Weaving Rules into [email protected] for Embedded Smart Systems

Smart systems are characterised by their ability to analyse measured data in live and to react to changes according to expert rules. Therefore, such systems exploit appropriate data models together with actions, triggered by domain-related conditions. The challenge at hand is that smart systems usually need to process thousands of updates to detect which rules need to be triggered, often even on restricted hardware like a Raspberry Pi. Despite various approaches have been investigated to efficiently check conditions on data models, they either assume to fit into main memory or rely on high latency persistence storage systems that severely damage the reactivity of smart systems. To tackle this challenge, we propose a novel composition process, which weaves executable rules into a data model with lazy loading abilities. We quantitatively show, on a smart building case study, that our approach can handle, at low latency, big sets of rules on top of large-scale data models on restricted hardware.Comment: pre-print version, published in the proceedings of MOMO-17 Worksho

The Archive Query Log: Mining Millions of Search Result Pages of Hundreds of Search Engines from 25 Years of Web Archives

The Archive Query Log (AQL) is a previously unused, comprehensive query log collected at the Internet Archive over the last 25 years. Its first version includes 356 million queries, 166 million search result pages, and 1.7 billion search results across 550 search providers. Although many query logs have been studied in the literature, the search providers that own them generally do not publish their logs to protect user privacy and vital business data. Of the few query logs publicly available, none combines size, scope, and diversity. The AQL is the first to do so, enabling research on new retrieval models and (diachronic) search engine analyses. Provided in a privacy-preserving manner, it promotes open research as well as more transparency and accountability in the search industry.Comment: SIGIR 2023 resource paper, 13 page

Improving Transfer-of-Training with Learning Management Systems: Where We Are and Where We Should Be

Because of increased job requirements, workforce flexibility and lifelong learning, corporate training services have grown into a key approach for improving organizational performance. Transfer-of-training is a key output of these services, defined as the application and generalization of new competences at work acquired in training._x000D_ Today corporate trainings focus on blended learning by combining learning technologies and face-to-face scenarios. Despite the growing prevalence of blended learning, the extent of transfer-of-training support by IT-based learning management system solutions has not yet been sufficiently addressed in research._x000D_ We first evaluate to which extent the leading learning management system solutions provide support for transfer-of-training. We do so by building on evaluation criteria that have been developed in a process of theory-driven design and industry requirements. Based on the findings we propose areas for future research and development opportunities where evidence based design knowledge is needed to extend the capabilities of learning management systems

A Formal Approach for the Verification of AWS IAM Access Control Policies

Part 3: SecurityInternational audienceCloud computing offers elastic, scalable and on-demand network access to a shared pool of computing resources, such as storage, computation and others. Resources can be rapidly and elastically provisioned and the users pay for what they use. One of the major challenges in Cloud computing adoption is security and in this paper we address one important security aspect, the Cloud authorization. We have provided a formal Attribute Based Access Control (ABAC) model, that is based on Event-Calculus and is able to model and verify Amazon Web Services (AWS) Identity and Access Management (IAM) policies. The proposed approach is expressive and extensible. We have provided generic Event-Calculus modes and provided tool support to automatically convert JSON based IAM policies in Event-Calculus. We have also presented performance evaluation results on actual IAM policies to justify the scalability and practicality of the approach

Intelligent Design using Solar-Climatic Vision : Energy and Comfort Improvement in Architecture and Urban Planning using SOLARCHVISION

Zugleich gedruckt erschienen im Universitätsverlag der TU Berlin: ISBN 978-3-7983-2675-0; ISSN 2193-6099Aufgrund der Verfügbarkeit von Energie, Materialien und Technologien erhöht sich der Wohnkomfort in Gebäuden weltweit. Jedoch stehen wir auch vor dem Problem, dass Gebäude und Städte für einen hohen Anteil des weltweiten Energieverbrauchs verantwortlich sind. Umweltverschmutzung, Wärmeinseleffekte, Klimawandel und globale Erwärmung sind nur einige der vielen Herausforderungen, mit denen die menschliche Rasse, ebenso sowie alles weitere Leben auf der Erde, in Zukunft umgehen muss. In absehbarer Zeit wird diese komplexe globale Situation gründliche, ganzheitliche und örtliche Eingriffe erfordern. Dieses Buch richtet die Aufmerksamkeit auf die Sonne und dadurch auch darauf, wie ein solarklimatisches Konzept die Architektur und Stadtplanung beeinflussen und verbessern kann. Es ist vielleicht noch nicht entdeckt worden wie klein unser Planet doch eigentlich ist und wie groß der Einfluss einer einfachen Entscheidung sein kann, aber vor allem ist es wichtig, dass die Sonne eine wichtige und immer währende Rolle in unserer dynamischen Atmosphäre spielt und dies als Grundlage bei der Suche von Lösungsansätzen erkannt und angewandt wird. Neben Architekten, Kunden und Bauherren sowie Planern, Kommunen und allen anderen Personen die Entscheidungen über die Planung treffen, spielen die in den Gebäuden und Städten Lebenden auch eine Rolle, nicht als Nutzer, sondern als Erzeuger und Betreuer, und auch sie haben eine gewisse Verantwortung. Daher sollten alle Optimierungen neuer Bauten, Modifikationen von Bestandsgebäuden und Stadtstrukturen auf globaler Ebene Bezug auf die Sonne und auf zukünftige Bedürfnisse nehmen. Das Ziel sollte es sein, die Energieeffizienz, Gesundheit, Komfort und Sicherheit in allen Lebensräumen, ob drinnen oder draußen, zu verbessern. In dieser Hinsicht sind die Analyse der aktuellen Situation, die Prognose zukünftiger Szenarien und die Entwicklung intelligenter Alternativen grundlegende Schritte. Der Einsatz von modernen Baustoffen und Technologien sowie Simulationswerkzeugen kann die Energieeffizienz und Leistungsfähigkeit eines Gebäudes verbessern. Es ist jedoch wichtig zu verstehen wann, wo und wie sie am besten in der architektonischen Gestaltung angewendet werden können, um ein ansprechendes Layout mit einer hohen Leistung für eine Vielzahl von architektonischen Aspekten zu erreichen und in Bezug auf Energieeffizienz, Tageslichtversorgung und internen Komfort ein optimales Ergebnis zu erzielen. Obwohl heute viele schon das Anbringen von Solar-Kollektoren und PV-Modulen auf Gebäudedächern und Fassaden als "Solararchitektur" betrachten, ist dies nur eine der komplexen Aufgaben in diesem Feld der Architektur. Tatsächlich beinhaltet die Solararchitektur die gesamte Komplexität der Architektur auf unterschiedlichen Ebenen. Außerdem hat sie sehr genau auf bestimmte Sachverhalte zu reagieren, welche aus den vielerorts aktuell geringen Energiekosten anderer Energiequellen resultieren. Neben der Reduzierung von Baukosten sollten andere wertvolle Verbesserungen, resultierend aus solar klimatischen Überlegungen, im Entwurf hervorgehoben und verglichen werden. In der Tat kann eine Optimierung verschiedener Elemente während des Design-Prozesses, wie z.B. Solarflächen, Baukörpern und Bäumen, nicht notwendigerweise die Baukosten steigern, jedoch dabei helfen unnütze oder überdimensionierte Elemente zu identifizieren. Neben der Verbesserung der Energieeffizienzaspekte einzelner Gebäude kann eine zuverlässige integrierte solarklimatische Planung zu weiteren Qualitäten der Lebensräume führen. Überall auf der Welt müssen wir uns auf mehr und mehr schockierende Nachrichten und jährliche Rekordwerte vorbereiten, wenn weiterhin viele Gebäude mit wenig Aufmerksamkeit auf die Sonne gebaut werden. In Stadtteilen auf urbaner Städteebene kann die unzureichende Analyse und unklare Entscheidungen über Baukörper und Orientierung die Potenziale und Leistung interner und externer Räume im Bezug auf Energieproduktion, Energiebedarf, Tageslicht, Gesundheit, Komfort und Sicherheit auf lange Zeit beeinflussen. Dieses Buch enthält ein Jahrzehnt SOLARCHVISION Praktiken darüber, wie die Architektur und Stadtplanung mit dem konstanten Weg und den variablen Auswirkungen der Sonne an jedem Standort angepasst werden kann. Das Teilen dieser Vision kann Architekten, Stadtplanern und Kunden helfen, zielgenauere Entscheidungen über energie- und klimarelevante Fragen zu treffen. Nach der Vorstellung grundlegender Diagramme zu verschiedenen Städten auf der ganzen Welt (z.B. die Sonnenwege, Sonneneinstrahlung und Temperaturmodelle), wird die Rolle eines intelligenten Designs für die Gebäudehülle beschrieben und analysiert im Hinblick auf die Suche nach einer guten Verbindung zwischen Außen und Innen, sowie die direkte und indirekte Nutzung von Sonnenenergie auf verschiedenen Gebäudeflächen. Diese Untersuchungen können neue Ansichten und Strukturen für die Erbauung intelligenter Gebäude und anpassungsfähiger Städte hervorbringen.Thanks to the availability of energy, materials and technologies, the level of comfort in buildings is increasing around the world. However, today we are also facing buildings and cities that are responsible for a high percentage of global energy consumption. Pollution, heat island effect, climate change and global warming are just a few of the challenges that the human race, as well as other living matter on earth, will have to deal with in future. Moreover, as time goes by, we may not necessarily live in healthier conditions with better life styles. Within a limited period, this global and complex situation will need thorough, integrated and local surgery. This book is designed to draw greater attention to the sun and how a solar-climatic vision can influence and improve architectural design and urban planning. It may not have been discovered yet how small our planet is and how big the effect of a simple decision can be, but it is nevertheless important to be reminded of the sun not only as a powerful and perpetual actor in our dynamic atmosphere but also as a basis for figuring out a variety of adaptive solutions that must be identified and followed. In addition to the changes made by architects, clients and builders as well as planners, municipalities and all other persons who make decisions on plans, the role of those who live inside buildings and cities, not as users, but as producers and maintainers, also bear a certain degree of responsibility. Therefore, the optimization of new constructions, the modification of existing buildings and urban fabric should be considered on a global scale in regard to the sun as well as our future needs. The aim should be to improve energy-efficiency, health, comfort and safety in all living spaces, whether indoors or outdoors. In this respect, the analysis of the current situation, forecasting future scenarios and the development of intelligent alternatives are fundamental steps. In terms of energy efficiency, daylight provision and internal comfort, the use of advanced building materials and technologies as well as simulation tools can improve the building envelope and its performance. However, it is important to understand when, where and how they should best be applied to achieve an intelligent form as well as a responsive layout with a high level of performance for other essential aspects, too (e.g. structure, view, operation). Although today many consider “solar architecture” the attaching of solar thermal collectors and PVs to building roofs and facades, this is only one of the complex tasks which should be integrated in the design. In fact, solar architecture incorporates all the complexities of architecture on different scales. Besides, it has to respond accurately to certain issues resulting from the currently low price of other energy sources in many locations. In addition to the reduction of payments, other valuable improvements associated with solar-climatic considerations in the design should be clarified and compared. During the design process, an optimization (i.e. re-arrangement, re-orientation, re-sizing) of different elements, namely solar surfaces (i.e. transparent/opaque surfaces, shading/reflecting devices, collectors), building volumes and trees, does not necessarily increase the construction costs but can help identify deficient or over-designed elements. Alongside improving the energy efficiency aspects of individual buildings, a solar-climatic vision in planning can lead to other qualities for the benefit of small and large-scale living spaces, whether indoors or outdoors. Around the world, we must be prepared for more shocking news and annual records if many continue to build buildings, whether cheap or expensive, with little attention to the sun. In neighborhoods on an urban scale, the insufficient analysis and inaccurate decisions regarding building volumes and orientation can affect the potentials and performance of both internal and external spaces in terms of energy production, energy demand, daylight, health, comfort and safety for long periods of time. This book includes a decade of SOLARCHVISION practices on how architectural design and urban planning can be adapted by the constant path and variable effects of the sun in each location. Sharing such a vision can help architects, urban planners and clients to make more accurate decisions concerning energy and climate-related matters. After presenting fundamental diagrams in different cities around the world (e.g. the sun paths, solar radiation and temperature models), the role of an intelligent design for the building skin is described and analyzed in terms of finding a good relation between outside and inside as well as the direct and indirect collection of solar energy on different building surfaces. This research can bring about new appearances and structures for the creation of smart buildings and responsive cities

A reactive architecture for cloud-based system engineering

PhD ThesisSoftware system engineering is increasingly practised over globally distributed locations. Such a practise is termed as Global Software Development (GSD). GSD has become a business necessity mainly because of the scarcity of resources, cost, and the need to locate development closer to the customers. GSD is highly dependent on requirements management, but system requirements continuously change. Poorly managed change in requirements affects the overall cost, schedule and quality of GSD projects. It is particularly challenging to manage and trace such changes, and hence we require a rigorous requirement change management (RCM) process. RCM is not trivial in collocated software development; and with the presence of geographical, cultural, social and temporal factors, it makes RCM profoundly difficult for GSD. Existing RCM methods do not take into consideration these issues faced in GSD. Considering the state-of-the-art in RCM, design and analysis of architecture, and cloud accountability, this work contributes: 1. an alternative and novel mechanism for effective information and knowledge-sharing towards RCM and traceability. 2. a novel methodology for the design and analysis of small-to-medium size cloud-based systems, with a particular focus on the trade-off of quality attributes. 3. a dependable framework that facilitates the RCM and traceability method for cloud-based system engineering. 4. a novel methodology for assuring cloud accountability in terms of dependability. 5. a cloud-based framework to facilitate the cloud accountability methodology. The results show a traceable RCM linkage between system engineering processes and stakeholder requirements for cloud-based GSD projects, which is better than existing approaches. Also, the results show an improved dependability assurance of systems interfacing with the unpredictable cloud environment. We reach the conclusion that RCM with a clear focus on traceability, which is then facilitated by a dependable framework, improves the chance of developing a cloud-based GSD project successfully

U.S. GAAP financial statements: 67th annual survey 2013 edition

https://egrove.olemiss.edu/aicpa_att/1093/thumbnail.jp

Pervasive computing reference architecture from a software engineering perspective (PervCompRA-SE)

Pervasive computing (PervComp) is one of the most challenging research topics nowadays. Its complexity exceeds the outdated main frame and client-server computation models. Its systems are highly volatile, mobile, and resource-limited ones that stream a lot of data from different sensors. In spite of these challenges, it entails, by default, a lengthy list of desired quality features like context sensitivity, adaptable behavior, concurrency, service omnipresence, and invisibility. Fortunately, the device manufacturers improved the enabling technology, such as sensors, network bandwidth, and batteries to pave the road for pervasive systems with high capabilities. On the other hand, this domain area has gained an enormous amount of attention from researchers ever since it was first introduced in the early 90s of the last century. Yet, they are still classified as visionary systems that are expected to be woven into people’s daily lives. At present, PervComp systems still have no unified architecture, have limited scope of context-sensitivity and adaptability, and many essential quality features are insufficiently addressed in PervComp architectures. The reference architecture (RA) that we called (PervCompRA-SE) in this research, provides solutions for these problems by providing a comprehensive and innovative pair of business and technical architectural reference models. Both models were based on deep analytical activities and were evaluated using different qualitative and quantitative methods. In this thesis we surveyed a wide range of research projects in PervComp in various subdomain areas to specify our methodological approach and identify the quality features in the PervComp domain that are most commonly found in these areas. It presented a novice approach that utilizes theories from sociology, psychology, and process engineering. The thesis analyzed the business and architectural problems in two separate chapters covering the business reference architecture (BRA) and the technical reference architecture (TRA). The solutions for these problems were introduced also in the BRA and TRA chapters. We devised an associated comprehensive ontology with semantic meanings and measurement scales. Both the BRA and TRA were validated throughout the course of research work and evaluated as whole using traceability, benchmark, survey, and simulation methods. The thesis introduces a new reference architecture in the PervComp domain which was developed using a novel requirements engineering method. It also introduces a novel statistical method for tradeoff analysis and conflict resolution between the requirements. The adaptation of the activity theory, human perception theory and process re-engineering methods to develop the BRA and the TRA proved to be very successful. Our approach to reuse the ontological dictionary to monitor the system performance was also innovative. Finally, the thesis evaluation methods represent a role model for researchers on how to use both qualitative and quantitative methods to evaluate a reference architecture. Our results show that the requirements engineering process along with the trade-off analysis were very important to deliver the PervCompRA-SE. We discovered that the invisibility feature, which was one of the envisioned quality features for the PervComp, is demolished and that the qualitative evaluation methods were just as important as the quantitative evaluation methods in order to recognize the overall quality of the RA by machines as well as by human beings

Experimental studies on resistance to fluid displacement in single pores

Understanding the resistance to displacement of one fluid by another in multiphase transport in a porous medium is very beneficial in hydrocarbon exploration and production as well as geological storage of carbon dioxide. Pore resistance behaviour of a porous medium controls the fluxes of fluids through the caprocks over the geological times and therefore directly determines the volume and localization of the hydrocarbons trapped (best locations for exploration) and also the overpressured formation (zone of drilling hazard). In the design for enhanced oil recovery and geological storage, it sets a limit on both the injection pressure and storage capacity of the reservoir to avoid an upward migration of the injected fluid into the overlaying formations. Many investigations have been carried out on the resistance to porous media flows for decades, yet the understanding of the individual factors affecting it is not complete, because most studies were carried out on core samples, whereas flow resistance depends on the flow details at the pore scale. For example, two core samples may have same porosity but different pore size. This research focused on advancing the understanding of resistance to multiphase displacement in a porous medium, using the pressure profile of interface flow through single pores, to measure the resistance to two-phase flow and then link the impact of pore geometry, surface tension, fluid properties, and wettability, on the pressure profile to the displacement process, in order to fill the noticed gap of knowledge. Experiments conducted in this research using tapered capillaries revealed that the resistance to two-phase flow is significantly higher than the single phase resistance and the pore throat of a porous medium is not just determined by a group of smallest pore sizes as understood using core samples, but by response of critical effective pore diameter to resistance to two-phase interface flow. The initiation of a pore throat is characterised by a drastic increase in the resistant pressure at the effective pore size. The effective pore diameter is generally less than 500 μm and increases with the pore tip diameter and the capillary gradient, interfacial tension, but decreased by surfactants. Viscosity does not have any significant effect on the effective pore diameter. The study also revealed a relationship between pore contact angle and pore throat; pore contact angle is maximum and remains fairly constant at the pore throat. The overall outcome of this research is a significant contribution to the influence of pore geometry on the resistance to porous media flows

U.S. GAAP Financial Statements Best Practices in Presentation and Disclosure, 2014/15, 68th edition; Accounting Trends & Techniques

https://egrove.olemiss.edu/aicpa_att/1095/thumbnail.jp