Implementing a distributed mobile calculus using the IMC framework

In the last decade, many calculi for modelling distributed mobile code have been proposed. To assess their merits and encourage use, implementations of the calculi have often been proposed. These implementations usually consist of a limited part dealing with mechanisms that are specific of the proposed calculus and of a significantly larger part handling recurrent mechanisms that are common to many calculi. Nevertheless, also the "classic" parts are often re-implemented from scratch. In this paper we show how to implement a well established representative of the family of mobile calculi, the distributed [pi]-calculus, by using a Java middleware (called IMC - Implementing Mobile Calculi) where recurrent mechanisms of distributed and mobile systems are already implemented. By means of the case study, we illustrate a methodology to accelerate the development of prototype implementations while concentrating only on the features that are specific of the calculus under consideration and relying on the common framework for all the recurrent mechanisms like network connections, code mobility, name handling, etc

The Role of Quasi-identifiers in k-Anonymity Revisited

The concept of k-anonymity, used in the recent literature to formally evaluate the privacy preservation of published tables, was introduced based on the notion of quasi-identifiers (or QI for short). The process of obtaining k-anonymity for a given private table is first to recognize the QIs in the table, and then to anonymize the QI values, the latter being called k-anonymization. While k-anonymization is usually rigorously validated by the authors, the definition of QI remains mostly informal, and different authors seem to have different interpretations of the concept of QI. The purpose of this paper is to provide a formal underpinning of QI and examine the correctness and incorrectness of various interpretations of QI in our formal framework. We observe that in cases where the concept has been used correctly, its application has been conservative; this note provides a formal understanding of the conservative nature in such cases.Comment: 17 pages. Submitted for publicatio

A Flexible and Modular Framework for Implementing Infrastructures for Global Computing

We present a Java software framework for building infrastructures to support the development of applications for systems where mobility and network awareness are key issues. The framework is particularly useful to develop run-time support for languages oriented towards global computing. It enables platform designers to customize communication protocols and network architectures and guarantees transparency of name management and code mobility in distributed environments. The key features are illustrated by means of a couple of simple case studies

Optimization of thermal systems with sensitive optics, electronics, and structures

A strategy was investigated by which thermal designers for spacecraft could devise an optimal thermal control system to maintain the required temperatures, temperature differences, changes in temperature, and changes in temperature differences for specified equipment and elements of the spacecraft's structure. Thermal control is to be maintained by the coating pattern chosen for the external surfaces and heaters chosen to supplement the coatings. The approach is to minimize the thermal control power, thereby minimizing the weight of the thermal control system. Because there are so many complex computations involved in determining the optimal coating design a computerized approach was contemplated. An optimization strategy including all the elements considered by the thermal designer for use in the early stages of design, where impact on the mission is greatest, and a plan for implementing the strategy were successfully developed. How the optimization process may be used to optimize the design of the Space Telescope as a test case is demonstrated

Mobile Applications in X-KLAIM

Networking has turned computers from isolated data processors into powerful communication and elaboration devices, called global computers; an illustrative example is the World–Wide Web. Global computers are rapidly evolving towards programmability. The new scenario has called for new programming languages and paradigms centered around the notions of mobility and location awareness. In this paper, we briefly present X-KLAIM, an experimental programming language for global computers, and show a few programming examples

Ídolo, idolatría, fetiche

The author reviews in different ancient sources the etymological roots of the terms “idol” and “fetiche”, finding the interesting process of manipulation that both terms have suffered during the different periods oh religious and cultural history.El autor recorre las tradiciones antiguas para estudiar las raíces etimológicas y culturales de las palabras “ídolo” y “fetiche”, mostrando la manipulación y los procesos de cambio de significado que ambos términos han sufrido en los diferentes períodos de la historia cultural y religiosa.L’auteur parcourt les sources plus anciennes des raisins étymologiques des mots “idole” et “fétiche”, en nous exposant les procès divers de manipulation et de changement de sens que les deux expressions ont souffert pendant les divers périodes de l’histoire culturelle et religieuse

Lo studio della luce naturale e artificiale nello spazio sacro: Giovanni Gherardi per Santa Maria del Fiore a Firenze e Baldassarre Peruzzi per Santo Stefano Rotondo a Roma

The analysis of two Renaissance drawings offers the occasion for a discussion of light in ecclesiastical architecture. The first example considers the well-known drawing – drafted on parchment by Giovanni di Gherardo Gherardi da Prato in competition with Filippo Brunelleschi for the dome of Santa Maria del Fiore – which constitutes both the fi rst 15th century graphic testimony concerning the natural illumination of the church’s interior, and the only drawing contemporary to its construction that has survived and is datable to 1425. The second drawing is a “studio dal vero” by Baldassarre Peruzzi of Santo Stefano Rotondo in Rome, dating from the beginning of the 16th century. It offers a perspective view of the interior of the monument, portraying a system of artificial lights as evinced by the sharp double-shadows on the pavement, and reminds one of the contemporary studies of Leonardo da Vinci. Because of the importance it attributes to light, this drawing is an unicum among those depicting ancient structures all throughout the Renaissance. It is precisely with the depiction of light, with the irregularity of its reflections and of its shadows, that this study gives the impression of a captivating and suggestive space, actualizing ancient architecture as if it were visible to the present. This is due to the pictorial sensibility of Peruzzi, who knew how to combine a philologic spirit with an unsurpassed expressive naturalism in the Renaissance’s corpus of architectural drawings