Matrix-analytic methods are fundamental to the analysis of a family of Markov processes rich in structure and of wide applicability. They are extensively used in the modelling and performance analysis of computer systems, telecommunication networks, network protocols and many other stochastic systems of current commercial and engineering interest.This volume deals with: (1) various aspects of the theory of block-structured Markov chains; (2) analysis of complex queueing models; and (3) parameter estimation and specific applications to such areas as cellular mobile systems, FS-ALOHA, the Internet and production systems.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 16th International Conference on Analytical and Stochastic Modeling Techniques and Applications, ASMTA 2009, held in Madrid, Spain, in June 2009 in conjunction with ECMS 2009, the 23nd European Conference on Modeling and Simulation. The 27 revised full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 55 submissions. The papers are organized in topical sections on telecommunication networks; wireless & mobile networks; simulation; quueing systems & distributions; queueing & scheduling in telecommunication networks; model checking & process algebra; performance & reliability analysis of various systems.

This edited volume captures and communicates the best thinking on how to improve healthcare by improving the delivery of services -- providing care when and where it is needed most -- through application of state-of-the-art scheduling systems. Over 12 chapters, the authors cover aspects of setting appointments, allocating healthcare resources, and planning to ensure that capacity matches needs for care. A central theme of the book is increasing healthcare efficiency so that both the cost of care is reduced and more patients have access to care. This can be accomplished through reduction of idle time, lessening the time needed to provide services and matching resources to the needs where they can have the greatest possible impact on health. Within their chapters, authors address: (1) Use of scheduling to improve healthcare efficiency. (2) Objectives, constraints and mathematical formulations. (3) Key methods and techniques for creating schedules. (4) Recent developments that improve the available problem solving methods. (5) Actual applications, demonstrating how the methods can be used. (6) Future directions in which the field of research is heading. Collectively, the chapters provide a comprehensive state-of-the-art review of models and methods for scheduling the delivery of patient care for all parts of the healthcare system. Chapter topics include setting appointments for ambulatory care and outpatient procedures, surgical scheduling, nurse scheduling, bed management and allocation, medical supply logistics and routing and scheduling for home healthcare.

A graduate text on theory and methods using applied probability techniques for scheduling service, manufacturing, and information networks.

The recent trend towards the interoperability of traditionally separate networks, such as terrestrial, wireless/cellular, and satellite, for the support of multimedia applications poses new and significantly challenging problems to network design. This book reports on the state-of-the-art work developed during the four years of operation of the COST 279 Action, Analysis and Design of Advanced Multiservice Networks supporting Mobility, Multimedia, and Internetworking, by its participating researchers, originating from over 40 research institutions from the academic, industrial, and telecom operator worlds. The work includes both fundamental, methodological, and applied aspects of network performance evaluation and design. Analysis and Design of Advanced Multiservice Networks Supporting Mobility, Multimedia, and Internetworking contains a detailed account of the work developed, supported on an extensive bibliography of material published in the peer-reviewed literature. It contains the following six chapters: IP-Based NetworksQueueing Models Traffic Measurement, Characterization, and ModelingWireless NetworksOptical NetworksPeer-to-Peer Services Analysis and Design of Advanced Multiservice Networks Supporting Mobility, Multimedia, and Internetworking will appeal to both practitioners of network design, and to researchers aiming to map future directions in networking research.

Hidden semi-Markov models (HSMMs) are among the most important models in the area of artificial intelligence / machine learning. Since the first HSMM was introduced in 1980 for machine recognition of speech, three other HSMMs have been proposed, with various definitions of duration and observation distributions. Those models have different expressions, algorithms, computational complexities, and applicable areas, without explicitly interchangeable forms. Hidden Semi-Markov Models: Theory, Algorithms and Applications provides a unified and foundational approach to HSMMs, including various HSMMs (such as the explicit duration, variable transition, and residential time of HSMMs), inference and estimation algorithms, implementation methods and application instances. Learn new developments and state-of-the-art emerging topics as they relate to HSMMs, presented with examples drawn from medicine, engineering and computer science. - Discusses the latest developments and emerging topics in the field of HSMMs - Includes a description of applications in various areas including, Human Activity Recognition, Handwriting Recognition, Network Traffic Characterization and Anomaly Detection, and Functional MRI Brain Mapping. - Shows how to master the basic techniques needed for using HSMMs and how to apply them.

Advances in Queueing Theory and Network Applications presents several useful mathematical analyses in queueing theory and mathematical models of key technologies in wired and wireless communication networks such as channel access controls, Internet applications, topology construction, energy saving schemes, and transmission scheduling. In sixteen high quality chapters, this work provides novel ideas, new analytical models, and simulation and experimental results by experts in the field of queueing theory and network applications. The text serves as a state-of-the-art reference for a wide range of researchers and engineers engaged in the fields of queueing theory and network applications, and can also serve as supplemental material for advanced courses in operations research, queueing theory, performance analysis, traffic theory, as well as theoretical design and management of communication networks.