SOA in practice – a study of governance aspects

The academic literature on Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) governance is based on theories and assumptions rather than practices, whereas the SOA governance frameworks proposed by Information Technology (IT) vendors are made to suit their products. Research shows that the problems with SOA governance in practice are among the major reasons of SOA failures. An extensive literature review that covers SOA, IT governance and SOA governance has been carried out part of this research. The purpose of this research paper is to increase our understanding of SOA governance and to show which SOA aspects organizations should consider when adopting a SOA governance framework. Based on a literature review, this study first proposes a list of SOA aspects to be considered when implementing SOA governance. By adopting an interpretive research methodology – based on interviews with professionals and practitioners in the fields of IT governance and SOA governance – this research paper examines the importance of these aspects. The results provide a theoretical conceptualization of SOA aspects that can be used to assess SOA governance practices and provide guidance to improve them.     

Blind-friendly user interfaces – a pilot study on improving the accessibility of touchscreen interfaces

Multimedia Tools and Applications - Touchscreen devices such as a smartphone, smartwatch, and tablets are essential assistive devices for visually impaired and blind people in performing activities...     

Characterizing logging practices in Java-based open source software projects – a replication study in Apache Software Foundation

Log messages, which are generated by the debug statements that developers insert into the code at runtime, contain rich information about the runtime behavior of software systems. Log messages are used widely for system monitoring, problem diagnoses and legal compliances. Yuan et al. performed the first empirical study on the logging practices in open source software systems. They studied the development history of four C/C++ server-side projects and derived ten interesting findings. In this paper, we have performed a replication study in order to assess whether their findings would be applicable to Java projects in Apache Software Foundations. We examined 21 different Java-based open source projects from three different categories: server-side, client-side and supporting-component. Similar to the original study, our results show that all projects contain logging code, which is actively maintained. However, contrary to the original study, bug reports containing log messages take a longer time to resolve than bug reports without log messages. A significantly higher portion of log updates are for enhancing the quality of logs (e.g., formatting & style changes and spelling/grammar fixes) rather than co-changes with feature implementations (e.g., updating variable names).     

Adoption of open source software in software-intensive organizations – A systematic literature review

ContextOpen source software (OSS) is changing the way organizations develop, acquire, use, and commercialize software.ObjectiveThis paper seeks to identify how organizations adopt OSS, classify the literature according to these ways of adopting OSS, and with a focus on software development evaluate the research on adoption of OSS in organizations.MethodBased on the systematic literature review method we reviewed publications from 24 journals and seven conference and workshop proceedings, published between 1998 and 2008. From a population of 24,289 papers, we identified 112 papers that provide empirical evidence on how organizations actually adopt OSS.ResultsWe show that adopting OSS involves more than simply using OSS products. We moreover provide a classification framework consisting of six distinctly different ways in which organizations adopt OSS. This framework is used to illustrate some of the opportunities and challenges organizations meet when approaching OSS, to show that OSS can be adopted successfully in different ways, and to organize and review existing research. We find that existing research on OSS adoption does not sufficiently describe the context of the organizations studied, and it fails to benefit fully from related research fields. While existing research covers a large number of topics, it contains very few closely related studies. To aid this situation, we offer directions for future research.ConclusionThe implications of our findings are twofold. On the one hand, practitioners should embrace the many opportunities OSS offers, but consciously evaluate the consequences of adopting it in their own context. They may use our framework and the success stories provided by the literature in their own evaluations. On the other hand, researchers should align their work, and perform more empirical research on topics that are important to organizations. Our framework may be used to position this research and to describe the context of the organization they are studying.     

Exploring the social competence of students with autism spectrum conditions in a collaborative virtual learning environment – The pilot study

Social reciprocity deficits are a core feature of the autism spectrum conditions (ASCs). Many individual with ASCs have difficulty with social interaction due to a frequent lack of social competence. This study focuses on using a virtual learning environment to help the deficiencies of social competence for people with ASCs, and to increase their social interaction. Specifically, it primitively explores social competence in collaborative virtual learning environment (CVLE) systems, and behavioral performance in social and cognitive interactions. Thus, this CVLE-social interaction system involves a 3D expressive avatar, an animated social situation, and verbal as well as text-communication. A preliminary empirical study involved CVLE-social interaction systems. Three participants who had been diagnosed with ASCs were conducted using a multiple baseline research for evidence of improved social competence through usage of the system. The experimental study consisted of 17 days; and the results showed that using the CVLE-social interaction system had significant positive effects on participants’ performance, both within the CVLE-social interaction system and in terms of reciprocal social interaction learning.     

A study of performance and scalability metrics of a SIP proxy server – a practical approach

In recent years, Internet Protocol (IP) telephony has been a real alternative to the traditional Public Switched Telephone Networks (PSTN). IP telephony offers more flexibility in the implementation of new features and services. The Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) is becoming a popular signalling protocol for Voice over IP (VoIP) based applications. The SIP proxy server is a software application that provides call routing services by parsing and forwarding all the incoming SIP packets in an IP telephony network. The efficiency of this process can create large scale, highly reliable packet voice networks for service providers and enterprises. We established that the efficient design and implementation of the SIP proxy server architecture can enhance the performance characteristics of a SIP proxy server significantly. Since SIP proxy server performance can be characterised by its transaction states of each SIP session, we emulated the $M/M/1$ performance model of the SIP proxy server and studied some of the key performance benchmarks such as average response time to process the SIP calls, and mean number of SIP calls in the system. We showed its limitations, and then studied an alternative $M/M/c$ based SIP proxy server performance model with enhanced performance model and studied additional key performance characteristics such as server utilisation, queue size and memory utilisation. Provided the comparative results between the predicted results with the experimental results conducted in a lab environment.     

Effective digital collaboration in the construction industry – A case study of BIM deployment in a hospital construction project

Building information modeling (BIM) and related digital innovations can serve as a catalyst for more transparency, tighter integration, and increased productivity in the architecture, engineering, and construction industry. Yet, many project teams struggle with how to work based on the new technology. Collaborative design based on shared information systems like BIM requires changing traditional and institutionalized work practices and routines. A case study of integrated BIM design in a large healthcare construction project serves as an example for how commonly experienced challenges can be overcome. The project has been awarded BuildingSMART's 2015 award for ‘outstanding open BIM practice’ making it Norway's role model for BIM practice. Based on diffusion of innovations theory, we identified the following set of key factors enabling digital collaboration in this project: change agents, new roles and responsibilities, a cloud computing infrastructure, BIM contracts, and a BIM learning environment. The findings presented in this article may serve as an example for BIM implementation and collaborative work in construction projects.     

Interactivia.ro – A study of a gamification framework using zero-cost tools

It is a fact beyond doubt that humans, irrespective of race, age or gender, love to play, games being considered a tool for enjoying oneself and relaxing, but also for one's mental and physical development. The present paper addresses the concept of gamification, tightly connected to games and playing. The first part of the paper makes an introduction to this concept, with an emphasis on how it could bring motivation in education and learning. Gamification is considered critically, with reference to some problems that could occur for applications using gamification for learning. The second part deals with the zero-cost implementation process of the Interactivia.ro platform, which uses gamification to develop general knowledge, showing how a playful social experience is doubled by educational usefulness. We developed a list of features required for a successful implementation using open source or freemium modules and we applied them to several modules identified on the market. The statistical analysis of the date resulting from the implementation revealed that gamification increases web traffic. We also highlighted how Interactivia.ro can alter the virtual gamified experience into one applied in real life through partnerships and discounts offered to its users. The final part of the paper presents the conclusions and the possible openings for improving the current business model.     

Failures in fault-tolerant FPGA-based controllers – A case study

Nowadays, FPGA-based Networked Control Systems (NCSs) are frequently used. Transient and permanent faults occur often as a result of radiation in industrial environments. Accordingly, Fault-Tolerant (FT) FPGA-based NCSs are desired. In this paper, a novel NCS model is proposed composing of In-Loop and S2A architectures linked via an Ethernet switch. This architecture is used in shape detection machines with vision sensing requirements. FT techniques are applied in the controller nodes of the system along with Dynamic Partial Reconfiguration (DPR) for FPGA-based controller recovery. The reliability of the system due to changes in both the recovery rate and the conditional probability of failure occurrence (either transient or permanent), is presented in this paper. Accordingly, a Markov model is constructed for reliability calculations. A case study is used to illustrate the use of such a model to choose appropriate maintenance strategies as well as a quantitative measure for the ability of the FT techniques to increase system reliability. Coverage is then studied in the context of the same system. Furthermore, system failures are divided into safe system failures and unsafe system failures. Another Markov model is developed. Then, a case study is used to illustrate the effect of coverage on the probability of occurrence of an unsafe system failure.     

Levels of incomplete information in group decision models – A comprehensive simulation study

We present a comprehensive computational study on the effects of providing different forms of incomplete preference information in additive group decision models. We consider different types of information on individual preferences, and on weights of the group members, and study their effects on conclusiveness, efficiency and fairness of outcomes at the group level. Furthermore, we analyze possible violations of the axiom of independence of irrelevant alternatives (IIA) as well as the impact of problem characteristics, in particular initial agreement between group members. Our results indicate that providing information in the form of a ranking of differences between consecutive alternatives comes close to providing exact cardinal preference information in several outcome dimensions. However, group decision procedures based on incomplete preference information also show a significant amount of violations of the IIA axiom.     

Optimization of process parameters through fuzzy logic and genetic algorithm – A case study in a process industry

The simultaneous generation of steam and power, which is commonly referred to as cogeneration, has been adopted by many sugar mills in India to overcome the power shortage. It becomes an increasingly important source of income for sugar factories. The problems faced by the sugar mill industry arise mainly due to failures of either the complete system or some specific components during the cogeneration process. This paper presents the failure analysis of the boiler during the cogeneration process and provides solution to overcome these failures. The failures frequently occur in the screw conveyor and in the drum feeder of fuel feeding system and the grate of the boiler. In this research work, the statistical tools viz., Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) and the Taguchi method have been applied to investigate and alleviate these failures. Since conventional FMEA has some limitations and Taguchi method does not give better solution, fuzzy FMEA has been employed to overcome the limitations and genetic algorithm technique has been applied to obtain failure – free system during the cogeneration process.     

Performance of supply chain collaboration – A simulation study

In the past few decades several supply chain management initiatives such as Vendor Managed Inventory, Continuous Replenishment and Collaborative Planning Forecasting and Replenishment (CPFR) have been proposed in literature to improve the performance of supply chains. But, identifying the benefits of collaboration is still a big challenge for many supply chains. Confusion around the optimum number of partners, investment in collaboration and duration of partnership are some of the barriers of healthy collaborative arrangements. To evolve competitive supply chain collaboration (SCC), all SC processes need to be assessed from time to time for evaluating the performance. In a growing field, performance measurement is highly indispensable in order to make continuous improvement; in a new field, it is equally important to check the performance to test conduciveness of SCC. In this research, collaborative performance measurement will act as a testing tool to identify conducive environment to collaborate, by the way of pinpointing areas requiring improvements before initializing collaboration. We use actual industrial data and simulation to help managerial decision-making on the number of collaborating partners, the level of investments and the involvement in supply chain processes. This approach will help the supply chains to obtain maximum benefit of collaborative relationships. The use of simulation for understanding the performance of SCC is relatively a new approach and this can be used by companies that are interested in collaboration without having to invest a huge sum of money in establishing the actual collaboration.     

Defining limits to multiple and simultaneous anthropogenic stressors in a lake ecosystem – Lake Kinneret as a case study

In this study we expanded a recently developed approach for defining acceptable levels of management policy that will allow sustainable management of water quality in a lake ecosystem. A three dimensional solution space was created to define all acceptable scenarios of N loads, P loads and lake water level (WL) thus providing an integrated tool for defining the extent of measures that will allow lake ecosystem sustainability. The approach included use of a lake ecosystem model, a quantitative system of composite water quality indices (CWQIs) and defined sustainability criteria for the ecosystem. The approach was tested on the Lake Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) ecosystem and succeeded in defining the range of acceptable management policy through the use of long term simulations of different scenarios. Using the results of the scenarios, a number of polygons were created, defined as relative solution domain area (RSDA), which denote the permissible ranges of nutrient loads at different water levels. The polygon, and hence RSDA, boundaries represent critical values of nutrient loads allowing conservation of the lake water quality at each WL. By integrating all RSDA, a three dimensional solution space was created which defines all acceptable ranges of N loads, P loads and WL thus providing lake managers with an integrated tool for defining the extent of measures that will allow sustainability of the lake ecosystem. This novel approach is unique, and presents an example of implementation of a management tool that integrates an ecosystem model, multiple stressors and quantified water quality indices to determine limits of management actions. This approach may well be implemented to other lakes around the world suffering from water quality deterioration as a result of changes in water level and nutrients loads.     

Reverse engineering in the design of turbine blades – a case study in applying the MAMDP

This paper presents a case study on the reverse engineering of turbine blades used in nuclear power generators. Reverse engineering has been widely recognised as a crucial step in the product design cycle. However, major problems with current reverse engineering technology are the inefficient surface reconstruction process, lack of digitising accuracy control in the data digitisation process, and bottlenecks resulted from huge amounts of digitised surface points in the surface modeling process. Moreover, under this limitation, modern concurrent engineering concepts are difficult to implement to obtain optimal product design. This study applies a developed reverse engineering approach – the modified adaptive model-based digitizing process (MAMDP) to the 3D geometric design of turbine blades. The approach integrates surface digitising and modeling processes of turbine blades into a single surface reconstruction process. Using the approach, accurate product CAD models can be efficiently generated and the product design cycle of turbine blades can be successfully linked.     

Evaluation of commercial brain–computer interfaces in real and virtual world environment: A pilot study

This paper identifies the user’s adaptation on brain-controlled systems and the ability to control brain-generated events in a closed neuro-feedback loop. The user experience is quantified for the further understanding of brain–computer interfacing. A working system has been developed based on off-the-shelf components for controlling a robot in both the real and virtual world. Using commercial brain–computer interfaces (BCIs) the overall cost, set up time and complexity can be reduced. The system is divided in two prototypes based on the headset type used. The first prototype is based on the Neurosky headset and it has been tested with 54 participants in a field study. The second prototype is based on the Emotiv headset including more sensors and accuracy, tested with 31 participants in a lab environment. Evaluation results indicate that robot navigation through commercial BCIs can be effective and natural both in the real and the virtual environment.     

Systematic literature reviews in software engineering – A tertiary study

ContextIn a previous study, we reported on a systematic literature review (SLR), based on a manual search of 13 journals and conferences undertaken in the period 1st January 2004 to 30th June 2007.ObjectiveThe aim of this on-going research is to provide an annotated catalogue of SLRs available to software engineering researchers and practitioners. This study updates our previous study using a broad automated search.MethodWe performed a broad automated search to find SLRs published in the time period 1st January 2004 to 30th June 2008. We contrast the number, quality and source of these SLRs with SLRs found in the original study.ResultsOur broad search found an additional 35 SLRs corresponding to 33 unique studies. Of these papers, 17 appeared relevant to the undergraduate educational curriculum and 12 appeared of possible interest to practitioners. The number of SLRs being published is increasing. The quality of papers in conferences and workshops has improved as more researchers use SLR guidelines.ConclusionSLRs appear to have gone past the stage of being used solely by innovators but cannot yet be considered a main stream software engineering research methodology. They are addressing a wide range of topics but still have limitations, such as often failing to assess primary study quality.     

Visual perception of noise in a simulated holographic display—A user study

This work explores ways to bypass the fundamental image quality limitations of displays using Computer Generated Holograms (CGHs) and, specifically, the high-frequency noise associated with phase-only holograms. Although there is a wealth of literature on building experimental holographic systems, there are no user studies to assess the performance of a holographic system projecting a dynamic two-dimensional image. In this study, 18 participants blindly compared three groups of images displayed on a conventional monitor. The first group contained the original image, the second the simulated holographic reconstruction of the original image, and the third group had the foveated reconstruction of the original image, based on the pupil position. Holograms in the second group were computed using the Fienup algorithm and the third group using the Fienup with Perceptual Don’t Care Areas (FiPDoC) algorithm, a novel algorithm that uses eye tracking to optimize image quality in CGHs. The aim of the study was to find out if the holographic display, assuming an ideal hardware, can be as good as a conventional display and whether eye tracking can help this goal. Most participants distinguished between the original image and the un-foveated simulated reconstruction. However, the participants could not differentiate between the original image and the foveated reconstruction. Thus, foveation may be essential in designing and building the first commercial holographic displays.     

Career anchors and disturbances in job turnover decisions – A case study of IT professionals in Taiwan

Previous models of turnover by IT professionals consider job satisfaction as a key indicator. One common model considers whether an organization matches the internal anchors of IT employees to provisions in the work place. This pattern is often broken by other considerations that disturb the relationship between job satisfaction and intent to seek employment elsewhere. Such disturbances present a problem in planning and are not globally considered in research models. A qualitative study of ten cases yields new insight into the disturbances that break the pattern leading to a more general model of turnover.