• Journal of Satellite, Information and Communications
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.100-105
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• 2017

In this paper, we study an interference avoidance scenario in the presence of a interferer which can rapidly observe the transmit power of backscatter communications and effectively interrupt backscatter signals. We consider a power control with a sub-channel allocation to avoid interference attacks and a power-splitting ratio for backscattering and RF energy harvesting in sensors. We formulate the problem based on a Stackelberg game theory and compute the optimal transmit power, power-splitting ratio, and sub-channel allocation parameter to maximize a utility function against the interferer. We propose the utility maximization using Lagrangian dual decomposition for the backscatter communications and the interferer to prove the existence of the Stackelberg equilibrium. Numerical results show that the proposed algorithms effectively maximize the utility, compared to that of the algorithm based on the Nash game, so as to overcome a malicious interference in backscatter communications.

• Journal of KIISE
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• v.44 no.8
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• pp.854-859
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• 2017

Caching popular videos in the storage of base stations is an efficient method to reduce the transmission latency. This paper proposes an incentive proactive cache mechanism in the wireless network to motivate the content providers (CPs) to participate in the caching procedure. The system consists of one/many Infrastructure Provider (InP) and many CPs. The InP aims to define the price it charges the CPs to maximize its revenue while the CPs compete to determine the number of files they cache at the InP's base stations (BSs). We conceive this system within the framework of Stackelberg game where InP is considered as the leader and CPs are the followers. By using backward induction, we show closed form of the amount of cache space that each CP renting on each base station and then solve the optimization problem to calculate the price that InP leases each CP. This is different from the existing works in that we consider the non-uniform pricing scheme. The numerical results show that InP's profit in the proposed scheme is higher than in the uniform pricing.

• Journal of Communications and Networks
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.627-638
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• 2014

In this paper, we study the joint price and power allocation in spectrum sharing macro-femtocell networks. The proposed game theoretic framework is based on bi-level Stackelberg game where macro base station (MBS) works as a leader and underlaid femto base stations (FBSs) work as followers. MBS has fixed data rate and imposes interference price on FBSs for maintaining its data rate and earns revenue while FBSs jointly adjust their power for maximizing their data rates and utility functions. Since the interference from FBSs to macro user equipment is kept under a given threshold and FBSs compete against each other for power allocation, there is a need to determine a power allocation strategy which converges to Stackelberg equilibrium. We consider two cases for MBS power allocation, i.e., fixed and dynamic power. MBS can adjust its power in case of dynamic power allocation according to its minimum data rate requirement and number of FBSs willing to share the spectrum. For both cases we consider uniform and non-uniform pricing where MBS charges same price to all FBSs for uniform pricing and different price to each FBS for non-uniform pricing according to its induced interference. We obtain unique closed form solution for each case if the co-interference at FBSs is assumed fixed. And an iterative algorithm which converges rapidly is also proposed to take into account the effect of co-tier interference on interference price and power allocation strategy. The results are explained with numerical simulation examples which validate the effectiveness of our proposed solutions.

• KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Systems (TIIS)
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• v.10 no.5
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• pp.2286-2309
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• 2016

Overlay networks have been widely deployed upon the Internet by Service Providers (SPs) to provide improved network services. However, the interaction between each overlay and traffic engineering (TE) as well as the interaction among co-existing overlays may occur. In this paper, we adopt both non-cooperative and cooperative game theory to analyze these interactions, which are collectively called hybrid interaction. Firstly, we model a situation of the hybrid interaction as an n+1-player non-cooperative game, in which overlays and TE are of equal status, and prove the existence of Nash equilibrium (NE) for this game. Secondly, we model another situation of the hybrid interaction as a 1-leader-n-follower Stackelberg-Nash game, in which TE is the leader and co-existing overlays are followers, and prove that the cost at Stackelberg-Nash equilibrium (SNE) is at least as good as that at NE for TE. Thirdly, we propose a cooperative coalition mechanism based on Shapley value to overcome the inherent inefficiency of NE and SNE, in which players can improve their performance and form stable coalitions. Finally, we apply distinct genetic algorithms (GA) to calculate the values for NE, SNE and the assigned cost for each player in each coalition, respectively. Analytical results are confirmed by the simulation on complex network topologies.

• KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Systems (TIIS)
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• v.10 no.10
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• pp.4748-4765
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• 2016

We consider a virtualized cognitive radio (CR) network, where multiple virtual network operators (VNOs) who own different virtual cognitive base stations (VCBSs) share the same physical CBS (PCBS) which is owned by an infrastructure provider (InP), sharing the spectrum with the primary user (PU). The uplink scenario is considered where the secondary users (SUs) transmit to the VCBSs. The PU is protected by constraining the interference power from the SUs. Such constraint is applied by the InP through pricing the interference. A Stackelberg game is formulated to jointly maximize the revenue of the InP and the individual utilities of the VNOs, and then the Stackelberg equilibrium is investigated. Specifically, the optimal interference price and channel allocation for the VNOs to maximize the revenue of the InP and the optimal power allocation for the SUs to maximize the individual utilities of the VNOs are derived. In addition, a low‐complexity ±‐optimal solution is also proposed for obtaining the interference price and channel allocation for the VNOs. Simulations are provided to verify the proposed strategies. It is shown that the proposed strategies are effective in resource allocation and the ±‐optimal strategy achieves practically the same performance as the optimal strategy can achieve. It is also shown that the InP will not benefit from a large interference power limit, and selecting VNOs with higher unit rate utility gain to share the resources of the InP is beneficial to both the InP and the VNOs.

• Industrial Engineering and Management Systems
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.221-227
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• 2009

There are customer services jointly provided by two facilities so that each customer will complete the course made up of both facilities' sub-services. The two facilities are assumed invested respectively by an infrastructure owner and one subordinate facility owner, whose partnership is built on their capital investments. This paper presents a mathematical model of Stackelberg competition between the two facility owners to derive their optimal Nash equilibrium. In this study, each facility owner's profit is consisted of fixed revenue fractions of sold services, operating costs (including depreciation cost) and maintenance costs of her facility. The maintenance costs of one facility are incurred both by failures and deterioration due to usage. Moreover, for both facilities, failures are rectified immediately by minimal repairs and preventive maintenance is carried out at a fixed time epoch. Additional assumptions are also employed to develop the model such as customer arrivals are manipulated to follow a Poisson process, and each facility's lifetime is independently Weibull-distributed. The Stackelberg game proceeds as follows. At the first stage of decision making process, the infrastructure owner (acting as a leader) decides the allocation of revenue shares based on her self-interest. After observing the allocation of revenue shares, the subordinate facility owner determines her own optimal price of services. This paper investigates actions and reactions of the two partners in the system. Then analytical conditions are proposed to achieve a unique optimal Nash equilibrium. Finally, some suggestions for further research are discussed.

• Korean Management Science Review
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.243-257
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• 2006

ITU-T's NgN(Next generation Network) architecture is expected to offer a new Internet platforms such as QoS(Quality of Service) guaranteed services as it overcame the limitations of the existing best-effort Internet architecture. However, policy development crucial for the NgN framework(e.g., interconnections and billing) is lagging far behind technology development. For example, arguments over network neutrality clearly indicate little understanding of the Internet industry structure where diverse providers including ISP and CP coexist. This study employs a network economics approach to predict how the competitive landscape involving various providers will evolve under the traffic-based billing system under the NgN environment. Applied is the non-cooperative game theory, in particular, Stackelberg's repeated game in order to build and analyze model for competition among those providers. We also studied possible impacts that CPs would have on the competitive landscape if they have an option to replace ISP: i.e., CDN(Content Delivery Network) provider. Lastly, based on the model analysis and experiments, presented are their implications to policy development and tile future prospect.

• Industrial Engineering and Management Systems
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.264-273
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• 2013

Credit option is a policy that has been studied by many researchers in the area of supply chain management. This policy has been applied in practice to improve the profits of supply chain members. Usually, a credit option policy is proposed by the seller, and often under a symmetric information environment where members have complete information on each others' operations. In this paper, we investigate two scenarios: firstly, the seller offers a credit option to the buyer, and secondly, the buyer attempts to stretch the length of the credit period offered by the seller. The proposed model in both scenarios will be investigated under an asymmetric information structure where some information are private and are only known to the individual who has knowledge of this information. The interactions between buyer and seller will be modeled by non-cooperative Stackelberg games where the buyer and seller take turn as leader and follower. Among some of the numerical results obtained, the seller and buyer's profits obtained from symmetric information games are larger than those obtained from an asymmetric information game in both scenarios. Furthermore, both buyer and seller's profit in the second scenario are better than in the first scenario.

• Industrial Engineering and Management Systems
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.97-106
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• 2010

Can eBay.com's fee structure coordinate the channel? It's a critical strategic problem in e-commerce operations and an interesting research hypothesis as well. eBay's fees include three parts: monthly subscription fee, insertion fee, and final value fee (i.e., a revenue sharing portion), which represent a generic form of revenue sharing fee structure between the retailer and the vendor in a supply chain. This research deals with such a channel consisting of a price-setting vendor who sells products through eBay's marketplace exclusively to the end customers. The up- and down-stream channel relationship is consignment-based revenue sharing. We use a game-theoretic approach with assumption of the retailer (i.e., eBay.com) being a Stackelberg-leader and the vendor being a follower. The Stackelberg-leader decides on the terms of revenue sharing contract (i.e., fee structure), and the follower (vendor) decides on how many units to sell and the items' selling price. This study formulates several profit-maximization models by considering the effects of the retail price on the demand function. Under such settings, we show that eBay's fee structure can improve the channel efficiency; yet it cannot coordinate the channel optimally.

• Journal of Korean Society of Transportation
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.139-149
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• 2004

As the expansion of road capacity has become impractical in many urban areas, congestion pricing has been widely considered as an effective method to reduce urban traffic congestion in recent years. The principal reason is that the congestion pricing may lead the user equilibrium (UE) flow pattern to system optimum (SO) pattern in road network. In the context of network equilibrium, the link tolls according to the marginal cost pricing principle can user an UE flow to a SO pattern. Thus, the pricing method offers an efficient tool for moving toward system optimal traffic conditions on the network. This paper proposes a continuous network design program (CNDP) in network equilibrium condition, in order to find optimal congestion toll for maximizing net economic benefit (NEB). The model could be formulated as a bi-level program with continuous variable(congestion toll) such that the upper level problem is for maximizing the NEB in elastic demand, while the lower level is for describing route choice of road users. The bi-level CNDP is intrinsically nonlinear, non-convex, and hence it might be difficult to solve. So, we suggest a heuristic solution algorithm, which adopt derivative information of link flow with respect to design parameter, or congestion toll. Two example networks are used for test of the model proposed in the paper.