Evaluating On-line Model Checking in UPPAAL-SMC using a Laser Tracheotomy Case Study

On-line model checking is a variant of model checking that evaluates properties of a system concurrently while deployed, which allows overcoming limitations of inaccurate system models. In this paper we conduct a laser tracheotomy case study to evaluate the feasibility of using the statistical model checker UPPAAL-SMC for on-line model checking in a medical application. Development of automatic on-line model checking relies on the precision of the prediction and real-time capabilities as real-time requirements must be met. We evaluate the case study with regards to these qualities and our results show that using UPPAAL-SMC in an on-line model checking context is practical: relative prediction errors were only 2% on average and guarantees could be established within reasonable time during our experiments

Generic programming with C++ concepts and Haskell type classes—a comparison

Earlier studies have introduced a list of high-level evaluation criteria to assess how well a language supports generic programming. Languages that meet all criteria include Haskell, because of its type classes, and C++ with the concept feature. We refine these criteria into a taxonomy that captures commonalities and differences between type classes in Haskell and concepts in C++, and discuss which differences are incidental and which ones are due to other language features. The taxonomy allows for an improved understanding of language support for generic programming, and the comparison is useful for the ongoing discussions among language designers and users of both languages

Computer Aided Design and Grading for an Electronic Functional Programming Exam

Electronic exams (e-exams) have the potential to substantially reduce the effort required for conducting an exam through automation. Yet, care must be taken to sacrifice neither task complexity nor constructive alignment nor grading fairness in favor of automation. To advance automation in the design and fair grading of (functional programming) e-exams, we introduce the following: A novel algorithm to check Proof Puzzles based on finding correct sequences of proof lines that improves fairness compared to an existing, edit distance based algorithm; an open-source static analysis tool to check source code for task relevant features by traversing the abstract syntax tree; a higher-level language and open-source tool to specify regular expressions that makes creating complex regular expressions less error-prone. Our findings are embedded in a complete experience report on transforming a paper exam to an e-exam. We evaluated the resulting e-exam by analyzing the degree of automation in the grading process, asking students for their opinion, and critically reviewing our own experiences. Almost all tasks can be graded automatically at least in part (correct solutions can almost always be detected as such), the students agree that an e-exam is a fitting examination format for the course but are split on how well they can express their thoughts compared to a paper exam, and examiners enjoy a more time-efficient grading process while the point distribution in the exam results was almost exactly the same compared to a paper exam.Comment: In Proceedings TFPIE 2023, arXiv:2308.0611

Design patterns for library optimizations

Abstract. We apply the notion of design patterns to optimizations performed by designers of software libraries, focusing especially on object-oriented numerical libraries. We formalize three design patterns that we have abstracted from many existing libraries and discuss the role of these formalizations as a tool for guiding compiler optimizers. These optimizers operate at a very high level that would otherwise be left unoptimized by traditional optimizers. Finally, we discuss the implementation of a design pattern-based compiler optimizer for C++ abstract data types