Background: Software engineering is searching for general principles that apply across contexts, for example, to help guide software quality assurance. Fenton and Ohlsson presented such observations on fault distributions, which have been replicated once. Objectives: We aimed to replicate their study again to assess the robustness of the findings in a new environment, five years later. Method: We conducted a literal replication, collecting defect data from five consecutive releases of a large software system in the telecommunications domain, and conducted the same analysis as in the original study. Results: The replication confirms results on unevenly distributed faults over modules, and that fault proneness distributions persist over test phases. Size measures are not useful as predictors of fault proneness, while fault densities are of the same order of magnitude across releases and contexts. Conclusions: This replication confirms that the uneven distribution of defects motivates uneven distribution of quality assurance efforts, although predictors for such distribution of efforts are not sufficiently precise.

No abstract

Traceability and authenticity of olive oils in Croatia were probed by a versatile analytical approach using spiral MALDI-TOF MS system for the triacylglycerol (TAG) analysis. Molecular ion patterns were shown to represent specific data for statistical analysis, in which differences of cultivar regions of Croatian coast were recognized. This pilot project allows indications to be followed in high throughput procedures with high number of samples to get statistically relevant data for discrimination of olive oils from different geographic sites. Additionally, the fragmentation in the TOF/TOF MS provided distinct highly valuable data for assignment of acyl residues. In this way molecular species with different fatty acid substituents can be clearly assigned and possible isomeric mixtures identified. Practical applications:Olive oil TAG analysis is important to determine authenticity of olive oil and detect adulteration. This work shows that spiral MALDI-TOF MS analysis of TAG composition is a promising method for tracing geographical differences in olive oils.

Recent technological advances encompassed by the smart factory concept have fundamentally changed industrial control systems in the way they are structured and how they operate. Majority of these changes affect Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems, shifting them to a higher level of interoperability, heterogeneous networks, big data and toward internet technologies and services in general. However, this transformation does not affect all SCADA systems equally. The immediate industrial environment and controlled processes have a significant impact as well. This paper presents a holistic approach to SCADA systems implemented in continuous flow production control within the steel industry production environment. We outline the multi-layer architecture of the SCADA control framework and the aspects of interoperability and interconnection within the architecture reference models, together with the research challenges and opportunities arising from the recent rapid increasement of the industrial control systems complexity and digital transformation under the Industry 4.0 paradigm, resulting in disrupting levels of the traditional automation pyramid based on Purdue model toward a higher level of integration and interoperability enabling cross-level data exchange empowered by the Industrial Internet of Things. Furthermore, the paper addresses the problem of proprietary SCADA systems and elaborates the causal correlation between SCADA quality requirements and adoption of new technology in relation to the specific industrial environment of the steel manufacturing process.

No abstract