Experiences in building a Grid-based platform to serve Earth observation training activities

Earth observation data processing and storing can be done nowadays only using distributed systems. Experiments dealing with a large amount of data are possible within the timeframe of a lesson and can give trainees the freedom to innovate. Following these trends and ideas, we have built a proof-of-the-concept platform, named GiSHEO, for Earth observation educational tasks. It uses Grid computing technologies to analyze and store remote sensing data, and combines them with eLearning facilities. This paper provides an overview of the GiSHEO's platform architecture and of its technical and innovative solutions.     

Laser Pyrolysis of Hydrocarbons in Synthesis of Soot Containing Fullerenes

Abstract

Using a high power CW CO₂ laser, the pyrolysis in a flow reactor of different hydrocarbons/oxidizer mixtures with/without sensitizer lead to soots containing weightable quantities of fullerenes which were identified by FTIR spectroscopy, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The C₆₀ and C₇₀ quantification was done by HPLC. The FTIR spectroscopy of toluene extracts from the soots and of exhaust gases allowed to discuss some aspects concerning the influence of sensitizer (SF₆) addition as well as of the oxidiser (O₂/N₂O) on the fullerene production in laser pyrolysis of benzene-based mixtures.     

Palladium metal nanoparticles on organically modified thin hybrid films

Hybrid thin films containing palladium nanoparticles in different concentrations (0.5% and 1%) with and without nanoparticle stabiliser agent [mercaptopropyl trimethoxysilane, MPTMS] were prepared using a sol–gel process. Pd nanoparticles were found to be highly dispersed on the thin films with particles ranging from 7 to 10 nm. The catalytic properties of the thin films supported Pd nanoparticles were investigated in the Heck reaction of iodobenzene and methyl acrylate. Films containing Pd MNP (with and without MPTMS) gave quantitative conversion and complete selectivity to the targeted product (methyl cinnamate) in a short time of reaction (<15 min) under microwave irradiation. While Pd containing films without MPTMS were highly active and reusable after 3 runs, MPTMS containing films were found to be inactive after the first use. Such phenomenon was correlated to the steric hindrance round the Pd MNP due to the adsorption of species on the surface that render the catalysts inactive.     

DEPAS: a decentralized probabilistic algorithm for auto-scaling

The dynamic provisioning of virtualized resources offered by cloud computing infrastructures allows applications deployed in a cloud environment to automatically increase and decrease the amount of used resources. This capability is called auto-scaling and its main purpose is to automatically adjust the scale of the system that is running the application to satisfy the varying workload with minimum resource utilization. The need for auto-scaling is particularly important during workload peaks, in which applications may need to scale up to extremely large-scale systems. Both the research community and the main cloud providers have already developed auto-scaling solutions. However, most research solutions are centralized and not suitable for managing large-scale systems, moreover cloud providers’ solutions are bound to the limitations of a specific provider in terms of resource prices, availability, reliability, and connectivity. In this paper we propose DEPAS, a decentralized probabilistic auto-scaling algorithm integrated into a P2P architecture that is cloud provider independent, thus allowing the auto-scaling of services over multiple cloud infrastructures at the same time. Our experiments (simulations and real deployments), which are based on real service traces, show that our approach is capable of: (i) keeping the overall utilization of all the instantiated cloud resources in a target range, (ii) maintaining service response times close to the ones obtained using optimal centralized auto-scaling approaches.     

Nanostructured Biomaterials with Controlled Properties Synthesis and Characterization

Magnetic nanoparticles were obtained using an adjusted Massart method and were covered in a layer-by-layer technique with hydrogel-type biocompatible shells, from chitosan and hyaluronic acid. The synthesized nanocomposites were characterized using dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscopy, and Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy. Biocompatibility of magnetic nanostructures was determined by MTT (3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) cell proliferation assay, swelling tests, and degradation tests. In addition, interaction of hydrogel-magnetic nanoparticles with microorganisms was studied. The possibility of precise nanoparticles size control, as long as the availability of bio-compatible covering, makes them suitable for biomedical applications.     

Photon assisted growth of nitrogen-doped CdTe and the effects of hydrogen incorporation during growth

Nitrogen doping in CdTe epilayers grown by photo-assisted molecular beam epitaxy was demonstrated using an rf plasma source. The effect of the presence of atomic hydrogen during growth of undoped and nitrogen-doped CdTe was investigated. The layers were characterized using photoluminescence spectros-copy (PL), Hall effect, secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy. PL confirmed the incorporation of nitrogen as acceptors. While p-type carrier concentrations greater than 10¹⁸ cm⁻³ were easily obtained, SIMS measurements indicated that nitrogen was concentrated near the undoped-doped and epilayer-substrate interfaces which complicates interpretation of activation efficiency. Hydrogen incorporation was found to be enhanced by the presence of nitrogen. Infrared absorption measurements strongly suggested the formation of N-H complexes. Hall measurements indicated that complexes are formed which are donor-like in nature. The presence of atomic hydrogen during growth radically changed the low temperature photoluminescence in both undoped and nitrogen-doped layers. Exciton-related luminescence was quenched at low temperature. Nitrogenrelated donor-acceptor pair luminescence was also absent from the N-doped hydrogenated layers, consistent with complex formation. Copper (a cation-site acceptor) donor-acceptor pair luminescence appeared to be enhanced by hydrogenation.     

Teaching Grid Technologies to PhD Students, Part 1: Using Best Practices to Build the Course

Grid technologies serving large distributed systems can help address many application areas' computing and storage needs. Consequently, the scientific and large-scale information processing communities are increasingly interested in studying large-scale distributed systems, such as Grid-based ones. Unfortunately, there are relatively few reports on best practices in teaching Grid topics that teachers can follow when they start building a new Grid-related course. Part 1 of this two-part department surveys reported efforts. Most of these efforts concern training activities organized by research teams for Grid user communities, but some discuss semester-long courses for advanced computer science or computer engineering students.     

Laser Pyrolysis of Hydrocarbons in Synthesis of Soot Containing Fullerenes

Using a high power CW CO₂ laser, the pyrolysis in a flow reactor of different hydrocarbons/oxidizer mixtures with/without sensitizer lead to soots containing weightable quantities of fullerenes which were identified by FTIR spectroscopy, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The C₆₀ and C₇₀ quantification was done by HPLC. The FTIR spectroscopy of toluene extracts from the soots and of exhaust gases allowed to discuss some aspects concerning the influence of sensitizer (SF₆) addition as well as of the oxidiser (O₂/N₂O) on the fullerene production in laser pyrolysis of benzene-based mixtures.