Towards a Framework for Managing Inconsistencies in Systems of Systems

The growth in the complexity of software systems has led to a proliferation of systems that have been created independently to provide specific functions, such as activity tracking, household energy management or personal nutrition assistance. The runtime composition of these individual systems into Systems of Systems (SoSs) enables support for more sophisticated functionality that cannot be provided by individual constituent systems on their own. However, in order to realize the benefits of these functionalities it is necessary to address a number of challenges associated with SoSs, including, but not limited to, operational and managerial independence, geographic distribution of participating systems, evolutionary development, and emergent conflicting behavior that can occur due interactions between the requirements of the participating systems. In this paper, we present a framework for conflict management in SoSs. The management of conflicting requirements involves four steps, namely (a) overlap detection, (b) conflict identification, (c) conflict diagnosis, and (d) conflict resolution based on the use of a utility function. The framework uses a Monitor-Analyze-Plan- Execute- Knowledge (MAPE-K) architectural pattern. In order to illustrate the work, we use an example SoS ecosystem designed to support food security at different levels of granularity

A Catalog of Bad Smells in Design-by-Contract Methodologies with Java Modeling Language

Bad smells are usually related to program source code, arising from bad design and programming practices. Refactoring activities are often motivated by the detection of bad smells. With the increasing adoption of Design-by-Contract (DBC) methodologies in formal software development, evidence of bad design practices can similarly be found in programs that combine actual production code with interface contracts. These contracts can be written in languages, such as the Java Modeling Language (JML), an extension to the Java syntax. This paper presents a catalog of bad smells that appear during DBC practice, considering JML as the language for specifying contracts. These smells are described over JML constructs, although several can appear in other DBC languages. The catalog contains 6 DBC smells. We evaluate the recurrence of DBC smells in two ways: first by describing a small study with graduate student projects, and second by counting occurrences of smells in contracts from the JML models application programming interface (API). This API contains classes with more than 1,600 lines in contracts. Along with the documented smells, suggestions are provided for minimizing the impact or even removing a bad smell. It is believed that initiatives towards the cataloging of bad smells are useful for establishing good design practices in DBC

Identifying Conflicting Requirements in Systems of Systems

A System of Systems (SoS) is an arrangement of useful and independent sub-systems, which are integrated into a larger system. Examples are found in transport systems, nutritional systems, smart homes and smart cities. The composition of component sub-systems into an SoS enables support for complex functionalities that cannot be provided by individual sub-systems on their own. However, to realize the benefits of these functionalities it is necessary to address several software engineering challenges including, but not limited to, the specification, design, construction, deployment, and management of an SoS. The various component sub-systems in an SoS environment are often concerned with distinct domains; are developed by different stake-holders under different circumstances and time; provide distinct functionalities; and are used by different stakeholders, which allow for the existence of conflicting requirements. In this paper, we present a framework to support management of emerging conflicting requirements in an SoS. In particular, we describe an approach to support identification of conflicts between resource-based requirements (i.e. requirements concerned with the consumption of different resources). In order to illustrate and evaluate the work, we use an example of a pilot study of an IoT SoS ecosystem designed to support food security at different levels of granularity, namely individuals, groups, cities, and nations

M-Learning: Um estudo de caso aplicativo na EAD do IFPE

The e-Learning enables the creation of a new place for teaching and learning, where students who resides in difficult locations and/or who works for long hours are able to study mediated by technology. To do this, the students needs to have a high commitment, autonomy and dedication to their studies. According to MEC, 20% of the new students on the superior education of Brazil are from e -Learning courses and this kind of education has grown 50% each year. However, due to the high dependence of a fixed infrastructure to enable the use of internet technologies, several cities of Brazil has found dificulties to offer e-Learning courses. In contrast, according to data from ANATEL, about 99.99% of the Brazilian territory is reached by mobile companys through mobile phones. In this context, rises the concept of m-learning (mobile learning), which lets us to bring the whole environment of e-Learning for mobile devices such as Palms, Tablets, and especially cell phones. Thus, this article aims to report researchs in the area of m-Learning to find and explore their potential as well as modeling and developing an e-Learning environment mediated by mobile phones. With such environment we intent to integrate the current IFPE's virtual learning environment enabling new ways to reach and technologies for teaching and learning for students of IFPE

Implementing an Android Tool for Visually Impaired Students of E-Learning

This article aims to describe the process of learning and development of an educational tool designed for mobile devices (smartphones) with Android technology. In summary, the application was developed based on the virtual learning environment Moodle and aims to develop a learning environment that supports the visually impaired students of e-learning, allowing them to ask questions, discuss and share ideas through forums and use chat rooms in real time. The fundamental purpose of this application is to cooperate with scientific knowledge in the sense that this is a representation of technological advance on the accessibility tools in distance education mode and provide comfort, flexibility and accessibility for the visually impaired students, realizing that education should always be inclusive

Impacto das recentes reformas previdenciárias nas receitas e despesas do RGPS : mudanças do fator previdenciário

Monografia (graduação)—Universidade de Brasília, Faculdade de Economia, Administração e Contabilidade, Departamento de Ciências Contábeis e Atuariais, 2015.Este estudo tem como objetivo avaliar o impacto das recentes reformas previdenciárias nas receitas e despesas do Regime Geral de Previdência Social (RGPS), a partir das mudanças efetuadas em 2015, com a opção de incidência ou não do fator previdenciário. Para quantificar o impacto das novas medidas foram realizadas projeções e estimativas financeiras, com a utilização da técnica de Monte Carlo (MC) por meio do software Crystal Ball, em três diferentes cenários adotados para a concessão do benefício para aposentadoria por tempo de contribuição (ATC). Sobre a metodologia, este trabalho se baseou em indivíduos representativos para diluir a heterogeneidade relevante entre os agentes, e entender a população como um todo. Para atingir o objetivo proposto foram utilizados os dados sobre RGPS no AEPS Infologo referente ao ano de 2013, e definidas variáveis de receitas e despesas de forma a simular o resultado previdenciário (receitas menos despesas) para os benefícios ATC antes e depois da aprovação pelo Governo Federal da Lei n° 13.183, em novembro de 2015. Os resultados mostram que a implementação da nova regra não só mantém a tendência de déficit como impacta ainda mais negativamente o resultado previdenciário apurado no RGPS, quase dobrando as despesas comparativamente ao fator previdenciário original.This study aims to evaluate the impact of recent pension reforms in the revenue and expenditure of the General Social Security Regime (RGPS), from the changes made in 2015, with the incidence of option or not the social security factor. To quantify the impact of the new measures were carried out financial projections and estimates, using the technique of Monte Carlo (Mc) through the Crystal Ball software, in three different scenarios adopted for granting the benefit to retirement by contribution time. On the methodology, this work was based on representative individuals to dilute the relevant heterogeneity among agents, and understand the population as a whole. To achieve the proposed objective data on RGPS were used in the AEPS Infologo for the year 2013 and defined variables of income and expenses in order to simulate the pension income (revenue less expenses) for the ATC benefits before and after the approval by the Government Federal law n°. 13.183 in november 2015. The results show that the implementation of the new rule not only keeps the deficit trend as further negatively impacts the social security net income for the General Regime, nearly doubling the cost compared to original social security factor