Differences in pre-planned agility and reactive agility performance in sport games

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jaromír Šimonek

2016-06-01

were found between the performances of players in IAT, on the contrary in the test FAC we found agreement in performances of players of different specializations. The value of statistical significance (p = .774 point to the non-existence of a relationship between the performance in IAT vs FAC and stress fundamental difference between both variables. Conclusions: This study provides evidence supporting the experience of coaches that when developing agility it is inevitable to transfer from performing exercises with the change of direction planned in advance realized in static conditions onto the practice of open skills, in which reaction to the changing conditions of the match is combined with anticipation of the resulting optimum solution of the given situation.

Agile anywhere essays on agile projects and beyond

CERN Document Server

Hazzan, Orit

2014-01-01

The message conveyed in this work is that agility can be implemented anywhere. Accordingly, ten guidelines are presented for the adoption of agility to enable us to cope with changes in our lives, in our teams, and in our organizations. Since the authors advocate agility, the content is presented in the form of concise standalone chapters, allowing the reader to focus on the specific topic they wish to adopt in order to become agile.

Agile Values and Their Implementation in Practice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eva Maria Schön

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Today agile approaches are often used for the development of digital products. Since their development in the 90s, Agile Methodologies, such as Scrum and Extreme Programming, have evolved. Team collaboration is strongly influenced by the values and principles of the Agile Manifesto. The values and principles described in the Agile Manifesto support the optimization of the development process. In this article, the current operation is analyzed in Agile Product Development Processes. Both, the cooperation in the project team and the understanding of the roles and tasks will be analyzed. The results are set in relation to the best practices of Agile Methodologies. A quantitative questionnaire related to best practices in Agile Product Development was developed. The study was carried out with 175 interdisciplinary participants from the IT industry. For the evaluation of the results, 93 participants were included who have expertise in the subject area Agile Methodologies. On one hand, it is shown that the collaborative development of product-related ideas brings benefits. On the other hand, it is investigated which effect a good understanding of the product has on decisions made during the implementation. Furthermore, the skillset of product managers, the use of pair programming, and the advantages of cross-functional teams are analyzed.

Agile practice guide

CERN Document Server

2017-01-01

Agile Practice Guide – First Edition has been developed as a resource to understand, evaluate, and use agile and hybrid agile approaches. This practice guide provides guidance on when, where, and how to apply agile approaches and provides practical tools for practitioners and organizations wanting to increase agility. This practice guide is aligned with other PMI standards, including A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Sixth Edition, and was developed as the result of collaboration between the Project Management Institute and the Agile Alliance.

An Investigation of Agility Issues in Scrum Teams Using Agility Indicators

Science.gov (United States)

Pikkarainen, Minna; Wang, Xiaofeng

Agile software development methods have emerged and become increasingly popular in recent years; yet the issues encountered by software development teams that strive to achieve agility using agile methods are yet to be explored systematically. Built upon a previous study that has established a set of indicators of agility, this study investigates what issues are manifested in software development teams using agile methods. It is focussed on Scrum teams particularly. In other words, the goal of the chapter is to evaluate Scrum teams using agility indicators and therefore to further validate previously presented agility indicators within the additional cases. A multiple case study research method is employed. The findings of the study reveal that the teams using Scrum do not necessarily achieve agility in terms of team autonomy, sharing, stability and embraced uncertainty. The possible reasons include previous organizational plan-driven culture, resistance towards the Scrum roles and changing resources.

Investigating the strategic antecedents of agility in humanitarian logistics.

Science.gov (United States)

L'Hermitte, Cécile; Brooks, Benjamin; Bowles, Marcus; Tatham, Peter H

2017-10-01

This study investigates the strategic antecedents of operational agility in humanitarian logistics. It began by identifying the particular actions to be taken at the strategic level of a humanitarian organisation to support field-level agility. Next, quantitative data (n=59) were collected on four strategic-level capabilities (being purposeful, action-focused, collaborative, and learning-oriented) and on operational agility (field responsiveness and flexibility). Using a quantitative analysis, the study tested the relationship between organisational capacity building and operational agility and found that the four strategic-level capabilities are fundamental building blocks of agility. Collectively they account for 52 per cent of the ability of humanitarian logisticians to deal with ongoing changes and disruptions in the field. This study emphasises the need for researchers and practitioners to embrace a broader perspective of agility in humanitarian logistics. In addition, it highlights the inherently strategic nature of agility, the development of which involves focusing simultaneously on multiple drivers. © 2017 The Author(s). Disasters © Overseas Development Institute, 2017.

Fresh whole blood transfusions in coalition military, foreign national, and enemy combatant patients during Operation Iraqi Freedom at a U.S. combat support hospital.

Science.gov (United States)

Spinella, Philip C; Perkins, Jeremy G; Grathwohl, Kurt W; Repine, Thomas; Beekley, Alec C; Sebesta, James; Jenkins, Donald; Azarow, Kenneth; Holcomb, John B

2008-01-01

United States military doctrine permits the use of fresh whole blood (FWB), donated by U.S. military personnel on site, for casualties with life-threatening injuries at combat support hospitals. U.S. Military Medical Department policy dictates that all patients treated at military facilities during combat (coalition military personnel, foreign nationals, and enemy combatants) are to be treated equally. The objectives of this study were to describe admission vital signs and laboratory values and injury location for patients transfused with FWB, and to determine if FWB was employed equally among all patient personnel categories at a combat support hospital. This retrospective cohort study evaluated admission vital signs and laboratory values, injury location, and personnel category for all patients receiving FWB at a U.S. Army combat support hospital in Baghdad, Iraq, between January and December 2004. Eighty-seven patients received 545 units of FWB. Upon admission, the average (+/-S.D.) heart rate was 144 bpm (+/-25); systolic blood pressure, 106 mmHg (+/-33); base deficit, 9 (+/-6.5); hemoglobin, 9.0 g/dl (+/-2.6); platelet concentration, 81.9 x 10(3)/mm(3) (+/-81); international normalized ratio (INR), 2.0 (+/-1.1); and temperature 95.7 degrees F (+/-2.6). The percentages of intensive care patients who received FWB by personnel category were as follows: coalition soldiers, 51/592 (8.6%); foreign nationals, 25/347 (7.2%); and enemy combatants, 11/128 (8.5% (p = 0.38). The amount of FWB transfused by personnel category was as follows: coalition soldier, 4 units (1-35); foreign national, 4 units (1-36); and enemy combatant, 4 units (1-11) (p = 0.9). Fresh whole blood was used for anemic, acidemic, hypothermic, coagulopathic patients with life-threatening traumatic injuries in hemorrhagic shock, and it was transfused in equal percentages and amounts for coalition soldiers, foreign nationals, and enemy combatants.

Agile and lean principles and systems engineering: a synergy?

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Joseph-Malherbe, SM

2011-09-01

Full Text Available not efficient and effective enough to support rapid fielding of products. The objective of this piece of work is multi-fold: (1) to explore and present fundamental Systems Engineering, Agile and Lean principles (2) the evolution or lack of Lean and Agile...

Plan for Combat Operations (Battlefield Function 18) as Accomplished by a Forward Support Battalion. Volume 1: Function Analysis

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Whitley, Sam

1998-01-01

The purpose of the overall research program was to document the synchronization required by command and control tasks performed within the armored brigade, to include combat support and combat service support units...

A Case Study of Coordination in Distributed Agile Software Development

Science.gov (United States)

Hole, Steinar; Moe, Nils Brede

Global Software Development (GSD) has gained significant popularity as an emerging paradigm. Companies also show interest in applying agile approaches in distributed development to combine the advantages of both approaches. However, in their most radical forms, agile and GSD can be placed in each end of a plan-based/agile spectrum because of how work is coordinated. We describe how three GSD projects applying agile methods coordinate their work. We found that trust is needed to reduce the need of standardization and direct supervision when coordinating work in a GSD project, and that electronic chatting supports mutual adjustment. Further, co-location and modularization mitigates communication problems, enables agility in at least part of a GSD project, and renders the implementation of Scrum of Scrums possible.

Agile risk management

CERN Document Server

Moran, Alan

2014-01-01

This work is the definitive guide for IT managers and agile practitioners. It elucidates the principles of agile risk management and how these relate to individual projects. Explained in clear and concise terms, this synthesis of project risk management and agile techniques is illustrated using the major methodologies such as XP, Scrum and DSDM.Although the agile community frequently cites risk management, research suggests that risk is often narrowly defined and, at best, implicitly treated, which in turn leads to an inability to make informed decisions concerning risk and reward and a poor u

Agile methods in biomedical software development: a multi-site experience report

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kuhlmman Karl F

2006-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Agile is an iterative approach to software development that relies on strong collaboration and automation to keep pace with dynamic environments. We have successfully used agile development approaches to create and maintain biomedical software, including software for bioinformatics. This paper reports on a qualitative study of our experiences using these methods. Results We have found that agile methods are well suited to the exploratory and iterative nature of scientific inquiry. They provide a robust framework for reproducing scientific results and for developing clinical support systems. The agile development approach also provides a model for collaboration between software engineers and researchers. We present our experience using agile methodologies in projects at six different biomedical software development organizations. The organizations include academic, commercial and government development teams, and included both bioinformatics and clinical support applications. We found that agile practices were a match for the needs of our biomedical projects and contributed to the success of our organizations. Conclusion We found that the agile development approach was a good fit for our organizations, and that these practices should be applicable and valuable to other biomedical software development efforts. Although we found differences in how agile methods were used, we were also able to identify a set of core practices that were common to all of the groups, and that could be a focus for others seeking to adopt these methods.

Trust in agile teams

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tjørnehøj, Gitte; Fransgård, Mette; Skalkam, Signe

2012-01-01

actions influenced this. We see two important lessons from the analysis. First the agile practices of daily Scrum and self organizing team can empower DSD teams to manage their own development of trust and thereby alleviate the obstacles of DSD. Second if management fails to support the development...

An Exploration of Cognitive Agility as Quantified by Attention Allocation in a Complex Environment

Science.gov (United States)

2017-03-01

quantifying cognitive agility, and this thesis is part of a larger effort by TRADOC to develop just such a measure. In support of this effort, this... cognitive agility in a military context and (2) determine if psychological measures of cognitive flexibility, focused attention and creativity...quantifying cognitive agility in its personnel. The study involved several traditional psychological tests of cognitive agility, including the

Analyzing Agile Development – from Waterfall Style to Scrumban

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marian STOICA

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The spectacular evolution of information and communications technology in the last two decades and the growing obvious chase of utopian maximization of profit by economic organizations have made an impact on various fields, including that of methodological instruments regarding the lifecycle of software development. We will speak about the necessity of organizational ability to adapt to continuously changing market conditions, which leads undoubtedly to acquiring functional flexibility and, in the end, of business agility. Also, the agility of a business (not only in software development is supported by the manifestation of agility on all three architectural levels: business, informational, technological. In this study we aim to identify the elements that impact on agility in developing software products, in a gradual approach, from the traditional waterfall model towards approaches like Scrumban. Additionally, we will understand the social dimension of using agile methodologies in software development projects and the main barriers in adopting such methodologies.

How does agility ensure quality?

OpenAIRE

Huo, Ming; Verner, June; Ali Babar, Muhammad; Zhu, Liming

2004-01-01

peer-reviewed Software quality is one of our most important software concerns. Agile methods may produce software faster but we also need to know how they meet our quality requirements. In this paper we compare the waterfall model with agile processes to show how agile methods achieve software quality. We also show how agile methods attain quality under time pressure and in an unstable requirements environment, i.e. we analyze agile software quality assurance. We ...

Effect of Exercise Program Speed, Agility, and Quickness (SAQ) in Improving Speed, Agility, and Acceleration

Science.gov (United States)

Azmi, K.; Kusnanik, N. W.

2018-01-01

This study aimed to analyze the effect of speed, agility and quickness training program to increase in speed, agility and acceleration. This study was conducted at 26 soccer players and divided into 2 groups with 13 players each group. Group 1 was given SAQ training program, and Group 2 conventional training program for 8 weeks. This study used a quantitative approach with quasi-experimental method. The design of this study used a matching-only design. Data was collected by testing 30-meter sprint (speed), agility t-test (agility), and run 10 meters (acceleration) during the pretest and posttest. Furthermore, the data was analyzed using paired sample t-test and independent t-test. The results showed: that there was a significant effect of speed, agility and quickness training program in improving in speed, agility and acceleration. In summary, it can be concluded that the speed, agility and quickness training program can improve the speed, agility and acceleration of the soccer players.

Agile IT Security Implementation Methodology

CERN Document Server

Laskowski, Jeff

2011-01-01

The book is a tutorial that goes from basic to professional level for Agile IT security. It begins by assuming little knowledge of agile security. Readers should hold a good knowledge of security methods and agile development. The book is targeted at IT security managers, directors, and architects. It is useful for anyone responsible for the deployment of IT security countermeasures. Security people with a strong knowledge of agile software development will find this book to be a good review of agile concepts.

Plan for Combat Operations (Battlefield Function 18) as Accomplished by a Direct Support Field Artillery Battalion. Volume 2: Assessment Package

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Mullen, William

1998-01-01

The purpose of the overall research program was to document the synchronization required by command and control tasks performed within the armored brigade to include combat support and combat service support units...

AMES: Towards an Agile Method for ERP Selection

OpenAIRE

Juell-Skielse, Gustaf; Nilsson, Anders G.; Nordqvist, Andreas; Westergren, Mattias

2012-01-01

Conventional on-premise installations of ERP are now rapidly being replaced by ERP as service. Although ERP becomes more accessible and no longer requires local infrastructure, current selection methods do not take full advantage of the provided agility. In this paper we present AMES (Agile Method for ERP Selection), a novel method for ERP selection which better utilizes the strengths of service oriented ERP. AMES is designed to shorten lead time for selection, support identification of essen...

User-Centered Agile Methods

CERN Document Server

Beyer, Hugh

2010-01-01

With the introduction and popularization of Agile methods of software development, existing relationships and working agreements between user experience groups and developers are being disrupted. Agile methods introduce new concepts: the Product Owner, the Customer (but not the user), short iterations, User Stories. Where do UX professionals fit in this new world? Agile methods also bring a new mindset -- no big design, no specifications, minimal planning -- which conflict with the needs of UX design. This lecture discusses the key elements of Agile for the UX community and describes strategie

Agile, a guiding principle for health care improvement?

Science.gov (United States)

Tolf, Sara; Nyström, Monica E; Tishelman, Carol; Brommels, Mats; Hansson, Johan

2015-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to contribute to increased understanding of the concept agile and its potential for hospital managers to optimize design of organizational structures and processes to combine internal efficiency and external effectiveness. An integrative review was conducted using the reSEARCH database. Articles met the following criteria: first, a definition of agility; second, descriptions of enablers of becoming an agile organization; and finally, discussions of agile on multiple organizational levels. In total, 60 articles qualified for the final analysis. Organizational agility rests on the assumption that the environment is uncertain, ranging from frequently changing to highly unpredictable. Proactive, reactive or embracive coping strategies were described as possible ways to handle such uncertain environments. Five organizational capacities were derived as necessary for hospitals to use the strategies optimally: transparent and transient inter-organizational links; market sensitivity and customer focus; management by support for self-organizing employees; organic structures that are elastic and responsive; flexible human and resource capacity for timely delivery. Agile is portrayed as either the "new paradigm" following lean, the needed development on top of a lean base, or as complementary to lean in distinct hybrid strategies. Environmental uncertainty needs to be matched with coping strategies and organizational capacities to design processes responsive to real needs of health care. This implies that lean and agile can be combined to optimize the design of hospitals, to meet different variations in demand and create good patient management. While considerable value has been paid to strategies to improve the internal efficiency within hospitals, this review raise the attention to the value of strategies of external effectiveness.

Pathways to agility in the production of neutron generators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stoltz, R.E. [Sandia National Labs., Livermore, CA (United States); Beavis, L.C.; Cutchen, J.T.; Garcia, P.; Gurule, G.A.; Harris, R.N.; McKey, P.C.; Williams, D.W. [Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States)

1994-02-01

This report is the result of a study team commissioned to explore pathways for increased agility in the manufacture of neutron generators. As a part of Sandia`s new responsibility for generator production, the goal of the study was to identify opportunities to reduce costs and increase flexibility in the manufacturing operation. Four parallel approaches (or pathways) were recommended: (1) Know the goal, (2) Use design leverage effectively, (3) Value simplicity, and (4) Configure for flexibility. Agility in neutron generator production can be enhanced if all of these pathways are followed. The key role of the workforce in achieving agility was also noted, with emphasis on ownership, continuous learning, and a supportive environment.

Plan for Combat Operations (Battlefield Function 18) as Accomplished by an Engineer Battalion Supporting a Heavy Brigade. Volume 1: Function Analysis

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Anderson, Martin

1997-01-01

The purpose of the overall research program was to document the synchronization required by command and control tasks performed within the armored brigade, to include combat support and combat service support units...

Plan for Combat Operations (Battlefield Function 18) as Accomplished by an Engineer Battalion Supporting a Heavy Brigade. Volume 2: Assessment Package

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Mullen, William

1997-01-01

The purpose of the overall research program was to document the synchronization required by command and control tasks performed within the armored brigade to include combat support and combat service support units...

Race/ethnicity, psychological resilience, and social support among OEF/OIF combat veterans.

Science.gov (United States)

Herbert, Matthew S; Leung, Desmond W; Pittman, James O E; Floto, Elizabeth; Afari, Niloofar

2018-07-01

This study examined the relationship between race/ethnicity and psychological resilience, and the moderating role of social support in this relationship among non-Hispanic White (n = 605), Hispanic (n = 107), African American (n = 141), and Asian American (n = 97) Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) combat veterans. Veterans were primarily male (88%) with a mean age of 31.4 years (SD = 8.35). An analysis of covariance showed that Asian American veterans reported significantly lower psychological resilience than non-Hispanic White veterans. The interaction of race/ethnicity and social support with psychological resilience was examined via linear regression. We found that the relationship between psychological resilience and social support significantly differed by race/ethnicity such that social support was positively associated with psychological resilience among non-Hispanic White veterans, but not among other racial/ethnic groups. Our findings are consistent with previous studies that show Asian American veterans report lower psychological resilience than non-Hispanic White veterans. Cultural differences in how and why individuals use social support may underlie racial/ethnic differences in the relationship between social support and psychological resilience. Future qualitative and quantitative research is encouraged to better understand how social support relates to psychological resilience among minority OEF/OIF combat veterans. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Cumulative trauma and midlife well-being in American women who served in Vietnam: effects of combat exposure and postdeployment social support.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Crystal L; Wachen, Jennifer Schuster; Kaiser, Anica Pless; Mager Stellman, Jeanne

2015-01-01

Research increasingly demonstrates that trauma exposure can have cumulative effects, yet much remains to be learned about effects of cumulative trauma, particularly regarding longer term adjustment. One such trauma, combat exposure, is insufficiently understood, especially for women, who are increasingly engaged in professional combat activities. The study comprised a cross-sectional survey assessing multiple aspects of current well-being in women approximately 25 years after their service in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. Participants were 1374 women (78% military and 22% nonmilitary; mean age = 59.7). This study investigated the relations between three separate categories of trauma exposure (childhood, adulthood, and combat) and well-being and examined whether perceived social support at return from Vietnam moderated the association between combat exposure and well-being. While both childhood and adulthood trauma exposure related to midlife well-being, combat exposure still uniquely predicted outcomes. Further, postdeployment perceived social support moderated the association of combat and well-being: recollected higher perceived social support at homecoming buffered participants from the links between combat exposure and well-being. These results may have important implications for interventions to reduce the impact of traumatic experiences, particularly in light of the increasing exposure of women to direct combat events.

The first AGILE low-energy (catalog

Science.gov (United States)

Marisaldi, Martino; Fuschino, Fabio; Pittori, Carlotta; Verrecchia, Francesco; Giommi, Paolo; Tavani, Marco; Dietrich, Stefano; Price, Colin; Argan, Andrea; Labanti, Claudio; Galli, Marcello; Longo, Francesco; Del Monte, Ettore; Barbiellini, Guido; Giuliani, Andrea; Bulgarelli, Andrea; Gianotti, Fulvio; Trifoglio, Massimo; Trois, Alessio

2014-05-01

We present the first catalog of Terrestrial Gamma-ray Flashes (TGFs) detected by the Minicalorimeter (MCAL) instrument on-board the AGILE satellite. The catalog includes 308 TGFs detected during the period March 2009 - July 2012 in the +/- 2.5° latitude band and selected to have the maximum photon energy up to 30 MeV. The characteristics of the AGILE events are analysed and compared to the observational framework established by the two other currently active missions capable of detecting TGFs from space, RHESSI and Fermi. A detailed model of the MCAL dead time is presented, which is fundamental to properly interpret our observations, particularly concerning duration, intensity and correlation with lightning sferics detected by the World Wide Lightning Location Network. The TGFs cumulative spectrum supports a low production altitude, in agreement with previous measurements. The AGILE TGF catalog below 30 MeV is publicly accessible online at the website of the ASI Science Data Center (ASDC) http://www.asdc.asi.it/mcaltgfcat/ In addition to the TGF sample properties we also present the catalog website functionalities available to users.

Measuring the agility of omnichannel operations: an agile marketing maturity model

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hoogveld, M.; Koster, J.M.D.

2016-01-01

Agile is a widely accepted approach for software development. The deployment of agile in marketing practice is proliferating and appears also relevant for the dynamics and complexity of omnichannel operations. However, prior literature research showed that no well-founded method is available for

Case-based Agile Fixture Design

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

无

2001-01-01

In order to realize the agility of the fixture design, such asreconfigurability, rescalability and reusability, fixture structure is function unit-based decomposed from a fire-new point of view. Which makes it easy for agile fixture to be reconfigured and modified. Thereby, the base of case-based agile fixture design system info is established.Whole case-based agile fixture design model is presented. In which, three modules are added relative to the other models, including case matching of fixture planning module, conflict arbitration module and agile fixture case modify module. The three modules could solve the previous problem that the experience and result are difficult to be reused in the process of design.Two key techniques in the process of the agile fixture design, the evaluation of case similarity, and restriction-based conflict arbitration, are listed. And some methods are presented to evaluate the similarity and clear up the conflict.

Integrating Agile Combat Support within Title 10 Wargames

Science.gov (United States)

2015-03-26

5 II. Literature Review...progressed, the warfare has changed from tribal to medieval to trench to guerilla and now to modern warfare. As these types of warfare have evolved, the...connection between logistics and wargames. 6 II. Literature Review The purpose of this chapter is to review literature on wargames, the issues

An agile implementation of SCRUM

Science.gov (United States)

Gannon, Michele

Is Agile a way to cut corners? To some, the use of an Agile Software Development Methodology has a negative connotation - “ Oh, you're just not producing any documentation” . So can a team with no experience in Agile successfully implement and use SCRUM?

SuperAGILE: The hard X-ray imager for the AGILE space mission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feroci, M.; Costa, E.; Soffitta, P.; Del Monte, E.; Di Persio, G.; Donnarumma, I.; Evangelista, Y.; Frutti, M.; Lapshov, I.; Lazzarotto, F.; Mastropietro, M.; Morelli, E.; Pacciani, L.; Porrovecchio, G.; Rapisarda, M.; Rubini, A.; Tavani, M.; Argan, A.

2007-01-01

SuperAGILE is a coded mask experiment based on silicon microstrip detectors. It operates in the 15-45 keV nominal energy range, providing crossed one-dimensional images of the X-ray sky with an on-axis angular resolution of 6 arcmin, over a field of view in excess of 1 sr. It was designed as the hard X-ray monitor of the AGILE space mission, a small satellite of the Italian Space Agency devoted to image the gamma-ray sky in the 30 MeV-50 GeV energy band. The AGILE mission was launched in a low-earth orbit on 23rd April 2007. In this paper we describe the SuperAGILE experiment, its construction and test processes, and its performance before flight, based on the on-ground test and calibrations

Agility Into Victory

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Juhlin, Jonas Alastair

This paper will investigate how the three core concepts of command and control agility can increase the chance for a successful outcome in military operations and what elements that should be strengthen within a military organization in order to achieve an agile approach to command and control. T...

Usability Evaluation Method for Agile Software Development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Saad Masood Butt

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Agile methods are the best fit for tremendously growing software industry due to its flexible and dynamic nature. But the software developed using agile methods do meet the usability standards? To answer this question we can see that majority of agile software development projects currently involve interactive user interface designs, which can only be possible by following User Centered Design (UCD in agile methods. The question here is, how to integrate UCD with agile models. Both Agile models and UCD are iterative in nature but agile models focus on coding and development of software; whereas, UCD focuses on user interface of the software. Similarly, both of them have testing features where the agile model involves automated tested code while UCD involves an expert or a user to test the user interface. In this paper, a new agile usability model is proposed and the evaluation is of the proposed model is presented by practically implementing it in three real life projects. . Key results from these projects clearly show: the proposed agile model incorporates usability evaluation methods, improves the relationship between usability experts to work with agile software experts; in addition, allows agile developers to incorporate the result from UCD into subsequent interactions.

Strategic agility for nursing leadership.

Science.gov (United States)

Shirey, Maria R

2015-06-01

This department highlights change management strategies that may be successful in strategically planning and executing organizational change. In this article, the author discusses strategic agility as an important leadership competency and offers approaches for incorporating strategic agility in healthcare systems. A strategic agility checklist and infrastructure-building approach are presented.

Agile Scientists? : Investigating Agile Practices in Scientific Software Development

OpenAIRE

Sletholt, Magnus Thorstein

2011-01-01

The topic of this master thesis is development of scientific software. The research questions put forth are oriented towards specific agile practices and whether these are present in the development processes of scientific software projects. Moreover, the effects of applying such agile practices, particularly pertaining to the handling of requirements and testing, in scientific software projects are addressed in the thesis. In order to answer the proposed research questions a table consisting...

Agile Project Management For Dummies

CERN Document Server

Layton, Mark C

2012-01-01

Be flexible and faster with Agile project management As mobile and web technologies continue to evolve rapidly, there is added pressure to develop and implement software projects in weeks instead of months. Agile Project Management For Dummies can make that happen. This is the first book to provide a simple, step-by-step guide to Agile Project Management approaches, tools, and techniques. With the fast pace of mobile and web technology development, software project development must keep pace; Agile Project Management enables developers to complete and implement projects more quickly and this b

Opening up the Agile Innovation Process

Science.gov (United States)

Conboy, Kieran; Donnellan, Brian; Morgan, Lorraine; Wang, Xiaofeng

The objective of this panel is to discuss how firms can operate both an open and agile innovation process. In an era of unprecedented changes, companies need to be open and agile in order to adapt rapidly and maximize their innovation processes. Proponents of agile methods claim that one of the main distinctions between agile methods and their traditional bureaucratic counterparts is their drive toward creativity and innovation. However, agile methods are rarely adopted in their textbook, "vanilla" format, and are usually adopted in part or are tailored or modified to suit the organization. While we are aware that this happens, there is still limited understanding of what is actually happening in practice. Using innovation adoption theory, this panel will discuss the issues and challenges surrounding the successful adoption of agile practices. In addition, this panel will report on the obstacles and benefits reported by over 20 industrial partners engaged in a pan-European research project into agile practices between 2006 and 2009.

Evaluation of Combat Service Support Logistics Concepts for Supplying a USMC Regimental Task Force

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Lenhardt, Thomas

2001-01-01

.... This thesis evaluates existing and proposed concepts on how to best use the CSSE resources of a Force Service Support Group to transport supplies to Regimental Combat Teams over constrained networks...

The AGILE Mission

CERN Document Server

Tavani, M.; Argan, A.; Boffelli, F.; Bulgarelli, A.; Caraveo, P.; Cattaneo, P.W.; Chen, A.W.; Cocco, V.; Costa, E.; D'Ammando, F.; Del Monte, E.; De Paris, G.; Di Cocco, G.; Di Persio, G.; Donnarumma, I.; Evangelista, Y.; Feroci, M.; Ferrari, A.; Fiorini, M.; Fornari, F.; Fuschino, F.; Froysland, T.; Frutti, M.; Galli, M.; Gianotti, F.; Giuliani, A.; Labanti, C.; Lapshov, I.; Lazzarotto, F.; Liello, F.; Lipari, P.; Longo, F.; Mattaini, E.; Marisaldi, M.; Mastropietro, M.; Mauri, A.; Mauri, F.; Mereghetti, S.; Morelli, E.; Morselli, A.; Pacciani, L.; Pellizzoni, A.; Perotti, F.; Piano, G.; Picozza, P.; Pontoni, C.; Porrovecchio, G.; Prest, M.; Pucella, G.; Rapisarda, M.; Rappoldi, A.; Rossi, E.; Rubini, A.; Soffitta, P.; Traci, A.; Trifoglio, M.; Trois, A.; Vallazza, E.; Vercellone, S.; Vittorini, V.; Zambra, A.; Zanello, D.; Pittori, C.; Preger, B.; Santolamazza, P.; Verrecchia, F.; Giommi, P.; Colafrancesco, S.; Antonelli, A.; Cutini, S.; Gasparrini, D.; Stellato, S.; Fanari, G.; Primavera, R.; Tamburelli, F.; Viola, F.; Guarrera, G.; Salotti, L.; D'Amico, F.; Marchetti, E.; Crisconio, M.; Sabatini, P.; Annoni, G.; Alia, S.; Longoni, A.; Sanquerin, R.; Battilana, M.; Concari, P.; Dessimone, E.; Grossi, R.; Parise, A.; Monzani, F.; Artina, E.; Pavesi, R.; Marseguerra, G.; Nicolini, L.; Scandelli, L.; Soli, L.; Vettorello, V.; Zardetto, E.; Bonati, A.; Maltecca, L.; D'Alba, E.; Patane, M.; Babini, G.; Onorati, F.; Acquaroli, L.; Angelucci, M.; Morelli, B.; Agostara, C.; Cerone, M.; Michetti, A.; Tempesta, P.; D'Eramo, S.; Rocca, F.; Giannini, F.; Borghi, G.; Garavelli, B.; Conte, M.; Balasini, M.; Ferrario, I.; Vanotti, M.; Collavo, E.; Giacomazzo, M.

2008-01-01

AGILE is an Italian Space Agency mission dedicated to the observation of the gamma-ray Universe. The AGILE very innovative instrumentation combines for the first time a gamma-ray imager (sensitive in the energy range 30 MeV - 50 GeV), a hard X-ray imager (sensitive in the range 18-60 keV) together with a Calorimeter (sensitive in the range 300 keV - 100 MeV) and an anticoincidence system. AGILE was successfully launched on April 23, 2007 from the Indian base of Sriharikota and was inserted in an equatorial orbit with a very low particle background. AGILE provides crucial data for the study of Active Galactic Nuclei, Gamma-Ray Bursts, pulsars, unidentified gamma-ray sources, Galactic compact objects, supernova remnants, TeV sources, and fundamental physics by microsecond timing. An optimal angular resolution (reaching 0.1-0.2 degrees in gamma-rays, 1-2 arcminutes in hard X-rays) and very large fields of view (2.5 sr and 1 sr, respectively) are obtained by the use of Silicon detectors integrated in a very compa...

Human factors in agile manufacturing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Forsythe, C.

1995-03-01

As industries position themselves for the competitive markets of today, and the increasingly competitive global markets of the 21st century, agility, or the ability to rapidly develop and produce new products, represents a common trend. Agility manifests itself in many different forms, with the agile manufacturing paradigm proposed by the Iacocca Institute offering a generally accepted, long-term vision. In its many forms, common elements of agility or agile manufacturing include: changes in business, engineering and production practices, seamless information flow from design through production, integration of computer and information technologies into all facets of the product development and production process, application of communications technologies to enable collaborative work between geographically dispersed product development team members and introduction of flexible automation of production processes. Industry has rarely experienced as dramatic an infusion of new technologies or as extensive a change in culture and work practices. Human factors will not only play a vital role in accomplishing the technical and social objectives of agile manufacturing. but has an opportunity to participate in shaping the evolution of industry paradigms for the 21st century.

Agile Software Development

Science.gov (United States)

Biju, Soly Mathew

2008-01-01

Many software development firms are now adopting the agile software development method. This method involves the customer at every level of software development, thus reducing the impact of change in the requirement at a later stage. In this article, the principles of the agile method for software development are explored and there is a focus on…

Pro Agile NET Development with Scrum

CERN Document Server

Blankenship, Jerrel; Millett, Scott

2011-01-01

Pro Agile .NET Development with SCRUM guides you through a real-world ASP.NET project and shows how agile methodology is put into practice. There is plenty of literature on the theory behind agile methodologies, but no book on the market takes the concepts of agile practices and applies these in a practical manner to an end-to-end ASP.NET project, especially the estimating, requirements and management aspects of a project. Pro Agile .NET Development with SCRUM takes you through the initial stages of a project - gathering requirements and setting up an environment - through to the development a

Agile distributed software development

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Persson, John Stouby; Mathiassen, Lars; Aaen, Ivan

2012-01-01

While face-to-face interaction is fundamental in agile software development, distributed environments must rely extensively on mediated interactions. Practicing agile principles in distributed environments therefore poses particular control challenges related to balancing fixed vs. evolving quality...... requirements and people vs. process-based collaboration. To investigate these challenges, we conducted an in-depth case study of a successful agile distributed software project with participants from a Russian firm and a Danish firm. Applying Kirsch’s elements of control framework, we offer an analysis of how...

Understanding organizational agility: a work-design perspective

OpenAIRE

Holsapple, Clyde W.; Li, Xun

2008-01-01

This paper introduces a unified theoretical model of organizational agility and investigates the attributes of knowledge-intensive work-design systems, which contribute to achieving and sustaining organizational agility. Even though there has been considerable research on the topic of agility, these studies are not unified regarding their conceptualizations of agility and/or tend to adopt fairly limited views of agility dimensionality. Here, we organize a review of existing definitions and ...

Agile Walker.

Science.gov (United States)

Katz, Reuven

2015-01-01

The goal of the Agile Walker is to improve the outdoor mobility of healthy elderly people with some mobility limitations. It is a newly developed, all-terrain walker, equipped with an electric drive system and speed control that can assists elderly people to walk outdoors or to hike. The walker has a unique product design with an attractive look that will appeal to "active-agers" population. This paper describes product design requirements and the development process of the Agile Walker, its features and some preliminary testing results.

Agile foundations principles, practices and frameworks

CERN Document Server

Measey, Peter; Gray, Alex; Levy, Richard; Oliver, Les; Roberts, Barbara; Short, Michael; Wilmshurst, Darren; Wolf, Lazaro

2015-01-01

Agile practices transform the way organisations carry out business and respond to change. But to realise success, an Agile mindset needs to be adopted throughout an organisation. This book gives a comprehensive introduction to Agile principles and methodologies.

Agile modeling practice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Baojie

2012-01-01

In recent years, the Unified Process and Agile Modeling is attracting people's attention for having integrated theory and maneuver ability. Based on the practice of China North Nuclear PWR's production and quality MIS project, the paper introduces Unified Process and Agile Modeling at first, then scratch the application of scientific idea to soft project for reference by similar projects afterwards. (author)

SuperAGILE: The Hard X-ray Imager of AGILE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feroci, M.; Costa, E.; Barbanera, L.; Del Monte, E.; Di Persio, G.; Frutti, M.; Lapshov, I.; Lazzarotto, F.; Pacciani, L.; Porrovecchio, G.; Preger, B.; Rapisarda, M.; Rubini, A.; Soffitta, P.; Tavani, M.; Mastropietro, M.; Morelli, E.; Argan, A.; Ghirlanda, G.; Mereghetti, S.

2004-01-01

SuperAGILE is the hard X-ray (10-40 keV) imager for the gamma-ray mission AGILE, currently scheduled for launch in mid-2005. It is based on 4 Si-microstrip detectors, with a total geometric area of 1444 cm 2 (max effective about 300 cm 2 ), equipped with one-dimensional coded masks. The 4 detectors are perpendicularly oriented, in order to provide pairs of orthogonal one-dimensional images of the X-ray sky. The field of view of each 1-D detector is 107 deg. x 68 deg., at zero response, with an overlap in the central 68 deg. x 68 deg. area. The angular resolution on axis is 6 arcmin (pixel size). We present here the current status of the hardware development and the scientific potential for GRBs, for which an onboard trigger and imaging system will allow distributing locations through a fast communication telemetry link from AGILE to the ground

PayPal in a customer driven world - Application of Agile

OpenAIRE

Anderka, Zita Judit; Simonfalvi, Laura

2016-01-01

Our project is centered around the changes in the business environment, and howthese contemporary challenges can be handled by the organizations to stay incompetition. Merholz et al.(2008) has inspired this project by his idea of a bettercustomer orientation, which he claims the key of success in the 21st century.Therefore we draw on the theory of the new lightweight methodologies, namelyAgile, being latent in the literature of Agile Manifesto, which supports companies tobe customer and innov...

Challenges of Best Agile Management Practices

OpenAIRE

Kulesovs, Ivans; Korkkinen, Max

2013-01-01

Agile software development and Agile leadership are widespread topics nowadays. Management 3.0 framework is a new framework for Agile leadership implementation within the software development organization. We have performed research that should answer such question as, what are the difficulties related to and the best practices of Agile leadership implementation in software development organizations through the prism of Management 3.0 framework views. In order to do this we have performed the...

Evaluation of the Agility Level of the Organization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Linkevics Gusts

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Organizations and teams are switching to agile methodology more and more often. The problem lies in the fact that organizations and teams are not certain at which agility level they currently are and at which agility domains they fail. This research focuses on creating a new method and tool for evaluation of the agility level of the company. The proposed method is based on the agility model of the company with agility domains, subdomains and attributes. Expert evaluation of domains, subdomains and attributes is the core of this method. The result of this research is the agility assessment method and blueprint of the architecture for the agility evaluation tool.

AGILE Highlights after Six Years in Orbit

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carlotta Pittori

2014-12-01

Full Text Available AGILE is an ASI space mission in collaboration with INAF, INFN and CIFS, dedicated to the observation of the gamma-ray Universe in the 30 MeV - 50 GeV energy range, with simultaneous X-ray imaging capability in the 18-60 keV band. The AGILE satellite was launched on April 23rd, 2007, and produced several important scientic results, among which the unexpected discovery of strong ares from the Crab Nebula. This discovery won to the AGILE PI and the AGILE Team the Bruno Rossi Prize for 2012 by the High Energy Astrophysics division of the American Astronomical Society. Thanks to its sky monitoring capability and fast ground segment alert system, AGILE detected many Galactic and extragalactic sources: among other results AGILE discovered gamma-ray emission from the microquasar Cygnus X-3, detected many bright blazars, discovered several new gamma-ray pulsars, and discovered emission up to 100 MeV from Terrestrial Gamma-Ray Flashes. We present an overview of the main AGILE Data Center activities and the AGILE scientic highlights after 6 years of operations.

Modeling of Agile Intelligent Manufacturing-oriented Production Scheduling System

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Zhong-Qi Sheng; Chang-Ping Tang; Ci-Xing Lv

2010-01-01

Agile intelligent manufacturing is one of the new manufacturing paradigms that adapt to the fierce globalizing market competition and meet the survival needs of the enterprises, in which the management and control of the production system have surpassed the scope of individual enterprise and embodied some new features including complexity, dynamicity, distributivity, and compatibility. The agile intelligent manufacturing paradigm calls for a production scheduling system that can support the cooperation among various production sectors, the distribution of various resources to achieve rational organization, scheduling and management of production activities. This paper uses multi-agents technology to build an agile intelligent manufacturing-oriented production scheduling system. Using the hybrid modeling method, the resources and functions of production system are encapsulated, and the agent-based production system model is established. A production scheduling-oriented multi-agents architecture is constructed and a multi-agents reference model is given in this paper.

Agile manufacturing from a statistical perspective

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Easterling, R.G. [Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States). New Initiatives Dept.

1995-10-01

The objective of agile manufacturing is to provide the ability to quickly realize high-quality, highly-customized, in-demand products at a cost commensurate with mass production. More broadly, agility in manufacturing, or any other endeavor, is defined as change-proficiency; the ability to thrive in an environment of unpredictable change. This report discusses the general direction of the agile manufacturing initiative, including research programs at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the Department of Energy, and other government agencies, but focuses on agile manufacturing from a statistical perspective. The role of statistics can be important because agile manufacturing requires the collection and communication of process characterization and capability information, much of which will be data-based. The statistical community should initiate collaborative work in this important area.

Agile Software Development: An Introduction and Overview

Science.gov (United States)

Dingsøyr, Torgeir; Dybå, Tore; Moe, Nils Brede

Agile software development is an important topic in software engineering and information systems. This chapter provides a characterization and definition of agile software development, an overview of research through a summary of existing overview studies, an analysis of the research literature so far, and an introduction to the main themes of this book. The first part of the book provides foundations and background of agile development. The second part describes findings from studies of agile methods in practice. The third part identifies principal challenges and discusses new frontiers that agile development methods will meet in the future.

Conceptualizing Interpersonal Relationships in Agile IS Development

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Madsen, Sabine; Matook, Sabine

Agile information systems development (ISD) is a people-centered approach that emphasizes frequent interaction and genuine co-operation between customers and developers. While business relationships are the norm in the workplace, agile ISD leads to the creation of close interpersonal relationships....... Drawing on relationship theory and friendship literature we propose a theoretical framework of three types of workplace relationships. The framework is used for deriving theoretical preconceptions about agile relationships and their impact on the agile ISD team’s ability to deliver valuable, working...... software frequently. We also present the interpretive approach we will apply. An understanding of the relationship specific aspects of agile ISD as well as of the importance and impact of certain relationship characteristics can help explain why some agile projects succeed, while others fail...

Global Combat Support System-Marine Corps Logistics Chain Management Increment 1 (GCSS-MC LCM Inc 1)

Science.gov (United States)

2016-03-01

Global Combat Support System – Marine Corps (GCSS-MC) is a portfolio of systems that supports logistics elements of command and control, joint...future Marine Corps logistics systems modernization . GCSS-MC/LCM Increment 1 Capability Release 1 (hereinafter Release 1.1) is the baseline

Literature Survey on Network Concepts and Measures to Support Research in Network-Centric Operations

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Olsson, Eric

2003-01-01

The United States Navy and its joint partners continually seek to maintain a responsive, agile, and effective fighting force well suited to combat present-day threats to national security. As a result, U.S...

Risks Associated with Fresh Whole Blood and Red Blood Cell Transfusions in a Combat Support Hospital

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Spinella, Philip C; Perkins, Jeremy G; Grathwohl, Kurt W; Repine, Thomas; Beekley, Alec C; Sebesta, James; Jenkins, Donald; Azarow, Kenneth; Holcomb, John B

2007-01-01

.... Between April 2004 and December 2004, FWB was prescreened only at one combat support hospital for human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis C virus, and hepatitis B surface antigen before transfusion...

AGILE: A gamma-ray mission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tavani, M.; Caraveo, P.; Mereghetti, S.; Perotti, F.; Vercellone, S.; Barbiellini, G.; Budini, G.; Longo, F.; Prest, M.; Vallazza, E.; Cocco, V.; Morselli, A.; Picozza, P.; Pittori, C.; Costa, E.; Feroci, M.; Lapshov, I.; Morelli, E.; Rubini, A.; Soffitta, P.

2000-01-01

AGILE is an innovative, cost-effective gamma-ray mission selected by the Italian Space Agency for a Program of Small Scientific Missions. The AGILE gamma-ray imaging detector (GRID, made of a Silicon tracker and CsI Mini-Calorimeter) is designed to detect and image photons in the 30 MeV-50 GeV energy band with good sensitivity and very large field of view (FOV ∼3 sr). The X-ray detector, Super-AGILE, sensitive in the 10-40 keV band and integrated on top of the GRID gamma-ray tracker will provide imaging (1-3 arcmin) and moderate spectroscopy. For selected sky areas, AGILE might achieve a flux sensitivity (above 100 MeV) better than 5x10 -8 ph cm 2 s -1 at the completion of its scientific program. AGILE will operate as an Observatory open to the international community and is planned to be operational during the year 2002 for a nominal 2-year mission. It will be an ideal 'bridge' between EGRET and GLAST, and the only mission entirely dedicated to high-energy astrophysics above 30 MeV during that period

Agile Port System Transition Support Transition Plan Development

Science.gov (United States)

2013-07-29

the term agile port like  coca   cola  having migrated to the national lexicon in ubiquitous general usage.  For its part the JDDSP concept has evolved...RTLS technology is a COTS patented technology and TrAMS technology is owned by CSUOB  Foundation. Neither is in a  financial  position to invest in...acquisition and  systems engineering principles.   Cost    X    A focused effort would require dedication of adequate in kind and  financial  DoD resources

A Systematic Literature Review of Agile Maturity Model Research

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vaughan Henriques

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Background/Aim/Purpose: A commonly implemented software process improvement framework is the capability maturity model integrated (CMMI. Existing literature indicates higher levels of CMMI maturity could result in a loss of agility due to its organizational focus. To maintain agility, research has focussed attention on agile maturity models. The objective of this paper is to find the common research themes and conclusions in agile maturity model research. Methodology: This research adopts a systematic approach to agile maturity model research, using Google Scholar, Science Direct, and IEEE Xplore as sources. In total 531 articles were initially found matching the search criteria, which was filtered to 39 articles by applying specific exclusion criteria. Contribution:: The article highlights the trends in agile maturity model research, specifically bringing to light the lack of research providing validation of such models. Findings: Two major themes emerge, being the coexistence of agile and CMMI and the development of agile principle based maturity models. The research trend indicates an increase in agile maturity model articles, particularly in the latter half of the last decade, with concentrations of research coinciding with version updates of CMMI. While there is general consensus around higher CMMI maturity levels being incompatible with true agility, there is evidence of the two coexisting when agile is introduced into already highly matured environments. Future Research:\tFuture research direction for this topic should include how to attain higher levels of CMMI maturity using only agile methods, how governance is addressed in agile environments, and whether existing agile maturity models relate to improved project success.

Beneficial and Harmful Agile Practices for Product Quality

OpenAIRE

Theobald, Sven; Diebold, Philipp

2017-01-01

There is the widespread belief that Agile neglects the product quality. This lack of understanding how Agile processes assure the quality of the product prevents especially companies from regulated domains from an adoption of Agile. This work aims to identify which Agile Practices contribute towards product quality. Hence, data from a survey study is analyzed to identify Ag-ile Practices which are beneficial or harmful for the quality of the product. From 49 practices that were used in the su...

Teamwork in Distributed Agile Software Development

OpenAIRE

Gurram, Chaitanya; Bandi, Srinivas Goud

2013-01-01

Context: Distributed software development has become a most desired way of software development. Application of agile development methodologies in distributed environments has taken a new trend in developing software due to its benefits of improved communication and collaboration. Teamwork is an important concept that agile methodologies facilitate and is one of the potential determinants of team performance which was not focused in distributed agile software development. Objectives: This res...

IT Enabled Agility in Organizational Ambidexterity

OpenAIRE

Röder, Nina; Schermann, Michael; Krcmar, Helmut

2015-01-01

The aim of ambidextrous organizations is to balance exploratory and exploitative learning concepts. They innovate through experiments and research, and capture the value of innovations through refinement and continuous improvement. In this paper, we study the relationship of organizational ambidexterity and IT enabled agility. Based on a case study with a German car manufacturer we find that (1) entrepreneurial agility impedes exploitative concepts, (2) adaptive agility impedes exploratory co...

Development of Agile Practices in Romanian Software Community

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eduard BUDACU

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Agile Software Development (ASD promotes flexibility to change and emphasis the importance of individuals and interactions in producing software. The study presents the development of agile practices in Romanian software community. A literature review is conducted and the main agile methods are described. The characteristics of Romanian ICT sector is presented in relation with agile methodology. Practices are identified by a survey and an analysis on the groups of interests formed on Meetup website is performed. Future directions and development of agile practices is evaluated.

Social media as an information system: improving the technological agility

Science.gov (United States)

Senadheera, Vindaya; Warren, Matthew; Leitch, Shona

2017-04-01

There is an increased focus on research involving social media. This research however has failed to catch up with the pace of the technology development and may prove disadvantageous for both practice and theory. The longitudinal study presented in the paper was conducted over a 3-year period involving Australian banks and popular social media technologies. The paper empirically tests the Honeycomb model as a tool that enhances the technological agility of social media. The paper fills a key research gap and provides dynamism to social media strategy formation, continuous improvement of strategy development in support of greater business agility.

Agile software development

CERN Document Server

Dingsoyr, Torgeir; Moe, Nils Brede

2010-01-01

Agile software development has become an umbrella term for a number of changes in how software developers plan and coordinate their work, how they communicate with customers and external stakeholders, and how software development is organized in small, medium, and large companies, from the telecom and healthcare sectors to games and interactive media. Still, after a decade of research, agile software development is the source of continued debate due to its multifaceted nature and insufficient synthesis of research results. Dingsoyr, Dyba, and Moe now present a comprehensive snapshot of the kno

Applying Agile MethodstoWeapon/Weapon-Related Software

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Adams, D; Armendariz, M; Blackledge, M; Campbell, F; Cloninger, M; Cox, L; Davis, J; Elliott, M; Granger, K; Hans, S; Kuhn, C; Lackner, M; Loo, P; Matthews, S; Morrell, K; Owens, C; Peercy, D; Pope, G; Quirk, R; Schilling, D; Stewart, A; Tran, A; Ward, R; Williamson, M

2007-05-02

This white paper provides information and guidance to the Department of Energy (DOE) sites on Agile software development methods and the impact of their application on weapon/weapon-related software development. The purpose of this white paper is to provide an overview of Agile methods, examine the accepted interpretations/uses/practices of these methodologies, and discuss the applicability of Agile methods with respect to Nuclear Weapons Complex (NWC) Technical Business Practices (TBPs). It also provides recommendations on the application of Agile methods to the development of weapon/weapon-related software.

The Impact of Combat Status on Veterans' Attitudes Toward Help Seeking: The Hierarchy of Combat Elitism.

Science.gov (United States)

Ashley, Wendy; Brown, Jodi Constantine

2015-01-01

Many veterans do not seek assistance for mental health concerns despite the staggering prevalence of trauma-related symptomatology. Barriers to service provision include personal and professional stigma and inter-veteran attitudes that dictate who is more or less deserving of services. Veteran attitudes are shaped by military culture, which promotes a hyper-masculine paradigm upholding combat experience as the defining feature of the "ideal soldier." The stratification of soldiers into combat or non-combat status creates a hierarchy of combat elitism that extends far beyond active duty. This pilot study surveyed veterans (n = 24) to explore how combat experience may affect attitudes toward help seeking. Findings indicate combat and non-combat veterans are less accepting of non-combat veterans' help-seeking behavior, supporting the notion that veterans' attitudes toward help seeking are influenced by combat status. Despite limitations, the results of this study reflect a need for increased attention to the attitudes veterans have about each other and themselves.

Agile! the good, the hype and the ugly

CERN Document Server

Meyer, Bertrand

2014-01-01

Here is the ideal introduction to agile development. The book details agile principles, roles, managerial practices, technical practices and artifacts, offering a complete review that will help readers master all the important agile ideas.

U-CrAc Flexible Interior Doctrine, Agile Learning Environments

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Poulsen, Søren Bolvig; Rosenstand, Claus Andreas Foss

2012-01-01

The research domain of this article is flexible learning environment for immediate use. The research question is: How can the learning environment support an agile learning process? The research contribution of this article is a flexible interior doctrine. The research method is action research...

RFP for the italien satellite AGILE

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Madsen, Peter Buch; Jørgensen, John Leif; Riis, Troels

1999-01-01

The document descibes the ASC Star Tracker (performance, functionality, requirements etc.) to the Italian satellite AGILE.......The document descibes the ASC Star Tracker (performance, functionality, requirements etc.) to the Italian satellite AGILE....

Embedding reflection and learning into agile software development

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Babb, Jeffry; Hoda, Rashina; Nørbjerg, Jacob

2014-01-01

The theoretical underpinnings of agile methods emphasize regular reflection as a means to sustainable development pace and continuous learning, but in practice, high iteration pressure can diminish reflection opportunities. The Reflective Agile Learning Model (REALM) combines insights and results...... from studies of agile development practices in India, New Zealand, and the US with Schön’s theory of reflective practice to embed reflection in everyday agile practices....

Enabling Tussle-Agile Inter-networking Architectures by Underlay Virtualisation

Science.gov (United States)

Dianati, Mehrdad; Tafazolli, Rahim; Moessner, Klaus

In this paper, we propose an underlay inter-network virtualisation framework in order to enable tussle-agile flexible networking over the existing inter-network infrastructures. The functionalities that inter-networking elements (transit nodes, access networks, etc.) need to support in order to enable virtualisation are discussed. We propose the base architectures of each the abstract elements to support the required inter-network virtualisation functionalities.

Everything you want to know about Agile

CERN Document Server

Cooke, Jamie Lynn

2012-01-01

Everything you want to know about Agile comprehensively addresses the issues that IT departments face when they try to implement Agile approaches within the constraints of their traditional organizations, including existing project frameworks, budgeting structures, contracts and corporate reporting.  It is an essential resource for IT departments that want to deliver successful Agile results, even in the most challenging environments.

Collaborative Environment and Agile Development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bogdan GHILIC-MICU

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Over time, information and communications technology development has made a direct impact on human activity in the individual context as well as familial, economic and social. This has laid the premise for adoption of new and modern paradigms in individual and organizational activity management. The evolutionary climax of the social universe is called nowadays knowledge society. The knowledge society succeeds the information society, emphasizing the development of the opportunities brought by collaborative work environment and agile approach. In this paper we will highlight the use of collaborative environment in agile software development, as an instrument for managing organizations in knowledge society. Thus, we will emphasize the paradigms of agile testing, validation and verification in collaborative environment.

Some Findings Concerning Requirements in Agile Methodologies

Science.gov (United States)

Rodríguez, Pilar; Yagüe, Agustín; Alarcón, Pedro P.; Garbajosa, Juan

Agile methods have appeared as an attractive alternative to conventional methodologies. These methods try to reduce the time to market and, indirectly, the cost of the product through flexible development and deep customer involvement. The processes related to requirements have been extensively studied in literature, in most cases in the frame of conventional methods. However, conclusions of conventional methodologies could not be necessarily valid for Agile; in some issues, conventional and Agile processes are radically different. As recent surveys report, inadequate project requirements is one of the most conflictive issues in agile approaches and better understanding about this is needed. This paper describes some findings concerning requirements activities in a project developed under an agile methodology. The project intended to evolve an existing product and, therefore, some background information was available. The major difficulties encountered were related to non-functional needs and management of requirements dependencies.

Impact of Agile Software Development Model on Software Maintainability

Science.gov (United States)

Gawali, Ajay R.

2012-01-01

Software maintenance and support costs account for up to 60% of the overall software life cycle cost and often burdens tightly budgeted information technology (IT) organizations. Agile software development approach delivers business value early, but implications on software maintainability are still unknown. The purpose of this quantitative study…

The AGILE on-board Kalman filter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Giuliani, A.; Cocco, V.; Mereghetti, S.; Pittori, C.; Tavani, M.

2006-01-01

On-board reduction of particle background is one of the main challenges of space instruments dedicated to gamma-ray astrophysics. We present in this paper a discussion of the method and main simulation results of the on-board background filter of the Gamma-Ray Imaging Detector (GRID) of the AGILE mission. The GRID is capable of detecting and imaging with optimal point spread function gamma-ray photons in the range 30MeV-30GeV. The AGILE planned orbit is equatorial, with an altitude of 550km. This is an optimal orbit from the point of view of the expected particle background. For this orbit, electrons and positrons of kinetic energies between 20MeV and hundreds of MeV dominate the particle background, with significant contributions from high-energy (primary) and low-energy protons, and gamma-ray albedo-photons. We present here the main results obtained by extensive simulations of the on-board AGILE-GRID particle/photon background rejection algorithms based on a special application of Kalman filter techniques. This filter is applied (Level-2) sequentially after other data processing techniques characterizing the Level-1 processing. We show that, in conjunction with the Level-1 processing, the adopted Kalman filtering is expected to reduce the total particle/albedo-photon background rate to a value (=<10-30Hz) that is compatible with the AGILE telemetry. The AGILE on-board Kalman filter is also effective in reducing the Earth-albedo-photon background rate, and therefore contributes to substantially increase the AGILE exposure for celestial gamma-ray sources

Understanding Organizational Agility: A Work-Design Perspective

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Holsapple, Clyde W; Li, Xun

2008-01-01

This paper introduces a unified theoretical model of organizational agility and investigates the attributes of knowledge-intensive work-design systems, which contribute to achieving and sustaining organizational agility...

War-related extremity injuries in children: 89 cases managed in a combat support hospital in Afghanistan.

Science.gov (United States)

Bertani, A; Mathieu, L; Dahan, J-L; Launay, F; Rongiéras, F; Rigal, S

2015-05-01

Meeting paediatric needs is among the priorities of western healthcare providers working in Afghanistan. Insufficient information is available on paediatric wartime injuries to the extremities. Our objective here was to describe these injuries and their management on the field. We retrospectively reviewed consecutive cases of injuries to the extremities in children (< 16 years of age) due to weapons and managed at the Kabul International Airport (KaIA) Combat Support Hospital between June 2009 and April 2013. We identified 89 patients with a mean age of 10.2 ± 3.5 years and a total of 137 elemental lesions. Explosive devices accounted for most injuries (78.6%) and carried a significantly higher risk of multiple lesions. There were 54 bone lesions (traumatic amputations and fractures) and 83 soft-tissue lesions. The amputation rate was 18%. Presence of bone lesions was associated with a higher risk of injury to blood vessels and nerves. Of the 89 patients, four (4.5%) died and eight (9%) were transferred elsewhere. Of the 77 remaining patients, at last follow-up (median, one month; range, 0.1-16 months), 73 (95%) had achieved a full recovery (healed wound and/or fracture) or were recovering with no expectation that further surgery would be needed. Despite the absence of paediatric surgeons, the combat support hospital provided appropriate care at the limb salvage and reconstruction phases. The highly specialised treatments needed to manage sequelae were very rarely provided. These treatments probably deserve to be developed in combat support hospitals. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

How Do Real Options Concepts Fit in Agile Requirements Engineering?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Racheva, Z.; Daneva, Maia

Agile requirements engineering is driven by creating business value for the client and heavily involves the client in decision-making under uncertainty. Real option thinking seems to be suitable in supporting the client’s decision making process at inter-iteration time. This paper investigates the

Why Does Military Combat Experience Adversely Affect Marital Relations?

Science.gov (United States)

Gimbel, Cynthia; Booth, Alan

1994-01-01

Describes investigation of ways in which combat decreases marital quality and stability. Results support three models: (1) factors propelling men into combat also make them poor marriage material; (2) combat causes problems that increase marital adversity; and (3) combat intensifies premilitary stress and antisocial behavior which then negatively…

Improving ISD Agility in Fast-Moving Software Organizations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Persson, John Stouby; Nørbjerg, Jacob; Nielsen, Peter Axel

2016-01-01

Fast-moving software organizations must respond quickly to changing technological options and market trends while delivering high-quality services at competitive prices. Improving agility of information systems development (ISD) may reconcile these inherent tensions, but previous research...... study on how to improve ISD agility in a fast-moving software organization. The study maps central problems in the ISD management to direct improvements of agility. Our following intervention addressed method improvements in defining types of ISD by customer relations and integrating the method...... with the task management tool used by the organization. The paper discusses how the action research contributes to our understanding of ISD agility in fast-moving software organizations with a framework for mapping and evaluating improvements of agility. The action research specifically points out that project...

Using enterprise systems to enhance organizational agility

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sanjay Mathrani

Full Text Available In the corporate use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT, deployment of enterprise systems (ESs technology in particular, has been the most vital development towards improving an organization\\'s effectiveness. ESs make up the value chain of an enterprise allowing the organization to become significantly flexible and efficient. This paper investigates the use of ESs to increase agility within three New Zealand manufacturing organizations. Case findings reveal several aspects of ES utilization in agile manufacturing strategies such as concurrent engineering, value chain integration, and creation of virtual enterprise to proactively align work streams and increase responsiveness and flexibility. The paper discusses the importance of agile thinking in business and how an ES enables knowledge-based processes in critical functional areas to improve organizational agility.

On the Current Measurement Practices in Agile Software Development

OpenAIRE

Javdani, Taghi; Zulzalil, Hazura; Ghani, Abdul Azim Abd; Sultan, Abu Bakar Md; Parizi, Reza Meimandi

2013-01-01

Agile software development (ASD) methods were introduced as a reaction to traditional software development methods. Principles of these methods are different from traditional methods and so there are some different processes and activities in agile methods comparing to traditional methods. Thus ASD methods require different measurement practices comparing to traditional methods. Agile teams often do their projects in the simplest and most effective way so, measurement practices in agile metho...

Agile project management with GreenHopper 6 blueprints

CERN Document Server

Malik, Jaibeer

2013-01-01

A step-by-step tutorial-based approach.This book is of great help for agile teams who are already using or planning to use the GreenHopper tooling system to execute agile projects. It suits all roles in an agile project including system administrators, stakeholders, product owners, scrum masters, and team members. Fundamental knowledge of JIRA is essential.

Agile Preparation within a Traditional Project Management Course

Science.gov (United States)

Landry, Jeffrey P.; McDaniel, Rachel

2016-01-01

Agile software approaches have seen a steady rise over a decade and a half, but agile's place in the information systems (IS) undergraduate curriculum is far from settled. While agile concepts may arguably be taught in multiple places in the IS curriculum, this paper argues for its inclusion in a project management course. This paper builds on…

S.A.C.I.: Incident Combat Support System; S.A.C.I.: Sistema de Apoio ao Combate de Incidentes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Macedo, Antonio R.L. [ARMTEC Tecnologia em Robotica, Fotrtaleza, CE (Brazil); Macedo, Antonio R.M. [Universidade de Fortaleza, CE (Brazil)

2004-07-01

The incidents that occur in the petrochemical industry are extremely dangerous, because of the range of temperature that it reaches and the radius of the explosion. For this reason the S.A.C.I. that is an Incident's Combat Support System was developed. The purpose of this paper is to present the complete operational capability of this machine, and also some of the construction design calculations. It is a controlled-by-distance robot that carries one water cannon that generates fog, stream or foam with a limit pressure of 125 psi. It works within 90 m from the operator, has 3 degrees of freedom and a minimum autonomy of 3 hours. Before this prototype was made, only the United Kingdom by Qinetiq and the Japan by the Tokyo Fire Department had this technology. This prototype is around 70% of the investment of the ones in the market. The tests shown in the paper were made in the training bunker of Ceara's Military Fire Corp. Headquarters and in an arena in the Gloria Marine in Rio de Janeiro. The results of this project is a national product that improves the incident's combat response time, saving the most important resource, that is the human been. (author)

S.A.C.I.: Incident Combat Support System; S.A.C.I.: Sistema de Apoio ao Combate de Incidentes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Macedo, Antonio R.L. [ARMTEC Tecnologia em Robotica, Fotrtaleza, CE (Brazil); Macedo, Antonio R.M. [Universidade de Fortaleza, CE (Brazil)

2004-07-01

The incidents that occur in the petrochemical industry are extremely dangerous, because of the range of temperature that it reaches and the radius of the explosion. For this reason the S.A.C.I. that is an Incident's Combat Support System was developed. The purpose of this paper is to present the complete operational capability of this machine, and also some of the construction design calculations. It is a controlled-by-distance robot that carries one water cannon that generates fog, stream or foam with a limit pressure of 125 psi. It works within 90 m from the operator, has 3 degrees of freedom and a minimum autonomy of 3 hours. Before this prototype was made, only the United Kingdom by Qinetiq and the Japan by the Tokyo Fire Department had this technology. This prototype is around 70% of the investment of the ones in the market. The tests shown in the paper were made in the training bunker of Ceara's Military Fire Corp. Headquarters and in an arena in the Gloria Marine in Rio de Janeiro. The results of this project is a national product that improves the incident's combat response time, saving the most important resource, that is the human been. (author)

Agile service oriented shipping companies in the container terminal

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

W. Liu

2009-06-01

Full Text Available Agility is regarded as one of the core capabilities and the developing trend of supply chains and their enterprises. Along with the development of economical globalization, supply chain management and containerization as well as container ports as a part of supply chain take more roles like logistics or distribution centers. Under this background, the container terminal should have superior response and develop agility. The main goal of this paper is to emphasize and illustrate the importance and imminence of implementing agility in container terminals. To achieve this goal, the analysis of the economies of scale in the container terminal is presented. In this paper, however, more attention will be paid to agile service oriented shipping companies. The concept and characters of agile service in the container terminal is illustrated. The paper also focuses on the agile organizational structure of the container terminal. Finally, the fuzzy quality synthetic evaluation method is given to evaluate the performance level of agile service in container terminal oriented shipping companies.

Agile kaizen managing continuous improvement far beyond retrospectives

CERN Document Server

Medinilla, Ángel

2014-01-01

Agile teams have been struggling with the concept of continuous improvement since the first Agile frameworks were developed, and still very little has been written about the practice of continuous improvement in Agile environments. Although team retrospectives have been prescribed and some practices have been introduced in order to implement and facilitate them, the truth is that most Agile teams are conducting dull retrospectives that end with a list of things that have been done wrong, just to repeat the same list two weeks later at the next meeting.Instead of listing hundreds of Japanese-la

Agile attitude

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ovesen, Nis; Eriksen, Kaare; Tollestrup, Christian

2011-01-01

Motivated by the growing number of hybrid products with extensive software and service components, this paper reviews four representative agile methods from the domain of software for their applicability to both the industrial design education and practice. The review is based on a comparative an...

The Translation and Adaptation of Agile Methods

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pries-Heje, Jan; Baskerville, Richard

2017-01-01

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to use translation theory to develop a framework (called FTRA) that explains how companies adopt agile methods in a discourse of fragmentation and articulation. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative multiple case study of six firms using the Scrum agile...... (Scrum). This limits the confidence that the framework is suitable for other kinds of methodologies. Practical implications The FTRA framework and the technological rules are promising for use in practice as a prescriptive or even normative frame for governing methodology adaptation. Social implications....../value The use of translation theory and the FTRA framework to explain how agile adaptation (in particular Scrum) emerges continuously in a process where method fragments are articulated and re-articulated to momentarily suit the local setting. Complete agility that rapidly and elegantly changes its own...

An Investigation of Team Effectiveness in Agile Software Development

OpenAIRE

Haraldsen, Lars Martin Riiser

2012-01-01

Abstract Agile teamwork has been widely used and accepted in today's industry of software development. The methods in agile teamwork claim to improve performance and predictability, and has during the past years become the target for an emerging area of research. The majority of the existing studies concerning agile teamwork mainly focus around eXtreme Programming (XP). Abstract This report is one of few that discuss teamwork in software development having the agile methodology Scrum in the...

Public Agility and Change in a Network Environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tom van Engers

2011-03-01

Full Text Available Preparing for change is increasingly core business for governmental organizations. The networked society and the increasing connectedness of governmental organizations have as much impact on the complexity of the change process as the complexities of the corpus of law. Change is not only driven by changes in the law; changes in the organization’s environment often create a need to redesign business processes, reallocate roles and responsibilities, and reorder tasks. Moreover, preparations for change are not limited to the internal processes and systems of these organizations. Propagation of changes to network partners and redesign of network arrangements can be an enormous challenge. In the AGILE project, we develop a design method, distributed service architecture, and supporting tools that enable organizations - administrative and otherwise - to orchestrate their law-based services in a networked environment. This paper explains the Agile approach and describes some of its key principles.

Agile development for a multi-disciplinary bicycle stability test bench

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cooke, A.G.; Bonnema, Gerrit Maarten; Poelman, Wim; Scheidl, R.; Jakoby, B.

2012-01-01

Agile software development methods are used extensively in the software industry. This paper describes an argument to explain why these methods can be used within a multi-disciplinary project and provides a concrete description on how to implement such a method, using a case-study to support the

Project-Based Learning and Agile Methodologies in Electronic Courses: Effect of Student Population and Open Issues

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marina Zapater

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Project-Based Learning (PBL and Agile methodologies have proven to be very interesting instructional strategies in Electronics and Engineering education, because they provide practical learning skills that help students understand the basis of electronics. In this paper we analyze two courses, one belonging to a Master in Electronic Engineering and one to a Bachelor in Telecommunication Engineering that apply Agile-PBL methodologies, and compare the results obtained in both courses with a traditional laboratory course. Our results support previous work stating that Agile-PBL methodologies increase student satisfaction. However, we also highlight some open issues that negatively affect the implementation of these methodologies,such as planning overhead or accidental complexity. Moreover,we show how differences in the student population, mostly related to the time spent on-campus, their commitment to the course or part-time dedication, have an impact on the benefits of Agile-PBL methods. In these cases, Agile-PBL methodologies by themselves are not enough and need to be combined with other techniques to increase student motivation.

The Ratio of Blood Products Transfused Affects Mortality in Patients Receiving Massive Transfusions at a Combat Support Hospital

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Borgman, Matthew A; Spinella, Philip C; Perkins, Jeremy G; Grathwohl, Kurt W; Repine, Thomas; Beekley, Alec C; Sebesta, James; Jenkins, Donald; Wade, Charles E; Holcomb, John B

2007-01-01

...:1 ratio of plasma to red blood cell (RBC) units. Methods: We performed a retrospective chart review of 246 patients at a US Army combat support hospital, each of who received a massive transfusion...

Factors in Agile Methods Adoption

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Samia Abdalhamid

2017-05-01

Full Text Available There are many factors that can affect the process of adopting Agile methods during software developing. This paper illustrates the critical factors in Agile methods adoption in software organizations. To present the success and failure factors, an exploratory study is carried out among the critical factors of success and failure from existing studies. Dimensions and Factors are introduced utilizing success and failure dimensions. The mind map was used to clarify these factors.

Engineering Flexible and Agile Services : A Reference Architecture for Administrative Processes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gong, Y.

2012-01-01

To provide up-to-date services towards citizens and businesses, administrative organizations need to make sure their business services and processes and supporting applications are flexible and agile enough to deal with changing situations and ensure legal compliance all the time. The research

Agile Data Curation at a State Geological Survey

Science.gov (United States)

Hills, D. J.

2015-12-01

State agencies, including geological surveys, are often the gatekeepers for myriad data products essential for scientific research and economic development. For example, the Geological Survey of Alabama (GSA) is mandated to explore for, characterize, and report Alabama's mineral, energy, water, and biological resources in support of economic development, conservation, management, and public policy for the betterment of Alabama's citizens, communities, and businesses. As part of that mandate, the GSA has increasingly been called upon to make our data more accessible to stakeholders. Even as demand for greater data accessibility grows, budgets for such efforts are often small, meaning that agencies must do more for less. Agile software development has yielded efficient, effective products, most often at lower cost and in shorter time. Taking guidance from the agile software development model, the GSA is working towards more agile data management and curation. To date, the GSA's work has been focused primarily on data rescue. By using workflows that maximize clear communication while encouraging simplicity (e.g., maximizing the amount of work not done or that can be automated), the GSA is bringing decades of dark data into the light. Regular checks by the data rescuer with the data provider (or their proxy) provides quality control without adding an overt burden on either party. Moving forward, these workflows will also allow for more efficient and effective data management.

Effects of social support and battle intensity on loneliness and breakdown during combat.

Science.gov (United States)

Solomon, Z; Mikulincer, M; Hobfoll, S E

1986-12-01

A sample of 382 Israeli soldiers who developed combat stress reactions (CSR) during the 1982 Israel-Lebanon War were compared with groups of carefully matched controls who did not develop CSR. Lack of social support from officers was found to be related to greater feelings of loneliness and greater likelihood of CSR in soldiers. Lack of social support from buddies was found to be related to greater loneliness. Intensity of battle was also found to be related to greater feelings of loneliness and increased likelihood of CSR. A path model was tested and supported. The model suggests that battle intensity and officer support lead to CSR directly and indirectly by causing increased feelings of loneliness. Possible cognitive and psychodynamic explanations for the findings are offered. The limitations of making causal statements from retrospective perceptions is discussed.

Organizational Health Index and Organizational Agility Maturity Criteria as Measurement Tools of Organizational Transformation Effectiveness

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Swasti Sri Harjanti

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract. As a response to negative growth in the mobile legacy projection - which supports 50% of Telkom revenue, and a positive high growth projection in the ICT and digital business revenue, Telkom decides to shift the business to digital. To be a successful digital company, Telkom has created strategic initiatives, including organizational transformation adopting Customer Facing Unit (CFU concept that has been done for several months but there still no evaluation method for the success. This paper purpose is to evaluate the implementation of one human capital management strategic initiatives - CFU transformation implementation success, through Organizational Health Index and Organizational Agility Maturity model and formulate a recommendation for Telkom to create a more healthy and agile organization. This research using 11 synthetized dimension of Organization Health Index and Organizational Agility Maturity Model method as tools. Questionnaire consist of 53 practices that represented by 55 questions that asks about respondents extent to which they agree (satisfaction and whether it meet respondents expectation. Survey result shows that Telkom already in a healthy condition and agile as an organization. This result concluded that by methods used in this research, the transformation could be stated as a success. However, according to the result, maintain and improvement of current health and agility still needed, especially improvement regarding innovation and learning. Keywords:Organization, organizational agility, organizational health index, telecommunication, transformation

An agile acquisition decision-support workbench for evaluating ISR effectiveness

Science.gov (United States)

Stouch, Daniel W.; Champagne, Valerie; Mow, Christopher; Rosenberg, Brad; Serrin, Joshua

2011-06-01

The U.S. Air Force is consistently evolving to support current and future operations through the planning and execution of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions. However, it is a challenge to maintain a precise awareness of current and emerging ISR capabilities to properly prepare for future conflicts. We present a decisionsupport tool for acquisition managers to empirically compare ISR capabilities and approaches to employing them, thereby enabling the DoD to acquire ISR platforms and sensors that provide the greatest return on investment. We have developed an analysis environment to perform modeling and simulation-based experiments to objectively compare alternatives. First, the analyst specifies an operational scenario for an area of operations by providing terrain and threat information; a set of nominated collections; sensor and platform capabilities; and processing, exploitation, and dissemination (PED) capacities. Next, the analyst selects and configures ISR collection strategies to generate collection plans. The analyst then defines customizable measures of effectiveness or performance to compute during the experiment. Finally, the analyst empirically compares the efficacy of each solution and generates concise reports to document their conclusions, providing traceable evidence for acquisition decisions. Our capability demonstrates the utility of using a workbench environment for analysts to design and run experiments. Crafting impartial metrics enables the acquisition manager to focus on evaluating solutions based on specific military needs. Finally, the metric and collection plan visualizations provide an intuitive understanding of the suitability of particular solutions. This facilitates a more agile acquisition strategy that handles rapidly changing technology in response to current military needs.

Test Methods for Robot Agility in Manufacturing.

Science.gov (United States)

Downs, Anthony; Harrison, William; Schlenoff, Craig

2016-01-01

The paper aims to define and describe test methods and metrics to assess industrial robot system agility in both simulation and in reality. The paper describes test methods and associated quantitative and qualitative metrics for assessing robot system efficiency and effectiveness which can then be used for the assessment of system agility. The paper describes how the test methods were implemented in a simulation environment and real world environment. It also shows how the metrics are measured and assessed as they would be in a future competition. The test methods described in this paper will push forward the state of the art in software agility for manufacturing robots, allowing small and medium manufacturers to better utilize robotic systems. The paper fulfills the identified need for standard test methods to measure and allow for improvement in software agility for manufacturing robots.

The AGILE anticoincidence detector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perotti, F.; Fiorini, M.; Incorvaia, S.; Mattaini, E.; Sant'Ambrogio, E.

2006-01-01

AGILE is a γ-ray astrophysics space mission which will operate, starting from 2006, in the 30 MeV-50 GeV energy range with imaging capability also in the 15-45 keV energy band. In order to achieve the required detection sensitivity, all AGILE detectors are surrounded by an anticoincidence detector aimed at charged particle background rejection with an inefficiency as low as 10 -4 . In this work, the design and the structure of this anticoincidence detector are presented, as well as its performances in terms of charged particles detection inefficiency as derived from extensive calibrations performed at CERN PS

User-centered agile method

CERN Document Server

Deuff, Dominique

2013-01-01

Agile development methods began to emerge around 20 years ago. However, it was not until the early 2000s that they began to be widely used in industry. This growth was often due to the advent of Internet services requiring faster cycles of development in order to heighten the rate at which an ever-greater number of functionalities were made available. In parallel, user-centered design (UCD) methods were also becoming more and more widely used: hence, user-centered design and agile methods were bound to cross paths, at least in the telecoms industry! During this period, in the field of telec

Adaptation of enterprise architecture efforts to an agile environment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Robin Duijs; Pascal Ravesteijn; Marlies van Steenbergen

2018-01-01

From the article: Agile ways of working have become mainstream, with many organisations practising a form of agile. Agile maturity among those organisations differs. In a research conducted by VersionOne Inc. (2016), 82% of the participating organisations stated to be at or below the level of ‘still

The Art of Agile Development

CERN Document Server

Shore, James

2008-01-01

Plenty of books describe what agile development is or why it helps software projects succeed, but very few combine information for developers, managers, testers, and customers into a single package that they can apply directly. This book provides a gestalt view of the agile development process that serves as a comprehensive introduction for non-technical readers, along with hands-on technical practices for programmers and developers. The book also tackles the people aspect of Extreme Programming.

Autonomous, agile micro-satellites and supporting technologies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Breitfeller, E; Dittman, M D; Gaughan, R J; Jones, M S; Kordas, J F; Ledebuhr, A G; Ng, L C; Whitehead, J C; Wilson, B

1999-01-01

This paper updates the on-going effort at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to develop autonomous, agile micro-satellites (MicroSats). The objective of this development effort is to develop MicroSats weighing only a few tens of kilograms, that are able to autonomously perform precision maneuvers and can be used telerobotically in a variety of mission modes. The required capabilities include satellite rendezvous, inspection, proximity-operations, docking, and servicing. The MicroSat carries an integrated proximity-operations sensor-suite incorporating advanced avionics. A new self-pressurizing propulsion system utilizing a miniaturized pump and non-toxic mono-propellant hydrogen peroxide was successfully tested. This system can provide a nominal 25 kg MicroSat with 200-300 m/s delta-v including a warm-gas attitude control system. The avionics is based on the latest PowerPC processor using a CompactPCI bus architecture, which is modular, high-performance and processor-independent. This leverages commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) technologies and minimizes the effects of future changes in processors. The MicroSat software development environment uses the Vx-Works real-time operating system (RTOS) that provides a rapid development environment for integration of new software modules, allowing early integration and test. We will summarize results of recent integrated ground flight testing of our latest non-toxic pumped propulsion MicroSat testbed vehicle operated on our unique dynamic air-rail

How Agile Methods Inspire Project Management - The Half Double Initiative

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Heeager, Lise Tordrup; Svejvig, Per; Schlichter, Bjarne Rerup

Increased complexity in projects has forced new project management initiatives. In software development several agile methods have emerged and are today highly implemented in practice. Observations of general project management practice show how it has been inspired by agile software development......, but very little research addresses the issue of agile project management. In order to understand and to provide suggestions for future practice on how agility can be incorporated in general project management, this paper provides an analysis which compares ten characteristics of agile software development...... (identified in theory) and the Half Double Methodology developed by the Danish Project Half Double initiative; a Methodology developed with practitioners and tested in seven Danish case companies. The analysis shows how the general project management to a great extent has been inspired by agile methods...

Agile Processes in Software Engineering and Extreme Programming

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

The volume constitutes the proceedings of the 18th International Conference on Agile Software Development, XP 2017, held in Cologne, Germany, in May 2017. The 14 full and 6 short papers presented in this volume were carefully reviewed and selected from 46 submissions. They were organized in topical...... sections named: improving agile processes; agile in organization; and safety critical software. In addition, the volume contains 3 doctoral symposium papers (from 4 papers submitted)....

Optimal dispatch strategy for the agile virtual power plant

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, Mette Højgaard; Bendtsen, Jan Dimon; Stoustrup, Jakob

2012-01-01

The introduction of large ratios of renewable energy into the existing power system is complicated by the inherent variability of production technologies, which harvest energy from wind, sun and waves. Fluctuations of renewable power production can be predicted to some extent, but the assumption...... of perfect prediction is unrealistic. This paper therefore introduces the Agile Virtual Power Plant. The Agile Virtual Power Plant assumes that the base load production planning based on best available knowledge is already given, so imbalances cannot be predicted. Consequently the Agile Virtual Power Plant...... attempts to preserve maneuverability (stay agile) rather than optimize performance according to predictions. In this paper the imbalance compensation problem for an Agile Virtual Power Plant is formulated. It is proved formally, that when local units are power and energy constrained integrators a dispatch...

The Impact of Cloud Computing on Information Systems Agility

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohamed Sawas

2015-09-01

Full Text Available As businesses are encountering frequent harsh economic conditions, concepts such as outsourcing, agile and lean management, change management and cost reduction are constantly gaining more attention. This is because these concepts are all aimed at saving on budgets and facing unexpected changes. Latest technologies like cloud computing promise to turn IT, that has always been viewed as a cost centre, into a source of saving money and driving flexibility and agility to the business. The purpose of this paper is to first compile a set of attributes that govern the agility benefits added to information systems by cloud computing and then develop a survey-based instrument to measure these agility benefits. Our research analysis employs non-probability sampling based on a combination of convenience and judgment. This approach was used to obtain a representative sample of participants from potential companies belonging to various industries such as oil & gas, banking, private, government and semi-governmental organizations. This research will enable decision makers to measure agility enhancements and hence compare the agility of Information Systems before and after deploying cloud computing.

Quantitative Assessment of the IT Agile Transformation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Orłowski Cezary

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to present the quantitative perspective of the agile transformation processes in IT organisations. The phenomenon of agile transformation becomes a complex challenge for an IT organisation since it has not been analysed in detail so far. There is no research on the readiness of IT organisations to realise agile transformation processes. Such processes also prove to have uncontrolled character. Therefore, to minimise the risk of failure referring to the realisation of transformation processes, it is necessary to monitor them. It is also necessary to identify and analyse such processes to ensure their continuous character.

Adapting Configuration Management for Agile Teams Balancing Sustainability and Speed

CERN Document Server

Moreira, Mario E

2009-01-01

Adapting Configuration Management for Agile Teams provides very tangible approaches on how Configuration Management with its practices and infrastructure can be adapted and managed in order to directly benefit agile teams. Written by Mario E. Moreira, author of Software Configuration Management Implementation Roadmap , columnist for CM Crossroads online community and writer for the Agile Journal, this unique book provides concrete guidance on tailoring CM for Agile projects without sacrificing the principles of Configuration Management.

Towards Agile Ontology Maintenance

Science.gov (United States)

Luczak-Rösch, Markus

Ontologies are an appropriate means to represent knowledge on the Web. Research on ontology engineering reached practices for an integrative lifecycle support. However, a broader success of ontologies in Web-based information systems remains unreached while the more lightweight semantic approaches are rather successful. We assume, paired with the emerging trend of services and microservices on the Web, new dynamic scenarios gain momentum in which a shared knowledge base is made available to several dynamically changing services with disparate requirements. Our work envisions a step towards such a dynamic scenario in which an ontology adapts to the requirements of the accessing services and applications as well as the user's needs in an agile way and reduces the experts' involvement in ontology maintenance processes.

Laterality and performance of agility-trained dogs.

Science.gov (United States)

Siniscalchi, Marcello; Bertino, Daniele; Quaranta, Angelo

2014-01-01

Correlations between lateralised behaviour and performance were investigated in 19 agility-trained dogs (Canis familiaris) by scoring paw preference to hold a food object and relating it to performance during typical agility obstacles (jump/A-frame and weave poles). In addition, because recent behavioural studies reported that visual stimuli of emotional valence presented to one visual hemifield at a time affect visually guided motor responses in dogs, the possibility that the position of the owner respectively in the left and in the right canine visual hemifield might be associated with quality of performance during agility was considered. Dogs' temperament was also measured by an owner-rated questionnaire. The most relevant finding was that agility-trained dogs displayed longer latencies to complete the obstacles with the owner located in their left visual hemifield compared to the right. Interestingly, the results showed that this phenomenon was significantly linked to both dogs' trainability and the strength of paw preference.

The agile alert system for gamma-ray transients

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bulgarelli, A.; Trifoglio, M.; Gianotti, F.; Fioretti, V. [INAF/IASF-Bologna, Via Gobetti 101, I-40129 Bologna (Italy); Tavani, M.; Argan, A.; Trois, A.; Scalise, E. [INAF/IASF-Roma, Via del Fosso del Cavaliere 100, I-00133 Roma (Italy); Parmiggiani, N.; Beneventano, D. [University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Dipartimento di Science e Metodi dell' Ingegneria (Italy); Chen, A. W. [INAF/IASF-Milano, Via E. Bassini 15, I-20133 Milano (Italy); Vercellone, S. [School of Physics, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg Wits 2050 (South Africa); Pittori, C.; Verrecchia, F.; Lucarelli, F.; Santolamazza, P.; Fanari, G.; Giommi, P. [INAF/IASF-Palermo, Via U. La Malfa 153, I-90146 Palermo (Italy); Longo, F. [ASI-ASDC, Via G. Galilei, I-00044 Frascati (Roma) (Italy); Pellizzoni, A. [INFN Trieste, I-34127 Trieste (Italy); and others

2014-01-20

In recent years, a new generation of space missions has offered great opportunities for discovery in high-energy astrophysics. In this article we focus on the scientific operations of the Gamma-Ray Imaging Detector (GRID) on board the AGILE space mission. AGILE-GRID, sensitive in the energy range of 30 MeV-30 GeV, has detected many γ-ray transients of both galactic and extragalactic origin. This work presents the AGILE innovative approach to fast γ-ray transient detection, which is a challenging task and a crucial part of the AGILE scientific program. The goals are to describe (1) the AGILE Gamma-Ray Alert System, (2) a new algorithm for blind search identification of transients within a short processing time, (3) the AGILE procedure for γ-ray transient alert management, and (4) the likelihood of ratio tests that are necessary to evaluate the post-trial statistical significance of the results. Special algorithms and an optimized sequence of tasks are necessary to reach our goal. Data are automatically analyzed at every orbital downlink by an alert pipeline operating on different timescales. As proper flux thresholds are exceeded, alerts are automatically generated and sent as SMS messages to cellular telephones, via e-mail, and via push notifications from an application for smartphones and tablets. These alerts are crosschecked with the results of two pipelines, and a manual analysis is performed. Being a small scientific-class mission, AGILE is characterized by optimization of both scientific analysis and ground-segment resources. The system is capable of generating alerts within two to three hours of a data downlink, an unprecedented reaction time in γ-ray astrophysics.

The agile alert system for gamma-ray transients

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bulgarelli, A.; Trifoglio, M.; Gianotti, F.; Fioretti, V.; Tavani, M.; Argan, A.; Trois, A.; Scalise, E.; Parmiggiani, N.; Beneventano, D.; Chen, A. W.; Vercellone, S.; Pittori, C.; Verrecchia, F.; Lucarelli, F.; Santolamazza, P.; Fanari, G.; Giommi, P.; Longo, F.; Pellizzoni, A.

2014-01-01

In recent years, a new generation of space missions has offered great opportunities for discovery in high-energy astrophysics. In this article we focus on the scientific operations of the Gamma-Ray Imaging Detector (GRID) on board the AGILE space mission. AGILE-GRID, sensitive in the energy range of 30 MeV-30 GeV, has detected many γ-ray transients of both galactic and extragalactic origin. This work presents the AGILE innovative approach to fast γ-ray transient detection, which is a challenging task and a crucial part of the AGILE scientific program. The goals are to describe (1) the AGILE Gamma-Ray Alert System, (2) a new algorithm for blind search identification of transients within a short processing time, (3) the AGILE procedure for γ-ray transient alert management, and (4) the likelihood of ratio tests that are necessary to evaluate the post-trial statistical significance of the results. Special algorithms and an optimized sequence of tasks are necessary to reach our goal. Data are automatically analyzed at every orbital downlink by an alert pipeline operating on different timescales. As proper flux thresholds are exceeded, alerts are automatically generated and sent as SMS messages to cellular telephones, via e-mail, and via push notifications from an application for smartphones and tablets. These alerts are crosschecked with the results of two pipelines, and a manual analysis is performed. Being a small scientific-class mission, AGILE is characterized by optimization of both scientific analysis and ground-segment resources. The system is capable of generating alerts within two to three hours of a data downlink, an unprecedented reaction time in γ-ray astrophysics.

The AGILE Alert System for Gamma-Ray Transients

Science.gov (United States)

Bulgarelli, A.; Trifoglio, M.; Gianotti, F.; Tavani, M.; Parmiggiani, N.; Fioretti, V.; Chen, A. W.; Vercellone, S.; Pittori, C.; Verrecchia, F.; Lucarelli, F.; Santolamazza, P.; Fanari, G.; Giommi, P.; Beneventano, D.; Argan, A.; Trois, A.; Scalise, E.; Longo, F.; Pellizzoni, A.; Pucella, G.; Colafrancesco, S.; Conforti, V.; Tempesta, P.; Cerone, M.; Sabatini, P.; Annoni, G.; Valentini, G.; Salotti, L.

2014-01-01

In recent years, a new generation of space missions has offered great opportunities for discovery in high-energy astrophysics. In this article we focus on the scientific operations of the Gamma-Ray Imaging Detector (GRID) on board the AGILE space mission. AGILE-GRID, sensitive in the energy range of 30 MeV-30 GeV, has detected many γ-ray transients of both galactic and extragalactic origin. This work presents the AGILE innovative approach to fast γ-ray transient detection, which is a challenging task and a crucial part of the AGILE scientific program. The goals are to describe (1) the AGILE Gamma-Ray Alert System, (2) a new algorithm for blind search identification of transients within a short processing time, (3) the AGILE procedure for γ-ray transient alert management, and (4) the likelihood of ratio tests that are necessary to evaluate the post-trial statistical significance of the results. Special algorithms and an optimized sequence of tasks are necessary to reach our goal. Data are automatically analyzed at every orbital downlink by an alert pipeline operating on different timescales. As proper flux thresholds are exceeded, alerts are automatically generated and sent as SMS messages to cellular telephones, via e-mail, and via push notifications from an application for smartphones and tablets. These alerts are crosschecked with the results of two pipelines, and a manual analysis is performed. Being a small scientific-class mission, AGILE is characterized by optimization of both scientific analysis and ground-segment resources. The system is capable of generating alerts within two to three hours of a data downlink, an unprecedented reaction time in γ-ray astrophysics.

Agility in Team Sports: Testing, Training and Factors Affecting Performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Paul, Darren J; Gabbett, Tim J; Nassis, George P

2016-03-01

Agility is an important characteristic of team sports athletes. There is a growing interest in the factors that influence agility performance as well as appropriate testing protocols and training strategies to assess and improve this quality. The objective of this systematic review was to (1) evaluate the reliability and validity of agility tests in team sports, (2) detail factors that may influence agility performance, and (3) identify the effects of different interventions on agility performance. The review was undertaken in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. We conducted a search of PubMed, Google Scholar, Science Direct, and SPORTDiscus databases. We assessed the methodological quality of intervention studies using a customized checklist of assessment criteria. Intraclass correlation coefficient values were 0.80-0.91, 0.10-0.81, and 0.81-0.99 for test time using light, video, and human stimuli. A low-level reliability was reported for youth athletes using the video stimulus (0.10-0.30). Higher-level participants were shown to be, on average, 7.5% faster than their lower level counterparts. Reaction time and accuracy, foot placement, and in-line lunge movement have been shown to be related to agility performance. The contribution of strength remains unclear. Efficacy of interventions on agility performance ranged from 1% (vibration training) to 7.5% (small-sided games training). Agility tests generally offer good reliability, although this may be compromised in younger participants responding to various scenarios. A human and/or video stimulus seems the most appropriate method to discriminate between standard of playing ability. Decision-making and perceptual factors are often propositioned as discriminant factors; however, the underlying mechanisms are relatively unknown. Research has focused predominantly on the physical element of agility. Small-sided games and video training may offer effective

Gender-specific influences of balance, speed, and power on agility performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Sekulic, Damir; Spasic, Miodrag; Mirkov, Dragan; Cavar, Mile; Sattler, Tine

2013-03-01

The quick change of direction (i.e., agility) is an important athletic ability in numerous sports. Because of the diverse and therefore hardly predictable manifestations of agility in sports, studies noted that the improvement in speed, power, and balance should result in an improvement of agility. However, there is evident lack of data regarding the influence of potential predictors on different agility manifestations. The aim of this study was to determine the gender-specific influence of speed, power, and balance on different agility tests. A total of 32 college-aged male athletes and 31 college-aged female athletes (age 20.02 ± 1.89 years) participated in this study. The subjects were mostly involved in team sports (soccer, team handball, basketball, and volleyball; 80% of men, and 75% of women), martial arts, gymnastics, and dance. Anthropometric variables consisted of body height, body weight, and the body mass index. Five agility tests were used: a t-test (T-TEST), zig-zag test, 20-yard shuttle test, agility test with a 180-degree turn, and forward-backward running agility test (FWDBWD). Other tests included 1 jumping ability power test (squat jump, SQJ), 2 balance tests to determine the overall stability index and an overall limit of stability score (both measured by Biodex Balance System), and 2 running speed tests using a straight sprint for 10 and 20 m (S10 and S20, respectively). A reliability analysis showed that all the agility tests were reliable. Multiple regression and correlation analysis found speed and power (among women), and balance (among men), as most significant predictors of agility. The highest Pearson's correlation in both genders is found between the results of the FWDBWD and S10M tests (0.77 and 0.81 for men and women, respectively; p Power, measured using the SQJ, is significantly (p balance measures were significantly related to the agility performance for men but not for women. In addition to demonstrating a known relationship

Project management the agile way making it work in the enterprise

CERN Document Server

Goodpasture, John C

2016-01-01

Widely acclaimed as one of the top Agile books and a recommended resource for the PMI-ACP Exam in its first edition, Project Management the Agile Way by popular demand has been updated and redesigned. This second edition is in modular format to facilitate training and advanced course instruction, and provides new coverage of Agile, such as hybrid agile methods, the latest public sector practices, and a chapter dedicated to transitioning to agile. It discusses the "grand bargain" between project management and business, the shift in dominance from plans to product, and from input to output, and introduces new concepts such as return on benefit. Experienced practitioners and students that want to learn how to make agile work effectively in the enterprise should read this book. Individuals preparing for the PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP) examination, and training providers developing courses, will find this second edition quite helpful.

Trust in agile teams in distributed software development

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tjørnehøj, Gitte; Fransgård, Mette; Skalkam, Signe

2012-01-01

Distributed software development (DSD) is becoming everyday practice in the software market. Difficult challenges and difficulty reaching the expected benefits are well documented. Recently agile software development has become common in DSD, even though important incompatibilities between...... that leads to team success. This article reports from a study of two agile DSD teams with very different organization and collaboration patterns. It addresses the role of trust and distrust in DSD by analyzing how the team members’ trust developed and erode through the lifetime of the two collaborations...... and how management actions influenced this. We find that some agile practice can empower teams to take over responsibility for managing their own trust building and sustaining and that management neglect of trust-building in other situations can hinder the development of beneficial balanced agile DSD...

Teaching Agile Software Development: A Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

Devedzic, V.; Milenkovic, S. R.

2011-01-01

This paper describes the authors' experience of teaching agile software development to students of computer science, software engineering, and other related disciplines, and comments on the implications of this and the lessons learned. It is based on the authors' eight years of experience in teaching agile software methodologies to various groups…

Application of agile methodologies in software development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jovanović Aca D.

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The paper presents the potentials for the development of software using agile methodologies. Special consideration is devoted to the potentials and advantages of use of the Scrum methodology in the development of software and the relationship between the implementation of agile methodologies and the software development projects.

Planned and reactive agility performance in semiprofessional and amateur basketball players.

Science.gov (United States)

Lockie, Robert G; Jeffriess, Matthew D; McGann, Tye S; Callaghan, Samuel J; Schultz, Adrian B

2014-09-01

Research indicates that planned and reactive agility are different athletic skills. These skills have not been adequately assessed in male basketball players. To define whether 10-m-sprint performance and planned and reactive agility measured by the Y-shaped agility test can discriminate between semiprofessional and amateur basketball players. Ten semiprofessional and 10 amateur basketball players completed 10-m sprints and planned- and reactive-agility tests. The Y-shaped agility test involved subjects sprinting 5 m through a trigger timing gate, followed by a 45° cut and 5-m sprint to the left or right through a target gate. In the planned condition, subjects knew the cut direction. For reactive trials, subjects visually scanned to find the illuminated gate. A 1-way analysis of variance (P basketball players; planned agility did not. To distinguish between male basketball players of different ability levels, agility tests should include a perceptual and decision-making component.

Barriers to Learning in Agile Software Development Projects

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Babb, Jeffry S.; Hoda, Rashina; Nørbjerg, Jacob

2013-01-01

The adoption of agile methods promises many advantages for individual, team, and organizational learning. However, environmental, structural, and organizational/cultural constraints often find teams adapting agile software development methods rather than engaging in full adoption. We present resu...

Repurposing Existing Material for Performance Support.

Science.gov (United States)

Harvey, Francis A.; Nelson, Adam

1995-01-01

Presents an overview of performance support systems (PSS), describes their role in promoting productivity in agile organizations, and discusses issues related to developing effective performance support using existing orientation, training, or procedural manuals. Topics include strategic principles of agility, and adding value when incorporating…

Applying Agile Principles in Teaching Undergraduate Information Technology Project Management

Science.gov (United States)

Budu, Joseph

2018-01-01

This article describes how the traditional teaching and learning activities over the years have been challenged to be agile--easily adaptable to changing classroom conditions. Despite this new phenomenon, there is a perceived paucity of agile-in-teaching research. Available studies neither focus on the use of agile principles beyond delivering…

Application opportunities of agile methodology in service company management

OpenAIRE

Barauskienė, Diana

2017-01-01

Application Opportunities of Agile Methodology in Service Company Management. The main purpose of this master thesis is to identify which methods (or their modified versions) of Agile methodology can be applied in service company management. This master thesis consists of these parts – literature scientific analysis, author’s research methodology (research methods, authors’ research model, essential elements used in the research of application of Agile methodology), research itself (prelimina...

Organizational Learning, Agility and Social Technologies in Contemporary Workplaces

OpenAIRE

Tikkamäki , Kati; Mavengere , Nicholas

2012-01-01

Part 8: Discussion Groups; International audience; The contemporary workplaces face demanding challenges, such as expectations to be agile, competitive, efficient and adept to using employee knowledge. There are several required virtues in order to have a conductive workplace, for example, organizational learning and agility. The discussion forum aimed to bring out the inter-related roles of organizational learning, agility and social technologies in modern workplaces. The working methods in ...

A comparison of linear speed, closed-skill agility, and open-skill agility qualities between backcourt and frontcourt adult semiprofessional male basketball players.

Science.gov (United States)

Scanlan, Aaron T; Tucker, Patrick S; Dalbo, Vincent J

2014-05-01

The measurement of fitness qualities relevant to playing position is necessary to inform basketball coaching and conditioning staff of role-related differences in playing groups. To date, sprinting and agility performance have not been compared between playing positions in adult male basketball players. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to describe and compare linear speed, closed-skill agility, and open-skill agility qualities between backcourt (point guard and shooting guard positions) and frontcourt (small forward, power forward, and center positions) semiprofessional basketball players. Six backcourt (mean ± SD: age, 24.3 ± 7.9 years; stature, 183.4 ± 4.0 cm; body mass, 85.5 ± 12.3 kg; VO2max, 51.9 ± 4.8 ml·kg(-1)·min(-1)) and 6 frontcourt (mean ± SD: age, 27.5 ± 5.5 years; stature, 194.4 ± 7.1 cm; body mass, 109.4 ± 8.8 kg; VO2max, 47.1 ± 5.0 ml·kg(-1)·min(-1)) adult male basketball players completed 20-m sprint, closed-skill agility, and open-skill agility performance tests. Magnitude-based inferences revealed that backcourt players (5 m, 1.048 ± 0.027 seconds; 10 m, 1.778 ± 0.048 seconds; 20 m, 3.075 ± 0.121 seconds) possessed likely quicker linear sprint times than frontcourt players (5 m, 1.095 ± 0.085 seconds; 10 m, 1.872 ± 0.127 seconds; 20 m, 3.242 ± 0.221 seconds). Conversely, frontcourt players (1.665 ± 0.096 seconds) held possible superior closed-skill agility performance than backcourt players (1.613 ± 0.111 seconds). In addition, unclear positional differences were apparent for open-skill agility qualities. These findings indicate that linear speed and change of direction speed might be differently developed across playing positions. Furthermore, position-related functions might similarly depend on the aspects of open-skill agility performance across backcourt and frontcourt players. Basketball coaching and conditioning staff should consider the development of position-targeted training drills to improve speed, agility

Logistics Reachback

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Jacobs, John

2003-01-01

.... As was discovered early in the course of the research, Reachback is many things to many people. During this effort it was discussed within the context of the definition stated in the Agile Combat Support Concept of Operations...

Ranking agility factors affecting hospitals in Iran

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Abdi Talarposht

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Background: Agility is an effective response to the changing and unpredictable environment and using these changes as opportunities for organizational improvement. Objective: The aim of the present study was to rank the factors affecting agile supply chain of hospitals of Iran. Methods: This applied study was conducted by cross sectional-descriptive method at some point of 2015 for one year. The research population included managers, administrators, faculty members and experts were selected hospitals. A total of 260 people were selected as sample from the health centers. The construct validity of the questionnaire was approved by confirmatory factor analysis test and its reliability was approved by Cronbach's alpha (α=0.97. All data were analyzed by Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Chi-square and Friedman tests. Findings: The development of staff skills, the use of information technology, the integration of processes, appropriate planning, and customer satisfaction and product quality had a significant impact on the agility of public hospitals of Iran (P<0.001. New product introductions had earned the highest ranking and the development of staff skills earned the lowest ranking. Conclusion: The new product introduction, market responsiveness and sensitivity, reduce costs, and the integration of organizational processes, ratings better to have acquired agility hospitals in Iran. Therefore, planners and officials of hospitals have to, through the promotion quality and variety of services customer-oriented, providing a basis for investing in the hospital and etc to apply for agility supply chain public hospitals of Iran.

Change Factors requiring agility and implications for IT

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Oosterhout, Marcel; Waarts, Eric; van Hillegersberg, Jos

2006-01-01

The current highly dynamic business environment requires businesses to be agile. Business agility is the ability to swiftly and easily change businesses and business processes beyond the normal level of flexibility to effectively manage unpredictable external and internal changes. This study reports

Does organizational agility affect organizational learning capability? Evidence from commercial banking

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zaina Mustafa Mahmoud Hamad

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Both organizational agility and learning capability are prerequisites for organizational survival and success. This study explores the contribution of agility practices to organizational learning capabilities at the commercial banks in Jordan. To examine the proposed model, a sample of 158 employees within top and middle managements was used. Structural Equation Modeling was conducted for assessing validity and reliability of measurement instrument, evaluating model fit, and testing hypotheses. This study recognizes agility as a key element of learning facilitators. Findings affirm the strategic value of agility and conclude that administrators working within ag-ile organizations would be able to acquire conditions that foster learning.

Cloud Computing and Agile Organization Development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bogdan GHILIC-MICU

2014-01-01

Full Text Available In the 3rd millennium economy, defined by globalization and continuous reduction of natural resources, the economic organization becomes the main actor in the phenomenon of transfor-mation and adaptation to new conditions. Even more, the economic environment, which is closely related to the social environment, undergoes complex metamorphoses, especially in the management area. In this dynamic and complex social and environmental context, the econom-ic organization must possess the ability to adapt, becoming a flexible and agile answer to new market opportunities. Considering the spectacular evolution of information and communica-tions technology, one of the solutions to ensure organization agility is cloud computing. Just like the development of any science requires adaptation to theories and instruments specific to other fields, a cloud computing paradigm for the agile organization must appeal to models from management, cybernetics, mathematics, structuralism and information theory (or information systems theory.

Agile rediscovering values: Similarities to continuous improvement strategies

Science.gov (United States)

Díaz de Mera, P.; Arenas, J. M.; González, C.

2012-04-01

Research in the late 80's on technological companies that develop products of high value innovation, with sufficient speed and flexibility to adapt quickly to changing market conditions, gave rise to the new set of methodologies known as Agile Management Approach. In the current changing economic scenario, we considered very interesting to study the similarities of these Agile Methodologies with other practices whose effectiveness has been amply demonstrated in both the West and Japan. Strategies such as Kaizen, Lean, World Class Manufacturing, Concurrent Engineering, etc, would be analyzed to check the values they have in common with the Agile Approach.

Agile Web Pilot Program

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Lang, Mark

1997-01-01

... in an increasingly competitive global marketplace. The pilot program allowed 18 small and medium sized enterprises to experiment with new agile business practices in competitive manufacturing environments by forming virtual organizations within...

Getting agile methods to work for Cordys global software product development

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Hillegersberg, Jos; Ligtenberg, Gerwin; Aydin, M.N.; Kotlarsky, J.; Willcocks, L.P.; Oshri, I.

2011-01-01

Getting agile methods to work in global software development is a potentially rewarding but challenging task. Agile methods are relatively young and still maturing. The application to globally distributed projects is in its early stages. Various guidelines on how to apply and sometimes adapt agile

Colocation as a hybrid ICT sourcing strategy to improve operational agility

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Beck, Roman; Pahlke, Immanuel; Vykoukal, Jens

2016-01-01

a hybrid ICT sourcing strategy called colocation that allows firms to operate their own ICT resources in facilities of special-ized data center providers. Grounded in the theory of dynamic capabilities, we theorize and empirically ex-amine how colocation and top management support enable firms to improve...... their operational agility in the presence of environmental turbulence....

Value Creation by Agile Projects: Methodology or Mystery?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Racheva, Z.; Daneva, Maia; Sikkel, Nicolaas; Bomarius, Frank; Oivo, Markku; Jaring, Päivi; Abrahamsson, Pekka

2009-01-01

Business value is a key concept in agile software development approaches. This paper presents results of a systematic review of literature on how business value is created by agile projects. We found that with very few exceptions, most published studies take the concept of business value for granted

Cognitive Agility Measurement in a Complex Environment

Science.gov (United States)

2017-04-01

validated by the corresponding psychological tests in the experiment. 15 Chapter 3 – Results 3.1. Result Summary from Thesis #1 (An...experiment using psychological tests and a military decision computer game called Make Goal to attempt to measure cognitive agility in military leaders...NPS thesis students. This document discusses the experimental design and the results from one of those theses. 14. SUBJECT TERMS cognitive agility

Creating IT agility.

Science.gov (United States)

Glaser, John

2008-04-01

Seven steps healthcare organizations can take to improve IT agility are: Pay attention to the capabilities of IT applications. Establish short project phases. Stage the release of capital and new IT positions. Cross-train IT staff. Adopt technology standards. Shorten IT plan time horizons. Align IT with organizational strategies and priorities.

Adding agility to Enterprise Process and Data Engineering

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sergey Zykov

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Managing development of large and complex enterprise architectures is a key problem in enterprise engineering. Nowadays one of the breathtaking topics considering enterprise context is real-time system agility. The paper discusses an appropriate general architecture pattern and provides insights how dynamic process management environment could be made. We survey general enterprise software architecture and current agility problems. We introduce a special component called a process knowledge base and justify its crucial role in achieving agility within the enterprise. We study both the architecture of the process knowledge base as well as formal basis for its implementation which relies upon the type theory.

Reactive Agility Performance in Handball; Development and Evaluation of a Sport-Specific Measurement Protocol.

Science.gov (United States)

Spasic, Miodrag; Krolo, Ante; Zenic, Natasa; Delextrat, Anne; Sekulic, Damir

2015-09-01

There is no current study that examined sport-specific tests of reactive-agility and change-of-direction-speed (CODS) to replicate real-sport environment in handball (team-handball). This investigation evaluated the reliability and validity of two novel tests designed to assess reactive-agility and CODS of handball players. Participants were female (25.14 ± 3.71 years of age; 1.77 ± 0.09 m and 74.1 ± 6.1 kg) and male handball players (26.9 ± 4.1 years of age; 1.90 ± 0.09 m and 93.90±4.6 kg). Variables included body height, body mass, body mass index, broad jump, 5-m sprint, CODS and reactive-agility tests. Results showed satisfactory reliability for reactive-agility-test and CODS-test (ICC of 0.85-0.93, and CV of 2.4-4.8%). The reactive-agility and CODS shared less than 20% of the common variance. The calculated index of perceptual and reactive capacity (P&RC; ratio between reactive-agility- and CODS-performance) is found to be valid measure in defining true-game reactive-agility performance in handball in both genders. Therefore, the handball athletes' P&RC should be used in the evaluation of real-game reactive-agility performance. Future studies should explore other sport-specific reactive-agility tests and factors associated to such performance in sports involving agile maneuvers. Key pointsReactive agility and change-of-direction-speed should be observed as independent qualities, even when tested over the same course and similar movement templateThe reactive-agility-performance of the handball athletes involved in defensive duties is closer to their non-reactive-agility-score than in their peers who are not involved in defensive dutiesThe handball specific "true-game" reactive-agility-performance should be evaluated as the ratio between reactive-agility and corresponding CODS performance.

Relationship between agility and lower limb muscle strength, targeting university badminton players.

Science.gov (United States)

Sonoda, Takuya; Tashiro, Yuto; Suzuki, Yusuke; Kajiwara, Yu; Zeidan, Hala; Yokota, Yuki; Kawagoe, Mirei; Nakayama, Yasuaki; Bito, Tsubasa; Shimoura, Kanako; Tatsumi, Masataka; Nakai, Kengo; Nishida, Yuichi; Yoshimi, Soyoka; Aoyama, Tomoki

2018-02-01

[Purpose] Targeting university badminton players, this study investigated the relationship between agility, which is associated with performance in badminton, and lower limb muscle strength, and examined which muscles influence agility. [Subjects and Methods] A total of 23 male university badminton players were evaluated for side-shuffle test scores and lower limb strength. The relationships between agility, lower limb strength, and duration of experience playing badminton were evaluated using a correlation analysis. Moreover, the relationship between agility and lower limb strength was evaluated by partial correlation analysis, adjusting for the effects of experience of each badminton player. [Results] The agility score correlated with hip extension and ankle plantar flexion strength, with adjustment for badminton experience. [Conclusion] This study suggests that hip extension training and improvement in ankle plantar flexion strength may improve agility.

Thinking Outside the Box: Agile Business Models for CNOs

Science.gov (United States)

Loss, Leandro; Crave, Servane

This paper introduces the idea of an agile Business Model for CNOs grounded on a new model of innovation based on the effects of globalization and of Knowledge Economy. The agile Business Model considers the resources that are spread out and available worldwide as well as the need for each customer to receive a unique customer experience. It aims at reinforcing in the context of the Knowledge Economy the different business models approaches developed so far. The paper also identifies the levers and the barriers of Agile Business Models Innovation in CNOs.

Agile project management managing for success

CERN Document Server

Crowder, James A

2015-01-01

Management and enables them to deal with the demands and complexities of modern, agile systems/software/hardware development teams. The book examines the project/program manager beyond the concepts of leadership and aims to connect to employees' sense of identity. The text examines human psychological concepts such as "locus of control," which will help the manager understand their team members' view and how best to manage their "world" contributions. The authors cover new management tools and philosophies for agile systems/software/hardware development teams, with a specific focus on how this

Research on Evolutionary Mechanism of Agile Supply Chain Network via Complex Network Theory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nai-Ru Xu

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The paper establishes the evolutionary mechanism model of agile supply chain network by means of complex network theory which can be used to describe the growth process of the agile supply chain network and analyze the complexity of the agile supply chain network. After introducing the process and the suitability of taking complex network theory into supply chain network research, the paper applies complex network theory into the agile supply chain network research, analyzes the complexity of agile supply chain network, presents the evolutionary mechanism of agile supply chain network based on complex network theory, and uses Matlab to simulate degree distribution, average path length, clustering coefficient, and node betweenness. Simulation results show that the evolution result displays the scale-free property. It lays the foundations of further research on agile supply chain network based on complex network theory.

The Effect of an Agile Infrastructure on the Department of Defense in the Twenty-first Century

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Vohar, Timothy

1998-01-01

.... This study investigates the potential effects an agile infrastructure will have on the Department of Defense's ability to perform its logistics mission in support of its fighting forces. It focusses on: (1...

Agile Service Development: A Rule-Based Method Engineering Approach

NARCIS (Netherlands)

dr. Martijn Zoet; Stijn Hoppenbrouwers; Inge van de Weerd; Johan Versendaal

2011-01-01

Agile software development has evolved into an increasingly mature software development approach and has been applied successfully in many software vendors’ development departments. In this position paper, we address the broader agile service development. Based on method engineering principles we

Agile Development for Service Oriented Business Intelligence Solutions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marinela MIRCEA

2011-03-01

Full Text Available Considering the evolution of information and communications technology, the necessity of alignment of public and private sectors to European Union requirements, the current economic crisis, and the global context, all organizations are trying to achieve major changes that would enable them to operate as intelligent organizations. For this purpose, agility and Business Intelligence are seen by most managers as a way to transform their organizations into intelligent organizations. The study highlights the importance of modern approaches (Service Oriented Architecture, Business Process Management, Business Rules, Cloud Computing, Master Data Management in developing agile Business Intelligence solutions. The paper also presents the stages of developing an agile Business Intelligence solution in the case of public procurement.

Family support, family stress, and suicidal ideation in a combat-exposed sample of Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom veterans.

Science.gov (United States)

Gradus, Jaimie L; Smith, Brian N; Vogt, Dawne

2015-01-01

Deployment-related risk factors for suicidal ideation among Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) veterans have received a great deal of attention. Studies show that mental health symptoms mediate the association between most deployment stressors and suicidal ideation; however, family-related factors during deployment are largely unexplored. We examined posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression symptoms as mediators of the associations between deployment family support and stress and post-deployment suicidal ideation in combat-exposed OEF/OIF veterans. National cross-sectional mail survey. 1046 veterans responded to the survey. The sample for this study was 978 veterans who experienced combat. Regression-based path analyses were conducted. Family support and stress had direct associations with suicidal ideation. When PTSD and depression symptoms were examined as mediators of these associations, results revealed significant indirect paths through these symptoms. This study contributes to the literature on suicidal ideation risk factors among OEF/OIF veterans. Deployment family support and family stress are associated with suicidal ideation; however these associations occur primarily through mental health symptomatology, consistent with findings observed for other deployment factors. This research supports ongoing efforts to treat mental health symptomatology as a means of suicide prevention.

Speed and agility of 12- and 14-year-old elite male basketball players.

Science.gov (United States)

Jakovljevic, Sasa T; Karalejic, Milivoje S; Pajic, Zoran B; Macura, Marija M; Erculj, Frane F

2012-09-01

The aims of this study were (a) to identify and compare the speed and agility of 12- and 14-year-old elite male basketball players and (b) to investigate relations between speed and agility for both age groups of basketball players, to help coaches to improve their work. Sixty-four players aged 12 (M = 11.98 years, SD = 0.311) and 54 players aged 14 (M = 14.092 years, SD = 0.275) were tested. Three agility tests: agility t-test, zigzag agility drill, and agility run 4 × 15 m and 3 speed tests: 20-m run, 30-m run, and 50-m run were applied. Fourteen-year-old players achieved significantly better results in all speed and agility tests compared with 12-year-old players. The correlation coefficient (r = 0.81, p = 0.001) showed that 12-year-old players have the same ability in the 30- and 50-m runs. The other correlation coefficient (r = 0.59, p = 0.001) indicated that 20- and 30-m runs had inherently different qualities. The correlation coefficients between agility tests were agility tests were >0.71, which means that all the 3 tests represent the same quality. During the speed training of 12-year-old players, it is advisable to focus on shorter running distances, up to 30 m. During the agility training of the same players, it is useful to apply exercises with various complexities. In speed training of the 14-year-old players, the 30- and 50-m runs should be applied, and agility training should include more specific basketball movements and activities.

Adaptive Global Innovative Learning Environment for Glioblastoma: GBM AGILE.

Science.gov (United States)

Alexander, Brian M; Ba, Sujuan; Berger, Mitchel S; Berry, Donald A; Cavenee, Webster K; Chang, Susan M; Cloughesy, Timothy F; Jiang, Tao; Khasraw, Mustafa; Li, Wenbin; Mittman, Robert; Poste, George H; Wen, Patrick Y; Yung, W K Alfred; Barker, Anna D

2018-02-15

Glioblastoma (GBM) is a deadly disease with few effective therapies. Although much has been learned about the molecular characteristics of the disease, this knowledge has not been translated into clinical improvements for patients. At the same time, many new therapies are being developed. Many of these therapies have potential biomarkers to identify responders. The result is an enormous amount of testable clinical questions that must be answered efficiently. The GBM Adaptive Global Innovative Learning Environment (GBM AGILE) is a novel, multi-arm, platform trial designed to address these challenges. It is the result of the collective work of over 130 oncologists, statisticians, pathologists, neurosurgeons, imagers, and translational and basic scientists from around the world. GBM AGILE is composed of two stages. The first stage is a Bayesian adaptively randomized screening stage to identify effective therapies based on impact on overall survival compared with a common control. This stage also finds the population in which the therapy shows the most promise based on clinical indication and biomarker status. Highly effective therapies transition in an inferentially seamless manner in the identified population to a second confirmatory stage. The second stage uses fixed randomization to confirm the findings from the first stage to support registration. Therapeutic arms with biomarkers may be added to the trial over time, while others complete testing. The design of GBM AGILE enables rapid clinical testing of new therapies and biomarkers to speed highly effective therapies to clinical practice. Clin Cancer Res; 24(4); 737-43. ©2017 AACR . ©2017 American Association for Cancer Research.

Entrepreneurial Call for Strategic Agility in Fast-Paced Business Environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Arslan Ayub

2014-06-01

Full Text Available The 21st century came with blending of threats and opportunities of deep-rooted obstructions of fast-paced business environment. Research on strategic management has consequently increased and grabbed the attention of both academicians and strategic policy makers. The current study is therefore directed to analyze the multifaceted influence of entrepreneurial orientation on strategic agility and organizational performance. The study uses exploratory approach; primary data is collected from 323 professional working in private sectors in twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, Pakistan. The study found significantly positive relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and strategic agility, entrepreneurial orientation and organizational performance, and strategic agility and organizational performance. The study discusses important implications regarding entrepreneurs‘ deployment of entrepreneurial orientation and strategic agility for enhancing organizational performance.

THE EFFECTS OF A 6-WEEK PLYOMETRIC TRAINING PROGRAM ON AGILITY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael G. Miller

2006-09-01

Full Text Available The purpose of the study was to determine if six weeks of plyometric training can improve an athlete's agility. Subjects were divided into two groups, a plyometric training and a control group. The plyometric training group performed in a six week plyometric training program and the control group did not perform any plyometric training techniques. All subjects participated in two agility tests: T-test and Illinois Agility Test, and a force plate test for ground reaction times both pre and post testing. Univariate ANCOVAs were conducted to analyze the change scores (post - pre in the independent variables by group (training or control with pre scores as covariates. The Univariate ANCOVA revealed a significant group effect F2,26 = 25.42, p=0.0000 for the T-test agility measure. For the Illinois Agility test, a significant group effect F2,26 = 27.24, p = 0.000 was also found. The plyometric training group had quicker posttest times compared to the control group for the agility tests. A significant group effect F2,26 = 7.81, p = 0.002 was found for the Force Plate test. The plyometric training group reduced time on the ground on the posttest compared to the control group. The results of this study show that plyometric training can be an effective training technique to improve an athlete's agility

The Dynamics of Agile Practices for Safety-Critical Software Development

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Peter Axel; Tordrup Heeager, Lise

2017-01-01

This short paper reports from a case study of the agile development of safety-critical software. It utilizes a framework of dynamic relationships between agile practices with the purpose of demonstrating the utility of the framework to understand a case in its context, and it shows significant...... dynamics. The study is concluded by pointing at which further research on the framework is required to use the framework in managing the agile development of safety-critical software....

Agile metodologies use for software development in Slovenian start-ups

OpenAIRE

Kašnik, Matic

2014-01-01

The thesis presents and describes the use of agile methodologies which are being used by Slovenian tech start-up companies. It describes the basic features, advantages and disadvantages of various agile methodologies such as Scrum, extreme programming, lean start-up and method Kanban. We made a review of the most used agile methodologies in Slovenian technology start-up companies. In particular, we focus on variety of tools, technics and approaches used by the development teams and where do t...

Applying Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Techniques to Prioritize Agility Drivers

OpenAIRE

Ahmad Jafarnejad; Sayyed Mohammad Reza Davoodi; Abolfazl Sherafat

2013-01-01

It seems that to recognize and classify the factors affecting organizational agility and need to specify the amount of their importance for the organization is essential to preserve survival and success in today's environment. This paper reviews the concept of agility and its division in the following indicators included the factors of motivations organizational agility that have been ranked in terms of level of importance and their influence by the techniques of MCDM. The inner complexity, s...

Towards seamless workflows in agile data science

Science.gov (United States)

Klump, J. F.; Robertson, J.

2017-12-01

Agile workflows are a response to projects with requirements that may change over time. They prioritise rapid and flexible responses to change, preferring to adapt to changes in requirements rather than predict them before a project starts. This suits the needs of research very well because research is inherently agile in its methodology. The adoption of agile methods has made collaborative data analysis much easier in a research environment fragmented across institutional data stores, HPC, personal and lab computers and more recently cloud environments. Agile workflows use tools that share a common worldview: in an agile environment, there may be more that one valid version of data, code or environment in play at any given time. All of these versions need references and identifiers. For example, a team of developers following the git-flow conventions (github.com/nvie/gitflow) may have several active branches, one for each strand of development. These workflows allow rapid and parallel iteration while maintaining identifiers pointing to individual snapshots of data and code and allowing rapid switching between strands. In contrast, the current focus of versioning in research data management is geared towards managing data for reproducibility and long-term preservation of the record of science. While both are important goals in the persistent curation domain of the institutional research data infrastructure, current tools emphasise planning over adaptation and can introduce unwanted rigidity by insisting on a single valid version or point of truth. In the collaborative curation domain of a research project, things are more fluid. However, there is no equivalent to the "versioning iso-surface" of the git protocol for the management and versioning of research data. At CSIRO we are developing concepts and tools for the agile management of software code and research data for virtual research environments, based on our experiences of actual data analytics projects in the

Improving Agile Software Practice

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tjørnehøj, Gitte

2006-01-01

Software process improvement in small and agile organizations is often problematic, but achieving good SPI-assessments can still be necessary to stay in the marked or to meet demands of multinational owners. The traditional norm driven, centralized and control centered improvement approaches has...

Evaluation of Agile Suppliers Using Fuzzy MCDM Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dursun Mehtap

2016-01-01

Full Text Available In today’s competitive environment, supply chain need to be of high speed and flexibility, i.e., agile. Agility has been proposed as a response to the high levels of complexity and uncertainty in modern markets. It is a business-wide capability that embraces organizational structures, information systems and logistics processes. This study employs the hierarchical fuzzy MCDM algorithm proposed by Karsak and Ahiska for the evaluation of agile suppliers. This algorithm is based on the proximity to the ideal solution concept and it can address the problems containing both crisp and fuzzy data. The application of the decision making method is illustrated through a case study conducted in a privet hospital and the results are analysed.

Challenges in Transitioning to an Agile Way of Working

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hekkala, Riitta; Stein, Mari-Klara; Rossi, Matti

2017-01-01

This longitudinal study examined how an information systems development team transitioned to an agile way of working. We describe the main events of a large, inter-organizational project, where agile methods and practices were applied for the first time. The organizations involved had a long trad...

Current State of Agile User-Centered Design: A Survey

Science.gov (United States)

Hussain, Zahid; Slany, Wolfgang; Holzinger, Andreas

Agile software development methods are quite popular nowadays and are being adopted at an increasing rate in the industry every year. However, these methods are still lacking usability awareness in their development lifecycle, and the integration of usability/User-Centered Design (UCD) into agile methods is not adequately addressed. This paper presents the preliminary results of a recently conducted online survey regarding the current state of the integration of agile methods and usability/UCD. A world wide response of 92 practitioners was received. The results show that the majority of practitioners perceive that the integration of agile methods with usability/UCD has added value to their adopted processes and to their teams; has resulted in the improvement of usability and quality of the product developed; and has increased the satisfaction of the end-users of the product developed. The top most used HCI techniques are low-fidelity prototyping, conceptual designs, observational studies of users, usability expert evaluations, field studies, personas, rapid iterative testing, and laboratory usability testing.

Quantifying performance on an outdoor agility drill using foot-mounted inertial measurement units.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Antonia M Zaferiou

Full Text Available Running agility is required for many sports and other physical tasks that demand rapid changes in body direction. Quantifying agility skill remains a challenge because measuring rapid changes of direction and quantifying agility skill from those measurements are difficult to do in ways that replicate real task/game play situations. The objectives of this study were to define and to measure agility performance for a (five-cone agility drill used within a military obstacle course using data harvested from two foot-mounted inertial measurement units (IMUs. Thirty-two recreational athletes ran an agility drill while wearing two IMUs secured to the tops of their athletic shoes. The recorded acceleration and angular rates yield estimates of the trajectories, velocities and accelerations of both feet as well as an estimate of the horizontal velocity of the body mass center. Four agility performance metrics were proposed and studied including: 1 agility drill time, 2 horizontal body speed, 3 foot trajectory turning radius, and 4 tangential body acceleration. Additionally, the average horizontal ground reaction during each footfall was estimated. We hypothesized that shorter agility drill performance time would be observed with small turning radii and large tangential acceleration ranges and body speeds. Kruskal-Wallis and mean rank post-hoc statistical analyses revealed that shorter agility drill performance times were observed with smaller turning radii and larger tangential acceleration ranges and body speeds, as hypothesized. Moreover, measurements revealed the strategies that distinguish high versus low performers. Relative to low performers, high performers used sharper turns, larger changes in body speed (larger tangential acceleration ranges, and shorter duration footfalls that generated larger horizontal ground reactions during the turn phases. Overall, this study advances the use of foot-mounted IMUs to quantify agility performance in

Fostering and sustaining innovation in a Fast Growing Agile Company

OpenAIRE

Moe, NilsBrede; Barney, Sebastian; Aurum, Aybüe; Khurum, Mahvish; Wohlin, Claes; Barney, Hamish; Gorschek, Tony; Winata, Martha

2012-01-01

Sustaining innovation in a fast growing software development company is difficult. As organisations grow, peoples' focus often changes from the big picture of the product being developed to the specific role they fill. This paper presents two complementary approaches that were successfully used to support continued developer-driven innovation in a rapidly growing Australian agile software development company. The method "FedEx TM Day" gives developers one day to showcase a proof of concept th...

Optimising agile development practices for the maintenance operation: nine heuristics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Heeager, Lise Tordrup; Rose, Jeremy

2014-01-01

Agile methods are widely used and successful in many development situations and beginning to attract attention amongst the software maintenance community – both researchers and practitioners. However, it should not be assumed that implementing a well-known agile method for a maintenance department...... is therefore a trivial endeavour - the maintenance operation differs in some important respects from development work. Classical accounts of software maintenance emphasise more traditional software engineering processes, whereas recent research accounts of agile maintenance efforts uncritically focus...... on benefits. In an action research project at Aveva in Denmark we assisted with the optimisation of SCRUM, tailoring the standard process to the immediate needs of the developers. We draw on both theoretical and empirical learning to formulate nine heuristics for maintenance practitioners wishing to go agile....

DoD Acquisitions Reform: Embracing and Implementing Agile

Science.gov (United States)

2015-12-01

required in the traditional waterfall approach.   Specific models for enterprise level efforts include Scaled Agile Framework, Disciplined Agile...and Acquisition Concerns. Pittsburgh: Carnegie Mellon.  Leffingwell, D. (2007). Why The Waterfall Model Doesn’t Work. In D. Leffingwell, Scaling...serious issue might be the acquisitions process itself. For the last twenty plus years, the Air Force has used the waterfall approach for software

Development of perceived competence, tactical skills, motivation, technical skills, and speed and agility in young soccer players.

Science.gov (United States)

Forsman, Hannele; Gråstén, Arto; Blomqvist, Minna; Davids, Keith; Liukkonen, Jarmo; Konttinen, Niilo

2016-07-01

The objective of this 1-year, longitudinal study was to examine the development of perceived competence, tactical skills, motivation, technical skills, and speed and agility characteristics of young Finnish soccer players. We also examined associations between latent growth models of perceived competence and other recorded variables. Participants were 288 competitive male soccer players ranging from 12 to 14 years (12.7 ± 0.6) from 16 soccer clubs. Players completed the self-assessments of perceived competence, tactical skills, and motivation, and participated in technical, and speed and agility tests. Results of this study showed that players' levels of perceived competence, tactical skills, motivation, technical skills, and speed and agility characteristics remained relatively high and stable across the period of 1 year. Positive relationships were found between these levels and changes in perceived competence and motivation, and levels of perceived competence and speed and agility characteristics. Together these results illustrate the multi-dimensional nature of talent development processes in soccer. Moreover, it seems crucial in coaching to support the development of perceived competence and motivation in young soccer players and that it might be even more important in later maturing players.

Interrelationships between measured running intensities and agility performance in subelite rugby union players.

Science.gov (United States)

Jarvis, Stuart; Sullivan, Lee O; Davies, Bruce; Wiltshire, Huw; Baker, Julien S

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate agility performance of rugby players using various intensity running tests. A further aim was to investigate if any differences existed between playing positions in relation to agility performance. Nineteen subelite players (mean +/- SD age, 23.0 +/- 5.4 years) participated in the study. Players underwent measurements of anthropometry (height, body mass, and sum of four skinfolds). Running tests investigated were speed (10 m and 40 m sprint), agility (T Test and Illinois), and multistage fitness tests (20 m, 10 m, and 5 m), with all tests for agility measured against the Illinois agility test. Results indicated that backline players produced significant correlations (P rugby-specific agility programs to aid performance may be of greater benefit and of higher priority in training programs designed for backs rather than forwards.

Advances in waveform-agile sensing for tracking

CERN Document Server

Sira, Sandeep Prasad

2009-01-01

Recent advances in sensor technology and information processing afford a new flexibility in the design of waveforms for agile sensing. Sensors are now developed with the ability to dynamically choose their transmit or receive waveforms in order to optimize an objective cost function. This has exposed a new paradigm of significant performance improvements in active sensing: dynamic waveform adaptation to environment conditions, target structures, or information features. The manuscript provides a review of recent advances in waveform-agile sensing for target tracking applications. A dynamic wav

Extending the agile development process to develop acceptably secure software

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ben Othmane, L.; Angin, P.; Weffers, H.T.G.; Bhargava, B.

2013-01-01

The agile software development approach makes developing secure software challenging. Existing approaches for extending the agile development process, which enables incremental and iterative software development, fall short of providing a method for efficiently ensuring the security of the software

Statistical Analyses and Modeling of the Implementation of Agile Manufacturing Tactics in Industrial Firms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammad D. AL-Tahat

2012-01-01

Full Text Available This paper provides a review and introduction on agile manufacturing. Tactics of agile manufacturing are mapped into different production areas (eight-construct latent: manufacturing equipment and technology, processes technology and know-how, quality and productivity improvement, production planning and control, shop floor management, product design and development, supplier relationship management, and customer relationship management. The implementation level of agile manufacturing tactics is investigated in each area. A structural equation model is proposed. Hypotheses are formulated. Feedback from 456 firms is collected using five-point-Likert-scale questionnaire. Statistical analysis is carried out using IBM SPSS and AMOS. Multicollinearity, content validity, consistency, construct validity, ANOVA analysis, and relationships between agile components are tested. The results of this study prove that the agile manufacturing tactics have positive effect on the overall agility level. This conclusion can be used by manufacturing firms to manage challenges when trying to be agile.

Tailoring Agility: Promiscuous Pair Story Authoring and Value Calculation

Science.gov (United States)

Tendon, Steve

This chapter describes how a multi-national software organization created a business plan involving business units from eight countries that followed an agile way, after two previously failed attempts with traditional approaches. The case is told by the consultant who initiated implementation of agility into requirements gathering, estimation and planning processes in an international setting. The agile approach was inspired by XP, but then tailored to meet the peculiar requirements. Two innovations were critical. The first innovation was promiscuous pair story authoring, where user stories were written by two people (similarly to pair programming), and the pairing changed very often (as frequently as every 15-20 minutes) to achieve promiscuity and cater for diverse point of views. The second innovation was an economic value evaluation (and not the cost) which was attributed to stories. Continuous recalculation of the financial value of the stories allowed to assess the projects financial return. In this case implementation of agility in the international context allowed the involved team members to reach consensus and unanimity of decisions, vision and purpose.

SuperAGILE onboard electronics and ground test instrumentation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pacciani, Luigi; Morelli, Ennio; Rubini, Alda; Mastropietro, Marcello; Porrovecchio, Geiland; Costa, Enrico; Del Monte, Ettore; Donnarumma, Immacolata; Evangelista, Yuri; Feroci, Marco; Lazzarotto, Francesco; Rapisarda, Massimo; Soffitta, Paolo

2007-01-01

In this paper we describe the electronics of the SuperAGILE X-ray imager on-board AGILE satellite and the instrumentation developed to test and improve the Front-End and digital electronics of the flight model of the imager. Although the working principle of the instrument is very well established, and the conceptual scheme simple, the budget and mechanical constraints of the AGILE small mission made necessary the introduction of new elements in SuperAGILE, regarding both the mechanics and the electronics. In fact the instrument is contained in a ∼44x44x16cm 3 volume, but the required performance is quite ambitious, leading us to equip a sensitive area of ∼1350cm 2 with 6144 Silicon μstrips detectors with a pitch of 121μm and a total length of ∼18.2cm. The result is a very light and power-cheap imager with a good sensitivity (∼15mCrab in 1 day in 15-45keV), high angular resolution (6arcmin) and gross spectral resolution. The test-equipment is versatile, and can be easily modified to test FEE based on self-triggered, data-driven and sparse-readout ASICs such as XA family chips

Investigating the impact of agile methods on learning and innovation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Annosi, M.C.; Brunetta, Federica; Hemphala, J.

2018-01-01

In a turbulent environment, increased flexibility and efficiency are essential for most firms to survive. Many organizations have responded to the need for greater efficiency and productivity by building more Agile structures and shifting to the implementation of Agile software (SW) methodologies.

The Effects of a 6-Week Plyometric Training Program on Agility

OpenAIRE

Miller, Michael G.; Herniman, Jeremy J.; Ricard, Mark D.; Cheatham, Christopher C.; Michael, Timothy J.

2006-01-01

The purpose of the study was to determine if six weeks of plyometric training can improve an athlete's agility. Subjects were divided into two groups, a plyometric training and a control group. The plyometric training group performed in a six week plyometric training program and the control group did not perform any plyometric training techniques. All subjects participated in two agility tests: T-test and Illinois Agility Test, and a force plate test for ground reaction times both pre and pos...

Designing a Model of Organizational Agility: A Case Study of Ardabil Gas Company

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Behrooz Razmi

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Organizational agility means the ability of every organization in sensation, perception, and prediction of available changes in the business environment. The importance of organizational agility in a competitive environment is nowadays widely recognized and accepted. The aim of this research was to design a unified theoretical model of organizational agility for Ardabil Gas Company based upon the theoretical principles of organizational agility proposed by Goldman (1995. Independent variables including organizational intelligence, organizational commitment, and organizational trust were considered as mediator variable and other four essential components of organizational agility such as forming of virtual participation valorize to humanistic knowledge and skills, change readiness, and customers answering were known as dependent variables of research. This is an applied, descriptive-correlation research, conducted by survey methodology. In this study, 568 employees, contractors, and subscribers of Ardabil Gas Company were chosen as the statistical population of the study. For the purpose of the study a questionnaire for data collection was used. Using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM, it is straightforward to test hypotheses of the equality of various correlation coefficients with any number of covariates across multiple groups. The gathered data was analyzed by using SPSS and LISREL software packages. The results of statistical analysis indicate that organizational trust has a significant positive relationship with organizational agility and organizational trust is the moderator of the relationship between technology intelligence and organizational agility and the relationship between organizational commitment and organizational agility.

Peer Support, Self-efficacy, and Combat-related Trauma Symptoms among Returning OIF/OEF Veterans

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ann MacEachron

2012-11-01

Full Text Available The incidence of PTSD and other combat-related trauma symptoms among more than 2 million veterans returning from Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF in Afghanistan suggests that many will experience psychological challenges in adjusting to civilian life. However, the literature is sparse about this new group of veterans. This study examined the relationships between peer support, self-efficacy, and PTSD symptoms among 216 OIF/OEF veterans who had attended 1 of 17 Vets4Vets peer support weekend retreats. Vets4Vets is a national grassroots program whose mission is to improve the psychological well-being of returning OIF/OEF veterans. Analysis of posttest changes indicate the generalizability of previous research findings, based on other groups of trauma-affected groups, to OIF/OEF veterans. As predicted, increased perceived peer support and self-efficacy reduced PTSD symptoms. From a theoretical perspective, we found that both models of self-efficacy, situation-specific (Bandura, 1997; Benight & Bandura, 2004 and general self-efficacy (Schwarzer & Fuchs, 1996, mediated or explained the relationship between peer support and PTSD symptoms. Implications for social work are discussed.

Handling requirements dependencies in agile projects: A focus group with agile software development practitioners

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Martakis, Aias; Daneva, Maia; Wieringa, Roelf J.; Jean-Louis Cavarero, S.; Rolland, C; Cavarero, J.L.

2013-01-01

Agile practices on requirements dependencies are a relatively unexplored topic in literature. Empirical studies on it are scarce. This research sets out to uncover concepts that practitioners in companies of various sizes across the globe and in various industries, use for dealing with requirements

RFP Patterns and Techniques for Successful Agile Contracting

Science.gov (United States)

2016-11-01

5.5 Risk Assessment 27 5.6 Development Methodologies 27 5.6.1 The Waterfall Model 28 5.6.2 The Agile Model 29 5.7 Mixing Waterfall and Agile...familiarity with sequential, waterfall -based software development models . A brief refresher is provided in Section 5.6.1. 4 See AcqNotes...Environment In a traditional waterfall model , technical reviews are used as control gates to move from one se- quential phase to the next (e.g

Support to the Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center: Enabling AFIMSC’s Role in Agile Combat Support Planning, Execution, Monitoring, and Control

Science.gov (United States)

2017-06-23

development, test, and evaluation; and supply chain management —and also quality-of-life support to military members, their families, retirees, and so on...AFIMSC and Air Education and Training Command Director of Logistics (AETC/A4) at a time when AFIMSC was being established to focus on managing the...operations of new ACS global management organizations.3 1 Program Action Directive (PAD) 14-04, Implementation of the Air Force Installation and

The influence of physical and cognitive factors on reactive agility performance in men basketball players.

Science.gov (United States)

Scanlan, Aaron; Humphries, Brendan; Tucker, Patrick S; Dalbo, Vincent

2014-01-01

This study explored the influence of physical and cognitive measures on reactive agility performance in basketball players. Twelve men basketball players performed multiple sprint, Change of Direction Speed Test, and Reactive Agility Test trials. Pearson's correlation analyses were used to determine relationships between the predictor variables (stature, mass, body composition, 5-m, 10-m and 20-m sprint times, peak speed, closed-skill agility time, response time and decision-making time) and reactive agility time (response variable). Simple and stepwise regression analyses determined the individual influence of each predictor variable and the best predictor model for reactive agility time. Morphological (r = -0.45 to 0.19), sprint (r = -0.40 to 0.41) and change-of-direction speed measures (r = 0.43) had small to moderate correlations with reactive agility time. Response time (r = 0.76, P = 0.004) and decision-making time (r = 0.58, P = 0.049) had large to very large relationships with reactive agility time. Response time was identified as the sole predictor variable for reactive agility time in the stepwise model (R(2) = 0.58, P = 0.004). In conclusion, cognitive measures had the greatest influence on reactive agility performance in men basketball players. These findings suggest reaction and decision-making drills should be incorporated in basketball training programmes.

Analyzing effective elements in agile supply chain

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Babak Jamshidi Navid

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Agile supply chain plays an important role on having efficient production planning. There are different factors affecting the efficiency of a supply chain and the attempt of this paper is to find the most important elements in agile supply chain. The proposed model of this paper gathers decision makers' opinions and based on DEMATEL technique determines the most important items. The preliminary results of this survey indicate that we could divide the factors into four groups and two elements including automation and utilization of technical tools of relations and information play the most important roles among other factors.

MILITARY MISSION COMBAT EFFICIENCY ESTIMATION SYSTEM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ighoyota B. AJENAGHUGHRURE

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Military infantry recruits, although trained, lacks experience in real-time combat operations, despite the combat simulations training. Therefore, the choice of including them in military operations is a thorough and careful process. This has left top military commanders with the tough task of deciding, the best blend of inexperienced and experienced infantry soldiers, for any military operation, based on available information on enemy strength and capability. This research project delves into the design of a mission combat efficiency estimator (MCEE. It is a decision support system that aids top military commanders in estimating the best combination of soldiers suitable for different military operations, based on available information on enemy’s combat experience. Hence, its advantages consist of reducing casualties and other risks that compromises the entire operation overall success, and also boosting the morals of soldiers in an operation, with such information as an estimation of combat efficiency of their enemies. The system was developed using Microsoft Asp.Net and Sql server backend. A case study test conducted with the MECEE system, reveals clearly that the MECEE system is an efficient tool for military mission planning in terms of team selection. Hence, when the MECEE system is fully deployed it will aid military commanders in the task of decision making on team members’ combination for any given operation based on enemy personnel information that is well known beforehand. Further work on the MECEE will be undertaken to explore fire power types and impact in mission combat efficiency estimation.

Agility in a small software firm

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schmidt, Thomas; Mathiassen, Lars

2009-01-01

Small software firms are vulnerable to environmental uncertainty. While agile methods and other technologies offer suggestions to this challenge, we know little about how these firms combine project and firm level capabilities to effectively respond to changes. On this backdrop, we examine a small...... Danish software firm, TeachTech Inc., through the lens of Haeckel's sense-and-respond approach. Our analysis suggests that: the firm has appropriate sense-and-respond cycles, but improving process modularity and human resource flexibility, could increase its ability to respond faster and more effectively......; the firm focuses on specific business goals, but these are not clearly explicated and expressed as empowering governing values enabling a quick and coordinated response; complex and demanding challenges are related to dynamically reassigning commitments and the supporting mechanisms are insufficient...

Effects of training on postural control and agility when wearing socks of different compression levels

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jaakkola Timo

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Study aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of training while wearing socks differing in compression level (clinical, sub-clinical, regular on performance of static and dynamic balancing and agility tasks in healthy, physically active people. We sought to understand whether socks with different compression properties supported postural regulation and agility task performance by enhancing somatosensory perception, unskewed by specific age range effects. Material and methods: Participants comprised 61 adults aged 18-75 years, divided into three groups (two experimental groups wearing clinical or sub-clinical level compression socks, and one control group wearing regular non-compression socks during training. An 8-week (2 × 1h per week intervention programme was administered to train static and dynamic balance and postural control, leg strength and agility. Results: A mixed model ANOVA revealed no differences in static and dynamic balance and postural control and agility performance between clinical, sub-clinical, and control groups before and after training. All groups significantly improved their test performance, suggesting that training had some benefit on motor performance. Conclusions: These results raised interesting questions requiring further investigation to examine the effects of wearing socks (with and without different levels of compression on motor behaviours in specific groups of elderly vs. young participants, in physically active vs. less physically active people, and in performance settings outside standardized laboratory tests to study applications in natural performance environments.

Project-Method Fit: Exploring Factors That Influence Agile Method Use

Science.gov (United States)

Young, Diana K.

2013-01-01

While the productivity and quality implications of agile software development methods (SDMs) have been demonstrated, research concerning the project contexts where their use is most appropriate has yielded less definitive results. Most experts agree that agile SDMs are not suited for all project contexts. Several project and team factors have been…

Intrafirm knowledge transfer of agile software practices: barriers and their relations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tordrup Heeager, Lise; Nielsen, Peter Axel

2018-01-01

to knowledge transfer, we modify and extend the framework to transferring knowledge of agile practices. This framework is subsequently applied for interpreting and analyzing the case study data. The analysis shows how these barriers (e.g., the organizational culture, time and resources, knowledge strategy......Agile software practices are widely used in a great variety of organizations, and the shift from traditional plan-driven approaches entails a redefinition of processes in these organizations. Intrafirm knowledge transfer of agile software practices between projects is a key concern...... in this redefinition. While knowledge transfer is essential for an organization to develop or keep its competitive advantage, it is also both difficult and time consuming, due to a wide range of barriers. Transferring knowledge on agile practices is even more complex due to there being a high degree of tacit knowledge...

Final Report of the NASA Office of Safety and Mission Assurance Agile Benchmarking Team

Science.gov (United States)

Wetherholt, Martha

2016-01-01

To ensure that the NASA Safety and Mission Assurance (SMA) community remains in a position to perform reliable Software Assurance (SA) on NASAs critical software (SW) systems with the software industry rapidly transitioning from waterfall to Agile processes, Terry Wilcutt, Chief, Safety and Mission Assurance, Office of Safety and Mission Assurance (OSMA) established the Agile Benchmarking Team (ABT). The Team's tasks were: 1. Research background literature on current Agile processes, 2. Perform benchmark activities with other organizations that are involved in software Agile processes to determine best practices, 3. Collect information on Agile-developed systems to enable improvements to the current NASA standards and processes to enhance their ability to perform reliable software assurance on NASA Agile-developed systems, 4. Suggest additional guidance and recommendations for updates to those standards and processes, as needed. The ABT's findings and recommendations for software management, engineering and software assurance are addressed herein.

Preface [to] Information systems and technology for organizational agility, intelligence, and resilience

OpenAIRE

Rahman, Md. Hakikur; Sousa, Rui Dinis

2014-01-01

Information Systems and Technology for Organizational Agility, Intelligence, and Resilience aims to advise and support organizational agents who want ensure success in terms of financial, social, and environmental aspects, as well as in the aspect of human development, in a more sustainable way. The premier reference work provides examples of conceptual research, methodologies, empirical cases, and success cases for academics, researchers, intermediaries, and organizations looking to use info...

AGILE integration into APC for high mix logic fab

Science.gov (United States)

Gatefait, M.; Lam, A.; Le Gratiet, B.; Mikolajczak, M.; Morin, V.; Chojnowski, N.; Kocsis, Z.; Smith, I.; Decaunes, J.; Ostrovsky, A.; Monget, C.

2015-09-01

For C040 technology and below, photolithographic depth of focus control and dispersion improvement is essential to secure product functionality. Critical 193nm immersion layers present initial focus process windows close to machine control capability. For previous technologies, the standard scanner sensor (Level sensor - LS) was used to map wafer topology and expose the wafer at the right Focus. Such optical embedded metrology, based on light reflection, suffers from reading issues that cannot be neglected anymore. Metrology errors are correlated to inspected product area for which material types and densities change, and so optical properties are not constant. Various optical phenomena occur across the product field during wafer inspection and have an effect on the quality and position of the reflected light. This can result in incorrect heights being recorded and exposures possibly being done out of focus. Focus inaccuracy associated to aggressive process windows on critical layers will directly impact product realization and therefore functionality and yield. ASML has introduced an air gauge sensor to complement the optical level sensor and lead to optimal topology metrology. The use of this new sensor is managed by the AGILE (Air Gauge Improved process LEveling) application. This measurement with no optical dependency will correct for optical inaccuracy of level sensor, and so improve best focus dispersion across the product. Due to the fact that stack complexity is more and more important through process steps flow, optical perturbation of standard Level sensor metrology is increasing and is becoming maximum for metallization layers. For these reasons AGILE feature implementation was first considered for contact and all metal layers. Another key point is that standard metrology will be sensitive to layer and reticle/product density. The gain of Agile will be enhanced for multiple product contribution mask and for complex System on Chip. Into ST context (High

Agile science: creating useful products for behavior change in the real world.

Science.gov (United States)

Hekler, Eric B; Klasnja, Predrag; Riley, William T; Buman, Matthew P; Huberty, Jennifer; Rivera, Daniel E; Martin, Cesar A

2016-06-01

Evidence-based practice is important for behavioral interventions but there is debate on how best to support real-world behavior change. The purpose of this paper is to define products and a preliminary process for efficiently and adaptively creating and curating a knowledge base for behavior change for real-world implementation. We look to evidence-based practice suggestions and draw parallels to software development. We argue to target three products: (1) the smallest, meaningful, self-contained, and repurposable behavior change modules of an intervention; (2) "computational models" that define the interaction between modules, individuals, and context; and (3) "personalization" algorithms, which are decision rules for intervention adaptation. The "agile science" process includes a generation phase whereby contender operational definitions and constructs of the three products are created and assessed for feasibility and an evaluation phase, whereby effect size estimates/casual inferences are created. The process emphasizes early-and-often sharing. If correct, agile science could enable a more robust knowledge base for behavior change.

Managing agility through service orientation in an open telecommunication value chain

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bastiaansen, H.J.M.; Hermans, P.

2006-01-01

Agility is key for telecommunication operators to survive in a deregulated, competitive, and converging telecommunications environment. Openness and reusability have emerged as leading concepts to realize such agility. These concepts have both a business perspective and an operational perspective.

Agile Acceptance Test-Driven Development of Clinical Decision Support Advisories: Feasibility of Using Open Source Software.

Science.gov (United States)

Basit, Mujeeb A; Baldwin, Krystal L; Kannan, Vaishnavi; Flahaven, Emily L; Parks, Cassandra J; Ott, Jason M; Willett, Duwayne L

2018-04-13

Moving to electronic health records (EHRs) confers substantial benefits but risks unintended consequences. Modern EHRs consist of complex software code with extensive local configurability options, which can introduce defects. Defects in clinical decision support (CDS) tools are surprisingly common. Feasible approaches to prevent and detect defects in EHR configuration, including CDS tools, are needed. In complex software systems, use of test-driven development and automated regression testing promotes reliability. Test-driven development encourages modular, testable design and expanding regression test coverage. Automated regression test suites improve software quality, providing a "safety net" for future software modifications. Each automated acceptance test serves multiple purposes, as requirements (prior to build), acceptance testing (on completion of build), regression testing (once live), and "living" design documentation. Rapid-cycle development or "agile" methods are being successfully applied to CDS development. The agile practice of automated test-driven development is not widely adopted, perhaps because most EHR software code is vendor-developed. However, key CDS advisory configuration design decisions and rules stored in the EHR may prove amenable to automated testing as "executable requirements." We aimed to establish feasibility of acceptance test-driven development of clinical decision support advisories in a commonly used EHR, using an open source automated acceptance testing framework (FitNesse). Acceptance tests were initially constructed as spreadsheet tables to facilitate clinical review. Each table specified one aspect of the CDS advisory's expected behavior. Table contents were then imported into a test suite in FitNesse, which queried the EHR database to automate testing. Tests and corresponding CDS configuration were migrated together from the development environment to production, with tests becoming part of the production regression test

Agility in asset management, or: how to be flexible with assets designed for stability

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ruitenburg, Richard Jacob; Braaksma, Anne Johannes Jan; van Dongen, Leonardus Adriana Maria

2016-01-01

Agility is increasingly important in manufacturing. However, thus far little attention has been paid to the agility of the physical assets used in production, which are typically designed for decades of operation in a stable context. This paper investigates the topic of agile Asset Management using

The Challenges of Becoming Agile

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ovesen, Nis; Dowlen, Chris

2012-01-01

During the last decade agile methods have been a vast success in the domain of software development. This paper investigates whether these methods can be successfully transferred to the domain of physical product development in order to address the fundamental challenges of increased marked speed...

Agile software development and the barriers to transfer of knowledge: An interpretive case study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Heeager, Lise Tordrup; Nielsen, Peter Axel

2013-01-01

Agile practices to systems development are believed to depend largely on the developers’ competences, experience and knowledge and to a lesser degree on formal development processes and methods. In this paper we investigate the knowledge transfer and barriers to the transfer of agile development ...... to explain knowledge transfer and barriers, and (2) specifically explicate potential barriers hindering knowledge transfer of agile practices. This has implications for the implementation of agile development practices.......Agile practices to systems development are believed to depend largely on the developers’ competences, experience and knowledge and to a lesser degree on formal development processes and methods. In this paper we investigate the knowledge transfer and barriers to the transfer of agile development...... practices in an interpretive case study. The case company is a pharmaceutical firm where we studied how they develop software and how they transfer their own experience. Based on the literature we develop an initial framework of barriers to knowledge transfer and apply it to interpret the case study. From...

Balancing Agile Combat Support Manpower to Better Meet the Future Security Environment

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

for a 3,000-person deployment package. 6 Figure 1.1 Postured Manpower Included in This Analysis NOTE: Spc = space, Avn = aviation, MX...an po w er ,  1 00 0s USAF  postured  manpower Spc,   Avn ,  Mx,  Intel Other  ACS Our  scope 7 • In Chapter Four, we discuss several

Handbook for Implementing Agile in Department of Defense Information Technology Acquisition

Science.gov (United States)

2010-12-15

management tool. Examples include Eclipse (open source), NetBeans (Sun) and Komodo (ActiveState). 7.2 Agile Project Management Tools Agile project...or interpreter, a debugger, integration with a source code management tool. Examples include Eclipse (open source), NetBeans (Sun) and Komodo

Agile Methods from the Viewpoint of Information

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eder Junior Alves

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Since Paul M. G. Otlet highlighted the term documentation in 1934, proposing how to collect and organize the world's knowledge, many scientific researches directed observations to the study of Information Science. Methods and techniques have come up with a world view from the perspective of information. Agile methods follow this trend. Objective: The purpose is to analyze the relevance of information flow to organizations adopting agile methods, understanding how the innovation process is influenced by this practice. Methodology: This is a bibliometric study with fundamentals of Systematic Literature Review (SLR. The integration between the SLR technique interacting with Summarize tool is a new methodological proposal. Results: Scrum appears with the highest number of publications in SPELL. In comparison, results of Google Scholar pointed out to the importance of practices and team behaviors. In Science Direct repository, critical success factors in project management and software development are highlighted. Introduction: Conclusions: It was evident that agile methods are being used as process innovations. The benefits and advantages are evident with internal and external occurrence of information flow. Due to the prevalence in the literature, Scrum deserves attention by firms.

Evidence of combat in triceratops.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrew A Farke

Full Text Available The horns and frill of Triceratops and other ceratopsids (horned dinosaurs are interpreted variously as display structures or as weapons against conspecifics and predators. Lesions (in the form of periosteal reactive bone, healing fractures, and alleged punctures on Triceratops skulls have been used as anecdotal support of intraspecific combat similar to that in modern horned and antlered animals. If ceratopsids with different cranial morphologies used their horns in such combat, this should be reflected in the rates of lesion occurrence across the skull.We used a G-test of independence to compare incidence rates of lesions in Triceratops (which possesses two large brow horns and a smaller nasal horn and the related ceratopsid Centrosaurus (with a large nasal horn and small brow horns, for the nasal, jugal, squamosal, and parietal bones of the skull. The two taxa differ significantly in the occurrence of lesions on the squamosal bone of the frill (P = 0.002, but not in other cranial bones (P > 0.20.This pattern is consistent with Triceratops using its horns in combat and the frill being adapted as a protective structure for this taxon. Lower pathology rates in Centrosaurus may indicate visual rather than physical use of cranial ornamentation in this genus, or a form of combat focused on the body rather than the head.

How do different types of mergers and acquisitions facilitate strategic agility?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Brueller, Nir N.; Carmeli, Abraham; Drori, Israel

2014-01-01

Firms struggle to create an agile organizational system since it requires the development of three enabling capacities: to make sense quickly, make decisions nimbly, and redeploy resources rapidly. While the study of strategic agility is of growing interest as a prime means of organizational growth,

2006 Combat Vehicles Conference

Science.gov (United States)

2006-10-25

stressed or worn out beyond economic repair due to combat operations by repairing, rebuilding, or procuring replacement equipment. These...lives Vehicle Hardening Logistics Solutions for the Warfighter • Unique and economical surge capability • Support in coordination with op tempo...Speed, • Diagnostics Indicators – DECU Health Check Indicator, Utility Bus Comm Failure, 1553 Bus Comm Failure; MPU Critical Failure, Cautions and

Extended analysis of benchmark datasets for Agilent two-color microarrays

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kerr Kathleen F

2007-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background As part of its broad and ambitious mission, the MicroArray Quality Control (MAQC project reported the results of experiments using External RNA Controls (ERCs on five microarray platforms. For most platforms, several different methods of data processing were considered. However, there was no similar consideration of different methods for processing the data from the Agilent two-color platform. While this omission is understandable given the scale of the project, it can create the false impression that there is consensus about the best way to process Agilent two-color data. It is also important to consider whether ERCs are representative of all the probes on a microarray. Results A comparison of different methods of processing Agilent two-color data shows substantial differences among methods for low-intensity genes. The sensitivity and specificity for detecting differentially expressed genes varies substantially for different methods. Analysis also reveals that the ERCs in the MAQC data only span the upper half of the intensity range, and therefore cannot be representative of all genes on the microarray. Conclusion Although ERCs demonstrate good agreement between observed and expected log-ratios on the Agilent two-color platform, such an analysis is incomplete. Simple loess normalization outperformed data processing with Agilent's Feature Extraction software for accurate identification of differentially expressed genes. Results from studies using ERCs should not be over-generalized when ERCs are not representative of all probes on a microarray.

Organizational intelligence and agility in Shiraz University of Medical Sciences

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hamid Taboli

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Organizational Intelligence is a combination of all skills that organizations need and use; it enables us to make organizational decisions. Organizational Intelligence can increase the effectiveness of the existing informational structures in achieving organizational goals and result in organizational agility. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between Organizational Intelligence and organizational agility in Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. Method: This is an applied study in terms of purpose and descriptive in terms of method. The study population consisted of 1200 employees working in Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. The subjects were selected via convenience sampling. Based on Cochran formula, a sample size of 296 was determined with a confidence level of 95%. The measurement tools included the 36-item Organizational Intelligence questionnaire developed by Albrecht (2003 and a researcher-developed organizational agility questionnaire with 30 items. Expert opinion was used to determine the validity of the questionnaires and reliability was confirmed using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient via SPSS, version 19. Results: Tenure employees had the highest frequency among the participants (50%. In terms of education, employees with a bachelor’s degree were the most frequent (58%. Values obtained for all variables showed a significant positive relationship between Organizational Intelligence and Agility. Conclusion: It is recommended that the university officials take measures to include Organizational Intelligence courses in in-service training programs to promote the agility of the university, and improve the service provision process and speed.

Applying Agile Project Management to Predevelopment Stages of Innovation

OpenAIRE

Winston Gonzalez

2014-01-01

This study explores the early stages of innovation: the predevelopment stages leading to development. The paper examines the agile project management approach as a flexible and dynamic approach to manage the predevelopment stages of innovation. Scholarly sources reveal insufficient findings, signaling a gap in the literature in the areas of fuzzy front end of innovations and the applicability of modern approaches such as the agile project management approach. As a result, this paper introduce...

Towards a Maturity Model to Measure Organizational Agility in the Software and IT Services Industry

OpenAIRE

Wendler, Roy

2016-01-01

Agile software development methods reduce project costs and development time by simultaneously enhancing quality. But despite these advantages, agile principles are rarely adopted by the whole organization. In fact, it seems difficult to describe what distinguishes an agile organization from another. Therefore, the objective of this thesis is to gain an understanding what factors constitute agility at an enterprise level and to develop a maturity model as measurement tool. To fulfill this aim...

Explosive strength training improves speed and agility in wheelchair basketball athletes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tarik Ozmen

2014-04-01

Full Text Available INTRODUCTION: Wheelchair basketball is a paralympic sport characterized by intermittent high-intensity activities that require explosive strength and speed. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of explosive strength training on speed and agility performance in wheelchair basketball players. METHODS: Ten male wheelchair basketball players (Mage=31±4 yrs were divided into two groups [i.e. explosive strength training (ES; control (CN] based on International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF classification scores. The ES group underwent 6-weeks of training, twice weekly, at 50% 1RM, 10-12 repetitions and 3-4 sets in addition to routine training. Effects of training were measured by the 20 m sprint test and Illinois agility test. RESULTS: The ES group, showed significantly higher increases in speed and agility performance (p ≤ .05. CONCLUSION: A short-duration (i.e. 6-week explosive strength training programme in wheelchair basketball athletes results in significant improvements in sprint and agility performance.

Plan for Combat Operations (Battlefield Function 18) as Accomplished by a Heavy Brigade. Volume 2: Assessment Package

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Mullen, William

1997-01-01

The purpose of the overall research program was to document the synchronization required by command and control tasks performed within the armored brigade, to include combat support and combat service support units...

SU-E-T-610: Comparison of Treatment Times Between the MLCi and Agility Multileaf Collimators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramsey, C; Bowling, J

2014-01-01

Purpose: The Agility is a new 160-leaf MLC developed by Elekta for use in their Infinity and Versa HD linacs. As compared to the MLCi, the Agility increased the maximum leaf speed from 2 cm/s to 3.5 cm/s, and the maximum primary collimator speed from 1.5 cm/s to 9.0 cm/s. The purpose of this study was to determine if the Agility MLC resulted in improved plan quality and/or shorter treatment times. Methods: An Elekta Infinity that was originally equipped with a 80 leaf MLCi was upgraded to an 160 leaf Agility. Treatment plan quality was evaluated using the Pinnacle planning system with SmartArc. Optimization was performed once for the MLCi and once for the Agility beam models using the same optimization parameters and the same number of iterations. Patient treatment times were measured for all IMRT, VMAT, and SBRT patients treated on the Infinity with the MLCi and Agility MLCs. Treatment times were extracted from the EMR and measured from when the patient first walked into the treatment room until exiting the treatment room. Results: 11,380 delivery times were measured for patients treated with the MLCi, and 1,827 measurements have been made for the Agility MLC. The average treatment times were 19.1 minutes for the MLCi and 20.8 minutes for the Agility. Using a t-test analysis, there was no difference between the two groups (t = 0.22). The dose differences between patients planned with the MLCi and the Agility MLC were minimal. For example, the dose difference for the PTV, GTV, and cord for a head and neck patient planned using Pinnacle were effectively equivalent. However, the dose to the parotid glands was slightly worse with the Agility MLC. Conclusion: There was no statistical difference in treatment time, or any significant dosimetric difference between the Agility MLC and the MLCi

Quality Management techniques embedded in Agile Project Development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dovleac Raluca

2017-01-01

Full Text Available It used to be hard to make your dream come true and start a business but now, thanks to the dotcom boom and the rapid development of emerging technologies everybody has the chance to become the next Steve Jobs. Quality management tools and creativity techniques gave birth to the startup trend that transforms a brilliant idea into an innovative product. A common practice amongst startups is Agile development. In this paper, after analyzing the Agile approach and the tools used to ensure quality for every stage of a product’s development life cycle and the results of using the Agile approach looking out for advantages and short comings as well, we proposed a PDCA inspired tool which embeds both quality and creativity techniques to help developers ensure quality for each stage of a product’s life cycle as well as help them better organize their activities to reach the desired goals. We validated this approach by implementing it to the case of the Vitraly startup.

Smart Healthcare Agility Management - Tojisha Doctrine by Self-synchronization

Science.gov (United States)

2014-06-01

impossibility at our age. One is the technology of space elevator and another is the space-walk tourism which the project has existed since the mid-20 th...In regards to the technologies of space-walk tourism , increase of patents related to the technologies of Pulse Detention Engine worldwide is some...medicine, and there is some reference cases such as "open agility" and "closed agility" is immersed in training specifically in sports science which

The Agile Organization: From Informal Networks to Complex Effects and Agility

Science.gov (United States)

2005-01-01

his essay: “The Lion and the Unicorn : Socialism and the English Genius.” 1941. I 58 The Agile Organization every level of society and every sector as...further to include Force Development, Finance and Budgets, and in the 21st century, Experimentation. Each organization was pre-fixed with a letter, so...IS); J3 renamed Ops; J4 renamed Logistics; J5 renamed Plans, leaving only the rumps of J1 (Manpower) and J7 (Force Development) and Finance /Budgets

AGILE DRAFTING OF OUTSOURCING CONTRACTS

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schlichter, Bjarne Rerup; Storgaard, Kristian

2015-01-01

and in several parallel tracks using different competencies. By the use of an illustrative case-study, this paper explores how scrum can be applied to enhance the process of drafting outsourcing contracts. The analysis indicates that the use of an agile method, such as Scrum, can be beneficial in this context...

Automated Battle Planning for Combat Models with Maneuver and Fire Support

Science.gov (United States)

2017-03-01

risk. Black squares block line of sight. Red squares are targetable by both red threats, and tan squares are targetable by only one. The damage... Nicolas Barriga, and Michael Buro. 2015. “Using Lanchester Attrition Laws for Combat Prediction in StarCraft.” In Proceedings of the Eleventh AAAI

Agile application development for mobile devices. Case study: Mobile taximeter

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Angélica María Babativa Goyeneche

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Context: Globalization has affected all productive sectors and in particular the software industry, which has required the development of new methodologies to suit the speed of the changes and allow quickly build products that meet the requirements of the customers. On the other hand, the GPS technology, 4G connectivity and integration of social networks that have the most current mobile phones have opened a large field of application, particularly in the area of the transport, mobility and citizen complaint, whose development can be successfully addressed through an agile methodology. Method: Agile methodology Scrum was used for the development of a mobile application on the Android operating system and GPS technology, which allows a Bogota taxi user to monitor the route and send a complaint to the social network Twitter in case of nonconformity. Some UML models were used for analysis and design of the application, and a confidence interval was used to validate the results. Results: Prototype of a mobile taximeter developed with an agile methodology that meets quality characteristics, extensibility and maintainability. T-student distribution was used to validate the measurement of the prototype on 50 samples, concluding that the difference between the measurement of a real taximeter and our mobile taximeter is on average 2 units with a standard deviation of 1,39 units. Conclusions: It is shown that with the agile development can be combined with UML modeling tools and statistical validation techniques for quality products that do not violate, but on the contrary, that reaffirm the agile development principles.

Assessment of Specificity of the Badcamp Agility Test for Badminton Players

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

de França Bahia Loureiro Luiz

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The Badcamp agility test was created to evaluate agility of badminton players. The Badcamp is a valid and reliable test, however, a doubt about the need for the use of this test exists as simpler tests could provide similar information about agility in badminton players. Thus, the aim of this study was to examine the specificity of the Badcamp, comparing the performance of badminton players and athletes from other sports in the Badcamp and the shuttle run agility test (SRAT. Sixty-four young male and female athletes aged between 14 and 16 years participated in the study. They were divided into 4 groups of 16 according to their sport practices: badminton, tennis, team sport (basketball and volleyball, and track and field. We compared the groups in both tests, the Badcamp and SRAT. The results revealed that the group of badminton players was faster compared to all other groups in the Badcamp. However, in the SRAT there were no differences among groups composed of athletes from open skill sports (e.g., badminton, tennis, and team sports, and a considerable reduction of the difference between badminton players and track and field athletes. Thus, we concluded that the Badcamp test is a specific agility test for badminton players and should be considered in evaluating athletes of this sport modality.

Assessment of Specificity of the Badcamp Agility test for Badminton Players.

Science.gov (United States)

de França Bahia Loureiro, Luiz; Costa Dias, Mário Oliveira; Cremasco, Felipe Couto; da Silva, Maicon Guimarães; de Freitas, Paulo Barbosa

2017-06-01

The Badcamp agility test was created to evaluate agility of badminton players. The Badcamp is a valid and reliable test, however, a doubt about the need for the use of this test exists as simpler tests could provide similar information about agility in badminton players. Thus, the aim of this study was to examine the specificity of the Badcamp, comparing the performance of badminton players and athletes from other sports in the Badcamp and the shuttle run agility test (SRAT). Sixty-four young male and female athletes aged between 14 and 16 years participated in the study. They were divided into 4 groups of 16 according to their sport practices: badminton, tennis, team sport (basketball and volleyball), and track and field. We compared the groups in both tests, the Badcamp and SRAT. The results revealed that the group of badminton players was faster compared to all other groups in the Badcamp. However, in the SRAT there were no differences among groups composed of athletes from open skill sports (e.g., badminton, tennis, and team sports), and a considerable reduction of the difference between badminton players and track and field athletes. Thus, we concluded that the Badcamp test is a specific agility test for badminton players and should be considered in evaluating athletes of this sport modality.

Agile and Resilient Hierarchies for Defense Departments: Lofty Ideal or an Actionable Proposal

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Desouza, Kevin C

2006-01-01

... only consideration. Completely agile structures may lose the benefits bestowed by hierarchies. Rather the Defense Department should work towards agile and resilient hierarchies that can recover quickly following setbacks.

Are there atheists in foxholes? Combat intensity and religious behavior.

Science.gov (United States)

Wansink, Brian; Wansink, Craig S

2013-09-01

After battle, the moral and mortality stresses influence different soldiers in different ways. Using two large-scale surveys of World War II veterans, this research investigates the impact of combat on religiosity. Study 1 shows that as combat became more frightening, the percentage of soldiers who reported praying rose from 42 to 72%. Study 2 shows that 50 years later, many soldiers still exhibited religious behavior, but it varied by their war experience. Soldiers who faced heavy combat (vs. no combat) attended church 21% more often if they claimed their war experience was negative, but those who claimed their experience was positive attended 26% less often. The more a combat veteran disliked the war, the more religious they were 50 years later. While implications for counselors, clergy, support groups, and health practitioners are outlined, saying there are no atheists in foxholes may be less of an argument against atheism than it is against foxholes.

How Agile Methods Conquers General Project Management - The Project Half Double Initiative

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tordrup Heeager, Lise; Svejvig, Per; Schlichter, Bjarne Rerup

2016-01-01

Increased complexity in projects has forced new project management initiatives. In software development several agile methods have emerged and methods such as Scrum are today highly implemented in practice. General project management practice has been inspired by agile software development...

Survey-based analysis of risk factors for injury among dogs participating in agility training and competition events.

Science.gov (United States)

Cullen, Kimberley L; Dickey, James P; Bent, Leah R; Thomason, Jeffrey J; Moëns, Noel M M

2013-10-01

To identify potential risk factors for agility-related injuries among dogs. Internet-based, retrospective, cross-sectional survey. 3,801 privately owned dogs participating in agility training or trials. A retrospective electronic survey was used to investigate potential risk factors for injury among dogs participating in agility-related activities. Respondents were handlers recruited through member lists of large canine agility associations in Canada and the United Kingdom and through promotion on an agility blog site. Variables evaluated included demographic information for handlers and dogs, exposure variables (eg, frequency of agility practice and competition in the past year), and use of preventive measures intended to keep dogs fit for agility (warmup, cooldown, or conditioning exercises; alternative therapeutic treatments [eg, acupuncture, massage, or chiropractic care]; or dietary supplement products). Data were collected from 1,669 handlers of 3,801 agility dogs internationally; 1,209 (32%) dogs incurred ≥ 1 injury. Previous injury (OR, 100.5), ≤ 4 years of agility experience for dogs (OR, 1.5), use of alternative therapeutic treatments (OR, 1.5), and Border Collie breed (OR, 1.7) were associated with increased odds of injury. Handlers having 5 to 10 or > 10 years of experience (OR, 0.8 and 0.6, respectively) and dogs having > 4 years of experience in the sport (OR, 0.6) were associated with decreased odds of injury. Specific factors were associated with agility-related injuries in dogs. Educational prevention strategies should target at-risk populations in an effort to reduce potential injuries. Future research should focus on the biomechanical factors associated with agility-related injuries.

A Virtual World Workshop Environment for Learning Agile Software Development Techniques

Science.gov (United States)

Parsons, David; Stockdale, Rosemary

2012-01-01

Multi-User Virtual Environments (MUVEs) are the subject of increasing interest for educators and trainers. This article reports on a longitudinal project that seeks to establish a virtual agile software development workshop hosted in the Open Wonderland MUVE, designed to help learners to understand the basic principles of some core agile software…

Investigating the impact of agile control mechanisms on learning in scrum teams

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Annosi, M.C.; Magnusson, M.; Martini, A.

2018-01-01

This chapter aims to explore Management Control Systems (MCS) resulting from the implementation of agile development methods, relying on an established MCS taxonomy. An abductive approach was adopted, considering the shortage of research evaluating the post-adoption effects of agile methods. Four

Clustering-based urbanisation to improve enterprise information systems agility

Science.gov (United States)

Imache, Rabah; Izza, Said; Ahmed-Nacer, Mohamed

2015-11-01

Enterprises are daily facing pressures to demonstrate their ability to adapt quickly to the unpredictable changes of their dynamic in terms of technology, social, legislative, competitiveness and globalisation. Thus, to ensure its place in this hard context, enterprise must always be agile and must ensure its sustainability by a continuous improvement of its information system (IS). Therefore, the agility of enterprise information systems (EISs) can be considered today as a primary objective of any enterprise. One way of achieving this objective is by the urbanisation of the EIS in the context of continuous improvement to make it a real asset servicing enterprise strategy. This paper investigates the benefits of EISs urbanisation based on clustering techniques as a driver for agility production and/or improvement to help managers and IT management departments to improve continuously the performance of the enterprise and make appropriate decisions in the scope of the enterprise objectives and strategy. This approach is applied to the urbanisation of a tour operator EIS.

The Effect of Acceleration Sprint and Zig-zag Drill Combination to Increase Students’ Speed and Agility

Science.gov (United States)

Bana, O.; Mintarto, E.; Kusnanik, N. W.

2018-01-01

The purpose of this research is to analyze the following factors: (1) how far the effect of exercise acceleration sprint on the speed and agility (2) how much influence the zig-zag drill combination to the speed and agility (3) and is there any difference between the effects of exercise acceleration sprint and practice zig-zag drill combination of the speed and agility. This research is quantitative with quasi-experimental approach. The design of this study is matching only design.This study was conducted on 33 male students who take part in extracurricular and divided into 3 groups with 11 students in each group. Group 1 was given training of acceleration sprint, group 2 was given zig-zag training combination drills of conventional and exercises for group 3, for 8 weeks. The data collection was using sprint 30 meter to test the speed and agility t-test to test agility. Data were analyzed using t-test and analysis of variance. The conclusion of the research is (1) there is a significant effect of exercise acceleration sprint for the speed and agility, (2) there is a significant influence combination zig-zag drills, on speed and agility (3) and exercise acceleration sprint have more effect on the speed and agility.

Transitioning from Distributed and Traditional to Distributed and Agile: An Experience Report

Science.gov (United States)

Wildt, Daniel; Prikladnicki, Rafael

Global companies that experienced extensive waterfall phased plans are trying to improve their existing processes to expedite team engagement. Agile methodologies have become an acceptable path to follow because it comprises project management as part of its practices. Agile practices have been used with the objective of simplifying project control through simple processes, easy to update documentation and higher team iteration over exhaustive documentation, focusing rather on team continuous improvement and aiming to add value to business processes. The purpose of this chapter is to describe the experience of a global multinational company on transitioning from distributed and traditional to distributed and agile. This company has development centers across North America, South America and Asia. This chapter covers challenges faced by the project teams of two pilot projects, including strengths of using agile practices in a globally distributed environment and practical recommendations for similar endeavors.

Lower limb maximal dynamic strength and agility determinants in elite basketball players.

Science.gov (United States)

Chaouachi, Anis; Brughelli, Matt; Chamari, Karim; Levin, Greg T; Ben Abdelkrim, Nidhal; Laurencelle, Louis; Castagna, Carlo

2009-08-01

The aims of this study were to examine the relationship between squat 1 repetition maximum (1RM) and basketball-relevant tests and the variables that influence agility (T-test) in elite male professional basketball players (n = 14, age 23.3 +/- 2.7 years, height 195.6 +/- 8.3 cm, body mass 94.2 +/- 10.2 kg). T-test performance was significantly related to body mass (r = 0.58, p = 0.03) and to percentage of body fat (r = 0.80, p agility. Squat 1RM performance was the best single predictor of 5-m and 10-m sprint times (p agility should be regarded as a per se physiological ability for elite basketball players. Consequently, basketball-specific agility drills should be stressed in elite basketball training. Given the association between squat 1RM performance and short sprint times, squat exercises should be a major component of basketball conditioning.

Enhancing Brigade Combat Team Adaptability

Science.gov (United States)

2010-06-11

Developing Learning Infrastructures (Training, Education , Practice, Research, Doctrine) -Create a shared vision -Build the business case (assess/Buy...To effectively respond to the characteristics of the operational environment, Brigade Combat Teams must be able to learn constantly from experience...behavior. Organizational adaptive behavior consists of three supporting emergent behaviors which are: self-organization, learning , and organizational

Agile infrastructure monitoring

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andrade, P; Ascenso, J; Fedorko, I; Fiorini, B; Paladin, M; Pigueiras, L; Santos, M

2014-01-01

At the present time, data centres are facing a massive rise in virtualisation and cloud computing. The Agile Infrastructure (AI) project is working to deliver new solutions to ease the management of CERN data centres. Part of the solution consists in a new 'shared monitoring architecture' which collects and manages monitoring data from all data centre resources. In this article, we present the building blocks of this new monitoring architecture, the different open source technologies selected for each architecture layer, and how we are building a community around this common effort.

Method æ, the agile software development method tailored for the pharmaceutical industry.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hajou, A.; Batenburg, R.S.; Jansen, S.

2015-01-01

Agile software development methods have a high adoption rate due to their proven business benefits. Its success has not yet been identified in the pharmaceutical industry, due to the industry’s incompatibility with generic agile methods. Comprehensive research has been done to engineer a tailored

AGILE: a methodology for Advanced Governance of Information services through Legal Engineering

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Boer, A.; Sileno, G.

2013-01-01

To address agility in public administration, the Agile project developed a reference knowledge acquisition infrastructure for legal knowledge, based on a dynamic and design-oriented conceptualization of the legal system. The main objective of the project was to reframe legal knowledge as a knowledge

Breaking the addiction to process an introduction to agile project management

CERN Document Server

Scanlon-Thomas, Elizabeth

2011-01-01

Companies using traditional development methods are finding it increasingly difficult to maintain profitable business relationships in today's climate. Agile is a flexible, adaptable system and this book will help you implement it for maximum impact and success for your business. With Agile you can deliver the results your clients want, with the results you want too!

CT-assisted agile manufacturing

Science.gov (United States)

Stanley, James H.; Yancey, Robert N.

1996-11-01

The next century will witness at least two great revolutions in the way goods are produced. First, workers will use the medium of virtual reality in all aspects of marketing, research, development, prototyping, manufacturing, sales and service. Second, market forces will drive manufacturing towards small-lot production and just-in-time delivery. Already, we can discern the merging of these megatrends into what some are calling agile manufacturing. Under this new paradigm, parts and processes will be designed and engineered within the mind of a computer, tooled and manufactured by the offspring of today's rapid prototyping equipment, and evaluated for performance and reliability by advanced nondestructive evaluation (NDE) techniques and sophisticated computational models. Computed tomography (CT) is the premier example of an NDE method suitable for future agile manufacturing activities. It is the only modality that provides convenient access to the full suite of engineering data that users will need to avail themselves of computer- aided design, computer-aided manufacturing, and computer- aided engineering capabilities, as well as newly emerging reverse engineering, rapid prototyping and solid freeform fabrication technologies. As such, CT is assured a central, utilitarian role in future industrial operations. An overview of this exciting future for industrial CT is presented.

Empirical Studies of Agile Software Development to Learn Programming Skills

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yasuyo Kofune

2014-06-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a programming education support method based on Agile Development that encourages and builds on communication between students. Through mutual discussion, students using our approach transform their ideas into software and cooperate to write a program. The students complete the software through repetition and programming. Before completing the software program, the students learn to solve problems by working together. The students are encouraged to think and share ideas, and gain experience writing software. With this approach, students not only learn how to write programs, but also increase their logical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills.

Agility in consumer retail: Sense-Response Alignment through the eyes of customers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maura Atapattu

2014-06-01

Full Text Available In hyper competition, firms that are agile: sensing and responding better to customer requirements tend to be more successful and achieve supernormal profits. In spite of the widely accepted importance of customer agility, research is limited on this construct. The limited research also has predominantly focussed on the firm’s perspective of agility. However, we propose that the customers are better positioned to determine how well a firm is responding to their requirements (aka a firm’s customer agility. Taking the customers’ stand point, we address the issue of sense and respond alignment in two perspectives-matching and mediating. Based on data collected from customers in a field study, we tested hypothesis pertaining to the two methods of alignment using polynomial regression and response surface methodology. The results provide a good explanation for the role of both forms of alignment on customer satisfaction. Implication for research and practice are discussed.

Assured communications and combat resiliency: the relationship between effective national communications and combat efficiency

Science.gov (United States)

Allgood, Glenn O.; Kuruganti, Phani Teja; Nutaro, James; Saffold, Jay

2009-05-01

Combat resiliency is the ability of a commander to prosecute, control, and consolidate his/her's sphere of influence in adverse and changing conditions. To support this, an infrastructure must exist that allows the commander to view the world in varying degrees of granularity with sufficient levels of detail to permit confidence estimates to be levied against decisions and course of actions. An infrastructure such as this will include the ability to effectively communicate context and relevance within and across the battle space. To achieve this will require careful thought, planning, and understanding of a network and its capacity limitations in post-event command and control. Relevance and impact on any existing infrastructure must be fully understood prior to deployment to exploit the system's full capacity and capabilities. In this view, the combat communication network is considered an integral part of or National communication network and infrastructure. This paper will describe an analytical tool set developed at ORNL and RNI incorporating complexity theory, advanced communications modeling, simulation, and visualization technologies that could be used as a pre-planning tool or post event reasoning application to support response and containment.

Analysis of Return on Investment in Different Types of Agile Software Development Project Teams

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Goran MILANOV

2012-01-01

Full Text Available This exploratory study of IT project teams in Serbia investigates how the choice of agile methods in different development project teams affects the return-on-investment (ROI. In this paper different types of software project teams are analyzed in order to examine and identify the business-value of using agile methods. In various software development project teams, the ROI of agile methods is yet to be fully explored, while the ROI of traditional methods is well-understood. Since ROI is important indicator of the projects success, in this paper we examine the factors that influence the ROI both from software solution customer point of view, and different agile project teams.

Agil Stage-Gate®: ny model for udviklingsprojekter i mellemstore virksomheder

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vedsmand, Tomas; Edwards, Kasper; Hvidt, Nicoline

Lær at udvikle nye produkter hurtigere og med større træfsikkerhed – ved at arbejde i sprint med agile metoder og træffe de rigtige beslutninger med Stage-Gate® Se også tilhørende: "Værktøjskasse til Agil Stage-Gate®: Ny model for udviklingsprojekter i mellemstore virksomheder" på http://dx.doi.org...

Frequent Change Request From User to Handle Cost on Project in Agile Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shariq Aziz Butt

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Agile has invented to improve and overcome Draw backs of software development. Now agile model is using in software development very vastly. It is facilitating the developer and client both very resourcefully. It is getting popularity than the other Software Development Life Cycle models because of its characteristics and most owing to allow change request at any level of the project. The client in the software development is the main part and asset of the company. The software house always focuses on its client because client is an asset. Thus developer has major concern with the client’s requirement and change request. Agile is getting popularity because of allow change request at any stage of project, on the other hand it is also a drawback in agile model because when project starts the project’s completion time and cost is decided. But due to frequent change of requests come from client the cost and completion time both increase eventually which is not good for software house’s business and reputation. So there is need a cost and time estimation technique to solve change request issue in agile model.

The importance of open- and closed-skill agility for team selection of adult male basketball players.

Science.gov (United States)

Scanlan, A T; Tucker, P S; Dalbo, V J

2015-05-01

Open-skill agility qualities have yet to be described in adult male basketball players. Further, the importance of open- and closed-skill agility for team selection remains unknown. Thus, this study aimed to: 1) describe the open- and closed-skill agility of adult male basketball players; and 2) compare these properties between starting and non-starting players. A cross-sectional between-group design was used. Six starting (playing time: 30.1 ± 8.8 min; age: 30.5 ± 4.8 years; height: 192.1 ± 7.7 cm; body mass: 100.5 ± 15.0 kg; VO(2max): 48.4 ± 6.6 mL∙kg⁻¹∙min⁻¹) and six non-starting (4.3 ± 3.6 min; 21.3 ± 5 years; 185.7 ± 7.4 cm; 94.4 ± 17.9 kg; 50.6 ± 3.9 mL∙kg⁻¹∙min⁻¹) state-level basketball players completed multiple trials for the Change of Direction Speed Test (CODST) and Reactive Agility Test (RAT). No statistically significant between-group differences were evident for CODST movement time (starters: 1.652 ± 0.047 s; non-starters: 1.626 ± 0.040 s, P=0.68), RAT response time (starters: 307.5 ± 100.5 ms; non-starters: 426.5 ± 140.7 ms, P=0.12), and RAT decision-making time (starters: 110.7 ± 11.0 ms; non-starters: 147.3 ± 14.2 ms, P=0.08). However, starters (2.001 ± 0.051 s) possessed significantly (P=0.02) faster RAT total movement times than non-starters (2.182 ± 0.040 s). These data support the utility of perceptual and cognitive components of agility performance in distinguishing starting from non-starting players in basketball. Consequently, basketball coaching and conditioning staff should incorporate sport-specific reactive training drills for all players during the annual conditioning plan.

The Agility Imperative

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mitchell, Dr. William

that the number of tanks or warships you have matters less than your ability to think network rather than linearly is comforting. But gone is also the physical certainty of winning or losing decisive battles and formal surrenders of state actors. The security environment is driven by an unparalleled explosion...... in information transfer that has affected how humans fundamentally organise and develop ideas. The military cannot avoid the impact of these developments and the challenges they present. By the end of 2013 the agility imperative will likely stand out as one of the defining characteristics necessary for military...

Does organizational agility affect organizational learning capability? Evidence from commercial banking

OpenAIRE

Zaina Mustafa Mahmoud Hamad; Uğur Yozgat

2017-01-01

Both organizational agility and learning capability are prerequisites for organizational survival and success. This study explores the contribution of agility practices to organizational learning capabilities at the commercial banks in Jordan. To examine the proposed model, a sample of 158 employees within top and middle managements was used. Structural Equation Modeling was conducted for assessing validity and reliability of measurement instrument, evaluating model fit, and testing hypothese...

Static versus dynamic stretching: Chronic and acute effects on Agility performance in male athletes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Iman Taleb-Beydokhti

2015-04-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to examine the acute and chronic effects of static & dynamic stretching protocols on agility performance in amateur handball players. Twelve male amateur handball players (age: 19.66 ± 4.02 years old, weight: 67.12 ± 8.73 kg, height: 178.29 ± 7.81 cm participated in this study. The athletes were randomly allocated into two groups: static stretching or dynamic stretching. All of them underwent an initial evaluation and were submitted to the first intervention. They were evaluated once again and at the end of 12 training sessions. The results analyzed using ANOVA showed that there was a significant decrease in agility time after dynamic stretching against no stretching in the acute phase; but, there were no significant differences between dynamic stretching and no stretching in the chronic phase. In addition, there was no a significant difference between no stretching and static stretching in the acute phase; while, There was a significant decrease in agility time after no stretching against static stretching in the chronic phase. It was concluded that acute dynamic stretching as part of a warm-up may decrease agility time performance, whereas static stretching seems to increase agility time performance. Consequently, the acute and chronic static stretching should not be performed prior to an explosive athletic performance. Keywords: Handball, Agility, Dynamic stretching, Static stretching

Improving the supply chain agility of a fashion accessories company

OpenAIRE

Rosenlund, Kristian

2015-01-01

This thesis aims to improve the supply chain agility of a case company that is engaged in the design, development and worldwide marketing and selling of fashion accessories and design services. This thesis explores agility in context of supply chain management and in fashion industry where the typical challenges are that demand is highly volatile and hard to predict, the number of products per sales season is large and products have a fairly short life-cycles. In this study, the research ...

Combination of Extracorporeal Life Support and Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy for Treatment of ARDS in Combat Casualties and Evacuation of Service Members with ARDS

Science.gov (United States)

2017-10-01

AWARD NUMBER: W81XWH-15-2-0072 TITLE: Combination of Extracorporeal Life Support and Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy for Treatment of ARDS in...Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy for Treatment of ARDS in Combat Casualties and Evacuation of Service Members with ARDS 5b. GRANT NUMBER W81XWH-15...Figure 4. Mitochondrial activity is mostly preserved on the animals that were supported with ventilator devices and mesenchymal stem cells . Using a

Women in Combat Compendium

Science.gov (United States)

2008-01-01

support area • Location of unit TOC or HQ • Location of actual combat operations • No basis to answer this question 4. Given the U.S. Army’s current...welfare issue. I recall that part of General Order #1 was no sexual relations when deployed. Obviously, soldiers discovering pregnancy in the middle of...and had discussion about sexual relations and the 60 effect on unit cohesion, pregnancy testing, and affairs of the heart; whether appropriate or

Air Force Manpower Requirements and Component Mix: A Focus on Agile Combat Support

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

1 Efforts are underway to revitalize parts of the process, with primary emphasis on a wartime workforce planning model, Strategic Manpower...workforces of the Air Force’s manpower requirements squadrons. xiv • Refine the policies and practices for sizing wartime requirements. A revitalized ...crm.csd.disa.mil/ app /answers/detail/a_id/7759/kw/afocd and https://gum-crm.csd.disa.mil/ app /answers/detail/a_id/7504/kw/afecd, respectively. Access to myPers is

Understanding the structured processes followed by organisations prior to engaging in agile processes: A South African Perspective

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nimrod Noruwana

2012-06-01

Full Text Available There appears to be a lack of knowledge on the phases South African (SA organisations go through while adopting agile methods. As a means to address this gap, this study uncovered empirical evidence on the phases SA organisations go through whilst adopting agile methods as well as the disparities between agile prescriptions and the way SA organisations actually implement agile methods. The data collected using a case study approach was analysed through the lens of Actor-Network Theory (ANT. The results reveal that there is no structured process for adopting agile methods and organisations go through various phases in their attempts to adopt agile methods. During the various phases, organisations face challenges which are culture as well as people related. Through this study South African practitioners could now be aware that before adopting an agile methodology, there has to be a common understanding of the problems at hand and the envisioned solution. The findings also inform aspiring adopters in South Africa that adoption of the methods does not have to be as prescribed. They are free to adopt only those aspects the organisations need most.

Proactive and Adaptive Agility among Employees : the relationship with personal and situational factors

NARCIS (Netherlands)

S.B. Doeze Jager-van Vliet (Sandra)

2017-01-01

markdownabstractIn work and organizational psychology, the notion of agility, that is the capability to adapt, presently is receiving strong interest. Already at the end of the last century Harvey, Koubek and Chin worked towards a model for employee agility. They emphasized the role of internal

Modelling the critical success factors of agile software development projects in South Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tawanda B. Chiyangwa

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Background: The continued in failure of agile and traditional software development projects have led to the consideration, attention and dispute to critical success factors that are the aspects which are most vital to make a software engineering methodology fruitful. Although there is an increasing variety of critical success factors and methodologies, the conceptual frameworks which have causal relationship are limited. Objective: The objective of this study was to identify and provide insights into the critical success factors that influence the success of software development projects using agile methodologies in South Africa. Method: Quantitative method of collecting data was used. Data were collected in South Africa through a Web-based survey using structured questionnaires. Results: These results show that organisational factors have a great influence on performance expectancy characteristics. Conclusion: The results of this study discovered a comprehensive model that could provide guidelines to the agile community and to the agile professionals.

Agility and adaptive autonomy in networked organizations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Neef, R.M.; Vecht, B. van der

2010-01-01

In any multi-actor environment, there is an inevitable trade-off between achieving global coordination of activities and respecting the autonomy of the actors involved. Agile and resilient behavior demands dynamic coordination capabilities, but task and resource allocation quickly becomes

Lean and Agile: An Epistemological Reflection

Science.gov (United States)

Browaeys, Marie-Joelle; Fisser, Sandra

2012-01-01

Purpose: The aim of the paper is to contribute to the discussion of treating the concepts of lean and agile in isolation or combination by presenting an alternative view from complexity thinking on these concepts, considering an epistemological approach to this topic. Design/methodology/approach: The paper adopts an epistemological approach, using…

A framework for measuring the supply chain's agility of mass construction industry in Iran

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Keyvan Poloie

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Impotent planning system in house providing process is the result of inadequate housing management system in theoretical, empirical, and operational fields. In addition, Mass Construction industry in Iran confronts with other problems such as instability in raw material prices, unsteadiness in production and investment laws and regulations, frailty of transportation infrastructure, international sanctions and etc. Furthermore, customers’ needs, lower costs, and greater customizations lead mass producing to search for new solutions and novel producing system. Agility is offered as a strategy to enable Mass Construction associations to be maintained in the competition of constantly changing market in Iran. In such a market, previous approaches lose their capabilities in supply chain. Thus to achieve agility by Mass Construction association is the chief aim of this study. This study is descriptive-analytic and can be identified as developmental –functional considering its target. After surveying previous research literature and using experts’ opinions, we investigated final agile sub criteria of supply chain and then we used interpretive- structural modeling approach to determine the relation among sub criteria and to offer an agile supply chain model. Surveying research literature and experts’ opinions lead us to identify 8 criteria (society, government, financial, information technology, market, partnership, quality and technology and also 22 sub criteria for supply chain’s agility. Then the results were analyzed through interpretive-structural approach and relation of criteria and sub criteria and their consequence were achieved. These relations showed that government and infrastructure investment, culture, regulations and responses to social and environmental issues are the basis of agility in mass housing productions’ supply chain. This model helps supply chain managers to have strategic planning to enhance agility in supply chain

THE EFFICACY OF ANGLE-MATCHED ISOKINETIC KNEE FLEXOR AND EXTENSOR STRENGTH PARAMETERS IN PREDICTING AGILITY TEST PERFORMANCE.

Science.gov (United States)

Greig, Matt; Naylor, James

2017-10-01

Agility is a fundamental performance element in many sports, but poses a high risk of injury. Hierarchical modelling has shown that eccentric hamstring strength is the primary determinant of agility performance. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between knee flexor and extensor strength parameters and a battery of agility tests. Controlled laboratory study. Nineteen recreational intermittent games players completed an agility battery and isokinetic testing of the eccentric knee flexors (eccH) and concentric knee extensors (conQ) at 60, 180 and 300°·s -1 . Peak torque and the angle at which peak torque occurred were calculated for eccH and conQ at each speed. Dynamic control ratios (eccH:conQ) and fast:slow ratios (300:60) were calculated using peak torque values, and again using angle-matched data, for eccH and conQ. The agility test battery differentiated linear vs directional changes and prescriptive vs reactive tasks. Linear regression showed that eccH parameters were generally a better predictor of agility performance than conQ parameters. Stepwise regression showed that only angle-matched strength ratios contributed to the prediction of each agility test. Trdaitionally calculated strength ratios using peak torque values failed to predict performance. Angle-matched strength parameters were able to account for 80% of the variation in T-test performance, 70% of deceleration distance, 55% of 10m sprint performance, and 44% of reactive change of direction speed. Traditionally calculated strength ratios failed to predict agility performance, whereas angle-matched strength ratios had better predictive ability and featured in a predictive stepwise model for each agility task. 2c.

Developing a Model for Agile Supply: an Empirical Study from Iranian Pharmaceutical Supply Chain

Science.gov (United States)

Rajabzadeh Ghatari, Ali; Mehralian, Gholamhossein; Zarenezhad, Forouzandeh; Rasekh, Hamid Reza

2013-01-01

Agility is the fundamental characteristic of a supply chain needed for survival in turbulent markets, where environmental forces create additional uncertainty resulting in higher risk in the supply chain management. In addition, agility helps providing the right product, at the right time to the consumer. The main goal of this research is therefore to promote supplier selection in pharmaceutical industry according to the formative basic factors. Moreover, this paper can configure its supply network to achieve the agile supply chain. The present article analyzes the supply part of supply chain based on SCOR model, used to assess agile supply chains by highlighting their specific characteristics and applicability in providing the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API). This methodology provides an analytical modeling; the model enables potential suppliers to be assessed against the multiple criteria using both quantitative and qualitative measures. In addition, for making priority of critical factors, TOPSIS algorithm has been used as a common technique of MADM model. Finally, several factors such as delivery speed, planning and reorder segmentation, trust development and material quantity adjustment are identified and prioritized as critical factors for being agile in supply of API. PMID:24250689

Developing a model for agile supply: an empirical study from Iranian pharmaceutical supply chain.

Science.gov (United States)

Rajabzadeh Ghatari, Ali; Mehralian, Gholamhossein; Zarenezhad, Forouzandeh; Rasekh, Hamid Reza

2013-01-01

Agility is the fundamental characteristic of a supply chain needed for survival in turbulent markets, where environmental forces create additional uncertainty resulting in higher risk in the supply chain management. In addition, agility helps providing the right product, at the right time to the consumer. The main goal of this research is therefore to promote supplier selection in pharmaceutical industry according to the formative basic factors. Moreover, this paper can configure its supply network to achieve the agile supply chain. The present article analyzes the supply part of supply chain based on SCOR model, used to assess agile supply chains by highlighting their specific characteristics and applicability in providing the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API). This methodology provides an analytical modeling; the model enables potential suppliers to be assessed against the multiple criteria using both quantitative and qualitative measures. In addition, for making priority of critical factors, TOPSIS algorithm has been used as a common technique of MADM model. Finally, several factors such as delivery speed, planning and reorder segmentation, trust development and material quantity adjustment are identified and prioritized as critical factors for being agile in supply of API.

AGILE OBSERVATIONS OF THE GRAVITATIONAL-WAVE EVENT GW150914

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tavani, M.; Donnarumma, I.; Argan, A.; Monte, E. Del; Evangelista, Y.; Piano, G.; Munar-Adrover, P. [INAF-IAPS, via del Fosso del Cavaliere 100, I-00133 Roma (Italy); Pittori, C.; Verrecchia, F.; Lucarelli, F.; Antonelli, L. A. [ASI Science Data Center (ASDC), Via del Politecnico, I-00133 Roma (Italy); Bulgarelli, A.; Marisaldi, M.; Fioretti, V.; Zoli, A. [INAF-IASF-Bologna, Via Gobetti 101, I-40129 Bologna (Italy); Giuliani, A.; Caraveo, P. [INAF-IASF Milano, via E.Bassini 15, I-20133 Milano (Italy); Trois, A. [INAF, Osservatorio Astronomico di Cagliari, Poggio dei Pini, strada 54, I-09012 Capoterra (Italy); Barbiellini, G. [Dip. di Fisica, Universita’ di Trieste and INFN, Via Valerio 2, I-34127 Trieste (Italy); Cattaneo, P. W., E-mail: victor@roma2.infn.it.it [INFN-Pavia, Via Bassi 6, I-27100 Pavia (Italy); and others

2016-07-01

We report the results of an extensive search through the AGILE data for a gamma-ray counterpart to the LIGO gravitational-wave (GW) event GW150914. Currently in spinning mode, AGILE has the potential of cover 80% of the sky with its gamma-ray instrument, more than 100 times a day. It turns out that AGILE came within a minute of the event time of observing the accessible GW150914 localization region. Interestingly, the gamma-ray detector exposed ∼65% of this region during the 100 s time intervals centered at −100 and +300 s from the event time. We determine a 2 σ flux upper limit in the band 50 MeV–10 GeV, UL = 1.9 × 10{sup −8} erg cm{sup −2} s{sup −1}, obtained ∼300 s after the event. The timing of this measurement is the fastest ever obtained for GW150914, and significantly constrains the electromagnetic emission of a possible high-energy counterpart. We also carried out a search for a gamma-ray precursor and delayed emission over five timescales ranging from minutes to days: in particular, we obtained an optimal exposure during the interval −150/−30 s. In all these observations, we do not detect a significant signal associated with GW150914. We do not reveal the weak transient source reported by Fermi -GBM 0.4 s after the event time. However, even though a gamma-ray counterpart of the GW150914 event was not detected, the prospects for future AGILE observations of GW sources are decidedly promising.

Frequency-agile dual-comb spectroscopy

OpenAIRE

Millot, Guy; Pitois, Stéphane; Yan, Ming; Hovannysyan, Tatevik; Bendahmane, Abdelkrim; Hänsch, Theodor W.; Picqué, Nathalie

2015-01-01

We propose a new approach to near-infrared molecular spectroscopy, harnessing advanced concepts of optical telecommunications and supercontinuum photonics. We generate, without mode-locked lasers, two frequency combs of slightly different repetition frequencies and moderate, but rapidly tunable, spectral span. The output of a frequency-agile continuous wave laser is split and sent into two electro-optic intensity modulators. Flat-top low-noise frequency combs are produced by wave-breaking in ...

Systems engineering agile design methodologies

CERN Document Server

Crowder, James A

2013-01-01

This book examines the paradigm of the engineering design process. The authors discuss agile systems and engineering design. The book captures the entire design process (functionbases), context, and requirements to affect real reuse. It provides a methodology for an engineering design process foundation for modern and future systems design. This book captures design patterns with context for actual Systems Engineering Design Reuse and contains a new paradigm in Design Knowledge Management.

Adaptation of Agile Project Management Methodology for Project Team

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rasnacis Arturs

2015-12-01

Full Text Available A project management methodology that defines basic processes, tools, techniques, methods, resources and procedures used to manage a project is necessary for effective and successful IT project management. Each company needs to define its own methodology or adapt some of the existing ones. The purpose of the research is to evaluate the possibilities of adapting IT project development methodology according to the company, company employee characteristics and their mutual relations. The adaptation process will be illustrated with a case study at an IT company in Latvia where the developed methodology is based on Agile Scrum, one of the most widespread Agile methods.

Legal Knowledge and Agility in Public Administration

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Boer, A.; van Engers, T.

2013-01-01

To address agility in public administration, we have developed a knowledge acquisition infrastructure for legal knowledge, based on an implementation-oriented conceptualization of the legal system. Our objective is to reframe legal knowledge as a knowledge source in a design-oriented task ontology,

Agile Contracts: Designing an Agile Team Selection Guideline

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pries-Heje, Lene; Pries-Heje, Jan

2014-01-01

with “endless” re-negotiation of the requirements; you need a more flexible way to develop IS. A new way of coping with many changes is to use an agile development approach and a fixed budget and resources contract. This paper presents an example case. We analyse the case and design a guideline for how......When you have stable and non-ambiguous requirements then a classic contract for IS between a supplier and a public sector institution based on a requirements specification may be well suited. However, if you have to accept many changes or have ambiguous requirements then you may end up...... to implement a fixed budget and resources contract in the public sector. The guideline includes elements to cope with challenges in a tender process such as transparency, criteria for supplier selection, and live assessment of resource skills and capabilities, as well as achieving the flexibility for change...

The NERV Methodology: Non-Functional Requirements Elicitation, Reasoning and Validation in Agile Processes

Science.gov (United States)

Domah, Darshan

2013-01-01

Agile software development has become very popular around the world in recent years, with methods such as Scrum and Extreme Programming (XP). Literature suggests that functionality is the primary focus in Agile processes while non-functional requirements (NFR) are either ignored or ill-defined. However, for software to be of good quality both…

The Impacts of Agile Development Methodology Use on Project Success: A Contingency View

Science.gov (United States)

Tripp, John F.

2012-01-01

Agile Information Systems Development Methods have emerged in the past decade as an alternative manner of managing the work and delivery of information systems development teams, with a large number of organizations reporting the adoption & use of agile methods. The practitioners of these methods make broad claims as to the benefits of their…

THE ANTECEDENTS OF ORGANIZATIONAL AGILITY: ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE, DYNAMIC CAPABILITIES AND CUSTOMER ORIENTATION

OpenAIRE

Kanten, Pelin; Kanten, Selahattin; Keceli, Munevver; Zaimoglu, Zuhal

2017-01-01

This study aims to investigate someantecedents of organizational agility. In the literature, it is seen thatstudies suggest that some organizational factors provide to maintainorganizational agility. Therefore, organizational structure, dynamic capabilitiesand customer orientation are considered as predictors of organizational agilitywithin the scope of the study. For this purpose, the data which were collectedfrom 176 employees in the retailing industry by the survey method were analyzedusin...

Scoping for the Operation of Agile Urban Adaptation for Secondary Cities of the Global South: Possibilities in Pune, India

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohanasundar Radhakrishnan

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Urban areas, especially in developing countries, are adapting to deficits in infrastructure and basic services (Type I adaptation and to adaptation gaps in response to current and future climatic, societal and economic change (Type II adaptation. The responses to these adaptations needs can be integrated and implemented using an “agile urban adaptation process”, i.e., an adaptive planning process quickly adapting to change in a flexible manner in short planning horizons, where the requirements and responses evolve through evolutionary development, early delivery, continuous improvement and collaboration between self-organizing and cross-functional teams. This paper focuses on how to move from the current conceptual stage to developing practical knowledge for the operation of agile urban adaptation. Scoping methodology comprises (i understanding and structuring the adaptation context; (ii exploring the four agile elements—balancing type I & II adaptation needs, flexibility, range of scenarios and involvement of stakeholders—in the adaptation context; (iii a detailed SWOT analysis (strength, weakness, opportunities and threat of adaptation responses; (iv mapping relationships and synergies between the adaptation responses; and (v preparing agility score cards for adaptation responses. The scoping exercise revealed that the agile adaptation process can move from concept to operation in Pune, India where the city is improving the basic services and adapting to climate change. For example: conventional adaptation responses such as city greening and check-dams across the rivers have agile characteristics; these responses are synergetic with other adaptation responses; and, there is a possibility to compare conventional adaptation responses based on agile characteristics. This scoping exercise also reveals that urban agile adaptation is not about implementing novel adaptation responses but understanding, planning and implementing conventional

The Usability Expert’s Fear of Agility

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Lene; Madsen, Sabine

2012-01-01

This paper contributes to the HCI literature on usability practice with insights about the empirical challenges and global emerging practices caused by the advent of agile software development (ASD). In the paper we report from a worldwide study involving 12 usability professionals from 12 differ...

Agile Project Portfolio Management

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Jesper Rank; Riis, Jens Ove; Mikkelsen, Hans

2005-01-01

This paper will provide a preliminary introduction to the application of Agile Thinking in management of project portfolio and company development. At any point in time, companies have a crowd of development initiatives spread around the organisation and managed at different levels...... in the managerial hierarchy. They compete for resources and managerial attention, and they often take too long time - and some do not survive in the rapid changing context. Top man¬agers ask for speed, flexibility and effectiveness in the portfolio of development activities (projects). But which competencies...

Development of EarthCube Governance: An Agile Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Pearthree, G.; Allison, M. L.; Patten, K.

2013-12-01

Governance of geosciences cyberinfrastructure is a complex and essential undertaking, critical in enabling distributed knowledge communities to collaborate and communicate across disciplines, distances, and cultures. Advancing science with respect to 'grand challenges," such as global climate change, weather prediction, and core fundamental science, depends not just on technical cyber systems, but also on social systems for strategic planning, decision-making, project management, learning, teaching, and building a community of practice. Simply put, a robust, agile technical system depends on an equally robust and agile social system. Cyberinfrastructure development is wrapped in social, organizational and governance challenges, which may significantly impede progress. An agile development process is underway for governance of transformative investments in geosciences cyberinfrastructure through the NSF EarthCube initiative. Agile development is iterative and incremental, and promotes adaptive planning and rapid and flexible response. Such iterative deployment across a variety of EarthCube stakeholders encourages transparency, consensus, accountability, and inclusiveness. A project Secretariat acts as the coordinating body, carrying out duties for planning, organizing, communicating, and reporting. A broad coalition of stakeholder groups comprises an Assembly (Mainstream Scientists, Cyberinfrastructure Institutions, Information Technology/Computer Sciences, NSF EarthCube Investigators, Science Communities, EarthCube End-User Workshop Organizers, Professional Societies) to serve as a preliminary venue for identifying, evaluating, and testing potential governance models. To offer opportunity for broader end-user input, a crowd-source approach will engage stakeholders not involved otherwise. An Advisory Committee from the Earth, ocean, atmosphere, social, computer and library sciences is guiding the process from a high-level policy point of view. Developmental

MODIFICATION OF AGILITY RUNNING TECHNIQUE IN REACTION TO A DEFENDER IN RUGBY UNION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Keane W. Wheeler

2010-09-01

Full Text Available Three-dimensional kinematic analysis examined agility running technique during pre-planned and reactive performance conditions specific to attacking ball carries in rugby union. The variation to running technique of 8 highly trained rugby union players was compared between agility conditions (pre-planned and reactive and also agility performance speeds (fast, moderate and slow. Kinematic measures were used to determine the velocity of the centre of mass (COM in the anteroposterior (running speed and mediolateral (lateral movement speed planes. The position of foot-strike and toe-off was also examined for the step prior to the agility side- step (pre-change of direction phase and then the side-step (change of direction phase. This study demonstrated that less lateral movement speed towards the intended direction change occurred during reactive compared to pre-planned conditions at pre-change of direction (0.08 ± 0.28 m·s-1 and 0.42 ± 0.25 m·s-1, respectively and change of direction foot-strikes (0.25 ± 0.42 m·s-1 and 0.69 ± 0.43 m·s-1, respectively. Less lateral movement speed during reactive conditions was associated with greater lateral foot displacement (44.52 ± 6.10% leg length at the change of direction step compared to pre-planned conditions (41.35 ± 5.85%. Importantly, the anticipation abilities during reactive conditions provided a means to differentiate between speeds of agility performance, with faster performances displaying greater lateral movement speed at the change of direction foot- strike (0.52 ± 0.34 m·s-1 compared to moderate (0.20 ± 0.37 m·s-1 and slow (-0.08 ± 0.31 m·s-1. The changes to running technique during reactive conditions highlight the need to incorporate decision-making in rugby union agility programs

The effect of quality of electronic banking services on agility of a bank

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hooman Pourmohammad

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Studies have shown that in service organizations, quality can have a growth in customer satisfaction as its consequence, and when it regards the banking services, factors are brought up with regard to the quality of banking services, which include the speed in responding, providing products proportionate to the customer needs, and gaining competence. These concepts are shared by the issue of organizational agility; hence, the qualities as well as the bank's agility of the banking system embrace these concepts in common. Therefore, the study aims at studying the effect of the quality of electronic banking services on the bank's agility, and assesses the role of two mediator variables of the quality of service system and personnel behavior quality. Using a questionnaire comprised of 76 items about the above components and asking the line personnel in Bank Saderat Iran (BSI in the branches both inside and outside of Iran, the research data was collected, and stratified random sampling was used. To analyze the data, the Structural Equation Model (SEM was used and the PLS software was employed to perform the computations. Results indicated that the model of the study has a high Goodness of Fit, and the quality of the electronic banking services had a significant effect on the bank's agility. In addition, the quality of electronic banking services affects the service system quality. The system service quality, also affects the employees' behavior. Therefore, it can be said that the electronic services quality and the bank's agility affect the personnel behavior quality through the mediated effect of the service system quality. The results of the present study can help the bank's executives to promote their bank's agility and the personnel behavior quality.

Abductive networks applied to electronic combat

Science.gov (United States)

Montgomery, Gerard J.; Hess, Paul; Hwang, Jong S.

1990-08-01

A practical approach to dealing with combinatorial decision problems and uncertainties associated with electronic combat through the use of networks of high-level functional elements called abductive networks is presented. It describes the application of the Abductory Induction Mechanism (AIMTM) a supervised inductive learning tool for synthesizing polynomial abductive networks to the electronic combat problem domain. From databases of historical expert-generated or simulated combat engagements AIM can often induce compact and robust network models for making effective real-time electronic combat decisions despite significant uncertainties or a combinatorial explosion of possible situations. The feasibility of applying abductive networks to realize advanced combat decision aiding capabilities was demonstrated by applying AIM to a set of electronic combat simulations. The networks synthesized by AIM generated accurate assessments of the intent lethality and overall risk associated with a variety of simulated threats and produced reasonable estimates of the expected effectiveness of a group of electronic countermeasures for a large number of simulated combat scenarios. This paper presents the application of abductive networks to electronic combat summarizes the results of experiments performed using AIM discusses the benefits and limitations of applying abductive networks to electronic combat and indicates why abductive networks can often result in capabilities not attainable using alternative approaches. 1. ELECTRONIC COMBAT. UNCERTAINTY. AND MACHINE LEARNING Electronic combat has become an essential part of the ability to make war and has become increasingly complex since

Agile learning for the attention challenge in classrooms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chongtay, Rocio

2015-01-01

Nowadays, in many educational institutions, students can be connected to the Internet continuously, thus giving them the opportunity to access relevant course material as needed. However this scenario also allows them to access any other type of online distractions, which makes harder to compete...... for the students’ attention and more challenging to engage them in the learning process. This paper presents an instructional design that includes elements from Project-Based Learning (PBL) and Agile methodologies to provide collaborative and practical learning skills during a product development process......-PBL improves the learning experience, which is reflected in a higher attendance rate as well as higher percentage of students passing the course. However possible issues implementing Agile-PBL need to be taken into consideration and are also discussed here, including planning and time constraints in trying...

Towards a theory of ex-combatant reintegration

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Stina Torjesen

2013-12-01

Full Text Available This paper encourages the development of a theoretical framework for the study of the reintegration of ex-combatants after war. It takes the first steps towards this by proposing a new definition of reintegration, where the processes ex-combatants experience, rather than the programmatic support offered by international and national agencies, take centre stage. The article links the study of reintegration to two broader disciplines; political economy and sociology, and in particular to the two disciplines’ account of power and group belonging. It argues that a political economy approach is particularly useful for making sense of the context in which reintegration processes unfold. The article also suggests some relevant research questions and highlights methodological concerns related to research on reintegration.

Open System of Agile Ground Stations, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — There is an opportunity to build the HETE-2/TESS network of ground stations into an innovative and powerful Open System of Agile Stations, by developing a low-cost...

Towards a Business Process Modeling Technique for Agile Development of Case Management Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ilia Bider

2017-12-01

Full Text Available A modern organization needs to adapt its behavior to changes in the business environment by changing its Business Processes (BP and corresponding Business Process Support (BPS systems. One way of achieving such adaptability is via separation of the system code from the process description/model by applying the concept of executable process models. Furthermore, to ease introduction of changes, such process model should separate different perspectives, for example, control-flow, human resources, and data perspectives, from each other. In addition, for developing a completely new process, it should be possible to start with a reduced process model to get a BPS system quickly running, and then continue to develop it in an agile manner. This article consists of two parts, the first sets requirements on modeling techniques that could be used in the tools that supports agile development of BPs and BPS systems. The second part suggests a business process modeling technique that allows to start modeling with the data/information perspective which would be appropriate for processes supported by Case or Adaptive Case Management (CM/ACM systems. In a model produced by this technique, called data-centric business process model, a process instance/case is defined as sequence of states in a specially designed instance database, while the process model is defined as a set of rules that set restrictions on allowed states and transitions between them. The article details the background for the project of developing the data-centric process modeling technique, presents the outline of the structure of the model, and gives formal definitions for a substantial part of the model.

AGILE, a tool for interactive lattice design

CERN Document Server

Bryant, P J

2000-01-01

AGILE is a program that works in the IBM-PC, MS-Windows environment and is dedicated to the interactive design of alternating-gradient lattices for synchrotrons and transfer lines. The program was originally intended as a teaching tool, but has been used mostly for professional design work and is subject to continuous development. It contains original algorithms for coupling, scattering and eddy currents, and some slightly unusual algorithms for off-axis orbits and space charge. There are also additional features such as engineering design aids, calculators for relativistic and synchrotron radiation parameters, expert routines for optimising slow extraction, fitting and matching, and the internal storage of constants for over 1000 stable and quasi-stable charged particles. The program is object-oriented and fully integrated into the Windows environment - it is not a shell. Apart from office work, AGILE is ideal for home use, design workshops and when travelling. It is particularly suited to practical problems...

Real-time Control Mediation in Agile Distributed Software Development

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Persson, John Stouby; Aaen, Ivan; Mathiassen, Lars

2008-01-01

Agile distributed environments pose particular challenges related to control of quality and collaboration in software development. Moreover, while face-to-face interaction is fundamental in agile development, distributed environments must rely extensively on mediated interactions. On this backdrop...... control was mediated over distance by technology through real-time exchanges. Contrary to previous research, the analysis suggests that both formal and informal elements of real-time mediated control were used; that evolving goals and adjustment of expectations were two of the main issues in real......-time mediated control exchanges; and, that the actors, despite distances in space and culture, developed a clan-like pattern mediated by technology to help control quality and collaboration in software development....

Adopting of Agile methods in Software Development Organizations: Systematic Mapping

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Samia Abdalhamid

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Adoption of agile methods in the software development organization is considered as a powerful solution to deal with the quickly changing and regularly developing business environment and fully-educated customers with constantly rising expectation, such as shorter time periods and an extraordinary level of response and service. This study investigates the adoption of agile approaches in software development organizations by using systematic mapping. Six research questions are identified, and to answer these questions a number of research papers have been reviewed in electronic databases. Finally, 25 research papers are examined and answers to all research questions are provided.

Agility Path Through Work Values in Knowledge-Based Organizations: A Study of Virtual Universities

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Yashar Salamzadeh

2014-05-01

Full Text Available All people enter organizations with a formed personality and some initial experiences and values depending on the culture, which will, in turn, influence their efficiency and performance. Therefore, great attention must be paid to work values of the employees and the issues which affect them, especially in organizations that are complex in their structure and culture. Today’s dynamic environment requires organizations to be agile in their processes, with the issue being even more critical in knowledge-based organizations such as virtual universities. In this research, we identify the path through which organizations can achieve agility by means of work values. Although there are many dimensions in work values and organizational agility, using the methodology applied in this research, we omit some of these dimensions and find the best methods that will enable managers to wisely invest in the most important issues and get the best results in the path to achieve agility through work values.

Organizational Agility and Complex Enterprise System Innovations: A Mixed Methods Study of the Effects of Enterprise Systems on Organizational Agility

Science.gov (United States)

Kharabe, Amol T.

2012-01-01

Over the last two decades, firms have operated in "increasingly" accelerated "high-velocity" dynamic markets, which require them to become "agile." During the same time frame, firms have increasingly deployed complex enterprise systems--large-scale packaged software "innovations" that integrate and automate…

Organizational Culture and the Deployment of Agile Methods: The Competing Values Model View

Science.gov (United States)

Iivari, Juhani; Iivari, Netta

A number of researchers have identified organizational culture as a factor that potentially affects the deployment of agile systems development methods. Inspired by the study of Iivari and Huisman (2007), which focused on the deployment of traditional systems development methods, the present paper proposes a number of hypotheses about the influence of organizational culture on the deployment of agile methods.

AGILE DEVELOPMENT OF A VIRTUAL REALITY COGNITIVE ASSESSMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sebastian T Koenig

2014-06-01

Full Text Available In recent years user-centered design, participatory design and agile development have seen much popularity in the field of software development. More specifically, applying these methods to user groups with cognitive and motor disabilities has been the topic of numerous publications. However, neuropsychological assessment and training require special consideration to include therapists and brain-injured patients into the development cycle. Application goals, development tools and communication between all stakeholders are interdependent and outlined in a framework that promotes elements of agile development. The framework is introduced by example of a virtual reality cognitive assessment for patients with traumatic brain injuries. The assessment has seen a total of 20 iterations over the course of nine months including changes in task content, task difficulty, user interaction and data collection. The framework and development of the cognitive assessment are discussed.

Agile Software Teams: How They Engage with Systems Engineering on DoD Acquisition Programs

Science.gov (United States)

2014-07-01

with the squadron director, which promoted some trust. We call this example “covert” mode because the Agile advocate doesn’t advertise to the SPO that... Toyota manufacturing system that emphasizes pulling tasks from a backlog rather than pushing tasks out to the team via plans and schedules. Some Agile

Agile Contracts

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pries-Heje, Jan; Pries-Heje, Lene

2014-01-01

with “endless” re-negotiation of the requirements; you need a more flexible way to develop IS. A new way of coping with many changes is to use an agile development approach and a fixed budget and resources contract. This paper presents an example case. We analyse the case and design a guideline for how......When you have stable and non-ambiguous requirements then a classic contract for IS between a supplier and a public sector institution based on a requirements specification may be well suited. However, if you have to accept many changes or have ambiguous requirements then you may end up...... to implement a fixed budget and resources contract in the public sector. The guideline includes elements to cope with challenges in a tender process such as transparency, criteria for supplier selection, and live assessment of resource skills and capabilities, as well as achieving the flexibility for change...

The Mediating Role of Organizational Learning in the Relationship of Organizational Intelligence and Organizational Agility.

Science.gov (United States)

Bahrami, Mohammad Amin; Kiani, Mohammad Mehdi; Montazeralfaraj, Raziye; Zadeh, Hossein Fallah; Zadeh, Morteza Mohammad

2016-06-01

Organizational learning is defined as creating, absorbing, retaining, transferring, and application of knowledge within an organization. This article aims to examine the mediating role of organizational learning in the relationship of organizational intelligence and organizational agility. This analytical and cross-sectional study was conducted in 2015 at four teaching hospitals of Yazd city, Iran. A total of 370 administrative and medical staff contributed to the study. We used stratified-random method for sampling. Required data were gathered using three valid questionnaires including Alberkht (2003) organizational intelligence, Neefe (2001) organizational learning, and Sharifi and Zhang (1999) organizational agility questionnaires. Data analysis was done through R and SPSS 18 statistical software. The results showed that organizational learning acts as a mediator in the relationship of organizational intelligence and organizational agility (path coefficient = 0.943). Also, organizational learning has a statistical relationship with organizational agility (path coefficient = 0.382). Our findings suggest that the improvement of organizational learning abilities can affect an organization's agility which is crucial for its survival.

Sleep quality affects cognitive functioning in returning combat veterans beyond combat exposure, PTSD, and mild TBI history.

Science.gov (United States)

Martindale, Sarah L; Morissette, Sandra B; Rowland, Jared A; Dolan, Sara L

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine how sleep quality affects cognitive functioning in returning combat veterans after accounting for effects of combat exposure, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) history. This was a cross-sectional assessment study evaluating combat exposure, PTSD, mTBI history, sleep quality, and neuropsychological functioning. One hundred and nine eligible male Iraq/Afghanistan combat veterans completed an assessment consisting of a structured clinical interview, neuropsychological battery, and self-report measures. Using partial least squares structural equation modeling, combat experiences and mTBI history were not directly associated with sleep quality. PTSD was directly associated with sleep quality, which contributed to deficits in neuropsychological functioning independently of and in addition to combat experiences, PTSD, and mTBI history. Combat experiences and PTSD were differentially associated with motor speed. Sleep affected cognitive function independently of combat experiences, PTSD, and mTBI history. Sleep quality also contributed to cognitive deficits beyond effects of PTSD. An evaluation of sleep quality may be a useful point of clinical intervention in combat veterans with cognitive complaints. Improving sleep quality could alleviate cognitive complaints, improving veterans' ability to engage in treatment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Short-term high intensity plyometric training program improves strength, power and agility in male soccer players.

Science.gov (United States)

Váczi, Márk; Tollár, József; Meszler, Balázs; Juhász, Ivett; Karsai, István

2013-03-01

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of a short-term in-season plyometric training program on power, agility and knee extensor strength. Male soccer players from a third league team were assigned into an experimental and a control group. The experimental group, beside its regular soccer training sessions, performed a periodized plyometric training program for six weeks. The program included two training sessions per week, and maximal intensity unilateral and bilateral plyometric exercises (total of 40 - 100 foot contacts/session) were executed. Controls participated only in the same soccer training routine, and did not perform plyometrics. Depth vertical jump height, agility (Illinois Agility Test, T Agility Test) and maximal voluntary isometric torque in knee extensors using Multicont II dynamometer were evaluated before and after the experiment. In the experimental group small but significant improvements were found in both agility tests, while depth jump height and isometric torque increments were greater. The control group did not improve in any of the measures. Results of the study indicate that plyometric training consisting of high impact unilateral and bilateral exercises induced remarkable improvements in lower extremity power and maximal knee extensor strength, and smaller improvements in soccer-specific agility. Therefore, it is concluded that short-term plyometric training should be incorporated in the in-season preparation of lower level players to improve specific performance in soccer.

Short-Term High Intensity Plyometric Training Program Improves Strength, Power and Agility in Male Soccer Players

Science.gov (United States)

Váczi, Márk; Tollár, József; Meszler, Balázs; Juhász, Ivett; Karsai, István

2013-01-01

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of a short-term in-season plyometric training program on power, agility and knee extensor strength. Male soccer players from a third league team were assigned into an experimental and a control group. The experimental group, beside its regular soccer training sessions, performed a periodized plyometric training program for six weeks. The program included two training sessions per week, and maximal intensity unilateral and bilateral plyometric exercises (total of 40 – 100 foot contacts/session) were executed. Controls participated only in the same soccer training routine, and did not perform plyometrics. Depth vertical jump height, agility (Illinois Agility Test, T Agility Test) and maximal voluntary isometric torque in knee extensors using Multicont II dynamometer were evaluated before and after the experiment. In the experimental group small but significant improvements were found in both agility tests, while depth jump height and isometric torque increments were greater. The control group did not improve in any of the measures. Results of the study indicate that plyometric training consisting of high impact unilateral and bilateral exercises induced remarkable improvements in lower extremity power and maximal knee extensor strength, and smaller improvements in soccer-specific agility. Therefore, it is concluded that short-term plyometric training should be incorporated in the in-season preparation of lower level players to improve specific performance in soccer. PMID:23717351

A survey of risk factors for digit injuries among dogs training and competing in agility events.

Science.gov (United States)

Sellon, Debra C; Martucci, Katherine; Wenz, John R; Marcellin-Little, Denis J; Powers, Michelle; Cullen, Kimberley L

2018-01-01

OBJECTIVE To identify potential risk factors for digit injuries in dogs training and competing in agility events. DESIGN Internet-based, retrospective, cross-sectional survey. ANIMALS 1,081 dogs training or competing in agility events. PROCEDURES Data were collected for eligible animals via retrospective surveys distributed electronically to handlers of dogs participating in agility-related activities. Variables evaluated included demographic (handlers) and signalment (dogs) information, physical characteristics of dogs, and injury characteristics. A separate survey of dogs competing in similar agility-related activities but without digit injuries was also administered. Multivariable logistic regression was used to develop a model for assessment of risk factors. RESULTS Data were collected from 207 agility dogs with digit injuries and 874 agility dogs without digit injuries. Factors associated with significantly increased odds of injury included Border Collie breed (OR, 2.3; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.5 to 3.3), long nails (OR, 2.4; 95% CI, 1.3 to 4.5), absence of front dewclaws (OR, 1.9; 95% CI, 1.3 to 2.6), and greater weight-to-height ratio (OR, 1.5; 95% CI, 1.1 to 2.0). Odds of injury decreased with increasing age of the dog (OR, 0.8; 95% CI, 0.76 to 0.86). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Results should be cautiously interpreted because of potential respondent and recall bias and lack of review of medical records. Nevertheless, results suggested that retaining healthy dewclaws, maintaining lean body mass, and trimming nails short for training and competition may decrease the likelihood of digit injuries. Research to investigate training practices, obstacle construction specifcations, and surface considerations for dogs competing in agility activities is indicated.

Current State of Agile Methodologies Worldwide and in the Czech Republic

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Martin Tománek

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The objective of this research paper is to compare the current state of agile methodologies in the world and in the Czech Republic. The comparison is executed as the comparative analysis of two publicly available researches conducted in 2013 and published in 2014. The comparison is further enriched by the results of the unpublished survey in the global logistics company which was conducted also in 2013. The potential trend for agile methodologies in the Czech Republic is also discussed with regard to the worldwide trend.

Enabling Agility through Coordinating Temporally Constrained Planning Agents

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Steenhuisen, J.R.; De Weerdt, M.M.; Witteveen, C.

2007-01-01

In crisis response, hierarchical organizations are being replaced by dynamic assemblies of autonomous agents that promise more agility. However, these autonomous agents might cause a decrease in effectiveness when individually constructed plans for moderately-coupled tasks are not jointly feasible.

Defining project scenarios for the agile requirements engineering product-line development questionnaire

OpenAIRE

Feng, Kunwu; Lempert, Meli; Tang, Yan; Tian, Kun; Cooper, Kendra M.L.; Franch Gutiérrez, Javier

2007-01-01

Current agile methods are focused on practices of small, rapid developing and iteration, more people oriented, less documentation projects, and the use of the methods in large, product line projects are somehow difficult. UTD and GESSI have started a project to develop an expert system that can assist a requirements enginer in selecting a requirements engineering process that is well suited for their project, in particular with respect to the use of agile and product line engineering methods....

A SECURITY EVALUATION FRAMEWORK FOR U.K. E-GOVERNMENT SERVICES AGILE SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT

OpenAIRE

Steve Harrison; Antonis Tzounis; Leandros Maglaras; Francois Siewe; Richard Smith; Helge Janicke

2016-01-01

This is an Open Access article This study examines the traditional approach to software development within the United Kingdom Government and the accreditation process. Initially we look at the Waterfall methodology that has been used for several years. We discuss the pros and cons of Waterfall before moving onto the Agile Scrum methodology. Agile has been adopted by the majority of Government digital departments including the Gover...

SU-E-T-627: Precision Modelling of the Leaf-Bank Rotation in Elekta’s Agility MLC: Is It Necessary?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vujicic, M; Belec, J [Ottawa Hospital Cancer Centre, Ottawa, ON (Canada); Heath, E; Gholampourkashi, S [Carleton University, Ottawa, ON (Canada); Cygler, J [The Ottawa Hospital Cancer Centre, Ottawa, ON (Canada)

2015-06-15

Purpose: To demonstrate the method used to determine the leaf bank rotation angle (LBROT) as a parameter for modeling the Elekta Agility multi-leaf collimator (MLC) for Monte Carlo simulations and to evaluate the clinical impact of LBROT. Methods: A detailed model of an Elekta Infinity linac including an Agility MLC was built using the EGSnrc/BEAMnrc Monte Carlo code. The Agility 160-leaf MLC is modelled using the MLCE component module which allows for leaf bank rotation using the parameter LBROT. A precise value of LBROT is obtained by comparing measured and simulated profiles of a specific field, which has leaves arranged in a repeated pattern such that one leaf is opened and the adjacent one is closed. Profile measurements from an Agility linac are taken with gafchromic film, and an ion chamber is used to set the absolute dose. The measurements are compared to Monte Carlo (MC) simulations and the LBROT is adjusted until a match is found. The clinical impact of LBROT is evaluated by observing how an MC dose calculation changes with LBROT. A clinical Stereotactic Body Radiation Treatment (SBRT) plan is calculated using BEAMnrc/DOSXYZnrc simulations with different input values for LBROT. Results: Using the method outlined above, the LBROT is determined to be 9±1 mrad. Differences as high as 4% are observed in a clinical SBRT plan between the extreme case (LBROT not modeled) and the nominal case. Conclusion: In small-field radiation therapy treatment planning, it is important to properly account for LBROT as an input parameter for MC dose calculations with the Agility MLC. More work is ongoing to elucidate the observed differences by determining the contributions from transmission dose, change in field size, and source occlusion, which are all dependent on LBROT. This work was supported by OCAIRO (Ontario Consortium of Adaptive Interventions in Radiation Oncology), funded by the Ontario Research Fund.

SU-E-T-627: Precision Modelling of the Leaf-Bank Rotation in Elekta’s Agility MLC: Is It Necessary?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vujicic, M; Belec, J; Heath, E; Gholampourkashi, S; Cygler, J

2015-01-01

Purpose: To demonstrate the method used to determine the leaf bank rotation angle (LBROT) as a parameter for modeling the Elekta Agility multi-leaf collimator (MLC) for Monte Carlo simulations and to evaluate the clinical impact of LBROT. Methods: A detailed model of an Elekta Infinity linac including an Agility MLC was built using the EGSnrc/BEAMnrc Monte Carlo code. The Agility 160-leaf MLC is modelled using the MLCE component module which allows for leaf bank rotation using the parameter LBROT. A precise value of LBROT is obtained by comparing measured and simulated profiles of a specific field, which has leaves arranged in a repeated pattern such that one leaf is opened and the adjacent one is closed. Profile measurements from an Agility linac are taken with gafchromic film, and an ion chamber is used to set the absolute dose. The measurements are compared to Monte Carlo (MC) simulations and the LBROT is adjusted until a match is found. The clinical impact of LBROT is evaluated by observing how an MC dose calculation changes with LBROT. A clinical Stereotactic Body Radiation Treatment (SBRT) plan is calculated using BEAMnrc/DOSXYZnrc simulations with different input values for LBROT. Results: Using the method outlined above, the LBROT is determined to be 9±1 mrad. Differences as high as 4% are observed in a clinical SBRT plan between the extreme case (LBROT not modeled) and the nominal case. Conclusion: In small-field radiation therapy treatment planning, it is important to properly account for LBROT as an input parameter for MC dose calculations with the Agility MLC. More work is ongoing to elucidate the observed differences by determining the contributions from transmission dose, change in field size, and source occlusion, which are all dependent on LBROT. This work was supported by OCAIRO (Ontario Consortium of Adaptive Interventions in Radiation Oncology), funded by the Ontario Research Fund

Combat Trains Command Post (CTCP) Operations

Science.gov (United States)

2016-10-28

development through the execution of several validation exercises leading up to the NTC rotation. The squadron utilized home station training opportunities at...evolving problem as the troop 1SG had the responsibility to tie in all disabled vehicles awaiting parts into the security plan. The crews of those...Additionally, depth of knowledge in critical equipment would have assisted the CTCP [i.e. only one operator for the Combat-Service- Support Automated

Delaying mobility disability in people with Parkinson disease using a sensorimotor agility exercise program.

Science.gov (United States)

King, Laurie A; Horak, Fay B

2009-04-01

This article introduces a new framework for therapists to develop an exercise program to delay mobility disability in people with Parkinson disease (PD). Mobility, or the ability to efficiently navigate and function in a variety of environments, requires balance, agility, and flexibility, all of which are affected by PD. This article summarizes recent research identifying how constraints on mobility specific to PD, such as rigidity, bradykinesia, freezing, poor sensory integration, inflexible program selection, and impaired cognitive processing, limit mobility in people with PD. Based on these constraints, a conceptual framework for exercises to maintain and improve mobility is presented. An example of a constraint-focused agility exercise program, incorporating movement principles from tai chi, kayaking, boxing, lunges, agility training, and Pilates exercises, is presented. This new constraint-focused agility exercise program is based on a strong scientific framework and includes progressive levels of sensorimotor, resistance, and coordination challenges that can be customized for each patient while maintaining fidelity. Principles for improving mobility presented here can be incorporated into an ongoing or long-term exercise program for people with PD.

Effectiveness of Agile Implementation Methods in Business Intelligence Projects from an End-user Perspective

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna Maria Misiak

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The global Business Intelligence (BI market grew by 10% in 2013 according to the Gartner Report. Today organizations require better use of data and analytics to support their business decisions. Internet power and business trend changes have provided a broad term for data analytics – Big Data. To be able to handle it and leverage a value of having access to Big Data, organizations have no other choice than to get proper systems implemented and working. However traditional methods are not efficient for changing business needs. The long time between project start and go-live causes a gap between initial solution blueprint and actual user requirements in the end of the project. This article presents the latest market trends in BI systems implementation by comparing Agile with traditional methods. It presents a case study provided in a large telecommunications company (20K employees and the results of a pilot research provided in the three large companies: telecommunications, digital, and insurance. Both studies prove that Agile methods might be more effective in BI projects from an end-user perspective and give first results and added value in a much shorter time compared to a traditional approach.

SDN-Enabled Dynamic Feedback Control and Sensing in Agile Optical Networks

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Likun

monitoring sensors. In order to maintain signal quality while optimizing network resources, we find that it is essential to model and update estimates of the physical link impairments in real-time. In this thesis, we consider the key elements required to enable an agile optical network, with contributions as follows: • Control Framework: extended the SDN concept to include the optical transport network through extensions to the OpenFlow (OF) protocol. A unified SDN control plane is built to facilitate control and management capability across the electrical/packet-switched and optical/circuit-switched portions of the network seamlessly. The SDN control plane serves as a platform to abstract the resources of multilayer/multivendor networks. Through this platform, applications can dynamically request the network resources to meet their service requirements. • Use of In-situ Monitors: enabled real-time physical impairment sensing in the control plane using in-situ Optical Performance Monitoring (OPM) and bit error rate (BER) analyzers. OPM and BER values are used as quantitative indicators of the link status and are fed to the control plane through a high-speed data collection interface to form a closed-loop feedback system to enable adaptive resource allocation. • Predictive Network Model: used a network model embedded in the control layer to study the link status. The estimated results of network status is fed into the control decisions to precompute the network resources. The performance of the network model can be enhanced by the sensing results. • Real-Time Control Algorithms: investigated various dynamic resource allocation mechanisms supporting an agile optical network. Intelligent routing and wavelength switching for recovering from traffic impairments is achieved experimentally in the agile optical network within one second. A distance-adaptive spectrum allocation scheme to address transmission impairments caused by cascaded Wavelength Selective Switches (WSS

The Effect of IT Integration on Supply Chain Agility Towards Market Performance (A Proposed Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shaghayegh Maleki Far

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Aim/Purpose\t: An important objective of any firm is escalation of its performance and the achievement of competitive advantages. Supply chain agility plays a prominent role to enhance the level of firm’s performance. Moreover, information technology (IT plays a foundational role in supply chain management practices. Hence, this study proposes the relationship between IT integration as the competency of IT and firm’s market performance both directly and through mediating role of supply chain agility. Background:\tMany studies have been done to date on the impact of supply chain agility on overall firm’s performance. However, the effect of an agile supply chain on firm’s market performance per se needs to be studied. Furthermore, there is a gap in the literature about the effect of IT competency such as IT integration on firm’s market performance both directly and through mediating role of supply chain agility. Recommendation for Researchers: The first direction this study gives to researchers is to consider the different factors which have significant effect on the agility of supply chain, particularly the IT related ones. The second direction is about the study on the effect of IT competencies and supply chain agility on each category of firm’s performance separately instead of considering it as a one construct. Impact on Society\t: Although this is a conceptual study, it can highlight the importance of IT competency not only in our daily life, but also in our businesses and industries. Future Research:\tThis study only proposes some relationships based on theory and literature. Future researchers can test these proposed relationships in different contexts and compare the results. Furthermore, this study proposes the relationships for large manufacturing sector in developing countries. The model could be tested for SMEs as well. In addition, the proposed theoretical model in this study might be tested in both developing as well as

Flexible Decision Support in Dynamic Interorganizational Networks

NARCIS (Netherlands)

J. Collins (John); W. Ketter (Wolfgang); M. Gini (Maria)

2008-01-01

textabstractAn effective Decision Support System (DSS) should help its users improve decision-making in complex, information-rich, environments. We present a feature gap analysis that shows that current decision support technologies lack important qualities for a new generation of agile business

Business Value Is not only Dollars : Results from Case Study Research on Agile Software Projects

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Racheva, Z.; Daneva, Maia; Sikkel, Nicolaas; Buglione, Luigi; Ali Babar, M.; Vierimaa, Matias; Oivo, Markku

Business value is a key concept in agile software development. This paper presents results of a case study on how business value and its creation is perceived in the context of agile projects. Our overall conclusion is that the project participants almost never use an explicit and structured

Highly Automated Agile Testing Process: An Industrial Case Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jarosław Berłowski

2016-09-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a description of an agile testing process in a medium size software project that is developed using Scrum. The research methods used is the case study were as follows: surveys, quantifiable project data sources and qualitative project members opinions were used for data collection. Challenges related to the testing process regarding a complex project environment and unscheduled releases were identified. Based on the obtained results, we concluded that the described approach addresses well the aforementioned issues. Therefore, recommendations were made with regard to the employed principles of agility, specifically: continuous integration, responding to change, test automation and test driven development. Furthermore, an efficient testing environment that combines a number of test frameworks (e.g. JUnit, Selenium, Jersey Test with custom-developed simulators is presented.

Combat Power Analysis is Combat Power Density

Science.gov (United States)

2012-05-17

Lanchester equations, Weapon Effectiveness Index (WEI), Weighted Unit Value (WUV), Armored Division Equivalents (ADE), and Unit Frontages. The research...6 Lanchester Equations... Lanchester Equations ............................................................................................... 53 Appendix C: Relative Combat Power

Analysis of Agile Practices Adoption on CMMI Organizations through a Systematic Literature Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marco Palomino

2017-11-01

Full Text Available In the recent years, the adoption of agile frameworks and methodologies in Software Development Organizations (SDO has grown up considerably. Unfortunately, the level required of formal documentation in bigger or longer software development projects is not full covered by agile practices alone; likewise, this kind of situations happen frequently in a context of CMMI organizations. The aim of this study is identify, review and analyze the most used agile practices that are being used in combination with CMMI within SDO. To accomplish this, a systematic literature review has been performed according to relevant guidelines. This study has identified multiple practices such as Daily Meeting and Product Backlog management that are being used constantly in combination with CMMI. In addition, we could identify that there are specific benefits of implementing practices from both approaches.

Impact of Business Intelligence and IT Infrastructure Flexibility on Competitive Advantage: An Organizational Agility Perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Xiaofeng

2012-01-01

There is growing use of business intelligence (BI) for better management decisions in industry. However, empirical studies on BI are still scarce in academic research. This research investigates BI from an organizational agility perspective. Organizational agility is the ability to sense and respond to market opportunities and threats with speed,…

Adaptation of an Agile Information System Development Method

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Aydin, M.N.; Harmsen, A.F.; van Hillegersberg, Jos; Stegwee, R.A.; Siau, K.

2007-01-01

Little specific research has been conducted to date on the adaptation of agile information systems development (ISD) methods. This chapter presents the work practice in dealing with the adaptation of such a method in the ISD department of one of the leading financial institutes in Europe. The

Agile manufacturing and technology transfer to industrialising countries

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Steenhuis, H.J.; de Boer, S.J.

2003-01-01

One of the requirements of agile manufacturing, the necessity to gain flexibility, can be reached by using a supplier network. A possible way to develop a supplier network is by subcontracting to parties in industrialising countries. In most cases, it is necessary to transfer technology. The

Agile Project Management with Scrum

CERN Document Server

Schwaber, Ken

2009-01-01

The rules and practices for Scrum-a simple process for managing complex projects-are few, straightforward, and easy to learn. But Scrum's simplicity itself-its lack of prescription-can be disarming, and new practitioners often find themselves reverting to old project management habits and tools and yielding lesser results. In this illuminating series of case studies, Scrum co-creator and evangelist Ken Schwaber identifies the real-world lessons-the successes and failures-culled from his years of experience coaching companies in agile project management. Through them, you'll understand how to

Analysis of Agility Performance of Supply Chain: A Case Study on Indian Automotive Manufacturer

Science.gov (United States)

Routroy, S.; Sharma, S.; Bhardwaj, A.

2018-04-01

Manufacturing companies should understand the changing customer needs and expectations, access and defend the competitive pressure, anticipate and manage the uncertain demand and supply chain risk, and implement the appropriate technology to survive and excel in today’s marketplace. Therefore, they are moving away from mass production (i.e. lean supply chain) to one based on fast-responsiveness and flexibility, capitalizing on the rapid advancement in internet technologies and factory-on-demand mode of production (i.e. agile supply chain). It is observed that manufacturing companies in India in general and automotive supply chain in specific are compelled to cultivate supply chain agility for enhancing its performance level on continuous basis and comparing its supply chain agility performance with competitors to survive and sustain in the competitive business environment. Therefore, a methodology is proposed to evaluate the supply chain agility of a manufacturing supply chain and compare its performance level with competitors using Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process and Taguchi Loss Function. A case study is developed and the proposed methodology is applied to Indian automotive supply chain for explaining the salient features of it.

A model management system for combat simulation

OpenAIRE

Dolk, Daniel R.

1986-01-01

The design and implementation of a model management system to support combat modeling is discussed. Structured modeling is introduced as a formalism for representing mathematical models. A relational information resource dictionary system is developed which can accommodate structured models. An implementation is described. Structured modeling is then compared to Jackson System Development (JSD) as a methodology for facilitating discrete event simulation. JSD is currently better at representin...

Agile Data Curation Case Studies Leading to the Identification and Development of Data Curation Design Patterns

Science.gov (United States)

Benedict, K. K.; Lenhardt, W. C.; Young, J. W.; Gordon, L. C.; Hughes, S.; Santhana Vannan, S. K.

2017-12-01

The planning for and development of efficient workflows for the creation, reuse, sharing, documentation, publication and preservation of research data is a general challenge that research teams of all sizes face. In response to: requirements from funding agencies for full-lifecycle data management plans that will result in well documented, preserved, and shared research data products increasing requirements from publishers for shared data in conjunction with submitted papers interdisciplinary research team's needs for efficient data sharing within projects, and increasing reuse of research data for replication and new, unanticipated research, policy development, and public use alternative strategies to traditional data life cycle approaches must be developed and shared that enable research teams to meet these requirements while meeting the core science objectives of their projects within the available resources. In support of achieving these goals, the concept of Agile Data Curation has been developed in which there have been parallel activities in support of 1) identifying a set of shared values and principles that underlie the objectives of agile data curation, 2) soliciting case studies from the Earth science and other research communities that illustrate aspects of what the contributors consider agile data curation methods and practices, and 3) identifying or developing design patterns that are high-level abstractions from successful data curation practice that are related to common data curation problems for which common solution strategies may be employed. This paper provides a collection of case studies that have been contributed by the Earth science community, and an initial analysis of those case studies to map them to emerging shared data curation problems and their potential solutions. Following the initial analysis of these problems and potential solutions, existing design patterns from software engineering and related disciplines are identified as a

Agile Company Development - Looking for a new concept

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Jesper Rank; Mikkelsen, Hans; Riis, Jens Ove

2004-01-01

in the managerial hierarchy. They compete for resources and managerial attention and they often take too long time – and some do not survive in the rapid changing context. Top managers ask for speed, flexibility and effectiveness. Can the ideas and principles from Agile and Lean Thinking concepts developed...

Relationship Between Jumping Ability, Agility and Sprint Performance of Elite Young Basketball Players: A Field-Test Approach

OpenAIRE

Abbas Asadi

2016-01-01

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5007/1980-0037.2016v18n2p177   The purpose of this study was to determine the relationships between sprint, agility and jump performance of elite young basketball players. Sixteen elite national level young male basketball players participated in this study. The jumping ability of each player was determined using countermovement jump (CMJ), and broad long jump (BLJ). The agility T test (TT) and Illinois agility test (IAT) were assessed to determine the agilit...

Supply chain network design problem for a new market opportunity in an agile manufacturing system

Science.gov (United States)

Babazadeh, Reza; Razmi, Jafar; Ghodsi, Reza

2012-08-01

The characteristics of today's competitive environment, such as the speed with which products are designed, manufactured, and distributed, and the need for higher responsiveness and lower operational cost, are forcing companies to search for innovative ways to do business. The concept of agile manufacturing has been proposed in response to these challenges for companies. This paper copes with the strategic and tactical level decisions in agile supply chain network design. An efficient mixed-integer linear programming model that is able to consider the key characteristics of agile supply chain such as direct shipments, outsourcing, different transportation modes, discount, alliance (process and information integration) between opened facilities, and maximum waiting time of customers for deliveries is developed. In addition, in the proposed model, the capacity of facilities is determined as decision variables, which are often assumed to be fixed. Computational results illustrate that the proposed model can be applied as a power tool in agile supply chain network design as well as in the integration of strategic decisions with tactical decisions.

Developing a survey to collect expertise in agile product line requirements engineering processes

OpenAIRE

Feng, Kunwu; Lempert, Meli; Tang, Yan; Tian, Kun; Cooper, Kendra M.L.; Franch Gutiérrez, Javier

2007-01-01

Current agile methods are focused on practices of small, rapid developing and iteration, more people oriented, less documentation projects, and the use of the methods in large, product line projects are somehow difficult. UTD and GESSI have started a project to develop an expert system that can assist a requirements enginer in selecting a requirements engineering process that is well suited for their project, in particular with respect to the use of agile and product line engineering methods....

Wavelength-Agile Optical Sensor for Exhaust Plume and Cryogenic Fluid Interrogation

Science.gov (United States)

Sanders, Scott T.; Chiaverini, Martin J.; Gramer, Daniel J.

2004-01-01

Two optical sensors developed in UW-Madison labs were evaluated for their potential to characterize rocket engine exhaust plumes and liquid oxygen (LOX) fluid properties. The plume sensor is based on wavelength-agile absorption spectroscopy A device called a chirped white pulse emitter (CWPE) is used to generate the wavelength agile light, scanning, for example, 1340 - 1560 nm every microsecond. Properties of the gases in the rocket plume (for example temperature and water mole fraction) can be monitored using these wavelength scans. We have performed preliminary tests in static gas cells, a laboratory GOX/GH2 thrust chamber, and a solid-fuel hybrid thrust chamber, and these initial tests demonstrate the potential of the CWPE for monitoring rocket plumes. The LOX sensor uses an alternative to wavelength agile sensing: two independent, fixed-wavelength lasers are combined into a single fiber. One laser is absorbed by LOX and the other not: by monitoring the differential transmission the LOX concentration in cryogenic feed lines can be inferred. The sensor was successful in interrogating static LOX pools in laboratory tests. Even in ice- and bubble-laden cryogenic fluids, LOX concentrations were measured to better than 1% with a 3 microsec time constant.

Improving the Agility of the NATO Response Force (NRF)

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

the MCCE and the MIH helicopter task force. As 168 Hauser and Kernic eds., 140-141. 169 NATO...agility through unified efforts. Initiatives such as the MIH helicopter task force and the Movement Coordination Centre Europe (MCCE) are positive

Relationship Between Jumping Ability, Agility and Sprint Performance of Elite Young Basketball Players: A Field-Test Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abbas Asadi

2016-05-01

Full Text Available DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5007/1980-0037.2016v18n2p177   The purpose of this study was to determine the relationships between sprint, agility and jump performance of elite young basketball players. Sixteen elite national level young male basketball players participated in this study. The jumping ability of each player was determined using countermovement jump (CMJ, and broad long jump (BLJ. The agility T test (TT and Illinois agility test (IAT were assessed to determine the agility, and 20-m sprint time was also measured to determine sprint performance. The results of Pearson Product Moment Correlation analysis indicated moderate correlation between training age and IAT (r = -0.57; p = 0.021. Strong correlations were found between CMJ and BLJ (r = 0.71; p = 0.002, and between TT and IAT (r = 0.70; p = 0.002. Similarly, 20-m sprint time was strong correlated with CMJ (r = -0.61; p = 0.011, BLJ (r = -0.76; p = 0.001, TT (r = 0.77; p = 0.001, and IAT (r = 0.68; p = 0.003. In addition, CMJ was strongly correlated with TT (r = -0.60; p = 0.013, and IAT (r = -0.64; p = 0.007, and also strong correlation between BLJ with TT (r = -0.85; p = 0.001 and IAT (r = -0.76; p = 0.001. The findings of the present study indicated significant correlation between sprint and agility, jumping ability and sprint performance and between jumping ability and agility performance in basketball players. Therefore, the results suggest that sprint, agility and jumping ability share common physiological and biomechanical determinants.

Regenerative medicine applications in combat casualty care.

Science.gov (United States)

Fleming, Mark E; Bharmal, Husain; Valerio, Ian

2014-03-01

The purpose of this report is to describe regenerative medicine applications in the management of complex injuries sustained by service members injured in support of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Improvements in body armor, resuscitative techniques and faster transport have translated into increased patient survivability and more complex wounds. Combat-related blast injuries have resulted in multiple extremity injuries, significant tissue loss and amputations. Due to the limited availability and morbidity associated with autologous tissue donor sites, the introduction of regenerative medicine has been critical in managing war extremity injuries with composite massive tissue loss. Through case reports and clinical images, this report reviews the application of regenerative medicine modalities employed to manage combat-related injuries. It illustrates that the novel use of hybrid reconstructions combining traditional and regenerative medicine approaches are an effective tool in managing wounds. Lessons learned can be adapted to civilian care.

Strength, power, speed, and agility of women basketball players according to playing position.

Science.gov (United States)

Delextrat, Anne; Cohen, Daniel

2009-10-01

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of playing position on strength, power, speed, and agility performances of women basketball players. Thirty subjects playing at national level participated in this study. They were divided into 3 groups according to playing position: guards (positions 1 and 2), forwards (positions 3 and 4), and centers (position 5). Each subject performed 8 tests presented in a random order: The 30-second Wingate Anaerobic test (WAnT), isokinetic testing of the knee extensors, 2 types of jump tests, a 20-m sprint, the agility T-test, a suicide run, and a basketball chest pass. Statistical differences between playing positions were assessed using a 1-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Scheffe post hoc analyses. Results showed that guards performed significantly better than centers for the relative peak and mean power achieved during the WAnT (+13% and +16.9%, respectively), relative peak torque of knee extensors (+19.5%), single-leg jump (+21.8), suicide run (+7.5%), and agility T-test (+6.4%, p training must be undertaken according to playing position. The ability to perform the suicide run, the single-leg jump, and the different movements involved in the agility T-test must be developed in guards. In contrast, speed over short distances and strength development of lower body and upper body should be performed by all playing positions.

Model Comparison Exercise Circuit Training Game and Circuit Ladder Drills to Improve Agility and Speed

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Susilaturochman Hendrawan Koestanto

2017-11-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to compare: (1 the effect of circuit training game and circuit ladder drill for the agility; (2 the effect of circuit training game and circuit ladder drill on speed; (3 the difference effect of circuit training game and circuit ladder drill for the speed (4 the difference effect of circuit training game and circuit ladder drill on agility. The type of this research was quantitative with quasi-experimental methods. The design of this research was Factorial Design, with analysing data using ANOVA. The process of data collection was done by using 30 meters sprint speed test and shuttle run test during the pretest and posttest. Furthermore, the data was analyzed by using SPSS 22.0 series. Result: The circuit training game exercise program and circuit ladder drill were significant to increase agility and speed (sig 0.000 < α = 0.005 Group I, II, III had significant differences (sig 0.000 < α = 0.005. The mean of increase in speed of group I = 0.20 seconds, group II = 0.31 seconds, and group III = 0.11 seconds. The average increase agility to group I = 0.34 seconds group II = 0.60 seconds, group III = 0.13 seconds. Based on the analysis above, it could be concluded that there was an increase in the speed and agility of each group after being given a training.

Simulating barrier penetration during combat. Technical report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

De Laquil, P. III.

1980-04-01

A computer program, BARS, simulates combat between an adversary group attempting to hijack special nuclear material and escort personnel attempting to protect it. BARS is designed to investigate how various combat strategies and levels of performance affect the time required to penetrate barriers (armor, deterrent systems, etc.) against forcible entry. A Monte Carlo code, BARS uses a game theoretic approach to allocate the attacking and defending forces. Combat suppression is simulated using a stochastic state-transition model for the behavior of individuals under combat stress. The BARS program was developed as part of the overall combat modelling effort of the transportation safeguards program

Estimation and Control in Agile Methods for Software Development: a Case Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mitre-Hernández Hugo A.

2014-07-01

Full Text Available The development of software (SW using agile methods is growing due to the productivity associated with these methodologies, in addition to the flexibility shown in small teams. However, these methods have clear weaknesses of software development in cost estimation and management, as well as the fact that project managers do not have enough evidence to verify the budget spending on a project due to the poor documentation generated and the lack of monitoring of resource spending. A proposal estimation and cost control in agile methods to solve these shortcomings. To this end, a case study was conducted in an agile software development company using the proposal for Software as a Service (SaaS and Web application projects. The results found were that the proposal generates a high degree of evidence for project managers, but it has shortcomings in the administration of the evidence for the control and decision making, which led to a definition of a decision making process to be coupled with the measurement proposal.

Determine the Level of Maturity of Organization and Organizational Agility in Industrial Companies (Case of Study: Fakour Industrial Company)

OpenAIRE

Reza Radmehr; Ali Attafar; Ali Shaemi Barzoki

2013-01-01

Today the complexity, instability and unpredictability of environment changes have affected organizations. Managers are trying to design organizations which is a short time would be flexible. These new conditions need organizations to have significant agility to continue their existence and development. Organizational agility would become legal on the basis of organizational maturity. The main purpose of this study is determining the degree of organizational agility and organizational maturit...

Thigh muscle activity, knee motion, and impact force during side-step pivoting in agility-trained female basketball players.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilderman, Danielle R; Ross, Scott E; Padua, Darin A

2009-01-01

Improving neuromuscular control of hamstrings muscles might have implications for decreasing anterior cruciate ligament injuries in females. To examine the effects of a 6-week agility training program on quadriceps and hamstrings muscle activation, knee flexion angles, and peak vertical ground reaction force. Prospective, randomized clinical research trial. Sports medicine research laboratory. Thirty female intramural basketball players with no history of knee injury (age = 21.07 +/- 2.82 years, height = 171.27 +/- 4.66 cm, mass = 66.36 +/- 7.41 kg). Participants were assigned to an agility training group or a control group that did not participate in agility training. Participants in the agility training group trained 4 times per week for 6 weeks. We used surface electromyography to assess muscle activation for the rectus femoris, vastus medialis oblique, medial hamstrings, and lateral hamstrings for 50 milliseconds before initial ground contact and while the foot was in contact with the ground during a side-step pivot maneuver. Knee flexion angles (at initial ground contact, maximum knee flexion, knee flexion displacement) and peak vertical ground reaction force also were assessed during this maneuver. Participants in the training group increased medial hamstrings activation during ground contact after the 6-week agility training program. Both groups decreased their vastus medialis oblique muscle activation during ground contact. Knee flexion angles and peak vertical ground reaction force did not change for either group. Agility training improved medial hamstrings activity in female intramural basketball players during a side-step pivot maneuver. Agility training that improves hamstrings activity might have implications for reducing anterior cruciate ligament sprain injury associated with side-step pivots.

The Impact of IT Management Processes on Enterprise Agility

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Maik Verbaan; Gilbert Gilbert Silvius

2012-01-01

In dynamic business environments, the ability to adapt is highly important for organizations in order to best their competition. This is necessary because throughout the years of doing business, organizations have experienced but one constant factor: change. The concept of enterprise agility is

A fuzzy MCDM framework based on fuzzy measure and fuzzy integral for agile supplier evaluation

Science.gov (United States)

Dursun, Mehtap

2017-06-01

Supply chains need to be agile in order to response quickly to the changes in today's competitive environment. The success of an agile supply chain depends on the firm's ability to select the most appropriate suppliers. This study proposes a multi-criteria decision making technique for conducting an analysis based on multi-level hierarchical structure and fuzzy logic for the evaluation of agile suppliers. The ideal and anti-ideal solutions are taken into consideration simultaneously in the developed approach. The proposed decision approach enables the decision-makers to use linguistic terms, and thus, reduce their cognitive burden in the evaluation process. Furthermore, a hierarchy of evaluation criteria and their related sub-criteria is employed in the presented approach in order to conduct a more effective analysis.

Security Testing in Agile Web Application Development - A Case Study Using the EAST Methodology

CERN Document Server

Erdogan, Gencer

2010-01-01

There is a need for improved security testing methodologies specialized for Web applications and their agile development environment. The number of web application vulnerabilities is drastically increasing, while security testing tends to be given a low priority. In this paper, we analyze and compare Agile Security Testing with two other common methodologies for Web application security testing, and then present an extension of this methodology. We present a case study showing how our Extended Agile Security Testing (EAST) performs compared to a more ad hoc approach used within an organization. Our working hypothesis is that the detection of vulnerabilities in Web applications will be significantly more efficient when using a structured security testing methodology specialized for Web applications, compared to existing ad hoc ways of performing security tests. Our results show a clear indication that our hypothesis is on the right track.

Developing a Model for Agile Supply: an Empirical Study from Iranian Pharmaceutical Supply Chain

OpenAIRE

Rajabzadeh Ghatari, Ali; Mehralian, Gholamhossein; Zarenezhad, Forouzandeh; Rasekh, Hamid Reza

2013-01-01

Agility is the fundamental characteristic of a supply chain needed for survival in turbulent markets, where environmental forces create additional uncertainty resulting in higher risk in the supply chain management. In addition, agility helps providing the right product, at the right time to the consumer. The main goal of this research is therefore to promote supplier selection in pharmaceutical industry according to the formative basic factors. Moreover, this paper can configure its supply n...

Expeditionary Logistics: How the Marine Corps Supports Its Expeditionary Operations

Science.gov (United States)

2015-06-01

Asset Planning at the Lowest Level .................60  5.  Improve Field Testing of All New Data Systems .............................60  C...Figure 7.  The Levels of Logistic Support. (from MCDP 4, 1997) ..................................21  Figure 8.  Case Study Methodology (Yin, 2009, p. 1...Combat Support System–Marine Corps GCE Ground Combat Element JOPES Joint Operational Planning and Execution System LCE Logistics Combat Element MAGTF

Weight Loss Strategies in Combat Sports and Concerning Habits in Mixed Martial Arts.

Science.gov (United States)

Barley, Oliver R; Chapman, Dale W; Abbiss, Chris R

2017-12-28

Combat sports are typically divided into weight classes and body mass manipulation to reach a weight class is commonplace. Previous research suggests that mixed martial arts (MMA) weight loss practices may be more extreme than other combat sports. We sought to investigate the magnitude of weight lost and prevalence of weight loss strategies in different combat sports. Competitors (n=637) from Brazilian jiu jitsu (BJJ), boxing, judo, MMA, muay Thai/kickboxing (MT/K), taekwondo (TKD) and wrestling completed an online questionnaire seeking information regarding their weight loss practices. Body mass manipulation was commonly undertaken by all combat sports athletes, with a particularly high incidence of gradual dieting, increased exercise and fluid restriction. Skipping meals was higher in TKD and wrestling (84%) compared with the other combat sports (~58%), whilst training in heated rooms and forced oral fluid loss (spitting) was higher in wrestling (83% and 47%, respectively) compared with other combat sports (~45% and ~19%, respectively). MMA athletes reported the highest usage of sauna (76%) and water loading (67%) whilst also reporting the second highest use of training in rubber/plastic suits (63%). Body mass manipulation was present in all combat sports with the prevalence and magnitude of acute weight loss greater in MMA. The incidence of and practices reported will assist support staff to be fully aware of the variety of methods these athletes and coaches may use to achieve weight loss. Additionally, the results could aid regulatory bodies in the further development of policies on weight cutting.

Frequency-agile terahertz-wave parametric oscillator in a ring-cavity configuration.

Science.gov (United States)

Minamide, Hiroaki; Ikari, Tomofumi; Ito, Hiromasa

2009-12-01

We demonstrate a frequency-agile terahertz wave parametric oscillator (TPO) in a ring-cavity configuration (ring-TPO). The TPO consists of three mirrors and a MgO:LiNbO(3) crystal under noncollinear phase-matching conditions. A novel, fast frequency-tuning method was realized by controlling a mirror of the three-mirror ring cavity. The wide tuning range between 0.93 and 2.7 THz was accomplished. For first demonstration using the ring-TPO, terahertz spectroscopy was performed as the verification of the frequency-agile performance, measuring the transmission spectrum of the monosaccharide glucose. The spectrum was obtained within about 8 s in good comparison to those of Fourier transform infrared spectrometer.

Agile Model Driven Development of Electronic Health Record-Based Specialty Population Registries

Science.gov (United States)

Kannan, Vaishnavi; Fish, Jason C.; Willett, DuWayne L.

2018-01-01

The transformation of the American healthcare payment system from fee-for-service to value-based care increasingly makes it valuable to develop patient registries for specialized populations, to better assess healthcare quality and costs. Recent widespread adoption of Electronic Health Records (EHRs) in the U.S. now makes possible construction of EHR-based specialty registry data collection tools and reports, previously unfeasible using manual chart abstraction. But the complexities of specialty registry EHR tools and measures, along with the variety of stakeholders involved, can result in misunderstood requirements and frequent product change requests, as users first experience the tools in their actual clinical workflows. Such requirements churn could easily stall progress in specialty registry rollout. Modeling a system’s requirements and solution design can be a powerful way to remove ambiguities, facilitate shared understanding, and help evolve a design to meet newly-discovered needs. “Agile Modeling” retains these values while avoiding excessive unused up-front modeling in favor of iterative incremental modeling. Using Agile Modeling principles and practices, in calendar year 2015 one institution developed 58 EHR-based specialty registries, with 111 new data collection tools, supporting 134 clinical process and outcome measures, and enrolling over 16,000 patients. The subset of UML and non-UML models found most consistently useful in designing, building, and iteratively evolving EHR-based specialty registries included User Stories, Domain Models, Use Case Diagrams, Decision Trees, Graphical User Interface Storyboards, Use Case text descriptions, and Solution Class Diagrams. PMID:29750222

The Impact of Load Carriage on Measures of Power and Agility in Tactical Occupations: A Critical Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Joseph, Aaron; Wiley, Amy; Orr, Robin; Schram, Benjamin; Dawes, J Jay

2018-01-07

The current literature suggests that load carriage can impact on a tactical officer's mobility, and that survival in the field may rely on the officer's mobility. The ability for humans to generate power and agility is critical for performance of the high-intensity movements required in the field of duty. The aims of this review were to critically examine the literature investigating the impacts of load carriage on measures of power and agility and to synthesize the findings. The authors completed a search of the literature using key search terms in four databases. After relevant studies were located using strict inclusion and exclusion criteria, the studies were critically appraised using the Downs and Black Checklist and relevant data were extracted and tabled. Fourteen studies were deemed relevant for this review, ranging in percentage quality scores from 42.85% to 71.43%. Outcome measures used in these studies to indicate levels of power and agility included short-distance sprints, vertical jumps, and agility runs, among others. Performance of both power and agility was shown to decrease when tactical load was added to the participants. This suggests that the increase in weight carried by tactical officers may put this population at risk of injury or fatality in the line of duty.

The Impact of Load Carriage on Measures of Power and Agility in Tactical Occupations: A Critical Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aaron Joseph

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The current literature suggests that load carriage can impact on a tactical officer’s mobility, and that survival in the field may rely on the officer’s mobility. The ability for humans to generate power and agility is critical for performance of the high-intensity movements required in the field of duty. The aims of this review were to critically examine the literature investigating the impacts of load carriage on measures of power and agility and to synthesize the findings. The authors completed a search of the literature using key search terms in four databases. After relevant studies were located using strict inclusion and exclusion criteria, the studies were critically appraised using the Downs and Black Checklist and relevant data were extracted and tabled. Fourteen studies were deemed relevant for this review, ranging in percentage quality scores from 42.85% to 71.43%. Outcome measures used in these studies to indicate levels of power and agility included short-distance sprints, vertical jumps, and agility runs, among others. Performance of both power and agility was shown to decrease when tactical load was added to the participants. This suggests that the increase in weight carried by tactical officers may put this population at risk of injury or fatality in the line of duty.

Biological Inspiration for Agile Autonomous Air Vehicles

Science.gov (United States)

2007-11-01

half of one wing, bees with legs packed with pollen , butterflies or moths with torn and frayed wings likewise are capable of apparently normal flight...technologies. To appreciate this, consider a not unreasonable extension of a wide area autonomous search (WAAS) munition operational scenario. Here...detect and destroy missile launchers that are operating in the back alleys of an urban areas or search Evers, J.H. (2007) Biological Inspiration for Agile

Agile & Distributed Project Management

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pries-Heje, Jan; Pries-Heje, Lene

2011-01-01

Scrum has gained surprising momentum as an agile IS project management approach. An obvious question is why Scrum is so useful? To answer that question we carried out a longitudinal study of a distributed project using Scrum. We analyzed the data using coding and categorisation and three carefully...... selected theoretical frameworks. Our conclusion in this paper is that Scrum is so useful because it provides effective communication in the form of boundary objects and boundary spanners, it provides effective social integration by building up social team capital, and it provides much needed control...... and coordination mechanisms by allowing both local and global articulation of work in the project. That is why Scrum is especially useful for distributed IS project management and teamwork....

Effectiveness of Modified Agility and Perturbation Training in Patients with Osteoarthritis Knee: A Case Control Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nikhil Choudhary

2013-04-01

Full Text Available Objectives: To check and compare the effectiveness of modified agility and perturbation training over conventional physical therapy in patients with knee osteoarthritis. Methods: Subjects were screened on the basis of inclusion and exclusion criteria and a total of 50 subjects were recruited for the study. They were randomly divided into Group A and group B with n=25 each. Results: Group receiving conventional knee exercises with modified agility and perturbation training showed statistically significant results. Discussion: It was found that supplementing rehabilitation programs for people with knee OA with a modified agility and perturbation training program assist them in returning to higher levels of physical activity with less pain and instability following rehabilitation.

Effect of core strength training on dynamic balance and agility in adolescent badminton players.

Science.gov (United States)

Ozmen, Tarik; Aydogmus, Mert

2016-07-01

The aim of the present study was to investigate effect of core strength training (CST) on core endurance, dynamic balance and agility in adolescent badminton players. Twenty adolescent (age = 10.8 ± 0.3 years; height = 140.6 ± 4.4 cm, weight = 33.9 ± 5.8 kg) badminton players were randomly divided into two groups as training group (TG) and control (CG) group. All subjects were evaluated with Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT), Illinois Agility Test, and the core endurance tests. The TG completed CST twice a week, for 6 weeks. There were significant increases in (p  0.05). The CST resulted in significant gains in directions of the SEBT and core endurances in adolescent badminton players, but not in agility. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Business-driven IT-wide agile (Scrum) and Kanban (lean) implementation an action guide for business and IT leaders

CERN Document Server

Pham, Andrew Thu

2012-01-01

Business-Driven IT-Wide Agile (Scrum) and Kanban (Lean) Implementation: An Action Guide for Business and IT Leaders explains how to increase IT delivery capabilities through the use of Agile and Kanban. Factoring in constant change, communication, a sense of urgency, clear and measurable goals, political realities, and infrastructure needs, it covers all the ingredients required for success. Using real-world examples, this practical guide illustrates how to implement Agile and Kanban in software project management and development across the entire IT department. To make things easier for busy

THE STATUS OF STUDENTS OF THE FACULTY OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND SPORTS IN COMPARISON WITH STANDARD PARAMETERS OF THE ILLINOIS AGILITY TEST

OpenAIRE

Malsor Gjonbalaj; Ilir Gllareva; Bahri Gjinovci; Florian Miftari

2015-01-01

The aim of this study is to verify the current agility status of students of the Faculty of Physical Education and Sports of the University of Prishtina. Also, another aim was to compare results of the students with the international norms of the standard agility test. In this study were included 92 students of FPES. The agility tests were done based on the Illinois Agility Test as a standard test. The methods used to analyse the data obtained from the research, are standard methods, basic st...

Preparing your Offshore Organization for Agility: Experiences in India

Science.gov (United States)

Srinivasan, Jayakanth

Two strategies that have significantly changed the way we conventionally think about managing software development and sustainment are the family of development approaches collectively referred to as agile methods, and the distribution of development efforts on a global scale. When you combine the two strategies, organizations have to address not only the technical challenges that arise from introducing new ways of working, but more importantly have to manage the 'soft' factors that if ignored lead to hard challenges. Using two case studies of distributed agile software development in India we illustrate the areas that organizations need to be aware of when transitioning work to India. The key issues that we emphasize are the need to recruit and retain personnel; the importance of teaching, mentoring and coaching; the need to manage customer expectations; the criticality of well-articulated senior leadership vision and commitment; and the reality of operating in a heterogeneous process environment.

A review of the Technologies Enabling Agile Manufacturing program

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gray, W.H.; Neal, R.E.; Cobb, C.K.

1996-10-01

Addressing a technical plan developed in consideration with major US manufacturers, software and hardware providers, and government representatives, the Technologies Enabling Agile Manufacturing (TEAM) program is leveraging the expertise and resources of industry, universities, and federal agencies to develop, integrate, and deploy leap-ahead manufacturing technologies. One of the TEAM program`s goals is to transition products from design to production faster, more efficiently, and at less cost. TEAM`s technology development strategy also provides all participants with early experience in establishing and working within an electronic enterprise that includes access to high-speed networks and high-performance computing and storage systems. The TEAM program uses the cross-cutting tools it collects, develops, and integrates to demonstrate and deploy agile manufacturing capabilities for three high-priority processes identified by industry: material removal, sheet metal forming, electro-mechanical assembly. This paper reviews the current status of the TEAM program with emphasis upon TEAM`s information infrastructure.

Agile Data Management with the Global Change Information System

Science.gov (United States)

Duggan, B.; Aulenbach, S.; Tilmes, C.; Goldstein, J.

2013-12-01

We describe experiences applying agile software development techniques to the realm of data management during the development of the Global Change Information System (GCIS), a web service and API for authoritative global change information under development by the US Global Change Research Program. Some of the challenges during system design and implementation have been : (1) balancing the need for a rigorous mechanism for ensuring information quality with the realities of large data sets whose contents are often in flux, (2) utilizing existing data to inform decisions about the scope and nature of new data, and (3) continuously incorporating new knowledge and concepts into a relational data model. The workflow for managing the content of the system has much in common with the development of the system itself. We examine various aspects of agile software development and discuss whether or how we have been able to use them for data curation as well as software development.

Intelligently interactive combat simulation

Science.gov (United States)

Fogel, Lawrence J.; Porto, Vincent W.; Alexander, Steven M.

2001-09-01

To be fully effective, combat simulation must include an intelligently interactive enemy... one that can be calibrated. But human operated combat simulations are uncalibratable, for we learn during the engagement, there's no average enemy, and we cannot replicate their culture/personality. Rule-based combat simulations (expert systems) are not interactive. They do not take advantage of unexpected mistakes, learn, innovate, and reflect the changing mission/situation. And it is presumed that the enemy does not have a copy of the rules, that the available experts are good enough, that they know why they did what they did, that their combat experience provides a sufficient sample and that we know how to combine the rules offered by differing experts. Indeed, expert systems become increasingly complex, costly to develop, and brittle. They have face validity but may be misleading. In contrast, intelligently interactive combat simulation is purpose- driven. Each player is given a well-defined mission, reference to the available weapons/platforms, their dynamics, and the sensed environment. Optimal tactics are discovered online and in real-time by simulating phenotypic evolution in fast time. The initial behaviors are generated randomly or include hints. The process then learns without instruction. The Valuated State Space Approach provides a convenient way to represent any purpose/mission. Evolutionary programming searches the domain of possible tactics in a highly efficient manner. Coupled together, these provide a basis for cruise missile mission planning, and for driving tank warfare simulation. This approach is now being explored to benefit Air Force simulations by a shell that can enhance the original simulation.

Combat Rescue Helicopter (CRH)

Science.gov (United States)

2015-12-01

Selected Acquisition Report (SAR) RCS: DD-A&T(Q&A)823-479 Combat Rescue Helicopter (CRH) As of FY 2017 President’s Budget Defense Acquisition...Name Combat Rescue Helicopter (CRH) DoD Component Air Force Responsible Office References SAR Baseline (Development Estimate) Defense Acquisition... Helicopter (CRH) system will provide Personnel Recovery (PR) forces with a vertical takeoff and landing aircraft that is quickly deployable and

Using Cross-Eye Techniques to Counter Radio Frequency Agile Monopulse Processing

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Meyer, Gregory

1997-01-01

... while preserving the necessary phase interferometric effects at the threat radar location. Existing retrodirective cross-eye techniques are inadequate to counter the RF agile threat due to propagation delays...

SU-E-T-149: Electron Beam Profile Differences Between Elekta MLCi2 and Elekta Agility Treatment Heads

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wu, C [Sutter Medical Foundation, Roseville, CA 95661 (United States); Hatcher, C [Sutter Shared Services S3, Sacramento, CA (United States)

2014-06-01

Purpose: To report and investigate observed differences in electron beam profiles at various energies/applicators between Elekta MLCi2 and Agility treatment head on Elekta Infinity LINAC Methods: When we upgraded from MLCi2 to Agility on one of our Elekta Infinity LINAC's, electron beam PDDs and profiles were acquired for comparison purpose. All clinical electron energies (6/9/12/15/12/18 MeV) and electron applicators (6/10/14/20/25 square) were included in measurement. PDDs were acquired at 100 SSD in water (PTW MP3 water tank) with a plane-parallel ion chamber (PTW Roos). X and Y Profiles were acquired using IC Profiler (Sun Nuclear Corp.) at 1cm and maximum PDD depths (water equivalent). Results: All PDD curves match very well between MLCi2 and Agility treatment head. However, some significant differences on electron profiles were found. On Agility, even after increasing the default auto-tracking offset values for backup diaphragms in Y and MLC in X by 2.8 cm (the maximum allowed change is 3.0 cm), electron profiles still have rounder shoulders comparing to corresponding MLCi2 profiles. This difference is significantly more pronounced at larger applicators (20 and 25 square), for all electron energies. Conclusion: The significant design change between MLCi2 and Agility beam limiting device seems to affect exit electron beam profiles. In IEC1217 X direction, the main change on Agility is the removal of the original MLCi2 X backup diaphragms and replacing it with MLC leaves; In Y direction, the main change is the radius and materials on Y backup diaphragms.

Can Previewing Sport-Specific Video Influence Reactive-Agility Response Time?

Science.gov (United States)

Holding, Ryan; Meir, Rudi; Zhou, Shi

2017-02-01

The purpose of this study was to examine whether a video-based warm-up could provide an acute performance benefit to response time for athletes in a sport-specific agility task. In addition, 2 learning strategies, explicit and implicit, were compared for their effectiveness in facilitating an improvement in sport-specific agility. Thirty representative male junior rugby union players (age 14-16 y, mean age 14.6 ± 1.09 y) were placed in 3 experimental groups (explicit, implicit, and control) and completed 2 intervention sessions. Testing sessions included preintervention testing, completion of the video-based warm-up intervention, and postintervention testing. A 3D motion-analysis system was used to assess response time in the testing battery. The athletes' response times on the pre- to postintervention tests were compared to determine the effectiveness of the video-based warm-up. A 2-way general linear model with repeated-measures analysis indicated that both the explicit (P = .030, d = 0.28) and implicit (P = .049, d = 0.33) groups significantly improved their response time by the intervention compared with the control group (P = .367, d = 0.08). The mean postintervention response time for the explicit group improved by 19.1% (from 0.246 s pre to 0.199 s post), and the implicit group improved by 15.7% (from 0.268 s to 0.226 s). Findings suggest that a video-based warm-up may provide an acute benefit to sport-specific agility performance for junior athletes.

The Reliability of a Functional Agility Test for Water Polo

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tucher Guilherme

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Few functional agility tests for water polo take into consideration its specific characteristics. The preliminary objective of this study was to evaluate the reliability of an agility test for water polo players. Fifteen players (16.3 ± 1.8 years old with a minimum of two years of competitive experience were evaluated. A Functional Test for Agility Performance (FTAP was designed to represent the context of this sport. Several trials were performed to familiarize the athlete with the movement. Two experienced coaches measured three repetitions of the FTAP. Descriptive statistics, repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA, 95% limit of agreement (LOA, intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC and standard error of measurements (SEM were used for data analysis. It was considered that certain criteria of reliability measures were met. There was no significant difference between the repetitions, which may be explained by an effect of the evaluator, the ability of the players or fatigue (p > 0.05. The ICC average from evaluators was high (0.88. The SEM varied between 0.13 s and 0.49 s. The CV average considering each individual was near 6-7%. These values depended on the condition of measurement. As the FTAP contains some characteristics that create a degree of unpredictability, the same athlete may reach different performance results, increasing variability. An adjustment in the sample, familiarization and careful selection of subjects help to improve this situation and enhance the reliability of the indicators.

U.S. Army Physical Demands Study: Development of the Occupational Physical Assessment Test for Combat Arms soldiers.

Science.gov (United States)

Foulis, Stephen A; Sharp, Marilyn A; Redmond, Jan E; Frykman, Peter N; Warr, Bradley J; Gebhardt, Deborah L; Baker, Todd A; Canino, Maria C; Zambraski, Edward J

2017-11-01

The United States Army sought to create a legally defensible, scientifically validated physical pre-employment screening test. The purpose of this study was to identify a single combination of predictor tests that would predict physical performance on all of the criterion measure task simulations relevant to the Combat Arms military occupational specialties. Concurrent validation. Data from 838 (608 males, 230 females) soldiers who completed both the criterion measure task simulations of a military occupational specialty and up to 14 predictor tests were used in the development of the test batteries. Stepwise regressions were used to identify test batteries that significantly predicted performance on the criterion measure task simulations of the military occupational specialties. Three test batteries were developed based on different subsets of the predictor tests: Test Battery 1 consisted of the medicine ball put, squat lift, beep test, standing long jump, and arm ergometer (adjusted R 2 =0.80-0.85, pTest Battery 2 consisted of the medicine ball put, squat lift, beep test, and standing long jump (adjusted R 2 =0.79-0.80, pTest Battery 3 consisted of the standing long jump, 1-minute push-ups, 1-minute sit-ups, 300m sprint, and Illinois agility test (adjusted R 2 =0.55-0.71, pTest Battery 2 was selected as the Army's Occupational Physical Assessment Test. It was highly predictive of performance of the Combat Arms military occupational specialties, required no complex equipment, and covered a range of physical fitness domains. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Developing an Interpretive Structural Modeling(ISM in order to Achieve Agility via Information Technology in Manufacturing Organization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ali Mohammadi

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Agility is considered the ability to respond quickly to changes and a major factor for success and survival in today's business. The purpose of this research is to offer a conceptual model using Interpretive Structural Modeling(ISM. To this end after reviewing literature and theoretical background, the indices related to achieving agility via information technology (IT have been identified and then the Interpretive Structural Model in four levels has been represented. Findings show that tendency and commitment of top managers, organizational climate and strategic planning alignment with information technology planning is the major factors affecting agility achievement via information technology (IT.

It is Time to Ban Rapid Weight Loss from Combat Sports.

Science.gov (United States)

Artioli, Guilherme G; Saunders, Bryan; Iglesias, Rodrigo T; Franchini, Emerson

2016-11-01

Most competitions in combat sports are divided into weight classes, theoretically allowing for fairer and more evenly contested disputes between athletes of similar body size, strength and agility. It has been well documented that most athletes, regardless of the combat sports discipline, reduce significant amounts of body weight in the days prior to competition to qualify for lighter weight classes. Rapid weight loss is characterised by the reduction of a significant amount of body weight (typically 2-10 %, although larger reductions are often seen) in a few days prior to weigh-in (mostly in the last 2-3 days) achieved by a combination of methods that include starvation, severe restriction of fluid intake and intentional sweating. In doing so, athletes try to gain a competitive advantage against lighter, smaller and weaker opponents. Such a drastic and rapid weight reduction is only achievable via a combination of aggressive strategies that lead to hypohydration and starvation. The negative impact of these procedures on health is well described in the literature. Although the impact of rapid weight loss on performance is debated, there remains robust evidence showing that rapid weight loss may not impair performance, and translates into an actual competitive advantage. In addition to the health and performance implications, rapid weight loss clearly breaches fair play and stands against the spirit of the sport because an athlete unwilling to compete having rapidly reduced weight would face unfair contests against opponents who are 'artificially' bigger and stronger. The World Anti-Doping Agency Code states that a prohibited method must meet at least two of the following criteria: (1) enhances performance; (2) endangers an athlete's health; and (3) violates the spirit of the sport. We herein argue that rapid weight loss clearly meets all three criteria and, therefore, should be banned from the sport. To quote the World Anti-Doping Agency Code, this would "protect

Littoral Combat Vessels: Analysis and Comparison of Designs

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Christiansen, Bryan J

2008-01-01

.... The candidates are a Littoral Combat Ship with a surface warfare module, a National Security Cutter augmented with offensive and defensive weaponry, a "Sea Lance" inshore combat vessel, and a Combat...

Development of an Agility Test for Badminton Players and Assessment of Its Validity and Test-Retest Reliability.

Science.gov (United States)

Loureiro, Luiz de França Bahia; de Freitas, Paulo Barbosa

2016-04-01

Badminton requires open and fast actions toward the shuttlecock, but there is no specific agility test for badminton players with specific movements. To develop an agility test that simultaneously assesses perception and motor capacity and examine the test's concurrent and construct validity and its test-retest reliability. The Badcamp agility test consists of running as fast as possible to 6 targets placed on the corners and middle points of a rectangular area (5.6 × 4.2 m) from the start position located in the center of it, following visual stimuli presented in a luminous panel. The authors recruited 43 badminton players (17-32 y old) to evaluate concurrent (with shuttle-run agility test--SRAT) and construct validity and test-retest reliability. Results revealed that Badcamp presents concurrent and construct validity, as its performance is strongly related to SRAT (ρ = 0.83, P < .001), with performance of experts being better than nonexpert players (P < .01). In addition, Badcamp is reliable, as no difference (P = .07) and a high intraclass correlation (ICC = .93) were found in the performance of the players on 2 different occasions. The findings indicate that Badcamp is an effective, valid, and reliable tool to measure agility, allowing coaches and athletic trainers to evaluate players' athletic condition and training effectiveness and possibly detect talented individuals in this sport.

Værktøjskasse til Agil Stage-Gate®: Ny model for udviklingsprojekter i mellemstore virksomheder

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vedsmand, Tomas; Edwards, Kasper; Hvidt, Nicoline

Denne værktøjskasse er et tillæg for guiden Agil Stage-Gate: Ny model for udviklingsprojekter i mellemstore virksomheder. (http://dx.doi.org/10.11581/DTU:00000028)......Denne værktøjskasse er et tillæg for guiden Agil Stage-Gate: Ny model for udviklingsprojekter i mellemstore virksomheder. (http://dx.doi.org/10.11581/DTU:00000028)...

Frequency-agile antennas for wireless communications

CERN Document Server

Petosa, Aldo

2013-01-01

Mobile data subscriptions are expected to more than double and mobile wireless traffic to increase by more than tenfold over the next few years. Proliferation of smart phones, tablets, and other portable devices are placing greater demands for services such as web browsing, global positioning, video streaming, and video telephony. Many of the proposed solutions to deal with these demands will have a significant impact on antenna designs. Antennas with frequency agility are considered a promising technology to help implement these new solutions.This book provides readers with a sense of the cap

The Complementary Relationship between Organizational Architecture and Organizational Agility An Empirical Study in Mobile Carriers of Erbil – Iraq

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laith Ali Yousif Al-Hakim

2017-02-01

Full Text Available The present research aims to investigate the relationship between organizational architecture and organizational agility in the mobile carriers of Erbil in Iraq. A questionnaire was conducted on mobile companies based on a random sampling technique. The results show there is a statistically significance and positive relation between organizational architecture and organizational agility. The results also indicated that organizational architecture has a statistically significant and direct positive effect on organizational agility. Finally, the researchers draw an overall conclusion from the research as a whole.

CONCEPTUALISATION ONTOLOGIQUE DE LA REPRÉSENTATION DU COMBAT CONCEPTUALISATION ONTOLOGIQUE DE LA REPRÉSENTATION DU COMBAT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sylvain Rheault

2012-10-01

Full Text Available En adoptant une perspective existentielle, on peut tenter d'expliquer la représentation du combat au moyen de concepts comme les positions de SOI et de L'AUTRE ainsi que les statuts de l'ÊTRE et de la CHOSE, qui, une fois combinés, définissent des domaines ontologiques. Le combat devient alors, conceptuellement, l'action de forcer une conscience à passer d'un domaine à un autre. On observe qu'en modifiant l'intensité des positions (polarisation, des statuts (hiérarchisation et des actions (dosage, on peut expliquer les variations possibles des représentations du combat. Il restera à valider la pertinence de ces concepts en multipliant les analyses.En adoptant une perspective existentielle, on peut tenter d'expliquer la représentation du combat au moyen de concepts comme les positions de SOI et de L'AUTRE ainsi que les statuts de l'ÊTRE et de la CHOSE, qui, une fois combinés, définissent des domaines ontologiques. Le combat devient alors, conceptuellement, l'action de forcer une conscience à passer d'un domaine à un autre. On observe qu'en modifiant l'intensité des positions (polarisation, des statuts (hiérarchisation et des actions (dosage, on peut expliquer les variations possibles des représentations du combat. Il restera à valider la pertinence de ces concepts en multipliant les analyses.

Worldwide actions to combat abuse.

Science.gov (United States)

1998-01-01

This paper reports several developments on the global efforts to combat abuse and violence against women and children. It is noted that in South Africa, Belem, Brazil, and Lesotho, protest actions were conducted against women and child abuse. Although the protests were made separately, the protests generally called for implementation of initiatives from the government to address the issue of child and women abuse. In the context of preventing abusive behaviors, a study by the University of Cape Town in South Africa on the appropriateness and feasibility of short-term community-based group therapy concluded that such an approach might be effective in treating delinquent behavior. In Indonesia, the Rifka Annisa Women's Crisis Centre is working to combat violence against women by providing services to victims; while in Israel, a media campaign is aiming to increase awareness and support for women's help centers. In addition, the government of Bangladesh has established a Cell Against Violence Against Women that provides legal counseling and assistance for civil and criminal cases related to violence against women. Furthermore, the WHO and the International Federation of Obstetricians and Gynecologists have collaborated to conduct a joint workshop to explore how violence against women can be eliminated.

Combating plagiarism: the role of the health librarian.

Science.gov (United States)

Spring, Hannah; Adams, Rachel

2013-12-01

This feature looks at the issue of plagiarism in health care students and the role of the health librarian in combating the problem. In particular, consideration is given to how plagiarism can occur and provides some examples from two UK universities of approaches health librarians can take in supporting students to avoid these common pitfalls. © 2013 The authors. Health Information and Libraries Journal © 2013 Health Libraries Group.

Battlemind Training: Transitioning Home from Combat

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Castro, Carl A; Hoge, Charles W; Milliken, Charles W; McGurk, Dennis; Adler, Amy B; Cox, Anthony; Bliese, Paul D

2006-01-01

.... Destruction, injury, and death were ever present in the combat zone. Transitioning from combat to home can be difficult, and many Soldiers encounter readjustment problems ranging from elevated post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD...

SuperAGILE detects an X-ray burst from SAX J1750.8-2900

Science.gov (United States)

Pacciani, L.; Costa, E.; Del Monte, E.; Donnarumma, I.; Evangelista, Y.; Feroci, M.; Lapshov, I.; Lazzarotto, F.; Rapisarda, M.; Soffitta, P.; Argan, A.; Trois, A.; Tavani, M.; Piano, G.; Pucella, G.; D'Ammando, F.; Vittorini, V.; Bulgarelli, A.; Gianotti, F.; Trifoglio, M.; Di Cocco, G.; Labanti, C.; Fuschino, F.; Marisaldi, M.; Galli, M.; Chen, A.; Vercellone, S.; Giuliani, A.; Mereghetti, S.; Perotti, F.; Fornari, F.; Fiorini, M.; Caraveo, P.; Pellizzoni, A.; Barbiellini, G.; Longo, F.; Vallazza, E.; Picozza, P.; Morselli, A.; Prest, M.; Lipari, P.; Zanello, D.; Rappoldi, A.; Pittori, C.; Verrecchia, F.; Santolamazza, P.; Preger, B.; Giommi, P.; Salotti, L.

2008-10-01

While pointing at the Galactic Center region, SuperAGILE detected an X-ray burst from a position consistent with the neutron star transient SAX J1750.8-2900. This source was recently reported by Linares et al. (ATel #1662) as returning to a quiescent state, based on a Swift/XRT observation on August 14th 2008 (ATel #1662), after a long outburst started on March 2008 (Markwardt & Swank, ATel #1425), during which also SuperAGILE detected the source at hard X-rays at a flux level of about 80 mCrab (Pacciani et al., ATel #1428).

Implementasi Cloud Computing Menggunakan Metode Pengembangan Sistem Agile

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Much Aziz Muslim

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Cloud computing merupakan sebuah teknologi yang menyediakan layanan terhadap sumber daya komputasi melalui sebuah jaringan. Sumber daya yang di sediakan di dalam cloud computing meliputi mesin, media penyimpanan data, sistem operasi dan program aplikasi. Fitur dari cloud computing dipercaya akan jauh lebih hemat dan memuaskan. Masalah yang muncul adalah bagaimana mengimplementasi Cloud Computing dengan menggunakan Windows Azure Pack dan bagaimana provisioning Windows Azure Pack SQL Database. Fokus pada penelitian ini adalah pada proses deploying dan provisioning SQL Database Server. Pengimplementasian cloud computing menggunakan metode pengembangan sistem agile dengan langkah-langkah meliputi perencanaan, implementasi, pengujian (test, dokumentasi, deployment dan pemeliharaan. Untuk menjalankan proses tersebut kebutuhan perangkat yang dipersiapkan meliputi perangkat keras seperti PC Server Cisco UCS C240 M3S2, Hardisk 8753 GB, 256 GB RAM, bandwith minimal 1 Mbps dan kebutuhan perangkat lunak meliputi Windows Server 2012 R2, VMM, Windows Azure Pack, IIS, SQL Server 2012 dan Web Patform Installer. Hasil dari implementasi cloud computing menggunakan metode pengembangan sistem agile adalah terbentuknya sebuah sistem cloud hosting provider dengan menggunakan Windows Azure Pack dan SQL Server 2012 sebagai sistem utama dan pengelolaan database menggunakan Microsoft SQL Server Management 

Agent-based simulation for evaluating flexible and agile business processes : Separating knowledge rules, process rules and information resources

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gong, Y.; Janssen, M.

2010-01-01

In today’s ever changing environment organizations need flexibility and agility to be able to deal with changes. Flexibility is necessary to adapt to changes in their environment, whilst agility is needed to rapidly response to changing customer demands. In this paper a mechanism based on the

Agile Multi-Parallel Micro Manufacturing Using a Grid of Equiplets

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Leo van Moergestel; Ing. Erik Puik

2010-01-01

Abstract: Unlike manufacturing technology for semiconductors and printed circuit boards, the market for traditional micro assembly lacks a clear public roadmap. More agile manufacturing strategies are needed in an environment in which dealing with change becomes a rule instead of an exception. In

Customer Relationship Management in Agile Healthcare Organizations

OpenAIRE

Nasrabad, Rafat Rezapour

2017-01-01

Today, several studies in the field to identify key factors in the success and agility of health care organizations to improve their performance in the face of changes have taken place in the context of customer relationship management among them. The purpose of this study was to explore the concept of customer relationship management, goals and benefits by considering its relationship with value creation for clients and treatment. Results showed concern for organizations today, creating cust...

Lean and agile supply chain management concepts in the aspect of risk management

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

2010-12-01

Full Text Available Lean and agile supply chain managements, as well as the hybrid forms (leagile supply chains, are popular and relatively widely discussed in literature. However, there are some disputes concerning differentiating these types of the management from tools and instruments such as outsourcing, single sourcing, quick response, standardizing principles and postponement. The above-mentioned concepts are discussed in a positive light as tools for achieving a competitive advantage of supply chains. A recently introduced term SCRM (Supply Chain Risk Management emphasizes the importance of the risk management in supply chains also due to the ability to achieve a competitive advantage of those chains in which a risk is identified, estimated, managed and controlled. Therefore, it seems to be of benefit to look for the relationships and dependencies between these concepts (some references were made to the author's own research. A significant part of the papers concerns the identification of risks related to the above-mentioned instruments of supply chain management. However, the concepts of lean and agile management are often discussed due to the fundamental determiners of the functioning of a supply chain such as the nature of the demand, the character of goods and the total lead-time. According to the author, the discussed concepts could be viewed concerning supply chain risk management. It could facilitate the choice of a supply chain strategy based on the risk analysis. Several case studies were included to support the presented considerations.

Embracing Agile methodology during DevOps Developer Internship Program

OpenAIRE

Patwardhan, Amol; Kidd, Jon; Urena, Tiffany; Rajgopalan, Aishwarya

2016-01-01

The DevOps team adopted agile methodologies during the summer internship program as an initiative to move away from waterfall. The DevOps team implemented the Scrum software development strategy to create an internal data dictionary web application. This article reports on the transition process and lessons learned from the pilot program.

ANALYSIS OF LOGISTICS AND SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT AGILITY IN CORRUGATED BOX INDUSTRY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yosef Daryanto

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Several analyses were performed in this case study including the analysis of the business environments and the current supply chain system, which than followed by measurement and comparison of supply chain agility performance indicator. As corrugated box industry work in make/engineer to order system and by considering their competitive situation and uncertain business environment it was concluded that they need agility in their supply chain. The main problem was the unbalance power position with paper supplier that resulting low inbound inventory turns. Focusing on this weakness, two solutions were proposed; those are building higher collaboration with paper suppliers and performing better inventory management by set different inventory control and policy for each inventory class

EFFECTIVENESS OF AGILE COMPARED TO WATERFALL IMPLEMENTATION METHODS IN IT PROJECTS: ANALYSIS BASED ON BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE PROJECTS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kisielnicki Jerzy

2017-10-01

Full Text Available The global Business Intelligence (BI market grew by 7.3% in 2016 according to the Gartner report (2017. Today, organizations require better use of data and analytics to support their business decisions. Internet power and business trend changes have provided a broad term for data analytics - Big Data. To be able to handle it and leverage a value of having access to Big Data, organizations have no other choice than to get proper systems implemented and working. However, traditional methods are not efficient for changing business needs. Long time between project start and go-live causes a gap between initial solution blueprint and actual user requirements at the end of the project. This article presents the latest market trends in BI systems implementation by comparing agile with traditional methods. It presents a case study provided in a large telecommunications company (350 BI users and the results of a pilot research provided in the three large companies: media, digital, and insurance. Both studies prove that agile methods might be more effective in BI projects from an end-user perspective and give first results and added value in a much shorter time compared to a traditional approach.

The effect of 6-week combined agility-balance training on neuromuscular performance in basketball players.

Science.gov (United States)

Zemková, E; Hamar, D

2010-09-01

The study evaluates the effect of 6-week combined agility-balance training on neuromuscular performance in basketball players. Subjects divided into experimental (EG, n = 17) and control group (CG, n = 17) underwent a combined agility-balance training (in duration of 30 min) for a period of 6 weeks (4-5 sessions/week). Both groups performed reaction tasks similar to game-like situations, however EG on wobble boards and CG on stable surface. Prior to and after the training parameters of agility, balance, speed of step initiation, strength differentiation accuracy, and explosive power of lower limbs were evaluated. Postural stability was assessed under both static and dynamic conditions (wobble board) with eyes open and eyes closed, respectively. The velocity of the centre of pressure (COP) was registered at 100 Hz by means of posturography system FiTRO Sway check based on dynamometric platform. Using FiTRO Reaction check simple and multi-choice reaction times were measured. The same system was applied to evaluate the agility performance including reaction and movement task. Speed of step initiation was measured using FiTRO Dyne Premium. Jumping abilities were evaluated by means of FiTRO Jumper (10-seconds maximal jumps, Countermovement jump, Squat jump, Drop jump). Using the same system, the subject´s ability to match 50 % of their maximal height of the jump was evaluated. Results showed that a combined agility-balance training improved dynamic balance not only under visual control but also in eyes closed conditions. Training also increased run-out speed that likely contributed to better agility performance, reduced ground contact time during drop jump, and improved the ability to differentiate the force of muscle contraction during repeated jumps. However, such training has been found to be insufficient to improve both simple and multi-choice reaction time, and jumping performance. On the other hand, control group failed to show any significant improvement in

Agile development of a virtual reality cognitive assessment

OpenAIRE

Koenig, Sebastian T.; Krch, Denise; Chiaravalloti, Nancy; Lengenfelder, Jean; Nikelshpur, Olga; Lange, Belinda; DeLuca, John; Rizzo, Albert A.

2014-01-01

In recent years user-centered design, participatory design and agile development have seen much popularity in the field of software development. More specifically, applying these methods to user groups with cognitive and motor disabilities has been the topic of numerous publications. However, neuropsychological assessment and training require special consideration to include therapists and brain-injured patients into the development cycle. Application goals, development tools and comm...

Mechanoluminescence assisting agile optimization of processing design on surgical epiphysis plates

Science.gov (United States)

Terasaki, Nao; Toyomasu, Takashi; Sonohata, Motoki

2018-04-01

We propose a novel method for agile optimization of processing design by visualization of mechanoluminescence. To demonstrate the effect of the new method, epiphysis plates were processed to form dots (diameters: 1 and 1.5 mm) and the mechanical information was evaluated. As a result, the appearance of new strain concentration was successfully visualized on the basis of mechanoluminescence, and complex mechanical information was instinctively understood by surgeons as the designers. In addition, it was clarified by mechanoluminescence analysis that small dots do not have serious mechanical effects such as strength reduction. Such detail mechanical information evaluated on the basis of mechanoluminescence was successfully applied to the judgement of the validity of the processing design. This clearly proves the effectiveness of the new methodology using mechanoluminescence for assisting agile optimization of the processing design.

Relationship between Organizational Learning and Organizational Agility in Teaching Hospitals of Yazd

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammad Amin Bahrami

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Background: In organizational learning theory, organization is defined as an open system that has the ability to anticipate, identify, define, design, and solve its problems. This study was aimed to examine the relationship between organizational learning and organizational agility in the teaching hospitals of the city of Yazd. Methods: This analytical and cross-sectional study was conducted in 2015 in four teaching hospitals of the city of Yazd. A total of 370 administrative and medical staff contributed in the study. We used stratified-random method for sampling. The required data were gathered using two valid questionnaires including organizational learning questionnaire (Neefe 2001 and organizational agility questionnaire according to the theory of Sharifi & Zhang (1999 being analyzed trough statistical softwares of R and lavaan package, semPlot and semtool for structural equation model and SPSS18 for descriptive statistics. Results: Our results showed a positive significant relationship between organizational learning and organizational agility (0.521. Conclusion: Based on the findings it can be concluded that the implementation of appropriate strategies for improving the organizational capacity to direct its employees’ mental abilities, can improve the ability of organization’s rapid response to surrounding issues which is crucial for its survival and dynamics in today’s changing world.

The evaluation of body mass index, balance and agility features of amateur soccer players according to their positions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kamil Erdem

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Aim: The purpose of this study was to compare of body mass index (BMI, balance and agility features of soccer players at different positions and to investigate the relation between these features. Material and Methods: Research was carried out on 44 amateur soccer player whom played in different positions in various teams that compete in amateur league of İstanbul. In the research, it was tested vki, balance, agility with ball and agility without ball on soccer players. The average of variables was taken and Kruskal Wallis nonparametric variance analysis was used to determine the difference between groups. Pearson correlation was used to determine correlations between variables. Results: As a result of measuments, when compare between positions, it was found that there was a statistical difference on body mass measurement (p0,01. As a result of correlations, it was found statistically significant relation between body mass and agility with ball between BMI and agility with ball and between body mass and BMI variables (p<0,01. Conclusion: As a result of assesstments it has been revealed that there was a correlation between BMI and dribbling skills on soccer players however there wasn’t found any differences between other parameters as balance and agility because of the trainings that carried out regardless of the positions in soccer. As a conclusion, optimal training programmes that will be held on according to positions of players, additional balance trainings and the identified shortcomings may contribute to the development of soccer players performance and skill with appliying ideal diet programme to maintain the appropriate body weight for players heights.

Smart Mirrors for Photorefractive Control of Light with Tim Bunning, RX - Agile Filters Application

Science.gov (United States)

2016-11-08

AFRL-AFOSR-UK-TR-2017-0008 Smart Mirrors for photorefractive control of light with Tim Bunning, RX-- Agile filters application Luciano De Sio...DATE (DD-MM-YYYY)      10-02-2017 2. REPORT TYPE Final 3. DATES COVERED (From - To) 01 Feb 2014 to 31 Jan 2016 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Smart Mirrors for...photorefractive control of light with Tim Bunning, RX-- Agile filters application 5a.  CONTRACT NUMBER 5b.  GRANT NUMBER FA9550-14-1-0050 5c.  PROGRAM

The Agile Rapid Global Combat Support (ARGCS) System: A Cost and Benefit Analysis of Including the ARGCS Technologies in the Acquisition of the Enhanced Consolidated Support System (ECASS)

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Lund, John N

2007-01-01

...). The ultimate goal of this project is to assist in the analysis of the ARGCS technologies and what benefit they would provide if included in the proposed next generation of Naval Aviation test equipment, currently called the Enhanced Consolidated Automated Support System (ECASS).

Does Lean & Agile Project Management Help Coping with Project Complexity?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jalali Sohi, A.; Hertogh, M.J.C.M.; Bosch-Rekveldt, M.G.C.; Blom, R.; Serpell, A.; Ferrada, X.

2016-01-01

Still, projects in the construction sector are delivered with time delays and cost overruns. One of the reasons for poor performance was assigned to project complexity. A combination of lean construction and agile project management are hypothesized as a possible solution to cope with project

Born to fight? Genetics and combat sports

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emerson Franchini

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Recently, the influence of genetics on sports performance has received increased attention from many researchers. In combat sports, some investigations have also been conducted. This article’s main objective was to review the representation of specific gene polymorphisms in combat sports athletes compared to controls. The following databases were searched: PubMed, Web of Science and SportDiscus. The terms used in this search involved combat sports (boxing, karate, judo, mixed martial arts, taekwondo and wrestling, genes, genetics and candidate genes. Articles published until November 2013 were included if combat sports athletes were considered as a single group (i.e., not mixed with athletes of other sports. Seven studies were found, with two presenting no difference between combat sports athletes and controls, two presenting higher frequencies of candidate genes related to a more endurance-related profile compared to controls, and three where a more power-related gene overrepresentation was found in comparison to controls. Taken together, the initial studies about the genetic characteristics of combat sports athletes are controversial, which is probably due to the mixed (aerobic and anaerobic characteristic and to the multifactorial performance determinants of these sports.

Anthropometric factors related to sprint and agility performance in young male soccer players

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mathisen G

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Gunnar Mathisen, Svein Arne Pettersen School of Sport Sciences, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway Objective: To investigate the relationship between anthropometrics and sprint and agility performance and describe the development of sprint (acceleration and agility performance in 10- to 16-year-old male soccer players. Methods: One hundred and thirty-two participants were divided into three age groups, 10–12 years (mean 10.8±0.50, 13–14 years (mean 13.9±0.50, and 15–16 years (mean 15.5±0.24, with assessment of 20 m sprint with 10 m split time and agility performance related to body height and body mass within groups. Results: In the 10- to 12-year-olds, there were no significant correlations between height, weight, and the performance variables, except for body mass, which was correlated to 10–20 m sprint (r=0.30. In the 13- to 14-year-olds, body height was significantly correlated with 10 m sprint (r=0.50 and 20 m sprint (r=0.52, as well as 10–20 m sprint (r=0.50 and agility performance (r=0.28. In the 15- to 16-year-old group, body height was correlated to 20 m (r=0.38 and 10–20 m (r=0.45 sprint. Body mass was significantly correlated to 10 m spring (r=0.35 in the 13- to 14-year-olds, as well as 20 m (r=0.33 and 10–20 m (r=0.35 sprint in the 15- to 16-year-olds. Conclusion: Height and body mass were significantly correlated with sprint performance in 13- to 16-year-old male soccer players. However, the 10- to 12-year-olds showed no significant relationship between sprint performance and anthropometrics, except for a small correlation in 10–20 m sprint. This may be attributed to maturation, with large differences in body height and body mass due to different patterns in the growth spurt. The agility performance related to anthropometrics was insignificant apart from a moderate correlation in the 13- to 14-year-olds. Keywords: youth soccer, running speed, development, football, puberty, skills 

On the importance of agile communication skills in BPM education: Design principles for international seminars

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jan vom Brocke

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Business Process Management (BPM has evolved as an integrated management discipline that aims to enable organizations to continuously innovate and improve their operations. BPM experts are exposed to communication processes involving people from various backgrounds (e.g., various business areas, fields of expertise, and cultures. Research in applied linguistics has shown that it is difficult to plan for constellations of such communication processes; thus, agile communication skills are vital for successful business communication. Teaching programs for BPM, however, do not account for these skills. Rather, they mainly address methods for the analysis, implementation, and management of business processes. As a result, graduates—though they may be technically and methodologically apt—face unexpected challenges due to communication deficiencies in BPM projects. BPM research has shown that deficiencies in communication are in fact among the most frequent reasons for project failure. In this paper, we present a course setting to teach agile communication skills in BPM education. The approach is informed by literature on BPM education as well as theories from virtual collaboration education. We have evaluated it in an international virtual seminar involving seven European universities. We argue for the importance of agile communication skills in BPM education. In addition, we present design principles for courses to teach agile communication skills that can be applied by fellow academics.

The Functional Test for Agility Performance is a Reliable Quick Decision-Making Test for Skilled Water Polo Players

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tucher Guilherme

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The reliability of the Functional Test for Agility Performance has only been evaluated in water polo players in a small group of novice athletes. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability of the Functional Test for Agility Performance in skilled water polo players. Forty-two athletes (17.81 ± 3.24 years old with a minimum of 5 years of competitive experience (7.05 ± 2.84 years and playing at the national or international level were evaluated. The Functional Test for Agility Performance is characterized as a specific open decision-making test where a tested player moves as quickly as possible in accordance to a pass made by another player. The time spent in the test was measured by two experienced coaches. Descriptive statistics, repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA, 95% limit of agreement (LOA, intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC and standard error of measurements (SEM were used for data analysis. Athletes completed the Functional Test for Agility Performance in 4.15 0.47 s. The ICC value was 0.87 (95% IC = 0.80-0.92. The SEM varied between 0.24 and 0.38 s. The LOA was 1.20 s and the CV average considering each individual trial was 6%. The Functional Test for Agility Performance was shown to be a reliable quick decision-making test for skilled water polo players.

Epidemiology of injury among handlers and dogs competing in the sport of agility.

Science.gov (United States)

Kerr, Zachary Y; Fields, Sarah; Comstock, R Dawn

2014-07-01

Little is known about the epidemiology of dog sport-related injuries. This study examines injuries among handlers and dogs in the sport of dog agility. A cross-sectional pilot study captured data on demographics, exposures, and injury for a sample of agility handlers and dogs. Logistic regressions predicted odds of injury. Survey of 217 handlers and 431 dogs identified 31 handler injuries (1.55 training injuries per 1000 hours, 2.14 competition injuries per 1000 runs) and 38 dog injuries (1.74 training injuries per 1000 hours, 1.72 competition injuries per 1000 runs). Handlers most commonly injured knees (48.4%) and lower trunk (29.0%). Most common diagnoses were strains (51.6%) and sprains (32.3%). Obese handlers had increased odds of injury compared with normal weight handlers (OR = 5.5, P Dogs most commonly injured front paws (23.7%) and shoulders (15.8%). Most common diagnoses were strains (44.7%) and cut/scrapes (21.1%). Injury was positively associated with dog's age (P benefits, dog agility poses a risk of injury to both handlers and dogs. Future research on specific mechanisms of injury should drive evidence-based injury prevention strategies.

Lean Architecture for Agile Software Development

CERN Document Server

Coplien, James O

2010-01-01

More and more Agile projects are seeking architectural roots as they struggle with complexity and scale - and they're seeking lightweight ways to do it: Still seeking? In this book the authors help you to find your own path; Taking cues from Lean development, they can help steer your project toward practices with longstanding track records; Up-front architecture? Sure. You can deliver an architecture as code that compiles and that concretely guides development without bogging it down in a mass of documents and guesses about the implementation; Documentation? Even a whiteboard diagram, or a CRC

A study on the relationship between organizational structure and organizational agility: A case study of insurance firm

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Javad Sadeghi

2012-09-01

Full Text Available The primary aim of this survey is to study the relationship between organizational structure and organizational agility in an insurance company in Iran. The statistical population includes 300 employees and managers of the proposed insurance company across in Tehran province, Iran and a sample of 73 people are selected, randomly for the survey. Questionnaire is used as a major tool of data collection. Validity of the questionnaire is confirmed through content validity by professors and experts. Reliability of the questionnaire was calculated using Cronbach alpha. SPSS software is used for data analysis. Research findings illustrate there is a significant relationship between organizational agility and two dimensions of organizational structure, i.e. formalization and centralization. No significant relationship was observed between complexity and organizational agility.

A Capstone Course on Agile Software Development Using Scrum

Science.gov (United States)

Mahnic, V.

2012-01-01

In this paper, an undergraduate capstone course in software engineering is described that not only exposes students to agile software development, but also makes it possible to observe the behavior of developers using Scrum for the first time. The course requires students to work as Scrum Teams, responsible for the implementation of a set of user…

A comparison of assisted, resisted, and common plyometric training modes to enhance sprint and agility performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Khodaei, Kazem; Mohammadi, Abbas; Badri, Neda

2017-10-01

The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of assisted, resisted and common plyometric training modes to enhance sprint and agility performance. Thirty active young males (age 20.67±1.12, height 174.83±4.69, weight 63.45±7.51) volunteered to participate in this study that 24 completed testing. The participants were randomly assigned into different groups: assisted, resisted and common plyometric exercises groups. Plyometric training involved three sessions per week for 4 weeks. The volume load of plyometric training modes was equated between the groups. The posttest was performed after 48 hours of the last training session. Between-group differences were analyzed with the ANCOVA and LSD post-hoc tests, and within-group differences were analyzed by a paired t-test. The findings of the present study indicated that 0-10-m, 20-30-m sprint time and the Illinois Agility Test time significantly decreased in the assisted and resisted plyometrics modes compared to the common plyometric training mode (P≤0.05). Also, the 0-10-m, 0-30-m sprint time and agility T-test time was significantly reduced with resisted plyometrics modes compared to the assisted and common plyometric modes (P≤0.05). There was no significant difference in the 10-20-m sprint time among the three plyometric training modes. The results of this study demonstrated that assisted and resisted plyometrics modes with elastic bands were effective methods to improve sprint and agility performance than common plyometric training in active males. Also, the resisted plyometrics mode was superior than the assisted plyometrics mode to improving sprint and agility tasks.

A Conceptual Model of Agile Software Development in a Safety-Critical Context: A Systematic Literature Review

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tordrup Heeager, Lise; Nielsen, Peter Axel

2018-01-01

challenges of agile software development of safety-critical systems. The conceptual model consists of four problematic practice areas and five relationships, which we find to be even more important than the problematic areas. From this review, we suggest that there are important research gaps that need...... processes or agile processes that are purportedly faster and promise to lead to better products. Objective: To identify the issues and disputes in agile development of safety-critical software and the key qualities as found in the extant research literature. Method: We conducted a systematic literature...... review as an interpretive study following a research design to search, assess, extract, group, and understand the results of the found studies. Results: There are key issues and propositions that we elicit from the literature and combine into a conceptual model for understanding the foundational...

Combat Leadership Styles: Empowerment versus Authoritarianism

Science.gov (United States)

1990-12-01

Combat Leadership Styles : Empowerment versus Authoritarianism FARIS R. KIRKLAND Recent research in Israel and the United States suggests that...Combat Leadership Styles : Empowerment versus Authoritarianism 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S) 5d

Challenging the conclusion that lower preinduction cognitive ability increases risk for combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder in 2,375 combat-exposed, Vietnam War veterans.

Science.gov (United States)

Thompson, William W; Gottesman, Irving I

2008-06-01

Among U.S. Vietnam War veterans, we assessed whether preinduction cognitive abilities were associated with the risk of developing combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The sample included 2,375 single-term, enlisted, male, Army, Vietnam War veterans who reported exposure to combat during the war. There were two measures of cognitive abilities obtained before military induction, the Armed Forces Qualification Test and the General Technical Examination. Associations of ability with current and lifetime diagnoses of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Third Edition Revised, combat-related PTSD were assessed. An index was used to grade the severity of combat exposure. Among low-combat exposure veterans, higher preinduction cognitive abilities decreased the risk for lifetime, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Third Edition Revised, combat-related PTSD. For veterans with higher levels of combat exposure, higher scores for preinduction cognitive abilities had no effect on reducing the risk for lifetime diagnosis of combat-related PTSD. For a current diagnosis of combat-related PTSD, approximately 20 years after the stressful life events, preinduction cognitive abilities had no effect on the rates of combat-related PTSD. We found significant interactions between preinduction cognitive abilities and severity of combat exposure for the lifetime diagnosis of combat-related PTSD among Army Vietnam War veterans. High levels of combat exposure are likely to exhaust intellectual resources available for coping with stressful life events. Lower scores for cognitive abilities are not uniformly disadvantageous, and this should be considered by military manpower policymakers.

Compact Agile Antenna Concept Utilizing Reconfigurable Front End for Wireless Communications

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bahramzy, Pevand; Jagielski, Ole; Svendsen, Simon

2014-01-01

The conventional full-duplex radio communication systems require that the radio transmitter (Tx) is active at the same time as the radio receiver (Rx). The Tx and the Rx are using separate dedicated frequency bands and the Tx-Rx isolation is ensured by duplex filters. However, increasing number...... of frequency bands crave for multiband and multimode operation, which either require agile duplexers or a bank of narrow-band filters with a switch. While practical agile duplexers are not available, a bank of narrow-band filters with a switch is bulky and incurs switching loss. This paper proposes an approach....... For this purpose, very small narrow-band antennas are designed, which can cover 1710–2170 MHz by using tunable capacitors. Simulations and measurements of the antenna concept are carried out in the proposed FE architecture, serving as a proof of concept....

A study on ranking the effects of transformational leadership style on organizational agility and mediating role of organizational creativity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seidmehdi Veiseh

2014-09-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of the components of transformational leadership style on organizational agility and mediating role of organizational creativity in Ilam Gas Refinery located in province of Ilam, Iran. The method of the present study was descriptive and correlational-structural equation modeling. The population of this research included all 400 workers of Ilam gas refinery and the study chose a sample of196 employees. The questionnaire was standardized using Cronbach's alpha; the obtained reliability was 0.90, which indicated the reliability of the questionnaire. At the end, the data was analyzed by LISREL software and structural equation modeling analysis was conducted. The findings showed that transformational leadership style had an effect on organizational agility. In addition, organizational creativity maintained a mediator role on influencing the transformational leadership on organizational agility. The four dimensions of transformational leadership, hopeful influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual encouragement as well as personal considerations also influenced on the agility of organizations.

Influence of the level of speed-strength preparedness on the agility of volleyball players 12–13 years old

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oleg Shevchenko

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Purpose: determine the impact level of indicators of speed-strength preparedness for the agility of young volleyball players 12–13 years. Material & Methods: analysis of scientific and methodological literature, pedagogical testing of speed-strength qualities and agility, pedagogical experiment, methods of mathematical statistics. The study involved 25 volleyball players aged 12–13 years, training in the basic training group of the second year of training of the sports club "Lokomotiv" in Kharkov. Young athletes were divided into an experimental – 13 people and a control –12 volleyball team. Results: after the introduction of the experimental methodology, a link was found between the level of speed-strength abilities and the agility of volleyball players. Conclusion: the positive influence of development of speed-strength qualities on indicators of agility of volleyball players that is necessary for selection of means and methods in training process of young athletes is proved.

Rating of Perceived Exertion for Quantification of Training and Combat Loads During Combat Sport-Specific Activities: A Short Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Slimani, Maamer; Davis, Philip; Franchini, Emerson; Moalla, Wassim

2017-10-01

The aim of this short review was to summarize data pertaining to the rating of perceived exertion (RPE) methods (RPE value and session-RPE) during combat sport-specific activities (i.e., competition and training) based on many factors, including contest type (i.e., official vs. simulated vs. training), combat rounds, age of participants and muscle groups, and their correlation with physiological variables (i.e., blood lactate concentration [La] and heart rate [HR]). The current review shows higher RPE in a match of mixed martial arts (MMAs) than Brazilian jiu-jitsu and kickboxing matches and during the competitive period compared with the precompetitive period. This could be explained by the longer duration of bouts, the higher percentage contribution of aerobic metabolism in MMA than other combat sports and contest type differences (simulated vs. official matches). Thus, this review found significant correlations between RPE or session-RPE, [La] and HR. Particularly, there was a stronger correlation between RPE and [La] during official striking (r = 0.81) than grappling combat sports matches (r = 0.53). In addition, a variation of correlation (moderate to large) between session-RPE and HR-based methods has been reported (i.e., Edwards' training load [r ranged between 0.58 and 0.95] and Banister training impulse [r ranged between 0.52 and 0.86]). Specifically, stronger correlation was apparent in combat sport competition that required a much higher percentage contribution of aerobic metabolism (e.g., karate) and in adult athletes than anaerobic-based combat sports (e.g., taekwondo) and young athletes, respectively. Indeed, the current review highlights that the correlations between session-RPE and HR-based methods were higher during official competition than training sessions. Session-RPE was affected by participants' competitive level, the intensity of session (high vs. low), the training modalities (tactical-technical vs. technical-development vs. simulated

On the Adaptation of an Agile Information Systems Development Method

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Aydin, M.N.; Harmsen, F.; van Slooten, C.; Stegwee, R.A.

2005-01-01

Little specific research has been conducted to date on the adaptation of agile information systems development (ISD) methods. This article presents the work practice in dealing with the adaptation of such a method in the ISD department of one of the leading financial institutes in Europe. Two forms

Combat ocular trauma and systemic injury.

Science.gov (United States)

Weichel, Eric D; Colyer, Marcus H

2008-11-01

To review the recent literature regarding combat ocular trauma during hostilities in Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, describe the classification of combat ocular trauma, and offer strategies that may assist in the management of eye injuries. Several recent publications have highlighted features of combat ocular trauma from Operation Iraqi Freedom. The most common cause of today's combat ocular injuries is unconventional fragmentary munitions causing significant blast injuries. These explosive munitions cause high rates of concomitant nonocular injuries such as traumatic brain injury, amputation, and other organ injuries. The most frequent ocular injuries include open-globe and adnexal lacerations. The extreme severity of combat-related open-globe injuries leads to high rates of primary enucleation and retained intraocular foreign bodies. Visual outcomes of intraocular foreign body injuries are similar to other series despite delayed removal, and no cases of endophthalmitis have occurred. Despite these advances, however, significant vision loss persists in cases of perforating globe injuries as well as open and closed-globe trauma involving the posterior segment. This review summarizes the recent literature describing ocular and systemic injuries sustained during Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom. An emphasis on classification of ocular injuries as well as a discussion of main outcome measures and complications is discussed.

Appetitive aggression and adverse childhood experiences shape violent behavior in females formerly associated with combat

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mareike eAugsburger

2015-11-01

Full Text Available This study investigated the impact of violent experiences during childhood, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD and appetitive aggression on everyday violent behavior in Burundian females with varying participation in war. Moreover, group differences in trauma-related and aggression variables were expected. Appetitive aggression describes the perception of violence perpetration as fascinating and appealing and is a common phenomenon in former combatants. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 157 females, either former combatants, supporters of armed forces or civilians during the civil war in Burundi. The PTSD Symptom Scale Interview was used to assess PTSD symptom severity, the Appetitive Aggression Scale to measure appetitive aggression and the Domestic and Community Violence Checklist to assess both childhood maltreatment and recent aggressive behavior. Former combatants had experienced more traumatic events, perpetrated more violence and reported higher levels of appetitive aggression than supporters and civilians. They also suffered more severely from PTSD symptoms than civilians but not than supporters. The groups did not differ regarding childhood maltreatment. Both appetitive aggression and childhood violence predicted ongoing aggressive behavior, whereas the latter outperformed PTSD symptom severity. These findings support current research showing that adverse childhood experiences and a positive attitude towards aggression serve as the basis for aggressive behavior and promote an ongoing cycle of violence in post-conflict regions. Female members of armed groups are in need of demobilization procedures including trauma-related care and interventions addressing appetitive aggression.

Asymptotic Connectivity of Low Duty-Cycled Wireless Sensor Networks

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Kim, Dongsook; Hsin, Chih-fan; Liu, Mingyan

2004-01-01

The Army's Future Combat Systems potentially rely heavily on the efficient use of unattended sensors to detect, identify and track targets in order to enhance situation awareness, agility and survivability...

Agile Software Development in the Department of Defense Environment

Science.gov (United States)

2017-03-31

traditional project/program life cycle (i.e., waterfall ). In the traditional model , security requirements are not evaluated until development is...2015), which may better facilitate adoption of Agile software development in the DoD. Several models are provided for software-dominant and software...the DoD has historically used a traditional, waterfall approach for acquiring systems and services), and oversight requirements that are

Considerations for Using Agile in DoD Acquisition

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

successfully used in manufacturing throughout the world for decades, such as ―just-in- time,‖ Lean, Kanban , and work-flow-based planning. Another new...of this analysis is provided in Table 2. 29 Kanban / lean style of Agile might be the most relevant for this phase. 31 | CMU/SEI-2010-TN-002...family of approaches, including Kanban [14], Rational Unified Process (RUP), Personal Software Process (PSP), Team Software Process (TSP), and Cleanroom

Combat Stress Decreases Memory of Warfighters in Action.

Science.gov (United States)

Delgado-Moreno, Rosa; Robles-Pérez, José Juan; Clemente-Suárez, Vicente Javier

2017-08-01

The present research aimed to analyze the effect of combat stress in the psychophysiological response and attention and memory of warfighters in a simulated combat situation. Variables of blood oxygen saturation, heart rate, blood glucose, blood lactate, body temperature, lower body muscular strength manifestation, cortical arousal, autonomic modulation, state anxiety and memory and attention through a postmission questionnaire were analyzed before and after a combat simulation in 20 male professional Spanish Army warfighters. The combat simulation produces a significant increase (p body temperature post, HF post/correct sound, body temperature post/glucose post, CFFTpre/lactate post, CFFT post/wrong sound, glucose post/AC pre, AC post/wrong fusil, AS post/SC post and SC post/wrong olfactory; and negative correlations: LF post/correct sound, body temperature post/lactate post and glucose post/lactate post. This data suggest that combat stress actives fight-flight system of soldiers. As conclusion, Combat stress produces an increased psychophysiological response that cause a selective decrease of memory, depending on the nature, dangerous or harmless of the objects.

The Analysis of the Relationship Between IT and the organizational Agility of Bojnourd Social Security Hospital

OpenAIRE

Saeed Bahramzadeh; Hossein Ali Bahramzadeh; Gorji Mohammad Bagher

2014-01-01

In the current research the relationship between the acceptance of IT and organizational agility of Bojnourd Social Security Hospital is analyzed. In this regard, Davis's technology acceptance model (TAM) and organizational agility, based on the model of London Institute study, has been examined. The statistical population is the entire hospital staff of 360. The sample size was determined 186 by using Krejcie and Morgan table. This research is practical in terms of purpose, and in terms of m...

Demonstrative Maneuvers for Aircraft Agility Predictions

Science.gov (United States)

2008-03-01

AIAA Paper 1996-3741. 19. Raymer , Daniel P. Aircraft Design: A Conceptual Approach. American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc., 3rd...Shaw, Robert L. Fighter Combat: Tactics and Maneuvering. Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD, 1985. 25. Smith, Steven W. The Scientist and

Mechanical analysis of the acute effects of a heavy resistance exercise warm-up on agility performance in court-sport athletes.

Science.gov (United States)

Sole, Christopher J; Moir, Gavin L; Davis, Shala E; Witmer, Chad A

2013-12-18

The purpose of this study was to determine the acute effects of heavy resistance exercise on agility performance in court-sport athletes. Five men (age: 20.6 ± 1.9 years; body mass: 79.36 ± 11.74 kg; body height: 1.93 ± 0.09 m) and five women (age 21.2 ± 2.7 years; body mass: 65.8 ± 10.18 kg; body height 1.77 ± 0.08 m) volunteered to participate in the present study. All subjects were NCAA Division II athletes who currently participated in tennis or basketball and all had previous resistance training experience of at least one year. In a counterbalanced design, agility performance during a 10 m shuttle test was assessed following either a dynamic warm-up (DW) or heavy resistance warm-up (HRW) protocol. The HRW protocol consisted of three sets of squats at 50, 60, and 90% of 1-RM. Agility performance was captured using an eight camera motion analysis system and the mechanical variables of stride length, stride frequency, stance time, flight time, average ground reaction force, as well as agility time were recorded. No significant differences were reported for the HRW and DW protocols for any of the mechanical variables (p>0.05), although there was a trend towards the HRW protocol producing faster agility times compared to the control protocol (p = 0.074). Based on the trend towards a significant effect, as well as individual results it is possible that HRW protocols could be used as an acute method to improve agility performance in some court-sport athletes.

The study of relationship between coach-oriented management style and organizational agility in Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

MM Dashti rahmatabadi

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Introduction: Learning and transformation are the two factors needed for the stability of high education system and universities in such complicated space. This article aims to investigate the link between coaching management style, as a new managerial approach, and organizational nimbleness as a continual and unpredictable transformation capability. Method: This is a descriptive- correlation study. It is also a survey research because data have been gathered of the sample included 218 employees of university of Medical Sciences; by use of standard coaching management questionnaire of Maclin et al and organizational agility questionnaire of Sharifi & Jong. The Cronbach's alpha for variables coaching management method and agility was %82 and %95, respectively. Results: According to the findings, it became clear that there is a moderate relationship between coaching management and agility variables responsibility and competency. Moreover, there is a weak relationship between coaching management method and variables flexibility and rapidity. Further, descriptive statistics show that coaching management is moderately related to the variable agility, because R=%25 8 and P= %95. Data was analyzed by use of SPSS software. Conclusion: Results show that there is a positive and meaningful relationship between coaching management method and organizational agility. Therefore, the organizations following coaching management and team working should know that suitable answering leads to the  persons knowledge development, flexibility, quality improvement, new innovations and rapidity of organizational changes.

A New Agile Radiating System Called Electromagnetic Band Gap Matrix Antenna

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hussein Abou Taam

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Civil and military applications are increasingly in need for agile antenna devices which respond to wireless telecommunications, radars, and electronic warfare requirements. The objective of this paper is to design a new agile antenna system called electromagnetic band gap (EBG matrix. The working principle of this antenna is based on the radiating aperture theory and constitutes the subject of an accepted CNRS patent. In order to highlight the interest and the originality of this antenna, we present a comparison between it and a classical patch array only for the (one-dimensional 1D configuration by using a rigorous full wave simulation (CST Microwave software. In addition, EBG matrix antenna can be controlled by specific synthesis algorithms. These algorithms use inside their; optimization loop an analysis procedure to evaluate the radiation pattern. The analysis procedure is described and validated at the end of this paper.

The relationship between segmental coordination, agility and physical activity in adolescents

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eliseo García Cantó

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Motor competence (MC may be related to youth physical activity (PA level. In the last few years, MC has been studied as a possible determinant of children PA level, but has not been widely studied in adolescents. To analyze the relationship between MC and PA level 533 adolescents (271 men and 261 women from the southeast of Spain were assessed. To register weekly PA was used the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ and for the MC, four coordination tests including throw and catch test, eye-hand and eye-foot coordination tests and agility circuit. Data were analyzed using ANOVA and binary logistic regression. The overall MC is consistently related with PA level. Eye-hand coordination test and the agility test define more accurately the tendency to high PA level. Programs to promote PA and focused on MC should be emphasized from early ages to adolescence.

Effects of High Intensity Interval Training on Increasing Explosive Power, Speed, and Agility

Science.gov (United States)

Fajrin, F.; Kusnanik, N. W.; Wijono

2018-01-01

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is a type of exercise that combines high-intensity exercise and low intensity exercise in a certain time interval. This type of training is very effective and efficient to improve the physical components. The process of improving athletes achievement related to how the process of improving the physical components, so the selection of a good practice method will be very helpful. This study aims to analyze how is the effects of HIIT on increasing explosive power, speed, and agility. This type of research is quantitative with quasi-experimental methods. The design of this study used the Matching-Only Design, with data analysis using the t-test (paired sample t-test). After being given the treatment for six weeks, the results showed there are significant increasing in explosive power, speed, and agility. HIIT in this study used a form of exercise plyometric as high-intensity exercise and jogging as mild or moderate intensity exercise. Increase was due to the improvement of neuromuscular characteristics that affect the increase in muscle strength and performance. From the data analysis, researchers concluded that, Exercises of High Intensity Interval Training significantly effect on the increase in Power Limbs, speed, and agility.

A survey on the measure of combat readiness

Science.gov (United States)

Wen, Kwong Fook; Nor, Norazman Mohamad; Soon, Lee Lai

2014-09-01

Measuring the combat readiness in military forces involves the measures of tangible and intangible elements of combat power. Though these measures are applicable, the mathematical models and formulae used focus mainly on either the tangible or the intangible elements. In this paper, a review is done to highlight the research gap in the formulation of a mathematical model that incorporates tangible elements with intangible elements to measure the combat readiness of a military force. It highlights the missing link between the tangible and intangible elements of combat power. To bridge the gap and missing link, a mathematical model could be formulated that measures both the tangible and intangible aspects of combat readiness by establishing the relationship between the causal (tangible and intangible) elements and its effects on the measure of combat readiness. The model uses multiple regression analysis as well as mathematical modeling and simulation which digest the capability component reflecting its assets and resources, the morale component reflecting human needs, and the quality of life component reflecting soldiers' state of satisfaction in life. The results of the review provide a mean to bridge the research gap through the formulation of a mathematical model that shows the total measure of a military force's combat readiness. The results also significantly identify parameters for each of the variables and factors in the model.

Combat Wound Initiative program.

Science.gov (United States)

Stojadinovic, Alexander; Elster, Eric; Potter, Benjamin K; Davis, Thomas A; Tadaki, Doug K; Brown, Trevor S; Ahlers, Stephen; Attinger, Christopher E; Andersen, Romney C; Burris, David; Centeno, Jose; Champion, Hunter; Crumbley, David R; Denobile, John; Duga, Michael; Dunne, James R; Eberhardt, John; Ennis, William J; Forsberg, Jonathan A; Hawksworth, Jason; Helling, Thomas S; Lazarus, Gerald S; Milner, Stephen M; Mullick, Florabel G; Owner, Christopher R; Pasquina, Paul F; Patel, Chirag R; Peoples, George E; Nissan, Aviram; Ring, Michael; Sandberg, Glenn D; Schaden, Wolfgang; Schultz, Gregory S; Scofield, Tom; Shawen, Scott B; Sheppard, Forest R; Stannard, James P; Weina, Peter J; Zenilman, Jonathan M

2010-07-01

The Combat Wound Initiative (CWI) program is a collaborative, multidisciplinary, and interservice public-private partnership that provides personalized, state-of-the-art, and complex wound care via targeted clinical and translational research. The CWI uses a bench-to-bedside approach to translational research, including the rapid development of a human extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) study in complex wounds after establishing the potential efficacy, biologic mechanisms, and safety of this treatment modality in a murine model. Additional clinical trials include the prospective use of clinical data, serum and wound biomarkers, and wound gene expression profiles to predict wound healing/failure and additional clinical patient outcomes following combat-related trauma. These clinical research data are analyzed using machine-based learning algorithms to develop predictive treatment models to guide clinical decision-making. Future CWI directions include additional clinical trials and study centers and the refinement and deployment of our genetically driven, personalized medicine initiative to provide patient-specific care across multiple medical disciplines, with an emphasis on combat casualty care.

Investigating the Practical Impact of Agile Practices on the Quality of Software Projects in Continuous Delivery

OpenAIRE

Olumide Akerele; Muthu Ramachandran; Mark Dixon

2014-01-01

Various factors affect the impact of agile factors on the continuous delivery of software projects. This is a major reason why projects perform differently- some failing and some succeeding- when they implement some agile practices in various environments. This is not helped by the fact that many projects work within limited budget while project plans also change-- making them to fall into some sort of pressure to meet deadline when they fall behind in their planned work. This study investiga...

Basic Combat Unit of the Slovenian Armed Forces

Science.gov (United States)

2017-06-09

public sector .6 There are three main reasons why: 1. After Slovenia joined NATO, political support for the armed forces began to decline. Image...can put three $20 bills together, but if we have an $18 or $20 fight, we have a unit that’s capable of a better integration (with other forces) and... three different $20 bills . It has to be noted, that the U.S. Army did significantly reduce the number of types of combat brigades from seventeen to

The Scrum agile method: A systematic literature review

OpenAIRE

Krajnik, Matevž

2016-01-01

Scrum is an agile method for software engineering, used by companies to develop products faster and more efficiently. Because the customer is more engaged in the process and the development is incremental and iterative projects progress better, it is also easier to implement any changes in functionality the customer might want. In this thesis a review of existing scientific literature regarding the method Scrum in software engineering has been made. The review brought forth answers to three p...

Measuring The Variability Of Gamma-Ray Sources With AGILE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Andrew W.; Vercellone, Stefano; Pellizzoni, Alberto; Tavani, Marco

2005-01-01

Variability in the gamma-ray flux above 100 MeV at various time scales is one of the primary characteristics of the sources detected by EGRET, both allowing the identification of individual sources and constraining the unidentified source classes. We present a detailed simulation of the capacity of AGILE to characterize the variability of gamma-ray sources, discussing the implications for source population studies

Physiological Implications, Performance Assessment and Risk Mitigation Strategies of Women in Combat-Centric Occupations.

Science.gov (United States)

Greeves, Julie P

2015-11-01

Women have historically featured in military conflicts, but were not formally integrated into the military until the 20th century; occupations were mainly restricted to clerical or support roles. An increasing number of occupations have been opened to women and the higher physical demands of combat roles present new challenges. Inherent biological differences between sexes require women to work harder when undertaking the same tasks as men. This is reflected, in part, by the greater risk of musculoskeletal injuries of women observed notably during integrated military training. Gender "neutral" occupational standards, based on the physical requirements of the role, will ensure that women are suitably selected to cope with the demands of military tasks with a minimal risk of injury and to operational effectiveness. Initiatives such as reduced running mileage and single-sex training have contributed to a reduction in lower-limb musculoskeletal injuries, but the risk of injury remains higher in women. Nevertheless, women experience substantial gains in aerobic power and strength with appropriate and targeted training, narrowing the gap in physical performance between the sexes. Evidence-based occupational standards and optimal training programs provide short-term solutions for integrating women in support combat, and indeed direct combat roles.

Combining Cloud-based Workflow Management System with SOA and CEP to Create Agility in Collaborative Environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marian STOICA

2017-01-01

Full Text Available In current economy, technological solutions like cloud computing, service-oriented architecture (SOA and complex event processing (CEP are recognized as modern approaches used for increasing the business agility and achieving innovation. The complexity of collaborative business environment raises more and more the need for performant workflow management systems (WfMS that meet current requirements. Each approach has advantages, but also faces challenges. In this paper we propose a solution for integration of cloud computing with WfMS, SOA and CEP that allows these technologies to complete each other and bank on their benefits to increase agility and reduce the challenges/problems. The paper presents a short introduction in the subject, followed by an analysis of the combination between cloud computing and WfMS and the benefits of cloud based workflow management system. The paper ends with a solution for combining cloud WfMS with SOA and CEP in order to gain business agility and real time collaboration, followed by conclusions and research directions.

Development of data analysis tool for combat system integration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seung-Chun Shin

2013-03-01

Full Text Available System integration is an important element for the construction of naval combat ships. In particular, because impeccable combat system integration together with the sensors and weapons can ensure the combat capability and survivability of the ship, the integrated performance of the combat system should be verified and validated whether or not it fulfills the requirements of the end user. In order to conduct systematic verification and validation, a data analysis tool is requisite. This paper suggests the Data Extraction, Recording and Analysis Tool (DERAT for the data analysis of the integrated performance of the combat system, including the functional definition, architecture and effectiveness of the DERAT by presenting the test results.

Agile Methodologies and Software Process Improvement Maturity Models, Current State of Practice in Small and Medium Enterprises

OpenAIRE

Koutsoumpos, Vasileios; Marinelarena, Iker

2013-01-01

Abstract—Background: Software Process Improvement (SPI) maturity models have been developed to assist organizations to enhance software quality. Agile methodologies are used to ensure productivity and quality of a software product. Amongst others they are applied in Small and Medium – sized Enterprises (SMEs). However, little is known about the combination of Agile methodologies and SPI maturity models regarding SMEs and the results that could emerge, as all the current SPI models are address...

Medical rescue of naval combat: challenges and future.

Science.gov (United States)

Jin, Hai; Hou, Li-Jun; Fu, Xiao-Bing

2015-01-01

There has been no large-scale naval combat in the last 30 years. With the rapid development of battleships, weapons manufacturing and electronic technology, naval combat will present some new characteristics. Additionally, naval combat is facing unprecedented challenges. In this paper, we discuss the topic of medical rescue at sea: what challenges we face and what we could do. The contents discussed in this paper contain battlefield self-aid buddy care, clinical skills, organized health services, medical training and future medical research programs. We also discuss the characteristics of modern naval combat, medical rescue challenges, medical treatment highlights and future developments of medical rescue at sea.

Frequency agile solar radiotelescope

Science.gov (United States)

Bastian, Tim S.

2003-02-01

The Frequency Agile Solar Radiotelescope (FASR) is a solar-dedicated, ground based, interferometric array optimized to perform broadband imaging spectroscopy from ~ 0.1-30+ GHz. It will do so with the angular, spectral, and temporal resolution required to exploit radio emission from the Sun as a diagnostic of the wide variety of astrophysical processes that occur there. FASR represents a major advance over existing radioheliographs, and is expected to remain the world's premier solar radio instrument for two decades or more after completion. FASR will be a versatile and powerful instrument, providing unique data to a broad users community. Solar, solar-terrestrial, and space physicists will exploit FASR to attack a broad science program, including problems of fundamental interest: coronal magnetography, solar flares and particle acceleration, drivers of space weather, and the thermal structure and dynamics of the solar atmosphere. A design study and implementation planning are underway. Recent progress is reviewed here.

Mechanical Analysis of the Acute Effects of a Heavy Resistance Exercise Warm-Up on Agility Performance in Court-Sport Athletes

Science.gov (United States)

Sole, Christopher J.; Moir, Gavin L.; Davis, Shala E.; Witmer, Chad A.

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the acute effects of heavy resistance exercise on agility performance in court-sport athletes. Five men (age: 20.6 ± 1.9 years; body mass: 79.36 ± 11.74 kg; body height: 1.93 ± 0.09 m) and five women (age 21.2 ± 2.7 years; body mass: 65.8 ± 10.18 kg; body height 1.77 ± 0.08 m) volunteered to participate in the present study. All subjects were NCAA Division II athletes who currently participated in tennis or basketball and all had previous resistance training experience of at least one year. In a counterbalanced design, agility performance during a 10 m shuttle test was assessed following either a dynamic warm-up (DW) or heavy resistance warm-up (HRW) protocol. The HRW protocol consisted of three sets of squats at 50, 60, and 90% of 1-RM. Agility performance was captured using an eight camera motion analysis system and the mechanical variables of stride length, stride frequency, stance time, flight time, average ground reaction force, as well as agility time were recorded. No significant differences were reported for the HRW and DW protocols for any of the mechanical variables (p>0.05), although there was a trend towards the HRW protocol producing faster agility times compared to the control protocol (p = 0.074). Based on the trend towards a significant effect, as well as individual results it is possible that HRW protocols could be used as an acute method to improve agility performance in some court-sport athletes. PMID:24511350

[Gastrointestinal diseases and abdominal pain in combat veterans].

Science.gov (United States)

Pal'tsev, A I; Torgashov, M N; Popova, O S

2013-01-01

To analyze the role of consequences of combat stress in the development of gastrointestinal tract (GIT) diseases. One hundred and sixty-one combat veterans aged 24 to 69 years were examined. All underwent a clinical and neurological examination using the McGill pain questionnaire (MPQ), Beck depression inventory, Kotenev trauma stress questionnaire, and visual analogue scale to determine pain intensity. Anxiety, impairments in memory and sleep, and depression were identified. The SF-36 questionnaire was used to estimate quality of life in the patients. Gastric secretory function was investigated; esophagogastroduodenoscopy, X-ray and ultrasound studies, clinical and biochemical blood tests, coprological examinations, fecal tests for dysbiosis, if indicated, occult blood were made. Combat stress and its consequences as posttraumatic stress disorder have been shown to play an important role in the pathogenesis of GIT diseases and in the development of chronic abdominal pain. GIT diseases in combat veterans are in larger measure a sequel of impaired processes of adjustment to combat stress. Chronic abdominal pains were heterogeneous. On the one hand, chronic GIT disease serves as a source of pain syndrome; on the other hand, the central nervous system is of importance in the development of chronic abdominal pain. In addition to therapy for GIT and hepatobiliary diseases, the treatment of GIT diseases in this category of patients involves psychotherapy and neuroprotection, aimed at reducing the consequences of combat stress in combat veterans.

Cross Sectional Study of Agile Software Development Methods and Project Performance

Science.gov (United States)

Lambert, Tracy

2011-01-01

Agile software development methods, characterized by delivering customer value via incremental and iterative time-boxed development processes, have moved into the mainstream of the Information Technology (IT) industry. However, despite a growing body of research which suggests that a predictive manufacturing approach, with big up-front…

Psycho-physiological response of soldiers in urban combat

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vicente J. Clemente-Suárez

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Current armed conflicts are asymmetrical and are developed m urban areas. These new requirements have not been studied for current literature. The aim of this study was to analyse changes in cortical arousal, blood lactate, muscle strength, autonomic modulation and rate of perceived exertion in a simulated urban combat. We analyzed 20 soldiers before and after an urban combat simulation. The results showed how urban combat produced high sympathetic nervous system activation, increasing the muscle strength, heart rate and blood lactate concentration of the soldiers. Despite this effort, rate of perceived exertion were not consistent with the physiological response that soldiers presented, the rate of perceived exertion was lower than the physiological response evaluated. Furthermore, the information processing and cortical arousal decreased after the urban combat simulation. These results have showed the psycho-physiological response of soldiers in combat, helping to better understanding and enabling an improvement of current training methods of soldiers.

A naturalistic decision making model for simulated human combatants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

HUNTER, KEITH O.; HART, WILLIAM E.; FORSYTHE, JAMES C.

2000-01-01

The authors describe a naturalistic behavioral model for the simulation of small unit combat. This model, Klein's recognition-primed decision making (RPD) model, is driven by situational awareness rather than a rational process of selecting from a set of action options. They argue that simulated combatants modeled with RPD will have more flexible and realistic responses to a broad range of small-scale combat scenarios. Furthermore, they note that the predictability of a simulation using an RPD framework can be easily controlled to provide multiple evaluations of a given combat scenario. Finally, they discuss computational issues for building an RPD-based behavior engine for fully automated combatants in small conflict scenarios, which are being investigated within Sandia's Next Generation Site Security project

Strength and agility skills of grade 1-learners: North-West child study ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Proficiency, second edition (BOT-2) was used to evaluate the children's strength and agility skills. The results showed meaningful gender differences with respect to the strength skills of the learners, since boys performed better in the standing long ...

The use of agile systems development methodologies in the telecommunication industry in South Africa / B.M. Mazengera

OpenAIRE

Mazengera, Bruce Mwai Analinafe

2009-01-01

Over the last decade, systems development professionals have recognised the need to use agile systems development methodologies (ASDMs) in the telecommunication industry. This is partly due to the barriers identified by Mansurov (2000) which suggest that the use of agile methodologies in the telecommunication industry would reduce the ratio of time-to-market. In the South African context, the industry has cemented its position as a major driving force of the economy as a whole. The industry's...

Management of colonic injuries in the combat theater.

Science.gov (United States)

Cho, S David; Kiraly, Laszlo N; Flaherty, Stephen F; Herzig, Daniel O; Lu, Kim C; Schreiber, Martin A

2010-05-01

Combat injuries are more often associated with blast, penetrating, and high-energy mechanisms than civilian trauma, generating controversy about the management of combat colonic injury. Despite implementation of mandatory colostomy in World War II, recent civilian data suggest that primary repair without diversion is safe and feasible. This study describes the modern management of battle-related colonic injuries and seeks to determine whether management strategy affects early complications. Records from the combat theater (downrange) and tertiary referral center in Germany were retrospectively reviewed from 2005 to 2006. Patient characteristics, management strategy, treatment course, and early complications were recorded. Comparison groups by management strategy were as follows: primary repair, diversion, and damage control. A total of 133 (97% male) patients sustained colonic injuries from penetrating (71%), blunt (5%), and blast (23%) mechanisms. Average injury severity score was 21 and length of stay in the referral center was 7.1 days. Injury distribution was 21% ascending, 21% descending, 15% transverse, 27% sigmoid, and 25% rectum. Downrange complications for primary repair, initial ostomy, and damage control groups were 14%, 15%, and 30%, respectively. On discharge from the center, 62% of patients had undergone a diversion. The complication rate was 18% overall and was unrelated to management strategy (P = .16). Multivariate analysis did not identify independent predictors of complications. Early complications were similar by mechanism, anatomic location, severity of injury, and management strategy. More diversions were performed for rectosigmoid injury. Good surgical judgment allows for low morbidity and supports primary repair in selected cases. Damage control surgery is effective in a multinational theater of operations.

Effects of Video-Based Visual Training on Decision-Making and Reactive Agility in Adolescent Football Players

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alfred Nimmerichter

2015-12-01

Full Text Available This study investigated the trainability of decision-making and reactive agility via video-based visual training in young athletes. Thirty-four members of a national football academy (age: 14.4 ± 0.1 years were randomly assigned to a training (VIS; n = 18 or a control group (CON; n = 16. In addition to the football training, the VIS completed a video-based visual training twice a week over a period of six weeks during the competition phase. Using the temporal occlusion technique, the players were instructed to react on one-on-one situations shown in 40 videos. The number of successful decisions and the response time were measured with a video-based test. In addition, the reactive-agility sprint test was used. VIS significantly improved the number of successful decisions (22.2 ± 3.6 s vs. 29.8 ± 4.5 s; p < 0.001, response time (0.41 ± 0.10 s vs. 0.31 ± 0.10 s; p = 0.006 and reactive agility (2.22 ± 0.33 s vs. 1.94 ± 0.11 s; p = 0.001 pre- vs. post-training. No significant differences were found for CON. The results have shown that video-based visual training improves the time to make decisions as well as reactive agility sprint-time, accompanied by an increase in successful decisions. It remains to be shown whether or not such training can improve simulated or actual game performance.

Technical-tactical and physiological demands of wrestling combats

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bianka Miarka

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Technical-tactical and physiological demand analyses of wrestling combats are important because they reveal essential information for the development of contextual training and specific physical preparation of wrestlers. Therefore, the aim of this review is to describe the characteristics of wrestling combats in freestyle, female and Greco-roman styles. The time-motion analysis presented in this article is the main component to carry out inferences on intensity and effort: pause ratio of combat actions. After rules modification in 2013, wrestling combats showed quicker and more diversified actions, especially in the lighter categories. For Greco-roman wrestling, most studies showed takedowns as the most effective techniques in World competitions for the period 2009-2011. For the same period, foot/leg techniques were the most effective in female and freestyle wrestling, followed by takedown attacks. Recent analyses, developed after 2013 rules modification, showed that the decisive offensive actions were applied on foot and in par terre situations – especially gutwrenches techniques and derivatives of suplex movements. The knowledge on the determinant and predominant actions of wrestling combats can be applied in future research, as well as can be used practically for training, physical preparation and assessments of similar combat actions. It also allows interventions to prevent injuries resulting from technical and tactical wrestling actions.

Between a rock and a hard place: Management and implementation teams’ expectations of project managers in an agile information systems delivery environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Songezo Nkukwana

2017-08-01

Objectives: This case study investigated how project managers could adapt to agile IS implementation environments to remain relevant. Specifically, the views of their key stakeholders (the management and implementation teams were elicited to provide insights into what is expected from agile project managers. Method: A qualitative, inductive content analysis approach using purposive sampling was used to identify 13 participants (comprising management and implementation team members within a large South African insurance company. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with all participants. Results: The management and implementation teams agreed that PM remains highly relevant in an agile environment for ensuring project governance including delivery, risk management, reporting and budgeting. There was, however, disagreement between the management and implementation teams on project management interaction with the implementation team. Management preferred a command and control type project manager, while the implementation team favoured a more inclusive, facilitative PM style. Conclusion: To remain viable in an agile IS project implementation environment within large corporates, project managers need to be aware of what various stakeholders expect of them. They need to retain some of the classic PM functions while adapting to the interpersonal and collaborative requirements of the agile way.

AGILE SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT METHODOLOGIES: AN OVERVIEW OF THE CURRENT STATE OF RESEARCH

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Naftanaila Ionel

2009-05-01

Full Text Available Under the current economic conditions many organizations strive to continue the trend towards adopting agile processes, in order to take advantage of the numerous benefits that these can offer. Those benefits include quicker return on investment, better s

The mechanism and realization of a band-agile coaxial relativistic backward-wave oscillator

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ge, Xingjun; Zhang, Jun; Zhong, Huihuang; Qian, Baoliang; Wang, Haitao [College of Optoelectronic Science and Engineering, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha 410073 (China)

2014-11-03

The mechanism and realization of a band-agile coaxial relativistic backward-wave oscillator (RBWO) are presented. The operation frequency tuning can be easily achieved by merely altering the inner-conductor length. The key effects of the inner-conductor length contributing to the mechanical frequency tunability are investigated theoretically and experimentally. There is a specific inner-conductor length where the operation frequency can jump from one mode to another mode, which belongs to a different operation band. In addition, the operation frequency is tunable within each operation band. During simulation, the L-band microwave with a frequency of 1.61 GHz is radiated when the inner-conductor length is 39 cm. Meanwhile, the S-band microwave with a frequency of 2.32 GHz is radiated when the inner-conductor length is 5 cm. The frequency adjustment bandwidths of L-band and S-band are about 8.5% and 2%, respectively. Moreover, the online mechanical tunability process is described in detail. In the initial experiment, the generated microwave frequencies remain approximately 1.59 GHz and 2.35 GHz when the inner-conductor lengths are 39 cm and 5 cm. In brief, this technical route of the band-agile coaxial RBWO is feasible and provides a guide to design other types of band-agile high power microwaves sources.

EFFECT OF DYNAMIC BALANCE TRAINING ON AGILITY IN MALE BASKETBALL PLAYERS

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Avi Saraswat

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Background: Athletes focus their training on two major goals, i.e., avoidance of the injury and increasing the performance. Balance training has been widely used in competitive sports to improve the balance and thus reduce the risk of injury, for example, ligamentous sprains, which are very common in Basketball. On the other hand, various drills are being used to improve the performance parameters such as agility. Our effort is to find out an exercise program which focuses on balance training and see whether it has any effect on agility. Methods: The study design was a Pretest-Posttest Control-Group Design. 30 healthy school level Male Basketball Players were selected from V-One Basketball Academy, Don Bosco Basketball Academy, Modern School Basketball Academy, New Delhi. They were randomly divided into two groups. Group A performed dynamic balance training 3 sessions per week for 4 weeks. Group B performed conventional exercises throughout the duration of the study. Outcome measure, i.e., T- test was measured pre and post 4 week period. Results: Data analysis was done by Independent t test and Paired t test for between group analysis and within group analysis respectively. There was a significant reduction in T-test times in the experimental group as compared to the control group (‘p’ value <0.05 while there was no significant improvement in the control group. Conclusion: Four weeks of dynamic balance training significantly improved agility as detected by T-test. Thus it can be concluded that the used protocol can be incorporated in the training regimes to reduce the risk of injury as well as improve the performance.

Barriers to Implementing a Single Joint Combat Camouflage Uniform

Science.gov (United States)

2017-12-01

opportunities, threats (SWOT), and political, economic, social, and technological (PEST) analyses; examines the requirements and role of each of the...SUBJECT TERMS ground combat uniform, combat camouflage uniform history , combat camouflage uniform pattern, camouflage pattern testing 15. NUMBER...methodology applies strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats (SWOT), and political, economic, social, and technological (PEST) analyses

The Usability Expert’s Fear of Agility

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Lene; Madsen, Sabine

2012-01-01

This paper contributes to the HCI literature on usability practice with insights about the empirical challenges and global emerging practices caused by the advent of agile software development (ASD). In the paper we report from a worldwide study involving 12 usability professionals from 12...... different countries. The findings show that the usability professionals share a forced development and innovation in their practice that stem from their clients’ adoption and use of ASD methods. The ASD methods challenge the way usability testing is performed, the abilities of the usability expert......, the usability deliverables, and the experts’ assumptions about the importance of validity....

Human performance modeling for system of systems analytics: combat performance-shaping factors.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lawton, Craig R.; Miller, Dwight Peter

2006-01-01

The US military has identified Human Performance Modeling (HPM) as a significant requirement and challenge of future systems modeling and analysis initiatives. To support this goal, Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) has undertaken a program of HPM as an integral augmentation to its system-of-system (SoS) analytics capabilities. The previous effort, reported in SAND2005-6569, evaluated the effects of soldier cognitive fatigue on SoS performance. The current effort began with a very broad survey of any performance-shaping factors (PSFs) that also might affect soldiers performance in combat situations. The work included consideration of three different approaches to cognition modeling and how appropriate they would be for application to SoS analytics. This bulk of this report categorizes 47 PSFs into three groups (internal, external, and task-related) and provides brief descriptions of how each affects combat performance, according to the literature. The PSFs were then assembled into a matrix with 22 representative military tasks and assigned one of four levels of estimated negative impact on task performance, based on the literature. Blank versions of the matrix were then sent to two ex-military subject-matter experts to be filled out based on their personal experiences. Data analysis was performed to identify the consensus most influential PSFs. Results indicate that combat-related injury, cognitive fatigue, inadequate training, physical fatigue, thirst, stress, poor perceptual processing, and presence of chemical agents are among the PSFs with the most negative impact on combat performance.

The Prevalence of UX Design in Agile Development Processes in Industry

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Tina Øvad

2015-01-01

analyses. Almost all the companies carried out development using the Scrum framework. All of the companies were interested in the idea of agile UX, and found the idea of using the developers as a UX resource interesting. This, together with an idea of modifying existing usability methods to be used...

Anger, impulsivity, and anger control in combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Chemtob, C M; Hamada, R S; Roitblat, H L; Muraoka, M Y

1994-08-01

Empirical evidence of a relationship between combat-related PTSD and increased anger is lacking. In this study, 24 veterans of the Vietnam War with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) scored significantly higher on an Anger factor comprising multiple measures of anger than did comparison groups of 23 well-adjusted Vietnam combat veterans and 12 noncombat Vietnam-era veterans with psychiatric diagnoses. In contrast, the 3 groups did not differ significantly on orthogonal factors, one of which comprised cognitive impulsivity measures and the other of which reflected motor impulsivity. Changes in heart rate in response to provocation loaded positively on the Anger factor and negatively on the 2 Impulsivity factors. Concurrent depression and trait anxiety did not have an effect on level of anger in individuals with PTSD. These empirical findings support and extend the clinical evidence regarding PTSD and anger.

Online fathering: the experience of first-time fatherhood in combat-deployed troops.

Science.gov (United States)

Schachman, Kathleen A

2010-01-01

More than 90% of fathers in the United States attend the births of their children. Each year, thousands of fathers are absent during this important life transition because of military deployment in combat regions; however, it is unknown how this population experiences new fatherhood. The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experience of first-time fatherhood from the unique perspective of military men deployed to combat regions during birth. A phenomenological approach was used. Seventeen men who were stationed in Okinawa, Japan, and had returned recently from a combat deployment participated. Unstructured, in-depth interviews were conducted 2 to 6 months after the births. Interviews were audiotaped, transcribed, and analyzed using Colaizzi's method. Disruption of the protector and provider role was a main theme that encompassed four theme clusters: (a) worry-a traumatic and lonely childbirth; (b) lost opportunity; (c) guilt-an absent father; and (d) fear of death and dismemberment-who will be the father? Although their absence interfered with their ability to fulfill the fatherhood role as they perceived it, this was offset by the theme cluster Communication: The ties that bind, highlighting the role of online communication with their partner (e.g., e-mail, instant messaging, Facebook, blogs, and chat rooms) in restoring balance to the protector and provider role. Insight is provided into the needs of first-time fathers who are combat-deployed during the births of their babies. Understanding these experiences assists nurses in identifying better ways to prepare and to support men in an involved fatherhood role, despite the limitations of a stressful combat environment and geographic separation. This information can set the stage for a healthy reunion, which may take place at military bases and within communities across the globe, and thus is of benefit to all nurses working with military families.

Medical rescue of naval combat: challenges and future

OpenAIRE

Jin, Hai; Hou, Li-Jun; Fu, Xiao-Bing

2015-01-01

There has been no large-scale naval combat in the last 30?years. With the rapid development of battleships, weapons manufacturing and electronic technology, naval combat will present some new characteristics. Additionally, naval combat is facing unprecedented challenges. In this paper, we discuss the topic of medical rescue at sea: what challenges we face and what we could do. The contents discussed in this paper contain battlefield self-aid buddy care, clinical skills, organized health servi...

Combat sports for persons with disabilities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kasum Goran

2011-01-01

Full Text Available In literature, the term adapted sport indicates sports activities, modified and adapted to persons with disabilities. In spite of their highly prominent values, combat sports are underrepresented among persons with disabilities in Serbia. The benefits of combat sports practicing are numerous, and at some international hospitals, martial sports and arts already have an important role in the treatment of traumatized and disabled persons. Currently, the programme of Paralympic Games includes only two sports, these are fencing and judo, in male and female competition. Almost certainly, karate will also be included in the programme of Paralympic Games, and there are similar ambitions in the case of taekwondo as well. In addition to these sports, some martial arts, especially aikido, thai-chi-chuan and qigong, have obtained significant representation and interest among persons with disabilities. The reasons for weaker interest in other martial sports and arts, should be sought in the fact that they are underrepresented among this population, and that these persons are not offered the possibility of organized practice of such sports. Orientation towards a combat sport brings great refreshment and powerful emotional experience to each practitioner, and this fact has special significance to persons with disabilities. In Serbia, combat sports are not widely represented among persons with disabilities, and only the wrestlers with impaired hearing have achieved significant success on the international stage. On the other hand, the popularity of combat sports among persons with disabilities in the world is significantly growing. It is necessary to take concrete steps to make it so in Serbia as well.

The Effect of Agile Workspace and Remote Working on Experiences of Privacy, Crowding and Satisfaction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Trevor Keeling

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Occupant density is an important and basic metric of space use efficiency. It affects user experience of privacy, crowding and satisfaction. The effect of agile working has been two fold. Firstly, offices have an increasing range of workspace settings such as break out space, collaborative space and contemplative space in contrast to the traditional workspace settings of assigned desks and formal meeting rooms. Secondly, office workers have become increasingly mobile as they are able to work from a greater variety of locations both in and out of their main place of work. This study asks whether workers who occupy agile workspaces and those with greater mobility experience privacy differently from workers with more conventional offices and work patterns. The experience of privacy can be considered in terms of retreat from people, control of information flow and control of interactions. Our results show that agile workspaces improve the ability to control information compared with open plan offices. It was also found that highly mobile workers are more sensitive to the negative effects of interacting with people. From this a taxonomy of offices is defined in terms of the features that contribute to the experience of privacy.

Vision and agility training in community dwelling older adults: incorporating visual training into programs for fall prevention.

Science.gov (United States)

Reed-Jones, Rebecca J; Dorgo, Sandor; Hitchings, Maija K; Bader, Julia O

2012-04-01

This study aimed to examine the effect of visual training on obstacle course performance of independent community dwelling older adults. Agility is the ability to rapidly alter ongoing motor patterns, an important aspect of mobility which is required in obstacle avoidance. However, visual information is also a critical factor in successful obstacle avoidance. We compared obstacle course performance of a group that trained in visually driven body movements and agility drills, to a group that trained only in agility drills. We also included a control group that followed the American College of Sports Medicine exercise recommendations for older adults. Significant gains in fitness, mobility and power were observed across all training groups. Obstacle course performance results revealed that visual training had the greatest improvement on obstacle course performance (22%) following a 12 week training program. These results suggest that visual training may be an important consideration for fall prevention programs. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Resilience training with soldiers during basic combat training: randomisation by platoon.

Science.gov (United States)

Adler, Amy B; Williams, Jason; McGurk, Dennis; Moss, Andrew; Bliese, Paul D

2015-03-01

Resilience Training has the potential to mitigate mental health symptoms when provided during initial military training. The present study examined the impact of Resilience Training on US soldier well-being and attitudes during Basic Combat Training. Platoons were randomly assigned to Resilience Training or Military History provided during the first few days of Basic Combat Training. Surveys were conducted at baseline, post-intervention, and 3, 6, and 9 weeks. The sample resulted in a total of 1,939 soldiers who completed at least the baseline and one follow-up survey. There were no significant differences between conditions in terms of depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms, or sleep problems. However, while anxiety decreased in both conditions, the rate of decrease was faster in the Resilience Training condition. In contrast, Resilience Training had a slower rate of increase in group cohesion over time than the Military History condition. In addition, Resilience Training was associated with greater confidence in helping others and received more positive ratings than Military History. Findings demonstrate that the brief Resilience Training studied here may have some utility in supporting mental health and peer support but may not benefit unit climate. © 2014 The International Association of Applied Psychology.

Design and application of reconfigurable manufacturing systems in agile mass customization manufacturing environment.

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Xing, B

2007-05-01

Full Text Available processes. Many manufacturing techniques are based on the principles of Flexible Manufacturing and Dedicated Manufacturing for mass production. Reconfigurable Manufacturing System, (RMS), is a manufacturing system that can provide for Agile Manufacturing...

The Complementary Relationship between Organizational Architecture and Organizational Agility An Empirical Study in Mobile Carriers of Erbil – Iraq

OpenAIRE

Laith Ali Yousif Al-Hakim; Thabit Hassan Thabit; Hamed Adel Abbas Al-Nasrawi

2017-01-01

The present research aims to investigate the relationship between organizational architecture and organizational agility in the mobile carriers of Erbil in Iraq. A questionnaire was conducted on mobile companies based on a random sampling technique. The results show there is a statistically significance and positive relation between organizational architecture and organizational agility. The results also indicated that organizational architecture has a statistically significant and direct pos...

Information Visualization for Agile Development in Large‐Scale Organizations

OpenAIRE

Manzoor, Numan; Shahzad, Umar

2012-01-01

Context: Agile/lean development has been successful situations where small teams collaborate over long periods of time with project stakeholders. Unclear is how such teams plan and coordinate their work in such situations where inter-dependencies with other projects exist. In large organizations, scattered teams and complex team structure makes it difficult for every stakeholder to have a clear understanding of project information. These factors make it difficult for large‐scale organizations...

Humans and Their Impact on Cyber Agility

Science.gov (United States)

2012-06-01

clearly). - Range of media across which these interactions occur (e.g. voice, email, video conferencing and whiteboards) - Collaborations (working...abilities that they need to accomplish the task at hand Combat Assessment Battle Damage Assessment ( BDA ) + Munitions Effectiveness Assessment (MEA), a

Lean vs Agile in the Context of Complexity Management in Organizations

Science.gov (United States)

Putnik, Goran D.; Putnik, Zlata

2012-01-01

Purpose: The objective of this paper is to provide a deeper insight into the relationship of the issue "lean vs agile" in order to inform managers towards more coherent decisions especially in a dynamic, unpredictable, uncertain, non-linear environment. Design/methodology/approach: The methodology is an exploratory study based on secondary data…

Rapid Development of Specialty Population Registries and Quality Measures from Electronic Health Record Data*. An Agile Framework.

Science.gov (United States)

Kannan, Vaishnavi; Fish, Jason S; Mutz, Jacqueline M; Carrington, Angela R; Lai, Ki; Davis, Lisa S; Youngblood, Josh E; Rauschuber, Mark R; Flores, Kathryn A; Sara, Evan J; Bhat, Deepa G; Willett, DuWayne L

2017-06-14

Creation of a new electronic health record (EHR)-based registry often can be a "one-off" complex endeavor: first developing new EHR data collection and clinical decision support tools, followed by developing registry-specific data extractions from the EHR for analysis. Each development phase typically has its own long development and testing time, leading to a prolonged overall cycle time for delivering one functioning registry with companion reporting into production. The next registry request then starts from scratch. Such an approach will not scale to meet the emerging demand for specialty registries to support population health and value-based care. To determine if the creation of EHR-based specialty registries could be markedly accelerated by employing (a) a finite core set of EHR data collection principles and methods, (b) concurrent engineering of data extraction and data warehouse design using a common dimensional data model for all registries, and (c) agile development methods commonly employed in new product development. We adopted as guiding principles to (a) capture data as a byproduct of care of the patient, (b) reinforce optimal EHR use by clinicians, (c) employ a finite but robust set of EHR data capture tool types, and (d) leverage our existing technology toolkit. Registries were defined by a shared condition (recorded on the Problem List) or a shared exposure to a procedure (recorded on the Surgical History) or to a medication (recorded on the Medication List). Any EHR fields needed - either to determine registry membership or to calculate a registry-associated clinical quality measure (CQM) - were included in the enterprise data warehouse (EDW) shared dimensional data model. Extract-transform-load (ETL) code was written to pull data at defined "grains" from the EHR into the EDW model. All calculated CQM values were stored in a single Fact table in the EDW crossing all registries. Registry-specific dashboards were created in the EHR to display

Support to the DoD Comprehensive Review Working Group Analyzing the Impact of Repealing ’Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’. Volume 1: Findings From the Surveys

Science.gov (United States)

2010-11-01

describes your current military occupational specialty? Army N Percent MOE Combat Arms (CA/ MFE ) 7,411 25.8% 0.62 Combat Support (CS/OS) 8,783 31.4...Army N Overall Army Navy Marine Corps Air Force Coast Guard MOE Combat Arms (CA/ MFE ) 7,411 25.8% -- -- -- -- -- 0.62 Combat Support (CS...Reserve Guard Max MOE Combat Arms (CA/ MFE ) 7,411 25.8% 29.1% 9.7% 30.0% 0.98 Combat Support (CS/OS) 8,783 31.4% 31.0% 35.0% 30.1% 1.29 Combat

Urban Combat Advanced Training Technology Architecture (Architecture de technologie avancee pour l’entrainement au combat urbain)

Science.gov (United States)

2018-01-01

NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY ORGANIZATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ORGANIZATION AC/323(MSG-098)TP/740 www.sto.nato.int STO TECHNICAL...REPORT TR-MSG-098 Urban Combat Advanced Training Technology Architecture (Architecture de technologie avancée pour l’entraînement au combat urbain...NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY ORGANIZATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ORGANIZATION AC/323(MSG-098)TP/740 www.sto.nato.int STO TECHNICAL

Building Software Tools for Combat Modeling and Analysis

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Yuanxin, Chen

2004-01-01

... (Meta-Language for Combat Simulations) and its associated parser and C++ code generator were designed to reduce the amount of time and developmental efforts needed to build sophisticated real world combat simulations. A C++...

CONSUMER BEHAVIOR AND ENTERPRISE AGILITY – A MODEL OF THE SURVEYED INDICATORS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

BOIER Rodica

2009-05-01

Full Text Available Enhancing the agility of the response to market demands is one of the most desirable qualities for the management of today’s enterprise, which is facing an unstable environment, with abrupt, frequent and unpredictable changes. The paper proposes a model o

INTRODUCTION TO THE SPECIAL ISSUE ON COMBAT SPORT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrew M. Lane

2006-07-01

the center of mass for three different judo-throwing techniques. McGuigan et al. (2006 explore the utility of isometric strength training among a sample of wrestlers. Body fat and weight management play an important role in combat sports. Kazemi et al., 2006 identify the profile of the Olympic champions and Pieter et al., 2006 assess the relative total body fat and skinfold patterning of Filipino national karate and pencak silat athletes. Bledsoe et al., 2006 examine the prevalence and incidence of injury in Professional Mixed Martial Arts Competitions. Nunan (2006 sought to develop a sport-specific fitness test for competitive Karate practitioners with results suggesting that the new test accurately simulates the actions of competitive Karate sparring. Blais and Trilles, 2006 propose a specific piece of apparatus designed to enhance judo performance In terms of skill analysis, Hristovski et al., 2006 examine the factors that boxers use when deciding to punch a target. Myers et al., 2006 investigated judging practices and processes in Muay Thai. The subjective nature of combat sport scoring means that this is an universal issue. Devonport, 2006 uses qualitative techniques to explore psychological issues relate to success in kickboxing. Stevens et al., 2006 used a transactional design to investigate changes in mood states and emotions in a judo player during Olympic trials. Wong et al., 2006 explored mood-performance relationships among Malaysian athletes with results lending some support to the conceptual framework for mood-performance relationships offered by Lane and Terry, 2000. Jones et al., 2006 investigated motivational profiles of martial artists. The range of articles and suggestions for future research should inspire researchers and practitioners alike to investigate the efficacy of their interventions, test the validity of the measures, develop new measures and develop specific theories. This special edition has raised more questions than answers but in

Oil combatting in a cold environment using bioremediation techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rytkoenen, J.; Liukkonen, S.; Levchenko, A.; Worthington, T.; Matishov, G.; Petrov, V.

1995-01-01

The clean-up of oil spills in the Arctic environment is often limited by severe and cold environmental conditions. Mechanical methods are usually considered to be most favorable for oil spill combatting. However, remote spill sites, long distances, severe environmental conditions and sensitive ecosystems mean that more advanced combatting techniques are also needed to back up conventional recovery and clean-up measures. This paper describes the results of macro-scale tests conducted by VTT Manufacturing Technology to study the effectiveness of biosorbent technology against marine oil spills. The use of biosorbents was studied as a joint research project involving VTT (Finland) and the Murmansk Marine Biological Institute (Russia). Selected biosorbent products of Marine Systems, U.S.A., and the Bios Group, Russia, were used in macro-scale tests conducted in a basin measuring 15.0 x 3.0 m in length and width, respectively. This paper outlines the macro-scale test project, including microbiological and chemical studies, supported by toxicity tests and various analyses to understand better the fate of oil, especially the degree of biodegradation during the test

Combats escènics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pawel Rouba Billowicz

2016-04-01

Full Text Available “Combats Escènics” és un treball que tracta sobre la interpretació artística de la violència d’artistes de l’espectacle per tal de divertir el públic i emetre un missatge humanista mitjançant una coreografia ritual. En aquest estudi es presenta una classificació del combat escènic des del doble vessant agonista/antagonista, es realitza un passeig històric de la representació artística del combat a través de les diferents etapes i de les diverses cultures, s’aborda la preparació escènica de l’actor i del coreògraf, i s’entreveuen les perspectives de futur d’aquesta modalitat artística. Estudi realitzat per Pawel Rouba Billewicz (Inowroclaw, Polònia, 1939 - Barcelona, 2007, director, coreògraf, actor, mestre d’armes, mestre del gest i de la pantomima i professor de l’INEF de Catalunya. Aquest article, editorialment inèdit, es publica postmortem per Apunts. Educació Física i Esports com a homenatge i reconeixement de l’autor per la seva extraordinària i polivalent aportació al camp de l’art i l’Activitat Física i l’Esport.

Combating Desertification and Mitigating the Effects of Drought

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Awuondo, C.O

2001-01-01

The paper discusses the effects of desertification and drought on the well-being of humankind and therefore it important for them to be combated and mitigated. Desertification is the process that turns fertile lands into desert; drought is defined as lack of sufficient precipitation to sustain plant and human life. In an effort to discuss how to combat desertification, the author has subdivided the paper into five sections namely; introduction, ecological crisis, strategies for combating desertification and mitigating the effects of drought and finally the conclusion

Analysis of Error Propagation Within Hierarchical Air Combat Models

Science.gov (United States)

2016-06-01

values alone are propagated through layers of combat models, the final results will likely be biased, and risk underestimated. An air-to-air...values alone are propagated through layers of combat models, the final results will likely be biased, and risk underestimated. An air-to-air engagement... PROPAGATION WITHIN HIERARCHICAL AIR COMBAT MODELS by Salih Ilaslan June 2016 Thesis Advisor: Thomas W. Lucas Second Reader: Jeffrey

Unit Reconstitutions: Combat Stress as an Indicator of Unit Effectiveness

Science.gov (United States)

2014-06-13

doctrinally “Combat and Operational Stress Reactions:” A. Shell shock B. War neurosis C. Battle fatigue D. Combat exhaustion E. Combat stress F...... neurosis . The approach that evolved–proximity, immediacy, and expectancy–was a formula that incorporated some of the best practices to increase the

Bringing Agility to Business Process Management: Rules Deployment in an SOA

Science.gov (United States)

El Kharbili, Marwane; Keil, Tobias

Business process management (BPM) has emerged as paradigm for integrating business strategies and enterprise architecture (EA). In this context, BPM implementation on top of web-service-based service oriented architectures is an accepted approach as shown by great amount of literature. One concern in this regard is how-to make BPs reactive to change. Our approach to the problem is the integration of business rule management (BRM) and BPM by allowing modeling of decisions hard-coded in BPs as separate business rules (BRs). These BRs become EA assets and need to be exploited when executing BPs. We motivate why BPM needs agility and discuss what requirements on BPM this poses. This paper presents prototyping work conducted at a BP modeling and analysis vendor which weeks to showcase how using business rule management (BRM) as a mean for modeling decisions can help achieve a much sought-after agility to BPM. This prototype relies on the integrated modeling of business rules (BRs) and BPs, and rule deployment as web services part of an SOA.

Selected Foreign Counterparts of U.S. Army Ground Combat Systems and Implications for Combat Operations and Modernization

Science.gov (United States)

2017-01-18

responsibility is to defeat other nations’ combat formations on the battlefield. In order to accomplish this, nations indigenously develop, maintain, and improve...defeat other nations’ combat formations on the battlefield. In order to accomplish this, nations indigenously develop, maintain, and improve a variety...catastrophic kill. A number of foreign tracked IFVs mount either hard kill 13 or soft kill 14 APS and the Army is presently examining both non

Effects of jaw clenching wearing customized mouthguards on agility, power and vertical jump in male high-standard basketball players

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bernat Buscà

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Background/Objective: Basketball players commonly use mouthguards for protecting their mouths from collisions with other players. Besides, literature reports that specific types of mouthguards may become an ergogenic device that facilitates a powerful jaw clenching, and a subsequent concurrent activation potentiation through this remote voluntary contraction of the mandible muscles. Methods: A randomized within-subjects design was used to study the effects of this mechanism on muscular performance (vertical jump, agility, bench press power and leg press power into two different conditions (mouthguard and no mouthguard in high-standard basketball players (n = 13. A mean differences analysis and a responder analysis were conducted. Results: Significant improvements were found (p < 0.05 in all vertical jump protocols using the mouthguard when compared to the no mouthguard conditions. However, no significant differences were found between the two conditions in agility and power (except in one load of bench press. Nevertheless, p-values were closer to statistical significance when analyzing the total time for the agility T-Test than when the first split time was under consideration (p = 0.111 and p = 0.944, respectively. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that the use of custom-made, bite-aligning mouthguard had an ergogenic effect on jump outcomes and inconclusive results in agility T-Test in professional basketball players. From the results obtained in the present study, the use of this type of mouthguards seems to be more justified in power actions on the court than in the strength and conditioning sessions at the gym in well-trained players. Keywords: Agility, Ergogenic effects, Jump ability, Mouthpiece, Power

Report on combating of illicit trafficking. The Illicit Trafficking Combat Project Group. January 2000

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2000-01-01

of spot-checks, the authority can then convince itself that the operator is fulfilling the requirements. The legislation should also impose heavy sanctions and penalties for all criminal activities related to illicit trafficking. As a direct measure to combat illicit trafficking on the national level, the State supervisory and law enforcement authorities should establish co-operation between themselves and with authorities in other countries and international organisations. Special national committees for combating illicit trafficking should be set up and should use intelligence and open sources information. Regions of States should investigate and implement joint task forces for combating illicit trafficking. Improvements on the International level by the IAEA: The IAEA should assist States in the practical implementation of measures and means for combating illicit trafficking and for the evaluation of threat scenarios. To improve that process in an efficient way, the IAEA should apply the principle of public access to information on its operations to a greater extent. Among other measures for promoting the development of more efficient tools and systems for combating illicit trafficking, the IAEA should: in assisting States, establish rules about duties and responsibilities for operators, authorities and individuals in the NPT area, through appropriate documentation; promote assistance programmes to States in consultation with NPT States, as need may be, of technical equipment and competent staff for the combating of illicit trafficking; provide experts and establish standards and procedures, across borders, for the investigation of serious cases of illicit trafficking, in consultation with national and international nuclear and law enforcement authorities and organisations; incorporate a more modern safeguards inspection technique of the national systems for accountancy and control, in accordance with standards and procedures that were intended to be established

Report on combating of illicit trafficking. The Illicit Trafficking Combat Project Group. January 2000

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2000-01-01

. By means of spot-checks, the authority can then convince itself that the operator is fulfilling the requirements. The legislation should also impose heavy sanctions and penalties for all criminal activities related to illicit trafficking. As a direct measure to combat illicit trafficking on the national level, the State supervisory and law enforcement authorities should establish co-operation between themselves and with authorities in other countries and international organisations. Special national committees for combating illicit trafficking should be set up and should use intelligence and open sources information. Regions of States should investigate and implement joint task forces for combating illicit trafficking. Improvements on the International level by the IAEA: The IAEA should assist States in the practical implementation of measures and means for combating illicit trafficking and for the evaluation of threat scenarios. To improve that process in an efficient way, the IAEA should apply the principle of public access to information on its operations to a greater extent. Among other measures for promoting the development of more efficient tools and systems for combating illicit trafficking, the IAEA should: in assisting States, establish rules about duties and responsibilities for operators, authorities and individuals in the NPT area, through appropriate documentation; promote assistance programmes to States in consultation with NPT States, as need may be, of technical equipment and competent staff for the combating of illicit trafficking; provide experts and establish standards and procedures, across borders, for the investigation of serious cases of illicit trafficking, in consultation with national and international nuclear and law enforcement authorities and organisations; incorporate a more modern safeguards inspection technique of the national systems for accountancy and control, in accordance with standards and procedures that were intended to be

Male combat veterans' narratives of PTSD, masculinity, and health.

Science.gov (United States)

Caddick, Nick; Smith, Brett; Phoenix, Cassandra

2015-01-01

This article uniquely examines the ways a group of male combat veterans talk about masculinity and how, following post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), they performed masculinities in the context of a surfing group, and what effects this had upon their health and wellbeing. Participant observations and life history interviews were conducted with a group of combat veterans who belonged to a surfing charity for veterans experiencing PTSD. Data were rigorously explored via narrative analysis. Our findings revealed the ways in which veterans enacted masculinities in accordance with the values that were cultivated during military service. These masculine performances in the surfing group had important effects both on and for the veterans' wellbeing. Significantly, the study highlights how masculine performances can be seen alternately as a danger and as a resource for health and wellbeing in relation to PTSD. The article advances knowledge on combat veterans and mental health with critical implications for the promotion of male veterans' mental health. These include the original suggestion that health-promoting masculine performances might be recognised and supported in PTSD treatment settings. Rather than automatically viewing masculinity as problematic, this article moves the field forward by highlighting how hegemonic masculinities can be reconstructed in positive ways which might improve veterans' health and wellbeing. A video abstract of this article can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaYzaOP1kAY. © 2015 The Authors. Sociology of Health & Illness © 2015 Foundation for the Sociology of Health & Illness/John Wiley & Sons Ltd.