Sudoku – A Language Description Case Study

A complete language description includes the structure as well as constraints, textual representation, graphical representation, and behaviour (transformation and execution). As a case study in language description, we consider Sudoku as a language, where a Sudoku puzzle is an instance of the language. Thus we are able to apply meta-model-based technologies for the creation of a language description for Sudoku, including correctness checking of a puzzle, and solving strategies. We identify what has to be expressed and how this can be done with the technology available today.

A semantic-enhanced quality-based approach to handling data sources in enterprise service bus

Data quality plays an important role in success of organizations. Poor data quality might significantly affect organizations’ businesses since wrong decisions can be made based on data with poor quality. It is therefore necessary to make data quality information available to data users and allow them to select data sources based on their given requirements. Enterprise Service Bus (ESB) can be used to tackle data integration issues. However, data sources are maintained out of the ESB’s control. This leads to a problem faced by users when it comes to selecting the most suitable data source among available ones. In this article, we present an approach to handling data sources in ESB based on d…

The Use of Game World Tasks Concepts in Higher Education

The link between tasks presented in games and tasks used in higher education might have more in common than we think. Analysing how tasks work in games and applying those structures to higher education teaching can enable teachers to develop more creative, situated and exciting tasks for their students. In addition, it can improve communication and feedback. Analysis shows that tasks are an area where elements of gamification work. This article looks into the possibility of reproducing the flexibility and key components of game tasks in actual tasks in higher education. We look at the challenges and limitations and ways to solve them. Therefore, we analyse the concept of quest-logs in games…

ProHealth eCoach: user-centered design and development of an eCoach app to promote healthy lifestyle with personalized activity recommendations

Abstract Background Regular physical activity (PA), healthy habits, and an appropriate diet are recommended guidelines to maintain a healthy lifestyle. A healthy lifestyle can help to avoid chronic diseases and long-term illnesses. A monitoring and automatic personalized lifestyle recommendation system (i.e., automatic electronic coach or eCoach) with considering clinical and ethical guidelines, individual health status, condition, and preferences may successfully help participants to follow recommendations to maintain a healthy lifestyle. As a prerequisite for the prototype design of such a helpful eCoach system, it is essential to involve the end-users and subject-matter experts throughou…

Model-based verification of the DMAMAC protocol for real-time process control

Medium Access Control (MAC) protocols are responsible for managing radio communication that constitute the main energy consumer in wireless sensor-actuator networks. The Dual-Mode Adaptive MAC (DMAMAC) protocol is a recently proposed MAC protocol for process control applications within industrial automation. The goal of the DMAMAC protocol is to improve energy efficiency along with addressing real-time requirements for process control applications. The DMAMAC protocol switches between two operational modes that correspond to the two main states in process control: the transient state and the steady state. The state-switch is a safety critical function of the DMAMAC protocol (along with othe…

Model-Driven Development Approach for Providing Smart Home Services

Smart home is about the application of automation techniques for the comfort and security of residents' privately owned homes. In a smart home environment, different and independent embedded devices provide services that can be freely used by others, in the sense of service invocation. This paper presents our idea of using Model Driven Development (MDD) for the composition of existing services, by which we aim at demonstrating how new smart home services will be promoted.

Offshore wind metadata management

Offshore wind energy is gaining more and more attention from industry and research community due to its high potential in producing green energy and lowering price on electricity consumption. However, offshore wind is facing many challenges, and hence it is still expensive to install in large scale. It therefore needs to be considered from different aspects of technologies in order to overcome these challenges. One of the problems of the offshore wind is that information comes from different sources with diversity in types and format. Besides, there are existing wind databases that should be utilised in order to enrich the knowledge base of the wind domain. This paper describes an approach …

Teaching Language Engineering Using MPS

At universities, computer language handling is most often taught with a focus on compiler theory. However, in practical applications, domain-specific languages (DSLs) are much more important. DSLs implement model-driven technology in an understandable way, as models can be expressed easily using DSLs. One interesting domain for DSLs in this context is language handling itself, and many current tools for language handling are model-driven and based on meta-models. This chapter connects compiler theory and meta-modelling within a university course about language handling. The course features the relevant theory and uses MPS as a practical tool. We show how MPS is used in the course and discus…

Development of a Task-driven Mobile Teaching Tool for Enhancing Teachers’ Motivation

What is the Natural Abstraction Level of an Algorithm?

Abstract State Machines work with algorithms on the natural abstraction level. In this paper, we discuss the notion of the natural abstraction level of an algorithm and how ASM manage to capture this abstraction level. We will look into three areas of algorithms: the algorithm execution, the algorithm description, and the algorithm semantics. We conclude that ASM capture the natural abstraction level of the algorithm execution, but not necessarily of the algorithm description. ASM do also capture the natural abstraction level of execution semantics.

LanguageLab - A Meta-modelling Environment

In the LanguageLab language workbench, we build on a component-based approach to language specification that facilitates the specification of all aspects of a computer language in a consistent manner, taking into account best practices in meta-modelling and language design. The workbench allows operation on a suitable abstraction level, and also focuses on user-friendliness and a low threshold to getting started, in order to make it useful for teaching of meta-modelling and language design and specification. The platform is open for third party language modules and facilitates rapid prototyping of DSLs, re-use of language modules, and experiments with multiple concrete syntaxes. The platfor…

A Comparative Study to Analyze the Performance of Advanced Pattern Recognition Algorithms for Multi-Class Classification

This study aims to implement the following four advanced pattern recognition algorithms, such as “optimal Bayesian classifier,” “anti-Bayesian classifier,” “decision trees (DTs),” and “dependence trees (DepTs)” on both artificial and real datasets for multi-class classification. Then, we calculated the performance of individual algorithms on both real and artificial data for comparison. In Sect. 1, a brief introduction is given about the study. In the second section, the different types of datasets used in this study are discussed. In the third section, we compared the classification accuracies of Bayesian and anti-Bayesian methods for both the artificial and real-life datasets. In the four…

Towards integrated operations for ships

Maritime customers will benefit greatly from integrated operations between ship and shore. It requires integrating diverse information services within a variety of communication environments, which is a complex task. The common approach to dealing with complex tasks is to use a divide-and-conquer policy and solve problems independently. Since there are mainly two challenges involved - interoperability among heterogeneous applications and connectivity through difficult maritime networks, to handle them separately has become useful. While interoperability and connectivity solutions work well individually, if we put them together in the maritime context, problems arise. We b services based int…

Peer assessment based assignment to enhance interactions in online learning groups

In this paper, we report on the findings from our PhD work on how peer assessment based assignment method can enhance interaction in online learning groups. The method is explored and tried out on the research methods course on the Bachelor of Commerce Programme which is run in distance learning mode at Makerere University. Based on the idea that learning groups can enhance effective learning in online learning environments, we used the affordance eLearning framework to design the peer assessment based assignment task and then qualitative methods collect and report on data. The results reveal that there was increased interaction through peer feedback. Students were motivated because of the …

Visualization of Exchanged Information with Dynamic Networks: A Case Study of Fire Emergency Search and Rescue Operation

To perform emergency response activities, complex networks of emergency responders from different emergency organizations work together to rescue affected people and to mitigate the property losses. However, to work efficiently, the emergency responders have to rely completely on the data which gets generated from heterogeneous data sources during search and rescue operation (SAR). From this abundant data, rescue teams share needed information which is hidden in the abundant data with one another to make decisions, obtain situational awareness and also to assign tasks. Moreover, understanding and analyzing the shared information is a complex and very challenging task. Therefore, in this pap…

LifeRescue Software Prototype for Supporting Emergency Responders During Fire Emergency Response: A Usability and User Requirements Evaluation

For an efficient emergency response, emergency responders (ERs) should exchange information with one another to obtain an adequate understanding and common operational picture of the emergency situation. Despite the current developments on information systems, many ERs are unable to get access to the relevant information as the data is heterogeneous and distributed at different places and due to security and privacy barriers. As a result, ERs are unable to coordinate well and to make good decisions. Therefore, to overcome these difficulties, a web-based application called LifeRescue was developed for supporting easy information access during emergency search and rescue operation. The goal o…

Supporting Learning Groups in Online Learning Environment

In this paper, we report on the initial findings on how to effectively support learning groups in online learning environments. Based on the idea that learning groups can enhance effective learning in online learning environments, we used qualitative research methods to study learning groups (interviews and observation of learning group interactions in online learning environments) and their facilitators. Preliminary results reveal that in order to have effective learning groups you need to take care of the following online design issues: develop comprehensive study guides, train online tutors, motivate learners through feedback, and foster high cognitive levels of interaction through quest…

The Impacts of ICT Support on Information Distribution, Task Assignment for Gaining Teams’ Situational Awareness in Search and Rescue Operations

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has changed the way we communicate and work. To study the effects of ICT for Information Distribution (ID) and Task Assignment (TA) for gaining Teams’ Situational Awareness (TSA) across and within rescue teams, an indoor fire game was played with students. We used two settings (smartphone-enabled support vs. traditional walkietalkies) to analyze the impact of technology on ID and TA for gaining TSA in a simulated Search and Rescue operation. The results presented in this paper combine observations and quantitative data from a survey conducted after the game. The results indicate that the use of the ICT was good in second scenario than first sce…

Recursive modeling for completed code generation

Model-Driven Development is promising to software development because it can reduce the complexity and cost of developing large software systems. The basic idea is the use of different kinds of models during the software development process, transformations between them, and automatic code generation at the end of the development. But unlike the structural parts, fully-automated code generation from the behavior parts is still hard, if it works at all, restricted to specific application areas using a domain specific language, DSL.This paper proposes an approach to model the behavior parts of a system and to embed them into the structural models. The underlying idea is recursive refinements …

Modeling Marginalization: Emergence, Social Physics, and Social Ethics of Bullying

In this paper, we outline the construction and initial simulation experiment results of the Marginalization model (MARG). We experiment under different group parameters because the theoretical paradigm we follow views bullying as a result of social processes. Our primary research question explores the possibility of bullying emergence as agents select interaction partners in a university setting. Based on the simulated process, our results take indications of the stress of marginalization in a student group as a proxy for emer-gent marginalization. MARG simulates two types of interactions between pairs of students: forced and hang-out interactions. In the latter, students decide whether to …

Human Coaching Methodologies for Automatic Electronic Coaching (eCoaching) as Behavioral Interventions With Information and Communication Technology: Systematic Review

Background We systematically reviewed the literature on human coaching to identify different coaching processes as behavioral interventions and methods within those processes. We then reviewed how those identified coaching processes and the used methods can be utilized to improve an electronic coaching (eCoaching) process for the promotion of a healthy lifestyle with the support of information and communication technology (ICT). Objective This study aimed to identify coaching and eCoaching processes as behavioral interventions and the methods behind these processes. Here, we mainly looked at processes (and corresponding models that describe coaching as certain processes) and the methods th…

Additional file 1 of ProHealth eCoach: user-centered design and development of an eCoach app to promote healthy lifestyle with personalized activity recommendations

Additional file 1. StaRI checklist for completion.

Models, systems, and descriptions - A cross-disciplinary reflection on models

There are many different notions of models in different areas of science that are often not aligned, making it difficult to discuss them across disciplines. In this study, we look at the differences between physical models and mental models as well as the difference between static and dynamic models. Semiotics provides a philosophical underpinning by explaining meaning-making. This allows for identifying a common ground between models in different areas. We use examples from natural sciences and linguistics to illustrate different approaches and concepts and to find commonalities. This study distinguishes between systems, models, and descriptions of models. This distinction allows us to und…

Improving Communication in Online Learning Systems

Formal Analysis and Model Checking of a Group Authentication Protocol by Scyther

Scyther [1] is designed to check the security and vulnerabilities of security protocols. In this paper, we use Scyther to analyze two discrete logarithm problem (DLP) based group authentication protocols proposed in [2]. These two protocols are claimed to satisfy several security requirements, but only part of them have been checked because of the properties and limitations of Scyther. Some positive results have been gained and show that the protocols provide mutual authentication and implicit key authentication and are secure against impersonation attack. An important innovation in this paper is that we have extended the expressing ability of Scyther by giving some reasonable assumption du…

Modelling and Testing of Real Systems

Modelling and Programming are often used together in system development. However, typically there is a large conceptual gap between modelling and programming. This leads to problems in unified handling and the transition between the two. This way, extra work is required when combining modelling and programming. This paper develops a common understanding that can unify modelling and programming in system development.

An Automatic Ontology-Based Approach to Support Logical Representation of Observable and Measurable Data for Healthy Lifestyle Management: Proof-of-Concept Study

Background Lifestyle diseases, because of adverse health behavior, are the foremost cause of death worldwide. An eCoach system may encourage individuals to lead a healthy lifestyle with early health risk prediction, personalized recommendation generation, and goal evaluation. Such an eCoach system needs to collect and transform distributed heterogenous health and wellness data into meaningful information to train an artificially intelligent health risk prediction model. However, it may produce a data compatibility dilemma. Our proposed eHealth ontology can increase interoperability between different heterogeneous networks, provide situation awareness, help in data integration, and discover…

The role of manikins in nursing students' learning: A systematic review and thematic metasynthesis

Abstract Objectives To summarise and synthesise findings from qualitative primary research studies of nursing students' experiences from educational activities using manikins to gain a deeper understanding of the role these manikins play in the students' learning. Design and data sources A systematic review and thematic metasynthesis were conducted. Cinahl+, Ovid Medline, ERIC and Embase were searched systematically. Review methods Sandelowski and Barroso's framework guided the review process. A comprehensive search to identify qualitative studies of nursing students' experiences from learning with manikins was performed in January 2019 and updated in April 2020. Study selection was guided …

Model-based specification and validation of the dual-mode adaptive MAC protocol

Wireless sensor and actuator networks (WSANs) rely on MAC protocols to coordinate access to the wireless medium access and for managing the radio unit on each device. The dual-mode adaptive MAC (DMAMAC) protocol is a recently proposed protocol designed to reduce the energy consumption of the radio communication in WSANs. The DMAMAC protocol targets the industrial WSANs used for real-time process control. At its core, DMAMAC exploits the distinction between transient and steady of the controlled plant process to dynamically adapt the MAC superframe structure and thereby conserve energy. The switch between steady and transient mode of operation is a safety-critical part of the protocol. The c…

LifeRescue: A web based application for emergency responders during fire emergency response

In order to respond to any kind of building fire emergencies, first-responders have to use lot of time to get access to the emergency data such as location of the victims who are still inside the building, location of the hazardous material, location of the resources and location of the exits in order to perform search and rescue. However, search is possibly one of the most dangerous activities on the fire ground. Sometimes the visibility is zero and the environment is really hot. Because of the limited operating time in the building, the key to successful search is how quickly emergency responders can get access to the emergency related information in order to save victims and the property…

User-Centered Design of a Scenario-Based Serious Game: Game-Based Teaching of Future Healthcare

A scenario-based serious game for teaching about healthcare solutions was developed and tested in multiple iterations. The serious game captures the complexity of a real-world healthcare scenario, projecting it into a “scenario system” that can be accessed by the game participants to explore and experience the playthrough of a critical healthcare situation. The aim is to teach about existing health technology, and its uses and interactions between healthcare professionals, technologies, and patients. The platform for the serious game is mobile, such that different locations can be chosen for different scenarios. Actions of the participants trigger further actions, tasks, and storyline progr…

Teaching Students to Learn

HL7 FHIR with SNOMED-CT to Achieve Semantic and Structural Interoperability in Personal Health Data: A Proof-of-Concept Study

Heterogeneity is a problem in storing and exchanging data in a digital health information system (HIS) following semantic and structural integrity. The existing literature shows different methods to overcome this problem. Fast healthcare interoperable resources (FHIR) as a structural standard may explain other information models, (e.g., personal, physiological, and behavioral data from heterogeneous sources, such as activity sensors, questionnaires, and interviews) with semantic vocabularies, (e.g., Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine—Clinical Terms (SNOMED-CT)) to connect personal health data to an electronic health record (EHR). We design and develop an intuitive health coaching (eCoach…

Identifying First Responders Information Needs

At the onset of an indoor fire emergency, the availability of the information becomes critical due to the chaotic situation at the emergency site. Moreover, if information is lacking, not shared, or responders are too overloaded to acknowledge it, lives can be lost and property can be harmed. Therefore, the goal of this paper is to identify information items that are needed for first responders during search and rescue operations. The authors use an educational building fire emergency as a case and show how first responders can be supported by getting access to information that are stored in different information systems. The research methodology used was a combination of literature review,…

Challenges for Adoption of e-Procurement

In a society well on its way through a digital revolution, a number of new challenges are encountered, and when participating in electronic business, small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) face specific challenges and issues. In this chapter an analysis of those challenges covering electronic procurement within public and private sectors (B2G, B2B) is provided, including a case study from electronic invoicing. Relevant factors for the use of electronic invoicing for SMEs in Europe are recognized, and requirements for a technical solution are identified. Starting from that, an architecture for the solution is derived. The solution is aligned with the initiatives working on that issue wit…

Concurrent Computing with Shared Replicated Memory

Any concurrent system can be captured by a concurrent Abstract State Machine (cASM). This remains valid, if different agents can only interact via messages. It even permits a strict separation between memory managing agents and other agents that can only access the shared memory by sending query and update requests. This paper is dedicated to an investigation of replicated data that is maintained by a memory management subsystem, where the replication neither appears in the requests nor in the corresponding answers. We specify the behaviour of a concurrent system with such memory management using concurrent communicating ASMs (ccASMs), provide several refinements addressing different replic…

Machine learning and ontology in eCoaching for personalized activity level monitoring and recommendation generation.

AbstractLeading a sedentary lifestyle may cause numerous health problems. Therefore, passive lifestyle changes should be given priority to avoid severe long-term damage. Automatic health coaching system may help people manage a healthy lifestyle with continuous health state monitoring and personalized recommendation generation with machine learning (ML). This study proposes a semantic ontology model to annotate the ML-prediction outcomes and personal preferences to conceptualize personalized recommendation generation with a hybrid approach. We use a transfer learning approach to improve ML model training and its performance, and an incremental learning approach to handle daily growing data …

PMG-pro: A model-driven method for the development of service-based applications in a heterogenous services environment

This paper presents PMG-pro (present, model, generate and provide), a development method of service-based applications. With PMG-pro, the composition of heterogeneous pre-made services is done at model levels and thereby different executable software systems for different target platforms can be generated automatically. To illustrate the method, we present a case study of developing a service-based application in a smart home environment.

Distributed ASM - Pitfalls and solutions

Published version of a chapter in the book: Abstract State Machines, Alloy, B, TLA, VDM, and Z. Also available from the publisher at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-43652-3_18 While sequential Abstract State Machines (ASM) capture the essence of sequential computation, it is not clear that this is true of distributed ASM. This paper looks at two kinds of distributed process, one based on a global state and one based on variable access. Their commonalities are extracted and conclusions for the general understanding of distributed computation are drawn, providing integration between global state and variable access.

Qualitative and Quantitative Study on Videotaped Data for Fire Emergency Response

During search and rescue (SAR) operations, information plays a significant role in empowering the emergency response personnel at various levels. But, understanding the information which is being shared between/among emergency personnel is necessary to improve current coordination systems. However, such systems can help the first responders to gain/increase their situational awareness and coordination. Moreover, there is still the lack of automatic and intelligent tools that can contribute to structure, categorize, and visualize the communicated content that occur during SAR operations. Therefore, in this paper, we present the concept of such analysis by using the qualitative methodology an…

PMG-Pro: A Model-Driven Development Method of Service-Based Applications

Published version of a chapter published in the book: SDL 2011: Integrating System and Software Modeling. Also available from the publisher at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-25264-8_12 In the Internet of Things, billions of networked and software-driven devices will be connected to the Internet. They can communicate and cooperate with each other to form a composite system. In this paper, we propose PMG-pro (present, model, generate and provide), a language independent, bottom-up and model-driven method for the development of such composite system. We envision that all devices in the Internet of Things provide their functionalities as services. From a service description, a service pre…

Modelling of Systems for Real

Modelling and Programming are often used together in system development. However, typically there is a large difference between the handling of modelling parts and the handling of programming parts. This leads to the fact that the transition between the two is not easy, and important information is lost as well as extra information has to be provided when combining modelling and programming. This paper shows how modelling and programming could work together in system development.

Maritime data integration using standard ISO 15926

Paper presented at the Twentieth (2010) International Offshore and Polar Engineering Conference. Also available on the Conference site: http://www.isope.org/publications/proceedings/ISOPE/ISOPE%202010/data/toc.htm The Oil & Gas industry is moving forward with Integrated Operations (IO). This includes a strong focus on data integration issues. There are different ways to achieve data integration, and ontology-based approaches have drawn much attention. For maritime data integration, the international standard ISO 15926 has been developed to integrate and represent the information in and across process plants. In this article, we follow the ontology-based approach and use the ISO 15926 standa…

The Art of Bootstrapping

Language workbenches are used to define languages using appropriate meta-languages. Meta-languages are also just languages and can, therefore, be defined using themselves. The process is called bootstrapping and is often difficult to achieve.

An Integrated Wireless Communication Architecture for Maritime Sector

Published version of a chapter in the book: Multiple Access Communications. Also available from the publisher at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-23795-9_17 The rapid evolution of terrestrial wireless systems has brought mobile users more and more desired communication services. Maritime customers are asking for the same, such as the concepts of “Broadband at Sea” and “Maritime Internet”. Quite a lot of research work has focused on the development of new and better maritime communication technologies, but less attention has been paid on interworking of multiple maritime wireless networks or on satisfying service provisioning. To address this, an integrated wireless Communication Architec…

High-Level Context Information for Tasks in Teaching

Tasks are often used in the teaching process. Using mobile and wearable technology, we created an application which uses sensors to support teachers in creating tasks with dependencies and feedback generation. However, in the field of sports education, a variety of non-measurable data can influence the training progress. This high-level context data can be gathered using human input. In this paper, we explain the task-based teacher supporting application and how it can be enriched with high-level context data. We use gamification for data collection and motivation of students. We conducted a survey about the acceptance of three different approaches in the field of skiing education. The surv…

Real Models are Really on M0 - Or How to Make Programmers Use Modeling

This paper discusses the term ’model’ and the role of the level M0 in the four-layer metamodeling architecture of MOF/OMG. It illustrates the failures of the OMG MOF standard and how a model is an abstraction, not a description. We apply two simple approaches: (1) observing the use of models (of real or planned systems) in system development, including prototyping, simulations, and models in general, and (2) comparing modeling with programming. These approaches lead to the conclusion that models should be placed on M0, while UML models are model descriptions. This conclusion leads to a better understanding of InstanceSpecification for description of snapshots, and of metamodeling applied to…

Big Data Metadata Management in Smart Grids

Smart home, smart grids, smart museum, smart cities, etc. are making the vision for living in smart environments come true. These smart environments are built based upon the Internet of Things paradigm where many devices and applications are involved. In these environments, data are collected from various sources in diverse formats. The data are then processed by different intelligent systems with the purpose of providing efficient system planning, power delivery, and customer operations. Even though there are known technologies for most of these smart environments, putting them together to make intelligent and context-aware systems is not an easy task. The reason is that there are semantic…

Eventual Consistency Formalized

Distribution of computation is well-known, and there are several frameworks, including some formal frameworks, that capture distributed computation. As yet, however, models of distributed computation are based on the idea that data is conceptually centralized. That is, they assume that data, even if it is distributed, is consistent. This assumption is not valid for many of the database systems in use today, where consistency is compromised to ensure availability and partition tolerance. Starting with an informal definition of eventual consistency, this paper explores several measures of inconsistency that quantify how far from consistency a system is. These measures capture key aspects of e…

SFTSDH: Applying Spring Security Framework with TSD-Based OAuth2 to Protect Microservice Architecture APIs

The Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) combines medical devices and applications that use network technologies to connect healthcare information systems (HIS). IoMT is reforming the medical industry by adopting information and communication technologies (ICTs). Identity verification, secure collection, and exchange of medical data are essential in health applications. In this study, we implemented a hybrid security solution to secure the collection and management of personal health data using Spring Framework (SF), Services for Sensitive Data (TSD) as a service platform, and Hyper-Text-Transfer-Protocol (HTTP (H)) security methods. The adopted solution (SFTSDH = SF + TSD + H) instigated the …

Consistent Projectional Text Editors

Proactive maintenance of offshore wind turbine blades using knowledge-based force analysis

The operation and maintenance (O&M) costs of wind turbines constitute approximately 10-15% of the lifecycle cost in onshore installations and up to 30% in offshore installations. The O&M costs for offshore wind power plants are higher than the onshore ones due to greater logistical challenges of maintaining and servicing, and the less mature state of offshore wind energy technology. Wind turbine blades suffer from various faults, for example, blade angle asymmetry, icing, and bends. These faults may cause wind turbines to a standstill. Replacement of rotor blades will normally result in a long downtime since the replacement process involves heavy transportation (vessel, crane) and dependenc…

Philosophical and ethical concerns in researching online learning groups

There is hype in the use of technology for teaching and learning. Online learning groups have been preferred and advocated for increasing learning. However, developing technology supported teaching and learning require user centered approaches to ensure that the design solutions meet users' needs. Since the research is situated within a practice area of online learning groups, pragmatism and social constructivism will inform this study. In this paper, pragmatism and social constructivism philosophy is discussed. The non-consequentialist philosophical ethical approach and how it relates to this research field is also analyzed. The paper argues that non-consequentialist philosophical ethical …

Learning Groups in MOOCs : Lessons for Online Learning in Higher Education

when there is interaction within online learning groups, meaningful learning is achieved. Motivating and sustaining effective student interactions requires planning, coordination and implementation of curriculum, pedagogy and technology. For our aim to understand online learning group processes to identify effective online learning group mechanisms, comparative analysis was used on a massive open online course (MOOC) run in 2015 and 2016. Qualitative (interaction on the platform) and quantitative (survey) methods were used. The findings revealed several possible ways to improve online learning group processes. This paper concludes that course organization helped in increasing individual par…

Teaching Model Driven Language Handling

Many universities teach computer language handling by mainly focussing on compiler theory, although MDD (model-driven development) and meta-modelling are increasingly important in the software industry as well as in computer science. In this article, we share some experiences from teaching a course in computer language handling where the focus is on MDD principles. We discuss the choice of tools and technologies used in demonstrations and exercises, and also give a brief glimpse of a prototype for a simple meta-model-based language handling tool that is currently being designed and considered for future use in teaching.

The sense of a patient: An ethnographic multi-site field study exploring the influence of manikins on nursing students' learning

The purpose of this ethnographic study was to gain insight into the influence of full-body human-like manikins on nursing students’ learning. The research question that guided the study was: How do the presence and use of human-like manikins influence nursing students’ learning? Data were collected during 15 educational sessions, using different manikins for various activities. Applying cultural-historical activity theory, this study explored the use of manikins as a mediated activity. The study’s main result was the interplay of five categories. In the first category, manikin as an object, manikins were used to teach and learn technical skills. In the second category, manikin as a subject,…

Personalized Recommendations for Physical Activity e-Coaching (OntoRecoModel): Ontological Modeling.

Background Automatic e-coaching may motivate individuals to lead a healthy lifestyle with early health risk prediction, personalized recommendation generation, and goal evaluation. Multiple studies have reported on uninterrupted and automatic monitoring of behavioral aspects (such as sedentary time, amount, and type of physical activity); however, e-coaching and personalized feedback techniques are still in a nascent stage. Current intelligent coaching strategies are mostly based on the handcrafted string messages that rarely individualize to each user’s needs, context, and preferences. Therefore, more realistic, flexible, practical, sophisticated, and engaging strategies are needed to mod…

Concurrent Computing with Shared Replicated Memory

The behavioural theory of concurrent systems states that any concurrent system can be captured by a behaviourally equivalent concurrent Abstract State Machine (cASM). While the theory in general assumes shared locations, it remains valid, if different agents can only interact via messages, i.e. sharing is restricted to mailboxes. There may even be a strict separation between memory managing agents and other agents that can only access the shared memory by sending query and update requests to the memory agents. This article is dedicated to an investigation of replicated data that is maintained by a memory management subsystem, whereas the replication neither appears in the requests nor in th…

Simulation of eHealth Scenarios with Role-play Supported by an Interactive Smartphone Application

Distributed Computing on Distributed Memory

Distributed computation is formalized in several description languages for computation, as e.g. Unified Modeling Language (UML), Specification and Description Language (SDL), and Concurrent Abstract State Machines (CASM). All these languages focus on the distribution of computation, which is somewhat the same as concurrent computation. In addition, there is also the aspect of distribution of state, which is often neglected. Distribution of state is most commonly represented by communication between active agents. This paper argues that it is desirable to abstract from the communication and to consider abstract distributed state. This includes semantic handling of conflict resolution, e.g. i…

Digital interventions on healthy lifestyle management: Systematic review

Background Digital interventions have tremendous potential to improve well-being and health care conveyance by improving adequacy, proficiency, availability, and personalization. They have gained acknowledgment in interventions for the management of a healthy lifestyle. Therefore, we are reviewing existing conceptual frameworks, digital intervention approaches, and associated methods to identify the impact of digital intervention on adopting a healthier lifestyle. Objective This study aims to evaluate the impact of digital interventions on weight management in maintaining a healthy lifestyle (eg, regular physical activity, healthy habits, and proper dietary patterns). Methods We conducted …

A Statistical Study to Analyze the Impact of External Weather Change on Chronic Pulmonary Infection in South Norway with Machine Learning Algorithms

In this paper, we analyzed the holistic impact of external weather on chronic pulmonary infection in the Agder region with traditional machine learning algorithms. Millions of people are diagnosed with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Our study is dedicated in the Agder region, the Southern part of Norway. Norway has four seasons – winter (December-February), late winter/spring (March-May), Summer (June-August), and Autumn (September-November) in a year with average annual temperature approx. 7.5 °C | 45.5 °F and an annual rainfall of 1260 mm or 49.6 in. in Kristiansand. As predicted by the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2016, Norway suffered from 8% mortality due to c(1)h…

Teaching computer language handling - From compiler theory to meta-modelling

Published version of a chapter in the book: Generative and Transformational Techniques in Software Engineering III. Also available from the publisher at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-18023-1_14 Most universities teach computer language handling by mainly focussing on compiler theory, although MDA (model-driven architecture) and meta-modelling are increasingly important in the software industry as well as in computer science. In this article, we investigate how traditional compiler theory compares to meta-modelling with regard to formally defining the different aspects of a language, and how we can expand the focus in computer language handling courses to also include meta-model-based…

A framework for data integration of offshore wind farms

Abstract Operation and maintenance play an important role in maximizing the yield and minimizing the downtime of wind turbines, especially offshore wind farms where access can be difficult due to harsh weather conditions for long periods. It contributes up to 25–30% to the cost of energy generation. Improved operation and maintenance (O&M) practices are likely to reduce the cost of wind energy and increase safety. In order to optimize the O&M, the importance of data exchange and knowledge sharing within the offshore wind industry must be realized. With more data available, it is possible to make better decisions, and thereby improve the recovery rates and reduce the operational costs. This …

Models Versus Model Descriptions

In the development of computer-based systems, modelling is often advocated in addition to programming, in that it helps in reflecting the application domain and that it makes the design and experiment activities of development more efficient. However, there is disagreement about what models are and how they can be used in software systems development. In this paper, we present the Scandinavian approach to modelling, which makes a clear distinction between models and model descriptions. This paper explains the connections between models, descriptions, systems, and executions. Combining the Scandinavian approach with the Kiel notion of model, we establish that both descriptions and executions…

Taking the Advantage of Smartphone Apps for Understanding Information Needs of Emergency Response Teams’ for Situational Awareness: Evidence from an Indoor Fire Game

In search and rescue (SAR) operation, a lot of information is being shared among different emergency response groups. However, one of the key challenges experienced by these rescue groups during SAR operation is obtaining the complete awareness of the situation from the shared information. Moreover, one of the key actions of rescue leaders is to get the needed information in order to coordinate effectively with other teams and perform well. So, in this study we conduct an indoor fire drill with the help of Smartphone application with two settings (without SmartRescue smartphone application and with SmartRescue smartphone application) to find out what type of information is mostly communicat…

Applying Spring Security Framework with KeyCloak-Based OAuth2 to Protect Microservice Architecture APIs: A Case Study

In this study, we implemented an integrated security solution with Spring Security and Keycloak open-access platform (SSK) to secure data collection and exchange over microservice architecture application programming interfaces (APIs). The adopted solution implemented the following security features: open authorization, multi-factor authentication, identity brokering, and user management to safeguard microservice APIs. Then, we extended the security solution with a virtual private network (VPN), Blowfish and crypt (Bcrypt) hash, encryption method, API key, network firewall, and secure socket layer (SSL) to build up a digital infrastructure. To accomplish and describe the adopted SSK solutio…

Towards Technology for Supporting Effective Online Learning Groups

Group learning has been advocated for increasing active learning among distance learners. However, there is limited understanding on how to engage learners in online courses. Following the design science methodology, we iteratively developed guiding factors for supporting effective online learning groups. The factors for effective online learning groups cover five key dimensions, namely institutional policies, institutional technology, group activity, group composition, and facilitation. The factors are validated through repetitive evaluation using authentic online learning courses, as well as using a focus group discussion with experienced online facilitators. This way, the factors provide…

How to Bootstrap a Language Workbench

Delay-oriented data traffic migration in maritime mobile communication environments

Maritime ship-to-shore communication has to satisfy different user requirements while suffering dynamic communication circumstances. Satellite networks are the primary means to communicate between ship and shore. The idea of compensating the deficiency of satellite communication with other terrestrial networks is not new. However, focus was often on how to keep users always best connected, without considering respective application needs or the potential disconnections. In this paper, we propose a delay-oriented satellite data traffic migration solution, exploiting the route repetitiveness and predictability of ships, leveraging the delay tolerance of many communication applications, with t…

Specification of modelling languages in a flexible meta-model architecture

Originally, meta-models were used to specify the structure (abstract syntax) of modelling languages. This is reflected both in meta-languages like MOF and Ecore, and the four-layer meta-model architecture. Presently, meta-modelling is used for specification of complete languages. In this situation, it turns out that the traditional meta-languages are not always expressive enough to capture all language aspects. This usually implies the use of more than one metalanguage in the meta-model architecture to cover the different language aspects. There are many approaches to address this challenge. In this paper, we analyze these approaches, and based on this analysis, we re-think the meta-model a…

Generating Executable Code from High-Level Social or Socio-Ecological Model Descriptions

Agent-Based Modelling has been used for social simulation because of the several benefits it entails. Social models are often constructed by inter-disciplinary teams that include subject-matter experts with no programming skills. These experts are typically involved in the creation of the conceptual model, but not the verification or validation of the simulation model. The Overview, Design concepts, and Details (ODD) protocol has emerged as a way of presenting a model at a high level of abstraction and as an effort towards improving the reproducibility of Agent-Based Models (ABMs) but it is typically written after a model has been completed. This paper reverses the process and provides non-…

Improving Online Interaction Among Blended Distance Learners at Makerere University

This article reports on a study done to improve interaction among distance learners offering the blended Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) programme at Makerere University. The study attempts to answer the question: How can a Learning Management System be used to improve learner interaction on the blended B.Ed. programme at Makerere University? The study adopted the Affordance eLearning Design Framework. This study was done among 54 students studying a Policy Planning and Implementation course on the B.Ed. programme. The study employed qualitative approaches to data collection and analysis. These included semi-structured interviews and observation of the interaction logs within the groups and o…

Comparing Performance of Ensemble-Based Machine Learning Algorithms to Identify Potential Obesity Risk Factors from Public Health Datasets

Societal factors such as globalization, supermarket growth, rapid unplanned urbanization, sedentary lifestyle, economical distribution, and social position gradually develop behavioral risk factors in humans. Behavioral risk factors are unhealthy habits (consumption of tobacco and alcohol), improper diet (consumption of high calorific discretionary fast foods, sweet beverages), and physical inactivity. The behavioral risks may lead to physiological risks, body–energy imbalance. Obesity is one of the foremost lifestyle diseases that leads to other health conditions, such as cardiovascular disease (CVDs), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cancer, diabetes type II, hypertension, an…

Data Sources Handling for Emergency Management: Supporting Information Availability and Accessibility for Emergency Responders

Information is an essential component for better emergency response. Although a lot of information being available at various places during any kind of emergency, many emergency responders (ERs) use only a limited amount of the available information. The reason for this is that the available information heterogeneously distributed, in different formats, and ERs are unable to get access to the relevant information. Moreover, without having access to the needed information, many emergency responders are not able to obtain a sufficient understanding of the emergency situation. Consequently, a lot of time is being used to search for the needed information and poor decisions may be made. Therefo…

Smart grid for offshore wind farms: Towards an information model based on the IEC 61400-25 standard

Nowadays, wind energy is one of the most recognized renewable energy sources. Onshore wind farms have been built in many countries, such as Denmark, Norway, UK, Italy, Brazil and the US. To utilize the more stable wind resources, wind farms have moved off the shore, first to shallow waters near shore and now extending to deeper waters and far off the shore. Deep-water offshore solutions will give access to large areas with high wind, and less sensitivity to noise, visual impacts and size. However, the cost of developing and operating an offshore wind farm is many times larger than onshore due to large water depths and harsh offshore environments. Hence, the needs for fast and automatic data…

Object-Oriented Operational Semantics

Operational semantics is one way of providing meaning to an executable language. On a high level of abstraction, operational semantics means to define an interpreter or an abstract machine for the language. In this article, we review the concept of operational semantics in the scope of meta-model-based language definitions and identify challenges and issues. We provide a clean conceptual approach using an object-oriented runtime environment and state change operations, which relies on an underlying abstract virtual machine. We present the approach using a sample language.

Supporting fine-grained generative model-driven evolution

Published version of an article in the journal: Software and Systems Modeling. Also available on SpringerLink:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10270-009-0144-1 In the standard generative Model-driven Architecture (MDA), adapting the models of an existing system requires re-generation and restarting of that system. This is due to a strong separation between the modeling environment and the runtime environment. Certain current approaches remove this separation, allowing a system to be changed smoothly when the model changes. These approaches are, however, based on interpretation of modeling information rather than on generation, as in MDA. This paper describes an architecture that supports fine-gra…

A framework for data quality handling in enterprise service bus

Enterprise Service Bus (ESB) is proposed to address the application integration problem by facilitating communication among different systems in a loosely coupled, standard-based, and protocol independent manner. Data sources are maintained out of the ESB's control and there should be a mechanism to select the most suitable data source among all available data sources. Especially, when two or more data sources are about the same object. For instance, it is normal to use more than one sensor to measure pressure or temperature at a particular point. Data quality can play an important role in selecting data sources in ESB since quality of data is an essential factor in the success of organizat…

Systems, models and languages

This paper presents a comparison of language aspects in a model and a meta-model. The motivation is to get a better understanding of how we should define a modeling language.

On abstraction in the OMG hierarchy: systems, models, and descriptions

The Model-Driven Architecture (MDA) uses a metadata hierarchy with several layers that are placed on top of each other. The traditional view is that the layers provide abstractions related to models in languages defined by meta-models. Over the years, it has been difficult to define a consistent understanding of the layers. In this paper, we propose such a consistent understanding by clarifying the relations between the different elements in the hierarchy. This is done based on the Scandinavian approach to modelling that distinguishes between systems and system descriptions. Systems can be physical, digital, or even mental, while descriptions can be programs, language descriptions, specific…

Scenario-based Serious Game to Teach about Healthcare

Author's accepted manuscript (postprint). © 2019 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works. Available from 29/10/2021. In this paper, we explore the concept of a scenario-based serious game for healthcare solutions. The complexity of the interactions and the multitude of actors is captured in a scenario, which is then played with the help of an additional game pl…

Using semantics to facilitate data integration of offshore wind farms

Operation and maintenance play an important role in extracting power from the wind, especially, in offshore wind energy where wind farms are located far off the shore and under harsh weather conditions. Improved operation and maintenance is likely to reduce costs as well as hazard exposure of the employees. Implementation of advanced information technology is thus crucial for operating offshore wind farms effectively and efficiently and hence improves operation and maintenance. However, information availability and reliability are key issues for their use in the offshore wind domain. In addition, the semantic of information has not been exploited thoroughly. This paper describes the develop…

Representing fire emergency response knowledge through a domain modelling approach

When any kind of emergency occurs, Emergency Responders (ERs) from different emergency organizations (such as police, fire, ambulance and municipality) have to act concurrently to solve the difficulties which are posed at the emergency site. Moreover, during the immediate response, getting the awareness of the situation is very crucial for ERs to lessen the emergency impacts such as loss of life and damage to the property. However, this can only be done when ERs get access to the information in timely manner and share the acquired information with one another during emergency response. Despite ERs share knowledge with one another they have to use same concepts to obtain the semantic underst…

Utilizing a Wristband to Detect the Quality of a Performed CPR

MOF-VM: Instantiation Revisited

The Model-Driven Architecture (MDA) is based on an understanding of a hierarchy of levels that are placed on top of each other and that are connected with instantiation. For practical MDA use, it is important to be clear about the kinds of objects that reside on the different levels and the relations between them as well as relations to objects outside of the MDA domain. This article aims at enhancing the understanding of these objects and relations by relating them to a virtual MOF machine.

Additional file 2 of ProHealth eCoach: user-centered design and development of an eCoach app to promote healthy lifestyle with personalized activity recommendations

Additional file 2. The outcome of the focus group discussion for RQ-1 in Workshop 1.

Additional file 3 of ProHealth eCoach: user-centered design and development of an eCoach app to promote healthy lifestyle with personalized activity recommendations

Additional file 3. The outcome of the focus group discussion for RQ-2 in Workshop 1.

Additional file 5 of ProHealth eCoach: user-centered design and development of an eCoach app to promote healthy lifestyle with personalized activity recommendations

Additional file 5. The outcome of the focus group discussion for RQ-4 in Workshop 1.

Additional file 4 of ProHealth eCoach: user-centered design and development of an eCoach app to promote healthy lifestyle with personalized activity recommendations

Additional file 4. The outcome of the focus group discussion for RQ-3 in Workshop 1.

Languagelab 1.1 user manual

Manual for the LanguageLab platform