FPLA: a modeling framework for describing flexible software product line architecture

Nowadays, Software Product Line (SPL) engineering [1] has been widely-adopted in software development due to the significant improvements that has provided, such as reducing cost and time-to-market and providing flexibility to respond to planned changes [2]. SPL takes advantage of common features among the products of a family through the systematic reuse of the core-assets and the effective management of variabilities across the products. SPL features are realized at the architectural level in product-line architecture (PLA) models. Therefore, suitable modeling and specification techniques are required to model variability. In fact, architectural variability modeling has become a challenge for SPLE due to the fact that PLA modeling requires not only modeling variability at the level of the external architecture configuration (see [3,4] literature reviews), but also at the level of internal specification of components [5]. In addition, PLA modeling requires preserving the traceability between features and PLAs. Finally, it is important to take into account that PLA modeling should guide architects in modeling the PLA core assets and variability, and in deriving the customized products. To deal with these needs, we present in this demonstration the FPLA Modeling Framework.

Performance of masonry buildings during the 2011 Lorca earthquake

On Wednesday 11th May 2011 at 6:47 pm (local time) a magnitude 5.1 Mw earthquake occurred 6 km northeast of Lorca with a depth of around 2 km. As a consequence of the shallow depth and the small epicentral distance, important damage was produced in several masonry constructions and even led to the collapse of some of them. Pieces of the facades of several buildings fell down onto the sidewalk, being one of the reasons for the killing of a total of 9 people. The objective of this paper is to describe and analyze the failure patterns observed in unreinforced masonry buildings ranging from 3 to 8 floors in height. First, a brief description of the local building practices of masonry buildings is given. Then, the most important failure types of masonry buildings are described and discussed. After that, a more detailed analysis of one particular building is presented.

Determining the effectiveness of three software evaluation techniques through informal aggregation

An accepted fact in software engineering is that software must undergo verification and validation process during development to ascertain and improve its quality level. But there are too many techniques than a single developer could master, yet, it is impossible to be certain that software is free of defects. So, it is crucial for developers to be able to choose from available evaluation techniques, the one most suitable and likely to yield optimum quality results for different products. Though, some knowledge is available on the strengths and weaknesses of the available software quality assurance techniques but not much is known yet on the relationship between different techniques and contextual behavior of the techniques. Objective: This research investigates the effectiveness of two testing techniques ? equivalence class partitioning and decision coverage and one review technique ? code review by abstraction, in terms of their fault detection capability. This will be used to strengthen the practical knowledge available on these techniques.

Impedance-based stability and transient-performance assessment applying maximum peak criteria

The impedance-based stability-assessment method has turned out to be a very effective tool and its usage is rapidly growing in different applications ranging from the conventional interconnected dc/dc systems to the grid-connected renewable energy systems. The results are sometime given as a certain forbidden region in the complex plane out of which the impedance ratio--known as minor-loop gain--shall stay for ensuring robust stability. This letter discusses the circle-like forbidden region occupying minimum area in the complex plane, defined by applying maximum peak criteria, which is well-known theory in control engineering. The investigation shows that the circle-like forbidden region will ensure robust stability only if the impedance-based minor-loop gain is determined at the very input or output of each subsystem within the interconnected system. Experimental evidence is provided based on a small-scale dc/dc distributed system.

QuantiDOPA: A Quantification Software for Dopaminergic Neurotransmission SPECT

Quantification of neurotransmission Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) studies of the dopaminergic system can be used to track, stage and facilitate early diagnosis of the disease. The aim of this study was to implement QuantiDOPA, a semi-automatic quantification software of application in clinical routine to reconstruct and quantify neurotransmission SPECT studies using radioligands which bind the dopamine transporter (DAT). To this end, a workflow oriented framework for the biomedical imaging (GIMIAS) was employed. QuantiDOPA allows the user to perform a semiautomatic quantification of striatal uptake by following three stages: reconstruction, normalization and quantification. QuantiDOPA is a useful tool for semi-automatic quantification inDAT SPECT imaging and it has revealed simple and flexible

Software tool for simulation of aircraft trajectories

New concepts in air navigation have been introduced recently. Among others, are the concepts of trajectory optimization, 4D trajectories, RBT (Reference Business Trajectory), TBO (trajectory based operations), CDA (Continuous Descent Approach) and ACDA (Advanced CDA), conflict resolution, arrival time (AMAN), introduction of new aircraft (UAVs, UASs) in air space, etc. Although some of these concepts are new, the future Air Traffic Management will maintain the four ATM key performance areas such as Safety, Capacity, Efficiency, and Environmental impact. So much, the performance of the ATM system is directly related to the accuracy with which the future evolution of the traffic can be predicted. In this sense, future air traffic management will require a variety of support tools to provide suitable help to users and engineers involved in the air space management. Most of these tools are based on an appropriate trajectory prediction module as main component. Therefore, the purposes of these tools are related with testing and evaluation of any air navigation concept before they become fully operative. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview to the design of a software tool useful to estimate aircraft trajectories adapted to air navigation concepts. Other usage of the tool, like controller design, vertical navigation assessment, procedures validation and hardware and software in the loop are available in the software tool. The paper will show the process followed to design the tool, the software modules needed to perform accurately and the process followed to validate the output data.

Percepciones sobre tres técnicas de evaluación de código: un estudio empírico sobre la intuición y las opiniones de los encargados de las pruebas de software

La Ingeniería del Software Empírico (ISE) utiliza como herramientas los estudios empíricos para conseguir evidencias que ayuden a conocer bajo qué circunstancias es mejor usar una tecnología software en lugar de otra. La investigación en la que se enmarca este TFM explora si las intuiciones y/o preferencias de las personas que realizan las pruebas de software, son capaces de predecir la efectividad de tres técnicas de evaluación de código: lectura por abstracciones sucesivas, cobertura de decisión y partición en clases de equivalencia. Para conseguir dicho objetivo, se analizan los datos recogidos en un estudio empírico, realizado por las tutoras de este TFM. En el estudio empírico distintos sujetos aplican las tres técnicas de evaluación de código a tres programas distintos, a los que se les habían introducido una serie de faltas artificialmente. Los sujetos deben reportar los fallos encontrados en los programas, así como, contestar a una serie de preguntas sobre sus intuiciones y preferencias. A la hora de analizar los datos del estudio, se ha comprobado: 1) cuáles son sus intuiciones y preferencias (mediante el test estadístico X2 de Pearson); 2) si los sujetos cambian de opinión después de aplicar las técnicas (para ello se ha utilizado índice de Kappa, el Test de McNemar-Bowker y el Test de Stuart-Maxwell); 3) la consistencia de las distintas preguntas (mediante el índice de Kappa), comparando: intuiciones con intuiciones, preferencias con preferencias e intuiciones con preferencias; 4) Por último, si hay coincidencia entre las intuiciones y preferencias con la efectividad real obtenida (para ello se ha utilizado, el Modelo Lineal General con medidas repetidas). Los resultados muestran que, no hay una intuición clara ni tampoco una preferencia concreta, con respecto a los programas. Además aunque existen cambios de opinión después de aplicar las técnicas, no se encuentran evidencias claras para afirmar que la intuición y preferencias influyen en su efectividad. Finalmente, existen relaciones entre las intuiciones con intuiciones, preferencias con preferencias e intuiciones con preferencias, además esta relación es más notoria después de aplicar las técnicas. ----ABSTRACT----Empirical Software Engineering (ESE) uses empirical studies as a mean to generate evidences to help determine under what circumstances it is convenient to use a given software technology. This Master Thesis is part of a research that explores whether intuitions and/or preferences of testers, can be used to predict the effectiveness of three code evaluation techniques: reading by stepwise abstractions, decision coverage and equivalence partitioning. To achieve this goal, this Master Thesis analyzes the data collected in an empirical study run by the tutors. In the empirical study, different subjects apply three code evaluation techniques to three different programs. A series of faults were artificially introduced to the programs. Subjects are required to report the defects found in the programs, as well as answer a series of questions about their intuitions and preferences. The data analyses test: 1) what are the intuitions and preferences of the subjects (using the Pearson X2 test); 2) whether subjects change their minds after applying the techniques (using the Kappa coefficient, McNemar-Bowker test, and Stuart-Maxwell test); 3) the consistency of the different questions, comparing: intuitions versus intuitions, preferences versus preferences and preferences versus intuitions (using the Kappa coefficient); 4) finally, if intuitions and/or preferences predict the actual effectiveness obtained (using the General Linear Model, repeated measures). The results show that there is not clear intuition or particular preference with respect to the programs. Moreover, although there are changes of mind after applying the techniques, there are not clear evidences to claim that intuition and preferences influence their effectiveness. Finally, there is a relationship between the intuitions versus intuitions, preferences versus preferences and intuitions versus preferences; this relationship is more noticeable after applying the techniques.