30 research outputs found
ToffA-DSPL: an approach of trade-off analysis for designing dynamic software product lines
No full textSoftware engineers have adopted the Dynamic Software Product Lines (DSPL) engineering practices to develop Dynamically Adaptable Software (DAS). DAS is seen as a DSPL application and must cope with a large number of configurations of features, Non-functional Requirements (NFRs), and contexts. However, the accurate representation of the impact of features over NFRs and contexts for the identification of optimal configurations is not a trivial task. Software engineers need to have domain knowledge and design DAS before deploying to satisfy those requirements. Aiming to handle them, we proposed an approach of Trade-off Analysis for DSPL at design-time, named ToffA-DSPL. It deals with the configuration selection process considering interactions between NFRs and contexts. We performed an exploratory study based on simulations to identify the usefulness of the ToffA-DSPL approach. In general, the configurations suggested by ToffA-DSPL provide high satisfaction levels of NFRs. Based on simulations, we evidenced that our approach aims to explore reuse and is useful for generating valid and optimal configurations. In addition, ToffA-DSPL enables software engineers to conduct trade-off analysis, evaluate changes in the context feature, and define an adaptation model from optimal configurations found in the analysis.https://d197for5662m48.cloudfront.net/documents/publicationstatus/156667/preprint_pdf/230f9301f4e7f05519c53c203b8c615f.pdfFirst author draf
Kliptown CBD ‘Bridge’: an architectural intervention enhancing the physical & socio-economic integration of Freedom Square, Kliptown informal settlement and Kliptown CBD, Johannesburg.
No full textM.Tech. (Architectural Technology)This dissertation is rooted within the process of analysing and understanding the dynamics of the context, from which principles can be drawn. The project is founded with the aim to address the harsh edges between Kliptown informal settlement and Kliptown CBD, which are physically separated by railway tracks. This dissertation identifies the context as the ‘bank’ of design informants. Thus it forces the author to undergo a critical analysis of the context. The proposed site (Kliptown) forms a comprehensive layer of history, which has over time influenced both physical development and movement of the site. The project propose a physical intervention in a form of a bridge over the railway tracks in attempt to connect the two areas. The author engaged with the context to establish program for the architectural intervention. The education gap was established within the informal settlement, which was then used to establish the program for the intervention. The average shack size of 15 square meters is never enough for learners to do they school work after schooling hours, thus the proposed programme of the physical bridge forms part of the bridging concept. The program is more about bridging the educational gap within the context
Die Missionskonzeption Franz Michael Zahns (1862-1900) : Überlegungen zur epistemischen Dimension der kolonialen Begegnungen in Togo
No full textAn epistemology of colonialism using the example of the mission concept of the NMG mission inspector Franz Michael Zahn, who died in 1900. The author analyses the effects of missionary work in South Togo and refers to the discourse theory of Michael Foucault. In the dissertation, the investigation of colonial power takes the form of a moral-critical analysis with a focus on the concept of "colonial ethics". The author summarized missionary or colonial knowledge understood as knowledge of (Christian) governmental practice (colonial governmentality) with the concept of morality and, for colonial historiography, shapes the new object of analysis of the "moral discourse".
Eine Epistemologie des Kolonialismus am Beispiel der Missionskonzeption von dem im Jahre 1900 verstorbenen Missionsinspektor der NMG Franz Michael Zahn. Der Autor analysiert die Auswirkungen der Missionierung im Süd-Togo und bezieht sich dabei auf die Diskurstheorie von Michael Foucault. Die Untersuchung der Kolonialmacht nimmt in der Dissertation die Form einer moralkritischen Analyse mit Fokus auf den Begriff der "Kolonialethik". Das Missions-bzw. Kolonialwissen verstanden als ein Wissen der (christlichen) Regierungspraxis (koloniale Gouvernementalität) fasste der Autor mit dem Moralbegriff zusammen und prägt für die Kolonialgeschichtschreibung den neuen Analysegegenstand des "Moraldiskurses"
Methodological challenges in post-licensure vaccine safety studies using large routinely collected datasets
No full textRobust and responsive epidemiological post-licensure vaccine safety studies are the backbone
to having confidence in a vaccination programme. Consideration must be given to the unique
methodological challenges inherent when assessing a potential causal association between a
vaccine and the condition of interest; these can be present from setting up the study through
to communicating the results. Public Health England (PHE) has addressed a number of
vaccine safety concerns since the 1990’s using routinely collected healthcare data and
methods specific to the disease and vaccine under scrutiny.
This thesis comprises of seven published post-licensure vaccine safety studies which were
carried out in response to a number of different pertinent safety concerns relevant to the UK’s
immunisation schedule. As a background to these studies the history of routinely collected
data is examined in the context of how we use the data today along with a description of the
pre and post-licensure vaccine safety activities which often precede the epidemiological
studies. By bringing together the methodological issues of these seven studies and
demonstrating the different ways in which these issues have been handled it has created a
blueprint for addressing vaccine safety concerns in the future. The seven studies are i)
Intussusception and Rotavirus vaccination ii) Narcolepsy in adults and Pandemic Influenza
vaccine iii) Convulsions and Pandemic and Seasonal Influenza vaccine iv) Bacterial and
Viral Infections and Measles Mumps and Rubella vaccine v) Guillain-Barré syndrome and
Seasonal Influenza vaccine vi) Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura and the second dose of
Measles Mumps and Rubella vaccine vii) Bell’s Palsy and Seasonal Influenza vaccine.
In conclusion the methodological approaches employed in these studies can be used in the
future to assess potential adverse events and the access to routinely collected health data is an
essential element of this
Koloniale Provenienzen erforschen. Abschlussbericht des Projekts „Provenienz von kolonialzeitlichen Sammlungen aus Togo im Museum für Völkerkunde Dresden und im GRASSI Museum für Völkerkunde zu Leipzig”
No full text“Koloniale Provenienzen erforschen” ist eine leicht gekürzte Fassung des Abschlussberichts zum Forschungsprojekt über die Provenienzen der Sammlungen aus Togo unter deutscher Kolonialherrschaft, die sich heute in den Museen der Staatlichen Ethnographischen Sammlungen Sachsen (Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden) befinden. Im Mittelpunkt des vom Deutschen Zentrum Kulturgutverluste geförderten Projekts stand ein Konvolut von 700 “Objekten” und Fotografien, die zwischen 1899 und 1939 als Ankäufe oder Schenkungen an das Museum für Völkerkunde Dresden und das GRASSI Museum für Völkerkunde zu Leipzig gelangten. Das Projekt befasste sich mit den Geschichten ihrer Aneignung, die im Zusammenhang mit den Aktivitäten von Angehörigen der deutschen Kolonialpolizei, von Wissenschaftlern, Händlern und Kolonialbeamten in Togo unter deutscher Kolonialherrschaft von 1884 bis 1914 steht. Bei den kolonialen Akteuren handelt es sich um Adolf Diehl, Hans Gruner, Harry Grunitzky, Ernst F. Gütschow, Oskar Marx, Valentin von Massow, Adam Mischlich und Gaston Thierry. Diese agierten im Rahmen des kolonialen Unrechtskontextes, der durch Annektierungsexpeditionen, Eroberungskriege sowie Missionierung und Aneignung von Kulturgut geprägt war.
Die Ergebnisse der Forschung sind in der Online Collection der Staatlichen Kunstsammlungen Dresden und in einer ausführlicheren Version des Abschlussberichts in der Datenbank Proveana des Deutschen Zentrums Kulturgutverluste veröffentlicht. Im jüngeren Feld der postkolonialen Provenienzforschung verortet, versteht sich der Bericht als Beitrag zur Erforschung der Geschichte der Völkerkundemuseen und ihrer weitverzweigten Netzwerke im kolonialen Kontext. Mit den Erkenntnissen zur engen Verbindung zwischen Museen und dem Projekt kolonialer Expansion und Herrschaft verdeutlicht er auch die Verantwortung, die den Museen bei der Aufarbeitung der kolonialen Geschichte zukommt
Intégration d'un mélange multibande à un algorithme de recalage panoramique par flux optique
No full textLes images panoramiques sont des vues en largeur d'un espace physique. Ces larges images, en plus d'être intéressantes par leur aspect esthétique, sont un support essentiel pour de nombreuses applications comme par exemple l'orientation automatique d'un robot dans son environnement ou la création de cartes satellites. Pour obtenir un panorama, deux approches sont possibles : une approche matérielle et une approche logicielle. Dans l'approche logicielle, il y a deux problématiques : le recalage des images entre elles et le mélange des valeurs radiométriques des sections se recoupant. Ce mémoire s'intéresse à la problématique de mélange. En effet, les images à regrouper peuvent présenter des différences d'intensité pour diverses raisons. Il faut alors effectuer un mélange afin de faire disparaître ces différences et pouvoir ainsi produire un panorama sans transition visible. Plus précisément, nous travaillons sur l'amélioration de l'algorithme de construction panoramique par recalage à l'aide du flux optique présenté par Rebière et Toffa. Cette méthode de positionnement très efficace repose sur le recalage de chaque pixel, à l'aide du flux optique. Malheureusement l'algorithme de Rebière et Toffa ne gère pas les différences d'intensité qui peuvent exister entre les images. Dans ces conditions, les panoramas produits ne sont pas de qualité satisfaisante. Pour régler ce problème, nous intégrons donc la méthode de mélange multibande présentée par Brown et Lowe. Nous adaptons ainsi le mélange multibande à l'algorithme de recalage par flux optique afin de le rendre robuste aux différences d'intensité
Profiling hospitals based on emergency readmission: a multilevel transition modelling approach
No full textEmergency readmission is seen as an important part of the United Kingdom government policy to improve the quality of care that patients receive. In this context, patients and the public have the right to know how well different health organizations are performing. Most methods for profiling estimate the expected numbers of adverse outcomes (e.g. readmission, mortality) for each organization. A number of statistical concerns have been raised, such as the differences in hospital sizes and the unavailability of relevant data for risk adjustment. Having recognized these statistical concerns, a new framework known as the multilevel transition model is developed. Hospital specific propensities of the first, second and further readmissions are considered to be measures of performance, where these measures are used to define a new performance index. During the period 1997 and 2004, the national (English) hospital episodes statistics dataset comprise more than 5 million patient readmissions. Implementing a multilevel model using the complete population dataset could possibly take weeks to estimate the parameters. To resolve the problem, we extract 1000 random samples from the original data, where each random sample is likely to lead to differing hospital performance measures. For computational efficiency a Grid implementation of the model is developed. Analysing the output from the full 1000 sample, we noticed that 4 out of the 5 worst performing hospitals treating cancer patients were in London. These hospitals are known to be the leading NHS Trusts in England, providing diverse range of services to complex patients, and therefore it is inevitable to expect higher numbers of emergency readmissions
Évaluation d'une intervention nutritionnelle visant à prévenir l'anémie ferriprive chez des adolescentes pensionnaires au Bénin
No full textTableau d’honneur de la Faculté des études supérieures et postdoctorales, 2008-2009Des prélèvements sangums et de selles, un questionnaire sur la fréquence de consommation des aliments riches en fer et en vitamine C, un questionnaire général portant sur les aspects socio-économiques et sanitaires, ainsi que sur les connaissances nutritionnelles ont été administrés à 180 adolescentes béninoises âgées de 12 à 17 ans pensionnaires au lycée Toffa 1 er (n=80) et au CEG1 de Ouidah (n=100). La prévalence d'anémie, de carence en fer et d'anémie ferriprive était respectivement de 50,6, 31 , 7 et 23,9%. Les connaissances nutritionnelles et la consommation d'aliments riches en fer et en vitamine C étaient faibles. L'anémie ferriprive était plus élevée chez les adolescentes issues d'une famille >5. personnes et dont la mère occupait un travail manuel. Des 180 adolescentes sélectionnées précédemment, 34 filles du lycée Toffa 1er souffrant d'anémie ferriprive légère ont constitué le groupe d' intervention et ont été soumises à une intervention nutritionnelle comprenant 4 leçons d'éducation nutritionnelle et un menu riche en fer biodisponible à la cafétéria scolaire (apport médian cible de l , 90 mg) pendant 22 semaines, tandis que le groupe témoin a continué à s' alimenter de façon habituelle (n=34, CEG 1 de Ouidah). Des prélèvements sanguins et de selles, ainsi que des rappels de 48 heures ont été effectués en pré et en post-intervention. Le groupe témoin a bénéficié d'une formule sanguine après Il semaines afin d' éliminer les sujets souffrant d'anémie ferriprive modérée ou sévère. En post-intervention, le groupe d' intervention avait des apports plus élevés en fer et en vitamine C (P<0,05) et des meilleurs scores de connaissances nutritionnelles (P<O, OOl). Le taux d'hémoglobine et la ferritine sérique étaient significativement plus élevés dans le groupe d' intervention (122,5 vs. 113,1 g/L; P=0,0002; 31 , 7 vs. 18,8 Jlg/L; P=0,04) comparativement au groupe témoin, tandis que l'anémie ferriprive était plus faible (26,5 vs. 55,9%; P=0,04). Aucune différence significative n'a été observée pour les infections parasitaires entre les 2 groupes à la fin de l'étude. Ces résultats indiquent que l'anémie ferriprive représente un problème de santé publique chez les adolescentes étudiées et qu'une éducation nutritionnelle combinée à des modifications alimentaires visant à améliorer la teneur en fer absorbable peut réduire l'anémie ferriprive
A decision support tool for health service re-design
No full textMany of the outpatient services are currently only available in hospitals, however there are plans to provide some of these services alongside with General Practitioners. Consequently, General Practitioners could soon be based at polyclinics. These changes have caused a number of concerns to Hounslow Primary Care Trust (PCT). For example, which of the outpatient services are to be shifted from the hospital to the polyclinic? What are the current and expected future demands for these services? To tackle some of these concerns, the first phase of this project explores the set of specialties that are frequently visited in a sequence (using sequential association rules). The second phase develops an Excel based spreadsheet tool to compute the current and expected future demands for the selected specialties. From the sequential association rule algorithm, endocrinology and ophthalmology were found to be highly associated (i.e. frequently visited in a sequence), which means that these two specialties could easily be shifted from the hospital environment to the polyclinic. We illustrated the Excel based spreadsheet tool for endocrinology and ophthalmology, however, the model is generic enough to cope with other specialties, provided that the data are available
From madrasah to museum : a biography of the Islamic manuscripts of Cape Town
No full textThis paper focuses on the Islamic manuscripts of Cape Town, locally referred to as kietaabs, written by Muslims predominantly in the 19th century, in jawi (Arabic-Malay) and Arabic-Afrikaans. Inspired by the idea of a 'biography' of the archive and 'the social life of things', the study traces the life of the kietaabs, from their creation and original use, to their role in contemporary South African society, as objects of heritage and identity. It approaches the kietaabs as objects, emphasizing their movements, status and use, rather than their content
