Automating the Object-Oriented Software Development Process: Workshop Report

Cost-effective realization of robust, adaptable and reusable software systems demands efficient and effective management of the overall software production process. Current object-oriented methods are not completely formalized and lack the ability of reasoning about the quality of processes and software products (artifacts). There is a need for new modeling formalisms, which enable the quantification of the required quality attributes and support the automation of the object-oriented development process (AOOSD). The ECOOP'98 AOOSD workshop was organized to identify the important issues in this direction

Engineering visualization utilizing advanced animation

Engineering visualization is the use of computer graphics to depict engineering analysis and simulation in visual form from project planning through documentation. Graphics displays let engineers see data represented dynamically which permits the quick evaluation of results. The current state of graphics hardware and software generally allows the creation of two types of 3D graphics. The use of animated video as an engineering visualization tool is presented. The engineering, animation, and videography aspects of animated video production are each discussed. Specific issues include the integration of staffing expertise, hardware, software, and the various production processes. A detailed explanation of the animation process reveals the capabilities of this unique engineering visualization method. Automation of animation and video production processes are covered and future directions are proposed

Automated Generation of Executable RPA Scripts from User Interface Logs

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) operates on the user interface (UI) of software applications and automates - by means of a software (SW) robot - mouse and keyboard interactions to remove intensive routine tasks (or simply routines). With the recent advances in Artificial Intelligence, the automation of routines is expected to undergo a radical transformation. Nonetheless, to date, the RPA tools available in the market are not able to automatically learn to automate such routines, thus requiring the support of skilled human experts that observe and interpret how routines are executed on the UIs of the applications. Being the current practice time-consuming and error-prone, in this paper we present SmartRPA, a cross-platform tool that tackles such issues by exploiting UI logs to automatically generate executable RPA scripts that automate the routines enactment by SW robots

Developing a flexible automated continuous downstream processing system for research to clinical supply

Continuous manufacturing has gained a lot of attention over the last 10-15 years for numerous reasons such as the potential for higher efficiencies, reduced cost of goods, and improved product quality. However, the adoption of these technologies has been slow due to concerns over operating these processes in a GMP manufacturing environment. Some of these concerns relate to the operation of multiple continuous unit operations in an integrated process sequence. This presentation will highlight these concerns and show how these issues were addressed by developing an overarching automated and modular platform which can be easily adapted for processing most products. The developed automation platform is the result of a project funded by Innovate UK that brings together a number of biopharmaceutical companies including Allergan, AstraZeneca, Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies and GSK to identify and address these issues. One objective of the project is to develop a flexible automated biologics downstream process consisting of multiple unit operations that can be rapidly reconfigured for manufacturing different products. To that end the process has been design with modularity in mind with each module having common inputs and outputs. The automation software has also been developed in a way that most typical downstream processes can be implemented in the system with little to no software updates. The ability to rapidly reconfigure the process has been demonstrated by using the system to produce two products with different process sequences. Another issue that inhibits the adoption of continuous technologies is the concern over simultaneously operating multiple unit operations. This presentation will detail how the automation software was developed to control both the key unit operations such as chromatography and filtration steps but also intermediate operations such as feed conditioning and viral inactivation steps. The automated system reduces the complexity of downstream processes, which can have in excess of eleven unit operations, to a single user-friendly interface. Implementing this control platform enables a single operator to control the entire process. This presentation will also detail how the automation strategy has been developed to enable a single operator to deal with start-up/shutdown, perturbations in the process and mid-process equipment turnover. It will highlight the challenges that have been faced when developing this system and how these have been overcome. The aim of this project was to improve efficiency by reducing processing time when compared to the current batch process and this was demonstrated by testing the system with two different products (a MAb and a MAb fusion protein). Furthermore, this presentation with show data from the production of these two products that demonstrates comparability between the continuous process and the original batch processes

Developing a flexible automated continuous downstream processing system for research to clinical supply

Continuous manufacturing has gained a lot of attention over the last 10-15 years for numerous reasons such as the potential for higher efficiencies, reduced cost of goods, and improved product quality. However, the adoption of these technologies has been slow due to concerns over operating these processes in a GMP manufacturing environment. Some of these concerns relate to the operation of multiple continuous unit operations in an integrated process sequence. This presentation will highlight these concerns and show how these issues were addressed by developing an overarching automated and modular platform which can be easily reconfigured for processing most products. The developed automation platform is the result of a project funded by Innovate UK that brings together a number of biopharmaceutical companies including Allergan, AstraZeneca, Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies and GSK to identify and address these issues. One objective of the project is to develop a flexible automated biologics downstream process consisting of multiple unit operations that can be rapidly reconfigured for manufacturing different products. To that end the process has been design with modularity in mind with each module having common inputs and outputs. The automation software has also been developed in a way that most typical downstream processes can be implemented in the system with little to no software updates. The ability to rapidly reconfigure the process has been demonstrated by using the system to produce three products with different process sequences. Another issue that inhibits the adoption of continuous technologies is the concern over simultaneously operating multiple unit operations. This presentation will detail how the automation software was developed to control both the key unit operations such as chromatography and filtration steps but also intermediate operations such as feed conditioning and viral inactivation steps. The automated system reduces the complexity of downstream processes, which can have in excess of eleven unit operations, to a single user-friendly interface. Implementing this control platform enables a single operator to control the entire process. This presentation will also detail how the automation strategy has been developed to enable a single operator to deal with start-up/shutdown, perturbations in the process and mid-process equipment turnover. It will highlight the challenges that have been faced when developing this system and how these have been overcome. The aim of this project was to improve efficiency by reducing processing time when compared to the current batch process and this was demonstrated by testing the system with three different products (a MAb and a MAb fusion protein). Furthermore, this presentation with show data from the production of three products that demonstrates comparability between the continuous process and the original batch processes. It will then detail how this was used to demonstrate the production of a large-scale clinical batch run

SPEM 2.0 extension for pervasive information systems

Pervasive computing is a research field of computing technology that aims to achieve a new computing paradigm. In this paradigm, the physical environment has a high degree of pervasiveness and availability of computers and other information technology (IT) devices, usually with communication capabilities. Pervasive Information Systems (PIS), composed by these kinds of devices, bring issues that challenge software development for them. Model-Driven Development (MDD), strongly focusing and relying on models, has the potential to allow: the use of concepts closer to the domain and the reduction of semantic gaps; higher automation and lower dependency to technological changes; higher capture of expert knowledge and reuse; an overall increased productivity. Along with the focus and use of models, software development processes are fundamental to efficient development efforts of successful software systems. For the description of processes, Software & Systems Process Engineering Meta-Model Specification (SPEM) is the current standard specification published by the Object Management Group (OMG). This paper presents an extension to SPEM (version 2.0) Base Plug-In Profile that includes stereotypes needed to support a suitable structural process organization for MDD approaches aiming to develop software for PIS. A case study is provided to evaluate the applicability of the extension

The Semantic Grid: A future e-Science infrastructure

e-Science offers a promising vision of how computer and communication technology can support and enhance the scientific process. It does this by enabling scientists to generate, analyse, share and discuss their insights, experiments and results in an effective manner. The underlying computer infrastructure that provides these facilities is commonly referred to as the Grid. At this time, there are a number of grid applications being developed and there is a whole raft of computer technologies that provide fragments of the necessary functionality. However there is currently a major gap between these endeavours and the vision of e-Science in which there is a high degree of easy-to-use and seamless automation and in which there are flexible collaborations and computations on a global scale. To bridge this practice–aspiration divide, this paper presents a research agenda whose aim is to move from the current state of the art in e-Science infrastructure, to the future infrastructure that is needed to support the full richness of the e-Science vision. Here the future e-Science research infrastructure is termed the Semantic Grid (Semantic Grid to Grid is meant to connote a similar relationship to the one that exists between the Semantic Web and the Web). In particular, we present a conceptual architecture for the Semantic Grid. This architecture adopts a service-oriented perspective in which distinct stakeholders in the scientific process, represented as software agents, provide services to one another, under various service level agreements, in various forms of marketplace. We then focus predominantly on the issues concerned with the way that knowledge is acquired and used in such environments since we believe this is the key differentiator between current grid endeavours and those envisioned for the Semantic Grid

SIT automation tool: failure use case automation and diagnosis

Study of systems to manage the performance and quality of service of wireless data networks. Work with optimization techniques and project management to solve complex networks issues.The scope of this thesis is the SIT (System Integration Testing) process which is the testing procedure executed in customer test environment before the software goes on production environment. The main objective for this thesis is no other than improving the current process step by step taking into account the automation, efficiency, missing checks and much more. This project is a kind of Industrial process to create a powerful testing tool which can allow the company to deliver quality adaptor products efficiently, do better in less time helping to reduce costs, as Adaptors are the most demanded product of MYCOM OSI portfolio. Take into account that business is not only generated when an Adaptor is delivered for first time but also when Vendors provide with new releases and new functionalities and operators needs to order an upgrade of the Adaptor to be able to monitor the new functionalities deployed on their network.El campo de aplicación en el que está centrado esta tesis es el SIT (System Integration Testing), proceso de testeo ejecutado en un servidor de testeo del cliente antes de desplegar el software el medio de producción. El objetivo principal de esta tesis no es otro que mejorar el proceso actual paso a paso teniendo en cuenta la automatización, eficiencia, la falta de verificaciones, entre otros. Este proyecto es una especie de proceso industrial para crear una aplicación potente de testeo que pueda permitir a la compañía entregar adaptadores de calidad con eficiencia, que hagan más en menos tiempo ayudando así a reducir costes. Los adaptadores son el producto más demandado del porfolio de MYCOM OSI. Hay que tener en cuenta que el negocio no se genera solamente cuando se entrega por primera vez el adaptador al cliente, sino que cuando los proveedores lanzan nuevas versiones con nuevas funcionalidades y los operadores necesitan encargar una mejora del adaptador para poder monitorizar las nuevas funcionalidades desplegadas en su red.El camp d'aplicació en que es basa aquesta tesi és el SIT (System Integration Testing), procés de testeig executat en un servidor de testeig del client abans de desplegar el software al mitjà de producció. L'objectiu principal d'aquesta tesi no és un altre que millorar el procés actual pas a pas tenint en compte l'automatització, l'eficiència, la falta de verificacions, d'entre altres. Aquest projecte és una mena de procés industrial per crear una aplicació potent de testeig que pugui permetre a la companyia lliurar adaptadors de qualitat amb eficiència, que facin més en menys temps ajudant així a reduir costos. Els adaptadors són el producte més demandat del porfolio de MYCOM OSI. Cal tenir en compte que el negoci no només es genera quan es lliura per primera vegada l'adaptador al client, sinó que quan els proveïdors llancen noves versions amb noves funcionalitats i els operadors necessiten encarregar una millora de l'adaptador per poder monitoritzar les noves funcionalitats desplegades a la seva xarxa

Requirements for building information modeling based lean production management systems for construction

Smooth flow of production in construction is hampered by disparity between individual trade teams' goals and the goals of stable production flow for the project as a whole. This is exacerbated by the difficulty of visualizing the flow of work in a construction project. While the addresses some of the issues in Building information modeling provides a powerful platform for visualizing work flow in control systems that also enable pull flow and deeper collaboration between teams on and off site. The requirements for implementation of a BIM-enabled pull flow construction management software system based on the Last Planner System™, called ‘KanBIM’, have been specified, and a set of functional mock-ups of the proposed system has been implemented and evaluated in a series of three focus group workshops. The requirements cover the areas of maintenance of work flow stability, enabling negotiation and commitment between teams, lean production planning with sophisticated pull flow control, and effective communication and visualization of flow. The evaluation results show that the system holds the potential to improve work flow and reduce waste by providing both process and product visualization at the work face