DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTING SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS
UNIVERSITY . COMPUTING SCIENCE . SEMINARS

SEMINARS - Autumn 2006

[Talk Schedule] [Abstracts] [Previous Seminars]

The Department of Computing Science and Mathematics presents the following seminars. Unless otherwise stated, seminars will take place in Room 4B94 of the Cottrell Building, University of Stirling from 15.00 to 16.00 on Friday afternoons during semester time. For instructions on how to get to the University, please look at the following routes.

If you would like to give a seminar to the department in future or if you need more information, please contact the seminar organiser, Savi Maharaj (Phone 01786 467431, Email savi@cs.stir.ac.uk).

Talk Schedule [Top] [Abstracts]

Abstracts [Top] [Schedule]

22nd September[Schedule]

From Workflow and Use Case Scenarios to Protocols for Distributed Applications
Gregor v. Bochmann
Department of IT and Engineering, University of Ottawa

Abstract

UML Use Case Diagrams are a first step towards the definition of system requirements, however, they do not provide enough information for many purposes. UML Activity Diagrams (AD) and Use Case Maps (UCM) provide such information in a quite comprehensive manner. The first part of my talk deals with a "Core Scenario Model" (CSM) which was developed to capture the common semantics of AD and UCM, as well as performance-related information. The CSM can be easily translated into Petri nets, and it is also related to the BPEL notation of Web Services, which could be taken as an implementation environment. In the second part of my talk, I will discuss how one can derive an application protocol from system requirements given in the form of such notations together with a distributed system architecture that identifies a certain number of system components. The resulting protocol will define the behavior of all the system components in such a manner as to ensure the given requirements. This problem is relatively easy to solve if each choice between alternative actions in the requirements can be performed by one of the components alone, however, it becomes quite complex if information from several components must be considered for doing such choices. We also discuss how the concept of (distributed) transactions, in the sense of databases, can be integrated into the description of requirements.

29th September [Schedule]

Sharing Occupational Data through the Grid
Larry Tan
University of Stirling

Abstract

Grid Services, extended from Web Services, allow heterogeneity in platforms and languages for distributed computing. Grid Services implementing the WSRF (Web Services Resource Framework) specifications permits state/resource sharing. There are higher-level services and middleware to build Virtual Organisations (VO), discover resources, virtualise and share resources, and provide security mechanisms amongst collaborators.

One of the disciplines of social science research is occupational data analysis. Occupational data researchers often have joint analyses on occupational information. One of such activities is to perform occupational data matching whereby occupation variables are mapped to categories which then can be further analysed. Such collaborations are not straightforward due to incompatibility in data formats, lack of semantic descriptions and common medium to publish resources. GEODE (Grid-Enabled Occupational Data Environment), funded by the ESRC, aims to create a community for occupational data researchers to promote better collaborations within the virtual organisation. Occupational data are virtualised using data abstraction grid middleware and are semantically annotated with DDI (Document Definition Initiative) to promote usability and publicity of the resources. Occupational matching grid services are developed to perform data matching on these resources. Services and resources register with the index service for discovery by the users in the GEODE community via a web portal. The overview and architecture of GEODE, together with introductory note on Grid Computing will be covered in this presentation.

6th October [Schedule]

CalEB: a novel genetic algorithm crossover approach and its application to the scheduling of optimal biocontrol strategies for entomopathogenic nematodes
Paul Godley
University of Stirling

Abstract

This work provides empirical evidence that shows how a novel genetic algorithm (GA) crossover technique, CalEB (Calculated Expanding Bin), can produce more optimal intervention schedules than some existing techniques. The scheduling problem used in this domain is that of the application of the nematode Steinernema feltiae as a biocontrol agent to control sciarid flies in mushroom farming. CalEB facilitates both fixed length and variable length chromosome encodings, and both these approaches will be demonstrated.

13th October [Schedule]

Graphical Composition of Grid Services
Kenneth J. Turner (work with Koon Leai Larry Tan)
University of Stirling

Abstract

Grid services and web services have similarities but also significant differences. Although conceived for web services, it will be shown how Bpel (Business Process Execution Logic) can be used to orchestrate a collection of grid services. It will be explained how Cress (Chisel Representation Employing Systematic Specification) has been extended to describe grid service composition. The Cress descriptions are automatically converted into Bpel/Wsdl code for practical realisation of the composed services. This achieves orchestration of grid services deployed using the widely used Globus Toolkit and ActiveBpel interpreter. The same Cress descriptions are automatically translated into Lotos, allowing systematic checks for interoperability and logical errors prior to implementation. The toolset will be demonstrated during the seminar.

3rd November [Schedule]

Frequency Estimation in the Electronic Sales Engine using Naive Bayes
Chris Ellis
University of Stirling

Abstract

The Electronic Sales Engine (ESE) is a marketing tool used for analysing customer data. It makes predictions about buying patterns by building profiles of customers and assessing which profiles are "best". One of the problems encountered during the development of the ESE is the counting of combinations of profiles within large data sets. This seminar describes the ESE project, outlines the particular problem of frequency estimation and examines a solution to the problem using naive Bayes.

 

10th November [Schedule]

Neuroinformatics: what can E-Science offer Neuroscience
Leslie Smith
University of Stirling

Abstract

There is considerable interest within the Neuroscience community in the application of e-Science tools and techniques to problems. One recent development is the CARMEN project, a new e-Science Pilot Project, (UK research council funded) in Neuroinformatics. It aims to take advantage of the existing e-Science infrastructure to enable neuroscience experimental data archiving and sharing, allowing shared services, and the development of new services. The seminar will discuss the challenges posed by this area, and the particular aspects of the work to be undertaken at Stirling.

(Note: this is an extended version of a talk given at the recent e- Science meeting at Stirling.)

17th November [Schedule]

Formal Methods for Control Engineering: the Nicols Plot Requirements
Verifier
Ruth Hardy
University of St Andrews / Fife Council

Abstract

Hardware or software implementations of control systems are commonly used to augment engineered products by enhancing performance features, such as handling qualities, mission critical features, such as energy efficiency, or safety critical features, such as stability. Classically these control systems are developed as mathematical models, which are analysed using informal and numerical techniques. Informal techniques provide no assurance of the correctness of their results and numerical techniques only allow the analysis of the system at sample points. To provide increased assurance of the correctness of the results, formal and symbolic techniques may be integrated into the classical analysis. This integration must provide significant benefits without significantly increasing the workload or the time required for the analysis.

In this seminar I will present the NRV system, which integrates formal and symbolic techniques into the classical analysis technique of the Nichols plot. NRV was developed in the Maple-PVS-QEPCAD system, which combines the computer algebra systems Maple, the theorem prover PVS, and the QEPCAD system for quantifier elimination. I will focus particularly on how NRV exploits the efficient mathematical computation provided by Maple and the formal assurances provided by PVS to ensure that the analysis provided by NRV is automated, reliable, efficient, and requires no knowledge of formal methods.

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Last Modified: 10th November 2006