HD/FD and DF/AF with Fixed-Gain or Variable-Gain Protocol Switching Mechanism over Cooperative NOMA for Green-Wireless Networks

This article studied the application of multiple protocol switching mechanism (PSM) over cooperating Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access (NOMA) networks to minimize the probability of outage and maximize the system throughput and energy efficiency (EE). This study investigated six scenarios: (1) a cooperative NOMA system with half-duplex (HD) and decode-and-forward (DF) protocols at the relay; (2) a cooperative NOMA system with full-duplex (FD) and DF protocols at the relay; (3) a cooperative NOMA system with HD and amplification amplify-and-forward (AF) with fixed-gain (FG) protocols at the relay; (4) a cooperative NOMA system with HD and amplification AF with variable-gain (VG) protocols at the relay; (5) a cooperative NOMA system with FD and amplification AF with FG protocols at the relay; (6) a cooperative NOMA system with FD and amplification AF with VG protocols at the relay. Based on the results of analysis and simulations, the study determined the transmission scenario for best system performance. This paper also proposed a mechanism to switch between HD/FD and DF/AF with FG/VG protocols in order to improve the quality of service (QoS) for users with a weak conditional channel. This mechanism can be deployed in future 5G wireless network sensors. Finally, EE was also assessed in relation to future green-wireless networks (G-WNs).

Efficacy and Safety of Switching Prostaglandin Analog Monotherapy to Tafluprost/Timolol Fixed-Combination Therapy

Purpose. To assess the efficacy and safety of switching from prostaglandin analog (PGA) monotherapy to tafluprost/timolol fixed-combination (Taf/Tim) therapy. Subjects and Methods. Patients with primary open-angle glaucoma, normal-tension glaucoma, or ocular hypertension who had received PGA monotherapy for at least 3 months were enrolled. Patients were examined at 1, 2, and 3 months after changing therapies. Subsequently, the patients were returned to PGA monotherapy. The examined parameters included intraocular pressure (IOP) and adverse events. A questionnaire survey was conducted after the switch to Taf/Tim therapy. Results. Forty patients with a mean age of 66.5 ± 10.3 years were enrolled; 39 of these patients completed the study protocol. Switching to Taf/Tim significantly reduced the IOP from 18.2 ± 2.6 mmHg at baseline to 14.8 ± 2.5 mmHg at 1 month, 15.2 ± 2.8 mmHg at 2 months, and 14.9 ± 2.5 mmHg at 3 months (P<0.001). Switching back to the original PGA monotherapy returned the IOP values to baseline levels. Taf/Tim reduced the pulse rate insignificantly. No significant differences were observed in blood pressure, conjunctival hyperemia, or corneal adverse events. A questionnaire showed that the introduction of Taf/Tim did not significantly influence symptoms. Conclusions. Compared with PGA monotherapy, Taf/Tim fixed-combination therapy significantly reduced IOP without severe adverse events.

A Dynamically Reconfigurable Wireless Sensor Network Testbed for Multiple Routing Protocols

Because wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are complex and difficult to deploy and manage, appropriate structures are required to make these networks more flexible. In this paper, a reconfigurable testbed is presented, which supports dynamic protocol switching by creating a novel architecture and experiments with several different protocols. The separation of the control and data planes in this testbed means that routing configuration and data transmission are independent. A programmable flow table provides the testbed with the ability to switch protocols dynamically. We experiment on various aspects of the testbed to analyze its functionality and performance. The results demonstrate that sensors in the testbed are easy to manage and can support multiple protocols. We then raise some important issues that should be investigated in future work concerning the testbed.