Browsing by Author "Dr. Jason Osborne, Committee Member"

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An Empirical Study of the Tacit Knowledge Management Potential of Pair Programming
(2004-07-12) Wilson, Dylan Garrett; Dr. Annie Anton, Committee Member; Dr. Jason Osborne, Committee Member; Dr. Laurie Williams, Committee Chair
This work describes an experiment comparing knowledge sharing in two distinct team structures. Given the increasing importance of knowledge in the workplace, especially software engineering, we are interested in paradigms that can assist in knowledge management. To this end, we conducted an experiment to determine how the paired or solo programming model affects knowledge sharing during a software project. We show a pattern of results that suggest pair programming has a positive effect on knowledge sharing. We also find development time is somewhat higher when using paired programming, but product quality is unaffected by programming method though these results are not statistically significant.
Foraging ecology of the early life stages of four shark species (Rhizoprionodon terraenovae, Carcharhinus limbatus, Carcharhinus isodon, and Carcharhinus brevipinna) in Apalachicola Bay, Florida.
(2003-04-30) Bethea, Dana Michelle; Dr. Jeffrey Buckel, Committee Chair; Dr. Peter Rand, Committee Member; Dr. Jason Osborne, Committee Member; Dr. John Carlson, Committee Member
As top predators, sharks have an important role in marine ecosystems in relation to populations of fish and invertebrates at lower trophic levels. Fishery management plans stress the need for an ecosystem approach, but few quantitative data on the foraging ecology of sharks have been published. Results from a literature review found that shark species close in taxonomic relation have high diet overlap. Stomach contents and catch data of early life stages of Atlantic sharpnose (Rhizoprionodon terraenovae), blacktip (Carcharhinus limbatus), finetooth (Carcharhinus isodon), and spinner sharks (Carcharhinus brevipinna) taken from fishery independent surveys in Apalachicola Bay, Florida, April-October 1999-2002 were examined to test for resource competition. All species are capable of taking teleost prey from birth, though Atlantic sharpnose and blacktip sharks show an ontogenetic shift in diet. Young-of-the-year Atlantic Sharpnose sharks feed mainly on shrimp, juveniles on sciaenids, and adults on clupeids. Young-of-the-year blacktip sharks feed mainly on sciaenids, whereas juveniles feed on clupeids. The primary prey of young-of-the-year and juvenile finetooth and spinner sharks is menhaden. Seven of ten size-selectivity tests showed neutral selection. Atlantic sharpnose and finetooth sharks consume relatively small-sized prey (over 60% <20% of their length) compared to teleost piscivores while blacktip sharks consume relatively larger prey (58% >20% of their length). Regardless of maturity state and species, diet overlap is high for species-life stage combinations that are similar in size; however, species-life stages did not show significant overlap in habitat use. One possible interpretation is that prey categories shared by similar-sized species are not limiting, but competition may exist for available habitat resources. More intensive monitoring is needed to fully understand temporal and spatial habitat use patterns among these early life stages. Quantifying the links among these sharks and the links between these sharks and resource species are critical for ecosystem modeling and a key step to a broader approach in fisheries management.
Orthology-Based Multilevel Modeling of Differentially Expressed Mouse and Human Gene Pairs
(2008-08-21) Ogorek, Benjamin Alexander; Dr. David Dickey, Committee Member; Dr. Jason Osborne, Committee Member; Mr. Alan Menius, Committee Member; Dr. Jackie Hughes-Oliver, Committee Member; Dr. Leonard Stefanski, Committee Chair
There is great interest in finding human genes expressed through pharmaceutical intervention, thus opening a genomic window into benefit and side-effect profiles of a drug. Human insight gained from FDA-required animal experiments has historically been limited, but in the case of gene expression measurements, proposed biological orthologies between mouse and human genes provide a foothold for animal-to-human extrapolation. We have investigated a five-component, multilevel, bivariate normal mixture model that incorporates mouse, as well as human, gene expression data. The goal is two-fold: to increase human differential gene-finding power; and to find a subclass of gene pairs for which there is a direct exploitable relationship between animal and human genes. In simulation studies, the dual-species model boasted impressive gains in differential gene-finding power over a related marginal model using only human data. Bias in parameter estimation was problematic, however, and occasionally led to failures in control of the false discovery rate. Though it was considerably more difficult to find species-extrapolative gene-pairs (than differentially expressed human genes), simulation experiments deemed it to be possible, especially when traditional FDR controls are relaxed and under hypothetical parameter configurations.
Three Dimensional Structures from Nonwovens
(2004-04-08) Grissett, Gregory Aaron; Dr. William Oxenham, Committee Member; Dr. Jason Osborne, Committee Member; Dr. Behnam Pourdeyhimi, Committee Chair
The purpose of this research was to assess molding or thermoforming nonwoven webs into a three-dimensional fiber network without the use of resin or binders via the SpaceNet Formed Fiber System ¬Æ. We define this network as a deep-draw structure with projections and/or depressions rising from an initial plane, providing a grid-domed structure. The research is comprised of three experimental components: the first concerned with moldability of nonwovens on the SpaceNet System. The second component comprised an evaluation of the effect process parameters on substrate deformation, and the third concerned with an investigation the effect of mold geometry on compressive properties. Concerning the moldability of nonwovens, eight-nonwoven webs (six spunbond, two hydroentangled) were processed using the SpaceNet formed fiber system. Nonwovens comprised of a uniform fiber orientation and isotropic mechanical properties were found to process more efficiently in the SpaceNet system. Given this conclusion, spunbond nonwovens were selected for the remainder of the research described herein. Different mold geometries were used to make three-dimensional structures from spunbond nonwovens and their respective compressive properties were evaluated. It was observed that decreases in pin diameter increased the compressive stress in all samples produced. It was also found that compressive resilience is not necessarily associated with changes in mold geometry but rather inherent fabric properties i.e. stiffness and level of bonding. The effect of preheating and temperature on formed product dimensions was also evaluated. A split-plot factorial design was used and it was determined that temperature alone influences maximum deformation. Preheating (residence time) was observed to be insignificant including all interactions.
Understanding the Compatibility of Pair Programmers
(2005-11-01) Katira, Neha Anupkumar; Dr. Jason Osborne, Committee Member; Dr. Laurie Williams, Committee Chair; Dr. Edward Gehringer, Committee Member
As pair programming is gaining broad acceptance in software engineering, programmers in academia and industry desire to work with compatible partners. Computer science instructors wish to proactively form student pairs to increase the likelihood of compatible pairs. This research investigates patterns that predict pair compatibility, and is aimed at improving the chances of forming mutually compatible pairs in academia and industry. Female and minority students are under-represented in computer science. To make the programming experience of these under-represented groups more satisfactory, an analysis of the factors that possibly impact the compatibility of female and minority student pair programmers were conducted at the North Carolina State University. A structured experiment involving 1053 undergraduate and 112 graduate students was carried out at the North Carolina State University to understand and predict pair compatibility. Additionally, 72 students were included later in the study to examine their work ethic and time management preferences. Three hundred and thirty nine industry pair programmers participated in the experiment by responding to a formal survey. Analysis of the results indicates that students are more compatible with partners whom they perceive of similar skill level, although instructors cannot proactively manage these pairs. Pairing two female students in a pair is likely to result in a compatible pair in the undergraduate classroom, while mixed gender pairs are less likely to perceive compatibility. The higher the programming self-esteem of the undergraduate software engineering students, the more likely they are to be compatible with their partner, while the higher the programming self-esteem of the graduate female students, the less likely it is they perceive compatibility. The greater the difference in the midterm of pair (OO majority), the more likely it is that they perceive compatibility with their partner. As the difference in the GPA of the OO minority students with their partner increases, the less likely they are to perceive compatibility. With undergraduate software engineering students and freshman minority students, the higher their programming self-esteem, the more likely they are to perceive compatibility with their partner. We also observe as the difference in the SAT of the pair increases in the SE class, the less likely they are to perceive compatibility. Pair programmers in the industry perceive compatibility with a partner, who has a similar work ethic. A majority of the respondents believed that a significant benefit of pairing with a compatible partner is that the programming experience is more enjoyable, while a major setback of pairing with an incompatible partner is that it makes the programming experience less enjoyable.