Using Resources as Synchronizers to Manage Mobile Process Adaptation

Process management in Mobile Ad-hoc NETworks (MANETs) has to deal with different types of tasks and resources. Teams can be formed with specific goals, such as recognition of a damaged area for disaster assessment, where each member of a team is assigned some task to be performed according to some policy. However, in real situations, it is possible that task assignments and policies have to be revised due to different causes. In addition to typical causes for dynamic changes in adaptive workflows, mobility introduces some specific problems, e.g. the need for new connectivity-maintaining tasks, or reassignment of tasks originally for members who have become unreachable, or who have no sufficient resources to complete the original plan. As these modifications occur dynamically, it is difficult to manage them through hard-coded programs. Rather, we propose the use of a rule-based formalism, expressed in terms of multi-set rewriting. This supports a resource-centered view, in which both data-dependencies between tasks and plan-dependent ordering of tasks are expressed as production and consumption of resources of different types. In turn, rules are themselves seen as resources, so that they are prone to the same rewriting process, in order to redefine process schemas. The paper illustrates these notions and formalisms, and shows some cases of their application

OPTICAL PEAKING ON TOP OF SELECTIVE MODE LAUNCH TECHNIQUE FOR EXTENDED REACH SUPPORT ON MULTIMODE FIBER LINKS

Techniques are described herein for implementing optical peaking on top of a selective mode launch technique, thereby providing extended reach support on multimode fiber links. Although this document describes the successful implementation of this solution at 25G, this solution is applicable to all bit rates whenever the link performances are affected by system bandwidth limitations. In this practical implementation, this launch solution for 25G Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser (VCSEL) transceivers leverages optical peaking on top of a selective mode launch technique to ensure 300m/400m support over OM3/OM4 optical fibers and therefore smoothless transition from 10G to 25G applications

Applying Algebraic Approaches for Modeling Workflows and their Transformations in Mobile Networks

In emergency scenarios we can obtain a more effective coordination among team members, each of them equipped with hand-held devices, through the use of workflow management software. Team members constitute a Mobile Ad-hoc NETwork (MANET), whose topology both influences and is influenced by the workflow. In this paper we propose an algebraic approach for modeling workflow progress as well as its modifications as required by topology transformations. The approach is based on Algebraic Higher-Order Nets and sees both workflows and topologies as tokens, allowing their concurrent modification

Coherent PON system with high-sensitivity polarization-independent receiver and no ADC/DSP

A 1.25 Gb/s ASK PON system with -51dBm sensitivity (at BER=2-103) is enabled by a polarization-independent coherent receiver that needs no DSP (nor ADC). The system just uses common DFBs and commercial electronic devices and has 52 dB dynamic range

Simple and effective solutions for low-cost coherent WDM-PON

This paper presents the most significant results achieved in the last two years by our group in coherent ultra-dense-WDM PON for λ-to-the-user access. Here we mostly focus on the architectures based on simple OOK-NRZ modulation format. We demonstrated the real-time implementation of our coherent receiver and we proved its compatibility with direct modulated laser (DML). Receiver sensitivities as low as -48 dBm at BER=1·10-3 for 1.25 Gb/s has been observed, showing the feasibility of a coherent ONU receiver based on devices commonly available and with limited cost. The system support quite high ODN losses and allows the λ-to-the-user approach

Enhanced 10 Gb/s operations of directly modulated reflective semiconductor optical amplifiers without electronic equalization

We report enhanced 10 Gb/s operation of directly modulated bandwidth-limited reflective semiconductor optical amplifiers. By using a single suitable arrayed waveguide grating we achieve simultaneously WDM demultiplexing and optical equalization. Compared to previous approaches, the proposed system results significantly more tolerant to seeding wavelength drifts. This removes the need for wavelength lockers, additional electronic equalization or complex digital signal processing. Uniform C-band operations are obtained experimentally with < 2 dB power penalty within a wavelength drift of 10 GHz (which doubles the ITU-T standard recommendations)

Field-Trial of a high-budget, filterless, lambda-to-the-user, UDWDM-PON enabled by an innovative class of low-cost coherent transceivers

©2017 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works.We experimentally demonstrate an innovative ultradense wavelength division multiplexing (UDWDM) passive optical networks (PON) that implements the full ¿-to-the-user concept in a filterless distribution network. Key element of the proposed system is a novel class of coherent transceivers, purposely developed with a nonconventional technical approach. Indeed, they are designed and realized to avoid D/A-A/D converter stages and digital signal processing in favor of simple analog processing so that they match system, cost, and power consumption requirements of the access networks without sacrificing the overall performance. These coherent transceivers target different use case scenarios (residential, business, fixed, wireless) still keeping perfect compatibility and co-existence with legacy infrastructures installed to support gray, time division multiplexed PON systems. Moreover, the availability of coherent transceivers of different cost/performance ratios allows for deployments of different quality service grades. In this paper, we report the successful field trial of the proposed systems in a testbed where 14 UDWDM channels (and one legacy E-PON system) are transmitted simultaneously in a dark-fiber network deployed in the city of Pisa (Italy), delivering real-time and/or test traffic. The trial demonstrated filterless operations (each remote node selects individually its own UDWDM channel on a fine 6.25-GHz grid), real-time GbE transmissions (by using either fully analog or light digital signal processing), multirate transmission (1.25 and 10 Gb/s), high optical distribution network loss (18-40 dB) as well as a bidirectional channel monitoring system.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Discovery of a novel glucose metabolism in cancer: The role of endoplasmic reticulum beyond glycolysis and pentose phosphate shunt

Cancer metabolism is characterized by an accelerated glycolytic rate facing reduced activity of oxidative phosphorylation. This "Warburg effect" represents a standard to diagnose and monitor tumor aggressiveness with (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose whose uptake is currently regarded as an accurate index of total glucose consumption. Studying cancer metabolic response to respiratory chain inhibition by metformin, we repeatedly observed a reduction of tracer uptake facing a marked increase in glucose consumption. This puzzling discordance brought us to discover that (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose preferentially accumulates within endoplasmic reticulum by exploiting the catalytic function of hexose-6-phosphate-dehydrogenase. Silencing enzyme expression and activity decreased both tracer uptake and glucose consumption, caused severe energy depletion and decreased NADPH content without altering mitochondrial function. These data document the existence of an unknown glucose metabolism triggered by hexose-6-phosphate-dehydrogenase within endoplasmic reticulum of cancer cells. Besides its basic relevance, this finding can improve clinical cancer diagnosis and might represent potential target for therapy

Disentangling the impact of COVID-19 infection on clinical outcomes and preventive strategies in older persons: An Italian perspective

Italy was one of the first western countries to embrace the first wave of COVID-19 and undergo detrimental outcomes in older adults in different clinical settings, especially in those with comorbidity and frailty. In addition, older nursing home (NH) residents had significantly higher mortality rates most likely due to the increased susceptibility of infection due to combined physical vulnerability and risks linked to the NH living environment itself. Different reports throughout Italy have rapidly highlighted selected outcomes related to COVID-19 in older patients being treated in acute and long-term care (LTC) settings. However, the majority of these studies are single center studies. Thus, it remains fundamental to collect large data from prospective based-population studies in order to identify preventive and therapeutic COVID-19 risk/protective factors correlated with COVID-19 health status outcomes. In this commentary paper, we will discuss different Italian reports according to clinical settings and highlight the importance of GeroCovid Observational and GeroCovid Vax, two large population based prospective studies in Italy