An approach to agent-based service composition and its application to mobile business processes

This paper describes an architecture model for multiagent systems that was developed in the European project LEAP (Lightweight Extensible Agent Platform). Its main feature is a set of generic services that are implemented independently of the agents and can be installed into the agents by the application developer in a flexible way. Moreover, two applications using this architecture model are described that were also developed within the LEAP project. The application domain is the support of mobile, virtual teams for the German automobile club ADAC and for British Telecommunications.     

Adsorption of nickel and copper onto natural iron oxide-coated sand from aqueous solutions: study in single and binary systems

Natural iron oxide-coated sand (NCS), extracted from the iron ore located in North-West of Tunisia, was employed to investigate its capacity to remove copper and nickel from aqueous solutions. The aim of this work was to characterize the considered sorbent (NCS) and to assess the possibility of removing nickel and copper from aqueous solutions by this sorbent. The effects of agitation time, pH, initial metal ion concentration and temperature on the removal of these metals were studied. In order to study the sorption isotherm, two equilibrium models, the Freundlich and Langmuir isotherms, were analyzed. The effect of solution pH on the adsorption onto NCS was studied in the pH range from 2 to 7 and 2 to 9 for copper and nickel respectively. The adsorption was endothermic and the computation of the parameters, DeltaH degrees, DeltaS degrees and DeltaG degrees, indicated that the interactions were thermodynamically favourable. Experiments with Cu and Ni adsorption measured together showed that Cu severely interfered with Ni adsorption to the NCS and vice versa under the conditions of the two coexisted ions adsorption.     

A study on removal characteristics of copper from aqueous solution by sewage sludge and pomace ashes

In the present work, the abilities of sewage sludge and pomace ashes to remove copper (Cu(2+)) ions from aqueous solutions are compared. Batch adsorption experiments were performed in order to evaluate the removal efficiency of these materials. Effect of contact time, solution pH, ash concentration and temperature on the removal of Cu(2+) was investigated. The results of batch equilibrium studies showed that the solution pH was the key factor affecting the adsorption characteristics. In general, the amount of Cu removed increased as the solid concentration and pH increased, and then it remained constant over a wide pH region. The adsorption test of applying sewage sludge and pomace ashes into synthetic wastewater revealed that the adsorption data of these materials for copper ions were better fitted to the Langmuir isotherm since the correlation coefficients for the Langmuir isotherm were higher than that for the Freundlich isotherm. The estimated maximum capacities of copper adsorbed by sewage sludge and pomace ashes were 5.71 and 6.98 mg g(-1), respectively. Experimental results indicated that the adsorption was favorable at higher pH and higher temperature. Values of DeltaG degrees ranging from -4.64 to -5.13 kcal mol(-1) for sewage sludge ash and from -4.97 to -5.53 kcal mol(-1) for pomace ash suggest that the adsorption reaction is a physical process enhanced by the electrostatic effect. The values of DeltaH degrees and DeltaS degrees are, respectively, 4.27 kcal mol(-1) and 30.6 cal K(-1)mol(-1) for sewage sludge ash and 4.33 kcal mol(-1) and 31.3 cal K(-1)mol(-1) for pomace ash. The mechanisms of copper removal by these materials included adsorption and precipitation. The sewage sludge and pomace ashes are shown to be effective adsorbents for this metal.     

The Dicalcium Phosphate Dihydrate Fixator and Stabilizer of Glutaraldehyde

The dicalcium phosphate dihydrate （A） reacts with glutaraldehyde （B） in aqueous solution with a yield of 95%. The resulting product （C） is chemically stable. The obtained purity is checked by UV-Visible and the structure is discussed on the basis of the Infrared absorption FTIR. The reaction mechanism is explained by the approach of the hydroxyl group （-OH） of one of the aldehyde functions （-CO） of 1.5 dipentanal with the enolic form, which stabilizes the product （C）. The reversible reaction is performed by mild oxidation of the compound （C） in aqueous medium at ambient temperature. The compound （A） is generated with high efficiency. The comparative spectral and thermography study confirms this result.     

Haemoglobin D-Ouled Rabah among the Mozabites: a relevant variant to trace the origin of Berber-speaking populations

We have studied haemoglobin (Hb) variants and blood groups (ABO, RH, and Kell) in 598 children from the Berber population of the Mzab. Hb D-Ouled Rabah, considered as a private marker of the Kel Kummer Tuaregs, and Hb C were found at the same gene frequency (0.015). Haplotype analysis suggests a single origin to the Hb D mutation. Genetic distances calculated from the blood group data cluster Mozabites and Tuaregs with the other Berber-speaking groups, Arabic-speaking populations being more distant. But, we found no specific relationship between Mozabites and Kel Kummers. Tuaregs in general exhibit features that tend to differentiate them from other Berber-speaking groups. Hb D-Ouled Rabah may be specific of Berber-speaking populations.     

Sensitive and fast response ethanol chemical sensor based on as-grown Gd2O3 nanostructures

Well crystalline gadolinium oxide(Gd2O3) nanostructures were grown by annealing the hydrothermally as-prepared nanostructures without using any template. Microscopic studies of Gd2O3 nanostructures were recorded along the [111] direction due to the clearly resolved interplanar distance d(222)~0.31 nm of the cubic crystal structure Gd2O3. Sensing mechanism of Gd2O3 as efficient electron mediator for the detection of ethanol was explored. As-fabricated sensor demonstrated the high-sensitivity of ~0.266 μAm/M/cm2 with low detection limit(~52.2 μmol/L) and correlation coefficient(r2, 0.618). To the best of our knowledge, this was the first report for the detection of ethanol using as-grown(at 1000 oC) Gd2O3 nanostructures by simple and reliable I-V technique and rapid assessment of the reaction kinetics(in the order of seconds). The low cost of the starting reagents and the simplicity of the synthetic route made it a promising chemical sensor for the detection of various toxic analytes, which are not environmentally safe.     

A high-gain EDFA design using double-pass amplification with a double-pass filter

An erbium-doped fiber (EDF) amplifier configured in a double-pass amplification scheme together with a midway bandpass filter is presented to provide a gain as high as 37.5 dB with a noise figure of less than 6 dB. The system provides a gain improvement of as much as 9.5 dB from the double-pass system without filter. The system also can easily be upgraded to support dense wavelength-division-multiplexing (DWDM) transmissions by using a multiwavelength filter. Using a pair of four-channel DWDM multiplexer and demultiplexer, a gain of 39.53 dB for each of the channels was achieved. At the bit-error rate of 10/sup -9/, the proposed design supports the input level as low as -43 dBm with a gain of 37 dB. This is all achieved with the EDF length of 7 m and pump power of 90 mW.     

Scattering analysis of slanted fiber gratings

The diffraction efficiency of a tilted in-core fiber grating is analyzed with the scattering formalism and the first Born approximation. Without any prior physical assumptions about the shape or direction of the scattered wave, it is shown that diffraction occurs when the so-called Bragg conditions are nearly satisfied and the interaction process can be described by a pair of coupled first-order differential equations that are exactly the same as those obtained through the coupled-mode analysis.     

Preparation,characterization and thermal studies of polymer inclusion cellulose acetate membrane with calix[4]resorcinarenes as carriers

A polymer inclusion membrane (PIM) system with cellulose acetate polymer as support and calix[4]resorcinarenes as carriers has been developed. Special attention was paid to PIM characterization using scanning electron microscopy, Fourier-transform infra-red study, X-ray scattering and thermogravimetric analyses. The efficiency of the membrane transport was optimized as a function of pH, stirring speed, aqueous phases and membrane composition. The results suggested that the transport mechanism is a counter-transport of protons, the mechanism was mainly controlled by the diffusion of the complex formed in the membrane core. Analysis of lead(II) transport through these PIMs was performed. It was found that calix[4]resorcinarenes containing membranes were flexible, resistant and heterogeneous without plasticizer addition.