Robust Energy Management for Green and Survivable IP Networks

Despite the growing necessity to make Internet greener, it is worth pointing out that energy-aware strategies to minimize network energy consumption must not undermine the normal network operation. In particular, two very important issues that may limit the application of green networking techniques concern, respectively, network survivability, i.e. the network capability to react to device failures, and robustness to traffic variations. We propose novel modelling techniques to minimize the daily energy consumption of IP networks, while explicitly guaranteeing, in addition to typical QoS requirements, both network survivability and robustness to traffic variations. The impact of such limitations on final network consumption is exhaustively investigated. Daily traffic variations are modelled by dividing a single day into multiple time intervals (multi-period problem), and network consumption is reduced by putting to sleep idle line cards and chassis. To preserve network resiliency we consider two different protection schemes, i.e. dedicated and shared protection, according to which a backup path is assigned to each demand and a certain amount of spare capacity has to be available on each link. Robustness to traffic variations is provided by means of a specific modelling framework that allows to tune the conservatism degree of the solutions and to take into account load variations of different magnitude. Furthermore, we impose some inter-period constraints necessary to guarantee network stability and preserve the device lifetime. Both exact and heuristic methods are proposed. Experimentations carried out with realistic networks operated with flow-based routing protocols (i.e. MPLS) show that significant savings, up to 30%, can be achieved also when both survivability and robustness are fully guaranteed

Energy management in communication networks: a journey through modelling and optimization glasses

The widespread proliferation of Internet and wireless applications has produced a significant increase of ICT energy footprint. As a response, in the last five years, significant efforts have been undertaken to include energy-awareness into network management. Several green networking frameworks have been proposed by carefully managing the network routing and the power state of network devices. Even though approaches proposed differ based on network technologies and sleep modes of nodes and interfaces, they all aim at tailoring the active network resources to the varying traffic needs in order to minimize energy consumption. From a modeling point of view, this has several commonalities with classical network design and routing problems, even if with different objectives and in a dynamic context. With most researchers focused on addressing the complex and crucial technological aspects of green networking schemes, there has been so far little attention on understanding the modeling similarities and differences of proposed solutions. This paper fills the gap surveying the literature with optimization modeling glasses, following a tutorial approach that guides through the different components of the models with a unified symbolism. A detailed classification of the previous work based on the modeling issues included is also proposed

Effect of different pastures on CLA content in milk and sheep cheese

It is known that milk composition included conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is affected by animal feeding system (Cabiddu et al., 2001). In Sardinia dairy sheep feeding is mainly based on pastures. Most of them are characterised by self-regenerating species, like annual ryegrass (Lolium rigidum Gaudin) and burr medic (Medicago polymorpha L.). Non conventional species belonging to the Compositae family such as (Chrysanthemum coronarium L.) seem interesting for sheep feeding when other herbages decrease in quality (late spring- early summer). It was observed that C. coronarium establishes rapidly, can be grazed early in the growing season and persist where other pasture species may disappear; for these reasons it can be considered a valuable source of food. Moreover a preliminary study with dairy sheep fed fresh forage of C. coronarium showed relatively high levels of CLA in milk (Molle G. pers. com.) The aim of the present work was to study the influence of different pastures on milk composition, with particular reference to CLA and its precursors

Differential feeding rates of native and alien predators on the invasive Asian date mussel Arcuatula senhousia (Benson in cantor, 1842) in a Mediterranean coastal lagoon

The alien Asian date mussel Arcuatula senhousia inhabits several coastal environments worldwide. This species can form dense mats where individuals attach through byssus threads, thus altering the structure, functioning and biodiversity of the native communities. We investigated the feeding preference of different predators on this alien species in a Mediterranean coastal lagoon. To do this, a mesocosm experiment was conducted using two crab species (the Mediterranean green crab Carcinus aestuarii) and the Say mud crab Dyspanopeus sayi, and one gastropod, the banded dye-murex Hexaplex trunculus as predators of A. senhousia with or without byssus mats. Our data suggest that C. aestuarii is a more effective predator against A. senhousia than D. sayi, and that H. trunculus is almost ineffective. A possible implication of this result is the potential use of the native crab C. aestuarii for limit the formation of the byssus mats, thus mitigating their potential negative effects on the native communities

L’ATTO AMMINISTRATIVO PRESUPPOSTO

My thesis is about the supposed administrative act. I deal with the subject in three chapters speaking about three essential points. In the first chapter I deal with the way in which the supposed act influences the validity, the efficacy and the essential being of the acts supposing it. At the first I make a survey of the doctrinal reconstruction of the phenomenon, then I deal with the subject in a general theory by the light of juridical dynamics. In the second chapter I analyze the phenomenon of derivative invalidity, lingering over the invalidity cancelling of which I deny the theoretical foundations. At the last, in the third chapter, I dwell upon the legal spin-off of practical reconstructions. In this chapter, by the light of new set of rules introduced in legal administrative law, I question the practical foundations too, and the real utility of invalidity cancelling

Biology, ecology and management perspectives of overexploited deposit-feeders sea cucumbers, with focus on Holothuria tubulosa (Gmelin, 1788)

The increasing harvesting of low trophic level organisms is raising concern about the possible consequences on the ecosystem functioning. In particular, the continuous demand of sea cucumbers from the international market led to the overexploitation of either traditionally harvested or new target species, including the Mediterranean ones. Sea cucumbers are mostly deposit feeders able to consume sedimentary organic matter and, thus, are ideal candidate for the remediation of eutrophicated sediments, like those beneath aquaculture projects. Breeding and restocking of overexploited sea cucumbers populations are well-established prac-tices for Indo-Pacific species like Holothuria scabra and Apostichopus japonicus. Some attempts have also been made for the Mediterranean species Holothuria tubulosa, but, so far, the adaptation of protocols used for other species has presented several is-sues. We here summarize narratively the available information about sea cucumbers rearing protocols with the aim of identifying their major flaws and gaps of knowledge and fostering research about new triggers for spawning and feasible protocols to reduce the high mortality of post-settlers

The impact of sequence database choice on metaproteomic results in gut microbiota studies

Background: Elucidating the role of gut microbiota in physiological and pathological processes has recently emerged as a key research aim in life sciences. In this respect, metaproteomics, the study of the whole protein complement of a microbial community, can provide a unique contribution by revealing which functions are actually being expressed by specific microbial taxa. However, its wide application to gut microbiota research has been hindered by challenges in data analysis, especially related to the choice of the proper sequence databases for protein identification. Results: Here, we present a systematic investigation of variables concerning database construction and annotation and evaluate their impact on human and mouse gut metaproteomic results. We found that both publicly available and experimental metagenomic databases lead to the identification of unique peptide assortments, suggesting parallel database searches as a mean to gain more complete information. In particular, the contribution of experimental metagenomic databases was revealed to be mandatory when dealing with mouse samples. Moreover, the use of a "merged" database, containing all metagenomic sequences from the population under study, was found to be generally preferable over the use of sample-matched databases. We also observed that taxonomic and functional results are strongly database-dependent, in particular when analyzing the mouse gut microbiota. As a striking example, the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio varied up to tenfold depending on the database used. Finally, assembling reads into longer contigs provided significant advantages in terms of functional annotation yields. Conclusions: This study contributes to identify host- and database-specific biases which need to be taken into account in a metaproteomic experiment, providing meaningful insights on how to design gut microbiota studies and to perform metaproteomic data analysis. In particular, the use of multiple databases and annotation tools has to be encouraged, even though this requires appropriate bioinformatic resources

Clinical Evidence: a useful tool for promoting evidence-based practice?

BACKGROUND: Research has shown that many healthcare professionals have problems with guidelines as they would prefer to be given all relevent information relevent to decision-making rather than being told what they should do. This study assesses doctors' judgement of the validity, relevance, clarity and usability of the Italian translation of Clinical Evidence (CE) after its free distribution launched by the Italian Ministry of Health METHODS: Opinions elicited using a standardised questionnaire delivered either by mail or during educational or professional meetings RESULTS: Twenty percent (n = 1350) doctors participated the study. Most of them found CE's content valid, useful and relevant for their clinical practice, and said CE can foster communications among clinicians, particularly among GPs and specialists. Hospital doctors (63%) more often than GPs (48%) read the detailed presentation of individual chapters. Twenty-nine percent said CE brought changes in their clinical practice. Doctors appreciated CE's nature of an evidence-based information compendium and would have not preferred a collection of practice guidelines. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the pilot initiative launched by the Italian Ministry of Health seems to have been well received and to support the subsequent decision to make the Italian edition of Clinical Evidence concise available to all doctors practising in the country. Local implementation initiatives should be warranted to favour doctor's use of CE

Profiling of the Bioactive Compounds in Flowers, Leaves and Roots of Vinca sardoa

Vinca sardoa (Stern) Pignatti (Apocynaceae) is largely distributed in Sardinia where it is considered a typical endemism. Since the plant is used in traditional folk medicine, the aim of the present work was to identify and quantify the polyphenolic metabolites, due to the well-known importance of polyphenolic compounds, as well as to evaluate antioxidant activity in different parts of the plant. The compounds were identified and determined in the methanol extracts of leaves, flowers, and roots by developing different LC-MS/MS methods. The obtained data show that leaves possess the highest amount of polyphenols, in particular quinic acid (3401 mg/100 g), chlorogenic acid (1082 mg/100 g), caffeoylquinic acid isomer 1 (190 mg/100 g), and robinin (633 mg/100 g). Likewise, antioxidant tests showed that leaves possess the main radical scavenging activities in both ABTS (49.19 ± 3.41 μg/mL, 30.88 ± 3.04 μg/mL at time zero and after 50 min, respectively) and DPPH assays (223.97 ± 30.81 μg/mL, 109.52 ± 12.89 μg/mL at time zero and after 30 min, respectively). Taking into account that leaves differed most from flowers and roots in the content of caffeoylquinic acid and chlorogenic acid, of which antioxidant properties are widely recognized, it is reasonable to assume that these two compounds are involved in the differences described. The relationship between the high polyphenolic content and interesting antioxidant activities, justifies its use in ethnobotany and may be suggest a use of this specie, after removal of the alkaloid fraction, in the pharmaceutical, phytotherapy, and cosmetic industries

Incorporation of probiotic bacteria (Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium ssp.) in Argentinean ovine cheese

The market of cheeses from ewe’s milk has been growing steadily in Argentina. The nutritional benefits of these products can be enhanced by adding probiotic cultures. In the present study, the survival of a mix of probiotic microorganisms (Lactobacillus acidophilus La-5 and Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis Bb12) in a semi-hard ovine cheese, manufactured with a technology previously developed in our institute was evaluated. Besides, the effect of its incorporation on the chemical composition and ripening parameters of cheeses, including the fatty acid composition and CLA production, was investigated. Experimental cheeses made with Bb12 and La-5 retained counts of the probiotic strains at the required therapeutic level (107 CFU g−1 ). No significant differences were detected between experimental and control cheeses with respect to the different parameters evaluated: gross composition, nitrogen fractions, lipolysis, fatty acids profiles of cheese fat including CLA, and volatile fraction. Results demonstrated that the ovine cheese matrix seems to be suitable for delivery of probiotic microorganisms.Fil: Perotti, Maria Cristina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Santa Fe. Instituto de Lactologia Industrial; ArgentinaFil: Wolf, Irma Veronica. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Santa Fe. Instituto de Lactologia Industrial; ArgentinaFil: Addis, Margherita. AGRIS Sardegna. Dipartamento per la ricerca nelle produzioni animali (DIRPA), Sardegna; ItaliaFil: Comunian, Roberta. AGRIS Sardegna. Dipartamento per la ricerca nelle produzioni animali (DIRPA), Sardegna; ItaliaFil: Paba, Antonio. AGRIS Sardegna. Dipartamento per la ricerca nelle produzioni animali (DIRPA), Sardegna; ItaliaFil: Meinardi, Carlos Alberto. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ingeniería Química; Argentin