- Alejandra Cechich, UNU/IIST fellow, from Buenos Aires 1400 - (8300), Neuquen, Argentina
10:00, Friday 8 Jan 1999
Title: A Formal Specification of GoF Design Patterns
Abstract: Most Object-Oriented Application Development Methods impose certain
modelling concepts that are generally accepted across many current
methods and modelling tools. Frameworks and patterns express examples
of good practices that can be used to help object modellers achieve
more effective results. But in particular cases, a formal
specification of these artifacts is needed, so specification can be
verified, implementation can be automated and a more secure system can
be developed.
In this seminar, we first introduce the concepts of GoF
object-oriented design patterns (Gamma, Helm, Johnson and Vlissides;
Design Patterns - Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software;
Addison-Wesley, 1995) and identify a set of building blocks which
constitute most of the patterns in the GoF Catalogue. Then, the RSL
specification of one pattern is presented as an example. Finally, we
discuss future extensions of our work.
- Prof Dong Shihai, UNU/IIST visitor, from Graphics Lab, Department of Computer
Science, Peking University, China
10:00 Friday 15 January 1999
Title: The Model Method and Instances of Multimodal User Interface
Abstract:
Multimodal Interfaces employ many kinds of interactive devices, such as
speech input/output, pointing, gazetracking, and tactile and force
feedback devices, make them cooperate with each other and take the
advantage of their complementarity so as to facilitate the
communication between users and computer, increase the efficiency of
interaction, enhance its naturalness and ultimately make it possible
for computer-naive people to interact with computers using their
everyday skills. This talk summarises part of the work completed in
the key project "Multimodal User Interface Research" supported by
National Natural Science Foundation of China. First, we described its
concepts, advantages and some terminologies, then proposed an
Architecture and integration for Task Oriented Multimodality (ATOM)
model, a Hierarchical Multimodal Interface Specification
(HMIS) method, and new interface paradigm (VIR-Virtual Information
Room). Finally, two case studies developed under way and conclusion
are given.
Keywords: User Interface; Multimodal Interface; User Interface Model;
User Interface Specification Method; User Interface Paradigm;
Multimodal Integration
- Mr Biqing Huang, UNU/IIST fellow from The State CIMS R&D Center,
Tsinghua University, Beijing, P.R. China
15:00, Friday 15 Jan 1999
Title: Theory and Technology Enabling a Virtual Enterprise
Abstract: Modern enterprises are facing today a rapidly changing and
unpredictable market environment. A virtual enterprise is one of the
recent trends in organisational structure to meet such challenges by
promoting co-operation between enterprises.
This overview talk presents the basic concepts, architecture and
technologies for the whole lifecycle of a virtual enterprise. In
particular, we focus on the enterprise-related business models and how
such models can be used and developed in practice. We comment briefly
on the work in progress for service-based models and software for a
virtual enterprise. The service model is able to represent various
kinds of business goals, activities and relations. The software will
assist partner-matching for implementing specific business goals.
- Prof. Richard T. Dué, UNU/IIST Visitor, from
Thomsen Due and Associates Limited
Canada
15:00, Friday 29 Jan 1999
Title: Design Patterns Change Everything!
Abstract: Design patterns have been the hot topic in Object-Oriented
Analysis and Design for the past few years. Established
Object-Oriented Methodologies and Techniques, however, have not yet
taken into account of how Design Patterns change the Object-Oriented
Analysis and Design process and Object-Oriented techniques. The
changes to the established processes and methods discussed in this
tutorial result in the simplification of the Object-Oriented
Analysis and Design process. These changes also will result in the
maximization of reuse of components.
Most Object-Oriented methodologies are concerned with the
development of "green field" applications and the creation and
coding of new classes. In contrast, Design Patterns offer proven
solutions to design problems and opportunities. This tutorial will
show the benefits of changing the emphasis from developing classes
to reusing interfaces and then using these interfaces as keys to
selecting and applying appropriate design patterns of proven
components. This change in emphasis will make the Class Diagram
obsolete and evolves the CRC card technique into the IR (Interface
Responsibility) technique.
Biography: Richard T. Dué has over 30 years of Information Technology
experience as a programmer, analyst, manager, consultant, teacher
and author. This seminar is based on the tutorial to be presented at
the TOOLS USA conference.
- J. Goossenaerts, UNU/IIST visitor, from
Eindhoven University of Technology,
Dept. Information & Technology
The Netherlands
10:00, Monday 8 Feb 1999
Title: Industrial Semiosis - I
The Operation Layer
Abstract: The rapid development of the worldwide web, extranets and
intranets connecting databases and (product) data management systems
is challenging our system development methods: how to improve the
professional work of an increasing number of stakeholders with
services that are both appealing and relevant for the stakeholder's
involvement in the life cycles of artifacts, produced by extended or
virtual enterprises?
The concept of semiosis, the activity of using signs, offers a sound
foundation for understanding the power that will emerge from the
deployment of ubiquitous information and communication technology for
improved professional work.
As yet, the world wide web offers a service chaos, a patchwork of
services and systems with a vague borderline between waste and value
added. This paper revisits the process of semiosis and positions it
with respect to the interaction between work and (signs in the)
information infrastructure, and the artefactual wheel-work, a
framework for positioning the goals, objectives and activities
w.r.t. product life cycles, of professional work.
Focusing on the stakeholders, the MiViPoRo framework offers a general
systematization of the use of models and data in domains where work
involves the interaction of processes in both the physical domain and
the information infrastructure. For the domain of engineering and
manufacturing the framework assumes a further division of the
cybernetic domain and the physical domain into activity layers for
observations and operations (manufacturing), and improvements and
innovations (engineering).
Focus-sing on the artifacts and their life cycles, the artefactual
wheel-work (AWW) systematizes the achievements, and possible new
requirements regarding industrial artifacts and related
services. MiViPoRo and AWW offer a context for describing the concept
of industrial semiosis, and for refining it such that computational
support functions are identified for industrial semiosis at the
operation layer. A similar treatment of semiosis for the improvement
and innovation layer will be given in a another paper.
- Than Quoc Dang, UNU/IIST fellow, from Vietnam Airlines,
Vietnam
15:00 Wednesday, 24 Feb 1999
Title: Formal Modelling of Future
Demand Forecasting and Frequent Flyer Programs
Abstract:
The world airline industry continues to change in new and
exciting ways, stimulated both by changes in customer requirements and
by the importance of building up and retaining customer loyalty in the
face of increasing competition. In order to try to predict these
changes in customer requirements or to try to attract new customers
from competitors, an airline company tries to estimate future market
demand using various techniques for future demand forecasting
and applies these to its business planning process. In addition, an
airline company operates customer bonus schemes such as
frequent flyer programs (FFP) in order to try to ensure as
much as possible that existing customers develop some loyalty to the
company, thereby ensuring future sales.
In this talk we address these two important aspects of Airline
Business Computing. We give a formal definition of the general
properties of each of them using the RAISE specification language,
and demonstrate prototype support software for each.
- Rusdi Aminuddin, UNU/IIST fellow from School of Information Technology, Universiti Utara Malaysia, Sintok 06010, Kedah, Malaysia
10:00, Thu 25 Feb
1999
Title: A DC Approach to Specifying Concurrent Real Time Controllers
Abstract:
Real-Time systems are critical systems that must be specified correctly
because failure to meet the requirement may have bad consequences
including loss of life. Duration Calculus(DC) is one of the formal languages
used to specify and design time critical systems. However, a good
specification language will not guarantee the success of the system
unless it follows proper steps. By adopting the four steps of analysis
and design strategy advocated in Yu Xinyiao's work, we show two case studies
using DC.
The first case study, Motor Control System demonstrates a
system which interacts with two different input environments, the sensors and
human interface. At the end of the design, the system is implemented by two
controllers that adopt message passing as a communication mechanism. The
second case study "Production Cell" illustrates how to specify a system that
consist of many parts and having a number of concurrent controllers. We also
show how common states can be used as a communication mechanism between the
controllers.
This report is suitable for new learners of Real-Time system and
Duration Calculus.
- Steve Schneider, UNU/IIST visitor, from Department of Computer Science
Royal Holloway, University of London,
Egham,
Surrey TW20 0EX, UK
11:00, Fri 12 Mar 1999
Title: Using CSP for authentication protocol analysis:
the Needham-Schroeder Public Key Protocol
Abstract:
This talk presents a general approach for analysis and verification of
authentication properties in CSP. It is illustrated by an examination of
the Needham-Schroeder Public-Key protocol. The work aims to develop a
specific theory appropriate to the analysis of authentication protocols,
built on top of the general CSP semantic framework. This approach aims to
combine the ability to express such protocols in a natural and precise way
with the ability to reason formally about the properties they exhibit.
- Prof. Wenqi Huang, UNU/IIST visitor, from Huazhong University of
Science and Technology, China
10:00, Thursday 18 March 1999
Title: A New
Approach to Solving NP-Hard Problems
Abstract: NP-Hard problems are central problems in Computer Science and
Technology and they are very difficult to deal with. However, from
Quasiphysical and Qusasisociological approach we could get good idea to form
algorithm for solving them. This is a result with which the
speaker was awarded the champion of the third international algorithm
competition for solving NP-complete problem CNF-SAT. A vivid demonstration for
rectangle packing will be presented.
Biosketch: Prof. Huang graduated from Peking University. He is currently a
Professor of Computer Science of Huazhong University of Science and Technology
in Wuhan. He was awarded the champion of the third international algorithm
competition for solving the first NP-Complete Problem CNF-SAT in 1996.
- Zheng Yingping, UNU/IIST visitor, from
Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences
15:00, Tuesday
23 March 1999
Title: An Introduction to Automatic Control: Concept, Problem
and Methodology
Abstract:
A short history and recent progress of Automation Control are
reviewed. As an important area in the information science, its
fundamental concepts and problems, especially its "goal oriented"
features are discussed. Along the line of the heart concept
"feedback" for continuous variable system (CVS) control, main
branches of control theory are organized. The challenges to control
from computer science and modern technologies are also discussed.
- Zheng Yingping, UNU/IIST visitor, from
Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences
10:00, Thursday
25 March 1999
Title: Discrete Event Dynamic System (DEDS): Some Recent Progress and
Applications
Abstract:
The basic concepts, problems and methods of the DEDS control theory
are discussed. Some recent research results, and their possible
applications to manufacturing system, communication etc. are
introduced. Some topics related to hybrid systems will be proposed.
- Avirmed Amar, UNU/IIST fellow, from Computer Sience Department,
Mathematic Faculty , National University of Mongolia
15:00, Monday
29 March 1999
Title: The MultiScript Multi-lingual Document Processing System
Abstract: Although there are many text processing systems which
support multiple languages, the majority of these do not allow
different languages to be intermixed arbitrarily, neither do they
allow the different languages to retain their traditional reading
and writing direction. The MultiScript project has paid particular
attention to these two issues. In the early stages of the project, a
simple but general model of multi-lingual documents was developed
in which changes in the directionality of the text can occur at any
point in a document. Moreover, the full range of four different
directionalities which are used in the various scripts used in
the world can all be supported. A prototype software system was then
developed on the basis of this model.
In this talk, we give a brief overview of the MultiScript project
and of the development of the MultiScript prototype software system
and we give a demonstration of the system.
- He Bin, UNU/IIST fellow, from CAD center, South-West Jiao Tong
University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, PRC
10:00 Wed 31 March 1999
Title: Formally Describing Intelligent CAD
Abstract: Design is considered as one of
the most complicated and intelligence-demanding human activities. A
formal representation of a design offers the opportunity to
understand the design. We take a room layout problem as an example
to show a formal method application to CAD. This is a case study of
formally describing ICAD using RAISE. The room layout of a floor is
an important work for architects. In our example, what is desired is
a communications map of the room layout of a house. An ICAD system
for designing the communications map based on the rules is set up.
We discuss the design object representation, and put forward a
description language to formalize knowledge about room layouts.
- Li Li, UNU/IIST fellow, from SUN-USTC, Hefei, Anhui 230026,
P.R. China
15:00, Thu 1 April 1999
Title: Towards a Denotational Semantics of TRSL using Duration
Calculus
Abstract: Timed RAISE Specification Language(TRSL) is an extension of
RAISE Specification Language by adding time constructors for
specifying real-time application. Duration Calculus(DC) is a
real-time interval logic which can be used to specify and reason
about timing and logical constraints on duration properties of
Boolean states in a dynamic system. This paper gives a denotational
semantics to a subset of TRSL expressions, using Duration Calculus
extended with super-dense chop modality and notations to capture time
point properties of piecewise continuous states of arbitrary types.
Using this semantics, we present a proof rule for verifying TRSL
iterative expressions and implement the rule to prove the satisfaction
by a sample TRSL specification of its real-time requirements.
- Tran Van Dung, UNU/IIST fellow, from University of
Telecommunication and Transport of Hanoi, Vietnam
10:00, Wednesday, 7 April 1999
Title: A Theory of Combinational programs
Abstract:
The actual behaviour of the hardware devices available for an
implementation of a control system can be simulated by a program, and
this allows a hardware device to be proved correct by standard
software techniques. This report takes advantage of algebraic
approaches in investigation of simulator algorithm.
Here we present Event semantics of Hardware Description Language
in the form of relations and use Relation calculus to
prove properties of combinational programs,
cycle behaviours of which are defined as a conditional loop of
non-deterministic choices between generalised parallel assignments.
Some properties including termination of a program,
stability and uniqueness of final states, and a condition for replacement
by a simple form have been presented for three
classes of combinational programs. These programs seem
to be enough wide to capture most important features of combinational programs.
- Prof. John Yen, UNU/IIST visitor, from
Department of Computer Science,
Texas A&M University
Tuesday 20 April, 3:30
Title: Personalized Web-based Information Services
Abstract:
The information on the Web has been rapidly increasing over the
past few years. For the first time in human history, anyone
can have immediate access to such a huge amount of information
anytime anywhere. Even though search engines have become a
popular tool for finding information on the Web; a recent trend
in the cyberspace is to provide "personalized services". This
new wave of Web-based applications aim to deliver information
to the user based on his/her interests. In this talk,
I will discuss key technologies that enable these personalized
information services through the Web. More specifically, I will
discuss research projects in the following two areas: (1) user profiles
learning techniques, and (2) modeling of emotions in human-like
agents.
Biography: Dr. John Yen received his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from
National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan in 1980,
his M.S. in Computer Science from University of Santa Clara, CA in
1982, and his Ph.D. in Computer Science from
the University of California, Berkeley in 1986.
Dr. John Yen is currently a Professor of
Computer Science at Texas A&M University.
Before joining Texas A&M in 1989, he had been conducting
AI research as a Research Scientist
at Information Sciences Institute of
University of Southern California.
His research interests include intelligent agents,
fuzzy logic, software engineering,
and evolutionary computing.
He has published more than 100 technical papers in journals,
conference proceedings, and edited volumes.
Dr. Yen is the Vice President for Publication of IEEE Neural Networks
Council.
He is a member of Editorial Board of several international journals
on fuzzy logic and intelligent systems.
Dr. Yen received an NSF Young Investigator Award in 1992.
- Liu Yonghe, UNU/IIST fellow, from CIMS-ERC, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, P.R. China
15:00 Thursday 29 April 1999
Title: Automating Partner Selection for a Virtual Organisation
Abstract:
Establishing a virtual organisation requires not only being able to
identify individual member enterprises but also prescribe the roles
they should play in the organisation. This becomes a difficult task
when selection is not only based on static competencies but also on
how the enterprise is able to dynamically deliver services to its
clients, within the area of its competence.
In this talk we describe informally the concept of a virtual
organization, provide examples and explain in general the purpose and
principles of formal modelling in this area. Then we present a simple
formal model which explains the behaviour of a virtual organisation in
terms of the services it can offer to and receive from its environment
by means of the services by its members and service-based interactions
between them. We also explain how based on this model we plan to build
a prototype software to identify partners for the organisation, which
collects data on the Internet and produces an architecture (members
- Wojciech Mostowski, UNU/IIST fellow, from Poland
10:00, Friday 28 May 1999
Title: Fail-Stop Software Components by Pattern Matching
Abstract: We consider software design from pre-existing components, providing
the operations to generate, observe and modify their internal
state. Showing that a component is fault-free requires us to carry out
a proof of correctness with respect to its specification. A fail-stop
component may instead not satisfy its specification statically but
detect any violation at run-time.
In this talk we describe how regular expressions can play the role of
formal specifications suitable for run-time behaviour checking. We
build such expressions from the logical properties over the
component's observer operations which must hold about the state of the
component in different points of its recorded execution history. The
specification can become part of an automatically generated wrapper
which carries out run-time checking as a kind of "pattern-matching".
During the talk we will demonstrate a prototype wrapper-generator for
components written as Java classes.
- M.Sc. Kaare Sloth Jensen, UNU/IIST visitor, from
Prolog Development Center, H.J. Holst Vej 5C,
DK-2605 Broendby,
Denmark
Thursday, 15 July 1999
Title: Planning & Scheduling: Solutions at PDC
Abstract: The financial situation of today requires that companies are able to
plan ahead more than ever seen before in the history. For many
industries the planning tasks are very complex and cannot be solved by a
person in reasonable time. Therefore is the need for software systems,
that can solve complex planning and scheduling problems high.
This short lecture will:
- cover the basic concepts (terms) in P&S systems
- give an overview of the philosophy used in PDC
- show how P&S problems can be solved in Prolog (a small
example)
- show why P&S problems are hard to solve within reasonable time
frames.
The lecture will end by giving an overview of the systems at PDC
- M.Sc. Kaare Sloth Jensen, UNU/IIST visitor, from
Prolog Development Center, H.J. Holst Vej 5C,
DK-2605 Broendby,
Denmark
Friday, 16 July 1999
Title: Airports: A domain description
Abstract:
First of all it will describe the philosophy (used at PDC) on how to
develop software, from domain specification to implementation.
Secondly it will present the result of a course project made by four
students at the Technical University of Denmark: Morten P. Lindegaard,
Daria Rytter, Peter Viuf, Jacob Andersen. The four students were
assisted in their work by Prof. Dines Bjoerner (DTU), Bent Lund (SAS)
and Kaare Sloth Jensen (PDC).
As for all domains, when developing software for the airport domain, it
is essential to understand the domain first.
The airport domain is in contact with different other domains like
airlines and air traffic controls. To be able to develop software for
the airport one must not only understand the airport domain but also
parts of the surrounding domains. The project has described both the
business logic of the airport domain and the interfaces to some of the
surrounding domains.
As the project is a project in a course on formal methods - RSL is used
for the domain description.
- Li Li, UNU/IIST fellow, from USTC, PRC
3:00pm Thu 29 July 1999
Title: A Denotational Semantics of Timed RSL using Duration Calculus
Abstract: This paper provides a denotational semantics to
a subset of Timed RAISE Specification Language(RSL)
using Extended Duration Calculus(EDC)
model. We add some novel features into the EDC model and
explore their algebraic laws which
play the vital role in formalising real-time programs
and verification of real-time properties. Some algebraic laws of
Timed RSL is presented, which can be proved from the denotational
semantics, and be used in program transformation and optimization.
- Prof Yakup Paker, UNU/IIST Visitor, from
Department of Computer Science,
Queen Mary and Westfield College,
University of London
10:00 Fri, 30 July 1999
Title: Customized Television: a Novel Way of Multimedia Broadcasting
Abstract:
The television industry is currently undergoing changes with
historic proportions, posing tremendous challenges and
opportunities. This is fuelled by the proliferation of new
delivery channels to carry a multitude of channels to
consumenrs, new capabilities of these channels to carry a
multitude of data in addition to the conventional video/audio
programmes and the need to fill these channels with content.
An European ACTS project CustomTV is investigating the use of
the emergent standards of MPEG-4 and MPEG-7 and transmission of
content over digital TV (MPEG-2) channels. The crucial problem
is how in the near future viewers will be coping with the
proliferation of TV channels as well as navigating through the
masses of multimedia information that is likely to be
broadcast, thanks to digital technology, alongside with the
conventional TV programmes. Some of the ideas behind the
CustomTV project and the challenges these pose will be
introduced with emphasis on the role of standards under
development.
- Babatunde Opeoluwa Akinkunmi, UNU/IIST fellow, from Department of
Computer Science, University of Ibadan, Nigeria
15:00, Tue 31 August 1999
Title: Formalising Reuse with Imperfect Components
Abstract:
Design with reuse typicaly accepts only those components in
the repository which succesfully match a given query specification,
otherwise tries to obtain the needed components by adaptation,
composition or programming. The purpose of this talk is to describe
how it is possible to formalise design which can also accept
imperfect components - satisfying one in the chain of increasingly
weak specifications. We also capture the effect using such imperfect
components has on the overall design, its controlled degradation,
and discuss how the approach can support a design method based on
the incremental upgrading of imperfect components.
- Jonathan Bowen, UNU/IIST visitor, from The University of Reading,
UK
10am, Friday 3rd September 1999
Title: Industrial-Strength Formal Methods
Abstract: The technology transfer process has been difficult for formal methods.
A high degree of training (and hence investment) is required to gain
the benefits of discovering errors earlier (and hence more cheaply) in
the design process. This talk will discuss the use of formal methods in
industry, highlighting some specific examples. Ways to help ensure the
successful application of formal methods and to avoid some of the
pitfalls will be explored.
- Jonathan Bowen, UNU/IIST visitor, from The University of Reading,
UK
11.30am, Friday 3rd September 1999
Title: The Process of Producing a Formal Specification
Abstract: Most formal specifications are presented once they are completed, in a
finished and polished form. In practice a major part of the benefit of
formalizing a system is the actual process of producing and reasoning
about the formal specification. Design choices can be explored and
consequences of decisions can be discussed in a rigorous framework.
This talk will discuss this process in the context of producing a
specification from some informal requirements using the formal Z
notation.
[A Z specification will be presented; no prior knowledge of Z will
be required but knowledge of set theory and predicate logic will
be helpful.]
- Shirnen Nyambaa, UNU/IIST fellow, from School of Math. and Comp. Science at National University of
Mongolia, and Ishdorj Tseren-Onolt, UNU/IIST fellow, from Computer
Science department of Math's faculty, State Pedagogical University
Mongolia
15:00, Wed, 15 September 1999
Title: A System for Managing
University Teaching Activities
Abstract: There is a trend in universities worldwide towards the use
of software systems to support many aspects of university
management, including personnel management, timetabling of lectures,
storing of student records, and so on. In this seminar we describe
a system supporting one of these aspects, the management of a
university's teaching activities: its courses, curricula, and classes
as well as the relationships between these and the students, teachers
and timetable. We also present an outline of a formal specification of
this system.
- Dr Wayne Luk, UNU/IIST visitor, from Imperial College,
University of London, UK
12:00, Mon, 8th
November 1999
Title: Pebble: A Language For Hardware Research and
Teaching
Abstract:
Pebble is a simple declarative language under development at Imperial
College for hardware research and teaching. Pebble supports word-level
and bit-level design descriptions which can be customised by different
parameter values, such as design size and number of pipeline stages.
Such descriptions can be compiled, without flattening, into various
VHDL dialects. Pebble also serves as an experimental vehicle for
research into language support for design optimisation. Such support
includes optional constraint specifications, such as placement
attributes, at various levels of abstraction, and description of
run-time reconfigurable designs. This talk introduces Pebble and the
associated tools, and illustrates their application to VHDL library
development and reconfigurable design for Xilinx 6200 FPGAs. Current
work on approaches for extending Pebble will also be covered.
- Jean-Raymond Abrial, UNU/IIST visitor
15:00, Monday, 8th Nov,
1999
Title: B: A Formalism for Complete Correct System Development
Abstract: After a general introduction to B, an example will be presented, which
illustrates the more recent usage of B for the correct construction of
reactive systems viewed as closed entities comprising the future
controller as well as its environment.
The approach consists first in modeling the environment as an
unconstrained system.
Then the constraints that one wants to observe (that is, the very reasons
for the reactive system to exist) are introduced gradually.
Then the models of some sensors and some actuators (these being presented
as means of ensuring the observability and the effective control of the
constrained system) are also introduced gradually.
Finally, the model of the controller is introduced little by little. This
controller has a memory, whose contents correspond to some shifted views
(fuzzy pictures) of the environment. Despite these unperfected views, the
controller should ensure that the environment is indeed constrained as
specified independently of the controller.
It will thus be shown how the system is constructed , at each level of
abstraction, together with its proof of correctness. As an important side
effect, the proof will be viewed as a means to reveal problems as well as
to suggest solutions. And, of course, the refinement technique will also
be shown to play a central role in this approach.
- Huang Biqing, UNU/IIST visitor, from
The State CIMS Engineering and Research Center,
Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
15:00
Thursday 11 November
Title: Agent-Based Business Process Management in Virtual Enterprise
Abstract: In this talk, we will address an agent-based business process management
approach in virtual enterprises. First, we present an agent-based virtual
enterprise architecture, including virtual enterprise global architecture
and member enterprise local architecture, with which business process tree
can be mapped to appropriate task-performing agents distributed in multiple
member enterprises of virtual enterprise. Secondly, we propose a global
agent co-ordination mechanism for the whole virtual enterprise that
functions through a global co-ordination control center. Meanwhile, we adopt
the contract-net approach to address the internal co-ordination of
individual member enterprise. Combining both of them ensures the normal
execution of business process in virtual enterprise. Other than this, the
information infrastructure supporting business process execution in virtual
enterprise is described, and the idea of interaction between business
process model and business process execution is provided.
Keywords: agent, business process, virtual enterprise.
- Professor Gan Fuxi, UNU/IIST visitor, from
Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics,
Chinese Academy of Sciences,
Shanghai, China
10:00, Fri 12 Nov 1999
Title: Optical Data
Storage
Abstract: To be announced
- Francisco Moreira and Rui Souza, UNU/IIST fellows, from
Portugal
11:00
Friday 26 November, 1999
Title: Production Modelling as Shell Programming
Abstract:
We demonstrate how to build and execute models of production systems
using some of the Unix system tools for text processing (awk), process
management (bash) and information exchange (mail). We use text files
to represent the system's state (stocks, shopfloor, warehouse),
implement production operations as text transformations, compose such
operations into one or several processes for their sequential or
concurrent execution, and allow remote processes to communicate with
each other by sending e-mails. The models thus obtained are highly
configurable, able to represent assembly lines, flexible manufacturing
systems, even virtual organisations. We also regard them as the
animation of the specifications in RAISE which we present alongside;
the relationship between the RSL and Shell models is not formalised.
The talk will include a demonstration based on a realistic case study.
- Jules Tapamo, UNU/IIST fellow, from Department of Computer
Science, UFRMAI, Université Gaston Berger, BP 234 Saint-Louis
(Sénégal)
10:00, Tuesday 30 November 1999
Title: Assessing Usage of
Natural Resources
Abstract: Natural Resource Management is a critical
problem for developing countries. We give in this work an
architecture of a Decision Support System for the assessment of
natural resources usage and a Formal specification of its
components. We describe how to assign resources to users to have
good production, acceptable satisfaction of users and preservation
of the environment. We do this in terms of a formal model of
assignment, production, satisfaction and impact on environment which
is used to simulate the behaviour of users and to assess the impact
of usage on resources and the environment.
- Professor Tu Bao HO, UNU/IIST visitor, from School of Knowledge Science,
Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology,
Ishikawa, Tatsunokuchi, 923-1292 JAPAN
11:00, Tue 14 Dec
1999
Title: Knowledge Discovery in Databases:
Some Topics and Results
Abstract:
Knowledge Discovery in Databases (KDD) is a rapidly growing
interdisciplinary field of computer science which merges together
databases, statistics, machine learning and related areas in order
to extract useful knowledge from data. In this talk I will first
give an introduction to KDD: what is KDD,the KDD process, why KDD
is necessary, main techniques of KDD, challenges for KDD, etc.
Then I will present some research topics and primary results in
KDD of our laboratory, from basic research to software development
and applications.
- Francois Siewe, UNU/IIST fellow, from University of Dschang, Faculty of Science, Department of Mathematics and Computer science, P.O.
Box 96 Dschang, Cameroon
10:00, Thursday, 16 Dec 1999
Title: From Continuous
Specification To Discrete Design
Abstract: In this talk we present a
syntactical approach for designing real-time distributed systems
that can handle both continuous time and discrete time models in a
uniform framework. We approximate continuous state variables by
discrete ones and formalize the relationship between them. Given a
specification of the requirements of a real-time system as a formula
over continuous state variables, we derive a discrete design of a
digital controller as formula over discrete state variables that
makes the system to satisfy the continuous specification under some
assumptions about the behavior of the environment and the
relationship between continuous state variables and discrete state
variables. We provide rules useful for refining and verifying the
correctness of an implementation syntactically.
- Dr. Wang Yi, UNU/IIST visitor, from Dept of Computer Systems IT,
Uppsala Univ, Sweden
11:30, Thu, 16th Dec 99
Title: Schedulability Analysis of Event-Driven Systems
Abstract: The traditional approach to the development of hard real-time
system is often based on scheduling theory and a task model,
which has been very successful for time-driven systems, but less
successful for event-driven systems. In this talk, I will show how
to extend the classic model of timed automata with a notion of real
time tasks. The main idea is to associate each discrete transition in
a timed automaton with a task (an executable program). Intuitively,
a discrete transition in an extended timed automaton denotes an event
releasing a task and the guard on the transition specifies all the
possible arriving times of the event (instead of the so-called
minimal inter-arrival time). This yields a general model for hard
real-time systems in which tasks may be periodic and non-periodic.
I will present an operational semantics for the model of timed automata
extended with tasks, and show that the problem of schedulability
analysis for even-driven tasks can be solved by reachability analysis.
As future work, I'll outline how the task models can be utilized to
generate executable code.
