BETaaS: A Platform for Development and Execution of Machine-to-Machine Applications in the Internet of Things

Wireless Personal Communications - The integration of everyday objects into the Internet represents the foundation of the forthcoming Internet of Things (IoT). Smart objects will be the building...     

The EuQoS system: a solution for QoS routing in heterogeneous networks [Quality of Service based Routing Algorithms for Heterogeneous Networks]

EuQoS is the acronym for "end-to-end quality of service support over heterogeneous networks", which is a European research project aimed at building an entire QoS framework, addressing all the relevant network layers, protocols, and technologies. This framework, which includes the most common access networks (xDSL, UMTS, WiFi, and LAN) is being prototyped and tested in a multidomain scenario throughout Europe, composing what we call the EuQoS system. In this article we present the novel QoS routing mechanisms that are being developed and evaluated in the framework of this project. The preliminary performance results validate the design choices of the EuQoS system, and confirm the potential impact this project is likely to have in the near future     

EuQoS: End-to-End Quality of Service over Heterogeneous Networks

The EuQoS (End-to-End QoS over Heterogeneous Networks) IST Integrated European Project aimed to define a Next Generation Network architecture that builds, uses and manages end-to-end QoS across different administrative domains and heterogeneous networks (UMTS, xDSL, Ethernet, WiFi, Satellite and IP/MPLS). The EuQoS architecture preserves the openness and the decentralized decision model of the actual Internet, runs on off-the-shelf hardware and network equipment, and allows end users to request various services without changing the Application Signaling protocol, while meeting regulators’ and users’ Net Neutrality requirements. This paper presents the key elements of the EuQoS architecture and describes the main results obtained in field trials performed on a fully-functional EuQoS system prototype developed over a pan-European testbed. Furthermore, the paper discusses the main strengths of the system and the issues related to its actually deployment on a large scale, from both technical and market points of view.     

Provisioning QoS in inter-domain traffic engineering

This work describes an architectural framework that allows inter-domain Traffic Engineering Label Switched Paths (TE-LSPs) with guaranteed quality of service (QoS) to be setup. Such TE-LSPs, called EQ-links, are setup by coordinating path computation elements (PCEs) of neighboring autonomous systems (ASs) along a pre-determined inter-AS path, computed through cooperative interaction between pairs of neighboring ASs. After defining the architectural requirements for the framework, we describe and analyze the Inter-AS Path Computation Protocol (IA-PCP), which computes an interdomain path at the AS level, i.e., selecting a sequence of ASs to the destination, based on a loose source routing approach. The results of the IA-PCP computations are then fed to the PCEs for complete path computation. The proposed architecture has been actually implemented within the testbed of the EuQoS project, which is aimed at enabling end-to-end QoS in the Internet. We report results related to the setup time of EQ-links, measured in the pan-European testbed of the EuQoS project, showing that path computation and setup takes an affordable time overhead.     

Neural Networks for Sulphur Dioxide Ground Level Concentrations Forecasting

In this paper we present the preliminary results on the use of neural networks to forecast SO 2 concentration levels in the industrial area of Ravenna. Ground level concentrations of pollutants were analysed in the area of Ravenna, in particular the high levels of SO2 occurring during relatively rare episodes. These events are typically correlated with many different aspects, like complex local meteorology, topography, and industrial emissions parameters. In many cases, during these episodes, the deterministic models (e.g. Gaussian models) fail to explain the high ground level concentrations. The neural networks are trained with a Bayesian learning scheme.     

HIPERLAN/1 MAC protocol: stability and performance analysis

HIPERLAN Type 1 is a standard for high-speed wireless local area networks, developed by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI). It supports directed point-to-point communication based on ad hoc network topology at a data transfer rate on the air interface of 23.5 Mbit/s. The paper deals with an analytical and simulation analysis of the HIPERLAN/1 MAC protocol. General closed formulas are derived for the major channel access performance indexes, which are used both to prove the operational stability of the MAC protocol, and to derive a figure for the maximum channel utilization achievable. A simulation analysis is then carried out, focusing both on the influence of traffic burstiness on protocol performance, and on the capability to manage traffic classes with different quality of service (QoS) requirements. Simulation results show that HIPERLAN/1 is well suited for managing the bursty traffic that is expected to be generated by wireless LAN applications. Furthermore, HIPERLAN/1 provides a good isolation of the delay-sensitive traffic from the best effort traffic     

Quality of service support in IEEE 802.16 networks

During the last few years, users ail over the world have become more and more accustomed to the availability of broadband access. This has boosted the use of a wide variety both of established and recent multimedia applications. However, there are cases where it is too expensive for network providers to serve a community of users. This is typically the case in rural and suburban areas, where there is slow deployment (or no deployment at all) of traditional wired technologies for broadband access (e.g., cable modems, xDSL). In those cases, the most promising opportunity rests with broadband wireless access technologies, such as the IEEE 802.16, also known as WiMAX. One of the features of the MAC layer of 802.16 is that it is designed to differentiate service among traffic categories with different multimedia requirements. This article focuses on mechanisms that are available in an 802.16 system to support quality of service (QoS) and whose effectiveness is evaluated through simulation.     

Atypical cilia in the oviductal epithelium of healthy dogs

Specimens of the uterine tube (ampulla) were obtained from seven healthy, ovario-hysterectomized dogs. Ultrastructurally, a total of 35,000 cilia were examined. Compound cilia ranged from 0.0 to 0.4%; both intracytoplasmic and swollen cilia ranged from 0.1% to 0.4%. The microtubular pattern was studied in 3,500 cross-sectioned cilia and an abnormal pattern was found in 2-5%. Similarly to the other animal species, abnormalities involving the peripheral microtubules were the prevailing defect. An electron-dense plug into the lumen was seen in 1-3% of the basal bodies; occasionally an abnormal spatial configuration of them was also observed. The incidence of abnormal cilia hence is lower than found in the tracheae.