Semantics Through Pictures: towards a diagrammatic semantics for object-oriented modelling notations

An object-oriented (OO) model has a static component, the set of allowable snapshots or system states, and a dynamic component, the set of filmstrips or sequences of snapshots. Diagrammatic notations, such as those in UML, each places constraints on the static and/or dynamic models. A formal semantics of OO modeling notations can be constructed by providing a formal description of (i) sets of snapshots and filmstrips, (ii) constraints on those sets, and (iii) the derivation of those constraints from diagrammatic notations. In addition, since constraints are contributed by many diagrams for the same model, a way of doing this compositionally is desirable. One approach to the semantics is to use first-order logic for (i) and (ii), and theory inclusion with renaming, as in Larch, to characterize composition. A common approach to (iii) is to bootstrap: provide a semantics for a kernel of the notation and then use the kernel to give a semantics to the other notations. This only works if a kernel which is sufficiently expressive can be identified, and this is not the case for UML. However, we have developed a diagrammatic notation, dubbed constraint diagrams, which seems capable of expressing most if not all static and dynamic constraints, and it is proposed that this be used to give a diagrammatic semantics to OO models

Semantics through Pictures

A diagrammatic approach to the semantics of OO modelling notations is proposed. This is based on an innovative and expressive notation dubbed ''constraint diagrams'', which can be used to precisely characterise a range of sophisticated, static constraints on OO models. Other notations, such as those found in UML, can be viewed as projections of constraint diagrams. Work on using constraint diagrams at the core of a 3D modelling notation is also briefly described as a means of similarly providing the semantics of diagrams imposing constraints on dynamic behaviour

Overexpression of the carbohydrate binding module of strawberry expansin2 in Arabidopsis thaliana modifies plant growth and cell wall metabolism

Several cell wall enzymes are carbohydrate active enzymes that contain a putative Carbohydrate Binding Module (CBM) in their structures. The main function of these non-catalitic modules is to facilitate the interaction between the enzyme and its substrate. Expansins are non-hydrolytic proteins present in the cell wall, and their structure includes a CBM in the C-terminal that bind to cell wall polymers such as cellulose, hemicelluloses and pectins. We studied the ability of the Expansin2 CBM (CBMFaEXP2) from strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa, Duch) to modify the cell wall of Arabidopsis thaliana. Plants overexpressing CBMFaEXP2 were characterized phenotypically and biochemically. Transgenic plants were taller than wild type, possibly owing to a faster growth of the main stem. Cell walls of CBMFaEXP2-expressing plants were thicker and contained higher amount of pectins. Lower activity of a set of enzymes involved in cell wall degradation (PG, β-Gal, β-Xyl) was found, and the expression of the corresponding genes (AtPG, Atβ-Gal, Atβ-Xyl5) was reduced also. In addition, a decrease in the expression of two A. thaliana Expansin genes (AtEXP5 and AtEXP8) was observed. Transgenic plants were more resistant to Botrytis cinerea infection than wild type, possibly as a consequence of higher cell wall integrity. Our results support the hypothesis that the overexpression of a putative CBM is able to modify plant cell wall structure leading to modulation of wall loosening and plant growth. These findings might offer a tool to controlling physiological processes where cell wall disassembly is relevant, such as fruit softening.Fil: Nardi, Cristina Fernanda. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas ; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Tierra del Fuego. Instituto de Ciencias Polares, Recursos Naturales y Ambiente; ArgentinaFil: Villarreal, Natalia Marina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas ; ArgentinaFil: Rossi, Franco Rubén. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas ; ArgentinaFil: Martinez Alonso, Santiago Manuel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Fisiología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Instituto de Fisiología Vegetal; ArgentinaFil: Martinez, Gustavo Adolfo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas ; ArgentinaFil: Civello, Pedro Marcos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Fisiología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Instituto de Fisiología Vegetal; Argentin

Topography of the Calabria subduction zone (southern Italy): Clues for the origin of Mt. Etna

Calabria represents an ideal site to analyze the topography of a subduction zone as it is located on top of a narrow active Wadati-Benioff zone and shows evidence of rapid uplift. We analyzed a pattern of surface deformation using elevation data with different filters and showed the existence of a long wavelength (>100 km) relatively positive topographic signal at the slab edges. The elevation of MIS 5.5 stage marine terraces supports this pattern, although the record is incomplete and partly masked by the variable denudation rate. We performed structural analyses along the major active or recently reactivated normal faults showing that the extensional direction varies along the Calabrian Arc and laterally switches from arc-normal, within the active portion of the slab, to arc-oblique or even arc-parallel, along the northern and southern slab edges. This surface deformation pattern was compared with a recent high resolution P wave tomographic model showing that the high seismic velocity anomaly is continuous only within the active Wadati-Benioff zone, whereas the northern and southwestern sides are marked by low velocity anomalies, suggesting that large-scale topographic bulges, volcanism, and uplift could have been produced by mantle upwelling. We present numerical simulations to visualize the three-dimensional mantle circulation around a narrow retreating slab, ideally similar to the one presently subducting beneath Calabria. We emphasize that mantle upwelling and surface deformation are expected at the edges of the slab, where return flows may eventually drive decompression melting and the Mount Etna volcanism.PublishedTC10033.3. Geodinamica e struttura dell'interno della TerraJCR Journalreserve