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A key challenge for the physiology modeling community is to enable the searching, objective comparison and, ultimately, re-use of models and associated data that are interoperable in terms of their physiological meaning. In this work, we outline the development of a workflow to modularize the simulation of tissue-level processes in physiology. In particular, we show how, via this approach, we can systematically extract, parcellate and annotate tissue histology data to represent component units of tissue function. These functional units are semantically interoperable, in terms of their physiological meaning. In particular, they are interoperable with respect to [i] each other and with respect to [ii] a circuitboard representation of long-range advective routes of fluid flow over which to model long-range molecular exchange between these units. We exemplify this approach through the combination of models for physiology-based pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics to quantitatively depict biological mechanisms across multiple scales. Links to the data, models and software components that constitute this workflow are found at http://open-physiology.org/.

delta modelling D A V E C L A R K E † , M I C H I E L H E L V E N S T E I J N ‡and I N A S C H A E F E R § † IBBT-DistriNet, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium Email: dave.clarke@cs.kuleuven.be ‡ CWI, Amsterdam and LIACS, Leiden University, The Netherlands Email: michiel.helvensteijn@cwi.nl § University of Braunschweig, Germany Email: i.schaefer@tu-braunschweig.de Received 23 December 2010; revised 9 December 2011Delta modelling is an approach to facilitate the automated product derivation for software product lines. It is based on a set of deltas specifying modifications that are incrementally applied to a core product. The applicability of deltas depends on application conditions over features. This paper presents abstract delta modelling, which explores delta modelling from an abstract, algebraic perspective. Compared to the previous work, we take a more flexible approach to conflicts between modifications by introducing the notion of conflict-resolving deltas. Furthermore, we extend our approach to allow the nesting of delta models for increased modularity. We also present conditions on the structure of deltas to ensure unambiguous product generation. IntroductionA software product line (SPL) is a set of software systems, called products, with welldefined commonalities and variabilities (Clements and Northrop 2001;Pohl et al. 2005). SPL engineering aims at developing this set of systems by managed reuse in order to reduce time to market and to increase product quality. MotivationProduct line variability at the requirements level is predominantly represented by feature models (Kang et al. 1990; van Deursen and Klint 2002). Features are user-visible increments of product functionality (Batory et al. 2004). Each product in the product line is identified by a valid feature configuration, i.e., a legal combination of features from the feature model. In order to be able to automatically derive a product for a particular feature configuration, some correspondence between the features on the feature modelling level and the reusable product line artefacts has to be introduced. Delta modelling (Schaefer 2010;Schaefer et al. 2009) is a modular, yet flexible and expressive modelling approach for expressing product line variability on the artefact level.In the delta modelling approach, a product line is represented by a core product and a set of product deltas. Product deltas specify modifications to the core product required to generate further products of the product line. Each delta has an application condition Abstract delta modelling 483 specifying the feature configurations to which the modifications are applicable, thereby connecting features on the feature modelling level with product line artefacts. A product corresponding to a feature configuration is obtained by applying the deltas with a valid application condition to the core product. However, the order in which the deltas are applied may influence the resulting composite modification. A conflict between deltas arises if their specified modific...

In previous work we show how abstract delta modeling can be used to model product lines. The formalism assigns a functional meaning to features from a feature model and provides a novel mechanism for resolving implementation conflicts without code duplication or overspecification. But in the vast expressive space of delta modeling, it may not be clear to a developer how to create a product line from scratch. The formalism was descriptive rather than prescriptive. To that end, we propose a development workflow based directly on Abstract Delta Modeling. We show preservation of global unambiguity and completeness in the product lines resulting from this workflow. We also show that the workflow naturally supports concurrent development.