Qualifying chains of transformation with coverage based evaluation criteria

Abstract. In Model-Driven Engineering (MDE) the development of complex and large transformations can benefit from the reuse of smaller ones that can be composed according to user requirements. Composing transformations is a complex problem: typically smaller transformations are discovered and selected by developers from different and heterogeneous sources. Then the identified transformations are chained by means of manual and error-prone composition processes. Based on our approach, when we propose one or more transformation chains to the user, it is difficult for him to choose one path instead of another without considering the semantic properties of a transformation. In this paper when multiple chains are proposed to the user, according to his requirements, we propose an approach to classify these suitable chains with respect to the coverage of the metamodels involved in the transformation. Based on coverage value, we are able to qualify the transformation chains with an evaluation criteria which gives as an indication of how much information a transformation chain covers over another

Modeling Service Level Agreements with Linked USDL Agreement

Nowadays, service trading over the Web is gaining momentum. In this highly dynamic scenario, both providers and consumers need to formalize their contractual and legal relationship, creating service level agreements. Although there exist some proposals that provide models to describe that relationship, they usually only cover technical aspects, not providing explicit semantics to the agreement terms. Furthermore, these models cannot be effectively shared on the Web, since they do not actually follow Web principles. These drawbacks hamper take-up and automatic analysis. In this article, we introduce Linked USDL Agreement, a semantic model to specify, manage and share service level agreement descriptions on the Web. This model is part of the Linked USDL family of ontologies that can describe not only technical but also business related aspects of services, incorporating Web principles. We validate our proposal by describing agreements in computational and non-computational scenarios, namely cloud computing and business process outsourcing services. Moreover, we evaluate the actual coverage and expressiveness of Linked USDL Agreement comparing it with existing models. In order to foster its adoption and effectively manage the service level agreement lifecycle, we present an implemented tool that supports creation, automatic analysis, and publication on the Web of agreement descriptions.Junta de Andalucía P12-TIC-1867Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad TIN2012-32273Junta de Andalucía TIC-5906Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad TIN2015-70560-RComisión Europea FP7-ICT 31786

Gray Box Coverage Criteria for Testing Graph Pattern Matching

Model transformations (MT) are a core building block of Model-Driven Engineering. The quality of MT specifications and implementations is vital to their success. The well-researched formal underpinning of graph transformation (GT) theory allows for proving quality-relevant properties and enables stringent implementations. Yet, in practice, MT implementations often depend on verification/validation techniques based on dynamic testing. This work presents a new gray box coverage approach for systematic testing of GT-based MT implementations and pattern specifications. The approach uses GT specifics and  enforces systematic testing by examining variable binding and unbinding steps, thereby not making further assumptions about the underlying pattern matching algorithm. A family of coverage criteria is defined as temporal logic (LTL) formulae, and the  effectiveness of concrete criteria in limiting the testing effort is examined by an example

Funeral Services: The Industry, Its Workforce, and Labor Standards

CRS_February_2005_Funeral_Services_Industry_Workforce_Labor_Standards.pdf: 7801 downloads, before Oct. 1, 2020

Computational Methods Generating High-Resolution Views of Complex Structure-Activity Relationships

The analysis of structure-activity relationships (SARs) of small bioactive compounds is a central task in medicinal chemistry and pharmaceutical research. The study of SARs is in principle not limited to computational methods, however, as data sets rapidly grow in size, advanced computational approaches become indispensable for SAR analysis. Activity landscapes are one of the preferred and widely used computational models to study large-scale SARs. Activity cliffs are cardinal features of activity landscape representations and are thought to contain high SAR information content. This work addresses major challenges in systematic SAR exploration and specifically focuses on the design of novel activity landscape models and comprehensive activity cliff analysis. In the first part of the thesis, two conceptually different activity landscape representations are introduced for compounds active against multiple targets. These models are designed to provide an intuitive graphical access to compounds forming single and multi-target activity cliffs and displaying multi-target SAR characteristics. Further, a systematic analysis of the frequency and distribution of activity cliffs is carried out. In addition, a large-scale data mining effort is designed to quantify and analyze fingerprint-dependent changes in SAR information. The second part of this work is dedicated to the concept of activity cliffs and their utility in the practice of medicinal chemistry. Therefore, a computational approach is introduced to search for detectable SAR advantages associated with activity cliffs. In addition, the question is investigated to what extent activity cliffs might be utilized as starting points in practical compound optimization efforts. Finally, all activity cliff configurations formed by currently available bioactive compounds are thoroughly examined. These configurations are further classified and their frequency of occurrence and target distribution are determined. Furthermore, the activity cliff concept is extended to explore the relation between chemical structures and compound promiscuity. The notion of promiscuity cliffs is introduced to deduce structural modifications that might induce large-magnitude promiscuity effects

Moving towards employment insurance: Unemployment insurance and employment protection in the OECD

The report takes issue with the large debate of social security systems and particularly the large expenditure devoted to unemployment insurance in most OECD countries. From the perspective of transitional labour markets we analyse the corresponding welfare regime focusing on employment and unemployment transitions. We propose a restructuring of national social security systems towards an employment insurance system. This entails a considerable reorganisation of most current social security systems mainly unemployment insurance, employment protection, pension systems, household work and life-long learning. We advocate an integrated view of employment protection and unemployment insurance systems which yields three major types of employment insurance systems in the OECD (comprehensive institutional data base in Appendix). Subsequently we discuss major recent changes in unemployment insurance systems throughout the OECD in view of their contribution towards the development of an Employment Insurance. Despite severe financial constraints on national levels, decentralisation and regionalisation of provision gives a new flavour to the ambitious goal of a right to work and its implementation. -- Der Bericht will einen Beitrag leisten zu der Reform der sozialen Sicherungssysteme. Er befasst sich besonders mit den hohen Ausgaben für Arbeitslosenversicherungen in den meisten OECD-Ländern. Ausgehend von der Perspektive der Übergangsarbeitsmärkte untersuchen wir die damit verbundenen Wohlfahrtsregime mit besonderem Blick auf Beschäftigungs- und Arbeitslosigkeitsübergänge. Wir schlagen ein Überdenken der nationalen sozialen Sicherungssysteme im Hinblick auf ein Beschäftigung sicherndes Gesamtsystem vor. Dies würde eine beachtliche Reorganisation der meisten gegenwärtigen sozialen Sicherungssysteme bedeuten, insbesondere der Arbeitslosenversicherung, des Beschäftigungsschutzes, der Alterssicherung, der Haushaltsarbeit und des lebenslangen Lernens. Wir befürworten eine integrierte Betrachtung von Beschäftigungsschutz und Arbeitslosenversicherungssystemen; daraus ergeben sich drei Haupttypen von Beschäftigung sichernden Systemen in der OECD (umfangreiche institutionelle Datenbank im Anhang). Darüber hinaus werden wichtige Veränderungen der Arbeitslosenversicherungssysteme in den letzten Jahren in der OECD diskutiert, besonders im Hinblick auf ihren Beitrag zur Entwicklung eines Beschäftigung sichernden Sozialsystems. Trotz erheblicher finanzieller Engpässe auf nationaler Ebene konnten Dezentralisierung und Regionalisierung dazu beitragen, dem anspruchsvollen Ziel des Rechts auf Arbeit und seiner Verwirklichung eine neue Bedeutung zu geben.

Educational Reform in Developing Countries: Private Involvement and Partnerships

The paper looks at recent changes in the role of government in the provision of education in Developing Countries. It begins with a reflection about the concept of public-private partnership (PPP), discusses the rationale that inspires the ‘contracting out’ of educational services and describes several cases of private sector involvement in education. After looking at the conditions for building PPPs and the necessary requirements for assuring an effective regulatory framework, the paper closes concluding that while contracting out needs not be made a priority there is a large room for other forms of private sector involvement in education in developing countries.Contracting out, educational reform, market/government failure, NPM, public-private partnerships.

Moving towards employment insurance: unemployment insurance and employment protection in the OECD

"The report takes issue with the large debate of social security systems and particularly the large expenditure devoted to unemployment insurance in most OECD countries. From the perspective of transitional labour markets we analyse the corresponding welfare regime focusing on employment and unemployment transitions. We propose a restructuring of national social security systems towards an employment insurance system. This entails a considerable reorganisation of most current social security systems mainly unemployment insurance, employment protection, pension systems, household work and life-long learning. We advocate an integrated view of employment protection and unemployment insurance systems which yields three major types of employment insurance systems in the OECD (comprehensive institutional data base in appendix). Subsequently we discuss major recent changes in unemployment insurance systems throughout the OECD in view of their contribution towards the development of an employment insurance. Despite severe financial constraints on national levels, decentralisation and regionalisation of provision gives a new flavour to the ambitious goal of a right to work and its implementation." (author's abstract)"Mit diesem Bericht soll ein Beitrag zur Reform der sozialen Sicherungssysteme geleistet werden. Er befaßt sich vor allem mit den hohen Ausgaben für Arbeitslosenversicherungen in den meisten OECD-Ländern. Aus der Perspektive des Konzepts der Übergangsarbeitsmärkte werden die damit verbundenen Wohlfahrtsregime mit besonderem Blick auf Beschäftigungs- und Arbeitslosigkeitsübergänge analysiert. Es wird vorgeschlagen, die nationalen Sozialsicherungssysteme als Element eines beschäftigungssichernden Gesamtsystems zu überdenken. Dies würde eine weitreichende Reorganisation der meisten gegenwärtigen sozialen Sicherungssysteme bedeuten, insbesondere der Arbeitslosenversicherung, des Beschäftigungsschutzes, der Alterssicherung, einschließlich der Einbeziehung von Haushaltsarbeit und lebenslangem Lernen. Plädiert wird für eine integrierte Betrachtung von Beschäftigungsschutz und Arbeitslosenversicherungssystemen. Daraus ergeben sich drei Haupttypen beschäftigungssichernder Systeme in der OECD. Darüber hinaus werden wichtige Veränderungen der Arbeitslosenversicherungssysteme in OECD-Ländern und ihre Auswirkungen auf die Entwicklung eines Beschäftigung sichernden Sozialsystems dargestellt und diskutiert. Trotz erheblicher finanzieller Engpässe auf nationaler Ebene konnten Dezentralisierung und Regionalisierung dazu beitragen, dem anspruchsvollen Ziel des Rechts auf Arbeit und seiner Verwirklichung eine neue Bedeutung zu geben. Umfassende institutionelle Daten sind im Anhang zusammengestellt." (Autorenreferat

The interplay between societal concerns and the regulatory frame on GM crops in the European Union

Recapitulating how genetic modification technology and its agro-food products aroused strong societal opposition in the European Union, this paper demonstrates how this opposition contributed to shape the European regulatory frame on GM crops. More specifically, it describes how this opposition contributed to a de facto moratorium on the commercialization of new GM crop events in the end of the nineties. From this period onwards, the regulatory frame has been continuously revised in order to slow down further erosion of public and market confidence. Various scientific and technical reforms were made to meet societal concerns relating to the safety of GM crops. In this context, the precautionary principle, environmental post-market monitoring and traceability were adopted as ways to cope with scientific uncertainties. Labeling, traceability, co-existence and public information were installed in an attempt to meet the general public request for more information about GM agro-food products, and the specific demand to respect the consumers' and farmers' freedom of choice. Despite these efforts, today, the explicit role of public participation and/or ethical consultation during authorization procedures is at best minimal. Moreover, no legal room was created to progress to an integral sustainability evaluation during market procedures. It remains to be seen whether the recent policy shift towards greater transparency about value judgments, plural viewpoints and scientific uncertainties will be one step forward in integrating ethical concerns more explicitly in risk analysis. As such, the regulatory frame stands open for further interpretation, reflecting in various degrees a continued interplay with societal concerns relating to GM agro-food products. In this regard, both societal concerns and diversely interpreted regulatory criteria can be inferred as signaling a request – and even a quest – to render more explicit the broader-than-scientific dimension of the actual risk analysis