Designing for workstyle transitions: interaction design tools for software engineering

Supervisor: Duarte Nuno Jardim Nunes

Activity modeling in practice: a case-based guide to human-centered software engineering

The purpose of this study was to identify whether activity modeling framework supports problem analysis and provides a traceable and tangible connection from the problem identification up to solution modeling. Methodology validation relied on a real problem from a Portuguese teaching syndicate (ASPE), regarding courses development and management. The study was carried out with a perspective to elaborate a complete tutorial of how to apply activity modeling framework to a real world problem. Within each step of activity modeling, we provided a summary elucidation of the relevant elements required to perform it, pointed out some improvements and applied it to ASPE’s real problem. It was found that activity modeling potentiates well structured problem analysis as well as provides a guiding thread between problem and solution modeling. It was concluded that activity-based task modeling is key to shorten the gap between problem and solution. The results revealed that the solution obtained using activity modeling framework solved the core concerns of our customer and allowed them to enhance the quality of their courses development and management. The principal conclusion was that activity modeling is a properly defined methodology that supports software engineers in problem analysis, keeping a traceable guide among problem and solution.

Some experiments with high order compact methods using a computer algebra software - Part I

We consider a procedure for obtaining a compact fourth order method to the steady 2D Navier-Stokes equations in the streamfunction formulation using the computer algebra system Maple. The resulting code is short and from it we obtain the Fortran program for the method. To test the procedure we have solved many cavity-type problems which include one with an analytical solution and the results are compared with results obtained by second order central differences to moderate Reynolds numbers. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Some experiments with high order compact methods using a computer algebra software - Part II (non-uniform grid)

We generalize a procedure proposed by Mancera and Hunt [P.F.A. Mancera, R. Hunt, Some experiments with high order compact methods using a computer algebra software-Part 1, Appl. Math. Comput., in press, doi: 10.1016/j.amc.2005.05.015] for obtaining a compact fourth-order method to the steady 2D Navier-Stokes equations in the streamfunction formulation-vorticity using the computer algebra system Maple, which includes conformal mappings and non-uniform grids. To analyse the procedure we have solved a constricted stepped channel problem, where a fine grid is placed near the re-entrant corner by transformation of the independent variables. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Turning math attractive to computer science students: an application-to-model approach

This paper describes an innovative approach to develop the understanding about the relevance of mathematics to computer science. The mathematical subjects are introduced through an application-to-model scheme that lead computer science students to a better understanding of why they have to learn math and learn it effectively. Our approach consists of a single one semester course, taught at the first semester of the program, where the students are initially exposed to some typical computer applications. When they recognize the applications' complexity, the instructor gives the mathematical models supporting such applications, even before a formal introduction to the model in a math course. We applied this approach at Unesp (Brazil) and the results include a large reduction in the rate of students that abandon the college and better students in the final years of our program.

ARISupport - Interaction support for augmented reality systems

The communication between user and software is a basic stage in any Interaction System project. In interactive systems, this communication is established by the means of a graphical interface, whose objective is to supply a visual representation of the main entities and functions present in the Virtual Environment. New ways of interacting in computational systems have been minimizing the gap in the relationship between man and computer, and therefore enhancing its usability. The objective of this paper, therefore, is to present a proposal for a non-conventional user interface library called ARISupport, which supplies ARToolKit applications developers with an opportunity to create simple GUI interfaces, and provides some of the functionality used in Augmented Reality systems. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2005.

Simulation of needle-type corona electrodes by the finite element method

This paper describes a software tool, called LEVSOFT, suitable for the electric field simulations of corona electrodes by the Finite Element Method (FEM). Special attention was paid to the user friendly construction of geometries with corners and sharp points, and to the fast generation of highly refined triangular meshes and field maps. The execution of self-adaptive meshes was also implemented. These customized features make the code attractive for the simulation of needle-type corona electrodes. Some case examples involving needle type electrodes are presented.

SimSight: A Virtual Machine Based Dynamic Call Graph Generator

One problem with using component-based software development approach is that once software modules are reused over generations of products, they form legacy structures that can be challenging to understand, making validating these systems difficult. Therefore, tools and methodologies that enable engineers to see interactions of these software modules will enhance their ability to make these software systems more dependable. To address this need, we propose SimSight, a framework to capture dynamic call graphs in Simics, a widely adopted commercial full-system simulator. Simics is a software system that simulates complete computer systems. Thus, it performs nearly identical tasks to a real system but at a much lower speed while providing greater execution observability. We have implemented SimSight to generate dynamic call graphs of statically and dynamically linked functions in x86/Linux environment. A case study illustrates how we can use SimSight to identify sources of software errors. We then evaluate its performance using 12 integer programs from SPEC CPU2006 benchmark suite.