Routing in the bidirectional shufflenet

We study the bidirectional shufflenet topology, which is obtained from the well-known (unidirectional) shufflenet by considering bidirectional links. More specifically, we define a shortest path routing algorithm, and derive the diameter and the average distance of the topology. The bidirectional shufflenet is then compared, in terms of average distance, with other variations of the perfect shuffle. Bidirectional links are very common in real networks. Possible applications of bidirectional shufflenets are wormhole routing electronic networks with back-pressure flow control, and wavelength routing optical networks. The former class of networks is considered, when virtual channels are used to prevent deadlocks. We show that four virtual channels are sufficient to avoid deadlocks in the bidirectional shufflenet, regardless of the number of nodes in the topology     

Compact Differential Evolution Light: High Performance Despite Limited Memory Requirement and Modest Computational Overhead

Compact algorithms are Estimation of Distribution Algorithms which mimic the behavior of population-based algorithms by means of a probabilistic representation of the population of candidate solutions. These algorithms have a similar behaviour with respect to population-based algorithms but require a much smaller memory. This feature is crucially important in some engineering applications, especially in robotics. A high performance compact algorithm is the compact Differential Evolution (cDE) algorithm. This paper proposes a novel implementation of cDE, namely compact Differential Evolution light (cDElight), to address not only the memory saving necessities but also real-time requirements. cDElight employs two novel algorithmic modifications for employing a smaller computational overhead without a performance loss, with respect to cDE. Numerical results, carried out on a broad set of test problems, show that cDElight, despite its minimal hardware requirements, does not deteriorate the performance of cDE and thus is competitive with other memory saving and population-based algorithms. An application in the field of mobile robotics highlights the usability and advantages of the proposed approach.     

Synthesis and Applications of Organic Borazine Materials

The past decade has marked a renewed interest in borazines and BN-doped polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. This is predominantly because of new advances that have highlighted their potential in various applications, including gas separation and storage, organic (opto)electronics, catalysis, and as supramolecular systems. This review gives a critical overview of the most significant approaches to the synthesis of (substituted) B₃N₃ motifs and focuses on the discussion of those borazine-doped carbon structures that have been developed for potential use in materials science applications.     

Extraction resistant polymer stabilizers

A new generation of polysiloxane based polymer stabilizers is examined. The flexibility and versatility of polysiloxane backbones have allowed the development of a family of products that provide outstanding radical trapping efficiency, an unexpected resistance to extraction, and a high degree of compatibility in certain polymeric systems. Functionalization with graftable moieties results in a product that can be chemically bound to the polymer itself. The key to success in this work was optimizing the balance of graft linkages and mobility of the stabilizer chain.     

Acquisition of Flavescence Dorée Phytoplasma by Scaphoideus titanus Ball from Different Grapevine Varieties

Flavescence dorée (FD) is a threat for wine production in the vineyard landscape of Piemonte, Langhe-Roero and Monferrato, Italy. Spread of the disease is dependent on complex interactions between insect, plant and phytoplasma. In the Piemonte region, wine production is based on local cultivars. The role of six local grapevine varieties as a source of inoculum for the vector Scaphoideus titanus was investigated. FD phytoplasma (FDP) load was compared among red and white varieties with different susceptibility to FD. Laboratory-reared healthy S. titanus nymphs were caged for acquisition on infected plants to measure phytoplasma acquisition efficiency following feeding on different cultivars. FDP load for Arneis was significantly lower than for other varieties. Acquisition efficiency depended on grapevine variety and on FDP load in the source plants, and there was a positive interaction for acquisition between variety and phytoplasma load. S. titanus acquired FDP with high efficiency from the most susceptible varieties, suggesting that disease diffusion correlates more with vector acquisition efficiency than with FDP load in source grapevines. In conclusion, although acquisition efficiency depends on grapevine variety and on FDP load in the plant, even varieties supporting low FDP multiplication can be highly susceptible and good sources for vector infection, while poorly susceptible varieties may host high phytoplasma loads.     

Oxidative Stress in Diabetes: Implications for Vascular and Other Complications

In recent decades, oxidative stress has become a focus of interest in most biomedical disciplines and many types of clinical research. Increasing evidence shows that oxidative stress is associated with the pathogenesis of diabetes, obesity, cancer, ageing, inflammation, neurodegenerative disorders, hypertension, apoptosis, cardiovascular diseases, and heart failure. Based on these studies, an emerging concept is that oxidative stress is the “final common pathway” through which the risk factors for several diseases exert their deleterious effects. Oxidative stress causes a complex dysregulation of cell metabolism and cell–cell homeostasis; in particular, oxidative stress plays a key role in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance and β-cell dysfunction. These are the two most relevant mechanisms in the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes and its vascular complications, the leading cause of death in diabetic patients.