Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-12T15:51:15Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 license.txt: 1748 bytes, checksum: 8a4605be74aa9ea9d79846c1fba20a33 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008 / A reutilização de artefatos, ao invés de construí-los do zero, processo usualmente conhecido como reuso de software, mostra-se uma boa opção de vantagem competitiva para as empresas de desenvolvimento de software. Neste contexto, o desenvolvimento baseado em componentes é uma das técnicas mais aplicadas para promover o reuso de software estabelecendo um promissor mercado de componentes. Entretanto, os métodos mais consolidados de desenvolvimento de componentes estão mais focados em demonstrá-lo como uma abordagem viável, e algumas atividades importantes, por exemplo, atividades relacionadas com qualidade, e mais especificamente, relacionadas a teste, são muitas vezes negligenciadas. Produtores de componentes têm dificuldades para preparar seus produtos para funcionar corretamente em diferentes contextos, como também para serem validados pelos consumidores que pretendem adotá-los. Similarmente, os consumidores de componentes possuem limitações para poder testar se componentes externos funcionam como especificados, e se são capazes de serem integrados aos seus sistemas. Assim, esta dissertação apresenta uma abordagem para apoiar o teste de componentes definindo atividades para guiar produtores de componentes no preparo de seus produtos para serem testados por terceiros, como também atividades para os consumidores de componentes para compreender e testar componentes externos objetivando a sua integração com seus sistemas em desenvolvimento. Por fim, é apresentada uma ferramenta para realizar as atividades definidas para produtores e consumidores. Um experimento foi conduzido avaliando a abordagem proposta e sua ferramenta relacionada

Background: The exponential growth of the aging population makes research on reversing frailty increasingly important. Objective: To explore the concept of reversing frailty in older adults and identify existing interventions that achieve frailty reversal as an outcome. Methods: We used a five-stage scoping review methodology outlined by Arksey and O’Malley and enhanced by Joanna Briggs, Levac, and colleagues. We critically appraised all eligible studies and synthesized data using descriptive and narrative analyzes. We searched CINAHL, EMBASE, PubMed, and Web of Science. Results: The concept of reversing frailty seems complex, and no standard intervention exists.That notwithstanding, a few types of single- or multi-component intervention characteristics showed effectiveness in reversing frailty. Conclusion: Frailty can be reversed. However, concept analysis is needed to clarify and define reverse frailty. To ensure maximum effectiveness, the identified interventions, ranging from mostly physical activity to a combination of physical activity and nutrition, could be tailored to each individual’s needs.

The purpose of this study is to explore how racial and gender discrimination is reproduced in concrete workplace settings even when anti-discrimination policies are present, and to understand the various reactions utilized by those who commonly experience it. I have selected a particular medical center, henceforth referred to by a pseudonym, “The Bliley Medical Center” as my case study. In order to examine the gaps between the normative component instituted to regulate human behavior and the behavioral component in a workplace setting, I will employ critical race theory and feminist theories of intersectionality. The works of critics such as Delgado and Stefancic, Patricia Williams, and Patricia Hill Collins, among others, foreground the utility of storytelling as a means to 1) understand the gaps between formal policies and organizational behavior, 2) call attention to the experiential knowledge and evidence that is traditionally excluded in discrimination cases, and (3) to explain how formal anti-discrimination policies can actually be used to legitimize discrimination. Based on the results of this case study, we can conclude that an alternative interactionist, critical race, and intersectional approach is especially needed in terms of calling attention to traditionally ignored social processes that aid in the reproduction of workplace inequality in concrete workplace settings, thus expanding the current workplace discrimination scholarship. / Master of Science

Published Article / Mechatronic practitioners are engaged in the assembly and maintenance of complex machines, plants and systems in the engineering sector or in organisations which purchase and operate such mechatronic systems. Mechatronics, often described as the synergy of mechanical and computer systems together with electronic technologies, is increasingly being singled out as a core focus by both the education and business sectors. This international trend is also evident in South Africa and Engineering Faculties now have to provide students with the opportunity not only to acquire theoretical knowledge in Mechatronics but also to develop skills in implementing and designing mechatronics systems.

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當我們的資料變數很多時，我們通常會使用主成分 或因子來降低資料變數； 在選取主成分與因子時，我們通常會以特徵值來做選擇， 然而變異數大(亦即特徵值大)的主成分或因子雖然解釋了大部分變異， 但卻不一定保留了最多後續要分析的資訊， 例如利用由特徵值所選取出來最好的主成分或因子 來當做區別資料之變數，所得結果不一定理想。 在此我們假設資料是來自於兩個多維常態母體， 我們將分別利用由Mardia等人 (1979) 和Chang (1983) 所提出的兩種方法 來選取出具區別能力的主成分，將其區別結果與由特徵值所選取出最好的主成分 之區別結果作一比較；並且將此二方法應用在選取因子上。 同時我們也證明Mardia等人 (1979) 和Chang (1983)的方法對於 主成分及因子(利用主成分方法轉換)有相同的選取順序。 本文更進一步地將Mardia等人 所提出之方法運用至三群資料上，探討當資料來自於三個 多維常態母體時，我們該如何利用此方法來選取具區別能力之變數。 / Principal component analysis or factor analysis are often used to reduce the dimensionality of the original variables. However, the principal component or factor, which has larger variance (i.e eigenvalue) explaining larger proportion of total sample variance, may not retain the most information for other analyses later. For example, using the first few principal components or factors having the largest corresponding eigenvalues as discriminant variables, the discriminant result may not be good or even appropriate. \hspace{2.05em}We first discuss two methods, given by Mardia et al. (1979) and Chang (1983) for choosing discriminant variables when data are randomly obtained from a mixture of two multivariate normal distributions. We then use the discriminant result (or classification error rates) to compare these two methods and the traditional method of using the principal components, which have the larger corresponding eigenvalues, as discriminant variables. We also prove that the both the two methods have the same selection order on principal components and factor (obtained by the principal component method). Furthermore, we use the method of Mardia et al. to select appropriate discriminators when data is from three populations.

Software components are meant to be reusable and flexible by design. These characteristics and others continue attracting software developers to adapt a component (typically designed elsewhere) into their systems. However, software components are also vulnerable to reliability and security problems due to existence of non-obvious faults. We believe that a systematic approach to detect failures of a component and prioritize components using such failures can help developers decide on appropriate solutions to improve reliability. In this thesis, we present a framework that can help developers in detecting and ranking component failures systematically so that more reliable software can be achieved. Our proposed framework can allow monitoring critical components within a system under instrumentation, detecting failures based on specifications and using failure data and input from developers to rank the components. The proposed approach provides information for developers who could decide if the reliability could be improved by trivial code modification or require advanced reliability techniques. A prototype is designed along with a number of failure scenarios to detect specific failure types within a component. Four major failure types (value, timing, commission, and omission) are detected and used to rank software components. We conducted an experimental evaluation using two subject systems to assess the effectiveness of the proposed framework and to measure its performance overhead. Our experimental results show that the approach can benefit system developers by prioritizing components for effective maintenance with a minimal overhead. / Thesis (Master, Electrical & Computer Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2013-09-09 23:08:02.035

<p>The main goal of this thesis is to investigate efficient searching mechanisms for searching and retrieving software components across different remote repositories and implement a supporting prototype called “Component Repository Browser” using the plug-in based Eclipse technology for PROGRESS-IDE. The prototype enables users to search the ProCom components and to import the desired components from a remote repository server over different protocols such as HTTP, HTTPS, and/or SVN. Several component searching mechanisms and suggestions were studied and examined such as keyword, facet-based search, folksonomy classification, and signature matching, from which we selected keyword search along with facet-based searching technique to help component searchers to efficiently find the desired components from a remote repository.</p>