Queue length‐based load balancing in data center networks

Traffic load balancing in data centers is an important requirement. Traffic dynamics and possibilities of changes in the topology (e.g., failures and asymmetries) make load balancing a challenging task. Existing end‐host–based schemes either employ the predominantly used ECN or combine it with RTT to get congestion information of paths. Both congestion signals, ECN and RTT, have limitations; ECN only tells whether the queue length is above or below a threshold value but does not inform about the extent of congestion; similarly, RTT in data center networks is on the scale of up to few hundreds of microseconds, and current data center operating systems lack fine‐grained microsecond‐level timers. Therefore, there is a need of a new congestion signal which should give accurate information of congestion along the path. Furthermore, in end‐host–based schemes, detecting asymmetries in the topology is challenging due to the inability to accurately measure RTT on the scale of microseconds. This paper presents QLLB, an end‐host–based, queue length–based load balancing scheme. QLLB employs a new queue length–based congestion signal that gives an exact measure of congestion along the paths. Furthermore, QLLB uses relative‐RTT to detect asymmetries in the topology. QLLB is implemented in ns‐3 and compared with ECMP, CONGA, and Hermes. The results show that QLLB significantly improves performance of short flows over the other schemes and performs within acceptable level, of CONGA and Hermes, for long flows. In addition, QLLB effectively detects asymmetric paths and performs better than Hermes under high loads.     

Epitaxial lift-off GaAs HEMT's

An extensive study of epitaxial lift-off (ELO) Al_0.3Ga _0.7As/GaAs modulation doped heterostructure high electron mobility field-effect transistors (HEMT's) is presented. Effects of ELO on electron transport properties of two-dimensional electron gas at AlGaAs/GaAs interface are investigated. An ELO HEMT with 1.5 μm gate length had a maximum extrinsic transconductance g_m-max=125 mS/mm, a unity current gain cut-off frequency f_t=10.5 GHz, and a maximum frequency of oscillation f_max=12 GHz. Statistical distributions of maximum intrinsic transconductance of ELO HEMT's are presented and compared with their on-wafer counterparts. Stability of the ELO HEMT's has also been evaluated by continuous operation at room temperature under dc bias     

Efficient dissemination of personalized information using content-based multicast

There has been a surge of interest in the delivery of personalized information to users (e.g., personalized stocks or travel information), particularly as mobile users with limited terminal device capabilities increasingly desire updated and targeted information in real time. When the number of information recipients is large and there is sufficient commonality in their interests, as is often the case, IP multicast is an efficient way of delivering the information. However, IP multicast services do not consider the structure and semantics of the information in the multicast process. We propose the use of Content-Based Multicast (CBM) where extra content filtering is performed at the interior nodes of the IP multicast tree; this will reduce network bandwidth usage and delivery delay, as well as the computation required at the sources and sinks. We evaluate the situations in which CBM is advantageous. The benefits of CBM depend critically upon how well filters are placed at interior nodes of the IP multicast tree and the costs depend upon those introduced by filters themselves. Further, we consider the benefits of allowing the filters to be mobile so as to respond to user mobility or changes in user interests and the corresponding costs of filter mobility. The criterion that we consider is the total network bandwidth utilization. For this criterion, we develop an optimal filter placement algorithm, as well as a heuristic that executes faster than the optimal algorithm. We evaluate the algorithms by means of simulation experiments. Our results indicate that filters can be effective in substantially reducing bandwidth. We also find filter mobility is worthwhile if there is marked large-scale user mobility. We conclude with suggestions for further work.     

Proposal for st-Routing Protocol

A routing protocol chooses one of the several paths (routes) from a source node to a destination node in the computer network, to send a packet of information. In this paper, we propose a new routing protocol, which we call st-routing protocol, based on st-numbering of a graph. The protocol fits well in noisy environments where robustness of routing using alternative paths is a major issue. The proposed routing protocol provides a systematic way to retry alternative paths without generating any duplicate packets. The protocol works for only those networks that can be represented by biconnected graphs.     

A study of printed spiral coils for neuroprosthetic transcranialtelemetry applications

We have explored the use of printed spiral coils (PSC's) for neuroprosthetic transcranial telemetry applications. We fabricated two-dimensional PSC's on a thin (25 μm) polyimide substrate using copper (35 μm) as a conducting material. All the coils had a fixed inner diameter of 1.0 cm. We fabricated two sets of coils. One set of coils consisted of 2- to 5-turn circular and square spiral coils and had different trace widths (W), different spacings (S) between adjacent traces, and different outer diameters. The other set of coils consisted of 5-turn circular spiral coils and had fixed inner and outer diameters but different W to S ratios. We measured loss resistances (R_s and R_p) and quality factors (Q) of these coils at different resonating frequencies in the range of 5-40 MHz. Over this frequency range, we observed that for fixed inner and outer diameters, the coil with the largest W achieved the lowest R_s and the highest R, and Q. These electrical properties and the fact that these coils can conform to the complex convoluted cortical surface suggest that a PSC can provide a viable alternative to a conventional wire-wound coil for neuroprosthetic transcranial telemetry applications     

Statistical coding method for facial features

Model-based techniques have been shown to give high compression rates for coding head and shoulder image sequences, typically for videophone applications. However, they lead to poor image quality in significant areas of the face such as the eyes and mouth. To overcome this problem, a hybrid system could be perceived where the facial features were represented using traditional statistical techniques and the remaining of the head and shoulder sequences using highly efficient model-based methods, therefore utilising more bits to code the sensitive areas and fewer for the rest. In the paper, the method of principal component analysis to code the dynamic changes in a sequence is presented     

A group theoretic approach to multidimensional filter banks: theoryand applications

In this paper, we provide a new method for analyzing multidimensional filter banks. This method enables us to solve various open problems in multidimensional filter bank characterization and design. The essential element in this new approach is the redefinition of polyphase components. It will be shown that a rich set of mathematical tools, in particular algebraic group theory, will become available for use in the analysis of filter banks. We demonstrate the elegance and power of the tool set by employing it for the characterization of multidimensional filter banks and applying it to two open problems. The first problem is concerned with the development of a general method to design multichannel (⩾2), multidimensional filter banks using transformations, while the second problem is concerned with the derivation of general restrictions on group delays in linear phase filter banks. The treatment of these problems is only an illustration of the power of the tool set of algebraic group theory, employed for the first time in the context of multidimensional filter banks     

Rough ZnO layers by LP-CVD process and their effect in improving performances of amorphous and microcrystalline silicon solar cells

Doped ZnO layers deposited by low-pressure chemical vapour deposition technique have been studied for their use as transparent contact layers for thin-film silicon solar cells.Surface roughness of these ZnO layers is related to their light-scattering capability; this is shown to be of prime importance to enhance the current generation in thin-film silicon solar cells. Surface roughness has been tuned over a large range of values, by varying thickness and/or doping concentration of the ZnO layers.A method is proposed to optimize the light-scattering capacity of ZnO layers, and the incorporation of these layers as front transparent conductive oxides for p–i–n thin-film microcrystalline silicon solar cells is studied.     

Utilisation of fruit and vegetable wastes in layers' diet

Improvement in egg production and egg size was noted when dietary rice polishing was replaced by carrot residue at 80 g kg^?1 diet. The layers fed on a diet containing orange waste or mango peels showed results comparable with the control. Egg production and egg size were adversely affected when mango stone was added to the layers' diet.     

Lowpass and bandpass transadmittance filter using operational amplifier pole

A new topology simultaneously implementing lowpass (LP) and bandpass (BP) transadmittance filtering signals using a single operational amplifier (OA), one capacitor, and two resistors is presented. The input impedance is very high which is essential for cascading without employment of buffers. The circuit uses absolute minimum number of active and passive components. The filter employs pole-model of OA and as such has acquired suitability for extended frequency operation. The circuit permits separate adjustment of natural frequency (ω₀) and quality factor (Q) in an orthogonal manner. The circuit has low sensitivity figures unlike the reported single amplifier biquads. The PSPICE simulation results are included.