QoS guarantee in telecommunication networks: technologies and solutions

The aim of this paper is to show the effect of the presence of specific management functions within a network that offers quality of service (QoS). The objective is not privileging a particular technology but to highlight the importance to know which control functions a solution may use, which performance limits the functions have and what can be a realistic user expectation. The paper focuses on the meaning of QoS and on the applications requiring quality, then describes QoS solutions including transport technologies, QoS‐oriented technologies, parameters and management functions. In more detail, the effect on QoS provision of the following issues is investigated and discussed concerning the possibility (or not) to aggregate and differentiate traffic, the implementation of call admission control and of traffic filtering to limit flows to their committed rates. Again, the conclusions should not be considered a merit mark about technology, but only an investigation about: what users and customers should expect by the technologies using specific control functions evidencing that the real limitations are not imposed by a specific technology, whose features may be changed and extended, but by the application of control functions that can guarantee requirements' matching. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Probabilistic posture classification for Human-behavior analysis

Computer vision and ubiquitous multimedia access nowadays make feasible the development of a mostly automated system for human-behavior analysis. In this context, our proposal is to analyze human behaviors by classifying the posture of the monitored person and, consequently, detecting corresponding events and alarm situations, like a fall. To this aim, our approach can be divided in two phases: for each frame, the projection histograms (Haritaoglu et al., 1998) of each person are computed and compared with the probabilistic projection maps stored for each posture during the training phase; then, the obtained posture is further validated exploiting the information extracted by a tracking module in order to take into account the reliability of the classification of the first phase. Moreover, the tracking algorithm is used to handle occlusions, making the system particularly robust even in indoors environments. Extensive experimental results demonstrate a promising average accuracy of more than 95% in correctly classifying human postures, even in the case of challenging conditions.     

Finite-Element Approach to the Erosion and Transport of Fine Particles in Granular Soils

The increase of the water table level presently occurring in the city of Milan led to some leakage of groundwater in underground facilities and subway tunnels. These structures, in fact, were completed about three decades ago when the water table was deeply located. To locally lower the ground water, and to eliminate or limit its flow towards the submerged openings, a series of pumping wells was placed in their vicinity. This provision, however, could lead to possible erosion of the fine fraction of the granular soil and to consequent settlements of nearby buildings. To investigate this phenomenon a finite-element approach has been developed for the analysis of the erosion and transport of the fine particles of granular soils subjected to a seepage flow. First, the continuity equation governing the problem and its finite-element formulation are discussed. Then, on the basis of the results of erosion tests presented in the literature, a law is derived that accounts for the nonlinear relationship between the total amount of eroded material, for time tending to infinity, and the velocity of seepage. Finally, this law is applied to the solution of one- and two-dimensional test examples, and some conclusions are drawn on the limits of the developed numerical model and on its possible improvement.     

Tetrazine‐Responsive Self‐immolative Linkers

Molecules that undergo activation or modulation following the addition of benign external small‐molecule chemical stimuli have numerous applications. Here, we report the highly efficient “decaging” of a variety of moieties by activation of a “self‐immolative” linker, by application of water‐soluble and stable tetrazine, including the controlled delivery of doxorubicin in a cellular context.     

Steam-exploded wheat straw fibers as reinforcing material for polypropylene-based composites. Characterization and properties

Composites of wheat straw fibers with polypropylene (iPP) and maleic anhydride modified polypropylene (iPPMA) were prepared. Before being mixed with polypropylene matrices, the wheat straw fibers were subjected to a steam explosion process that induces morphological and structural changes in lignocellulosic materials. Such changes are able to enhance the interactions with the thermoplastic matrix. Compared with iPP, the modified matrix (iPPMA) has shown higher mechanical performances (tensile and impact behavior) and a remarkable decrease of water absorption, that is one of the main drawbacks of natural fiber composites. Finally, the presence of covalent bonds between maleic anhydride and steam-exploded (STEX) fibers, by means of an esterification reaction, produced during the melt-mixing process, can explain the resulting good interfacial adhesion found in iPPMA-based composities.     

Photodegradation of CL-20: insights into the mechanisms of initial reactions and environmental fate

Hexanitrohexaazaisowurtzitane (HNIW) or CL-20 is a caged structure polycyclic nitramine that may replace RDX and HMX as a common use energetic chemical. To provide insight into the environmental fate of CL-20 we photolyzed the chemical in a Rayonet photoreactor (254-350 nm) and with sunlight in aqueous solutions. Previously, we found that initial photodenitration of the monocyclic nitramine RDX leads to ring cleavage and decomposition. Presently, we found that photolysis of the rigid molecule CL-20 produced NO2-, NO3-, NH3, HCOOH, N2 and N2O. Using LC/MS (ES-) we detected several key intermediates carrying important information on the initial steps involved in the degradation of CL-20. The identities of the intermediates were confirmed using a uniformly ring labeled 15N-[CL-20]. When CL-20 was photolyzed in the presence of H2(18)O, D2O or 18O2 we obtained a product distribution suggesting that the energetic chemical degraded via at least two initial routes; one involved sequential homolysis of N-NO2 bond(s) and another involved photorearrangement prior to hydrolytic ring cleavage and decomposition in water.     

Metal content of southern Italy honey of different botanical origins and its correlation with polyphenol content and antioxidant activity

Seventy‐eight samples of southern Italy honey from five different floral origins (chestnut, eucalyptus, citrus, multifloral and sulla) were screened to quantify the polyphenol and metal contents, evaluate the antioxidant activity and determine the correlations between the parameters analysed. The average polyphenol content was 12.06 mg gallic acid equivalent per 100 g honey and 7.92 mg quercetin equivalent per 100 g honey, for total phenolic and flavonoid contents, respectively. The antioxidant activity ranged from 58.40% (eucalyptus honey) to 60.42% (chestnut honey) in the ABTS assay, from 152.65 μm Fe (II) (citrus honey) to 881.34 μm Fe (II) (chestnut honey) in the FRAP assay, and from 54.29% (citrus honey) to 78.73% (chestnut honey) in the DPPH assay. Fe and Zn were the most abundant among the tested metals, while Cd, Co and Mo were those less present. Chestnut honey presented the highest polyphenol content, antioxidant activity and metal content. The correlations between the analysed parameters were statistically significant (P < 0.05). The correlations between metal content and both total phenolic and antioxidant activities were particularly interesting, suggesting a relationship between metal and polyphenol contents in honey.     

New Anti-Nodal Monoclonal Antibodies Targeting the Nodal Pre-Helix Loop Involved in Cripto-1 Binding

Nodal is a potent embryonic morphogen belonging to the TGF-β superfamily. Typically, it also binds to the ALK4/ActRIIB receptor complex in the presence of the co-receptor Cripto-1. Nodal expression is physiologically restricted to embryonic tissues and human embryonic stem cells, is absent in normal cells but re-emerges in several human cancers, including melanoma, breast, and colon cancer. Our aim was to obtain mAbs able to recognize Nodal on a major CBR (Cripto-Binding-Region) site and to block the Cripto-1-mediated signalling. To achieve this, antibodies were raised against hNodal(44–67) and mAbs generated by the hybridoma technology. We have selected one mAb, named 3D1, which strongly associates with full-length rhNodal (K_D 1.4 nM) and recognizes the endogenous protein in a panel of human melanoma cell lines by western blot and FACS analyses. 3D1 inhibits the Nodal-Cripto-1 binding and blocks Smad2/3 phosphorylation. Data suggest that inhibition of the Nodal-Cripto-1 axis is a valid therapeutic approach against melanoma and 3D1 is a promising and interesting agent for blocking Nodal-Cripto mediated tumor development. These findings increase the interest for Nodal as both a diagnostic and prognostic marker and as a potential new target for therapeutic intervention.     

Effect of Post-harvest UV-B Irradiation on Polyphenol Profile and Antioxidant Activity in Flesh and Peel of Tomato Fruits

In the present study, the possibility of enhancing phenolic and flavonoid concentration in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) fruits by post-harvest irradiation with UV-B light was assessed. Fruits of the commercial cv Money Maker (MM) and the mutant genotype high pigment-1 (hp-1), constitutively rich in these compounds, were harvested at mature green and turning stages and left to ripen within climatic chambers where they were daily treated with UV-B radiation (1 h, 6.08 kJ/m² day). In control chambers, UV-B radiation was screened by benzophenone-treated polyethylene film. The treatment was generally effective in increasing phenolic, flavonoid and flavonol concentration in both peel and flesh of MM and hp-1 fruits, although in this latter the positive response to UV-B treatment was mainly evident in fruits harvested at mature green stage. Following UV-B treatment, antioxidant activity increased in the peel of both genotypes independently from the harvesting stage and in the flesh of hp-1 fruits harvested at mature green stage. Hydroxycinnamic acids of both genotypes reacted to UV-B treatment differently depending on harvesting stage and tissue localisation, generally showing an increase in the peel of fruits harvested at mature green stage. With few exceptions, UV-B irradiation also induced a higher accumulation of individual flavonoids both in the peel and in the flesh of MM and hp-1 fruits independently from harvesting stage. Based on these results, UV-B irradiation can be considered a promising technique to increase the nutraceutical potential of tomato fruits by non-molecular tools.     

Chemical,Pharmacological, and in vitro Metabolic Stability Studies on Enantiomerically Pure RC‐33 Compounds: Promising Neuroprotective Agents Acting as σ1 Receptor Agonists

Our recent research efforts identified racemic RC‐33 as a potent and metabolically stable σ₁ receptor agonist. Herein we describe the isolation of pure RC‐33 enantiomers by chiral chromatography, assignment of their absolute configuration, and in vitro biological studies in order to address the role of chirality in the biological activity of these compounds and their metabolic processing. The binding of enantiopure RC‐33 to the σ₁ receptor was also investigated in silico by molecular dynamics simulations. Both RC‐33 enantiomers showed similar affinities for the σ₁ receptor and appeared to be almost equally effective as σ₁ receptor agonists. However, the R‐configured enantiomer showed higher in vitro hepatic metabolic stability in the presence of NADPH than the S enantiomer. Overall, the results presented herein led us to select (R)‐RC‐33 as the optimal candidate for further in vivo studies in an animal model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.