Deep Reinforcement Learning for URLLC data management on top of scheduled eMBB traffic

With the advent of 5G and the research into beyond 5G (B5G) networks, a novel and very relevant research issue is how to manage the coexistence of different types of traffic, each with very stringent but completely different requirements. In this paper we propose a deep reinforcement learning (DRL) algorithm to slice the available physical layer resources between ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC) and enhanced Mobile BroadBand (eMBB) traffic. Specifically, in our setting the time-frequency resource grid is fully occupied by eMBB traffic and we train the DRL agent to employ proximal policy optimization (PPO), a state-of-the-art DRL algorithm, to dynamically allocate the incoming URLLC traffic by puncturing eMBB codewords. Assuming that each eMBB codeword can tolerate a certain limited amount of puncturing beyond which is in outage, we show that the policy devised by the DRL agent never violates the latency requirement of URLLC traffic and, at the same time, manages to keep the number of eMBB codewords in outage at minimum levels, when compared to other state-of-the-art schemes.Comment: This work has been submitted to the IEEE for possible publication. Copyright may be transferred without notice, after which this version may no longer be accessibl

Neighbours' Conviviality without Gatherings. Social Streets in Times of Lockdown

The lockdown period imposed by Italian institutions to their citizens from March to May 2020 to contrast the Coronavirus diffusion had a very deep impact on people's sociality and their daily practices. However, informal groups and associations tried to keep them alive with the help of digital communication technologies, used to enhance conviviality and to support and organize forms of mutual help. This article aims to analyse how Social Streets promoted sociality and mutual help among neighbours in time of lockdown, and how Streeters, here defined as people who are at least inscribed at the Facebook group of their Social Street, have profited from the possibility to have at their disposal an online social place where to interact and be informed about the possibility of giving and receiving help. This article draws from data gathered through two online surveys, administered, respectively, during lockdown phase in the second half of April (838 respondents) and in June 2020, after its end (371 respondents). Our results show that, after seven years since their foundation in 2013, Social Streets still play a pivotal role in the neighbourhood. During lockdown, they gave a contribution in keeping neighbours informed about what was going on in the neighbourhood, in sustaining and producing convivial ties, in organizing mutual help services. In the hard time of lockdown, when most of the usual habits and practices were forcefully suspended, Social Streets proved very important in setting a cognitive, emotional, and organizational framework inside which conviviality and collaboration among neighbours could find greater plausibility

Neighbours' Conviviality without Gatherings. Social Streets in Times of Lockdown

The lockdown period imposed by Italian institutions to their citizens from March to May 2020 to contrast the Coronavirus diffusion had a very deep impact on people's sociality and their daily practices. However, informal groups and associations tried to keep them alive with the help of digital communication technologies, used to enhance conviviality and to support and organize forms of mutual help. This article aims to analyse how Social Streets promoted sociality and mutual help among neighbours in time of lockdown, and how Streeters, here defined as people who are at least inscribed at the Facebook group of their Social Street, have profited from the possibility to have at their disposal an online social place where to interact and be informed about the possibility of giving and receiving help. This article draws from data gathered through two online surveys, administered, respectively, during lockdown phase in the second half of April (838 respondents) and in June 2020, after its end (371 respondents). Our results show that, after seven years since their foundation in 2013, Social Streets still play a pivotal role in the neighbourhood. During lockdown, they gave a contribution in keeping neighbours informed about what was going on in the neighbourhood, in sustaining and producing convivial ties, in organizing mutual help services. In the hard time of lockdown, when most of the usual habits and practices were forcefully suspended, Social Streets proved very important in setting a cognitive, emotional, and organizational framework inside which conviviality and collaboration among neighbours could find greater plausibility

The p50 NF-\u3baB subunit is a prognostic regulator of colorectal cancer-associated inflammation

In most tumors, tumor associated macrophages (TAMs) express an M2-skewed phenotype and are therefore associated with unfavorable prognosis. However, the impact of TAMs in colorectal cancer (CRC) development and outcome is still controversial. We first demonstrate, by parallel studies in colitis-associated cancer (CAC) and in genetically driven ApcMin mouse models, that p50 NF-\u3baB is essential for CRC development by restraining M1-dependent antitumor response. In absence of p50 mice developed fewer and smaller CRC lesions which express enhanced levels of M1/Th1 cytokines/chemokines including IL-12 and CXCL10, whose administration restrained CAC development in vivo. Moreover colons from p50-/- tumor bearers showed a reduced number of TAMs, as opposed to increased NK, NKT, CD8+ T cells and apoptotic cancer cells. Consistently, in CRC patients, high burden of p50+ TAMs was associated with decreased M1/Th1 inflammation and worse outcome indicating p50 as a new candidate for prognostic and target therapeutic intervention

Estimating Mean Pulmonary Wedge Pressure in Patients With Chronic Atrial Fibrillation From Transthoracic Doppler Indexes of Mitral and Pulmonary Venous Flow Velocity

AbstractObjectives. We sought to obtain a noninvasive estimation of mean pulmonary wedge pressure (MPWP) in patients with chronic atrial fibrillation (AF).Background. It has previously been demonstrated that MPWP can be reliably estimated from Doppler indexes of mitral and pulmonary venous flow (PVF) in patients with sinus rhythm. Doppler estimation of MPWP has not been validated in patients with AF.Methods. MPWP was correlated with variables of mitral and pulmonary venous flow velocity as assessed by Doppler transthoracic echocardiography in 35 consecutive patients. The derived algorithm was prospectively tested in 23 additional patients.Results. In all patients the mitral flow pattern showed only a diastolic forward component. A significant but relatively weak correlation (r = −0.50) was observed between MPWP and mitral deceleration time. In 12 (34%) of 35 patients, the pulmonary vein flow tracing demonstrated only a diastolic forward component; a diastolic and late systolic forward flow was noted in the remaining 23 patients (66%). A strong negative correlation was observed between MPWP and the normalized duration of the diastolic flow (r = −0.80) and its initial deceleration slope time (r = −0.91). Deceleration time >220 ms predicted MPWP ≤12 mm Hg with 100% sensitivity and 100% specificity. When estimating MPWP by using the equation MPWP= −94.261 PVF deceleration time− 9.831 Interval QRS to onset of diastolic PVF− 16.337 Duration of PVF+ 44.261, the measured and predicted MPWP closely agreed with a mean difference of −0.85 mm Hg. The 95% confidence limits were 4.8 and −6.1 mm Hg.Conclusions. In patients with chronic AF, MPWP can be estimated from transthoracic Doppler study of PVF velocity signals.(J Am Coll Cardiol 1997;30:19–26

The CCL3 Family of Chemokines and Innate Immunity Cooperate In Vivo in the Eradication of an Established Lymphoma Xenograft by Rituximab

The therapeutic mAb rituximab induced the expression of the CCL3 and CCL4 chemokines in the human lymphoma line BJAB following binding to the CD20 Ag. Induction of CCL3/4 in vitro was specific, was observed in several cell lines and freshly isolated lymphoma samples and also took place at the protein level in vitro and in vivo. To investigate the role of these beta-chemokines in the mechanism of action of rituximab, we synthesized a N-terminally truncated CCL3 molecule CCL3(11\u201370), which had antagonist activity on chemotaxis mediated by either CCL3 or BJAB supernatant. We also set up an established s.c. BJAB tumor model in athymic mice. Rituximab, given weekly after tumors had reached 250 mm2, led to complete disappearance of the lymphoma within 2\u20133 wk. Treatment of mice with cobra venom factor showed that complement was required for rituximab therapeutic activity. Treatment of BJAB tumor bearing mice every 2 days with the CCL3(11\u201370) antagonist, starting 1 wk before rituximab treatment, had no effect on tumor growth by itself, but completely inhibited the therapeutic activity of the Ab. To determine whether CCL3 acts through recruitment/activation of immune cells, we specifically depleted NK cells, polymorphonuclear cells, and macrophages using mAbs, clodronate treatment, or Rag2\u2013/\u2013c\u2013/\u2013 mice. The data demonstrated that these different cell populations are involved in BJAB tumor eradication. We propose that rituximab rapidly activates complement and induces beta-chemokines in vivo, which in turn activate the innate immunity network required for efficient eradication of the bulky BJAB tumor