Scalable software switch based service function chaining for 5G network slicing

Service Function Chaining (SFC) is a key enabler for network slicing in the Fifth-Generation (5G) mobile networks. Despite the ongoing standardisation activities and open source projects in addressing SFC, built-in 5G network support for SFC has not been sufficiently addressed on 5G Multi-tenant infrastructures. This paper proposes an Service Function Forwarder (SFF) and Classifier which is able to provide network slicing capabilities to the Service Data Plane in this type of infrastructures. The proposed prototype has been implemented as an extension of the popular Open Virtual Switch (OVS). The results of the empirical validation demonstrate that the proposed prototype is able to deal simultaneously with up to 8192 network slices with a maximum delay of 11 microseconds and 0% packet loss processing traffic at speeds up to 20 Gbps in a 5G architecture. The performance values achieved in this work are compliant with the 5G KPI expectation

Crystalline Composition of Equine Urinary Sabulous Deposits

The composition and crystal morphology of 141 equine sabulous deposits were determined by infrared spectroscopy (IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX). The IR analysis revealed that all investigated deposits contained calcium carbonates (calcite, CaCO3, and/or vaterite, CaCO3) as major constituents; 42 samples were composed of calcite and vaterite, 33 of calcite, 18 of calcite/vaterite and calcium oxalate, and 17 of vaterite. The remaining specimens contained calcite/vaterite and other compounds (calcium phosphates, sulphate and/or oxalates and/or silica). The examination of 44 selected samples by means of SEM/EDX, revealed the characteristic morphology and elemental composition of the constituents of the sabulous deposits. Calcite crystals showed a typical spherical shape, as well as other less common rhombohedral habit. Vaterite displayed a flower or star appearance and also a mulberry shape. Less frequent was a spherular habit for vaterite resembling that of calcite. Elemental analysis of both calcite and vaterite crystals showed, besides calcium, varying proportions of magnesium and potassium. It is concluded that calcite and vaterite were mainly present in a substituted form. Calcium oxalate dihydrate crystals showed their characteristic bi pyramidal morphology. Calcium oxalate monohydrate crystals, which were less frequent, exhibited dumbbell or hour-glass shape

Morphological Study of Gastric Lesions Developing in the Rat Under Several Damaging Conditions: Modifications Induced by Pretreatment with Zinc Acexamate

Lesions developing in the gastric mucosa of the rat after exposure to different gastric damaging agents (100 mg/kg aspirin, and 70% or 100% ethanol) were assessed by scanning electron microscopy. The severity of the lesions was quantified according to morphological criteria. Modifications in the severity of these lesions induced by pretreatment with zinc acexamate were also analyzed. The scanning electron microscope revealed that with the exception of absolute ethanol, which caused distinctive morphological features, lesions found under the different experimental agents shared a common pattern of progression. Ultrastructural lesions on surface epithelial cells preceded further alterations of parietal cells. After the integrity of the epithelial cells was lost, detachment of the parietal cells occurred, probably, through peptic digestion of the connections between cells and their extracellular matrices. Pretreatment of animals with zinc acexamate increased the presence of mucus on the gastric surface and significantly prevented the progression of lesions towards the severest stages. Ultrastructural damage of surface epithelial cells was not influenced by this treatment, but detachment of damaged cells was clearly diminished. These data confirm the protective effect of zinc acexamate against gastric aggressions. Moreover, our studies confirm the notion that mucus secretion and maintenance of continuity on the gastric lumen by surface epithelial cells is of critical importance in preventing the gastric damage induced in these experimental models

Topology-aware cognitive self-protection framework for automated detection and mitigation of security and privacy incidents in 5G-IoT networks

Internet of Things (IoT) coupled with 5G networks enable unprecedented levels of scalability and performance in the computing industry. These enhanced performance features allow to offer and deploy a wide range of new use cases and services in scenarios such as Smart Cities, Smart Grid or Industry 5.0 just to mention a few. However, the inherent complexity of such networks is a serious concern in terms of security. Furthermore, the vulnerability and low-power constraints of IoT devices make such networks a targeted vector for cyber criminals. In this contribution, authors present an innovative topology-aware Cognitive Self-protection framework able to detect and mitigate attacks in an autonomous way with no human intervention in the wired segments of 5G-IoT multi-tenant networks. Preliminary tests carried out on a realistic emulated testbed show promising results in terms of time spent in stopping DDoS attacks (less than 47 seconds) and scalability for scenarios with different number of tenants and UEs (2 virtual tenants deployed in 4 Edge nodes and up to 64 IoT devices or sensors connected to the infrastructure)

Luz blanca en la normativa española como mejora de la sostenibilidad

En la actualidad, en nuestro país debido al índice de reproducción cromática en las lámparas del alumbrado exterior, el color que suelen presentar es un color amarillento, lo cual puede tener graves consecuencias en la seguridad de los ciudadanos al distorsionar algunos aspectos de la realidad. Es por este motivo que pretendemos resaltar las bondades que presenta la luz blanca, como la mejora de la eficiencia energética o en el comportamiento de los usuarios a la hora de aprovechar los espacios públicos en horarios nocturnos. Para asegurarnos que la introducción de la Luz Blanca en la normativa no presenta inconvenientes, esta investigación se presenta dividida en tres campos diferentes: Crimen, Seguridad Vial y Eficiencia Energética, con el propósito de evaluar el mayor número de factores que afectan al alumbrado exterior

Eficiencia energética del alumbrado exterior en España

El alumbrado público en España representa entre un 40% y 60 % del total del consumo eléctrico de las ciudades, lo que supone unos gastos de electricidad y mantenimiento en torno a los 1.200 millones de euros al año. Sin embargo, los avances realizados en esta materia pueden ayudar a reducir este consumo energético hasta en un 45%. Si echamos un vistazo al resto de los países de la Unión Europea, podemos comprobar como España es el país que presenta un mayor consumo energético en alumbrado exterior por habitante, llegando a duplicar el valor de países como Alemania o Reino Unido. Por este motivo pretendemos realizar un pequeño análisis sobre el estado de nuestras instalaciones, para lo cual realizaremos una comparación con uno de los países más eficientes de la Unión Europea, el Reino Unido. Esta comparación nos ayudará a analizar algunos de los aspectos que consideramos que han sido pasados por alto en la normativa de eficiencia energética de alumbrado exterior de España, los cuales podrían suponer un aumento en la eficiencia de nuestros sistemas de alumbrado, con el correspondiente ahorro energético que esto podría conllevar