Meta-model Pruning

Large and complex meta-models such as those of Uml and its profiles are growing due to modelling and inter-operability needs of numerous\ud stakeholders. The complexity of such meta-models has led to coining\ud of the term meta-muddle. Individual users often exercise only a small\ud view of a meta-muddle for tasks ranging from model creation to construction\ud of model transformations. What is the effective meta-model that represents\ud this view? We present a flexible meta-model pruning algorithm and\ud tool to extract effective meta-models from a meta-muddle. We use\ud the notion of model typing for meta-models to verify that the algorithm\ud generates a super-type of the large meta-model representing the meta-muddle.\ud This implies that all programs written using the effective meta-model\ud will work for the meta-muddle hence preserving backward compatibility.\ud All instances of the effective meta-model are also instances of the\ud meta-muddle. We illustrate how pruning the original Uml metamodel\ud produces different effective meta-models

A Family of Domain-Specific Languages for Integrated Modular Avionics

UID/CEC/04516/2019 TUBITAK/ 0008/2014 2018/2019(Proc. DAAD 441.00)In the domain of avionics, we can find intricate software product lines constrained by both aircraft’s hardware and conformance to strict standards. Existing general-purpose languages are complicated, as they do not hide unnecessary low level-details. This situation potentially leads to a lengthy process in the specification phase and the loss of control over the quality of the specification itself and possibly resulting in the generation of inconsistent products. In Software development for avionics systems, the pressure of time-to-market is high. Additionally, the long time taken for systems certification of this sort of critical system pushes for the development of solutions that support specifications correct by construction. With that kind of solutions, we can release the burden of the software developer by positively constraining the configuration of the products. In this paper, we put into practice an in-house solution that implements the concept of Product Lines of Domain Specific Languages (DSLs). The solution allows generating dedicated DSLs for each sub-family/configuration in Modular avionics departing from the model of a given aircraft.authorsversionpublishe

Experiential Learning in the Technology Disciplines February 2020

Learning-by-doing has long been a tradition in the technology disciplines. It is the hands-on work, combined with student reflection, feedback and assessment, that reinforces theory into practice. Over the past 40 years, experiential learning (EL) in higher education has grown beyond in-class assignments to include internships, cooperative education, team-based learning, project-based learning, community engagement, service learning, international and study-away experiences, capstone projects and research opportunities. This paper provides an overview of experiential education theory and practice in the undergraduate technology disciplines, and presents examples of how experiential learning practices have evolved over time at a medium-sized institution in the Northeast USA. In addition, this paper offers instructors theoretical strategies to improve the hands-on work that is likely already present in their courses

The evolution, utility and effectiveness of the Mareva Jurisdiction in English Law:a critical appraisal

The Mareva injunction has been available in England for 40 years. Initially, the Mareva injunction was a contentious form of relief; today it is regarded as an exceptionally effective device in common law jurisdictions across the globe. This body of work critically appraises the development, evolution and effectiveness of the Mareva injunction. It is primarily established that the Mareva injunction is an equitable remedy. A corollary crystallises; in order to gain a fuller understanding of the Mareva injunction it is necessary to contextualise it within the equitable jurisdiction. Traditional doctrinal research methods explicate the development of the equitable jurisdiction drawing attention to certain characteristics, common themes, techniques and principles. Equity becomes the contextual framework upon which the ensuing discourse is rendered. At its heart equity is found to be about remedies; a supplementary system which repairs defects in the law. The Mareva injunction was devised to ring fence amenable assets on a temporary basis; to protect the possibility of an effective remedy. The continuing effectiveness of the Mareva injunction is examined in relation to evolving externalities such as the rise of globalisation inclusive of developing financial infrastructures and improving technologies. The action taken by the courts to overcome the difficulties presented by the abovementioned evolving conditions are evaluated. The range of ancillary and connected orders of the court which have been created or refined in order to ensure that the Mareva injunction remains effective are critically appraised. It is argued that the Mareva injunction can no longer be viewed in isolation; it is part of an evolving matrix of interconnected devices which characterise the modern Mareva jurisdiction

Introducing usability in a conceptual modeling-based software development process.

Usability plays an important role to satisfy users? needs. There are many recommendations in the HCI literature on how to improve software usability. Our research focuses on such recommendations that affect the system architecture rather than just the interface. However, improving software usability in aspects that affect architecture increases the analyst?s workload and development complexity. This paper proposes a solution based on model-driven development. We propose representing functional usability mechanisms abstractly by means of conceptual primitives. The analyst will use these primitives to incorporate functional usability features at the early stages of the development process. Following the model-driven development paradigm, these features are then automatically transformed into subsequent steps of development, a practice that is hidden from the analyst

SIGMA: Scala Internal Domain-Specific Languages for Model Manipulations

International audienceModel manipulation environments automate model operations such as model consistency checking and model transformation. A number of external model manipulation Domain-Specific Languages (DSL) have been proposed, in particular for the Eclipse Modeling Framework (EMF). While their higher levels of abstraction result in gains in expressiveness over general-purpose languages, their limitations in versatility, performance, and tool support together with the need to learn new languages may significantly contribute to accidental complexities. In this paper, we present Sigma, a family of internal DSLs embedded in Scala for EMF model consistency checking, model-to-model and model-to-text transformations. It combines the benefits of external model manipulation DSLs with general-purpose programming taking full advantage of Scala versatility, performance and tool support. The DSLs are compared to the state-of-the-art Epsilon languages in non-trivial model manipulation tasks that resulted in 20% to 70% reduction in code size and significantly better performance

Changes in Outdoor Workers' Sun-Related Attitudes, Beliefs, and Behaviors: A Pre–Post Workplace Intervention

Objective: To evaluate changes in outdoor workers' sun-related attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors in response to a health promotion intervention using a participatory action research process. Methods: Fourteen workplaces across four outdoor industry types worked collaboratively with the project team to develop tailored sun protection action plans. Workers were assessed before and after the 18-month intervention. Results: Outdoor workers reported increases in workplace support for sun protection (P < 0.01) and personal use of sun protection (P < 0.01). More workers reported seeking natural shade (+20%) and wearing more personal protective equipment, including broad-brimmed hats (+25%), long-sleeved collared shirts (+19%), and long trousers (+16%). The proportion of workers reporting sunburn over the past 12 months was lower at postintervention (-14%) (P = 0.03); however, the intensity of reported sunburn increased. Conclusions: This intervention was successful in increasing workers' sun protective attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors