DSMDiff: a differentiation tool for domain-specific models

Model differentiation techniques, which provide the capability to identify mappings and differences between models, are essential to many model development and management practices. There has been initial research toward model differentiation applied to Unified Modeling Language (UML) diagrams, but differentiation of domain-specific models has not been explored deeply in the modeling community. Traditional modeling practice using the UML relies on a single fixed general-purpose language (i.e., all UML diagrams conform to a single metamodel). In contrast, Domain-Specific Modeling (DSM) is an emerging model-driven paradigm in which multiple metamodels are used to define various modeling languages that represent the key concepts and abstractions for particular domains. Therefore, domain-specific models may conform to various metamodels, which requires model differentiation algorithms be metamodel-independent and able to apply to multiple domain-specific modeling languages. This paper presents metamodel-independent algorithms and associated tools for detecting mappings and differences between domain-specific models, with facilities for graphical visualization of the detected differences.     

Composing domain-specific physical models with general-purpose software modules in embedded control software

A considerable portion of software systems today are adopted in the embedded control domain. Embedded control software deals with controlling a physical system, and as such models of physical characteristics become part of the embedded control software. In current practices, usually general-purpose languages (GPL), such as C/C++ are used for embedded systems development. Although a GPL is suitable for expressing general-purpose computation, it falls short in expressing the models of physical characteristics as desired. This reduces not only the readability of the code but also hampers reuse due to the lack of dedicated abstractions and composition operators. Moreover, domain-specific static and dynamic checks may not be applied effectively. There exist domain-specific modeling languages (DSML) and tools to specify models of physical characteristics. Although they are commonly used for simulation and documentation of physical systems, they are often not used to implement embedded control software. This is due to the fact that these DSMLs are not suitable to express the general-purpose computation and they cannot be easily composed with other software modules that are implemented in GPL. This paper presents a novel approach to combine a DSML to model physical characteristics and a GPL to implement general-purpose computation. The composition filters model is used to compose models specified in the DSML with modules specified in the GPL at the abstraction level of both languages. As such, this approach combines the benefits of using a DSML to model physical characteristics with the freedom of a GPL to implement general-purpose computation. The approach is illustrated using two industrial case studies from the printing systems domain.     

Domain-specific program profiling and its application to attribute grammars and term rewriting

We present a method for profiling programs that are written using domain-specific languages. Instead of reporting execution in terms of implementation details as in most existing profilers, our method operates at the level of the problem domain. Program execution generates a stream of events that summarises the execution in terms of domain concepts and operations. The events enable us to construct a hierarchical model of the execution. A flexible reporting system summarises the execution along developer-chosen model dimensions. The result is a flexible way for a developer to explore the execution of their program without requiring any knowledge of the domain-specific language implementation.These ideas are embodied in a new profiling library called dsprofile that is independent of the problem domain so it has no specific knowledge of the data and operations that are being profiled. We illustrate the utility of dsprofile by using it to profile programs that are written using our Kiama language processing library. Specifically, we instrument Kiama's attribute grammar and term rewriting domain-specific languages to use dsprofile to generate events that report on attribute evaluation and rewrite rule application. Examples of typical language processing tasks show how domain-specific profiling can help to diagnose problems in Kiama-based programs without the developer needing to know anything about how Kiama is implemented.     

Extracting models from source code in software modernization

Model-driven software modernization is a discipline in which model-driven development (MDD) techniques are used in the modernization of legacy systems. When existing software artifacts are evolved, they must be transformed into models to apply MDD techniques such as model transformations. Since most modernization scenarios (e.g., application migration) involve dealing with code in general-purpose programming languages (GPL), the extraction of models from GPL code is an essential task in a model-based modernization process. This activity could be performed by tools to bridge grammarware and MDD technical spaces, which is normally carried out by dedicated parsers. Grammar-to-Model Transformation Language (Gra2MoL) is a domain-specific language (DSL) tailored to the extraction of models from GPL code. This DSL is actually a text-to-model transformation language which can be applied to any code conforming to a grammar. Gra2MoL aims to reduce the effort needed to implement grammarware-MDD bridges, since building dedicated parsers is a complex and time-consuming task. Like ATL and RubyTL languages, Gra2MoL incorporates the binding concept needed to write mappings between grammar elements and metamodel elements in a simple declarative style. The language also provides a powerful query language which eases the retrieval of scattered information in syntax trees. Moreover, it incorporates extensibility and grammar reuse mechanisms. This paper describes Gra2MoL in detail and includes a case study based on the application of the language in the extraction of models from Delphi code.     

A domain-specific language for regular sets of strings and trees

We propose a novel high level programming notation, called FIDO, that we have designed to concisely express regular sets of strings or trees. In particular, it can be viewed as a domain-specific language for the expression of finite state automata on large alphabets (of sometimes astronomical size). FIDO is based on a combination of mathematical logic and programming language concepts. This combination shares no similarities with usual logic programming languages. FIDO compiles into finite state string or tree automata, so there is no concept of run-time. It has already been applied to a variety of problems of considerable complexity and practical interest. We motivate the need for a language like FIDO, and discuss our design and its implementation. Also, we briefly discuss design criteria for domain-specific languages that we have learned from the work with FIDO. We show how recursive data types, unification, implicit coercions, and subtyping can be merged with a variation of predicate logic, called the Monadic Second-order Logic (M2L) on trees. FIDO is translated first into pure M2L via suitable encodings, and finally into finite state automata through the MONA tool     

Synthesizing interpreted domain-specific models to manage smart microgrids

The increase in prominence of model-driven software development (MDSD) has placed emphasis on the use of domain-specific modeling languages (DSMLs) during the development process. DSMLs allow for domain concepts to be conceptualized and represented at a high level of abstraction. Currently, most DSML models are converted into high-level languages (HLLs) through a series of model-to-model and/or model-to-text transformations before they are executed. An alternative approach for model execution is the interpretation of models directly without converting them into an HLL. These models are created using interpreted DSMLs (i-DSMLs) and realized using a semantic-rich execution engine or domain-specific virtual machine (DSVM).In this article we present an approach for model synthesis, the first stage of model interpretation, that separates the domain-specific knowledge (DSK) from the model of execution (MoE). Previous work on model synthesis tightly couples the DSK and MoE reducing the ability for implementations of the DSVM to be easily reused in other domains. To illustrate how our approach to model synthesis works for i-DSMLs, we have created MGridML, an i-DSML for energy management in smart microgrids, and an MGridVM prototype, the DSVM for MGridML. We evaluated our approach by performing experiments on the model synthesis aspect of MGridVM and comparing the results to a DSVM from the user-centric communication domain.     

A programming language for learning environments

Most of the recent research on programming languages for education has been centered around the language Logo. In this paper we introduce another candidate language for learning environments, Nial, the nested interactive array language.
Nial is a general-purpose programming language based on a formal theory of mathematics called array theory. This paper introduces Nial as a language for learning programming and developing and using computer-aided instruction tools. A comparison with Logo is provided to evaluate these two languages in terms of their strengths and weaknesses as programming environments for novice programmers. We also demonstrate that a programming environment can be both simple to leam at the novice level and extendible to a powerful and sophisticated language.     

A taxonomy of correctness criteria in database applications

Whereas serializability captures database consistency requirements and transaction correctness properties via a single notion, recent research has attempted to come up with correctness criteria that view these two types of requirements independently. The search for more flexible correctness criteria is partily motivated by the introduction of new transaction models that extend the traditional atomic transaction model. These extensions came about because the atomic transaction model in conjunction with serializability is found to be very constraining when used in advanced applications (e.g., design databases) that function in distributed, cooperative, and heterogeneous environments. In this article we develop a taxonomy of various correctness criteria that focus on database consistency requirements and transaction correctness properties from the viewpoint of what the different dimensions of these two are. This taxonomy allows us to categorize correctness criteria that have been proposed in the literature. To help in this categorization, we have applied a uniform specification technique, based on ACTA, to express the various criteria. Such a categorization helps shed light on the similarities and differences between different criteria and places them in perspective. Edited by Hector Garcia-Molina. Received September 16, 1993 / Revised June 13, 1994 / Accepted September 17, 1994     

Inferring Context-Free Grammars for Domain-Specific Languages

In the area of programming languages, context-free grammars (CFGs) are of special importance since almost all programming languages employ CFG's in their design. Recent approaches to CFG induction are not able to infer context-free grammars for general-purpose programming languages. In this paper it is shown that syntax of a small domain-specific language can be inferred from positive and negative programs provided by domain experts. In our work we are using the genetic programming approach in grammatical inference. Grammar-specific heuristic operators and nonrandom construction of the initial population are proposed to achieve this task. Suitability of the approach is shown by examples where underlying context-free grammars are successfully inferred.     

事务工作流模型定义及完全性分析

事务工作流模型可被视为扩展的事务模型和通用工作流模型的交汇点，提出将工作流的模型定义同其事务属性的定义独立开来，尽管在此方法中区分了多重的事务属性。提出了直观的注解符来定义原子性，提供了一个通用规则——放宽的完全性准则，以适应现实运行中事务管理的需要，以一个网上电子书店工作流应用为例来阐明这种思路。     

Synchronization of abstract and concrete syntax in domain-specific modeling languages

Modern domain-specific modeling (DSM) frameworks provide refined techniques for developing new languages based on the clear separation of conceptual elements of the language (called abstract syntax) and their graphical visual representation (called concrete syntax). This separation is usually achieved by recording traceability information between the abstract and concrete syntax using mapping models. However, state-of-the-art DSM frameworks impose severe restrictions on traceability links between elements of the abstract syntax and the concrete syntax. In the current paper, we propose a mapping model which allows to define arbitrarily complex mappings between elements of the abstract and concrete syntax. Moreover, we demonstrate how live model transformations can complement mapping models in providing bidirectional synchronization and implicit traceability between models of the abstract and the concrete syntax. In addition, we introduce a novel architecture for DSM environments which enables these concepts, and provide an overview of the tool support.     

Programming languages and systems security

Modern research and development has produced various language-level supports for secure systems design. Safe languages provide a flexible and reliable foundation on which to build. Language-based security abstractions provide systems programmers with an effective means of defining and enforcing security models. Controlled language-execution models can impose fine-grained and powerful restrictions on code at varying levels of trust. Arguably, the most popular modern general-purpose languages, Java and C#, bear witness to the importance of programming language safety and security, being both safe and endowed with sophisticated security models. Research into these topics is ongoing, but perhaps the most important current task is the integration of modern language security technologies (much more efficient and effective than past technologies) with realistic systems design.     

基于Aurora系统的持续型查询语言设计与实现

随着新型数据应用的不断出现,针对流形态数据的数据流管理系统已经成为数据管理领域研究的新热点。针对目前通用数据流管理系统只支持基于操作符流图的查询表达方式这一不足,设计了一种新的持续型数据流查询语言,并在通用数据流处理系统Aurora上进行了实现。为验证新语言的表达能力,该系统使用新语言定义了数据流基准测试Linear Road Benchmark的查询集,在Aurora系统上部署运行。测试结果表明针对Linear Road Benchmark的测试用例,新语言具有较完备的语义和良好的表达能力。     

Mayfly: A general-purpose, scalable, parallel processing architecture

TheMayfly is a scalable general-purpose parallel processing system being designed at HP Laboratories, in collaboration with colleagues at the University of Utah. The system is intended to efficiently support parallel variants of modern programming languages such as Lisp, Prolog, and Object Oriented Programming models. These languages impose a common requirement on the hardware platform to supportdynamic system needs such as runtime type checking and dynamic storage management. The main programming language for the Mayfly is a concurrent dialect of Scheme. The system is based on a distributed-memory model, and communication between processing elements is supported by message passing. The initial prototype of Mayfly will consist of 19 identical processing elements interconnected in a hexagonal mesh structure. In order to achieve the goal of scalable performance, each processing element is a parallel processor as well, which permits the application code, runtime operating system, and communication to all run in parallel. A 7 processing element subset of the prototype is presently operational. This paper describes the hardware architecture after a brief background synopsis of the software system structure.     

A preliminary study on various implementation approaches of domain-specific language

Various implementation approaches for developing a domain-specific language are available in literature. There are certain common beliefs about the advantages/disadvantages of these approaches. However, it is hard to be objective and speak in favor of a particular one, since these implementation approaches are normally compared over diverse application domains.The purpose of this paper is to provide empirical results from ten diverse implementation approaches for domain-specific languages, but conducted using the same representative language. Comparison shows that these discussed approaches differ in terms of the effort need to implement them, however, the effort needed by a programmer to implement a domain-specific language should not be the only factor taken into consideration. Another important factor is the effort needed by an end-user to rapidly write correct programs using the produced domain-specific language. Therefore, this paper also provides empirical results on end-user productivity, which is measured as the lines of code needed to express a domain-specific program, similarity to the original notation, and how error-reporting and debugging are supported in a given implementation.     

Verification and analysis of domain-specific models of physical characteristics in embedded control software

ContextA considerable portion of the software systems today are adopted in the embedded control domain. Embedded control software deals with controlling a physical system, and as such models of physical characteristics become part of the embedded control software.ObjectiveDue to the evolution of system properties and increasing complexity, faults can be left undetected in these models of physical characteristics. Therefore, their accuracy must be verified at runtime. Traditional runtime verification techniques that are based on states/events in software execution are inadequate in this case. The behavior suggested by models of physical characteristics cannot be mapped to behavioral properties of software. Moreover, implementation in a general-purpose programming language makes these models hard to locate and verify. Therefore, this paper proposes a novel approach to perform runtime verification of models of physical characteristics in embedded control software.MethodThe development of an approach for runtime verification of models of physical characteristics and the application of the approach to two industrial case studies from the printing systems domain.ResultsThis paper presents a novel approach to specify models of physical characteristics using a domain-specific language, to define monitors that detect inconsistencies by exploiting redundancy in these models, and to realize these monitors using an aspect-oriented approach. We complement runtime verification with static analysis to verify the composition of domain-specific models with the control software written in a general-purpose language.ConclusionsThe presented approach enables runtime verification of implemented models of physical characteristics to detect inconsistencies in these models, as well as broken hardware components and wear and tear of hardware in the physical system. The application of declarative aspect-oriented techniques to realize runtime verification monitors increases modularity and provides the ability to statically verify this realization. The complementary static and runtime verification techniques increase the reliability of embedded control software.     

Domain-specific discrete event modelling and simulation using graph transformation

Graph transformation is being increasingly used to express the semantics of domain-specific visual languages since its graphical nature makes rules intuitive. However, many application domains require an explicit handling of time to accurately represent the behaviour of a real system and to obtain useful simulation metrics to measure throughputs, utilization times and average delays. Inspired by the vast knowledge and experience accumulated by the discrete event simulation community, we propose a novel way of adding explicit time to graph transformation rules. In particular, we take the event scheduling discrete simulation world view and provide rules with the ability to schedule the occurrence of other rules in the future. Hence, our work combines standard, efficient techniques for discrete event simulation (based on the handling of a future event set) and the intuitive, visual nature of graph transformation. Moreover, we show how our formalism can be used to give semantics to other timed approaches and provide an implementation on top of the rewriting logic system Maude.