Deriving use case diagrams from business process models

In this paper we introduce a technique to simplify requirements capture. The technique can be used to derive functional requirements, specified in the form of UML use case diagrams, from existing business process models. Because use case diagrams have to be constructed by performing interviews, and business process models usually are available in a company, use case diagrams can be produced more quickly when derived from business proces models. The use case diagrams that result from applying the technique, specify a software system that provides automated support for the original business processes. We also show how the technique was successfully evaluated in practice

Process model comparison based on cophenetic distance

The automated comparison of process models has received increasing attention in the last decade, due to the growing existence of process models and repositories, and the consequent need to assess similarities between the underlying processes. Current techniques for process model comparison are either structural (based on graph edit distances), or behavioural (through activity profiles or the analysis of the execution semantics). Accordingly, there is a gap between the quality of the information provided by these two families, i.e., structural techniques may be fast but inaccurate, whilst behavioural are accurate but complex. In this paper we present a novel technique, that is based on a well-known technique to compare labeled trees through the notion of Cophenetic distance. The technique lays between the two families of methods for comparing a process model: it has an structural nature, but can provide accurate information on the differences/similarities of two process models. The experimental evaluation on various benchmarks sets are reported, that position the proposed technique as a valuable tool for process model comparison.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Consistency in Multi-Viewpoint Architectural Design of Enterprise Information Systems

Different stakeholders in the design of an enterprise information system have their own view on that design. To help produce a coherent design this paper presents a framework that aids in specifying relations between such views. To help produce a consistent design the framework also aids in specifying consistency rules that apply to the view relations and in checking the consistency according to those rules. The framework focuses on the higher levels of abstraction in a design, we refer to design at those levels of abstraction as architectural design. The highest level of abstraction that we consider is that of business process design and the lowest level is that of software component design. The contribution of our framework is that it provides a collection of basic concepts that is common to viewpoints in the area of enterprise information systems. These basic concepts aid in relating viewpoints by providing: (i) a common terminology that helps stakeholders to understand each others concepts; and (ii) a basis for defining re-usable consistency rules. In particular we define re-usable rules to check consistency between behavioural views that overlap or are a refinement of each other. We also present an architecture for a tool suite that supports our framework. We show that our framework can be applied, by performing a case study in which we specify the relations and consistency rules between the RM-ODP enterprise, computational and information viewpoints

A design-for-change approach: developing distributed applications from enterprise models

This paper presents a novel approach to distributed applications design. The proposed approach considers both the enterprise viewpoint and the computational\ud viewpoint of distributed applications during the design process. Two important benefits are thus accomplished: (1) the resulting distributed applications will better match the enterprise’s needs, and (2) changes in the enterprise can easily be translated to changes in the distributed application. The approach comes with a formal notation that makes it possible to define a precise relation between enterprise models and models of the distributed applications

Semantic verification of Behavior Conformance

This paper introduces a formal yet practical method to verify whether the behavior design of a distributed application conforms to the behavior design of the enterprise in which the application is embedded. The method allows both enterprise architects and application architects to talk about designs in their own terms, and introduces a common set of terms as the linking pin between enterprise and application designs. The formal semantics of these common terms allows us to verify the conformance between an enterprise and its applications formally and automatically

A Rigorous Approach to Relate Enterprise and Computational Viewpoints

Multiviewpoint approaches allow stakeholders to design a system from stakeholder-specific viewpoints. By this, a separation of concerns is achieved, which makes designs more manageable. However, to construct a consistent multiviewpoint design, the relations between viewpoints must be defined precisely, so that the consistency of designs from these viewpoints can be verified. The goal of this paper is to make the consistency rules between (a slightly adapted version of) the RM-ODP enterprise and computational viewpoints more precise and to make checking the consistency between these viewpoints practically applicable. To achieve this goal, we apply a generic framework for relating viewpoints that includes reusable consistency rules. We implemented the consistency rules in a tool to show their applicability

Pharmacotherapy in paediatric epilepsy: from trial and error to rational drug and dose selection – a long way to go

Whereas ongoing efforts in epilepsy research focus on the underlying disease processes, the lack of a physiologically-based rationale for drug and dose selection contributes to inadequate treatment response in children. In fact, limited information on the interindividual variation in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) in children drive prescription practice, which relies primarily on dose regimens according to a mg/kg basis. Such practice has evolved despite advancements in paediatric pharmacology showing that growth and maturation processes do not correlate linearly with changes in body size. Areas covered: In this review we aim to provide 1) a comprehensive overview of the sources of variability in the response to AEDs, 2) insight into novel methodologies to characterise such variation and 3) recommendations for treatment personalisation. Expert Opinion: The use of pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic principles in clinical practice is hindered by the lack of biomarkers and by practical constraints in the evaluation of polytherapy. The identification of biomarkers and their validation as tools for drug development and therapeutics will require some time. Meanwhile, one should not miss the opportunity to integrate the available pharmacokinetic data with modelling and simulation concepts to prevent further delays in the development of personalised treatments for paediatric patients

Zeezoogdieren in de Eems Evaluatie van de Vliegtuigtellingen van zeezoogdieren tussen oktober 2007 en september 2008

Groningen Seaports heeft de ambitie om de Eemshaven te ontwikkelen tot een belangrijk energiecentrum onder de naam "Energy Park Eemshaven". Bovendien worden de Eemshaven en de vaargeul naar de Noordzee verruimd en verdiept. Er komen drie soorten zeezoogdieren in het gebied voor. De meest algemene soort is de gewone zeehond, Phoca vitulina; ook worden er grijze zeehonden Halichoerus grypus en bruinvissen Phocoena phocoena in het gebied gezien. In Brasseur (2007) worden leemtes in de beschikbare kennis van de grijze zeehond en de bruinvis geconstateerd, en tevens over de winterverspreiding van de gewone zeehond. Aangezien de ontbrekende kennis noodzakelijk is om te komen tot een gedegen afweging van de mogelijke effecten van de geplande activiteiten wordt verder onderzoek aanbevolen naar: A. De ruimtelijke en temporele spreiding van de drie soorten in het gebied; B. Migratiegedrag van de drie soorten; C. Voor de zeezoogdieren frequentiespecifieke geluidscontouren van de bouwactiviteiten – met en zonder mitigatie