102 research outputs found
Diagnosing and measuring incompatibilities between pairs of services
International audienceThis text presents a tool, from its design to its implementation, which detects all behavioural incompatibilities between two service interfaces. Unlike prior work, the proposed solution does not simply check whether two services are incompatible or not, it rather provides detailed diagnosis, including the incompatibilities and for each one the location in the service interfaces where these incompatibilities occur. A measure of similarity between interfaces which considers outputs from the detection algorithm is proposed too. A visual report of the comparison analysis is also provided which pinpoints a set of incompatibilities that cause a behavioural interface not to simulate another one
Pattern formation in 2-frequency forced parametric waves
We present an experimental investigation of superlattice patterns generated
on the surface of a fluid via parametric forcing with 2 commensurate
frequencies. The spatio-temporal behavior of 4 qualitatively different types of
superlattice patterns is described in detail. These states are generated via a
number of different 3--wave resonant interactions. They occur either as
symmetry--breaking bifurcations of hexagonal patterns composed of a single
unstable mode or via nonlinear interactions between the two primary unstable
modes generated by the two forcing frequencies. A coherent picture of these
states together with the phase space in which they appear is presented. In
addition, we describe a number of new superlattice states generated by 4--wave
interactions that arise when symmetry constraints rule out 3--wave resonances.Comment: The paper contains 34 pages and 53 figures and provides an extensive
review of both the theoretical and experimental work peformed in this syste
Analysis and Verification of Service Interaction Protocols - A Brief Survey
Modeling and analysis of interactions among services is a crucial issue in
Service-Oriented Computing. Composing Web services is a complicated task which
requires techniques and tools to verify that the new system will behave
correctly. In this paper, we first overview some formal models proposed in the
literature to describe services. Second, we give a brief survey of verification
techniques that can be used to analyse services and their interaction. Last, we
focus on the realizability and conformance of choreographies.Comment: In Proceedings TAV-WEB 2010, arXiv:1009.330
The future for Mediterranean wetlands: 50 key issues and 50 important conservation research questions
Wetlands are critically important for biodiversity and human wellbeing, but face a range of challenges. This is especially true in the Mediterranean region, where wetlands support endemic and threatened species and remain integral to human societies, but have been severely degraded in recent decades. Here, in order to raise awareness of future challenges and opportunities for Mediterranean wetlands, and to inform proactive research and management, we identified (a) 50 key issues that might affect Mediterranean wetlands between 2020 and 2050, and (b) 50 important research questions that, if answered, would have the greatest impact on the conservation of Mediterranean wetlands between 2020 and 2050. We gathered ideas through an online survey and review of recent literature. A diverse assessment panel prioritised ideas through an iterative, anonymised, Delphi-like process of scoring, voting and discussion. The prioritised issues included some that are already well known but likely to have a large impact on Mediterranean wetlands in the next 30 years (e.g. the accumulation of dams and reservoirs, plastic pollution and weak governance), and some that are currently overlooked in the context of Mediterranean wetlands (e.g. increasing desalination capacity and development of antimicrobial resistance). Questions largely focused on how best to carry out conservation interventions, or understanding the impacts of threats to inform conservation decision-making. This analysis will support research, policy and practice related to environmental conservation and sustainable development in the Mediterranean, and provides a model for similar analyses elsewhere in the world
DNA from Plant leaf Extracts: A Review for Emerging and Promising Novel Green Corrosion Inhibitors.
With growing global awareness and concern for environmental protection through
the use of less hazardous and environmentally-friendly extracts of plant origin,
there has been a plethora of green corrosion inhibitors research with far reaching
contributions to the science of corrosion prevention and control. Attention has
increasingly turned towards green corrosion inhibitors, compounds of natural
origin with anti-oxidant activity towards metals and their alloys. Green inhibitors
have been investigated for their corrosion and adsorption properties with good
results. The findings from these research works provide evidence of the
adsorption behavior of green inhibitors which was confirmed by the adsorption
isotherms that were proposed. Adsorption is the first step of any surface reaction
and since corrosion is a surface phenomenon the effectiveness of green corrosion
inhibitors is related to their ability to adsorb on metal surfaces. This review
proposes the potential of plant dna as an emerging and promising novel inhibitor
for mild steel. It begins with a list of plants that have been used in studies to
determine corrosion inhibition properties and moves on to establish the adsorption
behavior of bio macromolecules; protein, polysaccharides (chitosan) and dna. It
reviews studies and investigation of dna interaction and adsorption on inorganic
surfaces before focusing on the use of salmon (fish) sperm dna and calf thymus
gland dna as green corrosion inhibitors for mild steel. It concludes that plant dna
is a promising candidate for green corrosion inhibitor given the similarity between
the plant and animal dna structure and function, and the fact that the use of plant
is more environmentally sustainable than animal-based produc
Volatile Sulfur Compounds in Foods as a Result of Ionizing Radiation
Ionizing radiation improves food safety and extends shelf life by inactivating food-borne pathogens and spoilage microorganisms. However, irradiation may induce the development of an off-odor, particularly at high doses. The off-odor has been called “irradiation odor”. Substantial evidence suggests that volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs) play an important role in the development of the off-odor. These compounds include hydrogen sulfide, methanethiol, methyl sulfide, dimethyl disulfide and dimethyl trisulfide among others. The formation of off-odor and VSCs due to irradiation in meat, and fruit juices is presented. It is known that irradiation exerts its effect through radiolysis of water in foods where water is a dominant component. Irradiation of water produces three primary free radicals: hydroxyl, hydrogen atoms, and hydrated electrons. Use of specific scavengers in a model system revealed that hydroxyl radicals are involved in the formation of VSCs. Possible mechanisms for formation of VSC are also discussed. Also discussed are possible remedies for formation of VSCs and off-odor, such as use of antioxidants and double packaging
Vinculin controls talin engagement with the actomyosin machinery
The link between extracellular-matrix-bound integrins and intracellular F-actin is essential for cell spreading and migration. Here, we demonstrate how the actin-binding proteins talin and vinculin cooperate to provide this link. By expressing structure-based talin mutants in talin null cells, we show that while the C-terminal actin-binding site (ABS3) in talin is required for adhesion complex assembly, the central ABS2 is essential for focal adhesion (FA) maturation. Thus, although ABS2 mutants support cell spreading, the cells lack FAs, fail to polarize and exert reduced force on the surrounding matrix. ABS2 is inhibited by the preceding mechanosensitive vinculin-binding R3 domain, and deletion of R2R3 or expression of constitutively active vinculin generates stable force-independent FAs, although cell polarity is compromised. Our data suggest a model whereby force acting on integrin-talin complexes via ABS3 promotes R3 unfolding and vinculin binding, activating ABS2 and locking talin into an actin-binding configuration that stabilizes FAs
Intravesical device-assisted therapies for non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer
Non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), the most prevalent type of bladder cancer, accounts for ~75% of bladder cancer diagnoses. This disease has a 50% risk of recurrence and 20% risk of progression within 5 years, despite the use of intravesical adjuvant treatments (such as BCG or mitomycin C) that are recommended by clinical guidelines. Intravesical device-assisted therapies, such as radiofrequency-induced thermochemotherapeutic effect (RITE), conductive hyperthermic chemotherapy, and electromotive drug administration (EMDA), have shown promising efficacy. These device-assisted treatments are an attractive alternative to BCG, as issues with supply have been a problem in some countries. RITE might be an effective treatment option for some patients who have experienced BCG failure and are not candidates for radical cystectomy. Data from trials using EMDA suggest that it is effective in high-risk disease but requires further validation, and results of randomized trials are eagerly awaited for conductive hyperthermic chemotherapy. Considerable heterogeneity in patient cohorts, treatment sessions, use of maintenance regimens, and single-arm study design makes it difficult to draw solid conclusions, although randomized controlled trials have been reported for RITE and EMDA
Preferred Orientation Contribution to the Anisotropic Normal State Resistivity in Superconducting Melt-Cast Processed Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ
We describe how the contribution of crystallographic texture to the anisotropy of the
resistivity of polycrystalline samples can be estimated by averaging over crystallographic orientations
through a geometric mean approach. The calculation takes into account the orientation distribution
refined from neutron diffraction data and literature values for the single crystal resistivity tensor. The
example discussed here is a melt-cast processed Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+ (Bi-2212) polycrystalline tube in
which the main texture component is a fiber texture with relatively low texture strength.
Experimentally-measured resistivities along the longitudinal, radial, and tangential directions
of the Bi-2212 tube were compared to calculated values and found to be of the same order of
magnitude. Calculations for this example and additional simulations for various texture strengths
and single crystal resistivity anisotropies confirm that in the case of highly anisotropic phases such
as Bi-2212, even low texture strengths have a significant effect on the anisotropy of the resistivity in polycrystalline samples
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