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In this paper, we consider the problem of scheduling network tasks that have to be performed in a given computer network. Each network task consists of the transmission of data files between two nodes of the network and has to be performed in an a priori known time window in such a way that the energy consumed by the network equipment during the transmission of all the considered tasks is minimized. The entire mathematical model of this scheduling problem is proposed. Some results of computational experiments are also presented to show energy savings achieved through implementation of the proposed model in the interdata center network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on planning and replanning of virtual infrastructures over optical cloud infrastructures comprising integrated optical network and IT resources. This concept has been developed in the context of the European project GEYSERS. GEYSERS has proposed a novel multi-layer architecture, described in detail, that employs optical networking capable of provisioning optical network and IT resources for end-to-end cloud service delivery. The procedures required to perform virtual infrastructure planning and replanning at the different architecture layers are also detailed. An optimization scheme suitable to dynamically plan and replan virtual infrastructures is presented and compared to conventional approaches, and the benefits of dynamic replanning are discussed and quantified. The final project demonstration, focusing on planning, replanning, and dynamically establishing virtual infrastructures over the physical resources, is presented, while some emulation results are provided to further evaluate the performance of the GEYSERS solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Programmable networks are a substantial part of current R&D on future internet (FI) in Europe and worldwide, with considerable impact generated by large-scale test bed infrastructures. In such test beds, researchers validate proof-of-concept prototypes for new algorithms and mechanisms for efficiently controlling and managing network resources. One of the key domains for FI research is software-defined networking (SDN), which creates innovations in existing Internet architectures by shifting the control and logic outside the network equipment to Data Centres. International cooperation among leading research centres in Europe, Americas and Asia is key to validate SDN foundations and tools. EU and Japan have jointly funded the FELIX project (federated test-beds for large-scale infrastructure experiments), which defines a common control and orchestration framework to manage federated FI test beds across continents. This framework enables an experimenter to (i) request and obtain resources across different test bed infrastructures dynamically; (ii) manage and control the network paths connecting the federated SDN test beds; (iii) monitor the underlying resources and (iv) use distributed applications executed on the federated infrastructures. This paper describes the high-level architecture of the FELIX framework and details six use cases that will be employed for validation. We present our analysis and end-user considerations, highlighting the necessity for resource accessibility and coherent use of physical connections over a large-scale test bed where different control technologies such as OpenFlow and the network service interface (NSI) are simultaneously used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

G²MPLS is a network control plane architecture that implements the concept of grid network services. In the framework of the 1ST Phosphorus project, GNS allows the provisioning of network and grid resources in a single step through a set of seamlessly integrated procedures. The implementation of GNS imposes a number of requirements in the control planes of the underlying network infrastructure. This article describes services such as GNS set up and restoration, GNS resource and service discovery, and advance reservation services, which are the main trigger factors of the G²MPLS control plane architectures. The article provides an overview of overlay architecture prior to turning to the main focus of the article, which is the integrated architecture through service procedures and the grid-enabled network interfaces provided by the Phosphorus project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: White lupin (Lupinus albus L.) is a high-protein Old World grain legume with remarkable food and feed production interest. It is sown in autumn or early spring, depending on the local agroclimatic conditions. This study aimed to identify allelic variants associated with vernalization responsiveness, in order to improve our knowledge of legume flowering regulatory pathways and develop molecular selection tools for the desired phenology as required for current breeding and adaptation to the changing climate. Results: Some 120 white lupin accessions originating from a wide range of environments of Europe, Africa, and Asia were phenotyped under field conditions in three environments with different intensities of vernalization, namely, a Mediterranean and a subcontinental climate sites of Italy under autumn sowing, and a suboceanic climate site of France under spring sowing. Two hundred sixty-two individual genotypes extracted from them were phenotyped in a greenhouse under long-day photoperiod without vernalization. Phenology data, and marker data generated by Diversity Arrays Technology sequencing (DArT-seq) and by PCR-based screening targeting published quantitative trait loci (QTLs) from linkage map and newly identified insertion/deletion polymorphisms in the promoter region of the FLOWERING LOCUS T homolog, LalbFTc1 gene (Lalb_Chr14g0364281), were subjected to a genome-wide association study (GWAS). Population structure followed differences in phenology and isolation by distance pattern. The GWAS highlighted numerous loci significantly associated with flowering time, including four LalbFTc1 gene promoter deletions: 2388 bp and 2126 bp deletions at the 5' end, a 264 bp deletion in the middle and a 28 bp deletion at the 3' end of the promoter. Besides LalbFTc1 deletions, this set contained DArT-seq markers that matched previously published major QTLs in chromosomes Lalb_Chr02, Lalb_Chr13 and Lalb_Chr16, and newly discovered QTLs in other chromosomes. Conclusions: This study highlighted novel QTLs for flowering time and validated those already published, thereby providing novel evidence on the convergence of FTc1 gene functional evolution into the vernalization pathway in Old World lupin species. Moreover, this research provided the set of loci specific for extreme phenotypes (the earliest or the latest) awaiting further implementation in marker-assisted selection for spring- or winter sowing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]