Making inferences with small numbers of training sets

A potential methodological problem with empirical studies that assess project effort prediction system is discussed. Frequently, a hold-out strategy is deployed so that the data set is split into a training and a validation set. Inferences are then made concerning the relative accuracy of the different prediction techniques under examination. This is typically done on very small numbers of sampled training sets. It is shown that such studies can lead to almost random results (particularly where relatively small effects are being studied). To illustrate this problem, two data sets are analysed using a configuration problem for case-based prediction and results generated from 100 training sets. This enables results to be produced with quantified confidence limits. From this it is concluded that in both cases using less than five training sets leads to untrustworthy results, and ideally more than 20 sets should be deployed. Unfortunately, this raises a question over a number of empirical validations of prediction techniques, and so it is suggested that further research is needed as a matter of urgency

“It will always continue unless we can change something”: consequences of intimate partner violence for indigenous women, children, and families

Background: Violence against indigenous women and girls is endemic, yet the absence of research on the consequences of this violence from the perspectives of women presents a profound barrier to the development of knowledge, along with violence prevention and mitigation. Although family is central to many indigenous communities, existing research typically examines the consequences of intimate partner violence (IPV) on women or children in isolation, rather than examining its consequences holistically. Objective: The purpose of this article is to identify US indigenous women's perspectives about the impact of IPV on women, children, and families. Method: Data were collected with 29 indigenous women affected by violence from a Southeastern tribe in the United States. As part of a larger critical ethnography, pragmatic horizon analysis of life history interviews revealed the consequences of IPV across multiple levels. Results: Women reported profound psychological consequences resulting from IPV. The majority of women had witnessed IPV in their childhood, providing support for an intergenerational cycle of violence. Women reported psychological consequences on children, which paralleled those reported by women, leaving deep impressions on children across their life course. Consequences on children and whole families were extensive, indicating the negative ramifications of IPV transcended personal boundaries and affected children and families across multiple generations. Conclusions: Given the tight-knit nature of indigenous families and communities, the consequences across individuals and families were noteworthy. However, a dearth in research examining consequences of IPV across levels fails to capture the interconnections of consequences for women, children, and families. Given the centrality of family in many indigenous communities, examining IPV from a holistic perspective that incorporates multiple levels is recommended for IPV research and intervention development

Catching up with Method and Process Practice: An Industry-Informed Baseline for Researchers

Software development methods are usually not applied by the book.companies are under pressure to continuously deploy software products that meet market needs and stakeholders\u27 requests. To implement efficient and effective development processes, companies utilize multiple frameworks, methods and practices, and combine these into hybrid methods. A common combination contains a rich management framework to organize and steer projects complemented with a number of smaller practices providing the development teams with tools to complete their tasks. In this paper, based on 732 data points collected through an international survey, we study the software development process use in practice. Our results show that 76.8% of the companies implement hybrid methods.company size as well as the strategy in devising and evolving hybrid methods affect the suitability of the chosen process to reach company or project goals. Our findings show that companies that combine planned improvement programs with process evolution can increase their process\u27 suitability by up to 5%

Never the twain shall meet: a critical appraisal of the combination of discourse and psychoanalytic theory in studies of men and masculinity

In recent years there has been a number of attempts by different researchers to study men and masculinity using a combination of discourse theory and psychoanalysis. The main reason for this development is the sense that, on its own, discourse theory provides an incomplete account of masculine subjectivity. Psychoanalysis is thought to be able to fill those gaps. In this paper I want to begin by reviewing these arguments. I will provide an outline of the alleged deficiencies in discursive approaches to men and masculinity before going on to examine some of the work that has attempted the above synthesis. What I aim to show is that, for a number of reasons, such attempts are bound to fail. Instead, I will argue that better progress can be made in studies of masculinity by remaining within the theoretical boundaries of Discursive Psychology

Results from the Super Cryogenic Dark Matter Search (SuperCDMS) experiment at Soudan

We report the result of a blinded search for Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) using the majority of the SuperCDMS Soudan dataset. With an exposure of 1690 kg days, a single candidate event is observed, consistent with expected backgrounds. This analysis (combined with previous Ge results) sets an upper limit on the spin-independent WIMP--nucleon cross section of $1.4 \times 10^{-44}$ ($1.0 \times 10^{-44}$) cm$^2$ at 46 GeV/$c^2$. These results set the strongest limits for WIMP--germanium-nucleus interactions for masses $>$12 GeV/$c^2$

Air pollution biomonitoring in an urban-industrial setting (Taranto, Italy) using Mediterranean plant species

This study presents the first report on the elemental composition of five Mediterranean plant species (Pinus pinaster, Eucalyptus camaldulensis, Nerium oleander, Olea europaea and Pittosporum heterophyllum) to trace industrial emissions in Taranto, Italy, a mixed-use industrial and urban setting. Potential metal sources include vehicular traffic, steel and cement plants, and a petrochemical refinery. Samples were collected from 29 sites covering the Tamburi-Lido Azzurro neighbourhood and the historical quarter Città Vecchia-Borgo. High concentrations of toxic metals were observed in all samples, with marked inter-species variability. Model based clustering identified two distinct groups, one dominated by pine needles with higher metal concentrations than the other group composed of the other four plant species. The contamination factor (CF) and pollution load index (PLI) indices which use background samples to standardise the level of pollution, were used to remove species effect allowing for direct site comparison. Spatial analysis of CF and PLI data identified pollution hotspots near industrial areas and major roads, with areas of little to no air pollution near green spaces. Statistical analysis of the CFs revealed the contribution of different sources to element emissions. Ni and Cr were primarily emitted from the steel plant and petrochemical refinery, while Fe and Al were associated with road traffic emissions, and geogenic elements Ca, Mg, K, and Na were linked to marine spray and Saharan dust. This study demonstrates that combining multiple plant species with pollution indices can be a cost-effective biomonitoring approach for assessing air pollution and creating a high-density spatial monitoring network

Shewanella irciniae sp nov., a novel member of the family Shewanellaceae, isolated from the marine sponge Ircinia dendroides in the Bay of Villefranche, Mediterranean Sea

Strain UST040317-058(T), comprising non-pigmented, rod-shaped, facultatively anaerobic, Gram-negative cells that are motile by means of single polar flagella, was isolated from the surface of a marine sponge (Ircinia dendroides) collected from the Mediterranean Sea. Comparative 16S rRNA gene sequence-based phylogenetic analysis placed the strain in a separate cluster with the recognized bacterium Shewanella algae IAM 14159(T), with which it showed a sequence similarity of 95.0 %. The sequence similarity between strain UST040317-058(T) and its other (six) closest relatives ranged from 91.6 to 93.8 %. Strain UST040317-058(T) showed oxidase, catalase and gelatinase activities. The typical respiratory quinones for shewanellas, menaquinone MK-7 and ubiquinones Q-7 and Q-8, were also detected. The predominant fatty acids in strain UST040317-058(T) were i15 : 0, 16 : 0, 17 : 1omega8c and summed feature 3 (comprising i15 : 0 2-OH and/or 16 : 1omega7c), altogether representing 56.9 % of the total. The DNA G+C content was 39.9 mol%. The strain could be differentiated from other Shewanella species by its inability to reduce nitrate or produce H(2)S and by 10-22 additional phenotypic characteristics. On the basis of the phylogenetic and phenotypic data presented in this study, strain UST040317-058(T) represents a novel species in the genus Shewanella, for which the name Shewanella irciniae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is UST040317-058(T) (=JCM 13528(T)=NRRL B-41466(T))

Programming the assembly of carboxylic acid-functionalised hybrid polyoxometalates

We report here the straightforward synthesis and characterisation of a series Anderson-type hybrid polyoxometalates in high yield, functionalised with carboxylic acid following the reaction of anhydride precursors with the starting hybrid cluster ([n-N(C4H9)4]3[MnMo6O18((OCH2)3CNH2)2]). Seven new structures have been obtained, five of which have acid-terminated ligands. Six of these structures have been isolated with a yield higher than 80% with high purity. This reaction is limited by the bulkiness of the anhydride used; this effect can be employed to selectively synthesise one isomer out of three other possibilities. The acid groups and aromatic platforms attached to the clusters can act as building tools to bridge several length scales and engineer molecular packing within the crystal structure. The presence of acids should also change the hydrophilicity of the clusters, and therefore the way they interact with hydrophilic surfaces. We also show a potential relationship between the acid group interaction in the packing diagram and the cluster’s tendency to interact with a hydrophilic surface. In addition to reporting a derived synthetic path to new acid-terminated Mn-Anderson-type hybrids, we describe here a new way to program self-assembly motifs of these compounds in the crystal structure and at interfaces