The document describes an agent-based prototype for freight train traffic management between Milano and La Spezia stations in Italy. The prototype was developed using CaseLP, an environment for developing multi-agent system prototypes based on logic programming. The prototype models the complex interactions between various entities involved in freight train scheduling and aims to provide decision support for traffic coordinators. Key aspects of the prototype include defining agent classes and behaviors to represent different system actors like terminals and coordinators, and using agent communication to model coordination between agents. The prototype was tested to evaluate the benefits of an agent-based approach for decision support in freight train traffic management.
FORMAL MODELING AND VERIFICATION OF MULTI-AGENTS SYSTEM USING WELLFORMED NETScsandit
Multi-agent systems are asynchronous and distributed computer systems. These characteristics make them also a discrete-event dynamic system. It is, therefore, important to analyze the behavior of such systems to ensure that they terminate correctly and satisfy other important properties. This paper presents a formal modeling and analysis of MAS, based on Well-formed Nets, in order to ensure the absence of any undesired or unexpected behavior. To validate our ontribution, we consider the timetable problem, which is a multi-agent resource allocation problem.
Automatically inferring structure correlated variable set for concurrent atom...ijseajournal
The at
omicity of correlated variables is
quite tedious and error prone for programmers to explicitly infer
and specify in
the multi
-
threaded program
. Researchers have studied the automatic discovery of atomic set
programmers intended, such as by frequent itemset
mining and rules
-
based filter. However, due to the
lack
of inspection of inner structure
,
some
implicit sematics
independent
variables intended by user are
mistakenly
classified to be correlated
. In this paper, we present a
novel
simplification method for
program
dependency graph
and the corresponding graph
mining approach to detect the set of variables correlated
by logical structures in the source code. This approach formulates the automatic inference of the correlated
variables as mining frequent subgra
ph of
the simplified
data and control flow dependency graph. The
presented simplified
graph representation of program dependency is not only robust for coding style’s
varieties, but also essential to recognize the logical correlation. We implemented our me
thod and
compared it with previous methods on the open source programs’ repositories. The experiment results
show that our method has less false positive rate than previous methods in the development initial stage. It
is concluded that our presented method
can provide programmers in the development with the sufficient
precise correlated variable set for checking atomicity
6RLR-ABC: 6LOWPAN ROUTING PROTOCOL WITH LOCAL REPAIR USING BIO INSPIRED ARTIF...IJCNCJournal
The document presents a new routing protocol called 6RLR-ABC for 6LoWPAN networks that uses an artificial bee colony algorithm for local route repair. It compares the performance of 6RLR-ABC to the existing 6LoWPAN Ad-hoc On-Demand Distance Vector (LOAD) protocol through simulations. The results show that 6RLR-ABC achieves lower packet delay, higher packet delivery ratio, and higher throughput while using less energy than LOAD, especially with increasing network traffic loads.
Harnessing deep learning algorithms to predict software refactoringTELKOMNIKA JOURNAL
During software maintenance, software systems need to be modified by adding or modifying source code. These changes are required to fix errors or adopt new requirements raised by stakeholders or market place. Identifying thetargeted piece of code for refactoring purposes is considered a real challenge for software developers. The whole process of refactoring mainly relies on software developers’ skills and intuition. In this paper, a deep learning algorithm is used to develop a refactoring prediction model for highlighting the classes that require refactoring. More specifically, the gated recurrent unit algorithm is used with proposed pre-processing steps for refactoring predictionat the class level. The effectiveness of the proposed model is evaluated usinga very common dataset of 7 open source java projects. The experiments are conducted before and after balancing the dataset to investigate the influence of data sampling on the performance of the prediction model. The experimental analysis reveals a promising result in the field of code refactoring prediction
MICRE: Microservices In MediCal Research EnvironmentsMartin Chapman
The document discusses integrating microservices into medical research software development. It describes benefits like resilience, scalability, and ease of deployment when dealing with heterogeneous technologies and end-users. Three needs are identified: 1) a model specifying technologies; 2) tools to help researchers segment software; and 3) training. Examples of microservice architectures for medical workflows, clinical guidelines, and a decision support system are provided, along with developer experiences and ideas to explore different technologies and practices.
INVESTIGATING MULTILAYER OMEGA-TYPE NETWORKS OPERATING WITH THE CUT-THROUGH T...IJCNCJournal
The continuous increase in the complexity of data networks has motivated the development of more effective Multistage Interconnection Networks (MINs) as important factors in providing higher data transfer rates in various switching divisions. In this paper, semi-layer omega-class networks operating with a cut-through forwarding technique are chosen as test-bed subjects for detailed evaluation, and this network architecture is modelled, inspected, and simulated. The results are examined for relevant singlelayer omega networks operating with cut-through or ‘store and forward’ forwarding techniques. Two series of experiments are carried out: one concerns the case of uniform traffic, while the other is related to hotspot traffic. The results quantify the way in which this network outperforms the corresponding singlelayer network architectures for the same network size and buffer size. Furthermore, the effects of the dimensions of the switch elements and their corresponding reliability on the overall interconnection system are investigated, and the complexity and the relevant cost are examined. The data yielded by this investigation can be valuable to MIN engineers and can allow them to achieve more productive networks with lower overall implementation costs.
Towards to an agent oriented modeling and evaluating approach for vehicular s...Zac Darcy
Agent technology is a software paradigm that permits to implement large and complex distributed
applications. In order to assist the development of multi-agent systems, agent-oriented methodologies
(AOM) have been created in the last years to support modeling more and more complex applications in
many different domains. By defining in a non-ambiguous way concepts used in a specific domain, Meta
modeling may represent a step towards such interoperability. In the Transport domain, this paper propose
an agent-oriented meta-model that provides rigorous concepts for conducting transportation system
problem modeling. The aim is to allow analysts to produce a transportation system model that precisely
captures the knowledge of an organization so that an agent-oriented requirements specification of the
system-to-be and its operational corporate environment can be derived from it. To this end, we extend and
adapt an existing meta-model, Extended Gaia, to build a meta-model and an adequate model for
transportation problems. Our new agent-oriented meta-model aims to allow the analyst to model and
specify any transportation system as a multi-agent system. Based on the proposed meta-model, we proposes
an approach for modeling and evaluating the Transportation System based on Stochastic Activity Network
(SAN) components. The proposed process is based on seven steps from “Recognition” phase to
“Quantitative Analysis” phase. These analyzes are based on the Dependability models which are built
using the formalism Stochastic Activity Network. A real case study of Urban Public Transportation System
has been conducted to show the benefits of the approach.
FORMAL MODELING AND VERIFICATION OF MULTI-AGENTS SYSTEM USING WELLFORMED NETScsandit
Multi-agent systems are asynchronous and distributed computer systems. These characteristics make them also a discrete-event dynamic system. It is, therefore, important to analyze the behavior of such systems to ensure that they terminate correctly and satisfy other important properties. This paper presents a formal modeling and analysis of MAS, based on Well-formed Nets, in order to ensure the absence of any undesired or unexpected behavior. To validate our ontribution, we consider the timetable problem, which is a multi-agent resource allocation problem.
Automatically inferring structure correlated variable set for concurrent atom...ijseajournal
The at
omicity of correlated variables is
quite tedious and error prone for programmers to explicitly infer
and specify in
the multi
-
threaded program
. Researchers have studied the automatic discovery of atomic set
programmers intended, such as by frequent itemset
mining and rules
-
based filter. However, due to the
lack
of inspection of inner structure
,
some
implicit sematics
independent
variables intended by user are
mistakenly
classified to be correlated
. In this paper, we present a
novel
simplification method for
program
dependency graph
and the corresponding graph
mining approach to detect the set of variables correlated
by logical structures in the source code. This approach formulates the automatic inference of the correlated
variables as mining frequent subgra
ph of
the simplified
data and control flow dependency graph. The
presented simplified
graph representation of program dependency is not only robust for coding style’s
varieties, but also essential to recognize the logical correlation. We implemented our me
thod and
compared it with previous methods on the open source programs’ repositories. The experiment results
show that our method has less false positive rate than previous methods in the development initial stage. It
is concluded that our presented method
can provide programmers in the development with the sufficient
precise correlated variable set for checking atomicity
6RLR-ABC: 6LOWPAN ROUTING PROTOCOL WITH LOCAL REPAIR USING BIO INSPIRED ARTIF...IJCNCJournal
The document presents a new routing protocol called 6RLR-ABC for 6LoWPAN networks that uses an artificial bee colony algorithm for local route repair. It compares the performance of 6RLR-ABC to the existing 6LoWPAN Ad-hoc On-Demand Distance Vector (LOAD) protocol through simulations. The results show that 6RLR-ABC achieves lower packet delay, higher packet delivery ratio, and higher throughput while using less energy than LOAD, especially with increasing network traffic loads.
Harnessing deep learning algorithms to predict software refactoringTELKOMNIKA JOURNAL
During software maintenance, software systems need to be modified by adding or modifying source code. These changes are required to fix errors or adopt new requirements raised by stakeholders or market place. Identifying thetargeted piece of code for refactoring purposes is considered a real challenge for software developers. The whole process of refactoring mainly relies on software developers’ skills and intuition. In this paper, a deep learning algorithm is used to develop a refactoring prediction model for highlighting the classes that require refactoring. More specifically, the gated recurrent unit algorithm is used with proposed pre-processing steps for refactoring predictionat the class level. The effectiveness of the proposed model is evaluated usinga very common dataset of 7 open source java projects. The experiments are conducted before and after balancing the dataset to investigate the influence of data sampling on the performance of the prediction model. The experimental analysis reveals a promising result in the field of code refactoring prediction
MICRE: Microservices In MediCal Research EnvironmentsMartin Chapman
The document discusses integrating microservices into medical research software development. It describes benefits like resilience, scalability, and ease of deployment when dealing with heterogeneous technologies and end-users. Three needs are identified: 1) a model specifying technologies; 2) tools to help researchers segment software; and 3) training. Examples of microservice architectures for medical workflows, clinical guidelines, and a decision support system are provided, along with developer experiences and ideas to explore different technologies and practices.
INVESTIGATING MULTILAYER OMEGA-TYPE NETWORKS OPERATING WITH THE CUT-THROUGH T...IJCNCJournal
The continuous increase in the complexity of data networks has motivated the development of more effective Multistage Interconnection Networks (MINs) as important factors in providing higher data transfer rates in various switching divisions. In this paper, semi-layer omega-class networks operating with a cut-through forwarding technique are chosen as test-bed subjects for detailed evaluation, and this network architecture is modelled, inspected, and simulated. The results are examined for relevant singlelayer omega networks operating with cut-through or ‘store and forward’ forwarding techniques. Two series of experiments are carried out: one concerns the case of uniform traffic, while the other is related to hotspot traffic. The results quantify the way in which this network outperforms the corresponding singlelayer network architectures for the same network size and buffer size. Furthermore, the effects of the dimensions of the switch elements and their corresponding reliability on the overall interconnection system are investigated, and the complexity and the relevant cost are examined. The data yielded by this investigation can be valuable to MIN engineers and can allow them to achieve more productive networks with lower overall implementation costs.
Towards to an agent oriented modeling and evaluating approach for vehicular s...Zac Darcy
Agent technology is a software paradigm that permits to implement large and complex distributed
applications. In order to assist the development of multi-agent systems, agent-oriented methodologies
(AOM) have been created in the last years to support modeling more and more complex applications in
many different domains. By defining in a non-ambiguous way concepts used in a specific domain, Meta
modeling may represent a step towards such interoperability. In the Transport domain, this paper propose
an agent-oriented meta-model that provides rigorous concepts for conducting transportation system
problem modeling. The aim is to allow analysts to produce a transportation system model that precisely
captures the knowledge of an organization so that an agent-oriented requirements specification of the
system-to-be and its operational corporate environment can be derived from it. To this end, we extend and
adapt an existing meta-model, Extended Gaia, to build a meta-model and an adequate model for
transportation problems. Our new agent-oriented meta-model aims to allow the analyst to model and
specify any transportation system as a multi-agent system. Based on the proposed meta-model, we proposes
an approach for modeling and evaluating the Transportation System based on Stochastic Activity Network
(SAN) components. The proposed process is based on seven steps from “Recognition” phase to
“Quantitative Analysis” phase. These analyzes are based on the Dependability models which are built
using the formalism Stochastic Activity Network. A real case study of Urban Public Transportation System
has been conducted to show the benefits of the approach.
Phenoflow: A Microservice Architecture for Portable Workflow-based Phenotype ...Martin Chapman
The document describes Phenoflow, a microservice architecture for defining phenotypes in a structured workflow-based model to improve portability. The model defines phenotypes as sequential steps with multiple descriptions at the abstract layer and specifies entity metadata at the functional layer. Phenoflow is an online library that generates executable Common Workflow Language implementations from definitions. Evaluating diabetes and COVID-19 phenotypes showed the structured definitions improved portability over traditional logic/code by reducing clinical and programming expertise requirements. Future work includes enhancing the library search and expanding available implementation modules.
Efficient Feature Selection for Fault Diagnosis of Aerospace System Using Syn...IRJET Journal
This document summarizes a research paper that proposes a two-level feature extraction method using both syntax and semantic algorithms to improve fault diagnosis of aerospace systems. At the syntax level, an improved Chi-squared statistic called ICHI is used to select features and address issues with unbalanced data sets. At the semantic level, a topic modeling approach called PLDA that incorporates prior domain knowledge into LDA is used to further extract features. The extracted features from both levels are then combined to boost the performance of support vector machine classification, especially for minority fault categories.
International Journal of Engineering and Science Invention (IJESI) is an international journal intended for professionals and researchers in all fields of computer science and electronics. IJESI publishes research articles and reviews within the whole field Engineering Science and Technology, new teaching methods, assessment, validation and the impact of new technologies and it will continue to provide information on the latest trends and developments in this ever-expanding subject. The publications of papers are selected through double peer reviewed to ensure originality, relevance, and readability. The articles published in our journal can be accessed online.
Performance improvement of vehicular delay tolerant networks using public tra...ijmnct
In some networks, communications are sometimes interrupted and packet sending encounters many delays
due to lack of permanent connection between the nodes. Inter-vehicular and inter-satellite networks, which
are the so-called delay-tolerant networks, are an example to this type. This paper proposed a new routing
algorithm, which could increase efficiency of this kind of networks using predictability feature of bus
movement in a vehicular network. In this paper, bus routes were considered the backbone for vehicular
network and, knowing route of bus and destination of packets, the proposed algorithm, which was able to
use this information, was introduced. In addition, the proposed algorithm was simulated to prove its
efficiency and then it was compared with other algorithms in different conditions. The obtained results
indicated acceptable efficiency of the proposed algorithm.
IRJET - Cognitive based Emotion Analysis of a Child Reading a BookIRJET Journal
1. The document describes a system to analyze the emotions of children while reading by capturing their facial expressions using CNN and analyzing the sentiment of the text using techniques like SVM.
2. The system aims to classify sentences based on emotions like joy, anger, fear etc. using models trained on Twitter data and detect facial expressions using a CNN model trained on a children's facial expression dataset.
3. The proposed application will record a child's face and text they are reading to analyze emotions over time and log the results to help understand responses to different parts of books or educational material.
2008 chen - towards fault-tolerant hla-based distributed simulationsDaniel Vargas
The document proposes a framework for providing fault tolerance in HLA-based distributed simulations. The framework uses a Decoupled Federate Architecture that separates simulation models from Local RTI Components. This allows physical federates containing backups of the RTI to take over if the primary RTI fails, without disrupting the simulation models. The framework ensures reliable message delivery during failures and avoids repeating computation when handling failures. Experiments on a supply chain simulation show the framework provides correct failure recovery with minimal overhead.
The document discusses several MCA projects including:
1. A medical information integration model using cloud computing to provide data storage and analysis for medical departments and workers.
2. A customer relationship and warehouse management system to optimize revenue, customer satisfaction and understanding.
3. An issue tracking, managing, monitoring and reporting system for IT departments to access shared data and history.
Iaetsd implementation of context features using context-aware information fil...Iaetsd Iaetsd
This document proposes a Context-Aware Information Filter (CAIF) to filter unwanted messages in online social networks. It aims to address the limitations of current rule-based filtering systems that do not consider the context of messages. The CAIF would have two inputs - messages and context updates. It presents the AGILE algorithm to make indexing adaptive by increasing or decreasing index accuracy and scope based on the frequency of context updates and message handling calls. This achieves high message throughput while efficiently processing context changes.
International Journal of Engineering Research and Applications (IJERA) is an open access online peer reviewed international journal that publishes research and review articles in the fields of Computer Science, Neural Networks, Electrical Engineering, Software Engineering, Information Technology, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Plastic Engineering, Food Technology, Textile Engineering, Nano Technology & science, Power Electronics, Electronics & Communication Engineering, Computational mathematics, Image processing, Civil Engineering, Structural Engineering, Environmental Engineering, VLSI Testing & Low Power VLSI Design etc.
How good is my software a simple approach for software rating based on syst...Conference Papers
This document proposes a simple analytics approach for determining a software product rating based on results from system testing. The approach assigns points to test cases based on whether they pass or fail during iterations of system testing. Points are totaled for each test strategy and weighted based on the strategy's importance. The weighted scores are averaged to determine an overall software rating on a predefined scale like stars. The rating can indicate software quality before full release or provide interim ratings during ongoing testing. A case study demonstrates calculating sample scores and ratings using functional testing results from three hypothetical software projects at different stages of testing.
A task based fault-tolerance mechanism to hierarchical master worker with div...www.pixelsolutionbd.com
This document proposes a task-based fault tolerance mechanism for a hierarchical master/worker framework with divisible tasks. It implements a single-layer hierarchical master/worker model where a main master communicates with submasters that each manage workers. To address fault tolerance, it uses a bully election algorithm for submasters and handles worker failures similarly to the existing master/worker approach. It also presents an automatic load balancing mechanism for divisible tasks based on task stealing between groups. The paper aims to efficiently handle failures of different components in the hierarchical framework while correctly processing divisible workloads.
This document presents a prototype called the Collaboration Browser that is used to iteratively recover and understand collaborations from dynamic information in Java programs. The Collaboration Browser allows a developer to query run-time execution traces to understand collaborations and interactions between classes. It displays dynamic information through panels that list sender classes, receiver classes, invoked methods, and collaboration patterns represented as sequence diagrams. The developer can filter and query this information to iteratively extract collaborations between classes. The goal is to help understand object-oriented applications by recovering larger collaborations rather than focusing only on classes.
El documento describe los diferentes tipos de acoso escolar, incluyendo acoso físico, verbal y psicológico, y explica cómo factores como la timidez, la inseguridad, la agresividad y las relaciones familiares inadecuadas pueden contribuir al acoso.
Offerpop's Tips For Standout Holiday CampaignsOfferpop
The document provides tips for businesses to run effective social media holiday marketing campaigns. It discusses how social media has become an important influencer in holiday shopping decisions. Some key tips include running ongoing engagement campaigns, appealing to emotions, making products easy to discover and purchase, creating urgency to drive sharing, encouraging user-generated content, incentivizing fans to share with friends, and planning campaigns early. Various brand examples are outlined that implemented successful tactics like contests, sneak previews, referrals, and time-sensitive deals.
La Unión Europea ha acordado un embargo petrolero contra Rusia en respuesta a la invasión de Ucrania. El embargo prohibirá la mayoría de las importaciones de petróleo ruso a la UE y se implementará de manera gradual durante los próximos seis meses. El embargo forma parte de un sexto paquete de sanciones de la UE contra Rusia destinado a aumentar la presión económica sobre el gobierno de Putin.
This three bedroom, 1.5 bathroom single family home is located in the desirable East Side neighborhood of Melrose, Massachusetts. The home occupies 1,438 square feet on a 8,680 square foot lot and features hardwood floors, gas heat, and town water/sewer. It is within walking distance of parks, ponds and trails. Melrose has excellent schools and transportation options, being only 12 miles from Logan Airport with commuter rail and bus service to Boston.
Frontier Backup & Recovery provides a managed backup and recovery service to address common business challenges. Data is critical for all industries but is at risk from hardware failures, human errors, and other issues. Regulations require stringent data security and compliance. Frontier's solution automates backups, allows fast recovery of files and servers, protects remote offices and laptops, and ensures security, compliance, and reduced costs through its managed service model. It aims to free up IT resources and provide expertise, automation, and validation to better protect critical business data.
The Livelihoods Fund provides financing for carbon offset projects that also improve livelihoods and restore ecosystems. It has funded 6 projects across multiple countries that have planted over 14,000 hectares of forests and are projected to generate over 6 million carbon credits. The fund takes a balanced portfolio approach, investing in projects focused on ecosystem restoration, agriculture and agroforestry, and small renewable energy. It has a track record of success due to its rigorous selection process, focus on scalability and local benefits, and risk mitigation strategies.
This document describes modeling and verifying a telecommunication application called Depannage using Live Sequence Charts (LSCs) and the Play-Engine tool. Depannage allows users to call for help from emergency services. The application is complex due to its distributed architecture, time constraints, and evolving components.
The authors specify Depannage using LSCs to describe component behaviors and interactions. Key components include Search, which locates emergency providers, and Users, which models user states. Universal LSCs define mandatory component behaviors, while existential LSCs define possible behaviors. The Play-Engine tool is used to simulate, animate, and formally verify the LSC specification.
The methodology captures requirements at a high level using
Towards to an Agent-Oriented Modeling and Evaluating Approach for Vehicular S...Zac Darcy
1) The document proposes an agent-oriented meta-model for modeling and evaluating vehicular systems security.
2) It extends the existing Extended Gaia meta-model to build a new meta-model suited for modeling transportation problems.
3) The new meta-model adds concepts like functional requirement, non-functional requirement, agent model, and organization model to allow modeling of transportation system requirements and behaviors.
Implementing sharing platform based on ontology using a sequential recommende...IJECEIAES
While recommender systems have shown success in many fields, accurate recommendations in industrial settings remain challenging. In maintenance, existing techniques often struggle with the “cold start” problem and fail to consider differences in the target population's characteristics. To address this, additional user information can be incorporated into the recommendation process. This paper proposes a recommender system for recommending repair actions to technicians based on an ontology (knowledge base) and a sequential model. The approach utilizes two ontologies, one representing failure knowledge and the other representing asset attributes. The proposed method involves two steps: i) calculating score similarity based on ontology domain knowledge to make predictions for targeted failures and ii) generating Top-N repair actions through collaborative filtering recommendations for targeted failures. An additional module was implemented to evaluate the recommender system, and results showed improved performance.
A HEURISTIC APPROACH FOR WEB-SERVICE DISCOVERY AND SELECTIONijcsit
This document proposes a new heuristic approach for web service discovery and selection using an algorithm inspired by honey bee behavior called the Bees Algorithm. The approach structures service registries by domain to simplify discovery. It uses the Bees Algorithm as an intelligent search method to efficiently find the optimal service matching a client's request and quality of service requirements from the relevant registry in least time.
Phenoflow: A Microservice Architecture for Portable Workflow-based Phenotype ...Martin Chapman
The document describes Phenoflow, a microservice architecture for defining phenotypes in a structured workflow-based model to improve portability. The model defines phenotypes as sequential steps with multiple descriptions at the abstract layer and specifies entity metadata at the functional layer. Phenoflow is an online library that generates executable Common Workflow Language implementations from definitions. Evaluating diabetes and COVID-19 phenotypes showed the structured definitions improved portability over traditional logic/code by reducing clinical and programming expertise requirements. Future work includes enhancing the library search and expanding available implementation modules.
Efficient Feature Selection for Fault Diagnosis of Aerospace System Using Syn...IRJET Journal
This document summarizes a research paper that proposes a two-level feature extraction method using both syntax and semantic algorithms to improve fault diagnosis of aerospace systems. At the syntax level, an improved Chi-squared statistic called ICHI is used to select features and address issues with unbalanced data sets. At the semantic level, a topic modeling approach called PLDA that incorporates prior domain knowledge into LDA is used to further extract features. The extracted features from both levels are then combined to boost the performance of support vector machine classification, especially for minority fault categories.
International Journal of Engineering and Science Invention (IJESI) is an international journal intended for professionals and researchers in all fields of computer science and electronics. IJESI publishes research articles and reviews within the whole field Engineering Science and Technology, new teaching methods, assessment, validation and the impact of new technologies and it will continue to provide information on the latest trends and developments in this ever-expanding subject. The publications of papers are selected through double peer reviewed to ensure originality, relevance, and readability. The articles published in our journal can be accessed online.
Performance improvement of vehicular delay tolerant networks using public tra...ijmnct
In some networks, communications are sometimes interrupted and packet sending encounters many delays
due to lack of permanent connection between the nodes. Inter-vehicular and inter-satellite networks, which
are the so-called delay-tolerant networks, are an example to this type. This paper proposed a new routing
algorithm, which could increase efficiency of this kind of networks using predictability feature of bus
movement in a vehicular network. In this paper, bus routes were considered the backbone for vehicular
network and, knowing route of bus and destination of packets, the proposed algorithm, which was able to
use this information, was introduced. In addition, the proposed algorithm was simulated to prove its
efficiency and then it was compared with other algorithms in different conditions. The obtained results
indicated acceptable efficiency of the proposed algorithm.
IRJET - Cognitive based Emotion Analysis of a Child Reading a BookIRJET Journal
1. The document describes a system to analyze the emotions of children while reading by capturing their facial expressions using CNN and analyzing the sentiment of the text using techniques like SVM.
2. The system aims to classify sentences based on emotions like joy, anger, fear etc. using models trained on Twitter data and detect facial expressions using a CNN model trained on a children's facial expression dataset.
3. The proposed application will record a child's face and text they are reading to analyze emotions over time and log the results to help understand responses to different parts of books or educational material.
2008 chen - towards fault-tolerant hla-based distributed simulationsDaniel Vargas
The document proposes a framework for providing fault tolerance in HLA-based distributed simulations. The framework uses a Decoupled Federate Architecture that separates simulation models from Local RTI Components. This allows physical federates containing backups of the RTI to take over if the primary RTI fails, without disrupting the simulation models. The framework ensures reliable message delivery during failures and avoids repeating computation when handling failures. Experiments on a supply chain simulation show the framework provides correct failure recovery with minimal overhead.
The document discusses several MCA projects including:
1. A medical information integration model using cloud computing to provide data storage and analysis for medical departments and workers.
2. A customer relationship and warehouse management system to optimize revenue, customer satisfaction and understanding.
3. An issue tracking, managing, monitoring and reporting system for IT departments to access shared data and history.
Iaetsd implementation of context features using context-aware information fil...Iaetsd Iaetsd
This document proposes a Context-Aware Information Filter (CAIF) to filter unwanted messages in online social networks. It aims to address the limitations of current rule-based filtering systems that do not consider the context of messages. The CAIF would have two inputs - messages and context updates. It presents the AGILE algorithm to make indexing adaptive by increasing or decreasing index accuracy and scope based on the frequency of context updates and message handling calls. This achieves high message throughput while efficiently processing context changes.
International Journal of Engineering Research and Applications (IJERA) is an open access online peer reviewed international journal that publishes research and review articles in the fields of Computer Science, Neural Networks, Electrical Engineering, Software Engineering, Information Technology, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Plastic Engineering, Food Technology, Textile Engineering, Nano Technology & science, Power Electronics, Electronics & Communication Engineering, Computational mathematics, Image processing, Civil Engineering, Structural Engineering, Environmental Engineering, VLSI Testing & Low Power VLSI Design etc.
How good is my software a simple approach for software rating based on syst...Conference Papers
This document proposes a simple analytics approach for determining a software product rating based on results from system testing. The approach assigns points to test cases based on whether they pass or fail during iterations of system testing. Points are totaled for each test strategy and weighted based on the strategy's importance. The weighted scores are averaged to determine an overall software rating on a predefined scale like stars. The rating can indicate software quality before full release or provide interim ratings during ongoing testing. A case study demonstrates calculating sample scores and ratings using functional testing results from three hypothetical software projects at different stages of testing.
A task based fault-tolerance mechanism to hierarchical master worker with div...www.pixelsolutionbd.com
This document proposes a task-based fault tolerance mechanism for a hierarchical master/worker framework with divisible tasks. It implements a single-layer hierarchical master/worker model where a main master communicates with submasters that each manage workers. To address fault tolerance, it uses a bully election algorithm for submasters and handles worker failures similarly to the existing master/worker approach. It also presents an automatic load balancing mechanism for divisible tasks based on task stealing between groups. The paper aims to efficiently handle failures of different components in the hierarchical framework while correctly processing divisible workloads.
This document presents a prototype called the Collaboration Browser that is used to iteratively recover and understand collaborations from dynamic information in Java programs. The Collaboration Browser allows a developer to query run-time execution traces to understand collaborations and interactions between classes. It displays dynamic information through panels that list sender classes, receiver classes, invoked methods, and collaboration patterns represented as sequence diagrams. The developer can filter and query this information to iteratively extract collaborations between classes. The goal is to help understand object-oriented applications by recovering larger collaborations rather than focusing only on classes.
El documento describe los diferentes tipos de acoso escolar, incluyendo acoso físico, verbal y psicológico, y explica cómo factores como la timidez, la inseguridad, la agresividad y las relaciones familiares inadecuadas pueden contribuir al acoso.
Offerpop's Tips For Standout Holiday CampaignsOfferpop
The document provides tips for businesses to run effective social media holiday marketing campaigns. It discusses how social media has become an important influencer in holiday shopping decisions. Some key tips include running ongoing engagement campaigns, appealing to emotions, making products easy to discover and purchase, creating urgency to drive sharing, encouraging user-generated content, incentivizing fans to share with friends, and planning campaigns early. Various brand examples are outlined that implemented successful tactics like contests, sneak previews, referrals, and time-sensitive deals.
La Unión Europea ha acordado un embargo petrolero contra Rusia en respuesta a la invasión de Ucrania. El embargo prohibirá la mayoría de las importaciones de petróleo ruso a la UE y se implementará de manera gradual durante los próximos seis meses. El embargo forma parte de un sexto paquete de sanciones de la UE contra Rusia destinado a aumentar la presión económica sobre el gobierno de Putin.
This three bedroom, 1.5 bathroom single family home is located in the desirable East Side neighborhood of Melrose, Massachusetts. The home occupies 1,438 square feet on a 8,680 square foot lot and features hardwood floors, gas heat, and town water/sewer. It is within walking distance of parks, ponds and trails. Melrose has excellent schools and transportation options, being only 12 miles from Logan Airport with commuter rail and bus service to Boston.
Frontier Backup & Recovery provides a managed backup and recovery service to address common business challenges. Data is critical for all industries but is at risk from hardware failures, human errors, and other issues. Regulations require stringent data security and compliance. Frontier's solution automates backups, allows fast recovery of files and servers, protects remote offices and laptops, and ensures security, compliance, and reduced costs through its managed service model. It aims to free up IT resources and provide expertise, automation, and validation to better protect critical business data.
The Livelihoods Fund provides financing for carbon offset projects that also improve livelihoods and restore ecosystems. It has funded 6 projects across multiple countries that have planted over 14,000 hectares of forests and are projected to generate over 6 million carbon credits. The fund takes a balanced portfolio approach, investing in projects focused on ecosystem restoration, agriculture and agroforestry, and small renewable energy. It has a track record of success due to its rigorous selection process, focus on scalability and local benefits, and risk mitigation strategies.
This document describes modeling and verifying a telecommunication application called Depannage using Live Sequence Charts (LSCs) and the Play-Engine tool. Depannage allows users to call for help from emergency services. The application is complex due to its distributed architecture, time constraints, and evolving components.
The authors specify Depannage using LSCs to describe component behaviors and interactions. Key components include Search, which locates emergency providers, and Users, which models user states. Universal LSCs define mandatory component behaviors, while existential LSCs define possible behaviors. The Play-Engine tool is used to simulate, animate, and formally verify the LSC specification.
The methodology captures requirements at a high level using
Towards to an Agent-Oriented Modeling and Evaluating Approach for Vehicular S...Zac Darcy
1) The document proposes an agent-oriented meta-model for modeling and evaluating vehicular systems security.
2) It extends the existing Extended Gaia meta-model to build a new meta-model suited for modeling transportation problems.
3) The new meta-model adds concepts like functional requirement, non-functional requirement, agent model, and organization model to allow modeling of transportation system requirements and behaviors.
Implementing sharing platform based on ontology using a sequential recommende...IJECEIAES
While recommender systems have shown success in many fields, accurate recommendations in industrial settings remain challenging. In maintenance, existing techniques often struggle with the “cold start” problem and fail to consider differences in the target population's characteristics. To address this, additional user information can be incorporated into the recommendation process. This paper proposes a recommender system for recommending repair actions to technicians based on an ontology (knowledge base) and a sequential model. The approach utilizes two ontologies, one representing failure knowledge and the other representing asset attributes. The proposed method involves two steps: i) calculating score similarity based on ontology domain knowledge to make predictions for targeted failures and ii) generating Top-N repair actions through collaborative filtering recommendations for targeted failures. An additional module was implemented to evaluate the recommender system, and results showed improved performance.
A HEURISTIC APPROACH FOR WEB-SERVICE DISCOVERY AND SELECTIONijcsit
This document proposes a new heuristic approach for web service discovery and selection using an algorithm inspired by honey bee behavior called the Bees Algorithm. The approach structures service registries by domain to simplify discovery. It uses the Bees Algorithm as an intelligent search method to efficiently find the optimal service matching a client's request and quality of service requirements from the relevant registry in least time.
Multi-Agent System (MAS) monitoring solutions are designed for a plethora of usage topics. Existing approach mostly used cloned back-end architectures while front-end monitoring interface tends to constitute the real specificity of the solution. These interfaces are recurrently structured around three dimensions: access to informed knowledge, agent’s behavioural rules, and restitution of real-time states of specific system sector. In this paper, we propose prototyping a sector-agnostic MAS platform (Smart-X) which gathers in an integrated and independent platform all the functionalities required to monitor and to govern a wide range of sector specific environments. For illustration and validation purposes, the use of Smart-X is introduced and explained with a smart-mobility case study.
This document presents a framework for software timing analysis using UML sequence diagrams. The framework involves first gathering requirements and creating a sequence diagram. The sequence diagram is then converted to a label transition graph. Algorithms are applied to reduce the graph to a path expression and determine the minimum and maximum path lengths, representing the minimum and maximum time taken for the application. A case study applying this process to the timing analysis of a purchasing process in a mall is presented as an example. The advantage of this approach is that timing requirements can be analyzed early in the requirements stage from the UML models.
Model Based Software Timing Analysis Using Sequence Diagram for Commercial Ap...iosrjce
This document presents a framework for software timing analysis using UML sequence diagrams. The framework involves first gathering requirements and creating a sequence diagram. The sequence diagram is then converted to a label transition graph. Algorithms are applied to reduce the graph to a path expression and determine the minimum and maximum path lengths, representing the minimum and maximum timings. A case study applying this process to the timing analysis of a purchasing process in a mall is presented as an example. The advantage of this approach is that timing requirements can be identified early in the requirements stage from the UML models.
An Implementation on Effective Robot Mission under Critical Environemental Co...IJERA Editor
Software engineering is a field of engineering, for designing and writing programs for computers or other electronic devices. A software engineer, or programmer, writes software (or changes existing software) and compiles software using methods that make it better quality. Is the application of engineering to the design, development, implementation, testingand main tenance of software in a systematic method. Now a days the robotics are also plays an important role in present automation concepts. But we have several challenges in that robots when they are operated in some critical environments. Motion planning and task planning are two fundamental problems in robotics that have been addressed from different perspectives. For resolve this there are Temporal logic based approaches that automatically generate controllers have been shown to be useful for mission level planning of motion, surveillance and navigation, among others. These approaches critically rely on the validity of the environment models used for synthesis. Yet simplifying assumptions are inevitable to reduce complexity and provide mission-level guarantees; no plan can guarantee results in a model of a world in which everything can go wrong. In this paper, we show how our approach, which reduces reliance on a single model by introducing a stack of models, can endow systems with incremental guarantees based on increasingly strengthened assumptions, supporting graceful degradation when the environment does not behave as expected, and progressive enhancement when it does.
A Metamodel and Graphical Syntax for NS-2 ProgramingEditor IJCATR
One of the most important issues, around the world, which manufacturers pay special attention to is to promote their
activities in order to be able to give high quality products or services. Perhaps the first advice to achieve this goal is simulation idea.
Therefore, simulation software packages with different properties have been made available. One of the most applicable simulators is
NS-2 which suffers from internal complexity. On the other hand, Domain Specific Modeling Languages can make an abstraction level
by which we can overcome the complexity of NS-2, increase the production speed, and promote efficiency. So, in this paper, we
introduce a Domain Specific Metamodel for NS-2.This new metamodel paves the ways for introducing abstract syntax and modeling
language syntax. In addition, created syntax in Domain Specific Modeling Language is supported by a graphical modeling tool.
An Adjacent Analysis of the Parallel Programming Model Perspective: A SurveyIRJET Journal
This document provides an overview and analysis of parallel programming models. It begins with an abstract discussing the growing demand for parallel computing and challenges with existing parallel programming frameworks. It then reviews several relevant studies on parallel programming models and architectures. The document goes on to describe several key parallel programming models in more detail, including the Parallel Random Access Machine (PRAM) model, Unrestricted Message Passing (UMP) model, and Bulk Synchronous Parallel (BSP) model. It discusses aspects of each model like architecture, communication methods, and associated cost models. The overall goal is to compare benefits and limitations of different parallel programming models.
An Overview of Workflow Management on Mobile Agent TechnologyIJERA Editor
This document discusses mobile agent technology for workflow management. It provides an overview of current research on using mobile agents to automate business processes across distributed systems. The document summarizes several related works on topics like inter-organizational workflows, mobile agent communication, coordination techniques, and workflow partitioning and scheduling algorithms. It aims to improve methods for designing and implementing prototype models for mobile agent-based workflow management systems.
MULTI-AGENT BASED SMART METERING AND MONITORING OF POWER DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM:...ijaia
One of the problems faced by the Electricity Power consumers is the issue of charging higher than their consumption. The extended framework presented in this work provides a lasting solution by developing a Multi-agent Based System, which allows a Meter Agent to detect a case of bypassing a prepaid meter and report the case to the distribution company. Similarly, the system should be able monitor the amount in which the customer is being charged based on their power consumption. This will solve the problem of overcharging power consumers. Multi-Agent System Engineering (MaSE) methodology was used to establish how agents are able to accomplish the stated challenge encountered in the Nigerian Electricity Distribution System. The proposed platform shows that Multi-Agent Systems can play a vital role in addressing the challenges facing the power distribution sector.
Availability Assessment of Software Systems Architecture Using Formal ModelsEditor IJCATR
There has been a significant effort to analyze, design and implement the information systems to process the information and data, and solve various problems. On the one hand, complexity of the contemporary systems, and eye-catching increase in the variety and volume of information has led to great number of the components and elements, and more complex structure and organization of the information systems. On the other hand, it is necessary to develop the systems which meet all of the stakeholders' functional and non-functional requirements. Considering the fact that evaluation and assessment of the aforementioned requirements - prior to the design and implementation phases - will consume less time and reduce costs, the best time to measure the evaluable behavior of the system is when its software architecture is provided. One of the ways to evaluate the architecture of software is creation of an executable model of architecture.
The present research used availability assessment and took repair, maintenance and accident time parameters into consideration. Failures of software and hardware components have been considered in the architecture of software systems. To describe the architecture easily, the authors used Unified Modeling Language (UML). However, due to the informality of UML, they utilized Colored Petri Nets (CPN) for assessment too. Eventually, the researchers evaluated a CPN-based executable model of architecture through CPN-Tools.
Multiagent Based Methodologies have become an
important subject of research in advance Software Engineering.
Several methodologies have been proposed as, a theoretical
approach, to facilitate and support the development of complex
distributed systems. An important question when facing the
construction of Agent Applications is deciding which
methodology to follow. Trying to answer this question, a
framework with several criteria is applied in this paper for the
comparative analysis of existing multiagent system
methodologies. The results of the comparative over two of them,
conclude that those methodologies have not reached a sufficient
maturity level to be used by the software industry. The
framework has also proved its utility for the evaluation of any
kind of Multiagent Based Software Engineering Methodology
This document presents a framework for reusing existing software agents through ontological engineering. The framework includes components like a user interface agent, query processor, mapping agent, transfer agent, wrapper agent, and remote agents containing ontologies. The query processor reformulates the user's query, the mapping agent identifies relevant ontologies, and the transfer agent sends the query to remote agents. The remote agents provide ontologies as output, which are then integrated/merged and presented back to the user interface agent. The goal is to enable reuse of heterogeneous agents across different development environments through a standardized ontology representation.
The Geoquorum approach for implementing atomic read/write shaved memory in mobile ad hoc networks. This
problem in distributed computing is revisited in the new setting provided by the emerging mobile computing technology. A
simple solution tailored for use in ad hoc networks is employed as a vehicle for demonstrating the applicability of formal
requirements and design strategies to the new field of mobile computing. The approach of this paper is based on well
understood techniques in specification refinement, but the methodology is tailored to mobile applications and help designers
address novel concerns such as logical mobility, the invocations, specific conditions constructs
Formal Specification for Implementing Atomic Read/Write Shared Memory in Mobi...ijcsit
The Geoquorum approach for implementing atomic read/write shaved memory in mobile ad hoc networks. This
problem in distributed computing is revisited in the new setting provided by the emerging mobile computing technology. A
simple solution tailored for use in ad hoc networks is employed as a vehicle for demonstrating the applicability of formal
requirements and design strategies to the new field of mobile computing. The approach of this paper is based on well
understood techniques in specification refinement, but the methodology is tailored to mobile applications and help designers
address novel concerns such as logical mobility, the invocations, specific conditions constructs. The proof logic and
programming notation of mobile UNITY provide the intellectual tools required to carryout this task. Also, the quorum
systems are investigated in highly mobile networks in order to reduce the communication cost associated with each distributed
operation.
Application Identification Using Supervised Clustering MethodYolanda Ivey
This document summarizes research on using supervised clustering methods for network traffic classification. It discusses previous work on unsupervised and supervised clustering approaches. It then describes a proposed supervised clustering method called Flow Level based Classification (FLC) that classifies network flows in two phases: 1) A learning phase that clusters flows and calculates average packet sizes to create a reference table for classification. 2) A classification phase that groups new flows by transport protocol, port numbers, and packet similarities before comparing to the reference table to identify applications. The method aims to accurately classify traffic even if packet payloads are encrypted.
This document discusses simulation techniques for traffic engineering. It defines simulation as creating a computer-based model of the real world to solve problems. The key steps in simulation are defining the problem, collecting field data, developing the logic, programming the simulation, calibrating the model, running simulations, and validating results. Simulation has advantages over real-world testing as it is cheaper, allows testing alternatives, and provides insight into traffic behavior and interactions. Applications of traffic simulation include evaluating development patterns, improving signal timing, and analyzing highway and road networks.
Support for Goal Oriented Requirements Engineering in Elastic Cloud Applicationszillesubhan
Businesses have already started to exploit potential uses of cloud computing as a new paradigm for promoting their services. Although the general concepts they practically focus on are: viability, survivability, adaptability, etc., however, on the ground, there is still a lack for forming mechanisms to sustain viability with adaptation of new requirements in cloud-based applications. This has inspired a pressing need to adopt new methodologies and abstract models which support system acquisition for self-adaptation, thus guaranteeing autonomic cloud application behavior. This paper relies over state-of-the-art Neptune framework as runtime adaptive software development environment supported with intention-oriented modeling language in the representation and adaptation of goal based model artifacts and their intrinsic properties requirements. Such an approach will in turn support distributed service based applications virtually over the cloud to sustain a self-adaptive behavior with respect to its functional and non-functional characteristics.
AI in the Workplace Reskilling, Upskilling, and Future Work.pptxSunil Jagani
Discover how AI is transforming the workplace and learn strategies for reskilling and upskilling employees to stay ahead. This comprehensive guide covers the impact of AI on jobs, essential skills for the future, and successful case studies from industry leaders. Embrace AI-driven changes, foster continuous learning, and build a future-ready workforce.
Read More - https://bit.ly/3VKly70
Introducing BoxLang : A new JVM language for productivity and modularity!Ortus Solutions, Corp
Just like life, our code must adapt to the ever changing world we live in. From one day coding for the web, to the next for our tablets or APIs or for running serverless applications. Multi-runtime development is the future of coding, the future is to be dynamic. Let us introduce you to BoxLang.
Dynamic. Modular. Productive.
BoxLang redefines development with its dynamic nature, empowering developers to craft expressive and functional code effortlessly. Its modular architecture prioritizes flexibility, allowing for seamless integration into existing ecosystems.
Interoperability at its Core
With 100% interoperability with Java, BoxLang seamlessly bridges the gap between traditional and modern development paradigms, unlocking new possibilities for innovation and collaboration.
Multi-Runtime
From the tiny 2m operating system binary to running on our pure Java web server, CommandBox, Jakarta EE, AWS Lambda, Microsoft Functions, Web Assembly, Android and more. BoxLang has been designed to enhance and adapt according to it's runnable runtime.
The Fusion of Modernity and Tradition
Experience the fusion of modern features inspired by CFML, Node, Ruby, Kotlin, Java, and Clojure, combined with the familiarity of Java bytecode compilation, making BoxLang a language of choice for forward-thinking developers.
Empowering Transition with Transpiler Support
Transitioning from CFML to BoxLang is seamless with our JIT transpiler, facilitating smooth migration and preserving existing code investments.
Unlocking Creativity with IDE Tools
Unleash your creativity with powerful IDE tools tailored for BoxLang, providing an intuitive development experience and streamlining your workflow. Join us as we embark on a journey to redefine JVM development. Welcome to the era of BoxLang.
"Scaling RAG Applications to serve millions of users", Kevin GoedeckeFwdays
How we managed to grow and scale a RAG application from zero to thousands of users in 7 months. Lessons from technical challenges around managing high load for LLMs, RAGs and Vector databases.
The Microsoft 365 Migration Tutorial For Beginner.pptxoperationspcvita
This presentation will help you understand the power of Microsoft 365. However, we have mentioned every productivity app included in Office 365. Additionally, we have suggested the migration situation related to Office 365 and how we can help you.
You can also read: https://www.systoolsgroup.com/updates/office-365-tenant-to-tenant-migration-step-by-step-complete-guide/
GlobalLogic Java Community Webinar #18 “How to Improve Web Application Perfor...GlobalLogic Ukraine
Під час доповіді відповімо на питання, навіщо потрібно підвищувати продуктивність аплікації і які є найефективніші способи для цього. А також поговоримо про те, що таке кеш, які його види бувають та, основне — як знайти performance bottleneck?
Відео та деталі заходу: https://bit.ly/45tILxj
This talk will cover ScyllaDB Architecture from the cluster-level view and zoom in on data distribution and internal node architecture. In the process, we will learn the secret sauce used to get ScyllaDB's high availability and superior performance. We will also touch on the upcoming changes to ScyllaDB architecture, moving to strongly consistent metadata and tablets.
inQuba Webinar Mastering Customer Journey Management with Dr Graham HillLizaNolte
HERE IS YOUR WEBINAR CONTENT! 'Mastering Customer Journey Management with Dr. Graham Hill'. We hope you find the webinar recording both insightful and enjoyable.
In this webinar, we explored essential aspects of Customer Journey Management and personalization. Here’s a summary of the key insights and topics discussed:
Key Takeaways:
Understanding the Customer Journey: Dr. Hill emphasized the importance of mapping and understanding the complete customer journey to identify touchpoints and opportunities for improvement.
Personalization Strategies: We discussed how to leverage data and insights to create personalized experiences that resonate with customers.
Technology Integration: Insights were shared on how inQuba’s advanced technology can streamline customer interactions and drive operational efficiency.
ScyllaDB is making a major architecture shift. We’re moving from vNode replication to tablets – fragments of tables that are distributed independently, enabling dynamic data distribution and extreme elasticity. In this keynote, ScyllaDB co-founder and CTO Avi Kivity explains the reason for this shift, provides a look at the implementation and roadmap, and shares how this shift benefits ScyllaDB users.
In the realm of cybersecurity, offensive security practices act as a critical shield. By simulating real-world attacks in a controlled environment, these techniques expose vulnerabilities before malicious actors can exploit them. This proactive approach allows manufacturers to identify and fix weaknesses, significantly enhancing system security.
This presentation delves into the development of a system designed to mimic Galileo's Open Service signal using software-defined radio (SDR) technology. We'll begin with a foundational overview of both Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) and the intricacies of digital signal processing.
The presentation culminates in a live demonstration. We'll showcase the manipulation of Galileo's Open Service pilot signal, simulating an attack on various software and hardware systems. This practical demonstration serves to highlight the potential consequences of unaddressed vulnerabilities, emphasizing the importance of offensive security practices in safeguarding critical infrastructure.
QR Secure: A Hybrid Approach Using Machine Learning and Security Validation F...AlexanderRichford
QR Secure: A Hybrid Approach Using Machine Learning and Security Validation Functions to Prevent Interaction with Malicious QR Codes.
Aim of the Study: The goal of this research was to develop a robust hybrid approach for identifying malicious and insecure URLs derived from QR codes, ensuring safe interactions.
This is achieved through:
Machine Learning Model: Predicts the likelihood of a URL being malicious.
Security Validation Functions: Ensures the derived URL has a valid certificate and proper URL format.
This innovative blend of technology aims to enhance cybersecurity measures and protect users from potential threats hidden within QR codes 🖥 🔒
This study was my first introduction to using ML which has shown me the immense potential of ML in creating more secure digital environments!
Must Know Postgres Extension for DBA and Developer during MigrationMydbops
Mydbops Opensource Database Meetup 16
Topic: Must-Know PostgreSQL Extensions for Developers and DBAs During Migration
Speaker: Deepak Mahto, Founder of DataCloudGaze Consulting
Date & Time: 8th June | 10 AM - 1 PM IST
Venue: Bangalore International Centre, Bangalore
Abstract: Discover how PostgreSQL extensions can be your secret weapon! This talk explores how key extensions enhance database capabilities and streamline the migration process for users moving from other relational databases like Oracle.
Key Takeaways:
* Learn about crucial extensions like oracle_fdw, pgtt, and pg_audit that ease migration complexities.
* Gain valuable strategies for implementing these extensions in PostgreSQL to achieve license freedom.
* Discover how these key extensions can empower both developers and DBAs during the migration process.
* Don't miss this chance to gain practical knowledge from an industry expert and stay updated on the latest open-source database trends.
Mydbops Managed Services specializes in taking the pain out of database management while optimizing performance. Since 2015, we have been providing top-notch support and assistance for the top three open-source databases: MySQL, MongoDB, and PostgreSQL.
Our team offers a wide range of services, including assistance, support, consulting, 24/7 operations, and expertise in all relevant technologies. We help organizations improve their database's performance, scalability, efficiency, and availability.
Contact us: info@mydbops.com
Visit: https://www.mydbops.com/
Follow us on LinkedIn: https://in.linkedin.com/company/mydbops
For more details and updates, please follow up the below links.
Meetup Page : https://www.meetup.com/mydbops-databa...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mydbopsofficial
Blogs: https://www.mydbops.com/blog/
Facebook(Meta): https://www.facebook.com/mydbops/
Discover the Unseen: Tailored Recommendation of Unwatched ContentScyllaDB
The session shares how JioCinema approaches ""watch discounting."" This capability ensures that if a user watched a certain amount of a show/movie, the platform no longer recommends that particular content to the user. Flawless operation of this feature promotes the discover of new content, improving the overall user experience.
JioCinema is an Indian over-the-top media streaming service owned by Viacom18.
The Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) invited Taylor Paschal, Knowledge & Information Management Consultant at Enterprise Knowledge, to speak at a Knowledge Management Lunch and Learn hosted on June 12, 2024. All Office of Administration staff were invited to attend and received professional development credit for participating in the voluntary event.
The objectives of the Lunch and Learn presentation were to:
- Review what KM ‘is’ and ‘isn’t’
- Understand the value of KM and the benefits of engaging
- Define and reflect on your “what’s in it for me?”
- Share actionable ways you can participate in Knowledge - - Capture & Transfer
How information systems are built or acquired puts information, which is what they should be about, in a secondary place. Our language adapted accordingly, and we no longer talk about information systems but applications. Applications evolved in a way to break data into diverse fragments, tightly coupled with applications and expensive to integrate. The result is technical debt, which is re-paid by taking even bigger "loans", resulting in an ever-increasing technical debt. Software engineering and procurement practices work in sync with market forces to maintain this trend. This talk demonstrates how natural this situation is. The question is: can something be done to reverse the trend?
What is an RPA CoE? Session 1 – CoE VisionDianaGray10
In the first session, we will review the organization's vision and how this has an impact on the COE Structure.
Topics covered:
• The role of a steering committee
• How do the organization’s priorities determine CoE Structure?
Speaker:
Chris Bolin, Senior Intelligent Automation Architect Anika Systems
1. An Agent-Based Prototype for
Freight Trains Tra c Management
Alessio Cuppari(1), Pier Luigi Guida(1),
Maurizio Martelli(2), Viviana Mascardi(2) , Floriano Zini(2)
(1) Sistemi Informativi, Divisione Infrastrutture - FS S.p.A
P.zza Croce Rossa 1, 00161 Roma, Italy
cuppari@disi.unige.it
pierluigi.guida@guidafs.inet.it
(2) D.I.S.I. - Universita di Genova
Via Dodecaneso 35, 16146 Genova, Italy
fmartelli,mascardi,zinig@disi.unige.it
Abstract. The increasing amount of train tra c highlights the neces-
sity of automated tools for decision support, mainly when the availabil-
ity of tracks is known on a day-by-day basis and no long-term schedules
can be made. The paper describes the use of CaseLP, a logic program-
ming based environment for developing multi-agent system prototypes,
to face the management of freight trains tra c between the Italian sta-
tions of Milano and La Spezia. This real case-study, developed within the
framework of the EuROPE-TRIS Project 6], has been chosen for evalu-
ating the bene ts of prototyping and testing a decision support system
following an agent-based approach. The choice of a logic programming
paradigm as the basis for the prototyping environment is motivated and
compared with other existing solutions.
1 Introduction
The increasing demand of short-term train schedules by Transport Operators
highlights the necessity of automated tools for train tra c decision support.
When the number of trains running on a railway line and the availability of
tracks are known on a day-by-day basis, decision support systems can help in
maximizing the demand granting and optimizing the tra c ow.
The railway line connecting Milano and La Spezia yards is strongly charac-
terized by short-term train scheduling: La Spezia train tra c ow depends on a
great number of variables, such as the average number of trains that La Spezia
yard will contain, the average train ow from the yard to the port terminals
and the number of loading authorizations already granted for a certain day. The
possibility of delivering a new train on the Milano - La Spezia line depends both
on local congestion indexes of railway sections and on global information about
the train tra c situation. Coordination and cooperation between the involved
entities is necessary to reach an agreement on granting the authorization to a
loading or the permission of delivering a train on the main railway line.
2. In this complex scenario the adoption of some decision support mechanism
can prove useful: the paper describes an agent-based approach for modeling the
application, developing a working prototype, testing and re ning it against the
problem requirements. A real implementation of the prototype can be used as
an e ective decision support tool.
The environment used to develop the freight train tra c management appli-
cation is CaseLP 12], a Complex Application Speci cation Environment based on
Logic Programming. CaseLP provides the user with tools for specifying, imple-
menting and testing multi-agent system (MAS) prototypes and with a method
for facing these three steps.
The structure of the paper is the following: Section 2 introduces our proto-
typing environment and the method for developing a working prototype. Section
3 introduces our case study and shows how it has been prototyped using CaseLP.
Finally, Section 4 presents some nal considerations on related works and future
directions of our research.
2 CaseLP, a tool for multi-agent systems prototyping
CaseLP is a framework for rapid prototyping of agent-based software applica-
tions. It is built upon the logic programming language ECLiPSe 1]. The envi-
ronment provides both an iterative method for speci cation, implementation,
execution and testing of MAS-based prototypes, and a set of tools that are used
for this aim. The method allows the application developer to build the prototype
following a sequence of clear steps, re ning it against the client's requirements.
In CaseLP there are two kinds of agents, logical agents and interface agents.
The former ones provide control and coordination among MAS components
thanks to their complex reasoning capabilities. The latter ones provide an inter-
face between external modules and the agents in the MAS. The nal prototype
can be built by combining existing software modules and new components. This
approach furthers software integration and reusing, two aspects that are highly
relevant for the success of new software engineering technologies.
CaseLP agents are characterized by a purely reactive, purely proactive or hy-
brid architecture. In the same MAS agents of di erent kinds (logical or interface)
and with di erent architectures may coexist, thus allowing a great exibility in
the prototype de nition. However, for the sake of this paper, only purely reactive
and proactive agents are considered.
All the agents share some main components: an updatable set of beliefs de n-
ing the agent's state, a mail-box for incoming messages and a xed set of rules
that de nes the behavior. Reactive behavior is given by event-condition-action
rules, whereas proactive behavior is given by means of condition-action rules.
Reactive interface agents embed an interpreter for accessing external software.
Agents communicate via point-to-point asynchronous message passing. Agents'
goals are not explicitly represented in their state: what the agents aim at is im-
plicitly coded into the reactive or proactive behavior they are given. This means
that agents reason about how they can achieve some hard-wired goal and not
3. about which goal is more convenient for them in a certain situation. In some
sense, they have a constrained, problem-oriented autonomy.
The proposed prototyping method is fully described in 5]. Below, a 5-steps
simpli ed version of it is presented. The nal goal is an environment that provides
automatic tools to perform each step. Already available tools are described in
Section 2.2.
2.1 Prototyping method
The rst stage in any prototyping method is the requirements gathering. To
begin with, the client may describe the application features and the requirements
of the nal prototype in natural language, and after this phase a more formal
prototyping method can be used. The method can be summarized as follows:
1. Static description of the application architecture. In this step the
developer de nes:
{ the classes of agents that the application needs: their kind, architecture,
interpreters (for interface agents) and required and provided services ;
{ the instances of each class that will form the MAS;
{ the interconnections between agents, that is, how a service provided by
an agent is linked to a service required by another agent. Some agents
can export services to entities", either humans or other agencies, that
are external to the MAS under construction. Furthermore, agents in the
MAS can import external services.
2. Description of communication between agents. Each provided or re-
quested service needs a speci c conversation between the agent that provides
the service and the one that requires it. This step allows to specify the se-
quence of exchanged messages, as well as their content. Some conversation
can start some other (sub)conversation. For example, imagine agent a, re-
quested for a service by agent b, that has to require an accessory service
to agent c, in order to reply to agent b. Such situations are properly cap-
tured de ning a relation sc (sub-conversation) between conversations. The
conversation model of the MAS includes the set of all conversations and the
relation sc.
3. Description of initial state and behavior. This step sets the initial
beliefs of the agents in the MAS. Furthermore, each reactive agent is given
a behavior expressed by event-condition-actions reactive rules. This step
takes into consideration the conversation model de ned in step 2. For each
message (event) received by an agent, the appropriate behavior is given.
Each rule tells the agent what to do when a particular message is received
and condition is satis ed. For proactive agents, behavior is given instead by
condition-action rules: depending on its internal state, the agent performs
the appropriate actions.
4. Prototype implementation. In this step the MAS prototype is built: each
agent is implemented as an ECLiPSe module. This module is obtained from
the speci cation given in the previous steps. This step allows integration of
external software modules.
4. 5. Execution and testing. The obtained prototype is tested using the CaseLP
Simulator. The developer can choose which events (communication events or
state updates) have to be visualized. The CaseLP Visualizer permits both
on-line and o -line visualization of the MAS execution.
2.2 Prototyping tools
MAS-adl: a simple architectural description language. In the rst step
of the method MAS-adl, a simple, customized, architectural description language
11] for MAS, is adopted. The syntax for MAS-adl is sketched below:
AgentClassDef ::= agentclass AgentClassName fClassDefg
ClassDef ::= LogicalAgentDef j InterfaceAgentDef
LogicalAgentDef ::= kind: logical; architecture: reactive j proactive;
RequiredAndProvidedServices
InterfaceAgentDef ::= kind: interface; architecture: reactive;
interpreters: InterpretersList; RequiredAndProvidedServices
RequiredAndProvidedServices ::= requires ServicesList; provides ServicesList;
import ServicesList; export ServicesList;
AgentInstancesDef ::= agentInstances fAgentInstDefList g
AgentInstDef ::= NumberOfInstances AgentName AgentClassName
LinksDef ::= link f LinkListg
Link ::= OneToOneLink j OneToManyLink j ManyToOneLink
OneToOneLink ::= AgentNameAndService AgentNameAndService
OneToManyLink ::= AgentNameAndServiceList AgentNameAndService
ManyToOneLink ::= AgentNameAndService AgentNameAndServiceList
AgentNameAndService ::= AgentName.Service j AgentName*.Service
MAS-adl describes three main constructs: AgentClassDef de nes the classes of
agents used in the MAS under construction; AgentInstancesDef de nes the in-
stances of classes previously de ned i.e., the agents that constitute the MAS;
LinksDef de nes the directed links between instances of agents, from a service
provided by an agent to a service required by another agent. Obviously, links for
exported or imported services are not de ned. AgentClassName and AgentName
are strings of characters. InterpretersList is a list of interpreters, each for any
external domain to which the agent is interfaced. The interpretation approach
to software integration 9] has been followed. Service is one of the services that
have been individuated for the application, as de ned in its ontology1.
Tools for conversation model. The second step of the method describes the
conversation model of the MAS. The agent communication language is a subset
of KQML 13]. The conversation model is de ned by choosing, for each service,
1
All agents share a single domain ontology. Due to space constraints, in the case study
in Section 3, it will be left implicit.
5. the sequence of messages (conversation), as well as their performative and the
content of each message. The content language is a set of ECLiPSe terms that
are part of the application ontology. A relation sc de nes which conversations
eventually start during other conversations. Let c1 = fm1 ; : : :; mk g be a con-
versation composed by messages m1 ; : : :; mk and let c2 be another conversation.
c1scm c2 denotes that c2 must start after message mi in c1 has been handled by
i
the receiving agent. c1sc?m c2 denotes that c2 eventually starts after message mi
i
has been handled by the receiving agent. In the latter case, the decision about
starting c2 is up to the receiving agent.
ACLPL. The third step of the given method de nes agents behavior and their
initial state. The code for an agent is structured in three parts. They express re-
spectively the initial set the agent's beliefs, the set of reactive or proactive rules
de ning its behavior and a set of auxiliary procedures. The language used in this
step is ACLPL, whose syntax, limited to agent behaviour, is sketched below.
Behavior ::= behavior ReactiveRulesList j ProactiveRulesList endbehaviour
ReactiveRulesList ::= ReactiveRule j ReactiveRule; ReactiveRulesList
ReactiveRule ::= on message Msg check Condition do ActionsList
Msg ::= Performative f content: Content; sender: Sender; receiver: Receiver; g
Condition ::= StateCondition and AuxiliaryCondition
StateCondition ::= true j Goal
AuxiliaryCondition ::= true j Goal
Goal ::= A j A and Goal j A or Goal
ProactiveRulesList ::= ProactiveRule j ProactiveRule; ProactiveRulesList
ProactiveRule ::= check Condition do ActionsList
Action ::= assert state(Belief) j retract state(Belief) j send(Msg, Receiver) j
send(Msg, Receiver, high priority)
The initial state of an agent is a (possibly empty) set of beliefs. A belief is
an atomic ground formula. A reactive rule is red by a message taken from the
agent's mail-box, and if the condition is satis ed, corresponding actions are ex-
ecuted. Condition is actually formed by two distinct conditions. The former is
about the agent state, and expresses what the agent has to believe in order to
execute a sequence of actions. The latter is an auxiliary condition, and is actu-
ally a set of calls to auxiliary procedures. If these calls succeed, the auxiliary
condition is satis ed and the sequence of actions is then executed. Single actions
can be either state updates or messages sending. An auxiliary procedure is either
an ECLiPSe clause de ned in the agent code, or a built-in ECLiPSe procedure.
assert state and retract state perform the update of the set of agent beliefs. Their
semantics assure that the previous state is restored if the execution of some ac-
tions fails. The same happens with send: a message is e ectively sent only if the
execution of the actions succeeds.
6. It has to be noted that the same behavior can be re-used for all the agent in
a same class, even if they have di erent initial states. In such a way, it can be
de ned only once.
Architectural task control. When the prototype is being implemented, in
step 4 of the method, each agent is given a particular task control. According
to its architecture, reactive or proactive, a di erent meta-interpreter is used as
execution engine of the code of the agent. The task control can include sev-
eral execution policies, for example selection of which red rules are actually
executed.
CaseLP Simulator and Visualizer. Execution and visualization of the MAS
are performed in step 5 of the method by the CaseLP Simulator and Visualizer.
Visualization provides documentation about events that happen at the agent
level during MAS execution. According to the developer needs, the code of the
agents is automatically instrumented. Instrumentation adds probes to agents
code; events related to state changes and/or exchanged messages can be recorded
and collected for on-line and/or o -line visualization.
The CaseLP Simulator is based on a round-robin scheduler that activates
in turn all the agent in the MAS. In order to execute the MAS, the system
user initializes some agent mail-boxes, and then simulation starts. During the
simulation, views related to instrumented agents are shown. At the end of the
simulation a more complete trace of all the instrumented events can be visual-
ized. Instrumentation is completely independent from execution. This will not
in uence a possible future change of the execution support.
3 The case-study: freight trains tra c management
This section describes a prototype developed to study the freight trains tra c
management along the railway line connecting the Italian stations of Milano
and La Spezia. This demonstrator aims to be a base-line for a decision support
system for Train Dispatching to be supplied to the Tra c Co-ordinator in Milano
(COIM) and the Production Deputy in La Spezia (yard operative manager).
The case-study has been developed within the framework of the EuROPE-TRIS
Project 6], as a result of the co-operation between the Information Systems
Division of Italian Railways and the Computer Science Department of Genova
University.
3.1 Problem description
Line model. The railway line connecting Milano and La Spezia is formed by
three main sections, named S1 , S2 , S3 . Sections are delimited by nodes, respec-
tively Voghera, Arquata and Genova, that are accessed by minor lines serving
several container terminals (see Figure 1).
7. Fig. 1. Railway line connecting Milano and La Spezia.
System actors. The following real entities operate in this scenario: T v;a;g x ]
is a container terminal operating inside the railway network. It is connected to
the node V oghera; Arquata; Genova] via a minor line. COIM is the line tra c
manager, responsible for train dispatching on the overall line. Production Deputy
of La Spezia (PD) manages trains arrival, recovery and departure operations in
La Spezia yards. Section Tra c Co-ordinator (STCi ) is responsible for train
dispatching on line section Si .
Management of wagons loading authorization (LA) requests. The load-
ing operation of train wagons directed to La Spezia is performed in a terminal,
and has to be authorized by PD in La Spezia. The requesting terminal sends
to COIM the LA request; the COIM updates the congestion index (number
of trains per Km) of the concerned section in the indicated date, assuming the
granting of the LA. If the new index is greater than the maximum limit, the
COIM tells the terminal the request has been refused; otherwise, the COIM
transmits the request to the PD.
PD grants or refuses a LA request based on: average number of trains that
La Spezia yard will contain at wagons arrival date; average train ow from the
yard to the port terminals; number of LAs already granted for the requested
date.
Train dispatching authorization. A terminal asks its STC for dispatching
a train along the main railway. The generic STCi knows the congestion index
of his section. The decision concerning the running of the train is based on the
comparison between such index and a maximum limit value: if this value is not
overcome, the train is sent and the congestion index of section Si is updated.
Otherwise, the decision is delegated to COIM, that is asked by STCi . COIM
knows the congestion indexes of all the line sections; the decision rule is based on
the comparison between the average of these indexes and a reference parameter:
only if this value is not overcome, the train is sent and the congestion index of
section Si is updated.
8. Model Assumptions. In order to realize the prototype, some assumptions
have been made. Furthermore, some constraints related to actual structure of
the railway has been taken into consideration. The system time-frame (day) is
divided into four time bands, each elapsing six hours. Train progress between
two di erent nodes is managed at the end of each band. Infrastructures in La
Spezia are limited. The prototype considers only one yard, having the capacity
(i.e., number of tracks) of all the real yards of La Spezia. Average wagon ow
from La Spezia yards to the port terminals is considered, as well as train arrival
forecasts in La Spezia. It is assumed that each node has in nite capacity i.e., it
can contain an in nite number of trains.
3.2 Prototype realization
An agent based approach certainly suits the realization of a prototype for the
problem described above. This description can be seen as an informal modeling
of the services that the prototype has to provide, as well as a suggestion about
the architectural structure of the MAS. In the following, we show how the CaseLP
method has been used for the realization of a working prototype.
Static description of the application architecture. Below the architec-
tural description of the case study, given by using MAS-adl, is depicted.
agentclass Terminal { agentclass Coim {
kind: logical; kind: logical;
architecture: reactive; architecture: reactive;
requires: loading_auth, requires: port_loading_auth,
disp_auth; sent_train_notification;
provides: nil;} provides: global_disp_auth,
loading_auth;}
agentclass ProdDep { agentclass Section {
kind: logical; kind: logical;
architecture: reactive; architecture: reactive;
requires: nil; requires: global_disp_auth,
provides: port_loading_auth;} system_time,
list_of_trains;
provides: disp_auth,
list_of_trains,
sent_train_notification;}
agentclass Timer { agentInstances {
kind: logical; 2 terminal Terminal;
architecture: proactive; 1 coim Coim;
requires: nil; 1 pr_deputy ProdDep;
provides: system_time;} 3 section Section;
1 timer Timer;}
9. link {
terminal*.loading_auth <- coim.loading_auth;
terminal*.disp_auth <- section1.disp_auth;
coim.port_loading_auth <- pr_deputy.port_loading_auth;
coim.sent_train_notification <- section*.sent_train_notification;
section*.global_disp_auth <- coim.global_disp_auth;
section*.system_time <- timer.system_time;
section2.list_of_trains <- section1.list_of_trains
section3.list_of_trains <- section2.list_of_trains;}
Five classes and eight instances of agents are de ned. Four classes correspond
to the four system actors previously described and de ne logical reactive agents.
The fth class de nes logical agents that proactively check the system time
and inform section agents when a time band is elapsed, in such a way they
can manage train progress between sections. The prototype does non interact
with external entities, so export and import elds have been omitted. Services
and links speci cation re ect the informal description of the problem previously
illustrated. Furthermore, links de ne communication channels among agents.
All the service names are self explanatory, apart from sent train noti cation
and list of trains. The former allows a section agent to inform COIM about the
sending of a recovered train at the end of a time band. The latter permits a
section agent to inform the following agent about a list of trains entering its
section when the time band changes.
Description of communication between agents. A sample of the conver-
sation model of the MAS is shown below. For each previously de ned link, a
conversation is given (only two of them are presented here). Furthermore, the
conversation model de nes relation sc on conversations.
Conversation c1 (terminal*.loading_auth <-- coim.loading_auth)
1) Message: terminal --> coim
Performative: ask
Content: la_request(section(S),terminal(Term),train(Tr),date(D))
2) Message: coim --> terminal
Performative: reply
Content: request(la(section(S),terminal(Term),train(Tr),date(D)), Answer)
Conversation c2 (coim.port_loading_auth <-- pr_deputy.port_loading_auth)
1) Message: coim --> pr_deputy
Performative: ask
Content: la_request(section(S),terminal(Term),train(Tr),date(D))
2) Message: pr_deputy --> coim
Performative: reply
Content: request(la(section(S),terminal(Term),train(Tr), date(Date)), Answer)
Relation sc: c1 sc?_m1 c2
10. Agent initial state and behavior Finally, part of the ACLPL code for COIM
behavior is presented below. Some abbreviations are used for messages, the initial
state is not shown. The code for the other agents in the system has a similar
form.
on message ask(content(la_request(...)),sender(Terminal))
check
congest_limit(Section, Date, Limit) and
new_congestion_index_la(Section, Date, Index) and
Index > Limit
do send(reply(content(request(la(...)),refused)),Terminal)
on message ask(content(la_request(...)),sender(Terminal))
check
congest_limit(Section, Date, Limit) and
new_congestion_index_la(Section, Date, Index) and
Index <= Limit
do send(ask(content(la_request(...))),pr_deputy,high_priority)
on message ask(content(send_the_train(...)),sender(Section))
check
medium_limit(Medium_limit) and
congest_index(Section, Date, Hour, Index) and
count_medium_index(Section, Date, Hour, Index, Medium) and
(Medium >= Medium_limit and Response == refused or
Medium < Medium_limit and Response == granted)
do send(reply(content(permission(send_the_train(...),Response))),Section)
Execution and Testing. The nal result of this project will be a decision
support system. Thus the test of the prototype has been carried out running the
system with various initial con gurations and inputs. The resulting behavior
was satisfactory. However it is too lengthy, here, to describe and give details of
these runs. To give an idea of the used visualization tool Figure 2 is shown. It
presents o -line visualization of the execution of the MAS de ned in the previous
steps. It shows how concurrent LA have been managed by the MAS. For each
instrumented agent, both exchanged messages and state updates are depicted.
4 Discussion and future work
The tools and the methodology constituting CaseLP represent an agent-based
approach to software prototyping.
The potential of such an approach has been demonstrated by the adoption
of a MAS-based prototyping technology in the freight tra c management eld.
The developed prototype has been successfully presented to Project O cers in
January, 21th, 1999, during the o cial Project Demonstration Phase 6]. During
the next stages of the Project it will be integrated with other tools developed in
the above mentioned project to give birth to an overall prototype.
11. Fig. 2. Case study: o -line trace of execution.
The prototyping approach represents a software engineering paradigm more
exible than the classical waterfall model. As it is well-known, the waterfall model
lacks of support for requirements re ning during the product development. In-
stead, the prototype serves as a mechanism for identifying software requirements
and its life-cycle leaves room for an iterative tuning of the initial choices. A soft-
ware prototype is generally a simpli ed and/or not very e cient version of an end
product which can be realized using more formal, even if less e cient, technolo-
gies. A logic-based formalisms has been adopted to develop a working prototype
of a complex application modeled as a multi-agent system. Obviously this choice
is not the only possible one, but it has some advantages over the adoption of
structured methods and object-oriented methods. In fact, as pointed out in 8],
structured methods are either data-oriented or action-oriented and so they can-
not capture the complexity of an agent-based system, where data (knowledge)
and behavior (action) are strictly tied. Object-oriented methods, though o ering
important advantages as the di erentiation between internal and external view
of an agent-based system, do not address issues of autonomy, reactivity and
proactiveness, and they fail to address interaction on a higher level.
The use of formal languages, in particular logic-based formal languages, seems
to lead to more encouraging results. Many existing approaches for developing
agent-based systems are based on logics.
Temporal Logic has proven useful for specifying agents which, on the basis of the
past, do the future. Concurrent METATEM is an example of this approach 7].
Deontic Logic 14] ts the needs of representing the actions an agent may, may
not, or must perform according to some conditions. This allows a quick and
high-level description of the agents' state and behavior.
Linear Logic, as discussed in 5,4], has connectives to express concurrency and
synchronization primitives, which are fundamental in a MAS setting.
Even if it is often necessary to extend the logical frameworks to cope with all
the MAS features, the bene ts deriving from the use of formal languages, with
12. clear semantics and easy testing mechanisms, make these extensions worthwhile.
Moreover, since interpreters exist for most of these languages, or at least for
subsets of them, logic-based descriptions of MAS can be seen as executable spec-
i cations, and executable speci cations are prototypes.
The paper focused on the adoption of Logic Programming (LP) 2] for devel-
oping MAS prototypes. Besides the already observed features common to all the
logic-based frameworks, other characteristics make LP suitable for our purposes.
MAS execution: the evolution of a MAS consists of non deterministic suc-
cession of events; from an abstract point of view an LP language is a non deter-
ministic language in which computation occurs via a search process.
Meta-reasoning capabilities: agents need to dynamically modify their be-
havior so as to adapt it to changes in the environment. Thus, the possibility
given by LP of viewing programs as data is very important in this setting. This
feature is useful also for integrating external heterogeneous software following
some wrapping" or interpretation" approach 9].
Rationality and reactiveness of agents: the declarative and the operational
interpretation of logic programs are strictly related to the main characteristics
of agents, i.e., rationality and reactiveness. A pure logic program can be viewed
as the speci cation of the rational component of an agent and the operational
view of logic programs can be used to model the reactive behavior of an agent.
The adoption of LP for combining reactivity and rationality is described in 10].
Since, as already remarked, traditional LP languages do not ful ll all re-
quirements arising during the MAS development, ECLiPSe has been extended
to tackle these issues. Classical concepts coming from the distributed software
engineering eld 11], such as the ability of developing communicating modu-
lar software components and combining them in a structure by means of an
Architectural Description Language, have been taken into account.
The next extension of CaseLP will be the realization of an automatic ACLPL-
ECLiPSe translator. It would allow the prototype developer to give an architec-
tural description of the MAS, without worrying about implementative details.
In fact the nal aim is to provide the prototype developer with a set of high-level
speci cation languages for describing agents and systems in a friendly fashion.
A semi-automatic translation mechanism from the linear logic language Ehhf
to ECLiPSe already exists, as described in 5], and it is planned to add Z to
the speci cation languages available in the environment. Z should help in de n-
ing complex data structures which cannot be represented in Ehhf where only
terms can be manipulated. For the implementation of a Z{ECLiPSe translator
the experience of the Pipedream project 15] will be fundamental. In this project
a Z speci cation is compiled into the logic-based language Mercury for anima-
tion purposes. Another important issue to consider is the integration of external
software: by now it is possible to integrate C, Tcl/Tk and the ECLiPSe Data
and Knowledge Base but it is planned to support other programming languages.
Moreover it is under study how to extend the interface agents' capabilities to
make them real mediator agents, in the spirit of HERMES 16] and IMPACT 3]
approaches.
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