Applications of GridProbe technology for traffic monitoring on high-capacity backbone networks, data-link layer simulation approach

This paper covers the on-going research on MASTSproject. The project objectives are to set-up and exploit a trafficmonitoring system for the UKLIGHT international high capacityexperimental network. The proposed system will record data flowand topological information at a range of time scales (fromfractions of a second to years). It will make this informationavailable to the community as a web service and managementinterfaces. In this paper the focus is on development of simulationplatforms that enable testing the analysis algorithms and Webservices output

Symbolic Sequences and Tsallis Entropy

We address this work to investigate symbolic sequences with long-range correlations by using computational simulation. We analyze sequences with two, three and four symbols that could be repeated $l$ times, with the probability distribution $p(l)\propto 1/ l^{\mu}$. For these sequences, we verified that the usual entropy increases more slowly when the symbols are correlated and the Tsallis entropy exhibits, for a suitable choice of $q$, a linear behavior. We also study the chain as a random walk-like process and observe a nonusual diffusive behavior depending on the values of the parameter $\mu$.Comment: Published in the Brazilian Journal of Physic

Cartoon planet: Micro-reflection through digital cartoons - a case study on teaching and learning with young people

The young learners of today tend to show little enthusiasm for formal schooling. This does not necessarily mean pupils are not interested in learning or developing new skills and competences. In fact, the opposite often happens in the informal settings they belong to. Finding ways of transferring pupil’s informal learning to the school setting is therefore important. This paper gives a brief overview on the development of informal learning activities to encourage young people’s active reflection on their informally acquired competencies through the use of web technologies. The researchers also explore the role of the teacher, and the need of a participatory learning environment in a less formal classroom. Reflections on the experiences and recommendations are also provided

Strategies for building pathology reports in an urban rehabilitation process: Project of the Old City Centre of Coimbra

The increasing interest on architectural heritage associated to the recognised building value, at economic, social and cultural levels have stimulated, in the recent decades, the urban rehabilitation and renovation o several cities in Europe. Despite the strategy or method adopted in a city renovation process, its efficiency depends mainly on: type of buildings (structural systems, construction techniques and materials); intervention level (singular buildings, groups of buildings, urban zones, etc.); and, project objective (risk assessment, decision making to support future rehabilitation projects, definition of council maintenance policies, etc.). In what concerns large renovation programs of old city centres, choosing the most adequate approach for inspection, appraisal and diagnosis is a complex task that can determine the success or failure of the project purpose. This paper describes the preparation phase of the inspection of 700 buildings located in the old city centre of Coimbra (Portugal), where a global renovation process is planned for the forthcoming years. In the scope of the renovation and rehabilitation process, the city council contract a complete identification and inspection survey of the buildings, directed on three different domains: (a) architectural typologies, (b) constructive and pathological condition of buildings, and (c) socio-demographic characterisation, of this part of the city. It will be present the check-lists developed and some of the obtained results on point (b), related to roofing systems, and exterior façades. This diagnosis procedure shows that the inspection results quality is quite dependent on the items surveyed for each construction element (roof, façade, internal members, installation efficiency), as well as on the possibility of their correlation for a single building. The adopted method has been applied on 70% of the buildings inspected within the project perimeter. Further treatment of the inspection and appraisal data will allow the developing pathology reports and list repair actions, and estimating rehabilitation costs. It will also help to produce defect level diagrams and seismic building risk maps, but, most important, to improve and guide a renewal strategy and intervention methodology for old buildings

Optical properties of charged quantum dots doped with a single magnetic impurity

We present a microscopic theory of the optical properties of self-assembled quantum dots doped with a single magnetic manganese (Mn) impurity and containing a controlled number of electrons. The single-particle electron and heavy-hole electronic shells are described by two-dimensional harmonic oscillators. The electron-electron, electron-hole Coulomb as well as the short-range electron spin-Mn spin and hole spin-Mn spin contact exchange interactions are included. The electronic states of the photo-excited electron-hole-Mn complex and of the final electron-Mn complex are expanded in a finite number of configurations and the full interacting Hamiltonian is diagonalized numerically. The emission spectrum is predicted as a function of photon energy for a given number of electrons and different number of confined electronic quantum dot shells. We show how emission spectra allow to identify the number of electronic shells, the number of electrons populating these shells and, most importantly, their spin. We show that electrons not interacting directly with the spin of Mn ion do so via electron-electron interactions. This indirect interaction is a strong effect even when Mn impurity is away from the quantum dot center.Comment: 12 pages, 10 figure

Exploring race talk and HIV among South African youth.

This research was an explorative study of the race talk present in discourse when discussing HIV/AIDS and aimed to explore the discourses drawn on by participants during discussions around HIV and AIDS, to explore whether these discourses differed in one-to-one interviews with the author (private talk) compared with those in focus group discussions (public talk) and to investigate how learners navigated race during discussions around HIV/AIDS. The sample was made up of 26 grade 11 learners at a private school in Johannesburg. Data collection was conducted using three focus group discussions (FGD) and several individual one-on-one interviews. Both the interviews and focus groups were conducted using a semi-structured interview guide and recorded on Mp3 players. The data was transcribed using several conversation analysis transcription conventions and later analysed using discourse analysis. An important methodological innovation of this research was its use of HIV/AIDS discussion to capture race discourse. Seven broad themes were analysed and discussed in the research and included (a) HIV/AIDS and the ‘Other’, (b) Race and ‘common sense’, (c) Navigating the perception of racism, (d) Race Trouble and location, (e) Race, Education and Government (f) Race and Apartheid and (g) Public talk Vs. Private talk While this research was mainly exploratory and attempted to investigate as many instances of ‘race talk’ as possible, as well as offer various feasible explanations for the learners’ use of race talk, it was suggested that it may be necessary to explore the possibility of expanding on existing theories to explain the use of race talk among black learners to ‘Other’ people of the same race. Furthermore, while this research did not specifically set out to explore the implications that the intersections between race and HIV/AIDS could have for education, it was suggested that the attachment of apartheid meanings to race (and HIV/AIDS) could lead to learners’ reluctance to critically engage with historical and contemporary texts or avoid discussing issues around HIV/AIDS