Towards a refinement calculus for concurrent real-time programs

We define a language and a predicative semantics to model concurrent real-time programs. We consider different communication paradigms between the concurrent components of a program: communication via shared variables and asynchronous message passing (for different models of channels). The semantics is the basis for a refinement calculus to derive machine-independent concurrent real-time programs from specifications. We give some examples of refinement laws that deal with concurrency.

Resilience and male identity for at-risk males in alternative programs

This paper deals with the discourses of power and gender that influence the way in which at-risk adolescent boys think and solve problems within a specific educational context. The focus is on how some adolescent boys perceive their masculinities, identity, and support networks after they have completed an alternative education program. The position being presented in this paper is that for recovery from adversity, at-risk boys must be provided with protective processes that address masculinities and the impact of power relations within masculinities. In doing so, the research connects gender and protective processes and the role that gender construction plays in successful educational outcomes. It is also argued that for successful reintegration of at-risk adolescent males into an educational setting requires opportunity to be provided within the environment to challenge the legitimacy of traditional masculine performances.

A partial-correctness semantics for modelling assembler programs

Previous work on formally modelling and analysing program compilation has shown the need for a simple and expressive semantics for assembler level programs. Assembler programs contain unstructured jumps and previous formalisms have modelled these by using continuations, or by embedding the program in an explicit emulator. We propose a simpler approach, which uses techniques from compiler theory in a formal setting. This approach is based on an interpretation of programs as collections of program paths, each of which has a weakest liberal precondition semantics. We then demonstrate, by example, how we can use this formalism to justify the compilation of block-structured high-level language programs into assembler.