automated/semiautomated quantitative interobserver and intraobserver ROI analysis and comparison, (2) a real-time interface for radiation oncology trainee online self-education in ROI definition, and (3) a source for pilot data to develop and validate quality metrics for institutional and cooperative group quality assurance efforts. The resultant software, Target Contour Testing/Instructional Computer Software (TaCTICS), developed using Ruby on Rails, has since been implemented and proven flexible, feasible, and useful in several distinct analytical and research applications.

A Comparison of Two Approaches to Safety Analysis Based on Use Cases

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stålhane, Tor; Sindre, Guttorm

Engineering has a long tradition in analyzing the safety of mechanical, electrical and electronic systems. Important methods like HazOp and FMEA have also been adopted by the software engineering community. The misuse case method, on the other hand, has been developed by the software community as an alternative to FMEA and preliminary HazOp for software development. To compare the two methods misuse case and FMEA we have run a small experiment involving 42 third year software engineering students. In the experiment, the students should identify and analyze failure modes from one of the use cases for a commercial electronic patient journals system. The results of the experiment show that on the average, the group that used misuse cases identified and analyzed more user related failure modes than the persons using FMEA. In addition, the persons who used the misuse cases scored better on perceived ease of use and intention to use.

Objective image analysis of the meibomian gland area.

PubMed

Arita, Reiko; Suehiro, Jun; Haraguchi, Tsuyoshi; Shirakawa, Rika; Tokoro, Hideaki; Amano, Shiro

2014-06-01

To evaluate objectively the meibomian gland area using newly developed software for non-invasive meibography. Eighty eyelids of 42 patients without meibomian gland loss (meiboscore=0), 105 eyelids of 57 patients with loss of less than one-third total meibomian gland area (meiboscore=1), 13 eyelids of 11 patients with between one-third and two-thirds loss of meibomian gland area (meiboscore=2) and 20 eyelids of 14 patients with two-thirds loss of meibomian gland area (meiboscore=3) were studied. Lid borders were automatically determined. The software evaluated the distribution of the luminance and, by enhancing the contrast and reducing image noise, the meibomian gland area was automatically discriminated. The software calculated the ratio of the total meibomian gland area relative to the total analysis area in all subjects. Repeatability of the software was also evaluated. The mean ratio of the meibomian gland area to the total analysis area in the upper/lower eyelids was 51.9±5.7%/54.7±5.4% in subjects with a meiboscore of 0, 47.7±6.0%/51.5±5.4% in those with a meiboscore of 1, 32.0±4.4%/37.2±3.5% in those with a meiboscore of 2 and 16.7±6.4%/19.5±5.8% in subjects with a meiboscore of 3. The meibomian gland area was objectively evaluated using the developed software. This system could be useful for objectively evaluating the effect of treatment on meibomian gland dysfunction. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Software interface verifier

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Soderstrom, Tomas J.; Krall, Laura A.; Hope, Sharon A.; Zupke, Brian S.

1994-01-01

A Telos study of 40 recent subsystem deliveries into the DSN at JPL found software interface testing to be the single most expensive and error-prone activity, and the study team suggested creating an automated software interface test tool. The resulting Software Interface Verifier (SIV), which was funded by NASA/JPL and created by Telos, employed 92 percent software reuse to quickly create an initial version which incorporated early user feedback. SIV is now successfully used by developers for interface prototyping and unit testing, by test engineers for formal testing, and by end users for non-intrusive data flow tests in the operational environment. Metrics, including cost, are included. Lessons learned include the need for early user training. SIV is ported to many platforms and can be successfully used or tailored by other NASA groups.

ARC-2007-ACD07-0140-001

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-07-31

David L. Iverson of NASA Ames Research center, Moffett Field, California, led development of computer software to monitor the conditions of the gyroscopes that keep the International Space Station (ISS) properly oriented in space as the ISS orbits Earth. The gyroscopes are flywheels that control the station's attitude without the use of propellant fuel. NASA computer scientists designed the new software, the Inductive Monitoring System, to detect warning signs that precede a gyroscope's failure. According to NASA officials, engineers will add the new software tool to a group of existing tools to identify and track problems related to the gyroscopes. If the software detects warning signs, it will quickly warn the space station's mission control center.

Developing a User-Centred Planning Tool for Young Adults with Development Disorders: A Research-Based Teaching Project.

PubMed

Ribu, Kirsten; Patel, Tulpesh

2016-01-01

People with development disorders, for instance autism, need structured plans to help create predictability in their daily lives. Digital plans can facilitate enhanced independency, learning, and quality of life, but existing apps are largely general purpose and lack the flexibility required by this specific but heterogeneous user group. Universal design is both a goal and a process and should be based on a holistic approach and user-centered design, interacting with the users in all stages of the development process. At Oslo and Akershus University College (HiOA) we conducted a research-based teaching project in co-operation with the Department of Neuro-habilitation at Oslo University Hospital (OUS) with two employees acting as project managers and students as developers. Three groups of Computer Science bachelor students developed digital prototypes for a planning tool for young adults with pervasive development disorders, who live either with their families or in supervised residences, and do not receive extensive public services. The students conducted the initial planning phase of the software development process, focusing on prototyping the system requirements, whilst a professional software company programmed the end solution. The goal of the project was to develop flexible and adaptive user-oriented and user-specific app solutions for tablets that can aid this diverse user group in structuring daily life, whereby, for example, photos of objects and places known to the individual user replace general pictures or drawings, and checklists can be elaborate or sparse as necessary. The three student groups worked independently of each other and created interactive working prototypes based on tests, observations and short interviews with end users (both administrators and residents) and regular user feedback from the project managers. Three very different solutions were developed that were of high enough quality that an external software company were able to continue the work and create a beta version of the app. The first phase in software development process is always challenging and time consuming. Using a research-based teaching approach allowed us to not only save time and expense in the development phase, but, importantly, allowed us to thoroughly investigate a variety of aspects of the problem to create an accessible solution, whilst leveraging our students' knowledge, competencies and creativity. The next stage will be to evaluate the beta version of the app and study its impact on the user's quality of life. Although the end solution is designed for a specific user group, the built-in flexibility of its structure and function means there is the inherent potential to open it up to all users. The universal benefit lies in the flexibility of the solution.

Numerical arc segmentation algorithm for a radio conference: A software tool for communication satellite systems planning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whyte, W. A.; Heyward, A. O.; Ponchak, D. S.; Spence, R. L.; Zuzek, J. E.

1988-01-01

The Numerical Arc Segmentation Algorithm for a Radio Conference (NASARC) provides a method of generating predetermined arc segments for use in the development of an allotment planning procedure to be carried out at the 1988 World Administrative Radio Conference (WARC) on the Use of the Geostationary Satellite Orbit and the Planning of Space Services Utilizing It. Through careful selection of the predetermined arc (PDA) for each administration, flexibility can be increased in terms of choice of system technical characteristics and specific orbit location while reducing the need for coordination among administrations. The NASARC software determines pairwise compatibility between all possible service areas at discrete arc locations. NASARC then exhaustively enumerates groups of administrations whose satellites can be closely located in orbit, and finds the arc segment over which each such compatible group exists. From the set of all possible compatible groupings, groups and their associated arc segments are selected using a heuristic procedure such that a PDA is identified for each administration. Various aspects of the NASARC concept and how the software accomplishes specific features of allotment planning are discussed.

EvOligo: A Novel Software to Design and Group Libraries of Oligonucleotides Applicable for Nucleic Acid-Based Experiments.

PubMed

Milewski, Marek C; Kamel, Karol; Kurzynska-Kokorniak, Anna; Chmielewski, Marcin K; Figlerowicz, Marek

2017-10-01

Experimental methods based on DNA and RNA hybridization, such as multiplex polymerase chain reaction, multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification, or microarray analysis, require the use of mixtures of multiple oligonucleotides (primers or probes) in a single test tube. To provide an optimal reaction environment, minimal self- and cross-hybridization must be achieved among these oligonucleotides. To address this problem, we developed EvOligo, which is a software package that provides the means to design and group DNA and RNA molecules with defined lengths. EvOligo combines two modules. The first module performs oligonucleotide design, and the second module performs oligonucleotide grouping. The software applies a nearest-neighbor model of nucleic acid interactions coupled with a parallel evolutionary algorithm to construct individual oligonucleotides, and to group the molecules that are characterized by the weakest possible cross-interactions. To provide optimal solutions, the evolutionary algorithm sorts oligonucleotides into sets, preserves preselected parts of the oligonucleotides, and shapes their remaining parts. In addition, the oligonucleotide sets can be designed and grouped based on their melting temperatures. For the user's convenience, EvOligo is provided with a user-friendly graphical interface. EvOligo was used to design individual oligonucleotides, oligonucleotide pairs, and groups of oligonucleotide pairs that are characterized by the following parameters: (1) weaker cross-interactions between the non-complementary oligonucleotides and (2) more uniform ranges of the oligonucleotide pair melting temperatures than other available software products. In addition, in contrast to other grouping algorithms, EvOligo offers time-efficient sorting of paired and unpaired oligonucleotides based on various parameters defined by the user.

The Transition to a Many-core World

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mattson, T. G.

2012-12-01

The need to increase performance within a fixed energy budget has pushed the computer industry to many core processors. This is grounded in the physics of computing and is not a trend that will just go away. It is hard to overestimate the profound impact of many-core processors on software developers. Virtually every facet of the software development process will need to change to adapt to these new processors. In this talk, we will look at many-core hardware and consider its evolution from a perspective grounded in the CPU. We will show that the number of cores will inevitably increase, but in addition, a quest to maximize performance per watt will push these cores to be heterogeneous. We will show that the inevitable result of these changes is a computing landscape where the distinction between the CPU and the GPU is blurred. We will then consider the much more pressing problem of software in a many core world. Writing software for heterogeneous many core processors is well beyond the ability of current programmers. One solution is to support a software development process where programmer teams are split into two distinct groups: a large group of domain-expert productivity programmers and much smaller team of computer-scientist efficiency programmers. The productivity programmers work in terms of high level frameworks to express the concurrency in their problems while avoiding any details for how that concurrency is exploited. The second group, the efficiency programmers, map applications expressed in terms of these frameworks onto the target many-core system. In other words, we can solve the many-core software problem by creating a software infrastructure that only requires a small subset of programmers to become master parallel programmers. This is different from the discredited dream of automatic parallelism. Note that productivity programmers still need to define the architecture of their software in a way that exposes the concurrency inherent in their problem. We submit that domain-expert programmers understand "what is concurrent". The parallel programming problem emerges from the complexity of "how that concurrency is utilized" on real hardware. The research described in this talk was carried out in collaboration with the ParLab at UC Berkeley. We use a design pattern language to define the high level frameworks exposed to domain-expert, productivity programmers. We then use tools from the SEJITS project (Selective embedded Just In time Specializers) to build the software transformation tool chains thst turn these framework-oriented designs into highly efficient code. The final ingredient is a software platform to serve as a target for these tools. One such platform is the OpenCL industry standard for programming heterogeneous systems. We will briefly describe OpenCL and show how it provides a vendor-neutral software target for current and future many core systems; both CPU-based, GPU-based, and heterogeneous combinations of the two.

Remote software upload techniques in future vehicles and their performance analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hossain, Irina

Updating software in vehicle Electronic Control Units (ECUs) will become a mandatory requirement for a variety of reasons, for examples, to update/fix functionality of an existing system, add new functionality, remove software bugs and to cope up with ITS infrastructure. Software modules of advanced vehicles can be updated using Remote Software Upload (RSU) technique. The RSU employs infrastructure-based wireless communication technique where the software supplier sends the software to the targeted vehicle via a roadside Base Station (BS). However, security is critically important in RSU to avoid any disasters due to malfunctions of the vehicle or to protect the proprietary algorithms from hackers, competitors or people with malicious intent. In this thesis, a mechanism of secure software upload in advanced vehicles is presented which employs mutual authentication of the software provider and the vehicle using a pre-shared authentication key before sending the software. The software packets are sent encrypted with a secret key along with the Message Digest (MD). In order to increase the security level, it is proposed the vehicle to receive more than one copy of the software along with the MD in each copy. The vehicle will install the new software only when it receives more than one identical copies of the software. In order to validate the proposition, analytical expressions of average number of packet transmissions for successful software update is determined. Different cases are investigated depending on the vehicle's buffer size and verification methods. The analytical and simulation results show that it is sufficient to send two copies of the software to the vehicle to thwart any security attack while uploading the software. The above mentioned unicast method for RSU is suitable when software needs to be uploaded to a single vehicle. Since multicasting is the most efficient method of group communication, updating software in an ECU of a large number of vehicles could benefit from it. However, like the unicast RSU, the security requirements of multicast communication, i.e., authenticity, confidentiality and integrity of the software transmitted and access control of the group members is challenging. In this thesis, an infrastructure-based mobile multicasting for RSU in vehicle ECUs is proposed where an ECU receives the software from a remote software distribution center using the road side BSs as gateways. The Vehicular Software Distribution Network (VSDN) is divided into small regions administered by a Regional Group Manager (RGM). Two multicast Group Key Management (GKM) techniques are proposed based on the degree of trust on the BSs named Fully-trusted (FT) and Semi-trusted (ST) systems. Analytical models are developed to find the multicast session establishment latency and handover latency for these two protocols. The average latency to perform mutual authentication of the software vendor and a vehicle, and to send the multicast session key by the software provider during multicast session initialization, and the handoff latency during multicast session is calculated. Analytical and simulation results show that the link establishment latency per vehicle of our proposed schemes is in the range of few seconds and the ST system requires few ms higher time than the FT system. The handoff latency is also in the range of few seconds and in some cases ST system requires less handoff time than the FT system. Thus, it is possible to build an efficient GKM protocol without putting too much trust on the BSs.

New Software for Ensemble Creation in the Spitzer-Space-Telescope Operations Database

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Laher, Russ; Rector, John

2004-01-01

Some of the computer pipelines used to process digital astronomical images from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope require multiple input images, in order to generate high-level science and calibration products. The images are grouped into ensembles according to well documented ensemble-creation rules by making explicit associations in the operations Informix database at the Spitzer Science Center (SSC). The advantage of this approach is that a simple database query can retrieve the required ensemble of pipeline input images. New and improved software for ensemble creation has been developed. The new software is much faster than the existing software because it uses pre-compiled database stored-procedures written in Informix SPL (SQL programming language). The new software is also more flexible because the ensemble creation rules are now stored in and read from newly defined database tables. This table-driven approach was implemented so that ensemble rules can be inserted, updated, or deleted without modifying software.

VAST Challenge 2015: Mayhem at Dinofun World

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-10-25

adult, teen, child , and infant . Accordingly, teens “raced” through the park, children stayed close to their adults, and so on. The challenge...advance visual analytics through a series of competitions. In the VAST Challenges, researchers and software developers put themselves in the role... developers specified several group types based on their personal experiences with groups in amusement parks. As each person travelled through the park

The ALMA software architecture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schwarz, Joseph; Farris, Allen; Sommer, Heiko

2004-09-01

The software for the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) is being developed by many institutes on two continents. The software itself will function in a distributed environment, from the 0.5-14 kmbaselines that separate antennas to the larger distances that separate the array site at the Llano de Chajnantor in Chile from the operations and user support facilities in Chile, North America and Europe. Distributed development demands 1) interfaces that allow separated groups to work with minimal dependence on their counterparts at other locations; and 2) a common architecture to minimize duplication and ensure that developers can always perform similar tasks in a similar way. The Container/Component model provides a blueprint for the separation of functional from technical concerns: application developers concentrate on implementing functionality in Components, which depend on Containers to provide them with services such as access to remote resources, transparent serialization of entity objects to XML, logging, error handling and security. Early system integrations have verified that this architecture is sound and that developers can successfully exploit its features. The Containers and their services are provided by a system-orienteddevelopment team as part of the ALMA Common Software (ACS), middleware that is based on CORBA.

15 CFR 770.3 - Interpretations related to exports of technology and software to destinations in Country Group D:1.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... technology and software to destinations in Country Group D:1. 770.3 Section 770.3 Commerce and Foreign Trade... technology and software to destinations in Country Group D:1. (a) Introduction. This section is intended to provide you additional guidance on how to determine whether your technology or software would be eligible...

15 CFR 770.3 - Interpretations related to exports of technology and software to destinations in Country Group D:1.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... technology and software to destinations in Country Group D:1. 770.3 Section 770.3 Commerce and Foreign Trade... technology and software to destinations in Country Group D:1. (a) Introduction. This section is intended to provide you additional guidance on how to determine whether your technology or software would be eligible...

15 CFR 770.3 - Interpretations related to exports of technology and software to destinations in Country Group D:1.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... technology and software to destinations in Country Group D:1. 770.3 Section 770.3 Commerce and Foreign Trade... technology and software to destinations in Country Group D:1. (a) Introduction. This section is intended to provide you additional guidance on how to determine whether your technology or software would be eligible...

15 CFR 770.3 - Interpretations related to exports of technology and software to destinations in Country Group D:1.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... technology and software to destinations in Country Group D:1. 770.3 Section 770.3 Commerce and Foreign Trade... technology and software to destinations in Country Group D:1. (a) Introduction. This section is intended to provide you additional guidance on how to determine whether your technology or software would be eligible...

15 CFR 770.3 - Interpretations related to exports of technology and software to destinations in Country Group D:1.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... technology and software to destinations in Country Group D:1. 770.3 Section 770.3 Commerce and Foreign Trade... technology and software to destinations in Country Group D:1. (a) Introduction. This section is intended to provide you additional guidance on how to determine whether your technology or software would be eligible...

Collected software engineering papers, volume 9

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1991-01-01

This document is a collection of selected technical papers produced by participants in the Software Engineering Laboratory (SEL) from November 1990 through October 1991. The purpose of the document is to make available, in one reference, some results of SEL research that originally appeared in a number of different forums. This is the ninth such volume of technical papers produced by the SEL. Although these papers cover several topics related to software engineering, they do not encompass the entire scope of SEL activities and interests. For the convenience of this presentation, the eight papers contained here are grouped into three major categories: (1) software models studies; (2) software measurement studies; and (3) Ada technology studies. The first category presents studies on reuse models, including a software reuse model applied to maintenance and a model for an organization to support software reuse. The second category includes experimental research methods and software measurement techniques. The third category presents object-oriented approaches using Ada and object-oriented features proposed for Ada. The SEL is actively working to understand and improve the software development process at GSFC.

Agile-Lean Software Engineering (ALSE) Evaluating Kanban in Systems Engineering

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-03-06

Boeing)  Garry Roedler (Lockheed Martin)  Karl Scotland (Rally Software, UK)  Alan Shalloway (NetObjectives)  Neil Shirk (Lockheed Martin... Neil Siegel (Northrop Grumman)  James Sutton (Jubata Group) Thanks are also due to the members of the SERC Research Council, particularly Barry...Incremental Commitment Model to Brownfield Systems Development, Proceedings, CSER 2009, April 2009. 16. Heath , B. et al. (2009). A survey of agent-based

NASA's Intelligent Robotics Group

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-01-06

Shareable video highlighting the Intelligent Robotics Group's 25 years of experience developing tools to allow humans and robots to work as teammates. Highlights the VERVE software, which allows researchers to see a 3D representation of the robot's world and mentions how Nissan is using a version of VERVE in the autonomous vehicle research.

CAD/CAE Integration Enhanced by New CAD Services Standard

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Claus, Russell W.

2002-01-01

A Government-industry team led by the NASA Glenn Research Center has developed a computer interface standard for accessing data from computer-aided design (CAD) systems. The Object Management Group, an international computer standards organization, has adopted this CAD services standard. The new standard allows software (e.g., computer-aided engineering (CAE) and computer-aided manufacturing software to access multiple CAD systems through one programming interface. The interface is built on top of a distributed computing system called the Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA). CORBA allows the CAD services software to operate in a distributed, heterogeneous computing environment.

Heuristics to Evaluate Interactive Systems for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

PubMed

Khowaja, Kamran; Salim, Siti Salwah; Asemi, Adeleh

2015-01-01

In this paper, we adapted and expanded a set of guidelines, also known as heuristics, to evaluate the usability of software to now be appropriate for software aimed at children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We started from the heuristics developed by Nielsen in 1990 and developed a modified set of 15 heuristics. The first 5 heuristics of this set are the same as those of the original Nielsen set, the next 5 heuristics are improved versions of Nielsen's, whereas the last 5 heuristics are new. We present two evaluation studies of our new heuristics. In the first, two groups compared Nielsen's set with the modified set of heuristics, with each group evaluating two interactive systems. The Nielsen's heuristics were assigned to the control group while the experimental group was given the modified set of heuristics, and a statistical analysis was conducted to determine the effectiveness of the modified set, the contribution of 5 new heuristics and the impact of 5 improved heuristics. The results show that the modified set is significantly more effective than the original, and we found a significant difference between the five improved heuristics and their corresponding heuristics in the original set. The five new heuristics are effective in problem identification using the modified set. The second study was conducted using a system which was developed to ascertain if the modified set was effective at identifying usability problems that could be fixed before the release of software. The post-study analysis revealed that the majority of the usability problems identified by the experts were fixed in the updated version of the system.

First year of ALMA site software deployment: where everything comes together

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

González, Víctor; Mora, Matias; Araya, Rodrigo; Arredondo, Diego; Bartsch, Marcelo; Burgos, Pablo; Ibsen, Jorge; Reveco, Johnny; Sáez, Norman; Schemrl, Anton; Sepulveda, Jorge; Shen, Tzu-Chiang; Soto, Rubén; Troncoso, Nicolás; Zambrano, Mauricio; Barriga, Nicolás; Glendenning, Brian; Raffi, Gianni; Kern, Jeff

2010-07-01

Starting 2009, the ALMA project initiated one of its most exciting phases within construction: the first antenna from one of the vendors was delivered to the Assembly, Integration and Verification team. With this milestone and the closure of the ALMA Test Facility in New Mexico, the JAO Computing Group in Chile found itself in the front line of the project's software deployment and integration effort. Among the group's main responsibilities are the deployment, configuration and support of the observation systems, in addition to infrastructure administration, all of which needs to be done in close coordination with the development groups in Europe, North America and Japan. Software support has been the primary interaction key with the current users (mainly scientists, operators and hardware engineers), as the software is normally the most visible part of the system. During this first year of work with the production hardware, three consecutive software releases have been deployed and commissioned. Also, the first three antennas have been moved to the Array Operations Site, at 5.000 meters elevation, and the complete end-to-end system has been successfully tested. This paper shares the experience of this 15-people group as part of the construction team at the ALMA site, and working together with Computing IPT, on the achievements and problems overcomed during this period. It explores the excellent results of teamwork, and also some of the troubles that such a complex and geographically distributed project can run into. Finally, it approaches the challenges still to come, with the transition to the ALMA operations plan.

The Development of a Dynamic Geomagnetic Cutoff Rigidity Model for the International Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smart, D. F.; Shea, M. A.

1999-01-01

We have developed a computer model of geomagnetic vertical cutoffs applicable to the orbit of the International Space Station. This model accounts for the change in geomagnetic cutoff rigidity as a function of geomagnetic activity level. This model was delivered to NASA Johnson Space Center in July 1999 and tested on the Space Radiation Analysis Group DEC-Alpha computer system to ensure that it will properly interface with other software currently used at NASA JSC. The software was designed for ease of being upgraded as other improved models of geomagnetic cutoff as a function of magnetic activity are developed.

Developing Engineering and Science Process Skills Using Design Software in an Elementary Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fusco, Christopher

This paper examines the development of process skills through an engineering design approach to instruction in an elementary lesson that combines Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). The study took place with 25 fifth graders in a public, suburban school district. Students worked in groups of five to design and construct model bridges based on research involving bridge building design software. The assessment was framed around individual student success as well as overall group processing skills. These skills were assessed through an engineering design packet rubric (student work), student surveys of learning gains, observation field notes, and pre- and post-assessment data. The results indicate that students can successfully utilize design software to inform constructions of model bridges, develop science process skills through problem based learning, and understand academic concepts through a design project. The final result of this study shows that design engineering is effective for developing cooperative learning skills. The study suggests that an engineering program offered as an elective or as part of the mandatory curriculum could be beneficial for developing students' critical thinking, inter- and intra-personal skills, along with an increased their understanding and awareness for scientific phenomena. In conclusion, combining a design approach to instruction with STEM can increase efficiency in these areas, generate meaningful learning, and influence student attitudes throughout their education.

Communication Management Guidelines for Software Organizations in Pakistan with clients from Afghanistan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arif Shah, Muhammad; Hashim, Rathiah; Shah, Adil Ali; Farooq Khattak, Umar

2016-11-01

Developing software through Global Software Development (GSD) became very common now days in the software industry. Pakistan is one of the countries where projects are taken and designed from different countries including Afghanistan. The purpose of this paper is to identify and provide an analysis on several communication barriers that can have a negative impact on the project and to provide management guidelines for medium size software organizations working in Pakistan with clients from Afghanistan and to overcome these communication barriers and challenges organizations face when coordinating with client. Initially we performed a literature review to identify different communication barriers and to check if there are any standardized communications management guidelines for medium size software houses provided in the past. The second stage of the research paper involves guidelines with vendor's perspective that include interviews and focus group discussions with different stakeholders and employees of software houses with clients from Afghanistan. Based on those interviews and discussions we established communication management guidelines in order to overcome the communication problems and barriers working with clients from Afghanistan. As a result of the literature review, we have identified that barriers such as cultural barriers and language barrier were one of the main reasons behind the project failure and suggested that software organizations working in Pakistan should follow certain defined communication guidelines in order to overcome communication barriers that affect the project directly.

Computer-assisted teaching of skin flap surgery: validation of a mobile platform software for medical students.

PubMed

de Sena, David P; Fabricio, Daniela D; Lopes, Maria Helena I; da Silva, Vinicius D

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a multimedia software application for mobile platforms to assist in the teaching and learning process of design and construction of a skin flap. Traditional training in surgery is based on learning by doing. Initially, the use of cadavers and animal models appeared to be a valid alternative for training. However, many conflicts with these training models prompted progression to synthetic and virtual reality models. Fifty volunteer fifth- and sixth-year medical students completed a pretest and were randomly allocated into two groups of 25 students each. The control group was exposed for 5 minutes to a standard text-based print article, while the test group used multimedia software describing how to fashion a rhomboid flap. Each group then performed a cutaneous flap on a training bench model while being evaluated by three blinded BSPS (Brazilian Society of Plastic Surgery) board-certified surgeons using the OSATS (Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skill) protocol and answered a post-test. The text-based group was then tested again using the software. The computer-assisted learning (CAL) group had superior performance as confirmed by checklist scores (p<0.002), overall global assessment (p = 0.017) and post-test results (p<0.001). All participants ranked the multimedia method as the best study tool. CAL learners exhibited better subjective and objective performance when fashioning rhomboid flaps as compared to those taught with standard print material. These findings indicate that students preferred to learn using the multimedia method.

EPA Scientific Knowledge Management Assessment and ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

A series of activities have been conducted by a core group of EPA scientists from across the Agency. The activities were initiated in 2012 and the focus was to increase the reuse and interoperability of science software at EPA. The need for increased reuse and interoperability is linked to the increased complexity of environmental assessments in the 21st century. This complexity is manifest in the form of problems that require integrated multi-disciplinary solutions. To enable the means to develop these solutions (i.e., science software systems) it is necessary to integrate software developed by disparate groups representing a variety of science domains. Thus, reuse and interoperability becomes imperative. This report briefly describes the chronology of activities conducted by the group of scientists to provide context for the primary purpose of this report, that is, to describe the proceedings and outcomes of the latest activity, a workshop entitled “Workshop on Advancing US EPA integration of environmental and information sciences”. The EPA has been lagging in digital maturity relative to the private sector and even other government agencies. This report helps begin the process of improving the agency’s use of digital technologies, especially in the areas of efficiency and transparency. This report contributes to SHC 1.61.2.

Adaptable Computing Environment/Self-Assembling Software

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Osbourn, Gordon C.; Bouchard, Ann M.; Bartholomew, John W.

Complex software applications are difficult to learn to use and to remember how to use. Further, the user has no control over the functionality available in a given application. The software we use can be created and modified only by a relatively small group of elite, highly skilled artisans known as programmers. "Normal users" are powerless to create and modify software themselves, because the tools for software development, designed by and for programmers, are a barrier to entry. This software, when completed, will be a user-adaptable computing environment in which the user is really in control of his/her own software,more » able to adapt the system, make new parts of the system interactive, and even modify the behavior of the system itself. Som key features of the basic environment that have been implemented are (a) books in bookcases, where all data is stored, (b) context-sensitive compass menus (compass, because the buttons are located in compass directions relative to the mouose cursor position), (c) importing tabular data and displaying it in a book, (d) light-weight table querying/sorting, (e) a Reach&Get capability (sort of a "smart" copy/paste that prevents the user from copying invalid data), and (f) a LogBook that automatically logs all user actions that change data or the system itself. To bootstrap toward full end-user adaptability, we implemented a set of development tools. With the development tools, compass menus can be made and customized.« less

Benefits of Matching Domain Structure for Planning Software: The Right Stuff

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Billman, Dorrit Owen; Arsintescu, Lucica; Feary, Michael S.; Lee, Jessica Chia-Rong; Smith, Asha Halima; Tiwary, Rachna

2011-01-01

We investigated the role of domain structure in software design. We compared 2 planning applications, for a Mission Control group (International Space Station), and measured users speed and accuracy. Based on our needs analysis, we identified domain structure and used this to develop new prototype software that matched domain structure better than the legacy system. We took a high-fidelity analog of the natural task into the laboratory and found (large) periformance differences, favoring the system that matched domain structure. Our task design enabled us to attribute better periormance to better match of domain structure. We ran through the whole development cycle, in miniature, from needs analysis through design, development, and evaluation. Doing so enabled inferences not just about the particular systems compared, but also provided evidence for the viability of the design process (particularly needs analysis) that we are exploring.

[Instruments in Brazilian Sign Language for assessing the quality of life of the deaf population].

PubMed

Chaveiro, Neuma; Duarte, Soraya Bianca Reis; Freitas, Adriana Ribeiro de; Barbosa, Maria Alves; Porto, Celmo Celeno; Fleck, Marcelo Pio de Almeida

2013-06-01

To construct versions of the WHOQOL-BREF and WHOQOL-DIS instruments in Brazilian sign language to evaluate the Brazilian deaf population's quality of life. The methodology proposed by the World Health Organization (WHOQOL-BREF and WHOQOL-DIS) was used to construct instruments adapted to the deaf community using Brazilian Sign Language (Libras). The research for constructing the instrument took placein 13 phases: 1) creating the QUALITY OF LIFE sign; 2) developing the answer scales in Libras; 3) translation by a bilingual group; 4) synthesized version; 5) first back translation; 6) production of the version in Libras to be provided to the focal groups; 7) carrying out the Focal Groups; 8) review by a monolingual group; 9) revision by the bilingual group; 10) semantic/syntactic analysis and second back translation; 11) re-evaluation of the back translation by the bilingual group; 12) recording the version into the software; 13) developing the WHOQOL-BREF and WHOQOL-DIS software in Libras. Characteristics peculiar to the culture of the deaf population indicated the necessity of adapting the application methodology of focal groups composed of deaf people. The writing conventions of sign languages have not yet been consolidated, leading to difficulties in graphically registering the translation phases. Linguistics structures that caused major problems in translation were those that included idiomatic Portuguese expressions, for many of which there are no equivalent concepts between Portuguese and Libras. In the end, it was possible to create WHOQOL-BREF and WHOQOL-DIS software in Libras. The WHOQOL-BREF and the WHOQOL-DIS in Libras will allow the deaf to express themselves about their quality of life in an autonomous way, making it possible to investigate these issues more accurately.

The Software Engineering Laboratory: An operational software experience factory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Basili, Victor R.; Caldiera, Gianluigi; Mcgarry, Frank; Pajerski, Rose; Page, Gerald; Waligora, Sharon

1992-01-01

For 15 years, the Software Engineering Laboratory (SEL) has been carrying out studies and experiments for the purpose of understanding, assessing, and improving software and software processes within a production software development environment at NASA/GSFC. The SEL comprises three major organizations: (1) NASA/GSFC, Flight Dynamics Division; (2) University of Maryland, Department of Computer Science; and (3) Computer Sciences Corporation, Flight Dynamics Technology Group. These organizations have jointly carried out several hundred software studies, producing hundreds of reports, papers, and documents, all of which describe some aspect of the software engineering technology that was analyzed in the flight dynamics environment at NASA. The studies range from small, controlled experiments (such as analyzing the effectiveness of code reading versus that of functional testing) to large, multiple project studies (such as assessing the impacts of Ada on a production environment). The organization's driving goal is to improve the software process continually, so that sustained improvement may be observed in the resulting products. This paper discusses the SEL as a functioning example of an operational software experience factory and summarizes the characteristics of and major lessons learned from 15 years of SEL operations.

Creation of the selection list for the Experiment Scheduling Program (ESP)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Deuermeyer, B. L.; Shannon, R. E.; Underbrink, A. J., Jr.

1986-01-01

The efforts to develop a procedure to construct selection groups to augment the Experiment Scheduling Program (ESP) are summarized. Included is a User's Guide and a sample scenario to guide in the use of the software system that implements the developed procedures.

Simscape Modeling Verification in the Simulink Development Environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Volle, Christopher E. E.

2014-01-01

The purpose of the Simulation Product Group of the Control and Data Systems division of the NASA Engineering branch at Kennedy Space Center is to provide a realtime model and simulation of the Ground Subsystems participating in vehicle launching activities. The simulation software is part of the Spaceport Command and Control System (SCCS) and is designed to support integrated launch operation software verification, and console operator training. Using Mathworks Simulink tools, modeling engineers currently build models from the custom-built blocks to accurately represent ground hardware. This is time consuming and costly due to required rigorous testing and peer reviews to be conducted for each custom-built block. Using Mathworks Simscape tools, modeling time can be reduced since there would be no custom-code developed. After careful research, the group came to the conclusion it is feasible to use Simscape's blocks in MatLab's Simulink. My project this fall was to verify the accuracy of the Crew Access Arm model developed using Simscape tools running in the Simulink development environment.

Glossary: Defense Acquisition Acronyms and Terms. 4th Edition

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-10-01

Appropriations Committee R HARDMAN Manpower Planning for Hardware (Navy/USMC) HASC House Armed Services Committee 11 HBC House Budget Committee R HCA Head of...Logistics Review Group (Navy) LRIP Low Rate Initial Production LRP Low Rate Production LRRDAP Long Range Research, Development and Acquisition Plan...Software User’s Manual R SUPSHIPS Superintendent of Shipbuilding S/V Survivability/Vulnerability SVR Shop Visit Rate R SW or S/W Software SX Systems

NASA's Software Bank (NETS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1992-01-01

NETS (A Neural Network Development Tool) is a software system for mimicking the human brain. It is used in a University of Arkansas project in pattern matching of chemical systems. If successful, chemists would be able to identify mixtures of compounds without long and costly separation procedures. Using NETS, the group has trained the computer to recognize pattern relationships in a known compound and associate the results to an unknown compound. The research appears to be promising.

Transformation Systems at NASA Ames

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Buntine, Wray; Fischer, Bernd; Havelund, Klaus; Lowry, Michael; Pressburger, TOm; Roach, Steve; Robinson, Peter; VanBaalen, Jeffrey

1999-01-01

In this paper, we describe the experiences of the Automated Software Engineering Group at the NASA Ames Research Center in the development and application of three different transformation systems. The systems span the entire technology range, from deductive synthesis, to logic-based transformation, to almost compiler-like source-to-source transformation. These systems also span a range of NASA applications, including solving solar system geometry problems, generating data analysis software, and analyzing multi-threaded Java code.

Prediction of rodent carcinogenic potential of naturally occurring chemicals in the human diet using high-throughput QSAR predictive modeling

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Valerio, Luis G.; Arvidson, Kirk B.; Chanderbhan, Ronald F.

2007-07-01

Consistent with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Critical Path Initiative, predictive toxicology software programs employing quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) models are currently under evaluation for regulatory risk assessment and scientific decision support for highly sensitive endpoints such as carcinogenicity, mutagenicity and reproductive toxicity. At the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition's Office of Food Additive Safety and the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research's Informatics and Computational Safety Analysis Staff (ICSAS), the use of computational SAR tools for both qualitative and quantitative risk assessment applications are being developed and evaluated. One tool of current interest ismore » MDL-QSAR predictive discriminant analysis modeling of rodent carcinogenicity, which has been previously evaluated for pharmaceutical applications by the FDA ICSAS. The study described in this paper aims to evaluate the utility of this software to estimate the carcinogenic potential of small, organic, naturally occurring chemicals found in the human diet. In addition, a group of 19 known synthetic dietary constituents that were positive in rodent carcinogenicity studies served as a control group. In the test group of naturally occurring chemicals, 101 were found to be suitable for predictive modeling using this software's discriminant analysis modeling approach. Predictions performed on these compounds were compared to published experimental evidence of each compound's carcinogenic potential. Experimental evidence included relevant toxicological studies such as rodent cancer bioassays, rodent anti-carcinogenicity studies, genotoxic studies, and the presence of chemical structural alerts. Statistical indices of predictive performance were calculated to assess the utility of the predictive modeling method. Results revealed good predictive performance using this software's rodent carcinogenicity module of over 1200 chemicals, comprised primarily of pharmaceutical, industrial and some natural products developed under an FDA-MDL cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA). The predictive performance for this group of dietary natural products and the control group was 97% sensitivity and 80% concordance. Specificity was marginal at 53%. This study finds that the in silico QSAR analysis employing this software's rodent carcinogenicity database is capable of identifying the rodent carcinogenic potential of naturally occurring organic molecules found in the human diet with a high degree of sensitivity. It is the first study to demonstrate successful QSAR predictive modeling of naturally occurring carcinogens found in the human diet using an external validation test. Further test validation of this software and expansion of the training data set for dietary chemicals will help to support the future use of such QSAR methods for screening and prioritizing the risk of dietary chemicals when actual animal data are inadequate, equivocal, or absent.« less

Ontological Model of Business Process Management Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manoilov, G.; Deliiska, B.

2008-10-01

The activities which constitute business process management (BPM) can be grouped into five categories: design, modeling, execution, monitoring and optimization. Dedicated software packets for business process management system (BPMS) are available on the market. But the efficiency of its exploitation depends on used ontological model in the development time and run time of the system. In the article an ontological model of BPMS in area of software industry is investigated. The model building is preceded by conceptualization of the domain and taxonomy of BPMS development. On the base of the taxonomy an simple online thesaurus is created.

Peregrine Software Toolchains | High-Performance Computing | NREL

Science.gov Websites

toolchain is an open-source alternative against which many technical applications are natively developed and tested. The Portland Group compilers are not fully supported, but are available to the HPC community. Use Group (PGI) C/C++ and Fortran (partially supported) The PGI Accelerator compilers include NVIDIA GPU

HEP Software Foundation Community White Paper Working Group - Data Analysis and Interpretation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bauerdick, Lothar

At the heart of experimental high energy physics (HEP) is the development of facilities and instrumentation that provide sensitivity to new phenomena. Our understanding of nature at its most fundamental level is advanced through the analysis and interpretation of data from sophisticated detectors in HEP experiments. The goal of data analysis systems is to realize the maximum possible scientific potential of the data within the constraints of computing and human resources in the least time. To achieve this goal, future analysis systems should empower physicists to access the data with a high level of interactivity, reproducibility and throughput capability. Asmore » part of the HEP Software Foundation Community White Paper process, a working group on Data Analysis and Interpretation was formed to assess the challenges and opportunities in HEP data analysis and develop a roadmap for activities in this area over the next decade. In this report, the key findings and recommendations of the Data Analysis and Interpretation Working Group are presented.« less

Detailed Design Documentation, without the Pain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramsay, C. D.; Parkes, S.

2004-06-01

Producing detailed forms of design documentation, such as pseudocode and structured flowcharts, to describe the procedures of a software system:(1) allows software developers to model and discuss their understanding of a problem and the design of a solution free from the syntax of a programming language,(2) facilitates deeper involvement of non-technical stakeholders, such as the customer or project managers, whose influence ensures the quality, correctness and timeliness of the resulting system,(3) forms comprehensive documentation of the system for its future maintenance, reuse and/or redeployment.However, such forms of documentation require effort to create and maintain.This paper describes a software tool which is currently being developed within the Space Systems Research Group at the University of Dundee which aims to improve the utility of, and the incentive for, creating detailed design documentation for the procedures of a software system. The rationale for creating such a tool is briefly discussed, followed by a description of the tool itself, a summary of its perceived benefits, and plans for future work.

Software and languages for microprocessors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, David O.

1986-08-01

This paper forms the basis for lectures given at the 6th Summer School on Computing Techniques in Physics, organised by the Computational Physics group of the European Physics Society, and held at the Hotel Ski, Nové Město na Moravě, Czechoslovakia, on 17-26 September 1985. Various types of microprocessor applications are discussed and the main emphasis of the paper is devoted to 'embedded' systems, where the software development is not carried out on the target microprocessor. Some information is provided on the general characteristics of microprocessor hardware. Various types of microprocessor operating system are compared and contrasted. The selection of appropriate languages and software environments for use with microprocessors is discussed. Mechanisms for interworking between different languages, including reasonable error handling, are treated. The CERN developed cross-software suite for the Motorola 68000 family is described. Some remarks are made concerning program tools applicable to microprocessors. PILS, a Portable Interactive Language System, which can be interpreted or compiled for a range of microprocessors, is described in some detail, and the implementation techniques are discussed.

OPM: The Open Porous Media Initiative

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Flemisch, B.; Flornes, K. M.; Lie, K.; Rasmussen, A.

2011-12-01

The principal objective of the Open Porous Media (OPM) initiative is to develop a simulation suite that is capable of modeling industrially and scientifically relevant flow and transport processes in porous media and bridge the gap between the different application areas of porous media modeling, including reservoir mechanics, CO2 sequestration, biological systems, and product development of engineered media. The OPM initiative will provide a long-lasting, efficient, and well-maintained open-source software for flow and transport in porous media built on modern software principles. The suite is released under the GNU General Public License (GPL). Our motivation is to provide a means to unite industry and public research on simulation of flow and transport in porous media. For academic users, we seek to provide a software infrastructure that facilitates testing of new ideas on models with industry-standard complexity, while at the same time giving the researcher control over discretization and solvers. Similarly, we aim to accelerate the technology transfer from academic institutions to professional companies by making new research results available as free software of professional standard. The OPM initiative is currently supported by six research groups in Norway and Germany and funded by existing grants from public research agencies as well as from Statoil Petroleum and Total E&P Norge. However, a full-scale development of the OPM initiative requires substantially more funding and involvement of more research groups and potential end users. In this talk, we will provide an overview of the current activities in the OPM initiative. Special emphasis will be given to the demonstration of the synergies achieved by combining the strengths of individual open-source software components. In particular, a new fully implicit solver developed within the DUNE-based simulator DuMux could be enhanced by the ability to read industry-standard Eclipse input files and to run on grids given in corner-point format. Examples taken from the SPE comparative solution projects and CO2 sequestration benchmarks illustrate the current capabilities of the simulation suite.

Simulink/PARS Integration Support

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vacaliuc, B.; Nakhaee, N.

2013-12-18

The state of the art for signal processor hardware has far out-paced the development tools for placing applications on that hardware. In addition, signal processors are available in a variety of architectures, each uniquely capable of handling specific types of signal processing efficiently. With these processors becoming smaller and demanding less power, it has become possible to group multiple processors, a heterogeneous set of processors, into single systems. Different portions of the desired problem set can be assigned to different processor types as appropriate. As software development tools do not keep pace with these processors, especially when multiple processors ofmore » different types are used, a method is needed to enable software code portability among multiple processors and multiple types of processors along with their respective software environments. Sundance DSP, Inc. has developed a software toolkit called “PARS”, whose objective is to provide a framework that uses suites of tools provided by different vendors, along with modeling tools and a real time operating system, to build an application that spans different processor types. The software language used to express the behavior of the system is a very high level modeling language, “Simulink”, a MathWorks product. ORNL has used this toolkit to effectively implement several deliverables. This CRADA describes this collaboration between ORNL and Sundance DSP, Inc.« less

Self-service for software development projects and HPC activities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Husejko, M.; Høimyr, N.; Gonzalez, A.; Koloventzos, G.; Asbury, D.; Trzcinska, A.; Agtzidis, I.; Botrel, G.; Otto, J.

2014-05-01

This contribution describes how CERN has implemented several essential tools for agile software development processes, ranging from version control (Git) to issue tracking (Jira) and documentation (Wikis). Running such services in a large organisation like CERN requires many administrative actions both by users and service providers, such as creating software projects, managing access rights, users and groups, and performing tool-specific customisation. Dealing with these requests manually would be a time-consuming task. Another area of our CERN computing services that has required dedicated manual support has been clusters for specific user communities with special needs. Our aim is to move all our services to a layered approach, with server infrastructure running on the internal cloud computing infrastructure at CERN. This contribution illustrates how we plan to optimise the management of our of services by means of an end-user facing platform acting as a portal into all the related services for software projects, inspired by popular portals for open-source developments such as Sourceforge, GitHub and others. Furthermore, the contribution will discuss recent activities with tests and evaluations of High Performance Computing (HPC) applications on different hardware and software stacks, and plans to offer a dynamically scalable HPC service at CERN, based on affordable hardware.

Experiences Supporting the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera: the Devops Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Licht, A.; Estes, N. M.; Bowman-Cisnesros, E.; Hanger, C. D.

2013-12-01

Introduction: The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) Science Operations Center (SOC) is responsible for instrument targeting, product processing, and archiving [1]. The LROC SOC maintains over 1,000,000 observations with over 300 TB of released data. Processing challenges compound with the acquisition of over 400 Gbits of observations daily creating the need for a robust, efficient, and reliable suite of specialized software. Development Environment: The LROC SOC's software development methodology has evolved over time. Today, the development team operates in close cooperation with the systems administration team in a model known in the IT industry as DevOps. The DevOps model enables a highly productive development environment that facilitates accomplishment of key goals within tight schedules[2]. The LROC SOC DevOps model incorporates industry best practices including prototyping, continuous integration, unit testing, code coverage analysis, version control, and utilizing existing open source software. Scientists and researchers at LROC often prototype algorithms and scripts in a high-level language such as MATLAB or IDL. After the prototype is functionally complete the solution is implemented as production ready software by the developers. Following this process ensures that all controls and requirements set by the LROC SOC DevOps team are met. The LROC SOC also strives to enhance the efficiency of the operations staff by way of weekly presentations and informal mentoring. Many small scripting tasks are assigned to the cognizant operations personnel (end users), allowing for the DevOps team to focus on more complex and mission critical tasks. In addition to leveraging open source software the LROC SOC has also contributed to the open source community by releasing Lunaserv [3]. Findings: The DevOps software model very efficiently provides smooth software releases and maintains team momentum. Scientists prototyping their work has proven to be very efficient as developers do not need to spend time iterating over small changes. Instead, these changes are realized in early prototypes and implemented before the task is seen by developers. The development practices followed by the LROC SOC DevOps team help facilitate a high level of software quality that is necessary for LROC SOC operations. Application to the Scientific Community: There is no replacement for having software developed by professional developers. While it is beneficial for scientists to write software, this activity should be seen as prototyping, which is then made production ready by professional developers. When constructed properly, even a small development team has the ability to increase the rate of software development for a research group while creating more efficient, reliable, and maintainable products. This strategy allows scientists to accomplish more, focusing on teamwork, rather than software development, which may not be their primary focus. 1. Robinson et al. (2010) Space Sci. Rev. 150, 81-124 2. DeGrandis. (2011) Cutter IT Journal. Vol 24, No. 8, 34-39 3. Estes, N.M.; Hanger, C.D.; Licht, A.A.; Bowman-Cisneros, E.; Lunaserv Web Map Service: History, Implementation Details, Development, and Uses, http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2013LPICo1719.2609E.

Control Software for the VERITAS Cerenkov Telescope System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krawczynski, H.; Olevitch, M.; Sembroski, G.; Gibbs, K.

2003-07-01

The VERITAS collab oration is developing a system of initially 4 and ˇ eventually 7 Cerenkov telescopes of the 12 m diameter class for high sensitivity gamma-ray astronomy in the >50 GeV energy range. In this contribution we describe the software that controls and monitors the various VERITAS subsystems. The software uses an object-oriented approach to cop e with the complexities that arise from using sub-groups of the 7 VERITAS telescopes to observe several sources at the same time. Inter-pro cess communication is based on the CORBA object Request Broker proto col and watch-dog processes monitor the sub-system performance.

Virtual Reality as Innovative Approach to the Interior Designing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaleja, Pavol; Kozlovská, Mária

2017-06-01

We can observe significant potential of information and communication technologies (ICT) in interior designing field, by development of software and hardware virtual reality tools. Using ICT tools offer realistic perception of proposal in its initial idea (the study). A group of real-time visualization, supported by hardware tools like Oculus Rift HTC Vive, provides free walkthrough and movement in virtual interior with the possibility of virtual designing. By improving of ICT software tools for designing in virtual reality we can achieve still more realistic virtual environment. The contribution presented proposal of an innovative approach of interior designing in virtual reality, using the latest software and hardware ICT virtual reality technologies

ATM Technology Demonstration-1 Phase II Boeing Configurable Graphical Display (CGD) Software Design Description

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilber, George F.

2017-01-01

This Software Description Document (SDD) captures the design for developing the Flight Interval Management (FIM) system Configurable Graphics Display (CGD) software. Specifically this SDD describes aspects of the Boeing CGD software and the surrounding context and interfaces. It does not describe the Honeywell components of the CGD system. The SDD provides the system overview, architectural design, and detailed design with all the necessary information to implement the Boeing components of the CGD software and integrate them into the CGD subsystem within the larger FIM system. Overall system and CGD system-level requirements are derived from the CGD SRS (in turn derived from the Boeing System Requirements Design Document (SRDD)). Display and look-and-feel requirements are derived from Human Machine Interface (HMI) design documents and working group recommendations. This Boeing CGD SDD is required to support the upcoming Critical Design Review (CDR).

Abstraction, ethics and software: Why don`t the rules work?

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Warwick, S.

1994-12-31

A theory is presented that one of the reasons why the use of unlicensed software is so widespread and unstigmatized is that legislatures, courts and other bodies which create policy operate at a higher level of abstraction than do individuals, and that abstraction is a key factor in the divergence of societal behavior from that condoned by legal statute. This theory is explored through a pilot study consisting of medium depth interviews with two volunteers who had used unlicensed software. Their attitudes, understanding of the law, and characterization of the their use of unlicensed software as based on {open_quotes}need{close_quotes} ismore » reported. In addition, the concept of face is examined, and how it is maintained while violating law. It is suggested that further studies, using multiple methodologies, (in-depth interview, focus groups, and surveys) be conducted prior to developing further policy or legislation regarding intellectual property protection for software.« less

A multimedia interactive education system for prostate cancer patients: development and preliminary evaluation.

PubMed

Diefenbach, Michael A; Butz, Brian P

2004-01-21

A cancer diagnosis is highly distressing. Yet, to make informed treatment choices patients have to learn complicated disease and treatment information that is often fraught with medical and statistical terminology. Thus, patients need accurate and easy-to-understand information. To introduce the development and preliminary evaluation through focus groups of a novel highly-interactive multimedia-education software program for patients diagnosed with localized prostate cancer. The prostate interactive education system uses the metaphor of rooms in a virtual health center (ie, reception area, a library, physician offices, group meeting room) to organize information. Text information contained in the library is tailored to a person's information-seeking preference (ie, high versus low information seeker). We conducted a preliminary evaluation through 5 separate focus groups with prostate cancer survivors (N = 18) and their spouses (N = 15). Focus group results point to the timeliness and high acceptability of the software among the target audience. Results also underscore the importance of a guide or tutor who assists in navigating the program and who responds to queries to facilitate information retrieval. Focus groups have established the validity of our approach and point to new directions to further enhance the user interface.

Coverage Metrics for Model Checking

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Penix, John; Visser, Willem; Norvig, Peter (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

When using model checking to verify programs in practice, it is not usually possible to achieve complete coverage of the system. In this position paper we describe ongoing research within the Automated Software Engineering group at NASA Ames on the use of test coverage metrics to measure partial coverage and provide heuristic guidance for program model checking. We are specifically interested in applying and developing coverage metrics for concurrent programs that might be used to support certification of next generation avionics software.

Telescience at the University of California, Berkeley

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chakrabarti, S.; Marchant, W. T.; Kaplan, G. C.; Dobson, C. A.; Jernigan, J. G.; Lampton, M. L.; Malina, R. F.

1989-01-01

The University of California at Berkeley (UCB) is a member of a university consortium involved in telescience testbed activities under the sponsorship of NASA. Our Telescience Testbed Project consists of three experiments using flight hardware being developed for the Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer project at UCB's Space Sciences Laboratory. The first one is a teleoperation experiment investigating remote instrument control using a computer network such as the Internet. The second experiment is an effort to develop a system for operation of a network of remote workstations allowing coordinated software development, evaluation, and use by widely dispersed groups. The final experiment concerns simulation as a method to facilitate the concurrent development of instrument hardware and support software. We describe our progress in these areas.

[Study of the relationship between congenital missing of the third molar and the development of the mandibular angle].

PubMed

Chen, Yan-Na; Zheng, Bo-Wen; Liu, Yi

2017-02-01

Based on the research of the congenital missing of the third molar and the missing number, the relationship beteen congenital missing of the third molar and the development of the mandibular angle was evaluated. Patients were divided into experimental group and control group, the experimental group included 227 patients, each had at least one of the third molars congenital lost; 227 patients who had four third molar were selected as control group. Winceph software was used to measure the lateral cephalograms. SPSS17.0 software package was used to perform statistical analysis. Gonial angle, upper Gonial angle and lower Gonial angle between the experimental group and the control group showed significant difference and the values in the experimental group were significantly smaller than in the control group, but there was no gender difference between the two groups.There was no difference between Gonial angle, upper Gonial angle,lower Gonial angle and the missing number of the third molar. There is a close relationship between congenital missing third molar and Gonial angle, upper Gonial angle, lower Gonial angle, but there is no significant association with gender and the patients with congenital missing third molar have shorter craniofacial structure. Congenital missing number of the third molar has no significant association with Gonial angle, upper Gonial angle and lower Gonial angle.

Computer Software Training and HRD: What Are the Critical Issues?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Altemeyer, Brad

2005-01-01

The paper explores critical issues for HRD practice from a parsonian framework across the HRD legs of organizational development, adult learning, and training and development. Insights into the critical issues emerge from this approach. Identifying successful transfer of training to be critical for organizational, group, and individual success.…

Program For Generating Interactive Displays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Costenbader, Jay; Moleski, Walt; Szczur, Martha; Howell, David; Engelberg, Norm; Li, Tin P.; Misra, Dharitri; Miller, Philip; Neve, Leif; Wolf, Karl;

Heuristics to Evaluate Interactive Systems for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

PubMed Central

Khowaja, Kamran; Salim, Siti Salwah

2015-01-01

In this paper, we adapted and expanded a set of guidelines, also known as heuristics, to evaluate the usability of software to now be appropriate for software aimed at children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We started from the heuristics developed by Nielsen in 1990 and developed a modified set of 15 heuristics. The first 5 heuristics of this set are the same as those of the original Nielsen set, the next 5 heuristics are improved versions of Nielsen's, whereas the last 5 heuristics are new. We present two evaluation studies of our new heuristics. In the first, two groups compared Nielsen’s set with the modified set of heuristics, with each group evaluating two interactive systems. The Nielsen’s heuristics were assigned to the control group while the experimental group was given the modified set of heuristics, and a statistical analysis was conducted to determine the effectiveness of the modified set, the contribution of 5 new heuristics and the impact of 5 improved heuristics. The results show that the modified set is significantly more effective than the original, and we found a significant difference between the five improved heuristics and their corresponding heuristics in the original set. The five new heuristics are effective in problem identification using the modified set. The second study was conducted using a system which was developed to ascertain if the modified set was effective at identifying usability problems that could be fixed before the release of software. The post-study analysis revealed that the majority of the usability problems identified by the experts were fixed in the updated version of the system. PMID:26196385

Digital Image Correlation from Commercial to FOS Software: a Mature Technique for Full-Field Displacement Measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belloni, V.; Ravanelli, R.; Nascetti, A.; Di Rita, M.; Mattei, D.; Crespi, M.

2018-05-01

In the last few decades, there has been a growing interest in studying non-contact methods for full-field displacement and strain measurement. Among such techniques, Digital Image Correlation (DIC) has received particular attention, thanks to its ability to provide these information by comparing digital images of a sample surface before and after deformation. The method is now commonly adopted in the field of civil, mechanical and aerospace engineering and different companies and some research groups implemented 2D and 3D DIC software. In this work a review on DIC software status is given at first. Moreover, a free and open source 2D DIC software is presented, named py2DIC and developed in Python at the Geodesy and Geomatics Division of DICEA of the University of Rome "La Sapienza"; its potentialities were evaluated by processing the images captured during tensile tests performed in the Structural Engineering Lab of the University of Rome "La Sapienza" and comparing them to those obtained using the commercial software Vic-2D developed by Correlated Solutions Inc, USA. The agreement of these results at one hundredth of millimetre level demonstrate the possibility to use this open source software as a valuable 2D DIC tool to measure full-field displacements on the investigated sample surface.

Hierarchical Petascale Simulation Framework For Stress Corrosion Cracking

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Grama, Ananth

2013-12-18

A number of major accomplishments resulted from the project. These include: • Data Structures, Algorithms, and Numerical Methods for Reactive Molecular Dynamics. We have developed a range of novel data structures, algorithms, and solvers (amortized ILU, Spike) for use with ReaxFF and charge equilibration. • Parallel Formulations of ReactiveMD (Purdue ReactiveMolecular Dynamics Package, PuReMD, PuReMD-GPU, and PG-PuReMD) for Messaging, GPU, and GPU Cluster Platforms. We have developed efficient serial, parallel (MPI), GPU (Cuda), and GPU Cluster (MPI/Cuda) implementations. Our implementations have been demonstrated to be significantly better than the state of the art, both in terms of performance and scalability.more » • Comprehensive Validation in the Context of Diverse Applications. We have demonstrated the use of our software in diverse systems, including silica-water, silicon-germanium nanorods, and as part of other projects, extended it to applications ranging from explosives (RDX) to lipid bilayers (biomembranes under oxidative stress). • Open Source Software Packages for Reactive Molecular Dynamics. All versions of our soft- ware have been released over the public domain. There are over 100 major research groups worldwide using our software. • Implementation into the Department of Energy LAMMPS Software Package. We have also integrated our software into the Department of Energy LAMMPS software package.« less

Using Group Explorer in teaching abstract algebra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schubert, Claus; Gfeller, Mary; Donohue, Christopher

2013-04-01

This study explores the use of Group Explorer in an undergraduate mathematics course in abstract algebra. The visual nature of Group Explorer in representing concepts in group theory is an attractive incentive to use this software in the classroom. However, little is known about students' perceptions on this technology in learning concepts in abstract algebra. A total of 26 participants in an undergraduate course studying group theory were surveyed regarding their experiences using Group Explorer. Findings indicate that all participants believed that the software was beneficial to their learning and described their attitudes regarding the software in terms of using the technology and its helpfulness in learning concepts. A multiple regression analysis reveals that representational fluency of concepts with the software correlated significantly with participants' understanding of group concepts yet, participants' attitudes about Group Explorer and technology in general were not significant factors.

Space Flight Software Development Software for Intelligent System Health Management

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Trevino, Luis C.; Crumbley, Tim

2004-01-01

The slide presentation examines the Marshall Space Flight Center Flight Software Branch, including software development projects, mission critical space flight software development, software technical insight, advanced software development technologies, and continuous improvement in the software development processes and methods.

Identification of features of electronic prescribing systems to support quality and safety in primary care using a modified Delphi process.

PubMed

Sweidan, Michelle; Williamson, Margaret; Reeve, James F; Harvey, Ken; O'Neill, Jennifer A; Schattner, Peter; Snowdon, Teri

2010-04-15

Electronic prescribing is increasingly being used in primary care and in hospitals. Studies on the effects of e-prescribing systems have found evidence for both benefit and harm. The aim of this study was to identify features of e-prescribing software systems that support patient safety and quality of care and that are useful to the clinician and the patient, with a focus on improving the quality use of medicines. Software features were identified by a literature review, key informants and an expert group. A modified Delphi process was used with a 12-member multidisciplinary expert group to reach consensus on the expected impact of the features in four domains: patient safety, quality of care, usefulness to the clinician and usefulness to the patient. The setting was electronic prescribing in general practice in Australia. A list of 114 software features was developed. Most of the features relate to the recording and use of patient data, the medication selection process, prescribing decision support, monitoring drug therapy and clinical reports. The expert group rated 78 of the features (68%) as likely to have a high positive impact in at least one domain, 36 features (32%) as medium impact, and none as low or negative impact. Twenty seven features were rated as high positive impact across 3 or 4 domains including patient safety and quality of care. Ten features were considered "aspirational" because of a lack of agreed standards and/or suitable knowledge bases. This study defines features of e-prescribing software systems that are expected to support safety and quality, especially in relation to prescribing and use of medicines in general practice. The features could be used to develop software standards, and could be adapted if necessary for use in other settings and countries.

A real time biofeedback using Kinect and Wii to improve gait for post-total knee replacement rehabilitation: a case study report.

PubMed

Levinger, Pazit; Zeina, Daniel; Teshome, Assefa K; Skinner, Elizabeth; Begg, Rezaul; Abbott, John Haxby

2016-01-01

This study aimed to develop a low-cost real-time biofeedback system to assist with rehabilitation for patients following total knee replacement (TKR) and to assess its feasibility of use in a post-TKR patient case study design with a comparison group. The biofeedback system consisted of Microsoft Kinect(TM) and Nintendo Wii balance board with a dedicated software. A six-week inpatient rehabilitation program was augmented by biofeedback and tested in a single patient following TKR. Three patients underwent a six weeks standard rehabilitation with no biofeedback and served as a control group. Gait, function and pain were assessed and compared before and after the rehabilitation. The biofeedback software incorporated real time visual feedback to correct limb alignment, movement pattern and weight distribution. Improvements in pain, function and quality of life were observed in both groups. The strong improvement in the knee moment pattern demonstrated in the case study indicates feasibility of the biofeedback-augmented intervention. This novel biofeedback software has used simple commercially accessible equipment that can be feasibly incorporated to augment a post-TKR rehabilitation program. Our preliminary results indicate the potential of this biofeedback-assisted rehabilitation to improve knee function during gait. Research is required to test this hypothesis. Implications for Rehabilitation The real-time biofeedback system developed integrated custom-made software and simple low-cost commercially accessible equipment such as Kinect and Wii board to provide augmented information during rehabilitation following TKR. The software incorporated key rehabilitation principles and visual feedback to correct alignment of the lower legs, pelvic and trunk as well as providing feedback on limbs weight distribution. The case study patient demonstrated greater improvement in their knee function where a more normal biphasic knee moment was achieved following the six-week biofeedback intervention.

Identification of features of electronic prescribing systems to support quality and safety in primary care using a modified Delphi process

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Electronic prescribing is increasingly being used in primary care and in hospitals. Studies on the effects of e-prescribing systems have found evidence for both benefit and harm. The aim of this study was to identify features of e-prescribing software systems that support patient safety and quality of care and that are useful to the clinician and the patient, with a focus on improving the quality use of medicines. Methods Software features were identified by a literature review, key informants and an expert group. A modified Delphi process was used with a 12-member multidisciplinary expert group to reach consensus on the expected impact of the features in four domains: patient safety, quality of care, usefulness to the clinician and usefulness to the patient. The setting was electronic prescribing in general practice in Australia. Results A list of 114 software features was developed. Most of the features relate to the recording and use of patient data, the medication selection process, prescribing decision support, monitoring drug therapy and clinical reports. The expert group rated 78 of the features (68%) as likely to have a high positive impact in at least one domain, 36 features (32%) as medium impact, and none as low or negative impact. Twenty seven features were rated as high positive impact across 3 or 4 domains including patient safety and quality of care. Ten features were considered "aspirational" because of a lack of agreed standards and/or suitable knowledge bases. Conclusions This study defines features of e-prescribing software systems that are expected to support safety and quality, especially in relation to prescribing and use of medicines in general practice. The features could be used to develop software standards, and could be adapted if necessary for use in other settings and countries. PMID:20398294

Using Multimodal Presentation Software and Peer Group Discussion in Learning English as a Second Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Mei-jung

2011-01-01

This paper reports an application of multimedia in a blended learning environment in which students engaged in multimodal presentations and peer group discussion. Students' presentation files were commented upon by their peers on the discussion board and scored by the researcher, based on questions developed by Levy and Kimber (2009) to apply…

Near-Infrared Neuroimaging with NinPy

PubMed Central

Strangman, Gary E.; Zhang, Quan; Zeffiro, Thomas

2009-01-01

There has been substantial recent growth in the use of non-invasive optical brain imaging in studies of human brain function in health and disease. Near-infrared neuroimaging (NIN) is one of the most promising of these techniques and, although NIN hardware continues to evolve at a rapid pace, software tools supporting optical data acquisition, image processing, statistical modeling, and visualization remain less refined. Python, a modular and computationally efficient development language, can support functional neuroimaging studies of diverse design and implementation. In particular, Python's easily readable syntax and modular architecture allow swift prototyping followed by efficient transition to stable production systems. As an introduction to our ongoing efforts to develop Python software tools for structural and functional neuroimaging, we discuss: (i) the role of non-invasive diffuse optical imaging in measuring brain function, (ii) the key computational requirements to support NIN experiments, (iii) our collection of software tools to support NIN, called NinPy, and (iv) future extensions of these tools that will allow integration of optical with other structural and functional neuroimaging data sources. Source code for the software discussed here will be made available at www.nmr.mgh.harvard.edu/Neural_SystemsGroup/software.html. PMID:19543449

Integrating software architectures for distributed simulations and simulation analysis communities.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Goldsby, Michael E.; Fellig, Daniel; Linebarger, John Michael

2005-10-01

The one-year Software Architecture LDRD (No.79819) was a cross-site effort between Sandia California and Sandia New Mexico. The purpose of this research was to further develop and demonstrate integrating software architecture frameworks for distributed simulation and distributed collaboration in the homeland security domain. The integrated frameworks were initially developed through the Weapons of Mass Destruction Decision Analysis Center (WMD-DAC), sited at SNL/CA, and the National Infrastructure Simulation & Analysis Center (NISAC), sited at SNL/NM. The primary deliverable was a demonstration of both a federation of distributed simulations and a federation of distributed collaborative simulation analysis communities in the context ofmore » the same integrated scenario, which was the release of smallpox in San Diego, California. To our knowledge this was the first time such a combination of federations under a single scenario has ever been demonstrated. A secondary deliverable was the creation of the standalone GroupMeld{trademark} collaboration client, which uses the GroupMeld{trademark} synchronous collaboration framework. In addition, a small pilot experiment that used both integrating frameworks allowed a greater range of crisis management options to be performed and evaluated than would have been possible without the use of the frameworks.« less

The process group approach to reliable distributed computing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Birman, Kenneth P.

1992-01-01

The difficulty of developing reliable distribution software is an impediment to applying distributed computing technology in many settings. Experience with the ISIS system suggests that a structured approach based on virtually synchronous process groups yields systems that are substantially easier to develop, exploit sophisticated forms of cooperative computation, and achieve high reliability. Six years of research on ISIS, describing the model, its implementation challenges, and the types of applications to which ISIS has been applied are reviewed.

Validating the Effectiveness of Switching the Vancomycin TDM Analysis Software Based on the Predictive Accuracy.

PubMed

Imai, Shungo; Yamada, Takehiro; Ishiguro, Nobuhisa; Miyamoto, Takenori; Kagami, Keisuke; Tomiyama, Naoki; Niinuma, Yusuke; Nagasaki, Daisuke; Suzuki, Koji; Yamagami, Akira; Kasashi, Kumiko; Kobayashi, Masaki; Iseki, Ken

2017-01-01

Based on the predictive performance in our previous study, we switched the therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) analysis software for dose setting of vancomycin (VCM) from "Vancomycin MEEK TDM analysis software Ver2.0" (MEEK) to "SHIONOGI-VCM-TDM ver.2009" (VCM-TDM) in January 2015. In the present study, our aim was to validate the effectiveness of the changing VCM TDM analysis software in initial dose setting of VCM. The enrolled patients were divided into two groups, each having 162 patients in total, who received VCM with the initial dose set using MEEK (MEEK group) or VCM-TDM (VCM-TDM group). We compared the rates of attaining the therapeutic range (trough value; 10-20 μg/mL) of serum VCM concentration between the groups. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to confirm that changing the VCM TDM analysis software was an independent factor related to attaining the therapeutic range. Switching the VCM TDM analysis software from MEEK to VCM-TDM improved the rate of attaining the therapeutic range by 21.6% (MEEK group: 42.6% vs. VCM-TDM group: 64.2%, p<0.01). Patient age ≥65 years, concomitant medication (furosemide) and the TDM analysis software used VCM-TDM were considered to be independent factors for attaining the therapeutic range. These results demonstrated the effectiveness of switching the VCM TDM analysis software from MEEK to VCM-TDM for initial dose setting of VCM.

TERMTrial--terminology-based documentation systems for cooperative clinical trials.

PubMed

Merzweiler, A; Weber, R; Garde, S; Haux, R; Knaup-Gregori, P

2005-04-01

Within cooperative groups of multi-center clinical trials a standardized documentation is a prerequisite for communication and sharing of data. Standardizing documentation systems means standardizing the underlying terminology. The management and consistent application of terminology systems is a difficult and fault-prone task, which should be supported by appropriate software tools. Today, documentation systems for clinical trials are often implemented as so-called Remote-Data-Entry-Systems (RDE-systems). Although there are many commercial systems, which support the development of RDE-systems there is none offering a comprehensive terminological support. Therefore, we developed the software system TERMTrial which consists of a component for the definition and management of terminology systems for cooperative groups of clinical trials and two components for the terminology-based automatic generation of trial databases and terminology-based interactive design of electronic case report forms (eCRFs). TERMTrial combines the advantages of remote data entry with a comprehensive terminological control.

Microcomputers and the future of epidemiology.

PubMed Central

Dean, A G

1994-01-01

The Workshop on Microcomputers and the Future of Epidemiology was held March 8-9, 1993, at the Turner Conference Center, Atlanta, GA, with 130 public health professionals participating. The purpose of the workshop was to define microcomputer needs in epidemiology and to propose future initiatives. Thirteen groups representing public health disciplines defined their needs for better and more useful data, development of computer technology appropriate to epidemiology, user support and human infrastructure development, and global communication and planning. Initiatives proposed were demonstration of health surveillance systems, new software and hardware, computer-based training, projects to establish or improve data bases and community access to data bases, improved international communication, conferences on microcomputer use in particular disciplines, a suggestion to encourage competition in the production of public-domain software, and longrange global planning for epidemiologic computing and data management. Other interested groups are urged to study, modify, and implement those ideas. PMID:7910692

Educational interactive multimedia software: The impact of interactivity on learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reamon, Derek Trent

This dissertation discusses the design, development, deployment and testing of two versions of educational interactive multimedia software. Both versions of the software are focused on teaching mechanical engineering undergraduates about the fundamentals of direct-current (DC) motor physics and selection. The two versions of Motor Workshop software cover the same basic materials on motors, but differ in the level of interactivity between the students and the software. Here, the level of interactivity refers to the particular role of the computer in the interaction between the user and the software. In one version, the students navigate through information that is organized by topic, reading text, and viewing embedded video clips; this is referred to as "low-level interactivity" software because the computer simply presents the content. In the other version, the students are given a task to accomplish---they must design a small motor-driven 'virtual' vehicle that competes against computer-generated opponents. The interaction is guided by the software which offers advice from 'experts' and provides contextual information; we refer to this as "high-level interactivity" software because the computer is actively participating in the interaction. The software was used in two sets of experiments, where students using the low-level interactivity software served as the 'control group,' and students using the highly interactive software were the 'treatment group.' Data, including pre- and post-performance tests, questionnaire responses, learning style characterizations, activity tracking logs and videotapes were collected for analysis. Statistical and observational research methods were applied to the various data to test the hypothesis that the level of interactivity effects the learning situation, with higher levels of interactivity being more effective for learning. The results show that both the low-level and high-level interactive versions of the software were effective in promoting learning about the subject of motors. The focus of learning varied between users of the two versions, however. The low-level version was more effective for teaching concepts and terminology, while the high-level version seemed to be more effective for teaching engineering applications.

Implementing large projects in software engineering courses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coppit, David

2006-03-01

In software engineering education, large projects are widely recognized as a useful way of exposing students to the real-world difficulties of team software development. But large projects are difficult to put into practice. First, educators rarely have additional time to manage software projects. Second, classrooms have inherent limitations that threaten the realism of large projects. Third, quantitative evaluation of individuals who work in groups is notoriously difficult. As a result, many software engineering courses compromise the project experience by reducing the team sizes, project scope, and risk. In this paper, we present an approach to teaching a one-semester software engineering course in which 20 to 30 students work together to construct a moderately sized (15KLOC) software system. The approach combines carefully coordinated lectures and homeworks, a hierarchical project management structure, modern communication technologies, and a web-based project tracking and individual assessment system. Our approach provides a more realistic project experience for the students, without incurring significant additional overhead for the instructor. We present our experiences using the approach the last 2 years for the software engineering course at The College of William and Mary. Although the approach has some weaknesses, we believe that they are strongly outweighed by the pedagogical benefits.

The International River Interface Cooperative: Public Domain Software for River Flow and Morphodynamics (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nelson, J. M.; Shimizu, Y.; McDonald, R.; Takebayashi, H.

2009-12-01

The International River Interface Cooperative is an informal organization made up of academic faculty and government scientists with the goal of developing, distributing and providing education for a public-domain software interface for modeling river flow and morphodynamics. Formed in late 2007, the group released the first version of this interface (iRIC) in late 2009. iRIC includes models for two and three-dimensional flow, sediment transport, bed evolution, groundwater-surface water interaction, topographic data processing, and habitat assessment, as well as comprehensive data and model output visualization, mapping, and editing tools. All the tools in iRIC are specifically designed for use in river reaches and utilize common river data sets. The models are couched within a single graphical user interface so that a broad spectrum of models are available to users without learning new pre- and post-processing tools. The first version of iRIC was developed by combining the USGS public-domain Multi-Dimensional Surface Water Modeling System (MD_SWMS), developed at the USGS Geomorphology and Sediment Transport Laboratory in Golden, Colorado, with the public-domain river modeling code NAYS developed by the Universities of Hokkaido and Kyoto, Mizuho Corporation, and the Foundation of the River Disaster Prevention Research Institute in Sapporo, Japan. Since this initial effort, other Universities and Agencies have joined the group, and the interface has been expanded to allow users to integrate their own modeling code using Executable Markup Language (XML), which provides easy access and expandability to the iRIC software interface. In this presentation, the current components of iRIC are described and results from several practical modeling applications are presented to illustrate the capabilities and flexibility of the software. In addition, some future extensions to iRIC are demonstrated, including software for Lagrangian particle tracking and the prediction of bedform development and response to time-varying flows. Education and supporting documentation for iRIC, including detailed tutorials, are available at www.i-ric.org. The iRIC model codes, interface, and all supporting documentation are in the public domain.

Three Object-Oriented enhancement for EPICS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Osberg, E. A.; Dohan, D. A.; Richter, R.; Biggs, R.; Chillara, K.; Wade, D.; Bossom, J.

1994-12-01

In line with our group's intention of producing software using, where possible, Object-Oriented methodologies and techniques in the development of RF control systems, we have undertaken three projects to enhance the EPICS software environment. Two of the projects involve interfaces to EPICs Channel Access from Object-Oriented languages. The third is an enhancement to the EPICS State Notation Language to better support the Shlaer-Mellor Object-Oriented Analysis and Design Methodology. This paper discusses the motivation, approaches, results and future directions of these three projects.

Leveraging object-oriented development at Ames

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wenneson, Greg; Connell, John

1994-01-01

This paper presents lessons learned by the Software Engineering Process Group (SEPG) from results of supporting two projects at NASA Ames using an Object Oriented Rapid Prototyping (OORP) approach supported by a full featured visual development environment. Supplemental lessons learned from a large project in progress and a requirements definition are also incorporated. The paper demonstrates how productivity gains can be made by leveraging the developer with a rich development environment, correct and early requirements definition using rapid prototyping, and earlier and better effort estimation and software sizing through object-oriented methods and metrics. Although the individual elements of OO methods, RP approach and OO metrics had been used on other separate projects, the reported projects were the first integrated usage supported by a rich development environment. Overall the approach used was twice as productive (measured by hours per OO Unit) as a C++ development.

Software Analyzes Complex Systems in Real Time

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2008-01-01

Expert system software programs, also known as knowledge-based systems, are computer programs that emulate the knowledge and analytical skills of one or more human experts, related to a specific subject. SHINE (Spacecraft Health Inference Engine) is one such program, a software inference engine (expert system) designed by NASA for the purpose of monitoring, analyzing, and diagnosing both real-time and non-real-time systems. It was developed to meet many of the Agency s demanding and rigorous artificial intelligence goals for current and future needs. NASA developed the sophisticated and reusable software based on the experience and requirements of its Jet Propulsion Laboratory s (JPL) Artificial Intelligence Research Group in developing expert systems for space flight operations specifically, the diagnosis of spacecraft health. It was designed to be efficient enough to operate in demanding real time and in limited hardware environments, and to be utilized by non-expert systems applications written in conventional programming languages. The technology is currently used in several ongoing NASA applications, including the Mars Exploration Rovers and the Spacecraft Health Automatic Reasoning Pilot (SHARP) program for the diagnosis of telecommunication anomalies during the Neptune Voyager Encounter. It is also finding applications outside of the Space Agency.

Comparison of the Effectiveness of Stylewriter and Microsoft Word Computer Software to Improve English Writing Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prvinchandar, Sunita; Ayub, Ahmad Fauzi Mohd

2014-01-01

This study compared the effectiveness of two types of computer software for improving the English writing skills of pupils in a Malaysian primary school. Sixty students who participated in the seven-week training course were divided into two groups, with the experimental group using the StyleWriter software and the control group using the…

Use of Soft Computing Technologies for a Qualitative and Reliable Engine Control System for Propulsion Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Trevino, Luis; Brown, Terry; Crumbley, R. T. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

The problem to be addressed in this paper is to explore how the use of Soft Computing Technologies (SCT) could be employed to improve overall vehicle system safety, reliability, and rocket engine performance by development of a qualitative and reliable engine control system (QRECS). Specifically, this will be addressed by enhancing rocket engine control using SCT, innovative data mining tools, and sound software engineering practices used in Marshall's Flight Software Group (FSG). The principle goals for addressing the issue of quality are to improve software management, software development time, software maintenance, processor execution, fault tolerance and mitigation, and nonlinear control in power level transitions. The intent is not to discuss any shortcomings of existing engine control methodologies, but to provide alternative design choices for control, implementation, performance, and sustaining engineering, all relative to addressing the issue of reliability. The approaches outlined in this paper will require knowledge in the fields of rocket engine propulsion (system level), software engineering for embedded flight software systems, and soft computing technologies (i.e., neural networks, fuzzy logic, data mining, and Bayesian belief networks); some of which are briefed in this paper. For this effort, the targeted demonstration rocket engine testbed is the MC-1 engine (formerly FASTRAC) which is simulated with hardware and software in the Marshall Avionics & Software Testbed (MAST) laboratory that currently resides at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, building 4476, and is managed by the Avionics Department. A brief plan of action for design, development, implementation, and testing a Phase One effort for QRECS is given, along with expected results. Phase One will focus on development of a Smart Start Engine Module and a Mainstage Engine Module for proper engine start and mainstage engine operations. The overall intent is to demonstrate that by employing soft computing technologies, the quality and reliability of the overall scheme to engine controller development is further improved and vehicle safety is further insured. The final product that this paper proposes is an approach to development of an alternative low cost engine controller that would be capable of performing in unique vision spacecraft vehicles requiring low cost advanced avionics architectures for autonomous operations from engine pre-start to engine shutdown.

Comparison of BrainTool to other UML modeling and model transformation tools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nikiforova, Oksana; Gusarovs, Konstantins

2017-07-01

In the last 30 years there were numerous model generated software systems offered targeting problems with the development productivity and the resulting software quality. CASE tools developed due today's date are being advertised as having "complete code-generation capabilities". Nowadays the Object Management Group (OMG) is calling similar arguments in regards to the Unified Modeling Language (UML) models at different levels of abstraction. It is being said that software development automation using CASE tools enables significant level of automation. Actual today's CASE tools are usually offering a combination of several features starting with a model editor and a model repository for a traditional ones and ending with code generator (that could be using a scripting or domain-specific (DSL) language), transformation tool to produce the new artifacts from the manually created and transformation definition editor to define new transformations for the most advanced ones. Present paper contains the results of CASE tool (mainly UML editors) comparison against the level of the automation they are offering.

Development of Integrated Modular Avionics Application Based on Simulink and XtratuM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fons-Albert, Borja; Usach-Molina, Hector; Vila-Carbo, Joan; Crespo-Lorente, Alfons

2013-08-01

This paper presents an integral approach for designing avionics applications that meets the requirements for software development and execution of this application domain. Software design follows the Model-Based design process and is performed in Simulink. This approach allows easy and quick testbench development and helps satisfying DO-178B requirements through the use of proper tools. The software execution platform is based on XtratuM, a minimal bare-metal hypervisor designed in our research group. XtratuM provides support for IMA-SP (Integrated Modular Avionics for Space) architectures. This approach allows the code generation of a Simulink model to be executed on top of Lithos as XtratuM partition. Lithos is a ARINC-653 compliant RTOS for XtratuM. The paper concentrates in how to smoothly port Simulink designs to XtratuM solving problems like application partitioning, automatic code generation, real-time tasking, interfacing, and others. This process is illustrated with an autopilot design test using a flight simulator.

Automated software system for checking the structure and format of ACM SIG documents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mirza, Arsalan Rahman; Sah, Melike

2017-04-01

Microsoft (MS) Office Word is one of the most commonly used software tools for creating documents. MS Word 2007 and above uses XML to represent the structure of MS Word documents. Metadata about the documents are automatically created using Office Open XML (OOXML) syntax. We develop a new framework, which is called ADFCS (Automated Document Format Checking System) that takes the advantage of the OOXML metadata, in order to extract semantic information from MS Office Word documents. In particular, we develop a new ontology for Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Special Interested Group (SIG) documents for representing the structure and format of these documents by using OWL (Web Ontology Language). Then, the metadata is extracted automatically in RDF (Resource Description Framework) according to this ontology using the developed software. Finally, we generate extensive rules in order to infer whether the documents are formatted according to ACM SIG standards. This paper, introduces ACM SIG ontology, metadata extraction process, inference engine, ADFCS online user interface, system evaluation and user study evaluations.

Development (design and systematization) of HMS Group pump ranges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tverdokhleb, I.; Yamburenko, V.

2017-08-01

The article reveals the need for pump range charts development for different applications and describes main principles used by HMS Group. Some modern approaches to pump selection are reviewed and highlighted the need for pump compliance with international standards and modern customer requirements. Even though pump design types are similar for different applications they need adjustment to specific requirements, which gets manufacturers develop their particular design for each pump range. Having wide pump ranges for different applications enables to create pump selection software, facilitating manufacturers to prepare high quality quotations in shortest time.

Improving Requirements Generation Thoroughness in User-Centered Workshops: The Role of Prompting and Shared User Stories

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Read, Aaron

2013-01-01

The rise of stakeholder centered software development has led to organizations engaging users early in the development process to help define system requirements. To facilitate user involvement in the requirements elicitation process, companies can use Group Support Systems (GSS) to conduct requirements elicitation workshops. The effectiveness of…

The AIROPA software package: milestones for testing general relativity in the strong gravity regime with AO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Witzel, Gunther; Lu, Jessica R.; Ghez, Andrea M.; Martinez, Gregory D.; Fitzgerald, Michael P.; Britton, Matthew; Sitarski, Breann N.; Do, Tuan; Campbell, Randall D.; Service, Maxwell; Matthews, Keith; Morris, Mark R.; Becklin, E. E.; Wizinowich, Peter L.; Ragland, Sam; Doppmann, Greg; Neyman, Chris; Lyke, James; Kassis, Marc; Rizzi, Luca; Lilley, Scott; Rampy, Rachel

2016-07-01

General relativity can be tested in the strong gravity regime by monitoring stars orbiting the supermassive black hole at the Galactic Center with adaptive optics. However, the limiting source of uncertainty is the spatial PSF variability due to atmospheric anisoplanatism and instrumental aberrations. The Galactic Center Group at UCLA has completed a project developing algorithms to predict PSF variability for Keck AO images. We have created a new software package (AIROPA), based on modified versions of StarFinder and Arroyo, that takes atmospheric turbulence profiles, instrumental aberration maps, and images as inputs and delivers improved photometry and astrometry on crowded fields. This software package will be made publicly available soon.

Software handlers for process interfaces

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bercaw, R. W.

1976-01-01

The principles involved in the development of software handlers for custom interfacing problems are discussed. Handlers for the CAMAC standard are examined in detail. The types of transactions that must be supported have been established by standards groups, eliminating conflicting requirements arising out of different design philosophies and applications. Implementation of the standard handlers has been facilititated by standardization of hardware. The necessary local processors can be placed in the handler when it is written or at run time by means of input/output directives, or they can be built into a high-performance input/output processor. The full benefits of these process interfaces will only be realized when software requirements are incorporated uniformly into the hardware.

Evaluation of Open-Source Hard Real Time Software Packages

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mattei, Nicholas S.

2004-01-01

Reliable software is, at times, hard to find. No piece of software can be guaranteed to work in every situation that may arise during its use here at Glenn Research Center or in space. The job of the Software Assurance (SA) group in the Risk Management Office is to rigorously test the software in an effort to ensure it matches the contract specifications. In some cases the SA team also researches new alternatives for selected software packages. This testing and research is an integral part of the department of Safety and Mission Assurance. Real Time operation in reference to a computer system is a particular style of handing the timing and manner with which inputs and outputs are handled. A real time system executes these commands and appropriate processing within a defined timing constraint. Within this definition there are two other classifications of real time systems: hard and soft. A soft real time system is one in which if the particular timing constraints are not rigidly met there will be no critical results. On the other hand, a hard real time system is one in which if the timing constraints are not met the results could be catastrophic. An example of a soft real time system is a DVD decoder. If the particular piece of data from the input is not decoded and displayed to the screen at exactly the correct moment nothing critical will become of it, the user may not even notice it. However, a hard real time system is needed to control the timing of fuel injections or steering on the Space Shuttle; a delay of even a fraction of a second could be catastrophic in such a complex system. The current real time system employed by most NASA projects is Wind River's VxWorks operating system. This is a proprietary operating system that can be configured to work with many of NASA s needs and it provides very accurate and reliable hard real time performance. The down side is that since it is a proprietary operating system it is also costly to implement. The prospect of replacing this somewhat costly implementation is the focus of one of the SA group s current research projects. The explosion of open source software in the last ten years has led to the development of a multitude of software solutions which were once only produced by major corporations. The benefits of these open projects include faster release and bug patching cycles as well as inexpensive if not free software solutions. The main packages for hard real time solutions under Linux are Real Time Application Interface (RTAI) and two varieties of Real Time Linux (RTL), RTLFree and RTLPro. During my time here at NASA I have been testing various hard real time solutions operating as layers on the Linux Operating System. All testing is being run on an Intel SBC 2590 which is a common embedded hardware platform. The test plan was provided to me by the Software Assurance group at the start of my internship and my job has been to test the systems by developing and executing the test cases on the hardware. These tests are constructed so that the Software Assurance group can get hard test data for a comparison between the open source and proprietary implementations of hard real time solutions.

DOCLIB: a software library for document processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jaeger, Stefan; Zhu, Guangyu; Doermann, David; Chen, Kevin; Sampat, Summit

2006-01-01

Most researchers would agree that research in the field of document processing can benefit tremendously from a common software library through which institutions are able to develop and share research-related software and applications across academic, business, and government domains. However, despite several attempts in the past, the research community still lacks a widely-accepted standard software library for document processing. This paper describes a new library called DOCLIB, which tries to overcome the drawbacks of earlier approaches. Many of DOCLIB's features are unique either in themselves or in their combination with others, e.g. the factory concept for support of different image types, the juxtaposition of image data and metadata, or the add-on mechanism. We cherish the hope that DOCLIB serves the needs of researchers better than previous approaches and will readily be accepted by a larger group of scientists.

Status and Plans for the Vienna VLBI and Satellite Software (VieVS 3.0)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gruber, Jakob; Böhm, Johannes; Böhm, Sigrid; Girdiuk, Anastasiia; Hellerschmied, Andreas; Hofmeister, Armin; Krásná, Hana; Kwak, Younghee; Landskron, Daniel; Madzak, Matthias; Mayer, David; McCallum, Jamie; Plank, Lucia; Schartner, Matthias; Shabala, Stas; Teke, Kamil; Sun, Jing

2017-04-01

The Vienna VLBI and Satellite Software (VieVS) is a geodetic analysis software developed and maintained at Technische Universität Wien (TU Wien) with contributions from groups all over the world. It is used for both academic purposes in university courses as well as for providing Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) analysis results to the geodetic community. Written in a modular structure in Matlab, VieVS offers easy access to the source code and the possibility to adapt the programs for particular purposes. The new version 3.0, released in early 2017, includes several new features, e.g., improved scheduling capabilities for observing quasars and satellites. This poster gives an overview of all VLBI-related activities in Vienna and provides an outlook to future plans concerning the Vienna VLBI and Satellite Software (VieVS).

Software tool for physics chart checks.

PubMed

Li, H Harold; Wu, Yu; Yang, Deshan; Mutic, Sasa

2014-01-01

Physics chart check has long been a central quality assurance (QC) measure in radiation oncology. The purpose of this work is to describe a software tool that aims to accomplish simplification, standardization, automation, and forced functions in the process. Nationally recognized guidelines, including American College of Radiology and American Society for Radiation Oncology guidelines and technical standards, and the American Association of Physicists in Medicine Task Group reports were identified, studied, and summarized. Meanwhile, the reported events related to physics chart check service were analyzed using an event reporting and learning system. A number of shortfalls in the chart check process were identified. To address these problems, a software tool was designed and developed under Microsoft. Net in C# to hardwire as many components as possible at each stage of the process. The software consists of the following 4 independent modules: (1) chart check management; (2) pretreatment and during treatment chart check assistant; (3) posttreatment chart check assistant; and (4) quarterly peer-review management. The users were a large group of physicists in the author's radiation oncology clinic. During over 1 year of use the tool has proven very helpful in chart checking management, communication, documentation, and maintaining consistency. The software tool presented in this work aims to assist physicists at each stage of the physics chart check process. The software tool is potentially useful for any radiation oncology clinics that are either in the process of pursuing or maintaining the American College of Radiology accreditation.

Empirical studies of design software: Implications for software engineering environments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krasner, Herb

1988-01-01

The empirical studies team of MCC's Design Process Group conducted three studies in 1986-87 in order to gather data on professionals designing software systems in a range of situations. The first study (the Lift Experiment) used thinking aloud protocols in a controlled laboratory setting to study the cognitive processes of individual designers. The second study (the Object Server Project) involved the observation, videotaping, and data collection of a design team of a medium-sized development project over several months in order to study team dynamics. The third study (the Field Study) involved interviews with the personnel from 19 large development projects in the MCC shareholders in order to study how the process of design is affected by organizationl and project behavior. The focus of this report will be on key observations of design process (at several levels) and their implications for the design of environments.

Animal behaviour learning environment: software to facilitate learning in canine and feline behavior therapy.

PubMed

McGreevy, P D; Della Torre, P K; Evans, D L

2003-01-01

Interactive software has been developed on CD-ROM to facilitate learning of problem formulation, diagnostic methodology, and therapeutic options in dog and cat behavior problems. Students working in small groups are presented with a signalment, a case history, and brief description of the problem behavior as perceived by the client. Students then navigate through the case history by asking the client questions from an icon-driven question pad. Animated video responses to the questions are provided. Students are then required to rate the significance of the questions and answers with respect to the development of the unwelcome behavior. Links to online self-assessments and to resource materials about causation and treatment options are provided to assist students in their decision-making process. The activity concludes with a software-generated e-mail submission that includes the recorded history, diagnosis, and recommended treatment for assessment purposes.

EU-US standards harmonization task group report : feedback to standards development organizations - security

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1998-07-01

This document assembles best practices and presents practical advice on how to acquire the software components of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). The intended audience is the customers--project leaders, technical contract managers, de...

CAD/CAM approach to improving industry productivity gathers momentum

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fulton, R. E.

1982-01-01

Recent results and planning for the NASA/industry Integrated Programs for Aerospace-Vehicle Design (IPAD) program for improving productivity with CAD/CAM methods are outlined. The industrial group work is being mainly done by Boeing, and progress has been made in defining the designer work environment, developing requirements and a preliminary design for a future CAD/CAM system, and developing CAD/CAM technology. The work environment was defined by conducting a detailed study of a reference design process, and key software elements for a CAD/CAM system have been defined, specifically for interactive design or experiment control processes. Further work is proceeding on executive, data management, geometry and graphics, and general utility software, and dynamic aspects of the programs being developed are outlined

Hypersonic transport aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1987-01-01

A hypersonic transport aircraft design project was selected as a result of interactions with NASA Lewis Research Center personnel and fits the Presidential concept of the Orient Express. The Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) and an undergraduate student worked at the NASA Lewis Research Center during the 1986 summer conducting a literature survey, and relevant literature and useful software were collected. The computer software was implemented in the Computer Aided Design Laboratory of the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department. In addition to the lectures by the three instructors, a series of guest lectures was conducted. The first of these lectures 'Anywhere in the World in Two Hours' was delivered by R. Luidens of NASA Lewis Center. In addition, videotaped copies of relevant seminars obtained from NASA Lewis were also featured. The first assignment was to individually research and develop the mission requirements and to discuss the findings with the class. The class in consultation with the instructors then developed a set of unified mission requirements. Then the class was divided into three design groups (1) Aerodynamics Group, (2) Propulsion Group, and (3) Structures and Thermal Analyses Group. The groups worked on their respective design areas and interacted with each other to finally come up with an integrated conceptual design. The three faculty members and the GTA acted as the resource persons for the three groups and aided in the integration of the individual group designs into the final design of a hypersonic aircraft.

Teaching an Aerospace Engineering Design Course via Virtual Worlds: A Comparative Assessment of Learning Outcomes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Okutsu, Masataka; DeLaurentis, Daniel; Brophy, Sean; Lambert, Jason

2013-01-01

To test the concept of multiuser 3D virtual environments as media to teach semester-long courses, we developed a software prototype called Aeroquest. An aerospace design course--offered to 135 second-year students for university credits in Fall 2009--was divided into two groups: the real-world group attending lectures, physically, in a campus hall…

Clinical Development of Gamitrinib, a Novel Mitochondrial-Targeted Small Molecule Hsp90 Inhibitor

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-09-01

Group 2 and Group 3 animals examined at the end of the 7-repeated doses was comparable to those in control Group 1 animals (Figure 2). (7) Despite... posttest (for more than two- group comparisons) using a GraphPad software package (Prism 6.0) for Windows. Data are expressed as mean ± SD or mean ± SEM...Benjamini Y, Hochberg Y (1995) Controlling the false discovery rate: A practical and powerful approach to multiple testing. J R Stat Soc Series B Stat

User-centered design of multi-gene sequencing panel reports for clinicians.

PubMed

Cutting, Elizabeth; Banchero, Meghan; Beitelshees, Amber L; Cimino, James J; Fiol, Guilherme Del; Gurses, Ayse P; Hoffman, Mark A; Jeng, Linda Jo Bone; Kawamoto, Kensaku; Kelemen, Mark; Pincus, Harold Alan; Shuldiner, Alan R; Williams, Marc S; Pollin, Toni I; Overby, Casey Lynnette

2016-10-01

The objective of this study was to develop a high-fidelity prototype for delivering multi-gene sequencing panel (GS) reports to clinicians that simulates the user experience of a final application. The delivery and use of GS reports can occur within complex and high-paced healthcare environments. We employ a user-centered software design approach in a focus group setting in order to facilitate gathering rich contextual information from a diverse group of stakeholders potentially impacted by the delivery of GS reports relevant to two precision medicine programs at the University of Maryland Medical Center. Responses from focus group sessions were transcribed, coded and analyzed by two team members. Notification mechanisms and information resources preferred by participants from our first phase of focus groups were incorporated into scenarios and the design of a software prototype for delivering GS reports. The goal of our second phase of focus group, to gain input on the prototype software design, was accomplished through conducting task walkthroughs with GS reporting scenarios. Preferences for notification, content and consultation from genetics specialists appeared to depend upon familiarity with scenarios for ordering and delivering GS reports. Despite familiarity with some aspects of the scenarios we proposed, many of our participants agreed that they would likely seek consultation from a genetics specialist after viewing the test reports. In addition, participants offered design and content recommendations. Findings illustrated a need to support customized notification approaches, user-specific information, and access to genetics specialists with GS reports. These design principles can be incorporated into software applications that deliver GS reports. Our user-centered approach to conduct this assessment and the specific input we received from clinicians may also be relevant to others working on similar projects. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Playbook Data Analysis Tool: Collecting Interaction Data from Extremely Remote Users

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kanefsky, Bob; Zheng, Jimin; Deliz, Ivonne; Marquez, Jessica J.; Hillenius, Steven

2017-01-01

Typically, user tests for software tools are conducted in person. At NASA, the users may be located at the bottom of the ocean in a pressurized habitat, above the atmosphere in the International Space Station, or in an isolated capsule on a simulated asteroid mission. The Playbook Data Analysis Tool (P-DAT) is a human-computer interaction (HCI) evaluation tool that the NASA Ames HCI Group has developed to record user interactions with Playbook, the group's existing planning-and-execution software application. Once the remotely collected user interaction data makes its way back to Earth, researchers can use P-DAT for in-depth analysis. Since a critical component of the Playbook project is to understand how to develop more intuitive software tools for astronauts to plan in space, P-DAT helps guide us in the development of additional easy-to-use features for Playbook, informing the design of future crew autonomy tools.P-DAT has demonstrated the capability of discreetly capturing usability data in amanner that is transparent to Playbook’s end-users. In our experience, P-DAT data hasalready shown its utility, revealing potential usability patterns, helping diagnose softwarebugs, and identifying metrics and events that are pertinent to Playbook usage aswell as spaceflight operations. As we continue to develop this analysis tool, P-DATmay yet provide a method for long-duration, unobtrusive human performance collectionand evaluation for mission controllers back on Earth and researchers investigatingthe effects and mitigations related to future human spaceflight performance.

The 2015 Bioinformatics Open Source Conference (BOSC 2015).

PubMed

Harris, Nomi L; Cock, Peter J A; Lapp, Hilmar; Chapman, Brad; Davey, Rob; Fields, Christopher; Hokamp, Karsten; Munoz-Torres, Monica

2016-02-01

The Bioinformatics Open Source Conference (BOSC) is organized by the Open Bioinformatics Foundation (OBF), a nonprofit group dedicated to promoting the practice and philosophy of open source software development and open science within the biological research community. Since its inception in 2000, BOSC has provided bioinformatics developers with a forum for communicating the results of their latest efforts to the wider research community. BOSC offers a focused environment for developers and users to interact and share ideas about standards; software development practices; practical techniques for solving bioinformatics problems; and approaches that promote open science and sharing of data, results, and software. BOSC is run as a two-day special interest group (SIG) before the annual Intelligent Systems in Molecular Biology (ISMB) conference. BOSC 2015 took place in Dublin, Ireland, and was attended by over 125 people, about half of whom were first-time attendees. Session topics included "Data Science;" "Standards and Interoperability;" "Open Science and Reproducibility;" "Translational Bioinformatics;" "Visualization;" and "Bioinformatics Open Source Project Updates". In addition to two keynote talks and dozens of shorter talks chosen from submitted abstracts, BOSC 2015 included a panel, titled "Open Source, Open Door: Increasing Diversity in the Bioinformatics Open Source Community," that provided an opportunity for open discussion about ways to increase the diversity of participants in BOSC in particular, and in open source bioinformatics in general. The complete program of BOSC 2015 is available online at http://www.open-bio.org/wiki/BOSC_2015_Schedule.

Médicarte software developed for the Quebec microprocessor health card project.

PubMed

Lavoie, G; Tremblay, L; Durant, P; Papillon, M J; Bérubé, J; Fortin, J P

1995-01-01

The Quebec Patient Smart Card Project is a Provincial Government initiative under the responsibility of the Rgie de l'assurance-maladie du Québec (Quebec Health Insurance Board). Development, implementation, and assessment duties were assigned to a team from Université Laval, which in turn joined a group from the Direction de la santé publique du Bas-St-Laurent in Rimouski, where the experiment is taking place. The pilot project seeks to evaluate the use and acceptance of a microprocessor card as a way to improve the exchange of clinical information between card users and various health professionals. The card can be best described as a résumé containing information pertinent to an individual's health history. It is not a complete medical file; rather, it is a summary to be used as a starting point for a discussion between health professionals and patients. The target population is composed of persons 60 years and over, pregnant women, infants under 18 months, and the residents of a small town located in the target area, St-Fabien, regardless of age. The health professionals involved are general practitioners, specialists, pharmacists, nurses, and ambulance personnel. Participation in the project is on a voluntary basis. Each health care provider participating in the project has a personal identification number (PIN) and must use both an access card and a user card to access information. This prevents unauthorized access to a patient's card and allows the staff to sign and date information entered onto the patient card. To test the microprocessor card, we developed software based on a problem-oriented approach integrating diagnosis, investigations, treatments, and referrals. This software is not an expert system that constrains the clinician to a particular decisional algorithm. Instead, the software supports the physician in decision making. The software was developed with a graphical interface (Windows 3.1) to maximize its user friendliness. A version of the software was developed for each of the four groups of health care providers involved. In addition we designed an application to interface with existing pharmaceutical software. For practical reasons and to make it possible to differentiate between the different access profiles, the information stored on the card is divided in several blocks: Identification, Emergency, History (personal and family), Screening Tests, Vaccinations, Drug Profile, General follow-up, and some Specific follow-ups (Pregnancy, Ophthalmology, Kidney failure, Cardiology, Pediatrics, Diabetes, Pneumology, Specific parameters). Over 14,000 diagnoses and symptoms are classified with four levels of precision, the codification being based on the ICPC (International Classification for Primary Care). The software contains different applications to assist the clinician in decision making. A "Drug Advisor" helps the prescriber by detecting possible interactions between drugs, giving indications (doses) and contraindications, cautions, potential side-effects and therapeutic alternatives. There is also a prevention module providing recommendations for vaccination and periodic examinations based on the patient's age and sex. The pharmaceutical, vaccination, and screening tests data banks are updated every six months. These sections of the software are accessible to access card holders at any times, even without a patient card, and constitute in themselves an interesting clinical tool. We developed a software server (SCAM) allowing the different applications to access the data in a memory card regardless of the type of memory card used. Using a single high level command language, this server provides a standardized utilization of memory cards from various manufacturers. It ensures the compatibility of the applications using the card as a storage medium. (abstract truncated)

A Multimedia Interactive Education System for Prostate Cancer Patients: Development and Preliminary Evaluation

PubMed Central

Butz, Brian P

2004-01-01

Background A cancer diagnosis is highly distressing. Yet, to make informed treatment choices patients have to learn complicated disease and treatment information that is often fraught with medical and statistical terminology. Thus, patients need accurate and easy-to-understand information. Objective To introduce the development and preliminary evaluation through focus groups of a novel highly-interactive multimedia-education software program for patients diagnosed with localized prostate cancer. Methods The prostate interactive education system uses the metaphor of rooms in a virtual health center (ie, reception area, a library, physician offices, group meeting room) to organize information. Text information contained in the library is tailored to a person's information-seeking preference (ie, high versus low information seeker). We conducted a preliminary evaluation through 5 separate focus groups with prostate cancer survivors (N = 18) and their spouses (N = 15). Results Focus group results point to the timeliness and high acceptability of the software among the target audience. Results also underscore the importance of a guide or tutor who assists in navigating the program and who responds to queries to facilitate information retrieval. Conclusions Focus groups have established the validity of our approach and point to new directions to further enhance the user interface. PMID:15111269

The effect of Cardiac Arrhythmias Simulation Software on the nurses' learning and professional development.

PubMed

Bazrafkan, Leila; Hemmati, Mehdi

2018-04-01

One of the important tasks of nurses in intensive care unit is interpretation of ECG. The use of training simulator is a new paradigm in the age of computers. This study was performed to evaluate the impact of cardiac arrhythmias simulator software on nurses' learning in the subspecialty Vali-Asr Hospital in 2016. This study was conducted by quasi-experimental randomized Salomon four group design with the participation of 120 nurses in subspecialty Vali-Asr Hospital in Tehran, Iran in 2016 that were selected purposefully and allocated in 4 groups. By this design other confounding factors such as the prior information, maturation and the role of sex and age were controlled by Solomon 4 design. The valid and reliable multiple choice test tools were used to gather information; the validity of the test was approved by experts and its reliability was obtained by Cronbach's alpha coefficient 0.89. At first, the knowledge and skills of the participants were assessed by a pre-test; following the educational intervention with cardiac arrhythmias simulator software during 14 days in ICUs, the mentioned factors were measured for the two groups again by a post-test in the four groups. Data were analyzed using the two way ANOVA. The significance level was considered as p<0.05. Based on randomized four-group Solomon designs and our test results, using cardiac arrhythmias simulator software as an intervention was effective in the nurses' learning since a significant difference was found between pre-test and post-test in the first group (p<0.05). Also, other comparisons by ANOVA test showed that there was no interaction between pre-test and intervention in all of the three knowledge areas of cardiac arrhythmias, their treatments and their diagnosis (P>0.05). The use of software-based simulator for cardiac arrhythmias was effective in nurses' learning in light of its attractive components and interactive method. This intervention increased the knowledge of the nurses in cognitive domain of cardiac arrhythmias in addition to their diagnosis and treatment. Also, the package can be used for training in other areas such as continuing medical education.

Average correlation clustering algorithm (ACCA) for grouping of co-regulated genes with similar pattern of variation in their expression values.

PubMed

Bhattacharya, Anindya; De, Rajat K

2010-08-01

Distance based clustering algorithms can group genes that show similar expression values under multiple experimental conditions. They are unable to identify a group of genes that have similar pattern of variation in their expression values. Previously we developed an algorithm called divisive correlation clustering algorithm (DCCA) to tackle this situation, which is based on the concept of correlation clustering. But this algorithm may also fail for certain cases. In order to overcome these situations, we propose a new clustering algorithm, called average correlation clustering algorithm (ACCA), which is able to produce better clustering solution than that produced by some others. ACCA is able to find groups of genes having more common transcription factors and similar pattern of variation in their expression values. Moreover, ACCA is more efficient than DCCA with respect to the time of execution. Like DCCA, we use the concept of correlation clustering concept introduced by Bansal et al. ACCA uses the correlation matrix in such a way that all genes in a cluster have the highest average correlation values with the genes in that cluster. We have applied ACCA and some well-known conventional methods including DCCA to two artificial and nine gene expression datasets, and compared the performance of the algorithms. The clustering results of ACCA are found to be more significantly relevant to the biological annotations than those of the other methods. Analysis of the results show the superiority of ACCA over some others in determining a group of genes having more common transcription factors and with similar pattern of variation in their expression profiles. Availability of the software: The software has been developed using C and Visual Basic languages, and can be executed on the Microsoft Windows platforms. The software may be downloaded as a zip file from http://www.isical.ac.in/~rajat. Then it needs to be installed. Two word files (included in the zip file) need to be consulted before installation and execution of the software. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Toward domain-specific design environments: Some representation ideas from the telecommunications domain

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Greenspan, Sol; Feblowitz, Mark

1992-01-01

ACME is an experimental environment for investigating new approaches to modeling and analysis of system requirements and designs. ACME is built on and extends object-oriented conceptual modeling techniques and knowledge representation and reasoning (KRR) tools. The most immediate intended use for ACME is to help represent, understand, and communicate system designs during the early stages of system planning and requirements engineering. While our research is ostensibly aimed at software systems in general, we are particularly motivated to make an impact in the telecommunications domain, especially in the area referred to as Intelligent Networks (IN's). IN systems contain the software to provide services to users of a telecommunications network (e.g., call processing services, information services, etc.) as well as the software that provides the internal infrastructure for providing the services (e.g., resource management, billing, etc.). The software includes not only systems developed by the network proprietors but also by a growing group of independent service software providers.

Use of Soft Computing Technologies For Rocket Engine Control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Trevino, Luis C.; Olcmen, Semih; Polites, Michael

2003-01-01

The problem to be addressed in this paper is to explore how the use of Soft Computing Technologies (SCT) could be employed to further improve overall engine system reliability and performance. Specifically, this will be presented by enhancing rocket engine control and engine health management (EHM) using SCT coupled with conventional control technologies, and sound software engineering practices used in Marshall s Flight Software Group. The principle goals are to improve software management, software development time and maintenance, processor execution, fault tolerance and mitigation, and nonlinear control in power level transitions. The intent is not to discuss any shortcomings of existing engine control and EHM methodologies, but to provide alternative design choices for control, EHM, implementation, performance, and sustaining engineering. The approaches outlined in this paper will require knowledge in the fields of rocket engine propulsion, software engineering for embedded systems, and soft computing technologies (i.e., neural networks, fuzzy logic, and Bayesian belief networks), much of which is presented in this paper. The first targeted demonstration rocket engine platform is the MC-1 (formerly FASTRAC Engine) which is simulated with hardware and software in the Marshall Avionics & Software Testbed laboratory that

Sequence System Building Blocks: Using a Component Architecture for Sequencing Software

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Streiffert, Barbara A.; O'Reilly, Taifun

2005-01-01

Over the last few years software engineering has made significant strides in making more flexible architectures and designs possible. However, at the same time, spacecraft have become more complex and flight software has become more sophisticated. Typically spacecraft are often one-of-a-kind entities that have different hardware designs, different capabilities, different instruments, etc. Ground software has become more complex and operations teams have had to learn a myriad of tools that all have different user interfaces and represent data in different ways. At Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) these themes have collided to require an new approach to producing ground system software. Two different groups have been looking at tackling this particular problem. One group is working for the JPL Mars Technology Program in the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Focused Technology area. The other group is the JPL Multi-Mission Planning and Sequencing Group . The major concept driving these two approaches on a similar path is to provide software that can be a more cohesive flexible system that provides a act of planning and sequencing system of services. This paper describes the efforts that have been made to date to create a unified approach from these disparate groups.

Sequencing System Building Blocks: Using a Component Architecture for Sequencing Software

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Streiffert, Barbara A.; O'Reilly, Taifun

2006-01-01

Over the last few years software engineering has made significant strides in making more flexible architectures and designs possible. However, at the same time, spacecraft have become more complex and flight software has become more sophisticated. Typically spacecraft are often one-of-a-kind entities that have different hardware designs, different capabilities, different instruments, etc. Ground software has become more complex and operations teams have had to learn a myriad of tools that all have different user interfaces and represent data in different ways. At Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) these themes have collided to require a new approach to producing ground system software. Two different groups have been looking at tackling this particular problem. One group is working for the JPL Mars Technology Program in the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Focused Technology area. The other group is the JPL Multi-Mission Planning and Sequencing Group. The major concept driving these two approaches on a similar path is to provide software that can be a more cohesive flexible system that provides a set of planning and sequencing system of services. This paper describes the efforts that have been made to date to create a unified approach from these disparate groups.

The eSMAF: a software for the assessment and follow-up of functional autonomy in geriatrics

PubMed Central

Boissy, Patrick; Brière, Simon; Tousignant, Michel; Rousseau, Eric

2007-01-01

Background Functional status or disability forms the core of most assessment instruments used to identify mix and level of resources and services needed by older adults who possess common characteristics. The Functional Autonomy Measurement System (SMAF) is a 29-item scale measuring functional ability in five different areas. It has been recommended for use for home care, for allocation of chronic beds, for developing care plans in institutional settings and for epidemiological and evaluative studies. The SMAF can also be used with a case-mix classification system (Iso-SMAF) to allocate resources based on patients' functional autonomy characteristics. The objective of this project was to develop a software version of the SMAF to facilitate the evaluation of the functional status of older adults in health services research and to optimize the clinical decision-making process. Results The eSMAF was developed over an 24-month period using a modified waterfall software engineering process. Requirements and functional specifications were determined using focus groups of stakeholders. Different versions of the software were iteratively field-tested in clinical and research environments and software adaptations made accordingly. User documentation and online help were created to assist the deployment of the software. The software is available in French or English versions under a 30-day unregistered demonstration license or a free restricted registered academic license. It can be used locally on a Windows-based PC or over a network to input SMAF data into a database, search and aggregate client data according to clinical and/or administrative criteria, and generate summary or detailed reports of selected data sets for print or export to another database. Conclusion In the last year, the software has been successfully deployed in the clinical workflow of different institutions in research and clinical applications. The software performed relatively well in terms of stability and performance. Barriers to implementation included antiquated computer hardware, low computer literacy and access to IT support. Key factors for the deployment of the software included standardization of the workflow, user training and support. PMID:17298673

Characterizing the Severity of Autonomic Cardiovascular Dysfunction after Spinal Cord Injury Using a Novel 24 Hour Ambulatory Blood Pressure Analysis Software.

PubMed

Popok, David W; West, Christopher R; Hubli, Michele; Currie, Katharine D; Krassioukov, Andrei V

2017-02-01

Cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the spinal cord injury (SCI) population. SCI may disrupt autonomic cardiovascular homeostasis, which can lead to persistent hypotension, irregular diurnal rhythmicity, and the development of autonomic dysreflexia (AD). There is currently no software available to perform automated detection and evaluation of cardiovascular autonomic dysfunction(s) such as those generated from 24 h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) recordings in the clinical setting. The objective of this study is to compare the efficacy of a novel 24 h ABPM Autonomic Dysfunction Detection Software against manual detection and to use the software to demonstrate the relationships between level of injury and the degree of autonomic cardiovascular impairment in a large cohort of individuals with SCI. A total of 46 individuals with cervical (group 1, n = 37) or high thoracic (group 2, n = 9) SCI participated in the study. Outcome measures included the frequency and severity of AD, frequency of hypotensive events, and diurnal variations in blood pressure and heart rate. There was good agreement between the software and manual detection of AD events (Bland-Altman limits of agreement = ±1.458 events). Cervical SCI presented with more frequent (p = 0.0043) and severe AD (p = 0.0343) than did high thoracic SCI. Cervical SCI exhibited higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure during the night and lower heart rate during the day than high thoracic SCI. In conclusion, our ABPM AD Detection Software was equally as effective in detecting the frequency and severity of AD and hypotensive events as manual detection, suggesting that this software can be used in the clinical setting to expedite ABPM analyses.

Aerospace Software Engineering for Advanced Systems Architectures (L’Ingenierie des Logiciels Pour les Architectures des Systemes Aerospatiaux)

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-11-01

Eliezer N. Solomon Steve Sedrel Westinghouse Electronic Systems Group P.O. Box 746, MS 432, Baltimore, Maryland 21203-0746, USA SUMMARY The United States...subset of the Joint Intergrated Avionics NewAgentCollection which has four Working Group (JIAWG), Performance parameters: Acceptor, of type Task._D...Published Noember 1993 Distribution and Availability on Back Cover SAGARD-CP54 ADVISORY GROUP FOR AERSACE RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT 7 RUE ANCELLE 92200

Architecture for Survivable System Processing (ASSP)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wood, Richard J.

1991-11-01

The Architecture for Survivable System Processing (ASSP) Program is a multi-phase effort to implement Department of Defense (DOD) and commercially developed high-tech hardware, software, and architectures for reliable space avionics and ground based systems. System configuration options provide processing capabilities to address Time Dependent Processing (TDP), Object Dependent Processing (ODP), and Mission Dependent Processing (MDP) requirements through Open System Architecture (OSA) alternatives that allow for the enhancement, incorporation, and capitalization of a broad range of development assets. High technology developments in hardware, software, and networking models, address technology challenges of long processor life times, fault tolerance, reliability, throughput, memories, radiation hardening, size, weight, power (SWAP) and security. Hardware and software design, development, and implementation focus on the interconnectivity/interoperability of an open system architecture and is being developed to apply new technology into practical OSA components. To insure for widely acceptable architecture capable of interfacing with various commercial and military components, this program provides for regular interactions with standardization working groups (e.g.) the International Standards Organization (ISO), American National Standards Institute (ANSI), Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), and Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE). Selection of a viable open architecture is based on the widely accepted standards that implement the ISO/OSI Reference Model.

Architecture for Survivable System Processing (ASSP)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wood, Richard J.

1991-01-01

The Architecture for Survivable System Processing (ASSP) Program is a multi-phase effort to implement Department of Defense (DOD) and commercially developed high-tech hardware, software, and architectures for reliable space avionics and ground based systems. System configuration options provide processing capabilities to address Time Dependent Processing (TDP), Object Dependent Processing (ODP), and Mission Dependent Processing (MDP) requirements through Open System Architecture (OSA) alternatives that allow for the enhancement, incorporation, and capitalization of a broad range of development assets. High technology developments in hardware, software, and networking models, address technology challenges of long processor life times, fault tolerance, reliability, throughput, memories, radiation hardening, size, weight, power (SWAP) and security. Hardware and software design, development, and implementation focus on the interconnectivity/interoperability of an open system architecture and is being developed to apply new technology into practical OSA components. To insure for widely acceptable architecture capable of interfacing with various commercial and military components, this program provides for regular interactions with standardization working groups (e.g.) the International Standards Organization (ISO), American National Standards Institute (ANSI), Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), and Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE). Selection of a viable open architecture is based on the widely accepted standards that implement the ISO/OSI Reference Model.

Ada education in a software life-cycle context

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clough, Anne J.

1986-01-01

Some of the experience gained from a comprehensive educational program undertaken at The Charles Stark Draper Lab. to introduce the Ada language and to transition modern software engineering technology into the development of Ada and non-Ada applications is described. Initially, a core group, which included manager, engineers and programmers, received training in Ada. An Ada Office was established to assume the major responsibility for training, evaluation, acquisition and benchmarking of tools, and consultation on Ada projects. As a first step in this process, and in-house educational program was undertaken to introduce Ada to the Laboratory. Later, a software engineering course was added to the educational program as the need to address issues spanning the entire software life cycle became evident. Educational efforts to date are summarized, with an emphasis on the educational approach adopted. Finally, lessons learned in administering this program are addressed.

Parallel software for lattice N = 4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schaich, David; DeGrand, Thomas

2015-05-01

We present new parallel software, SUSY LATTICE, for lattice studies of four-dimensional N = 4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory with gauge group SU(N). The lattice action is constructed to exactly preserve a single supersymmetry charge at non-zero lattice spacing, up to additional potential terms included to stabilize numerical simulations. The software evolved from the MILC code for lattice QCD, and retains a similar large-scale framework despite the different target theory. Many routines are adapted from an existing serial code (Catterall and Joseph, 2012), which SUSY LATTICE supersedes. This paper provides an overview of the new parallel software, summarizing the lattice system, describing the applications that are currently provided and explaining their basic workflow for non-experts in lattice gauge theory. We discuss the parallel performance of the code, and highlight some notable aspects of the documentation for those interested in contributing to its future development.

A Strategic Defense Initiative Organization Software Testing Initiative

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-10-01

One group of researchers is investigating a version of this analysis termed constrained expression analysis [Dillon 1988c]. Here a design is...examined. Academic researchers will assist in developing experiments. In addition, an organization or group of people will be identified 14 as the focal...to make the transition into common practice. Research is being conducted into control -based test data adequacy criteria to support the dynamic

SU-E-P-05: Electronic Brachytherapy: A Physics Perspective On Field Implementation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pai, S; Ayyalasomayajula, S; Lee, S

2015-06-15

Purpose: We want to summarize our experience implementing a successful program of electronic brachytherapy at several dermatology clinics with the help of a cloud based software to help us define the key program parameters and capture physics QA aspects. Optimally developed software helps the physicist in peer review and qualify the physical parameters. Methods: Using the XOFT™ Axxent™ electronic brachytherapy system in conjunction with a cloud-based software, a process was setup to capture and record treatments. It was implemented initially at about 10 sites in California. For dosimetric purposes, the software facilitated storage of the physics parameters of surface applicatorsmore » used in treatment and other source calibration parameters. In addition, the patient prescription, pathology and other setup considerations were input by radiation oncologist and the therapist. This facilitated physics planning of the treatment parameters and also independent check of the dwell time. From 2013–2014, nearly1500 such calculation were completed by a group of physicists. A total of 800 patients with multiple lesions have been treated successfully during this period. The treatment log files have been uploaded and documented in the software which facilitated physics peer review of treatments per the standards in place by AAPM and ACR. Results: The program model was implemented successfully at multiple sites. The cloud based software allowed for proper peer review and compliance of the program at 10 clinical sites. Dosimtery was done on 800 patients and executed in a timely fashion to suit the clinical needs. Accumulated physics data in the software from the clinics allows for robust analysis and future development. Conclusion: Electronic brachytherapy implementation experience from a quality assurance perspective was greatly enhanced by using a cloud based software. The comprehensive database will pave the way for future developments to yield superior physics outcomes.« less

Space Station Software Issues

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Voigt, S. (Editor); Beskenis, S. (Editor)

1985-01-01

Issues in the development of software for the Space Station are discussed. Software acquisition and management, software development environment, standards, information system support for software developers, and a future software advisory board are addressed.

Space life support engineering program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Seagrave, Richard C.

1992-01-01

A comprehensive study to develop software to simulate the dynamic operation of water reclamation systems in long-term closed-loop life support systems is being carried out as part of an overall program for the design of systems for a moon station or a Mars voyage. This project is being done in parallel with a similar effort in the Department of Chemistry to develop durable accurate low-cost sensors for monitoring of trace chemical and biological species in recycled water supplies. Aspen-Plus software is being used on a group of high-performance work stations to develop the steady state descriptions for a number of existing technologies. Following completion, a dynamic simulation package will be developed for determining the response of such systems to changes in the metabolic needs of the crew and to upsets in system hardware performance.

76 FR 5832 - International Business Machines (IBM), Software Group Business Unit, Optim Data Studio Tools QA...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-02-02

... DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Employment and Training Administration [TA-W-74,554] International Business Machines (IBM), Software Group Business Unit, Optim Data Studio Tools QA, San Jose, CA; Notice of... determination of the TAA petition filed on behalf of workers at International Business Machines (IBM), Software...

The development and evaluation of a medical imaging training immersive environment

PubMed Central

Bridge, Pete; Gunn, Therese; Kastanis, Lazaros; Pack, Darren; Rowntree, Pamela; Starkey, Debbie; Mahoney, Gaynor; Berry, Clare; Braithwaite, Vicki; Wilson-Stewart, Kelly

2014-01-01

Introduction A novel realistic 3D virtual reality (VR) application has been developed to allow medical imaging students at Queensland University of Technology to practice radiographic techniques independently outside the usual radiography laboratory. Methods A flexible agile development methodology was used to create the software rapidly and effectively. A 3D gaming environment and realistic models were used to engender presence in the software while tutor-determined gold standards enabled students to compare their performance and learn in a problem-based learning pedagogy. Results Students reported high levels of satisfaction and perceived value and the software enabled up to 40 concurrent users to prepare for clinical practice. Student feedback also indicated that they found 3D to be of limited value in the desktop version compared to the usual 2D approach. A randomised comparison between groups receiving software-based and traditional practice measured performance in a formative role play with real equipment. The results of this work indicated superior performance with the equipment for the VR trained students (P = 0.0366) and confirmed the value of VR for enhancing 3D equipment-based problem-solving skills. Conclusions Students practising projection techniques virtually performed better at role play assessments than students practising in a traditional radiography laboratory only. The application particularly helped with 3D equipment configuration, suggesting that teaching 3D problem solving is an ideal use of such medical equipment simulators. Ongoing development work aims to establish the role of VR software in preparing students for clinical practice with a range of medical imaging equipment. PMID:26229652

Using video-annotation software to identify interactions in group therapies for schizophrenia: assessing reliability and associations with outcomes.

PubMed

Orfanos, Stavros; Akther, Syeda Ferhana; Abdul-Basit, Muhammad; McCabe, Rosemarie; Priebe, Stefan

2017-02-10

Research has shown that interactions in group therapies for people with schizophrenia are associated with a reduction in negative symptoms. However, it is unclear which specific interactions in groups are linked with these improvements. The aims of this exploratory study were to i) develop and test the reliability of using video-annotation software to measure interactions in group therapies in schizophrenia and ii) explore the relationship between interactions in group therapies for schizophrenia with clinically relevant changes in negative symptoms. Video-annotation software was used to annotate interactions from participants selected across nine video-recorded out-patient therapy groups (N = 81). Using the Individual Group Member Interpersonal Process Scale, interactions were coded from participants who demonstrated either a clinically significant improvement (N = 9) or no change (N = 8) in negative symptoms at the end of therapy. Interactions were measured from the first and last sessions of attendance (>25 h of therapy). Inter-rater reliability between two independent raters was measured. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to explore the association between the frequency of interactive behaviors and changes in negative symptoms, assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale. Of the 1275 statements that were annotated using ELAN, 1191 (93%) had sufficient audio and visual quality to be coded using the Individual Group Member Interpersonal Process Scale. Rater-agreement was high across all interaction categories (>95% average agreement). A higher frequency of self-initiated statements measured in the first session was associated with improvements in negative symptoms. The frequency of questions and giving advice measured in the first session of attendance was associated with improvements in negative symptoms; although this was only a trend. Video-annotation software can be used to reliably identify interactive behaviors in groups for schizophrenia. The results suggest that proactive communicative gestures, as assessed by the video-analysis, predict outcomes. Future research should use this novel method in larger and clinically different samples to explore which aspects of therapy facilitate such proactive communication early on in therapy.

ALMA software architecture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schwarz, Joseph; Raffi, Gianni

2002-12-01

The Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) is a joint project involving astronomical organizations in Europe and North America. ALMA will consist of at least 64 12-meter antennas operating in the millimeter and sub-millimeter range. It will be located at an altitude of about 5000m in the Chilean Atacama desert. The primary challenge to the development of the software architecture is the fact that both its development and runtime environments will be distributed. Groups at different institutes will develop the key elements such as Proposal Preparation tools, Instrument operation, On-line calibration and reduction, and Archiving. The Proposal Preparation software will be used primarily at scientists' home institutions (or on their laptops), while Instrument Operations will execute on a set of networked computers at the ALMA Operations Support Facility. The ALMA Science Archive, itself to be replicated at several sites, will serve astronomers worldwide. Building upon the existing ALMA Common Software (ACS), the system architects will prepare a robust framework that will use XML-encoded entity objects to provide an effective solution to the persistence needs of this system, while remaining largely independent of any underlying DBMS technology. Independence of distributed subsystems will be facilitated by an XML- and CORBA-based pass-by-value mechanism for exchange of objects. Proof of concept (as well as a guide to subsystem developers) will come from a prototype whose details will be presented.

A Quantitative Study of Global Software Development Teams, Requirements, and Software Projects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parker, Linda L.

2016-01-01

The study explored the relationship between global software development teams, effective software requirements, and stakeholders' perception of successful software development projects within the field of information technology management. It examined the critical relationship between Global Software Development (GSD) teams creating effective…

Development of Software to Model AXAF-I Image Quality

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ahmad, Anees; Hawkins, Lamar

1996-01-01

This draft final report describes the work performed under the delivery order number 145 from May 1995 through August 1996. The scope of work included a number of software development tasks for the performance modeling of AXAF-I. A number of new capabilities and functions have been added to the GT software, which is the command mode version of the GRAZTRACE software, originally developed by MSFC. A structural data interface has been developed for the EAL (old SPAR) finite element analysis FEA program, which is being used by MSFC Structural Analysis group for the analysis of AXAF-I. This interface utility can read the structural deformation file from the EAL and other finite element analysis programs such as NASTRAN and COSMOS/M, and convert the data to a suitable format that can be used for the deformation ray-tracing to predict the image quality for a distorted mirror. There is a provision in this utility to expand the data from finite element models assuming 180 degrees symmetry. This utility has been used to predict image characteristics for the AXAF-I HRMA, when subjected to gravity effects in the horizontal x-ray ground test configuration. The development of the metrology data processing interface software has also been completed. It can read the HDOS FITS format surface map files, manipulate and filter the metrology data, and produce a deformation file, which can be used by GT for ray tracing for the mirror surface figure errors. This utility has been used to determine the optimum alignment (axial spacing and clocking) for the four pairs of AXAF-I mirrors. Based on this optimized alignment, the geometric images and effective focal lengths for the as built mirrors were predicted to cross check the results obtained by Kodak.

Integrating Wireless Networking for Radiation Detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Board, Jeremy; Barzilov, Alexander; Womble, Phillip; Paschal, Jon

2006-10-01

As wireless networking becomes more available, new applications are being developed for this technology. Our group has been studying the advantages of wireless networks of radiation detectors. With the prevalence of the IEEE 802.11 standard (``WiFi''), we have developed a wireless detector unit which is comprised of a 5 cm x 5 cm NaI(Tl) detector, amplifier and data acquisition electronics, and a WiFi transceiver. A server may communicate with the detector unit using a TCP/IP network connected to a WiFi access point. Special software on the server will perform radioactive isotope determination and estimate dose-rates. We are developing an enhanced version of the software which utilizes the receiver signal strength index (RSSI) to estimate source strengths and to create maps of radiation intensity.

The Knowledge-Based Software Assistant: Beyond CASE

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carozzoni, Joseph A.

1993-01-01

This paper will outline the similarities and differences between two paradigms of software development. Both support the whole software life cycle and provide automation for most of the software development process, but have different approaches. The CASE approach is based on a set of tools linked by a central data repository. This tool-based approach is data driven and views software development as a series of sequential steps, each resulting in a product. The Knowledge-Based Software Assistant (KBSA) approach, a radical departure from existing software development practices, is knowledge driven and centers around a formalized software development process. KBSA views software development as an incremental, iterative, and evolutionary process with development occurring at the specification level.

NASA Software Engineering Benchmarking Study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rarick, Heather L.; Godfrey, Sara H.; Kelly, John C.; Crumbley, Robert T.; Wifl, Joel M.

2013-01-01

To identify best practices for the improvement of software engineering on projects, NASA's Offices of Chief Engineer (OCE) and Safety and Mission Assurance (OSMA) formed a team led by Heather Rarick and Sally Godfrey to conduct this benchmarking study. The primary goals of the study are to identify best practices that: Improve the management and technical development of software intensive systems; Have a track record of successful deployment by aerospace industries, universities [including research and development (R&D) laboratories], and defense services, as well as NASA's own component Centers; and Identify candidate solutions for NASA's software issues. Beginning in the late fall of 2010, focus topics were chosen and interview questions were developed, based on the NASA top software challenges. Between February 2011 and November 2011, the Benchmark Team interviewed a total of 18 organizations, consisting of five NASA Centers, five industry organizations, four defense services organizations, and four university or university R and D laboratory organizations. A software assurance representative also participated in each of the interviews to focus on assurance and software safety best practices. Interviewees provided a wealth of information on each topic area that included: software policy, software acquisition, software assurance, testing, training, maintaining rigor in small projects, metrics, and use of the Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) framework, as well as a number of special topics that came up in the discussions. NASA's software engineering practices compared favorably with the external organizations in most benchmark areas, but in every topic, there were ways in which NASA could improve its practices. Compared to defense services organizations and some of the industry organizations, one of NASA's notable weaknesses involved communication with contractors regarding its policies and requirements for acquired software. One of NASA's strengths was its software assurance practices, which seemed to rate well in comparison to the other organizational groups and also seemed to include a larger scope of activities. An unexpected benefit of the software benchmarking study was the identification of many opportunities for collaboration in areas including metrics, training, sharing of CMMI experiences and resources such as instructors and CMMI Lead Appraisers, and even sharing of assets such as documented processes. A further unexpected benefit of the study was the feedback on NASA practices that was received from some of the organizations interviewed. From that feedback, other potential areas where NASA could improve were highlighted, such as accuracy of software cost estimation and budgetary practices. The detailed report contains discussion of the practices noted in each of the topic areas, as well as a summary of observations and recommendations from each of the topic areas. The resulting 24 recommendations from the topic areas were then consolidated to eliminate duplication and culled into a set of 14 suggested actionable recommendations. This final set of actionable recommendations, listed below, are items that can be implemented to improve NASA's software engineering practices and to help address many of the items that were listed in the NASA top software engineering issues. 1. Develop and implement standard contract language for software procurements. 2. Advance accurate and trusted software cost estimates for both procured and in-house software and improve the capture of actual cost data to facilitate further improvements. 3. Establish a consistent set of objectives and expectations, specifically types of metrics at the Agency level, so key trends and models can be identified and used to continuously improve software processes and each software development effort. 4. Maintain the CMMI Maturity Level requirement for critical NASA projects and use CMMI to measure organizations developing software for NASA. 5.onsolidate, collect and, if needed, develop common processes principles and other assets across the Agency in order to provide more consistency in software development and acquisition practices and to reduce the overall cost of maintaining or increasing current NASA CMMI maturity levels. 6. Provide additional support for small projects that includes: (a) guidance for appropriate tailoring of requirements for small projects, (b) availability of suitable tools, including support tool set-up and training, and (c) training for small project personnel, assurance personnel and technical authorities on the acceptable options for tailoring requirements and performing assurance on small projects. 7. Develop software training classes for the more experienced software engineers using on-line training, videos, or small separate modules of training that can be accommodated as needed throughout a project. 8. Create guidelines to structure non-classroom training opportunities such as mentoring, peer reviews, lessons learned sessions, and on-the-job training. 9. Develop a set of predictive software defect data and a process for assessing software testing metric data against it. 10. Assess Agency-wide licenses for commonly used software tools. 11. Fill the knowledge gap in common software engineering practices for new hires and co-ops.12. Work through the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) program with universities in strengthening education in the use of common software engineering practices and standards. 13. Follow up this benchmark study with a deeper look into what both internal and external organizations perceive as the scope of software assurance, the value they expect to obtain from it, and the shortcomings they experience in the current practice. 14. Continue interactions with external software engineering environment through collaborations, knowledge sharing, and benchmarking.

[Computer-assisted phacoemulsification for hard cataracts].

PubMed

Zemba, M; Papadatu, Adriana-Camelia; Sîrbu, Laura-Nicoleta; Avram, Corina

2012-01-01

to evaluate the efficiency of new torsional phacoemulsification software (Ozil IP system) in hard nucleus cataract extraction. 45 eyes with hard senile cataract (degree III and IV) underwent phacoemulsification performed by the same surgeon, using the same technique (stop and chop). Infiniti (Alcon) platform was used, with Ozil IP software and Kelman phaco tip miniflared, 45 degrees. The nucleus was split into two and after that the first half was phacoemulsificated with IP-on (group 1) and the second half with IP-off (group 2). For every group we measured: cumulative dissipated energy (CDE), numbers of tip closure that needed manual desobstruction the amount of BSS used. The mean CDE was the same in group 1 and in group 2 (between 6.2 and 14.9). The incidence of occlusion that needed manual desobstruction was lower in group 1 (5 times) than in group 2 (13 times). Group 2 used more BSS compared to group 1. The new torsional software (IP system) significantly decreased occlusion time and balanced salt solution use over standard torsional software, particularly with denser cataracts.

Artificial Intelligence Software Engineering (AISE) model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kiss, Peter A.

1990-01-01

The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics has initiated a committee on standards for Artificial Intelligence. Presented are the initial efforts of one of the working groups of that committee. A candidate model is presented for the development life cycle of knowledge based systems (KBSs). The intent is for the model to be used by the aerospace community and eventually be evolved into a standard. The model is rooted in the evolutionary model, borrows from the spiral model, and is embedded in the standard Waterfall model for software development. Its intent is to satisfy the development of both stand-alone and embedded KBSs. The phases of the life cycle are shown and detailed as are the review points that constitute the key milestones throughout the development process. The applicability and strengths of the model are discussed along with areas needing further development and refinement by the aerospace community.

Modelling acquired dyslexia: a software tool for developing grapheme-phoneme correspondences.

PubMed Central

D'Autrechy, C. L.; Reggia, J. A.; Berndt, R. S.

1991-01-01

In extending a computer model of acquired dyslexia, it has become necessary to develop a way to group printed characters in a word so that the character groups essentially have a one-to-one correspondence with the word's phonemes (speech sounds). This requires deriving a set of correspondences (legal character groupings, legal associations of character groups with phonemes, etc.) that yield a single grouping or "segmentation" of characters when applied to any English word. To facilitate and partially automate this task, a segmentation program has been developed that uses an interchangeable set of correspondences. The program segments words according to these correspondences and tabulates their success over large sets of words. The program has been used successfully to segment a 20,000 word corpus, demonstrating that this approach can be used effectively and efficiently. PMID:1807611

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bridge, Pete, E-mail: pete.bridge@qut.edu.au; Gunn, Therese; Kastanis, Lazaros

A novel realistic 3D virtual reality (VR) application has been developed to allow medical imaging students at Queensland University of Technology to practice radiographic techniques independently outside the usual radiography laboratory. A flexible agile development methodology was used to create the software rapidly and effectively. A 3D gaming environment and realistic models were used to engender presence in the software while tutor-determined gold standards enabled students to compare their performance and learn in a problem-based learning pedagogy. Students reported high levels of satisfaction and perceived value and the software enabled up to 40 concurrent users to prepare for clinical practice.more » Student feedback also indicated that they found 3D to be of limited value in the desktop version compared to the usual 2D approach. A randomised comparison between groups receiving software-based and traditional practice measured performance in a formative role play with real equipment. The results of this work indicated superior performance with the equipment for the VR trained students (P = 0.0366) and confirmed the value of VR for enhancing 3D equipment-based problem-solving skills. Students practising projection techniques virtually performed better at role play assessments than students practising in a traditional radiography laboratory only. The application particularly helped with 3D equipment configuration, suggesting that teaching 3D problem solving is an ideal use of such medical equipment simulators. Ongoing development work aims to establish the role of VR software in preparing students for clinical practice with a range of medical imaging equipment.« less

Automated Reuse of Scientific Subroutine Libraries through Deductive Synthesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lowry, Michael R.; Pressburger, Thomas; VanBaalen, Jeffrey; Roach, Steven

1997-01-01

Systematic software construction offers the potential of elevating software engineering from an art-form to an engineering discipline. The desired result is more predictable software development leading to better quality and more maintainable software. However, the overhead costs associated with the formalisms, mathematics, and methods of systematic software construction have largely precluded their adoption in real-world software development. In fact, many mainstream software development organizations, such as Microsoft, still maintain a predominantly oral culture for software development projects; which is far removed from a formalism-based culture for software development. An exception is the limited domain of safety-critical software, where the high-assuiance inherent in systematic software construction justifies the additional cost. We believe that systematic software construction will only be adopted by mainstream software development organization when the overhead costs have been greatly reduced. Two approaches to cost mitigation are reuse (amortizing costs over many applications) and automation. For the last four years, NASA Ames has funded the Amphion project, whose objective is to automate software reuse through techniques from systematic software construction. In particular, deductive program synthesis (i.e., program extraction from proofs) is used to derive a composition of software components (e.g., subroutines) that correctly implements a specification. The construction of reuse libraries of software components is the standard software engineering solution for improving software development productivity and quality.

Predicting Software Suitability Using a Bayesian Belief Network

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beaver, Justin M.; Schiavone, Guy A.; Berrios, Joseph S.

2005-01-01

The ability to reliably predict the end quality of software under development presents a significant advantage for a development team. It provides an opportunity to address high risk components earlier in the development life cycle, when their impact is minimized. This research proposes a model that captures the evolution of the quality of a software product, and provides reliable forecasts of the end quality of the software being developed in terms of product suitability. Development team skill, software process maturity, and software problem complexity are hypothesized as driving factors of software product quality. The cause-effect relationships between these factors and the elements of software suitability are modeled using Bayesian Belief Networks, a machine learning method. This research presents a Bayesian Network for software quality, and the techniques used to quantify the factors that influence and represent software quality. The developed model is found to be effective in predicting the end product quality of small-scale software development efforts.

The Effects of Development Team Skill on Software Product Quality

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beaver, Justin M.; Schiavone, Guy A.

2006-01-01

This paper provides an analysis of the effect of the skill/experience of the software development team on the quality of the final software product. A method for the assessment of software development team skill and experience is proposed, and was derived from a workforce management tool currently in use by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Using data from 26 smallscale software development projects, the team skill measures are correlated to 5 software product quality metrics from the ISO/IEC 9126 Software Engineering Product Quality standard. in the analysis of the results, development team skill is found to be a significant factor in the adequacy of the design and implementation. In addition, the results imply that inexperienced software developers are tasked with responsibilities ill-suited to their skill level, and thus have a significant adverse effect on the quality of the software product. Keywords: software quality, development skill, software metrics

Computer-Aided Software Engineering - An approach to real-time software development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Walker, Carrie K.; Turkovich, John J.

1989-01-01

A new software engineering discipline is Computer-Aided Software Engineering (CASE), a technology aimed at automating the software development process. This paper explores the development of CASE technology, particularly in the area of real-time/scientific/engineering software, and a history of CASE is given. The proposed software development environment for the Advanced Launch System (ALS CASE) is described as an example of an advanced software development system for real-time/scientific/engineering (RT/SE) software. The Automated Programming Subsystem of ALS CASE automatically generates executable code and corresponding documentation from a suitably formatted specification of the software requirements. Software requirements are interactively specified in the form of engineering block diagrams. Several demonstrations of the Automated Programming Subsystem are discussed.

Tracing catchment fine sediment sources using the new SIFT (SedIment Fingerprinting Tool) open source software.

PubMed

Pulley, S; Collins, A L

2018-09-01

The mitigation of diffuse sediment pollution requires reliable provenance information so that measures can be targeted. Sediment source fingerprinting represents one approach for supporting these needs, but recent methodological developments have resulted in an increasing complexity of data processing methods rendering the approach less accessible to non-specialists. A comprehensive new software programme (SIFT; SedIment Fingerprinting Tool) has therefore been developed which guides the user through critical data analysis decisions and automates all calculations. Multiple source group configurations and composite fingerprints are identified and tested using multiple methods of uncertainty analysis. This aims to explore the sediment provenance information provided by the tracers more comprehensively than a single model, and allows for model configurations with high uncertainties to be rejected. This paper provides an overview of its application to an agricultural catchment in the UK to determine if the approach used can provide a reduction in uncertainty and increase in precision. Five source group classifications were used; three formed using a k-means cluster analysis containing 2, 3 and 4 clusters, and two a-priori groups based upon catchment geology. Three different composite fingerprints were used for each classification and bi-plots, range tests, tracer variability ratios and virtual mixtures tested the reliability of each model configuration. Some model configurations performed poorly when apportioning the composition of virtual mixtures, and different model configurations could produce different sediment provenance results despite using composite fingerprints able to discriminate robustly between the source groups. Despite this uncertainty, dominant sediment sources were identified, and those in close proximity to each sediment sampling location were found to be of greatest importance. This new software, by integrating recent methodological developments in tracer data processing, guides users through key steps. Critically, by applying multiple model configurations and uncertainty assessment, it delivers more robust solutions for informing catchment management of the sediment problem than many previously used approaches. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Use of a Wiki-Based Software to Manage Research Group Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Ting; Vezenov, Dmitri V.; Simboli, Brian

2014-01-01

This paper discusses use of the wiki software Confluence to organize research group activities and lab resources. Confluence can serve as an electronic lab notebook (ELN), as well as an information management and collaboration tool. The article provides a case study in how researchers can use wiki software in "home-grown" fashion to…

Orbiter Flying Qualities (OFQ) Workstation user's guide

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Myers, Thomas T.; Parseghian, Zareh; Hogue, Jeffrey R.

1988-01-01

This project was devoted to the development of a software package, called the Orbiter Flying Qualities (OFQ) Workstation, for working with the OFQ Archives which are specially selected sets of space shuttle entry flight data relevant to flight control and flying qualities. The basic approach to creation of the workstation software was to federate and extend commercial software products to create a low cost package that operates on personal computers. Provision was made to link the workstation to large computers, but the OFQ Archive files were also converted to personal computer diskettes and can be stored on workstation hard disk drives. The primary element of the workstation developed in the project is the Interactive Data Handler (IDH) which allows the user to select data subsets from the archives and pass them to specialized analysis programs. The IDH was developed as an application in a relational database management system product. The specialized analysis programs linked to the workstation include a spreadsheet program, FREDA for spectral analysis, MFP for frequency domain system identification, and NIPIP for pilot-vehicle system parameter identification. The workstation also includes capability for ensemble analysis over groups of missions.

PRIOR-WK&E: Social Software for Policy Making in the Knowledge Society

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turón, Alberto; Aguarón, Juan; Escobar, María Teresa; Gallardo, Carolina; Moreno-Jiménez, José María; Salazar, José Luis

This paper presents a social software application denominated as PRIOR-WK&E. It has been developed by the Zaragoza Multicriteria Decision Making Group (GDMZ) with the aim of responding to the challenges of policy making in the Knowledge Society. Three specific modules have been added to PRIOR, the collaborative tool used by the research group (GDMZ) for considering the multicriteria selection of a discrete set of alternatives. The first module (W), that deals with multiactor decision making through the Web, and the second (K), that concerns the extraction and diffusion of knowledge related to the scientific resolution of the problem, were explained in [1]. The new application strengthens securitization and includes a third module (E) that evaluates the effectiveness of public administrations policy making.

Models for Deploying Open Source and Commercial Software to Support Earth Science Data Processing and Distribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yetman, G.; Downs, R. R.

2011-12-01

Software deployment is needed to process and distribute scientific data throughout the data lifecycle. Developing software in-house can take software development teams away from other software development projects and can require efforts to maintain the software over time. Adopting and reusing software and system modules that have been previously developed by others can reduce in-house software development and maintenance costs and can contribute to the quality of the system being developed. A variety of models are available for reusing and deploying software and systems that have been developed by others. These deployment models include open source software, vendor-supported open source software, commercial software, and combinations of these approaches. Deployment in Earth science data processing and distribution has demonstrated the advantages and drawbacks of each model. Deploying open source software offers advantages for developing and maintaining scientific data processing systems and applications. By joining an open source community that is developing a particular system module or application, a scientific data processing team can contribute to aspects of the software development without having to commit to developing the software alone. Communities of interested developers can share the work while focusing on activities that utilize in-house expertise and addresses internal requirements. Maintenance is also shared by members of the community. Deploying vendor-supported open source software offers similar advantages to open source software. However, by procuring the services of a vendor, the in-house team can rely on the vendor to provide, install, and maintain the software over time. Vendor-supported open source software may be ideal for teams that recognize the value of an open source software component or application and would like to contribute to the effort, but do not have the time or expertise to contribute extensively. Vendor-supported software may also have the additional benefits of guaranteed up-time, bug fixes, and vendor-added enhancements. Deploying commercial software can be advantageous for obtaining system or software components offered by a vendor that meet in-house requirements. The vendor can be contracted to provide installation, support and maintenance services as needed. Combining these options offers a menu of choices, enabling selection of system components or software modules that meet the evolving requirements encountered throughout the scientific data lifecycle.

Data Management Working Group report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Filardo, Edward J.; Smith, David B.

1986-01-01

The current flight qualification program lags technology insertion by 6 to 10 years. The objective is to develop an integrated software engineering and development environment assisted by an expert system technology. An operating system needs to be developed which is portable to the on-board computers of the year 2000. The use of ADA verses a High-Order Language; fault tolerance; fiber optics networks; communication protocols; and security are also examined and outlined.

Software Group Gets Online Textbooks to the Developing World

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Foster, Andrea L.

2007-01-01

Learning is valuable, but in Africa it is more than that: It is prohibitively expensive. In Ethiopia, where the per-capita income is about $100 a year, a single textbook at Addis Ababa University can cost $50. In order to get more textbooks to students in developing nations, two people are leading an ambitious project to produce and freely…

Collaborative Autonomy with Group Autonomy for Mobile Systems (GAMS)

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-11-18

Carnegie Mellon University for the operation of the Software Engineering Institute, a federally funded research and development center. Any opinions...tutorials, doxygen) Intro MADARA GAMS Conclusion 9 James Edmondson © 2014 Carnegie Mellon University How MADARA helps researchers and developers...architecture portability to prevent vendor lock-in and shorten transition timeframe • Open source. Free. Extensible. • Allows reseachers to focus

The Elements of an Effective Software Development Plan - Software Development Process Guidebook

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-11-11

standards and practices required for all XMPL software development. This SDP implements the <corporate> Standard Software Process (SSP). as tailored...Developing and integrating reusable software products • Approach to managing COTS/Reuse software implementation • COTS/Reuse software selection...final selection and submit to change board for approval MAINTENANCE Monitor current products for obsolescence or end of support Track new

User Interface Technology Transfer to NASA's Virtual Wind Tunnel System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

vanDam, Andries

1998-01-01

Funded by NASA grants for four years, the Brown Computer Graphics Group has developed novel 3D user interfaces for desktop and immersive scientific visualization applications. This past grant period supported the design and development of a software library, the 3D Widget Library, which supports the construction and run-time management of 3D widgets. The 3D Widget Library is a mechanism for transferring user interface technology from the Brown Graphics Group to the Virtual Wind Tunnel system at NASA Ames as well as the public domain.

The process group approach to reliable distributed computing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Birman, Kenneth P.

1991-01-01

The difficulty of developing reliable distributed software is an impediment to applying distributed computing technology in many settings. Experience with the ISIS system suggests that a structured approach based on virtually synchronous process groups yields systems which are substantially easier to develop, fault-tolerance, and self-managing. Six years of research on ISIS are reviewed, describing the model, the types of applications to which ISIS was applied, and some of the reasoning that underlies a recent effort to redesign and reimplement ISIS as a much smaller, lightweight system.

NASA's Software Bank (Signal Group)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1992-01-01

A COSMIC program helped the Signal Group to provide a communications system linking a desert area without communications facilities to civilization. The system was developed for a hunting party of wealthy Middle Eastern men. The latest in two-way radio technology was incorporated into a portable system with a small inflatable tethered blimp, which served as a solar-powered relay station. The program, Transverse Mercator Map Projection of the Spheroid Using Transformation of the Elliptic Integral, enabled the company to develop the system without the aid of accurate satellite derived terrain data.

Artificial intelligence approaches to software engineering

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johannes, James D.; Macdonald, James R.

1988-01-01

Artificial intelligence approaches to software engineering are examined. The software development life cycle is a sequence of not so well-defined phases. Improved techniques for developing systems have been formulated over the past 15 years, but pressure continues to attempt to reduce current costs. Software development technology seems to be standing still. The primary objective of the knowledge-based approach to software development presented in this paper is to avoid problem areas that lead to schedule slippages, cost overruns, or software products that fall short of their desired goals. Identifying and resolving software problems early, often in the phase in which they first occur, has been shown to contribute significantly to reducing risks in software development. Software development is not a mechanical process but a basic human activity. It requires clear thinking, work, and rework to be successful. The artificial intelligence approaches to software engineering presented support the software development life cycle through the use of software development techniques and methodologies in terms of changing current practices and methods. These should be replaced by better techniques that that improve the process of of software development and the quality of the resulting products. The software development process can be structured into well-defined steps, of which the interfaces are standardized, supported and checked by automated procedures that provide error detection, production of the documentation and ultimately support the actual design of complex programs.

Framework Programmable Platform for the Advanced Software Development Workstation (FPP/ASDW). Demonstration framework document. Volume 1: Concepts and activity descriptions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mayer, Richard J.; Blinn, Thomas M.; Dewitte, Paul S.; Crump, John W.; Ackley, Keith A.

1992-01-01

The Framework Programmable Software Development Platform (FPP) is a project aimed at effectively combining tool and data integration mechanisms with a model of the software development process to provide an intelligent integrated software development environment. Guided by the model, this system development framework will take advantage of an integrated operating environment to automate effectively the management of the software development process so that costly mistakes during the development phase can be eliminated. The Advanced Software Development Workstation (ASDW) program is conducting research into development of advanced technologies for Computer Aided Software Engineering (CASE).

Caries Risk Assessment of 12-13-year-old Government and Private School Going Children of Mysore City Using Cariogram: A Comparative Study.

PubMed

Naik, Sandhya P; Moyin, Shabna; Patel, Bhakti; Warad, Lata Prabhu; Punathil, Sameer; Sudeep, C B

2018-01-01

The aim of this study is to assess the caries risk assessment of 12-13-year-old government and private school going children of Mysore city using Cariogram. A cross-sectional examination was carried out on a total of 104 government and private schoolchildren aged 12-13 years. Ten factors from the Cariogram software(D Bratthall, Computer software, Malmo, Sweden) were included from study participant's records to complete the Cariogram. The percentage of "chances of avoiding new lesions" (caries risk) among government and private school study participants were obtained from Cariogram, and the participants were classified into five risk groups. Statistical analysis was performed using the software program Statistical Package of Social Science (version 17.0, SPSS Inc., Chicago IL, USA). Findings revealed that there is slight difference in caries risk among government and private schoolchildren, where 48% caries risk development and 52% chance to avoid dental caries were showed in government schoolchildren, and 51% caries risk development and 49% chance to avoid dental caries were showed in private schoolchildren, according to Cariogram. Decayed, missing, and filled teeth component, mutans streptococci, and Lactobacillus counts were slightly higher in private schoolchildren compared with government schoolchildren. The private schoolchildren had less favorable values than government schoolchildren for most of the caries-related factors. Cariogram can be the most modest and reliable tool for caries prediction, thus aiding in identifying different risk groups in a community so that appropriate preventive strategies can be provided to overcome new carious lesion formation.

The 2015 Bioinformatics Open Source Conference (BOSC 2015)

PubMed Central

Harris, Nomi L.; Cock, Peter J. A.; Lapp, Hilmar

2016-01-01

The Bioinformatics Open Source Conference (BOSC) is organized by the Open Bioinformatics Foundation (OBF), a nonprofit group dedicated to promoting the practice and philosophy of open source software development and open science within the biological research community. Since its inception in 2000, BOSC has provided bioinformatics developers with a forum for communicating the results of their latest efforts to the wider research community. BOSC offers a focused environment for developers and users to interact and share ideas about standards; software development practices; practical techniques for solving bioinformatics problems; and approaches that promote open science and sharing of data, results, and software. BOSC is run as a two-day special interest group (SIG) before the annual Intelligent Systems in Molecular Biology (ISMB) conference. BOSC 2015 took place in Dublin, Ireland, and was attended by over 125 people, about half of whom were first-time attendees. Session topics included “Data Science;” “Standards and Interoperability;” “Open Science and Reproducibility;” “Translational Bioinformatics;” “Visualization;” and “Bioinformatics Open Source Project Updates”. In addition to two keynote talks and dozens of shorter talks chosen from submitted abstracts, BOSC 2015 included a panel, titled “Open Source, Open Door: Increasing Diversity in the Bioinformatics Open Source Community,” that provided an opportunity for open discussion about ways to increase the diversity of participants in BOSC in particular, and in open source bioinformatics in general. The complete program of BOSC 2015 is available online at http://www.open-bio.org/wiki/BOSC_2015_Schedule. PMID:26914653

[Designing a software for drug management in special situations at a hospital's drug administration service].

PubMed

Sánchez Cuervo, Marina; Muñoz García, María; Gómez de Salazar López de Silanes, María Esther; Bermejo Vicedo, Teresa

2015-03-01

to describe the features of a computer program for management of drugs in special situations (off-label and compassionate use) in a Department of Hospital Pharmacy (PD). To describe the methodology followed for its implementation in the Medical Services. To evaluate their use after 2 years of practice. the design was carried out by pharmacists of the PD. The stages of the process were: selection of a software development company, establishment of a working group, selection of a development platform, design of an interactive Viewer, definition of functionality and data processing, creation of databases, connection, installation and configuration, application testing and improvements development. A directed sequential strategy was used for implementation in the Medical Services. The program's utility and experience of use were evaluated after 2 years. a multidisciplinary working group was formed and developed Pk_Usos®. The program works in web environment with a common viewer for all users enabling real time checking of the request files' status and that adapts to the management of medications in special situations procedure. Pk_Usos® was introduced first in the Oncology Department, with 15 oncologists as users of the program. 343 patients had 384 treatment requests managed, of which 363 are authorized throughout two years. PK_Usos® is the first software designed for the management of drugs in special situations in the PD. It is a dynamic and efficient tool for all professionals involved in the process by optimization of times. Copyright AULA MEDICA EDICIONES 2014. Published by AULA MEDICA. All rights reserved.

HERMES travels by CAN bus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Waller, Lewis G.; Shortridge, Keith; Farrell, Tony J.; Vuong, Minh; Muller, Rolf; Sheinis, Andrew I.

2014-07-01

The new HERMES spectrograph represents the first foray by AAO into the use of commercial off-the-shelf industrial field bus technology for instrument control, and we regard the final system, with its relatively simple wiring requirements, as a great success. However, both software and hardware teams had to work together to solve a number of problems integrating the chosen CANopen/CAN bus system into our normal observing systems. A Linux system running in an industrial PC chassis ran the HERMES control software, using a PCI CAN bus interface connected to a number of distributed CANopen/CAN bus I/O devices and servo amplifiers. In the main, the servo amplifiers performed impressively, although some experimentation with homing algorithms was required, and we hit a significant hurdle when we discovered that we needed to disable some of the encoders used during observations; we learned a lot about how servo amplifiers respond when their encoders are turned off, and about how encoders react to losing power. The software was based around a commercial CANopen library from Copley Controls. Early worries about how this heavily multithreaded library would work with our standard data acquisition system led to the development of a very low-level CANopen software simulator to verify the design. This also enabled the software group to develop and test almost all the control software well in advance of the construction of the hardware. In the end, the instrument went from initial installation at the telescope to successful commissioning remarkably smoothly.

Development of Software for Automatic Analysis of Intervention in the Field of Homeopathy.

PubMed

Jain, Rajesh Kumar; Goyal, Shagun; Bhat, Sushma N; Rao, Srinath; Sakthidharan, Vivek; Kumar, Prasanna; Sajan, Kannanaikal Rappayi; Jindal, Sameer Kumar; Jindal, Ghanshyam D

2018-05-01

To study the effect of homeopathic medicines (in higher potencies) in normal subjects, Peripheral Pulse Analyzer (PPA) has been used to record physiologic variability parameters before and after administration of the medicine/placebo in 210 normal subjects. Data have been acquired in seven rounds; placebo was administered in rounds 1 and 2 and medicine in potencies 6, 30, 200, 1 M, and 10 M was administered in rounds 3 to 7, respectively. Five different medicines in the said potencies were given to a group of around 40 subjects each. Although processing of data required human intervention, a software application has been developed to analyze the processed data and detect the response to eliminate the undue delay as well as human bias in subjective analysis. This utility named Automatic Analysis of Intervention in the Field of Homeopathy is run on the processed PPA data and the outcome has been compared with the manual analysis. The application software uses adaptive threshold based on statistics for detecting responses in contrast to fixed threshold used in manual analysis. The automatic analysis has detected 12.96% higher responses than subjective analysis. Higher response rates have been manually verified to be true positive. This indicates robustness of the application software. The automatic analysis software was run on another set of pulse harmonic parameters derived from the same data set to study cardiovascular susceptibility and 385 responses were detected in contrast to 272 of variability parameters. It was observed that 65% of the subjects, eliciting response, were common. This not only validates the software utility for giving consistent yield but also reveals the certainty of the response. This development may lead to electronic proving of homeopathic medicines (e-proving).

Effects of Home and School Computer Use on School Readiness and Cognitive Development among Head Start Children: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Xiaoming; Atkins, Melissa S.; Stanton, Bonita

2006-01-01

Data from 122 Head Start children were analyzed to examine the impact of computer use on school readiness and psychomotor skills. Children in the experimental group were given the opportunity to work on a computer for 15-20 minutes per day with their choice of developmentally appropriate educational software, while the control group received a…

ETHNOS: A versatile electronic tool for the development and curation of national genetic databases

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

National and ethnic mutation databases (NEMDBs) are emerging online repositories, recording extensive information about the described genetic heterogeneity of an ethnic group or population. These resources facilitate the provision of genetic services and provide a comprehensive list of genomic variations among different populations. As such, they enhance awareness of the various genetic disorders. Here, we describe the features of the ETHNOS software, a simple but versatile tool based on a flat-file database that is specifically designed for the development and curation of NEMDBs. ETHNOS is a freely available software which runs more than half of the NEMDBs currently available. Given the emerging need for NEMDB in genetic testing services and the fact that ETHNOS is the only off-the-shelf software available for NEMDB development and curation, its adoption in subsequent NEMDB development would contribute towards data content uniformity, unlike the diverse contents and quality of the available gene (locus)-specific databases. Finally, we allude to the potential applications of NEMDBs, not only as worldwide central allele frequency repositories, but also, and most importantly, as data warehouses of individual-level genomic data, hence allowing for a comprehensive ethnicity-specific documentation of genomic variation. PMID:20650823

ETHNOS : A versatile electronic tool for the development and curation of national genetic databases.

PubMed

van Baal, Sjozef; Zlotogora, Joël; Lagoumintzis, George; Gkantouna, Vassiliki; Tzimas, Ioannis; Poulas, Konstantinos; Tsakalidis, Athanassios; Romeo, Giovanni; Patrinos, George P

2010-06-01

National and ethnic mutation databases (NEMDBs) are emerging online repositories, recording extensive information about the described genetic heterogeneity of an ethnic group or population. These resources facilitate the provision of genetic services and provide a comprehensive list of genomic variations among different populations. As such, they enhance awareness of the various genetic disorders. Here, we describe the features of the ETHNOS software, a simple but versatile tool based on a flat-file database that is specifically designed for the development and curation of NEMDBs. ETHNOS is a freely available software which runs more than half of the NEMDBs currently available. Given the emerging need for NEMDB in genetic testing services and the fact that ETHNOS is the only off-the-shelf software available for NEMDB development and curation, its adoption in subsequent NEMDB development would contribute towards data content uniformity, unlike the diverse contents and quality of the available gene (locus)-specific databases. Finally, we allude to the potential applications of NEMDBs, not only as worldwide central allele frequency repositories, but also, and most importantly, as data warehouses of individual-level genomic data, hence allowing for a comprehensive ethnicity-specific documentation of genomic variation.

Agile Software Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Biju, Soly Mathew

2008-01-01

Many software development firms are now adopting the agile software development method. This method involves the customer at every level of software development, thus reducing the impact of change in the requirement at a later stage. In this article, the principles of the agile method for software development are explored and there is a focus on…

Development of a comprehensive software engineering environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hartrum, Thomas C.; Lamont, Gary B.

1987-01-01

The generation of a set of tools for software lifecycle is a recurring theme in the software engineering literature. The development of such tools and their integration into a software development environment is a difficult task because of the magnitude (number of variables) and the complexity (combinatorics) of the software lifecycle process. An initial development of a global approach was initiated in 1982 as the Software Development Workbench (SDW). Continuing efforts focus on tool development, tool integration, human interfacing, data dictionaries, and testing algorithms. Current efforts are emphasizing natural language interfaces, expert system software development associates and distributed environments with Ada as the target language. The current implementation of the SDW is on a VAX-11/780. Other software development tools are being networked through engineering workstations.

Reducing Risk in DoD Software-Intensive Systems Development

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-03-01

intensive systems development risk. This research addresses the use of the Technical Readiness Assessment (TRA) using the nine-level software Technology...The software TRLs are ineffective in reducing technical risk for the software component development. • Without the software TRLs, there is no...effective method to perform software TRA or reduce the technical development risk. The software component will behave as a new, untried technology in nearly

ISS Material Science Research Rack HWIL Interface Simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, Philip J.; Ballard, Gary H.; Crumbley, Robert T. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

In this paper, the first Material Science Research Rack (MSRR-1) hardware-in-the-loop (HWIL) interface simulation is described. Dynamic Concepts developed this HWIL simulation system with funding and management provided by the Flight Software group (ED14) of NASA-MSFC's Avionics Department. The HWIL system has been used both as a flight software development environment and as a software qualification tool. To fulfill these roles, the HWIL simulator accurately models the system dynamics of many MSRR-1 subsystems and emulates most of the internal interface signals. The modeled subsystems include the Experiment Modules, the Thermal Environment Control System, the Vacuum Access System, the Solid State Power Controller Module, and the Active Rack Isolation Systems. The emulated signals reside on three separate MIL-STD-1553B digital communication buses, the ISS Medium Rate Data Link, and several analog controller and sensor signals. To enhance the range of testing, it was necessary to simulate several off-nominal conditions that may occur in the interfacing subsystems.

MPA Portable: A Stand-Alone Software Package for Analyzing Metaproteome Samples on the Go.

PubMed

Muth, Thilo; Kohrs, Fabian; Heyer, Robert; Benndorf, Dirk; Rapp, Erdmann; Reichl, Udo; Martens, Lennart; Renard, Bernhard Y

2018-01-02

Metaproteomics, the mass spectrometry-based analysis of proteins from multispecies samples faces severe challenges concerning data analysis and results interpretation. To overcome these shortcomings, we here introduce the MetaProteomeAnalyzer (MPA) Portable software. In contrast to the original server-based MPA application, this newly developed tool no longer requires computational expertise for installation and is now independent of any relational database system. In addition, MPA Portable now supports state-of-the-art database search engines and a convenient command line interface for high-performance data processing tasks. While search engine results can easily be combined to increase the protein identification yield, an additional two-step workflow is implemented to provide sufficient analysis resolution for further postprocessing steps, such as protein grouping as well as taxonomic and functional annotation. Our new application has been developed with a focus on intuitive usability, adherence to data standards, and adaptation to Web-based workflow platforms. The open source software package can be found at https://github.com/compomics/meta-proteome-analyzer .

AutoDrug: fully automated macromolecular crystallography workflows for fragment-based drug discovery

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tsai, Yingssu; Stanford University, 333 Campus Drive, Mudd Building, Stanford, CA 94305-5080; McPhillips, Scott E.

New software has been developed for automating the experimental and data-processing stages of fragment-based drug discovery at a macromolecular crystallography beamline. A new workflow-automation framework orchestrates beamline-control and data-analysis software while organizing results from multiple samples. AutoDrug is software based upon the scientific workflow paradigm that integrates the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource macromolecular crystallography beamlines and third-party processing software to automate the crystallography steps of the fragment-based drug-discovery process. AutoDrug screens a cassette of fragment-soaked crystals, selects crystals for data collection based on screening results and user-specified criteria and determines optimal data-collection strategies. It then collects and processes diffraction data,more » performs molecular replacement using provided models and detects electron density that is likely to arise from bound fragments. All processes are fully automated, i.e. are performed without user interaction or supervision. Samples can be screened in groups corresponding to particular proteins, crystal forms and/or soaking conditions. A single AutoDrug run is only limited by the capacity of the sample-storage dewar at the beamline: currently 288 samples. AutoDrug was developed in conjunction with RestFlow, a new scientific workflow-automation framework. RestFlow simplifies the design of AutoDrug by managing the flow of data and the organization of results and by orchestrating the execution of computational pipeline steps. It also simplifies the execution and interaction of third-party programs and the beamline-control system. Modeling AutoDrug as a scientific workflow enables multiple variants that meet the requirements of different user groups to be developed and supported. A workflow tailored to mimic the crystallography stages comprising the drug-discovery pipeline of CoCrystal Discovery Inc. has been deployed and successfully demonstrated. This workflow was run once on the same 96 samples that the group had examined manually and the workflow cycled successfully through all of the samples, collected data from the same samples that were selected manually and located the same peaks of unmodeled density in the resulting difference Fourier maps.« less

The Five 'R's' for Developing Trusted Software Frameworks to increase confidence in, and maximise reuse of, Open Source Software.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fraser, Ryan; Gross, Lutz; Wyborn, Lesley; Evans, Ben; Klump, Jens

2015-04-01

Recent investments in HPC, cloud and Petascale data stores, have dramatically increased the scale and resolution that earth science challenges can now be tackled. These new infrastructures are highly parallelised and to fully utilise them and access the large volumes of earth science data now available, a new approach to software stack engineering needs to be developed. The size, complexity and cost of the new infrastructures mean any software deployed has to be reliable, trusted and reusable. Increasingly software is available via open source repositories, but these usually only enable code to be discovered and downloaded. As a user it is hard for a scientist to judge the suitability and quality of individual codes: rarely is there information on how and where codes can be run, what the critical dependencies are, and in particular, on the version requirements and licensing of the underlying software stack. A trusted software framework is proposed to enable reliable software to be discovered, accessed and then deployed on multiple hardware environments. More specifically, this framework will enable those who generate the software, and those who fund the development of software, to gain credit for the effort, IP, time and dollars spent, and facilitate quantification of the impact of individual codes. For scientific users, the framework delivers reviewed and benchmarked scientific software with mechanisms to reproduce results. The trusted framework will have five separate, but connected components: Register, Review, Reference, Run, and Repeat. 1) The Register component will facilitate discovery of relevant software from multiple open source code repositories. The registration process of the code should include information about licensing, hardware environments it can be run on, define appropriate validation (testing) procedures and list the critical dependencies. 2) The Review component is targeting on the verification of the software typically against a set of benchmark cases. This will be achieved by linking the code in the software framework to peer review forums such as Mozilla Science or appropriate Journals (e.g. Geoscientific Model Development Journal) to assist users to know which codes to trust. 3) Referencing will be accomplished by linking the Software Framework to groups such as Figshare or ImpactStory that help disseminate and measure the impact of scientific research, including program code. 4) The Run component will draw on information supplied in the registration process, benchmark cases described in the review and relevant information to instantiate the scientific code on the selected environment. 5) The Repeat component will tap into existing Provenance Workflow engines that will automatically capture information that relate to a particular run of that software, including identification of all input and output artefacts, and all elements and transactions within that workflow. The proposed trusted software framework will enable users to rapidly discover and access reliable code, reduce the time to deploy it and greatly facilitate sharing, reuse and reinstallation of code. Properly designed it could enable an ability to scale out to massively parallel systems and be accessed nationally/ internationally for multiple use cases, including Supercomputer centres, cloud facilities, and local computers.

The Open AUC Project.

PubMed

Cölfen, Helmut; Laue, Thomas M; Wohlleben, Wendel; Schilling, Kristian; Karabudak, Engin; Langhorst, Bradley W; Brookes, Emre; Dubbs, Bruce; Zollars, Dan; Rocco, Mattia; Demeler, Borries

2010-02-01

Progress in analytical ultracentrifugation (AUC) has been hindered by obstructions to hardware innovation and by software incompatibility. In this paper, we announce and outline the Open AUC Project. The goals of the Open AUC Project are to stimulate AUC innovation by improving instrumentation, detectors, acquisition and analysis software, and collaborative tools. These improvements are needed for the next generation of AUC-based research. The Open AUC Project combines on-going work from several different groups. A new base instrument is described, one that is designed from the ground up to be an analytical ultracentrifuge. This machine offers an open architecture, hardware standards, and application programming interfaces for detector developers. All software will use the GNU Public License to assure that intellectual property is available in open source format. The Open AUC strategy facilitates collaborations, encourages sharing, and eliminates the chronic impediments that have plagued AUC innovation for the last 20 years. This ultracentrifuge will be equipped with multiple and interchangeable optical tracks so that state-of-the-art electronics and improved detectors will be available for a variety of optical systems. The instrument will be complemented by a new rotor, enhanced data acquisition and analysis software, as well as collaboration software. Described here are the instrument, the modular software components, and a standardized database that will encourage and ease integration of data analysis and interpretation software.

Home | Simulation Research

Science.gov Websites

Group specializes in the research, development and deployment of software that support the design and controls design, the Spawn of EnergyPlus next-generation simulation engine, for building and control energy systems tools for OpenBuildingControl to support control design, deployment and verification of building

Working Group 1: Software System Design and Implementation for Environmental Modeling (presentation)

EPA Science Inventory

Background: Nine Federal agencies have been cooperating under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the research and development of multimedia environmental models. The MOU, which was revised in 2012, continues an effort that began in 2001. It establishes a framework for facilit...

Library Development Handbook. Central Archive for Reusable Defense Software (CARDS)

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-10-29

features. This feature benefits the individual not versed in the terminology of the domain. When class requirements become part of the domain criteria, they... franchisee - Group to whom a franchise is granted. generic architecture - A collection of high-level paradigms and constraints that characterize the

Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle Camera Asset Planning: Imagery Previsualization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beaulieu, K.

2014-01-01

Using JSC-developed and other industry-standard off-the-shelf 3D modeling, animation, and rendering software packages, the Image Science Analysis Group (ISAG) supports Orion Project imagery planning efforts through dynamic 3D simulation and realistic previsualization of ground-, vehicle-, and air-based camera output.

Evolution of Secondary Software Businesses: Understanding Industry Dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tyrväinen, Pasi; Warsta, Juhani; Seppänen, Veikko

Primary software industry originates from IBM's decision to unbundle software-related computer system development activities to external partners. This kind of outsourcing from an enterprise internal software development activity is a common means to start a new software business serving a vertical software market. It combines knowledge of the vertical market process with competence in software development. In this research, we present and analyze the key figures of the Finnish secondary software industry, in order to quantify its interaction with the primary software industry during the period of 2000-2003. On the basis of the empirical data, we present a model for evolution of a secondary software business, which makes explicit the industry dynamics. It represents the shift from internal software developed for competitive advantage to development of products supporting standard business processes on top of standardized technologies. We also discuss the implications for software business strategies in each phase.

BGen: A UML Behavior Network Generator Tool

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Huntsberger, Terry; Reder, Leonard J.; Balian, Harry

2010-01-01

BGen software was designed for autogeneration of code based on a graphical representation of a behavior network used for controlling automatic vehicles. A common format used for describing a behavior network, such as that used in the JPL-developed behavior-based control system, CARACaS ["Control Architecture for Robotic Agent Command and Sensing" (NPO-43635), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 32, No. 10 (October 2008), page 40] includes a graph with sensory inputs flowing through the behaviors in order to generate the signals for the actuators that drive and steer the vehicle. A computer program to translate Unified Modeling Language (UML) Freeform Implementation Diagrams into a legacy C implementation of Behavior Network has been developed in order to simplify the development of C-code for behavior-based control systems. UML is a popular standard developed by the Object Management Group (OMG) to model software architectures graphically. The C implementation of a Behavior Network is functioning as a decision tree.

End-to-end operations at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Radziwill, Nicole M.

2008-07-01

In 2006 NRAO launched a formal organization, the Office of End to End Operations (OEO), to broaden access to its instruments (VLA/EVLA, VLBA, GBT and ALMA) in the most cost-effective ways possible. The VLA, VLBA and GBT are mature instruments, and the EVLA and ALMA are currently under construction, which presents unique challenges for integrating software across the Observatory. This article 1) provides a survey of the new developments over the past year, and those planned for the next year, 2) describes the business model used to deliver many of these services, and 3) discusses the management models being applied to ensure continuous innovation in operations, while preserving the flexibility and autonomy of telescope software development groups.

Group Projects and the Computer Science Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Joy, Mike

2005-01-01

Group projects in computer science are normally delivered with reference to good software engineering practice. The discipline of software engineering is rapidly evolving, and the application of the latest 'agile techniques' to group projects causes a potential conflict with constraints imposed by regulating bodies on the computer science…

The Effects of Multiple Linked Representations on Students' Learning of Linear Relationships

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ozgun-Koca, S. Asli

2004-01-01

The focus of this study was on comparing three groups of Algebra I 9th-year students: one group using linked representation software, the second group using similar software but with semi-linked representations, and the control group in order to examine the effects on students' understanding of linear relationships. Data collection methods…

Internet Business Solutions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

Cogent Software, Inc. was formed in January 1995 by David Atkinson and Irene Woerner, both former employees of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). Several other Cogent employees also worked at JPL. Atkinson headed JPL's Information Systems Technology section and Woerner lead the Advanced User Interfaces Group. Cogent's mission is to help companies organize and manage their online content by developing advanced software for the next generation of online directories and information catalogs. The company offers a complete range of Internet solutions, including Internet access, Web site design, local and wide-area networks, and custom software for online commerce applications. Cogent also offers DesignSphere Online, an electronic community for the communications arts industry. Customers range from small offices to manufacturers with thousands of employees, including Chemi-Con, one of the largest manufacturers of capacitors in the world.

Sign: large-scale gene network estimation environment for high performance computing.

PubMed

Tamada, Yoshinori; Shimamura, Teppei; Yamaguchi, Rui; Imoto, Seiya; Nagasaki, Masao; Miyano, Satoru

2011-01-01

Our research group is currently developing software for estimating large-scale gene networks from gene expression data. The software, called SiGN, is specifically designed for the Japanese flagship supercomputer "K computer" which is planned to achieve 10 petaflops in 2012, and other high performance computing environments including Human Genome Center (HGC) supercomputer system. SiGN is a collection of gene network estimation software with three different sub-programs: SiGN-BN, SiGN-SSM and SiGN-L1. In these three programs, five different models are available: static and dynamic nonparametric Bayesian networks, state space models, graphical Gaussian models, and vector autoregressive models. All these models require a huge amount of computational resources for estimating large-scale gene networks and therefore are designed to be able to exploit the speed of 10 petaflops. The software will be available freely for "K computer" and HGC supercomputer system users. The estimated networks can be viewed and analyzed by Cell Illustrator Online and SBiP (Systems Biology integrative Pipeline). The software project web site is available at http://sign.hgc.jp/ .

The development and technology transfer of software engineering technology at NASA. Johnson Space Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pitman, C. L.; Erb, D. M.; Izygon, M. E.; Fridge, E. M., III; Roush, G. B.; Braley, D. M.; Savely, R. T.

1992-01-01

The United State's big space projects of the next decades, such as Space Station and the Human Exploration Initiative, will need the development of many millions of lines of mission critical software. NASA-Johnson (JSC) is identifying and developing some of the Computer Aided Software Engineering (CASE) technology that NASA will need to build these future software systems. The goal is to improve the quality and the productivity of large software development projects. New trends are outlined in CASE technology and how the Software Technology Branch (STB) at JSC is endeavoring to provide some of these CASE solutions for NASA is described. Key software technology components include knowledge-based systems, software reusability, user interface technology, reengineering environments, management systems for the software development process, software cost models, repository technology, and open, integrated CASE environment frameworks. The paper presents the status and long-term expectations for CASE products. The STB's Reengineering Application Project (REAP), Advanced Software Development Workstation (ASDW) project, and software development cost model (COSTMODL) project are then discussed. Some of the general difficulties of technology transfer are introduced, and a process developed by STB for CASE technology insertion is described.

Mobile phone-assisted basic life support augmented with a metronome.

PubMed

Paal, Peter; Pircher, Iris; Baur, Thomas; Gruber, Elisabeth; Strasak, Alexander M; Herff, Holger; Brugger, Hermann; Wenzel, Volker; Mitterlechner, Thomas

2012-09-01

Basic life support (BLS) performed by lay rescuers is poor. We developed software for mobile phones augmented with a metronome to improve BLS. To assess BLS in lay rescuers with or without software assistance. Medically untrained volunteers were randomized to run through a cardiac arrest scenario with ("assisted BLS") or without ("non-assisted BLS") the aid of a BLS software program installed on a mobile phone. Sixty-four lay rescuers were enrolled in the "assisted BLS" and 77 in the "non-assisted BLS" group. The "assisted BLS" when compared to the "non-assisted BLS" group, achieved a higher overall score (19.2 ± 7.5 vs. 12.9 ± 5.7 credits; p < 0.001). Moreover, the "assisted BLS" when compared to the "non-assisted" group checked (64% vs. 27%) and protected themselves more often from environmental risks (70% vs. 39%); this group also called more often for help (56% vs. 27%), opened the upper airway (78% vs. 16%), and had more correct chest compressions rates (44% ± 38% vs. 14% ± 28%; all p < 0.001). However, the "assisted BLS" when compared to the "non-assisted BLS" group, was slower in calling the dispatch center (113.6 ± 86.4 vs. 54.1 ± 45.1 s; p < 0.001) and starting chest compressions (165.3 ± 93.3 vs. 87.1 ± 53.2 s; p < 0.001). "Assisted BLS" augmented by a metronome resulted in a higher overall score and a better chest compression rate when compared to "non-assisted BLS." However, in the "assisted BLS" group, time to call the dispatch center and to start chest compressions was longer. In both groups, lay persons did not ventilate satisfactorily during this cardiac arrest scenario. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A Component-based Programming Model for Composite, Distributed Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eidson, Thomas M.; Bushnell, Dennis M. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

The nature of scientific programming is evolving to larger, composite applications that are composed of smaller element applications. These composite applications are more frequently being targeted for distributed, heterogeneous networks of computers. They are most likely programmed by a group of developers. Software component technology and computational frameworks are being proposed and developed to meet the programming requirements of these new applications. Historically, programming systems have had a hard time being accepted by the scientific programming community. In this paper, a programming model is outlined that attempts to organize the software component concepts and fundamental programming entities into programming abstractions that will be better understood by the application developers. The programming model is designed to support computational frameworks that manage many of the tedious programming details, but also that allow sufficient programmer control to design an accurate, high-performance application.

Software Development as Music Education Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Andrew R.

2007-01-01

This paper discusses how software development can be used as a method for music education research. It explains how software development can externalize ideas, stimulate action and reflection, and provide evidence to support the educative value of new software-based experiences. Parallels between the interactive software development process and…

Code Sharing and Collaboration: Experiences from the Scientist's Expert Assistant Project and their Relevance to the Virtual Observatory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, Jeremy; Grosvenor, Sandy; Wolf, Karl; Li, Connie; Koratkar, Anuradha; Powers, Edward I. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

In the Virtual Observatory (VO), software tools will perform the functions that have traditionally been performed by physical observatories and their instruments. These tools will not be adjuncts to VO functionality but will make up the very core of the VO. Consequently, the tradition of observatory and system independent tools serving a small user base is not valid for the VO. For the VO to succeed, we must improve software collaboration and code sharing between projects and groups. A significant goal of the Scientist's Expert Assistant (SEA) project has been promoting effective collaboration and code sharing between groups. During the past three years, the SEA project has been developing prototypes for new observation planning software tools and strategies. Initially funded by the Next Generation Space Telescope, parts of the SEA code have since been adopted by the Space Telescope Science Institute. SEA has also supplied code for SOFIA, the SIRTF planning tools, and the JSky Open Source Java library. The potential benefits of sharing code are clear. The recipient gains functionality for considerably less cost. The provider gains additional developers working with their code. If enough users groups adopt a set of common code and tools, defacto standards can emerge (as demonstrated by the success of the FITS standard). Code sharing also raises a number of challenges related to the management of the code. In this talk, we will review our experiences with SEA - both successes and failures - and offer some lessons learned that may promote further successes in collaboration and re-use.

Code Sharing and Collaboration: Experiences From the Scientist's Expert Assistant Project and Their Relevance to the Virtual Observatory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Korathkar, Anuradha; Grosvenor, Sandy; Jones, Jeremy; Li, Connie; Mackey, Jennifer; Neher, Ken; Obenschain, Arthur F. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

In the Virtual Observatory (VO), software tools will perform the functions that have traditionally been performed by physical observatories and their instruments. These tools will not be adjuncts to VO functionality but will make up the very core of the VO. Consequently, the tradition of observatory and system independent tools serving a small user base is not valid for the VO. For the VO to succeed, we must improve software collaboration and code sharing between projects and groups. A significant goal of the Scientist's Expert Assistant (SEA) project has been promoting effective collaboration and code sharing among groups. During the past three years, the SEA project has been developing prototypes for new observation planning software tools and strategies. Initially funded by the Next Generation Space Telescope, parts of the SEA code have since been adopted by the Space Telescope Science Institute. SEA has also supplied code for the SIRTF (Space Infrared Telescope Facility) planning tools, and the JSky Open Source Java library. The potential benefits of sharing code are clear. The recipient gains functionality for considerably less cost. The provider gains additional developers working with their code. If enough users groups adopt a set of common code and tools, de facto standards can emerge (as demonstrated by the success of the FITS standard). Code sharing also raises a number of challenges related to the management of the code. In this talk, we will review our experiences with SEA--both successes and failures, and offer some lessons learned that might promote further successes in collaboration and re-use.

77 FR 50724 - Developing Software Life Cycle Processes for Digital Computer Software Used in Safety Systems of...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-22

... NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION [NRC-2012-0195] Developing Software Life Cycle Processes for Digital... Software Life Cycle Processes for Digital Computer Software used in Safety Systems of Nuclear Power Plants... clarifications, the enhanced consensus practices for developing software life-cycle processes for digital...

Generic domain models in software engineering

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maiden, Neil

1992-01-01

This paper outlines three research directions related to domain-specific software development: (1) reuse of generic models for domain-specific software development; (2) empirical evidence to determine these generic models, namely elicitation of mental knowledge schema possessed by expert software developers; and (3) exploitation of generic domain models to assist modelling of specific applications. It focuses on knowledge acquisition for domain-specific software development, with emphasis on tool support for the most important phases of software development.

Human Motion Tracking and Glove-Based User Interfaces for Virtual Environments in ANVIL

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dumas, Joseph D., II

2002-01-01

The Army/NASA Virtual Innovations Laboratory (ANVIL) at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) provides an environment where engineers and other personnel can investigate novel applications of computer simulation and Virtual Reality (VR) technologies. Among the many hardware and software resources in ANVIL are several high-performance Silicon Graphics computer systems and a number of commercial software packages, such as Division MockUp by Parametric Technology Corporation (PTC) and Jack by Unigraphics Solutions, Inc. These hardware and software platforms are used in conjunction with various VR peripheral I/O (input / output) devices, CAD (computer aided design) models, etc. to support the objectives of the MSFC Engineering Systems Department/Systems Engineering Support Group (ED42) by studying engineering designs, chiefly from the standpoint of human factors and ergonomics. One of the more time-consuming tasks facing ANVIL personnel involves the testing and evaluation of peripheral I/O devices and the integration of new devices with existing hardware and software platforms. Another important challenge is the development of innovative user interfaces to allow efficient, intuitive interaction between simulation users and the virtual environments they are investigating. As part of his Summer Faculty Fellowship, the author was tasked with verifying the operation of some recently acquired peripheral interface devices and developing new, easy-to-use interfaces that could be used with existing VR hardware and software to better support ANVIL projects.

User Interactive Software for Analysis of Human Physiological Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cowings, Patricia S.; Toscano, William; Taylor, Bruce C.; Acharya, Soumydipta

2006-01-01

Ambulatory physiological monitoring has been used to study human health and performance in space and in a variety of Earth-based environments (e.g., military aircraft, armored vehicles, small groups in isolation, and patients). Large, multi-channel data files are typically recorded in these environments, and these files often require the removal of contaminated data prior to processing and analyses. Physiological data processing can now be performed with user-friendly, interactive software developed by the Ames Psychophysiology Research Laboratory. This software, which runs on a Windows platform, contains various signal-processing routines for both time- and frequency- domain data analyses (e.g., peak detection, differentiation and integration, digital filtering, adaptive thresholds, Fast Fourier Transform power spectrum, auto-correlation, etc.). Data acquired with any ambulatory monitoring system that provides text or binary file format are easily imported to the processing software. The application provides a graphical user interface where one can manually select and correct data artifacts utilizing linear and zero interpolation and adding trigger points for missed peaks. Block and moving average routines are also provided for data reduction. Processed data in numeric and graphic format can be exported to Excel. This software, PostProc (for post-processing) requires the Dadisp engineering spreadsheet (DSP Development Corp), or equivalent, for implementation. Specific processing routines were written for electrocardiography, electroencephalography, electromyography, blood pressure, skin conductance level, impedance cardiography (cardiac output, stroke volume, thoracic fluid volume), temperature, and respiration

The Western Aeronautical Test Range. Chapter 10 Tools

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Knudtson, Kevin; Park, Alice; Downing, Robert; Sheldon, Jack; Harvey, Robert; Norcross, April

2011-01-01

The Western Aeronautical Test Range (WATR) staff at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center is developing a translation software called Chapter 10 Tools in response to challenges posed by post-flight processing data files originating from various on-board digital recorders that follow the Range Commanders Council Inter-Range Instrumentation Group (IRIG) 106 Chapter 10 Digital Recording Standard but use differing interpretations of the Standard. The software will read the date files regardless of the vendor implementation of the source recorder, displaying data, identifying and correcting errors, and producing a data file that can be successfully processed post-flight

Critical Thinking Skills of Students through Mathematics Learning with ASSURE Model Assisted by Software Autograph

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kristianti, Y.; Prabawanto, S.; Suhendra, S.

2017-09-01

This study aims to examine the ability of critical thinking and students who attain learning mathematics with learning model ASSURE assisted Autograph software. The design of this study was experimental group with pre-test and post-test control group. The experimental group obtained a mathematics learning with ASSURE-assisted model Autograph software and the control group acquired the mathematics learning with the conventional model. The data are obtained from the research results through critical thinking skills tests. This research was conducted at junior high school level with research population in one of junior high school student in Subang Regency of Lesson Year 2016/2017 and research sample of class VIII student in one of junior high school in Subang Regency for 2 classes. Analysis of research data is administered quantitatively. Quantitative data analysis was performed on the normalized gain level between the two sample groups using a one-way anova test. The results show that mathematics learning with ASSURE assisted model Autograph software can improve the critical thinking ability of junior high school students. Mathematical learning using ASSURE-assisted model Autograph software is significantly better in improving the critical thinking skills of junior high school students compared with conventional models.

Reconnaissance and Autonomy for Small Robots (RASR)

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-06-29

The Reconnaissance and Autonomy for Small Robots (RASR) team developed a system for the coordination of groups of unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs...development of a system that used 1) a relevant deployable platform; 2) a minimum set of relatively inexpensive navigation and LADAR sensors; 3) an...expandable and modular control system with innovative software algorithms to minimize computing footprint; and that minimized 4) required communications

A new possibility in thoracoscopic virtual reality simulation training: development and testing of a novel virtual reality simulator for video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery lobectomy.

PubMed

Jensen, Katrine; Bjerrum, Flemming; Hansen, Henrik Jessen; Petersen, René Horsleben; Pedersen, Jesper Holst; Konge, Lars

2015-10-01

The aims of this study were to develop virtual reality simulation software for video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) lobectomy, to explore the opinions of thoracic surgeons concerning the VATS lobectomy simulator and to test the validity of the simulator metrics. Experienced VATS surgeons worked with computer specialists to develop a VATS lobectomy software for a virtual reality simulator. Thoracic surgeons with different degrees of experience in VATS were enrolled at the 22nd meeting of the European Society of Thoracic Surgeons (ESTS) held in Copenhagen in June 2014. The surgeons were divided according to the number of performed VATS lobectomies: novices (0 VATS lobectomies), intermediates (1-49 VATS lobectomies) and experienced (>50 VATS lobectomies). The participants all performed a lobectomy of a right upper lobe on the simulator and answered a questionnaire regarding content validity. Metrics were compared between the three groups. We succeeded in developing the first version of a virtual reality VATS lobectomy simulator. A total of 103 thoracic surgeons completed the simulated lobectomy and were distributed as follows: novices n = 32, intermediates n = 45 and experienced n = 26. All groups rated the overall user realism of the VATS lobectomy scenario to a median of 5 on a scale 1-7, with 7 being the best score. The experienced surgeons found the graphics and movements realistic and rated the scenario high in terms of usefulness as a training tool for novice and intermediate experienced thoracic surgeons, but not very useful as a training tool for experienced surgeons. The metric scores were not statistically significant between groups. This is the first study to describe a commercially available virtual reality simulator for a VATS lobectomy. More than 100 thoracic surgeons found the simulator realistic, and hence it showed good content validity. However, none of the built-in simulator metrics could significantly distinguish between novice, intermediate experienced and experienced surgeons, and further development of the simulator software is necessary to develop valid metrics. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. All rights reserved.

New CFD tools to evaluate nasal airflow.

PubMed

Burgos, M A; Sanmiguel-Rojas, E; Del Pino, C; Sevilla-García, M A; Esteban-Ortega, F

2017-08-01

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is a mathematical tool to analyse airflow. As currently CFD is not a usual tool for rhinologists, a group of engineers in collaboration with experts in Rhinology have developed a very intuitive CFD software. The program MECOMLAND ® only required snapshots from the patient's cross-sectional (tomographic) images, being the output those results originated by CFD, such as airflow distributions, velocity profiles, pressure, temperature, or wall shear stress. This is useful complementary information to cover diagnosis, prognosis, or follow-up of nasal pathologies based on quantitative magnitudes linked to airflow. In addition, the user-friendly environment NOSELAND ® helps the medical assessment significantly in the post-processing phase with dynamic reports using a 3D endoscopic view. Specialists in Rhinology have been asked for a more intuitive, simple, powerful CFD software to offer more quality and precision in their work to evaluate the nasal airflow. We present MECOMLAND ® and NOSELAND ® which have all the expected characteristics to fulfil this demand and offer a proper assessment with the maximum of quality plus safety for the patient. These programs represent a non-invasive, low-cost (as the CT scan is already performed in every patient) alternative for the functional study of the difficult rhinologic case. To validate the software, we studied two groups of patients from the Ear Nose Throat clinic, a first group with normal noses and a second group presenting septal deviations. Wall shear stresses are lower in the cases of normal noses in comparison with those for septal deviation. Besides, velocity field distributions, pressure drop between nasopharynx and the ambient, and flow rates in each nostril were different among the nasal cavities in the two groups. These software modules open up a promising future to simulate the nasal airflow behaviour in virtual surgery intervention scenarios under different pressure or temperature conditions to understand the effects on nasal airflow.

Interactive Video: A Cross Curriculum Computer Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grimm, Floyd M., III; And Others

Responding to the rapid development and often prohibitive costs of new classroom instruction technology, a group of interested faculty at Harford Community College (HCC), in Maryland, formed three Interactive Video (IV) Teams to explore the possibilities of using existing computer hardware and software at the college for interactive video…

76 FR 32231 - International Business Machines (IBM), Sales and Distribution Business Unit, Global Sales...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-03

... for the workers and former workers of International Business Machines (IBM), Sales and Distribution... reconsideration alleges that IBM outsourced to India and China. During the reconsideration investigation, it was..., Armonk, New York. The subject worker group supply computer software development and maintenance services...

SRA Real Math Building Blocks PreK. What Works Clearinghouse Intervention Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

What Works Clearinghouse, 2007

2007-01-01

"SRA Real Math Building Blocks PreK" (also referred to as "Building Blocks for Math") is a supplemental mathematics curriculum designed to develop preschool children's early mathematical knowledge through various individual and small- and large-group activities. It uses "Building Blocks for Math PreK" software,…

Supporting Effective Collaboration: Using a Rearview Mirror to Look Forward

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McManus, Margaret M.; Aiken, Robert M.

2016-01-01

Our original research, to design and develop an Intelligent Collaborative Learning System (ICLS), yielded the creation of a Group Leader Tutor software system which utilizes a Collaborative Skills Network to monitor students working collaboratively in a networked environment. The Collaborative Skills Network was a conceptualization of…

Merchantable sawlog and bole-length equations for the Northeastern United States

Treesearch

Daniel A. Yaussy; Martin E. Dale; Martin E. Dale

1991-01-01

A modified Richards growth model is used to develop species-specific coefficients for equations estimating the merchantable sawlog and bole lengths of trees from 25 species groups common to the Northeastern United States. These regression coefficients have been incorporated into the growth-and-yield simulation software, NE-TWIGS.

SEI Software Engineering Education Directory.

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-02-01

Software Design and Development Gilbert. Philip Systems: CDC Cyber 170/750 CDC Cyber 170760 DEC POP 11/44 PRIME AT&T 3B5 IBM PC IBM XT IBM RT...Macintosh VAx 8300 Software System Development and Laboratory CS 480/480L U P X T Textbooks: Software Design and Development Gilbert, Philip Systems: CDC...Acting Chair (618) 692-2386 Courses: Software Design and Development CS 424 U P E Y Textbooks: Software Design and Development, Gilbert, Philip Topics

Advanced software development workstation project: Engineering scripting language. Graphical editor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1992-01-01

Software development is widely considered to be a bottleneck in the development of complex systems, both in terms of development and in terms of maintenance of deployed systems. Cost of software development and maintenance can also be very high. One approach to reducing costs and relieving this bottleneck is increasing the reuse of software designs and software components. A method for achieving such reuse is a software parts composition system. Such a system consists of a language for modeling software parts and their interfaces, a catalog of existing parts, an editor for combining parts, and a code generator that takes a specification and generates code for that application in the target language. The Advanced Software Development Workstation is intended to be an expert system shell designed to provide the capabilities of a software part composition system.

LTRsift: a graphical user interface for semi-automatic classification and postprocessing of de novo detected LTR retrotransposons

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Long terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposons are a class of eukaryotic mobile elements characterized by a distinctive sequence similarity-based structure. Hence they are well suited for computational identification. Current software allows for a comprehensive genome-wide de novo detection of such elements. The obvious next step is the classification of newly detected candidates resulting in (super-)families. Such a de novo classification approach based on sequence-based clustering of transposon features has been proposed before, resulting in a preliminary assignment of candidates to families as a basis for subsequent manual refinement. However, such a classification workflow is typically split across a heterogeneous set of glue scripts and generic software (for example, spreadsheets), making it tedious for a human expert to inspect, curate and export the putative families produced by the workflow. Results We have developed LTRsift, an interactive graphical software tool for semi-automatic postprocessing of de novo predicted LTR retrotransposon annotations. Its user-friendly interface offers customizable filtering and classification functionality, displaying the putative candidate groups, their members and their internal structure in a hierarchical fashion. To ease manual work, it also supports graphical user interface-driven reassignment, splitting and further annotation of candidates. Export of grouped candidate sets in standard formats is possible. In two case studies, we demonstrate how LTRsift can be employed in the context of a genome-wide LTR retrotransposon survey effort. Conclusions LTRsift is a useful and convenient tool for semi-automated classification of newly detected LTR retrotransposons based on their internal features. Its efficient implementation allows for convenient and seamless filtering and classification in an integrated environment. Developed for life scientists, it is helpful in postprocessing and refining the output of software for predicting LTR retrotransposons up to the stage of preparing full-length reference sequence libraries. The LTRsift software is freely available at http://www.zbh.uni-hamburg.de/LTRsift under an open-source license. PMID:23131050

LTRsift: a graphical user interface for semi-automatic classification and postprocessing of de novo detected LTR retrotransposons.

PubMed

Steinbiss, Sascha; Kastens, Sascha; Kurtz, Stefan

2012-11-07

Long terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposons are a class of eukaryotic mobile elements characterized by a distinctive sequence similarity-based structure. Hence they are well suited for computational identification. Current software allows for a comprehensive genome-wide de novo detection of such elements. The obvious next step is the classification of newly detected candidates resulting in (super-)families. Such a de novo classification approach based on sequence-based clustering of transposon features has been proposed before, resulting in a preliminary assignment of candidates to families as a basis for subsequent manual refinement. However, such a classification workflow is typically split across a heterogeneous set of glue scripts and generic software (for example, spreadsheets), making it tedious for a human expert to inspect, curate and export the putative families produced by the workflow. We have developed LTRsift, an interactive graphical software tool for semi-automatic postprocessing of de novo predicted LTR retrotransposon annotations. Its user-friendly interface offers customizable filtering and classification functionality, displaying the putative candidate groups, their members and their internal structure in a hierarchical fashion. To ease manual work, it also supports graphical user interface-driven reassignment, splitting and further annotation of candidates. Export of grouped candidate sets in standard formats is possible. In two case studies, we demonstrate how LTRsift can be employed in the context of a genome-wide LTR retrotransposon survey effort. LTRsift is a useful and convenient tool for semi-automated classification of newly detected LTR retrotransposons based on their internal features. Its efficient implementation allows for convenient and seamless filtering and classification in an integrated environment. Developed for life scientists, it is helpful in postprocessing and refining the output of software for predicting LTR retrotransposons up to the stage of preparing full-length reference sequence libraries. The LTRsift software is freely available at http://www.zbh.uni-hamburg.de/LTRsift under an open-source license.

Gamification as a tool for enhancing graduate medical education

PubMed Central

Nevin, Christa R; Westfall, Andrew O; Rodriguez, J Martin; Dempsey, Donald M; Cherrington, Andrea; Roy, Brita; Patel, Mukesh; Willig, James H

2014-01-01

Introduction The last decade has seen many changes in graduate medical education training in the USA, most notably the implementation of duty hour standards for residents by the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education. As educators are left to balance more limited time available between patient care and resident education, new methods to augment traditional graduate medical education are needed. Objectives To assess acceptance and use of a novel gamification-based medical knowledge software among internal medicine residents and to determine retention of information presented to participants by this medical knowledge software. Methods We designed and developed software using principles of gamification to deliver a web-based medical knowledge competition among internal medicine residents at the University of Alabama (UA) at Birmingham and UA at Huntsville in 2012–2013. Residents participated individually and in teams. Participants accessed daily questions and tracked their online leaderboard competition scores through any internet-enabled device. We completed focus groups to assess participant acceptance and analysed software use, retention of knowledge and factors associated with loss of participants (attrition). Results Acceptance: In focus groups, residents (n=17) reported leaderboards were the most important motivator of participation. Use: 16 427 questions were completed: 28.8% on Saturdays/Sundays, 53.1% between 17:00 and 08:00. Retention of knowledge: 1046 paired responses (for repeated questions) were collected. Correct responses increased by 11.9% (p<0.0001) on retest. Differences per time since question introduction, trainee level and style of play were observed. Attrition: In ordinal regression analyses, completing more questions (0.80 per 10% increase; 0.70 to 0.93) decreased, while postgraduate year 3 class (4.25; 1.44 to 12.55) and non-daily play (4.51; 1.50 to 13.58) increased odds of attrition. Conclusions Our software-enabled, gamification-based educational intervention was well accepted among our millennial learners. Coupling software with gamification and analysis of trainee use and engagement data can be used to develop strategies to augment learning in time-constrained educational settings. PMID:25352673

A Prototype for the Support of Integrated Software Process Development and Improvement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Porrawatpreyakorn, Nalinpat; Quirchmayr, Gerald; Chutimaskul, Wichian

An efficient software development process is one of key success factors for quality software. Not only can the appropriate establishment but also the continuous improvement of integrated project management and of the software development process result in efficiency. This paper hence proposes a software process maintenance framework which consists of two core components: an integrated PMBOK-Scrum model describing how to establish a comprehensive set of project management and software engineering processes and a software development maturity model advocating software process improvement. Besides, a prototype tool to support the framework is introduced.

Four applications of a software data collection and analysis methodology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Basili, Victor R.; Selby, Richard W., Jr.

1985-01-01

The evaluation of software technologies suffers because of the lack of quantitative assessment of their effect on software development and modification. A seven-step data collection and analysis methodology couples software technology evaluation with software measurement. Four in-depth applications of the methodology are presented. The four studies represent each of the general categories of analyses on the software product and development process: blocked subject-project studies, replicated project studies, multi-project variation studies, and single project strategies. The four applications are in the areas of, respectively, software testing, cleanroom software development, characteristic software metric sets, and software error analysis.

Software Safety Progress in NASA

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Radley, Charles F.

1995-01-01

NASA has developed guidelines for development and analysis of safety-critical software. These guidelines have been documented in a Guidebook for Safety Critical Software Development and Analysis. The guidelines represent a practical 'how to' approach, to assist software developers and safety analysts in cost effective methods for software safety. They provide guidance in the implementation of the recent NASA Software Safety Standard NSS-1740.13 which was released as 'Interim' version in June 1994, scheduled for formal adoption late 1995. This paper is a survey of the methods in general use, resulting in the NASA guidelines for safety critical software development and analysis.

pyam: Python Implementation of YaM

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Myint, Steven; Jain, Abhinandan

2012-01-01

pyam is a software development framework with tools for facilitating the rapid development of software in a concurrent software development environment. pyam provides solutions for development challenges associated with software reuse, managing multiple software configurations, developing software product lines, and multiple platform development and build management. pyam uses release-early, release-often development cycles to allow developers to integrate their changes incrementally into the system on a continual basis. It facilitates the creation and merging of branches to support the isolated development of immature software to avoid impacting the stability of the development effort. It uses modules and packages to organize and share software across multiple software products, and uses the concepts of link and work modules to reduce sandbox setup times even when the code-base is large. One sidebenefit is the enforcement of a strong module-level encapsulation of a module s functionality and interface. This increases design transparency, system stability, and software reuse. pyam is written in Python and is organized as a set of utilities on top of the open source SVN software version control package. All development software is organized into a collection of modules. pyam packages are defined as sub-collections of the available modules. Developers can set up private sandboxes for module/package development. All module/package development takes place on private SVN branches. High-level pyam commands support the setup, update, and release of modules and packages. Released and pre-built versions of modules are available to developers. Developers can tailor the source/link module mix for their sandboxes so that new sandboxes (even large ones) can be built up easily and quickly by pointing to pre-existing module releases. All inter-module interfaces are publicly exported via links. A minimal, but uniform, convention is used for building modules.

STRAP PTM: Software Tool for Rapid Annotation and Differential Comparison of Protein Post-Translational Modifications.

PubMed

Spencer, Jean L; Bhatia, Vivek N; Whelan, Stephen A; Costello, Catherine E; McComb, Mark E

2013-12-01

The identification of protein post-translational modifications (PTMs) is an increasingly important component of proteomics and biomarker discovery, but very few tools exist for performing fast and easy characterization of global PTM changes and differential comparison of PTMs across groups of data obtained from liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry experiments. STRAP PTM (Software Tool for Rapid Annotation of Proteins: Post-Translational Modification edition) is a program that was developed to facilitate the characterization of PTMs using spectral counting and a novel scoring algorithm to accelerate the identification of differential PTMs from complex data sets. The software facilitates multi-sample comparison by collating, scoring, and ranking PTMs and by summarizing data visually. The freely available software (beta release) installs on a PC and processes data in protXML format obtained from files parsed through the Trans-Proteomic Pipeline. The easy-to-use interface allows examination of results at protein, peptide, and PTM levels, and the overall design offers tremendous flexibility that provides proteomics insight beyond simple assignment and counting.

The Blue Dog: evaluation of an interactive software program to teach young children how to interact safely with dogs.

PubMed

Schwebel, David C; Morrongiello, Barbara A; Davis, Aaron L; Stewart, Julia; Bell, Melissa

2012-04-01

Pre-post-randomized design evaluated The Blue Dog, a dog safety software program. 76 children aged 3.5-6 years completed 3 tasks to evaluate dog safety pre- and postintervention: (a) pictures (recognition of safe/risky behavior), (b) dollhouse (recall of safe behavior via simulated dollhouse scenarios), and (c) live dog (actual behavior with unfamiliar live dog). Following preintervention evaluation, children were randomly assigned to dog or fire safety conditions, each involving 3 weeks of home computer software use. Children using Blue Dog had greater change in recognition of risky dog situations than children learning fire safety. No between-group differences emerged in recall (dollhouse) or engagement (live-dog) in risky behavior. Families enjoyed using the software. Blue Dog taught children knowledge about safe engagement with dogs, but did not influence recall or implementation of safe behaviors. Dog bites represent a significant pediatric injury concern and continued development of effective interventions is needed.

Clinical software development for the Web: lessons learned from the BOADICEA project

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background In the past 20 years, society has witnessed the following landmark scientific advances: (i) the sequencing of the human genome, (ii) the distribution of software by the open source movement, and (iii) the invention of the World Wide Web. Together, these advances have provided a new impetus for clinical software development: developers now translate the products of human genomic research into clinical software tools; they use open-source programs to build them; and they use the Web to deliver them. Whilst this open-source component-based approach has undoubtedly made clinical software development easier, clinical software projects are still hampered by problems that traditionally accompany the software process. This study describes the development of the BOADICEA Web Application, a computer program used by clinical geneticists to assess risks to patients with a family history of breast and ovarian cancer. The key challenge of the BOADICEA Web Application project was to deliver a program that was safe, secure and easy for healthcare professionals to use. We focus on the software process, problems faced, and lessons learned. Our key objectives are: (i) to highlight key clinical software development issues; (ii) to demonstrate how software engineering tools and techniques can facilitate clinical software development for the benefit of individuals who lack software engineering expertise; and (iii) to provide a clinical software development case report that can be used as a basis for discussion at the start of future projects. Results We developed the BOADICEA Web Application using an evolutionary software process. Our approach to Web implementation was conservative and we used conventional software engineering tools and techniques. The principal software development activities were: requirements, design, implementation, testing, documentation and maintenance. The BOADICEA Web Application has now been widely adopted by clinical geneticists and researchers. BOADICEA Web Application version 1 was released for general use in November 2007. By May 2010, we had > 1200 registered users based in the UK, USA, Canada, South America, Europe, Africa, Middle East, SE Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Conclusions We found that an evolutionary software process was effective when we developed the BOADICEA Web Application. The key clinical software development issues identified during the BOADICEA Web Application project were: software reliability, Web security, clinical data protection and user feedback. PMID:22490389

Clinical software development for the Web: lessons learned from the BOADICEA project.

PubMed

Cunningham, Alex P; Antoniou, Antonis C; Easton, Douglas F

2012-04-10

In the past 20 years, society has witnessed the following landmark scientific advances: (i) the sequencing of the human genome, (ii) the distribution of software by the open source movement, and (iii) the invention of the World Wide Web. Together, these advances have provided a new impetus for clinical software development: developers now translate the products of human genomic research into clinical software tools; they use open-source programs to build them; and they use the Web to deliver them. Whilst this open-source component-based approach has undoubtedly made clinical software development easier, clinical software projects are still hampered by problems that traditionally accompany the software process. This study describes the development of the BOADICEA Web Application, a computer program used by clinical geneticists to assess risks to patients with a family history of breast and ovarian cancer. The key challenge of the BOADICEA Web Application project was to deliver a program that was safe, secure and easy for healthcare professionals to use. We focus on the software process, problems faced, and lessons learned. Our key objectives are: (i) to highlight key clinical software development issues; (ii) to demonstrate how software engineering tools and techniques can facilitate clinical software development for the benefit of individuals who lack software engineering expertise; and (iii) to provide a clinical software development case report that can be used as a basis for discussion at the start of future projects. We developed the BOADICEA Web Application using an evolutionary software process. Our approach to Web implementation was conservative and we used conventional software engineering tools and techniques. The principal software development activities were: requirements, design, implementation, testing, documentation and maintenance. The BOADICEA Web Application has now been widely adopted by clinical geneticists and researchers. BOADICEA Web Application version 1 was released for general use in November 2007. By May 2010, we had > 1200 registered users based in the UK, USA, Canada, South America, Europe, Africa, Middle East, SE Asia, Australia and New Zealand. We found that an evolutionary software process was effective when we developed the BOADICEA Web Application. The key clinical software development issues identified during the BOADICEA Web Application project were: software reliability, Web security, clinical data protection and user feedback.

EDGE3: A web-based solution for management and analysis of Agilent two color microarray experiments

PubMed Central

Vollrath, Aaron L; Smith, Adam A; Craven, Mark; Bradfield, Christopher A

2009-01-01

Background The ability to generate transcriptional data on the scale of entire genomes has been a boon both in the improvement of biological understanding and in the amount of data generated. The latter, the amount of data generated, has implications when it comes to effective storage, analysis and sharing of these data. A number of software tools have been developed to store, analyze, and share microarray data. However, a majority of these tools do not offer all of these features nor do they specifically target the commonly used two color Agilent DNA microarray platform. Thus, the motivating factor for the development of EDGE3 was to incorporate the storage, analysis and sharing of microarray data in a manner that would provide a means for research groups to collaborate on Agilent-based microarray experiments without a large investment in software-related expenditures or extensive training of end-users. Results EDGE3 has been developed with two major functions in mind. The first function is to provide a workflow process for the generation of microarray data by a research laboratory or a microarray facility. The second is to store, analyze, and share microarray data in a manner that doesn't require complicated software. To satisfy the first function, EDGE3 has been developed as a means to establish a well defined experimental workflow and information system for microarray generation. To satisfy the second function, the software application utilized as the user interface of EDGE3 is a web browser. Within the web browser, a user is able to access the entire functionality, including, but not limited to, the ability to perform a number of bioinformatics based analyses, collaborate between research groups through a user-based security model, and access to the raw data files and quality control files generated by the software used to extract the signals from an array image. Conclusion Here, we present EDGE3, an open-source, web-based application that allows for the storage, analysis, and controlled sharing of transcription-based microarray data generated on the Agilent DNA platform. In addition, EDGE3 provides a means for managing RNA samples and arrays during the hybridization process. EDGE3 is freely available for download at . PMID:19732451

EDGE(3): a web-based solution for management and analysis of Agilent two color microarray experiments.

PubMed

Vollrath, Aaron L; Smith, Adam A; Craven, Mark; Bradfield, Christopher A

2009-09-04

The ability to generate transcriptional data on the scale of entire genomes has been a boon both in the improvement of biological understanding and in the amount of data generated. The latter, the amount of data generated, has implications when it comes to effective storage, analysis and sharing of these data. A number of software tools have been developed to store, analyze, and share microarray data. However, a majority of these tools do not offer all of these features nor do they specifically target the commonly used two color Agilent DNA microarray platform. Thus, the motivating factor for the development of EDGE(3) was to incorporate the storage, analysis and sharing of microarray data in a manner that would provide a means for research groups to collaborate on Agilent-based microarray experiments without a large investment in software-related expenditures or extensive training of end-users. EDGE(3) has been developed with two major functions in mind. The first function is to provide a workflow process for the generation of microarray data by a research laboratory or a microarray facility. The second is to store, analyze, and share microarray data in a manner that doesn't require complicated software. To satisfy the first function, EDGE3 has been developed as a means to establish a well defined experimental workflow and information system for microarray generation. To satisfy the second function, the software application utilized as the user interface of EDGE(3) is a web browser. Within the web browser, a user is able to access the entire functionality, including, but not limited to, the ability to perform a number of bioinformatics based analyses, collaborate between research groups through a user-based security model, and access to the raw data files and quality control files generated by the software used to extract the signals from an array image. Here, we present EDGE(3), an open-source, web-based application that allows for the storage, analysis, and controlled sharing of transcription-based microarray data generated on the Agilent DNA platform. In addition, EDGE(3) provides a means for managing RNA samples and arrays during the hybridization process. EDGE(3) is freely available for download at http://edge.oncology.wisc.edu/.

Characterization of Morphology using MAMA Software

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gravelle, Julie

The MAMA (Morphological Analysis for Material Attribution) software was developed at the Los Alamos National Laboratory funded through the National Technical Nuclear Forensics Center in the Department of Homeland Security. The software allows images to be analysed and quantified. The largest project I worked on was to quantify images of plutonium oxides and ammonium diuranates prepared by the group with the software and provide analyses on the particles of each sample. Images were quantified through MAMA, with a color analysis, a lexicon description and powder x-ray diffraction. Through this we were able to visually see a difference between some ofmore » the syntheses. An additional project was to revise the manual for MAMA to help streamline training and provide useful tips to users to more quickly become acclimated to using the software. The third project investigated expanding the scope of MAMA and finding a statistically relevant baseline for the particulates through the analysis of maps in the software and using known measurements to compare the error associated with the software. During this internship, I worked on several different projects dealing with the MAMA software. The revision of the usermanual for the MAMA software was the first project I was able to work and collaborate on. I first learned how to use the software by getting instruction from a skilled user at the laboratory, Dan Schwartz, and by using the existing user manual and examples. After becoming accustomed to the program, I started to go over the manual to correct and change items that were not as useful or descriptive as they could have been. I also added in tips that I learned as I explored the software. The updated manual was also worked on by several others who have been developing the program. The goal of these revisions was to ensure the most concise and simple directions to the software were available to future users. By incorporating tricks and shortcuts that I discovered and picked up from watching other users into the user guide, I believe that anyone who utilizes the software will be able to quickly understand the best way to analyze their image and use the tools the program offers to achieve useful results.« less

Educational Software Employing Group Competition Using an Interactive Electronic Whiteboard

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Otsuki, Yoko; Bandoh, Hirokazu; Kato, Naoki; Indurkhya, Bipin; Nakagawa, Masaki

2004-01-01

This article presents a design of educational software employing group competition using a large interactive electronic whiteboard, and a report on its experimental use. Group competition and collaboration are useful methods to cultivate originality and communication skills. To share the same space, the same large screen, and face-to-face…

User systems guidelines for software projects

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Abrahamson, L.

1986-04-01

This manual presents guidelines for software standards which were developed so that software project-development teams and management involved in approving the software could have a generalized view of all phases in the software production procedure and the steps involved in completing each phase. Guidelines are presented for six phases of software development: project definition, building a user interface, designing software, writing code, testing code, and preparing software documentation. The discussions for each phase include examples illustrating the recommended guidelines. 45 refs. (DWL)

Framework programmable platform for the advanced software development workstation. Integration mechanism design document

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mayer, Richard J.; Blinn, Thomas M.; Mayer, Paula S. D.; Reddy, Uday; Ackley, Keith; Futrell, Mike

1991-01-01

The Framework Programmable Software Development Platform (FPP) is a project aimed at combining effective tool and data integration mechanisms with a model of the software development process in an intelligent integrated software development environment. Guided by this model, this system development framework will take advantage of an integrated operating environment to automate effectively the management of the software development process so that costly mistakes during the development phase can be eliminated.

SIGKit: a New Data-based Software for Learning Introductory Geophysics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Y.; Kruse, S.; George, O.; Esmaeili, S.; Papadimitrios, K. S.; Bank, C. G.; Cadmus, A.; Kenneally, N.; Patton, K.; Brusher, J.

2016-12-01

Students of diverse academic backgrounds take introductory geophysics courses to learn the theory of a variety of measurement and analysis methods with the expectation to be able to apply their basic knowledge to real data. Ideally, such data is collected in field courses and also used in lecture-based courses because they provide a critical context for better learning and understanding of geophysical methods. Each method requires a separate software package for the data processing steps, and the complexity and variety of professional software makes the path through data processing to data interpretation a strenuous learning process for students and a challenging teaching task for instructors. SIGKit (Student Investigation of Geophysics Toolkit) being developed as a collaboration between the University of South Florida, the University of Toronto, and MathWorks intends to address these shortcomings by showing the most essential processing steps and allowing students to visualize the underlying physics of the various methods. It is based on MATLAB software and offered as an easy-to-use graphical user interface and packaged so it can run as an executable in the classroom and the field even on computers without MATLAB licenses. An evaluation of the software based on student feedback from focus-group interviews and think-aloud observations helps drive its development and refinement. The toolkit provides a logical gateway into the more sophisticated and costly software students will encounter later in their training and careers by combining essential visualization, modeling, processing, and analysis steps for seismic, GPR, magnetics, gravity, resistivity, and electromagnetic data.

Simulation of the communication system between an AUV group and a surface station

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burtovaya, D.; Demin, A.; Demeshko, M.; Moiseev, A.; Kudryashova, A.

2017-01-01

An object model for simulation of the communications system of an autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV) group with a surface station is proposed in the paper. Implementation of the model is made on the basis of the software package “Object Distribution Simulation”. All structural relationships and behavior details are described. The application was developed on the basis of the proposed model and is now used for computational experiments on the simulation of the communications system between the autonomous underwater vehicles group and a surface station.

A measurement system for large, complex software programs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rone, Kyle Y.; Olson, Kitty M.; Davis, Nathan E.

1994-01-01

This paper describes measurement systems required to forecast, measure, and control activities for large, complex software development and support programs. Initial software cost and quality analysis provides the foundation for meaningful management decisions as a project evolves. In modeling the cost and quality of software systems, the relationship between the functionality, quality, cost, and schedule of the product must be considered. This explicit relationship is dictated by the criticality of the software being developed. This balance between cost and quality is a viable software engineering trade-off throughout the life cycle. Therefore, the ability to accurately estimate the cost and quality of software systems is essential to providing reliable software on time and within budget. Software cost models relate the product error rate to the percent of the project labor that is required for independent verification and validation. The criticality of the software determines which cost model is used to estimate the labor required to develop the software. Software quality models yield an expected error discovery rate based on the software size, criticality, software development environment, and the level of competence of the project and developers with respect to the processes being employed.

Instructional Software and Attention Disorders: A Tool for Teachers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bice, Joe E.; And Others

This handbook provides information on 31 software programs designed to instruct students with attention disorders in individual and group settings. The most successful applications of instructional software are identified, and six broad categories of instructional software are discussed. Twenty-one strategies for teaching students with attention…

The dynamics of software development project management: An integrative systems dynamic perspective

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vandervelde, W. E.; Abdel-Hamid, T.

1984-01-01

Rather than continuing to focus on software development projects per se, the system dynamics modeling approach outlined is extended to investigate a broader set of issues pertaining to the software development organization. Rather than trace the life cycle(s) of one or more software projects, the focus is on the operations of a software development department as a continuous stream of software products are developed, placed into operation, and maintained. A number of research questions are ""ripe'' for investigating including: (1) the efficacy of different organizational structures in different software development environments, (2) personnel turnover, (3) impact of management approaches such as management by objectives, and (4) the organizational/environmental determinants of productivity.

Balancing flexibility for the employer and the employee: a case study of the development of annualized hours employment contracts.

PubMed

Tucker, P; Gaertner, J; Mason, C

2001-12-01

As with many forms of flexible working, Annualized Hours (AH) systems offer potential benefits to both the employer and the employee. However, the flexibility requirements of employers and employees often conflict. Therefore, when a large food manufacturing organization decided to redesign its AH system, it employed an independent consultancy to act as neutral third party. The consultancy provided technical expertise and assistance in developing an AH system that optimised productivity and was acceptable to the workforce. Data are presented, obtained from focus groups conducted throughout the organization, describing some of the potential difficulties of implementing an AH system. Drawing upon these data, a number of new AH systems were proposed and modelled using specialist software tools. The design process is described, together with the advantages and difficulties associated with use of the software tools. It is concluded that the key elements in the process of designing AH systems are centred around issues of trust and communication; the involvement of a broad range of interested parties, through a process of carefully managed group facilitation; and the need for adequate technical support in the development and evaluation of AH systems.

Caries Risk Assessment of 12–13-year-old Government and Private School Going Children of Mysore City Using Cariogram: A Comparative Study

PubMed Central

Naik, Sandhya P.; Moyin, Shabna; Patel, Bhakti; Warad, Lata Prabhu; Punathil, Sameer; Sudeep, C. B.

2018-01-01

Aim: The aim of this study is to assess the caries risk assessment of 12–13-year-old government and private school going children of Mysore city using Cariogram. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional examination was carried out on a total of 104 government and private schoolchildren aged 12–13 years. Ten factors from the Cariogram software(D Bratthall, Computer software, Malmo, Sweden) were included from study participant's records to complete the Cariogram. The percentage of “chances of avoiding new lesions” (caries risk) among government and private school study participants were obtained from Cariogram, and the participants were classified into five risk groups. Statistical analysis was performed using the software program Statistical Package of Social Science (version 17.0, SPSS Inc., Chicago IL, USA). Results: Findings revealed that there is slight difference in caries risk among government and private schoolchildren, where 48% caries risk development and 52% chance to avoid dental caries were showed in government schoolchildren, and 51% caries risk development and 49% chance to avoid dental caries were showed in private schoolchildren, according to Cariogram. Decayed, missing, and filled teeth component, mutans streptococci, and Lactobacillus counts were slightly higher in private schoolchildren compared with government schoolchildren. Conclusion: The private schoolchildren had less favorable values than government schoolchildren for most of the caries-related factors. Cariogram can be the most modest and reliable tool for caries prediction, thus aiding in identifying different risk groups in a community so that appropriate preventive strategies can be provided to overcome new carious lesion formation. PMID:29780742

Space life support engineering program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Seagrave, Richard C.

1991-01-01

This report covers the first six months of work performed under the NASA University Grant awarded to Iowa State University to perform research on two topics relating to the development of closed-loop long-term life support systems. A comprehensive study to develop software to simulate the dynamic operation of water reclamation systems in long-term closed-loop life support systems is being carried out as part of an overall program for the design of systems for a Mars voyage. This project is being done in parallel with a similar effort in the Department of Chemistry to develop durable accurate low-cost sensors for monitoring of trace chemical and biological species in recycled water supplies. Aspen-Plus software is being used on a group of high-performance workstations to develop the steady state descriptions for a number of existing technologies. Following completion, a dynamic simulation package will be developed for determining the response of such systems to changes in the metabolic needs of the crew and to upsets in system hardware performance.

First use of LHC Run 3 Conditions Database infrastructure for auxiliary data files in ATLAS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aperio Bella, L.; Barberis, D.; Buttinger, W.; Formica, A.; Gallas, E. J.; Rinaldi, L.; Rybkin, G.; ATLAS Collaboration

2017-10-01

Processing of the large amount of data produced by the ATLAS experiment requires fast and reliable access to what we call Auxiliary Data Files (ADF). These files, produced by Combined Performance, Trigger and Physics groups, contain conditions, calibrations, and other derived data used by the ATLAS software. In ATLAS this data has, thus far for historical reasons, been collected and accessed outside the ATLAS Conditions Database infrastructure and related software. For this reason, along with the fact that ADF are effectively read by the software as binary objects, this class of data appears ideal for testing the proposed Run 3 conditions data infrastructure now in development. This paper describes this implementation as well as the lessons learned in exploring and refining the new infrastructure with the potential for deployment during Run 2.

Another Program For Generating Interactive Graphics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Costenbader, Jay; Moleski, Walt; Szczur, Martha; Howell, David; Engelberg, Norm; Li, Tin P.; Misra, Dharitri; Miller, Philip; Neve, Leif; Wolf, Karl;

Developing sustainable software solutions for bioinformatics by the “ Butterfly” paradigm

PubMed Central

Ahmed, Zeeshan; Zeeshan, Saman; Dandekar, Thomas

2014-01-01

Software design and sustainable software engineering are essential for the long-term development of bioinformatics software. Typical challenges in an academic environment are short-term contracts, island solutions, pragmatic approaches and loose documentation. Upcoming new challenges are big data, complex data sets, software compatibility and rapid changes in data representation. Our approach to cope with these challenges consists of iterative intertwined cycles of development (“ Butterfly” paradigm) for key steps in scientific software engineering. User feedback is valued as well as software planning in a sustainable and interoperable way. Tool usage should be easy and intuitive. A middleware supports a user-friendly Graphical User Interface (GUI) as well as a database/tool development independently. We validated the approach of our own software development and compared the different design paradigms in various software solutions. PMID:25383181

Towards a Better Understanding of CMMI and Agile Integration - Multiple Case Study of Four Companies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pikkarainen, Minna

The amount of software is increasing in the different domains in Europe. This provides the industries in smaller countries good opportunities to work in the international markets. Success in the global markets however demands the rapid production of high quality, error free software. Both CMMI and agile methods seem to provide a ready solution for quality and lead time improvements. There is not, however, much empirical evidence available either about 1) how the integration of these two aspects can be done in practice or 2) what it actually demands from assessors and software process improvement groups. The goal of this paper is to increase the understanding of CMMI and agile integration, in particular, focusing on the research question: how to use ‘lightweight’ style of CMMI assessments in agile contexts. This is done via four case studies in which assessments were conducted using the goals of CMMI integrated project management and collaboration and coordination with relevant stakeholder process areas and practices from XP and Scrum. The study shows that the use of agile practices may support the fulfilment of the goals of CMMI process areas but there are still many challenges for the agile teams to be solved within the continuous improvement programs. It also identifies practical advices to the assessors and improvement groups to take into consideration when conducting assessment in the context of agile software development.

Software And Systems Engineering Risk Management

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-04-01

RSKM 2004 COSO Enterprise RSKM Framework 2006 ISO/IEC 16085 Risk Management Process 2008 ISO/IEC 12207 Software Lifecycle Processes 2009 ISO/IEC...1 Software And Systems Engineering Risk Management John Walz VP Technical and Conferences Activities, IEEE Computer Society Vice-Chair Planning...Software & Systems Engineering Standards Committee, IEEE Computer Society US TAG to ISO TMB Risk Management Working Group Systems and Software

Microcomputer software development facilities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gorman, J. S.; Mathiasen, C.

1980-01-01

A more efficient and cost effective method for developing microcomputer software is to utilize a host computer with high-speed peripheral support. Application programs such as cross assemblers, loaders, and simulators are implemented in the host computer for each of the microcomputers for which software development is a requirement. The host computer is configured to operate in a time share mode for multiusers. The remote terminals, printers, and down loading capabilities provided are based on user requirements. With this configuration a user, either local or remote, can use the host computer for microcomputer software development. Once the software is developed (through the code and modular debug stage) it can be downloaded to the development system or emulator in a test area where hardware/software integration functions can proceed. The microcomputer software program sources reside in the host computer and can be edited, assembled, loaded, and then downloaded as required until the software development project has been completed.

Modular Rocket Engine Control Software (MRECS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tarrant, C.; Crook, J.

1998-01-01

The Modular Rocket Engine Control Software (MRECS) Program is a technology demonstration effort designed to advance the state-of-the-art in launch vehicle propulsion systems. Its emphasis is on developing and demonstrating a modular software architecture for advanced engine control systems that will result in lower software maintenance (operations) costs. It effectively accommodates software requirement changes that occur due to hardware technology upgrades and engine development testing. Ground rules directed by MSFC were to optimize modularity and implement the software in the Ada programming language. MRECS system software and the software development environment utilize Commercial-Off-the-Shelf (COTS) products. This paper presents the objectives, benefits, and status of the program. The software architecture, design, and development environment are described. MRECS tasks are defined and timing relationships given. Major accomplishments are listed. MRECS offers benefits to a wide variety of advanced technology programs in the areas of modular software architecture, reuse software, and reduced software reverification time related to software changes. MRECS was recently modified to support a Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) hot-fire test. Cold Flow and Flight Readiness Testing were completed before the test was cancelled. Currently, the program is focused on supporting NASA MSFC in accomplishing development testing of the Fastrac Engine, part of NASA's Low Cost Technologies (LCT) Program. MRECS will be used for all engine development testing.

A Scheduling Algorithm for Computational Grids that Minimizes Centralized Processing in Genome Assembly of Next-Generation Sequencing Data

PubMed Central

Lima, Jakelyne; Cerdeira, Louise Teixeira; Bol, Erick; Schneider, Maria Paula Cruz; Silva, Artur; Azevedo, Vasco; Abelém, Antônio Jorge Gomes

2012-01-01

Improvements in genome sequencing techniques have resulted in generation of huge volumes of data. As a consequence of this progress, the genome assembly stage demands even more computational power, since the incoming sequence files contain large amounts of data. To speed up the process, it is often necessary to distribute the workload among a group of machines. However, this requires hardware and software solutions specially configured for this purpose. Grid computing try to simplify this process of aggregate resources, but do not always offer the best performance possible due to heterogeneity and decentralized management of its resources. Thus, it is necessary to develop software that takes into account these peculiarities. In order to achieve this purpose, we developed an algorithm aimed to optimize the functionality of de novo assembly software ABySS in order to optimize its operation in grids. We run ABySS with and without the algorithm we developed in the grid simulator SimGrid. Tests showed that our algorithm is viable, flexible, and scalable even on a heterogeneous environment, which improved the genome assembly time in computational grids without changing its quality. PMID:22461785

Four simple recommendations to encourage best practices in research software

PubMed Central

Jiménez, Rafael C.; Kuzak, Mateusz; Alhamdoosh, Monther; Barker, Michelle; Batut, Bérénice; Borg, Mikael; Capella-Gutierrez, Salvador; Chue Hong, Neil; Cook, Martin; Corpas, Manuel; Flannery, Madison; Garcia, Leyla; Gelpí, Josep Ll.; Gladman, Simon; Goble, Carole; González Ferreiro, Montserrat; Gonzalez-Beltran, Alejandra; Griffin, Philippa C.; Grüning, Björn; Hagberg, Jonas; Holub, Petr; Hooft, Rob; Ison, Jon; Katz, Daniel S.; Leskošek, Brane; López Gómez, Federico; Oliveira, Luis J.; Mellor, David; Mosbergen, Rowland; Mulder, Nicola; Perez-Riverol, Yasset; Pergl, Robert; Pichler, Horst; Pope, Bernard; Sanz, Ferran; Schneider, Maria V.; Stodden, Victoria; Suchecki, Radosław; Svobodová Vařeková, Radka; Talvik, Harry-Anton; Todorov, Ilian; Treloar, Andrew; Tyagi, Sonika; van Gompel, Maarten; Vaughan, Daniel; Via, Allegra; Wang, Xiaochuan; Watson-Haigh, Nathan S.; Crouch, Steve

2017-01-01

Scientific research relies on computer software, yet software is not always developed following practices that ensure its quality and sustainability. This manuscript does not aim to propose new software development best practices, but rather to provide simple recommendations that encourage the adoption of existing best practices. Software development best practices promote better quality software, and better quality software improves the reproducibility and reusability of research. These recommendations are designed around Open Source values, and provide practical suggestions that contribute to making research software and its source code more discoverable, reusable and transparent. This manuscript is aimed at developers, but also at organisations, projects, journals and funders that can increase the quality and sustainability of research software by encouraging the adoption of these recommendations. PMID:28751965

Four simple recommendations to encourage best practices in research software.

PubMed

Jiménez, Rafael C; Kuzak, Mateusz; Alhamdoosh, Monther; Barker, Michelle; Batut, Bérénice; Borg, Mikael; Capella-Gutierrez, Salvador; Chue Hong, Neil; Cook, Martin; Corpas, Manuel; Flannery, Madison; Garcia, Leyla; Gelpí, Josep Ll; Gladman, Simon; Goble, Carole; González Ferreiro, Montserrat; Gonzalez-Beltran, Alejandra; Griffin, Philippa C; Grüning, Björn; Hagberg, Jonas; Holub, Petr; Hooft, Rob; Ison, Jon; Katz, Daniel S; Leskošek, Brane; López Gómez, Federico; Oliveira, Luis J; Mellor, David; Mosbergen, Rowland; Mulder, Nicola; Perez-Riverol, Yasset; Pergl, Robert; Pichler, Horst; Pope, Bernard; Sanz, Ferran; Schneider, Maria V; Stodden, Victoria; Suchecki, Radosław; Svobodová Vařeková, Radka; Talvik, Harry-Anton; Todorov, Ilian; Treloar, Andrew; Tyagi, Sonika; van Gompel, Maarten; Vaughan, Daniel; Via, Allegra; Wang, Xiaochuan; Watson-Haigh, Nathan S; Crouch, Steve

2017-01-01

Scientific research relies on computer software, yet software is not always developed following practices that ensure its quality and sustainability. This manuscript does not aim to propose new software development best practices, but rather to provide simple recommendations that encourage the adoption of existing best practices. Software development best practices promote better quality software, and better quality software improves the reproducibility and reusability of research. These recommendations are designed around Open Source values, and provide practical suggestions that contribute to making research software and its source code more discoverable, reusable and transparent. This manuscript is aimed at developers, but also at organisations, projects, journals and funders that can increase the quality and sustainability of research software by encouraging the adoption of these recommendations.

A Legal Guide for the Software Developer.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Minnesota Small Business Assistance Office, St. Paul.

This booklet has been prepared to familiarize the inventor, creator, or developer of a new computer software product or software invention with the basic legal issues involved in developing, protecting, and distributing the software in the United States. Basic types of software protection and related legal matters are discussed in detail,…

Understanding Acceptance of Software Metrics--A Developer Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Umarji, Medha

2009-01-01

Software metrics are measures of software products and processes. Metrics are widely used by software organizations to help manage projects, improve product quality and increase efficiency of the software development process. However, metrics programs tend to have a high failure rate in organizations, and developer pushback is one of the sources…

Software Process Improvement Journey: IBM Australia Application Management Services

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-03-01

learned from its successes and mistakes and then applied that learning to the next project . 28 CMU/SEI-2005-TR...worldwide re- quirements for project management and quality; it was the organization’s staff members who played a part in the development of the ...environ- ment and that it involves personnel from a variety of areas, ideally not part of the group that developed the technology or process

A wellness software platform with smart wearable devices and the demonstration report for personal wellness management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kang, Won-Seok; Son, Chang-Sik; Lee, Sangho; Choi, Rock-Hyun; Ha, Yeong-Mi

2017-07-01

In this paper, we introduce a wellness software platform, called WellnessHumanCare, is a semi-automatic wellness management software platform which has the functions of complex wellness data acquisition(mental, physical and environmental one) with smart wearable devices, complex wellness condition analysis, private-aware online/offline recommendation, real-time monitoring apps (Smartphone-based, Web-based) and so on and we has demonstrated a wellness management service with 79 participants (experimental group: 39, control group: 40) who has worked at experimental group (H Corp.) and control group (K Corp.), Korea and 3 months in order to show the efficiency of the WellnessHumanCare.

System of experts for intelligent data management (SEIDAM)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goodenough, David G.; Iisaka, Joji; Fung, KO

1993-01-01

A proposal to conduct research and development on a system of expert systems for intelligent data management (SEIDAM) is being developed. CCRS has much expertise in developing systems for integrating geographic information with space and aircraft remote sensing data and in managing large archives of remotely sensed data. SEIDAM will be composed of expert systems grouped in three levels. At the lowest level, the expert systems will manage and integrate data from diverse sources, taking account of symbolic representation differences and varying accuracies. Existing software can be controlled by these expert systems, without rewriting existing software into an Artificial Intelligence (AI) language. At the second level, SEIDAM will take the interpreted data (symbolic and numerical) and combine these with data models. at the top level, SEIDAM will respond to user goals for predictive outcomes given existing data. The SEIDAM Project will address the research areas of expert systems, data management, storage and retrieval, and user access and interfaces.

Developing a database for pedestrians' earthquake emergency evacuation in indoor scenarios.

PubMed

Zhou, Junxue; Li, Sha; Nie, Gaozhong; Fan, Xiwei; Tan, Jinxian; Li, Huayue; Pang, Xiaoke

2018-01-01

With the booming development of evacuation simulation software, developing an extensive database in indoor scenarios for evacuation models is imperative. In this paper, we conduct a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the collected videotapes and aim to provide a complete and unitary database of pedestrians' earthquake emergency response behaviors in indoor scenarios, including human-environment interactions. Using the qualitative analysis method, we extract keyword groups and keywords that code the response modes of pedestrians and construct a general decision flowchart using chronological organization. Using the quantitative analysis method, we analyze data on the delay time, evacuation speed, evacuation route and emergency exit choices. Furthermore, we study the effect of classroom layout on emergency evacuation. The database for indoor scenarios provides reliable input parameters and allows the construction of real and effective constraints for use in software and mathematical models. The database can also be used to validate the accuracy of evacuation models.

SOBA: sequence ontology bioinformatics analysis.

PubMed

Moore, Barry; Fan, Guozhen; Eilbeck, Karen

2010-07-01

The advent of cheaper, faster sequencing technologies has pushed the task of sequence annotation from the exclusive domain of large-scale multi-national sequencing projects to that of research laboratories and small consortia. The bioinformatics burden placed on these laboratories, some with very little programming experience can be daunting. Fortunately, there exist software libraries and pipelines designed with these groups in mind, to ease the transition from an assembled genome to an annotated and accessible genome resource. We have developed the Sequence Ontology Bioinformatics Analysis (SOBA) tool to provide a simple statistical and graphical summary of an annotated genome. We envisage its use during annotation jamborees, genome comparison and for use by developers for rapid feedback during annotation software development and testing. SOBA also provides annotation consistency feedback to ensure correct use of terminology within annotations, and guides users to add new terms to the Sequence Ontology when required. SOBA is available at http://www.sequenceontology.org/cgi-bin/soba.cgi.

Software tools for interactive instruction in radiologic anatomy.

PubMed

Alvarez, Antonio; Gold, Garry E; Tobin, Brian; Desser, Terry S

2006-04-01

To promote active learning in an introductory Radiologic Anatomy course through the use of computer-based exercises. DICOM datasets from our hospital PACS system were transferred to a networked cluster of desktop computers in a medical school classroom. Medical students in the Radiologic Anatomy course were divided into four small groups and assigned to work on a clinical case for 45 minutes. The groups used iPACS viewer software, a free DICOM viewer, to view images and annotate anatomic structures. The classroom instructor monitored and displayed each group's work sequentially on the master screen by running SynchronEyes, a software tool for controlling PC desktops remotely. Students were able to execute the assigned tasks using the iPACS software with minimal oversight or instruction. Course instructors displayed each group's work on the main display screen of the classroom as the students presented the rationale for their decisions. The interactive component of the course received high ratings from the students and overall course ratings were higher than in prior years when the course was given solely in lecture format. DICOM viewing software is an excellent tool for enabling students to learn radiologic anatomy from real-life clinical datasets. Interactive exercises performed in groups can be powerful tools for stimulating students to learn radiologic anatomy.

Using Dynamic Geometry Software to Improve Eight Grade Students' Understanding of Transformation Geometry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guven, Bulent

2012-01-01

This study examines the effect of dynamic geometry software (DGS) on students' learning of transformation geometry. A pre- and post-test quasi-experimental design was used. Participants in the study were 68 eighth grade students (36 in the experimental group and 32 in the control group). While the experimental group students were studying the…

Team Software Development for Aerothermodynamic and Aerodynamic Analysis and Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alexandrov, N.; Atkins, H. L.; Bibb, K. L.; Biedron, R. T.; Carpenter, M. H.; Gnoffo, P. A.; Hammond, D. P.; Jones, W. T.; Kleb, W. L.; Lee-Rausch, E. M.

2003-01-01

A collaborative approach to software development is described. The approach employs the agile development techniques: project retrospectives, Scrum status meetings, and elements of Extreme Programming to efficiently develop a cohesive and extensible software suite. The software product under development is a fluid dynamics simulator for performing aerodynamic and aerothermodynamic analysis and design. The functionality of the software product is achieved both through the merging, with substantial rewrite, of separate legacy codes and the authorship of new routines. Examples of rapid implementation of new functionality demonstrate the benefits obtained with this agile software development process. The appendix contains a discussion of coding issues encountered while porting legacy Fortran 77 code to Fortran 95, software design principles, and a Fortran 95 coding standard.

Tools to Support the Reuse of Software Assets for the NASA Earth Science Decadal Survey Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mattmann, Chris A.; Downs, Robert R.; Marshall, James J.; Most, Neal F.; Samadi, Shahin

2011-01-01

The NASA Earth Science Data Systems (ESDS) Software Reuse Working Group (SRWG) is chartered with the investigation, production, and dissemination of information related to the reuse of NASA Earth science software assets. One major current objective is to engage the NASA decadal missions in areas relevant to software reuse. In this paper we report on the current status of these activities. First, we provide some background on the SRWG in general and then discuss the group s flagship recommendation, the NASA Reuse Readiness Levels (RRLs). We continue by describing areas in which mission software may be reused in the context of NASA decadal missions. We conclude the paper with pointers to future directions.

SAO mission support software and data standards, version 1.0

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hsieh, P.

1993-01-01

This document defines the software developed by the SAO AXAF Mission Support (MS) Program and defines standards for the software development process and control of data products generated by the software. The SAO MS is tasked to develop and use software to perform a variety of functions in support of the AXAF mission. Software is developed by software engineers and scientists, and commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) software is used either directly or customized through the use of scripts to implement analysis procedures. Software controls real-time laboratory instruments, performs data archiving, displays data, and generates model predictions. Much software is used in the analysis of data to generate data products that are required by the AXAF project, for example, on-orbit mirror performance predictions or detailed characterization of the mirror reflection performance with energy.

Validation Study of Waray Text Readability Instrument

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oyzon, Voltaire Q.; Corrales, Juven B.; Estardo, Wilfredo M., Jr.

2015-01-01

In 2012 the Leyte Normal University developed a computer software--modelled after the Spache Readability Formula (1953) made for English--made to help rank texts that can is used by teachers or research groups on selecting appropriate reading materials to support the DepEd's MTB-MLE program in Region VIII, in the Philippines. However,…

Turbocharged Diesels

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1984-01-01

In a number of feasibility studies of turbine rotor designs, engineers of Cummins Engine Company, Inc.'s turbocharger group have utilized a computer program from COSMIC. Part of Cummins research effort is aimed toward introduction of advanced turbocharged engines that deliver extra power with greater fuel efficiency. Company claims use of COSMIC program substantially reduced software development costs.

Effect of CAI on Achievement of LD Students in English

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sivaram, R. T.; Ramar, R.

2014-01-01

The present experimental study was undertaken with three objectives in view, (i) to identify students with language learning disabilities (ii) to develop CAI software to teach LD students through computer-assisted instruction and (iii) to measure the effectiveness of CAI with special reference to LD students. Two matched groups of LD students were…

Computational Modelling and Children's Expressions of Signal and Noise

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ainley, Janet; Pratt, Dave

2017-01-01

Previous research has demonstrated how young children can identify the signal in data. In this exploratory study we considered how they might also express meanings for noise when creating computational models using recent developments in software tools. We conducted extended clinical interviews with four groups of 11-year-olds and analysed the…

Participation Through Gaze Controlled Computer for Children with Severe Multiple Disabilities.

PubMed

Holmqvist, Eva; Derbring, Sandra; Wallin, Sofia

2017-01-01

This paper presents work on developing methodology material for use of gaze controlled computers. The target group is families and professionals around children with severe multiple disabilities. The material includes software grids for children at various levels, aimed for communication, leisure and learning and will be available for download.

The Portable Usability Testing Lab: A Flexible Research Tool.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hale, Michael E.; And Others

A group of faculty at the University of Georgia obtained funding for a research and development facility called the Learning and Performance Support Laboratory (LPSL). One of the LPSL's primary needs was obtaining a portable usability lab for software testing, so the facility obtained the "Luggage Lab 2000." The lab is transportable to…

Agile Manifesto for Teaching and Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Krehbiel, Timothy C.; Salzarulo, Peter A.; Cosmah, Michelle L.; Forren, John; Gannod, Gerald; Havelka, Douglas; Hulshult, Andrea R.; Merhout, Jeffrey

2017-01-01

A group of faculty members representing six colleges at a public university formed a learning community to study the Agile Way of Working--a method of workplace collaboration widely used in software development--and to determine whether the concepts, practices, and benefits of Agile are applicable to higher education settings. After more than two…

Common Ground for Action Software and Professional Development to Support Online Deliberation in Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Christelle, Andrea; Dillard, Kara N.; Lindaman, Kara

2018-01-01

The Common Ground for Action (CGA) online deliberation platform is a dynamic tool designed to encourage diverse group members to identify collective responses to deeply controversial or "wicked" public problems that have no simple solution. The program promotes authentic deliberation, while minimizing the tactics of horse-trading and…

MOPEX: a software package for astronomical image processing and visualization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Makovoz, David; Roby, Trey; Khan, Iffat; Booth, Hartley

2006-06-01

We present MOPEX - a software package for astronomical image processing and display. The package is a combination of command-line driven image processing software written in C/C++ with a Java-based GUI. The main image processing capabilities include creating mosaic images, image registration, background matching, point source extraction, as well as a number of minor image processing tasks. The combination of the image processing and display capabilities allows for much more intuitive and efficient way of performing image processing. The GUI allows for the control over the image processing and display to be closely intertwined. Parameter setting, validation, and specific processing options are entered by the user through a set of intuitive dialog boxes. Visualization feeds back into further processing by providing a prompt feedback of the processing results. The GUI also allows for further analysis by accessing and displaying data from existing image and catalog servers using a virtual observatory approach. Even though originally designed for the Spitzer Space Telescope mission, a lot of functionalities are of general usefulness and can be used for working with existing astronomical data and for new missions. The software used in the package has undergone intensive testing and benefited greatly from effective software reuse. The visualization part has been used for observation planning for both the Spitzer and Herschel Space Telescopes as part the tool Spot. The visualization capabilities of Spot have been enhanced and integrated with the image processing functionality of the command-line driven MOPEX. The image processing software is used in the Spitzer automated pipeline processing, which has been in operation for nearly 3 years. The image processing capabilities have also been tested in off-line processing by numerous astronomers at various institutions around the world. The package is multi-platform and includes automatic update capabilities. The software package has been developed by a small group of software developers and scientists at the Spitzer Science Center. It is available for distribution at the Spitzer Science Center web page.

Epos Working Group 10 Infrastructure for Georesources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Orlecka-Sikora, Beata; Lasocki, Stanisław; Kwiatek, Grzegorz

2013-04-01

Working Group 10 "Infrastructure for Georesources" deals primarily with induced seismicity (IS) infrastructure. Established during the EPOS Annual Meeting in Utrecht, November 2011, WG10 aims to integrate the research infrastructure in the area of seismicity induced by human activity: tremors and rockbursts in underground mines, seismicity associated with conventional and unconventional oil and gas production, induced by geothermal energy extraction and by underground reposition and storage of liquids (e.g. water disposal associated with energy extraction) and gases (CO2 sequestration, inter alia) and triggered by filling surface water reservoirs, etc. Until now the research in the area of IS has been organized around induced technologies rather than physical problems, common for these shallow seismic processes. This has hampered the integration of IS research community and the research progress. WG10 intends to work out a first step towards changing the IS research perspective from the present, technology-oriented, to physical problems-oriented without, however, losing touch with technological conditions of IS generation. This will be achieved by the integration of IS Research Infrastructure (ISRI) and the creation of Induced Seismicity Node within EPOS. The ISRI to be integrated has three components: data, software and reports. The IS data consists of seismic data and auxiliary data: geological, displacement, geomechanical, geodetic, etc, and last, but by no means least, technological data. A research in the field of IS cannot do without this last data class. The IS software comprises common software tools for data handling and visualisation, standard and advanced software for research and software based on newly proposed algorithms for tests and development. The IS reports are both peer reviewed and unreviewed as well as an internet forum. In addition to that the IS Node will play a significant role in integrating IS community and accelerating research, it will help to develop a synergy between research community and industrial partners. WG10 is working out the strategic solutions for integration and core services provided by future IS node for the European and other research groups, industrial partners, educational centers, central and local administration bodies. Measurable benefit of the integrated ISRI will be the intensification of studies on hazard and risk associated with anthropogenic seismicity and on methods of anthropogenic seismic risk mitigation. Best practices will be disseminated to industrial partners and relevant bodies of public administration. It is also planned to have an information node for the public use.

Software technology insertion: A study of success factors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lydon, Tom

1990-01-01

Managing software development in large organizations has become increasingly difficult due to increasing technical complexity, stricter government standards, a shortage of experienced software engineers, competitive pressure for improved productivity and quality, the need to co-develop hardware and software together, and the rapid changes in both hardware and software technology. The 'software factory' approach to software development minimizes risks while maximizing productivity and quality through standardization, automation, and training. However, in practice, this approach is relatively inflexible when adopting new software technologies. The methods that a large multi-project software engineering organization can use to increase the likelihood of successful software technology insertion (STI), especially in a standardized engineering environment, are described.

Configuration management and software measurement in the Ground Systems Development Environment (GSDE)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Church, Victor E.; Long, D.; Hartenstein, Ray; Perez-Davila, Alfredo

1992-01-01

A set of functional requirements for software configuration management (CM) and metrics reporting for Space Station Freedom ground systems software are described. This report is one of a series from a study of the interfaces among the Ground Systems Development Environment (GSDE), the development systems for the Space Station Training Facility (SSTF) and the Space Station Control Center (SSCC), and the target systems for SSCC and SSTF. The focus is on the CM of the software following delivery to NASA and on the software metrics that relate to the quality and maintainability of the delivered software. The CM and metrics requirements address specific problems that occur in large-scale software development. Mechanisms to assist in the continuing improvement of mission operations software development are described.

Area 2: Inexpensive Monitoring and Uncertainty Assessment of CO2 Plume Migration using Injection Data

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Srinivasan, Sanjay

2014-09-30

In-depth understanding of the long-term fate of CO₂ in the subsurface requires study and analysis of the reservoir formation, the overlaying caprock formation, and adjacent faults. Because there is significant uncertainty in predicting the location and extent of geologic heterogeneity that can impact the future migration of CO₂ in the subsurface, there is a need to develop algorithms that can reliably quantify this uncertainty in plume migration. This project is focused on the development of a model selection algorithm that refines an initial suite of subsurface models representing the prior uncertainty to create a posterior set of subsurface models thatmore » reflect injection performance consistent with that observed. Such posterior models can be used to represent uncertainty in the future migration of the CO₂ plume. Because only injection data is required, the method provides a very inexpensive method to map the migration of the plume and the associated uncertainty in migration paths. The model selection method developed as part of this project mainly consists of assessing the connectivity/dynamic characteristics of a large prior ensemble of models, grouping the models on the basis of their expected dynamic response, selecting the subgroup of models that most closely yield dynamic response closest to the observed dynamic data, and finally quantifying the uncertainty in plume migration using the selected subset of models. The main accomplishment of the project is the development of a software module within the SGEMS earth modeling software package that implements the model selection methodology. This software module was subsequently applied to analyze CO₂ plume migration in two field projects – the In Salah CO₂ Injection project in Algeria and CO₂ injection into the Utsira formation in Norway. These applications of the software revealed that the proxies developed in this project for quickly assessing the dynamic characteristics of the reservoir were highly efficient and yielded accurate grouping of reservoir models. The plume migration paths probabilistically assessed by the method were confirmed by field observations and auxiliary data. The report also documents the application of the software to answer practical questions such as the optimum location of monitoring wells to reliably assess the migration of CO₂ plume, the effect of CO₂-rock interactions on plume migration and the ability to detect the plume under those conditions and the effect of a slow, unresolved leak on the predictions of plume migration.« less

Quality Assurance in Software Development: An Exploratory Investigation in Software Project Failures and Business Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ichu, Emmanuel A.

2010-01-01

Software quality is perhaps one of the most sought-after attributes in product development, however; this goal is unattained. Problem factors in software development and how these have affected the maintainability of the delivered software systems requires a thorough investigation. It was, therefore, very important to understand software…

Automated Software Development Workstation (ASDW)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fridge, Ernie

1990-01-01

Software development is a serious bottleneck in the construction of complex automated systems. An increase of the reuse of software designs and components has been viewed as a way to relieve this bottleneck. One approach to achieving software reusability is through the development and use of software parts composition systems. A software parts composition system is a software development environment comprised of a parts description language for modeling parts and their interfaces, a catalog of existing parts, a composition editor that aids a user in the specification of a new application from existing parts, and a code generator that takes a specification and generates an implementation of a new application in a target language. The Automated Software Development Workstation (ASDW) is an expert system shell that provides the capabilities required to develop and manipulate these software parts composition systems. The ASDW is now in Beta testing at the Johnson Space Center. Future work centers on responding to user feedback for capability and usability enhancement, expanding the scope of the software lifecycle that is covered, and in providing solutions to handling very large libraries of reusable components.

Promoting Science Software Best Practices: A Scientist's Perspective (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blanton, B. O.

2013-12-01

Software is at the core of most modern scientific activities, and as societal awareness of, and impacts from, extreme weather, disasters, and climate and global change continue to increase, the roles that scientific software play in analyses and decision-making are brought more to the forefront. Reproducibility of research results (particularly those that enter into the decision-making arena) and open access to the software is essential for scientific and scientists' credibility. This has been highlighted in a recent article by Joppa et al (Troubling Trends in Scientific Software Use, Science Magazine, May 2013) that describes reasons for particular software being chosen by scientists, including that the "developer is well-respected" and on "recommendation from a close colleague". This reliance on recommendation, Joppa et al conclude, is fraught with risks to both sciences and scientists. Scientists must frequently take software for granted, assuming that it performs as expected and advertised and that the software itself has been validated and results verified. This is largely due to the manner in which much software is written and developed; in an ad hoc manner, with an inconsistent funding stream, and with little application of core software engineering best practices. Insufficient documentation, limited test cases, and code unavailability are significant barriers to informed and intelligent science software usage. This situation is exacerbated when the scientist becomes the software developer out of necessity due to resource constraints. Adoption of, and adherence to, best practices in scientific software development will substantially increase intelligent software usage and promote a sustainable evolution of the science as encoded in the software. We describe a typical scientist's perspective on using and developing scientific software in the context of storm surge research and forecasting applications that have real-time objectives and regulatory constraints. This include perspectives on what scientists/users of software can contribute back to the software development process and examples of successful scientist/developer interactions, and the competition between "getting it done" and "getting it done right".

New and Promising: Software Worth a Look. A MicroSIFT Survey of Educational Software Preview Center Coordinators. Volume II, No. 2.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Podany, Zita

This guide lists 19 software packages considered to be worthy of further consideration by other reviewing agencies and schools by a group of 17 computer coordinators from educational software preview centers and evaluation agencies. The following software is listed: (1) ASK-IT, an authoring tool; (2) Balance of the Planet, an environmental…

New and Promising: Software Worth a Look. A MicroSIFT Survey of Educational Software Preview Center Coordinators. Volume II, No. 1.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Podany, Zita

This guide lists 21 software packages considered to be worthy of further consideration by other reviewing agencies and schools by a group of 12 computer coordinators from educational software preview centers and evaluation agencies. These software products have been selected as not being likely to appear in the reviews produced by major software…

Reuse at the Software Productivity Consortium

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weiss, David M.

1989-01-01

The Software Productivity Consortium is sponsored by 14 aerospace companies as a developer of software engineering methods and tools. Software reuse and prototyping are currently the major emphasis areas. The Methodology and Measurement Project in the Software Technology Exploration Division has developed some concepts for reuse which they intend to develop into a synthesis process. They have identified two approaches to software reuse: opportunistic and systematic. The assumptions underlying the systematic approach, phrased as hypotheses, are the following: the redevelopment hypothesis, i.e., software developers solve the same problems repeatedly; the oracle hypothesis, i.e., developers are able to predict variations from one redevelopment to others; and the organizational hypothesis, i.e., software must be organized according to behavior and structure to take advantage of the predictions that the developers make. The conceptual basis for reuse includes: program families, information hiding, abstract interfaces, uses and information hiding hierarchies, and process structure. The primary reusable software characteristics are black-box descriptions, structural descriptions, and composition and decomposition based on program families. Automated support can be provided for systematic reuse, and the Consortium is developing a prototype reuse library and guidebook. The software synthesis process that the Consortium is aiming toward includes modeling, refinement, prototyping, reuse, assessment, and new construction.

Automated support for experience-based software management

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Valett, Jon D.

1992-01-01

To effectively manage a software development project, the software manager must have access to key information concerning a project's status. This information includes not only data relating to the project of interest, but also, the experience of past development efforts within the environment. This paper describes the concepts and functionality of a software management tool designed to provide this information. This tool, called the Software Management Environment (SME), enables the software manager to compare an ongoing development effort with previous efforts and with models of the 'typical' project within the environment, to predict future project status, to analyze a project's strengths and weaknesses, and to assess the project's quality. In order to provide these functions the tool utilizes a vast corporate memory that includes a data base of software metrics, a set of models and relationships that describe the software development environment, and a set of rules that capture other knowledge and experience of software managers within the environment. Integrating these major concepts into one software management tool, the SME is a model of the type of management tool needed for all software development organizations.

Research and development of methods and tools for achieving and maintaining consensus processes in the face of change within and among government oversight agencies. Progress report, October 1, 1992--March 31, 1994, Volume I

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1994-06-01

This progress report summarizes our research activities under our consensus grant. In year five, we devoted much of our activities to completing fundamental research projects delayed because of the considerably stepped-up effort in consensus processes efforts during development of DOE`s Five Year Waste Plan (FYWP). Following our work on various procedures for bringing together groups such as the State and Tribal Government Working Group and the Stakeholders` Forum (both of which provide input to the Five Year Waste Plan), we compiled a literature overview of small-group consensus gaining and a handbook for consensus decision making. We also tested the effectivenessmore » Of group decision support software, and designed a structured observation process and its related hard- and software. We completed studies on experts and the role of personality characteristics in consensus group influence. Results of these studies are included in this final report. In consensus processes research, we were unable to continue studying consensus groups in action. However, we did study ways to improve ways to improve DOE`s technological information exchange effectiveness. We also studied how a new administration identifies what its strategic mission is and how it gets support from existing EM managers. We identified selection criteria for locating the EM exhibit, and tested our audience selection model. We also further calibrated our consensus measure. Additional conference papers and papers for journal submission were completed during year five.« less

Collaboration and decision making tools for mobile groups

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abrahamyan, Suren; Balyan, Serob; Ter-Minasyan, Harutyun; Degtyarev, Alexander

2017-12-01

Nowadays the use of distributed collaboration tools is widespread in many areas of people activity. But lack of mobility and certain equipment-dependency creates difficulties and decelerates development and integration of such technologies. Also mobile technologies allow individuals to interact with each other without need of traditional office spaces and regardless of location. Hence, realization of special infrastructures on mobile platforms with help of ad-hoc wireless local networks could eliminate hardware-attachment and be useful also in terms of scientific approach. Solutions from basic internet-messengers to complex software for online collaboration equipment in large-scale workgroups are implementations of tools based on mobile infrastructures. Despite growth of mobile infrastructures, applied distributed solutions in group decisionmaking and e-collaboration are not common. In this article we propose software complex for real-time collaboration and decision-making based on mobile devices, describe its architecture and evaluate performance.

Simplified programming and control of automated radiosynthesizers through unit operations.

PubMed

Claggett, Shane B; Quinn, Kevin M; Lazari, Mark; Moore, Melissa D; van Dam, R Michael

2013-07-15

Many automated radiosynthesizers for producing positron emission tomography (PET) probes provide a means for the operator to create custom synthesis programs. The programming interfaces are typically designed with the engineer rather than the radiochemist in mind, requiring lengthy programs to be created from sequences of low-level, non-intuitive hardware operations. In some cases, the user is even responsible for adding steps to update the graphical representation of the system. In light of these unnecessarily complex approaches, we have created software to perform radiochemistry on the ELIXYS radiosynthesizer with the goal of being intuitive and easy to use. Radiochemists were consulted, and a wide range of radiosyntheses were analyzed to determine a comprehensive set of basic chemistry unit operations. Based around these operations, we created a software control system with a client-server architecture. In an attempt to maximize flexibility, the client software was designed to run on a variety of portable multi-touch devices. The software was used to create programs for the synthesis of several 18F-labeled probes on the ELIXYS radiosynthesizer, with [18F]FDG detailed here. To gauge the user-friendliness of the software, program lengths were compared to those from other systems. A small sample group with no prior radiosynthesizer experience was tasked with creating and running a simple protocol. The software was successfully used to synthesize several 18F-labeled PET probes, including [18F]FDG, with synthesis times and yields comparable to literature reports. The resulting programs were significantly shorter and easier to debug than programs from other systems. The sample group of naive users created and ran a simple protocol within a couple of hours, revealing a very short learning curve. The client-server architecture provided reliability, enabling continuity of the synthesis run even if the computer running the client software failed. The architecture enabled a single user to control the hardware while others observed the run in progress or created programs for other probes. We developed a novel unit operation-based software interface to control automated radiosynthesizers that reduced the program length and complexity and also exhibited a short learning curve. The client-server architecture provided robustness and flexibility.

Simplified programming and control of automated radiosynthesizers through unit operations

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Many automated radiosynthesizers for producing positron emission tomography (PET) probes provide a means for the operator to create custom synthesis programs. The programming interfaces are typically designed with the engineer rather than the radiochemist in mind, requiring lengthy programs to be created from sequences of low-level, non-intuitive hardware operations. In some cases, the user is even responsible for adding steps to update the graphical representation of the system. In light of these unnecessarily complex approaches, we have created software to perform radiochemistry on the ELIXYS radiosynthesizer with the goal of being intuitive and easy to use. Methods Radiochemists were consulted, and a wide range of radiosyntheses were analyzed to determine a comprehensive set of basic chemistry unit operations. Based around these operations, we created a software control system with a client–server architecture. In an attempt to maximize flexibility, the client software was designed to run on a variety of portable multi-touch devices. The software was used to create programs for the synthesis of several 18F-labeled probes on the ELIXYS radiosynthesizer, with [18F]FDG detailed here. To gauge the user-friendliness of the software, program lengths were compared to those from other systems. A small sample group with no prior radiosynthesizer experience was tasked with creating and running a simple protocol. Results The software was successfully used to synthesize several 18F-labeled PET probes, including [18F]FDG, with synthesis times and yields comparable to literature reports. The resulting programs were significantly shorter and easier to debug than programs from other systems. The sample group of naive users created and ran a simple protocol within a couple of hours, revealing a very short learning curve. The client–server architecture provided reliability, enabling continuity of the synthesis run even if the computer running the client software failed. The architecture enabled a single user to control the hardware while others observed the run in progress or created programs for other probes. Conclusions We developed a novel unit operation-based software interface to control automated radiosynthesizers that reduced the program length and complexity and also exhibited a short learning curve. The client–server architecture provided robustness and flexibility. PMID:23855995

Happy software developers solve problems better: psychological measurements in empirical software engineering.

PubMed

Graziotin, Daniel; Wang, Xiaofeng; Abrahamsson, Pekka

2014-01-01

For more than thirty years, it has been claimed that a way to improve software developers' productivity and software quality is to focus on people and to provide incentives to make developers satisfied and happy. This claim has rarely been verified in software engineering research, which faces an additional challenge in comparison to more traditional engineering fields: software development is an intellectual activity and is dominated by often-neglected human factors (called human aspects in software engineering research). Among the many skills required for software development, developers must possess high analytical problem-solving skills and creativity for the software construction process. According to psychology research, affective states-emotions and moods-deeply influence the cognitive processing abilities and performance of workers, including creativity and analytical problem solving. Nonetheless, little research has investigated the correlation between the affective states, creativity, and analytical problem-solving performance of programmers. This article echoes the call to employ psychological measurements in software engineering research. We report a study with 42 participants to investigate the relationship between the affective states, creativity, and analytical problem-solving skills of software developers. The results offer support for the claim that happy developers are indeed better problem solvers in terms of their analytical abilities. The following contributions are made by this study: (1) providing a better understanding of the impact of affective states on the creativity and analytical problem-solving capacities of developers, (2) introducing and validating psychological measurements, theories, and concepts of affective states, creativity, and analytical-problem-solving skills in empirical software engineering, and (3) raising the need for studying the human factors of software engineering by employing a multidisciplinary viewpoint.

Software Quality Assurance Metrics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McRae, Kalindra A.

2004-01-01

Software Quality Assurance (SQA) is a planned and systematic set of activities that ensures conformance of software life cycle processes and products conform to requirements, standards and procedures. In software development, software quality means meeting requirements and a degree of excellence and refinement of a project or product. Software Quality is a set of attributes of a software product by which its quality is described and evaluated. The set of attributes includes functionality, reliability, usability, efficiency, maintainability, and portability. Software Metrics help us understand the technical process that is used to develop a product. The process is measured to improve it and the product is measured to increase quality throughout the life cycle of software. Software Metrics are measurements of the quality of software. Software is measured to indicate the quality of the product, to assess the productivity of the people who produce the product, to assess the benefits derived from new software engineering methods and tools, to form a baseline for estimation, and to help justify requests for new tools or additional training. Any part of the software development can be measured. If Software Metrics are implemented in software development, it can save time, money, and allow the organization to identify the caused of defects which have the greatest effect on software development. The summer of 2004, I worked with Cynthia Calhoun and Frank Robinson in the Software Assurance/Risk Management department. My task was to research and collect, compile, and analyze SQA Metrics that have been used in other projects that are not currently being used by the SA team and report them to the Software Assurance team to see if any metrics can be implemented in their software assurance life cycle process.

Collaboration of chemistry instructional games and group investigation (Gi) model to improve learning outcome in high school students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Puspita, Ita; Sugiyarto, Kristian H.; Ikhsan, Jaslin

2017-05-01

The aims of this research are to: (1) develop chemistry instructional games on reaction rate matter; and (2) reveal the collaboration of chemistry instructional games and group investigation model to improvement learning outcome in high school student. This study is research and development (R&D). The procedure of developing product was adapted from Borg & Gall that modified into three principal steps: product planning, product developing, and product evaluating. The product planning step consist of field study, literature study, and manufacturing product. Product developing was developed product using Adobe Flash Professional CS 6 program. The last, product evaluating was performed by year XI of high school students, uses experimental methods nonequivalent control-group design by control class and experiment class. The results of this research show that: (1) a software of chemistry instructional games successfully developed using Adobe Flash Professional CS 6 and can be run on Android device; and (2) the test results of students showed that the collaboration of instructional games and group investigation model able to improvement learning outcome of hight school student.

Mapping analysis and planning system for the John F. Kennedy Space Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hall, C. R.; Barkaszi, M. J.; Provancha, M. J.; Reddick, N. A.; Hinkle, C. R.; Engel, B. A.; Summerfield, B. R.

1994-01-01

Environmental management, impact assessment, research and monitoring are multidisciplinary activities which are ideally suited to incorporate a multi-media approach to environmental problem solving. Geographic information systems (GIS), simulation models, neural networks and expert-system software are some of the advancing technologies being used for data management, query, analysis and display. At the 140,000 acre John F. Kennedy Space Center, the Advanced Software Technology group has been supporting development and implementation of a program that integrates these and other rapidly evolving hardware and software capabilities into a comprehensive Mapping, Analysis and Planning System (MAPS) based in a workstation/local are network environment. An expert-system shell is being developed to link the various databases to guide users through the numerous stages of a facility siting and environmental assessment. The expert-system shell approach is appealing for its ease of data access by management-level decision makers while maintaining the involvement of the data specialists. This, as well as increased efficiency and accuracy in data analysis and report preparation, can benefit any organization involved in natural resources management.

The Wettzell System Monitoring Concept and First Realizations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ettl, Martin; Neidhardt, Alexander; Muehlbauer, Matthias; Ploetz, Christian; Beaudoin, Christopher

2010-01-01

Automated monitoring of operational system parameters for the geodetic space techniques is becoming more important in order to improve the geodetic data and to ensure the safety and stability of automatic and remote-controlled observations. Therefore, the Wettzell group has developed the system monitoring software, SysMon, which is based on a reliable, remotely-controllable hardware/software realization. A multi-layered data logging system based on a fanless, robust industrial PC with an internal database system is used to collect data from several external, serial, bus, or PCI-based sensors. The internal communication is realized with Remote Procedure Calls (RPC) and uses generative programming with the interface software generator idl2rpc.pl developed at Wettzell. Each data monitoring stream can be configured individually via configuration files to define the logging rates or analog-digital-conversion parameters. First realizations are currently installed at the new laser ranging system at Wettzell to address safety issues and at the VLBI station O Higgins as a meteorological data logger. The system monitoring concept should be realized for the Wettzell radio telescope in the near future.

Implementing Educational Software and Evaluating Its Academic Effectiveness: Part I.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jolicoeur, Karen; Berger, Dale E.

1988-01-01

This basic plan for implementing educational software in the classroom incorporates a research design for evaluating its effectiveness. A study of fifth grade classrooms using game and tutorial software for spelling and fractions is used as an example. Topics discussed include software selection, selecting groups of comparable ability, and use of…

Software Configuration Management Guidebook

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1995-01-01

The growth in cost and importance of software to NASA has caused NASA to address the improvement of software development across the agency. One of the products of this program is a series of guidebooks that define a NASA concept of the assurance processes which are used in software development. The Software Assurance Guidebook, SMAP-GB-A201, issued in September, 1989, provides an overall picture of the concepts and practices of NASA in software assurance. Lower level guidebooks focus on specific activities that fall within the software assurance discipline, and provide more detailed information for the manager and/or practitioner. This is the Software Configuration Management Guidebook which describes software configuration management in a way that is compatible with practices in industry and at NASA Centers. Software configuration management is a key software development process, and is essential for doing software assurance.

Health software: a new CEI Guide for software management in medical environment.

PubMed

Giacomozzi, Claudia; Martelli, Francesco

2016-01-01

The increasing spread of software components in the healthcare context renders explanatory guides relevant and mandatory to interpret laws and standards, and to support safe management of software products in healthcare. In 2012 a working group has been settled for the above purposes at Italian Electrotechnical Committee (CEI), made of experts from Italian National Institute of Health (ISS), representatives of industry, and representatives of the healthcare organizations. As a first outcome of the group activity, Guide CEI 62-237 was published in February 2015. The Guide incorporates an innovative approach based on the proper contextualization of software products, either medical devices or not, to the specific healthcare scenario, and addresses the risk management of IT systems. The Guide provides operators and manufacturers with an interpretative support with many detailed examples to facilitate the proper contextualization and management of health software, in compliance with related European and international regulations and standards.

adwTools Developed: New Bulk Alloy and Surface Analysis Software for the Alloy Design Workbench

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bozzolo, Guillermo; Morse, Jeffrey A.; Noebe, Ronald D.; Abel, Phillip B.

2004-01-01

A suite of atomistic modeling software, called the Alloy Design Workbench, has been developed by the Computational Materials Group at the NASA Glenn Research Center and the Ohio Aerospace Institute (OAI). The main goal of this software is to guide and augment experimental materials research and development efforts by creating powerful, yet intuitive, software that combines a graphical user interface with an operating code suitable for real-time atomistic simulations of multicomponent alloy systems. Targeted for experimentalists, the interface is straightforward and requires minimum knowledge of the underlying theory, allowing researchers to focus on the scientific aspects of the work. The centerpiece of the Alloy Design Workbench suite is the adwTools module, which concentrates on the atomistic analysis of surfaces and bulk alloys containing an arbitrary number of elements. An additional module, adwParams, handles ab initio input for the parameterization used in adwTools. Future modules planned for the suite include adwSeg, which will provide numerical predictions for segregation profiles to alloy surfaces and interfaces, and adwReport, which will serve as a window into the database, providing public access to the parameterization data and a repository where users can submit their own findings from the rest of the suite. The entire suite is designed to run on desktop-scale computers. The adwTools module incorporates a custom OAI/Glenn-developed Fortran code based on the BFS (Bozzolo- Ferrante-Smith) method for alloys, ref. 1). The heart of the suite, this code is used to calculate the energetics of different compositions and configurations of atoms.

SEQ-REVIEW: A tool for reviewing and checking spacecraft sequences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maldague, Pierre F.; El-Boushi, Mekki; Starbird, Thomas J.; Zawacki, Steven J.

1994-11-01

A key component of JPL's strategy to make space missions faster, better and cheaper is the Advanced Multi-Mission Operations System (AMMOS), a ground software intensive system currently in use and in further development. AMMOS intends to eliminate the cost of re-engineering a ground system for each new JPL mission. This paper discusses SEQ-REVIEW, a component of AMMOS that was designed to facilitate and automate the task of reviewing and checking spacecraft sequences. SEQ-REVIEW is a smart browser for inspecting files created by other sequence generation tools in the AMMOS system. It can parse sequence-related files according to a computer-readable version of a 'Software Interface Specification' (SIS), which is a standard document for defining file formats. It lets users display one or several linked files and check simple constraints using a Basic-like 'Little Language'. SEQ-REVIEW represents the first application of the Quality Function Development (QFD) method to sequence software development at JPL. The paper will show how the requirements for SEQ-REVIEW were defined and converted into a design based on object-oriented principles. The process starts with interviews of potential users, a small but diverse group that spans multiple disciplines and 'cultures'. It continues with the development of QFD matrices that related product functions and characteristics to user-demanded qualities. These matrices are then turned into a formal Software Requirements Document (SRD). The process concludes with the design phase, in which the CRC (Class, Responsibility, Collaboration) approach was used to convert requirements into a blueprint for the final product.

SEQ-REVIEW: A tool for reviewing and checking spacecraft sequences

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maldague, Pierre F.; El-Boushi, Mekki; Starbird, Thomas J.; Zawacki, Steven J.

1994-01-01

A key component of JPL's strategy to make space missions faster, better and cheaper is the Advanced Multi-Mission Operations System (AMMOS), a ground software intensive system currently in use and in further development. AMMOS intends to eliminate the cost of re-engineering a ground system for each new JPL mission. This paper discusses SEQ-REVIEW, a component of AMMOS that was designed to facilitate and automate the task of reviewing and checking spacecraft sequences. SEQ-REVIEW is a smart browser for inspecting files created by other sequence generation tools in the AMMOS system. It can parse sequence-related files according to a computer-readable version of a 'Software Interface Specification' (SIS), which is a standard document for defining file formats. It lets users display one or several linked files and check simple constraints using a Basic-like 'Little Language'. SEQ-REVIEW represents the first application of the Quality Function Development (QFD) method to sequence software development at JPL. The paper will show how the requirements for SEQ-REVIEW were defined and converted into a design based on object-oriented principles. The process starts with interviews of potential users, a small but diverse group that spans multiple disciplines and 'cultures'. It continues with the development of QFD matrices that related product functions and characteristics to user-demanded qualities. These matrices are then turned into a formal Software Requirements Document (SRD). The process concludes with the design phase, in which the CRC (Class, Responsibility, Collaboration) approach was used to convert requirements into a blueprint for the final product.

Software engineering methodologies and tools

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilcox, Lawrence M.

1993-01-01

Over the years many engineering disciplines have developed, including chemical, electronic, etc. Common to all engineering disciplines is the use of rigor, models, metrics, and predefined methodologies. Recently, a new engineering discipline has appeared on the scene, called software engineering. For over thirty years computer software has been developed and the track record has not been good. Software development projects often miss schedules, are over budget, do not give the user what is wanted, and produce defects. One estimate is there are one to three defects per 1000 lines of deployed code. More and more systems are requiring larger and more complex software for support. As this requirement grows, the software development problems grow exponentially. It is believed that software quality can be improved by applying engineering principles. Another compelling reason to bring the engineering disciplines to software development is productivity. It has been estimated that productivity of producing software has only increased one to two percent a year in the last thirty years. Ironically, the computer and its software have contributed significantly to the industry-wide productivity, but computer professionals have done a poor job of using the computer to do their job. Engineering disciplines and methodologies are now emerging supported by software tools that address the problems of software development. This paper addresses some of the current software engineering methodologies as a backdrop for the general evaluation of computer assisted software engineering (CASE) tools from actual installation of and experimentation with some specific tools.

Impact of Agile Software Development Model on Software Maintainability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gawali, Ajay R.

2012-01-01

Software maintenance and support costs account for up to 60% of the overall software life cycle cost and often burdens tightly budgeted information technology (IT) organizations. Agile software development approach delivers business value early, but implications on software maintainability are still unknown. The purpose of this quantitative study…

Perspectives on distributed computing : thirty people, four user types, and the distributed computing user experience.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Childers, L.; Liming, L.; Foster, I.

2008-10-15

This report summarizes the methodology and results of a user perspectives study conducted by the Community Driven Improvement of Globus Software (CDIGS) project. The purpose of the study was to document the work-related goals and challenges facing today's scientific technology users, to record their perspectives on Globus software and the distributed-computing ecosystem, and to provide recommendations to the Globus community based on the observations. Globus is a set of open source software components intended to provide a framework for collaborative computational science activities. Rather than attempting to characterize all users or potential users of Globus software, our strategy has beenmore » to speak in detail with a small group of individuals in the scientific community whose work appears to be the kind that could benefit from Globus software, learn as much as possible about their work goals and the challenges they face, and describe what we found. The result is a set of statements about specific individuals experiences. We do not claim that these are representative of a potential user community, but we do claim to have found commonalities and differences among the interviewees that may be reflected in the user community as a whole. We present these as a series of hypotheses that can be tested by subsequent studies, and we offer recommendations to Globus developers based on the assumption that these hypotheses are representative. Specifically, we conducted interviews with thirty technology users in the scientific community. We included both people who have used Globus software and those who have not. We made a point of including individuals who represent a variety of roles in scientific projects, for example, scientists, software developers, engineers, and infrastructure providers. The following material is included in this report: (1) A summary of the reported work-related goals, significant issues, and points of satisfaction with the use of Globus software; (2) A method for characterizing users according to their technology interactions, and identification of four user types among the interviewees using the method; (3) Four profiles that highlight points of commonality and diversity in each user type; (4) Recommendations for technology developers and future studies; (5) A description of the interview protocol and overall study methodology; (6) An anonymized list of the interviewees; and (7) Interview writeups and summary data. The interview summaries in Section 3 and transcripts in Appendix D illustrate the value of distributed computing software--and Globus in particular--to scientific enterprises. They also document opportunities to make these tools still more useful both to current users and to new communities. We aim our recommendations at developers who intend their software to be used and reused in many applications. (This kind of software is often referred to as 'middleware.') Our two core recommendations are as follows. First, it is essential for middleware developers to understand and explicitly manage the multiple user products in which their software components are used. We must avoid making assumptions about the commonality of these products and, instead, study and account for their diversity. Second, middleware developers should engage in different ways with different kinds of users. Having identified four general user types in Section 4, we provide specific ideas for how to engage them in Section 5.« less

Activity-Centric Approach to Distributed Programming

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Levy, Renato; Satapathy, Goutam; Lang, Jun

2004-01-01

The first phase of an effort to develop a NASA version of the Cybele software system has been completed. To give meaning to even a highly abbreviated summary of the modifications to be embodied in the NASA version, it is necessary to present the following background information on Cybele: Cybele is a proprietary software infrastructure for use by programmers in developing agent-based application programs [complex application programs that contain autonomous, interacting components (agents)]. Cybele provides support for event handling from multiple sources, multithreading, concurrency control, migration, and load balancing. A Cybele agent follows a programming paradigm, called activity-centric programming, that enables an abstraction over system-level thread mechanisms. Activity centric programming relieves application programmers of the complex tasks of thread management, concurrency control, and event management. In order to provide such functionality, activity-centric programming demands support of other layers of software. This concludes the background information. In the first phase of the present development, a new architecture for Cybele was defined. In this architecture, Cybele follows a modular service-based approach to coupling of the programming and service layers of software architecture. In a service-based approach, the functionalities supported by activity-centric programming are apportioned, according to their characteristics, among several groups called services. A well-defined interface among all such services serves as a path that facilitates the maintenance and enhancement of such services without adverse effect on the whole software framework. The activity-centric application-program interface (API) is part of a kernel. The kernel API calls the services by use of their published interface. This approach makes it possible for any application code written exclusively under the API to be portable for any configuration of Cybele.

The New Microcomputer Development Technology: Implications for the Economics Instructor and Software Author.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boyd, David W.

1993-01-01

Asserts that a new generation of software authoring applications has led to improvements in the development of economics education software. Describes new software development applications and discusses how to use them. Concludes that object-oriented programming helps economists develop their own courseware. (CFR)

Demographic-Based Perceptions of Adequacy of Software Security's Presence within Individual Phases of the Software Development Life Cycle

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kramer, Aleksey

2013-01-01

The topic of software security has become paramount in information technology (IT) related scholarly research. Researchers have addressed numerous software security topics touching on all phases of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC): requirements gathering phase, design phase, development phase, testing phase, and maintenance phase.…

Application of industry-standard guidelines for the validation of avionics software

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hayhurst, Kelly J.; Shagnea, Anita M.

1990-01-01

The application of industry standards to the development of avionics software is discussed, focusing on verification and validation activities. It is pointed out that the procedures that guide the avionics software development and testing process are under increased scrutiny. The DO-178A guidelines, Software Considerations in Airborne Systems and Equipment Certification, are used by the FAA for certifying avionics software. To investigate the effectiveness of the DO-178A guidelines for improving the quality of avionics software, guidance and control software (GCS) is being developed according to the DO-178A development method. It is noted that, due to the extent of the data collection and configuration management procedures, any phase in the life cycle of a GCS implementation can be reconstructed. Hence, a fundamental development and testing platform has been established that is suitable for investigating the adequacy of various software development processes. In particular, the overall effectiveness and efficiency of the development method recommended by the DO-178A guidelines are being closely examined.

A Comparison of Authoring Software for Developing Mathematics Self-Learning Software Packages.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Suen, Che-yin; Pok, Yang-ming

Four years ago, the authors started to develop a self-paced mathematics learning software called NPMaths by using an authoring package called Tencore. However, NPMaths had some weak points. A development team was hence formed to develop similar software called Mathematics On Line. This time the team used another development language called…

Significance of preoperative planning software for puncture and channel establishment in percutaneous endoscopic lumbar DISCECTOMY: A study of 40 cases.

PubMed

Hu, Zhouyang; Li, Xinhua; Cui, Jian; He, Xiaobo; Li, Cong; Han, Yingchao; Pan, Jie; Yang, Mingjie; Tan, Jun; Li, Lijun

2017-05-01

Preoperative planning software has been widely used in many other minimally invasive surgeries, but there is a lack of information describing the clinical benefits of existing software applied in percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy (PELD). This study aimed to compare the clinical efficacy of preoperative planning software in puncture and channel establishment of PELD with routine methods in treating lumbar disc herniation (LDH). From June 2016 to October 2016, 40 patients who had single L4/5 or L5/S1 disc herniation were divided into two groups. Group A adopted planning software for preoperative puncture simulation while Group B took routine cases discussion for making puncture plans. The channel establishment time, operative time, fluoroscopic times and complications were compared between the two groups. The surgical efficacy was evaluated according to the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and modified Macnab's criteria. The mean channel establishment time was 25.1 ± 4.2 min and 34.6 ± 5.4 min in Group A and B, respectively (P < 0.05). The mean operative time was 80.8 ± 8.4 min and 92.1 ± 7.3 min in Group A and B, respectively (P < 0.05). The fluoroscopic times were 21.5 ± 5.2 in Group A and 29.3 ± 5.5 in Group B (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in VAS and ODI scorings between the two groups either preoperatively or postoperatively (P > 0.05). The findings of modified Macnab's criteria at each follow-up also showed no significant differences (P > 0.05). The application of preoperative planning software in puncture and cannula insertion planning in PELD was easy and reliable, and could reduce the channel establishment time, operative time and fluoroscopic times of PELD significantly. Copyright © 2017 IJS Publishing Group Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluating software development by analysis of changes: The data from the software engineering laboratory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1982-01-01

An effective data collection methodology for evaluating software development methodologies was applied to four different software development projects. Goals of the data collection included characterizing changes and errors, characterizing projects and programmers, identifying effective error detection and correction techniques, and investigating ripple effects. The data collected consisted of changes (including error corrections) made to the software after code was written and baselined, but before testing began. Data collection and validation were concurrent with software development. Changes reported were verified by interviews with programmers.

A comparison of traditional textbook and interactive computer learning of neuromuscular block.

PubMed

Ohrn, M A; van Oostrom, J H; van Meurs, W L

1997-03-01

We designed an educational software package, RELAX, for teaching first-year anesthesiology residents about the pharmacology and clinical management of neuromuscular blockade. The software uses an interactive, problem-based approach and moves the user through cases in an operating room environment. It can be run on personal computers with Microsoft Windows (Microsoft Corp., Redmond, WA) and combines video, graphics, and text with mouse-driven user input. We utilized test scores 1) to determine whether our software was beneficial to be the educational progress of anesthesiology residents and 2) to compare computer-based learning with textbook learning. Twenty-three residents were divided into two groups matched for age and sex, and a pretest was administered to all 23 residents. There was no significant difference (P > 0.05) in the pretest scores of the two groups. Three weeks later, both groups were subjected to an educational intervention; one with our computer software and the other with selected textbooks. Both groups took a posttest immediately after the intervention. The test scores of the computer group improved significantly more (P < 0.05) than those of the textbook group. Although prior to the study the two groups showed no statistical difference in their familiarity with computers, the computer group reported much higher satisfaction with their learning experience than did the textbook group (P < 0.0001).

ATLAS software configuration and build tool optimisation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rybkin, Grigory; Atlas Collaboration

2014-06-01

ATLAS software code base is over 6 million lines organised in about 2000 packages. It makes use of some 100 external software packages, is developed by more than 400 developers and used by more than 2500 physicists from over 200 universities and laboratories in 6 continents. To meet the challenge of configuration and building of this software, the Configuration Management Tool (CMT) is used. CMT expects each package to describe its build targets, build and environment setup parameters, dependencies on other packages in a text file called requirements, and each project (group of packages) to describe its policies and dependencies on other projects in a text project file. Based on the effective set of configuration parameters read from the requirements files of dependent packages and project files, CMT commands build the packages, generate the environment for their use, or query the packages. The main focus was on build time performance that was optimised within several approaches: reduction of the number of reads of requirements files that are now read once per package by a CMT build command that generates cached requirements files for subsequent CMT build commands; introduction of more fine-grained build parallelism at package task level, i.e., dependent applications and libraries are compiled in parallel; code optimisation of CMT commands used for build; introduction of package level build parallelism, i. e., parallelise the build of independent packages. By default, CMT launches NUMBER-OF-PROCESSORS build commands in parallel. The other focus was on CMT commands optimisation in general that made them approximately 2 times faster. CMT can generate a cached requirements file for the environment setup command, which is especially useful for deployment on distributed file systems like AFS or CERN VMFS. The use of parallelism, caching and code optimisation significantly-by several times-reduced software build time, environment setup time, increased the efficiency of multi-core computing resources utilisation, and considerably improved software developer and user experience.

Framework Programmable Platform for the advanced software development workstation: Framework processor design document

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mayer, Richard J.; Blinn, Thomas M.; Mayer, Paula S. D.; Ackley, Keith A.; Crump, Wes; Sanders, Les

1991-01-01

The design of the Framework Processor (FP) component of the Framework Programmable Software Development Platform (FFP) is described. The FFP is a project aimed at combining effective tool and data integration mechanisms with a model of the software development process in an intelligent integrated software development environment. Guided by the model, this Framework Processor will take advantage of an integrated operating environment to provide automated support for the management and control of the software development process so that costly mistakes during the development phase can be eliminated.

Advances in PET/MR instrumentation and image reconstruction.

PubMed

Cabello, Jorge; Ziegler, Sibylle I

2018-01-01

The combination of positron emission tomography (PET) and MRI has attracted the attention of researchers in the past approximately 20 years in small-animal imaging and more recently in clinical research. The combination of PET/MRI allows researchers to explore clinical and research questions in a wide number of fields, some of which are briefly mentioned here. An important number of groups have developed different concepts to tackle the problems that PET instrumentation poses to the exposition of electromagnetic fields. We have described most of these research developments in preclinical and clinical experiments, including the few commercial scanners available. From the software perspective, an important number of algorithms have been developed to address the attenuation correction issue and to exploit the possibility that MRI provides for motion correction and quantitative image reconstruction, especially parametric modelling of radiopharmaceutical kinetics. In this work, we give an overview of some exemplar applications of simultaneous PET/MRI, together with technological hardware and software developments.

Developing information technology at the Medical Research Unit of the Albert Schweitzer Hospital in Lambaréné, Gabon.

PubMed

Dibacka, Paterne Lessihuin; Bounda, Yann; Nguema, Davy Ondo; Lell, Bertrand

2010-03-01

Information technology has become a key resource for research institutions, providing services such as hardware, software and network maintenance, as well as data management services. The IT department of the Medical Research Unit (MRU) of the Albert Schweitzer Hospital in Lambaréné, Gabon is a good example of how IT has developed at African Research Centres in recent years and demonstrates the scope of work that a modern research centre needs to offer. It illustrates the development in the past 15 years--from single computers maintained by investigators to the present situation of a group of well-trained local IT personal who are in charge of a variety of hardware and software and who also develop applications for use in a research environment. Open source applications are particularly suited for these needs and various applications are used in data management, data analysis, accounting, administration and quality management.

Software assurance standard

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1992-01-01

This standard specifies the software assurance program for the provider of software. It also delineates the assurance activities for the provider and the assurance data that are to be furnished by the provider to the acquirer. In any software development effort, the provider is the entity or individual that actually designs, develops, and implements the software product, while the acquirer is the entity or individual who specifies the requirements and accepts the resulting products. This standard specifies at a high level an overall software assurance program for software developed for and by NASA. Assurance includes the disciplines of quality assurance, quality engineering, verification and validation, nonconformance reporting and corrective action, safety assurance, and security assurance. The application of these disciplines during a software development life cycle is called software assurance. Subsequent lower-level standards will specify the specific processes within these disciplines.

Organizational management practices for achieving software process improvement

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kandt, Ronald Kirk

2004-01-01

The crisis in developing software has been known for over thirty years. Problems that existed in developing software in the early days of computing still exist today. These problems include the delivery of low-quality products, actual development costs that exceed expected development costs, and actual development time that exceeds expected development time. Several solutions have been offered to overcome out inability to deliver high-quality software, on-time and within budget. One of these solutions involves software process improvement. However, such efforts often fail because of organizational management issues. This paper discusses business practices that organizations should follow to improve their chances of initiating and sustaining successful software process improvement efforts.

Algorithms and Object-Oriented Software for Distributed Physics-Based Modeling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kenton, Marc A.

2001-01-01

The project seeks to develop methods to more efficiently simulate aerospace vehicles. The goals are to reduce model development time, increase accuracy (e.g.,by allowing the integration of multidisciplinary models), facilitate collaboration by geographically- distributed groups of engineers, support uncertainty analysis and optimization, reduce hardware costs, and increase execution speeds. These problems are the subject of considerable contemporary research (e.g., Biedron et al. 1999; Heath and Dick, 2000).

Third-Party Software's Trust Quagmire.

PubMed

Voas, J; Hurlburt, G

2015-12-01

Current software development has trended toward the idea of integrating independent software sub-functions to create more complete software systems. Software sub-functions are often not homegrown - instead they are developed by unknown 3 rd party organizations and reside in software marketplaces owned or controlled by others. Such software sub-functions carry plausible concern in terms of quality, origins, functionality, security, interoperability, to name a few. This article surveys key technical difficulties in confidently building systems from acquired software sub-functions by calling out the principle software supply chain actors.

Happy software developers solve problems better: psychological measurements in empirical software engineering

PubMed Central

Wang, Xiaofeng; Abrahamsson, Pekka

2014-01-01

For more than thirty years, it has been claimed that a way to improve software developers’ productivity and software quality is to focus on people and to provide incentives to make developers satisfied and happy. This claim has rarely been verified in software engineering research, which faces an additional challenge in comparison to more traditional engineering fields: software development is an intellectual activity and is dominated by often-neglected human factors (called human aspects in software engineering research). Among the many skills required for software development, developers must possess high analytical problem-solving skills and creativity for the software construction process. According to psychology research, affective states—emotions and moods—deeply influence the cognitive processing abilities and performance of workers, including creativity and analytical problem solving. Nonetheless, little research has investigated the correlation between the affective states, creativity, and analytical problem-solving performance of programmers. This article echoes the call to employ psychological measurements in software engineering research. We report a study with 42 participants to investigate the relationship between the affective states, creativity, and analytical problem-solving skills of software developers. The results offer support for the claim that happy developers are indeed better problem solvers in terms of their analytical abilities. The following contributions are made by this study: (1) providing a better understanding of the impact of affective states on the creativity and analytical problem-solving capacities of developers, (2) introducing and validating psychological measurements, theories, and concepts of affective states, creativity, and analytical-problem-solving skills in empirical software engineering, and (3) raising the need for studying the human factors of software engineering by employing a multidisciplinary viewpoint. PMID:24688866

Software Quality Perceptions of Stakeholders Involved in the Software Development Process

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Padmanabhan, Priya

2013-01-01

Software quality is one of the primary determinants of project management success. Stakeholders involved in software development widely agree that quality is important (Barney and Wohlin 2009). However, they may differ on what constitutes software quality, and which of its attributes are more important than others. Although, software quality…

Computer-aided software development process design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lin, Chi Y.; Levary, Reuven R.

1989-01-01

The authors describe an intelligent tool designed to aid managers of software development projects in planning, managing, and controlling the development process of medium- to large-scale software projects. Its purpose is to reduce uncertainties in the budget, personnel, and schedule planning of software development projects. It is based on dynamic model for the software development and maintenance life-cycle process. This dynamic process is composed of a number of time-varying, interacting developmental phases, each characterized by its intended functions and requirements. System dynamics is used as a modeling methodology. The resulting Software LIfe-Cycle Simulator (SLICS) and the hybrid expert simulation system of which it is a subsystem are described.

A high order approach to flight software development and testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Steinbacher, J.

1981-01-01

The use of a software development facility is discussed as a means of producing a reliable and maintainable ECS software system, and as a means of providing efficient use of the ECS hardware test facility. Principles applied to software design are given, including modularity, abstraction, hiding, and uniformity. The general objectives of each phase of the software life cycle are also given, including testing, maintenance, code development, and requirement specifications. Software development facility tools are summarized, and tool deficiencies recognized in the code development and testing phases are considered. Due to limited lab resources, the functional simulation capabilities may be indispensable in the testing phase.

Software Reliability Analysis of NASA Space Flight Software: A Practical Experience

PubMed Central

Sukhwani, Harish; Alonso, Javier; Trivedi, Kishor S.; Mcginnis, Issac

2017-01-01

In this paper, we present the software reliability analysis of the flight software of a recently launched space mission. For our analysis, we use the defect reports collected during the flight software development. We find that this software was developed in multiple releases, each release spanning across all software life-cycle phases. We also find that the software releases were developed and tested for four different hardware platforms, spanning from off-the-shelf or emulation hardware to actual flight hardware. For releases that exhibit reliability growth or decay, we fit Software Reliability Growth Models (SRGM); otherwise we fit a distribution function. We find that most releases exhibit reliability growth, with Log-Logistic (NHPP) and S-Shaped (NHPP) as the best-fit SRGMs. For the releases that experience reliability decay, we investigate the causes for the same. We find that such releases were the first software releases to be tested on a new hardware platform, and hence they encountered major hardware integration issues. Also such releases seem to have been developed under time pressure in order to start testing on the new hardware platform sooner. Such releases exhibit poor reliability growth, and hence exhibit high predicted failure rate. Other problems include hardware specification changes and delivery delays from vendors. Thus, our analysis provides critical insights and inputs to the management to improve the software development process. As NASA has moved towards a product line engineering for its flight software development, software for future space missions will be developed in a similar manner and hence the analysis results for this mission can be considered as a baseline for future flight software missions. PMID:29278255

Software Reliability Analysis of NASA Space Flight Software: A Practical Experience.

PubMed

Sukhwani, Harish; Alonso, Javier; Trivedi, Kishor S; Mcginnis, Issac

2016-01-01

In this paper, we present the software reliability analysis of the flight software of a recently launched space mission. For our analysis, we use the defect reports collected during the flight software development. We find that this software was developed in multiple releases, each release spanning across all software life-cycle phases. We also find that the software releases were developed and tested for four different hardware platforms, spanning from off-the-shelf or emulation hardware to actual flight hardware. For releases that exhibit reliability growth or decay, we fit Software Reliability Growth Models (SRGM); otherwise we fit a distribution function. We find that most releases exhibit reliability growth, with Log-Logistic (NHPP) and S-Shaped (NHPP) as the best-fit SRGMs. For the releases that experience reliability decay, we investigate the causes for the same. We find that such releases were the first software releases to be tested on a new hardware platform, and hence they encountered major hardware integration issues. Also such releases seem to have been developed under time pressure in order to start testing on the new hardware platform sooner. Such releases exhibit poor reliability growth, and hence exhibit high predicted failure rate. Other problems include hardware specification changes and delivery delays from vendors. Thus, our analysis provides critical insights and inputs to the management to improve the software development process. As NASA has moved towards a product line engineering for its flight software development, software for future space missions will be developed in a similar manner and hence the analysis results for this mission can be considered as a baseline for future flight software missions.

78 FR 47012 - Developing Software Life Cycle Processes Used in Safety Systems of Nuclear Power Plants

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-02

... NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION [NRC-2012-0195] Developing Software Life Cycle Processes Used in... revised regulatory guide (RG), revision 1 of RG 1.173, ``Developing Software Life Cycle Processes for... Developing a Software Project Life Cycle Process,'' issued 2006, with the clarifications and exceptions as...

75 FR 16817 - Meeting for Software Developers on the Technical Specifications for Common Formats for Patient...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-02

... Software Developers on the Technical Specifications for Common Formats for Patient Safety Data Collection... software developers can provide input on these technical specifications for the Common Formats Version 1.1... specifications, which provide direction to software developers that plan to implement the Common Formats...

IT Software Development and IT Operations Strategic Alignment: An Agile DevOps Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hart, Michael

2017-01-01

Information Technology (IT) departments that include development and operations are essential to develop software that meet customer needs. DevOps is a term originally constructed from software development and IT operations. DevOps includes the collaboration of all stakeholders such as software engineers and systems administrators involved in the…

76 FR 16785 - Meeting for Software Developers on the Technical Specifications for Common Formats for Patient...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-25

... Software Developers on the Technical Specifications for Common Formats for Patient Safety Data Collection... designed as an interactive forum where PSOs and software developers can provide input on these technical... updated event descriptions, forms, and technical specifications for software developers. As an update to...

Math and science technology access and use in South Dakota public schools grades three through five

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schwietert, Debra L.

The development of K-12 technology standards, soon to be added to state testing of technology proficiency, and the increasing presence of computers in homes and classrooms reflects the growing importance of technology in current society. This study examined math and science teachers' responses on a survey of technology use in grades three through five in South Dakota. A researcher-developed survey instrument was used to collect data from a random sample of 100 public schools throughout the South Dakota. Forced choice and open-ended responses were recorded. Most teachers have access to computers, but they lack resources to purchase software for their content areas, especially in science areas. Three-fourths of teachers in this study reported multiple computers in their classrooms and 67% reported access to labs in other areas of the school building. These numbers are lower than the national average of 84% of teachers with computers in their classrooms and 95% with access to computers elsewhere in the building (USDOE, 2000). Almost eight out of 10 teachers noted time as a barrier to learning more about educational software. Additional barriers included lack of school funds (38%), access to relevant training (32%), personal funds (30%), and poor quality of training (7%). Teachers most often use math and science software as supplemental, with practice tutorials cited as another common use. The most common interest for software was math for both boys and girls. The second most common choice for boys was science and for girls, language arts. Teachers reported that there was no preference for either individual or group work on computers for girls or boys. Most teachers do not systematically evaluate software for gender preferences, but review software over subjectively.