MEC-aware Cell Association for 5G Heterogeneous Networks

The need for efficient use of network resources is continuously increasing with the grow of traffic demand, however, current mobile systems have been planned and deployed so far with the mere aim of enhancing radio coverage and capacity. Unfortunately, this approach is not sustainable anymore, as 5G communication systems will have to cope with huge amounts of traffic, heterogeneous in terms of latency among other Qualityof- Service (QoS) requirements. Moreover, the advent of Multiaccess Edge Computing (MEC) brings up the need to more efficiently plan and dimension network deployment by means of jointly exploiting the available radio and processing resources. From this standpoint, advanced cell association of users can play a key role for 5G systems. Focusing on a Heterogeneous Network (HetNet), this paper proposes a comparison between state-of-the-art (i.e., radio-only) and MEC-aware cell association rules, taking the scenario of task offloading in the Uplink (UL) as an example. Numerical evaluations show that the proposed cell association rule provides nearly 60% latency reduction, as compared to its standard, radio-exclusive counterpart.Comment: 2018 IEEE Wireless Communications and Networking Conference Workshops (WCNCW): The First Workshop on Control and management of Vertical slicing including the Edge and Fog Systems (COMPASS

Sustaining Educational Reforms in Introductory Physics

While it is well known which curricular practices can improve student performance on measures of conceptual understanding, the sustaining of these practices and the role of faculty members in implementing these practices are less well understood. We present a study of the hand-off of Tutorials in Introductory Physics from initial adopters to other instructors at the University of Colorado, including traditional faculty not involved in physics education research. The study examines the impact of implementation of Tutorials on student conceptual learning across eight first-semester, and seven second-semester courses, for fifteen faculty over twelve semesters, and includes roughly 4000 students. It is possible to demonstrate consistently high, and statistically indistinguishable, student learning gains for different faculty members; however, such results are not the norm, and appear to rely on a variety of factors. Student performance varies by faculty background - faculty involved in, or informed by physics education research, consistently post higher student learning gains than less-informed faculty. Student performance in these courses also varies by curricula used - all semesters in which the research-based Tutorials and Learning Assistants are used have higher student learning gains than those semesters that rely on non-research based materials and do not employ Learning Assistants.Comment: 21 pages, 4 figures, and other essential inf

Malikhaing Kamay: The Effects of Social Media Marketing on Sales Performance of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) within the Creatives Industry of Metro Manila

The study primarily tackled the effects of Social Media marketing on the sales performance of MSMEs in the Creatives Industry, specifically in Customer Feedback, Communication, Content Sharing, and Customer\u27s Relationship, through their individual and overall effects as factors under SMM. The study utilized qualitative methods to examine data from a survey of Creatives Industry MSME owners employed or residing in Metro Manila. After gathering adequate data for analysis, it was discovered that the Social Media Marketing factors Customer Feedback, Communication, Content Sharing, and Customer’s Relationships altogether affect the Sales Performance of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises within the Creatives Industry. But as individual variables, only Communication, Content Sharing, and Customers Relationships positively affect the Sales Performance of the MSMEs within the Creatives Industry. In contrast, Customer Feedback is not found to affect the Sales Performance of the MSMEs within the Creatives Industry. The researchers recommend that more businesses utilize social media to amass customers locally or worldwide. Through this, the country may continue to perceive the creative industry in a positive light while contributing to the country\u27s growing economy. For future researchers who seek to expound on the topic, the researchers suggest diving into the customer\u27s perspective and behavior rather than business owners. Future researchers may also expand on demographic effects or explore the topic in up-and-coming industries

Tidal Volume Estimation during Helmet Noninvasive Ventilation: an Experimental Feasibility Study

We performed a bench (BS) and human (HS) study to test the hypothesis that estimation of tidal volume (VT) during noninvasive helmet pressure support ventilation (nHPSV) would be possible using a turbine driven ventilator (TDV) coupled with an intentional leak single-limb vented circuit. During the BS a mannequin was connected to a lung simulator (LS) and at different conditions of respiratory mechanics, positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP) levels and leaks (30, 50 and 80 L/min). All differences were within the 95% limits of agreement (LoA) in all conditions in the Bland-Altman plot. The overall bias (difference between VT measured by TDV and LS) was 35 ml (95% LoA 10 to 57 ml), 15 ml (95% LoA -40 to 70 ml), 141 ml (95% LoA 109 to 173 ml) in the normal, restrictive and obstructive conditions. The bias at different leaks flow in normal condition was 29 ml (95% LoA 19 to 38 ml). In the HS four healthy volunteers using nHPSV had a pneumotachograph (P) inserted through a mouthpiece to measure subject's VT.The bias showed a scarce clinical relevance. In conclusions, VT estimation seems to be feasible and accurate in all conditions but the obstructive one. Additional leaks seem not to affect VT reliability