Formal development and evaluation of narrow passageway system operations

This study applies a new intelligent transportation methodology for transforming informal operations concepts for narrow passageway systems into system-level designs, which will formal enough to support automated validation of anticipated component- and system-level behaviours. Models and specifications of behaviour are formally designed as labelled transition systems. Each object is the management system is assumed to have behaviour that can be defined by a finite state machine; thus, the waterway management system architecture is modelled as a network of communicating finite state machines. Architecture-level behaviours are validated using the Labelled Transition System Analyzer (LTSA). We exercise the methodology by working step by step through the synthesis and validation of a high-level behaviour model for a vessel passing through a waterway network (i.e., canal)

Model-Based Adaptation of Software Communicating via FIFO Buffers

Software Adaptation is a non-intrusive solution for composing black-box components or services (peers) whose individual functionality is as required for the new system, but that present interface mismatch, which leads to deadlock or other undesirable behaviour when combined. Adaptation techniques aim at automatically generating new components called adapters. All the interactions among peers pass through the adapter, which acts as an orchestrator and makes the involved peers work correctly together by compensating for mismatch. Most of the existing solutions in this field assume that peers interact synchronously using rendezvous communication. However, many application areas rely on asynchronous communication models where peers interact exchanging messages via buffers. Generating adapters in this context becomes a difficult problem because peers may exhibit cyclic behaviour, and their composition often results in infinite systems. In this paper, we present a method for automatically generating adapters in asynchronous environments where peers interact using FIFO buffers.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Modelling of Multi-Agent Systems: Experiences with Membrane Computing and Future Challenges

Formal modelling of Multi-Agent Systems (MAS) is a challenging task due to high complexity, interaction, parallelism and continuous change of roles and organisation between agents. In this paper we record our research experience on formal modelling of MAS. We review our research throughout the last decade, by describing the problems we have encountered and the decisions we have made towards resolving them and providing solutions. Much of this work involved membrane computing and classes of P Systems, such as Tissue and Population P Systems, targeted to the modelling of MAS whose dynamic structure is a prominent characteristic. More particularly, social insects (such as colonies of ants, bees, etc.), biology inspired swarms and systems with emergent behaviour are indicative examples for which we developed formal MAS models. Here, we aim to review our work and disseminate our findings to fellow researchers who might face similar challenges and, furthermore, to discuss important issues for advancing research on the application of membrane computing in MAS modelling.Comment: In Proceedings AMCA-POP 2010, arXiv:1008.314

Towards ecological sustainability: observations on the role of the arts

This paper describes how the arts shape environmental behaviour of individuals and society and is a synthesis arising from a program of previous publication. The literature suggests that the arts may have a role in shaping environmental behaviour but it is not clear how or in what circumstances this might occur. Hence we set out to describe ways in which the arts shape environmental behaviour at the individual level and, through the accumulated actions of individuals, at the societal level. Through this examination we aim to explain the role of the arts in moving society towards ecological sustainability. Our research drew on interviews with 96 key informants working in the arts and in the natural resource management sectors, combined with a mix of empirical, experimental and post hoc studies of eight community-based art and environment events. On the basis of this research, a model was developed to describe how the arts can shape environmental behaviour. Three pathways are proposed: communicating information in an engaging form; creating empathy towards the natural environment; and embedding the arts in ecologically sustainable development

Modular synthesis of discrete controllers

This paper presents supervisory control theory in a process-algebraic setting, and proposes a way of synthesising modular supervisors that guarantee nonblocking. The framework used includes the possibility of hiding actions which results in nondeterminism. As modularity crucially depends on the process equivalence used, the paper studies possible equivalences and points out that, in order to be consistent with respect to the nonblocking property and to supervisor synthesis, a conflict-preserving equivalence must be used. It applies the results to synthesise nonblocking modular supervisors for a manufacturing system

Orchestrated Session Compliance

We investigate the notion of orchestrated compliance for client/server interactions in the context of session contracts. Devising the notion of orchestrator in such a context makes it possible to have orchestrators with unbounded buffering capabilities and at the same time to guarantee any message from the client to be eventually delivered by the orchestrator to the server, while preventing the server from sending messages which are kept indefinitely inside the orchestrator. The compliance relation is shown to be decidable by means of 1) a procedure synthesising the orchestrators, if any, making a client compliant with a server, and 2) a procedure for deciding whether an orchestrator behaves in a proper way as mentioned before.Comment: In Proceedings ICE 2015, arXiv:1508.0459