Exploiting OSGi capabilities from MHP applications

In this paper we introduce a cooperative environment between the Interactive Digital TV (IDTV) and home networking with the aim of allowing the interaction between interactive TV applications and the controllers of the in-home appliances in a natural way. More specifically, our proposal consists of merging MHP (Multimedia Home Platform), one of the main standard frameworks for IDTV, with OSGi (Open Service Gateway Initiative), the most widely used open platform to set up Residential Gateways. To overcome the radically different nature of these specifications the function-oriented MHP middleware and the service-oriented OSGi framework , we define a new kind of application, coined as XbundLET. Although this software bridge is suitable to enable the interaction between MHP and OSGi applications in both directions, we concretely focus on exposing our implementation experience in only one direction: from MHP to the OSGi world.

MAS Integration and Controllership Effectiveness: Evidence of a Preparer-User Perception Gap

Recent evidence suggests that managers establish a positive link between management accounting system (MAS) integration and controllership effectiveness, which is fully mediated by the perceived consistency of financial language. Our paper extends this research by analyzing whether controllers have similar perceptions on MAS design. Testing a series of multi-group structural equation models, we find evidence for a preparer-user perception gap with respect to the mediating impact of a consistent financial language. Our results contribute to the still-ongoing controversial debate on MAS integration by indicating that the effectiveness of MAS design cannot be evaluated solely from an instrumental perspective independent from users’ perceptions.

GridSorter – Dezentral gesteuertes Materialflusssystem zum Transport unterschiedlich großer Ladungsträger

Der GridSorter ist ein neuartiges Fördersystem zur effizienten und platzsparenden Sortierung von Gütern. Durch seine dezentrale Steuerung und den modularen Aufbau aus baugleichen rechteckigen Fördermodulen lässt er sich leicht an sich verändernde Anforderungen anpassen. In diesem Artikel wird ein neuer Reservierungsalgorithmus vorgestellt, welcher den Transport von Ladungsträgern erlaubt, die größer sind als ein Fördermodul. Dadurch wird nicht nur die Menge an möglichen Transportgütern erweitert, sondern es kann, wie in einer Simulation gezeigt wird, auch eine Effizienzsteigerung durch eine Verringerung der Modulgröße erreicht werden.