infonet-economy

We present an overview of the research directions, projects and applications of the Object Systems Group.

In this paper we address the effective use of the object-oriented programming approach for concurrent programming from a language design viewpoint. We present a set of requirements for the design of concurrent object-oriented languages. We then use a particular language, Hybrid, as a concrete example and examine to what extent its features meet these requirements. We identify the solutions offered by Hybrid and its shortcomings and we underline both the difficulties and promising directions for the design of concurrent object-oriented languages.

Although standard psychological treatments have been successful in treating several core features in eating disorders (ED), other characteristics such as emotional regulation or impulsivity appear to be more resistant to change. There is a growing body of evidence to support the efficacy of cognitive remediation for cognitive and emotional difficulties in ED. Playmancer/ Islands is a video game (VG) designed to specifically treat mental disorders, characterized by problems in impulse control. The objective of the game is to increase self-control over emotions, decision making and behaviours. The aim of this study is to describe the results from a consecutive series of nine bulimia nervosa patients who were treated with the VG in addition to cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT). The outcomes included clinical and psychopathological questionnaires, and physiological measures were obtained during the VG. Emotional regulation improved, heart rate variability increased, and respiratory rate and impulsivity measures reduced after the treatment. These findings suggest that VG training may enhance treatment for ED. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.

The messenger paradigm advocates the exchange of programs called messengers between communicating hosts instead of messages. Each host contains a messenger execution environment called messenger platform. Messengers are expressed in a language understood by all the platforms. A distributed messenger environment is a collection of messenger platforms linked through an unreliable network offering only a datagram service. Provision of coordination services in such an environment has to be handled in a new way since threads of controls are mobile (messengers move from host to host). The classical client/server paradigm based on a data exchange mechanism is not suitable for a messenger environment. In this paper we discuss how communication services might be provided in messenger environments using as an example the distributed semaphore service in the MØ distributed messenger environment. A distributed semaphore allows messengers executing on different hosts to synchronize their execution independently of their physical location.

In this paper, we describe a technique for integrating heterogeneous information systems using concept bases. A concept base is build on top of each system to integrate, in order to semantically enrich its description. Each concept is described at three different levels: terminological definition, formal characterization, and representation in the underlying system. The different concept bases are then used to compare the concepts represented in the different systems and to establish correspondences between them in order to facilitate communication, cooperation, or integration. Our approach relies on results of the ConcepTerm project, dedicated to the study of concept dictionary building methodology and process. We also show that the building of a concept base can benefit database design and high-level interface definitions.