Monotone Precision and Recall Measures for Comparing Executions and Specifications of Dynamic Systems

The behavioural comparison of systems is an important concern of software engineering research. For example, the areas of specification discovery and specification mining are concerned with measuring the consistency between a collection of execution traces and a program specification. This problem is also tackled in process mining with the help of measures that describe the quality of a process specification automatically discovered from execution logs. Though various measures have been proposed, it was recently demonstrated that they neither fulfil essential properties, such as monotonicity, nor can they handle infinite behaviour. In this paper, we address this research problem by introducing a new framework for the definition of behavioural quotients. We proof that corresponding quotients guarantee desired properties that existing measures have failed to support. We demonstrate the application of the quotients for capturing precision and recall measures between a collection of recorded executions and a system specification. We use a prototypical implementation of these measures to contrast their monotonic assessment with measures that have been defined in prior research

CBR and MBR techniques: review for an application in the emergencies domain

The purpose of this document is to provide an in-depth analysis of current reasoning engine practice and the integration strategies of Case Based Reasoning and Model Based Reasoning that will be used in the design and development of the RIMSAT system. RIMSAT (Remote Intelligent Management Support and Training) is a European Commission funded project designed to: a.. Provide an innovative, 'intelligent', knowledge based solution aimed at improving the quality of critical decisions b.. Enhance the competencies and responsiveness of individuals and organisations involved in highly complex, safety critical incidents - irrespective of their location. In other words, RIMSAT aims to design and implement a decision support system that using Case Base Reasoning as well as Model Base Reasoning technology is applied in the management of emergency situations. This document is part of a deliverable for RIMSAT project, and although it has been done in close contact with the requirements of the project, it provides an overview wide enough for providing a state of the art in integration strategies between CBR and MBR technologies.Postprint (published version

Study of space shuttle environmental control and life support problems

Four problem areas were treated: (1) cargo module environmental control and life support systems; (2) space shuttle/space station interfaces; (3) thermal control considerations for payloads; and (4) feasibility of improving system reusability

The Emerging Importance of Social Visibility in Defining a Particular Social Group and Its Potential Impact on Asylum Claims Related to Sexual Orientation and Gender

An emerging issue in U.S. asylum claims based on membership in a particular social group is the relevance of social visibility in determining whether such a group exists. Of the five protected grounds for asylum, membership in a particular social group has always generated the most debate. In 2002, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) issued guidelines that present the protected characteristic and social perception approaches as alternative ways of establishing a particular social group, instructing States Parties to the 1951 Refugee Convention (the Convention ) to determine first if there is a protected characteristic and, only if no such characteristic exists, to determine whether the group is recognized by society. The author argues that adjudicators should reject the social visibility approach because it destroys Acosta\u27s principled framework, represents an abdication of U.S. obligations under the 1967 Protocol, cannot be applied in a consistent way, and ignores the complex relationship between visibility and power

Designing for Socially Acceptable Security Technologies

Security technologies (STs) are increasingly being positioned, developed, and implemented as technological-fixes for addressing crime; never more so than in the wake of the numerous terrorist attacks beginning with September 11th 2001. However, despite the purported security benefits afforded citizens by these technologies, their smooth assimilation into society is never assured. STs which evoke social controversy and resistance fail to survive unscathed over the mid- to long-term; subjected instead to enforced modification, restrictions on acquisition, restrictions on use, or in the worst case scenario - outright banning. Such controversies can negatively affect the companies designing these STs, end-users who employ them, governments who authorise them, and citizens whose security may genuinely remain compromised. The aim of this thesis is to assist the developers and designers of STs in anticipating and mitigating negative societal responses to their technologies upstream in the design process. The logic being that; by targeting STs before they are completed those elements of design most likely to evoke controversy can be modified, which in turn will produce STs the public are more likely to afford legitimacy through acceptance. To achieve this aim, three objectives were set. The first was to identify the causes of social controversies arising from the design and operation of STs. Through repeated focussed case-studies of previous controversial STs a taxonomy of forty-three commonalities of controversy was produced. The second goal was to generate guidelines for the development of future methodological design-tools that could be produced to assist those developing STs in identifying these controversies. This was achieved by conducting interviews with scientists and engineers actively involved in the design and production of STs. Finally, this taxonomy and guidelines were applied to produce two prototypes of potential design tools; with one subsequently applied to an ongoing ST design project

Engineering handbook

1998 handbook for the faculty of Engineerin

Engineering handbook

1998 handbook for the faculty of Engineerin

The Essence of Software Engineering

Software Engineering; Software Development; Software Processes; Software Architectures; Software Managemen