FENECIA: failure endurable nested-transaction based execution of composite Web services with incorporated state analysis

Interest in the Web services (WS) composition (WSC) paradigm is increasing tremendously. A real shift in distributed computing history is expected to occur when the dream of implementing Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) is realized. However, there is a long way to go to achieve such an ambitious goal. In this paper, we support the idea that, when challenging the WSC issue, the earlier that the inevitability of failures is recognized and proper failure-handling mechanisms are defined, from the very early stage of the composite WS (CWS) specification, the greater are the chances of achieving a significant gain in dependability. To formalize this vision, we present the FENECIA (Failure Endurable Nested-transaction based Execution of Composite Web services with Incorporated state Analysis) framework. Our framework approaches the WSC issue from different points of view to guarantee a high level of dependability. In particular, it aims at being simultaneously a failure-handling-devoted CWS specification, execution, and quality of service (QoS) assessment approach. In the first section of our framework, we focus on answering the need for a specification model tailored for the WS architecture. To this end, we introduce WS-SAGAS, a new transaction model. WS-SAGAS introduces key concepts that are not part of the WS architecture pillars, namely, arbitrary nesting, state, vitality degree, and compensation, to specify failure-endurable CWS as a hierarchy of recursively nested transactions. In addition, to define the CWS execution semantics, without suffering from the hindrance of an XML-based notation, we describe a textual notation that describes a WSC in terms of definition rules, composability rules, and ordering rules, and we introduce graphical and formal notations. These rules provide the solid foundation needed to formulate the execution semantics of a CWS in terms of execution correctness verification dependencies. To ensure dependable execution of the CWS, we present in the second section of FENECIA our architecture THROWS, in which the execution control of the resulting CWS is distributed among engines, discovered dynamically, that communicate in a peer-to-peer fashion. A dependable execution is guaranteed in THROWS by keeping track of the execution progress of a CWS and by enforcing forward and backward recovery. We concentrate in the third section of our approach on showing how the failure consideration is trivial in acquiring more accurate CWS QoS estimations. We propose a model that assesses several QoS properties of CWS, which are specified as WS-SAGAS transactions and executed in THROWS. We validate our proposal and show its feasibility and broad applicability by describing an implemented prototype and a case study.     

Adaptive motion/force control of uncertain nonholonomic mobile manipulator with estimation of unknown external force

This paper describes a stable adaptive motion/force control of uncertain nonholonomic mobile manipulator with the consideration of external force. As it is well known, unexpected external force makes the motion of the system unstable since there are no fixed points in the stationary coordinate. Here, a novel adaptive control scheme is utilized to estimate and compensate the unknown external force exerted to the end-effector even if the parameters of the system are uncertain. The important advantages of this approach are to achieve estimation without the requirement of force-sensing feedback and the knowledge of the system dynamic model. The update laws for the force and the parameters are derived from a Lyapunov function to guarantee the control system stability. Furthermore, a unified operational space dynamic formulation is presented to solve the problem of redundancy. As a result, the desired end-effector and platform trajectories are simultaneously tracked with a perfect coordination between the two subsystems. Therefore, the proposed controller proves that it can not only guarantee the stability, but also the tracking performance of the system in the task space. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is evaluated through extensive simulations and they demonstrate the stability, tracking trajectories and feasibility in estimating the external force and the dynamic uncertainties.     

Experimental tile with phase change materials (PCM) for building use

The use of phase change materials (PCM) and their possible architectural integration is a path in the search for optimizing energy efficiency in construction. As part of this path, a pavement has been designed which, in combination with the PCM, serves as a passive thermal conditioning system (new patent n°. ES2333092 A1) [1]. The prototype has been tested experimentally and the results proved that it is a viable constructive solution improving the energy performance of sunny locals.     

Thioether Analogues of Disulfide‐Bridged Cyclic Peptides Targeting Death Receptor 5: Conformational Analysis,Dimerisation and Consequences for Receptor Activation

Cyclic peptides containing redox‐stable thioether bridges might provide a useful alternative to disulfide‐bridged bioactive peptides. We report the effect of replacing the disulfide bridge with a lanthionine linkage in a 16‐mer cyclic peptide that binds to death receptor 5 (DR5, TRAIL‐R2). Upon covalent oligomerisation, the disulfide‐bridged peptide has previously shown similar behaviour to that of TNF‐related apoptosis inducing ligand (TRAIL), by selectively triggering the DR5 cell death pathway. The structural and biological properties of the DR5‐binding peptide and its desulfurised analogue were compared. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) data suggest that these peptides bind DR5 with comparable affinities. The same holds true for dimeric versions of these peptides: the thioether is able to induce DR5‐mediated apoptosis of BJAB lymphoma and tumorigenic BJELR cells, albeit to a slightly lower extent compared to its disulfide homologue. NMR analysis revealed subtle variation in the conformations of the two peptides and suggests that the thioether peptide is slightly less folded than its disulfide homologue. These observations could account for the different capability of the two dimers to cluster DR5 receptors on the cell surface and to trigger apoptosis. Nevertheless, our results suggest that the thioether peptide is a potential candidate for evaluation in animal models.     

Whey filtration: a review of products,application, and pretreatment with transglutaminase enzyme

In the cheese industry, whey, which is rich in lactose and proteins, is underutilized, causing adverse environmental impacts. The fractionation of its components, typically carried out through filtration membranes, faces operational challenges such as membrane fouling, significant protein loss during the process, and extended operating times. These challenges require attention and specific methods for optimization and to increase efficiency. A promising strategy to enhance industry efficiency and sustainability is the use of enzymatic pre-treatment with the enzyme transglutaminase (TGase). This enzyme plays a crucial role in protein modification, catalyzing covalent cross-links between lysine and glutamine residues, increasing the molecular weight of proteins, facilitating their retention on membranes, and contributing to the improvement of the quality of the final products. The aim of this study is to review the application of the enzyme TGase as a pretreatment in whey protein filtration. The scope involves assessing the enzyme's impact on whey protein properties and its relationship with process performance. It also aims to identify both the optimization of operational parameters and the enhancement of product characteristics. This study demonstrates that the application of TGase leads to improved performance in protein concentration, lactose permeation, and permeate flux rate during the filtration process. It also has the capacity to enhance protein solubility, viscosity, thermal stability, and protein gelation in whey. In this context, it is relevant for enhancing the characteristics of whey, thereby contributing to the production of higher quality final products in the food industry. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.     

Perfect tracking of ZMP trajectory for humanoid locomotion using repetitive control

Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology - In this paper, the tracking of the zero moment point (ZMP) trajectory for humanoid locomotion is addressed. For that, a combination of a repetitive...     

Enhancement of Bioactive Compounds and Antioxidant Activities of Olive (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Olea europaea</Emphasis> L.) Leaf Extract by Instant Controlled Pressure Drop

In this work, the effect of Détente Instantanée Contrôlée (DIC) (French for instant controlled pressure drop) on the total polyphenol, flavonoids, α-tocopherol contents, and antioxidant activities of olive leaves was studied. Olive leaf extracts were pre-treated at one cycle DIC under 0.1 MPa pressure for 11 s and followed by an extraction with 95% ethanol at 55 °C during 3 h. The phenolic compounds, flavonoïds, oleuropein, and α-tocopherol contents were determined, showing 66.63 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g db, 12 mg catechin equivalent (CE)/g db, 43.9 mg/g db, and 0.15 mg/g db for the untreated leaves against 239.37 mg GAE/g db, 28 mg CE/g db, 70.3 mg/g db, and 0.59 mg/g db for DIC-treated leaves, respectively. Therefore, DIC allows more availability of bioactive compounds contributing to a high antiradical activity (DPPH) compared to a synthetic antioxidant butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). Both extracts showed a total antioxidant capacity (method of phosphomolybdenum) greater than that of the standard BHT. Likewise, both extracts have a reducing power (FRAP test) significant concentration-dependent. The DIC-treated leaves showed a higher antioxidant capacity compared to that of untreated leaves. Thus, DIC could be an effective treatment to promote the extraction of bioactive molecules of high antioxidant activities from olive leaves.     

An Improved Polytopic Adaptive LPV Observer Design Under Actuator Fault

In this paper, we treat the problem of both state estimation and fault detection of nonlinear systems. Those systems could be described by a poly-quadratic Linear Parameter-Varying (LPV) form. A new adaptive observer is developed in terms of Linear Matrix Inequalities (LMI) technique. A feasible algorithm is developed to compute the designed parameters. This algorithm provides more flexibility and mitigates the conservatism of quadratic approach. Finally, simulation results are presented to illustrate the efficiency of the proposed method..