Radio resource allocation algorithms for multicast OFDM systems

Mención Internacional en el título de doctorVideo services have become highly demanded in mobile networks leading to an unprecedented traffic growth. It is expected that traffic from wireless and mobile devices will account for nearly 70 percent of total IP traffic by the year 2020, and the video services will account for nearly 75 percent of mobile data traffic by 2022. Multicast transmission is one of the key enablers towards a more spectral and energy efficient distribution of multimedia content in current and envisaged mobile networks. It is worth noting that multicast is a mechanism that efficiently delivers the same content to many users, not only focusing on video broadcasting, but also distributing many other media, such as software updates, weather forecast or breaking news. Although multicast services are available in Long Term Evolution (LTE) and LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) networks, new improvements are needed in some areas to handle the demands expected in the near future. Resource allocation techniques for multicast services are one of the main challenging issues, since it is required the development of novel schemes to meet the demands of their evolution towards the next generation. Most multicast techniques adopt rather conservative strategies that select a very robust modulation and coding scheme (MCS), whose characteristics are determined by the propagation conditions experienced by the worst user in the group in order to ensure that all users in a multicast group are able to correctly decode the received data. Obviously, this robustness comes at the prize of a low spectral efficiency. This thesis presents an exhaustive study of broadcast/multicast technology for current mobile networks, especially focusing on the scheduling and resource allocation (SRA) strategies to maximize the potential benefits that multicast transmissions imply on the spectral efficiency. Based on that issue, some contributions have been made to the state of the art in the radio resource management (RRM) for current and beyond mobile multicast services. • In the frame of LTE/LTE-A, the evolved multimedia broadcast and multicast service (eMBMS) shares the physical layer resources with the unicast transmission mode (at least up to Release 12). Consequently, the time allocation to multicast transmission is limited to a maximum of a 60 percent, and the remaining subframes (at least 40 percent) are reserved for unicast transmissions. With the aim of achieving the maximum aggregated data rate (ADR) among the multicast users, we have implemented several innovative SRA schemes that combine the allocation of multicast and unicast resources in the LTE/LTE-A frame, guaranteeing the prescribed quality of service (QoS) requirements for every user. • In the specific context of wideband communication systems, the selection of the multicast MCS has often relied on the use of wideband channel quality indicators (CQIs), providing rather imprecise information regarding the potential capacity of the multicast channel. Only recently has the per-subband CQI been used to improve the spectral efficiency of the system without compromising the link robustness. We have proposed novel subband CQI-based multicast SRA strategies that, relying on the selection of more spectrally efficient transmission modes, lead to increased data rates while still being able to fulfill prescribed QoS metrics. • Mobile broadcast/multicast video services require effective and low complexity SRA strategies. We have proposed an SRA strategy based on multicast subgrouping and the scalable video coding (SVC) technique for multicast video delivery. This scheme focuses on reducing the search space of solutions and optimizes the ADR. The results in terms of ADR, spectral efficiency, and fairness among multicast users, along with the low complexity of the algorithm, show that this new scheme is adequate for real systems. These contributions are intended to serve as a reference that motivate ongoing and future investigation in the challenging field of RRM for broadcast/ multicast services in next generation mobile networks.La demanda de servicios de vídeo en las redes móviles ha sufrido un incremento exponencial en los últimos años, lo que a su vez ha desembocado en un aumento sin precedentes del tráfico de datos. Se espera que antes del año 2020, el trafico debido a dispositivos móviles alcance cerca del 70 por ciento del tráfico IP total, mientras que se prevé que los servicios de vídeo sean prácticamente el 75 por ciento del tráfico de datos en las redes móviles hacia el 2022. Las transmisiones multicast son una de las tecnologías clave para conseguir una distribución más eficiente, tanto espectral como energéticamente, del contenido multimedia en las redes móviles actuales y futuras. Merece la pena reseñar que el multicast es un mecanismo de entrega del mismo contenido a muchos usuarios, que no se enfoca exclusivamente en la distribución de vídeo, sino que también permite la distribución de otros muchos contenidos, como actualizaciones software, información meteorológica o noticias de última hora. A pesar de que los servicios multicast ya se encuentran disponibles en las redes Long Term Evolution (LTE) y LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), la mejora en algunos ámbitos resulta necesaria para manejar las demandas que se prevén a corto plazo. Las técnicas de asignación de recursos para los servicios multicast suponen uno de los mayores desafíos, ya que es necesario el desarrollo de nuevos esquemas que nos permitan acometer las exigencias que supone su evolución hacia la próxima generación. La mayor parte de las técnicas multicast adoptan estrategias conservadoras, seleccionando esquemas de modulación y codificación (MCS) impuestos por las condiciones de propagación que experimenta el usuario del grupo con peor canal, para así asegurar que todos los usuarios pertenecientes al grupo multicast sean capaces de decodificar correctamente los datos recibidos. Como resulta obvio, la utilización de esquemas tan robustos conlleva el precio de sufrir una baja eficiencia espectral. Esta tesis presenta un exhaustivo estudio de la tecnología broadcast/ multicast para las redes móviles actuales, que se centra especialmente en las estrategias de asignación de recursos (SRA), cuyo objetivo es maximizar los beneficios que la utilización de transmisiones multicast potencialmente implica en términos de eficiencia espectral. A partir de dicho estudio, hemos realizado varias contribuciones al estado del arte en el ámbito de la gestión de recursos radio (RRM) para los servicios multicast, aplicables en las redes móviles actuales y futuras. • En el marco de LTE/LTE-A, el eMBMS comparte los recursos de la capa física con las transmisiones unicast (al menos hasta la revisión 12). Por lo tanto, la disponibilidad temporal de las transmisiones multicast está limitada a un máximo del 60 por ciento, reservándose las subtramas restantes (al menos el 40 por ciento) para las transmisiones unicast. Con el objetivo de alcanzar la máxima tasa total de datos (ADR) entre los usuarios multicast, hemos implementado varios esquemas innovadores de SRA que combinan la asignación de los recursos multicast y unicast de la trama LTE/LTE-A, garantizando los requisitos de QoS a cada usuario. • En los sistemas de comunicaciones de banda ancha, la selección del MCS para transmisiones multicast se basa habitualmente en la utilización de CQIs de banda ancha, lo que proporciona información bastante imprecisa acerca de la capacidad potencial del canal multicast. Recientemente se ha empezado a utilizar el CQI por subbanda para mejorar la eficiencia espectral del sistema sin comprometer la robustez de los enlaces. Hemos propuesto nuevas estrategias para SRA multicast basadas en el CQI por subbanda que, basándose en la selección de los modos de transmisión con mayor eficiencia espectral, conducen a mejores tasas de datos, a la vez que permiten cumplir los requisitos de QoS. • Los servicios móviles de vídeo broadcast/multicast precisan estrategias eficientes de SRA con baja complejidad. Hemos propuesto una estrategia de SRA basada en subgrupos multicast y la técnica de codificación de vídeo escalable (SVC) para la difusión de vídeo multicast, la cual se centra en reducir el espacio de búsqueda de soluciones y optimizar el ADR. Los resultados obtenidos en términos de ADR, eficiencia espectral y equidad entre los usuarios multicast, junto con la baja complejidad del algoritmo, ponen de manifiesto que el esquema propuesto es adecuado para su implantación en sistemas reales. Estas contribuciones pretenden servir de referencia que motive la investigación actual y futura en el interesante ámbito de RRM para los servicios broadcast/multicast en las redes móviles de próxima generación.Programa Oficial de Doctorado en Multimedia y ComunicacionesPresidente: Atilio Manuel Da Silva Gameiro.- Secretario: Víctor Pedro Gil Jiménez.- Vocal: María de Diego Antó

Joint multicast/unicast scheduling with dynamic optimization for LTE multicast service

This proceeding at: European Wireless 2014, took place 2014 Mai, 14-16, in Barcelona (España). The event web site of http://www.ew2014.org/Mobile video service is one of the most increasing uses expected in future generation cellular networks, including multicast video services. Based upon Evolved Multimedia Broadcast and Multicast Service (eMBMS) available with 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) release 9, Long Term Evolution (LTE) can provide broadcast/multicast content delivery with a single-frequency network mode. This means sending the same multimedia content to a mass audience within a specific area. However, it is not always possible to use multicast transmission to every user because of their different channel conditions, so unicast transmission should also be used to fulfill Quality of Service (QoS) requirements for multicast services. This paper proposes a Joint Multicast/Unicast Scheduling (JMUS) strategy for multicast service delivery. This method is based on dynamic optimization at each LTE frame, obtaining the optimal Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS) for multicast transmission, the optimal number of subframes reserved for multicast transmission and allocating the remaining resources using a unicast scheduling metric for guaranteed data-rate. The goal of the scheduling technique proposed is to maximize the overall throughput, guaranteeing a target bit rate for all the users in the area. A new JMUS with dynamic optimization is presented to improve QoS performance. Finally, a fast search algorithm is evaluated to approach the optimal values for dynamic optimization with an order of magnitude fewer iterations than using exhaustive search.This work was supported in part by the Spanish Min-istry of Economy and Competitiveness, National Plan for Scienti?c Research, Development and Technological Inno-vation (INNPACTO subprogram), LTExtreme project (IPT- 2012-0525-430000) and the subproject TEC2011-29006-C03-03 (GRE3N-SYST).Publicad

Resource Allocation Management for Broadcast/Multicast Services

Ponencia presentada en: XXX Simposium Nacional de la Unión Científica Internacional de Radio, los dias 2 y 4 septiembre 2015, en Pamplona (españa).Video services are expected to become more than 70% of the mobile traffic in 2020. Broadcast and multicast service is the most efficient mechanism to deliver the same content to many users. Not only focusing on venue casting, but also distributing many other media such as software updates and breaking news, 5G broadcasting is a key driver to achieve the spectral efficiency needed for the 1,000 times traffic growth that is expected for the upcoming years. Improvements in some areas, such as resource allocation techniques for broadcast/multicast services, are needed. The utilization of the Conventional Multicast Scheme (CMS) approach for multicast resource allocation presents intrinsic inefficiencies, because of the different channel conditions of the users which demand the service. This paper presents some resource allocation strategies based on the use of multicast subgroups. We propose a multicast resource allocation algorithm including memory, which results in improvements of the service throughput at the time a high fairness among the users is guaranteed. In addition, an algorithm of joint resource allocation among multicast and unicast transmissions is developed. This strategy allows the system to take advantage of the subframes reserved for each purpose by the Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard, looking for the best joint allocation of the available resources, and results in important improvements in the service throughputThis work was supported in part by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, National Plan for Scientific Research, Development and Technological Innovation (IN-NPACTO subprogram), LTExtreme project (IPT-2012-0525-430000), and the projects TEC2011-29006-C03-03 (GRE3NSYST) and TEC2014-59255-C3-3-R (ELISA).Publicad

Análisis de prestaciones de eMBMS en LTE: redes de frecuencia única

La ponencia presentada en: XXVIII Simposium Nacional de la Unión Científica Internacional de Radio. URSI 2013. Santiago de Compostela, 11-13 Sept. 2013.Mobile video is one of the most popular uses for mobile broadband networks. Based upon evolved Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (eMBMS) available with 3GPP release 9, LTE can provide broadcast/multicast content delivery with a single-frequency network mode that send the same multimedia content to mass audience within a specific area. In this paper, we carry out a Signal to Interference plus Noise Ratio (SINR) performance analysis for this type of networks, using OPNET Modeler tool. Several scenarios have been considered, with different number of users receiving multicast video data from the same source and different number of eNodeBs. This study includes the comparison of SINR in scenarios with 1, 3 and 7 different frequencies using multicast without MBMS or with MBMS SFN. The results show a comparison in the cell throughput between the different scenarios, as well as the performance obtained using different sizes of MBMS SFN areas.Este trabajo ha sido en parte financiado por el Plan Nacional de Investigación Científica, Desarrollo e Innovación Tecnológica, proyecto LTExtreme (IPT-2012- 0525-430000).Publicad

Joint Strategy for LTE Resource Allocation: Multicast Subgrouping & Unicast Transmissions

La ponencia presentada en: XII Jornadas de Ingeniería Telemática (JITEL 2015), celebrada los días 14 al 16 de octubre de 2015, en Palma de Mallorca.Mobile broadband services are growing rapidly in the last few years due to the deployment of Long Term Evolution (LTE) cellular networks. Among them, multicast services can be provided using Evolved Multimedia Broadcast and Multicast Service (eMBMS), available with 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) release 9, which can deliver broadcast/multicast content using a single-frequency network mode. This means sending the same multimedia content to a mass audience within a specific area. The utilization of the Conventional Multicast Scheme (CMS) approach for multicast resource allocation presents intrinsic inefficiencies, because of the different channel conditions of the users which demand the service. This paper proposes a Joint Multicast Subgrouping and Unicast Transmissions (JMSUT) strategy for resource allocation, which consists of the use of the multicast and the unicast transmissions, by means of the subframes reserved by the LTE standard for each purpose, to deliver a multicast service. The goal of the JMSUT algorithm is to maximize the service throughput whereas it guarantees the fulfillment of the Quality of Service (QoS) requirements of every user. This paper solves the former maximization problem of the joint resource allocation; on the one hand, splitting the multicast resources into different subgroups that transmit the same content with different Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS), and on the other hand, the users with worst channel conditions are served by means of the unicast transmissions.This work was supported in part by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, National Plan for Scientific Research, Development and Technological Innovation (IN-NPACTO subprogram), LTExtreme project (IPT-2012-0525- 430000), and the project TEC2014-59255-C3-3-R (ELISA).Publicad

Analysis of the impact of FEC techniques on a multicast video streaming service over LTE

The proceeding at: European Conference on Networks and Communications (EuCNC 2015), took place in June 29/July 2, 2015, in Paris, France.In a multicast video streaming service the same multimedia content is sent to a mass audience using only one multicast stream. In multicast video streaming over a cellular network, due to the nature of the multicast communication, from a source to multiple recipients, and due to the characteristics of the radio channel, different for each receiver, transmission errors are addressed at the application level by using Forward Error Correction (FEC) techniques. However, in order to protect the communication over the radio channel, FEC techniques are also applied at the physical layer. Another important technique to improve the communication of the radio channel is the use of a single-frequency network. This paper analyzes the performance of a video streaming service over a cellular network taking into account the combined impact of different factors that affect the transmission, both the physical deployment of the service and the two levels of FEC.This work was supported in part by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, National Plan for Scientific Research, Development and Technological Innovation (IN-NPACTO subprogram), LTExtreme project (IPT-2012-0525-430000).Publicad

A model to evaluate MBSFN and AL-FEC techniques in a multicast video streaming service

This procceding of: 10th International Conference on Wireless and Mobile Computing, Networking and Communications (WiMob). Took place 2014, October 08-10, in Lanarca (Chipre). The event Web site of http://conferences.computer.org/wimob2014/ .In a multicast video streaming service over a cellular network, the same content is sent to a mass audience using a common channel. However, users belonging to the same multicast channel perceive different characteristics of the radio channel. Moreover, in wireless environments, the radio interface introduces an important level of interference and noise, resulting in a high rate of transmission errors. Therefore, a protection of the information is needed at each receiver using Forward Error Correction (FEC) schemes, which allow the recovery of the lost packets sending redundancy together with the payload. FEC solutions can be used in combination with other techniques to overcome the existing limitations of the mobile network, in particular, the use of a single-frequency network to prevent the effect of destructive signal interference. This paper analyzes the performance of a video streaming service comparing different FEC schemes, Raptor and RaptorQ codes, where some system parameters can be tuned in a single-frecuency network.This work was supported in part by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, National Plan for Scientific Research, Development and Technological Innovation (INNPACTO subprogram), LTExtreme project (IPT-2012-0525-430000).Publicad

Lack of replication of interactions between polymorphisms in rheumatoid arthritis susceptibility: case-control study

Introduction: Approximately 100 loci have been definitively associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) susceptibility. However, they explain only a fraction of RA heritability. Interactions between polymorphisms could explain part of the remaining heritability. Multiple interactions have been reported, but only the shared epitope (SE) × protein tyrosine phosphatase nonreceptor type 22 (PTPN22) interaction has been replicated convincingly. Two recent studies deserve attention because of their quality, including their replication in a second sample collection. In one of them, researchers identified interactions between PTPN22 and seven single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). The other showed interactions between the SE and the null genotype of glutathione S-transferase Mu 1 (GSTM1) in the anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide-positive (anti-CCP+) patients. In the present study, we aimed to replicate association with RA susceptibility of interactions described in these two high-quality studies. Methods: A total of 1,744 patients with RA and 1,650 healthy controls of Spanish ancestry were studied. Polymorphisms were genotyped by single-base extension. SE genotypes of 736 patients were available from previous studies. Interaction analysis was done using multiple methods, including those originally reported and the most powerful methods described. Results: Genotypes of one of the SNPs (rs4695888) failed quality control tests. The call rate for the other eight polymorphisms was 99.9%. The frequencies of the polymorphisms were similar in RA patients and controls, except for PTPN22 SNP. None of the interactions between PTPN22 SNPs and the six SNPs that met quality control tests was replicated as a significant interaction term the originally reported finding or with any of the other methods. Nor was the interaction between GSTM1 and the SE replicated as a departure from additivity in anti-CCP+ patients or with any of the other methods. Conclusions: None of the interactions tested were replicated in spite of sufficient power and assessment with different assays. These negative results indicate that whether interactions are significant contributors to RA susceptibility remains unknown and that strict standards need to be applied to claim that an interaction exists

Effect of viral storm in patients admitted to intensive care units with severe COVID-19 in Spain: a multicentre, prospective, cohort study

Background: The contribution of the virus to the pathogenesis of severe COVID-19 is still unclear. We aimed to evaluate associations between viral RNA load in plasma and host response, complications, and deaths in critically ill patients with COVID-19. Methods: We did a prospective cohort study across 23 hospitals in Spain. We included patients aged 18 years or older with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection who were admitted to an intensive care unit between March 16, 2020, and Feb 27, 2021. RNA of the SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid region 1 (N1) was quantified in plasma samples collected from patients in the first 48 h following admission, using digital PCR. Patients were grouped on the basis of N1 quantity: VIR-N1-Zero ([removed]2747 N1 copies per mL). The primary outcome was all-cause death within 90 days after admission. We evaluated odds ratios (ORs) for the primary outcome between groups using a logistic regression analysis. Findings: 1068 patients met the inclusion criteria, of whom 117 had insufficient plasma samples and 115 had key information missing. 836 patients were included in the analysis, of whom 403 (48%) were in the VIR-N1-Low group, 283 (34%) were in the VIR-N1-Storm group, and 150 (18%) were in the VIR-N1-Zero group. Overall, patients in the VIR-N1-Storm group had the most severe disease: 266 (94%) of 283 patients received invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV), 116 (41%) developed acute kidney injury, 180 (65%) had secondary infections, and 148 (52%) died within 90 days. Patients in the VIR-N1-Zero group had the least severe disease: 81 (54%) of 150 received IMV, 34 (23%) developed acute kidney injury, 47 (32%) had secondary infections, and 26 (17%) died within 90 days (OR for death 0·30, 95% CI 0·16–0·55; p<0·0001, compared with the VIR-N1-Storm group). 106 (26%) of 403 patients in the VIR-N1-Low group died within 90 days (OR for death 0·39, 95% CI 0·26–0·57; p[removed]11 página

A922 Sequential measurement of 1 hour creatinine clearance (1-CRCL) in critically ill patients at risk of acute kidney injury (AKI)

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