Software synthesis using generic architectures

A framework for synthesizing software systems based on abstracting software system designs and the design process is described. The result of such an abstraction process is a generic architecture and the process knowledge for customizing the architecture. The customization process knowledge is used to assist a designer in customizing the architecture as opposed to completely automating the design of systems. Our approach using an implemented example of a generic tracking architecture which was customized in two different domains is illustrated. How the designs produced using KASE compare to the original designs of the two systems, and current work and plans for extending KASE to other application areas are described

A Localized Autonomous Control Algorithm For Robots With Heterogeneous Capabilities In A Multi-Tier Architecture

This dissertation makes two contributions to the use of the Blackboard Architecture for command. The use of boundary nodes for data abstraction is introduced and the use of a solver-based blackboard system with pruning is proposed. It also makes contributions advancing the engineering design process in the area of command system selection for heterogeneous robotic systems. It presents and analyzes data informing decision making between centralized and distributed command systems and also characterizes the efficacy of pruning across different experimental scenarios, demonstrating when it is effective or not. Finally, it demonstrates the operations of the system, raising the technology readiness level (TRL) of the technology towards a level suitable for actual mission use. The context for this work is a multi-tier mission architecture, based on prior work by Fink on a “tier scalable” architecture. This work took a top-down approach where the superior tiers (in terms of scope of visibility) send specific commands to craft in lower tiers. While benefitting from the use of a large centralized processing center, this approach is limited in responding to failures and interference. The work presented herein has involved developing and comparatively characterizing centralized and decentralized (where superior nodes provide information and goals to the lower-level craft, but decisions are made locally) Blackboard Architecture based command systems. Blackboard Architecture advancements (a solver, pruning, boundary nodes) have been made and tested under multiple experimental conditions

Plethora : a framework for the intelligent control of robotic assembly systems

Plethora : a framework for the intelligent control of robotic assembly system

Specifying Meta-Level Architectures for Rule-Based Systems

Explicit and declarative representation of control knowledge and well-structured knowledge bases are crucial requirements for efficient development and maintenance of rule-based systems. The CATWEAZLE rule interpreter allows knowledge engineers to meet these requirements by partitioning rule bases and specifying meta-level architectures for control. Among others the following problems arise when providing tools for specifying meta-level architectures for control: 1. What is a suitable language to specify meta-level architectures for control? 2. How can a general and declarative language for meta-level architectures be efficiently interpreted? The thesis outlines solutions to both research questions provided by the CATWEAZLE rule interpreter: 1. CATWEAZLE provides a small set of concepts based on a separation of control knowledge in control strategies and control tactics and a further categorization of control strategies. 2. For rule-based systems it is efficient to extend the RETE algorithm such that control knowledge can be processed, too

Factors Affecting the Adoption of E-Learning: Jordanian Universities Case Study

Innovation in learning is always the main interest of any educational institute to develop their learning models. E-learning is one of the most innovative models in education. This paper investigates and analysis the factors that influence the adoption of e-learning systems in Jordan as one of the third developing countries. The investigation has been done in the high universities, public and private. A new model has been presented in this research. The results of this research has been shown that the legislations issues, human factors, infrastructure, economics and web content had a significant impact on learning goals and objectives. Therefore it is difficult to have a complete e-learning system in Jordanian universities. The novel contribution of this research is achieved by using the results of investigations and analysis to assist in building of a theory that will be tested through quantitative methods in the future.   Keywords: E-learning; Jordanian Universities; Quality; integration

Inherently flexible software

Software evolution is an important and expensive consequence of software. As Lehman's First Law of Program Evolution states, software must be changed to satisfy new user requirements or become progressively less useful to the stakeholders of the software. Software evolution is difficult for a multitude of different reasons, most notably because of an inherent lack of evolveability of software, design decisions and existing requirements which are difficult to change and conflicts between new requirements and existing assumptions and requirements. Software engineering has traditionally focussed on improvements in software development techniques, with little conscious regard for their effects on software evolution. The thesis emphasises design for change, a philosophy that stems from ideas in preventive maintenance and places the ease of software evolution more at the centre of the design of software systems than it is at present. The approach involves exploring issues of evolveability, such as adaptability, flexibility and extensibility with respect to existing software languages, models and architectures. A software model, SEvEn, is proposed which improves on the evolveability of these existing software models by improving on their adaptability, flexibility and extensibility, and provides a way to determine the ripple effects of changes by providing a reflective model of a software system. The main conclusion is that, whilst software evolveability can be improved, complete adaptability, flexibility and extensibility of a software system is not possible, hi addition, ripple effects can't be completely eradicated because assumptions will always persist in a software system and new requirements may conflict with existing requirements. However, the proposed reflective model of software (which consists of a set of software entities, or abstractions, with the characteristic of increased evolveability) provides trace-ability of ripple effects because it explicitly models the dependencies that exist between software entities, determines how software entities can change, ascertains the adaptability of software entities to changes in other software entities on which they depend and determines how changes to software entities affect those software entities that depend on them