Product backlog rating: a case study on measuring test quality in scrum

Agile software development methodologies focus on software projects which are behind schedule or highly likely to have a problematic development phase. In the last decade, Agile methods have transformed from cult techniques to mainstream methodologies. Scrum, an Agile software development method, has been widely adopted due to its adaptive nature. This paper presents a metric that measures the quality of the testing process in a Scrum process. As product quality and process quality correlate, improved test quality can ensure high-quality products. Also, gaining experience from 8 years of successful Scrum implementation at SoftwarePeople, we describe the Scrum process emphasizing the testing process. We propose a metric Product Backlog Rating (PBR) to assess the testing process in Scrum. PBR considers the complexity of the features to be developed in an iteration of Scrum, assesses test ratings and offers a numerical score of the testing process. This metric is able to provide a comprehensive overview of the testing process over the development cycle of a product. We present a case study which shows how the metric is used at SoftwarePeople. The case study explains some features that have been developed in a Sprint in terms of feature complexity and potential test assessment difficulties and shows how PBR is calculated during the Sprint. We propose a test process assessment metric that provides insights into the Scrum testing process. However, the metric needs further evaluation considering associated resources (e.g., quality assurance engineers, the length of the Scrum cycle).     

Vanadia loaded hierarchical ZSM-5 zeolite: a promising catalyst for epoxidation of cyclohexene under solvent free condition

Hierarchical ZSM-5 zeolite with composite micro and mesoporous was obtained by alkali treatment of parent ZSM-5 for 60 min. Vanadia was loaded on modified zeolite by wetness impregnation technique (VDZ). The prepared samples were characterized by various techniques including XRD, FTIR, TGA, UV-DRS, TEM, XPS and nitrogen adsorption–desorption. Vanadia loaded sample was found to exhibit excellent catalytic activity for the epoxidation of cyclohexene by tertiary butyl hydroperoxide. A controlled reaction was carried out to demonstrate the utility of hierarchical topology of the catalyst. A free radical mechanism was proposed for the reaction with rate constant of 6.91 × 10^?2 L mol^?1 min^?1 and activation energy of 41.81 kJ mol^?1. The reaction was carried out without the use of any solvent and the catalytic activity of VDZ was retained even after five runs.     

Generalized analytical formulae to compute electrical characteristics of a homogenous ladder network of the transformer winding

Many electrical systems are expressed as a complex ladder network consisting of combinations of resistances, inductances, and capacitances. Computation of electrical characteristics, such as voltages, currents, and equivalent impedances of these ladder networks require the solution of complicated differential‐algebraic equations that are quite tedious and cumbersome. The earlier works have given particular attention to purely resistive ladder networks ignoring the inductance and capacitance parameters. Moreover, there are no direct expressions available to quickly compute these characteristics. This paper derives generalized analytical expressions that can be directly used to obtain the electrical characteristics of a finite as well as semi‐infinite homogenous ladder network by simply plugging the values of its constituent parameters. Expressions are deduced for excitation source applied to the input terminal and across 2 arbitrary nodes, respectively. Kirchhoff mesh and node laws along with ordinary algebra and trigonometric theorems are applied to derive these expressions. Boundary‐value technique is used to circuit equations to determine unknown coefficients of the expressions. The derivation given in these paper would surely help the readers to quickly compute the electrical characteristics without solving recursive circuit equations and avoiding complex state‐space matrices.     

Diversity and consistency embedding learning for multi-view subspace clustering

Applied Intelligence - With the emergence of multi-view data, many multi-view clustering methods have been developed due to the effectiveness of exploiting the complementary information of...     

Editorial: Advanced Industrial Networks with IoT and Big Data

Mobile Networks and Applications -     

Correction to: Formation Mechanisms and Leachability of Hexavalent Chromium in Cr2O3-Containing Refractory Castables of Electric Arc Furnace Cover

Metallurgical and Materials Transactions B - Due to an error introduced during the production process, the corresponding author’s e-mail address was incorrect. It should have read:...     

Surface Chemical Functionalization to Achieve Extreme Levels of Molecular Confinement in Hybrid Nanocomposites

Polymer confinement is realized in hybrid nanocomposites where individual polymer molecules are confined by a nanoporous matrix to dimensions less than the molecular size of the polymer. Here it is shown that by functionalizing the interior pore surfaces of a nanoporous organosilicate matrix, the pores can be filled with polystyrene molecules to achieve extreme levels of molecular confinement not previously possible. This provides opportunities for unique thermal and mechanical properties. It is shown that pore surface functionalization markedly impacts the polymer mobility during polymer infiltration by affecting the polymer–pore surface interaction, addressing the challenge of filling high‐molecular‐weight polymer molecules into nanoscale‐confined spaces. This allows for achieving extreme levels of molecular confinement with the loss of interchain entanglement and extensive polymer elongation along the pore axis. The glass transition temperature of the polymer is suppressed compared to bulk polymer melt, and is significantly affected by the polymer–surface interaction, which changes the polymer segmental mobility. The polymer–surface interaction also affects the interfacial polymer–pore sliding shear stress during polymer pullout from the nanopores, markedly affecting the fracture resistance of the nanocomposite.     

Design and development of SMEDDS for colon-specific drug delivery

Abstract

Context: Lipoidal systems have particularly shown potential for specific accumulation in areas with inflamed tissue increasing the selectivity of local drug delivery.

Objective: Formulation and evaluation of self-microemulsifying drug delivery system (SMEDDS) for colon-specific drug delivery for effective treatment of colonic diseases.

Method: Ternary phase diagram was used to optimize level of oil, surfactant and co-surfactant to optimize SMEDDS and were evaluated for percent transmittance, emulsification time, in vitro release, myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity and intestinal accumulation. The spray dried SMEDDS were filled in capsules which were enteric coated with Eudragit S-100 at 10% weight gain to ensure SMEDDS delivery at colon. The spray dried SMEDDS were also evaluated for IR, DSC, XRD, SEM and stability study.

Result: In ternary phase diagram, Capmul MCM C8 and Capmul PG12 NF with surfactant (Tween 20) and co-surfactant (PG) in ratio 2:1 and 3:1, respectively, showed maximum emulsification area. These liquid SMEDDS show maximum transmittance, globule size of 90–30?nm. The spray-dried SMEDDS with diluents show good flow property. The units of MPO activity show lower level as compared to pure drug and control group, histopathology results supports better healing with SMEDDS. This was attributed to accumulation of SMEDDS in inflammatory area as compared to drug which was further proved by accumulation study. Enteric-coated capsule containing SMEDDS are able to deliver drug, specifically at the colonic region.

Conclusion: Higher accumulation of lipoidal drug in inflammatory area and specific release of liposomes by enteric-coated capsules provide better option for the treatment of colonic disease.     

Beam shaping of light sources using circular photonic crystal funnel

A novel two-dimensional circular photonic crystal (CPC) structure with a sectorial opening for shaping the beam of light sources was designed and investigated. When combined with light sources, the structure acts like an antenna emitting a directional beam which could be advantageously used in several nanophotonic applications. Using the two-dimensional finite-difference time-domain (2D FDTD) method, we examined the effects of geometrical parameters of the structure on the directional and transmission properties of emitted radiation. Further, we examined the transmitting and receiving properties of a pair of identical structures as a function of distance between them.