An architecture and execution environment for component integration rules

The Integration Rules (IRules) project at Arizona State University (http://www.eas.asu.edu/~irules) is developing a declarative event-based approach to component integration. Integration rules are based on the concept of active database rules, providing an active approach for specifying event- driven activity in a distributed environment. The IRules project consists of a knowledge model that specifies the IRules Definition Language and an execution model that supports integration rule execution. This research focuses on the execution model and the architectural design parts of the IRules project. The main objective of this research is to develop a distributed execution environment for using integration rules in the integration of black-box components. In particular, this research will investigate the design of an architecture that supports the IRules semantic framework, the development of an execution model for rule and transaction processing, and the design of a rule processing algorithm for coordinating the execution of integration rules. This research will combine the distributed computing framework of Jini, the asynchronous event notification mechanism of the Java Message Service (JMS), and the distributed blocking access functionality of JavaSpaces to support active rule processing in a distributed environment. The limitations of the underlying Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB) component model pose transaction processing challenges for the integration process. This research will develop a suitable transaction model and processing logic to overcome the limitations of the underlying EJB component model. Furthermore, the architectural design will allow an easy extension of the system to accommodate other component models. This research is expected to contribute to nested rule and transaction processing for active rules that have not been previously addressed in distributed rule processing environments. The development of the IRules execution environment will also contribute to the use of distributed rule- based techniques for eventdriven component integration

State-of-the-art on evolution and reactivity

This report starts by, in Chapter 1, outlining aspects of querying and updating resources on the Web and on the Semantic Web, including the development of query and update languages to be carried out within the Rewerse project. From this outline, it becomes clear that several existing research areas and topics are of interest for this work in Rewerse. In the remainder of this report we further present state of the art surveys in a selection of such areas and topics. More precisely: in Chapter 2 we give an overview of logics for reasoning about state change and updates; Chapter 3 is devoted to briefly describing existing update languages for the Web, and also for updating logic programs; in Chapter 4 event-condition-action rules, both in the context of active database systems and in the context of semistructured data, are surveyed; in Chapter 5 we give an overview of some relevant rule-based agents frameworks

The Mental Database

This article uses database, evolution and physics considerations to suggest how the mind stores and processes its data. Its innovations in its approach lie in:- A) The comparison between the capabilities of the mind to those of a modern relational database while conserving phenomenality. The strong functional similarity of the two systems leads to the conclusion that the mind may be profitably described as being a mental database. The need for material/mental bridging and addressing indexes is discussed. B) The consideration of what neural correlates of consciousness (NCC) between sensorimotor data and instrumented observation one can hope to obtain using current biophysics. It is deduced that what is seen using the various brain scanning methods reflects only that part of current activity transactions (e.g. visualizing) which update and interrogate the mind, but not the contents of the integrated mental database which constitutes the mind itself. This approach yields reasons why there is much neural activity in an area to which a conscious function is ascribed (e.g. the amygdala is associated with fear), yet there is no visible part of its activity which can be clearly identified as phenomenal. The concept is then situated in a Penrosian expanded physical environment, requiring evolutionary continuity, modularity and phenomenality.Several novel Darwinian advantages arising from the approach are described

Designing Software Architectures As a Composition of Specializations of Knowledge Domains

This paper summarizes our experimental research and software development activities in designing robust, adaptable and reusable software architectures. Several years ago, based on our previous experiences in object-oriented software development, we made the following assumption: ‘A software architecture should be a composition of specializations of knowledge domains’. To verify this assumption we carried out three pilot projects. In addition to the application of some popular domain analysis techniques such as use cases, we identified the invariant compositional structures of the software architectures and the related knowledge domains. Knowledge domains define the boundaries of the adaptability and reusability capabilities of software systems. Next, knowledge domains were mapped to object-oriented concepts. We experienced that some aspects of knowledge could not be directly modeled in terms of object-oriented concepts. In this paper we describe our approach, the pilot projects, the experienced problems and the adopted solutions for realizing the software architectures. We conclude the paper with the lessons that we learned from this experience

A database management capability for Ada

The data requirements of mission critical defense systems have been increasing dramatically. Command and control, intelligence, logistics, and even weapons systems are being required to integrate, process, and share ever increasing volumes of information. To meet this need, systems are now being specified that incorporate data base management subsystems for handling storage and retrieval of information. It is expected that a large number of the next generation of mission critical systems will contain embedded data base management systems. Since the use of Ada has been mandated for most of these systems, it is important to address the issues of providing data base management capabilities that can be closely coupled with Ada. A comprehensive distributed data base management project has been investigated. The key deliverables of this project are three closely related prototype systems implemented in Ada. These three systems are discussed