This paper presents the results of a study of how software process and software process improvement (SPI) is applied in actual practice in the software industry using the indigenous Irish software product industry as a test-bed. The study used the grounded theory methodology to produce a theory, grounded in the field data, that explains how software processes are formed and evolve and when and ...

Uracil-terminated telechelic sulfonated polyimides (SPI-U) were transformed into noncovalent network membranes through biocomplementary hydrogen bonding recognition in the presence of an adenine-based crosslinking agent. SPI-U membrane exhibited dramatically improved methanol permeability, oxidative stability, proton conductivity, and selectivity relative to those of the standard SPI.

A number of presumptive target genes for the Ets-family transcription factor PU.1 have been identified in the B cell lineage. However, the precise function of PU.1 in B cells has not been studied because targeted null mutation of the PU.1 gene results in a block to lymphomyeloid development at an early developmental stage. In this study, we take advantage of recently developed PU.1(-/-)Spi-B(-/...

Context Isoflavones found in soy products have a chemical structure similar to estrogen, leading to concerns of an adverse estrogenic effect in men, particularly in those with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) who have low testosterone levels due to hypogonadism. Objective The primary outcome was change in total testosterone levels. The secondary outcomes were the changes in glycemia and cardio...

In most insect species, a variety of serine protease inhibitors (SPIs) have been found in multiple tissues, including integument, gonad, salivary gland, and hemolymph, and are required for preventing unwanted proteolysis. These SPIs belong to different families and have distinct inhibitory mechanisms. Herein, we predicted and characterized potential SPI genes based on the genome sequences of si...

Background: Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis (S. Enteritidis) is a human and animal pathogen that causes gastroenteritis characterized by inflammatory diarrhea and occasionally an invasive systemic infection. Salmonella pathogenicity islands (SPIs) are horizontally acquired genomic segments known to contribute to Salmonella pathogenesis. The objective of the current study was to determin...

The extracytoplasmic functioning sigma factor σ(E) is known to play an essential role for Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium to survive and proliferate in macrophages and mice. However, its regulatory network is not well-characterized, especially during infection. Here we used microarray to identify genes regulated by σ(E) in Salmonella grown in three conditions: a nutrient-rich condition ...

Although earlier studies revealed much about software process improvement (SPI) in Smallto Medium-sized Enterprises (software SMEs), no earlier research set out to determine the full extent of SPI being implemented in software SMEs. Therefore, this study was designed from the outset to elicit all instances of SPI, which we term SPI events – no matter how small or informal. We make the important...

The release of signaling molecules from neurons must be regulated, to accommodate their highly polarized structure. In the developing Drosophila visual system, photoreceptor neurons secrete the epidermal growth factor receptor ligand Spitz (Spi) from their cell bodies, as well as from their axonal termini. Here we show that subcellular localization of Rhomboid proteases, which process Spi, dete...