Metaheuristic design of feedforward neural networks: a review of two decades of research

Over the past two decades, the feedforward neural network (FNN) optimization has been a key interest among the researchers and practitioners of multiple disciplines. The FNN optimization is often viewed from the various perspectives: the optimization of weights, network architecture, activation nodes, learning parameters, learning environment, etc. Researchers adopted such different viewpoints mainly to improve the FNN's generalization ability. The gradient-descent algorithm such as backpropagation has been widely applied to optimize the FNNs. Its success is evident from the FNN's application to numerous real-world problems. However, due to the limitations of the gradient-based optimization methods, the metaheuristic algorithms including the evolutionary algorithms, swarm intelligence, etc., are still being widely explored by the researchers aiming to obtain generalized FNN for a given problem. This article attempts to summarize a broad spectrum of FNN optimization methodologies including conventional and metaheuristic approaches. This article also tries to connect various research directions emerged out of the FNN optimization practices, such as evolving neural network (NN), cooperative coevolution NN, complex-valued NN, deep learning, extreme learning machine, quantum NN, etc. Additionally, it provides interesting research challenges for future research to cope-up with the present information processing era

Advanced Signal Processing Techniques Applied to Power Systems Control and Analysis

The work published in this book is related to the application of advanced signal processing in smart grids, including power quality, data management, stability and economic management in presence of renewable energy sources, energy storage systems, and electric vehicles. The distinct architecture of smart grids has prompted investigations into the use of advanced algorithms combined with signal processing methods to provide optimal results. The presented applications are focused on data management with cloud computing, power quality assessment, photovoltaic power plant control, and electrical vehicle charge stations, all supported by modern AI-based optimization methods

A comprehensive survey on cultural algorithms

Peer reviewedPostprin

Optimisation de l'intégration des requêtes de réseaux virtuels dans un environnement multiCloud

De nos jours, l’Infrastructure-service ou Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) est devenue le modèle de service du Cloud Computing le plus largement adopté. Dans ce modèle d’affaires, un fournisseur de service ou Service Provider (SP) peut louer, à partir d’un ou de plusieurs fournisseurs d’infrastructure ou Cloud Providers (CPs), des ressources physiques proposées en tant que services (calcul, stockage, accès réseau, routage, etc.). Ces derniers sont encapsulés dans des machines virtuelles ou Virtual Machines (VMs), interconnectées et assemblées sous forme de requête de réseau virtuel ou Virual Network Request (VNR), dans le but de créer des réseaux virtuels hétérogènes offrant des applications et des services personnalisés à des utilisateurs finaux. Malgré son adoption largement réussie, le modèle IaaS reste toujours confronté à un défi fondamental en matière de gestion de ressources, qui consiste en l’optimisation de l’intégration efficace et dynamique des VNRs dans les infrastructures sous-jacentes distribuées et partagées. En effet, des ressources hétérogènes doivent être efficacement allouées afin de pouvoir héberger les VMs dans des centres de données ou data centers (DCs) spécifiques, et de faire router les liaisons virtuelles ou Virtual Links (VLs), représentant le trafic échangé entre les VMs interconnectées, sur des chemins appropriés entre les DCs. Cette allocation de ressources et de services vise généralement à satisfaire des contraintes de performance, de Qualité de Service (QdS), de sécurité et de localisation géographique, imposées par le SP. Dans le contexte de la virtualisation de réseau, ce problème est connu NP-difficile, sous le nom d’intégration de réseau virtuel ou Virtual Network Embedding (VNE), qui n’a été abordé que récemment dans la littérature dans le cadre d’un réseau multiCloud, où les infrastructures Cloud sous-jacents appartiennent à différents CPs indépendants. Le VNE dans un environnement multiCloud ajoute plus de complexité et des défis d’évolutivitité au problème, car l’ensemble du processus nécessite une approche de résolution hiérarchique, dans laquelle deux phases principales d’opération sont réalisées, chacune ayant des objectifs différents selon les acteurs : la phase de partitionnement des VNRs à travers le réseau multiCloud, suivie de la phase d’intégration des segments de VNRs dans les infrastructures intraCloud sélectionnées. Dans la première phase réalisée indirectement par le SP, ce dernier mandate généralement un fournisseur de réseau virtuel ou Virtual Network Provider (VNP). Le VNP agit en tant que service de courtage virtuel pour le compte du SP, afin de sélectionner adéquatement des CPs capables de répondre efficacement aux objectifs et exigences du SP, puis partitionne les VNRs en plusieurs segments. Dans la deuxième phase, qui correspond notamment au problème bien connu du VNE dans le cadre d’un seul CP et qui a été largement abordé dans des travaux de recherche antérieurs, chaque CP sélectionné utilise une approche d’hébergement adéquate pour intégrer les segments de VNRs qui lui sont attribués dans son réseau intraCloud.----------ABSTRACT: Nowadays, the Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) has become the most widely adopted cloud service model. In this business paradigm, a Service Provider (SP) can lease, from one or more Cloud Providers (CPs), infrastructure layer resources (processing, storage, network access, routing services, etc.) packaged into interconnected virtual machines (VMs) and assembled as a virtual network request (VNR), in order to build heterogeneous virtual networks that will offer customized services and applications to its end users. Despite its successful adoption, the IaaS model faces a fundamental resource management challenge lying in the efficient and dynamic embedding of VNRs onto distributed and shared substrate infrastructures. Heterogenous resources need to be efficiently allocated to host VMs in specific substrate data centers (DCs) and to route virtual links (VLs), representing the exchanged traffic between interconnected VMs, onto suitable substrate paths between the hosting DCs, in order to satisfy performance, Quality of Service (QoS), security and geographical location constraints imposed by the SP. In the context of network virtualization, this issue is usually referred to as the NP-hard Virtual Network Embedding (VNE) problem, which has been only recently addressed in the literature within a multicloud network, where the substrate infrastructures are owned by different and independent CPs. Such a context adds more complexity and scalability issues, since the whole VNE process requires a hierarchical resolution approach, where two major phases of operation are performed, each of them having different purposes according to the acting player: the multicloud VNRs splitting phase, followed by the intra-cloud VNR segments mapping phase. In the first phase played indirectly by the SP, the latter generally mandates a Virtual Network Provider (VNP), which acts as a virtual brokerage service on behalf of the SP, in order to select eligible CPs based on the SP’s goals and requirements, and split the VNRs into segments. In the second phase, which corresponds to the well known VNE within a single CP largely addressed in past research works, each selected CP uses a mapping approach to embed the assigned VNR segments into its intra-cloud network

Management of Spectral Resources in Elastic Optical Networks

Recent developments in the area of mobile technologies, data center networks, cloud computing and social networks have triggered the growth of a wide range of network applications. The data rate of these applications also vary from a few megabits per second (Mbps) to several Gigabits per second (Gbps), thereby increasing the burden on the Inter- net. To support this growth in Internet data traffic, one foremost solution is to utilize the advancements in optical networks. With technology such as wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) networks, bandwidth upto 100 Gbps can be exploited from the optical fiber in an energy efficient manner. However, WDM networks are not efficient when the traffic demands vary frequently. Elastic Optical Networks (EONs) or Spectrum Sliced Elastic Optical Path Networks (SLICE) or Flex-Grid has been recently proposed as a long-term solution to handle the ever-increasing data traffic and the diverse demand range. EONs provide abundant bandwidth by managing the spectrum resources as fine-granular orthogonal sub-carriers that makes it suitable to accommodate varying traffic demands. However, the Routing and Spectrum Allocation (RSA) algorithm in EONs has to follow additional constraints while allocating sub-carriers to demands. These constraints increase the complexity of RSA in EONs and also, make EONs prone to the fragmentation of spectral resources, thereby decreasing the spectral efficiency. The major objective of this dissertation is to study the problem of spectrum allocation in EONs under various network conditions. With this objective, this dissertation presents the author\u27s study and research on multiple aspects of spectrum allocation in EONs: how to allocate sub-carriers to the traffic demands, how to accommodate traffic demands that varies with time, how to minimize the fragmentation of spectral resources and how to efficiently integrate the predictability of user demands for spectrum assignment. Another important contribution of this dissertation is the application of EONs as one of the substrate technologies for network virtualization