A low complexity resource allocation algorithm for multicast service delivery in OFDMA networks

Allocating and managing radio resources to multicast transmissions in Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) systems is the challenging research issue addressed by this paper. A subgrouping technique, which divides the subscribers into subgroups according to the experienced channel quality, is considered to overcome the throughput limitations of conventional multicast data delivery schemes. A low complexity algorithm, designed to work with different resource allocation strategies, is also proposed to reduce the computational complexity of the subgroup formation problem. Simulation results, carried out by considering the Long Term Evolution (LTE) system based on OFDMA, testify the effectiveness of the proposed solution, which achieves a near-optimal performance with a limited computational load for the system

Persistent systemic microbial translocation, inflammation, and intestinal damage during Clostridioides difficile infection

Background. Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) might be complicated by the development of nosocomial bloodstream infection (n-BSI). Based on the hypothesis that alteration of the normal gut integrity is present during CDI, we evaluated markers of microbial translocation, inflammation, and intestinal damage in patients with CDI. Methods. Patients with documented CDI were enrolled in the study. For each subject, plasma samples were collected at T0 and T1 (before and after CDI therapy, respectively), and the following markers were evaluated: lipopolysaccharide-binding protein (LPB), EndoCab IgM, interleukin-6, intestinal fatty acid binding protein (I-FABP). Samples from nonhospitalized healthy controls were also included. The study population was divided into BSI+/BSI- and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) +/FMT- groups, according to the development of n-BSI and the receipt of FMT, respectively. Results. Overall, 45 subjects were included; 8 (17.7%) developed primary n-BSI. Markers of microbial translocation and intestinal damage significantly decreased between T0 and T1, however, without reaching values similar to controls (P < .0001). Compared with BSI-, a persistent high level of microbial translocation in the BSI+ group was observed. In the FMT+ group, markers of microbial translocation and inflammation at T1 tended to reach control values. Conclusions. CDI is associated with high levels of microbial translocation, inflammation, and intestinal damage, which are still present at clinical resolution of CDI. The role of residual mucosal perturbation and persistence of intestinal cell damage in the development of n-BSI following CDI, as well as the possible effect of FMT in the restoration of mucosal integrity, should be further investigated

Early Warning Systems for Emerging Profiles of Antimicrobial Resistance in Italy: A National Survey

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) national surveillance systems in Italy lack alert systems for timely detection of emerging profiles of AMR with potential relevance to public health. Furthermore, the existence of early warning systems (EWS) at subnational level is unclear. This study aims at mapping and characterizing EWS for microbiological threats available at regional level in Italy, focusing on emerging AMR, and at outlining potential barriers and facilitators to their development/implementation. To this end, a three-section, web-based survey was developed and administered to all Italian regional AMR representatives from June to August 2022. Twenty out of twenty-one regions and autonomous provinces (95.2%) responded to the survey. Among these, nine (45%) reported the implementation of EWS for microbiological threats at regional level, three (15%) reported that EWS are in the process of being developed, and eight (40%) reported that EWS are not currently available. EWS characteristics varied widely among the identified systems concerning both AMR profiles reported and data flow: the microorganisms most frequently included were extensively drug-resistant (XDR) Enterobacterales, with the lack of a dedicated regional IT platform reported in most cases. The results of this study depict a highly heterogeneous scenario and suggest that more efforts aimed at strengthening national AMR surveillance systems are needed

Information-centric networking for the internet of things: Challenges and opportunities

In view of evolving the Internet infrastructure, ICN is promoting a communication model that is fundamentally different from the traditional IP address-centric model. The ICN approach consists of the retrieval of content by (unique) names, regardless of origin server location (i.e., IP address), application, and distribution channel, thus enabling in-network caching/replication and content-based security. The expected benefits in terms of improved data dissemination efficiency and robustness in challenging communication scenarios indicate the high potential of ICN as an innovative networking paradigm in the IoT domain. IoT is a challenging environment, mainly due to the high number of heterogeneous and potentially constrained networked devices, and unique and heavy traffic patterns. The application of ICN principles in such a context opens new opportunities, while requiring careful design choices. This article critically discusses potential ways toward this goal by surveying the current literature after presenting several possible motivations for the introduction of ICN in the context of IoT. Major challenges and opportunities are also highlighted, serving as guidelines for progress beyond the state of the art in this timely and increasingly relevant topic

Low-Power Low-Rate Goes Long-Range: The Case for Secure and Cooperative Machine-to-Machine Communications

Part 3: - WCNS 2011 WorkshopInternational audienceThe vision of connecting a large amount of objects on this planet to improve well-being and safety is slowly taking shape. Preceded by a decade-long era of research on low-power low-rate short-range wireless sensor networks, first proprietary and later standards-compliant embedded technologies have successfully been put forward. Cellular machine-to-machine (M2M) is taking this technology to a next step where communication ranges are significantly extended by relying on cellular infrastructure. This position paper discusses these emerging paradigms and highlights how cooperative as well as security requirements are core to their designs

Itsphone: an integrated platform for participatory its data collection and opportunistic transfer

The recent advances in sensing and communication technologies pave the way for interfacing cars with smartphones to offer value-added services to users on the road. Kinematics, automotive diagnostics, passengers load, and pollution data can be provided by vehicles, augmented with external sensors, to make the road transport greener and smarter. With the purpose of supporting and improving data collection and distribution, by boosting user participation, in this work a smartphone-based platform is demonstrated that exploits cheap dedicated hardware to interact with sensors on board and in the vehicle’s surroundings and opportunistically leverages available wireless connectivity to remotely transmit collected data

SDN&NFV contribution to IoT objects virtualization

The Internet of Things paradigm will certainly be one of the main drivers of the tomorrow's 5th generation (5G) wireless networks. In order to support the algorithms required for real time exchange and analysis of great amounts of data among the involved smart devices, Virtual Objects (VO) have become a key component to improve the objects energy management efficiency, as well as to address heterogeneity and scalability issues. Following the research trend of exploiting on-demand cloud computing resources to augment the processing and storage capabilities of IoT devices, this paper addresses the design of a novel infrastructure and paradigm to support the deployment of new personal IoT services inside the infrastructure provider premises. The goal is to bring cloud-computing services much closer to the end-users and to be able to replace physical IoT devices with their \u201cVirtual Images\u201d. Among other benefits, this approach will ensure a longer lifetime to IoT constrained devices and enable the inclusion of new protocols making the development of logic and the configuration of IoT smart application environment technology-agnostic. To achieve this goal, we have developed an open-source software platform that exploits OpenStack APIs and leverages a web interface providing all the functionality typically available in a home gateway through the OpenWRT Linux distribution. Results show this approach brings a manifest reduction in the amount of data transmitted, with benefits in terms of reduced workload and power consumption as well as extended device lifetime