Optimal Release Time Decision from Fuzzy Mathematical Programming Perspective

Demand for high software reliability requires rigorous testing followed by requirement of robust modeling techniques for software quality prediction. On one side, firms have to steadily manage the reliability by testing it vigorously, the optimal release time determination is their biggest concern. In past many models have been developed and much research has been devoted towards assessment of release time of software. However, majority of the work deals in crisp study. This paper addresses the problem of release time prediction using fuzzy Logic. Here we have formulated a Fuzzy release time problem considering the cost of testing under the impact of warranty period. Results show that fuzzy model has good adaptability.Comment: 10 Pages. arXiv admin note: substantial overlap with text by other authors http://archive.org/stream/Software_Reliability_Assessment_with_OR_Applications/Software_Reliability_Assessment_with_OR_Applications_djvu.tx

Spin-Hall effect in the scattering of structured light from plasmonic nanowire

Spin-orbit interactions are subwavelength phenomena which can potentially lead to numerous device related applications in nanophotonics. Here, we report Spin-Hall effect in the forward scattering of Hermite-Gaussian and Gaussian beams from a plasmonic nanowire. Asymmetric scattered radiation distribution was observed for circularly polarized beams. Asymmetry in the scattered radiation distribution changes the sign when the polarization handedness inverts. We found a significant enhancement in the Spin-Hall effect for Hermite-Gaussian beam as compared to Gaussian beam for constant input power. The difference between scattered powers perpendicular to the long axis of the plasmonic nanowire was used to quantify the enhancement. In addition to it, nodal line of HG beam acts as the marker for the Spin-Hall shift. Numerical calculations corroborate experimental observations and suggest that the Spin flow component of Poynting vector associated with the circular polarization is responsible for the Spin-Hall effect and its enhancement.Comment: Optics Letters (accepted), 201

Biometric properties of onion seedlings relevant to the development of onion seedling transplanter

A study was conducted to investigate biometric properties of seedlings of three common varieties of onion viz. Pusa Red, Set-126 and Pusa Ridhi (50, 60, 70 days old). The parameters determined were weight of seedling without and with de-topping, bulb diameter, stem diameter, height, moisture content, compressive strength and coefficient of static friction. The weight of seedlings without de-topping ranged from 0.53 to 3.05 g while with de-topping ranged from 0.47 to 1.68 g for all the three cultivars. The bulb and stem diameter for all varieties ranged from 3.13 to 5.76 g for bulb and 2.44 to 4.33 g for stem whereas height varied from 14.48 cm to 34.65 cm, among all Pusa red was taller than Set-126 and Pusa Ridhi. The moisture content at different age and for all cultivars ranged from 84.89 to 91.63 % (wb). The average coefficient of static friction for mild steel (MS), aluminum and galvanized iron (GI) varied from 0.63 to 0.79. The compressive strength of bulb and stem of seedlings were 9.76 to 19.54 N for bulb and 4.08 to 8.17 N for stem respectively for 50 to 70 days seedlings. This information was not available but is critical in designing and selection of different components of onion seedling transplanter

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha levels in HIV-1 seropositive injecting drug users.

TNF-alpha is a highly pleiotropic cytokine and plays an important role in regulating HIV-1 replication. It may compromise the integrity of the blood-brain-barrier and, thus, may contribute to the neurotoxicity of HIV-1-infection. Both intravenous drug abuse (IDU) and HIV infection can increase TNF-alpha activity, but little information is available on the effects of a combination of these factors on TNF-alpha. We investigated plasma TNF-alpha levels and mRNA in the peripheral monocytes of 166 men and women in three groups: HIV-1-positive IDUs, HIV-1-negative IDUs, and HIV-negative non-IDU control participants. HIV-1-positive IDUs had higher TNF-alpha levels than HIV-1-negative IDUs who, in turn, had higher levels than controls. TNF-alpha mRNA expression in peripheral monocytes was significantly increased in both HIV-1-positive and negative IDUs compared to controls. These findings show that the effects of HIV infection and intravenous drug use may be additive in increasing TNF-alpha levels. Given the multiple effects of TNF-alpha in HIV infection, additional investigation of its role is needed

Engendering Holistic User Experiences: A Hierarchical Model for Balancing the Utilitarian and Hedonic features of IS Products

Users strive for a more complete and satisfying experience with IS (Information Systems); an experience that not only achieves well-defined goals but also involves the senses and generates affective response (Bly, Cook, Bickmore, Churchill, and Sullivan, 1998; Venkatesh and Brown, 2001). It has been argued that modern design has placed too much emphasis on utilitarian issues and not enough on hedonic aspects such as pleasure, fun, and excitement, which are fundamental motivators of human behavior (Green and Jordan, 2002; Coates, 2003; Hassenzahl, 2003; Norman 2004(a)). There is also a general lack of activity in development of theories, practices and engineering methods to integrate hedonic attributes in a product with those that provide utility. This study fills this gap by suggesting a model for balancing the utilitarian and hedonic features of IS products to engender a holistic user experience

Can we Take User Responses at Face Value? Exploring Users’ “Self-stated” and “Derived” Importance of Utilitarian versus Hedonic Software Features

Empirical studies in the product development literature have shown that the users’ self-reported importance of product attributes differs from the derived importance of product attributes obtained through the attributes’ correlation with an external criterion such as user satisfaction. However, no study has examined this phenomenon in the context of software products. This investigation is important because the present-day software requirement-prioritization techniques are based on capturing users’ self-reported importance of new software product features. As such, I develop a method in the study to capture the derived user importance of new features. The findings show that the implicitly derived importance of software attributes differs from the importance rankings assigned to them using requirement prioritization techniques. Further, I found that the implicitly derived user importance to identify the determinants of user satisfaction more accurately than the prioritization techniques based on self-stated user importance. I discuss the implications of this promising new approach for practice and future research in requirements prioritization