Web cluster load balancing via genetic-fuzzy based algorithm

In this genetic-fuzzy based Generalized Dimension Exchange (GDE) method is proposed to uniformly distribute the unprecedented Web cluster workload. Fuzzy set theory is used to capture the vagueness of the workload during redistribution period. Fuzzy set theory is used to capture the vagueness of the workload during redistribution period. According to the experts’ subjective evaluations, a fuzzy inference system is established to aggregate the fuzzy web performance metrics into a so-called load-weight index which indicates the servers workload intensity. Based on the load-weight index, the genetic-fuzzy algorithm is applied to equally redistribute the workload among in the servers. Finally, a simulation of 20 load-weight indices in a topology of 3-cube form Web cluster is implemented to illustrate the functionality of the proposed method

66 Years of Corticosteroids in Dentistry: And We Are Still at a Cross Road?

Most of the corticosteroids prescribed in dentistry are for topical applications or short-term usage, rarely for its systemic effects or for long-term consumption, as in the treatment of some medical conditions. Among the various specialties in dentistry, oral and maxillofacial surgery, oral medicine and endodontics are the more frequent users of corticosteroids. Corticosteroids are used in oral and maxillofacial procedures to reduce associated post-operative inflammation. The most researched outcome on the use of corticosteroids in oral and maxillofacial surgery revolves around their impact to reduce post-operative pain, swelling and trismus. Topical corticosteroids, on the other hand, are effective in treating various oral mucosal lesions including oral ulcerations and oral presentations of auto-immune diseases. Corticosteroids are also used as part of the treatment of temporomandibular joint disorders. Intracanal placement of corticosteroids is used in endodontic treatment. This chapter reviews the use of corticosteroids in the three specialties of dentistry as mentioned

Electroosmotic Flow in Microchannel with Black Silicon Nanostructures

Although electroosmotic flow (EOF) has been applied to drive fluid flow in microfluidic chips, some of the phenomena associated with it can adversely affect the performance of certain applications such as electrophoresis and ion preconcentration. To minimize the undesirable effects, EOF can be suppressed by polymer coatings or introduction of nanostructures. In this work, we presented a novel technique that employs the Dry Etching, Electroplating and Molding (DEEMO) process along with reactive ion etching (RIE), to fabricate microchannel with black silicon nanostructures (prolate hemispheroid-like structures). The effect of black silicon nanostructures on EOF was examined experimentally by current monitoring method, and numerically by finite element simulations. The experimental results showed that the EOF velocity was reduced by 13 ± 7%, which is reasonably close to the simulation results that predict a reduction of approximately 8%. EOF reduction is caused by the distortion of local electric field at the nanostructured surface. Numerical simulations show that the EOF velocity decreases with increasing nanostructure height or decreasing diameter. This reveals the potential of tuning the etching process parameters to generate nanostructures for better EOF suppression. The outcome of this investigation enhances the fundamental understanding of EOF behavior, with implications on the precise EOF control in devices utilizing nanostructured surfaces for chemical and biological analyses

Numerical comparison between Maxwell stress method and equivalent multipole approach for calculation of the dielectrophoretic force in octupolar cell traps

This work presents detailed numerical calculations of the dielectrophoretic force in octupolar traps designed for single-cell trapping. A trap with eight planar electrodes is studied for spherical and ellipsoidal particles using an indirect implementation of the boundary element method (BEM). Multipolar approximations of orders one to three are compared with the full Maxwell stress tensor (MST) calculation of the electrical force on spherical particles. Ellipsoidal particles are also studied, but in their case only the dipolar approximation is available for comparison with the MST solution. The results show that the full MST calculation is only required in the study of non-spherical particles.Singapore-MIT Alliance (SMA

Effects Of Post-Deposition Annealing Temperature And Time On Physical Properties Of Metal-Organic Decomposed Lanthanum Cerium Oxide Thin Film.

Lanthanum cerium oxide (LaxCeyOz) precursor was prepared using metal-organic decomposition method. The effects of post-deposition annealing temperatures (400-1000 °C) and annealing time (15-120 minutes) in argon ambient on physical properties of the deposited film were investigated

Recurring Project Overrun and Project Management Problems in Engineering and Construction Industries

The purpose of this thesis is to present an account of the research conducted in the field of project management (PM). The broad problem area is the recurring project overrun problem. The three issues of concern are (1) the perceptions of a project, PM and their success, (2) the managerial implications of project execution problems, and (3) the verification of Baker's and Turner's theories of project success. The research made use of preliminary studies (unstructured interviews, case study, pilot study and structured interviews) to identify, refine and focus the issues for research. Survey research is used to derive the conclusive evidences in the Engineering and Construction (EC) industries in Malaysia. By the use of unstructured interviews, the research identified 28 factors believed to have caused project overrun problems. Among the 28 are four that have never been identified before by previous researchers. In a way, the research showed that unstructured interview is a useful methodology in identifying new ideas. The four new factors identified are the perceptions of individuals. The perceptions manifested in statements such as ''what constitute project success may vary", "inherited problems from earlier phases", "management does not care" and "projects are completed anyway". The influence and impacts of the ambiguities surrounding a project, PM and their success, on project performance could not have come to light but for the literature survey and unstructured interviews conducted. In the case study conducted, a list of 135 project execution problems of different type and complexity were identified. The managerial implications in terms of Henri Fayol's management function were studied. The pilot study and structured interviews helped in confirming the issues for investigation. The basic survey research then focused on the issues discovered in the exploratory studies for further investigation. Based on the preliminary studies theoretical frameworks and 10 hypotheses were formulated for testing

Nonexpansive Matrices with Applications to Solutions of Linear Systems by Fixed Point Iterations

We characterize (i) matrices which are nonexpansive with respect to some matrix norms, and (ii) matrices whose average iterates approach zero or are bounded. Then we apply these results to iterative solutions of a system of linear equations

Acceleration of Gas Bubble-Free Surface Interaction Computation Using Basis Preconditioners

The computation of gas bubble-free surface interaction entails a time-stepping algorithm whereby a linear system is solved at each time-iteration. In our investigation, the linear systems are derived from a desingularized boundary integral formulation and are poorly conditioned. This leads to poor convergence rates when Krylov subspace methods are used to solve these systems. The convergence rates may however be improved with proper preconditioning. We limit our investigation to gas bubbles initiated at depths sufficiently small such that a spike forms on the free surface during the later stages of evolution. Bubble dynamics dictate that for gas bubbles initiated at such depths, the stages through which the gas bubble and free surface evolve are similar. Based on this fact, we propose to perform one computation run for a gas bubble initiated at one particular depth, obtain a judicious set of a priori basis preconditioners from this run and thereafter, use this set of preconditioners on computation runs for gas bubble initiated at different depths. The computation time taken by the proposed method is, in general, 50% and 20% of the time taken by the present method (without preconditioning) with terminating criteria of 1.0e-5 and 1.0e-7 in the infinity-norm respectively using the Bi-conjugate Gradient Stabilized solver. The present method further enables computation to an infinity-norm terminating criterion of 1.0e-10 in a shorter time compared to the present method with a criterion of 1.0e-5.Singapore-MIT Alliance (SMA

Bubble Simulation Using Level Set-Boundary Element Method

In bubble dynamics, an underwater bubble may evolve from being singly-connected to being toroidal. Furthermore, two or more individual bubbles may merge to form a single large bubble. These dynamics involve significant topological changes such as merging and breaking, which may not be handled well by front-tracking boundary element methods. In the level set method, topological changes are handled naturally through a higher-dimensional level set function. This makes it an attractive method for bubble simulation. In this paper, we present a method that combines the level set method and the boundary element method for the simulation of bubble dynamics. We propose a formulation for the update of a potential function in the level set context. This potential function is non-physical off the bubble surface but consistent with the physics on the bubble surface. We consider only axisymmetric cavitation bubbles in this paper. Included in the paper are some preliminary results and findings.Singapore-MIT Alliance (SMA