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In third-generation code division multiple access (3G CDMA) mobile cellular systems, orthogonal variable spreading factor (OVSF) codes are applied in downlink to maintain the orthogonality between different channels. Since the number of available codes is limited, efficiently utilizing OVSF codes becomes an important issue. The code assignment and reassignment problem focuses on the subject of minimizing the number of code relocations. Previous works were based on some assumptions, including fixed service data rates and a code-limited system capacity. In this paper, we investigate this issue from a different perspective, by applying variable service data rates and an interference-limited system capacity. We have proposed three OVSF code assignment and reassignment strategies for this scenario, including sparse-first, sparse-first/rightmost, and modified sparse-first/rightmost, with a view to achieving the best service quality. The proposed strategies are well evaluated and compared with other strategies, based on the number of code reassignments, service quality, and throughput, via simulation. It is found that our proposed strategies outperform others under the scenario with variable service data rates and an interference-limited system capacity. Index Terms--Code assignment, mobile cellular systems, orthogonal variable spreading factor (OVSF), wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA).

Ablative radiation therapy (RT) is an important strategy to eliminate primary tumor and can potentially induce the abscopal effect. Human serum albumin nanoparticle (NP) was used for controlled release of cisplatin to decrease cisplatin's systemic toxicity, and gold (Au) was added to increase RT-induced immunogenic cell death and potentiate the abscopal antitumor immunity. The designed albumin-based cisplatin-conjugated AuNPs were administered concurrently with ablative RT. C57BL/6 mice implanted with syngeneic murine Lewis lung carcinoma or murine MB49 tumor models were treated with ablative RT (12 Gy per fraction for 2 fractions, total 24 Gy), cisplatin, or Au–cisplatin NPs. Combining ablative RT with cisplatin or Au–cisplatin NPs both destroyed the primary tumor effectively and elicited immunogenic cell death accompanied by release of danger-associated molecular patterns. This enhanced recruitment of effector tumor-infiltrating immune cells, including natural killer T cells and CD8+ T cells, and elicited an increased percentage of professional antigen-presenting CD11c+ dendritic cells. Transient weight loss, accompanying hepatotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, and hematopoietic suppression, was observed as a systemic adverse event in the cisplatin but not the Au–cisplatin NPs group. Cisplatin and Au–cisplatin NPs both showed equivalent ability to reduce metastatic potential when combined with ablative RT, confirmed by suppressed unirradiated flank tumor growth and decreased metastatic lung tumor burden, which translated to improved survival. Mobilization and abundance of effector tumor-infiltrating immune cells including CD8+ T cells and dendritic cells were observed in the distant lung tumor microenvironment after ablative RT with cisplatin or Au–cisplatin NPs, demonstrating increased antitumor immunotherapeutic activity as an abscopal effect. Compared with cisplatin, the albumin-based Au–cisplatin NPs exhibited equivalent but no superior antitumor immunotherapeutic activity while reducing systemic adverse events and can be safely administered concurrently with ablative RT. Alternative NP formulations may be designed to further improve anticancer outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]