1,721,139 research outputs found
Software-Defined Networking in wireless ad hoc scenarios: Objectives and control architectures
No full textWhile SDN has traditionally targeted fixed and wired environments with hundreds of nodes, recently its main principles have also been followed in wireless ad hoc scenarios. However, node mobility and heterogeneity characterizing such dynamic scenarios prevent the adoption of purely centralized control solutions, pushing for more articulated and distributed architectures. We provide a thorough analysis of state-of-the-art literature related to the adoption of SDN in wireless ad hoc scenarios, ranging from WSNs with mostly fixed sensors and WMNs with mobile clients but stable routers to MANETs with every node freely moving on the field, VANETs with vehicles speeding through the network road, and FANETs with aerial vehicles flying in every direction. For each identified wireless ad hoc scenario, we present the rationale behind the adoption of SDN, recognizing that the objective of the SDN controller is far beyond mere routing management in such challenging scenarios. Furthermore, we detail the proposed control architectures, showing how the peculiar characteristics (and related goals) of a given scenario influence the architecture design. Finally, we point out hybrid control architectures as a notable trend in SDN solutions targeting wireless ad hoc scenarios
Joint Orchestration of Content-Based Message Management and Traffic Flow Steering in Industrial Backbones
No full textThe industrial internet of things has radically modified industrial environments, not only enabling novel services but also dramatically increasing the amount of generated traffic. Nowadays, a major concern within industrial plants is to support network-intensive services, such as real-time remote vibration monitoring of autonomous guided vehicles, while ensuring the prompt and reliable delivery of mission-critical safety-related messages among machines and the control room. To this purpose, we present a novel solution jointly orchestrating content-based message management and traffic flow steering: the former enables edge-powered in-network processing modules to process packet payloads as they traverse the industrial backbone, the latter supports dynamic (re)routing of traffic flows towards such processing modules. In particular, we exploit software-defined networking for flexible traffic flow (re)routing and Kubernetes for dynamic deployment on edge nodes of in-network processing modules for content-based message management. As demonstrated by performance results based on our working proof-of-concept prototype, our solution efficiently allows to manage industrial traffic flows in a coordinated fashion, by considering requirements of concurrently running industrial applications and the current state of the overall topology
Edge-Powered In-Network Processing for Content-Based Message Management in Software-Defined Industrial Networks
No full textTraditional industrial networks were characterized by flat topologies, where industrial equipment exchanged a limited number of messages. In sharp contrast, modern manufacturing plants are evolving towards articulated environments generating an ever-increasing amount of network traffic. Such emerging environments prevent the adoption of traditional solutions based on end-to-end dispatching of few messages in reliable networks with bandwidth availability much greater than needed. This leads to the need to adopt proper message management strategies as close as possible to industrial equipment to avoid overwhelming the industrial network with non-mission-critical traffic at the expense of mission-critical one. This paper originally proposes edge-powered in-network processing to i) transparently manage messages sent by industrial equipment, ii) support a broad spectrum of message management strategies, ranging from efficient header-based solutions to expressive content-based ones, and iii) fulfill the application-dependent requirements demanded by industrial environments nowadays. Achieved performance results based on a proof-of-concept prototype demonstrate that the proposed solution efficiently provides content-based message management at the edge, even considering edge nodes with limited hardware capabilities
Efficacy and safety of hyaluronic acid (500-730kDa) ultrasound-guided injections on painful tendinopathies: A prospective, open label, clinical study
No full textBackground: Tendinopathies are conditions characterized by activity-induced pain, local tenderness and swelling for which a gold standard treatment is not established yet. Hyaluronic Acid (HA) is a key-molecule in several cellular activities and it is normally present in the extra-cellular matrix of tendons and ligaments. Amongst its properties, HA injections may reduce pain and determine disease-modifying effects. This study is an investigator-initiated open-label trial conducted to investigate the efficacy and safety of HA (500-730 kDa) peritendinous injections on pain reduction in patients affected by lateral elbow, Achilles or patellar tendinopathy. Methods: A total of 71 tendons (34 with Achilles tendinopathy, 26 with lateral elbow tendinopathy, 11 with patellar tendinopathy) of 62 patients with painful tendinopathy were treated with a cycle of ultrasound-guided peritendinous injections one injection per week for three consecutive weeks. Efficacy assessments included changes in pain intensity measured by Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) at follow-up evaluations were performed 7 (V2), 14 (V3) and 56 days aften first treatment. An Ultrasound (US) assessment was also performed to evaluate changes in tendon thickness and neovascularization. Adverse events were recorded for safety analysis throughout the study. All results were analyzed with descriptive statistics appropriate to the nature of the variables. Results: Significant reduction in VAS (p<0.001) from baseline was observed in Achilles (-6.16 ± 0.45 cm), patellar (-6.16 ± 0.72 cm) and lateral elbow (-5.33 ± 0.43 cm) tendinopathies. The sagittal thickness decreased significantly from baseline at each endpoint (V3 day 14 and V4 day 56) in each type of tendinopathy analyzed (p<0.05). Neovascularization decreased for each tendons at V3 and V4, except for patellar tendon at V3 V1 (p=0.125). Nevertheless, reduction at V4 compared to baseline remained significant (p=0.016). Conclusions: US-guided HA (500-730 kDa) peritendinous injections determine significant pain relief and reduction in tendon thickness and neovascularization in US evaluations. The effect of HA did not show differences regarding the site of affected tendon. The treatment proved to be safe and very well tolerated. Level of evidence: 4
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Impact of peritendineum ultrasound guided injections of a 500-730 KDA hyaluronic acid in amateur athletes with achilles, patellartendinopathy and lateral epicondylitis
No full textZero Trust Architecture and Digital Twin to Improve the Cybersecurity Posture of Distributed Smart Factory Environments
No full textThe advent of the Industrial Internet Of Things (IIoT) has pushed the integration of Information Technology (IT) and Operational Technology (OT). In Distributed Smart Factory environments, this has enabled novel Industry 4.0 applications, with software components deployed in the Cloud-toedge continuum and Digital Twins (DTs) adopted as bridges towards industrial machines. However, the IT/OT convergence has also raised serious cybersecurity challenges, making obsolete traditional defense approaches typically based on the assumption that plant topology borders clearly split among trust and untrust devices. Based on these considerations, the paper proposes the adoption of the Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA) to improve the cybersecurity posture of Distributed Smart Factory environments. In particular, we identify original design guidelines to support the development and management of ZTA-aware Industry 4.0 applications accessing industrial machines via their DTs in a selective and configurable manner. The developed prototype has been tested both in a real-world industrial environment and in a virtualized testbed, with the twofold goal of demonstrating the feasibility as well as the scalability of the proposed solution
COMPARISON OF HOMOLOGOUS POLYTENE CHROMOSOMES IN PHASEOLUS-COCCINEUS EMBRYO SUSPENSOR CELLS - MORPHOLOGICAL, AUTORADIOGRAPHIC AND CYTOPHOTOMETRIC ANALYSES
No full textVariations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
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