Mode Selection for 5G Heterogeneous and Opportunistic Networks

5G and beyond networks will offer multiple communication modes including device-to-device and multi-hop cellular (or UE-to-network relay) communications. Several studies have shown that these modes can signi_cantly improve the Quality of Service (QoS), the spectrum and energy ef_ciency, and the network capacity. Recent studies have demonstrated that further gains can be achieved when integrating demand-driven opportunistic networking into Multi-Hop Cellular Networks (MCN). In opportunistic MCN connections, devices can exploit the delay tolerance of many mobile data services to search for the most ef_cient connections between nodes. The availability of multiple communication modes requires mode selection schemes capable to decide the optimum mode for each transmission. Mode selection schemes have been previously proposed to account for the introduction of D2D and MCN. However, existing mode selection schemes cannot integrate opportunistic MCN connections into the selection process. This paper advances the state of the art by proposing the _rst mode selection scheme capable to integrate opportunistic MCN communications within 5G and beyond networks. The conducted analysis demonstrates the potential of opportunistic MCN communications, and the capability of the proposed mode selection scheme to select the most adequate communication mode.This work was supported in part by the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry, and Competitiveness, AEI, and FEDER funds under Grant TEC2017-88612-RGrant TEC2014-57146-Rand in part by the Generalitat Valenciana under Grant GV/2016/049

Bankruptcy-based Radio Resource Management for Multimedia Mobile Networks

The transmission of bandwidth demanding multimedia applications in capacity constrained mobile radio networks requires optimizing the usage and assignment of radio resources following the varying Quality of Service (QoS) requirements characteristics of multimedia traffic environments. Considering the capacity of bankruptcy theory to deal with situations where the demand for resources is higher than its availability, this work proposes the application of bankruptcy theories to design efficient radio resource management policies that provide the highest possible QoS levels while guaranteeing user fairnes

Latency-Sensitive 5G RAN Slicing for Industry 4.0

Network slicing is a novel 5G paradigm that exploits the virtualization and softwarization of networks to create different logical network instances over a common network infrastructure. Each instance is tailored for specific Quality of Service (QoS) profiles so that network slicing can simultaneously support several services with diverse requirements. Network slicing can be applied at the Core Network or at the Radio Access Network (RAN). RAN slicing is particularly relevant to support latency-sensitive or timecritical applications since the RAN accounts for a significant part of the end-to-end transmission latency. In this context, this study proposes a novel latency-sensitive 5G RAN slicing solution. The proposal includes schemes to design slices and partition (or allocate) radio resources among slices. These schemes are designed with the objective to satisfy both the rate and latency demands of diverse applications. In particular, this study considers applications with deterministic aperiodic, deterministic periodic and nondeterministic traffic. The latency-sensitive 5G RAN slicing proposal is evaluated in Industry 4.0 scenarios where stringent and/or deterministic latency requirements are common. However, it can be evolved to support other verticals with latency-sensitive or time-critical applicationsThis work has been funded by the European Commission through the FoF-RIA Project AUTOWARE: Wireless Autonomous, Reliable and Resilient Production Operation Architecture for Cognitive Manufacturing (No. 723909),and the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry, and Competitiveness, AEI, and FEDER funds (TEC2017-88612-R)

5G NR Configured Grant in ns-3 Network Simulator for Ultra-Reliable Low Latency Communications

5th Generation (5G) and Beyond networks are being designed to support Ultra-Reliable and Low Latency Communications (URLLC). To this end, 5G defines a new radio (NR) interface with a new mechanism at the Physical (PHY) and Medium Access Control (MAC) layers that allow reducing the latency communication. One key mechanism to reduce the latency is the scheduling scheme. Mainly, 5G defines the use of the configured grant (CG) scheduling for uplink (UL) transmissions that eliminates the need to request and assign resources for each packet transmission by pre-allocating resources to the UE. The availability of simulation tools that accurately model the new mechanisms and technologies incorporated in 5G New Radio (NR) is key to research and evaluate new proposals and enhancements to meet the communication requirements of emerging services. In this context, this paper presents the implementation of the configured grant scheduling in the ns-3 network simulator. Remarkably, the configured grant has been implemented within the 5G-LTE-EPC Network simulAtor (5G-LENA) module that simulates the fundamental PHY-MAC NR features in line with the NR specifications. In addition, this paper validates the configured grant implementation through system-level simulations considering a typical Industry 4.0 scenario characterized by applications demanding URLLC

Analysis of 5G RAN Configuration to Support Advanced V2X Services

5G offers high flexibility at the radio, transport and core networks to support various services of critical verticals such as connected and automated driving. At the Radio Access Network (RAN), 5G defines a New Radio (NR). 5G NR utilizes different subcarrier spacing, slot durations, modulations and channel coding schemes. This flexibility offers the possibility to support automotive services with different and demanding requirements, such as Advanced Driver-Assistance System (ADAS), cooperative driving, and remote driving. Previous studies showed that 5G NR can be configured to achieve latencies below 2 ms. However, existing studies are generally restricted to scenarios with a limited number of users and unlimited bandwidth. Therefore, it is important to analyze whether 5G NR can effectively support these services as the network scales under limited spectrum allocations. This study advances the current state of the art to demonstrate that the capability of 5G NR RAN to support advanced V2X services depends on the RAN configuration (subcarrier spacing, slot duration and error protection) and network load.UMH work was supported in part by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (MCI)AEI and FEDER funds under Project TEC2017-88612-RThe Ministry of Universities (IJC2018-036862-I), and the Generalitat Valencian

Communication and Data Management in Industry 4.0

This work was funded by the European Commission through the FoF-RIA Project AUTOWARE: Wireless Autonomous, Reliable and Resilient Production Operation Architecture for Cognitive Manufacturing (No. 723909)

Evaluation of a quality improvement intervention to reduce anastomotic leak following right colectomy (EAGLE): pragmatic, batched stepped-wedge, cluster-randomized trial in 64 countries

Background Anastomotic leak affects 8 per cent of patients after right colectomy with a 10-fold increased risk of postoperative death. The EAGLE study aimed to develop and test whether an international, standardized quality improvement intervention could reduce anastomotic leaks. Methods The internationally intended protocol, iteratively co-developed by a multistage Delphi process, comprised an online educational module introducing risk stratification, an intraoperative checklist, and harmonized surgical techniques. Clusters (hospital teams) were randomized to one of three arms with varied sequences of intervention/data collection by a derived stepped-wedge batch design (at least 18 hospital teams per batch). Patients were blinded to the study allocation. Low- and middle-income country enrolment was encouraged. The primary outcome (assessed by intention to treat) was anastomotic leak rate, and subgroup analyses by module completion (at least 80 per cent of surgeons, high engagement; less than 50 per cent, low engagement) were preplanned. Results A total 355 hospital teams registered, with 332 from 64 countries (39.2 per cent low and middle income) included in the final analysis. The online modules were completed by half of the surgeons (2143 of 4411). The primary analysis included 3039 of the 3268 patients recruited (206 patients had no anastomosis and 23 were lost to follow-up), with anastomotic leaks arising before and after the intervention in 10.1 and 9.6 per cent respectively (adjusted OR 0.87, 95 per cent c.i. 0.59 to 1.30; P = 0.498). The proportion of surgeons completing the educational modules was an influence: the leak rate decreased from 12.2 per cent (61 of 500) before intervention to 5.1 per cent (24 of 473) after intervention in high-engagement centres (adjusted OR 0.36, 0.20 to 0.64; P < 0.001), but this was not observed in low-engagement hospitals (8.3 per cent (59 of 714) and 13.8 per cent (61 of 443) respectively; adjusted OR 2.09, 1.31 to 3.31). Conclusion Completion of globally available digital training by engaged teams can alter anastomotic leak rates. Registration number: NCT04270721 (http://www.clinicaltrials.gov)