VOLARE: Adaptive Web Service Discovery Middleware for Mobile Systems

With the recent advent and widespread use of smart mobile devices, the flexibility and versatility offered by Service Oriented Architecture's (SOA) makes it an ideal approach to use in the rapidly changing mobile environment. However, the mobile setting presents a set of new challenges that service discovery methods developed for nonmobile environments cannot address. The requirements a mobile client device will have from a Web service may change due to changes in the context or the resources of the client device. In a similar manner, a mobile device that acts as a Web service provider will have different capabilities depending on its status, which may also change dramatically during runtime. This paper introduces VOLARE, a middleware-based solution that will monitor the resources and context of the device, and adapt service requests accordingly. The same method will be used to adapt the Quality of Service (QoS) levels advertised by service providers, to realistically reflect each provider's capabilities at any given moment. This approach will allow for more resource-efficient and accurate service discovery in mobile systems and will enable more reliable provider functionality in mobile devices

Outcomes of Descemet's membrane endothelial keratoplasty performed in combination with, before, or after cataract surgery in Fuchs' endothelial dystrophy: A review of the literature and meta-analysis

This review aimed to compare the outcomes of Descemet's membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) in combination with (category 1), before (category 2), or after cataract surgery (category 3) in patients with Fuchs' endothelial dystrophy (FED). Primary outcome was gain in best-corrected log of minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) visual acuity (BCVA). Secondary outcomes were graft detachment, rebubbling rates, rejection, failure, and endothelial cell loss (ECL). In category 1, 2, and 3, 12 studies (N = 1932) were included (five in category 1 [n = 696], one in category 2 [n = 286], and two in category 3 [n = 950], and the remaining four compared between two of the three categories). At 6 months, the gain in BCVA was 0.34 ± 0.04, 0.25 ± 0.03, and 0.38 ± 0.03 logMAR in category 1, 2, and 3, respectively. The difference was significant between categories 1 and 2 (Chi2 = 11.47, P < 0.01) and categories 2 and 3 (Chi2 = 35.53, P < 0.01). At 12 months, the gain in BCVA was 0.52 ± 0.05 and 0.38 ± 0.06 logMAR in categories 1 & 3 (Chi2 = 14.04, P < 0.01). The rebubbling rates were 15%, 4%, and 10% (P < 0.01) and the graft detachment rates were 31%, 8%, and 13% (P < 0.01) in categories 1, 2, and 3, respectively. However, graft rejection, survival rates, and ECL at 12 months were not different between categories 1 and 3. There is low certainty evidence that gain in BCVA in category 1 was comparable to category 3 at 6 months; however, it was significantly better with category 3 at 12 months. Although rebubbling and graft detachment rates were highest in category 1, there was no significant difference in graft rejection, survival rates, and ECL. Further high-quality studies are likely to change the effect estimate and have an impact on the confidence of the estimate

Current debates in urban theory: a critical assessment

Urban studies today is marked by many active debates. In an earlier paper, we addressed some of these debates by proposing a foundational concept of urbanization and urban form as a way of identifying a common language for urban research. In the present paper we provide a brief recapitulation of that framework. We then use this preliminary material as background to a critique of three currently influential versions of urban analysis, namely, postcolonial urban theory, assemblage theoretic approaches, and planetary urbanism. We evaluate each of these versions in turn and find them seriously wanting as statements about urban realities. We criticize (a) postcolonial urban theory for its particularism and its insistence on the provincialization of knowledge, (b) assemblage theoretic approaches for their indeterminacy and eclecticism, and (c) planetary urbanism for its radical devaluation of the forces of agglomeration and nodality in urban-economic geography

Unsettling planning theory

Recent political developments in many parts of the world seem likely to exacerbate rather than ameliorate the planetary-scale challenges of social polarization, inequality and environmental change societies face. In this unconventional multi-authored essay, we therefore seek to explore some of the ways in which planning theory might respond to the deeply unsettling times we live in. Taking the multiple, suggestive possibilities of the theme of unsettlement as a starting point, we aim to create space for reflection and debate about the state of the discipline and practice of planning theory, questioning what it means to produce knowledge capable of acting on the world today. Drawing on exchanges at a workshop attended by a group of emerging scholars in Portland, Oregon in late 2016, the essay begins with an introduction section exploring the contemporary resonances of ‘unsettling’ in, of and for planning theory. This is followed by four, individually authored responses which each connect the idea of unsettlement to key challenges and possible future directions. We end by calling for a reflective practice of theorizing that accepts unsettlement but seeks to act knowingly and compassionately on the uneven terrain that it creates

Sensoria Patterns: Augmenting Service Engineering with Formal Analysis, Transformation and Dynamicity

The IST-FET Integrated Project Sensoria is developing a novel comprehensive approach to the engineering of service-oriented software systems where foundational theories, techniques and methods are fully integrated into pragmatic software engineering processes. The techniques and tools of Sensoria encompass the whole software development cycle, from business and architectural design, to quantitative and qualitative analysis of system properties, and to transformation and code generation. The Sensoria approach takes also into account reconfiguration of service-oriented architectures (SOAs) and re-engineering of legacy systems. In this paper we give first a short overview of Sensoria and then present a pattern language for augmenting service engineering with formal analysis, transformation and dynamicity. The patterns are designed to help software developers choose appropriate tools and techniques to develop service-oriented systems with support from formal methods. They support the whole development process, from the modelling stage to deployment activities and give an overview of many of the research areas pursued in the Sensoria project

Prevention and Disintegration of Human Serum Albumin Fibrils under Physiological Conditions: Biophysical Aspects

An anomaly in the protein folding process can lead to aggregation or fibrillation of proteins which has been related to neurodegenerative and peripheral diseases. Therefore, it is important to understand the mechanism of prevention of aggregation/fibrillation and to design suitable inhibitors for this process. Literature information suggests that most of the work on these systems has been done on heat induced fibrils (57-65 degrees C). As a step ahead, in the present study, efforts have been made to understand the inhibition process under physiological conditions (37 degrees C, pH 7.4), which is more relevant to the fibrils formed under natural cellular environment. The qualitative and quantitative aspects of the interactions of the surfactant sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) and antiinflammatory drug diclofenac sodium (DCF) with human serum albumin at different stages of the fibrillation process have been studied employing a combination of spectroscopic, calorimetric, and microscopic techniques. Fibril formation understudied conditions was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy images and thioflavin T binding assay along with dynamic light scattering measurements. Energetics from isothermal titration calorimetry provided insights into the nature of interactions and the mechanism of inhibition. We found inhibition efficiency of the additives in the order, micellar SDS > 45 mM DCF > monomeric SDS > 5 mM DCF. The energetics of interaction, correlated with the molecular structure of inhibitors provides guidelines for effective synthesis and design of inhibitors. ITC results have imparted important relationship between inhibition efficiency and exothermicity of interactions and have demonstrated the significance of polar interactions in fibril prevention by these inhibitors. Interestingly it was found that the micellar SDS not only inhibits the process but also effectively disintegrates the formed fibrils

Partitioning of drugs in micelles and effect on micellization: Physicochemical insights with tryptophan and diclofenac sodium

Rational drug design is undoubtedly an extremely important objective for chemists and biologists. As a step in this direction, quantitative understanding of physical chemistry underlying partitioning of drugs in drug delivery vehicles such as micelles provides guidelines to meet such an objective. Interactions of tryptophan (chosen as a model drug) and diclofenac sodium (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug) have been studied with the micelles and monomers of cationic surfactant hexadecyoltrimethylammonium bromide (HTAB), non-ionic surfactant triton X-100 (TX-100), and their mixture. This has been addressed in terms of changes in physicochemical properties such as standard molar enthalpy, entropy and Gibbs free energy of partitioning in combination with pyrene fluorescence emission and dynamic light scattering measurements. The mechanism of partitioning of the drugs in individual micelles, micellar mixture, and interaction behavior with the monomers has been discussed. The energetics of interaction of partitioning, correlated with the functional groups on a wide range of drugs can be very important in deriving guidelines for target oriented synthesis. The effect of drugs on micellization properties of HTAB, TX-100 and their mixture has also been addressed. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved