Frame Problem Research Articles

Taming the frame problem: an automated approach for robust UML class diagram specification and verification

It is vital to have precise specifications and verification of UML class diagrams to ensure the correctness of complex software systems. However, current specification and verification methods often face a challenge known as the frame problem. This problem occurs due to incomplete operation specifications that can lead to unintended system behavior. To tackle this issue, we have developed an automated solution to autonomously identify and define frame conditions, effectively minimizing the frame problem’s impact on class diagram verification. Frame conditions are explicit contracts that meticulously outline the permissible effects of operations within the system. Our approach carefully analyzes the behavioral blueprint of a class diagram and extracts crucial information to create these conditions. Through rigorous evaluations encompassing diverse UML diagrams and simulated execution scenarios, we have demonstrated the effectiveness of our approach in preventing unintended system behavior caused by the frame problem. We have integrated the approach into the Temporal Property Validator tool, empowering practitioners to leverage its benefits for practical class diagram specification and verification.

Policy paradigms as an analytical concept in transport studies research

AbstractMany references to policy paradigms and paradigm shifts can be found in the transport studies literature. Within this literature, diverse ways of interpreting and measuring paradigms and paradigm shifts are evident. This article critically reviews how paradigms are conceived in the transport studies literature and compares these interpretations with the policy science literature where the term has been more widely studied and used. The article proposes a conceptualisation of transport policy paradigms along four key dimensions: problem framing, goals, instruments and evaluation criteria. This conceptualisation helps to increase the clarity and usefulness of the term paradigm for both researchers and practitioners in studying transformative changes in transport policy.

A Comprehensive Risk Based IT Governance Framework for SaaS Adoption in Capital Market

ABSTRACT Software as-a-service (SaaS) adoption is essential in regulated industry such as capital market to bring in scalability, required to deal with the fluctuations in trading volumes, and agility, required to stay responsive to changing market conditions. In this context, the study examines the factors that the capital market organization look for in adopting SaaS. Based on the perceived risk theory and prospect theory, we propose a perceived risk based IT governance framework in SaaS adoption decision in capital market. Following a case study-based research methodology, we examined the factors that influence the risk perception of the decision makers about SaaS-based solution in a capital market industry. We found that the decision to opt for SaaS adoption in organization depends on (i) the top management’s consideration for risk preference, problem framing, decision domain, and data security, and (ii) organizational processes in practice such as IT governance archetype and risk management processes. Based on this, we generate a risk score for a capital market firm to weigh potential benefits and risks in adopting SaaS. In this study, we assume that the top management provides guidance toward firm’s risk appetite which is then compared to the generated risk score to decide for SaaS adoption. This study contributes to the technology adoption literature by emphasizing the role of individual risk preferences and problem framing in influencing technology adoption decisions particularly for technologies that pose certain risks. Finally, the study contributes by bringing forth the role of an IT governance framework in assessing SaaS-related risks.

Correction: Morality vs. Politics as a Framing Problem: How (Not) to Misunderstand the Fight Against Climate Change

Correction: Morality vs. Politics as a Framing Problem: How (Not) to Misunderstand the Fight Against Climate Change

Africa in Du Bois’s Internationalist Thinking

Abstract This article addresses the recent interest in Black Internationalism in the history of political thought and related fields by engaging with a portion of W. E. B. Du Bois’s (1868–1963) work. It examines in particular how Du Bois treats Africa in his published and unpublished writings from the 1910s to the 1940s in light of the challenges of world war and continued imperial expansionism in the global South. I argue that through a rhetorical framing of problems on the continent, and by situating Africa in relation to global economic problems as well as the goal of long-lasting peace, Du Bois comes up with novel approaches to war and empire, as well as solutions to the problems that they pose. I conclude by reflecting on how he can contribute to debates on Black Internationalism today.

Public and professional stakeholders' perceptions of alcohol advertising and availability policies: A qualitative study.

Reducing alcohol availability and restricting alcohol advertising are effective ways to reduce harm from alcohol. Implementation of public health policies involves collaboration between different stakeholders, and is influenced by public opinion. This paper explores public and professional stakeholders' perceptions of alcohol advertising and availability policies. It is the first to capture consensus and divergence in narratives of these stakeholders. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 14 stakeholders from third sector organisations, government, public health and alcohol licensing in Scotland. We conducted 11 online focus groups with 45 participants, living in neighbourhoods in Scotland characterised by varying levels of urbanity, deprivation and retail density change. We gave participants a list of policies and discussed their views on acceptability, feasibility and likely success. Despite general consensus that regulation of alcohol advertising is an important priority, public stakeholders were concerned about the feasibility of advertising interventions and potential unintended consequences. While professional stakeholders were in favour of regulating alcohol availability, public stakeholders had misgivings about feasibility and effectiveness. When prompted to discuss specific interventions, similar views about protecting children and achieving cultural change emerged. This study highlights the importance of policy makers and other stakeholders to consider public stakeholders' opinions on alcohol policy and understanding that their views may be influenced by competing framings of alcohol problems. Attempts to increase support for alcohol control policies need to consider people's concerns about the effectiveness and potential unintended consequences of these policies, and the wider social context of alcohol consumption.

Psychological Determinants of Investment Decisions: Analyzing Financial Behavior in Personal Investments

Understanding the psychological factors that influence investor behavior is critical in the dynamic world of financial markets. Financial conduct encompasses the decisions and behaviors individuals exhibit in managing their finances, including investments in various asset classes. Factors such as risk tolerance, cognitive biases, emotional influences, and financial knowledge significantly shape investment outcomes. Gaining long-term financial success requires mastery over these behavioral aspects. This study investigates the influence of three psychological factors—information asymmetry, problem framing, and risk propensity—on the investment decisions of 220 active investors trading on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE). A quantitative research approach was employed, utilizing a structured questionnaire to collect data. Statistical analyses, including regression and correlation analysis, were used to assess the relationships between these psychological variables and investment behaviors. The results reveal significant correlations between psychological factors and investment decisions. Information asymmetry, problem framing, and risk propensity were found to strongly influence individual investor choices. These findings shed light on the intricate role that cognitive biases and psychological processes play in shaping financial decision-making. The study's findings offer valuable insights into the psychological drivers behind investment behavior. By highlighting the impact of these factors, the research contributes to both academic understanding and practical applications for financial professionals. The results underscore the importance of enhancing financial literacy and investor education, enabling more informed decision-making and promoting improved financial outcomes.

Exploring undergraduate engineers’ accommodation of engineering problem typology to support their initial framing and scoping of open-ended problems

ABSTRACT This study explores students’ initial engagement with ill-structured problems before and after the introduction of engineering problem typology as a framework for problem engagement and reflection. Using problem discussions, debrief interviews, and qualitative analysis of written artifacts, we considered observed changes to students’ initial problem framing and scoping discussions before and after the introduction of engineering problem typology. Two student pairs were examined as a comparative analysis of possible extremes on a continuum of adoption. One student pair demonstrated transformational adoption, leveraging problem typology as a guide for problem framing and scoping, and as a shared metacognitive framework. The other pair demonstrated transactional adoption that had limited impact on their thinking, and no apparent impact on the nature and trajectory of their problem framing and scoping. Through exploration of these cases, we find support for the use of problem typology as a frame for facilitating ill-structured problem engagement among undergraduate engineers. We also find evidence related to challenges that must be overcome in disrupting students’ established approaches to learning. We argue that this work can serve as a starting point for developing scaffolds that support problem design and facilitation, metacognitive development, and disrupting undergraduates’ conditioned approaches to problem engagement.

One Health collaboration is more effective than single-sector actions at mitigating SARS-CoV-2 in deer

One Health aims to achieve optimal health outcomes for people, animals, plants, and shared environments. We describe a multisector effort to understand and mitigate SARS-CoV-2 transmission risk to humans via the spread among and between captive and wild white-tailed deer. We first framed a One Health problem with three governance sectors that manage captive deer, wild deer populations, and public health. The problem framing included identifying fundamental objectives, causal chains for transmission, and management actions. We then developed a dynamic model that linked deer herds and simulated SARS-CoV-2. Next, we evaluated management alternatives for their ability to reduce SARS-CoV-2 spread in white-tailed deer. We found that single-sector alternatives reduced transmission, but that the best-performing alternative required collaborative actions among wildlife management, agricultural management, and public health agencies. Here, we show quantitative support that One Health actions outperform single-sector responses, but may depend on coordination to track changes in this evolving system.

The uphill battle for reinventing post-industrial regions: The case of Greater Manchester's ‘clean growth’ mission

In this paper we enrich the concept of place-based leadership. Building on social movement theory, our analysis of the clean growth mission development in Greater Manchester (UK) reveals the role of place-based leadership in mobilising and coordinating framing processes that linked the global climate change problem with local challenges, articulated local benefits of its resolution, and provided justification for local change efforts. We draw on theories of the policy process (i.e. Multiple Streams Framework) to shed light on how place-based leaders frame problems and solutions strategically to engender policy change. While framing processes had an impact on local policy agendas, we do not find evidence of accelerated implementation, pointing to the important distinctions between problem ownership and solution ownership in the context of wicked problems. Our findings contribute to the ongoing debate on the role of multi-level governance and localised agency in problem-based policymaking for sustainable regional development.

Analyzing knowledge integration in convergence research

A pragmatic concern guides this perspective piece: How might researchers charged with leading convergence research better plan, design, implement, and evaluate the integrative processes and products of their research? We use a self-evaluation approach to assess the integrative processes and products of the first two years of a five-year National Science Foundation Growing Convergence Research project on addressing inland freshwater salinization. To examine the linkages between integration approaches and products, we analyzed the integrative qualities of fifteen research products and the collaborative processes used to generate these products. We found that large, heterogeneous teams with a broad mix of disciplines and professional expertise produced more interdisciplinary research products, but they relied on skilled integration by the leader, more intensive forms of collaboration, and inclusive problem framing. Teams that relied on deliberation by experts and used more consultative or cooperative mechanisms for engagement produced research that was more uni- or multi-disciplinary. We consider the efficacy of the various knowledge integration approaches used in this research and share empirically derived recommendations for designing, implementing, and evaluating convergence research. Our findings and lessons provide researchers at the helm of large-scale convergence and transdisciplinary research projects that address complex socio-environmental problems guidance on: (1) the planning and designing of projects with the explicit goal of knowledge integration; (2) the selection and implementation of appropriate knowledge integration approaches and tools; and (3) how knowledge integration can be conceptualized and evaluated for socio-environmental problems.

Morality vs. Politics as a Framing Problem: How (Not) to Misunderstand the Fight Against Climate Change

AbstractThis paper is guided by two research hypotheses: (1) In contemporary public discourse, many of the most urgent political problems are predominantly framed and understood in moral terms; (2) this shift in framing has far-reaching consequences, impeding our understanding of the underlying problems and their eventual solution. The two hypotheses are demonstrated using multiple examples, with the fight against climate change serving as the main case study. The moral framing (thinking in terms of individual actions, duties and obligations, blame and personal responsibility) is shown to crowd out political considerations (focused on institutions and policy), even when such moral considerations are either out of place or immaterial. Consequently, individual actions and responsibility are shown to be overemphasized in contemporary public discourse to such an extent that the viable political solutions are often discounted or overlooked.The context of the argument offered here is provided by the realism-moralism debate on the distinction between morality and politics. The ambition of the paper is to show that, regardless of their possible deeper distinction (the “distinctively political normativity”), there is a strong pragmatic case for carefully distinguishing between ethical and political theorizing. Morality and politics provide different frames, distinct interpretive frameworks that consequently give rise to contrasting solutions. Therefore, they need to be kept apart.

Reframing design in education: Proposing a framework to support pre-service teachers in adopting designerly stances

ABSTRACT Background K12 teachers need a wider range of design approaches to foster feasible qualitative improvements in all students’ schooling experiences. We propose a framework for conceptualizing pre-service teachers’ stances toward designerly thinking. Methods We developed the framework following Crismond and Adams’ scholarship of integration approach combined with an inductive content analysis of 43 pre-service teachers’ conceptualizations of design across two versions of a design course. Results The resulting framework focuses on six dimensions including: (a) co-evolution of problem frames and possible solutions, (b) problem complexity and structure, (c) idea fluency and scope, (d) inquiry and stakeholder engagement, (e) conceptualization of the design process, and (f) attitude toward ambiguity. Each dimension articulates anchor points and examples based on the literature and grounded content analysis of the data. The analysis and discussion consider the conceptual accessibility of the framework’s goals for pre-service teachers and whether they considered the goals feasible to implement in the context of curricular mandates. Contribution The proposed framework provides the foundation for a hypothetical learning trajectory that can be elaborated and validated through future research to support K12 teachers in their development as informed designers who might better serve the needs of all their students.

Using exploratory modeling to challenge narratives of risk governance in Mexico City.

Achieving more sustainable adaptation to social-environmental change demands the transformation of the narratives that provide the rationale for risk governance. These narratives often reflect long-standing beliefs about social and political relationships, ascribe actions and responsibilities, and specify solutions to risk. When such solutions are implemented through material investments in landscapes, these narratives become embedded in physical infrastructure with long legacies. Dominant narratives can mask a range of divergent problem framings. By masking alternatives, narratives can contribute to the persistence of unsustainable governance trajectories. Decision-support tools have begun to represent narratives as drivers of system dynamics; making narratives visible can reveal opportunities for more sustainable governance. We present the results of the project "The Dynamics of Multi-Scalar Adaptation in the Megalopolis", a dynamic, exploratory model of socio-hydrological risks in Mexico City that was designed to both endogenize and simultaneously challenge the dominant narratives that characterize water-risk governance in the city. Qualitative data characterize dominant narratives at city and borough scales. An agent-based model, informed by multicriteria decision analysis and coupled with hydrological, urbanization, and climatic model inputs, permitted the development of exploratory governance scenarios designed to challenge dominant narratives. Scenarios revealed how dominant narratives may contribute to the persistence of vulnerability "hotspots" in the city, despite stated goals of equity and vulnerability alleviation. Participatory workshops with representatives of the city government illustrate how making such narratives visible through exploratory modeling can lead to a questioning of prior assumptions and causal relations, recognition of a need for intersectoral collaboration, and insights into potential management strategies.

Numerical study on the forward and inverse problems of the mobile pump truck frame

Aiming at the requirements of strong mobility and high flexibility of rescue and relief mobile pump trucks, this paper designs a new type of mobile pump truck frame based on existing mobile vehicle frame models. The materials used for the frame are 40Cr and Q235, and the finite element method is utilized to carry out static mechanical analysis and dynamic characteristic analysis. Simultaneously utilizing topology optimization and multi-objective genetic algorithm to optimize the design of the frame structure. The results show that the optimized pump truck frame can meet the strength design requirements of four typical working conditions: full load bending, full load torsion, emergency turning and emergency braking, while avoiding resonance phenomena caused by road surface and diesel engine vibration. Compared with the original frame model, the weight of the optimized frame is reduced by 87.88 kg, with a weight reduction rate of 10.89%, realizing the lightweight design requirements.

Problem solving as selective blindness

This article examines the practices associated with technical solutions to energy transitions. In particular, it considers the role of ‘problem solving’ as a partial view on the world with extraordinary influence. As the core epistemological practice of engineers, problem solving starts with selective framings of problems in which social or political conditions are taken as given. Engineering, as a form of applied science, therefore offers ethical choices that may be eclipsed by technical framings. This article highlights the reflexive practices of engineers engaged in modelling practices for energy transitions, who are addressing socio-technical problems in formally constrained ways that both enable and limit the thinkability of different future horizons.

"I arrived with just $1 in my pocket": Narratives of immigrant exceptionalism on X

Narratives of immigrant exceptionalism such as “I arrived with just $1 in my pocket” are commonly used by established immigrants in Canada to signal their personal achievement, their resilience, their claims to legitimacy on Canadian issues, or simply to counter narratives of an unwelcoming place. The convenience of the temporal and seemingly causal communicative form of the narrative, further combined with the social position of the established immigrant, the narratives of immigrant exceptionalism are highly amenable for reproduction. These narratives must be contextualized within the wider discourse of Canadian exceptionalism that allow such narratives to be further reproduced over generations and cohorts of new immigrant arrivals through the creation of the imaginary integrated immigrant. The framing of the narratives of immigrant exceptionalism tells us about the spectrum of meanings that people attach to immigrant exceptionalism, as well as what Canadian exceptionalism means to them. I collected 165 posts from X/Twitter and categorized the tweets into frames. I find that relevant problem frames such as “taking responsibility” and “threat“ stand out, as well as benefit frames such as “solidarity”.

Implementing an Adaptive Climate Control Strategy: Collection Monitoring and Sustainability Outcomes

ABSTRACT In 2022, the authors presented the first stage of implementing a revised climate control strategy at the National Gallery of Victoria, monitoring collection object response in collaboration with the Getty Conservation Institute using acoustic emissions (AE) monitoring. The research and education, motivating factors, and interdepartmental alignment required for adopting the Bizot Green Protocol (BGP) were discussed, as well as the experimental design and set-up of the AE system on a large Flemish altarpiece in an active gallery. This second and concluding paper presents the results of the AE monitoring study along with energy used by the HVAC system for the gallery housing the AE monitoring study, during the transition from traditional environmental parameters through to broadened parameters as defined in the BGP. The project highlights the importance of understanding individual gallery and building behaviour as well as the HVAC system in place. In the case of the gallery housing the AE study, the implementation of BGP parameters resulted in smaller environmental fluctuations than expected. That HVAC energy efficiency could be improved with a relatively low impact on the gallery environment was an unexpected but welcome outcome. This case study describes some common challenges faced when considering such a change operationally, including resourcing and communication needs. Identifying points of resistance, framing problems clearly, and identifying common goals were essential to making progress. In this case, sustainability has compelled many stakeholders into alignment and enabled a shift in institutional culture.

Shape-shifting versions of class in Australia and the pursuit of equity in public health.

The COVID-19 pandemic and current cost of living crisis have highlighted socioeconomically patterned health disparities, bringing renewed focus on equity in public health. Despite political rhetoric invoking cultural narratives of egalitarianism and opportunities for class mobility, social class remains a significant factor in health outcomes in the Australian context. For social scientists, class (despite robust critiques) is a key analytical concept that has been theoretically broadened to encompass social and cultural practices (habitus). In public health, however, concepts of social disadvantage have expanded toward frames such as health equity and socioeconomic status in ways that can obscure 'class' and habitus. Understandings and operationalization of concepts of class and equity not only impact collaborative and interdisciplinary relationships, but also the framing of public health problems and health promotion interventions and policies. In this article, we draw on our experiences as anthropologists conducting ethnography in and of Australian health promotion programs to map and re-evaluate the intersection of concepts of social class and equity. We trace how representations of class emerged in these programs, and the versions of class and equity that materialized across different public health contexts. We argue for a conceptual repositioning of class that recognizes its shape-shifting qualities and of its materializations in different politics, disciplines and everyday contexts. In doing so, we highlight 'class' as a salient dimension of the design, implementation and evaluation of health promotion programs.

Heuristics for Problem Framing: Collaborative Scaffolding in Design Thinking Education

Heuristics for Problem Framing: Collaborative Scaffolding in Design Thinking Education