Ant Colony Optimization Algorithm For Load Balancing In Grid Computing Uum Press

Managing resources in grid computing system is complicated due to the distributed and heterogeneous nature of the resources. This research proposes an enhancement of the ant colony optimization algorithm that caters for dynamic scheduling and load balancing in the grid computing system. The proposed algorithm is known as the enhance Ant Colony Optimization (EACO). The algorithm consists of three new mechanisms that organize the work of an ant colony i.e. initial pheromone value mechanism, resource selection mechanism and pheromone update mechanism. The resource allocation problem is modelled as a graph that can be used by the ant to deliver its pheromone. This graph consists of four types of vertices which are job, requirement, resource and capacity that are used in constructing the grid resource management element. The proposed EACO algorithm takes into consideration the capacity of resources and the characteristics of jobs in determining the best resource to process a job. EACO selects the resources based on the pheromone value on each resource which is recorded in a matrix form. The initial pheromone value of each resource for each job is calculated based on the estimated transmission time and execution time of a given job. Resources with high pheromone value are selected to process the submitted jobs. Global pheromone update is performed after the completion of processing the jobs in order to reduce the pheromone value of resources. A simulation environment was developed using Java programming to test the performance of the proposed EACO algorithm against other ant based algorithm, in terms of resource utilization. Experimental results show that EACO produced better grid resource management solution.

An overview of the rapidly growing field of ant colony optimization that describes theoretical findings, the major algorithms, and current applications. The complex social behaviors of ants have been much studied by science, and computer scientists are now finding that these behavior patterns can provide models for solving difficult combinatorial optimization problems. The attempt to develop algorithms inspired by one aspect of ant behavior, the ability to find what computer scientists would call shortest paths, has become the field of ant colony optimization (ACO), the most successful and widely recognized algorithmic technique based on ant behavior. This book presents an overview of this rapidly growing field, from its theoretical inception to practical applications, including descriptions of many available ACO algorithms and their uses. The book first describes the translation of observed ant behavior into working optimization algorithms. The ant colony metaheuristic is then introduced and viewed in the general context of combinatorial optimization. This is followed by a detailed description and guide to all major ACO algorithms and a report on current theoretical findings. The book surveys ACO applications now in use, including routing, assignment, scheduling, subset, machine learning, and bioinformatics problems. AntNet, an ACO algorithm designed for the network routing problem, is described in detail. The authors conclude by summarizing the progress in the field and outlining future research directions. Each chapter ends with bibliographic material, bullet points setting out important ideas covered in the chapter, and exercises. Ant Colony Optimization will be of interest to academic and industry researchers, graduate students, and practitioners who wish to learn how to implement ACO algorithms.

Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) is the best example of how studies aimed at understanding and modeling the behavior of ants and other social insects can provide inspiration for the development of computational algorithms for the solution of difficult mathematical problems. Introduced by Marco Dorigo in his PhD thesis (1992) and initially applied to the travelling salesman problem, the ACO field has experienced a tremendous growth, standing today as an important nature-inspired stochastic metaheuristic for hard optimization problems. This book presents state-of-the-art ACO methods and is divided into two parts: (I) Techniques, which includes parallel implementations, and (II) Applications, where recent contributions of ACO to diverse fields, such as traffic congestion and control, structural optimization, manufacturing, and genomics are presented.

Ants communicate information by leaving pheromone tracks. A moving ant leaves, in varying quantities, some pheromone on the ground to mark its way. While an isolated ant moves essentially at random, an ant encountering a previously laid trail is able to detect it and decide with high probability to follow it, thus reinforcing the track with its own pheromone. The collective behavior that emerges is thus a positive feedback: where the more the ants following a track, the more attractive that track becomes for being followed; thus the probability with which an ant chooses a path increases with the number of ants that previously chose the same path. This elementary ant's behavior inspired the development of ant colony optimization by Marco Dorigo in 1992, constructing a meta-heuristic stochastic combinatorial computational methodology belonging to a family of related meta-heuristic methods such as simulated annealing, Tabu search and genetic algorithms. This book covers in twenty chapters state of the art methods and applications of utilizing ant colony optimization algorithms. New methods and theory such as multi colony ant algorithm based upon a new pheromone arithmetic crossover and a repulsive operator, new findings on ant colony convergence, and a diversity of engineering and science applications from transportation, water resources, electrical and computer science disciplines are presented.

Microsoft Excel: Preparing Data, Analysing Data and Designing a Business Model – A Practical Guide will be a useful manual for readers who intend to master various functionalities offered in a spreadsheet application. The module serves as a teaching material, mainly for accounting program students, lecturers, financial analysts, accountants, and other interested parties. This textbook that comprises of eight chapters employs the Microsoft Excel, one of the most commonly used and popular spreadsheet applications, to demonstrate the applications of essential functionalities available in the spreadsheet applications. This application becomes one of the primary analytical tools in today’s business. Excel functions, if used wisely and effectively, are capable of transforming business data into meaningful and valuable information.

This book is based on a series of conferences on Wireless Communications, Networking and Applications that have been held on December 27-28, 2014 in Shenzhen, China. The meetings themselves were a response to technological developments in the areas of wireless communications, networking and applications and facilitate researchers, engineers and students to share the latest research results and the advanced research methods of the field. The broad variety of disciplines involved in this research and the differences in approaching the basic problems are probably typical of a developing field of interdisciplinary research. However, some main areas of research and development in the emerging areas of wireless communication technology can now be identified. The contributions to this book are mainly selected from the papers of the conference on wireless communications, networking and applications and reflect the main areas of interest: Section 1 - Emerging Topics in Wireless and Mobile Computing and Communications; Section 2 - Internet of Things and Long Term Evolution Engineering; Section 3 - Resource Allocation and Interference Management; Section 4 - Communication Architecture, Algorithms, Modeling and Evaluation; Section 5 - Security, Privacy, and Trust; and Section 6 - Routing, Position Management and Network Topologies.

How we experience space by listening: the concepts of aural architecture, with examples ranging from Gothic cathedrals to surround sound home theater. We experience spaces not only by seeing but also by listening. We can navigate a room in the dark, and "hear" the emptiness of a house without furniture. Our experience of music in a concert hall depends on whether we sit in the front row or under the balcony. The unique acoustics of religious spaces acquire symbolic meaning. Social relationships are strongly influenced by the way that space changes sound. In Spaces Speak, Are You Listening?, Barry Blesser and Linda-Ruth Salter examine auditory spatial awareness: experiencing space by attentive listening. Every environment has an aural architecture.The audible attributes of physical space have always contributed to the fabric of human culture, as demonstrated by prehistoric multimedia cave paintings, classical Greek open-air theaters, Gothic cathedrals, acoustic geography of French villages, modern music reproduction, and virtual spaces in home theaters. Auditory spatial awareness is a prism that reveals a culture's attitudes toward hearing and space. Some listeners can learn to "see" objects with their ears, but even without training, we can all hear spatial geometry such as an open door or low ceiling. Integrating contributions from a wide range of disciplines—including architecture, music, acoustics, evolution, anthropology, cognitive psychology, audio engineering, and many others—Spaces Speak, Are You Listening? establishes the concepts and language of aural architecture. These concepts provide an interdisciplinary guide for anyone interested in gaining a better understanding of how space enhances our well-being. Aural architecture is not the exclusive domain of specialists. Accidentally or intentionally, we all function as aural architects.

A comprehensive guide to Fog and Edge applications, architectures, and technologies Recent years have seen the explosive growth of the Internet of Things (IoT): the internet-connected network of devices that includes everything from personal electronics and home appliances to automobiles and industrial machinery. Responding to the ever-increasing bandwidth demands of the IoT, Fog and Edge computing concepts have developed to collect, analyze, and process data more efficiently than traditional cloud architecture. Fog and Edge Computing: Principles and Paradigms provides a comprehensive overview of the state-of-the-art applications and architectures driving this dynamic field of computing while highlighting potential research directions and emerging technologies. Exploring topics such as developing scalable architectures, moving from closed systems to open systems, and ethical issues rising from data sensing, this timely book addresses both the challenges and opportunities that Fog and Edge computing presents. Contributions from leading IoT experts discuss federating Edge resources, middleware design issues, data management and predictive analysis, smart transportation and surveillance applications, and more. A coordinated and integrated presentation of topics helps readers gain thorough knowledge of the foundations, applications, and issues that are central to Fog and Edge computing. This valuable resource: Provides insights on transitioning from current Cloud-centric and 4G/5G wireless environments to Fog Computing Examines methods to optimize virtualized, pooled, and shared resources Identifies potential technical challenges and offers suggestions for possible solutions Discusses major components of Fog and Edge computing architectures such as middleware, interaction protocols, and autonomic management Includes access to a website portal for advanced online resources Fog and Edge Computing: Principles and Paradigms is an essential source of up-to-date information for systems architects, developers, researchers, and advanced undergraduate and graduate students in fields of computer science and engineering.