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Integrating Agile Practices with a Medical Device Software Development Lifecycle
No full textThe rate at which agile software development practices are being adopted is growing rapidly. Agile software development practices and methodologies appear to offer the silver bullet which can solve the problems associated with following plan driven software development lifecycles. Agile software development practices offer the possibility of achieving lower development costs, increased efficiency and improved software quality. However, there is currently a low rate of publicly available information that suggests there is widespread adoption of agile practices within the medical device software domain. This is largely due to the fact that software developed for medical devices includes challenges not faced when developing non safety critical software. As a result of these challenges, medical device software is typically developed using plan driven software development lifecycles. However, such lifecycles are quite rigid and cannot accommodate changes easily. Previous research has revealed that medical device software development projects can benefit from adopting agile practices whilst still maintaining the discipline associated with following plan driven development lifecycles. This paper outlines the challenges faced by developers when developing medical device software and how shortcomings in both agile and plan driven approaches can be resolved by following a mixed method approach to medical device software development
Situating Academic Writing In The Undergraduate Curriculum: Some Reflections
No full textDespite considerable efforts across the Higher Education (HE) sector to promote academic
writing, concerns continue to be raised about standards. While a considerable body of research
exists on academic writing, the relationship between the curriculum and
academic writing has not been explored in depth. In light of the current level of concern about
academic literacy standards (Department of Education and Skills, 2011), coupled with the
publication of the National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030 (Hunt, 2011), it is appropriate
that we analyse how we are addressing academic writing within our curricula. In this paper we
examine our own undergraduate curricula in Nursing and Health Disciplines and critically
reflect on aspects that may facilitate or hinder the development of academic writing.
Suggestions are made for ways in which ‘space’ can be created within the curriculum for
academic writing to be fostered
YourWellness: Designing an Application to Support Positive Emotional Wellbeing in Older Adults
No full textEmotional wellbeing is an important indicator of overall health in adults over 65. For some older people, age-related declines to physical, cognitive or social wellbeing can negatively impact on their emotional wellbeing, as can the notion of growing older, the loss of a spouse, a loss of sense of purpose or general worries about coping, becoming ill and/or death. Yet, within the field of technology design for older adults to support independence, emotional wellbeing is often overlooked. In this paper we describe the design process of an application that supports older adults in monitoring their emotional wellbeing, as well as other parameters of wellbeing they consider important to their overall health. This application also provides informative and useful feedback to support the older person in managing their wellbeing, as well as clinically-based interventions if it is determined that some action or behaviour change is required on the part of the older person. We outline findings from a series of focus groups with older adults that have contributed to the design of the YourWellness application
An appraisal of the performance of high friction surfacing
No full textThis study aims to appraise the performance of High Friction Surfacing (HFS) compared to traditional methods namely; Hot Rolled Asphalt(HRA), Stone Mastic Asphalt(SMA) and surface dressing. This report will focus on skid resistance provided by the surfacing techniques outlined above. An overview of HRA, SMA, Surface Dressing will be provided for comparative performance and relative costs
Radio and regions in Irish traditional music
Get PDFRecording and broadcasting have had an enormous impact on the development, dissemination and popularity of Irish traditional music. There are a variety of aspects to the study of the geographical impact of radio and recording technologies, and I am here concerned with the perception and construction of regions in Irish traditional music. Recording and broadcasting are at the centre of the single greatest paradox in the discourse on regional styles: recording and broadcasting are considered homogenising forces, yet without recordings and broadcasts musicians may not have become aware of the regional diversity within the tradition. The most prevalent issues concerning recording and broadcasting relate to choice – who was recorded and broadcast; where these recordings were made; and the impact of these choices on processes of homogenisation or musical change. This paper examines the role of Sean Ó Riada and his programme Our Musical Heritage (1962) in the geographical imagination of Irish traditional musi
Impact of Standards on the Role and Application of Traceability in the Medical Device Domain
No full textSoftware failure in the medical device domain can lead to injury or death. Controlling this risk is fundamental to producing quality software. To produce quality software, an effective requirements and hazards traceability process is required. Hence traceability is central to medical device software development. It is also an essential requirement for regulatory approval. The necessity for traceability is reinforced by the medical device standards and guidelines. In this paper we outline how traceability is an important part of medical device software development, what standards contain reference to traceability, and which specific clauses within those standards companies should refer to when defining their traceability processes. We also summarise the findings obtained when a lightweight assessment method (Med-Trace), that we created, based upon the traceability practices within these standards, was implemented in two SME organizations
An International Surface Collection and Remote Sensing Field School on the Hill of Slane, County Meath, Ireland
No full textThis poster presents details of the units delivered as part of an international field school in practical and applied methods of archaeological survey. The field course was undertaken as part of the Hill of SLane Archaeological Project (HoSAP). Nineteen students from eleven different countries participated in the week-long field school which took place between 8th and 13th April 2012. Techniques taught on the course included basic grid layout and recording using a total station, surface artefact survey. Geophysical techniques covered included magnetic gradiometry, earth resistance, magnetic susceptibility, electrical resistivity tomography and ground penetrating radar. Other techniques taught during the course included kite aerial photography and terrestrial laser scanning. Off-site data processing sessions were held on each evening of the course and a number of follow-up online sessions were also held some time after the event. Feedback from students was very positive and the work undertaken contributed to the aims of the HoSAP, particularly in demonstrating the existence of archaeological material indicative of activity outside the core area of the hilltop from at least prehistoric times
Building a Maturity & Capability Model Repository
No full textA complicated and time-consuming phase in the development of Maturity/Capability Models (MCMs) is the identification of existing relevant source models as, currently, information on existing MCMs is provided in very different forms and levels of detail on diverse web sites, publications etc. In this paper, we present our ongoing research on developing a web-based repository to store and provide overview information on MCMs as a continuous knowledge management effort maintained within the Software Process Improvement (SPI) community. Such a centralized repository containing metadata on MCMs is expected
to facilitate the identification of relevant models (as well as parts)and provide a systematic basis for the development/evolution or customization of MCMs
Med-Trace
Get PDFTraceability is central to medical device software development and essential for regulatory approval. To achieve compliance an effective traceability process needs to be in place. This is difficult to achieve due to the lack of specific guidance which the medical device regulations and standards provides. This has resulted in many medical device companies employing inefficient software traceability processes. In this paper we briefly outline the development and implementation of Med-Trace a lightweight software traceability process assessment and improvement method for
the medical device industry
The importance of support networks to entrepreneurs in business: a study in the north east region of the Republic of Ireland
No full textThe purpose of this dissertation is to determine the importance entrepreneurs place on support networks in Ireland. Also to examine what categories of support networks exist for an entrepreneur and the types of support networks that currently exist in the North East Region of Ireland. The study focused on the North East Region of Ireland as it is according to the Irish Census (2006) the busiest economic corridor in Ireland. The current author used a combination of qualitative techniques including interviews and quantitative techniques including questionnaire. Reichardt and Cook (1979) believe that combining qualitative methods and quantitative methods will enable the researcher to choose between the mixes of attributes from the two paradigms resulting in the researcher being able to meet the research problems. The current author decided to conduct face to face interviews with five entrepreneurs. Schober and Conrad (1997) assert the view that it is clear that face to face conversational interviews result in a greater level of accurate information. Seventy questionnaires were distributed to entrepreneurs in each of the conurbation centres in the North East Region of Ireland