AO4BPEL: An Aspect-oriented Extension to BPEL

Process-oriented composition languages such as BPEL allow Web Services to be composed into more sophisticated services using a workflow process. However, such languages exhibit some limitations with respect to modularity and flexibility. They do not provide means for a well-modularized specification of crosscutting concerns such as logging, persistence, auditing, and security. They also do not support the dynamic adaptation of composition at runtime. In this paper, we advocate an aspect-oriented approach to Web Service composition and present the design and implementation of AO4BPEL, an aspect-oriented extension to BPEL. We illustrate through examples how AO4BPEL makes the composition specification more modular and the composition itself more flexible and adaptable.     

Connecto ergo sum! an exploratory study of the motivations behind the usage of connected objects

The Internet of Things seems about to revolutionize individuals' attitudinal and behavioral patterns and their habits. Increasingly, everyday objects will come with connected features and functions. In this context, it is crucial for companies to study motivations to use connected products and to understand the specific role played by user’s connectedness. On the basis of individual interviews with 43 users of various connected objects, this research explores such motivations and proposes a theoretical framework in which desirable attributes, perceived value, and psychological traits play a key role. The results are then discussed from both theoretical and managerial perspectives.     

Analysis of fouling mechanisms in anaerobic membrane bioreactors

In this paper, we investigate the fouling mechanisms responsible for MF and UF membrane flux decline in Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactors (AnMBR). We have used the fouling mechanism models proposed by Hermia (1982), namely pore constriction, cake formation, complete blocking and intermediate blocking. Based on an optimization approach and using experimental data extracted from the literature, we propose a systematic procedure for identifying the most likely fouling mechanism in play. Short-term as well as long-term experiments are considered and discussed. It was found that short-term experiments are usually characterized by two fouling phases during which the same fouling mechanism or two different mechanisms affect the process. In contrast, in long-term experiments involving cleaning cycles, membrane fouling appears to be better ascribed to one phase only.The impact of abiotic parameters on membrane fouling mechanisms is reviewed and discussed in the light of these results. Finally, it is shown that the mechanism most responsible for membrane fouling in an AnMBR is cake formation. This main result will be useful for the future development of simple integrated models for optimization and control.     

Focusing criterion

A focusing criterion using the discrete cosine transform is described. This criterion may be used for improving an automatic focusing procedure with the aim of performing faster measurement and more objective collection of data in, for example, quality control and pattern recognition. The principle of this criterion and the set of used parameters are given. A discussion of several laboratory experiments is added to show the extended field of implementation of this criterion.<>     

The behaviour of Arabian donkey milk during acidification compared to bovine milk

To better understand the fermentation kinetic of Arabian donkey milk, its physicochemical properties, conductivity and viscosity were assessed during acidification, and compared to that of the bovine milk. Donkey milk showed a shorter latency phase and slightly lower acidification rate than bovine milk. Measurement of electric conductivity during acidification showed that maximum demineralisation of casein micelles occurred at around pH_I 5.44 for donkey milk and pH_I 5.16 for bovine milk. Donkey milk was also found to be less viscous. The technological characteristics of donkey milk were different from those of bovine milk due to intrinsic physicochemical properties of both milks.     

Elaboration of new ceramic microfiltration membranes from mineral coal fly ash applied to waste water treatment

This work aims to develop a new mineral porous tubular membrane based on mineral coal fly ash. Finely ground mineral coal powder was calcinated at 700 °C for about 3 h. The elaboration of the mesoporous layer was performed by the slip-casting method using a suspension made of the mixture of fly-ash powder, water and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). The obtained membrane was submitted to a thermal treatment which consists in drying at room temperature for 24 h then a sintering at 800 °C. SEM photographs indicated that the membrane surface was homogeneous and did not present any macrodefects (cracks, etc…). The average pore diameter of the active layer was 0.25 μm and the thickness was around 20 μm. The membrane permeability was 475 l/h m² bar.This membrane was applied to the treatment of the dying effluents generated by the washing baths in the textile industry. The performances in term of permeate flux and efficiency were determined and compared to those obtained using a commercial alumina microfiltration membrane. Almost the same stabilised permeate flux was obtained (about 100 l h⁻¹ m⁻²). The quality of permeate was almost the same with the two membranes: the COD and color removal was 75% and 90% respectively.     

Artificial electric field algorithm to extract nine parameters of triple‐diode photovoltaic model

This paper addresses a new attempt of the AEFA to define the uncertain model parameters of TDM of PV units. Two commercial PV modules are investigated with intensive simulations and necessary analysis. The parameters of AFEA based TDM are validated thru the empirical dataset points. Necessary performance assessments are made which signify the AEFA results compared to others. Dynamic simulations of MPP is performed.     

Speed improvement of B-snake algorithm using dynamic programming optimization

This paper presents a novel approach to contour approximation carried out by means of the B-snake algorithm and the dynamic programming (DP) optimization technique. Using the proposed strategy for contour point search procedure, computing complexity is reduced to O(N×M(2)), whereas the standard DP method has an O(N×M(4)) complexity, with N being the number of contour sample points and M being the number of candidates in the search space. The storage requirement was also decreased from N×M(3) to N×M memory elements. Some experiments on noise corrupted synthetic image, magnetic resonance, and computer tomography medical images have shown that the proposed approach results are equivalent to those obtained by the standard DP algorithm.     

Challenging issues in visual sensor networks [accepted from open call]

Wireless sensor networks are an important research area that has attracted considerable attention. Most of this attention, however, has been concentrated on WSNs that collect scalar data such as temperature and vibration. Scalar data can be insufficient for many applications such as automated surveillance and traffic monitoring. In contrast, camera sensors collect visual data, which are rich in information and hence offer tremendous potential when used in WSNs. However, they raise new challenges such as the transmission of visual data with high computational and bandwidth requirements in mainly low-power visual sensor networks. In this article we highlight the challenges and opportunities of VSNs. We discuss major research issues of VSNs, specifically camera coverage optimization, network architecture, and low-power visual data processing and communication, and identify enabling approaches in this area.