A case study in specification and implementation testing

Achieving consistency between a specification and its implementation is an important part of software development In previous work, we have presented a method and tool support for testing a formal specification using animation and then verifying an implementation of that specification. The method is based on a testgraph, which provides a partial model of the application under test. The testgraph is used in combination with an animator to generate test sequences for testing the formal specification. The same testgraph is used during testing to execute those same sequences on the implementation and to ensure that the implementation conforms to the specification. So far, the method and its tool support have been applied to software components that can be accessed through an application programmer interface (API). In this paper, we use an industrially-based case study to discuss the problems associated with applying the method to a software system with a graphical user interface (GUI). In particular, the lack of a standardised interface, as well as controllability and observability problems, make it difficult to automate the testing of the implementation. The method can still be applied, but the amount of testing that can be carried on the implementation is limited by the manual effort involved.

Does reviewing lead to better learning and decision making? Answers from a randomized stock market experiment

Background - The literature is not univocal about the effects of Peer Review (PR) within the context of constructivist learning. Due to the predominant focus on using PR as an assessment tool, rather than a constructivist learning activity, and because most studies implicitly assume that the benefits of PR are limited to the reviewee, little is known about the effects upon students who are required to review their peers. Much of the theoretical debate in the literature is focused on explaining how and why constructivist learning is beneficial. At the same time these discussions are marked by an underlying presupposition of a causal relationship between reviewing and deep learning. Objectives - The purpose of the study is to investigate whether the writing of PR feedback causes students to benefit in terms of: perceived utility about statistics, actual use of statistics, better understanding of statistical concepts and associated methods, changed attitudes towards market risks, and outcomes of decisions that were made. Methods - We conducted a randomized experiment, assigning students randomly to receive PR or non–PR treatments and used two cohorts with a different time span. The paper discusses the experimental design and all the software components that we used to support the learning process: Reproducible Computing technology which allows students to reproduce or re–use statistical results from peers, Collaborative PR, and an AI–enhanced Stock Market Engine. Results - The results establish that the writing of PR feedback messages causes students to experience benefits in terms of Behavior, Non–Rote Learning, and Attitudes, provided the sequence of PR activities are maintained for a period that is sufficiently long.

INFRAWEBS Semantic Web Service Development on the Base of Knowledge Management Layer

The paper gives an overview about the ongoing FP6-IST INFRAWEBS project and describes the main layers and software components embedded in an application oriented realisation framework. An important part of INFRAWEBS is a Semantic Web Unit (SWU) – a collaboration platform and interoperable middleware for ontology-based handling and maintaining of SWS. The framework provides knowledge about a specific domain and relies on ontologies to structure and exchange this knowledge to semantic service development modules. INFRAWEBS Designer and Composer are sub-modules of SWU responsible for creating Semantic Web Services using Case-Based Reasoning approach. The Service Access Middleware (SAM) is responsible for building up the communication channels between users and various other modules. It serves as a generic middleware for deployment of Semantic Web Services. This software toolset provides a development framework for creating and maintaining the full-life-cycle of Semantic Web Services with specific application support.

VLSI testing and characterization system for micro electro-mechanical (MEM) sensors

The purpose of this investigation was to develop and implement a general purpose VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration) Test Module based on a FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) system to verify the mechanical behavior and performance of MEM sensors, with associated corrective capabilities; and to make use of the evolving System-C, a new open-source HDL (Hardware Description Language), for the design of the FPGA functional units. System-C is becoming widely accepted as a platform for modeling, simulating and implementing systems consisting of both hardware and software components. In this investigation, a Dual-Axis Accelerometer (ADXL202E) and a Temperature Sensor (TMP03) were used for the test module verification. Results of the test module measurement were analyzed for repeatability and reliability, and then compared to the sensor datasheet. Further study ideas were identified based on the study and results analysis. ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) design concepts were also being pursued.

The object binary interface: C++ objects for evolvable shared class libraries

Object-oriented design and object-oriented languages support the development of independent software components such as class libraries. When using such components, versioning becomes a key issue. While various ad-hoc techniques and coding idioms have been used to provide versioning, all of these techniques have deficiencies - ambiguity, the necessity of recompilation or re-coding, or the loss of binary compatibility of programs. Components from different software vendors are versioned at different times. Maintaining compatibility between versions must be consciously engineered. New technologies such as distributed objects further complicate libraries by requiring multiple implementations of a type simultaneously in a program. This paper describes a new C++ object model called the Shared Object Model for C++ users and a new implementation model called the Object Binary Interface for C++ implementors. These techniques provide a mechanism for allowing multiple implementations of an object in a program. Early analysis of this approach has shown it to have performance broadly comparable to conventional implementations.

D6.6 – Summary, Analysis, Road-mapping and Production of Training materials

This deliverable summarizes, validates and explains the purpose and concept behind the RAGE knowledge and innovation management platform as a self-sustainable Ecosystem, supporting innovation processes in the Applied Gaming (AG) industry. The Ecosystem portal will be developed with particular consideration of the demand and requirements of small and medium sized game developing companies, education providers and related stakeholders like AG researchers and AG end-users. The innovation potential of the new platform underlies the following factors: a huge, mostly entire collection of community specific knowledge (e.g., content like media objects, software components and best practices), a structured approach of knowledge access, search and browse, collaboration tools as well as social network analysis tools to foster efficient knowledge creation and transformation processes into marketable technology assets. The deliverable provides an overview of the current status and the remaining work to come, preceding the final version in month 48 of the RAGE project.

Orientation de l’effort des tests unitaires dans les systèmes orientés objet : une approche basée sur les métriques logicielles

Les logiciels actuels sont de grandes tailles, complexes et critiques. Le besoin de qualité exige beaucoup de tests, ce qui consomme de grandes quantités de ressources durant le développement et la maintenance de ces systèmes. Différentes techniques permettent de réduire les coûts liés aux activités de test. Notre travail s’inscrit dans ce cadre, est a pour objectif d’orienter l’effort de test vers les composants logiciels les plus à risque à l’aide de certains attributs du code source. À travers plusieurs démarches empiriques menées sur de grands logiciels open source, développés avec la technologie orientée objet, nous avons identifié et étudié les métriques qui caractérisent l’effort de test unitaire sous certains angles. Nous avons aussi étudié les liens entre cet effort de test et les métriques des classes logicielles en incluant les indicateurs de qualité. Les indicateurs de qualité sont une métrique synthétique, que nous avons introduite dans nos travaux antérieurs, qui capture le flux de contrôle ainsi que différentes caractéristiques du logiciel. Nous avons exploré plusieurs techniques permettant d’orienter l’effort de test vers des composants à risque à partir de ces attributs de code source, en utilisant des algorithmes d’apprentissage automatique. En regroupant les métriques logicielles en familles, nous avons proposé une approche basée sur l’analyse du risque des classes logicielles. Les résultats que nous avons obtenus montrent les liens entre l’effort de test unitaire et les attributs de code source incluant les indicateurs de qualité, et suggèrent la possibilité d’orienter l’effort de test à l’aide des métriques.

Miradouro Virtual(R)

Esta tese pretende descrever o desenvolvimento e arquitectura do software que constitui o Miradouro Virtual@, mais especificamente do componente referente à interface. O Miradouro Virtual@ é um dispositivo cujo propósito à semelhança dos tradicionais binóculos turísticos, é observar a paisagem, mas cuja interacção não está limitada à simples observação individual. Recorre à realidade aumentada para sobrepôr imagens geradas por computador a imagens reais, capturadas por um dispositivo para aquisição de imagem real (tipicamente uma câmara de vídeo), e mostra-as num ecrã touchscreen, permitindo deste modo, combinar elementos virtuais e multimédia com a paisagem real. A imagem final, composta, dá ao utilizador uma nova dimensão do espaço envolvente, permitindo-lhe explorar uma nova camada de informação não visível anteriormente. Sendo sensíveis à orientação do Miradouro Virtual@, os elementos virtuais e multimédia adaptam-se de acordo com os movimentos do dispositivo. O Miradouro Virtual@ é um produto composto por diversos elementos de hardware e software. O foco desta tese recai apenas nos componentes de software, mais especificamente na interface. Pretende dar a conhecer as limitações da versão anterior do software e mostrar as soluções encontradas que permitiram ultrapassar algumas dessas limitações. ABSTRACT; This thesis focuses on the design and development of the Virtual Sightseeing™ software, more specifically on the interface component. The Virtual Sightseeing™ is a device similar to the traditional scenic viewers that takes advantage of its generally known and popularity to build an innovative system. It works by using augmented reality to superimpose, in real-time, images generated by a computer onto a live stream captured by a video camera and displaying them on a touchscreen display. It allows adding multimedia elements to the real scenery by composing them in the image that is presented to the user. The multimedia information and virtual elements that are displayed are sensitive to the orientation and position of the device. They change as the user manually changes the orientation of the device. The Virtual Sightseeing™ is comprised of several hardware and software components. The focus of this thesis is on the software part, more specifically on the interface component. It intends to show the known limitations of the previous software version and how they were overcome in this new version.

A framework for abstraction and virtualization of sensors in mobile context-aware computing

110 p.

Towards a Workflow Management Approach for Health Monitoring of Bridges

Part 14: Interoperability and Integration

DATA DRIVEN INTELLIGENT AGENT NETWORKS FOR ADAPTIVE MONITORING AND CONTROL

To analyze the characteristics and predict the dynamic behaviors of complex systems over time, comprehensive research to enable the development of systems that can intelligently adapt to the evolving conditions and infer new knowledge with algorithms that are not predesigned is crucially needed. This dissertation research studies the integration of the techniques and methodologies resulted from the fields of pattern recognition, intelligent agents, artificial immune systems, and distributed computing platforms, to create technologies that can more accurately describe and control the dynamics of real-world complex systems. The need for such technologies is emerging in manufacturing, transportation, hazard mitigation, weather and climate prediction, homeland security, and emergency response. Motivated by the ability of mobile agents to dynamically incorporate additional computational and control algorithms into executing applications, mobile agent technology is employed in this research for the adaptive sensing and monitoring in a wireless sensor network. Mobile agents are software components that can travel from one computing platform to another in a network and carry programs and data states that are needed for performing the assigned tasks. To support the generation, migration, communication, and management of mobile monitoring agents, an embeddable mobile agent system (Mobile-C) is integrated with sensor nodes. Mobile monitoring agents visit distributed sensor nodes, read real-time sensor data, and perform anomaly detection using the equipped pattern recognition algorithms. The optimal control of agents is achieved by mimicking the adaptive immune response and the application of multi-objective optimization algorithms. The mobile agent approach provides potential to reduce the communication load and energy consumption in monitoring networks. The major research work of this dissertation project includes: (1) studying effective feature extraction methods for time series measurement data; (2) investigating the impact of the feature extraction methods and dissimilarity measures on the performance of pattern recognition; (3) researching the effects of environmental factors on the performance of pattern recognition; (4) integrating an embeddable mobile agent system with wireless sensor nodes; (5) optimizing agent generation and distribution using artificial immune system concept and multi-objective algorithms; (6) applying mobile agent technology and pattern recognition algorithms for adaptive structural health monitoring and driving cycle pattern recognition; (7) developing a web-based monitoring network to enable the visualization and analysis of real-time sensor data remotely. Techniques and algorithms developed in this dissertation project will contribute to research advances in networked distributed systems operating under changing environments.

Reusable Knowledge-based Components for Building Software Applications: A Knowledge Modelling Approach

In computer science, different types of reusable components for building software applications were proposed as a direct consequence of the emergence of new software programming paradigms. The success of these components for building applications depends on factors such as the flexibility in their combination or the facility for their selection in centralised or distributed environments such as internet. In this article, we propose a general type of reusable component, called primitive of representation, inspired by a knowledge-based approach that can promote reusability. The proposal can be understood as a generalisation of existing partial solutions that is applicable to both software and knowledge engineering for the development of hybrid applications that integrate conventional and knowledge based techniques. The article presents the structure and use of the component and describes our recent experience in the development of real-world applications based on this approach.