Dicto: A Unified DSL for Testing Architectural Rules

Software architecture consists of a set of design choices that can be partially expressed in form of rules that the implementation must conform to. Architectural rules are intended to ensure properties that fulfill fundamental non-functional requirements. Verifying architectural rules is often a non- trivial activity: available tools are often not very usable and support only a narrow subset of the rules that are commonly specified by practitioners. In this paper we present a new highly-readable declarative language for specifying architectural rules. With our approach, users can specify a wide variety of rules using a single uniform notation. Rules can get tested by third-party tools by conforming to pre-defined specification templates. Practitioners can take advantage of the capabilities of a growing number of testing tools without dealing with them directly.

A note on the selection of priority rules in software packages for project management

Various software packages for project management include a procedure for resource-constrained scheduling. In several packages, the user can influence this procedure by selecting a priority rule. However, the resource-allocation methods that are implemented in the procedures are proprietary information; therefore, the question of how the priority-rule selection impacts the performance of the procedures arises. We experimentally evaluate the resource-allocation methods of eight recent software packages using the 600 instances of the PSPLIB J120 test set. The results of our analysis indicate that applying the default rule tends to outperform a randomly selected rule, whereas applying two randomly selected rules tends to outperform the default rule. Applying a small set of more than two rules further improves the project durations considerably. However, a large number of rules must be applied to obtain the best possible project durations.

An analysis of protocols and publications suggested that most discontinuations of clinical trials were not based on preplanned interim analyses or stopping rules.

OBJECTIVES To investigate the frequency of interim analyses, stopping rules, and data safety and monitoring boards (DSMBs) in protocols of randomized controlled trials (RCTs); to examine these features across different reasons for trial discontinuation; and to identify discrepancies in reporting between protocols and publications. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING We used data from a cohort of RCT protocols approved between 2000 and 2003 by six research ethics committees in Switzerland, Germany, and Canada. RESULTS Of 894 RCT protocols, 289 prespecified interim analyses (32.3%), 153 stopping rules (17.1%), and 257 DSMBs (28.7%). Overall, 249 of 894 RCTs (27.9%) were prematurely discontinued; mostly due to reasons such as poor recruitment, administrative reasons, or unexpected harm. Forty-six of 249 RCTs (18.4%) were discontinued due to early benefit or futility; of those, 37 (80.4%) were stopped outside a formal interim analysis or stopping rule. Of 515 published RCTs, there were discrepancies between protocols and publications for interim analyses (21.1%), stopping rules (14.4%), and DSMBs (19.6%). CONCLUSION Two-thirds of RCT protocols did not consider interim analyses, stopping rules, or DSMBs. Most RCTs discontinued for early benefit or futility were stopped without a prespecified mechanism. When assessing trial manuscripts, journals should require access to the protocol.

Linguista sum... sed lingua non definio. Absence de définition de la langue et circularité de la construction structurale

This article analyzes the Jakobsonian classification of aphasias. It aims to show on the one hand the non-linguistic character of this classification and on the other hand its asymmetry, in spite of the fact that its author had conceived his structural construction as symmetrical. The non-linguistic character of Jakobson’s formulation is due to the absence of any definition of language, this absence being the main characteristic of Jakobsonian linguistics: concerning the aphasia problem, the Jakobsonian formulation is linguistic solely by virtue of its object, aphasia, which is already considered as a linguistic concern because it belongs to the field of « language », but which is not defined as such (as linguistic). As for asymmetry, it demonstrates first the circularity of the Jakobsonian representation of language (the duality between structure and functioning), and secondly the non-linguistic character – in the Saussurean sense of the term – of the aphasia problem. Thus it appears that breaking (in the sense of Gaston Bachelard) with idiom is the prerequisite of a scientific apprehension of language, and therefore of any interdisciplinarity, this being one of Jakobson’s favorite topics but one that this linguist failed to render fruitful because he did not offer a real definition of language.

Die Bedeutung von Business Rules im Customer Relationship Management

Der Beitrag diskutiert Möglichkeiten zur Automatisierung von Kundenbeziehungsprozessen im Customer Relationship Management mit Hilfe von Business Rules. Anhand einer CRM-Architektur werden Anwendungsmöglichkeiten erörtert und am Beispiel einer Cross-Selling-Kampagne vertieft. Technische Aspekte werden dabei nicht im Detail betrachtet. Der Schwerpunkt liegt vielmehr in der Diskussion von Automatisierungs- und Integrationspotenzialen durch den Einsatz von Business Rules, wie sie in zunehmend individualisierten Kundenbeziehungen in Massenmärkten gegeben sind.

Legal Change and the Social Value of Lawsuits

This paper integrates the literatures on the social value of lawsuits, the evolution of the law, and judicial preferences to evaluate the hypothesis that the law evolves toward efficiency. The setting is a simple accident model with costly litigation where the efficient law minimizes the sum of accident plus litigation costs. In the steady state equilibrium, the distribution of legal rules is not necessarily efficient but instead depends on a combination of selective litigation, judicial bias, and precedent.

Land Inheritance Rules: Theory and Cross-Cultural Analysis

This paper develops a general theory of land inheritance rules. We distinguish between two classes of rules: those that allow a testator discretion in disposing of his land (like a best-qualified rule), and those that constrain his choice (like primogeniture). The primary benefit of the latter is to prevent rent seeking by heirs, but the cost is that testators cannot make use of information about the relative abilities of his heirs to manage the land. We also account for the impact of scale economies in land use. We conclude by offering some empirical tests of the model using a cross-cultural sample of societies.

On Negligence Rules and Self-Selection

Economic models of negligence ordinarily involve a single standard of care that all injurers must meet to avoid liability. When injurers differ in their costs of care, however, this leads to distortions in their care choices. This paper derives the characteristics of a generalized negligence rule that induces injurers to self-select their optimal care levels. The principal features of the rule are (1) the due standard of care is maximal, and (2) liability increases gradually as injurers depart further from this standard. The results are broadly consistent with the gradation in liability under certain causation rules and under comparative negligence.

A General Schema for Optimal Monetary Policymaking: Objectives and Rules

This paper examines four equivalent methods of optimal monetary policymaking, committing to the social loss function, using discretion with the central bank long-run and short-run loss functions, and following monetary policy rules. All lead to optimal economic performance. The same performance emerges from these different policymaking methods because the central bank actually follows the same (similar) policy rules. These objectives (the social loss function, the central bank long-run and short-run loss functions) and monetary policy rules imply a complete regime for optimal policy making. The central bank long-run and short-run loss functions that produce the optimal policy with discretion differ from the social loss function. Moreover, the optimal policy rule emerges from the optimization of these different central bank loss functions.

Shakers : compendium of the origin, history, princicples, rules and regulations, government, and doctrines of the United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing : with biographies of Ann Lee, William Lee, Jas. Whittaker, J. Hocknell, J. Meacham, and Lucy Wright

by F. W. Evans

Rules to limit snacking in front of the TV and childhood BMI status: Findings from the "Fun Families Study"

Childhood obesity is increasing at epidemic rates, and thus there is a need to target appropriate childhood behaviors that contribute to obesity. Many factors contribute to childhood weight status. The aim of this study was to look at relationships between parental rules to limit snacking while watching television and childhood weight status. The study looked at the presence of the behavior of snacking while watching television yesterday, congruence between child- and parent-reported perception of the presence of rules to limit snacking while watching television, and parent-reported frequency of children following rules to limit snacking while watching television. The outcomes were examined in a multi-ethnic population of children ages 6 to 9 years in Southeast Texas.^ This study was a cross-sectional secondary data analysis of the pilot program, Fun Families. This study examined baseline data from 202 parent-child dyads, which included both the control ( N= 101) and intervention groups (N= 101). Data were gathered using validated questions that were administered to 6-9 year old children and their primary caregiver (referred to as parent in the rest of the discussion) in Southeast Texas, between 2006 and 2008. The main study outcome was childhood weight status based on CDC BMI-for-age categories. The independent variables are (1) the presence of parental rules to limit snacking while watching television, (2) the congruence between child and parent about the presence of rules to limit snacking while watching television, and (3) the parent-reported frequency of the child following the rules to limit snacking while watching television. Chi-Square analyses were used to determine if weight status was different for (1) children who reported rules to limit snacking yesterday, (2) children who reported snacking, (3) children whose parents reported rules were present, and (4) those who had rule congruence with the parents not. Chi-Square analyses also examined if there was a difference in the presence of snacking behavior for children who reported rules, for children whose parents reported rules, and for those children who had congruence about rules. Linear regressions were used to determine if any of the studied variables predicted increased weight status or reported snacking while watching television yesterday.^ This study found that child-reported snacking yesterday was significantly different for children who reported rules (4.12, p= 0.04). Child-reported rules was significantly associated with (p= -0.14, α= 0.04) and predicted child-reported snacking yesterday (R 2 0.021, p= 0.04, t= -2.04, 95% CI -0.31, -0.01). There was statistical significant incongruence between child and parent perception about the presence of rules to limit snacking yesterday (15.06, p= 0.00). For this population, parent education level was significantly associated with child-reported rules (r= -0.16, p= 0.02), child-reported snacking yesterday (r= -0.15, p= 0.04), and parent-reported frequency of child following rules to limit snacking (r= 0.29, p= -0.01). Parent-reported speaking another language besides English at home was significantly associated with parent-reported rules (r= 0.17, p= 0.02).^ Although the studied variables did not show any significant associations or predictors for childhood weight status, the significant discord between parent and child perception about the presence of rules provides valuable information to future interventions that aim to reduce childhood weight status. Including the creation and enforcement of parental rules in interventions to reduce childhood weight status will be beneficial for future studies.^

Estudio crítico : Martin Kusch A Sceptical Guide to Meaning and Rules. Defending Kripke's Wittgenstein, Montreal and Kingston, Ithaca, McGuill-Queen's University Press, 2006

Fil: Karczmarczyk, Pedro Diego. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación; Argentina.

Estudio crítico : Martin Kusch A Sceptical Guide to Meaning and Rules. Defending Kripke's Wittgenstein, Montreal and Kingston, Ithaca, McGuill-Queen's University Press, 2006

Fil: Karczmarczyk, Pedro Diego. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación; Argentina.