Conformance notions for the coordination of interaction components

In component-based development, software components are taken as units of composition. Nevertheless, to achieve the widely disseminated status of components being plugged together as simple ‘Lego Pieces’, the integration of components must be carefully designed, systematised and verified; only this can ensure reliable architectures. In this work, we propose some conformance notions to predict the precise nature of some forms of composition, considering coordination patterns used in the integration. These notions are formalised in terms of the denotational semantics of the process algebra CSP, and assist the designer in common activities during integration, such as the substitution of component specifications by implementations, contract adaptations, and system extensions. To support mechanical verifications using FDR (a model-checker for CSP), we derive test characterisations from the denotational definitions of conformance. We illustrate the application of these notions through a systematic composition strategy of software frameworks, and we mechanically verify the preservation of behavioural component properties in these compositions. Moreover, we characterise the well-formedness of a coordination pattern used in this strategy at the design stage, before components are assembled.     

Time- and temperature-dependence of compressive and tensile behaviors of polypropylene fiber-reinforced cemented paste backfill

The understanding of compressive and tensile behaviors of polypropylene fiber-reinforced cemented paste backfill (FR-CPB) play crucial roles in the successful implementation of reinforcement technique in underground mine backfilling operations. However, very limited studies have been performed to gain insight into the evolution of compressive and tensile behaviors and associated mechanical properties of FR-CPB under various curing temperatures from early to advanced ages. Thus, this study aims to investigate the time (7, 28, and 90 d)- and temperature (20°C, 35°C, and 45°C)-dependence of constitutive behavior and mechanical properties of FR-CPB. The obtained results show that pre- and post-failure behaviors of FR-CPB demonstrate strongly curing temperature-dependence from early to advanced ages. Moreover, the pseudo-hardening behavior is sensitive to curing temperature, especially at early ages. Furthermore, the mechanical properties including elastic modulus, material stiffness, strengths, brittleness, cohesion, and internal friction angle of FR-CPB show increasing trends with curing temperature as curing time elapses. Additionally, a predictive model is developed to capture the strong correlation between compressive and tensile strength of FR-CPB. The findings of this study will contribute to the successful implementation of FR-CPB technology.     

Reliability and validity of self-reported burnout in college students: A cross randomized comparison of paper-and-pencil vs. online administration

Internet data collection is becoming increasingly popular in all research fields dealing with human perceptions, behaviors and opinions. Advantages of internet data collection, when compared to the traditional paper-and-pencil format, include reduced costs, automatic database creation, and the absence of researcher-related bias effects, such as availability and complete anonymity. However, the validity and reliability of internet gathered data must be established, in comparison to the usual paper-and-pencil accepted formats, before an inferential analysis can be done. In this study, we compared questionnaire data gathered from the internet with that from the traditional paper-and-pencil in a sample of college students. The questionnaires used were the Maslach Burnout Inventory - Student Survey (MBI-SS), the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OBI-SS) and the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI-SS). Data was gathered through a within-subject cross randomized and counterbalanced design, on both internet and paper-and-pencil formats. The results showed no interference in the application order, and a good reliability for both formats. However, concordance between answers was generally higher in the paper-and-pencil format than on the internet. The factorial structure was invariant in the three burnout inventories. Data gathered in this study supports the Internet as a convenient, user-friendly, comfortable and secure data gathering method which does not affect the accepted factorial structures existent in the paper format of the three burnout inventories used.     

Introducing concurrency in sequential Java via laws

Nowadays multi-core processors can be found everywhere. It is well known that one way of improving performance is by parallelization. In this paper we propose a parallelization strategy for Java using algebraic laws. We perform an experiment with two benchmarks and show that our strategy produces a gain similar to a specialized parallel version provided by the Java Grande Benchmark (JGB).     

Xylitol crystallization from culture media fermented by yeasts

Among sugar substitutes, an important role is played by xylitol, an aliphatic pentitol provided with some interesting properties which make it a high value product for pharmaceutical, odontological and food industries. Its production by biotechnological methods is based on fermentation of agro-industrial residues and could potentially compete with the traditional chemical way. However, crystallization is an important stage of xylitol production, since in many respects it determines the yield and quality of the target product. In the present work tests were made in order to determine the best conditions to clarify fermented media, which were then subjected to isothermal crystallization in the presence or in the absence of residual xylose and varying xylitol concentration as well as cooling temperature (−10 ≤ T_c ≤ 15 °C). Besides, the kinetics of xylitol crystallization from fermented solutions was investigated as function of the initial solution supersaturation and cooling temperature. The effect of the presence of residual xylose on the rate of crystallization was also evaluated. The best clarifying treatment was found to be 20 g l⁻¹ activated charcoal at room temperature for 1 h. The study of xylitol crystallization revealed the positive effect of the presence of residual xylose, which ensured a 1.6-fold increase in the crystallization yield (from 0.27 to 0.42).     

A study of the drainages of the pyrite mines of Aljustrel (Portugal)

Characterization of the pollution charge of drainages from pyrite mines of Aljustrel (Portugal) was made. Laboratory experiments were performed in order to recover copper by cementation and remove iron, zinc and acidity by neutralization with lime. It was found that the removal of the metal ions is completed when pH reaches a step at 5.0–5.5, whichever the ratio between Fe(II) and Fe(III).     

Phylogenetic distribution of fungal mycosporines within the Pucciniomycotina (Basidiomycota)

The synthesis of the UV Absorbing compounds named mycosporines (MYCs) has been detected in a few basidiomycetous yeast groups. Conspicuous accumulation of mycosporine-glutaminol-glucoside (MGG) in yeasts requires photo-induction and its photoprotective function has been postulated. The distribution of the ability to produce MYCs appeared to be related to the yeast taxonomic affiliation. In view of the potential significance of MYCs in yeast taxonomy, we here studied the distribution of this trait among dimorphic basidiomycetes of the Pucciniomycotina. Of the 94 fungal species (377 strains and 33 genera) tested, almost half were MYC-positive and MGG was the main compound produced. MGG synthesis was observed for representatives of five of seven Pucciniomycotina classes, indicating that this trait is widely distributed in this group. MGG detection proved useful for the differentiation of species of the polyphyletic genera, such as Rhodotorula and Sporobolomyces, that are phylogenetically separated. MGG quantification and UV tolerance studies in Cystobasidiomycetes supported the idea that the habitat of origin of each strains is important in the level of MGG synthesis and that MYCs have a photoprotective function in yeasts. The taxonomic value of this trait in fungal systematics is discussed.     

Refactoring by Transformation

In this paper we present how refactoring of object-oriented programs can be accomplished by using refinement. Our approach is based on algebraic laws of an object-oriented language for refinement similar to Java. We follow a strategy involving data and algorithmic refinement of classes.