OFDMA Cellular Networks with Opportunistic Two-Hop Relays

<p/> <p>We investigate the benefits of two-hop opportunistic relay in time division duplex (TDD) OFDMA cellular network configurations. The paper starts with a short analytical model for the two-hop opportunistic relay. The model expresses the probability of finding a suitable relay node in the presence of lognormal fading and it allows the computation of the expected number of out-of-coverage nodes, as well as the end-to-end spectrum efficiency increase due to opportunistic relaying. The paper then presents results for Monte Carlo simulations of opportunistic relay in some realistic scenarios. Specifically, the simulations consider two scenarios. The first scenario uses the propagation model and a wide-area 19-cell configuration specified in 802.16 OFDMA cellular standard evaluation methodologies. In the second scenario, a Manhattan-like 19-cell topology is used. Our simulations show 11% to 33% in throughput increase when the opportunistic relay technology is used. Our results evaluate the benefits of the opportunistic relay in both scenarios in terms of coverage extension and throughput increase.</p

OFDMA Cellular Networks with Opportunistic Two-Hop Relays

We investigate the benefits of two-hop opportunistic relay in time division duplex (TDD) OFDMA cellular network configurations. The paper starts with a short analytical model for the two-hop opportunistic relay. The model expresses the probability of finding a suitable relay node in the presence of lognormal fading and it allows the computation of the expected number of out-of-coverage nodes, as well as the end-to-end spectrum efficiency increase due to opportunistic relaying. The paper then presents results for Monte Carlo simulations of opportunistic relay in some realistic scenarios. Specifically, the simulations consider two scenarios. The first scenario uses the propagation model and a wide-area 19-cell configuration specified in 802.16 OFDMA cellular standard evaluation methodologies. In the second scenario, a Manhattan-like 19-cell topology is used. Our simulations show 11&#37; to 33&#37; in throughput increase when the opportunistic relay technology is used. Our results evaluate the benefits of the opportunistic relay in both scenarios in terms of coverage extension and throughput increase

Reduced force of diaphragm muscle fibers in patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension

Patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH) suffer from inspiratory muscle weakness. However, the pathophysiology of inspiratory muscle dysfunction in PH is unknown. We hypothesized that weakness of the diaphragm, the main inspiratory muscle, is an important contributor to inspiratory muscle dysfunction in PH patients. Our objective was to combine ex vivo diaphragm muscle fiber contractility measurements with measures of in vivo inspiratory muscle function in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) patients. To assess diaphragm muscle contractility, function was studied in vivo by maximum inspiratory pressure (MIP) and ex vivo in diaphragm biopsies of the same CTEPH patients (N = 13) obtained during pulmonary endarterectomy. Patients undergoing elective lung surgery served as controls (N = 15). Muscle fiber cross-sectional area (CSA) was determined in cryosections and contractility in permeabilized muscle fibers. Diaphragm muscle fiber CSA was not significantly different between control and CTEPH patients in both slow-twitch and fast-twitch fibers. Maximal force-generating capacity was significantly lower in slow-twitch muscle fibers of CTEPH patients, whereas no difference was observed in fast-twitch muscle fibers. The maximal force of diaphragm muscle fibers correlated significantly with MIP. The calcium sensitivity of force generation was significantly reduced in fast-twitch muscle fibers of CTEPH patients, resulting in a ∼40% reduction of submaximal force generation. The fast skeletal troponin activator CK-2066260 (5 μM) restored submaximal force generation to levels exceeding those observed in control subjects. In conclusion, diaphragm muscle fiber contractility is hampered in CTEPH patients and contributes to the reduced function of the inspiratory muscles in CTEPH patient