Twenty years of coordination technologies: State-of-the-art and perspectives

Since complexity of inter- and intra-systems interactions is steadily increasing in modern application scenarios (e.g., the IoT), coordination technologies are required to take a crucial step towards maturity. In this paper we look back at the history of the COORDINATION conference in order to shed light on the current status of the coordination technologies there proposed throughout the years, in an attempt to understand success stories, limitations, and possibly reveal the gap between actual technologies, theoretical models, and novel application needs

CoSim20: An Integrated Development Environment for Accurate and Efficient Distributed Co-Simulations

International audienceThe development of Cyber-Physical Systems involves several disciplines and stakeholders, which use heterogeneous models and formalisms to specify the system and make early validation and verification. In order to understand the behaviour emerging from the heterogeneous models, a collaborative simulation (co-simulation) can be used. To make it happen, the system engineer must define a correct coordination of the different executable models, which can be distributed over different enterprises. This is an important but difficult (and error prone) task that can not be done without information about the behavioral semantics of each model. In this paper, we introduce an integrated development environment which allows 1) to import different executable models (named simulation units), 2) to graphically connect them with rich connectors and 3) to generate a dedicated, accurate and efficient distributed co-simulation. The framework is based on Eclipse EMF for the modeling part and on ∅MQ for the deployment. It is named CoSim20

Evaluation of environmental education programmes as a means for policy making and implementation support: the case of Cyprus primary education

This investigation emerges from the awareness of the marginalisation environmental education faces and the need for the development of an effective policy for the implementation of environmental education in Cyprus. The purpose of the research study is to present. as an end product, information that would be useful in the formation of a National Programme for the implementation of environmental education in Primary Education in Cyprus. The thesis describes the current situation of environmental education and examines current practices. Out of a limited variety of environmental education programmes that currently run in Cyprus Primary Education, the Eco-School project is taken as an example. This research study, firstly, aims to measure the success of the Eco-School project, by testing children's environmental cognition, awareness and action and comparing them to the environmental cognition and action of children in other schools outside the programme. It also attempts to reveal the factors that contribute to successful implementation of the project as well as practices that could be improved or avoided. The teachers' opinions are analysed both at organisational and personal levels. Since they are closely involved in any school innovative project, they should be given the opportunity to express their opinion and experience about the organisation of the policy, their expectations and the problems they foresee. Briefly, the general research aims are to: 1. describe the current situation of environmental education in Cyprus; 2. obtain interested parties' opinions about the development of a National Programme for the implementation of environmental education in Cyprus Primary Education; 3. verify and evaluate the impact of the Eco-School project 4. distinguish the factors that contribute to the successful implementation of an environmental education programme. Finally the information obtained is the basis of a proposal model, which might facilitate environmental education implementation

Government in The Republic of Cyprus: Responding to the Problems of Water Scarcity and Quality

Water management is a significant challenge in The Republic of Cyprus. The country is subject to a number of water problems based on scarcity and quality, with these stemming from limited precipitation inputs, drought, the overuse of groundwater, as well as the spatial disparity of supply and demand due to population growth, agriculture, tourism, and climate change. The convergence of these aspects has generated water problems, which necessitate the use of particular problem-solving responses by government that are targeted at securing the provision of water services and sustaining socio-economic development. To understand how government in Cyprus has responded to water management problems this thesis adopts an understanding based on John Dryzek’s (2013) problem-solving rationalities of administrative rationalism, democratic pragmatism, and economic rationalism. These reflect and build on the three methods that societies use to coordinate and organise responses to socio-environmental problems, namely mandatory, voluntary, and economic approaches. The problem-solving rationalities provide a unique way of understanding government problem-solving due to an interpretation that focuses on the specifics of problem-solving, based on; actor roles, motives, and behaviour; rhetoric; the evolution of responses over time; as well as the use of multiple concepts that are brought together to offer a more inclusive conceptualisation. This research adopts a qualitative approach to data collection and utilises semi-structured interviews to understand the views, roles, and experiences of key actors in problem-solving. A case study approach provides an appropriate context and facilitates detailed analysis of the problem-solving rationalities. The Republic of Cyprus offers a unique and appropriate case study setting. This is justified based on; tangible problems of scarcity and quality in practice; the potential to generate new insights in relation to small, Mediterranean, and peripheral EU state experiences; as well as limited previous research understanding government responses and considering actor roles and behaviour when responding to water problems. Based on the findings, Dryzek’s rationalities demonstrated a good level of applicability, with certain aspects shown to be justifiable such as the basis of administrative rationalism, the idea that some civil servants act in the public interest, and evidence of management challenges expected by Dryzek. Some differences were also found in relation to the existence or non-existence of certain methods or constructs; differences in some natural relationships; as well as variability in actor type, role, behaviour, and motivation. A range of emerging themes were identified as a result of the findings. These included; an alternative understanding of the evolutionary format of problem-solving; the role and influence of supranational governance; the importance of aspects such as culture and economic status; as well as the strong influence of politics. Ultimately, the management challenges of the rationalities, similarities and differences found in practice relating to the characteristics of the rationalities, as well as the emerging themes identified through the findings, have been utilised to develop understanding of problem-solving in Cyprus

ICSEA 2022: the seventeenth international conference on software engineering advances

The Seventeenth International Conference on Software Engineering Advances (ICSEA 2022), held between October 16th and October 20th, 2022, continued a series of events covering a broad spectrum of software-related topics. The conference covered fundamentals on designing, implementing, testing, validating and maintaining various kinds of software. Several tracks were proposed to treat the topics from theory to practice, in terms of methodologies, design, implementation, testing, use cases, tools, and lessons learned. The conference topics covered classical and advanced methodologies, open source, agile software, as well as software deployment and software economics and education. Other advanced aspects are related to on-time practical aspects, such as run-time vulnerability checking, rejuvenation process, updates partial or temporary feature deprecation, software deployment and configuration, and on-line software updates. These aspects trigger implications related to patenting, licensing, engineering education, new ways for software adoption and improvement, and ultimately, to software knowledge management. There are many advanced applications requiring robust, safe, and secure software: disaster recovery applications, vehicular systems, biomedical-related software, biometrics related software, mission critical software, E-health related software, crisis-situation software. These applications require appropriate software engineering techniques, metrics and formalisms, such as, software reuse, appropriate software quality metrics, composition and integration, consistency checking, model checking, provers and reasoning. The nature of research in software varies slightly with the specific discipline researchers work in, yet there is much common ground and room for a sharing of best practice, frameworks, tools, languages and methodologies. Despite the number of experts we have available, little work is done at the meta level, that is examining how we go about our research, and how this process can be improved. There are questions related to the choice of programming language, IDEs and documentation styles and standard. Reuse can be of great benefit to research projects yet reuse of prior research projects introduces special problems that need to be mitigated. The research environment is a mix of creativity and systematic approach which leads to a creative tension that needs to be managed or at least monitored. Much of the coding in any university is undertaken by research students or young researchers. Issues of skills training, development and quality control can have significant effects on an entire department. In an industrial research setting, the environment is not quite that of industry as a whole, nor does it follow the pattern set by the university. The unique approaches and issues of industrial research may hold lessons for researchers in other domains. We take here the opportunity to warmly thank all the members of the ICSEA 2022 technical program committee, as well as all the reviewers. The creation of such a high-quality conference program would not have been possible without their involvement. We also kindly thank all the authors who dedicated much of their time and effort to contribute to ICSEA 2022. We truly believe that, thanks to all these efforts, the final conference program consisted of top-quality contributions. We also thank the members of the ICSEA 2022 organizing committee for their help in handling the logistics of this event. We hope that ICSEA 2022 was a successful international forum for the exchange of ideas and results between academia and industry and for the promotion of progress in software engineering advances

School transfer from primary to secondary education: a survey into the feelings of children transferring from primary to secondary education and the perceptions of parents and teachers.

School transfer is one of a host of changes in our life. In fact, our whole life from birth to death, is a continuum of transitional stages. From birth to childhood, from home to nursery, from nursery to primary school, from primary school to secondary education, from secondary school to further and higher education. All these, in the area of the academic life of a person. Moving away from academia into the professional world, we meet another big area of transitions, in which one has to move from one job to another or from one position to a higher one. In the social sphere, one has to move from childhood to adolescence, and then on, into the cycle of family life, where one usually has to play the role of spouse, parent and grandparent. Measor and Woods (1984), point out that the concept of a status passage, originated from Van Gennep's work, The Rites of Passage (1960), and later was developed by Glaser and Strauss (1971). They add that 'It refers to transition in life wherein people undergo a change in status, whether it be from being alive to being dead (Glaser and Strauss's own example, 1968), from being a childless woman to being divorced (Hart 1976), from being a naive recruit to becoming a trained bread salesman (Ditton 1977) ( p159). Most of the above changes are largely considered as a natural course or, at least, a necessary transitional stage in one's life and, therefore, are usually taken for granted. However, school transfer, and especially the transitional period between primary and secondary school, is considered a very crucial stage in schooling. This because the two sectors of education are characterized by marked differences, while at the same time this transitional stage coincides with the passage from childhood to adolescence. Hence, the huge interest in the subject, in the way of research and the abundant literature that has been generated (Nisbet and Entwistle 1966; Nisbet and Entwistle 1969; Sumnera and Bradley 1977; Johnson and Ransom 1983; Measor and Woods (op. cit. ); Gorwood 1986; Youngman 1986; Psaltis 1999; Michaelidhou 2000; Psaltis 2000; Psaltis 2001; Pellegrini and Long 2002; Psaltis 2002; Psaltis 2002b). In the words of Measor and Woods (op. cit ), 'For many pupils, it might be thought that the transfer will appear a continuous, natural process, stepping off with eager anticipation from one status with easy assurance on to the next in one movement. But, it is in fact, vastly more complicated' (ibid. ). Curriculum continuity is a major factor in the transition (Gorwood op. cit. ), but other factors such as intellectual, social organizational and environmental (Measor and Woods op. cit. ) play an important role in school transfer from primary to secondary education. Yet, for some, school transfer is a challenge or a fresh start (Dowling 1986), while for others it is a distressing experience (Youngman 1978), or a trauma (Spelman, 1979). In connection, the Plowden Committee (1967), observed that 'children, like adults, enjoy and are stimulated by novelty and change', but also went on to stress the need for adequate preparation for transition and the importance of avoiding sudden changes if the change were in fact to stimulate and not dishearten, (par. 427). Still, some consider transfer as an event, but others view it as a process. In most schools, the number of people involved in transition is at best restricted to a member of the Senior Management Team (from now on SMT) aided by a few volunteer teachers and at worst, to nobody. Visits to secondary schools by top year primary school pupils is, at best, the most popular function, which is initiated either by the receiving or the feeder schools, as a measure towards easing the school transfer process. At worst, nothing is done. At any rate, I have known of no school that considers school transfer as a whole school activity. My approach is this and with my work, I am hoping to add an alternative dimension to the problem defined as the gap between primary and secondary education, by providing the principles for the development of a comprehensive Induction Programme (Appendix A)

Review : Best Practices In Educating Sustainability and Heritage

This result has been produced as a part of O1 INTELECTUAL OUTPUT "01: Review of the Best Practices on Educating Sustainability and Heritage" within HERSUS project, Erasmus + Strategic Partnerships for higher education

An Investigation into Playful Interactive Experiences within Public Space

This investigation aimed to produce methods of regeneration for underutilised public areas, encouraging social and spatial interactions through play permission. Approached from an interdisciplinary perspective, design and artistic installation merge with social science. Central skills of communication develop at a young age where play is a major contributor, but in a globalised world interactions are increasingly ‘virtual’ rather than physical. Research hypothesis suggests playful designs as catalysts for change will alter spatial usage and user perceptions, thus creating exciting places for public life. Ideally a ‘playful interactive experience’ is seemingly humorous participatory design unexpectedly intervening with public space, allowing participation with an ephemeral experience. Investigation contributions are frameworks for the creation and evaluation of playful interactive experiences, to be utilised at academic or professional levels, aiming for: playful environment creation, and analysis of user interactions. Design for research methodology tested framework parameters through the utilisation of design artefacts. Multiple methods were employed to triangulate results: onsite questionnaires, focus groups, and professional interviews provided the study with public and professional opinions. Secondly, observational behavioural mapping displays visual and statistical outcomes for data comparison. Modified user perception, increased usage and positive social engagements reveal that: play permission implemented correctly is a successful method for place creation. Conclusions indicate that humorous outcomes can be enjoyed by all as economic, fun and non traditional solutions to ‘placemaking.’ Findings allowed for framework development in their concluding form. Future recommendations suggest a handbook detailing the playful interactive experience. New questions prompt discussions into: impacts on anti-social behaviour, continued employment over greater time periods and additional spatial settings. This research was carried out by De Montfort University, aided by Frederick University and Urban Gorillas, NGO. It was an investigation into playful interactive experiences with intentions of improving sociability and perceptions, promoting creativity and usage within underutilised public spaces