Mobile WiMAX system performance – simulated versus experimental results

This paper addresses the downlink performance of mobile WiMAX operating at 2.3GHz in an urban environment. The analysis includes a comparison of simulated and experimental results. Simulated packet error rate (PER) versus Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) graphs are generated on a per link-speed basis using a fully compliant 512 carrier mobile WiMAX simulator. Experimental data is gathered using a carrier-class basestation, a mobile-WiMAX enabled laptop, and a suite of application layer logging software. An H264 AVC encoder and IP packetisation unit is used to transmit video to a mobile client. Results show strong agreement in terms of simulated and captured PER. Using this data, the downlink operating range is evaluated as a function of the Effective Isotropic Radiated Power (EIRP) and path loss exponent. Results indicate that at low EIRP (32 dBm) the expected outdoor operating range is around 200-400m. Applying the UK OFCOM regulations for licensed operation in the 2.5GHz band, downlink operation in excess of 2km can be achieved

Application of Qualitative Methods in Health Research: An Overview

Qualitative research is type of formative research that includes specialized techniques for obtaining in-depth responses about what people think and how they feel. It is seen as the research that seeks answer to the questions in the real world. Qualitative researchers gather what they see, hear, read from people and places, from events and activities, with the purpose to learn about the community and to generate new understanding that can be used by the social world. Qualitative research have often been conducted to answer the question “why” rather than “what”. A purpose of qualitative research is the construction of new understanding. Here, we present an overview of application of qualitative methods in health research. We have discussed here the different types of qualitative methods and how we and others have used them in different settings/scenarios; sample size and sampling techniques; analysis of qualitative data; validity in qualitative research; and ethical issues

Cochlear injury and adaptive plasticity of the auditory cortex

Growing evidence suggests that cochlear stressors as noise exposure and aging can induce homeostatic/maladaptive changes in the central auditory system from the brainstem to the cortex. Studies centered on such changes have revealed several mechanisms that operate in the context of sensory disruption after insult (noise trauma, drug-, or age-related injury). The oxidative stress is central to current theories of induced sensory-neural hearing loss and aging, and interventions to attenuate the hearing loss are based on antioxidant agent. The present review addresses the recent literature on the alterations in hair cells and spiral ganglion neurons due to noise-induced oxidative stress in the cochlea, as well on the impact of cochlear damage on the auditory cortex neurons. The emerging image emphasizes that noise-induced deafferentation and upward spread of cochlear damage is associated with the altered dendritic architecture of auditory pyramidal neurons. The cortical modifications may be reversed by treatment with antioxidants counteracting the cochlear redox imbalance. These findings open new therapeutic approaches to treat the functional consequences of the cortical reorganization following cochlear damage