Childhood gene-environment interactions and age-dependent effects of genetic variants associated with refractive error and myopia : The CREAM Consortium

Myopia, currently at epidemic levels in East Asia, is a leading cause of untreatable visual impairment. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in adults have identified 39 loci associated with refractive error and myopia. Here, the age-of-onset of association between genetic variants at these 39 loci and refractive error was investigated in 5200 children assessed longitudinally across ages 7-15 years, along with gene-environment interactions involving the major environmental risk-factors, nearwork and time outdoors. Specific variants could be categorized as showing evidence of: (a) early-onset effects remaining stable through childhood, (b) early-onset effects that progressed further with increasing age, or (c) onset later in childhood (N = 10, 5 and 11 variants, respectively). A genetic risk score (GRS) for all 39 variants explained 0.6% (P = 6.6E-08) and 2.3% (P = 6.9E-21) of the variance in refractive error at ages 7 and 15, respectively, supporting increased effects from these genetic variants at older ages. Replication in multi-ancestry samples (combined N = 5599) yielded evidence of childhood onset for 6 of 12 variants present in both Asians and Europeans. There was no indication that variant or GRS effects altered depending on time outdoors, however 5 variants showed nominal evidence of interactions with nearwork (top variant, rs7829127 in ZMAT4; P = 6.3E-04).Peer reviewe

Base station energy use in dense urban and suburban areas

Abstract Growing energy consumption is a global problem. The information and communications technology (ICT) industry is in a critical role as an enabler of energy savings in other sectors. However, the power consumption of the ICT sector also needs to be addressed, to contribute to the overall reduction of power consumption and carbon emissions. A new era has begun as the fifth generation (5G) mobile data connection rollouts are advancing globally and are expected to reach a 10% share of end-user devices and connections by 2023. The available references on energy consumption in global mobile networks are rather old and highly averaged — only estimates of energy consumption relative to data volumes are available. There is an information gap regarding the energy consumption of emerging 5G and advanced 4G technologies. Therefore, it has been difficult to understand the actual electricity consumption differences between generations and spatially aggregated electricity consumption once these generations are combined to offer capacity and coverage. This article fills this gap by providing a reference on the energy consumption of base transceiver stations for reported mobile data usage for different Radio Access Technologies; 3G, 4G and 5G respectively. To the best of our knowledge, there is no reference to scientific research on the comparison of energy intensity per square kilometer for 3G, 4G and 5G mobile radio technologies, using actual operator data. The objective of this research was to improve the understanding of the actual energy consumption of different Radio Access Technologies (RAT). The results also give insight to decision makers on when to modernize the operator radio access network. The article reports on the results of field measurements on data and visitor volumes and shares of different RATs. The research contains two statistical RAT combination cases, one representing the European average and the other Finnish mobile networks. The analyses were done for dense urban (DU) and suburban (SU) areas

Characterisation of RF connectors and components for advanced 5G applications

Abstract Development of 5G and beyond technologies brings wireless communications systems to operate at higher frequencies and makes them more compact and integrated in nature. This places further challenges for component and system design, but at the same time the need for reliable RF interconnections becomes more and more important. This work investigates passive RF structures implemented on a low-permittivity Panasonic dielectric substrate up to a frequency of 110 GHz with simulations and measurements. Two different test cases are considered: a simple transmission line with a TRL calibration structure as well as a Wilkinson power divider. Agreement between simulations and measurements is rather good, and the results show that the used substrate material is a viable alternative for RF applications around 100 GHz

System analysis and design of mmW mobile backhaul transceiver at 28 GHz

Abstract In the next generation of mobile network, 5G, mm-wave (mmW) communication is considered one of the main disruptive technologies to increase data rates and improve spectrum efficiency. Wireless backhaul with stationary or moving nodes is one of the best candidate use-cases. This paper provides a comprehensive analysis on the architecture and design of mmW transceiver with automatic gain control (AGC) for mobility management. The focus is on the RF component requirements, especially, power amplifiers, low-noise amplifier and antennas as well as on their impact on the link-budget. Results are provided based on real figures of commercial components

RF driven 5G system design for centimeter waves

Abstract 5G system design is a complex process due to a great variety of applications and their diverse requirements. This article describes our experiences in developing a centimeter waves mobile broadband concept satisfying future capacity requirements. The first step in the process was the radio channel measurement campaign and statistical modeling. Then the link level design was performed tightly together with the radio frequency (RF) implementation requirements to allow as large scalability of the air interface as possible. We started the concept development at 10 GHz frequency band and during the project World Radiocommunication Conference 2015 selected somewhat higher frequencies as new candidates for 5G. Thus, the main learning was to gain insight of interdependencies of different phenomena and find feasible combinations of techniques and parameter combinations that might actually work in practice, not only in theory

Proof of concept of mmWave high capacity backhaul:RF and antenna components

Abstract In the next generation of mobile network, 5G, mmwave (mmW) communication is considered one of the main disruptive technologies to increase data rates, improve spectrum efficiency and provide new frequency bands for wireless communication. New frequency bands require new radio frequency components and design of radio circuits operating at mmW frequencies is a challenging task. This paper provides simulation and measurement results of a commercial power amplifier, a Wilkinson divider and a distributed element 22 GHz high pass filter used in a proof of concept 5G mmW radio

Development of 5G CHAMPION testbeds for 5G services at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games

Abstract This paper describes the first available 5G testbeds as designed by 5G CHAMPION, a collaborative research project undertaken by over twenty consortium members and targeting the provision of 5G services at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Korea. In order to provide 5G services such as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), high quality, interactive multi-player video games, the testbeds shall fulfill the challenging requirements such as ultra-high data rates, ultra-reliable low latency, and mass connectivity. To meet such requirements, revolutionary testbed architectures are proposed, designed to be flexible, cost- and energy-efficient, through adopting state-of-art multi-radio access technologies (RAT) in client devices and in the network. The testbeds will also provide mmWave wireless backhaul, an interoperable and seamless connection between two different access networks located in Europe and on the site of the Korean Winter Olympic Games

6G vision, value, use cases and technologies from European 6G Flagship project Hexa-X

Abstract While 5G is being deployed and the economy and society begin to reap the associated benefits, the research and development community starts to focus on the next, 6 th Generation (6G) of wireless communications. Although there are papers available in the literature on visions, requirements and technical enablers for 6G from various academic perspectives, there is a lack of joint industry and academic work towards 6G. In this paper a consolidated view on vision, values, use cases and key enabling technologies from leading industry stakeholders and academia is presented. The authors represent the mobile communications ecosystem with competences spanning hardware, link layer and networking aspects, as well as standardization and regulation. The second contribution of the paper is revisiting and analyzing the key concurrent initiatives on 6G. A third contribution of the paper is the identification and justification of six key 6G research challenges: (i) “connecting”, in the sense of empowering, exploiting and governing, intelligence; (ii) realizing a network of networks, i.e., leveraging on existing networks and investments, while reinventing roles and protocols where needed; (iii) delivering extreme experiences, when/where needed; (iv) (environmental, economic, social) sustainability to address the major challenges of current societies; (v) trustworthiness as an ingrained fundamental design principle; (vi) supporting cost-effective global service coverage. A fourth contribution is a comprehensive specification of a concrete first-set of industry and academia jointly defined use cases for 6G, e.g., massive twinning, cooperative robots, immersive telepresence, and others. Finally, the anticipated evolutions in the radio, network and management/orchestration domains are discussed

5G champion:rolling out 5G in 2018

Abstract The 5G CHAMPION Consortium will provide the first fully integrated and operational 5G prototype in 2018 — this effort is a major leap ahead compared to existing punctual technology trials, such as, e.g., Proof-of-Concept platforms focusing on mmWave communication in specific bands, etc. This paper describes the overall set-up including a synergetic combination of technologies such as beamforming based mmWave & Satellite service provisioning, virtualized infrastructure, software reconfiguration across the entire stack, accurate positioning and high-speed solutions. The key enablers are described in detail and related efforts in standards and regulation organizations are discussed

Hexa-X:the European 6G flagship project

Abstract Hexa-X will pave the way to the next generation of wireless networks (Hexa) by explorative research (X). The Hexa-X vision is to connect human, physical, and digital worlds with a fabric of sixth generation (6G) key enablers. The vision is driven by the ambition to contribute to objectives of growth, global sustainability, trustworthiness, and digital inclusion. Key 6G value indicators and use cases are defined against the background of technology push, society and industry pull as well as objectives of technology sovereignty. Key areas of research have been formulated accordingly to include connecting intelligence, network of networks, sustainability, global service coverage, extreme experience, and trustworthiness. Critical technology enablers for 6G are developed in the project including, sub-THz transceiver technologies, accurate stand-alone positioning and radio-based imaging, improved radio performance, artificial intelligence (AI) / machine learning (ML) inspired radio access network (RAN) technologies, future network architectures and special purpose solutions including future ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) schemes. Besides technology enablers, early trials will be carried out to help assess viability and performance aspects of the key technology enablers. The 6G Hexa-X project is integral part of European and global research effort to help define the best possible next generation of networks