Specifying distributed multi-agent systems in chemical reaction metaphor

Abstract

This paper presents an application of Chemical Reaction Metaphor (CRM) in distributed multi-agent systems (MAS). The suitability of using CRM to model multiagent systems is justified by CRM's capacity in specifying dynamic features of multi-agent systems. A case study in an agent-based e-learning system (course material updating) demonstrates how the CRM based language, Gamma, can be used to specify the architectures of multi-agent systems. The effectiveness of specifying multi-agent systems in CRM from the view point of software engineering is further justified by introducing a transformational method for implementing the specified multi-agent systems. A computation model with a tree-structured architecture is proposed to base the design of the specified multi-agent system during the implementation phase. A module language based on the computation model is introduced as an intermediate language to facilitate the translation of the specification of multi-agent systems. The multicast networking technology pragmatizes the implementation of communications and synchronization among distributed agents. The paper also discusses the feasibility of implementing an automatic translation from the Gamma specification to a program in the module language.

Designing Multiagent-Based Education Systems for Navigation Training

“…The Gamma language was developed as a formal language to specify programs in CRM. Existing work [1] has proven that CRM is very suitable for specifying the architectural properties of multi-agent systems. The Gamma language can specify the system behaviors without involving any implementation or platform details.…”

Specification of Multi-Agent Systems in the Gamma Language

“…This provides a mechanism for describing interagent communications and agent migration in a single framework. Interested readers are referred to [8], where a sequence of case studies show that features of those different agent systems can be grasped by the Gamma language succinctly, and a comprehensive case study in the design of an e-learning system; and [9], which presents a comprehensive method for architectural design of MASs and discussions on the implementation in the higher-order Gamma framework. It is worthwhile to note that CRM specifications separate architectures from nonessential features of the system effectively.…”

“…Given the dynamic and concurrent nature of multi-agent systems, we find that the chemical reaction metaphor provides a mechanism for describing the overall architecture of the distributed multiagent systems precisely and concisely, while giving the design of the real system a solid starting point and allowing step-bystep refinement of the system using transformational methods [8,9].…”

From Logic Specification to y-calculus

“…systems precisely and concisely while giving the design of the real system a solid starting point, and allowing stepby-step refinement of the system using transformational methods (H. Lin, 2004;H. Lin & Yang, 2006).…”

“…In our approach, the communications are defined by the logical specifications of the interfaces of the system in terms of either message passing or shared memory. The practicability of this method is further strengthened by a transformation method we have proposed to implement CRM specifications on realistic computational models (H. Lin, 2004;H. Lin & Yang, 2006).…”