With the growth of multimedia services, it is essential to find new transmission schemes to support higher data rates in wireless networks. In this thesis, we study networks in which the Channel State Information (CSI) is only available at the destination. We focus on the analysis of three different network setups. For each case, we propose a transmission scheme which maximizes the average performance of the network. The first scenario, which is studied in Chapter 2, is a multi-hop network in which the channel gain of each hop changes quasi-statically from one transmission block to the other. Our main motivation to study this network is the recent advances in deployment of relay nodes in wireless networks (e.g., LTE-A and IEEE 802.16j). In this setup, we assume that all nodes are equipped with a single antenna and the relay nodes are not capable of data buffering over multiple transmission blocks. The proposed transmission scheme is based on infinite-layer coding at all nodes (the source and all relays) in conjunction with the Decode-and-Forward DF relaying. The objective is to maximize the statistical average of the received rate per channel use at the destination. To find the optimal parameters of this code, we first formulate the problem for a two-hop scenario and describe the code design algorithm for this two-hop setting. The optimality of infinite-layer DF coding is also discussed for the case of two-hop networks. The result is then generalized to multi-hop scenarios. To show the superiority of the proposed scheme, we also evaluate the achievable average received rate of infinite-layer DF coding and compare it with the performance of previously known schemes. The second scenario, studied in Chapter 3, is a single-hop network in which both nodes are equipped with multiple antennas, while the channel gain changes quasi-statically and the CSI is not available at the source. The main reason for selecting this network setup is to study the transmission of video signals (compressed using a scalable video coding technique, e.g., SVC H.264/AVC) over a Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) link. In this setup, although scalable video coding techniques compress the video signal into layers with different importance (for video reconstruction), the source cannot adapt the number of transmitted layers to the capacity of the channel (since it does not have the CSI in each time slot). An alternative approach is to always transmit all layers of the compressed video signal, but use unequal error protection for different layers. With this motivation, we focus on the design of multilayer codes for a MIMO link in which the destination is only able to perform successive decoding (not joint-decoding). In this chapter, we introduce a design rule for construction of multilayer codes for MIMO systems. We also propose a algorithm that uses this design rule to determine the parameters of the multilayer code. The performance analysis of the proposed scheme is also discussed in this chapter. In the two previous scenarios, the ambiguity of the source regarding the channel state comes from the fact that the channel gains randomly change in each transmission block and there is no feedback to notify the source about the current state of the channel. Apart from these, there are some scenarios in which the channel state is unknown at the source, even though the channel gain is fixed and the source knows its value. The third scenario of this thesis presents an example of such network setups. More precisely, in Chapter 4, we study a multiple access network with K users and one Access Point (AP), where all nodes are equipped with multiple antennas. To access the network, each user independently decides whether to transmit in a time slot or not (no coordination between users). Considering a two-user random access network, we first derive the optimal value of network average Degrees of Freedom (DoF) (introduced in Section 4.1). Generalizing the result to multiuser networks, we propose an upper-bound for the network average DoF of a K-user random access network. This upper-bound is then analyzed for different network configurations to identify the network classes in which the proposed upper-bound is tight. It is also shown that simple single-stream data transmission achieves the upper-bound in most network settings. However, for some network configurations, we need to apply multi-stream data transmission in conjunction with interference alignment to reach the upper-bound. Some illustrative examples are also presented in this chapter.

Despite the well-recognized importance of interpersonal relationships within the work environment, there is no comprehensive approach or set of studies that provide a complete picture. As a step towards providing a complete picture, this research presents a qualitative exploratory study of how people experience the work environment through task and work-social interactions and through policies and norms present in the work environment. The purpose of this study is to understand the overall work experience from purely work-social and purely task network perspective. A semi-structured question-based set of interviews were performed among professionals from a Canadian university alumni society. The transcripts of the interviews were then manually coded and analyzed using statistical methods. The study found an overall higher level of positive responses for co-workers in the work-social network, as well as a preference for work-social co-workers in building a team for a hypothetical company. The study also found a general willingness to select only the best ranked co-workers from task network, whereas a leniency towards the selection of co-workers from work-social network was observed despite their lower ranking. At the same time, the study identified some of the most desirable attributes of fellow co-workers both in the task and work-social networks from an employee’s perspective. The significance of the people and team was found more important to the employees than factors such as specific task performed or compensation. This exploratory study provided insights into how employees view their co-workers and their work environment.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Missouri--Rolla, 2007. / Vita. The entire thesis text is included in file. Title from title screen of thesis/dissertation PDF file (viewed March 27, 2008) Includes bibliographical references (p. 55-56).

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Missouri--Rolla, 2007. / Vita. The entire thesis text is included in file. Title from title screen of thesis/dissertation PDF file (viewed April 21, 2008) Includes bibliographical references (p. 48).

Thesis (M.S.)--Butler University, 1995. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves x-xiii).

Thesis (M. Sc.)--Carleton University, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 115-117). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Hårdare krav ställs på leveranssäkerheten i de svenska elnätet. Kraven har ställts som följd av att flertal stormar och oväder har orsakat väldigt långa avbrott historiskt sett i Sverige. Det är nu olagligt att ha ett avbrott längre än 24 timmar. För att nå upp till kraven som ställs på leveranssäkerhet behöver nätföretag investera i sina befintliga nät. Generellt sett sker investering i att byta ut luftledning mot jordkabel. Fortum äger en 12 kV-linje i ett område lokaliserat nordöst om Charlottenberg som är drabbad av avbrott och har hög genomsnittlig ålder. Ett mer tillförlitligt elnät måste upprättas. I den här rapporten ges ett nätförslag som skulle leda till en förbättrad leveranssäkerhet och ökad tillförlitlighet. / Swedish legislation regarding network reliability has changed after the historic storm named Gudrun. It is now a violation to have interruptions in the distribution of electricity lasting longer than 24 hours. To reach needed reliability in the network, companies that distribute electricity need to invest in their existing grids. The general investment performed is exchanging overhead-lines to underground cables. Fortum is the owner of a 12 kV rural power-line, located northeast of Charlottenberg, Sweden. This power-line has interruptions and an overall high age. A more reliable network has to be planned. In this report, an alternative network is proposed, that would lead to improved reliability in the network.

Dans un monde où les réseaux deviennent une forme dominante d’organisation, la structure des réseaux et la position des individus en leur sein affectent les comportements individuels et les résultats économiques agrégés. L’analyse de la formation des réseaux par un planificateur central ou par les individus est au cœur de cette thèse en économie des réseaux. Le Chapitre 1 étudie de manière théorique la formation et la protection optimale des réseaux par un planificateur central sachant qu’un agent externe peut détruire k liens. La protection s’effectue soit en densifiant les liens entre les nœuds, soit en protégeant les liens. Lorsque le coût de protection est suffisamment faible, un réseau minimalement connecté constitué de liens protégés garantit le flux de communication; si ce coût est élevé, la solution optimale est de former un réseau symétrique où chaque nœud possède au moins k+1 liens non-protégés. Le Chapitre 2 explore la formation décentralisée de réseaux en laboratoire en analysant les décisions individuelles de formation de liens lorsqu’un agent a une valeur supérieure aux autres et que le processus de formation de liens est séquentiel. Les résultats montrent que la séquentialité facilite la coordination sur des réseaux efficaces mais qui ne correspondent pas à l’équilibre parfait en sous-jeu. L’hétérogénéité entre les agents accroit l’asymétrie du réseau en raison de la polarisation des liens sur l’agent à valeur supérieure. Le Chapitre 3 étudie l’impact de la formation endogène d’un réseau sur l’importance des effets de pairs, avec une application aux comportements malhonnêtes. Afin d’identifier les effets des comparaisons sociales, deux environnements contrôlés sont créés en laboratoire dans lesquels les individus choisissent ou non leurs pairs, puis observent leur comportement. Les résultats montrent que les effets de pairs sur les comportements malhonnêtes sont significativement accrus lorsque les individus peuvent choisir leurs pairs. / In a world where networks become a dominant form of organization, the structure of networks and the position of individuals in these networks affect individual behavior and aggregate economic outcomes. The analysis of network formation by a central planner or by individuals themselves is at the heart of this thesis on the economics of networks.Chapter 1 theoretically studies the optimal formation and protection of networks by a central planner knowing that an external agent can destroy k links. The protection of the network can be guaranteed either by densifying the links between nodes, or by protecting the links. When the cost of protection is relatively small, a minimally connected network composed of protected links guarantees the communication flow; if this cost is high, the optimal solution is to form a symmetric network where each node has at least k+1 non-protected links.Chapter 2 explores the decentralized formation of networks in the laboratory by analyzing individual linking formation decisions when one agent has a higher value than others and that the linking formation process is sequential. The results show that sequentiality facilitatesthe coordination on efficient networks but that do not correspond to the Subgame PerfectEquilibrium. The heterogeneity across agents increases the asymmetry of networks because of the polarization of links on the agent with a higher value.Chapter 3 studies the impact of the endogenous formation of networks on the importance of peer effects, applied to dishonest behavior. In order to identify the effects of social comparisons, two controlled environments are designed in the laboratory in which individuals choose or not their peers, and then observe their behavior. The results show that peer effects on dishonest behavior are significantly higher when individuals can choose their peers.

A virtualização de redes é um mecanismo que permite a coexistência de múltiplas redes virtuais sobre um mesmo substrato físico. Um dos desafios de pesquisa abordados na literatura é o mapeamento eficiente de recursos virtuais em infraestruturas físicas. Embora o referido desafio tenha recebido considerável atenção, as abordagens que constituem o estado-da-arte apresentam alta taxa de rejeição, i.e., a proporção de solicitações de redes virtuais negadas em relação ao total de solicitações efetuadas ao substrato é elevada. Nesta dissertação, caracteriza-se, inicialmente, a relação entre a qualidade dos mapeamentos de redes virtuais e as estruturas topológicas dos substratos subjacentes. Avalia-se as soluções exatas de um modelo de mapeamento online sob diferentes classes de topologias de rede. A partir do entendimento dos fatores topológicos que influenciam diretamente o processo de mapeamento de redes virtuais, propõe-se uma estratégia para planejar a expansão de redes de provedores de infraestrutura de forma a reduzir consistentemente a taxa de rejeição de requisições de redes virtuais e melhor aproveitar os recursos ociosos da mesma. Os resultados obtidos evidenciam que grande parte das rejeições de redes virtuais ocorre em situações em que há grande disponibilidade de recursos, mas alguns poucos já saturados acabam inviabilizando, em função de características de conectividade do substrato, o atendimento de novas requisições. Ademais, os resultados obtidos utilizando a estratégia proposta evidenciam que o fortalecimento de partes-chave da infraestrutura levam a uma ocupação muito mais satisfatória. Uma expansão de 10% a 20% dos recursos da infraestrutura contribui para um aumento sustentado de até 30% no número de redes virtuais aceitas e de até 45% no aproveitamento dos recursos em comparação com a rede original. / Network virtualization is a mechanism that allows the coexistence of multiple virtual networks on top of a single physical substrate. One of the research challenges addressed recently in the literature is the efficient mapping of virtual resources on physical infrastructures. Although this challenge has received considerable attention, state-of-the-art approaches present, in general, a high rejection rate, i.e., the ratio between the number of denied virtual network requests and the total amount of requests is considerably high. In this thesis, we characterize the relationship between the quality of virtual network mappings and the topological structures of the underlying substrates. Exact solutions of an online embedding model are evaluated under different classes of network topologies. From the understanding of the topological factors that directly influence the virtual network embedding process, we propose an expansion strategy of physical infrastructure in order to suggest adjustments that lead to higher virtual network acceptance and, in consequence, to improved physical resource utilization. The obtained results demonstrate that most of rejections occur in situations in which a significant amount of resource is available, but a few saturated devices and links, depending on connectivity features of the physical substrate, hinder the acceptance of new requests. Moreover, the obtained results using the proposed strategy evidence that an expansion of 10% to 20% of the infrastructure resources leads to a sustained increase of up to 30% in the number of accepted virtual networks and of up to 45% in resource usage compared to the original network.

Em sistemas biológicos, o estudo da estabilidade das redes de regulação gênica é visto como uma contribuição importante que a Matemática pode proporcionar a pesquisas sobre câncer e outras doenças genéticas. Neste trabalho, utilizamos o conceito de ``canalização\'\' como sinônimo de estabilidade em uma rede biológica. Como as características de uma rede de regulação canalizada ainda são superficialmente compreendidas, estudamos esse conceito sob o ponto de vista computacional: propomos um modelo matemático simplificado para descrever o fenômeno e realizamos algumas análises sobre o mesmo. Mais especificamente, a estabilidade da maior bacia de atração das redes Booleanas - um clássico paradigma para a modelagem de redes de regulação - é analisada. Os resultados indicam que a estabilidade da maior bacia de atração está relacionada com dados biológicos sobre o crescimento de colônias de leveduras e que considerações sobre a interação entre as funções Booleanas e a topologia da rede devem ser realizadas conjuntamente na análise de redes estáveis. / In biological systems, the study of gene regulatory networks stability is seen as an important contribution that Mathematics can make to cancer research and that of other genetic diseases. In this work, we consider the concept of ``canalization\'\' as a consequence of stability in gene regulatory networks. The characteristics of canalized regulatory networks are superficially understood. Hence, we study the canalization concept under a computational framework: a simplified model is proposed to describe the phenomenon using Boolean Networks - a classical paradigm to modeling regulatory networks. Specifically, the stability of the largest basin of attraction in gene regulatory networks is analyzed. Our results indicate that the stability of the largest basin of attraction is related to biological data on growth of yeast colonies, and that thoughts about the interaction between Boolean functions and network topologies must be given in the analysis of stable networks.