Flexibly reconfigurable fiber-wireless network using wavelength routing techniques: the ACTS project AC349 PRISMA

A dynamically reconfigurable fiber-wireless network using flexible wavelength routing techniques is proposed by the PRISMA project, which offers a "forecast-tolerant" solution for handling a wide variety of wireless services and capacity demands as may emerge in the fast evolving market of mobile communications. This approach can considerably increase the operation efficiency of wireless networks for broadband nomadic services (wireless LANs). It also supports the evolution from GSM and GPRS towards UMTS, and the entry of new operators and/or services into the liberalized mobile communications market. The system has been implemented in a field trial and has been operated successfully with real users and broadband nomadic services. The system concept is ready for further development into products

The demise of islet allotransplantation in the United States: A call for an urgent regulatory update

Islet allotransplantation in the United States (US) is facing an imminent demise. Despite nearly three decades of progress in the field, an archaic regulatory framework has stymied US clinical practice. Current regulations do not reflect the state-of-the-art in clinical or technical practices. In the US, islets are considered biologic drugs and “more than minimally manipulated” human cell and tissue products (HCT/Ps). In contrast, across the world, human islets are appropriately defined as “minimally manipulated tissue” and not regulated as a drug, which has led to islet allotransplantation (allo-ITx) becoming a standard-of-care procedure for selected patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus. This regulatory distinction impedes patient access to islets for transplantation in the US. As a result only 11 patients underwent allo-ITx in the US between 2016 and 2019, and all as investigational procedures in the settings of a clinical trials. Herein, we describe the current regulations pertaining to islet transplantation in the United States. We explore the progress which has been made in the field and demonstrate why the regulatory framework must be updated to both better reflect our current clinical practice and to deal with upcoming challenges. We propose specific updates to current regulations which are required for the renaissance of ethical, safe, effective, and affordable allo-ITx in the United States

Flexibly reconfigurable fiber-wireless network using wavelength routing techniques: the ACTS project AC349 PRISMA

A dynamically reconfigurable fiber-wireless network using flexible wavelength routing techniques is proposed by the PRISMA project, which offers a "forecast-tolerant" solution for handling a wide variety of wireless services and capacity demands as may emerge in the fast evolving market of mobile communications. This approach can considerably increase the operation efficiency of wireless networks for broadband nomadic services (wireless LANs). It also supports the evolution from GSM and GPRS towards UMTS, and the entry of new operators and/or services into the liberalized mobile communications market. The system has been implemented in a field trial and has been operated successfully with real users and broadband nomadic services. The system concept is ready for further development into products

Fast wavelength-and-timeslot routing in hybrid fibre-access networks for IP-based services

The exploding demand for (IP-based) services in customer access networks, the demand for Quality-of-Service differentiation, and the demand for local loop unbundling can most efficiently be met by deploying multi-wavelength techniques in hybrid fibre access networks. In the IST HARMONICS project, a novel network architecture is being developed in which fast wavelength-and-time switching is implemented with optical gates to enable packet-based QoS-aware medium access protocols. A field trial is planned with VDSL and POF as the last-mile media, in the Berlin-Darmstadt network of Deutsche Telekom

Fast wavelength-and-timeslot routing in hybrid fibre-access networks for IP-based services

The exploding demand for (IP-based) services in customer access networks, the demand for Quality-of-Service differentiation, and the demand for local loop unbundling can most efficiently be met by deploying multi-wavelength techniques in hybrid fibre access networks. In the IST HARMONICS project, a novel network architecture is being developed in which fast wavelength-and-time switching is implemented with optical gates to enable packet-based QoS-aware medium access protocols. A field trial is planned with VDSL and POF as the last-mile media, in the Berlin-Darmstadt network of Deutsche Telekom