Calibrating software reliability models when the test environment does not match the user environment

Software failures have become the major factor that brings the system down or causes a degradation in the quality of service. For many applications, estimating the software failure rate from a user's perspective helps the development team evaluate the reliability of the software and determine the release time properly. Traditionally, software reliability growth models are applied to system test data with the hope of estimating the software failure rate in the field. Given the aggressive nature by which the software is exercised during system test, as well as unavoidable differences between the test environment and the field environment, the resulting estimate of the failure rate will not typically reflect the user‐perceived failure rate in the field. The goal of this work is to quantify the mismatch between the system test environment and the field environment. A calibration factor is proposed to map the failure rate estimated from the system test data to the failure rate that will be observed in the field. Non‐homogeneous Poisson process models are utilized to estimate the software failure rate in both the system test phase and the field. For projects that have only system test data, use of the calibration factor provides an estimate of the field failure rate that would otherwise be unavailable. For projects that have both system test data and previous field data, the calibration factor can be explicitly evaluated and used to estimate the field failure rate of future releases as their system test data becomes available. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A MODEL OF TROPICAL MARINE RESERVE‐FISHERY LINKAGES

ABSTRACT. The excessive and unsustainable exploitation of our marine resources has led to the promotion of marine reserves as a fisheries management tool. Marine reserves, areas in which fishing is restricted or prohibited, can offer opportunities for the recovery of exploited stock and fishery enhancement. In this paper we examine the contribution of fully protected tropical marine reserves to fishery enhancement by modeling marine reserve‐fishery linkages. The consequences of reserve establishment on the long‐run equilibrium fish biomass and fishery catch levels are evaluated. In contrast to earlier models this study highlights the roles of both adult (and juvenile) fish migration and larval dispersal between the reserve and fishing grounds by employing a spawner‐recruit model. Uniform larval dispersal, uniform larval retention and complete larval retention combined with zero, moderate and high fish migration scenarios are analyzed in turn. The numerical simulations are based on Mombasa Marine National Park, Kenya, a fully protected coral reef marine reserve comprising approximately 30% of former fishing grounds. Simulation results suggest that the establishment of a fully protected marine reserve will always lead to an increase in total fish biomass. If the fishery is moderately to heavily exploited, total fishery catch will be greater with the reserve in all scenarios of fish and larval movement. If the fishery faces low levels of exploitation, catches can be optimized without a reserve but with controlled fishing effort. With high fish migration from the reserve, catches are optimized with the reserve. The optimal area of the marine reserve depends on the exploitation rate in the neighboring fishing grounds. For example, if exploitation is maintained at 40%, the ‘optimal’ reserve size would be 10%. If the rate increases to 50%, then the reserve needs to be 30% of the management area in order to maximize catches. However, even in lower exploitation fisheries (below 40%), a small reserve (up to 20%) provides significantly higher gains in fish biomass than losses in catch. Marine reserves are a valuable fisheries management tool. To achieve maximum fishery benefits they should be complemented by fishing effort controls.     

On isomorphic factorizations of circulant graphs

We investigate the conjecture that every circulant graph X admits a k‐isofactorization for every k dividing |E(X)|. We obtain partial results with an emphasis on small values of k. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Combin Designs 14: 406–414, 2006     

Projective geometry and special relativity

Some concepts of real and complex projective geometry are applied to the fundamental physical notions that relate to Minkowski space and the Lorentz group. In particular, it is shown that the transition from an infinite speed of propagation for light waves to a finite one entails the replacement of a hyperplane at infinity with a light cone and the replacement of an affine hyperplane – or rest space – with a proper time hyperboloid. The transition from the metric theory of electromagnetism to the pre‐metric theory is discussed in the context of complex projective geometry, and ultimately, it is proposed that the geometrical issues are more general than electromagnetism, namely, they pertain to the transition from point mechanics to wave mechanics.     

Propagation of the Hermite–Gaussian beams through misaligned optical system with a circular aperture

By means of expanding a hard-edged aperture into a finite sum of complex Gaussian functions, the approximate analytical formula of one kind of higher-order Gaussian beams called the Hermite–Gaussian beams (HGBs) passing through circular apertured and misaligned optical system is obtained in this paper. The result provides more convenience for studying its propagation than the usual way by using diffraction integral directly. Some numerical simulations are also given for illustrating the propagation properties of the HGBs through the circular apertured optical systems.     

Numerical solution of the three‐dimensional parabolic equation with an integral condition

Developement of numerical methods for obtaining approximate solutions to the three dimensional diffusion equation with an integral condition will be carried out. The numerical techniques discussed are based on the fully explicit (1,7) finite difference technique and the fully implicit (7,1) finite difference method and the (7,7) Crank‐Nicolson type finite difference formula. The new developed methods are tested on a problem. Truncation error analysis and numerical examples are used to illustrate the accuracy of the new algorithms. The results of numerical testing show that the numerical methods based on the finite difference techniques discussed in the present article produce good results. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq 18: 193–202, 2002; DOI 10.1002/num.1040     

一阶形式系统K~*及其完备性

模糊命题演算的形式系统L＊已经在模糊逻辑与模糊推理的结合研究中得到了成功的应用.本文考虑与系统L＊相应的一阶逻辑理论,建立了一阶形式系统K＊,并证明了这个系统的完备性.     

基于MATLAB(SIMULINK)的电弧炉电极调节系统FUZZY-PD控制器的仿真

介绍了采用MATLAB V5.2提供的模糊逻辑工具箱来设计研究电孤纺电极调节系统中的模糊－－PD控制器，讨论了在SIMULINK环境下模糊－PD控制器的参数自调速原理、结构、建立模糊控制规则库和模糊推论方法，并给出仿真结果与结论。     

醇+N-甲基哌嗪二元体系的体积性质

采用振荡管式数字密度计分别测定甲醇、乙醇、正丙醇、异丙醇、丁正醇和异丁醇与N-甲基哌嗪组成的二元体系在298.15K下的密度，计算了超额摩尔体积、超额偏摩尔体积、表观摩尔体积、偏摩尔体积等体积性质，从分子相互作用角度讨论了这些二元体系的体积性质的变化规律，为N-甲基哌嗪的开发和研究提供基础数据和信息。