Federated Embedded Systems – a review of the literature in related fields

This report is concerned with the vision of smart interconnected objects, a vision that has attracted much attention lately. In this paper, embedded, interconnected, open, and heterogeneous control systems are in focus, formally referred to as Federated Embedded Systems. To place FES into a context, a review of some related research directions is presented. This review includes such concepts as systems of systems, cyber-physical systems, ubiquitous computing, internet of things, and multi-agent systems. Interestingly, the reviewed fields seem to overlap with each other in an increasing number of ways

Cognitive interconnections

Introduction. Originally conceived as a non-commercial infrastructure, the Internet has gradually morphed into the largest ‘connectivity machine’ ever built. Business, entertainment, social life and politics are heavily reliant on the Web, which in turn requires a fully-operational network. Yet, unlike any other complex machine, the Internet has not been built with the knowledge of what it was later supposed to be doing. So now, many worry that it will fail under the strain of time- and dataintensive applications. HD Video, Cloud Services and the Internet of Things are already making this issue apparent. What will happen when new applications that are not yet in sight emerge? In this lecture I will explain why the time is ripe for a complete overhaul of the net, highlighting its actual flaws. I will discuss the network mechanisms that will help to shape the next-generation Internet, focusing on the prospects and hurdles of ‘cognitive’ networking

Technology and market conditions toward a new competitive landscape in the wireless access market

This article argues that the wireless telecommunication market is about to witness a shift in business models and market structure as a result of the deployment of new broadband access technologies, spectrum management techniques, policy-based network management, and the drive of new entrants to compete against the incumbents. The article discusses four agents of evolutionary changes: a range of broadband wireless access standards and technologies that are frontrunners in the industry’s efforts to embody the next generation of wireless networks; new provider-customer relationships facilitated through changes in the usual contract patterns that will allow consumers to enter short-term and spot contracts with the new wireless providers; an overview of the current debate on spectrum management; and an explanation of how autonomic communications and policybased management would support the new structure. Finally, the article asserts the necessity for the integration of the heterogeneous technologies that make up this emerging, hybrid wireless landscape, and describes the economic characteristics of a new competitive scenario.Postprint (published version

Investigating the physiological underpinnings of proactive and reactive behavioural types in grey seals (Halichoerus grypus): Trial deployment of a minimally invasive data logger for recording heart rate and heart rate variability in a wild free-ranging breeding pinniped species

Individuals differ non-randomly in their responses to stressors, exhibiting consistent individual differences (CIDs) in behavioural and physiological coping mechanisms commonly referred to as coping styles. Grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) are one of the few mammal species in which CIDs in stress responses have been documented in wild populations, though evidence thus far has been purely behavioural. Physiologically, coping styles can be distinguished by differences in the autonomic regulation of cardiac activity, which can be measured using heart rate variability (HRV). The objectives of this study were two-fold. First, to assess the suitability of Polar® RS800CX monitors and H2/H3 sensors for conducting HRV analyses in grey seals. Second, to quantify inter-individual variation, repeatability, and reproductive performance correlates of baseline HRV. Polar® devices were deployed successfully during the 2013 breeding season on female grey seals (N = 15) on the Isle of May, Scotland, and were capable of recording HR patterns that characterise phocid seals at rest on land. However, artefacts were widespread and biased HRV metrics. Filtration and correction protocols were able to counteract the effects of artefacts, but severely limited the amount of data available for analysis. There were significant inter-individual differences in baseline HRV, which could not be explained by factors associated with the breeding season (e.g. percentage mass loss, day of lactation), diurnal rhythms (e.g. time of day), or stressors (e.g. days since capture). These differences in baseline HRV showed consistency across early and late lactation. Individuals appeared to separate into two groups: those with consistently lower or higher baseline HRV, characteristic of proactive and reactive coping styles, respectively. Furthermore, females with lower baseline HRV showed greater maternal transfer efficiency – though there were no associations between baseline HRV and maternal expenditure (i.e. maternal mass loss, kgday–1) or fitness outcomes (i.e. pup mass gain, kgday–1). These findings build upon previous studies on behavioural CIDs in female grey seals by providing the first preliminary evidence for physiological CIDs that are associated with maternal investment. However, due to small sample sizes, further studies are required to determine whether these findings are truly indicative of coping styles. In their current form, the use of Polar® devices requires several caveats and further studies are needed to fully realise their potential. Future research should focus on validation against simultaneously recorded ECGs to improve artefact detection and correction, and modification to minimise the occurrence of artefacts. Despite their limitations, Polar® devices have immense potential as a minimally invasive research tool for conducting HRV analyses in the field

Resource Management in Converged Optical and Millimeter Wave Radio Networks: A Review

Three convergent processes are likely to shape the future of the internet beyond-5G: The convergence of optical and millimeter wave radio networks to boost mobile internet capacity, the convergence of machine learning solutions and communication technologies, and the convergence of virtualized and programmable network management mechanisms towards fully integrated autonomic network resource management. The integration of network virtualization technologies creates the incentive to customize and dynamically manage the resources of a network, making network functions, and storage capabilities at the edge key resources similar to the available bandwidth in network communication channels. Aiming to understand the relationship between resource management, virtualization, and the dense 5G access and fronthaul with an emphasis on converged radio and optical communications, this article presents a review of how resource management solutions have dealt with optimizing millimeter wave radio and optical resources from an autonomic network management perspective. A research agenda is also proposed by identifying current state-of-the-art solutions and the need to shift all the convergent issues towards building an advanced resource management mechanism for beyond-5G