Sl-EDGE: Network Slicing at the Edge

Network slicing of multi-access edge computing (MEC) resources is expected to be a pivotal technology to the success of 5G networks and beyond. The key challenge that sets MEC slicing apart from traditional resource allocation problems is that edge nodes depend on tightly-intertwined and strictly-constrained networking, computation and storage resources. Therefore, instantiating MEC slices without incurring in resource over-provisioning is hardly addressable with existing slicing algorithms. The main innovation of this paper is Sl-EDGE, a unified MEC slicing framework that allows network operators to instantiate heterogeneous slice services (e.g., video streaming, caching, 5G network access) on edge devices. We first describe the architecture and operations of Sl-EDGE, and then show that the problem of optimally instantiating joint network-MEC slices is NP-hard. Thus, we propose near-optimal algorithms that leverage key similarities among edge nodes and resource virtualization to instantiate heterogeneous slices 7.5x faster and within 0.25 of the optimum. We first assess the performance of our algorithms through extensive numerical analysis, and show that Sl-EDGE instantiates slices 6x more efficiently then state-of-the-art MEC slicing algorithms. Furthermore, experimental results on a 24-radio testbed with 9 smartphones demonstrate that Sl-EDGE provides at once highly-efficient slicing of joint LTE connectivity, video streaming over WiFi, and ffmpeg video transcoding

Effectiveness of rotavirus vaccination in Spain

With the aim of determining rotavirus vaccine effectiveness (RVVE) in Spain, from Oct-2008/Jun-2009, 467 consecutive children below 2 years old with acute gastroenteritis (AGE) were recruited using a pediatric research network (ReGALIP-www.regalip.org) that includes primary, emergency and hospital care settings. Of 467 enrolled children, 32.3% were rotavirus positive and 35.0% had received at least one dose of any rotavirus vaccine. RRVE to prevent any episode of rotavirus AGE was 91.5% (95% CI: 83.7%-95.6%). RVVE to prevent hospitalization by rotavirus AGE was 95.6% (85.6-98.6%). No differences in RVVE were found regarding the vaccine used. Rotavirus vaccines have showed an outstanding effectiveness in Spain

Functional impairment of systemic scleroderma patients with digital ulcerations: results from the DUO Registry

Objective. Digital ulcers (DUs) are frequent manifestations of systemic scleroderma (SSc). This study assessed functional limitations due to DUs among patients enrolled in the Digital Ulcer Outcome (DUO) Registry, an international, multicentre, observational registry of SSc patients with DU disease. Methods. Patients completed at enrolment a DU-specific functional assessment questionnaire with a 1-month recall period, measuring impairment in work and daily activities, and hours of help needed from others. Physician-reported clinical parameters were used to describe the population. For patients who completed at least part of the questionnaire, descriptive analyses were performed for overall results, and stratified by number of DUs at enrolment. Results. This study included 2327 patients who completed at least part of the questionnaire. For patients with 0, 1-2, and DUs at enrolment, mean overall work impairment during the prior month among employed/self-employed patients was 28\%, 42\%, and 48\%, respectively. Across all included patients, ability to perform daily activities was impaired on average by 35\%, 54\%, and 63\%, respectively. Patients required a mean of 2.0, 8.7, and 8.8 hours of paid help and 17.0, 35.9, and 63.7 hours of unpaid help, respectively, due to DUs in the prior month. Patients with DUs had more complications and medication use than patients with no DUs. Conclusion. With increasing number of DUs, SSc patients reported more impairment in work and daily activities and required more support from others