Hybrid and optical packet switching supporting different service classes in data center network

Photonic Network Communications - Optical packet switching is a prominent technology proposing not only a reduction in the energy consumption by the elimination of numerous...     

Milk from cows fed a diet with a high forage:concentrate ratio improves inflammatory state,oxidative stress,and mitochondrial function in rats

Excessive energy intake may evoke complex biochemical processes characterized by inflammation, oxidative stress, and impairment of mitochondrial function that represent the main factors underlying noncommunicable diseases. Because cow milk is widely used for human nutrition and in food industry processing, the nutritional quality of milk is of special interest with respect to human health. In our study, we analyzed milk produced by dairy cows fed a diet characterized by a high forage:concentrate ratio (high forage milk, HFM). In view of the low n-6:n-3 ratio and high content of conjugated linoleic acid of HFM, we studied the effects of this milk on lipid metabolism, inflammation, mitochondrial function, and oxidative stress in a rat model. To this end, we supplemented for 4 wk the diet of male Wistar rats with HFM and with an isocaloric amount (82 kJ, 22 mL/d) of milk obtained from cows fed a diet with low forage:concentrate ratio, and analyzed the metabolic parameters of the animals. Our results indicate that HFM may positively affect lipid metabolism, leptin:adiponectin ratio, inflammation, mitochondrial function, and oxidative stress, providing the first evidence of the beneficial effects of HFM on rat metabolism.     

Passive target detection and tracking from electromagnetic field measurements

This paper presents a novel approach to the localization of moving targets in a complex environment based on the measurement of the perturbations induced by the target presence on an independently‐generated time‐varying electromagnetic field. Field perturbations are measured via a set of sensors deployed over the domain of interest and used to detect and track a possible target by resorting to a particle Bernoulli filter (PBF). To comply with real‐time operation, the PBF works along with an artificial neural network (ANN) model of the environment trained offline via finite elements (FEs). The performance of the proposed algorithm is assessed via simulation experiments.     

The radiation of a rectangular power-bus structure at multiple cavity-mode resonances

The radiation from power-bus structures on high-speed printed circuit boards due to the switching noise current of digital integrated circuits is investigated. The study is based on an analytical cavity-resonator model for a rectangular parallel-plate structure. Based on the application of the field-equivalence principle, the radiated field is calculated from the electric edge-field distribution. For typical board dimensions, several cavity-mode resonances occur within the typical frequency range of interest, leading to relatively high maximum values for radiated emission. The evaluation of the radiation patterns reveals that all (0, nth) resonances have equal maximum amplitudes in the whole mode spectrum. This allows the setting up of an engineering equation for quantifying the noise-current-related maximum radiated field strength, including the dielectric and ohmic loss. Among all geometrical and material parameters, the dielectric thickness is one of the most effective ones to control radiated emission. The theoretical results are well confirmed by accurate measurements carried out in an anechoic room.     

Profiling Voids Embedded in a Slab by a Non-Linear Model

In this paper, by applying a non linear model for the electromagnetic inverse scattering, a technique for the dielectric profiling of a planarly layered medium is investigated and applied to void localization and diagnostics inside a homogeneous lossless slab (one-dimensional geometry). Data are collected under plane wave multifrequency normal incidence. Suitable finite dimensional representations for the unknown functions are introduced and their influence on the model is discussed. The resulting functional equation is solved by the method of weighted residuals and the solution algorithm amounts to minimizing a non quadratic function, where particular attention is devoted to reduce the occurrence of local minima. Finally, the inversion algorithm is validated by applications to both simulated and experimental data.     

Computation of mutual entropy in quantum markov chains

There are several damping phenomena in quantum optics. Such phenomena have been usually explained by open systems. In statistical physics, open system dynamics have been used to study the irreversibility and the approach to equilibrium. In this paper, the dynamical change of the mutual entropy for an open system, frequently studied in the quantum optics literature, is rigorously computed through a model of quantum Markov chain. In particular, the concrete formula of Stinespring expression for such a model is obtained and applied to the derivation of the mutual entropy, and some computational results are presented.     

Biodegradable hollow microfibres to produce bioactive scaffolds

Biodegradable hollow microfibres containing particles loaded with specific active agents can be potentially employed to produce a special kind of substrate for tissue engineering, able to function as a scaffold and at the same time to act as a drug‐releasing system. Biodegradable hollow microfibres based on poly(lactic acid) were produced by a dry–wet spinning procedure. Drug‐loaded microparticles were prepared by a simple oil‐in‐water emulsion and entrapped inside the fibres. The morphology of both fibres and particles was investigated by scanning electron microscopy. The mechanical and thermal properties of the fibres were investigated by tensile tests and differential scanning calorimetry. In vitro tests were performed to evaluate the release of the drug from the fibres loaded with the particles Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry