Towards a unified framework for decomposability of processes

The concept of process is ubiquitous in science, engineering and everyday life. Category theory, and monoidal categories in particular, provide an abstract framework for modelling processes of many kinds. In this paper, we concentrate on sequential and parallel decomposability of processes in the framework of monoidal categories: We will give a precise definition, what it means for processes to be decomposable. Moreover, through examples, we argue that viewing parallel processes as coupled in this framework can be seen as a category mistake or a misinterpretation. We highlight the suitability of category theory for a structuralistic interpretation of mathematical modelling and argue that for appliers of mathematics, such as engineers, there is a pragmatic advantage from this.Comment: To appear in Synthese. The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11229-016-1139-4. Revision on 12 September 2016: Discussion of states as morphisms reconsidered. In particular, footnotes 9 and 12 modified. This corrects a faulty statement in footnote 12 of the previous versio

Towards a Semantic Administrative Shell for Industry 4.0 Components

In the engineering and manufacturing domain, there is currently an atmosphere of departure to a new era of digitized production. In different regions, initiatives in these directions are known under different names, such as industrie du futur in France, industrial internet in the US or Industrie 4.0 in Germany. While the vision of digitizing production and manufacturing gained much traction lately, it is still relatively unclear how this vision can actually be implemented with concrete standards and technologies. Within the German Industry 4.0 initiative, the concept of an Administrative Shell was devised to respond to these requirements. The Administrative Shell is planned to provide a digital representation of all information being available about and from an object which can be a hardware system or a software platform. In this paper, we present an approach to developing such a digital representation based on semantic knowledge representation formalisms such as RDF, RDF Schema and OWL. We present our concept of a Semantic I4.0 Component which addresses the communication and comprehension challenges in Industry 4.0 scenarios using semantic technologies. Our approach is illustrated with a concrete example showing its benefits in a real-world use case

A Model-Driven Approach for Business Process Management

The Business Process Management is a common mechanism recommended by a high number of standards for the management of companies and organizations. In software companies this practice is every day more accepted and companies have to assume it, if they want to be competitive. However, the effective definition of these processes and mainly their maintenance and execution are not always easy tasks. This paper presents an approach based on the Model-Driven paradigm for Business Process Management in software companies. This solution offers a suitable mechanism that was implemented successfully in different companies with a tool case named NDTQ-Framework.Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia TIN2010-20057-C03-02Junta de Andalucía TIC-578

Overview of methodologies for building ontologies

A few research groups are now proposing a series of steps and methodologies for developing ontologies. However, mainly due to the fact that Ontological Engineering is still a relatively immature discipline, each work group employs its own methodology. Our goal is to present the most representative methodologies used in ontology development and to perform an analysis of such methodologies against the same framework of reference. So, the goal of this paper is not to provide new insights about methodologies, but to put it all in one place and help people to select which methodology to use

A Product Oriented Modelling Concept: Holons for systems synchronisation and interoperability

Nowadays, enterprises are confronted to growing needs for traceability, product genealogy and product life cycle management. To meet those needs, the enterprise and applications in the enterprise environment have to manage flows of information that relate to flows of material and that are managed in shop floor level. Nevertheless, throughout product lifecycle coordination needs to be established between reality in the physical world (physical view) and the virtual world handled by manufacturing information systems (informational view). This paper presents the "Holon" modelling concept as a means for the synchronisation of both physical view and informational views. Afterwards, we show how the concept of holon can play a major role in ensuring interoperability in the enterprise context

Iterative criteria-based approach to engineering the requirements of software development methodologies

Software engineering endeavours are typically based on and governed by the requirements of the target software; requirements identification is therefore an integral part of software development methodologies. Similarly, engineering a software development methodology (SDM) involves the identification of the requirements of the target methodology. Methodology engineering approaches pay special attention to this issue; however, they make little use of existing methodologies as sources of insight into methodology requirements. The authors propose an iterative method for eliciting and specifying the requirements of a SDM using existing methodologies as supplementary resources. The method is performed as the analysis phase of a methodology engineering process aimed at the ultimate design and implementation of a target methodology. An initial set of requirements is first identified through analysing the characteristics of the development situation at hand and/or via delineating the general features desirable in the target methodology. These initial requirements are used as evaluation criteria; refined through iterative application to a select set of relevant methodologies. The finalised criteria highlight the qualities that the target methodology is expected to possess, and are therefore used as a basis for de. ning the final set of requirements. In an example, the authors demonstrate how the proposed elicitation process can be used for identifying the requirements of a general object-oriented SDM. Owing to its basis in knowledge gained from existing methodologies and practices, the proposed method can help methodology engineers produce a set of requirements that is not only more complete in span, but also more concrete and rigorous

75 Years of the Wavefunction: Complex-Dynamical Extension of the Original Wave Realism and the Universal Schroedinger Equation

Following Max Planck's hypothesis of quanta (quant-ph/0012069) and the matter wave idea of Louis de Broglie (quant-ph/9911107), Erwin Schroedinger proposed, at the beginning of 1926, the concept of wavefunction and wave equation for it. Though endowed with a realistic undular interpretation by its father, the wavefunction could not be considered as a real "matter wave" and has been provided with only abstract, formally probabilistic interpretation. In this paper we show how the resulting "mysteries" of usual theory are solved within the unreduced, dynamically multivalued description of the underlying, essentially nonlinear interaction process (quant-ph/9902015, quant-ph/9902016), without artificial modification of the Schroedinger equation. The latter is rigorously derived instead as universal expression of unreduced interaction complexity. Causal, totally realistic wavefunction is obtained as a dynamically probabilistic intermediate state of a simple system with interaction performing dynamically discrete transitions between its localised, incompatible "realisations" ("corpuscular" states). Causal wavefunction and Schroedinger equation are then extended to arbitrary level of world dynamics. We outline some applications of the obtained causal description, such as genuine quantum chaos (quant-ph/9511034-36) and realistic quantum devices (physics/0211071), and emphasize the basic difference of the proposed dynamically multivalued theory from dynamically single-valued imitations of causality and complexity. The causally complete wavefunction concept, representing the unified essence of unreduced (multivalued) complex dynamics, provides a clear distinctive feature of realistic science, absent in any its unitary imitation.Comment: 34 pages, 27 eqs, 78 refs; Dedicated to the 75th Anniversary of the wavefunction and wave equation introduction by Erwin Schroedinger; Reviews a part of the author's book "Universal Concept of Complexity by the Dynamic Redundance Paradigm: Causal Randomness, Complete Wave Mechanics, and the Ultimate Unification of Knowledge" (Kyiv, Naukova Dumka, 1997; in English), see physics/9806002; new text format, stylistic corrections in v

Steepest Entropy Ascent Model for Far-Non-Equilibrium Thermodynamics. Unified Implementation of the Maximum Entropy Production Principle

By suitable reformulations, we cast the mathematical frameworks of several well-known different approaches to the description of non-equilibrium dynamics into a unified formulation, which extends to such frameworks the concept of Steepest Entropy Ascent (SEA) dynamics introduced by the present author in previous works on quantum thermodynamics. The present formulation constitutes a generalization also for the quantum thermodynamics framework. In the SEA modeling principle a key role is played by the geometrical metric with respect to which to measure the length of a trajectory in state space. In the near equilibrium limit, the metric tensor is related to the Onsager's generalized resistivity tensor. Therefore, through the identification of a suitable metric field which generalizes the Onsager generalized resistance to the arbitrarily far non-equilibrium domain, most of the existing theories of non-equilibrium thermodynamics can be cast in such a way that the state exhibits a spontaneous tendency to evolve in state space along the path of SEA compatible with the conservation constraints and the boundary conditions. The resulting unified family of SEA dynamical models is intrinsically and strongly consistent with the second law of thermodynamics. Non-negativity of the entropy production is a readily proved general feature of SEA dynamics. In several of the different approaches to non-equilibrium description we consider here, the SEA concept has not been investigated before. We believe it defines the precise meaning and the domain of general validity of the so-called Maximum Entropy Production Principle. It is hoped that the present unifying approach may prove useful in providing a fresh basis for effective, thermodynamically consistent, numerical models and theoretical treatments of irreversible conservative relaxation towards equilibrium from far non-equilibrium states.Comment: 15 pages, 4 figures, to appear in Physical Review

Steepest-Entropy-Ascent and Maximal-Entropy-Production Dynamical Models of Irreversible Relaxation to Stable Equilibrium from Any Non-Equilibrium State. Unified Treatment for Six Non-Equilibrium Frameworks

By suitable reformulations, we review the mathematical frameworks of six different approaches to the description of non-equilibrium dynamics with the purpose to set up a unified formulation of the Maximum Entropy Production (MEP) principle valid in all these contexts. In this way, we extend to such frameworks the concept of Steepest Entropy Ascent dynamics introduced by the present author in previous work on quantum thermodynamics. Actually, the present formulation constitutes a generalization also in the quantum thermodynamics framework. The analysis emphasizes that in the SEA-inspired implementation of the MEP principle, a key role is played by the geometrical metric with respect to which to measure the length of a trajectory in state space. The metric tensor turns out to be directly related to the inverse of the Onsager's generalized conductivity tensor. We conclude that in most of the existing theories of non-equilibrium the time evolution of the state representative can be seen to actually follow in state space the path of SEA with respect to a suitable metric connected with the generalized conductivities. The resulting unified family of SAE/MEP dynamical models are all intrinsically consistent with the second law of thermodynamics. The nonnegativity of the entropy production is a general and readily proved feature of SEA dynamics. In several of the different approaches to non-equilibrium description we consider here, the SEA concept has not been investigated before. Therefore, it is hoped that the present unifying approach may prove useful in providing a fresh basis for effective, thermodynamically consistent, numerical models and theoretical treatments of irreversible conservative relaxation towards equilibrium from far non-equilibrium states.Comment: JETC2013, Brescia, Italy, July 1-5, 2013. The six frameworks are: A) Classical Statistical Mechanics; B) Small-Scale and Rarefied Gases Dynamics; C) Statistical or Information Theory; D) Rational Extended Thermodynamics, Macroscopic Non-Equilibrium Thermodynamics, Chemical Kinetics; E) Mesoscopic Irreversible Thermodynamics; F) Quantum Statistical Mechanics, Quantum Thermodynamic

Poststructuralism against poststructuralism: Actor-network theory, organizations and economic markets

This is the author's accepted manuscript. The final published article is available from the link below. Copyright @ 2012 The Author.In recent years, actor-network theory (ANT) has become an increasingly influential theoretical framework through which to analyse economic markets and organizations. Indeed, with its emphasis on the power of social and natural concrete ‘things’ to become contingently enrolled in different networks, many argue that ANT successfully draws attention to the complex intermeshing of new technologies and social actors in organizations and markets across spatial divides from the local to the global. This article argues, however, that within its own method of abstraction and research methodology, ANT separates ‘concrete’ and ‘contingent’ economic markets and organizations from their abstract, necessary and virtual capitalist form. This means that ANT will tend to over-identify with how concrete-contingent actor-networks are performed in empirical economic markets and organizations at the expense of analysing how such empirical contexts are also internally mediated through abstract capitalist processes such as that of surplus value extraction. This, in turn, creates a number of difficulties in how ANT investigates economic markets and organizations. These critical points are made by recourse to the Marxist poststructuralism of Deleuze and Guattari as well as through conventional Marxist ideas