Task-Based System Load Balancing in Cloud Computing Using Particle Swarm Optimization

Live virtual machine (VM) migration is a technique for achieving system load balancing in a cloud environment by transferring an active VM from one physical host to another. This technique has been proposed to reduce the downtime for migrating overloaded VMs, but it is still time- and cost-consuming, and a large amount of memory is involved in the migration process. To overcome these drawbacks, we propose a Task-based System Load Balancing method using Particle Swarm Optimization (TBSLB-PSO) that achieves system load balancing by only transferring extra tasks from an overloaded VM instead of migrating the entire overloaded VM. We also design an optimization model to migrate these extra tasks to the new host VMs by applying Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO). To evaluate the proposed method, we extend the cloud simulator (Cloudsim) package and use PSO as its task scheduling model. The simulation results show that the proposed TBSLB-PSO method significantly reduces the time taken for the load balancing process compared to traditional load balancing approaches. Furthermore, in our proposed approach the overloaded VMs will not be paused during the migration process, and there is no need to use the VM pre-copy process. Therefore, the TBSLB-PSO method will eliminate VM downtime and the risk of losing the last activity performed by a customer, and will increase the Quality of Service experienced by cloud customers.     

Effects of the core density on the quasi-static flexural and ballistic performance of fibre-composite skin/foam-core sandwich structures

Polymeric foams are extensively used as the core materials in sandwich structures and the core material is typically bonded between relatively thin fibre-composite skins. Such sandwich structures are widely used in the aerospace, marine and wind-energy industries. In the present work, various sandwich structures have been manufactured using glass-fibre-reinforced polymer (GFRP) skins with three layers of poly(vinyl chloride) foam to form the core, with the densities of the foam layers ranging from 60 to 100 kg/m³. This study has investigated the effects on the quasi-static flexural and high-velocity impact properties of the sandwich structures of: (a) the density of the polymeric-foam core used and (b) grading the density of the foam core through its thickness. The digital image correlation technique has been employed to quantitatively measure the values of the deformation, strain and onset of damage. Under quasi-static three-point and four-point bend flexural loading, the use of a low-density layer in a graded-density configuration reduced the likelihood of failure of the sandwich structure by a sudden force drop, when compared with the core configuration using a uniform (i.e. homogenous) density layer. The high-velocity impact tests were performed on the sandwich structures using a gas-gun facility with a compliant, high-density polyethylene projectile. From these impact experiments, the graded-density foam core with the relatively low-density layer located immediately behind the front (i.e. impacted) GFRP skin was found to absorb more impact energy and possess an increased penetration resistance than a homogeneous core structure.     

An Electrochemical Sensor for Analysis of Food Red 17 in the Presence of Tartrazine in Food Products Amplified with CdO/rGO Nanocomposite and 1,3-Dipropylimidazolium Bromide

Carbon paste electrode amplified with CdO nanoparticle (spherical shape) decorated onto graphene nanosheet and 1,3-dipropylimidazolium bromide (CdO-NP/rGO/1,3-DPZBr/CPE) was fabricated and suggested as an electrochemical sensor for analysis of Food Red 17 in the presence of tartrazine. At pH 3.0 as best condition, the electrooxidation wave of a potential 850 mV was observed for Food Red 17. On the other hand, due to high conductivity of 1,3-DPZBr and large surface area of CdO-NP/rGO, we detect a high oxidation sensitivity for analysis of Food Red 17. The CdO-NP/rGO/1,3-DPZBr/CPE showed a good ability for resolving of Food Red 17 and tartrazine oxidation signals as two important dye colors. As a result, we found dynamic range of 4.0 nM–8.0 μM with detection limit 1.0 nM for analysis of Food Red 17 at a surface of the CdO-NP/rGO/1,3-DPZBr/CPE. The CdO-NP/rGO/1,3-DPZBr/CPE was used for analysis of Food Red 17 in washing liquid, ice cream, and jelly powder samples.     

Optimal replacement policy and inspection interval for condition-based maintenance

In condition-based maintenance (CBM), replacement policy is often defined as a rule for replacement or leaving an item (or a system) in operation until the next inspection, depending on monitoring results. The criterion for determining the optimal threshold for replacement, also known as optimal control limit, is to minimise the average maintenance costs per unit time due to preventive and failure replacements over a long time horizon. On the one hand, higher frequency of inspections provides more information about the condition of the system and, thus, maintenance actions are performed more effectively, namely, unnecessary preventive replacements are avoided and the number of replacements due to failure is reduced. Consequently, the cost associated to failure and preventive replacements are decreased. On the other hand, in many real cases, inspections require labour, specific test devices, and sometimes suspension of the operations and, thus, as the number of inspections increase, the inspection cost also increases. In this paper, preventive and failure replacement costs as well as inspection cost are taken into account to determine the optimal control limit and the optimal inspection interval simultaneously. The proposed approach is illustrated through a numerical example.     

Application of response surface methodology for modeling of reactive dye removal from solution using starch‐montmorillonite/polyaniline nanocomposite

In this study, starch‐montmorillonite/polyaniline (St‐MMT/PANI) nanocomposite was synthesized by chemical oxidative polymerization of aniline in the presence of St‐MMT nanocomposite dispersion. The prepared ternary nanocomposite was characterized using FTIR, XRD, and SEM techniques. Adsorption properties of the nanocomposite were investigated for removal of reactive blue (RB 194) as a model reactive dye from aqueous solution. Response surface methodology was employed for the modeling of adsorption capacity of the nanocomposite. A second‐order empirical relationship between adsorption capacity and independent variables (initial dye concentration, amount of the nanocomposite, and pH of the solution) was obtained. Pareto analysis for identification of the factors effect on the system revealed that initial dye concentration was the most effective parameter. The adsorption capacity value of reactive dye on St‐MMT/PANI nanocomposite was 91.74 mg g^?1. Further investigations indicated that the adsorption experimental data were well fitted to the Langmuir isotherm and pseudo‐second‐order kinetic model. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 54:1595–1607, 2014. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers     

The use of antifungal oat‐sourdough lactic acid bacteria to improve safety and technological functionalities of the supplemented wheat bread

In the present study, predominant lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were isolated from oat sourdough. Then, the isolates were screened based on their in vitro antifungal activity. Subsequently, biotechnological capabilities of the selected LAB were evaluated in wheat bread supplemented with controlled fermented oat containing the isolate. Pediococcus pentosaceus was molecular identified as predominant antifungal isolate. Based on our results, fermented oat not only significantly (p < .05) reduced the mold expansion on the produced breads, but also improved the quality attributes of the product. Crumb porosity and antioxidant capacity of the supplemented bread revealed the positive effects of the isolate on textural and functional characteristics of the enriched bread. Wheat bread supplemented with controlled fermented oat had also the highest 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity compared to the other samples. Accordingly, the potential applications of P. pentosaceus isolate as profunctional starter culture in processing of mixed wheat‐oat sourdough bread were verified.     

Engineering Climate-Change-Resilient Crops: New Tools and Approaches

Environmental adversities, particularly drought and nutrient limitation, are among the major causes of crop losses worldwide. Due to the rapid increase of the world’s population, there is an urgent need to combine knowledge of plant science with innovative applications in agriculture to protect plant growth and thus enhance crop yield. In recent decades, engineering strategies have been successfully developed with the aim to improve growth and stress tolerance in plants. Most strategies applied so far have relied on transgenic approaches and/or chemical treatments. However, to cope with rapid climate change and the need to secure sustainable agriculture and biomass production, innovative approaches need to be developed to effectively meet these challenges and demands. In this review, we summarize recent and advanced strategies that involve the use of plant-related cyanobacterial proteins, macro- and micronutrient management, nutrient-coated nanoparticles, and phytopathogenic organisms, all of which offer promise as protective resources to shield plants from climate challenges and to boost stress tolerance in crops.     

The synergistic effect of texture and surface roughness on electrophoretic deposited bioactive glass coating

To improve the biocompatibility of AISI 316L, bioactive glass (BG) coating of SiO₂–CaO–P₂O₅ which helps bonding with bone implants was used by an electrophoretic deposition method. Before coating deposition, the samples were treated by shot peening, known as an efficient process for metal grain refinement and fatigue properties. The stainless steel 316L was investigated in terms of microstructure, texture, and roughness. This research covers the effects of chosen shot peening parameter on the BG-coating properties on the obtained results. Shot peening was carried using two different sets of parameters as conventional shot peening, and severe shot peening. Wettability, roughness, microstructure, coating thickness, and corrosion behavior of coated sample were investigated in terms of potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy in simulated body fluid (SBF) solutions at 37°C. The results indicated that the coating thickness decreased from 35.5 ± 10 µm for coated not peened (CNP) to 20 ± 5 and 17 ± 2 µm for coated conventionally shot-peened (CCSP) and coated severely shot-peened (CSSP), respectively. As well as, the water contact angle of CSSP sample was equal to 15.71° which is much lower than CNP (20.7°). The protection ability of the tested samples in the SBF was improved in the following order: CCSP < CNP < CSSP.