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This dissertation investigated the optimal strategy for the model specification search in the latent growth modeling. Although developing an initial model based on the theory from prior research is favored, sometimes researchers may need to specify the starting model in the absence of theory. In this simulation study, the effectiveness of the start models in searching for the true population model was examined. The four possible start models adopted in this study were: the simplest mean and covariance structure model, the simplest mean and the most complex covariance structure model, the most complex mean and the simplest covariance structure model, and the most complex mean and covariance structure model. Six model selection criteria were used to determine the recovery of the true model: Likelihood ratio test (LRT), DeltaCFI, DeltaRMSEA, DeltaSRMR, DeltaAIC, and DeltaBIC. The results showed that specifying the most complex covariance structure (UN) with the most complex mean structure recovered the true mean trajectory most successfully with the average hit rate above 90% using the DeltaCFI, DeltaBIC, DeltaAIC, and DeltaSRMR. In searching for the true covariance structure, LRT, DeltaCFI, DeltaAIC, and DeltaBIC performed successfully regardless of the searching method with different start models.

SystemC has emerged as a de facto standard modeling language for hardware and embedded systems. However, the current standard does not provide support for temporal specifications. Specifically, SystemC lacks a mechanism for sampling the state of the model at different types of temporal resolutions, for observing the internal state of modules, and for integrating monitors efficiently into the model's execution. This work presents a novel framework for specifying and efficiently monitoring temporal assertions of SystemC models that removes these restrictions. This work introduces new specification language primitives that (1) expose the inner state of the SystemC kernel in a principled way, (2) allow for very fine control over the temporal resolution, and (3) allow sampling at arbitrary locations in the user code. An efficient modular monitoring framework presented here allows the integration of monitors into the execution of the model, while at the same time incurring low overhead and allowing for easy adoption. Instrumentation of the user code is automated using Aspect-Oriented Programming techniques, thereby allowing the integration of user-code-level sample points into the monitoring framework. While most related approaches optimize the size of the monitors, this work focuses on minimizing the runtime overhead of the monitors. Different encoding configurations are identified and evaluated empirically using monitors synthesized from a large benchmark of random and pattern temporal specifications. The framework and approaches described in this dissertation allow the adoption of assertion-based verification for SystemC models written using various levels of abstraction, from system level to register-transfer level. An advantage of this work is that many existing specification languages call be adopted to use the specification primitives described here, and the framework can easily be integrated into existing implementations of SystemC.

In this thesis we investigate the feasibility of learning-based testing (LBT) as a viable testing methodology for reactive systems. In LBT, a large number of test cases are automatically generated from black-box requirements for the system under test (SUT) by combining an incremental learning algorithm with a model checking algorithm. The integration of the SUT with these algorithms in a feedback loop optimizes test generation using the results from previous outcomes. The verdict for each test case is also created automatically in LBT. To realize LBT practically, existing algorithms in the literature both for complete and incremental learning of finite automata were studied. However, limitations in these algorithms led us to design, verify and implement new incremental learning algorithms for DFA and Kripke structures. On the basis of these algorithms we implemented an LBT architecture in a practical tool called LBTest which was evaluated on pedagogical and industrial case studies. The results obtained from both types of case studies show that LBT is an effective methodology which discovers errors in reactive SUTs quickly and can be scaled to test industrial applications. We believe that this technology is easily transferrable to industrial users because of its high degree of automation. / <p>QC 20130312</p>

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Today, firms compete with services rather than goods. Large service organizations are beginning to use Six Sigma as continuous improvement tool. An important part of the Six Sigma methodology is the calculation of number of defects in the process, i.e. points outside the specification limits. Unlike goods quality, which can be measured objectively by number of defects, in service goods the setting up of specification limits is a complicated issue because it is marked by the use and expectations among the different customers. As Six Sigma was originally created for manufacturing, this crucial fact is not contemplated in the Six-Sigma roadmap Define- Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control (DMAIC). The aim of this thesis is to develop a new model to help the Service Division, Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery AB to set the specification limits according to the customer expectations. A review of relevant literature is used to develop a new integrated model with ideas from the Kano model, SERVQUAL, Taguchi loss function, Importance Performance Analysis (IPA) and a new model, the ”Trade-Off Importance”. A survey was carried out for 18 external customers and internal stakeholders. The model has demonstrated its robustness and credibility to set the specification limits. Additionally it is a very powerful tool to set the strategic directions and for service quality measurement. As far as we know, this thesis is the first attempt to create a roadmap to set the specification limits in services. Researchers should find a proposed model to fill the research gap. From a managerial standpoint, the practical benefits in Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery AB, suggest a new way of communicating to customers.

A new path of DSP processor design is described in this thesis with an example, to design a FFT processor. It is an innovative concept for DSP processor design developed by the Electronic Systems Division in the department of Electrical Engineer department in Linköping University. The project described in this thesis is to design a Sande-Tukey FFT processor step by step. It will go through all steps from the simplest MATLAB specification to the final synthesizable VHDL specification. The steps should be as small as possible in order to avoid error and MATLAB should be used as for as possible.

GTPases are integral components of virtually every known signal transduction pathway, and mutations in GTPases frequently cause disease. A genomic analysis identified and annotated 174 GTPases in the sea urchin genome (with 90% expressed in the embryo), covering five classes of GTP-binding proteins: the Ras superfamily, the heterotrimeric G proteins, the dynamin superfamily, the SRP/SR GTPases, and the translational GTPases. The sea urchin genome was found to contain large lineage-specific expansions within the Ras superfamily. For the Rho, Rab, Arf and Ras subfamilies, the number of sea urchin genes relative to vertebrate orthologs suggests reduced genomic complexity in the sea urchin. However, gene duplications in the sea urchin increased overall numbers, such that total sea urchin gene numbers of these GTPase families approximate vertebrate gene numbers. This suggests lineage-specific expansions as an important component of genomic evolution in signal transduction. A focused analysis on RhoA, a monomeric GTPase, shows it contributes to multiple signal transduction pathways during sea urchin development. The data reveal that RhoA inhibition in the sea urchin results in a failure to invaginate during gastrulation. Conversely, activated RhoA induces precocious archenteron invagination, complete with the associated actin rearrangements and extracellular matrix secretion. Although RhoA regulates convergent extension movements in vertebrates, our experiments show RhoA activity does not regulate convergent extension in the sea urchin. Instead, the results suggest RhoA serves as a trigger to initiate invagination, and once initiation occurs RhoA activity is no longer involved in subsequent gastrulation movements. RhoA signaling was also observed during endomesodermal specification in the sea urchin. Data show that LvRhoA activity is required, downstream of a partially characterized Early Signal, for SoxB1 clearance from endomesodermal nuclei (and subsequent expression of GataE and Endo16 genes). Investigations also suggest that within the endomesoderm, RhoA clears SoxB1 as part of Wnt8 signaling, as activated RhoA is sufficient to rescue Wnt8-inhibited embryos. These data provide evidence of the first molecular components involved in SoxB1 clearance, as well as highlight a previously unrecognized role for RhoA during endomesodermal specification. These analyses suggest RhoA signaling is integral to the proper specification and morphogenesis of the sea urchin endomesoderm. / dissertation

A semantic model oriented transformation mechanism is developed for the centralization of intra-enterprise data integration. Such a mechanism is especially crucial in the banking domain which is selected in this study. A new domain ontology is constructed to provide basis for annotations. A bottom-up approach is preferred for semantic annotations to utilize existing web service definitions. Transformations between syntactic web service XML responses and semantic model concepts are defined in transformation files. Transformation files are stored and executed in a separate central transformation repository to enhance abstraction and reusability. An RDF-Store is implemented to store transformed RDF data. Inference power of semantic model is exposed by executing semantic queries in the RDF-Store.

As the size and complexity of a software system increases, the design problem goes beyond the algorithms and data structures of the computation. Designing and specifying the overall system structure -- or software architecture -- becomes the central problem. A system's architecture provides a model of the system that hides implementation detail, allowing the architect to concentrate on the analyses and decisions that are most crucial to structuring the system to satisfy its requirements. Unfortunately, with few exceptions, current exploitation of software architecture and architectural style is informal and ad hoc. The lack of an explicit, independent characterization of architecture and architectural style significantly limits the extent to which software architecture can be exploited using current practices. Architecture Description Languages(ADL) result from a linguistic approach to the formal description of software architectures. ADLs should facilitate building of architectures, not just specification. Further, they should also address the compositionality, substitutability, and reusability issues, which are the key to successful large-scale software development. A software architecture description language with a well defined type system can facilitate compositionality, substitutability, and usability, the three keys to successful large-scale software development. Our contribution is a new software architecture description language, TriSL, which supports these features. In this talk we describe the design and implementation of TriSL and its type system. We demonstrate the power of our language and its expressiveness through case studies of real world applications.