0000000000148798
AUTHOR
D. Messina
A Network Protocol to Enhance Robustness in Tree-Based WSNs Using Data Aggregation
This paper proposes a data gathering strategy for wireless sensor networks and an implementation based on the IEEE 802.15.4 standard. The algorithm combines the benefits of single-path and multi-path routing strategies in a hybrid solution which makes use of alternative paths when necessary. We adopt a caching and retransmission technique, which exploits some peculiar features of data aggregation, with the use of implicit acknowledgments of reception. The paper also discusses simulation results that show how the mentioned techniques, combined with exploitation of the features of the IEEE 802.15.4 standard have been used to obtain an efficient protocol that takes energy consumption into acco…
Degradation and rehabilitation of Gerber saddles of concrete bridges
In recent decades, many concrete bridges, built in the 60s and 70s of the 20th Century with a Gerber-girder scheme, show severe damage of the saddles due to concrete degradation and reinforcement corrosion. On the basis of the recent Ministerial Guidelines for the assessment of existing bridges, it is necessary to evaluate the state of the Gerber saddles in a large number of bridges on both main and secondary roads. To do this, it is necessary to apply flexible assessment procedures that can be adapted to several situations and that allow a speedy assessment of the intervention priorities. The methodologies of intervention represent the crucial point for a rapid rehabilitation of these infr…
Adaptive Collision Avoidance through Implicit Acknowledgments in WSNs
The large number of nodes, typical of many sensor network deployments, and the well-known hidden terminal problem make collision avoidance an essential goal for the actual employment of WSN technology. Collision avoidance is traditionally dealt with at the MAC Layer and plenty of different solutions have been proposed, which however have encountered limited diffusion because of their incompatibility with commonly available devices.In this paper we propose an approach to collision avoidance which is designed to work over a standard MAC Layer, namely the IEEE 802.15.4 MAC, and is based on application-controlled delays of packet transmission times. The proposed scheme is simple, decentralized …
Case-studies of corroded reinforced concrete bridges in Southern Italy
On Italian roads, a lot of reinforced concrete bridges were built in the 1950’s and 1960’s for short spans, before the advent of prefabricated structures. Many of these bridges, sited on principal or secondary roadways, show the effects of corrosion of reinforcements and high levels of damage, leading to the likelihood of achievement of the Ultimate Limit State, below the required performances of serviceability, especially in the case of Gerber saddles having strongly corroded reinforcements. Different case studies of bridges sited in Southern Italy (Sicily) are shown, allowing engineers to classify the main effects of damage in corroded structures with the Gerber static scheme (cantilever …
A space-division time-division multiple access scheme for high throughput provisioning in WLANs
Directional antennas may dramatically increase the capacity of a Wireless LAN by allowing several stations to simultaneously communicate. Since deployment of directive/smart antennas on the customer's terminals is awkward (for technological, cost, robustness, and convenience reasons) it is of interest to deploy advanced antenna solutions only at the Access Point. When omnidirectional transmissions are used at the Mobile Stations, the asynchronous nature of the 802.11 MAC handshake structurally limits the possibility to exploit spatial reuse. Significant throughput enhancements can be achieved only at the expense of redesigning (part of) the 802.11 MAC protocol: mainly a form of synchronizat…
Morphological and biomolecular characteristics of subcentimetric invasive breast carcinomas in Sicily: A multicentre retrospective study in relation to trastuzumab treatment
Little information from clinical trials is available regarding the efficacy of trastuzumab treatment in subcentimetric breast carcinomas (BCs). The aim of this study was to verify the existence of correlations between HER2 and hormone receptor status, Ki67 values, grade, histotype and node involvement in a cohort of pT1a,b BCs from an area not widely covered by screening campaigns. A total of 410 pT1a,b BC formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples collected from eight Sicilian Anatomo-Pathological Units (APUs) were classified according to the WHO classification and tumour grading was established. Estrogen and progesterone receptor status, Ki67 labelling index and HER2 status were available. …
Achieving Robustness through Caching and Retransmissions in IEEE 802.15.4-based WSNs
This paper proposes a network-layer protocol for wireless sensor networks based on the IEEE 802.15.4 standard. Our protocol is devised to provide reliable data gathering in latency-constrained applications, and exploits both the flexibility of the IEEE 802.15.4 MAC layer and features of data aggregation techniques, such as implicit acknowledgment of reception. The proposed protocol acts as a routing module and a control entity for the MAC layer and provides reliable communication, while managing power saving and synchronizertion among nodes. Without relying on MAC-layer acknowledgments, the protocol implements caching and network-layer retransmissions, triggered upon detection of a link fai…
Reliable Data Gathering in Tree-Based IEEE 802.15.4 Wireless Sensor Networks
This paper describes a routing protocol for enhanced robustness in IEEE 802.15.4-based sensor networks, which also addresses typical MAC layer issues, including power management, synchronization and link reliability. The algorithm uses a single-path strategy in error-free scenarios and resorts to using alternative paths when communication errors are detected. Our proposal exploits implicit acknowledgement of reception, a feature which may be provided by data aggregation when a broadcast medium such as the wireless channel is used. Therefore MAC layer acknowledgements are not used and errors recovery relies on a caching and retransmission strategy. The protocol requires synchronization among…