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System-Level Specification and Modeling Languages
Published in Louis Scheffer, Luciano Lavagno, Grant Martin, EDA for IC System Design, Verification, and Testing, 2018
In the synchronous-reactive model of computation, we consider reactive systems, meaning systems that respond to events from the environment. A reactive system described with a synchronous model instantaneously computes its reaction, modifies its state, and produces outputs. Of course, physical realizations cannot react instantaneously but as for synchronous circuits, what is really required is that the reaction can be computed before the deadline arrives for the processing of the next event (typically the next clock cycle boundary, minus any setup and hold times for a synchronous circuit). The concepts used in synchronous languages originate in the synchronous process calculi of Milner [38]. The best known textual synchronous languages are Esterel [4], LUSTRE [14], and SIGNAL [39]. There are also several variants of Statecharts that have synchronous-reactive semantics:* Argos [36] and SyncCharts [37]. An excellent survey of the synchronous model and principal languages can be found in [40].
Sharing Information
Published in Kirk Hausman, Sustainable Enterprise Architecture, 2011
Synchronous means of communication build more rapid and efficient mechanisms for teamwork and collaboration, because participants can quickly correct misunderstandings or amplify unclear information. Feedback is immediate, allowing convergence of understanding much more rapidly than is possible through asynchronous connectivity. Subtle nuances in language use and inflection can produce enhanced understanding when synchronous systems include voice and video content, while simple chat interfaces and instant messaging allow managers to respond to emerging issues rapidly, without having to miss other events requiring their physical presence.
Models and Tools for Complex Embedded Software and Systems
Published in Luciano Lavagno, Igor L. Markov, Grant Martin, Louis K. Scheffer, Electronic Design Automation for IC System Design, Verification, and Testing, 2017
In the synchronous FSM model, signal propagation is assumed to be instantaneous. Transitions and the evaluation of the next state occur for all the system components at the same time. Synchronous languages, such as Esterel and Lustre, are based on this model. In the asynchronous model, two asynchronous FSMs never execute a transition at the same time except when explicit rendezvous is explicitly specified (a pair of transitions of the communicating FSMs occur simultaneously). The Specification and Description Language (SDL) process behavior is an instance of this general model.
Effects on cognition of the burn after reading principle in ephemeral media applications
Published in Behaviour & Information Technology, 2019
Christof van Nimwegen, Kristi Bergman
There have never before been more ways to communicate with one another. Once limited to face-to-face conversation, we have developed new technologies for interaction (Baym 2015). The first technologies invented were the ones that enabled people to directly talk to one another at a distance. Telephone and video chat are examples of technologies enabling synchronous communication. Later on, technologies were invented that not only enabled people to talk to one another without being physically co-present, but even enabled people to communicate without being time-synchronised. This phenomenon, of which sending and receiving letters is the precursor, is known as a-synchronous communication. The digital age provided us with many a-synchronous communication platforms, of which email, chat, web boards and social networking sites are examples (Baym 2015). In the early years of digital a-synchronous communication, all communication artefacts were characterised by persistence; they were saved for an undetermined period of time. Just as letters persist from the moment they are sent until the moment the receiver disposes of them, e-mails persist from the moment they are sent until the moment the receiver deletes them. When an e-mail is not deleted, it will forever persist in the mailbox of the receiver. A visual representation of the concept of persistence is provided in Figure 1. The horizontal line represents time of persistence.
Quantifying the qualitative with epistemic network analysis: A human factors case study of task-allocation communication in a primary care team
Published in IISE Transactions on Healthcare Systems Engineering, 2018
Abigail R. Wooldridge, Pascale Carayon, David Williamson Shaffer, Brendan Eagan
Effective teams can improve patient safety (Baker et al., 2012). Team leadership, including the management and distribution of team tasks, is key to effective team performance and, consequently, to patient safety (Thomas et al., 2004; Zaccaro et al., 2002). In this case study, we focus on how primary care teams communicate to allocate tasks, with the Shannon-Weaver model of 1948 as our framework, as it is the most impactful communication model (Hollnagel and Woods, 2005). In this framework, a sender encodes a message that is transmitted to a receiver (Shannon, 1948). The Shannon-Weaver model is often extended to include a response from the receiver to the sender, forming a complete, dyadic communication (Dayton and Henriksen, 2007; Hollnagel and Woods, 2005). This study focuses on dyadic communication between two parties (Panko and Kinney, 1992) to assign tasks in a primary care team, which we refer to as task-allocation communication. Although the Shannon-Weaver model focused on telephonic communication, message transmission can occur via other modes as well, such as face-to-face speech, e-mail and written note. Researchers categorize these communication modes as synchronous or asynchronous. Synchronous communication requires simultaneous interaction between two parties, and asynchronous communication allows the recipient to handle the message when it is convenient (Parker and Coiera, 2000).
The Impact of Technology Availability and Structural Guidance on Group Development in Workgroups Using Computer-Mediated Communication
Published in Information Systems Management, 2018
Russell Haines, Richard W. Scamell, Jaymeen R. Shah
Within organizations, members of collocated short-term workgroups traditionally work together at the same place and time. On the other hand, members of short-term virtual workgroups do not share common workspace and time because of spatial and temporal separation that typically result in time lags between messages exchanged among members (Mulder, Swaak, & Kessels, 2004; Robert, Dennis, & Hung, 2009; Walther, 1995; Yilmaz, 2011). The degree of time delay between messages sent versus received between workgroup members classifies communication as synchronous or asynchronous. Synchronous communication between workgroup members occurs in approximately real time, whereas in asynchronous workgroup communication there is a more pronounced time lag between messages exchanged. This study takes a methodological step toward measuring effects of IT on collaborative group work. Previous studies used large workgroups in face-to-face meetings and complicated technology that typically included separate systems for brainstorming, voting, or other features, each of which had to be learned over the course of the experiment (e.g., Limayem et al., 2006). This study used relatively simple technologies that were easy to learn and directly applicable to the group’s task: e-mail and chat applications. These technologies are used in virtually all contemporary organizations for accomplishing decision-making, coordination, and other knowledge work tasks without meeting face-to-face or even at the same time. Thus, unlike in the past studies, participants in this study mastered these technologies quickly. This study is relevant to both practitioners and academics as workgroups that communicate via CMC are widely used in industry. The managerial and research implications of this study are discussed in the “Implications for managers” and “Implications for further research” sections, respectively.