This work presents a data estimation scheme for wide band multi-channel charge sampling receivers with sinc filter banks together with a complete system calibration and synchronization algorithm for the receiver. A unified model has been defined for the receiver containing all first order mismatches, offsets and imperfections and a technique based on least mean squares algorithm is employed to track these errors. The performance of this technique under noisy channel conditions has been verified. The sinc filter bank is compared with the conventional analog filter banks and it is shown that the sinc filter banks have very low computational complexity in data estimation Nextly, analytical tools for the design of clock-jitter tolerant multi-channel filterbank receivers have been developed. Clock-jitter is one of the most fundamental obstacles for the future generation of wideband receivers. Additionally all the trade-offs and specifications of a design example for a multi-channel receiver that can process a 5 GHz baseband signal with 40 dB of signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) using sampling clocks that can tolerate up to 5 ps of clock-jitter standard deviation are presented. A novel bandwidth optimization technique has been presented. As a part of it the bandwidth of the filters present in each path is optimized thereby improving the performance of the receiver further in the presence of sampling clock jitter. The amount of bandwidth reduction possible depends on the order of the filter and the noise amplification provided by the reconstruction matrix. It has been shown that 3rd order filters of bandwidth 1 GHz can be replaced with 1st order filters of bandwidth 100 MHz without any depreciation in the output resolution, implying huge power savings.

Traditional sales systems have been disrupted by technological developments. In order to  adapt, companies are changing the way they interact with their customers in business-to-business markets. In the last three decades, multi-channel strategies have spurred the proliferation of different sales channels and new ways of managing sales systems. The purpose of this research was to investigate what should be considered when managing multi-channel sales systems with the objective of increasing sales efficiency. The study has investigated current utilisation of multi-channel sales systems in the context of a business-to-business setting in industrial companies that are involved in the Swedish automotive industry. Multi-channel sales systems can be utilised to achieve many different objectives. However, this research pays specific attention on how to improve sales efficiency by utilising multi-channel sales systems in the context of a business-to-business setting. The research employed an explorative case study, where semi-structured and structured interviews were conducted at a case company and at companies that are first or second tier suppliers in the Swedish automotive industry. The qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis. The empirical findings indicate that the most prevalent measure for increasing sales efficiency is to prioritise and allocate customers based on economic attractiveness. Furthermore, the key issues that impede sales efficiency in multi-channels sales system are misaligned sales activities, deficient prioritisation procedures, insufficient promotion of customer value and inadequate focus on customers. The findings highlight key areas to address and may provide guidelines for the design and management of multi-channel sales systems with the specific purpose of obtaining sales efficiency. The implications of this research are mainly practical and are aimed at supporting sales managers, or individuals in similar positions engaged in multi-channel sales system design and management, in obtaining sales efficiency. Managers should focus on aligning sales activities across the whole  sales system, allocate customers according to prioritisation and stay in line with market developments by understanding customer behaviours and perceptions.

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This work proposes a distributed dynamic channel assignment of multi-channel MAC protocol in Ad-Hoc networks. Major characteristics of the proposed protocol are: (a) each mobile node is equipped with two network interfaces, (b) no time synchronization is needed, (c) distribution channel assignment. The proposed protocol reduces the cost of channel negotiation by considering the property that a connection generates multiple frames for transmitting and can assign channel information faster. Compared with other multi-channel MAC protocols, the proposed algorithm allows the whole network channel allotment be stable quickly. The performance evaluation is conducted on NS-2. Simulation results show that the proposed protocol can reduce the cost of channel negotiation significantly, increase the network throughput.

Multi-channel MAC protocol is that schedules frames to be exchanged on different channels. To analyze the performance of multi-channel MAC protocol, an analytical model is proposed to compute the network throughput. Simulation results show that the proposed model is able to model the behaviors of multi-channel MAC protocol accurately. Furthermore, based on the analysis model, in this thesis we also proposes an adaptive contention window scheme to enhance the network throughput by tuning the initial contention window size. Results indicate that the proposed scheme can reduce the cost of collisions and increase the network throughput.

This study aims to map out how small designintensive businesses combine multiple channels to achieve competitive advantage. The internet has provided retailers with a competing channel and while this can be a source of competitive advantage, it also provides the risk of cannibalization. More and more businesses choose to apply a multi-channel strategy, but there are decisions to be made concerning this strategy as both advantages and disadvantages are to be found in a multi-channel strategy. This study is performed with a qualitative approach via semi-structured interviews with four companies applying a multi-channel strategy, exploring the perspective of the businesses. In contrast to previous research, results show that businesses tend to view a second sales channel mainly as a way of expanding the service offered in their primary sales channel. Further conclusions that can be drawn are that an integrated organizational structure and complementing channels are being used and are creating synergies. A unified view of the channels is communicated and consumers are encouraged to combine channels at a purchase. The channels are also used as tools for marketing each other. / Denna studie syftar till att kartlägga hur designintensiva småföretag kombinerar flera olika försäljningskanaler för att uppnå konkurrensfördelar. Internet har försett återförsäljare med en konkurrerande kanal till den fysiska butiken, vilket kan ge konkurrensfördelar men medför även en risk för kannibalisering kanalerna emellan. Fler och fler företag väljer nu att använda sig av en flerkanalstrategi, men vissa avväganden måste göras då både för- och nackdelar finns med implementering av en flerkanalstrategi. Studien har genomförts med en kvalitativ ansats genom semi-strukturerade intervjuer då författarna ämnar att undersöka flerkanalåterförsäljarnas egna perspektiv. I kontrast till tidigare studier visar resultaten att företagen tenderar att betrakta en andra försäljningskanal främst som ett sätt att utöka den service de erbjuder i sin primära kanal. Ytterligare slutsatser som framkommit är att en integrerad organisationsstruktur och kanaler som kompletterar varandra används och upplevs skapa synergier hos företagen. Fortsatt kommuniceras en enhetlig bild mellan kanalerna och konsumenter uppmuntras kombinera kanalerna vid köp. Kanalerna används även som marknadsföring för varandra.

International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 27-30, 1997 / Riviera Hotel and Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada / Advancing technology continually generates larger quantities of data at increasingly high transfer rates which fuels the need for instrumentation to take up the challenge of efficiently managing the collection of data. This defines the driving force behind the desire for increased channel capacity of PCM data formatters. By incorporating state-of-the-art Digital Signal Processing (DSP) technology coupled with high-performance Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA), Inter-Coastal Electronics has designed the IF-810, a PCM data formatter. The IF-810 allows eight channels of PCM data, one voice channel and an InterRange Instrumentation Group (IRIG)-B channel to be combined and formatted for recording onto the TEAC RX-800 series recorders using a Hi8 8mm video cassette as the recording media. During playback, the IF-810 clocks the PCM data out using a reconstructed version of the input clock. With this unique design, the PCM data and clock outputs are input directly to a decommutator which eliminates the need for costly bit-synchronizers. This paper discusses the integration of the DSP, FPGA and buffering techniques into a low-cost and efficient multi-channel PCM data formatter that accommodates high data rate inputs, all without the need of a bit-synchronizer for decommutation.

Back-haul infrastructures of today's wireless operators must support the triple-play services demanded by the market or regulatory bodies. To cope with increasing capacity demand, the EU FP7 project CARMEN has developed a cost-effective heterogeneous multi-radio wireless back-haul architecture, which may also leverage the native multicast capabilities of broadcast technologies such as DVB-T to off-load high-bandwidth broadcast content delivery. However, the integration of such unidirectional technologies into a packet-switched architecture requires careful considerations. The contribution of this thesis is the investigation, design and evaluation of protocols and mechanisms facilitating the integration of such unidirectional technologies into the wireless back-haul architecture so that they can be configured and utilized by the spectrum and capacity optimization modules. This integration mainly concerns the control plane and, in particular, the aspects related to resource and capability descriptions, neighborhood, link and Multi Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) Label-Switched Path (LSP) monitoring, unicast and multicast LSP signalling as well as topology forming and maintenance. During the course of this study we have analyzed the problem space, proposed solutions to the resulting research questions and evaluated our approach. Our results show that the now Unidirectional Technology (UDT)-aware architecture can readily consider Unidirectional Technologies (UDTs) to distribute, for example, broadcast content.

The internet has had a profound effect on communication, entertainment, buying, and selling (Webb 2002) and, in particular, as a distribution channel (Van den Poel and Leunis 1999). Increasingly companies in a variety of industries have established their own online direct sales channels instead of merely relying on conventional intermediaries (Coughlan et al 2006). Hence, multi-channel distribution strategies, combining both off- and online channels are being adopted. Frazier (1999:232) argues: “The utilization of multiple channels of distribution is now becoming the rule rather than the exception”. Companies which combine physical and web channels have been referred to as “clicks and mortar,” “bricks and clicks,” “surf and turf,” “cyber-enhanced retailing,” or “hybrid e-commerce,” (Gulati and Garino 2000; Steinfield et al 2002 a b; Agatz et al 2008; Sharma and Mehrotra 2007). Despite the apparent popularity of internet channels, adding an internet channel to the distribution mix creates potentially significant challenges for channel managers (Webb 2002). A major concern is that by going multi-channel, a firm might face ‘channel conflict’ between channel members (Sharma and Mehrotra 2007). As Rosenbloom (2007:7) claims: “Perhaps the most significant obstacle to building successful multi-channel strategies is the emergence of conflict between the different channels used for reaching customers”. The main objective in this study is to explore the impact of the internet as being a distribution channel within the multi-channel system. Three research issues which have seldom been discussed in previous literature are explored in this study. These three questions are: Q1: What are the factors encouraging manufacturers to develop the internet channel, especially manufacturers with a well established distribution channel? Q2: What are the channel design patterns of the multi-channel structure? Q3: How can channel conflict arising from the development of the internet channel be minimized? Interview was utilized as a main data collection method in this research. A total of 25 interviews were conducted and the majority of interviewees are managers in Taiwanese IT companies. The main product lines in their firms included wireless equipment, DRAM module, motherboard, and scanner. In addition, a wide range of documents were examined as a secondary data source and compared with data from the interviews. According to the statements from interviewees, six main factors were identified as encouraging the manufacturer to develop the internet channel. These are: (1) customer information management, (2) retailer management issue, (3) launching a new product, (4) to be a secondary channel, (5) management support, and (6) me-too strategy. Furthermore, it seems that when firms are at the different stages of the product life cycle, managers would design their multi-channel structure into different patterns. In addition, a further two conflict resolution styles, communication and differentiation, were found in the sample of firms studied which have seldom been mentioned in previous research and firms appear to adopt different conflict resolution styles according to stage in the product lifecycle.

<p>Increasing capacity in wireless mesh networks can be achieved by using multiple channels and radios. By using different channels, two nodes can send packets at the same time without interfering with each other. To utilize diversity of available frequency, typically cards use channel-switching, which implies significant overhead in terms of delay. Assignment of which channels to use needs to be coupled with routing decisions as routing influences topology and traffic demands, which in turn impacts the channel assignment.</p><p>Routing algorithms for wireless mesh networks differ from routing algorithms that are used in wired networks. In wired networks, the number of hops is usually the only metric that matters. Wireless networks, on the other hand, must consider the quality of different links, as it is possible for a path with a larger amount of hops to be better than a path with fewer hops.</p><p>Typical routing protocols for wireless mesh networks such as Optimized Link State Routing (OLSR) use a single path to send packets from source to destination. This path is precomputed based on link state information received through control packets. The consideration of more information than hop-count in the routing process has shown to be beneficial as for example link quality and physical layer data rate determines the quality of the end-to-end path. In multi-channel mesh networks, also channel switching overhead and channel diversity need to be considered as a routing metric. However, a major drawback of current approaches is that a path is precomputed and used as long as the path is available and shows a good enough metric. As a result, short term variations on link quality or channel switching are not considered.</p><p>In this thesis, a new routing protocol is designed that provides a set of alternative forwarding candidates for each destination. To minimize delay (from both transmission and channel switching), a forwarding mechanism is developed to select one of the available forwarding candidates for each packet. The implementation was tested on an ARM based multi-radio platform, of which the results show that in a simple evaluation scenario the average delay was reduced by 22 % when compared to single path routing.</p>