Software Development Research Articles

Abstracts of the 2024 50th Annual NATAS Conference.

The 50th annual conference of the North American Thermal Analysis Society is being held jointly with the 8th Baekeland Symposium to bring those communities together. NATAS offers scientists and practitioners the opportunity to explore the frontiers of thermal analysis, rheology, and materials characterization, learn of developments in instrumentation and software, as well as applications in a variety of industrial settings. The Baekeland Symposium has a record of showcasing the latest scientific, technical and industrial innovations in the field of high performance thermosetting polymers. This year is the first joint meeting of the two organizations and is expected to provide opportunities for new collaborations and exchange of ideas. Presentations and posters by renowned scientists and graduate students set the stage for excellent discussions and an ideal environment to learn about state-of-the-art techniques and exciting new developments in thermal analysis and materials research.

On the Expressive Power of Languages for Static Variability

Variability permeates software development to satisfy ever-changing requirements and mass-customization needs. A prime example is the Linux kernel, which employs the C preprocessor to specify a set of related but distinct kernel variants. To study, analyze, and verify variational software, several formal languages have been proposed. For example, the choice calculus has been successfully applied for type checking and symbolic execution of configurable software, while other formalisms have been used for variational model checking, change impact analysis, among other use cases. Yet, these languages have not been formally compared, hence, little is known about their relationships. Crucially, it is unclear to what extent one language subsumes another, how research results from one language can be applied to other languages, and which language is suitable for which purpose or domain. In this paper, we propose a formal framework to compare the expressive power of languages for static (i.e., compile-time) variability. By establishing a common semantic domain to capture a widely used intuition of explicit variability, we can formulate the basic, yet to date neglected, properties of soundness, completeness, and expressiveness for variability languages. We then prove the (un)soundness and (in)completeness of a range of existing languages, and relate their ability to express the same variational systems. We implement our framework as an extensible open source Agda library in which proofs act as correct compilers between languages or differencing algorithms. We find different levels of expressiveness as well as complete and incomplete languages w.r.t. our unified semantic domain, with the choice calculus being among the most expressive languages.

COHERENCE AS A FACTOR IN THE EFFECTIVENESS OF JOINT ACTIVITIES OF OPEN-SOURCE DEVELOPERS

Coherence determines a team’s effectiveness, assuming an optimal combination of individual activities. To describe the content of coherence in teams of open-source software developers is the main aim of the study. A total of 114,016 sequences of interactions related to pull requests from 979 open-source projects make up the purposive sample of the research. An automated observation process utilising a large language model was used as a method of data analysis. According to the analysis, coherence as a characteristic of effective teams is defined by the unity of purpose, acceptance of functional differentiation between roles, and a high pace of software development. Each participant motivates one another to carry out the subsequent set of actions. Contributors make a clear addition, team members manage the procedure, respond quickly and approve the actions.

Diversity’s Double-Edged Sword: Analyzing Race’s Effect on Remote Pair Programming Interactions

Remote pair programming is widely used in software development, but no research has examined how race affects these interactions between developers. We embarked on this study due to the historical under representation of Black developers in the tech industry, with White developers comprising the majority. Our study involved 24 experienced developers, forming 12 gender-balanced same- and mixed-race pairs. Pairs collaborated on a programming task using the think-aloud method, followed by individual retrospective interviews. Our findings revealed elevated productivity scores for mixed-race pairs, with no differences in code quality between same- and mixed-race pairs. Mixed-race pairs excelled in task distribution, shared decision-making, and role-exchange but encountered communication challenges, discomfort, and anxiety, shedding light on the complexity of diversity dynamics. Our study emphasizes race’s impact on remote pair programming and underscores the need for diverse tools and methods to address racial disparities for collaboration.

Exploring Automated Assertion Generation via Large Language Models

Unit testing aims to validate the correctness of software system units and has become an essential practice in software development and maintenance. However, it is incredibly time-consuming and labor-intensive for testing experts to write unit test cases manually, including test inputs ( i.e., prefixes) and test oracles ( i.e., assertions). Very recently, some techniques have been proposed to apply Large Language Models (LLMs) to generate unit assertions and have proven the potential in reducing manual testing efforts. However, there has been no systematic comparison of the effectiveness of these LLMs, and their pros and cons remain unexplored. To bridge this gap, we perform the first extensive study on applying various LLMs to automated assertion generation. The experimental results on two independent datasets show that studied LLMs outperform six state-of-the-art techniques with a prediction accuracy of 51.82% \(\sim\) 58.71% and 38.72% \(\sim\) 48.19%. The improvements achieve 29.60% and 12.47% on average. Besides, as a representative LLM, CodeT5 consistently outperforms all studied LLMs and all baselines on both datasets, with an average improvement of 13.85% and 26.64%, respectively. We also explore the performance of generated assertions in detecting real-world bugs, and find LLMs are able to detect 32 bugs from Defects4J on average, with an improvement of 52.38% against the most recent approach EditAS . Inspired by the findings, we construct a simplistic retrieval-and-repair-enhanced LLM-based approach by transforming the assertion generation problem into a program repair task for retrieved similar assertions. Surprisingly, such a simplistic approach can further improve the prediction accuracy of LLMs by 9.40% on average, leading to new records on both datasets. Besides, we provide additional discussions from different aspects ( e.g., the impact of assertion types and test lengths) to illustrate the capacity and limitations of LLM-based approaches. Finally, we further pinpoint various practical guidelines ( e.g., the improvement of multiple candidate assertions) for advanced LLM-based assertion generation in the near future. Overall, our work underscores the promising future of adopting off-the-shelf LLMs to generate accurate and meaningful assertions in real-world test cases and reduce the manual efforts of unit testing experts in practical scenarios.

Automated Security Vulnerability Backlog Management

In today’s fast-paced development environments, security vulnerabilities often emerge at the same rapid rate as code updates. Security teams and developers face challenges in addressing these vulnerabilities while maintaining operational efficiency. Managing a security backlog manually can be cumbersome, slow, and prone to human error. Automating the security vulnerability backlog allows organizations to track, prioritize, and mitigate security risks more efficiently and effectively, ensuring a secure software development lifecycle (SDLC) without sacrificing agility. This white paper outlines the need for an automated security backlog, the benefits it provides, and strategies for implementing it using modern DevSecOps tools. Keywords — Automated security backlog, vulnerability management, CI/CD, DevSecOps, risk- based prioritization, SAST, DAST, software composition analysis, continuous security, vulnerability tracking, security remediation, cybersecurity automation, security risk management

ModelHamiltonian: A Python-scriptable library for generating 0-, 1-, and 2-electron integrals.

ModelHamiltonian is a free, open source, and cross-platform Python library designed to express model Hamiltonians, including spin-based Hamiltonians (Heisenberg and Ising models) and occupation-based Hamiltonians (Pariser-Parr-Pople, Hubbard, and Hückel models) in terms of 1- and 2-electron integrals, so that these systems can be easily treated by traditional quantum chemistry software programs. ModelHamiltonian was originally intended to facilitate the testing of new electronic structure methods using HORTON but emerged as a stand-alone research tool that we recognize has wide utility, even in an educational context. ModelHamiltonian is written in Python and adheres to modern principles of software development, including comprehensive documentation, extensive testing, continuous integration/delivery protocols, and package management. While we anticipate that most users will use ModelHamiltonian as a Python library, we include a graphical user interface so that models can be built without programming, based on connectivity/parameters inferred from, for example, a SMILES string. We also include an interface to ChatGPT so that users can specify a Hamiltonian in plain language (without learning ModelHamiltonian's vocabulary and syntax). This article marks the official release of the ModelHamiltonian library, showcasing its functionality and scope.

Game-design Workshops with Co-creation Toolkit to Support Game-based Learning for Heritage Museum

In the context of heritage museums, the integration of game-based learning and gamification has garnered significant interest from academia and educational stakeholders. However, barriers such as high costs and lengthy development cycles hinder wider adoption of game-based learning, particularly among educators who lack of software development skills. This paper introduces a series of game design workshops supported by a card-based toolkit aimed at simplifying the process of creating location-based games. These workshops serve a dual purpose: providing educators and museum stakeholders with an accessible toolkit for data collection and offering engaging game-based learning activities for young museum visitors aged 15-30. To achieve this goal, a pilot study was conducted in collaboration with the Guangzhou Maritime Museum, focusing on 48 university students aged 18-26 and 10 museum staff members visiting the Sea God Temple, a heritage site with a 1400-year history. Qualitative and quantitative data collected from this study indicated positive feedback on the value of a co-creation toolkit acting as the instructional scaffolding to support informal learning. Insights gained from this research informed the refinement of the toolkit design, while the game ideas from workshops served as a foundation for mobile game development tailored to young museum visitors.

PyCI: A Python-scriptable library for arbitrary determinant CI.

PyCI is a free and open-source Python library for setting up and running arbitrary determinant-driven configuration interaction (CI) computations, as well as their generalizations to cases where the coefficients of the determinant are nonlinear functions of optimizable parameters. PyCI also includes functionality for computing the residual correlation energy, along with the ability to compute spin-polarized one- and two-electron (transition) reduced density matrices. PyCI was originally intended to replace the abinitio quantum chemistry functionality in the HORTON library but emerged as a standalone research tool, primarily intended to aid in method development, while maintaining high performance so that it is suitable for practical calculations. To this end, PyCI is written in Python, adopting principles of modern software development, including comprehensive documentation, extensive testing, continuous integration/delivery protocols, and package management. Computationally intensive steps, notably operations related to generating Slater determinants and computing their expectation values, are delegated to low-level C++ code. This article marks the official release of the PyCI library, showcasing its functionality and scope.

HeritageRoots: Developing Interconnected Immersive Experiences for Cultural Preservation and Education

In this paper, we present technical implementation details, describe the virtual world procedural generation pipeline, and discuss potential uses in cultural preservation, museum exhibits, and education of HeritageRoots, an innovative software infrastructure designed for preserving indigenous narratives and oral histories. HeritageRoots consists of two interconnected systems - (1) a web-based knowledge graph (KG) data collection and management system which stores, connects, and presents indigenous traditional knowledge (ITK) in the form of narratives, myths, and testimonies from multiple cultures and languages; (2) a virtual environment rendering pipeline which utilizes large language models (LLM), Unity3D, and Meta Quest software development kit (SDK) to procedurally generate virtual worlds from the KG data. Preliminary system evaluation with Ecuadorian Kichwa narratives showed promising results in (1) academic community interest and support, (2) the possibility of developing an infrastructure capable of connecting indigenous narratives with modern scientific knowledge via KGs and (3) procedurally generating virtual worlds from KG.

A Systematic Literature Review on the Influence of Enhanced Developer Experience on Developers' Productivity: Factors, Practices, and Recommendations

Context and Motivation – Developer eXperience (Dev-X) is a recent research area that focuses on developers perceptions, feelings, and values with respect to software development and software quality. Research suggests that factors and practices related to Dev-X can have a substantial impact on developer productivity (Dev-P). However, despite a large and diverse body of literature on factors that can impact Dev-P in general, there is no coherent and comprehensive characterization of how Dev-X-specific insights can influence developer productivity. Aims – In the presented research, we aim to provide a coherent, comprehensive characterization of factors and practices related to Dev-X, with a particular focus on those factors and practices that potentially affect Dev-P. Method – To this end, we performed a systematic literature review and identified 218 relevant papers in this area. We characterize the papers based on the related frameworks and concepts common to Dev-X and Dev-P as presented in the existing literature. Dev-X factors such as “work fragmentation” and practices such as “collaboration with owner-developer” are identified using a grounded-in-the-literature, content-analysis method, guided by the theory. For each Dev-X factor, we identify attributes that might be used to assess/ measure the current status (of an organization or project) regarding that factor and how that factor and its effects on productivity have been evidenced in the literature (mentioned vs. considered in questionnaires vs. substantiated with a more positivist evaluation). Results – We identify 33 Dev-X-related factors and 41 Dev-X-related practices, which are organized into 10 themes to summarize their influence. The results suggest that the availability of required resources, relevant expertise re the allocated tasks, and fewer interruptions are among the top positively impacting factors. Conversely, factors such as code complexity, heterogeneous contexts of tasks, and non-adherence to standardization harm Dev-X and Dev-P. Top industrial practices employed to mitigate the negative influence of factors include characterization-based task assignments, mental model support, and the timely evolution of technologies. Conclusions – Overall, this research suggests that organizations can influence Dev-P through improved Dev-X, incorporating suitable practices to mediate relevant factors in their context. Important in this regard are practices such as fragmenting large tasks, highlighting the utility of proposed tasks/changes to the developers, and promoting (developer) ownership of artefacts. Finally, our results point to areas where further research seems appropriate, i.e., where Dev-X factors/practices have been proposed as being impactful on Dev-P but not yet fully substantiated or explored as such (factors like “Nature of Activity” and practices like choosing practices/protocols appropriately).

FRAMUX-EV: A Framework for Evaluating User Experience in Agile Software Development

Agile software development prioritizes customer satisfaction through the continuous delivery of valuable software. However, integrating user experience (UX) evaluations into agile projects remains a significant challenge. Existing proposals address specific stages that apply UX evaluation methods but do not fully consider UX artifacts or UX events for integrating user experience into agile processes. To address this gap and support teams, we propose FRAMUX-EV, a framework for evaluating UX in agile software development using Scrum. FRAMUX-EV introduces seven UX artifacts: (1) UX evaluation methods, (2) UX design system, (3) UX personas, (4) UX responsibilities and roles, (5) UX evaluation repository, (6) UX backlog, and (7) UX sprint backlog; and four UX events: (1) pre-planning UX meeting, (2) pre-review UX meeting, (3) weekly UX meeting, and (4) weekly user meeting. The first version of the framework was developed using a seven-step methodology with a qualitative approach. A survey of 34 practitioners validated the usefulness and ease of integration of FRAMUX-EV components, yielding positive results. These findings suggest the potential of FRAMUX-EV as an interesting proposal for integrating UX into agile software development.

The rCOS framework for multi-dimensional separation of concerns in model-driven engineering

The software industry increasingly turns to Model-Driven Engineering (MDE) to mitigate complexity by automating model creation and transformation. Many organisations are pursuing Integrated Development Platforms (IDPs) to enhance automation in their software development processes within MDE. However, the adoption of MDE and engagement with IDPs remain limited due to concerns over their efficacy. We address these challenges in this review paper by introducing a framework for the formal refinement of component and object systems (rCOS). It provides: (1) a formal theory that consists of a modelling language (named OPL) with a calculus of refinement for object-oriented models and component models; (2) a suite of analysis and design techniques that facilitate abstractions and decompositions, leading to a multidimensional separation of concerns; and (3) an IDP (named rCOS Modeller) that supports modelling, design and verification from requirements elicitation through to coding. By advocating for an rCOS-enabled multidimensional approach to separating concerns, this paper offers a comprehensive solution to the challenges facing MDE and IDPs, paving the way for their successful implementation in practice. By delineating the emerging challenges and prospects associated with integrating formal methods for modelling and designing human-cyber–physical systems (HCPS), we show the potential of extending rCOS for MDE in HCPS.

Shift-left approach for Vulnerability Management in SDLC

Security vulnerabilities in software development can lead to severe risks if not addressed promptly. By adopting a shift-left approach and implementing gating mechanisms in Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) pipelines, organizations can mitigate the impact of high and critical vulnerabilities early in the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC). This paper discusses a practical methodology for integrating security gates into the CI/CD pipeline to prevent the release of software with critical security flaws. Keywords —Vulnerability Management, Shift-Left Security, CI/CD Pipeline, High Vulnerabilities, Critical Vulnerabilities, Security Gating, SDLC, GitLab, Automation.

DESIGN AND FABRICATION OF SMART ENVIRO GUARDIAN

This project tackles the challenge of maintaining a comfortable and healthy indoor environment in the face of unpredictable weather conditions. The primary objective is to develop an automated weather monitoring system integrated with a humidifier, leveraging Internet of Things (IoT) technology and a suite of sensors including the DHT11 for temperature and humidity, a rain sensor, an LDR sensor, and a BMP180 barometric pressure sensor. The system aims to monitor real-time weather data and adjust indoor conditions accordingly, enhancing comfort and reducing health risks such as respiratory issues, allergies, and mold growth. Additionally, it provides remote monitoring and real-time alerts through IoT connectivity, improving user convenience and energy efficiency. The methodology includes detailed requirement analysis, hardware and software development, testing, and deployment. This project promises to significantly improve indoor environmental quality, especially in regions with erratic weather patterns, by providing a robust, adaptable solution. Keywords: Automated Weather Monitoring, Climate Control, IoT Technology, Humidifier, DHT11 Sensor, Rain Sensor, LDR Sensor, Energy Efficiency

Frontiers in construction 3D printing: self-monitoring, multi-robot, drone-assisted processes

AbstractTo overcome productivity issues and revolutionize the stagnating construction industry, a large amount of research efforts has been devoted to robot-assisted construction technology. The advancements in robotics including mechanical system design, tool design, digital system design, and numerical control systems design enabled engineers to create complex geometries that are infeasible for conventional construction methods. In addition, innovative robotic systems that utilize mobile platforms, multiple robots, and unmanned aerial vehicles have demonstrated significant promise in fully automating the construction process. This work will provide a perspective on the state-of-the-art applications of robotics in the revolution of construction, where a comprehensive review of the current development of the relevant software and hardware, 3D concrete printing (3DCP), robot-assisted assembly of discrete prefabricated blocks, real-time quality monitoring and feedback control systems, and typical innovative robot-assisted structural designs are conducted. Finally, the limitations of existing robot-assisted construction technology are identified, which leads to several recommendations for future research toward fully automatic construction.

Investigation of the Current Requirements Engineering Practices among Software Developers in Malaysia

Investigation of the Current Requirements Engineering Practices among Software Developers in Malaysia

Peningkatan Kepatuhan Regulasi Melalui Pengembangan Sistem Informasi Keuangan Bagi Badan Usaha Milik Desa Menggunakan Teknologi Berbasis Website

This study highlights the inability of village-owned enterprises (BUMDesa) to prepare financial reports according to guidelines, indicating a lack of financial accountability. Researchers attempted to develop a web-based platform to generate BUMDesa financial reports following Ministerial Decree Number 136 of 2022. We focus on the perspective of public sector accounting and accounting information systems to respond to research questions. Furthermore, application development considers the research and development (R&D) method and design science via the software development life cycle stages. A total of six BUMDesa contributed to developing this application. The result is a web-based financial reporting application platform that meets these criteria and guidelines. We also provide a platform usage procedure to facilitate its operation. The contribution of this study is to develop a financial information management platform for BUMDesa that emphasizes reporting accuracy and compliance.

The impact of quantum computing on the development of algorithms and software

Introduction: There is a great potential that the quantum computing can change the way of algorithms and software development more than classical computers. Thus, this article will try to focus on how algorithm design and software development can be affected by quantum computing as well as what possibilities could appear when quantum principles are implemented into traditional paradigms. This paper aims at identifying the impact of quantum computing on algorithm and software advancement, through a discussion of essential quantum algorithms, quantum languages, as well as the opportunities and challenges of quantum technologies. Method: An extensive literature review and theoretical investigation was also performed to investigate the foundational concepts of quantum computing and subsequent effects on algorithm and software engineering. Some of the research questions included exploring the contrast between classical and quantum algorithms, reviewing current literature on quantum programming languages, and delving into examples of real-life deployments of quantum algorithms cross numerous domains. Results: This paper shows that quantum computing brings qualitatively new paradigms in the algorithm design and function while the quantum algorithms such as Shor’s and Grover’s perform exponentially faster certain problems. Software development for quantum has brought the need to devise new frameworks of coding in light of probability in quantum circuit. It is also comforting to note that there is still effort being made although in its most embryonic form to create quantum programming languages like Qiskit and Cirq. Some of challenges include quantum decoherence; limited number of quantum hardware; and need for strong error correction processes.Conclusion: While there are currently relatively few quantum algorithms it is believed that the findings in this field have the ability to revolutionize algorithm and software design and subjects like cryptography, optimization and AI. However, trends in quantum computing show that the constraints to computational capabilities are likely to be lifted to allow creativity to develop the most powerful software solutions

Comprehensive Analysis of Security Requirements Engineering Approaches with Assurance Perspective

Given the wide distribution of software and its current growth, security is inevitable, and software systems have become more complex. To avoid the complexity and protect valuable assets of software systems, researchers, and practitioners in the fields of security requirement engineering (SRE) and security assurance advise incorporating security requirements early in software development life cycle (SDLC). Nowadays, security requirements specification and identification are an active research area for ensuring the effectiveness of software systems. However, security requirement identification is a challenging task due to sheer numbers of threats and attacks to a software system. Previous researchers have identified different SRE techniques, each looking at the same problem from a different perspective. Therefore, a literature review conducted on SRE techniques. We compared and analyzed different SRE techniques to find the most suitable SRE techniques for researchers and practitioners. Selected SRE techniques compared based on various parameters, such as different attributes, requirement elicitation, requirement analysis, project size, and integration of standards. The literature also indicates that among SRE approaches, security quality requirements engineering (SQAURE), secure tropos, security requirements engineering process (SREP), and comprehensive lightweight application security process (CLASP) are the most used SRE approaches that focus on activities such as threats, security requirements identification, and security objectives identification. Unfortunately, several SRE approaches fail to explicitly integrate the security standard and security assurance perspective. Three questions developed for this study: Question 1 is based on comparison of existing SRE approaches, Question 2 is based on SRE with security requirements elicitation and analysis, and Question 3 highlights the incorporation of security requirements assurance by SRE approaches implicitly or explicitly. The researcher must work with the developer to easily adopt SRE approaches to elicit and ensure security requirements for the software system.