Visual discovery of the correlation between BGP routing and round-trip delay active measurements

Inter-domain routing data and Internet active probing measurements are two types of information commonly available in huge datasets and subject to extensive, focused analysis. However, the study of the correlation between these two complementary types of information still remains one of the most challenging problems in today’s research in networking. In this paper we describe a metaphor for the visualization of the interplay between the routing information exchanged via BGP and the round-trip delay measurements collected by several geolocated probes. We implemented a prototype based on the above metaphor. Our prototype highlights both the Autonomous System topology and the latency associated with each AS-path over time. Further, it shows how probes are partitioned into clusters associated with each border gateway, based on observed traffic patterns. The resulting visualization allows the user to explore the dynamics of the correlation between the two types of information.     

Single-phase gold/palladium catalyst: The nature of synergistic effect

The liquid phase oxidation of glycerol with oxygen has been studied using mono and bimetallic catalysts based on Au and Pd metals supported on activated carbon, in order to study the effect of the metal on the distribution of the products and on activity of catalysts. It was found that by using bimetallic catalysts (Au–Pd) a strong synergistic effect was shown. By using a preformed nucleating centre we were able to obtain a single alloyed phase, which allowed us to address the synergistic effect to the presence of alloyed Au/Pd. The advantage of using this latter catalyst lies not only in the high activity but also in a prolonged catalyst life. Although a partial leaching of palladium and assembling of the particles have been revealed by ICP and HRTEM respectively, activity after 10 re-cycles decreased less than expected (about 10%).     

Effect of extraction systems on the quality of virgin olive oil

Research has been carried out to ascertai the effects of different processing systems on olive oil quality. Tests were performed in industrial oil mills that were equipped with both pressure and centrifugation systems. Results show that oils extracted from good-quality olives do not differ in free fatty acids, peroxide value, ultraviolet absorption and organoleptic properties. Polyphenols ando-diphenols contents and induction times are higher in oils obtained from good-quality olives by the pressure system because it does not require addition of water to the olive paste. The centrifugation system requires the addition of warm water to the olive paste and helps to obtain oils with a lower content of natural antioxidants. Oils obtained from poorquality or from ripe olives in continuous centrifugal plants are lower in free fatty acids than those obtained by the pressure system. Dr. Mario Solinas is deceased—May 23, 1993.     

Occurrence patterns of alien freshwater turtles in a large urban pond ‘Archipelago’ (Rome,Italy): Suggesting hypotheses on root causes

The patterns of the occurrence and distribution of alien freshwater turtle species in an urban pond archipelago (Rome, Italy) were analysed, with the aim of exploring the role of a set of factors (type of ponds, landscape context, size area, distance from the nearest road) with a generalized linear model approach. A total of 311 ponds subdivided in three types (fountains, small basins, lakes) embedded in different landscape contexts (public parks, private parks, urban areas) at differing distances from the nearest road were sampled. Six non‐native freshwater turtle species in 31 sites were recorded (9.97%). Lakes exhibited the highest occurrence rates of alien freshwater turtles, compared to small basins and fountains. Freshwater turtle species in urbanized areas were only observed in parks (both public and private). In both the public and private parks, the lakes exhibited the highest percentage of occupied sites, with fountains being the lowest. A direct and significant relationship was observed between pond size and species richness. The distance from the nearest road did not appear to affect species richness. A first interpretation of the data from this study facilitated the postulation of two a posteriori hypotheses that should be tested, as follows: (i) the causal process of turtle release is random, and the rate of extinction (and recapture) is higher in smaller ponds, thus producing the observed pattern; and (ii) the turtle release is not random, and people actively select the ponds they consider more suitable for their pet animals. In this study, it appears the lakes were perceived by those who abandon their pets as the most ecologically suitable habitats among other pond types to accommodate the different species of turtles. Knowledge of people's attitudes in regard to releasing pet animals also might assist managers of public green spaces to develop strategies aimed to preserve local biodiversity, and to educate the public about the conservation issue represented by the alien species.     

Fabricating Water-Insoluble Polyelectrolyte into Multilayers with Layer-by-layer Self-assembly

Summary A water insoluble azo-containing polyelectrolyte (PEAPB6P-AC) was successfully fabricated into multilayer films based on the layer-by-layer adsorption technique by using N, N-dimethylformamide (DMF) as the assembling media. The multilayer growth and structure were studied with UV-vis spectroscopy, and the multilayer surface were imaged with Atomic Force Microscopy and compared with that fabricated in water. The results show that assembling PEAPB6P-AC in DMF can effectively eliminate the hydrophobic aggregation of the azo units and consequently results in a much smoother multilayer surface than that fabricated in water. This improvement to the layer-by-layer adsorption technique, which can avoid some major difficulties faced when assembling hydrophobic polyelectrolytes in aqueous solutions, seems to be a versatile way to fabricate high quality multilayer films when using the hydrophobic even water-insoluble polyelectrolytes as assembling units.     

2-Layer Right Angle Crossing Drawings

A 2-layer drawing represents a bipartite graph where each vertex is a point on one of two parallel lines, no two vertices on the same line are adjacent, and the edges are straight-line segments. In this paper we study 2-layer drawings where any two crossing edges meet at right angle. We characterize the graphs that admit this type of drawing, provide linear-time testing and embedding algorithms, and present a polynomial-time crossing minimization technique. Also, for a given graph G and a constant k, we prove that it is $\mathcal{NP}$ -complete to decide whether G contains a subgraph of at least k edges having a 2-layer drawing with right angle crossings.     

Microporous anisotropic phase inversion membranes from bisphenol A polycarbonate: Effect of additives to the polymer solution

Phase inversion is a very flexible technique to obtain membranes with a large sort of morphologies. Membrane properties can vary greatly depending on the kind of polymer system used. Bisphenol A polycarbonate (PC) could be used as a phase inversion membrane base polymer, and presents very good properties. Nevertheless, very little information on membrane preparation using PC and the phase inversion process can be found in the literature. In this work flat‐sheet microporous membranes were obtained by the phase inversion process using the immersion precipitation technique. A new polymer system was studied, consisting of polycarbonate, N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidone as solvent, water as the nonsolvent, and an additive. The influence of some parameters on membrane morphology, such as polymer solution composition, exposition time before immersion into the precipitation bath, and the kind of additive was investigated. Precipitation was followed using light transmission experiments and membrane morphology was observed through Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The viscosity and cloud points of all polymer solutions were also determined. The results were related to the studied synthesis parameters, using the basic principles of membrane formation by the phase inversion technique, looking forward to establishing criteria to control the morphology of flat‐sheet membranes using polycarbonate as the base polymer. The results showed that both additives were able to increase pore interconnectivity and even suppress macrovoid formation. The decrease in the miscibility region of the polymer system and increase in mass transfer resistance are found to be the determining factors during polymer solution precipitation. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 86: 3085–3096, 2002     

Effect of mixing leaves with olives on organoleptic quality of oil obtained by centrifugation

Variable quantities of leaves were added to ripe olives prior to extraction to determine their effect on the quality of the resulting olive oil. The addition of 1–3% w/w leaves improved the organoleptic quality. An increase intrans-2-hexenal aldehyde content occurred, giving the pleasant flavor of “freshly cut grass.” This compound was produced by the enzymatic breakdown of 13-L-hydroperoxide of linolenic acid in leaf homogenates.     

使用新混合模糊聚类算法的模糊系统建模方法

为了进一步提高模糊系统建立模型的精度,提出一种新的模糊系统算法ANFIS-HC-QPSO：采用一种混合型模糊聚类算法来对模糊系统的输入空间进行划分,每一个聚类通过高斯函数的拟合产生一个隶属度函数,即完成ANFIS系统的前件参数--隶属度函数参数的初始识别,通过具有量子行为的粒子群算法QPSO与最小二乘法优化前件参数,直至达到停机条件,最终得到ANFIS的前件及后件参数,从而得到满意的模糊系统模型。实验表明,AN-FIS-HC-QPSO算法与传统算法相比,能在只需较少模糊规则的前提下就使模糊系统达到更高的精度。     

一种小型动/静态双坐标感知系统结构设计

针对提高被动式热释电红外(PIR)传感器的探测距离和范围,提出动/静态双坐标感知系统理论,根据动/静态双坐标感知系统对动态目标实现一定距离内和全范围探测的要求,光学基准传递的要求,提出了小型动/静态双坐标感知系统的结构设计方案。该系统配用红外透镜作为其光学装置,在匀速转台的带动下,实现360°全范围探测红外信号,解决了PIR传感器探测距离和探测视场的矛盾,拓宽了PIR传感器的使用领域。经过实验验证,该系统结构设计合理。