An investigation into the notion of non-functional requirements

Although Non-Functional Requirements (NFRs) are recognized as very important contributors to the success of software projects, studies to date indicate that there is still no general consensus in the software engineering community regarding the notion of NFRs. This paper presents the result of an extensive and systematic analysis of the extant literature over three NFRs dimensions: (1) definition and terminology; (2) types; and (3) relevant NFRs in various types of systems and application domains. Two different perspectives to consider NFRs are described. A comprehensive catalogue of NFRs types as well as the top five NFRs that are frequently considered are presented. This paper also offers a novel classification of NFRs based on types of systems and application domains. This classification could assist software developers in identifying which NFRs are important in a particular application domain and for specific systems. © 2010 ACM

Some remarks on the model of rigid heat conductor with memory: unbounded heat relaxation function

The model of rigid linear heat conductor with memory is reconsidered focussing the interest on the heat relaxation function. Thus, the definitions of heat flux and thermal work are revised to understand where changes are required when the heat flux relaxation function $k$ is assumed to be unbounded at the initial time $t=0$. That is, it is represented by a regular integrable function, namely $k\in L^1(\R^+)$, but its time derivative is not integrable, that is $\dot k\notin L^1(\R^+)$. Notably, also under these relaxed assumptions on $k$, whenever the heat flux is the same also the related thermal work is the same. Thus, also in the case under investigation, the notion of equivalence is introduced and its physical relevance is pointed out

Semantic model-driven development of service-centric software architectures

Service-oriented architecture (SOA) is a recent architectural paradigm that has received much attention. The prevalent focus on platforms such as Web services, however, needs to be complemented by appropriate software engineering methods. We propose the model-driven development of service-centric software systems. We present in particular an investigation into the role of enriched semantic modelling for a modeldriven development framework for service-centric software systems. Ontologies as the foundations of semantic modelling and its enhancement through architectural pattern modelling are at the core of the proposed approach. We introduce foundations and discuss the benefits and also the challenges in this context

Pragmatic interoperability in the enterprise : a research agenda

Eective collaboration among today's enterprises is indispensable. Such collaborative synergy is important to foster the creation of innovative value-added products and services that would have otherwise been dicult to achieve if enterprises work in isolation. However, it is a widely held belief that interoperability problems have been one of the perennial hurdles in achieving such collaboration. This research aims to improve the current state of the art in enterprise interoperability research by zeroing in on the notion of pragmatic interoperability(PI). When enterprise systems collaborate by exchanging information, PI goes beyond the compatibility between the structure and the meaning of shared information, it further ensures that the intended eect of the message exchange is realized. This paper outlines our research agenda to address the analysis, design, development and evaluation of a pragmatically interoperable solution for enterprise collaboration

Some remarks on the model of rigid heat conductor with memory: unbounded heat relaxation function

The model of rigid linear heat conductor with memory is reconsidered focussing the interest on the heat relaxation function. Thus, the definitions of heat flux and thermal work are revised to understand where changes are required when the heat flux relaxation function $k$ is assumed to be unbounded at the initial time $t=0$. That is, it is represented by a regular integrable function, namely $k\in L^1(\R^+)$, but its time derivative is not integrable, that is $\dot k\notin L^1(\R^+)$. Notably, also under these relaxed assumptions on $k$, whenever the heat flux is the same also the related thermal work is the same. Thus, also in the case under investigation, the notion of equivalence is introduced and its physical relevance is pointed out

Context constraint integration and validation in dynamic web service compositions

System architectures that cross organisational boundaries are usually implemented based on Web service technologies due to their inherent interoperability benets. With increasing exibility requirements, such as on-demand service provision, a dynamic approach to service architecture focussing on composition at runtime is needed. The possibility of technical faults, but also violations of functional and semantic constraints require a comprehensive notion of context that captures composition-relevant aspects. Context-aware techniques are consequently required to support constraint validation for dynamic service composition. We present techniques to respond to problems occurring during the execution of dynamically composed Web services implemented in WS-BPEL. A notion of context { covering physical and contractual faults and violations { is used to safeguard composed service executions dynamically. Our aim is to present an architectural framework from an application-oriented perspective, addressing practical considerations of a technical framework

A taxonomy of asymmetric requirements aspects

The early aspects community has received increasing attention among researchers and practitioners, and has grown a set of meaningful terminology and concepts in recent years, including the notion of requirements aspects. Aspects at the requirements level present stakeholder concerns that crosscut the problem domain, with the potential for a broad impact on questions of scoping, prioritization, and architectural design. Although many existing requirements engineering approaches advocate and advertise an integral support of early aspects analysis, one challenge is that the notion of a requirements aspect is not yet well established to efficaciously serve the community. Instead of defining the term once and for all in a normally arduous and unproductive conceptual unification stage, we present a preliminary taxonomy based on the literature survey to show the different features of an asymmetric requirements aspect. Existing approaches that handle requirements aspects are compared and classified according to the proposed taxonomy. In addition,we study crosscutting security requirements to exemplify the taxonomy's use, substantiate its value, and explore its future directions

Solidarity across generations in New Zealand: Factors influencing parental support for children within a three-generational context

Interest in ascertaining the nature and extent of intergenerational exchanges between those in mid-life, and members of their kinship network has arisen because demographic, social and policy changes have brought into question the ability of individuals in this stage of the family and individual life course to respond to what may be the conflicting support needs of older and younger generations. Trends of delayed childbearing for example, suggest that at mid-life, individuals are increasingly likely to be involved in parenting roles. At the same time, as they contemplate their own pre-retirement needs, they may also be more involved with the caring needs of ageing parents who are living longer. It has thus been argued that the mid-life period carries the potential for complex, and perhaps competing intergenerational requirements for support and care, compromising the ability of those in this life stage to show their solidarity towards both younger and older kin. Research on intergenerational relations has focused mainly on the adult child and elderly parent dyad in the context of population ageing and much less work has been done to understand the nature of intergenerational exchanges in the context of more complex structures extending beyond dyads to include triads of three co-surviving generations. This paper addresses this lacuna by establishing whether, in the context of a kinship structure of three co-surviving generations, the likelihood of a child receiving assistance from their mid-life parent is influenced by the characteristics of an ascending generation, the mid-life respondent’s own ageing parent. Empirical investigation draws on the theoretical framework of micro-level, inter-generational solidarity developed by Bengtson and others, in which exchanges of assistance are conceptualised as bonds of functional solidarity. Underlying the analysis is therefore an investigation of the premise that mid-life individuals are at the centre of competing inter-generational requirements. Data are from the 1997 New Zealand survey ‘Transactions in the Mid-Life Family’, a sample of 750 males and females aged between 40 and 54. Analysis is based on a sub-population of 310 respondents with at least one surviving ageing parent or in-law and one child aged over 15, none of whom live together. Multivariate logistic regression techniques are used and the dependant variable of functional solidarity is represented as a three-category variable of emotional, in-kind and financial support. Findings indicate that when an ageing parent’s bond with the mid-life respondent is characterised by emotional support, this also enhances the child’s chances of benefiting from all dimensions of parental support. Likewise, children are more likely to benefit from in-kind help if their own grandparents also receive it. Results do not clearly suggest that a greater number of elderly members in a kin network necessarily represent a drain on the mid-life respondent’s resources, at least not those of an emotional nature. Life-course specific support requirements of younger and older generations may mean that mid-life individuals in fact respond to complementary rather than competing needs

Beneficial Artificial Intelligence Coordination by means of a Value Sensitive Design Approach

This paper argues that the Value Sensitive Design (VSD) methodology provides a principled approach to embedding common values in to AI systems both early and throughout the design process. To do so, it draws on an important case study: the evidence and final report of the UK Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence. This empirical investigation shows that the different and often disparate stakeholder groups that are implicated in AI design and use share some common values that can be used to further strengthen design coordination efforts. VSD is shown to be both able to distill these common values as well as provide a framework for stakeholder coordination