Identifying quality-requirement conflicts

Without a well-defined set of quality-attribute requirements, software projects are vulnerable to failure. The authors have developed QARCC, a knowledge-based tool that helps users, developers, and customers analyze requirements and identify conflicts among them     

Systemic lupus erythematosus is associated with increased auto-antibody titers against calreticulin and grp94, but calreticulin is not the Ro/SS-A antigen

Auto-antibodies against purified human calreticulin were determined by an ELISA in sera from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and from healthy persons or patients without an autoimmune disease. More than 80% of patients with SLE had titers exceeding the highest value obtained in the group without SLE. Almost 30% of the patients had also elevated auto-antibody titers against purified rat grp94, another resident ER-protein of the KDEL-protein family, but not against rat ERp72 (CaBP2), an ER-resident protein of the proteindisulfide isomerase family. It could, however, be excluded that calreticulin is the Ro/SS-A antigen on the basis of the following observations: 1) Calreticulin purified from rat, bovine or human liver contained far less than 1 mol of phosphate per mol of calreticulin, showed an E280/E260-absorption ratio of about 2.0, and did not contain extractable RNA; 2) Sera from patients with SLE did not react with or precipitate endogenous calreticulin from Hep G2 cells; they did, however, precipitate hY-RNA from these cells; 3) Sera from SLE-patients, but not anti-calreticulin antisera precipitated [32P]-hY-RNA from [32P]-labelled Hep G2 cells.     

Field‐Switchable Broadband Polarizer Based on Reconfigurable Nanowire Assemblies

Reconfigurability is one of the most critical properties of nanophotonic systems and, consequently, methods for enabling a significant degree of functionality are highly sought after. However, dynamically responsive control in top‐down fabricated photonic structures often requires extreme conditions and yields moderate modulation capability. In sharp contrast to top‐down methods, directed self‐assembly of micro‐ and nanoparticles offers a distinct avenue for reconfigurable photonics. In the present work, gold nanowire lattices are formed via electric field directed assembly in order to take advantage of their collective optical properties. The lattices are reconfigured on‐demand between two different functional states, in the form of broadband polarizers. By selectively switching the electric field between two orthogonal electrode pairs, a maximum transmission contrast of ≈50% is observed in the near‐infrared regime. Moreover, the reconfigurable transmission spectra, which are highly dependent on the nanowire size and electric field conditions, are reversible. The demonstrated proof‐of‐concept nanowire lattice polarizer provides potential for electrically reconfigurable photonic devices such as ultra‐compact polarization components, electro‐optic switches, and on‐chip modulators.     

Effect of thermal treatment on the structure and texture of titania

Anatase and rutile pigments, from two sources (B and T) were thoroughly purified from sulphate and chloride contaminants, thermally treated in the temperature range 150 to 550 ° C, and investigated using thermogravimetric (TG), differential thermal analysis (DTA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), nitrogen and organic vapour adsorption techniques. TG analysis reveals two main dehydration steps, the first results from physically adsorbed water and the second from structural and ligand water. The number of ligand water molecules released through a unit surface area (nm²) is in the range 4.50 to 5.15, being evolved in the temperature range 250 to 300 ° C. Two dehydroxylation endotherms appear for the anatase samples in the temperature range 350 to 420 ° C which seem to arise from the presence of two types of hydroxyls. No transformation from the anatase to rutile sructure occurred in the temperature range investigated. Estimation of crystallite sizes showed a marked increase at temperatures >250 ° C for anatase (B), being greatest for the (101) plane, and >400 ° C for rutile (B), where the three planes (101), (110) and (111) increased distinctly. Maximum anisotropy was observed for the anatase heated at 550 ° C. Nitrogen adsorption data revealed a marked decrease in the specific area and total pore volume by thermal treatment 400 ° C for anatase and 250 ° C for rutile whereby it retains a nearly stable value with an average range of 2.62 nm. The anatase (B) samples are composed of a mixture of both meso- and micropores whereas for rutile (B) microporosity appeared only for the sample heated at 150 ° C, becoming predominantly mesoporous at higher temperatures. Most heated samples exhibited two group sizes in the mesopore range resulting from their existence in the form of particles constituted from a collection of small particulates. The rutile (B) products are generally characterized by possessing a wider pore system than those from anatase. The anatase (T) samples are predominantly microporous at 150 ° C and become mesoporous at 550 ° C — the reverse is true for rutile (T). Cyclohexane and benzene adsorption measure only a fraction of the nitrogen area. Specific interaction (H-bonding) is believed to exist in some cases between the cyclohexane molecules and titania surface hydroxyls, as well as some enhanced adsorption which is believed to occur with benzene adsorbate.     

The effects of mice and pull‐down menus versus command‐driven interfaces on writing

The effects of two different computer user interfaces on the process of writing are examined. English composition students (matched on computer experience) used a computer and keyboard (either with function keys or with a mouse) to write essays during their English classes. Essays generated using either a mouse or command‐driven interface were compared across different stages of writing. The impact of using a mouse versus command‐driven interface is described by analyzing the differences in the process used to create the essays and the quality of the essays produced by each group. Results indicate that students who used the command‐driven interface scored better on organization of the paper, creativity, number of supporting arguments, grammar/spelling, and letter grade than did their mouse counterparts, as perceived by graders. However, there were no significant differences between the two interface conditions on any grammatical indices.     

Inkjet Printing of Amphotericin B onto Biodegradable Microneedles Using Piezoelectric Inkjet Printing

The delivery of amphotericin B, a pharmacologic agent with activity against a broad spectrum of fungi as well as against parasitic protozoa, has been complicated by the fact that amphotericin B exhibits poor solubility in aqueous solutions at physiologic pH levels. In this study, piezoelectric inkjet printing was used to modify the surfaces of Gantrez 169 BF microneedles (Ashland, Covington, KY). These amphotericin B-loaded microneedles demonstrated activity against Candida parapsilosis in a radial diffusion assay. The results of this study suggest that a combination of visible light dynamic mask microstereolithography, micromolding, and piezoelectric inkjet printing may be used to prepare amphotericin B-loaded microneedles with antifungal properties. It is envisioned that microneedles containing amphotericin B may be used for transdermal delivery of pharmacologic agents for the treatment of cutaneous fungal infections as well as cutaneous leishmaniasis.     

Characterization of fecal concentrations in human and other animal sources by physical,culture-based,and quantitative real-time PCR methods

The characteristics of fecal sources, and the ways in which they are measured, can profoundly influence the interpretation of which sources are contaminating a body of water. Although feces from various hosts are known to differ in mass and composition, it is not well understood how those differences compare across fecal sources and how differences depend on characterization methods. This study investigated how nine different fecal characterization methods provide different measures of fecal concentration in water, and how results varied across twelve different fecal pollution sources. Sources investigated included chicken, cow, deer, dog, goose, gull, horse, human, pig, pigeon, septage and sewage. A composite fecal slurry was prepared for each source by mixing feces from 6 to 22 individual samples with artificial freshwater. Fecal concentrations were estimated by physical (wet fecal mass added and total DNA mass extracted), culture-based (Escherichia coli and enterococci by membrane filtration and defined substrate), and quantitative real-time PCR (Bacteroidales, E. coli, and enterococci) characterization methods. The characteristics of each composite fecal slurry and the relationships between physical, culture-based and qPCR-based characteristics varied within and among different fecal sources. An in silico exercise was performed to assess how different characterization methods can impact identification of the dominant fecal pollution source in a mixed source sample. A comparison of simulated 10:90 mixtures based on enterococci by defined substrate predicted a source reversal in 27% of all possible combinations, while mixtures based on E. coli membrane filtration resulted in a reversal 29% of the time. This potential for disagreement in minor or dominant source identification based on different methods of measurement represents an important challenge for water quality managers and researchers.     

Data processing and law enforcement access to information systems at EU level

EU Agencies and Information Systems collect and exchange personal data with Member States but also between each other. In this context, law enforcement agencies such as Europol increasingly get access to data originally serving other purposes. Europol already has access to the Visa-Information System; plans to allow the access to Eurodac also exist. The rules regulating this exchange are so far not harmonised. The article illustrates the existing exchange and access possibilities in light of the EU data protection reform.     

Software Development Effort Estimation: Formal Models or Expert Judgment?

Which is better for estimating software project resources: formal models, as instantiated in estimation tools, or expert judgment? Two luminaries, Magne Jørgensen and Barry Boehm, debate this question.