In this thesis, we introduce a methodology to design and implement a Homeplug1.0 channel decoder that is completely conforming to Homeplug 1.0 specifications definedin HomePlug Power-line Alliance Standard (HPA) including Reed-solomon decoding,Viterbi decoding, punctured ,and de-interleaving technologies. Further, by using MATLAB/Simullink software, Xilinx System Generator, Xilinx Alliance tools, XilinxISE and Modelsim SE software, we build up a transceiver platform to simulate and analyze the performance of the power-line channel decoder based on FPGA hardware implementation. The hardware can be used directly in practical Homeplug 1.0 systems.

In this thesis, a single image dehazing method based on modified dark channel prior and haze (fog) density detection is proposed. Dark channel prior dehazing algorithm is achieved good results for some haze images. However, we observed that haze images contain low and high haze density. Thus, the region of low haze density is unnecessary to dehaze. To solve this problem, we first defined the HSV distance, pixel-based dark channel prior and pixel-based bright channel prior to estimate the haze density. Further to enhance the dehazing performance of dark channel prior, the atmospheric light value and dehazing weighting is revised based on the HSV distance. Then the new transmission map is obtained. After that, a bilateral filter is applied to refine the transmission map, which can provide the higher accuracy of transmission map. Finally, the haze-free image is recovered by combining the input image and the refined transmission map. As a result, high-quality haze-free image can be recovered with lower computational complexity, which can be naturally extended to video dehazing.

With the enormous growing applications of mobile communications, how to reduce the power dissipation of wireless communication has become an important issue that attracts much attention. One of the key techniques to achieve low power transmission is to develop a powerful channel coding scheme which can perform good error correcting capability even at low signal-to-noise ratio. In recent years, the trend of the error control code development is based on the iterative decoding algorithm which can lead to higher coding gain. Especially, the rediscovery of the low-density parity-check code ¡]LDPC¡^has become the most famous code after the introduction of Turbo code since it is the code closest to the well-know Shannon limit. However, since the block size used in LDPC is usually very large, and the parity matrix used in LDPC is quite random, the hardware implementation of LDPC has become very difficult. It may require a significant number of arithmetic units as well as very complex routing topology. Therefore, this thesis will address several design issues of LDPC decoder. First, under no SNR estimation condition, some simulation results of several LDPC architectures are provided and have shown that some architectures can achieve close performance to those with SNR estimation. Secondly, a novel message quantization method is proposed and applied in the design LDPC to reduce to the memory and table sizes as well as routing complexity. Finally, several early termination schemes for LDPC are considered, and it is found that up to 42% of bit node operation can be saved.

Digital satellite communication systems are equipped with nonlinear amplifiers such as travelling wave tube (TWT) amplifiers at or near saturation for better efficiency. The TWT exhibits nonlinear distortion in both amplitude and phase (AM/AM and AM/PM) conversion, respectively. That is, in the digital satellite communication the transmission is disturbed not only by the non-linearity of transmitter amplifier, but also by the inter-symbol interference (ISI) with additive white Gaussian noise. To compensate the non-linearity of the transmitter amplifier and ISI, in this thesis, a new nonlinear compensation scheme consists of the predistorter and adaptive third-order Volterra-based equalizer, with the inverse QRD-RLS (IQRD-RLS) algorithm, which are located before and after the nonlinear channel, is proposed respectively. The third-order Volterra filter (TVF) equalizer based on the IQRD-RLS algorithm achieve superior performance, in terms of convergence rate, steady-state mean-squared error (MSE), and numerically stable. They are highly amenable to parallel implementation using array architectures, such as systolic arrays. The computer simulation results using the M-ary PSK modulation scheme are carried out the signal¡¦s constellation diagrams, the learning curve of the MSE and the bit error rate (BER) are compared with conventional least mean square (LMS), gradient adaptive lattice (GAL) and adaptive LMS with lattice pre-filter algorithms.

In the near future, the integration of GSM and GPRS services will bring the wireless personal communication networks into a new era. With the extreme growth in the number of users for contending limited resources, an efficient channel allocation scheme for GSM/GPRS users become very important. Currently, existing channel allocation schemes do not consider the various characteristics of traffic classes. Consequently, users can not obtain their optimal channel resources in delivering different types of traffic. In this thesis, a preemptive channel allocation mechanism is introduced for GSM/GPRS cellular networks. Based on the call requests, for different types of services, we classify the traffic into GSM, real-time GPRS and non-real-time GPRS. Two channel thresholds are defined. TGSM/GPRS is used to separate the channels between GSM and GPRS users, while TGPRS_rt is used to separate the channels between real-time and non-real-time GPRS users. Since the two thresholds can be dynamically adjusted based on the number of call requests, the channel utilization is increased and less resources are wasted. Note that in our proposed scheme, high-priority users¡]i.e., GSM handoff calls¡^can preempt the channels being used by low-priority users¡]i.e., non-real-time GPRS calls¡^. Hence, the call blocking probability of high-priority calls can be significantly reduced and their quality of services can be guaranteed as well. We build a 3-D Markov Chain mathematical model to analyze our proposed channel allocation schemes. The parameters of our interests include the call blocking probability, the average number of active calls, the average call completion rate and the overall channel utilization. To verify our mathematical results, we employ OPNET simulator to simulate the proposed schemes. Through the mathematical and simulation results, we have observed that with the preemptive channel allocation, the high-priority calls¡]i.e., GSM and real-time GPRS¡^can achieve relatively low blocking probability while slightly increasing the blocking probability of non-real-time GPRS calls. Besides, the overall channel utilization is greatly improved due to the appropriate channel allocation.

In the context of supply contract design, the more powerful party has the lib- erty of withholding private information which also improves its bargaining power. Traditionally, the supplier (e.g., manufacturer) has been more powerful, and, hence, the existing literature in the area emphasizes supplier-driven contracts. However, in some current markets, such as the grocery channel, the bargaining power has shifted to the buyer (e.g., retailer). For example, in the United States, large retailers, such as Wal-Mart, exert tremendous market power over their suppliers. Also, with the advent of the Internet, buyers have gained access to much more information about multiple potential suppliers. Hence, this dissertation takes into account the recent trends in power shifting between suppliers and buyers, and it attempts to provide a comparison of optimal supply contract designs in supplier- versus buyer-driven chan- nels. This research is unique in that we explore the impact of both power shifting and information asymmetry while designing optimal supply chain contracts under supply uncertainty and competition. Placing an emphasis on the cases of stochastic and/or price-sensitive demand, we work on several novel problems in stochastic mod- eling, nonlinear and dynamic optimization, and game theory. Hence, this research has roots in applied probability, optimization, inventory theory, game theory, and eco- nomics. The goal is to advance our practical knowledge of designing implementable contracts because such knowledge is crucial for optimizing supply chain performance in the real world. This dissertation provides insights about * the individual and joint impacts of the power structure and information asym- metry on supply chain performance, * the value of information for contract design in supplier- versus buyer-driven channels, * the impact of supply uncertainty and supplier competition on contract design in supplier- versus buyer-driven channels.

In this study a three-dimensional mathematical model is developed to simulate the flow field and mass transfer in a PEM fuel cell. In the model, the effects of the different flow channel structures in heterogeneous composite carbon fiber bipolar plates and traditional hard surface bipolar plates on the performance are studied. The results show that, the cell performance with the heterogeneous composite carbon fiber bipolar plates have better performance than that with the traditional hard surface bipolar plates, whether in the parallel flow channel structures or the serpentine flow channel structures. The reason is that, the heterogeneous composite carbon fiber ribs are porous material, so it allows the reactants and products transport uniformly even in the rib zone. This greatly improved the mass transfer and the gases distribution in the fuel cell. With the traditional bipolar plates, the reactants can only enter the reaction zone from the side of carbon cloth under ribs, so that the performance in this area under rib is relatively poor. In the simulation of the flow channel structures, we detect that, due to the single inlet serpentine flow channel have stronger convective effects that forced reactants to flow through the whole reaction zones, so it has better performance at high current density than in the singles inlet parallel flow channel. In addition, the results also show that, higher fuel stoichiometric number and operated pressure and properly humidified at anode will all improve the performance of the fuel cell.

Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) technology has been used widely in many wireless communication systems. Signals will be distorted when they are transmitted in wireless channels. For the reason that wireless channel is time or location variant, we have to estimate the channel impulse response and use the channel state information to compensate the channel distortion. In order to estimate the state of the channel, let the known training symbols put in front of the data symbols and use training symbols to estimate channel response. A typical channel estimate for MIMO OFDM systems is treated as spatially uncorrelated. However in many realistic scenarios, the channel tends to be spatially correlated. Indeed, we have no prior knowledge of the channel spatial correlation. So consider the spatial correlation, the channel can estimate accurately. And it is important that how to combine spatial correlation and channel estimation to reduce the estimation error. In the paper we propose a iterative channel spatial correlation and channel estimation algorithm. At first, channel spatial correlation estimation is obtained by synchronize symbols. The receiver uses the estimated channel to help the detection/decision of data symbol. And then the channel estimation treats the detected signals as known data to perform a next stage channel estimation iteratively. By utilizing the iterative channel estimation and signal detection process we can reduce the estimation error caused by channel spatial correlation estimation. The accuracy of the channel estimation can be improved by increasing the number of iteration process. Simulation results demonstrate the iterative spatial correlation and channel estimation algorithm can provide better mean-square-error performance.

In biotechnology industry, health-care food is the most influential product accounting for considerable market share. Nowadays, National Health Insurance has been in the red innumerably, and Bureau of National Health Insurance has become stricter toward the payment to medical systems. Consequently, the medical market is reapportioned. Preventive Medicine, which has no subsidies from National Health Insurance, has become the ¡§Blue Sea¡¨ soon that medical systems intend to develop, instead of its original unnoticed situation; also, health-care food is the main subject collocated within this area. However, Taiwan¡¦s health-care food has numerous brand names which have their own independent channels, unable to develop an established business model effectively due to the limits of their scales. Hence, although many health-care food companies have good products, they are unable to find a good partner with insight of appreciation, so that they can not survive in the market. This study has explored how to cultivate a business model to expand the health-care food market under the current macro-environment. In this study, health-care food companies were the research targets. Through questionnaire surveys, this study has explored that choosing different marketing channel structures will bring in different marketing channel benefits. In this study, based on channel planning in marketing strategy, through the collections of questionnaire data by Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) Method, the key success factors in health-care food marketing channels have been induced, aimed at the interactive relationship between health-care food industry and the developing trend of the consumer market. Also, the market is divided into four groups, namely TV Shopping, convenient stores and professional comprehensive pharmacy chains, health-care food distributers, the state-owned enterprises systems operating health-care food, to produce the common (consistently indentified) key success factors and the individual difference factors. In the overall conclusions in this study, the high weight is given according to weighting value, and the priority is: unique marketing method, customer satisfaction survey mechanism (customer response), nationwide media advertisement benefit, headquarters¡¦ goodwill value (brand image), and mechanism of reducing inventory and distribution costs. But for the consideration of resources utilization, if the proprietors of health-care food marketing channels can carry out the foregoing key indicators step by step according to the priority, in order to gain competitive advantage in business management, they may yield twice the result with half the effort.

<p>In this thesis, we investigate several radio resourcemanagement (RRM) techniques and concepts in an indoorenvironment with a dense infrastructure. Future wireless indoorcommunication networks will very likely be implemented atplaces where the user concentration is very high. At these hotspots, the radio resources must be used efficiently. The goalis to identify efficient RRM techniques and concepts that aresuitable for implementation in an indoor environment.</p><p>Handling the high level of co-channel interference is shownto be of paramount importance. Several investigations in thethesis point this out to be the key problem in an indoorenvironment with a dense infrastructure. We show that a locallycentralized radio resource management concept, the bunchconcept, can give a very high performance compared to othercommonly used RRM concepts. Comparisons are made withdistributed systems and systems using channel selection schemeslike CSMA/CA. The comparisons are primarily made by capacityand throughput analysis which are made by system levelsimulations. Results show that the centralized concept can give85 percent higher capacity and 70 percent higher throughputthan any of the compared systems.</p><p>We investigate several RRM techniques to deal with thechannel interference problem and show that beamforming cangreatly reduce the interference and improve the systemperformance. Beamforming, especially sector antennas, alsoreduce the transmitter powers and the necessary dynamic range.A comparison is made between the use of TD/CDMA and pure TDMAwhich clearly shows the performance benefits of usingorthogonal channels that separates the users and reduces theco-channel interference. Different channel selection strategiesare studied and evaluated along with various methods to improvethe capability of system co-existence.</p><p>We also investigate several practical measures to facilitatesystem implementation. Centralized RRM is suitable forguaranteeing QoS but is often considered too complex. With thestudied centralized concept the computational complexity can bereduced by splitting the coverage area into smaller pieces andcover them with one centralized system each. This reduces thecomplexity at the prize of lost capacity due to theuncontrolled interference that the different systems produce.Our investigations show that sector antennas can be used toregain this capacity loss while maintaining high reduction incomplexity. Without capacity loss, the computational complexitycan be reduced by a factor of 40 with sectoring. Theimplementation aspects also include installation sensitivity ofthe indoor architecture and the effect of measurement errors inthe link gains. The robustness against installation errors ishigh but the bunch concept is quite sensitive to largemeasurement errors in the studied indoor environment. Thiseffect can be reduced by additional SIR-margins of the radiolinks.</p><p>The studied bunch concept is shown to be promising for usein future wireless indoor communication systems. It provideshigh performance and is feasible to implement.</p><p><b>Keywords:</b>Radio resource management, indoorcommunication, the bunch concept, centralized RRM, dynamicchannel allocation, channel selection, co-channel interference,power control, feasibility check, capacity, throughput, qualityof service, beamforming, downtilting, sector antennas,co-existence, computational complexity, sensitivity analysis,measurement errors, infrastructure, system implementation,WLAN, HiperLAN/2, IEEE 802.11.</p>