Weaving Aspects in a Persistent Environment

This paper discusses two mechanisms for weaving aspects in persistent environments founded on object-oriented databases. The first mechanism is based on exploiting existing aspect languages and their associated weavers while the second mechanism is based on building weaving functionality into the database management system (DBMS). The first mechanism has been used to integrate AspectJ and its associated weaver with the Jasmine ODBMS. The second approach has been used to implement a weaver within the SADES object database evolution system

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

Declarative Aspect Composition

Aspect-oriented languages provide means to attach certain program units (e.g. advice, filters) to a given set of join points. It is possible that not just a single , but several units need to execute at the same join point. Aspects that specify the insertion of these units are said to "share" the same join point. Such shared join points may give rise to several issues, such as determining the exact execution order and the dependencies among the aspects. In this position paper, we outline a declarative approach that addresses this problem. We evaluate it with respect to several software engineering properties, in particular comprehensibility, predictability and evolvability

Coevolutionary Competence in the Realm of Corporate Longevity: How Long-lived Firms Strategically Renew Themselves

Understanding the phenomena of corporate longevity and self-renewing organizations has become an important topic in recent management literature. However, the majority of the research contributions focus on internal determinants of longevity and self-renewal. Using a co-evolutionary framework, the purpose of this paper is to address the dynamic interaction between organizations and environments in the realm of sustained strategic renewal, i.e. corporate longevity. To this end, we will focus on the competence of long-lived firms to coevolve due to the joint effect of managerial intentionality and environmental selection pressures. Building on coevolutionary framework, we develop a conceptual framework that highlights an organization’s coevolutionary competence. Two longitudinal case studies are presented illustrating the arguments.strategic renewal;corporate longevity;competence-based management;adaptive open systems;coevolutionary competence

Jack's story: A need to know

This article examines a recent case study exploring evidence that children in early childhood services can use ICT to direct their own inquiry learning. A qualitative case study involving an interview and the learning story tool of assessment was conducted to describe the experience of one child and his teacher. They engaged in sustained shared thinking using ICT as a tool to facilitate inquiry in an early childhood setting. The findings indicate that children in early childhood settings can use ICT to direct their own inquiry learning. Two key factors are identified that enable this. These factors are the child as an active learner, and a supportive well resourced learning environment. In this article we argue that these factors need to be acknowledged in teaching practice if ICT is to be used in meaningful and purposeful ways

Arachne Challenges Minerva: The Spinning Out of Long Narrative in World of Warcraft and Buffy the Vampire Slayer

My focus here is to explore the ways in which World of Warcraft can be said to have a long narrative. Core to my argument is that 'worldness' is key to understanding how it is that long narrative can be sustained and make sense. I will historicise long narrative formats through reference to epic poetry--taking as my starting point the battle of narrative form between Arachne and Minerva in Ovid's Metamorphosis, as well showing that world-based long narratives are often driven by media economics and especially franchising. Using Buffy the Vampire Slayer as a point of comparison, I show that because the 'World' of Warcraft is driven ludically, a rather different type of long narrative is produced than found in other media formats

SPEEDY: An Eclipse-based IDE for invariant inference

SPEEDY is an Eclipse-based IDE for exploring techniques that assist users in generating correct specifications, particularly including invariant inference algorithms and tools. It integrates with several back-end tools that propose invariants and will incorporate published algorithms for inferring object and loop invariants. Though the architecture is language-neutral, current SPEEDY targets C programs. Building and using SPEEDY has confirmed earlier experience demonstrating the importance of showing and editing specifications in the IDEs that developers customarily use, automating as much of the production and checking of specifications as possible, and showing counterexample information directly in the source code editing environment. As in previous work, automation of specification checking is provided by back-end SMT solvers. However, reducing the effort demanded of software developers using formal methods also requires a GUI design that guides users in writing, reviewing, and correcting specifications and automates specification inference.Comment: In Proceedings F-IDE 2014, arXiv:1404.578

Textiles in Texts: Literary Representations of Women's Textile Crafts

Textiles in Text

Brokering between heads and hearts: an analysis of designing for social change

This paper describes a fluid and responsive design process identified among certain practitioners involved in solving social problems or inspiring social change. Their practice is both user-centred and participative in its approach and addresses the shortcomings of many top-down initiatives. These people work tactically to weave together policy knowledge, funding opportunities, local initiative and ideas for improving social and environmental conditions, acting as connectors, activists and facilitators in different contexts at different times. Although their activities are recognisably related to more conventional designing practices, the materials they use in finding solutions are unusual in that they may include the beneficiaries themselves and other features of the social structure in which they are effecting change. We present an ethnographic study of practices in designing that focuses on social initiatives rather than the tangible products or systems that might support them. We explore the how design practices map to the process of winning local people's commitment to projects with a social flavour. To situate the discussion in a political context we draw on de Certeau’s distinction between strategic and tactical behaviour and look at how our informants occupy a space as mediators between groups with power and a sense of agency and those without. Keywords: Social Change; Ethnographic Action Research; Discourse Analysis; Designing In The Wild</p