De Lucili saturarum scriptoris genere dicendi,

Mode of access: Internet.

Using the R package Shiny to create web applications that facilitate quantitative gene expression analysis

Thesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2016-06

Mutation-based exploration of a method for verifying concurrent Java components

Summary form only given. The Java programming language supports concurrency. Concurrent programs are harder to verify than their sequential counterparts due to their inherent nondeterminism and a number of specific concurrency problems such as interference and deadlock. In previous work, we proposed a method for verifying concurrent Java components based on a mix of code inspection, static analysis tools, and the ConAn testing tool. The method was derived from an analysis of concurrency failures in Java components, but was not applied in practice. In this paper, we explore the method by applying it to an implementation of the well-known readers-writers problem and a number of mutants of that implementation. We only apply it to a single, well-known example, and so we do not attempt to draw any general conclusions about the applicability or effectiveness of the method. However, the exploration does point out several strengths and weaknesses in the method, which enable us to fine-tune the method before we carry out a more formal evaluation on other, more realistic components.

An efficient algorithm for partitioning parameterized polygons into rectangles

In this paper, we propose an algorithm for partitioning parameterized orthogonal polygons into rectangles. The algorithm is based on the plane-sweep technique and can be used for partitioning polygons which contain holes. The input to the algorithm consists of the contour of a parameterized polygon to be partitioned and the constraints for those parameters which reside in the contour. The algorithm uses horizontal cuts only and generates a minimum number of rectangles whose union is the original orthogonal polygon. The proposed algorithm can be used as the basis to build corner stitching data structure for parameterized VLSI layouts and has been implemented in Java programming language. Copyright �� 2010 ACM, Inc.

Reasoning about timeouts

In real-time programming a timeout mechanism allows exceptional behaviour, such as a lack of response, to be handled effectively, while not overly affecting the programming for the normal case. For. example, in a pump controller if the water level has gone below the minimum level and the pump is on and hence pumping in more water, then the water level should rise above the minimum level within a specified time. If not, there is a fault in the system and it should be shut down and an alarm raised. Such a situation can be handled by normal case code that determines when the level has risen above the minimum, plus a timeout case handling the situation when the specified time to reach the minimum has passed. In this paper we introduce a timeout mechanism, give it a formal definition in terms of more basic real-time commands, develop a refinement law for introducing a timeout clause to implement a specification, and give an example of using the law to introduce a timeout. The framework used is a machine-independent real-time programming language, which makes use of a deadline command to represent timing constraints in a machine-independent fashion. This allows a more abstract approach to handling timeouts.

Semantic properties of ��-charts

��-Charts are a Statechart-like language which is designed for specifying reactive systems. This paper extends the language of ��-charts with a new parallel operator; it defines a formal semantics for the language, and then it explores the semantic properties of the extended language. The paper concludes with a simple case study to illustrate how the language may be used to specify and reason about reactive systems.

Extending the theory of Owicki and Gries with asynchronous message passing

We describe an extension of the theory of Owicki and Gries (1976) to a programming language that supports asynchronous message passing based on unconditional send actions and conditional receive actions. The focus is on exploring the fitness of the extension for distributed program derivation. A number of experiments are reported, based on a running example problem, and with the aim of exploring design heuristics and of streamlining derivations and progress arguments.

A classification of concurrency failures in java components

The Java programming language supports concurrency. Concurrent programs are hard to test due to their inherent non-determinism. This paper presents a classification of concurrency failures that is based on a model of Java concurrency. The model and failure classification is used to justify coverage of synchronization primitives of concurrent components. This is achieved by constructing concurrency flow graphs for each method call. A producer-consumer monitor is used to demonstrate how the approach can be used to measure coverage of concurrency primitives and thereby assist in determining test sequences for deterministic execution.

A INFOGRAFIA MULTIM��DIA NO CLAR��N.COM E FOLHA.COM: o Flash e o HTML5 na amplia����o das caracter��sticas interativas

Este trabalho prop��e o estudo comparativo do uso de infogr��ficos multim��dia pelos sites Clar��n.com, da Argentina e Folha.com, do Brasil. A pesquisa tem como objetivo verificar e analisar como esses dois importantes ve��culos de comunica����o online da Am��rica Latina t��m utilizado a tecnologia HTML5 para avan��ar nas possibilidades interativas do g��nero jornal��stico. Para tanto, a an��lise comparada trata da infografia multim��dia, que tem passado por profundas mudan��as tecnol��gicas, alterando o formato e o conte��do da not��cia. Al��m da conceitua����o te��rica e revis��o de literatura sobre infografia, newsgame, narrativa transm��dia, jornalismo online, interatividade e as linguagens de programa����o voltadas para a produ����o de infografia multim��dia, o trabalho realizou an��lise comparativa das se����es Infogr��ficos, veiculada pela Folha.com, e Especiales Multimedia, do Clar��n.com. O estudo, quantitativo e qualitativo, verificou os recursos narrativos e informativos, ferramentas e tecnologias de linguagem de programa����o para Internet que s��o empregadas pelos dois meios de comunica����o, com base no modelo de an��lise proposto por Alberto Cairo em Infografia 2.0 visualizaci��n interactiva de informaci��n en prensa. A pesquisa demonstrou que ainda que o Clar��n.com tenha utilizado a tecnologia Flash na maioria dos infogr��ficos multim��dia analisados, os resultados da an��lise comparada mostram que os infogr��ficos do jornal online argentino possibilitaram n��veis mais elevados de interatividade do que os infogr��ficos multim��dia da Folha.com, desenvolvidos majoritariamente em HTML5.

GEST��O DO CONHECIMENTO T��CITO: ESTUDO DE CASOS M��LTIPLOS NA ��REA DE DESENVOLVIMENTO DE PRODUTOS DE EMPRESAS DO SETOR AUTOMOBIL��STICO DO ABC PAULISTA.

O presente estudo buscou a compreens��o dos motivos que levam as empresas pesquisadas do setor automobil��stico a gerir o conhecimento t��cito, mediados pela gest��o do conhecimento, na ��rea de gest��o de desenvolvimento de produtos. As quest��es de pesquisa que este estudo objetivou responder foram: Como empresas estudadas utilizam o conhecimento t��cito para se tornarem mais eficientes e eficazes nas atividades/ opera����es? De que forma o conhecimento t��cito �� percebido na organiza����o por parte dos funcion��rios e gestores? Para responder a estas perguntas houve a investiga����o de duas empresas do setor automobil��stico, na ��rea de desenvolvimento de produtos. Como base te��rica para o desenvolvimento do presente estudo autores como Davenport e Prusak (1998), Nonaka e Takeuchi (1997) e Choo (2006) orientam esta pesquisa. A pesquisa abrange duas empresas do ramo automobil��stico na regi��o do ABC Paulista, com equival��ncia no n��mero de funcion��rios e porte. Dentre os entrevistados h�� funcion��rios e gestores de ��reas de gest��o de projetos e produtos. A metodologia aplicada ao estudo foi de car��ter qualitativo por meio de pesquisa explorat��ria-descritiva, sendo que o m��todo de coleta de dados se deu a partir de entrevistas semiestruturadas. O estudo investigou quais as pr��ticas usadas para a convers��o do conhecimento, fatores facilitadores e fatores dificultadores para a convers��o do conhecimento e as principais contribui����es da aplica����o das pr��ticas e iniciativas voltadas gerir o conhecimento t��cito, sob a ��tica dos gestores e funcion��rios. Atrav��s do presente estudo pode-se verificar que existe a preocupa����o com a gest��o do conhecimento nas empresas estudadas e que h�� pr��ticas diversas relativas ao conhecimento t��cito e que as formas de dissemina����o deste conhecimento s��o distintas. Algumas das pr��ticas s��o os cursos de especializa����o, brainstorming e lesson learned e conversas informais. Nos fatores facilitadores h�� a troca de informa����o entre os pares, reuni��es semanais, equipes multidisciplinares/ multifuncionais. Nos fatores dificultadores h�� a indica����o de quest��es comportamentais, ac��mulo de fun����es e tempo para partilhar informa����es.

Measurement efficiency and productivity in SAS/OR

This paper explores the use of the optimisation procedures in SAS/OR software with application to the measurement of efficiency and productivity of decision-making units (DMUs) using data envelopment analysis (DEA) techniques. DEA was originally introduced by Charnes et al. [J. Oper. Res. 2 (1978) 429] is a linear programming method for assessing the efficiency and productivity of DMUs. Over the last two decades, DEA has gained considerable attention as a managerial tool for measuring performance of organisations and it has widely been used for assessing the efficiency of public and private sectors such as banks, airlines, hospitals, universities and manufactures. As a result, new applications with more variables and more complicated models are being introduced. Further to successive development of DEA a non-parametric productivity measure, Malmquist index, has been introduced by Fare et al. [J. Prod. Anal. 3 (1992) 85]. Employing Malmquist index, productivity growth can be decomposed into technical change and efficiency change. On the other hand, the SAS is a powerful software and it is capable of running various optimisation problems such as linear programming with all types of constraints. To facilitate the use of DEA and Malmquist index by SAS users, a SAS/MALM code was implemented in the SAS programming language. The SAS macro developed in this paper selects the chosen variables from a SAS data file and constructs sets of linear-programming models based on the selected DEA. An example is given to illustrate how one could use the code to measure the efficiency and productivity of organisations.

A visual interactive modelling system as a learning tool

This paper presents a case study of the use of a visual interactive modelling system to investigate issues involved in the management of a hospital ward. Visual Interactive Modelling systems are seen to offer the learner the opportunity to explore operational management issues from a varied perspective and to provide an interactive system in which the learner receives feedback on the consequences of their actions. However to maximise the potential learning experience for a student requires the recognition that they require task structure which helps them to understand the concepts involved. These factors can be incorporated into the visual interactive model by providing an interface customised to guide the student through the experimentation. Recent developments of VIM systems in terms of their connectivity with the programming language Visual Basic facilitates this customisation.

Computer control of machines utilising independent drive mechanisms

The thesis describes an investigation into methods for the specification, design and implementation of computer control systems for flexible manufacturing machines comprising multiple, independent, electromechanically-driven mechanisms. An analysis is made of the elements of conventional mechanically-coupled machines in order that the operational functions of these elements may be identified. This analysis is used to define the scope of requirements necessary to specify the format, function and operation of a flexible, independently driven mechanism machine. A discussion of how this type of machine can accommodate modern manufacturing needs of high-speed and flexibility is presented. A sequential method of capturing requirements for such machines is detailed based on a hierarchical partitioning of machine requirements from product to independent drive mechanism. A classification of mechanisms using notations, including Data flow diagrams and Petri-nets, is described which supports capture and allows validation of requirements. A generic design for a modular, IDM machine controller is derived based upon hierarchy of control identified in these machines. A two mechanism experimental machine is detailed which is used to demonstrate the application of the specification, design and implementation techniques. A computer controller prototype and a fully flexible implementation for the IDM machine, based on Petri-net models described using the concurrent programming language Occam, is detailed. The ability of this modular computer controller to support flexible, safe and fault-tolerant operation of the two intermittent motion, discrete-synchronisation independent drive mechanisms is presented. The application of the machine development methodology to industrial projects is established.

An expert system for the development of a health and safety policy/risk assessment in the plastics industry

Health and safety policies may be regarded as the cornerstone for positive prevention of occupational accidents and diseases. The Health and Safety at Work, etc Act 1974 makes it a legal duty for employers to prepare and revise a written statement of a general policy with respect to the health and safety at work of employees as well as the organisation and arrangements for carrying out that policy. Despite their importance and the legal equipment to prepare them, health and safety policies have been found, in a large number of plastics processing companies (particularly small companies), to be poorly prepared, inadequately implemented and monitored. An important cause of these inadequacies is the lack of necessary health and safety knowledge and expertise to prepare, implement and monitor policies. One possible way of remedying this problem is to investigate the feasibility of using computers to develop expert system programs to simulate the health and safety (HS) experts' task of preparing the policies and assisting companies implement and monitor them. Such programs use artificial intelligence (AI) techniques to solve this sort of problems which are heuristic in nature and require symbolic reasoning. Expert systems have been used successfully in a variety of fields such as medicine and engineering. An important phase in the feasibility of development of such systems is the engineering of knowledge which consists of identifying the knowledge required, eliciting, structuring and representing it in an appropriate computer programming language.

The development of a new compiler-compiler front-end

The increasing cost of developing complex software systems has created a need for tools which aid software construction. One area in which significant progress has been made is with the so-called Compiler Writing Tools (CWTs); these aim at automated generation of various components of a compiler and hence at expediting the construction of complete programming language translators. A number of CWTs are already in quite general use, but investigation reveals significant drawbacks with current CWTs, such as lex and yacc. The effective use of a CWT typically requires a detailed technical understanding of its operation and involves tedious and error-prone input preparation. Moreover, CWTs such as lex and yacc address only a limited aspect of the compilation process; for example, actions necessary to perform lexical symbol valuation and abstract syntax tree construction must be explicitly coded by the user. This thesis presents a new CWT called CORGI (COmpiler-compiler from Reference Grammar Input) which deals with the entire `front-end' component of a compiler; this includes the provision of necessary data structures and routines to manipulate them, both generated from a single input specification. Compared with earlier CWTs, CORGI has a higher-level and hence more convenient user interface, operating on a specification derived directly from a `reference manual' grammar for the source language. Rather than developing a compiler-compiler from first principles, CORGI has been implemented by building a further shell around two existing compiler construction tools, namely lex and yacc. CORGI has been demonstrated to perform efficiently in realistic tests, both in terms of speed and the effectiveness of its user interface and error-recovery mechanisms.