It is the purpose of this writer to determine if there is any significant difference between the teacher ratings of Latin-Americans and Anglo-Americans and if such differences are found to exist, an attempt will be made to determine the extent to which they prevail.

With the increasing pace of development, the process of interpreting software test results data has become more challenging and time-consuming. While the test results provide valuable insights into the software product, the increasing complexity of software systems and the growing volume of test data pose challenges in effectively analyzing this data to ensure quality. To address these challenges, organizations are adopting various tools. Visualization dashboards are a common approach used to streamline the analysis process. By aggregating and visualizing test results data, these dashboards enable easier identification of patterns and trends, facilitating informed decision-making. This study proposes a management dashboard with visualizations of test results data as a decision support system. A case study was conducted involving eleven quality assurance experts with a number of various roles, including managers, directors, testers, and project managers. User interviews were conducted to evaluate the need for a dashboard and identify relevant test results data to visualize. The participants expressed the need for a dashboard, which would benefit both newcomers and experienced employees. A low-fidelity prototype of the dashboard was created and A/B testing was performed through a survey to prioritize features and choose the preferred version of the prototype. The results of the user interviews highlighted pass-rate, executed test cases, and failed test cases as the most important features. However, different professions showed interest in different test result metrics, leading to the creation of multiple views in the prototype to accommodate varying needs. A high-fidelity prototype was implemented based on feedback and underwent user testing, leading to iterative improvements. Despite the numerous advantages of a dashboard, integrating it into an organization can pose challenges due to variations in testing processes and guidelines across companies and teams. Hence, the dashboards require customization. The main contribution of this study is twofold. Firstly, it provides recommendations for relevant test result metrics and suitable visualizations to effectively communicate test results. Secondly, it offers insights into the visualization preferences of different professions within a quality assurance team that were missing in previous studies. / Med den ökande utvecklingstakten har processen att tolka testresultatdata för programvara blivit mer utmanande och tidskrävande. Även om testresultaten ger värdefulla insikter i mjukvaruprodukten, innebär den ökande komplexiteten hos mjukvarusystemen och den växande volymen testdata utmaningar när det gäller att effektivt analysera dessa data för att säkerställa kvalitet. För att möta dessa utmaningar använder organisationer olika verktyg. Visualiseringspaneler är ett vanligt tillvägagångssätt som används för att effektivisera analysprocessen. Genom att aggregera och visualisera testresultatdata möjliggör dessa instrumentpaneler enklare identifiering av mönster och trender, vilket underlättar välgrundat beslutsfattande. Den här studien föreslår en management-panel med visualiseringar av testresultatdata som ett beslutsstödssystem. En fallstudie genomfördes med elva experter inom kvalitetssäkring med olika roller, inklusive chefer, direktörer, testare och projektledare. Användarintervjuer genomfördes för att utvärdera behovet av en panel och identifiera relevanta testresultatdata att visualisera. Deltagarna uttryckte behovet av en visualiseringspanel, som skulle gynna både nyanställda och erfarna medarbetare. En prototyp av panelen med låg detaljnivå skapades och A/B-testning genomfördes genom en enkät för att prioritera funktioner och välja den föredragna versionen av prototypen. Resultaten av användarintervjuerna lyfte fram andel av godkända testresultat, exekverade testfall och misslyckade testfall som de viktigaste egenskaperna. Men olika yrkesgrupper visade intresse för olika testresultatmått, vilket ledde till skapandet av flera vyer i prototypen för att tillgodose olika behov. En prototyp med hög detaljnivå implementerades baserat på feedback och genomgick användartestning, vilket ledde till iterativa förbättringar. Trots de många fördelarna med en instrumentpanel kan det innebära utmaningar att integrera den i en organisation på grund av variationer i testprocesser och riktlinjer mellan företag och team. Därför kräver paneler anpassning. Det huvudsakliga bidraget från denna studie är dubbelt. För det första ger den rekommendationer för relevanta testresultatmått och lämpliga visualiseringar för att effektivt kommunicera testresultat. För det andra ger den insikter i visualiseringspreferenser för olika yrken inom ett kvalitetssäkringsteam vilket saknats i tidigare studier.

The purpose of this study was to use first-year test results to develop an early warning system for the identification of freshmen at risk of failing. All students registered between 1989 and 1997 for the six-year programmes chiropractic and homoeopathy were included in this ex post facto study. A descriptive study firstly indicated a serious problem of attrition with on average only 66% of chiropractic and 55% homoeopathy freshmen successfully completing the first year. A relationship was demonstrated between both first and second test results and outcome at the end of the first year of studies. A logistic regression model estimated retrospectively from first test results in physiology, anatomy, biology and chemistry was able to discriminate between successful and non-successful freshmen with an overall predictive accuracy of 80.82%. When this model was validated on a different set of data it was shown to have a very high sensitivity and was thus able to correctly identify >93 % of the potentially at risk freshmen. It also had a low Type II error ( <7%) and thus missed very few of the freshmen at risk of failing. A logistic regression model estimated retrospectively from second test results in physiology, anatomy, biology and chemistry had an overall predictive accuracy of 85.94% . The validated model had a sensitivity of 67% which was too low for the model to be of much use as a management tool for the identification of the freshmen at risk of failing. However, the model was shown to have a high specificity and was able to correctly identify >93% of the potentially successful freshmen. It also had a low Type I error (14.29%). Discriminant analysis models estimated from both first and second test results in physiology, anatomy, biology and chemistry produced strong support for the use of test results for the early identification of those freshmen who would need support in order to be successful. It is suggested that the objective models developed in this research could identify the freshman in need of support at an early enough stage for support measures to still have a positive effect on attrition. / Educational Studies / D. Ed. (Educational management)

Este trabalho propõe dois métodos para teste de sistemas de software: o primeiro extrai ideias de teste de um modelo desenvolvido em rede de Petri hierárquica e o segundo valida os resultados após a realização dos testes utilizando um modelo em OWL-S. Estes processos aumentam a qualidade do sistema desenvolvido ao reduzir o risco de uma cobertura insuficiente ou teste incompleto de uma funcionalidade. A primeira técnica apresentada consiste de cinco etapas: i) avaliação do sistema e identificação dos módulos e entidades separáveis, ii) levantamento dos estados e transições, iii) modelagem do sistema (bottom-up), iv) validação do modelo criado avaliando o fluxo de cada funcionalidade e v) extração dos casos de teste usando uma das três coberturas de teste apresentada. O segundo método deve ser aplicado após a realização dos testes e possui cinco passos: i) primeiro constrói-se um modelo em OWL (Web Ontology Language) do sistema contendo todas as informações significativas sobre as regras de negócio da aplicação, identificando as classes, propriedades e axiomas que o regem; ii) em seguida o status inicial antes da execução é representado no modelo através da inserção das instâncias (indivíduos) presentes; iii) após a execução dos casos de testes, a situação do modelo deve ser atualizada inserindo (sem apagar as instâncias já existentes) as instâncias que representam a nova situação da aplicação; iv) próximo passo consiste em utilizar um reasoner para fazer as inferências do modelo OWL verificando se o modelo mantém a consistência, ou seja, se não existem erros na aplicação; v) finalmente, as instâncias do status inicial são comparadas com as instâncias do status final, verificando se os elementos foram alterados, criados ou apagados corretamente. O processo proposto é indicado principalmente para testes funcionais de caixa-preta, mas pode ser facilmente adaptado para testes em caixa branca. Obtiveram-se casos de testes semelhantes aos que seriam obtidos em uma análise manual mantendo a mesma cobertura do sistema. A validação provou-se condizente com os resultados esperados, bem como o modelo ontológico mostrouse bem fácil e intuitivo para aplicar manutenções. / This paper proposes two test methods for system software testing: the first one extracts test workflow processes from a model developed in Hierarchical Petri Nets and the other validates results after test execution using a domain model in OWL-S. Both processes increase the quality of the system developed by reducing the risk of having an insufficient coverage or an incomplete functionality test. The first technique consists of five steps: i) system evaluation and identification of separable sub modules and entities, ii) identification of states and transitions, iii) system modeling (bottom-up), iv) validation of the created model by evaluating the workflow for each functionality, and v) extraction of test cases using one of the three test coverage presented. The second method must be applied after the execution of the previous method and has also five steps: i) first a system model in OWL (Web Ontology Language) is built containing all significant information and business rules of the application; ii) then, the initial status before the test execution is represented in the model by the insertion of the instances (individuals) presented; iii) after the execution of test cases, the state model is updated by inserting (without deleting already existing instances) new instances to represent the domain sate after test; iv) in the next step we use a reasoner to make OWL model checking inferences to prove model consistency, that is, if there is no error in the application; finally, the initial status instances is compared with the final status in order to verify if these instances have been changed, created or deleted correctly. The process is indicated for blackbox functional tests, but can be easily adapted for white-box tests. There was obtained test cases similar to those that will be obtained in a manual analysis keeping the same test coverage. Validation has proved to be consistent compare to the expected results. Also, the ontological model has showed to be easy and intuitive for maintenance.

The purpose of this study was to use first-year test results to develop an early warning system for the identification of freshmen at risk of failing. All students registered between 1989 and 1997 for the six-year programmes chiropractic and homoeopathy were included in this ex post facto study. A descriptive study firstly indicated a serious problem of attrition with on average only 66% of chiropractic and 55% homoeopathy freshmen successfully completing the first year. A relationship was demonstrated between both first and second test results and outcome at the end of the first year of studies. A logistic regression model estimated retrospectively from first test results in physiology, anatomy, biology and chemistry was able to discriminate between successful and non-successful freshmen with an overall predictive accuracy of 80.82%. When this model was validated on a different set of data it was shown to have a very high sensitivity and was thus able to correctly identify >93 % of the potentially at risk freshmen. It also had a low Type II error ( <7%) and thus missed very few of the freshmen at risk of failing. A logistic regression model estimated retrospectively from second test results in physiology, anatomy, biology and chemistry had an overall predictive accuracy of 85.94% . The validated model had a sensitivity of 67% which was too low for the model to be of much use as a management tool for the identification of the freshmen at risk of failing. However, the model was shown to have a high specificity and was able to correctly identify >93% of the potentially successful freshmen. It also had a low Type I error (14.29%). Discriminant analysis models estimated from both first and second test results in physiology, anatomy, biology and chemistry produced strong support for the use of test results for the early identification of those freshmen who would need support in order to be successful. It is suggested that the objective models developed in this research could identify the freshman in need of support at an early enough stage for support measures to still have a positive effect on attrition. / Educational Studies / D. Ed. (Educational management)

Este trabalho propõe dois métodos para teste de sistemas de software: o primeiro extrai ideias de teste de um modelo desenvolvido em rede de Petri hierárquica e o segundo valida os resultados após a realização dos testes utilizando um modelo em OWL-S. Estes processos aumentam a qualidade do sistema desenvolvido ao reduzir o risco de uma cobertura insuficiente ou teste incompleto de uma funcionalidade. A primeira técnica apresentada consiste de cinco etapas: i) avaliação do sistema e identificação dos módulos e entidades separáveis, ii) levantamento dos estados e transições, iii) modelagem do sistema (bottom-up), iv) validação do modelo criado avaliando o fluxo de cada funcionalidade e v) extração dos casos de teste usando uma das três coberturas de teste apresentada. O segundo método deve ser aplicado após a realização dos testes e possui cinco passos: i) primeiro constrói-se um modelo em OWL (Web Ontology Language) do sistema contendo todas as informações significativas sobre as regras de negócio da aplicação, identificando as classes, propriedades e axiomas que o regem; ii) em seguida o status inicial antes da execução é representado no modelo através da inserção das instâncias (indivíduos) presentes; iii) após a execução dos casos de testes, a situação do modelo deve ser atualizada inserindo (sem apagar as instâncias já existentes) as instâncias que representam a nova situação da aplicação; iv) próximo passo consiste em utilizar um reasoner para fazer as inferências do modelo OWL verificando se o modelo mantém a consistência, ou seja, se não existem erros na aplicação; v) finalmente, as instâncias do status inicial são comparadas com as instâncias do status final, verificando se os elementos foram alterados, criados ou apagados corretamente. O processo proposto é indicado principalmente para testes funcionais de caixa-preta, mas pode ser facilmente adaptado para testes em caixa branca. Obtiveram-se casos de testes semelhantes aos que seriam obtidos em uma análise manual mantendo a mesma cobertura do sistema. A validação provou-se condizente com os resultados esperados, bem como o modelo ontológico mostrouse bem fácil e intuitivo para aplicar manutenções. / This paper proposes two test methods for system software testing: the first one extracts test workflow processes from a model developed in Hierarchical Petri Nets and the other validates results after test execution using a domain model in OWL-S. Both processes increase the quality of the system developed by reducing the risk of having an insufficient coverage or an incomplete functionality test. The first technique consists of five steps: i) system evaluation and identification of separable sub modules and entities, ii) identification of states and transitions, iii) system modeling (bottom-up), iv) validation of the created model by evaluating the workflow for each functionality, and v) extraction of test cases using one of the three test coverage presented. The second method must be applied after the execution of the previous method and has also five steps: i) first a system model in OWL (Web Ontology Language) is built containing all significant information and business rules of the application; ii) then, the initial status before the test execution is represented in the model by the insertion of the instances (individuals) presented; iii) after the execution of test cases, the state model is updated by inserting (without deleting already existing instances) new instances to represent the domain sate after test; iv) in the next step we use a reasoner to make OWL model checking inferences to prove model consistency, that is, if there is no error in the application; finally, the initial status instances is compared with the final status in order to verify if these instances have been changed, created or deleted correctly. The process is indicated for blackbox functional tests, but can be easily adapted for white-box tests. There was obtained test cases similar to those that will be obtained in a manual analysis keeping the same test coverage. Validation has proved to be consistent compare to the expected results. Also, the ontological model has showed to be easy and intuitive for maintenance.

Carefree handling refers to the ability of a pilot to operate an aircraft without the need to continuously monitor aircraft operating limits. At the heart of all carefree handling or maneuvering systems, also referred to as envelope protection systems, are algorithms and methods for predicting future limit violations. Recently, envelope protection methods that have gained more acceptance, translate limit proximity information to its equivalent in the control channel. Envelope protection algorithms either use very small prediction horizon or are static methods with no capability to adapt to changes in system configurations. Adaptive approaches maximizing prediction horizon such as dynamic trim, are only applicable to steady-state-response critical limit parameters. In this thesis, a new adaptive envelope protection method is developed that is applicable to steady-state and transient response critical limit parameters. The approach is based upon devising the most aggressive optimal control profile to the limit boundary and using it to compute control limits. Pilot-in-the-loop evaluations of the proposed approach are conducted at the Georgia Tech Carefree Maneuver lab for transient longitudinal hub moment limit protection. Carefree maneuvering is the dual of carefree handling in the realm of autonomous Uninhabited Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). Designing a flight control system to fully and effectively utilize the operational flight envelope is very difficult. With the increasing role and demands for extreme maneuverability there is a need for developing envelope protection methods for autonomous UAVs. In this thesis, a full-authority automatic envelope protection method is proposed for limit protection in UAVs. The approach uses adaptive estimate of limit parameter dynamics and finite-time horizon predictions to detect impending limit boundary violations. Limit violations are prevented by treating the limit boundary as an obstacle and by correcting nominal control/command inputs to track a limit parameter safe-response profile near the limit boundary. The method is evaluated using software-in-the-loop and flight evaluations on the Georgia Tech unmanned rotorcraft platform- GTMax. The thesis also develops and evaluates an extension for calculating control margins based on restricting limit parameter response aggressiveness near the limit boundary.

The presentation describes the development of a new mountain bicycle pedal with a special magnetic safety locking mechanism by means of the finite element method (FEM). It starts with a description of the predecessor mountain bike pedal “Enduro” from magped GmbH and sets out the development objectives for the new pedal named “Enduro2”. The complete development activities like load determination and load assumptions, FEM analysis of the initial draft, subsequent optimization steps for strength improvement and mass reduction, bearing design and analysis, and prototype testing are described. The presentation ends with a chapter about creating computer generated images for marketing material of the pedal. The presentation is structured as follows: 1. Introduction: -Description of the predecessor mountain bike pedal “Enduro1” by magped GmbH -The magnetic safety locking mechanism -Overview of the magped GmbH product portfolio -Short magped GmbH company presentation -Development objectives and initial design draft of the successor pedal model “Enduro2” 2. Determination of the load cases for design & optimization: -Loads for bicycle pedals acc. to DIN ISO 4210 -Chosen load cases and qualification test program 3. Strength analysis and weight optimization of the pedal axis: -Pre-optimization steps -Optimized shape: Theoretical consideration of the pedal axis -Optimized design description -Obtained mass reduction -User tips for shape / notch stress optimization -Comparison with the axis of a competitor 4. Strength analysis and weight optimization of the pedal body: -Challenges in pedal body design -Computed load cases -Design result and mass savings 5. Bearing design and analysis: -Sliding bearing layout -Ball bearing layout: Bearing forces computation by FEM due to over-determined system -Description of the Creo Simulate FEM model -Bal bearing life span 6. Product testing: -Test program performed by the zedler-institute -Testing of the first test batch of pedals with hollow bored axis -Testing of the first test batch of pedals without hollow bored axis 7. Realized mass savings: -Magped Enduro1 and Enduro2 on the balance and comparison with the magped Gravel pedal 8. Creation of marketing material for the final product: -Still image creation -Photorealistic rendering containing FEM loading sequences / Der Vortrag beschreibt die Entwicklung eines neuen Mountainbike-Pedals mit einer speziellen magnetischen Sicherheitsverriegelung mittels der Finite-Elemente-Methode (FEM). Er beginnt mit einer Beschreibung des Vorgänger-Mountainbike-Pedals 'Enduro' der magped GmbH und legt die Entwicklungsziele für das neue Pedal mit dem Namen 'Enduro2' dar. Die gesamten Entwicklungsaktivitäten wie Lastermittlung und Lastannahmen, FEM-Analyse des ersten Entwurfs, nachfolgende Optimierungsschritte zur Festigkeitsverbesserung und Massenreduzierung, Lagerauslegung und -analyse sowie Prototypentests werden beschrieben. Die Präsentation endet mit einem Kapitel über die Erstellung computergenerierter Bilder für die Verwendung in Marketingmaterial des Pedals. Gliederung des Vortrages: 1. Einleitung: -Beschreibung des Vorgänger-Mountainbike-Pedals 'Enduro1' der magped GmbH -Die magnetische Sicherheitsverriegelung des Pedals -Überblick über das Produktportfolio der magped GmbH -Kurze Firmenpräsentation der magped GmbH -Entwicklungsziele und erster Designentwurf des Nachfolgemodells 'Enduro2' 2. Ermittlung der Lastfälle für Design & Optimierung: -Belastungsfälle für Fahrradpedale nach DIN ISO 4210 -Ausgewählte Lastfälle und Qualifikations-Testprogramm 3. Festigkeitsanalyse und Gewichtsoptimierung der Pedalachse: -Vor-Optimierungsschritte -Optimierte Form: Theoretische Betrachtung der Pedalachse -Beschreibung der optimierten Form -Erzielte Massenreduzierung -Anwendertipps zur Form- / Kerbspannungsoptimierung -Vergleich mit der Achse eines Wettbewerbers 4. Festigkeitsanalyse und Gewichtsoptimierung des Pedalkörpers: -Herausforderungen bei der Konstruktion von Pedalkörpern -Berechnete Lastfälle -Konstruktionsergebnis und Gewichtseinsparung 5. Lagerkonstruktion und -analyse: -Auslegung der Gleitlager -Auslegung der Kugellager: Berechnung der Lagerkräfte durch die FEM aufgrund des statisch überbestimmten Systems -Beschreibung des Creo Simulate FEM-Modells -Lebensdauer der Kugellager 6. Produktprüfung: -Testprogramm, durchgeführt durch das zedler-Institut -Erprobung der ersten Versuchscharge von Pedalen mit hohlgebohrter Achse -Prüfung der ersten Versuchscharge von Pedalen ohne hohlgebohrte Achse 7. Realisierte Masseneinsparung: -Magped Enduro1 und Enduro2 auf der Waage und Vergleich mit dem magped Gravel-Pedal 8. Erstellung von Marketingmaterial für das Endprodukt: -Erstellung von computergenerierten Fotos -Fotorealistisches Rendering mit FEM-Belastungssequenzen

Text in Afrikaans / Psychology / D.Litt. et Phil (Psychology)

Text in Afrikaans / Psychology / D.Litt. et Phil (Psychology)