Component-based software engineering

Abstract: From the Publisher: Component Software: Beyond Object-Oriented Programming explains the technical foundations of this evolving technology and its importance in the software market place. It provides in-depth discussion of both the technical and the business issues to be considered, then moves on to suggest approaches for implementing component-oriented software production and the organizational requirements for success. The author draws on his own experience to offer tried-and-tested solutions to common problems and novel approaches to potential pitfalls. Anyone responsible for developing software strategy, evaluating new technologies, buying or building software will find Clemens Szyperski's objective and market-aware perspective of this new area invaluable.

Abstract: Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) are integrations of computation and physical processes. Embedded computers and networks monitor and control the physical processes, usually with feedback loops where physical processes affect computations and vice versa. The economic and societal potential of such systems is vastly greater than what has been realized, and major investments are being made worldwide to develop the technology. There are considerable challenges, particularly because the physical components of such systems introduce safety and reliability requirements qualitatively different from those in general- purpose computing. Moreover, physical components are qualitatively different from object-oriented software components. Standard abstractions based on method calls and threads do not work. This paper examines the challenges in designing such systems, and in particular raises the question of whether today's computing and networking technologies provide an adequate foundation for CPS. It concludes that it will not be sufficient to improve design processes, raise the level of abstraction, or verify (formally or otherwise) designs that are built on today's abstractions. To realize the full potential of CPS, we will have to rebuild computing and networking abstractions. These abstractions will have to embrace physical dynamics and computation in a unified way.

Abstract: One of the challenges in bio-computing is to enable the efficient use and inter-operation of a wide variety of rapidly-evolving computational methods to simulate, analyze, and understand the complex properties and interactions of molecular systems. In our laboratory we investigates several areas, including protein-ligand docking, protein-protein docking, and complex molecular assemblies. Over the years we have developed a number of computational tools such as molecular surfaces, phenomenological potentials, various docking and visualization programs which we use in conjunction with programs developed by others. The number of programs available to compute molecular properties and/or simulate molecular interactions (e.g., molecular dynamics, conformational analysis, quantum mechanics, distance geometry, docking methods, ab-initio methods) is large and growing rapidly. Moreover, these programs come in many flavors and variations, using different force fields, search techniques, algorithmic details (e.g., continuous space vs. discrete, Cartesian vs. torsional). Each variation presents its own characteristic set of advantages and limitations. These programs also tend to evolve rapidly and are usually not written as components, making it hard to get them to work together.