Optimized LTE Data Transmission Procedures for IoT: Device Side Energy Consumption Analysis

The efficient deployment of Internet of Things (IoT) over cellular networks, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) or the next generation 5G, entails several challenges. For massive IoT, reducing the energy consumption on the device side becomes essential. One of the main characteristics of massive IoT is small data transmissions. To improve the support of them, the 3GPP has included two novel optimizations in LTE: one of them based on the Control Plane (CP), and the other on the User Plane (UP). In this paper, we analyze the average energy consumption per data packet using these two optimizations compared to conventional LTE Service Request procedure. We propose an analytical model to calculate the energy consumption for each procedure based on a Markov chain. In the considered scenario, for large and small Inter-Arrival Times (IATs), the results of the three procedures are similar. While for medium IATs CP reduces the energy consumption per packet up to 87% due to its connection release optimization

Building heritage brand equity through social media sales promotion: The role of Power Distance

This paper aims to look into the moderating effect of individual's cultural characteristics—Power Distance—on the relationship between the use of discounts and gifts and the formation of the brand equity of a heritage tourist site is assessed. The results of a quasi-experimental 2×2 factorial design among Internet users from two countries and using two different promotional stimuli showed: a positive effect of sales promotions on social media on the formation of brand equity of a heritage tourist site; a lesser effect of online price discounts than free gifts; the moderating role of Power Distance on the formation of brand equity.Andalusian Program for R&D, Grant/AwardNumber: P20-0102

Potential of the Crypto Economy in Financial Management and Fundraising for Tourism

[EN] This study aims to examine the potential of blockchain technology in the financing and financial management of entrepreneurial tourism projects. It highlights two objectives: how the technology can be used as an alternative financing tool and how it can improve efficiency and transparency in the financial management of tourism companies. This study shows that initial coin offerings are an effective way to finance innovative tourism projects and that blockchain technology can improve the competitiveness and efficiency of tourism companies. Due to the lack of empirical data on the actual implementation and impact of blockchain technology in the tourism industry, it is suggested that further research is needed to examine the practical application of blockchain technology in the tourism industry, its potential impact on tourism businesses and its implications for the regulatory framework. The proposed methodology includes a systematic literature review on the application of blockchain technology for the financing of tourism projects and the financial improvement of tourism business models. The results indicate that blockchain technology has the potential to transform the financing and financial management of the tourism industry and improve its efficiency and transparency. Furthermore, combining blockchain with other technologies can provide additional benefits in supply chain management and event automation.Prados-Castillo, JF.; Solano-Sánchez, MÁ.; Guaita-Fernández, P.; Guaita Martínez, JM. (2023). Potential of the Crypto Economy in Financial Management and Fundraising for Tourism. Sustainability. 15(6):1-15. https://doi.org/10.3390/su1506497811515

Reactivity of alloxydim herbicide: force and reaction electronic flux profiles

The reaction force profle and the electronic reaction fux concepts were explored for the herbicide alloxydim and some of its derivatives at B3LYP/6-311G(d,p) level of theory. The exploration was achieved by rotating the oxime bond which is the most reactive region of the molecule. The main objective is to understand how the rotation of this bond infuences the properties of the molecule and induces an electronic reorganization. The results show that the rotation of the dihedral angle triggers alloxydim to go through three transition states. The frst step of the transformation begins by the rupture of the hydrogen bond and is characterized by a pronounced structural reorganization. In the last step of the process the electronic reorganization is more importantThe work presented was funded by project PID2019-110091GB-I00 and PDC2021-121203-I00 of the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación of Spain and by the project Y2020/ EMT-6290 (PRIES-CM) of the Comunidad de Madrid, Spai

Efficacy of a multifactorial intervention on therapeutic adherence in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): a randomized controlled trial.

This study evaluated the effectiveness of a multifactorial intervention on improving the therapeutic adherence in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients with scheduled inhalation therapy. Methods: The study design consisted of a randomised controlled trial in a primary care setting. 146 patients diagnosed with COPD were randomly allocated into two groups using the block randomisation technique. One-year follow-ups with three visits were performed. The intervention consisted of motivational aspects related to adherence (beliefs and behaviour) in the form of group and individual interviews, cognitive aspects in the form of information about the illness and skills in the form of training in inhalation techniques. Cognitive-emotional aspects and training in inhalation techniques were reinforced during all visits of the intervention group. The main outcome measure was adherence to the medication regimen. Therapeutic adherence was determined by the percentage of patients classified as good adherent as evaluated by dose or pill count. Results: Of the 146 participants (mean age 69.8 years, 91.8% males), 41.1% reported adherence (41.9% of the control group and 40.3% of the intervention group). When multifactorial intervention was applied, the reported adherence was 32.4% for the control group and 48.6% for the intervention group, which showed a statistically significant difference (p = 0.046). Number needed to treat is 6.37. In the intervention group, cognitive aspects increased by 23.7% and skilled performance of inhalation techniques increased by 66.4%. Conclusion: Application of the multifactorial intervention designed for this study (COPD information, dose reminders, audio-visual material, motivational aspects and training in inhalation techniques) resulted in an improvement in therapeutic adherence in COPD patients with scheduled inhalation therapy

NarrowBand IoT Data Transmission Procedures for Massive Machine Type Communications

Large-scale deployments of massive Machine Type Communications (mMTC) involve several challenges on cellular networks. To address the challenges of mMTC, or more generally, Internet of Things (IoT), the 3rd Generation Partnership Project has developed NarrowBand IoT (NB-IoT) as part of Release 13. NB-IoT is designed to provide better indoor coverage, support of a massive number of low-throughput devices, with relaxed delay requirements, and lower-energy consumption. NB-IoT reuses Long Term Evolution functionality with simplifications and optimizations. Particularly for small data transmissions, NB-IoT specifies two procedures to reduce the required signaling: one of them based on the Control Plane (CP), and the other on the User Plane (UP). In this work, we provide an overview of these procedures as well as an evaluation of their performance. The results of the energy consumption show both optimizations achieve a battery lifetime extension of more than 2 years for a large range in the considered cases, and up to 8 years for CP with good coverage. In terms of cell capacity relative to SR, CP achieves gains from 26% to 224%, and UP ranges from 36% to 165%. The comparison of CP and UP optimizations yields similar results, except for some specific configurations.This work is partially supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and the European Regional Development Fund (Projects TIN2013-46223-P, and TEC2016-76795- C6-4-R), and the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport (FPU Grant 13/04833)