Construction Of Formal Models Research Articles

Modeling of Object Monitoring Using 3D Cellular Automata

The purpose of this work is to develop a formal model for describing the properties of the environment for the functioning of unmanned aerial vehicles and to increase the speed of calculating the trajectory of their flight when monitoring critical infrastructure objects based on the mathematical apparatus of 3D cellular automata. This goal is achieved by solving the following problems: developing a method for describing the operating environment of unmanned aerial vehicles based on 3D cellular automata, developing a method for calculating the flight path of unmanned aerial vehicles. The construction of formal models is based on the apparatus of 3D cellular automata. The most significant results are a formalized description of the space, properties of zones and objects that restrict movement, as well as the development of a method for modeling the flight of an unmanned aerial vehicle in space when solving the monitoring problem, which will increase the speed of calculating the flight path. The significance of the results obtained lies in solving the complex problem of calculating the trajectory of movement of unmanned aerial vehicles for monitoring critical infrastructure objects using the apparatus of 3D cellular automata. The conducted studies have shown the effectiveness of using 3D - cellular automata to solve the problems of finding flight paths when monitoring critical infrastructure objects in various conditions. The proposed approach to the implementation of cellular automata will allow creating an effective monitoring system.

Automatically Learning Formal Models from Autonomous Driving Software

The correctness of autonomous driving software is of utmost importance, as incorrect behavior may have catastrophic consequences. Formal model-based engineering techniques can help guarantee correctness and thereby allow the safe deployment of autonomous vehicles. However, challenges exist for widespread industrial adoption of formal methods. One of these challenges is the model construction problem. Manual construction of formal models is time-consuming, error-prone, and intractable for large systems. Automating model construction would be a big step towards widespread industrial adoption of formal methods for system development, re-engineering, and reverse engineering. This article applies active learning techniques to obtain formal models of an existing (under development) autonomous driving software module implemented in MATLAB. This demonstrates the feasibility of automated learning for automotive industrial use. Additionally, practical challenges in applying automata learning, and possible directions for integrating automata learning into the automotive software development workflow, are discussed.

A unified epistemological theory of information processing

What does it mean for an agent faced with choice under uncertainty to “know” something? While a variety of mathematical methods are available to construct formal models to answer this question, the combination of different approaches may lead to unsettling paradoxes. I propose a unified theory that eliminates such inconsistencies by relying on a sharp conceptual distinction between information the decision-maker observes and how much of that information she can cognitively process. The resulting model allows for natural decision-theoretic characterizations of comparing different amounts of information.

Construction of formal models and verifying property specifications through an example of railway interlocking systems

Abstract The use of formal modeling has seen an increasing interest in the development of safety-critical, embedded microcomputer-controlled railway interlocking systems, due to its ability to spec...

Methodological provision of human resources management in a multi-project environment

The object of research is the processes of human resource management of projects in a multi-project environment. The studies are based on the use of a combinatorial-logical approach to the construction of formal models for the formation and functioning of project teams in a multi-project environment, a stakeholder-oriented approach to the formation of resource requirements, and a donor-acceptor approach to the distribution of resources between projects. The main hypothesis of research is the assumption that the effectiveness of project management depends on the effectiveness of human resource management of projects and programs. This can’t be achieved without taking into account the existing resource constraints and requirements that are determined by key project stakeholders. The issues of creating a methodological support for human resources management of forming adaptive teams in a multi-project environment are considered. The interrelation of the proposed methodology of project-oriented resource management for the formation of adaptive teams in a multi-project environment with modern approaches to human resource management is shown. A conceptual model of project-oriented resource management of the formation of adaptive teams in a multi-project environment is developed. A method of forming resource requirements is proposed, based on an analysis of stakeholder interest in human resource management processes, taking into account the loyalty of interested parties. The features of the process of forming requirements for the project team are considered. To reduce the complexity of the task of forming an adaptive team, it is proposed to carry out a number of checks. It is necessary to ensure the consistency of the requirements of the stakeholders, the compliance of the level of competencies of applicants with the required, the initial verification of reserve factors, the check for the presence of prohibited combinations and the initial analysis of the matrix of applicants. An example of the formation of a team with given restrictions is considered. Restrictions are the level of competence and cost. The application of the proposed approach allows to build a project team with given functional requirements, possessing the maximum level of competence at the minimum cost of the team. The increase in the efficiency of the project team formation process is shown due to the complex application of the developed methodological support for human resource management of projects in a multi-project environment.

A Unified Epistemological Theory of Information Processing

What does it mean for an agent faced with choice under uncertainty to “know” something? While a variety of mathematical methods are available to construct formal models to answer this question, the combination of different approaches may lead to unsettling paradoxes. I propose a unified theory that eliminates such inconsistencies by relying on a sharp conceptual distinction between information the decision-maker observes and how much of that information she can cognitively process. The resulting model allows for natural decision-theoretic characterizations of comparing different amounts of information. I also apply the results to the problem of common knowledge and information design.

Enhancing requirements reusability through semantic modeling and data mining techniques

ABSTRACTEnhancing the requirements elicitation process has always been of added value to software engineers, since it expedites the software lifecycle and reduces errors in the conceptualization phase of software products. The challenge posed to the research community is to construct formal models that are capable of storing requirements from multimodal formats (text and UML diagrams) and promote easy requirements reuse, while at the same time being traceable to allow full control of the system design, as well as comprehensible to software engineers and end users. In this work, we present an approach that enhances requirements reuse while capturing the static (functional requirements, use case diagrams) and dynamic (activity diagrams) view of software projects. Our ontology-based approach allows for reasoning over the stored requirements, while the mining methodologies employed detect incomplete or missing software requirements, this way reducing the effort required for requirements elicitation at an early stage of the project lifecycle.

Формализованные модели в международно-политической науке

The article investigates the formal models as a method of analysis in international studies. The importance of this type of models in writing articles for world leading high-ranking journals from Scopus list is shown. The author reveals the main challenges of interdisciplinary synthesis related to the construction of formal models. The problem of identifying the actors of international relations is revealed, including the assessment of actor’s involvement in a concrete international conflict (or process) in the context of the concepts of defensive and offensive realism, as well as of real and of latent (potential) power. The decrease in the influence of the state as the primary actor in international relations, and the increase of influence of new types of actors are shown, including international terrorist networks (led by IS), political parties, media and NGOs in the context of post-modernism, global business structures. At the national level, the main actors are illustrated both by the example of countries with a developed civil society and a market economy, and by that of the traditional non-Western society. The question of levels of analysis in international relations, as well as agent-structure problem are illustrated by concrete cases from modern international relations. The author describes a model of “nested” politics. The main types of models used in international studies (game theoretic, econometric, network analysis, simulation) are indicated as well as their shortcomings. Two kinds of simulation models – system dynamics and agent-based modeling are described. It is noted that the agent-based modeling is carried out mainly in the framework of the constructivist paradigm of international relations theory.

A Vinča potscape: formal chronological models for the use and development of Vinča ceramics in south-east Europe

Recent work at Vinča-Belo Brdo has combined a total of more than 200 radiocarbon dates with an array of other information to construct much more precise narratives for the structural history of the site and the cultural materials recovered from it. In this paper, we present the results of a recent attempt to construct formal models for the chronology of the wider Vinča potscape, so that we can place our now detailed understanding of changes at Belo Brdo within their contemporary contexts. We present our methodology for assessing the potential of the existing corpus of more than 600 radiocarbon dates for refining the chronology of the five phases of Vinča ceramics proposed by Milojčić across their spatial ranges, including a total of 490 of them in a series of Bayesian chronological models. Then we outline our main results for the development of Vinča pottery. Finally, we discuss some of the major implications for our understanding of the source, character and tempo of material change.

Swedish sustainability through a Zhang and London lens

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe how sustainable development has been initiated in a country (Sweden) in which sustainable development has priority and has produced observable results – essentially, the definition and reshaping of contents (p. 107) referred to in the Zhang and London (ZL) paper, therefore adding some validity to the model. Design/methodology/approach The research is both exploratory and qualitative in nature and uses an in-depth case study approach to the Swedish international economy as might be reflected by ZL’s modified Porter model. Information drawn from current secondary sources is complemented by personal contemporaneous observations of individuals in the country of interest. Findings The task of implementing Sweden’s strategy for sustainable development is holistic, and the State has played a major role in its development. That is, sustainability is the responsibility of the Government Offices as a whole, which produces proactive programs in each of the interactions analyzed in the ZL modified model. As an aside, the country has sustained a high level of competitiveness while producing a pleasant environment in which to live. Research limitations/implications Limitations in the study follow the same criticisms made of Porter’ seminal treatment – (still) lack of a formal model construction (although ZL make a meaningful contribution), (still) lack of clear definitions (although ZL make a meaningful contribution), problematic research methodology (although an attempt has been made at improvement) and lack of empirical testing among others (and it is thought that this paper is a step in the right direction). Practical implications Insofar as Sweden might be a model for other countries interested in extending their efforts in sustainable development, observations here provide some insights into possible approaches and results. Originality/value The approach basically followed Siggelkow’s (2007) definition of the use of cases as illustrations, which is useful when the underlying development depends upon constructs. It follows that the association of real-world observations with theory well serves the underlying foundation and cannot help but build credibility of those concepts and theory.

Computational principles of syntax in the regions specialized for language: integrating theoretical linguistics and functional neuroimaging

The nature of computational principles of syntax remains to be elucidated. One promising approach to this problem would be to construct formal and abstract linguistic models that parametrically predict the activation modulations in the regions specialized for linguistic processes. In this article, we review recent advances in theoretical linguistics and functional neuroimaging in the following respects. First, we introduce the two fundamental linguistic operations: Merge (which combines two words or phrases to form a larger structure) and Search (which searches and establishes a syntactic relation of two words or phrases). We also illustrate certain universal properties of human language, and present hypotheses regarding how sentence structures are processed in the brain. Hypothesis I is that the Degree of Merger (DoM), i.e., the maximum depth of merged subtrees within a given domain, is a key computational concept to properly measure the complexity of tree structures. Hypothesis II is that the basic frame of the syntactic structure of a given linguistic expression is determined essentially by functional elements, which trigger Merge and Search. We then present our recent functional magnetic resonance imaging experiment, demonstrating that the DoM is indeed a key syntactic factor that accounts for syntax-selective activations in the left inferior frontal gyrus and supramarginal gyrus. Hypothesis III is that the DoM domain changes dynamically in accordance with iterative Merge applications, the Search distances, and/or task requirements. We confirm that the DoM accounts for activations in various sentence types. Hypothesis III successfully explains activation differences between object- and subject-relative clauses, as well as activations during explicit syntactic judgment tasks. A future research on the computational principles of syntax will further deepen our understanding of uniquely human mental faculties.

HIV Inhibitor Activity Prognosis Refined Taking Into Account the Drug Conformation at the Active Center of Enzyme

Although the search for new drugs with the desired activity spectrum is among the most important problems in pharmaceutical chemistry, the useful properties of a new drug are usually predicted either intuitively or proceeding from the existing notions about the mechanisms of interaction of this compound with physiologically important biological targets (receptors and active or regulatory centers of enzymes). Verification of such a prognosis is a long and expensive procedure. An alternative approach to establishing quantitative structure – activity relationships (QSARs) is offered by mathematical methods based on the construction of formal models of such relations. Unfortunately, the mathematical hypotheses obtained using such formal methods cannot always be interpreted; the accuracy of these methods is not always sufficient for reliably predicting the activity of new compounds. The most promising way out consists in using a combined approach, whereby a mathematical QSAR model is formulated using additional data on the structure (conformation) of molecules at the active center of an enzyme. Below we describe the application of such a combined approach to establishing QSARs and predicting the activity of some nucleoside inhibitors of reverse transcriptase of type 1 HIV.

Applying formal description techniques to software architectural design

Mature engineering disciplines have systematic quantified architectural design. Engineering advancement of the software engineering discipline will eventually require systematic and quantified software architectural design. Formal description techniques such as the specification and description language can help to achieve this goal. This paper presents a method to construct formal models of software architectures and to simulate them to predict the behavior, reliability, and performance of the software system. We use the quantified simulation results to evaluate alternative software architectural designs. Our experiments show that our approach identifies better designs.

An approach to the creation of formal models of the influence of environmental impact on the development of biological systems

An approach to the construction of formal models of biological systems is proposed. The approach takes into account the response of the systems being simulated to the environmental influence. Biological systems of different levels of organization are discussed. Some specific examples of application of the approach proposed for experimental investigations are given.

New Methods for Studying Event Occurrence

Early intervention researchers often want to know whether and when critical events occur. Questions about event occurrence can be difficult to answer because of censoring; not everyone in the sample experiences the target event during the period of data collection. Yet for findings to be unbiased and representative, statistical analyses must include both censored and uncensored cases. In this paper, we show how methods of survival analysis are ideally suited for studying event occurrence. Using data describing entry into preschool among children with special needs, we introduce the fundamental statistical quantities—the hazard and survivor function—-and we show how to construct formal statistical models of event occurrence over time. We then identify the different types of predictors that can be included in hazard models and comment on the importance of these models for early intervention research. Finally, we describe how researchers who fail to adopt a survival analysis perspective can be led astray, producing erroneous conclusions about the predictors of event occurrence.

SEX DIFFERENCES IN PERFORMANCE ON THE MATHEMATICS SECTION OF THE SCHOLASTIC APTITUDE TEST: A BIDIRECTIONAL VALIDITY STUDY1

We examine the average mathematics scores on the SAT for almost 12 thousand men and women within five specific types of first-year math courses and at each grade level achieved in those courses. We find that after retrospective matching of both performance and course, women score about 35 SAT points lower than do their male counterparts. In prospective regression analyses we find somewhat larger sex effects in the same direction. We conclude that these findings provide evidence of sex differences in this measure of the validity of the SAT-M. Although the data do not allow any conclusions about cause, we believe that exploratory analyses like these can point the way toward the construction of formal models that can more adequately describe the observed phenomena. Pending the availability of such models, we support recommendations made by Petersen and Novick (1976) regarding efficacious ways to remedy possible inequities.

RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN SCORING AND STRUCTURE IN THE FIRST MOVEMENT OF BACH'S SIXTH BRANDENBURG CONCERTO

THE UNQUESTIONABLY VITAL ROLE of 'Vivaldi fever' in the dramatic change around 1713 in J. S. Bach's compositional style in all genres is referred to regularly in recent general studies of his life and works.' In specialized studies on the reception of Vivaldi in Bach's concertos, however, it frequently appears that the approach to this relationship brings with it serious analytical problems. Many historians first construct formal models for Vivaldi, against which they then compare the content of Bach's music. This has an important methodological consequence: although students of Bach's and Vivaldi's music cannot fail to perceive the great richness and complexity of Bach's concertos, they overemphasize his and Vivaldi's stylistic similarities, especially since they consider Bach's concertos to be Vivaldian only when their content is manifestly moulded into Vivaldi's form.2 Bach's chamber concertos (that is, concertos for a group of solo instruments without a separate ripieno section) represent an especially intriguing field for the study of Vivaldi reception, for their surface stylistic features frequently tend, so to speak, to 'distract' us from noticing the application of Vivaldi's ritornello procedures. For example, the opening movements of the First, Third and Sixth Brandenburg Concertos, because of their attenuation of textural and thematic contrasts, have generally been considered to fall outside Bach's involvement with Vivaldi's music. The misleading critical report in the standard scholarly edition of the concertos can be employed to support the suggestion that early versions of these pieces predate the known arrival of Vivaldi's concertos in Germany,3 and this can provide in turn the text-critical basis for objectifying a pre-Vivaldian view of the concertos.4 In this essay, however, I propose to show, by means of a discussion of relationships between structure and scoring in the Sixth Brandenburg Concerto,

Strike Costs, Ability to Win and the Determination of Wage Settlements

Hicks (1932) introduced the idea that the outcome of successful wage negotiations depends on the costs that would have been incurred had a strike taken place. Hick’s profound insight attracted attempts by many authors to construct formal bargaining models of this type. However these attempts, the most notable of which were by Bishop (1964) and Foldes (1964), must be considered to have failed, primarily because no adequate general bargaining theory was then available. The model pioneered by Ståhl (1972) and developed by Rubinstein (1982) using Selten’s (1975) concept of perfect equilibrium has now filled this lacuna. The present paper conbines this Ståhl-Rubinstein approach with the special characteristics of union-management negotiations to provide a simple yet far reaching account of how wage settlements are determined.Two aspects of union-management negotiations distinguish them from general bargaining. In the latter it is usually assumed that the costs of delay are constant and that failure to agree causes the parties to forgo what would have been their share in the surplus. However in the former, the costs borne by a party rise steeply as it runs out of resources and, when agreement is not reached, the winner of the strike receives the entire surplus. The model developed below shows how, when there is no strike, costs and ability to win jointly determine the wage settlement. The paper closes with a discussion of the broader implications of the cost rise phenomenon.