Nodes Placement for reducing Energy Consumption in Multimedia Transmissions

International audiencePower consumption is an essential issue in wireless multimedia sensor networks (WMSNs) due to the elevated processing capabilities requested by the video acquisition hardware installed on the generic sensor node. Hence, node placement scheme in WMSNs greatly impacts the overall network lifetime. In this context, the paper first proposes a suitable hardware architecture to implement a feasible WMS node based on off-the-shelf technology, then it evaluates the energy consumption obtained throughout a wise "energy-spaced" placement of the wireless nodes without affecting the video quality of multimedia traffic

Microcystin Contamination in Sea Mussel Farms from the Italian Southern Adriatic Coast following Cyanobacterial Blooms in an Artificial Reservoir

An experimental study was performed in 2009-2010 to investigate the polluting effect of eutrophic inland waters communicating with the sea coast. The study was planned after a heavy and long-lasting Planktothrix rubescens bloom occurred in the Lake Occhito, an artificial reservoir. The waters of the reservoir flow into the southern Adriatic Sea, near several marine breeding of Mytilus galloprovincialis mussels, a typical seafood from the Apulia region (Southern Italy). A monitoring study of water and mussels from the sea coast of northern Apulia region and on the Occhito reservoir was carried out over twelve months, to get more information regarding the contamination by cyanobacteria and related cyanotoxins. Elisa immunoassay analyses estimated total microcystin amounts from 1.73 to 256 ng/g in mussels, up to 0.61 μg/L in sea water and up to 298.7 μg/L in lake water. Analyses of some samples of free-living marine clams as well as of marine and freshwater fish proved microcystin contamination. Selective confirmatory analyses by LC/ESI-Q-ToF-MS/MS on some mussel samples identified the microcystin desMe-MC-RR as the major toxin; this compound has been reported in the literature as a specific marker toxin of Planktothrix rubescens blooms. Our study describes for the first time the direct relationship between environmental pollution and food safety, caused by seafood contamination from freshwater toxic blooms

Microcystin Contamination in Sea Mussel Farms from the Italian Southern Adriatic Coast following Cyanobacterial Blooms in an Artificial Reservoir

An experimental study was performed in 2009-2010 to investigate the polluting effect of eutrophic inland waters communicating with the sea coast. The study was planned after a heavy and long-lastingPlanktothrix rubescensbloom occurred in the Lake Occhito, an artificial reservoir. The waters of the reservoir flow into the southern Adriatic Sea, near several marine breeding ofMytilus galloprovincialismussels, a typical seafood from the Apulia region (Southern Italy). A monitoring study of water and mussels from the sea coast of northern Apulia region and on the Occhito reservoir was carried out over twelve months, to get more information regarding the contamination by cyanobacteria and related cyanotoxins. Elisa immunoassay analyses estimated total microcystin amounts from 1.73 to 256 ng/g in mussels, up to 0.61 μg/L in sea water and up to 298.7 μg/L in lake water. Analyses of some samples of free-living marine clams as well as of marine and freshwater fish proved microcystin contamination. Selective confirmatory analyses by LC/ESI-Q-ToF-MS/MS on some mussel samples identified the microcystin desMe-MC-RR as the major toxin; this compound has been reported in the literature as a specific marker toxin ofPlanktothrix rubescensblooms. Our study describes for the first time the direct relationship between environmental pollution and food safety, caused by seafood contamination from freshwater toxic blooms

Multi-Objective Evolving Neural Network supporting SDR Modulations Management

International audienceThis paper proposes a distributed Neural/Genetic algorithm able to compute both the more suitable positioning and transmission modulation schemes for fixed/mobile wireless nodes equipped with software defined radio abilities. Devices considered in this work are able to move towards new positions by applying the concept of controlled mobility. The selection of the more suitable modulation scheme is realized through the SDR (Software Defined Radio) paradigm. The synergistic combination of controlled mobility and SDR in a totally distributed way, allows to obtain a high degree of self-configurability; moreover, the extreme adaptability to the network conditions and application level constraints in terms of coverage and guaranteed connectivity, make the proposed approach well suited for quite different communication scenarios such as classical monitoring or disaster recovery. The obtained results, validated throughout an intensive simulation campaign, show how the controlled mobility paradigm applied to the wireless devices and the intrinsic re-configuring SDR capabilities, increase the performance of the network both in terms of coverage and connectivity respect to other algorithms

Neural Networks and SDR Modulation schemes for wireless mobile nodes: a synergic approach

International audienceIn this paper, we envisage the possibility to exploit, in a synergic way, the Software Defined Radio (SDR) capability and the mobility support for wireless devices to dynamically compute the most suitable modulation scheme and the best position in order to improve both the coverage and connectivity in a specific area. The combined approach is based on a Neural/Genetic technique and wireless nodes are able to self-organize in a totally distributed way by using only local information. The extreme adaptability to the network conditions and application level constraints makes the proposed approach well suited for different communication scenarios such as standard monitoring or disaster recovery. The system performance has been evaluated by dealing a suite of simulation tests to show as the controlled mobility paradigm, coupled with the intrinsic re-configuring SDR capabilities of such wireless devices, allows to increase the network performances both in terms of coverage and connectivity by dynamically adapting the modulation schemes to the specific communication scenario

Active packaging for table grapes: Evaluation of antimicrobial performances of packaging for shelf life of the grapes under thermal stress

Abstract The paper reports the formulation of an active packaging based on PET coated with a Layered Double Hydroxide (LDH) hosting 2-acetoxybenzoic anion (salicylate) as antimicrobial molecule. The release of the molecule anchored to the LDH, compared to the molecule free dispersed into the coating, appeared much slower. Permeability of carbon dioxide and oxygen through the packaging at different temperatures was evaluated, as well as the capability of the active material to inhibit Pseudomonas, Listeria and Lactobacillus. Table grape was stored in thermal stress conditions (i.e. 10 °C) into the active packaging and the total mesophilic aerobic count and yeasts and moulds population was evaluated up to 14 days of storage. The experimental results were used for a theoretical prediction of shelf life of the packed grapes and compared with the same fruit packed into untreated material. Global and specific migration of salicylic acid from the active packaging demonstrated, in compliance with the migration limits of the EU regulation, the suitability of the considered material for food contact

Evaluation of vestibular function in patients affected by obstructive sleep apnea performing functional head impulse test (fHIT)

Purpose: Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a common disease with significantly related complications. Since a connection between the vestibular nucleus and sleep regulator pathways has been demonstrated, vestibular evaluation in OSA patients was partially studied and none used functional head impulse test (fHIT) for this purpose. This paper aimed at evaluating the vestibular function in patients affected by OSA using fHIT, selecting patients who did not present any other related to cardiovascular, neurological, or metabolic diseases. Patients and Methods: Patients enrolled had a diagnosis of OSA by polysomnography type III and were cataloged according to American Association of Sleep Medicine criteria. Each patient underwent fHIT. Statistical significance was set at 0.05. Results: A total of 85 patients were enrolled in the study of which 50 had a diagnosis of OSA and were included in the case group, while 35 belonged to the control group. In 88.6% of subjects of the case group was evidenced a vestibular impairment with a substantial difference between the two study groups (p<0.05). Conclusion: The results show that the incidence of vestibular lesions in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea is underestimated and that fHIT can identify these lesions early

Composizione e attività biologica di “idrolati” di agrumi

Gli idrolati, o acque aromatiche, sono prodotti naturali ricavati dalla distillazione di piante o parti di piante fresche che conservano intatte le loro proprietà e possono essere utilizzati a diverso scopo1. Essi sono comunemente considerati un sottoprodotto degli oli essenziali, ma in realtà, data la diversa composizione e la conseguente maggiore delicatezza, hanno un loro apprezzabile utilizzo, legato comunque al mantenimento delle proprietà delle piante da cui derivano. Nell’industria agrumaria gli idrolati sono il risultato della produzione degli oli essenziali attraverso spremitura a freddo delle bucce degli agrumi e sono considerati un rifiuto da smaltire. Lo studio della composizione chimica dell’idrolato è poco noto: gli idrolati sono comunque ricchi di composti prevalentemente ossigenati che oltre a conferire un gradevole profumo, possono donargli numerose proprietà biologiche. Abbiamo quindi deciso di intraprenderne uno studio di caratterizzazione LC-MS e GC-MS sull’idrolato dell’arancia di Ribera per identificare sostanze di interesse farmaceutico, cosmetico, ecc. e di possibile attività biologica. Questo potrebbe rappresentare per l’industria agrumaria un valore aggiunto nel valorizzare un prodotto attualmente di scarto. I risultati biologici preliminari hanno indicato che l’estratto organico inibisce la crescita di forme planctoniche di S. Aureus ATCC 25923 ad una concentrazione 5 mg/mL. Sono in corso ulteriori studi per valutare l’attività contro ceppi Gram-negativi e di inibizione di biofilm di Gram-positivi e Gram-negativi. Bibliografia 1 Lante, A.; Tinello, F. Innovative Food Science and Emerging Technologies, 2015, 27, 154–15

COMVIVOR: An Evolutionary Communication Framework Based on Survivors’ Devices Reuse

International audienceMobile devices currently available on the market have a plethoraof features and enough computing power to make them, at the same time,information consumers, forwarders and producers. Since they are also providedwith a set of sensors and usually battery operating, they are perfect candidatesto devise a network infrastructure tailored to function during disruptive events.When everything else fails, they could autonomously reorganize and provide tothe civilians and rescue teams valuable services and information. In this paperwe adapt and enhance a previous designed framework, capable to epidemicallydiuse the proper software updates to its nodes, in order to deploy any kind ofservice as a prompt response to the needs raised in emergency situations. Wefurther propose and integrate a new smart positioning strategy, to speed up thediusion of software updates by also keeping under control the overall networkoverhead. The achieved results show the feasibility of our proposal and howthe dynamics of diusion are enhanced by the smart positioning algorithm