Experimentation with MANETs of Smartphones

Mobile AdHoc NETworks (MANETs) have been identified as a key emerging technology for scenarios in which IEEE 802.11 or cellular communications are either infeasible, inefficient, or cost-ineffective. Smartphones are the most adequate network nodes in many of these scenarios, but it is not straightforward to build a network with them. We extensively survey existing possibilities to build applications on top of ad-hoc smartphone networks for experimentation purposes, and introduce a taxonomy to classify them. We present AdHocDroid, an Android package that creates an IP-level MANET of (rooted) Android smartphones, and make it publicly available to the community. AdHocDroid supports standard TCP/IP applications, providing real smartphone IEEE 802.11 MANET and the capability to easily change the routing protocol. We tested our framework on several smartphones and a laptop. We validate the MANET running off-the-shelf applications, and reporting on experimental performance evaluation, including network metrics and battery discharge rate.Comment: 6 pages, 7 figures, 1 tabl

Determinação do Ano Médio de Radiação Solar e do Ano Meteorológico Típico para a região do Funchal na ilha da Madeira

This paper presents the determination of a mean solar radiation year and of a typical meteorological year for the region of Funchal in the Madeira Island, Portugal. The data set includes hourly mean and extreme values for air temperature, relative humidity and wind speed and hourly mean values for solar global and diffuse radiation for the period 2004-2014, with maximum data coverage of 99.7%. The determination of the mean solar radiation year consisted, in a first step, in the average of all values for each pair hour/day and, in a second step, in the application of a five days centred moving average of hourly values. The determination of the typical meteorological year was based on Finkelstein-Schafer statistics, which allows to obtain a complete year of real measurements through the selection and combination of typical months, preserving the long term averages while still allowing the analysis of short term events. The typical meteorological year validation was carried out through the comparison of the monthly averages for the typical year with the long term monthly averages. The values obtained were very close, so that the typical meteorological year can accurately represent the long term data series. The typical meteorological year can be used in the simulation of renewable energy systems, namely solar energy systems, and for predicting the energy performance of buildings

Assessment of PV Systems Performance in the Madeira Island Using Typical Meteorological Year Data

This paper focus on the development of an algorithm using Matlab to generate Typical Meteorological Years from weather data of eight locations in the Madeira Island and to predict the energy generation of photovoltaic systems based on solar cells modelling. Solar cells model includes the effect of ambient temperature and wind speed. The analysis of the PV system performance is carried out through the Weather Corrected Performance Ratio and the PV system yield for the entire island is estimated using spatial interpolation tools

End-to-end QoS architecture for 4G scenarios

This paper describes the QoS architecture and the corresponding QoS signalling protocols to be developed inside the IST project Daidalos. We address the main results achieved in terms of the definition of the QoS components and its interfaces, the description of the application and network services, definition of the signalling scenarios for the integration of the QoS signalling with the application signalling and with mobility approaches, and specification of the intra- and inter- domain QoS control approaches. We also describe the QoS management of the system, through the Policy–based Management System, and a Real-time Network Monitoring system able to aid in admission control with the results of active and passive measurements. All the elements, interfaces and functionalities take into account multicast services and inherent broadcast networks

The Impact of Oxidoreductases-Related MicroRNAs in Glucose Metabolism of Renal Cell Carcinoma and Prostate Cancer

The reprogramming of metabolism is one of cancer hallmarks. Glucose’s metabolism, as one of the main fuels of cancer cells, has been the focus of several research studies in the oncology field. However, because cancer is a heterogeneous disease, the disruptions in glucose metabolism are highly variable depending of the cancer. In fact, Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC) and Prostate Cancer (PCa), the most lethal and common urological neoplasia, respectively, show different disruptions in the main pathways of glucose catabolism: glycolysis, lactate fermentation and Krebs Cycle. Oxidoreductases are a class of enzymes that catalyze electrons transfer from one molecule to another and are present in these three pathways, posing as an opportunity to better understand these catabolic deregulations. Furthermore, nowadays it is recognized that their expression is modulated by microRNAs (miRNAs), in this book chapter, we selected the known miRNAs that directly target these oxidoreductases and analyzed their deregulation in both cancers. The characterization of these miRNAs opens a new door that could be applied in patients’ stratification and therapy monitorization because of their potential as cancer biomarkers. Additionally, their delivery to cancer cells, using glucose capped NPs could help establish new therapeutic strategies that would improve RCC and PCa management

Interactions lake-atmosphere: The ALEX 2014 field campaign and numerical simulations

The ALqueva hydro-meteorological EXperiment, ALEX 2014, was an integrated field campaign with measurements of chemical, physical and biological parameters in water and air at different experimental sites in the region of the Alqueva reservoir, a 250 km2 man made lake, in the southeast of Portugal. The Field campaign took place from June 1 to September 30, 2014 and comprises an Intensive Observation Period (IOP) of three days (22 to 24 July). During the four months, the over water fluxes of momentum, heat and mass (H2O and CO2) were obtained with an integrated Open-Path CO2 /H2O Gas Analyser and 3D Sonic Anemometer, mounted on a floating platform, where radiative fluxes were also measured, as well as the water temperature profile. Eight near surface weather stations were operating in the area and air quality, atmospheric electrical field (Potential Gradient) and radon (222Rn) concentration were continuous monitored. Along this period, in situ measurements, water samples and biological elements were monthly collected from three fixed platforms placed in the lacustrine zone and from selected sites in the margins. During the IOP, radiosondes were launched every tree hours, allowing a characterization of the atmospheric boundary layer and its evolution. In 10 occasions Geigersondes were coupled to the radiosondes in order to obtain the atmospheric ionization profile. The boundary layer was characterized with a Ceilometer and the vertical distribution of O3 and NO2 were obtained from a Spectrometer. A GPS network of 15 GNSS stations was installed in order to map the water vapour. The sky brightnesson the nights of July 24 and 25, was measured using a Sky Quality Meter. The lake-atmosphere interactions and its impact in the boundary layer structure and in the local circulations are studied using data collected during the ALEX 2014 POI together with results from numerical simulations performed with the non-hydrostatic Meso-NH french model

The role of predictability in the stress response of a cichlid fish

In recent years there has been an increasing interest in the cognitive abilities of fish with implications for animal welfare and management of rearing operations. Although it is known that psychological factors can modulate the stress response in mammals, this aspect has seldom been investigated within stress in fish. In this study we investigate whether the perception (appraisal) that fish make of significant environmental events modifies their behavioural and physiological response. For this purpose we have used a predictable vs. unpredictable paradigm for positive (feeding) and negative (confinement) events using the cichlid fish Oreochromis mossambicus as a model species. Results show that there is a differential effect of predictability for the feeding and confinement events. In the confinement experiment, predictability involved more attention to the visual cue and lower cortisol. The feeding event triggered higher levels of anticipatory behaviour and a tendency for higher cortisol in the predictable group. Therefore, predictable negative events reduce the cortisol response. Predictable positive events may elicit an anticipatory response, and when there is a significant delay between the visual cue and the actual occurrence of the event, it may also contain elements that can be interpreted as a stress response. These findings demonstrate that fish can appraise relevant aspects of the environment, with welfare implications for housing, husbandry and experimental procedures