Product quality, development productivity, and staffing needs are main cost drivers in software development. In particular the tension between productivity and quality makes it difficult to gauge the relative cost-effectiveness of a software development using separate quality and productivity measures. The paper proposes a one-stop cost-effectiveness indicator that resolves the tension between ...

BACKGROUND Studies of health risks associated with recreational water exposure require investigators to make choices about water quality indicator averaging techniques, exposure definitions, follow-up periods, and model specifications; however, investigators seldom describe the impact of these choices on reported results. Our objectives are to report illness risk from swimming at a marine beach...

Using perception of quality of life survey by Eurostat we construct the City Ecosystem Index (CEI) – a systemic indicator that measures subjective well-being in European cities. The purpose of the index is to inform public, policy-makers and entrepreneurs by providing a holistic view on subjective well-being across European cities. Once contrasted with the Global and Regional Systems of Entrepr...

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to determine the accuracy of the prevalence rating of depression in nursing homes as flagged on the Minimum Data Set (MDS) quality indicator report. DESIGN AND METHODS Research Staff measured depression symptoms and compared the results with the prevalence of disturbed mood symptoms documented by nursing home (NH) staff on the MDS in two samples of reside...

A process to collect universal, mandatory autotransfusion (ATS) procedure quality indicators to measure and monitor ATS quality improvement was designed and implemented by Fresenius Medical Care Extracorporeal Alliance (FMCEA) an outsource provider of extracorporeal services. The indicator program collected and evaluated data that reflect real-world extracorporeal clinical practices and outcome...

Ecosystem changes caused by anthropogenic activities have modified the environment in ways that at times promote the emergence of vector-borne diseases. Here, we study the effects of combined sewage overflows (CSOs) from urban streams in Atlanta, GA, on oviposition site selection by Culex quinquefasciatus under seminatural field conditions. Counting egg rafts was a reliable indicator of oviposi...

This paper presents an original approach to reduce energy consumption in an IEEE 802.15.4/ZigBee cluster tree network related to a backbone network. Our approach uses an enhanced mobility management of end devices combined with a rate adaptation algorithm. The mobility management approach anticipates link disruption and relies on a speculative algorithm that does not require scanning neighbor c...

Researchers have found that communication quality is a major indicator of how satisfied partners are in a romantic relationship. This study centered on that aspect but added a facet in that it tested individuals’ perceptions of communication and satisfaction within their relationships in separate environments in order to test the theory that certain environments may alter our moods, attitudes, ...