Social Structure Analysis in Internet of Vehicles

International audienceInternet, in its most recent evolution, is going to be the playground where a multitude of heterogeneous interconnected " things " autonomously exchange information to accomplish some tasks or to provide a service. Recently, the idea of giving to those smart devices the capability to organize themselves according to a social structure, gave birth to the so-called paradigm of the Social Internet of Things. The expected benefits of SIoT range from the enhanced effectiveness, scalability and speed of the navigability of the network of interconnected objects, to the provision of a level of trustworthiness that can be established by averaging the social relationships among things that are " friends ". Bearing in mind the beneficial effects of social components in IoT, we consider a social structure in a vehicular context i.e., Social Internet of Vehicles (SIoV). In SIoV, smart vehicles build social relationships with other social objects they might come into contact, with the intent of creating an overlay social network to be exploited for information search and dissemination for vehicular applications. In this paper, we aim to investigate the social behavior of vehicles in SIoV and how it is affected by mobility patterns. Specifically, through the analysis of simulated traffic traces, we distinguish friendly and acquaintance vehicles based on the encounter time and connection maintenanc

Fog Computing in IoT Smart Environments via Named Data Networking: A Study on Service Orchestration Mechanisms

[EN] By offering low-latency and context-aware services, fog computing will have a peculiar role in the deployment of Internet of Things (IoT) applications for smart environments. Unlike the conventional remote cloud, for which consolidated architectures and deployment options exist, many design and implementation aspects remain open when considering the latest fog computing paradigm. In this paper, we focus on the problems of dynamically discovering the processing and storage resources distributed among fog nodes and, accordingly, orchestrating them for the provisioning of IoT services for smart environments. In particular, we show how these functionalities can be effectively supported by the revolutionary Named Data Networking (NDN) paradigm. Originally conceived to support named content delivery, NDN can be extended to request and provide named computation services, with NDN nodes acting as both content routers and in-network service executors. To substantiate our analysis, we present an NDN fog computing framework with focus on a smart campus scenario, where the execution of IoT services is dynamically orchestrated and performed by NDN nodes in a distributed fashion. A simulation campaign in ndnSIM, the reference network simulator of the NDN research community, is also presented to assess the performance of our proposal against state-of-the-art solutions. Results confirm the superiority of the proposal in terms of service provisioning time, paid at the expenses of a slightly higher amount of traffic exchanged among fog nodes.This research was partially funded by the Italian Government under grant PON ARS01_00836 for the COGITO (A COGnItive dynamic sysTem to allOw buildings to learn and adapt) PON Project.Amadeo, M.; Ruggeri, G.; Campolo, C.; Molinaro, A.; Loscri, V.; Tavares De Araujo Cesariny Calafate, CM. (2019). Fog Computing in IoT Smart Environments via Named Data Networking: A Study on Service Orchestration Mechanisms. Future Internet. 11(11):1-21. https://doi.org/10.3390/fi11110222S1211111Lee, I., & Lee, K. (2015). The Internet of Things (IoT): Applications, investments, and challenges for enterprises. Business Horizons, 58(4), 431-440. doi:10.1016/j.bushor.2015.03.008Cicirelli, F., Guerrieri, A., Spezzano, G., Vinci, A., Briante, O., Iera, A., & Ruggeri, G. (2018). Edge Computing and Social Internet of Things for Large-Scale Smart Environments Development. IEEE Internet of Things Journal, 5(4), 2557-2571. doi:10.1109/jiot.2017.2775739Chiang, M., & Zhang, T. (2016). Fog and IoT: An Overview of Research Opportunities. IEEE Internet of Things Journal, 3(6), 854-864. doi:10.1109/jiot.2016.2584538Openfog Consortiumhttp://www.openfogconsortium.org/Zhang, L., Afanasyev, A., Burke, J., Jacobson, V., claffy, kc, Crowley, P., … Zhang, B. (2014). Named data networking. ACM SIGCOMM Computer Communication Review, 44(3), 66-73. doi:10.1145/2656877.2656887Amadeo, M., Ruggeri, G., Campolo, C., & Molinaro, A. (2019). IoT Services Allocation at the Edge via Named Data Networking: From Optimal Bounds to Practical Design. IEEE Transactions on Network and Service Management, 16(2), 661-674. doi:10.1109/tnsm.2019.2900274ndnSIM 2.0: A New Version of the NDN Simulator for NS-3https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Spyridon_Mastorakis/publication/281652451_ndnSIM_20_A_new_version_of_the_NDN_simulator_for_NS-3/links/5b196020a6fdcca67b63660d/ndnSIM-20-A-new-version-of-the-NDN-simulator-for-NS-3.pdfAhlgren, B., Dannewitz, C., Imbrenda, C., Kutscher, D., & Ohlman, B. (2012). A survey of information-centric networking. IEEE Communications Magazine, 50(7), 26-36. doi:10.1109/mcom.2012.6231276NFD Developer’s Guidehttps://named-data.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/ndn-0021-diff-5..6-nfd-developer-guide.pdfPiro, G., Amadeo, M., Boggia, G., Campolo, C., Grieco, L. A., Molinaro, A., & Ruggeri, G. (2019). Gazing into the Crystal Ball: When the Future Internet Meets the Mobile Clouds. IEEE Transactions on Cloud Computing, 7(1), 210-223. doi:10.1109/tcc.2016.2573307Zhang, G., Li, Y., & Lin, T. (2013). Caching in information centric networking: A survey. Computer Networks, 57(16), 3128-3141. doi:10.1016/j.comnet.2013.07.007Yi, C., Afanasyev, A., Moiseenko, I., Wang, L., Zhang, B., & Zhang, L. (2013). A case for stateful forwarding plane. Computer Communications, 36(7), 779-791. doi:10.1016/j.comcom.2013.01.005Amadeo, M., Briante, O., Campolo, C., Molinaro, A., & Ruggeri, G. (2016). Information-centric networking for M2M communications: Design and deployment. Computer Communications, 89-90, 105-116. doi:10.1016/j.comcom.2016.03.009Tourani, R., Misra, S., Mick, T., & Panwar, G. (2018). Security, Privacy, and Access Control in Information-Centric Networking: A Survey. IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials, 20(1), 566-600. doi:10.1109/comst.2017.2749508Ndn-ace: Access Control for Constrained Environments over Named Data Networkinghttp://new.named-data.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/ndn-0036-1-ndn-ace.pdfZhang, Z., Yu, Y., Zhang, H., Newberry, E., Mastorakis, S., Li, Y., … Zhang, L. (2018). An Overview of Security Support in Named Data Networking. IEEE Communications Magazine, 56(11), 62-68. doi:10.1109/mcom.2018.1701147Cisco White Paperhttps://www.cisco.com/c/dam/en_us/solutions/trends/iot/docs/computing-overview.pdfAazam, M., Zeadally, S., & Harras, K. A. (2018). Deploying Fog Computing in Industrial Internet of Things and Industry 4.0. IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics, 14(10), 4674-4682. doi:10.1109/tii.2018.2855198Hou, X., Li, Y., Chen, M., Wu, D., Jin, D., & Chen, S. (2016). Vehicular Fog Computing: A Viewpoint of Vehicles as the Infrastructures. IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology, 65(6), 3860-3873. doi:10.1109/tvt.2016.2532863Yousefpour, A., Fung, C., Nguyen, T., Kadiyala, K., Jalali, F., Niakanlahiji, A., … Jue, J. P. (2019). All one needs to know about fog computing and related edge computing paradigms: A complete survey. Journal of Systems Architecture, 98, 289-330. doi:10.1016/j.sysarc.2019.02.009Baktir, A. C., Ozgovde, A., & Ersoy, C. (2017). How Can Edge Computing Benefit From Software-Defined Networking: A Survey, Use Cases, and Future Directions. IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials, 19(4), 2359-2391. doi:10.1109/comst.2017.2717482Duan, Q., Yan, Y., & Vasilakos, A. V. (2012). A Survey on Service-Oriented Network Virtualization Toward Convergence of Networking and Cloud Computing. IEEE Transactions on Network and Service Management, 9(4), 373-392. doi:10.1109/tnsm.2012.113012.120310Amadeo, M., Campolo, C., & Molinaro, A. (2016). NDNe: Enhancing Named Data Networking to Support Cloudification at the Edge. IEEE Communications Letters, 20(11), 2264-2267. doi:10.1109/lcomm.2016.2597850Krol, M., Marxer, C., Grewe, D., Psaras, I., & Tschudin, C. (2018). Open Security Issues for Edge Named Function Environments. IEEE Communications Magazine, 56(11), 69-75. doi:10.1109/mcom.2018.170111711801-2:2017 Information Technology—Generic Cabling for Customer Premiseshttps://www.iso.org/standard/66183.htm

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

Lightweight Virtualization as Enabling Technology for Future Smart Cars

International audienceModern vehicles are equipped with several interconnectedsensors on board for monitoring and diagnosispurposes; their availability is a main driver for the developmentof novel applications in the smart vehicle domain. Inthis paper, we propose a Docker-based container platform asa virtualization solution to implement customized smart carapplications. Through a proof-of-concept prototype—developedon a Raspberry Pi3 board—we show that a container-basedvirtualization approach is not only viable but also effective andflexible to manage several parallel processes running on board.More specifically, the platform can take priority-based decisionsby handling multiple inputs, e.g., data from the CANbus basedon the OBD II codes, video from the on-board webcam, andso on. Results are promising for the development of in-vehiclevirtualization techniques in future vehicles

Burden of pediatrics hospitalizations associated with Rotavirus gastroenteritis in Lombardy (Northern Italy) before immunization program

Aim. Rotavirus is recognized as the main cause of acute gastroenteritis in children under 5 years old, representing a considerable public health problem with a great impact on social and public health costs in developed countries. This study aims to assess the frequency and the epidemiological aspect of the hospitalization associated with Rotavirusgastroenteritis  in Lombardy, Northern Italy, from 2005 to 2011. Methods. The Lombardy Hospital Discharge Database was inquired from the official data of the Italian Ministry of Health and investigated for acute gastroenteritis (ICD9-CM code for bacteria, parasitic, viral and undetermined etiologic diarrhea) in primaryn and secondary diagnosis in children ≤ 5 years, between 2005 and 2011. Results. Out of the 32 944 acute-gastroenteritis hospitalizations reported in Lombardy, the 50.8% was caused by Rotavirus infection; of these, the 65.5% were reported in primary diagnosis. The peak of Rotavirus-gastroenteritis hospitalization was observed in February-March in children < 2 years old, with a cumulative prevalence of 64.5%. Patients admitted to hospital with diarrhea of undetermined etiology (about 14% of overall acute-gastroenteritis) showed epidemiological characteristics similar to the Rotavirusgastroenteritis, suggesting that the virus infection could also be involved in at least some of these. Conclusion. Our data confirm that Rotavirus are the most important agents involving in acute gastroenteritis hospitalizations. The use of Hospital Discharge Database had proved to be a simple tool to estimate the burden and to describe the epidemiological characteristics of Rotavirus gastroenteritis and could be used as a surveillance activity before and after the introduction of mass vaccination at national and regional level in Italy

Pituitary adenoma consistency affects postoperative hormone function: a retrospective study

Background: Tumor consistency recently emerged as a key factor in surgical planning for pituitary adenomas, but its impact on postoperative endocrine function is still unclear. Our study aimed to evaluate the impact of tumor consistency on the development of postoperative pituitary deficiencies. Methods: Single-center, retrospective analysis of consecutive pituitary surgeries performed between January 2017 and January 2021 at Policlinico Umberto I in Rome. All patients underwent radiological and biochemical evaluations at baseline, and hormone assessments 3 and 6&nbsp;months after pituitary surgery. Postoperative MRI studies were used to determine resection rates following surgery. Data on tumor consistency, macroscopic appearance, neurosurgical approach, and intraoperative complications were collected. Results: Fifty patients [24 women, mean age 57 ± 13&nbsp;years, median tumor volume 4800 mm3 [95% CI 620-8828], were included. Greater tumor volume (χ2 = 14.621, p = 0.006) and male sex (χ2 = 12.178, p &lt; 0.001) were associated with worse preoperative endocrine function. All patients underwent transsphenoidal adenomectomy. Fibrous consistency was observed in 10% of patients and was associated with a Ki-67 greater than 3% (χ2 = 8.154, p = 0.04), greater risk of developing postoperative hormone deficiencies (χ2 = 4.485, p = 0.05, OR = 8.571; 95% CI: 0.876-83.908), and lower resection rates (χ2 = 8.148, p = 0.004; OR 1.385, 95% CI; 1.040-1.844). Similarly, worse resection rates were observed in tumors with suprasellar extension (χ2 = 5.048, p = 0.02; OR = 6.000, 95% CI; 1.129-31.880) and CSI (χ2 = 4.000, p = 0.04; OR = 3.857, 95% CI; 0.997-14.916). Conclusions: Tumor consistency might provide useful information about postoperative pituitary function, likely due to its impact on surgical procedures. Further prospective studies with larger cohorts are needed to confirm our preliminary findings

Gastroenteritis Outbreak at Holiday Resort, Central Italy

Gastroenteritis Outbreak at Holiday Resort, Central Ital

Postremission sequential monitoring of minimal residual disease by WT1 Q-PCR and multiparametric flow cytometry assessment predicts relapse and may help to address risk-adapted therapy in acute myeloid leukemia patients

Risk stratification in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients using prognostic parameters at diagnosis is effective, but may be significantly improved by the use of on treatment parameters which better define the actual sensitivity to therapy in the single patient. Minimal residual disease (MRD) monitoring has been demonstrated crucial for the identification of AML patients at high risk of relapse, but the best method and timing of MRD detection are still discussed. Thus, we retrospectively analyzed 104 newly diagnosed AML patients, consecutively treated and monitored by quantitative polymerase chain reactions (Q-PCR) on WT1 and by multiparametric flow cytometry (MFC) on leukemia-associated immunophenotypes (LAIPs) at baseline, after induction, after 1st consolidation and after 1st intensification. By multivariate analysis, the factors independently associated with adverse relapse-free survival (RFS) were: bone marrow (BM)-WT1 ≥ 121/10(4) ABL copies (P = 0.02) and LAIP ≥ 0.2% (P = 0.0001) (after 1st consolidation) (RFS at the median follow up of 12.5 months: 51% vs. 82% [P < 0.0001] and 57% vs. 81%, respectively [P = 0.0003]) and PB-WT1 ≥ 16/10(4) ABL copies (P = 0.0001) (after 1st intensification) (RFS 43% vs. 95% [P < 0.0001]) Our data confirm the benefits of sequential MRD monitoring with both Q-PCR and MFC. If confirmed by further prospective trials, they may significantly improve the possibility of a risk-adapted, postinduction therapy of AML

Long-Term Outcome After Adoptive Immunotherapy With Natural Killer Cells: Alloreactive NK Cell Dose Still Matters

Recently, many reports were published supporting the clinical use of adoptivelytransferred natural killer (NK) cells as a therapeutic tool against cancer, including acutemyeloid leukemia (AML). Our group demonstrated promising clinical response usingadoptive immunotherapy with donor-derived alloreactive KIR-ligand-mismatched NK cellsin AML patients. Moreover, the antileukemic effect was correlated with the dose of infusedalloreactive NK cells (“functional NK cell dose”). Herein, we update the results of ourprevious study on a cohort of adult AML patients (median age at enrollment 64) infirstmorphological complete remission (CR), not eligible for allogeneic stem celltransplantation. After an extended median follow-up of 55.5 months, 8/16 evaluablepatients (50%) are still off-therapy and alive disease-free. Overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) are related with the dose of infused alloreactive NK cells (≥2×105/kg