The nature and competitiveness of the modern software development industry demands that software engineers be able to make accurate and consistent software cost estimates. Traditionally software cost estimates have been derived with algorithmic cost estimation models such as COCOMO and Function Point Analysis. However, researchers have shown that existing software cost estimation techniques fail to produce accurate and consistent software cost estimates. Improving the reliability of software cost estimates would facilitate cost savings, improved delivery time and better quality software developments. To this end, considerable research has been conducted into finding alternative software cost estimation models that are able produce better quality software cost estimates. Researchers have suggested a number of alternative models to this problem area. One of the most promising alternatives is Case-Based Reasoning (CBR), which is a machine learning paradigm that makes use of past experiences to solve new problems. CBR has been proposed as a solution since it is highly suited to weak theory domains, where the relationships between cause and effect are not well understood. The aim of this research was to determine the applicability of CBR to software cost estimation. This was accomplished in part through the thorough investigation of the theoretical and practical background to CBR, software cost estimation and current research on CBR applied to software cost estimation. This provided a foundation for the development of experimental CBR software cost estimation models with which an empirical evaluation of this technology applied to software cost estimation was performed. In addition, several regression models were developed, against which the effectiveness of the CBR system could be evaluated. The architecture of the CBR models developed, facilitated the investigation of the effects of case granularity on the quality of the results obtained from them. Traditionally researchers into this field have made use of poorly populated datasets, which did not accurately reflect the true nature of the software development industry. However, for the purposes of this research an extensive database of 300 software development projects was obtained on which these experiments were performed. The results obtained through experimentation indicated that the CBR models that were developed, performed similarly and in some cases better than those developed by other researchers. In terms of the quality of the results produced, the best CBR model was able to significantly outperform the estimates produced by the best regression model. Also, the effects of increased case granularity was shown to result in better quality predictions made by the CBR models. These promising results experimentally validated CBR as an applicable software cost estimation technique. In addition, it was shown that CBR has a number of methodological advantages over traditional cost estimation techniques. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2002.

Tese de Doutoramento. Engenharia Informática. Faculdade de Engenharia. Universidade do Porto. 2011

In the 1990s, despite empirical support for linking theory to practice in professional education, a theory - practice gap persisted in medical education. This dissertation presents three initiatives and their evaluation to address the theory - practice gap in medical education at an Australian medical school. Case Based Teaching ( CBT ), a teaching and learning initiative, was designed and implemented in the Department of Physiology at the University of Adelaide. It aimed to introduce students to clinical skills in a way that built student confidence ; to achieve integration of knowledge between medical and clinical sciences ; and to strengthen the link between theory and clinical practice. Students and their tutors reported that CBT was beneficial in their development, and realised its three major aims. Greatest support came from students on the verge of their clinical training. Few studies, with both internal and external validity, have demonstrated the potential of computer aided learning ( CAL ) in medical education. In the second initiative, a self - directed CAL resource linking theory to practice was designed in three different learning formats. A randomised controlled trial showed learning gains for CAL users ( in terms of ability to retain and apply knowledge ) compared to non - users, but the active CAL format did not prove superior to more passive ones. The study demonstrated the importance of using valid assessment tools to measure learning outcomes, and the difficulties of conducting randomised controlled trials in the real world of medical education. Finally, the utility of a novel integrated practical examination was evaluated, in terms of reliability, validity, acceptability, cost and educational impact. The large investment of time and effort that was required to reform assessment practice brought rewards. Good reliability was achieved, and validity was maximised by linking theory to practice, and an extensive item review process. Assessment reform was used to drive the integration of teaching and learning. Basic science and professional knowledge consist of two different worlds, the former being analytic and general and the latter, holistic and particular. This dissertation has addressed the challenge of linking these two worlds, with initiatives that embedded these two knowledge structures within the other, fostering professional competence that is founded on procedural, propositional and personal knowledge. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--School of Molecular and Biomedical Sciences, 2004.

I dagsläget saknar Thor Ahlgren AB underlag för att på ett enkelt sätt kunna kalkylera och uppskatta priset för ett pressverktyg. När företaget får en förfrågan från kund angående huruvida de kan producera en detalj måste de återkomma med en offert till kunden där ett pris för verktygskostnaden är inkluderad. Innan ett pris kan offereras till kund måste Thor Ahlgren AB kontakta en verktygsmakare för prisförslag på verktyget och denna process kan variera i tid. Syftet med arbetet är att förkorta eller eliminera denna process och på så vis kunna offerera pris för konstruktion av ett pressverktyg snabbare. För att möjliggöra detta har författarna av rapporten identifierat de väsentliga parametrarna vid tillverkning av pressverktyg. För att möjliggöra identifiering av parametrarna har gruppen tagit hjälp av företagets produktionstekniker Björn Johansson och intervjuer med verktygsmakare. Gruppen utförde tre intervjuer med erfarna verktygsmakare från olika delar av landet. Genom intervju och diskussion med Thor Ahlgrens produktionstekniker Björn Johansson kunde flera verktygsparametrar identifieras som väsentliga, dvs. de konstaterades som kostnadsdrivande vid konstruktion av pressverktyg. Parametrarna var material och tjocklek på detalj som ska produceras i verktyget, antal steg i verktyg samt storlek på verktyg. Insamlandet av verktygsdata såsom pris hämtades från Thor Ahlgrens affärssystem Monitor medan data för antal steg och verktygsdimensioner hämtades genom undersökning av verktygen i företagets produktion. Informationen sammanställdes i Microsoft Excel för att användas som en databas. I framtiden kan Thor Ahlgren AB fortsätta fylla listan med fler verktyg och parametrar. Sedan kan listan med fördel användas som en databas i en beräkningsmodell eller i ett speciellt konstruerat datorprogram för prisuppskattning av pressverktyg. Ett datorprogram har utvecklats av gruppens handledare Joel Johansson för ändamålet. Easy CBR är ett lättanvänt verktyg som ska fungera som en plattform för automatisering av enklare konstruktionsprocesser. Programmet har en koppling till Excel så att tabeller, som den aktuella verktygslistan, kan föras in och analyseras i systemet. Funktionen möjliggör att sökningar kan utföras så att ny verktygsdata jämförs med data för äldre verktyg. Detta utgör teorin för Case-based Reasoning som bygger på att jämföra nya problem med äldre, redan lösta problem. Teorin appliceras på verktygslistan med hjälp av programmet Easy CBR. Programmet kan finna liknande verktyg vilket kan ge uppskattning om vad inköpspriset på det nya verktyget kan komma att vara. Författarna av rapporten anser att det finns potential inom området och att projektet samt datorverktyget har goda utvecklingsmöjligheter om arbetet fortskrids. / The current situation is that Thor Ahlgren AB lacks in the basis of a simple tool to calculate and estimate the price for tools used for sheet metal forming. The company receives an inquiry from a customer regarding if they can produce a product. Further on they must present a price for the customer where the tooling cost is included. Before a price can be presented to the customer Thor AhlgrenAB needs to contact several toolmakers for the price of the tool and this process can vary in time. The goal of this work is to reduce or eliminate the time for this process and then be able to offer a price for the tool to the customer faster. To do this the authors of the report had to identify the essential parameters in the manufacturing of pressing tools. In order to identify the essential parameters the group had help from the production technician Björn Johansson at Thor Ahlgren AB and several interviews with toolmakers. The group conducted three interviews with experienced toolmakers from different parts of the country. The interviews were spread out over the project time to make it possible to discuss ideas and theories that arose during the collection of tool data and literature review. From discussion with Björn Johansson at Thor Ahlgren AB the group was able to identify several tool parameters as essential, i.e. they were founded as cost drivers for the design in manufacturing of pressing tools. These parameters were identified as the material and thickness of the product that will be produced by the tool, the number of steps in the tool and the size of the tool. Tool prices was found in Thor Ahlgren’s Enterprise resource planning system called Monitor while data concerning the number of steps and tool dimensions that were retrieved from examination of the tools in the company’s production site. This information was assembled in the program Microsoft Excel as a database. In the future the company will be able to continue to fill the list with more tools and parameters. The list will be used as a database in a calculation model or specially designed computer software for estimating price for manufacture of tools. A computer software has been developed by the group instructor Joel Johansson to be used in this purpose. Easy CBR is an easy tool to use that will serve as a platform for the automation of simple construction processes. The software has a link to Microsoft Excel to make it possible to retrieve data from the database and analyze it using the tool. New tool data will be compared with the old data of the tools and the best match will be presented. This follows the theory of Case-based Reasoning that’s based on comparing new cases with old, already solved cases or problems. This theory is applied to the database with help of Easy CBR. In this way similar tools can give the engineer an estimated price for the new tool. The authors of this report believes that there is potential in this area of work and if the work continues it is possible to develop a software that will be useful for Thor Ahlgren AB.

Even today, with modern medicine and technology, post-operative pain still exists as anmajor issue in modern treatment. A lot of research efforts have been made, in order toimprove pain outcome for patients that has undergone surgery[18][15].Even though physician's and doctors are well educated, the success rate is aboutapproximately 70 %, still there are patients that experience severe pain, after they haveundergone surgery. There could be several reasons to this, for example, lack of methods orsupport should be amongst other things, factors to consider[18].The problem has been to initiate a case-library and eventually create a tool, that could aidphycisians or doctors in their decision making, which hopefully would help in improvingpain outcome. The chosen method to do this, is a modified version of the CBR-algorithm,which is an artificial intelligence algorithm. The CBR-algorithm makes use of features,solution and outcome, and is implemented with a simple prototype, as a similarity function.The are several reasons for why this method was chosen, but using this method makes itpossible to easily create a web-based tool, so it can easily be accessed from anywhere, butstill be effective and work as a support tool.The algorithm works as a self learning mechanism, and is easy to implement, and theinterface has been constructed, allowing the phycisian or doctor to retrieve informationabout patients and run CBR. The desired results are as expected, it's possible to run theCBR, retrieve and compare cases, and get suggestion of solution or action that should beperformed.The conclusion that can be made, is that, although this is a very basic working medicalapplication, still an overall improvement is needed in order to be used as a medicalapplication. It's anyhow a start. For more details and information, check the appendicesplease. / The PainOut Project

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2003. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 190-205). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2003. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 190-205). Also available on the Internet.

This thesis describes the application of a novel decision support process for machined part estimating in small and medium-sized engineering companies. Many SMEs tend to adopt manual estimating techniques, however this dependence on human expertise represents a risk to such organizations. Better information management in estimating can improve process performance and contribute to increased competitiveness. The research which is the subject of this thesis investigated whether a systems approach to machined part estimating would extend the capacity of an SME to manage knowledge more effectively. The research explored the workplace learning context, the provision of learning opportunities and the management of organizational knowledge; before determining that an intelligent information system offered the most beneficial solution to the situation-of-interest. The case study company produce low-volume, make-to-order, medium and large sized machined steel forgings; utilising conventional machine tool equipment. The application of the decision support system enabled novice estimators to produce viable cost estimates; reducing the risk from reliance on human expertise inherent in manual estimating. The hybrid feature-based costing / case-based reasoning estimating technique, which is the core of the novel METALmpe cost model, proved exceptionally well suited to the SME environment. Estimates produced using METALmpe were consistently more accurate than those of the human expert; with a level of accuracy that exceeds the initial research aim, i.e. a tolerance of -5% / +10%. Significantly, implementation of METALmpe (hardware, software and support for 5 users), can be provided at a cost which is within the typical information technology budget of many SMEs. With demands on organizations to process and disseminate ever increasing volumes of information, METALmpe can improve an SME’s information management capabilities and contribute to competitive advantage through strengthening strategic assets and core competencies.

No description available.

This qualitative inquiry explores the use of Hollywood films depicting teachers (teacher-films) as an approach to reflective practice and social change with 60 undergraduate students in a teacher education programme in the Bahamas. In order to facilitate critical reflection on the preservice teachers' perceptions of teaching, on themselves as teachers, and on their teaching experience, a module comprised of five teacher-films (To Sir With Love, Blackboard Jungle, Stand and Deliver, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, and SARAFINA!) is designed and employed. The depictions of teaching are deconstructed as a means of introducing the complexity of teaching as well as unveiling the relevance of issues such as class, race, gender, and the politics of power and position to the life of a teacher. Central to the study is exploring how prospective teachers "read" these films and what insights prospective teachers gain from the films. / The study generates four main data sources: (1) transcriptions of audio-taped group discussions with the preservice teachers, (2) the preservice teachers' written responses to questionnaires relating to the teacher-films, (3) reflective journals kept by the preservice teachers, and (4) the preservice teachers' written responses to the entire teacher-film module. The analysis of the data is presented in two parts. First, the preservice teachers' overall response to the teacher-film module is detailed. Next, their close reading of teaching and learning as portrayed in two of the films, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and SARAFINA!, is discussed. A number of themes that emerge within the data such as the role, influence, and power of teachers are explored. / This inquiry has revealed how teacher-films can be utilized within teacher education to prompt neophyte teachers to examine their identity as teachers, to scrutinize their perceptions and assumptions, as well as to stimulate questions with regard to the perplexities of teaching. Film pedagogy also has potential to heighten awareness of vital issues of teaching such as race, class, and gender, to provoke self-study, and prompt social change. In addition, educators and researchers can learn much by examining preservice teachers' responses to popular screen images of teachers as well as other popular culture images of teachers. This information can be used to design teacher education curricula that more adequately prepare neophyte teachers for the challenges of teaching.