70,986 research outputs found
Contextuality and Information Systems: how the interplay between paradigms can help
Through this paper, we theorize on the meanings and roles of context in the study of information systems. The literatures of information systems and information science both explicitly conceptualize information systems (and there are multiple overlapping definitions). These literatures also grapple with the situated and generalizable natures of an information system. Given these shared interests and common concerns, this paper is used as a vehicle to explore the roles of context and suggests how multi-paradigmatic research ??? another shared feature of both information science and information systems scholarship ??? provides a means to carry forward more fruitful studies of information systems. We discuss the processes of reconstructed logic and logic-in-use in terms of studying information systems. We argue that what goes on in the practice of researchers, or the logic-in-practice, is typified by what we are calling the contextuality problem. In response, we envision a reconstructed logic, which is an idealization of academic practices regarding context. The logic-in-use of the field is then further explained based on two different views on context. The paper concludes by proposing a model for improving the logic-in-use for the study of information systems
A synthesis of logic and bio-inspired techniques in the design of dependable systems
Much of the development of model-based design and dependability analysis in the design of dependable systems, including software intensive systems, can be attributed to the application of advances in formal logic and its application to fault forecasting and verification of systems. In parallel, work on bio-inspired technologies has shown potential for the evolutionary design of engineering systems via automated exploration of potentially large design spaces. We have not yet seen the emergence of a design paradigm that effectively combines these two techniques, schematically founded on the two pillars of formal logic and biology, from the early stages of, and throughout, the design lifecycle. Such a design paradigm would apply these techniques synergistically and systematically to enable optimal refinement of new designs which can be driven effectively by dependability requirements. The paper sketches such a model-centric paradigm for the design of dependable systems, presented in the scope of the HiP-HOPS tool and technique, that brings these technologies together to realise their combined potential benefits. The paper begins by identifying current challenges in model-based safety assessment and then overviews the use of meta-heuristics at various stages of the design lifecycle covering topics that span from allocation of dependability requirements, through dependability analysis, to multi-objective optimisation of system architectures and maintenance schedules
Between Sense and Sensibility: Declarative narrativisation of mental models as a basis and benchmark for visuo-spatial cognition and computation focussed collaborative cognitive systems
What lies between `\emph{sensing}' and `\emph{sensibility}'? In other words,
what kind of cognitive processes mediate sensing capability, and the formation
of sensible impressions ---e.g., abstractions, analogies, hypotheses and theory
formation, beliefs and their revision, argument formation--- in domain-specific
problem solving, or in regular activities of everyday living, working and
simply going around in the environment? How can knowledge and reasoning about
such capabilities, as exhibited by humans in particular problem contexts, be
used as a model and benchmark for the development of collaborative cognitive
(interaction) systems concerned with human assistance, assurance, and
empowerment?
We pose these questions in the context of a range of assistive technologies
concerned with \emph{visuo-spatial perception and cognition} tasks encompassing
aspects such as commonsense, creativity, and the application of specialist
domain knowledge and problem-solving thought processes. Assistive technologies
being considered include: (a) human activity interpretation; (b) high-level
cognitive rovotics; (c) people-centred creative design in domains such as
architecture & digital media creation, and (d) qualitative analyses geographic
information systems. Computational narratives not only provide a rich cognitive
basis, but they also serve as a benchmark of functional performance in our
development of computational cognitive assistance systems. We posit that
computational narrativisation pertaining to space, actions, and change provides
a useful model of \emph{visual} and \emph{spatio-temporal thinking} within a
wide-range of problem-solving tasks and application areas where collaborative
cognitive systems could serve an assistive and empowering function.Comment: 5 pages, research statement summarising recent publication
A multi-paradigm language for reactive synthesis
This paper proposes a language for describing reactive synthesis problems
that integrates imperative and declarative elements. The semantics is defined
in terms of two-player turn-based infinite games with full information.
Currently, synthesis tools accept linear temporal logic (LTL) as input, but
this description is less structured and does not facilitate the expression of
sequential constraints. This motivates the use of a structured programming
language to specify synthesis problems. Transition systems and guarded commands
serve as imperative constructs, expressed in a syntax based on that of the
modeling language Promela. The syntax allows defining which player controls
data and control flow, and separating a program into assumptions and
guarantees. These notions are necessary for input to game solvers. The
integration of imperative and declarative paradigms allows using the paradigm
that is most appropriate for expressing each requirement. The declarative part
is expressed in the LTL fragment of generalized reactivity(1), which admits
efficient synthesis algorithms, extended with past LTL. The implementation
translates Promela to input for the Slugs synthesizer and is written in Python.
The AMBA AHB bus case study is revisited and synthesized efficiently,
identifying the need to reorder binary decision diagrams during strategy
construction, in order to prevent the exponential blowup observed in previous
work.Comment: In Proceedings SYNT 2015, arXiv:1602.0078
Certainty Closure: Reliable Constraint Reasoning with Incomplete or Erroneous Data
Constraint Programming (CP) has proved an effective paradigm to model and
solve difficult combinatorial satisfaction and optimisation problems from
disparate domains. Many such problems arising from the commercial world are
permeated by data uncertainty. Existing CP approaches that accommodate
uncertainty are less suited to uncertainty arising due to incomplete and
erroneous data, because they do not build reliable models and solutions
guaranteed to address the user's genuine problem as she perceives it. Other
fields such as reliable computation offer combinations of models and associated
methods to handle these types of uncertain data, but lack an expressive
framework characterising the resolution methodology independently of the model.
We present a unifying framework that extends the CP formalism in both model
and solutions, to tackle ill-defined combinatorial problems with incomplete or
erroneous data. The certainty closure framework brings together modelling and
solving methodologies from different fields into the CP paradigm to provide
reliable and efficient approches for uncertain constraint problems. We
demonstrate the applicability of the framework on a case study in network
diagnosis. We define resolution forms that give generic templates, and their
associated operational semantics, to derive practical solution methods for
reliable solutions.Comment: Revised versio
Modal logics are coalgebraic
Applications of modal logics are abundant in computer science, and a large number of structurally different modal logics have been successfully employed in a diverse spectrum of application contexts. Coalgebraic semantics, on the other hand, provides a uniform and encompassing view on the large variety of specific logics used in particular domains. The coalgebraic approach is generic and compositional: tools and techniques simultaneously apply to a large class of application areas and can moreover be combined in a modular way. In particular, this facilitates a pick-and-choose approach to domain specific formalisms, applicable across the entire scope of application areas, leading to generic software tools that are easier to design, to implement, and to maintain. This paper substantiates the authors' firm belief that the systematic exploitation of the coalgebraic nature of modal logic will not only have impact on the field of modal logic itself but also lead to significant progress in a number of areas within computer science, such as knowledge representation and concurrency/mobility
- …