Work environment and computer systems development

Work environment and occupational health problems of different nature are constantly increasing in computer supported work. Most efforts to improve the work environment are focused primarily on physical aspects, and to some extent on psychosocial aspects. Mental workload and cognitive problems are of a more complex nature, more difficult to measure and provide efficient solutions to, and are more seldom studied or solved. Solutions to work environment problems are usually applied to already existing work situations through improved equipment and work place design, health programmes, education, reorganizations, etc. The problems are seldom prevented by means of applying relevant methods early in the systems development process, before the artefacts have been designed and implemented. This paper, and the following papers of this special issue, will focus on the need to integrate different interdisciplinary methods at different phases in the development process of computerized support systems, with the ultimate goal to prevent work environment problems and decrease the health risks to the users.     

A computer algebra based finite element development environment

A finite element development environment based on the technical computing program Mathematica is described. The environment is used to automatically program standard element formulations and develop new elements with novel features. Source code can also be exported in a format compatible with commercial finite element program user-element facilities. The development environment is demonstrated for three mixed Petrov–Galerkin plane stress elements: a standard formulation, an advanced formulation incorporating rotational degrees of freedom and a standard formulation in which the stiffness matrix is integrated analytically, before being exported as ANSYS user elements. The results presented illustrate the accuracy of the standard mixed formulation element and the enhancement of performance when rotational degrees of freedom are added. Further, the analytically integrated element shows that computational requirements can be greatly reduced when analytical integration schemes are used in the formation.     

Software development and integration in a computer supported cooperative work environment

This paper presents a prototype computer supported cooperative work (CSCW) environment that supports the engineering design process. In particular, this environment provides collaborative tools that support computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided software engineering (CASE). This paper takes an high level look at the system as a whole and then focuses on the method used to implement the CASE support. It addresses how group members can simultaneously work on coding a program and then integrate their work to form a single program inside this environment. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Integrated decision support and expert systems in a computer integrated manufacturing environment

In a computer integrated manufacturing (CIM) environment, well planning, control and operational process require both expert knowledge of the area, and powerful decision support capabilities. This paper discusses the features of decision support systems and expert systems, and their integration to support the major functions from marketing and strategic level considerations to manufacturing operational planning and process. From the hierarchical structure of information flow in a company, this paper attempts to find the best way of combining decision support systems with expert systems in enhancing the planning, control and operational functions in a CIM environment.     

An environment for development of decision support systems

As decision support systems gain widespread acceptance among decision makers, the demand for such systems is accelerated. The changing nature of DSS calls for a speedy development. However, the traditional system development techniques do not support the rapid development of such systems. This paper describes an environment for development of decision support systems. This environment offers a set of automatic and semi-automatic tools through which the speedy development of a high-quality DSS is greatly facilitated.     

An effective program development environment for BCPL on a small computer

The essential components of an effective program development environment are described. These assist in the interactive investigation of program behaviour and accelerate the rate at which programs are modified. The whole system is compact and simple, being designed for use on small machines. It is considered as important to understand how to use these tools as it is to provide them.     

Applying expert principles to computer systems development: Using compilers and generators

Expert systems can be used for developing computer systems. The expert system can help in expressing the definition of the problem, as well as answering the problem. So it deals with ‘how’ and ‘what’ in the development of a computer system. The two main approaches to providing solution expertise are to use a compiler or a generator. The generator approach is more limited than the compiler approach. The Systematics generator includes precoded design templates in its knowledge base. The two main approaches to problem statement are data-driven or goal-driven.     

Safety of computer control systems: challenges and results in software development

This paper reviews some results in improving software safety in computer control systems. The discussion covers various aspects of the software development process, as opposed to the product features. Software diversity, off-the-shelf software, failure mode and effect analysis, rigorous and formal software development are discussed.     

机器翻译系统及翻译工具的开发和使用

本文综述了当前计算机翻译软件的需求和应用情况,着重讨论了如何设计翻译系统使其质量能达到可出版水平, 其中包括开发受限语言翻译系统, 翻译工作站, 及软件本地化。同时本文还涉及到如何开发非传统概念的翻译软件,特别是针对Web页面和其它应用在Internet上各类信息的翻译软件。本文还讨论了机器翻译未来的需要以及正在开发的一些系统。文中最后一部分比较了一下通过人译、机译,机助人译的方式达到的几种最合适的翻译方法。     

Design and development of data visualization systems in a workstation environment

Data visualization has become an important component in the analysis of scientific data. This paper describes two objectives when extending data analysis environments by visualization: Offer visualization tools that fit the mind set of the targeted scientists; and integrate visualization tools into the complexity of existing data analysis tools. A case study performed between astrophysicists and computer scientists describes the design and development of STAR, a user-centered and integrated data analysis and visualization system.     

Strategies for planning and implementation of flexible fixturing systems in a computer integrated manufacturing environment

In general, for any manufacturing operation to be successful, parts must be located and held to remain in position and orientation when subjected to external forces during the manufacturing operations. The traditional approach to fixturing involves designing and manufacturing special-purpose fixtures. These fixtures are generally dedicated devices designed and manufactured for specific parts and manufacturing operations. Flexible fixturing technology involves employing a single fixturing system to hold workpieces of various shapes and sizes. Such systems have reached the embryonic stage of implementation into manufacturing environment. Therefore the integration of current and future flexible fixturing systems into the manufacturing processes becomes an important issue for future work in computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) environment.

The approach to CIM is dependent on the functional model of the company. Therefore, the implementation of any sub-systems within it must be studied on an individual basis. However, in order to plan and implement new technologies, such as flexible fixturing systems, within CIM environment, certain requirements must be met and guidelines must be followed. The strategies for planning and implementation of flexible fixturing systems within the larger frame work of CIM environment are presented. Some guidelines for designing and developing the interconnection of the data bases are also discussed.     

High-availability computer systems

The techniques used to build highly available computer systems are sketched. Historical background is provided, and terminology is defined. Empirical experience with computer failure is briefly discussed. Device improvements that have greatly increased the reliability of digital electronics are identified. Fault-tolerant design concepts and approaches to fault-tolerant hardware are outlined. The role of repair and maintenance and of design-fault tolerance is discussed. Software repair is considered. The use of pairs of computer systems at separate locations to guard against unscheduled outages due to outside sources (communication or power failures, earthquakes, etc.) is addressed     

Supporting software quality in an integrated safety-critical systems development environment

Research is described, aimed to support traceability in the design of software for safety-critical applications, through the provision of an on-line design journal enabling design decisions and actions to be traced and recorded. The design environment, within which various software design tools may be encapsulated, enables protocol between the user and the design tools to be trapped. This provides software engineering support at the conceptual design stage. An important aim of the research is to enable inferences to be made from the captured protocol, for which the application of artificial intelligence methods is being investigated.     

An environment for integrated development and evaluation of real-time distributed database systems

Real-time database systems must maintain consistency while minimizing the number of transactions that miss the deadline. To satisfy both the consistency and real-time constraints, there is the need to integrate synchronization protocols with real-time priority scheduling protocols. One of the reasons for the difficulty in developing and evaluating database synchronization techniques is that it takes a long time to develop a system, and evaluation is complicated because it involves a large number of system parameters that may change dynamically. This paper describes an environment for investigating distributed real-time database systems. The environment is based on a concurrent programming kernel that supports the creation, blocking, and termination of processes, as well as scheduling and interprocess communication. The contribution of the paper is the introduction of a new approach to system development that utilizes a module library of reusable components to satisfy three major goals: modularity, flexibility, and extensibility. In addition, experiments for real-time concurrency control techniques are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the environment.This work was supported in part by ONR contract # NOOO14-88-K-0245, by DOE contract # DEFG05-88-ER25063, by CIT contract # CIT-INF-90-011, and by IBM Federal Systems Division.     

网络环境下的计算机病毒及防范

本文针对当前我国互联网的安全现状,列举出一些网络中常见的病毒,病毒传播的方式,探讨了如何根据病毒的这些特征采取必要的防护措施,防止病毒、木马和黑客入侵等防护措施,以及如何正确、安全使用互联网信息资源,提高计算机安全的防范能力。