Publications

The explosive growth of data, particularly internet traffic, has led to a dramatic increase in demand for transmission bandwidth, imposing an immmediate requirement for a broadband networks. The primary objective of the COST Action 291 ‘Towards Digital Optical Networks’ was to focus on novel network concepts, subsystems and architectures to enable future telecommunication networks, exploiting the features and properties of photonic technologies. Three working groups were established to deal with these research objectives:
WG1, Optical Processing for Digital Network Performance, dealt with the physical layer and implementation-related issues of transparent optical networks such as optical-signal-per-bit processing, optical-switch-architecture designs and implementations as well as transmissino-related issues.
WG2, Novel Network Architectures, focused on the evolution of network scenarios, including novel network architectures. Also different node architectures and technologies in terms of network performance and functionality were investigated. Three different architectures were studied and compared: circuit (wavelength, waveband, etc.), and optical-burst and optical-packet switched networks.
WG3, Unified Control Plane, Network Resilience and Service Security, dealt with the impact of transparency on photonic network architectures and the associated control and protocol issues as well as on network survivability and security issues, covering topics such as protection and restoration, routing and wavelength assignment algorithms, fault isolation, disaster recovery, etc.
The results obtained within these working groups are collected in this volume.

This volume brings together the selected and peer-reviewed contributions of the participants at the COST 2102 International Conference on Verbal and Nonverbal Features of Human-Human and Human-Machine Interaction, held in Patras, Greece.
The main theme of the conference was to foster existing and growing connections between the emerging field of technology devoted to the identification of individuals using biological traits and the fundamentals of verbal and nonverbal communication which include facial expressions, tones of voice, gestures, eye contact, spatial arrangements, patters of touch, expressive movement, cultural differences, and other “nonverbal” acts.
This book is broadly dividied into two scientific areas according to a thematic classification, even though all the areas are closely connected and all provdie fundamental insights for cross-fertilization of different disciplines.

Presentations from the workshop held in Malta, March 23-25, 2006.