Are Heterogeneous Cloud-Based Radio Access Networks Cost Effective?

Mobile networks of the future are predicted to be much denser than today's networks in order to cater to increasing user demands. In this context, cloud based radio access networks have garnered significant interest as a cost effective solution to the problem of coping with denser networks and providing higher data rates. However, to the best knowledge of the authors, a quantitative analysis of the cost of such networks is yet to be undertaken. This paper develops a theoretic framework that enables computation of the deployment cost of a network (modeled using various spatial point processes) to answer the question posed by the paper's title. Then, the framework obtained is used along with a complexity model, which enables computing the information processing costs of a network, to compare the deployment cost of a cloud based network against that of a traditional LTE network, and to analyze why they are more economical. Using this framework and an exemplary budget, this paper shows that cloud-based radio access networks require approximately 10 to 15% less capital expenditure per square kilometer than traditional LTE networks. It also demonstrates that the cost savings depend largely on the costs of base stations and the mix of backhaul technologies used to connect base stations with data centers.Comment: accepted for publication, 2015 IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communicatio

Sugars of pearl millet [Pennisetum americanum (L.) Leeke] grains

The sugars in the grains of nine pearl millet cultivars were fractionated through a Biogel column. Five different sugars‘(stachyose, raffinose, sucrose, glucose, and fructose) were identified. Sucrose was predominant in all the cultivars. Raffinose content was high as compared to other cereals, and maltose was absen

An Examination of the Benefits of Scalable TTI for Heterogeneous Traffic Management in 5G Networks

The rapid growth in the number and variety of connected devices requires 5G wireless systems to cope with a very heterogeneous traffic mix. As a consequence, the use of a fixed TTI during transmission is not necessarily the most efficacious method when heterogeneous traffic types need to be simultaneously serviced.This work analyzes the benefits of scheduling based on exploiting scalable TTI, where the channel assignment and the TTI duration are adapted to the deadlines and requirements of different services. We formulate an optimization problem by taking individual service requirements into consideration. We then prove that the optimization problem is NP-hard and provide a heuristic algorithm, which provides an effective solution to the problem. Numerical results show that our proposed algorithm is capable of finding near-optimal solutions to meet the latency requirements of mission critical communication services, while providing a good throughput performance for mobile broadband services.Comment: RAWNET Workshop, WiOpt 201

Structural change in the fishing pattern - a natural resource study in Tamil Nadu

Indian marine fishery sector has transformed from a subsistence traditional avocation to that of an industry through State support and technological innovations leading to increased fish landings. However, there is a fear that these developments have led to depletion of certain fishery resources. In this context, an attempt was made to study the structural changes in the mode and pattern of fishing in Tamil Nadu State and to ascertain whether the current level of exploitation is sustainable

Economics of different Marine Fishing Crafts in Tamil Nadu

The marine fisheries sector of India has grown from the subsistance level to that of an industry mainly through the introduction of mechanised crafts and the subsequent developments in the craft technologies. Though the overall landings have increased, a low catch per unit effort and the increased cost of fishing have left some units to run on loss. Thus it is imperative to study the economic performance of various fishing units to help in judicial allocation of resources and to suggest suitable policy prescriptions. Hence, the economics of major fishing units was studied in Ramanathapurarn District of Tamil Nadu

Inequality, Structure of Production and International Trade - The Role of Credit Market Imperfection

Credit rationing in the presence of asset inequality affects production and trade pattern in this paper, but not in the conventional way. A Ricardian general equilibrium framework with heterogeneous levels of asset ownership is developed to show that more equal asset distribution may contract the output of the credit intensive sector as redistribution to the bottom of the ladder fails to promote entrepreneurs. However, the same in favor of the middle of the ladder may do the opposite. We point out the possibility that an economy with relatively equal distribution of asset ownership may import capital or credit intensive good and also export capital, unlike in a conventional HOS model

Antibiotic prescribing in two private sector hospitals; one teaching and one non-teaching: A cross-sectional study in Ujjain, India

BACKGROUND: The worldwide increase in antibiotic resistant bacteria is of great concern. One of the main causes is antibiotic use which is likely to be high but is poorly described in India. The aim was to analyze and compare antibiotic prescribing for inpatients, in two private sector tertiary care hospitals; one Teaching and one Non-teaching, in Ujjain, India. METHODS: A cross-sectional study with manual data collection was carried out in 2008. Antibiotic prescribing was recorded for all inpatients throughout their hospital stay. Demographic profile of inpatients and prescribed antibiotics were compared. WHO Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classifications for antibiotics was used and Defined Daily Doses (DDD) were calculated per patient day. RESULTS: A total of 8385 inpatients were admitted during the study period. In the Teaching hospital (TH) 82% of 3004 and in the Non-teaching hospital (NTH) 79% of 5381 patients were prescribed antibiotics. The most commonly prescribed antibiotic groups were; fluoroquinolones and aminoglycosides in the TH and, 3rd generation cephalosporins and combination of antibiotics in the NTH. Of the prescriptions, 51% in the TH and 87% in the NTH (p<0.001) were for parenteral route administration. Prescribing by trade name was higher in the NTH (96%) compared with the TH (63%, p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The results from both hospitals show extensive antibiotic prescribing. High use of combinations of antibiotics in the NTH might indicate pressure from pharmaceutical companies. There is a need to formulate and implement; based on local prescribing and resistance data; contextually appropriate antibiotic prescribing guidelines and a local antibiotic stewardship program

Engineering mesenchymal stem cells for enhanced cancer therapy

Glioblastoma is the most common adult malignant primary brain tumor with one of the worst prognosis. With a survival of 10 to 12 months, glioblastoma remains one of the most challenging disease to treat. The standard treatment method involves maximal possible resection of the tumor followed by radiation and chemotherapy. However, the short half-life of most chemotherapeutic drugs, high systemic toxicity and inability to cross the blood brain barrier inhibits effective delivery of the chemotherapeutics to the tumor. An ideal drug delivery system can reach the tumor site with high efficiency and continuously release the drug at the tumor site for an extended period. Adult stem cells including neural stem cells (NSC) and mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) have inherent tumor trophic properties allowing for site-specific delivery of chemotherapeutics. They can also be genetically engineered to secrete the chemotherapeutic drug continuously making them ideal candidates for cell-based delivery system for treating glioblastoma. MSC have been isolated from a wide range of sources including bone marrow, umbilical cord, adipose tissue, liver, multiple dental tissues and induced pluripotent stem cells. MSC are also easily amenable to viral modification allowing for easy manipulation to produce chemotherapeutic drugs. Additionally, more than 350 clinical trials using MSC have successfully established the safety of using MSC for cell-based therapies. Collectively these factors have led to the widespread use of MSC in cancer therapy. MSC have been successfully transduced to produce chemotherapeutic drugs to treat glioma, melanoma, lung cancer, ovarian cancer and breast cancer. Despite the multitudes of advantages that cell therapy provides they are limited in three main domains (1) Low cell retention and survival at the site of the tumor (2) In ability to co-deliver multiple therapeutics and (3) In ability to deliver drugs other than peptide based drugs. This thesis details the work to engineer mesenchymal stem cells to tackle these three issues and develop a system that can increase the efficacy of glioblastoma treatment. To increase the cellular retention and survival we engineered MSC to form multicellular spheroids and cell sheets. To co-delivery multiple therapeutics we engineered MSC to form MSC/DNA-templated nanoparticle hybrid cluster to co-deliver drugs for cancer therapy. The system showed superior performance due to the increased retention of the cells and nanoparticle at the tumor site. Finally, to deliver drugs other peptide based we engineered graphene oxide cellular patches for mesenchymal stem cells. Graphene oxide can carry diverse therapeutics and can kill the cancer cells without affecting the cellular viability of MSC