Enabling Grant-Free URLLC: An Overview of Principle and Enhancements by Massive MIMO

<div>Enabling ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) with stringent requirements for transmitting data packets (e.g., 99.999% reliability and 1 millisecond latency) presents considerable challenges in uplink transmissions. For each packet transmission over dynamically allocated network radio resources, the conventional random access protocols are based on a request-grant scheme. This induces excessive latency and necessitates reliable control signalling, resulting overhead. To address these problems, grant-free (GF) solutions are proposed in the fifth-generation (5G) new radio (NR). In this paper, an overview and vision of the state-of-the-art in enabling GF URLLC are presented. In particular, we first provide a comprehensive review of NR specifications and techniques for URLLC, discuss underlying principles, and highlight impeding issues of enabling GF URLLC. Furthermore, we briefly explain two key phenomena of massive multiple-input multiple-output (mMIMO) (i.e., channel hardening and favorable propagation) and build several deep insights into how celebrated mMIMO features can be exploited to enhance the performance of GF URLLC. Moving further ahead, we examine the potential of cell-free (CF) mMIMO and analyze its distinctive features and benefits over mMIMO to resolve GF URLLC issues. Finally, we identify future research directions and challenges in enabling GF URLLC with CF mMIMO.</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>A new version of the paper has been updated on 21/08/2021</div>

Analysis of Financial Support Instruments for Social Enterprises in Latvia

Social enterprises have positive effect on sustainable development, and they have become an important instrument for solving social problems (especially in rural areas), as the national and local governments alone cannot solve all such problems. To foster the development of social entrepreneurship, Latvia has introduced several support instruments for social enterprises, which include tax relief, privileged procurement contracts, grants, as well as non-monetary kinds of support. However, social entrepreneurs often point out that support from the national and local governments is insufficient, while the support instruments stipulated in the Social Enterprise Law are not widely used. Therefore, the aim of the research is to analyse national and local government support instruments for social enterprises in Latvia. The research found that the most important financial instrument fostering the development of social entrepreneurship in Latvia is a grant scheme administered by the Ministry of Welfare and the JSC Development Finance Institution Altum, which is available in the range of EUR 5000 to 200000 for investment and working capital. In the period 2017-2020, 94 social entrepreneurship projects with a total budget of EUR 6 million were supported, which could be viewed as significant financial support. In contrast, immovable property tax relief, exemption from enterprise income tax (on profits) and relief from this tax for several categories of non-business expenses are considered by social entrepreneurs to be an insignificant kind of support. There is also lack of experience and practice regarding the inclusion of social criteria in public procurement in Latvia.

Introducing patient and public involvement practices to healthcare research in Austria: strategies to promote change at multiple levels

BackgroundPatient and public involvement (PPI) in research is well-established in the UK. However, it can be challenging to introduce PPI to research communities where there is limited prior knowledge, experience or appreciation of PPI. We aimed to explore current PPI practices, experiences and ethical and operational challenges with PPI within our own research community in Austria, to inform strategies for supporting PPI in Austria going forward.MethodsWe surveyed scientists at 21 research institutes of the Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft (LBG) and representatives of 32 medical and university research ethics committees in Austria using online questionnaires. We analysed quantitative data using descriptive statistics, and we collated textual responses to open questions. We combined survey data with anecdotal evidence from our personal experience to summarise current challenges around implementing PPI in Austria.ResultsNineteen scientists from nine research institutes indicated generally positive attitudes towards PPI. However, the majority reported they rarely or never involved patients and members of the public in roles of consultation, collaboration or control in research. Six of eight ethics committees were unfamiliar with PPI. We discern five current challenges to implementing PPI in Austria: lack of knowledge and skills for PPI among scientists, scepticism about the usefulness of PPI, conflation of PPI with qualitative research, uncertainty about ethical requirements for PPI and uncertainty about publishing PPI activities.DiscussionWe suggest that the provision of guidance about ethical requirements of PPI is a strategic priority. To address this, and following on from a recently introduced PPI training and grant scheme by the LBG, our surveys have initiated a dialogue with ethics committees and have informed the development of a checklist for ethical aspects of PPI.ConclusionOur experiences may provide useful examples to others who seek to introduce or strengthen PPI practices within their own research communities.

FACTORS AFFECTING EFFECTIVE UNIVERSITY INDUSTRY COLLABORATION DURING THE DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH STAGE

In Malaysia, collaboration between university and industry is still limited. This requires improvement of current practices in developing effective collaborations. However, there are still projects that fail to deliver, and it is quite challenging and difficult to assess the recent successful university-industry collaboration projects. In light of this, background problem, the present research was aimed at identifying the factors which hindered effective collaboration between university and industry, especially during the development research stage. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between the success factors and the effectiveness of collaborative projects during the development, research stage. This study adopted a quantitative research method. Survey questionnaires were distributed among researchers involved in a collaborative project funded by a government grant scheme. The results showed that reward had a positive and significant relationship with both process- and outcome-related criteria. Meanwhile, financial support had a negative and significant relationship with a process-related criterion. The findings can be used as guidelines for collaboration stakeholders to develop an effective collaborative project.

“Fine...I’ll do it myself”: Lessons from self-employment grants in a long recession period

This paper evaluates the effect of a self-employment grant scheme for unemployed individuals—designed to ease the first 12 months of business operation—on firm growth, survival, and labor market reintegration in Croatia in the 2010–2017 period. Grants offered a moderate amount of finances (up to 50% of average annual gross salary) and absorbed only 5% of funds allocated to active labor market policies (ALMPs), but accounted for 10% of new firms opened throughout the years. We contribute to the literature on self-employment grants with several novel findings. Exploiting the longitudinal structure of the unemployment episodes dataset, we find that individuals who finish their spell with a grant have a significantly lower probability of returning to unemployment. The policy is particularly effective for individuals who would have otherwise had labor market opportunities (men, more educated, prime-age workers, previously employed), individuals who became unemployed after inactivity and lost their job due to a firm's closure—which demonstrates that self-employment subsidies can be effective in ameliorating unemployment. However, the policy was not effective for longer unemployed individuals. At the firm level, we find descriptive evidence that limited liability firms opened via a grant have lower growth potential and worse survival profile, while unlimited liability firms—even though a sizable portion of them closes after a required 12-month grant period—have a more favorable survival profile. Finally, we also find that the effectiveness of these grants has increased throughout the years, indicating toward the direction of institutional learning.

Developing an android-based application for early detection of postpartum depression symptoms in Indonesia

Background: Postpartum depression has become a mental health problem in Indonesia. Screening symptoms of postpartum depression as early as one month during the postpartum period is needed. A smartphone application is considered one of the fastest ways for screening.Objective: To develop an android-based application to early detect the symptoms of postpartum depression and evaluate its effectiveness.Methods: The smartphone application was developed using Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation (ADDIE) instruction model. The survey design was carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of the application among 109 postpartum mothers selected using convenience sampling. Data were collected from August to October 2019 in South Tangerang, Indonesia.Results: The evaluation showed that the application is mostly positive. The appearance of the application is adequate (92.67%), easy to download (89.90%), understandable (96.33%), easy to fill-in (94.50%), beneficial (96.33%), new (90.83%), and reflecting psychological conditions (90.83%).Conclusion: The symptoms of postpartum depression can be measured by the android-based application. It is therefore recommended to Indonesian mothers use this app to detect postpartum depression symptoms early. This app also helps nurses and midwives to prevent depression among postpartum mothers. Also, the app can be imitated by other developers for non-Indonesian mothers.Funding: This research was funded by Universitas Islam Negeri Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta under the research grant scheme for collaborative research (Un.01/KPA/511/2019).

Whose futures need crafting? A collaborative evaluation of the British Council/Crafts Council Crafting Futures 5K grant scheme

Sandra Fruebing and Rachel Kelly were recipients of 2018–19 British Council/Crafts Council Crafting Futures 5k grants. A dialogue between Fruebing and Kelly started when they both returned from their project work in Egypt and the Philippines respectively. Both participants related their experiences through their conversations and this led them to discuss and reflect through regular online exchanges stretching from 2019 to 2020. They both are now considering how their experiences of working with marginalized craft communities have become a position from which to consider the role of development in Art & Design Higher Education research and practice. The spectrum of collaboration and companionship that is emerging from their work, both individually and through online meetings and conversations, become like a radio signal, which is tuning and making audible their similar experiences and understandings.

Corporate social responsibility practices of business firms in Dubai during the COVID-19 pandemic

During the first quarter of 2020, COVID-19 spread worldwide, claiming lives of thousands of people every day. This marked the beginning of all emergency and business continuity plans around the world. This study attempts to study people’s awareness of CSR practices among business firms in Dubai and investigate people’s evaluation of these CSR practices during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study employs a quantitative research method and mainly uses questionnaires for data collection. 199 respondents are selected from different business firms in Dubai. Expert interviews are also conducted for triangulation purposes. It involves the Dubai community with various backgrounds and status. This study shows that a large scheme of the Dubai community has a decent level of expertise in sustainability and corporate social responsibility. It also shows that firms that have implemented CSR before the crisis will mostly be better suited to play a supportive role for government and society during the crisis. AcknowledgmentResearch grant provided by the Fundamental Research Grant Scheme [FRGS/1/2017/SS01/UUM/02/23] under Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia, and University Utara Malaysia (SO Code: 13806) is gratefully acknowledged.