Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Challenged networking'

With the growth of Internet, the underlying protocols are increasingly challenged by new technologies and applications. The original Internet protocols were, however, not designed for wireless communication, mobility, long disconnection times, and varying bandwidths. In this thesis, we study challenged networking, and how well old and new protocols operate under such constraints. Our study is experimental. We build network testbeds and measure the performance of alternative protocols and architectures. We develop novel methodologies for repeatable experiments that combine emulations, simulations and real world experiments. Based on our results we suggest modifications to existing protocols, and we also develop a new network architecture that matches the constraints of a challenged network, in our case, an opportunistic network. One of our most important contributions is an Ad hoc Protocol Evaluation (APE) testbed. It has been successfully used worldwide. The key to its success is that it significantly lowers the barrier to repeatable experiments involving wireless and mobile computing devices. Using APE, we present side-by-side performance comparisons of IETF MANET routing protocols. A somewhat surprising result is that some ad hoc routing protocols perform a factor 10 worse in the testbed than predicted by a common simulation tool (ns-2). We find that this discrepancy is mainly related to the protocols’ sensing abilities, e.g., how accurately they can infer their neighborhood in a real radio environment. We propose and implement improvements to these protocols based on the results. Our novel network architecture Haggle is another important contribution. It is based on content addressing and searching. Mobile devices in opportunistic networks exchange content whenever they detect each other. We suggest that the exchange should be based on interests and searches, rather than on destination names and addresses. We argue that content binding should be done late in challenged networks, something which our search approach supports well.

International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 20-23, 2003 / Riviera Hotel and Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada
Delay-tolerant networking (DTN) is a system for constructing automated data networks in which end-to-end communication is reliable despite low data rates, possible sustained interruptions in connectivity, and potentially high signal propagation latency. As such it promises to provide an inexpensive and robust medium for returning telemetry from research vehicles in environments that provide meager support for communications: deep space, the surface of Mars, the poles or the sub- Arctic steppes of Earth, and others. This paper presents an overview of DTN concepts, including “bundles” and the Bundling overlay protocol. One possible scenario for the application of DTN to a telemetry return problem is described, and there is a brief discussion of the current state of DTN technology development.

Information Centric Network (ICN) architectures offer a viable design to cope with the disruptive nature of Challenged Network environments. They aim to address the challenges of unreliable connectivity and location transparency to offer a delay- and disruption-tolerant solution. Named Data Networking (NDN), a prominent ICN architecture, uses a publish/subscribe-driven model and relies on two main message units for communication, called Interests and Data. Instead of a host-based model for data retrieval, an addressing scheme based on named data is utilized. The naming of data allows for retrieval of data from the network without the knowledge of individual hosts. This thesis studies NDN behavior in a disruptive network environment. More specifically, we use CCNx as an implementation of a Content-Centric Networking protocol that inherits key characteristics from NDN. We study the behavior of CCNx using the Haggle testbed to simulate a simple disruptive network environment. We develop a delay/disruption-tolerant framework based on CCNx and implement the game Tic-Tac-Toe using that framework. The framework design is presented  with an analysis into various alternatives that were considered. A more complex five-node experiment with link disruption is performed using the framework to evaluate CCNx in a real world scenario. We conclude that CCNx is good at handling disruptions associated with Challenged Networks.

Le comunicazioni interplanetarie sono caratterizzate da lunghi ritardi, perdite elevate e connettività intermittente con frequenti interruzioni. Lo stack TCP/IP è inadatto nell'affrontare questo tipo di problemi. Mentre inizialmente l'unico scenario di riferimento erano le comunicazioni interplanetarie, negli anni successivi è nato il termine "Challenged Networks" per identificare le reti in cui i protocolli tradizionali falliscono. L'idea si evolve così in Delay/Disruption Tolerant Networking(DTN), con l'obiettivo di fornire una soluzione adatta alle challenged network. Tra i vari aspetti in cui le reti DTN differiscono dai protocolli TCP/IP abbiamo il modo in cui viene effettuato routing. L'attuale algoritmo di routing utilizzato proposto per le reti DTN è chiamato Contact Graph Routing(CGR). L'aspetto che contraddistingue il CGR dagli algoritmi di routing tradizionali è che esso costruisce una rotta di "contatti" (ovvero delle possibilità di comunicazione programmate), anzichè costruire un percorso di nodi. Questa caratteristica è efficace nell'ambito delle reti DTN, dove i contatti sono noti a priori. Nonostante il CGR sia molto efficiente, esso presenta dei problemi di scalabilità. Infatti, con l'aumentare del numero dei contatti, il suo tempo di esecuzione tende a crescere fino a degradare le prestazioni dell'intera rete. In questa tesi viene proposto un algoritmo di routing chiamato Hierarchical Inter-regional Routing (HIRR) che ha l'obiettivo di mitigare il problema di scalabilità del CGR dividendo i nodi della rete in diverse regioni amministrative, in cui l'utilizzo del CGR non risulta essere critico. Lo scopo principale di HIRR è quindi quello di cercare di trarre il massimo beneficio dal CGR, accettando un ragionevole compromesso fra ottimalità delle rotte e tempo di calcolo. Questa tesi è stata svolta al NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory(JPL) situato a Pasadena in California, aderendo al Visiting Student Research Program (VSRP).

Sono dette “challenged networks” quelle reti in cui lunghi ritardi, frequenti partizionamenti e interruzioni, elevati tassi di errore e di perdita non consentono l’impiego dei classici protocolli di comunicazione di Internet, in particolare il TCP/IP. Il Delay-/Disruption-Tolerant Networking (DTN) è una soluzione per il trasferimento di dati attraverso queste reti. L’architettura DTN prevede l’introduzione, sopra il livello di trasporto, del cosiddetto “bundle layer”, che si occupa di veicolare messaggi, o bundle, secondo l’approccio store-and-forward: ogni nodo DTN conserva persistentemente un bundle finché non si presenta l’opportunità di inoltrarlo al nodo successivo verso la destinazione. Il protocollo impiegato nel bundle layer è il Bundle Protocol, le cui principali implementazioni sono tre: DTN2, l’implementazione di riferimento; ION, sviluppata da NASA-JPL e più orientata alle comunicazioni spaziali; IBR-DTN, rivolta soprattutto a dispositivi embedded. Ciascuna di esse offre API che consentono la scrittura di applicazioni in grado di inviare e ricevere bundle. DTNperf è uno strumento progettato per la valutazione delle prestazioni in ambito DTN. La più recente iterazione, DTNperf_3, è compatibile sia con DTN2 che con ION nella stessa versione del programma, grazie all’introduzione di un “Abstraction Layer” che fornisce un’unica interfaccia per l’interazione con le diverse implementazioni del Bundle Protocol e che solo internamente si occupa di invocare le API specifiche dell’implementazione attiva. Obiettivo della tesi è estendere l’Abstraction Layer affinché supporti anche IBR-DTN, cosicché DTNperf_3 possa essere impiegato indifferentemente su DTN2, ION e IBR DTN. Il lavoro sarà ripartito su tre fasi: nella prima esploreremo IBR DTN e le sue API; nella seconda procederemo all’effettiva estensione dell’Abstraction Layer; nella terza verificheremo il funzionamento di DTNperf a seguito delle modifiche, sia in ambiente esclusivamente IBR-DTN, sia ibrido.

Today, marketers and media companies face a changed environment, affected mostly by the rise of the Internet era. The emergence of various technology applications, combined with the global change of customers is affecting the communication between marketers and consumers. Consumers and marketers are changing their roles; consumers are now media producers, programmers, and distributors, through the use of the social networking applications. The aim of the thesis is to analyze this trend, to predict its lifetime and to provide useful insights for the parties that are involved in it. Main point of evaluation are; the structure of the social media marketing ecosystem; the impact that social networking has on the business environment; the relationship of social media and the conventional media, and the legal and ethical concerns of the use of social media. Social networking is a new, experimental trend that has been accepted by many companies, as a part of their communication strategy. The trend has introduced many challenges for businesses, both positive and negative. To seize the positive challenges, marketers need to invest further in learning the rules of the new marketing trend, and in improving their social networking strategies.

Cette thèse aborde des problèmes liés à deux aspects majeurs de l'évolution d'Internet : l'aspect«comportemental», qui correspond aux nouvelles interactions entre les utilisateurs et le réseau, et l'aspect «structurel», lié aux changements d'Internet d'un point de vue architectural.Le manuscrit est composé d'un chapitre introductif qui donne les grandes lignes de recherche de ce travail de thèse, suivi d'un chapitre consacré à la description de l'état de l'art sur les deux aspects mentionnés ci-dessus. Parmi les solutions proposées par la communauté scientifique pour s'adapter à l'évolution d'Internet, deux nouveaux paradigmes réseaux sont particulièrement décrits : Information- Centric Networking (ICN) et Software-Defined Networking (SDN).La thèse continue avec la proposition de «Caesar», un dispositif réseau, inspiré par ICN, capable de gérer la distribution de contenus à partir de primitives de routage basées sur le nom des données et non les adresses des serveurs. Caesar est présenté dans deux chapitres, qui décrivent l'architecture et deux des principaux modules : le relayage et la gestion de la traçabilité des requêtes.La suite du manuscrit décrit un outil mathématique pour la détection efficace de boucles dans un réseau SDN d'un point de vue théorique. Les améliorations de l'algorithme proposé par rapport à l'état de l'art sont discutées. „,La thèse se conclue par un résumé des principaux résultats obtenus et une présentation des travaux en cours et futurs
This thesis addresses two major aspects of the Internet evolution problem: a behavioral aspect, corresponding to a new type of interactions between users and the network, and a structural aspect, which refers to the evolution problem from an architectural point of view.The manuscript consists of an introductory chapter which outlines the research directions of this thesis, followed by a chapter on the description of the state of the art on the two aforementioned aspects.Among the solutions proposed by the scientific community to adapt to the evolution of the Internet, two new network paradigms are described: Information- Centric Networking (ICN) and Software-Defined Networking (SDN).The thesis continues with the description of "Caesar", a network device, inspired by ICN, capable of managing the distribution of content using forwarding primitives based on the content name and not a server address. Caesar is presented in two chapters describing the architecture of two main modules: theforwarding module, and the pending request management.The second part of the manuscript describes a mathematical tool for the effective loop detection in an SDN network from a theoretical point of view. Some algorithms are proposed and the improvements with respect ta the prior work are discussed.The thesis is concluded with a summary of the main results and a presentation of current and future work

ITC/USA 2005 Conference Proceedings / The Forty-First Annual International Telemetering Conference and Technical Exhibition / October 24-27, 2005 / Riviera Hotel & Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada
The adoption of commercial off the shelf networks, such as Ethernet, FireWire and FibreChannel, within the avionics community has dramatically changed the architecture of avionics busses and instrumentation networks. Higher bandwidth links and unified interconnects simplify existing infrastructure and wiring. But due to their point-to-point nature, networking topologies are fundamentally different from systems built on legacy bus technologies such as CAIS and MIL-STD-1553. Switched networks and ring topologies pose various challenges for the implementation of network monitoring hardware, and affect the design of bus monitors and distributed data acquisition systems. This paper discusses some of these issues. In particular we address deployment issues, architectural choices such as pass-through versus tap approach, as well as handling of bandwidth requirements and complex communication protocols. We illustrate on the basis of a FireWire monitoring system how these obstacles have been overcome for one given application.

Récemment, les villes sont devenues "de plus en plus intelligentes", avec une multitude de périphériques IoT et de capteurs déployés partout. Parmi ces objets intelligents, les voitures peuvent jouer un rôle important. Les véhicules sont (ou seront), en effet, équipés avec plusieurs interfaces réseau, ils ont (ou auront) des capacités de calcul et des dispositifs capables d'analyser l'environnement. Pour réaliser le concept de "connected-car" il faut un changement de modèle Internet, à partir d'une architecture centrée sur l'hôte (IP) vers un paradigme centré sur l'information, comment l'architecture ICN (Information Centric Networking). Cette thèse analyse ainsi les avantages et les défis du paradigme ICN, en particulier du Named Data Networking (NDN), dans le domaine VANET, en présentant la première implémentation de NDN pour VANET (V-NDN). Il propose ensuite Navigo, un mécanisme de forwarding basé sur NDN pour la récupération de contenu en utilisant les communications V2V et V2I. Ensuite, le problème de la mobilité des fournisseurs de données est traité, proposant une solution distribuée basée sur NDN, MAP-Me. Toutefois, le rôle du véhicule dans les villes intelligentes ne s'arrête pas au niveau de la connectivité. Les voitures, avec leurs nouvelles capacités de calcul, sont les candidates idéales pour jouer un rôle dans l'architecture Fog Computing, en déplaçant des tâches de calcul vers l'edge du réseau. En tant que preuve de concept, cette thèse présente ParkMaster, un système qui combine les techniques de machine learning, le cloud et l'edge pour analyser l'environnement et traiter le problème de la disponibilité du stationnement
In the recent years we have seen a continuous integration of technology with the urban environment. This fusion aims to improve the efficiency and the quality of living in big urban agglomerates, while reducing the costs for their management. Cities are getting “smarter and smarter”, with a plethora of IoT devices and sensors deployed all over the urban areas. Among those intelligent objects, an important role may be played by cars. Modern vehicles are (or will be) indeed equipped with multiple network interfaces, they have (or will have) computational capabilities and devices able to sense the environment. However, smart and connected cars do not represent only an opportunity, but also a challenge. Computation capabilities are limited, mobility and the diversity of network interfaces are obstacles when providing connectivity to the Internet and to other vehicles. When addressing the networking aspect, we believe that a shift in the Internet model is needed, from a host oriented architecture (IP) to a more content focused paradigm, the Information Centric Networking (ICN) architectures. This thesis thus analyzes the benefits and the challenges of the ICN paradigm, in particular of Named Data Networking (NDN), in the VANET domain, presenting the first implementation running on real cars of NDN for VANET (V-NDN). It then proposes Navigo, an NDN based forwarding mechanism for content retrieval over V2V and V2I communications, with the goal of efficiently discovering and retrieving data while reducing the network overhead. Networking mobility is not only a challenge for vehicles, but for any connected mobile device. For this reason, this thesis extends its initial area of interest — VANET — and addresses the network mobility problem for generic mobile nodes, proposing a NDN-based solution, dubbed MAP–Me. MAP-Me tackles the intra-AS content provider mobility problem without relying on any fixed node in the network. It exploits notifications messages at the time of a handover and the forwarding plane to maintain the data provider “always” reachable.Finally, the “connected car” concept is not the only novel element in modern vehicles. Cars indeed won’t be only connected, but also smart, able to locally process data produced by in-car sensors. Vehicles are the perfect candidates to play an important role in the recently proposed Fog Computing architecture. Such an architecture moves computational tasks typical of the cloud away from it and brings them to the edge, closer to where the data is produced. To prove that such a model, with the car as computing edge node, is already feasible with the current technology and not only a vision for the future, this thesis presents ParkMaster. Parkmaster is a fully deployed edge-based system that combines vision and machine learning techniques, the edge (driver’s smartphone) and the cloud to sense the environment and tackle the parking availability problem

This thesis aims to describe how Swedish firms have established themselves on the Japanese market with help from their business network. This research has been conducted in the light of the economic recession and the complicated Japanese business networks. We have chosen to use a qualitative approach and by doing so we received the three respondents’ views of doing business on the Japanese market. We have focused this thesis on the importance of networks and relationships and have chosen to use new theories regarding business networks and business relationships for the base of our research and to link them with our empirical findings. The interviews conducted have been focused on three respondents who all have broad experience of the Japanese market. These three interviews have been compared to each other in our analysis and through this we have drawn our conclusions. We also give recommendations for Swedish firms who aim to establish themselves on this market.

In line with its mission to promote public leadership in Africa, the UCT Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance (NMSPG) implements the Emerging African Leaders Programme (EALP). With the use of an intensive two-week residential workshop in Cape Town, integral coaching and an EALP alumni network, the programme endeavours to enhance the leadership capacity of emerging African leaders. The purpose of the EALP alumni network is to keep EALP alumni connected, enable them to have an ongoing dialogue and facilitate collaborations with the ultimate objective of making a contribution to addressing Africa's wicked challenges. A mixed method formative outcome evaluation of the networking component of the EALP was conducted. Data was collected by means of a document review, an online survey, semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions involving the main stakeholders. The findings showed that the EALP alumni network had created, albeit in a suboptimal resource-constrained context, positive outcomes at individual, network, organisational and policy-making levels. The network helped to increase the self-confidence, connectivity, networking ability, networking, problem-solving and decision making capacity, learning, social capital and career prospects of EALP alumni. Furthermore, most of the EALP alumni expressed above average trust and commitment in the EALP alumni network, and, opined that efforts were made to ensure effective inclusion of all network members. On the other hand, on average, EALP alumni, were generally connected and interacted with others within their respective cohort, with mutual support and exchange of information and other resources only occasionally taking place among them. Of the sample, fifty percent of the EALP alumni experienced network cohesion. On average, EALP alumni, reported that it was easy to collaborate on the network but they had developed few productive collaborations with others. Slightly more than half of EALP alumni were satisfied with the management of the EALP alumni network and one fifth of them had fully internalised the network goal. Some positive outcomes were also noted at organisational and policy-making levels. With a view to strengthening the EALP alumni network, ensuring its sustainability and improving its effectiveness, the following recommendations have been made: formulation of a strategy and plans for the network, introduction of a monitoring, evaluation and learning system, formalisation of the network, appointment of a dedicated network manager to engage and support EALP alumni, and ongoing capacity-building.

This thesis contributes to knowledge-based view literature by proposing a novel approach to the integration of two key perspectives in knowledge management: the objectivist and practice-based perspectives. This integration can provide the basis for the adoption and use of information and communication technology (ICT) tools for the sharing and integration of knowledge. This integrative approach is aligned with the knowledge-based view of the firm and can provide valuable opportunities for the transfer of knowledge. The objectivist perspective has thus met with limited success due to the inherent difficulty in codifying knowledge, particularly as it relates to strategies for the effective transfer of knowledge within organisations. On the other hand, the practice-based perspective continues to develop but has not yet reached a maturity level to justify its use on a large scale. Neither one of these two perspectives alone is able to deal with the challenges of transferring and integrating knowledge. The recent knowledge management literature has emphasised the importance of interactive knowledge management technologies, which have manifested themselves in the form of social networking tools in bringing the human side into the knowledge management equation. It is argued that such technologies have distinct features that encourage knowledge sharing, social interaction, and user participation. Yet, very little is known on the benefits, challenges and the factors leading to its successful implementation within organisations.

Studies on the internationalization of entrepreneurial firms have ignored women's entrepreneurship as a distinct research area before the 1970s. However, women's entrepreneurship started to get the attention of researchers a few decades ago and it is still in the adolescence stage. In addition, there is very little research on the internationalization of women entrepreneurial firms from emerging markets particularly those from Bangladesh. Researches that have been conducted on the challenges of Bengali women entrepreneurial firms often focused on the challenges of developing a business within the domestic context. The study seeks to fill this knowledge gap by exploring the challenges the women entrepreneurs in emerging markets are facing while growing a business within the international context, with a focus on Bangladeshi women entrepreneurial firms. This study was conducted using qualitative case studies using semi-structured interviews of three women entrepreneurial firms. The empirical findings show that two Bengali women entrepreneurs are involved with both inward and outward internationalization and one is involved with outward internationalization. The research identified networking as the greatest challenge faced by women entrepreneurs when it comes to internationalizing the business from an emerging market where insufficient funding is also another greatest obstacle. The findings also revealed that entrepreneurs should concentrate on expanding their knowledge and learning further in order to improve their skills and dynamic capacities, which is still insufficient and requires extensive effort to ensure the successful internationalization of the businesses. The findings also showed that Bangladesh is still lagging behind other developed economies in terms of digitalization and innovation. The smallness of the business also significantly affects the business activities when it comes to competing globally.

Owing to their gigantic participation in global economic growth, the phenomenon of SMEs internationalization has become the centre of attention for numerous researchers. Starting from Uppsala model (1977) to born-global approaches today, scholars have been coming up with several theories and models time to time. An in-depth study of literature concerning SMEs internationalization, however, reveals that extant literature has primarily focused on firms that are operating from metropolitan or core regions of the world. It has largely ignored the vast peripheral and non-metropolitan regions of the world from where a great number of SMEs are operating in foreign markets. Particularly increasing number of small high-tech firms with ‘low to no demand’ in domestic market coupled with higher returns available in global markets are induced to internationalize despite intimidating challenges of periphery. Consequently, internationalization phenomenon from said locations, even in face of daunting challenges that hinder SMEs growth, turns out to be an attention-grabbing area – hence worth-investigating! The purpose of this study is to investigate the phenomenon of internationalization that is being pursued by SMEs located in non-metropolitan regions that offer unique constraints and challenges. More specifically, the objective is to explore the kind of entrepreneurial skills and talent that is required to develop networking relations with key players and to eventually internationalize from a peripheral location. To carry out this research, eight semi-structured interviews were conducted informally with key individuals from five small high-tech international firms located in North region of Sweden – a non-metropolitan region. Based on the findings, a conceptual model is developed which underlines that an entrepreneur in non-metropolitan regions should: possess global mind-set, social and team formation skills, and, industry experience; develop social, business and incessant snowball networks by efficiently utilizing his social skills; understand the peripheral challenges like: lack of financial resources, scarcity of non-tech professionals, being far away from core markets, absence of agglomeration advantage and travelling time and cost; and on the same time exploit the peripheral advantages which include loyal, hardworking, less salaried and easily retained employees, and, easy life and exotic climate that exclusively prevail in non-metropolitan regions. Having possessed skills, developed networks, and exploited the opportunities, the entrepreneur is now able to build a pool of potential and strength which minimizes the effect of constraints that he has already understood . As a result he can successfully pursue internationalization from a non-metropolitan region. We believe that this study has contributed both theoretically and practically and will inspire future empirical or conceptual research regarding this important topic.
CiiR(Centre for Interorganizational Innovation Research)

A mesura que Internet i les xarxes IP s'han anat integrant dins la societat i les corporacions, han anat creixent les expectatives de nous serveis convergents així com les expectatives de qualitat en les comunicacions. Les Next Generation Networks (NGN) donen resposta a les noves necessitats i representen el nou paradigma d'Internet a partir de la convergència IP. Un dels aspectes menys desenvolupats de les NGN és el control de la Qualitat del Servei (QoS), especialment crític en les comunicacions multimèdia a través de xarxes heterogènies i/o de diferents operadors. A més a més, les NGN incorporen nativament el protocol IPv6 que, malgrat les deficiències i esgotament d'adreces IPv4, encara no ha tingut l'impuls definitiu.
Aquesta tesi està enfocada des d'un punt de vista pràctic. Així doncs, per tal de poder fer recerca sobre xarxes de proves (o testbeds) que suportin IPv6 amb garanties de funcionament, es fa un estudi en profunditat del protocol IPv6, del seu grau d'implementació i dels tests de conformància i interoperabilitat existents que avaluen la qualitat d'aquestes implementacions. A continuació s'avalua la qualitat de cinc sistemes operatius que suporten IPv6 mitjançant un test de conformància i s'implementa el testbed IPv6 bàsic, a partir del qual es farà la recerca, amb la implementació que ofereix més garanties.
El QoS Broker és l'aportació principal d'aquesta tesi: un marc integrat que inclou un sistema automatitzat per gestionar el control de la QoS a través de sistemes multi-domini/multi-operador seguint les recomanacions de les NGN. El sistema automatitza els mecanismes associats a la configuració de la QoS dins d'un mateix domini (sistema autònom) mitjançant la gestió basada en polítiques de QoS i automatitza la negociació dinàmica de QoS entre QoS Brokers de diferents dominis, de forma que permet garantir QoS extrem-extrem sense fissures. Aquesta arquitectura es valida sobre un testbed de proves multi-domini que utilitza el mecanisme DiffServ de QoS i suporta IPv6.
L'arquitectura definida en les NGN permet gestionar la QoS tant a nivell 3 (IP) com a nivell 2 (Ethernet, WiFi, etc.) de forma que permet gestionar també xarxes PLC. Aquesta tesi proposa una aproximació teòrica per aplicar aquesta arquitectura de control, mitjançant un QoS Broker, a les noves xarxes PLC que s'estan acabant d'estandarditzar, i discuteix les possibilitats d'aplicació sobre les futures xarxes de comunicació de les Smart Grids.
Finalment, s'integra en el QoS Broker un mòdul per gestionar l'enginyeria del tràfic optimitzant els dominis mitjançant tècniques de intel·ligència artificial. La validació en simulacions i sobre un testbed amb routers Cisco demostra que els algorismes genètics híbrids són una opció eficaç en aquest camp.
En general, les observacions i avenços assolits en aquesta tesi contribueixen a augmentar la comprensió del funcionament de la QoS en les NGN i a preparar aquests sistemes per afrontar problemes del món real de gran complexitat.
A medida que Internet y las redes IP se han ido integrando dentro de la sociedad y las corporaciones, han ido creciendo las expectativas de nuevos servicios convergentes así como las expectativas de calidad en las comunicaciones. Las Next Generation Networks (NGN) dan respuesta a las nuevas necesidades y representan el nuevo paradigma de Internet a partir de la convergencia IP. Uno de los aspectos menos desarrollados de las NGN es el control de la Calidad del Servicio (QoS), especialmente crítico en las comunicaciones multimedia a través de redes heterogéneas y/o de diferentes operadores. Además, las NGN incorporan nativamente el protocolo IPv6 que, a pesar de las deficiencias y agotamiento de direcciones IPv4, aún no ha tenido el impulso definitivo.
Esta tesis está enfocada desde un punto de vista práctico. Así pues, con tal de poder hacer investigación sobre redes de prueba (o testbeds) que suporten IPv6 con garantías de funcionamiento, se hace un estudio en profundidad del protocolo IPv6, de su grado de implementación y de los tests de conformancia e interoperabilidad existentes que evalúan la calidad de estas implementaciones. A continuación se evalua la calidad de cinco sistemas operativos que soportan IPv6 mediante un test de conformancia y se implementa el testbed IPv6 básico, a partir del cual se realizará la investigación, con la implementación que ofrece más garantías.
El QoS Broker es la aportación principal de esta tesis: un marco integrado que incluye un sistema automatitzado para gestionar el control de la QoS a través de sistemas multi-dominio/multi-operador siguiendo las recomendaciones de las NGN. El sistema automatiza los mecanismos asociados a la configuración de la QoS dentro de un mismo dominio (sistema autónomo) mediante la gestión basada en políticas de QoS y automatiza la negociación dinámica de QoS entre QoS brokers de diferentes dominios, de forma que permite garantizar QoS extremo-extremo sin fisuras. Esta arquitectura se valida sobre un testbed de pruebas multi-dominio que utiliza el mecanismo DiffServ de QoS y soporta IPv6.
La arquitectura definida en las NGN permite gestionar la QoS tanto a nivel 3 (IP) o como a nivel 2 (Ethernet, WiFi, etc.) de forma que permite gestionar también redes PLC. Esta tesis propone una aproximación teórica para aplicar esta arquitectura de control, mediante un QoS Broker, a las noves redes PLC que se están acabando de estandardizar, y discute las posibilidades de aplicación sobre las futuras redes de comunicación de las Smart Grids.
Finalmente, se integra en el QoS Broker un módulo para gestionar la ingeniería del tráfico optimizando los dominios mediante técnicas de inteligencia artificial. La validación en simulaciones y sobre un testbed con routers Cisco demuestra que los algoritmos genéticos híbridos son una opción eficaz en este campo.
En general, las observaciones y avances i avances alcanzados en esta tesis contribuyen a augmentar la comprensión del funcionamiento de la QoS en las NGN y en preparar estos sistemas para afrontar problemas del mundo real de gran complejidad.
The steady growth of Internet along with the IP networks and their integration into society and corporations has brought with it increased expectations of new converged services as well as greater demands on quality in communications. The Next Generation Networks (NGNs) respond to these new needs and represent the new Internet paradigm from the IP convergence. One of the least developed aspects in the NGNs is the Quality of Service (QoS) control, which is especially critical in the multimedia communication through heterogeneous networks and/or different operators. Furthermore, the NGNs natively incorporate the IPv6 protocol which, despite its shortcomings and the depletion of IPv4 addresses has not been boosted yet.
This thesis has been developed with a practical focus. Therefore, with the aim of carrying out research over testbeds supporting the IPv6 with performance guarantees, an in-depth study of the IPv6 protocol development has been conducted and its degree of implementation and the existing conformance and interoperability tests that evaluate these implementations have been studied. Next, the quality of five implementations has been evaluated through a conformance test and the basic IPv6 testbed has been implemented, from which the research will be carried out.
The QoS Broker is the main contribution to this thesis: an integrated framework including an automated system for QoS control management through multi-domain/multi-operator systems according to NGN recommendations. The system automates the mechanisms associated to the QoS configuration inside the same domain (autonomous system) through policy-based management and automates the QoS dynamic negotiation between peer QoS Brokers belonging to different domains, so it allows the guarantee of seamless end-to-end QoS. This architecture is validated over a multi-domain testbed which uses the QoS DiffServ mechanism and supports IPv6.
The architecture defined in the NGN allows QoS management at level 3 (IP) as well as at level 2 (e.g. Ethernet, WiFi) so it also facilitates the management of PLC networks. Through the use of a QoS Broker, this thesis proposes a theoretical approach for applying this control architecture to the newly standardized PLC networks, and discusses the possibilities of applying it over the future communication networks of the Smart Grids.
Finally, a module for managing traffic engineering which optimizes the network domains through artificial intelligence techniques is integrated in the QoS Broker. The validations by simulations and over a Cisco router testbed demonstrate that hybrid genetic algorithms are an effective option in this area.
Overall, the advances and key insights provided in this thesis help advance our understanding of QoS functioning in the NGNs and prepare these systems to face increasingly complex problems, which abound in current industrial and scientific applications.

Under våren 2021 har det organiserade lärande nätverket för chefer, Nätverk för engagerat ledarskap i Region Jönköpings län, haft digitala träffar genom mötesplattformen Cisco eller Skype i stället för fysiska träffar p.g.a. de rådande samhällsrestriktionerna. Rapporten belyser samtalsledares och nätverks-deltagares mellanmänskliga interaktion och deras anpassningar till digitala arbetssätt, under en tidsperiod där digitaliseringen inom hälso- och sjukvården påskyndats av covid-19-pandemin. Undersökningens syfte är att beskriva samtalsledares erfarenheter av digitala nätverksträffar (vid Nätverket för engagerat ledarskap i Region Jönköpings län) med fokus på kommunikation och vad de beskriver för möjliga förbättringar, utifrån ett delaktighetsperspektiv. Samtliga 40 samtalsledare blev tillfrågade att medverka i undersökningen, varav sex (6) gjorde intresseanmälan. En av dem avbokade dagen innan och fem (5) genomförde gruppintervjun digitalt på mötesplattformen Zoom. Intervjun spelades in efter samtycke och varade 60 minuter. Materialet bearbetades först genom en förenklad induktiv tematisk analys, med stöd av en analysguide inspirerad av Braun och Clarke (2006). Därefter beskrevs analysresultatet utifrån ICF:s första nivå för att belysa resultatet ur ett delaktighetsperspektiv. Fyra teman framkom; digitala utmaningar, mellanmänskliga interaktioner, framtidens behov och ”kriterier” för framgångsrikt digitalt nätverkande. Ett stort problem vid de digitala nätverksträffarna har varit bristande eller fördröjd feedback. Ett annat problem har varit svårigheter med sammanhållningen och att skapa tillit i det digitala rummet. Examensarbetet har gett upphov till förbättringsförslag för ett framgångsrikt digitalt nätverkande ur ett delaktighetsperspektiv. Digitala nätverksträffar kan ses som ett alternativ eller komplement till fysiska träffar även i framtiden. Kanske kan vi framöver hitta det ”bästa receptet” för digitala nätverksträffar för en effektiv och jämlik hälso- och sjukvårdsorganisation?
During the spring of 2021, the organized learning network for managers, Network for Engaged Leadership in Region Jönköping County, has held digital meetings in applications provided by Cisco and Skype instead of having physical meetings due to the current societal restrictions. The report highlights interpersonal interaction between moderators and networking participants, and their adaptations to digital ways of working, in a time where digitalization in healthcare has been accelerated due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of the survey is to describe moderators' experiences with digital networking meetings (at the Network for Engaged Leadership in Region Jönköping County). The study focuses on communications and how improvements can be made to increase the participation and the engagement of the participants. All 40 moderators within the network were asked to participate in the survey, of which six (6) made expressions of interest. One of them canceled the day before and five (5) participated in the group interview digitally using the application Zoom. The interview was recorded with consent and lasted 60 minutes. The material was first processed through a simplified inductive thematic analysis, supported by a guide inspired by Braun and Clarke (2006). The results were then described, using the first level of the ICF, in terms of participation. Four themes were deduced: digital challenges, interpersonal interactions, future needs, and "criteria" for successful digital networking. The lack or delay of feedback has caused major issues at the meetings. Other difficulties have been the lack of affinity and trust within the group. This study has resulted in several proposals for improving digital networking by increasing accessibility. Digital networking meetings can be seen as an alternative or a complement to physical meetings. Perhaps we can find the "best recipe" for digital networking meetings for an effective and equal healthcare organization?

Examen i vårdadministration, YH-utbildning: 20 Yh-poäng.

碩士
國立交通大學
高階主管管理碩士學程
99
Under the trend of Harvard Business School is strongly promoting case studies and domestic universities expect students of EMBA program to pass down the real career experiences to junior students. I deeply feel the importance of case studies with the personal experience in Berkeley and EMBA program. For these reasons, this paper takes one Taiwan networking company as a case to analyze the features and challenges in each stage of corporate life cycles, and encourage juniors thinking the business decisions on management issues. Under the competitive global environment, Taiwan’s SMEs possess great vitality to find the way out in different domains and look forward to growth. Both successful and failure cases from these SMEs are valuable assets for the whole industry to learn. Therefore, I expect to use this paper as an inspiration for domestic EMBA program developing more domestic cases.

The advent of the internet has resulted in the development from mail, radio and telephonic modes of delivery to electronic mode of delivery in distance education. It has been predicted that the impact of the internet on distance and online education will result in benefits such as wider reach of learners who might be disadvantaged by geographical locations and distance, greater flexibility and increased convenience for distance and online learners. However, the envisaged benefits seem to be elusive as a result of a range of impediments, including issues related to the digital divide. In this case study, focused on on-line students at a college of distance and open education in Botswana, students perceptions’ of both the benefits of and the impediments to their study are described, together with their perceptions of support strategies. Findings indicate the need for support strategies consistent with the nature of online learning in the 21st century. In particular, the findings of this study suggest that Web 2.0 technologies have the potential to enhance learner support, and that there is a need for careful exploration of the ways in which such technologies can be exploited and applied in support of on-line learners.

碩士
國立清華大學
經營管理碩士在職專班
105
Intelligent Transportation system and conserve energy to reduce carbon emission are important topics in every countries. And with internet of things development it will bring more business opportunities in Internet of vehicles. In internet of vehicles concept the vehicles are no longer traditional vehicles. It will connect vehicles、infrastructures 、and people with everything. And it has opportunities to be a next major industry following computer and smart phone industries. This thesis presents the definition、architecture and development in some countries of internet of vehicles. Radar and wireless communication are important technologies in internet of vehicles development. And Taiwan networking communication corporations have chances to join these two fields. Therefore, we study the strategies of current Taiwan networking communication corporations in internet of vehicles by Porter five forces analysis and SWOT analysis. We hope we can copy the successful experience of ICT industry for it. Finally we made a conclusion and some recommendation to government and enterprises and hope it can help the development of internet of vehicles in Taiwan.

abstract: Technology is rapidly evolving, and mental health professionals are increasingly using technology in their clinical work. In reaction to this shift, it is important that research examines the ethical implications of online behaviors. The current study examined the online practices of graduate students in the mental health field and generated prediction models for online client searches and best practices in informed consent and online disclosure. The sample consisted of 316 graduate students in counseling, clinical, and school programs. Of those with clinical experience, a third had utilized the Internet to find information about their client. Progress in the participants' program, as measured by credits completed or in progress, and years of social networking experience were positively related to online client searches. The vast majority (over 80%) of individuals who conducted an online search did not obtain informed consent prior to the search. Curiosity was the most frequent reason given for conducting a client search. Previous professional discussions and belief that information online is private were not significant predictors of obtaining informed consent. The final analysis examined disclosure of client information and found that lower scores on ethical decision-making and years of social networking experience predicted online disclosure. This study is an important step in understanding the implications of the intersection of technology use, ethics, and clinical practice of graduate mental health professionals.
Dissertation/Thesis
M.C. Counseling Psychology 2012

Over the last decade, community college researchers and practitioners increasingly have focused on student engagement as a cornerstone of a successful student success agenda. This study investigated community college student engagement using an ex post facto quantitative methodology. This study reports the results of the five special-focus survey items from 2009 CCSSE national administration and data collected from institutional Facebook pages. This study measured student engagement levels based on five constructs from the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (Active and Collaborative Learning, Student-Faculty Interaction, Academic Challenge, Student Effort, and Support for Learners), including more than 170,000 survey respondents. Differences in engagement levels were explored in terms of student characteristics including gender, race/ethnicity, developmental status, weekly preparation, commute time, age (traditional/nontraditional), and enrollment status (full-time/part-time). The results of this study revealed the following: •An institutional Facebook page can provide both academic and non-academic information. An institutional Facebook page is a central location that students, parents, fans, and others can go to ask questions about the college, either general or specific. •Students are using social networking tools for academic purposes. •Students who took honors course(s) and students who commuted six hours or more per week were more likely to use social networking tools to communicate about coursework. •Students’ use of social networking tools for academic purposes is associated with an increase in student-level benchmark scores. A proportional relationship exists between use of SNT and engagement scores. In general, students who frequently used SNT for academic purposes achieved higher engagement scores. •However, a corollary is also true: Student Effort scores tend to be lower among students who use SNT for any purpose multiple times per day.
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Decentralization of web is, also known as Web 3.0 or Semantic Web, is catching on quickly. Deployment of a decentralized network or system for learning purposes in an educational institution could involve the use of new cutting-edge technologies and tools behind blockchain systems and Social Networking Sites (SNS). These technologies can be applied in the education sector to reap numerous benefits. The benefits could be in the areas of longdistance learning, real-time availability of learning content and assignments, improved collaboration between instructors and students, better evaluation of student performance, secure and transparent payment systems for courses, and easy and structured access to student records. Yet other benefits could be achieved by the implementing educational institution in the form of automation (using artificial intelligence and machine learning tools), cost reduction, improved efficiency, system reliability, and data security and privacy. However, like everything else, the decentralization of web or other such networks comes with its own set of challenges. This research study focuses on the challenges associated with implementing a decentralized learning model for learning systems of an educational institution. The study involved both primary and secondary research. First, a thorough review was conducted of the existing literature on the implementation of decentralization technologies in the education sector. Then, a survey was conducted among 25 students to collect information on their views of what these challenges are and to validate the findings from literature revie. The study concludes that, to fully realize the benefits of deploying these technologies to DWeb learning models, several challenges need to be overcome quickly. The survey that was conducted corroborated the findings from the literature review to a large extent. Though many respondents showed their satisfaction with the decentralized e-learning practices where they have been deployed, there still seem to be large gaps in understanding, awareness, deployment, and fine-tuning of such learning systems. The survey results revealed a strong resistance to the use of new technologies among educators; a lack of accessibility to resources and technical support; and a lack of competency and confidence due, perhaps, to a lack of operational training. Overcoming these challenges would require better awareness and understanding of the current trends and developments among both students and instructors. Education system should be well-prepared to train and update both students and instructors on how to best utilize these technologies to reap their benefits. Collaboration through digital means, as opposed to iii one-on-one classroom interactions, would also require a change in the mindset of the users of these learning models.

Master Thesis