Aspects of specialisation in private architectural practice

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Identifying the ICT challenges of the agri-food sector to define the architectural requirements for a future internet core platform

This paper discussed the specific challenges of the agri-food sector in the light of research carried out in the Smart-AgriFod project. Using questionnaires and focus groups, our research identified as number of business needs and drivers which enable the identification of suitable Future Internet technologies across the three sub-domains of Smart Farming, Smart Agri-logistics, and Smart Food Awareness. The universal need for information access and the importance of standards to enable this lead us to propose an integrated scenario for end to end information access from farm to fork. We conclude by discussing wider implications of such developments especially for climate change and urbanisation.

Self-organizing Map and Cellular Automata Combined Technique for Advanced Mesh Generation in Urban and Architectural Design

This paper presents a technique for building complex and adaptive meshes for urban and architectural design. The combination of a self-organizing map and cellular automata algorithms stands as a method for generating meshes otherwise static. This intends to be an auxiliary tool for the architect or the urban planner, improving control over large amounts of spatial information. The traditional grid employed as design aid is improved to become more general and flexible.

Efficient purification of chromatin architectural proteins:histones, HMGB proteins and FKBP3 (FKBP25) immunophilin

A two-step process of high ionic strength lysis of chicken erythrocyte cell nuclei followed by cation-exchange chromatography has separated at very high yield all the histone and HMGB (high-mobility group B) nuclear proteins, except the less-soluble histone tetramers. Surprisingly high yields of the nuclear immunophilin FKBP3 (FKBP25) and Hsp70 (heat-shock protein 70) co-fractionate with HMGB1 and HMGB3. Furthermore, these proteins can be separated by anion-exchange chromatography. The purified nuclear proteins retain their native, post-translational modification (PTM) marks, including those associated with chromatin-fibre remodelling. These marks are intimately associated with the control of the cell cycle. The methods herein are therefore of value for targeting these and other nuclear proteins for future proteomic studies in healthy and diseased cells. This journal is © 2012 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

From an Ontology-Oriented Approach Conception to User Interface Development

* The presented work has discussed on the KDS-2003. It has corrected in compliance with remarks and requests of participants.

The Conception of Creation of Integrated Development Environment for Computer Training Systems

The various questions of creation of integrated development environment for computer training systems are considered in the given paper. The information technologies that can be used for creation of the integrated development environment are described. The different didactic aspects of realization of such systems are analyzed. The ways to improve the efficiency and quality of learning process with computer training systems for distance education are pointed.

An Architectural Model of Rights Management Framework for Information Systems

The demands towards the contemporary information systems are constantly increasing. In a dynamic business environment an organization has to be prepared for sudden growth, shrinking or other type of reorganization. Such change would bring the need of adaptation of the information system, servicing the company. The association of access rights to parts of the system with users, groups of users, user roles etc. is of great importance to defining the different activities in the company and the restrictions of the access rights for each employee, according to his status. The mechanisms for access rights management in a system are taken in account during the system design. In most cases they are build in the system. This paper offers an approach in user rights framework development that is applicable in information systems. This work presents a reusable extendable mechanism that can be integrated in information systems.

Architectural aspects of self-aware and self-expressive computing systems:from psychology to engineering

Work on human self-Awareness is the basis for a framework to develop computational systems that can adaptively manage complex dynamic tradeoffs at runtime. An architectural case study in cloud computing illustrates the framework's potential benefits.

Az épített örökség védelme és a gazdasági stratégia (Protecting the architectural heritage and economic strategy)

Ez az esszé öt tételben vizsgálja, hogy a magyarországi épített örökség miért jutott olyan rossz helyzetbe, s a rendszerváltozás óta eltelt közel negyedszázad miért nem volt képes leküzdeni a háború és a szocializmus örökségét. Az írás második felében megkíséreljük fölvázolni azt, milyen gazdasági stratégia mentén lenne elérhető az a cél, hogy a hazai épített örökség üzleti és társadalmi hasznosítása is megvalósuljon. Ekkor tehertétel helyett – más országokban tapasztalt módon – a gazdasági fölemelkedés tartós tényezőjévé válhat. ___________ This essay advances five theses explaining the desolate state of the architectural heritage in Hungary. It also addresses the issue of why two decades of transition was not sufficient to remedy the shortcomings of four decades of socialism. In the second part of the study we attempt to draft a strategy that could help overcome these difficulties. It aims at a combination of business, municipal and civil society activities guided by a nationally coordinated plan. Following these guidelines the architectural heritage in Hungary could be transformed into an asset instead of a liability, as has been the case in many other European countries.

A „kivonulás, tiltakozás, hűség” koncepció és a „kapitalizmus változatai” elmélet közti kapcsolat (The connection between the ‘Exit, Voice, and Loyalty’ conception and the ‘Varieties of Capitalism’ theory)

Tanulmányunkban az Albert 0. Hirschman által kialakított „kivonulás, tiltakozás, hűség” koncepció metaelméleti felhasználásával a „kapitalizmus változatai” elméletet vesszük bírálat alá. Egyrészt arra mutatunk rá, hogy már a különböző piacgazdasági modellek tipologizálásához használt vállalatelméleti dimenziójú elemzések is építkeznek a Hirschman-trilemmából, másrészt arra hívjuk fel a figyelmet, hogy olyan sajátos eszközről van szó, amely a tőke- és munkaerő-piaci folyamatok elemzésére támaszkodva új perspektívát is kínál a kapitalista gazdaságok komparatív vizsgálatához. A dolgozat terjedelmi okokból az empirikus kutatásokat megalapozó elméleti alapozásra szorítkozik. ____ In our study we deal with the critical analysis of the “varieties of capitalism” theory by using the “exit, voice, and loyalty” meta-theory invented by Albert O. Hirschman. The paper emphasizes that on the one hand the analyses of the theory of the firm and business used for the classification of distinct market models are also building upon the “Hirschman trilemma”, and on the other hand, it draws attention to the fact that the Hirschmanian method based on labor market and capital market offers a new perspective for the comparative analysis of capitalist economies. The focus of the article is only the theoretical foundation of empirical studies as a result of limitation of scope.

Formal verification and testing of software architectural models

Ensuring the correctness of software has been the major motivation in software research, constituting a Grand Challenge. Due to its impact in the final implementation, one critical aspect of software is its architectural design. By guaranteeing a correct architectural design, major and costly flaws can be caught early on in the development cycle. Software architecture design has received a lot of attention in the past years, with several methods, techniques and tools developed. However, there is still more to be done, such as providing adequate formal analysis of software architectures. On these regards, a framework to ensure system dependability from design to implementation has been developed at FIU (Florida International University). This framework is based on SAM (Software Architecture Model), an ADL (Architecture Description Language), that allows hierarchical compositions of components and connectors, defines an architectural modeling language for the behavior of components and connectors, and provides a specification language for the behavioral properties. The behavioral model of a SAM model is expressed in the form of Petri nets and the properties in first order linear temporal logic.^ This dissertation presents a formal verification and testing approach to guarantee the correctness of Software Architectures. The Software Architectures studied are expressed in SAM. For the formal verification approach, the technique applied was model checking and the model checker of choice was Spin. As part of the approach, a SAM model is formally translated to a model in the input language of Spin and verified for its correctness with respect to temporal properties. In terms of testing, a testing approach for SAM architectures was defined which includes the evaluation of test cases based on Petri net testing theory to be used in the testing process at the design level. Additionally, the information at the design level is used to derive test cases for the implementation level. Finally, a modeling and analysis tool (SAM tool) was implemented to help support the design and analysis of SAM models. The results show the applicability of the approach to testing and verification of SAM models with the aid of the SAM tool.^

Experiential hospitality environments: The roles of the interior architectural features in affording meanings of place

People’s authentic sense of place is being overshadowed by less authentic experiences referred to as placelessness. Consequently, a demand for experiential interior environments has surfaced. Experiential environmental and place attachment theories suggested that the relationships between self, others, and the environment are what encourage users in creating meaningful authentic experiences. This qualitative study explored the roles of the experiential interior architectural features in affording users of hospitality environments higher-level needs, such as meanings of place. For the case study, ten participants stayed at a hotel for two nights. Participants were given a guided list of ten facets of an experience, which was insidiously structured by both experiential environmental and place attachment theories. The participants used photographs to document each of the facets on the guided list. The photos were then used during the photo elicitation interviews, which evoked additional qualitative information. Participants identified specific interior architectural features and described them using the themes associated to place attachment theories. The findings revealed that the interior architectural features might enrich the meanings a person associates with a given place. Possibly affording users higher-level needs. As a result, if an experiential interior environment allows users to foster relationships between self, others, and the physical environment, they may experience more authentic experiences and give more meanings to a place.

Effects of architectural features of air-permeable roof cladding materials on wind-induced uplift loading

Widespread damage to roofing materials (such as tiles and shingles) for low-rise buildings, even for weaker hurricanes, has raised concerns regarding design load provisions and construction practices. Currently the building codes used for designing low-rise building roofs are mainly based on testing results from building models which generally do not simulate the architectural features of roofing materials that may significantly influence the wind-induced pressures. Full-scale experimentation was conducted under high winds to investigate the effects of architectural details of high profile roof tiles and asphalt shingles on net pressures that are often responsible for damage to these roofing materials. Effects on the vulnerability of roofing materials were also studied. Different roof models with bare, tiled, and shingled roof decks were tested. Pressures acting on both top and bottom surfaces of the roofing materials were measured to understand their effects on the net uplift loading. The area-averaged peak pressure coefficients obtained from bare, tiled, and shingled roof decks were compared. In addition, a set of wind tunnel tests on a tiled roof deck model were conducted to verify the effects of tiles' cavity internal pressure. Both the full-scale and the wind tunnel test results showed that underside pressure of a roof tile could either aggravate or alleviate wind uplift on the tile based on its orientation on the roof with respect to the wind angle of attack. For shingles, the underside pressure could aggravate wind uplift if the shingle is located near the center of the roof deck. Bare deck modeling to estimate design wind uplift on shingled decks may be acceptable for most locations but not for field locations; it could underestimate the uplift on shingles by 30-60%. In addition, some initial quantification of the effects of roofing materials on wind uplift was performed by studying the wind uplift load ratio for tiled versus bare deck and shingled versus bare deck. Vulnerability curves, with and without considering the effects of tiles' cavity internal pressure, showed significant differences. Aerodynamic load provisions for low-rise buildings' roofs and their vulnerability can thus be more accurately evaluated by considering the effects of the roofing materials.

Formal verification and testing of software architectural models

Ensuring the correctness of software has been the major motivation in software research, constituting a Grand Challenge. Due to its impact in the final implementation, one critical aspect of software is its architectural design. By guaranteeing a correct architectural design, major and costly flaws can be caught early on in the development cycle. Software architecture design has received a lot of attention in the past years, with several methods, techniques and tools developed. However, there is still more to be done, such as providing adequate formal analysis of software architectures. On these regards, a framework to ensure system dependability from design to implementation has been developed at FIU (Florida International University). This framework is based on SAM (Software Architecture Model), an ADL (Architecture Description Language), that allows hierarchical compositions of components and connectors, defines an architectural modeling language for the behavior of components and connectors, and provides a specification language for the behavioral properties. The behavioral model of a SAM model is expressed in the form of Petri nets and the properties in first order linear temporal logic. This dissertation presents a formal verification and testing approach to guarantee the correctness of Software Architectures. The Software Architectures studied are expressed in SAM. For the formal verification approach, the technique applied was model checking and the model checker of choice was Spin. As part of the approach, a SAM model is formally translated to a model in the input language of Spin and verified for its correctness with respect to temporal properties. In terms of testing, a testing approach for SAM architectures was defined which includes the evaluation of test cases based on Petri net testing theory to be used in the testing process at the design level. Additionally, the information at the design level is used to derive test cases for the implementation level. Finally, a modeling and analysis tool (SAM tool) was implemented to help support the design and analysis of SAM models. The results show the applicability of the approach to testing and verification of SAM models with the aid of the SAM tool.

The analysis of the resort timesharing industry in order to determine the industry's familiarity with timesharing and the industry's conception of the present and future effects of timesharing

The purpose of the study is to examine the impactof the timesharing concept on the resort industry in order to determine the industry's familiarity with timesharing and the industry's conception of the present and future effects of timesharing. The study utilizes two methods of research, primarydata and secondary data, to examine the concept of timesharing. This section includes information on the different forms of timesharing, the legal aspects, the marketing, management, finance and future of timesharing in order to educate the public about the concept. The primary data takes the form of a survey thatquestions hotel/motel operators in the Fort Lauderdale Beach area to determine their attitudes towards the impact of timesharing on the resort industy.