Formal Semantics of an IoT-Specific Language

A domain-specific language (DSL) is a programming language that is specialised to a particular application domain. IRON is a DSL for the IoT domain which allows not only to program solutions for the IoT by Event-Condition-Action (ECA) rules, but also prevent or report incorrect actions (from the logical point of view). The formal definition of this language is important to correctly implement interpreters avoiding contradictory, cyclical or ambiguous program configurations. To this ending, we formally define the semantics of IRON by a suitable operational rule system. The proposed operational semantics can describe the execution model of IRON programs and, at the same time, intercept several possible program anomalies (e.g., rule redundancy and circularity). Although IRON operational semantics describes a specific execution model, the proposed methodology - of encoding the IRON execution model into a "corresponding" formal operational semantics - can be also taken into account for formally defining semantics of other ECA rules based languages for IoT

Bone Remodelling: A Complex Automata-Based Model Running in BioShape

Bone remodelling, as many biological phenomena, is inherently multi-scale, i.e. it is characterised by interactions involving different scales at the same time. At this aim, we exploit the Complex Automata paradigm and the BioShape 3D spatial simulator respectively (i) for describing the bone remodelling process in terms of a 2-scale aggregation of uniform Cellular Automata coupled by a well-established composition pattern, and (ii) for executing them in a uniform and integrated way in terms of shapes equipped with perception and movement capabilities. On the one hand, the proposed model confirms the high expressiveness degree of Complex Automata to describe multi-scale phenomena. On the other hand, the possibility of executing such a model in BioShape highlights the existence of a general mapping - from Complex Automata into the BioShape native modelling paradigm - also enforced by the fact that both approaches result to be suitable for handling different scales in a uniform way, for including spatial information and for bypassing inter-scale homogenization problems

ResourceHome: an RFID-based architecture and a flexible model for ambient intelligence

In this paper, we propose ResourceHome, an innovative RFID-based framework to locate objects in delimited environments and statically prevent/detect dangerous spatial/temporal configurations, i.e. configurations firing dangerous interactions of properties among objects. Differently from most of RFID-based frameworks for spatial recognition, ResourceHome is equipped with an ontology-based knowledge model for describing two-dimensional environments with fixed and mobile objects, as well as with a suitable First Order logic-based model for statically detecting spatial/temporal configurations of objects firing dangerous interactions

Separation of synchronous and asynchronous communication via testing

One of the early results about the asynchronous π-calculus which significantly contributed to its popularity is the capability of encoding the output prefix of the (choiceless) pi-calculus in a natural and elegant way. Encodings of this kind were proposed by Honda and Tokoro, by Nestmann and (independently) by Boudol. We investigate whether the above encodings preserve De Nicola and Hennessy’s testing semantics. In this sense, it turns out that, under some general conditions, no encoding of output prefix is able to preserve the must testing. This negative result is due to (a) the non atomicity of the sequences of steps which are necessary in the asynchronous π-calculus to mimic synchronous communication, and (b) testing semantics’s sensitivity to divergence

Fair Pi

In this paper, we define fair computations in the π-calculus [18]. We follow Costa and Stirling’s approach for CCS-like languages but exploit a more natural labeling method of process actions to filter out unfair process executions. The new labeling allows us to prove all the significant properties of the original one, such as unicity, persistence and disappearance of labels. It also turns out that the labeled pi-calculus is a conservative extension of the standard one. We contrast the existing fair testing with those that naturally arise by imposing weak and strong fairness as defined by Costa and Stirling. This comparison provides the expressiveness of the various fair testing-based semantics and emphasizes the discriminating power of the one already proposed in the literature

Semantic Business Process Representation to Enhance the Degree of BPM Mechanization with an Ontology

Business process management is still characterized by a low degree of mechanization. One of the main causes is a lack of an appropriate semantic representation for business process models and execution data unified in a single ontology. Many researchers addressed this problem but the ontologies proposed so far define a proprietary property called occurrenceOf to link a process model to its execution data. In this paper we we propose an alternative approach based on a multilayer representation using an is-a relation instead. This is cognitively more adequate and allows to use standard reasoning mechanisms. We show how OWL-FA enables a semantic representation of the metamodel in an ontology, providing decidable reasoners. We present a case study and we address the semantic issue with a detailed analysis. We show how it is possible to answer some queries with the support of this ontology, demonstrating how our ontology can be a suitable tool to enhance the mechanization of business process management

ES 2015

Business process management is still characterized by a low degree of mechanization. One of the main causes is a lack of an appropriate semantic representation for business process models and execution data unified in a single ontology. Many researchers addressed this problem but the ontologies proposed so far define a proprietary property called "occurrence Of" to link a process model to its execution data. In this paper we we propose an alternative approach based on a multilayer representation using an is-a relation instead. This is cognitively more adequate and allows to use standard reasoning mechanisms. We show how OWL-FA enables a semantic representation of the metamodel in an ontology, providing decidable reasoners. We present a case study and we address the semantic issue with a detailed analysis. We show how it is possible to answer some queries with the support of this ontology, demonstrating how our ontology can be a suitable tool to enhance the mechanization of business process management

Uniformity in Multiscale Models: From Complex Automata to BioShape

Many biological phenomena are inherently multiscale (MS) - i.e. they are characterised by interactions involving simultaneously different spatial and temporal scales. The needs of describing systems in a MS fashion and, more in general, MS problems across multiple scientific disciplines require a common modelling approach being able to (i) unify the common principles arising in general in MS scenarios (e.g. scale representation, scale separation and inter-scale interaction), (ii) support the effective combination of various single-scale models through well-defined scale coupling procedures, and consequently (iii) help to model and to simulate MS scenarios in a rigorous and systematic way. Complex Automata (CxA) constitute a well-defined paradigm for multiscale modelling that goes towards the above mentioned characteristics. BIOSHAPE, a 3D spatial geometric-based simulator, has been also defined as an independent modelling and simulation environment naturally able to represent, in the same model, different levels of multiscale systems. In this work we show that BIOSHAPE can be used to perform multiscale modelling and simulation using the same core ideas of the CxA approach